To Fix a Broken Heart

Summary: She was broken, fragile and in pieces. Cora was a troubled girl who just happened to get involved with the Shelby family. No one ever asks for a dangerous life but when it's thrown at you, there are only two things you can do; let it engulf you or run away and she didn't want to run.

Kill Me with Kindness

April 1928

The car journey from Liverpool to Birmingham was long and tedious as she sat facing her husband and his lover; she had hoped that their honeymoon after her tour with Julian would've lifted her spirits but as she left the busy city of New York for dull Birmingham, she regretted accepting her father's invitation to appear at the opening of his dance school. She didn't just miss the busyness that New York offered, but she missed the acquaintance of a young man that she made while she was there. He was the only one that seemed to distract her from her disastrous marriage; but then again, he knew nothing about it or the healing he provided her.

"What do you think your father's academy will be like?" Edward looked at his wife as she stared out the window helplessly.

"Knowing Norman, it'll be pretentious and pristine." Julian retorted as he tried his best to mask his French accent with a terrible English one.

She looked at them with a raised brow, a smirk crossing her lips lazily. "Pretentious? His academy will be like the military; all he is trying to do is churn out a new ballerina before I expire."

"Expire… What do you mean?" Edward leaned forward in his seat and kept his eyes glued to Cora.

"Before you and I were wed I begged my father to let me return to England, but he pushed me further and harder until I was a recognisable name. Do you really think it's a coincidence that he opens up an academy shortly after I get married?" Her gaze returned to the countryside and she let out a grunt as she mumbled, "Now my only use is to become a baby factory and watch my successor take my spotlight."

Edward was concerned for Cora, she hadn't been herself since she got on the boat to return home, he was under the opinion that she wanted to go home but now he was starting to realise how quickly her wants changed after their wedding. He threw himself back into his seat and glanced at Julian with a sigh as he tried to work out what was going on with her; he hated seeing her in a mood.

The car stopped by the door of Norman Maxwell's house and within an instant of the car stopping, someone was there to help Cora out of the car. When she laid eyes on her father, she approached him slowly, Edward teetering behind her as Julian helped retrieve their luggage from the car.

"It's a bit odd to bring Julian with you on your honeymoon, isn't it dear?" Norman placed his arms around Cora and held her tightly.

"A honeymoon couldn't stop me from practicing, daddy." She glanced over her shoulder at Edward and tried her best to shrug her shoulders. "I had to be at peak performance levels for your grand opening." She lied smoothly as she gazed over her shoulder at her husband. She couldn't tell her father the truth, she hadn't practiced at all; she spent most of her time with an English boy across the pond while Edward and Julian spent their time together.

"That's good to hear, I want you to perform in front of all the people that invested into the academy. It'll be people of importance, so I'm glad to hear that you practiced." He let go of Cora and stepped towards Edward, shaking his hand firmly. "Give them bags to the help Julian, that's what I'm paying them for." He waved the three into his home and let them to his parlour. He poured them each a small glass of gin and passed it around.

"So, who are these investors?" Edward asked before taking a sip of the foul-smelling liquid.

"Ballet enthusiasts, business men of Birmingham and I even got help from an MP." Norman sounded impressed with himself, he had patted himself on the back many times and now that his building was on its feet, he could reap the rewards.

"I didn't think there would be many ballet enthusiasts in England," Julian said as he leant against the wall, his glass of gin by his hip, "this country doesn't seem as polished as the rest of Europe."

"You'd be surprised, Julian. When the British people catch wind of a successful English born ballerina, they all flock to it." Cora said with a smirk; she didn't share many traits with her father, but self-praise was one she did have. She knew she was a big deal, she had read the papers.

"With your help, we can make our grand opening a success." Norman fell quiet for a moment and stared down at the floor; he didn't know how Cora would react to his next request, but he was going to ask her anyway. "I was thinking, now that you are settled down and back in England, how would you like to teach?"

Cora shared a look with Edward as if she was saying 'I told you so' and cleared her throat. "Why on earth do you think I want to teach?"

"Well, I just thought that you and Edward would like to start a family soon."

"Starting a family is something that cannot be rushed, we've been trying plenty, haven't we love?" Edward said as he reached for Cora's hand, grasping her fingers as they dangled over the edge of her armchair. He smiled slightly when she gripped his hand properly.

"I don't think we should be discussing details of our honeymoon with my father." She tried to seem bashful and Cora could tell that her father was lapping up their charade. "Perhaps when I'm with child I will consider taking on a teaching role." She got onto her feet and downed her gin with a screwed-up face; it was so bitter that she almost choked. She looked at the glass with a raised brow and said, "Where did you buy this gin from?"

"That's Thomas Shelby's gin; he sent over a few bottles for the big opening. He's an investor you know? Well actually, he's the MP that'll be making an appearance."

"An MP that makes gin, I've heard it all now," she scoffed as she set the glass on a table before flowing out of the room, "I'll keep my mouth shut about his god-awful produce then."

"Fuckin' ballet? What has gotten into ya, Tommy?" Arthur complained as he followed his younger brother through the distillery. The Shelby's had moved on and created more than just gin; vodka was popular in Eastern Europe and now in London; Tommy planned on bringing it to Birmingham.

"I thought a dance academy would be a great addition to Small Heath," he smirked over his shoulder at Arthur and rolled his eyes, "I've got to think about what's best for Ruby, don't I? Do I want her gettin' pulled into all this? No." he stepped towards a crate of his triple distilled vodka and examined one of the bottles. "There are going to be many important people in attendance tonight, brother and with Mr Maxwell's permission, the party will be serving alcohol provided by Shelby Company Limited."

"What do you think John would make of you and I goin' to a bloody ballet show?"

"Wherever he is, he's screamin' at us." Tommy tried to remain positive, but his brother's death took a bigger toll on him than what he had let on. He blamed himself but if he didn't know what was going to happen, he would've taken the bullet himself if he could. "But he'd realise it's for the best if it meant his girls were looked after."

"Suppose, but couldn't you take Pol with you instead of me?"

"She'll be there too, even Ada's coming. Apparently, she's a fan of this ballerina that's performing." He placed the bottle of vodka back into the crate and whistled for one of the men to seal it and send it over to Maxwell's.

"So, it's goin' to be one big Shelby family reunion?" Arthur smirked as he placed his hands in the pockets of his blazer. "Mr Maxwell's goin' to have his handful tonight."

"These people have class, Arthur. For one night, I'm goin' to ask you to hide your true personality. Drink the vodka, make small talk but most importantly no fighting."

"Fine, for one night only."

"Good, now go help the boys with the rest of these crates." He watched his brother as he barked orders at their factory workers and shook his head, Tommy had to maintain his reputation now that he was titled, he couldn't have Arthur embarrassing the Shelby name in front of his peers.

He ran his hands down his cheeks and stepped out to the fresh air; if Tommy was to be re-elected, he'd need these upper-class folks to back him. It was all going to be down to their first impression of him. Sometimes it felt like he had bitten off more than he could chew but he had planned for this; Tommy wanted this and now that he had this power, he didn't entirely know what he was going to do with it.

He placed his best suit onto his frame and examined every stitch in the mirror as Lizzie watched on, a brow raised and a cigarette hanging from her fingers. She couldn't help but laugh to herself as she watched him tinker at the sleeves and brush himself off.

"What are you playin' at?" she stepped towards him, her emerald dress skimming her ankles as she walked.

"I have to look just right for these people. I've gotta be taken seriously, don't I?" he placed his cap onto his head and turned to his wife, resting his hands on her exposed shoulders. "Go get your coat on or you'll catch somethin'."

"I'll be alright. How's your head?" she scanned his face in concern and watched as he just stared at her. "Tommy, answer me. Are you still taking those pills the doctor gave ya?"

"I've got them in my coat pocket just in case an episode comes on me. Don't be makin' a fuss, Liz. I'll be okay." He looked over himself one last time before allowing Lizzie to loop her arm in his. "Shall we get goin' then?"

"A night at the ballet, I never thought I'd see the day." She smiled at the ground as she followed Tommy out to the car. "If only Ruby were old enough to understand what was happenin'. She'd love this."

"Once she can walk, you can enrol her in this academy. She's the reason I've gave this man so many donations." He looked at his wife, an air of sincerity crossing him. "I don't want her to ever go through what we've gone through."

Lizzie nodded in understanding and placed her hand over Tommy's; his skin felt like ice. "She won't. Those kids'll have it better than us."

He had never experienced sitting in his own box overlooking a stage; the closest thing he had ever got to this was sitting ringside at a fist fight, but things were moving up for the Shelby's, so their entertainment had to as well. As he watched the two dancers, he was starting to see why Ada enjoyed this so much. He understood the story they told all too well; betrayal, hurt and death. It was as if they had constructed this art for his eyes only, like they had been watching his whole life unfold. When Tommy looked to his brother, even he seemed to be impressed by what they were watching and then his eyes roamed to the crowd below them. He spotted a man staring up at him, a wicked looking smirk crossing his face as he tipped his top hat at him. Thomas had no idea who he was, but he was going to make a point of finding out.

He had a bad feeling about him and Thomas always trusted his gut instincts. He just needed to get his name.

Once their piece was finished, Cora and Julian stepped into their changing room; Edward was already waiting, a grin on his face as he looked at the two. He was proud of them, they brought his vision to life much better than what he had expected with very little practice. Cora watched her husband stretch out his arms for an embrace, expecting it to be her that he wanted to congratulate first, but Julian filled the space in his arms quickly and placed a kiss onto his lips. Her eyes dropped to the floor and her smile faded as she let the two lovers have their moment. She only looked up when she felt Edward's hand on her shoulder and saw the way he looked at her; it was completely different from how he looked at Julian.

Deep down, Cora wished that he would look at her with love, just once, she didn't want her marriage to be a complete sham. All she wanted was for someone to love her.

"Well done, you did amazing." He said finally.

"We couldn't have done it without you." She stepped towards the dress that was hung up for her and took it over to her changing area. "How did the crowd react? Did you see it before you moved back here?"

"From what I saw, you two had a standing ovation." Edward kept his back to Cora as she changed into her dress.

"Even your father stood up." Julian added as he prepared his suit. "Didn't you look back?"

"I never look back, I only look forward. Looking back can sometimes end in heartache." She glided towards a mirror and fixed her hair into a more suitable fashion. She watched how Edward and Julian shared a look from the reflection and applied some colour to her lips. They were judging her, they didn't really hide it well.

"That dress looks beautiful on you, just in case you didn't know." Edward said after a while.

Julian stepped towards the door, waiting for the two of them to leave the dressing room. Edward and Cora would have to arrive at the party together, hand in hand.

"I know, it's why I picked it." She took a hold of Edward's hand loosely and tried to prepare herself for the barrage of people that would be approaching her at the party.

"You really do look beautiful." He had known Cora long enough to tell that something was going on with her, she wasn't acting like herself; she hadn't since she left New York. He didn't know what it was but the spark she usually had, it was nearly extinct.

"There's no need for you to be kind, you and I both know it'll lead nowhere." She said quietly.

"Come on, Cora. There's no need to get on like that. I'm just trying to be kind to you."

She paused outside the door that led to the party upstairs and looked at Edward, then to Julian. "I can tell that the two of you pity me, I see it on your faces. Your kindness towards me is killing me. Tonight, all I want is a little bit of distance. We'll make an appearance as a couple and then go our separate ways."

Edward looked a little nervous, but he nodded reluctantly. "If that's what you need."

She nodded once and set her hand on the handle as she tried to muster up the strength to put on a brave face. "Let's get to this party then, shall we?"

A:N Thank you for taking the time to read this story, in the next chapter, Tommy and Cora will meet and a new enemy will cross Tommy's path. Let me know what you think will happen and what you want to see.