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.
Against Better Judgement
A letter landed on his desk and he stared up through the smoke at the older maid, Nancy as she stared back at him with a brow cocked and one hand rested inside her apron. No doubt her hand was probably balled into a fist, Tommy knew that Nancy didn't like him, the worst thing about being in this house was that he didn't have the staff's loyalty, theirs laid with Cora and only a few of them could see that he wasn't the worst person in the world.
"This is the start, ain't it? Gettin' your mail here, next I'll be cuttin' the crusts off yer toast."
"Is there a problem with me bein' 'ere Nancy?" he took the letter and recognised the handwriting instantly, it was Churchill's. This was what he had been waiting on and he anticipated that concealed inside was the go ahead to get rid of his Russian problem. One thing he knew for certain was that Churchill had the same opinions on Communism as Tommy.
"Actually, there is."
Nancy's thick country accent snatched Tommy from his thoughts, and he turned his icy gaze back to the busty hag that tried to belittle him. He rose from his chair and put his cigarette out in the ash tray.
"I don't wanna hear it, if there's a problem, take it up with the lady of the house."
Her eyes followed him as he grabbed his letter and stepped out of the office. She tailed him down the hallway, watching as he glared at every piece of artwork the lined the walls. "It'll not work, yer know."
He stopped in his tracks and turned his head to the ceiling; Cora's house had been peaceful up until now. "What are ya talkin' about?"
"A romance with Miss Maxwell. My youngin, Edith is friendly with Miss Maxwell and all she does is talk about you. You have a wife, don't yer? Go back to her and let Miss Maxwell go off and see the world."
"What happens between Cora and I, it's not your concern." He glanced over his shoulder at the maid and continued his journey down the long corridor. He couldn't blame Nancy for having apprehensions, he had been thinking the same but there was something about Cora that kept him hanging on. When he touched her, it felt as if electricity was coursing through him and when they kissed, it was a different ball game. He was addicted to the feeling she gave him, he craved it more than the air he breathed.
By the time he had got to the dining room, breakfast had already been served and Alexi was sitting in Tommy's usual spot. Cora looked up at him and nodded to the empty chair beside her as she mulled over the options in front of her. He took the seat and watched Alexi as he watched her make her decision and as she went to lift a couple of pancakes, he said something in Russian that made her stop in her tracks. He heard a sigh come from her as she set them down again and noticed how she placed some of the fruit salad onto her plate. The disappointment and hurt was written all over her face and when he looked again at Alexi, he was watching him, an apple twirling in between his fingertips.
"Are you not having anything?" she said as she leaned closer to him.
"Yeah, think I'll have a few of those pancakes." Tommy unbuttoned his blazer and let the handle of his gun dangle in Alexi's eyeline as he lifted a few of the pancakes, it made him look away very quickly and he didn't dare say anything when he set half of them on Cora's plate. "You'll need your energy if ya want to practice all day."
She mouthed a thank you, but she knew that she would get such a telling off from Alexi when they got into the studio; ballerinas had to look a certain way and she knew herself that she had let herself get a little out of control since everything that happened.
"You are a bad influence on my dance partner, Thomas, is it any wonder why her leotard is a little tight."
Tommy couldn't see his face, he had the newspaper up and blocking his few, but he could imagine the smirk; there was an arrogance about Alexi, from what Cora said it was deserved but it didn't mean that Tommy had to take it. He wasn't the one dancing with him.
"I don't think starvin' herself is goin' to get you the results you're lookin' for."
"How long have you been dancing for?" he turned the newspaper down and met Tommy's eyes. When he didn't respond, he let out a noise and turned the paper up again. "That is what I had thought. I have been dancing since I was four years old, eating a strict diet daily and do I look starved?"
Cora glanced at Tommy as she bit into her pancake and rolled her eyes. "Alexi, one pancake won't hurt and Tommy, please don't question Alexi's vision. I will cut back on the indulgence, okay?"
"Very well." He replied, the crunch as he finally bit into the apple echoing in the room.
Cora felt like she had mediated well and as she leaned back into her chair, she noticed Tommy's hand reaching into his pocket and she watched the envelope as he tore it open. "Was that delivered here?"
"Yeah, it's the go ahead I've been waitin' on." He replied as he skimmed the letter. "Can you have a phone moved into my office?"
"Of course, is everything alright?"
"It's better than alright, it's exactly what I needed."
She nodded at him with a small smile, perhaps now Tommy would be able to pull himself out of that room for more than an hour or so every day. "Good," she got onto her feet and stepped towards Alexi, tapping him on the shoulder. "Shall we?"
Cora had barely said a word to them as they completed their stretches, he didn't want to seem overbearing, but in her letter, she had said she wanted them to be elite and if that was her vision, she had to work for it. He got up from the floor and stepped towards her, holding his hand out to her but she got up herself, leaving him hanging.
"Cora, I don't want to be harsh, but this is what you wanted."
"You didn't have to call me fat."
"Did I say those words, or did I say your leotard was a little tight?" she rolled her eyes at him as a reply and he let out an annoyed sigh. "I'm trying to get you to give me your peak performance."
"Okay, Alexi. Can we start practising?"
"Fine, we'll start off with a routine that we should both remember," he stepped towards the record player, "our final piece we danced before we left the academy."
"I think I remember it; you'll tell me if I'm doing it wrong, won't you?"
"I won't be dancing with you; I'll be observing until you get it perfect." He waved his hand, willing her to get into position and started the music. It was easy for him to see that she was struggling with the choreography, it wasn't that she couldn't remember the steps, but she wasn't able to lunge as deep as she used to or spring up as quick as she should. He lifted the needle off the record, "Start again."
She got back into position and waited for the music, she kept focus on her form as she watched herself in the mirror, she could see what Alexi was seeing but he didn't know anything about what she had went through; she would just have to push through the pain and stiffness. Her body would bounce back, it had to.
"Better, but not perfect." He stopped the record once more. "Please tell me that you're trying."
"You have no idea how hard I'm trying. I want this just as much, if not more than you do." She shook out the frustration that was building inside her and rolled the kinks from her neck. "Play the music and do the routine with me."
When he placed the needle back down, he jogged to her side and readied himself. Once the music started, both danced in synchronisation, but he could see in the mirror that there was a difference between them; he danced completely free, he let the music and the emotion flow through him, but she was holding back, something was putting a block on her creativity. At first, he thought it was because of him, because he had been hard on her at breakfast, but he was only trying to help her achieve her dream, but when they got to the hardest part of their routine, he could see by the expression on her face that there was far more to her blockage than anger; it was pain, physical and emotional pain that was holding her back. He stopped dancing and was about to turn the music off again when Cora glanced at him.
"Don't you dare, I will finish this routine, even if it kills me."
He admired her spirit, but it was too little too late. He couldn't let her continue when she was in so much pain. He returned to her and pulled her down with him as he sat on the floor. "Do you want to tell me what's going on with you?"
"What do you mean?"
"That twisted expression on your face, that wasn't passion, that was pain. What happened to you, Cora?"
She was putting herself through so much agony to hide her weakness and it still wasn't enough to fool Alexi. Cora didn't trust him enough to tell him the ins and outs of the past couple of years never mind what had happened most recently.
"Nothing happened to me, I just haven't had the time to dance."
"It's more than that, I'm not stupid. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine but it'll just make it harder for you in the long run. If you are hurt physically, I can't tailor any of our routines."
She knew he was right, but there was no real benefit to telling him; it would just delay her ambition. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm just a little rusty. That's all it is."
He nodded at her and placed his hand on her knee. "We'll take a short break and then take it from the top."
The day had escaped him, Tommy had been on the phone all day trying to perfect his plan and now that he had Arthur semi in the know, he could be his eyes while Tommy kept himself hidden. For his plan to work, he didn't just need his brother, he needed Cora as well; she was able to speak Russian and with her charm she would be able to lull Dominik into a false sense of security. He just needed her to agree.
It was late at night, but he knew that Cora was still awake, her lights were still on and she had a record playing low. It only took her a moment to open her door and from her expression he could tell that she wasn't that surprised to see him.
"Come in, we wouldn't want the staff to see you hanging around my room," when he was inside, she closed the door behind him, "that's how the rumours start."
"I guess Nancy spoke with ya."
"Gave me a proper telling off. She's just protective." Cora sat on the edge of her bed and raised a brow. "You're not hear to complain to me about the staff."
"I need to ask ya for a favour." He sat beside her; his hands clasped in front of him. "You can say no if ya want…"
"You know that I wouldn't refuse you. Especially when you've been so caring."
"The problem I've got, it's Russian business."
"What kind of Russian business?"
"If I told ya the truth, would it change your mind?" He raised a brow at her and watched as she considered his question.
"No, just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it."
"Arthur and I are going to set someone up, I need ya to keep him distracted for an hour or two. Maybe plant some documents on 'em."
It was better for her if she didn't know what mess Tommy had gotten himself into, but she couldn't deny that there was a sort of adrenaline rush that came with the thought of espionage. She was useful to Tommy now, not just a liability that he had to monitor. Doing this for him, it would only build his trust in her.
"Just tell me when and where and I'll do it."
He held her chin with his thumb and index finger, he didn't want to put her in harm's way but there was no one else he could turn to; Dominik knew who Lizzie was, he probably had intel on Ada and Pol, the only person who was unknown was Cora.
"Keep a bag ready, when I get word, we'll need to go to London at a moment's notice." He let go of her face and stood up, glancing around her room.
"You're leaving so soon?"
"You need your rest, I'm sure Alexi has you exhausted."
Cora got up and stepped towards Tommy, her arms folded across her chest. "Will you stay the night, with me?"
She was staring up at him with pleading eyes, he was sure that she felt the same loneliness he did, but he couldn't scare her off or make her feel uncomfortable. Not with the trauma she carried. "Cora, are ya sure you're ready?"
"I can't keep living in the past, if I want to be a success, both in my career and with you, then I need to move on. When I kiss you, there's nothing more that I want than to spend all night with you and wake up with you beside me in the morning. You wouldn't hurt me, I know that. I trust you." She took his hand, raising it to her mouth and placed a small kiss on the palm of his hand.
He didn't need to think of an answer, he already knew what he wanted; Cora was his desire. He swept her off her feet, her legs hooking around him as he carried her back towards the bed. All the time they had spent together, the tension between them and the kisses they had shared was coming to a head, he just hoped that there was more substance to their relationship than just the longing and anticipation.