Chapter 10

AN: So sorry for the long wait for this chapter, hope you all enjoy! :)

This chapter follows directly on from the last.

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"Rose?" Tommy mumbles as Rosie slips into bed beside him, late the next evening.

"Shh, go back to sleep." She says gently, laying beside him, her back to his chest, his arms winding around her body.

"You didn't come home yesterday." He comments, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

"Ada needed me, Tom," Rosie explains, wrapping her arms around his. "Polly's just come back, God knows where she's been."

"I didn't do anything Ro." Tommy insists, tightening his hold on her, Rosie turning in his arms to face him.

"I know, love." She replies softly, running her fingers lightly across his cheeks. "We'll fix this."

"Ada needs to know. I didn't like them being together, but I'd never do that." He states, searching Rose's eyes. "You believe me, don't you Ro?"

"Of course I do." She says, cupping his cheeks with her hands. "Tommy, Ada will too. We're going to fix this." She repeats, running one hand through his hair. "Close your eyes. Let's get some sleep." Tommy nods once, resting his forehead on hers as their eyes drift shut.

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"Rose?" Tommy calls as his girlfriend heads past his office, her determined stride quick as she heads towards the front of the shop. She pauses, taking a few steps backwards to stop in the doorway of the office, giving him a soft smile. "Where are you off to?"

"Just out. The books are sorted. Money's out of the safe. I'll be back in an hour or so. Just running some errands." She states, stepping into the room towards Tommy, cupping his cheeks with her hands. "I'll be back soon. Promise. You won't even notice I'm gone." She drops her head down to his, pressing a few sweet kisses on his lips. Tommy takes her chin in between his thumb and finger to pull her head back to his, kissing her deeply. "Come and see me when you get back, 'kay?" Rosie nods, pressing another kiss to his lips.

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"Ada?" Rosie calls, pushing open the door to Ada's apartment. "It's just me. Rosie." She lets out a sigh as Ada slowly makes her way into the main room, baby Karl in her arms. "Hi." Rosie slowly approaches her best friend, taking the baby from her arms, laying him against her chest as she pulls Ada into a one armed hug. "How are you doing?" Ada nods against Rosie's chest, her arms encircling her best friend's body, her fingers curling into Rosie's coat. "Let me make you a cup of tea. Go and sit down." Ada smiles gratefully, reaching up to take Karl back. Rosie shakes her head, giving Ada a gentle smile. "I've got him. You rest."

"Thank you." Ada says softly, squeezing Rosie's hand.

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"You've been ignoring Pol." Rose says softly, passing a teacup to Ada who gratefully takes it, curling into the armchair she was sat in. Rosie gives her a sympathetic smile as she lets out a long yawn, gently bouncing the baby in her arms. "You should let her in."

"I don't want to see her. I just want to see you." Ada says quietly, running her finger around the rim of the cup. "You're the only one I trust."

"You can trust Pol. You can trust all of us." Rosie replies, pressing her lips to the crown of Karl's head. "Polly just wants to help."

"I don't want her help." Ada snaps back, head jolting up to look Rosie in the eye.

"Ok!" She exclaims softly, eye brows raised. "Alright."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to snap."

"It's ok." Rosie says, moving to rest her hand lightly on Ada's shoulder, her best friend shifting forwards on the sofa, dropping her forehead to rest on Rosie's stomach as she stands in front of her. "We're going to fix this. Me and Tommy. It's all going to be ok."

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When Rosie returns to Watery Lane later that afternoon, having helped Ada wash and change, cleaning up the house while her friend slept, she finds Tommy heading the same way. She jogs to catch up with him, a smile etched on her face as she slings her arm through his, Tommy's body tensing immediately, yet relaxing again as he notes his girlfriend hanging off his arm.

"How's our Ada?" He asks around his ever present cigarette, Rosie letting out a small gasp of surprise as she looks up at him, eyebrows raised.

"What-"

"Don't kid me, Ro. I know where you were." Rosie sighs again, dropping her head to Tommy's shoulder.

"She's fine. Tired. Upset. But she's doing ok. So's the baby."

"Good." Tommy replies, placing a hand over the hand Rosie had tucked around his elbow. "I'm glad she's got you."

"Me too." Rosie says softly, leaning up to press a kiss to Tommy's cheek. "We'll fix this, right?" She asks, nodding as Tommy nods his head, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head as they reach the front door of number 6. He pushes the door open, letting Rosie walk through first with a gentle hand on her back; she freezes in the doorway as she takes in the sight before her, her eyes meeting John's as she feels Tommy pauses behind her.

"Get out." He states as he locks eyes on his father, sat at the dining room table with the rest of the family around him.

"Come on, son. I'm a changed man." Arthur Snr replies, rising from his chair.

"This family needed you ten years ago, and you walked out on us. Not now. Get out of this house." Tommy says, pushing Rosie gently to the side, out of the firing line. Rosie spares Polly a short glance, copying her stance of leaning against the fire place, arms crossed over her chest as she watches the interaction between father and son.

"Tommy, he's different-" Arthur starts, only to be cut off by his younger brother.

"Shut up."

"It's alright, son. Arthur Shelby never stays where he's not welcome." Their father addresses Arthur who doesn't look up from the table. "Quite something you've become." He states, turning back to Tommy who ignores him. Rosie bristles as Arthur Snr locks eyes with her. "And young Rosie Lane." He says, shaking his head lightly as he places his hands in his pockets. "Pretty young thing you've got there Tom."

"Get out." Rosie runs her hand down the back of Tommy's head as she pushes herself off the fireplace, leaving it to rest there for a second in an attempt to sooth him as his father makes his way out of the house. Her eyes follow Finn as he sticks his head around the door to watch Arthur Snr go, John pulling him back and into the room. The young boy's eyes immediately find hers across the room, Rosie dropping her hand from Tommy's neck, motioning Finn over to her with a smile and a flick of her eyes. He moves across the room at speed, straight into the waiting arms of Rosie who pulls him close, running her hand over the back of his head as she had done with his older brother just seconds earlier.

"He's our dad." Arthur grounds out, glancing up at Tommy who scoffs.

"He's a selfish bastard."

"You calling someone a selfish bastard, that's a bit rich, Tommy." His brother replies, shaking his head. "I mean, thanks to you, we're already down a bloody sister."

"Arthur." Rosie snaps, brow furrowed. "That's enough. Come on."

"You want to see him, Arthur? You want to see him?" Tommy asks, pointing towards the door Arthur snr had just left out of. "You go with him." Rosie rests a hand on Tommy's back as Arthur approaches him before turning on his heel and storming out of the house.

"Come on, Finn. Let's go and see the horses, eh?" Rosie suggests, glancing over at John briefly who gives her a grateful smile as she places her hands on Finn's shoulders, gently leading him out of the room.

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Later that afternoon, Rosie finds herself winding through the now empty betting shop in search of Tommy. With no luck in the shop, she peers through the window leading to the back steps of the shop, letting out a small smile as she spots Tommy sat out there. Rosie remains silent as she pushes the door open, settling on to the step beside Tommy.

"Are you ok?" She asks softly, running her hand down the back of his head, just as she had done earlier that day, resting it on the back of his neck. Tommy hums in reply, nodding his head as she shifts closer to him, wrapping her other arm around his chest, her chin resting on his shoulder. "You don't have to pretend with me, Tom."

"I'm not pretending." He assures her, resting his hand on her thigh. "I'm fine." Rosie hums, unconvinced as she turns her head, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

"Finn's not ok." She states, rubbing circles on the back of his head, with the hand that rested on his neck. "He doesn't understand, Tom." She continues at Tommy's silence.

"What is there to understand? The man's a bastard. He left his children." Tommy grunts, Rosie sighing in response.

"But he doesn't get why, Tom."

"None of us do, Ro." Tommy snaps. Rosie pulls her head back in surprise, watching Tommy as he runs his hand across his face. "Sorry. It's just- Finn'll be fine." Rosie rolls her eyes, pressing a kiss to Tommy's cheek as she stands.

"He's not you, Tommy. Or John. Or Arthur. He's only young. And he needs his big brothers. Think about that. Eh?" With that, Rosie enters the betting shop again, heading back towards the house to help Pol with dinner.

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"Hello you." Rosie calls softly from the doorway of Finn's room. "Can I come in?" At the young boy's nod she enters the room, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. "Where have you been all afternoon? You disappeared from Uncle Charlie's yard. Pol's been looking for you."

"I know," he replies quietly, picking at the threads on the quilt he had thrown over his legs. "I saw her when I got home. She told me off. I was only down the street with Isiah! We were playing at his house. She didn't look very far."

"You have to tell an adult when you leave next time, 'kay?" Finn nods again, resting back on the pillows. "Have you eaten?" Rosie asks, laying a hand gently on his leg. At his nod, Rosie stands from the bed, hovering beside it as she looks at the young boy in front of her, his eyes glued to the ceiling. "I'll leave you to sleep then." She says softly, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead.

"Rosie?" Finn calls as she reaches the door, pausing to turn to look back at him. "Will you stay with me? Just 'til I fall asleep." Rosie gives him a soft smile, nodding her head as she makes her way back across the bedroom, sliding under the covers with him, tucking him under her arm. Finn relaxes against her body, all the tension from the day leaving his body as she runs her fingers gently through his hair. Ever since the war, Rosie had been like another mother figure to Finn, always there to scoop him up in cuddles and kisses the minute she walked through the door (much to his disgust, in front of his friends). Secretly, he rather liked having someone to cuddle at the end of the day, Polly often finding the pair curled up on the sofa, Finn dosing in Rosie's arms in front of the fire. Rosie had been around since before Finn was born, helping Pol when the youngest Shelby child had been born, helping to bring him up after his mother passed away, particularly throughout the war while the boys were gone. Rosie looks down at the little boy in her arms, sadness overwhelming her at the losses he had faced already at such a young age, his life being thrown into a spin with the war, his big brothers leaving him not long after their own father had disappeared. Just as Rosie was drifting off to sleep beside Finn, the creak of floorboards from outside the door stirred her, her head snapping to the side to see who was there. Tommy had just been heading past Finn's room, intent on sticking his head around the door to make sure he was safely tucked up in bed, before carrying on to the Garrison for a drink with his brothers. At the sight of Rosie, curled up in bed beside Finn, Tommy pauses in the doorway, Rosie giving him a small smile from the other side of the room. He softly pads into the room, making his way over to the bed where he drops down on to the end, as Rosie had done not half an hour earlier, reaching up to run his own fingers through his brother's hair.

"Is he ok?" He whispers, not looking over at Rosie who was watching the interaction.

"He will be," she replies softly, reaching her own hand out to take Tommy's hand in hers. "He just wanted me to stay until he fell asleep." Tommy nods, rising from the bed to press a kiss to Finn's forehead, pressing another, lingering kiss to Rosie's before he rises fully.

"You coming to the Garrison with me?" Rosie looks down at the sleeping boy in her arms before responding with a nod.

"Can you give me another couple of minutes? Just to make sure he's definitely out? I can meet you there."

"I'll wait downstairs for you." Tommy replies, pulling out a cigarette as he heads for the door, pausing one last time in the doorway to look back at Rosie and Finn.