Chapter 5

"What the hell was that Edith?"

'Shit!' Edith thinks to herself, pausing before turning to look at her cousin. "Uhhh..."

"In here." Michael demands, pointing at the living room. Edith sighs and shuffles down the hallway towards him.

"Michael, listen..."

"Fix your hair." He says, pointing at the mirror hanging above the fireplace. "You don't want Finn coming in and seeing your hair a mess like that."

"Fuck," Edith breathes, noticing the mess her braids that were pinned to the side of her hair were in, from Bonnie running his fingers through her hair. "How did John not notice?"

"He's a little preoccupied with Esme and the kids." Michael comments, taking a seat on the sofa and pulling out a cigarette. "And I don't think he really takes much notice in what you do to your hair. Thank goodness. Finn on the other hand...he sees you everyday, he'll know when your hair's messed up, he takes notice of things like that."

"Where is Finn anyway?" Edith asks, reclaiming her seat in the armchair.

"He's outside, a friend of his was waiting by the door when we got here."

"Friend? A girl? Was it Alice?" She questions her cousin, rising to move and see if she could spot what her brother was up to.

"Not a clue. Don't know who the fuck Alice is. Sit down Edith. You're not getting out of this that quickly." He replies, grabbing her hand as she goes to walk past him. Edith huffs and falls back on to the sofa as he gently pulls her backwards. "And tell me the truth."

"Fine!" Edith shines, flopping backwards so she was laid across the sofa, feet laid in Michael's lap. "We've been talking, just starting to get to know each other." She explains wiggling her feet in his lap.

"Stop that. I'm not giving you a foot rub." He states, lifting her feet and placing them back on the sofa.

"Oi!" She exclaims with a glare thrown in her cousins direction. "What's got you all moody?"

"Coming home to my cousin having been messing around with a boy all evening!" He growls, glaring back at her.

"We weren't doing anything wrong!" She exclaims "we just kissing! For goodness sake! I bet you've done worse! I sure as hell know Finn has!"

"Fucking hell, Edith." Michael groans, putting his head in his hands. "Keep your fucking voice down. You better hope that your brothers don't find out."

"Well they'll have to find out at some point!" She scoffs, rolling her eyes.

"And how do you think that will go down?" He responds, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Well, obviously not well. But it'll have to happen eventually!" She retorts. "Michael," she pleads, sitting up to look at him. "Please don't be mad. We really weren't doing anything wrong. And this was bound to happen at some point, right?"

"Edith." Michael sighs, turning to meet her eyes. "You know your brothers would go ballistic if they knew what you'd been up to all night, and that I let you get away with it?" She nods with a frown, pulling her knees into her chest.

"So you're going to tell them?" She asks quietly, letting out a sigh of relief when Michael shakes his head.

"No. But you are." He says, rising from the sofa. "Soon." She nods again, standing up to walk with him to the door.

"Please don't be mad." She repeats quietly as she gives him a hug goodbye.

"I'm not mad, Edith. Not happy, but I'm not angry. You need to be careful, ok?" Edith squeezes him tighter in response, burying her head in his chest as he sighs and hugs her back. "Go on, up to bed." He says, gently pushing her towards the stairs, where she sits, watching him pull on his coat as he leaves the house. She's still in the same place, head leaning against the banister when a Finn walks in through the front door.

"What are you doing there?" He asks, shrugging off his coat and unlacing his boots.

"Waiting to say goodnight to you." She replies, taking his hand to help pull her up, following him up the stairs.

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"Are you awake?" Edith calls later that evening, inching the door to Finn's room open slowly.

"Yeah. Come in." He replies, Edith slipping into the room, lit only by the candle beside Finn's bed, where he was laid, hands crossed on his chest, staring at the ceiling. "Can't sleep either?" He asks, not turning to look at her as she climbs on to the bed, resting her head on his chest.

"No." She whispers, hooking one arm around his waist as he moves his arm around her shoulders, holding her to him. "I was really scared tonight Finn."

"We were ok."

"I know. But I didn't know that all evening. Tommy didn't even tell me he was leaving, Bonnie did when Tom and Aberama were already gone. I feel like they don't tell me anything."

"They don't tell me anything either Edie."

"Yeah but, at least you get to go with them." She counters, Finn humming in agreement.

"Guess so. Sometimes." He says, sitting up to grab his hat from the side. "Think you could fix this for me?" He asks, handing her the cap. Edith nods, running her fingers around the edge until they meet the loose blades.

"Looks like it could do with a wash too."

"Hmm." Finn hums in agreement again, closing his eyes.

"Do you want me to leave you to sleep?" She asks gently, looking up at him as he shakes his head.

"Nah. You can stay."

"Ok." She says with a nod. "Have you got my book?" Finn reaches down beside him, pulling a book out from under the bed; Edith often kept things in his room, mostly pushed under the bed for times like this when they would either sit or lie together in silence, finding that if she had something to do, her mind would be calmer.

"Are you ok now?" Finn asks, eyes closed again as Edith settles herself beside him, curled up on her side so that she could read her book, but also watch the rise and fall of his chest as he slept.

"With my book?" She replies, glancing over at him.

"No. After this evening."

"Oh. Yeah. I guess so." She responds, brushing one of his curls off his forehead. "You're back, so that helps."

"I'm not going anywhere." He promises, giving her a sleepy smile. "Now shut up, I'm trying to sleep." Edith snorts back a laugh, punching his shoulder lightly before resting her head back on the pillow, bringing her book up to her eye-line, not reading a word as she watches him drift off to sleep.

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"I haven't seen Arthur in a while. Is he ok?" Edith asks a few days later, as she brings the dinner dishes to the sink.

"He's fine Edie." Tommy states, pulling a cigarette out of the holder

"Then where's he been?"

"With Linda." Tommy replies shortly, watching Edith closely as she sits down at the table beside him again.

"But he's safe." She questions, resting her elbow on the table, head cupped in her hand

"Yes. He's safe." He repeats

"And not hurt." Tommy hesitates before responding again, mentally taking count of the injuries their older brother had sustained earlier in the week. None life threatening, all enough to scare Edith, hence the decision being made to keep Arthur out of Small Heath until the worst had healed, not wanting to send her into unnecessary panic.

"He's fine Edith." He insists, pinching the bridge of his nose as Edith continues.

"But you wouldn't tell me even if he wasn't, would you?" She asks with a frown.

"Edith." He warns, she rolls her eyes and stands from the table, turning her back on Tommy as she reaches the sink. "If I say that he's fine, he is fine. He's with Linda and Billy. He's just taking some time away from Small Heath." Edith nods, not turning to face her brother.

"Fine." She eventually grounds out, finally turning to look Tommy in the eye. "Then I'll get Finn to drive me out there tomorrow. See how he is for myself." Tommy huffs, choking out a chuckle around his cigarette.

"So damn stubborn." He mumbles under his breath, Edith smiling to herself as she turns around again.

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It's gone midnight when Edith's bedroom door swings open, slamming on the wall; she bolts upright, clutching her blankets to her chest as she looks at the door in shock. Tommy had only left a few hours before, having spent the evening with his youngest siblings before heading back home to Charlie.

"Edith get up." Her brother demands, picking her coat off the peg on the back of her door, holding it open for her.

"What the fuck Tommy!" She yells, dropping her head backwards, looking up at the ceiling as she takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself.

"Up. Now." He says, pulling back the covers on the bed.

"Jesus Christ." She grumbles, slipping into her coat and reaching for her boots.

"Finn." Tommy moves across the hallway, banging his fist on his brother's door.

"Oh so you knock for him but come barging in for me?" Edith scoffs at her brother's actions, letting out a bitter laugh when he doesn't reply.

"Just get your shoes on Edith we need to leave."

"Why?" She asks

"Stop asking questions." Tommy orders, pointing finger at her.

"What's going on Tom?" Finn asks as he leaves his room, coat in hand.

"Michael's waiting for us in the car, we need to leave now. I'll explain when we get there."

"Get where?" Edith shouts, quickly following her brothers out to the car, huffing as she slides in the back beside Michael. "What the fuck is going on?"