Thank you, as always, for your comments, reviews, follows and favourites. I love writing this story and I'm so pleased that you seem to be enjoying it. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know, I'd be grateful for your feedback.

Today was the day. Alfie had known it as soon as he woke up, although he'd tried to ignore it. But now, sitting down at the dining table for breakfast, he couldn't deny it any longer. And as he accepted it, he didn't feel a need to resist it or fight against it. There had only ever been two possible outcomes and now it was time to face reality.

He didn't eat much of the breakfast that Mrs. Liebermann had served him – just some egg, a slice of toast and a cup of tea. His last meal, he realised with a wry smile. He wondered if Rose had eaten any of the breakfast which had been taken up for her. Probably not. She ate when he made her but she was far too distracted to think about eating. It had been five days since their arrival in Margate and her head was still full of revenge. When she talked – which wasn't much – it was her only topic of conversation. Where was Michael? Would Alfie help her find him? Where were the children? When could she go back to Birmingham? She alternated between awful, paralyzing grief where she would lie curled up on the bed, sometimes crying, sometimes practically comatose, and rage-filled bursts of anger against Michael and the Italians where she would pace around the house, plotting and scheming.

He had caught her in his study one morning with the phone to her ear asking the operator for a Birmingham number. Alfie had slammed his hand down on the cradle and cut her off. He swore and ripped the receiver out of her hand.

"What the hell are you doing? They could be monitoring calls to Birmingham."

She looked at him angrily. "I was phoning Arrow House to speak to Mal. He's my friend and he would know what's going on. His dad was in the hall that night."

"Which part of 'Luca has seized all of your family's assets' do you not understand? Hmm? He's probably proclaimed himself Lord of the Manor there as we speak. Were you going to chat to him? Yeah? Ask him how he is? Ask him where Michael is? You need to think, Rose, use your brain."

Rose's face fell as she took in his words, though the anger still flashed in her eyes. She understood what he was saying but she was finding herself more and more frustrated at Alfie's refusal to help her.

"Then, tell me what to do, Alfie. Tell me what I can do to put things right. And don't say that I need to just accept it and move on. That's not going to happen. That's not what I want to do."

"I know what you want to do, Petal. You want to rush back to Birmingham, armed to the teeth, and wreak bloody revenge on the people who killed your family. But this isn't the pictures, this is real life. Sometimes, you have to admit defeat and walk away."

"Well, that's what you might be doing, Alfie, but I will never admit defeat. No matter how long it takes, I will get revenge for them."

And with that, she turned abruptly and walked away, ending the conversation. Alfie watched her go in frustration. She was getting more and more like Tommy the longer he spent time with her. But then, she had probably always been like that, he had just not known her well enough.

The door to his study stayed locked after that. He disconnected all the other phones in the house except the one in the small office the housekeeper used and gave her strict instructions not to let Rose use it. He disliked Mrs. Liebermann but he knew she would make sure the girl didn't use the phone – something Rose found out soon enough.

"Mrs. Liebermann, I need to use your telephone."

"Your father has given me strict instructions to not allow you to use my telephone, Miss Miriam."

Rose clenched her jaw. Of course he had.

"He just told me that I can, it's an urgent matter."

"Your father will need to tell me himself, I'm afraid. He did say you would try any means to get at it."

Rose glared at her, then turned and stomped away. This was getting ridiculous. She felt like a prisoner. She had noticed that the front door was also locked with no key to be seen anywhere. She knew Alfie wanted to keep her safe, but she was uneasy at the measures he was using. All she wanted was for him to promise he would eventually help her to get home one day and to pay back those who had betrayed and hurt her family. And she was desperate to know what had happened to the children. She needed reassurance and help to plan the next step, but all she was getting from him was a message to give up and accept her new life. How could he not see that this was impossible for her?

She went back upstairs to her little sitting room. There was a window seat at the front window which was like the window seat in her room at Arrow House. It was a new construction, she could smell the freshly-cut wood, and she wondered if Alfie had had it made for her. She was glad he had because she found some peace and rest sitting there and looking out over the beach. She loved the wide open expanse in front of her and the way that the sky and its reflection in the sea were always different and ever-changing.

It was in this window seat that Alfie found her that morning. She was wearing one of the plain, grey dresses that Danny's wife had given to her. It was long-sleeved with a white lace collar and hem and buttons down the front. She wore it with black wool stockings and lace-up, black boots. She was sat with her knees up and her skirt stretched over them, holding them to her, looking out at the view. Her hair was tied back in a half ponytail with a white ribbon and Alfie thought she looked very young. Her freckled face was pale and had a permanent frown, and she looked like she'd barely slept. He knew she hadn't, in fact, because his room was below hers and he could hear her tossing and turning in her bed, occasionally pacing across the floor. He noticed that her breakfast hadn't been touched and sighed.

He plastered a grin on his face. "Good morning, my Petal. How about a nice walk on the beach today? Yeah? We'll take Cyril, he'll enjoy chasing gulls. What do you think?"

She didn't even turn her head. "No, thanks."

Alfie pushed his lips together as he kept the smile on his face. "I think it's a good idea, it'll blow the cobwebs away, hmm?"

She kept her eyes on the sea outside. "I said, no thanks."

Alfie drew in a deep breath. He didn't want his last hours with her to be fraught with tension. He moved nearer to her.

"Sweetheart, it would mean a lot if you came for a walk with me. I'd like to just be outside on the beach with my dog and my favourite person in the whole world and to just have some time when we can be together. What do you think? You used to enjoy spending time with me."

Rose turned her head and looked up at him. She was surprised to see the expression on his face. It was one of sadness and slight desperation, his usual cheerful demeanour completely gone. She'd never seen him like that before.

She nodded. "Ok"

His grin returned and he tugged a strand of her hair. "Wonderful, my dear! I will see you downstairs then. Wrap up warm now, it's breezy out there. I'll go and get Cyril – he'll be delighted"

And so, half an hour later, Rose found herself taking her first steps on a beach. This was the first time she'd been outside since she'd arrived in Margate and as she breathed in the sea air and felt the soft sand as it sunk slightly under each footstep, she felt better than she had since that night. She forced her thoughts away from her loss as best she could and watched as Alfie threw sticks for Cyril to chase. He was full of encouragement for the dog, urging him on after the sticks which landed in the water. Cyril had never chased a stick in his life and he didn't intend to start now. He obediently gave his master his attention and watched as Alfie threw them, but as soon as the sticks landed, he ignored them and carried on sniffing the beach, taking in scents which he'd never come across before.

Alfie caught Rose smiling slightly at his antics with the dog and smiled himself. This was what she'd needed – to get outside and to see there was so much more to life than she could ever know. He eventually gave up throwing sticks and watched as Rose walked towards the sea. The tide was going out and she was fascinated with the way the water crashed softly on the sand and then was sucked away again. She studied the way the sand changed texture as the sea came and went and enjoyed watching it wash away her footprints every time. She let the water touch the tips of her boots and crouched down to touch it. The skirt of her dress skimmed the beach and got wet, but she didn't notice. She picked up shells and small stones and turned them over in her fingers, enjoying their smooth texture.

Alfie's heart was pulled towards her as he watched her explore. He imagined all the ways they could spend time like this together, all the places he could take her to visit, the life he could afford her which was wholly empty of fear and loss and violence. He scratched his beard. If he moved quickly, he could take her and the dog and they could find somewhere else to lay low. He could outwit Tommy, he was sure, always staying one step ahead of him. But as he began to make a new plan, he saw Rose stand up and look out across the sea, a look of such sadness on her face that his heart broke. He knew she was thinking of the family that she loved and thought she had lost. He had come to understand that the ties which bound her to them were much stronger than even death. Rose would always be pulled back to the Shelbys, back to Birmingham, back to her blood. So, he let go of his infant plan and allowed it be pulled away like the tide. Today was the day, and there was nothing he could do to avoid it.

As Rose had been discovering the sand and its secrets, she'd thought that Ada would have loved it here. A sharp pain ran through her and she stood up, looking out across the sea, thinking about her sister. Then her head filled with thoughts of the rest of her family and grief pulsed through her like a current of electricity. She felt terrible that she'd forgotten about them for a few seconds. It took a few times for Alfie to call her name before she managed to hear him. Turning round, she saw he was holding something and beckoning to her. She walked over to him, trying to pull herself together. She saw that he was holding an interesting-looking shell. She'd seen one before in a school textbook but couldn't remember its name. It looked like it had been wrapped around itself into a cone with a spire and was flat and open along one edge. It was pink and white and orange and looked smooth to the touch. He handed it to her and she took it, running her fingers over it. It had looked quite small in Alfie's hands but it was about the size of her palm.

"It's a conch, Petal, the shell of a sea-snail. It's a beauty, isn't it?"

She nodded. It really was beautiful. Alfie continued.

"They can make a noise. You can blow into it like a trumpet."

She looked at him with a look of disbelief. He laughed at her expression.

"It's true! I'll show you."

He took the conch back and raised it to his lips. He had no idea how to get any kind of sound from it but he'd read about it and thought it couldn't be hard. He blew hard into the end of it and all that came out was a sound that very closely resembled someone breaking wind. Rose laughed suddenly at the noise. She couldn't help herself. Alfie's cheeks were full of air and the noise he was making was terrible. Alfie was delighted at the sound of her laughing and played along.

"I must be doing it wrong. Hang on."

He turned the shell round and blew into the other end with the same results. Rose smiled now and shook her head. Alfie shrugged.

"I need to practice, I think. Here, you can have it back."

He wiped both ends on his shirt and handed it back to her.

"They say that if you hold it to your ear, you can hear the sea no matter where you are."

Rose held the shell to her ear and listened closely. Alfie watched her expectantly.

"Can you hear the sea?"

She dropped her arm down and nodded. "Yes, because it's right there!" She pointed at the sea with its gently waves and Alfie guffawed.

"Fair enough, Petal. Now, you put that in your pocket and keep it as a souvenir of your first visit to the beach. And when you're somewhere far away from the sea, you can put it to your ear and hear the waves and remember this day, hmm? That would be nice, wouldn't? And maybe you'll think of me too."

She ran her thumb over the smooth surface of the shell, then put it in her coat pocket. It just about fit. Alfie turned and began to stroll down the beach, Cyril at his side. Rose fell into step alongside him and the two of them walked in a comfortable silence next to each other. There was a lot that Alfie wanted to say to her. He wanted to explain why he'd done what he'd done, to tell her how much he cared about her, to say that he had only ever wanted what was best for her. But he couldn't find the words. He knew that she would find it almost impossible to understand why he'd lied to her and caused her so much pain. He had severely miscalculated the damage his plan would do to Rose and there was no way of taking it back.

As she walked beside Alfie, Rose felt something shift a little in her. The pain of her grief and the anger she felt for Luca and Michael remained, but as she breathed in the fresh air and looked out at the horizon, she began to feel that she might just be ok. She was glad of Alfie's presence next to her. He made her feel safe and she knew that he cared deeply about her. Could she imagine a life with him, here in Margate? Could she really change who she was and what she thought her life was going to be? Maybe, with Alfie's help.

Alfie stopped walking and put Cyril on the lead. He stood looking out to sea and Rose did the same. They watched a ship move slowly across the water at a distance and listened to the gulls screeching in the sky above them. Rose felt calm – something she hadn't felt in a number of days. She was grateful for Alfie beside her. She knew she'd been difficult to be around the past few days and that he'd been patient and caring towards her as she'd struggled. She was glad he was with her.

As Alfie stood, waiting for the inevitable, he was surprised to feel a small hand slip into his. He looked down as if to make sure he wasn't imagining it and confirmed that Rose was holding his hand. She was still looking out at the horizon and he held her hand tightly as he too looked back out to sea. And in that moment, for those few seconds, Alfie had what he wanted – Rose reciprocating his love for her, accepting him as the person in her life that she would depend on, filling the void inside him which yearned for someone he could live for. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, focusing all his attention on the hand in his, imprinting the memory in his mind, knowing it would only last for a few moments.

Rose turned at Alfie's deep intake of breath, wondering what he was doing, and as she did so, she caught sight of something moving on the beach in the far distance. She paid it no mind as her eyes continued up to Alfie's face. She opened her mouth to ask if he was ok but there was something about what had caught her eye that stopped her. She looked back down the beach and realised that it was a figure moving towards them and as she watched it come closer, it took on a familiar shape and gait. She frowned, then squeezed her eyes shut briefly. It couldn't be. Her mind was playing tricks on her, surely. Looking back down the beach, she watched the figure approach and as it did, it became unmistakable.

She felt frozen in time and, for a few seconds, couldn't react. He hand still in Alfie's, she watched as the brother she thought was dead, walked across the beach towards her. One after the other, everything fell into place and it became clear to her what had happened and what Alfie had done. Pulling her eyes away from Tommy, she looked up at Alfie who continued to look out to sea. She waited for a few seconds until he looked at her, and when he did, he could see that she was stunned.

"Why, Alfie?"

He looked back at the water. He spoke quietly and she could only just hear him over the noise of the sea.

"I thought I could give you the life you deserved."

She took her hand out of his and moved a step away from him. She spoke clearly and firmly, her voice showing no trace of emotion. "You don't know anything about the life I deserve."

He nodded. "You're right, I don't."

She looked back at Tommy and could distinguish his face as he had moved closer. Her heart soared at the sight of him. He was alive, he was right there in front of her and she felt the anchor drop and she was adrift no longer. She kept her eyes on Tommy as she spoke to Alfie.

"He's going to kill you."

Alfie took in a breath and glanced briefly at Tommy to his left. "Yeah, most likely he will."

She nodded. It was inevitable and she was surprised that she felt nothing. She looked back up at him.

"You were my best friend, Alfie. I didn't need another dad, I have a family. I needed a friend. And I would have always found you when I needed you. It would have been enough."

Alfie regarded her blue eyes which looked clear and bright in the February sun, and knew that she was right. He had overstepped in his desire to fill his own emptiness and hadn't considered her at all. And now he had lost her for good. He would welcome Tommy's bullet. He cleared his throat in an attempt to keep hold of his emptions.

"I wonder if you could ever forgive me, Petal."

She moved her gaze from him to Tommy who come to a stop a few yards away, then shook her head.

"No, I'll never forgive you."

And without another look at him, she walked towards Tommy. Slowly as first, but as she approached him, she set off at a run and flung herself into his arms. Putting her arms around him and burying her head in his chest, she breathed in his scent and knew it was real. Tommy held her tight, putting a hand on the back of her head, relieved beyond measure that he had her back. Keeping his eyes on Alfie, he spoke to her quietly.

"Are you ok?"

She pulled away slightly and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." Looking up at him, still in wonder that he was in fact alive, she reached up and put a hand on his face, reassuring herself that he was, in fact, there.

"He told me you were dead. He told me everyone was dead."

Tommy looked at her quickly in shock then looked back at Alfie. He trusted him even less now.

"No-one's dead, Mouse. Everyone's back home now. The vendetta is over."

She shoulders sagged and she hung her head in relief, leaning it against Tommy's chest. All her grief and pain dissipated and she suddenly felt exhausted. Tommy took hold of her shoulders and pushed her away gently.

"Mouse, I need you to go and wait in the car, ok? Alfie and I ... need to talk."

She nodded.

"Good girl. The car's on the road, over the dunes. You'll see a path through them just down behind me. Go down the path and you'll see the car. Wait there for me and don't come back here no matter what. Can you do that?"

"Yeah"

He leant forward and kissed her on her forehead. "Then I'll take you home."

Tears filled her eyes at that word. Home. Without a glance over her shoulder, she walked away from Tommy - and Alfie - and walked along the path through the sand dunes. She saw the car parked by the side of the road. When she reached it, she climbed into the passenger seat and waited.

Back at the beach, both men knew what was about to happen.

"I once told you, Alfie, that for business reasons or in bad blood, I would kill you. I have no business reasons. It seems you have retired."

"So, this is all purely for bad blood is it, Tommy?"

"Yeah."

"Right, yeah."

Tommy had known that Alfie had taken Rose. He'd suspected it when it was discovered she was missing but had sent men to Margate to confirm it. He was furious at the time but had to deal with Luca before he could deal with Alfie. He knew that Rose would be safe with Alfie, so against everything in him that wanted to bring Rose home, he decided she was better off out of Small Heath until he had finished with Luca. But as he looked at Alfie on the beach in Margate, he realised that he didn't really want to kill him. He had a few days ago, but now he knew that he didn't. In many ways, he and Alfie were polar opposites, but in many ways they were very much alike and, despite what he'd done, Tommy couldn't help feeling that the world would be worse off without Alfie Solomons in it. He cleared his throat.

"She could never have been yours, Alfie."

"I know that now." He threw Tommy a quick glance. "She shouldn't be yours either though, Tommy. She deserves better."

Tommy looked out to sea and nodded. "I know."

"You'd better make sure she gets it then. You gonna look after this dog?"

"No"

"Right then. Well, his name is Cyril and he'll be very upset and distressed, so you'll need to find him someone."

Tommy looked back at him. "You're not armed?"

In the car, Rose sat anxiously. She just wanted Tommy by her side. She had no room in her thoughts for anything else, let alone trying to deal with the past week and everything she'd been through. She heard the two gunshots and gasped. She was expecting one not two. Sitting forward, her eyes glued to the path from the beach, she willed Tommy to appear. After a few excruciating minutes, he did appear, holding his arm as if it were injured but otherwise ok. She cried out in relief and couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face. She watched him approach the car then suddenly stop and turn back. Confused, she watched the path, worried and wondering what he'd gone back for. When he appeared again, he had Cyril on his lead. Tommy opened the back door and Cyril jumped in, then he climbed in the driver's seat next to Rose. She looked at him anxiously.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's just flesh wound. Come here."

He put his good arm around her and pulled her to him. Rose leaned into him, put her arm around his waist and finally relaxed. She held him tight, afraid to let him go. He was everything to her and she never wanted to experience the loss of him again. Her life was tied to his, as was her future. She was home right there by his side and she never wanted to leave it again.