Hi All,

I am sorry that I have not updated this weekend, I have been busy and have not been home so I haven't been able to write. I will be posting another update tonight! Forgive me for this being so short!

The Boredom had started to sink into every man within the battalion. There were no more big battles, it seemed to Tommy that boredom may be the thing to kill him after all this time. They had stopped bringing re-enforcements to the front line and they had not been asked to dig as many tunnels as they once had. Maybe they were right, maybe the war was coming to an end.

They sat playing cards, smoking and talking about home when the letters came around that day. Tommy tucked his letter in his front pocket, it felt as though it was burning through his uniform. John raises his eyebrows and smirks at Arthur, nodding in Tommy's direction. "So Tommy.." Arthur starts, clearing his throat. Tommy looks up at him expectedly. "Never mind." John pushes Arthurs shoulder, giving his older brother a stern look.

"Who are the letters from Tommy?"

"I don't know I haven't opened it yet." Tommy quips back at John.

"You aren't going to tell us?" John whispers, his eyebrows raised as he puts a new match into his mouth.

"I don't see it being any of your business." Tommy stands up then, not wanting to be asked any more questions from his brothers. He sits further away from them, on the edge of the field, the hot sun burning the back of his neck. Tommy rips the letter open with his teeth, a cigarette in one hand he reads Anna's letter over and over. Three words made his heart beat faster All My Love Tommy leans back on the grass, the letter on his chest he looks up at the smoke he blows out, watching it disappear into the sky "There it goes." He sighs, shutting his eyes.

Tommy does not feel it till its to late, a hand reaching for the letter that is balanced on his chest. He hears his brother laugh as he chases after him. "You should have just told us, Tommy!" Someone grabs Tommy's arms and pulls them behind his back. John reads the letter and passes it to Arthur, shaking his head. Tommy tries to pull his arm out from the man behind him but it's useless, he's stronger than him. "Do you know what they call a girl like her Tommy?" Arthur points at his brother, shaking his head in disbelief. "They want the uniform."

"It's not like that." Tommy huffs, the arms behind him loosen, He takes the opportunity to pull away from them, grabbing the letter out of Arthurs' hands.

"Sure it isn't." Arthur and John leave Tommy then, walking away with the rest of the men to go back to there game of cards. Tommy takes in a deep breath and wipes his mouth. His anger bubbling, Anna was not like those girls they had heard of. The ones who only wrote letters to the front line so that they had someone to wait for, they liked the attention, they liked the uniform. She wasn't like those girls but the doubt swilled in Tommy's mind why would write those words, her fiancé had not long been dead.

Dear Anna,

I am pleased to hear that you met my family, this means now that you do not need me to introduce you.

I have been thinking about our letters and the friendship we have formed. I need you to know that for me this is as far as it goes, this is a friendship and nothing more. When I get home I will have too much on my hands and I won't have the time for you let alone all of your love.

I hope you understand this.

Kind regards,

Thomas Shelby.

Tommy lit a cigarette and watched the truck leave with his letter inside, he knew that this letter would hurt her. He did not want to hurt her but he knew that it must be done. He would not have time for a relationship when he got home, he had big plans and they did not involve a woman. Besides, if she really did want him then she would fight for him, she would not be deterred by one letter.