Chapter Content Warning: canon-typical content, but mostly fluff.

My Best Girl

1912

Since arriving home from Uncle Charlie's yard, Tommy had noticed that both twins were keeping close. He was plenty used to Clara acting as a shadow, operating as though she had the same stake of ownership over his room and possessions as he did, but it wasn't so typical of Finn and when Tommy came through the bedroom door carrying pots of hot water for a bath he was surprised to find both kids sitting under the covers of his bed, Clara reading to Finn.

Clara had been reading mostly on her own for a few weeks now, though Tommy couldn't be sure if she was actually reading the story in her hands or if she had simply memorized it. Lord knew Tommy had read the Tale of Peter Rabbit to her enough that it was seared in both of their minds.

He knew that she was a bit young to be reading as well as she appeared to be, barely four and not even in school yet, but Tommy diligently read with the twins every night. Though Finn often fell asleep mere minutes into the stories, Tommy and Clara would continue well in the evening, not stopping until one of their mouths let loose a worn-out yawn.

Since Clara had taken over most of the reading, Tommy was finding himself prematurely slipping into the same slumber as Finn, only being awoken by Clara when she was ready to turn out the light and go to sleep herself.

"What are you little rabbits doing here in Mr. McGregor's garden?" Tommy asked as he stepped into the bedroom. He dumped both buckets into the tub before looking at the twins full on.

Clara giggled, closing the book. "We're not rabbits, Tommy!"

"And you haven't got any plants. Can't be a garden," Finn offered.

"Is that so? Well, who are you, then? You look like you could be my little brother Finn, but you, little girl, I don't recognize. Miss Goldilocks, maybe?"

Tommy forced himself not to laugh at Clara's uncontrollable giggles.

"No, silly Tommy! I'm Clara!"

"I don't know. My Clara doesn't have bouncy curls or wear ribbons in her hair."

Lately, Ada had been experimenting with their sister, playing with her hair and dressing her up like a doll. The night before, Ada had had Clara's hair tied up with a handful of rags which had, by some magic which Tommy had no desire to understand, had resulted in the girl's head of bouncing curls.

"And if you're Goldilocks, I must be one of the three bears." Tommy let out a growl for good measure, sending both kids into a bout of giggles. "It's dangerous for a couple of kids to be entering a bear's den, eh?"

Tommy didn't give the twins time to answer before reaching out to tickle them with a hand apiece, Finn and Clara dissolving into fits of laughter that lightened the room as they thrashed about to get away from him. When Tommy sensed that the tickling was getting to a point that neither of the kids was still enjoying it, he pulled back, his breath heaving with the same vigor as Clara and Finn on account of the laughter.

"Alright," he said. "Let's finish your story so I can get cleaned up."

Clara quickly held out the book, but Tommy refused it as he pulled a chair over to sit by the twins.

"I'd like to hear you read it. It's good to practice. We'll have Finn reading in no time, too."

Finn scrunched up his face. "I don't like readin', Tommy."

"Well, you won't always have your sister here to read for you."

"But I wanna live with you and Finny forever."

"Nu-uh," Finn answered. "I'll get a place when I'm big, just like Arthur."

"What about me?" she asked, shooting a glance towards Finn with the same level of indignation as if she were accusing him of something as vile as murder.

"You'll always have a home with me," Tommy said, tickling under her chin for just a moment. "Now, let's hear that story."

Tommy watched her take a deep breath, not missing the quick smile that passed her lips before she started up again halfway through the tale about Peter Rabbit's journey through Mr. McGregor's garden. Clara made sure to show the illustrations to both brothers, tilting the pages either way before continuing the story, just like Tommy always did.

Tommy hadn't meant to shut his eyes, but there was something about finally sitting down and listening to the calm, even tone of his sister's voice that made him feel the entire weight of the labor done in the yard that day. He had helped Curly clean the stables, shoveling shit from one end to the other for hours after his morning out riding the new horse.

"But Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper," Clara said, taking the smallest of breaths before continuing, "And…One morning a little rabbit sat on a bank. He pricked his ears and listened to the trit-trot, trit-trot of a pony."

"Clara," Tommy groaned, slowly forcing his eyes open. He almost hadn't caught his sister's nearly seamless transition to a new book, to the tale of Peter Rabbit's cousin, Benjamin Bunny. The tone of her voice had barely changed, but Tommy recognized the distinctive 'trit-trot' as being out of place.

"But just one more, Tommy. Please?" she asked.

"Let her read another, Tommy. Benjamin is my favorite," Finn begged.

"You haven't even got the book."

"But I don't need it."

Tommy frowned. His sister was doing more memorizing than reading. Tommy was now calculating in his head when he would be able to get some new books for the kids, something a bit more difficult for Clara to memorize and something that could interest Finn in reading a bit more. It wouldn't be right away, but he figured he could have enough money before the month was out.

Tommy stretched his arms above his head willing the stiffness settling in to leave them. Shutting his eyes for those few moments of peace had done him far more harm than good. Standing himself up before he felt too comfortable to do anything else, Tommy kicked the kids out of his room long enough to bathe and get dressed.

Clara and Finn elected not to go very far. After retrieving the rest of her Beatrix Potter books from the room shared by the twins, Clara recited the rest of Benjamin Bunny as the twins sat together on the hardwood just outside the threshold to Tommy's room.

Tommy bathed and dressed quickly. His feet were bare and he wore only an undershirt with his pants while he listened to the kids through the small space under the door. He ran a hand over his cheek. He still needed to shave. He didn't have the time to sit and listen to another story, but the sound of them waiting just outside only made him feel guilty, so he opened the door.

"Alright, you little rabbits," Tommy said, gesturing for them to come back inside.

Tommy immediately moved toward his dresser, next to which a mirror was hung on the wall where he could shave. Finn followed, climbing up to have a better look. Though he was standing on a wooden chair, Finn was still over a foot shorter than his older brother.

Clara had returned to Tommy's bed, her entire collection of Beatrix Potter books settled beside her. Tommy saw that she was still busying herself with Benjamin Bunny. He dried his hands of the shaving soap and took a moment to thumb through the pile before handing her a different book. "I'd like to hear this one."

Clara refused to take it from his outstretched hand, folding her arms across her chest. "I don't like that one."

"Good. That means you haven't got it memorized then. I'd like to hear you read it."

"But the rats try to hurt Tommy Kitten!"

Tommy remembered the story now. The rat husband and wife had tied up a kitten and tried to cook him into a roly-poly pudding. He had read it to Clara only once and she hadn't let him read it to her ever again.

"Then you read up until the rats and you can make up a new ending. I need to hear how you're reading, Clara girl," Tommy said. He then started her out, using his finger as a guide to help her follow the words, "Once upon a time there was an old cat, called Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit…"

"who was an an an…"

"Anxious," Tommy offered.

"Anxious," she repeated, looking up to him. "That's a hard word."

"It is," Tommy agreed with a nod. "Keep going."

"An anxious paaa- paar…"

"Parent," Tommy offered.

Clara took a deep breath. "Once upon a time," she said quickly, familiar with the phrase, "there… w… was an old c… at…"

As Clara started over, Tommy moved back to the mirror and commenced shaving with Finn for an audience. Since Arthur had moved out to an apartment down the street, Tommy had garnered more of the young boy's attention. He filled a space Tommy hadn't ever been consciously aware of being filled by Arthur. But now that Tommy took a moment to think about it, Finn had always shadowed Arthur in the same manner that Clara had shadowed him.

Finn was quietly asking questions over the soft murmur of Clara's reading. The boy wanted to know how the shaving was done, how Tommy used the sharp blade to remove the hairs, leaving the skin of his face smooth and unscathed. He was fascinated by the glint of the blade and wanted one from himself.

"You have no need for a blade, Finn. You're too young and it's too dangerous, but I'll show you when you're old enough. Now, let's listen to the story," Tommy offered.

"When's that?"

"When you've grown some hair on your face," Tommy said, lightly tapping Finn's bare cheek.

Clara had stopped reading, listening to the boys' conversation.

"Will you teach me too?" Clara asked as she jumped up from the bed, climbing her way onto the chair next to Finn and resting her elbows on top of Tommy's dresser.

"I don't think you'll need to know how to shave your face, my girl," Tommy said, tickling at her neck.

Clara pushed his hand away, wobbling a bit before Tommy caught her hand and steadied her.

"Maybe I'll be a barber when I'm grown."

"You'll not be a barber, silly. Only boys can be barbers," Finn said.

"Girls can be anything boys can be, right Tommy?"

Clara's brilliant, eager eyes, holding not even a bit of hesitance or doubt, bore into Tommy's. He was glad for the reprieve when he heard Polly calling the twins down to set the table for supper. Without providing a proper answer, he straightaway sent the twins down the stairs.

Even though there was a part of him that wanted to believe that his Clara was capable of just about anything, Thomas Shelby was in many ways a pragmatist. And girls simply couldn't be anything boys could be. As smart and charming as his Clara was turning out to be, Tommy knew his sister's life would be full of limitations and restrictions, some of which he would be responsible for arranging.

Clara was still setting the supper table when Tommy finally came down the steps and grabbed his coat before heading towards the back door. He was dressed in his nicest suit, his hair combed back, not a single strand out of place. Seeing Tommy dressed for a night out, Clara hastily dropped the plate on the table, skipping to meet her brother at the door.

"Where are you going?" she grabbed at the ends of his open coat, pulling until he turned to look at her.

Tommy bent down and scooped the girl up in his arms, settling her against his hip, a slight smile on his face as he decided to stay for a few extra moments. If he left right away he would be early for picking up his date, and even if he wasn't due to be early, Tommy had been out most of the day and felt he owed his sister a few more dedicated moments.

"I'm off to meet my girl, sweetheart," he said.

"But you're always off meeting girls," Clara answered, a giggle spilling from her lips.

Tommy watched as a thought occurred to Clara, her facial expression changing as she considered the nuance of what he had said.

"And I'm your girl."

Tommy's lips pulled into a smirk. It wasn't exactly a lie that he was often off meeting girls. But for quite a while now, Tommy had been sneaking off to meet up with one particular girl, his girl. And she sure was something special for that to be the case.

"You know you're my best girl, my Clara," he said, placing a kiss on her cheek. "But I've met another very nice girl and—"

Tommy rolled his eyes as his aunt interrupted them.

"That's what the naughty boys do, Clara. They meet up with naughty girls and disobey the commands of God and their families."

Clara frowned, a line of thought forming between her eyes as she looked to her aunt. Polly was only teasing. Tommy knew as much, but it was the type of statement that went about three-quarters above Clara's level of understanding. But even at such a young age, Clara had understood the general idea of what Aunt Polly was saying.

"Tommy's not a naughty boy," she argued. "He's gonna teach me how to use a blade so I can be a girl barber. Tommy's a nice boy, Aunt Polly."

Tommy lifted his free arm in the air and sighed in defeat before Clara wrapped her arms around her brother's neck, kissing him on the cheek. He had technically agreed to nothing of the sort but Tommy wasn't going to stop his sister's defense to correct her.

Polly let out a laugh as she looked at the two of them. She wasn't sure who was more charmed by the other, Tommy or Clara, but it was clear to her that those two meant something special to one another.

"Isn't that right, Aunt Polly?" the girl asked. "Isn't Tommy a good boy?"

"Your brother has got a good heart. They all do," Polly conceded lightly, placing a warm hand on Tommy's cheek and making meaningful eye contact with the young man before turning to her niece. "Now let your brother go out on his date. We wouldn't want him to keep his very nice girl waiting."

Clara kept her grip on her brother's neck and turned her attention back to him, disregarding her aunt's attempt to pull her from Tommy's arms.

"Will you be home for bedtime?" she asked. "For a story?"

Tommy regarded his youngest sister and her imploring little pout. It was already getting late and the twins were usually in bed shortly after supper time. If he was being honest, he had no desire to be home by the time a four-year-old was due to be laid down for bed. He had every intention of staying out dancing for as long as his girl would allow it and maybe finding someplace to be alone after that.

"You've already had one story," he answered.

"But you made me read it."

"John and Ada and Aunt Pol will be home," he offered. "Between the three of them, I'm sure someone will tell you a story."

"No Arthur?" she asked, disappointment in her voice as she searched her brother's eyes for an answer that wasn't his to give.

"What do you mean, 'no Arthur'?"

At the sound of his voice coming through the open door, Clara's eyes brightened and she squirmed happily in Tommy's grasp.

"Am I not invited to family supper anymore since I moved down the street?" Arthur asked.

"See there, you've got Arthur to tuck you in and read you a story. He can do the voices just like I do."

Arthur tried to steal the girl from Tommy's arms, the same as Polly had, but she stayed put, only leaning over to allow Arthur to give her a peck on the cheek.

"Will you check on me and Finny you get home?"

Tommy laughed, placing her down on her own feet. "I'll check on you and Finn first thing, alright?"

Clara nodded, quickly distracted by the play fight now taking place between Arthur and Finn on the floor of the sitting room.

Tommy ran a hand over the girl's blonde curls. "You'd best go help Finn," he suggested.

At Tommy's prompting, Clara ran from his side, jumping on Arthur's back and wrapping her arms around his neck. Arthur was still getting the best of Finn, but the addition of Clara gave the man a run for his money.

"Yes, Thomas, good to encourage your sister to cause trouble," Polly admonished, striking him with the towel in her hand. A smirk bloomed across Tommy's face as he watched the kids beating relentlessly on his older brother.

"She's a Shelby girl, Pol. She'll need to know how to be tough."

"She's a baby. She needs to be protected from the fighting, not pushed into it," Polly answered. "And I don't think you should be teaching her to be a barber."

"It's just a phase. It'll pass."

Arthur had managed to get the little girl off of his back. He was now tickling her relentlessly, screams and giggles pouring from her lips as she pushed him away with her little feet against his chest.

"Leave my sister alone, you big ol' monster!" It was Finn's small voice that rang out the threat as he hit Arthur repeatedly over the head with a throw pillow.

"And it looks like she'll have more than enough protection, Pol."

In Arthur's moment of distraction, Clara had grabbed a pillow for herself. Unremittingly, Finn pummeled Arthur from above while Clara pummeled him from below.

Polly shook her head. "You still shouldn't encourage it, Thomas. They're both too young—"

Tommy shrugged, smiling as he watched the kids. "You worry too much, Pol. Our Clara's a perfectly well-behaved little lady…a little lady blinder, perhaps, but a lady nonetheless."

Polly didn't like the sound of that, didn't like the idea of either of those sweet babies joining the world that her nephews were becoming so casually immersed in. She didn't like the notion of the girl being a barber either, but she supposed that truly was just a phase as Tommy had said.

"You indulge her too much and it'll be your biggest regret in raising her. Better for you and her to set the way of things now."

Tommy glanced at Clara again. She was all giggles and grins while she whispered in Finn's ear, the twins conspiring against Arthur, an increasingly menacing grin growing on his face as he approached them.

"Go!" Clara shouted, initiating whatever plan she had been whispering to Finn. By watching, Tommy couldn't tell what the plan had entailed, but within seconds, Arthur was on his knees, being walloped again by both kids.

Tommy thought to himself that if the world were a different place his sister would be quite right; she could do absolutely anything a boy could do. And he had no intention of revealing to her now that it wasn't a possibility.

"I guess I'll have to deal with that when the time comes then, yeah Pol?" he finally said.

Polly rolled her eyes at her nephew, hiding a smile. "You're impossible, both you and the baby," she said only to him before turning to the fight on the floor and rolling her eyes.

"Clara Elizabeth Shelby!" she shouted, clapping her hands once.

The girl straightaway looked to her aunt, hearing the sharp tone and use of her full name and assuming she was to be answering for some trouble she'd caused.

"Go on upstairs and find your brother and sister for supper, sweetheart."

Smiling at Polly's softened tone, Clara hopped to her feet and ran towards the stairs, but catching her brother out of the corner of her eye, Clara backtracked to the kitchen. Tommy was still by the door and she briefly hugged him around the middle.

"Be a good boy, Tommy!" she said before releasing him and heading up the stairs shouting at the top of her lungs for Ada and John to come down for supper.