Rose found herself at Uncle Charlie's yard and decided it was as good a place as any to stop running. Pushing the gate open, she breathed in the familiar smell of boat engines and horses. This place was as familiar to her as Watery Lane - she and Finn used to play all over the yard when they were younger. It made for great games of hide and seek. Once, Rose hid under an old tin bath and caused a panic when Finn couldn't find her. He told the adults who spent another hour looking for her until John discovered her asleep under the bath.

She found Charlie supervising the loading of a boat. He looked up when she called to him.

"Hiya, Uncle Charlie."

"Hello, Rosie-girl. Go and have a biscuit, I'll be there soon."

Rose waved and went to help herself to the biscuits. She took two but knew she'd be having more. She sat on a chair by the fire and, pulling her knees up to her chest, settled down to warm up. Charlie came over and joined her after a while, pulling up a chair and taking a biscuit out of the tin.

"Thought you were supposed to be working in the shop today."

"Yeah, well, I'm not."

"What's up with you? You look like you've lost a shilling and found a penny."

Rose shrugged, finished her biscuit and took another one. Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess – you've fallen out with Tommy. Again."

"It's bad this time, Uncle Charlie."

"When isn't it, Rosie?"

She shook her head. "No, it really is. He's being an idiot. I didn't do one little thing that he told me and he went mad. He grabbed me by my arm and everything. I probably have bruises now."

"Rose…"

"No, Uncle Charlie, don't tell me that I should just do as he says, that he's in charge, that I'm only a kid. It's not fair the way he treats me! And now he won't let me ride Nua. And that's just cruel."

"Rose, Tommy is harsh but he's never unfair. You must have crossed the line somehow."

She looked at him and chewed her lip. "I told him I'm not his property and that he's not my dad."

Charlie sighed.

"And I told him I hated him."

"Rose! No wonder he was mad."

She frowned and sank further down in her seat. "I do, though."

"No, you don't. You're just angry with him. Have another biscuit and calm down."

Rose took another biscuit but she wasn't going to calm down. Tommy had gone too far this time. It was wrong of him take Nua away from her. He'd only done it to hurt her. Charlie watched her glower as she stared into the fire. He shook his head. He remembered only too well a young Tommy sitting in the same spot doing the same thing – except Tommy had good reason to be angry with his father. Rose had no idea how good she had it. Yet she was as stubborn and arrogant as her brother and only wanted things her way. He knew Tommy was over-protective but, with the business he was in, he had good reason. More so now with his harebrained plan to build a tunnel into the Russians' treasury and wipe them out. Charlie thought he'd seen it all but Tommy always managed to surprise him. Sighing, he stood up.

"I'll make us some tea then, lass."

"You got any brandy, Uncle Charlie?"

He laughed dryly. "Yeah, Tommy would love that."

Rose watched him leave as he went to put the kettle on the stove. No one would really understand why she was so upset. Tommy could have chosen any other punishment, but he chose the one which would hurt her the most. And she hadn't even done anything all that bad. As she watched the flames dance, she tried to think of a way to get around Tommy's sanction, but aside from running away with Nua, she couldn't think of any. If she disobeyed him in any way now, he'd just punish her even more, maybe take Nua away for good. Her heart sank as she realised that by running out of the shop she'd already gone against him. Hugging her arms around her knees, she considered whether Tommy really would take her horse away from her. She tried to tell herself that he wouldn't be that cruel, but deep down she knew he would. He would do anything to make sure those who defied him knew the full force of his power – including his family. He'd once said that the only way to guarantee peace was to make the prospect of war seem hopeless. And Rose knew that it was hopeless to expect to win any kind of battle against Tommy, especially for her. She realised that she'd have to surrender, that she had no choice but to submit to Tommy's will. There was, however, a way in which she could retain some control in the relationship, and that was to shut away her feelings from him. She would give him her obedience and nothing more, no affection, no smiles, no early morning rides together. If he wanted to run his family like they were soldiers under his command, then she would take on that role too – a soldier, not a sister.

As Charlie retuned with two cups of tea, he found Rose smiling at the fire. He handed her one of them and sat down.

"What are you plotting?"

Taking another biscuit and dipping it in her tea, Rose wiped the smile off her face.

"Nothing, Uncle Charlie."

He rolled his eyes at her answer. The Shelbys were always plotting something, and it rarely ended well.

Twenty minutes later, Rose quietly opened the door of the shop. She was hoping against hope that Tommy hadn't noticed she was missing. Lizzie looked up as she crept to her chair.

"Where've you been?"

"Nowhere. Has he noticed?"

"No, luckily for you. He hasn't even been in the shop. He's left now."

Rose immediately relaxed. "You won't tell him, will you?"

"Course not. I've learnt not to get in the middle of Shelby family arguments."

"Don't blame you."

"What's up then? You looked really upset when you ran out."

Shrugging, Rose didn't answer and started work, counting the slips and sorting out the money. Lizzie shook her head and went back to work too. There was always some sort of drama in that family. She didn't know why she still stuck around. Actually, she did – she enjoyed the drama and the danger, and the money also helped if she were honest. Plus, they were the closest thing to family she had. And Tommy had been good to her - most of the time. She knew Rose kicked against the control Tommy exercised over her, but that girl would never grow up as she had, would never know the limited choices a woman from her background was faced with, would never have to choose between food or coal. Rose's life was one of privilege and her future would be a good one. There were girls her age who would give anything to have brothers like Rose's who protected and provided for her, who didn't beat her, who never allowed her to go hungry, who loved her. All Rose was interested in was doing whatever she wanted and Lizzie thought it was right that Tommy kept her on a tight leash. There was a lot out there that Rose had no clue about and that she would hopefully never know. She should be grateful for Tommy; maybe one day she would realise it too.

Tommy still wasn't back by closing time and Polly had left for London that morning. Rose wasn't sure how she was supposed to get home. Lizzie told her she'd take her to The Garrison to see if any of her brothers were there. Rose was puzzled.

"Has Tommy rung to say where he is, then?"

"Not here. Maybe Arthur or John will have heard from him."

"Tommy always lets me know what to do if he's away though."

"Maybe he can't get to a telephone."

"Where is he?"

"I really don't know, love. Come on, let's go to the pub and see if anyone there knows."

They found Arthur and John at The Garrison. They were in the snug and surprised to see Rose. Lizzie explained what had happened.

"Aw, don't worry, Rosie. You stay with us, we'll look after you. Come and sit with me." Arthur patted the seat next to him and Rose went and sat next to him. John looked at Lizzie.

"Where's Polly, then?"

"She's in London."

"Why?"

"I dunno. Can I leave her with you two now? You're not too drunk, are you?"

"No, it's fine, Lizzie. We'll sort her out, eh John?"

"Yeah, 'course."

Lizzie left them to it and Arthur turned to Rose. "Well, this is an unexpected pleasure, ain't it? An evening with your two favourite brothers."

She grinned. "But Tommy and Finn aren't here."

He guffawed and nudged her. John took a gulp of his ale.

"Esme told me that Tommy isn't your favourite brother today either."

She frowned. "Yeah, well, he completely over-reacted."

"Was this cos you didn't go to Polly's last night?"

She flung her hands up dramatically. "It was one night at number six and you'd said it was alright. And Polly was completely drunk. I don't know what the problem is."

John laughed dryly. "Yes, you do. He'd told you to go to Polly's and you didn't. You know how he gets when you don't do what he tells you."

"John, he went mad though. He said I had to work in the shop every weekend till I die and then he said I can't go out on Nua."

"Just for not going to Polly's?" Arthur wanted to know.

Rose looked sheepish. "Well, I may have said a few things."

Arthur shook his head. "Well, there you go, Rosie. It's always your mouth that gets you in trouble. Haven't you learnt by now to keep it shut and just say sorry?"

"How am I supposed to keep my mouth shut and say sorry?"

John snorted and Arthur shook his head with a grin. "That's exactly what I mean - that sort of backchat."

She sighed and reached for Arthur's cigarettes. He caught her hand in his. "Woah, woah. What are you doing?"

"Having a cigarette, Arthur. I'm not a child anymore."

"Yes, you are! You shouldn't be smoking."

"I've been smoking for a while now. And anyway, you were both younger than me when you started smoking. So was Finn. Everyone smokes, what's the big deal?"

He looked at her, trying to think of an answer. When he couldn't, he let go of her hand and allowed her to carry on.

"When did you start to grow up, Rosie girl, eh?"

She rolled her eyes as she pulled on her cigarette. John pointed at her with his.

"Speaking of, it's your birthday soon, isn't it, Rosie? Next month?"

"In two weeks."

"Two weeks? That came round fast."

Arthur put his arm around her. "We'll have a party, Rosie, shall we? A big old knees-up. We could do with something to celebrate. Our girl tuning thirteen! That's something, that is."

"Tommy will probably say no."

John sniffed. "Don't be daft. And stop sulking cos you got into trouble for not doing as you were told. Do you know what our dad did when we were kids and went against him?"

Rose did, and she didn't want to hear it again. John told her anyway.

"He'd give us a belting. With his belt. Or he'd lock us out of the house all night. Or he wouldn't let us eat."

Arthur shifted in his seat. "Alright, John. We get the picture."

"Rose, no matter what you think, you're still a child. And every child has one job – to do as they're told or deal with the consequences. It's not hard."

Rose scowled and folded her arms. She didn't need John getting involved too. It didn't matter what anyone said, Tommy had treated her badly and she wasn't going to let it go. She ignored John and turned to Arthur.

"Will you take me home, Arthur?"

"You can't go back home if Tommy's not there."

"Why not? There's a houseful of staff there."

"Nah, he wouldn't want you there alone."

"Charles is the alone."

"Well, he's not likely to drink Tommy's brandy, is he? You can stay with me and Linda tonight. Tommy's probably caught up with business somewhere."

John agreed. "Yeah, probably meeting a duchess."

Rose frowned. "Why would he do that?"

Her brother sniggered. "Why wouldn't he?"

Arthur almost spat out his drink at this and Rose, far from naïve, frowned at John. She stubbed out her cigarette and chewed her lip.

"He always lets me know if he's away though, Arthur."

Both brothers had been thinking the same thing and were wondering what was going on. Arthur finished his drink and stood up.

"Come on, Rosie Red. You come home with me. I'll phone Tommy's house and find out if he's left a message for you. Linda'll be pleased to see you."

Neither of them believed that but Rose didn't say anything. She went round the table to hug John.

"Goodnight, our Rose."

"Night, John. You'll let us know if you hear from Tommy, won't you?"

"Yeah, alright. See you soon, eh?"

At Arthur's house, Linda seemed genuinely happy to see Rose. The truth was, she was looking forward to getting Arthur and their baby to California. Their new life was very close and she was in a good mood. Her meeting with Tommy that morning had given her a satisfying sense of control. So, she felt benevolent towards Rose when Arthur explained the situation and said that of course Rose could stay the night. She even offered to make them some supper.

Sitting at the table, Linda watched as Arthur and Rose finished their hot buttered crumpets. She felt a pang of guilt as she listened to the way Arthur spoke with his sister. He was gentle and loving with her and she clearly adored him. They would miss each other tremendously when Arthur left. Still, Linda told herself, Rose could always come and visit them. She reached over and took Arthur's hand.

"You'll miss hot buttered crumpets in California, my dear, won't you?"

Rose's head shot up and she looked at Linda with a frown. Arthur cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Looking at her brother and then back at Linda, Rose felt her stomach flip.

"California?"

Surprised, Linda looked at her husband. "Arthur? Haven't you told her?"

Rose sat up straight, feeling distinctly nervous. "Told me what?"

"Well, Arthur, you have to tell her now. There's no time like the present."

"Arthur?"

Arthur ducked his head and ran a hand though his hair. He had been dreading this moment and was unhappy with Linda for forcing his hand. He looked at his sister and his heart sank at the fear in her eyes. He knew he was about to break her heart.

"Rosie, sweetheart, Linda and I have decided that we … that it would be a good idea, with the baby and all, that we should … well, it looks like we'll be moving to California."

Rose stared at him in shock. She couldn't quite process what he'd said. She had never ever considered a future without all her family in it. She looked at Linda and then back at Arthur, frowning as she tried to make sense of what she'd just heard. Arthur, unsettled by her confusion, opened his mouth to say something but couldn't think of anything to soften the blow. Instead, Linda spoke up.

"Rose, dear, I know this must come as a shock to you. But you must think of your brother and your future niece or nephew and what's best for them. It'll be much better for us to live in a warmer climate. And you will always be welcome to come and visit us. It will be something to look forward to."

Still looking at Arthur, her eyes examining his face for some sort of hope, Rose heard Linda's words nonetheless and the truth began to sink in. She felt her throat tighten and her heart began to race as the panic rose inside her. She spoke in barely a whisper.

"You're leaving us, Arthur?"

Arthur felt himself begin to lose his composure. He'd told himself that Rose would understand, that she was old enough to rationalise their decision, that she wouldn't miss him too much. As he heard her voice though, he knew all of that wasn't true. All she could see was that he was abandoning her. He reached for her hand which she pulled away.

"Rosie, love, it'll be alright. It will. We'll be able to write to each other and, Linda's right, you can come and visit us. You'll love the sunshine and the ocean. And you can meet the baby. It'll be alright, you'll see."

A tear spilled down Rose's cheek as she listened to him. How could any of this be alright? Arthur was leaving and she'd probably never see him again. Tommy would never allow her to visit California and Linda wouldn't let Arthur come back even for a visit. She couldn't believe he would do this to the family. She shifted her gaze to Linda and felt a rage within her.

"This is you, isn't it? You're making him do this? Why would you make him leave his family? Why would you make him leave his home? You don't care about him or us, you just want to have control over him and to hurt us."

"Rose, you're too young to understand, but it's the family who is hurting Arthur. He needs to get away to start healing."

Rose jumped to her feet, her face red with anger. Her voice shaking with anger, she leaned towards Linda.

"You have no idea what you're talking about! What would you know about our family? And where are you getting the money for this terrible idea? Hey? From our family! From Tommy's plan! From the Shelbys hard work! You think you're so much better than us, but you want power and money as much as anyone else. And now you want to destroy us."

She turned to Arthur who had also stood up ready to intervene. He wouldn't put it past her to physically attack Linda. Rose was at breaking point, tears falling freely, trembling with emotion. She jabbed a finger at him.

"And you, why are you letting her do this? You don't want to go to California, I know you don't! You have to stop her, Arthur. You can't let her take you away from me, you can't! What will I…? I don't… Arthur, please don't go!"

She couldn't keep control and sobbed, clenching her fists in anger at not being able to keep her feelings in check. Arthur couldn't bear to see his sister so distraught and pulled her into a hug. Rose resisted at first, but Arthur held her tight and she gave in and let him hold her. She took great gulping breaths as her whole body shook with sobs. She put her arms round him and squeezed him tight, as if she could keep him in Birmingham by sheer force of will. Linda pursed her lips and looked down at her clasped hands. She knew that telling Rose would be a real test for Arthur. This display of emotion wasn't helpful at all and she worried that Arthur would change his mind. She had to remind him why they were going. She cleared her throat.

"Arthur, I know how hard this is for both of you, but please remember the new life that we have on the way. This child of ours can't grow up here exposed to all the smoke and the violence, you said so yourself. We always knew it would mean sacrifice to give this baby the best. But that is exactly what we must do. You must put your child first."

Arthur allowed his wife to persuade him once again and, stroking Rose's hair with one hand, spoke quietly to her.

"I'm sorry, Rosie love. I have to go. It's what's best for the baby."

Rose, fully aware of what had just happened, of how Linda had manipulated him, pushed herself away from Arthur. Looking up at him, she swiped a sleeve under her nose and forced herself to stop crying. She kept her voice steady.

"Alright, Arthur. You go to California. We'll be fine."

Arthur reached out to her again, but Rose moved quickly away and made for the door. Without looking back, she went up the stairs to the bedroom she'd occupied when she had lived there. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and slid down to the floor. Hugging her knees to her chest, she stared into the darkness of the room. She didn't think anything could hurt as much as this. Arthur was her heart – he only ever loved her. No one cheered her up like Arthur did; he didn't judge her or try to change her. She always felt like things reset themselves when she'd been with him. She often sought him out after arguments with Tommy or when she was feeling sad. Where would she go now? Who would make her feel like it was ok to just be herself? She laid her head on her knees and felt like she was falling, tumbling into a void where there was nothing to hold onto to stop the inevitable impact.

Rose slept even worse than usual that night. There was so much going on in her head. She felt simultaneously angry with and worried about Tommy. And now, knowing that Arthur was leaving, she felt like she'd never be happy again. She felt incredibly alone. She got up before the sun rose and went downstairs. She needed a cigarette and didn't have any so she took one from Arthur's coat. Linda didn't let him smoke but she knew he kept a case and lighter in his coat. She took the lighter and a cigarette to the kitchen and opened the back door. Linda would know immediately if she smoked in the house, so she stood outside and lit it. The telephone rang before she was halfway through and her stomach lurched. Telephone calls in the middle of the night always brought bad news. She stubbed her cigarette out and threw it in the hedge, then went back inside.

Arthur had reached the phone by now and Rose watched him from the kitchen doorway.

"Wait, say it again, Ada …. Where is he now? …. Who, Ada, who did it? ….. Alright, alright, I'll tell John and we'll come straight down. You stay with him, Ada … Right, yes, see you soon."

Arthur put the phone down and only then noticed that Rose was standing in the doorway. She knew something had happened to Tommy before he'd put the phone down. The look on Arthur's face confirmed it. She lifted a hand and gripped the doorframe.

"Is he dead?"

"No, love, no. But he's in a bad way. He's in hospital in London."

"I'm coming with you." She turned and ran up the stairs to get dressed. Tommy was going to be ok. He had to be and she refused to believe otherwise.

Twenty minutes later, Rose was sat in between John and Arthur as John drove them to London. There was silence in the car. There was nothing to say. John and Arthur had been here before – staring death in the face and not knowing the fate of a brother. There was nothing to do except wait and see when they got to London. Rose followed their lead. It wasn't the first time she'd worried about the safety of one of her brothers. This was the world they lived in. She didn't allow herself to contemplate the death of Tommy. The last thing she'd said to him was "I hate you", and she couldn't bring herself to think about those being the last words he would hear from her. She rubbed her forehead to try and block out the thoughts and leaned against Arthur's shoulder. The three of them watched the road in front of them, every mile taking them closer to an unknown they all dreaded.

At the hospital, Rose had to run to keep up with her brothers' long strides as they hurried to find Ada. She was relieved to see them and hugged Arthur. John was impatient for news.

"How is he, Ada?"

"He's in surgery." Her eyes flickered to Rose. "He's got a fractured skull and maybe some internal bleeding. We won't know anything until they've finished operating."

"What happened, Ada?" Arthur wanted to know.

"I don't know, Arthur. He phoned to ask me to arrange a meeting with someone from the Soviet embassy, then turned up at my house in a bad way. I don't know who did it to him, he didn't say."

Arthur shook his head, "This Russian business is a bad one. These people are dangerous."

Rose hugged her arms around herself and turned away. More waiting.

It was a few hours before the doctor came with any news. Rose had curled up on the bench in the corridor, her head on John's lap, asleep. She'd fought against it as long as she could; she wanted to be awake in case there was any news. But John had caught her as she almost fell off the bench after dropping off for a few seconds and insisted she lie down and rest. She only did so after he promised he would wake her up if they heard anything. True to his word, he shook her awake when the doctor arrived. She woke with a start and everything rushed back to her. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she joined Ada and her brothers as they gathered round the doctor.

"He's stable."

Rose reached out to Ada as the relief washed over her to hear he was still alive. Ada put an arm around her shoulders to steady her. The doctor continued.

"We were able to relieve the pressure on his brain from the bleeding caused by the fractured skull. The internal bleeding isn't extensive and didn't require any surgery. Obviously, any brain injury is serious and we won't know how it will affect your brother until he wakes up and we can assess him. For now, all we can do is wait."

Ada put a hand on the doctor's arm. "Thank you, Doctor."

Arthur asked, "Can we see him?"

"Yes, but only for a few minutes. We need to keep him as settled as possible. The nurses can take you to him."

Rose wasn't ready for what she saw when they entered Tommy's room. He was lying on his back with a metal frame screwed into his skull to keep his head immobilised. Part of his hair had been shaved to the skull and there was a large wound visible which had been sewn shut. He was unconscious and completely still. She had never seen him like this before. Tommy was always strong, always in control and always working. It was deeply unsettling to see him weak and vulnerable, and she felt the world shift a little as she looked down at him. She reached up to hold Arthur's hand and he squeezed hers.

"Tommy's strong," he said. "He'll bounce back."

"Yeah," she agreed, not feeling anywhere near as confident as she sounded.

They stood for a few seconds looking at Tommy, then Ada left to go and ask the nurse something. John beckoned Arthur to the far side of the room where they huddled together, whispering – no doubt working out what to do about the business with Tommy incapacitated as he was. Rose was left alone by the bed. She stepped closer and regarded him for a moment. This is what he would look like if he were dead, she thought. Just a body, no movement, no reaction, no Tommy. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head a little to banish these thoughts. Opening her eyes, she watched his chest as it rose and sank with his breathing and she told herself to calm down. Tommy was alive – hurt, but alive. He'd be fine, just like Arthur said.

She reached out and gently put her hand on his, tucking her fingers under his. She was surprised at how warm he was. She'd thought he would have been cold; she didn't know why. His warmth comforted her. It felt like Tommy's hand. She put her other hand on his lower arm and looked as his face, eyes closed, no expression. She whispered.

"Tommy? It's me, Rose."

She kept watching his face, willing him to open his eyes.

"Arthur and John and Ada are here too. The doctor says you're going to be fine. You just need to rest, ok?"

She squeezed his fingers.

"Tommy …" She leant forward a little. "I'm sorry. For what I said to you yesterday." Her voice broke a little as she tried to keep from crying. "I don't hate you, you know that, right? I was just mad. But I'm not now. And I promise, I'll do whatever you tell me to from now on. I'll work in the shop every day and you can take Nua away, it's ok. Just … just get better. Please, Tommy, just wake up."

Tommy lay there, unresponsive, and Rose rubbed her hand up and down his lower arm. All she wanted was for him to be well again, to be back at Arrow House, plotting and scheming and riding with her in the mornings. She felt awful for having plotted to withhold her love from him, to be a soldier and not a sister. Arthur was already leaving, she couldn't lose another brother, especially not Tommy. As she thought about him not being in her life anymore, Rose began to understand how much she needed him. Tommy was the anchor in her life. The point against which she steadied herself; his protection made her feel safe, the boundaries he enforced made her secure even if she hated to admit it. She would flounder without him, she knew, and she was scared. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Ada next to her.

"Come on, love, we need to go. Tommy needs to rest."

Rose nodded and gave Tommy's hand one last squeeze. Ada led her away and she realised that John and Arthur had gone. She looked at Ada, puzzled.

"Where are they?"

"They've gone to make some phone calls. You're coming home with me. You can stay whilst we wait for Tommy to get better. We can visit him every day if you'd like."

Rose nodded, grateful that her siblings understood she needed to be near Tommy.

And so the next few days took on a routine of their own for Rose. Ada would take her to the hospital and leave her there whilst she went to work. Rose spent the day sat by Tommy's bed. The nurses took to the small girl who waited so desperately for her brother to wake up and grew fond of her. They would bring her food and small treats and explained their job to her as they cared for Tommy. Rose began to learn new medical terms and to tell the difference between the various medications Tommy was given. And every day, she would hold his hand and tell him she was there. She would talk to him and remind him of family occasions and good memories. She talked a lot about Nua and the horses in Tommy's stable. She talked about their mum. As she held his hand, she would ask him to wake up and come back to them.

And on the sixth day, he did. He woke up in the early hours of the morning and when Ada and Rose arrived they were greeted by a smiling nurse. Rose stopped in her tracks and looked questioningly at her. The nurse nodded.

"He's awake."

Letting out a gasp of delight, Rose rushed past her to Tommy's room as the nurse called after her.

"Be careful now, he's still healing."

Rose slowed down as she entered the room, but moved quickly to Tommy's side. She had to lean over to see his face as his head was still immobilised in the metal frame. As her face came into view, Tommy's eyes moved to hers and he smiled weakly. She beamed back at him and took his hand which he squeezed. Rose could have sobbed with joy at feeling his fingers tighten around hers. She'd sat for hours willing this to happen and not always daring to hope that it would. But now, as he gripped her hand and she looked into his familiar blue eyes, she allowed herself to finally believe that he would be ok. Tommy cleared his throat, then winced a little at the pain it caused him.

"Why have I been dreaming about you chattering to me non-stop, eh, Mouse?"

It wasn't the only thing he'd dreamed about but he didn't mention the tunnels and the suffocating earth and the explosions. Rose's eye filled with tears as she was finally able to tell him what she'd been waiting to for days now.

"Tommy, I'm sorry for what I said to you in the kitchen. I didn't mean it, I was just angry. It was … I wish … I won't ever say it again to you, I promise."

Tommy lifted his other hand as if to wave off the apology.

"Don't worry about it, Mouse. I've already forgotten it."

"Well, I haven't and I need you to say you forgive me."

"Rose..."

"Please, Tommy" Her voice betrayed her emotions and Tommy knew she'd been suffering because of it.

"Rose, I forgive you. It's done with; in the past. Time to move on, yeah?"

She felt the worry which had gripped her heart for the past few days begin to ease away and she smiled at him in relief. He smiled back and then closed his eyes. He was exhausted and in pain. Ada came over quietly, squeezed Tommy's other hand and then indicated to Rose that they should go. Rose lifted Tommy's hand to her lips and kissed it. She wanted to never let it go but knew he needed to rest. She leaned close to his ear and whispered.

"I was so scared I'd lose you. I'm glad you're back. I love you, Tommy."

She turned to leave and missed the slight upturn of Tommy's lips. After what she'd said to him in the kitchen, he'd been scared he'd lose her too. He was glad he hadn't.