Crown of a Prince (Finn Shelby)

64.

Finn had woken up in many ways in the past, mostly from Polly yelling at him to get up or his brothers shouting outside his door that they had work to do, he had even been woken up with a revolver pushed up to his temple more than once. But that night when Ailbhe crept into his room, letting herself in with her key and silently slipping out of her clothes and into his bed was his favourite.

Ailbhe and Tommy drove back to Birmingham, something about Tommy needing to be back where he could think. He was a mess. Ailbhe knew it just by looking at him, the way he was sweating despite the chill in the air and how he had been smoking since he sat into the car in London. She didn't comment, didn't try and get him to slow down and talk it through. He needed to think so she stayed quiet and let him think. When Tommy dropped her off on Watery Lane, he didn't even say good night, just waited until she had slipped inside her house and shut the door behind her.

But Ailbhe didn't want to be at home, on her own in her room. So, she waited until Tommy's car had vanished from sight and she slipped back out into the dark again. She darted across the lane, knowing the puddles to avoid and where the street light blind spots were to keep her cloaked in darkness. She was at the betting shop's door within seconds and let herself in. She was careful not to make any noise despite the house being empty except for Finn.

He was asleep when she pushed open the bedroom door, the lights were out. He slept on his side, facing the door. All the lights in the house were off, leaving just the moonlight to cast a low light into the room, enough to see the sleeping face of her Finn.

"Finn" She whispered, trying to rouse him slightly so as not to give him a fright but he didn't wake. He always was a heavy sleeper.

She put down her handbag and slipped out of her coat, folding it across the back of the chair at his desk. She pulled off her shoes and slipped out of the rest of her clothes too until she was standing there in just her underwear. She could feel the cold biting at her skin, knowing she would have frozen in her bed across the lane.

She lifted the blanket, sliding into the bed beside him and smiling when he started to wake up and realise that he wasn't alone anymore. The smell of her perfume and the soft touch of her skin made him realise who it was and he couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. She had come back, back to him. He found himself praying she always would. 

"Hey" he mumbled, feeling her small body wriggling in around him until her body was nestled in the curve of his body, her back against his chest and his arms wrapped around her middle. 

"I thought you were staying at Ada's" he sighed, his voice low and husky from being asleep but she heard the gladness in his tone. 

She stroked her fingers along his forearm that wrapped around her middle in a way that almost sent him straight back to sleep. It was so gentle he didn't want to think about how he didn't deseve to have someone be that soft with him after everything he had done. But he was too tired to think like that, so he just enjoyed it. His chin nestled onto her shoulder, tilting and pressing a kiss to her neck. She was so grateful it wasn't over, that they were back to being Finn and Ailbhe, back where they belonged.

"Tommy and I drove back tonight" she explained, hearing his breathing get more and more steady as he started to slip back into sleep.

"Good" he sighed, tightening his arm around her.

"I'm worried about him Finn..." she whispered, feeling like sleep was still quite far away for her even though she was exhausted.

"You're always worried about him Alv"

This was true. Ailbhe usually did worry about Tommy but she was almost always right about having cause to worry.

Finn knew this and while Ailbhe was a worrier, her suspicions almost always came true. 

"I don't trust Michael" She whispered, feeling safer than she had in months, feeling safe in the dark and the quiet of Finn's room.

"Or Gina" she added, pausing for just a moment but only for a moment "Or Linda".

Finn could hear the worry in her voice and he could feel the tension in her body against him. He pulled back for a moment, nudging her onto her back so he leaned over her and could look her in the eye.

"Tommy knows what he's doing Alv, we'll be alright" he promised her, making sure she looked him in the eye as he spoke.

Her green eyes looked tired and her body felt tense and wound up beneath him. She nodded reluctantly at him, not sure she felt it was true.

"This Mosley... he's... he's not like anyone we've ever dealt with before Finn" She told him.

She had a bad feeling about it, a coldness that she couldn't shake the whole drive home and she had a feeling that Tommy felt the same. It was something in his eyes, his cold and expressionless eyes that told Ailbhe he didn't care about anyone or anything but himself.