Passion Bearers

The Threat

Thomas Shelby didn't expect to be tackled to the ground by three very angry blokes on his way from the Garrison, much less blokes he knew.

He was having a peaceful day, at least as it could be by Shelby standards. Arthur drank himself into a stupor, Ada was God knows where and God knows what John was doing. Polly, fed up from them skirting around, called for them all to have a proper family dinner.

Tommy had been on his way to said family dinner when three of the Boswell brothers tackled him to the ground and started beating him. His first reaction was surprise. The Shelbys and Boswells were relatively close and they even shared kin on his father’s side. So, to have them beat him up was not something that he'd exactly expected.

He was almost ready to float into unconsciousness when they stopped. The eldest, Zachary, grabbed him by the collar and brought him to his feet, his eyes blazing with anger.

“ You had the bloody nerve to fuck our sister right underneath our noses, didn't you?”, Zachary said, planting in another punch, causing Tommy to heave, “ The bloody fucking nerve to get her fucking pregnant, you bloody bastard!”.

With his blood in his eyes and pain all over his body, Tommy didn't even seem to understand what was being said. He just felt as if his whole body was just one big bloody fucking bruise.

“ What”, Tommy coughed, bloody oozing out of his mouth, “ the fuck are you even”, another cough, “ talking about?”.

Emory, Zachary’s younger brother by two years, stepped out and looked Tommy in the eyes. He spat on his shirt and glared at him, just as furious as his brother.

“ Tess is pregnant with your child, you fucking bastard”, Emory bit out, “ Which is the only reason we didn't kill you. Because you are going to fucking marry her”.

As he said that, Zachary let him go, causing him to fall to the ground. Thomas felt the whole world spinning but he did hear the words that were being said clearly, clearer than ever.

“ If you don't come and get Tess in a week, Shelby, it will be war. We will hunt you down and slaughter your entire family”, said the youngest brother, Terrance, a scary glint in his eye,“ We will not hesitate”.

With those words, they left, scurrying away like rats in the night. Tommy stayed there though, unable to move. It was only when Arthur found him did he get home, where Polly tended for him through the night and the next day, cursing at him for getting into a fight.

However, when he retold her the whole situation, it made her cursing seem benevolent. She was a firestorm of fury, mostly directed at him.

“ Was fucking the girl truly such a priority to you that you did not think, even for a second, that she is a bloody Boswell, Thomas?!”, she screamed, her voice echoing through the house, “ Do you understand the mess you've got us all in? You either marry her or we all die! Do you hear me? You've sentenced us to death with your cock, Tommy!”.

As Polly screamed at him for thinking with his cock and not his mind, Tommy thought back to the Boswell girl. He thought about Tess.

Tess was always called the unremarkable one by his brothers and his friends. Sure, she was pretty in her own right, but she bleaked in the background with her vivacious sisters. For most of his formal years, Tommy tended to agree. She was not worth getting beat up for bedding a Boswell girl. If anything, that would be her sister Dahlia, Esmeralda or Laura.

But, the more Tommy grew, the less he was appreciative of them and the more he was appreciative of her. He didn't really know why. He sure got teased a lot about it by his brothers, who never learnt to understand this strange attraction of his.

When he learnt that she was promised to Randy Young, he knew that fucking bastard didn't deserve Tess. The bloke was down right stupid and Tommy knew, that as soon as he married her, he'd keep her out of everyone’s sight, locking her up with a bunch of children. He knew that the moment Tess married him, she'd forever be lost to Tommy.

Maybe it was that knowledge that drove Tommy to seek Tess out. Because he kept thinking of her with Randy’s hands all over her, possessive, and he wanted to punch something. He wanted to be able to hold her, to taste her, before she would leave his grasp forever.

Obviously, now though, it's would be the exact opposite. Now, Tess would have to  stay with him forever. Through thick and thin, through happiness and strife.

“ I'll marry her”, Tommy clipped out when Polly was in the middle of her tirade.

She stopped, her eyes widening, staring at him incredulously. Obviously, she hadn't expected him to take responsibility. Tommy was the last person she'd ever think would marry.

“ What did you say?”, she breathed out.

“ I'll marry her”, he said, no hesitance in his voice.

Polly looked at him in exasperation, an ironic smile on her lips.

Meanwhile, Tommy thought of Tess as his wife, as the mother of his children. She's always had a gentle nature but a strength from within. She didn't stand for bullshit and never flinched away from violence. He knew she'd make a good wife, a loyal wife.

On top of that, having the Boswells as in-laws couldn't be better for their line of business.

“ You will be the end of me, Tommy”, sighed Polly as she walked out, shutting the door behind her.