Passion Bearers

The war

We have a little bit of a time skip in this chapter. It's two years since Tess gave birth to Charlie and it's 1914, the beginning of WW1.

Chapter Text

Tess didn't shed a tear as she watched Tommy and his brothers leave on that train to France.

She couldn't, because if she started crying, she wouldn't be able to stop. Charlie, on the contrary, was bawling, just as the rest of the children on the platform were. Beside her, Martha's small body was racking with sobs, clutching her three children close to her.

Tommy, John and Arthur waved at them from the train car, their smiles looking forced but their eyes looking terrified. Tess found Tommy looking at her, a silent message in his eyes. His eyes looked so haunted, so full of a strange feeling, almost resembling one of love. It made Tess want to claw at her own throat, just realising that whatever they could've build, whatever they had, would be torn apart in war.She was about to scream that she'd wait for him, but before she could yell out anything, the train was already leaving at an alarming speed, the steam engulfing the air around them.

The platform turned into a chaos of mothers and aunts and wives and children just all watching the men go, tears in their eyes. It was a bleak October morning, fitting for its' dark weather. If anything, this was the day of mourning. Mourning for would be lost, not only in death, but in the horrors of what was to come. When the train departed, they all made their way out of the train station but Tess still could barely process it.

They had sent the summons in the last month, knocking upon each door in Birmingham, causing further alarm from watching the chaos unfold over the news. It had been just two years after Charlie had been born and Tess had recently found out that she was pregnant by her second child. It would have usually been an occasion of celebration, if not for the fact that Tommy wouldn't be here through the birth. None of the men would be.

It all terrified Tess so much to the point that she suggested they all go to the road for awhile, camp out until the conflict was avoided. But, Arthur, Tommy and John were adamant that it was their duty before their country.

Tess couldn't convince them otherwise.

So, they left. Just like that, boarding the train to their possible death.

Before he left, Tess and Tommy promised each fervently that they'd write to each other and that she'd tell him all about the baby. But, even as they promised each other that, Tess had been well aware that Tommy might never see the day till the birth of their second child. It caused her so much pain that she could barely get out of bed for the first week since they left. It had been the same for Martha, who faced the consequence of being left with three children to raise by herself.

Surprisingly, it had been Polly that pulled them out of their grieving state. It all happened very suddenly, since one morning, Polly decided that she would break into Tess' house and ruffle the house up.

" Get the fuck up, Tess", Polly told her as she stormed in, opening the curtains, impeccable in her heels and dress, " You've been in the house the whole week but now it's time to get up".

Tess hesitantly stood up, bringing her robe closer to her body. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, looking around in a bit of a daze.

" Why are you here?", she asked her aunt-in-law, who was in the process of lighting a cigarette, looking both angry and frustrated.

Polly just gave her a look and opened the wardrobe that Tess had in her room, taking a dress and a hat out of it, throwing it in Tess' hands.

" Now look", she said, blowing smoke out of the cigarette, " I know you're fucking sad alright. We all bloody are. Had to get Martha to get out from the house with the children for three fucking hours. Been nothing but crying that poor girl. But, you", she pointed at Tess with an immaculate finger, " I expected better from you. You're bloody pregnant, you have a son and a job to maintain. I gave you a week to mop but this is it. We're not like them fucking aristocrats who can afford to be sad all day. You've got work to do. Now dress up".