Passion Bearers

The end

I said: pain and sorrow
He said: stay with it, the wound is the place where the light enters you -Rumi

(for the full experience listen to Duck Shoot by Rupert Gregson Williams (OST The Crown) and On The Nature Of Daylight by Max Richter)

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

This was not a story about Tess and Tommy.

It was never about their love, their marriage, their children, it was not at all about them. They were just a small part of the Shelby family saga, even if they were at the heart of it all. In the end, they would end being just a memory in their children's minds, a record in the papers. It was about a story about family. About endurance. About love.

The Shelbys would continue to terrorize the entire country, using wicked ways to get everything they wanted. They would murder all kinds of people, leaving weeping children and widows behind them. They'd take from both the rich and poor, as long as the end result meant more money, more power. More, more and more. Tess didn't change that, neither did Ada, Martha, Esme or Linda. The children didn't change that. Whatever wicked thing lived in the blood of the Shelbys would live there forever. The greed in their bones would stay there forever.

But, that all didn't matter. The business, the money, none of it mattered. What mattered was the family, familia, as the gypsies called it. What mattered that they stayed together. And stay together, they did, even if there were times when they thought that they'd fall apart.

At first, things went well. Tommy got Arrow House and they settled in their huge estate, sharing their newfound riches with the rest of the family. Both London and Birmingham, if not the entire country, trembled before them. It was their Golden Age. Tess opened a new children's hospital, Polly and Michael grew closer and Arthur found himself Linda, who although everyone hated, Tess found to be tolerable. As for Tommy and Tess, they were as happy as a married couple could be, with all the tender love, fights and compromises that went with it. Tess struggled with Tommy's haze as he got more power, as if she could could see the Devil lurking in his soul. She recognised the monster that he so often described and knew that if she did nothing, all he built would be destroyed.

So, after John cut up Angel Changretta,Tess saw the danger in an enraged Vicente Changretta when no one really understood its' potential, especially Tommy, who was getting more arrogant with each day. Tess knew that Polly would not get much result from poking at John to apologize or 'compromise', so she did what most women did to achieve things. She talked. Not to John, of course. She knew that the stubborn man wouldn't listen to a word she said. Instead, she approached Esme, who John listened to with great attention. Esme saw him through the apology, even if took hours to get him to do it. And so, Tess was able to prevent the conflict that she, like Polly, knew would only backfire on the family.

Tess did a lot of behind the scenes work like that. She leaned Esme off the cocaine, drained all of the bottles that Arthur had in his house in crates and even helped Finn with his schoolwork when Polly was too busy dealing with Michael. Tess did not speak during the family meetings, but she, like Esme, quietly sat in the corner, soaking in every word, thinking. She did as Tommy did and worked for the family in secret, albeit with a little less greed and bloodthirst.

But, in truth, she didn't even need to attend the family meetings. Tommy told her all she needed to know before they went to bed, consulting with her on all kinds of things. When he told of her of the business with the Russians, she didn't like it from the beginning, begging him to back out. But, as Tess knew well by now, Tommy would not back out while he was in the grips of a huge undertaking. He was good at that, making deals with the Devil and managing to sneak out the last minute. But, the odds were too high. Tess hadn't realised how high they were until Tommy got his concussion. Tess sat by his bedside, the loyal wife she was, taking care of him, cursing him for getting himself into danger with tears in her eyes. It could've gotten much worse had Tess not caught the woman attempting to steal their youngest, Henry.

In the end, they barely left unscathed.

The incident with their son made Tommy more aware and less reckless with who made business with. He finally began to settle as he continued to build his empire. As did the whole family, with each of the brothers getting their own house. Life was beginning to slow its' pace and when Tommy was not working, he usually spent time with Tess and their three children. Life became idyllic, more brighter and beautiful than it had ever been.

Tess would've never guessed that as a young pregnant girl, this was where she'd end with Tommy. She now manned several children's hospitals across the country now and Tommy owned rows of factories with his brothers, set to become the country's largest family business empire. Of course, there was criminal activity there on occasion, but it was less frequent these days with all three brothers becoming more settled in. There was Michael, of course, who had the ambition characteristic to Tommy. Tess still worried him but she lay off her worries for Polly, who continued to watch Michael like a hawk.

Instead, Tess spent her days in peace at Arrow House, their new home, tending for the children and doing the paperwork concerning the hospitals. She would tire herself to the point of near collapse, going in and out of hospitals, signing checks and visiting the children to make sure everything was running smooth. But, at the end of the day, no matter how busy she was, Tess would always make time to having some tea with Tommy once he returned, both of them just sitting by the fire, exchanging news. When they were both tired and in need of some air, they'd travel up to Scotland, to the estate that Tommy bought for them to use. They called it Rosary House, after Tommy's mother, and spent most of their Christmases there with the whole family.

At the end of the day, nothing was perfect. They would make continue making mistakes in their lifetime. They'd heal and they'd hurt, they'd kill and they'd bury. There would be wars fought, countries destroyed and new ones emerged. Nothing would be the same at the end, not their King or their country.

Except not really.

Somethings would be the same in the end.

As Tess looked Tommy in the eyes, old and gray with age as she was, and felt that rush of air when she first met him as a young girl, she knew some things would always be the same in the end. They would remain the same through pain of betrayal and the wearing of the time. They would remain so forever.

Notes:

So... this is the end, you guys. I am so, so grateful for all of you that have continually supported me and left comments. This story means so much to me and to finish it was so difficult for me. But, please, let me know how you felt and if you ever need some more of my writing, just check out the other stories I have. Know that I won't be gone forever and I'l be posting some more stories.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything.