Future to Past

{-Chapter Five-}

Seraphina was leading the kids back to Watery Lane, she was humming and skipping along the road, each child was excited and singing the song that she had sung to them while they cleaned the house. "Just a spoonful of sugar, helps the medicine go down." They had sung loudly, all with smiles on their faces. Seraphina hums the tune for them, each child seeing one line after the other. The three older Shelby men tilted their heads watching the group. When they reached the front door, they walked in happily each child hanging their coats up, Finn taking Seraphina's coat and peaky cap.

She thanked the boy before motioning them into the kitchen, know that Arthur, John, and Tommy wanted to speak to them. Sitting down at the table, the six of them smiled gently at the three men. "Now we will apologize first." Finn stated seeing his brothers. "We were bored, and we just wanted to have some fun, and Sera wanted to see Small Heath," Finn continued.

Katie then spoke next. "We weren't going to stand around and wait, we wanted to have fun, also Sera was not going to let her fear stop her from seeing the world."

"Yeah!" Hazel cheered as she climbed onto Seraphina's lap. "We loved playing the racing game. We need to teach it to you too daddy." Hazel said with a jump on Sera's lap. "You will play with us, right?" She asked John who blinked in surprise.

"Of course." He answered. John had never thought to do anything with his children after losing Martha the children hadn't wanted to be around him, especially after coming home from the war. "I'd love it if you taught me some of your games." He said simply to the children. All of them grinned at the thought before looking at Tommy and Arthur.

"Uncle Arthur and Uncle Tommy will play with us too, right?" George asked.

Tommy and Arthur both looked at one another before nodding to the youngest Shelby. All five children cheered in excitement. All of them chattering to one another in excitement. Seraphina was quiet throughout the talk; she was happy the children were excited that the older men would play with them. Seraphina watched the children run off to their rooms, wanting to get cleaned for dinner, John running after them to help them, Arthur cleared his throat before walking out of the kitchen and up to his own room.

Leaving Seraphina and Tommy alone.

"I'm sorry." Seraphina says softly knowing that she should have stayed inside.

"What are you sorry for?" He asked her. "Those kids know how to look after themselves, they were raised like that, and we never did tell them they had to stay inside the house," Tommy stated to the girl.

Seraphina still didn't believe she was in the right, but Tommy glared at her, jokingly of course, and she nodded her head accepting his words. "Did Ada come home safe?" She asked changing the subject.

Tommy nodded his head shortly. The brothers were still disappointed in their sister for leaving the children, she had agreed to do it and had told them she had nothing on, had she said she was going to be with her friend the children would have come with them. They were not forcing her to watch the children at all. They just told her she wasn't to marry anyone until she was 40, no boys for her at all.

"Good, I hope she had fun." Seraphina stated with a nod of her head.

"Seraphina, she abandoned you with the children." Tommy said frowning.

Seraphina shrugged. "But I owe your family Tommy, you've taken me in, I need to earn my keep." She said simply, not the least bit bothered. "Anyway, if I get to look after that lot, I think my job will be the easiest." She giggled.

"The easiest, Seraphina, none of those children take an order, not even from Polly." Tommy chuckled. And on cue Hazel's shrill scream came through the house. "Bath time." Tommy said simply.

"I can get her to have a bath. I know I can." Seraphina stated. "I can get all of them into that bath, I'll have them washed, dried, and ready for dinner," she said with a grin on her face. "I'll send John down and Arthur as well, I'll be back soon Tommy." She continued with a giggle as she ran up the stairs. Tommy shaking his head, Tommy knew no matter what Seraphina would be wiped out from getting just Hazel into the bath. Well, he would see soon as John made his way down the stairs with Arthur beside him.

"I wish Seraphina good luck." John muttered shaking his head. The three brothers laugh as they sit around speaking to one another, none of them realizing just how quiet it had gotten in the house, no Hazel screaming, no George crying about having to take a bath, no Katie scolding her younger siblings, no Collin or Finn arguing about who had to go first. It was quiet.

"You know, maybe she should be paid to look after the children." John said, sighing. "I've not seen Hazel of George smile that much since, since Martha passed on." He whispered.

"We can't do that to her." Arthur says.

"She wants to." Tommy stated, reading from the newspaper. "She said it would be the easiest job to do. I think they rather enjoy being together, we saw it today, they flock to her, they are happy with her."

"So can we hire her to look after the children, be a nanny?" John asked Tommy.

Tommy tilted his head. "For now. She can look after the children, Ada's put it in her head that she needs to earn her keep, so we let her believe she is earning her keep, but set aside some money for her, encase of emergency." Tommy said to his brothers both men agreed to do exactly that, of course they would also have Polly take her to a clothing store to buy more outfits as what she had was barely anything.

This was the start of her life with the Shelby family. And she had a feeling that times with this family would be filled with bumps along the way, and was she a little scared, yes, yes, she was, but all great adventures have a bit of danger mixed in, don't they. Seraphina though was prepared for it, and she wasn't afraid this time. She was going to live her life the way she wanted.