𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒊𝒓𝒆 » 𝐀. 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒

❝𝒙𝒊𝒙.❞

𝐞𝐬𝐭. 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧. 𝟏𝟗𝟐𝟒

𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫.

Despite Alfie's kindness and inexplicably out of character warm hospitality, Nora would not calm down, she would not rest. Her family was still locked up and the fact that both Alfie and Thomas had come to the agreement that she should remain in his custody  drudged up a rage in her she didn't know she had. She wouldn't be able to sleep, or eat nonetheless, which left Alfie inherently unpleased, and he wasn't hesitant to share this with her.

"Ella, enough of this, you're fucking pale." He hands her a roll with butter alongside a glass of water, "Fuckin' hell eat something!" She picks at the bread for a moment, before looking up at him, "I need to speak to Thomas- "You need to eat the fucking bread I gave ya."

She rolls her eyes, ire burning the back of them as she forced herself to eat the bread. Thoughts soared through her head as she continued to concoct a plan as to how she was going to get her family out of this nightmare that she had found to be her reality. She didn't have anything tangible yet, most likely due to the sleep depravation and the lack of nutrition. Once swallowed the last bite, she turned to her self-proclaimed caretaker "Okay, now can I speak to him?" Her tone was soft spoken, layering a feigned tone of desperation. Alfie sighs hoarsely as he strokes his chin pensively before responding. 

"He doesn't wish to speak to you, treacle." She narrowed her eyes at him, "I don't understand, what do you mean, he doesn't wish to speak to me that's absurd-" "He insists that you focus on resting, which you have not been doing. You look worse than when I freed you from that shithole." He looks down at her eyes darting at her person, her loss in volume, her loss in vibrancy. He raised his hand to caress her but she stood up moved away from him before he could touch her. 

Nora could only let out a scoff in response to what she was hearing as she started pacing around the room. "I assure you I will rest some, once I speak to Thomas-" Alfie left the dining room "That's not how it works, Ella-" "Well fuck how it works!" Her shrieks echo down the corridor as she follows his path. She cuts him off as she meets him in the hallway. "Alfie, I've never asked for much, ever since we've known each other. I am begging you-" "Treacle, Tommy is working on it-" "How do you know?" "You know your brother." 

Brother. The word sent shivers down Nora's spine, as it reminded her that what she did to their father was now public knowledge, but she shrugged them off, not ready to stand down from this. "I can help. I wish you two would understand that I can help-" "Because of your little group of lady gangsters?" His tone was derogatory, scoffing at the end. 

That statement rendered her silent. Her face was frozen before she scrunched it and shook her head. She didn't say anything else and retreated towards her quarters. "Ella, come back here," Alfie demanded, but she continued dragging her feet to her room, crawling into bed. 

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Of course, sleep did not arrive to her conscious. She tossed and turned all night before resolving to laying on her stomach with her eyes closed. She heard the door to her room open, but she maintained her position. She then felt a weight press into the opposite side of the bed. 

"I know you're awake, my love." 

Nora didn't move, intending to maintain her position until he left. Alfie looks over at her, hesitating on what to say next, as he did not want to hurt her further than he already had. "I need you safe, treacle. I just need you alive, safe and sound, and you have always been safe and sound with me."