February 12th

February 12th

Each of the Shelby Sibling’s grieve different, a year after, you, their sisters death. 

Warnings:death, swearing, grief.

All Gifs belong to their rightful owners

One shot 2300 words. 

It had been 365 days around the sun without you and that dreaded February 12th came with the cold breeze of spring, a time when it was difficult to celebrate new life when you would never walk the earth again.

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Serve & Protect

Summary: You moved to the small quiet town of Hawkins after transferring from the NYPD and reunite with your old partner, Jim Hopper. However, Hawkins isn't as quiet as it seems, and your past follows you there.

Pairing: Jim Hopper x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.8k

Major Trigger Warning- SA. This chapter is very heavy, but nothing is described in a lot of detail. Also hints towards past SA. If any of this triggers you please don't read this chapter. Look after yourself first.

Previous Chapter

Chapter 10- Ambush

"Pizza is here!" You shouted, walking through the front door of the cabin.

Those three words were like a trigger because a second later, El's bedroom door opened, and the two young girls rushed out before you could even put the boxes on the table.

"It smells amazing!" Max exclaimed, helping you open the boxes while El grabbed four dinner plates from the cupboard.

"Thank you, Y/N." El said, already stacking slices of each different pizzas onto her plate.

You forced a smile watching her and Max load their plates while you unrolled the garlic bread hating how much your hands were shaking at the simple task.

Your heart was still hammering against your ribcage after seeing Hank at your front door.

He was at your house. He was waiting for you to come home. He was there. It was him.

All this time, there was a small part of you that had thought that this whole thing was just in your head, and you were jumping to conclusions. But it was real, and he had followed you to Hawkins.

"Are you okay?" El's gentle voice suddenly asked.

You blinked at her words too caught up in your own head to properly hear her just as she carefully took the garlic bread from your trembling hands and handed it to Max to give you her full attention.

"Did something happen?" El asked, holding your now empty but still trembling hands.

Max hovered close behind, her blue eyes looking you up and down for any injuries like claw marks from Demo-dogs like the last time she had seen you. If only it had been a Demo-dog at your house. You would rather deal with one of those monsters than this human monster.

You opened your mouth to dismiss the girls worries even though El could probably feel your emotions anyway or something. You weren't entirely sure of the extent of her powers, was that something she could do?

"What's going on?" Hopper's voice suddenly called out from across the room.

He stepped out of his bedroom with his hair dripping wet from the shower. He was no longer in his uniform instead wearing a pair of sweatpants and a flannel shirt that had no right being so attractive.

"I am unsure." El answered honestly, her brows furrowed as she stared up at you. "Something happened."

That seemed to catch Hopper's attention because he was by your side within a blink of an eye.

"Y/N?"

You met his gaze with an uneasy expression not exactly trusting your voice at the moment to speak.

Jesus Christ, you thought you had gotten better since moving here. You thought you had moved on from Hank and all the shit he had put you through but one look at him from a distance through your car windshield and you were right back to square one.

Realisation slowly washed over Hopper, "you saw him, didn't you?"

It wasn't a question. He already knew the answer, but you nodded anyway, and his jaw clenched shut in sudden fury.

"Saw who?" El asked in confusion.

"Girls eat the pizza in your room. I need to talk to Y/N privately." Hopper instructed his voice coming out calm, but you could tell he was anything but calm on the inside.

El hesitated in front of you for a moment not wanting to leave when she could tell you were in distress, but reluctantly nodded before collecting her plate of pizza and following Max back into the bedroom.

The second her bedroom door clicked shut, Hopper grabbed your hand and led you over to the couch without a word. You allowed yourself to be pulled not arguing as he gently eased you down to the couch which was probably a good idea because your legs were shaking too. In fact, your entire body was shaking, and you couldn't stop it.

Nothing even happened. Why was your body reacting this way?

"Did he hurt you?" Hopper asked, kneeling on the floor in front of you.

You shook your head and Hoppers body seemed to relax a little with that information and he gently placed his hand on top of your bouncing knee causing you to flinch at the unexpected touch.

He quickly removed his hand and looked up at you with an unreadable expression. His brows furrowed a little at your reaction to his touch, but he didn't comment on it.

"Sorry." You apologised, although you weren't entirely sure what you were apologising for. For flinching at his touch? For being so worked up? For being a burden? For making him concentrate on you instead of eating pizza? For all of it? None of it? You had no idea.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Hopper asked after a few moments of silence.

"I was- I was going to go home and get some clean clothes but... he was there. He was at my house."

"What?" Hopper questioned his eyes widening.

"He was at my front door. He was just standing there like he was waiting for me to come home or something." You elaborated glancing over at Hopper who looked ready to drive out there and kill Hank. "He took off as soon as he saw your work car. Guess he thought I was you when I pulled up."

"Did he have a car?" Hopper asked slipping straight into detective mode, but you shook your head. "What was he wearing? Any distinctive pieces of clothing? Footwear?"

"It was too dark to see. I saw a glimpse of his face in my headlights before he ran off. That's it."

Tears started to burn in the back of your eyes as you thought back to that moment only 10 minutes ago. Hank was in Hawkins. He was really here, and he was waiting for you to come home in the dark.

Fuck.

What if he had been hiding and you didn't notice him until you got out the car? What would he have done?

Nope. Don't start thinking about that. No.

"Shit." You hissed softly under your breath while hastily wiping at the tears had escaped down your cheeks without permission.

Seriously why were you reacting like this? It wasn't like anything happened. He had run away. He was gone for now. You were safe and with Hopper. Why were you reacting like this?

"Y/N." Hopper said gently, bringing you out of your thoughts as you looked over at him.

He was still kneeling in front of you watching your every move and reaction carefully. He must have come to some kind of conclusion that he didn't like, and you had a sinking feeling that you knew what he was about to ask.

"You told me that you got a restraining order against him. You said that he was harassing you at work and stalking you off duty, yeah?" He asked and you sniffed with a small nod. "Okay. Can you tell me what else he did?"

His voice was so gentle, so soft. He was... holy shit, he was using his victim's voice. You had been with him during enough interviews and statements to recognise that gentle sympathetic voice he would use on alleged victims... you just never thought he would ever have to use the voice on you.

"I already told you everything." You answered, averting your gaze because even you couldn't believe your own words.

Hopper didn't need to know every single detail. He was your boss and your best friend, but he didn't need to know... you didn't want him to know.

"Y/N..." Hopper trailed off unsure how to finish that sentence.

"It's your day off tomorrow, right?" You asked, abruptly changing the topic.

"Uh, yeah, but wait-"

"Can you swing by the station during my lunch break and come to my house with me? I need to get some new clothes but don't want to go there alone." You admitted, lifting your head to meet Hoppers worried blue eyes.

"Of course. I'll pick you up at 12. But, Y/N, about Hank... you haven't told me everything, have you?" He asked, switching the topic back on track with ease.

Damn Hopper and his stupid police interview tactics.

"I'm actually getting tired. I think I might head to bed." You suddenly said, ignoring his question completely because although Hopper was good at his job, you were too and as such knew that you didn't have to answer any questions. "Goodnight, Hopper."

You got up from the couch and Hopper stood up from where he had been kneeling. You half expected him to grab your arm to stop you from walking away or to try and push the topic further, but to your own shock, he didn't.

"Goodnight, Y/N."

You laid awake in bed for the next few hours unable to sleep. The television was playing softly in the background from the main room as you laid there staring up at the ceiling.

Memories of that night at New York in the police stations shower block played on repeat through your mind. You could almost feel Hanks hands on your body. His fingers digging into your hair in effort to stop you from resisting. The distinct scent of his potent cologne. The way the bathroom mirror shattered against your forehead. The taste of your own blood on your tongue. The sound of your horse voice screaming at him to stop... his sickening grin when he realised you couldn't escape... it all came flooding back.

Every single memory was running on loop in your brain, and you couldn't shut it off. You couldn't sleep.

Hopper came to bed around midnight. You had your eyes closed and pretended to be asleep while he moved quietly around the bedroom and carefully slipped into bed beside you not wanting to wake you. His bare shoulder brushed against yours as he laid on his back, but he didn't move away, and that unintentional physical touch was a small comfort reminding you that you were safe with Hopper.

Hopper was safe.

You were safe here.

Eventually you must have fallen asleep because the next thing you knew, you were blinking your eyes open to find daylight streaming in through the curtains.

Shit.

What was the time?

A quick look at your alarm clock had you sighing in relief because you weren't late for work. You leant over and switched your alarm off that was set to buzz in eight minutes.

Hopper was passed out beside you totally dead to the world as you silently got out of bed and glanced over at his sleeping form. The blanket over his body had pulled down during the night exposing his bare upper half dad bod.

You stood there for a few too many seconds to be considered normal while admiring his body before forcing yourself to turn away and get ready for work.

Hopper was not interested in you like that. He was your best friend. You needed to get over this stupid crush on him. Although, that crush had been there since the first day you met him in New York, so the chances of getting over it was probably non-existent. Great.

The girls were still asleep when you grabbed a piece of cold pizza from the fridge for breakfast. Well, you assumed they were asleep. The bedroom door was closed and there was no music, so you wandered around the kitchen quietly not wanting to wake them.

After eating the pizza, you grabbed your car keys and walked out the front door and went to work.

It was a normal day. The shift going by fairly quickly after a few traffic stops with Powell and a DUI with Callahan. Whilst on patrol with the guys, you kept an eye out for Hank but there was no sign of him around town.

12 o'clock came and went without any sign of Hopper. He had said he would come to take you to your house, but by 2pm there was still no sign of him. You called the house phone at the cabin but didn't get any answer and by the end of your shift he still hadn't shown up.

Figuring he must have been busy with El or something, you decided to drive out to the cabin to see if he was free to come to your house for 20 minutes. However, when you got to the cabin neither him nor El were home.

You waited an hour, but the sun was starting to set in the sky and if Hopper wasn't going to show up to help, you did not want to be alone at your house in the dark.

Screw it.

After eating another slice of pizza from the fridge you got back in the car and drove to your house to collect clean clothes.

There were no vehicles parked in front of your house. There were no people in your front yard and from what you could tell, the front door was shut and secure. There was no sign of Hank anywhere.

Taking a deep breath, you pulled the keys out the ignition and climbed out the car before making your way towards your house. It was strange feeling so scared and on edge in your own home, but you reluctantly went inside anyway despite every bone in your body telling you to just go back to the cabin.

It would only take a few minutes to get some clothes.

You would be fine…

-

… you were in fact not fine.

-

"Deputy? Hey, hey, Deputy can you hear me?" An unfamiliar voice called out.

"Her name is Y/N."

That voice you knew.

Callahan.

Wait, what was he doing here? More importantly, where even were you?

"Y/N, I need you to wake up. Y/N?" The other voice continued to say as you forced your eyes open to find a blurry paramedic hovering above you. "That's it. Can you hear me?"

"W-what happened?" You asked, your voice coming out rougher than you expected.

The paramedic frowned, "you don't remember?"

You stared at him for a moment before you tilted your head to the side and began to take in your surroundings. This was your house. You were lying on the floor of your living room.

Why the fuck were you lying on the floor?

"What..." You began to say as you tried to sit yourself up but cut yourself off with a pained hiss.

"Easy. Easy. Just take it easy." The paramedic hurriedly insisted, gently easing you back down.

Your entire body ached in pain. It was impossible pinpoint exactly where the pain was coming from. Your whole body felt like it was on fire but numb at the same time.

"Is she going to be okay?" Callahan asked.

The absolute devastation in his voice had you glancing in his direction to find your fellow Deputy hovering behind the paramedic. You had never heard him sound so utterly helpless before while he stared down at you biting his thumb nail anxiously.

You opened your mouth to ask what happened again but then it all came flooding back.

Hank.

He was already inside your house when you entered. You hadn't even noticed at first, he remained hidden behind the couch and when you turned your back...

It all happened so fast.

One minute you were picking up a jacket off the back of a chair and the next thing you knew you were being slammed into the wall. Your forehead cracked on impact putting a hole through the dry wall. Blood instantly began falling down the side of your face matting in your hair and staining the collar of your work shirt.

Hanks sickening laughter erupted from behind you and your stomach dropped at the realisation of what was going to happen.

You had tried to fight. You had tried to get away, but you couldn't.

Hank was quick to unclip your duty belt from around your waist before you could grab your gun or baton. He tossed your belt across the room but not before you got a few good punches in.

"You've gotten stronger since we last did this." Hank observed, spitting out a mouthful of blood before he slammed his fist into the side of your ribcage, knocking the wind out of you.

You doubled over, grabbing your stomach as you struggled to get air back into your lungs. Hank used your distraction to his advantage and shoved you to the ground.

"You thought you could hide in bumfuck Indianna, and I wouldn't find you? I never lost you to begin with." Hank began to say, pinning you on your back against the rough carpet with your hands held above your head in a death grip. "I've been waiting for the right moment to see you again. To do this... again. To ruin you like you ruined my career."

"Get the fuck off!" You screamed, thrashing under his grip but he shifted himself on top of you. His knees either side of your waist while he kept your wrists pinned above your head with one hand.

"C'mon, I thought you learnt from last time." He chuckled, leaning down closer until his mouth was beside your ear and whispered, "I like it better when you fight."

Hank reached for his belt with his free hand, and your fight or flight instincts went out the fucking window and you froze instead. You couldn't move. You couldn't breathe. You couldn't do anything. Your body was paralysed to the floor and there was nothing you could do when he began to reach for your pant zipper.

It all happened so fast.

It happened so fast yet so slow at the time.

You weren't sure how long it had been before there was a knock on your front door.

It was Callahan. He had seen your car parked out the front and came to see if you were okay knowing you had been living with Hopper since the soap incident.

You were fairly out of it by the time he realised something was wrong and broke through the front door. Hank was off your body and out the backdoor within a heartbeat and Callahan had... he had found you on the living room.

"Shit." You hissed softly, hot tears rising in your eyes as you remembered everything that had happened.

"She's going to be fine. But she needs to come back to the hospital. Her forehead needs stitches and... other injuries need looking at." The paramedic explained, glancing over his shoulder at Callahan who looked pale and terrified. "You can ride in the back of the ambulance if you want. Your partner took your work car, didn't he?”

"Uh, yeah, yeah Powell took off with the Cruiser. I can... ah, shit. I-I can't leave here, it's a crime scene now. I need to wait for the other officers to come in from recall to take over the scene. I... I will- I will come to the hospital after." Callahan hurriedly explained without taking a breath.

"He... he ran out the back door. He-" You mumbled but Callahan cut you off.

"I know. I know. It's okay. Powell is searching for him now as we speak, don't worry about any of that. I've tried to call the Chief, but I can't get a hold of him. I'll keep trying though." He reassured. "Everything is going to be fine, Y/N. I promise."

It was strange hearing those reassuring words from Callahan. He was always cracking jokes and teasing you at work. He was never serious or worried like this. Not with you. The two of you have had an almost brother-sister type relationship since you started at the Hawkins Police Department. He was a good friend, and you were relieved that he had shown up when he did, but at the same you kinda wished he hadn't because you never wanted him or anyone to see you like that. Ever.

The paramedics took you to Hawkins Hospital. Callahan remained at your house to guard the crime scene and you zoned out while the nurses and doctors ran their tests and scans.

Time blurred together on that hospital bed. Seconds ticking over into minutes. Minutes drifting into hours as you stared up at the classic cream paint on the ceiling above you.

Stitches were now covering the gash on the left side of your forehead. You hadn't seen yourself in a mirror yet but could feel the sting of a split lip and the tenderness around your left eye was telling you that it was going to bruise.

It could have been worse.

That was what the nurse kept telling you. It could have been worse. It could have ended worse. He could have hurt you worse.

That was all they were telling you and you hated it.

Yes, it could have been worse. But it was fucking worse enough as it was.

"We will have to monitor you tonight. Make sure there are no lingering effects from your head wound. But in the morning if everything is alright, you will be discharged." The nurse explained, looking up from the clipboard in her hand to meet your eyes.

You simply nodded at her words not having the energy to verbally respond and she must have noticed that too because she smiled sadly at you before leaving you to rest.

It wasn't long after that there was a gentle knock on your door and a moment later, Callahan stepped inside hesitantly. He looked exhausted. It was probably past midnight by now and he definitely should be at home in bed with his wife and not checking up on you, but here he was.

Neither of you said anything for a moment as Callahan walked further into the room. His worried eyes flashing over the injuries on your face.

"Did Powell find him?" You asked, breaking the silence.

He shook his head, "not yet. We got patrols searching the area though. We'll find him."

"Thank you for, uh, for..." You trailed off unable to finish that sentence, but Callahan caught on with what you wanted to say, and he instantly nodded.

"Of course. Is there anyone I can call for you?"

"Any luck with the Chief?"

He shook his head, "straight to voicemail. Sorry."

"Thanks for trying. I'll get discharged in the morning. I can contact him then, I'm fine." You dismissed, although those last two words were far from true, but Callahan didn't point that out.

"I'll swing by in the morning to pick you up, if you want?"

You were about to decline the offer out of impulse but then thought better of it. Your car was still at your house, and you had no way of getting there.

"That would be great. Thanks, Cal. Now go home." You said, nodding towards the door. "I'm fine here. Get some sleep, it looks like you need it."

"You saying I look like crap?" He asked raising his eyebrow.

You smirked ever so slightly, "obviously."

Callahan snorted softly, "thanks. You sure you'll be okay by yourself?" He asked seriously.

"I'm fine."

He gave you a levelled look that meant you were full of shit, but he didn't call you out on it. Instead, he reluctantly nodded and walked back to the door.

"Hey, Y/N?"

"Yeah?" You looked over at him from where he had paused in the doorway.

"I'm always here for you, don't ever forget that."

You smiled softly at his words and nodded before watching him walk out the room closing the door behind himself.

-

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Fandom: The Last of Us (TLOU), will mostly follow the timeline and events of the HBO show, but will pull lore and tidbits from the games as well!

Pairing: Post-Outbreak! Joel Miller x Smuggler! Reader

Summary: With a past as rich as anyone in the times after the Outbreak, you find your medical and survival skills to be a valuable asset. You were dropping off some medical supplies that FEDRA was willing to pay big for when you got tangled up in a mission that involves a teenager with a mouth almost as smart as yours and gruff older man whose graying curls were his only redeeming quality. But the longer you traveled with them and the more that happened out in the open land of what once was, the more you find yourself connecting with them and wanting to protect them both at any cost.

Word Count: 131.5k - ongoing

Warnings: canon typical language, canon typical violence, canon typical gore, description of injuries, description of anxiety, symptoms of anxiety, tense situations, sexual content, sexual propositions, smut, p in v, unprotected p in v (pls don’t do this w/o previous communication w/ your partner), joel’s emotionally constipated 

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Home Again.

Based on a request by vikingsxf 

‘‘When the youngest Shelby sister goes missing as a child, the family are distraught. Twenty years later a young woman shows up at the police station claiming to be her’‘

This is the longest one shot ever (4000 words) but I couldn’t stop once I started writing! It was really fun to write for the Shelby’s mother (How I imagine her anyways) 

Elsie Shelby (I always imagine Carla Gugino as their mother)

Amelia Shelby

14th November 1923

The family had not spoken a word of her in twenty years. Not that they did not want too of course, but the memories were so painful that even her name could not be muttered without everyone exploding into tears and distress.

‘’What do you mean, they’ve found her, talk to me Thomas’’ Polly had demanded, snatching the whiskey out of her nephews’ hand.  ‘’She’s alive, Pol, at least that’s what Moss thinks’’ Tommy replied, sulking into the back of his chair, the news stirring up emotions he had not felt since before the war. ‘’Well, why aren’t we down there then, bringing her home, this is ridiculous Tommy’’ Polly rambled on, losing her train of thought.

‘’There are procedures Pol, I’ll be allowed to see her this afternoon, we don’t even know if its her, it could be anyone wanting to come into the family now we’ve got money on our side’’ Tommy sighed. He wanted to believe it, Tommy wanted to believe more than anybody that the girl sitting in Birmingham Central Police Station was his sister, but what if she wasn’t? Could he handle the screaming tears from Ada again, the silent pain from John who never said a word, the fits of anger from Arthur, and Finn, who was not even born when she disappeared, who wouldn’t begin to understand.

‘’She had a birthmark, on her left ankle, it was an almost butterfly shape, I told her it was a gift given to all Romani princesses’’ Polly’s eyes began to well up as she began to remember her baby niece. ‘’That’s how you’ll know its her, I’ll tell the others, but not until you give me the call you’re bringing her home’’ Polly nodded, reassuring herself.

Twenty years earlier, 11th December, 1903.

‘’Daddy, please can I go with you?’’ Three-year-old Amelia pleaded, tugging onto her father’s shirt. It was always hard to say no to Amelia, her raven haired curls, and her bright blue eyes made her look like a real life cherub, and even Arthur Snr, to who fatherhood did not come naturally, found it hard to resist the charms of his little girl.

‘’Why’d you wanna go to the Pub with Dad, aye, when you can stay home and play Whist with us’’ 14-year-old Arthur smirked, ruffling his baby sister’s hair. ‘’Tommy doesn’t let me win’’ Amelia sighed, pulling the meanest face she had at her brother opposite. ‘’If I always let her win, she’ll never learn to play properly’’ 12-year-old Tommy shrugged, returning to the game.

‘’I could do your hair, Mila’’ 9-year-old Ada suggested, removing the ribbon out of hers and placing it on the table. ‘’No, way, I looked bad last time’’ Amelia groaned, receiving a stifled laugh from 10-year-old John and an embarrassed look from Ada. ‘’Look, I’ll take her with me, you lot get cleaned and washed up by the time your mothers’ home from work, Arthur, you’re in charge’’ Arthur Snr patted his eldest on the head, before pulling his youngest onto his hip and heading out the door.

Amelia was beloved in the Garrison. When everyone found out that Arthur and Elsie were expecting their fifth child, everyone had put bets on a boy. The Shelby family was ruled by boys and even Polly was sure that Ada was destined to be the only girl, and in a sad way, Polly as always, had been right. He was to be Paul Shelby, or Harry Shelby, Elsie had not decided yet, and she was constantly worried about how she would manage to keep her four wild boys in check.

But to her surprise, on that brisk morning on February 14th, a little baby girl arrived, a sister for Ada. With no name to match her beautiful features, it had been Ada that had the final decision. ‘’Call her Amelia, like the princess in my book, Amelia Rosanna Shelby’’ Ada had smiled proud, placing a kiss on the top of her sisters’ head.

‘’I’m going to take a piss, you stay here on this stool and don’t move, you hear me’’ Arthur Snr sighed, staggering away from his small daughter who was perched on the bar stool with her doll.

‘’Where the fuck has Mila gone?’’ Arthur Snr sighed, as he made his way back to the bar, Amelia was no longer on the stool. ‘’I’ve not seen her, Art’’ Graham, the bartender questioned, cleaning up the glasses. ‘’I bet you she’s gotten bored and run back home, these fucking kids Graham, they rule the fucking roost, the lot of them’’ Arthur Snr groaned, slamming his penny on the bar for another pint.

It was only 6 hours later, when Arthur Snr staggered home that the family realised the severity of the situation. ‘’Where’s Mila?’’ Elsie asked, tidying up a basket of toys from the days activities ‘’Its past her bedtime you know’’ she smiled, leaning back up to meet her husbands confused face.

‘’She came home, she ran back home, she was bored’’ Arthur Snr asked, his head pounding from the drink. ‘’No, she didn’t, she didn’t come back home’’ Elsie began to panic, her hands slowly starting to shake. ‘’She didn’t come home Arthur, she’s not here, when did you last see her?’’

Elsie cried, in a full-on panic attack. ‘’Six hours, I saw her six hours ago’’ Arthur too began to panic, receiving punches to the chest from his wife. ‘’You fucking bastard, if anything has happened to her, I’ll fucking kill you’’ Elsie screamed, wailing and waking up every neighbour on the street.

’Mum’’ Tommy cried, as the siblings gathered on the stairs.  ‘’Ada, John, back to bed. Tommy, Arthur, I need you to go round all the neighbours, knock on every door, Amelia is missing’’ Elsie cried, grabbing the phone and calling the police.

There was not any news. There were no tips or information from the police, neighbours claimed to know nothing and soon carried on with business as usual. The missing posters that had been stuck with love on the posts around Small Heath were starting to fade out and the impact on the family had been detrimental.

Arthur Snr was hardly ever home, and if he was, he was either drunk or high. He could not stand the angry and heartbroken looks from his family still after all this time, and he hated himself a lot more than they could ever hate him. Elsie had tried to carry on as best she could, with help from Polly, but with each day, month and year that went by was a bitter reminder that her little girl would never come home.

Arthur was angry all the time, punching the walls of his bedroom, the bathroom door, anything that would fall with the weight under him. Tommy threw himself into the business, essentially replacing his father so they could at least keep the roof above their head. John never spoke anymore unless spoken too, and his laughter no longer filled the back room of the house.

And Ada, the one with so much belief and faith. She told everyone about her sister, anyone that would listen. One day her sister would come home again, and all she had to do was wait, keep their room tidy, say her prayers and God would return her baby sister, she was sure of it.

‘’I can’t have this baby, Polly, I just can’t’’ Elsie sighed, her head in her hands. It felt like betrayal. Mila would be 11 by now, and in the 8 years that had passed since she had gone, Elsie had not once considered another baby. ‘’Trust me, babies bring joy, they can repair families, spread love’’ Polly had reassured Elsie, rubbing a hand on her back.

Finn had brought so much joy. The perfect baby boy was so sweet and gentle, with the trademark Shelby frosty blue eyes and dark hair but his parents were lost. Elsie was struggling to feed him most days and would hand him over to Polly, her depression seeping through her like a wave of knives, piercing at her very being. As much as Elsie adored Finn, she was so scared of someone taking him from her that she felt she would never be able to love him properly. Arthur Snr had only ever held him once in the six months he had been alive, not trusting himself with the youngest again.

It had been a cold winters night when Elsie was dragged from the canal. Her body soaked, her white dress clinging to her body and her dark black hair falling to her waist. Charlie had desperately tried to resuscitate her but it had been too late. Suicide was not painless, and Polly had known then that she had to step up and take care of the children in Elsie’s place, that’s what Elsie would have wanted.

14th November 1923

‘’She’s in the back room Mr Shelby, but before you go in there, you need to know, she hardly speaks’’ Moss informed, Tommy following him down a long hallway that seemed to go on forever. As Tommy stopped at the final door, he noticed a slight murmur in his hand.

There she was. The dark-haired young woman was sat with her face turned away from him, her figure long and slender. As she turned to look at the opening door, Tommy was taken aback as her frosty blue eyes met his. He would check her ankle of course he would, for Polly’s piece of mind more than anyone’s, but he would recognise her eyes anywhere; they were his mothers.

‘’Lucy, someone is here to see you’’ Moss asked gently, not wanting to disturb the young woman who had just slept for the first time in the three days since she’d been at the station. She looked up at Tommy with a confusing look on her face which caused Tommy to feel a slight pain in his chest. He was her brother, he was her kin, but right now he had to remember that they were strangers meeting for the first time. ‘’This is Tommy Shelby, if your letter is correct, he’s your brother’’ Moss answered before she had even asked, noting the look on her face.

‘’Lucy, I know you’re scared, and confused, and so am I, I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to talk to you, okay?’’ Tommy smiled, leaning down to her level and reaching his hand out to her which she refused to take. ‘’I haven’t read the letter yet, I don’t know what it says but, I’m your brother, we are family, and we stick together. I’d like you to come and stay with us, if you want too, so we can help you get better’’ Tommy sighed, feeling overwhelmed.

The young girl just nodded with a slight smile at him. As Moss prepared to take Tommy to his office, Tommy got a glimpse of the girl’s ankle as she hopped off the bed to get changed: the butterfly, the Romani princess, his baby sister.

‘’We were called to a domestic incident at 4am, three days ago. It was a house outside Birmingham, more Coventry side. By the time we reached the home, the woman was there on her own. She refused to say what had happened but we brought her in anyways, as she was covered in cuts and bruises, and had blood on her. She had a bag of belongings on her, and in there was a letter, addressed to ‘Elsie and Arthur Shelby’. It hadn’t been opened, but we decided it was in her best welfare to open it. She said her name was Lucy, aged 23 and her birthday is February 14th’’ Moss informed, Tommy not taking his eyes off the letter in Moss’s hands.

‘’What does the letter say, Moss?’’ Tommy asked, attempting to remain calm and not get angry. ‘’It’s a letter of regret, your sister was taken on that day in 1903 by a married couple, Jean and Graham Barton. They were childless, and had recently lost a stillborn son. Graham was a bartender at the Garrison at the time. He knew your father had trouble with alcohol, and he was convinced that they could give Lucy….Amelia, a better life. They moved to Coventry afterwards which is where she grew up, according to the letter she had a good life, Tom. Jean and Graham died in a car accident when she was 15, and after that she was sent to live with an uncle, Peter’’ Moss finished, being startled by Tommy smashing his fist down onto the table.

‘’She’s coming home, Pol, we’ll be home in half an hour. I’m just waiting for her to get her things. She was ten fucking miles away the whole time Pol, ten fucking miles and we never knew, that fucking bartender, the one from the Garrison, the one that helped us search fields and empty fucking barns, he had her the whole fucking time’’ Tommy shouted into the phone trying to remain calm for his sister but wanting to murder anyone that came into his path.

The young woman had been quiet the whole journey home, looking out the window but at the same time trying to pay attention to the information Tommy was giving her. Lucy tried to feel comfortable with Tom, but as much as she tried to squeeze her mind back to being younger, she couldn’t remember him completely. She couldn’t remember any of them, and the bruises on her head weren’t helping the situation either.

‘’Right, your sister is going to feel overwhelmed, she just found out about all of us, so try not to bombard her’’ Polly asked, as the siblings gathered excitedly round the table. ‘’What’s her name again?’’ Finn questioned, stealing a biscuit off the table. ‘’Mum called her Amelia, but her name’s Lucy, so for now we have to call her that, okay’’ Ada smiled, ruffling her brothers hair.

As the front door shut, the siblings sat up at the dining table as straight as ever. As Tommy entered the room first, everyone peeked round him to see the slender brunette behind. Tommy had been right all along, with her long black hair and beautiful eyes, she looked just like Elsie.

‘’Lucy, I’m your Aunt Polly, I help with the business here’’ Polly smiled, reaching out and hugging the young woman who froze in her grasp. ‘’I’m Ada, your sister, big sister’’ Ada joined the hug. Arthur and John just sat there in disbelief. Arthur’s eyes had begun to well up, as John shared a smile with Tommy that said it wouldn’t be easy but thank god she’s home.

‘’I’m Arthur, I’m the eldest, your eldest brother’’ Arthur asked to hug her and she half smiled, letting him close. Planting a kiss on the top of her head, Lucy looked towards the table at the other two. ‘’John, I’m another one of your brothers, John’’ John smiled, ruffling her hair receiving a stern look from Tommy. ‘’Sorry, you used to like that when, when you, I mean when we were little’’.

‘’and this, this is the baby of the family, this is Finn, he’s 11, 12 on Sunday’’ Ada smiled, as Finn got up and shook the young woman’s hand. ‘’Lucy, you’re probably tired, let me show you to your room’’ Tommy smiled, nodding to the rest of the family as she followed him up the stairs.

‘’Ada likes to think of herself a fashion designer these days, so she’s filled the wardrobe of clothes you might like’’ Tommy smiled, looking around the room he hadn’t let himself stand in for nearly fifteen years. Although now modernised, the room had always belonged to Amelia. ‘’If there’s something in there for you to wear, Ada said she’d take you down to Browns on the high street and find you some shoes to match later’’ Tommy asked, not knowing really too much about women’s business. ‘’I’d like that’’ the young woman smiled at Tommy as he left the room, the first time he heard her speak.

‘’When do you think they’ll be back’’ Polly had paced, walking up and down the betting shop. ‘’Pol, I know its easy to think of Amelia…Lucy as collateral, but she’s a grown woman and we don’t want to scare her away her first day’’ Tommy sighed, reaching a cigarette out his pocket.

‘’Where do you think them bruises came from Tom, what the fuck did they do to her, the girl doesn’t speak?’’ Polly sighed, sipping down her whiskey as quick as she could to contain her nerves. ‘’I don’t know, but I’m sure, she’ll tell us in time’’ Tommy tried to remain calm, the last thing he wanted to do would be to lose his rag and his sister again forever.

‘’She’s beautiful Tom, that’s why I’m not telling anyone else at the shop about her, they’ll be like fucking piranhas’’ Arthur sighed, dragging his cigar out his mouth. ‘’Yeah, well, if anyone touches my sister, I’ll fucking cut em’’ John smirked, receiving a look from Arthur in agreement.

The hammering at the door was like no other, it was so loud that it even made Tommy reach for his gun. ‘’I’ll go’’ Tommy whispered, going to the door and opening it quickly gun in hand. Expecting to see an enemy, a drunken better or someone up for a fight, Tommy was surprised to see a young woman standing there. ‘’Sorry, I’m here to see Lucy, is she here?’’ The young woman asked, a panicked look on her face.

‘’and what’s it to you?’’ Polly entered the room, her motherly instinct wanting to battle anyone that came near her niece. ‘’I’m her best friend, Kate, she left a message at my house, but I was out of town, I asked around and was told she was here’’ Kate pleaded, looking behind Tommy to see if she could spot her friend. ‘’You’re her family, her biological one, right?’’ Kate asked, a half smile appearing on her face. ‘’You better come in’’ Polly sighed, hushing the woman in and slamming the door behind her.

‘’Lucy doesn’t speak, she has only spoken one word since she arrived, you are going to tell us what happened to her, we’re her family, we need to know’’ Polly demanded, giving the young woman a look of warning. ‘’I don’t know if I should say…’’ Kate replied, looking at Tommy for reassurance. ‘’Kate, that girl is our sister, we love her, we’ve only just got her back, so whatever you know, please just fucking tell us’’ Tommy pleaded, rolling a cigarette between his lips.

‘’We grew up together, our houses were next door. We’d play out all the time out by the horses and the stream. Lucy was always a handful though, getting herself into trouble, fighting and staying out all hours, she used to drive Jean and Graham mad’’ Kate laughed, receiving a smile from the boys and Polly, even away from home, Amelia had been a true Romani princess, a Shelby. ‘’It was about a month before they died, Lucy had come home late and her and Graham were arguing, that’s when he said she was poisoned with gypsy blood, she didn’t know what he meant at the time, but it stuck with her, you know, days before their death he told her, he told her who she was’’ Kate took a sip of the tea Polly gave her ‘’then she went to live with Peter, her uncle, and I barely saw her for a few years, he was abusive, would lock her in his room, starve her, beat her, but she would always fight back, no matter what he did, she’d give as good as she got. Quite a few times, she’d tried to run away, to find her real family, but he’d stop her, change his ways, tell her he loved her, he was sick in the head, twisted, but she had nobody else in the world, I’d tried to call the police, but Lucy wouldn’t admit to any of it’’ Kate began to well-up, her hand squeezed by Polly for reassurance.

Tommy felt physically sick. His hands shaking at the thought of his baby sister, living that life with that monster, so close to his doorstep. ‘’Where the fuck is he now, what did Moss say Tom, I’ll fucking drown him in the cut without his eyes’’ Arthur screeched punching the wall.

They were interrupted by Ada and Amelia returning from their shopping. As the girls entered the doorway, it was a relief to see her smile as she entered with her new clothes. Tommy would ensure that she had everything she ever wanted because that’s what big brothers do. ‘’Lucy, oh thank god’’ Kate jumped up strangling her friend in a tight hug. Shell shocked, Amelia stood not moving at all.

‘’What are you doing here?’’ Amelia finally spoke, looking around at her family and then her friend. ‘’I told them, I’m sorry, I’ve told them what happened, I was worried about you’’ Kate pleaded, her friend pushing her away. ‘’You’ve told them everything?’’ Amelia asked, falling into a flood of tears that could’ve drowned the whole house.

‘’Mila, Mila’’ Tommy pulled her into his arms instinctively, forgetting completely about her new name. ‘’We’re your family, we love you, and nobody in this world is ever going to fucking hurt you again, do you understand that?’’ Tommy sighed, lifting her head to look at him. ‘’Under my protection, no fucker will ever hurt you again, that man that hurt you, we’re going to kill him, he will die for what he’s done, I promise’’ Tommy kissed the top of her head, his hands still shaking with anger.

‘’You can’t kill him, I already did’’ Amelia sighed, falling into her chair. ‘’I didn’t want you to think I was a monster, an evil person for killing him’’ she asked, looking up at her family. Polly laughed, almost causing everyone to turn in shock. ‘’Oh my girl, when you learn what this family do, who we are, you too, are going to laugh for asking that question’’ Polly smiled, placing her hand on her nieces head.

‘’Look at me, we could never hate you, we could never hate a hair on your head’’ Arthur cried, kneeling to face her. ‘’You’re a Shelby, we work together, tell us where the body is, and John and Arthur will move it, we’ll dump the bastard where he belongs and forget his name’’ Tommy sighed, lighting himself a cigarette feeling emotionally exhausted yet extremely proud of his sister.

‘’Then we start a new, all of us, you stay here and we keep you safe’’ Ada smiled, brushing her fingers through her sisters hair like she used too. ‘’What about the police, I managed to drag him to the back barn before the police arrived, they never looked there’’ Amelia asked, panic setting in again.

‘’The police are on my payroll, I’ll deal with them. How about you go up and get some rest, Polly will run you a bath and Ada here will drive your friend Kate home. Arthur and John will head to the house to clean up’’ Tommy ordered, everyone beginning to move.

The house had been quiet since everyone had dispersed and Tommy had been given the call to say that the body had been destroyed. It would take a lot of healing to get his sister back to her best but Tommy was sure that she would get there- she was a Shelby after all.

‘’Can I come in, Lucy?’’ Tommy knocked on Amelia’s door but didn’t want to intrude. Ada had long moved out and Tommy would have to get used to having a younger sister again. ‘’Of course, sure’’ Amelia replied, brushing through her hair at her vanity.

‘’I know it’s going to take a while, and you don’t remember much, but I thought tomorrow we could discuss some old memories at dinner’’ Tommy asked, perching himself on her bed and looking around her room. ‘’Finn, he doesn’t remember mum and dad much either, so thought we could talk about them’’.

‘’I’d like that, but I do remember some things you know’’ She smiled, turning to face her brother. She really was so beautiful, and Tommy knew he would be in for trouble when the men of Small Heath began noticing her. ‘’You’d never let me win at Whist would you’’ Amelia sighed, pulling a similar face to the one she had when she was three. Tommy smiled, a small laugh leaving his throat, ‘’No, I always said you had to learn, games have rules and all that’’. ‘’I remember mum, she’d sing to us while cooking, she’d sing in Romani and it was so beautiful’’ Amelia welled up, a smile on her face.

‘’Mum loved you so much, she loved all of us and she never forgave herself for losing you’’ Tommy sighed, not wanting to get in too deep with his sister. ‘’I promised her, if you ever came back, I’d take care of you and I mean It Lucy’’ Tommy sighed, picking up a new lipstick she’d bought on her vanity. ‘’Even if that means I spend a cashbox a month on new lipsticks’’ he laughed, setting it back down and heading for her door.

‘’Tom’’ she asked, as he turned to look at her, ‘’call me Amelia’’ she smiled. For the first time in twenty years, with a house full of his five wild siblings, perhaps even Tommy Shelby’s broken heart could be healed.

High Infidelity Masterlist

Joel Miller x f!Reader

Complete

Rating: Mature Explicit

Summary: When Tommy lands himself in prison, you and Joel fall into familiar, dangerous rhythms.

Tags: Tommy x Reader, Joel x Reader, Tommy's Wife Reader, infidelity, emotional affair, slow burn (as much as you can get for 5 chapters), Tommy goes to jail, Reader has had a child

Warnings: cheating, affair, smut/explicit content, fluff, the shitty judicial system, prison,

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

LMK if you'd like to be on the tag list!

Thanks to @saradika-graphics for the dividers!

Save Me, Save You Series Masterlist

Fandom: The Walking Dead (TV)

Pairing: Savior!Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Era: Saviors War (S7/8)

Series Warnings: canon-typical violence, character deaths (canon), guns, blood/injuries, explicit language, sexual content. (Individual chapters will have warnings as well)

Summary: When a dangerous new community attacks, life in Alexandria gets turned upside down. In an attempt to protect your people, you volunteer to meet the bizarre demands of the new community's eccentric leader, including becoming his wife. But along the way, you meet an old community legend, who has fallen down a dark path. Will you be able to save him, your people, and yourself, or will you be lost in the struggle?

A/N: This series follows the events of Seasons 7 and 8, but there are some adjustments in the timing of events for pacing purposes.

The Sacrifice

The Sanctuary

The Engagement Party

The Interrogation

The Promise

The Wedding

The Honeymoon

The Attack

The Graves

The Punishment

The Rescue (coming soon!)