Chapter Text
The smell of whiskey and smoke circled the Shelby’s as they sat in the Garrison lounge. The sound of conversation outside the closed door was a constant hum. Tommy had called a family meeting, to which all of the Shelby’s were in attendance, barring Ada. Polly sat with her purse in her lap, her drink in front of her untouched. Arthur sat in the corner, his drink already half empty. John leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his toothpick between his teeth. His jaw was tense and he glared at the floor. Tommy sat in the middle, his blue eyes serious.
Tommy flicked his cigarette case open, and lightly rubbed his cigarette against his lips, before lighting it. He took a drag of it, then cleared his throat.
“I have called everyone here today because we have some business to attend to. We have to discuss Ada.” Tommy stopped for a minute, glancing at Polly who gave him a quick nod. “As you all know, Freddie Thorn has proposed and Ada said yes.”
John muttered something under his breath, which Tommy ignored.
“We all have our own issues with Freddie. But Ada has made her choice, and we must accept it. She will be getting married on Sunday, and I expect everyone to be there.” Tommy stopped for a minute, glancing at John whose eyes were locked on the floor before continuing. “She will be getting married in the church then will be heading to the Garr-”
“Why the hell are we allowing this?” John interrupted, spoken quick like he could no longer contain the words in his head. Tommy's eyes shifted towards John. His hands were balled into fists at his side.
“Because, John, Ada said yes. We have all told Ada our issues about Freddie, and she is still going through with this wedding–”
“Just because he’s your fucking war buddy doesn’t make him right for Ada,” John snapped. He lifted his hand, pointing his finger at Tommy. “If he were anyone else, you would have cut him.”
Tommy thought back to the theater when Ada had said something similar.
“Go on, Tommy. Cut him . Your best friend since you were children. Fucking cut him, Tommy.”
Tommy pushed the thought away. “We have a simple choice, we either accept Ada and Freddie, or we cut Ada out.” Tommy took another drag of his cigarette, watching John. Beside him, Tommy felt Polly tense. She shot a look at Tommy that he didn’t return.
“Tommy,” Polly said, voice harsh and angry to hide the concern underneath. “Ada fucking loves him Tommy. I’ve seen the way she looks at him. Do not try to make her choose.”
Tommy ignored her, eyes staying solidly on John. If Tommy told him what to do, he would never accept what Ada had decided. John had to decide himself. “So John, what will it be? Do we cut Ada out?”
Even Arthur had stopped drumming his fingers on the table. No matter how tense the air got, Tommy wouldn’t break it. He needed John to answer.
John shifted uncomfortably under Tommy’s hard gaze. Though he knew there was no other alternative than what he offered, Tommy almost hoped John saw an option where no one - especially Ada - was hurt, but that she and Freddie would go their own separate ways.
The life of a Peaky Blinder or anyone associated with the business was dangerous, but Freddie’s was a different kind of danger. The pointless kind. There was no success in Freddie’s future. There was no reality where his idealistic goals came to fruition. He would only attract trouble from all sources and drag Ada along with him. But Tommy had come to the conclusion that it was either accept that Freddie was with Ada and try to protect her by staying close, or cut ties entirely and hope she saw reality.
But Tommy had known Ada her whole life. She was never going to give up on Freddie, especially if Tommy asked her to. She was more rebellious and cared so much about autonomy that there was no chance of her ever listening to the advice of any Shelby.
That didn’t stop Tommy from feeling somewhat disappointed when John’s jaw tightened, before looking away and shaking his head.
Tommy nodded, keeping his face blank, and continued.
“This is Ada’s day. I expect everyone in the room to act like it.” Tommy pointedly looked at John, but the words were just as much directed at himself.
“He isn’t one of us. Y’know that Tom,” Arthur said.
“I know that Arthur, but he doesn’t have to be.” A headache was building behind Tommy’s eyes. “Ada is one of us and she has decided to go through with marrying him.” Tommy took another slow drag of his cigarette. This family would be the fucking death of him.
But at least he knew Freddie. Knew him well. Despite their differences, Freddie was a good man. Tommy had always been able to trust him. In the war, they had stayed side-by-side. Tommy wouldn’t have made it home had it not been for Freddie Thorne. However, Tommy hadn’t known at the time that he would pay for the favor by seeing his little sister’s last name change to fucking Thorne. The bullet would have been better than this.
Tommy exhaled a cloud of smoke.
Polly huffed from her corner, before reaching forward and taking a sip of her drink. “I agree with Tommy.”
Not for the same reasons. She actually wanted Freddie and Ada to succeed.
Tommy knew because she had told him as much. She had fucking cornered him as soon as he called the meeting. Though she acted as if she were listening to Tommy’s arguments as much as the others, she already knew them all. And she was the one who told him that if they turned away Freddie, Ada would go with him.
But now she spoke up, agreeing with Tommy, knowing that they were on opposite sides. She was a romantic. An absolute hopeless romantic. It clouded her usually sound judgment.
John’s face turned bitter. Tommy watched as John glanced at Arthur for backup, before his face fell. Arthur’s face was serious, and judging from the look he gave John, he was about to say something that John was going to disagree with.
“There’s nothing we can do, John-Boy. We might as well get it over with. I’m with Tommy.” Arthur rubbed a hand along his jaw, avoiding John’s scowl.
Tommy nodded, then turned back to John. “If you are not going to be able to keep yourself under control then you shouldn’t go.”
It was going to be a complicated event already. Tommy didn’t need to add breaking up fights to his list of things to balance during the wedding. But, if he knew John at all, he knew that John would not accept the offer.
Predictably, John’s face wrinkled in offence.
“I’m not going to be left at home,” John said, reaching for his drink and downing it in one go.
Tommy nodded. “Then it’s decided. We will all be there for Ada on Sunday.”