The Unexpected Visit Masterlist

The Unexpected Visit Masterlist

Thomas Shelby X Filipina Reader

Summary: A modern Filipina woman had accidentally traveled through time and found herself in Birmingham, in 1999.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 (Coming soon)

The Unexpected Visit

Thomas Shelby X Reader

This is part 3! Make sure to read the first few parts

Sumarry: The Lee brothers raided the Betting shop, Thomas gets closer with the reader, but what more can he do if she herself admits not to love a man from this time?

Word count: 2327 words

"Wait, so what did you guys do at the races?" I asked, wanting to clarify with Arthur as we sat in the private room at the Garrison, where we were currently playing poker. John was the dealer, so he sat on the stool in front of us, while Thomas was seated between me and Arthur. I was on his right, with Arthur on his left.

"We've beaten the Lee's! Cut their bloody brains out, that's for sure!" he said, as if it were the most normal thing to do. They seemed to notice how tense I had become by my reaction, which made John cough a bit.

"Well, not really their brains... um, just, you know, enough to get business done," John explained, trying to lighten my mood a bit. I nodded, trying to dismiss it.

"Ah, yeah, sure. I mean, I guess," I said, looking at my cards. I didn't want them to think that I thought less of them because of this, so I felt the need to explain myself.

"Sorry, I guess I'm not used to all of this, you know? Am I making this worse? Uh, I don't—"

Feeling the three of them looking at me, I made myself small in my seat, hiding my face behind the cards as anxiety rushed through me.

"How did you live your life before, hm?" Thomas asked, finally speaking. Glad that I could explain why I tensed up.

"Well, I was pretty sheltered. The most I heard of beatings were drunkards in our neighborhood fighting at night, but that was it. There really weren't fights that led to really bad situations, unless it was in the movies." They all nodded, though I knew they didn't understand the last bits of what I just said, and that was it. We decided that was the end of that part of the conversation. After a round of poker, the tension from earlier died down and I chimed happily, putting the money on the table inside my coat pocket—my winnings.

"Guess I win, hm?" I giggled, earning a groan from Arthur. When the barmaid came, she took the empty bottles and asked us if we wanted more whiskey. I looked at the men, and Thomas just nodded, waving her off. Before she left, she looked at me, as if examining who I was. I couldn't blame her, though—I stuck out like a sore thumb when placed beside the Shelby brothers. It was evident I didn't look like I belonged here. That thought made me sad, just a bit though. I knew It was the truth and that I had to leave soon. Then suddenly, a thought came to my mind. Thomas went on a date to the races with a barmaid. If my intuition serves me right, then that must have been the barmaid in question.

"I'm guessing that was the woman you went out on a date with?" I said, looking at Thomas with a smile. She looked pretty and acted like one too. If she liked Thomas, then I can bet that after a while the feelings can be reciprocated.

"Drop it." Thomas grimaced as I just chuckled. John, however, smirked as he decided to join in the teasing.

"I'm afraid Tommy here has eyes for someone else, love. Ain't that right, mate?" That piqued my curiosity even more, nudging Thomas to make him look at me.

"Really? Is she pretty?" I asked. Arthur just nodded as he patted Thomas' back. Thomas kept a poker face, but I could tell he was pretty annoyed by the way his jaw was clenched. When he looked at me, he didn't look angry at me, though—at least he wasn't annoyed enough to glare at me.

"You're bloody right she is! Quite smart too!"

"But if Thomas likes her, why didn't he take her to the races instead? Wait, are you leading that barmaid on?" I frowned, waiting for Thomas to reply as I pointed an accusing finger at him. The thought of someone I considered a friend playing with a woman's feelings like that just didn't sit right with me.

"I told you. That was business." He sighed as he shook his head, he took my hand that was pointing a finger at him and placed it down. Deciding to just believe him, I finally dropped the topic. John then asked me.

"How about you? Has someone caught your eye?" I looked over at John, feeling that the focus was on me once again. I nodded, smiling a bit, unaware that both brothers were checking Thomas for any kind of reaction.

"Well, of course!" I answered, that caused Arthur to smile, raising his glass to take a drink.

"Who is it, then?" John asked again, another smirk playing on his lips. I guess everyone was suddenly curious about my love life.

"Yer not gonna tell me he's in this room, aye?" Arthur asked, leaning closer to the table to look at me. I chuckled nervously, shaking my hands in the air.

"Oh, no. You guys are great, but..."

"But what?" Thomas asked and I explained that the man I liked wasn't from here, that he was from back in my time. And that hes a gentleman who kept to himself, that I started to like him because of how passionate he was with his work, how I liked that he was funny and was always there for me.

"Well also, I can't really like someone from here, you know? I'll eventually leave. I can't just stay for love, right? I really miss my old life. You lot understand, right? I'll break that poor man's heart."

I said all of that while looking at Thomas for any form of understanding. He didn't reply; he just leaned back and nodded. After that, he didn't look at me anymore, drinking his glass of whiskey as he fished out some cigarettes.

"Another round, eh?"

///

Thomas didn't talk to me much after that day. Whenever I approached him, he would still have time to talk, but not like before. He'd make an excuse that he was busy, that there were things he needed to do, to brush me off. Understanding his situation, I just let him be.

Around midday, Scudboat and I were left inside the betting shop, counting money as the Shelby family decided to have a family meeting at the Garrison.

"Do you think John will be back soon? Thomas did say he'd be back in five minutes," I asked Scudboat, to which he just shrugged. When we heard a noise, Scudboat was the first to call out.

"John?" When no one answered, I was the one who asked next.

"John, are you there?" When the doors to the betting shop opened, however, it wasn't John but a group of men with guns pointed right at us.

"This is for Cheltenham! We're just taking what's ours!" the man said. Before I could even react, they smacked my head with a rifle, just like they did with Scudboat.

Everything was a haze as I fell to the ground. All I heard were the footsteps of men, rummaging through drawers, shouting. My head hurt, and I felt some of them step on my hand, kicking my body whenever i got in their way.

Mama asan ka mama? Kuya? Kuya, you'll protect me, right?

When I woke up, I heard Arthur's voice as someone placed me somewhere comfortable— it was John.

"You alright, love?" He asked, my mind still being a little foggy from earlier events. Hearing his voice, I tried to give him a small smile and a nod, to reassure him.

"Bloody hell! What happened here?" Polly said. I groaned. When I tried to look over at them, my vision blurred a bit. The betting shop, the house, everything was thrashed.

"Polly...? Men. M-men came, I don't know how..." I tried to explain to them what I knew. Polly sat beside me while Scudboat explained for me. That was when Arthur came back up, holding wire cutters.

"Wire cutters? Why would they leave wire cutters?" Polly asked. The boys seemed to tense up as Thomas asked Scudboat to leave. He went on to explain how they would set traps for the Germans back in the war and place wire cutters as part of the joke. Polly began to panic, walking over to the kitchen as I pulled my knees close to my chest, an act of self-preservation.

"It's not here, alright? It's not here..." Thomas said, sitting next to me on the couch. I looked at him, tears threatening to fall down my eyes. I had never been in a situation like this. Everything was so overwhelming, my body felt so heavy, as if I was Atlas carrying the world.

"They pointed a gun at me... even stepped on and kicked me like an object..." I mumbled before burying my face in my knees. I don't want to feel like that again.

"Oh, love..." Polly said as I heard her walk towards me.

"Oh, I'd like to find them, Tom. Oh, that id do. That id bloody do." Arthur said, balling his fist as he saw my state. I felt weak. I couldn't protect myself. I didn't know how.

"I want to go home."

"I know, (Y/N). I know."

///

Thomas didn't know what to say to her. He was seething with rage, but she came first. She would always be first. He grabbed a clean cloth and saturated it with alcohol. The family saw what was happening and understood that Thomas wanted to take care of her alone, so they knew better than to interrupt. Before they left, Thomas asked John and Arthur to inspect the family car, using the word "tampered" so as not to frighten (Y/N) even more.

"Hey, look at me, aye? Come on, up you go. Up," he demanded, gently cupping her face. When that was done, he began to clean the wound on her head. Whenever she winced, he would make sure to try and be gentle. He didn't know how, he just tried. As he cleaned off her wounds, their eyes met.

"It hurts," she mumbled, flinching as Thomas accidentally applied too much pressure to the wound. In that moment, she instinctively grasped his hand, attempting to stop his actions even for a small amount of time. Then and there, he stopped. This was all new territory to him. Back at war, when he would clean the wounds of his comrades, pain be damned if they got to live. But she... she gets hurt, so he needs to try harder, be slower, gentler—anything that would spare her from inflicting pain, pain that he had caused.

"Sorry," he replied. Thomas tried his best to help her, disinfecting the wound slowly as his free hand cupped her face. He was apologizing for everything. Guilt seeped into his bones. If it weren't for him picking a fight with the Lee brothers, she wouldn't be hurt. Maybe if he took her with him and Polly to the Garrison, then...

"It's not your fault," she said, interrupting his thoughts. He didn't answer. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't agree. He felt shame.

"Thomas, it's not your fault. I can see it in your eyes." This time, it was her turn to cup his face. She cradled it like it was something precious, like he was something precious. (Y/N) smiled, a comforting smile as one of her thumbs caressed his cheek. He found himself leaning into it.

"I know you feel guilty. Yes, I could blame you, but why should I when you're here as gentle as a lamb with me? So smile, yeah? Even just a bit?"

How can she do that, he wondered. How can she easily wander her way inside his heart? It was so easy for her. Everything seemed so easy with her. Thomas let out a smile, nodding to her.

"There you go."

"Your hands are soft," he said, changing the subject. She only chuckled, putting her hands back in her lap as he sat next to her on the couch. They both decided to take a break from cleaning her wounds.

"Yours aren't," (Y/N) said, taking his hand in hers, feeling the calluses and roughness of it. After a while, she continued, their hands now interlinked. "And I think it's nice."

"How is that nice, aye?" he scoffed. These very hands had killed thousands.

"It's nice because it tells me who you are. A hardworking man who has clearly seen and been through shit. Me, on the other hand, I actually have very soft hands because I never did hard labor," she said, her face flushed in embarrassment, which he secretly found endearing.

"I actually found it rather embarrassing when I got here. When I was young, my relatives would feel my hands and say, 'Dika tumutulong sa bahay, noh?' Or 'Tamad ka siguro.'"

"What did that mean?"

"The first one means 'Youre not helping with household chores, are you?' The second one meant 'I bet you're lazy.'"

She chuckled, shaking her head. After a bit more moments of comforting silence, Thomas decided to finish cleaning her wound. When that was done, he helped her go upstairs to his room.

"Hey, Thomas?" (Y/N) asked as he sat her on the bed. He only hummed to let her know that he was listening.

"Why were you avoiding me before? Like, after our little poker game at the Garisson. Was it because I kept winning?" She asked, playing with her blouse. Trying to suppress a smile, he licked his bottom lip, hands on his jaw as he shook his head.

"That was a provision— once you leave."

"Mhm? What? Why?"

"To get used to feeling like yer not here, eh. Now none of this, aye? I'll ask Pol to help you change." That was all that was said before he left.

@optimisticsandwichgladiator

Secrets and Broken Hearts

-----------------------------

Chapter 4

Thomas Shelby x (Writer) Reader

"I am a woman in love, I wear my heart on my sleeve and smile with not a single thought. I am a woman in love, happily content to where I shall be and where I shall go, as long as I am with him."

Authors Note: I made this story with not much thought, but I wanted to portray the reader and Tommy living their separate lives to have you, readers, have a gist on what its like, to make the character, Ms. Bennett feels real. I don't really know if that makes sense or if I'm doing it correctly, but please enjoy :)))

Two days and six hours, it's been exactly two days and six hours since I've started this investigation that I burdened myself with. All I've been getting are bits of information from the men and women. Women loved to gossip, so much so that they became one of the sources of said information. These missing wives, they had nothing in common with one another. They were just normal working women before they got married and settled down. What would society even do with them? I feel like a jester, juggling my social life together with this secret double life. I never really got used to such taxing activities mentally. This whole investigation, could it be some murderer? Human Traffickers? Surely, this culprit had a motive, a reason, something these women had that they wanted, something these women can give, choice or not.

"Why does everyone call you by your last name?" Andrew suddenly asked, which made me look over at the small child playing by the racks of clothes in William's shop.

Tilting my head, I seem to not know the reason behind it either. Andrew is the son of the man I visited to get close to have more information about the missing wives rather than relying on gossip alone. The child himself was quite entertaining to be around. He spoke so freely about his mother, telling stories of how loving the woman can be.

"Well, if you want, you can call me by my first name," I said with a smile. Walking over to crouch down to his eye level, I gave him a pat on the head, which earned me a smile in return

"Isn't this a sight, hm?" I heard the familiar voice of William from behind. He was at the back with Catherine earlier, presumably sorting out fabrics and dresses.

"C'mon, I've only offered to let this little guy stay here while his father worked, for the assurance that nothing will happen," I said softly though assuming from their reactions, it wasnt taken quite kindly. The statement itself was considered a lie. I lied. Lying straight to the face of the man I love, like how I would every day to everyone, including this child.

"So you don't want me here... Ms. (Y/N)?" Andrew asked me, his face looked sad, eyes like melting glaciers about to fall.

"Of course not, I just meant that I couldn't risk you being alone without your father, even though -"

"So you care for me.. right?" The little child said, hopeful, which made me think, how can he care about my feelings towards him in such a small amount of time we've been together? Children truly are innocent, things to be kept safe from the world we live in. Furthermore, care. To care is to help, a genuine action done out of the kindness of one's own heart. I do that, correct? I think for a moment, my actions, words, and emotions all contradict one another. Both men in the room seemed to take notice of my silence, which in turn made me aware. Aware that they can never know these thoughts, to Bury it, to hide. Breaking from my thoughts, I smiled at the child.

"Of course I do, but later your father will pick you up, I'll have William stay with you since I need to go for a bit, yeah?" Standing back up, I walked over to William. He then wrapped his arms around my waist, leaning against him while I looked back at Andrew. Understandingly, the child nodded, which made me smile.

"Eh? Where will my heart go? Guess she'll leave me alone once again..." William joked, kissing me on the cheek, which made me chuckle.

Seeing the display of affection, the child grimaced and then ran off to play somewhere else, which made me and William laugh.

"I promised you a date. Therefore, you must let me go for a while to prepare," I giggled. Going to dates on Friday was kind of like our tradition, a simple act to show love and to feel it radiate from each other. Feeling his lips on mine for a brief moment, I smiled.

"Alright, I'll pick you up at our place," William smiled. He's always such a loving man, doing more than beyond.

"See you later, love," I said, parting with a kiss before I headed out. Love was something I wasn't familiar with, which sometimes led me to be confused on how to act around William, though lucky enough that he guided me through it.

Walking down the street, I'm greeted with familiar faces. Some I can't remember the names. The smoke filled air, and the mud on my shoes did little to dampen my mood. Suddenly, people started to run about, screaming and shouting.

Confused, I slowed my footsteps. There, on a shop, a lifeless man was dead with Danny holding a bloody knife. My eyes widened, I tried to move, but nothing came out, I held my breath, and though I investigated crimes like this, I never saw a man dead right in front of me. From this day, I'm sure I'll never get used to this.

Someone passes by me, but it can be considered more like shoved. It was Thomas Shelby. He went over, took the knife from the man's hand, and calmed him down. The scene deescalated just as quickly as it happened. Once Thomas got Danny to go away, coming with some surge of confidence, I began to walk towards him with his hack turned to me.

"Mr. Shelby..?" I said softly as to not startle the man, whipping his head back, he looked at me without uttering a word, he simply raised a brow which I took as a cue to keep going.

"What will happen to Danny now..? He just -" stopping myself to look at the dead body in front of us, he followed my gaze and just shook his head. Taking a cigarette, he lit one up and placed it on his mouth, blowing the smoke in the corpses' direction. "Mr. Shelby, I worry for him and his family.."

"Don't stick your nose into others' business, saves you the trouble, eh?" He said, as he was about to walk past me. He took my hand and gave me a few quids, which caused me confusion. Was this for my silence? Though that seems rather odd since a quarter of the town already saw what happened, or was it so I'd stop with being so nosy?

"For the bread."

"Bread? What bread?" I asked, my brows furrowed as I looked up at the man. The more he acted, the more he perplexed me. Seeing his face, he tilted his head as if he should be confused

"You dont remember, again?" I shook my head, remembering what he gave me moments ago, i tried to have him take the money back, but he refused, saying he already gave them, so it'll be no use. In the end, he walked away and left me be, confused, I placed the coins inside my coat pocket before walking home. What did i forget again? No matter what I have other things to do at the moment, I need to get the memory of the dead body out my head.

After preparing for my date, at eight o'clock sharp there was a knock on the door, I smiled and opened it. William appeared with a bouquet and fresh smile, I'm taken back to memories when he was still courting me.

"Flowers for the beautiful lady?" He asked, which I gladly took. Holding up his hand, I held them. I locked the door, and we began to walk towards the pathway to a small restaurant.

"Thank you for this, for everything, Will," I said while we kept walking hand in hand.

"Then I should thank you too"

"For what?"

"For letting me love you"

"Then, you're welcome."

With that, we spent the rest of the day together, I told him about what happened earlier, and he's told me of stories he heard and so on. Everything feels nice. It feels like home as we both made it out to be.

...

That night, Ms. Bennett was content with her lover. Everything played out perfectly. She lived a good life and was happily in love. Maybe fate can say the same for the man she bumped into earlier as he's inside the Garrison, enthralled by the singing Barmaid before him. Surely both Ms. Bennett and Mr. Shelby will live their lives with love found in someone else's eyes.

Secrets and Broken Hearts

-----------------------------

Chapter 3

Thomas Shelby x (Writer) Reader

Ms. Bennett is a peculiar woman whose motives are always unclear, though, of course, she alone has grace this knowledge upon herself and none of anyone she knows. What happens when an inspector and his spy come to town? Shall she make due and quench her curiosity or finally learn to back down? Who knows, maybe at the end, she'll compromise. A conflicted woman will always be a surprise. You can trust that. It's Ms. Bennett afterall

Ms. Bennet's P.O.V.

...

"This is pointless as it is stupid." I mumbled to myself. Tossing and turning on my shared bed with William. If a national treasure really did get stolen, what treasure would it be?

Minerals? Gold? Jewellery? Some ornaments from the royal family? Placing my arm to cover my face, I groaned in frustration. Surely, these factors I laid out won't be considered. After all, all these can easily be replaced or would have no effect to be a threat to this very constitution. Treasure.

"What's a treasure besides Gold that once in the hands of others you would crumble..." I thought deeply, a world run by men surely limited me to a few other factors.

"My guess is, it's either illegal documents, ledger, guns, some proof blackmailing Churchill himself." Talking to myself aloud, I rolled on my stomach. My face buried in the pillows as I screamed internally.

"Thomas Shelby and Freddie Thorne, one of them might know a thing or two." As if hit with adrenaline, something clicked in my brain, I sat up and thought more clearly.

"Freddie either did or did not know what the national treasure is, nor who stole it. If he knew, he wouldn't have said those words to Thomas... but if he did, was it to catch Thomas with a bluff? What does bluffing get him? Anyway, he knew even if Thomas knew something, he wouldn't tell Freddie... meaning that rules out the second probability"

My thoughts turned to Thomas earlier, I decided that he would be the one I would use as lead.

"How in the world am I to get close to a mobster?" Without realising it, I started to bite my lip while my nails made their way to claw on my thigh. Once I tasted blood, I stopped and lied back down.

The Shelby's were people I was acquainted with, much like half the people in Small Heath. Jon Shelby and I were classmates. He and his brothers would cause mischief here and there before. I then remembered the time they would encourage cigarettes and alcohol to the students in school. That made me laugh, I remember Jon giving me a handful, which caused Arthur to smack him in the head, saying , "Oi! Yer only supposed to give em one of each! Then, after the second time, you rip their money off! It's what Tommy said!" Turns out it was a money laundering little scheme which got me a bit close to the two Shelby brothers. After that, they treated me nicely, Thomas, on the other hand... well, he was just there. Nothing more, nothing less. At least I can speak a bit freely than others would.

"Maybe I can use this closeness with Jon and Arthur to get close to Thomas..."

Looking up at the ceiling, I blinked a few times. If only I knew no bounds, then maybe, maybe I wouldn't want to stick my nose up in other peoples business.

"Morris Dawn"

My penname, a reminder of my other life. I had to write about something soon. If I were to investigate and yet not publish this, what good does it make? I'm risking my life and earning nothing. Must I be damned to be a curious writer by heart? I cursed myself under my breath.

Looking over my side, I see that night has already come. William isn't home yet.

"Make up your mind. You're wasting time." I groaned, talking to myself once more. Standing up, I walked towards the vanity, formulating every plan for every possible outcome already.

By the time William came home, I lay in bed, asleep. Brain fried. Odds and probabilities everywhere.

"Oh, love..." William chuckled, undressing himself down to only his trousers before making his way to bed and underneath the covers.

When I woke up, I was alone in bed. A note to my right that read:

"I had to go to the shop early today, made breakfast for you. Just the way you like it"

-William

I smiled at the note before making my way to freshen up and get ready for the day. Later that morning, I went and ran errands. Going to my usual go-to bakery, i smiled at the familiar woman handling the register.

"Oh, Ms. Bennett! What a lovely surprise"

"Hello, Mrs. Fer. How are you?"

I asked, as then she answered me. We go about our conversation as I picked out some bread and pastries from the older woman.

"Oh? By the way, Ms. Bennett"

"Mhm? What is it? Anything wrong? Maybe I can help, " I said kindly, the bag of food around my arm.

"I heard there's an inspector in town. He came last night... Best be careful, Ms. Bennett. My husband told me to stay quiet about this, but I just worry for you. Thought I ought to let you know that you're like the daughter we never had after all..."

My heart swelled with love for the older woman, reaching out to squeeze her hand to comfort her, I decided to ask more for purposes, of course.

"But Mrs. Fer, what about the inspector? Surely he wouldn't harm innocent people here, right?" The older woman only shook her head and sighed.

"My dear, you're far too nice for this town. Why not move away to somewhere safer with your lover? Get married, have a peaceful life -"

"And leave you behind? I'd rather not Mrs. Fer, I've come to love the people in this town enough to stay." I interrupted her, which made her frown deepen. I only shook my head and gave a soft smile. It was the truth, after all.

"The inspector called for a meeting, all the policemen and some new lackeys. Told my husband and the others that he would be cleaning this town up. Dear, a man like that -" She stopped herself and cupped both of my cheeks before continuing, "a man like that will stop at nothing, so it's best to keep safe, aye?"

I nodded as she released her hands from my face. Bidding goodbye, I walked out of the bakery with my freshly baked goods and onto my next errand. Mrs. Fer, an old lady married to a policeman sure does have its perks, added points that she's quite fond of me as I with her.

Though I did feel guilty using these people, masking and hiding beyond a facade of a sweet young lady. I stopped in my tracks before shaking my head, trying to get physically rid of these thoughts.

"Remember, if what you're doing is for their good... a little harm here and there wouldn't hurt, besides... it isn't like they know any of it"

The day went by smoothly, and I finally had something to work with. From the bakery I found out of the inspector, from the butcher I heard some men talking about what they knew of the said inspector whilst the women talked about someone trying to find the identity of the mysterious Author, Morris Dawn which in turn made me gulped, I had to be careful. lastly, from William's shop, I found out how there had been people, mostly wives gone missing. Feeling lucky, I put the things I bought inside the flat, there had been new things to investigate, so many things to know, getting a few breads I bought before putting them inside a basket. I decided to go to the Garisson, to at least visit Harry, I forgot that I hadn't had the chance to pay for my drink last time, hence the bread.

Walking down the familiar path down Watery Lane, I think of the words to say when suddenly, someone harshly bumped into me. My focus on the bread as I tried to save them, but alas, only one was left safe.

"There goes my luck then... shouldn't have spoken too soon..."

"You're luck, eh?" A familiar gruff voice said, whipping my head from the bread on the ground towards the person. My eyes locked into those blue crystallike eyes of him.

"Yes, my luck. Mr. Shelby. This was for Harry, I ought to give him an apology for not being able to pay for my drink-" realising I was giving out too much of my thoughts to a man who wo t even care, I shut my mouth, blinking a few times, what am I doing.

After an awkward silence, I stepped out of his way, noticing the alchohol bottle he was holding, knowing better than to ask him to pay for the soiled bread. Going inside the pub without another word, I walked to the bar. To my surprise, a young, beautiful, blonde woman came into view, working at the bar, pouring drinks instead of Harry.

"Oh- hello, you are -?" I asked kindly, though it was overshadowed by my surprise and confusion.

"Grace, Grace Burgees. I'm the new Barmaid," She explained, an Irish accent to her. I nodded and smiled.

"Do you know where Harry is? I ought to give him some bread..."

Just in time, Harry came I to view, to my relief. I explained to him why i only had one loaf of bread rather than more. Nonetheless, he accepted it with gratitude. When I gave him money for the drink, though, that was the time he refused. I shook my head and accepted defeat, still talking to Harry as Grace was on the side.

"I'm really sorry to give you a half-hearted apology, Harry. If only I'd look in the way Mr. Shelby -" I was cut off by Harry reassuring me once more that it was fine. After a bit, Grace looked at me, I gave her my name, which she responded with a smile. We talked for a bit, she told me which town she lived in back in Ireland, how life was like there while I told her how I lived my life here in Birmingham, saying words enough to satisfy her curiosity but not enough to give anything away.

"I better get going then. Next time I visit, I'll bring you some bread too!" I said, smiling at her before leaving the bar. She smiled and waved me goodbye.

A woman from the same town as the inspector, someone who came to Small Heath the same time the inspector did. It didn't take much to put two and two together, though that just means they'd do the job for me, correct?

"Maybe I don't have to investigate anything after all..."

Putting this 'treasure' to the side, I went to go look for any leads, common things between these missing wives. If I moved too slowly, either this incompetent policemen would forget about this or have more people killed than needed.

Putting myself with the burden of such heroic secrecy, I walked down Watery Lane. Knocking on the door of one of the husbands of a missing wife.

"Ms. Bennett?" The man asked, surprise he knew who I was.

"Oh- you know who I am?" The man only gave what little smile he could before explaining himself.

"There aren't many people helping around for the good besides that, Pastor." He said, shaking his head.

After a bit of small talk he led me inside, I told him that I wanted to help babysit for their son whilst the coppers try and find his wife since it was well known how he wasn't doing well takinh care of the little critter, that was a mere alibi of course. Though it felt nice to help, my motives were clear to me as the night sky. I am no saint, a mere sham. A lie and a lie I will always become. If a false Saint will be able to keep everyone I could help safe, I'd gladly be one.

the extended version is literally gonna put me in the hospital omg

Please continue Secrets and Broken Hearts :3

Alright! :DDD I'm still trying to find some ideas, but I'll finish the draft as soon as possible! Thank you for reading!!