#LOOK AT THEMMMMMMMM I CANNOT

[thefrsers]

This is our history. And what an amazing history it has been, with you. And you, darling. Couldn't have picked a better person to go through time with.

Sam Heughan & Caitriona Balfe | Outlander | BTS: The Final Season

[mischievouslittlecreature]

@runnning-outof-time Oh my god, just look at themmmmmmmm

I know it wasn't really a date, but goddamn did it feel like one! The flowers, the wine, the light banter....they're so perfect for one another. And Celia's little dance when Tommy told her he liked her stew was the cutest thing!

Sophia is a wonderful friend, and I'm so glad you've given Celia other women to spend time with! She's clearly such a sweet and friendly soul, so it makes sense for her to have quite a few friends. Her scolding John had me cackling.

Celia has some of the more relatable reactions! I also would be nervous to go into a room I'd heard Tommy shouting in. It was sweet how he immediately seemed to soften when he saw it was her, though!

I cannot wait to hear what the letter had in it!

To Be Alone | Tommy Shelby x OC | Chapter 10

Masterlist

Next Chapter

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x OC

Summary: Celia invites Tommy over to her new home as a thank you. There, he meets one of her family members. Celia then has a run-in with another Shelby at the hospital. Later, she goes to the betting shop in order to get to the bottom of a mysterious letter that showed up at her house with Tommy’s name on it.

Warnings: language, smoking, drinking

Word Count: 3592

A/N: I’m SO happy that you’re enjoying the development of Tommy and Celia’s relationship as much as I enjoy writing it! As always, feedback is appreciated! :)

Let me know if you want to be tagged!

———

"Hello, Ms. Gray. Are you here for those pieces that you requested to be adjusted?" Celia greeted one of her favorite customers right after she walked through the door.

"Yes, I am," Polly nodded her head and off Celia went. She retrieved the few things that were needed before meeting the older woman back at the counter. "How is that apartment treating you, Celia?" she questioned then, bills ready in hand as Celia tallied the total on the register.

"Oh, it's lovely, Polly. I feel so much happier when I am there," Celia beamed, becoming instantly happier just thinking of her place that she had worked to turn into a home in just the two short weeks since she had been living there.

"I am happy to hear that," Polly smiled knowingly, handing over the bills before she gathered the items in her hands.

"Wait, Polly, can I ask you something?" Celia stopped her then, not even noticing that she called her by her first name until after it was out. Polly didn't seem to mind though.

"And what's that?" she questioned, an intrigued look in her eyes.

"Could you possibly ask Tommy to stop by later this afternoon? Around four, when I get off of work," she asked hesitantly hoping she'd be able to relay the favor.

Polly's mouth parted into a slight 'o' shape. "Why would you want Thomas at your place? Is something wrong with it?" she questioned, her words relaying one message while her eyes and features thought up another.

"I just wanted to have him by for dinner. To formally thank him for practically giving me the apartment," she explained herself, her cheeks heating up slightly.

"I'll relay the message," Polly nodded her head firmly then, "can't guarantee he'll follow through. Boy's always got business on his mind."

"Thank you, Polly," Celia smiled at her, feeling slightly relieved that she agreed to do what she asked.

"Fair well, Celia," Polly smiled once more before she left the shop.

——

Things were going well. Celia had the fire lit, the windows opened, and the vase of flowers sitting on proud display in the center of the table. She was humming to herself as she worked on the stew she planned on making, hoping that Tommy would be alright with something simple. Her heart just about stopped when she heard a knock on the door. Was that him? Already?

"Ma?" she sounded confused when she pulled the door aside to reveal her mother, standing with a basket in her hands.

"Hello, dear!" Eliza greeted warmly as she stepped in once Celia made enough room for her to enter.

"What're you doing here, Ma?" Celia questioned. It's not that she didn't want to see her mother, it's that she didn't want to see her mother right now.

"What, I can't come to my daughter's home?" she questioned incredulously, a teasing glint in her eyes. "I've even brought you a housewarming basket. It's got some loaves of bread in it from the local baker's as well as some hand towels I've sewn myself," she remarked proudly then.

"That's lovely, mom, thank you, and it's not that it's just..." Celia sighed, feeling rather embarrassed to be in this position. Why should she be though? This was her house. She makes the rules here. So why did she feel like a teenager who got caught sneaking a boy into her parents house? "Well I've got someone coming over. I was expecting them soon," she told her mother then.

"Oh? Is William coming? I'd love to see him again," Eliza smiled at the thought of seeing the boy who made her daughter happy.

"He's not who I'm expecting. It's actually, erm..." two sharp knocks on the door stopped Celia before she was able to reveal who was coming, because that person had decided to now reveal themselves. "I think that's actually them," she stated, placing the spoon she was using down on the counter beside the stove before she moved towards the door to open it. It was no surprise to her when she opened the door to see Tommy Shelby there in a fine suit with a bottle of red wine in his hand. Her mother, on the other hand, was completely shocked, her mouth open in the shape of an 'o'. "Hi, Tommy," Celia smiled, stepping aside for him to enter the apartment, which he did, taking his peaked cap off when he stepped across the threshold...the peaked cap that had razor blades sewn into it. Oh this wasn't a good idea.

"Hello, Celia. I've brought this as a housewarming present since you've so graciously invited me to dinner with you," he stated, holding the wine up into view and allowing her to take it.

"The flowers were enough, Tommy," she stated bashfully, accepting the wine anyway when he didn't move from his position, "now I'm going to have to invite you over again to thank you for this, what type even is this?" she said before examining the wine. She had never seen the regal looking label in her life.

"And I'd accept that also," he nodded, a smirk forming on his features that Celia rolled her eyes at. "It's imported directly from Italy. Polly drinks it. Gave me a bottle to bring. She said it's good. I wouldn't know though. Not much of a wine drinker myself," he explained the wine's origin then.

"Care to introduce your friend, Celia?" Eliza piped up before Celia could say anything, sending her daughter a suggestive smirk, to which Celia glared at.

"Fine then. Ma, this is Tommy. Tommy, this is my mother, Eliza Farraday," Celia then proceeded with the introductions, watching as Tommy stepped over to where her mother was sitting and reached his hand out to her.

"Thomas Shelby," he formally introduced himself, remaining straight-faced as her mother stood before shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Thomas," she smiled, shaking his hand before looking him up and down, "you own that betting shop on Watery Lane, don't you?" she questioned then.

"'S one of the ways I make a living," Tommy nodded his head, his hands going into his pockets then.

"My husband's been to your shop a few times," she started, making Celia tense up. Here we go. Tommy mumbled an 'oh' before she continued. "One of your men kicked him out for good. Joe said he was told he was being too brash with the bet-takers," she shook her head as she remembered it. Celia didn't know where she was going with this and it sort of scared her. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to give her houseguest a lecture.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but if they..."

"No, no, I'm not mad at that. If anything I wish there would be some of your men at the other places he goes to piss our money away," she cut him off, bitterness in her words as she talked about her husband's problems. She took a deep breath, composing herself before she spoke again, "I'm sorry for putting a damper on things," she sighed before smiling at the two, "I'll leave you two alone now."

"It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Farraday," Tommy nodded to her as she moved towards the door, Celia following her.

"It was nice meeting you too, Mr. Shelby. Look out for my daughter, please," she responded, sending Tommy a look that Celia couldn't decode, but Tommy seemed to understand.

"I will," he nodded once more, watching as Celia gave her mother a hug and opened the door.

After promising that she'd still stop by her parent's from time to time, she shut the door once more, leaving her and Tommy alone. "I'm sorry about that," she stated, eyes shifting everywhere but to the man standing across from her.

"Don't be. It was nice to meet her. She seems like a good person," he brushed off her apology, shaking his head.

"She's the best," Celia agreed to his statement with a smile.

"If you'll excuse me..." he cleared his throat then, reaching into his pants pocket for his pack of cigarettes, "I need to smoke," he said then, moving towards the door with the intent to do it outside.

"There's no need for that, Tommy," Celia stopped him just as he opened the door. Frozen with the doorknob in his hand, he turned to look at her, "you can smoke in here. I don't mind," she told him, watching as he nodded his head and shut the door. She watched him then as he lit a cigarette and looked around the room.

"I like what you've done with the place," he spoke after a moment of silence. Celia smiled at his statement.

"What do you think of the flowers?" she asked with a grin then. Tommy chuckled, obviously knowing she was talking about the flowers that he had gifted her when she first moved in. How she managed to keep them alive for that long was beyond him.

"I think they tie the place together. Would've gotten you something else had I known you were gonna fill all of the window ledges with plants though," he responded, motioning to the substantial amount of greenery that was thriving thanks to the sunlight shining in through the windows. Ok, so she was a plant lady, so what? Seeing them lined up against the windows brought her happiness.

"I use them for cooking. They serve a purpose, but they're just boring and green," Celia explained the reason behind the vast amount of plants on the ledges as she looked over at them, "the flowers you gave me are beautiful. And I love them dearly," she smiled back at Tommy before she looked down at her stew again. "It's about finished," she stated then, moving the pot off the flame before grabbing two bowls, "I hope you're going to eat some."

"I came with an empty stomach," he grinned. Celia then moved to the table with two bowls, setting one down in front of each of the chairs before she moved the basket her mother gave her over to the counter.

"I've got some bread here too, compliments of my mother," she stated, cutting a few pieces from the loaf before she brought those over as well. They both sat down then, and Celia watched as Tommy tried a spoonful. He then looked at her, chuckling as he saw her intent expression. "So how is it?" she asked him the second he stopped chewing.

"It's good, love," Tommy answered, chuckling as she did a little happy dance in her seat before she started to eat too. Celia couldn't wipe the smile off of her face for the rest of the evening.

——

"I just don't know what to do, Sophia," Celia sighed, running a stressed hand through her hair.

"More trouble in paradise?" she questioned, her eyebrows raised.

"I think I've been out of paradise for a while," Celia started matter-of-factly then.

"Then maybe it's time to end it," Sophia suggested. Celia stopped the mopping she was doing and looked over at her friend, "I'm serious, Cel. You've said it yourself just now. If it's not paradise, then why are you wasting your time? You seem to be having more fun with Tommy Shelby, inviting him to dinner and whatnot."

"Tommy is a friend, and the dinner was me thanking him for the apartment," Celia stated sternly. Sophia gave her a look.

"I'm not commenting further," she shook her head, making Celia huff, her mind processing the things that had just been said. She wasn't wrong in saying that her and William were far from 'paradise' in terms of a romantic relationship. Sure, they still spent time together, but there was barely any physical aspect. Hell, he hardly ever held her hand or linked his arm with her's anymore.

With a sigh, Celia spoke again, "I don't know, Soph. I just wish...I guess I just want some proof. Some type of confirmation that he's feeling this way too. Cuz if he's just grand, and I'm stuck feeling like this, I'm not going to be able to be with him much longer," she tried to put what she was thinking and feeling into words.

"I understand that completely. I think you at least deserve an explanation from him. You want to know if the past two months meant anything to him cuz they meant something to you," Sophia affirmed what Celia was saying, and that brought her comfort. It felt good to know that there was someone in her corner.

Before anything else could be said, the doors to the hospital opened to show a woman with her head down, looking concernedly at the younger girl she held in her arms. The girl was whining and clutching onto her wrist. "Could you help me please?!" she asked frantically as she approached the desk. As soon as she looked up, Celia identified the woman as Esme...John's wife. Celia was now even more worried for the child in Esme's arms.

"Yes, ma'am, I can," Sophia responded, moving around the desk to take a closer look at the child, "what's happened?" she asked, focusing on the wrist that the girl was clutching.

"She was playing on a tree at the park and she fell onto her arm weirdly. I think it may be broken," Esme explained, now calmer after the initial rush into the building. The girl has also calmed down more too.

"Alright. I will get her checked in and we'll take her right back to a room," Sophia explained, directing the woman to follow her, shooting Celia a glance before she left. Celia just sighed and went back to mopping the floor.

Then the doors opened again. "Where the fuck is me daughter?!" a familiar voice boomed through the otherwise empty reception room. The loudness of it made Celia jump and turn around to see who its owner was.

"John Shelby, you cannot be screaming like that in here. You'll scare the patients," Celia scolded him slightly, setting her mop down for the second time that day. She laughed to herself when she realized that this wasn't the first time she had scolded a Shelby for yelling in the hospital's halls.

"Where's me daughter, Celia?" he asked her once he realized who was talking to him.

"Esme brought her in. They took her right back to a room, to treat her arm because they think it may be broken," she filled him in, watching as he drug a stressed hand through his hair.

"Are you a nurse here?" he asked her an unrelated question then.

"No. I just clean," she responded, motioning to the mop and bucket that were leaning against the wall just to her left.

"Then how do you know all this, eh?" he asked another question, eyebrows furrowed as his voice strained.

"I was out here when Esme brought her in. My friend is the nurse who's attending to her," she gave him more answers before sending him a sympathetic look. "She's gonna be alright, John," she told him then, nodding her head assuringly when he looked over to her.

"Am I able to go back with her?"

"Yeah, although I'd advise against running back there like a madman. Keep your wits about you, yeah?" she smiled at him, feeling slightly better when he let out a chuckle and smiled back.

"Yeah," he agreed, chuckling once more, "thanks, Celia," he said before going to walk down the hallway and find his wife and daughter. Celia, once again, grabbed her mop and continued going on the floors. She hoped that would be the last bit of excitement for the night. She really needed to get the floors done.

——

Celia walked down Watery Lane, which was now a familiar street to her, although she had a different destination in mind. Stopping at the door she was looking for, she knocked three times to have it opened by a man who dressed in a similar style to Tommy, although his suit did not look as high-end.

"Are you here for something, miss?" the man asked her, peering around her at first before he focused his eyes back on her figure.

"Uh yes...I'm here to see Tommy Shelby," she answered, attempting to peer around him then, seeing nothing though because his stature was so big.

"Do you have an appointment?" the man asked in a rather imposing way, eyebrows raised. Tommy Shelby must've been a well sought after man, Celia thought to herself.

"No, I don't," she started, rushing to continue before the man shut the door in her face, because he looked like he was about to, "but I have this letter. It showed up at my home and it's addressed to him," she finished her statement by holding up said letter, clearly showing that it was addressed to Mr. Thomas Shelby.

"I'll take it to him then," the man stated, reaching forward for the letter, but he was unable to grasp it because Celia had moved it away from him.

"I'm sorry, but I'd like to be the one that gives it to him," she was stern with her statement, her expression telling the man she wouldn't take no for an answer. The man sighed then, stepping aside to let her enter while mumbling something that Celia couldn't be too concerned to hear. He then pointed her in the direction of Tommy's office and she set off for it. Her next obstacle was a woman who had short, dark, almost black, hair, sitting behind a desk next to the door that had a placard that read 'T. Shelby' on it. She looked up from her paperwork, the 'what do you want?' expression clear on her face. So Celia explained herself once more: "I'm here to see Tommy Shelby. I received a letter addressed to him at my house and I'd like to give it to him."

"You couldn't have just mailed it?" she asked, propping her chin up on her hand after she rested it on the desk, an uninterested look on her face.

"I wanted to give it to him personally. I'm his friend and, well, uh..."

"Oh you're his friend?" the woman cut her off, a suggestive glint in her eye. Celia knew exactly what she was thinking. She didn't need this right now.

"Yeah. His friend," she responded, stressing the word, no double meaning to it in her mind although the woman didn't look to be so easily swayed. Letting out a huff of annoyance, which was building inside of her by the second, she glared at the woman, "is he in his office or not?" she asked then, hand on her hip.

"Yes he is. Go ahead," the woman waved her along and Celia didn't waste a second before she was at the door, going to knock before she entered, of course.

Before she was able to, she heard Tommy's voice, and he didn't sound happy. "It's not that fuckin' hard to understand. You're going to put the alcohol under the automobile parts and then you're going to fuckin' ship it to America." Celia hadn't heard him speak like this before and it made her hesitant to face him. She had to though. She had to get to the bottom of this note and the burly, intimidating man that delivered it to her.

"Careful," the woman at the desk spoke almost teasingly, a smirk on her face. That was all Celia needed to go ahead and knock. She’d do anything to get away from this witch.

"What?!" Tommy then yelled in response, obviously unhappy with the visitor, even though he didn't know who it was. This made Celia nervous again.

Soon enough the door was opened to show Arthur. "Ease up, Tom, eh? It's only Celia," Arthur called to his brother before greeting the lady waiting with a smile. "Come on in then," he waved her to walk past him and she listened, stepping into the rather elaborate office with the letter clasped in her hands. She still felt shy as she stared at Tommy, who was just finishing what was left of his glass of whisky, a cigarette perched between his fingers.

"Hello, Celia," he spoke in a low voice before he cleared his throat, almost like he was trying to compose himself, "why are you here?" he asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Not that we don't wanna see ya, love," Arthur chimed in as he sat back down in one of the chairs that was across from Tommy's wooden desk. Celia sent him a smile before she focused on the task at hand.

"I have this letter for you," she started, happy her voice wasn't squeaky like a shy child because that's certainly what she felt like right now, "it's addressed to you and was brought to my house by a man." she finished, handing the letter over to Tommy, who studied it with furrowed eyebrows.

He then ripped the seal off of it and unfolded the letter that was inside. Celia waited with bated breath as his eyes scanned the page. "Fuck," he breathed then, dropping the letter to his desk as his hand came up to rub his eyes.

"What, Tommy?" Celia and Arthur said at practically the same time, both of them curious as to what the contents of the letter were.

"You're going to have to leave your apartment, Celia."

———

Post note: bit of a cliff-hanger!! What do we think is in the letter??

Tagged: @mootiemoose @theshelbyclan @alreadybroken-ts @cloudofdisney @stevie75

[mushroommushy]

How do they handle stress? And how long do they need to recoup after a very stressful situation? (Any!)

ALL OF THEMMMMMMMM

I’m bored and I have nothing better to do.

Fauna - Fauna will probably immediately panic. She overreacts easily and works herself up over things that are usually nothing that bad. Whenever stressed, she runs to her room to read her books and notes and nibble on some lavender to calm herself down. Either that, or she goes straight to Belle for a hug. For how long she needs to recover, I’d say about a few hours later she’ll be all good again. Just don’t mention whatever it was that stressed her out in the first place or she’ll just panic again.

Gazania - She’s very good at masking her emotions. If she is stressed, the best way to tell is by her body language. Her tail will start swishing back and fourth very slowly, as well as her ears flattening. She’ll often go into her room and play on her African drum to remind herself of festivals she used to attend on her travels.

Freesia - She starts making nervous yipping and chirping noises, and will usually scurry over to her mom and claw her way up her until she can hug her comfortably. Her ears go flat and tail between her legs pretty quickly, and her fur puffs up quite a bit. She could stay like this for days until said stressful situation ends.

Coal - Coal’s tail stops wagging and he starts whining. He’ll run to the nearest crew member and tug on their arm for a hug. He will stay with them for the rest of the day most of the time, curled up in their arms.

Xia - She starts stress cooking. She will make huge meals, that are impossible to finish in one sitting. Usually she’ll give it to others before going to her room and curling up on her bed to cry for hours.

Neri - Whenever she’s upset, she will usually either float around her brother and watch what he does to calm herself down. Either that or she runs to Hearth since he’s literally the only one she can talk to. She’ll give him a hug and grip onto him for about an hour before calming down.

Yukon - Yukon heavily relies on his dad. He’ll run straight to him when he’s stressed and hide behind him. He just wants a hug and comfort. If not hugging his dad if he’s unavailable, he’ll pull out his painting kit (he made it out of wild berries and flowers that he made into paint) and start drawing on walls.

Heather - Heather is very stubborn, and hyper focuses when under stress. She doesn’t stop working until the stressor is gone or taken care of completely. She doesn’t break down immediately like others do.

Fir - It really depends on the situation. If he’s for say, with the polar scouts and something dangerous is approaching he will not show weakness and makes sure the Cubs are safe. If he’s alone, he’ll curl up into a ball of self-doubt and fear. The stress he experiences alone can last for days, and can destroy him internally if it isn’t fixed.

Nightshade - Nightshade will usually leave her usual area, and go to one of the ghost towns to look around and try to figure out what humans were like out of curiosity. She tries to overwhelm stress with other emotions. Sometimes she actually goes to a saloon in one of the nearby towns and starts a bar fight for fun. Use someone as a punching bag if you will.

Rose - Rose tends to walk away from the situation, and go to a secluded part of the valley and just lay down in the flowers for any amount of time. Sometimes she’ll call Fauna as well just to talk to her so she can calm down. This can last about an hour, she’s relatively calm.

Lily - Lily has a tendency to throw herself into her work when she’s stressed. She doesn’t stop to eat or sleep at all, and it’s very damaging for her. This can go on for quite a few days.

Marigold - Marigold stress cleans. Whenever she gets stressed, she starts organizing things. Even things like Lily’s tiny screws and tools. She forgets about the stress by the time she’s done tidying things.

Evergreen - Evergreen’s pranks dial down or even stop when she’s stressed and she mostly just boils in it, hoping it will eventually go away on its own. Thankfully this usually doesn’t happen very often and doesn’t last long at all.

Willow - Willow runs straight to her older brother, and usually he’ll take her out to do something she likes. That can be ice skating, races, or anything else. Her brother cheers her right up.

Lark - Now Lark..she cannot handle stress. She will immediately break down crying, and begin having a panic attack if she doesn’t get the help she needs quickly. Now she is almost always stressed, so this can go on for a very long time. She has had to be hospitalized for this a few times.

Sage - He tends to dive into cenote’s and hide there for as long as he can, and sometimes goes into the caves just to explore. He sometimes will talk to the iguanas too.

Mesa - Mesa’s ADHD doesn’t allow her to think logically while she’s stressed. She often gets herself worked up over things that are generally not a big deal. Whenever she’s stressed she’ll climb along the canyon, or just sit at the edge and try to count how many different layers there are.

Orchid - Orchid is very friendly, and has a good relationship with most of the residents in the Amazon. He’s a bit of a peace keeper. He allows different animals to get along easier. He talks with the animals he’s friends with, such as the Jaguars, capybara, boas and even some of the otters and river dolphins.