#ruby Shelby

[novashelby]

I'm Not Your Wife, I'm Your Daughter-Father!Tommy Shelby x Daughter!OC-Angst

Pairing: Father!Tommy Shelby x Daughter!OC-Evelyn (but honestly, Evie has a little bit of everyone. So, you are welcomed to be Evie...we are all Evie)

Warning: Death, swearing, violence, mentions of sex, very sad

Word Count: 2,761

Summary: Evelyn comforts Lizzie as Ruby gets sick in the hospital. When Tommy neglects his family, his daughter has some choice words for him

I am so proud of this. For the first time in a while, I feel really happy with something I wrote. So, please please please consider commenting and letting me know what you think. I know likes are easier, but I'd really appreciate some comments.

The childrens’ tuberculosis wing was a dark road. In fear of contraction, no one was allowed past a certain point. It reminded Evelyn of the road to hell, but she was older then. She knew better to speak the words in her head. So instead, she said nothing as Lizzie and her stared down the corridor that only seemed to get darker. A simple hand on the shoulder was good enough, whatever that was…good enough. They knew nothing was good. So, perhaps, it was just enough.

No longer able to bear looking down where they took her, Evelyn turned, letting out a large exhale. Out of everyone, she had to be the strong one, the present one, the mature one. There was no room to lose herself. Without looking at Lizzie, her hand searched behind her until she felt the ridges of her checkered coat. Her fingers hooked around the sleeve and tugged. But she was stubborn. If anything at all were to change from then until the end, Lizzie was determined to be there. 

“Go home,” she told Evelyn, not unkindly. More so lack of any emotion. But she’d be damned if she left. Evelyn looked at her step-mother, or mother, she was never really sure what any of them were. The woman was young-only eleven years older than she, but her eyes were sunken in and her cheeks lost all and any color. It would have been nice and too easy to blame it all on grief. Evelyn knew better. Her father sent everyone to an early grave. 

She shook her head. “No way home at this time.” 

Lizzie softened a bit, giving a short head nod. “Very well-”

“Can I get you anything?” she asked. There was nothing left to get. Lizzie needed no more coffee. The two women shared a look of understanding. Lizzie stepped forward and hugged Evelyn; her arms squeezed around her, head tangled in her hair. Stiff at first, Evelyn was taken aback. Her own arms slowly wrapped around, hands hovering for a moment over the woman’s back. While neither were ever affectionate as mother and daughter, Evelyn was bonded to Lizzie by one mutual understanding. One was birthed by a whore and one was a whore. “It’s not going to be okay,” Evelyn said, resting her hands against her back. “It’s going to be horrible.” She could tell the woman was crying from how her shoulders twitched and chest heaved.

“I know,” she said, furiously nodding. “I know, I-I know….” Lizzie did her best sniffing, and wiping the wetness from her face, but Evelyn grabbed her hands. It was okay to cry. Everyone did it. Especially when life handed you a reason with no explanation. “I’m, I’m fine-”

“Let’s sit.” Evelyn walked Lizzie to an empty waiting area that was just as gloomy as the corridor. They were quiet for a while, studying everything there was to study; paint chipped wall, door frame, the chairs, and a lopsided painting of the Dover cliffs. But when Evelyn turned her head, eerily sat next to her was a teddy bear. It was a faded brown with a worn out face. Dried tears left specks of crusty, hard fur. It and her stared at one another for far too long until she turned and found something else to get lost in. “He’ll come-”

“He loves you,” she commented, slowly looking at her. “Out of everything in the world, he loves you more than anything-”

“No.” Perhaps it was true, but Evelyn couldn’t afford Lizzie going down that direction. “No, he loves everything the same, Lizzie. If it was me in that room, he would have been just as conveniently occupied-”

“He’s affectionate with you-”

“My father’s affections are spread thin.” Evelyn looked at Lizzie, forcing a small, thin smile…lips pressed and face tight. She shook her head. “We all fight for what isn’t there. You, me, Charlie. If I was older and wiser, I would have told you none of it was worth it. Him, it, us…none of it.”

Lizzie for the first time allowed herself to laugh. It was awkwardly placed among the hospital grounds, but nonetheless, it was a laugh of sorts. “I would have been just as stupid-”

“Well, if you look at it this way,” Evelyn snorted. “Married John and you still would be without a husband.” As the words came out of her mouth, she regretted it, but Lizzie laughed trying to soak up any humor she could in distraction. Shortly after, they went back to sitting in silence, soaking up their thoughts. Perhaps trying to numb themselves in the midst of it. Evelyn felt so much she was numb. 

Sometime around midnight, Ruby had been moved to a different room. One where the family can see her under precautions. Lucky for Evelyn, she had received the vaccine as a child unlike Ruby. They had come out just in 1921 and just a short year later, made their rounds. Lizzie had fallen asleep, slumped in the waiting room chair. She almost woke her up, but decided against it, wanting to slip into the little girl’s room herself for a short moment.

And it was a short moment because Evelyn couldn’t bear to look at such a small life withering away. She slid in the room. It was the first time she saw Ruby for a few days and even then, she’d been thinner looking. Her feet stopped under the threshold, feeling her heart sink down to her stomach. “Ruby,” she whispered, not knowing what she could expect back. The last time the two sisters chatted freely, it’d been about fairies. 

First, it was a sneeze and Evelyn helped her blow her nose. Then it was a cough and Evelyn went into her little room with some water. Finally, it was the fever and after the fever, the infection spread over her little body. Both were too busy. Evelyn would never tell a grieving mother, you were also too busy. Her father was too busy neglecting family for work and Lizzie was too busy caring for a man who neglected her. When the fever got too high, she called the doctor. Funny enough, they were home. Both of them in their own world. Own repeating cycle. Tommy had asked why didn’t you tell us? Who could between all the drinking and yelling? But that was then when they were naive of it all.

Evelyn pressed by the threshold and quietly sat down on the edge of the bed. The young girl slept still, head lifted. She’d never seen a child so drained of life; pale and almost tinted blue. Her breaths were spread out and wheezing. Sometimes they’d be like little gasps for air, trying to cling onto whatever was left. Affectionately, Evelyn rubbed the girl's legs to get some circulation moving and propped her up better. She was still fashioning the braids from a few days ago. “You look so pretty, Ruby,” she whispered, sliding to the floor to kneel at the bedside. “I wish I brought a blue bow…I’ll put one in your hair for you’ll always be wearing a blue bow.” 

Evelyn thought back to the time she took her shopping in Birmingham. Ruby had just turned five. Look, they have a pink one for your hair. She would have looked so cute with pink. Ruby had taken one look at the pink satin ribbon and turned, pointing to the blue one, I want the blue one. “I’ll always get you the blue one,” Evelyn said when the memory ended and she was left staring at the still girl. Tears leaned heavy on her eyes waiting to fall down her cheeks. It would be the first time Evelyn would have allowed herself to cry, but not for long. She placed a lingering kiss on the girl’s cheek before leaving. When she opened the door, Lizzie had just reached for the door knob. But they only shared a quick glance before Evelyn went back to the seating area.

The bear had seemed to been moved, so when she walked back in, it’d been staring at her like the devil. “Fuckin’ ‘ell,” she groaned, swiping it off the chair before sitting down. 

Sometime between then and whenever Tommy came, she fell asleep. He peeked in before sliding into the waiting area, kneeling by her sleeping side. Despite being twenty-four years old, Evelyn was still short and able to make a makeshift bed out of chairs, curling up. He was his girl. His baby still. After everything, Tommy still looked at her as he did when she was eight. His calloused, shaking hand rested against her cheek for a moment, his thumb making circles. “Love,” he whispered, placing kisses on her forehead. 

Evelyn jumped awake a bit, propping herself up with her elbow. In a tired voice, she said, “you should have been here-”

“I know-”

“No, dad.” Dad. Tommy felt that knife go through him. It had always been daddy, but never dad. “You should have been here!” The words came out like hisses through clenched teeth. She sat up, ignoring the cushion imprint on her cheek. Tommy couldn’t argue with that. He knew. Tommy looked down, swallowing, nodding.

“I had work-”

“Work,” she scoffed. “Ruby is in the hospital…she’s-.” Evelyn stopped talking, noticing the red puffiness around her father’s eyes. She knew then. “Why are you here with me? You should be with your wife-”

“You should go home-”

“You’re deflecting-”

“You should go home,” he repeated, tone a bit more serious. “I’ve called Isaiah to pick you. If you want to have a fight, we’ll have a row when I come home later. Alright?”

Evelyn shook her head. “No.” She was incredibly tired of his shit. “No, dad, nothing is alright.” She slid from the chair and draped her coat around her shoulders, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

Tommy looked over at her. “Remember when you were eight, and you told me something.” Evelyn paused at the door, rolling her eyes to herself before tiredly turning to her father. He was still kneeling at the chair. “You said…you said to me, do you remember? We were laying in the field and it was the first time I had taken you on the caravan-”

“What are you getting at? Huh?” she rushed him, fixing her bag on her shoulder. “I know, we went up north…it was the edge of the season and the mist…we got really wet laying in the grass. But I don’t understand what any of it has to do with you not being here!”

He got up, striding over to her, pointing, “you said…daddy, it’s me and you-”

“Because at that point, you were all I had,” she snipped back. “But guess what, I’m older now and my circle is bigger. I have other people, and in fact, out of everyone…it seems I have you less.”

Tommy cocked a brow. “No, no…you said, in some shape and form with your little girl words…daddy, it’s me and you, and no matter what you do, I will always be by your side.”

“I didn’t say that!”

“You did,” he said, pointing. “You said that…it was misty and in September of 1918…In fact, I had adopted you just a month later. Shortly before that, I had came home from France-”

“I was eight,” she sighed. “You can’t hold something against me from when I was eight-”

His hand reached up and massaged her cheek. “I’ve held people for less-”

“Well, you fucking know what, dad.” She swatted his hand away. “That promise wears off when you start to neglect the only people who still love you. And quite frankly, loving you, it’s hard…it’s fucking tiring. Exhausting. You never know the meaning of accountability. You know what you do?” Tommy swallowed, his hand instinctively gripping her wrist. Perhaps deep down he was afraid she was going to leave. Go somewhere further than home. Somewhere he could no longer grab her. 

Tommy closed his eyes and sighed. “You don’t understand…no one hates me more than-”

“No one hates you, daddy,” she said. “We're just tired. Everything we have was not worth the cost of what it took. Everyone else is gone.” In one way or another, everyone else was gone. She slipped from his wrist and started to leave.

That is when he said, “I’m glad it wasn’t you-”

“That's an awful thing to say right now,” she whispered. “That was my sister-”

“I loved her…love…and my heart hurts so much right now,” he explained. “But if it was you, I’d be better off dead-”

“And that’s why I mean.” Evelyn had to choke down the tears. It was years of stress and trauma coming forth. Discreetly, she held onto the door frame. “You don’t understand…it’s too much! Daddy, it’s too much…I’m your fucking daughter! But after Grace died, I became everything! I became Charlie’s mother, your wife, your sister, your fucking mother! I became your nurse, your caretaker, your therapist, your fucking everything. It’s been ten fucking years, daddy, and I’m tired…I’m so fucking exhausted!” She walked over to, her hands gripping his arms. “I’ve lived through every stage of life for everyone, but myself…”

Tommy was hardly impressed. He knew what she was saying, but couldn’t accept it. Because he was selfish. “Have I not given you everything you’ve ever wanted? That is your problem, Evelyn, I raised you spoiled…and I will continue to fuckin’ spoil you because it’s too fuckin’ late. So what? I asked you when my wife died to help with your brother? Huh? Is that it?” He pinched her chin. “Do you not remember how you’d sneak out all the time? Get in trouble? Party and drink? I’d have to come pick you up from some random fucking house at three o’clock in the morning! So, don’t give me that bullshit, Evelyn…you lived your youth just fine. You know what I did with mine? Worked and then I went to fuckin’ war…So, I’m sorry, out of all your fun times, I asked you to hold a tad bit of responsibility. Go home-”

“Aunty Polly was always right about you,” she scoffed in disbelief. “You lack all sense of accountability. I had to sneak out because that was only time I was free-”

“And I never once punished you for it,” he interjected. “Never striked you, grounded you, hardly ever yelled at you…Out of everyone in my life, you are the only fucking person I’ve forgiven without consequence.”

Evelyn pushed away. “That’s because everything else has been a punishment. My friends from school are married…I was supposed to go to university, but you needed me home. All the men who wanted to marry have found other wives. Daddy, I am left behind because I’ve devoted my whole life to being your emotional lap dog, and what's sad is, you don’t even understand!” She paused to swallow, taking deep breaths. Tears had dripped down her cheeks, falling to the ground. “Daddy, you only have three people left…me, Uncle Arthur, and Aunty Ada…and some of us already have one foot out the door.” 

Tommy nodded, rolling his eyes slightly. He dug into his pocket for a cigarette. “Maybe my curse is my ambition.”

“And mine is that I love you too much,” she replied. “I love you so much that I’ve never left and I probably never will. So I will suffer until you die…I will watch you kill yourself little by little, drink and smoke, and sleep with women you can never afford to love. I will stand by and watch you wear people down until they die, and then have to put you back together because you realize your guilt. It’s a fuckin’ cycle.” Evelyn took a deep breath, fixing her coat before turning away. “Daddy, I love you, but I promised you that when you were making illegal bets on horse races. Not neglecting us for politicians.”

“What do you want me to say, Evelyn?” he asked. 

“Nothing. I want you to say nothing,” she said. “But I fucking swear to God, if you bring that blonde headed bitch back to our home and fuck her like you did the night Ruby went into the hospital, you’ll see a side of me you’ve never seen-”

“Daughters don’t get in their father’s-”

She looked at him once more. “I’ll fucking cut her head and stick it on the pillars of the bridge in London like 1600. And with her blood, I will write your fucking name….”

[dandelionfool]

lizzie and ruby <3

[kittenonpluto]

Lizzie with baby Ruby Peaky Blinders | 4.06

[tommygrace]

Tommy loved 6 women in his life, in different ways but each one is important to him.

1. His mother.

2.His first love Greta.

3. The love of his life Grace .

4. His daughter Ruby.

5.The person he trusts the most, his Aunt Polly, and also as a mother.

6. His beloved sister Ada.

Of the six, he lost 5 of them. I think it's too much pain for one person, and then there are people who question why he is like that. Poor Tommy 💔

[the-fandoms-swallowed-me-longago]

Man the cursed sapphire in Peaky Blinders is so weird to me because it’s meant to be this big bad curse that claimed the live of someone Tommy loved and cared for and then came back a decade later to do it again.

But both times the death of a female character is used to be like “oh look at Tommy. Look at how sad he is and how self destructive he is in his grief. But he only drinks, fucks and represses his emotions through other questionable decisions because he’s a tortured soul who cares soo much even if he doesn’t show it. Look at this sad man, don’t you think he’s a good person deep down? Don’t you think he deserves to be redeemed?”

Both times it is used as nothing more than a quick, cheap way to make Tommy sad.

Curse of the sapphire? More like curse of lazily sacrificing female characters to prop up the main character.

[padfootdaredmetoo]

Hey how are you hope you ok

I got a request for Tommy Shelby if that ok

So basically you and Tommy are dating and one day in a meeting you was having theses really bad stomach pains and you thought nothing of at than when u got home and I got worse and than u went to Tommy crying in pain still and he said you might be in labour ( u don’t know u pregnant) than he calls polly and then u gived birth to you boy or girl up to you and then next day every one was  Shock and yh hope that make sense u don’t have to do it x

Dear Anon,

Thank you for waiting! I changed things up a bit and I apologize for any mistakes as I'm editing on mobile at work. Hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: childbirth, mentions of Hugh stress and poor eating habits. Peaky related themes and magic.

Dating Thomas was a life changing decision in more ways than you had originally realsied. Your whole life plan had been derailed by the constant ups and downs. 

Every new accomplishment and high was met with an even more dangerous low. You were along for the ride while managing your position at the book shop you owned. Long days and fun nights occupied these past few months so much that you realised that your period was late. 

Very late. 

You thought about it for a while and realised it was probably what used to happen when you were a teenager. High times of stress would stop it altogether. You had no other symptoms that women had told you about. No weird cravings, or morning sickness. Just lots of drama and stres.

You pushed the thought from your mind as you went about your usual routines. 

________6 months later____

You had come to the realisation that you must be barren. A fact that was difficult to come to terms with, however Tommy had said he wasnt interested in children any way. 

Looking at your self in the mirror you noticed a bit of weight on you and made a mental note to try and correct it by skiping meals for a while. Nothing big to worry about in comparison to another rival family causing chaos. You’d only just gotten sorted from being held captive a week ago. 

You already had so much on your shoulders at the book shop, orders were piling up and you were spending more and more late nights and early mornings. Tommy’s men escorting you and staying by the door while you worked. 

The multiple attempts on your life did nothing but add to the list of reasons you couldnt sleep at night. You were slowly falling apart. 

Cramps set in about mid day and you finally gave up. You called Tom letting him know you couldnt make it to lunch and went right to bed. Taking a much needed nap you woke up to even worse sets of pain. 

You grabbed your hot water bottle and tried to curl up on the couch with a book. Struggling through the sets of pain you began to wonder if something else was wrong. Wasn’t there an organ that could explode in your stomach? 

Your thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. 

____________________________________________________

Sitting across the table from the old woman, Polly thought back through time. Her eyes were dark and she had told her lots of things about her life that night. Gave her the curse of knowledge, knowing all too well that the girl was too weak to fight fate. And Polly had tried, every step of the way to fight it. 

It didnt surprise her that she was once again stuck at that wooden table. That the woman reflected on something said ages ago. 

A child. 

Polly’s heart sunk when she thought about the two children that were permanently out of her reach. A child? At this age. Not likely. 

The dream took a turn and woman shouted at her. 

“Go to her now before its too late.” And image of your face came into her mind and suddenly she was awake. The womans cold scream still echoing in her mind. 

Getting her clothes pulled on she quickly called Thomas. 

“Need to get to her place now” She said trying to pull on her boot at the same time. 

“Pol - why? What’s wrong?” The sound of panic in his voice made her reconsider your place within the family. 

“Just go, I’m on my way now.” She hung up the phone not wanting to waist anytime. On the drive over she thought about you and what this ment. 

There was no way of making sense of the situation. All the things she was told never made sense as a girl and wouldnt likely start to make sense now. She sighed defeated. She liked you well enough. Smart, kept Thomas in line, a bit soft hearted but she could see that changing the more you saw of the world. 

She parked and ran up the steps of your building. Opening the door she ould hear your soft cries as he tried to comfort you. 

“Pol what’s wrong with her.” 

“It’s a child.” Polly said moving into the kitchen seeing what supplies they were working with. 

“Fuck off.” You said a tone of disbelif. Coming back into the room she watched your face cycle through the many stages of panic. 

“Accept it so we can get on with it.” Polly said to the both of them. 

“How?” 

“Part of the prophecy. Flashbacks got me up in the middle of the night.” She watched as Tommy fell under the weight of her words. 

“Alright, love.” He kissed the top of your head. “It’s not going to make sense. So just let it happen.” You looked at up him your fear fading in the warmth of his gaze. 

“I dont think I can do it.” You groaned, tears welling up in your eyes. 

“It’s already happened. Pol saw it. That means you certainly can. Just have to make it from here to there.” 

After that you followed instructions, Polly was professional but couldnt help but feel a fondness growing for you. This was also a side of Tom she hadn’t seen since he was a small boy. He did everything without thought, never letting you out of his grip. 

“Tough girl.” He kissed your temple. “You can do it, gotta push again” 

Like many times before. Polly pulled a small little babe from their mother on the living room floor of a dingy flat in Birmingham. 

You collapsed against Tom and Polly went to work ensuring the child was alright. Smallest little girl she’d ever seen. Born too soon, quiet as a mouse as she looked up at her great aunt. Her heart was strong, and Polly knew just by holding her that this child, was significant in something bigger than all of them put together. 

She handed the girl off to her parents. Leaning back against the sofa sitting next to Thomas. He handed her a cigarette from his breast pocket. 

Taking a long drag, she realized she should give them space to enjoy the moment. Her bones had no interest in moving as the night, and previous months took a toll on her. 

“She predicted this? Why didn't you say something?”  Tom whispered stoking the cheek of his first child. 

Polly almost snapped at him, before registering his tone of voice. She’d never seen him this vulnerable. 

“She told me a lot of things, I was small at the time. None of you were born yet. It’s not specific stuff-” 

“Thank you.” You said with tears in your eyes. “I -I Don't know what to say.” 

“You shouldn't say, anything love. You're family now” 

_________________________________________________

You were the most exhausted you’d ever been, but a family meeting was unavoidable. That night was the last night you spent in your apartment. He’d carried you to the car the next morning to take you to his place. 

You watched him move around the massive kitchen. He got you a cushion before letting you sit at the head of the table. A cup of strange tea was placed in front of you as the family started to pile in. 

Ruby slept in your arm and you tried to relax as the family came close. You were friendly and warm with everyone but this was the first time they were seeing you as a permanent fixture in the family. 

“That must have been so scary love. Your body hid it so well” Emse came up to you putting her arm around you in a makeshift hug. “Look at her. So small. Pretty like her mum.” She sat close to you and you knew that it was because of her natural distaste for family meetings. Her posture told you if anyone got smart she’d chew them out. 

Arthur and John started to congratulate Tommy loudly and your stomach turned when they set on you. She was so small you didn't feel comfortable passing her around yet. What if that offended people? 

“Look at that! Next Shelby made a grand entrance like her da” Arthur kissed your cheek, his mustache tickling. “Good job, love.”

“Thanks,” You said softly. 

“God I hope she’s just like you Tom. Finally some payback.” John came over and lowered his voice once seeing her. “Fuck she’s so small. You can call us any time if you need anything. Got a truckload of baby clothes for ya.” 

“Really though, love. Call any time.” Esme said and you hoped more than anything you would get closer to her. 

The meeting started and Tommy made a grand speech. It didn't take long before Polly was rushing you back up to lie down in bed. When you woke up there was a ring on your wedding finger and a note on the bedside table. 

Gone to London for business. Be back tomorrow. 

You went back to the massive set of diamonds on your finger. It was talked about but you hadn't had the chance to think about it yet. 

There was a soft knock at the door and Esme poked her head in. 

“Staying while he’s away, do you need anything, love.” Without knowing what to do you just stuck your hand out at her. 

She looked at the ring. 

“When!” She whispered.

“Just woke up and it was there.” You whispered back in disbelief. 

“Such a Thomas thing to do.” She laughed and sat on the bed next to you. You both talked for hours and you were grateful she let you doze off and nap. 

You and Ruby fit right in.

[jovialbirdballoon]

This sound so chilling now.

[zablife]

Ruby's Tea Party

Requested by @evita-shelby for my 2K celebration An Evening at Arrow House. Warning: 💀 A dark fic! Proceed with caution.

Making her way to the grand staircase to greet her guests, Mrs. Shelby stopped suddenly in the corridor to allow the melodious sound of a child's sweet voice to waft over her. She smiled to herself as she placed a gloved hand over her stomach, her secret still concealed beneath the layers of tulle. The idea of adding another little one to the household thrilled her because she'd already fallen deeply in love with Tommy's children, especially his daughter, Ruby.

"Is someone there?" little Ruby called, breaking her from her trance.

Peeking inside the nursery, Mrs. Shelby quickly apologized in a calm, reassuring voice. "It's only me, darling."

"Oh," she said, deflating a bit. Chewing the inside of her cheek, she added, "I wanted Daddy to say goodnight."

"He's downstairs--" Mrs. Shelby began before Ruby cut her off.

"I know. He said you were having a party and I wasn't allowed," she stated matter-of-factly, but the sadness that crept into her voice was unmistakable.

Rushing forward, her new stepmother kneeled before her saying, "He'll tuck you in later, I promise. You know you're very important to us, don't you?" Ruby only nodded slowly in reply. Lifting the child's chin to her eye level with one finger she joked, "Besides, who wants to spend an evening with boring adults? It looks as though you're having a lovely tea party here!"

Ruby brightened at the compliment, taking her stepmother by the hand to the small table. "I am! I have treats I helped bake. Would you like some?"

"Yes, please," Mrs. Shelby accepted with excitement, tucking her dress beneath her legs as she took up a place at the well appointed table. It was a charming miniature of everything in the dining room downstairs, so grown up and yet clearly the world of a child. She stifled a giggle with her hand as she noticed the toy horse sitting inside her empty tea cup.

She removed it so Ruby could pour some tea, a white liquid streaming from the pot. "Nanny said it had to be milk," Ruby sighed in disappointment.

"I like milk," Mrs. Shelby noted agreeably, removing a glove to choose a biscuit from the rose covered plate Ruby offered. Eating it in one bite, she noted Ruby's watchful gaze.

"Is it good?" the child asked breathlessly, eyes shining hopefully for a bit of praise.

Her stepmother swallowed the somewhat bitter tasting confection, chasing it with a sip of milk before proclaiming, "It's delicious!"

Ruby busied herself playing with the tiny horse and a toy gun, leaving Mrs. Shelby to wonder if she should break the silence with an apology.

GIF credit @alicent-targaryen

She hadn't meant to disturb the girl's life with her sudden presence and the announcement of a baby. "Ruby, I understand you might feel upset about your father and I having a child together," she started, but Ruby shook her head in vehement denial.

"I'm not. I like the idea of a baby sister," she said, a smile brightening her whole face. The light soon faded from her eyes as something in the distance seemed to steal her attention. "But the gray man..." she hesitated.

"The gray man?" Mrs. Shelby asked in confusion. Then she spotted it, the extra place setting at the table she assumed was for Charlie. "Is that your imaginary friend?" she prodded.

"No!" Ruby shouted, head snapping back toward her stepmother so quickly the woman startled. "He tells me things..." Ruby gulped, unsure she should reveal what she knew.

"What sorts of things, love?" Mrs. Shelby worried, reaching for Ruby's small hand to comfort her.

Ruby's eyes drifted back to her stepmother's face slowly until they were locked in a steady gaze, unwavering in her certainty. "He said he's coming for you...to punish Daddy." She withdrew her hand as she gave the pronouncement, a determined look taking hold of her delicate features. "But I won't let him make you suffer like he did my mummy. Don't worry."

Mrs. Shelby froze, unsure how to respond to what was clearly a frightening delusion. She knew it must have been disconcerting for Ruby to watch her mother die under mysterious circumstances, so mentally and physically ill she had to be removed from the house. As she tried to recall the details Tommy had given, her head began to feel foggy and her arm went numb clutching for the edge of the small table. Ruby's words reverberated in her skull as though someone were speaking to her underwater. Her tongue felt thick and heavy as she tried to speak, only capable of uttering one word. "What?"

"Uncle Arthur taught me about kindness when my horse died. I know what to do now to help you," Ruby said sweetly, indicating toward the biscuits. Mrs. Shelby looked at Ruby's empty dish, only just realizing she hadn't consumed anything. The child placed her hand over her stepmother's, giving a gentle pat.

GIF credit @alicent-targaryen

Feeling a mounting sense of dread course through her body, Mrs. Shelby tried to pull away, but only succeeded in falling face forward onto the plush rug. The pattern turned to fuzzy incoherent shapes as her eyes struggled to focus. She heard Ruby shriek, "Stay away from her!" as the colors faded to black.

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

"Oh, dear God!" Frances cried as she took in the sight of the unconscious lady of the house. Her quickened footsteps echoed through the house as she ran to retrieve Mr. Shelby.

When Tommy returned moments later, his eyes were wild with fear. He checked his wife's pulse, finding only a faint whisper pulsing at his fingertips and his stomach lurched as realized he might be losing her. "Ruby, what happened?" he begged, pushing the hair from his wife's face to take in her ashen complexion.

Ruby couldn't speak, her lower lip wobbling as her father shook her shoulders harshly, demanding answers. "What've you done?"

"I haven't been naughty! I haven't!" she cried, looking down at the crumpled figure before them. Looking back to her father, her dewy hazel eyes pleaded for understanding. "It was mercy, Daddy," she whispered.

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

Tag List:

@peakyswritings

@evita-shelby

@shelbydelrey

@alanadetigy

@wandawiccan60

@severewobblerlightdragon

@lovemissyhoneybee

@theshelbyslimited

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@peakyltd

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[samcoving]

Parallels

|5 x 2 / 6 x 2|

[alicent-targaryen]

RUBY SHELBY ▸ Peaky Blinders, 5.1

requested by @zablife

[dreamsandscenes]

People really try to say Tommy loved Ruby more than Charlie, or vice versa 🙄 they’re both his kids. He loved them equally

[vivianleighwishesshewasme]

Bad men like me

Tommy comforts baby Ruby

Tommy paced Ruby's nursery bouncing her and cooing at her. Begging her softly to sleep. Ruby seemed to be a better sleeper then Charlie when he was a baby. Tonight she was making an exception. 

To be fair, he hadn’t had as much to do with Ruby, and unlike Charlie, she only lived here part time still living full time with mom in her own home. She wasn’t as used to her dads comfort as her mothers. 

“Oh, you're going to give me fits eh. As long as you give all the bad men in your life fits, you’ll do just fine.” He stood watching the moonlight flicker over the courtyard. He looked down at her, studying her cute little face. Her dark hair framed her dark brown eyes and she squinted at him.

“Do you know what?” He turned her to face him, still bouncing gently in his arms. “ Stay away from all the bad men, yeah. You go off, find a nice wealthy man who won't beat you, spoils you with love and affection, and you live a good life eh.” 

Ruby retorted by sneezing and spitting out tiny bubbles at him. She must have disagreed. Definitely a Shelby woman in the making.

“Well with that attitude I think you’ll be fine.” Tommy turned walking closer to the fireplace hoping the warmth would soothe her to sleep.

“So whose attitude does she get that from?” Lizzie asks from the door frome casually leaning watching the soft scene of father and daughter bonding playing out in front of her. 

“Her mother, wholeheartedly.” Tommy shot back playfully. He scoffed but smirked at her.

“Thanks, she honestly gets it on both sides. She'll be alright Tom. Here.” Lizzie crossed the room and reached out her hands to him asking for Ruby back. She felt bad that he didn’t sleep well. 

“Lizzie, you are always fussing at me that I don't spend enough time with her. I'm up anyway. Go back to bed.” He hadn’t meant for his tone to sound like an order, that was clearly how she’d taken it though. Her perfect brows were arched high, not amused at all.

“If you really want to be awake fine, don't hold her all night though Tom. She'll get used to it and then I’ll give you hell.” He shook his head as Ruby's mother retreated back into the hallway presumably her room. 

“We’ll be fine won't we Rub? You’ll be a good girl. You’ll see. No bad men in your future.” He sat down in the chair and held her close, grateful for her big baby yawn. 

They were both sleeping peacefully shortly after. 

[divinekangaroo]

Is there any hint that Ruby's tuberculosis was a lie? That they (the Mosley conspiratoria) put her through a treatment they knew would almost certainly kill her, because she didn't have tuberculosis, only a bad illness?

The main suspicion I have is that no one else had tuberculosis, and it is a contagious disease: like, you would've have some of Johnny's kids mentioned as having it, or even just some mention. Instead it comes out of nowhere. I did see a post somewhere of the original S6 script mentioning something about Polly and tuberculosis, though I can't remember if that was instead of Ruby or as well as Ruby….so….maybe that would've made it clear it was just the dark hand of 1930s fate, not fascists?

As it is, I still consider: did they, or didn't they, actually take a child's life in a horrifically painful and unnecessary way?

The argument against this: everything they actually do to Tommy is so petty, it always carries that plausible deniability of 'just upper class fucking around'. Even the false diagnosis for Tommy - the pranks and shit Diana Mitford's IRL crew did to each other bordered on this sort of thing, too. So them realising how Ruby died and immediately deciding to leverage this for shits and giggles, is more believable than them being able to move quickly enough with some spontaneous tuberculosis plan to falsely diagnose Ruby, following a random fever and cough bad enough to be taken to hospital.

[tommygrace]

Tommy and these relationships are what made the show one of the best shows there is, that you even repeat over and over again, from the beginning to the end, and you watch it with the same emotion.

Grace, Polly, Arthur, John and Ada are the people who made Tommy one of the most interesting and deep characters there is. Because his relationship with them is what makes him Tommy, being Tommy and what gives depth and development to his character.

And of course also Cillian fucking Murphy, his performance and his truth in playing Tommy is what makes him one of the best characters that exists, in film and television.

Also the relationship he has with his children, but sadly the show was not interested in showing his relationship with them, he barely spent time with them. It would have been nice if they had developed Tommy's relationship with his children.

[impossibleheartflower]

These parallels hurt me :(

I love the way tommy used to treat Finn, Finn would've been such a sweetheart if tommy just let him be

[archeryicons]

peaky blinders tommylizzie twitter headers

without psd

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