Chapter Text
A light wind rattles a field of barley. Some paces away there is a lake. A vast pool of rippling silver. At the edge of the water is a tree, completely out of place in it's beauty. The branches droop with delicate purple flowers, swaying softly. Under the tree stands a boy, a flower resting between his fingers. He is smiling, twirling the flower, running the pads of his thumb across the petals.
Lily stands a few feet away, where the barley has melted into long green grass. Her dress flutters against her calves. She takes a few tentative steps forward, bare feet silent on the grass. Still the boy hears her, his head snaps up. He looks at her for a second, startled, then beckons her forward, lips easing into a smile. Lily hastens her steps, heartbeat quickening. He stretches out a hand, his fingers about to graze her arm and-
"Oi wake up!" Arthur yelled, pounding on Lily's bedroom door.
"Okay!" She groaned loudly, immediate anger dispelling any lingering sleepiness, "bastard."
"I heard that!" Arthur called from down the hall, his thumping footsteps heading down the stairs.
Lily rolled out of bed, smoothing out her nightgown and grabbing the comb on her night stand. Bags littered the floor, each half unzipped with clothes leaking out of the openings. For the past few months, she'd been staying with Ada in Boston, but after their visit back turned into a long-term stay, she'd moved into Arthur and Linda's home while Tommy found her a place of her own.
"Linda!" she called, walking into the kitchen, still in her nightgown. There was a thump, a cry, then footsteps.
"Yes?" a harassed looking Linda asked, emerging from the living room, Billy crying in her arms.
"Where's the whiskey?" Lily asked, peering into a cupboard, a hand on her hip. Her head was still buzzing from the dream, the memory of the beautiful boy she could barely remember.
"What do you need whiskey for?" Linda asked incredulously.
"Drinking." she opened another cupboard
"It's 8:00 in the morning, Lily," Linda scolded, shutting the cupboard with a snap.
"Yeah well, that's still later then 7:00,' Lily shrugged, wandering in a circle, before slumping into a dining chair, eyeing Arthur's lighter.
"You fucking Shelby's," Linda muttered, shaking her head. She hitched Billy up and firmly rested a plate of eggs in front of Lily, "have a breakfast for once."
"Can't, I'm busy," she said, pocketing the lighter and bounding out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
"Busy," she heard Linda scoff downstairs.
Lily unzipped one of her numerous bags, sifting a blue dress out of the mass of fabrics and a grey cardigan to go over top. Once changed, she arranged her hair into an acceptable mass of curls and powdered her cheeks.
"That'll have to do," she murmured, staring at herself in the mirror.
"Well your all dressed up," Arthur said when she walked into the living room, "something happening today?"
"Nope, but I need a favor," Lily said, clutching her hat, "can you drive me to-"
"Arthur's busy right now," Linda interrupted, "and he's barely finished his coffee."
"Oh come on, love," Arthur reasoned, "it's Lily after all."
Linda's lips curled downwards, "you spoil her."
"I look after her," he countered, "I can't let my little sister walk the dirty streets of Birmingham alone." He turned back to Lily, "where shall I take you?"
Lily beamed, "just to Aunt Pol's house."
"Then Aunt Pol's house is where we shall go," He said, taking a final sip from his mug before setting it down. He grabbed the keys and his overcoat, shrugging on the coat and swinging the keys on his finger.
"Are you ready for the match tonight?" he asked once in the car.
"I am," Lily chirped, "I heard Alfie brought out his best fighter, Goliath or something like that."
"Yeah well, he's no match for our Bonnie," Arthur said proudly, "wait till you see the boy fight."
"Aberama's son?" she asked, surprised.
"That's the one, you must have seen him the day..." he trailed off awkwardly.
"The day we met them for lunch," Lily filled in, "I don't think I saw him." The subject of John's funeral was something all of the Shelby siblings still avoided, especially since the man who had ordered his death was still living.
Luca Changretta, Lily vowed silently, If Arthur doesn't beat me to it, I will gut you alive.
Arthur cleared his throat, steering the conversation into safer waters, "he's a sturdy boy, Bonnie, he's got something in him that can't be stamped out."
"Is he good looking?" Lily asked casually.
Arthur sputtered, his voice rising in utter shock, "Is he what?"
"Good looking," she repeated, this time with a smirk.
"No," Arthur said sincerely, "no, no that boy is ugly, he is hideous, right? Fucking disgusting to look at."
Lily raised her brows, wholly unconvinced. "Arthur i'm not a child, it's not a crime for me to be interested in men."
Arthur simply shook his head, "You'll believe me when you see him, he's tragic, that one."
"Oh but he's a boxer," Lily mock swooned, "I bet he's big and strong and-," she glanced at Arthur's face and burst out laughing.
"I'm joking!" she gasped between her laughter, "I'm just kidding, you can breathe now."
"All right you," he said, parking the car in Polly's driveway, still somewhat flustered, "get out now, and mind yourself yeah?"
"Of course, Dad," she mocked, opening the door and jumping out.
"Right I'll see you tonight," he said, "Polly and Michael will take you."
"And then I can see how dreadfully and awfully hideous Bonnie Gold is," Lily smirked, one hand on the door.
"Dreadful," Arthur repeated, this time with a smile.
Lily slammed the door shut and disappeared into Polly's house with one last wave.
"Aunt Pol!" she yelled, taking off her hat and resting it precariously on the back of an armchair. When greeted with silence, she wandered down the hall, nudging open every door she same by, until eventually she found her aunt. Polly was sitting before a desk, a stack of untouched papers waiting for her attention, a cigarette between her lips.
"How'd you get in?"
"Hello to you too," Lily said, pulling back a chair and sitting opposite to Pol, "I used the keys, how else?"
"Well, what do you want?" Pol asked, kicking her feet onto the desk.
"Can I at least have a cigarette first?"
"Your too young to smoke," Polly snorted, "try to outlive the rest of us will you?"
"No thanks," Lily grumbled, her hand darting out to grab the pack on the desk. She slid one out and got out of her chair to crouch by the fireplace, "Look at what you've done, your reducing me to archaic methods."
"Back to the point," Polly said once Lily was seated, "what are you here for?"
Lily chewed her lip, "I had a dream."
"About?"
"Well..." she stalled, "It was about a boy, I've dreamt of him more then once."
"What was he doing in your dream? and don't say-"
"Oh shut up!" Lily exclaimed, scandalized, "there was none of that, thank you!"
She gave Polly a look before continuing, "It's always in a field, by a lake, and he stands under a tree with purple flowers. I've never gotten close to him until last night, but then Arthur woke me up before I could memorize his face."
Polly examined her face for a moment, "always that dream?"
"Yes," Lily said with uncertainty, "does it mean anything?"
"No," Polly said flatly, "but tell me what he looks like anyway."
"He had black hair and grey eyes, but that's all I can remember."
"Black hair," Polly repeated, "grey eyes."
"Yes?" Lily said, raising a brow, "don't tell me you know him."
"Actually I know his father quite well," she smirked, "and so does Tommy."
A pause.
"Well who is he?" Lily demanded, leaning forward.
Polly shrugged elusively, "You'll find out tonight, all I can say is dress your best."
She smirked, then added, "and stand next to Tommy, he'll be sure to see you that way."
"What-"
"Now get out, and for fucks sake, fix that hair before the match."
* * * * * *
The room buzzed with excitement, men clambered to place bets, women whispered to one another. A dozen shimmery dresses shifted under the dim light, jewels sparkled atop blonde, brunette and black hair.
"Come on, we're right at the front," Ada said, looping her arm around Lily's and leading her through the crowd. The reached the front with some difficulty, where Linda and Lizzy were already sitting.
"Good to see you ladies," Lizzy shouted over the din, "looking gorgeous, the two of you."
Lily grinned, she felt gorgeous. Ada had managed to work a series of small miracles, first arranging Lily's hair, then applying her makeup.
"Where's Polly?" Ada asked, sitting down.
"In the back with Tommy, they arrived ages ago," Linda said, leaning forward in order to be heard.
Remembering Pol's advice, Lily got up, "I need to talk to them, I'll be right back."
She shouldered past a swath of people, mostly men, and slipped down a blue tinted hallway. The roar of the crowd faded almost immediately, replaced by the much more civil buzz of energy in the locker room.
"Excuse me," she said, stopping the first person she came across.
"Yes, love?" the man asked. He had long graying hair that ended somewhere under his ears and a weather beaten face.
"Do you know where my brother is?" she asked politely, recognizing him as Aberama Gold.
Aberama raised his brows, "Your the youngest sister?"
"Yes," she smiled, somewhat impatient, "where's Tommy?"
"Just back there, he's giving Bonnie some final words."
"The tragically hideous boy," she observed to herself.
"Sorry?" Aberama asked, his face tightening.
"Oh- nothing uhm, the talentedly hilarious boy?"
"...yes," he said slowly, "I suppose you could call him that."
Lily nodded awkwardly, then pointed down the hall, "I should find my brother." She hurried away without another word, cursing herself internally.
"Lily," Tommy greeted when he saw her enter the locker room, "what are you doing back here?"
"Looking for you!" she beamed, "your impossible to find, did you know that?"
He didn't respond, instead gesturing to the boy in front of him. The boys back was to Lily, there was a towel around his neck. "Meet our fighter, he's going up against Goliath."
"I've heard," Lily said, "Bonnie Gold right?"
The boy turned, and the recognition hit Lily like a train. It was him, the boy from her dreams. He smiled, little crinkles forming around his eyes, and reached out a hand.
"The one and only, it's good to finally meet you, Lily."