𝙿𝙴𝙽𝙼𝙰𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿 - 𝚃. 𝚂𝙷𝙴𝙻𝙱𝚈

12

Juliet opens her front door and allows Finn to step into her house. The boy takes it in in awe.

"It's so colourful," Finn says. "It reminds me of Tommy"

"Really?"

"Before the war," Finn says. "When he was happy. It's my birthday tomorrow"

"Then we better make you a cake hadn't we?" Juliet says. "Piped with the finest icing made by me"

"Can we really?" Finn asks.

"Of course, we can," Juliet says. "The best part is, we can eat the icing that's leftover"

Finn's eyes light up with that joy at simple things that only can be found in the eyes of a child and Juliet smiles at him.

Once hands had been washed and Finn was wearing an apron to protect his clothes they got to baking. Finn kept eating everything which led to Juliet threatening him with a wooden spoon. But despite Finn's hunger they had managed to get a cake into the oven and were cleaning up when a loud hammering knock sounds on her door. Juliet quickly ushers Finn into the pantry and tells him to stay silent.

She opens the door to reveal the man who had roughhoused her the day that the police had invaded all of the houses in Small Heath. A man who she now knew as Inspector Campbell.

"Inspector, what a-" Juliet pauses. "Pleasure"

It was clear to both of them that Juliet thought it was anything but, but Campbell didn't care.

"Miss Barrie," Inspector Campbell says. "I was hoping to have a word. May I come in?"

"Considering what happened the last time you stepped foot in my house, you can stay there,"

"We know what's behind the door in your house," Campbell says.

"Then you'll know that I have done no wrong," Juliet says. "Assuming your knowledge is correct of course"

"I received the intelligence from a very reliable source,"

"You are more than welcome to look in there but I have a feeling you will be sorely disappointed," Juliet says, walking over to her study and opening the door.

Inspector Campbell stares at the desk and the books on the shelves and his face drops.

"I know you hate to admit when you're wrong, but I think you should get used to it, Inspector," Juliet says. "Because something tells me that you're constantly searching in the wrong place for whatever it is you're searching for. I'm sure your higher-ups aren't impressed by your constant failures am I right?"

Juliet smiles up at the man innocently but one look in her eyes show that she was anything but.

"I want you to take me to the location of the guns," Campbell says.

"I don't take suggestions, what makes you think I'll take orders?" Juliet says. "Besides, I know nothing about any guns so once again Inspector, you are incorrect. That's two mistakes in the span of a few minutes. How long do you think you're going to keep that title for if you keep fumbling like a blind man looking for a lost coin?"

"Mark my words Miss Barrie," Campbell says. "That tongue will be the reason you meet your maker"

"Haven't you heard Inspector?" Juliet asks, a tone of playfulness in her voice but an expression of fury in her eyes. "Good girls don't make history. So unless you want to make any more mistakes, I suggest you leave"

Inspector Campbell tips his cap and leaves.

"Finn sweetheart, you can come out now," Juliet says and the boy opens the door.

"You're so brave," Finn says. "You're not scared of anyone!"

"You shouldn't be either," Juliet says. "Everyone lives and everyone dies. Remember that Finn. Now let's check on your cake"

The cake was perfectly cooked when Juliet opens the oven and she places it on the side to cool.

"Can we ice it now?" Finn asks, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"It has to cool," Juliet says. "Or the icing will slide right off"

Once the cake had cooled, Finn and Juliet begin to decorate the cake and the contrast in decoration was amusing. Juliet had neatly piped icing onto the cake whereas Finn had just created mountains of icing on top of the cake.

A knock on the door draws their attention and Finn uses Juliet's distraction to wipe icing on her face and the woman gasps in mock anger. She scoops Finn up into her arms and holds him as she walks to the door, tickling his side as he giggles. Juliet locks eyes with Tommy whose eyes move to his brother who had a large smile on his face as the smell of cake fills Tommy's nose. Then he looks to the smear of icing on Juliet's face which he assumed was from Finn as his younger brother grins cheekily.

"Tom, we made a cake!" Finn says. "Juliet said I needed a cake for my birthday tomorrow"

"And shes right," Tommy says. "Can I see this cake?"

Finn hops down from Juliet's arms and grabs his brother's hand, leading him to the kitchen. Tommy stares at the cake and he snorts.

"That's a lot of icing Finn boy," Tommy says.

"Well I wanted Juliet to feel better after that scary man dropped by," Finn says, as he wraps his arms around the woman's waist.

"Scary man?" Tommy asks.

"That Inspector dropped by," Juliet says. "Finn sweetheart, can you go sit in the living room?"

Finn nods before running into the living room and diving onto the sofa.

"What did the Inspector want?"

"He seemed to think my study held some guns," Juliet says and Tommy exhales loudly, rubbing a hand over his face. "Why would he think that Thomas?"

"What I am about to tell you stays here," Tommy says. "You let a word slip to anyone and we'll all hang"

"Well I like being alive so my mouth is going to stay sealed,"

Juliet nods and leads Tommy to her study, shutting the door behind them. Juliet perches on the edge of her desk as Tommy sits in her chair. Tommy takes in the room and it's as if he had taken a step into Juliet's mind. Books were messily placed on the shelf and papers were scattered across the desk.

"So?" Juliet prompts Tommy and the man lights a cigarette before speaking.

"My men were under orders to pick up bikes from the factory so we could strip them of their parts," Tommy says. "But they messed up, too much booze, not enough light. And they picked up a crate bound for Libya. The crate was full of guns with hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Do you want to know where-"

Juliet holds up a hand and shakes her head.

"Holy Jesus Thomas," Juliet says, rubbing a hand over her face. "We're all going to pay for this now"

"No one will touch a hair on your head," Tommy says. "You have my word"

"How can you assure that?" Juliet says. "You arent God"

"There is God and there is me," Tommy says. "And I'm a hell of a lot closer than him"