Realistic or Modern Gangs of Birmingham - IC Thread [Open & Accepting]

[Bellz]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham, England -
- Monday 1st December 1975 -


Dorothy Fletcher​

It all unfolded with dizzying speed. One moment, it was a mundane dinner, albeit one Dorothy endured for the sake of her children. But then came the sudden eruption of gunshots. "Rory!" she cried, anguish lacing her voice as she watched her daughter take a bullet in the shoulder. Tony's urgent command to take cover spurred Dorothy into action. She reached for her daughter, guiding her to safety with as much care as she could muster. Meanwhile, Julia was already by Rory's side, staunching the bleeding with makeshift bandages. Across the chaos, Dorothy locked eyes with Robert, a fleeting reassurance passing between them before she refocused on tending to her wounded child, the brief relief of his safety buried beneath her maternal concern.

Rory made a move to rise, but Julia's firm insistence made her freeze in place. Dorothy reinforced the command with her own stern words, "Not today, Rory!" Her voice wavered slightly as she inspected her daughter's shoulder. "Is there an exit wound?" she inquired, hastily gathering whatever she could find to staunch the bleeding. Julia attempted to locate the wound, but Rory's pained groan brought tears to Dorothy's eyes. When her daughter-in-law inquired about her well-being, Dorothy nodded silently, taking a deep breath. "Yes, yes, I should be asking you, dear," she replied, scanning Julia for any signs of injury before refocusing her attention on Rory.

"And we can thank God for that, hmm? And the fact that you’re going to be alright," she whispered to her daughter, mustering a smile despite the storm of anger raging inside her. "Just hold on. We’ll get out of here," Dorothy assured both girls before scanning their surroundings, the unrelenting chaos amplifying the pounding of her heart in her chest.

Tony... Where had Tony disappeared to? And Sully? "Where is Sully?" she voiced aloud, peering above the table they huddled beside. With the gunfire silenced, she was determined to find her other children. "Julia, Rory... stay here, stay here…" she instructed breathlessly. Before she could advance further, rising from the glass-littered floor, Robert was already approaching the table.

With vigilant eyes tracking his every move, Dorothy's protective instincts surged, positioning herself in front of Julia and Rory, her chin held high. Though she didn't view Robert as an immediate threat to her family, given the recent chaos, Dorothy remained on high alert. Despite her tension, Robert placed a towel within her reach on the table.

She remained silent as he reassured Rory, her expression stern, her bottom lip pressed into a firm line to stave off its trembling. Grasping the towel, she turned back to Julia, her gaze fixed on Rory. "Rory, you need to hold as still as you can. Julia, press this tight, and don’t let up until the ambulances arrive. I don’t want either of you moving from this spot until you see a medic. Do you both understand?" She awaited their acknowledgment, whether through a nod or verbal affirmation. "Right," Dorothy exhaled finally, disregarding the small dribbles of blood from the cuts on her palms caused by the glass on the floor. "I need to find Sully and Tony."

Casting one final glance at the girls, she hastened towards the bar where she had previously spotted Sully. Navigating through the cluttered ballroom, now adorned with shattered glass, toppled chairs, and ominous stains of blood, Dorothy edged closer with urgency.
was with: Julia + Rory neverbackdown
walking towards: Bar with Misty Gray ; BeyondDandy
open for interaction

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham -

Caroline Walker​

Despite Richard responding to her comment about the Walker men's weaknesses to women, Caroline could see he was struggling. His face looked pale and sickly, which concerned her greatly. When he trailed off, unable to finish his next sentence, she quickly knelt up and shifted to look him head on. "Hey. Richard!" she used a stern tone to try commanded his attention. Will one hand still pressing the towel against his thigh, she brought her free hand to his face, lightly hitting his cheek to trying snap him back to reality. Instead, he barely said her name before losing consciousness. "Richard!" she called loudly called out.

Meanwhile, the police officers finally began filtering into the room, cautiously checking all areas to ensure there was no longer an active threat. When the familiar man, Sergeant Mitchell, rounded the stage, Caroline snapped her head up to look at him. "Where's the bloody ambulances?" she angrily asked.

"Mrs. Walker, we need to confirm the scene is secure before allowing the medical teams inside," Sergeant Mitchell informed her.

"It's secure. All clear. Now quit wasting bloody time and let them inside, damn it!" she angrily told him. "And then, you need to find Tony Fletcher and arrest the bastard. He's behind all of this. I guarantee it. It's time you lot finally dealt with him." With the man quickly rushing away to let the medical teams inside, Caroline focused back on Richard. She grabbed another towel and draped it over the front of him, trying to warm him up as much as she could. "Richard. Wake up! I have a controversial opinion you're going to want to correct me on," she firmly assured him. She placed the palm of her hand on his forehead, feeling the cold sweat on his skin. This time, the slap to the side of his face was harder as she became more desperate to try wake him. "Richard! Come on," she desperately commanded him.

With Caroline: ReverseTex (Richard)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham -

Robert and Felicity Walker​

Not knowing what had happened to her family was bringing fresh worry to Felicity. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep hiding without knowing their fate. Sully's silent shrug told her nothing, but at the same time did tell her one thing. He was likely going through the same thoughts and feelings; concerned about his own family. When he moved to get up, the movement was clearly painful, prompting her to look up at his face. She saw that the pain appeared to be in his thigh. There was no blood, so she could only assume he'd pulled a muscle or hurt his leg in some other way whilst disarming the gunman.

Sully hadn't taken her gratitude the way she expected he would. Instead, he asked her a question before telling her to be real for once. She had been about to follow suit and get up to her feet, but his words had somehow hurt her. Most of her life had been spent being told what to do and who to be. Even when she made her parents proud by dancing, she found her peers judged and belittled her instead. She could never relax around anyone, to the point where she couldn't even relax with herself. She'd learned long ago to hide her feelings so as not to appear weak. She had to maintain a stoic front at all times to prove she was capable and strong.

Hearing Sully call out to someone to alert them to her location, Felicity snapped out of her thoughts in time to accept his helping hand. She nodded at his gentle reassurance as she stood up. Despite the issues she'd had with her father after finding out about his affairs, she couldn't be more glad to see Robert in that moment. Her attention was briefly drawn back to Sully when he whispered for her to remember the opportunity they'd both discussed before the chaos kicked off. "I won't forget," she quietly confirmed as she nodded her head. She then moved out from behind the bar and greeted her father with a tight embrace. A rare gesture between father and daughter. "Is everyone okay?" she asked, still hugging him.

"Richard took a bullet in the leg, but everyone else is unharmed," Robert informed her. He placed a kiss on the top of her head, glad she was safe, but also to reassure her. When the two broke away from the embrace, Robert fixed his eyes on Sully, unsure what to think about finding them together.

"One of them grabbed me and had a gun to my head. Sully helped me and took the man down," she explained."I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't intervened."

"It's okay, Felicity. It's over now and you've done well," he firmly told her, knowing she wouldn't want to get too upset at that moment. He then looked to the other man. "Thank you for stepping up," Robert gratefully told Sully, sending him an amicable nod. His attention once more shifted to Felicity as he could see her struggling to hold back on her emotions. It would do neither of them any good and he knew she would prefer to hold it together in public. If he knew her as well as he believed he did, she'd soon be blaming herself for what had been out of her control. Therefore, he decided to direct her to where she had control. "You should check on your staff, Felicity. Make sure they're all okay and not too shaken up. Manage the situation," he gently but firmly suggested.

Felicity had sent Sully another grateful glance before walking out to the lobby to find any of her employees who may need her reassurance. Robert was then able to focus his attention on Sully. "Rory took a bullet to the shoulder, but I'm certain she'll be alright," he informed him. "Everyone else was unharmed." He then thought about Tony, who had rushed outside after the gunmen. Unlike Caroline, Robert was being more open-minded about who was behind the attack. Even if the eldest Fletcher sibling had yet to show his face inside again. "Tony was seen--" Robert began to mention Tony had followed the gunmen outside, but he was cut short when he noticed Dorothy approaching them. The red dress she wore so well was the only red he wanted to see around them now.

"Dorothy, is... Are you okay?" he asked, noticing the urgency as she approached. He stepped aside a little, expecting she'd be relieved to find Sully in one piece. Other than some blood on her hands, which he was sure Dorothy was capable of handling, Robert was relieved she hadn't been caught up in the attack. Of course, Rory hadn't been so lucky, but he was sure the girl would be okay. He was an observant man, so he knew that only left Tony of Dorothy's family unaccounted for. "I understand Tony gave chase to the gunmen outside. Has anyone seen him since?"

With Felicity/Robert at the bar: BeyondDandy (Sully) Bellz (Dorothy)

 

[ReverseTex]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham, England -
- Monday 1st December 1975 -
Misty Gray

Dr. Richard Finley

​

Richard slowly came to his senses, albeit a bit foggy and dazed, following Caroline’s shouting. His eyes were slow to open, letting his ears do the work. He heard more footsteps, and finally, help had arrived. Caroline’s continued bickering with the Sergeant was no surprise, even her insidious claim of Tony’s involvement. Even though his brain was back, his body was slow to cooperate. The aggressive slap did the trick, shocking his body to restart itself again.

He stirred, eyes opening lazily as if disturbed by a catnap. “Can’t a man take a nap these days in peace?” Sighing, he let his body go limp again even though he was awake. “It’s just shock, dear. It’ll take more than a bloody bullet to the leg to take me out.”

​

 

[purplecowdutch]

View attachment 1158764Jackie Walker - fundraiser/exit - tony, ramon, malcolm, scott neverbackdown

Jackie never really felt bad, he had pulled the trigger before but it definitely hit different now the whole family of Beth was crying as her brother announced him dead.
It felt sort of intrusive, he wasn´t supposed to be here but he was.
A hand on his shoulder made him flinch before realizing it was Scott and being sort of happy to see him. Robert had not told him anything about being cut out yet so Jackie was just happy he didn´t have to call for him to come over.

Jackie nodded when he asked him to come along, finally some real action. Those Fletchers really deserved some payback.
Before turning around and walking through the exit Scott pointed too, he gave Beth an apologetic look. He would send her some flowers next week.

'What are you fucking on about?' He asked, happy he was finally getting some fresh air. It really felt like he was about to pass out standing there. The adrenaline was still pumping through his body as the two spotted some very familiar faces.
They overheared the guy on the ground talking just as they arrived, Scott gave him a curious look but Jackie was already reaching for the back of his jeans even though he had totally forgot they were heavily secured tonight.

Scott turned to him to confirm if he was one of the shooters but Jackie didn't see anyone but the guy who shot the mayor and mentioned something to Beth.
They looked alike and all Jackie could think about right now was shooting a bullet through Tony Fletcher's head for killing his best friend.

The one who was not Tony Fletcher turned around, Jackie didn't know him nor did he had any desire too. He looked guilty, sticking his hands up and he looked a bit nervous. Jackie looked him up and down, he was unarmed too which would make it a fair fight although Jackie didn't like fighting fair, spotting some glass on the ground nearby just in case.

Jackie scanned the two gentlemen up and down even though Tony still stood with his back towards him. A fucking coward.
Jackie spit on the ground, acting a hundred precent on impulses at this point. Just like how they went to the Fletcher's pub although that difference was that Jackie came prepared. He was not a fist-fight kind of person, work smarter not harder.

'Malcom Murray, I'm sorry for the shit circumstances but we'll give you guys a three second headstart,' Jackie teased, 'since when do you need someone to talk for you?' He doubled down, talking to Tony Fletcher. Jackie gave a quick look towards Scott, for a moment he had some clarity, they stumbled onto a goldmine.
'How's Rory? I would like to thank her for the blue eye she gave me, feisty woman,' Jackie said with a slight smile, hoping he'd make one of them break although that would seem impossible with Tony, this Malcolm guy gave him opening and he wouldn't be Jackie if he didn't take that oppurtinity with both hands.

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham -

Tony Fletcher and Scott Ashworth​

Tony sent Malc a puzzled look when he heard him talking about the scene not being what it looked like. He turned his head to look over his shoulder where he saw Jackie and Scott standing. Presumably they were both there to assist in apprehending the gunman who had taken part in shooting at the Walkers and the Mayor. That would be a logical assumption. Malc explained the situation to the men, explaining how they caught one of the shooters but the other escaped.

Scott eyed Jackie as the man seemed to be getting overexcited about the situation. Perhaps this was why Robert wanted him away from the drugs business, if Jackie was anything to go by. Was his high right now? He had to be to be doing what he was in that moment. Jackie was more interested in baiting Tony into a fight than catching the attackers who had shot at his own family. Scott looked at Malc as the man explained the situation, telling them how Rowan kept lying and was being held until the police arrived. Either that was the truth or Tony was the dumbest man on Earth for not letting the gunman flee. Not that he could trust the Fletchers. But he did trust basic logic and reason. What would Tony have to gain by handing over one of his own men to the cops, if that was the case?

When Jackie started talking about head starts and addressed him directly about Rory, Tony glared at the man. "You're really doing this now, are ya?" he asked Jackie. "Keep an eye on him," Tony asked Malc to make sure Rowan still take an opportunity to escape. "If you hadn't noticed, I'm a bit busy keeping hold of one of the guys who just attacked our families. Breaking your nose isn't high on my agenda right now, so back the fuck off," Tony warned Jackie. He glanced at Scott but his attention was soon drawn elsewhere as he saw four police officers marching towards them, along with a security guard who was pointing Rowan out to them.

Tony stepped aside as two of the cops rushed to apprehend Rowan, cuffing his hands behind his back before dragging him to his feet to read him his rights. After some angry swearing and resisting, Rowan calmed down to stare at Tony. "Are you arresting my boss too?" he asked, nodding in Fletcher's direction.

"Give it a rest. They're not bloody idiots," Tony scoffed at Rowan, shaking his head at the absurdity.

Sergeant Mitchell let out a frustrated sigh. Despite Caroline's demands and Rowan's question, he knew he had to be open-minded. Still, the suspicion was stacking up and given his run-ins with the Fletchers, it was certainly a strong possibility Tony was involved. "Get rid of him," he commanded two of the officers to drag Rowan away. The Sergeant then focused on Tony. "You've got two choices, Fletcher. You accompany me to the station to answer my questions, or I'll arrest you and drag you there."

"Are you fucking kidding me? On what charge would that be?" Tony asked, letting out a disbelieving laugh.

"Conspiracy to commit murder," Sergeant Mitchell abruptly replied. "We have three dead men and multiple injured parties," he sternly spoke as he then shifted his focus between Malc, Jackie and Scott. "So. Do any of you chaps want to try my patience too?" he asked, fully aware the tensions between the men had been high when he arrived. "There's plenty of officers around to arrest the lot of you if you try anything."

"Malc. Do me a favour and let Julia know I'm going to be busy with these clowns," he asked, referring to the cops as the clowns.

With Tony/Scott and Sergeant Mitchell + Random Copper: ReverseTex (Malc) purplecowdutch (Jackie)
Mention: neverbackdown (Julia)

 

[ReverseTex]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham, England -
- Monday 1st December 1975 -
Misty Gray Bellz neverbackdown purplecowdutch


Malcolm Murray Jr.

The sudden abrasiveness of the slender man in front of him took Malcolm aback. Considering his clear size advantage, it seemed childish to pick a fight with him. Even if the fella didn’t know he was a boxer, his build was obvious. The other man seemed to show a bit more sense. It didn’t take long for Tony to notice the conversation, happily letting his boss step in his place. He nodded at his request to watch Rowan, happy to do the work he was suited for.

Not long after, the sound of running footsteps neared again. Instead of Walkers or Fletchers, the police finally arrived. Took the coppers long enough, he thought to himself. He stepped aside with Tony, letting the police apprehend the gunman. Good, now they could go check up on Julia and the rest of the family. Right as he was going to suggest to Tony they got moving, Sergeant Mitchell provided an ultimatum. Hearing the copper say he was suspect made his mouth drop in disbelief. “You can’t be fucking serious?” He said quietly, not in the mood to pick a fight with a cop. Not after his last bout.

This was a hogwash. Even if Tony was innocent, it still made sense to abide by their requests. If he resisted, then it would look worse. Tony realized this too, knowing there wasn’t much he could do. At Tony’s request to find Julia, he nodded. “Of course, I'll let them know what happened. I’ll make sure our lot is accounted for and that Julia knows where to take you to see Rory after you’re done with this bullshit.” He tapped his friend’s shoulder, before turning around to the two Walker men. He didn’t have anything to say to either of them, so he simply pushed his way past both men to make his way back to the exit door.

As soon as he entered the banquet hall, the chaos took him by surprise. Even if the violence had settled, the bodies littered around the room, and overall pandemonia was a stark contrast from what he and Tony dealt with outside. Malc spotted Dorothy, starting a light jog over to her. She’d be able to help find Julia. “Mrs. Fletcher!” He waved her down, reaching her shortly. “Tony and I nabbed one of the shooters out back. The coppers just arrived and are taking him in for questioning. They’re also taking Tony,” he added, a bit of annoyance in his tone. “He wanted me to let Julia know, but you’ll do just fine.” He noticed the blood on her hands, dried, but alarming. “Are you ok? Is everyone else ok? Where's Rory?"

 

[Bellz]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham, England -
- Monday 1st December 1975 -


Dorothy Fletcher​

Dorothy’s face was etched with deep concern, but her eyes gleamed with relief at the sight of Sully, who had been unaccounted for just moments earlier. Robert had mentioned Tony’s name when he noticed her, causing her throat to tighten. She had closed the distance between them quickly in her rush to find her son. Robert asked if she was okay, and for a moment, all she could do was silently nod, her eyes fixed on Sully as she checked him for any injuries. "Sully, luv, are you hurt?" she asked gently. When she finally managed to look away, Dorothy turned to Robert. "I’m okay," she said, despite the tremor in her voice. Though her hands stung, she wasn’t horribly hurt. "Thank you," she added, with a slight hesitation as she considered asking if he was okay. Despite the chaos, she knew they needed to maintain appearances.

Her eyes swiftly assessed Robert's condition, and, seeing he was unharmed, they quickly shifted back to Sully. Only when Robert inquired about Tony did she look at him again. Dorothy's quick shake of the head conveyed her answer, but deep down, a sense of dread resurfaced. Tony had run after the gunmen. How far he had gotten and whether he was successful or hurt remained unknown. The thought furrowed Dorothy’s brows with discomfort, but she stayed silent.

A familiar voice called her name, making her turn. "Malcolm!" she exclaimed, watching the young man jog toward her, trying to read his expression. Dorothy had seen him run out with Tony. Before she could ask about Tony, he explained everything. A bloodied hand went to the bridge of her nose as she pinched it in frustration upon hearing that her son would be questioned by the police. Nodding, Dorothy said, "I’m just fine, dear. Everyone else... to be determined. Rory had her usual wits about her last I checked, but her shoulder is in bad shape." She updated him quickly before turning to look at Robert and Sully.

"If Tony is heading to the station, I should probably go and talk Sergeant Mitchell out of whatever he thinks my son is responsible for, and remind Tony to keep his mouth shut." She turned to Sully, "Please follow your sisters to the hospital. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Dorothy finally turned to Robert and gave him a serious look. "I'm glad everyone in your group is okay," she said, then looked at Malcolm. "You're coming with me, Malcolm. Let's go inform Julia that we're headed to the station. I'm sure Tony is already making too many jokes."
with: Robert Misty Gray : Sully BeyondDandy ; Malcolm ReverseTex
mentions: Jailbird Misty Gray ; Julia + Rory neverbackdown

 

[BasDorcha]

The Royal Hotel

-Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham-​

Alfie Walker

Alfie watched as Bonnie removed her shoes, leaving one in David's leg and causing him to snort a half laugh as he watched the pathetic man squirming on the floor. Even barefooted she looked amazing. His eyes zoomed around the room, finding various faces and checking off names in his mind. He saw his father headed to the bar and breathed a sigh of relief - he must have found Felicity. When Bonnie turned her attention to him, everything else faded from his mind. He looked up at her and smiled stupidly, his free hand lingering on the gun between them in case David got any dumb ideas. As she pulled his head this way and that, he relaxed and let her, watching as she wet her thumb and wiped away at his ears and face. He let her eagerly.

"Can…me? Alfie assumed she was asking if he could hear her. He lifted his hand and twisted it while splayed flat side to side, indicating kind of. "A little." He said, a little too loud. "I'll be okay, are you okay?" He asked, again, his voice projecting louder than intended. When she finally realized how love struck he was, his grin just grew ten times bigger. He didn't need to hear her to read the words "are you serious?" on her lips. He scootched closer to her as she sat down next to him, draping an arm around her as he kept a close eye on David.

He listened closely, watching her lips move between quick glimpses at the man on the floor, following where she was pointing as she explained and he caught bits and pieces of what was being said. His goofiness quickly evaporated when she mentioned that the mayor was dead. He looked at her, lifting his hand to touch her cheek and turn her head so he could quietly check out her face and seemingly double check she was okay. He gave her a small smile when she mentioned looking presentable. "Hard to look presentable when you're barefoot, or is that a Texas thing?" He said, intentionally softening his voice this time so she would hear but the sound would not travel.

At her asking again if he was okay, he caught her eyes and nodded, his hand still resting on her cheek. The worry and concern of the situation and what could have happened was hitting him as the adrenaline wore off, a slight anxiety was hitting him. Fear was hitting him. He needed to snuff it out. Needed an extra reassurance. Suddenly, the hand resting on her cheek pulled her forward and he planted lips on her. It wasn't as intense as that first kiss, Alfie carefully keeping himself in check, but it was gentle and soft, a light kiss full of a million different emotions as he reassured himself they were both okay despite what had happened. Afterwards he pulled back, his thumb stroking her cheek. "Yeah, I'm okay. Promise."

ReverseTex - Beautiful Bonnie

 

[BeyondDandy]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham -

SULLY FLETCHER
​

Sully was grateful to see Robert approach unscathed. He had become a pivotal player in Sully’s game of chess. To rewrite his family’s future, he needed Robert - the king - to stand on his own two feet until the aftermath. Sully wanted to give him most of the world on a silver platter so his family could keep the rest in solidarity. He’d already planted the first seed with Felicity and needed these plans to play out in his favor. The Walker family, as much disdain as his family had for them, were necessary.

Watching Felicity embrace her father gave Sully a sense of accomplishment. He’d finally done something right and Robert acknowledged it with a nod of gratitude - something Sully hadn’t been used to. It made his hands clammy and his insides warm. He tried to escape the feeling but it felt nice, so he succumbed. Sully mirrored Robert and returned the nod. He eyed Felicity as she walked away, looking at her bosom as it moved through her dress. He adjusted himself on the bar countertop and found himself a drink. It was a small glass of bourbon. The glass was intact, a misfit among the shattered crystals all around. The bourbon was motionless like the tranquility of a summer sea. One could tell it was smooth by the richness of its golden hue. Sully reached for it. His damp hand felt the cold of the glass as he lifted it towards his lips. The single ice cube within clicked against the side of the glass as he brought its edge towards his lips. The bourbon slid into his mouth like a liquid honey. It was refreshing, cooling off the warmth in his chest and chilling him. He felt the small blonde hairs on his back rise like someone had spooked him. Sully closed his eyes to savor it. He put the glass back down and smiled to himself when he suddenly heard someone approach and call his name.

“Mum!” He said.

He tried to move around the table only to find himself grunting from the shooting pain in his knee. He huffed. He felt a sharp stab at the base of his kneecap every time he put weight on his leg. He spit. Frustrated that he injured himself in a meaningless fight against Harvey. He tried to hide it from Dorothy by putting on a facade that he was fine.

“I’m okay,” he lied as he stumbled around the counter. His knee was badly injured, but he forced the limp away through sheer will. He didn’t want his mother to be scared or frightened anymore. He could only imagine what she had been going through when the shots started. Her children were all she had now and they were all under a roof filled with armed maniacs. She must’ve been losing her mind, Sully thought. Finding his way to her over the remnants of what had occurred, he embraced her. He hugged her tightly just like Robert had Felicity. She felt cold, maybe from the fright. Sully squeezed her, trying to warm her up as much as he could -rubbing his hands on her back to create friction. He bit his bottom lip as another shock of pain struck his knee. His eyes winced from the discomfort and watered a little. As he released her, a fake smile returned to him to hide the pain.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said.

He’d looked her up and down for injuries which he didn’t find. He looked at her red hands. They were drenched by what was now dried blood, not of her own. Normally something like that would shock a person, but not Sully. He had just swam in the blood of Harvey so red stained hands didn’t do anything to him. Richard had mentioned Rory had been injured earlier and Dorothy was there to acknowledge the fact. Sully could only assume the blood on Dorothy’s hands were Rory’s. It didn’t look like much, but his mother’s brood expression and the urgency in her voice made him worry some. Maybe she was still scared and wanted to get out of there as quickly as they could.

It was at that moment that Malcom rushed towards them with urgent news. Tony had been arrested by the police. He was being taken away for questioning. Sully paid it no mind. He understood it was protocol and the truth would come out and Tony would be released. His mother seemed to take it the same way as she joked about his brother’s big mouth. Sully turned towards Harvey’s body which was only a few yards away. EMTs arrived on the scene with police once the building was deemed cleared. The pair of emergency personnel turned the body over like a sack of potatoes. Harvey’s body thumped as they turned him face up. A shard of glass was sticking out of his neck, giving off a reflection as lights stuck it from many angles. The EMT’s checked for a pulse. Sully knew they wouldn’t find one. They moved his face around inspecting the gunshot wound on his forehead. It had been a clean shot, through and through - just like his father taught him. Sully wasn’t proud of killing Harvey but knew it had been necessary. He actually felt sad that he had to kill the man and wondered who he was. Did he have a family? A wife? Kids? Why did he attack them? Why risk it? His trance however was suddenly interrupted by his mothers voice calling his name again.

“Yea, of course. I’ll stay with her,” Sully responded as Dorthy gave him orders to follow Rory to the hospital. He took one last glance at Harvey as police started to flood the dead man. Sully left, heading over to Rory to make sure his sister was okay. Upon putting on her figure he called out.

“You okay, sis?!” He asked, his limp coming back.

Misty Gray
Bellz
ReverseTex
neverbackdown

 

[neverbackdown]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham -

Julia Fletcher

&

Victoria "Rory" Fletcher
​

When Dorothy asked about an exit wound, Julia shook her head “I can’t see one, I’m not sure”. She knew she needed to move Rory to get a better look but the pained groan from Rory made Julia hesitant to move her again once she had placed her gently back down. Shaking her head at Rory’s comment a look of amusement passed her expression for a moment before her expression dropped at the mention of Sully. Noting the panic in Dorothy’s voice, Julia positioned herself onto her heels and rose slightly to be able to look over the table as she looked around for a man with blonde hair. “I can’t see him but he was at the bar, I’m sure he took shelter behind it” she mused in the most reassuring tone she could muster as she continued to scan the area.

“I’m fine Mum its just my shoulder” Rory reassured her mother. She hated to see her mother upset like this, but she could understand why she was stressed, one child was shot and the other two were m.i.a but all they could do was reassure her that everyone was ok. Rory looked up in time to see Julia’s face drop to a sour expression and her mother protectively moved to be in front of them, raising an eyebrow Rory wondered who could evoke such a reaction and readied herself to move in front of both her mother and sister in law if it was a threating figure but she allowed herself to relax when she saw Robert over the table. “Thank you, I hope your lot are ok” while she didn’t necessarily agree with that statement nor did she care about the Walker clan, she couldn’t help but realise that he was a dad and was probably feeling the exact same fear and anger as her mother was currently experiencing.

“Be careful Mum” Rory pleaded as Dorothy stood up and moved off to find her missing siblings before she turned her attention back to Julia. “I’m fine, it doesn’t even hurt that much I think we should…..” Unsurprisingly Julia shut her down before Rory could even finish her sentence. “Not a chance Rory, you heard you Mother you are staying here till medical arrives and besides your as pale as a ghost” Rory sighed but the look on Julia’s face made her silent “Its okay to not always be so tough Rory”. Her eyes got drawn to the white towel turning red under Julia’s hand and she quickly ripped her eyes away from it as she tried to focus on anything else to ignore the pain coming from her shoulder.

Hearing a familiar voice, Rory opened her eyes to see Sully approaching them “definitely been better but at least I’m not bored anymore” she joked as she looked him over, wincing slightly at how weak her own voice sounded. “Looks like you need medical too” she commented as she noticed the limp and the awkward angle he seemed to be resting his leg. "Have you seen Mum yet she was looking for you?"

Julia immediately shot into mother mode as she kept one hand firmly applying pressure on Rory’s shoulder and turned in her stance to be looking at Sully as she scanned his leg for any sign of blood. “You weren’t shot as well, were you?” she questioned concern clear in her tone but relief played on her expression as Sully confirmed he hadn’t. "Sit down, take the pressure of it" Julia motioned towards one of the chairs beside them.

As people began to flood into the room, Julia looked over the table again and noted the uniform of the paramedics “over here” she shouted to gain their attention. She kept the pressure on Rory’s shoulder with the towel until Rory was placed onto a stretcher and another paramedic took her place. “I don’t know if there was an exit wound and she’s lost a lot of blood” Julia’s voice faltered as she looked at the pool of blood where Rory had been lying, she took a shaky few breaths before looking back up towards the paramedics and Rory, noting now under the lights how pale the younger girl was and how much younger she seemed now with her eyes closed and evidently in pain, it was one of the only times that Julia had ever seen Rory like this and she didn’t like it one bit. The paramedics brought attention to her bright red hands and Julia looked down towards them, the skin now a deep and glistening red from Rory’s shoulder “I’m um … I’m fine this is her blood but um He’s also injured” she pointed towards Sully drawing the paramedics attention away from her and towards Sully.

Looking around the room, Julia couldn’t help the growing fear within her as she saw no sign of Tony in the room. She looked at the siblings before sighing “I need to find Tony” she commented as she grabbed onto Rory hand. “You will be fine, no fighting other patients and we’ll be there soon” she commented in a teasing tone as she squeezed her hand before looking towards Sully “We’ll meet you at the hospital as soon as we can, we also need to let Sammy and Penny know, no doubt this news is going to spread fast” letting go off Rory’s hand, Julia turned away from them and began to walk towards the door where she had last saw Tony leave. She had heard comments on how he had been arrested and sighed in frustration as she opened the door and stepped outside.

*****

Eyes closed with a tight-lipped expression it took everything in Rory not to cry out at the pain that the moving stretcher was causing. As they loaded her into the ambulance waiting outside, Rory opened her eyes in time to spot the paramedic offering for Sully to go in the back with them.

“Okay I'm really sorry about this but deep breath” The paramedics voice was drowned out by the searing pain that spread through Rory’s body as they moved her onto her side to examine the shoulder “no exit wound … It’ll be surgery, send word forward that she'll need blood she … ” each word seemed to get quieter as Rory watched the paramedic address his colleague and Sully, she strained to hear what they were saying but she couldn’t make out the words, she couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in her ears. She caught eye contact with Sully then everything went black as her eyes closed and she drifted into unconsciousness.

*****

For Julia (now outside)
Misty Gray (Tony) Bellz (Dorothy) & ReverseTex ( Malcolm)

For Rory (Ambulance/Hospital)
BeyondDandy (Sully)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham -

Caroline Walker​

Caroline was relieved when Richard came back to his senses. The man had worried her for a moment. With his complaint about not being able to take a nap, she quickly shook her head. "Absolutely not! Only when you're in that hospital bed and I know you'll be okay with you be allowed to sleep," she firmly told him.

The medical teams were finally able to enter the mess that was the venue. Two of the male medics were directed to Richard and soon arrived on the scene to tend to his wound. Caroline stood up and took a step back as they assessed his leg. Watching as they reapplied their own tourniquet, she wiped her hands clean on one of the many towels that had now been left around the place to be used on the wounded.

Caroline felt herself breathe a sigh of relief when Robert briefly joined them, putting his arm around her shoulders whilst Richard was being lifted onto a stretcher. "I need you to go to the hospital with Richard," Robert informed her. Despite his ability to maintain a stoic expression and mask his feelings, Caroline could see her husband was under a lot of strain. It wasn't a surprise given the warzone around them.

"This is nothing we can't handle," she firmly assured Robert, having already sensed something had been off with him when she switched places to tend to Richard. She knew her husband well enough to know seeing his wingman bleeding and with a wounded leg would no doubt bring about memories of his time at war. That in turn would have naturally cast his thoughts back to Max, the Nazi who had tortured Robert for two months.

"I know," Robert simply replied to his wife. "Felicity is safe and well. Sully Fletcher stepped in to stop one of those bastards from harming her," he explained. Before Caroline could make any comments about the Fletchers, Robert took a step forward to address Richard as the medics lifted the stretcher ready to get him into the ambulance.

"I'm afraid I have no choice but to remain here and do the rounds," Robert explained to his brother. "Caroline will stay with you to make sure you don't go causing any trouble at the hospital," he lightly commented. "I'll get to the hospital as soon as I'm able to. I'm sure you'll be fine. What's another gunshot wound, hey?" he teased. After squeezing Richard's shoulder, he took a step back so the medics could carry the stretcher past him.

Caroline leaned in to kiss Robert's lips. "Alfie and Felicity will be here to help out. You can't be everywhere and do everything," she reassured her husband. On that note, she rushed to catch up to Richard. "I suppose I have a date with the hospital waiting room this evening. You're too kind to me, Richard."

With Caroline: ReverseTex (Richard)

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham -

Tony Fletcher​

Tony didn't need an excuse to get riled up in the Sergeant's presence, so thankfully Jackie and Scott took the initiative to walk away rather than continuing any altercation. Now, he could focus his attention on Sergeant Mitchell and the cop who was staring him down. "You do realise that every second you waste questioning me, you could be spending investigating who's actually behind this, don't you?" He pointed to the nearby gun in the ground, which had been wrestled out of Rowan's hand. "The guy you just arrested, you know, the one who just shot my sister? That's his gun, so you might want to take that in as evidence."

"We don't need you telling us how to do our jobs," Sergeant Mitchell warned Tony.

"That's right. You have the Walkers doing that. Half of your lot are on their payroll. so it makes sense you've got it in for me," Tony seriously told him.

"Alright, Fletcher. We're done," the Sergeant said, in a decisive manner. His face gave off some sense of satisfaction, doing nothing to change Tony's mind that the cops were on the Walkers' side. "Take him in," he said, signalling for the police officer to cuff Tony's hands behind is back in a rough manner.

Despite the aggressive officer, Tony seemed unfazed by the arrest, knowing full well he was innocent. There was no way they'd reasonably keep him in without evidence... at least, he hoped. Seeing Dorothy and Malc approaching, with Julia a short distance behind them, Tony suddenly did feel the gravity of the situation. He didn't want his mother and his wife to have to watch him being dragged off into a cop car. "Mum. Julia. I'll be alright," he reassured them. "This has to be Robert's doing; getting me arrested for all this, but the pigs will soon realise they've got nothing on me," he assured them. "Fuckin' Walkers need to get their heads out of their arses and figure out who's really behind this."

"I was happy to take you in for questioning, but you had to get mouthy," Sergeant Mitchell reminded him. The man then looked at Dorothy and Julia. "We're taking him to the station and you can expect it to be a long night."

Knowing he didn't have much longer, Tony focused on Dorothy and Julia. "Is Rory alright? How bad is it?" he asked about his sister.

"Alright. Get him to the station," the Sergeant told the officer and motioned for another to help his colleague drag Tony into the back of a police car.

With Tony Sergeant Mitchell + Random Copper: Bellz (Dorothy) neverbackdown (Julia) ReverseTex (Malc)
Mentioned: purplecowdutch (Jackie)

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham -

Robert Walker​

Robert stayed silent as Dorothy and Sully had their moment together making sure they were each okay. He continued to observe as Malcolm joined them. It didn't make him feel at all uncomfortable being in the presence of only Fletchers. None of them gave him cause to worry and he wasn't a man easily disturbed anyway. He listened as Dorothy updated the others on Rory's condition. He was concerned to hear the young woman in question was in bad shape, even if she did still have her wits about her. He made a mental note to make sure to get an update on Rory's state once he'd got on top of the mess that was the evening's events.

Anything Robert was going to say was soon pushed aside when Malc informed them Sergeant Mitchell was taking Tony for questioning, clearly suspecting the Fletcher boss of being behind the attack. Part of Robert thought it might do Tony some good to be arrested and locked up for a bit, with the shock having potential to knock some sense into him. However, standing so close to Dorothy and knowing she would be worried about her eldest, Robert didn't find any pleasure in the thought.

Robert nodded at Dorothy when she said she was glad his group were okay. "Thank you. Do let me know how Rory gets on," he asked of her, holding his gaze at the woman for a short time. He could at least be grateful Dorothy wasn't caught in any of the crossfire too. "For what it's worth, I don't think Tony is behind this mess. Even he would't be that foolish," he remarked.

With the Fletcher bunch heading of to either Tony or Rory, Robert found himself on his own. A rare moment for him lately. With that, his thoughts had chance to shift to the front of his mind. Reaching his hand to his collar, he loosened his tie a little, starting to feel suffocated in the room. Even for a man as controlled as Robert, it was a lot to take in. Felicity could have been killed or taken by the attackers. The Mayor was dead. Rory had been shot. But it was Richard's injury that had stirred the worst of his memories. Something about his brother bleeding out from a gunshot wound took him back to the events of 1941. It was over thirty years ago, but the memories and nightmares of his own torture, Richard being shot, and their dear friend Ava being killed, all at the hands of Max, remained as fresh as they had been all those years ago.

Clearing his throat, Robert set about doing the rounds and checking in on the chaos around the room. His first stop was to see off Richard and Caroline as they headed to the hospital. He then continued to check in on others in the room...

OPEN FOR INTERACTION.

Mentions: BeyondDandy (Sully) Bellz (Dorothy) ReverseTex (Richard, Malc) neverbackdown (Rory)

 

[ReverseTex]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham, England -
- Monday 1st December 1975 -
Misty Gray

Dr. Richard Finley

​

Richard could feel his body fighting his brain, wanting to slip back into shock. Thankfully, the medics were on the scene. Caroline drifted from his side, allowing the medical team to do their work. “Did you fight in the war mate? That’s a proper tourniquet!” The paramedic asked, trying to keep him conscious and talking. “Mhm, your best to chop off the leg at this point, lad. Got a bloody metal rod running through the lower half, now this hunk of lead.” He could feel the searing pain from loosening his makeshift tourniquet, then the unbearable pain from the pressure of the new one. He winced, reeling back in pain. “My dad fought in the war too! We’ll get you to the hospital quickly. You’re keeping the leg on my watch.”

The boys hoisted him onto a stretcher, thankful to finally have something comfortable under his head. He took a deep breath, the pain from his leg starting to become secondary compared to his blood loss. Glancing over to where Caroline disappeared, he spotted Robert. He hadn’t seen his brother’s stare so distant since the war. Tonight’s events were a clear reminder of the danger of it all, the risks his brother took to secure his dynasty… Robert stepped forward, clasping his shoulder supportively. Nodding along to his wingman’s words, he placed his own hand on top of his brother’s. He could feel the strain of the evening weighing on him, knowing his own injury didn’t help. “Do what you need to do, Robert.” He said distantly, letting go of his brother’s hand. “I’d rather have Carol anyways, she won’t fuss over me like you do.” He teased back, referring to their war days. When he was wheeled away, he finally leaned back to fully rest. He was just about to drift to sleep, but as promised, Caroline snapped him awake. “A test of your patience no doubt.” He chuckled lightly. “You’ll have company to pester while I finally get a reprieve from you.” Even though his tease was targeted at the Fletchers, he was glad to have Caroline with him.

Once loaded in the ambulance, the bright lights and hovering paramedics nauseated him. The pokes from the IV and blood bags felt secondary amidst the whirlwind and injury. He could finally rest. As he drifted unconscious, he could hear the medical staff talk amongst themselves…

*****************************
​

A rhythmic beeping was the first thing he heard, his senses slowly coming back. Richard’s eyes flickered, expecting to be blinded by the harsh lighting, but surprised to see the lights had been dimmed. His vision was blurred, his glasses likely in Caroline’s custody, as he tried to make out the room he was in. He could tell his leg was heavily bandaged and swollen, the pain medication numbing it entirely. “Carol?” He asked, unsure how long he was out. “What’s the status of everything?” He sighed, hoping for an update on his surgery and the kids.

---

In scene: Misty Gray BasDorcha

Bonnie Moody

​

Bonnie couldn’t help but lean into Alfie when he draped his arm around her, thankful for the embrace after this evening. When he went to inspect her face, as she did him for injuries, she softened her stare. Despite his condition, it was sweet to see his care. His joke earned a light giggle, staring down at her feet for a moment. “I didn’t want to dig my heel out of that bastard. If being practical and not walking on one heel is a Texan thing, then I fear you might need to keep socks handy.” She smiled, letting him lean in for a kiss. Unlike their first kiss, full of lust and passion, this truly felt real. It was tender and kind, something that could be sustained. Even though he promised he was ok, the footsteps of the medical staff entering the gala hall meant he needed to be checked out. “You’re getting examined, like it or not, mister.” From her seat on the floor, she waved her hand to flag down a spare medic.

Once one made their way over, she scooted aside to let them work. “I think he blew an eardrum. Nothing compared to a gunshot, but I'm sure it's serious.” Bonnie explained, collecting herself off the ground. Even if Alfie wouldn’t admit it, he’d likely need to seek medical treatment. She crossed her arms while she stood over them, observing. All of a sudden, she felt a piercing gaze on her back. Turning her head, a part of her dropped in fear, Robert Walker approached.

Bonnie moved aside to let Alfie’s father into the mix, allowing him to inspect his son. Before he could inquire, she decided to speak up. “We haven’t met yet,” she said firmly. “Bonnie Moody,” keeping her arms crossed. It wasn’t for a lack of pleasantries, but with how bloody his dad was she didn’t feel the need to shake his hand. “He’s hard of hearing at the moment, so now’s the time to tell me all the baby stories.” She joked a light smile to follow.

Her eyes scanned the room, noticing the crowd was truly disappearing. Alfie’s mom seemed to go with his uncle, and some of the other guests left with a young girl. Just the stragglers and dead remained. “Whatever you need help with, Mr. Walker, I'm here.”

---

 

[Misty Gray]

Robert Walker​

Robert stopped by the Henderson Family as the police surrounded the Mayor's body and secured the crime scene around Gerald. With the medic having bandaged David's leg wound, police officers proceeded to dragging him off so they could get him to the station. The Detective leading the scene around the Mayor's body asked for the area to be cleared, prompting Robert to approach Gerald's wife. "Please accept my condolences, Margaret," he told the woman as he put his arm around her shoulder to draw her in for a consoling embrace.

"I want that bastard to suffer," the tearful woman quietly told Robert, the grief and turmoil evident in her voice.

"Rest assured, he will be punished for this," Robert firmly told her. "Along with anyone else who was behind the attack." He wasn't going to say it out loud, but whether voluntarily or not, David would talk. Robert would make sure the truth was dragged out of the bastard through whatever means were deemed necessary. "Margaret, you should take Beth and the lads away form here whilst the police do their job. You'll find Felicity in the hotel lobby and she'll locate somewhere private for you all to wait," he suggested.

With the Hendersons leaving the hall, Robert naturally set eyes on Alife and Bonnie, so approached the two next. His son was being tended to by a medic, having apparently sustained some kind of damage to his ear. Bonnie stepped aside, allowing Robert to crouch down to Alfie's level. "Are you okay?" he asked his son, looking him over to check he didn't have any other injuries. With the medic wanting to tend to his son, Robert stood back up and gave them some space for the time-being.

Roberts attention then landed on Bonnie. The woman was the reason for his recent argument with Alfie and he still wasn't sure what she was hiding, and if it needed to concern him. She took the initiative to introduce herself first. "Miss Moody, I've heard plenty about you," he greeted her with an amicable smile. "Robert Walker," he told her in return. "But I'm certain you've already gathered that."

With the comment about Alfie being hard of hearing and joking about telling her the baby stories, he smirked and nodded. The fact was, Robert didn't have baby stories of his own about Alfie. Due to the war and being stationed in Cairo, Robert hadn't even met his son until the boy was three years old, on the same day he finally returned home to Birmingham after the war had ended. "I have more embarrassing stories from his teenage years," he knowingly remarked.

"I think you've done quite enough - by helping keep that animal disarmed," Robert responded to her offer of help. Given that she'd helped keep David under control and put a bullet in the man's leg in the process, he was at least grateful for that. "I believe most people are now leaving or accounted for elsewhere in the building. If you could stay with my hard of hearing son, that would be appreciated," he told her.

With Robert: ReverseTex (Bonnie) BasDorcha (Alfie)

 

[BasDorcha]

The Royal Hotel

-Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham-​

Alfie Walker

As fast as she had come to sit next to him, leaning into his kiss, returning it even, it was over and she was moving away. A medic came and replaced her, earning a grimacing face from him as if he didn't need to be fussed over. The man checked over his pulse, his dilation of his pupils, checking for bullet wounds and other major injuries before he finally turned to his face and ears. The man examining him snapped next to his left ear a few times, but when Alfie never flinches or even seemed to hear it, he nodded as if he had come to a decision. Quietly, he continued on, bandaging the wound above his eyebrow where he had been smacked around with the butt of a gun, mopping the blood from his face before cleaning his ear and neck as best he could.

Alfie attempted to push the man away, "I'm fine doc." He said, trying to squirm like a child forced to sit in time out. The doctor looked at him and shook his head, saying loudly. "Sit still, I've seen kids behave better than you." With a pout, Alfie sighed and sat still until his father showed up. Embarrassed at having gotten a wolloping in front of his old man, his ears turned pink as Alfie tried to remain stoic. As his father looked him over, he gently pushed him away much like he did the nurse, giving the old man a thumbs up. "I'm fine. Just a little more hard of hearing than normal." He smiled lightly.

He watched interestedly as his dad and Bonnie interacted. He wanted very much for the two of them to get along, or at least for his dad to relent a little. Alfie knew everyone would think he was daft, but he had seriously fallen for the woman with her fierce show of strength tonight, reminding him so much of what he had always had in mind as his ideal mate. She didn't flinch, she didn't turn into some soft, fragile thing that couldn't handle what was going on around them, she stood her ground, even helped defend him. It was like nothing he had ever experienced and hoped he could secure to be his forever. She would think he was crazy too, he was sure. It wasn't something he was going to shout from the roof tops right this moment. Just one day. Soon.

Watching them talking he tried to read their lips, but being unpracticed at it failed to pick up more than a few words at best. Instead he waited until the doctor finally moved away, stopping at Robert and Bonnie to explain what had happened.

"He's got a ruptured ear drum. He will need to see a doctor officially to see if we can repair the damage and ensure he still has hearing in that ear. We can either take him in now, or he can schedule an appointment to see someone, but the sooner the better."

ReverseTex - Bonnie
Misty Gray - Robert

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham -

Caroline Walker​

This was far from the first time Caroline found herself anxiously waiting in a hospital waiting room. As she sat on her own, memories of the time Charles had broken his arm during a fight at school shifted to the front of her mind. He'd only been eight years old at the time and she'd been worried as hell about her son's injury. With Robert away on business, it had been Richard who had accompanied her and Charles to the hospital. It was the first time the two bonded, having gotten off to a terrible start with each other. Richard had helped her get through seeing her little boy hurt. In turn, she'd been able to comfort and reassure Charles he would be okay. She had always wanted to be there for her son; to comfort him and to keep him safe. As she now sat alone in the waiting room, all she could think of was that she hadn't been there for her eldest son when he was killed. He was left to die alone, and that knowledge never stopped eating away at her. She wasn't there to comfort Charles that night.

Caroline was snapped out of her thoughts when the nurse repeated her name to tell her Richard was out of surgery. She was soon led to the room her brother-in-law was being kept in. With the man still unconscious, Caroline sat down in the chair at his bedside. he looked down at her silver dress, which was now stained with patches of blood. None of that mattered as long as Richard was still alive. It was the Mayor's family she felt most sorry for tonight. She understood exactly how they would be feeling.

Richard soon stirred, prompting Caroline to correct her posture and sit up straight. "Look who finally decided to wake up," she drily greeted him, but couldn't hide the natural smile from her face. "Well, I talked the surgeon into letting you keep your leg, but they said you have to stop trying to lose it. This is your last chance," she teased him. Having called for updates during the wait, she could tell him about their family too. "Alfie has a ruptured eardrum, but he's getting it treated, so I'm hoping they can't fix him up," she said, the relief clear in her voice. "Felicity had a scare with one of the bastards grabbing her, but Sully Fletcher helped her," she explained. "She's keeping herself busy at the hotel, which comes as no surprise," she trailed off. "Thomas and Jackie are unscathed, and Robert's currently spinning plates keeping everything under control."

Reaching to the nearby table, she retrieved Richard's glasses and held them out for him. "This room leaves a lot to be desired, but I'll let you enjoy the view more clearly. How are you feeling?" she asked him.

With Caroline: ReverseTex (Richard)

 

[ReverseTex]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham, England -
- Monday 1st December 1975 -
Misty Gray

Dr. Richard Finley
​

Lazily, Richard rubbed his eyes, hoping to shake off the drugs. He didn’t enjoy feeling sedated, even if it meant his leg pain was gone. Especially after the night’s events, it all felt like a jumbled bad dream. Caroline was still awake, surprisingly, when he called her name. Thankfully she was quick with her updates. None of the children were gravely injured, Alfie taking the brunt of it if anything. He nodded along, grateful to hear the good news.

“Thank you, dear,” he said once he took his frames. Luckily they weren’t damaged in the firefight. Sliding them on, the room unfogged and Caroline became more than a blur. Immediately his eyes noticed the blood on her dress, causing him to wince. “Well I sure made a mess of that dress, I'm sorry.” He remarked. Of course, he knew he couldn’t help the situation, but it didn’t feel great to stare at his blood on his sister-in-law. “If it’s any consolation, you looked stunning from my view on stage.” He said with a warm smile.

“Considering I can’t feel anything, I'm quite well. I’ll be curious to see how my leg manages to fare once all this is said and done. But I'd rather have a bad leg than any of us be dead on the floor.” He added sadly. The Mayor’s death was unfortunate and unnecessary in the grand scheme of things. Whoever planned this attack wanted Robert dead and maybe the Mayor. Gerald was a good man, despite being a politician. He didn’t deserve to be slaughtered like an animal. “I’m worried about the town, Caroline.” He admitted. “With Gerald gone, there’s going to be a bit of chaos. We need to keep everyone safe.” Implying the family as well as Birmingham in general.

Characteristically, the weight of the world fell on his shoulders. Even in sickness, he couldn’t help but worry about the safety of others before his own. “Thank you for staying, Carol. You didn’t have to, you know?” He sighed, glancing over to his friend. All those years ago Charles rushed back in his head, here for a silly broken arm. He’d been here for the birth of some of the kids too. If the roles were reversed, he knew he’d have guarded the door all night for her if he had to.

---

In scene: Misty Gray BasDorcha

Bonnie Moody

​

Bonnie politely smiled when Robert introduced himself, the fact he knew about her was troubling. That wasn’t a cause for immediate concern at present, with Alfie’s state as well as the carnage around them. As the pair stood over Alfie, his father chimed into her joke. Teenage Alfie had to be a mess! Per Robert’s request, she nodded. Babysitting a deaf Alfie wouldn’t be an impossible task. “I think I can handle that,” she joked, looking down at Alfie.

The medic approached the two of them, explaining the diagnosis. Alfie had a busted ear drum. She nodded, a small scoff escaped when she recalled how the fool got the injury in the first place. “Mrs. Walker went to the hospital right?” She asked Robert, remembering she saw the woman load up in the ambulance with Alfie’s uncle. “I’ll go with him,” glancing up to his dad for approval. She didn’t want to make the medical decision for him but knew it was wise to take care of this sooner rather than later.

---

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham -

Caroline Walker​

Caroline rolled her eyes when Richard apologised for making a mess of her dress. "Yes, you really do need to be more careful with your blood the next time you get yourself shot. Maybe I'll send you a bill for the damages," she teased him. She displayed a warm smile when he complimented her on how she'd looking before the chaos. "Thank you. I appreciate that," she softly told him. Not many people would see it, on account of how she put up her walls and carried herself in a strong manner, but there were times when she felt vulnerable. Having Dorothy at the event only stirred up her insecurities. Seeing Robert around the Fletcher woman, given their past affair, was never pleasant for Caroline.

She could only agree when Richard said he'd rather be in his present situation than have any of them dead. "Let's hope it doesn't cause you too much trouble and you're back on your feet in no time. It's the least you deserve for saving Robert," she told him. "I don't know what I'd have done if I'd lost him too..."

She understand where Richard was coming from when he voiced his fears for the city in the wake of the evening's attack. "There's not a lot we can do where the Mayor's position is concerned, but this family needs to strengthen and assert our control over Birmingham. Getting Tony locked up is a good start, along with taking down the Fletchers as a whole. The lack of action over my son's death needs rectifying so anyone else out on the streets will remember who's in charge here."

Caroline quickly shook her head when Richard thanked her for staying at the hospital with him. "Don't be silly. You're family and I wanted to stay. I wouldn't dream of leaving you here alone!"

With Caroline: ReverseTex (Richard)

Robert Walker​

Under normal circumstances, Robert would likely have taken steps to keep Bonnie away from Alfie and let the family tend to him, rather than a young woman he still didn't know enough about. However, tonight was a different ballgame. Most of the Walkers were scattered around and occupied in some form or another. Robert couldn't exactly be picky and his son seemed to trust the young woman enough for the time-being.

The medic confirmed Alfie's diagnosis, that he had a ruptured eardrum and emphasised the importance of getting it treated as soon as possible. Bonnie drew Robert;s attention back to her when she asked about Caroline being at the hospital. "Yes, she did," he replied. The Texan then offered to go with Alfie. Given the fact he had a lot still to deal with at the hotel, Robert knew he didn't have much of a choice. "Okay," he agreed, glancing at Alfie whilst nodding his end. "Accompany him to the hospital and if you get the opportunity, try to find my wife and make her aware of Alfie's situation," he told her.

After telling Alfie to get to the hospital with the medic and Bonnie, Robert managed to intercept Sergeant Mitchell as the police officer returned inside after having Tony and Rowan taken off to the station in cop cars. "Make your superiors aware I'll be paying them a visit as soon as I'm able to," he told the Sergeant. "One way or another, I want the truth dragged out of the Mayor's killer and the one who shot the young Fletcher woman," he said, referring to David and Rowan.

"What of Tony Fletcher? The shooter we arrested outside was adamant Fletcher paid him to carry out the attack. Not to mention, Mrs. Walker seemed pretty certain he was behind it too," Sergeant Mitchell pointed out.

"The word of any coward who would shoot up a charity event means little to me. With enough persuasion and patience from your lot and mine, both of the shooters will squeal in time. Neither my wife nor I have any evidence Tony is involved in this. But, by all means, you and your colleagues do what you have to do. Put some pressure on him. Perhaps it'll give him some time to sit back and think, but I doubt you'll find any solid evidence to charge him with anything." Robert had told Dorothy her son would end up in trouble one day. Even if this wasn't quite Tony's fault, it was still no surprise. Robert had agreed with the woman to back off where Tony was concerned, but this wasn't his own doing and he had no reason to believe the police could hold him for long. Robert was happy to let Tony stew for now.

BasDorcha (Alfie) ReverseTex (Bonnie)
Mentioned: Bellz (Dorothy)

 

[BeyondDandy]

The Royal Hotel
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham -

SULLY FLETCHER
​

The intravenous bag dripped loudly in the quiet room. It sounded like the tick of a broken clock needle stuck on twelve, trying aggressively to fast forward time. Sully lay comfortable on the lounge chair near the rear window of the hospital room. He closed the blinds but would peek out to the parking lot from time to time to see if he could spot his mom and the rest of his family. The wooden chair creaked as he shifted. His knee was throbbing despite the anti-inflammatory and pain relieving drugs the nurse had given him. He had a fresh white shirt on and a pair of shorts a little too short for his long legs, but the material was light and pleasant on his skin. He had gotten a shower and was free of Harvey’s blood.

A knock came at the front door. The nurse stepped into the room soon after with a soft smile on her face. She was a bigger set lady. Short and stubby. Her brunette hair was set into a high bob and her nails were painted pink. She had a clipboard between her hands and drew a pen from her scrub pocket.

“How are we feeling?” She asked Sully as her eyes scanned the monitors near Rory.

Sully sat up on the chair, more creaks from the polished polywood under him. He grunted lightly as he forced his elbows over his knees and leaned forward.

“I’m fine. How is Rory?” Sully asked.

The nurse turned towards him as she wrote something down on her chart. She looked up at Sully as she stuffed her pen back in her pocket.

“Her vitals are great. She should be waking up very soon.” The nurse said.

She dug a piece of paper from under another and clipped it to the top of her clipboard. She eyed it over. Her pupils moved quickly, she was a fast reader. Sully assumed she was an avid reader by the subtle changes in facial expressions while she read. She seemed to have a vivid imagination. She moved towards Sully, handing him the clipboard. Sully stood from his chair in response. Despite the pain that shot through the front of his leg, his mother taught him better. Out of respect, he had to stand up to accept the paperwork. He looked it over. The sheet had his name and surname on the top left hand corner, date of birth, address and a list of other personal information. It went on to cover the medicines that he was given, the reason he got treatment and all of the vitals they had checked for when he first walked through the hospital doors with Rory and the ambulance crew. The nurse unclipped the pen from her pocket again and handed it to Sully.

The nurse said “If everything looks correct, please sign it on the bottom.”

Sully looked it over again, punched the tip of the pen through by clicking the mechanism and signed. He huffed, knowing the hospital bills were coming later. He didn’t have any money and dressed the idea of owing someone something for something he had no control over. Had he known the hotel was going to be attacked, he would have gladly declined Walker's invitation. He handed the clipboard and the pen back to the nurse. She nodded and smiled at him before returning her attention to Rory. She looked over her vitals again, second check, likely procedure. Everything was the same, there had been no changes.

“I’ll be back later when Rory wakes to bring you both some dinner.” She said with a smile. She then stopped right before she got to the door and turned to Sully one last time.

“There are two policemen stationed outside of the room. They’re going to have questions about what happened at the hotel.” She whispered before opening the door and leaving the room. Sully stumbled forward for a peek as the door swung shut. He noticed a blue sleeve standing at attention to the right of the door. Then the door shut and silence returned to the room. With a sigh, Sully rested against the wall, crossing his arms across his chest. He looked up at Rory. “What the hell did Tony get us into, sis?” He asked rhetorically.

- - -​

After about an hour, it had become too dark for Sully to make anything of the parking lot. He could no longer put names or nicknames to the bodies that walked into the hospital because he couldn’t see them. If his family had come in, he would have missed it. He had fallen asleep until his internal alarm woke him. His eyes blew open as though a gust of wind struck his eyelids and blew them back. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes as he forced himself to sit up. The chair creaks annoying him. He scanned the room, nobody but he and Rory. He looked up at the clock near the door. He’d fallen asleep for about twenty minutes. A short nap. But a much needed one. He felt refreshed.

When he turned to face his sister, he noticed she had shifted in the bed. She was lying supine before, but had now turned to her side. She was making noises, as if experiencing a nightmare. Sully shot to his feet. He was surprised how much the pain had subsided in his leg. His knee was numb and heavy, but the pain was minimal. The medicine must’ve finally kicked in. He neared the bed and found his sister’s arm with his hand. He placed his palm gently on her arm and rubbed it, trying to calm her. He recalled doing the same as a kid.

Sully and Rory shared a room as kids. It was a small bedroom, maybe a few hundred square feet. Two twin beds opposite each other against the walls. One desk for the two to share for homework and crafts. Buckets of toys in the wardrobe near the corner of the room. It was small and intimate. If one of them sneezed, snored or farted the other would know. So Rory’s night terrors caused her bedsheets to shift and rub against each other. It created friction and a lot of noise in the quiet dark. It was like rubbing sandpaper. It made a flakey gritty noise that would wake Sully from his sleep. He would sit up, rub his eyes, shift to his right as his bare feet hit the cold wooden tile. He would skip over to his sister like an agile zombie. He would put his hand on her arm and rub it until her nightmare went away. He’d cover her back up with her comforter and put her back to a gentle sleep then return to his own bed to resume his own.

Looking at her from above as she calmed brought back those memories. This time however, his gentle touch woke her from that sleep. Sully smiled as her eyes grew open.

“Hey, sis.” He said quietly.

He turned and dragged the chair near her bed. He sat himself down next to her as Rory gathered consciousness. Her entire shoulder was wrapped with bandages and gauze from surgery. The bullet had been a through-and-through so it would not leave any permanent muscle damage. Rory would simply need rest and time to return to her normal life. She was very strong, like their mother. But reminded Sully so much of their father.

Sully asked “How are you feeling?”

He hated seeing his sister in the state she was in. He was relieved she had woken and was okay, but couldn’t help but think how his father had forced this life upon them. The shooters at the gala were there for the Walkers, that much was clear. Sully had a gun pointed at him, but Harvey hadn’t taken the shot when he had the chance. That told Sully he was not their target, but actually Felicity. They had also taken fire at Robert. Rory unfortunately took the brunt of it by simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Sully couldn’t help but generate theories on who hired those gunmen. Most of his theories fell on his brother Tony. Intent. Desire. Need. He had all those things. Getting rid of Robert and his family gives Tony the city and the power he’s always yearned for. But he wouldn’t put his family in that kind of risk. Sully consults believe that. Then again, he’d been gone for years and Tony had changed. Maybe he did do it.

“There are two coopers outside. They’re going to come in here soon and ask you questions about what happened at the gala. Don’t tell them anything. Act a peach.” Sully said with a grin.

Rory was a beautiful girl, but she was not a peach. On the contrary, she would likely be compared to a dragonfruit or a hard shelled fruit like a coconut. But at this moment she had to put on the peachiest front she could as the room door swung open and two men in blue darted in with their guns, badges and questions. Sully stepped closer to the bed and grabbed Rory’s arm firmly, prepared to protect her.

neverbackdown

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 5 - The Aftermath
- Wednesday 17th December 1975 -
Late Afternoon - Cold, Dry, Clear Skies
...2 weeks later...

***************

Temple Street Cafe
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Tony Fletcher​

Following the attack two weeks ago, Tony had been kept at the station and questioned by the police for three days. They'd gone around in circles, trying their best to catch him out or to get him to confess to a crime he'd had no part in. The police had even dragged up Charles' death again and tried to add that to the list of charges they wanted to pin on him. Although he would never admit to a something he hadn't done, Tony had felt the pressure weighing him down to the point where he was convinced he'd end up in prison just like his father. In the end, the police had to release him, but he'd remained under investigation for the charges of conspiracy to murder.

As much as Tony was suffering in his own thoughts, both David and Rowan, who had been charged with murder and attempted murder respectively, had been suffering more during those days. With the help of his contacts on the inside, Robert had made sure their days in jail were as unpleasant as possible. After enough physical and psychological suffering, Rowan eventually squealed and admitted he'd lied about Tony's involvement. Robert hadn't done it to help Tony, but instead so his arrest didn't distract from investigating who was really behind the attack and to get some for of revenge on those who had harmed Richard and Rory, along with killing the Mayor. That, and Robert had wanted to spare Dorothy the pain Tony's arrest would cause her. As much as her son was a damn pain in the neck, she didn't need to suffer for him.

Although the charges on Tony had been dropped and he was no longer being investigated for the attack two weeks ago, he hadn't been the same since his arrest. He'd been quiet and lost in his thoughts. It was bad enough having the Walkers and the police thinking he'd planned the attack and killed Charles, but he felt like some of his own family and friends had their suspicions too. He couldn't let anyone find out what Marco had done, but he needed people to believe him about Charles.

Relations with Robert were poor, and Caroline was completely unreasonable, but one person Tony felt was level-headed was Richard. That was why he'd arranged to meet the man in a neutral cafe in the city centre. Usually likely to saunter into a place with little time to spare and a chip on his shoulder, that wasn't the case today. Tony had arrived at the cafe in good time and was seated at a quiet table in the corner by one of the windows.

When Richard entered the place, Tony stood and offered to help the man into his chair if needed. "Thank you for coming," he greeted him before sitting back in his seat. "How's the leg holding up?" he asked him. Whilst his tone was confident, it lacked the usual energy Tony tended to carry with him.

ReverseTex (Richard)

The Crown Pub
- Small Heath, Birmingham, England -

Felicity Walker​

Despite nobody blaming her or criticising her for the event, Felicity had felt some responsibility for the attack in the hotel. Even if she knew she couldn't have prevented it, it still didn't stop the many thoughts of what if that had been crossing her mind. It had been her best chance yet to prove to her father that she was capable of taking on a serious role in the family business and it had all turned to chaos. The Mayor was dead and her uncle had been injured, not to mention the other victims.

Felicity hated feeling like she had no control, but one way she could regain that and potentially impress Robert in the process, was to press ahead with the plans she'd made with Sully. She'd managed to secure a warehouse where Sully's contact could have the product delivered to and stored in.

Of course, part of her need for control meant she wasn't about to just hand the key over to Sully. Therefore, she'd arranged to meet the Fletcher man at some shithole pub in a less savoury part of the city than she tended to venture into. Once they were both there, they'd move on to the warehouse to meet Sully's American contact.

Dressed in casual clothes and free of her usual heels, she looked far less glamourous than was normal for her. Her make-up was minimal and her hair hardly styled. The last thing she wanted to do was walk around in this neighbourhood looking like she had money to throw away. Despite not liking dressing down, she had to admit it matched her mood and it was a break from making the effort.

Despite the winter coat she was wearing, she was glad to get out of the cold and into the warmth of the dive bar. As she felt the soles of her boots sticking to the grubby wooden floor, she had to force herself to hide her distaste from her face. The pub was across the street from the warehouse, so it had been an ideal meeting location. No matter how much of a dump it was. Looking around, she hoped to find Sully before she'd have to order a drink from the unkempt looking barman up ahead.

BeyondDandy (Sully)
BasDorcha (Alfie)

The Walker Residence
- Edgbaston, Birmingham, England -

Robert Walker​

Robert was always good at maintaining a calm and cool presence to those observing him, but it didn't mean he was feeling quite so confident at present. For all of the control and commands he'd been giving since the attack at the hotel, he wasn't feeling quite so strong in reality. Seeing Richard shot and bleeding out had dragged to the surface a lot of bad memories from their time in the war. Not to mention, the tactics used to force David and Rowan to squeal hadn't been unfamiliar territory. Though not near the level of torture Robert himself had endured in 1941, it only served to remind him of how far he was willing to go to maintain control of the city.

Robert wasn't known for sitting around the house, but he'd done plenty of that over the last few days. Someone had attempted to kill him, but that didn't bother him. He'd survived worse and had been aware a long time ago that the nature of his business meant he had many enemies. What had got to him wasn't just the Mayor's death, but the fact Richard and Rory had been shot with bullets he firmly believed were intended for himself.

Caroline had stormed out of the house a short time ago, having confronted him about his low mood. She believed Richard didn't want him moping around and she didn't care that Rory had been shot. Robert hadn't had time for the argument and put an abrupt stop to it. Not wanting to cause a scene and drag Thomas into it, Caroline had gone out for a drive and some fresh air.

With his half consumed glass of whiskey on the coffee table, Robert had sat back on the sofa to relax. Having had many sleepless nights lately, he ended up nodding off in the chair. Not long after, he shot awake in a cold sweat and practically rushed up to his feet. Clutching at his abdomen and gasping for air, he stumbled in a dizzy haze as he walked towards the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He didn't get far before knocking the vase off of the table in the hallway, the loud smashing noise grabbing Thomas' attention...

neverbackdown (Thomas)

Dorothy Fletcher's House
- Aston, Birmingham, England -

Caroline Walker​

Despite the shock of seeing Richard bleeding from his gunshot wound, Caroline had done well to pull herself together and be the strong one of the family. Between Richard and Alfie getting injured, Felicity taking a knock to her confidence, and Robert's PTSD showing itself, she felt like she had to be the strong one of the family.

It wasn't only Robert's past traumas that were worrying her, but also his apparent concern for the Fletchers. Tony had been cleared of any wrongdoing and that angered her, especially as her husband had played a part in enabling his freedom. Truth or not, he should have let the Fletchers deal with their own problems.

Fresh from her altercation with Robert, Caroline found herself parked up outside Dorothy's house. After sitting in the car for a short while, she finally stepped out of the vehicle and walked to the woman's front door. She knocked loudly and waited on the door step for the woman to answer. They'd been friends at one time, before Dorothy and Robert had an affair. Ever since then, she'd had no time for the woman. The damage their betrayal had caused couldn't be repaired.. . it would never really go away. Unless the Fletchers left.

Once Dorothy answered the door, Caroline looked at her. Maintaining as calm and neutral a tone as she could, she cleared her throat. "Dorothy. We need to talk," she told her. "Now would be a good time, if you're not busy..."

Bellz (Dorothy)

Active Cast: Misty Gray BasDorcha Bellz BeyondDandy neverbackdown purplecowdutch ReverseTex

 

[ReverseTex]

Temple Street Cafe
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -
- Monday 1st December 1975 -
Misty Gray

Dr. Richard Finley

​

Since the attack, Richard’s world was thrown for a loop. Confined to the hospital for half a week, he kept himself entertained with his readings and keeping up with the news. Mayor Henderson’s death was the most problematic outcome of the whole affair, at least to him. Even if Robert fussed over his state of affairs, neglecting the loss of the town’s political glue was unwise. Frankly, he didn’t care for Gerald, but he knew the ramifications of his absence were far worse than his time in office. Robert would assume the brunt of the city's burden on top of his ill mental state. Politics and city management weren’t his brother’s job. With his time in solitude, he started to mull over the idea of assuming the role. He could do it. Robert had enough influence with the weather folks to convince them to vote for a Labour man. He had enough sway with the younger demographic and the less-off folks. He could do it… By the time he was released, the university gave him paid leave until the next term. They’d find a suitable teaching assistant to polish up the end of the lectures and grading. For now, he just had to focus on getting better. Even though his home was two-floored, Richard managed to make do.

The day after he settled back in at home, he was surprised to get a call from Tony Fletcher. Of course, he knew the man was originally apprehended as a suspect for the attack. However, he didn’t believe that logic. It made no sense for him to coordinate that level of attack, especially with one of his own in the crossfire. So why could he want to meet? He knew he was amicable with the Fletchers, comparatively to Robert and Caroline. He didn’t have a score to settle or a reason to fight with them. So, it made sense that Tony wanted his consul. But what for? Whatever the reasoning was, he was certainly intrigued by the meeting. He’d be willing to share whatever Tony wanted to know if he got something in return.

After two weeks of recovery, Richard had to polish up before the meeting. With the bullet wound being in his upper thigh, thankfully his expected recovery time was shorter than when he shattered his lower leg. The swelling had gone down and the stitches were beginning to heal, which made hobbling around relatively easier. But now, a permanent dull pain lingered through his whole leg. Starting in his muscles from the top, all the way to his aching bone at the bottom. He knew that would never go away. So long as he could walk on it, eventually, he'd tolerate the pain. For today's adventure, he arranged for Robert’s driver to pick him up, considering his brother was in a bit of a hermit state. The cafe seemed innocent enough and he was surprised to see Tony already inside.

Richard crutched in, making his way over to Tony’s table. “Of course, I'm glad you reached out.” He said earnestly, outstreching his hand. Shaking a head at his assistance, he managed to slide into the chair quite easily. “I got good at getting around on these during the war, but thanks for the offer, Tony.” Setting his crutches aside on the window, he noticed the man lacked his usual vigor. Something seemed off like he was polished for the occasion. “Leg’s alright. I shattered my tibia during the war, so the leg’s already in bad shape. This was the nail in the coffin. But all things considered, I could be worse off…” He trailed, thinking of the Mayor. “So, what do you want to talk about?” Richard asked politely, careful not to pry. If he wanted to keep his standing, then he needed to converse carefully.

 

[neverbackdown]

The Walker Residence
- Edgbaston, Birmingham, England -
Thomas Walker
​

The last two weeks had been awkward to say the least in the Walker residence, some might even say uncomfortable, well it was for Thomas at least. Heightened emotions was not something that Thomas was particularly good at handling nor did he even know what to say. He still felt horrible for how he had reacted, frozen in fear unable to move as his brother and cousin jumped into action. He had wanted to show his worth to his father, show the family that he was capable of this life and to help fill the void that Charles had left and yet when faced with a crisis that needed assertive action, he failed, stuck to the floor unable to move or even breathe and he hated himself for it.

It didn't help that his mother and father seemed to be at odds since the ordeal. While Thomas didn't appreciate the hostility, he did kind of understand where his mother's anger was coming from but he was also able to see his father's position on things and that is why he did he best to stay out of their way, unwilling to become the mediator or potentially ending up on his mother's target list.

He had been hiding in his room waiting for the newest argument to blow over and was surprised to hear the front door slam closed. Curious, Thomas slowly and quietly snuck downstairs to note his mother's car was gone and his father was alone in the sitting room. Breathing a sigh of relief, Thomas entirely relaxed as he was now free to make food without the fear of an argument or a conversation on his own actions. He had peaked in to the sitting room to ask if his father wanted anything but noted he was asleep and decided against waking him up, he needed the rest anyway.

Thomas had just finished his snack and was in the process of cleaning his plate when the sound of breaking glass caught his attention. His eyes widened and before he even thought about what he was doing, Thomas turned and ran towards the hall. Coming to a stop beside his father, a look of concern played on his expression as he reached out to steady his dad.

"Dad, are you ok? what's wrong?" he did his best to hide the panic in his tone as he looked him over but found that he couldn't hide the worry as much as he wanted too. "lets get you to the couch" he commented as he started to lead his father back into the sitting room and towards the couch.


*****
Int;-
Misty Gray - Robert

 

[Misty Gray]

Temple Street Cafe
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Tony Fletcher​

Tony returned Richard's handshake with an amicable one of his own. He was slightly surprised by the man's use of words to say he was glad he'd reached out. He'd half expected him to have rejected his invite, instead telling him to deal with Robert directly. Instead, it was clear the man was his own person and understood not everything could go through the Walkers directly, not if any progress was to be made.

Silently nodding his head at mention of the murdered Mayor, Tony understood exactly how things could be worse off. Gerald was hardly likely to rub shoulders with Tony in social circles or much else, but the man had at least seemed open-minded towards the Fletchers. Albeit, if it was likely to gain more votes.

When asked what he wanted to talk about, Tony thought for a moment before speaking. It wasn't his usual style to stop and think, with the words on his mind usually rolling off of his tongue without censorship or toning down. But this was more delicate and he had to get the man in front of him to hear him out as he doubted Robert or Caroline would. "I spent days holed up in a cell between being interrogated. The pigs already believed I was behind the attack and were desperate to force some kind of a confession from me. That wasn't helped by Caroline accusing me to them directly," he explained, the resentment clear in his voice and prompting him to rein it in. Taking a deep breath, he readied himself to continue but was interrupted when the waitress came to take their orders. He let Richard place his order before giving his own. "I'll have a black coffee and a vanilla slice, please. Thanks, darling," he pleasantly addressed the waitress.

Once she had walked away, he focused back on Richard. "I asked to meet you because you're the only one in the Walkers lot who seems likely to listen to reason from me. Any charges have been dropped and that bonehead who tried to pin responsibility on to me came clean. But that doesn't stop Caroline, nor Robert, from trying to blame me. Fact is, someone wanted the Mayor and Robert dead, and it has nothing to do with me. They didn't give a shit if my sister or anyone else I care about was hurt or killed in the crossfire that night... What I'm saying is, I need you to help the Walkers see reason. If they're focusing on pinning shit on me, then they're distracted from finding out who really masterminded the attack. And yeah, it's selfish on my part too, because who's to say they won't come for me next?"

ReverseTex (Richard)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Walker Residence
- Edgbaston, Birmingham, England -

Robert Walker​

Robert placed his hand against the doorframe in an attempt to steady himself. He soon saw a figure join him in the hallway and after a moment registered the sight of his youngest son. "Yes. Yes, I'm okay," he brushed off the situation, though his anxious tone sounded anything but fine. Thomas asked what was wrong, to which Robert hesitated to answer, instead choosing not to answer for now.

Thomas helped Robert back into the living room, with the older man not resisting and soon sitting back down on the sofa. Reaching out for his nearby glass, he studied it for a moment before opting against drinking the whiskey. "If you could get me a glass of water that would be much appreciated," he requested from the young man.

Whilst Thomas went to get the drink, Robert took a moment to control his breathing and steady his head, the dizziness slowly wearing off. When his son did return, Robert accepted the glass of water and motioned for Thomas to sit in the armchair across from him. After a long drink of water, Robert relaxed back on the sofa.

"It's nothing to worry about, son. I'm still as fit as a fiddle, so you're stuck with me for a while yet," he reassured Thomas. "I've never told you everything about my experiences in the war, have I?" he asked. "It doesn't happen often these days, but recent events have... Well, they've triggered quite a few old traumas and nightmares. It's not always easy for me to control one of these attacks when they hit me," he explained.

neverbackdown (Thomas)

 

[ReverseTex]

Temple Street Cafe
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -
- Monday 1st December 1975 -
Misty Gray

Dr. Richard Finley

​

Richard ordered a simple black coffee, something simple to sip on. Since Tony thanked the waitress, he gave her a simple smile and nod of gratitude. His attention was on the young man, clearly disturbed by whatever he wanted to talk to him about. He leaned back in his chair, his bad leg outstretched to the side, and listened. With the injury, it wasn’t much of a surprise that he was out of the loop about Tony’s apprehension. He sighed, disappointed to hear about the conditions he endured. However, he understood where his brother was coming from. No stone ought to be left unturned. But it wasn’t fair to pin a crime on an innocent man.

Caroline’s sentiments weren’t a surprise. She certainly believed Tony was the mastermind behind Charles’s death and this. Robert leaned in her favor, but not an unreasonable amount. The look on the young man’s face across from him screamed innocence. He truly had no involvement in the gala attack. “Tony, I never suspected you were behind this,” Richard said calmly, hoping to ease his mind. “I hope you believe me when I say this, but I’ve never spoken ill of your family. I’m sorry to hear about your sister, and I wish nothing but the best for her recovery.” He spoke honestly, despite the back of his mind wandering on the last comment.

But for once, Tony Fletcher was right. This boy needed his help. “I wish this was as simple as a conversation with Robert, but I fear this is a more delicate situation than you realize.” He sighed, pausing to accept his coffee from the waitress. He began to add a pinch of sugar, stirring it carefully. “Even with my word, it’s unlikely Robert would believe you. Caroline is far beyond reason at this point, she needs undeniable evidence to even consider listening to you. Robert and I can act if we’re both in agreement, but he answers to her at the end of the day.” He clinked the spoon on the table, taking a sip of his coffee.

There was something that could help his case. Setting the cup down, he continued. “I need to know everything you know about Charles Walker,” Richard said bluntly, trying to shove back his own emotions on the matter. “I think you know something. That’s not saying I think you did it, I wouldn’t suggest that nor have I. But, it makes logical sense that you might know something.” His tone was far from accusatory, rather, it was quizzical. If Tony truly knew nothing, then he’d drop it. But, he wasn’t a fool. “You’ve just had a great scare, I understand that. But don’t count me a fool, boy. I trained intelligence officers during the War.” There was a threat to his words, but more so a warning that lying would fail. He could tell the truth, or simply refuse to answer. Either way, Tony had the choice. “If I can go to them with some evidence and showing good faith, then I think it’ll be much easier. Robert will see reason if he knows you’re innocent. Caroline, well, she’ll have to get with the program.”