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

[BasDorcha]

Gatsby's Restaurant

- Birmingham, England -​

Alfie Walker & Vinny McConnel

Alfie laughed lightly at his sisters seriousness. Shaking his head, he threw his hands up in surrender. "Yes ma'am. I'll be super good tonight, cross my heart and hope to die." As soon as he said it, he couldn't help the little sheepish bad joke grin he got, glad his sister had walked away before being able to lay into him.

Di turned to him, instantly instigating like she normally would. He slung an arm across her shoulders for a moment, squeezing tightly. "Hey, I'll be good if you are. On the other hand, I am a really good button pusher." He released her, still standing close. When she leaned towards him and took a big inhale he made a face, moving away from her. Mentally he counted three seconds, before Di was talking to him about the smell of cheap perfume. Perking an eyebrow at her as if to say. "Really?" She was quick to back pedal and give something of an apology.

He hung behind at the bar a few minutes longer than his sisters had, waiting for his drink, before he headed into the main room and took his seat at the table, arm cocked casually on the arm of his chair. At Felicity's urging, he sat forward, listening to what she had to say about their parents. He had to disagree, with at least part of it. "Nah, you got it all wrong little sister. This is the one time you allow emotion into business. Dad doesn't find a way to sort this shit out, he'll be holding on to that lack of closure until it becomes a poison. Can't be havin' that shit. He needs to get it all out so he can move on in life. As for mum, well…" He was cut off suddenly, looking up at the latest arrival.

Tom came rushing to a stop next to the table, making Alfie laugh again in a loud but warm sound. The grin he gave his brother was knowing, understanding, and amused. "Not quite a 5k for me, but I'm pretty sure there was some kind of test, not sure if we've passed it yet though. As for me, I might look lovely, but Di say's I smell, so I don't think I’m doing very well." He winked playfully, ready to defend himself against either of his sisters possible incoming attacks. As soon as his parents arrived though, he calmed significantly, as if sensing the dense change in the atmosphere. Clearing his throat, he greeted them in a subdued voice, chiming in to agree with Felicity about their mother looking good. Seeing Vinny join the table, he gave the man a jerking nod, getting a more graceful one back.

"Nice to see you two, and you as well Vinny. It's been a while since we've all been together like this. I think it's a good idea, Dad. As for me, things are going well. Work doesn't give me to many issues, pretty much runs itself lately, and I'm finally getting to enjoy some downtime." He wasn't going to bring up the fact he had spies all around his own club in case the name Charles Walker was ever mentioned in any conversation held within his establishment. That was business talk, he wasn't sure how his father would feel to be bringing it up here. Instead Jackie, stumbling in looking disheveled and smelling worse than him, did it for him. Alfie made a face.

Jackie always made him thing of a sleezy car salesman - the kind you typically didn't want to do business with. Plus he disliked Vinny, someone he liked very much and could see no reason to have an issue with, so this just strengthened the nauseating feeling he got every time his cousin came around. Vinny looked up at Alfie, their eyes meeting before Alfie rolled his and shrugged his shoulders, unsure what to tell the man. Vinny spoke up, "I appreciate the invitation, thank you Mrs. Walker, and Mr. Walker. It's a honor to be part of this special meal. I look forward to supporting all of you through this trying time." That politician diplomacy and grace easily took over, his charming smile shot to all the ladies equally. He'd never be stupid enough to make a move a Walker woman, but that didn't mean he had to treat them like a plague. He was well skilled in making most people comfortable around him with little to no work.

Still, Vinny sat up in his chair, maintaining the very elegant image he liked to present, ordering an old fashioned as the waiter came around and folding his hands in his lap. This night was certainly sat to be interesting.

 

[BeyondDandy]

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

SULLY FLETCHER

With all eyes on him, Sully found himself in the hot seat once again. He took a sip of water as Sammy finally decided to join the conversation. Watching his brother turn on him in an instant hurt a little bit, but he expected nothing less at this point. Tony followed Sammy with a bombardment of information about the current standings of their family business which validated Sammy’s concerns. Putting his cup down Sully prepared to shine some light on his meeting with their father, but Rory’s sudden outburst shocked everybody.​

Sully nearly jumped out of his seat as the wine glass shattered in Rory’s hand and fell all over the table. “Are you o-“ Sully started but was too slow in his reaction. Rory had taken off like a bullet from a well maintained gun, sharply and quick. Sully sunk back into his chair as Julia took off after their sister. Did she hate him that much?

Without missing a beat, Sully quickly shifted his attention back to his brothers. He knew they wouldn’t wait for answers and he needed to assert himself here and now if he wanted a shot at this. “A few of weeks ago two men came lookin’ for me at my restaurant. These were bad mans, so I had to defend myself. I went to see Da shortly after, figure out what’s goin’ on. He filled me in about the Walkers, figured it was them. He said you are all in danger. That soon they’d come lookin’ for each of you just like they’d done to me. I ain’t back here for games, bruv. I’m back here to look after my family.”

Sully shared that in hopes of reigning back their doubts and mistrust. He didn’t share everything he knew and discussed with their father, but hoped that what he shone a light on was enough to move past this awkward diner. “The Walkers have always been a problem, but nothin’ we couldn’t handle.” He added as Rory and Julia returned to their seats with more wine - hopefully in Rory-proof glass.

“Give me a shot, Tony. I’ll prove my worth. I ain’t the same kid that left all them years ago,” Sully pleaded.

neverbackdown
Misty Gray
Bellz
BasDorcha

 

[BasDorcha]

Around the City

- Birmingham, England -​

Angie De Luca

It only took a second for Angela to jump into action, chasing after April along with Marco. This stupid chick was going to ruin everything for them, what the hell was she thinking? As Marco grabbed the back of her store, Angie moved up beside her and hooked an arm under hers and jerked backwards to a stop. The bat fell to the ground, which Angela quickly kicked as far down the street away from them as possible. Shaking her head, she drug April backwards, away from the scene she had caused. Once they were a little bit away, she shoved April back towards their table, not being gentle in the slightest. "Get the fuck back over there, little psycho. You're going to get us all killed." In the mess of trying to drag April away and get her back on the other side of the street, she had missed the last comment the man made, suggesting that April drop the bat as well as Marco getting the crap knocked out of him.

As she rushed back across the street, she shoved through the men and ran to Marco, hooking an arm around him and letting him lean on her. "Yeah, that would be a fair fight. Piss off, assholes, before you kill him. She's a stupid girl. Scared of her that much that you gotta make such a scene in public?" She spit at their feet, hobbling Marco away. Down the street the sound of sirens grew closer, giving Angela the confidence to deal with them without touching them. If they tried anything to her at this moment, they'd be caught red handed, so they could listen and run, or they could take their anger out on her and get busted, pretty much their only choices. "You reap what you sow, just remember that. This isn't done."

Shoving past them again as the first cop car rounded the far corner, lights bright but still too far to see them all clearly, she rushed Marco to the car parked not far away, shoving him into the passenger seat before jumping behind the wheel. In the chaos April had not made it back to the car, but at this point, she didn't care. April's idiotic antics had caused all of this, it was supposed to be a cake walk assignment and she ended up causing Marco to need Penny. She didn't even bother to look behind them as she peeled out of the parking spot, rushing towards where they knew the family currently was. Hopefully Pen had her kit on her, she normally did. Marco needed checking, Angela was already pretty sure he was at risk of a concussion. "Just hang in there, Marco. We're on our way to see the girl about some help."

Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Tony Fletcher​

Tony's attention had shot to Rory when he heard the sound of the wine glass being crushed in her hand and the pieces falling onto the table. He furrowed his brow as she looked at him, but before he could say anything, she stood up and excused herself from the table. Julia offered to go after her before Tony had chance to suggest it. "Thanks, doll," he said to his wife, his for the most part neutral expression giving off a subtle concern to her. Rory was always getting into fights and he didn't doubt she couldn't handle pain, but it wasn't the physical pain and wounds that concerned him. He knew their father's imprisonment had always affected her and he suspected Sully's sudden return dragged up unwelcomed feelings for her too.

With his Julia and Rory out of the room, Sully directed the attention back to the discussion they'd been having. Hearing that two men had been looking for Sully and forced him to defend himself, Tony naturally felt protective towards his brother despite his ill-feelings towards him since he'd walked out on the family. Before Tony could demand who the men were so he could deal with them, it registered that they'd already been taken care of. The thought drew a crooked smile from Tony. He then heard how Sully had visited their father who had told him about the Walkers and how they could have been behind the attack. With the warning that they were in danger and Sully saying he was there to look after his family, Tony let out a defiant laugh. "What do you think I've been doing since before you walked out on us all?" he pointedly asked. Tony studied Sully closely, trying to figure if there was anything else their father had said to him. "Is that all he had to say?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of his brother.

When Julia and Rory returned to the table, Tony looked at the two for a moment to confirm they were both okay. Once they were seated, he focused back on the conversation. He relaxed his gaze when Sully said they could handle the Walkers. Tony knew the Walkers we significantly more powerful, more armed, and greater in numbers. Despite knowing exactly where his family stood on that front, it didn't mean Tony was willing to cower down. He wanted the Fletchers to expand and even show the Walkers they're not invincible.

When Sully asked for a chance to prove himself, Tony looked at Sammy and Penny to see how they were processing the information. Regardless, he looked back at their returned brother and eventually nodded his head. "This won't be easy for you and you might not like what we're doing here. We're going up against the Walkers and whilst I believe the risks will pay off, we can't underestimate the fancy twats."

After taking a deep breath, Tony sat up straight and placed his hands flat on the table, wanting everyone to pay attention to his next words. "Walkers are the reason I got you all here today. I had a visit from Robert yesterday. Aside from him bitching about our guys causing some disruptions on his doorstep, he was banging on about Charles and wanting to know who killed 'im. I assured him it was nothing to do with us but he wants us to keep our ears to the ground and make an effort to ask around. That's exactly what we're going to do - if he hears we're cooperating that means we'll get some breathing space. The bloke's distracted and I'm going to take full advantage of that for as long as I can!" he assured them. "If any of you do happen to find information on who killed Charles, you bring that straight to me. We will not be ratting anyone out, not when they've done us a public service, but I need to know." He outstretched his arms to invite responses. "Does anyone have a problem with that?"

The conversation was once again interrupted with another unexpected arrival as Marco entered the private area of the pub. Standing up, Tony rushed to his side and looked him over. "What the bloody hell did you get yourself into?" he asked. After noting the bruise at the side of his face and the matted blood at the back of his head, Tony decided the explanation could wait. "Penny," he said, turning to his sister. "Take Marco to the back office and have him checked over. He's looking a bit... iffy..." he said, noticing Marco seemed dazed.

"I found the guy who nicked the stock," Marco said, his speech a little slurred. "Swiped this while he was up close and personal," he added, removing a leather wallet from his pocket before attempting to toss it to Tony. His aim was completely off and the wallet instead landed on the floor.

Tony retrieved the wallet and sat back in his seat, waiting for Penny and Marco to leave. He curiously opened the wallet, first removing some notes of cash and setting them aside to give back to Marco for his efforts. He then found a club membership card and a photo ID card, studying the image for a time before tossing them into the centre of the table for the others to look at. "He's one of Walker's guys," he informed them. "Considering Robert doesn't want drugs on the streets, I can only assume he's trying to keep the places clean..." he remarked, though his tone reflected he was suspicious over the real motives.

Now in this scene: Bellz (Sammy) neverbackdown (Julia, Rory) BeyondDandy (Sully)

The Red Lion Pub - Office
- Birmingham, England -

Marco Alessi​

The blow to the back of his head had rendered Marco stunned and confused for a time. He caught a glimpse of a knife in his attacker's hand, the sight caused him to look down to his own hands where he saw they were covered in blood. Only, in reality there was no blood on his hands, his mind instead playing tricks on him. "Shit..." he muttered, his face looking panicked as he then imagined a pool of blood on the floor by his feet. It was the sound of the nearby police sirens that not only drew him back to reality but also saved him from taking further damage. The two men were quick to disperse from the scene and avoid catching the attention of the police.

Angela helped Marco to the car and aided him in getting into the passenger seat. His vision was still blurred and his head throbbing. When he reached to the back of his skull, he felt the soreness immediately and he didn't need to look to his hand to know he was bleeding, this time his own and very real blood. Marco wasn't entirely sure where they were going, but during the drive, Angela mentioned going to see the girl for some help. "The who?" he asked, his tone uncertain.

By the time they reached the pub and found the Fletchers, Marco understood they were going to see Penny so she could check him over. Although Tony rushed to him first, it was Penny who Marco's uneasy gaze landed on. A natural smile formed on his lips before his focus switched to Tony and whatever the man was going on about in that moment.

"I found the guy who nicked the stock," Marco said, his speech a little slurred. "Swiped this while he was up close and personal," he added, removing a leather wallet from his pocket before attempting to toss it to Tony. His aim was completely off and the wallet instead landed on the floor.

As he went to the back room with Penny, Marco put much of his focus into walking in a straight line. "Maybe this is karma..." he ominously commented as they entered the private office. "What's the verdict? Have I lost my good looks now?" he said, quickly changing the subject.

Now in this scene: BasDorcha (Penny)

 

[Misty Gray]

Gatsby's Restaurant - At the Table
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Robert Walker​

Robert keep his attention on Alfie and listened as his son spoke, saying it was a good idea having the family together for dinner. When Alfie spoke of downtime and not experiencing many issues, Robert raised an eyebrow. "That's good to know, because I'll be expecting more from you moving forward. You'll need to take on more of the duties Charles had managed." A glance to his wife told Robert that Caroline was unhappy with the conversation, no doubt the fact he was speaking of replacing the work Charles had been doing before his death.

The way Jackie entered the restaurant had grated on Robert, but the man had mastered masking his true feelings decades ago, so his expression remained unchanged - if anything, appearing pleased to see his nephew was joining them. Despite that, he couldn't help but look at his Rolex wristwatch. "Perhaps I'll get you one of these for Christmas," he commented when Jackie apologised for being late. Despite his inner irritation for Jackie's timekeeping, he followed his comment with a humoured laugh. Reaching out, he returned Jackie's handshake but avoided making small talk.

Caroline, on the other hand, moved in to return Jackie's hug. She'd always got along well with her brother-in-law, so following the man's death, she wanted to ensure Jackie remained close to the family - even if he did go and get himself locked up for a while. She could smell the alcohol on him, but avoided drawing attention to it. In all honesty, she wished she could drink herself stupid this evening, so she wasn't about to judge her nephew for drinking anything.

Felicity had smiled at Jackie but hadn't rush to hug him or shake his hand, then before she could verbally greeted him, he made a joke about needing wine to discuss business. "Good luck getting wine brought to the table. They're not being particularly attentive here this evening," she commented, looking towards the bar to seek out a waiter.

"How about we all embrace some patience? I have no problems with the service here," Robert said, trying to get Felicity to relax whilst also being of the mind that the less alcohol his family could consume, the better. Despite his hopes, the waiter soon came to the table to take the food and drinks orders.

It didn't take long for the waiter to return with the drinks, only he was quick to leave the table before Jackie had chance to raise the fact his drink was missing. Caroline had noticed too, so she got her nephew's attention. "Jackie, you'd be quicker going to the bar yourself. Be a darling and get me a bottle of red while you're there."

"You've still got plenty in your glass for now," Robert lightly pointed out. "There's no rush..." he trailed off, stopping as Caroline lifted her almost full glass and downed all of the wine in one go.

"Get the damn wine, Jackie," she said, flashing a smile but not giving room for any argument. "If you're all going to talk about replacing Charles instead of discussing killing the scumbag Fletcher responsible, then I need more alcohol to get through tonight." With that, Caroline got out of her seat and left the table, needing some breathing space from certain family members. As her mother rushed off, Felicity tapped Diana on the shoulder and asked her to go with her to check on her.

Robert pinched the bridge of his nose as the three women left the table. With Jackie going to the bar, it left Robert with Alfie, Thomas and Vinny. He shook his head before addressing the three men. "Caroline is obviously still upset about Charles, but there's no evidence it was the Fletchers. The moment we start behaving rashly is the moment mistakes are made. The Fletchers are still useful to us for the time-being and they operate in this city because I'm allowing it." Briefly looking in the direction his wife had left in, he pushed his concern for her aside before looking at Thomas. "Tell me what you've been up to, Thomas. Is there anything I should know from you?" he questioned him.

In this scene: neverbackdown (Thomas) BasDorcha (Alfie, Vinny)

Gatsby's Restaurant - At the Bar
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Elizabeth Henderson​

Beth had been dealing with another group of important guests when most of the other Walkers had arrived, her attention only been drawn back to their table upon Jackie's vocal entrance. She soon returned to her own tasks and trusted the waiter, Harvey, was taking care of the Walkers for now. That was until she returned to the bar where he returned to sort some of their drinks orders. She could tell he appeared a little flustered by it at that point but figured he'd handled worse customers before.

"The atmosphere at that table is super awkward," Harvey commented as he poured the glass of wine Caroline had requested.

"Felicity again?" Beth asked, having already been on the receiving end of the Walker daughter's abruptness.

"Not exactly. Just the table as a whole," the waiter replied, letting out a small chuckle. He then proceeded to prepare the old fashioned for Vinny.

"You'll be fine. They're not so bad, really. I imagine they're still grieving over the eldest son's death," she pointed out. Despite Felicity's abrasive behaviour towards her, Beth had never had a problem with the Walkers, with Robert himself always been friendly towards her. Of course, she suspected that was partly because her father was the Mayor. "You should take your break once you've served their drinks. I can take over from here," she told him, relieving him of waiting the Walkers' table.

Beth continued to help out behind the bar, unaware that Harvey had missed Jackie's drink from the order. She curiously watched Caroline rush towards the restrooms, with Felicity and Diana following, but knew she was best staying out of that. She then saw Jackie approaching the bar and smiled warmly at him. "Good evening. What can I get for you?" she asked.

In this scene: purplecowdutch (Jackie)

 

[Misty Gray]

Gatsby's Restaurant - Women's Restroom
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Caroline and Felicity Walker​

Caroline had been glad to find the restrooms were empty, giving her some moments alone without having to worry about attracting any unwanted attention. Despite Robert being right that she had always been on board with the nature of his business and agreed to uphold the public image he wished for them to set, it didn't mean it was always easy. Days like today, she wanted to hide away from the world so she could let her guard down enough to let her emotions out.

Looking in the mirror, she wasn't certain she recognised herself anymore, or at least, she wasn't sure she liked the face that was staring back at her these days. If her husband found it easily to cheat on her over twenty years ago, then why wouldn't he now? Hearing the door open, she quickly wiped away the stray tears from her eyes before glancing in the mirror to see her two daughters had followed her.

Felicity had closed the door behind them, more than willing to tell anyone else who tried to enter to go away. She stopped short of asking Caroline if she was okay figuring the answer was obvious. Instead, she had other questions to ask. "What's wrong, Mum? Aside from us losing Charles, what else is upsetting you?" she asked, glancing to Diana in case her sister had anything to add. "What did Dad do?" she pointedly asked.

Turning away from the mirror and to face her daughters, Caroline took a deep breath, trying to hold back her emotions to instead put on a strong front. "You know what your father is like..." she said, trying to brush off the subject.

"Do we?" Felicity flatly asked, folding her arms and she willed her mother to answer properly.

"Your father loves you all and always has your best interests at the front of his mind. He loves me too... I believe that," she trailed off, looking away as she choked back any further tears. After a deep breath, she cleared her throat. Something had flipped inside of her and in that moment, she wanted to be open and honest with her daughters. She'd carried so many secrets with her to protect Robert and the business, but why should she have to lie to her daughters too? "Charles' death has brought back all of these feelings I tried to lock away long ago... It was a long time ago, back when you were both very small, but Robert betrayed me. God's gift to everyone, he cheated on me, not once, but three times. And now, when he won't even honour Charles' death, it's another blow to my heart. He's making me so angry!" she admitted, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

In this scene: Bellz (Diana)

 

[BasDorcha]

The Red Lion Pub

- Birmingham, England -​

Penny Fletcher

Penny was still carefully gauging the room when Sully started to speak. She listened attentively and hoped that the rest of their siblings would remember to act like adults and not children squabbling over the last argument they had as if it would change anything to talk about it now. No, enough time had passed, it was better to let it go and take advantage of having their brother back home instead of actually dead as Tony had indicated. Although she could understand why they felt the way they felt, she hoped time had healed their wounds enough to allow the long lost sibling a second chance.

Seeing Sammy keep his composure was a bit of relief, not that she expected any less. Sammy was always more cool headed. The feeling in the air was stifling, thick enough to cut it with a knife and then some. She gulped gently, downing the bottom of her drink as Sammy lightly called out Tony, trying to put an end to the very direct questions. He was maintaining to well, when Penny finally watched as the dam burst and he began to speak - shocking sounding very similar to Tony just without the harsh edge. Straight to the point this family was.

It was Tony she was watching the most. Oh yes, Tony. He was definitely on edge, the cogs and gears turning in his head, she could see it as if his eyes were made of glass. So easy to read for her. There was a quiet but fierce anger, all head behind a well put together face. Would he let his emotions get the better of him? Or would he maintain in front of his family, upholding the polite social image of a happy family not fighting each other in public? Just when she thought he might be on the edge of saying something else cutting, Sully's words caught him off guard and her eyes too rocketed to their brother. He'd seen Dad? Tony's coughing was enough to say how shocked they all were as they waited for Sully to say more.

Penny nodded when he finally did speak. At least it was civil and not something destined to hurt Sully. He was right, the Walkers were trying to run everything, them constantly breathing down their necks. It wasn't uncommon for some of the Walkers to be caught snooping around their businesses like common shoppers, looking for anything they could take back to their boss. Thankfully, Penny and the rest made sure their legal facing businesses were always above board, nothing that the Walkers could mess with. Tony went on and Penny leaned back in her chair, legs crossed as she listened to the conversation.

She couldn't help but agree as Tony finished talking about how they all did their own part for the family. That much was certainly true. What would Sully do now that he was back? Sure he'd grown up in the life, but ten years was a long time to be gone and plenty of time to forget a lot. He'd have to relearn to much to be effective in the family. It was certainly not going to be easy for him. At the very least, Tony was surely going to make certain it was a grind to get back, of that she was certain. Just when she thought things were going to settle down just fine, the smashing of glass reached her ears. Rory was gone in a flash with the broken glass, Julia following closely after. She moved to get up, but decided one of them would come and get her if they needed her and not to swarm her sister who obviously needed a moment of space to breath.

She caught Rory passing out of the corner of her eyes before Julia came to get their drinks, returning a few moments later with everyone's order. Catching Rory's eyes, she seemed to be asking her if she was okay without making a big, attention grabbing hullabaloo about it, thinking Rory wouldn't like that. It was quiet as Sully was back in the spotlight and finally started to talk about what had happened. She was shocked to hear that Sully of all of them was the first one hit, that didn't make the most sense, but maybe she was missing something - she'd keep her concerns to herself for the time being. The conversation continued with Sully asking for a chance to take his shot, and the rest of them were waiting for an answer with held breathes. Tony's eyes suddenly flicked to her, and she gave him a confident nod of support for Sully. Her eyes held his, not shying away from letting him see that she think he deserved a chance, even if it meant having to prove himself from the bottom up.

"No problem, Tony. You know I've always got my ear turned to the streets and all those people who come about to shop. I'm constantly listening for more information but unfortunately, and at no surprise, no one really cared that Charles Walker died. It was barely a conversation of interest for a week or so before people moved on to their normal gossip." She shrugged lightly. It was no secret that Charles was not someone most people would miss, and while she believed in the good in all people, she wasn't going to waste a second on someone as twisted and mean as Charles was.

When the door banged open again and Marco came tumbling in with Angie, Penny gasped and shot up, rushing over to help them get Marco closer to the table. To a waiter, she quickly tossed her keys and demanded them to go get her medical bag out of her trunk and meet her in a back office. The sprite young kid was off like a bullet as Penny looked back to Tony, nodding to the instructions. "Got it." She tried to steer Marco away but he stopped and spoke to Tony is slurred words. Giving him a moment to get out the essential information he felt Tony needed to hear, she then started guiding him back to the room she had requested. Easing the wounded man into the office and into a chair, she met the waiter at the door and snatched her bag from him before closing and heading back to her patient.

She tsked and began her thorough inspection, looking at each wound and cleaning it gently with a dab of water she'd brought from the table on her napkin from her lap. At the moment she was worried and not quite as talkative as normal, concerned with making sure he was okay before she could relax enough to quip back at him. Finally, convinced he would live, she stood back and put her hands on her hips, shaking her head at him. "Marco, what am I going to do with you? You keep at it you will lose those good looks, letting those monsters beat your face about like this. And your poor head." She stepped as close as she could to him, carefully examining the damage to his face as she stood between his legs and forced his head upwards towards the hanging light above their heads.

At first she didn't realize the closeness between them as she had been treating Marco's injuries for years, but when she did her skin flushed a pretty pink. Leaning down slowly, she kissed his forehead lightly, tenderly. It was just a few weeks ago they had been on their first real date after years of flirting and working together. The newness of their changed situation made her feel butterflies and blush like a school girl. For a moment her mind wondered what he was thinking in this moment, if he was thinking at all given his condition. Hopefully he wasn't and she would be able to work through this awkward feeling of shyness she was suffering.

Mentioned: Misty Gray - Tony, neverbackdown - Julia/Rory, Bellz - Sammy, BeyondDandy - Sully

In scene: Misty Gray - Marco

 

[neverbackdown]

Gatsby's Restaurant
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Thomas Walker
​

"They're not far behind had to run to get here before the car" He replied to Felicity with an amused tone to his voice as he straightened and quickly flattened his hair to erase the signs of his rush to get here, now once they didn't see him from the car he was in the clear, although regardless he was in the door first and that was all that mattered. He laughed as Alfie commented on his smell and pretended to take a deep sniff before making a disgusted face "I suppose I'm just so used to you smelling I didn't even notice". A smirk played on his lips as he turned to face Diana. "You've luckily never shared a room with him, honestly lost my sense of smell after day one and never regained it" a hint of amusement played in his tone but Thomas made this comment in a feigned serious tone before taking his seat just in time for his parents to stroll into the restaurant.

Tom stood to return his mother's hug before sitting back down just in time to watch Felicity make a dig towards their parents lateness, Thomas smirked lowering his head as their Father immediately shut her down, it was nice for once to see it happen to someone else. Unfortunately he couldn't relish in the enjoyment as Vinny arrived at the table and Thomas grinned at his sat beside him turning to face him "Hey, thanks for letting me win" he added, unsure whether Vinny even knew Thomas had raced them here but decided to say it anyway before turning back to face the door as another member of the party arrived. Noticing the second family disappointment arrive, Thomas gave Jackie a smile and nod in greeting. Late, looking like he was already drunk and immediately asking for wine made Thomas smirk a little as he sank back into his seat comfortably, it looked like tonight Jackie would be the disappointment and Thomas was going to be in it for the easy ride, for once the competition of who could annoy and frustrate Robert seemed to be off the table as Jackie stumbled on a quick homerun.

Thomas got lost in his own thoughts, only snapping from them as he watched his mother drink her glass of wine in one large gulp. His eyebrow raised as he looked at her before looking at his sisters with a hint on concern on his features, the concern only growing at his mother's outburst. His lips pressed together in a thin line, Thomas watched as his mother stormed off from the table quickly followed by his sisters. He was glad that they had gone after her, believing that his sisters probably had a better chance of calming her down, Thomas on the other hand wasn't sure how he would even help, realistically if Thomas had gone to check on his mother they would probably be in a different bar down the road and half a bottle of prosecco in and off course the tab would be on his fathers credit card, maybe he should have went after her

"Huh? Oh..." Eyes wide for a second Thomas snapped from his thoughts when he noticed his father, brother and Vinny all looking at him. He sat up in his chair as he bit his lip trying to think of an answer from the question his father asked. "Not really no, just working the hotel, being on my best behavior" he shrugged easily before his expression took an unusual seriousness to it, leaning forward into the chair as he focused purely on his father. "I am ready to be more involved dad, especially since Charles things are tough and well …. I want to help in anyway I can".


*************************
In this scene (now);
Misty Gray - Robert
BasDorcha - Alfie & Vinny

 

[purplecowdutch]

Jackie Walker, Gatsby's restaurant​

There was some bickering over the wine which was a crazy topic to be bickering about. Jackie rubbed his thumbs together nervously and a bit spiffy of having two way too big bumps in the car. Robert made a comment about him having to get him a watch after casually blinding Jackie with the diamonds in his.
It was so degrading that Jackie definitely torn his lip by holding back what he actually wanted to say. Instead he gave a mocking smile but wouldn't dare to say another word.

After telling everyone the waiter forgot his wine, he felt agitated. Caroline send him to get a bottle and he nodded quickly even though the bickering between her and her husband was shushed by her leaving no room for any more arguments.

Jackie felt kind of relieved to leave the table but couldn't help but feel annoyed they would be able to discuss any business without him. Jackie wanted in on the Fletchers, he wanted revenge just as bad and maybe even a higher spot in the hierarchy. Higher than Vinny at last.

The bar looked busy but when a seat became available, Jackie squeezed in front of some of the other waiting ones being greeted by a warm smile. Elizabeth Henderson, it was sure interesting how she made him feel. He had to admit he wasn't out for her looks, - which was odd for him - or her money. It was her status that was important to him, being the son-in-law of the major could mean all the power could go to the Walkers. To him.
Though he wouldn't exactly mind sleeping in one bed with her, she was drop dead gorgeous.
'Good evening to you too,' Jackie said, sounding pleasantly surprised even though he definitely knew she was going to be there but just forgot after shotting that bacardi rum.

'Your boyfriend forgot my drink, doesn't he like it that I talk to you?' Jackie pointed at the young men serving tables and somewhere inside him it frustrated him that he wasn't getting the respect he deserved also it was a nice way of asking Elizabeth what she's been up to. He wasn't one to be jealous. . . All the time.
Jackie quickly gave her a reasurring smile, hoping not to blow this thing before they had seen each other's bedroom.
'So, can you get me a bottle of wine and two shots of whiskey. One for you and one for me,' he offered, rumbling in his pockets and putting down a fifty on the bar after. Great move Jackie.
'I know you're working but I thought since it's your business and I'm at an awkward family dinner, what if when I'm done we go and see a movie?'
It took some guts but Jackie drank enough liquid courage to entertain her with this question.

He fumbled with the money on the bar as he tried not to get distracted by the waiter who was back from their table and walked right behind him. Without thinking Jackie moved his foot a tiny inch, making the waiter fall flat first on the ground drawing most of the restaurant's attention. 'Are you alright, bud?' Jackie asked right hiding his smirk, looking at Elizabeth as he nodded towards him. 'Can I help?'

 

[Misty Gray]

Gatsby's Restaurant - At the Bar
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Elizabeth Henderson​

When Jackie told her that her "boyfriend" had forgotten to get him his drink, Beth quirked a curious eyebrow. She followed his pointing to see Harvey serving at one of the tables. Whilst her first thought was to apologise for the poor service and do what she could to make up for it, she couldn't help but initially focus on Jackie's choices of words. "Well, he's not my boyfriend, for the record," she stated as a matter of fact. "And why do you have the idea he wouldn't like us talking?" she questioned, unsure why Jackie had said that. "But I am sorry he forgot to get your drink for you. I'm sure it wasn't intentional in the slightest." Knowing how intimidating the Walkers could be and that Harvey had been nervous about serving them, she figured those were good enough reasons why he'd made a mistake.

Beth had been intending on giving Jackie his next couple of drinks free of charge, but the thought was pushed aside when he ordered drinks - one of which for her. When he placed the cash down on the bar, she knew the moment to compensate him for the poor service had now passed. "Coming right up. You're lucky the boss here is nice enough to let me drink on the job," she said, flashing him a knowing wink.

Beth placed the bottle and two shots of whiskey on the bar. She smiled at him before knocking back her shot of whiskey. "Thanks for the drink," she told him. Given the tensions at his family's table, Beth got the feeling a strong drink was exactly what she needed to get through this evening. She was caught by surprise when he then asked her to go see a movie with him. "Tonight?!" she immediately replied. "I mean..." she said, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of red as she tried to regain her composure. The last thing she'd expected from him was an invite to a her movie. She wasn't sure if he was asking in a date sense or just wanting to hang out. "What I mean is, I finish quite late. How late are the last showtimes?"

Beth's attention was soon dragged to Harvey as the waiter tripped over and fell over onto the floor. Beth rushed around the bar and crouched down at the waiter's side. When Jackie asked if he could help, she quickly nodded. "Yes, help him up," she asked, taking some time to check Harvey over for any injuries. Once he was up on his feet, she told Harvey to go into the back with one of the waitresses to help tend to any cuts he'd sustained. Beth crouched down to retrieve the dropped tray from the floor, which thankfully hadn't had anything breakable on it at the time. "There must be something in the air tonight," she commented, feeling like this shift was shaping up to be one of the more awkward ones. "A forgotten drink and now a fall. Why do I get the feeling you're a bad luck charm for poor Harvey?" she teased Jackie. "I think I need to watch myself around you!" she added as she stepped back around the bar and held her hand out to take the money from him for the drinks. "So, what kind of films do you like?" she asked him. All the while, she kept an eye out to make sure none of the diners were awaiting services. Half of the Walkers were still missing from their seats at the table, so they weren't her problem for the time-being.

purplecowdutch (Jackie)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Red Lion Pub - Private Office
- Birmingham, England -

Marco Alessi​

Sitting in the chair, Marco let out something of a subdued laugh as he caught Penny tsking at him. He tried to stay still as she cleaned at his wounds, trying his best to supress any discomfort her actions tending to him caused. He noticed she was quiet, but he didn't question it, feeling weighed down himself. When she was finished, she finally did address him, with her hands on her hips as she shook her head. Marco anticipated a lecture was on its way, but let it happen nonetheless. "I'm just doing what I'm paid to," he reasoned when she told him off for getting his face punched up. "Wouldn't have happened if April hadn't gone and acted like a lunatic," he quietly grumbled, still trying to understand why she thought running at the two men with a baseball bat was a good idea.

Marco managed a smile as Penny stood between his legs and directed his head upwards. His smile widened when she kissed his forehead. They'd known each other for so many years now and had started dating a few weeks ago. Things felt good between them and he wanted nothing more than for their relationship to work out. But the closer they got, the harder it was to keep his secret from her. The way she blushed at him was endearing and made it almost too easy to ignore his worries so they could keep building on their romance with each other.

"Penny," he said reaching out to grip her hand in his. "I'm worried about this - about us," he admitted to her. He nervously chewed his lip as he mulled over what he was about to tell her. His eyes naturally moved to the door to make sure it was still closed and nobody had joined them. He'd known Penny long before they started dating, so he trusted he could tell her the truth before it ate away at him completely. "I'm in big trouble and when the truth comes out, I don't know what--," he said, lowering his voice. Even though the pub was filled with sounds of the drinkers, he didn't want to take any risks of someone listening in. "I'm the one who killed Charles," he admitted, his eyes now filling with tears as the guilt came flooding back to him.

Now in this scene: BasDorcha (Penny)

 

[BasDorcha]

Gatsby's Restaurant

- Birmingham, England -​

Alfie Walker & Vinny McConnel

When his father stated he'd need to take on more of the duties Charles had managed, Alfie almost choked on his drink, spitting and coughing a bit as he quickly swiped his napkin over his mouth and turned his head away. His father was really going to expect him to fill Charles shoes? He offered, sure, but he never expected his father to agree to it. Clearing his throat, he waved a hand at any one watching, assuring them he was okay. Thankfully a distraction was quickly given to draw the attention away from him and to Jackie's skeezy self. Breathing a sigh of relief, he sat back quietly and watched the interactions around him, hoping his father wouldn't remember to come back to him - fat chance of that happening though. And like a shot, Felicity landed a blow on the service of the restaurant in typical sisterly fashion. A small smirk crossed his lips, unable to contain it. It was so very Felicity. Alfie was sure to place a second order, but this time slowed down on it, feeling the need to keep a clear head if his father wanted to talk business.

Once the table had been vacated by not only his very upset mother - who he had the urge to go after only enhanced by the fact his father was about to lay out a ton of work for him - but his two sisters and Jackie, he settled back in his seat, waiting for the inevitable. Thankfully, it went straight to Thomas instead of him, giving him a moment to sigh a breath of relief.

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

Vinny watched all the antics of the table play out in comfortable silence. He was hard to unnerve and this wasn't going to be the day he crumbled. Thomas turned to him and thanked him for letting him win to which Vinny instantly grinned a broad grin, winking, "You got it bud. I figured you could use a few minutes to get inside before the boss and the madam. Might have skinned you alive if you'd been late." Of course Vinny hadn't even realized that Thomas was 'racing' them, but he'd happily play along as that's what normal people would do. It made little sense to him, the useless conversation, but he had gotten very good at it in his life and learned very well how to behave in social situations. Anything to please the people around him, and lying rolled off his tongue like water off a leaf. It was second nature and it gave him no twinges of regret ever.

Jackie's arrival went hardly noticed by Vinny. He had made a point of blatantly ignoring the man as much as possible and now was no different. Jackie was trash as far as he was concerned, a leech, scum, and trying everything to worm his way into a world he didn't belong to. What Vinny did notice though in his moments of people watching was that Thomas suddenly looked as chilled as could be, like he wasn't worried anymore at all. Vinny couldn't help but laugh, finding it hilarious that everyone thought the same thing about Jackie that he did, and they all visibly showed it. When Robert went on to ask Thomas about how things were going, Vinny casually looked up and followed the trail of conversation with his eyes. Thomas looked dazed and lost, to which Vinny kicked him lightly under the table, grabbing his attention and sitting up to bit his lip as he tried to come up with an answer for Robert.

What he couldn't help was almost snickering at Thomas offer to be of help. It was no hidden secret that Thomas was the black sheep of the family, the failure, never quite living up to his brothers. Alfie, on the other hand, was somewhere in the middle. Vinny could appreciate that. Enough motivation to get somewhere in life, but not so gun-ho that he ever took the lime light away from Charles, or more importantly himself. Vinny had made a point of steadily climbing the ranks, just fast enough to stand out but not so fast as to cause alarm. Clapping Thomas on the back in a faux brotherly move, he squeezed gently as if to give him courage. Right moves, right time, didn't matter your true intentions, people would assume the best of you. "You got this Thomas. I'm sure you're more than ready for some extra work, maybe I can show you around, would that be okay boss? He can learn the ropes with me." He gave a charming smile that never quite met his eyes, but somehow still looked very believable.

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

As Thomas spoke up about wanting to help more, to do more, Alfie sat forward and perked an eyebrow at him. "Little brother, never thought I'd see the day you said you wanted more of this. You've never seemed real interested. You sure you can handle it? Although Vinny might be the perfect person to teach him, he can take him through everything from basics up if need be - seeing as Vinny has worked most of those jobs at some point or another. But Dad, are you sure you want me taking over Charles duties? I kind of figured you'd want this punter here for it," He said, taunting Vinny. Vinny rolled his eyes good naturedly, throwing his napkin at him. Alfie laughed and tossed it back, "I mean, this well-oiled machine of a man, is that better Vinny?"

Vinny liked Alfie more than he liked most people. Something about the man's personality really vibed with him, unlike 99.9% of society. Maybe it was because he wasn't threatened by Alfie, and had successfully integrated himself within his circle, or maybe it was just that they had spent so much time together that he had really come to have some sort of feelings of endearment to the man, he wasn't sure. It was unusual for him to care about anyone, so it wasn't like he would be particularly good at identifying said feelings.

Alfie looked at his dad as silence fell again. His face turned more serious, his eyes focused on his fathers. "I don't know if I'll ever live up to Charles, Dad. I'm not him. I wasn't raised like he was to be the heir to these things, but I will certainly do my best if that's what you want of me.


Misty Gray - Robert
neverbackdown - Thomas

Mentioned:
purplecowdutch - Sleaze bag
Misty Gray - Felicty
Bellz - Diana

 

[BasDorcha]

The Red Lion Pub

- Birmingham, England -​

Penny Fletcher

Penny sighed and gave him a gentle smile, knowing full well he was only doing what he was paid to do. "Boys," She said, "Whatever would we do without you to beat up all the bad guys for us? Oh wait, I know, not get beat up yourself." She lightly blew a raspberry at him playfully. When he mentioned April acting like a lunatic though, her eyes narrowed as the flipped into business mode. "Wait, April did that? Sounds like you and me have a date with Tony to get that situation resolved. Can't be having wild cards in that manner, you could have been -" She stopped, gulping. Suddenly saying that out loud was a lot harder than it had ever been before, so she simply dropped the subject and nodded.

Just when she thought things might progress to a real kiss, he stopped and brought the moment to a firm halt. He took her hand in his and in an instant she knew something was wrong. Her eyebrows furled and she quickly pulled up a seat from close behind her, sitting down across from him, her knees between both of his. When he stated she was worried, for a moment, she dropped her guard, ready to laugh again. It was the way he was acting that stopped her yet again, putting her on sudden edge. Was he that worried about Tony finding out? The hadn't really discussed that part yet, so maybe she was under estimating his fear of Tony - Tony who she could handle and knew would be happy so long as she was.

It was the next words out of his mouth that had her squeezing his hand with eyes as round as saucers, her free hand flying to her mouth in disbelief. Like a shot she was up, locking the door and throwing on a radio in the corner of the room to some random music station. As she returned to her seat, she handed him her now bloodied napkin as she dabbed a clean corner at his eyes. "Marco, what in the fuck did you just say?" Penny didn't curse overly much, so when she did it was to make a point of how something was affecting her. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself, flushing away the few moments prior to make room in her brain for reason and cool headedness. "Okay, lets back track. I need to know what happened, and why. I know you know this… But you can trust me, as long as you're honest with me. Tell me everything and then we'll decide what to do."

She moved a little closer to him, reaching out to touch the side of his face with her hand not clasped in his. "It's okay, we'll figure it out, together. Just start at the beginning."

Misty Gray - Uh Oh Boy

 

[purplecowdutch]

Jackie Walker, Gatsby's restaurant​

Even though he didn't expect to be flustered by Elizabeth, her firing the question back to him got him mumbling something at his drink. Why would he mind if they were talking? Was he the only one feeling any tension right now? Jackie looked over his shoulder, burning his eyes on the remaining family - and Vinny - at the table, hearing Elizabeth murmur an apology for forgetting his drink. Yeah sure, he'd regret it now at last.

'That's the spirit,' Jackie said, turning his head to the pretty blonde again who was now holding a big bottle of a hopefully expensive enough whiskey.
Jackie took the glass, knocked it back and dramatically placed it back on thElize counter, he had always been ''good'' with alcohol, Jackie always had that problem where he felt like nothing could get to him though when they hit Charles it was the first time he felt kind of. . Insecure.

Elizabeth's cheeks had turned bright red as she now stood before him doubtfully, 'I mean, we don't have to go to-' He locked eyes with the pretty blonde again, 'we can also go to my house. I can wait for you here, I don't mind.' Their attention was soon drawn by Harvey yet again, this time it was Jackie's own wrong doing. Beth didn't hesitate to crouch next to him but Jackie stood by the bar, not making a single move until Beth told him to help her friend up. 'You alright, mate?' Jackie said, holding his hand sterly while dragging him on his two feet again.

Harvey just nodded before rushing towards the back, Jackie was pissed. No thank you or nothing.
When he saw Beth was teasing him after the waiter incident he gave her a grin, she stepped behind the bar and held her hand out for the money saying she needed to watch herself around him. It felt like a cinematic trope where the main character would say something predictable as if it wasn't already clear from the start they were bad news.

Jackie reached in his pockets for the money he had put away and when he gave the money, he let his hand linger on her for just a second.
His ego was definitely fondled by her and he tried to snap out of it by filling another two shots while looking at Beth for a late approval since he was already doing it. 'I have been called a lot of things but a bad luck charm is not one of those,' Jackie said - a big lie, if anything he was a neon gun sign walking - Jackie knocked back the second shot, holding it non-verbally in the air to cheer. 'Maybe the work is just not for him,' he offered, shrugging the whole Harvey situation away. He'd deal with it later.

He followed her gaze to their table, Thomas half asleep and the rest of the men arguing about how big their dicks were. At least that's what Jackie told himself.
'I like all kinds of movies, the Godfather, Goodfella's and ones where the protagonist get the girl and they live happily ever after,' Jackie answered with the biggest smirk on his face, he wasn't lying except for how he maybe had twisted his last answer just the tiniest bit.

'Anyway, my aunt asked for a bottle of red, I don't want to keep you of your work unless you don't mind, of course.' Jackie now leaned over the bar, to stand somewhat closer to her and even smell the sweet perfume she was wearing that night. He do in with the major's daughter and showing everyone what real power is and for once it was not a gun to the head. It was money.

'You haven't even told me much about yourself yet, no boyfriend, owning a restaurant, anything else I need to know? Is your family as intimidating as mine?' Jackie gave her a smile, playing dumb was probably the best way to go about this. While he waited for her to answer, he opened the bottle yet again. Maybe it was time to powder his nose in a bit and then go back to discuss business.

Jackie knew there was a spot waiting for him, to fill up Charles is probably all that he wanted. Jackie already did all the fiflthy work and even though he had some tiny issues with not only himself but others, he would manage.
Thomas wasn't going to be a problem, the two got along and he loved his younger cousin but the guy was spoiled. No ambition.
Alfie and Vinny on the other hand were a bigger problem, Jackie couldn't help but give the table another look. He wasn't thinking straight but one thing he knew for sure, Vinny was getting on his last nerve and he wasn't going to back down to let that guy steal all the honor.

Sunken away in thoughts, Jackie looked up from him pouring the bottle at Beth's, hoping he was able to hide his train of thoughts. 'If you could pick anything you want to do tonight, what would it be?' He then asked, louder than before. 'Anything, I don't care.'

 

[neverbackdown]

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Julia Fletcher
​

Once back at the table, Julia gave a small nod to Tony and squeezed his leg gently to confirm that Rory was ok, well as ok as she could be in this situation at least, but she knew that having him talk to her later would probably help a lot. Her eyes flicked onto Sammy and Penny to see how they were taking this surprising news but her attention moved back to Sully as he asked for another chance. Julia bit her lip as she stayed silent in thought. Sully was family and if Tony was going to do as he planned then he needed more people on his side, more men at his call and yet she found herself unsure on what his answer would be.

As Tony sat forward, Julia followed suit and sat straighter in her chair with her full attention on her Husband as he spoke. She crossed her hands on her lap as she watched the reactions of the family, although she knew that none of them would have a problem with what Tony was proposing. The hatred ran deep for Walkers here, in some cases it was almost too deep. As Tony mentioned Charles' killer, Julia's eyes involuntarily darted towards Rory. There was no evidence that the youngest Fletcher did commit the crime and Julia knew that Rory wouldn't dream of disobeying the family like that but it was hard to forget the kid had a temper and that she was well capable of doing something like this. She just hoped Rory wasn't stupid enough to act out like that.

The door slammed open and Julia's eyes darted towards the next visitor, praying silently that it wasn't going to be another surprising estranged family member but her eyes widened in shock as they landed on Marco who looked in pretty bad shape. A small gasp escaped her lips and she covered her mouth quickly in shock. "Oh Marco" she muttered quietly, the horror she felt present in her eyes only growing as his speech slurred and his throw was severely out of target.

She watched as Penny took Marco out of the room to look at his injuries and her attention moved back to the wallet now in her Husband's hand. As the ID got thrown onto the table, Julia sat forward to see if she recognized them. The sound of chair being pushed back caught her attention and without even looking up Julia nudged her Husband lightly before saying "Rory sit down".


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

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Victoria "Rory" Fletcher
​

Rory gave a small smile to Tony as though to say she was ok as she took her seat back at the table. Inhaling deeply as she smoked the cigarette and watching the smoke billowing up around her began to ease her anger and mind as she did her best to convince herself to see things differently, Sully came back, he was here and based on the conversation at hand he wasn't leaving again. Leaning forward Rory stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray as her eyes drifted up to catch her sister's and gave her a small nod and a half smile in return to her gaze to convey that she okay before sitting back in her seat.

She hated appearing weak and as her eyes caught her bandaged hand holding the wine glass that's exactly how she felt, weak in letting her emotions turns physical and hurting herself in front of her family. Taking a sip of her wine, Rory washed her feelings down with the drink, now was not the time to give in to her emotions, now she needed a steady head on her.

"Nope I'm in agreement, whoever did it deserves a parade" she muttered, her voice void of any anger she had previously been feeling. "I haven't heard anything though but I can ask around, know a few people that might have some ideas" she muttered thoughtfully as she went through possible suspects in her head, she only wished it was her.

The door swung open viciously and Rory's head turned in that direction, her eyes widened as she caught sight of Marco stumbling into the room. Her eyes moved to look behind him checking to make sure he wasn't followed before she turned her attention back to the matter at hand. She bit her lip as she listened to him slur his word, his throw was atrociously bad and she couldn't help the worry that filled her, she had never once in her years of knowing Marco seen him in this state, like her Marco normally won all his fights and based on his appearance right now she believed that wasn't the outcome in this case.

She watched Penny take Marco out of the room before her attention turned back to Tony and more specifically the wallet in his hand. As Tony threw the ID card into the middle of the table, Rory leaned forward to get a look at it, memorizing the name, address and features of the man instantly. She wanted a way to deal with this anger and here it was presented to her with a bow on top. An almost devilish smile played on her lips as she pushed her chair back and stood up when Julia spoke up ordering her to sit down. Rory raised an eyebrow as she looked at her sister-in-law who at this point had still not even looked at her. "What do you mean sit, you saw Marco did you not?" she questioned as she leaned forward resting her hands on the table.

Interactions;-
Misty Gray - Tony
BeyondDandy - Sully
Bellz - Sammy

Not in scene anymore
BasDorcha - Penny

 

[Misty Gray]

Gatsby's Restaurant - At the Table
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Robert Walker​

Robert watched as Thomas' eyes widened at being asked a question. Considering his son's behavioural condition, it wasn't exactly a surprise to see his briefly glazed over expression. The young man soon gathered himself and sat up straight to answer him. "Well, that's a relief. I'm sure Felicity is grateful for that too," he lightly commented, hearing Thomas say he was working at the hotel and being on his best behaviour. What was somewhat a surprise to Robert was his son turning more serious and looking directly at him to continue on. He said he was ready to be involved in the business, apparently to help fill the void that Charles' departure had left. Robert's deceased eldest son had been difficult for a lot of people to get along with; never one to go easy on others or even hold back from cutting comments towards his own family. But when it came down to it, Charles always got the job done and it was usually completed to perfection. Regardless of the methods Charles took to achieve success, Robert respected his work ethic. He loved all of his kids, but Robert had doubts that any of them could replace Charles - at least, not one of them alone. Perhaps it was time for him to trust his kids to work together and for the family to continue to strive as a fuller team now.

Robert observed as Vinny moved in to give Thomas encouragement, even offering to help show him the ropes. "I'm sure something can be arranged," he said, trailing off as Alfie then took his turn to get behind the idea of Thomas supporting the business. Robert sat back and listened, all the while keeping a relaxed posture and a faint smile on his face. Alfie pointed out that the youngest sibling hadn't seemed interested before, even checking if he was sure he could handle the work. Robert quirked an eyebrow when Alfie then asked if he was sure about him taking over Charles' duty as opposed to Vinny. "Would I have suggested it if I wasn't sure?" he rhetorically asked. Although he remained relaxed, in his mind he had acknowledged the disorder the family dinner had fallen into. The women were off in the restroom tending to Caroline following her emotional outburst, and Jackie was at the bar knocking back more drinks. "Alfie, I would be doing you a disservice if I thought you'd be content with simply running the strip club and picking up women. I have no doubts you'll be able to take on any of Charles' duties that are thrown your way," he assured him. "I'm not expecting you to live up to Charles, but I'm expecting everyone to work harder and reach your full capabilities." Robert wasn't an idiot and he knew Alfie had been getting it easy for quite some time. The fact Charles had carried so much on his shoulders meant Alfie had been off the hook for so long. Now he had to do more. "Vinny has enough work to do for me, so no need to worry about that machine staying active."

Not about to let Thomas off the hook either, he looked at his youngest head on. "Tell me one way you think you can help?" Robert asked Thomas, not afraid to put his son on the spot in that moment.

In this scene: neverbackdown (Thomas) BasDorcha (Alfie, Vinny)

 

[Misty Gray]

Gatsby's Restaurant - At the Bar
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Elizabeth Henderson​

Beth noticed how Jackie let his hand linger on hers as she took the cash from him. She glanced down to their hands before letting it appear her eyes were focused on the money. She cleared her throat as she plucked the note from his hand. "Thank you!" she said in an energetic tone. She grinned when he said he'd never been called a bad luck charm. "Prove me wrong," she teased with a playful wink. Hearing him say the line of work wasn't for Harvey, she decided not to respond further. He was usually such a good waiter and she wasn't about to let just one bad shift change her opinion of his capabilities.

Beth raised a sceptical eyebrow when Jackie mentioned The Godfather as one of the movies he liked. Whilst she had no part in it and knew to stay silent on the matter, she wasn't oblivious to the lesser known nature of the Walkers' business. A business Jackie also had a part in. "Oh yeah? I bet you've been taking notes, huh?" she lightly remarked. "It's a mixed bag for me. Action, musicals. I'm just as happy watching James Bond as I am watching West Side Story," she told him.

When Jackie reminded her of his aunt's order, she was about to get the bottle when he said he didn't want to keep her from her work. "As it happens, the table I'm tending to doesn't look ready to order and you're the only one keeping me busy at the bar," she told him, referring to the Walkers, where he and the three women had all abandoned their seats for the time-being. Turning her back to him, she retrieved the bottle of red wine. Placing it down on the bar, she turned the bottle so the label was facing him. "This is Caroline's favourite," she confirmed. Having served Robert and Caroline their drinks over the years, she'd picked up on their preferences by now. That, and Felicity had already been very specific in reminding her of the finer details for tonight.

When Jackie pointed out she hadn’t said much about herself to him, she shrugged her shoulders. “Single and a restaurant owner. That just about defines my whole personality,” she remarked. She then laughed to confirm she was joking. It was perhaps refreshing to be defined by those points before the characteristic she usually had pointed out to her - that of her being the Mayor’s daughter. “My family isn’t as intimidating as yours, no,” she assured him. “My father is firm but fair, at home and in his position as the Mayor. We’re a pretty chilled out family, to be honest. No dinnertime dramas in quite some time now!” After taking another look around to make sure nobody needed serving, she focused back on Jackie. “You haven’t told me much about you either. Other than who you are related to and the movies you like, is there anything else I need to know about you, Mr. Walker?”

When he asked if she could pick anything to do tonight, she thought for a moment. “By the time I’m done closing up here, I’d want it to be something relaxing. So maybe you had me with the movie idea. Sneak a few drinks in, perhaps…” she trailed off. “I would say go for a nice drive - but my car is at home and you’ve had more than enough to be getting behind the wheel tonight.”

purplecowdutch (Jackie)

 

[BeyondDandy]

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

SULLY FLETCHER

Tony’s laugh, Sully could not forget. Provoking his brother, Sully kept quiet as Tony asserted himself with rhetorics. He had no intention of questioning his brother’s ability to keep the family safe nor express that he could do a better job himself. He simply wanted them all to know why he had returned and his intentions of being back. Sully also nodded right to left as Tony addressed their father. Even though their dad did tell Sully more than he wanted to know, this was not the right time to shine a light on those details. Henceforth, Sully denied having been told anything else but what he’d already shared - which he was sure would be questioned again in the future.

Moving on, Tony addressed the table about the ongoing battle between them and the Walkers. The family would soon find themselves searching dark alleyways for Charle’s killer despite their lack of involvement. Thai gesture of good will was said to keep the Walkers at bay and blind to the businesses the Fletchers conducted. Despite wanting to be as optimistic as possible, Sully knew deep down they would soon find themselves in deeper odds with their rival family - it was just a matter of time.

Suddenly, his doubt manifested into a beaten Marco rushing into their meeting room. Sully stood from his chair as everyone - including Tony - acted frantically. Their sister Penny was quick to take charge and took Marco away to address his injuries after Tony’s instruction. Sully shifted himself around the table to take a better look at the identification card Tony put out for display at the center of the table.

Picking it up, Sully examined the card. He read through the name and all the information, taking a longer look at the picture to see if he recognizes the individual behind the attack. He looked across the table at Rory for a second before putting the card down and turning his gaze to Tony. “Rory and I can handle this one. If that’s alright with you?” He asked his brother, hoping to prove himself amongst his family members and get some time alone with his sister.​

neverbackdown
Misty Gray
Bellz
BasDorcha

 

[neverbackdown]

Gatsby's Restaurant
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Thomas Walker
​

Thomas' looked sideways at Vinny as he patted him on the back, an eyebrow raised in curiosity and his confusion only growing as Vinny offered to teach him the ropes, hiding the confusion from his face, Thomas simply nodded and turned back towards his dad. He couldn't help but wonder why Vinny was so interested in helping, skeptical of people in general Thomas always believed that everyone and everything held an ulterior motive but there was something about the vacant look in Vinny's eyes that made Thomas clasp on to this idea. Vinny seemed to be up to something and Thomas wanted to know what.

Thomas gave a small shrug but couldn't help the smirk at his brother's interest "ah well you seem like you could use my help" he teased a playful glint in his eyes before a more shocked expression took over his features "sure look at me" he motioned towards himself exaggeratedly "off course I could handle it, built for this life so I am" while his voice held a serious tone, it would only take a look at Thomas' expression to know that he was joking.

Thomas crossed his hands on the table as he listened to Alfie speak, his doubt in his ability to do the job at hand was obvious and while Thomas wanted to comfort him and say that he was sure Alfie was well capable of the job he decided now wasn't the right time. Thankfully their father alluded to the fact that Alfie was good enough and Thomas nodded along as if to show his agreement.

When the attention turned back onto him, Thomas gulped. Admitting he wanted to help was one thing but saying how he could help was a completely other ballgame. Thomas had always ignored this lifestyle, he didn't pay attention to what the family did in the town nor did he care up until this moment in time. He bit his lip in thought as he went over ideas in his head. I'm not strong, I can't be a hit man.. I definitely can't be the muscle an amused smirk played on his lips as he thought about himself being an enforcer and he quickly shook his head, forgetting that his father was watching him intently.

Eventually Thomas gave a small shrug "I could...." his next statement was a risky one but it was the only option he could think that he actually be suited for "I can find out who killed Charles, I'm smart and Im good at solving mysteries and puzzles and yeah.." he trailed off as he regretted saying it in the first place but he had to seem confident and like he knew what he was saying.

"Alfie can focus on taking over, you three can keep the business running smoothly and I can be there in the background figuring it out" He shrugged again "anyone who knows our family knows Im not involved, they wouldn't expect me"

Int:
Misty Gray - scary dad
BasDorcha - suspicious man & unconfident brother

 

[Misty Gray]

The Red Lion Pub - Private Office
- Birmingham, England -

Marco Alessi​

Marco studied Penny, trying to figure if she was just shocked by his revelation or if there was disgust in there too. He couldn't blame her if she was disgusted with him. For all of his faults and crimes, for all of his loyalty to the Fletches, he'd never intended on becoming a killer. In fact, murder was something he would have flat out refused to do if Tony had ever asked that of him. But he had killed Charles and since that night, he was no longer sure what he was capable of doing.

When Penny shot up, he was quick to his feet too, expecting she was about to rush out of the room in disgust. Instead, she locked the door and switched on the radio. As she approached him again, he sat back in his seat in a dejected manner. He took the bloodied napkin from her but simply held it in his hand, not really thinking about doing anything else with it. He chewed his lip when she sat down and asked him to repeat himself, now safe in the knowledge nobody could overhear or walk in on them. "I said I killed Charles," he told her, all the while searching her eyes for how she truly felt about him now she knew the truth.

He watched as Penny tried to compose herself before she asked him to explain what had happened and why. She reassured him that he could trust her and that they'd decide what to do together. When she reached out to touch his face, he was at least glad to know he hadn't repulsed her with his admission. Not yet. "You know what Charles was like, always threatening us lot not to get in his family's way. The night I... It wasn't the first time he'd been on my back after catching me on one of Tony's jobs. This time, I'd dropped off a package to one of the customers and he'd seen me do it. It was late and real empty on the streets, which is why I knew when he was following me. So I dipped into an alley, ready to climb over the wall and get him off my tail, but he caught up to me before I could get over the wall and dragged me back down to the ground." Marco gripped the bloody napkin as he recalled what happened. "He started threatening me and demanding to know what I'd been doing. Nothing new to how he'd got in my face about things before. Then he started threatening me and your family. Telling me he'd see to it Tony was sharing a cell with his dad and that the rest of you would be begging the Walkers for mercy... I know he was throwing his weight around and we shouldn't rise to it, but..."

Marco fell silent, struggling to continue as the night in question played out in his head, only to drag his memories back to events with his uncle that had led to him fleeing his family home when he was a teenager. "I told Charles to fuck off, but he instead grabbed me by the throat and got up in my face. He was demanding answers and threatening to kill me. The way he got all up in my space and threatened me like that, it just brought back bad memories from when I was younger and I... I stabbed him. I lost control and then did it again, until he let go of me. I saw him double over, clutching at his stomach and chest, but he still had that look in the eyes, that furious look that he would gladly kill me. I don't think he'd have died from those wounds alone..." he admitted. He took a deep breath as he readied himself to continue, knowing she needed the full story. "If he survived, then the Walkers would have come straight for me and the rest of you, so I... I stabbed him in throat, knowing he wouldn't come back from that and so wouldn't be able to tell anyone it was me. As soon as I'd done it, I regretted it, but all I could do was run and cover my tracks." He reached up to rub his forehead before anxiously grabbing his hair. "I know I should have just let him get his threats out of his system and talked my way out of the situation like I normally did. But I felt trapped... it was like something just switched in me when he was up in my face, and I lashed out."

BasDorcha (Penny)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Red Lion Pub
- Birmingham, England -

Tony Fletcher​

Tony knew before even getting to the pub that the meeting wasn't going to go smoothly, but he hadn't been able to predict just how many unexpected turns it would take. Between Sully's sudden reappearance, Rory's reaction to it, and Marco stumbling in looking a mess, there had been enough to get him riled up there alone. Never mind everything that was going on with the Walkers that had led to him calling a meeting in the first place. Surely there were no other revelations or arrivals left for one night.

He'd reached down to take hold of Julia's hand whilst keeping his other in view on the tabletop as he idly fidgeted with a beer mat. He sat up straighter when Julia nudged him upon Rory standing up. Tony remained in his seat for the moment, deciding to judge his sister's next move before potentially overreacting. Julia told her to sit down, to which Rory questioned her. "She means sit the fuck down!" Tony commanded his sister, his voice raised. He'd noticed her taking a good look at the ID card and the smile that had followed from her. "Nobody does anything about this without me saying so," he firmly told her, but looked around everyone at the table to show they were all included in that statement.

Tony had seen Sully taking an active interest in the ID card too. He kept his eyes on his brother for a noticeable time before eventually breaking his stare. It wasn't long before he once again looked at him as Sully addressed him directly. Hearing Sully say he and Rory would handle the guy who'd knocked Marco about drew a humoured smirk from Tony as he shook his head in amusement. However, seeing his brother was serious caused him to drop his smile in return. Clearly, this was Sully's way to try and prove himself. Rory wanted in on the business too. It seemed like both of them wanted to show they could handle the family business.

Sully had continued on to ask for Tony's approval for his suggestion, which opened him up to consider it rather than rush to shoot the idea down. "What are you proposing?" he asked his brother. "They've got eyes and allies all over the place, and I don't want Rory getting hurt. We need to approach Robert's cronies with caution until we know we can get the upper hand on them."

Now in this scene: neverbackdown (Julia, Rory) BeyondDandy (Sully)
TBD: Bellz (Sammy)

 

[Bellz]

Gatsby's Restaurant
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Diana Walker ​

Felicity was just starting to list what was concerning them about their mother when Tom made his grand entrance. Diana was all smiles as she took in his disheveled appearance, shaking her head slowly. "Yes, fancy seeing us here," Diana repeated lightly, listening as her youngest brother struggled to catch his breath with an amused twinkle in her eye. "No, I'd say exercise wasn't on the table for the evening." She chuckled. "You look well, baby brother. Despite running a 5k." She complimented with a dimpled grin.

Felicity told Tom that he was lucky to be there before Mum and Dad, which Diana nodded along, moving to take a drink from her glass before she said something unsavory about their tardiness. Felicity told Tom to tidy up his hair and that he would look lovely too, causing Diana to choke on her alcohol as she tried not to laugh openly. She was successful but the smile couldn't be contained when she set her glass down. "Jesus, Letty! Gonna make me choke before this dinner even gets started."

Everyone was seated, well, everyone who managed to understand what being on time meant when their parents waltzed into the room, arm in arm. Diana's eyes naturally landed on her mother's face, curious to see what Felicity was talking about. Immediately, she noticed the faltering smile as she spoke. The redhead's eyes squinted ever so slightly, listening as their mother asked how everyone was getting on. Felicity was quick to start mentioning the time and Diana found herself openly looking at her sister, wondering why she asked her to behave when she had no plans to.

Unsurprisingly, their father was quick to retort, in his high almighty tone. He was above the rules he had set for them all. Lovely. Good to know. "A loophole, it looks like, Letty," Diana muttered under her breath before moving her drink to her lips again, polishing it off with ease. She was sure she would need at least another 4 to get through this dinner. Their mother was of course, practical in the fact that they were late for the dinner. But she said it was her fault and that she was taking longer to get ready because she had to put more effort into looking good at her age, "Mum, you are a knock-out." Diana said, setting her empty glass down on the table with a clank. Felicity caught her eye, and her expression was filled with a knowing look. Diana gave her a look that confirmed she understood what she was talking about before eyeing her father, who was now complimenting their mother.

He then looked to them all, saying that given it was Charles' birthday -- he thought it would be a good thing for all of them to get together. Diana wondered when it was ever a good time for all of them to be in the same room together. But, she guessed given the circumstances surrounding today...she'd play along until it became too much. Her father then said that he wanted to know what they'd all been up to. Diana raised a brow, watching as the man looked at Alfie for longer than he did anyone else including herself. Interesting. Was this really about Charles? Or about something else?

Before Diana had the opportunity to say something a little snarky, another guest arrived. Just as disheveled as the last but in his special way. Cousin Jackie truly was a sight to behold. Somehow, he managed to make her look like she had her life together, which she hated, considering she worked pretty hard to keep her reputation full of spots. She didn't hate him, but they didn't have a chance to bond given she wasn't in the picture all that often. Some would say they were two sides of the same coin, but they didn't talk often enough these days for Diana to draw that conclusion.

Still, she couldn't help but notice the tension Jackie brought with him when he entered. Seemed like he already ruffled a few feathers. Diana eyed Alfie, then Vinny, who was polite as usual. She gave him the briefest of smiles before her eyes moved on to the other guests. Dreadfully boring, and fake. If that wine didn't get here soon... "Bet you I could get it if I went and talked to that handsome man behind the bar again." She chimed in after Felicity said the service was slow. That dream of getting up and away from the table and getting lost in a sea of booze was quickly ruined, both when her father was quick to dismiss drinking and then when her mother told Jackie of all people to get the wine.

The conversation went back and forth, up and down and around again. Diana was having a hard time following the emotions at the table but was up out of her seat immediately when Felicity tapped her on the shoulder and asked to follow their mother to the restroom. Diana wanted to escape the table full of masculine energy, and awkward conversation, and also just figure out what was going on with Mum. For once, she was interested. Rare.

The redhead stayed off in the corner of the bathroom, letting Felicity take the lead for a moment as she watched her mother. Something more was bothering her, but she didn't want to just up and ask or accuse. At least not yet. When Felicity asked her what was wrong, before asking what Dad had done. Diana shifted her weight from foot to foot. "You can talk to us, Mum. Honest. We don't like seeing you like this."

It was a relief to see her turn around from the mirror and face them, only for her to say that she knew what their father was like. Diana snorted lightly and Felicity countered with a question. Any dark humor Diana displayed was quickly squashed when her mother started to choke back more tears, looking like she was having a hard time. Putting her hands on her hips, Di clenched her jaw. "Mum?"

Then it all came out. The big. ugly. truth. Diana's face twisted in anger immediately as she looked from her mother to the bathroom door and then back to her mother. Her relationship with her father was spotty, and difficult because she wanted different things, and wasn't molded for whatever path he wanted her to follow. But CLEARLY, the man didn't believe in following the rules or following paths if he cheated on their mother. She could walk right out into that room for her mother and slap him, but she knew that it would do the situation no good. Seeing the look on her face, Diana knew she couldn't defend her like she wanted to so instead, she walked up to her mom and wrapped her arms around her tightly. It was weird, unfamiliar given she didn't do it as often as she used to. But she felt it was right. When she pulled away, she wiped her mother's tears from her cheeks before saying, "You shouldn't have to carry all of this, Mum. With Charles gone, everything. I'm sorry. That's not fair to you, you shouldn't have to deal with him. If you feel like you can't. I mean...do you feel like you can't? Deal with Dad, anymore?" Diana asked, carefully phrasing her words before looking to Felicity so she could jump in.
with: Felicity / Caroline Misty Gray
mentions: Tom neverbackdown ; Jackie purplecowdutch ; Alfie/Vinny BasDorcha ; Robert Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Gatsby's Restaurant - Women's Restroom
- Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham, England -

Caroline and Felicity Walker​

Felicity folded her arms in frustration when Caroline assured them their father had their best interests in mind. Sure, her parents had made sure they had a safe and secure home, an upbringing where they always had more than enough to get by. She was appreciative of that and knew life could have been much worse in those respects. But all through her school years she'd been pushed and pushed to do everything perfectly. Pushed to pursue performing arts even when she no longer found enjoyment from it due to the pressures it put on her. She would contest the idea that Robert had his children's best interests at heart - it certainly didn't seem like the biggest driving force behind the man's desire to see them all succeed. No, Felicity believed her father's biggest motivations were the family business and his public image. Celebrating his children's successes also meant the family looked good on the outside. Felicity had determined this long ago. She believed he loved his family, but she also knew deep down that he cared about himself more than them. Hearing the revelation that followed only cemented that. Her mother's admission that Robert had cheated on her multiple times rendered Felicity speechless as she brought her hand to cover her mouth.

When Diana wrapped her arms around her, Caroline didn't hesitate to reciprocate, taking comfort from her daughter's tight embrace. She didn't get much quality time with her daughters these days. With Diana, it was because she wasn't around as often as she used to be. For Felicity, it was because her daughter had built up such a barrier with everyone over recent years that it was hard to have any kind of heart-to-heart. Regardless of the continual concern for the cracks in her family, she made the most of Diana's gesture whilst it was there. She placed a kiss on the side of her head before they broke away from the embrace. Looking at Felicity, she could see her other daughter was remaining firm on her spot, arms tightly folded as she forced a stone-cold expression to remain on her features.

Looking back at Diana as she wiped her tears away, Caroline managed a weak smile for her. "I've been carrying this for over 20 years. It's the only way I could protect our family and the business," she assured her when told she shouldn't have to. She studied Diana's face when her daughter told her she didn't have to deal with Robert, especially if she didn't feel like she could anymore.

For a moment, Felicity noticed her sister's and mother's eyes on her, causing her to loosen her arms and let them drop to her side. She bit her lip as she looked up towards the ceiling, quickly shaking her head. Lowering her gaze back to the others, she let out a deep sigh. "Why didn't you just leave him when you found out?!" she added to Diana's questions. It sounded like it would have stopped her mother from having to harbour his secrets for so long and might have made life less restricting for the family all round.

Caroline quickly shook her head at both of her daughters' questions. "I can deal with Robert. I love your father. I never stopped loving him, even when I found out the truth and wanted to kill the bastard. I was pregnant with Thomas when I found out the truth. I questioned if I was staying by Robert's side because I was worried about how I'd take care of five children without him. But it wasn't that, I still loved him and wanted our family to stay together, to be a strong unit. Together." Turning back to the mirror to wipe away any excess tears, she willed herself to pull herself together. Turning back to her daughters, she ran her fingers through her hair. "The hardest part has been having to keep it to myself. Only able to ever speak of it with Robert and knowing he'll never truly understand how it feels. I just can't keep it all to myself anymore. And when he won't honour Charles by making the Fletchers pay, it feels like another betrayal, and it hurts," she said, placing her hand to her heart.

Felicity was seething. She wished she could storm out and give Robert a piece of her mind, but on a business level and on account of how she'd had it drilled into her to hide her feelings, she knew doing so would cause problems. But on a personal level, Robert had betrayed her mother and his children, which made it a challenge for her to maintain her stoicism. "I'm not defending him, but maybe he needs facts before he can do that? I'd gladly see the Fletchers taken down too, but he has to have proof," she reasoned. "You can do better than him. You always could. I won't judge you if you leave him. I'm struggling more to understand why you'd stay. Or is that just me?" she asked, looking to Diana for her input. She knew herself she wasn't the warmest person, so she wondered if Diana understood their mother on this one.

Bellz (Diana)

 

[BasDorcha]

The Red Lion Pub

- Birmingham, England -​

Penny Fletcher

Penny was careful to control her features, making sure not to let slip any kind of doubt or distrust in the way she looked at him. Instead, she remained supportive and calm, watching him closely to ensure he knew she was really going to be there for him. It was uneasy to be near him with him ebbing so much anxiety, but she ignored it and listened to every word he said - someone would need to know how to explain this eventually. She wasn't sure at the moment what the next best move was - telling Tony or keeping his secret - their secret now - until the grave. She gulped. She'd never moved against Tony, and while part of her was certain that Tony wasn't going to punish Marco it did mean lots of drama for them. They would have to consider carefully what to do going forward but first, she needed to know exactly what happened.

He repeated that one line again and her heart sunk. She knew that Marco had never pulled the trigger on a death before, had always managed to be the one who kept blood off his hands in that sense. Tony had other hitters if he wanted to kill someone, Marco was used for finesse and delicate situations were killing someone was not the top priority. This must be one hell of a shock to his systems. When he searched her eyes, her own gaze met and held his, confirming she wasn't frightened away or disgusted with him. It was part of the business, she knew it. It wasn't that she approved or liked it, but accepted it as the cost of doing what they do. Still, she never wished it on him, and now that it had happened, she worried what it would do to him - some people were made to be killers, others were not.

Hearing what Charles had done wasn't a surprise to her. It was pretty typical Charles actions, threatening anything that moved and holding every action against them. He was always trying to insert himself into their business without reason, sticking his nose where it didn't belong, always trying to rile them up unnecessarily. In Marco's defense, there was only so long a person could deal with that kind of nonsense before snapping, especially if under the threat of their own life which Charles couldn't never deny a chance to do. With the evidence of Marco's past coming into play, it became clear what had happened. A triggered man backed into a corner rarely came away without some kind of blood on their hands, whether it be their own or someone else's.

"Marco…" She started softly, drawing his attention back to her where she gave him a soft reassuring smile. "You did what you had to do. It sounds like self-defense, especially given what we know about Charles and the way he acted. He cornered you, threatened you, your friends, hell we might as well be family if things keep going-" She stopped, blushing a bit, deciding not to continue with that train of thought at the moment even though it had threatened to slip out. "No, you only did what you had to do. It's not your fault he drug up all that old stuff that triggered you. It's okay, Marco. You're still you. Don't start doubting that, it's a hard road to come back from. Instead, let's focus on how to address this going forward. Have you thought about telling Tony? It would be better to hear it from you than someone random on the street somehow finding out and telling him. You let it come out that way, he'll never trust you the same way again. Right now it wouldn't be too bad, though he might still be a bit upset it took this long to tell him, but it would definitely be better than the other option of him finding out through someone else."

Penny paused, reaching out to stroke the hair away from his face, trying to find a way to reassure him completely. Suddenly, without thinking, she leaned forward and softly kissed his cheek, right on the corner of his lips. A deep flush crested her cheeks and skin as she pulled back a few inches, eyes directly on his. "The other option… I help you keep this secret and none one but us ever knows. If no one has come forward yet, there's a good chance no one ever will. It's a risk, but… If that's what you want to do, I'll support you."

Misty Gray - Marco

 

[Misty Gray]

The Red Lion Pub - Private Office
- Birmingham, England -

Marco Alessi​

Marco felt some relief when Penny addressed him in a soft and reassuring tone. She reasoned that he had acted in self-defence, having been threatened and backed into a corner. Given that Charles's stature meant he was physically imposing in addition to greater social power, Marco wasn't too proud a man to admit he had been outmatched in all senses. It was the threats to those he cared about and his past traumas being triggered that had led him to react without caution or reasonable thinking. He was glad Penny understood what pushed him to kill Charles, but he wasn't sure it could ever excuse his actions from his conscience.

Marco rapidly nodded when Penny assured him he was still himself. He hoped she was right and that killing a man hadn't changed who he was, that he would continue down a path he'd never intended to follow. When she asked him if he'd considered telling Tony, his eyes widened as he looked into hers. He agreed that it was better to tell him himself rather the man find out through others, but it didn't make it any easier to do. "I've thought about it, almost every day since it happened, but..." he trailed off shrugging his shoulders as he struggled to follow his own train of thought. He suddenly became aware of the pain in his head again, perhaps in a bid to escape the unsavoury thoughts by focusing on his injuries again.

Penny brushed some loose hair from his face and moved in to kiss his cheek. He managed a weak smile at her gesture. He was glad she wasn't repulsed by him - her reaction was one weight off of his shoulders. He allowed his smile to linger until after she pulled away, showing her he was glad of her continued closeness. He could have used their relationship to derail the conversation, but she brought the conversation straight back to the matter of telling Tony... or not telling him. She suggested they could keep it a secret, but even before she pointed out the risks, they'd already crossed his mind.

"I couldn't ask you to keep secrets from your brother," he told her, quickly shaking his head. "I don't like lying to him myself. He asked me weeks ago if I knew anything, if I had any idea who did it, and I lied straight to his face. I told him I had no clue and that if I heard anything, I'd come straight to him." He took a deep breath as he tried to stay calm. "Tony has sworn blind to Robert multiple times that he has no idea who did it and the prick believes him. What if Tony has only been able to convince him up to now because he thinks he's telling the Walkers the truth? Would he be able to keep it up once he knows he's telling a lie?" Marco stopped himself and scoffed at his own words. "Now I'm trying to find excuses not to tell him, but I know I have to. Every day it's getting harder to keep this to myself. It's harder to be around Tony knowing I'm lying to him every day I stay quiet. Fuck. He's going to go nuts on me, but I have to tell him. Don't I?" he asked, wanting to make sure Penny agreed with his need to come clean.

BasDorcha (Penny)