#thegreatwar

"Daddy!" she cried into the crook of his neck. She recognised him despite the sombre look in his eyes, "It's you, from the pictures and stories."

He didn't let go of the little girl, feeling the liveliness and joy radiating off of her, warming his undead heart. Her croaky voice brought tears to his eyes. Pulling away, her arms never moved from his neck, but her legs settled around his waist.

"'Ello," he uttered in awe.

Inara's smile grew wider by the second, taking in his hollow cheeks, raven hair and pale blue eyes that mirrored hers. Tommy couldn't believe it, no description from any letter did his daughter justice, she was something else, she was the very pull he needed to keep fighting in France. He didn't think he would be able to love someone more than Eden and here she was, half him, half her.

The beauty marks dotted around her innocent face were what got him, just like my Edie, my pretty girl.

He would protect her with his life and that vow he would never break.

"'Ello Tommy," Eden reached him after being almost knocked over by John and Arthur. Jeremiah made sure to thank her for the role she played in his son's life while he was away. The three men spent their time off to the side, greeting the rest of the family, doting over the new additions and pointing out the differences they could all see.

"Mummy it's Daddy," Inara squealed, laughing at the two, wondering why they were just staring at each other, shell-shocked and stunned beyond belief.

All the details they tried to take in before they parted all those years back, had changed ever so slightly, they were the same, and they were different. Eden appeared far more vigilant and attentive, partially due to the little girl in his arms, she had to change. Her hair; in its natural state, settled above her neck, whilst his was shaven around the sides, just like she'd last seen.

But it was the eyes, all in the eyes, they never lied.

She could see that he wasn't there, her Tommy was trapped, part of him died back in those trenches if not all. Trapped between life and death. Some made it back, others didn't, but those who survived didn't really, part of them still entangled by the mud and the patting of the shovels.

He could see that his Eden morphed into someone else, far less reactive and impulsive.

They both simultaneously pulled out their lucky charms, his horseshoe and her necklace, it brought a crooked smile to his face but failed to meet his empty eyes. There were times in the mud, the bullets and miles of death when he thought his luck would run out, his time was finished and life seconds from ending, where Eden would fade from his memory, but she was also stuck in his mind, pulling him out of the hole he dug himself. Each time he touched the horseshoe, he thought of his little girl, and she was enough, the motivation she gave him was enough, enough to survive. The necklace draped around her neck has pushed her to prevail, through the lonely nights, sleepless ones, the ones where she cried herself to sleep thinking of all she lost.

The rings they wore bound them for life, but what life would they live now? The only place to go was up.

"I promised we'd meet again, didn't I?" Was the first thing he uttered to his fiancé.

You didn't come back, not really. He knew what she wanted to say, but instead, she rushed over, placing a hand on his face, Inara watched their interaction with an innocent smile.

"You did," Eden finally smiled.

Tommy's lips connected with Eden's, arms wrapping around her waist and it was like everything was slowly coming back together, like two missing puzzle pieces. Neither had looked at another soul since they'd parted, sure they were French girls who threw themselves at him, just like there were men who glanced Eden's way, but they paid no mind to the attention, just fixated on the future flashing through their minds and ongoing battles they were facing.

"My girls," he muttered against her lips.

"Like my dress daddy?" Inara paid no attention to the kiss, slightly wrapped up in the toy horse in her hands, which caught Tommy's attention, it made him stiffen, knowing who had bought it for his daughter, "Wore it for you Daddy, it's pretty."

"I can see that," he didn't hesitate to respond, trying to be as engaged with his daughter as much as possible.

"Pretty like mummy and me," Eden blushed at her words.

Tommy turned to his fiancé, and his crooked smile, morphed into a grin, "It is, very pretty," Inara stared, hanging onto his every word, wondering what he would say next. That's when he knew he had to be better, protect her from the world around them and the demons that taunted his mind, "I wish you could've met me before the war," he whispered to her, but Eden could hear.

"You're 'ere now," Inara didn't stop beaming as she spoke.

"I am, that I am," he agreed with her then took Eden's hand in his.

It wasn't long before the rest of the family swarmed the trio, chuckling and cheering amongst themselves, shocked by the similarities that the little girl shared with Tommy, just like everyone was stunned by how John's twins were the spitting image of Martha, God rest her soul. More hugs were given, and cries of joy were heard and sad tears were shed, blessings were said, but unfortunately, the soldiers couldn't take much in.

Instead, they couldn't help but think back to the times when smoke meant a cigarette had been lit and not that a bomb had been blown. When balloons popping didn't sound like gunshots, but that was a lifetime ago.

Everything changed, they'd changed and now they'd returned.

The war might've finished back in France, but it was only starting in Small Heath.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

THE END

a/n:

i hope you all enjoyed this short story, i started planning it a couple of months ago. i loved writing about these different characters, especially eden. for some reason i found her to be more challenging to write because she is a very emotional person (and i am one too) but i also tend to write characters that are dissimilar to me to an extent. although you can see in the epilogue and this chapter that the four years did a lot to her and she hardened up, not because she wanted to, but because she had to manage and raise a baby.

even in this final chapter, writing the interaction between inara and tommy was sad in my opinion, we all know how closed off and vacant he became because of the war, even with how he was with charlie, he wasn't much of a dad in the end, (i lowkey blame that on the death of ruby and polly and grace even though i wasn't her biggest fan). i believe if i wrote inara throughout the show, she would see a side to tommy she would grow to hate but also learn to work with. that little girl would be his karma, considering eden was forced to grow up mentally, whilst inara would mimic her past behaviour. tommy loves his girls and vows to protect and love them but also always be loyal to them, so it would be interesting to see.

before anyone asks, i have thought about writing the rest of the show, however, that would take a lot out of me, considering its six seasons worth of planning and truthfully i doubt eden would stay with tommy after the shit he pulls in canon, even the things i'd thought about adding it would possibly break her, so i won't be writing the show, but i have thought of ideas to put on tumblr.

thank you for reading guys and follow my tiktok, tumblr and watch out for any conversation posts on my wall.

- liv