Sixteen

February 1967

"You're really just gonna let it lie?" Ryan demands, frowning. "Only it don't reflect well on the rest of us, you doing nothing about it. Having people thinking the Shepard gang are nothing but a bunch of pussies. Easy targets."

"Course not." I tighten my grip on the pool cue, glad to have the full use of both of my arms back now. "Couldn't exactly do nothing whilst my arm was broken though, could I? I mean turning up wrapped in bandages would hardly have made them worried. More likely they'd give themselves an injury laughing so hard at me. Then turn around and break my other arm."

"I suppose." Ryan chalks the end of his cue, blue dust staining his fingertips. Paces round the table before quickly settling on his angle and calling his shot.

"And it ain't like we've been doing nothing, is it? Just 'cause we haven't had it out with them face to face yet. All that shit we've been pulling has to be pissing them Tiber Street assholes off by now."

"Still need to make a proper statement though. Let 'em know where we stand. That we aren't prepared to take their shit lying down. Don't you think?" Ryan jabs his cue at a ball, sends it ricocheting around the table, leaving it rattling in the jaws of the corner pocket.

"Oh right? And how exactly are we going to do that then, Lang?"

"So what's the plan? We gonna go jump Ron? Or that loser brother of his?" Danny asks, grinning. "Give one of them a good kicking?"

""Sure. Why not?" Ryan folds his arms, glares at the pair of us. "Show 'em not to mess with us once and for all."

"I reckon Ron'll be terrified at that." I roll my eyes at him. "Even if we take him out, it'll only end up with them retaliating even harder. Us having to spend every damn second looking over our shoulders. And the three of us ain't no match for the Tiber Street Tigers. Not like that, anyway."

"Yeah? You got a better idea then, genius?" Ryan sneers.

I lean across the table, take my time, line up my shot and watch as the ball rolls across the green, sinks into the pocket. "Yeah, I reckon I have."

~oOo~

I shove my hands back in my pockets, pull my jacket a little tighter across my chest. A dark Ford sedan rumbles into view, slows to a stop about twenty yards away, the doors swinging open.

It's freezing. The wind is icy, cutting and burning into my skin, making my eyes sting. But none of that matters. Not now I'm finally gonna have my chance to get even.

I push myself away from the side of Danny's car and stand up a little straighter. Ryan and Danny follow suit. "You two ready?" I ask them, as Ron, Benny and some other Tiber Street jerk climb out the car. Benny glares at us, mutters something to the guy beside him. But Ron don't pause for even a half second. He stalks across the scrubby waste ground towards us, his strides long and purposeful.

Ryan nods at me, his mouth a narrow line, as for once he's got nothing smart to say.

"Yeah, let's do this." Danny is edgy, full of nervous excitement. The only one of the three of us who don't seem to be feeling like this is a terrible idea and not the great solution I'd hoped it might be.

Least Ron's been good to his word, and not brought the whole damn gang. Three of them, an even match—like we agreed. Well even as it's ever likely to be, what with that third guy looking like some kind of muscle bound fucking giant. But there's no one else lurking in the back seat of his motor, no second car in sight, no hint of any back up. Though it occurs to me that maybe he's so sure they'll win he don't need no one else.

"Well look at that. They actually showed," Benny crows, a swagger in his step that you can guarantee wouldn't be there if he didn't have his brother and that other hulking great guy beside him.

Ron steps forwards. Looks between the three of us.

Finally fixes his gaze on me. Guess I know who I'm up against. Swallow down the fleeting disappointment that I won't get to wipe that smug grin off of Benny's face and remind myself what this means. That Ron's seeing me as the one leading this. Not Ryan. Not Danny. Me.

"So, Shepard. You're clear on this. We rumble. Here and now. And no matter what the outcome, that's the end of this."

I take a last drag on my smoke, toss the cigarette butt to the ground. We're gonna get thrashed. No two ways about it. My head is starting to throb already, just thinking about it. But the pain'll be worth it. To settle this shit once and for all.

"Yep. Exactly like we agreed, Ron, after this you stay away from us."

"No more shit. Either way." Ron states, his voice even, calm, as he lists out his conditions again. All the same things we bartered over three nights ago, when this thing was set up. "No more slashing my tyres or coming into our territory. No more messing in my business."

"Likewise."

Benny laughs. "Like you losers have got any business we'd be interested in," he snorts.

"Enough already," Ron barks, lifting his hand and gesturing at Benny so he falls instantly silent. Cracks his knuckles and shrugs his shoulders, like he's loosening his muscles. "Let's do this."

Grinning, I clench my hands, finally starting to relax as I swing a fist at him.

~oOo~

"Shit, would you look at the state of you three. No wonder Darry's so keen to label you a bad influence on the kid." Soda Curtis grins, claps a hand down on my shoulder as I lean against the bar. "You know where Pony is tonight, anyway?"

"Should I?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. If Pony ain't even told Soda he's got that date with Martha then he sure as hell ain't hearing it from me.

"So what have you been doing?" Steve chips in. "Getting your asses whipped?"

I shrug at him, touch my hand lightly to my cut eyebrow. Pulling it away, I examine the pads of my fingers. No more sticky redness. Guess it's finally stopped bleeding. And the swelling ain't all that bad, all things considered.

"Fuck off." Ryan smirks at Randle through the purple bruises staining his face. "If you think we look bad, you should see the other guys."

"Why, what's been going down?" Steve asks. "You guys in some kind of trouble, have a job go south or something?"

"Nah." I take another sip of my beer. Hoping to wash away the metallic taste of blood that's lingering against my teeth once and for all this time. "Just been settling some scores, taking care of business. You know how it goes. No big deal."

~oOo~

April 1967

The phone rings. Over and over and over. Stops, then immediately starts up again. Ange ain't appeared, and Ma don't seem to be making any attempt to answer.

Drag myself off the sofa and stumble into the hall, grab at the receiver.

"Hello?" I ask, yawning.

"You took your damn time."

My stomach lurches at the sound of his voice. That queasy feeling that there's something wrong washing over me. I've got used to things being quiet, more settled these last few weeks. Can't imagine he's calling for anything good though. Wonder what in hell Angela's been writing this time to make him get in touch.

"Tim?"

"Yeah, it's me." He doesn't say all that much more. Barks out a few instructions at me, barely answers any of my questions. So as quick as the conversation started it's over, and I'm left scrabbling around for my shoes, keys, jacket.

And I'm almost out the front door, when I double back, bang on my sister's door.

"Hey, Ange, come on. You need to come with me."

"What the hell?" Ange snaps, as I stick my head round her door. "Keep telling you not to barge in here, you jerk."

"Well, if you don't wanna come with me..." I shrug, step back into the hall.

"Didn't say that. Where you going anyway?"

"Downtown."

"Why?" she asks, though she's already grabbing her coat, checking her make up in the mirror.

"Wait and see. Now get a move on, will you?"

~oOo~

"Seriously, Curly. Where in hell are we going?" Ange asks as I take a left, past the bus station." There ain't nowhere down here we need to be so why are you bringing me here? I mean, I got to go meet the girls later, and you're wasting my time dragging around down here. What's going on?"

I spot the sign of that dive bar he mentioned, slow the car a little so I can scan the crowd. And then I see him, standing back, against the wall, arms folded. Apparently spotting us, too, as he stands up straighter. I grin at my sister, point across the street. "That's why."

"Oh my god," she exclaims, scrabbling to open the car door. "Why didn't you say nothing? You ass." Turns to slap me half-heartedly in the arm, before she disappears. Launches herself at our brother like it's been a lifetime since she saw him. Like she's still five years old, not fifteen.

Standing back a couple feet, I study him while Angela chatters away at him. His face is drawn, thinner than I remember. Dark lines of prison tattoos just visible beneath the short sleeves of his shirt. And there's a hard glint ever-present in his eyes, a harshness, that his smile does nothing to soften. But he's here, and he's safe. And really, that's all that matters.

"Hey, Curly." My brother looks up and smiles at me over the top of Ange's head.

"Tim." I grin at him. "So how come? You make your parole?"

"Yeah. Finally." With one arm still resting across Angela's shoulders as she refuses to let him go, he beckons me closer, draws me into the briefest of hugs before he looks me up and down. Laughs. "Christ, kid, what they been feeding you since I've been gone?"

Grinning back, I realise for the first time that I'm about as tall as my brother these days. Probably got twenty pounds on him too. Guess the food in prison is as shit as everyone says, after all.

And then in the blink of an eye, he's back to serious again. "So how's things been at home? Ma okay? Harry still a dick?"

Angela nods. "Pretty much. She's gonna be so happy you're back though."

"Yeah, right." Tim scoffs, turns to me. "And you? Had any trouble?"

I shrug. "No, nothing much. Least, nothing worth worrying about anyways." I toss the car keys across to Tim and grin at him, happy to slip into the passenger seat. "Here, you can drive."

THE END

A/N: Thank you for reading, I hope you've enjoyed this little look into Curly's world. If you're interested, then the story picks up from this point from Tim's POV in Back to the Start.

Huge thanks to anyone who's read this or any of my other fics and for the reviews, follows and favourites, you're all awesome :)