#ch: finn shelby.

[theshelbyslimited]

oblivious!sunshine!reader was too precious in this fic. I love her radiance so much and her bubbly, energetic personality makes her so easy to love. I'm swearing to myself that I'll do a proper commentary on this fic eventually bc it was such a blessing to read. I couldn't wait to read this fic after seeing your wip post about it and it truly was worth the wait. I LOVE IT 🥺

I Know Him

(Platonic Alfie Solomons x step daughter reader) (Background Finn Shelby x Reader)

Summery: Alfie Solomons is in for a surprise one morning when his soon to be step daughter greets him with a hug. Which wasn't unusual in itself, but he never expected it to happen at Tommy Shelby's house... or while she was wearing Finn Shelby's clothes....

A/N: Hi Y'all! I don't think there are any TW's for this! I just wanted to write a fluffy and funny idea about Alfie realising his sweetheart's daughter is dating a Shelby and she's just absolutely oblivious to their past. Also as with all of my Finn stories both him and the reader are over 18. Enjoy! ❤️

WC- 4.0k

Main Masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was dreaming.

Yes, that had to be it. She couldn't really be here could she? It wasn't really her was it? Smiling to him at seven in the morning at his friendliest enemy's house? In..... is that the little one's shirt?

He had to be dreaming. There was no other explanation to it.

At least that's what Alfie Solomons told himself once he saw his sweetheart's daughter waving at him when he walked in the front hall of Tommy Shelby's house that morning. Not only was she waving, but she was practically jumping up and down in excitement when she saw him, eager to see the man who would be her stepfather one day.... 

"ALFIE!! Is that you!!! Hi!!! What are you doing here?! My mum said you had a trip this week!"

Bouncy Excitement? Speaking at sonic speeds? Criminal amounts of energy for this early in the morning? Almost falling face first on the floor in her rush to hug him?..... Yep. This was his Y/N.

Automatically, Alfie returned the hug, something he'd grown more than accustomed to doing with his fiancée's daughter. Especially when it had been a few weeks since he'd seen you. You were born when your parents were fifteen, and now twenty years later, you were in your second year at a university, halfway between London and Birmingham. Your father had tragically died during the war, and it had taken your mother almost a decade to start dating again. And if by a storybook miracle, she'd fallen helplessly for the single, "semi-retired", grumpiest neighbor in Margret, who often walked with a cane and whose only friend seemed to be his dog. Three years ago they'd met one day when Cryil had lost his collar and you had found him sitting pitifully under a tree....not even two gardens down from his home. But you hadn't know then, and believing the dog to have no family, took him back to your house. It wasn't hard either, as soon you held out your hand, Cyril was up, eagerly following his "new master" and it wasn't until the next day Alfie showed up, having heard the familiar barking. He'd been searching for Cyril all night, only to finally hear his yapping not even two doors down. Furious at the idea someone had kidnapped his best friend, Alfie had come over, knocking angrily on the door, with half a mind to take up his "old" profession. But when the door opened, instead of a grisly old bastard, Alfie was met with the closest thing to an angel he'd ever seen. It wasn't just her beauty, but her voice and the kind way she looked at him that captivated the man. And then when he looked inside the house he'd seen another young woman, laughing as Cyril attempted to sit on her lap in the small chair. And he wouldn't realise it until a few months later, but that would be a sight Alfie wanted to see every morning. A year later, he'd officially started going around with your mother, though the secret was well kept from any of his business associates. Alfie also saw the younger woman herself as his own child now too. He'd even taking to calling you "Shiny" after your sunny disposition. He wouldn't admit it, but Alfie definitely teared up, more than once, on the first day the couple dropped you off at your University. He also wouldn't admit how he'd never been more nervous than six months ago when he'd asked you for permission to propose. You had obviously said yes, but not before staring at him silently for six minutes with a gaze that could make any Shelby break into a sweat. Speaking of Shelbys ....

"Y/N why are you hugging Alfred Solomons?"

Alfie looked up at the stairs and saw not one, but at least four (and a half) different Shelby watching him from the stairs. Now he could have chosen to make fun of the mess that was Arthur's hair, but instead he focused on someone else. Because Arthur's hair may have look like a drunken bird's nest, but it was Finn Shelby who'd spoken.... And it was Finn Shelby wearing the matching pants to your shirt. So it was Finn Shelby who was currently in a lot more danger than he was five minutes ago. Truthfully, Alfie had only talked to the young man twice and hadn't been bothered by the quiet Shelby too much. In fact, he might even go as far to say the he favoured Finn the most because he'd talked to him the least. And the more the Shelbys talked to Alfie, the less he began to like them. But the sight before Alfie was enough to send Finn Shelby right to the top of the "excruciatingly painful death" hit list he promised your mother he'd "lost" long ago.

"FINN! Look! It's Alfie! I've told you about him haven't I?"

Finn himself was still half asleep, but he'd heard your surprised shout from the bedroom when you went to the bathroom and wanted to make sure you were alright. Only he thought he was still dreaming when he saw you embracing the man who had caused his family so much trouble before. Evidently, your excitement had been brought to more than one Shelby's attention and now he was standing with Arthur, Linda, Lizzie (holding Ruby), and John at the top of the stairs. All half awake and just as confused. Most of them were wondering if this was going to be another Grace situation.... But you hadn't noticed any of that yet. Hurrying up the stairs, you'd grabbed Finn's hand and brought the still tried younger man down to "meet" Alfie. Once the two men were situated in front of each other, you spoke the words that shocked both of them wide awake.

"Finn meet Alfie, my step dad. And Alfie meet Finn, my Boyfriend."

"STEP DAD?"

"BOYFRIEND!!!"

"Ahhh yes!! Isn't it great!! You two get to meet for the first time!! Ohh you'll love each other so much!!"

Oblivious to the shock of your companions, you bounced on the balls of your feet, eager for your favourite two men to finally meet. From the top of the stairs, John had rushed off to wake up Esme and Ada, while Linda was coaching Arthur through breathing again. Lizzie just sipped her tea silently as baby Ruby clapped at the drama. Finn stared at the floor, trying to process what he'd just heard. In the end, it was Alfie whose shock was broken first.

"No."

The bouncing stopped and it was your turn to look at Alfie confused.

"What do you mean no?"

"You're not dating him Shiny."

"Yes, I am." 

"No, you're not."

"Yes, Alfie I am." You said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"You're dating him?"

"Yes!"

"Did they kidnap you? Are they forcing you to say this?"

"No?"

"You sure?"

"Pretty sure I'm not kidnapped?"

"He asked you out and you agreed?"

"He took me for dinner and a movie!"

"You agreed to be with him?"

"Eagerly!"

"You and him?"

"Him and I!"

"Him?"

"Yes! Isn't he brilliant!"

Eagerly, you looked towards your boyfriend who looked offend by the fact Alfie didn't seem to believe you could ever have any interest in him. Sure, Finn occasionally questioned it himself multiple times a day, but still. Though you payed no attention to his annoyance and wrapped your arms around your love, happily hugging him to yourself. Then you turned around facing your soon to be step father again, with Finn's arms still wrapped comfortably around your waist as they had been when you'd woken up that morning.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why Ally? He's brilliant! He's nice and strong and respectful. He takes me on fun dates and he listens to me. He lets me hug and kiss him whenever I want and he's not afraid to tell me how he feels, though it did take a bit to get to that part! He lets me hold his hand and steal his shirts and he doesn't mind it when I ramble a lot. And there's a whole bunch more too but that's just the tip. I ran into him at a race with my friends one day and we just clicked. Isn't it great! He treats me exactly how you treat my mom and I think that's brilliant! Finn's brilliant!"

Alfie froze for a second thinking about his options. On one hand you obviously knew nothing about what the Shelby really did for work and must not have realised what you were getting yourself into. On the other hand, you were one of the smartest people Alfie knew, and if Finn really did treat you like Alfie treated your mother, you'd know about his past by the second date... And you'd chosen to accept that. Alfie didn't know which idea scared him more. But right now he could see something else. You were happy....Very happy. Genuinely happy, in the fact you looked at Finn the same way your mother looked at Alfie... Shit you were in love with him. You loved Finn Shelby. And despite the sleep deprived confusion over the boy's face, Alfie had noticed the little spark in Finn's eye that lit up then he'd seen you. Alfie had seen the way Finn had pulled you slightly closer when you'd spun in his arms. You loved Finn Shelby and it seemed he loved you too. Shit. So despite his general distaste for Shelbys, Alfie did the last thing he wanted to do....But he did it for you. Because just like did your mother he'd do anything to see you smile.

"Well then gingersnap. If you treat my girl that nicely... then I guess it's alright to meet you isn't it?"

Somewhat begrudgingly, Alfie stuck his arm out toward the younger man. Finn stared at the arm, hesitantly, as if the moment he touched it, Alfie would pull him on to a knife. And truth be told, if he'd known it wouldn't make you mad, Alfie may have done that. But seeing your beaming grin, made shaking hands worth it. The hidden wince on Finn's face as Alfie increased his grip also seemed to get the unspoken message threat across. One tear from you and every peace deal between the families would be off. And all types of retribution would be fair game.... if your mother didn't get rid of Finn first that was.

 And finally it seemed Finn had processed your earlier words. He had also noticed your eager face and wanted to proceed with caution, careful of crushing your spirits. Obviously you'd mistaken Alfie for your real stepdad? The man you told Finn about so much couldn't possibly be the one who'd thrown his oldest brother in jail and betrayed Tommy every other weekend? Ada and Esme had joined the "observation deck"(second floor balcony) now, and John had gotten his gun incase things went south. Tommy was still no where to be seen.

"Y/N?"

"Yeah Finny?"

"You said this is your step dad?"

"Yes.... well technically not for a few more months, but the wedding is soon and he's basically already it!" 

"Right...but Y/N? You said your step dad was a nice older man who lived by the sea? He's a bit grumpy, but really sweet and likes to make model boats?"

"Yeah he does! This is him! You'll get along great!"

It was Alfie's turn to look slightly offended now. He wasn't that old, and it also occurred to him that while he told your mother about his "past" job, Alfie had never actually explained it to you. You genuinely thought Alfie was a retired baker. Sure, every now and then he'd tell you he was heading to London to consult another friend who was still in business, but that was it. And since you weren't raised in the big city, you really had no knowledge about Alfie's old job. Suddenly, he was dreading the imminent conversation more than ever before. 

"This is him? Are you sure?"

"Yep! I think I know what the guy banging my mum looks like Finny. Not that I ever see it...ew... but you know, Cyril doesn't get locked out of the master bedroom for anything!"

It was a good thing Alfie still had his beard because it helped hide the slight reddening of his cheeks and ears then. It wasn't that he was embarrassed about repeatedly making love to such a magnificent women, it was one of his proudest achievements actually...... but there was something about the fact her daughter knew that made him want to hide... just a little bit. Finn's face also turned red at the mention of Alfie's physical love life.

"Alright love, I believe ya. Just no more about his bedside manner alright? I don't wanna picture that."

"And I don't think I want you picturing it witchy."

"Finally!!," you cheered, clapping your hands quietly, happy both men finally seemed to understand what was going on. But then it brought you to your next question.

"Alfie?.... Why are you here though?.... oh please don't tell me my mum sent you to pick me up?"

"What no, your mum wouldn't do that...wait she knows you're here? What's she got to say about the lanky carrot top here? And how long has this been going on?" Alfie used his fingers to point between your shirt and Finn's pants, indicating what specifically the last sentence meant. Slightly tired of all the questioning you sighed. 

"I called her last night to tell her. It was too late to go back to my apartment and Finn said I could stay here. His brothers were fine with it too....ohh have you met them? I think you'd like Arthur! He likes boxing too, ya know!....but she knows. Also don't call him the lanky carrot top, that's mean. And it's been going on for almost a year now. Not the sleepovers, but the dating bit. We met right before summer break and you know....kept meeting up."

"A fucking year! Hell Shiny, when were you gonna tell us?" Alfie was shocked once again. You'd been dating Finn a whole year and hadn't mentioned it? A small part of him was hurt too, that you hadn't told him yet. He vividly remembered only a couple years ago, when you'd barge into his house looking for Cyril and just start telling him all about your day. Finn stood by just watching the observation, rubbing his red hair self consciously. It wasn't even that red, was it?

"ALMOST a year, and to be fair we hadn't make it official until a few months ago. I just didn't mention it because I wasn't sure if he was really into me or not....But he was, which is great! And I actually told my mom last month and she said I could bring Finn over next weekend maybe to meet him. She was suppose to tell you.... OHH WAIT! I have an idea!"

You were bouncing again, pleased with your new plan. Your mum said you could invite Finn to the house next week, and even though from your calls she seemed to like him, you knew she wasn't just gonna let him slide right into your bed....figuratively speaking. You were her only child and knew she wanted to make sure you were being treated right, so you figured she'd be a bit hard on him at first. When speaking on the phone last week, you'd also overheard her asking Alfie if he'd mind coming over early that day. You knew she wanted him around for a bit more intimidation. The big, dark, grisly figure standing in the shadows, while she interrogated Finn about his intentions. But maybe this unexpected meeting could work in your favour.

"This is great!! Since you and Finn have just met, and you seem to get along great, you can help me show him off to my mum next week! You can vouch that's he's as good as he looks!"

Alfie just stared at you.

There wasn't a single world in which he wanted to positively vouch for any Shelby. Especially one who apparently thought it was acceptable to get within ten feet of you..... without a shirt too. But then again, you had this slightly infuriating way of looking at Alfie. One smile and he was suddenly letting you paint fucking flowers on his fence to brighten the front yard or blowing up who knows what in his backyard. He really did give you too much power sometimes...

"You want me to vouch for him!"

"Yes, I mean you don't have anything against him do you?"

"Fucking actually..."

"What the hell is going on?"

Finally, Tommy showed up, his boots slightly dirty from the barn outside. He'd woken up early to check on the pregnant mare. Only he came back inside to find almost his entire family staying in the front hall, in their pyjamas, along with Y/N and Alfie. The latter of whom he didn't realise was up. If he'd known Alfie was awake, Tommy would have skipped the horse today. If only to insure Alfie didn't go rummaging around. On top of that, Alfie was shooting Finn a glare, hard enough to make Tommy shiver, not that he showed it. What his youngest brother had done to deserve that baffled him, but Tommy had some idea it had to do with the young woman grinning ear to ear.

"Well?"

"Oh! Morning Tommy! Have you met Alfie? He's my stepdad!"

Tommy's nose wrinkled slightly and his lips drew into a thin line. But his eyes went wide and his brows furrowed in confusion. That was probably the last thing he'd expected to hear that morning.

"What?"

This time it was John who spoke up from the top of the stairs, eager to see more drama.

"Yep Tom! This one here is the spawn of Alfie's soon to be missus! Isn't that something?"

Tommy looked at you, and then Alfie, and then you again, then Finn, and finally back to you. Not because he didn't like you, but because he remembered the past, Tommy glared at you lightly.

"Are you a fucking spy? Because I won't have you going around with Finn if you're going to be sharing everything to Alfie here. And you better tell the fucking truth."

Surprised and slightly scared by his change in tone, you took a step back. Despite his reputation, Tommy had always been nice to you, if not a bit reserved like he was with most people. So hearing his "boss" voice was a bit jarring. Annoyed by his tone towards you, Finn and Alfie both stepped forward, glaring at the man who had spoken. You stared in confusion at Tommy for a second, before shrugging and laughing like he'd told a joke.

"Spy? I'm not a spy. What are you talking about Tommy? That's a funny joke though. Y/N the spy.... na I'm a terrible liar. Can't keep a straight face for the life of me. But why would I spy on you for Alfie? He's got nothing to do with the races or any shipping company like you run. It wouldn't make sense for me to share all your plans with him."

Behind you, both Alfie and Finn were drawing lines across their necks with a hand. The universal symbol for "don't say a fucking thing, change the subject", but it may have already been too late. You had glanced behind yourself to see if Finn had liked your joke and noticed the cutting motions of the two men. Suddenly your eyes widened, and you started looking between Alfie and Tommy, and then Alfie and the rest of the Shelbys. It was like a light flipped in your head and internally, Alfie winced at what might occur. But once again you surprised all of them.

"Wait! Are y'all working together!!.... Oh y'all do know each other! Alfie why didn't you just stay that in the first place? I wouldn't have made you shake Finn's hand again. That's why you're here isn't it? Y'all have business together? Are ya partners?"

Alfie cleared his throat and prepared to tell you the inevitable. Sure, he knew he should tell you he was a semi retired gangster, but he was slightly worried when you learned, you wouldn't look at him the same way anymore. He was afraid you'd be a bit scared of him, and for all intents and purposes, Alfie didn't want his kid to be scared of him.

"Well, Shiny... yes we are working together. You see..."

"OHH I KNEW IT! Are you gonna start selling bread at the races? I think that would be a great idea!! Like alcohol is great, but it would be so nice to have a muffin or something too.... OH OH OH ... I know! Alfie you should sell your sugar rolls! Finn you have to try them they're so good....Alfie has this special apron he wears when making them."

Alfie groaned at the mention of the pink apron your mother had gotten him last holiday. You really were just revealing all his secrets weren't you? And he couldn't even wack you over the head like he'd do with anyone else.... Finn process your words and then stared grinning as big as you were. He loved it when you started to go off on a tangent. After all it was a brilliant idea too. Finn always got hungry during the races. He was always hungry in general, but the anticipation of what horse would win made him hungrier than usual.

"That is a good idea! I get hungry at those and they never have any snacks. Why don't we do that Tom?"

Tommy just furrowed his brows again, completely lost to what was going on. That was one thing he realised when he first met you. See Finn, when given the chance to speak, could jump from topic to topic within minutes and never seemed to go on a straight path. You did the exact same thing....but much much more. And while it was amusing to watch at times, it could get dizzying when you and your boyfriend went round and round in circles. And if they didn't stop it quick, this would be one of those times.... It was too early in the morning for that. So Tommy interrupted. 

"Yes! That's exactly what we're doing. That's why he's here. To make plans to sell bread at the races."

It was a lie of course, but even Tommy could respect Alfie's wish to tell you on his own time. Besides, it wasn't actually a bad idea. Alfie nodded his head in agreement like they hadn't planned on robbing a train last night. 

"Yep Shiny, you got us. I remembered you mentioning it once, and thought why not see if I could pitch the idea. Didn't know you'd be here though. Kinda ruins the surprise so just promise to act like you didn't know. Be as sightful as my half blind eye yeah?"

Laughing, your rolled your eyes at your stepfather's joke, before yawning into Finn's chest. The early morning hour was starting to get to you again. You really had only come to use the bathroom before noticing Alfie. Now you just wanted to get back in the warm bed for a bit longer.

"Deal, alright. I can keep my lips shut. But only if you also add the knot shaped chocolate pastries to the menu too! Those are my favourite."

Finn's stomach interrupted the conversation causing the both of you to laugh. Even the mention of food was enough to bring his appetite back. Turning to your boyfriend you hugged him again, revelling in the warmth you loved to burrow into. Standing on your toes, you reached up to whisper in his ear and he smiled softly before nodding back. You turned to the rest of the room and addressed Tommy.

"Welp this was nice, but can we go raid your pantry please? It's been at least seven hours since this one's eaten, so soon he'll start to shrivel up."

Good-naturedly, Tommy rolled his eyes, he knew it was Finn sneaking around the kitchen only three hours ago. He was the only one who closed up the bags of food he stole from by placing another bag over the messily folded edges when he couldn't get a knot tied in the dark again. Finn was also the only one who made peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, leaving the dirty knife and plate in the sink for the next morning.

"That's fine, you two can go off, Alfie and I here have to finish a few details for the deal."

Giving Alfie another quick hug, you and Finn headed off leaving the rest of the company in the main hall. His arm was around your shoulder and they could see you laughing at something Finn whispered in your ear. Alfie watched for a moment. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad. At least you hadn't stated dating Sabini's nephew.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the top of the stairs Arthur leaned over to John.

"Does this mean we can't slash his tires anymore?"

".....Eh probably."

"Fuck, was looking forward to that."

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 42: Something More Important

Masterlist: https://www.tumblr.com/sl-newsie/739551758747090944/american-woman-thomas-shelby-x-american-oc?source=share

By the end of the afternoon everything is planned. Ada, Finn, Polly, and Michael are already here. Now we’re waiting for Lizzie and the other Shelbys and their wives. Thomas’ meeting with the duchess must have gone successfully because he came back in one piece with more money than I’d ever imagined. Now she’s gone.

In the kitchen I pour a small whiskey and let the nostalgic drink warm me. More footsteps approach and Thomas spots me sitting at the table.

“Do you drink now?” 

I roll my eyes. “In small portions. Don’t blame me. You lot are always drinking.”

He walks in and takes a seat next to me, examining the bottle with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. “Whiskey?”

“My vader runs a brewery. What do you think?”

“‘S this your father’s brand?”

I nod proudly. “Some of the best in America.”

Thomas hums and considers me with calculating eyes, hand on his chin. “How do you feel about horses?”

Another swallow. “Not much to say. I grew up in the city and never got to see many, much less ride one until I came here.” I smirk. “Not that I wouldn’t be up to the challenge.”

He hums again. “Do you prefer cars?”

Is that a trick question? Where is this coming from? “In Brooklyn everything’s close enough to walk. When my family travels we rent a car. But if you’re asking my opinion about those gleaming beauties you’ve got now, I’ll say they’re some of the best cars I’ve ever ridden in.” I stand up and place my glass in the wash basin. “You’re a man of many wonders, Thomas. Gorgeous horses and snazzy automobiles.”

A new feeling blooms in my chest just as Ada walks by. So much for a private moment.

“They’re asking for you, Tommy.”

Thomas waves her off and stands up, taking a puff on his cigarette. He takes his own sip from vader’s whiskey and looks to the floor with a look telling me he’s overthinking.

“After today, things might go back to normal,” I comment lightly and put a hand on his shoulder. “Now go out there and show them who Thomas Shelby is.”

Thomas gives a stiff nod and strides off into the hall. I start to follow but am blocked by Linda before I can exit the kitchen.

“Why are you here?” she asks, looking me up and down.

“Excuse me?”

“Why are you here? Esme, Ada, Polly, and I are kin to the Shelbys.” She tilts her chin up. “Who are you?”

It feels like someone punched me in the throat. What words can I possibly say about that? Does she not see the time I’ve dedicated to this family?

“I- I’m here as a friend. Thomas-”

“All you are is a trusting, pretty face that he can send to do the boring work he doesn’t like,” she tuts. “If I were you I’d go back to America. That’s where Arthur and I plan on going. Away from this dangerous place. Although no offense, your state may be a bit too rough for the baby.”

My jaw tightens and my gaze hardens. My hands stay clenched at my sides. Every part of me wants to boil over and scream at her for disrespecting my country.

“How dare you. You say I’m a waste of space here and then insult my home? You are in luck because I am too Christian to hit a pregnant woman. Excuse me.”

I force my way past Linda, pushing into her shoulder. Arthur, you are a good man, but why did you have to find someone so judgemental? At least Esme still accepts me. Polly, Ada, Finn… Thomas trusts me. I understand that trust does not come easily to this family but one would think that after all this time-

“Ms. Steenstra, there’s someone on the phone for you,” Mary interrupts my thoughts. “A man named Conor.”

The name makes my pulse spark. Why would he be calling?

“Conor? That’s my brother.” I walk to the phone and hesitantly pick it up. “Hello?”

“Verena?” His deep American accent rings through. “Thank God! I’ve been trying to reach you all day! Where the Hell in England are you?”

“I’m in Warwickshire.”

“Speak normal English!”

I roll my eyes. “That is normal English! I’m at Arrow House. My boss’ house. And we’re about to have a meeting. Is something wrong?”

He chuckles halfheartedly. “Funny you should say that. Vader fell down the stairs and broke his beg.”

I close my eyes and let out a drawn-out groan. “It was the stairs with the loose floorboard, wasn’t it?”

“Sure was. And now we need someone to care for him while I get to be the lucky one who runs the shop.”

His attempt at sounding gumptious does not sink in well. The previous feeling of the future’s delightful promises is disassembled, leaving me to ponder the disappointment of having to leave Birmingham once more.

“Conor, are you serious?” I ask in a small voice. 

“Catch the next boat home,” he answers in a non-negotiable tone. “Please? Moeder and Oma are going crazy and we need you to balance it out.”

I feel like I’m falling. Being dragged down with no way out. “Conor. I am so close to starting a life for myself here. Is there any other person?”

He sighs deeply. “I’m afraid not. We need you here.”

Something more important. That’s what he wants to say. I have to leave because this is more important. Not Thomas’ mental stability or my own interest to start a life. What does Conor know? They’ve never even met the Shelbys yet. 

I’m being pulled from both sides. On one hand, I can’t leave Thomas alone with what he just went through. He needs me to listen. On the other hand, I cannot just leave my family. It’s too selfish. Maybe… I can still listen from the phone. Thomas might understand. He knows I wouldn’t leave unless it was for something like this.

“Very well. I will inform Mr. Shelby that I need to take a leave of absence.”

“Thank you, Verena,” Conor sighs in relief. “This is a big help, really. You’re-”

“Tell moeder I will be home soon,” I cut him off with a dead tone. “Tot ziens.”

I stiffly hang up the phone before he can ramble on about more assurances. Yes, this is a big help to them. But I also feel the need to be of service here too. Can’t they understand?

I join the others in Thomas’ office and try to squeeze past Finn before the meeting starts. “I need to speak to Thomas-”

“Shh!” 

Finn pushes me down into the chair next to him. Whatever Thomas’ new plan is I will have to be cut out. Now everyone is gathered, even Thomas’ uncle, Curly, and Johnny Doggs. We’re all in rows facing Thomas like it's going to be a big speech. Thomas stays hunches over his desk, eyeing us until we quiet down.

“Before I begin, I want to let you know I made a mistake.” He admits it? Thomas Shelby just admitted he was wrong. “And I want to apologize to all of you. Arthur, you warned me against getting involved in Russian business. And you were right.”

Arthur merely hums in response. 

“I doubted your wife, and for that I’m sorry. Linda, I’ve added 3,000 here in the hope that you’ll forgive me.”

Linda gives us all a quick look as if to see if taking the money is appropriate. She gets up and picks up the bills Thomas has placed on the desk. “Apology accepted.”

Thomas continues. “Esme I doubted you as well.”

Esme, carrying the sleeping newborn in her arms, stares right at him. “Now John’s got innocent lives on his conscience. Ordinary working men-”

“Yeah, alright Esme. Got it,” John pushes it off.

“No, she’s right,” Thomas agrees. “And you and Arthur are gonna have to share that burden.” He tosses another stack of bills to him. “But I hope the house that you can buy with this can become a place of contemplation. Perhaps redemption.” He throws more money to the men in the back. “Charlie, for lost tools, dangerous goods and Curly’s wise words. Johnny, for board and lodgings. Lizzie.” 

The dark-eyed secretary leans forward and throws it back, sitting up straight with a tensed jaw. In a split second her eyes dart to where I’m sitting and I swear she thinks I'm hiding something.

“Michael.” Thomas holds more money out to his cousin. “For the killings. 5 for the stabbing, 5 for the shooting-”

Polly stands up. “No, Tommy.”

“What?!” Thomas barks. “Tell me, eh! This is who I am! And this is all I can give you for what you’ve given me. Your hearts and your souls.” He points a finger at her. “Yesterday I nearly lost my son. You should fucking understand that. For what, eh? For this? This?”

He gestures to the room and I can see my prediction seeping through. Wealth can grant you only so much, Thomas. I tried to tell you, Lord knows I did. Now you see just how valuable life can be without money... And how easily it can be stolen.

“And I know you all want me to say that I’ll change,” he grunts, looking over each of us. He’s not wrong. “That this fucking busines will change. But I’ve learnt something in the last few days.” He points to the window. “Those bastards, those bastards, are worse than us. Politicians, fucking judges, Lords and Ladies. They are worse than us. And they will never admit us to their palaces no matter how legitimate we become. Because of who we are. Who we fucking are, where we fucking came from.”

As much as it pains me to think it, he’s right. This isn’t America where you can build from the ground up and people will respect you. Remains of wealthy families still linger but in Brooklyn your character is judged by your labors. Your hard work. Maybe that is why I’ve been so out of place here.

“Isn’t that right, Ada?” Thomas looks at his sister. “Our Ada knows. She got smart about the revolution. And she knows you have to get what you want your own way. Lizzie, I want it known that money was for you because some nights it was you who stopped my heart from breaking. No one else.”

Crack.

My breathing ceases. Thomas’ words are drowned out by the ringing in my ears. My entire body freezes to stare unblinking at the desk. Did he just say that? In the corner of my eye Lizzie’s look of confidence says enough. But he said thank-you. He said he needs me…

“And Verena, don’t think I’ve forgotten you.”

Did he say my name? My head jerks up and those stern blue eyes meet my frigid ones.

“Verena. The American woman who stood by us as our family crumbled and built up again. Verena, who cared for and protected my son as if he were her own. Verena, who makes me look like a bloody fool for not following her wisdom. Vernea, who always listens.”

He holds up a single envelope. Not one with money.

“This here is for you. The deed to the house on Watery Lane. It’s yours now. And outside that house, you will find a car. That’s yours too.”

Oh God. He does care. He wants me to stay so badly. How can I tell him I can’t? “Thomas-”

“No exceptions,” he orders and sets the envelope on the desk.

“Thomas, please-” I beg.

“Tommy. You’ve had a bad time,” Polly interrupts. “We understand. So at an alternative time, we have all recovered.” She walks over to retrieve the money from Michael, who does not look compliant. “I would like to put before the family an alternative view of the future of the Shelby Company Limited. A more hopeful view.”

Esme’s baby starts to cry. Polly’s words hit everyone. If only I could join this hopeful future. 

“Which I, for one, would quite like to hear,” Ada inputs.

Esme stands up with her child. “As would I.”

“And I,” Lizzie agrees.

Thomas’ eyes flicker to me and I force an empty smile. “Me too.”

Linda, however, is not as enthusiastic. “Come on, Arthur. Train to the boat leaves in one hour. Then we get the boat to New York and it’ll all be in the past.”

Polly gives him a hug while Thomas fights the urge to as well. Instead he sits back in his chair and takes a puff on his cigarette. Does this mean the meeting’s over? Are the Shelbys really splitting up? Arthur can’t really be going- Can he? After everything…?

Everyone stands in silence as Arthur approaches his brother for a final goodbye. “I’ll be off then, Tom. I’ll see ya. I’ll see you, brother.”

He gives a nod and walks to join Linda at the back of the room. I’m really going to miss him. Maybe I’ll be on the same boat back to New York.

“You can go but you won’t get far, Arthur.”

Thomas’ words cause everyone to look at him. Arthur must think he’s joking. What on Earth is he talking about?

“I spoke to Moss last night. He told me that the Chief Constable of Birmingham has issued a warrant for your arrest. Murder, sedition, conspiracy to cause explosion. John, they’re coming for you as well. Same charges. Michael, the murder of Hughes. Polly-”

“Wait a minute. What the fuck are you talking-?” Arthur’s voice rises.

Bang! Bang! “Open up!” Someone shouts from outside.

Oh no. He didn’t- Thomas could never-

“…In the murder of Chief Inspector Chester Campbell,” Thomas finishes.

So Polly really did kill him. Can’t say I’m sad to hear it. But what does not calm my thoughts is the continued pounding on the front door. 

“The people we betrayed last night want to bring us down,” Thomas explains as whistles start to blow. “They control the police, the judges, the jails. But they do not control the elected government.”

“What the fuck Tommy?” John yells and everyone starts clustering in a panic.

“I was going to listen to you, my brother-!”

“They’ll hang us!”

“Listen to me!” Thomas is trying to stay calm. “I’ve made a deal, in return for turning in evidence against them. Lizzie, take the money to the cellar. You will get your money in course time. When the police get in, do not resist. Do not say anything.”

More panic spreads through the room. Polly, looking shocked and distraught, is escorted out by Michael. Esme tries to run with John but I know they won’t get far. Screams echo from the hall. Finn and I exchange anxious looks and bolt out of the room to see the door burst open and uniformed cops swarm inside. They push me away and back Arthur up against the wall with a baton to his throat. John’s already handcuffed. Esme’s trying to soothe the baby and keep Linda from attacking the coppers. Finn, who looks to be seconds from tears when he sees Polly being handcuffed, takes off sprinting out the door and around to the back of the house, towards the pasture. Lizzie and Ada are still hiding in the cellar. I’m all that’s left.

As the thrashing prisoners are led outside I feel someone walk up behind me. Thomas. We both stand in silence watching them all be dragged out to the awaiting trolley. Silence drapes over the once-lively house. I dare to look up and see Thomas’ facade threatening to crack. He never wanted this. A king, all alone in his castle. 

He finally speaks. “The only one not linked by evidence to this is you, Verena.” 

I swallow hard to fight my own tears. “That’s supposed to make me feel better? You just sent your own family to the gallows, Thomas! You must admit the law is catching up to you now. Rigged or not, do you think you can fight this system?” I take a shaky breath. “I feel like that speech was partially directed at me. No, I understand you can’t change. But you’re right. You are better than them, Thomas. All those snippity aristocrats.”

“I really meant what I said,” Thomas murmurs and I fight the temptation to keep looking at him. “You… You’ve kept me sane. You listen. You care. I don’t know how, but you do. Even if there’s nothing profitable for you.”

I shake my head slowly. “Care and compassion shouldn’t come at a cost.” Another deep breath. “There’s more news, I’m afraid. Conor, my oldest brother, just called and told me I need to return home. Vader broke his leg, and…”

Something in him breaks too. We both know where this is going. Thomas wants to break down further but instead closes his eyes to clarify my reason to leave.

“You need to help. ‘S alright, Verena. I understand.”

“Please know that I truly do wish to stay.” I gently take his hand. “You didn’t need to gift me anything for helping you, Thomas. God sent me here for a reason.”

He swallows. “You deserve it all, love. It will still be here when you come back.”

“I will be back,” I assure firmly. “I promise. But right now you need your family. Save them, Thomas. While I’m at home I can start arranging your shipments in Boston with Ada. I’m really sorry Thomas but I have my own family to look after as well.”

We turn into each other for a soft hug. Nothing too intimate, no. Something with a deeper feeling. Like two magnets not wanting to part. No longer do I feel scared to touch him. I need him to make me keep remembering what I’ll eventually return to. In a small moment I feel him lean down and press a single kiss to the top of my head.

“If I call, will you pick up?”

“Always.”

@meadows5

[prettybillycore]

shot through the heart || ch.2 || billy hargrove x shelby!reader

Pairing(s): Shelby!Reader x Billy Hargrove, Minor Thomas Shelby x Grace Burgess

Universe: Peaky Blinders + Stranger Things

Summary: You, one of the younger members of the Shelby clan, are just trying to find your place in the world when suddenly you are shot. Instead of dying, you are flashed-forward in time to 1984 where you meet people who will change your life forever. Will you ever be able to return home? What caused you to time-travel in the first place?

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: canon typical violence, swearing

A/N: I can’t wait to see what you all think of the end of this chapter!!!

Read Below the Cut or on AO3

You were in the church lighting candles with Aunt Polly the first time you met Inspector Campbell. “A gentleman would take off his hat… and put out his pipe,” she said. She didn’t look up from her task of lighting her candles. 

You, however, did. You blew out the candle you were holding and looked over your shoulder at Inspector Campbell. “I see you only dare to come here when you know my brothers are away at the fair.”

“Ah yes, your brothers. With their guns and their razors? Is it them you're lighting candles for?” He asked. 

“We’re lighting candles for the boys from The Garrison who lost their lives in France,” Aunt Pol said, “There's a list there. Look.”

“I hear you didn’t make it to France, Inspector Campbell,” you taunted. Aunt Polly grinned. 

The inspector looked at you with a displeased expression. “You’ve heard of me,” he said, taking a step closer, “I think it’s unfair that I’ve not heard of you. I’ve only heard of Polly Gray and her nephews.”

You looked at Aunt Pol and then back at Inspector Campbell in shock, “I’m deeply offended. I’m only the most important member of the Shelby clan.”

Aunt Pol blew out the flame in her hand and smiled at the back of your head. She then wrapped her arms around your shoulders. “It’s definitely this one you should be on the lookout for. She’s smart as a whip and twice as devilish as my nephews some days.” You knew she was only kidding, but it still felt nice to be recognized as an essential member of the family. You sometimes felt overlooked, and Inspector Campbell having absolutely no idea who you were didn’t help that image you had of yourself. 

You looked at Inspector Campbell with a plastic grin. “My name’s Y/n. Y/n Shelby. I’m one of the siblings– between Finn and John.”

The inspector nodded and looked away from you and your aunt. He focused his attention ahead on the front of the church. He pushed open the gates and walked through them without another word to either of you. “Is it the Holy Grail you’re looking for?” Aunt Pol asked. 

“As a matter of fact, it is the Holy Grail I’m looking for,” the Inspector replied. His eyes were fixated on Aunt Polly. He began to walk toward the two of you. Pol put herself between you and the Inspector. “Something precious. Something stolen.” The Inspector took one of his hands and shoved Polly up against the wall. “Perhaps you know what I’m talking about.” His gaze was stern and low. 

Aunt Pol was always quick on her feet and thought of a plan to get herself out of that situation almost instantly. Aunt Pol leaned in and kissed the Inspector unexpectedly, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He pulled away from her and shot her a disgusted look. “Sorry, I misunderstood your intention when you pushed me against the wall.”

You couldn’t contain your laughter. Inspector Campbell used a piece of cloth to wipe his mouth before moving to let a team of coppers into the building. You weren’t raised in the Christian faith, but you still felt like them invading this holy space was vile and wrong. “Turn the place upside down,” Campbell spat. He then turned his attention back to you and your aunt. “Arthur Shelby said you people would help us.”

“How are we supposed to help if you won’t actually tell us anything about why you’re really here?” you asked.

Polly smiled at you again. “The girl has a point. If we don’t know what you’ve lost, how can we help you find it?” 

The Inspector ignored you both. “But I have found out subsequently that I was speaking to the wrong man. Next time, I want to talk to the boss.” The Inspector turned to leave. “Lickey Tea Rooms. Friday, ten o’clock. And when I say “the boss,” I mean Thomas.”

You watched Aunt Pol’s face closely. Her expression dimmed slightly as the Inspector left. “What could they possibly be searching for that’s so important? They are turning our poor city upside down, looking for it.”

Polly shook her head, “I don’t know, Y/n,” you were smart. You didn’t believe her when she said that. You were like her and Tommy in that way– you could always tell when someone was lying to you. However, for the time being, you decided to let it rest. “We’ll have to have a family meeting when the boys get back to town. Tommy won’t be pleased with the state of the city.”

You nodded. “That’s for sure. He won’t be happy when he sees the state of the local pubs and such. This copper is even more bad news than I thought he would be.”

| < ♥️ > |

“The coppers told everyone Arthur had agreed to it when he was arrested. They said the Peaky Blinders had cleared out to the fair to let them do it,” Aunt Pol said. Her tone was somewhere between scolding and informative.   

“I never said nothing to that copper about smashing up bloody houses,” Arthur fired back.

“All right. Which pubs did they do?” Tommy asked.

“The Guns, the Chains, the Marquis. All the ones that pay you to protect them. Only one they didn’t touch was the garrison. Make sure people think we were in on it. He’s smart, this copper,” Aunt Pol explained downly. “So go on. Drink your beer, get out. You’d better show people you are still the cocks of the walk.” Everyone began to stand up from the meeting. Tommy started saying something, but you weren’t paying him much attention. You were caught up in your own thoughts about what the copper could possibly want from your town, from your family that he would go to such great lengths to make your reputation go downhill. You were following Arthur and John out when you noticed Aunt Polly close the doors behind you. Usually you wouldn’t think much of this, but something in your gut told you Aunt Pol and Tommy in a room alone together right now was not good. You knew they would kill you if they caught you, but you couldn’t help yourself. After Arthur and John had long forgotten about you, you put your ear up to the door. Some of the men working gave you a funny look, but they dared not question you. You might be young, but you were still a Shelby. “So we both know what they were looking for,” Aunt Pol started. “You don’t read the papers.”

“Racing papers.”

“So let me tell you the odds. I reckon it’s three to one; there’ll be a revolution.” 

“I wouldn’t bet on that.”

“That copper’s betting on it,” you could make out the disapproval in Aunt Pol’s voice even through the door. “He’s not going to let it rest till he gets those guns back.”

Your eyebrows furrowed. Guns? What guns are they talking about?

“Did he talk to you, Pol?”

“Me and Y/n. In the church.”

“What did he know of our darling, Y/n?”

You smiled at the name. “Nothing.”

“Did he try to find our Ada?”

“She was sleeping,” Pol explained. 

“Where was she sleeping, Pol?” Tommy asked. You could feel your forehead and hands becoming sweaty. How does he already know something’s up with Ada’s love life? You decided then and there that it was best to back away from the door slowly. The wood of the floor creaked ever so slightly, and you held your breath, but the conversation in the room beyond the doors continued. 

| < ♥️ > |

Life was pretty quiet for a few days. You were quite saddened by the death of Tommy’s new horse, but your brothers did their best to cheer you up. They knew that you got attached to animals rather quickly, and this horse had been no exception. Tommy promised he would figure out a way to make it up to you since he knew you were so looking forward to riding his horse. One way he knew how to cheer you up was by letting Grace have her way with music at the garrison. Saturday night came around, and Tommy invited you to join him and your brothers. The patrons of the Garrison were singing loudly while you sat with your brothers. You smiled brightly as Grace came in to serve you all. “Did you want whiskey as well?” she asked.

“No. Just beer,” Tommy replied. You eyed him carefully. That was very out of character for him at this point in his life. Tommy pretty much always wanted Whiskey.   

“Why no whiskey, Tommy? Are you expecting trouble?” Arthur asked.

Tommy didn’t answer his brother. His attention turned to John, who spoke with a snicker in his voice. “Jesus Christ, Tommy, what the hell made you let them sing? They sound like they’re strangling cats out there.”

You stopped paying attention for a minute, getting lost in the sounds of the bar around you. That is until Arthur mentioned your dad. “Fast women and slow horses… will ruin your life.” For a moment, Tommy almost smiled. It was a pleasant thing to see your brothers happy again, but that was quickly ruined by someone pulling up outside. “Coppers?” Arthur asked.

“No,” Tommy answered.

“Is there any man here named Shelby?” A male voice you didn’t recognize called out. His words were followed by silence and then a gunshot. 

You covered your ears and gasped. Tommy shushed you quietly, briefly pulling you into his side. “Sal’right, Y/n.”

“I said, is there any man here named Shelby?” The voice repeated itself in a slightly more irritated tone.

“Stay here, Y/n,” Tommy whispered. He, Arthur, and John got up from the table you all had been sitting at and made their way out of the room. They shut the door behind them, but that didn’t stop you from trying to listen in to everything going on. “Harry, get these men a drink. Everyone else, go home!”  

You heard the noises of the pub clearing out and Grace pouring drinks. Then, you heard Grace set something down on a table, followed by Tommy’s voice: “You go home.”

“But Mr. Fenton said–”

“I said, go home.” You could hear Grace walking away. 

The man’s voice from early cut through the air like a knife, “I’ve never approved of women in pubs, but when they look like that…”

It made you sick to your stomach. He was gross; you could just feel it in your bones. “You said you wanted men called Shelby. You’ve got three of them,” Tommy said.

“I’d never heard of you. Then I did hear of you. Some little Diddicoy razor gang. I thought to myself, ‘So, what?’ But then you fuck me over. So now you have my undivided attention,” he paused, “By the way, which one am I talking to? Who’s the boss?”

“Well, I’m the oldest,” Arthur stated.

The man scoffed. “Clearly.”

“Are you laughing at my brother?” John asked. You knew that tone of voice. It was the tone he used when he was about ready to fight someone. You gulped and prayed that Tommy stepping in would help the situation and not hurt it. 

“Right, he’s the oldest; you’re the thickest. I’m told the boss is called Tommy, and I’m guessing that’s you, ‘cause you’re looking me up and down like I’m a fucking tart,” He spat. 

“I want to know what you want,” Tommy said.

“There were suspicious betting patterns at Kempton Park. A horse called Monaghan Boy. He won by a length twice and then finished last with 3,000 pounds bet on him,” another voice replied. You didn’t recognize this voice either. It sounded softer and kinder than the other new voice in the room. 

“Which one am I talking to? Which one of you is the boss?” Tommy cooly questioned. He was playing with them. Your heart skipped a beat. You didn’t feel like that was a smart move, but it was very much something Tommy liked to do. 

You couldn’t help yourself at this point in the conversation; you had to see what was going on out there. You carefully crept over to the door, turned the handle as quietly as you could, and cracked it. “I am Mr. Kimber’s adviser and accountant,” The softer voice, the man seated closer to you, said. 

“And I’m the fucking boss. Okay, right, end of parley. You fixed a race without my permission,” the man you had come to know as Billy Kimber shouted. He was standing now. “You fucking Gypsy scum–”

Without thinking, you swung the door open. “Fixed race or not, how dare you speak to my brothers that way.”

“Y/n–” Tommy tried to silence you. It didn’t work. Kimber’s goons had their guns pointed in your direction, but you tried not to let it bother you. You were a Shelby, after all. This was not the first time a gun had been pulled on you.

 “Now who the fuck is this?” Kimber asked. The tone of his voice sent a shiver down your spine. His eyes trailed up and down your body, making your skin grow cold. “What did I just say about women in pubs?”

“She’s no one, Mr. Kimber,” Tommy said smoothly. “If we could get back to what we were discussing–” He was trying to remain calm, but you could tell just by the sound of his voice that he was deeply angry with you for stepping out of hiding. 

“Clearly, she’s someone if she’s been spying on our business talk.” He didn’t take his eyes off of you. He moved brashly, reaching out toward you without a second thought. His hand made contact with your bicep. His fingertips were clammy and slick with sweat. He yanked you from your position in the doorway. “Who do you think you are, whore? Speaking to me like that? I am Billy Kimber; I run the races!”

“I don’t care that you run the races. You said you wanted a man named Shelby; well, you’ve got three of them and one woman. You could be King bloody George for all I care. No one disrespects my brothers and gets away with it,” you fired back. There was rage behind your eyes. Unlike the first time you uttered the phrase ‘my brothers,’ Kimber seemed to understand now that you were in some way a Shelby. 

“You know, I thought you were quite pretty like that barmaid from earlier before you opened your big fucking mouth,” Kimber replied through gritted teeth. “It makes sense, though, of course, you’re a Shelby too. Anyone with that much courage and stupidity must be related to Tommy.” This is where things took a turn that you weren’t expecting. Kimber released his grip on your arm and, with all his might, shoved you to the floor. “I refuse to be spoken down to by a woman, especially a Shelby one at that. You filthy bitch.” You tried to catch yourself, but the skin on your hand ended up snagging on a rough piece of the wooden floor. It began to bleed as you lay on your side. Kimber kicked you in the stomach as he said those last three words. He turned his attention back to Tommy. That was when Tommy had enough. “Your whore sister is on my last nerve, and you fixed one of my races, so I’m going to have you shot against a post.”

Kimber turned to leave, but Tommy called after him. You saw Tommy toss something to him, but you couldn’t quite make out what it was. “Look at it,” your brother said. “That is my name in it. It’s from the Lee family. You are also at war with the Lees, Mr. Kimber, am I right?” Tommy knew he had Kimber hooked as he walked back toward the conversation. “The Lees are attacking your bookies and taking your money. Your men can’t control them. You need help.”

“Perhaps we should listen to what Mr. Shelby has to say before we make our decisions,” Kimber’s accountant said.  

“Right. The Lees are doing a lot of talking at the fairs. They have a lot of kin. They’re saying the race tracks are easy meat because the police are busy with strikes. Now, we have connections. We know how they operate. You have muscle. Together, we can beat them. Divided, maybe not,” Tommy explained. 

“Mr. Kimber, perhaps we should take some time for reflection, possibly make arrangements for a second meeting,” The accountant continued. 

“Before you knocked my little sister to the ground, I was prepared to say I admired you, Mr. Kimber. You started with nothing and built a legitimate business. It would almost be an honor to work with you, Mr. Kimber,” Tommy finished. You nearly laughed. If your hand didn’t hurt so bad, you might have. 

“Nobody works with me. People work for me,”  Kimber tossed. He pulled a coin out of his pocket and threw it on the floor. It landed a few inches from your face. “Pick it up, pikey.”

You saw John’s feet move, but Tommy hushed him. “Sit… Sit down.”

You made eye contact with Tommy as he picked up the coin. The look on his face was a mixture of worry and anger. You weren’t sure if the anger was directed at you or at Billy Kimber. “It’s for your ceiling.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kimber,” Tommy said politely as Kimber actually left this time.

“We will be at Cheltenham,” was the last thing the accountant said before he made his leave. 

“As will I,” Tommy replied. As soon as the coast was clear, Tommy sprung into action. He made his way around the table and wordlessly helped you up off the floor. 

“Jesus, Y/n. Are you alright?” John asked. 

You nodded. “Aside from a cut on my hand, I think I’m fine.”

Tommy quickly grabbed your hand and began looking over the injury. “John, go to the back of the bar and grab Harry’s first aid kit. I’ll patch up Y/n’s hand,” Tommy’s voice was even and low, but you could still feel the anger radiating off of him.

“I was just keeping our promise, Tommy,” you replied in a hushed tone. You did so almost so you wouldn’t spook a wild animal. 

It was years ago now, but you still remember it like it was yesterday—the day the boys were all drafted for the war. You were young then, barely 11 or 12, when the drafting officer came. You didn’t understand why they were taking all your brothers away from you, but it was breaking your heart. Your brothers were packing their things, and the officer was waiting in the doorway for them. “You can’t take all three,” you cried, “I won’t let you.”

The officer had a little bit of a heart and could see how much yours was breaking. “It’s not my choice, love. Your brothers have to fight for the king. Those are the rules. If I could, I would leave your family alone, trust me.” You didn’t know if he was saying that because he felt sorry for you or if it was because you were the Shelby clan. It didn’t really matter to you. John, Tommy, and Arthur were all being taken away from you for an unknown amount of time. You heard your brothers coming toward the doorway, and you used your body to block the way. 

You could see the sadness in Tommy’s eyes as he looked at you, “Y/n, we have to go.”

“But you can’t! What am I going to do without you here?”

“Aunt Pol is going to take great care of you; you always loved visiting her house,” Arthur chimed in. Tears began streaming down your face. You couldn’t hold them back any longer. 

“Now you’ve done it, Arthur, she’s cryin’,” John harped. 

“How was I supposed to know that’d make her cry?” He fired back.

“Hush it, the both of you,” Tommy said. He looked at his brothers briefly before focusing his attention on you. “We have to go, Y/n. We have to go fight for our country, but I promise you. We will come back. We will be a family again, but I need you to be strong for me, alright?” You nodded. “Thank you for standing up for us, but now it’s time for us to go.”

“I promise that I’ll keep standing up for you anytime you need it,” you said. You still had tears rolling down your face, but you stuck your pinkie out in front of you. 

Tommy knew what it meant without you saying anything, and he tossed you a soft smile as he gave you his pinkie. “And I will always look out for you.” Your fingers crossed, and you felt slightly better about the situation ahead. You still didn’t want your brothers to go, but at least they were promising to come back. 

Aunt Pol emerged from the depths of the house, followed by Ada. They both looked at you with sad expressions. “C’mon, Y/n, let the boys go,” Aunt Pol said. You looked up; you still weren’t ready for them to leave. 

“I don’t want them to go,” you said. 

Aunt Pol let out a long sigh and scooped you up from the doorway. You tried to worm your way out of her arms, but it was no use. She wasn’t going to let you go until the boys were long gone. 

“So you picked a fight with the Lees on purpose,” Arthur scolded, pulling you from your thoughts. “Tommy, we can’t mess with Billy fucking Kimber. Look what he did to our bloody sister.”

“Get yourself a decent haircut, man. We’re going to the races,” Tommy replied, taking a swig of the drink that Grace had originally poured for him. “And Y/n?”

“Yeah Tommy?”

“Next time we see Billy Kimber, you let me do all the talking, yeah?”

You smiled softly. “Not a chance in the world.”

-TO BE CONTINUED-

_____________________________________

TAGS: @tatumrileyslover @rubybinxx @haleypearce

[finishinglinepress]

NEW FROM FINISHING LINE PRESS: Cast of Characters by Teresa McLamb Blackmon

ADVANCE ORDER: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/cast-of-characters-by-teresa-mclamb-blackmon/

A Cast of Characters features poems related to works and #characters from classic #literature, both American and English. Coming from a high school English teacher’s perspective, each poem relates to the piece itself, but often extends the text to make a commentary on life and mankind. Many characters suffer from loneliness and find life meaningless. Others explore bravery and a sense of pervading hope. From Henny Penny, Huck Finn, and Muley Graves to Julius Caesar, Jay Gatsby, and J. Alfred Prufrock, these poems explore commentary and messages for today’s audience from familiar voices in literature.

Teresa McLamb Blackmon is a retired English teacher and Librarian from Eastern North Carolina. She lives and writes on the family farm which she shares with a miniature dachshund, two cats, a goat and a donkey.

PRAISE FOR Cast of Characters by Teresa McLamb Blackmon

“Characters in literature introduced me to theatre long before I saw a curtain rise on the stage. They taught me to dream and discover parts of myself I’d not yet ascertained. Fictional people jump from the page to our minds and hearts forever, often leaving us wanting to know more about them than their authors scripted. Teresa Blackmon’s provocative A Cast of Characters takes us on a fascinating, poetic exploration into the psyche and drama of some of our favorite literary roles. And again, as we learn more about these characters, we unearth new truths about ourselves.”

–Eric Woodall, CSA, SDC. Broadway Actor/Director/Casting Director. North Carolina Theatre Producing Artistic Director.

“In A Cast of Characters, Teresa McLamb Blackmon draws characters from literary works to make poems simultaneously humorous and serious. “Stupid Poem” draws on “The Red Wheelbarrow” to loosen the Williams image in a dialogue between teacher and student. “Measurements” uses Eliot’s Prufrock to allow the “I” to say “At sixty-six, my years are measured” not by spoons but things like “a muffin tin.” A Cast of Characters is just plain fun.

–The author of Country, Shelby Stephenson was poet laureate of North Carolina, 2015-2018.

“What a gift! These poems! Teresa Blackmon gives us a landscape, a life of many lives AND literature. Blackmon is a poet who knows her native North Carolina soil that stains her fingers and her soul with the riches of words and wisdom. She is a TRUE poet of the heart. Read and savor her words. Let them linger, reread and take them into your life. Bravo, Blackmon of Benson, bravo!

–Ruth Moose was on the creative writing faculty at UNC-CH for fifteen years. She retired and moved back to Albemarle where she grew up. Her latest book is from St. Andrews University Press, The Goings on at Glen Arbor Acres, available on Amazon.

Please share/repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #read #poems #literature #poetry

[theshelbyslimited]

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH 🥺😭

an leabharlann pt.3 | finn shelby

[pt 1] [pt 2]

The date had not gone as planned.

There’d been an accident by the bridge and they’d had to back up and drive halfway around town to avoid it, meaning they were late for the start of the film. They sat through the last half anyway, completely confused as to the storyline. They’d ended up whispering to each other, doing funny voiceovers and making up their own story.

A woman had shushed Florence and she’d quickly told them to shut up and let her have some fun. When they turned around she realised they were her mums friend and apologised, pushing Finn quickly out of his seat.

He’d laughed at her as she’d walked out so fast she was nearly jogging, red faced, dragging him behind.

“We can never come back here again”

“It’s not that bad, you only told her to shut up. I bet she’s heard worse”

“Never from me! I won’t be able to show my face for weeks”

“Florence!”

“Finley!”

“That’s not my name”

“I know but your name’s too short for impact, you need a Sunday name. Everyone needs a Sunday name”

“What now?”

“Let’s just…go for a drive somewhere. Anywhere”

The tyre blew. And on the walk back, the heavens opened.

Keep reading

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 43: Familie

https://www.tumblr.com/sl-newsie/739551758747090944/american-woman-thomas-shelby-x-american-oc?source=share

The boat ride home feels like I’m being punished. The further away I sail from England the deeper my heartache grows. When I arrive back in the crowded Brooklyn streets all I can think about is waiting for news about the Shelbys' death sentences. 

“Verena!” Oma gushes and wraps me into a warm hug. “Dear kleinkind, you are home! We- Verena? Why the sad face?”

I offer a small smile and set my trunk down. “Homesickness, oma. And… I’m really going to miss my job.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” She hugs me closer. “I’m so sorry. If it's any comfort, we are all glad to have you back. Your vader's been too stubborn to fix that step, and look where it landed him!”

“Verena!” Moeder’s voice shouts from the bedroom. “Run and fetch your vader some morphine!”

“Elowyn, the poor girl just got back!” Oma tries to calm her down.

“She can unpack later. Dochter! Now!”

I steal a quick moment to cry into a pillow before answering. “Yes, moeder.”

So good to be back.

The doctor said vader’s injury will take nearly a year to heal. One whole year. It only takes a month for paranoia to sink in. Every day I wait for Thomas to call. Either with good news of triumph or tragic news of death. It’s not until I’m stuck doing a mountain of laundry when Conor’s wife Delilah calls me over to the phone.

“The name is Shelby. Isn’t that your boss?”

“Yes!” I gasp and wretch the phone from her. “Did they make it in time?”

On the other end Thomas keeps his voice calm. “Just made it. They’re all safe.”

I close my eyes and give a silent prayer of thanks. Dear Christ, they are alive! “They’re going to be angry.”

“I know.” He pauses. “It’s good to hear from you, Verena. I got your letter last week. Please send my best wishes to your father.”

My mouth starts to hurt from how much smiling he’s causing. “I will."

"When will you come back?” He masks his voice to make it unclear if he misses me too.

“I should be back by next December. I’ve been given permission to return to Birmingham once vader’s recovered.” I change to a tone of dry humor. “Thank you, by the way, for sending that persuasive letter.”

“What can I say? It’s not been the same since you left. Charlie keeps asking where you are.”

“Yes, well, when moeder read the letter she was very concerned about why someone like me was being requested by a gang leader.”

I had to swear on my life that there’s nothing scandalous afoot. 

Thomas ignores my implications. “How’s Ada?” 

“According to her calls, our arranged meeting in Boston is still planned. Next Monday we’re meeting with Mr. Anderson.”

“Excellent. Let me know when you’re on your way back.” He waits for a moment, deciding his next words. “It’s- I- Goodbye, Verena.”

I take a deep breath. Typical. “Goodbye, Thomas.”

As I promised, I keep to my word and meet with Ada the following week. She, like Thomas, is surprised with how busy the city is. When I spot her at the Boston docks’ main office Ada greets me with a big hug.

“So good to see you! Did you get the present Tommy sent you?”

“Yes!” 

The silver pendant hangs as a hopeful reminder under my shirt. No cursed jewel. A simple silver pendant with a Celtic cross at the center. Two days after my birthday I received a parcel from Thomas, along with a small note. 

Verena-

You refuse to wear anything of your paygrade so I am gifting you something tied to your devoted faith and heritage. Happy birthday, Verena. Please come back soon.

-Thomas

 I know those words must have been very precisely selected. Whether he does love me or not, the gift always brings joy to my heart.

“And Tommy told you the good news?” Ada asks.

“Yes! They were pardoned!” My smile fades. “Have they yelled at him yet?”

Ada’s face grows grim as well. “Not a word. It’s like no one wants to acknowledge Tommy anymore. Except Michael, that is. He jumped right back in. Finn tries to help when he can. Everyone else walked away.”

I take her hand and give it a squeeze. “Let’s start things off right. Today can bring good fortune to the company, which means good fortune for us.”

We ascend the stairs into the office and find an older man with jet-black hair waiting behind the front desk.

“Hello, Mr. Anderson,” I greet. “I believe you know Christiaan Steenstra?”

He looks me over. “Steenstra, yes. He married that Irish lass from the mob.”

“He is my father. I am his daughter Verena Nora Steenstra.” I gesture to my partner. “May I introduce Ada Shelby. We are here on business for Shelby Company Limited. Thomas Shelby wrote ahead to tell you we were coming.”

The name sparks his memory. “Yes. His instructions were very specific. I have only one question : why do I do business with you? Why doesn’t Shelby come see me himself?”

Ada and I exchange looks. I speak before she can argue with him. “He is a busy man. Saying that, he is a man who is not afraid to let women represent the company. Are we in agreement or would you like some persuasion from the White Hand?”

The name lingers in the air and the blood drains Anderson’s face. “No.”

I smile prosperously. “Then we are decided. Ada, the papers please.”

Once again I owe my leverage to Uncle Colon.

One final week. One week until Christmas, one week until I will be back in Birmingham! Ada’s waiting with the cab outside while I finish packing the last of my clothes. Just then, all five brothers barrel into my bedroom. 

“You’re really doing this, sis?” Eoin asks for the fifth time.

“You’re an American. Not a Brit,” Abel points out.

I clasp the trunk shut. “Must this always end in an argument against the British?”

Liam slaps the side of his head as if I just asked if the sky is blue. “Yes! We beat their tea-drinking asses. Why should you care about some gangster and his shipping company?”

“Need I remind you, Liam, that America’s melting pot is all about international cooperation?”

“America is the best,” Nicolaas mutters.

I face the gang of boys with my hands on my hips. It’s just like lecturing the Shelbys. “Our family comes from other places, too. If Ireland were under attack would you let it burn?”

All five brothers sheepishly look down and shake their heads. “No.”

“Neither would I. That’s why I’m helping.”

“That and you’re sweet on Mr. Shelby,” Liam chuckles under his breath.

I point a warning finger at him. “Shut it. I do not fancy him.”

“Ha!” Conor laughs at my unusual wording. “Verena’s picked up a bit-a-the-’ol English tongue!”

Nicolaas keeps a more mature expression. “Does Uncle Colon know?”

No. I still hesitate to inform my family of exactly who I’m working for. All they know is that I act as a foreign representative for a British trading company. It’s not a lie. If moeder caught on to how dangerous my work can get she would keep me stranded in Brooklyn forever. I can’t tell Uncle Colon how deeply I'm involved with the Peaky Blinders.

“I haven’t told him yet.”

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t know. The White Hand has spies everywhere.”

Abel catches on to my growing anxiety and leans in to corner me. “There’s something else. What haven’t you told us?”

This is partly why I didn’t want to come back. My brothers’ intentions to protect me involve coaxing out every bit of information about my job. They mean well but I would rather die than expose them to the cruel, brutal world of the Peaky Blinders. How can I convince them not to worry when they keep asking questions?

I bite my lip. “Thomas- My boss… He used to be involved with the Russians.”

Conor’s jaw tightens. “Are you serious?”

“And you’re going along with this?” Nicolaas asks, appalled. “After what they did?”

I keep a look of confidence. “I leave it to Mr. Shelby. My business is anywhere else. He wanted me to chat up Mr. Anderson and now I’m scheduled to head to somewhere in France.”

Liam grunts. “We don’t know a thing ‘bout France.”

“It’s not your concern,” I state firmly. “I can’t do the work of a dozen, but I am able of doing this.”

“You can stand to work for them?” Eoin asks in disbelief.

“Aside from all their sex talk?” Abel’s jaw drops at my laid-back tone. “It’s tolerable. The drinking, smoking, swearing. It’s all old news to me now.”

All five brothers exchange looks. Are they ganging up on me? Do they not think I can handle myself after all these years?

“Verena,” Conor begins. “You’ve changed. Ever since you started working for this guy you’ve been distant. It’s like you don’t want to see us anymore.”

My face falls. Is that how they see me? They know me better than to think I would want to avoid them.

“Broers. I love you all. I love my familie. I will never abandon you. Did I not leave England to aid vader when he was injured?” They all look to the floor again. “And Eoin, I just spent the last three months watching your children. How is that not loyalty?” He doesn’t answer. “But I am loyal to the Shelbys too. I love them all, even with their flaws.”

“You’re so loyal that you’re spending Christmas away from us?” Abel asks softly.

I take a deep breath. “This time of year is supposed to be when people gather and celebrate the spirit of the season. This year has been really hard on the Shelbys and I want to be there to help.”

“You talk as if they’re family oriented like us,” Nicolaas observes. “Yet the rumor is that no one’s getting along.”

A bittersweet smile grows on my face as I lean in to give my broers one last hug. “That’s why I have to go.”

@meadows5

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 41: A New Beginning?

Masterlist: https://www.tumblr.com/sl-newsie/739551758747090944/american-woman-thomas-shelby-x-american-oc?source=share

Every minute feels like an hour. I sit and wait, sit and wait. The second Finn walks through the door again I hold up a kitchen knife, ready to strike.

“Alright, Finn,” I start off sternly. “Nobody’s told me anything about what the fuck’s going on, so spill it. Tell. Me. Everything.”

Finn swallows and backs up against the wall. “Okay. Okay. I don’t know too much! There was a deal with the priest that if Tommy blows up a train and robs the Russians then he gets Charlie back. Tommy said to wait to hear from Michael in case he finds Charlie. Now please put the knife down!”

My shaking hand lowers the weapon and lets it clatter to the floor. “None of this feels right, Finn,” I murmur distantly. “All of this is forced too fast. The train, the robbery… Haste makes waste.”

Finn pauses and reaches to put a hand on my shoulder. “You alright?”

“I… I’m scared. For everyone,” I choke out.

“You’re taking all of our own stress on yourself, Verena.”

“It’s Charlie!” I gasp. “I cannot calm down when there is a child involved!”

Ring! Ring!

The phone makes us both jump. Finn snatches the receiver and I hang on to every second.

“Hello? Yeah. He did? Yeah. Right away.” He sets the phone down and sprints for the door. “Michael killed the priest! Charlie’s safe now! I gotta go tell ‘em before they blow up the train!”

Thank Christ! Praise the angels, Charlie is safe! Enough with all this talk of sabotage and robbery. The next time I see Thomas I have some select words about this violence! But I can’t be too harsh. The poor man just got his son back- But he doesn’t know yet!

“I’m coming with you!” I jump to my feet and follow Finn to the car.

“No you’re-!” He stops when he sees the murderous look in my eyes. “Alright, fine.”

We jump in the car and burn rubber to speed towards the train tracks. Everything is happening so fast! The only thing keeping me from vomiting is the fact that Charlie is safe. Finn takes a sharp turn and I’m thrown against the window. Through the glass I see the train making its way past the tower. Are we too late?

Finn gets out and we both sprint across the tracks to shout at Arthur.

“Arthur! Wait! Charlie’s safe-!”

Boom!

The explosion knocks me down and I trip on my skirt, tumbling against the cold metal. I lift my head to see shards of steel, rock, and fire rushing straight at me. I feel Finn throw himself over me and we wait for the wave of fire to pass. 

“Holy Christ…” I gasp.

The only thing remaining from the train is its flaming metal skeleton. No one could pick apart any survivors from the rubble. 

Finn helps me up and I see Arthur and John waving from the building. They pull out cigars and despite my urge to return to the house I can’t forget what just happened. These lives did not need to be taken. All of this evil surrounds the priest, whom I hope has witnessed a brutal fate. 

I run back to the car and pull it around for the Shelbys to climb inside. I push the accelerator and Finn tries to explain as we weave through the dark streets.

“Michael killed the priest. He’s got Charlie. He’s headed back to Watery Lane- Slow down!”

“I’m not stopping until I see Charlie!” I say firmly and pull up to the house.

We burst through the door and the sight nearly makes me collapse in relief. Charlie, sweet Charlie, is cradled safely in Ada’s arms. Smiling like nothing ever happened. Michael looks dazed too and Polly knows. She knows the sin he committed to ensure Charlie’s return.

“Charlie!” I cry when Ada hands him to me, immediately resting his head on my shoulder. “Darling boy! We missed you!”

“Daddy?”

I hold back happy tears and nod shakily. “Yes, daddy is on his way.”

He doesn’t know. Doesn’t know how close he came to being taken. I pray that Charlie never remembers this night.

Ada and I take him to the kitchen to be fed. Lord knows when he ate last or if that bastard gave him anything. Charlie takes one bite of bread and starts devouring it. Deep breath, Steenstra. He’s here. He’s here.

“Verena!” Polly yells from the hall. “Bring Charlie over! It’s Tommy!”

I pick Charlie up and race him across the room, swinging him to provoke more laughter. Thomas must be worried sick!

“Charlie, say hi to daddy,” I say sweetly and hold up the phone.

Charlie coos into the receiver and I hear Thomas cry in relief.

“Charlie? Hey, there’s my boy. Are you tired?” Charlie babbles a response and I can tell Thomas must be smiling. “You go to bed now, eh? I love you. Goodnight… Verena?”

I hold the phone to my ear, still bouncing Charlie. “I’m here, Thomas.”

“Thank you.”

“Please come home. He misses you.”

“I will, I will,” he pants. “Bring him to Arrow House.”

“Affirmative.”

Despite Polly’s begging to make me wait until morning, I pack a small bag and instruct Finn to bring a car out for me. I secure Charlie in the front seat and smoothly depart for Warwickshire, a complete contrast to the reckless driving I demonstrated an hour ago. It’s barely dawn when we ride down the driveway and my eyelids feel incredibly heavy. But I never stop. Mary helps me get Charlie settled in bed and I finally sink into a large armchair. With a blank mind and glazed eyes I stare at his bedroom door across the hall. The sun has barely risen…

Ring! Ring!

Thomas?! I flinch out of my sleepiness and fall to the floor. I crawl to the table and grip the phone.

“Hello?”

“Am I right to guess that this is Ms. Steenstra?” A familiar voice asks. “This is Alfie Solomons. Has Mr. Shelby’s son been cared for?”

Solomons. The man Michael told me is the reason Thomas’ original plan failed. The events that transpired to Charlie being put in danger.

“If you know my uncle it must be on bad terms,” I speak darkly, confining all the sharp cusses wanting to fly off my tongue. “Edmund Colon would never be allies with a man who’s obsessed with wealth.”

“He runs a business, same as I.”

“For the people,” I hiss. “My uncle supplies help to those who need it, for a price. He doesn’t cross between sides for profit. He chooses the good side.”

Seconds of silence. “You don’t seem like the type to follow Tommy Shelby around,” Mr. Solomons observes.

“His morals are far above yours. When children are involved we draw the line. You do not. Good day, Mr. Solomons.”

I hang up the phone and collapse on the carpet. No more threats. Charlie is safe. Thomas is coming back. All is well… My eyelids fall shut and my melted thoughts send me off to sleep.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Loud footsteps shake the floor and startle me awake. Floorboards creak next to me and someone shakes my shoulder. I peel my hair away and see Thomas staring at me with wide eyes.

“Charlie?” He whispers.

“Yes,” I answer softly and point to his room. “I don’t know if he’s still asleep. He’s fine. Not a scratch, I made sure.” I get to my feet, trying to wake up. “I’ll be downstairs.”

Thomas squeezes my arm and pulls me into the child’s room. Inside a maid sits playing with Charlie, who looks up at his father with a wide grin. Thomas scoops him up and holds Charlie so tight as if he’ll disappear. Kissing his cheek and trying to control his labored breathing. Just like last night Charlie has no inkling of how relieved his father is to see him.

“Thank God. Thank God,” Thomas murmurs.

“Daddy? Okay?” Charlie asks, confused.

“He’s really happy to see you,” I smile at the heartwarming scene. “Are you hungry, Charlie? Want some breakfast?”

“Yeah!”

“Then you shall have some,” Thomas says and carries him out, down the stairs to the dining room. 

“Are you hungry, Thomas?” I ask while we wait for Mary.

He hugs Charlie again and shakes his head. “I will not rest until everything is tied up. The duchess and I have one last transaction to meet over and then I’m calling a family meeting.”

Mary walks in with a tray for Charlie. He starts eating the cut pears and suddenly Thomas pulls me out into the hall. 

“Thomas wha-?” 

He sits me down onto a bench, kneels down, wraps his arms around me and buries his head in my chest. I go stiff as a board and desperately try to think of what to do with my hands. Push him off? Hug him? Rub his head?

“A-Are you okay?” I stutter.

“Just… Just need someone to tie me down,” he murmurs. “Clear my head.”

The image of the snickering duchess flashes through my memory. “I thought you’d-”

“She’s not you,” Thomas reads my mind. “You want to listen, she just wants to fuck.”

“Oh,” I try to respond to his bluntness. “Okay. Please tell me that after today the duchess is gone?”

Thomas lifts his head to look at me. Those blue eyes that once held worry and fear now stare at me with calmness. “Off to Vienna. To marry, I assume. Jealous?”

My breath hitches. “Jealousy causes viciousness. I try to stay clear of that.” Not exactly a no. 

Thomas’ gaze turns distant and he leans his head down again. “They had him…”

“Shh.” I run my fingers through his soft hair. “Charlie’s alright. He’s safe and sound. He slept like an angel, and has the appetite of a newborn.”

“‘S my fault, I should’ve-”

“Thomas.” I hold his head in my hands and make him look up. “You need to decide. Are you a Peaky Blinder or a father? You know how your father turned out. Do you want to end up like him?”

“No,” he answers quickly.”

“Then stop digging too deep. Dig any further and the foundations will crack.” I pause for a second. “What if you stopped?”

“Hm?” Thomas’ brow creases and he presses his lips together. 

“You and Charlie stay here at Arrow House for good. Where no one’s pointing a gun at you. Away from the violence.”

Thomas lifts his head, standing us both up with his arms still around me. “My life is centered around my family, Verena. If I stay here I’ll be leaving them behind. Violence will always follow me.”

If he keeps this up there will be none of his family left.

Knock knock.

Mary stands at the end of the hall. “He wants you, Mr. Shelby.”

“Thanks, Mary. He’ll be right out,” I call and look back at Thomas with a wise gaze. “Breathe. Charlie’s fine, we’re all fine. God is with us.”

He stares down, mouth slightly gaping. “Verena. Thank you.”

A gentle smile grows on me. “I’ll always listen.”

Thomas takes a second to let me go, as if forgetting he was still holding me, and strides back to the dining room. Is this the beginning of how things fall into place? That I can express my feelings and he will listen for a change? 

A fresh shower is in order to clear my head. As I wander to the bathroom I can’t stop the tsunami of hope rushing into me. Charlie is safe. The company is profiting. Everything is being tied up. Is this the start of something new? Granted, Thomas is right in thinking that violence will always plague the Peaky Blinders. Still… One can have hope.

@meadows5

[mrsalwayswrite]

A Shelby Mistress - Part 4

Here it is, lovelies! The final part! A huge thank you again to everyone who has liked/commented/reblogged this story. Y’all are the best! Let me know what you think about the ending! 

Words: 3800

Warnings: some swearing, smut(ish), fluff, Aunt Polly is a gem (and no one can convince me otherwise)

Tag List: @geekandbooknerd​ @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie​ @webreathfandoms​ @slytherinicequeen​ @20th-centu-fairy-girl​ @kasaikawa​ @namelesslosers​

Catch up here -> Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Series Masterlist

The walk down Watery Lane was as familiar once again as the way to your own home, possibly even more so. 

 Pushing open the door to the betting shop, the sounds and smells assaulted you, bringing a smile to your face. That sharp scent of whiskey and smoke, now tinged with male sweat, was the first for you to notice. Then the sounds of people yelling numbers and calling bets came next. The upcoming weekend held a race at Cheltenham, so people were already trickling in to place their bets. You knew that come Friday, the betting shop would be swamped with people fresh from receiving their paychecks and ready to gamble it away. 

 Over the past eight months you found yourself coming to Watery Lane more and more often. On your days off of work, Polly had convinced you to come have tea and lunch with her, so the two of you could chat. Other days, you would swing by to drop off a stew or cake you made, much to everyone's enthusiasm.  

 Somehow your life had become further entwined with the Shelby family as each month passed. A fact you did not mind. If anything, they had begun to feel like extended family, welcoming you and your sisters with open arms. 

You and Tommy still regularly met twice a week at the hotel for your arrangement, if not more, depending on if he came for you. A handful of times he had shown up in the middle of the night at your home, dark bags under his eyes and a haunted look that told you the memories of tunnels and shovels followed his every step and preyed upon his mind like vultures. Quietly, you would bring him up to your room and just hold him, sometimes humming softly, as he clung to you like his only lifeline. Neither one of you would say a word as eventually the both of you would fall asleep, finding solace in one another’s arms. 

 There were other times he showed up at your home with an undeniable hunger and need in his icy, blue eyes that sent flames licking through your veins before he even laid a finger on you. Those were the times he both worshiped and destroyed you; as if he was Hades and you were Persephone, come to seduce you to stay forever with him, to be the queen of his darkness. 

 The times he came to your house, you refused to take his money, forcing him to finally concede and stop trying to pay you. Instead he began to provide in other ways- making sure you and your sisters always had enough coal, or you never lacked in groceries. One time your youngest sister got sick and Tommy paid her entire doctor bill without telling you. After that, whenever he spent the night, the next morning he would leave a piece of candy on the kitchen table for both of your sisters, leaving as the sun was just rising. It did not take long for your sisters to look forward to his late-night visits. 

 With the extra money from your arrangement, your middle sister was attending nursing school, all of her free time now split between friends and her time at the hospital. Your youngest sister was still in school, but since you found yourself at Watery Lane so often, she would tag along and spend most of her free time with Finn, Isaiah and John's kids. 

 Never before had you and your sisters been so happy. A debt you could never repay. 

 And you knew exactly who you owed it to. 

 "Y/n! Did you bring me a cake?" Was your greeting as you stepped into view in the betting shop. 

 "John, I just brought one yesterday!"

 "Well, it's gone. Arthur fuckin' ate it all." 

 You smiled and shook your head as you walked over to the table John was leaning over, having been studying some account books. "Did your kids get any?"

 "Was I supposed to share it with them?" He asked with a mock innocence. 

 "Fine!" You sighed. "I'll try to bring one tomorrow or the day after! Make sure you share this time."

 He winked at you; the toothpick in his mouth at the furthest corner as he smiled. "Have I mentioned I love you lately?"

 You laughed at his frequent comment, patting him on the back as you walked by. "Yesterday when I brought the cake." 

 You heard him chuckle as you meandered over to Polly, who sat at the next table with a newspaper in front of her and an empty cup of tea. 

 "What are you doing here, love?"

 Running a hand over your new dress, you shrugged. "Finn came and got me from the house. Said Tommy wanted to speak to me." 

 "Did he now?" She leaned back in her chair, a twinkle of mischief and knowing in her eyes. 

 You tilted your head slightly as you looked at the older woman. "Do you know what it's about?"

 "I have my suspicions." She replied smugly, putting you on edge. Before you could press for an actual answer, she changed the topic. "Caleb been around lately?" 

 You groaned, shifting to sit on the edge of the desk, as she laughed at your reaction. Several months ago, the crush Caleb had on you became more apparent. He had saved you from some drunks and was kind enough to walk with you as you finished your shopping. That was the day you also met Arthur and John. Since that day, if Caleb happened to see you, he always made a point to greet you and chat for a few minutes or offer to help if you were doing something. You personally found it quite sweet and you enjoyed his company. It was all innocent. Caleb would never try anything with you, the retaliation from Tommy was enough to deter the thought of even trying. Sometimes you wondered if Caleb was hanging around in hopes that whenever you and Tommy's relationship ended, he could step in. With the way things had been progressing between you and Tommy, you doubted that would be anytime soon. 

 What amused you the most of the whole situation was that because of how often Caleb walked you home or stopped by to check on you, your middle sister had developed her own crush on him. Whenever he came around, she would blush and sputter, trying to maintain some resemblance of composure. Usually failing miserably, though. 

 "Caleb stopped by the day before yesterday." You answered honestly to Polly. "He had offered to fix the busted window, that one the neighbor kid threw the ball through, right? Well, I forgot to tell Leah he’d be staying for dinner. So, she comes home from her classes and is horrified that I didn’t give her a heads up before she walks into the house singing at the top of her lungs. I thought she would die on the spot when she realized Caleb was standing there next to me."

 Polly laughed, eyes crinkling with mirth as she covered her mouth with her hand. You laughed along with her, remembering how your sister squeaked like a mouse before running upstairs and refused to come back down.

 "Hopefully he starts to notice her soon. He can't be more than a year or two older than her. They would be cute together." You said thoughtfully, an idea that had been blooming in your mind for some time. 

 "He'd have to stop only seeing you though."

 You swatted at Polly, even as you rolled your eyes. "I think Tommy likes there is someone always willing to keep an eye on me for him."

 "As long as it's only looking." 

 "I know. I don't…. I don't see him like that."

 Polly grabbed your hand, those dark eyes piercing you with a sense that she knew things that had yet to come to pass. "We know, love. It's obvious when you and Tommy are together. You only see each other."

 Biting your bottom lip, you dropped your gaze to the floor. However much you tried to hide your feelings, they leaked out like spilled paint, coloring all of your interactions whenever Tommy was nearby. Over the past eight months, he managed to slip inside of your chest, wrapping around your heart, and stamping his name on that treacherous organ. 

 Before you could respond, the door separating the betting shop from the Shelby family home opened. Arthur came through with all the subtlety of a charging bull. A wide grin grew on his face as he noticed you amongst the tables. Behind him, Tommy walked through with his typical detached look and peaked cap pulled low over his eyes.  

 "Y/n!" Arthur cheered, bee-lining towards you. "You come to see me?" 

 "Of course. My day isn't complete until I've seen you."

 He chuckled, pressing a kiss to your cheek. You giggled as his mustache tickled your skin. "I always knew I was your favorite….no matter what Tom 'ere claims."

 It was then you turned your attention to Tommy who had followed to stand just behind Polly. His lips twitched at Arthur's comment but otherwise his blank expression never faltered. Concern swelled inside of you like the rising tide. Never before had he sent someone to come get you, especially to bring you to the betting shop. Your thoughts frantically swirled with all the possible, terrible reasons why he needed you now. 

 "Everything alright, Tommy?" You asked quietly, worrying your bottom lip. 

 "Let's speak in my office." 

 "Alright." You pushed off the table, running a hand down your dress nervously and taking a step forward. Immediately, he materialized at your side. Placing his hand on your lower back, he guided you towards his office. 

 As soon as his hand landed on your lower back, your body thrummed with desire. Your stomach flipped and your core clenched. All due just from the simplest of touches from him. It amazed you how strongly your body could react to him, even months after having sex regularly. How instead of that primal desire waning with each passing moon, it only seemed to steadily increase. 

 He opened the door and ushered you inside its confines. You had seen his office a handful of times, but still your eyes were drawn to the organization on his desk, how everything was in its place and in rows, like toy soldiers. You wondered if he learned this regimental organization from the war or it had already been instilled in him prior. He quietly closed the door behind the two of you. To your surprise and further concern, he rapidly drew the blinds, hiding you from the rest of the betting shop. In the small office, only a small electric lamp provided light and the few beams sneaked through the blinds, creating the illusion there was no one else around. That it was only you and Tommy here and now. That the world stopped turning on its axis to give you this moment. 

 "Tommy?" You whispered breathy. 

 Instantly, he turned around and descended on you like a fallen angel, drawing you in with a possessive, bruising kiss like he meant to seal himself onto your soul. 

 And you were more than willing to let him. 

 He backed you up against the edge of his desk, your mouth held hostage by his own. An arm swept away the organization you had just been admiring on his desk, clearing a spot for you. With hurried movements, his hands made quick work to perch you on the edge, slotting himself between your spread legs. 

 "Tommy…." you moaned out his name, as he trailed kisses along your neck. Knocking the peaked cap from his head, your hands instinctively ran through the longer strands of hair on top of his head, pulling him closer. He growled against your skin as your nails lightly scratched the back of his neck. Desire hummed in the air like a living entity, coaxing the liquid fire in both of you to burn hotter. 

 It was not until he shoved your dress up to your hips and started tugging on your knickers that you were able to think through the haze of lust. 

 "I'm not having sex in your office."

 "Are you sure?" He purred, his smooth voice full of wicked intent. A gasp escaped you as his hand began to fondle one of your breasts. To your betrayal, your body arched into his touch, desperate for him. He chuckled, low and husky. "Little dove…."

 "They'll hear us." You tried to reason, however weak the excuse sounded to your own ears.  

 "Let 'em."

 He had confessed to you of his fantasy to have you in his office, to bend you over his desk and make you scream to the heavens above. The idea of it was not unappealing to you, but knowing his aunt and brothers were just on the other side of the door….

 "Tommy, no." You stilled his hands as they methodically worked on you. "Not now."

 He dropped his head onto your shoulder with a low groan. A smile spread over your lips at his exaggerated response. You wrapped your arms around him, pressing a quick kiss to the side of his head in apology. 

 "Why am I here?" 

 "I have something for you." He nipped at your neck playfully before withdrawing to move around his desk and open a drawer. Biting your lip to stifle your giggle, you watched him subtly adjust himself while he moved. With unhurried movements, he drew out an envelope and slid it over the desk to where you were still perched. Immediately after, he sat in his chair, pulling a cigarette out and lighting it. 

 You watched him in his element for a moment. Leaning back in his chair, cigarette between his fingers and an intensely focused look in his eyes, he appeared a man confident and assured, someone ready to rule the world. And for that moment, you wondered if the rest of the world was ready for Thomas Shelby. 

 Shifting your attention, you gently picked up the envelope, only about the size of your hand. There was no writing on it, nothing to give you a hint as to what it could be. Even more surprising was its unexpected weight, clearly more than just a piece of paper. Curiosity made your movements less precise as you swiftly opened it and dumped its contents into your hand. 

 "It's a key." Your eyes flicked to Tommy then back down to the small, brass, skeleton key in your hand. 

 "Hmmm."

 "Why did you give me a key?"

 "To open a door." He answered in a bored tone. 

 You mock glared at him, to which he did not bat an eye, not even a twitch of his lips. His poker face was worthy of an award. When no explanation came from him, your thoughts tousled and tumbled in your mind, trying to figure out the game he was playing. 

 "What door does it open?" You finally asked, turning the key over and over in your hand like it's secrets would be suddenly exposed. 

 "11 Watery Lane."

 All thoughts ceased at this revelation. Your heart skipped a beat at the implication. "Tommy…." You softly murmured.  

 "The kitchen is bigger than what you're used to. Arthur and John will probably fucking demand you bake for them more often…." He continued, ignoring you saying his name. His gaze was solely focused on the far wall as the cigarette sat between his fingers as if forgotten, the end still burning brightly. 

 "Tommy…."

 "....the master bedroom is big enough to fit a full bed. It also gets the morning light which I figured you'd like…."

 "Tommy…."

 "....Polly will be over every day to gossip…."

 "Tommy!" Your shout of his name silenced him, although his gaze never moved from staring at the far wall. The key in your hand suddenly felt heavy with more than just a physical weight. You studied him, thoughts sluggishly reawakening in your mind, the implication and questions rolling around. In a shocked voice just above a whisper, you asked for confirmation, needing to hear it out loud. "You bought a house…."

 "I did." He answered flatly. 

 "For….me?"

 A marked hush hovered in the small office for an endless minute. A deep inhale of the cigarette and exhale from Tommy was all the reaction you received. You watched the smoke glide from his lips, caressing them before drifting upward and dissipating into the heavy air. Heart hammering away in your chest, you dared not say a word. 

 Those crystalized eyes turned, freezing you to your spot yet also melting you with their intensity as they focused on you. "I need to keep an eye on my woman. This seems the easiest way."

 "Your….your woman?" 

 Hastily, he stubbed his only half-used cigarette out, before standing up and coming around the desk to stand between your legs again. An involuntary gulp escaped you as you became spellbound, caught in the maelstrom of his gaze, somewhere both exhilarating and terrifying. 

 "Yes, my woman." He enunciated slowly, splaying a hand on your thigh possessively. "I want you to come work for me. Polly says you used to run the ledgers effortlessly. We all know Arthur is shite at them, yeah? This way you'll be making more than enough to provide for you and your sisters. The house is yours too, you won't have to pay for lodging."

 "Why?" You breathed out, overwhelmed. 

 He tugged your bottom lip from between your teeth, running the pad of his thumb along it before speaking again. "Cos I'm done pretendin' you're just a mistress. We all bloody know it hasn't been that way for months."

 "So….I'm your woman? Like, you're going to take me on a date? The pictures or….or out dancing?"

 "If you'd like."

 "I would." You leaned forward to capture his lips with yours, your hands gripping the lapels of his suit. He set the sluggish pace of the kiss, like you two had all the time in the world. It felt like molasses was being poured into your veins, a slow burning coating you from the inside out, only for him to ignite it with the simplest of touches. 

 Suddenly you jerked your head back, staring at him as your lungs struggled for air. "Is the house because you hate my bed?"

 Rolling his eyes, he scoffed. "Your bed is too fuckin' loud. Can't fuck you properly with you worried you're gonna wake your bloody sisters."

 "Hasn't stopped you before."

 "But then you can't make those noises…."

 You giggled, swatting at his chest, only to be rewarded with one of his tender smiles. "Well, if that's the only reason…."

 You let him draw you into a drugging kiss. Clouds swirled in your brain, replacing anything that was not related to the sensation of Tommy. His hands trailed up your legs, pushing your dress up until your legs and stockings were fully exposed again. 

 "We still aren't fucking in your office." You murmured against his lips. 

 "That's what you think."

 "Y'know, I do have a key now for a house nearby…."

 He hummed, never stopping his ministrations. Those delectable lips shifted to your jawline and down your neck, sending shivers and heat coursing through your body. 

 "Is there a bed yet?" You questioned through the heated haze he was reviving in you. 

 "No."

 "A kitchen table?"

 "No."

 "Kitchen counter?"

 He stopped. Ever so slowly, his head lifted to gaze at you with a look so sensually devious, it made your toes curl in anticipation and left you breathless. 

 "Not so pure are you anymore, little dove, eh?"

 "I see this more as....christening my new home."

 A laugh fell from your mouth as he quickly stepped back, pulling you with him. He snatched up his peaked cap from where you knocked it off prior, barely giving you time to adjust your clothing to hide the evidence of your paused tryst. With his hand on your lower back, he guided you out of his office and through the labyrinth of tables and people. 

 "Oi! Tommy, where you goin'?" Arthur shouted from over by the giant blackboard. 

 "Got an appointment."

 "What kinda fuckin' appointment you got right now?"

 Tommy did not say anything, just waved his elder brother off. The whole time, his hand never left you, both guiding and propelling you forward at a sharp pace. 

 Polly caught your eye as you passed by her. As the heat rose to your cheeks, she tipped her head back and laughed loudly. Her loud exclamation followed the two of you out the door of the betting shop. "In less than one year, there'll be a ring on her finger. I guarantee it."

 The smoggy air of Small Heath greeted you as you stepped onto Watery Lane. You did not say anything, mind reeling with Polly's prediction.

 Tommy directed you to your new home further down the street, his hand still on your lower back. A few people greeted him as they passed by, to which he barely acknowledged. 

 "Mrs. Shelby, eh?"

 Startled, you glanced up, butterflies dancing in your belly. Tommy met your gaze, stoic as ever, but after a moment he gave you a quick wink. You giggled breathlessly, a broad smile on your face, at the weightless feeling inside your chest. When his hand slipped to grab yours, entwining your fingers together and palms flushed against one another, you thought your heart might burst with overwhelming joy. 

 As you finished the walk to 11 Watery Lane, Tommy opened the door for you with a pleased, boyish grin on his lips. You softly thanked him, taking in the view of your new, bare home. Before you could get too far, he locked the door behind you, only to proceed in pressing you up against the wall. His mouth claimed yours like a man drowning and you were his oxygen. His hands deftly worked your dress off your body, your own hands tugging and removing his own attire. 

 "Little dove…." He groaned against your neck, placing open-mouth kisses there. "....my dove…." His hands tightened around your waist, lifting you just high enough for your legs to wrap around his waist and for him to slide inside of you with ease. "....mine." 

 His brutal reputation did not frighten you, nor his far-reaching ambitions. How some cursed his name and called him a blue-eyed devil. The busted knuckles you sometimes noticed he tried to keep hidden from you. Nothing about him made you wary. How could he? For with the way he worshiped your body, the look of contentment and longing in those alluring eyes and the way he uttered your name like you alone were his salvation….you realized you quite liked the idea of being Mrs. Thomas Shelby.

[theshelbyslimited]

"I love you, and I want to marry you, whether that's in a couple of years when we’re both twenty-one or tomorrow, if for some miraculous reason your father changes his mind. That ring is a promise that one day, whenever that is, we’ll get married. So will you accept it?” AHHHHHHHHH 😭

“Finn?” “Can I have the rest of the sweets?” I love them so much 🤣🤧

I'm so soft for how sweets truly became their thing and the way he proposed involving sweets 🥺😭

Sweets: Part Three - Finn Shelby

(gif credit to @bonniebirdsgifcentre)

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Peter tells mom and dad about Finn and I, knowing full well the extent of their fury and disappointment. I stand in front of them being berated for my “poor choices”, “for abusing my freedom”, for “being a Peaky whore”, for nearly an hour trying to stop myself from crying and keeping my eyes well away from Peter’s smug face, fearing my reaction if I make eye contact.

Keep reading

[xxblackballoonxx]

Electric: Chapter 3

^^^I friggin' love this scene where John grinds the pencil down into a piece of paper (shout out to both Joe and John being fellow lefties) and then having a tantrum. Makes me laugh every time^^^

Modern John Shelby AU

This fic is being posted simultaneously on FanFiction.net and Ao3

Chapter 2 J&Gem Chats 2 J&Gem Chats 3 Chapter 4

Electric

Chapter 3: Whiskey

The Shelby siblings sat through a morning of mind numbing meetings at Shelby Company headquarters, listening to Tommy drone on about a liquor license and construction permits.  Arthur was sitting front and center but mentally checked out. Ada looked like she was paying attention, but was really working through her own mental list of to dos.  Finn was half asleep. John was trying to focus on what he needed to do at The Garrison when he got back home, but his mind was really only on Gemma.

The group finally took a break for lunch, and Finn practically ran out of the room, his older siblings laughing, even Tommy cracking a small smile. Tommy's office manager, Lizzie, always had these meeting days catered, and on nice days they would sit on the terrace. John wandered out before anyone else, pulling out his phone to message Gemma.

He grinned at her reply, and closed his eyes for a moment, leaning back against the wall. He'd only felt like this once before, and it had been the same. From zero to high speed within a matter of days. He knew when something was right and he knew what he wanted. If his life had taught him anything, it was to not wait, to seize the moment.

"John boy! What are you smiling about?" Arthur asked, jokingly.

"Happy as fuck that bloody meeting is over." John replied.

"You said it, brother. Now let's see what Lizzie ordered for lunch this time, I hope she got those sandwiches I like."

John and Arthur walked over to the catering table to inspect the lunch options, Arthur mumbling about the lack of condiment choices. John felt bad about not telling Arthur the real reason behind his smile, but it wasn't the time. Too early for anyone else to know, and too much to tell Gemma before his family got any more involved.

After the final meeting of the day, the Shelby clan headed over to Tommy's place, a large penthouse not far from the offices. It was tradition for the family to have a meal together during these business trips, and usually Tommy and Grace hosted. It was also usually the only time that Tommy relaxed enough to have fun.

Grace greeted each of the Shelbys in her usual way, warm but somehow a level removed. John had long been on the fence about Grace, she balanced out Tommy well, but the two of them were always slightly aloof. Fortunately that hadn't translated to their seven year old son, Charlie, who was running full speed ahead towards John.

"Uncle Johnny! Come look at my new Lego set!" Charlie yelled and dragged John down the hallway towards his bedroom.

John sat on the floor with his nephew, who seemed to have the entire stock of a Lego store scattered across an area rug. Was this even just one set? John had no clue.

"Uncle Johnny?" Charlie asked, focusing intently on building some kind of car.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Can I come visit you sometime?  Mummy and Daddy said it was ok, but that I had to ask you first."

" 'Course you can." John confirmed, gently rubbing Charlie's head.

John suspected that Charlie lived a lonely life sometimes. With no siblings, no neighborhood kids (made harder when you lived in a penthouse), he only had Karl as a close relation. It was very different from how John and his siblings had grown up.

The pair sat in comfortable silence for a while, working on building whatever Lego set this was, John still didn't know.  He had been Charlie's clear favorite practically since birth, and it meant a lot to John, to share that bond. He was close to Karl as well, but Karl lived a more well rounded life. Ada made sure of it.

"Hey kiddo, I think it's supper time. Let's go to the table before we get in trouble, yeah?"

John swung a laughing Charlie up onto his shoulders, and they walked out to the dining area.  Karl and Freddie had just arrived, and the gang was complete, minus Polly and Aberama, who were traveling.

It was just past 10 pm when John arrived back at Ada's. He poured himself a whiskey from the bar cart in the parlor, and then headed up to his room. Normally, he'd have spent the remaining hours before bed sipping his whiskey and reading or watching a series. Not tonight.

"Hi, John." Gemma answered his call, smiling.

"Hey, Ms. Gemma. Just got back to my sister's place. Not too late, I hope?"

"Not at all. I was hoping you would call. How was the rest of your day?"

John filled in Gemma as much as he could, making her laugh when he described the Lego apocalypse of Charlie's bedroom.  Love hearing her laugh, he thought to himself.

"So, where are you taking me to dinner?" Gemma asked casually, but secretly dying to know more about his plans.

"What kind of food have you liked, since being in England?"

"Honestly? I love a good fish and chips and a cider."

"Well, in that case, we could go to one of my favorite pubs, The Yard. Great fish and chips. You ever been?"

"Heard of it, but haven't gotten there yet. Sounds great."

John reclined back on the bed, adjusting the pillows behind him.  He listened to Gemma explain how fish and chips in the US just weren't as good.  He laughed at her impression of the man who owned her local chip shop. He pictured them trying every fish and chips in Birmingham, because she said that was her goal.  He'd do it with her.

As the conversation wound down, there was a silence that appeared, as both John and Gemma sensed the other had something important to say.

"I know we've known each other for like, four days, but I'm in this. One hundred percent." John finally said, quietly, his nervousness dulled by the now empty glass on the side table.

"I feel it, too." Gemma responded back softly.

"Talk tomorrow? Finn and I will be back home tomorrow night."

"Call me when you get in. Be ready for me to eat my weight in fish and chips." Gemma responded, laughing.

"I'll be ready, love. Ready for all of it. Sleep well, darlin'."

"You, too, John. Night."

John hung up and stared at the ceiling for a bit. And for the first time in years, he didn't refill his glass.

[toms-cherry-trees]

The Shelby Way - Ch.2 “The Letter”||Shelby! Reader

Summary: How can one piece of paper hold so much sorrow

Word Count: 2416

Warnings: None, unless pissed Polly counts as one

Author’s note: I know nothing much happened in this chapter but this scene needed to be done to settle the mood back home. Next chapter we will see reader surviving in France. I wanted to use the gif with Polly breaking the glass in S1 but couldn’t find it

Chapter: One - Three - Four - Five - Six

Taglist: @caelys​ @carryonmyhomoson​ @pendragonpants (couldn’t find them tho) @lovemissyhoneybee​

7 days. 7 whole days since anyone last saw you and emotions were running wild in the family. They had exhausted every option and worn out every man under their command, searching far and wide for the missing girl. The effect of your absence was visible in each member. Finn barely spoke or slept, Polly drank and smoked twice as much as usual, and many nights Arthur and John stayed in Watery Lane, hoping to see you walk through the door as if nothing ever happened. Ada had her hands full, having to look after Karl, Charlie and now Tommy, who had sunk deeper into his self-dug hole. The dark circles accentuated his blue eyes, and the paleness of his sunken cheeks only added to the cadaveric effect. He still went out with the horse every night without miss, but Ada suspected he went out looking for you.

Guilt ate him alive every waking hour, his consciousness screaming at him for not taking care of you properly, after having sworn to himself and his family he would protect you like his own daughter. Not even in his sleep could he find solace for his grief, for a new nightmare had come to plague his dreams; you standing at the end of a long hallway, always within sight but out of reach, and no matter how fast he ran, whenever Tommy thought he had you back in his arms, you slipped from his grasp like sand.

Thomas would never admit out loud that he recognized he was to blame for this and would never forgive himself if you were hurt, or worse, because of his carelessness. Four years he fought in the war to build a better world for you, every day he worked for your future. So much he worked on that, Tommy forgot to actually look after you, and make sure you were always safe. If he had been more careful, if he had paid attention, you would still be at his side. But he hadn’t and now all he could do was find you, even if he had to lift every stone in England.

~

Tommy thought that it wasn’t humanly possible to be this stressed, but his worries were about to skyrocket the moment the entire family marched into his office. All of his siblings, the wives, Michael, Uncle Charlie and Curly; a whole family meeting. Finn had even brought Isaiah along for emotional support. Heading the retinue was Polly, bearing a grimace on her face and a letter in her hand. The crinkled and worn out paper had clearly been passed around a lot, already having small rips in the folds, and stains in the corners. Polly smoothed out the paper in front of Tommy, along with a partly torn envelope “Read it”

She didn’t need to say it twice. That calligraphy was unmistakeable. Only his little poppet dotted the “I’s” with full circles and double looped the ends of sentences. The letter shook in his hands, as if it weighed a thousand pounds, burning his hands like an open flame. Yet he collected himself enough to read out loud.

“Dear Family:

First of all, I am sorry. I apologize for not getting in touch sooner, but the transoceanic post service can’t be trusted. Yes, you read that right, transoceanic. To answer your biggest question, I am currently residing in Calais, France. Do not try to come and fetch me, for I am planning on moving away as soon as possible.

How did I do it? Well, this is real proof you truly underestimated my ability to plot, and how little attention you actually pay to anything but yourselves.  Friday night I left for London and stayed at Ada’s place. Tell her I borrowed a coat and left the lights off. From there I went to Dover and took the night boat to Calais. Where did I get the money? I took it from Tommy’s safe; he ought to think of a better combination. How did I get documentation? I traded a couple favours and an emerald ring with a Lee boy. They have a lot to offer, if you know whom to ask.

Why did I leave? I needed out. Out from being looked down, cast aside or generally ignored. Out from feeling like I am more of a burden than an asset for everyone, both in the family and the company. Away from feeling the family I love with all my heart slip away from me and each other with each passing day. I could barely recognize any of you.

Everyone moved on without me, even Finn, while I was stuck behind and all I could do was watch, as if I was standing on the other side of a glass. Tommy was even going to send me away. But I spared him the trouble and money and did it myself, on my own terms. I can’t help but wonder how long it took you to notice my absence. Or if you did at all; maybe this is the first time you’ll look up from your stacks of money since I left.

I will come back, some day. I don’t know when, but one day my roots and my heart will pull me back to the place I once called home. But in the meantime I’ll go on my own way just like you have all done. I just took it to the next level, the Shelby way. I promise to write in hopes of easing any concerns about me, if you have them at all. Only worry if you don’t hear from me in a month. Try not to miss me too hard, but since we barely saw each other anymore, the absence will be barely noticeable.

Wishing you the best of luck

Yours

(Y/N) (Y/M/N) Shelby

Everyone held their breaths, waiting for his reaction. John and Arthur even had a bet running on Tommy either trashing the office down or him going entirely blank. So they waited, and waited, while Thomas kept staring at the paper, cigarette turning to ash on his lips. His piercing eyes moved from side to side frantically, rereading over and over the same line, just one line, the only one that had caught his attention; those two little words.

Calais, France.

You were in fucking France. From all places, you chose the one country in this whole world none of your brothers could ever bear to set foot in again. The one place that showed up in each of their nightmares, and would do so for the rest of their lives. It felt as if you did it to punish them. Your own little form of revenge.

Tommy refused to believe it. His darling girl didn’t have the guts, or the wits to actually run away. Not that he believed you coward or lacking intelligence, but you were just a child. A child who still had stuffed animals piled on your bed, scrunched your nose at the taste of strong liquor, and wore your hair in plaits around the house. Tommy would have believed more about you running away with the Lees, or hiding in a room in Ada’s place for weeks; that was more your type of doing. That feeble and unconvincing argument was all he had to keep his frantic thoughts at bay, and he held onto that makeshift lie like a lifeline.

Polly tried her best to play it dumb, when in reality she was about ready to stab Tommy with her hatpin. She helped herself to a glass of whiskey and lit a cigarette, sitting across from Tommy, figuring out that if they waited for him to speak; they would all spend the night on their feet. Her face was absolutely unreadable as she leaned back on her seat, legs crossed and her purse carefully balanced on top of her knee.

“What did she mean you were going to send her away?” Her grip around the glass tightened until her knuckles were white, yet did her best to keep a calm demeanour rather than launch herself forward and whack her nephew around the head with her handbag. Although maybe that way she’d get his three remaining brain cells to work and figure a way to clean up this mess and drag you back home, even if he had to drag himself on his knees to wherever you were and beg. Right then, for her, your safety was more important than his hurt ego.

Tommy’s moves were slowly and heavy, as if he was moving through tar. The screech of the chair against the floorboards barely fazed him as he dragged his body to the window behind him, forehead pressed against the cool glass “I planned to send her to a nice boarding school in the north.” Spoken out loud, it sounded even worse than in his head. And the adding of the word ‘nice’ did little to soften the seriousness of his statement “I thought it was a good idea and it would be good for her” He defended himself, although his excuses fell upon deaf ears. John and Finn were ready to deliver a few punches, but Polly beat them to it as she threw a leather bound book straight to his head. She barely had time to look at the cover but it felt heavy enough in her hands; and would surely leave a nice bump. But hurting Tommy physically wouldn’t clench the boiling anger inside her.

“You fucker. You absolutely blithering idiot. How could you do something like this to her? You took her from me, swearing you’d care for her, and not only were you planning to send her away without consulting or even telling us, she also managed to run away to another fucking country right from under your goddamn nose. I don’t understand how Charlie is –“

“Don’t you dare go there” He turned to face Polly so fast he stumbled over his chair, finger pointed in her direction. Tommy could take all the insults and books to the head she wanted, but he wouldn’t allow a single soul to comment on the way he raised his son. Only two people had the right to talk about it, and one of them was already dead.

“Don’t you dare point at me like you’re scolding your maid. You are my nephew and owe me some respect. You should be ashamed of yourself. I am certainly ashamed to call you family right now” Another outburst of rage made her smash her glass against the wall. The Shelbys weren’t foreign to Polly’s anger, but only on counted times they saw her display such levels of fury. Her eyes had darkened and her teeth bared with each word; a lioness defending her cub from the predator; no one in the room was jealous of Tommy’s position “If you weren’t up to the task you could have asked anyone to take her, or let her be as the near adult she is, yet you decided the best idea was to toss her away as if she was just an unwanted ward. I swear to God your mother would be rolling over in her grave if she knew-“

Polly may have crossed a line there, yet no one would attempt to counter her statement or defend Tommy. Those words were like a hard blow to the gut, but deep down, everyone knew they were true. Their mother had always insisted in the importance of family, and had her older children swear to her they would stick together through thick and thin, for at the end of the day, all they had was each other. They had all failed her in their own way. If she could see them now, and see the way they acted towards each other, she would surely cry.

A deep, heavy silence had fallen over those present in the room. When Tommy finally dared to tear his gaze away from Polly, he noticed all eyes in the room were on him. His entire family staring back, angry, hurt, judging him and his actions. If looks could kill, he would have dropped dead a dozen times. A nasty feeling settled on the pit of his stomach as he took in every member, every pair of eyes, pursed lips and clenched fists. Each one eyeing him with one common feeling.

Disappointment.

The scene was too hard to bear, even for a man of stone like himself. Their judgement hurt him in a way he hadn’t been hurt before. A sort of dull pain that went beyond the body, stinging deep into whatever of his soul was left. If anyone else had dared look at him like that, he would have put a bullet right between their eyes. But these people were his kin, his family; his own blood. All looking at him as if he was the lowest piece of scum to ever set foot on this Earth.

The feeling was overwhelming, maddening, overcoming his senses. He couldn’t think clearly, the ground beneath his feet swaying and forcing him to steady himself on the desk like an old man whose forces were failing him. Right now more than ever, he needed a clear mind. Without thinking straight, he would never find you.

In a rather harsh outburst, he rounded up the family with his arms and shoved them out the door like he was ushering drunkards out of a bar. Some didn’t need to be asked twice, for the environment inside that office had become unbearable, and the Shelbys were still mourning the absence of their little sister. But Polly refused to end things like this, without even getting some sort of remorse out of him. Her profanities and screams were heard loud and clear even after Tommy had closed and locked the door on her face. The second he heard their footsteps getting away, he launched himself to the phone. He had men in every port, every border of every city; they would know if you had left. And so his man in Dover told him, he had no (Y/N) Shelby in any list of the past week. But he did have a young girl with the same name, surname Strong. The man described her, point by point detailing your aspect until Tommy could actually see you in the port with your suitcases and blue ribbons in your hair. You had actually done it.

You left.

[elizabethshelby]

The Making of Elizabeth Shelby ch:4

Charles, I’m getting to the exact moment I fell in love with your father. As for when he fell in love with me, you’ll have to ask him that. Now be patient, I’m trying to finish the story. Like always, I love you too my little loves

Dear children,

10 years had passed, during that time we all had grown up. Not all of us, some were still young at heart. Arthur, who was 23, acted as the same age as Finn. Can you believe it Finn and Arthur would get in trouble, and Polly did not like Arthur blaming a boy who was only 9 and didn’t know any better. Arthur also made a name for the new generation of peaky blinders. He protected his younger brothers, so they wouldn’t have to take their first eyes, he did it so they wouldn’t have to. Your uncle Arthur will always protect someone he loves, he won’t involve someone he thinks is too young if he doesn’t have to. Polly once said he tries to be a good man, and that’s true.

John was cocky as ever but this time he met Martha who calmed his wild gypsy ways. They were good for eachother, I knew he loved her even before he knew he did. I loved that he found someone but it was bitter sweet I lost my best friend, my confidant. All that didn’t matter because what was most important, John was happy, he kissed the ground Martha walked on and most importantly loved their kids. After they got married, Martha kept popping them out nonstop or so it seemed like. Me and Arthur would joke they gave rabbits a bad name.

Fuck! I shouldn’t have said that. I shouldn’t have said that either!! Ok children, mum didn’t say anything , disregard the last part.

I stopped my thieving ways and got a job working as a secretary. For no other than the Shelby betting shop, the betting shop became really successful. Polly would handle the money and I would make sure Tommy and Polly got any letters, or if someone rang and needed to speak to them and they weren’t there I would take a message for them. Sometimes I would take bets but that was rarely.

I still lived with mum, Helen got married to her childhood love and had a couple of kids. I didn’t have to take care of Helen anymore as she had a husband to do that but I still had me mum and myself to worry about.

Ada was 13 and just discovered boys, she was often at fairs and used Finn wanting to see the horses as an excuse to go. She’s Ada. You can’t tell her to do anything she doesn’t want to do and no one would dare tell her to stop.

As for your father this was a dark time in his life. I didn’t know then it was because he lost his sweetheart Greta. I don’t remember Tommy being away from us but I guess that’s the thing about growing up people drift off and explore and you really can’t tell. I just remember him being really sad and it was unexplained. From what I can remember he was really happy, smiling, joking being Tommy and then all of a sudden it stopped.

I’m getting to the good part now

One day Polly got worried because she hadn’t seen him in a few days. It wasn’t unusual for your dad to clear his head and go to the mountains with a horse but he would always let Polly know, he didn’t and everyone was worried. That night he came around to my house. He used rocks to hit my window so I could wake up,I saw a dark figure outside my house when I heard “Liz-Lizzie, it’s Tom. Can you open the door” I rushed down the stairs expecting to find Tommy but instead I found this shell of a man. He didn’t look right, his bright eyes normally filled with light they were sunken in,dark circles around his eye looked like they saw a ghost “what happened Tommy?” -“uh - I - can I come in” “yes of course” I grabbed him by the hand and led him inside. Now inside I sat with him on the couch, I didn’t know how to act or what to say. I've never seen him like this before. I just stared blankly, not able to understand what he wanted me to do, what I could do. He just broke down crying, Tommy Shelby crying I didn’t know what to do when he laid his head on my lap, I just held one of his hands and with my other hand running my fingers through his scratchy peaky cut “shhh shh shh, i know, I know, it’s ok Tom, I’m here” I kept repeating that over and over again until he fell asleep in my lap.

After that night, things were different. Slowly very very slowly, Tommy became Tommy again. Little by little to cheer him up I would suggest we go riding up to the mountains, take a train to Liverpool or Margate, or see the cattle just for fun, try to do something we used to do. I only tried to get him out of his head, after that night we never spoke about it again. There wasn’t anything to say; I don’t think, but I didn’t want to think there was and he did not tell me about it. We slowly went right back to being kids again, just us, we were Tom and Liz again.

Things were good with your dad, he was out of his head and became alive again. When I wasn’t with him I would be at the betting shop or walking home from work. When I was not with your dad I would get men getting off of work at the factory telling me things. Things like “ where’s my man, I’m too pretty to not have a man by my side” Did I want them to walk me home? Things that made me feel uncomfortable because they weren’t saying it to be nice, they were saying it to get something else from me. This went on for quite awhile until one man in particular named William Howard blocked my path, I was so scared and angry without thinking I said “ you mess with me the peaky blinders will cut you.” I didn’t know why I said it but It just came out. I was so proud of myself I ran back to the betting shop and went to tell Polly what I just did. When I arrived Polly wasn’t there but John was. I just excited, practically jumping out of my shoes and blurted out “guess what I did, John, I told William Howard, if he came near me again the peaky blinders would cut him. I don’t know why I said that, but I don’t think he will mess or follow me again” “ “Where’s Polly, I have to tell Polly, She’ll be so proud I finally stood up to him after weeks of torment, I bet she’s at home, I’ll go get her bye John” I left flying to go tell Polly. I didn’t realize I left John processing what I just said and left him shocked. Me, his best friend, kept getting harassed and he didn’t know about it until after I had done something about it.

I was 16 and didn’t know any better than to leave a Shelby man with his own thoughts.

I’m not sure how this exactly turned out, but according to aunt Martha your uncle John went up to your dad yelling no screaming, asking if he had been with me for weeks why didn’t he know that I was being harassed by the Howard boy, and why wasn’t Tommy doing anything about it. Tommy didn’t understand the words coming out of his mouth, he had a confused look on his face yelling back “what the fuck are you on about John, what happened with the Howard boy and Lizzie” Tommy and John learned everything from Polly and Martha that day. What had happened,the men that kept harassing me, what I didn’t or did do about it. Looking back I wasn’t made of the sterner stuff I’m made of now, I was too naive, too sweet, I didn’t have a voice yet.

Again it was night when Thomas Shelby came around, it wasn’t late but me mum was asleep. I heard a knock and when I opened the door expecting to find Polly but instead I was met with your dad having taken his first pair of eyes. He didn’t look at me, he did everything he could not to make my gaze, I held his face and finally looked into his eyes and was met with remorse, a sadness I’ve only seen once before. Without speaking I took his hand into mine and sat him down in a chair while the silence overtook the house, I made him tea and got out my biscuit tin. We didn’t say anything because I knew what he had done, and who he did it too. I knew I couldn’t know what he was feeling, I could only try to understand. I sat across from him, he just kept looking down and his hand started to tremble, without hesitation I grabbed it “I know Tom, I know. I know what you did for me, Thank you, thank you, we’ll be alright Tom”

It wasn’t that he injured someone for me, it wasn’t that he protected me from anything worse happening. No it wasn’t that, it was it took me over 10 years to know all the little things that he had done, our solo adventures, sharing secrets, him being protective or jealous that me and John were so close. It took me 10 years until that moment and I knew that I truly loved this man. I haven’t even had my first kiss yet and I knew that we would always be in each others life, no matter who we chose later, or if we would even be together, I didn’t need that, I just needed to know that he would always be by my side, he would come to me if things got to bad in his head and I would share the burden and try and get him out of it. It took me 10 years to realize the blue eyed boy that I saw stubbornly get out of the caravan that I was obsessed with, I’m in love with. It wasn’t a simple school crush, it was love.

That love hasn’t always been easy, but it’s the first love I ever knew. And it’s the love that brought me, you two children. I may not have given birth to you Charlie but I love you as my own. Ruby, I don’t hate your dad, I get mad or frustrated at him because I love him. Without that love there would be no you. I’m glad every day I wake up, I have 2 beautiful children and I have a man by my side and I’ve had him there since I was 7 years old.

I love you, my little loves- Mum

Notes: Hope you enjoyed my first ever fanfic about Tommylizzie

previous Notes: I changed the ages of the Shelby’s slightly (see below for more detail)

Done from Lizzie’s pov

Shelby’s we’re wild gypsies before they came to small heath

Year(s) 1901/1910

Thomas- 11/19

Arthur- 14/23

Lizzie- 7/16

John- 7/16

Ada- 4/13

Finn- FirstBorn/9

1930’s

Ruby-7

Charlie- 11

Lizzie-35ish

[theshelbyslimited]

“Oh yes. I was fucking your daughter against her headboard all night and you didn’t even notice.” FINN YOU LITTLE FUCKER 🤣

[tuiyla]

L? 👀

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves.

Why do I feel like you want me to say something about Finn? 😂 Just a hunch. I think his character concept is super interesting and he struggles with such relatable things, from peer pressure to sense of self and self-worth. I also really really like him as a teacher and in season 4, bar a few unfortunate moments, and I think he could have really become his best self while helping others. He has the intuition and drive for it and is so much better when no longer concerned with the high school social hierarchy.

I'll say this much about Shelby, quite probably my least favourite Glee ch. She's, uhh, played by Idina Menzel 😌

Thank you!

[sogno-ao3]

still waters, ch. 32

ch. 32: hike // entire work

summary: I'm a seamstress at a local shop that Mr. Thomas Shelby frequents. I see bits and pieces into his life, until one day, I can't close my eyes anymore, and I see it all.

pairing: Tommy Shelby/Original Female Character(s)

rating: m

additional tags: slow burn, chinese character, coming of age, season one, feminist themes, first person, eventual explicit, character study, mental health issues, ptsd

words: 48,675

selected passage from ch. 32:

I sat in my usual chair, a few feet away from him, and waited.

He opened his journal, and began to read the latest entry.

Since that day, I had withdrawn, but he seemed not to notice. Rather, it seemed as if nothing had happened at all. Except these days--he had started to read me his journal entries, written after a nightmare, and he would tolerate questions. The only change, other than swapping Jane Eyre for Huckleberry Finn.

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 30: Pretend

Masterlist: https://www.tumblr.com/sl-newsie/739551758747090944/american-woman-thomas-shelby-x-american-oc?source=share

Back at Arrow House the gathering seems to split up into two groups: Grace’s side and Thomas’ side. On one side stands cheerful grins and partying hooligans. The other has tight-smiling women and military uniforms. I don’t belong here. And as much as she pretends Grace doesn’t think so either.

“Verena? Why are you back here?” 

My hiding spot in the kitchen has been discovered. Why does Finn get more grown up every time I see him?

“Sorry, Finn. Not feeling too social. I hardly know anyone here!”

“That can be fixed.” He points to the party going on outside.

“Polite pass. I shouldn’t really be here, you know.” I hold up a gift basket. “My father’s sent me here with fresh whiskey as gifts for the newlyweds. His regards for your hospitality.”

The youngest Shelby joins me on the stone steps. “Even so, what’s important is that you’re here. It’s been two years. We all missed you.” He nudges my shoulder. “Again.”

“I know, I know. But there’s nothing else tying me here anymore. Polly argued with Thomas to let me stay but he says my debt has been paid. If I stick around it’s of my own accord and that would look very suspicious.”

“You can still work for Shelby Brothers Limited,” Finn suggests.

“No offense, but I want to establish my life around a career that’s not illegal.”

He shows mock offense to my words. “That’s not true. We’ve weeded out most of the illegal rubbish.”

“Oi! Finn! Where’d you go off to?”

Finn hops to his feet. “That’s Jackson! Be right back!”

He runs out to join his friend and I’m left alone in the drafty kitchen. Wearing a wrinkled blue dress, sipping watered down whiskey, and thinking about broken dreams. Is this how Thomas feels when he’s depressed?

Footsteps alert my attention to the back door just in time to see John walk in. “Finn said I’d find you here.”

My brow furrows in frustration and I have to look down. “I’m- I shouldn’t be here, John. Everyone can see it. I’m the oddball American. I can’t go unnoticed because people always look at me funny when I speak.”

I hear him walk over and he kneels next to me. “Verena, you do need to be here. For all of us. Tommy was so happy when he heard you were coming. Now, before you say anything, I do admit even I’m disappointed it’s not you walking down the aisle.” He speaks faster when he sees my shock. “But please understand that you being here is important. And the bit about you being American? Flaunt it! It’s what makes you. You’re proud of your heritage, eh?”

My posture straightens and I set my jaw firm. “Without question.”

He pats my back. “Then don’t let those stuffy sods get you down. Here, drink this.”

I gratefully take the shot. “L’Chaim. Now I should go give my best wishes to the happy couple instead of just hiding in the kitchen-”

“Not quite yet,” John makes me sit back down. “Tommy’s holding a meeting. You’re part of this too! I’m gonna go find Arthur.”

All the Blinder boys begin crowding in. Finn’s back too. So many familiar faces. Michael, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Johnny Doggs. Um, this is not a meeting I’m meant to be part of. It doesn’t feel right.

“Finn, I’m not sure-” I stutter and start inching towards the back door. “I’m not a gangster, I’m not family-”

“The Hell you’re not!” Finn grabs my arm and hides me behind the pantry. “Get in here, Verena.”

People part away and Thomas steps in front of the group. When he sees me standing next to Finn he gets confused.

“Verena? Why’re ya hiding back here?”

I’m surprised he noticed my absence. “Just tired is all. I had a long trip.”

“How long will you stay?” Is that hope hidden in his voice?

“A few days, perhaps.” I take a sip of whiskey. “Then I’m heading to Belfast to respond to a note from my uncle.”

His face falls. “That soon?”

Why else would I stay? He’s got his bride and his son. I’m not part of the equation. And he’s quick to forget it because now Thomas is scanning the crowd for the rest of his brothers.

“Where are they? Where-?”

“I don’t know, Tommy-”

The door opens and Arthur and John bust in carrying wine. “Here we are! We got lost. You really need to do a map, Tommy.”

Thomas has looked stressed before but this is a new form of stress. He keeps looking at everyone like a dog growling at intruders.

“Right boys, you’re all here. Today, this is my fucking wedding day.”

Oh no, I’ve walked right into the warning speech. Thomas is off the leash. That cigarette is never going to provide enough nicotine to get him through this.

“And you said there’d be no bloody uniforms-” John complains.

“Nevertheless, John, despite the bad blood I’ll have none of it on my carpet. Now for Grace’s sake nothing will go wrong.” He holds up his hands in an attempt to calm people down and points to the door. “Those bastards out there are her family. And if you fuckers do anything to emberass her, your kin, your cousins, your horses, your fucking kids, you do anything…”

John speaks up. “Tom-”

“What?!” he barks.

His brother flinches and Isiah asks instead. “What about snow?”

“Yeah their women are sports I’ll say that!” John agrees and gets him in a headlock.

“No. No. No.” Thomas approaches them in an eerily steady but scary voice. “No cocaine. No cocaine. No sports. No telling fortunes, no racing, no fucking sucking petrol out of their fucking cars. And you, Charlie, stop spinning yarns about me, eh?”

“‘M just trying to sell ya to ‘em, Tom,” his uncle defends.

Thomas isn’t done. He keeps getting in everyone’s face. I really shouldn’t be here! I don’t want him to get more agitated than he already is. But I can’t sneak past Finn without him noticing. He’s pacing now. Like a caged animal.

“But the main thing is, you bunch-a fuckers, despite the provocation from the calvary, no fighting. Oi!” He raises his voice and points to each individual. “No fighting. No fucking fighting. No fighting. No! Fucking! Fighting!”

I think we can all agree that this is extreme, even for Thomas. Are all English weddings this uptight? If it were a wedding back home we’d all be dancing by now. Next to me I feel Finn’s as tense as frozen butter. But at least Thomas is starting to cool down.

“Good.” He backs up just as an unsuspecting hired hand and gives him a shove. “Get the fuck off me!”

So much for no fighting. All the men start laughing and go back to their usual bantering. Maybe I went unseen after all.

“Coast is clear,” Finn whispers. 

“Are you okay?”

He nods repeatedly. “Yup, yup. We all got an earful from Tommy.”

Arthur walks over. “Speaking of, where did Tommy go?”

“Upstairs with Grace,” John says and claps him on the back. “C’mon let’s eat.”

They expect me to follow but I shake my head. “No offense but I’m not staying around for dinner. If the simple drinks and conversing are this awkward I don’t even want to think about what dinner will be like.”

“Oh, come on.” John drags me out of my hiding place and into the ginormous parlor. “For Polly and Ada’s sake.”

I spot the two women conversing in the corner. “They seem fine without me. What about you, Arthur? You’ve been sober this whole time.”

He smiles proudly. “Gave up whiskey. Only the occasional drink. Oh, wait!” He spots someone behind me and walks over with a blonde woman wearing an elegant black dress with a simple cross necklace. “Steenstra, meet Linda. My girl.”

She offers a kind smile. “You are a woman of God as well?”

Oh. Skip straight to that kind of conversation. “Indeed.”

Her smile widens. “Are you Catholic?”

“I am a Christian. My father let my brothers and I choose our own path rather than setting us up in one dominion. In the end we’re all Christians.”

She wants to keep smiling but her eyes don’t agree with my answer. “I see.”

I nod to where Arthur and John are bringing out more wine. “Arthur seems quite happy now. I’m glad you found him.”

“He just needed someone to guide him,” Linda comments. “I love him very much. Do you have a special someone back home?”

There are so many ways I could answer that.

“I thought I had someone special,” I say, avoiding her gaze by taking a sip of whiskey. “But things change.”

“Do you still plan to marry one day?”

What is with this woman? She just met me. Why do weddings always have to make everyone crowd up in everyone else’s private life?

“If I can find the right man.” I shrug. “Or if my family forces me to marry first. I don’t know how much time I’ve got left.”

“I can fix that!”

A hand tugs me away and I’m twirled around to face Ada. Why does she look like she’s up to something?

I pull away and back off slowly with my hands raised. “Ada, no. I have no interest in whatever suitable bachelor you picked out for me. I’m off the table. I’m only here for your family. Now please excuse me.”

Need to find Thomas. Need to find Thomas! Then I can escape this stuffy house and forget all about today. Thank God! Both Grace and Thomas are in the side room with the rest of the gangsters. I can give one big goodbye instead of many individual ones.

“There you are!” Thomas smiles. “We’re- Wait. What’s this?”

Everyone looks as I hand them both the gift basket and hold up my nearly-empty glass to give a quick toast.

“To the bride, to the groom. May your love prosper in the eyes of God. To the Peaky Blinders and the hope you provide.”

I chug the last of my whiskey and slip back into the crowd before they can hold me to another conversation. I’m sick of pretending to be happy. Even if this is supposed to be a special day. As much as I want to join the extravagant celebration my heart just isn’t in for it. My heart feels like it’s about to choke me.

Satisfaction slips through my fingers once again.

@meadows5