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zablife · 2 days ago

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@mischievouslittlecreature Eeeekk! The foreboding of that last line has me holding my breath.

The fact that Lucy can't even bring Tommy back from whatever is happening in his head is major cause for concern. I would have thought their time alone might heal something inside him enough to carry on, but you've faithfully stuck to the S5 plot of his demons taking control.

And poor Lucy is suffering as well with every twisted interaction with Moseley. The fact that he not only reminds her of Luca, but Matthew as well?? 🥺 That must be incredibly difficult for her. It's prob a good thing she's being distracted by the errand of finding Linda bc it isn't good to dwell on her past for very long.

So Lizzie has called a solicitor! I'm curious to find out if she goes thru with the divorce in your AU. It seems like the best course of action for everyone so long as she doesn't take Ruby far away. However, I know nothing between Tommy and Lizzie can ever be simple. Looking fwd to the next part so much!

Part 26: Do You Love Me

Summary: The Peaky Blinders pay a visit to a local orphanage, and plans begin to take shape for dealing with Mosley.

Word Count: 7,633

Warnings: Smut, bath sex, child abuse, and references to pregnancy.

Previous Chapter • Series • Fic • Next Chapter

Chapter 8: Our Sins

When she had seen Tommy’s face as he read the report she’d put together regarding what she had learned was happening at the St. Hilda’s Orphanage, Lucy knew there would be hell to pay. Frankly, the nuns had gotten off quite easy, all things considered. A smashed pair of spectacles, a stern dressing down, and the revoking of all funding from the Grace Shelby Foundation as well as the children being taken into Shelby owned institutions wasn’t even close to the punishment they deserved for what they’d done to the girls entrusted in their care.

Lucy had interviewed several of the children directly during her investigations. The stories she’d heard had turned her blood cold with horror and rage.

She hadn’t seen Tommy that angry in a long, long time.

She had been somewhat surprised when Polly had insisted on tagging along for the confrontation with the nuns who were running the institution, but in the end she was glad that she did.

The look of fear on the Mother Superior’s face as Polly threatened her was delightful.

Throughout the entire meeting, Lucy had sat quietly, smoking and eyeing the nuns with contempt. Once Tommy cut the meeting to an end, she stood and fell quickly into step behind him, Polly lagging a little behind. She could tell from his posture that fury was still burning hotly through his veins, and it wouldn’t surprise her to find out later that he’d cut the meeting so short because if he’d remained in that room with the nuns any longer, he may very well have tried to kill them.

They’d all piled back into the car, and by the time they’d almost completed the drive to Charlie’s yard, they’d all seemed to have mostly calmed from the anger boiling their blood.

Gathered around a fire with most of the rest of the family, they quietly celebrated Polly’s birthday with a quick drink while Tommy gave everyone their orders for the day. After Bonnie’s death and Aberama’s hospitalization, adjustments needed to be made to compensate for the loss of two of their best soldiers. And to prepare for Bonnie’s funeral.

Her brows raised at Michael’s enduring petulant attitude and repeated pushing back on Tommy’s commands. The boy was lucky to still be breathing, and considering their morning, he really shouldn’t have been trying his luck. With either of them.

He needed to take his spanking and close his fucking mouth.

Michael and Arthur were due to accompany them to London that morning. Tommy had a meeting with Mosley, and he wanted them both there. The drive in the car to the train station was silent and awkward, Michael quietly stewing while Arthur brooded. The same night that Aberama had showed up at their house, Linda had left him. Lucy had their people quietly sweeping the city searching for her, but they hadn’t found anything yet.

Based on the letter Linda had left for Arthur upon her departure, she wasn’t sure if they would. Linda had been contacting solicitors, but none of them could tell them where she was currently lodging.

She’d pressed her side tighter to Tommy’s in the car, and on the train ride she made sure to sit next to him, letting the sides of their thighs press together.

Ever since the night when they’d found out about Bonnie’s death, she’d been hovering even closer to him than usual.

The truth was, she was worried about him. Her Tommy wasn’t exactly known for being cheerful, but he’d been even more sullen than normally lately.

It broke her heart to see him so sad all the time.

Once they got to Westminster, he gave Arthur and Michael their instructions for the meeting. Lucy watched them all file into Tommy’s office while she went to get situated at her own desk outside the double doors. Nerves churned in her stomach, fingers fiddling together more so than usual.

“Adam,” she plucked up a list she’d pre-prepared and held it out to him. “Would you go take care of these things for me?”

“Sure,” he stood, taking the list of errands from her and heading out the door without further question. Her eyes darted anxiously to the clock, and then to the doors leading into Tommy’s office. Mosley would be there any minute.

He’s going to eat them alive.

She didn’t know entirely why that thought occurred to her, or why she was so sure of it. It wasn’t like she didn’t have faith in Tommy. But the fact that Mosley so obviously put him on edge scared her.

Information from the research she had ordered their network of spies to enact was slowly starting to filter in, and with every new bit of knowledge that she gained about Mosley, the more her skin crawled at the mere thought of him.

With Michael outright contemptuous towards them at best, and actively working against them at worst, he was unlikely to be of much real help during the meeting. And Arthur was unbalanced by Linda leaving him.

They were going into this meeting with arguably the most dangerous man in England at a significantly decreased level of their normal strength.

The door to the office opened, and Lucy sat up straight, hands curling around each other tightly as she forced what she hoped came across as a polite, pleasant expression on her face.

“Miss. Winters.” Mosley smiled. As if he were a snake in the grass, having just caught sight of a mouse. The expression reminded her suddenly and unpleasantly of Luca Changretta, and her shoulders throbbed at the memory. She pulled herself quickly to her feet, the idea of Mosley looming over her while she sat suddenly leaving her feeling very small and vulnerable.

“Mr. Mosley,” she reluctantly took his outstretched hand and shook it.

“How good it is to see you again,” he remarked, still looking at her as though she was something to eat.

“Likewise,” she managed around the bile building in her throat. “If you’d wait just a moment, I’ll phone Mr. Shelby and let him know you’ve arrived,” she reached for the black phone perched on the corner of her desk, lifting the receiver. Mosley chuckled.

“Mr. Shelby,” he quoted back at her. “How formal. Do you call him that in bed too?”

Lucy froze, staring at him wide-eyed, her hand tightening around the phone that was half raised to her ear. She was not all that surprised that he knew about the affair. Anyone who dug deep enough into their past prior to Tommy entering politics could likely put two and two together. It was the blasé way in which he balled it up and threw it in her face like a rock that left her stuttering, momentarily lost for words.

“Sometimes,” she finally recovered, hoping that her voice sounded more steady and unapologetic than she felt, lifting the receiver to her ear and pushing the button to call the phone in Tommy’s office.

“Yep?” Tommy answered on the second ring.

“Mr. Mosley is here.”

“Send him in.”

She put down the phone and smiled thinly at Mosley. “You can go in now.”

“Thank you.” He flashed her a shark-like smile, adjusted his tie, and pushed through the double doors that opened up into Tommy’s office. Lucy watched him go, waiting until the door swung closed behind him, and then collapsed back into her chair.

Her heart was beating fast, fingers tightening against the armrests. Her shoulders twinged and ached, and she knew that by the time evening rolled around they would be hurting terribly.

A fucking monster, that man was.

All she could hope was that Tommy managed to deal with him quickly.

She tried to make herself busy as she waited for the meeting to end, shuffling through papers, tidying, smoking, and rereading reports. Every few minutes, her eyes shifted uneasily towards the closed double doors, ears pricked for any sounds that could be cause for concern from the other room.

It felt like it took an eternity before the doors finally opened, and Mosley stepped out. A small smirk was settled upon his lips, eyes gleaming with mirth.

Lucy interlaced her fingers tightly together to try to keep herself from fiddling with her rings when he moved to approach her. The last thing she wanted was for him to see how nervous he made her.

“Miss. Winters. It’s been a pleasure. I imagine in the future, we will be seeing an awful lot of each other,” his eyes glimmered, looking her up and down. “I look forward to getting to know you better.”

He didn’t wait for a response, merely flashing her another glimpse of white teeth before sauntering out the door. The expression, combined with the slow, posh way in which he talked, suddenly reminded her very distinctly not just of Luca, but of someone else. Someone she had expended a considerable amount of energy trying to forget.

Physically, he may have looked nothing like her former fiancé, Matthew Sutton, but everything about him was so startlingly similar, if she had been a more superstitious woman, she might’ve thought that her dead tormentor had managed to possess him.

Soon as she was certain that he was gone, Lucy half leapt from her chair, going to the doors to Tommy’s office and pushing her way inside.

Tommy was standing at his desk, glasses on and reading a letter clutched in his hands. Michael was standing with his back to Tommy, leaning against the edge of the desk. Arthur was by the window, staring at the floor.

“What happened?” Lucy asked, taking in their grave faces. No one responded.

Tommy tossed the letter and then his glasses onto the desk and collapsed back into his chair, jaw working. Lucy went to him, and he picked up the pages of the letter to pass silently to her. She took them gingerly, as if they might burn her, eyes skimming quickly across the page.

She jumped when Arthur, in a sudden flurry of movement, sent a chair and table crashing to the ground. The tea set on top of the table shattered with a crash.

“Ohh…” she groaned softly, silently lamenting how hard it was going to be to pick all the little shards of broken China out of the carpet. Tommy started shouting at Arthur to calm down, and while he dealt with his and Michael’s flurry of questions, Lucy returned her attention to the letter. She could worry about broken teacups later.

It explained how Mosley had intervened to get the investigation into Levitt’s death dismissed. And how he was officially extending an invitation to Tommy to become the deputy leader of his new political party.

She frowned, unable to tell if the bit about Levitt was a thinly veiled attempt at blackmail, or Mosley’s idea of doing them a favor. Maybe a bit of both.

She had just set the letter back down on Tommy’s desk when Arthur suddenly rushed towards her, taking hold of her by the shoulders

“Lucy…Lucy, is it true?”

“Is what true?”

“Has Linda been seen out with another man? Has she…?” He trailed off, a strangled sob leaving his throat, head bowing. Lucy stared down at him, then darted her gaze over his shoulder to Tommy, waiting for instruction on how to respond.

He gave a miniscule shake of his head.

Taking hold of Arthur’s face, she angled his head up to look into her eyes.

“No. Not that we know of, at least.” The lie rolled off her tongue easily.

He slumped against her in relief, and she took the opportunity to gently untangle herself from him and take a step back. Not that she thought Arthur would ever hurt her, but the unexpected closeness and his current volatility made her nervous.

“But Mosley might know where Linda is, Tom.” Arthur was looking at his brother beseechingly. “How…how could he know that?”

“He probably has better contacts in the Quakers than we do.” Lucy tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, casting Arthur a sympathetic look when he turned his desperate eyes onto her.

“Maybe…maybe you can ask him…”

She shook her head. “He’ll just use it to toy with us, Arthur. We’ll find her, don’t worry.”

“And we can’t be owing Mosley any more debts,” Tommy added. Lucy looked down at the pages of the letter still on the table. Her hand raised to rest her knuckles against her lips. When she glanced over at Tommy, he had a contemplative look on his face, head cocked while he too gazed down at the letter.

“Tom?”

He looked up at her, an idea sparking behind his eyes. “I need to speak with Ben Younger.”

Her gaze darted between him and Mosley’s letter, her mind catching up to where he already was a moment later. Ah.

“Ada will probably know where he is.”

“I’ll call her,” Tommy folded Mosley’s letter back into its envelope and tucked it away into his inner pocket. Arthur began to try to sheepishly clean up the mess he’d made when he’d knocked over the tea set. Michael sparked up his second cigarette since she’d entered the office. “After I’ve wrapped up my business here, we’ll go meet him.”

Lucy nodded, watching Tommy nervously as he started to dial. Something was off. Something was wrong. But she could not entirely place what it was.

∗ ∗ ∗

They’d been at Ada’s home for all of maybe five minutes when the tension that had been brewing between Tommy and Michael all day snapped.

Poor Ben had just been trying to follow protocol, pointing out that any business he and Tommy conducted was supposed to be confidential. So Tommy told Michael to leave the room.

“Fuck you, Tom,” Michael snarled in response. Lucy tensed, head snapping around to fix her gaze on him. Tommy turned to face him calmly, hands folding in front of him. Michael stood, reporting smugly that Gina had phoned him to report that their baby’s heart was beating strongly at her checkup earlier that day. “But I swear to God, Tom, by the time that baby draws his first breath, you and I will be done.”

Lucy’s eyebrow raised, lifting her cigarette languidly to her lips. Threats; really? Interesting strategy, if he was trying to regain their trust. Tommy’s challenge to Michael’s words earned them yet another deflection, and a parting suggestion that Tommy ought to start seeing a psychiatrist. Only then did Michael finally stomp out of the room.

“You’re still not alone,” Ben pointed out after a pause. Tommy glanced up from where he had started to pour glasses of whiskey for himself, her, and Arthur.

“Lucy is a part of me,” he said simply. She felt a little warm flutter in her chest at the statement. “And my brother and I are the same person.”

Ben’s shoulders slumped a little in defeat, understanding that he was not going to get his way. Tommy passed Mosley’s letter over to him. While Ben began to read, Tommy and Arthur went to take seats, Tommy in a big blue armchair, and Arthur on the couch across from him. When Lucy made a move to join Arthur on the couch, Tommy wrapped his hand around her wrist, giving her a little tug in silent request. She had to bite back a smile as she let him maneuver her into perching on one of the chair’s armrests, unable to quite battle down the little explosion of butterflies in her stomach at him wanting to keep her close.

Ben asked a few occasional questions which Tommy answered, though he and Lucy shared a look at Arthur’s insistence that they had nothing to do with Levitt’s death.

Oops.

Ben was reluctant, at first, to pass the letter onto his superiors. There was no proof of sedition in the letter, he claimed, and his orders did not involve investigating someone like Mosley. But in the end, Tommy was able to convince him to look into getting him the sanction that he needed to work as a spy within Mosley’s organization.

∗ ∗ ∗

“Are you okay?” Lucy stared at Tommy imploringly. It was dark out, light from the headlights of the car and the occasional streetlamp casting shadows over his cheekbones. He had his cap on, the brim shading his eyes from her view. It reminded her of when she first saw him, so many years ago, in Charlie Strong’s yard. His cap had been obscuring his eyes then, too. And yet she had still been able to feel his gaze lingering on her warmly.

“Mm,” Tommy grunted noncommittally and she frowned.

She thought he would be pleased following the successful meeting with Ben. But if anything his mood had only worsened as the day went on.

“Tommy…” she didn’t want to push him. He always told her what was bothering him eventually. And she knew that trying to pull it from him before he was ready would only accomplish him clamming up even more. But she was worried.

As if sensing her concern, he removed one hand from the steering wheel and reached over to take her hand.

“I’m sorry. I know I haven’t…” he sighed, “I know I haven’t been particularly fun to be around, lately.”

“No, that’s not…it’s alright. You’ve had a lot to deal with.” She leaned her head to rest on his shoulder. “I just worry.”

“I’m okay. It’s just been one thing after the other, recently.”

“It really has, hasn’t it?” She shifted, rolling her aching shoulders uncomfortably.

“I’m worried about Arthur. When Mosley started in about Linda during the meeting, he looked like he was about to break in two.”

“I have our people out looking for her. If she’s still in the country, they’ll find her. What do you think we should do once we manage to track her down?”

“Just let Arthur get a message to her, first. See if maybe they can come to some sort of agreement on things.”

“And if they don’t?”

“I’m not going to drag her back here kicking and screaming, but…”

“But Arthur needs her.”

“Yes.”

“Maybe he could find someone else. Someone better suited for him.”

“Wouldn’t that be the best solution to the problem, eh?” Tommy shot her a weak smile, then shook his head. “He doesn’t want anyone else. He wants her.”

“Yeah,” Lucy agreed. “Shame that he doesn’t have better taste.”

Tommy snorted, elbowing her fondly. Lucy smiled, peering up at him then snuggling down into his side comfortably.

“You’re really not going to tell him about the man that Linda was seen with?” she asked after a minute, frowning at the thought. “He’s going to find out eventually.”

“Yeah,” he huffed. “But I’d like to postpone the breakdown that’ll follow as much as possible. We don’t even know if anything happened between them. Your source said that she saw them with a group of other Quakers, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Better to wait and find out for sure that there’s nothing going on between them, then,” he determined. “Last thing we need is Arthur going berserk and killing a man who hasn’t even done anything.”

She hummed in agreement and nestled her cheek against his shoulder, trusting his judgment. “Okay.”

“Hey,” he gave her curls a soft pet. “Thank you for checking in on me.”

She smiled, angling her head to kiss one of those impossibly sharp cheekbones of his. “Always, darling.”

He brought the car to a stop in the driveway. As soon as he killed the engine, Lucy opened her door and hopped out. It was late, the sky already dark. They were going to have to head back into Small Heath for a meeting they had scheduled with Jessie Eden later at the Garrison. Originally the meeting was supposed to be at their apartment in London, but after their meeting with Ben, Tommy had wanted to go home first to check on Johnny, drop off some things from work, and freshen up.

Secretly, Lucy suspected that he just didn’t want to sleep with Jessie at the moment.

“Frances, could you get a bath running for me in our washroom?” she requested of the housekeeper. Soaking in the warm water for a while would help loosen some of the tension in her shoulders.

“Of course, Miss.”

“Thank you.” She passed Frances her coat, and went to follow Tommy deeper into the house.

It was just as he set his briefcase down that they heard a crash from his office. Both of them went still, listening. There were more sounds of rummaging, objects clattering.

They shared a look, and headed towards the office, drawing their weapons from their holsters, fully expecting to find an intruder or worse ransacking the room.

Instead they were greeted with a naked Johnny Dogs and one of their maids.

After they’d sent the poor flustered Sandra to bed and Johnny had pulled on a pair of trousers, Lucy listened from her seat next to Tommy on the couch as Johnny reported to them that Polly had helped Aberama leave the hospital and go to his kin. He had sent a message through one of his cousins that he would be going to Scotland to deal with the Billy Boys himself.

Yet another fucking thing to deal with.

Tommy ordered Johnny to go after him with Arthur. And while he complained an awful lot about it, Johnny still did as he was told. Lucy snorted to herself, more endeared than annoyed at his whinging.

“How long until we have to leave to see Jessie?” she asked, following Tommy up the stairs after they’d sent Johnny on his way. He pulled out his pocket watch.

“Two hours.”

“I asked Frances to run me a bath.” She took his hand, grinning impishly. “You wanna join me?”

His lips curved upwards at the suggestion. “Mm…now, when have you ever known me to say no to that?”

She beamed up at him, giving him a quick peck on the lips and then pulling him along by the hand down the hall towards their room. His deep, throaty chuckle followed close behind her, the sound of that alone enough to make her shiver.

The bath was already prepared by the time they got to their room. Steam rose from the shimmering water, the air smelling sweetly of the soaps infused in it.

Between kisses, they helped each other undress, hands roaming over the newly exposed skin. Tommy got into the water first, reclining against the porcelain edge with a soft groan, eyes slipping closed as his body was enveloped in the warm water. Lucy watched him for a moment, head cocked and lips quirking up fondly at seeing him momentarily so relaxed.

Tommy popped his eyes open, fixed them on her, and reached out a hand with a slight pout.

“Get over here.”

Giggling, she took the offered palm, holding onto him tight to help keep her balance as he coaxed her into the tub with him. It was a spacious bathtub and thankfully neither of them were especially tall, but it was still a snug fit with the two of them. Lucy sighed at the scalding hot water, lowering herself into it slowly. Tommy’s hand was on her waist, making sure that she didn’t slip. She let him guide her so that she was laying on his chest, legs between his. The warm water came up nearly to her chin.

With a contented purr, Tommy wrapped his arms around her. Closing her eyes, Lucy hummed happily in agreement, hands rubbing back and forth across his forearms.

They just laid there for a little while, lounging in the warmth of the water and holding each other. Lucy could feel the pressure of his erection against the small of her back, but it was more comforting and affectionate than insisting. It was only when she realized that she was in real danger of dozing off that she forced herself to pick up the soap where it lay in the little dish next to the tub.

Turning over onto Tommy’s chest, she straddled him. His hands settled on her waist, eyes lowered while he watched her begin to lather soap across his chest.

“You’re gonna smell like roses after this,” she commented. He chuckled, dripping fingers raising to touch her face.

“Going to smell like you,” he corrected. Her breath caught at the statement, a throb going through her cunt and warmth starting to pool between her legs in earnest.

Tommy sat up to kiss her, the press of their lips together soft. He flattened his hands on her back as he deepened it, kissing her slowly and sensually. By the time that they parted, Lucy was a little lightheaded; a fuzzy, happy feeling coursing through her body. Tommy slipped the soap from her hand, lips pressing to her forehead before urging her to turn back around so he could wash her back and rub her shoulders for her.

“Mm…” her head lolled onto his shoulder while he pressed down expertly on the knots under her skin. Under his hands, she could feel the aches letting up a little, muscles relaxing. They traded the bar of soap back and forth, taking turns washing each others’ backs, stomachs, arms, and legs. A soft laugh left her lips when he notably spent much longer than necessary spreading lather over her breasts. A laugh that quickly turned into a moan when he rolled one of her nipples between his fingers.

When they were both done and had rinsed the suds from their skin, Tommy dropped the soap back into its dish, and wrapped his arms around her to pull her back into laying on his chest. Turning his head, he began to press kisses into her neck. Lucy exhaled shakily, parting her thighs as much as the tub would allow as his hand trailed down her stomach to seek out her folds.

She felt his cock twitch against her back. His breaths puffed warmly over the sensitive skin of her throat. His fingers teased delicately around her clit, his teeth grazing across her pulse point. Not breaking the skin, but just lightly scraping against it.

With a quiet moan, Lucy turned in his arms to face him again, straddling him and resting her palms on his shoulders. Tommy looked up at her through damp, dark lashes, thumbs rubbing circles into her hips. Against her thigh, his cock pulsed.

Their noses bumped, lips hovering over each other for a moment before they breached the gap to properly kiss. Tommy growled softly into her mouth as she slipped her hand under the water and wrapped her fingers around his cock. Hips pressing upwards into her palm, he started to kiss her harder, fingers tightening around her waist.

A pleased sound left Lucy’s lips at the feeling of the weight of him. Hot and heavy and throbbing in her hand. Tightening her fist, she started stroking him just the way that she knew he liked, pausing occasionally to roll her thumb across his slit.

“We should get out,” she whispered as Tommy groaned and buried his head into her shoulder.

He nodded, peppering kisses all across the curve of the top of her arm to the base of her neck. His arms wrapped around her, mouth seeking out hers again, and then she gasped as he scooped her up and stood. Her legs quickly looped around his waist for stability, hands latching to his shoulders. Water streamed off of them in rivers to drip back into the bath. Tommy maneuvered them carefully, groaning when she tangled her tongue with his.

The sudden cool air on her still damp skin made gooseflesh break out across her arms, a shiver wracking through her. Which only urged Tommy to clutch her to him tighter, carrying her through the door that led into the ensuite bedroom.

A giggle left her as he let them both tip to fall onto the mattress. She felt him smile against her own lips, and for a moment she basked in knowing that, while he may be brooding and battling all the demons that lived in his head throughout most of the day, at least she could offer him this. At least she could help him escape and forget about it all, even if only for a little while.

Shifting over her, he propped himself up on his hands. Water dripped from his wet fringe onto her face, and she was distantly aware that they were probably soaking the sheets with the combined residual moisture on them. But she couldn’t find it in her to care all that much.

Dipping his head, Tommy kissed her, then started to work his way diligently down her body. His kisses warmed her skin, feeding the heat pooling between her legs. She moaned when he finally reached his destination, sparing no time in swiping his tongue across her clit before bringing the sensitive nub into his mouth for a sharp suck. Luck moaned, head tipping back on the mattress, hips raising towards his face. One large hand slid up her thigh, fingers traveling through her folds to gather up her wetness before slipping into her.

She held tight to his damp hair as he ate her out, hips riding his face near frantically. He always knew just how to curl his fingers inside her, how to lap at her folds and kiss and suck on her clit to get her eyes to roll back in her head. He didn’t bother taking his time or teasing her tonight. Instead he set to work promptly and vigorously, barely giving her a chance to catch her breath as he provided her with an onslaught of pleasure. Her back arched, hips twitching, mouth open to moan like a desperate, lustful beast.

And just when she thought that it couldn’t possibly feel any better, he reached out, pressing a hand gently down on the spot right above her pubic bone. The added pressure on her g-spot made her practically scream, flying over the edge of climax so intensely for a moment she thought that her heart might actually stop. She was pretty sure that she blacked out for a few minutes.

When she finally came back down to earth, Tommy was nuzzling at her inner thighs, spreading kisses all over them before migrating up to her lower stomach. Lucy trailed her fingers along his jaw, and he turned his head to rest his cheek against her palm, eyes closed.

He looked so peaceful there that she didn’t want to ever disturb him. Tommy seemed so unhappy most of the time lately. To see him so relaxed–and knowing it was at least in part because of her–made Lucy’s heart swell with its own contentment.

The moment seemed to stretch on for a long time. But still not as long as she would have liked. Had it been up to her, she probably would have wanted them to stay like that forever.

Finally, Tommy turned his face to press a kiss to the center of her palm. Pushing himself up over her, he kissed his way back up her body until their faces were level again.

“You still with me?” he chuckled, the back of his hand stroking her cheek.

“I think you nearly sent me to space with that one,” she laughed. He grinned, eyebrow lifting cockily. Hooking her legs around him, she drew him down for another kiss, humming at the lingering taste of herself on his lips.

He reached down, preparing to line himself to sink into her, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest. He froze, momentary worry entering his eyes, and she could see him immediately start to panic that something was wrong. To reassure him she quickly gave him another kiss before giving him a gentle push to indicate what she wanted.

He let her roll him onto his back with a groan, a hand cradling the back of her head while he kissed her. A sharp, needy sound left his mouth when she wrapped her fingers around his erection, giving him a few languid strokes. Perhaps enjoying a little too much the desperate noises he started making. Those big hands of his were pawing at her, trying to get her into position on his lap to sink down on him. Lucy giggled, acquiescing, but still not letting him inside her. Instead, she ran his weeping cock through her soaking folds, shivering when the shaft rubbed against her clit.

“Lucy…Luce, please. I’m about to burst…” he moaned, and God, if that was not enough to have a fresh gush of arousal flooding from between her legs.

Taking pity on him–and herself–she lined him up and sank down. The guttural sound of relief that left Tommy was absolutely delicious. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Lucy pressed their chests together, tucking her face into his neck while she adjusted to the thick stretch of him.

“You okay?” Tommy asked, hugging her. His nose was pressed into her damp hair. Lucy nodded.

“Just need a minute.”

He kissed her hairline, silently telling her to take all the time that she needed.

When she began to move, it was slow. Gentle rocking of her hips against his. His large, strong hands settled on her back to help support her movements, bucking up to meet her on every bounce on his cock. Their foreheads leaned against one another, breaths mingling. It felt like he was splitting her open on each thrust. She was so full, it made her head go all fuzzy. He was so deep in her, she swore the head of his cock was reaching all the way up into her chest.

Steadily, their movements started to get faster. Tommy’s grip on her tightened, the growls and grunts emitting from his chest growing louder. Lucy’s head lolled back, moaning to the ceiling while her nails scrabbled at his shoulders for purchase. His cock pulsed deeply inside her. Her thighs were starting to burn, and maybe he noticed that she was beginning to get fatigued, or maybe he was just desperate, because in the next moment he seized her up into his arms and rolled them. Her back pressed into the mattress, still in the circle of Tommy’s arms as he continued to thrust without barely even missing a beat.

“Fuck, Tommy,” she let her head tip back so he could plaster sloppy kisses to her throat. “Right there,” she cried out when his tip brushed her g-spot. “Right there, don’t stop. Ohhh…” she sobbed a little when his thumb started to rub tight little circles into her clit.

“So fucking wet,” Tommy growled. “So fucking tight, sweetheart. Fit me like a fucking glove…” he nipped at the place where her neck met her shoulder. “Always so good for me.” A low moan emitted from him when his words triggered her to clamp down around him. She felt his cock twitch.

“I love you,” she said, and he came suddenly with a hoarse shout. Lucy gasped as, at the first surge of seed starting to spurt into her, she fell right over the cliff with him into a second orgasm.

They laid there in stillness, just riding out the waves of their highs and holding each other. Finally, Tommy lifted his head to give her a quick peck and pulled out, rolling away to lay beside her.

“Fuck, that felt good,” he breathed out, chest heaving. Lucy laughed breathlessly, tucking herself into his side. His arm wrapped around her.

“Mm…” she sighed contentedly, closing her eyes and laying her head on its usual spot on his chest. She grimaced a little at the feeling of their combined releases spilling down her thighs. “Fuck.”

“What?” Tommy asked, head lifting. She gave him a sheepish smile.

“I think I’m gonna need a second bath after that.”

He huffed out a laugh, kissing her hair again. Head flopping back to lie on the pillows, he closed his eyes and let out a quiet groan. Lucy cocked her head.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” he cracked an eye open to look at her. “I just don’t want to go meet with her tonight.”

She sighed, remembering their planned meeting with Jessie that they would need to leave for soon. “We could cancel…”

“No,” he sighed. “It’s fine. We need to speak with her.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. Ben needed more information about her and the other communists. They’d been skinting a little on what they’d been giving him, lately.

Tommy’s fingers combed through her curls, encouraging her to tip her face towards him. He gave her a kiss, then slipped out from under her and got out of the bed. Lucy watched him brush his hair back into place, looking around for his clothes.

“They’re in the washroom,” she offered helpfully. He looked up at her, eyes sweeping over her still laying naked in the bed. Taking a step forward, he held out a hand to help her up.

His palm was warm when she touched it, their hands clasping together as she let him pull her to her feet.

∗ ∗ ∗

Jessie was late, and by the time she arrived at the Garrison, they were both drunk.

Well, Tommy was drunk. Lucy was just tipsy.

The pub was closed for the evening, meaning it was just them seated at the bar and the barmaid Betty, who was busy sweeping.

Lucy eyed Tommy from the corner of her eye as he downed another glass of booze. He was hitting it hard tonight. Much harder than he usually did. Especially when they were about to conduct business. And make no mistake, what was going on with Jessie was strictly business.

He had seemed in better spirits after their shared bath, but as they made the drive into Small Heath, his mood began to turn sullen again.

Lucy was starting to get truly worried. There was something wrong that he wasn’t telling her. That was almost unheard of, when it came to them. Tommy always told her everything. And he was unhappy. Deeply, deeply so.

She wanted to make it better. But how could she when she didn’t know what it was causing all the trouble? Was it just his usual aches from the war and all the suffering that had followed after? Was it all the stress of juggling parliament work, the gang, the company, the usual issues with Lizzie, and the situation with Michael taking a toll on him? Or was there something else going on?

Shortly after Jessie came in, Tommy ordered a bottle of champagne. Lucy’s brows rose. His movements were uncoordinated and stumbling as he snatched up the bottle and two glasses, taking them over to a table in the middle of the pub. Lucy followed him, half ready to catch him in case he fell.

She and Jessie watched, exchanging concerned glances as Tommy fumbled to pop the cork, seemingly more interested in that than conducting any sort of conversation.

Bloody hell, maybe she should have been more insistent on the idea that they cancel the meeting.

The cork exploded out of the bottle with a loud pop that made her jump. It thudded against the ceiling and clinked against one of the light fixtures on its way back down, landing on the floor and rolling away.

Tommy poured the champagne into the two glasses, taking the first for himself and nudging the second in Lucy’s direction. She took it, but only sipped at it.

One of them needed to have their head on at least half straight, after all.

Tommy rambled on for a little while about socialism and communism. Even drunk off his ass he managed to be quite profound. But Jessie remained generally unimpressed.

“Are you okay, Thomas?” she asked, apparently just as mildly disturbed over Tommy’s behavior as Lucy was.

Tommy lurched forward, hands planting on the table while he leaned towards Jessie clumsily, words slurring.

“Do you want a man to carry you home?”

His elbow knocked into his glass of champagne, sending it tumbling and spewing fizz all over the table and onto the floor. Lucy scrambled to right it while Jessie quickly excused herself and made for the door. Tommy slumped back into his chair, head bowing.

“Darling…what the fuck?” Lucy asked, gently as she could. Scooting closer to him, she laid a hand on his shoulder. “Tommy?”

“‘M alright.”

“You’re clearly not.”

He sighed deeply, and Lucy pulled her chair up next to him so that she could wrap her arms around his shoulders, head resting against his neck. He still smelled a little of the rose soap they’d shared earlier, underneath the reek of booze.

He rested his hands on top of hers, face leaning forward.

“Happy or sad, Thomas?”

They both jumped at the voice, heads snapping up to stare at the figure standing on the booth’s table in front of them. Grace had her hands clasped in front of her, dressed in the same white blouse and skirt that she’d been wearing that night she stood up on a chair and sang for them in this very pub. But her eyes had been alight with cheer then. Now, they stared down at them sorrowfully.

“I warn you…I’ll break your heart.”

She was gone just as quickly as she’d arrived, disappearing between blinks of Lucy’s eyes. She might’ve thought that it was nothing, just her tipsy mind summoning up an old memory. Except that Tommy’s reaction indicated that he had seen her too.

Drawing in a shaky breath, Lucy gave Tommy a quick squeeze around the shoulders, then let him go and stood.

“I’m going to call the driver.”

Tommy didn’t make any sign that he’d heard her, still staring mournfully at the space where Grace had been standing. Lucy went to the phone in the back, dialing the number and holding the receiver to her ear. All the while, her eyes kept darting back in the direction of where Tommy was.

Why wouldn’t he talk to her? Was it her? Was she the problem?

She didn’t really think so. It made no sense. He’d been nothing but loving and affectionate towards her lately.

And yet…she could not think of anything else that he would be reluctant to talk to her about.

Lip catching between her teeth, her eyes dropped to fix down on the floor, anxiousness twisting in her guts.

∗ ∗ ∗

Neither of them spoke much on the drive back to the house. Tommy was busy staring out the window with his knuckles pressed to his lips, Lucy watching him worriedly. By the time they pulled up to the front doors, he seemed to have sobered up at least somewhat. He wasn’t slurring or staggering as much when he walked, at least.

“Mr. Shelby?” Frances was there to greet them at the doors as usual and take their coats, her hands wringing together. Tommy turned to her, brow raised questioningly.

“Yes?”

She hesitated, clearly debating whether to tell them something or not. Then finally, she said, “Linda was here.”

Lucy froze. “She what?”

“She came to see Mrs. Shelby. They spoke in the front sitting room for a while.” Her voice dropped. “And I think you should call Maggie at the exchange and ask her about the calls Mrs. Shelby has made recently.”

Lucy wanted to bang her head against the wall. Just once, it would be nice to not come home to complete chaos. Just once.

“Do you know where Linda went after she was here?” Tommy asked.

Frances shook her head apologetically. “No.”

He remained still for a moment, turning over what she had just told them in his head. “Alright, thank you Frances. You can go to bed.”

Frances nodded. “Sir,” then to Lucy, “Miss. Winters.”

They waited until she left, and then Tommy went to the phone, punching in the number for the exchange.

“Maggie? Yeah, it’s me. My wife made some calls today…” he listened for a moment. “Right. Thank you.” He hung up, hand immediately going to rub at his face. “She called a fucking solicitor.”

“Oh, fuck,” Lucy wrapped one arm around her middle, fingers going to brush across her lips.

“I need to go talk to her. I have to find out where Linda is,” he didn’t look at her when he said it, an indication that he expected that he would have to do far more than just talk to draw the information from Lizzie’s lips.

Her heart twisted, as it always did whenever she thought of him with Lizzie. But she did her best to ignore it.

And much as it ached, she would not begrudge Tommy for fulfilling his duties as Lizzie’s husband.

“Okay.”

“I’ll try to…I’ll try to see if I can smooth things over with her, maybe. Get her to drop the idea of divorce. At least for now.” His eyes were apologetic when he looked at her, Adam’s apple bobbing when he swallowed. He reached out tentatively to smooth a hand up and down her arm, forehead tipping to rest against hers. She touched his cheek.

“Do what you have to do.”

He kissed her gently, lips still tasting a little of champagne. “Thank you.”

“I’m gonna go to bed,” she tilted her head towards the stairs. Tommy nodded, loosening his grip on her enough that she could step away. She gave him a small, sad smile to reaffirm to him that it was alright before turning on her heel and heading for the stairs.

Not once did she think that what would follow next would be complete and total disaster.

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