barmaidatthegarrison

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Green Eyes and Gunpowder (9/?)

Thomas Shelby x OC (Emily Hughes)

Summary - Sharp-tongued, steady-handed, and raised beside the Shelbys like blood, Dr. Emily Hughes weaves through their war for Birmingham with a surgeon’s precision—offering comfort, challenge, and quiet resistance, especially to the man who’s forgetting how to be anything but a weapon.

Word Count - 6,096

Warnings - less than canon-typical violence

A/N - Hey it's July I've been moving all around the fucking country what a nightmare.

Thanks for the support <3 Would love to know what you think!

Chapter 8

“They can stay. It’s fine.” Emily said, cutting across the argument between a still terrified Finn and Polly, the former not wanting to be any farther from her than necessary – still frightened and clingier than he was normally.

It took a few seconds to realise the other person she was referring to was him. It hadn’t occurred to him to leave when Polly closed the meeting room doors.

“Sit down.” Pol ordered.

She sighed, taking the bottle of gin from Emily, who looked ready to keep helping out. He placed his hand on her unaffected shoulder and gently steered her into a chair. Finn immediately climbed into her lap. Smart lad, that would keep her sitting.

“I’ll just cut it open.” Polly muttered to herself, grabbing a pair of scissors. “It’s headed for the bin anyway.” 

Emily quietly wiped away the remaining tracts of tears on his little face, offering a small smile to the boy.

“Thank you for sitting with me, Finny.”

His response was to lean forward and wrap his arms around her. She slid his cap off and kissed the top of his head.

I’ve had worse. And there was the worse. Polly’s scissors cutting the rear of the blouse open, exposing the scars that marred her back. The cigarette burns around her right shoulder, the strip of burned flesh from a hurled kettle. Clusters of small scars telling the sad story of a childhood. And the worst of them all – the handful of straight, rope-like scars going from just below her neck to just above the small of her back.

“Mum help! Aunt Polly!” She was slipping from his grip, head lolling. It was hard to get a good hold on her with all the blood. God, there was so much blood and he didn’t know what to–

He squeezed his eyes shut against the memory, taking a shaky breath and following it with a drag of his cigarette.

From the corner of her eye, she was watching him.

“Not pretty, is it?” She joked, offering a small smile. Lowering her head so her cheek rested on Finn’s hair, she sighed. “I don’t like looking at it either.”

“You’re beautiful.” He shot back automatically, furious at her words and refusing to let them stand for more than a second. “Always.”

Polly shook her head. “Idiots.” She muttered, which Tommy didn’t understand and didn’t care to. Polly thought they were all stupid most of the time.

Instead he poured them both a glass of gin out of the bottle Pol would be about to use on her back. With thanks, Em took a sip and closed her eyes.

“This is going to hurt.” Was all the warning they got before Pol had ripped the jagged piece of metal from her back.

Emily cried out, before swallowing a louder scream by sheer force of will. Her jaw was tensed so tightly he thought she might crack a tooth. Without thinking, he reached out and took her hand.

“Fuck you, Polly.” She seethed, gasping when her words were followed with a healthy dose of gin being poured over top. He let her squeeze his hand until her hands turned white along with his. He could bear the discomfort without question for her.

Finn kissed her cheek, bringing a sweet smile to her face despite the pain.

“Love you, Emmy.”

And she beamed. She always beamed when one of them said they loved her. Like they warmed her heart and soul just by saying aloud the words she should have already known were true.

“…this is your family, not mine. I don’t have one.” Maybe that was why. Maybe she held onto scraps of any affection with both hands because she was so scared it would disappear at any point. It wasn’t like his own actions had shown her any differently recently.

His stomach knotted at that thought.

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

Her hand twitched in his when the needle went in, but she gently kissed Finn’s forehead anyway.

“This is much more convenient than coming to yours.” Emily joked, putting her hands gently on Ada’s huge stomach. Seeing her and Freddie at the kitchen table for breakfast had been a surprise, but not an unwelcomed one. Considering the agony she was in this morning, she hadn’t been looking forward to a long walk to their place. “Give me a moment.”

But her hands were taken off the young woman’s body, forcing her to look into the Shelby girl’s face.

“Are you okay? Pol told me what happened; I’ve been sick with worry.” Ada breathed, sounding more a woman than the girl Emily knew her to be.

“We both have.” Freddie’s voice was gruff, but honest. He was staring at her shoulder as if he could see the wound through her blouse. His fists clenched and unclenched, like they always had when he was stressed as a boy.

“I’m fine. Don’t be ridiculous.” She squeezed the hands holding her own. Ignoring the twinge, the throbbing. “Now let me look at you.”

She smiled, hands sliding into places on the left and right hypochondrium and pressing in. Then down the flanks and finally onto the umbilicus. A small kick met her fingers in the centre and she laughed. “Quite a leg on that one.”

She felt the lie and frowned to herself slightly.

“You’re going to pop any day now, Ada. Be aware of that, eh? Make sure someone comes and finds me if I’m not there when your water goes.”

They weren’t paying enough attention to her words.

“Look at me.” Her face turned serious, and she made sure both of them met her eyes when she spoke. “This baby is in breech. It will be a difficult birth. You need a doctor there, do you understand me?”

“Course, Em.” Ada nodded to Freddie’s words, both of them sobering quickly.

“Good.”

She sat back into her chair and smiled up at Pol when she came in with a teapot. The news of a new boy to the family spread rather quickly, joy suffusing the home again. Though the teasing that erupted when the soon-to-be parents let it slip that they were going to name him after Karl Marx was nothing short of legendary.

It warmed her to see Tommy and Freddie laughing together again. She’d needed this as much as they had.

“Dr. Hughes!”

What?

“Inspector Campbell,” the annoyance was clear in her voice. “I’m with a patient.”

He didn’t seem to care, ripping the curtain open, alarming herself and the man she was assessing. She pulled the blanket over the stub of his leg, eyes apologetic.

“I’m sorry, Mr. White. We don’t normally have policemen barging on patients.” She felt truly bad for him. How low did you have to be to attack people at their most vulnerable?

“I think we’re overdue for another conversation, Dr. Hughes. I’m sure the good Mr. White won’t mind, will you sir?”

The man shook his head violently, and she didn’t blame him. This copper could be quite frightening when he wanted to be. What the fuck could he possibly be here for? The guns were going to be gone in two days, but there was no way he knew that.

Walking out of the room and handing her clipboard to the nurse, Rose, she asked that Mr. White be assessed and offered some comfort while he waited for another doctor. She doubted this would be a short conversation.

“I have an office, inspector. If you’ll come this way.”

Small Heath hospital wasn’t a small place, but it wasn’t the size of the ones she’d worked at in Galway or London. Still, big enough that every physician had their own room.

Opening the door, she bade him enter and closed it behind. A pile of paperwork waited on her desk, as well as a few of her things placed around the room. It was an impersonal place by design, the last thing she needed was someone going through it to find out more about her.

“Now, inspector, tell me: what do you require from me this time?” There would be no interruptions here, she knew. That frightened her but the risk an eavesdropper posed was so much greater in her mind. “Has something gone awry in your hunt for… what was it again that you had asked me about… was it guns?”

He tried to play it calm and collected, smirking at her, but she could see a strain around his eyes, a discomfort in his countenance. His smile was forced, his worry was not.

“You have a fine memory, doctor.” He took a seat at the table.

She raised her eyebrows, taking her own seat across the desk from him. It was comforting to have a distance and a physical barrier between them.

He continued without need of her input.

“The Shelby girl just got married to a communist. The other one’s about to marry a whore.” He laughed uneasily. “Not the most dignified company for a lady like yourself to keep.”

“Think what you wish about my friends, but know that they have never accosted me in the street or at my place of work.”

The smile he had been putting up did finally fall and that made her own grow.

“I cannot imagine what you hope to get out of this meeting, inspector.”

He leaned forward in his chair, cold gaze boring into her, but she refused to look away, she would not be the one to break here.

“I’m looking to make a deal.” Her eyebrows raised automatically. “Thomas won’t meet with me, and Mr. Churchill is getting quite impatient. You should know, if I’m fired, and it was the fault of you and your people…” He chuckled, “I would do things that would shame the devil.”

She swallowed, leaning back in her own chair. “I cannot stress enough that I, nor my friends, have any knowledge about your prize. You would have much greater luck attempting to get blood from a stone, inspector.”

He chuckled, looking down at his hands and back up at her. “I think it’s time we cut the crap, Dr. Hughes. You and I both know that you know about those guns.” She didn’t say anything, and he apparently wasn’t expecting her to. “The sooner you admit it, the sooner we are finished with this ridiculous farce and I can be on my way.”

“No one would appreciate that more than I.” She shot back, tone annoyed and sharp.

“I believe I’m starting to understand better the way things are run among your little hooligans in this hellhole.” It was like she hadn’t said a word. “I thought Arthur was in charge, but I was wrong. Then I thought it was Tommy and you were just his little whore.” He looked up at her, as if waiting for a reaction, one she refused to give him.

“Now I understand it’s more than that. You’re his right hand.”

Most people outside of the family didn’t realise that, and that was by design. Half of her was impressed that he did, and the other uneasy for the same reason.

“I find men don’t react well when you cut off their right hands.”

She blinked a few times, distantly wondering what weapons she had in reach, “Are you threatening me, inspector?”

He chuckled again, standing up from his chair. It took all her effort not to tense as he took a step towards her desk.

“I don’t threaten, Dr. Hughes.” He left a business card on the table. “I recommend Thomas gets in contact with me soon, before I get fired. Or you’ll see that my fury is a thing to behold. I would start with you, but I surely would not end there. Those scum associates of yours, even the sister with her baby, wouldn’t be spared. The only one to be spared would be the youngest one, Finn. He would however be lifted as a juvenile and dumped into that part of the adult prison where men have most appetite for boys like him.”

Her heart was pounding. For the first time since he came to town, she was afraid. Horribly afraid. And overwhelmingly furious. Her hand itched for a gun, but instead she sat placidly, meeting his gaze with unwavering intensity.

“Know that I would save them for my last day, but I could start so much earlier with you, Dr. Hughes. Cutting off a right hand ends a fight much quicker.”

She stayed sitting there for a good half an hour after the inspector had left.

He wouldn’t take it well. For all that Tommy was a shrewd businessman, a powerful gangster, someone confident and in control (usually), he didn’t take threats against his family well. Knowing that Campbell was threatening to kill her soon and the rest of his family when he left town… she worried he wouldn’t think clearly.

He’d meet with the inspector. But if she could be at that meeting…

“What is it?”

She nearly startled when Tommy took the seat across from her at the table. Blinking uncomprehendingly at him until he kept talking.

“You hardly ate anything at dinner, been in your head since you got home. What’s happened?”

She sighed. “You aren’t going to like it.”

He sort of figured whatever it was wouldn’t be good even before Emily warned him. He assumed it would probably annoy him or at worst inconvenience him. By the end of her recounting, he was fucking furious. Pacing up and down the dining room, agitated, burning through his cigarette aggressively.

“Tommy?” Her voice was soft, entreating, concerned. So gentle with him, as she always was. That inspector threatened to kill her, and she was more worried about what was going on in his head. He wanted to rip his head off, wanted to find that inspector and choke him until he was begging for air.

Emily was still just watching him pace, patient and attentive.

“I don’t think he can actually do any of that once he gets fired. I mean the idea of anything happening to your family scares the hell out of me, but I thought about it. You’ll be in too good of a position with money from the races and the rest you’ll get from Patrick. Could buy off every bleeding copper from here to London if you wanted.”

His heart clenched, willing her to stay silent; she was trying to fix it but for once she was also making it worse.

“I think it’ll be fine if you just wait it out–”

“It won’t be fucking fine!” He shouted back, stunning her into silence.

She was just blinking at him, speechless from his outburst. A kick of guilt his him – yelling at her always made him feel like shit, but this time he couldn’t control it. He took a few deep breaths, trying to keep his temper aimed in the right direction.

The two stared at each other for a few minutes, her eyes wide, him panting. Both their gazes shot to the doorway when Pol and Arthur appeared, probably attracted by Tommy’s yelling.

“What’s happened?” Arthur poured himself a glass of whiskey while Pol opened with the questions.

“That fucking inspector.” Tommy seethed and Arthur’s face darkened, eyes flitting between his brother and Emily.

“What’s he done now?”

“He showed up at my work – forced a meeting.” She said, sounding much more put together than Tommy did in this moment. “Threatened you all if Tommy didn’t meet with him.”

Pol raised her eyebrows and looked over at Tommy. Even she knew there was more to the story than Emily was telling her. Someone threatening them was just a fucking Monday.

“He threatened to kill Emily if I didn’t meet with him. Threatened to end the rest of us on his way out of Birmingham.” Tommy shot back; his voice still filled with rage that he was struggling to contain. “Said cutting off a right hand ends a fight much quicker.”

He could see her wince, regretting giving him quotes from the meeting, using Campbell’s metaphors, because it just made it worse. There were a few seconds of silence, Polly pulling out a cigarette of her own, Arthur slamming back his drink, and Emily standing to get another glass out of the cabinet.

There was no question who Tommy’s right hand was.

“I don’t think it’s something to worry about.” Emily finally offered, still the calmest in any room. “Once everything is finished,” and here she was purposely vague, knowing that it wasn’t yet time to share their plans to betray Kimber, “you’ll have enough money to be untouchable. Whether that inspector has a vendetta when he’s fired or not isn’t going to make a difference.”

Tommy ground his teeth, taking a near violent pull from his cigarette. She was still dancing around the main fucking issue… Or maybe to her it wasn’t the main issue. That thought felt like cold water had been poured down his back and he stopped his movements.

“I’ll meet with him.” He wasn’t yelling anymore, but his voice was low and still angry.

Emily sighed, “It’s not worth the fucking risk, Tommy. You can’t kill him. What the fuck could–”

She only stopped talking because he grabbed her arm, careful to keep his grip firm but not to hurt her.

“It’s worth the risk.”

Willing her not to argue with him, willing her to understand that the risk to everyone else wasn’t real, but the risk to her was. He couldn’t do this without her, couldn’t imagine who he’d be, what would be left of him, if anything ever happened to her. If meeting with the fucking copper would make her even a little safer then it was worth the bleeding risk.

Her shoulders dropped with a sigh, meeting his eyes, and slowly she nodded her head. He’d won. Thank fuck.

“Okay, but I’m coming with you.”

“Emily!” Lizzie’s voice was shocked, evidently not expecting to find the good doctor on the other side of her door. “What are you– I mean, come in.”

Walking into her flat, Emily looked around placidly. It was decently neat. Her bed was made; the bed she took her clients in. The bed she took Tom– no. That wasn’t what she was here for. Apparently, she’d caught Lizzie in the middle of unloading her groceries.

“I think you know why I’m here, Lizzie.”

The woman in question paused with the door halfway closed before she regained herself and shut it.

“Would you like tea? I just bought some new types that I’m excited to try.”

Emily just stared at her for a few moments, watching as her gaze shifted down and she began to pick at her clothes. Nervous and uncomfortable. She knew exactly what Emily was doing here.

“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say.”

Her voice was still soft and demure with that lilt of self-deprecation that didn’t work on her. She’d ended pregnancies for this woman; it wasn’t easy to lie to her after that. It wasn’t easy to lie to her normally.

“I just want to talk.” She said simply, “I told John I had some question so here I am.”

“You’re not against us?”

Emily didn’t respond immediately, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. Letting Lizzie stew, she pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Between the copper and this, the week was really trying to turn around on her. If she hadn’t gotten that new miracle medicine from Dr. Haddington, she’d be in a much less kind headspace.

“John is allowed to make his own decisions, as are you: you’re both adults.” She paused to take a deep drag of her cigarette, watching Lizzie continue to get more and more uncomfortable with the prolonged silences. “But I’m sure you know how important John is to me.”

The woman nodded quickly, “Of course. You’re his sister. He’s… he’s said– he’s told me how you take care of him, of all his family.”

She couldn’t help the warmth that bloomed, spreading from head to toe, letting her feel so profoundly loved. If she wasn’t in her business mindset, she would be smiling like an idiot. John was always such a sweet boy.

That’s why she had to do this.

“You’re right – I am close with the whole family. I’m also a doctor. Tell me Lizzie: have you told John that in addition to marrying him, you’ve been servicing Tommy? Or how about the list of other men you’re still currently fucking?”

She watched the other woman pale, eyes going wide. Was she fucking stupid? How did she not see this conversation coming? Did she think Emily would let anyone join this family?

“You haven’t told him about any of that, Lizzie. Why not?”

“I don’t want to lose him! He’s a good man, Emily. Please.” Her voice broke, hands wringing in her skirts. “I love him, please.”

Emily didn’t reply for a long time, trying to stop her own anger from exploding on this woman. She didn’t care that she was a sex worker, didn’t care that she made her money this way. What she cared about was the fucking lies.

“You want me to let you marry him under false pretext. Is that what you’re saying? Is that love to you, Lizzie? Lies and infidelity?”

Tears were dripping down Lizzie’s cheeks. Still looking down to the ground, even trembling now, but she remained silent.

“I asked you a fucking question, Lizzie.”

“I–” She swallowed heavily, sniffling. “I don’t want to lose him. He’s so good to me, Emily. I’ll change; I want to be better for him. The past is the past – I haven’t– Tommy hasn’t come to me in months.”

Emily resisted the urge to grind her teeth. Yeah, she had been pretty sure that Tommy hadn’t been going since she’d been back. That didn’t make her less mad that he had to begin with– no, she needed to keep her head.

But God what the fuck did Lizzie have that she didn’t?

“I will not stop him from marrying you.” When Lizzie looked up at that, almost relieved, Emily held her hand up to stall her premature joy. “But he will have all the information first.”

She stood up, extinguishing her cigarette in Lizzie’s ashtray.

“You have until the evening to tell him everything. If you have not, and I will check, then I will fill in the gaps with much more detail than I’m sure you want. Remember, I have treated you and most of your client base.”

She didn’t wait for the reply, didn’t pause to see the effects that her words had, just walked past the woman and left. She may have heard the beginning of a sob when the door closed behind her, but that wasn’t her concern.

The Lickey Tea Rooms. She’d never been here before and it felt a bit ridiculous being here now – especially to meet a bloody copper. The ornate murals on the walls and the maids walking around she was sure were made to make her feel out of place. Sadly, she’d been feeling out of place so often recently it barely registered now.

He was standing when they entered, Tommy on her left; she thought it would be amusing if she actually entered on his right side. A private little joke for herself.

“I chose this place because it is outside of both our jurisdictions.”

He seemed uncomfortable; the copper felt out of place. Not in this tearoom, but in this meeting. Or maybe he was playing it up. He was hard to read when it wasn’t just anger and disgust in his eyes.

“Would you like tea?” He was looking between them, acknowledging her. Taking her seriously as Tommy’s partner. She could at least respect that if nothing else. At least she didn’t have to hide her role in this meeting.

Pulling out her chair and seating her before taking his own, Tommy was in fine form. His gaze was cold and hard, unreadable to anyone else in the world.

Not her though. She could see that he was fucking furious.

“You asked for a meeting, and here we are.” He finally spoke, voice as chilly as the wind in winter. “I am a businessman, inspector. I want my business to be successful. I can’t do that if my people are harassed.”

She watched the man’s eyes flick to her then back to Tommy.

“And I want my city to run peacefully.”

“Which would be good for business.” She added, matching Tommy’s tone. “Seems we may be on the same side.”

The inspector huffed half a laugh, “How exactly can we be on the same side if you refuse to meet?”

“You expect us to meet with you when you attack my family in the street.”

Tommy’s accusation actually seemed to amuse the inspector, the stressed corners of his eyes smoothing slightly. He was proud. That was… disturbing. She did terrible things, as did Tommy and the rest of the family, but they did not relish those things. Sure, a good fight was appreciated, but murder? Abuse? Necessary but not pride-inducing.

“I do what is necessary to meet my ends, Mr. Shelby. I’m sure you understand that.”

“As do we.” She butted in, knowing that Tommy would respond much less appropriately than she did. “But any aggression has come solely from your side, and I wonder to what end.”

“I’m not looking to start a war, Dr. Hughes, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“As the only person at this table who didn’t serve their country, what would you know of war?” His eyes darkened, embarrassment blooming into anger instead. She looked around the room lazily, noticing Tommy’s approval, before turning back to him. “What are we meant to think? You keep making threats and assumptions about us. About what we know and how we know it. You’re negotiating from a weak position, inspector.”

“I didn’t realise we were negotiating, Dr. Hughes.” He leaned back and crossed his arms. Still defensive. Still angry. Good.

Her and Tommy looked at each other, him offering just the smallest of nods. She could proceed now. Whose idea this tactic had been at this point, she wasn’t sure. The two of them were too in sync sometimes to tell.

“We don’t have your prize, inspector.” She watched as his jaw clenched, ready to argue, before she continued. “But we know who does.”

They were playing with fire now. A lot hedged on the idea that the rest of the family, that Curly and Charlie, that everyone who knew kept their bleeding mouths shut. If he had any proof that they actually had those guns, if he had been tipped off, then it was over.

He didn’t argue, but she could feel the weight of his gaze, piercing her. Keeping up her disinterested tone, she continued.

“Thing is, we don’t like people making moves in our territory without permission. Especially when the result of their sloppiness gets pinned on us. We are a lot of things, but sloppy isn’t one of them.”

She knew if he could, Tommy would roll his eyes. It was sloppy. They were never supposed to get these guns.

“They grabbed the wrong crate?” She could hear the exhaustion in her own voice. The men were probably drunk, or high, or both. How do you mix up petrol-engine motorbikes with guns? God she’d been back for only a few hours and there were already fires to put out.

Tommy nodded, lighting a cigarette. He leaned his head back against the wall behind her bed, first puff of smoke headed towards the ceiling of her bedroom.

The moon was full, and Birmingham was quiet – not usual but then again it was three in the morning. Even the liveliest shitholes had to have some quiet hours.

“Tell me the contents again.”

His voice was soft, more a confession than anything else, “Twenty-five Lewis machine guns with ten thousand rounds of ammunition. Fifty semi-automatic rifles, two hundred pistols with shells. All bound for Libya.”

“Fucking hell.” She breathed, closing her eyes for a second.

That was no small order. Between the unrest in Ireland and the sheer volume of guns… things were going to get interesting really quickly.

“Who knows?”

“Curly, Charlie, Polly. You.”

“Pol and Charlie want you to dump them.” It wasn’t a question, but Tommy nodded anyway.

His distant gaze only focused when she made her way to the bed, sitting and sliding up until she was sat next to him, pressed shoulder to knee. On the next pull of his cigarette, she took it from his mouth and took a drag for herself.

“Well. That’s one option.” She hummed, handing back the fag. “Definitely the safest one.”

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, and she met his gaze easily.

“It is.”

Slowly she offered a small smile, “It’s not the only one.”

He grinned back at her, tension in his shoulders somehow lessening. Handing back the cigarette, he nodded, “No, love, it isn’t.”

She leaned forward over the table. This invited the inspector to move in closer, which he did on instinct.

“We’ll give you the information on your thief. We’ll even tell you where the guns are headed. If our conditions are met.”

“What conditions are those?”

“We intend to do business with Billy Kimber.” She leaned back when Tommy started, “He runs most of the legal track-side betting outside of London. He has policemen on his payroll. We want you to put in a word with the Chief Inspector at Gloucestershire that his men should leave us alone when we make our move.”

“Oh, and stop lifting runners, stop looking into Shelby operations.” She crossed her legs, offering the inspector her flattest expression. “It’s a nuisance that could be done without.”

It was always interesting to see the reactions of people who got the opportunity to see different parts of her personality, different acts she put on. Campbell had only seen the posh doctor act. It was obvious that the cutthroat racketeer threw him off just a little.

“We’re fair people. It’s a fair offer.” Tommy mused. Under the table, she placed her hand on his. “Do we have a deal?”

The inspector was looking between them, silent, for so long that Tommy sighed.

“I need an answer. Right now.”

Slowly, the inspector nodded. “Very well.”

And somehow, they’d come out of this alright. Or so she hoped. Only time would tell.

“John?”

She closed her book and sat a little straighter, confused that the person coming to her at night for once wasn’t Tommy. She certainly hadn’t been expecting it to be him knocking.

“I– she–”

He swallowed heavily, swaying slightly. Eyes unfocused. Drunk. Immediately Emily knew what had happened. She grit her teeth against the instinctive pang of guilt, instead opening her arms for him like she used to when he was a little boy.

As if it had been the thing he was waiting for it, he practically fell into her embrace. The air was thick with the smell of cigarettes and whiskey. How drunk was he?

She kissed his temple and pulled them into the bed, so she was sitting with her back against the wall. His face was pressed into her neck, while her arms held him tightly.

Every one of the Shelbys found comfort in a different type of embrace: Arthur liked to be enveloped, full bear hugs and heavy weights on his chest, something to keep him grounded; Tommy preferred to be the weight, hands in his hair and soft movement, a gentle embrace he could hide himself in; Finn liked to be tucked under an arm, pressed to a side, like he was a part of some secret club; Ada liked to be the one doing the holding, clutching tightly while the hands that held her back were gentle and easy to shrug off if she needed, letting her feel more in control; and John was all about the tight embrace, being held with all possible strength, as if he was afraid of being forgotten.

It had been a long time since he’d come to her like this, but she hadn’t forgotten. Her arms were tight around him as he talked about Lizzie, as he vented, as he told her that he just needed someone. Coming back from the War to a dead wife had been a nightmare; one she could not imagine, nor did she want to.

“I’m here, Johnny.” She kissed his temple again. “Your kids are lucky to have you, love. And you will find a wife, you will. And she will love you as much as you deserve, the way you deserve.”

She and Tommy had been talking and… well she only hoped they didn’t ruin John’s trust with their little plan.

He fell asleep in her arms that night, worn by the emotional exhaustion and the heavy drinking. She kept him locked in an embrace the whole time. When he woke in her bed the next morning, she could see how embarrassed he was now that the drink had worn off. Still, he let her kiss his temple.

“Love you, Emmy.” The words were grumbled and said with a red face, but she beamed at him, nonetheless.

“I love you too, Johnny.”

The next night the guns were gone. She breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the contents of the casket get hauled into two crates in the back of Patrick’s vehicle. The moonlight felt too much like a spotlight and the sooner this got done, the better.

The Liden fellow had shown up again to help the boys move the gear. Tommy hadn’t wanted her here tonight, but she had to make sure this was done, see it with her own eyes.

“Well, Emily, I have to say: I never expected our association to be profitable in this way.”

Patrick hadn’t helped carry a single thing. Of course he hadn’t. She hadn’t either but that’s because she’d been glared away by Arthur.

“Have you got a buyer lined up?” She countered, unwilling to engage with the familiarity in his words.

“A few.” He chuckled, “but I fail to see how that’s your concern. Unless you want to leave this place? A smart, cutthroat businesswoman like yourself? I could use you in my organisation. I’ll also pay you at least triple what they do.”

Her eyebrows raised without conscious thought. He wasn’t even subtle about the offer, speaking in full hearing of the four others present. It earned him three furious glares, but she raised her hand to stall their responses.

“I have no intention of going anywhere.” She watched the tension in Tommy’s shoulders lessen at her words. As if she would ever leave. “As it is, I’m not a businesswoman; I’m a doctor.” She took a long drag of her cigarette, watching the smoke rise into the bright moonlight. “What you can do is hand over what we’re owed.”

He shrugged, tilting his head towards Mr. Liden, “You can’t blame a man for trying, can you, dear Emily?”

His man reached into the front of the car and produced a small burlap sack, handing it directly to Tommy. The middle Shelby brother peering in and likely doing a quick once over to make sure the amount at least looked right. The counting would happen later.

“If that’s all, Mr. O’Hare, we’ll be ending our business now.”

Tommy’s voice was cold, and he did not reach out to shake the man’s hand. Fair, but someone here had to have manners, so she did. Patrick returned the gesture.

“If you change your mind, you know how to contact me.”

She raised one eyebrow.

“I won’t. But as a parting gift, Patrick, I’ll let you know that there’s an Irish copper who seems to be on the trail of these guns. Getting quite close too. Best of luck with that nonsense.”

He nodded, appearing flippant, but she knew he took her words seriously. The boys made quick work of resettling the dirt over the now-empty coffin in the plot as she watched the two Londoners disappear from the field.

Tommy tossed her the bag and she looked inside. Fuck, that was a lot of money. Enough to protect them, enough to make a huge fucking difference. Maybe this would actually work out.

---

A/N2: So this is really really long but I've written the Grace-bit which is next chapter pinky promise

Tagged: @weaponizedvirtue, @taorislover94 @maaxxxaam @thehanes22

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Green Eyes and Gunpowder (8/?)

Thomas Shelby x OC (Emily Hughes)

Summary - Sharp-tongued, steady-handed, and raised beside the Shelbys like blood, Dr. Emily Hughes weaves through their war for Birmingham with a surgeon’s precision—offering comfort, challenge, and quiet resistance, especially to the man who’s forgetting how to be anything but a weapon.

Word Count - 3,913

Warnings - sexual assault. Not super duper graphic but like. You are warned.

A/N - Hey it's June - I'm back. Stressed to all hell, but alive rip.

Thanks for the support <3 Would love to know what you think!

Chapter 7

Thankfully he and Emily were able to walk quickly through the back way, dodging all the staff and other less savoury characters hanging around.

“Prussian or Romanian?” She asked with a smirk, teasing.

She spun to dodge a man walking by with a large crate with a snort. While they didn’t talk about the plan, she still knew what he wanted from her – thank God he hadn’t fucked things up that badly.

“Prussian this time.” He smiled back, stifling a laugh as she grabbed his hand to pull him a little faster.

“I’m holding you to that dinner, Tommy!” She joked back, her smile absolutely took his breath away.

As they turned the corner, she dropped his hand, pausing for a brief moment. It was always interesting to watch her shift into someone else. Her shoulders rolled back, her smile turned calm and placid, her countenance sharpened into something posh and aloof.

Interesting and discomforting. Maybe it was because he knew she hated it, but he hated it too.

“Good day, gentleman. Apologies for the interruption, I’m Lady Catherine Everton. I just stepped out to speak with the man riding my family’s horse. If I could be permitted to pass back inside?”

The two men’s gazes turned to her, sizing her up and down. They weren’t quite leering, but Tommy didn’t like the way their gazes lingered.

“And he is?”

She huffed, convincingly annoyed. “My father insists on my having protection. Ridiculous if you ask me. He’s Prussian, doesn’t speak a word of English, so you can imagine the scintillating company that he makes.”

The two laughed, one stepping back to hold the door open for her.

“I hope your day gets better, Lady Catherine.” And she smiled demurely, sliding past the two of them.

As soon as they were on the other side, Tommy placed a hand on her spine, urging her towards the banister so they could take a look at the whole room.

“Left corner.” She said softly.

His eyes flicked up and then back down, lighting a cigarette to hide the motion.

“How about that dance, love?”

And her whole face lit up.

“You know he wants to fuck me.” It was through sheer force of will that he didn’t twitch at that, but his hand did tighten on her back, pulling her a little closer to him.

“That’s not happening.”

“Glad we agree.” She joked, spinning in his arms. “We should go dancing more.”

He felt himself smile, “There’ll not be no dancing in the Garrison. Singing’s more than enough, innit?”

Her body was pressed close enough to his that he could feel it when she laughed.

“Are you saying we can’t go anywhere but the Garrison ever again?”

“It’s a new acquisition, love. We have to support the family businesses.”

“A true family man, I see.” She twirled again, “Won’t even take his poor, sad best friend to go dancing more than once every few years.”

“Poor and sad are you now?” Her tinkling laugh raised his spirits. He knew he’d been smiling like an idiot for this whole dance, but he couldn’t be fucked to care.

“Not as poor and sad as Arthur’s going to be if you don’t start leading us back to the service door.”

There was no way Kimber would suffer a woman at the table, and they had to play his game now. So when Tommy came charging back with the bags from Arthur, she hung back a few moments to peer at the cuts on his cheek before kissing his forehead and telling him to clean them before he bandaged them.

“Whiskey, neat.” She ordered, leaning forward on the bar. In the corner of her eye she could see Tommy seated with him, and that’s where she needed to keep her sights.

“And a French 75. Put the lady’s on my table.”

Sighing, she should have seen this coming.

“I can buy my own drink.” She shot back, not bothering to look back at the man who was trying to flirt with her.

See the best part about being in Birmingham was that this rarely happened – people didn’t even try with her, scared of the woman who lived in the home and hearts of the terrifying family. Though sometimes it did ache in her heart when they called her Tommy’s girl – it wasn’t true but by God she wished it was.

He didn’t seem to care about her obvious annoyance, coming to lean next to her on the bar. “Don’t be like that, love. You’ve been left all alone, I’m just trying to offer you some company.”

“The only company I need is the drink.” And with that she took the glass from the bartender and stepped away.

Or she tried to, instead coming face to face with Billy Kimber.

“Your man said it was alright for me to have this dance.” She doubted that, but she happily played along, taking a sip before abandoning the glass back on the bar.

The music turned slower, a waltz rather than the quickstep it had been before. Kimber pulled her indecently close, hand a little lower than she would have liked, but she said nothing, offering him a look of disinterest and placidity. He seemed to respond well to the hard-to-get attitude before.

“You’re that lovely barmaid.” He said finally, as if coming to some grand conclusion.

“Your memory is sound.” She let her accent thicken a bit, but held her head higher.

“A woman as beautiful as you – hard to imagine you with that Peaky.”

Her eyes flicked to Tommy, who she could see watching intently, unhappy but not showing a lick of it. To anyone else, he’d have been the picture of uninterested.

She offered a small smile, “I’m attracted to power, Mr. Kimber.” She said softly. “In all of its forms.”

That was the right thing to say, as his eyes darkened. She could practically see him lusting after her.

When the dance finished and he went back to Tommy and his accountant, Emily lit a cigarette and pulled herself to the bar.

God she wanted to go home already. Sometimes, if she let herself think about it, Tommy’s ambitions scared her. He wanted to become a man who frequented these parties, welcomed and wanted in high society. Wanted to be counted among the toffs, the ruling elite. But this wasn’t her. It was a role she played, and though she played it beautifully, it crawled under her skin and made her itch, drained her energy and left her tired and sad.

Would he leave her behind one day? If she failed to live up to the expectations he was trying to set for his new life? She hoped not. Before the War, he wouldn’t have ever wanted this. Now though, she wondered how long she had left at his side before he found a proper posh girl to bring to these things – a girl who didn’t snap at men who flirted with her, effortlessly high society, who didn’t have to pause and steel herself to become what was needed in these scenarios.

Her mind turned to that barmaid again. Grace would probably do better here than she was. Somehow that ached more than anything else had yet.

In the corner of her eye, she watched Kimber turn to look at her, whispering something in Tommy’s ear. Only a few minutes ago, Tommy’d said that man wouldn’t be allowed to have his way with her. She hoped that was still true now that his ambitions were so close at hand.

One set of hands covered her breasts, resisting her struggles, pushing her shoulders into the ground, while the other ripped her skirt.

“Hush now, doctor, we don’t want anyone to hear. Think of this as a reward for all the work you’ve put in here.”

She could barely breathe, the scent of smoke and mud near overwhelming. Before her wrists were trapped, she’d managed to claw her hand violently against his face. She’d drawn blood, but not enough to stop him, only enough to make him mad.

“Fucking bitch. You’ve been teasing us for days. What did you think was going to happen?”

And his hands moved up and she couldn’t stop him. She tried to kick, tried to flail, but couldn’t scream. If she screamed they were dead – the whole tent was dead, but maybe death would be preferrable to feeling the way his cock slid against–

“We’re leaving.”

Violently, she flinched away from the hand that touched her, ripping herself out of its grip. Her hand balled into a fist and her heart pounded violently against her ribs, stealing her breath. The ringing in her ears reached a fever pitch and she was poised to strike. Poised to run.

Until her eyes flicked up to meet familiar blue. Very familiar blue.

Tommy?

What was he doing here? Was he with them? What was going on?

Slowly the sounds of the hall came back to her, the fast music and chatting patrons, the clink of a glass behind her at the bar. In her periphery the images of dancing men and women, spinning dresses and waiters moving through the crowd. The volume of worry she could now see in those familiar blue eyes.

The races. They were at Cheltenham. Kimber and the Lees and contracts. Fuck. With effort, she let her fingers relax, releasing her fist.

Tommy’s hand was hovering near her own, his whole body radiating concern, eyes locked with her own.

“Sorry.” She breathed, taking a heavy breath. Her voice sounded thin, even to her. “Sorry I was… I was somewhere else. We’re leaving?”

Slowly, he reached out again, watching her for reaction before cautiously putting his hand on her back. His tentative touch made her feel like a broken thing, a fragile piece of glass he was desperately attempting to not crack any more than it already was.

“Come on, love.”

He didn’t say anything as he guided her out of there, touch as soft and as gentle as he could make it. She was trembling under the hand he absolutely refused to remove from her back. Basically tucking her under his arm, trying to avoid letting anyone else so much as graze her side. The idea of anyone touching her right now made him feel violent.

It had scared him when he’d startled her. She looked at him with wild, unfocused eyes, pale faced and panicky. He couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so viscerally afraid. And she hadn’t recognized him, none of the warmth he so depended on in her eyes. That somehow frightened him the most.

He didn’t start the car right away when they got in. When he reached out for her hand, he started at how cold they were. Quickly he shucked out of his jacket and laid it over her shoulders, relieved when she pulled it tighter around herself.

She was still bloody shaking.

“Did you get your deal?” Her voice was stronger now, less small than it had been. So little of the fear lingered, but it was still there.

He didn’t respond to that, just kept looking at her. Waiting.

“Sorry about the end. It won’t happen again.”

“Want to tell me what it was?”

“France.” He almost flinched at that. “Didn’t sleep well last night, got stuck in my own head.”

Sometimes he forgot. Not that she’d gone over, but that she’d seen things too – that the thing’s she’d seen had gotten to her. She was always so much more put together than any of them were. Sometimes he forgot that she would have bad days too.

“Okay.” He started the car. If she wanted to talk, she would, and he would listen.

“Did you get your deal?” She asked again, clearing her throat. The jacket had helped with the shivering, but it wasn’t totally gone.

“Looks like it.”

She nodded. “What did he want at the end there?”

His grip tightened on the steering wheel.

“Looks like you’re making a deal.” The accountant confirmed that they were at least getting somewhere, but Kimber seemed uninterested. “I have a condition.”

Tommy felt himself tense at the way Kimber’s eyes slid back to Emily, at the way he traced her throat as she took a long drag of her cigarette. The way he lingered on her legs.

“Some time with your girl, Shelby. It’s a simple request.” He got closer, leaning towards Tommy. “I’d like to try my luck, and she’s far too pretty for a man like you.”

Swallowing harshly, Tommy tried not to grit his teeth. “She’s not part of any deal, Mr. Kimber.”

The thought of his hands on her, the way he’d take what he wanted from her. Looking at her like a cheap whore, like something he owned, filled Tommy with a rage he didn’t know he was capable of. Kimber wanted her and he was willing to force her into it.

The man raised his eyebrows. “Anything I fucking want is part of the deal.”

“Pick any other fucking woman. She’s not up for grabs.” The anger was coming into his voice now, the danger he had learned to master. The Devil of Birmingham.

“Gentlemen.” The accountant cut in. “Perhaps we should stay on track here. Mr. Shelby’s proposal is sound, Mr. Kimber. It will prevent significant losses for us.”

Kimber ground his jaw, attempting to stare Tommy down, but this wasn’t a fucking coin thrown on the floor of his pub. This wasn’t a petty ego trip. This was Emily – his fucking Emily – and he would throttle this man with his bare fucking hands right here before he let him touch her.

When Tommy didn’t answer, she nodded.

“I thought so.” Her voice was soft again. Distant. “Thank you for not letting him.”

“Don’t.” The word came out without his permission, stern and unyielding. “Don’t fucking thank me for that.”

The tension he hadn’t realised was building in his body, only began to loosen when she laid her head on his shoulder. Automatically he wrapped an arm around her in turn. Burrowing into his side, she sighed, still cold to touch.

“Okay Tommy. I won’t.”

By the time they made it back to Small Heath, he was calm again.

“What have you done?”

Tugging on the front of his cap and smiling when he shouted in indignation. Arthur snorted from his place on the bench seat.

“You don’t call family meetings often, Johnny. Tell me what you did.”

For John’s part, he glared at her without heat. She was teasing him, and he was used to that, but he had to put up a good face.

“I found me a woman.”

She furrowed her brows, taking a chair at the table, and accepting a glass from the oldest. He was seeing someone? Not anyone he told her about. Through the door she saw Tommy and Polly make their way in.

“Alright John there’s only one man guarding the house.” Tommy said in lieu of greeting, rejecting the glass Arthur offered him. John got to the point rather quick after that.

Lizzie Stark.

John wanted to marry Lizzie fucking Stark.

It took all her self-control not to laugh like everyone else. God Johnny.

It wasn’t even that she was a whore, it was that she knew for a fact that she was still taking other clients – perks of being a bleeding doctor. Fuck, even Tommy had been one of her fucking clients. That thought sobered her quickly.

Right. He’d have anyone but her.

“Johnny.” She said, breaking into the teasing and laughter, waiting till his eyes met hers. His defensive anger falling away when she smiled sweetly at him. “Could I talk to her before you get married? Make sure she’s up to the job, little brother?”

He took a few moments to contemplate, looking out the window and then back to her. Purposefully it seemed ignoring his brothers. Eventually, he nodded to her.

“Thank you, love.”

She knew what the wire cutters meant. She’d heard stories on the front from the boys who ended up in her care. Polly only seemed to take the threat more seriously when all of them froze, looking at each other in shocked understanding. When John’s voice shook as he bade her to stop moving.

The boys were saying something about Erasmus Lee having been in France, about the grenade possibly being anywhere, but her mind was rushing a mile a minute.

If they wanted to kill Tommy, bombing the betting shop wasn’t smart. It was in fact the worst way to get Tommy – the man whose name was on the bullet. Hands going numb, the towel dropped from where she had been holding it against Scudboat’s face.

She was bolting before she could even think about it.

“It’s not here!” She shouted back, halfway out the door already, skirt hiked up.

The Lee’s had probably seen them leave the races. They probably knew what Tommy’s car fucking looked like. The car was a perfect way to kill him – to increase the chances that it would get the man they actually wanted dead.

Her heart was in her throat as she ran faster than she’d ever done before.

Finn was always playing with bloody cars, in the scrapyard or in their garage it didn’t matter. He liked turning the wheel and making engine noises. He’d snuck away after barging into the Garrison with his warning. She couldn’t be sure where he was but it wasn’t a low chance it was in the bloody garage and she’d be dead in hell before anything happened to that boy.

She shoved through the crowd of men chatting nearby, stunned still when she finally made it to the vehicle.

“Finn.” He smiled at her, evidently not registering the fear in her face or voice. “Finn, sweetheart, how did you get in the car?”

“I climbed over the front!” He laughed as she edged closer to the side, primed to grab him if she had to. “Look Em, I’m all grown up now.”

Normally she’d have complimented him, agreed with him, and he’d have beamed. Normally there wasn’t a fucking grenade in the car.

“Crawl back out, Finn. Right now. Exactly the way you went in.”

He thought it was a game. The way she was slowly edging closer to him. He thought she was playing with him, going to chase him like she often did. He would run and she would catch him and tickle him and he’d giggle.

As soon as he reached for the driver’s door, she leapt across the seat and grabbed him. Not fast enough. Not fast enough to stop the door from opening. She didn’t see the grenade but she heard the pin hit the ground, and she pulled him into her arms, enveloping his small body in her hold.

Between her body and the wall to shield him, she hoped that would be enough.

The last thing she heard before the bomb went off was shouts of her name.

Tommy blamed the shock for how long it took him to run after Emily. Always five or ten steps ahead, of course she figured it out, shooting out of the betting shop like a bullet from a gun. The fact that John and Arthur ran after him just as fast, no longer afraid that every step would end in an explosion, only highlighted their faith in her.

He almost stopped when he heard Finn’s giggle and Emily’s voice laced with unbridled terror. He was almost close enough, almost there. Only a few steps away when he saw Emily grab Finn, and envelope his body with her own, pressing both of them low to the wall.

Arthur and John yelled their names, horror overcoming them when they saw the pin on the ground.

The bomb went up and took and car with it, all three boys sent back by the force of the explosion.

His ears were ringing, his head ached. Blinking the dust and debris out of his eyes, Tommy was already rolling over to get up. To his left and right, John and Arthur were doing the same. So were some of the blokes who’d been unlucky enough to be hanging around.

They looked okay, his brothers looked fine. The ones he could see anyway.

“Are you okay? Finn, does anything hurt? Look at me.” Emily’s voice was wild, frightened, but hearing her sent shockwaves of overpowering relief through him.

What remained of the car sat burning, but Tommy could not have cared less in that moment. His legs, only not trembling through sheer force of will, pulled him towards the two voices coming from the corner of the garage. The smoke was thick, the heat searing, but he didn’t care – he needed to see.

There they were: Emily on her knees, holding tightly to a crying Finn. Both covered in soot. For all that he was still a little boy, Finn didn’t cry much. But right now, pressed into Emily’s neck, he was sobbing. That made sense – this must have been fucking terrifying for him. It was terrifying enough for them.

Emily turned to look when his footsteps approached, hackles raising and falling as soon as she realised it was him.

“It was in the car.” She said, even though it was obviously. Her shoulders started sagging a little, relieved herself. “I remembered Finn liked to play in it.”

He nodded, he’d pieced most of it together on the run over, the worst run he’d ever taken. Placing a hand on Finn’s shoulder, he squeezed, comforting the boy. Finn’s response was to sob harder, hiding his face deeper into Emily’s neck.

She was still breathing harshly, fingers of one hand gripping as tightly as she could to the young Shelby. Squeezing Tommy’s hand still on Finn’s shoulder with her free one, she pushed them to standing, letting the boy stay in her arms, carrying him like he weighed nothing.

They were fine. A few scrapes and bruises, but okay.

Or…

“You’re bleeding.”

There was a small spot of red growing on her back, just below her shoulder.

She blinked at him before trying to look over on her own. A small piece of what looked like metal was sticking out.

“Shrapnel.” She said wearily. “It’s fine. I’ve had worse. Pol can pull it out.”

He hated when she said that. I’ve had worse. He knew it was true, but he fucking hated it.

Kissing the top of Finn’s head, she started to make her way out of the garage, bade that he follow her – as if he’d ever done anything else. At the same time, Arthur and John came out from around the burning remains of their car.

“Fucking hell, woman.” Arthur breathed, relief and teasing in his voice. “We’re going to need a new car.”

John reached out and ruffled Finn’s hair, comforted by the sight of his brother being okay.

“Well we can afford one, eh?” The third brother joked, smiling at Emily, who smiled back, tiredly. The five thousand quid in the safe agreed with him. So did the five thousand they were expecting at the end of the week.

A couple hundred for a car was nothing if it meant the family was safe.

“Come on. Let’s get you both home.” Tommy said, his voice low, eyes falling back to the metal still protruding from under her blouse.

---

A/N2: Couldn't figure out a good place to stop so I just kept going... hope you guys liked it. I promise we are so close to coming to a head. And I'll be dealing with Grace in the next chapter... or 2?

Tagged: @weaponizedvirtue, @taorislover94 @maaxxxaam @thehanes22

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Green Eyes and Gunpowder (7/?)

Thomas Shelby x OC (Emily Hughes)

Summary - Sharp-tongued, steady-handed, and raised beside the Shelbys like blood, Dr. Emily Hughes weaves through their war for Birmingham with a surgeon’s precision—offering comfort, challenge, and quiet resistance, especially to the man who’s forgetting how to be anything but a weapon.

Word Count - 2,429

Warnings - none new

A/N - This'll be the last update until June cause I got some work stuff coming up. I might write out what happened at the ball as a fun side-scene/short one-off but not rn.

Oh also I got the figures for the guns based on the prices they would have expected to have been worth in the 1920s. I didn't just make it up. They would have been worth roughly £12k.

Thanks for the support <3 Would love to know what you think!

Chapter 6

Thomas didn’t sleep that night. He couldn’t. And he wasn’t the only one.

Between him and Arthur, he lost track of the number of cigarettes they burned through, just that they’d filled two ashtrays. John wanted to stay too but someone had to be home with the kids.

“Emily’s going to be fine.” Polly had said before heading up to bed. “You boys worry about that girl far too much. I have more faith in her than any of you.”

Tommy also had more faith in her than anyone else, but she didn’t understand that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that she was in danger and he wasn’t in it with her. She didn’t have any of them to protect her. Will was fine but he wasn’t Tommy.

“It’s as your Ms. Hughes promised.” He picked up one of the Lewis Machine Guns, turning it in his hands.

There was something in his gaze, appraising it like he was looking for something specific.

“Dr. Hughes.” John corrected automatically. He hadn’t stopped scowling since they got out here. Even through the digging, which was almost impressive.

He hummed. “Spiral springs are in good condition. Recoil enhancers have been installed.” Liden pulled the magazine out with a practiced hand, inspecting it for a few moments before reinstalling. “Wherever you got these, they’re good quality.”

“You know your guns, Mr. Liden.” Tommy commented, taking a drag of his cigarette.

“We all had our roles in France.” His eyes were distant again for a few seconds, before looking at Tommy with a hidden intensity.

Arthur squinted, then combed his hair back, sweat keeping it in place. The silence was expectant.

“100th Company of the Machine Gun Corps.” He said heavily. “You all served?”

They all nodded, something unspoken passing between them. An understanding.

“Good. We’ll hold our end of the bargain.” He dropped the gun back into the coffin with a nod. “I’m sure this will be very profitable for everyone.”

So now there was a briefcase of cash sitting in the safe in Tommy’s office. Five fucking thousand pound. Closing his eyes, Tommy leaned his head back – the other half would come in two weeks when O’Hare’s men showed up. He should be fucking thrilled. But all he could think of was it wouldn’t be okay until Emily was back.

“Five fucking thousand.” Arthur breathed, leaning back in his chair. There was awe in his voice, almost disbelief. “And that’s just half.”

Tommy didn’t say anything, just took another drink. It was so much fucking money.

“How long do these fucking parties last, eh?” Arthur griped. “When the fuck is she getting home?”

“They’re all night affairs, Arthur.” He needed another cigarette.

Arthur sighed, “Fuck. I’m getting another bottle.”

The sun had just begun to peak over the horizon when the front door opened, and Tommy actually startled. His head snapped to the front door, in the corner of his eye he saw Arthur shooting up in his chair.

Emily slid into the house, exhausted and moving heavily, but still somehow just as beautiful as when she’d left all those hours ago. In her hands were her shoes, the hem of the red dress trailing along the ground.

When she saw them seated at the table, she paused mid-step, tilting her head to the side.

“It’s a little early to be down here, eh?”

“Thought you were staying in Luton.” Tommy volleyed, both men ignoring her comment.

She hummed, taking the seat closest to her, right next to Arthur. The oldest Shelby automatically put an arm around her.

“I’m not stupid. I saw Louis early. Thought he was coming back here so I hitched a ride on the way out.” She let her head rest on Arthur’s shoulder, closing her eyes and letting out a long suffering sigh. “Got tired of those fucking toffs touching me and looking at me like a piece of meat. I just wanted to go home.”

Arthur pulled her a little tighter, taking a smidge more of her weight. Comforting her. Emily had never been one for strangers touching her – when she was a kid it was always flinches when people tried. With Arthur’s arm around her, she smiled, stretching up to kiss his cheek before laying her head back down. His older brother smiled, pleased.

“How’d it go with that Liden fellow?”

Tommy lit another cigarette, “Half’s in the safe now.”

She didn’t react immediately, just stared at him quietly for a minute.

“Is that good?” If it wasn’t for the intensity of her stare, she would have seemed half asleep – soft words, leaning heavily into Arthur’s body.

Tommy wished he was as confused by that as Arthur seemed. The oldest giving the top of her head a funny look before raising his eyebrows at Tommy.

“Why the fuck wouldn’t it be?”

Tommy sighed, neither of them answered Arthur’s question. No matter how used to it he was, it was an odd thing to be so seen by someone else. The way her eyes traced his face, stared into his eyes, like his every breath was being catalogued and understood, it made his chest feel heavy.

Eventually he nodded, and she closed her eyes again.

“Okay.” Her voice was thin, almost small. He wasn’t sure why it bothered him so much.

She knew one day the Garrison would belong to the Shelbys. It felt like an I-told-you-so-moment but she wasn’t sure exactly who she was supposed to be smug to. It just felt right to be smug about it.

God, she was too tired to be thinking straight. Only gotten about 30 minutes before Finn had come bursting into her room so she could get him ready for school.

Between the lack of sleep and the anxiety of having been fucking threatened by the IRA it’d been a hell of day and she thought she could be forgiven for not being at her best.

“You’ll both forgive me if I indulge a little.”

Tommy had only just poured the drinks and already one was gone. At least this man was happy to pour his own second. Placidly she took a sip of hers, focusing on the one who would prove to be difficult. The second man.

She didn’t think Tommy noticed yet, but he soon would. The second man would be trouble and no mistake. The lines of his face were harsher, less genial.

“It takes a lot for a man from Sparkbrook to step inside this pub.” The first continued.

“We’re open to all kinds.” She said simply. Tommy nodded to her words. “As long as they pay and don’t cause trouble… well too much trouble.”

The charismatic one – Ryan, that was his name – smiled back at her, but the other seemed less impressed.

“You said you had business.” Tommy started, and she took the offered cigarette from him, letting him light one for her then himself.

Ryan nodded, his focus was on Tommy, but the other, he was staring pretty resolutely at her. Maybe she saw that she understood what he was here, or maybe he thought her weak. Either would work.

“It’s delicate, Mr. Shelby. A question of who knows what about what. It concerns the factory down the road at the BSA.” There was a pause as he put the whiskey back down. “Now as you might know most of the paint shop there is Irish. Big old place like that rumour get started.”

“Rumours that there was a robbery.” The other one added, still looking at her.

Her mind was racing. There was always a fucking leak with these things. This is exactly why Pol wanted the guns gone as fast as possible.

“Robbery of what?” Tommy asked, his voice flat and affectless. It shouldn’t have been so attractive when he slipped into this role – the kingpin, the gangster, the Devil of Birmingham – but God it was. What would her father have said if he could see her now?

“Guns, Mr. Shelby. A serious amount of guns.” Ryan continued, still so genial, so kind.

Crossing her legs and taking a long drawn-out drag of her cigarette, Emily raised her eyebrows. “Hm. And exactly how do you think we’re involved with that?”

Ryan smiled at her, the other one’s eyes narrowed. “When it comes to speculation you can’t beat a factory night shift.” Ryan was a nice man, she thought, in another life she might have thought him a good one.

The other man jumped in there, “Some say there was word from the proofing bay – it was the Peaky Blinders who took it.”

Tommy and her made eye contact briefly. This right here was what she was afraid of the whole time. God, thank fuck those guns would be gone in a few days.

“Your night shift must be dreaming.” There wasn’t a hint of doubt in Tommy’s voice.

“Maybe they are–”

“Maybe they’re not.” Oh the other one was getting testy now. Good. It was about time the cards started getting on the table plainly.

“What we’re trying to say is, Mr. Shelby, Dr. Hughes, that if either of you were to hear about the whereabouts of said items, we’d pay good money.”

Right there. The other man’s eye tightened there, a flash of something. Approval? Power? Ryan may have simply been a messenger boy, or just a man who would be seen as disarming, but this other fellow – there was more there. He had a sense of confidence borne of something greater than being an Irish rebel.

“You have good money?” Tommy’s counter pulled her out of her thoughts, tuning her back in.

“We have the collections from the pubs.”

Knocking the ash off her cigarette, Emily raised a brow, putting as much incredulity in her voice as she could. “Interesting. And on whose behalf exactly are we offering this collection? I’m assuming you aren’t a bunch of upstart nobodies?”

“We speak for the Irish Republican Army.” Oh there he is, the unkind one’s ego was hurt.

“Do you now?”

“We fucking do.” She just kept smiling, watching him scowl deeper. “You think we’re jokers?”

She looked at Tommy, who was putting on as much of a disinterested act as he could.

“Are we laughing?” She countered.

The thing is, she knew the song he started singing word for word. Her father used to sing it when he drank sometimes. Not with the pride and anger of the man before her, but with his own melancholy.

Tommy and her looked at each other in near sync, both already exhausted of this man. Still this didn’t exactly dissuade her from thinking that he was someone. No one mouthed off to Tommy unless they were incredibly powerful or incredibly stupid and despite the evidence to the contrary, she had a feeling he wasn’t stupid.

Ryan tried to get the man – Maguire was his name apparently – on track several times, but ended up having to push him out of the snug. She followed them to the door of the snug and watched Ryan shove his still singing companion out of the Garrison.

“Alright boys. If I hear about who knows what about what I’ll let you know.” Tommy called after them and she couldn’t help but smile.

When they were finally gone, Tommy switched briefly to Romani as they turned to the bar, “Nobodies.” The old language flowing easy from his tongue., “At least this will be over soon.”

Emily shook her head, replying in his ancestral tongue. “Maybe not both of them. I’m going to look into Maguire – I have a feeling he’s more than we think.”

“Well at least he was better in tune than some of the people here.” Grace joked as they approached, already reaching to hand Tommy another bottle.

“Whiskey is good proofing water, it tells you who’s real and who isn’t.” Emily nodded to Tommy’s words – drink usually made intentions at least a little clearer.

“And what did my countrymen want?”

“Who the fuck knows.” Emily fake griped, offering the barmaid a little smile.

Tommy took a long drag, “They drink at the Black Swan in Sparkbrook. They’re only rebels because they like the songs.”

“You have sympathies with them.”

Emily actually snorted at that, “We have no sympathies of any description.”

In the corner of her eye, she could see Tommy holding in a smirk of his own. She was quoting him there and he caught it immediately. Even if it wasn’t true.

“Their accents were so thick it’s a wonder you could understand them. Next time I could translate.”

Tommy actually looked a little charmed at that, but something about it rubbed Emily the wrong way. It was the same feeling she got when Grace lied to her twice in a row about why she left Ireland. There was something else at play here but she wasn’t any closer to putting her finger on it yet.

“I don’t think a pub will adequately launder all the money you just made.” Emily smirked over at Tommy playfully, and he huffed a laugh.

“No.” He breathed, taking a sip of his drink.

“You’re soft, Tommy.” Her smile itself turned soft, leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I’m proud of you.”

He looked at her, quirking a single eyebrow, but didn’t refute her point. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” And he tipped his glass to her in thanks.

God, but she could kiss him right now. Too bad they didn’t do that.

A dead IRA man. Fuck they were really in it now, weren’t they?

She closed her eyes and slipped back into her own room. Convenient that she had gone to Tommy that night, had wanted comfort. Too bad she’d been beaten by Danny, especially considering the news he brought.

They thought the gang did it, but they didn’t. She knew they didn’t – no orders like that would dare go through without Tommy’s say so and he would tell her.

He would.

Right?

“Do you know which one it was?”

Tommy looked over at her, quirking a brow. Emily’d hemmed the dress from the ball to mid-calf height and altered the sleeves a little. It was still quite fancy, but not too much so for the races, especially if she was going to play a posh girl, and by God she looked beautiful. Even his uncle Charlie had complimented her, between his cautious warning.

“Maguire or Ryan – the ones who visited us. Did Danny say which had been killed?” How had she heard about that? He was going to tell her on the drive. His silence spurred her on. “I was coming to you last night, but Danny got there first. Heard a little, but not much; didn’t want to eavesdrop.”

“No.” He breathed. Even if she had stayed, he wouldn’t have minded – probably would have preferred it – and Danny wouldn’t have cared. “Does it matter?”

She paused, a pregnant pause. “I think it would be worse if it was Maguire. I think he’s someone.”

Tommy didn’t say anything to that. He didn’t think either of them had been anybody, but Emily was better at reading people. Used to be she would read them and he would charm them, but it was so much harder to be charming these days.

“Tell me it wasn’t you.”

His gaze snapped from the road back over to her for a moment, stunned.

“You think I wouldn’t run that by you first, eh?”

She wasn’t looking at him. In the corner of his eye, he could see her gaze out the window.

“Of course it wasn’t us.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel, but she still didn’t react.

They sat in silence for almost twenty minutes before Emily spoke again.

“Be careful with the barmaid.” 

“What?”

“Grace. She’s…” Emily shook her head. Her voice was hesitant, careful, as though she was afraid of his reaction. “She’s lied too many times, and she’s nosy. I don’t trust her. I know you boys like her, but… well I know my opinion isn’t worth much…” She cringed. “Just be careful with her.”

She startled forcefully when he pulled the car to the side of the road, slamming his foot on the break, but she still didn’t look over to him.

“Don’t we have somewhere to be?” Her voice was still cautious and he was fucking tired of it.

“What’s going on?”

“I just have a bad–”

“–feeling.” He finished, scowling. “What are you on about ‘your opinion isn’t worth much’? Who else’s opinion do I fucking listen to, eh? Who runs this fucking business with me?”

It bothered him that she flinched at that.

“I didn’t mean–” She cut herself off that time. “Sorry I’m just in my head today. It’ll pass.”

Lying.

“Want to try that again, love?” He reached out and turned her head towards him, meeting minimal resistance. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Nothing.” She rubbed her eyes and followed by shaking her head. “I just don’t want to overstep again. You like the girl, Arthur and John like her too. That’s fine, just be careful.”

‘Overstep again.’ Fucking hell. If he didn’t know her so well, he’d think she was being difficult on purpose, but sadly this was on him.

“Make any more shitty deals on behalf of my fucking family you want to tell me about? Are you trying to ruin us?”

He sighed and took her hand in his, threading their fingers together, “I’ll be careful.”

She nodded, and while she didn’t look at him, she did squeeze his hand.

--- Chapter 8 ---

A/N2: The guns are going to be GONE... mostly. I PROMISE WE'RE GOING SOMEWHERE SOON!! (Next chapter things might start coming together). I'm still trying to figure out how slow this burn should be tbh.

Tagged: @weaponizedvirtue, @taorislover94 @maaxxxaam @thehanes22

[barmaidatthegarrison]

He was forced to

Fluff

Lying on his chest and listening to the steady, confident rhythm of his heartbeat — that was true bliss. A kind of peace no price could buy. Just being there, just feeling the rise and fall of his chest with every deep breath. The warmth of his body seeped into your skin, soothing you, lulling you into stillness. The tips of your fingers traced lazy paths across his bare skin, slowly, almost idly, memorizing every line, every curve. The scent of his cologne, soaked into his shirt — familiar, grounding. Slightly bitter, with a note of tobacco and something deeply, inexplicably personal.

And of course — the grumbling. It wouldn’t be him without it.

“Woman, I’m working” he muttered with mild annoyance, eyes never leaving the papers in his hand. He was lying on the couch, all business, voice edged with irritation, but never real anger.

You’d come into his office without knocking, without greeting, without ceremony. Just walked in like it was the most natural thing in the world — like he’d been waiting for you all along. Maybe he had.

“Lie down. I want to sleep,” you’d said plainly, not as a request but as a statement of fact.

He tried to say no. Tried to cling to order, to his rules. But you knew exactly which strings to pull.

“I’ll start crying,” you said simply, almost drowsily. “And when Aunt Polly comes to ask what’s wrong, I’ll tell her you yelled at me.”

That, he couldn’t afford. Because fear — though expertly hidden — did exist in Thomas Shelby. Especially when it came to Aunt Polly. It lived in the image of her methodically peeling the skin off his back with tweezers — and not for the first time.

And so, here you were — sprawled across his chest like a sun-drenched cat, having found the perfect spot. He held you with one arm, the other still turning pages, scanning lines of text. From time to time, his fingers moved slowly over your back — gently, protectively, as if making sure you were still there. His lips brushed your forehead between paragraphs, briefly, wordlessly — yet carrying that particular warmth he only knew how to give in silence.

[barmaidatthegarrison]

3:00 a.m in Birmingham | T.S

Summary: Tommy's wife has trouble sleeping and resorts to a method he disapproves of. As usual, he tries to solve this issue in his own ways.

A/N: I stopped frequently reposting old works because I thought "oh, I'm gonna work on new stuff now," and then I didn't. Anyway, this is one of my favorites

Tommy sighed in relief as he found her car parked in front of their old house at Watery Lane. He's been looking for her for hours and although her whereabouts weren't exactly mysterious, Tommy couldn't stop his hands from trembling with the possibility of her being gone.

The house was dark as usual, even if they had enough money for it, none of the Shelby's saw the point of paying for electricity for a house they barely went to, the only electric light came from the betting shop, since the business place was closed for the day, the house only counted with the light from streets that shined through the windows.

Thomas walked from each to each room looking for his wife until he finally got to their old shared bedroom. She was sitting on the bed staring at the wall, arms resting on her knees while her hands played with a bottle of something he couldn't identify.

"I thought you didn't like this bedroom," Tommy drawled, holding himself from scolding her, she might not be physically injured, but he knew she wouldn't run away if she was alright.

"I don't, it's too small,"

"Yeah, I don't like it either," Tommy agreed and sat by her side, "so we shouldn't be here,"

She peeked at him by the side of her eye and brought her hands near her chest, trying to hide the label of the bottle, "I needed a place to relax,"

"Oh, why didn't you try a spa?"

"Because in case you haven't noticed, it's three in the morning, we must be the only people awake in Birmingham," she humorlessly chuckled, "well, perhaps with exception of the night shift workers,"

"Right, but why here in all the places?"

"...It was our home for many years, I thought the feeling of familiarity would help me relax, help me sleep,"

Tommy arched his eyebrows at his wife's answer, she had problems sleeping for some time since the business started to grow and brought some consequences, but for the last few years he could swear she's been sleeping well, she's been even able to convince him to try to rest.

"You should see a doctor," he spoke softly with a bit of humour, usually, she was the one suggesting that.

"Nah, all doctors are children of rich people who don't actually care about people," she bitterly spat, it was an honest belief of her, however, there was another reason why she refused to see a doctor.

It was because she already did, during the busy weeks Tommy was barely home, she managed to sneak a doctor into the house and the diagnosis wasn't pleasant, stress was keeping her from a well-deserved night of sleep and the recommendation was to absent herself from any stressful situation. Well, being married to Thomas Shelby was very stressful.

She thought of taking a break, perhaps going on holiday with the children, every time Tommy got home though, he seemed to need her more, business related papers, loneliness, a stress relief, she filled all the gaps Tommy turned a blind eye through the day, because he was always sure she'd effortlessly fill them for him.

He needed her, he told her that many times, mostly not verbally, but the way his tired eyes bored into hers when he got home from work, the way his hands pulled her close to him and how he seemed lost when she didn't greet him at the door left no doubts, together with whiskey, opium and cigarettes, she kept the broken pieces of him tightly tied.

Hell, she knew the best she could do for herself was to leave him, Tommy was unstoppable, he had no limitations or limits, he'd never rest and he lived something near fine with it. She was different, she didn't mind doing paperwork or looking after the broken man she called husband, but she needed assurance things wouldn't fall apart at any moment, she needed to sleep knowing her empire wasn't built on unstable land and that was something Tommy couldn't offer.

Trying to solve this impasse, she bought sleeping pills, the strongest she could find. They worked well for the first two years, eventually she became immune to the effect, increasing the dose wasn't an option anymore either, it'd probably make her overdose instead of sleep.

Now, she was sitting near the cause of her insomnia in the old bedroom they shared, refusing to confess the true reason for her sleepless nights.

"What 's that?" Tommy suddenly asked, eyeing the bottle in her hands.

"Nothing,"

"Show me," he offered his hand for her to give him the flask.

"No,"

"What is it? A secret? Show me," he tried to take it from her hand and she pushed him away, "what the fuck are you hiding?"

"It's none of your business, did you come here only to bother me?" she complained.

"Worrying about you it's bothering now, eh? Give me that fucking thing," he forcefully took the bottle from her.

She pressed her lips together as Tommy read the label, "Did the doctor give them to you?"

"No,"

"Who did?"

"I bought them,"

"With whose prescription?"

"Nobody's, Tommy! I just take them to sleep,"

"These are fucking strong, did you take all of them?"

"Yeah,"

"How long have you been taking these things?" he frowned, insisting when she didn't answer, "Hm?"

"Two years,"

"Two fucking years? Does a doctor know about it?"

"What right do you have to scold me, Tom? Do you think I can't smell opium on you?"

"It's not the fucking same, these can be dangerous,"

"Oh, and yours are not?"

"For fuck's sake," he sighed and stood up, adopting a scolding posture, "why didn't you see a doctor?"

"I don't like doctors, Tommy,"

"Neither do I, but I'd see one if you asked, I know what I'm doing, it's what I always did, you got these pills out of nowhere and hid them from me,"

"I never hid them from you, if you got to bed a bit earlier you'd have seen me taking them!"

"Argh, sorry for not keeping an eye on you, you know I have so much free time," he said ironically, "why don't you go around saying how much of a bad husband I am?!"

"Well, I wouldn't be lying, would I?" she snapped, "I went to a doctor, Tommy! Do you wanna know what he told me?! To stay away from stressful things, but guess what? You stress me out, being by your side is stressful!"

Tommy gulped, assimilating the words his wife just told him, he was not by any means surprised by them, he knew it was all true, but he never expected her to throw them on his face like this.

"...you're with me by choice, if you're not happy, leave," his tone of voice was calm, but there was a dangerous challenge in it. After so long together, she doubted Tommy would accept a divorce, it was certain that when she died, the name Shelby would in her grave.

Besides, leaving Tommy was not her true wish, except for the lack of sleep, her life was comfortable, her child went to the best school, she wore the best clothes, drove the fastest cars and drank the best wine. Also, her love for Tommy was undeniable.

"I don't want to leave you," she mumbled, watching Tommy's tense expression change to relief, "but I need to sleep, I need to be alright so I can help you to be alright,"

"I don't want you to be with me for pity," he sat back down.

"It's not pity, I wouldn't be here if it was," she hesitated for a second before confessing, "I love you,"

He weakly smiled, still looking shaken by her previous harsh statement, Tommy always thought of himself as a not good enough husband, now she just crossed all the lines and defined him as a bad one.

"Tommy," she whispered, "nothing in this world would make me leave you, you won't get rid of me so easily,"

"Nothing?"

"Nothing, not even my sleep craving body,"

Tommy nodded, humorlessly chuckling, he stood up and took the car's keys from his pocket, "Let's go then,"

"I came with my own car,"

"I'll tell the driver to bring it home tomorrow, c'mon,"

As Tommy made the way to his car, she followed after him. It took a few minutes until they got on the road.

Tommy drove slowly, at this hour there was no one in the streets but them. The darkness of the night would have consumed the scenario if it wasn't for the car's headlights.

Despite the engine's noise, she relaxed, the car smelled of cigarettes and Tommy's cologne, it was a familiar scent and she felt safe sitting beside her husband. However, the unknown road Tommy was taking strokes an alert light in her head.

"This is not the way home," she warned.

"I know, I've thought of going somewhere else first," Tommy answered, secretly with no idea of where he was driving to, he only knew it wasn't home.

"Where?"

"You'll see when you get there,"

"I can't keep secrets from you but you can keep secrets from me?"

"It's not a secret, it's a surprise,"

"Tsk, I don't believe you set up a surprise at three in the morning,"

"Better believe,"

As the world got silent, she rested her head on his shoulder, allowing her eyes to close and her arms to wrap around his.

"You know, only this time I'll let you put your feet on the seat," Tommy spoke softly.

"Oh, such a gentleman," she took her heels off, "where are we going, Tom?" she peeked the road through her heavy eyelids.

"Right now I'm trying to find a rotary on the way home,"

"Where the fuck are we going anyway?"

"Just wait and see,"

"Go on, Tommy, quit the mystery,"

"Be patient, love."

She sighed in frustration and made herself even more comfortable in the car seat. The shakes caused by the bumpy road worked almost like motherly lulling.

Tommy's plan went exactly like he expected, his wife fell into deep slumber, this time without the need of any pills.

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Green Eyes and Gunpowder (6/?)

Thomas Shelby x OC (Emily Hughes)

Summary - Sharp-tongued, steady-handed, and raised beside the Shelbys like blood, Dr. Emily Hughes weaves through their war for Birmingham with a surgeon’s precision—offering comfort, challenge, and quiet resistance, especially to the man who’s forgetting how to be anything but a weapon.

Word Count - 4,400

Warnings - Non-graphic animal death (the horse from season 1)

A/N - There's a lot going on. Many feelings.

Thanks for the support <3 Would love to know what you think!

Chapter 5

Her hands wouldn’t stop fucking shaking. Today was not a good day. None of this made sense because the day itself was quite successful – managing to get Thomas to let up on Ada and Freddie. But by God her hands wouldn’t stop fucking trembling. Doing anything today had been an exercise in futility. Then again, everything had felt that way since the War.

“She’s decided to keep the baby.”

Emily nearly jumped out of her skin, not expecting the interruption. She should be paying better attention, she knew that, and if she was anywhere other than the Shelby family kitchen, she’d have been ashamed of herself. Even here where she was safe, she was still a little embarrassed to be caught so off guard.

Working to stop the trembling of her fingers did not entirely succeed if the look on Pol’s face was anything to go by.

Emily just hummed, giving the potatoes one final rinse.

“I’ll check her over again after dinner then, make a birthing plan.”

Pol was silent for long enough that Emily’d almost forgotten she was there, or well, hoped she would leave soon. It would be nice to not feel so watched when she also felt so vulnerable.

“Daft girl.” Pol finally muttered, and Emily let herself breathe as the older woman marched out. She’d talk to Pol later about not being so harsh on Ada or maybe tomorrow. Hopefully her fucking hands wouldn’t betray her tomorrow.

“Move.” A second jump, more violent than the first, but this time one of Pol’s hands stopped her moving too much.

“We should put a bell on you.” Emily muttered and the older woman huffed.

“Give me the damn knife, stupid child.”

Blinking at Polly, it wasn’t until she was basically shoved aside that she understood. A small part of her felt ashamed, a larger one was so grateful.

“Thank you, Polly.” Her voice was small, thin. She knew she sounded like a young girl in that moment. She pressed her cold hands against the counter for a brief moment and caught her breath. The tightness in her chest eased just a touch. She hadn’t even really noticed it was there.

For a few moments she stood and let her eyes close and just breathe, just feel safe and okay and like she was in Birmingham. Like she was home.

Then she reached around Polly for the beef, but a hand caught her wrist mid-movement.

“I need to finish dinner, Pol.” She breathed, hand only barely trembling in Polly’s grasp. “You can do the cutting, but the last thing anyone wants to do is eat your cooking.”

She got a cuff about the head for that, which only made her chuckle, but she was allowed to continue.

Pol continued to cut the potatoes and Emily tried to hide her little grin – she was a softie at heart. This whole bleeding family was despite how they all denied it.

“Give me the gun.” She stood in front of him, blocking as much of the horse from view as she could.

She supposed it was a good thing that she’d stayed up with Tommy that night. That she’d been there when Curly came calling at his window.

Curly and Charlie were headed out the back now. Tommy wasn’t shaking, probably by sheer force of will.

She placed two hands on his chest and gently pushed him back. Water running down her forehead and into her eyes and soaking into his shirt. They hadn’t grabbed an umbrella before they came running and what was left of the downpour was still rolling off her.

“Give me the gun, love.”

He didn’t say anything, but he also didn’t fight back when her hand threaded into his. The gun came free when she pulled on it very lightly.

“Turn around, Tommy.” He still wasn’t moving, wasn’t speaking. He was still just staring at the white mare, at the beautiful girl who did not deserve the death it was about it have. “For me, Tommy. My Tommy. Please, turn around.”

She kissed him on the cheek, could feel him trembling now so very finely under her fingers. If she wasn’t touching him, even she wouldn’t know. It took so long for him to respond, until he finally blinked at her, lost and scared.

“Why does the horse need to be put down, Uncle Charlie?” He had been such an inquisitive child. “She’s not hurting nobody.”

“She’s too hurt, Tommy. She’s only going to be in pain, you see. This isn’t fixable.” He pulled the two of them closer to the pony, to show them the leg she couldn’t place on the ground. The way it was swollen and twisted incorrectly. “It’s a mercy.”

“Don’t feel like one.” He’d muttered, still so very distressed. For days after the pony – Current – had been put down, he was so sad. She hadn’t been used to Tommy being sad back then, it was a painful thing that she was now.

“Turn around, love.” She whispered and finally he nodded. Blue eyes wide and so young. “Let me do this.”

And he listened, turning his back to her. Her shoulders fell, and she turned to the horse. Running her hand along the mare’s head, she pressed a kiss to her nose.

“I am so very sorry, beautiful girl.” Her hands weren’t shaking right now. The moment Tommy started trembling it’s like her own stopped. The moment she decided to take the gun it all stopped. What had happened to her that this didn’t make her hands shake but cutting vegetables did?

When the deed was done, and her ears still rang with the bang, she turned away, getting Tommy back in her vision. His shoulders were high, the trembling heavier. She walked to face him, raising her hand to cup his cheek, to get his eyes to look at her.

Shell shock was not a hard thing to spot these days. He was not as bad as someone like Danny, she knew that, but that did not make his pain less real.

“It’s done. Tommy, we’re finished. Let’s go home.”

Getting him away from this place was her main priority. She threaded the fingers of both their hands together, walking backwards to pull him with her – there was no need for him to turn around, no need for him to see.

He was so very pale. And now that she was holding them, his hands were trembling just as much as the rest of him. Or maybe that was her. Or maybe that was both of them. The violence was done so her shaking could start again.

When she looked up, there was something wild and frightened in his eyes, something vulnerable and heartbroken.

Horses were special to him, reminded him of before, she knew. They had always been kept close to his heart, something that still brought him so much joy, reminded him of the boy who wanted to do nothing but work with horses all day. Innocent and sweet and naïve to the horrors of war.

As they passed Charlie, she told him it was done, to take care of the cleanup himself. To be kind to the mare in death. The fact that they hadn’t named her yet burned something in Emily’s chest.

That night she didn’t let Tommy settle alone. He was barely aware, movement slow and clumsy as he tried to undress. Her hands slid over his on the buttons, still again. She undressed him as gently as she as she could, taking care to talk to him softly as she did. Not about anything in particular, just gentle words and soft memories. He didn’t speak, but his stare was unwavering.

She was still so deeply in love with him, even a decade later, but any thoughts of passion tonight never even crossed her mind. She hadn’t allowed it to since that night- no. No bad memories tonight.

When she helped him under the sheets, he grabbed her wrist and said the first thing he had since Charlie told him the horse wasn’t saveable.

“Stay.”

“Okay, love. Let me get changed. I’m not leaving.” Not even to get her own clothes.

Beyond any ability for shame, she stripped in front of him, taking one of his nightshirts and slipping it over her own body. Settling in next to him, she pulled his head onto her chest, ear over her heart.

She trailed her fingers through his hair, touch light, trying to remind him that he wasn’t alone. That he was safe. She’d dried his hair off when they got home, but still some dampness remained. It was cold on her chest, but she didn’t mind.

She didn’t sleep until long after he had. Watching him rest settled her own breathing. Her hands shook again, but him being here made it bearable.

The next day Freddie proposed. He showed up at the house and shook Thomas’ hand. Shook Arthur’s hand. Shook John’s hand.

Hugged her, for the first time since the day she dug a bullet out of his shoulder, he hugged her.

“I stuck up for you.” She squeezed his arm. “You better not make a liar of me, Freddie.”

And he smiled, brilliantly, like every time he got away with a silly prank as a boy, like every time he got Tommy to go along with one of his ridiculous plans – which was rare, it was usually the other way around.

Ada slipped into his side and pressed close. “I know better than to disappoint you, Em.”

He kissed the side of Ada’s head and the Shelby girl beamed. More was coming, she knew, but for this one moment it was okay.

“Wedding before or after the baby do you think?” She asked rolling her eyes, “It’s not like you’ve done anything else in bloody order.”

Ada and Freddie’s wedding was nothing huge, but it was still sweet. They went to the registry office and had a small ceremony. The Shelby clan and Emily were all there, supporting bride and groom.

She was Ada’s witness on the marriage certificate and stood at her right as maid of honour. Being asked warmed her so violently inside that she thought she would combust. She was smiling the whole time, in such high spirits, so pleased to see the family getting along. Arthur was the one to walk Ada down what served as an aisle, and when the couple said ‘I do’ she smiled over at Tommy, the best man.

Today was a good fucking day.

“And that would be mine. Thank you, gents.”

The boys groaned as she took the pot in the middle of the table, offering a cheeky with to Arthur since half the money was his.

“You’re a cheat!”

“It isn’t cheating just because I’m better than you, Arthur.” She took a drag of her cigarette, grinning brightly at his faux-annoyed face. He wasn’t actually mad; she could always tell when it was real. Besides, he’d won most of the other hands tonight.

“It should be!”

Grace sidled into the snug with a cursory knock, dropping off more beers and some water on Emily’s request.

“You’re a stickler, Em, you know that?” She flipped John off as she took a sip of her water, washing away the lingering taste of the shitty ales they were drinking. “What’re you washing down for, eh? It’s barely a drink.”

That didn’t mean she didn’t notice the way Grace blushed when Tommy nodded at her in thanks, or the way she got a little too close to him when leaning over the table. Poor girl, she knew the pain of falling for Thomas Shelby.

“Yeah, and tomorrow when you wake up with Satan’s own band playing a bleeding Souza march in your head, you’ll wish you listened to me.”

Arthur leaned forward when the door closed behind her, the shrill voices of the singing masses being muted once again.

“You know she’s sweet on you, Tom.” He teased, signature older brother grin on his face.

Tommy returned only his flattest expression.

“It don’t got to be her, but you know it might be time, Tommy.” John added on.

“Time for what?” His voice was still emotionless, not giving in to the shit his brothers were slinging.

Emily purposefully did not say anything, did not read into it. The two of them did not discuss romance, ever. It was one rule that she had implemented when they were eighteen after she’d humiliated herself. So, she took the opportunity to shuffle the cards and stay out of it.

“Time you took yourself a woman.”

“Just play the bloody hand!” Tommy shot back which only made his brothers laugh.

“Nah, you stay the way you are, Tommy!” Arthur chuckled. “Remember what dad used to say: fast women and slow horses…”

“Will ruin your life.” Even Emily couldn’t help snorting at their duo act.

She opened her own mouth, to change the subject or announce the deal when the cars pulling up distracted her. Too many, too fast, not people they knew. Fuck it was happening.

“Coppers.” Arthur breathed, but she shook her head and Tommy said ‘no’.

After the second call and the gunshot, Tommy lifted himself out of his chair, buttoning his jacket. He made eye contact with her, she nodded to his silent question, sliding in behind so she would exit last and least noticeably. And making sure to carry the empty glasses.

When Tommy told everyone to go home, she made her way to Grace’s side and grabbed her by the arm.

“That means you, Grace.” The woman looked ready to protest so Emily gave her the hardest stare she could. “Go. Now.”

Girl wasn’t brave enough to argue with Emily and so took off her apron and followed the ends of the crowd out. Emily slipped behind the bar and donned the apron as fast as she could. If this was going to work, she had to be the woman that caught Kimber’s eye – not some girl that she still couldn’t trust.

“Go to the back, Harry. It might get dangerous.” She whispered to the man, pouring a set of whiskeys. “I can do this.”

Harry was smart and didn’t even attempt to argue, just slipped back where the stock was kept. Sometimes she wondered if he wasn’t the smartest fucker in the city. She finished pouring the drinks and brought them over on a tray, purposefully unresponsive. With the crowd that had been here before, and the fact that Kimber seemed to not have an eye for bloody detail, it would look like she was just the barmaid.

She could practically feel his eyes tracing up her body as she leaned over the table.

“Who’s this now?” His smile, she was sure, was meant to be enticing.

“Emily.” She said simply. A man who was used to getting what he wanted. Maybe a little bit of effort would entice him. “Anything else I can get you, gents?”

“I can think of a few things.” Kimber said heavily, still staring, though she noticed his hand was about to reach out for her. And she wasn’t the only one since she saw John’s eye twitch and Tommy’s ‘go home’ was said with more force than was necessary.

Playing at taking her apron off and heading out the back way, Emily heard Kimber’s comment about her: “Don’t think I’d have ever left this shithole if I knew you could find a woman like that.”

Well, it looked like she’d definitely gotten his attention. She could only hope this meeting went well and her skills wouldn’t be needed to patch anyone up.

“Gift for a Dr. Emily Hughes.”

“From who?” John shot back, eyes narrowing.

“A Mr. Patrick O’Hare, OBE.” The young man returned, giving the packages a pointed look.

There was a lot, John thought, even as he leaned back to shout Emily’s name. This was the stuff that posh cunt had said he’d said – the dress, the shoes, the jewellery. He felt his face scowling before he even noticed, the thought of that man turning his stomach.

“Oh.” The woman in question slid under his arm, squinting at the packages with disdain. “Patrick’s things. Give it here.”

John reached to take the packages instead, marvelling at the weight for some fucking clothes. She smiled thankfully at him.

“Mr. O’Hare would also like to say that he will be by this afternoon around half 6. And also that he is looking forward to hearing your opinion on the clothes.” And with that the young man tipped his hat and left.

“He looks forward to hearing my opinion, does he?” She mocked with a roll of her eyes. “Fucking prick. Come on, let’s take a look at whatever nonsense I’m going to be wearing.”

Breakfast had just been cleared off the table when John put the packages down, Arthur leaning over his shoulder, cigarette dangling from his lips.

“What’s all this now?”

“That London prick.” John muttered, watching Tommy’s eyebrows raise.

Emily didn’t hesitate to open the largest box, tissue paper moved aside automatically. The woman hummed, touching the fabric, and followed by closing the box immediately.

“Red. Shocking.” Incredulity dripped from her tone, and Arthur laughed. “At least it’s soft. He always did like to dress me up in red.”

John raised his eyebrows, “How often did you hang around him?”

Pausing in her movements, she took a moment to think. Her eyes unfocused as she reached into her own memories.

“A dozen times or so?” There wasn’t a lot of confidence in that number. Still it made John scowl. “He didn’t start dressing me like a fucking doll until about the fifth one.”

“Why’d you let him?”

She blinked at Arthur’s question, hand stilling for only a fraction of a second before she shrugged. “I started making some interesting connections; it wasn’t worth ending over something petty. I can put up with a lot if I need to.”

That thought came back to John again, the one from the car, the one that made his stomach twist. She’s too used to being treated like shit.

The smallest box was the next one she opened, unable to keep from laughing at how she lifted the necklace out of the box, keeping it far enough away from herself that it seemed more a threat than a piece of jewellery.

“It isn’t going to bite, Emmy.”

“That’s a lot of gems for a tight necklace.” She muttered. “It’s going to pinch me.”

Even Arthur and Tommy were nearly laughing now. God, Emily really was the most sour person when it came to these things, so very particular. He knew that she did like jewellery, but only specific things – never bracelets and never anything too tight. Maybe he knew too fucking much about her preferences – he wasn’t even sure he knew that about Ada.

“It probably costs more than a bloody car.” Arthur muttered squinting at it.

Emily tossed it to him, the oldest quick to catch it.

“I’m sure it’ll look lovely on you, Arty. Really’ll bring out your eyes.” There was a lot of laughter at that. Tommy making a comment about pretty girls that had Arthur turning all shades of embarrassed red. Picking on their big brother could be so fucking easy sometimes.

“It’s really pretty though, Em.” Ada commented, sliding into the room and taking the necklace from her brother’s offended hands. She’d spent the night here last night, Freddie having a late meeting and she had decided stayed up with Emily, chatting instead of being home alone.

“Tell you what: after the ball tonight, it’s yours.” Emily said things like that so simply. If Ada liked it she could have it, no mind the value. Sometimes he wondered why Emily worked so hard to improve their business when she could not care less about money besides having enough to survive.

Then he remembered: it was because she loved them.

The youngest present Shelby just smiled, pleased, and continued to admire the necklace that definitely looked heavy from John’s perspective.

“I suppose I should put this all upstairs.” She muttered, the mood sobering. “I’ll start getting ready later. It’ll just be you boys going with Patrick’s man for the inspection, yeah?”

Tommy nodded, taking a drag of his cigarette.

“I don’t like you going with him alone.”

And John had to agree. He’d watched in that first meeting as she’d threatened to expose him, his deepest secret, and destroy his life. And somehow they were supposed to trust that the wouldn’t pull anything when he was alone with her? When none of them were there to protect her?

“I’m not daft, Tommy. I’ve already given some evidence to my reporter friend – and I’ll be sure to let Patrick know that if anything happens to me or if he betrays you, those’ll find their way to every paper from here to bloody India.” She snorted. “Anyway, I’ll also have a gun in my bag if the threat isn’t enough.”

Tommy’s face stayed stern, he wasn’t convinced. Neither was John, though he had to admit he felt at least a little better than he had a few moments ago knowing she had thought about this.

Ada helped Emily take the boxes upstairs, Arthur waiting till they were out of earshot before turning to Tommy.

“She can’t go alone.” His voice was heavy, unwavering. Not angry, but definitely stern. He was in prime older brother form.

Tommy nodded. “Louis’ll linger nearby if she needs him. Not much else to be done.”

Louis would never be able to blend in to a place like that, but he could park the car nearby, be ready to rush in and pull her out if something went awry. Could follow the car and if it was diverted, could chase it down and protect her.

John couldn’t help the discomfort he was feeling. He didn’t like this, but Pol said it was going to be fine.

It wasn’t the dress, the shoes, or the way her hair that was done up that made Tommy’s heart stop for a moment when she came down the stairs. Yes, he appreciated her in finery, he did all he did so that she had the life she deserved, but that wasn’t what made his chest lurch.

It was the way she looked at him, eyes twinkling, and bashfulness in her smile. The warmth in her voice when she asked, “What do you think? Am I pretty enough?”

He took the cigarette from his mouth, worried it would slip from between his lips.

“Beautiful.” And he swallowed. His voice had been too heavy, it sounded too real. It was too real. “All for this posh prick, hm?”

She snorted at that, sliding into the room and taking a seat. “He does have nice taste in clothes, I’ll give him that.” Reaching out, she plucked the cigarette direct from his fingers and took a drag. “Is it bad that I’m already tired?”

To anyone else it would seem like a normal question, a silly joke. But not to him – to him the vulnerability was obvious.

“You don’t have to, love.” He said with a shrug, lighting himself another cigarette. “Could tell him to go fuck himself.”

She smiled at him, warmly, but he did have the sense she was trying to convey that he was an idiot.

“I think the 10 thousand pound would beg to differ.” She leaned her head to rest on the back of the chair. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. “It’s one evening. I’ll stay the night in Luton. It’ll be far too late; I’ll miss the last train by the time I’m free.”

He raised his eyebrows, “With him?”

Her face scrunched up in disgust, “Absolutely fucking not.” She rolled her head to get him in her vision without having to lift off the chair back, “I booked a room at an inn.”

Gears turning, he just nodded. Their conversation interrupted by a few knocks at the door.

“And that’s my cue.” She breathed, taking a stand.

Tommy watched as she rolled her shoulders back, straightening her spine, and banishing every ounce of vulnerability from her face. Emmy became Dr. Hughes in that moment; if it wasn’t so impressive, it would be scary.

“Emily, darling. Lovely as always.” Emily could basically feel John’s glare, the coldness of Tommy radiating from her back. Arthur and Pol were openly scowling from across the room.

“Thomas and Arthur Shelby, Polly Gray, this is Patrick O’Hare.” She greeted, ushering him into the sitting room with his man. “You remember John.”

“Gentlemen. And lady.” He nodded to the man at his side. “Matthew Liden. He’ll be joining you to verify the cargo and is prepared to make payment should it be as promised.”

Patrick caught Tommy’s eye and there was something dangerous in his gaze, a threat. A man who made himself seem loud and flashy, but was able to live up to his lethal reputation should it be necessary. One actor to another, they shared an understanding.

Looking at his companion, this Liden. The man was confident, held himself well. His eyes were unfocused, as though he weren’t paying a lick of attention. Like the poor blokes with shellshock who regressed inside, the ones who didn’t rage, didn’t hear German artillery in the streets, the ones who quietly went about their day-to-day until they hung themselves in the kitchen.

Tommy nodded, “I’m sure this will be a profitable enterprise for you.”

Patrick hummed. “I should hope.” For a second his gaze was hard, the mask dropping just enough that the threat was obvious. “Now. Dr. Hughes, we have quite a bit of ground to cover.”

She nodded, eyes squinting just a touch. Tommy could practically see the gears in her head turning. Quickly, she offered a kiss to each of their cheeks, except Pol who she hugged.

O’Hare tracked the movement carefully, genial mask fully in place, offering only a small, placid smile. But his eyes – they were intense. Tracking, cataloguing.

Smart girl. She wanted him to know that they cared about her, that she played a significant role here. That he would have something to contend with should she not return.

“Try and enjoy yourself, eh?” John whispered, just loud enough for the three of them to hear.

Emily just smiled at him.

--- Chapter 7 ---

Tagged: @weaponizedvirtue, @taorislover94 @maaxxxaam

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Green Eyes and Gunpowder (5/?)

Thomas Shelby x OC (Emily Hughes)

Summary - Sharp-tongued, steady-handed, and raised beside the Shelbys like blood, Dr. Emily Hughes weaves through their war for Birmingham with a surgeon’s precision—offering comfort, challenge, and quiet resistance, especially to the man who’s forgetting how to be anything but a weapon.

Word Count - 4,121

Warnings - Nothing that wasn't there before

A/N - Polly is Conniving and I support her.

Thanks for the support <3 Would love to know what you think!

Chapter 4

The anger carried Tommy into his confrontation with Ada and then his subsequent conversation at home with Polly. It even lasted until the betting shop had closed. He’d regretted what he said as soon as it came out of his mouth, but he was angry enough to ignore the guilt.

They weren’t supposed to have fucking secrets. Emily and him were supposed to share everything but she’d been keeping this secret for fucking months. A big fucking secret that he should have known about from the bloody beginning.

“Arthur, where’s Emily?”

It was Finn’s question that caught his attention. It was late, dinner long over and she still wasn’t home. The anger was still burning in his chest, but a tendril of worry had made its way in.

For his part, Arthur looked to Polly who shook her head.

“I don’t know, Finn. Ada, you hear from Emily?”

She shook her head, “Not since this morning.” She was giving Tommy quite a wide berth, but it may have only been because she was, for some reason, just as pissed at him as he was at her.

“Tommy?”

“No.” He said simply, pulling out yet another cigarette and lighting it.

“She’s probably at John’s.” Ada offered with a shrug. “You know she stays there to help with the kids sometimes. John’s useless at bedtime.”

John was useless at all times since Martha had died.

Arthur didn’t look pleased with Ada’s suggestion, Tommy didn’t feel pleased with it either, but he seemed to accept it. Maybe she’d just forgotten to let anyone know she’d not be home. Or maybe it was another fucking secret.

“She said she’d read with me tonight.” Finn showed his book to Arthur with a sad pout. Black Beauty, Emily had bought that for him just yesterday.

“It’s a story about a real horse.” The book wasn’t too long, but it had a green cover and a drawing of a horse on the front. “In the book, the horse is the one who tells his own story.”

“The horse tells the story?” He asked, disbelieving. She nodded, reaching around his body on her lap to take her teacup off the table. “Horses can’t tell stories, Emmy! That’s silly!”

He tried not to laugh at the disgust in his littlest brother’s tone, Emily hiding her own smirk in the hair at the back of Finn’s head.

“That’s true, sweetie.” She said, infinitely patient. Always so fucking patient with the Shelby boys. “I think I explained bad. Remember we were talking about fiction and non-fiction? This is fiction. The horse was real, but his owner tells the story and pretends it’s the horse doing it.”

Finn’s face scrunched up, taking the book from Emily’s hands and running his fingers over the design on the front. He loved horses, like Tommy did, like Emily did, or more like they had before. Before, when all they wanted to do was ride them and care for them. When this life would never have occurred to them.

“Okay. Can we read it now?”

“Not now, Finn. Tonight. Right now, you need to finish your breakfast and then I’ll take you to school.”

And there went that acceptance. Emily was strict about not breaking her word to Finn if she could help it. He’d been clingier since they all came back, almost afraid they would leave again, and Emily had been working hard to make sure he felt better.

He thought of that bullet with his name on it, could practically feel it digging through his pocket and into his thigh. But that was just for him, right? There’s no way the Lees would–

“I’ll read with you, Finn.” Ada offered, gesturing their little brother over but he crossed his arms and shook his head.

“No. Emily reads with me.” There was that touchiness. “We’re going to learn the horse’s story together!”

“Call John.” Tommy directed that command to Polly. “Make sure she’s there.”

She wasn’t. When Polly shook her head at him, Tommy immediately looked over at Arthur who was already poised to go searching.

It took a good couple of hours, but eventually the bartender at the Marquis told them he’d seen her. She had a few drinks earlier in the evening and then left with a man he didn’t know. Tommy ground his teeth when he said the man’d been chatting her up for a while before they left.

“Blimey, couldn’t she had said something if she went looking for a fuck.” Arthur groused, tossing his jacket back on the hook, ignorant to how the source of Tommy’s anger had partially shifted. “Could have saved us so much bloody time. I’m going to bed.”

Tommy didn’t follow and he didn’t intend to rest.

She was back decently early the next morning. John hadn’t made it in, and Ada was still asleep, but everyone else was around. Breakfast hadn’t been made yet. Tommy had lost track of his cigarettes at this point, exhausted and somehow angrier.

Polly, Arthur, and his eyes immediately shot to her when she came onto the betting shop floor. She was wearing the same clothes from yesterday, making a beeline for the stairs.

“Good morning.” That’s all she had to say?

“Where the fuck have you been, eh?”

Emily stopped in her tracks and regarded him flatly, noticing at last the way all three of them were staring at her. Tommy didn’t yell but he was aware of how harsh he sounded.

“Out.” Contrastingly, her voice was even. Controlled. Removed.

“You didn’t come home last night and that’s all you have to fucking say?”

Her eyebrows raised at him, something about the lack of warmth in her gaze made him uncomfortable. It pushed into the guilt that had made a home in his chest. He leaned into his anger enough to ignore it.

“What of it?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He was toeing the line of yelling now, but he couldn’t stop himself.

She sighed and turned away from him back towards the stairs.

“I am not your family, Tommy. You made that fact effusively clear yesterday. You are not entitled to my whereabouts just because you want them.”

The guilt reared its ugly head and suddenly even his anger wasn’t strong enough to keep it at bay, draining away to near nothing. He’d regretted it as soon as he’d said it, and even more so now. He hadn’t fucking meant that. He’d just been so angry, because he was so frightened.

Halfway through her ascent, she added over her shoulder: “I’m going to change and then I’ll telephone Patrick – I haven’t forgotten, if that’s your concern.”

It took about a minute for him to move, finally remembering that they hadn’t been alone during that argument when he saw Arthur and Pol staring at him, the former surprised and the latter disappointed. He didn’t bother to say anything to them, didn’t even bother to take the time to hear what they were going to say – it couldn’t be any worse than what he was thinking.

“Fuck me.” He growled, extinguishing the butt of his cigarette in an ashtray and quickly making his way upstairs.

“People normally knock.” Emily said, placidly. Even her sarcasm felt flat.

He shut the door behind him and let out a huff of air. She wasn’t looking at him, hadn’t even turned around when he barged in, still staring into the darkness of her closet.

“If you’re going to ask where I was again, can we skip ahead in that conversation and begin directly from the part where I ask you to leave? It remains none of your concern.”

Her tone was clipped, controlled. This was how she spoke to other people, people she didn’t trust. One night, after they’d drank a bottle of whiskey between just them, she admitted that talking posh when she was at school was her way of protecting herself. Slipping in larger words, changing the structure of her sentences, even softening her accent. She said it distanced her from the conversation, made her feel more secure. That the person she was talking to didn’t respect her and it was her own version of a shield when she knew someone was looking down on her.

She said she wished she’d had the knowledge to be able to pull it off when her mother was still in her life. That she thought it might have been helpful against someone that hurt her, that maybe it would have made little her feel a bit less worthless.

She was doing it to him right now.

Drunkenly slurring, “I mean I can control my emotions, yeah? That’s all bloody good and all, keeps me from losing it when I know I shouldn’t, but the posh bit’s good at making me feel bigger. Can’t hurt me if I’m bigger, yeah?”

“It’s odd.”

He was leaned back against the pile of hay just outside Charlie's yard. They had laid there staring at the moon together. Tomorrow she would have to head back to school for another few months.

He’d heard her talking posh when someone had phoned the house looking for her, someone she obviously didn’t want to talk to.

“Hearing you talk like that. I don’t like it.”

She giggled at that, “Good thing I don’t need to do it around you then, eh?”

The way she’d beamed at him made his chest feel full. He was going to miss her constantly till she was back home.

“I’m sorry.” He was. He really was. “Okay? I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

“No need to apologise.” She offered, still so fucking flat. He hated this fucking tone, hated having this version of Emily talking to him. “You were just speaking your mind. Though perhaps less loudly in the future should you feel yourself getting angry in the stables; you nearly spooked the horse.”

She pulled a new blouse out of the closet, a blue one, and laid it down on her bed. Moving away, she found a new focus of attention in her dresser. The floor creaking as she shifted. Emily still didn’t even glance at him once. And she was still talking like that.

“Em.” He heard the pleading in his own voice. The sadness.

She hummed in acknowledgement, her eyes finally flicking over to look at him before returning to the skirt she grabbed.

“Can you please leave me? I need to get dressed.” She placed the skirt on her bed, and finally turned vaguely in his direction, but she stillwasn’t looking at him and she was still talking like that. “I’ll let you know when I call Patrick so you can listen in, that way you can be assured I’m doing as I promised.”

She really thought he didn’t trust her. She wasn’t forgiving him. She always forgave him. Why wasn’t she forgiving him?

He took a step closer to her and saw the way she tensed, afraid, and it felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach. His step stuttered. Did she think he would hurt her? That he could ever hurt her?

Steeling himself, he got close enough to reach out and take her hands. They were cold – she was always cold, always had been since they were kids. That’s why there were two blankets on her bed and why she carried a pair of gloves with her no matter what season it was. She tried to pull away, but he held firm.

“What do you want from me?” It was the first time her voice wasn’t flat, but she sounded so exhausted that it ached just as fiercely.

“I want you to forgive me.”

She sighed. “You just told me what you thought, and you were right. I’m not a Shelby, this is your family, not mine. I don’t have one.” The bitter twist in her words felt like someone had physically stabbed him. “I had no right to be making deals on your behalf. However, I will not apologize for keeping Ada’s confidence, because even if I’m not her family, I am her friend. I do not owe you her secrets.”

“You are family. Of course you’re fucking family.” He could hear the anger building in his tone again, the sharpness, but this time it was solely directed at himself. “I didn’t mean what I said. I was an ass, love. We’re your family and you’re the heart of us.”

She was the only heart he had left.

She tried to turn from him, move her gaze away so he wouldn’t see the heartbreak in her eyes. The doubt and fear, the loneliness of being excluded from the only people she had in the world. This was what she had been trying to hide behind her tough front, beneath her education and false confidence.

Threading fingers into dark curls, he pulled her into his arms. Still tense, he held on until she relaxed, until her arms came around him too, until she let her head rest on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean it.”

“I forgive you.” And his shoulders relaxed.

The plan she had made, the deal she had struck with O’Hare, was a good one. It was more than he was ever going to get, and he told her as much. Told her not to call it off. She told him to stop fucking apologizing when she’d already forgiven him. He chuckled.

“Tired, Emmy?” Her weight leaned more heavily into him, but he wasn’t ready to let go just yet. It soothed him to have her close. If he couldn’t have her the way he wanted, he could at least have these moments.

She hummed. “Katie and Leo kept me up half the night. I love John’s kids, but God they need more structure than he gives them.”

But now he had to pull back, just enough to look at her face, brow creasing. “Pol called John last night, said you weren’t there.”

And he ignored the anger that flared at the idea of her sharing another man’s bed. The possessive fury.

It was her turn to look at him funny. “I was though. Got in close to ten. I told Pol I’d be spending the night at his; asked her to break the news to Finn that I couldn’t read with him last night and tell him I’d make it up to him today.”

Wait what? Pol told them she wasn’t at John’s.

“What about that bloke at the Marquis? Barman said he was chatting you up.”

She blinked at him, lost. He knew when she was lying… and she wasn’t lying. Why would Pol keep this from them?

“Yeah. I went for a drink, met up with Dr. Haddington by chance, and…” Taking a step back, he didn’t let her get too far, grabbing her hand again and threading their fingers together. Comfort. “I got my old job back. I’m starting at the hospital next week.”

She continued on about how she’d let him walk her to John’s since it was so late, and then he’d gone home to his wife, but Tommy was too focused on his own disappointment.

“I thought…” He trailed off. He thought she was going to help him run the business, lead the family side-by-side. They were supposed to do this together.

It was like she read his mind, knew what the unhappiness in his eyes meant.

“I’m still going to help, Tommy. With anything and everything you want. I will always be what you need me to be.” It sounded like a vow because it was a vow. She’d made this vow before, and she’d always lived up to it. “But you were right yesterday, this is your family, your family business. And I’m a doctor, I should be doing that work or what was the point of that degree you worked so hard to pay for, eh?”

What he’d said yesterday. Yesterday she had been happy to work full time for the company. Yesterday this wouldn’t have been more than a passing thought that she dismissed. Yesterday he said a stupid thing and even if she’d forgiven him, she still took in what he said, still changed because of it.

This was going to take more than an apology.

People were happy again. Monaghan Boy had lost his race, but the people of Birmingham got their money back. It was a smart strategy, especially after the raids had pissed so many off, since the Inspector had pinned his reasoning on the Peaky Blinders.

But good will was something that came easily to them from the people of the city and, for the life of her, Grace could not understood why.

Watching the Shelbys, as she tended to do when they were at the Garrison, she could tell something was just slightly off that night despite the more jovial atmosphere. Tommy seemed tense, and he was sticking very close to Emily. At one point, she watched him glare John out of his seat, the one closest to the doctor, so that he could take it himself.

“Is everything alright?” Grace asked casually, grabbing another bottle of gin for Arthur. The oldest looked surprised and then confused.

“I don’t know – you all look tense.” She offered when he didn’t say anything. She wasn’t going to name Tommy specifically, but she didn’t need to.

Arthur chuckled, “You noticed that, eh?” He took a drag of his cigarette. “Tommy put his foot in it with Emily. They fought; they made up. He always gets touchy after. Should have seen them as kids, he’d apologise to her then trail after her for days like a bleeding dog.” His teasing tone turned more serious as he watched the pair for a moment, saw Emily lean up and whisper something into Tommy’s ear that made him smile. How was she able to get him to smile so easily? “He needs her though, always has. Don’t know where we’d be without her.”

He took the bottle with a nod and headed back into the snug, door shutting loudly behind him.

Harry really hadn’t been kidding when he’d told her how important Dr. Hughes was to the family. The inspector had already tried to get through to her, tried to get her to give something up, but even Grace knew she was a tough woman. Still, if even a fraction of what she knew about her relationship with the Shelbys was true, there wasn’t a doubt that she knew where those guns were.

“He’s going to show up.” They didn’t often talk at night when one of them had found their way into the other’s bed. But tonight… sleep was elusive. Tommy’s head was still tucked under her chin and her fingers were running soothingly through his hair, but she knew he was awake.

His grip around her waist tightened briefly. “I know how to deal with Billy Kimber.”

“I know you do, Tommy. You aren’t as hard to read as you think you are. You’re going to get him to want to meet you at Cheltenham, play on his ego, and leverage the Lee’s feud. I know.” She pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I just worry.”

“There’s nothing to worry about, love. Not with you helping.” His voice was softer, quieter. The whispering made everything feel less dangerous. “Besides, you’ll come to the races with me. Get to watch out for yourself.”

“If we get tossed out again, you have to buy me dinner, you hear me, Thomas?”

She could feel his smile, lighting up at the memory of how they’d snuck into the VIP area as teens and only got half a dance before they were escorted out. It’d started raining, but Tommy insisted on finishing the dance. No restaurant would let them in soaking as they were.

“I promise.”

“Freddie’s been our friend for years.” Emily said simply.

Tommy watched as she flipped the page in her book, not looking up at him. How was her version of an easy day sitting in his office with him? The letter Polly had given him still sat between them on the desk. If Emily hadn’t been in the room when he’d gotten it, he probably would have tossed it in the fire immediately.

He hummed, pulling out a cigarette.

“The three of us used to be thick as thieves, Tommy. He took a bullet for you in France.” Her hand tightened on the book, and he said nothing. “I remember digging it out of him. I remember the story about what happened.”

His jaw worked. He remembered when Freddie made it back to the front, telling him that Emily’d been the one to patch him up. Told him she looked worn, tired, but so fucking relieved to hear that he and Freddie were doing as well as they could. Hearing about her, getting the letter that she sent with Freddie, made the last few months more bearable.

“Do you really trust him so little now?” Now she looked up, but quickly her eyes went back down.

“All this communism shit’s gone to his head.” He bit out. This was uncomfortable at best. “He’s not the man he was.”

She closed the book then, squinting at him.

“Who is?”

Leaning forward, he took a deep drag of his cigarette. At least she was looking at him properly now, no longer hiding herself away. Still afraid, but he was working to keep himself in check, hoping she wouldn’t retreat again.

He’d made her scared of pushing too far. Made her feel like she didn’t belong. And now he had to deal with the consequences. A part of him was still relieved that she was still willing to give her opinion without being prompted. That was a good sign.

“I can’t trust him anymore.” The words came out sounding like a confession more than the cold statement Tommy intended.

“Do you trust me?”

His eyes shot back up, words coming out automatically. “More than anyone.”

“Okay.” She nodded, as if that wasn’t already a given. As if there was any way she wasn’t the most loyal person he knew. “Can you trust that I trust him? He loves her. He’s still the same smarmy troublemaker he was when we were racing horses and climbing buildings… and so are you. Even if both of you show it differently now.”

She was the same too. Sitting here with her, he still felt like he had before the War: at home. He knew he was colder, more reserved, less gentle. And he wasn’t going to deny that she was quieter, sadder, and the harshest parts of her personality came out more often than they had before. But being around her made him feel like him again, like the him before, like the him he didn’t know how to be around anyone else if she wasn’t there too.

“Tommy.” Her voice was soft, soft in a way it was whenever she was trying to extinguish a quarrel within the family.

“Tommy, come on. Arthur, stop!” Her eyes had flicked between the two brothers. Grabbing the older Shelby by the wrist, she had stopped him from rushing out the door in a rage.

For his own part Tommy had been shaking, filled with fury. He couldn’t remember now what the fight had been about – they were many back in the day, but they were the things brothers had been supposed to fight about, they hadn’t been as bad as now. Hadn’t been about money or gang feuds or killing.

He didn’t want to fight with his brothers now. He hadn’t then either. But he just couldn’t stop sometimes.

“Please. For me?” Her voice had cracked, tears in her eyes.

Her mother had just disappeared with her little brother, Polly and their mother had just taken her in. This had been the first fight since she’d moved in properly. Overwhelmed at the yelling, at the anger, shaking in fear and terrified that this would be the thing to pull them apart and send yet another family the way of the first.

Arthur’s shoulders had fallen when he had realised that she had started crying. Anger tempered with concern, frustration at Tommy still obvious but less volatile. Even then, Emily hadn’t been a crier, had always been so strong, so seeing it was enough to stop him in his tracks.

Just as he had then, Tommy sighed and let go of the anger growing in his chest. Leaning back in his chair, he took a sip of his drink.

“What are you reading?”

In the corner of his eye, he saw her smirk. She knew she had won.

--- Chapter 6 ---

Tagged: @weaponizedvirtue, @taorislover94 @maaxxxaam

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Armistice of the heart | T.S

Summary: Mrs. Shelby worries Tommy’s fits might take him away from her. She vowed to stay with him in sickness and in health and intends to keep it, it doesn’t matter how hard he makes things be. 

A/N: It feels so strange to write for season 6,  I didn’t know what to do with the child death plotline, so I just stuck it up my ass, no child dies here.

WARNING: This fic contains Tommy's fits (obviously), panic attacks and the 1920s mentality

The heavy velvet curtains swayed with the breeze. Even during colder months, Tommy insisted a crack of the window should be open, he breathed better this way. The bedroom smelled of Mrs. Shelby’s moisturizer and clean sheets. The fireplace cracked, Tommy turned a page of his book and a maid in high heels walked past the door. Those were the louder sounds of that night. The world was quiet.

Mrs. Shelby’s eyes were fixed in the same spot for a while, resting her head on Tommy's thigh, her mind kept drifting back to the state she found him that morning. At first, she thought he had only slipped, then he didn't stand up. Against his will, she called a doctor, who only defined the episode as a fit. There had to be something more, Tommy barely reacted to the diagnosis. She knew he was reckless, his life was always on the line, but was he really selfish to the point of not searching for a diagnosis? If his condition was grave, would he abandon his family just for some more hours of work?

In a deep inhale, she pressed a sloppy kiss above his knee, desperate for assurance he was still there, with her, where he belonged. Tommy was slipping through her fingers and she was scared, scared he'd fall and never get up again, scared his brain would be damaged, scared there was no cure. Unconsciously, she dug her nails on his skin, she'd never find peace if he was gone. Thomas was her peace.

The man who had a long criminal record, cursed every three words and hid corpses under their wine cellar, was an angelic painting in the canvas of her brain. He looked so fragile in sleepwear and a book in hand, his long lashes blinked on the captivating eyes, they were the first thing to catch her attention years ago, blue, not like the ocean or the sky, blue like sadness itself, challenging, his full lips tasted like whiskey and remained closed, it was his eyes that said come closer, take down the walls around this heart. 

His hands, built as fighting machines and carrying a ring of loyalty to his criminal organisation, were also so gentle on her, touching her skin with the tenderness she had never experienced before, he supported her waist, bouncing her up and down in a rhythm of her choosing and kissing her chest, right where her heart was, those, neither of them knew yet, but would be marked in her forever. Only the thought of losing him one day terrified her.

Nuzzling his thigh, she brushed her face on him, a habit he was often entertained by, if he was a horse, she was the barn's cat, you couldn't take one without the other. Peeking above the book, Tommy ran a heavy hand on her hair. “Promise me you will look for a better doctor, Tom,” 

“I will,” he answered.

They didn't talk about it again.

—

She didn't know why Tommy still went to the parliament, in his endless scheming, he drained his own health. In their bedroom's suite, she hoped her kisses would keep him home a little longer, her head was off the shower’s curtain. How bad could it be to get a little late and be an attentive husband? 

“I have to go,” he said against her lips, holding her hand that was locked to his tie.

“Just a little longer? Please?” she tried to persuade him into the shower.

“Begging for a quickie, love?” Tommy teased, setting himself free and heading to the exit, “I expect the same enthusiasm when I get home.” 

The sunrise shone beautifully through the windows, lighting up the dark green walls. The early mornings were Tommy's favorite, he stopped at the top of the stairs, watching the passage of sleepy-looking maids, still tempted to return to his wife's arms.

A single minute later, she heard a heavy thump and the maids screaming. She didn't even turn the shower off, grabbing her robe and running off the bedroom. In the middle of the steps, Tommy's suitcase was open, a cascade of documents fell to the floor, inches away, his body shook with violence. “Oh my God, Tommy!!!” 

She fell to her knees beside him, unsure of what to do. His pupils had rolled to the back of his head, making his eyes completely white, his face was red and his breath trembling at the same pace of shakes. What if he was choking? Cradling his head, she held him like a baby. “Tommy! Tommy, love! Can you hear me?!” Her hands ran through every spot of his head, as if she'd find a power off button. Nothing could be done, she held him against her body tight enough to restrain his movements.

As suddenly as he started, Tommy stopped shaking. He covered his face with a hand while his other arm kept still beneath him, broken. She looked up, helping him hide from the circle of maids around them. “What are you looking at? Go back to work!” She barked.

The crowd dissipated, without realizing, she lulled her husband back and forth, “it’s okay, it’s okay now,” she whispered. It soothed both of them. She caressed his head, following the way down to his neck and back, finishing with circular moves between his shoulder blades. “I got you, eh?” 

Tommy moved slowly, hissing when his arm hurt, had had his ribs smashed before, he recognized the sort of pain. His eyes moved around the room, his house’s entrance hall, not a tunnel. Looking up, his wife stared at him, hand cupping the back of his head. He frowned, using his leg to try to get up, since the arm he was laying on was unusable, he only managed with her help, she pulled him up by under his arms exactly like she did with their children. How humiliating. 

“Go to your office,” she instructed, “I’ll get your papers and call a doctor.” Her tone was calm, Thomas was no fool though, she spoke softly to induce his mood, not because she was calm herself. The worry was still clear on her face. Holding his broken arm, Tommy headed to his office, as soon as she was alone, Mrs. Shelby snapped her fingers for a maid to pick up the papers, at that moment she didn’t care for any of the business. As a matter of fact, she wished the company and the parliament exploded, it was them that made Tommy sick.

-

“You need some rest, no driving or playing sports, other than that you're alright, Mr. Shelby,” Dr. Holford put a cast in Tommy's arm. After the incident, the house was full of whispers, the kindest maids pitied Tommy, the meanest claimed his condition was punishment for his sins.

“What about his head?” Mrs. Shelby asked.

“What about it?” 

“Doctor, as I told you, Tommy has been going through fits, like fainting but- I don't know, wouldn’t you recommend we do some deeper examinations in a hospital?” 

Tommy and the doctor switched a look. His lips pursed as he explained, “Look, Mrs. Shelby, an unhealthy lifestyle, such as drinking or working too hard might lead to fits,”

“But Tommy doesn’t drink anymore,” she argued. Tommy nodded to Holford and he left against her protests, “can you believe it?! I’m not- Fuck it, that’s it, we’re going to a hospital now,”

Tommy sighed, his eyes had dark circles since early in the morning, the fit seemed to make them worse. As he walked to his desk, she noticed he had lost weight, for the first time she saw how much older he looked compared to before Polly’s death or before he became a MP. Those people were destroying him, she couldn’t allow that. “What is it, Tommy? Do you really trust that fucker? He only looked at your arm! He ignored me!”

Tommy unlocked a drawer and revealed an examination file, she rushed to get it, lifting the X-ray against the sunlight as he had done months ago, the tumour was huge, pressing parts of the brain she couldn’t tell the function, not that it mattered, the thing simply shouldn't be there. “That’s me,” Tommy said, “it’s inoperable, non transmissible, but it’ll get me gone in six months,”

Her face was blank, Tommy’s voice got farther and farther, her silky dress got too warm for the current season, sticking to her body as if it was two sides smaller. “What?” The office suddenly felt sultry, she frowned at the sight of the windows open. It didn’t make sense. Taking a step back, she turned her back on him, the bookshelves were blurry and her face got sweaty. No, she wanted to look at him. “Tommy,” she called, the X-ray fell from her hand. Her legs were weak and her lips dried. “No,” she whispered. Six months? Tommy would be gone in six months. The paintings she had carefully helped him choose were spinning. The world got darker…

And darker…

Tommy held her head before it hit the floor, he called for help. It was the last thing she heard.

-

A weak hum was the only sound she was strong enough to make, some nice wind refreshed her face while her left hand was too warm. “She’s waking up!” a female familiar voice said, Clara? No, perhaps Sandra. Her brain found out the warmth on her hand was Tommy, he was holding her hand a bit too tightly. The wind was gone, the maid with the fan got dismissed. “Can you hear me, love?”

She turned her face to the sound of Tommy’s voice. Weakly nodding. In their bedroom, all windows were open, the heavy blanket replaced by a light sheet, everything set up for her comfort. She felt something cold on her lips. “Here, have some water,” he said. Mrs. Shelby kept her eyes closed until she felt normal again, wishing that when she opened her eyes, Tommy’s arm wouldn’t be broken, she’d tell him of the dream she had and he’d conclude it was from the nerves. She was worried about his fits but he’d be diagnosed and medicated, nothing grave, only her worrying too much.

“Francis told me the same thing happened when I had the accident with Father Hughes,” Tommy commented, “Why did you never tell me?”

“Accident,” she scoffed, a cracked skull with internal bleeding was not an accident, “what would you have done? Doctor said it’s emotional.”

He sighed, caressing her fingers, her hand looked so fragile in his, her knuckles were delicate, not battered like his own, her wedding ring was displayed with pride, she always kept it clean and lustrous. The only person to never try to limit him. She was always there, now he’d have to leave her, defeated by his own body. He didn’t want to go, if he received the same news from her, his reaction would probably be similar. The truth was, in those circumstances, he’d do anything she asked. 

Her eyes opened, she looked at his cast, the grey in his hair, in six months it’d be all gone, what an awful wife she was, Tommy was not even fifty yet and looked so much older, wasn’t she meant to take care of him? “What will you do?”

“Y/N…”

“Don’t kid me, Thomas,” she demanded.

“What do you want me to do? I’ll finish this business, then-” his jaw clenched as he looked away from her, “Then I’ll go away, I can’t drag down you with me,”

“You already have,” she coldly stated, “I’ll go with you,”

“No-”

“And don’t try to stop me, I’ll find you anywhere! If you go to the hills, I’ll find you, if you go back to France, I’ll find you and I’ll stay with you until you’re gone!” She snapped, “And I swear to you that if when I’m gone you don’t come to take me to the other side, I’ll find you in heaven or hell!” 

Tommy gulped, “So I don't have a say on it?” 

“No,” she nodded, “you can make things easier or harder for both of us.”

-

Eight months later

Marianne Allen grew up in a catholic school, unlike some of her friends, she never looked at the boys sitting at the other side of the isle, her eyes were fixed in the rosary in her hand. At seventeen, she went to a charm school, becoming remarkable for her polite and delicate manners, her tea, embroideries, dancing and piano play were the best. She knew the bible inside out. The perfect wife. The most moral amongst the women. All her dedication was wasted by the Great War, her husband died and she’d been alone since. Her hair got grey, her beautiful smile put wrinkles around her eyes, she was still virtuous, but no one looked at her in the streets anymore.

It never stopped her from looking at people, Mrs. Allen had mixed feelings about the couple who rented the house across the street. The rumors didn't go easy on them. They were gypsies, criminals, the whispers went far enough to say the man was a MP, the type to make your life worse and never show his face. They were in fact strange, she thought the gypsy part was right, they were barely ever home, if they were, their children were too, brought by a woman in a Rolls Royce she overheard was called Ada, they only stayed for a few of weeks and disappeared again.

 Although reluctant, she was determined to know the couple better to satisfy her own curiosity. A sunny Friday evening, she learned by watching through the window the children had left yesterday, she baked a Shepherds pie and crossed the street, she was short on time before they left again. Close to their door, she heard the woman laughing, the man kept talking excitedly, they sounded like newlyweds.

Breathing in to get some courage, she knocked, the laugh immediately stopped, everything got quiet, she heard the man asking something and steps coming to answer the door. The woman was wearing a yellowish dress, the cut was simple but the cloth showed how expensive it was. She carried an orchid brooch in her chest which Marianne’s eyes fell on. 

The woman sized her up and weakly smiled, “Hello,”

“H-hi,” Mrs. Allen greeted, “I'm Marianne Allen, your neighbor from across the street, hm, I never got the chance of welcoming you, you're rarely ever home,”

“Y/N Shelby,” she shook Marianne’s hand, “I’d invite you in for some tea, but my husband and I are just about to leave,”

“I imagined so, please, take this pie,” Marianne kept looking at the brooch, “An orchid? It means-”

“Love and strength,” she completed, “my husband stole it from Tiffany's,”

“Oh, hm, I see,” Mrs. Allen stepped back, the rumours were right, those people were strange, “I must go home now.”

Without bigger goodbyes, the elderly lady crossed the street. Mrs. Shelby laughed, the brooch wasn’t stolen, she only wanted to get a reaction. “Tommy!” She went back inside, “Our lunch is guaranteed.”

“Who was it?” He asked, pouring them two glasses of whiskey.

“Ah, some neighbour from across the street,” she shrugged off, took her glass and proposed a toast, “a last trip before we get that fucker Holford?”

His glass touched hers, they gulped down their drinks and sat down to eat.

They were officially back from under the ground.

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Daddy’s home

Summary: You’re married to Thomas Shelby and expecting his third child, but the kids have been driving you mad all day and the house has descended into chaos. Luckily, Thomas comes home to restore some peace and quiet

A/N: So @mollyxoxox246​ requested: If u still do requests, Hey I got a request Hope this make sense so basically U have 2 kids with Tommy and u are pregnant with u 3 and the kids been naughty all day and Tommy come home and hear the kids not listening to u and he yells at the kids. Thank you so much for requesting! I love some Tommy domestic fluff and it was fun to write this short little fic! Words: 1193

***

Finally, it was quiet. The only sounds you heard now were the dripping of the faucet and the ticking of the clock overhead. Apart from that, the house was completely still. Too quiet, some part of you warned you internally, but like hell you’d be the one to break the silence now. The truth was that your kids had been driving you mad all day. Yes, they were cute. Yes, they could be sweet. Yes, you loved them. But, by God, they were loud and demanding.

Keep reading

[barmaidatthegarrison]

The Highest Price - Alternative Ending || Tommy Shelby x Reader

Summary: Just an alternative, rare in my blog, happy ending of The Highest Price, which seemed to rip apart a few hearts when first posted

Word Count: 3181

Warnings: A few tiny mentions of death, mentions of blood, probably a bit ooc Tommy because he went soft towards the end. Horrible fluff because I suck at writing this

Author’s note: So, someone requested a happy ending and I complied even though I didn’t have high hopes for this one. Fluff is not my expertise therefore this may not be of anyone’s liking and will absolutely flop. Also I didn’t proofread so you know the drill.

Part One Here - Part Two Here

Let me know if you wanna be in my taglist

“In the bleak midwinter”

Cold. A cold so overwhelming, so intense, that you could feel it into the last fiber and nerve of your being. The wind swept snow over you, burying you to be never found and forever forgotten. Your eyelids felt too heavy to be kept open, but you feared what awaited for you in the darkness of the unknown. Tears froze in your lashes, decorating your eyes with diamonds. Each labored breath rose from your mouth in puffs of white, while the frosty bite of the snow stole the warmth from your skin. Death may have faded the pink from your cheeks, but even she refused to tarnish the cherry from your quivering lips. Even as your grasp on life loosened, beauty would not let go of her blessed child.

Love, oh love, where had you go? Only his arms could soothe the fear overtaking you. Your skin ached for his touch, his rough hands caressing yours with infinite tenderness. Blue eyes housing all the love in the world, only meant for you and you alone. Your lips needing his own, desperate for the comfort of that one last kiss.  The last kiss meant for your loved was about to be stolen by the gelid touch of Death. She had at last come for you.

Had she?

Keep reading

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Green Eyes and Gunpowder (4/?)

Thomas Shelby x OC (Emily Hughes)

Summary - Sharp-tongued, steady-handed, and raised beside the Shelbys like blood, Dr. Emily Hughes weaves through their war for Birmingham with a surgeon’s precision—offering comfort, challenge, and quiet resistance, especially to the man who’s forgetting how to be anything but a weapon.

Word Count - 3,256

Warnings - Nothing that wasn't there before

A/N - We have a small bit of conflict. Also, fun fact, the Swan is a pub I go to here in Dublin quite often.

Thanks for the support <3 Would love to know what you think!

Chapter 3

She didn’t expect to make it back to Small Heath only to spend her evening warming her hands on burning portraits of the king.

Then again, to quote her father, fuck the monarchy.

“Dr. Hughes, I’m told.” It’d been a while since Grace had first seen the green-eyed woman here in the Garrison. Nearly three weeks, though she’d been in a few times with the Shelbys since. Apparently, the inspector had run into her – called her an uncouth devil.

Well, that devil took a seat at the counter and smiled at her with nothing but kindness.

“Just Emily is fine. I’ve been a bit rude not introducing myself the last few weeks. It’s Grace, right?”

The pub had just opened for the day and this early it was only the two women in the whole place – well except for Harry doing inventory in the back.

Cleaning off another glass, Grace nodded. “No problem. It’s good to meet you.”

“Tommy says you’re from Galway. I was just there.” Grace stilled for a split second before continuing. “Where in the city did you grow up?”

“Newcastle for most of my life. I moved to Dublin to work after.”

“Near University College, Galway – I was helping at the hospital.” That was fine – this part of the story was true at least. She could answer any question about Galway. “Did you want to leave?”

That stopped her for a second, putting the glass down, she turned her full attention to the pretty woman at the bar.

“I…” She met nothing but kind eyes and a gentle smile. “My father died. I couldn’t be there anymore.”

Emily’s shoulders lowered and, in a move that shocked Grace, placed her hand over Grace’s own. Her smile turned empathetic, and Grace was almost nervous by how seen she suddenly felt.

“I’m so sorry, Grace.” Her voice was soft, warm. “I know how that feels. I’m sorry you do too.”

“You lost your father?” Emily nodded.

“I was fourteen.” Her grin only fell for a moment before it was back, “It’s not a good story. He was from Limerick. A good man.” Then she tacked something on that made Grace’s eyes widen, “A good father.”

Not the words themselves, but the fact that they were said in perfect Irish.

Emily laughed at her wide eyes. “He wanted us to know it. My mum didn’t like it, but she couldn’t stop him neither.”

“My dad wanted me to know it too.” Why was she speaking Irish? She shouldn’t be speaking Irish. The IRA used Irish. “He said it was important to know our history.”

“It’s always good to know where you came from.” Emily affirmed. “Even if it’s a little removed for some of us.”

There was a silence, a comfortable one. Emily’s eyes drifted out the door and back to Grace a few times.

“Are you waiting for someone?” She asked. Of course, she was; she wasn’t here just to chat, and she hadn’t asked for a drink.

“Tommy probably. Eventually.” She shrugged. “Or Arthur. Unlikely to be John. Whichever gets my message first.”

Vague.

“Tommy also told me you worked in Dublin.”

She nodded at that; she had been feeling a little too comfortable. Falling into her made-up backstory would make her feel more in control.

“I worked in a few pubs - the Swan was my favourite. It was a good place, and the owner was good to me.” She turned back to her pile of glasses, “There was a lot of singing back home; packed to the brim most nights.” She attempted a wistful smile, but Emily didn’t meet it.

“Grace,” her voice was quiet, “You didn’t work in Dublin.”

Panic.

“Yes I–”

“Grace.” She slammed her mouth shut. “We’ve got connections over there. There are no pubs with the names you gave – we’ve checked.”

Her gaze was intense, and Grace couldn’t have felt more wrongfooted right now if she tried. Was she about to get found out? Part of her wanted to look around wildly for her gun but knew if she tried it would definitely blow her cover.

Emily wasn’t saying anything, just staring at her, waiting for her to make the next move. It was only the two of them; if this went south, she would have a chance.

“I wandered when my father died, from Cork to Limerick to Belfast, even to Tipperary at one point. I was lost; I couldn’t be there, but I also couldn’t get work with no history.” She didn’t know where this was coming from, but she had to come up with something. “I lied to Harry to get the job – I was desperate.”

Emily’s eyes watched her for a little while, before humming and looking away out the door again.

Was that it? What was happening? Was this why Emily'd called for one of the Shelbys to meet her here?

She fisted her hands into her apron and tried to look a normal level of nervous.

“Please don’t tell, Harry.” She sounded desperate because she was, just not for that reason. “I need this job.”

The doctor eventually dragged her eyes back to Grace, smiling just a little, and the barmaid felt herself relax.

“White lies…” She started, taking out a cigarette from her bag, “We all tell them. And you do a good job here.”

Grace watched the cigarette light up with a nearly overwhelming amount of relief.

“Emily! There you are!” Grace’s gaze snapped to the sudden voice basically booming from the door. A woman, no older that she was and decently pretty, dressed professionally and with a camera on a tie around her neck.

That was… not any of the Shelbys?

“I came as soon as I could! A tip about a Crown inspector – how could I resist!” The woman basically bounced up to the bar.

Grace could almost feel her ears perking up – Crown business? She looked at Emily with her eyebrows raised.

“Hello, Emily. How are you, Emily? How’s your day so far, Emily?” The doctor teased, getting a sigh and a pout in return. “I’m very well, Rebecca, so kind of you to ask.”

“Yes, yes fine. Everyone is fine. Now, that tip?”

Emily laughed and turned back to Grace, who was sure the look she was giving Emily was rife with confusion.

“White lies, Grace. We all tell them.” So, she wasn’t meeting a Shelby here. Why lie at all? “This is Rebecca Gibbons, a reporter at The Times. Rebecca, Grace Burgess.”

“Yes, lovely to meet you.” The eagerness of this woman was nearly overwhelming, but Emily took it in stride.

“Let’s go get lunch. My treat and I’ll let you know all you want, eh?”

She picked up her bag and offered Grace a nod before heading out with a cheery “see you later” as she did.

A tip? What could she have possibly found out?

“Something’s amiss with the barmaid.”

The loud atmosphere of poker night still spilled into the kitchen, despite the door closed between them. Arthur and John were really messing with each other tonight, Tommy making his own little jabs here and there, and it was almost heartwarming to see them like this again. Almost like it was before the War.

Polly had wanted a cup of tea; she hadn’t expected Emily to follow her.

“What makes you say that?”

Emily leaned on the counter next to the kettle. “I talked to her today, about the lies, about not actually having worked in Dublin. She’s a good liar, but I’m a better one. Made up some story about wandering when her father died.”

Taking a drag of her cigarette, she wasn’t looking at Polly, just staring at the wall.

“Might be nothing, the boys like her, but… I have a bad feeling.”

“I’d take your bad feelings over a man’s good one any day. They go for whoever their dicks point at without a second thought.”

Emily nodded at that. Her face was inscrutable.

“She’s got a tell when she’s lying.” A deep pull and slow exhale. “She gives too many details. When she’s telling the truth, she’s vague. Her father's dead but she isn’t a wanderer.”

Polly poured them both cups of tea, orange pekoe for her and that horrendous peppermint stuff that Emily liked. She caught the younger woman smiling when Polly must have made a face.

“Thanks, Pol.”

The two women stood for a few minutes, shoulder-to-shoulder and silent, before Polly spoke up.

“You got him to offload the guns.”

Emily nodded, “Yeah. We should have gotten at least twelve thousand for them, but there’s too much heat from the coppers for that to work safely, especially if we need this done quick. I got ten.”

She sounded… almost ashamed. It reminded Polly of a confession more than anything else.

“I worry what this family would look like if anything ever happened to you.”

That was evidently not what Emily had been expecting and her eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline.

“Tommy doesn’t listen to anyone, Arthur’s angrier than I’ve ever seen, John is running away from his kids, and Ada is rebelling for God knows what reason. Those boys came back from France more fractured than they’ve ever been.” She took a sip of her tea, but Emily was still staring, confused and uncertain. “But you’ve been making them better, fixing whatever hell that war did to their souls. Sometimes they’re more like who they were before. I thank God for you every day, Emily. But I shouldn’t be surprised – you’ve been a good influence on them since they were lads. That’s part of the reason Martha liked you so much.”

Emily looked away. Polly knew she was going to say something, trying to find the words, she could feel it in her heart.

“I don’t know about that.” Her voice was a whisper. Polly nearly had to strain to hear. “I just want everyone safe. And because of that I feel like I’m more of a nuisance than anything. That I’m…” Her eyes closed and she swallowed thickly. “I’m pushing too much, wearing out my goodwill. I don’t want to interfere as much as I do, I know I’m not family – I know I shouldn’t. But I can’t seem to stop pushing us down what I see as the most survivable path. Taking reins I have no business touching. I’m lucky you all have been good about it. Lucky Tommy listens sometimes.”

Sometimes the way Emily spoke made Pol’s heart ache. Never thinking she belonged anywhere, an outsider even among them, the people she saw as her family – afraid they didn’t see her the same. Afraid one day she’d be thrown away again, left behind again with not so much as a goodbye. Trying so hard to make herself useful so they’d stay. Never believing that they’d never leave her, that she was as much a child to Polly as her own were, as the Shelbys were.

The War did a number on her too and a part of Pol burned with shame at forgetting that.

Her hands were shaking. Polly had seen it happen dozens of times when she was a girl. Her mother would scream horrible things at her, and she would stand there placidly, the only sign of distress the trembling of childish fingers.

Pol turned to her, reaching her hand out to touch the pendant on the chain around the younger woman’s neck.

“I gave you this,” her fingers tapped on the face of the Black Madonna, “because you are family.” She tilted her head back towards the kitchen door. “Those boys are playing poker in the other room because you are family. Because you make this family better. Don’t you disrespect us by claiming otherwise.”

Emily’s eyes were wide as she stared at Polly, but the older woman did not flinch or back away.

“I…” She wrapped her hands more tightly around her cup of peppermint, finally looking away. Nodding she took a sip. “Promise me you’ll warn me if that ever changes, eh?”

Pol rolled her eyes and turned back to the door. No need to dignify that with a response.

Seven weeks late. Emily closed her eyes and breathed. Fucking hell, Ada.

“The iron tablets I got you didn’t help did they.” It didn’t sound like a question, but Ada still shook her head and looked away.

Emily looked to Pol who was watching her expectantly. Putting her cup down, Emily stood and took Ada by the hand.

“Come on, Addy,” her voice was very gentle. “Let’s take a look.”

Twenty minutes and two examinations later (she had to be certain), the three women had reconvened to the sitting room. Ada was defending herself to Pol, saying that she loved him, saying that she wanted to keep the baby. Distantly, Emily was considering punching Freddie in the face. Why God had she agreed to keep their secret?

Pol was… understandably a little disappointed, which always sent an instinctive pang through the doctor even when it wasn’t directed at her.

Safe. That’s what she’d just told Polly she wanted: everybody to be safe. Childbearing wasn’t safe, especially at such a young age. Or alone. Did Freddie want to be a father? Was he even coming back? She knew he had disappeared after the raids; Ada had lamented to her about it. She’d patted Ada’s back and told her it was going to be okay, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t okay because Ada was with his fucking child–

“Em, please, you have to be on my side!”

Oh, she had tuned out for too long. Both gazes were on her now.

She closed her eyes and sighed. Ada’s eyes widened when she stood up, tracking her with no small amount of hope as she made her way to stand in front of the woman that she considered a little sister.

Crouching in front of the young – far too young for this – girl, she took both her hands. She was silent for a few moments, holding her gaze heavily, letting herself see the love and fear and desperation Ada was trying so hard to deal with in that moment.

“I’m your doctor.” She said finally. “No matter what you choose – to keep it or to get rid of it, I’m the one taking care of you, understand me? I’m the one who will end the pregnancy or deliver it.”

There was intensity in her voice, her eyes boring into Ada, making sure she understood that this was something she was not going to take ‘no’ as an answer for. Nonetheless, Ada nodded, a few tears welling up in her eyes that the only Shelby daughter blinked away just as quickly.

“Good.”

Of course she was the one relegated to telling Tommy. Of fucking course. Ada refused to do it herself and Polly said he would take it best from her. What she wanted wasn’t a fucking concern apparently.

It was at the stables where she found him. She didn’t want to do it at the house, too many wandering eyes and ears. He was petting the new horse, the lovely white one from the Lees that they hadn’t named yet, mumbling gently to it. At peace, that’s how he looked. From the door, if she squinted, it could be 1913 again.

“Tommy.”

He turned back to look at her with a smile, which fell when he saw the grave expression on her face.

“What is it? What’s happened?” He took a few steps away from the horse, and she came further in. Looking around, no one else was about. It was so much quieter than the heart of Birmingham ever had any right to be.

“Ada’s pregnant.”

She watched the last glimmers of joy fade from his eyes, replaced by horror and anger. Eyes flickering to her and the door, he was torn between asking her more information and going to find Ada himself.

“Do you know who?” She nodded. “Tell me.”

“Freddie.” And now was the time to admit her role, she knew, and so she did. “They’ve been sneaking off to seeing each other for months.”

His anger was a wild thing. If it had to go somewhere, she preferred it was to her rather than to Ada. The girl didn’t need that right now – not with the fear and hurt she was feeling already.

“How fucking long have you known, eh?”

“A couple of months, ever since I came back from Galway.” Betrayal, that was the look on his face. Hurt and betrayal. “She asked me not to tell anyone, Tommy. I–”

“She’s my fucking sister!” He was yelling now. Yelling was nothing new to her, she just moved her hands behind her back to hide the trembling – she knew it would start soon. “My sister! My family! Not fucking yours! And you didn’t tell me that she was fucking Freddie Thorne?”

Digging her fingernails into her arms was always effective at curbing her body’s responses. Yes, she could handle yelling, had been screamed at more times than she could count, but it was never from Tommy. And it ached almost as much as the words themselves.

Ada wasn’t her sister, this wasn’t her family, he was right, but it hurt to hear herself so painfully excluded from the family so soon after voicing her own doubts to Polly. But it was true – no matter what Polly told her, no matter what people like Inspector Campbell implied – she was an outsider that they welcomed into their home. That didn’t make her family.

“They’re in love, Tommy.” She couldn’t help but try and stick up for Ada here. It would make him angrier, but she had to do it. Ada was her friend, and she loved her. “They want to get married.”

“I don’t want to hear it. You should have fucking told me. What else are you fucking keeping from me, eh?” He looked like he wanted to hit something. “Make any more shitty deals on behalf of my fucking family you want to tell me about? Are you trying to ruin us? After everything we’ve fucking done for you?”

Her mouth dropped open, ice water filling her veins. He thought she… that she would ever… that she could ever betray the people she loved more than anything. The people who had saved her more than she could ever repay. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think the ache in her heart was it saying it was about to literally break in half. Swallowing heavily, she took a step backwards away from him and his anger.

“I’ll call Patrick tomorrow morning and pull out of our – sorry, your – end of the bargain. You’re right: I shouldn’t make deals on behalf of your family. You have my word that it won’t happen again.” She said, trying desperately to keep the quiver from her own voice with decent success. But she did keep her gaze on the ground, not able to look into cold eyes she was used to being filled with warmth.

“I’m sorry I keep disappointing you. Ada’s gone to the pictures if you want to talk to her.”

With that she turned and walked away, the blood rushing in her ears and the sound of her own heartbeat was all she could hear. From the warmth, she was sure her face was flushed all levels of red. Still, she didn’t run, but it was a near thing. She needed to be anywhere else. Desperately.

--- Chapter 5 ---

Tagged: @weaponizedvirtue

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Even at home everyone is against him

Fluff

“Mum, when you get old, I’ll take you around the world!” declared little Charlie with all the drama of someone offering you early retirement on a private yacht.

He clung to you like a baby monkey—arms, legs, face smushed into your chest—while his little fingers gripped your cardigan like it was a life vest. That bright smile of his beamed up at you with the kind of sincerity only children and con artists possess.

He’d inherited your sarcasm, no doubt. A walking, talking mirror of your attitude wrapped in tiny limbs and innocence. And for Tommy, that meant double the trouble—a wife and son allied in a silent, ruthless war.

“What about me?” Tommy asked flatly, stubbing his cigarette into the ashtray with the slow, deliberate menace of a man who knew he was about to be disrespected.

Charlie paused. The kind of pause that meant danger.

Then, with deadpan delivery worthy of Arthur at a funeral, he replied:

“Send you to a home for stray dads.”

You burst out laughing so hard, you almost dropped your son. Charlie looked smug, legs swinging off your lap like a king on his throne. Tommy, meanwhile, looked like someone had just cancelled Christmas.

“Perfect,” Tommy muttered, not even bothering to look at you. “I always dreamed of ending up in a place with bad soup and bingo nights.”

“Well,” you said through your laughter, wiping your eyes, “at least he’s got a clear plan for your future. Strategic.”

Tommy glared, but before he could deliver one of his classic, brooding threats, Charlie threw his arms around his neck and whispered:

“But if you behave, I’ll take you to China. They’ve got good tea there.”

“Thanks, sir,” Tommy muttered with a straight face, though the corner of his mouth betrayed a smile.

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Baby Fever

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Pairing | Tommy Shelby x wife!reader

Summary | Free use wife.

Warnings | Smut, breeding kink, free use lol, in public, exhibitionism, pregnancy (very few details cause… c’mon lol… I’m the one who wrote it💀), light humiliation.

Words | 1.5 k

Notes | Yeah this gif still makes me feral

Ao3 link | <3

Masterlist

Kinktober | day 2: free use + breeding kink

Tommy didn’t expect much from you as a wife. There were already staff who cooked and cleaned and you didn’t have any children yet. The one thing he did expect from you though, was being ready and willing to take his cock at any time of the day. 

Sometimes he’d be more gentle about it, coaxing you away from whatever task or conversation you were involved in to somewhere more private where he’d ravish you until you could only think about him and his cock. Other times, he’d be more desperate. 

If you happened to bring him lunch on a particularly stressful work day, he’d drag you in his office and bend you over the desk, fucking away all of his stress, if at least for a few minutes. 

Sometimes at the race track he’d pull you away to a more secluded— but still very public— area and cover your mouth as he plowed into you, rough and desperate, borderline animalistic. If the sound of your muffled moans didn’t give you away, the loud slapping of skin definitely did, but he didn’t care. If he wanted you, nothing was stopping him from taking you. 

A few times you even woke up to him lazily rutting into you, fucking you deep, but keeping the pace slow. He’d moan quietly, kissing and biting your neck, even sucking on the sensitive skin to leave marks. 

If he was ever short on time, he’d force you to your knees and fuck your face, making you gag and choke on his cock until tears streamed down your cheeks. Sometimes he’d blow his load down your throat. But if you weren’t in public or in too much of a hurry for anything, he’d paint your pretty face with his come, marking you as his. 

He knew you were embarrassed everytime you came back after he dragged you away. Every single time, without fail, you always looked like you were just fucked stupid. But that only encouraged him. He liked showing people that you belonged to him— that his wife was more than happy to satisfy him, even in public. 

It was also common for him to pull over and make you ride his cock in the car, smiling at all the people who drove past. If he couldn’t pull over, he’d grab your hair and force you down on his cock. Even if he arrived at the destination, he wouldn’t stop until you drained his balls and swallowed every last drop. It didn’t matter if it was the middle of the day or if it was pitch black out— it didn’t even matter if the window was open or not. He’d fuck your face and throw his head back as the pleasure consumed him until he finally fell over the edge. Sometimes, his sounds would attract attention, and he loved the look on people’s faces when you lifted yourself up, smiling and wiping the lower half of your face with the back of your hand. 

This didn’t happen often, but if he were ever in the middle of fucking you, too consumed by the feeling of your tight cunt squeezing his cock, and someone knocked on the door, he’d tell them to come in. It was usually someone you didn’t even know— one time it was Arthur… that was a particularly humiliating experience for you— but he wouldn’t stop. He’d keep you bent over his desk or on his lap and continue fucking you as you tried to not make any sounds. He always thought it was amusing when you tried to be quiet. 

One time, he walked in on you holding Ada’s baby, smiling and cooing at him, making him giggle relentlessly. As soon as Tommy got you alone, his cock was inside you and he rambled on about fucking a baby into you, breeding you nice and deep until he knocked you up. His words were almost incoherent with arousal as he described this fantasy of your belly full with his kid, your tits swollen with milk, and the glow that you’d have from all of it. He rambled on about raising them together, how good you’d look as the mother of his kids, how he wanted to fuck baby after baby into you… breed you until he fucking ran out of come. 

That sparked a conversation between the two of you. While the original plan was to wait a few years, you both agreed to shorten that time frame. So less than two years later, you were off of birth control and he was breeding you every chance he had. Honestly you were getting a little worn out, but you never complained. No matter how tiring it could be, you still absolutely loved it. 

It became even more of a frequent occurrence for you to be walking around with either come soaked panties or come running down your thighs. He also took a liking to cock warming. In bed, on his desk chair, in the car— anywhere he could— he’d fuck you and fill you with his come, then keep you plugged up, wanting to make sure it really had a chance to take. 

At home, he’d put you in the mating press position, then stuff you full of his come. Only instead of letting you relax, he'd keep your hips tilted up so none of it could leak out and make you come again with his mouth as a reward for staying in that position. 

The first time he fucked you after finding out you were pregnant… he was practically feral. The fact that there was a baby inside you— that it was his baby, made him all but lose control. He ravaged you with an intensity he’s only had a few times, rambling on about how he planned to fuck you like this for a while since he would eventually have to be gentler— if he could even fuck you at all. The problem was that his promise didn’t just apply to when he fucked you in the privacy of your own home, but it was just a problem for you. Tommy loved that you couldn’t keep quiet. 

Months down the line, rough, hard fucking turned into gentle love making. He’d kiss you tenderly as his hips rocked into you, keeping the pace almost tortuously slow. He tended to kiss over your stomach whenever he could and caress it with gentle hands. Both of you were surprised and disappointed by the fact that your breasts were far too tender for any touch to feel good. So he kept his hands and mouth elsewhere. 

The love making usually took place in bed. But every once in a while, he’d come up behind you and wrap his arms around your small frame, placing his hands on your belly as he kissed your neck until he finally got too impatient and lifted your dress to slip his cock inside. 

Around eight months, and even for weeks after the birth, he showed no sign of needing you like that. He never made you feel pressured either, even when he’d hold you at night. You were grateful though because your body definitely wasn’t ready for that yet. 

It was a little after two months postpartum that you were becoming a bit too needy though. One day, after watching him play with and hold the baby, you finally snapped. The second you were alone you practically jumped his bones, kissing him almost animalistically and pulling on his hair until he moaned into your mouth and finally grabbed your hips. 

“Love,” He started, but cut off when you unzipped your dress and let it fall to the floor, pooling around your feet.

“If you don’t fuck me right now I’m going to lose my mind.” You warned breathily, working on ripping his clothes off. 

“Slow down, darling. You have to be careful.” He said gently, making you more frustrated.

“Thomas Shelby, I swear to god if you don’t fuck me, I’ll go find someone who will.” You growled, giving him one last warning. He raised his brows, shocked and amused by your words. “I carried your child for nine months. The least you could do is make me come on your cock until I forget my own name.” 

“You’re that needy, eh?” He smirked, making you scowl. “Calm down, Mrs. Shelby, I’ll give it to you…” you still get butterflies when he calls you that, “but you know I can’t resist teasing you.” 

“You’ve teased me for months. Either fuck the shit out of me or I’ll get it from someone else.” You said, voice low and almost threatening, but you knew it only made Tommy more amused. 

“How have I teased you for months?” He asked innocently. 

“Christ, Tommy— just fuck me already. You have to do what I say because I just birthed a whole baby for you.” 

“I guess you're right.” He said with a sly smirk. “Until you forget your own name?” You nodded eagerly and he walked you backwards until your legs hit the bed. Once you were laying down, he crawled over you and kissed you deeply, making you moan against his lips and bring your hands up to his hair. “As you wish, darling.” 

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Through Smoke and Shadows

Thomas Shelby x Reader

Summary: Thomas Shelby’s nights are haunted by ghosts of the war, his past clawing at his throat like smoke from a battlefield. You are the only one who can soothe him.

The first time you hear him scream, it’s a sound that shatters the night.

Your eyes snap open in the darkness of the bedroom, heart hammering as you turn toward him. 

Thomas is tangled in the sheets, sweat beading at his brow despite the chill in the air. His face is twisted, teeth bared in a silent war with the demons that have followed him home from France.

“Tommy,” you whisper, touching his arm. He flinches violently, eyes snapping open, wide and unfocused. 

For a moment, he’s not here. He’s in the trenches. He’s surrounded by mud and blood, the stench of death thick in the air. 

And then, his gaze lands on you.

His breath becomes irregular like he’s just surfaced from drowning. 

You reach out again, softer this time, letting your fingers brush his cheek.

“It’s me,” you murmur. “You’re home.”

Thomas exhales sharply, his body collapsing into itself. He runs a trembling hand down his face, rubbing at his eyes as though trying to scrub away the images that linger. 

You don’t ask what he saw. He never tells you anyway. 

Instead, you pull him into your arms, feeling his heartbeat racing beneath his ribs. His body is tense, always bracing for another attack, another fight.

He doesn’t cry. He never cries. But in the quiet of the night, wrapped in your arms, you feel the weight of his silence like a stone pressed against your chest.

The nightmares never stop.

They come like clockwork, leaving him breathless and shaking. 

And when the morning sun rises, Thomas drowns it all in whiskey.

“You’re drinking earlier now,” you remark one morning, watching him pour a glass before he’s even touched his breakfast.

He doesn’t look at you. “It helps.”

“With what?”

His jaw tenses, his fingers tightening around the glass. “With everything.”

You cross the room, placing a gentle hand over his. “You don’t have to do this alone, Tommy.”

He pulls away as if your touch burns him. “I already do.”

The words sting, but you refuse to let them cut too deep. 

You know him. You know his sharp edges and the way he keeps everyone at arm’s length, even those he loves. 

Especially those he loves.

“You think I don’t see it?” you ask, voice steady. “The way you wake up gasping for air, the way you bury yourself in work so you don’t have to think? The way you drink yourself numb so you don’t feel anything at all?”

Thomas exhales slowly, staring down into the amber liquid in his glass. “And what would you have me do, eh?” he says, voice quiet, almost broken. “Tell you every bloody thing I saw? Every man I buried? Every scream I still hear when I close my eyes?”

“No,” you whisper. “I just want you to let me in.”

His shoulders slump, the weight of his ghosts pressing down on him. For a long moment, he says nothing. Then, in a movement so small you almost miss it, he reaches out. His fingers brush against yours, hesitant, uncertain. 

A silent offering. 

A plea for something he doesn’t know how to ask for.

You take his hand.

It doesn’t happen overnight.

Thomas is not a man who heals easily. He still drinks too much, still buries himself in business and cigarettes, and still wakes up in the dead of night with shadows clawing at his throat. 

But slowly, something shifts.

One night, when the nightmares come, he doesn’t pull away. He lets you hold him, lets your fingers thread through his hair, grounding him.

One morning, he reaches for coffee instead of whiskey.

One evening, as the fire crackles in the home, he takes your hand in his and holds it without saying a word.

And one day, when the ghosts come whispering, he turns to you instead of the bottle.

It’s not a perfect love. 

It’s messy, tangled with pain and fear and too many unspoken words. But it’s real. 

And for the first time in a long time, Thomas Shelby lets himself believe that maybe, just maybe, the war inside him doesn’t have to be fought alone.

~Masterlist~

ˇAO3ˇ

Wattpad

/DO NOT TRANSLATE, STEAL OR REPOST ANY OF MY WORKS TO THIS OR OTHER PLATFORMS/

[barmaidatthegarrison]

﹙Ꮺ࣭۪﹚ | FOOKIN' BABY — thomas shelby

you knew something was wrong when tommy shelby refused a cigarette.

he just sat there at the kitchen table, sleeves rolled up, forearms tense, jaw ticking like a bomb mid-countdown. sunlight slanted through the curtains all soft and gold and holy, but your husband looked like war. looked like 1914 come back to haunt the breakfast dishes. looked like he was seconds from setting something on fire just to feel warmth.

you set the kettle down. hard.

“what?” you say, sharp like the edge of his razors, voice still sticky with sleep. “what is it now, thomas?”

he doesn’t answer. just stares straight ahead at absolutely fucking nothing, like the ghost of a thought has him by the throat. which, fine. you’re married to a man whose favorite pastime is brooding, right next to murder and tax evasion.

but then he says it. and it’s so goddamn unexpected, you forget how to breathe for a second.

“i want a baby.”

you blink.

“you—what.”

his blue eyes meet yours. stormclouds. cigarette smoke. something ancient and aching. “a child. ours. i want one.”

you laugh. because it’s easier than screaming.

“jesus christ, tommy. is this another one of your near-death existential spirals? do we need to call polly again?”

he doesn’t flinch. doesn’t blink. just says, deadly serious, “you’d be a good mother.”

and it hits you in the chest like a fucking freight train.

because here’s the thing about tommy shelby: when he loves, it’s not flowers and poetry. it’s knives. it’s promises soaked in blood. it’s protection so feral you almost choke on it. and when he looks at you like that—like the world is a house on fire and you’re the only thing worth saving—you believe him. against your better judgment. against every ounce of self-preservation.

you sit down. slow. because your knees aren’t working properly anymore.

“you’ve got three siblings with kids. and a fucking horse. why do you need this?” you ask, weak.

“because none of those are you. and none of them are mine.”

and there it is. raw and selfish and soaked in possession. tommy shelby in one fucking sentence.

you run a hand through your hair. “this is so unhinged. you can’t just—just decide you want a kid out of nowhere.”

he arches an eyebrow, infuriatingly calm. “i’ve wanted one since the wedding.”

you gape. “then why didn’t you say anything?”

“because the war never ended, love. just changed shape.”

you’re gonna cry. and you hate crying. especially in front of him, because he gets all tender and tragic and you end up in bed for three days trying to fuck the pain out of each other like that ever works.

you reach across the table. lace your fingers through his. and he lets you. because when you touch him like this, it’s the only time he doesn’t flinch.

“it’s not that i don’t want one,” you whisper. “it’s just … what if you get killed, tommy? what if i’m left raising a baby on my own, telling stories about a ghost who smelled like gunpowder and good whiskey?”

he squeezes your hand.

“then name him after me.”

you laugh through a choked sob. “you arrogant bastard.”

“takes one to love one.”

and then he’s pulling you into his lap like he’s starved for you. like he needs to feel your heartbeat just to keep his own steady. he kisses you like it’s a vow, like he’s swearing something to your bones. and you kiss him back because of course you do. because you love him in spite of everything. because of everything.

his mouth trails down your neck. “let me show you,” he murmurs against your skin. “how much i want this. how much i want you.”

you bite your lip, trying to stay rational, but the way he touches you should be illegal in at least seventeen countries. and when he says, “wanna see you round, carrying my baby. mine. all mine.” you’re done. you’re just done.

somewhere between the second orgasm and the wreckage of your dignity, you realize he’s serious. he holds you like he’s memorizing the shape of your future. palms flat against your belly like he’s trying to will life into it. and for the first time, you’re not scared. not really.

because if there’s anyone who can stare down the apocalypse and still plan for tomorrow—it’s thomas shelby.

and maybe, just maybe … you’ll give him one.

but not before you punch him in the arm and mutter, “next time, lead with flowers. not fucking baby fever.”

he smirks. “thought you liked me feral.”

“unfortunately, i do.”

and he kisses you again, this time soft. like the war has ended, if only for now.

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Green Eyes and Gunpowder (3/?)

Thomas Shelby x OC (Emily Hughes)

Summary - Sharp-tongued, steady-handed, and raised beside the Shelbys like blood, Dr. Emily Hughes weaves through their war for Birmingham with a surgeon’s precision—offering comfort, challenge, and quiet resistance, especially to the man who’s forgetting how to be anything but a weapon.

Word Count - 2,861

Warnings - Allusions to period-typical homophobia, nothing else that wasn't there before

AN - This is all Emily & John familial love. Peaky is a show about family with so little overt family love so you know what? I made my own. I promise this is all going somewhere.

Thanks for the support <3 Would love to know what you think!

Chapter 2

“Emily, it’s been too long.”

She stood when he came to their table, allowing him to take her hand and press a kiss to the back of it. John’s face was as close to an eyeroll as he would get, but she could always rely on him to play his parts in her games quite well.

“Patrick, this is John Shelby. John, Patrick O’Hare.” She introduced, allowing the men to shake hands. Patrick gave a paltry greeting, but his attention quickly turned back to her.

“I heard you were in France. There aren’t many woman doctors in the world – it is quite a thing to hear of one in the medical tents.”

She retook her seat, gesturing for the waiter with her hand. Back straight, head high, and wearing that one posh dress that Sybil had gifted her for her birthday so many years ago, she couldn’t have seemed more at home. The deep blue colour was quite striking on her, and the quality fit in well in this restaurant, even if she didn’t want to be here.

And even more so, she didn’t want to talk about the War.

“Are you keeping tabs on me, Patrick? Should I be flattered?”

The airs she had to put on in these places made her deeply uncomfortable. She wasn’t meant for this role, this life, but decades of changing who she was to match a scenario made her quite good at fitting in.

Flicking a glance at John, he looked as uncomfortable in this high class place as she felt. At least his sour expression wasn’t specific – for all Patrick knew that was just his face.

“I always keep track of my friends.”

Patrick ordered a bottle of wine from the table – something expensive that she knew already she was going to hate. John opened his mouth, probably to get something stronger, but she stepped on his foot under the table to stop him. It worked, though she got a long-suffering glare in response.

“Hm, friends. An interesting word choice.” She looked around the room, between the patrons and staff, letting her words hang a moment. See, her methods may have been more dramatic and manipulative than the boys’ normal brute force, but they were quite effective. “Is that why you agreed to meet me? In deference to our old… friendship?”

Despite his flashiness and arrogance, Patrick was a good businessman and a ruthless one. It was like looking into the mouth of a shark when he smiled at her.

“Partially, and partially due to intrigue. Dr. Emily Hughes coming to me with a business proposal? I had to hear you out.”

“Kind of you.” A pause in the conversation when the waiter poured the wine between their glasses. John looked at her briefly with a wince when taking a sip and she felt the corner of her own mouth twitch.

A plate of bread and cheese was placed in the centre of their table, ‘complements of the chef,’ and Emily had to work to not laugh. Some people really did not change at all. Trying to showcase power through influence in a restaurant? Who the hell did he think he was dealing with?

Swirling the wine by the stem, she watched the drops slowly make their way down the sides of the glass – full bodied, and she could smell the cherries from here.

“Fruity.” She acknowledged, taking a sip. “You always liked sweet things.”

Patrick tilted his glass to her in acknowledgement, “There is a time and a place for sour, but I prefer to save it for those that displease me.”

She could tell John was getting a little annoyed. He never liked all this speaking in riddles and sly undertones. His quieter demeanour was what made her choose him over Arthur, even if it meant his kids didn’t have him around today (and yes, she did feel a little bad about that). But he was so much less likely to lose his head. Under the table she wrapped her hand around his wrist for a moment and squeezed, before retreating.

“My proposal is simple. We have some cargo that we’d like to wash our hands of, preferably with good price. 10 – 5 at time of the deal, 5 on procurement.”

Sad as she was to take the cut, normally she should have gotten two more at least, needs must.

His eyebrows shot to his hairline, amused smile finding his lips.

“Quite an ask, dearest Emily.” He had the audacity to laugh, and she thought it was only the minute shake of her head that stopped John interjecting. “I assume whatever this cargo is must be valuable. If you want to get rid of it so badly, it must also be dangerous. Hm, now what could that be?” His smile only grew as he partook in some of the cheese, cutting the brie with an astonishing amount of joy.

“You’ve always kept up with the news, Emily, and I assume you have not changed that much. However, there’s something that happened up near your home that didn’t quite make it into the papers – a robbery! A nefarious one. Cargo meant for Libya from the Crown itself, suddenly disappeared.”

John’s lips downturned, glancing at her, but her smile was still bright, playing entertained. He trusted her, John trusted her, because they would be fucked if he jumped in now. Please God let him not say anything.

“Whoever has those crates must move them quite quickly, and sadly that must be at a much greater loss than they probably want. I’d say half of their normal value, at most.” Smarmy fuck, the amusement was practically dancing in his eyes. He thought she wouldn’t expect him to know. “I can’t imagine what would happen to those poor souls if someone told the law where they might be able to find the guns or with who.”

Oh, a threat now. He thought he had the upper hand. Well, time to break it.

“Indeed, quite a pickle. Oh, Patrick, speaking of old friends. I ran into Michael recently – do you remember him? That tall fellow studying philosophy at Oxford? Oh of course you do! He was with you the night we met.” She took a small sip of her drink, relishing in the stunned silence that greeted her. “Ah we had a grand time; he even had some photographs from back then! Some from Foxbury’s, others from his own flat, and actually a few from yours. Do you remember that lovely blue wallpaper you had?”

The wallpaper he’d only had in the bedroom. Michael had loved cameras back then, had documented so many things he absolutely should not have – naïve boy. He’d been in love, she thought Patrick had been as well, it was the only way to explain why he allowed such photographs to have been taken at all. Like she had said, he always liked sweet things.

She hummed. “He’s wooing a lovely woman now. She reminds me of Rebecca – do you remember her? The girl I used to help with her Latin pronunciations? I think I mentioned her once or twice. She’s actually a journalist now. Well mostly. She mostly provides the photographs for the Times.”

Finally, she looked up from the piece of bread she’d been buttering to see the pale face in front of her, smile gone, body deflated. Even the flower in his lapel seemed to be drooping.

“Isn’t it amazing, the people you run into in the city?”

This man thought he was a shark, but sharks had weaknesses just like every other animal. There were few better hunters than Emily. Poor shark – no more teeth and staring into the pointy head of a harpoon.

“Indeed. 10 you say?” His voice had lost its cheer, gaze darker, and… yes there it was, fear along the edges. “Fine, fine. But on one condition.”

She perked up, intrigued. This was a good deal for him, she knew it. He could get a dozen buyers with his connections in as many minutes, and the lack of heat meant he could get full price. Whatever it was must have been interesting enough that he thought to tack it to the end of deal when he knew she could destroy his life with one word.

“I’ve been invited to a ball, the coming out party for the Duke of Bedford’s youngest daughter at Woburn Abbey itself. I’d like you to accompany me.”

Now it was her turn to be surprised, eyebrows raising near her hairline.

“Why me? I’m certain you have no end of women lining up to accompany you to such events.” The Duke of fucking Bedford at his ancestral fucking home. Probably the social event of the season. Even the idea of going made her skin crawl.

Patrick nodded, taking a placid sip, looking to John for a moment, lips curling. Oh, he was about to say something he shouldn’t. Men always had to poke the bloody bear.

“Haven’t you noticed, since arriving at this restaurant, all those men's eyes on you? From the youngest to the oldest, filled with desire.” He smirked. “They want you; everyone always wants you, poppet. That’s what made our arrangement so fruitful before. And if you’re hanging adoringly on my arm, in a pretty dress, luring men in, imagine the connections I’ll make.”

She was used to men talking about her like she was a piece of meat – usually she either cut them down or managed it for her own gain. However, when those conversations happened in front of certain people – specifically people with the last name Shelby – things tended to get a little uglier.

John leaned forward in his chair, face dark and cold. Dangerous.

“Are you calling my sister a whore?”

See, normally, she could never see why people found the Shelbys intimidating. When she was with them, all she could see were the boys who used to swim with her in the lake and wrestle in the stables. Arthur, who used to run around with her on his back, trying to make her laugh; Tommy, who gave her a bouquet of daisies on her birthday that he spent hours picking from the fields; and John, who used to kiss her cheek when she was feeling sad.

Right now, though, the man beside her wasn’t that sweet boy – he was a fountain of danger and malice. More attack dog than man, and if Patrick did not choose his words carefully, she was not sure even she would be able to save him.

The surprised on his face told her that he at least understood that. Stupid man, poking the fucking bear and being shocked when it had claws.

“Of course not.” He leaned back in his chair. “But there will be men who wish to speak with her, dance with her, and they will do that through me. No one could mistake Dr. Hughes for a whore. Nor would I ever wish to cause offense to her.”

John looked over at her, gaze softening automatically, but stance not retreating. She reached out and placed a hand on his balled-up fist.

When she spoke it was in Romani, “The deal seems good. And I can handle a single night of him. Can I accept?”

His gaze flicked back towards the man who had pissed him off before turning back to Emily, letting his hands flatten out under hers and answering in the same old language.

“You speak for us as much as I do.”

She couldn’t help the warmth that spread through her at those words. There was that sweet boy. Turning back to Patrick with a single nod. “We have a deal.”

Standing, she offered her hand and this time he shook it, then shook John’s after a prolonged pause from the younger man.

“When should we expect your man to inspect the cargo and deliver our money?”

“The ball is in June, the 15th ­to be specific; the couple of months wait time will give a chance for the heat to die down a little. I’ll arrive with my man to pick you up and we’ll have a second driver to take us into Bedford. He will have the money.” A smart plan, less conspicuous and no one will notice a change in the driver or the fact that one is being left behind.

“Anything specific I should wear?” She remembered the push and pull of this – his need to dictate her appearance.

“I’ll send you a dress, jewellery, and shoes. Consider it a gift.” A few months to prepare herself mentally. “Oh and, Emily, fix your voice when we’re there.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

And with that, their meeting ended. She took John’s elbow and left Patrick with the bill.

“That man was a twat.” John said simply, a few miles out of London. His eyes were on the road, but he cut glances over at Emily.

They still had a decent drive ahead of them, a couple of hours at least, and Emily looked so much more tired now, head resting on door with her eyes shut. Well, they were shut but she sat up and looked at him when he spoke.

Watching her now, soft and exhausted, you wouldn’t be able to tell that less than an hour ago she was bending one of the pillars of the London underground to her will. Fuck, she was so goddamn good at it too that it was scary; it wasn’t the way Tommy would have done it but hell it was maybe even more successful – at least they hadn’t made an enemy. And she got everything they wanted: the money in a good timeframe and the guns off their hands.

And now she was blinking tiredly at him, trying to catch up to his words.

The whole meeting was a rousing success, but it just rubbed him the wrong way. The way she had deferred to him at the end, the way she hadn’t said anything when that cunt implied that she was nothing more than a common whore – it bothered him. And he didn’t know what to do about it.

“He is an ass.” She acknowledged, “But he’s useful.”

“He said you two had an arrangement.”

She paused at that, it probably would have been unnoticeable had she not been so tired, but it took her a second too long to recover.

“Yeah. Back at university, I stayed on his arm for a few months when he nearly got nailed by the coppers for his… choice in lovers. It made the rumours go away and I was tired of half the fucking men I knew trying to woo me. Having him around made them go away too.”

That probably also would have been more convincing had she not looked so worn out. Why was she so tired?

“You alright, Emmy?” She always smiled a little when they called her that. He didn’t think she noticed her reaction.

She hummed. “Yeah, it’s a lot of energy to try and be posh, wears me out, and I’ve had a headache all week.” Sighing she leaned her head into her hands for a second before sitting back up and offering him a smile. “I’m not being really good company, eh?”

He frowned at that but wasn’t sure what to say. Feelings had never been his strong suit. Changing the subject was probably a safer bet.

“What was that shit about your voice?”

She blinked at him a few moments, gears turning, before she nodded as if suddenly remembering.

“He wants me to talk like this.” He doesn’t know what his face was doing when he heard the upper class London accent come out of Emily’s mouth, at the sheer wrongness, but whatever it was it made her burst out into laughter. He couldn’t help but chuckle along with her.

“Don’t do that again.” He gasped. “You sound like a cunt.”

“I know, I know.” She was still laughing, tears in her eyes. “That’s the fucking point!”

The atmosphere was lighter now, but she still looked tired. When the mirth faded, so too did her energy. John reached over and pulled her closer to him.

“Door’s not comfortable.”

She blinked at him, then stretched up to kiss his cheek, before lowering down to rest her head on his thigh.

“Thank you, Johnny.” She was the only one who called him that.

It wasn’t long before she drifted off. Looking down, John’s eyes caught on the few stitches Polly had put in just three or so days ago. His fingers traced over the scar, bumpy skin under his fingers. He couldn’t see her arms, the sleeves of her dress covering the bruises he was sure were dark as night now.

She’s too used to being treated like shit.

That thought came out of nowhere and caused him to sit a little taller in his seat. It was right. That’s why she didn’t complain, that’s why she deferred to him, that’s why she didn’t stand up for herself. There was a pit in his stomach that only grew at the thought.

Fucking hell.

--- Chapter 4 ---

Tagged: @weaponizedvirtue

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Green Eyes and Gunpowder (2/?)

Thomas Shelby x OC (Emily Hughes)

Summary - Sharp-tongued, steady-handed, and raised beside the Shelbys like blood, Dr. Emily Hughes weaves through their war for Birmingham with a surgeon’s precision—offering comfort, challenge, and quiet resistance, especially to the man who’s forgetting how to be anything but a weapon.

Word Count - 4,821

Warnings - mention of blood, a smidgeon of less-than-canon-typical violence, nothing else that wasn't there before

AN - thanks for the love on chapter 1 <3

Chapter 1

“Dr. Hughes, is it?” Emily looked up from the selection of scarves to see an older gentleman sizing her up.

Mid-quality suit, sour demeanour, air of authority, Irish accent – ah, the inspector Tommy told her about. She turned back to the vendor, selecting the green scarf she had been eyeing for the last few minutes. It would bring out her eyes – Sybil had taught her how to find colours that matched her complexion when they were studying in London. And besides, she’d had a difficult week, and she may as well buy something she’d get good use from.

“How much for this?”

“Please, take it. No cost.” The woman sounded harried, uncomfortable. New to town then, the soft London accent told her as much, and she’d probably heard about who Emily associated with.

She raised her eyebrows, reaching into her bag and handing over what she judged it to be worth.

“No need for that.”

The family could do with a little more good will from the populace, and she was happy to be the source of it. The woman seemed surprised but thanked her profusely, Emily just smiled back and wished her a nice day.

Finally, she turned away from the little stall she had been perusing, tucking the scarf in with the rest of her shopping. The inspector did not seem pleased at having been ignored, his jaw tight and fist clenched. Men and their fucking egos – they made it too easy.

“Now, what can I do for you, inspector Campbell?” She offered nothing in her tone but an air of boredom. Inside, the gears were turning overtime, a thousand concerns and questions rattling around.

“Ah so you know who I am, but do you know why I’m here?”

She took a few steps away from the cart – the last thing she needed was this conversation overheard. The inspector seemed to take that in stride, matching her pace as she made her way away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded street, but not so far that there were no witnesses. In fact, she was scanning for someone she knew she could trust, any signature caps or familiar faces.

“Cleaning up the streets of our fair city, I would assume.”

Ah there, three blinders by the alley just across the road. They all looked to her for direction, but she shook her head minutely when they made eye contact – they shouldn’t intercede, but she wanted them watching in case something happened.

“You and I have different meanings of the word ‘fair’, Dr. Hughes. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this place anything close.” There was amusement in his voice, but she said nothing. “I think you know why I’m actually here.”

The way his voice darkened did not surprise her, nor did his sudden grip on her arm. The force, however, and the way his nails dug into her skin did stop her in her tracks.

Giving him her most unimpressed expression, she tilted her head to the side.

“Is it to harass women in the street? Because, can I say, you are doing a phenomenal job.”

His grip tightened to the point of pain, but she gave away nothing. She’d been through so much worse with her own mother, and this man thought he could intimidate her. She had horrible chronic pain and he thought he could intimidate her with a little rough treatment? Though she had to admit, the way he crowded her into the alley gave her a woman’s instinctive pang of concern.

“See I’ve heard you’ve got the ear of the Shelbys, specifically Tommy Shelby. His confidante, sometimes advisor even. Some even say he’s wrapped around your finger. You’re not family, but I’m told you may as well be.” He paused, probably for dramatic affect. “I think you know exactly where those guns are.”

He was crowding her more and more now, her back was pressing against the wall, coarse edges digging into her blouse, but still she refused to look at him with anything other than pure neutrality. That seemed to irk him, so he used his grip on her arm to slam her into the wall, causing her head to smack into the bricks behind her. Her vision blurred a moment, and the sound was louder than would have been ideal, but she didn’t even wince. There would be no fear response like he was so desperately trying to illicit, even when he grabbed her other arm, just to highlight his physical control. Distantly, she was annoyed that her shopping bag and handbag had fallen to the ground.

“I was raised with the Shelbys if that’s what you mean, inspector, and they are my dearest friends. I am fortunate to be held in their esteem, but I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re making reference to. They don’t deal with guns; they’re simply businessmen. Pillars of the community.”

There was a part of her that clenched in fear, not for herself, but for Tommy, when she thought about the guns. The hatred of this man… even if Tommy handed them over there would be no guarantee of his or the family’s safety.

“What I have heard is that you are a determined man, but evidently not a respectable one. It seems there really isn’t any decorum in our police force these days. You should be ashamed of yourself, acting so deplorably with a lady. Perhaps that’s why you’re alone at your age.”

His face screwed up into a scowl and she was bracing herself mentally to be hit or shoved into the wall again (one day she would learn not to antagonize men like this, but it was too fun), but she should have known there would be no way the blinders she saw earlier would ignore this.

“Everything alright, Emily?”

She looked to the mouth of the alley to see Louis and Alexander standing there, the former was making eye contact with her, while Alex had his glare targeted at Campbell himself. Large men, good fighters, though had always been quite sweet to her. Will was nowhere to be seen, which meant he was probably halfway to Watery Lane by now. Internally, she sighed.

“Perfectly.” She used the distraction to rip her arms out of the inspector’s grip, which evidently was a surprise to him by the way his gaze returned to her, but he did not stop her as she slid out from between him and wall. “Good day, inspector. I hope your next lead is a more viable one.”

With that she took the offered arm of Louis as she exited onto the street. Alex was kind enough to grab her bags on the way. As they walked away, she let her shoulder drop slightly and offered the boys each a smile.

“Thanks, he’s a fucking twat.” The airs of high society falling off her as she was back on her side of the tracks – no longer needing to put up a defensive front. “Thought he could intimidate me.”

Alex snorted at that. “Coppers ain’t known for their brains.”

The faith these men had in her was well founded, she knew, but it still made her warm inside to have it acknowledged.

“I saw you hit your head – you alright?” Louis had always had a softer demeanour, though you wouldn’t know by looking at him. And boy could he fight, but only when he had too. It was too bad the world didn’t let him be soft like he should have been allowed.

She used her free hand to touch the back of her head. It felt damp, and a little bit of blood came away on her fingers, but nothing concerning.

“It’s fine.” She consoled immediately at the look on Louis’ face. “I’ve told you before, Lou, head wounds bleed a lot. It’s small, probably caught the edge of a brick. It’ll heal on its own. Now, did you have to let Will off, eh? Some copper getting too big for his fucking britches doesn’t necessitate sounding the bloody alarm.”

“Sorry, doc, but there’ll be nothing but hell to pay if we don’t tell Tommy what happened.” Louis didn’t sound sorry at all and Alex simple shrugged and refused to hand back her bags when she asked. Evidently this was an escort. Fucking terrific.

Polly insisted on seeing to her when she arrived at the house, which is how she ended up at the kitchen table with both of her sleeves rolled to the elbow. No insistence that she was both fine and a bloody doctor seemed to pacify the older woman.

Both forearms were bright red in the clear outline of handprints. She hummed looking at them, they would bruise wickedly in a few hours. Inconvenient.

“Where’d you send Will?” She asked, watching Polly come behind her to take a look at the back of her head. She took a small piece of cloth to the wound, and this time Emily did flinch at the sting of the whiskey against her skin. “Don’t think it needs stitches, Pol.”

“The Garrison.” Pol said calmly, coming back around the table and ordering Emily to hold the cloth to the back of her own head. Evidently her opinion on the stitches was overruled, despite the whole degree that she had.

Emily rolled her eyes but allowed Pol to fuss; she would deny to the end of her life that she fussed, but Emily knew she really did. “Did you have to? It’s a pair of fucking bruises and a cut.”

Polly raised her eyes to meet Emily’s own, forcing the younger woman to look away. If the inspector wanted to intimidate her maybe he should have taken lessons from Polly. But then again, she also knew Pol was right – if the boys didn’t hear about this early, they’d be fucking furious. Well, more so than they were already going to be.

She leaned back and took a deep pull of her whiskey with her free hand. This was going to be loud.

Tommy noticed Will standing outside the door to the snug almost immediately after he’d arrived. In fact, it was distracting him for one very important reason – the man was out of breath. He’d run here. Something had happened.

Arthur was inside with him but hadn’t seen what Tommy had. His older brother wasn’t the most observant man. Thankfully, he was doing most of the talking now with their new client. New butcher shop wanting protection – easy money, he didn’t need to interfere.

He watched John go over to Will, probably asking what was going on. The suspicion he’d had was only confirmed when he watched John’s face screw up into rage the more Will spoke before he left the pub in a hurried blur of anger.

That was enough for Tommy. Standing, the conversation stuttered to a halt, Arthur asking him what the fuck he was doing, but he didn’t respond. Opening the door to Will’s surprised face, he raised his eyebrows at the young man.

“What’s happened?”

Flicking his eyes to the audience in the snug then back to Tommy, the unspoken bit was obvious.

“Get out.” And the two new butchers were gone as if the edict had come from God himself. In Birmingham, he supposed he was the closest thing they had.

When the door was closed again, Will seemed a little more uncomfortable than he normally would have been. Yeah, having the focus of two Shelbys on you was intimidating on a normal day, but this was more. Whatever he was about to hear was going to enrage him.

“Back at the market, that inspector bloke, the new one. He cornered Emily. Was grabbing her and getting rough with her. Lou and Alex got her out of there and she’s back at the betting shop now–” That’s as far as he got before Tommy was gone, basically running out the door.

This fucking copper. The rage was burning in his chest at the thought of Emily being manhandled like that, at the thought of his fucking hands on her. There were rules in Birmingham, rules he had burned into the very fabric of the city and number one was to never lay a hand on Emily. There wasn’t a single resident who didn’t know that.

Campbell had crossed a line, and he was going to fucking pay for it.

“I still think this is unnecessary.” She muttered, as Polly threaded the needle she’d eventually found.

She was anticipating being ignored however and rolled her eyes, hoping to get John to crack some sort of smile. She had managed to get him to sit down from his furious pacing, but his features were still rage-filled, eyes tracing her injuries. He did not smirk like he normally would have.

When the door slammed open with a bang a few moments later, she knew who it was and instinctually she went to pull her sleeves down. The less they saw immediately, the better. But John caught her wrist (gently, so much more gently than he normally would have) to stop her.

Part of her bristled against the gentleness, the coddling, but she had to remind herself that these boys feared for her. Had to remind herself that they loved her so much. Had to remind herself that she was the sweet older sister John had grown up with, the one who taught him to ride a bike when his brothers were too busy ignoring their, at the time, youngest sibling. The one who encouraged him to kiss the girl he liked, the one he asked if he was doing the right thing marrying Martha. The one who delivered his children into the world. This reaction stemmed from a place of concern, of a place of thinking he failed her, and so her hackles were back down in less than a moment. And she shook her head at him with the same gentleness.

Arthur and Tommy’s appearance in the kitchen was just as rage filled as John’s had been. And so, she offered them the same greeting she’d offered him, before they could even speak.

“This is too much.” Her tone was dry and even a little annoyed. “I’m a big girl, I survived a fucking war, not to mention my own goddamned mother. Two bruises and a fucking cut aren’t going to bloody kill me.”

She watched Tommy’s eyes trace the inflamed lines of red on her arms, obviously handprints. They all knew the way they would bruise – purple and ugly. His eyes moved up to the bloody cloths piled on the kitchen table, then to Pol tying the thread onto the needle and back to Emily. His eyes were blazing.

The boys were all very different, expressing their rage in different ways, but they were all furious. Arthur looked ready to punch something, loud and explosive. John was quieter, stiller, stewing in his own fury. Tommy got cold, almost dropping the temperature of the room he was in – cold and dark and dangerous – except his eyes, his eyes still held the same burning anger from when they were kids. He looked like he wanted to yell.

“Hold still.” Polly said and that was the only warning she got before there was a hand on her head and a needle in her flesh.

She screwed her eyes shut and winced against the pain. Reaching for the edge of the table so she’d at least have something to grip on, instead she was intercepted by a hand. Not one to question her luck she grabbed onto the hand and squeezed it. John – immediately she recognized it, the particular callus along his index finger from helping Pol out with the books and pressing the pen too hard into his skin.

“Fuck me, Pol. A little more goddamn warning!”

One deep breath later she opened her eyes, she attempted to let go of John’s hand, who was now on her side of the table crouching in front of her, but he held fast. With her free hand she downed her glass of whiskey.

“What did he want to know?” Surprisingly that was also John. Sometimes he was so much like Tommy, but with a touch of Arthur’s brashness to even him out.

“He thinks I know things–” She had to cut herself off to grit her teeth when the needle went back in.

“Leave Emily alone, John.” Arthur’s voice was still so angry, but not at his brother. That didn’t stop the fury from basically radiating out of his body. Emily knew, deep in her bones, that he was currently fantasizing about a murder.

None of them ever liked it when people hurt her, which she supposed was a normal thing. But even when they were little, Tommy especially, used to get so mad, back when he was so much less prone to it, because he used to be the one to help her patch up the damage her mother had done. Sometimes she ended up having to comfort him instead.

“You can’t move against him, yet.” She said, looking up at Tommy but mostly angling some of it to Arthur.

“You’re off fucking limits.” The oldest Shelby seethed. “Even the fucking coppers are supposed to know that. Nobody is supposed to fucking touch you.”

“Fucking bastard.” John muttered, his hatred for the police was probably the highest of any of them. “We should teach him a lesson.”

This is where Tommy was supposed to remind them to be reasonable, tell them it was a terrible idea, but he still wasn’t saying fucking anything. These boys.

“You can’t do that.” She stated. “Think about it: special inspector from Ireland? Sent by the crown no doubt, you’ll start a– fucking hell, Polly!”

“Finished.” The matriarch said, grabbing one of the cloths and dabbing it was a little extra whiskey to clean off the edges of the wound. “Emily’s right. Only one of you with any bloody sense, I swear.”

None of them looked happy, Arthur and John specifically looked to Tommy, probably hoping that he’d say something to overrule them. But he was still silent, his gaze still fixed on the bruises on Emily’s arms.

“John, you need to go home, see your kids. I can still come by tomorrow to help–” All three of them opened their mouths to interrupt, likely to contradict, but her glare had them closing them all at once. “But I have too bad of a headache tonight, I’m sorry.”

John squeezed her hand and shook his head. “Don’t apologize.”

She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “There’s a good lad, now go home, and try to let this go. There’s nothing that can be done.”

She could calm them down, she knew, as long as nothing else was said. Then Tommy opened his mouth.

“You’ll have protection from now on.” The anger that Tommy was feeling was nearly sickening. He hadn’t felt hate like this in a long time, festering in his chest with nowhere to go.

That inspector had laid his fucking hands on Emily, his Emily, and she was trying to calm them down, reassure them. Her head had just been sewn together and that man’s hands were imprinted into her arms, and she was calm. His chest was on fire and his jaw ached from the way he clenched it. He wanted to throw things, yell, grab the man by the throat and make him beg for his life.

“Are you out of your bleeding head?” Emily shot back, lip curling in anger. “I handled it just fucking fine and I’ll handle it fine the next time too!”

“There isn’t going to be a fucking next time!” He was yelling now, he wasn’t angry at her, but the anger was so overpowering it had to get out somehow. “Because you’re going to have protection.”

She shot out of her chair, nearly knocking John over in her fury. Emily never yelled; always said she couldn’t stand the idea she might’ve sounded like her mother when she did. Even at her angriest, her voice never raised. But she compensated by getting low and dangerous – Tommy would have almost preferred if she yelled like everyone else.

“I swear to everything sacred Tommy, if you ignore my choice on this, we’re going to have a bloody problem.”

He knew she wasn’t bluffing. Since they were four, through the whole of their twenty-five years of friendship, the two of them had had no more than a handful of fights. Some the petty ones of children, only two that were caused by real issues. At one point they hadn’t spoken for nearly a month because of one and, in the end, he had been the one to back down from their standoff.

Intellectually he knew all these things, but with her standing in front of him after having been fucking hurt by a man after him, he couldn’t help the flood of anger and fear from controlling him.

Emily seemed to realise that too and her glare intensified.

“I’d be very fucking careful about your next words, Thomas. Or I’m gone.”

Unstoppable force meets immoveable object.

“Sit down, both of you.” Polly said, cutting across the tension in the room. “We’re going to have a conversation like the civilised people we are. John, go home and see your kids. Arthur, go get a bottle of gin from wherever they’ve been moved.”

John didn’t look too pleased, but it seemed to reassure him that Emily was at least having some reaction – even if it was not against who he would have liked. Arthur looked like he was poised to jump on Tommy’s side of this fight, and Tommy was sure Pol knew that would only make the situation worse.

With the room lessening to just the three of them, Polly put a hand on Emily’s shoulder.

“Tell him now.”

The glare that was still being aimed at him relaxed slightly as she took a deep breath and unclenched her fists to lay flat on the old wood of their table.

“He thinks I know where the guns are.” She did, but Polly didn’t know she knew. Hell, Polly didn’t bloody know. “I told him I hadn’t even heard of any guns. Don’t think he appreciated my attitude.”

Tommy also tried to take a deep breath, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with shaking hands then lighting another when she stole it directly out of his mouth. Emily was the only fucking thing that got his fucking hands shaking.

“I don’t appreciate it either.” He closed his eyes and ran one hand over his face. “Em, I can’t have you hurt.”

There was vulnerability there, and the fear he was trying so hard to get on top of.

The hand that landed on his arm startled his eyes open to see that Emily had moved so much closer.

“I’m fine – I know how to take care of myself. Besides, prick knows he can’t actually do anything to me; seems to understand that you’d light the fucking city on fire if something happened to me.”

He couldn’t help the small smile at that, which she only mirrored. She had a good point at that, but the threat of violence hadn’t stopped him today.

“He fucking touched you.” There was danger in his voice still, but it seemed yelling was beyond him with her hand still on his arm.

“Yeah, and I called him a lonely old degenerate. I can be less antagonistic next time.” She made a face at that. “Maybe I can try.”

Even Pol smiled at that, before turning serious again.

“We need to talk about the guns, Tommy.”

“She’s right.” Emily interrupted. “If he gets his hands on them, even with a promise of peace, I’m sure we’ll all find a way to the hangman anyway. I have an idea–”

Then Arthur returned with a new bottle of whiskey and the conversation turned back to other topics.

“Let me see.”

Emily sighed but turned around anyway. She knew Tommy wouldn’t stop asking until she did, wouldn’t take the no, and definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

She tried not to shiver when his fingers threaded into her hair. Despite the front he liked to put up with everyone else, his touch was soft and gentle, trying not to hurt her.

There was too much silence, she noted. His body was tenser than it had been a moment ago. He’d finally calmed down after hours of back-and-forth downstairs and she wasn’t about to let that effort go to waste.

Spinning around, she took one of his hands in her own, threading their fingers together.

“You’re making yourself angry.” She smiled at him. “It’s okay, Tommy. I’m fine.”

He gritted his teeth; the anger was still in his eyes. While he may not have said anything, she knew his feelings, knew what he wanted to say.

“I have an idea about the guns. We obviously can’t sell directly to the Irish – that would be traced immediately back and there would be hell to pay. But we do need to get them out of Birmingham – might be best to sell to a fence, really lowers the chance all this can be brought back on our heads.”

She had always been a fidgety person, normally she could control it. In public she didn’t show any signs of nerves and could clench her hands together behind her back if she needed to. With Tommy, it was like she was a child again, unable to hide her ticks.

“It’s not perfect, and we won’t get the same price, but they’d move quick, and the guns would stay on market even if it wasn’t our market. Lend some weight to the idea that we don’t have them and that they were nicked by someone else. I know a man in London who could help.”

He took a few moments, looking at their threaded hands. She’d never been so happy to have a long-sleeved night dress.

“You know a fence in London?”

The choice of what to focus on made her laugh and something about that seemed to lessen the weight in Tommy’s eyes.

“You know me – can’t help meself. Anywhere I live I got to get into a little bit of trouble.” He chuckled quietly at that, not as much as he normally would have but any joy was a win. “Name’s Patrick O’Hare. Usually works with art cause he’s a bit,” she made a face and knew he would understand, “but if the product is worth enough, he’ll move anything. He’s got connections up in Birkenhead – got men at the shipbuilders, Cammell Laird.”

Tommy nodded, offering her a cigarette before lighting both. He was going to take a few moments to think so she took the opportunity to continue getting ready for bed. Selecting her clothes for the next day and removing the pin that was keeping her hair up.

“I’ve heard of Patrick O’Hare. You trust him?”

She made a face. “Almost everyone I trust has the last name Shelby.” Catching his small smile at that made her own grow. “But he owes me; he nearly got nailed by the coppers for ‘gross indecency’, so I hung off his arm for a couple months to put the rumours to rest.”

Tommy stared at her for a few moments, eyebrows raised. She shrugged.

“It was convenient at the time. I was tired of the men I was in school with chasing after me, if I had some rich toff toting me around then they backed off.”

He stared off for a few seconds, thinking again. She took the opportunity to sit back on the edge of her bed and enjoy the last drags of her cigarette. Eventually, he focused on her and nodded.

“Okay.” She breathed. “Carnival day – I’ll head into London with John.” Holding up her hand, she stalled the protests that were growing in his eyes. “People’s eyes’ll be on you, Tommy. You need to be where they think you are, especially if we’re looking for a clean getaway. I won’t be missed and John being there’ll lend weight to the deal. Besides, don’t you have a feud to start?” And John was less likely to fly off the handle than Arthur, especially considering how difficult Patrick could be.

There was an annoyed furrowing of Tommy’s brow. She could basically hear his thoughts: trying to poke a hole in her logic, trying to figure out a way he could be there.

“You’ll be missed.”

She actually laughed at that. “You know what I mean. I’ll make it up to Finn after.”

There was an odd look on his face at that, another protest probably, but eventually he agreed, and she told him she made plans to reach out to Patrick the next day.

--- Chapter 3 ---