Tommy arrived at Charlie's boat yard five minutes late having been delayed by John, who had tried to tell him something or other about Esme's plans to take his kids traveling for a bit now that the weather was finally getting better. Frankly, Tommy hadn't truly been listening.

'Tommy', Uncle Charlie waved him over to where he was currently working.

'Have you seen Johnny Dogs?', Tommy asked by way of greeting.

'Yeah, he was here a little under an hour ago looking for Evelyn, said he figured you were sending him off somewhere. Wanted to say goodbye to her', Charlie was wiping his hands on a rag before reaching into his pocket to light a cigarette.

'Fuck', Tommy groaned. If Johnny had gone to find Evelyn, he was likely to be delayed. For a moment Tommy watched the dirty water of the Cut moving through the canal, pushing against the boats and carrying debris with it as it went. He had no time to wait around for Johnny Dogs, but he needed the man to get going sooner rather than later.

'I need him to put his ear to the ground in London, Charlie. It was useful having Danny there earlier this year', Tommy finally informed his uncle as he finished smoking his cigarette.

'London?', the disapproval in Charlie's voice was clear as day.

'Yes, London, and let me tell you Charlie, I've no patience for questions today', Tommy shot his uncle a look that would have intimidated any other man but Charlie just stared back at him, his expression not changing in the slightest. 'I want him to leave at nightfall.'

Charlie shook his head slowly, but Tommy knew he'd heard him and that his order would be followed.

'Let me know when he gets here yeah, I need to talk to him before he leaves', when Charlie nodded Tommy went to check on Atlas and found Curly fastening the straps of what looked like a van harness around the horse.

'What's this all about, Curly?'

'Oh T-T-Tommy', Curly gave him a wide smile. 'Ms. Evie said we should let him get used to the equipment again, I'm just taking him out for that now.'

Tommy nodded and watched as Curly finished inspecting the harness. Atlas seemed perfectly at ease and Tommy's interest quickly faded. With a sigh he stepped back out into the boatyard and was relieved to see Johnny hurrying towards him.

'Tommy', Johnny gave him a cautious grin that told Tommy the man knew he was walking on thin ice.

'Johnny.'

'Couldn't find Lynn and got delayed', an apologetic shrug accompanied the explanation as Johnny fished around his pockets for something.

'Did you find her?', Tommy asked while watching the other man carefully.

'No, figured she was working or with you', Johnny winked at Tommy now and a smirk spread across his face but was stopped in its tracks as Tommy shook his head impatiently.

'Polly found out who she is', Tommy figured if there was someone who deserved to know that the cat was out of the bag, it would be Johnny.

'Shite', Johnny almost dropped his matchbook that he had finally pulled out of his pocket.

'That's not why I needed to talk to you though', Tommy went on to explain what he needed from Johnny Dogs but he could tell the Irishman was only half absorbing what he was saying and Tommy found his own mind wandering too.

'Where'd you reckon she is?', Tommy finally asked and watched as Johnny shrugged.

'Been so long since I knew 'er better, Tom', Johnny admitted finally, 'If I don't see Lynn before I leave, you'll tell 'er I'll be back soon, yeah? And uhm…I don't think her neighbors like her all that much –'

'WHAT?', Tommy interrupted him before he could finish what had sounded almost like an afterthought but so clearly could not have been.

'Her neighbors, Tom, asked'em if they'd seen 'er and they said she must've gone with another one of my kind', Johnny sounded uncomfortable now, but it was clear that he was more worried about Evelyn than Tommy's temper.

Tommy looked his friend up and down one more time before turning to leave the boatyard unsure of where he was headed. His anger was transforming his stomach into a pit of acid and he knew he would have to drown the world out a bit more if he wanted this day to become less of a headache. The Garrison then, he thought. Some whiskey and then he'd go find Evelyn. He'd wanted to give her a break from his family but after the conversation with Johnny that hardly seemed possible anymore.

Since it was still early in the afternoon the Garrison was almost deserted, only a few regulars were hanging around nursing drinks. Arthur was standing behind the bar staring at the door to the snug but when he saw Tommy entering the pub, he rushed over to him.

'Erm, Tommy', his brother looked nervous.

'Out with it', Tommy already regretted entering the place. It seemed like trouble followed him wherever he went that day.

'Well, when I opened the pub, uhm, well Evie came in asking to practice her punching. Told'er I didn't have time but poured her a drink…it's just, fuckin' hell, Tommy, I think there's something –'

'Where is she?', Tommy cut Arthur off forcefully. He could feel the small vein in his forehead pumping angrily now.

Arthurs eyes wandered back to the snug and as Tommy started walking, his older brother reached out to grab his shoulder for a moment.

'She's a good kid, Tom.'

Tommy stared at Arthur for a moment like he'd lost his mind. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Did Arthur think he was the cause for whatever Evelyn was up to and since when did he care? In the end, Tommy nodded for Arthur to get him a bottle of whisky before he entered the snug.

Evelyn sat with her back to the door and when she didn't turn around Tommy stayed in the door for a moment, surveying the room. The table was covered in cards and when he took a closer look he almost laughed, it looked like she was playing two games of solitaire simultaneously.

His suppressed chuckle caused her to turn around then and he noted the distant look on her face, but she seemed fine otherwise, just like she was far, far away. He couldn't blame her for that at least, hell most days he felt like he wanted to be that far away, and he knew he let it show if anyone went on too long about something that he wasn't interested in.

'Evelyn', he nodded at her and took off his cap before sitting down at the table and taking a closer look at the cards.

'Tommy', she responded. Her voice was hushed but steady and her hands went to move a few of the cards. He watched her play for a while, her hands carefully moving from one game to the other. Tommy opened the whiskey bottle and poured himself a glass. The silence that filled the room was almost meditative and Tommy began to dread the end of it. He'd wanted to confront her, wanted the confrontation so that they could make up afterwards and now the fight left him as he watched her move her cards.

'Polly told you', Evelyn stated finally, and her voice betrayed no emotion but from where he was sitting, Tommy couldn't see her face. She was wearing her hair open and the golden curls formed a curtain between them as she leaned over her cards. Tommy hummed in response, not quite knowing what else to say to her. She lifted her glass then and he watched as she contemplated the amber liquid in it before tipping the glass back and downing the contents in one quick gulp. She squeezed her eyes shut and her nose wrinkled before her features smoothed again and she looked up at him, meeting his gaze for the first time that day. For a moment he remembered how peaceful she had looked asleep on her couch when he had tucked her into the blanket before leaving. It seemed almost offensive to Tommy that one could go through so much and yet the body could hide it, move on with time to the point where it all became invisible to the unknowing observer.

'What did she tell you?', Tommy felt her eyes on him as he also downed his drink before answering her question and as he did so he watched her carefully, trying to decipher what she was thinking. Normally, he felt like she was relatively easy to get a read on but now he wondered if she purposefully gave people that impression to distract from what was really going on inside her head.

'Said you and your mother were visiting family in 1901 and that she was attacked and killed on a road. You were found by the police, placed in a parish to be sent to Australia. Your uncle reached out to the clans for help but in the end your father got you out', Tommy summarized what Polly had told him, hating how distant his voice sounded but at the same time, would she have wanted pity or outrage from him? Besides, it was almost two decades too late for any of those things. When he mentioned the police Evelyn winced but quickly resumed her neutral expression.

'They didn't find me', she said after a while and then moved a few more cards before looking back up at him. 'I watched what they did to my mum and remembering my dad's lessons, I went to the police for help. Thought if the men were arrested my mum would wake up again.'

She sounded bitter now, but her face still didn't betray any emotion and Tommy found himself at a loss for words for the second time in less than ten minutes. It felt like he had rushed through his day to get to this moment where finally time was suspended and stretched out, the silence weighing him down now and leaving all words devoid of meaning in its wake.

'You were so young…', he finally tried to say, knowing that it was just as meaningless as all the other comfort he could try to offer her.

'A few weeks away from turning six', Evelyn nodded matter-of-factly before she began to carefully inspect her games again. Tommy tried to remember what it was like to be that age and all he could remember was getting into trouble with his parents for meaningless stunts he'd pulled. It was also when he'd learned how to ride a horse. He remembered the brown pony and Charlie walking next to him as he rode it, telling him stories as the smoke and dust of Birmingham disappeared behind them.

'Polly said your name was Lynn –'

'Lynn Lundie?', Evelyn interrupted him and finally there was anger in her eyes and Tommy nodded pouring them both another round of drinks, waiting for her to continue, hoping she wouldn't care that he'd replaced whatever she'd been drinking with his Irish whiskey.

'That's what my mum's family always called me. My dad wasn't Traveller but her first husband was a member of the Faa clan. The difference in status couldn't have been bigger. Her family never accepted it and went back to calling her by her maiden name.'

'Evelyn, Evie, Lynn…', Tommy mused, trying the names out aloud. It was an attempt at moving the conversation along but at the same time it was something he'd been wondering about for days now.

'Evie', she finally told him but there was reluctance in her voice, and he held her gaze until she elaborated. 'I should have stayed away from anyone with Gypsy heritage, one of you was bound to figure it out. But I never sent you away and here we are.'

'Here we are', Tommy echoed, still holding her gaze, watching how the afternoon sun that filtered through the windows illuminated her face. She sat perfectly still now and watched him until Arthur opened the door behind her.

'Uhm, Johnny Dogs…', he started before Johnny pushed past him and into the room.

'Lynn', Johnny started before his eyes drifted to Tommy and he paused half-way on his way to Evelyn. To Evie, Tommy corrected himself.

'Been looking for ya, sweetheart', Johnny told Evie after shooting Tommy another look that the latter couldn't quite place.

'Usually you look for me when you're saying goodbye…', as Evie watched Johnny's face she sighed. 'Well, that's another thing that hasn't changed then.'

'M'afraid not', Johnny mumbled into her hair as he kissed the top of her head before sitting down next to Tommy.

'What's going on with your neighbors, Lynn', Johnny asked finally after another moment of silence. Tommy waited, a fly on the wall now, watching as Johnny and Evie stared at each other over their respective glasses of liquor.

'I'm already looking to move. I've got to find a place where Loki can live with me once he's old enough to be separated from his litter and mum', Evie finally answered, rolling her eyes first at Johnny and then at Tommy.

'And until then?', Johnny seemed unimpressed by her reply and Tommy was secretly pleased that it meant for once he wasn't the one asking uncomfortable questions. He wasn't sure that Evie would have answered him either.

'What are you proposing?', irritation crept into her voice now and Tommy noted for the first time that she wasn't particularly patient either if someone beat around the bush.

'Stay in my vardo, I am leaving by boat so I can't take it', Johnny shrugged as if it had just occurred to him but he wasn't fooling anyone in the room, except maybe Arthur who was still standing in the door and watching the scene unfold.

'I already have enough of a target on my back, I don't need to give anyone more ammunition to question my right to a peaceful existence', Evie gave Johnny a small smile but shook her head at him when he tried to speak up again. 'Let it go, please, Johnny.'

After a moment Johnny acquiesced but not before turning to Tommy and giving him a meaningful look. It was clear he expected to find her unharmed upon his return and once again Tommy questioned why sometimes the people around him seemed to feel the need to communicate things that were this obvious.

'Alright, well, I'd better get going then', Johnny declared after another drink and Tommy lit a cigarette as he watched Evie and Johnny hug. Evie didn't sit down afterwards however, rather she stayed standing and looked at him quizzically.

'I should get going too, Tommy, I still have to go look after Bard and I haven't seen Oz since he was let out of the house last night', there it was, an acknowledgement of how close they'd been the night before and how much distance the day had put between them again.

'I'll give you a ride to the stables', Tommy got up but was forced to say standing with the back of his legs still touching the bench as Evie stayed put. They stood so close to one another that they were almost touching.

'No, I need to clear my head and for that I need space. No offense', Evie smiled tiredly, almost apologetically at him before she stood up on the tips of her toes and placed the briefest kiss to his cheek, her right hand coming to rest on his shoulder for the shortest moment. Her eyes didn't meet his afterwards and she turned to walk out of the room quickly. Tommy's eyes lingered on the door for a long time before he finally sat down again. He felt the knot in his stomach unwind and dissolve slowly as he continued smoking and drinking. Evie had left the cards on the table and it was his turn now to busy his hands with them until sooner or later John, Arthur, and Finn would find their way to the snug to pass the evening with a game of poker.