Disclaimer: I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.

Some of you will have noticed that several chapters have disappeared, I decided to rewrite and explore what happened during the years that I originally planned to skip since the story felt lacking without them.

Chapter Fourteen: Stepping Up.

"How are you feeling?" Polly asked setting a cup of tea before Rosemary, she knew that this wasn't the most idea situation but there was little that they could do about it with the boys so far away. Rosemary's pregnancy had been something that had come as a surprise and Polly had to admit that she was impressed with how the younger woman was dealing with all of this. The very idea that Thomas might not make it home was something that neither of them had discussed and Polly doubted that it hadn't crossed Rosemary's mind since he had gone off to war.

"I am well," Rosemary assured her, she had been surprised by Polly's sudden invite for tea but she was happy to come and see her; it was better than being stuck in the house alone on her day off. There wasn't that much work at the store these days and Rosemary found herself spending time home alone trying to prepare for the birth of her first child.

Bumping into her mother had brought up feelings that Rosemary hadn't been expecting, she wished that things had gone down better when she had announced her marriage to Thomas. Hiding her wedding from her parents had been wrong and she would admit that, she had been frightened that they might try and stop her from marrying Thomas.

Her father had asked them to leave the house in hopes of giving them all time to think before someone said something rash and their disapproval of Thomas hadn't helped. Rosemary cursed herself for not having the guts to go up to her parents on the day that Thomas had departed for the war so that she could bid her father farewell.

That fact would haunt her forever, she didn't know what she would do if he didn't come back from war so that they could make amends. Polly sipped on her tea and stared at Rosemary, she had put a lot of thought into this and if she wasn't desperate then she wouldn't be considering it; she needed help and there was no one else she could trust with this. Arthur, Thomas and John were away fighting in the war, Ada was doing what she could, Martha had her hands full trying to manage the children while her husband was away and Finn was much too young to be involved in this.

"I need help running the business," Polly said firmly, she knew it was a lot to ask and she was sure that Thomas would throw a fit if he knew what she was doing but there was no one else that she could trust with this. Rosemary was a Shelby now and with work slow at the shop, she was free most days and the extra money wouldn't hurt with the baby on the way.

"It's not much work… just running the office and doing some filing," Polly informed her, she had been left in-charge while the boys were away and she was sure that it wasn't anything too stressful for her. Rosemary blinked a little taken back that Polly was asking for her help, she had assumed that she would turn to Ada or Martha instead of her first.

"Ada's taking some nursing classes and does what she can… Martha, well you've seen how busy she is with all those children," Polly continued clutching at her cup as she stared at Rosemary, she knew this was a big ask but she was sure that she was making the right decision. With an extra set of hands, Polly would be able to work on things that would make more money for them; something that Rosemary would certainly need when she had the baby.

"Just tell me what you need me to do," Rosemary said with a nod, she was happy to help and it wasn't like being a seamstress was bringing in much money right now.

Staring down at the letter that he was writing, Thomas frowned trying to think of something that he could say to his wife; he couldn't believe how long it had been since he had last seen her. The months since he had come away to France hadn't been easy and seemed to drag especially now that they all knew that this war wasn't going to be over as quickly as anyone had thought.

Leaning against the side of the tunnel that he had been digging, Thomas closed his eyes as he tried to picture what Rosemary would look like now; he wondered how big she had gotten with her pregnancy. He wished for nothing more than the chance to return home to her, he hated that they had been parted for so long already and there was no end in sight.

"Any news from Rosemary?" Freddie asked sitting down across from Thomas, he leaned his head back against the wall as he stared at his friend. It truly had surprised him how devoted Thomas seemed to his wife, he had never seen his friend like this before and Freddie had to admit that he was rather jealous of the fact that he had found someone. Letters always seemed to arrive for Thomas from his wife and family, they seemed never ending while Freddie barely received any; he almost wished that he had married before coming away to war like many of those around him.

"Not recently. Things have been rather quiet," Thomas murmured, he loved reading about all the new things that she was experiencing with her pregnancy and he wished that he was there to experience it with her. The war might not have reached home but the affects were still there, Rosemary wrote of how little work she had now that so many men were away fighting. Ignoring the itch that his clothes created, Thomas jotted down what he could about his days here; he knew most of his words would be crossed out if he revealed too much.

"When's the baby due again?" Freddie asked curiously, he had never thought that Thomas would be the type to settle down and start a family; he had always assumed that he would spend his days as a single man. After everything that had happened with Thomas's father and how he had walked out on his family; there had always been a part of Thomas that had always been responsible for his younger siblings.

"Early May," Thomas replied thinking about how quickly that was approaching, he very much doubted that he would be home when his first child would be born. Tiredly closing his eyes, Thomas couldn't help but think of his child, he hoped that they got Rosemary's beautiful eyes; he was looking forward to going home to his family when this nightmare was over.

"Not long then… doubt we'll be back home," Freddie mumbled softly, though Thomas still heard him and he had to agree; he wished it wasn't true and he could return home for the birth of his child but it wasn't possible. The two of them were silent as they thought about home, it seemed such a long time since they had been there and the war claimed more and more lives around them.

Thomas looked down at the letter, his fingers brushing against the material that he held wishing that he had more to write to her; he wished that he could tell her about what was happening here. However, orders were orders and there was little that he could say to her that wouldn't be crossed out; they wanted people at home to think that the war was going well.

Looking down the tunnel, Thomas stuffed his letter back into his pocket as he got back to his feet; he had to get back to work and he knew that there was little that could be done by sitting around, it wasn't going to get him home any quicker.

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