Three weeks had passed since Thomas Shelby had seen the Poole girl. He had heard whispers of a new barmaid at The Garrison. He discovered it was the woman the girl had been hugging the night he had met her, but he had never gone to discuss anything with her. She spoke with an accent that didn't fit and she always looked far too presentable for the locals of The Garrison.

Tommy had seen the woman struggle behind the bar for a couple of days, but she soon found her bearings. She gave as good as she got and wasn't scared of the men jeering at her. It took three weeks before she seemed to be fully accepted. Tommy often sat in The Garrison and watched her, wondering where her daughter was hiding. He might have thought that she would appear at the end of her mother's shift, but she never did.

She seemed invisible. Of course, he had no idea that she was working as a seamstress on the other end of town. Elizabeth had been taught how to sew by her mother. It was good knowledge for a woman to be able to sew, even though there were maids to do it. Jane preferred to be able to do things for herself most times, and she had passed that down to her daughter.

Elizabeth worked during the day whilst her mother tended to work in the evenings. Jane would tell her daughter to stay in when it was dark. And so Elizabeth would settle on the bed by the window, reading her book by the little light the candle provided. She often pulled the net curtain back to peer on the street and see where loud noises came from.

She was unsettled. She struggled to sleep. She had never had this problem when she was sleeping in her four-poster bed overlooking the lawn behind the manor. But, Elizabeth knew that leaving had been for the best. Running away was the only thing to do.

Pulling a drape over her shoulders, Elizabeth leant her head against the wall, pulling her knees to her chin as she closed her eyes and let her book rest in between her bent thighs and stomach. This wasn't what Liz had wanted, but it was necessary. She was only shocked that her father had not found them yet.

Tommy listened to the whispers about the new additions to Birmingham. He paid them minimal attention, but he did listen. Some said that they had run away from somewhere whilst others said that the mother was a high-class whore in London working her way to the top. It was only when Tommy picked up the papers one morning did he piece two and two together.

It wasn't very difficult for him to work it out and he knew that others would piece it together too. People might not be of a high class of intelligence, but they had common sense. The disappearance of Billy Kimber's wife and daughter coincided with the arrival of two high-class women who didn't belong.

It was only a small write up in the newspaper as the majority of the space was taken up by the tensions with Germany. If Tommy had read the news then it wouldn't be long before someone else did. Everyone knew Jane Poole, but no one had seen her mysterious daughter. Tommy had heard whispers of her working as a seamstress, but that was all.

But Tommy was not bad hearted. He knew trouble when it might begin. He visited The Garrison that evening before the men knocked off work and he found Jane behind the bar, cleaning glasses ready for the night.

"Whiskey?" Jane asked from Tommy.

"Aye," he spoke, laying the newspaper down on the counter and watching on for a few brief moments. "Read an interesting story in the paper today," Tommy continued.

"Oh?" Jane wondered. "What horrible stories does the world hold today?"

"A socialite," Tommy said, "ran off from her husband. Apparently she took 'er daughter too. He's offering a fancy reward for her."

Tommy could see the colour drain from Jane's face. She dropped the cloth she had been holding and handed Tommy the whiskey he had required. Saying nothing, she looked at him as he stared back at her, wondering what she was thinking. What had caused her to run away?

"Robert Kimber," Tommy said and Jane could not hide her wince. "His wife Jane and his daughter Elizabeth."

"What do you want?" Jane demanded, refusing to be polite and pleasant with this man.

"Me?" Tommy checked. "I want nothin'. I just want you to know that folk around 'ere can piece this together. How long do you think it will be before someone comes knocking on your door, eh?"

Jane bowed her head, looking down to the scratched wooden counter as she tried to keep her composure. She was struggling more than she cared to admit. She hadn't thought that this would happen so soon. She didn't think it would happen at all. Why did he want her back? He could barely stand her. He had told her that enough.

"I need to find Liz," Jane spoke.

"Aye," Tommy agreed. "You need to get out of 'ere."

Jane scoffed. "Clearly."

Jane knew what she had to do. She had to rush back to the room and gather their things. There had to be no trace of them. She then had to find Liz at the seamstresses. She would be safe there until Jane was ready.

"Where is Liz?" Tommy decided to ask and Jane looked confused as she removed the apron from her waist. "Do you think she will be safe?"

"She is working," Jane whispered, knowing that she should have kept silent. She shouldn't trust him. How did she know that he wouldn't turn against them? "I will find her. Thank you, Mr Shelby."

"Don't thank me yet," Tommy said to her. "You haven't made it out of the city."

It was only when she moved from behind the bar did the doors to the pub swing open, ricocheting on the walls behind them as they did so. Two men entered the establishment, their gazes narrow and hats covering their head to cast a shadow on their faces. Jane would have to be blind not to recognise them. She had spent her life in their presence and it seemed to be that they had returned for her. They were her husband's men. She had no doubt.

"Mrs Kimber," the blond one drawled, lifting his head up and meeting the elder woman's gaze as he did so. "You have no idea how worried your husband has been."

Jane scoffed at hearing that. She shook her head, knowing full well what returning to her husband would do for her and her daughter.

"I doubt that," Jane spoke. "Just leave us alone. Tell my husband that I have no intention of returning home."

"Unfortunately," he continued in a long drawl, "it doesn't matter what you want, only what your husband wants."

Beginning to shake, Jane watched as the man moved towards her. Tommy had remained silent until then, leaning on the bar and pretending that he was an innocent bystander in all of this. It was only when he saw Jane struggle against the man gripping her did he sigh, knowing what his Aunt Pol would tell him. She would tell him to help.

"Now, now," Tommy spoke lowly. "Is that any way to treat a lady?"

"She is hardly a lady," the man responded.

"But still," Tommy said and allowed his fist to make contact with the man's jaw before he had a chance to reach for his gun.

Jane acted with haste, ducking down as the other man drew his gun and advanced towards them. The blond remained clasping his jaw as Tommy ducked a punch from the brunette, refusing to be bested on the matter. He stepped back and kicked his leg in the air, allowing the boot of his foot to make contact with the brunette and send him flying back into the table behind him, his gun falling to the ground. The blond managed to regain his balance, but Tommy soon had him back on the ground with a swift kick to the shins and a punch in the chin.

Picking up the discarded guns, the Shelby boy stuffed them into his trouser waistband and pushed a hand through his ruffled hair.

"He will have sent others," Jane whispered to Tommy.

"Then you 'ad best get moving," Tommy told her and she nodded to him in agreement. "Find Liz and leave here. Do it."

Jane rushed from the pub then as Tommy followed her, fleeing before anyone could place him at the scene. He followed Jane as she rushed through the streets, her skirt hiked to her knees as she went. Tommy had no idea why he had involved himself in this. He should have said nothing and let the men take her. He should have kept himself out of her business. Why had he bothered? He held no affiliation for the women.

Tommy was quiet as Jane barged into the seamstress once she had run to the other end of town. He had walked at a fast pace and jogged behind her, choosing to wait outside for her to re-appear with Liz. No doubt they would need pointing in the direction of the station.

It was only when Tommy turned around did he notice two familiar bloodied figures stumbling towards him. Groaning loudly, Tommy barged his way into the seamstresses, bumping straight into Liz as he caught her by the arms to stop her from falling.

"They followed us 'ere," Tommy informed Jane.

The shop was empty and Tommy was grateful for that. Jane looked around, longing for an escape exit. There was nothing but the door.

"Upstairs," Liz whispered. "Mrs Moore has gone to the shops. She will not be back for an hour or so."

"They saw me come in 'ere," Tommy spoke. "They will know you're hiding."

Sweat dropped down from Jane's porcelain brow and she looked to the door, fully expecting the ringing of the bell to chime at any moment. Clutching her side, she knew that there was no escape.

"Hide," Jane demanded from her daughter. "Go upstairs and keep quiet."

"I cannot leave you," Liz pleaded with her mother, clawing onto her arm as Jane pressed her hands to her daughter's cheeks. "Mother."

"We have no time for this, Liz," she warned the young girl. "Go upstairs and I shall come to you in a moment."

Liz still looked cautious and worried, yet she knew when her mother was being stern. Right now was glaring at her dangerously and Liz pushed herself away from her, unable to do anything else. She had no option to ask why Thomas Shelby had made his appearance, nor did she ask how her father had managed to find them.

"You know that I can only do so much, right?" Tommy checked with Jane.

Nodding her head, the woman held her head up and looked to the side, wondering if she could trust the man before her. He had been kind enough to tell her of the story in the newspaper, and he had helped her rid herself of the men coming for her.

"Promise me one thing," Jane spoke and Tommy chuckled, wondering what was taking the men so long. "Do not let them find Liz."

Tommy looked momentarily confused. "You don't intend to fight out of here, do ya?"

Jane scoffed, her pale face turner whiter with each passing moment. She shook her head. She could not escape them, nor could she count on Tommy defending her again.

"I intend to do what I can," Jane said. "But no one is to be killed because of my struggle."

"And why should I promise you anythin'?" Tommy asked.

Before Jane had a chance to answer the door was thrown open, the bell knocked from its stand above the wood as she jumped back, her dark curls now falling from her pristine bun as she struggled to keep her shawl around her shirt covered top.

"Mrs Kimber," the blond man spoke, a handkerchief to his chin from where he had been punched. "How nice to see you again."

"Enough," Jane said, holding her hands up in the air when she saw the brunette aim his gun at Tommy. "Do not hurt him. He was trying to help me. He did not know who I was or what you wanted…but…he knows and he will not hurt you again."

The blond chuckled and moved forwards as Tommy kept his gaze on the door, refusing to look at the man circling him like he was prey. He had been threatened plenty of times before and this scrawny looking boy didn't scare him.

"Well then," he drawled, "if he won't be bothering us then you can come with us, Mrs Kimber, and you can tell us where that sweet little daughter of yours is. The young Mr Kimber has been lost without his sister."

Jane didn't know what that meant, nor did she wish to. Keeping silent, she shrugged her shoulders, trying to play nonchalant. "Elizabeth ran off," Jane said. "I have not seen her in over a week. She was complaining about Birmingham and how she detested it. I had thought that she had gone back home?"

The two men looked at each other, wondering whether or not they should believe this story. But what else could they do? They could not go searching the streets of Birmingham for the girl, yet they knew that was what Mr Kimber would demand of them.

"We shall go back to your room," the lead man declared. "If she is there then you face the consequences…if not then you have some serious explaining to do for Mr Kimber."

Nodding her agreement, Jane only fought weakly as the man took hold of her arm and dragged her from the shop. Tommy remained where he was, the brunette still pointing his gun towards him. Quirking an expecting brow, Tommy waited until the gun was lowered from his face and the man chuckled before following Mrs Kimber.

Tommy waited until the door was shut before he glanced to the staircase, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do with Jane Kimber's daughter. He moved to the staircase and only when he was halfway up did he see the girl appear on the landing.

"Where is she?" Liz demanded from Tommy. "I saw her being taken away…where is she going?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Tommy watched as silent tears streamed down her pale cheeks. "She gave 'erself in," he informed Liz. "They're takin' her back to your father."

"No," Liz whispered, shaking her head.

Bolting down the stairs, she had barely expected Thomas Shelby to grab her around the waist and stop her from going any further. She was a step beneath him, but his strong grip had him bending backwards to keep her feet from the ground as she struggled against him.

"Let go of me!" she yelled.

Tommy fell to the step behind him, his backside landing on it as the girl fell awkwardly on top of him. He snaked a hand up from her stomach to her mouth, pressing his palm flat over her lips to stop her from yelling so loudly.

"Keep your voice down," he demanded in a hiss. "Do you want them to 'ear and come back to take you?"

Liz shouted something incomprehensible against his hand as Tommy did his best to stop her from continuously struggling. He only hoped the seamstress didn't return to find them like this. Her skirts were gathered at her knees whilst her shirt was pulled from its waistband and her hair in clumps around her face. Tommy had no doubt that one his braces had fallen from his shoulder and his cheeks were tinted red from running and struggling.

"Your mother doesn't want you found," Tommy hissed in her ear, his breath warm and ticklish against her soft skin. "She wants you to stay…make somethin' of yourself…she asked me to make sure no one took yer."

Tommy could feel the girl begin to slacken, clearly loosing energy in a fight she could never win. He said nothing as he wondered if he had any intention of keeping the promise he had made. Why would he? He had met this girl once and she had done nothing but be offended by him. He was a Shelby. He didn't go around helping posh little princesses.

"That's better," Tommy muttered as she finally stopped her struggling.

He moved his hand from her and pushed her from him, siting up on the stair and running a hand through his hair. He watched on as Elizabeth remained awkwardly bent over the step, her hands supporting her weight as she continued to sob. Tommy merely sat and watched her, wondering what on earth she was so afraid of returning home for. He could barely muster any sympathy for her. He had seen the bruises on her skin one time, but he knew her heritage now. He wasn't accustomed to pitying little rich girls. He envied them, perhaps, but he never pitied them.

"'Ere," Tommy mumbled, pulling his handkerchief from his pocket and handing it towards her. "Dry your eyes. We need to go before they come back."

She sniffled and wiped her eyes delicately with the handkerchief, watching Tommy with interest as she did so. "And why would you go anywhere with me?"

Sighing, Tommy looked to the ceiling and shook his head. "I don't bloody know," he admitted. It was easier to say that than to admit that he might have a conscience and a heart.

...

A/N: Thank you to everyone who is supporting this fic! I do hope that I am not updating too fast (let me know if I am), but let me know what you think in the meantime!