Elizabeth stood up, tugging on her leather gloves before reaching for her coat on the coat rack in the foyer. Tommy was stood by the door as Pol stood on the staircase, holding Charlotte in her arms. Tommy looked to his wife as he held the door open, his hands curled around it. His gaze was set on Elizabeth as she finished buttoning her coat up and then straightened it out.

"Yer not comin' with me," Tommy informed his wife.

She scoffed. "I want to see this woman who thought she could seduce my husband," Elizabeth responded to Tommy and he rolled his eyes.

"Yer know I ain't goin' to do anythin'," Tommy said and Elizabeth nodded.

"It is not you I am worried about," Elizabeth said. "It is her who I want to see."

Nodding his head, Tommy gave in. He was in no mood to argue with Elizabeth. He watched on as his wife went over to kiss Charlotte on the top of her head before nodding to Pol. Walking to the driveway, Elizabeth allowed Tommy to pill open the door for her. She climbed into the car and Tommy went to the driver's side, settling down and starting the vehicle.

They said nothing to each other, the atmosphere between them still tense after the discussion from the previous night. Tommy still had no idea where he stood with his wife. She had told him of her worries and how Charlotte would come first. She had told him that she would be willing to walk away from him. Tommy was desperate for that not to happen. He couldn't lose his wife, not now.

Ever since he had returned from the war, he had been different. But war changed men. War changed them and Tommy didn't know how he could change back. He would think back to before the war and how he would laugh and joke. He was smile more. Tommy couldn't remember smiling with Elizabeth since he came back from France. She was the only thing that kept him sane. She was the only thing that made him feel like life was worth living. Her and Charlotte were the only ones who mattered.

Elizabeth kept her gaze out of the window, wrapped in her thick blue coat with her gloved hand in her lap. She kept her gaze even, her mind thinking about what she should do. She didn't know how to move on with Tommy after this. She didn't know if he could move on. But her marriage couldn't be over. She couldn't lose Tommy. She loved him.

"We're 'ere," Tommy said, stopping the car and climbing out.

He helped Elizabeth down, looking to his wife as she avoided his gaze. Looking down the dirt track they had driven down, Elizabeth was more focused on the Grand Duchess than anything. The woman was stood by her own vehicle with a man sat at a table next to her. She had a case in her fingers. Tommy went into the trunk, dragging out his own bag before wandering down the dirt track with Elizabeth by his side.

"I didn't think you would bring company, Tommy," Tatiana declared. "And you look so dishevelled."

That much was true. Tommy hadn't showered since he had returned home and his face was covered in cuts and a few bruises from where he had been tunnelling. His coat was open and his shirt top button undone, his hair a mess on top of his head. Contrary to the Grand Duchess, who wore a burgundy coat and hat, her face perfectly made up and her eyes shimmering as Tommy deposited a bag on the table that the man was sat at.

"Let's get this over with," Tommy said.

The man at the table began to open the contents of the bag and the case as Tatiana spoke.

"This is my man," Tatiana spoke. "He just needs to verify the value of the items. I have to say, it was a pleasure doing business with you. It is a shame your wife couldn't have attended one of our parties."

"I heard all about your party," Elizabeth chipped in as Tommy pulled out a cigarette and lit it up.

"You told her?" Tatiana enquired from Tommy.

"I don't keep secrets from 'er," Tommy responded.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Tatiana spoke.

"He doesn't," Elizabeth defended Tommy, not sure if he was telling the truth. He did keep secrets from her and she knew it. She knew it better than most. "He told me everything. I always pity women who throw themselves at married men."

Tatiana didn't look perturbed in the slightest. Instead she continued to smirk.

"And I pity men whose wives cannot keep them satisfied."

"Is that an insult?" Elizabeth wondered.

"Depends," Tatiana responded. "I did not mean for it to be, but if I struck a nerve then perhaps there was something behind the comment."

"Don't you dare," Elizabeth warned her.

"Come now," Tatiana said. "It was clear to see that night that your husband wasn't satisfied. Perhaps it is something to do with childbirth? I had heard-"

She never had a chance to finish her sentence as Elizabeth moved with haste, her hand slapping the Grand Duchess across the face as Tommy remained passive, his eyes lighting up slightly at the sight of his wife. She said nothing further. Instead she turned on her heel and began to walk away as Tatiana clutched onto her cheek and Tommy blew out a puff of smoke. Holding her head up high, Elizabeth continued to move away and back to the car.

"Your wife is a-"

"-Don't yer dare," Tommy interrupted, his voice low and dangerous, "finish that sentence."

Pursing her lips, Tatiana remained silent as business was concluded. Tommy collected the money from her, holding the case in his fingers after checking it. Looking to her, Tommy gave her one final nod.

"You'll get bored of her eventually," Tatiana concluded. "She will want the peaceful life…the life you cannot offer her."

"Don't talk about 'er," Tommy demanded from Tatiana, beginning to turn on his heel. "She's so much more than yer will ever be."

Sitting in the study, Tommy waited with bated breath, hunched over his desk with rolls of cash in front of him. He knew that this was it. This was everything. It was going to be done. He was going to do this to his family and it cut him up inside. It made him want to reconsider, but he would find a way to save them. He knew that he could.

"Tommy," Elizabeth's voice echoed in the study as she walked in. "Why are all of your family here?"

Tommy didn't have a chance to answer as everyone streamed into the study. Elizabeth moved over to the desk as Tommy stood up and looked to his wife. Moving around the desk as his family took to their seats he had laid out, he let his hands move to cup her cheeks, holding onto them gently. Looking into her eyes, Tommy whispered, his voice soft and shaky.

"This isn't what it looks like," Tommy said in a whisper. "I have a plan. I need you to believe me. Out of everyone in this room…I need you to believe me…"

"Tommy, you're scaring me," Elizabeth responded and he moved quickly, kissing the top of her head before letting her go.

She stepped back as Pol moved to hand her Charlotte. Taking her daughter into her grip, Liz wondered how long it had been since she had seen all these faces in the same room together. Lizzie Starke had managed an invite along with Esme and Linda. Ada was sat at the front, her legs folded over each other as Pol sat next to her and Michael behind.

"Before I begin," Tommy said, voice hollow. "I want everyone to know that I made a mistake. I should never 'ave got involved with the Soviets. Arthur warned me against it…Liz…everyone warned me against it and I'm sorry."

"Linda," Tommy said, looking to the woman. "I've added some more money to the pile and I 'ope that yer will forgive me."

Tossing the money to the corner of the desk, Tommy watched on as Linda stood, moving towards the desk and taking the money. She accepted the apology before Tommy offered the same apologies to John and Esme, giving them the money they had. Elizabeth kept her eyes on her husband as she stood to the side, cradling Charlotte to her. This wasn't the Tommy she knew. Tommy was deflated. He was speaking in a weak voice, the words he was saying held no emotion to them. He was hollow.

"And Michael," Tommy said. "Money for the killin's-"

"-No," Pol said, interrupting him and standing up, grabbing hold of the money before Tommy could throw it to Michael. She dropped it back onto the desk.

"What?" Tommy yelled, his voice growing louder as Charlotte turned her head, her eyes moving to her father at the sound of his voice. Elizabeth ran her hand down Charlotte's hair, cupping the back of her head. "This is who I am, isn't it, Pol? This is all I am to yer. Wasn't that what yer told my wife last night?"

"I told her the truth," Pol responded.

"Yer told 'er what yer think I am," Tommy said. "And yer know what, Pol? Yer probably right. I'm not goin' to change and do yer know why? Because those bastards out there won't let met!" Tommy yelled, pointing to the window as Elizabeth felt her breath hitch and her body begin to shake. "They're worse than us…politicians…lords…ladies…and none of 'em will ever let us be. They will never let us be legitimate because of who we are and where we come from."

"Yer just say what yer want, Tommy," Pol said. "Yer pay us and 'ope we will forget all this 'as 'appened? Yer not thinkin' straight."

"I'm thinkin' as clearly as I 'ave in a long time," Tommy said. "This company will never be legitimate. Yer know that."

"No," Pol said. "I want a different future than this, Tommy. I want a better future."

"Yer can't always get what yer want," Tommy muttered.

Pol furrowed her brow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Tommy let out a deep breath as Elizabeth closed her eyes and felt something inside of her break. Was he being honest? Was Tommy telling the truth? He had told her earlier not to think that this was what it looked like.

"I spoke to Moss last night," Tommy said, sinking down and looking to his desk. "Warrants have been issued for yer arrests. Murder…conspiracy to cause explosion…Arthur and John…Michael…murder…Pol…the murder of Chester Campbell."

"What?" Elizabeth was the one to demand, remembering exactly what had happened on the day that Pol had killed Campbell. Pol had saved Elizabeth. She had saved her from a fate she feared. Shaking her head back and forth as cries of panic rang around the room, Elizabeth looked at all of their faces as Tommy tried to explain.

"Now, the people who we went against control the police…the politicians…they control everyone," Tommy said. "They control everyone, but they do not control the government. I 'ave a deal in return for givin' evidence against them. The money will be yours when yer free."

"This is a joke," Elizabeth said, moving towards her husband as cries and screams echoed throughout the house and Charlotte began to sob as Elizabeth met Tommy's gaze. "Tommy…this is a joke, isn't it?"

He simply looked at his wife as she shook her head and backed away from him.

"I 'ad no choice," Tommy said.

"They could have fled," Elizabeth said as she the screams echoed through her ears, the police moving into the house. "You could have told them before. You could have told them and they could have run."

"But I'll free 'em," Tommy said. "I can get to the government and I can make this go away."

"And do you know that for a fact?" Elizabeth demanded from him, her voice shrill as Charlotte continued to wail, but Elizabeth couldn't leave this. "You don't know if you can do that…and you…you dragged them into this…you could have left them out of this."

"Aye, I could 'ave," Tommy said. "But yer know who we are, Liz. Yer know what we do. I 'ad no choice but to do this-"

"-You had a choice not to double cross people," Elizabeth interrupted. "You always blame everyone else, Tommy. You always say that you were forced into this life…forced to do this…"

"I was," Tommy said.

"But you do nothing to change it," Elizabeth said. "You…I don't know, Tommy. I don't know what to say or what to think."

She left him then, moving into the foyer where the police had entered. Catching Pol's eye, she looked to her as the woman spoke and Tommy moved to the doorway, standing behind his wife and observing his family being handcuffed and dragged away. Looking to Elizabeth, Pol called over to her, her voice harsh but her tone full of honesty.

"Get out," Pol snapped. "Get out before 'e ruins yer daughter…before he ruins everythin'."

"Pol…" Elizabeth whispered her name.

"Be stronger than I 'ave been," Pol said as she began to be dragged towards the door and Elizabeth followed her. "Get away from 'im."

"I'll try to help you," Elizabeth whispered to Pol. "Pol…Campbell…he…"

"I know," Pol said, sharing a knowing glance with her. "Just get out, Liz."

Elizabeth had no chance to follow her as the Shelby's were bundled into the police truck. Linda, Esme, Ada and Lizzie Starks gathered together outside, looking on in absolute horror. Elizabeth watched the vans drive down the long driveway before she looked to Tommy, her face pale and the disgust evident.

"I'll make this right," Tommy said to Elizabeth.

"Good," Elizabeth. "Because Pol was right, Tommy. I need to get away from you."

Ada walked back into the house and looked to Tommy and Elizabeth.

"What the 'ell was that?" she demanded from her brother. "Yer couldn't 'elp yerself, could yer, Tommy? Yer had to get involved deeper than yer were asked. You could have just done what Churchill asked, but yer went further. Yer ruined everythin'!"

"I know what I did," Tommy responded.

"Ada, please can you take Charlotte for a moment?" Elizabeth asked before there could be a blown out argument.

Ada huffed, but did as Elizabeth had asked. She took Charlotte and tried to soothe her. Elizabeth moved to the staircase and began to move up them. Tommy followed her into the bedroom and saw her begin to pull out a trunk. He moved with haste then, stopping her from completing the motion, his hands going to take hold of her wrists.

"Don't," he urged from her as she struggled to look him in the eye. "Liz, don't."

"Why not?" Elizabeth asked from him. "Tommy…it's like I don't even know who you are anymore. I don't know the man I married. Where has he gone?"

"I don't fuckin' know," Tommy informed his wife. "I don't know who 'e is, Elizabeth. I don't know who I am. Is that what yer want to 'ear? Yer want to 'ear that I don't who I am? I know what I promised yer. I told yer that I would go and I will go. I will go away with yer. You and Charlotte are all that matter to me. Do yer get that?"

"No," Elizabeth responded, looking him in the eye. "Tommy, I love you. I love you and I love the man who I know you were. The man…the man who I was happy with. But I was happy in a bedsit in London with you. I was happy with you in Small Heath. I didn't need this…the house…the money…"

"I did that for us," Tommy said. "I did it to give us a better life."

"But at what expense?" Elizabeth demanded from him. "Tommy, this all started because…because you couldn't walk away. The night when Sabini took us and John and Arthur saved us…we could have gone. We could have left. We didn't need to come back here…have Sabini turfed from the racetracks. We didn't need to do any of that. We chose to do it."

"No," Tommy said with a firm shake of his head. "Sabini would 'ave 'urt yer and Arthur couldn't run the business 'ere."

"But the business was never legitimate," Elizabeth said to him. "And I turned a blind eye to it, Tommy. I know…I know who you are and I knew who you were when I married you. I looked past everything because I love you. I love you and I…I am a hypocrite. I berate you for doing dodgy business, but I look away from it."

"What are yer tryin' to say?"

"I am trying to say that this is toxic," Elizabeth said, her hands holding onto Tommy's shoulders. "What we have is toxic. Our daughter was kidnapped because of business you are involved in…business that your brother warned you against. Business that you took too far."

Tommy shook his head. "I did what I 'ad to."

"And you always say that," Elizabeth said with wide eyes and a shake of her head. "You always use that excuse and I always defend you. I always think that you don't have a choice, but that doesn't make any of this any better, does it? None of this is alright. I…I told you about Michael…about how he shouldn't kill and you disagreed with me on that. We have different perspectives."

"No," Tommy continued to speak.

"I mean, Finn was sat talking to me about how he doesn't want to be like any of you," Elizabeth said. "He needs to get out of this environment…just like our daughter needs to."

"What the 'ell are you sayin'?" Tommy demanded, letting go of Elizabeth as he began to pace through the bedroom. "One minute yer tellin' me yer love me and don't want to lose me and the next yer stood 'ere and leavin' me!"

"Just because I love you doesn't mean that I can do this!" Elizabeth snapped back, flapping her hands by her side as she moved closer to Tommy and took hold of him by the upper arms, holding them tightly. "I love you more than anything, but I don't know like what you have become. The man down there," she pointed to the ground, "the man who spoke to his family as if they were nothing but hired assassins for him to pay…that is not the man I fell in love with."

"Because that man 'ad to change!" Tommy snapped back. "That man went to war and never came back, Liz. That man died in France. He died in France when 'e did what 'e 'ad to do. He died when the woman he promised to marry never wrote to 'im."

Looking away, Elizabeth let go of Tommy and began to move to the window. "You know that I wanted to write," she said to him.

"I know," Tommy sighed. "And I…I don't blame yer. I never blamed yer, Liz. I just don't want to lose yer…not now…not like this…please."

Elizabeth let out a deep breath as she felt Tommy come to stand behind her, one arm wrapping around her waist. He moved his other hand to take hold of her cheek, forcing her to look him in the eye as his gaze searched hers.

"Yer all I 'ave." Tommy whispered and she felt something inside of her crumble.

Elizabeth looked away from him as he kept his arm around her and she bit down on her cheek and whispered to herself; "I just don't know if I am enough."

...

A/N: Do let me know what you think!