Elizabeth kept hold of Tommy's hand as the two of them wandered along the docks. Tommy had informed his wife that he had something to share with her, but he had told her that she would only see what it was when they arrived at the dockyard. Biting down on her lip, Liz felt a sense of worry, wondering what her husband had gotten himself into. Tommy unlocked a shed, pushing the wood opening and stepping inside. Elizabeth followed him, the light dim as she let her eyes adjust.

Shutting the door behind her, Tommy moved his hand to the small of her back as he urged her further into the room and she sniffed the air. It took a moment before she wrinkled her nose and pinched the bridge of her nose as she looked up to Tommy.

"Why does it smell like a brewery in here?" she asked from her husband and Tommy chuckled.

"Because it is something like that," Tommy said. "I'm making gin in 'ere."

Elizabeth arched a brow as Tommy stepped further into the room and his wife followed him, her hand taking hold of his as he led her further into the building.

"Why are you making gin? Do you have a licence for that?"

Tommy remained silent and that Liz all that she needed to know. Groaning to herself and rolling her eyes, she tugged on Tommy's hand and stood still, stopping her husband from walking any further into the room.

"Tommy," she complained to him and Tommy shrugged his shoulders to her. "If this isn't legal then you probably shouldn't be doing it, should you?"

"I shouldn't do a lot of things I do, but I promised not to keep secrets from yer, didn't I?" Tommy spoke. "So I thought that I 'ad best tell yer what I'm doin' 'ere. The gin can be sent from the docks and to America. They 'ave a prohibition over there. They want alcohol. We can sell this for a good price."

"So this is certainly illegal," Elizabeth said.

"But with no risk," Tommy promised his wife. "We control the police. No one will know about any of this. It will all be fine, eh, Liz?"

"And if it is not?" Elizabeth wondered. "You know that I worry about you, Tommy. We have a daughter to think of too. I do not mind you expanding the business. I know that you need to, but I wish that you would stick to legal activities."

"Not as much money in those," Tommy shrugged. "Just think about it, Liz, think about the business and money we can do 'ere…"

"Is this what happens to you when you become bored?" Elizabeth wondered from him, moving around the shed and looking to the bottled gin on a shelf. She took hold of a bottle and sniffed it as Tommy watched her move around. "Your mind is tamed in Birmingham. You are not used to being cooped up."

"I guess so," Tommy agreed with her on that front as he took a glass and poured himself a drink of gin. He knew that his wife would never partake. She didn't drink on the best of days. He placed the glass back down once he had downed the alcohol and moved slowly to his wife's side.

Taking hold of her by the waist, he spun her to face him. Looking up to him, she moved her hands to cup his cheeks, holding them tenderly in his grip as Tommy ran his hands up and down her side. She stroked along his cheekbones and let out a deep breath, bowing her head slightly.

"What is the next plan?" Elizabeth wondered from him.

He nodded his head. "I think Changretta will make a move again soon," Tommy promised her. "He still thinks that Pol is on his side and he is going to make his move. I am just waitin' for Pol to tell me when and where. We need to stop him soon."

"We do," Elizabeth commented before she noted a gramophone player in the corner. Arching a brow, she looked back to Tommy. "So you listen to music while you work?"

Tommy chuckled and shook his head. "That old thin' 'as been in 'ere for years," he said to her.

"I haven't heard music in a long time," Elizabeth said, slipping from his grip and moving towards it. She fiddled with the record on it, pressing a few buttons as it began to turn and music soon came to life. Elizabeth smiled widely as she heard the familiar tune of 'When My Baby Smiles At Me.' Tommy let his lips quirk at the sight of his wife as she beamed and stood up straight, holding her hand out to Tommy.

"Would you care for a dance, Mr Shelby?" she asked, her voice light and her tone jovial as Tommy shook his head and chuckled, his hands stuffed into his trouser pockets.

"I don't dance," Tommy said to her. "When 'ave yer ever known me to dance?"

"Never," Elizabeth said. "But you could just humour me."

"Aye, perhaps I could," Tommy responded.

He moved his hand out to take hold of hers, holding it in his grip as his other hand took her waist. He moved slowly, noticing that her stomach had swelled slightly as she tried to press herself against him. He felt her hand go to his shoulder, clinging onto it tightly as he led her around the empty space slowly.

"I bet yer danced when yer were a little girl," Tommy commented and Elizabeth laughed.

"Of course," she said. "I know how to dance. Father made sure I knew how to dance so that I could impress men…potential suitors…but I don't remember those times. Mother used to dance with me when I was a little girl. She used to put music on and bow down as I curtsied…almost as though I was some princess. She would pick me up sometimes and twirl me. I loved it. I used to love it."

"She was a good woman," Tommy said with a nod of his head. "She'd 'ave been proud of yer."

Elizabeth laughed then as Tommy turned them around. "Do you think so?" she wondered from him. "I think she would be concerned more than anything. I doubt she would have thought that her daughter would have married the most notorious gangster in Birmingham."

"Or that her daughter would 'ave turned out 'ow she 'as done."

"And how have I turned out?" Elizabeth enquired of her husband.

"Strong…beautiful…not just a wife, but a woman with 'er own mind. A woman who 'as courage and strength. Yer so much more than my wife."

"I never thought that you would…I…I do not know," Elizabeth waved off and Tommy looked amused as he listened to her. He moved his hand from her waist to her cheek, forcing her to look back at him as she laughed softly and then moved to kiss him.

"When I first met you I assumed that you would only want a woman like Lizzie Starke. She was so strong and she always seemed so confident. I was nothing like her. I was so quiet and meek…I was weak…I thought that you would never want me. You just pitied me."

"For a while I did pity yer," Tommy said with a nod of his head. "But then I grew to know yer and I fell for yer, Liz. I fell for the girl who I bumped into outside The Garrison all those years ago. Yer stll 'er and I'm still me…we've just grown up."

"We have had to," Elizabeth responded. "We have a daughter now."

"With another one on the way," Tommy said and moved a hand to her stomach. "I can feel the bump."

"I thought that my dresses were getting tighter," Elizabeth said. "I have maternity clothes back at the house."

"Hopefully we will be back there before yer need 'em," Tommy said and Elizabeth nodded.

"Hopefully."

….

Elizabeth looked to Pol as she finished cooking dinner the following evening. Pol was knelt on the floor with Charlotte, listening to the little girl read her a book. Elizabeth had been peeling vegetables for the stew, wondering where Tommy was. He had told her that he had business at the factory and had asked Finn to go with him along with Arthur.

The three of them walked into the house just as Elizabeth had finished putting the stew into the oven. She pulled her apron from her waist and tossed it over a chair as Arthur and Finn sat down at the table. Tommy pulled out a bottle of whiskey and slid it over to them.

"I take it business went well?" Elizabeth enquired from her husband and Tommy wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her chastely.

"Gold's son fought one of our workers and won with ease," Arthur said as he poured the alcohol and took a sip. "Next stop is someone bigger."

"And who would that be?" Elizabeth wondered.

"Alfie Solomons has a nephew," Tommy said. "He is coming up next week."

"And we're goin' to put on the biggest boxin' match that Birmingham 'as ever seen," Arthur bellowed with a laugh and ruffled Finn's hair roughly as the younger boy swatted his brother away. "And it'll be front row seats for all of yer."

"And who will look after the children?" Elizabeth asked.

"Bring 'em along," Arthur shrugged.

"I do not think that is an appropriate place for children," Elizabeth responded. "They have enough violence around them. They do not need to see it for sport."

"Then I think we've found the nominated babysitter," Pol said as she moved to her feet and Charlotte finally noticed her father.

Moving towards him, she held her arms out and Tommy took hold of her, hauling her into his arms as she wrapped her legs around him and he felt her small arms around his neck. He bent down to kiss the top of her head as Charlotte rested her head on his shoulder.

"Fine with me," Elizabeth nodded. "Regardless, how is everything else?"

"Pretty quiet," Tommy admitted. "We're just waitin' for Changretta to make his move."

Tommy exchanged a knowing glance with Pol and the woman nodded to him. He said nothing about his plan with Pol, preferring to keep it quiet until the time came for it to be revealed. He knew that the mafia were tailing him, but he didn't know how close they would come.

Putting Charlotte to bed that night, Tommy kissed his daughter goodnight before going to check on his security. He had received word that Changretta planned to attack in the morning. He had his men, but he didn't realise that Tommy had his. He told them to send word to Arthur and Pol before he went back inside, locking the door and heading up to his own bedroom.

Elizabeth was already in bed, dressed in her white nightgown. The single bed was just big enough for both of them if they entwined limbs, but Tommy didn't seem to mind. He changed with haste, not bothering with a nightshirt before climbing into bed. His wife reached over him to put her book on the bedside table before nestling her head against his shoulder, her hand going to his chest and tracing the tattoo that sat there.

"Changretta intends to make 'is move tomorrow," Tommy said in a whisper and Elizabeth wrapped her legs against her husbands. "I've alerted my men and we'll stop 'im before he can do anythin'."

"Are you certain?" Elizabeth enquired from him.

"Pretty certain," Tommy said. "We need to act as though we know nothin', but he'll be gone before we know it."

"I…Christ, Tommy," Elizabeth whispered in a small voice and Tommy bent down to kiss her slowly, his lips moving over hers as he moved his other hand down her shoulder. Pulling back, Tommy looked her in the eye.

"I doubt I'm goin' to get much sleep."

"That would make two of us," Elizabeth said. "And there is no other way to stop him? You have to go out there?"

"I 'ave to do it. We 'ave 'im ambushed, Liz. He won't get close to us, alright?"

"That still does nothing to put me at ease."

"Then perhaps we will have to distract each other, eh?" Tommy mumbled and moved to kiss her neck as Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but didn't bother to argue with her husband as she longed to get through the next twenty four hours.

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