Tommy remained flat on his back, hands clasping onto his stomach as he rested in the small bed. He missed the manor. He missed the luxuries he had grown accustomed to. He wanted to go home. He considered that to be home more than anywhere else now. It was where Charlotte had been raised. It was the first home he had bought for himself and his wife. It was the first time he felt like he was someone. He knew that Elizabeth wouldn't care if they had to spend the rest of their days trapped in the cramped terrace house in Small Heath.
She only cared about him, Charlotte and their unborn child. Tommy knew that. Of course, he felt the same. So long as he had his wife and daughter then he was happy. But he liked the finer things in life. He liked them more than he cared to admit.
Rolling his head to the side, he saw that Elizabeth was still sleeping between him and the wall. Resting on her side, she was nestled against Tommy, her arm draped over his stomach and her hair tickling against his neck as her warm breath blew against his bare skin. Closing his eyes for another moment, Tommy moved slowly, pulling Elizabeth's arm from him and resting it by her side. She shifted slightly, but still didn't wake, despite the morning sun breaking through the curtains.
Letting out a soft sigh, Tommy moved from the bed and dressed silently, leaving Elizabeth to sleep. Bending down once he had finished, he kissed her forehead slowly and then moved off, prepared to conduct business once more.
…
Sitting in his office in the factory, Tommy leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes for a moment. He apparently had a meeting with Jessie Eden later on in the morning and he wondered just exactly what she wanted. He knew that coming to the factory might not be the best thing for him to do, considering Changretta still had men in the area, but Tommy was protected too. Besides, he could handle men himself.
Michael had been shipped off with Aberama Gold after Changretta discovered that Pol had betrayed his trust. But Tommy could sense it was nearing the end. He didn't know entirely what was going to happen, but he had his plan. He only hoped that he could pull it off. But Jessie Eden was not part of the plan, yet she kept on popping up and threatening revolution. Tommy had to admit that she was becoming a thorn in his side.
"Ada," Tommy spoke as soon as he saw his sister enter his office. His brow arched as she walked further into the office.
"I don't know what is going on, Tommy, but there is something that you are not telling me," Ada snapped. "Do you know that I was hauled in by the British army yesterday? They wanted to know about my Communist beliefs all because of you. Why would they want to do that, hm?"
Tommy almost felt the need to roll his eyes, but he remained composed, leaning back in his chair as Ada remained stood, arms folded over her beige coat as she wore that condescending look on her face.
"I 'ave a contract with the army," Tommy said. "It's business. Don't worry, alright? Yer safe, okay?"
"Contracts?" she echoed back to him. "You are working with the army now?"
Tommy nodded his head. "It is business, Ada, alright? I need business to keep this afloat…everythin'…and they offer some very well paid contracts. Listen, alright, just don't worry."
"You are unbelievable," Ada huffed at him. "So why have they given you their business, Tommy? There must be a reason. I've given up socialism and swapped sides."
"Yer know I don't entirely believe that, Ada, but I know that you're with us now," Tommy said. "The Colonel who questioned yer was someone I knew from Flanders. He arrested yer yesterday mornin' because he knew that yer knew Jessie Eden. He wants me to name the members of her revolution and give 'em up to 'im."
Ada shook her head. "And if you do that then you will get the contracts?"
"Precisely that," Tommy nodded and moved to his feet, wandering to his drink's cabinet and grabbing the whiskey.
"You're unbelievable," Ada snapped at him. "How do you think this is going to end, Tommy? You can't stop a revolution. Do you think that Jessie Eden will willingly give you the names of her associates? I assume that was how you were going to get them?"
"I don't know yet," Tommy responded. "She's comin' 'ere in the next hour."
"And she thinks that you are on her side and will help her when there is a revolution? Is that why she is so interested in you?"
"I'd assume so," Tommy nodded.
Ada rolled her eyes. "What are you doing, Tommy?" Ada wondered. "What are you really going to do to make this all better? If you sell out Jessie then you know what that means? You might not like her…agree with her beliefs…but selling her out is wrong."
"It's necessary," Tommy spoke. "This contract-"
"-And Lizzie?" Ada interrupted him. "Does she know what you are doing? Does she know everything about you? What is it with you, Tommy? Business is always the first thing on your mind."
"Jessie Eden is no concern of Lizzie's, nor of mine," Tommy said with a shake of his head. "Liz knows what I am. She knows who I am."
"I'm glad she does, because I don't know anymore, Tom," Ada shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not involved in this. I want nothing to do with whatever it is you have planned."
"I won't drag yer into anythin'," Tommy promised her.
"Good," Ada snapped and turned to the door. "Because if I get dragged before the army again then I swear there will be hell to pay, Tom. Do you understand me?"
"Perfectly," Tommy nodded and Ada left him alone, considering her words and wondering what exactly he should do about Jessie Eden.
…
Looking to Elizabeth, Tommy stood in the doorway for a few brief moments, his eyes settled on her back. She was dressed in a long green skirt and white blouse, her hands holding the curtain back as she peered out and onto the street in front of her. Tommy folded his arms over his chest before he saw her turn her head over her shoulder, looking to him in the doorway. She spun on the spot and folded her arms over her chest as Tommy entered the bedroom.
"Any news on Luca travelling to see Alfie?"
"Nah," Tommy said with a shake of his head. "Alfie will be up 'ere soon enough. His nephew is in the boxin' match next week."
"And if it is too late?" Elizabeth fretted. "What if he comes up here with Luca? What then?"
"It won't come to that," Tommy promised her. "I won't let it."
"You know there are some things that I never understand about you, Tommy," Elizabeth informed him, her hand raking through her hair as Tommy tugged his coat from his body, throwing it to the bottom of the bed as he closed the door to the bedroom.
"And what are they?" Tommy enquired from her as she went to sit down on the bed and he remained stood.
"Your willingness to accept everything without seeming phased," Elizabeth commented. "There are sometimes when I question what goes through your mind. I have spent the past few weeks worrying over everything, but when you come home…even after everything that has happened…you just seem calm. You are always too calm."
"Yer think I am calm?" Tommy enquired from her, moving to sit down besides her, his hand moving across his body to cup her cheek and turn her gaze onto him. "Liz, just because I act like this doesn't mean I'm calm. Yer know me. Yer know how I am…this is just me."
"I know," Elizabeth sighed, nodding her head. "I'm just scared, that's all. I just think about Charlotte and everything that has happened…everything we have gone through…how Alfie betrayed us once before and Charlotte was taken from us. I can't see history repeat itself."
"Charlotte is goin' to be safe," Tommy promised his wife. "Listen to me, Liz, alright? Nothin' is goin' to 'appen to Charlotte…or you."
"So what is the plan, Tommy?" Elizabeth wondered, taking his hand from her cheek, kissing the back of it.
Tommy let out a shaky breath. "I know that I promised not to keep secrets from yer," he said. "And I don't want that. We both made that promise. I just need yer to know that things at the factory might not be so harmonious. I…Jessie Eden is still causin' trouble for me. She wants me on her side. She wants me to help 'er with 'er revolution."
"Tommy Shelby working with the socialists," Elizabeth said in a distant voice before shaking her head and looking to him. "I know you. You don't take sides. You've worked for the Crown…the police…the IRA even tried to get you. You work for yourself. You look after yourself and your own interests."
"Is that what yer think?" Tommy asked from her.
"Yes," she said, looking him in the eye. "All of these people have tried to take you down…use you…and look how you responded, Tommy. You never let them win."
"Everythin' I do is for you and Charlotte," Tommy said. "Fuck everyone else, Liz. Everyone else doesn't matter to me."
"Then I am right?" she asked from him. "You have no intention of joining Jessie Eden?"
"None at all," Tommy said without skipping a beat. "The army have offered me a lucrative contract if I give up the names of those involved with the armed revolution."
"And what did you tell them?"
"I said that I would think about it," Tommy said. "If I give the names up then I end up with a lucrative contract from the armed forces. Yer know that would make business boom…but there are other things that I could do…other ways that it could go."
"What other ways?" Elizabeth enquired from him.
"Yer know I am an OBE…but there are other things that I could do, Liz," Tommy whispered. "There are other things that I could do with power and influence, especially with Jessie Eden's influence. Birmingham is full of working class people and they don't like people like me…people with OBE's."
Elizabeth's brow furrowed. "Am I supposed to understand what you are talking about?"
Tommy chuckled and shrugged out of his jacket, tugging his holster and gun, placing it onto the bedside table before looking to Elizabeth, a hand going to her neck as his fingers tickled against the skin there.
"I could run for MP," Tommy told her.
Elizabeth's eyes widened as she looked to him, her mouth gaping. "You are kidding," she stated, but the look on his face told her that he was not joking. He was being serious. He was being deadly serious. "So you are not kidding."
"Think about it," Tommy urged from his wife. "I can play both sides, Liz. This way I am the one who is complete control."
Elizabeth held her hands up then. "I am so confused," she mumbled, moving to her feet. "So what is it? The government want you to infiltrate the communist movement to help bring it down? But then the communist movement think that they could potentially use you if you become an MP. Which, by the way, is a very big if at this moment in time considering you have done nothing to insinuate that you would join their cause as every time you see Jessie Eden you end up disagreeing with her."
"The government pays well," Tommy shrugged nonchalantly. "But it's not just about that, Liz. I could further my career…I could actually do something for good, couldn't I? Birmingham South will be up for grabs. I could do it, Liz."
"I don't doubt it," Elizabeth said to him. "I just want to know why you would want to."
"Because it will open up more opportunities," he said to her.
"And what about everything else? Luca is still at large. Should you not worry about him before wanting to run for MP?"
"I will," Tommy said. "I just wanted to know what yer thought about everythin'. I want yer backin' if I do this, Liz. I want yer by my side."
Elizabeth sunk back down onto the bed, clasping her hands together. "I never knew you had political ambitions," she whispered. "I never thought that was the type of man you were."
"I don't," Tommy said. "I just 'ave ambitions. Yer know that about me…the gin…the businesses…all of 'em 'ave grown because of ambition. I want to take that ambition further. I want thin's to grow. What do yer say, Liz? Yer could be the wife of an MP."
Elizabeth looked to him, a sad smile on her face. "I was happy just being the wife of Thomas Shelby, the man I met from Small Heath," she commented.
"This is 'im, Liz," Tommy said, moving to stroke her cheek gently. "I am 'im."
"I know," Elizabeth nodded. "Can we talk about this another day? Can we not just deal with Luca and then talk about this?"
"If yer want," Tommy shrugged.
Elizabeth nodded and kissed him. "Thank you," she said. "Now come on, I promised Charlotte that you would be home in time to read to her before bed. She should be finished with the reading I set her."
Tommy watched his wife walk away, a hand on her stomach as he contemplated his political ambitions. He stood up after a moment, lighting a cigarette as he tugged them from his coat pocket. Blowing out a puff of smoke, he felt his lips quirk as he thought to the future and just what he could achieve with his wife by his side.
…
A/N: Do let me know what you think!
