Alfie was in his study sorting out some paperwork when Niamh let out the most blood curdling scream ever heard in the entirety of mankind. Taking the stairs two at a time, Alfie burst through the bedroom door expecting to find his wife half dead but when he saw her stood on the bed clutching a bath towel around her body with a look of sheer horror on her face he frowned.
"What the hell are you screechin' like a bloody banshee for?"
"I was sitting at the dressing table doing my hair and the biggest ever spider just crawled across my foot," Niamh answered.
"A spider?" Alfie scoffed. "I thought you was bein' murdered woman."
"It wasn't just a spider," Niamh pouted. "It was huge and it was all hairy and just bleurgh… It's right under the dressing table now just staring at me."
Alfie shook his head and tutted; bloody women and their bloody dramatics over little insects. He pulled the little stool out of the way and crouched down to find the little critter that was causing so much fuss, and he was actually a little taken aback to find that it was really rather huge. Not that he would tell Niamh so. Scooping it up in his hands, Niamh squealed when he walked past the bed and towards the window.
"Sure you don't wanna say hello," he pushed his hands towards her face, making her scramble back on the bed as far as she could.
Alfie guffawed loudly, getting the reaction he hoped for, and once he had released the eight legged monster he reached over to grab Niamh by the ankles and drag her down the bed towards him.
"You… are a nutter," he grinned, placing his hands either side of her face and lightly resting his body against hers. "And how is it you had no problem pickin' up that mouse in the garden the other day but you're afraid of a little spider?"
"Ok, it wasn't little and you know it," Niamh narrowed her eyes at him, trying to ignore how good he smelled and how warm he felt on top of her. "And if you really want to know why I'm afraid of spiders then you can blame John. When we were kids, I accidentally broke one of his toys and when I was asleep that night he sneaked into mine and Ada's bedroom and threw a cup of spiders he'd collected all over me."
"I'd say I was shocked but considerin' your brother- in fact all your brothers- are fuckin' animals it aint really surprisin'," Alfie smirked.
"Hey," Niamh scowled, punching him in the chest. "That's not very nice."
"Oh I'm sorry," he murmured, brushing his lips over hers as one of his hands reached for the towel covering her. "I think this needs to come off."
"Ha, not a chance. The only reason this is coming off is so that I can get dressed."
"That aint very nice, is it?" Alfie tutted. "'Specially not after I just rescued you from that giant spider."
"It was hardly giant," Niamh smirked. "Now get off me you great big oaf so I can get dressed."
Alfie's eyes watched her for a moment, narrowing them slightly and trying to decide what to do when he scrunched up his nose and shook his head. Niamh screeched when he yanked the towel off without warning and threw it behind him before his mouth descended on hers. They both knew she wasn't going to resist and when her hands snaked up into his hair, Alfie grinned against her lips.
He loved that he was always able to get his own way with her. There really were perks to being married to someone beautiful like his wife was.
"Stop fiddlin' with your hair," Alfie tutted, pulling Niamh's hand down gently and keeping hold of it.
"I look a mess," Niamh huffed. "And it's all your bloody fault because I didn't have time to do my hair properly."
"You weren't complainin' when my mouth was on your-"
The door swung open before Alfie could finish his sentence and Niamh prayed that Ollie didn't notice her red face as he welcomed them into his home. Ollie Jr and Abraham were ecstatic to see Uncle Alfie especially when he presented them with a bag of sweets each and some new colouring pencils.
"Oh so you two decided to show up then," Karina stepped out of the kitchen with baby Joshua in her arms and a floral apron wrapped around her waist.
"Sorry we're a bit late, Karina," Alfie apologised, kissing her on the cheek. "We got a bit… distracted."
"I don't want to know," Karina chuckled, reaching around Alfie to hug Niamh who didn't even ask before scooping Joshua up for a cuddle.
"He somehow seems bigger than just a few days ago. Oh and is that a tooth I see poking out of those little gums?" Niamh cooed down at the baby, smiling when he started to babble incessantly at her.
"Handsome little bugger, aint he?" Alfie reached for the baby's finger, grinning when he squeezed it. "Definitely get that off your Uncle Alfie don't ya, mate?"
"I heard that," Ollie pretended to frown as he wrestled the sweet bags from his boys to hide in the kitchen until after dinner. As he walked past Niamh he bent down to kiss his son's head. "All three of my boys look like their mum and I couldn't be happier with that because she's beautiful."
"Soppy twat," Alfie grunted but secretly he thought there was something rather sweet about the way Ollie and Karina were still so in love despite being parents to three children and having barely no time alone together any more. Before Niamh, he'd always pretended to himself it wasn't anything he ever wanted, but with the way things were going between them he couldn't deny that he'd been thinking more and more about any children they might one day have together. He hoped they had their mother's beautiful blue eyes and radiant smile. "What's for dinner then 'cause I'm starvin'."
"Alfie, that's so rude," Niamh scowled at him.
"Don't worry, Niamh," Karina smirked. "We're used to him by now. Go and sit your bum down at the dinner table, Alf, and you'll find out as soon I serve up, won't you?"
"Wow, invite people over for dinner and then talk to 'em like crap," Alfie huffed indignantly in Karina's direction. "Good job I've been excited about eatin' your cookin' all week otherwise I'd be out of that door right now."
"Uncle Alfie!" Abraham shouted from the dining room. "Come and sit next to me."
"No, sit next to me!" Ollie Jr shouted.
"At least your kids like me," Alfie commented with a grin. "Come on, Niamh."
"Do you want some help, Karina?" Niamh asked.
"Keep hold of the baby if you don't mind," Karina grinned. "And make sure the boys don't kill each other in their fight to both sit next to Alfie, yeah?"
In the living room, Alfie had the boys sit down either side of him to avoid any arguments and Niamh sat down opposite him holding Joshua, who was half awake and reaching out for her hair with his chubby little hand. Niamh grabbed his fist and pretended to chew it, drawing the sweetest chuckle from him that made even Alfie smile. His chest tightened as he watched Niamh cooing down at the baby and making him laugh again and again, and Alfie desperately wanted to see her doing that with their own child one day.
When Karina and Ollie had served up dinner, Niamh asked if she should put the baby in his bassinet but Karina sighed and shook her head, explaining that the baby was so unsettled lately that unless he was being held he would just scream and cry.
"I still blame Ollie," Karina narrowed her eyes playfully at her husband, who offered to take the baby so that his wife could eat.
"Don't be daft," Karina waved him off. "Just cut up my dinner for me if you would and then I only need one hand to eat with."
"Have you thought about using a sling?" Niamh suggested as Ollie reached across for his wife's plate.
"A what?" Karina frowned.
"I don't know why I didn't think of this when you mentioned it the other week, actually. Have you got a large blanket?" Niamh asked, smiling when Karina eyed her warily but nonetheless she disappeared to find one. "Right, hold Joshua against your chest like that," Niamh ordered gently when Karina returned, trying to remember how Esme used to make a sling back at Watery Lane. The first time didn't quite work but once Niamh realised her error the second attempt was a success, and a few minutes later, baby Joshua was snuggled up against his mother's chest while she had her hands free to eat her dinner.
"Where on earth did you learn that?" Karina smiled, suitably impressed.
"I come from a big family," Niamh shrugged. "And there's always work to be done on traveller camps so it's just an easy way to keep babies quiet while you're getting on with what needs to be done."
"You'll have to show me again later how you did that because I think you've just changed my life for the better," Karina chuckled, brushing a hand over the top of Joshua's head as his eyes started to drift shut.
"Never knew you gypsies was good for anythin' other than stealin' and connin' people but you've proved me wrong," Alfie commented, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
"It's a good job you're on the other side of the table, Alf, otherwise I'd punch you right now," Niamh knew he was purposefully trying to get a rise out of her but she couldn't help falling for it.
"Mummy, aunty Niamh said she's going to punch Uncle Alfie," Abraham gasped. "Does she need to go to the naughty corner now."
"Yeah she absolutely does, Abe," Alfie nodded. "She's a disgrace, aint she? You can't see it right 'cause I'm a man, but I'm cryin' inside, Abe. I reckon I might need an extra helpin' of dessert later to cheer me up."
"Yeah, and I think I need extra dessert too, Mummy 'cause I'm crying inside just like Uncle Alfie," Abraham declared, making the adults around the table burst out in laughter.
"We'll steal Aunty Niamh's dessert, mate," Alfie guffawed, patting Abraham's head and ruffing up his hair. "Tell you what, Ollie, there's no flies on this one. Once he's old enough I'll be gettin' rid of you and employin' him instead. He'll do a much better job."
"Alfie, are you just out to offend everyone during dinner?" Niamh shook her head at him.
"Nah, only you, love," he winked. "And you know you like it when I tease you."
"That'll do thank you very much," Karina muttered with a warning look, although inside she was happy to see the side of Alfie that he rarely let other people see. "Save whatever this is for your own home."
"Blame him," Niamh tutted but as soon as Karina's attention was back on chopping her dinner up, she looked up and winked back at Alfie who wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"I can see you two," Karina commented. "Behave at my dinner table."
"Jesus, Ollie your wife's a bloody tyrant," Alfie tutted.
"Here's a suggestion," Ollie spoke. "Everyone, be quiet and eat your bloody dinner up."
"So you have got some bollocks then, Ollie?" Alfie grinned, suitably impressed. "All right, all right, don't look at me like that, I'm eatin'. Fuckin' hell."
The women were in the kitchen washing up the dishes while Ollie and Alfie were watching the boys play with their toys on the living room floor. Ollie took the opportunity to remind Alfie that after the weekend he had a meeting with a very important business associate. Not that Alfie had forgotten; there was absolutely no way he could forget. This meeting was one he had been absolutely dreading for weeks.
Six months ago, Levi Janowicz had turned up at the bakery demanding a meeting with Alfie, who had been annoyed yet intrigued to find out what the man wanted. After all, he single handedly ruled over half of Liverpool and to see another Jew doing well was never a bad thing, and it was far better to have the man as an ally than an enemy. It turned out that old Levi had his sights set on Birmingham and the Peaky Blinders.
" Don't we fuckin' all, mate?" Alfie had chortled.
But the truth was that as much as he liked Tommy Shelby, which he honestly kind of did in a strange sort of way, to Alfie business was business and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to expand and make more money. He and Janowicz had agreed to help bring down the Shelbys together and when the opportunity for Alfie to marry into the family and lull Tommy into a false sense of security had presented itself, it had been just the ticket they had needed. It had been perfect. They would wait for a couple of months after the wedding and then start putting their plan into action. A plan which included ruining Shelby Ltd one business dealing at a time before muscling in on their turf. To some, perhaps, it was somewhat ambitious but they were confident that between the two of them it was more than imaginable.
"What are you gonna do about the meeting?" Ollie asked.
"What do you mean what am I gonna do?" Alfie frowned
"Well I just thought that things might have changed since you two last spoke," Ollie mumbled. "You know, because of how you and Niamh are-"
"-How me and Niamh are what?"
"Just that you two seem to be getting along well and I suppose I thought that you might have changed your mind about this business with Janowicz."
"I don't pay you to think do I, Ollie?" Alfie scowled. "So you just mind your own business and leave me to mind mine, yeah? Good lad."
"I hope you two aren't fighting in here," Karina's voice made the men both look up.
"Course not," Ollie smiled quickly. "We were just talking."
"Hmm," Karina narrowed her eyes at the men and then at Niamh who just shrugged.
"Knowing Alfie, he was probably telling Ollie off for something ridiculous," Niamh smirked at her husband.
"That's not fair," Alfie pulled a face.
"And neither is the way you talk to poor Ollie," Niamh chastised him.
"Right, I aint takin' any more of this; I'm goin' home," Alfie stood up with pretend annoyance. "Grab your coat, Niamh, we're goin'."
"Did Niamh upset you again?" Abraham asked, looking up from his wooden horse figure.
"Mmhmm," Alfie nodded. "So I'm gonna take her home and tan her arse."
"Lucky Niamh," Karina snorted, earning a chuckle from her husband.
"Fuckin' appallin'," Alfie pretended to look disgusted with Karina but beneath his beard his lips were twitching slightly. "I aint sure I want my wife hangin' round with you, Karina. Ollie, your wife is a filthy minded heathen."
"Takes one to know one, Alfie," Karina grinned.
"Dirty mare," Alfie tutted.
On the way home, Alfie sat quietly as Niamh chattered on about a plan she and Karina had to make and donate baby and children's clothes for the less fortunate families in Camden, and how next week Karina was going to teach her how to make challah bread. Niamh talked and talked and talked but Alfie didn't hear a word of what she said. Her mouth was moving and her eyes were animated with excitement but all he could think about was the meeting on Monday morning.
Ollie was right, which was precisely why Alfie had bitten his head off. His feelings for Niamh were growing stronger by the day, and as much as he didn't care about hurting her family, he cared about hurting her. If he went through with this plan, he was going to hurt her and he was going to lose her. Was fucking over Tommy Shelby really worth losing the only woman he'd ever had feelings for in his entire life? But if he didn't he was making an enemy of a man who wouldn't take this turn of events well. Alfie was very much stuck between a rock and a hard place with no clear idea of escape. At least not one he could think of.