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I present:

Chapter 6: Honesty

"Nothing we share leaves this room," Anna said after drinking deeply from the bottle of whiskey and handing it back to him. She accepted the cigarette in exchange.

"So, we talk only here?" Tommy smirked, knowing his not being serious would vex her. She raised an eyebrow and he nodded, giving in. "Metaphorically. Business will continue as usual, unaffected by our chats." Anna nodded.

"Neither of us should seek to benefit in any way from what we share with each other," she stated and Tommy rolled his eyes, but nodded. "We talk openly, no masks." Another nod. "More rules can be added to at a later date if we agree on them." He nodded again. "Deal," she said, extending her hand which wasn't holding their cigarette.

"Deal," Tommy spat in his hand and shook hers. There was a brief moment of silence between them. "I don't know how to start," he admitted.

"What's got in your head today that you can't shake it?" Anna asked. Tommy sighed, leaning back onto the wall. His head fell back, the cool wall feeling good against his scalp.

"Campbell posed a what-if scenario," he began, then paused. "I almost shot him afterwards." Anna stayed silent. "He said that he'd kill me and my brothers, only sparing Finn. He'd put him in prison to be raped, instead."

"Sick bastard," she spoke. Tommy looked at her to see her biting her lower lip. "If you want, I can get someone to keep an eye out on Campbell, so he doesn't go near Finn?" Tommy shook his head.

"When the whole business with Kimber is done, I'll trade the weapons and Campbell will be gone for good."

"If everything goes according to plan," she agreed. "Remember, he still has an agent of the Crown somewhere in your midst and I have no clue who it is. He refers to him as Crown's Volunteer in his reports, but I don't have a name."

"I'm being careful with how much information I give and to whom," Tommy told her. "I haven't told anyone of the date and time when we take Kimber, either." She reached for the bottle and they exchanged goods once more.

"Use me," Anna said after a gulp of whiskey, making Tommy look at her in disbelief. "Use me whenever you can. I'll help you."

"You're awfully loyal for a paid thief," Tommy commented. Anna shook her head slowly, sighing.

"I haven't been with the guild for a long time, just under a year," she said. "I don't have their no-attachment policy drilled into me yet," she shrugged. "And, besides, you're the first person in Britain I've come to like."

"Because of my eyes?" Tommy grinned.

"Don't forget the cute butt, too," she giggled. Then, she took the smoke and slowly pulled a breath from the cigarette, before blowing it out in circles. "My father always told me I liked broken men. But, I think he was wrong. I like soldiers. Men who have a core value, something to protect at all costs. Those whom I can trust with my everything when the time comes." He wasn't expecting such an honest answer. Then again, he'd been painfully honest, as well. He felt more naked than ever in front of her.

"What kind of a man is he, your father?" Anna smiled sadly.

"A kind man," she replied. "Too kind. The pressure of his job got to him. The War broke him. He wanted to do right by everyone. Save his people. Save his family. Live up to expectations. Protect his allies. He could only extend himself so much." She sat in silence, overwhelmed by memories.

"My father is a right bastard," he told her. "He used to beat my mother. Had sex with her whenever he wanted and left her afterwards. He didn't care for me or my brothers. Loved whores more than us."

"Did he beat you?" Anna asked, handing him the cigarette. Tommy smoked.

"He tried once," he admitted. "I managed to get away before he could. He beat my mother instead that night. He left after, leaving us penniless. Mother couldn't work, she was… not right in the head at the very end. Polly took care of us."

"She seems like a queen of a woman," Anna smiled.

"She deserved everything," Tommy agreed. "I shouldn't have gone to the War. I was barely old enough. Stupid enough, for sure."

"What would you have done, had you not gone?" Anna was looking at him without pity. Just curiosity. She truly wanted to know.

"Raised horses," Tommy said. "Trained them and raced them. I would've been a hell of a trainer." Anna nodded, smiling with him.

"I wanted to love," she said, making him look at her in shock. "I wanted to love and to get married and to have children and to live with my little family on our estate, earned through hard work, not family money. I wanted nothing to do with my mother's expectations for my marriage. I wanted to be free. I wanted a cottage, near the woods, maybe a few dogs. I wanted… everything."

"Why not have it now?" He asked. "Surely, you can still find love and get yourself a place away from the city. Live how you like. Have ten bloody dogs, because few wouldn't be enough for you when you saw pups," he smiled at the way she laughed then. She shook her head.

"There is business that must be done," she said. "If I'm alive… If I survive it… I want a tender man, a strong, honest and tender man to love me. Know me. The good and the bad. To accept me."

"I want an empire," he said, making her look up at him. "I want to earn well, go legit with my work and support my family. I want to build an empire in the Shelby name and leave it for generations to come." Anna laughed, a hollow sound.

"Empires are hard, Thomas," she told him. "They can cost you your head." She looked away from him, down at her hands. Somehow, he got the sense that she meant to say more, but didn't. She just sat there, looking older than she was. Sorrowful. Like she'd seen too much.

"I want the shovels to stop," he told her then, making her look away from her hands and back up at him. "The shovels I keep hearing, beating at my walls. The German whispers. The smell of blood and soil, surrounding me. I want it to stop."

"Where do you hear the shovels from?" She asked.

"They're not real," Tommy shook his head.

"I know they're not, but where do you hear them from?" Again, she asked. Tommy pointed to the wall next to his bed. Then, Anna got onto her knees and extended herself towards him. He thought for a mere second that she'd kiss him. But, instead, she took the bottle and the cigarette, placing the former on the nightstand and tossing the latter into the ashtray. "Up," she said, grabbing his hands and pulling him from his bed. Surprisingly strong for a little thing, but she couldn't pull his lanky form up.

"What are you-"

"Up, let me try something," Anna grinned, and he finally let her pull him up. "Help me out." She made him push the wardrobe next to his nightstand to the door, before moving the nightstand, careful not to top the bottle of whiskey over. Then, she motioned for him to help her with the bed. Together, they got it away from the wall and facing the window. Then, she made him push the wardrobe where his bed had been. Finally, they slid the bed so that the head was resting against the wall.

"There's still a wall here," Tommy pointed out but Anna grinned at him.

"That's why we need to get dressed," she grabbed her socks and started pulling them on. "C'mon, sweetheart, I'm about to fix your Germans." Tommy laughed, but decided to indulge her. He tossed on a pair of random trousers and a white shirt. Anna grabbed his hand before he could get anything other than his suspenders and shoes on, forgoing her hat and coat. She dragged him out of his room with bright eyes.

"Tommy?" Polly's voice stopped them at the bottom of the stairs and the two turned around, like teenagers caught in a dalliance. "What are you doing at this ungodly hour?" Polly's hair was a mess and she was in her nightgown and a shawl, watching them with bleary eyes. "Have you two been fucking?" She asked openly, making Tommy stammer. They'd been more intimate than that, for sure.

"Not at all, just redecorating his room, ma'am," Anna answered, seeing as he'd suddenly gone mute. "We'll do our best to keep it down in the future." She headed for the door, allowing Polly the chance to smirk knowingly at Tommy. He just shook his head at her pointedly. When she raised her eyebrow, he felt the telltale hotness on his cheeks. He hadn't blushed since he'd been a teenager. "Coming, sweetheart? I don't wait for no one, old man."

"Don't have too much fun," Polly's teasing goodbye followed them out the door, where Tommy did his best to recompose himself.

"Feels like we've been caught with our pants down, don't it?" He chuckled, letting Anna take his hand again. She swung their intertwined hands wildly, like a child, in between them as they walked.

"Worse," she giggled. Then they both laughed loudly in the empty street.

True to her word, Anna had fixed his Germans, as she'd said. By adding a shawl to the wall, which depicted some Irish folk tale with faeries and knights and spraying it all over with her perfume, she'd made them vanish into a distant memory at night. She'd promised to bring him some lavender next time, which would last longer than the perfume, but he found that he preferred that scent. Her scent. It made him dream of her dream that she'd shared.

A cottage by the woods. Many, many dogs running around. Kids playing in the back yard. Horses in the meadow. Him wrapped up in Anna's warm embrace, delicate fingers holding his captive, intertwined. The sun warm on his skin as they sat outside, on the porch, watching the kids play with the dogs. He'd perfectly inserted himself into her dream. The honest, tender man she'd wanted. Perhaps. Perhaps. It made Tommy wake up well-rested, for once. It made him feel safe in his own bed. He didn't regret being honest with Anna one bit. In fact, he found himself eagerly awaiting their next little chat. Not even Polly's knowing smile could vex him.

Tommy stopped the car, calling Lizzie over. It was time to put the woman's change to a test.

Anna came to the house dressed in red, which made Tommy choke on his cigarette smoke and cough when he saw her, playing with Finn, again. She had her hair up, at least, this time. Partially proper, but too pretty for a gypsy wedding.

"You're going to get eaten alive," he laughed at her, making Finn look up at him from the floor. Anna took that opportunity to sneak a card out of her blouse and add it to her side of the deck. Little cheat.

"I'm sure you'll look out for me, sweetheart," she grinned at him. Finn dealt more cards, but he looked like he had plenty to say.

"Oh?" Tommy tilted his head. "I got the impression you would take offence at my looking after you in any way."

"Fair enough," Anna laughed. "Maybe you'll marry me off next?" Tommy found that he disliked the very idea.

"You two are being gross," Finn commented. Anna played a card and he groaned. "You win," he offered his hand, conceding the match.

"It's time to go," Tommy said, motioning for Anna to get up and off his living room floor. "She's robbing you blind," he tossed to Finn with a smirk, making Anna slap his shoulder.

"I knew it! You're a cheat!"

"Don't tell him that!" Tommy chuckled as they left, going to pick up the boys.

"You sit up front, I'll pile them in the back," Tommy opened the door for her, helping her into the truck. "Remember, John can't know anything till we're there." Anna giggled, getting settled in. Once she was comfortable, Tommy closed the door and slid into the driver's seat.

"You're tricking your brother into marriage?" She frowned while he drove.

"I'm ending the war with the Lees," he said. "John has kids. They need a mother, not his latest fling." Anna shrugged.

"As far as I got, Lizzie seems perfectly fine," she said. Tommy gave her a glare. "Yes, I know I was only supposed to research the Lee bride, but I did some extra work, okay? Special service on the house. She seems to want to leave the business, for real. She likes John, too."

"Wants and needs don't beat necessity," he said somberly, then stopped in front of a group of men. "Get in the back."

"What do we need a whore for, Tommy?" John asked, but Tommy didn't reply.

"Let Tommy have his fun, brother," Arthur commented, tipped his head at Anna, but got into the truck without complaints. They drove out of the city and into an area which looked more impoverished than the rest. Tommy stopped the truck in a seemingly random street and jumped out. It shook as the men got out, as well. Anna sat still after Tommy motioned for her to stay there. There was a quick roundup of men, check of weapons and then, John almost ran away, but they captured him swiftly. Then, just before they got on their way, Tommy went over to the truck and opened the door for Anna.

"Tried to make a quick getaway, did he?" She giggled as he extended his hand to help her out. Her red dress was stunning on her. Even if she'd left her usual hair color, the strawberry blonde, as she'd called it, it would've made her look amazing. Yet, she'd dyed it dark. Tommy liked that she preferred less gaudy dresses, contrary to the rest of the women he knew. He disliked the sparkliness of them.

"All's good," he grinned. Anna extended her elbow to him and he rolled his eyes, but still looped his arm through. "Can't let me be a gentleman, can you?"

"I allowed you to drive, didn't I?" She cheekily replied, making Arthur bark a laugh.

"That one's trouble, Tommy," his brother said.

"Don't I know it," the man grumbled, but let it go. Soon enough, there would be a merry wedding and he would forget all about his successful emasculation by the little girl at his side. His plan would unfold perfectly.

Anna whirled in a circle to the sound of a fiddle, all on her own. She was aware of the momentary confusion to her presence at the festivities, but she'd been accepted soon enough. Ada, Tommy's sister, was more than happy to be very close with the girl who seemed to be able to vex her brother at every corner and simply walk away with a smirk on her face.

Tommy sat away from the crowd, drinking and smoking, enjoying the show. He had missed it. The charm of the gypsy life. There was something freeing about being on the move constantly. Being able to pack up all of your possessions into a caravan and go. But, it was more than that. It was the sense of family. The undying loyalty that flowed through gypsy veins. He couldn't deny he envied that.

"I love," Anna threw herself in the chair on the opposite side of Tommy's table. "your sister." Tommy raised an eyebrow and extended his glass of whiskey to the panting girl next to him. Her hair was a mess, her dress was a mess and she'd lost her heels somewhere along the way, going barefoot. She looked like a proper wildchild. "Thanks," Anna took the drink and downed it in one go, letting out a gasp and hiss at the end. "Gosh that burns."

"More?"

"More," she extended his glass to him and he poured. "Is it true that you want to kill your sister's husband? And that you want to kill her?" Tommy just filled the glass in silence. "Thought so. You're unbelievable. You need to clear up that shitty business before it starts stinking up the place." Anna downed the glass again in three big gulps. "For such a smart man you sure fuck up a lot of shit, don't you?"

"And when did I ask for your advice?" Tommy glared at the girl, but between her flushed cheeks and the amount of alcohol he'd tracked, which definitely wasn't all, going down her throat, she was beyond brushing off his glare or abiding by its warning.

"Seeing as we're friends," there she went, calling the friend card again. "I'm just a friend, talking to a friend, from a place of understanding." She put her hand on her breast where her heart was. "Sad, sad poor old me with all my family dead." And she laughed loudly, merrily. Tommy watched her. He didn't know if she was aware of just how much she was sharing. Did this also fall under their chats agreement? He didn't know. It seemed a cruel thing to laugh about. Anna's hand dropping on his, taking his cigarette and inhaling a lungful of smoke made him look at her. "She's your sister, Thomas," she spoke somberly and almost soberly, looking at him with a sad smile. "You only get one family. And yours isn't shit. You need to keep your family. Time is always ticking and people are always dying. Stop living on grudges and hatred because you'll end up living on regrets and pain."

"You sure are a lecturer when you're smashed," he took his cigarette back. Anna stood up from the chair and leaned over, surprising him when she threw herself onto him and hugged him, tight. Tommy's arm moved on instinct, cigarette avoiding the girl's hair and holding her in place. "Anna?" He asked tentatively, not sure if she was going to puke all over him or do something more indecent than that. It never was a proper gypsy wedding without a few indiscretions, after all.

"Thomas?" She whispered into his neck and he felt gooseflesh break out all over his skin. He gently moved her a bit, so that she was sitting on his leg, instead of being sprawled over his lap. Then, he brushed her hair back and pulled in smoke from the cigarette. He could recall the feel of her warm, smooth skin under his fingers and he wanted nothing more but to touch her again in such a way. To have her touch him in such a way.

"Are you thinking of doing something nefarious?" He whispered in her ear, feeling her shudder when his lips touched the lobe gently.

"I'm thinking your saying nefarious is an excellent seduction technique," she sighed. "A real panty dropper." Then, she giggled and pulled back after one more squeeze. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek gently, making the fact that he was hard as a rock so much more awkward. Her kiss was a sad one, bittersweet. "Let's dance!" Anna hopped up so quickly he almost fell off his chair.

"No," Tommy let her pull on his hand, but not drag him up.

"Oh, come on!" Anna begged, pulling his arm this and that way, like a petulant child. Tommy was still reeling from the fact that she had, in the past minute, gone from drunken guru, to sad orphan, to mistress of seduction and finally to a petulant child. He shook his head with a smile, but Anna didn't give up. "Didn't you invite me here? One dance!"

"I'll dance with you, missy," Arthur interrupted and Tommy wasn't sure what he thought about the speed at which Anna dropped his hand in favor of his brother's. Still, she blew him a raspberry which made him smile as she walked away into the crowd to dance with Arthur.

"An interesting girl," the Lee matriarch commented, sitting down in Anna's chair.

"Trouble," Tommy shook his head, tossing away the spent cigarette and lighting a new one.

"You looking to marry her off?" Zilpha asked, accepting a cigarette he offered.

"She's not mine to marry off," Tommy replied. "Besides, any man who weds her will likely go insane in a day." The woman laughed.

"You seemed to be enjoying her antics," she said. "Made you look less as a man you portray yourself as." Tommy gave her a stony look, raising his eyebrow. "Our partners are supposed to make us feel alive, are they not?" He shrugged. "If you decide to marry her off, you come to me. My son's looking for a bride." Tommy didn't reply. The idea of Anna marrying left a bitter taste in his mouth. While she would surely be a nightmare of a wife, the idea of being forced into the traditional role of a wife didn't suit her. She was meant to be free, with her pants and undone hair. With her fae laughter and childish antics. She was to be free, he knew. After all, no man could tame that wildness in her. No man could understand the sorrow in her eyes that shone through sometimes. No man could handle her burden and still love her. Perhaps, also, he didn't want any man to be in that picture in his mind, in the meadow with the children and the horses, on the porch of the homely cottage, in Anna's warm embrace. No man but him.

"You should tell Ada to slow down," Polly had come up behind them, making Tommy tear his gaze from the girl in red, who was being twirled by his brother and laughing merrily. He glanced at his sister. Indeed, she was running wild, too.

"You think she'll listen to me?" Tommy scoffed. He knew one thing, Anna and Ada should never be left alone to plot. They would take over the world in no time.

Anna drove his car back to Small Heath. She was a good driver, Tommy had to admit. It seemed as if in the moment when Ada's water broke, she'd become perfectly sober, demanding Tommy's keys and hurrying after Ada and Polly. He'd helped them get Ada into the vehicle that Polly had driven to the wedding and then they were off.

"Just breathe, Ada," Polly said, holding onto the girl in the back seat. Tommy turned around, watching his sister's face contort in pain. She screamed.

"Whatever you do, don't push," Anna said from the front seat. Tommy looked at her to see the face she was making. It was one of full concentration. Calm. She looked very calm. He was certain that he had none of her composure at that moment. He was glad that she was the one behind the wheel. The vehicle stopped in the middle of the street, Anna and Tommy quickly jumping out. They helped Ada out and led her up the stairs and into the room. She had to stop in the middle, screaming from birthing pains.

"Fucking hell," Tommy cursed, feeling her sister squeezing him for dear life. They finally made it into the room and Polly and Anna helped Ada sit down on the bed. "I'll fetch a nurse," he said, making a quick escape from the room. He could still hear Ada screaming as he went down the stairs. Tommy went a few houses down, where he knew Mrs. Devon lived. She was a retired nurse who'd served in the War and worked at the hospital's maternity wing before. He knocked on the door. Then, when no reply came, he knocked again.

"At this hour, who- Mr. Shelby!" The woman was in her nightgown, a shawl over her shoulders and holding a lamp. Her hair was down, unlike the usual tight bun he'd always seen her wear. "What's wrong? Is someone injured?" Mrs. Devon was the local go-to for the Peaky Blinders, after all. She wasn't a stranger to Tommy's unannounced visits.

"My sister," Tommy realized that his voice cracked. "She- Her- Her water's broke. The baby's coming."

"Oh dear," Mrs. Devon said, quickly exiting her house. "Not to worry, we will have it all sorted out momentarily." Tommy dared to breathe a sigh of relief as he saw her vanish into his home. He fished out a cigarette, hands shaking. Then, smoking it, he did his best to calm down. Anna's words of ticking time kept ringing in his head. It was a silly matter to fight over. Husbands. If he could accept John marrying a Lee, he could accept Ada marrying a Thorne. At least he knew Thorne well. Tommy sighed, looking up at the sky. She was his sister, after all. He could forgive her almost anything.

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