(Start of Episode 2. As always...Enjoy!)
Maze Hawthorne stepped out of her house, locking the front door, and shifted the basket on her arm. Inhaling frigid February air, she began her journey toward the center of Small Heath. There, she hoped she would find Polly. A church bell chimed the hour as her boots scraped the dirty tarmac. The day was still quite early as she continued her walk toward Watery Lane.
As she travelled closer to her destination, she passed several coppers who eyed her as she strolled past them. She pulled on her overcoat, tightening the garment around her as if it would protect her. She shivered in the cold as she walked. Ahead, she saw the church and slipped inside for warmth.
She reached for the bronze handle adorned to the large door and pulled it open, stepping inside before the cold could permeate the silent church. The inside was dark, with beams of light coming from the windows. She walked further into the church, smelling an old whiff of smoke. Maze paused at the front door, lowering her basket to the ground. Removing her overcoat, she placed it on her body, letting her arms free. She looked down the long aisle, her heart stammering in her chest, when she spotted Inspector Campbell. She knew from Thomas; the Inspector was in Birmingham looking for something, but wouldn't say what. It frustrated her he wouldn't confide in her.
"Good morning, Polly," she said, walking down the aisle as sedately as she could to the woman she considered family. She could feel the Inspector's eyes on her, but she ignored him.
Polly Grey sighed internally as Maze Hawthorne saved her from her encounter with the despicable Inspector. He was another copper trying to make a name for himself in his attempt at cleaning up the city. Polly was confident that he would fail, much like the others had. The Inspector's unannounced arrival interrupted her weekly lighting candles for the boy of the Garrison who lost their lives in France. She loved coming to the church. It was always a place she could hide away from the dirty and crime-filled world she lived in.
Unlike most days, when she knew where her nephews were, today she didn't. Today, she could use them to deter the Inspector, but Polly wished he would leave their city alone. Internally, she cursed her nephew, Thomas, for finding the guns. When the Inspector walked into the church, she knew he was there to interrogate her. They always did when the boys went missing for the day.
Polly eyed the Inspector carefully and found his surprise that she knew him amusing. Of course she knew of him. Arthur and Thomas informed her a copper was in Birmingham looking for something. Something important. She hadn't a clue until she cornered Thomas in the same church and demanded to know what Inspector Campbell was there for.
Guns.
Lots of guns. His boys mistakenly acquired the wrong shipment, leaving Thomas with a crate of guns and ammo headed to Libya. She told him to toss the guns where the coppers would find them quickly and hopefully be out of the city before the end of the week. If Thomas actually listened to her. She could see it in his eyes that he listened, but he had other plans. Plans that he refused to tell her.
When Maze walked into the church carrying a basket, she gratefully sighed for the younger woman's interruption.
"... Is it the Holy Grail you're looking for?" Polly asked, watching the Inspector push the small gate open. Maze approached her carefully, letting Polly loop an arm through the younger woman's.
"And you?" The Inspector sauntered over to the ladies, eyeing the newcomer. "Who are you?"
"Nobody," Maze replied, feeling Polly's muscles in her arm tighten to warn Maze not to say anything stupid.
Campbell made a tsking noise with his mouth, disgusting Polly. "No, I know who you are." Campbell said, leaning forward into their space. He sauntered down the aisle, knowing eyes were watching him.
"You're Mazella Hawthorne, a war nurse," he said, catching Maze unaware. Polly inhaled, realizing that once Thomas learned Maze had been profiled, he wouldn't take it well. He never took it well when it concerned Maze. "Your war records are impressive, Nurse Hawthorne. You could work in a London hospital if you wanted. It's a shame you spend your time with criminals and tend to the impoverished," he sneered slightly, the corner of his upper lip curling.
Polly felt the younger woman bristle at the insult. She clenched her arm again, warning Maze for the second time. She knew how the younger woman's temper was when provoked.
"Serving in the War for three years takes a toll on a woman. At least nursing the impoverished doesn't come with artillery shells," she spat, raising a dark eyebrow at him. "Word is that you didn't serve in the War, did you?" her voice laced with disdain at his lack of service.
Polly bit the inside of her cheek. She wanted to throttle the girl.
"Polly," Maze spoke up, turning to the older woman, "Accompany me to the workhouse? One girl had a baby a few days ago."
"Didn't realize criminals did charity work," Campbell sneered.
"The smallest acts of kindness is worth more than the greatest intentions," Maze said coolly. The younger girl turned to walk away, leaving Polly alone to deal with Campbell, lest her temper got the better of her.
Polly watched as Maze pulled away from her and turned to walk out of the church. Maze would not engage in a verbal spar with the Inspector any longer than she needed or wanted to. She hadn't taken two steps when Campbell gripped her arm tightly. Polly sucked in a breath, her eyes widening at the turn of events.
"Let me go," Maze demanded, her dark eyes flickering toward Campbell's large hand.
Polly took a step toward the younger girl, seeing her wince as the Inspector slowly crush the fabric of the dark blue sleeve of her dress. "Do you know where Thomas Shelby is hiding them?" he asked her, ignoring Polly.
Pol hesitated, her outreached hand hearing the Inspector's question. She observed the younger woman. Pol wondered how much Thomas told Maze, if he told her at all. Maze tried to hide another wince when he crushed her arm tighter. Polly saw a flash of pain cross Maze's dark eyes.
"Hiding what?" Maze asked, flicking her eyes toward Polly with curiosity.
Campbell tried to look surprised at Maze's lack of knowledge. "Doesn't he tell you everything?"
Maze jerked her arm, trying to free herself to no avail, which only made the Inspector squeeze her arm tighter. "No, he doesn't. Let me go," she demanded. Fear crept over her, knowing that Campbell knew of her relationship with Thomas.
"She doesn't know what you're talking about," Polly interrupted, stepping close to Maze in support.
Campbell turned his head toward her. "Do you know?"
Polly flicked her eyes over him in disgust, "No, I don't. Now let her go."
"She didn't say please. Surely your mother taught you manners," Campbell insisted, sneering at them before looking Maze in the eyes.
Maze gritted her teeth, the pain in her arm not slowly becoming unbearable. She knew it would leave a bruise from the way he squeezed the flesh. He looked at Polly, then back to her. She didn't want to say please to him. She didn't want to submit to his intimidation.
Polly realized what the girl was doing and placed a hand on her back, gripping the dry overcoat and giving it a subtle tug. It was a battle she knew Maze wouldn't win. It was hard to win a fight with a man bigger and stronger than you. She knew that well enough. She felt the girl's tense body relax, knowing that Maze understood her message.
"Let me go, please," she hissed through her teeth.
With a false smile, Campbell let her go, and Maze stopped herself from rubbing her sore arm. The ladies watched as he walked away from them, passing into the pulpit area to open the side doors of the church. They could hear the stomping of boots as coppers stormed into the serene church.
"Turn the place upside down," Campbell instructed, turning his body to face the coppers. He spun on his heel, letting the coppers come inside the church to turn things over to find the guns.
"Arthur Shelby said you people would help us," he said dismissively at Polly.
"If we don't know what you've lost, how can we help you find it?" she replied bitingly.
"I found out that I was speaking to the wrong person," Campbell said, stepping toward Polly, his finger pointing at her. "Next time, I want to talk to the boss." he paused, eyeing her carefully, letting his words sink into her psyche. As he strode away to let his coppers tear up a church, he left her with his last instruction. "Lickey Tea Rooms. Friday, 10am," he called out, walking away from the ladies.
"And when I say 'the boss', I mean Thomas Shelby." he said, turning on his heel to look at the ladies, his warning shining through his words. He turned around and left the church as his coppers did their work.
Once he was out of her sight, Polly turned to Maze and saw anger in her dark eyes. She was just as angry as Pol was. The Inspector might have intimidated her, but he hurt Maze. She felt a creeping of fear climb up her spine, realizing the game had changed. Inspector Campbell wasn't just here for the guns, he was here for Thomas, and Maze was right in the middle.
"Let me see," she asked, reaching to push the overcoat off Maze's body. Maze fought with her until Pol shot her a look. It was the same look all children from an early age not to argue with a parent. Sighing, she set her basket down in the empty pew and shrugged her overcoat off.
Pol reached for the blouse sleeve again, shoving it roughly up Maze's arm. She inhaled sharply, seeing a dark red handprint discoloring Maze's light olive skin. She knew it was going to leave a dark bruise before the day was out. Pol raised her head to look at the girl and watched her inhale slowly.
"We have to tell Thomas," Pol insisted urgently, shaking her head as she pulled Maze's blouse sleeve down.
"I…," Maze began, reaching for her overcoat and slipping it on properly, hoping the warmth of the jacket would hide the chill that ran down her spine. She grabbed her basket, pushing hair from her face. "He will not like it."
Polly stared at her incredulously. "He's going to be fucking furious."
Maze sighed heavily and shifted her basket in the crook of her arm. "Are you coming with me?"
"Yes, I am. God knows I can't leave you alone for too long. There's no telling what kind of trouble you'll get into."
Polly stayed on edge for the rest of the day. She followed Maze to the workhouse to deliver the small parcel of infant items to the new mother and to give the mother and child a checkup. Polly watched the younger woman and realized if Campbell accosted Maze again, Thomas would have someone following Maze, keeping the girl from trouble. She knew Maze got her temper from her mother and hoped Jameson's calming demeanor would shine through when she faced Thomas later.
Later that afternoon, she led Maze to her house on Watery Lane. It was midafternoon, meaning the Betting House was bustling with activity. The closer they ventured toward the house, her worry increased. Internally she prayed that Thomas and the boys weren't back from the fair yet, but it dashed her hopes seeing Thomas' car parked in front of the house.
Inhaling, she took Maze by the arm and all but dragged the resisting girl into the house. Entering the house, she could hear the bustle of activity. She hung her coat up and removed her hat, setting it on the small table by the door. The quiet noises from Maze informed her the girl was doing the same. Pol daren't make a noise. The boys would know they were there.
She entered her house, past the stove, and saw the double doors opened leading into the Betting shop. The clinking of change was on par with the talk passing between the tables. She causally flicked her eyes toward the blackboard, watching as John stood there reading over the list of horses.
Maze followed Polly into the bustling house, her worry increasing exponentially the longer they were there. Thomas would be furious at the dark red handprint that was slowly darkening to a bruise. Following Polly into the parlor, Maze instantly knew Thomas was there without seeing him. She didn't know how she knew, but since they were young, she always knew when he was near.
They entered the large pantry that was converted into a Betting house years before the war began and she followed Polly towards the row of offices that she, Thomas, John, and Arthur had. Maze rubbed her bruised arm nervously, but smothered her emotions. One thing she learned about being around shifters was their uncanny ability to sense fear or nerves. It still unnerved her after all these years.
She tuned out the clinking of the coins that scattered a table and inhaled smelling ink, paper, and cigarettes. She saw Thomas before he saw her. Once he saw her, he would know something was wrong. Something wrong always happened when he wasn't in the city.
Thomas Shelby leaned back into his chair and sighed before reaching for his Afton's. Once the cigarette was lit, he dropped the match into the ashtray before putting the cigarette between his lips. His day had started off well, but he knew something bad was going to fuck it up. It always did when he wasn't around to keep everyone in line.
He wanted Billy Kimber's business, and he was going to fucking get it, but now he needed a different horse to help fulfill the dream if Monaghan Boy didn't do as needed.
He knew fixing the horse race would eventually catch Billy Kimber's attention, but he needed to give the man another reason to come to Birmingham. If Thomas was at war with the Lees as well, then he and Billy Kimber would have a common enemy. He would 'help' Kimber, while secretly plotting to take his business.
He inhaled slowly, his pale blue eyes drifting over to the ledger in front of him. There was work to be done. The ever present wolf stirred inside his mind as he continued to smoke. He set the cigarette down in the ashtray and reached for a pen when he smelled her. He paused his movement and stood up as soon as Polly pushed his office door open, with Maze following behind her.
His eyes shifted over Maze, taking in account of her body before he found her face. Unlike Polly, who he couldn't tell half the fucking time what she was thinking, Maze's emotions were on her face. She had gotten better during the War, hiding her emotions, but never to him.
"What happened?"
Polly turned from him to look at Maze before looking at him again. Whatever she was going to tell him wasn't pleasant.
"The Inspector showed up at Church today," she began, seeing him raise an eyebrow.
He looked back and forth between the two. "And?"
"He knows you're the boss, Tommy," Polly said, her voice raising an octave slightly.
"What did he want?"
"He wants to meet you," Pol replied, eyeing him as if conveying a message.
He knew what that look meant. First, the Inspector went after Arthur, injuring him to find out about the guns and now he wanted to talk to him. He reached for his cigarette, placing it between his lips.
"Oh," he said, leaning his hands on the desk. "What else happened?"
The momentary silence that followed irritated him. He wasn't used to people hesitating to tell him things. Normally, those things meant something bad happened. Bad enough, they feared his reaction. He looked at them pointedly, hoping one would speak.
"Campbell injured Maze," Polly said quickly, holding her hands up in peace.
Anger boiled in his stomach. The distant howling of the wolf bombarded his brain as he stared at the two women. His pale blue eyes turned to Maze standing there quietly. When his eyes found hers, he gazed at her, trying to assess what sort of damage was done.
"Leave Pol," he said gruffly, trying to smother the anger that threatened to rise.
Maze watched helplessly as Thomas ordered Polly to leave them alone. As the door closed behind Polly, Maze turned to gaze at Thomas. He was standing there watching her intently, as if he was trying to figure out what kind of injury she held.
She wasn't frightened of Thomas, no matter what deeds he committed. She knew what he was and wasn't afraid of him. The only thing that worried her was his reaction to every time someone threatened her. He was protective of all the women in the family, but she knew it changed the game when it involved her.
"Come here, Maze," Thomas said quietly, motioning her over to him.
He took a step back as she brushed past him. The wolf whined, urging him to get closer to her, but he refrained. He watched as she hopped on her customary spot on his desk, right beside the opened ledger. Thomas quickly closed the ledger, pushing it to the side. He could sense her hesitation and nerves forming. This put him on edge.
"Show me," he instructed.
She wet her lips, and he refrained from reacting to it. He waited as she slowly unbuttoned the sleeve of her left arm. The dark blue fabric rolled up slowly until he saw the bruise on her arm. He stilled his movements, a red filmy haze clouding his vision the longer he stared at the bruise, the wolf growling viciously in his head seeing her injured. If it was anyone else, it would have mattered, but not like this.
The cigarette long forgotten as he stared at the large handprint on her arm. It would be a dark bruise in the next couple of days. He stole a glance at her and saw her eyes closed until they opened, revealing her dark eyes.
"What…. happened?" he grunted thickly, curling his fingers, the nails scraping the wooden desk beneath them.
"He grabbed me arm," she answered simply, without going into detail. She paused, seeing his glare, knowing the next sentence would send him into an anger-fueled frenzy. "He knows who I am, Thomas."
"I'm going to kill him," Thomas muttered, his voice thick with unbridled anger.
"No, you're not," Maze replied, her voice clipped, yet calm.
Thomas' head snapped up, his eyes blazed the amber hue he knew it to be when he was angry and stared at Maze incredulously. His head spun with her words. Every one of his instincts told him to walk out of the office, hunt down the Inspector and tear him from limb to limb. The wolf snarled in his head, approving of Thomas' plan.
No one had the right to touch Maze. He didn't care if it put a damper on her modern sensibilities or not. She reminded him time and time again that she wasn't his nor anyone else's property. He shook his head as if disagreeing with her voice in his head.
Her heart throbbed in her chest, watching Thomas' eyes shift to amber. Maze knew he was beyond angry with her declaration that he not take revenge on the Inspector. Maze knew Campbell would see her as Thomas' weakness if Thomas sought revenge. She made it her job to keep him from exacting revenge on her behalf. She wanted nothing to happen to Thomas because the Inspector would have no trouble hurting Thomas to get what he wanted from him.
As his mood blackened to rage, Maze knew she needed to act quickly if she was going to keep Thomas from storming out of the office and into the street to find the Inspector. She could feel his anger shimmering over him, suffocating him like a dark cloud.
"Thomas," she commanded softly, reaching for his waistcoat and tugging him close to her. He moved without resistance. It was far closer than normal for them. She bit the inside of her lip when he placed his hands on the top of her thighs and squeezed gently as he shut his eyes and dropped his head to her shoulder, breathing her in.
"Thomas….," she tried again to formulate her words, but stumbled, feeling his right hand lose altitude, slipping down to caress the side of her thigh. His blunt nails raking over the woollen fabric as he slid his hands slowly up and down her thighs.
Thomas fell down the rabbit hole in his volcanic anger. His head swam with her words and the deed committed against her today. Inhaling sharply, his nose rubbed against her jugular. He felt restless even as his hands continued their trek over her thighs. He'd hoped it would calm him, but then the image of her arm flashed through his hazy mind. It sent him spiraling again down the rabbit hole just as he was climbing out.
"No one has the fucking right to touch you," Thomas whispered, tilting his head up, his lips close to hers.
He felt her body tremble under his fingertips. The scent of her arousal flooding his senses as he stood there caressing her body. He knew it was wrong, but it felt right. Her hands left his cheeks, sliding down to embrace his neck before sliding to place on his chest. Thomas vaguely felt her fingers curl into the black waistcoat he was wearing.
"You're fucking mine, Maze," he mumbled. If he pressed himself any closer to her, he would finally taste her lips. "You're always going to be fucking mine."
Her mind whirled at his words and she forced herself to remember why she was sitting on his desk with his hands caressing her body over her woollen skirt.
He slid his hand up and down her thigh, caressing the woolen fabric of her dress, wishing it was her skin he was touching. The wolf howled for connection, confusing him.
"I'm not going to kill him," Thomas mummered, calming down from her presence. "I'm going to destroy him."
"You can't," Maze insisted urgently, her lips inches from his face.
Polly looked up, seeing Arthur walk into the house and steer towards Thomas' office. She rose from her chair quickly, cutting him off and steered him away from the office and toward the table she stationed herself at. John noticed his older brother's arrival and walked over to them.
"I have to talk to Tommy, Pol," Arthur protested, frowning at her.
"Not right now, you're not," she said, glancing at the office as her eyes widened at what she saw. She knew Maze and Thomas were close, but to see them practically one person was more than she bargained for.
"What happened?" Arthur asked, looking up to see John join them.
"She and I ran into the Inspector this morning," Polly began, looking between them. She carried on hearing them growl. "He squeezed her arm, bruising her. She's told Thomas."
"I can feel his anger," John said, shaking his head before turning away to look at the board before returning his attention to his family.
"Me too," Arthur agreed. "It's why I came here."
"I don't know what she's doing," Polly said, glancing at her nephews again. "But it better work."
"Why not?" Thomas demanded, his agitation growing with her insistence.
"Because," she wet her lips, gathering her words, "if you go after him, Thomas... if you retaliate then the Inspector is going to see me as a weakness. He's going to see me as your weakness."
"You can't do it," she pressed.
"I need," he gasped, heaving a heavy breath, "to do something."
Thomas' brain ran through every scenario that he could conjure to get her out of Campbell's eye and to take retaliation against the copper. His hands slipped from her thighs, landing roughly on the wooden desk as he thought fiercely. Every scenario he conjured resulted in her injured or worse. He shook his head against her shoulder, trying to think away foreboding thoughts about her. Suddenly, he couldn't gasp air, feeling a wave of helplessness rest on his shoulders.
It wasn't the first time Thomas Shelby felt helpless. The night he thought he was going to die in the middle of a fucking war surrounded by German soldiers, he'd felt helpless then. He was always good at getting out of trouble, being able to spot the tiny hole for freedom, but not this. Definitely not this.
There wasn't a hole.
He got a wall.
And he hated it.
As the helplessness settled heavily on his mind and he realized he couldn't come up with a plan to fix this, his rage slipped. "FUUCK!" he screamed, slamming his fists on each side of Maze's body, leaving a crack in the wood.
The loud commotion brought the Betting House to a standstill as everyone turned to see their boss lose his temper. Minutes later, he felt two sets of hands wrap around his arms, tugging him away.
"... take him out of here," he barely heard through the haze of his anger.
The hands moved him out of his office and away from the prying eyes that wondered what caused their boss to lose his temper. A blast of cold air shook him when he was pushed outside and down a narrow alley. The hands didn't stop guiding him until he was away from the smell of tarmac and soot.
"Let me back in there," he grunted, trying to pry the hands off him, to no avail.
"Can't let you do that, Tommy," the voice of his brother John said.
"Let me fucking go," Thomas demanded, jerking his arm away from John.
Before he could try again, the two hands pushed him away. No one fucking touched him like that and got away with it. No one. Letting out a guttural roar, he threw himself at John, ready to fight his way back. The next few moments were a blur as John and Arthur took turns laying blows on their brother. Neither of them escaped unscathed from the battle.
"What in the hell happened?" Polly demanded as John and Arthur dragged Thomas out of the office.
She waited as Maze took a shuddering breath, collecting herself. When the younger woman opened her eyes to stare at Polly, Pol could tell Thomas' actions rattled her. Polly determined she would have words with her nephew for his actions toward the younger woman. She took a step toward Maze, but paused when the younger woman daintily hopped off Thomas' desk and walked away from her.
"Maze?" Polly pressed, crossing her arms across her chest, and waited impatiently for an answer.
"I told him he couldn't retaliate against Campbell," Maze replied quietly, her back toward Polly.
"You did what?"
"I told him he couldn't do it. No matter how much he wants to," Maze explained again, her head half turned so she could see Polly from the corner of her eye.
"What not? He hurt you Maze," Polly snapped, walking around to face the girl and forcing the sleeve up. "See," she demanded, making Maze look at the bruise on her arm. It shone like a dirty badge.
"I know," Maze whispered, flicking her eyes away from the bruise and looking at Polly. "If Thomas goes after Campbell, the Inspector will see me as Thomas' weakness. He will utterly destroy Thomas." she said, her voice becoming stronger.
Pol watched the girl and, like Thomas, she thought of scenarios that could make this go away but sighed after a few minutes, finding no available paths.
"Leave," Polly said suddenly. "You can leave Birmingham…. Go to London for a few weeks."
"I can't do that, Pol. I fear it will only make it worse if I run," Maze protested, turning away from Polly and crossing the small office. "Campbell could intercept me before I make it out of Birmingham, and then who knows what he'll do."
"She's not leaving," Thomas said, leaning against the door frame of his office.
Once his anger dissipated, John and Arthur brought him back. They bloodied each up to some degree. Thomas winced, leaning his shoulder against the door frame. He cursed himself for losing his temper like he did and knew he would have to explain himself. At least to Polly, if she asked. Losing tempers was Arthur's way of letting out aggression of the wolf tendencies, not his.
"What?" Polly snapped, seeing her nephew standing there bloodied up.
Maze sighed seeing Thomas. She peered through the glass and saw John and Arthur easing their way into the room. "I said take him out of here, not beat the snot out of him."
Arthur chuckled, looking at John before turning to Thomas, "Oi! He needed it."
Thomas entered the room as Maze leaned against his desk. He came to stand beside her, wanting her close to him. He felt her breath hitch slightly, feeling his fingers caress her back. That she didn't pull away from him felt like a victory.
"Thomas is right," Maze spoke up over the silence. "I can't leave. I won't….. leave."
"She…," Polly began, eyeing Thomas.
"She's not leaving," Thomas said with finality.
He couldn't protect her if she left his sight. He would have a Blinder follow her for a while, hoping that it would help take eyes off her. If eyes stayed on her, then her protection had his permission to use deadly force. Thomas would not chance her safety because she figured she could handle herself in this matter.
"I'm going home," Maze said quietly. She turned and looked at him, giving him a small smile before pushing past John and Arthur and left the office.
John and Arthur left seconds later to take care of business, leaving Polly alone with Thomas. He looked at his aunt, sensing her anger toward him. Moving away from the front of his desk, he sat down in the chair and reached for his cigarettes. The room was silent as he lit a stick. He quickly inhaled before looking back at Polly.
"You frightened her."
"No," Thomas said with a shake of his head. "I didn't."
"You didn't see what I saw," Polly snapped. "She trusts you with her safety, don't lose that trust by letting your anger get the better of you."
He said nothing as Polly slammed the door behind her. Thomas looked at his ledger before picking up a pen. There was still work to do. He'd talk to Maze later.
