On a late morning Ekaterina entered the kitchen to find Polly with a cigarette in one and a glass filled with port wine in the other hand. She looked more than a little distraught. "Are you okay, Polly?" The girl asked with concern. Polly looked at her and flicked the ash from her cigarette in an ashtray. "Ada and Freddie got married this morning." The blonde smiled slightly. "Isn't that good?" Now Ada wouldn't end up a disgraced woman, at least. And she even had been able to marry the man she had always been in love with. The blonde was genuinely happy for her friend, even if she was a bit sad that she hadn't been able to attend the wedding. Polly shook her head. "They're still in Birmingham." Ekaterinas face fell again. "Oh." Tommy would be furious.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear, as right at this moment Tommy entered the house. Though Polly had probably send Finn to get him to tell him before he would hear it from someone else. Tommy came in and immediately noticed the women's serious faces. "All right?" He asked as he closed the door behind him. The women exchanged a look and Ekaterina swallowed, unsure if she should stay or if it was better to get up to her room. "Are you armed?" Polly cautiously asked. Tommy took off his cap, frowning. "No." Polly took a deep breath. "Then I'll tell you."
She looked at her nephew. "Ada and Freddie Thorne were married today. They defied your orders, they haven't left the city." Tommy took a drag from his cigarette and turned around, walking to the table and heavily leaning on it. He sighed. "I'll deal with it." Polly announced, going to the table as well. Ekaterina stayed at the fire place. "Thomas." She conjured. "I'll deal with it."
"Where are they." Tommy immediately asked. He looked at the blonde, who shook her head. She really didn't know. "Freddie's comrades have safe houses." His aunt explained. "Why do you want to know?" He looked at Polly again. "I want to send them flowers. Why do you think?" He mocked. "Would it be so bad if they stayed?" The older woman asked. Tommy leaned forward. "I promised I'd run Freddie out of town." He looked at the girl and she perked at that. "Promised who?" Polly demanded. Tommy looked towards the shop and the brunette woman immediately went to close the door. Ekaterina came to the table as well. This seemed to concern her somehow.
"I told the coppers Freddie wouldn't come back. It was part of the deal. Freddie for Ekaterinas safety." Said girl visibly lost the color in her face. "What?" She breathed and Polly asked "what bloody deal?!" Tommy didn't elaborate though and so his aunt continued. "What happened to family votes? What happened to meetings?" Still, he said nothing. His aunts brown eyes bore into his blue ones. "If you let me deal with Ada and Freddie, it'll end in peace. Christ knows you've had your fill of war."
Tommy looked at the small girl, who had seemingly caught herself again. She looked at him with big, piercing eyes. He turned back to Polly. "You get Freddie out of town, Pol. Or else I'll deal with it myself." He gave the girl one last look before he went out again. Her eyes followed him.
.
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It wasn't long before Ekaterina saw him again. She was coming back from an appointment when Tommy suddenly grabbed her arm, startling her. "Jesus, Thomas!" She exclaimed. "Don't frighten me so!" He smirked. "Sorry, sorry. You are free for the rest of the day, aye?" It was indeed a slow day and she nodded. "Good." He continued. "Because I came to get you." He pulled her with him in the direction of Charlie's stables. "Whatever for?" She asked irritated and Tommy smiled over his shoulder. "We're going for a ride."
Some time later they were riding along the outskirts of Birmingham. The moment they had left the city behind the sky had opened up and now the sun was shining down at them warmly. Tommy had to admit that the girl did know how to ride, a fact he had doubted until now. But her form was perfect and beautiful. They rode until they reached a meadow where they got down to let the horses graze for a bit. Ekaterina stretched herself and then sat down next to Tommy. She could clearly feel how long she had not ridden. Her body wasn't used to it anymore. Yet she felt happy as she let the sun shine down on her, sighing contentedly.
"Thank you for taking me out here." She then said, turning her face towards him. "I really missed horse riding, you know. And the sun. It so rarely makes it through the smog in the city." He grinned. "Maybe you should take a horse out from time to time." Her eyes grew big. "You would let me?" He nodded. "I've seen that you really can ride now. Though you shouldn't go alone, just in case." Ekaterinas face fell again. Then she couldn't go when she wanted. Tommy huffed a bit at that. "Just come find me when you want to. I'll go with you when I can." She nodded, though she knew she would probably never do it. You didn't bother a man like Tommy Shelby just because of something like this.
"Thomas?" She asked after a while. Tommy, who had closed his eyes to enjoy the sun, hummed in acknowledgement. She continued to ask the question that was bothering her for a while now. "Can I ask what it is you did that Campbell was sent here to Birmingham?" He looked at her and she mumbled "you- you kind of owe me, you know. He only found me because of that." She looked at him with her green eyes, no fear in them, only honest curiosity. Tommy leaned back on his arms. "Okay, I'll answer your question. In exchange for some infos from you." She cocked her head. "Sure, but I don't have much to offer you. My life was pretty boring before I ran away." He smiled slightly. "I'll decide that."
He took a moment to arrange his thoughts, deciding on a few questions. "First, why did your parents want you to marry Campbell? Seems like a waste to me, having the daughter of an Earl and a princess marry a simple copper." The blonde stared before her, moving her hand through the grass. He kind of wished she would use it on his hair again, instead. "Campbell is not a simple copper." She answered. "He holds no title himself, but his family is of nobility as well." He frowned. That was new and something he hadn't expected. "He is also quite successful at what he does. The government and the crown both trust his abilities, hence why he was send here. And why my parents accepted his proposal." She continued. "But there also are some very frightening rumors about him."
"Such as?" He asked, his interest peaked. You could never know too much about your enemies. "That he will do anything to assure his success. Even if it means to forge evidence, press false charges... or even kill people for it." She stopped her hand and looked down at him. "So... be careful, okay? Campbell is dangerous. I mean it." He smiled slightly. It felt good to know he meant enough to her that she, at least, didn't want him dead. "Don't worry." He reassured. "I take him quite seriously and I'm not underestimating him. I'll be careful." He opened his eyes again. "Especially because this isn't just affecting the Peaky Blinders." She nodded. "Something else?" She asked as he pulled out a cigarette, sitting up again.
He lightened it and then gazed into her green eyes. "You said you have a brother." She averted her eyes. "I don't really like to talk about him." Tommy took a drag from his cigarette. "Did he go to war?" he asked gently and she nodded. "So he fell?" Ekaterina shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." He looked at her questioningly, so she explained with slightly wavering voice. "He went missing right before everything with Campbell happened. So I don't know if he ever made it back... or if he died somewhere in France or god knows where. Maybe no one will ever know, if he's still missing." He nodded and she cleared her throat before she continued "I think that's why my parents accepted the first proposal they got for me, actually. My brother is the heir of our family and without him our wealth, the titles and our properties will go to someone else after my father's death. But if I had a son..." "He could be made heir." Tommy guessed and she nodded. "My father is also quite old already. He is whole lot older than my mother." He hummed. "So he wanted you to hurry. Give him a heir before he dies."
Tommy smoked his cigarette. "And your father couldn't just make you his heir?" She shook her head. "Some families did alter their line of succession to include women as well." She sighed deeply. "But my father is really old fashioned." He puffed out some smoke. "Living as nobility is more complicated than I thought." He admitted and she huffed. "I told you. It's a golden cage. We may have some more privileges than the common man, but also a lot of rules to follow, duties and expectations to fulfill. As the saying goes: noblesse oblige. Especially for women" Now she leaned back on her arms and mumbled "A true nobel lady accepts her fate with dignity and suffers in silence." She looked up to the sky. "Anyway... I just hope Andrew made it back and is in one piece." He stubbed out his cigarette in the grass. "Andrew?" She took a strand of her hair and twirled it around her finger. "Junior, to be exact. My brother. He is six years older than me." So he was 26 now, Tommy mentally counted. If he still lived, that is.
"Another question?" She asked and he shook his head. She had given him a few useful informations and some things to think about. "So my question?" She continued and he looked at the girl. He wasn't sure if it was the best idea, but she had proven loyal until know... at least in things that didn't concern his sister. So he answered her. "Guns. Machine guns" He said. "A whole crate of them. Stolen from the BSA factory. They were headed for Libya, or so the label said." Her eyes grew big from shock. "Guns?" He nodded and explained "It was actually an accident. We were originally after something else."
Ekaterina sat up again and hugged her knees. "No wonder the crown sent someone like Campbell, then. It would be catastrophic if they ended up in the wrong hands." She muttered and looked at him. "Though I'm not saying the Peaky Blinders are the right ones. This was really, really stupid, Thomas. These guns are more trouble than they're probably worth." If anyone else had talked like that to him he would have been angry. But hearing her talk so honestly to him felt kind of refreshing. She obviously didn't care about what he wanted to hear, she just spoke her mind. Though he didn't know if she did this out of bravery or plain naivety.
She sighed. "Look. I've been thinking." He looked at her, not sure where this was going now. "And I'm honestly thankful that you're trying to protect me. But... I don't think it's right to exchange Adas happiness for mine. Not if it means she is loosing the love of her life." He frowned. "What are you getting on?" She fumbled with her hands. "All I'm sayin is that, if you ever have to decide between handing over Freddie or me to Campbell, I want you to choose me." She turned her face to him and smiled. "I was afraid three years ago, but I'm a big girl now. I think... I think I can handle him now, if I have to." He felt his anger rise with such a sudden intensity that almost surprised him. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
She remained calm. "I'm just saying if, okay? Don't make Ada a widow after she just got married." Tommy stood up and pulled out another cigarette. "Stop talking about things you don't understand." He angrily demanded as he lit his cigarette. "You are just a little girl that probably never even has been with a man before and yet you say you can handle him 'if you have to'?" She stood up as well, patting dirt from her skirt. "What does it have to do with me being with a man before?" She asked and he scoffed, facing her. She clearly had no idea what men like Campbell could do to girls like her. How he could hurt and humiliate her. "You asking that just proves that you are still a virgin." Ekaterina blushed. "What the- don't talk-!" "Hush now." He demanded, leaning menacingly over her. "Polly said she'll deal with Ada and Freddie. And if she doesn't, I'll do. So stop worrying about useless things and just do what I tell you."
Tommy turned around and stomped over to the horses. Just thinking about Ekaterina surrendering herself to Campbell made his blood boil. Picturing her small, naked body trapped under that big, old man, her trying to endure whatever he did to her to satisfy himself, and that just for Adas sake, made him sick to his stomach and he felt the urge to vomit. He had to find his sister and force back some sense into her. He would not trade Ekaterina for a commie bastard.
.
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Even over a week later Ekaterina was still angry with Tommy. She had just tried to do the right thing and he had treated her like a little child that didn't know what it was talking about. Like how her parents had always treated her. It reminded her of the way she was brought up: a proper girl should be seen, but not heard. Pretty enough to spark joy when looked at, but never speak her mind. She wondered if Tommy was like that, too, and that somehow bothered her. She had never been shy or timid, but learning to speak her mind whenever she wanted, not only when asked, was something she had only been able to do here in Small Heath. And now she didn't want to give that up again.
Ekaterina sighed and buried her head in her arms, the hot coffee before her forgotten. She had come to the Garrison to distract herself and yet her thoughts always went back to Thomas Shelby and the argument they had had. She wondered if something was wrong with her. Oh yeah, maybe it was because the Garrison now was owned by Arthur Shelby. Yes, that had to be it. She looked over at the counter where Harry was talking to Grace. She pitied the man. She knew that he more than likely hadn't sold his pub voluntarily. But Tommy always got what he wanted, even if it meant to use force.
The door was thrown open and in came - Ada? She immediately sprung out of her seat. "Oh my god, Ada! What a nice-!" She began with a smile, but the brunette interrupted her, breathing heavily. "Have you seen Freddie?" She asked urgently. The blonde shook her head. "Or Tommy?" Ada continued and groaned, flinching from pain. Ekaterina seized her friends arm and pulled her to the snug. "Ada, sit down." She ordered, but the woman refused. "I have to find Freddie." She groaned again and put a hand on her now swollen belly. Grace appeared in the door, worry clearly on her face. "Everything okay?" She asked and Ekaterina turned to her. "Grace, please bring her a glass of water." The barmaid nodded and went away. "No." Ada argued again. "I have to find them, I think they're going kill each other."
Ekaterina grabbed both of her arms. "Ada, look at me." She demanded, her piercing green eyes boring into Adas blue ones. "I get that it's urgent, but you have to sit and calm down. Too much stress could start the birthing and it's way too early for that." The smaller girl pushed her into a chair and put a hand on her belly. "For the baby's sake, okay?" The brunette blinked and then reluctantly nodded. Grace brought the water and then went out again when no one said anything.
Ada took a sip from the water and Ekaterina pulled out a handkerchief, gently dabbing the brunettes sweaty face with it. "So tell me what happened." the blonde coaxed and Ada began to talk. "Freddie has sent a message to Tommy. He wants to meet with him today." The girl stopped her dabbing. "What? Why would he do that?" Ada sighed. "Aunt Polly gave us 200 pounds and tickets to New York. My guess is Freddie is trying to shove them down Tommy's throat." She put her hands on her face as she felt her tears come. "I'm so tired of this, Katy. I'm tired of hiding and tired of constantly having to worry about my husband and my own fucking brother killing each other, when they had been best friends before." She sobbed. "I just want a fucking normal life with the man I love and our child. Why do they both don't get it?"
Ekaterina felt helpless. She sympathized with Ada more than she could say, but didn't know how to do anything about it. So she just embraced her best friend and cried together with her.
.
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After Ada had calmed down she had went home to check if her husband was already back, preferably in one piece, and Ekaterina promised to check on Tommy. Then she was called to an emergency and when she finally returned to Watery Lane it was already late, the house dark and quiet. She went up to Tommy's room anyway, wanting to make sure that he really was still alive. There was no answer to her knocking but she could hear him groan. She worriedly opened the door to discover a sleeping Tommy on his bed. As he seemed to be unhurt she guessed that he had another nightmare again.
She went over to him. "Thomas." She whispered, lightly shaking his shoulder. Surely it was better to be woken up than suffer through a nightmare. But he didn't wake up, so she shook his shoulder a little harder. "Thomas!" Suddenly her hand was grabbed forcefully and her world turned upside down. When she opened her eyes Tommy was above her, one hand on her throat, and breathing heavily. His hand was squeezing her, though not hard enough to actually prevent her from breathing. His blue eyes were wild and on her, but he didn't see her. He was still trapped in his dream.
Ekaterina reached up and put her free hand on his clammy cheek, a light stubble pricking her fingers. She didn't say anything, just let him calm down as she stroked his cheek with her thumb. Tommy had to blink several times before he recognized that it wasn't the German soldier of his nightmare under him, but Ekaterina. Her long hair was a tangled mess on his pillow and he had his hand on her throat. But still - there was no fear in her expressive eyes. Only pity and sympathy. "Have you calmed down?" She whispered and Tommy sighed, letting his body sink down, burying his head between her small breasts. The girl embraced his head and stroked his hair. He breathed in. She smelled of some flowery soap, clean clothes and a scent he couldn't name, but was distinctly her. It soothed him.
They lied like that for quite some time until Tommy felt collected enough to show her his face again. He got up and lied down next to her, his face to the ceiling. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly. He just looked up. "Why are you here?" She huffed. "Originally I was just planning to look if you're still alive... or if you and Freddie tore each other to shreds." He looked at her through the corners of his eyes. "So you know about it." She hummed. Then she got up on an elbow, now lying sideways. "Do you know how fucking angry I am at you two?" He looked at her face that indeed looked quite angry. "Ada came to the Garrison." She continued. "And thank god I was there. She was so upset that she had cramps."
He pulled up his eyebrows. "So?" She groaned. "Tommy, she is nearing her last trimester. She needs peace and lots of rest, not worries about her brother and husband killing each other." Tommy grinned slightly and she asked "what?". His intense blue eyes drilled into her own. "You called me Tommy for the first time." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Are you still high?" He looked at her questioningly and she looked at his bedside table. "I know what an opium pipe looks like." She sniffed. "I can also smell it. I mean, I don't know what Opium smells like but as I've never smelled this strange sweetness before I'm guessing it's from the pipe." Tommy closed his eyes. He hadn't wanted anyone to know about his drug use.
"Opium and alcohol." Ekaterina muttered. "No wonder you're having nightmares." He shook his head. "It helps me sleep. Drowns out the shovels." She lied down again, taking his hand and entangling their fingers. It was almost funny how small her hand was in his. "Tell me about it." She urged. "I think it's good to talk about such things. Get it off your chest." He thought about it... but he didn't want to weigh his troubles on her innocent mind. She didn't know about war; not like this. The fear and tension. How it felt to kill someone that had never done anything to him personally; but still they were enemies just because of their nationality. For some reason he wanted her to stay ignorant of such things. Still, when she asked again, her hand squeezing his, he told her.
Tommy told her about his days in the trenches; the mud and the stench. How often he had thought about having lived his last day and sometimes wishing that it really was his last. How he still heard the shovels even now, scratching behind his walls. Somewhere in his story they had both fallen asleep and when Danny suddenly was knocking on his door he shushed the stirring girl, telling her to go back to sleep. As he went out to talk with Danny down in the kitchen he gave the slumbering girl one last look. And for the first time since France he regretted having to leave his bed.
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The next morning she awoke alone in Tommy's room. She didn't know if she liked that. At the one hand she probably would have been shy and embarrassed if he had still been there. It was the first time she had spent the night in a mans room, let alone in his bed, after all. On the other hand it felt lonely waking up alone when you knew you had gone to sleep with someone else. She went to her room, washing herself and putting on fresh clothes. Then she went to her first appointment.
At noon she bought herself some biscuits and happily went to the Garrison to eat them with coffee. The moment she entered the pub though, she could hear Tommy's voice. "I'll meet you here at nine o'clock tomorrow morning." She stopped and she could hear the rustling of paper. He was probably reading, what he sometimes did in the snug. "Did you buy a dress?" He then asked and her eyes widened. He was talking to a woman. "Yes. I bought a dress." It was Graces voice that answered. "How does it look?" Tommy's voice continued and something in her chest constricted. Did he... did he have a date with Grace tomorrow? The spy?
When Grace came out of the snug, her cheeks red, she noticed the main door closing. Strange. She thought she had been alone with Tommy Shelby.
AN: thanks to the guest who commented! I hope you continue to enjoy my story :)
Lulu
