St Petersburg, Summer 1907
A little Ekaterina was running through the lush garden of her grandparents mansion, giggling and twirling around until her pretty, little dress blew up around her legs. Her blonde locks were already a disheveled mess, her cute braids a maid had tied for her this morning almost completely undone. The air was warm and rich with the smell of all the beautiful flowers blooming in the garden. Aleksandra Karágin watched her youngest granddaughter play around with fond eyes. It was such a pity that her husband had married their daughter Lisaweta off to an English man. Because now they could see Andrew and Ekaterina only once a year, at most, and so they missed most of these grandchildrens childhood. But they made up on it by pampering them both to their hearts content when they did see them.
"Katyusha, my darling, where are you?" The old lady called out in Russian when she didn't see the girl anymore. She hissed a little when her hip suddenly sent a stinging pain into her consciousness. Her age was sadly catching up with her body and so she sat down on a stone bench standing under a tree, casting a cooling shadow on it. She heard the little footsteps of her grandchild running up to her and so she hurriedly wiped the pained expression from her face. "Baba!" The girl cried with an exited expression on her face. She came to a halt before her and put her hands on her grandmothers lap. "Baba, you know what? In your garden live fairies!" The old woman smiled kindly down at the blonde girl. "Is that so?" The girl eagerly nodded. "Yes! I ran after a butterfly, but it wasn't a butterfly at all! It changed before my eyes and turned into a fairy!"
Aleksandra chuckled at her grandchild's wild imagination. "How exiting! And what did you do when you saw it?" Ekaterina pouted. "I wanted to catch it to show it to you, but it got away." The woman patted the child's head. "That's probably for the best. Not that it's monster friend starts to worry and comes out searching for it." The girls eyes sparkled. "The fairy is friends with a monster?! A real one?!" The grandmother laughed out loud. "Why, yes. Did your mama never tell you the story of the fairy and the monster?" The girl shook her head and Aleksandra patted the place next to her on the bench. "Come sit down, my darling. I'm going to tell you a story that's been told in our family for a long time."
.
.
Ekaterina stood before the door of Graces room. She remembered her address from the books. The gun was a reassuring weight in the pocket of her cardigan, which was thankfully big enough to conceal it. Yet she prayed she wouldn't need it. The girl took a deep breath and then opened the door, which surprisingly wasn't even locked, without knocking. Grace turned around from the window she was standing before, her face falling when she saw who it was. "Let me guess," Ekaterina scoffed, standing tall and proud; seemingly taking up more space than Grace with her presence alone, even though she was almost a head shorter. Standing before her was not Katy Smith, but Lady Ekaterina Chetwynd-Talbot. Daughter of an Earl and a princess. "You expected Tommy to come panting up your leg, not me confronting you." She continued and narrowed her eyes. "Even after everything you have done to him. Selling him out to the police more than once. Him getting shot in the process. Yet you still seriously believe you can seduce him to come over to your side."
Grace perked up. "Tommy, shot?" She asked worriedly. "Is he-", "He will survive." Ekaterina interrupted her. "Though certainly not thanks to you. The reason he got hurt in the first place." Grace swallowed. "So you figured out that it was me." Ekaterina scoffed again and rolled her eyes. "You never fooled us, Grace. Tommy and me suspected you from the very beginning. It was all just too convenient with Campbell and you appearing at the fucking same time." Grace twitched at that crude word. It seemed out of place coming from her mouth. "And your stories were full of holes and easy to disprove. As one of the first women ever to work for the government I'm seriously disappointed about how little effort you made to come over convincingly, Grace." Her blue eyes wandered to the floor. So she had been unsuccessful in that part of her mission.
"Campbell will not let up from Tommy." The spy said after a while. "He now has a personal vendetta against the Shelbys after I told him that I love Tommy and will not marry him." Ekaterina cocked her head. That Grace was in love with Tommy wasn't new to her, she had guessed as much. Even if she couldn't understand it. He had never been particularly nice to her. But the proposal Campbell had made to her was. She grinned. "So Chester Campbell wants to marry you? And you said no? Pity, you would both deserve each other. A match made in hell." Grace gritted her teeth. "So you wish on me what you ran away from? Even after knowing how he is?" Ekaterina sighed and shook her head. "No. I'm not that low." She looked at the taller woman with earnest eyes. "And that's why I will give you one advice: leave the city and never come back. It's probably best to leave the country all together, to be honest. Campbell will not let this slight just sit with him and he has the power and connections to let you seriously suffer. He will try to get back at you like he tried with me. Also," her eyes were burning now. "If I ever see you in Birmingham again after today... I will kill you myself." Ekaterina stared at Grace with all the rage she had contained until now. "You made a woman a widow and some boys half-orphans today. Tommy and so many other people I deeply care for almost died because of you. I loathe you Grace."
The girl slipped her hand into the pocket with the gun, though not pulling it out. But Grace knew what she was gripping there without seeing it. "Don't worry, I will leave Small Heath and Birmingham tonight." She promised with a sigh. "I guessed that I have overstayed my welcome after Polly Gray has already threatened me. But..." she pulled something from her pocket and for a moment Ekaterinas hold on the gun got stronger. But it was only a letter. "That's why I want you to give this to Tommy. Please." The girl stared at her, her expression never changing. But she also didn't take the letter, so Grace explained "I'm planning to go to New York and start a new life, away from Campbell and everything. Tommy... Tommy could come with me." Ekaterina snorted. "Let me guess: and marry you and play happy family?" Grace didn't react to her mockery. "As I said. Campbell will not leave him alone after this. But I can give him a way out."
Now Ekaterina was full-on laughing. "You know, Grace." She breathed in between giggles. "You have guts. So it's a bit disappointing that you are such a stubborn idiot and traitor. We could have really been friends under different circumstances. I didn't lie back then." She was referring to the day they had gotten to know each other. "You have to be a special kind of dumb, though, to believe Tommy would leave everything behind for someone like you. Hell, I'm not even sure he would leave his family or even just his business for me. Nor would I ask him to, because I know how important it is to him." She smoothed out her face again. "You really don't know Tommy at all, Grace; even though you seem to be convinced otherwise." Then she stretched out her free hand and took a few steps towards her. "But sure. I'll give it to him. After all, it's his decision to make and I don't see you as a thread. Though don't expect him to answer... or even read it."
She took the letter from a stone-faced Grace and then turned to leave. "I hope you make it to New York and have a good life there. I really do." She said when she reached the door. "Because if you have, you hopefully never come back. Farewell, Grace." She went out the door and closed it behind her, sighing deeply. This part of her life was over now. She went down the stairs and up the street, on her way back to the Garrison. The gun weighing down one pocket of her cardigan and Graces letter the other. She contemplated if she should just throw that damn piece of paper into the cut - when Chester Campbell appeared before her. Ekaterina halted, shock clearly on her face, her hand shooting to the gun.
"What do you want from me, Chester?" She demanded to know, her voice sounding stronger than she currently felt. Campbell grinned condescendingly. "I was actually on my way to deal with Grace... but, seeing as I was planning to deal with you as well anyway, this is quite the happy coincidence... little Katya." The blonde swallowed. "So?" He pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. "Killing Grace won't do anything but give me satisfaction, as I know that dirty devil doesn't want her. But killing you... will send an important message to Thomas Shelby and his family of gypsy scum. And I promised him his heart would be broken before the day was over."
A gun shot sounded through the night.
.
.
Tommy ran through the streets of Small Heath, frantically searching for Ekaterina. The wound on his chest hurt like hell, but he didn't care. Ekaterina had taken his gun and sneaked out of the pub. And he had a feeling where she had gone to. He ran as fast as he could, but had to stop at a wall to catch his breath, putting a hand on his hurting and probably bleeding again chest. He felt dizzy and like he would puke at any moment. The wound was affecting him more than he liked to admit and he punched the wall. Ekaterina had gone to confront Grace, of that he was sure. Grace, who worked for the police and probably was armed. Ekaterina, who still could barely hold a gun in her small hands, yet alone really handle it. If this ended badly... if she ended up shot... he would kill Grace with his own two hands. And then hang himself.
He looked up again - and spotted a small figure coming down the street. He immediately pushed away from the wall. "Ekaterina!" He yelled, and she looked up as he ran up to her. The expression on her face was indecipherable and she was holding his gun in her right hand. A bullet hole was on the pocket of her cardigan and his heart stuttered as he came to a halt before her. "Are you hurt!?" He demanded to know, immediately kneeling down and pulling up her cardigan and the blouse underneath out of the waistband of her skirt, checking the skin and making her shriek. The skin was smooth and unbroken though and he breathed out. "Tommy! I'm not hurt!" She assured as she put the fabric back to its place. "I- I might have killed Campbell... but I'm not hurt, I promise." Tommy looked up at her. "Campbell?" She nodded and explained "He cornered me, wanting to kill me... but I was quicker." He looked into her wavering eyes. "He is dead?" She suddenly avoided his gaze. "I don't know. I didn't check. I don't even know where the bullet has hit him. I just ran away... when he hit the floor."
Tommy stood up, taking the gun from her hand, putting the safety on it and pushing it into the waistband of his pants. Then he pulled the girl into his chest, embracing her fiercely. A whole mountain fell from his heart and he made a mental note to send a couple Blinders to investigate later. Make Campbells corpse disappear, if he really was dead. And bribe the police to stop any investigations. "Don't ever do this again, Ekaterina." He ordered. "I thought- thought I would never see you again. Grace and Campbell could have both killed you." He pulled her away a little and took her face in his hands. "I would not survive your death, you hear me? I would have fucking killed myself if I had lost you today." Ekaterina still didn't meet his gaze. She pulled something out from her other pocket. "This is from Grace." She announced as she held it up to him. "She wants you to go to America with her." Tommy took the letter with an irritated expression - and then let it fall into a puddle. "Who the fuck cares about that whore? I don't want her. I want you."
He put a hand on his head and sighed before pulling something from his pocket. It was a ring, a simple gold band. "Look... I know that you have not been born to be with a man like me. You deserve better... much better. Even this ring is probably horribly inadequate for the daughter of an Earl. But... it was my mother's. And I want you to wear it... as my wife." She finally looked up at him with big eyes. "What?" He took her hand. "It's what I wanted to talk to you about today, when I would have returned. I want you to marry me. Your brother has already given us his blessings... and I promise you to get you a much better ring than this one for the wedding. With diamonds and everything you want."
She looked at their hands, not saying anything for a long moment and making him fear that she would turn him down. Then she began "when you got shot today... you know, it's funny; you could have died today. And yet, as I tended to your wound, all I could think about was my grandmother. The fairy tale she always told me when I was a child." She looked up at him. "To make it short: it was about two creatures that shared a heart. When one suddenly died, the other did, too... That's what I have felt today. I love you so much, Tommy, and if I had lost you... I'm sure I would have perished as well, then and there." She smiled. "So yes, I will marry you. Gladly so. And no one will ever be better for me than you."
Tommy broke into a huge, happy grin and pushed the ring on the ring finger of her outstretched left hand. It was a bit too big on her delicate finger. "Ah, ehm, sorry. I forgot that it probably won't fit you." He apologized a bit sheepishly. "Don't worry, I'll make sure the actual wedding band will fit you perfectly. And I can get this one resized." She just looked down at the polished gold and then smiled up at him. "It's perfect. I will wear it on a necklace." She got up on her tip toes and embraced his neck. "I love this ring Tommy." She whispered into the crook of his neck. "I really do. No diamond clad ring can compare with it, I mean it. Thank you so much for this priceless treasure." Then they kissed for a long, passionate moment.
After that they went back to the Garrison, where only Arthur, John and Polly were still left. They announced their engagement and his family celebrated and congratulated them - well, Polly did, while his brothers were just drunkenly blabbering. Then they pulled out the champagne bottle Grace had left behind. "Shelby Brothers Limited are now the third largest legal race track operation in the country." Tommy announced, bottle in hand and clinking glasses with his brothers. "Only the Sabinis and the Solomons are bigger than us, boys." He returned to Ekaterina. "And all my family is here to celebrate." Tommy popped the cork out of the bottle and put his arm around the shoulders of the girl. "To Shelby Brothers Limited." He toasted, looking fondly down at her. His engagement ring was shining proudly on her left hand. A proclamation to all the world that she was taken. By him. "And my beautiful soon-to-be wife." She smiled up at him with blushing cheeks and he held up the bottle.
"Cheers!"
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AN: so with this season one comes to an end. I'm not sure if I will continue this story here or make another story for it, but continue I will. Either way, I will a least put up an information here when the story continues. Though don't expect it for a while, because I seriously have to focus on my other stories for now. Especially my Umbrella Academy FF "in the darkness with you" fans are breathing down my neck because I haven't uploaded anything for months now, haha. But I really enjoyed writing this story. It helped me with my grieving process. Also, I never liked Grace, so it was fun to have my own spin on a love story with Thomas Shelby. I hope you are looking forward to the second season.
Shout out to SusanLebeau for taking the time to write such a long comment! You reassured me and gave me some ideas for the future.
Lots of love, Lulu.
