16 May 1919

"Do you want beer?" Elizabeth asked as she approached Tommy.

He was stood so close to the fire that a scalding heat, bleeding from the bright flames, prickled against her bare skin when she came close.

Tommy simply shook his head, not moving, watching the burning fire.

She'd been serving at the bar when Finn had walked in a few hours ago, climbing onto the counter to take their photo of the King. Despite Elizabeth's shouts and the cloth she'd thrown to try and get him down, he'd snatched it and run off anyway. Chasing after the young Shelby, she ended up bumping into Tommy, who explained why they needed the photo. He told her and Fenton to serve beer to the crowd who would gather, and three buckets of it later she had come over to Tommy.

He was still, the only movement was his hand, moving up and down to take lungful's of his cigarette, barely acknowledging Elizabeth's presence. Not being told to leave, however, and knowing that everyone one who wanted a drink had one, she decided to put the bucket down and soak in the heat for herself. The air was heavy with smoke, and she knew her clothes would smell for weeks, but the warmth was worth it.

"It's beautiful, isn't it." She sighed quietly, watching the dancing flames, flickering about each other like lovers in a trance.

She hadn't thought he'd heard her, silence permeating the air for a long time, until he breathed out a cloud of smoke and turned his head to look at her.

"Like you." She froze, hands outstretched to the fire, a blush spreading across her cheeks that Elizabeth was glad he wouldn't notice in the dark. "It matches your hair."

He flicked his cigarette into the fire and walked away into the night, leaving her frozen where she stood.

She felt angry.

A part of her wanted to chase after him like he was Finn, to shake him until he said something that made sense, maybe even throw a cloth at him.

How could he kiss her on that platform, all those years ago, and then ignore every letter she'd sent him since? How could he not meet her when she came home, but then hug her like his life depended on it when they finally saw each other? How could he be blunt, cold, rude, but then tell her, so gently, that she's beautiful?

Elizabeth felt tired, her head ached from the long day of work and the bright fire she was looking into. She just wanted to sleep. She just wanted to forget today.

18 May 1919
Morning

Elizabeth sat, nursing a scalding cup of tea, when Ada finally made her way downstairs.

"Good of you to finally join us," Polly said, not lifting her eyes from the paper. "Where have you been all day."

"Sleeping," Ada replied, sitting down with a plate of toast. "Why are you reading the paper?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Polly had a spyglass, and was slowly making her way down the page, still not looking up at the rest of the women in the room.

"I've never seen you read the paper, I've only ever seen you light fires with them."

"Ada's right, Polly, it's not like you." Elizabeth added her own comment, making eye contact with Ada and smirking slightly.

The girl started spreading thick layers of jam onto her toast, much to Elizabeth's disgust, eating it as she listened to Polly.

"BSA are on strike," she said, dropping the newspaper and picking up her cup. "Miners are on strike, the IRA are killing our boys, ten a day." Elizabeth watched as Polly paused, her cup inches from her mouth, staring at Ada.

"What?" Ada asked, as confused as Elizabeth.

"Stand up." Polly demanded, suddenly, putting her cup down and dragging Ada away from the table.

She followed the pair with her eyes, shrugging as Ada looked to her for an explanation.

"Side on." She moved the girl to the side and grabbed her breast, squeezing.

"What are you doing, Pol?" Ada shrieked, Elizabeth laughing along with her.

She put her own cup of tea down and went over to the pair, laughing.

"Why are you feeling Ada up, Pol?"

"Ada, how late are you?"

The silence in the room was deafening, both the girl's laughter dying quickly. Polly was staring straight at Ada, who had teared up.

"Not long," she whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. Polly look didn't falter, and Ada collapsed under the pressure, starting to sob. "It's been six months," she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks as Elizabeth and Polly gasped.

"Ada, you fool. How could you not have told me?" Polly gripped the girl's arm tightly, but she continued to sob, any words she was trying to say getting lost in the tears.

"We'll take it to mine," Elizabeth said, trying to break the tension. She went over to the cupboard to grab their coats. "Where no one can overhear us."

They made their way back to her apartment as quickly as possible, walking through back alleys that kept them hidden from any lurking Peaky boys. Once inside, Polly and Ada settled around her table as Elizabeth rushed about, making them fresh, hot tea and lighting a fire. The room was warm and cosy by the time she sat back down, the spring chill chased from her house.

Ada had dried her tears, but was still sniffling into her cup as Polly repeated question.

"Why didn't you tell me, Ada?"

"I didn't know, Aunt Pol."

"Bullshit!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air in outrage.

Elizabeth reached a hand across the table to squeeze Polly's hand and calm her down.

"Ada, sweetheart, you must have noticed." She asked, trying to keep the women as calm as possible.

"You know what I'm like, Pol." She sniffed, rubbing her eyes, "I'm never regular, so it didn't even cross my mind the first few months. When I started to notice, I thought it was the stress. The boys were back, things were changing; I went to the doctor and got iron tablets to help with it."

"But they didn't work," Polly whispered, finishing Ada's sentence as she began to cry again.

Elizabeth moved her chair nearer to her, taking her in her arms.

"It's alright Ada, you're going to be alright."

"By the time I realised, it was too late." She sobbed, looking up at the two of them. "Because it is too late, isn't it? I can't get rid of it now, even if I wanted."

There was silence for a long time, except for Ada's muffled cries as she soaked Elizabeth's shoulder. Polly watched the two of them, a heartbroken look on her face.

"I know a woman, in Cardiff." Polly's voice was quiet, testing the room.

Elizabeth's eyes snapped back up to meet hers.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Pol."

"She specialises in-" Polly tried to continue, but she cut her off again.

"No, Polly. It's too fucking dangerous, and you know it. I won't let you."

They glared at each other, Polly sucking on her teeth and looking at Ada, who had sat back up.

"Whose is it?" Polly asked, diverting the subject.

"If I tell you," Ada said, taking a shallow breath, "you'll tell them and they'll cut him to pieces."

"Not if he marries you," Elizabeth glanced at Ada beside her to see how she reacted to Polly's words, knowing Freddie Thorne had left town after the house raids. "He will marry you, won't he?"

"I don't know where he is," Ada replied, meekly.

"My God," Polly hissed, shaking her head.

"He's gone away, Polly, but he'll come back."

"They don't come back."

"He will!" Ada exclaimed, starting to cry again, looking to Elizabeth for reassurance. "He's not like that, he promised! He'll come back; I know he will!"

"You know who it is?" Polly asked Elizabeth. She nodded, and Polly sighed, running a hand over her face, looking tired. "It's not good now, Ada, but the longer you leave, the worse it will get. Believe me, I know."

The two girls looked at her, shocked.

"I was 16, and I didn't dare tell anyone. In the end I did it myself. I did it to myself, and I almost died. And he didn't come back, because they never come back, Ada. Why should they? You know the words; you're a whore, your baby's a bastard. There's no word for the man who doesn't come back though."

Polly was crying as she leant forward to take Ada's hand.

"One day, on your wedding day, you'll have a good man on your arm, and you'll say:

'Polly, thank you for common sense.'

The woman that I know is in Cardiff, she specialises in late pregnancies, we'll take the train at the end of the week and go to the castle after for a treat."

"Polly," Elizabeth begged, tears running down her cheeks, "I know him, I know he'll come back. He's a good man. It's too dangerous, Polly, please."

Ada took Elizabeth's hand with her free one, squeezing it gently.

"Thank you, Eliza, but I'll be alright. Will you tell Tommy?" Ada asked, turning to look at Polly, who nodded. "You can let him know I'll be at the Pictures if he wants to speak to me, though make it clear I don't want to speak to him."

With that, Ada left, kissing Elizabeth on the cheek and leaving the two other women alone together.

"Tommy won't be happy."

"I know," Polly sighed, putting her coat back on.

"Try to get him to see reason?" Elizabeth whispered in her ear, hugging Polly tightly.

"I'll try my best."

Evening

The door burst open as Tommy marched into the empty pub, Elizabeth pausing as she cleaned a table.

"You knew, and you didn't tell me?" He was angry, his voice raised as he walked over and slammed his hands down into the table she was cleaning, leaning forward.

"Sorry?" Elizabeth replied, scoffing.

She picked up the cloth and went to move past him, when he grabbed her bicep to stop her.

"You knew about Ada and Freddie, and you didn't fucking tell me."

"Yes, Tommy, I didn't tell you." She snapped, wrenching her arm free and walking over to the bar. "Because Ada has her own fucking life that's none of your business."

"None of my business? It is my business, Liza, and when I find him, I'll make my business killing him." Elizabeth met his icy glare with one of her own, shaking her head.

"Do you hear yourself? You used to be best friends, the three of us spent every fucking day together, and now you want to kill him?" She was shouting, pointing at Tommy, who stood with his eyebrows raised, arms crossed aggressively. "All because they didn't follow your every, bloody word!"

"Yes, that is exactly why, because they wouldn't be in this mess if they did." He wasn't shouting, yet, but his voice was raised in a way she recognised. A way that made grown men quiver, but not Elizabeth.

"You are not who you used be. You have no right to Ada's life, Tommy, because it's hers, not yours. You cannot control every person."

She had taken a step closer to him, staring up at his blue eyes, which had glazed over with a threatening anger.

"I learnt things, when I was in France, Liza, that if you don't take control, you don't survive." His words were quiet, the threat in his tone of voice clear, emphasising every word.

"You talk like I wasn't over there with you men," she spat back.

"You don't fucking understand what it was like."

"How dare you." Elizabeth hissed, backing away to look him over. "I saw things over there, Thomas, I did things that keep me awake at night. Don't fucking think I don't understand!"

Tommy was silent, staring at her with an unreadable look.

"You should have told me about Freddie," was all he had to say.

Elizabeth laughed bitterly, unsurprised.

"Whatever hellish road it is you're heading down, Tommy, I won't let you drag us down with you. I didn't tell you, because it was not my place, and I am sick of you trying to do whatever it is that you're trying to do. Now get, the fuck, out of this pub." She was calm as she talked, rolling the words out like a cold, sharp knife, refusing to back down.

"What did you say?" Tommy walked slowly up to her, closing the gap she'd created earlier.

He was close, his breath on her nose, his eyes scanning her face.

If looks could kill, she thought.

"I'm not afraid of you." She surveyed his face as well, running over his cheeks, his nose, his lips. Lips that were so close to her as she breathed out her quiet words, chest heaving with heavy breaths. There was an electric tension between them. "You can't frighten me, not like every other person in this city. I will tell you one, last time. Get, the fuck, out of this pub."

"You should be scared of me." Tommy replied, his own eyes settling on her lips.

A part of her thought, for a heartbeat, that he was going to kiss her, as they stared at each other's mouths, inches apart. His breath was gentle against her cheek and his fingers brushed her wrist.

At that touch, though, something changed, and the moment was over as quickly as it began.

Tommy turned and walked out of the Garrison, slamming the door behind him with a force that shook the glass bottles on the bar.

Elizabeth half fell, leaning her back against the bar as she ran a shaking hand over her face and tried to breathe again. Whatever had happened in that moment, it had electrified her. She couldn't help the smile that crept up on her face, as foolish as it was.

I get angry when compliments me, Elizabeth thought, and yet I smile like a schoolgirl after we argue.

please leave feedback, i love to hear it! i know six month is very far into a pregnancy, but it works well enough with my timeline without being too impossible

e x

(18/06/2020)