Following their kiss outside the Garrison under a moonlit sky nothing changed for the pair. Tommy attempted to kiss her once again the following Friday but this time she had said no. It wasn't that she didn't want Tommy to kiss her. In fact, it was quite the opposite Irene had gone home every Friday night thinking how nice it would be if he was in bed with her, giving more of his firm kisses. It was just that Irene didn't want him to think he had won her already. Besides, it wasn't like they could be anything more than what they already were. If they where to take things further Freddie and Tommy would surely kill each other and with everything happening with Ada she didn't want to stir that pot any more than she had too.

Irene Thorn had danced around his mind all day, her naughty smile and innocent sky-blue eyes after they had kissed were burned into his brain. Whenever he had needed to concentrate she had popped up like a child's jack in the box.

Before he had gone to war he hadn't give Irene a second glance, she had been his best friends annoying little sister who had always tried to hang out with them growing up. There had never been a time where they had shared a soft moment every time they spoke it had been like he was speaking to a brick wall. Irene had never cared about what he had said and had tried to ignore him if she could. War had changed him, given him a new outlook on life, it was just a shame it hadn't done the same for Freddie who seemed to be stuck in the past. Tommy would never have sought out Irene just to get under Freddie's skin, that's why they only met after he left but when had seen her that night in the Garrison it had changed everything.

Tommy places down his whiskey glass and takes a long drag of his cigarette. His older brother, Arthur was pouring himself yet another glass of the brown liquid. Tommy watches him carefully, this was his second and Arthur sixth. He made a mental note to speak to him about his drinking when he was sober. The thought makes him snigger, when was Arthur ever sober?

"What you laughing at?" Arthur pauses before bringing the glass to his lips.

"Nothing." Tommy raises his eyebrows as he takes another drag of his cigarette.

"As I was saying." Arthur re-adjusts himself on the bench and puffs out his chest. "What the fuck is that noise?" Arthur jumps to his feet, his fist raised.

"Sit down brother!" Tommy orders calmly, "I hear it's what they call music now." He chuckles, it was nice to know that he wasn't the only one that thought it sounded horrific. Arthur slowly sits down but he can see that he is now on edge, ready for a fight. "You were saying?" Tommy tries to distract his older brother.

"Right, uh it's Linda." Arthur seems even more on edge than he had just a moment ago. "She's uh-"

"Spit it out," Tommy demands his patience on thin ice.

"She's well, she's pregnant Tom." Tommy doesn't let his brother see his disappointment. With Linda up the duff, he would be losing his best soldier although Arthur didn't know it yet this would be the beginning of the end for him. Tommy slaps a wide grin on his face and stands to embrace his brother.

"Congratulations!"

Suddenly the door swings open and a dainty brunette woman is splayed on the floor a man on top of her, his hands around her throat. The brothers instantly begin to drag him away from her, Arthur pulling at the mans back and Tommy prising his fingers away. The brunette screams as she throws her foot upwards, landing it directly between his thighs. The man instantly lets go of her neck and is thrown back into the bar as Tommy lands a punch to his jaw. As soon as he hits the floor Tommy knows who it is.

"Freddie." Tommy spits as he clambers to his feet.

"Get here!" He shrieks, running towards Tommy trying to get past him to the girl.

"Oh no, you don't." Tommy pushes him backwards and into the wall behind him. "Get out!" Tommy orders.

Freddie runs his fingers through his damp brown locks and shakes his head, laughing. "I'll be waiting," Freddie shouts to the girl behind Tommy before turning on his heal and making his way out of the pub. Tommy was surprised he had walked away from a fight, maybe he was learning that this was Thomas Shelby's town and he knew better than to involve him in his arguments. Tommy doubted it.

"Why did you help me! I had him!" The woman grumbles as she fixes her black dress. Tommy turns back to her, scoffing in disbelief.

"I think the words you are looking for is thank you." He watches her as she picks up his whiskey glass and throws her head back, the expensive liquid slipping down her throat. She looked familiar, her mahogany brown hair was in disarray from the tussle with Freddie Thorne, he tried to picture what she would look like without a painted face and her fancy dress but he couldn't.

"I will never say thank you to Thomas Shelby." The brunette rolls her eyes as she places the glass back on the table. Tommy raises his thick black eyebrows at her, his head swimming with different ways he could put her in her place.

"Is that so?" Really, Tom, that's the best you can do? He couldn't help it, her bluntness excited him. It had been a long time since anyone had challenged him never mind a woman.

The brunette purses her painted lips and tilts her head to the side as she looks at him. "You don't know who I am, do you, Tommy?" She groans. Tommy gives her another once over but eventually shakes her head. "Irene." Irene sighs, "Irene Thorne."

Tommy's mouth hangs slightly adjare, she looked completely differen't from the last time he saw her. It had been nearly six years but still in his mind she was still sixteen.

"It's called growing up." Irene laughs as he sees the shock in his face. "It was nice to see you again Tom." She calls over her shoulder as she walks past him and pushes the door open, making her way towards the main bar.

Tommy tries to follow her but it feels as though she has slipped into the sea of people in order to hide from him.

"Tommy!" Arthur shouts, motioning him back to the bar. Tommy takes one last glance around the room in an attempt to find Irene but its no use she is nowhere to be seen. Tommy shakes his head, he had no business trying to speak to Irene Thorne, no matter how sexy she looked in that sparkly black dress.

Together Arthur and Tommy put the room back together in silence when the Thorne siblings had come crashing into the room it had sent a bench and some of the photo frames on the walls flying. Irene's back would surely be covered in bruises from the way she hit the floor but she hadn't seemed to care one bit. Tommy sits back down on the opposite bench to Arthur and pours them both a fresh glass, the bottle almost gone now. How many had Arthur had? Tommy slides a glass across to his brother and he starts to talk about Linda and the new baby. Tommy nods along but he isn't listening he's too busy looking at the perfect rouge lipstick print on his crystal glass. Abruptly Tommy stands to attention and slams his now empty whiskey glass on to the table. "Where you going, Tommy?" Arthur questions, confusion from his brother's sudden movement fogging his brain.

Tommy does not answer him as he turns on heal and storms out of the room, as he walks through the main room the punters part like the red sea and allows him to walk down the middle of them. He finds her stood beside the bar nursing a glass of white rum and soda.

Irene sees him coming towards her, a determined expression on his soft but sharp features. She raises her perfectly arched eyebrows expectantly.

"Do you dance?" Tommy skips the pleasantries.

Irene scoffs as she rolls her eyes, was this the best he could do? "If I'm asked properly."

"Dance with me." He demands before taking her glass and placing it on the bar. Tommy grabs her hand and pulls her to the clearing in front of the bar, he places his hand on her hip and takes her hand in his and they begin to rock back and forth.

"Would you like to know what we were fighting about" Irene offers after a few minutes of dancing in silence. She looks toward's Tommy for a moment and see's him ever so slightly nod his head. "He said that I wasn't allowed a boyfriend. So I told him I was going to step out with you." Irene can't help the smile from forming on her painted lips, that had really pissed Freddie off. Irene takes another look at Tommy and he is chuckling to himself. Tommy couldn't help but want to know more about her. Who was this girl?

As Tommy watches her spin around in circles with another man, he can't help but think that he still has no idea who she was or what she wanted.