"How the hell did you find us?" Ada crossed her arms in temporary annoyance upon opening the door and seeing Sophie, but within seconds caved and flung her arms around her friend.

"Was walking to the market and saw one of your dresses drying on the line in the alley." Sophie told her, more as a warning than anything. It had been a week since Ada had disappeared and Sophie was desperate for her friend. No one knew where she was holed up with her lover and while Tommy's errand niggled at the back of her mind, it wasn't the sole reason Sophie kept looking for her.

They missed her. They were worried. Sophie more than anyone.

"Still as observant as ever." Freddie moved into the space next to Ada in the doorway and Sophie got her first look at the man she hadn't seen in years. He was mostly unchanged, just thinner than he should be. There was still the fire in his eyes she recognized from that summer.

"It is nice to see you again, Freddie." Sophie hugged him as well, and the pair beckoned her into their small flat. It was closer to Watery Lane than Sophie expected, but she supposed Freddie and Ada got a thrill from hiding in plain sight.

"Polly send you?" Ada sighed, sitting down on their thin mattress. She had a protective hand over her swelling belly, just starting to show

"She wants to know that you and the baby are okay, but no." Sophie reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope Tommy had given to her a few weeks prior, and with a shaky hand, held it out to them.

Freddie reached for it and tore it open, quickly scanning the letter, then laughing as he pulled out the rest of the contents of the envelope, "Tommy wants us gone."

"Obviously," Ada snatched the letter from his hands and the indignant smirk on her face dissolved into a thin line, "Three hundred pounds and two tickets to America for a honeymoon that never ends. Sophie, did you know about this?"

Sophie shook her head and watched as Freddie withdrew towards a small writing desk at the back of the room and pulled open a drawer, "He just asked me to give this to you. I had no idea, I promise."

She wasn't surprised that Tommy would suggest such a thing, but it didn't make it any more bearable. That was his sister, her sister in all but blood, the true Princess of Small Heath.

"Well we aren't married, so his proposition is..." Ada ranted until Freddie returned to her side and sunk down on one knee in front of her.

" I've just been waiting for a witness to ask you properly so that it can't be denied, and now I have one," Freddie smiled at Sophie, before opening his palm to reveal a thin gold band, "Ada Shelby will you marry me?"

Sophie took the greatest joy in watching her best friend forget about her angery and scream in delight as she kissed the man she was always meant to be with. But Sophie's happiness was followed by an intense pang of sadness.

This shouldn't be happening here, in this dingy makeshift safe house. They shouldn't have to hide.

" And we need to plan a wedding. This week or next. Sophie, you'll be there, yeah? And if you want Polly too, but we will do it." Freddie kissed Ada again, and then bent to kiss her stomach as a determined ferocity returned to his eyes, "And you can tell Tommy I'm not leaving Birmingham. Ada is having this baby here and we are staying."

" Freddie, would it be so bad?" Ada asked him and Sophie saw the look of anguish in her eyes. She wanted her love and life with him, but the cost was high, "We could have a fresh start in America."

Freddie handed Sophie back the money and the tickets and tore up the letter from Tommy, "We aren't leaving. It was nice to see you Sophie, and we'll get word to you where to meet us, alright?"

She congratulated them and hugged Ada again before leaving, wishing she could say everything she wanted to in that embrace: let me try and help you both. I'm just as scared as you are.

A s Sophie stepped back out to the empty street, she already missed the woman who had become so integral to her life again. Sophie had isolated herself since returning from Cheltenham. Despite Polly's pleas, Sophie avoided speaking with her, John, Arthur, and especially Tommy. She did her work in the offices, took care of the children as needed, and went to bed early.

And she hated it. She desperately wanted to tell Ada that Tommy had kissed her and that she had no idea what to do. But how could she? There was a line drawn between Freddie and Tommy and Sophie already felt as if she kept crossing it.

Tommy's kiss and his words snuck up on her at unsuspecting moments through the day, slowly driving her mad. She had hoped he might say something to her, but he seemed just as set on avoiding her as she was of him. It made it easier for her to hide the complicated feelings that had started to rearup inside of her since the kiss.

And if she was being honest with herself, had laid dormant for the last five years.

~ o0o~

Working at The Garrison for a few months meant that while Grace had not learned much about the Shelby families' complicated plans, she had learned more mundane things. Like their drink preferences depending on the time of day. Since it was mid-afternoon, she knew the brothers would start with a few pints of mild in their usual booth with a bottle of Irish whiskey at the ready. She set down the drinks for them without much ceremony as they were in the middle of a conversation, and resumed her work wiping down the bar counter.

The tedious work gave her time to observe and also silently boil with anger at the man who sat, looking bored, as his two brothers launched into a loud story about some skirmish outside the BSA factory.

Two days prior, Tommy Shelby had left her alone with a lecherous, dangerous man as part of some bargain she wasn't aware of and this was her first time laying eyes on him since. She wasn't holding her breath for an apology, but she did want some answers.

The night after the races, she had barely slept. The thought of Kimber's hands on her haunted her and Campbell had made it clear that she was on very thin ice with her assignment, even though she had hoped passing along information of Tommy's clear infatuation with Sophie Davies would have warranted her something. Campbell had just groaned that Grace's jealousy wasn't befitting her.

And she hated him for his observation because she was jealous.

Grace reminded herself that she was doing all this for reasons much larger than herself, and for her father, and to further her career, but where she had succeeded on other assignments here she fell flat.

She had thought being invited to Cheltenham was a turning point, until she was getting felt up by sweaty hands in a gaudy manor. Tommy had pivoted at the eleventh hour, seemingly having a change of heart for Sophie and leaving Grace to fend for herself.

It wasn't difficult for Grace to string it all together. There had been many nights where she had watched Tommy watching Sophie in the pub. And no matter what she wore or how free she was with her smiles towards him, he didn't seem remotely interested in Grace.

And that stung, because she wanted him. And from her observations, Sophie was completely naive.

And undeserving, she huffed to herself.

Regardless that Campbell didn't take her finding seriously, it was something she would hold onto in case she needed it.

"Another bottle." Tommy's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and her current occupation of buffing out a scratch on the wood of the bar. Her eyes flicked over to the booth where his brothers sat and she could tell from the light coming through the window that the original bottle was still more than half-full.

"The same?"

"Something nicer." He replied and when she grabbed a finer bottle from underneath the counter, he asked for two glasses and poured them each a finger's worth. When she didn't take the glass, he pushed it towards her and she drank it down. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She lied and tried her best to avoid his eyes, or he would know she wasn't. Skilled as she was, she knew her emotions could get the better of her with this.

"Did he hurt you?"

"I'm rather afraid I hurt him." She couldn't help but smirk as she continued her cleaning just to keep her hands busy. She ventured a glance at him and saw a look of mild surprise on his face. Had he really thought she was so easy? He clearly believed she did more for money than her work be a barmaid.

"Then I apologize for making assumptions, Grace. It got a bit out of hand." Tommy cleared his throat and poured himself some more of the whiskey.

It was her turn to grapple with the surprise she felt at the apology, but it was also clear he didn't wish to linger on it, "How is Miss Davies? She seemed rather upset that day as well."

She watched him carefully, but his mask of indifference betrayed nothing.

"I believe she's fine. Better suited to numbers than dancing. And I've been meaning to ask you something, Grace."

She put down the rag and gave him her full attention, watching him take a cigarette from the gold case he kept in his suit pocket and run the edge of it over his bottom lip.

"If you have the time, I have some errands you could run for me. Working for me means more protection in Small Heath, more money for some more nice dresses, and I can promise you what happened with Kimber won't happen again."

Grace pretended to consider it, but she knew this was the break she had been hoping for and she nodded. He told her he would have something for her to do in a few days before heading back to join his brothers.

~ o0o~

Sophie had just gotten Henry down for a midday nap when Polly entered the nursery. The twins were also sleeping on the small bed near the window, both clutching their baby dolls, and Finn had taken George downstairs for something to eat.

Sophie turned to the Shelby matriarch with a finger to her lips, desperate not to wake the youngest as his fits had turned terrible lately, and the two women moved out into the hallway together. Sophie had been avoiding Polly since Cheltenham, but she knew it was only a matter of time before that was no longer possible.

"You've been quiet, Sophie." Polly said, almost knowingly, as she led her downstairs and into her bedroom on the second floor. Sophie realized she hadn't been inside of it since she arrived back in Small Heath and it was clear it was the biggest in the house, and reflected her in every way. The room itself was slightly disorganized, but more opulent than how the others kept their spaces. Sophie noticed the perfume bottles on her dressing table, along with her Black Madonna.

Not able to produce a good excuse, Sophie kept her mouth shut as Polly beckoned her further into her room. She knew they wouldn't be bothered, but it was clear the older woman wanted to have a private conversation.

"You saw Ada, didn't you?" Polly continued once Sophie sat down in a chair draped with a jewel-toned scarf. When she first came to Small Heath, Ada had told her that her Aunt was blessed with the 'second sight', and she always did seem to know things it seemed impossible for her to have seers in their family, but Sophie found that her ability to know things was sometimes disconcerting.

"I did. This morning. Tommy had asked me to give her and Freddie a letter, but I didn't know where she was." Sophie knew there was no point in hiding it. If anyone else was on Ada's side, it was Polly.

"Is she well?"

"As well as can be. Freddie proposed and they want to have a wedding. Small. Just you and I as witnesses." Sophie relayed.

"Stubborn. The both of them." It was said with admiration and also a hint of fear, "And what was in Tommy's letter?"

Sophie thought of the money and tickets tucked safely in the back of her bureau, "It asked them to leave to America, and said that he would make it possible for them to do so."

Polly nodded and Sophie wondered if the woman could see through her half-truth.

"They have to leave."

"They won't." Sophie said, and there was determination in her eyes when she said, "And I'd like you to tell that to Tommy."

There was a long moment of silence between them and Sophie wished she could ask this woman who had always been so kind to her, who championed her, for help. But how could she admit what she had done? What she felt?

Polly leaned closer to Sophie and gently put both of her hands on her cheeks, "Beautiful girl, what did he do to you?"

Was it so obvious, Sophie wondered. Did Polly know about that searing kiss and was trying to make her admit it? Embarrassment filled her as she thought of every time Tommy had averted his eyes from hers in the last two days.

He ruined me, she wanted to say.

"He nearly sent me home with Kimber. But he ended up sending the barmaid from The Garrison instead and called her a whore." Sophie said, still angry about the entire situation. She had been wondering what Kimber had done to Grace, and it made her shudder to consider it.

"It's more than that, isn't it?"

"No, Polly, I promise. That's all."

~ o0o~

Sophie breathed in slowly as she kicked the sheets off of her, feeling too warm. She knew it was sometime past midnight and sleep had been evading her for hours, and likely would continue to do so.

All because of Tommy. And how she couldn't stop thinking about his lips on hers. She tried her best not to think of everything else he had said to her, how he had withdrawn so suddenly, how he said he didn't want to be around someone he couldn't have.

But he had her. She didn't understand. She had thought that they were rebuilding their friendship and when he kissed her, even though she was so blindingly angry at first, she didn't want it to stop.

She hitched up her thin nightgown with her left hand as she thought about the feeling of him against her in that field. She was a virgin, but she knew enough. Knew that his body wanted hers. She had felt it.

Her right hand palmed over her stomach and then lower. She had touched herself a handful of times in the last few years, as she started to explore her own body, but never with intention.

Never with a man on her mind that she wished could touch her instead. Her breath caught when she dipped one finger through her folds and found she was wet. She squeezed her eyes shut, slipping a second finger against the first and finding a spot that made her gasp.

She thought of the way Tommy had looked at her, wearing this nightgown on the night John had declared he was going to marry Lizzie. Tommy had been drunk, but she saw the appreciation he had for her body, as he seemed to the day she had ripped her dress indecently up both sides, and she caught him staring at her thighs.

She trembled as she kept the pad of her thumb pressed almost violently up against the hood of her nub and delved one finger inside of herself. She felt clumsy as she chased the friction, biting her lip to keep from making too much noise.

Then the coil of pleasure in her belly snapped just as quickly as it had appeared, and she was left breathless and terrified that this would not be enough for her.

How many girls had he ruined with a kiss like the one he gave her, that burned right through her?