The silence that followed in that office was terrifying. Tommy did not move. Did not say a word. He eyed Changretta's scheming look and then his eyes wondered over Tatiana. She could barely stand, which is why the men were holding onto her tightly. He had never seen her in that state. She finally opened her eyes, groaning in pain and trying to break free of the men's hold on her. Feisty and tough as always. That was until she eyed him.

She opened her mouth, her hazel eyes revealed him her pain, but she could not say anything. They had parted in the most unconventional way. He helped her steal her family's jewels and she paid him well for it. They were never supposed to meet again…even though the invitation had been clear. She wanted to see him again. But not like this.

Tommy watched her carefully and then looked down at the way Luca had his hand over her belly and a feeling of anger washed over him. The moment of shock had passed. For some reason, he could not stand the way the Italians were touching her.

"The doctor told her she is around three months pregnant, did he not?" Luca asked Tatiana, roaming his hand through her hair, making Tommy's jaw clench. But he cleared his throat, and whispered, "How are you so certain that is my child she is carrying?"

Luca chuckled a little and walked towards him slowly, "Oh come now, Mr. Shelby. She had been your own personal lover for many months during your business with the White Movement. You would have known if she had been with someone else. You and her had a very special bond, from what I hear. Enough to strike a secret deal also. And she admitted it to her little friend in Vienna. What possible reason would she have to lie to him?"

"I dunno'. But she is quite skilled. You underestimate her." Tommy responded.

"I am sure she is. I have investigated her past. But I doubt she is lying in this case. And I can see it in your eyes…you don't believe she is lying either. Do you?"

Tommy said nothing, watching over Tatiana again. He still couldn't believe what was happening. Today of all days. He couldn't believe she was back into his life. And with a baby in her belly, who he knew was his. Changretta was no fool. He wouldn't have been holding her hostage if he knew the baby was not his. There would have been no point. He wanted to make him suffer. He wanted him to know that he had his hands on the woman carrying his child. He would hold Tatiana hostage. But until when? Tommy's face showed resolve as he watched the young woman try to break free again. She finally hissed, "Let me go." He would get her away from them. He had to. But he had to play it safe.

"You talk about an honorable vendetta. I mentioned no children. So, what are you planning on doing with her?"

"No children will be harmed. I made a promise. But she will stay with us for now." Luca explained, caressing her cheek as she tried to pull away.

"Tsk. Tsk. What a shame. What a waste of beauty. If only she had not gotten involved with you…she would have been safe. You have that effect on people, do you not, Mr. Shelby? Anyone you touch is cursed. We will see. Perhaps when you die, I might be lenient. I might let her live. Let her become my personal…pet." Luca hissed the last word, making Tatiana's skin crawl and try to break free again.

Luca took a seat back at the table and started placing the bullets one by one on the table, facing upwards, while watching Tommy's reaction. "Arthur Shelby…John Shelby... Ada Thorne… Polly Gray…Michael Gray…Tommy Shelby." He was letting him know what the intended victims of this vendetta would be. Finn was left out. As were his son, Charlie, and John's children. He was an honorable man, at least.

"I value your strength, Mr. Shelby. You are saved for last." Luca stated, standing up and grabbing his hat. Tommy nodded and said, "Agreed. We start tomorrow."

Luca then turned to his henchmen, carrying out orders and then leaned over and whispered in Tatiana's ear, "Come, la mia bellezza." She turned her head away from him and looked over at Tommy, her voice broken as she whispered, "Tommy…please…" She couldn't say anything more, as the Italians pulled her out of the room. Tommy closed his eyes as he heard her yelling and kicking, finally gaining her strength and no doubt cursing them in Russian. There was nothing he could do…for now.

Opening his eyes and noticing Luca was still standing there, Tommy nodded and said, "Welcome to England, Mr. Changretta."

Luca gave a small nodded and whispered "Grazie." in return, before turning around and leaving the office.

As soon as he left, Tommy let out a small gasp he had been holding in. He kept his mouth partially opened as he breathed in and out. He looked over at the bullets that were still sitting at the end of his desk and thought long and hard about what has happened. Tatiana Petrovna…pregnant with his child. His. It was his. His unborn child…in Luca Changretta's hands.

His thoughts trailed back to seeing the bruises on Tatiana, her clothes a complete mess compared to how he knew her. Her beautiful hazel eyes watered and in pain…something he had never seen before. She was in danger. The thought made him angry. But he couldn't understand why. They had a business arrangement. That was it. They had their fun…but there was more to it, and Tommy knew. She got to him. She caught him off guard. She was just…different. And now she was in trouble, because of him. He would find her. He would bring her to Birmingham…and then…they shall see.

…

Back home in Birmingham. Small Heath hadn't changed one bit since the last time they came here to put money in the vault. It wasn't as grand as London, but it was theirs. Birmingham belonged to the Peaky Blinders. And Small Heath would be their protector from foreign enemies. This was their home. And they could never be safer.

Back in London, Michael had managed to drag Polly out of bed, throw away all the drugs, and take her with him and Finn back home. Ada cleared out her own place, took Karl and came back home…a home that would forever remind her of Freddie, and their love. Finn was the most excited to be home. The youngest Shelby brother never felt better. And as the youngest, he was also the most clueless of the dangers that were ahead.

They were all back in Arthur's old home, somewhere Linda was currently cursing the daylights out of him, for getting her pregnant. Her water broke just an hour before reaching Small Heath. She was now laying in bed, yelling out in pain, as Polly and Ada tried to help her. It was too late to get her to a hospital. But they had summoned a doctor. Esme was in another room, handling John's kids, as well as Karl.

John was more agitated than Arthur, and he was not the father of the baby about to be born, but for good reason. "Arthur, Tommy said not to draw attention. Those fuckin' wops don't know we left town." He told his older brother, while holding his hands behind his head, pacing around the living room.

"Shove off, John. You got six kids of yer own. I ain't got one. I want a son. You think Linda planned to have the baby now?" Arthur mumbled, pacing himself around the phone. Tommy hadn't called. He should have called. It was making the whole family anxious.

At that moment, Lizzie walked through the door behind her with a doctor. It was a bad time for a baby to be born in the Shelby family, but it was what it was. The doctor went to tend to Linda, while Lizzie stayed in the living room, watching Arthur and John worry themselves sick.

"Where is Tommy? Why hasn't he called?"

"Trouble no doubt." Arthur responded.

John nearly rolled his eyes at watching Lizzie. He remembered how desperate he was a couple of years ago to have her become his wife. Only now did he realize just how infatuated she has always been with his brother. Why would she have accepted to marry him at the time if this is how she felt about Tommy? John hadn't forgiven his brother for having them imprisoned. Not by a long shot. But he was thankful for being spared the heartache of marrying a woman who had always had eyes for someone else. And his own brother, of all people.

At that moment, among all the ruckus in the bedroom with Linda's screaming and Polly's instructions, they heard the door open and close. Finn and Michael had entered, carrying some food, with Tommy right behind them. It had started to rain. All three men were soaked. The housekeeper Mary opened the door and entered with young Charlie in her arms. The boy's fever was down, but he still needed a doctor.

"Tommy!" Lizzie exclaimed, surprised, but it was Arthur and John who rushed to his side. "Tom, what happened?" Arthur asked, putting his hand on his brother's shoulder. Tommy took in deep breaths, taking off his razor cap which was now soaking wet, and whispered, "I met him. Luca Changretta. Back in London. He came to my office."

All of their eyes widened and Michael stuttered, "But…he let you live? You're still here."

"Yes, I'm still here. Because he wants me to be the last one he hunts down. The vendetta is starting tomorrow. We agreed no civilians, children or the police will be involved. And…there's more." Tommy was hesitant to say more, especially at the way his brothers, Michael and Lizzie were looking at him.

The screams erupted from the bedroom, scaring little two year-old Charlie out of his wits. Tommy furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "What is happening?"

"Oh, right! Linda is giving birth, Tommy. Polly, Ada and a doctor are in there with her." Arthur told him, scratching his head.

"Now?" Tommy asked in a whisper, the news bringing his thoughts back on Tatiana…and her baby.

"It's not like we can control it." Arthur added with a shrug. Tommy finally nodded, turned back and took Charlie into his arms, kissing his forehead and keeping him close. One of his children was with him. Another was not. And there was no time to waste. They had to plan.

"Lizzie, Charlie isn't feeling well. I want you to get a hold of a doctor. Discreetly." Tommy instructed her and handed Charlie back to Mary. The screaming had suddenly died down in the bedroom. At that moment, Polly entered the family room. When she saw Tommy, her eyes hardened, but she said nothing to him. She instead turned to Arthur and told him, "You have a son."

Arthur's eyes widened in surprise, even though it shouldn't have been. "I have a son." He whispered, while John was patting him on the back with a smile on his face. Tommy nodded in acknowledgment and said, "Congratulations, brother." "A son! Billy! I'm callin' him Billy!" Arthur jumped with joy and headed to the bedroom.

"Family meeting!" Tommy exclaimed out loud for the whole family to hear. "I'm calling a family meeting as soon as Arthur has calmed down. Family meeting in the kitchen!" He rubbed his forehead, feeling his head throb. Tommy pulled out a cigarette, lit it up, closed his eyes and started smoking it peacefully, hoping it might calm his nerves. But it was not working. He was too agitated. The threat was too great and now the whole mess with Tatiana…

"Here." He heard John mumble. Tommy opened his eyes and saw that John had poured him some whisky. He accepted the drink but asked, "Nothing from you, eh, John? No words?"

John raised one eyebrow and shook his head. "Nuthin' from me. No. Not after what you did to us…brother." Tommy sighed, taking out his cigarette, gulping down some whisky and then said, "Had to be done, John. Had to be done. The Economic League wouldn't back off."

"So you fucked us over."

Finn and Michael were still there, sitting in a corner and watching the two brothers go at each other's throats.

"I had a plan and it worked. You got out. This is why I am calling a family meeting. We have bigger problems and we need to put our feud behind us. We have to be a family again to survive. If only for a little while. And then, when Changretta is dead, we can go on with our lives. Separately, if you wish. But until then, we have to be at peace…to go to war." Tommy reasoned, hoping his brother might see some sense in his words. John hadn't been the brightest of the lot. He wasn't a man of thought. He was a man of action. Somewhat better than Finn, who was neither a man of thought nor action.

Grabbing his own drink and taking a few large gulps, John nodded, running his hand through his hair. "Yea, okay. We'll vote. And we'll see who wants peace." He decided and Tommy rolled his eyes. John was not going to let it go that easily. What was he waiting for? For him to get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness? That was never going to happen and he knew it too well.

Ada walked out of the bedroom and crossed her hands over her chest, "What's this I hear about a family meeting?"

"We have to talk about why we're here, Ada. And what our next move is. Call the others. There is no time to waste." Tommy finished his drink with that, but continued to smoke his cigarette as he walked into the kitchen.

…

The kitchen was small but in an hour, everyone was sitting there, in their own chairs, except for Esme, who had assumed the role of babysitter for John's kids, Charlie and of course, Ada's boy, Karl, while Linda was resting in bed, holding Billy.

"Get on with it." Polly finally broke the ice, her own look being quite icy whenever she glanced at Tommy. She was stubborn, just like John. But at least John made an effort to speak to him, unlike his beloved aunt. Tommy cleared his throat. He thought long and hard about what he was going to say…about how he was going to break the news. He would start off with the general part, about the Italian Mafia…and he would gently end it with Tatiana and her baby.

Lizzie lit her own cigarette when Tommy started talking. "Back in London, I had to collect some important papers from the office, which would guarantee us a close relationship with Mr. Churchill in the near future." He began and when he saw John opening his mouth to say something, Tommy added, "The details are not important.", annoying his younger brother to no end.

"Luca Changretta showed up with two of his henchmen. Their intent was to provoke fear. He talked about his grand organization coming from New York to kill our family and he listed out the victims he intended to eliminate in this vendetta. Arthur, John, Ada, Polly, Michael…and lastly, me. He said he wants to keep me alive, to watch how he kills off each member of my family one by one. He wants me to suffer, as he suffers after the loss of his father and brother."

"Fuckin' wops." John couldn't help but say it again, crossing his arms over his chest, playing with a toothpick in his mouth again. Tommy glared at him for the interruption, but decided to continue, nonetheless. He didn't want to say anything and risk getting John even angrier at him. Before he could say anything more, however, Lizzie started talking.

"But they are the ones who started the attack. They killed…" she stopped talking, not daring to mention her name in Tommy's presence. Polly rolling her eyes, lit her own cigarette and said, "Pipe down, Lizzie. It is your fault we are in this mess to begin with."

"Excuse me?" Lizzie asked her, shocked.

"You continued seeing Angel Changretta after Arthur and I warned you to stay away from him." Michael reminded her.

"You shouldn't have started it in the first place." Ada added.

Lizzie turned to eye Ada angrily, "You have some nerve questioning me, when you were the one who pranced around with that communist nearly getting us all…"

"OI!" Tommy called out, slamming his hands on the table, his patience wearing thin. His bottom lip trembled and his blue eyes icy enough to scare the devil himself, as he glared at them all. Arthur held his hands up in defeat, but also trying to defend himself by assuring his brother that it wasn't he who interrupted.

Tommy finally turned to Lizzie and said more calmly, "Lizzie, this is a family meeting. You are not even supposed to be here. Please go on and tend to the children with Esme."

Scoffing softly and rolling her eyes, Lizzie stood up and walked out of the kitchen. The tension surrounding Tommy was beginning to be felt by all, so Polly finally took a deep breath and addressed him, "Yes. So, you met Luca Changretta, talked about how we're all going to die some day, shook hands and what?" She couldn't help but add her touch of sarcasm, as always.

Tommy just ignored it and said, "The rules of the vendetta are simple. No children, no civilians and no police. That was our agreement. I still he will keep his word. These bastards believe they have more class…they are better dressed, so to speak. So, I doubt that they would break their word…just to prove to us how honorable they appear to be. But I have a plan."

"Oh good. We're finally getting somewhere." Polly exclaimed, putting out her cigarette and paying close attention. "One word. Expansion." Tommy replied, eying her coldly.

"Here we go…" Polly mumbled, rolling her eyes and shaking her head at Ada, who looked angry as ever. "A different kind of expansion, Polly. I am talking about us…as an organization."

"Your point is…"

"Peaky Blinders are receiving new recruits." Tommy explained.

Ada gasped while Polly exclaimed in protest, "Unbelievable! For years you have denied new members to work with us because you said that no one is trustworthy enough to enter. And now, you're ready to sew razors to caps and hand them over to whoever crosses your path here in Small Heath?!"

"These are different circumstances. The Italian Mob is powerful. And they have many men. Fifteen of them are here already with Luca Changretta and if my sources are correct more of those bastards are coming into London from New York in the next couple of days. We need to gather up men as well. Men who hate the Italians are good enough to recruit. I'll have Curly and Uncle Charlie take care of this matter right away." Tommy explained.

"Do you already have some allies in mind, Tom?" Arthur asked him.

"Aberama Gold and his lot."

"No! They are a bunch of charlatans. They can't be trusted. They work for the highest bidder, for God's sake!" Polly argued.

"Who else?" John asked him, seeming intrigued.

"Aside from them…and future recruits…I will contact Alfie Solomons." Tommy said, which surprised Michael. "The Jew? You're ready to do business with him again?"

"This is not about business anymore, Michael. This is about survival. And whether you all like to believe it or not, for the first time ever since the war…I feel we're in danger. In danger of losing everything, including our lives. I did not want to admit it at the time, but Changretta is right. Our organization is weak. Our security is weak. But we have home field advantage. We were born here. The people are on our side. They will protect us."

Michael nodded, agreeing with everything Tommy was saying. Arthur and John seemed to be in agreement as well. Finn copied their expressions but didn't say anything. Not that anyone would care.

"And what about us women? What do we do?" Ada asked and Tommy looked at her warmly, "You stay safe, stick together…and take care of the children until the threat has passed." Ada sighed and nodded.

"Now…I know that I am not forgiven for what happened." Tommy started saying, referring to the prison he sent four of his family members. "But I also know that we need each other to survive. So I propose a truce. Peace…until the Changretta threat has disappeared. And then…then we can all go on our separate ways. Agreed?"

After contemplating a few more minutes, Polly said, "Peace." The rest of the family members followed the example and said "Peace." Tommy nodded. "There is another matter that I wish to bring up." His words caught everyone's attention and Tommy was not liking it one bit. He especially did not want to see the looks Polly and Ada would give him when he finally told them.

"As many of you know, while we were dealing with the White Movement on behalf of Mr. Churchill, I started…an intimate relationship with the duchess Tatiana Petrovna." Tommy began and Polly chuckled. "Intimate relationship? Is that what you're calling it? Just say you fucked her and be done with it. And what does this have to do with anything?"

"Give it a rest, Polly. He was trying to be subtle." Ada intervened and nodded at Tommy, to let him continue. Her brother cleared his throat and nodded in thanks, continuing, "Luca Changretta has her now. He is holding her hostage…because she is pregnant…and the child is mine." Tommy finally admitted to them.

Everyone was shocked, even Arthur, who knew all too well about Tatiana Petrovna and the humiliation he endured at the Russian's house, while they were…let's say, investigating.

"Is that right? What are ya gonna do about it, Tommy?" he asked him.

Tommy closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't know, Arthur. Believe me, I don't know." Opening his eyes, he said, "I will find Changretta, and I will find Tatiana, when the time is right. I will take her and bring her here. I am not letting those bastards keep what is mine."

"The girl?" Polly asked, confused.

"The baby." Tommy corrected.

"And what about her? It is kind of a package deal here, Tommy." Ada stated, confused as well.

"She is in this mess because of me. I promise to free her when I can and bring her here to safety. And then…we will see." Tommy was unsure of what else he could say. This was not part of his plan. Tatiana Petrovna had been a surprise in his life the first time he met her. Never had he been with a woman who challenged him as much as she did and…dare he say it…understood him completely. She frightened him sometimes, but excited him afterwards. She was just like him. Strong, confident, intelligent, manipulative…complicated. But she was supposed to be temporary. And now she was a temporary soul who found herself woven in the complicated web that is his life. Even if he had her now…would she stay? Would he want her to stay?

"Tommy!" Ada snapped him out of his trance. His whole family was staring at him, expectantly. Clearing his throat and grabbing a cigarette from his pocket, he lit it up and started a smoke. He pointed at Arthur and said, "Inform Uncle Charlie and Curly of the plan. Have them order up at least twenty new peakys, with the proper attachments of course. Meeting is over."

Everyone stood up and went about their ways, all except Polly, who decided to stick around and smoke some more. Tommy did the same.

"You want to help her. This duchess." Polly said, almost daring him to deny it.

"Of course I do. She's carrying my child."

"And if she weren't?" Polly wanted to know, with a gleaming look in her eyes. A look that Tommy knew all too well. She was prying for information about his love life. There was none. She knew that. Not after what happened to Grace.

"I dunno. All I know is that I have to get her away from Changretta. And I will."

Polly nodded and blew out the last smoke before standing up and saying, "You will. Because you always get what you want…one way or another." She left Tommy standing there, contemplating about all of the events that day.

…

Hope you guys liked the new chapter. What do you think Tommy's next move is? And how is Tatiana going to handle the trouble she got herself in? Let me know!