Luca Changretta had sent five of his remaining thirteen henchmen ahead back to Birmingham for a surprise first attack against the Peaky Blinders…at the Garrison pub. The orders were clear. Kill anyone wearing the razor-caps. Scare but not kill the civilians in that pub.

Target Arthur and John Shelby. Locate and capture Tommy Shelby. Luca wanted to finish him off on his own, and he needed him alive.

He needed him to see his broken-hearted mother, who had lost both her youngest son and her husband in the span of a few days. Tommy needed to see his family and his business destroyed…before Luca would put a bullet between his eyes.

"Fuckin' Eyeties." John hissed to himself, preparing his revolver, standing behind the door. He put his razor cap back on, and motioned for Emily to stand back.

"John, please, don't go." Emily said, in a panic. She couldn't bear to see him get hurt.

"Stay there." John instructed, and headed out of the room in a hurry, just as Arthur's cries were heard, "COME ON, LADS! LET ME HAVE 'EM!"

Gunshots were heard, screams from civilians, and chair scrapping the floors and crashing against the walls.

The newly recruited Peaky Blinders got themselves involved but with their lack of experience, they got shot down by the Italians almost immediately.

Arthur and John, being more experienced, handled themselves well, hiding behind the counter and firing shots expertly, managing to hurt the Italian henchmen, but no deadly wound was inflicted. The pub had cleared out by then.

Civilians were not harmed, as agreed upon but the fight between the Shelbys and the Italians was still going strong.

Emily was hidden in the back room and pressed a hand to her mouth, as tears streamed down her cheeks. She tried to be as silent as possible. Looking down in her apron pocket, she pulled out a dagger she had kept there for safe keeping…in case she needed it.

Worried about John, Emily was prepared to use the only weapon she had. But what were the chances that she wouldn't miss under all this stress.

Little did anyone know, but the newly hired barmaid was quite an expert at knife throwing. With her speed, she could crack a skull plunge the dagger into a man's eye at a long distance.

She had learned this skill as a very young girl…thanks to her mother. She needed to protect herself, because of who she was, and where she came from.

"ARGHHH!" came out John's cries and Emily almost had the courage to get out there, but no. She couldn't. She couldn't blow her cover. As soon as the Italian henchmen saw her, she was as good as dead.

Despite the natural talents of the two Shelby brothers, the Italians outnumbered them in that pub.

After the final shots had been fired, John found himself on the floor, next to Arthur, one of them wops holding a foot on his back, pressing him down. He had shot him in the arm, and was now prepared to finish him off. Arthur was in the same situation, except it was his leg that had been shot.

"Il grande esercito di Tommy Shelby." One of the Italians chuckled, as he stepped over a dead Blinder's neck.

"Tommy Shelby's grand army.", another responded in agreement, saying it in English for the Shelby brothers to understand.

The other three laughed out loud as they tackled Arthur and John Shelby together, pulling them by their hairs, ready to apply the natural torture before having them meet their end. John struggled with all his might, but the weight of the other overpowered him.

Suddenly, to the Italians' surprise, riffles in the hands of charlatans were being shot at the entrance to the Garrison…straight at them. John gasped as soon as he felt the pressure of the foot on his neck being lifted.

Arthur staggered, getting on his feet, looking around at the dead Italians sprawled onto the floor. The blood was gushing out of their bodies. Changretta was fucked. With only eight henchmen left…he stood no chance to win this war.

"Fuckin' hell." John coughed, putting his revolver back into pocket, not believing how lucky they had been.

Aberama Gold lowered his riffle, as the other charlatans behind him did the same.

"You need to tell Tommy that he gave away those peaky caps for nothing." Aberama said, in a sly way. "It gives me great pleasure to help you get rid of these foreigners…but I need to see my son in a boxing ring before I kill anymore of them."

"He already has Michael takin' care of him. And he got his own peaky. You should be damn grateful." Arthur responded.

John said nothing, looking back towards the manager's room and realizing that he still needed to get to Emily. She must've been extremely frightened. He needed to get her home.

"Be careful, Mr. Shelby. If I had not come here in time, Tommy Shelby would have been short on family members." Aberama warned Arthur.

"You finally did what you're paid for." John protested and put his peaky back on his head, arranging his coat.

Aberama smirked, and lead his men back out the door, but not before turning around one more time and saying, "You just tell Tommy."

…

Polly was looking out the window when she saw the family car approaching. Two cars followed behind. Uncle Charlie, Curly, Ada, Finn and Isaiah stepped out of one of the cars. They were all whispering to each other.

Soon enough, Tommy got out of the other car and came to open the door and help Tatiana on her feet.

As soon as she stepped out of the car, Polly noticed how tired she looked. A pretty, young woman who had been through a lot. Esme and Linda joined her to look out the window at the scene.

"That's the Russian duchess? The one with Tommy's baby?" Esme asked, with a scoff.

Polly sighed and nodded, "That's her. And of course he had to bring her here. It's not like he has his own house. Everyone must stay here…and I need to be bloody responsible." It was still annoying that she had deal with Billy Kimber's widow, their new ally, now that the Italians had invaded her home.

Tommy took Tatiana's hand and said something. The Russian woman's protests started afterwards and Ada had to intervene to provide assistance for her brother.

When Tatiana's protests started to die down, Tommy grabbed a hold of her arm more firmly and put it around his neck, before taking her fully in his arms and leading her towards the house.

Once the door opened, Polly was waiting right there with her hands crossed over her chest, a look of annoyance clearly visible, which made Tommy roll his eyes at the sight of her. Linda, Esme and Marie were in the family room as well.

Marie was trying to grow accustomed to the place, even though it was difficult for her. The women were completely unwelcoming and dealing with their own personal issues.

And the children were running around like crazy, tired to be cooped up, and not understanding why they couldn't leave the house.

"You know, Thomas, if you keep putting every single stray of yours into my house, it won't be long before those bastards figure out where we're all stashed. I have a good mind to move myself. And now is not the time. Michael is hurt. That bullet took a lot of him and he needs to rest."

Tatiana raised one eyebrow and then glanced over at Tommy, expecting him to say something. He sighed, and replied, "This is Tatiana, Polly."

"I know perfectly well who she is. And I also know that you have your own house. This is your former lover and the baby she's carrying is yours!" Polly snapped.

"Polly. You are the brothers' aunt. I heard of you. It is nice to finally meet you." Polly turned to look at the young woman, taking in her Russian accent.

Tatiana cocked her head to her side and stepped forward, holding out her hand in greeting. She didn't have the luxury to be disrespectful…not when this woman had a house, means of cleaning and food. She was pregnant, dirty, hungry and exhausted. She would get back to criticizing the filth in the city, the smells and women's clothing soon enough.

"Yes. Nice to meet you. As you can see, my home has become a shelter for lost women thanks to Tommy here. Make yourself at home, I suppose. I will grab you some clean clothes I have left of Ada's and I'm sure the others can get you something to eat." Polly told her, and then looked behind at Linda, tilting her head that the blonde should stop standing there and get to work.

With a sly look on her face, Linda motioned for Tatiana to follow her. The former duchess matched her fake smile, and then turned back to look at Tommy. She held on tightly to his coat, that was now wrapped around her.

"Go on, love. I will check on you later. Perhaps then you'll tell me exactly how you escaped." Tommy told her, his eyes kind.

Knowing that this was his tactic…playing the concerned daddy and acting all worried about her, to get her to stay, Tatiana decided to play along. Nodding gracefully, she threw Polly a genuine smile before following Linda away from the family room.

At that moment, Ada, Finn and Isaiah walked into the house, while the rest of the Blinders stayed guard outside.

"I don't know how much longer we can all stay cooped up in here, Tommy. They'll find us." Ada told Tommy, before heading to the children's rooms to look for Karl.

"Ada's right. You can't keep bringing everyone here. We are going to have to start splitting up." Polly agreed with her.

Tommy went over to her table and poured himself some whisky to relieve the stress.

"I believe I made myself clear that sticking together throughout this whole vendetta was the best thing for the family. I understand how uncomfortable it must be for you to host this many people but for now, it is what it is."

"You can't just dump the girl on me, Thomas!"

"She will stay here to rest for the time being…before I can find a more permanent place for her to stay." Tommy explained, taking a huge gulp of his drink.

"Meaning with you."

"I hardly know how to handle her, Poll. You don't know what she's capable of. And she keeps insisting that she doesn't want the baby. I do. I need you to keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't try to hurt herself or the child."

"She wants to end the pregnancy herself?" Polly asked, concern in her voice.

"I am not sure. That's what Ada says. Either way…look after her. Something tells me her life hasn't been as luxurious as she claimed before."

"What do you mean?"

Deciding not to give her too much information, Tommy waved her off with one hand, while holding his drink with the other. "I'll find out more when I have the chance."

At that moment, Marie cleared her throat, letting Polly and Tommy know that she was still in the room.

Esme was there too but she was hardly listening to their conversation. She continued to look out the window, wondering where John was.

Tommy had been extremely cold towards her since her family told him they refused to help. She agreed with their decision too. And that's why she and John were fighting.

Tommy raised his eyebrow at Marie. "Somethin' you want, Mrs. Kimber?"

"Miss. Baker." Marie insisted.

"You want to be respected…you want to be feared in business, you are going to have to continue using your legal name, Mrs. Kimber. Your husband was, as you said, a bad man, but with a good eye for business. Before I finished him off, he was both respected and feared. He created an empire from nothin'. The name Kimber still inspires fear…and Luca Changretta is soon to learn that. The Brum Boys are lead by a Kimber once more, and with the help of the Peaky Blinders, you'll get far."

"Luca Changretta is after me because I was stupid enough to deal with you and get involved in this vendetta." Marie rubbed her forehead in sorrow, thinking about her destroyed home…and her precious pearls.

"Luca Changretta would've become your enemy even without my help, Mrs. Kimber. What do you think it'll happen, eh? He kills us, avenges his father, and then heads peacefully back to New York?"

Tommy waited for Marie's reaction to that thought but she said nothing. Just continued to eye him, waiting for him to get to the point. So he did.

"No. He's here to stay. He takes over my business, then over yours, and finally challenges Alfie Solomons for his…he takes his business further than his father ever dared to. He doesn't stick around in Birmingham. He moves to London."

Tommy then finished his drink and moved to light himself a cigarette. Polly, feeling very anxious, did the same.

"So, you see Mrs. Kimber, if the Birmingham and London gangs do not come together, we risk letting a foreigner with extensive connections in America, take over every business here in England. Like it or not, we are in this mess together."

Marie sighed and nodded silently, deciding that the best course of action is to face the enemy together. The Shelbys were now officially her allies and they would help her, as long as she helped them.

Upon taking another smoke, Tommy noticed the way Esme was angrily eying him now from the window.

"Of course, it would have been much appreciated for your gypsy bastards to understand the importance of loyalty in such a situation, Esme." He added, condescending her.

"Fuck you, Tommy!" Esme snapped and headed to the bedroom where the children were.

At that moment, the door opened, without anyone expecting it. Tommy, keeping his cigarette in his mouth, was reaching for his gun on the table, before realizing that it was just Arthur.

The newest recruits were supposed to stand guard outside the house at all times but with the poor way some of them handled themselves at Marie Kimber's residence, Tommy realized how unprepared these men really were. He needed to handle matters on his own.

Tommy put the gun away and rushed to his brother's aid when he realized that he was limping. Arthur still had a bullet in his leg, but that didn't stop him from reaching his family.

"Tom…for fuck's sake…they got us, Tom. They came to the Garrison." Arthur was whispering as Polly helped him on an armchair. Ada, Esme and Linda rushed back into the family room at hearing his voice.

"Where's John, eh? Where?" Tommy was looking around, panicked at not seeing his younger brother.

"John's fine. Aberama Gold and his men came. Shot 'em all dead, the fuckers. John boy is with the barmaid. Decided to take her home." Arthur explained, then wincing in pain, as Polly, Linda and Ada rushed forward with the alcohol and started using their skills to get the bullet out.

Esme clucked her tongue in her mouth, her eyes bloodshot once more.

"With the barmaid? That's where he's been runnin' off to late in the night?!"

Ignoring Esme, Tommy made Arthur focus on him while Polly managed to get the bullet out and Ada put alcohol where needed. Arthur groaned again in pain at the contact, while Tommy held him down.

"Linda…where is Tatiana? She must not be left alone." Tommy asked her, calmly.

The blonde didn't even look at him when she snapped, "She's bathing. And I am tending to my husband. She's your lover. You deal with her smart mouth!"

Tommy eyed her angrily but before he could say something, Polly put her hand on his shoulder in a comforting way and said, "I will check on her."

She then stood up and said to Linda, "Maybe you should come with and make the tea. Arthur is fine. And the men have business to discuss Come, Linda."

Polly gave her a stern look which told the blonde that she shouldn't protest and risk angering Tommy any further. Linda was about to continue pouring the alcohol on the wound, before she felt another woman's hand grab the bottle.

"I have some experience in treating such wounds. I can be of assistance." Marie told the blonde, her hand firm, making Linda let go with a scoff.

"Go, Linda." Arthur mumbled, his eyes on Marie's kind smile.

"Fine! Have at it, then!" Linda snapped and went off to see her son.

Once she was gone, the tension seemed to have disappeared from the room, despite the fact that Arthur had been injured.

"The charlatan wants his boy Bonnie on the ring, Tom. He told me to tell ya, he won't be killin' no more of 'em wops until he is." Arthur whispered.

Tommy nodded, whispering, "Aberama Gold will be well compensated for rescuing my brothers. I made a promise. I keep my promises."

…

Emily was hurrying early to work that morning. The Garrison would be empty and surely not even Jeremiah would be there yet. She needed to leave Birmingham at once.

After what happened the other night, and after all John explained to her about the vendetta…she couldn't stay. He would find her eventually, especially if she stayed close to the Shelbys.

John took her to her flat the other night. It wasn't much, but she had grown attached to the crammed place, and she had experience in getting out bullets and cleaning the wound afterwards. That is how she managed to John's bullet out, before making them both some tea.

He had been surprised at her knowledge, and the swiftness with which she took the bullet out and cleaned the wound with alcohol.

And then she had done something which shocked him even more. She kissed the wound before cleaning it. It didn't bother her one bit.

When she saw his eyes widen, Emily told him, "Whenever my mother got hurt, I would always kiss her wounds before treating them."

"I…uh…wouldn't mind another." He had told her and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her passionately.

When she had brought over the tea, they stay close to one another, and she let him smoke a cigar he still had on him. "No rum or whisky then, huh?" he asked her, pointing at the cup of tea he was holding.

"I told you. I don't like to drink. I do it sometimes but…I prefer tea. It's very soothing. My mother agrees."

She hadn't told him anything about her father, and he hadn't asked. They had spent the next hour talking about his kids.

He was eager to tell her about his four eldest, the ones Martha gave him, twelve year-old Katie, eleven year-old Mildred, ten year-old Anne and eight-year-old John Jr. Esme's two boys were too small. He didn't know 'em well.

Emily had listened to his stories with great interest. She loved kids. Unfortunately, the discussion moved to the subject of the vendetta.

John told her everything. That Luca Changretta was here, wanting to get revenge for the killing of his father.

Immediately noticing how she reacted when finding out about Arthur shooting Vicente Changretta in the head, John immediately explained his actions.

Talked all about his failed meeting with Vicente, his attack on his son Angel which followed in Grace's death and then Tommy's desire for revenge.

"It was mercy. Arthur shot him in the fuckin' head but it was bloody mercy, Em." John insisted, taking her hands in his.

Emily understood, nodded her head at his explanation, and surprised him once again, when she told him that she didn't condemn him for anything.

She wanted nothing to do with that family. She wanted nothing to do with Luca. This is why she was so desperate now to get away. Before he found her.

Emily opened the door to the Garrison and firmly closed it behind her. Turning around, she gasped at seeing that the pub was already occupied, by none other than Luca Changretta and four of his eight remaining henchmen.

The sight made her drop her keys. "Luca!" she exclaimed.

"Mia cara Emilia!" My dear Emilia. "I am very surprised to see you here." Luca responded, his smirk widening, seeing the way her hand gripped on a dagger she carried around.

He was well aware of her skills. That was why he motioned for two of his henchmen to quickly grab a hold of her before she could use the dagger on him.

"Lasciami andare!" Let me go! Emily hissed in Italian, while struggling under their tight grip.

She was brought forward to Luca. At the table he was sitting, she recognized the ledger of the pub, but also a black notebook, with all the names of the pub's employees and what they were being paid. Her name was neatly scribbled.

"Emily Wright…I do not know her. Who is she?" Luca commented, pointing at the name on the paper.

She didn't respond, her face angry as she tried to get free of the henchmen's grip.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I am surprised at you. Throwing away your name as if it is nothing, especially after your own mother fought hard for it."

Throwing away the notebook, Luca stood up and said, "What are you doing here? So far from home? So far from your own mother?"

"Getting away from you!"

"Trying to get protection from the Shelbys…if my men are correct." Luca replied, looking at Frederico, who confirmed with a nod. She had been spied on since they had arrived, and she didn't even know it.

"But tell me, caro, do they even know who you are? Does John Shelby know who you really are…Emilia Changretta?"

The color on her face drained at hearing her real name from his lips. But she tried not to show any weaknesses, and let go of the pretenses. Emilia started speaking to him in Italian.

"I came here to get away from you, Luca! My mother has nothing to do with this!"

"Your mother…is under my protection." Luca responded.

Emilia could not hide the shock from her face this time, and Luca took advantage of the situation to get to the subject at hand.

Switching to English, he told her, "You are what you are, my dear Emilia. My father's mistake. Many years ago, that witch, Jane Wright, your mother, came here from America. She seduced him…took him away from my mother. And you are shameful proof of that affair. But my father was generous. Let you take on the family name. But you don't wear it with honor. No. You hide from it. And you hide it from John Shelby, because now you know how much he hates us Italians. Now you know that once he finds out who you really are, he will no longer care for you. He might even kill you."

"Let my mother go, Luca! Papa asked you to help us in America, not treat us like slaves!" Emilia snapped at him.

Shaking his head, Luca came forth and put his hand over her mouth.

"No, no, no. You do not get to speak about Papa. Not after your betrayal. You ran away from us, came here, lied about your name, started working for the Shelbys…and now, you fell in love with one. But not just a Shelby. John Shelby…the one Papa hated the most, the one who always disrespected him. The one who killed our brother…"

Pulling her head away from his hand, Emilia whispered, "Half-brother. Angel never cared about me. He treated me like dirt, just like you did."

Her reply earned her a slap from Frederico, at Luca's command.

"And worst of all…you are in love with a Shelby who helped his brothers kill our Papa."

Still feeling the sting of the palm that came in contact with her cheek, Emilia told him, "It wasn't him who killed Papa. And he told me what happened. Papa was not innocent."

"You have no honor, Emilia." Luca continued to scold her. "After everything Papa has done for you…"

"He gave Mamma money and sent us away from here…back to America…to you. He didn't want me. As far as I'm concerned, he did nothing for me!"

Tears were filling up in her eyes. She remembered well how her mother had begged Vicente Changretta to let them stay here with the family. She liked it here. But he didn't want to disappoint his wife…the wife he had betrayed.

It was not her Mamma's fault. She did not seduce her Papa. It was the other way around, but Luca would never admit it. Her poor Mamma didn't even know that Vicente Changretta was married when she fell in love with him. And after Emilia was born, Vicente did everything he could to cover up his mistake. Audrey had demanded that he send her far away.

John Shelby was married, despite how she felt about him…and Emilia was reminded how her Papa had lied to her Mamma about being married at first too. That was why her brain battled with her heart…to continue to let him seduce her, or not. In the end, her heart won.

"I wonder…what would John Shelby do when he finds out about you, my dear sister?" Luca tapped his chin in thought but with an amused smile on his face. He always did this to her. He always played games. And Emilia was sure that he wanted something from her now.

"Of course…he doesn't have to know. And you can continue to enjoy this little romance…before you stab him in the back with this dagger right here."

Luca picked up the dagger was ready to defend herself with and showed it to her.

"What are you talking about, Luca?" Emilia whispered.

"My mother wants me to call a temporary truce with the Shelbys…a sort of pause…to gather our forces until after the Christmas holidays. I have lost many of my dear boys, and we are prepared to come to an agreement. I will be leaving England. And when I return, I expect to see John Shelby dead. I expect you to show family honor…and avenge our Papa."

Emilia was stubborn and would not agree to such a thing lightly, "No!"

"If you don't do this, Emilia, your mother will suffer. I promise you."

"Please, Luca. Don't…"

"You will have to choose. Your mother or John Shelby. One of them will be dead after Christmas. It is up to you, mia cara sorella." My dear sister.

Tears streamed down Emilia's rosy cheeks, as the henchmen finally let her go. She was thinking about her poor Mamma. She had suffered so much since Vicente had sent them back to America.

And then, John's handsome face popped into her head. It was like she could feel that protective vibe, his lips on hers and the warm caresses. Luca was right. She was falling in love, and it was all going to cost her.

Luca placed her own dagger back into her hands, and kissed her cheek, saying, "Do the right thing and your mother will be freed.", before leaving the pub, the men right behind him.

…

A/N: Our own Emily Wright is really Emilia Changretta, half-sister to Luca. Her father was Vicente and her mother, an American actress.

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