Maddie dangled her head off the seat of the sofa as she lay on it, with her legs going up and over the back, swinging her feet in mid-air absentmindedly. She puffed her cheeks out as she sighed and stared at the ceiling of one of the many miscellaneous rooms that filled Arrow House. She listened to the torrential rain that assaulted the window as she tried to think up of something to do to alleviate her crushing boredom.

The past four days had gone by in a blur as Maddie had thrown herself into her fighting classes with gusto, chuffed with being provided an outlet to expend some energy and keep her mind occupied. She had been the proudest she'd ever been of herself when she finished her first class. Despite the sexist cheek from one of the students on the first day, she had discovered that she had a talent for teaching and more importantly she had enjoyed it immensely.

However, today Maddie had the day off and had been left behind at Arrow House yet again as she had been in the days leading up to her first day of teaching. During those few days she had expended all her options for keeping herself entertained. Because of that, and with the storm lashing relentlessly outside, she was now confined to the house for hours on end. Being in a time with no television or internet turned out to be a great challenge. She had even tried to read a few books but the only ones she could find were the stuffy, dull kind with lots of long dreary words that took a hundred pages for the story to even go anywhere. She had quickly given up on them and attempted to fill her time with anything else more stimulating. The feeling that she had gotten on her first full day in 1924, the feeling of being wound up like a spring that can't be released had returned with a vengeance.

Maddie had tried to imagine exploring the grand, winding hallways of Arrow House as if it were her first time. She remembered how on that first expedition, she had explored the house with a childlike sense of adventure and curiosity. She had opened every door and cupboard in her pursuit of discovery and war against boredom. Every door except the ones that lead to Tommy's office and bedroom, which were kept locked when he wasn't home. Maddie had also explored all the grounds numerous times. The outdoors had become her favourite place to kill time; she found she could easily spend hours hiking through the woods and lawns repeatedly without growing tired of it. She had explored the house the day after the morning she and Tommy had kissed in the kitchen. An hour hadn't gone by that day that Maddie hadn't thought about that kiss, and of Tommy in general. When she pictured the moment in her head it was like the memory became four dimensional; his hands grasping at her hips, and his lips whispering against the skin of her neck as if it were tangibly happening again. It gave her goose bumps on her arms every time, and she found herself getting excited at the thought of seeing him when he got home. But that evening he hadn't returned. Maddie had been disappointed but confessed that it was probably for the best.

'Are you losing the plot or what?' Maddie had said to herself in the mirror that evening. She had argued with herself to the point of insanity about Tommy. She admitted that she was captivated by him, if that was even the right word. If he had been any guy that she'd met back home, she would have fucked him at the first available opportunity. But he was Thomas Shelby, not some regular guy, and that made things infinitely more complicated. She was also painfully aware that it had been a while since she'd had sex, and that just made her body betray her even more. Maybe I'm having these feelings are just because I'm horny? Maybe sleeping with him whilst I'm here won't be such a bad idea? Maddie thought this over a hundred times but kept coming back to the conclusion that it wouldn't be just simple, hot, no-strings-attached sex. She already knew she felt more for Tommy than just lust, no matter how forcefully she tried to convince herself otherwise. So, when it would be time for her to go home, the fact that she would be leaving him behind would just cause her pain she could do without.

So, when Tommy hadn't come home a couple of nights that week and Maddie only laid her eyes on him a couple of times, she had hoped it would help dampen her need for him. She had even mentioned this to him, but it soon became clear that his non-presence only made the matter worse. She found herself pulled into his gaze, like her eyes were made of iron that were being moved by his magnetising stare. Yet again she found herself gazing back at him and flirting unashamedly as if on autopilot whenever they were close.

She giggled like a schoolgirl when she remembered their third kiss as she continued to lie on the sofa. She had given in again to her desires and in that moment realised something. She didn't care if she shouldn't be shacking up to Tommy. She wanted to. So, over the past few days she had decided she would let whatever may happen, happen. Although her darker, more mischievous side had tempted her to draw out the chase for as long as possible to wind him up and drive him mad for her. Maddie knew Tommy was just as desperate for her as she was for him, any idiot could see that. Polly in fact was quick and sharp to pick up on the change in dynamic between her and Tommy. Well, I'm sure telling Polly that you had kissed and nearly slept with her nephew was as good a clue as any, Maddie thought to herself, rolling her eyes. She couldn't lie and say that she had put no thought or weight into Polly's reading of her tea leaves. Especially when everything she found out was true, and she wanted deep down to believe the suggestion that something more profound was forming between her and Tommy.

Maddie huffed and groaned, drawing out the whining note for several seconds before declaring, 'This is fucking bull-shit!'. She was out of her mind with boredom, something needed to be done. She put her hands on the floor and did a backwards handstand off the sofa to come back to standing. She meandered out into the vastness of the house, hoping that somehow something exciting would spring out of nowhere, like it typically did back home. She never considered that she would miss the perpetual danger and spontaneity of her regular life. She realised then just how much she missed her friends. The friends who she had been through thick and thin with, and felt more like family. Without even realising, Maddie's eyes had started to well up and tears threatened to tumble out of her eyes for the first time since she arrived in 1924. She blinked rapidly and covered her eyes with her hands.

'Get a grip, slayer!' she whispered to herself angrily as she continued to stroll aimlessly down one of the upstairs corridors. You'll get back home Mads, she thought to herself, just hopefully before you die of idleness.

Just then Maddie heard frantic voices from around the corner and a second later Frances and one of the maids rounded the corner heading in her direction. Frances had a scowl on her face that could start a forest fire, ranting at the poor maid who looked particularly distressed.

'If we don't get these duties finished before the master gets home, there will be hell to pay for all of us!' Frances hissed frantically. That doesn't sound too good, thought Maddie. Then she smiled suddenly, realising that she could possibly be of use.

'Is there something you need help with?' called Maddie as Frances and the maid approached her. Frances looked up startled, only just realising that Maddie had been walking towards them. Her features set into a rigid mask and her lips pursed into a thin line. She looked Maddie up and down once before answering.

'I don't think that will be necessary.'

Maddie rolled her eyes and sighed, 'Well you sound pretty stressed. Whatever it is you need to get done I'm sure I'm more than capable to help.' She cast her eyes back and forth between Frances and the maid, the latter of which was wringing her hands nervously as she noticed Frances bristle at Maddie's rude reply.

'We are short of staff today and various duties need completing around the house before Mr Shelby returns. As much as the help is needed however, I don't think Mr Shelby would appreciate us putting his trusted guest to work with his staff. Not that I think you would be of much use either way,' Frances rambled flatly, the insult to Maddie probably being as close as the old bat could get to slapping her in the face without getting into trouble. Hang on, did she say'trusted'?

'Well if I'm so'trusted'by Tommy, surely I can be of some use?' Maddie retorted. Frances regarded her for a moment before a flicker of an idea flashed across her beady eyes and she smiled.

'Actually, there may be a use for you,' she said before addressing the maid. 'Lucy, you start the polishing without me. You miss, follow me.' Frances glanced to Maddie and indicated for her to follow and began to march her towards the stairs as Lucy hurried away in the opposite direction.

What the hell has this woman got planned for me? Maddie hoped that Frances wasn't going to give her a job that involved getting smelly. That would hardly be an attractive site for Tommy and would no doubt earn a lot of teasing from the rest of the Blinders. As it turned out, Maddie would have taken that job over the one that Frances actually had in mind for her. They entered one of the smaller sitting rooms downstairs which, on first glance appeared empty, but she then spotted a maid knelt on the floor with little Charlie sat next to her gurgling and giggling away. Her eyes widened as she realised what Frances wanted her to do.

Maddie, despite wanting to avoid the child whilst she was staying there, had been formally introduced to Tommy's son by Esme on one of the evenings Tommy hadn't come home. In fact, she had also been introduced to all of John's kids on that same night and she remembered thinking that she had never been so uncomfortable and out of her element. Esme had plonked Charlie on Maddie's lap before she could protest and the toddler had immediately started pulling her hair and laughing, which she admitted to herself was rather cute. Esme had evidently seen that Maddie was unsure of what to do and had soon taken Charlie up to bed, much to her relief. Esme had a natural way with children that Maddie envied, she would tell them all off in Romani and seemed to be able to herd them like sheep. Maddie had conceded that night that she wouldn't be able to get away with avoiding Charlie for the full duration of her stay, but she hadn't betted on being left to babysit him. She took in a breath to say something in protest, but Frances had already begun speaking.

'Harriet. Miss Chapman will watch Charlie for a while. We need you to help with the duties around the house.' Harriet nodded and began to stand up as Maddie interjected.

'Oh, no really I have no experience with-,' Maddie stammered hurriedly but was cut off by Frances' shrill voice.

'I'm sure Mr Shelby would be more than happy for you to watch Charlie for a few hours. It really would be a great help.'

Maddie felt her mouth hang open gormlessly as she was left speechless. Frances looked over to Harriet who was looking at the two of them, unsure of what to do. Frances jerked her head in the direction of the door in an instruction for Harriet to follow her. Frances' face looked infuriatingly smug as they left the room quickly. Before Maddie could collect her wits well enough to stop them, she was left in the room alone with Charlie.

'Fuck!' she hissed, wincing when she remembered Charlie was a few feet away from her. She looked over to him, he was looking up at her perplexed at the sudden change of faces in the room but soon began picking up and throwing down his small wooden toys with fervour.

'I guess it's me and you then pipsqueak,' Maddie sighed, deciding that refusing to do her job would just succeed in pissing Tommy off, not just at her but at the staff too. 'It's just a toddler, Mads, stop being such a wimp,' she muttered and rolled her eyes to herself as she went and sat down on the floor next to Charlie.

He immediately smiled and began waving his toys around in an attempt to get Maddie to play with him. She inspected the wooden toys and picked up a miniature horse. The memory of Tommy offering to teach her how to ride popped into her mind, she realised that they hadn't talked about it since that day and she hoped he hadn't forgotten about it. She made a mental note to ask him about it if he made an appearance that evening.

Maddie had sat with Charlie for an hour and had gradually begun to feel more at ease with him, thinking that she had mastered the whole responsible adult role before Charlie began to shuffle and grumble, his face creasing up in distress. Oh shit, now what? She looked up at the clock on the mantel piece, it was mid-afternoon, and she wondered whether Charlie had been fed. As the thought of food entered her mind, her own stomach started to grumble.

'You hungry eh squirt?' Maddie cooed to Charlie who now began to ball up his fists and cry in earnest. 'No, no! D-don't cry!'

Panicking, Maddie picked up Charlie and balanced him on her hip as she headed towards the kitchens. She looked around desperately for a cook or maid as he wailed in her arms. Why is there never anyone around when you need them? She cursed internally until she finally found a maid working in the corner of the kitchen. The maid turned as she heard the sound of Charlie crying.

'There doesn't happen to be any food about does there?' Maddie asked her pleadingly. The maid looked amused as she turned and presented a plate with a mixture of foods on it and a cup of milk.

'I was just about to bring Master Charlie his lunch, miss,' smiled the maid. Maddie breathed a sigh of relief. She sat Charlie on her lap at the table as the maid placed the plate in front of her. 'Would you like anything miss?'

'Yes please!' she replied excitedly. Charlie had already started helping himself to the food on the plate as the maid walked away. He had stopped crying and was happily shovelling bites into his mouth.

'You like food too I see?' jested Maddie. 'Slow down though or you'll make yourself sick.'

Maddie realised she was beginning to enjoy looking after Charlie, but that feeling was followed by the bitter reminder that life as a mother would never be an option for her. If she were to have a child, the likelihood that she would be killed and leave them without a mother was almost certain in her line of work, and she refused to let that happen. One of the previous slayers, Nikki, had a child before she was killed, leaving her son Robin without a mum and a boatload of mommy issues to boot. Maddie felt the tears threatening her eyes again and she cursed this place for stirring so many emotions in her that she usually had under control. She felt conflicted. On the one hand this adventure was unique and invigorating. Despite the odd days of boredom, she was enjoying the Shelbys company and the work she was doing for them so far. But on the other hand, Maddie didn't welcome the confusing thoughts and emotions. Emotions mostly about Tommy; but also there were the reminders of what kind of life she could never have, which made her desperately want to return to the one she did. Maddie reassured herself that she would be able to go home soon and to just bloody enjoy herself. She was the luckiest person ever to get to travel in time for god's sake! It was no good spending it all broody and sulky.

After their lunch, Maddie watched Charlie for another couple of hours in the sitting room as the sky began to darken. The storm had calmed so that there was only a light drizzle filling the air outside. As the clock approached six she spotted headlights of what she assumed was Tommy's car heading up the driveway. She jumped up with Charlie in her arms and pointed out of the window.

'Look Charlie, your dad's home!' Charlie smiled and chuckled, excited to see his father. Maddie however had the sudden realisation that Tommy would probably question why she was minding Charlie. Maybe he'd even be angry, she had only known them for less than two weeks after all which was a short amount of time to trust someone with your infant son. She went out into the hallway with Charlie on her hip to see if Harriet or Frances were close by. She started down the corridor towards the foyer when she heard Frances greet Tommy into the house and take his hat and coat as she usually did making her halt in the middle of the corridor.

'Is Maddie in the house, Frances?' Maddie heard Tommy ask in his low, gravelly voice. There was a pause and she assumed Frances had just then remembered where she was.

'She's erm… with Master Charles in the sitting room, sir. I do apologise she asked if she could help- ,' Frances' voice stopped abruptly and Maddie heard footsteps heading in her direction. She quickly and silently retreated to the sitting room, pulling the door to so it was left ajar and quickly sat down on the floor, reuniting Charlie with his toys.

A few seconds later, the door flung open and Tommy stood in the doorway. He looked slightly concerned but quickly relaxed when he saw his son was playing contently with his toys. Maddie looked up at him and gave him an unsure smile, hoping that he wasn't angry.

'I see you've added Nanny to your list of duties around the house, eh?' Tommy asked, quirking an eyebrow up. Maddie laughed awkwardly and nodded.

'So, it seems.'

Not saying a word in response, Tommy walked over to the sofa, taking out a cigarette from his silver case and putting it between his lips before sitting down. Charlie stood up on his little chubby legs and toddled over to his father, grabbing him around the shin in an adorable display of affection.

'Papa!' he called up to Tommy, reaching up for him to pick him up.

'Hello Charlie boy!' said Tommy. He lifted Charlie off the floor and held him above his head. He smiled as Charlie giggled and squealed loudly. Maddie's heart warmed to see Tommy freely showing adoration and love to his son; it was nice to know that the man was indeed human. After a minute of fussing his son, he put Charlie down and told him to carry on playing, turning back to Maddie.

'I thought you weren't one for kids,' he probed taking a drag of his cigarette, meeting her eyes coldly. Maddie blinked in surprise. How the hell did he know that? She faltered in replying, opening and closing her mouth like a fish. Tommy obviously sensed her bewilderment and explained. 'Esme told me that you don't seem to have a woman's way with children.'

'Oh.' Maddie finally managed to say, feeling a little stupid. 'No, I suppose not but me and Charlie have done alright today I reckon.' She tried her best to sound confident but found that she was fidgeting with the awkwardness of the conversation. Tommy scrutinised her, looking puzzled by her behaviour.

'Mmm,' he grumbled. 'You have no children of your own? It's unusual for a woman to be without a child at your age.'

Maddie did not expect the question; she could sense that Tommy must have been a little suspicious of her spending time with his only child without his knowledge, prompting the stern questioning. However, his eyes looked at her in a way like he hoped that she would say she didn't. Nevertheless, the presumptuousness of it made her heckles rise.

'Not in 2020 it isn't,' she replied, matching the cool tone of his voice. 'And no, I don't. Being a slayer and motherhood doesn't really mix well.'

Tommy paused to take in what she had said and simply nodded in response, but his expression softened on hearing the bitterness in Maddie's voice. He leaned back into the sofa and looked up at the ceiling as he smoked his cigarette. She sensed the stress in him as they sat in silence for a few minutes. She assumed his day had not gone well and he was still preoccupied with business. Eventually Maddie got up and settled next to him on the sofa, recalling the thought she'd had earlier.

'I was wondering whether we'll get chance to take me out riding before we go to London?' she probed cautiously yet teasingly, nudging Tommy lightly with her elbow. He tilted his head towards her to meet her eyes, his usual almost smile hinting at the corner of his lips. He cleared his throat as he looked away and across the room.

'I'll find time.'

Maddie smiled widely, sitting up straighter and turning her body towards him, 'Oh good. I was worried you'd changed your mind.' She could feel herself blushing like a teenager as she spoke, ducking her eyes down in a sudden display of shyness. Tommy didn't fail to notice, and Maddie felt his finger under her chin, lifting her head back up to look at him.

'I didn't forget.' He held her eyes for a few seconds, her heart fluttering in her chest, before turning to look down at Charlie who made an excited noise as he continued to play on the floor. 'I want you to know where Charlie is at all times when you're in the house.'

The abrupt change of topic took Maddie off guard and made her furrow her brow at Tommy in confusion. She had enjoyed her time looking after Charlie that day, but she wasn't keen on becoming his permanent carer. More importantly, why did Tommy suddenly want her to be involved with his son?

Tommy looked back at Maddie and seeing her expression, offered an explanation, 'I'm in business with dangerous people Maddie. People who have threatened Charlie's life if I don't play my part, which is why I only have trusted staff care for him when I'm out. Seeing you with him this evening, having someone like you watching out for him would put me more at ease. At least whilst you're here.' Maddie felt her eyebrows reach for her hairline. She knew Charlie wasn't killed as a child; he was still alive in 2020 come to think of it. He was destined to live to a ripe old age, so the thought that someone wanted to hurt Charlie when he was a baby came as a shock to her.

Now it was Tommy's turn to furrow his brow at Maddie in response to her reaction. 'What is it?' he asked sternly, his suspicious tone returning.

Fuck, he thinks I know something, she thought in a panic. She took a deep breath as she decided whether to tell him what she did know. Him knowing that his son would live might cause him to drop his guard and end up changing that outcome, which she, and no doubt Tommy would blame her for. However, she was certain he would be able to tell if she was lying, compromising the trust that they had fostered between them up till now. Not to mention the pressure of keeping a watchful eye over Charlie over the next week or so was more responsibility than Maddie was expecting. But so far she had learnt that the truth was always the best course of action with Tommy.

'Charlie is alive in the future, Tommy. He grows to be an old man and he'd make you proud.' Maddie smiled reassuringly but Tommy's face remained neutral, although his eyes flickered slightly at the information. 'But we can't let our guard down. If you are in as much trouble as I think you are, then that future may still change,' she continued. 'So, I'll keep my eye on him. I'll be his guardian angel I guess.'

Tommy let out a low chuckle and Maddie laughed along, the atmosphere returning to the more relaxed one that she was used to. He cleared his throat again before standing and removing his suit jacket. He turned back to her as he began to roll his sleeves up.

'Well your priorities tonight will be on business. Go and get changed, Arthur will be here soon. We're taking the last of Italian pubs tonight.'

Maddie furiously tucked her shirt into her suit trousers as she tried to keep a steady head. Tommy had brought the pub takeover forward and hadn't even provided her with an explanation as to why; he just ordered her again to get ready and retreated to his office after passing over Charlie to Harriet. What could have happened that they needed to move this business to tonight? She found she still struggled putting on her suits, they were so far away from what she usually wore that they were still a mystery to her. When she was finally dressed, she admired herself in the mirror. Despite the faff to put the bloody thing on, she admitted she looked like a bad-ass gangster in her very own sharp three-piece suit. She remembered putting it on for the first time and she felt a sense of belonging and acceptance that she had never experienced before. The Shelbys had treated her like another sister and Maddie knew she was going to miss this feeling once she got back home.

'Maddie!'

She could hear the booming voice of Arthur from her room, he must have just walked through the front door she realised. Maddie appraised herself one last time before running out of her bedroom and down the hall to the balcony that looked over the foyer.

'Ay-up Arthur!' she called, spotting Arthur who was talking in hushed tones to Tommy near the entranceway. The two of them looked up at Maddie on the balcony when they heard her.

'Mads, get down here now! We're running late!' he called back, pointing up at her jestingly. She nodded and smiled before vaulting over the balcony rail and dropping down and landing gracefully, except for a loud thud onto the stone floor of the foyer, just a few feet away from Tommy and Arthur. The pair raised their eyebrows impressed before Arthur chuckled.

'Y' know you could have just used the stairs,' said Arthur with a cheeky smile in his eyes as she went to join them.

'But that's boring Arthur. And I never miss an opportunity to show off.' Maddie winked at him and he chuckled again. She looked over to Tommy who wasn't as amused as Arthur was by her antics. She had noticed that there hadn't been the usual sense of sexual tension between the two of them that evening and was sure that the topic of taking the pubs was the reason why.

Tommy turned back to Arthur and began speaking to him in Romani. Even though Maddie couldn't understand what he was saying, she knew that it was about something bad as his words were clipped and strained. She bounced her eyes between the two of them like a tennis ball before Tommy finally stopped speaking.

'Hello!? Is anyone going to tell me what's going on? Why are we taking the pubs tonight?' she asked briskly, her muscles beginning to tense with the anticipation of a tough night that was almost certain to happen at this point. Tommy turned to her and swallowed, his jaw muscles flexing.

'Arthur will fill you in on the way. Arthur go and get the car started,' he ordered without looking at his brother. Maddie saw Arthur nod before turning to leave as she kept her eyes on Tommy's. 'Watch your back out there tonight, alright?' Tommy brought his hand to her cheek and stared intently into her eyes, pleading silently to her.

'I always watch my back Tommy,' she replied, trying to sound light-hearted. In truth her chest felt increasingly tight with worry. Maddie had never seen him this stressed and she knew that it must be something fairly serious for him to act this way. 'You don't need to worry about me.'

Tommy shook his head as he exhaled through his nose in a long breath. 'Just follow John and Arthur's lead and stick to what they tell you to do. There's a lot riding on tonight, Maddie.'

She opened her mouth to question him, but as the sound of a car horn sounded from outside, he dropped his hand from her face and tilted his head in the direction of the door, 'Go on, go.' He turned away from her and started towards his office before she could make a sound.

Maddie faltered for a split second, watching the back of Tommy's head walk away from her before hurrying out of the door, muttering expletives under her breath. What the fuck was that all about? She wondered this as she got into the car beside Arthur who immediately started to speed down the driveway towards the road. She turned to stare inquisitively at him, expecting an explanation to the unexpected rush and panic that had entered her evening. When he didn't say anything, she decided she needed to probe him to get her answers.

'Arthur, what's happened today to get you and Tommy in such a state!?'

Arthur stared at the road as he replied. 'Some of the Italians who were supposed to have cleared out of Birmingham are still hanging about down in three of their old pubs in Nechells. We received word today that some of the Naples boys will be coming down to help defend what little territory the wops have left.' He paused to let Maddie take in this information before continuing. 'The plan was to take one of the pubs which should have made them clear from the rest on their own; but now we're taking all three pubs tonight.'

After a short, stunned silence Maddie snorted loudly. Was that it? She was expecting Armageddon with the way Arthur and Tommy had been acting and part of her suspected that they were hiding something from her. He looked over to her, puzzled by her reaction.

'Sorry,' Maddie apologised. 'I was just expecting something a bit more…big and scary.'

'This won't be easy Mads. There's going to be more men than we were expecting, and they'll be armed.' Arthur reached into his jacket and withdrew his pistol, handing it over to her. 'Take this but only use it if you need to.'

Maddie looked down at the gun before putting it in her gun holster that had since been empty, but Tommy had insisted she wore. She should have known that something hadn't gone to plan. Still she couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed. She was sure that was due to the fact that she was used to such cataclysmic scales of danger that their current problem in comparison seemed trivial. However, the more she thought about it, the more she realised that this was going to be more dangerous that she initially realised. Sure, she was used to fighting large battles against seemingly poor odds, but those were with her usual weapons. Swords, axes and stakes, not guns. As fast and agile as she was, she wasn't faster than a bullet, and a bullet could kill her easily if it hit the right place. Maddie swallowed, her saliva feeling gross and sticky in her mouth.

'I think Tommy's worried that somthin'll happen to ya tonight. He told me to make sure that you'll be alright. That's what he was saying to me earlier,' said Arthur quietly.

'Really?' Maddie sighed and rolled her eyes but couldn't help but feel her heart skip at the fact that Tommy cared enough about her to worry that much. 'He can't be that worried if he's still sending me out here with you. You're not worried are you Arthur?' she jested, but he didn't reply and kept his focus on the road. She gulped and felt her heart rate begin to quicken uncomfortably. She began to mentally prepare herself for the night ahead, it sounded like she was going to need it.

After driving the rest of the way at speed and in silence, Arthur spoke up, 'We're nearly there Mads.'

They drove through the dark streets of Birmingham that were lined with several factories. Maddie watched the fires inside flicker, sparks flying around in the darkness that illuminated the soot covered faces of the workers inside. Arthur turned them off down another similar street before turning again into a smaller alleyway, parking the car in its shadows. Maddie spotted John in the blackness ahead as her eyes adjusted. He was stood with Isiah and at least fifteen other Blinders. Some she recognised from her fighting classes.

Arthur and Maddie joined the group who greeted them both quietly and stern faced. SHE was so used to John and Isiah greeting her cheerfully and with life that it made HER more on edge at their stoicism. They reminded her of Tommy in that moment, and she realised that she was glad that they were usually so unlike him.

'Right,' Arthur began. 'There's three teams. John you'll take the Queen's Head with a few of the boys. Skudboat and Isiah, you do the same and take the Chester Arms. Maddie, you and I will lead the rest to take the The Swan. Remember these pubs are to take, not to destroy. Avoid guns unless they're needed. Drive out the Italians into the streets. Everybody got that?' he questioned, scanning the group's faces. Everyone nodded their understanding, including Maddie. She bit her lip nervously as Arthur ordered the group to fall out. She was used to being the one in charge of a plan, not one of the soldiers. It was unfamiliar territory for her. But she couldn't let her trepidation let herself or the Shelbys down.

'Hey,' whispered John as he stepped up beside her. 'Stay focussed and you'll be alright eh?'

Maddie let out a weak laugh, her fear must have been obvious for John to pick up on it. 'I know. Thanks John.'

'Take this,' he said, pulling out a small knife from his pocket, one that was meant for strapping to the calf. 'For close encounters.'

'Wow, I keep being handed weapons today. You must all think me unprepared.'

'Nah,' John shrugged. 'Just unfamiliar with what we really do. Stick close to Arthur, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in no time.' He squeezed Maddie's shoulder in a reassuring gesture, his usual softness and cheekiness returning momentarily. John was beginning to feel like a jolly big brother to her, even though he was only a couple of years older than her.

The gang parted into three squads when they reached a crossroads ahead of them, Maddie waved and mouthed good luck to John and Isiah as they separated. She fell into pace with her team and let the darkness and the noises of the city at night engulf her and prepare her for what was about to come. This feeling of walking into battle wasn't unlike the feeling she had back home, and she felt a burst of confidence erupt inside her. As they approached The Swan, Maddie picked her head up high and kept it there as Arthur lead them into the pub.

The silence that fell on the pub as they entered was so eerie that if Maddie shut her eyes, she would have been convinced she were in a graveyard. The patrons of the pub looked up at the crowd who had just walked in and evidently recognised them immediately. Most froze to the spot in fear whilst others slowly began to rise from their chairs. Maddie quickly counted the people in the room, twelve all together. She also spotted two doors, excluding the one they walked in through. One behind the bar the other to the rear right hand side of the room; it was more than likely that there were other men beyond those doors.

'Is nobody going to offer us a drink?' shouted Arthur, breaking the tense silence, making half the men in the room jump. No-one spoke, so Arthur helped himself to a bottle of whiskey on the table next to him as the gang began to spread out around the pub, Maddie following suit. She settled to stand near a man who was glaring them all down, his fists clenched ready to fight. He noticed her after a few seconds and snorted loudly.

'The Blinders now have women working for them!' jeered the man, eliciting laughter from the rest of the room. This wasn't the first time Maddie had been underestimated or laughed at since being in 1924, and she felt a rush of anger inside her. She was getting incredibly sick of men looking down their noses at her, even if she was now planning on punching this man's nose into his skull. She remained silent as she watched some more of the men in the pub rise threateningly from their chairs. Evidently bolstered by their friend's confident arrogance.

Maddie looked over to Arthur for instruction. He and the rest of the Blinders were poised for the fight that was ready to break out at any second. She felt sweat start to bead on her skin under her clothes, her breath whooshed in her ears and her heart felt like it was kicking her rib cage. She had never been in a bar fight before, not even with demons or vamps. This should be fun, she thought to herself as Arthur gave her a silent signalling nod.

Maddie sucked in a sharp breath before punching the arrogant man in the jaw. She had made effort to dampen her punch as she was fighting humans, but she still put enough force into it that she felt the man's jaw crack. There was also enough force to send the man flying back onto the table. Everyone in the room moved at once. Several of the more scared looking men fled the pub leaving seven to fight. The Blinders all moved with speed and experience, engaging with the men that stayed to fight.

Two men approached Maddie and threw themselves at her. She engaged them both easily, parrying their punches whilst landing hers with laughable ease. One of them grabbed a bottle from the bar after staggering back from one of her jabs, smashing it, shards of glass raining down onto the floor around them. The man lunged at Maddie and she deflected the hand with the bottle with her foot, kicking the makeshift weapon from his hand as she dealt an uppercut to the other man's gut who had also foolishly tried to attack her again. The man who had the bottle stumbled to one knee and she kneed him in the face causing him to fly backwards and land on his back on the broken glass, now unconscious. Her other attacker was also on the floor, clutching his stomach in agony.

Maddie reassessed the room and saw that a couple of the men were still causing trouble. One man on the other side of a large table to her had one of the Blinders cornered, brandishing a knife and ready to attack. Thinking fast, she kicked the table between her and the man. It skidded nearly six feet across the floor and collided with him, causing him to fall and drop the knife. The Blinder he cornered kicked him in the head and retrieved the knife for himself, nodding his thanks to Maddie.

Just then, more men burst into the pub through the back doors as Maddie had predicted. She spun round and began another round of brawling. These men brandishing iron bars and wooden boards as weapons. Maddie started to get into the flow of dodging, punching, kicking and throwing the new attackers and found that she was starting to enjoy herself. She even found opportunity to use her new knife to slice strategic cuts into her attacker's arms and hands so that they'd drop their weapons. She found herself surrounded by four of them at one point and a couple of them managed to get a couple of hits on her that were hard enough to leave a mark. One large man caught Maddie's cheek with a nail on the board he was using, the rusted metal glancing off her skin as she dodged it narrowly. She kicked that man particularly hard in the balls for that.

The fight seemed to be under the Blinder's control, the experience and skill of Maddie and the Blinders was more than enough to subdue the Italian men. Then she heard Arthur scream from across the room.

'Maddie! Behind you!'

Maddie spun to see another foe in the doorway behind the bar, the barrel of a revolver pointed straight at her. Thank god for her slayer speed, she thought as she instantaneously veered out of the line of shot of the weapon just as the man fired it. She heard the bullet hit the wall behind her and she ducked down as she heard one of the Blinders shoot back at the man, soon followed by the tell-tale thud of the man's body hitting the floor.

More men burst into the pub from the rear door and began to open fire inside. In the sudden racket Maddie crouched down to avoid the gunfire, more glass shattered and sprayed across the pub as multiple bullets hit the various bottles, glasses and mirrors around the room. As she covered her head with her hands, she lost her focus on the other men already in the bar and she felt the harsh impact of a foot colliding with her shoulder. She fell forward, automatically throwing her hands out to catch herself. Her hands met the glass covered floor and slid a few inches as she caught her weight. Maddie felt the small splinters of glass bury themselves into the flesh her palms, sending shooting pains up her arms as she let out a yelp. Despite being floored and decorated with glass, she quickly rolled onto her back and kicked the man who was now descending on her in the chest with both legs and with full force. He flew across the room and hit the wall before collapsing to the floor completely still.

Maddie could vaguely hear the sound of Arthur calling her name from behind an overturned table across the room, but it was hard to tell with the continuing gunfire from both sides. She didn't dare look at her hands, they felt like they were on fire. She pulled her gun from her holster as she stayed on the floor, shielded by the bar, the action eliciting further stabbing pain up her arms. Trying her best to ignore the pain she contemplated that she was probably going to have to kill after all. Even though Tommy had said she wouldn't have to. The man she just kicked was more than likely dead anyway. Maddie clenched her eyes shut and groaned.

'Shit!' she yelled.

In that moment, Arthur and a couple of the other Blinders came out from behind the table as the enemy were reloading and began to open fire over the bar above Maddie. She leapt to her feet and joined in pointing her own gun in the same direction. However, she was lucky yet again. Arthur and the others had managed to take out all the assailants before she even fired a shot. Silence descended over the pub again as they all caught their breaths and their wits.

Maddie went over to the man she kicked and saw that he wasn't breathing. Fuck… He may not have been innocent, but Maddie didn't like killing humans all the same. She felt her chest tighten with guilt and her stomach tun sickeningly. If only she hadn't lost her cool when he kicked her over. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath through her nose to calm herself.

'Hey, Mads, you alright?' called Arthur as he approached her, his feet crunching over the carpet of broken glass. Maddie then became acutely aware of the pain in her hands and put the gun she still had in her hand down on the table. She winced as she attempted to put her hands behind her back to hide them from Arthur, which worked horribly. He saw the pained expression on her face as he came and stood before her.

'You hurt?'

Maddie grimaced and nodded in defeat. 'I was fucking stupid. Let my fucking guard down when they started shooting.' She brought her hands from behind her back and held them palms up in front of her. She forced herself to look down to finally assess the damage and let out an annoyed moan at the sight before her. Her palms and fingers looked completely mangled; she could see the glint of several dozen glass shards buried in the flesh. The sleeves of her shirt and jacket were saturated with her blood which was still dripping from her open wounds.

'Fuck…' muttered Arthur. He pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped one of Maddie's hands with it to stop the bleeding before snatching another handkerchief from one of the boys who'd come over to look at her hands and bandaged the other one. 'Tommy's not going to like this.'

'It's not that bad Arthur. They'll heal sooner than you'd think,' said Maddie. Yes, her hands looked atrocious, but they weren't the worst wounds she'd had ever had.

'Arthur! You lot still alive in there!?' John called as he and the rest of the men walked in, looking relatively unscathed compared to them. 'Fucking ell'. Looks like you lot got the worst of it.' He spotted Maddie stood with her hands wrapped in already red, bloody handkerchiefs and gave a look of disdain.

'What the fuck happened to you?' he said as he walked over.

Maddie sighed as she held her hands up near her head. 'Hands, floor, glass,' she said with a huff.

'I'm gonna call Tommy, let him know it's done,' said Arthur who headed to the phone behind the bar that was miraculously still intact.

John revealed that the other two squads had taken the other pubs easily, encountering no resistance. He figured that they had spotted them coming and focussed their attention on The Swan as it was the best located and largest pub in the area. Maddie was just glad that it was over. Glad to be one step closer to going home after the night's drama. Arthur soon returned from his phone call looking rather disgruntled. 'He wants us back at the house.'

Arthur and John hastily barked some orders to Isiah, Skudboat and the rest of the men before leading the way out back into the night and towards the car. When they reached the car, Maddie climbed into the back seat and lay down, resting her injured hands on her chest. As Arthur began to drive them away from Birmingham, she felt fatigue spread through her aching muscles. She looked up and out the window above her head at the smoke and soot that billowed into the dark blue of the night sky as she felt her eyes begin to close.

Maddie felt a hand on her leg shake her awake. She dragged her eyelids open to see John's blurry face looking down at her from the front passenger seat as he continued to gently coax her into the land of the conscious.

'Wake up, Mads. We're back,' he grinned as she groaned and slowly sat herself up. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her throbbing hands as John got out of the car, watching him pace over to Arthur who was stood in the doorway talking to Tommy. Tommy's face was unusually tense as they spoke, and he eventually looked over to Maddie as she watched them through the car window.

She looked away and down at her gory hands still wrapped in handkerchiefs and sighed. 'Urg, fuck.' She hoped that she could get away with getting past Tommy and sorting out her injured hands alone, but it was highly likely Arthur had already told him about them. Sighing again, Maddie opened the car door and sloped out like a sulking child, attempting to keep her hands by her sides inconspicuously, which was a lot harder than it looked. She walked over to the three brothers, keeping her chin up to make out that nothing had gone awry.

Tommy was still talking to Arthur and John as Maddie reached them. 'Good work, boys. Now get yourselves home to your wives,' he said sternly before turning to face her. John and Arthur gave each other a look before turning away, wishing her goodnight as they retreated and got back in the car.

Maddie bit her lip awkwardly as she looked up to meet Tommy's eyes. They cut into her like ice picks making her shiver, or maybe that was just the cold night air.

'Well… I suppose I'd better get to bed…' Maddie began in a weak attempt to dodge him. She went to walk past him, but he held out his arm to stop her. She closed her eyes and grimaced. He put his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him again and ran his hands down her arms to lift her hands up in front of her.

He exhaled aggressively as his eyes fell on the ugly sight before him. The makeshift bandages had been on too long, the bleeding had stopped but the cloth had begun to dry and stick to her flesh. Maddie looked up to see Tommy's jaw clenching and flexing wildly as he continued to blow air in and out of his nose so that he could keep his expression neutral.

'How?' Tommy finally manged say as he looked up into Maddie's eyes intensely.

'I…' she stuttered before giving an irritated sigh. 'I lost concentration. Some guy kicked me to the floor and I got a load of glass buried into my hands.' She rolled her eyes, more than fed up of thinking about her apparent horrific injury.

'And this?' Tommy asked, lifting his hand momentarily to brush the cut on her cheek with his thumb. The one inflicted by the nail which she had completely forgotten about.

'Just a scratch from a nail,' whispered Maddie as she watched his cool eyes survey her body for more injuries. She admitted she liked how much concern he was showing for her well-being. Not that she needed it of course. She had frequently walked home with vamp bites, stab wounds, burns, you name it. She was often left to tend to her wounds alone as they were hardly new or shocking to her friends. It was a welcome change to have someone show tender concern for her.

Tommy turned his attention back to her hands, saying nothing, and slowly began to peel the now red material from one of her hands. The dried parts of the cloth had almost fused to Maddie's skin and flesh causing her skin to pull and move as he peeled the handkerchief back to reveal what was underneath. She hissed and winced with the sudden pain that stabbed through her palm. Even in the dim light of the doorway that illuminated them, the sight was gag worthy. The bleeding had stopped but there were still many shards of glass, big and small, nestled in her hand. They were mixed with dirt and dried blood that caked the whole area resulting in a sight that would make the most experienced doctor avert his eyes.

'Fuck!' exclaimed Tommy, finally loosing his calm exterior. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as Maddie watched him, unsure of what to say.

'It's alright I'll go and-,' she finally said, but her interrupted her.

'You won't get that glass out on your own. Come on.'

Tommy put his hand on the small of Maddie's back as he ushered her inside and lead her in the direction of the stairs. She paused as they passed a mirror and finally got a look at her reflection and gasped. Fuck me, she thought. She looked worse than she'd realised. Her suit was stained with patches of dried blood, her sleeves completely crimson. The material of her jacket and trousers was frayed and torn, probably from being snagged by the glass shards on the pub floor. The cut on her cheek must have bled for a while without Maddie noticing because her cheek had a layer of dried blood also, although the wound was already scabbed over. Her hair, as usual was ruffled and dirty but proved to complete the dragged-through-a-thorn-bush-backwards look. She looked at herself in shock, did she usually look like this after a fight? She admitted that she avoided mirrors in these situations back home; she didn't need a mirror to show her what she already imagined she looked like.

'Worse than you expected?' questioned Tommy as he watched her appraise herself in the mirror.

'Just a bit,' mumbled Maddie. 'But honestly Tommy, it doesn't feel as bad as it looks,' she quickly reassured him. She was telling the truth, apart from her hands she wasn't in any pain and after her little nap in the car, she didn't even feel that tired.

Tommy ignored her attempt at reassurance and continued to nudge her towards the stairs. He lead her up the stairs and instead of turning towards her room he led her towards his own. She looked questioningly up at him, but he ignored her as he opened the door to his bedroom and invited her inside. What's he taking me in there for? It's hardly the right time to get me into his bed, she thought. Although she wasn't entirely opposed to the idea.

The room was lit with warm soft light from a couple of stylish lamps on either side of the room. It was easily one of the largest rooms in the house that Maddie had seen and was probably the most lavish. The bed was enormous, dressed in what looked like expensive silk sheets and pillows. The carpet felt more like a duvet under her feet; she remembered she still had her shoes on and stopped to quickly step out of them so as not to tread dirt into it. Tommy marched through a narrow passage that lead to another room as Maddie followed. He switched on the light and Maddie found herself in a large bathroom that was almost as big as the adjoining bedroom. It was the nicest bathroom she had ever set foot in. It was considerably nicer than the one she had down the hall, and infinitely nicer than her one back home. It didn't take her long to notice the bath tucked in a little alcove with hot and cold taps at one end. Not a second later did she notice a raised platform along the opposite wall with a copper piped shower head protruding from the tiles.

'Is that a shower!?' Maddie exclaimed before she could stop herself.

Tommy turned to her and let the beginning of a smile creep into his face, 'Yes.'

'Why didn't you tell me you had one? I've been dying for shower since the day I got here!'

'Well now you know, eh.' He took a hold of her shoulders again, squeezing them affectionately.

Maddie met his eyes and instantly became entranced by them as she had done so many times. Tommy leaned in and planted a soft kiss to her lips, drawing a shuddering breath from her. She felt the bastard smile against her lips as he pulled back. Damn him! Now we're even again, she cursed. He kept his lips close to hers for a second and she attempted to crane her neck forward to make their lips connect again but he moved his head back, matching her movement, maintaining an agonisingly small gap between them. In frustration, Maddie attempted to grab his collar, forgetting about her hands and recoiled in pain as she brushed them against his vest.

'Let's get your jacket off and your hands dressed before they get infected,' whispered Tommy. He undid Maddie's jacket and began to pull it back over he shoulders for her as she stood statue like, feeling suddenly nervous about him undressing her like this. She let the jacket drop to the floor and he stepped back and gestured his hand to a stool a couple of feet away.

'Sit.'

Maddie guffawed at Tommy's authoritative tone but went and sat on the stool as he ordered. He paced around the bathroom, collecting various items. He started to fill a basin with hot water in the sink as he placed a small table in front of where she was sat watching him with amusement. She continued to watch as He placed a bottle of rubbing alcohol, clean rags and towels, tweezers and a needle and thread on the table. When the basin was full Tommy put it on the table with the other items and sat down opposite Maddie. He held his hands out over the table between them in a silent order for her to give him her hands.

Sighing defeatedly, Maddie presented her ruined hands to Tommy and he immediately began his task without a word. He unbuttoned the cuffs of her shirt and rolled the sleeves up her forearms. Some glass had also dug into Maddie's wrists and she considered herself lucky that none of them caught an artery. He lowered her hands into the warm water; there was an initial sensation of stinging followed by a pleasant soothing sensation. She watched as the larger chunks of dirt washed away as she wiggled her fingers under the water. Some of the wounds started to reopen and fresh blood began to stain the water red. Meanwhile, Tommy soaked one of the rags in rubbing alcohol in preparation for the next step which Maddie knew was coming. He gently lifted one hand from the safety of the warm water, holding it gently in one of his with the soaking rag in the other.

'This is going to hurt,' he said.

Before Maddie could give a snappy reply and roll her eyes, Tommy placed the alcohol soaked rag on her hand. Despite her best efforts, she hissed and gasped at the searing pain that flashed through her. She clenched her teeth, clamping her eyes shut as her body tensed, but she refused to scream. She didn't scream when she once got stabbed in the gut and had to stich the wound herself, so she certainly wasn't going to do it now. As she adjusted to the pain, Maddie forced her body to relax and she opened her eyes to see Tommy watching her intently but with a definite edge of concern.

After leaving the rag on for a couple of minutes, he removed it and picked up the tweezers and began to meticulously remove the many shards of glass that had made a home in Maddie's hands. Most of the shards hurt less than she expected when he pulled them out, but as he dug for the deeper ones she had to bite her lip so she wouldn't make a noise. Once all the shards were removed, Tommy began to sew the larger gashes and cuts together with the needle and thread. She took time to admire his features as he concentrated wholly on his task. His lips were set together in a soft line and his eyes barely blinked as he focussed on passing the needle through her skin with expert precision. He was bent over the table as he worked so his head was close hers. She noticed the grey hairs that mottled his head and caught the smell of whiskey and cigarettes that was his usual perfume. If it wasn't for the fact that both her hands were injured, Maddie would have used her other hand to feel and caress the short hairs on his head and trace the lines of his sharp cheekbones and jaw. Why does he have to be so goddamn handsome?

Maddie could feel the familiar heady heat of arousal stir inside her as it often did after a fight. She felt herself beginning to pant and cursed herself inwardly, telling herself to get a grip just as Tommy looked up from his work. He had done a surprisingly good job of patching her up, her hand now looking significantly more hand shaped. He wiped her hand again with the alcohol before wrapping a proper bandage around it as some of the cuts were still bleeding.

'One down,' he muttered as he drew her other hand from the now dark red water of the basin. He repeated the same process with Maddie's other hand as she continued to watch him whilst fighting off her growing horniness. Why did she have to battle with herself so much? She began to fidget on her stool, and she feared that Tommy would notice that she was becoming flustered, if he hadn't already.

She wasn't sure if it was the latent excitement from the bar fight, her sudden raunchiness, or both but Maddie felt her mouth opening to ask a question that occurred to her in that moment. 'I didn't expect this from you Tommy. What's changed?'

Tommy sighed and looked up briefly to look at her. 'I don't know,' he replied before looking back down again. She nodded to herself; she couldn't tell if he was lying to avoid the question or if he genuinely didn't know. But considering that she also didn't fully understand what was going on between them she felt inclined to believe him.

After finally finishing his handiwork, Tommy stood and began clearing the mess away in silence. Maddie looked over yearningly at the shower that she so desperately wanted to get under, letting the scorching hot water wash away the rest of the dirt and sweat from her skin; but that wouldn't be possible with her hands now wrapped in bandages. Her clothes suddenly felt rough and sticky, she needed to get out of them soon before she went mad. She would have to settle for a bath, but she didn't fancy getting into the copper one in her own bathroom.

'Can I use your bath?' she asked as Tommy finished up his tidying. He turned to her and nodded.

'Of course.'

The low vibrato of his voice made Maddie shudder and she swallowed down her sinful thoughts as she went over to the bath. She managed to turn on the taps with her mummified hands, their function already returning. She was confident that she'd be able to take the bandages off by morning. She turned back to face Tommy as the bath began to fill and was tempted to ask him to join her, but her nerves got the better of her.

'I'll leave you to it,' he said, beating Maddie to her words.

He went up to her, leaving only an inch between their chests and put his finger under her chin to get her to look up at him as he did earlier that evening. Another kiss? Maddie thought this might be the luckiest night of her life. But Tommy didn't kiss her. He looked into her eyes for a few seconds, caressing her face with the back of his fingers before withdrawing and leaving the room, a disappointed Maddie watching him as he strode out.

'Fucking bastard,' she muttered to herself, chuckling before removing her ruined clothes and climbing into the steamy inviting water.