Blind Date Masterlist 2

Blind Date Masterlist 2

Modern Thomas Shelby -99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108

109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126

127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149

150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159

160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170

One Way or Another

Summary: When your brother Bonnie warns you about the darkness lurking beneath Tommy Shelby’s charming exterior, you heed his advice and break up. However, a vengeful Tommy vows to get you back and his ruthless tactics are worse than you could have imagined. 

Author's Note: Requested by a lovely anon who wanted to see dark!Tommy manipulate a reader into staying with him using Charlie as leverage. 

Warnings: language, dark!Tommy, manipulative behavior, allusion to non con (no graphic description), assault, discussion of pregnancy and adoption

You'd noticed the handsome, blue-eyed man the moment you and your family arrived in Small Heath. Intrigued by the mystery surrounding his enormous wealth and influence, you disobeyed your father's orders and began sneaking into town to catch a glimpse of Mr. Thomas Shelby. He soon took note of you as well, lavishing attention and gifts on you.

You even met his son Charlie a few times in his father's office. Giving voices to the toy horses and soldiers he would bring, the chubby toddler would laugh and grasp at your cheeks. You loved his laughter and often wished he was your own child. "You're a natural, sweetheart,” Tommy praised with a wide grin, which made you anxious for something more with him. You found yourself daydreaming about becoming Mrs. Shelby and giving him another baby.

Tommy wasn’t shy about expressing his own desire to you. A bottle of whisky and a sour mood had led him to confess that Charlie was not his son. He claimed it was an error in his judgement of character that would not happen again. This time he wanted things done in the proper way with the right woman, he said. You’d melted on the spot when he took your head between his large palms and kissed you full. His advances would escalate in the following meetings as he learned of your purity, more enamored with you than ever. You knew it was only a matter of time before he proposed to make you his completely.

However, someone in camp must have taken note of your frequent visits to Shelby properties because word quickly got back to your brother, Bonnie. "Y/n, what are you doing with him? He's not good for ya," he said furrowing his brow in concern.

"What do you mean, Bon?" you asked curiously.

“Don’t you know? You must,” he insisted, underestimating your youthful naivete. 

"He's the leader of the Peaky Blinders, Y/n. He's responsible for cuttings and beatings…murders. No one is safe round him. Not even you," he warned ominously.

"Surely not," you said, shaking your head in disbelief. Tommy was an upstanding businessman, or so you thought.

"Y/n, please listen to me," your older brother begged, sliding closer to you. "I wasn't supposed to tell you,” he said in a low, conspiratorial tone, “but Da and I are here to kill his enemies. And there's a long list. You don't want anything to do with Tommy Shelby, trust me," he stressed twisting his cap in his hands. 

After a lengthy conversation about everything he knew, including the murder of Tommy’s first wife, you were shaking with fear. Bonnie wasn’t easily spooked and it bothered you to see him this upset. “Alright, I'll keep my distance," you agreed, witnessing his agitation.

Bonnie sighed with relief, but you noted an apologetic tinge to his voice when he said, "I only want to keep you safe.”

You reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know," you assured him and he relaxed back into his chair.

True to your word, you broke things off with Tommy the next day. You tried to be careful, explaining it in every conceivable way except the real reason. In your usual self effacing manner you babbled away to ease your nerves. "I'm much too young for you, Tommy. You'll get bored of me and everything I don't know. Surely you want someone more...experienced," you blushed.

Although he seemed to listen intently without judgment, inwardly he was fuming. It was your omission that told him everything he needed to know. Someone close to you had warned you off and he was certain it was your father or brother, perhaps both.

As you left his office that day, Tommy began plotting to get you back. Preferably in a manner that would punish you and your family. He would win you one way or another. Gambling was his livelihood after all and the odds were always in his favor.

----------------------

Two weeks later...

You heard Tommy's footsteps thudding on the stairs behind you, slowly and methodically. The rhythm pounded inside your skull like a drum, driving you to the brink of hysteria and quickening your own steps. He was frighteningly calm despite your obvious distress as though he enjoyed humiliating you. 

"Come back to bed, love," he urged in a saccharine voice that turned your stomach.  

Your body shivered in reply as you headed toward the sitting room in search of your coat. Blinking back the tears at your lash line and biting your tongue until it bled, you promised yourself you wouldn't let him see you cry. It had been the same tactic you used that morning when your father admitted he'd gambled away your innocence in a scrap metal yard when Tommy goaded him into a coin toss.

"You're going to allow this?" Bonnie yelled at your father, pacing the floor in anxious rage reserved for fight days. 

Placing yourself between him and the two blinders who had come to collect you, you mumbled, “I'll be alright.” It was a meager attempt to convince him and yourself. Turning to your father you asked, “It’s only one night?”

Watching from the corner of the room, deathly still, your father replied "I hope so." But his eyes were wide and filled with terror, the likes of which you'd never seen. 

A harsh tug on your elbow startled you out of yourself as Tommy towered over you. "Where do you think you're going, eh?" he asked tightening his grip, all attempts at gentle tactics now vanished.

"I'd like to go home to my family," you choked out desperately, fingers ghosting over his in a vain attempt to soften his grasp. If he held any affection for you, perhaps he would allow you to leave with a shred of dignity.

He smirked wickedly at your cowering form, “I don’t think you understand, love. This is your home now." Tucking your disheveled hair behind your ear to reveal a bite mark on your shoulder he added, "We're just getting started, you and I." His thumb traced a dark bruise forming higher up on your neck and you winced as he pressed into it. He placed a kiss to your lips and murmured against you, “Going to tell me how much you loved having me inside you, filling you up?” 

His nose brushed against yours as you pulled away. Taking a deep breath, you attempted to steady your voice. “Tommy, how can you expect me to stay after you hurt me like that?” you asked, eyes burning with tears as you relived the pain inflicted on your body and heart as you realized he’d never meant a word he said to you when you were courting.

“Everyone’s first time is like that, sweetheart. It couldn’t be helped,” he replied, caressing your cheek. You felt the bile rising in your throat as you thought of how rough he’d been, holding you down and rutting into you like an animal without any regard for your comfort. 

Mustering all your courage you asserted, “I don’t want it like that ever again.”

Tommy chuckled, “Every woman says that until she wants a baby. Then you'll be begging for it.”

You shook your head as you spat, “I don’t want a family with you.”

His eyes narrowed, large hand sliding down over your midsection as he tsked, “A bit late for that. You might already be carrying my child. What will you do then?” he asked with raised eyebrow.

“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t ask anything of you and I don't want..."

"I don't give a fuck want you want," he interrupted, eyes blazing with fury. "You belong to me,” he hissed, hand snaking down to your throat. 

“No!” you shouted, fighting against him. You were paralyzed by the feeling of your airway constricting under his crushing grip, reducing you to pathetic whimpers. He squeezed until your lungs burned from lack of oxygen, your fingertips scrabbling for his wrist and clawing uselessly. 

Leaning to whisper into the shell of your ear, hot breath fanned over you along with his terrifying words, “You don’t want to make things worse now, do you?”

Just as your vision turned dark, he relinquished you and you fell to the floor gasping for breath. Between coughing fits, you became aware of the housekeeper, Mary, standing in the room. When Tommy had summoned her you weren’t sure. Perhaps you had lost consciousness at some point because she stood with Charlie in her arms and the ringing in your ears soon turned to shrill crying. 

“Ch-Charlie?” you asked, reaching for the child with a hint of a smile in hopes of cheering him.The brightness returning to your eyes told Tommy all he needed to know. With clenched jaw, he  jerked his chin and Mary left the room as quickly as she had appeared. “What’s she doing?” you mumbled, attempting to stand despite the fuzzy feeling swimming inside your head.

Tommy didn’t answer, pretending as though he hadn’t heard you. He picked up the phone, adopting a business like tone, and began, “Good evening, put me through to Sister Agatha.” 

You could still hear Charlie’s desperate sobs echoing down the corridor as Tommy greeted the woman on the other end of the line. Standing on wobbly legs, you hesitated with uncertainty, wishing to comfort the boy. However, your attention was brought back to the cruel words you overheard next. Your jaw dropped as you heard Tommy proclaim, “Send someone to collect the child tonight.”

You scrambled toward him, a look of horror crossing your face. “What have you done?”

Tommy stood like a brick wall, cold and impenetrable. “What necessity dictates, my darling.”

“I d-don’t understand,” you stuttered at his heartless action.

Taking his time to light a cigarette and toss the match into the fireplace, Tommy smoked quietly for a few moments before ushering Mary back into the room. He took Charlie from her and placed the toddler in your trembling arms as your eyes darted between them. Within a few minutes the boy settled, his cheek resting upon your shoulder. As your hand caressed his golden curls, his cries turned to quiet hiccups and you felt the gentle motion of his thumb sucking before his limbs grew heavy with sleep.

“Tommy, what’s going on?” you begged to know as fresh tears slid down your cheeks. “Why are you behaving this way?”

Tommy stalked to you in three long strides, forcing your chin to meet his gaze. Icy blue stare cutting into you sharply, he scolded, “You’re the one forcing me to do these things.”

You tried to shake your head in adamant denial, but his harsh grip kept you in place. Through pinched cheeks you sputtered, “I never told you…”

“But you did,” he bit back. “Weren’t you the one saying you wanted to leave? That you didn’t want a family with me?” He threw your chin away in disgust as your brain reeled.

“You’re twisting my words…” you protested. “Of course, Charlie should stay.”

Just then a knock came at the door, followed by two nuns announcing themselves as representatives of St. Hilda’s. You backed into a corner, holding Charlie to your body protectively, heart beating wildly as you thought of a way to save him.

“What a darling little boy," one of the nuns chirped despite the late hour. Then she added carefully, "May I take him now?”

Tommy caught your eyes from across the room, “Go on, sweetheart,” he urged. “Unless you’ve changed your mind?” 

----------------------

Tag List:

@peakyswritings

@evita-shelby

@shelbydelrey

@alanadetigy

@severewobblerlightdragon

@lovemissyhoneybee

@theshelbyslimited

@kittycatcait219

@callsign-fangirl

@notyour-valentine

@areyenotfondofmelobster

@polishcrazyone

@elenavampire21

@little-diable

@lyarr24

@jomarch-wannabe

@the-fangirl-diaries

@kmc1989

@stilestotherescue

@helen06dreamer

@chaosinkest1996

@pietroxreader

@thomashelbyswife

@peakyltd

@gypsy-girl-08

@look-at-the-soul

@calummss

@kpopgirlbtssvt

@dandelionprints

@l1-l4

@rangerelik

@babayaga67

@runnning-outof-time

@brummiereader

@cillmequick

@call-sign-shark

New Endings Masterlist

Summary: When Tommy bumps into the woman he thought he'd never see again, he couldn't let her go once more. She lights something within him that he thought was lost and decides to help her in times of need. While she tries to cut ties with the life she’s living, she's forced to commit the ultimate betrayal.

❖ - Part 1

❖ - Part 2

❖ - Part 3

❖ - Part 4

❖ - Part 5

❖ - Part 6 - Coming soon

Please check the warnings of each chapter before reading.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Typical TWD violence and gore, description of injuries, description of illness, sexual assault, forced prostitution, poorly written smut, reader’s poor mental health, mentions of past sexual assault, description of injuries from sexual assault, masturbation

*Click here to be added to taglists.

Summary: Daryl accompanies Rick on a mission for information regarding threats to the group's home at the prison. Their quest leads them to engage with some unsavory characters, leaving Daryl with more than he bargained for. Slow burn, strangers to friends to lovers, angst, drama, romance, violence, hurt/comfort.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15…..in progress

moodboard by @dustbunniess 💙

fanart by @bananafire11 💙

divider in chapters by @firefly-graphics and @cafekitsune

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 | tommy shelby x reader › 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒆

when you read the biography of the shelby family you decide to travel back in time to help them and save the lives of several of them, but things get complicated when you start to have feelings for thomas shelby

word count: 4451

masterlist

content: fluff and emotions

warnings/info: mention of weapons, too many conversations, grace and thomas don't fall in love in this fic. it is adapted to the series but i changed several things. based on peaky blinders season one.

author note: english is not my first language, so forgive me if there are spelling mistakes

You walk with slow steps, you're terrified. You travelled to this place believing it would not be risky, but when you arrived in the city your veins filled with fear, and your courage fled like that woman you saw in the dark alley, fleeing from the man who tried to hurt her so cruelly.

The streets of Small Heath were more dangerous than the biography you read for weeks before travelling said, there were not only criminals, there were also people looking to do harm and steal what little hope was left in the palms of innocent people's hands. This city is like a dark hole, once you fall into it you will never get out.

You take a last deep breath and open the weathered wooden doors to enter the famous pub called Garrison. The eyes of several men sweep over your figure but you ignore them and begin to search your eyes for the only person you care about, and that person is Thomas Shelby, the leader of the Peaky Blinders, the horse enthusiast, the man who received two medals in the Great War, the reason you travelled to this town, your mission.

You approach the bar where a tall, thin man with a serious face and rather striking ears looks at you judging you with his dark brown eyes. Normally you were used to men disrespecting women but in this era women had no right or voice, they wouldn't mind hurting you if they had the chance, for them women were just a piece of meat to satisfy their "needs", just thinking about that idea makes you want to vomit. Finally you get up the courage to speak and clear your throat, trying to get the nerves out of your body: "I'm looking for Thomas Shelby" you say.

"A woman shouldn't be in this place," he replies in disgust, ignoring you completely. He goes back to his work, cleaning the bar and serving alcoholic drinks to the customers.

"Do you know where I can find him?" You ask again and this man ignores you again. About to speak again his eyes look behind you and grow wide with fear, he stands up straight and nods, formally greeting the person behind you.

"Why you looking for me?"

A low, husky voice sounds behind you, sending a shiver down the bones of your spine, you swallow your saliva nervously and turn to look at the person with the attractive voice. He wasn't as tall as his biography said, but his defensive stance made him intimidating, his piercing blue eyes mesmerised you and his strong, clenched jaw gave you goosebumps.

"When I ask a question I expect an answer." He speaks again but nothing comes out of your mouth. Thomas Shelby lets out a tired sigh and takes a cigarette out of his pocket and then points it at you: "Are you a whore?"

You open your mouth in offence, ready to reply rudely, but then you remember where you are and who is standing in front of you, calm yourself and take a deep breath, preparing to speak to Birmingham's most feared gangster: "No, I'm not a whore." His pale blue eyes look away from you to light his cigarette, but a few seconds later they focus on you again. "I'm looking for you because I have a message for you" You look around, all the men's eyes focus on the two of you, "I need to tell you in private" He raises an eyebrow and then cocks his head.

"Well, let's talk in private." Thomas Shelby turns to go to a small secluded room at the side of the bar, opens the door and gestures for you to enter first. Inside there is a table with whiskies and a couple of chairs around it, the sound of the door closing diverts your attention from your observation and you notice him move behind you until he is facing you again, he takes a puff on his cigarette and blows the smoke out, creating a haze between your faces. "If you're not a whore, what are you and what do you want?"

"I'm just a woman" You blink, "And I've come to give you a little message: the men you sent to do that robbery are too drunk, they'll get the wrong box and bring you a box of government weapons instead. I suggest you throw them in the canal and for nothing in the world hide them, otherwise your life will change completely and it will be the first step for misfortunes to come into your life like rats looking for scraps." When you finish speaking the gangster's eyes darken, and it is then that you fear for my life for the first time.

"Who the fuck are you and how do you know about that robbery, eh?"

"As I said before, I'm just a woman. Do as I say Thomas Shelby." You stride out of the Garrison, once in the small house you've been renting for over a month you let the bated breath out of your lungs and close the door. Your sweaty hands roam the furniture until you find the bottle of rum, uncork it and take a deep swig, praying that it will take effect and take the trembling out of your body. What you had done broke all the rules you had created for yourself, you couldn't tell the people you were trying to help what would happen in the future but you found it impossible not to, it's many years apart and this time you're not helping someone innocent, you're trying to change the life of a mobster. You took a risk by exposing your identity to Thomas Shelby, now you just had to wait and if he really listened to you, you could go back to your time, otherwise it would take more than a year and that's what you least wanted.

Your plan to have tea the morning after the events is interrupted when there is a light knock on the door, you leave the sugar on the side of the table and go to the door to open it, behind the door you meet the person you least expected to see on this cold, dark morning. His expression is serious but his eyes look confused.

"We need to talk and this time you'll tell me who you are."

Thomas Shelby enters the house without your permission, you stand stunned in the doorway watching the man light a cigarette and sit in one of the chairs as if nothing has happened. Taking one last look at the gangster you close the door and walk over to the table, also sitting down in a chair and preparing yourself for what is to come, as this mission will not be as easy as you had planned.

"I tried to do some research on you after you ran away from the Garrison." He speaks again and takes a deep drag on his cigarette "The people here don't know anything about you, nobody knows you and nobody knows for sure when you came to Birmingham. So I went to your house to get you to explain to me how the fuck you knew about my planned robbery and how you knew they'd get the wrong box and just like you said, now I've got government guns in my hands. You'd better speak up and tell the truth."

"If I tell you the truth you won't believe me" You say sincerely.

"Are you a witch?" He asks a second later.

"No. More like a seer." You lie to his face.

"A witch" He affirms his own question, staring at you.

"I just wanted to warn you about the guns to save you the trouble but I see it was in vain because you still keep them" You grab the cup of tea and drink from it, "Do you want tea?" You ask, you may be with the most feared mobster of the 1920's but you would never lose your kindness.

He gawks at you and shakes his head, "I'm not a tea man." Thomas Shelby lifts the cigarette to his thick lips for one last puff and then flicks it into the ashtray that happens to be on the table. "What's your name?"

Your eyes drop to the cup in your hands, your missions couldn't know your name, another of your rules. So you look for the first way out: "How do you know where I live?" You ask him another question and look him straight in the eye.

A small wry smile escapes his lips and he clasps both hands together on the table to bring his face close to yours. "You won't tell me your name, will you?" your lips part to answer him but you seal them again, "Fine, I'll find out just like I did with your home address." Thomas Shelby pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket and drops it on the table and then gets up from his seat and walks towards the door, "Are you any good with numbers?" He asks you and you look at him confused but end up nodding, "Today you will quit your job as a housewife and start working at my family's betting shop, there's the address" He points to the paper with his index finger "So when you have a vision for my life you can tell me before I make another...mistake" And without another word he walks out of the house, leaving you stunned in your chair. This shouldn't be happening.

You were making big mistakes, your main goal is to help or change the lives of the people you choose from the background, without having contact with them. But you also had to admit that all last month you got nothing out of being away from Thomas Shelby, maybe if you had approached him from the beginning the mistake of the guns wouldn't have happened, and you wouldn't be in this mess today.

For the next two hours you questioned whether you should really take this job or just abandon this mission and go back to your own time, you were about to lock yourself in the wardrobe to give it all up but then you remembered the tragic life of the Shelby family, you couldn't go back. Even if they didn't know it they needed your help, all the unjust deaths that were coming were breaking your heart in two, they deserved better and if you were the only person who could change their lives you would do it, even if in the process they would probably hate you or you would end up buried lifeless in the dirty mud of Birmingham. You put on a simple white shirt with a brown skirt and pick up the paper with the address of your next job, a few minutes later you arrive at the famous Shelby house on Watery Lane, you knock on the door but no one answers, you knock again and nothing.

"Nobody will open the door because no one is at home"

A woman's voice interrupts your action of knocking again on the black wooden door with a horseshoe nailed to it. Your head jerks in her direction and you can't help but recognise her, her snub nose and dark-as-night eyes are typical Polly Gray features. She takes a drag on her cigarette and looks you up and down, intimidating you to the bone.

"What do you want?" She asks.

You nervously fix your fringes "I think Thomas has given me a job."

She raises an eyebrow: "So you're that famous seer. He told me he'd give you a place at the betting shop, so you have to go through the other entrance, down Montague Street."

"I didn't know that. Thomas gave me this address." You take the paper from the pocket of your worn woollen coat and hold it out to her, she takes it and reads it, then shakes her head, throws the cigarette on the floor and takes a key from her small purse to open the door. She gives you permission to enter and you both walk down a hallway to a living room decorated with brass and elegant floral china. The Shelby house is compact and has a typical terrace style. There is an excessive amount of floral and brass decorations throughout. The Shelby family are rich in money but lacking in what is considered conventional good taste, it was evident that their gypsy roots were intact in their home, as you come to a small kitchen with a coal fireplace there is a pantry that has been opened up to form a small back room. But instead of a wall, black curtains cover what is on the other side.

Polly Gray walks up to them and opens them, then opens two doors in a row, finally arriving at the famous betting shop, which is bustling with activity. The large room is dominated by a huge blackboard where two bookmakers keep the bets and odds. You approach it and look at it carefully, each holding a ladder to reach the top of the board. Your eyes move to scan the room which is filled with cigarette smoke. In the middle of the large room is a large desk where men queue up to place bets and at the back of the room is a small office, divided by glass and curtains. Polly Gray walks up to stand in front of you.

"With all due respect, but isn't having a betting shop in your own house illegal?" You ask.

"It is. But this house belongs to the Peaky Blinders and nobody messes with us, dear. Now, this will be your workstation, you will count all the money we collect during these hours and write it down in this book. At the end of the day you will calculate the total and write it down too" She hands you a huge dark brown one, full of dust and yellowed pages. "It was Arthur's work, but he is very bad at adding numbers, so this afternoon you will catch up with all the miscalculated numbers in this book." She turns around walking back towards the kitchen, "Good luck with that!". She shouts at you and disappears from your sight, leaving you alone in the middle of all those men looking at you as if you were an intruder.

You press the book tightly to your chest and take a seat at the large desk, you had to concentrate. One wrong step and they'd know you didn't belong in this era, and your attempt to help this family would be futile. You carefully check the numbers and definitely the older brother from Peaky Blinders doesn't know anything about sums, they were all wrong, you ask the man sitting next to you for a pen and start correcting all the wrong sums, at the end of the day you finish your work successfully and leave the book on the kitchen table and go back to what you call home. The same routine is repeated for two weeks, the Shelby brothers would come to the betting shop from time to time, do their typical revisions and leave for hours. Thomas Shelby was not a frequent visitor, the only time he came by he watched you work in detail and left without a word. You had to hurry, his future wife had already arrived in town, which meant he would soon be betrayed by her, which would cause him to become more involved in the mafia, you had to prevent it, you would save several lives, even hers in a few years.

You walk into the kitchen ready to put the book down when suddenly Thomas Shelby, soaked to the skin, enters, as usual, with a cigarette in his mouth. "Good evening, Mr Shelby," you say and turn around, but before you walk away you stop and look at him, perhaps it's the right moment to tell him what you've been rehearsing for days. "I'd like to give you an honest opinion about your business, Mr. Shelby," you start to speak and move closer to him, standing a few inches away. He nods slowly, giving you permission to continue. "Every day I write a large amount of money, the two weeks I've been working here the figures haven't stopped going up..." You look into his pale blue eyes. "Why don't you invest all that money in a new place to do your bets? A legal place, where the police can see it and can't do anything against you."

He takes a puff on his cigarette and approaches you, his breath mingling with yours in the air. "Come with me, let's talk business somewhere else."

Thomas Shelby starts to walk away from you, you soon follow him. As you walk you say nothing, your nostrils fill with the smell of wet earth, it has been raining at night for days and you couldn't be happier, you loved the rain. When you finally reach your destination he opens the door and you walk in without complaint, inside the pub it was warm, in the distance you see Gracie Burgess, she was even more beautiful than in the old photographs, blonde, blue eyed and delicate as a feather.

"Leave us alone, Grace," Thomas says dryly.

"Yes, Mr Shelby." She sets the whisky aside and walks out of the pub past you.

You walk over to where Thomas is sitting, lighting another cigarette. "I hear she sings beautifully," you say and sit down next to him, he frowns at you, "Besides, she's pretty, isn't she?"

"How do you know she sings?" he asks.

You get nervous and look for an excuse to remedy your mistake, "There are many people who say that...that sometimes she sings here."

He shakes his head, "I forbade her to sing weeks ago". Thomas looks down at the cigarette between his fingers, wondering why it mattered so much to you to talk about Grace.

You think deeply, according to her biography her singing made Thomas Shelby's cold and broken heart fall in love, if that's not exactly happening there are only two theories: whoever wrote the biography got it wrong or something is going on because of a mistake of yours. "Why did you forbid her to sing?" You ask him and he raises his eyes to stare at you.

"Because I am Thomas Shelby, and no one should disobey my orders" He says ironically and fills his lungs with smoke.

You chuckle "So this isn't a real pub. In pubs people sing and have fun maybe... you should let her sing".

"Maybe... Now tell me why are you so interested in the business? Would you like to be part of it?"

"No. Not really" You answer honestly, "I just feel that you and your family can have a lot more money without the need to be illegal"

"You don't like that we're criminals, eh?"

You shake your head, "No. I don't judge you for the life you have and chose, I just think you're a good family who deserve something good, something less...dangerous."

Thomas Shelby looks at you looking for a reason for your kindness to him and his family, ever since he met you, you have not stopped telling him that he deserves a better life than the one he has. Your simplicity appeals to him constantly and he hasn't stopped thinking about you since that day in this pub, he stubs out his cigarette and takes some coins out of his pocket, leaving them on the table. "I'll take you to the races, with this money buy yourself a nice dress. A beautiful woman deserves one, don't you think"

You stare at the money blushing, other men have called you beautiful but Thomas Shelby saying it had a different effect on you, something you thought was long lost, you blink a couple of times before picking it up. "When are the races?"

Your reddened cheeks look like a gesture of tenderness to Tommy, who smiles a faint smile on his lips.

Tommy takes you by the waist with one arm and guides you to the side to get a better view of the horses, everyone around you is excited about the race ahead. You and he, on the other hand, are quiet, enjoying the moment.

"They are the best this season" He starts to explain to you once you find a comfortable place, "That one there is the fastest in this race, he will probably win it" He says pointing to a black horse, you look carefully at the other horses, you didn't understand much about how to identify a good horse but a white one with black spots catches your attention, you look again at the gangster next to you who already had his eyes fixed on you.

"For me the white with black spots will win." You tell him and this time you point your finger at a horse. His eyes move in that direction and he automatically shakes his head.

"That one lacks training, it won't win."

"Wanna bet?" You challenge him and he raises an eyebrow with a coy smile on his lips.

"Alright, let's bet. If the one I say wins, you'll dance with me and tell me your name" He moves closer to you "If the one you say wins, you'll get a promotion at work, you'll be my secretary and the family business accountant"

You look at him in surprise, you were expecting a money bet, not that. You look at the horses preparing for the next race, a thousand thoughts come into your head, he can't know your name, that would only make his affection for you grow stronger, just like it is happening with you. You swallow hard and your eyes travel to his, they were like the ocean, so beautiful but at the same time they generated fear in your whole body. Unable to control your words you end up accepting his bet and he smiles blushing like a teenager, unable to control his emotions.

The sound of the gunshot brings you out of your trance and you look at the horses, which are running at full speed together with their rider leaving a dust in the air, you approach the bar and look carefully at the white horse, Tommy was right, it was slow compared to the others but you don't lose hope, your hands clutch the iron bar, squeezing it tightly. And a scream comes out of your lungs when the white horse catches up with the black horse but seconds later it runs slower, coming last among all the horses. The race is over, the black horse is the winner, your eyes turn to Thomas Shelby who offers you his hand with a mischievous smile, you take it and together you walk towards the dance floor, where jazz music reigns in every corner of the room.

Tom puts one hand on your waist and the other on your right hand, you try to follow his steps but it's impossible, you laugh as you make another mistake, inadvertently stepping on the left foot of the man in front of you. "Sorry, I've never danced jazz"

Thomas looks at you, unable to believe your words: "Why is that?"

"Well...in my town we don't dance to this kind of music" You try to explain, but you can't tell him that women in 2023 dance sensually in short dresses, "The music I usually dance to is more free, without the need to dance with a partner"

He pulls you close to his body and your faces are inches apart. "You are different from other women. I've never met a woman so interested in business and yet so spontaneous."

"All women are spontaneous and also like business," you say offended.

He caresses your back with his hand and shakes his head "I don't mean to offend you, I agree, but it's very difficult to find a woman like you here. Normally women were brought up to marry and raise a family. You show no interest in such things."

Your faces are almost glued together, and that's when you realize the reason he invited you to a race, the reason he's so insistent on knowing your name. Thomas Shelby showed no interest in Grace Burgess because you had captured his attention in every way. Despair invades your whole soul and you try to patch up another mistake of yours. "Grace is also a very intelligent woman, even more so than I am" He frowns as he listens to you "Besides beautiful and she—"

Tommy's lips are glued to yours, your first instinct is to pull away from him but you can't, instead you close your eyes and let yourself go. You just couldn't deny the fact that he is a very attractive man and you had been dying to taste his lips for a long time, you just didn't know that the feeling was reciprocated. Thomas grabs your waist tightly, pressing his body completely against yours and deepens the kiss, his lips were soft but they were full of desperation, he wanted more, he wanted every part of your body but you couldn't let him. So you pull away from him with a push from you. He opens his eyes not understanding what is happening while you shake your head.

"This is wrong, Tom. You shouldn't be with me" You say, unable to control your words, totally disturbed by what had just happened.

"What are you talking about, ey?" He asks and approaches you, taking your hands.

You break free of his grip and pull away from him. "I can't be with you, Thomas."

He pushes his hair back and purses his lips before speaking: "Are you...do you love another man?"

Your gaze goes down to the ground, you think of the consequences if there is something between you. It would change everything and you could never go back to your time, you would never see your family again and you could never travel back in time, and the destiny of him and his family would change completely, you would no longer know what would happen to his life if he is with you and not Grace. Your eyes fill with tears and you look him straight in the eye. "Yes. I am in love with another man" You lie to him.

He takes a deep breath and nods, "Good. I think it's time for you to go home."

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185. No Worries