Power and Lies

Twenty-Five

"I love you and that's the beginning and end of everything."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

1 Year Later

Freya sighed into Tommy's shoulder as they lay in bed. Her fingers traced lazy circles into his skin and periodically she would turn her face to plant soft kisses into the space between shoulder and collar bone. So much time had passed since their metaphorical truce, and for the most part peace had reestablished itself within them. Days bled into one another in a time that had, for the most part, been completely void of any real incidents. Freya felt as though she could finally breathe, her life returning to a predictable pattern. She would rise in the morning and get ready for the day, make Tommy breakfast, and together they would travel to the old jail cells and speak of plans and movements. Tommy had finally established some legitimacy to the family and they operated as a real business. Finally, Freya found herself useful for something within secretarial work, running small errands when needed and offering a familiar face when Tommy needed her for the races. It was all blissful, but none was more blissful than these moments in the fresh air of dawn between the two of them.

"I love you," He whispered into her hair and she smiled, listening to the steady beats of his heart as he spoke. His love was given freely to her now, no longer tucked away behind layers of cold indifference. People spoke, of course, about her living with him before they were wed. For a while they were the talk of the town for something other than being part of the Peaky Blinders, and the sudden attention had bothered her for a while, but never past the moment when Tommy would wrap his hand in hers, asserting the fact he regretted no part of them, even if their timeline did not fit into what society thought it should. Tommy was never one for rules anyway.

"I know you do," She poked fun at him and he pretended to be cross with her, knitting his eyebrows together in mock distress. Within seconds he was upon her, his hands tickling at her sides until finally, with tears in her eyes, she resigned with a quick kiss and "I love you too." Appeased he dropped back down into his sheets, his chest rising and falling with exertion.

The moment was broken up between them with a hard knock on the door. They hardly had time to respond before it flew open, the imposing figure of Arthur standing there in the light from the sunrise.

"Hello love birds. Sorry to break up what I am sure was a lovely time but you're needed Tom." There was urgency to his voice and within seconds both Freya and Tommy were up and pulling clothing onto their frames. She did not bother to ask Arthur to look away, there was something unsettling in the air that told her there was no time for any of that anyway.

Within minutes her beaded flock was blowing in the chilly air as they rushed to the car. Only seconds passed before they were on their way, following Arthur's car as they pushed further into the city, and finally, out of town into the country. She had hardly seen the countryside, lest Tommy needed her at the tracks, and even then there was an urgency that kept her from truly enjoying it. Now she closed her eyes and tried her best to wish away any possibility of an unruly situation. It had been so peaceful, she was terribly afraid to disturb that in any way. Things were finally coming together, they were close to taking London for real this time, and finally legal. There was so much going for them, but under the tires crunching she worried it was all for not.

What felt like hours passed and finally Arthur pulled off into a grassy area near an arrangement of other cars. Freya tried to swallow the lump in her throat. With this many people here it surely could not be good. She felt the dread build within her as Tommy cut the motor and slid out of the vehicle after his brother.