Falling Free

-Fourteen-

The sun was just coming up in the sky and Alfie turned his head to look at Niamh who was sleeping soundly beside him. His eyes traced the light dusting of freckles upon her nose and he reached out to brush back the strand of caramel hair that had fallen across her face. His fingers twitched as he thought back to the night before and the way her bare skin had felt beneath his hands. She was so beautiful and he was wholly undeserving of her. He knew he was, but he took everything she gave him because he was weak, and for the first time in a long time he was happy. But he didn't know if it would stay that way.

Guilt had been eating Alfie up all night as he tried to think about his meeting this morning. He didn't want to make an enemy out of Levi Janowicz but neither did he want to hurt his wife. All weekend, he had tried to keep his mind busy and tried to figure out what the hell he was going to do. But the only thing Alfie had been able to figure out over the past few days was that he was absolutely falling in love with Niamh.

It had all seemed so simple those months ago when he and Janowicz had come up with their plan. Alfie would marry Tommy Shelby's sister and find a way to get information about the family business. Then he would relay said information to Janowicz, and together the two of them would find a way to bring Thomas Shelby and his entire business to his knees. But there was one thing neither Alfie nor Janowicz had factored into their plan, and that was that the London gangster might actually develop feelings for his wife.

So it seemed that Alfie was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. He risked angering the man who had the potential to ruin him in his rage, or he risked losing the woman he was coming to care for more and more each day. What a fucking mess to be in.

"Alf," Niamh murmured groggily, opening her eyes and reaching for him. "Why are you awake?"

"Couldn't sleep," he answered, leaning down to kiss her on the head, swallowing down feelings of guilt and trepidation. She smiled and in that moment she wiped away any of his worries and he could think about only her.

"Do you want me to make you a cup of tea?" Niamh asked.

"Nah," he shook his head. "But you can give me a kiss though."

"My breath probably stinks," Niamh grimaced, and Alfie found it adorable that she could still be so self conscious over such trivial things with him.

"So, does mine," he grinned before pressing his lips to hers anyway.

As was usual with their kisses, they soon turned into something more; their bodies joining together before they could even think about it. Alfie rolled them both over so that Niamh was on top of him and he guided her hips in a rhythm that had them both peaking far too soon. Sitting up, held her to him, clutching at her as desperately as she was him while their breathing slowly began to still.

"Niamh, you know I... I care about you a lot, don't you?" he murmured, bringing her lips to his. He was too frightened to say what he really wanted to at that moment.

"I know," she smiled against his mouth. "I feel the same way about you, Alfie."

He couldn't lose her now, he just couldn't.

... ... ...

Levi Janowicz looked older than his forty two years. He was a tall, slender man with greying hair and a prominent bald patch on top of his head. His face bore an expression of permanent distaste, and his eyes were shrewd. He had the look of a man who should be avoided at all costs, but of course when had Alfie ever followed his gut instinct? Especially when it came to a chance at fucking over Tommy Shelby.

"I am disappointed not to have heard from you before our meeting," Janowicz sighed, setting his hands atop of the desk. Alfie didn't know why, but something about the fact the man left the nails of his little fingers to grow longer than the rest really perturbed him. It reminded him of the old man who used to live in the tenement block he grew up in. Crazy old Petr, they called. He had long hair and long nails and never bathed. He always stunk of piss and would wander the halls spouting nonsense in a mix of Russian and English. "I trust you have some information for me? After all, Mr Solomons you have been married into the Shelby family for a number of weeks now."