love knows no bounds | thomas shelby

the fall of kimber

thomas shelby and his men faced an unexpected betrayal. 

someone let it slip.

thomas shelby felt uneasy about the fact that someone had leaked their plan. with billy kimber's men on their way, they were outnumbered. 

thomas's mind raced with questions--who had leaked their plans?

his instincts quickly honed in on the blonde barmaid.

eveline sensed something amiss ever since the barmaid arrived, a nagging instinct whispering that she couldn't be trusted. 

eveline's intuition had always served her well, and now it felt like a cruel joke as she witnessed the consequences of her suspicions play out in real-time. 

meanwhile, polly knew that the best course of action was to address the problem head-on. recognizing that thomas and eveline were both likely to blow her into pieces if given the chance, she approached the barmaid with fierce determination.

though, thomas eventually discovered that it was the police who had leaked their plans.

now, faced with the reality of being outnumbered three to one, the men prepared to meet kimber and his gang.

for eveline ward, this moment was painful. she wanted to stand by thomas's side, to be part of his world, but the reality of loving a gangster weighed heavily on her heart. whenever thomas was away, she was consumed by uncertainty, plagued by the fear that one day she might receive dreadful news that would change her life forever. while she knew thomas was intelligent, she also understood that brains alone couldn't compete with the sheer force of guns and angry men.

back at polly's, the atmosphere was tense. polly paced restlessly in the kitchen, glancing out the window above the sink as if expecting to see the men return.

meanwhile, ward sat at the table, her head in her hands, staring blankly at the floor. her mind raced with worry, each thought colliding with the next as she grappled with the gravity of the situation. the silence around them felt suffocating.

the confrontation with billy kimber had taken a deadly turn with kimber shooting thomas, and thomas returning fire, killing kimber instantly.

the aftermath was chaos; the men quickly gathered to stitch thomas up.

later, everyone reconvened at the garrison, a heavy silence permeating the air as they entered the room. the atmosphere was thick with sorrow as they were met with the sight of danny whizz-bang's lifeless body sprawled on the table. 

ada walked in first, cradling karl against her chest, her expression was a mix of sadness and resolve. behind her was polly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, followed by eveline, whose heart ached for the loss of their friend. 

each person felt the weight of the loss, a reminder of the risks they faced and the bonds that could be shattered in an instant.

"now we can bury him properly in the grave we dug for him," uttered tommy.

"it's high on a hill. he'll like that," he continued, staring blankly at his friend.

thomas reached for a bottle of whiskey. with a swift motion, he took off the cork with his teeth, then held the bottle up high as he gathered the attention of the room.

"to danny whizz-bang," he declared. "may we all die twice."

he took a swig, with his gaze fixed on the lifeless body on the table.

john stepped forward next, taking the bottle from thomas.

"to danny whizz-bang," he echoed, raising the bottle to the air before taking his own swig.

finn, standing nearby, removed his cap and lowered his head in respect.

the whiskey passed around the room, with each person lifting the bottle, toasting to their fallen friend. everyones eyes were still drawn to danny's still form.

amidst the gathering, thomas's gaze drifted to eveline. their eyes met for a short moment, and in that shared glance, unspoken words hung in the air. but eveline remained focused on the man on the table. thomas continued to take in her features, the strength and vulnerability interwoven within her, before he spoke to everyone.

"come on. the day is ours. let's celebrate."

the room began to empty, with some reluctant to leave their friend behind. each person took once last look at danny before stepping out. the weight of loss hung heavily around them, yet they knew they had to carry on.

later that evening, after the sun dipped below the horizon, the shelby family returned to the garrison.

thomas, once again, stood before them, sharing the news that, "the shelby brothers limited is now the third largest legal race track operation in the country."

glasses were raised in celebration as they toasted to their new success.

in a quieter moment, tommy scanned the room until his eyes landed on eveline, who sat alone with her back turned to the bar, lost in thought. something about her solitude drew him in.

he approached her and knelt down, resting his head in her lap. eveline's heart ached as she then felt the weight of everything he had been through in that act of vulnerability. 

she caressed his head, with her fingers running gently through his hair, feeling the tension in his body begin to ease. 

it was an intimate moment, stripped of the bravado that usually surrounded them. in that silence, eveline sensed the pain and exhaustion he carried, the burden of leadership and loss that rested heavily on his shoulders.

she wanted to tell him that there would be more, but the words caught in her throat. instead, she kept the moment sacred, letting him lay there in silence. it felt right to offer him this space to grieve, to feel, without the weight of expectation or the need to be strong.

in that moment, as eveline continued to cradle thomas's head in her lap, an unspoken understanding passed between them. they both knew that this was far from over. more angry men with guns were on the horizon, ready to clash with the shelby family once again. more battles lay ahead, each one a mix of victory and grief, a thundering struggle that was part of their lives.

the path ahead was long and challenging, fraught with wariness. they both felt the traction of what was to come. yet, for now, the madness of their world faded into the background.

they didn't speak of the battles ahead or the grief that lingered in the corners of their lives; there was no need. for now, it was enough to just be there.

though eveline knew that no matter how much they tried to face the unpredictable future together, one thing was for certain: grace still could not be trusted.