The Hostage // Peaky Blinders

Climbing Up The Wall

The next morning Amelié was in the Garrison doing some of her work. Harry comes up to her and tells her how the police had arrived and were looking for Thomas. Then, in comes the man in question. He looks directly at Amelié and pulls her into the back room, "I have to lie low for a while," he says in a low voice.

"Why?" she asks.

"I lost my bargaining power."

"Those guns?"

"Yeah, this copper... it's just me and him now. I can explain everything when I get back"

"They said the police were close by already. Thomas, you took a chance by coming here, but I need to—"

Before she has the chance to tell him who told the cop, a boy runs in telling them that the coppers were in the lane.

"Come with me," Amelié says.

She takes his hand and leads him out the back and begins the path towards her house. Watching every corner, they carefully make their way towards her small apartment behind the shop Matthew owns. They make it safetly, and she fumbles her keys for the correct one. They step inside and Thomas looks around while taking off his hat. The place was riddled with papers on the walls of dress sketches that she thought of, there were beautiful candles just about everywhere to keep her warm since she didn't have a proper fireplace. There was one separate room off to the side that was her bedroom, the door was closed and on the door was a small portrait of a French man that Thomas did not recognize, "who's this?" he asks, walking to it.

"My father, he was a wonderful man. He's the one who taught me to play the piano," she answers, with a small smile.

"He looks familiar," he says with a cocked eyebrow. He lets it go and walks to the piano close to the one window in her home. Running his fingers across it, he notices the dust that catches onto his palm, "haven't you played recently?"

"Rarely," she says, now fixing a pot of tea, "I'm quite rusty anyhow, I don't think my neighbors would want to hear it."

They both let out a small laugh. "People look different at home," Thomas says, watching her closely.

Amelié turns to face him, she notices that he was watching her, "in what way?"

"Off guard," he says, walking closer to her.

"Should I be on my guard?" she asks, looking up at him.

"No, I'm just a man who enjoys hearing you play the piano."

She smiles at him. She then walks over to her piano and leaves finger trails through the dust on her piano, just as Thomas did before. "When the trouble dies down, I'll go," he says.

"When do you think it'll die down?" she asks, facing him again.

"Late I'd say."

She looks at her twirling thumbs, and then back to him, "so about the morning then?"

He stares for a moment, "yes id say I'll be here til morning."

They smile at each other and Thomas looks down. As Amelié begins to pour the tea, Thomas comes near her once again, "you don't have a gramophone, but we could still dance," he says with a tilted head, hoping she'll accept.

Amelié smiles and puts down he pot, "I'd like that."

They come close to each other and she looks up at him, "you may have to lead, I'm still not very good at it," Amelié says with a quiet giggle.

He takes her by the hand and by the waist, and they begin to sway back and forth. Before she knew it, Thomas had moved his lips onto hers, still swaying. The kiss was long and soft, neither of them wanted to go into anything too quickly. They were careful with each other, trying not to damage themselves or the other. Her arms wrapped around the seam of his coat and she took it off, he then does the same to her sweater. Unbuttoning each other's shirts, the kisses became harder.

Their clothes suddenly came to the floor, and they were making their way towards Amelié's bed. Thomas takes ahold of her thighs and brings them around his waist. They lay on the bed without parting their lips. They didn't want to let go, they couldn't. The two understood each other without knowing each other's past, but they didn't care. What mattered was that they were here now, understanding each other, becoming one person rather than two. He feels every inch of her body and admires its scars, while Amelié runs her hands through his now messed up hair.

They were sitting up now, Amelié runs her fingers over the scars on his shoulders, then to his chest tattoo.

She wasn't ashamed of her scars around Tommy, she trusted him, maybe even loved him. She wanted him to see every part of her and she wanted to see every part of him.

-

"Are you okay?" she asks Tommy against his chest.

"I don't hear the shovels against the wall," he answers with a smile on his face.

"What shovels?"

He turns to her, "will you help me?"

"Help you with what?"

"Everything... the whole fucking thing. Fucking life, business...." he starts. After a moment of looking into each other's eyes, he continues, "I found you, and you found me. We'll help each other."

He plants a kiss on her lips, and she stares at him. "Tommy," she whispers, "I want you to know everything."

She puts a hand on his cheek. She has hope tonight her nightmares won't come; he made her feel calm, protected.

-

Morning came, Amelié woke from a peaceful sleep to an empty bed. She lifted her head slowly and sees Tommy walk in the room. He kneels next to her, "I have to leave, but I'll come find you as soon as I can."

He plants a kiss on her forehead and walks out, Amelié soon realizes she hasn't had a chance to tell Tommy what Matthew had done.