Hi.

Did I really just say hi to him?

What the fuck was wrong with me.

"Mama," Thomas-J said excitedly when he heard my voice. His eyes were wide, those same eyes as the man that was holding him. "Dada," he said, smacking his hand on Tommy's cheek as if he thought I didn't know who he was talking about.

"Oh." Was I meant to call Tommy daddy? Did he want that? Had he written back saying that was fine? Why couldn't I remember? "Well ... erm."

"Come here, love," Polly said, taking a reluctant Thomas-J from Tommy's arms. "Let your daddy go give mummy a proper greeting."

My eyes widened as Tommy took a step towards me. What was I meant to do?

"Well I ... er," I was mumbling like an idiot as he came towards me. Was I moving away from him? Was that my back hitting the wall?

My eyes roamed over the worn outfit, no it wasn't an outfit. Umm, what did they call those things? Suits? No, that didn't sound right. There was a patch of dust on his shoulder. I only noticed it as he got closer. Would it be weird if I reached out and shook it off? What if he didn't want me to touch him?

Oh.

Merlin's beard.

He just touched me. Why did I have to jump back from his touch? What if he thought I didn't like him and was repelled by his touch.

"Eek." That was definitely my back against the wall.

My fingers trembled as his rough ones brushed over mine and slowly moved up the back of my hand. They tickled at the inside of my wrist before disappearing. Where did they go? My eyes blinked rapidly as his face grew closer.

His eyes were so blue.

Were John's eyes this blue? Wait, why would I know that? I never got this close to John.

Why was I even thinking about John?

My lips parted as his fingers brushed against my cheeks before sliding into my hair. His nose brushed against mine and I had to stop myself from jumping in surprise. When had he gotten that close?

I felt his lips tilt up in a smirk before he placed them softly against mine. I was quick to press my lips against his, but I didn't know what to do with my arms. They were sort of flapping about in the air before I hesitantly rested then on his shoulders and then slid them up to his neck.

The butterflies were gone. That horrible sick feeling I had vanished and I sighed contently as I pulled myself closer to Tommy.

Why had I worried about seeing him so much?

"Oi!" I was unfamiliar with the voice that shouted and pulled away from Tommy to glance at the man over his shoulder. I smiled lightly as I recognised him to be Arthur, the eldest of the Shelby children. "Not in front of the kids," he joked, nodding to the door behind me.

I turned my head to see all the children and Ada giggling at us.

"Fuck off, Arthur," Tommy muttered and I was pleasantly surprised by the smooth and slightly gruff tone of his voice. Don't ask me how it could be smooth and gruff, it just was. And it really worked. It sent a shiver up my spine and I knew I was going to be captivated by his voice.

"Dada!" Thomas-J shouted, his face growing red as he tried to fling himself out of Polly's arms. "Da!"

"Alright, shh," Tommy muttered, removing his arms from around me and taking Thomas-J into his hold. "You be good for your Aunt Pol."

"No!" Thomas-J said, clapping his hands on Tommy's face as he giggled. "No."

"Thomas-J," Tommy warned, his eyebrow raised he looked at his miniature replica. Thomas-J pouted but turned to Polly, placing his hand on his heart and then offering it to her. It was the way he said sorry, something he'd started doing himself and still made me smile. He was saying sorry with his heart.

"You've got your hands full," Polly said, pressing a kiss to the little boy's head. "He's as mischievous as you, Tommy."

"I can see that," he said, glancing over to me causing me to hold my hands up in defence.

"I have nothing to do with that," I said, ignoring Ada as she snorted behind me. "I swear he's learned from that lot." I pointed over my shoulder indicating to the Shelby children.

"Oi, don't you go blaming my children," John said, laughing as he pushed his way past us and into the kitchen. "Anything they learn is from you."

"I ... okay, I'll let you have that one." I turned back to Tommy and smiled at him innocently. "I can promise you that I was a well-behaved child."

"I don't believe it," said Polly, pushing past as she shook her head. I could only assume she'd been listening when I told Ada about my childhood.

"Alrigh' love?" Arthur said, coming up beside Tommy and giving me a smile as he looked down at me. I was suddenly aware of how tall all the Shelby's were. Finn would soon be towering over me.

"Hello, Arthur. I'm happy you returned safely," I said, surprising him by giving him a hug. "Go say hello to your family." I gave him a squeeze before moving out of his way.

I smiled as Ada flung herself at her brother, followed by his nieces. Even Finn was trying to hold himself back from throwing himself at Arthur. I turned to Tommy, wondering if he was going to join in but stopped when I caught sight of Thomas-J falling asleep against his shoulder.

His thumb was in his mouth and his other hand was clinging onto Tommy's shirt as if he was afraid he was going to disappear. What made me smile was the way Tommy was holding him to his chest as if the boy was going to shatter at any moment.

"I'll take him home," I said stepping towards them and holding out my arms.

"I'll go with you."

"But you haven't said hello to everyone yet," I said, frowning as Tommy shrugged lightly as he brushed his hand over Thomas-J's head. "Tommy."

"Come on," he replied, flicking his eyes up until they locked with mine. "Before he wakes."

It felt weird having the house be so quiet when we walked through the front door. The children weren't here running around and I wasn't sure where Newt was.

I directed Tommy up the stairs and followed behind him watching as Thomas-J snuggled closer. I didn't need to show him where Thomas-J's bedroom was, the door was left open and the crib and toys littering the floor were a good indication.

I watched as Tommy settled him into the crib, tucking his blanket over him and pressing a kiss to his head. I wasn't expecting him to be so affectionate with Thomas-J but I loved seeing him with the baby.

It showed me that Tommy was serious about taking on the role of dad to Thomas-J.

Now I just needed to have that chat with him.

"Tea?" I asked as Tommy turned to me and waited.

I didn't know what he was waiting for but I smiled when he nodded and followed me out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen.

Voodoo was lying in Nova's bed, the Crup currently missing as she was with Phineas until I explained magic to Tommy. Voodoo looked up, his eyes landing on Tommy before he rolled over and turned his back to us.

I sat at the table and held my breath as Tommy took the seat opposite me. I fiddled with my fingers as I gazed at his face, still finding it hard to believe that he was here.

"Err, I don't know what to say," I said, lifting my teacup. Tommy looked weird sitting at my table. I had only seen him in France covered in mud and only for three seconds before I was ripped from him. "You have my locket." I nodded to the chain around his neck, noticing that it was the one that belonged to my locket.

"I, err, looked at it every night."

Why did that seem like something big for him to admit? It was sweet but I didn't know if he was saying it because it was true or because he was trying to please me.

"You don't have to pretend, Tommy, not because I wrote to you saying I love you."

"I'm not pretending!" There was a sharp edge to his voice as he snapped at me and I kind of felt like I had offended him.

"You can pretend with me all you want but don't you dare drag Thomas-J into this. He needs a father and if I can't rely on you then please don't give him hope." I didn't want him staying with us just because he thought he had to be there for Thomas-J. "You need to decide now, Tommy, whether you're going to be Thomas-J's dad or not because I am not willing to let you into my son's life and then for you to turn around and not want him anymore. If you don't intend to be there for him let me know and I can ... we can ... I don't know, more or something."

"You're not leaving."

"You don't get to decide what I do!" I snapped, feeling myself grow angry as he thought he could give me orders.

"You are not taking my son from me!" He twitched in his seat as if he was going to stand up but instead clenched his jaw and pulled out a tin of cigarettes. "Look—"

"No, I get it," I said, rubbing my face as I sighed deeply. "I was out of line, erm, I shouldn't have said that." Why was I on the defence? This was meant to be a good time with Tommy. We were finally here together and I was acting like a bitch. "I'm just scared, Tommy. I really do love you and I fear that you will no longer share my feelings and I don't want your feelings towards me to change the way you feel about Thomas-J."

"I understand being scared," he said, twirling the cigarette between his fingers as he looked at me. "I spent four years with the fear of hell, with the fear of death."

"Are you saying you become accustomed to being scared?"

"You know, Polly told me you talk strangely." He popped the cigarette back into his mouth and leaned back in his seat.

"What do you mean?"

He didn't say anything, just looked at me with his pointed eyes, a small smirk on his face. Why didn't it surprise me that he'd figure out I wasn't from around here, even if he wasn't talking about coming from this era.

"I understand I'm not like other girls, I hear it every day from the women down the street, but I have never lied to you."

"You told me you weren't in France. I fucking saw you, Romy." I didn't even focus on the fact that he swore at me because this was the first time he said my name. Why did it sound so ... agreeable from his lips? How could he make my name sound so sexy?

"Okay, I lied about that but it was to keep you safe."

Tommy snorted and stabbed his cigarette out in the ashtray. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table between us.

"You never told me you were a witch."

"It wasn't safe to write that in a letter and that one time I did was completely by accident. I didn't even think– wait how do you know that?"

I hadn't told him and I was certain Polly wouldn't have mentioned it either. She knew I wanted to be the one to tell him.

"I met a bloke, a muggleborn I think he said, whatever that means, he noticed the runes on the locket and assumed I was a wizard. He was surprised someone from the Black family would marry a muggle."

What the fuck.

"Marry?"

What. The. Literal. Fuck.

"Didn't see the point in correcting him."

"You told some wizard I was your wife! Wait a minute, did you say he said I was a Black?" Had that rumour really spread as far as France?

"You're getting distracted," Tommy said, shaking his head.

'Well, I'm sorry, my dearest husband, I'm a little overwhelmed."

"You're a witch, it's not hard to see that."

"What?" I was simply outraged. I did a fantastic job at hiding my magic from the muggles around here. "No one outside of the family knows about my magic."

"Then you should think about that before inviting someone into the house," he said, nodding over to the sink where the dishes were cleaning themselves. I was also very aware of the teapot floating in the middle of the table, refilling his cup.

"Fuck!"

I was truly an idiot.

It never crossed my mind that Tommy would be coming here today so I never thought about stopping the little displays of magic around the house. It wasn't this hard in the future because we were less strict on Muggles finding out about magic due to the high rise in muggle-borns arising every year.

"It doesn't change the way I feel," Tommy said, reaching out and touching my hand.

"Are you sure you love me?"

"You think I would have kissed you if I didn't?" I went to open my mouth but was cut off. "If you say I was pretending I'll–"

I shut him up by leaning over the table and pressing a kiss to his lips.

"I believe you," I whispered, smiling against his lips.

"Good because I might–"

"Dada!"

I jumped at Thomas-J's feral scream and rushed out of the kitchen afraid someone had broken in and was hurting him. I'd let my guard down since Sebastian had been killed but what's to say no one else was going to come after him?

He was clinging to the crib, tears rolling down his red cheeks as he screamed for his dad. When he saw me, he smacked his arms against the crib and growled.

"I'm here," I whispered, picking him up and cuddling him.

"Dada!" He snapped, smacking at me as he struggled in my arms. I had never seen him like this before and it broke my heart that I wasn't what he wanted. "Dada!"

"Shh, I'm here, Little Man," Tommy said, coming into the room and taking the struggling boy from my arms.

I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt being rejected by my son but it disappeared quickly as I saw Tommy calming him down.

"There's no need to hit, Mumma is there?" He cooed, rocking Thomas-J in his arms as he brushed his dark hair away from his face.

"Gone," Thomas-J cried as he snuggled closer to his dad.

"Daddy's not gone, TJ, I'm right here," Tommy said, pressing a kiss to his head as he gently rocked him in his arms.

TJ?

Had Tommy given our son a new nickname?

"Daddy's right here."

It was strange to him, being in Romy's kitchen sitting opposite her and holding his son. It was something he'd never thought possible.

He was truly lucky to be sat here with his wife and son. No, she wasn't his wife yet, though he did intend to make her his one day. She was flawless, even when she was flustered and concerned over their son.

There was something in her eyes, something that told him that there was more to her concern than TJ's waking up in hysterics. She was nervous and he'd heard enough from Polly to know she's had it hard the last two years.

"What aren't you telling me?" he asked, letting his hand settle on TJ's back as the boy mumbled in his sleep. He hadn't let him go since they got him from his crib, it was almost as if the boy was afraid Tommy wouldn't be there when he woke.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she muttered, running her hand over her face. She looked tired and he had to wonder if the day had been too much for her.

"You were petrified when you heard TJ crying earlier as if you were expecting something."

He saw the way her jaw twitched and he knew he had her. She looked reluctant to tell him but he knew she wouldn't keep it from him, not from the way she sighed deeply and bit her bottom lip.

"Polly told you I was strange," she said but he cut her off before she could go on.

"She said you spoke strangely, not that you were strange." He felt this need to defend her. He hated the way she always dragged herself through the dirt, she was fond of calling herself a bitch and he was against that.

"Shh, if I'm going to tell you then you need to listen without interrupting," she demanded, giving him a look that dared him to argue. He gave a slight nod, keeping his jaw clenched tightly to prevent him from replying. "I'm a witch, as you've established and you'll come to know more of my kind, Newt and Phineas are our family, so it will be expected for you to meet them." She shook her head and tapped her fingers on the table. "Only those close know the truth, Polly and Ada, Newt and Phineas, and Harry Fenton."

"Harry Fenton?" He wasn't sure if he liked that. Yes, he could remember that Harry was her uncle, but he didn't like that the barkeep knew things about his Romy.

"I'll explain it to you." She was giving him a stern look, one reprimanding him for interrupting him. "There's no easy way to tell you so I might as well get to the point. I'm from the future, twenty-forty-seven in fact, over a hundred years from now." She raised her hand as he went to open his mouth and he quickly closed it again, frowning in annoyance. "For this to make sense, I'm going to have to tell you a story."

"A story?"

"Thomas Shelby will you stop interrupting me!" she snapped and Tommy couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips. Polly had told him she was feisty and he was glad she wasn't afraid to hide that from him. "There was this man, he longed for power and he had this belief that those without magic weren't worthy of living. He started a war, killing off muggle-borns, those born into non-magical families but with magic." She frowned at her explanation but shook her head and carried on. "During the first war, he killed a lot of people. My Papa, my father's adoptive father, was one of the people he tried to kill. He was one when Voldemort went after him, but the magic somehow backfired and killed Voldemort instead."

Tommy stayed silent but gave her an encouraging nod to continue.

"When my Papa Harry was fourteen, Voldemort came back because he wasn't really dead. He'd managed to split his soul into seven pieces, well, eight technically because one piece latched onto Harry. When Harry was seventeen there was a big battle that killed a lot of innocent children and a lot of brave witches and wizard fighting against Voldemort. My father's birth parents were killed during this war, leaving him an orphan at two weeks old. Anyway, two years ago, in twenty-forty-seven, when I was seventeen, I was being followed by this boy who turned out to be Voldemort as a sixteen-year-old boy."

"I'm lost," Tommy said, unsure what Romy was trying to tell him.

"Voldemort was killed, for real during the Battle of Hogwarts and everyone was able to move on with their lives. About fifty years later, his sixteen-year-old self had time travelled into the future. We aren't sure what he was doing there, but his presence there was going to change the timeline. I was going to disappear. My family was going to disappear."

Tommy noted the way she let her eyes drift over TJ, a sorrowful look in her eyes. He also caught the way her jaw trembled and she bit her lip to stop herself from crying.

"It was decided that I was to be sent back in time to when Voldemort's mother was still pregnant with him. I was only meant to be gone for a day or two but Merry was always clumsy. She accidentally knocked our time turner and we were sent back in time by another ten years. I didn't know what to do but we were lucky to find Harry. He's from a magical bloodline but he himself doesn't have magic. He understood and helped us out. We met Polly and she took us into the family. She helped me with Thomas-J and I have hope that he won't ever be Voldemort."

"Wait a minute," Tommy said, shifting forward in his seat, his arms adjusting TJ as he glanced over to his mother. "Are you telling me that my son is this Voldemort guy?" At her nod, Tommy scoffed and shook his head in disbelief. "You're out of your mind."