"Your intention of marrying me?" I asked, raising my brow as I rose from my seat. I rested my hands on the table and leaned towards him. "I'm sorry, Thomas Shelby, but if you think you can marry me as simply as that then you are mistaken, darling. If you want this." I gestured to my body with my hand. "Then you're going to have to work for it."

I may have admitted my love for him but he wasn't getting me that easily. I wasn't just going to let him have me because we were practically already together. His love for Thomas-J was true, I could see that in the way he held the boy, but I just needed that effort from him.

I knew he said he loved me but I wanted him to show it too.

"I knew you'd be hard work," he muttered, a small smile on his face. I rolled my eyes as I pushed off the table and went over to the pram getting it ready for Thomas-J.

"If anyone's going to be hard work, it's you," I said, pushing the pram over to him and indicating that he should set Thomas-J down into it. "We should head back. I bet Ada's been wanting to see you."

"Ada can wait."

"Well, maybe Ada can wait but my stew can't." I took hold of the pram as led the way out of the kitchen. "Come along, Mr Shelby."

As I had said, Ada flung herself at Tommy when we entered the house. He was surprisingly quiet when we arrived but I could see that this is what Polly had expected from him.

She'd told me he'd gone like this after Greta had died.

I suppose it was hard trying to move on after your first love passed away and then you went to war.

"Tommy," I muttered, catching his arm before he could go off and talk to John and Arthur. "John doesn't know about the whole time-travel thing. I wanted to tell you first. I don't know if it's wise if everyone knows, but I trust your judgement."

"Alright." He gave me a kiss on the cheek before following his brothers into the betting den. I could already see that there were a lot of things running around in Tommy's head. Ways to move the family up even at the end of the war.

"Do you think I'm too eccentric?" I asked, turning to Polly, ignoring the smile she had on her face.

"What?"

"What's eccentric?" Ada asked, moving over to Thomas-J's pram and looking down at him.

"John said that I'm too out there for some of the muggles in Small Heath. I know I'm not from around here so I struggle to act the way women do, but I've tried. I stay quiet when I'm out with the children, I respect the baker's wife and smile at everyone when I pass, but John said I'm still too eccentric." I don't know why it was frustrating me. He'd said it weeks ago, but Tommy's words about not hiding my magic also got to me.

"You stand out is all, but between you and Newt running in and out of the house it kind of looks a little strange. Especially when Newt wears his robes," Polly said, giving a shrug of her shoulders. "I wouldn't worry, love. No one will talk now that the boys are back."

"People spoke about me?" Why did that seem to hurt more than I thought it would?

"Nothing bad, love."

Polly's words weren't that assuring when Ada snorted and turned to face her aunt.

"They call you a gypsy witch," Ada said, giving Polly a pointed look. "Someone saw you scurrying through the streets that night you saved Pol from the dementor. You're not too careful about your magic, Romy. People say things about you."

"I don't use magic in front of people!" I snapped, feeling myself growing angry at Ada. Why was she telling lies?

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Strange things happen around you. There's a feeling around you that scares people, I think it's your magic," Ada said, sharing a look with Polly. "A lot of creatures are attracted to you. Newt's been putting them in that suit of his, but sometimes the neighbours see."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Newt said it's the line between you being a seer. He said they'd be attracted to you because of the extra magic you have, what with your Veela and Metamorphmagus abilities too."

"Is that why Phineas wants me to work in his department? Because I attract magical creatures?"

"Well, you're also good with them so that helps."

"You're not helping, Polly!" I snapped, running my hands through my hair.

"What's bothering you, love?" How did she know I wasn't actually bothered about anything we just talked about.

"Tommy said he had the intention of marrying me."

"Really?" Ada asked, her eyes widening in happiness.

"And you're not happy about it?"

"No, I am, but how can I be sure he's doing for me and not Thomas-J?"

"Tommy wouldn't do that. He's not the sort of man to do something he doesn't want to," Polly said resting her hand on my shoulder. "If he said he was going to marry you, then trust me, love. He will."

I wasn't sure how we were going to go about our daily routine now that all the Shelby boys were back. It was clear that Arthur thought he was going to be taking up leadership of the Peaky Blinders but I had the sense Tommy was going to be in charge.

And it wasn't like Arthur wasn't looking for his advice at every turn. Every decision Arthur made, he always looked to see if Tommy agreed with it.

Three days after they'd all returned, the streets were busy and I could already tell which men were part of the Peaky Blinders and which men weren't. It wasn't hard to spot really. If you wore a suit and had a peaked cap you were part of the gang and if you were covered in coal and dirt you worked in the factories.

"Can I have a word?"

I looked up as Tommy came into the kitchen. I was surprised to see him here. He hadn't bothered me since his return and his declaration that we were going to end up married. He'd been too busy starting the business up and I couldn't blame him, to be honest. He needed to start bringing in the money again, now that the war was over.

"Newt and Ada have taken the children back to Watery Lane," I told him, glancing over to Thomas-J as he played in his playpen. "What is it?"

"How strong of a witch are you?" I hoped to Merlin that he wasn't trying to get me in on his 'business'. No offence to him, but I wasn't willing to go around following his orders and using my magic to hurt people. I had to prevent Thomas-J from seeing a world where magic was used for bad.

"Why does it matter?"

"What I'm about to do, what I'm doing to further our family is going to be dangerous." Tommy pulled out a cigarette and lit it. From the way he held himself in the chair I felt like I was in a meeting with him. "I need to know that you can protect yourself and TJ."

"Why do you call him that?" I was avoiding the question. I knew it was a silly thing to do, but I wasn't willing to admit that I was scared I'd fail to protect Thomas-J.

"It's less confusing." He had a point. Even though Thomas-J never went by Tom or Tommy, he always looked up when he heard those names.

I only wondered if he'd understand his new nickname considering he'd been called Thomas-J for two years.

"TJ," I called, looking over to the boy and smiling softly as he glanced up at me. He frowned when he saw I didn't have anything to say and went back to play with his stuffed toys. "I can protect him, you know," I said, turning back to Tommy and nodding down to TJ.

It was going to take me a while to get used to saying that.

"I know."

"I've managed it for two years, Tommy. I think I can continue it even if you're going to go around pissing people off."

"I'm not saying you weren't capable." That's a lie because he'd basically asked if I was able to protect him.

"Then what are you saying?"

"Look," he sighed and rubbed at his head, flicking his cigarette in the ashtray. "Come the New Year there's gonna be some changes. I need to know no one can get to you or TJ."

"What are you planning, Tommy?"

"It's just business, Romy." I didn't like the way he said that. As if I shouldn't be worrying about what he was bringing to Birmingham.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" I asked, not seeing the point in arguing with him. He'd realise sooner or later that he'd get nowhere if he didn't open up to me. "Just us two and TJ?"

"Alright," he said, looking down at the little boy he'd claimed as his own. "You can tell me about this future stuff."

"Over dinner," I told him, needing the time to prepare what I was going to say to him. I had a feeling I knew what he wanted me to explain. I'd overheard him asking Polly what I meant when I said that I might have changed the future. He was worried about me disappearing.

"My family has never had much luck," Romy said as she fiddled with the food on her plate. He wanted to tell her to stop and just eat it but he had a feeling it wouldn't go down well with her. "You want to know about the future, but what you really mean is the possibility of the future changing."

Tommy nodded as he ate the mash from his plate. He wasn't going to interrupt her unless necessary.

"It's a dangerous thing playing with time. There's a reason they lock up the time turners." She stopped as if she was pondering something. "When I was sent back to protect Merry and her baby, I wasn't meant to change anything. I was to take her to someone who could protect her and prevent anyone from taking her baby. Nothing was meant to change."

"And has it?"

"Because I'm currently still here, I'm hoping not. Time's a complex thing. I've taken TJ out of his original timeline. I've made a loop. When we reach nineteen-twenty-six, the seventeen-year-old me from the future will go to Merry and get taken back by ten years." Romy frowned at the same time he did and he had to wonder if she was as confused as he was.

"This isn't what you wanted to know. Let's forget about that part and focus on the future. I've taken TJ ten years into the past which could affect the way the future plays out. We've also raised him as our child, which he didn't have in the original timeline. The lack of love is what drove him to be Voldemort. He won't become Voldemort for that reason now and I believe that the lives he took won't be taken. This means people will be alive that were originally dead."

"How's that a problem?"

"My French grandmother came to the United Kingdom because of the TriWizard tournament. She stayed because one of the students was killed and she wanted to help stop the rise of Voldemort. It's how she met my Pops. If that never happens then they would never meet and my mother wouldn't be born. I wouldn't exist." She sighed deeply as she rested her head in her hands. He could see that this was becoming too much for her. "My father's parents were a difficult pairing. There's a large age gap between them and my grandfather was wary about marrying a younger woman. They only got together because they grew to care and love each other because they were thrown together during the war. If there's no Voldemort then they wouldn't meet and have my father." She looked up at Tommy, her eyes shining with tears. "Can you see why I said it was complex?"

"You said playing with time was dangerous," he said tapping his finger on the table gently.

"It can be. When you go back into your own timeline you need to be careful not to run into your past self. Bad things happen to wizards that meddle with time and get caught." She smiled and Tommy had to wonder if there was something to it. "If your past self comes across you, they could potentially kill you in their confusion and that's you gone. I've tried to explain it the best I can, but it can be different every time. Even the smallest thing can make the biggest change."

"I think you'd be gone if you changed the future," Tommy said, reaching out and taking her hand in his. "You're worrying too much."

"You sound like Polly," she said, as she still played with her food. "You know, everything I do is for him." She nodded to the boy in the highchair, but Tommy already knew who she was talking about. "I want to extend that to you, Tommy, but I think we're complete opposites. I don't know if we'd last for long."

"I've told you I intend to marry you, Andromeda. I mean to keep to my promise," he said, glancing over to TJ as he smiled up at his parents. "Give me a chance."

December was a strange time.

While I was excited that John, Arthur and Tommy were here to celebrate Christmas with us, I was also contemplating on not doing anything for Christmas this year.

They'd officially been back for two weeks now and I had successfully stopped Tommy from meeting Phineas and Newt. It wasn't that I didn't want them to meet, I was just afraid of what would come of their meeting.

I also needed to speak to Phineas about this rumour of me being his sister.

I hadn't forgotten what Tommy had said about that muggleborn soldier he'd meet in France. Why did that soldier say I was a Black? Had he seen my photo and assumed? I didn't even have the classic Black looks.

"Romy, you never gave me your reply." Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"Have you been going around telling people I'm your sister?"

"What?"

Perhaps I had been a little too blunt upon his arrival.

"When Tommy was in France a muggleborn soldier saw my picture and said something about me being a Black. He said he was surprised that someone from the Black family married a muggle." From the way Phineas was shuffling awkwardly made it known that he had something to do with this. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"

"I got worried about you."

"What has this got to do with me?" He was losing me. This must be how Tommy felt when I tried to explain the whole time travel thing to him.

"You're in love with Tommy, Andromeda. I couldn't let your heart break if he died."

"You have no control over that," I snapped, throwing my arms in the air as I grew frustrated with him.

"I had the power to do something and I did."

"What did you do, Phineas?"

"I knew someone that owed me a favour and he was willing to help me out," Phineas said, running his hand through his black curls. Now that I really thought about it, he did look a lot like Sirius Black. "We managed to get him into the same platoon and he's been keeping an eye on your boy for over a year."

"Phineas that's against the law. We can't use our magic for something like this. You interfered with the muggles, you know we're not allowed to do that." I was flattered, I really was but I didn't want him getting into trouble because of me.

"I didn't just do it for you, Romy. I did it for Thomas-J and Finn, and Ada and John's children. I did it for my family!" I'd never seen Phineas this angry before and I suddenly realised why.

He'd been disowned because he cared about muggles and muggle-borns. He'd been kicked out because of his beliefs and now he'd finally found another family and he was afraid we'd all suffer if we lost anyone in it.

"I understand, Phineas, I do, but I still don't think it was right," I said, resting my hand on his shoulder, hoping it would calm him down.

"Are you telling me that you didn't use your magic once when healer those soldiers?"

"I ... I—"

"You can't berate me for something I did to preserve and protect our family when you've been breaking the laws too. And what about that Officer you used the Imperius curse on to get John sent home?"

"How do you know about that?" I hadn't told anyone and I'd been careful.

"Newt's not as stupid as we think. He's observant and he knew you'd do anything to get John out of France." He gave me a small smirk, one that said I was just as bad as him. "You used an unforgivable curse on a muggle yet you're complaining when I had a wizard out there protecting your lover! Who's broken the law here, Romy?"

"Okay, fine!" I snapped, huffing out in annoyance as I turned my back on him. "We've both done some stupid things for the family. I can't say I won't do it again because I will do anything to protect our family." I sighed and turned to face him, crossing my arms over my chest. "Don't mention this to Tommy, Phin. He won't thank you for it. He'll think it's a weakness."

"We'll keep it between us. This and the fact that you got John sent back when he was meant to stay and fight."

"You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"No, just as you won't let my actions go."

"You never answered my question, Phineas," I said, frowning as I realised we'd just ended up arguing instead.

"My friend, he, err, well, he was at the Ministry when I got into an argument with my brother. Arcturus came to me when he found out I'd been seeing you. It's still believed that you are our father's illegitimate daughter so he was expressing his feelings about how I was a disgrace to the family and deserved to be with you. Luke overheard and now thinks you're my sister. I didn't bother correcting him because I do see you as my sister." Phineas gave a shrug as if it wasn't a big deal but I knew what it meant to him.

"I love you, Phin, you know that right?" I said wrapping him in a hug and holding him tight.

"I know." He gave me a squeeze before pushing me away and giving me a smile. "This means Tommy's got to ask my permission if he wants to marry you."

"Shut up, Phineas."