A small trail of kisses woke me and I wasn't surprised to see Tommy leaning above me, his hands running down my hips as his kisses caressed the skin of my chest.

"Morning," he greeted, leaning forward and pressing his lips to mine. He looked happy, especially considering he was off to see the Lee's.

"You're happy," I said, letting my hand run over his shoulders and into the small hairs at the back of his neck.

He hummed in reply, his lips going back to attacking my chest and neck as his hands stroked down my hips and between my thighs. I let out a startled whimper as his fingers brushed lightly at the apex of my thighs and I felt him smirk against my skin.

"You're happy," he teased, that smug smirk lifting the corners of his mouth and his eyes as he shifted above me, one hand tugging my hips while the other fumbled with his trousers.

My hand came in contact with his shoulder in a light smack at the same time that he pushed into me.

We both let out a content sigh as he was buried deep into my warmth.

I tugged Tommy closer as I slung my legs over his hips, my feet pushing his arse closer to me and I groaned as he dove deeper into me.

It felt like heaven.

"Mama! Mama!"

"Fuck sake," Tommy hissed, lifting himself slightly as he glared at the closed door of our bedroom. I could hear the creaking of floor boards as Thomas-J banged on the door, his cries almost ruining the mood.

I say almost, because even though our son was crying outside the door, Tommy had yet to give up the rocking of his hips.

"Thomas-J, come away from the door," Ada said softly to him and I assumed she picked the boy up as he fought against her.

"Mama hurt!" he cried, banging against the door as Ada tried to pull him away. "Mama cry!"

"Trust me sweetheart, your mama isn't hurt," Ada grumbled and I sighed in relief as Thomas-J's cries faded away.

"I better hurry," Tommy said and I rolled my eyes as he grinned and tugged my hips at an angle.

"Charming, Tommy."

We both knew why he had to 'hurry'. Thomas-J wasn't one to have tantrums, but he was unusually protective of me, whenever he thought something bad was happening to his Mama he started using accidental magic.

And it wasn't the safest.

He almost blew Arthur's head off when I accidentally tripped over the older man's legs. Not Arthur's fault but Thomas-J didn't see it that way.

"Ohh," I cried out, as Tommy picked up the pace. "I love you," I muttered, pulling his head down and pressing my lips to his. "I love you."

***********************************************************************************************

It was unusually quiet in the house.

That should have been the first warning but I was still feeling the after effects of my love making with Tommy that I thought nothing about it.

Thomas-J was grumbling in his high chair. He had frowned as soon as he laid eyes on his father this morning and even crossed his little arms against his chest. When Tommy went to give him a kiss the boy turned his head away.

I had to wonder where Polly was this morning when I remember she'd mentioned something about church and a few errands to run.

Ada had taken the children off to school, the first day of the new year, and little Edward was going to his first day at school.

Tommy, Arthur and John were off to see the Lee's and had taken Finn with them with a promise to go to the fair.

Tommy had wanted to take Thomas-J with him but with a reminder from me that the boy was still only two and would tire easily, he let it go.

And so it was a peaceful morning where Thomas-J played in his playpen and deep cleaned the kitchen, listening to the radio.

It was why when the radio stopped and all the magic came to a standstill, I knew something was wrong.

I could feel the extension charms disappearing, the enchantments concealing anything magical and the small collection of magical creatures being transported to Newt's suitcase.

There was a muggle at the door.

Although, with the way they were banging and trying to bust down the door I knew it wasn't just one. And they weren't friendly.

Scooping Thomas-J up into my arms, I rushed over to the panic room I created off from the pantry. Placing him down in the sound proof room, I brushed my hand over his cheek before closing the door and standing in the doorway of the kitchen, watching as several burly policemen came rushing in, the door on its hinges.

I didn't see which one hit me in the face, but I wouldn't forget the face of the man from my vision.

"Mrs Shelby," the man said, his Irish accent making my skin crawl as he stepped into the kitchen. Two of his officers had grabbed hold of me, preventing me from moving from my spot. "I'm looking for Tommy Shelby."

"He's not here," I said, tilting my chin slightly to let this man know I wasn't going to give him what he wanted.

"Perhaps you and I can come to some arrangement, Mrs Shelby," he replied, lifting his hand and letting his fingers run across my cheek.

"If you think for one second I would betray my husband then you are wrong," I hissed, using all my weight to jerk myself out of his grasp.

"You don't want to get on my bad side." If this man thought I was scared of him he had never met someone as scary as Polly when you brought a cat into the house.

Perhaps I shouldn't have spat at him, but the thought of betraying Tommy like that made me feel disgusting. And it was all because of this man.

I should have been expecting the hit to the face.

Man, I wasn't expecting him to punch me. He seemed more like the slapping kind of man. I felt the impact against my cheek, my jaw snapping together as he hit right above the cheekbone.

"Come now, Mrs Shelby, you should be thinking about that son of yours."

I clenched my jaw at the mention of Thomas-J. How dare he bring him up.

"You leave him out of this," I snapped, thinking of my boy locked into the panic room, no doubt wondering what was happening to me.

"You tell your husband Inspector Campbell wants to meet with him." Campbell paused and I knew he thought the next thing he was going to say was going to have an impact on me. "Or your son will be taken away like his aunt's boy." He turned his back on me, but not before giving the two men holding me a nod.

I knew what that meant.

I was thrown onto the kitchen table, my head smacking onto the surface before I dragged to the floor, one foot landing a rough kick to my ribs, before another joined in, hitting the centre of my stomach. I hunched over, gathering my breath as they continued to kick at my back and arms, avoiding my head.

One of the men leant down and grabbed my hair, lifting my head so I was looking him directly in the eyes.

"Remember you gypsy whore, Campbell expects Tommy to pay him a visit."

With one last kick from the other man, the one currently holding my hair flung me to the floor, spitting at my feet before leaving.

When they were gone, the house filled with magic again, and it made me feel slightly more relaxed.

Shuffling myself to lean against the cupboards hurt like hell. My whole body was tense and I knew it wouldn't take long for my body to be black and blue. I ached and I couldn't bear to move, but I knew I couldn't stay here.

Without my consent, a sob broke through and I hunched over, trying to hold in my tears.

I wasn't weak. This didn't make me weak.

I wanted my big brother.

Even with the ten year gap between me and my eldest brother, Remus, he was always there whenever I needed his comfort. I needed that now and it hurt even more because he wasn't here.

Struggling to my feet, I stumbled over to the panic room, wiping harshly at my face before opening the door and scooping Thomas-J into my arms. His weight against my chest hurt but it was a comfort knowing he was safe. Holding onto his head with one hand and wrapping the other around his body and holding him tightly to me, I spun on my foot, falling into a brick wall as I appareted to my desired destination.

Ignoring the looks of a few surprised men as I stumbled out of the alley, I marched my way over to the man looking over a clipboard with as much dignity as I could manage.

I knew I looked like shit, but I didn't care.

"Hey! You can't go in there. Miss, you can't go in there!" the man shouted after me as I made my way through the rows and clambered up the stairs to the office. Ignoring the few men running and calling after me, I flung open the door, surprised to see the man I came here to see standing with a gun pointed at me.

"Romy?" he asked, slightly confused as I threw myself at him, wrapping the arm that was holding Thomas-J's head around him the best I could.

And then I broke.

It was like every damn feeling I had bottled up since arriving in the past had found a way to slip out of me and I couldn't control myself as it all bubbled up and I exploded.

"I'm sorry sir, I tried to stop her," the man that was shouting after me said softly from the door. I could tell from the way he was hesitant to speak that he feared the man he was talking to.

"Oi, you listen here, mate. If she comes looking for me, yeah, you let her in. This is my fucking sister, yeah. She comes and goes as she wants, now fuck off!"

"Allie!" Thomas-J shouted, pulling away from me the best he could in the squished space between us. "Allie!"

I pulled away from Alfie, as Thomas-J flung himself at his uncle.

It was then that Alfie got a look at my face.

I could see the anger as he clenched his jaw, no doubt the many thoughts running through his mind.

"It wasn't Tommy," I said before he could ask. "He would never touch me like this."

"Well what am I supposed to think when you turn up like that," he said, gesturing to my face with one hand as he held Thomas-J with the other.

"There's this copper," I muttered, moving over to the sofa he has in his office. "He wants something from Tommy and thought he could get to him through me."

"And can he?"

"No. We all know I can handle myself."

"Then why the fuck do you look like that?"

"Alfie ... you know I can't tell you."

No offence to him, he was in the eyes of Tommy, a rival. Tommy ruled over Birmingham - no matter what Billy Kimber thought - and Alfie was one of the most notorious London gangsters, therefore making him one of Tommy's rivals.

Honestly though, with the way I saw Alfie as family - and it was clear he thought of me as his sister too - then Tommy should be taking this opportunity to seize this relationship and create a bond that would benefit all of us - mainly them.

"I don't give a fuck about gangs and plan and shit. I care about you. If my fucking sister turns up looking like her husbands been beating her I want to know why."

"But I'm not your sister, Alfie, am I? Not really."

"Look, we may not be related by fucking blood, but I chose you to be in my life, Andromeda. I chose for you to be my sister."

"I'm pretty sure Newt told me you have a sister," I muttered, feeling grateful that he wanted me to be part of his family.

For someone that had such a big family presence before being sent to the past and then having no one - it meant a lot to me. Not that I didn't have a big family now. I was grateful for all the Shelby's, Newt, Harry, Phineas and Alfie.

They would never replace my family from my past, but they were the family of my future.

Fuck.

This was confusing.

"Romy." I could tell from the tone of his voice that Alfie wasn't playing anymore.

"It's part of my plan to make this copper believe that he can get to Tommy through me." I could see the disappointment in Alfie's face. He didn't want me being hurt, even if it was a benefit to Tommy. "Look, there's this Irish barmaid. Irish copper. Do they really think we can't put two and two together?"

"You know they're working together?"

"It's not really hard to figure out. Why would she turn up at the same time as him, from the same country, and wanting to work at the one pub that the Shelby's frequent." I paused as I looked over at him sitting at his desk, Thomas-J sat on the desk in front of him, babbling away. "I also looked in her mind and saw that she plans to turn Tommy against his family to get what they want."

"And how does she plan on doing that, aye?" I gave him a pointed look telling him that we both knew how she was planning on doing that. "Nah, love, what you gotta do is work as a team. A strong team that cannot be divided by some whore that's come into your home and tries to wreak it. Show them both that they can't break you both and trust me, they'll be angry and they'll make mistakes."

Thinking about it, Alfie was right.

I should have never agreed with Polly's idea to let Tommy flirt with Grace. We shouldn't let them get to us like that. We should be united and strong and make them be the ones to slip up instead of us. We should be the ones they fear, they should be the ones two, fuck that, three steps behind us.

"You're right, Alfie," I said, rising from the sofa, flinching as my tense muscles protested against the movement.

"Of course I am, sweetheart. Look, you go home, stelle Thomas-J and tell that husband of yours about this new plan." I could tell from the way Alfie rose that he wanted to say something else. His face was hiding the true emotions that wanted to burst out. "Heal yourself, but keep the bruising. Wear it like a badge of pride, prove to the fucker he can't get to you or Tommy by hurting you."

Alfie handed a very reluctant Thomas-J to me, both of us ignoring the tears brewing in his eyes. I hushed the boy, bringing him into my chest as I ran my hand over his hair.

"Thank you, Alfie, for the advice," I muttered, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his cheek. I paused as I pulled back and gave him a small smile. "When that copper left, after having his men beat me, I just wanted my brother. You're the first person I thought of to take his place. I hope you understand what that means to be Alfie. I chose you too."