One week passed. Irina was still living out of multiple suitcases scattered around Alfie's home, but she didn't mind. His house had began to feel like a home to her in a way, she was comfortable there and enjoyed falling asleep beside him at night, feeling safe in his presence.

Alfie had been gone long hours every day, doing whatever it was he was doing to find a way to put an end to the feud with Joseph Levy. There had been another attempted break-in at the vault at Irina's warehouse in Camden, though it had been intercepted by a group of men Thomas had kindly stationed there for her.

Three of Levy's men were killed, but the warehouse was spotless by the time Irina turned up to work the next day, not a single drop of blood could be seen anywhere.

It was just after eight in the morning when she arrived at work, heading straight up to her office where Thomas Shelby was already waiting for her.

He was stood with his back to her, facing towards the window as he watched the canal boats sail up and down the soft water. His arm was angled up towards his face and she saw the gentle puffs of smoke from his lips as she closed the door behind her.

"Good morning, Tommy."

He turned to her with a welcoming attempt at a smile, which she appreciated on a dull morning like the one they'd been handed that day.

"Good morning, how are you?"

"Fine, and you?" She said, sorting out stacks of paper on her desk and making space for a leather-bound folder to be opened in the middle.

"I'm well. You're staying with Alfie now, are you back together?"

"How do you know that?" Irina looked up inquisitively, though her eyes were pulled to the door when Kristian knocked carefully before walking in with two cups of coffee, a sheepish grin on his face.

"I know things," Tommy shrugged and took one of the cups, sitting down opposite Irina once Kristian had left them alone.

"If you know things, surely you've no need to ask questions?" She countered, flicking through the folder quickly.

Thomas chuckled, "I was just asking, that's all. I'm glad you're safe, and I hope you're happy."

There was a sincerity in his voice that made her shiver. Cold wasn't the term she would've used to describe their interactions after whatever relationship they had came to an abrupt end, but it certainly hadn't been anywhere near as warm as it once felt. Though that morning, his words were softer than the edges of the clouds hanging in the sky, and his eyes bluer than the water rippling quietly beneath the window.

"I am," Irina swallowed, allowing herself to meet his gaze for a small moment before looking back down at the folder.

The sound of Thomas drinking the coffee and placing the cup back down on the desk filled a silence. The striking of a match came next before the burning of a cigarette, a deep inhale and quiet exhale before he tapped the ash onto a glass tray that sat on the edge of the table.

"I was wrong," he said, perking her interest enough to make her look away from her work.

"About?"

He smiled at her again, his head slightly tilted in an admirable way that matched the curve of his eyes.

"That people like you and me aren't made for love. You are."

Irina scoffed quietly, internally shocked at the depth of the conversation they had dived into so early in the morning.

"You will find love, Thomas." Irina reassured him.

Tommy kissed his teeth before taking another drag of his cigarette, "I thought I did. A seed of it at least, though perhaps it was never meant to grow."

Irina wasn't sure what to say. The way Thomas looked at her, at everybody, had always been intimidating, though as time progressed, she became used to the coldness of his eyes and the way his face was blank, making the idea of not knowing what he was thinking all the more terrifying. As he sat opposite her that morning, the intimidation began to slowly creep back in, and Thomas knew that, smirking when he noticed her pull her eyes back down to her work.

He wasn't lying. He had once looked into Irina's eyes and saw the whole world. He adored her, finding comfort in the similarities they had and enjoyed being engulfed in something pure for the first time in his life. Though deep down, he knew that all while she was looking into his eyes, the world she was seeing didn't have him in it, no matter how hard she tried to see it that way.

"You deserve to be happy, Irina."

She nodded timidly, agreeing with him though slightly apprehensive about what he might say next.

"Though as much as I consider Alfie to be a friend," Thomas leant forward, resting his forearms on his thighs as he pointed his cigarette towards Irina, "If he breaks your heart again, I won't hesitate to take his eyes."

***

When Irina made it back to Alfie's that evening after work, she was greeted with Alfie sat on the front steps, bouncing his leg up and down, almost jumping to his feet when he saw her walk round the corner.

"Alf-"

"Come here."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the house quickly, locking the door behind them and holding her with both hands on her shoulders, looking down at her like a father would at a child.

"I'm sorry, but it's not safe here either. Two of them showed up at the factory today, I can't risk having you at my house."

Irina was speechless as she looked up at him, noticing a fresh cut on his forehead as he was speaking. She reached up and gently touched it, wiping away the dried blood with her fingertips, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Does it hurt?" She asked quietly, caressing his cheek softly before resting a hand on his chest.

He shook his head, "No, I'm fine. You can't stay, though, we need to get you away from here. Ollie has a room at his, you lll be safe there."

"What about you? I don't want to be away from you, Alfie." Irina asked, following him up the stairs.

He pulled out two suitcases and began folding her clothes into piles, stuffing as much as he could into them without making the zip unable to close.

"Alfie," Irina said, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him for a moment, "We only just got this back, got us back. How can I be safe when you're not there to protect me?"

He paused, sighing loudly before turning to face her. She looked afraid, a glimmer of sadness in her eyes that Alfie despised seeing. He wanted to protect her and keep her safe, and if that meant keeping away from her for a while longer, then he would do it without giving it a second thought.

Alfie knew that all Irina wanted was to be close to him, and he felt in his gut that he never wanted to be parted from the woman before him ever again, but her safety came first.

"Listen to me," Alfie said, lacing his fingers with hers and placing a hand on her cheek, looking down at her through narrowed yet caring eyes, "If we can get through what we've gone through, we will get through this."

"But what if-"

"Listen, Irina," Alfie stopped her, squeezing her hand tighter, "You will stay with Ollie, I have men watching his house day and night, you will be safe. I'm going to kill Levy, kill all the bastards that work for him, and then, right, then, I will come back for you, alright? And you and me will be happy, nothing else will matter, nothing will get in the way, we just have to clear the path, you understand?"

Irina nodded, looking down at the floor. Even though Alfie's words always managed to reassure her, they soon wore off. There was an impending terror that lingered in the form of an intrusive thought at the front of her mind at all times. She knew that death was the only way this conflict would be resolved, but the possibility that it could be Alfie's was constantly haunting Irina.

She believed him when he said everything would be fine, but the inkling in her stomach that he'd leave to kill a man and not return home was enough to make Irina sick. She wasn't sure if she could go through losing a lover again, knowing that if it happened, this time would be a million times worse than the last.

"Hey," Alfie lifted Irina's chin with his finger, a soft smile on his lips, "You think I'm really going to let you go after all of this? Like I'm going to let myself live a second of a dream without giving myself a lifetime of it? Nothing is going to stop me from coming home to you, Irina, nothing."

"Oh Alfie," Irina whispered, placing both her hands on his chest, her fingers grabbing at the collar of his shirt as she tried her hardest to not cry in front of him again.

"I'm so scared," she said, "I'm scared because I've said those words to you now, and I've never said them to anybody before. How can I live knowing that I'm in love with a man and have him not be with me forever?"

Words had never been something that came easily to Irina, though as she clung desperately to Alfie's shirt, she felt the contents of her heart roll off her tongue without having to think at all.

"How can I let you walk away from me without knowing if you'll come home? How can I go another day not knowing if you'll be safe? How can I breathe if I don't know you're taking a breath at the same time?"

"Fuck," Alfie whispered, dropping his hands to her waist and pulling her against his chest, cradling her body against her and placing sweet kisses through her hair, feeling the wetness of her tears seeping through his shirt.

He had never had a woman say anything close to as heartfelt as Irina just had. She had told him that he loved him in a million different ways without saying the three words at all.

When they first met, her hard exterior and bitter words made Alfie think that he would never be able to even make a crack at the ice that surrounded her, though he'd just witnessed the entire covering shatter before him, leaving nothing but a vulnerable woman in love in his arms.

"Give me your ring," Alfie said, unclasping the gold chain that was permanently hung around his neck.

Irina did as she was told, drying her eyes as she placed the silver diamond ring into Alfie's palm. She watched as he slid the dainty ring onto the chain before hanging it back around his neck, the ring laying against his chest.

"Now I'll be able to feel you, always," he whispered, clasping the chain and ring in his hand tightly, "And when I get back, when the time is right, I'll get you a bigger fucking ring, with all the diamonds on that you could ever want, yeah?"

He looked down at her with a smile though his eyes were saddened. She nodded through her tears, smiling back at him weakly. Irina was strong and Alfie knew that, he had no doubt in his mind that she would be just fine while he fulfilled what he needed to, but the way she spilled her deepest insecurities and concerns to him like they were the last words she'd ever say lighted a fire in his heart nevertheless, one that he knew wouldn't ever burn out.

"I'll never let this go, Irina," he whispered, taking her face into his hands and placing a long, hard kiss on her lips before pulling away and looking into her eyes, "I'll never let you go."