It was quiet, abnormally quiet for a weekday morning in a small terraced house in which a family with two young children resided. Florence realised this as she wiped the sleep from her eyes, her eyes fluttering open to the sight of warm morning sun cascading through the window that overlooked Watery Lane.

Florence was accustomed to being woken up by her two young children most mornings, so it worried her that neither Daisy or Oliver had made an appearance beside her bed. In a state of concern for her children's whereabouts, she climbed out of bed, retrieving her dressing gown and slipping it onto her body over her black silk nightgown.

She made her way out of her bedroom, comforted by the hushed sound of Daisy's voice downstairs when she laid eyes on her brother leaving the room opposite.

"You're awake," Vinnie smiled, "Seems you needed to sleep."

"I suppose it's the first night I've slept through since, well..." Florence's voice wavered, because she still didn't know what to make of everything that unfolded with Elijah.

She had always presumed that Elijah was a man she could trust, because they were friends before anything else, and of course she loved him, but she wondered if that was a result of the almighty sacrifice he made by offering to marry her. She wasn't entirely convinced that she had ever been in love with him, and in the wake of his betrayal she had found herself understanding that to 'love' and to 'be in love' were two very different things.

"Well, you'll want to get dressed," Vinnie sighed, "We've got a visitor."

"Who?"

"I think it's best if you wait and see for yourself," Vinnie answered simply, because he himself was surprised when their guest had knocked on the door that morning.

"Oh," Florence raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Well, I'll be quick then."

Florence was a woman of her word, promptly changing into the first dress she laid her hands on in her wardrobe, which was dark purple. She painted her face with a light layer of makeup and then left her hair the way she always did, hanging free around her shoulders.

She made her way out of her bedroom, the familiar floral scent of her perfume following close behind. As she had readied herself for the day she had wondered who the visitor might be. Vinnie would've made it known if there were something to be worried about, so she wasn't concerned in that respect.

When Florence arrived downstairs the sight that greeted her stunned her, it wasn't what she expected to see, but it warmed her heart that had spent so long cold for fear of hurting.

"We have two horses, they live in Surrey," Daisy spoke with almost perfect intonation for a six year old, evidence of her upbringing and education as a young Harrington in London, "Do you like horses, Tommy?"

"I do, as it goes," Tommy smiled at the young girl who sat beside him at the dining table, a wooden horse in her hands, "Your horses, do they have names?"

"Rascal and Whiskey," Daisy answered as Florence lingered at the bottom of the stairs, watching the pair interact with a smile, but choosing not to interrupt the precious moment, "Mummy chose Whiskey because she said it reminds her of home."

"Right," Tommy nodded slowly, reminded of their stolen kisses once upon a time, when Florence would remark on how his lips tasted of whiskey, "And do you race your horses?"

"No," Daisy shook her head in dismay, "They run in the field, not on the track."

"I have some horses who race," Tommy told the young girl.

"What are they called?" Daisy asked with an intrigued smile.

"Oh, they don't have names," Tommy answered honestly, wondering if perhaps he should've just thought of a name on the spot to appease the young girl, his daughter.

"That's silly, everyone needs a name," Daisy laughed, and as Tommy smiled back at her it was as though he was looking in a mirror, she might have had her mother's deep brown eyes and dark raven hair, but she had his laugh and his smile.

It was bittersweet to think of all those moments he might have missed in the years that passed since he saw her as a newborn baby. He had missed so much of her early years, and that regret weighed heavy, and it would remain heavy, no matter how hard he might try to make amends for that. He was willing to try, whether that was to be her father or just to be someone she could call family.

"You should call your horse, Star," Daisy told Tommy, "I like that name."

"Star it is," Tommy nodded with a slight grin.

She was a Shelby in the making, Tommy knew that.

"He's been talking to her for an hour," Vinnie whispered to his sister as he joined her at the bottom of the stairs, "He even offered to make us tea, are you sure he's the same man you told me about?"

Vinnie was referring to the endless discussions they'd had about her life in Small Heath before she moved to London. He had always assumed that Thomas Shelby was rock hard to the core, a man with no room in his chest for a heart. Yet, the man sitting beside Daisy, seemed willing to love, he was attentive and willing to right the wrongs caused by his actions. He wanted to prove that he could be someone who Florence and the children could rely on.

"Where's Ollie?" Florence asked her brother, ignoring his previous statement about Tommy.

"He's with George and Lizzie, Charles is there too," Vinnie told her quietly, "Tommy asked them to look after the boys so that he could spend some time with Daisy."

"Really?" Florence remarked in surprise, which caught the attention of both Tommy and Florence.

"Mummy!" Daisy smiled, "Tommy bought me a horse."

"Oh, that's lovely, Daisy," Florence replied as she approached the table, unsure of what else she could say.

"Daisy, why don't we go next door and see if Aunt Polly has any of that fruitcake you like?" Vinnie suggested, holding his hand out to the little girl who was unknowingly sitting beside her father, as he sensed that Florence and Tommy needed a moment to talk.

"Yes please!" Daisy smiled, before turning to Tommy,  "See you later!" She was quick to hug Tommy, which surprised him, and before he could react she was leading her uncle out of the door.

"I was going to ask you first," Tommy was quick to insist the second he and Florence were alone, "But when I knocked, Vinnie answered the door, and said I could come in."

"It's fine," Florence insisted as she took a seat opposite him, "She seems happy, I just don't want to complicate her world."

"I know that," Tommy assured her, "And I won't tell her the truth."

"Thank you."

"But I don't want to be a stranger in her life," Tommy replied, "I know that I don't have the right to ask for that-"

"It's okay," Florence assured him, "Besides, the way she looks at you, you've got a little shadow for life."

Florence's words settled Tommy's doubts, because while he knew that Florence could protect herself and the children, he had still worried that she would turn him away. There would always be a part of him that feared he put Florence and the children in danger. But it was Florence's ability to protect herself that silenced those fears he was once haunted by.

"What are you doing today?" Florence asked, "I'm sure Daisy would be happy to spend the day with you."

"I wish I could, but we're expecting trouble," Tommy sighed, sharing the burden of information with her in a way he would once refuse to in an effort to protect her, "A few years after you went to London, Arthur wasn't right in the head, he beat a boy to death, and now his mother's invited Arthur over for a gathering to mark his birthday."

"Why would she invite Arthur?" Florence frowned.

"Changretta, no doubt," Tommy answered, "I'd put money on it."

"So I assume you'll be there too, making sure he can't get to Arthur," Florence replied.

"And then we'll take out Changretta and his men," Tommy told her, "I'll have all my men on this, so you'll need to be somewhere safe."

"You know I could kill a man with ease, Thomas," Florence folded her arms across her chest.

"I don't doubt that," Tommy muttered, "But I won't have you thrust into this as a pawn for your father to toy with."

"So what'll you have me do?" Florence sighed as she leant back in her chair, "Stay at home, in wait like the good old days?"

"Not at all, you can do as you please, I know you can hold your own," Tommy told her, "Just steer clear of Artillery Square, alright?"

"Alright," Florence nodded, "I'll let Ollie spend the rest of the day with George, but I'll take Daisy to meet Michael, it'd be good to get to know him properly, and Daisy'll like him."

"He seems keen on you," Tommy sighed, his jaw clenched.

"Does he?" Florence quipped with raised eyebrows.

"I've got to go," Tommy huffed as he stood up, "Look after yourself."

"Tommy," Florence called out as she stood up, her voice stopping him on his way to the front door, "You're not jealous, are you?"

"I wasn't jealous of the man you spent six years calling your husband," Tommy answered, because there had never been anyone he considered a threat when it came to Florence, only his own demons, "I'm certainly not jealous of my cousin who can't even tie his own laces without leaning on his mother for support."

"I'll bear that in mind," Florence replied, as she watched him open the door, "Be careful...Daisy will be expecting to see her new best friend soon."

"I'm sure Michael could fill that void for her," Tommy answered.

"I doubt that."

Tommy looked Florence up and down one last time before leaving her house without a word. He knew that she was a woman of her own mind, and therefore it wasn't for him to put pressure on her to see that he was there. He wanted her to see that while he was still Thomas Shelby, the Peaky Blinder, he was also Thomas Shelby, the man who put family first.

Florence wasn't blind, she could see that he was trying, her heart was simply full of complicated feelings she didn't know how to decipher. He was the same in so many ways, but his priorities had changed, and he was willing to fight for love instead of pushing it away, fearing the pain that might come with it.

She too had become accustomed to protecting herself from getting hurt, but she knew Tommy, better than she knew anyone else, and she could read him, she knew that it would be different this time. It was as though their once uneven power dynamic had balanced out, fire and water had become fire and fire, or what Aunt Polly considered a powerhouse.

"Why are you in hospital, Michael?" Daisy asked her new acquaintance as she sat on her mother's knee.

"Because he's poorly, love," Florence ran a hand through her daughter's hair, giving Michael a knowing look, "He needs his rest."

"Do you like fruitcake?" Daisy asked the man, "Next time we'll bring Aunt Polly's fruitcake."

"That'd be nice," Michael nodded, still finding his feet in the company of the woman and girl who appeared in the doorway to his hospital room twenty minutes before.

"Have they told you when you'll be allowed out?" Florence asked.

"If Mum had her way I'd never leave," Michael sighed.

"She just wants you to be okay," Florence assured him, "That's all that parents want for their children."

"And you?" Michael replied, with some knowledge of Florence's background, "When all this is done, will you return to London?"

"I'm still not sure," Florence answered honestly, because she simply hadn't had enough time to think about it. The club was there, the house was there, their lives were there, but their family...

Florence looked over her shoulder at the sound of a door opening as a nurse walked in, clutching a tray that had a teapot and two teacups on it.

"Why don't you show Michael your horse again, sweet girl?" Florence suggested as she kissed the top of her daughter's head.

"Okay," Daisy nodded as she slipped off her mother's lap, hurrying towards the windowsill where she had left the wooden horse minutes before.

"What are you doing?" At the sound of Michael's voice, Florence looked up to see the nurse snatching his bag from the chair as the young man stood up to stop her, immediately getting shoved to the floor.

Florence was quick to pull her gun from its holster, but she froze when she saw that in the midst of the chaos, another woman posing as a nurse had grabbed Daisy.

"Put her down." Florence warned, aiming her gun at the woman, with little intention of firing for the sake of her daughter who let out a cry of fear.

"I cannot," The woman answered with a slight smile as she carried Daisy out of the room.

"Let my daughter go!" Florence shouted as she ran after the woman, but before she could reach her, the other 'nurse' shoved her to the ground before following her friend out of the room.

The sound of a bullet echoed from the corridor and Florence froze.

"It's not Daisy!" Michael attempted to assure her as he tried to scramble from the floor, "If that's Changretta they won't hurt her."

"Michael, they have my daughter!" Florence reminded him as she stood up, before turning to help him up as he grunted in pain.

"I know," Michael winced as the sound of footsteps grew closer as his heartbeat quickened.

Florence and Michael looked up at the sound of the door locking to be met with the sight of Luca Changretta.

"I was not expecting to see you here, la mia bellissima figlia," Luca sighed as he glanced between the pair.

"Where the fuck is my daughter?" Florence hissed as she retrieved her gun, pointing it at him, her knuckles going white as she gripped the weapon.

"Uh, uh, uh," Luca shook his head, "If you shoot me you will never see Daisy again, my people will have her on the next ship to New York."

"You know Tommy wouldn't let you," Florence gritted her teeth.

"Well I'm not here for Mr Shelby, I'm not here for you," Luca told her before turning his attention to Michael, slowly pacing towards him, "Where I'm from, a hat on the bed is unlucky, my family...say it brings death...maybe that's what happened, last time my man was sent for you? you got lucky."

Florence watched her father as he slowly pulled a gun from his pocket, wrapping his hand around it as he pressed the barrel to Michael's forehead. Michael's breath became faltered as he feared his looming death.

"Take one last look at my daughter, you won't see an angel as beautiful as that where you'll end up," Luca muttered, "Your luck's run out."

"Let him go," Florence warned sternly, fearing for how Polly would react if she were to lose her only son.

Before Florence could speak another word, Luca had pressed the trigger, but no bullet came, no blood, no death.

Michael's eyes fluttered open in shock as Luca lowered his gun, slowly pacing away from the young pair.

"Where is Daisy?" Florence asked, more concerned for her daughter's safety.

"She is safe," Luca assured her blankly.

"If any of your men have laid a hand on her, I will chop them off finger by finger," Florence warned.

"Such a creative mind for a child who grew up in a place so grey," Luca laughed under his breath.

"You don't have a fucking clue," Florence replied, fearing what she could be capable of if that man or anyone else harmed her daughter.

"Michael," Luca ignored his daughter's threats, "Tell your mother, we have a deal."

"What?" Florence looked at Michael in disbelief as Luca and his accomplice left the room, "Where is my daughter?"

She looked back at Michael, wondering what exactly Luca meant.

"What has Polly done?" Florence asked, "And don't fucking try and protect her when I don't know where my daughter is."

"I don't know, I promise," Michael assured her, "But this should stay between us."

"You best fucking hope I find my daughter then," Florence warned.

The sound of a commotion in the hallway startled the pair who had been locked in the room by the Italians. They looked up to see Tommy, Arthur, Vinnie and some other Peaky Blinders on the other side of the glass.

Arthur shot at the lock, and Tommy was quick to push through it, "Florence," He exhaled breathlessly as he ran towards the woman, "Where's Daisy?"

"They took her," Florence whispered as her body began to tremble with realisation, "He said I'd never see her again if I killed him."

"Arthur, Vinnie, Finn," Tommy shouted, "Find Daisy now."

The three men fled from the room, followed by Johnny Dogs, who felt he owed it to his late friend Imelda Dawson, to find the young girl.

"What if they take her to America?" Florence muttered as Tommy stood opposite her, her voice trembling as she suppressed the tears that she hadn't let anyone see her shed in some time, "Tommy, I can't lose her."

"Come on," Tommy wrapped his arms around her, holding Florence to his chest, "They won't get that far, the boys will find her."

"What if they-"

"Florence, just breathe," Tommy soothed before looking at Michael, who he had paid little attention to since arriving at the hospital, "What happened?"

"They heard you coming and ran, the gun misfired," Michael was quick to answer.

Florence didn't have the energy to fight it, she was a mother too, so she knew that whatever was happening, Polly had her reasons. But Florence had also been raised around Shelbys, people who resolved conflict with violence, something she wouldn't have any qualms in resorting to if anything were to happen to Daisy. 

"I need to find her, I need to find Daisy," Florence replied as she attempted to wriggle out of Tommy's embrace.

"The boys are looking for her," Tommy assured her, as he steadied his grip on her body, "The Changrettas won't have taken her far."

"I'm scared."

Tommy knew that there was somewhere he could be of more use, and in fact somewhere else he needed to be. Changretta had taken his little girl, his daughter, and there he stood, with his arms cradling Florence, rather than trying to find her himself.

"I'll find her," Tommy insisted as he guided Florence back towards a chair, "I'll find her and bring her back to you, okay?"

"Alright, okay," Florence nodded, "Please, bring her back."

Without another word, Tommy ran out into the corridor, his mind running wild with fears of where his daughter might be. Luca Changretta was a smart man, a man who knew what family meant to Thomas Shelby, so he wouldn't take Daisy back to America unless he wanted to start a war.

Tommy ran down the corridor, opening cupboards, storerooms and consultation rooms one by one in search of his daughter. He needed to find her, he couldn't lose the little girl who was part of him when there was still so much to learn about her.

After running through the corridors and up and down the stairs for almost thirty minutes, Tommy reached the cafeteria, which was his last hope. He pushed through the doors, met with the sight of an empty room filled with rows of tables and chairs.

Well, it was empty except for one person.

Sat at the end of a table was Daisy, with a glass of milk and a slice of cake in front of her, a content smile on her face as she kicked her feet back and forth, being too short for them to reach the floor.

"Daisy," Tommy gasped as he ran towards her, crouching beside her as he cupped her face gently with his hands, "Are you alright, Daisy?"

"Yeah," Daisy nodded, blissfully unaware of what had unfolded, "Would you like some cake?"

"No thank you, Daisy," Tommy smiled half heartedly, relieved to see the little girl was okay, "Why don't we find your mummy?

"Okay," Daisy nodded as she let Tommy pick her up and carry her out of the room, back towards Michael's small hospital room, "Mummy's friend said the man with blue eyes is my dad, what does it mean?"

Tommy stopped in his tracks, still holding Daisy on his hip, unsure of how exactly to navigate such a question. Daisy wasn't meant to know, Florence had worked so hard to protect Daisy from further complications, but with information like that bestowed upon her, a child as intelligent as Daisy was bound to ask questions.

"Why don't we talk about it when we find Mummy, eh?" Tommy suggested.

After some time making their way back through the hospital, Tommy pushed through the door of Michael's room, Daisy still in his arms as Florence looked up at the pair.

"You found her," Florence muttered in disbelief as she stood up from the table and ran towards the pair, wrapping her arms around both Daisy and Tommy, "Is everything okay?"

"Not exactly," Tommy sighed.

"What?"

Tommy looked over at Arthur who was standing with Michael, "Arthur," He called out as he placed Daisy back on the ground, "Don't let Daisy out of your sight."

"Where are we-" Tommy took Florence's hand and led her out into the hallway, feeling a need to inform her of what Luca Changretta had told Daisy.

"It's Changretta," Tommy told her, "He told Daisy that her father is the man with blue eyes."

"What?" Florence remarked, "Why would he do that?"

"To confuse her, to make all this more complicated for us, I don't know," Tommy sighed as he leant against the wall, "But I just told her we'd talk about it with you, I don't think she knows."

"But she will," Florence replied in fear, "She's a smart girl, it won't take her long, so we need to tell her, I need to tell her."

"Are you sure?"

"Finding out that Luca Changretta is my father at almost thirty years old was an ordeal in itself," Florence sighed, "I know it's not exactly the same, but perhaps telling her is the best way to protect her, before her brain can comprehend why Elijah left."

"Do we tell her together?" Tommy asked.

"No," Florence shook her head, "I'll tell her myself, soon, I just want to get her back home first."

Florence had been waiting on her doorstep for sometime, waiting for a certain person to return. She needed answers, she needed to know why her daughter had been caught up in whatever warning that was.

So when the familiar car pulled up outside the Shelby house, Florence tossed her half smoked cigarette into the gutter and approached.

"We need to talk."

"Do we?" Polly remarked with a smile.

"We need to discuss the deal you made with Changretta," Florence replied simply, "And the warning he gave Michael that occurred while his little workers took my daughter from me and told her that her father is 'the blue eyed man.'"

"Have you told Tommy?" Polly replied simply.

"No," Florence shook her head, "You're going to tell him, but first you're going to tell me."

"You know that it's better if i don't tell you." Polly answered, supposed by the change in the young woman's ability to hold her own.

"That might have been the case six years ago, but we both know that while I may have once been a hindrance, I'm now an asset to this company," Florence reminded Polly.

"If your mother could see you now," Polly sighed with a smile, "She'd be proud of you."

"For what?"

"Becoming the woman she never believed she could be, and becoming the woman she always knew you were born to be."

author's note: we are back! a little bit of classic chaos for you - while florence and tommy bond over being parents to daisy