𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐕𝐈.
secrets and lies
❝ HE'S NOT SAFE AND I WANT YOU SAFE ❞

BIRMINGHAM,
ENGLAND 1919

♜ ━━━━━ THINGS WEREN'T GOOD.

Del was missing the action all over the place.

Her Tommy was busy, busy, always busy. The police had raided the factory where Margo's dad worked and now everyone was on strike which was really not on at all. Now, he'd no work and they wouldn't have any pay for food. Arthur had been mopey and drunk, swinging wildly between angry and sad with no clear trigger. Ada was married to Freddie f—cking Thorne, without even inviting Del. Finn had been given more jobs only fit for eleven year olds, meaning he was off with the men more often than not.

Life was sh—t.

And things were only made worse when Finn himself arrived in number six at lunch, arms outstretched and a shite—eating grin on his young face. Della'd been feasting herself on a delicious meat pie, but her appetite turned sour at the sight of Finn waltzing in with a smile like butter wouldn't melt. This was always the smile one wore when the other was about to go absolutely green with envy.

Del gripped her fork tighter, gritting out, "What?"

"We're going to the races." Finn nearly laid across the table to inform her, "The men're going and they're taking me with 'em."

"They're not," Del couldn't believe it.

"They are. No fooling."

"Taking you? And not me?"

"Dunno." Finn was still beaming, like a perfect little sh—t, "We're going to be an army, Arthur says, get to bring a weapon an' everything. We're gonna stick it to the Lee family, he said."

Why they needed to stick it to the Lee family didn't much matter, Della just wanted to be a part of it. And the fact that she was being purposefully excluded... The pure injustice of it all nearly stole her breath away.

It was time to turn her luck round and take her fate into her own hands.

Del dropped her fork, shoved herself away from the table, and made for the front door. Distantly aware of Finn digging hungrily into her abandoned lunch, the girl marched her little self away from the house and down Garrison Lane until she reached the pub proper. Della used her entire body to shove through the double doors and take in the sight awaiting her.

This was her first time entering the Garrison unescorted, and she couldn't even enjoy the rebelliousness of it all.

The table by the window was occupied by a group of men whose faces she didn't recognise. Others stood at the bar, smoking and drinking bitter or mild. Scudboat collected bets from punters at tables and the blonde barmaid was peering at her with a furrowed brow and curious eyes. Everyone in the pub froze a little at the sight of her, as if they recognised her.

It was strange to be famous and not even know it.

Del ignored them all and twisted open the door to the snug, pushing in with as much confidence she could muster. Her Tommy was right where she suspected he'd be, with one leg folded over the other, a cigarette in his frowning mouth, and a pile of papers in front of him. She'd clearly surprised him by her arrival, and she basked in the thrill of it.

"Are you allowed alone in here?"

Della shrugged indifferently, ignoring the fact that she most certainly was not. Instead, she put her hands on her hips and announced as steadily as she could, "I want t'go to the races."

With a twitch to his brow, Tommy pulled the cigarette from his mouth, "Do you?"

"Yea, I do. I'll go with you."

"Mm." He stubbed his cig on a crystal tray, "I'll take you another day, eh, Della?"

"Finn's goin'," she pointed out.

"Not going with me."

"Who's goin' with you?"

"Just a person."

Her nose scrunched, but she didn't push that particular topic as she wasn't sure she'd like the answer, "So, I can go with Finn and Uncle John and Uncle Arthur?"

"No."

First the fair, and now this. It was maddening, insulting really. Her hands fisted at her sides, grabbing fistfuls of dress as she did so, "Is it 'cause I'm a girl?"

She'd shocked him, she could see she had. It didn't please her like it did before.

"No..." Tommy blinked a few times, "It'd be the same if you'd been my son. Just not the sort of thing for little kids."

She nearly sneered at the 'little kids' comment. Instead, she wanted to know, "Why's it not?"

Another 'why' question. Tommy tensed his jaw and drew in a long tight breath. Del knew she was likely annoying him now, pushing his metaphorical buttons. She couldn't help it but. He was doing things, always doing things, and she just... She wanted to be a part of it. If he'd let her. Tommy's face was stern and cold, but the eyes that were just like hers were flickering with all sorts of things. He was trying to figure her out, trying to figure out what to say to her. It wasn't going very well.

"Because..." Shockingly enough, Tommy fumbled somewhat, "Because it's just not."

This was absolutely the weakest response to one of her audacious requests that Della'd ever heard, and Del had made a lot of audacious requests in her little life. Her indignation must have shown on her face because Tommy quickly moved on, clearing his throat a little.

"You know, Della, the Garrison is our pub now."

She sounded exhausted, sighing a reply, "Is it?"

"It is. Technically, Arthur's. Isn't that grand?"

"Grand..." Her admittance was sour, "So, I can come anytime? To the pub?"

"If I'm here and you get permission, you can, yea."

Del knew he was trying to distract her, bribe her even. It wasn't going to work. She turned heel and left the Garrison in a swirl of dark hair and arched brows.

Bloody fathers.

Honestly, what was the point?

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Tommy and Freddie pointed guns at each other's heads, two best friends torn apart, completely different people from the boys they once were. No one came back the same, and everything had changed. There was once a time Tommy would have died for Freddie, and Freddie would have done just the same — he nearly had, when he took a bullet for him back in France.

Now, here they were, with guns pointed and hatred in their eyes.

The way Freddie looked at him... such disgusted disbelief.

"I love her, Tommy." He said it so sincerely, it would be impossible for anyone to ever deny it, "I've loved her since she was nine and I was twelve. She loves me the same."

Slowly, Freddie got up from where he'd been put on his back, gun lowered at his side.

"Do you even know the word?"

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

As usual, Del went back to Polly.

Polly who didn't confuse her, who had a clear role, who doled out both whackings and embraces without ever doubting her love. Della followed her aunt round for most of the day, as she used to back in the early days. A little duckling following around her mother duck, cursing when she cursed, rolling her eyes when she did.

Polly tended to her, even though she agreed that the Cheltenham Races wasn't the sort of thing that little Del Shelby should be attending. She was too tired for indignation, and she wasn't really even mad at Finn anymore, who tried to make it up to her by promising to share all the excitin' details as soon as he got back. That had to be good enough, she supposed. As night set in, Del fell asleep against Pol's side with Finn's head resting in her lap, breath deep and slow with sleep.

Tommy found them like that, heart twisting in regret at the sight.

Pol shushed him lightly, still stroking their little heads.

The man sighed as he sat down across from her, dropping a small wad of bills onto the short table, "Freddie didn't want your money. And now the coppers are saying that if we don't turn Freddie in, they'll put Ada on the arrest warrant as well."

Polly did her best to remain stoic, though her eyes flickered with worry and frustration in equal measure.

"That's where your compassion gets you, Pol." He hissed under his breath, "From now on, we do it my way."

She hissed back, "Or what?"

Tommy left, with his daughter still sleeping in Polly's arms.

The next morning, Del snuck out.

Before the first streaks of light had even touched the sky, she climbed out the window sill and let her barefeet hang from the second story. Skin prickling from the cold air, the little girl reached as close as she could to the gutter, took a deep breath, and then leapt. The jump itself was perilous should she miss — the drop from the window to the concrete below would crush her head in for sure, but she wasn't scared. She knew what she was doing. With a sturdy grip on the gutter, she heaved and then pressed her chest into the filthy drainpipe above. From there, all she had to do was lift on her toes and then shimmy onto the roof.

Easy as breathing, really.

Second nature at this point.

Della had her shoes hanging from her shoulders by their laces and they bumped into her stomach as she dashed along the rooftops of Small Heath. She passed Watery Lane, cut over the Garrison, avoided Charlie's yard, and left behind her boundaries for roaming entirely. Soon, she'd arrived at a bridge over the Cut just as a white sun began to rise. And just like her mates had predicted, a small boat chugged into view.

"Ada! A—da!"

Her aunt and her new husband both jerked up to stare at the girl who was racing them over land. The girl tugged on her boots now, hopping from foot to foot as she hurried down a slippery staircase to the lower bank.

Freddie stood on the bow with a look of absolute disbelief on his face, "How the h—ll'd she manage to find us?"

"She's Della, that's how." Ada rolled her eyes fondly and waved a hand back, "Hello, little trouble!"

Del hopped, skipped, and jumped down onto the boat with steady feet. The little girl shrieked happily as Ada immediately dragged her close. Her aunt was very pregnant now, blue dress stretching to accommodate her swollen belly. As she hugged her close, Della felt a swift kick from her baby cousin to her own chest. She giggled at the sensation and lightly tapped her fist back as if knocking hello.

"I'm massive, aren't I?"

Del grinned, "Bloody enormous!"

Ada barked a laugh and flicked her nose, "No manners at all."

Della was more than aware of that. As she perched onto the ledge at her side, she glanced over at Freddie meeting with some trench—coated man under the bridge, whispering and exchanging money. It was all very hush—hush; Del suspected it had more to do with the commie—something business.

Ada rolled her eyes at them, lighting a cigarette as she sighed to herself, "You're out early, Della, what'll Polly say?"

"Dunno, don't care. Wanted to see you."

It had taken time and patience, no mistake, but once Del had asked her little mates and their older siblings to keep an eye out for her aunt as they went about their business through the city. It wasn't long before sightings began to crop up. Kids always saw more than adults, anyway.

"I wanted to see you, too." Her aunt smiled and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose, "You hear I'm a married woman now?"

"I did, yea..." Disappointment at having missed the wedding swirled in her stomach, and she knew she had to distract herself. With a sigh, she pointed at her aunt's cigarette, "Can I have a puff?"

"Not on your life." She blew some smoke into the air, "Tommy'd kill me."

"He won't know."

Ada rolled her eyes, she still didn't give her the cig but. They sat in a quiet and companionable silence before she quietly said, "He can't know you've seen me, you know?"

"I know. I've lied already."

She had lied to him, about Freddie, about Ada. He'd restricted her from his business, from whatever he was up to with Finn and the uncles. It seemed only justified to restrict him from this in turn. Still, it left an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, one that she wasn't used to. What was the point in having a father if he stayed away all the d—mn time?

Della sighed and asked, "You're staying on this boat, so?"

"Nah. We're staying here and there. Freddie's not wanting to leave Birmingham, but he wants to move round a lot, to make sure we stay hidden."

"From Tommy?" Del ventured softly.

Ada's lips were a sad sort of frown, "Yea... "

"And... from me?"

"Never you."

Ada's eyes filled with warmth and she pecked a kiss to her forehead. They could bicker and fight and argue all day long, but Ada was also the closest Del'd ever have to a sister. Being away from her had been sad, and Del didn't like it at all.

She held up her littlest finger, "Promise?"

"Promise." Ada lopped their fingers, holding tight, "You'll always know where I am, promise it."

Freddie's boots thudded onto the boat when he returned, pushing some hair across his forehead when he approached, "Orright Della?"

Del puckered her lips, peering up at him sourly. He raised a brow at the intensity of her stare, the scrutiny in the line of her lips. It was like seeing Tommy Shelby in a little girl's face, but those arched brows of disapproval — those were all Greta.

"Treat her right, Freddie Thorne..." She shook a little fist, "Or else."

Ada grinned.

Freddie put his hands up in surrender and did his best not to laugh, "I believe you, Della—girl. I'll treat her right, swear."

The girl nodded sternly, turned heel, and disappeared back into Small Heath. Then, by the time Polly came to wake and dress her, Del was safely back in her bed and feigning sleep.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Del's gang was playing football out on Garrison Lane, the scrape on her knee from the last match still stinging like a mad b—stard. She didn't see Tommy approach 'til he'd passed their wandering football back to Georgie as he walked away from the pub. Her mates went quiet quickly, all a bit terrified of the Peaky Blinder. Del abandoned them to walk with her father, hands shoved in her pockets as she listened in. Mister Jeremiah Jesus had jogged to meet her father's side which promised that news was imminent.

"Jeremiah, Jeremiah." Tommy hummed, "What do you see?"

"Your sister and Freddie got back this morning..." Mister Jesus cast Del a look that had her stiffening for a moment. He knew. After a flash of absolute terror, the pastor apparently decided to keep her secret, "I tried followin' them. But Freddie's so good at getting away. He's like a fish."

Del swallowed harshly, palms sweating in her pockets.

"Right." Her father didn't notice, "Well, keep fishing, eh?"

The girl's legs had gone quite rigid beneath her, refusing to take another step as she watched her father stride back down the street. Then, slowly, she turned to peer up at the pastor with wide terrified eyes.

But he'd not grass, that much was clear by the kind but warning glint in his dark eyes, "There's trouble coming for us all, little Miss Shelby, you best be careful."

"Yessir," she croaked, "I will, Mister Jesus, sir."

The pastor nodded back, long dreads swinging as he stepped down the street. Del dazedly wandered back to join her gang and their younger siblings, heart still pounding wildly in her little chest and distracting her so much she was practically useless the rest of their match. At least, her efforts weren't missed when Finn raced over to her less than an hour later, startling her as he panted and tried to catch his breath.

"What's it?"

He grabbed her sleeve, shaking her a little, "Someone sacked the shop!"

"No!" She grabbed his sleeve in return, "Honest?"

"Swear on me life!"

"Who?"

"Dunno!" He tugged her onward, using her sleeve to drag her down the lane, "Come on, we've to tell Tommy,"

The two kids dashed towards the Garrison, not bothering with being subtle as they tumbled inside and hurried towards the snug. Still hopelessly out of breath, Finn shoved open the door, and Del tripped inside into the small room full of her uncles, aunt, and father.

Polly straightened at the sight of her, already halfway scolding, "Now, Della, you know the rules—,"

She groaned, "Yea, I know, but—,"

"Tommy!" Finn came to her rescue, "We've been done over."

"What?" Arthur gaped.

Tommy's face dashed white and he hurried towards them immediately, his hand on Del's shoulder as they rushed out the pub. It must have been a terrifying sight for the rest of Small Heath, to see the entire horde of Shelby men, women, and children charging through the streets. The madness of it all absolutely thrilled Della.

Just as they reached the end of Garrison Lane, her da stopped, pointed at the pair of kids, and in a strained voice, ordered them to stay out of the house. F—cking typical. Finn groaned but Del thought it best not to force his hand, not when she already was keeping secrets from him.

Once the rest of the family had stormed off, Finn kicked at the gravel with a swear, "Now what d'we do?"

Del sighed, spun in a lazy circle, and then cocked her head at the sight of the garage in the middle of the lane, across from the factory. The doors were wide open, and the shiny family motor was parked on display, simply asking to be tampered with. Oh yes, that seemed the perfect entertainment.

A wide grin split across Della's little face, "How's a lovely afternoon drive sound, Finny?"

Her best friend met her eye and matched her grin.

The pair sprinted towards the motor, Finn beating her by only a second. They each pulled themselves upward, and Del boosted herself inside, kicking her little feet to better wedge herself through the gap of the door and the roof. Then she planted herself into the front seat and grinned as Finn did the same.

They'd be robbers today, or better yet — Tommy Shelby on the run from the coppers after stealing a horse or a bag of cash or maybe even the crown jewels. Who was to say not all three? Soon enough, Finn was the getaway driver while Del was shooting at the b—stards chasing them with a gun made of her fingers, swearing up a storm.

She looked in the rearview, shouting, "You'll never catch us, you sons of b—tches!"

"Finn? Della."

Del whipped around, scratching her curls out of her eyes to find Tommy standing just outside the garage. He was taking each step like the ground might give out beneath him, looking suddenly very pale. Della turned pale in return.

"Kids, stay exactly where you are."

"We were pretendin' we were you," Finn laughed sheepishly.

Del's eyes were huge as moons, "We didn't break any rules, honest—,"

Tommy swallowed hard and stretched out a hand, taking slow measured steps towards them, "Which door did you open to come in, Finn?"

"We didn't, we climbed in."

Tommy licked his lips and crossed slowly around the front of the motor. His voice dropped to a near whisper, forcing a reassuring smile, "I want you both to climb out exactly the same way you climbed in, okay?"

Finn giggled and dashed away from his brother, throwing open the motor door. There was a quiet thwick as a wire pulled and then a strange looking device tumbled onto the ground just beneath Del's new boots. The girl's eyes widened. She'd read enough books and heard enough stories to know what that was.

Holy shite.

"No, no, Finn—!"

Tommy cried out as he grabbed Del with one arm and the device with the other. He yanked them both out of the motor and then sprinted towards the edge of the garage, clutching his daughter to him before he hurled the grenade into the street.

"Clear!"

As it landed, Tommy spun and grabbed onto Finn just as the grenade exploded. A massive blast of fire neatly pitched him over, covering both kids with his own body. But then the noise was done just as quick as it began. Della's ears were ringing again, hand fisted into the scratchy fabric of Tommy's suit coat. Finn was panting, his pupils as big as coins while his arms hung loosely down at his sides. Her father shakily set Del down to her unsteady feet, hand sliding over her hair down her arm to hold her wrist.

Then, they all slowly turned to look at the street.

Holy shite, indeed.

A few men laid stretched out, but they got to their feet easily enough. No one was injured. Just a stack of smoldering coal remained from the explosion of the grenade. It was over. They were safe. Tommy's grip on their wrists was painful as he pulled Del and Finn close to his sides. He swept down to kneel in front of them, big eyes peering between each of their pale faces.

"That's why neither of you should ever pretend to be me. Okay?" Finn slowly nodded and Tommy looked at Della, "Okay?"

When he was confident of their promises, Tommy hugged them both to his chest where he was certain they were safe.

He didn't know, then, that Adeline would never be able to keep that promise.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

What does the word of the devil mean?

A man's word is only as good as the man himself, and this inspector might've been the devil himself.

So, Tommy and the devil were locked in a standoff.

It was late, and raining, and the air was cold. He thought of his little daughter, dry and safe and likely in bed. Del'd have to be home by now, that was the rule. She'd free reign of Watery Lane and all its houses and roofs so long as she was in the home by dark. It comforted him at least, to know that she wasn't anywhere near the storm he'd brought down upon them.

The truce between them was waning, Tommy knew it. He was making deal after deal, trading lives for his sister. The inspector was getting restless. Protection and information for Bolsheviks just might not be enough anymore. He wanted the guns. And it was getting harder and harder to put him off.

"But..." Inspector Campbell sighed deep from himself, "I hope to God that my dismissal doesn't come before your decision to hand back those guns."

Tommy glanced out into the rain, staring at the darkness with barely contained disdain.

"And I say this for your sake. Because if I were to be fired, and it were your fault, I would do things that would shame the devil." The older man smiled and then chuckled to himself, leaning his head far away back, "My fury is a thing to behold..."

The air had changed.

"On my last day in power, for example..." The inspector slowly stood, taking the five crunching steps that separated them, "I would see to it that you and your scum brothers have your heads stoved in with mallets and spades."

Tommy dipped his chin down, blinking slowly, cigarette beginning to bend in his fingers.

"And your sister, too. That baby inside her would be of no consequence to me."

Tommy's expression hardened, the tightening in his throat becoming nearly unbearable.

"The only one to be spared would be your little brother, Finn."

His throat was closing, and now his lungs too, it was becoming impossible to breathe.

Inspector Cambell paused, gave him a lingering smile, "And I'd never forget your darling daughter, Adeline."

Tommy barely held in his flinch, cigarette crushing completely within a tightening fist.

"They would, however, be lifted as juveniles, and dumped in that part of the adult prison where men have the most appetite for children like them."

The inspector's twisted smile turned sympathetic, shaking his head grimly, "Oh, that would be a dark day indeed, Mister Shelby... if my dismissal comes before your decision." He pointed a finger into Tommy's chest, voice rising, "You understand?"

Tommy felt the storm inside him now.

The inspector backed away slowly, eyes never leaving his, that infuriating smile still twisted vilely beneath his mustache.

"And know this: the clock is ticking."

The moment his back turned, Tommy stalked forward and raised his gun, cocked the hammer, and let out two shivering breaths.

His hand was shaking.

The inspector stopped, stared out at the night, and Tommy let him walk away into the storm.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Soaked with rain and anxiety, Tommy tiredly trudged up the stairs of number six and paused in the doorway of his daughter's bedroom. She was sitting up with the blanket folded around her head and body, only her little pale face visible in the night. Gypsies, IRA, coppers — all over the place, he was struggling to keep her safe. But at least, right here, right now, she was okay. She was here. She was safe.

Tommy watched her stare out the window before he murmured, "And what're you up to, eh?"

Like an owl, Del slowly turned to look back at him, "Can't sleep."

His lips pursed and he cautiously lowered himself onto the cot at her side, the old springs creaking under his weight. After a moment, he asked, "You orright, after today? Not hurt?"

"Nah..." She released the blanket to reveal her palms, "Scragged up me hands, Polly bandaged them but."

He hummed and gently ran his fingers over the white cotton bandages. They watched each other's hands as they drifted into a comfortable silence with only the sound of the rain and Finn's deep breath filling the room. Tommy was just about to tell her to try to sleep when she looked back at him with wide blue eyes, absolutely swimming with tears.

"I... I was there. With Ada and Freddie, I saw 'em, this mornin'."

He stilled, fingers still on her palms when his eyes darted up to hers, "You... what?"

"I didn't tell ya. I'm sorry, Tommy..."

Her da's sigh seemed to come from the very depths of him, and he leaned forward to rub his fingers into his eyes. The girl watched him worriedly, biting onto her bottom lip as she fidgeted nervously in the quilt stitched by her grandmother.

Finally, she whispered, "Youse're angry?"

"Not angry." He heaved another sigh and shook his head, still massaging his headache, "Just don't like ya keepin' secrets from me."

"I don't want t'keep secrets from ya."

"Orright." Tommy nodded for a second and then glanced at her, "We'll make a deal, eh? No more secrets."

"You'll keep secrets." Del pointed out, clutching the blanket tighter, "You might."

"Fair enough." It really was. Already, his daughter saw right through him. So, he suggested something else instead, "How's this? We don't lie. We may keep secrets, but if the other asks, we don't lie. Not ever."

She considered this for a long time before nodding a bit, "Orright."

He stretched out a hand and her little one folded with his.

"No lies."

There. It was agreed.

"So." Tommy reached into his coat to find himself a cigarette, "You know where she's been, then?"

Del nodded a bit warily, biting her thumbnail as she peered up at him. She was worried he'd make her tell him where. She didn't want to betray Ada and she didn't want to lie to Tommy. It was a painful position to be in. But mercifully, her father didn't press.

"Orright. Then... I have a job I need you to do for me. Tomorrow, I've got a bit of business at the shop that I want you away for." Del's lips parted, about to express her immense outrage, but Tommy held up a hand to stop her before she could start, "Ah, ah. There's a guest comin' to inspect our business and I don't want you crossin' paths with him."

"Billy Kimber?"

Tommy looked sharply down at her, staring at her keen face before shaking his head in disbelief, "There's no gettin' by you, is there? Well, since you know everything, yes. Billy Kimber. He's a pain in the arse, but he's a pain that we need to work with for the time being which means whenever he's round, I want you away. He's not safe and I want you safe. Orright?"

"Yea." Hers was a begrudging agreement, "Orright."

"Good stuff. Now, to make up for missing such excitement, how about you do me a job, eh? You've wanted to do more Peaky business, yea?"

"Yea." Del scooted closer, her knees brushing his thigh, eyes gleaming, "Is it dangerous?"

"Oh yea. Very, very dangerous." Tommy squinted at her, a bit conspiratorial before he leaned in and whispered, "I need you to deliver a message for me."

Maybe this fathering business wasn't so difficult, after all.

━━━━━━ annie speaks ━━━━━━

whew! chapter six! okay, so i'm pretty nervous about this one because i felt like we were kind of all over the place? there was a lot to cover and i wanted to make sure that it still flowed. i'm not sure it did, let me know? at least it actually turned out pretty sweet at the end, i melted just a little. tommy is a murderer but he does love his daughter so that's good. and del is a little troublemaker and it brings me so much joy. also, i love kind of exploring del's other relationships with her family - each interaction is all pretty different so it was fun to include in this chapter.

so now it's time for me to hear what you think about this whole mess? thoughts? feelings? theories?

sidenote, campbell is a disgusting worm and i hate him. send tweet.