ACT: TWO
CHAPTER xix: ' parley with the IRA! '

On Sundays the Montgomery family were religiously obligated to attend mass. But with the twins stuck at home sick with a stomach bug they'd caught from school and Marie attending their bedside as their own personal nurse, Eli went with Polly.

They were a small parish, most of the men of Small Heath hadn't returned to holy grounds after having lost their souls in France to the sufferings of war. Not that anyone blamed them. Seeing the reality of how little human life was worth when matched with the merciless bullets of a machine gun, or the tunnels of Hell itself a Sapper would have crawled through to plant explosives under enemy lines, was bound to have that kind of effect of a person's beliefs.

"It's nice of you to join me for a change." Polly mumbled to Eli, keeping her voice low as to not disrupt the service.

"The twins are sick, Ma stayed home to take care of them." The younger explained, giving the woman a quick side glance. The two were sitting in the middle of the pews listening to the Priest read from the gospel, pamphlets in their hands and holy crosses around their necks. "I'll be back to ignoring you next week."

Marie Montgomery would be damned before she let her eldest daughter sit beside Elizabeth Gray in Chapel, her place was beside her family not a lowlife criminal. But since her family were not present, Eli was ever so gratefully granted the freedom to sit beside her closest friend and highest tipper from her various customers.

Polly pursed her lips into a small smirk at Eli's joke and arched her eyebrow intuitively. "Oh, so you're only using me now, is that it?"

Eli only nudged her playfully in response. They stayed quiet for the rest of the mass until the rest of the churchgoers had dispersed from the building and left only them in the pews.

Polly followed behind Eli as she made her way towards the candles to light one for her father. She waited until they'd reached the front before she brought up the news about Ada. "She still won't eat. Basket of bread and eggs were still sitting outside the door when I went down to visit her."

"She just lost the love of her life," Eli sighed as she lit the candle and blew out the matchstick, "I don't blame her for not having an appetite but she needs to feed the little one."

"Won't speak either." Polly added before a scowl quickly made it's way onto her face. "Tommy had the cheek to ask me to tell her he was innocent."

The last time Eli had seen Tommy was the night of John's wedding where she sat in the Garrison with the three brothers drinking the whiskey and gin Grace served them until Polly stormed in and gave him hell for giving Freddie up to the cops. She didn't stay long after that, following after Polly to help comfort a grieving Ada and wailing little baby Karl.

"Did he?" The blonde replied, unsure of how she was supposed to respond. She wasn't particularly at liberty to point the finger or believe such accusations that Tommy betrayed his former best friend. She didn't really have an opinion on the subject and it hardly mattered if she did. "What did Ada say?"

"Like I would tell her something I didn't believe myself. He can rot in all his pretend guilt and misery for all I care." Polly cursed, shaking her head as they made their exit from the chapel. She gave Eli a fleeting kiss on the cheek before bidding her goodbye, "I'll be off. Arthur Shelby Senior is back in town and I'd rather not leave the house empty for long with him lurking 'round the corner."

Eli nodded and watched her go before starting her own trek home where she was more than likeable to catch the stomach bug her sisters' had. The thought had her ecstatic to return to the house where two ten year olds were acting as if they'd caught the black death.

However, as she was walking through one of the main streets towards Green Lanes, a male figure suddenly fell into step beside her. She felt her chest fill with unease at the unexpected presence and forced herself to maintain her pace and carry on walking like normal. "Eliza, right?"

His Irish accent was hard to miss as his voice travelled through the space between them. Still, she didn't recognise it and for all she knew he could be a UDA member readying himself to shot the daughter of an enemy...

"Who's asking?"

Her unease only tripled as he chuckled lightly at her words. He didn't seem to realise she wasn't in the mood for chatting with strangers — either that, or he simply didn't care. Eli was willing to bet it was the latter.

"Funny y'know, ye'r boyfriend jus' said the same thing when I called in to the pub to say hello." Byrne smirked at her with a twisted sense of humour lining his eyes. "You are Eliza Montgomery or am I mistaken?"

Eli felt her breathing quicken as she snuck a glance at him from the side of her eyes but she made sure her voice was firm before she spoke. "I prefer Eli. And I don't have a boyfriend at the minute, your facts aren't quite as sharp as you might have thought I'm afraid."

"Ah, but sure what are such menial terms and labels to us Irish folk, eh?" Bryne nudged her with his elbow in a joking manner, not unlike the one she had given Polly in mass, but in this instance, there was no trance of playfulness between them and she tensed at his overly friendly touch. "Thomas Shelby seems to like you, so he does."

Of fucking course, this was about Tommy Shelby. It seemed she wasn't going to get a day off from all the shit the world kept throwing her way lately.

"I'm friends with his aunt and his sister used to work for me." Eli answered coyly. "It would be impolite to be rude to one another."

"Oh alright, so you's aren't close ye'rselves then?" She knew that question was a trap and she had a feeling she knew where he was heading with it; so she kept her mouth shut and let him continue... "Ye see, I happen to know tha' he likes wandering into Green Lanes and y'know where he always ends up? Your doorstep."

His smile had disappeared, gone were all trances of humour from his face, tone and eyes. Eli grew even more uncomfortable seeing the dead look in his gaze when she stopped walking to face him head on. "I'm afraid I'm left at a disadvantage here. You know my name-"

"Apologies," he nodded in agreement, throwing another faux smile her way, "My name is Malacki Byrne. I am the Brigade commander of the South Armagh Irish Republican Army."

Eli felt herself grow frustrated at not knowing why she was being approached by one of the higher ups of the IRA and being spoken to as if she were the scum of the earth. They were on the same bloody side after all. "Would you do me the kindness of getting to your fuckin' point, Mr. Byrne?"

"There are rumours you were in business with the Peaky Blinders a mere few months ago, there are rumours you're a little too close for comfort with the brothers of the Shelby clan." He said it as if he was actually concerned for her wellbeing but they both knew that to be utter ludicrous. "I would hate to be the one that had to tell your father you were found dead on the street for selling out your own blood to a bunch of British heathens. You know the punishment for ratting on the IRA is certifiable death."

Eli narrowed her eyes and took a step closer to him at the threat. "I know the punishment for loose fucking lips. I also know that I'd rather starve to death or be hung for treason against a corrupt Crown than tell anyone a confidential secret of my people. My loyalties are strong. I don't betray the people I am loyal to — by blood or otherwise."

"No?" He inquired, a face of fury dawning his features. "Are you going to sit and tell me you have no concerning fidelities to Mister Shelby?"

"My personal ties to the Shelby family are nothing for you to worry about."

It was his turn to take a step forward, the close proximity making Eli want to recoil but she stubbornly stood her ground. "Prove it."

"And pray tell, how exactly would I do that?" She scoffed with dry humour.

"All you would have to do is play both sides of the court metaphorically speaking. It's beyond a doubt that these Shelby's confide in you." Byrne tilted his head with a new smile of amusement coating his previously sour expression. "Perhaps, you'd be interested in proving to your fellow Irishmen that you're still one of us by infiltrating the enemy's lines and locating those guns for us."

"I'm not a spy, nor an official member of the Ra." She reminded, finding it hard to believe he was seriously suggesting such a thing.

"Are you a traitor then, Miss Montgomery?" His eyes darkened. "Have you been here that long they've turned ye into one of them?"

Eli's face turned to stone, cold ice dripping from her lips as she countered, "I was born in Derry. I may have been young when I left but I remember home all the same as you. I remember the conflicts and the shootings. I remember the police brutality and sectarianism practically every Catholic faced when they left the safety of their homes. I know the streets are lined with foreign soldiers as we speak, about the home invasions being carried out on British orders. Do not think I have forgotten my people nor my Irish blood, Mr. Byrne. Éirinn go Brách."

There was nothing on his exterior to give away what he thought of her harsh words. "Just because you remember the words doesn't make you a true Irishwoman."

A feral look grew in her eyes at the audacity he had to say she wasn't true Irish and if she had been physically prepared, she would have most definitely punched him for the comment. "Just because you fight for a good cause doesn't make you a good man."

"Fair play to ye then, Miss Montgomery. I'd watch my back if I were you." He smiled again, walking backwards before he turned and called over his shoulder, "Too bad ye'r father's not here to watch it for ya!"

author's note.
sorry for the lack of tommy content. I have a feeling not everyone will like this chapter but I knew right from the beginning of writing this story, eli's irish side would have a large role and provide an interesting backstory so it's not just me writing out the episodes word for word with eli saying one or two things here and there before BLAM! tommy plants the lips on her like he did with grace in the show... no, just no. that's not how this fic is going be.
Éirinn go Brách is an Irish phrase of allegiance to the country of Ireland,
it translates to "Ireland Forever."