𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖

Maeve tiredly wiped the surface of the Garrison bar, frowning when Tommy walked in and completely ignored her. He walked through to where Arthur sat, probably drunk from working all night.

"Arthur..Arthur wake up!" He shook his brother, "go home, get bathed. Check your kit, check your weapons." Tommy pointed, turning back to the door.

Arthur lazily stood and held onto the wall, "why? What's going on?

Maeve stopped cleaning and looked at them both. "We're doing it today- happy birthday Maeve." Her uncle spoke, shoving his cap back onto his head. Maeve winced and hushed him, shaking her head, "too early for this shit- dad what're we doing today?"

"Billy Kimber..we're finishing him." Arthur breathed heavily, wiping his eyes.

"On my fucking birthday?" Maeve groaned, "couldn't have waited a few more days?" She asked, throwing down the cloth and grabbing the gun she'd placed under the counter the night previous. She tucked it into her pocket and nodded at Arthur, "i'm going home."

"Yeah..yeah you do that," he waved her off, yawning.

-

"Dad? our Katie's done a wee in the bed again." one of Johns kids shouted as John and Esme remained in the bedroom. "I'll be there in a minute mate!" John laughed.

Tommy walked in, looking at the two. "John i told you to keep the doors locked." he reminded. "I could've been anyone now get dressed, we're doing it today."

"As a matter of fact he's doing me today," Esme sat up. "Make sure he's done you by nine." Tommy pointed, leaving the room.

"You should learn to knock."

"It's not a day for knocking," Tommy said.

Maeve walked into the kitchen, pushing her hair over her shoulders and raising her eyebrows when she saw Polly stood facing the table.

Polly stood, praying. "Dear lord may this day pass well, let none get hurt, and make them that do, not Shelby's," she whispered. "Watch John, because he has so many depending on him. Watch Arthur, because he's likely to hurt himself as much as anyone else. And watch Thomas, i know how he is but he does what he does for us."

The older woman took a deep breath, "and look out for Maeve because only god knows how far she'll go in a situation like this. But she does it for us, just like Tommy." She whispered.

Maeve cleared her throat and leaned against the wall, "Just like Tommy, thanks Pol.

-

"Right i've brought you all here today, because this is the day that we replace Billy Kimber." he stood tall. "This is the day we become respectable. The day we join the official National Association of race course book makers." he nodded.

"But first," Tommy continued, "we do the dirty work. We've all known this days been coming, I just haven't told anyone the date." He turned to the chalk board. "We're going to the Worcester Races. Track opens at one, we'll get there at two. Now Kimber thinks we're going there to help him fight the Lee brothers, but thanks to the efforts of our John, and his lovely new wife Esme," he pointed at them. "The lees are now our kin."

John smiled at Esme who was now leaning against the wooden pole in between them.

"I interrupted those efforts this morning and- i can assure you all John is making great sacrifices for the cause of peace."

"Shut up Tom." Maeve gagged, rolling her eyes.  "Yeah, all right." John stopped him, his arm around Esme.

"So it'll be us and the Lees against the Kimber boys," Tommy continued. "We take them out but leave the bookies. I expect a swift victory which will send a signal all the way to London that we believe in letting legitimate business run peacefully."

"And uh, what about Kimber himself?" John asked. "I'll deal with Kimber. Any other questions?"

"Yeah, what's my job?" Maeve raised an eyebrows. Tommy ignored her and Polly spoke before Maeve could.

"Yes," Polly nodded, standing at the doors of the betting den. "Does anybody object if i bring a new comer to the meeting?"

She opened the doors.

"I'd like to introduce the newest member of the Shelby family." Ada stood with the small baby in her arms, smiling.

Everyone began clapping and a slight smile sat on Tommy's face.

Maeve was the first to rush to her Aunt's side, peering over her shoulder at the new baby. Maeve covered her mouth in awe and touched Ada's shoulder.

"Welcome home Ada," Tommy smiled. "We named him Karl," she told them, "after Karl Marx."

"Karl bloody Marx," Arthur joked. "Let me get a look at him."

"Here we go." John sighed. "Hey, look, he looks just like me!" Arthur lifted Karl up. "That's his arse that looks like you Arthur." John teased.

"Yeah dad, i feel sorry for the boy if he looks like you." Maeve tormented. Arthur scowled at her and shook his head. "You look like me so shut up."

"Why, cause i'm ginger? Are you takin the piss out of me being ginger?"

"He's alright, he's a Shelby." Maeve was cut off.

"Well, Ada, am i forgiven?" Tommy asked. "If what aunt Polly says is true, you are." she folded her arms. He nodded slowly. "It's true" Ada wrapped her arms around her older brother. "Thank you Tommy."

-

"Maeve! Maeve!" Finn shouted to her, pounding on her door. "Fucking hell, Finn! What?" She shouted back, swinging the door open.

"There's word that the police are in the lane, reckon we've been done over," he panted. She looked at the young boy with wide eyes. Maeve dropped the glass in her hand as shivers climbed up her body. "Finn, go down to the Garrison and warn Tom- i've got something to do." Maeve touched his shoulder before practically running through Small Heath.

Maeve clutched the small gun that had remained in her coat pocket from days earlier and stormed into Theadosia's home.

"Theadosia! Theadosia where the fuck are you!" Maeve gritted through her teeth, anger rushing through her. She stormed through the house, knocking things over and stopping when she finally found the brunette girl.

Theadosia turned to Maeve with guilt painted across her features. "You told..you grassed on us to the coppers! Thea I trusted you-"

"Maeve..what're you on about?" The girl spoke with a shaky voice. Maeve scoffed and wrapped her hand around the metal tighter.

"That barmaid, you were working with her, weren't you? The coppers know everything. Everything i fucking told you. Theadosia was I just apart of your game?" Maeve felt like crying. But she refused to.

"Game? What game?"

"Did you try and make me fall in love with you so that you could use me, just so you could try destroy my family?" Maeve questioned. Thea swallowed hard, "because you and I both know that you could never make Maeve Shelby love somebody like yourself." She hissed.

"Maeve..you don't mean that- we were going to run away together, remember? We said Australia-" Theadosia stepped forward but Maeve quickly pulled out the gun, cocking it. "Don't..dont." She whispered.

Thea's eyes widened, "Maeve come on..why are you doing this?"

"Because you're a rat. And we, Shelby's, don't like rats. You know what we do to rats, don't you Thea?" Maeve tented. Thea's eyes glossed over, "everybody fucking knows."

"In Small Heath, we run every corner. Every fucking place in this city belongs to us. But yet you tried to create our downfall and look where it's gotten you, eh? At the other end of my fucking gun."

"Maeve just put the gun down and we can talk about this, you know i'd never mean to hurt you." She pleaded.

"No, you never meant to but you did. You think i'm stupid. I've worked it all out. Y'know, how you appeared back in Birmingham when that inspector arrived, how you suddenly fancied me- disappeared straight after i'd give you insider information? You're fucking thick in the skull, Theadosia." Maeve spat.

"Stop that!" Thea begged as Maeve raised her voice.

"And soon you'll wish you never stepped foot in my fucking city!" Maeve screamed, pushing the girl against the wall and pressing the gun to her neck, "you'll wish you never even breathed the same air as me." Maeve insulted. "Never."

"It's too late, Maeve. Billy Kimber is already on his way here, he'll be on Garrison lane right now. And before the clocks strike five, your uncle Tom will be dead. You'll all mean nothing,"

"Oh yeah? And what will your mother mean if her daughters dead, eh? Answer me that."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a fucking promise, if you don't get the fuck out of Birmingham i'll kill you. I'll shoot you in the head..right here," She placed the metal in between Thea's eyebrows and grinned. "Hm? How would ya like that?"

Thea glanced at the clock, "i'd suggest that you go down and help your dad. I think they'll need your help. Kimber had three vans full of men, you have whoever was at the Garrison. I thought it was your dad who was the failure but maybe after today it'll be you."

Maeve took a shaky breath.

Bang.

A gasp left Thea's mouth and she covered it, sliding down the wall, a sob escaping her lips. Maeve had shot her in her shoulder. Nothing detrimental, she'd survive if she got the correct help.

But Maeve never let Arthur Shelby's name be spoke down on.

Theadosia should've known that by now.

"I'd get that cleaned up, wouldn't want it going infected." Maeve grinned, turning and rushing back out the door, running down to Garrison Lane.

Her heart pounded and she was losing her breath. She could see the large group of men that definitely weren't Peaky Blinders. And the Smaller group closer to her that were Peaky Blinders.

She raised her gun, cocking it automatically and just as she got close enough, a gun fired. She ducked quickly, covering her head.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Danny Whizzbang fell down
after two shots, landing face first into the floor. Tommy on the other hand stumbled backward.

Maeve gripped the gun with two hands and didn't hesitate before firing three more shots. All of which going straight into Billy Kimber's body. One in his head, two in his chest.

Tommy and Arthur looked up, wondering where the shots had came from. It was only when they turned around when they realised who'd been holding the gun.

"Maeve?" Arthur mumbled. Tommy didn't say anything, he looked down at the blood that had began dripping onto his hands.

Maeve was also shocked at the fact she'd just killed a man and that both Montgomery brothers were stood amongst the Blinders, guns in hand.

"Get him inside," Arthur pointed at Tommy, nodding to John and Jeremiah. "Maeve," he repeated, approaching his completely distraught daughter.

Max and Cameron shared a worried glance but stayed put. "Maeve where did ya come from?" Arthur whispered, holding the side of her neck in a reassuring manner. She looked at him blankly, dropping the gun to the floor and not moving when it splashed mud onto her clothes.

"I did it dad..i saved youse- did I do it? Did I make you proud?" She muttered, staring at him coldly. Arthur's lips parted. What was she talking about?

"What? Of course you've done us proud, you make us proud everyday- you didn't need to kill someone to make us proud."

She shook her head, "I did. I wanted to be just like uncle Tom. Remember? I wanted to be just like you."

"Maeve?" Arthur was frightened at his daughters strange behaviour but didn't know what to say, "come on let's go inside, get you a drink, eh? It's your birthday remember, we still need to celebrate."

"Celebrate.." she whispered, walking along with him and staring at the floor.

The whole time that they spent in the Garrison, Maeve drowned out. She didn't even know that Tommy had the bullet removed..or that they had said goodbye to Danny Whizz Bang for a second time. All she knew was that Max Montgomery sat in front of her, his hand on her knee.

"Maeve?" He whispered. She finally looked at him and he sighed, "what's going on, what's happened?"

"It was Theadosia. All this time she was giving our information to the police..i shot her, Max." Maeve admitted. Max furrowed her eyebrows, "where did you shoot her?"

"Her shoulder- so she should be okay as long as she gets it checked out. I told her she needs to leave the city or i'd kill her." Something in Maeve burned to tell him the truth about the girl she'd just previously shot. So she did. "Max a lot happened between me and Thea..somethings that's proper fucked my head up."

"Go on.." he nodded.

"We kissed, multiple times. She told me we could run away together." Maeve shook her head, ashamed. She began rambling and Max couldn't help but smile. "I know, Maeve," he stopped her.

"You know?" She frowned.

Max nodded. "I know. I knew from the moment you and Thea didn't talk to each other for days. But i could tell by the look in your eyes that you didn't love her. It became especially clear when you began thinking she was being a rat. You continued your activities with Thea in hopes to catch her out, you just didn't realise. Maeve I sometimes think I know you more than you know yourself."

"I feel ashamed.." She held her head. Max pulled her in, leaning his chin on her head, "nobody will know, my mouth is sealed." He promised. "Happy birthday Maeve."

"Thank you Max.." she whispered, holding him as if he'd disappear.

All Maeve knew was that the trouble was gone, all of it. She wouldn't have to worry about her closest friend betraying her. The trouble was over. For now.

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