𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟖

Maeve found herself rushing around her bedroom, pulling on more presentable clothes and running a brush through her hair.

The house was dead silent. But not for long. Soon Billy began crying and with slight hesitation, Maeve walked over to his bedroom and scooped him up.

"Hello, Billy." She cooed, standing beside the window and rocking him slightly. The boy pressed his finger against the slightly condensed glass and dragged it across, drawing some sort of picture.

He turned and looked at her with a smile. Maeve nodded. "Well done, Billy. That's wonderful," she gasped, rubbing his back.

Laughs fell from the young boys mouth as he continued drawing on the window with his finger.

"Oh you're awake." Linda appeared at the door, seeming less hostile than usual. Maeve took a deep breath and nodded. "Thought i'd get Billy instead of waking you or dad." She explained, remaining by the window.

Linda nodded thankfully. "Well your father is downstairs waiting." She told the pair, spinning on her heels and leaving.

"Shall we go see dad, eh? Let's go see dad." Maeve said, holding him and carefully descending down the steps. As they stepped into the living room, a collection of presents sat by the tree.

Maeve lowered Billy onto the floor and gasped playfully. "What's all that, Billy?"

Arthur stood with a happy smile on his face, his arms wide open. "Merry Christmas!" He exclaimed. Maeve had been so caught up in what had been going on, she forgot about Christmas.

Arthur stepped to her and looked at her now short hair that was still in loose curls. "What?" She asked, still unsure if it was safe to talk to him.

Arthur swallowed and shook his head. "Nothing— you look just like your mother." He said quietly. She was unsure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. He observed her hair that was now short and sat below her shoulders, stopping at the middle of her back.

"Come on," he changed the subject, placing a hand on her back, "let's open presents."

She hadn't expected to receive anything off Arthur. After all she thought he'd just forgotten about her now that Billy had came along.

"Go on, Billy. Give that to your sister," Linda urged, placing a present into the boys hands. He slowly walked over to her, almost falling over multiple times before getting the gift to her. "Thank you." She smiled.

They watched as she unwrapped the messy paper, revealing a navy blue suede box. Maeve held it in the palm of her hand, admiring it for a few moments. Finally, she opened it, revealing a gold bangle type bracelet. The corners of her mouth turned upward when she looked on the inside of the bracelet.

There was an engraving.

Shelby

At first she was confused but then she realised. This wasn't from Arthur. "Who's it off?" She asked. Arthur looked up, thinking. "Your uncle Tommy." He said.

It made sense now. This bracelet was like the golden time pieces that they all had. Each of which had Shelby engraved on it. But it wasn't for nothing. It was to show she'd earned her place. After everything she'd done. She had finally earned her place.

In what way, she didn't know. But Maeve knew she'd finally been accepted. In some way shape or form, she'd been accepted into Shelby Company Limited.

Arthur reached for another present and passed it to her. "This one's from me." He said, trying not to smile. Arthur knew that he'd been far too distant with her. He knew it was wrong, especially after what they'd just been through as a family.

She took a deep breath and began untying the red ribbon that sat neatly across it. "Ada helped me with that," he said excitedly. Maeve chuckled at him and finally pulled out a book.

A book she once used to read during the war. Little Women. She had been obsessed with it for years. "Do you like it?" He asked, sounding happier than her.

Maeve nodded and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, dad. I love it." Such a small gesture yet it made her so happy. "I know it ain't much but—"

She shook her head to stop him. "I love it."

-

Maeve was literally on the edge of her seat whilst the car drove up the small road leading up to John's home. "Just here— thank you." She said, hardly giving her driver enough time to stop the car before getting out.

She walked as quick as she could to the door and knocked. "No— James come back!" John shouted from the other side, scooping up his eldest son before opening the door. "Look, it's ya cousin Maeve. Say Merry Christmas."

The six year old smiled. "Merry Christmas!" He hummed. John put the boy down and gently shoved him back toward the living room.

"Right, come in. It's fucking freezing out 'ere." John said, stepping aside to let her in. "The kids are just about to open their presents." He told her, following close behind as she entered the living room.

"Look, who's that?" Esme whispered to the son they had together only a few years ago. Maeve smiled widely at the sight of Harry.

The three year old clapped his hands together and Maeve sat in the chair beside the tree. She knew what she got sent there to do. But she knew she wasn't going to ruin these kids' Christmas.

John rubbed his hands together in attempt to warm them. "Right let's get opening these presents then." He urged.

Maeve admired the fact that each child's presents were wrapped in different paper to show which present belonged to who. John's only daughter Katie, one of his children with his late wife Martha, parched herself at the feet of Maeve with her presents piled in her lap.

Maeve watched happily and helped the girl every now and again when she struggled to open them.

Once the kids had opened all the presents, John slipped outside to go do whatever he was doing. And Maeve ensured the children were safely inside before going to find him.

"John," she called out, walking to the side of his house. She found him checking the bullets in his gun. "I didn't just come here to watch your kids open presents."

"What else did you come here for?" He scoffed, clicking the gun back into place and throwing it over his shoulder. Maeve sighed. "Tommy wants everyone at Charlie's yard for a meeting on boxing day. We don't think it's safe to be separated." She didn't have to ask if he'd received a card from Luca Changretta, she knew.

John raised his eyebrows. "We? Who is we?"

"Me and Tommy." Maeve replied. John raised his eyebrows further. "You're speaking to him, after what he did? Maeve he almost got us killed." John snapped.

Maeve didn't want to argue with him. "John you need to understand that Tommy has played a massive part in my life over the past year. So have you but Tommy gave me a home to live in where I felt like i was loved again." She said, her voice trembling slightly.

"The fuck you on about?"

"You know what i'm on about, John. With Linda and dad. And the baby— how they didn't tell me. Things aren't the same anymore. I was forced to grow up. You and I know that. But it was Tommy that allowed me to feel like i didn't have to grow up."

"Alright save the details, Maeve. I just think you're insane for—" he trailed off, realising what word he'd used.

Her lips parted and she dropped her arms to her side. "Excuse me?"

He sniffed and looked away awkwardly. "You know what i mean." He excused. She raised an eyebrow. "No i don't. Go on, John, enlighten me. What do you mean?"

John scratched the back of his neck. "Listen, Maeve. I love ya, you know that. I love you to bits. You're my niece and you were like my first daughter— hold on a minute is that Micheal?" He diverted his eyes over Maeve's shoulder to the boy who was approaching.

"I was coming to do Tommy a favour but it seems Maeve has already done it for me." He said with a lighthearted laugh. He kept his hands in his pockets and Maeve welcomed him with a hug.

"It's nice to see you again, Micheal." She said honestly. He hummed in agreement and pulled back after a few seconds.

"Got nothing better to do on Christmas morning?" John asked Micheal. Maeve slapped his arm and gave him a look.

"Tommy wants everybody at Charlie's Yard now, come on." Micheal said calmly. "Now? He said boxing day." Maeve said with confusion. "Change of plans," Micheal shrugged.

"What gonna happen? It's fucking Christmas." John sighed, walking round to the front of the house.

"Look John, we don't have time for this." Micheal continued, sharing the same look that Maeve had.

"Come in the house, have some food." John suggested to the pair. It was only moments before Esme stormed outside.

"Tell Tommy Shelby we can look after ourselves!" she hissed. "Tommy says that they could come for us today." Micheal told her.

"Tommy says, Tommy says. Are you his fucking Parrot?!" Esme laughed looking at John. "Look it's the mafia all right!" Maeve argued. "This is the New York mafia we're talking about!" She said, trying to remain calm solely for the fact John's children were inside.

"And we're the Peaky fucking Blinders." John said, his gun over his shoulder. "No we're not John, not unless we're together." Micheal refused.

"You were together in the gallows—" Esme began, "with one man missing." She got in his face, anger lacing her voice.

"John, come to the meeting. All right, think about the kids." Micheal looked at them.

Shivers crawled up Maeve's back and she looked over her shoulder at the wagon that was approaching, full of hay. Something wasn't right.

"No, it's Christmas day." Esme looked at Micheal. Maeve placed a hand on John's back in attempt to catch his attention. "John I think we have company." She whispered, reaching into her pocket for the same gun she used to kill Father Hughes.

All their eyes followed to the wagon when it pulled up outside the gate.

"Esme, get in the house." Micheal gently pushed her aside. Maeve found herself a few steps in front of John, gun cocked.

"Get in the fucking house!" John shouted.

It was only moments before hell broke loose. Guns were firing from both sides. Maeve felt herself stumble backward, pain shooting through her. An all too familiar pain. She gasped and looked straight ahead, firing until her gun was empty.

She heard the thud of Micheal's body dropping to the floor but she didn't care. She cared about keeping John alive. Maeve turned her back, facing John and grabbing his arms, trying to move him aside quickly.

After all, it was her who started the Changretta feud. Not him. Luckily, she managed to get him aside with no damage. It was only when the wagon drove off that she felt the blood on her hands.

John had been holding Maeve and they both looked down, his heart dropping at the sight of Maeve's blood soaked clothes.

She swallowed hard and lost her balance, gripping onto John like her life depended on it. And her life did depend on it. She'd been shot multiple times. Once in the shoulder, twice in the side.

The shot on her shoulder scarily close to the place she got shot the night of Grace's death.

Maeve looked over at Micheal who's hand was sliding in a pool of his own blood. "Esme go ring for help— Esme, go!" John demanded, carefully lowering his niece to the floor.

Her breaths were rapid. This was a situation she had been in too many times.

"Maeve, help is on the way, yeah? I need ya to breathe for me." He whispered gently as he lay her head into his lap. Maeve closed her eyes in pain and nodded slowly. "Micheal." She muttered.

John looked over at his cousin who was clutching onto his clothes in pain. "Help is coming for both of you, i promise."

John found it so very strange how she was still concerned for others even in a situation like this. John hushed her cries and used his thumbs to wipe the stray tears that rolled down the side of her face.

"Always seems to be me getting shot, doesn't it?" Maeve forced a laugh that sounded more like a wheeze. John couldn't believe she was making jokes in a time like this. "Er..yeah i suppose."

"At least it wasn't you." She said. John frowned for a moment, realising that if she hadn't have been stood where she was, it would have been his bleeding out instead.

Maeve could hear the distant sirens and felt like time was moving on incredibly slowly. "Is it them? The help, is it them?"

John nodded and used the sleeve of his shirt to press onto the wound that was bleeding the most. "Will you call my dad?"

"Yeah i'll call your dad." He whispered, moving her hair from her face.

Paramedics rushed over. Two seeing to Micheal and two seeing to Maeve. "What's happened?" One asked. "It doesn't matter what's bloody happened! Just get her to the fucking hospital!" He snapped.

The pair nodded quickly and lifted Maeve onto a stretched, carrying her over to the vehicle. "Be careful with her!" He shouted.

Esme appeared again, closing the door slightly to hide the scene from the children. "Call Arthur, tell him what's happened. I need to go to the hospital with them. Oh— you might want to talk to Tommy as well."

"I ain't talking to Thomas." Esme simply refused.

John grabbed her wrists gently. "Esme, do it for Maeve." He convinced her. She rolled her eyes but agreed and disappeared back into the house.

Once the ambulances had departed, he got into his own car and sped down to the hospital. If his only niece was going to die, she wasn't going to do it alone.

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