𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐑 ᵐⁱᶜʰᵉᵃˡ ᵍʳᵃʸ

025

TOMMY HELD THE PHONE, waiting for John to answer but it rang out. "Fuck" he whispered. He picked it up again. "Yeah put me through to Maypole 345" he said.

The phone rang in Arthur's hallway and he stood, picking it up. "Hello?"

"Arthur it's Tommy" he said. "Be quick they're asleep" Arthur whispered. "Family meeting, Charlie's Yard, boxing day. Midday" he told him. "I can't raise John but i'll send Micheal to get him"

"If you have to pull a gun on Linda, do it. Merry Christmas"

He ended the call.

"Merry Christmas Tom" Arthur whispered, placing the phone back in it's original place.

-

Micheal sat smoking, looking at Polly who stood at the top of the stairs. "What did you do with them?" she asked. "My tablets were in the bathroom cabinet, what did you do with them?"

Rosalie looked up quickly, taken back by the woman's sudden outburst.

"I threw them in the lavatory" he told her. She stormed down the stairs. "Tommys orders?" she asked.

"No, my own decision"

She ran to the drawers, searching through them. "How am i going to get through Christmas without them? They close everything" she mumbled.

"How am i going to get through Christmas without them" She repeated. "I'll help you" Micheal said.

"They don't open anything" she whispered. "Fucking no apothecary nothing" she shouted. "You can move in with us, we will help you" Micheal said.

Polly breathed heavily. "How am i going to fucking get through Christmas"

She threw an empty bottle at the wall.

"You can move in with me, i'll help you" Micheal shouted. "Fuck off" she whispered. "Fuck off Thomas Shelby. Fuck off" Micheal grabbed her.

"Stop it's me, it's me"

Rosalie watched in slight shock.

"I don't want to, fuck off." she hissed. "It's all right it's me. Mum that has got to stop" he shouted.

"I just want the tablets"

"This has got to stop" he repeated. "Tommy said to believe in spirits with you but i can't"

Ada waltzed in, wide eyed. "Hello Polly"

"Hello Micheal, Rosalie."

They stepped away from each other. "Merry Christmas" Ada tilted her head. "Door was wide open"

"Fuck" Polly whispered. "I spent the whole day tidying up i wanted it to be nice" She said on the verge of tears. "I wanted it to look nice"

"All right, Pol. It's only me" Ada grabbed her Aunt's face gently.

"It's okay we can sit" she wrapped her arms around Polly. "Sit and talk we'll put things back together. It's okay"

"We will leave you two to it" Micheal said. "No you stay" Ada stopped him.

"Now listen, somethings happened, things have changed" she looked at Micheal. "Today, everyone in the family received one of these" Ada handed the unopened card to Polly.

Her face dropped as she read it.

"What does it mean?" Micheal asked. "Tommys called a family meeting. He wants you both to come"

"What is it?" Rosalie asked, taking the card from his hand. "The black hand, Luca Changretta?" she muttered. "Shit"

-

Tommy left Johnny dogs in the kitchen with the dead Italian 'chef' and quickly stuffed presents into a sack, removing them from under the tree.

After he did that, he called Micheal.

"Micheal they're coming today, Micheal shut up and listen. Gotta get everyone out get Polly and Ada to Charlie's yard" he said. "I've told Arthur but i can't reach John"

"When you've dropped Polly and Ada go to Johns place and get him out"

Tommy then went and got Charles from his room, carrying him throughout the house. "Is it Christmas?" He asked. "Not just yet but let's go, eh?" Tom said.

"Mum" Charles said as they passed the small picture of Grace on the desk. Tommy stopped, grabbing it and walking away.

-

Michaels car drove as fast as possible up the small road, being blocked by a carriage. He sped round the corner up to Johns house.

"You go inside," He told Rosalie.

She hummed and walked inside. "Hello Esme," she greeted. Esme smiled, getting up from her seat to look at the small child. "She's gorgeous, she really is," she said.

Micheal walked around the house.

"Hello?" he asked. A gun cocked, getting his attention. "Oh fuck it's you" John lowered the gun. "Got nothing better to do on Christmas morning?" he asked Micheal.

"Tommy wants everybody at Charlie's Yard now, come on"

"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"

"Come in the house, have some food" he told Micheal. "Oh, ello, Rosa. Let's av a look then," he peered over her shoulder. "She's called Elizabeth," she told him.

"Elizabeth?" he repeated.

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.

"On Christmas?"

One of John's nanny's for his many children offered to take Eliza into the other room. "Thank you," she said, joining them outside.

"Tommy says, tommy says. Are you his fucking Parrot" Esme laughed looking at John. "Look it's the mafia all right"

"This is the New York mafia we're talking about" Micheal shouted.

"And we're the peaky fucking blinders" John said, his gun over his shoulder. "No we're not John, not unless we're together"

"You were together in the gallows" Esme began, "with one man missing"

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

"This is the Changretta's they will do whatever they have to, to get things done" Rosalie told them. " Trust me, i'd know"

Esme and John looked at the vehicle that pulled up full of hay.

"No it's christmas day" Esme looked at Micheal. Michael's eyes widened as a man in a hat jumped over the hay and John stepped forward, cocking the gun.

"Get in the fucking house" he shouted. "Rosalie," Micheal pushed her inside.

Two more men appeared. John began shooting, so did they.

Esme's heart shattered as she saw John drop to the floor, Micheal soon after. Esme rushed beside John, dropping to her knees. She grabbed his face, sobbing.

"Micheal" Rosalie shouted, kneeling beside him and looking at his wounds that began pouring blood. She pressed her hand onto them, applying pressure.

"Get me an ambulance," she shouted at the nanny who came to see what the commotion was.

"Micheal you're okay" She reassured him.