The Sweetest Of Hearts.2|T.S

•'In the Bleak Midwinter.

IV. 'In the Bleak Midwinter.

The morning of John's funeral, the whole family gathered in the old Shelby home in Small Heath. Everyone sat around the kitchen table, everyone except Tommy. Maude went searching for him, finding him in his old bedroom, sitting on the bed as he smoked a cigarette.

She approached him, taking a deep breath as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Tommy, they're gathered." She informed him softly as his eyes flicked up to meet her gaze.

Tommy put out his cigarette before standing up as he inhaled sharply. Maude took his hand in hers as a sign of her support, for what she knew would be a difficult family meeting. They walked hand in hand out of the room, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Finn pulled out a chair for Maude next to Ana and stood behind her as she sat.

Tommy stood at the head of the table as he looked around at everyone gathered. The Shelby's and the Felton's, Lizzie and Johnny Doggs, Isaiah and his father, as well as Charlie and Curly. He took a deep breath before speaking. "John is dead. Esme's gone on the road with the Lees. She's taken the kids." He began. "Michael is badly wounded, they say it's 60/40 in his favour."

Polly, who sat facing the fireplace with a cigarette in her hand, turned to look at Tommy over her shoulder. "There's no number, there's no percentages." She interrupted him. "So the hand, the hand beneath him stops him falling." She spoke as she held up a hand. Maude's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the woman who was very clearly one drink away from being drunk. And Ada knew it too as she stared at Polly with furrowed eyebrows before meeting Maude's gaze across the table. "Spoke to someone, my son will live," Polly assured as she waved a dismissive hand.

"Michael and John were shot because we killed someone," Tommy spoke hesitantly, his eyes not for a second drifting towards his wife as he spoke. Because not even the family knew she was the one to pull the trigger. But Maude and Arthur shared a silent look with each other. "Vincente Changretta," Tommy spoke and a shiver ran down Maude's spine, and she felt a phantom pain in her abdomen, right where her scar sat.

"His son Luca has come to take revenge," Tommy informed the family. "Men from New York and Sicily are in Birmingham. These men will not leave our city until the whole family is dead. That's how it works, an eye for an eye. It's called vendetta." He spoke.

"Yeah, well..." Arthur spoke up in a gruff voice as he pulled a bullet from his pocket. "The bullet's been written...It says Luca." He muttered as he stared at the name engraved into the bullet. "When the time comes, and it will come me as the oldest brother will put this bullet into his fucking head." Arthur spat as he placed the bullet on the table and Linda briefly closed her eyes as she shook her head in disappointment.

"There's been some bad blood between us," Tommy spoke up softly as he clasped his hands together in front of him.

Polly let out a laugh and Tommy inhaled sharply. Maude's head shot towards the older woman. "Polly, please?" She muttered firmly as her head cocked to the side, giving the older woman a pointed look for her behavior.

Tommy glanced up at the ceiling as he tried to calm himself, now more than ever thankful for his wife's presence because Polly's laughter did stop, even if she still looked amused. "Until this business is settled we stay together," Tommy informed them, leaving no room for negotiation. "We stay here...Small Heath, Bordesley, Hay Mills down to Greet." He said. "We know every face, every man is a soldier in this army. These men are professionals and they're good at what they do, so we're gonna need more than we have. We send a message to Aberama Gold."

"No." Johnny Doggs protested as he looked at Tommy with widened eyes. "No, Tom." He interrupted when Tommy opened his mouth to say something. "I'll get you 50 Lee boys. Good men, Tom." He insisted.