forbidden { michael gray } ON TEMPORARY HOLD

f i f t e e n

Once the guests were all settled into various seats in the living room, which was entirely too small for their sizeable family, Tommy raised a toast. "Ada's return has been a long time coming, and I know I speak for us all when I say we're glad to have you back in Birmingham. To family!"

A chorus of 'to family's echoed throughout the room, and though Talya didn't say the words as she raised her glass, she still felt apart of the room.

"So, Talya," Arthur began. He was clearly drunk, and the pinched expression on Linda's face suggested she was unimpressed over the fact. "Your dad know you're here or what?"

"I'd imagine not, but it's none of his concern," Talya said. She made a conscious effort to keep her voice nonchalant. "He no longer has any say in who I spend my time with."

Arthur nodded, and she couldn't tell if it was him signalling his approval or just a drunken head bob. "Good f'you."

They continued in jovial conversation with Michael's family. At first, John had been eyeing Talya suspiciously but by now that was long gone. He was even laughing at her jokes. It was only Tommy, Lizzie and Grace who seemed not to be accepting of Talya. She understood it with Tommy and Grace, but honestly, who the fuck was Lizzie? The girl had no reason to have a problem with her, and Talya could quickly feel herself reciprocating the dislike.

It was almost midnight by the time Michael and Talya decided to make tracks. They said their goodbyes to everyone and left the house, both feeling pleased with how the night had gone.

They were half-way down the drive when Tommy's voice called out for both of them to stop. Giving each other a quizzical look, the couple turned around and watched as Tommy walked over to them.

"Everything alright, Tom?" Michael asked. There was an edge to his voice, and it told them all how he was going to react if Tommy tried to disrespect Talya.

He nodded. "Everything's fine. I just wanted to say that despite my reservations over you, you fitted in well tonight. As long as your intentions remain pure, then I'm happy to welcome you to the family."

Talya was nonplussed for a second as she absorbed Tommy's words. Was he really giving his approval of her or had she drunk more than she thought? "Er, great. I'm glad."

Despite the backhandedness of his words and the underlying threat, Michael and Talya were both pleased. Michael shook his cousin's hand and patted his shoulder. "Thanks, Tom. Means a lot."

Once Tommy had gone back inside, Talya let out a shocked laugh. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Nor was I," Michael said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as he did. "You made me proud tonight, you know. We can put all that other shit behind us now."

-

That night, Talya moved into Michael's house. She had nothing of sentimental value in her flat and therefore didn't go back. She was convinced her father would have one of his soldiers waiting for her outside the building if she did.

For a while, they became hermits. They never left the house unless it was to get food and firewood; they weren't apart unless it was to use the bathroom and even then they showered together. And for the first time, the Peaky Blinders let them. Michael's workload was slashed and distributed to others who could do the job while he took his break. They had all seen how depressed he'd been when Talya had broken up with him, how he had turned to drugs and alcohol and chasing skirt to try and get over her. Her return was a blessing to both himself and the business, and if giving him a few weeks to himself meant he could do his job properly then they were more than happy to allow it.