!Slight TW!
Lily and Finn had awkwardly made their way to Charlie's yard where they were meet with Vicente Changretta, someone Lily was definitely not excited to see.
Lily stood next to Finn with her arms crossed while Vicente and two other men which Finn and Isaiah had checked for any weapons before, stood in front of Arthur and John who where sitting down at a table that they had brought out which had a tea pot and tea cups, which Lily found funny.
"You asked for a meeting out in the open, fresh air in the fine aroma of shit. Neutral grounds you said." Arthur said as Vicente and two of his men walked over.
"This is hardly neutral ground."
"Well, it's what you've got." Arthur said not giving two shits about what the man wanted as he sat down next to John.
"So, por favor, sit down."
"Where is Thomas?" Vicente asked
"He got called away." John answered
"You said he'd be here."
"Yeah, he's busy." Arthur said not bothering to look at the man and looking over at John, who spoke up.
"And i just told ya, he got called away. What do you want?"
There was a long pause as everyone waited for the man to answer.
"There has been a peace, between the Peaky Blinders and the Changretta family for two years now..." Vicente spoke up
"Do ya wanting to some tea for not?" John said interrupting him and gesturing towards the tea pot before turning around to Finn. "Here, Finn pour the Italians some English tea go on."
Finn walked over and started pouring some tea in a cup before Vicente shouted at him telling him that they didn't want fucking tea which made Finn aggressively put down the tea pot and roll his eyes, making his way back over beside Lily.
Lily hated this man already.
"We want an explanation." Vicente said in a much calmer tone.
"Well, i'll have fucking tea." Arthur said leaning forward to grab the tea pot to pour himself some.
"Explanation for what?" John asked not looking at the man in front of him.
"The Little Venice Restaurant on Forge Street was burn down..." Vicente spoke before John interrupted him once again.
"Nah, Nah, couldn't have been us, we was at a wedding."
"You burnt it down to stop my son being at that same wedding."
"Eh, he wasn't missed." Arthur said unbothered taking a sip of his tea which made John laugh and the rest as well just more quietly.
Vicente chuckled looking between John and Arthur. "You are such big boys now. But once you borrowed clothes from us to look like men."
"How's the tea Arthur?" John interrupted Vicente again not having a care in the world about what the man had to say.
'does this guy have a death wish?' Lily thought to herself.
Arthur took a sip of his tea before chucking it out his cup and on the floor with a disgust face "It's cold."
"Please tell Tommy, that we pay him whatever he asks us to pay. We stay out the city and off the tracks. But you tell him from me, that my son will walk with any woman from this city, any woman." Mr Changretta began speaking trying to almost defend his son. "Even if she works for the emperor, Thomas Shelby. My son is in love..." He stopped as John snorted.
"Sorry. Do excuse me" he sniggered "do carry on." he said pulling himself together, and this made Lily burst out laughing so she had to put her face in Finn's chest while he gave her a light slap to stop her from laughing.
"And if he wishes, he will walk with the woman he loves."
"Ok." John spoke up reaching for the pot of tea and pouring himself some.
"You Know. It would be hard for your son to walk anywhere, with a bullet in each knee, wouldn't it." John said completely unbothered and taking a sip from his cup as Arthur, Mr Changretta and everyone turned to him.
"Too much." Vicente said while pointing a finger at John "You said too much my friend. Sabine says, suck and swallow but no! too much. I spit." He says as he spits on the floor making Lily look at him in disgusted, she always hated when Arthur or John spat on the floor it was disgusting.
As he walks away mumbling in Italian one of his men walked forward and began smashing up a chair on the ground.
"Oh, ok you're a bit strong."
"Bloody hell."
John takes another sip of his tea and laughs "Fucking hell."
"Isiah" Arthur turned towards the boy. "Put two extra men on our pubs in Nechells."
"What to taking about Arthur?" John asked his brother. "We're not scared of fucking Eyeties anymore."
"Don't tell Tommy about the chair and clean this fucking shit up." Arthur says as he stands up and walks away as John shouts to him.
"We're not scared of fucking wops!"
"Alright John."
"Arthur!"
"So what now?" Lily asked John
"You're coming with me." he says pointing at the girl and standing up.
"Where we going?"
"Back to the betting shop, and i need my favourite girl with me." He replied ruffling the girls hair and smiling at her making Lily roll her eyes and smile.
Lily would always sit with John in his office when he was getting work done or even if he was just sitting she would be there to. She always just showed up to his office if she was bored knowing he wouldn't mind. And if he had work to do she would sit there quietly reading some of her favourite books that John had gotten for her that he kept on the shelf in his office.
*
"So, you and Finn eh?" John spoke from his desk reading a news paper and drinking tea, while Lily was in a chair right beside him with her feet up reading 'pride and prejudice' one of her favourite books that her mother used to read her before bed.
"What?" She asked frowning.
"Ya know, you too kissed." he said smirking into in tea cup.
"What?!" she said acting oblivious. "No, no we didn't what makes you think that?, we would never, i mean, i would never..." she began rambling on until John stopped her.
"It's alright darling, your secrets safe with me." he said smirking and giving Lily a wink. "But if he hurts ya, i'll take his eyes out."
"He's your brother, you wouldn't do that." Lily said laughing at him.
"No? watch me." John said smirking before going back to reading his newspaper.
'how the fuck did he know' she thought to herself and now that John had brought it up she had realised her and Finn still hadn't talked about it. Was it something to talk about? or just act like nothing happened.
And then her thoughts for some reason went to Leo, Leo she completely forgot that he was here she needed to see him soon and she wanted to see Asher and Ailsa to.
her thoughts were quickly interrupted by John's office door opening and revealing Polly. She placed a news paper on John's desk and giving Lily a smile as John took no interest and kept on sipping his tea and reading the newspaper he had in his hand.
"Did we run Kenton yesterday or not?" He asked his Aunt putting his cup done in front of him.
"Danny Lee got drunk." Polly replied "Instead of injecting the horses either cocaine, he decided to share in with his cousins."
"Jesus christ." John sighed
"He's your brother in law." Lily mumbled while turning the page of her book causing Polly to look at her before speaking.
"Tell Esme to speak to him about it. Look, before i start." Polly spoke as she wheeled a chair on the other side of the desk in front of John.
"I don't want you to do anything about this."
"About what?" John asked as Polly quietly shut the door and sat down in front of him.
"Vicente Changretta's son. The one Lizzie was stepping out with."
"What Angel? he's no bigger than two pence worth of change."
"Well, he heard you threatened him directly to shoot him in the knees." Polly spoke which made Lily smirk and the thought of John's comment. "And now he's going around Nechells telling everybody he's going to kill you." Polly spoke as she glanced at the Lily who was sat listening in while pretending to read her book.
This made Lily look away from the book and to Polly then to John. where they really going to kill John?.
"This is Lizzie's fault to start with," Polly spoke. "Tommy's for leaving it up to you."
"What are ya talking about?" John questioned. "We run London. We run the north, we run the whole fucking country. What do we cat shit some fucking Nechells green eyeties?"
"We don't need to be getting involved in all these little piss pots."
"What does Arthur say?"
"That's why i'm here, and not him. If he said it, there'd be a fight. He says, apologise."
Lily watched as John began to get irritated by his Aunts words.
"He fucking said what?"
"We own the city. But we don't need to run everyone's noses in it." Polly spoke up while glancing at the girl sat beside John as she spoke remembering that she was still there. "If the old man decides to made a stand, he might get Sabine feeling sentimental..."
"Sabini's done." John interrupted Polly while getting more irritated.
"They're all done." Polly replied "And they all pay up. But we don't want rebellions." Polly spoke as she slowly leaned towards John.
"What does um, Tommy say?" He asked running a hand over his face.
"Tommy's busy. He left me in charge."
"And what did you say?"
Polly leaned back in her chair and replied.
"Compromise. I've asked Lizzie to do it for you. Shes going to meet him, break up with him for good, apologise for any inconvenience, say it was all her fault..."
Lily flinched as John quickly stood up and shouted while he aggressively pushed all the paper work off his desk and on to the floor nearly hitting Lily with it all but luckily her chair was more back from the desk and up against the wall.
"You know what all this is?" John spoke as Polly looked up at him unbothered then to Lily checking on her silently who looked at the man with a tad of fear in her eyes.
tw
Lily knew John never meant to scare her, and to be honest she didn't know why she was scared. But in that moment it all reminded her of her father when he got mad. He would shout, throw things, smash things and slam doors. Her father had gotten a lot worse over the years he has hit her a couple times since the last time but nothing she couldn't handle. She was now no longer a scared fourteen year old and it never happened often so why worry anyone with her problems.
end of tw
"This is Arthur's fucking Misses." He said referring to Linda.
Oh god Linda, how Lily hated that woman, she was annoying, thought she was better than everyone, and man everything that came out that woman's mouth was about God.
Lily's mother told her about God all the time and Lily wanted to believed it but she didn't know how. But one thing she liked to believe even if it wasn't true was that there was a happy place called Heaven, the place where her mother was right now, watching over her and keeping her safe. A place with no sickness, no pain and just happiness.
"Turn the other fucking cheek? We'll be handing out Bibles in the fucking bullring with her cousins."
"John. you don't have to do anything." Polly began to speak louder as John complained. "Lizzie will do it for you." She followed John as he walked towards the door as her voice got louder. "Then it'll all calm down and nobody will lose face."
"I'll take his fucking face, how about that?!"
"John! do nothing..." Polly stopped as he slammed the door causing Lily to jump once more and Polly to sigh.
"That boy." Polly sighed sitting down while Lily smirked.
~
After John had his temper tantrum, slammed the door and went off and did whatever John dose Polly had left a few moments afterwards and Lily happily sat in John's office on her own for a good few hours finishing her book until she heard a knock on the door.
She looked up to see John and Finn standing behind him.
"Come one darling Tommy wants us." John said with a smiled holding the door open for her and making Lily walk in front of him and next to Finn who smiled shyly at the girl which she returned.
She didn't know why it was awkward, but it was they had kissed each other and then have acted like nothing had happened they both needed to talk about it but they also didn't want to as they where scared what might happen.
They all entered the kitchen to find Arthur, Polly Luke and Lily's father.
"All right Finn, thanks for coming fuck off." Arthur pointed at his brother to leave as he pulled a chair out for Lily making Finn roll his eyes at his brothers gesture towards the girl and for letting her say and not him as he began to leave before being stopped by Tommy.
"Lily stays so, Finn, you stay as well." Tommy said pointing for Finn to get back into the kitchen.
Finn smirked to Arthur as if to say 'ha fuck you, ya bitch' as he made his way over to sit in the chair beside Lily as Tommy got John to do the same.
"John, you cut Angel Changretta."
"You fucking what?!" Lily turned to John before being stopped by Tommy and earning a glare from her father.
"Lily." He said in a warning tone.
"Even though Arthur told you to apologise." Tommy said as John hummed in agreement.
"Polly told you to compromise. You chose not to listen to Mr Apologies or Mrs Compromise. And now I've got an Italian walking around my backyard saying he's going to kill my brother." Tommy spoke looking towards John.
"So what do we do John?. Do we apologise, or do we compromise?" He asked waiting for his brother's answer.
"It was just something John said as a joke." Arthur spoke up for his brother making Tommy look at him.
"Yeah but he's your brother he as well Arthur."
"I know, but i didn't want to start a war over something John said without meaning it." Arthur replied looking up at Tommy.
"So should he apologise in Italian or in English?" Tommy asked making Lily hold in her laugh.
"Or should we ask them which fucking language they prefer?."
Polly put her cup down as she pointed a finger at Tommy and placed a hand on Arthur's arm. "You said while this business was going on in London you wanted peace at home."
"And the only way to guarantee peace. It by making the prospect of war seem hopeless. Tommy spoke up as Lily saw that Arthur seemed to get annoyed.
"If you apologise once, you do it again, and again and again, like taking bricks out of the wall of your fucking house." Tommy spoke as he raised his arm in the air. "Do you wanna bring houses down Arthur?"
"If you're soft on rebellion, it'll grow."
"Bloody soft on rebellion." Arthur mumbled as he stood from his chair.
"You did the right thing John." Tommy spoke turning to his younger brother.
"Now we go in the offensive." He said walking forward pointing a finger to no one in particular.
"We take two of the Changretta pubs and we take them tonight. That's it."
"Oh!" Polly shouted as Tommy began walking away. "Right for christ sake why?"
"Eh?!"
"Why?"
Tommy turned around and made his way back over looking directly at Polly making Lily finch slightly and roll her eyes while resting her elbows on the table and putting her hands in her hair making it not look obvious she was covering her ears as she knew when Tommy got mad, man he got mad.
"Why? Because we fucking can!. Because we fucking can, and if we can we do!. And if we lift our heel off their necks now, they'll just come at us!." He paused or a moment looking around the table.
"Remember these are the bastards that wanted Danny Whizz-Bang dead!."
He paused as he watched Arthur paced around in front of the fire place. "You're getting soft brother." He said in a much calmer tone."Soft and weak. Save the Bible for Sundays, eh."
"Finn, I need to get to Hockley and then home. It's been a long day." Tommy spoke as Lily watched Finn stand up and making his way out the room, giving John a pat on the shoulder while doing so.
"You take the Wrexham, you take five Bells. You get them signed over to us in the morning, You make sure the coppers stay away." Tommy paused "And don't use the fucking phones, all right? there's someone listening." Tommy spoke before he turned and walked away in the direction where Finn had just left.
"Come on Lily, let's go home." Her father said as he and Luke began walking out and holding his arm out for her to take.
Lily slowly stood up and kissed John on the check and whispered 'i love you' while doing so as John smiled and said the same words back to her 'i love you too darling' before she stood up and walked over to her father and heisted slightly before taking a hold of his arm as the three began walking out the door and back home.
Sorry for late update i wasn't well for a week then i had no time to write but it's finally here and not very interesting but whatever.