#arthur gray

it was just a week ago when he sat beatrice down in his chicago office, letting her know the assignment her had for her. she quickly turned it down, but he held up one finger to let him finish. she sighed, rolling down further in the plush chair and continued to listen to what he had to say. she agreed, reluctantly. "who will be accompanying me?" she questioned, knowing he'd never want danger to come to her. how ironic that statement is. gio agreed the moment al had come to him, and then marco his longtime friend and confidant agreed quickly as well. marco had always looked out for the girl, maybe a little too much sometimes. they had shared some nights together when al was away tending to business, but it never led to anything else. she would not allow it, and she knew he'd be killed by the hands of her brother if he'd found out. either frank or al, it did not matter. the three of them boarded a boat in new york and sailed 9 days before arriving to london, and then drove to this dump beatrice called it. "remind me to kill al when i get back." she huffed, as the three walked back towards their rented car. marco chuckled while gio agreed, he couldn't believe al had tricked him this badly. the three drove into town just a bit, looking for their hotel. "lets stop there." she said pointing at a bar or pub. she was not sure what they called it here. gio nodded, pulling up across the street to a place called, 'the garrison.' marco got out first, placing a hand out for beatrice who took it. she stood up, and began to look around. brick lined streets, dirty walls of homes flooded her vision. she looked towards her right to see a man watching the three while smoking a cigarette. gio eyed the man as he got out, and marco led the girl over. she took in the smell of this city and could not wait to be back in chicago.

hopefully, sooner rather than later.

marco walked in first, looking around before signaling to beatrice that she could walk in. as if she was royalty or had notoriety. she swallowed hard before stepping into the place with confidence and swagger, as if she already owned the place. marco led her to table to the side, while gio walked behind them. as soon as she sat she for a moment before letting them know what she wanted, "just the usual." she said not thinking anything of it. however, the usual wasn't a drink here. she giggled, and asked for vodka instead. she watched as gio went to go fetch the three's drinks, and marco sat down still checking everybody out; nonchalantley. "marco...you can relax for a minute." she said touching his arm softly. "not when you have a group of people staring at you." he said and she shyly looked towards the bar and saw a group of people staring.

those must be them, she thought.

gio was walking towards the two when she looked away. she took the vodka and sipped it sparingly. gio lit a cigar, and she pushed his shoulder to give her a puff. he rolled his eyes as she took off her coat, and took it from him. thomas shelby had never seen anything more attractive, in his 33 years on this earth. the utmost power she held over those 2 was incredible. she took one last puff before giving it back to gio, and she sat back in her chair and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "ill be back, I'm going to make a phone call." marco said and she nodded. she knew he was going to make a phone call to london where the capones had a trusted business partner, who then would send word that the three had made it. beatrice clicked her tongue, taking another sip of her drink. her face scrunched with disgust, "they really need some better vodka here." she said and gio laughed heartedly. a blonde woman walked by asking if they wanted more and beatrice thought for a minute before gio began to hit on the woman. beatrice hit the back of his head, cleanly and sharply. causing arthur and michael to snicker. she took the cigar back and apologized to the barmaid, "i do apologize for my cousin. he clearly doesn't get any attention from the ladies." she said and the barmaid softly smiled at the girl. "but may i have something better than whatever this is." she said shoving the cup to the woman.

the woman took back what she had just thought, and sighed. another entitled girl she thought, but grace smiled and turned back to get the drinks. gio mumbled, and beatrice hit him once again in the head. "ow!" he whimpered, looking back at her. "don't make me shove you out of that chair giovanni!" she warned and he sighed turning around. she had had all the capone boys near and far wrapped around her finger for the last 2 decades. marco walked back into view, and Beatrice watched from the moment he did so. he walked across the bar, and he caught her eye. the two softly smiled at one another, blushing like fools. she breathed in the cigar once more before handing it back to gio. the barmaid came back with the drinks, and she stood there making sure they were fine. or rather, the snooty tastebuds the girl possessed. irish whiskey, she tasted. her blood boiled. marco and gio saw the look on her face, and chuckled. "irish. whiskey." the capone darkly seethed, before standing up. she took ahold of her jacket, threw it on and began her saunter out. the peaky blinders behind the bar were silently outraged at how disrespectful the three were being. well the one in particular.. the young capone. though, thomas found it somewhat amusing

"we'll be outside." gio said to marco who nodded, and she was outside taking in the cold air that hit her quickly. "irish fucking whiskey." she chastised causing gio to just laugh. "lets just get back, and get a long night rest." she said and he nodded, helping her into the bentley. marco walked out, and jogged over to the car after paying the bill. "all good?" she questioned as he sat next to her. he nodded, and gio started the ride to the other end of the city. back at the garrison, they shut it down and had a family meeting. they had no idea who these three were but from the looks of it (and sound) they were american, entitled and, had money. loads of it. marco threw down a 100 dollar bill and walked out. they were all curious on where they got that money from. - - "when she had the whiskey...it was like something snapped in her. like she was appalled and disgusted by it being Irish." grace said to the group who just nodded. "let me call my contact in london and see if he knows anything." tommy said thinking. "i don't know if that's a good thing or not since lover boy here has been transfixed since she took the cigar from the dude." john joked causing michael to his cousin. the two pushed each other a few times, "oi! we are not doing anything stupid lads. hear me?" tommy said with the utmost authority. everybody nodded and they dispanded for the evening.

ꕥ

bea woke up the next morning, groggy and itching to get out of the uncomfortable bed. she sighed, throwing on her silk robe and walked out into the tea room she stopped when she saw marco already sitting there with a newspaper and coffee. "coffee?" she questioned and he nodded, smirking as he knew her love and adoration for the dark drink. "i thought they only had tea here." she said remembering how worried she was of not getting caffeine overseas. "do you think your brother would send you some place without coffee? god bless that place if he did." he teased and she rolled her eyes, pulling up her feet to sit pretzel-styled. she sipped her coffee in peace, as she felt marco staring. "listen bud, you cant keep looking at me and not expect me to hit you." she teased, opening one eye and catching his. "does...does gio suspect anything?" macro asked after a minute had passed. she shrugged, "if he did, as ironic as it is he is too much of a gentleman to say a word. especially to al or frank." she said and he nodded. "he just wants me to be happy, that's all. i mean we've always seen each other as siblings so i trust him in that regards to not fuck up my life." she breathed. marco leaned across and took hold of one of her hands and brought it in his, and she smiled down at it. during her 23 years on this earth, al and frank had had a way with whom she liked. through small acts of behavior (not always violence), words that haunted the men she went out on dates with, and the promise that they'd ruin their lives if they hurt bea. she wanted this thing to be strong with marco before she went and told her brothers because she knew if she did not do it at the right moment; their relationship would be history and she'd be back in her ivory tower. never able to leave.

they unclasped their hands as they heard gio's door open, and bea eyed her cousin as he poured a cup of coffee for himself. "yknow if you all want privacy just tell me, i will sleep outside." he said and she nearly spit her coffee out. "excuse me?" she said eyeing her cousin, wide-eyed now. "if you want some time together, let me know so i don't have to blow my brains out." he said non chalantly. marco just laughed and bea rolled her eyes; cringing. "come on, i'm not an idiot." he paused as bea laughed loudly. "ok maybe i am just a bit but I've been with you two for what, 2 weeks now? i know y'all have a thing, just don't hurt her or i swear to god." he said turning to macro seriously. bea tried to hide her blushing and face behind her hands before macro pulled them away and kissed her proudly. "oh god." she said pushing him away, teasingly. "leave me alone!" she said hopping up and jogging away from marco. she left the two there and decided she might as well dress before going to the seamstress she'd planned to get information from. she put on her light purple dress, with her iconic black wool coat tied together with a gold bag. "boys, are you ready yet?" she asked as she walked into the tea room. the two nodded walking out, with marco smiling widely as he looked at her. "no no, we have to go." she said walking out of the large hotel suite with gio.

ꕥ

bea stood in the middle of the room with the seamstress, polly she had been told was her name. "so where does one yank like you, come from?" polly asked and bea smiled, "a far, far place from here." bea said not wanting to reveal too much. "you have a accent i cant quite decipher." polly said wanting to know more. bea knew what she was getting at, "i am originally from new york so you could say i picked up the accent there." she said acting as if she was dumb. cheeky girl, polly thought. "are you the only child?" polly asked looking up at bea. she sensed a change in the young blonde. "sometimes i feel as though i am, and other times i wish i were." bea said somewhat sadly before perking up again. she loved her brothers, but what they were doing was not for the faint of heart. her family had been torn apart when al took her and frank to chicago, and never allowed her to look back. he wanted to give her everything their parents could never give. he wanted to keep her safe from the hands of those that just wanted to take advantage of her and get even with her brothers. it had its obvious drawbacks, isolation, anxiety, and brothers who were gone more often than not. "so how did a flower like you end up here?" she questioned bea. bea cleared her throat, "a new beginning, a place to make a name for myself." and my family she did not say. after this 'operation' she'd have a bigger role back in chicago and that meant she could possibly start her new life and role in los angeles, like she'd always yearned for. bea eyed herself in the mirror, throwing the infamous capone glare through the mirror at herself.

awhile later, she was walking out of pollys shop. she thanked polly and told her that one of her two men would be around to get her outfits the following week. "have a wonderful afternoon." bea said respectfully before turning around to marco and gio. she heard some laughing coming from her right, and saw two guys she had seen last night. the one's that had laughed after she hit gio in the back of the head. "lets get going." marco said taking her hand and helping her in the car. michael and arthur eyed the three as they got in and drove off. they quickly walked into pol's to get information. "she didn't say much, i know there's more there." she said taking a long breathe of the cigarette. "you tellin tommy?" arthur asked and polly looked at him like he was dumb. "shes a peculiar yank sounds Italian- immigrated Italian." polly said and the two boys nodded. "and we all know where the italians went." she said referencing ellis island in new york. "well if she's Italian we ought to get rid of her right?"arthur said and polly shrugged. "she may not be a threat but tommy will make that decision." polly said walking towards the back.

ꕥ

marco walked in with bea as gio pushed them out the door, saying they needed a proper date. so the two walked into an upscale restaurant, and as soon as they did people look towards them speaking in hushed tones. the host walked them to their table which was conveniently located to the right of the shelbys table. with michael and tommy having a clear view of them. the waiter walked up with water and asked them for drinks, "may we have a bottle of your finest champagne?" marco asked. "any special occasion?" the waiter asked and the two looked at one another unsure of what to say, "first date." marco sheepishly said causing bea to blush. "congratulations, i will be right back!" the waiter said and bea tapped her hand against his, and he just laughed in response. she shrugged off her coat and the waiter came back in time to take it from her. "thankyou." she said and she took the champagne fluke in exchange, hitting hers with his. "here's to freedom!" he said softly, "here's to taking chances." she smiled and they sipped their bubbly drink. "what did the guy say in london?" she questioned and marco set his fluke down. "just said that he'd relay the message as soon as he could. apparently, your brother left the city." he said and her eyes widened. "seriously?" she questioned and he nodded. "didn't he i don't know just get it?" she whispered, referencing the position he just made on a situation on the northside of chicago. the irish land. she sighed, rolling her eyes. "he's gonna get himself killed, marco. fucking Irish are going to kill him." she said worrying. the tensions between the southside and northside at the moment were tense. everyday there was a threat that the Irish gang was going to storm their humble abode and shoot him in the night. al even feared it at times, though would then drown himself with alcohol and cigars. marco took hold of her hand and rubbed her thumb, "if anybody can escape death its your brother." he said knowingly, but it still didn't make her feel better. she turned to look to the right of her and saw the group from last night. as well as the woman from that afternoon.

she looked back towards marco and pulled her hand away from his, feeling nervous. "marco- I'm about to start speaking in Italian." she said and he was confused. "there's people listening to us." she said, and he knew who it was. "that woman i was with today is at their table." bea added and marco nodded. "is it true, he's sending more men this way from london?" she questioned marco and marco nodded. her brothers were sending trucks of men to help out this operation and keep her safe. she sat back in her seat, trying to figure out what to say next. she had a lot on her mind, like they had been since al pushed her into this operation. "he's going to be the death of me, marco. the death of me." she said in english, sighing as she did so. the two spent the rest of the evening talking about anything but al and the family business. marco also told her that he'd be visiting poland in the upcoming weeks after new years to talk to some vodka people out there. she did not like hearing that but she knew he had no choice, what al says; goes.

later on in the evening, as the two were just finishing their meals the waiter came over with two glasses of pure irish whiskey. their eyebrows knit in confusion until he pointed over towards the group of shelbys. tommy raised his glass of whiskey ever so slightly, staring at the young capone. she gave him her fake and famous beatrice capone smile. the one that dazzled everyone she came in contact with. tommy's heart raced. she chugged it down in one go, setting it back down and then looking towards the shelbys once more. she smiled, before standing back up and taking her coat from the waiter. "thankyou." she said before marco followed her out with a hand on her back.

"fucking italian scum." tommy thought, downing the rest of his whiskey.

ꕥ

it was two days later when anybody saw the young capone on the streets, after the trucks of men came through she would be able to start the operation. she had eyes and ears in factories, distillaries and pretty much all business across the city. beatrice and gio were walking down the street, minding their business as they were not too far from the cafe they had heard served coffee. just her luck, her hat flew off behind her as a huge gush of cold air hit the two midwesterners. she cursed loudly before turning around to come eye to eye with a blue eyed man. her blue eyes pierced into his soul, like he was made of glass. gio didn't like them staring at one another, so he snatched her hat from the hands of a peaky blinder. bea raised her hand and gio flinched. she snatched her hat back, and gio sighed walking a few feet away. she watched him until he was at a certain length and she turned back to the nicely dressed blue eyed man. "thankyou, for getting my hat. i apologize about my cousin. he's a menace to society." she said tucking some hair behind her ear. he waved him off, "the names michael gray." he said holding out his hand. she eyed him curiously before shaking his, "bee monroe." she said giving him a childhood nickname and her alias. "bee." he said almost mesmerized. she took her hand away and slipped her hat back on, "stay warm out here. you'll catch a cold." she said a matter of factly before smiling and walking towards her cousin. tommy stood there watching them walk into the cafe before heading off to pol's house.

"i got her name!" michael said walking into the house, not realizing tommy was there with arthur. tommy quirked an eyebrow, "her name is bee." michael said and arthur sighed. "first name, last name michael. we've been over this how many times?" arthur said as john laughed from the kitchen. tommy sat their drinking his earl grey tea. "no no arthur, bee is good. beatrice is her name." he said. "beatrice is her first name, shes called bea or bee though." tommy said confirming what he overheard at dinner the two nights before and at the bar. whoever she was with called her those three names. "she was with her cousin but she didn't say his name." michael added and tommy nodded. "are we gonna talk about this or the number of guys that just so happened to show up when she did?" arthur questioned and tommy sighed. "i was just getting to that." he said tensely. "apparently the woman you fancy, has an ulterior motive to being here and of course we are going to get to the bottom of it." arthur explained and tommy tensed softly. he had a sneaky suspicion on why she was here but there was seriously no way she'd be involved in something sketchy. "i know what your thinking michael, its true. my contact in london already confirming." tommy said setting his now empty tea cup down, trying to convince himself. "oi sit down and no more business talk!" polly said coming in and shoving her son towards the empty seat.

ꕥ

bea and gio sat across from each other in the cafe, laughing and chatting about life and childhood memories. the two hadn't had some time with each other in months, with all the running around gio was doing for her brothers. "please tell me that one day you'll get out." she said seriously swirling her coffee. he sighed, "gio please." she said leaning forward and grabbing his hand. "you know your mother would have wanted that for you. to make a life of your own, away from the capones." she said softly and he nodded. "i know i know, once this job is over I'm gone. i'm heading someplace warm." he smiled and that made bea happy. she took her hand away and looked down and that's when she heard shouting. but not directed towards her but a group of men were going in on one of her men that her brother hired. her head shot up, looking at gio. "lets go!"" gio" he said not wanting to be caught in the middle of this. gio took ahold of bea's hand and they ran off the way the way they had come from. shots rang out and that made bea stop in her tracks. "bea we have to go, they cant know." gio said grabbing and then pulling her further and further towards the hotel. the guys that shot her men walked out and shot twice into the air, causing bea and others to scream. the two continued to run, their hearts beating fast. the shelbys heard the gunshot down the road and they stood up. they came outside after the next two rang out. bea and gio continued to walk back towards the hotel along with other patrons, with bea panicking at the situation. gio had an arm around her middle back, pushing her to keep walking. tommy walked out in front of pol's residence and just as luck would have it, bea and gio walking past. bea held onto gio, shaken.

out of all the years she worked with her brothers, she'd never been remotely close to the scene of the crime after she witnessed one back on new york. they made very sure to keep her away. tommy caught eye of the girl and watched as she walked with her cousin. polly eyed him from behind, smirking just a little bit. tommy of course then going into cleanup mode. as soon as gio and bea made it back to the hotel, she clung to marco with gio explaining what had happened. marco and her laid in her bed, as he rubbed her back trying to soothe her thoughts as she stared at the dresser. gio sent word back through a trusted wales associate. bea could not fathom how her brothers could live this life and continue to go on like nothing happened. bea turned towards marco and cuddled into him, unsure if she could leave his side again in brimingham.

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