A/N - Apologies for the long delay in updating. Thanks to everyone for their reviews, in particular the most recent ones I've received. They've been really constructive and helpful for me so thank you! so much so, I have edited Chapter 6. I wasn't happy with it when I originally posted it, and the feedback I've recently had has confirmed my feelings on it. So I've taken a bit of time and tried to rewrite it. I felt that originally, it was too rushed. I feel like I've managed to improve this a bit. It hasn't changed the overall focus of the story so don't worry too much if you've missed it.

Thanks so much and please keep the reviews coming!

Chapter 12 - Reunion

The words were barely out of Charlie's mouth before Thomas was up on his feet and heading towards the snug door.

"Where did she go Charlie?" he demanded, his eyes wide.

"Clearly I've touched a nerve." Charlie chuckled, lifting one of the glasses from the table and taking a drink.

Reaching down, Thomas grasped tightly onto the lapel of his Uncle's jacket, taking him by surprise. "Take it easy Tom!"

"Tell me where she went Charlie."

Grace jumped from the sudden outburst, taken aback by Thomas' anger. She watched the scene unfold in front of her, trying to understand what was happening. She and Thomas had spent all day together, albeit it wasn't hugely successful given the situation she had found herself in Kimber's palatial mansion. She still felt angry at him for putting her in that position, but despite that, and despite her current instructions from her superior, she had been taken in by him. Now, she was curious about this woman who clearly had wound him up.

"She was heading East. I'm not sure where she's staying Tom. Remember she had an Aunt here. Isabel Davis. You remember her from church."

Saying nothing else, Thomas pulled his cap down onto his head and tightened his coat. Pushing open the snug door, he ignored the silence which drifted over the bar as he entered and made his way outside. Glancing up and down the street, he looked hastily around for any sign of her, but she was no where to be seen. Turning on his heel, he began heading east, following Charlie's instructions. He knew where Isabel Davis lived but somehow he knew she wouldn't be there. She was too independent to be still living with her family. As he traipsed the streets, he was growing ever impatient. Ready to admit defeat, he found himself standing at the top of Whitehall Road. Staring at the dull blue door a few feet away, he took several strides towards it, lifted his fist and rattled on the wood. Bringing his hand down, he clasped his fingers together and kept his head slightly bowed until he heard the sound of the door creaking.

"Yes?" the timid voice said, opening the door very slightly. "Oh, Mr Shelby."

He heard the fear in her voice as she stuttered his name. It wasn't overly unusual anymore. "Mrs Davis." He stated her name with authority.

She opened the door to him, afraid of the repercussions of sending him away. "What can I do for you Mr Shelby?"

"I'm looking for a woman. I believe you know her. Emily King?"

Her eyes widened as she thought of her eldest niece. What could he possibly want with her? "Erm, yes. I'm her aunt."

"Do you know where she is?"

"She'll likely be at home I would expect Mr Shelby. Can I get a message to her for you?"

"No, you can just tell me where that home would be." He stated, daring her to argue with him.

She paused for a second. "Can I ask what this is about, Mr Shelby? I worry about Emily. She's been through a lot. She hasn't quite been the same since…"

"France?" he finished for her. "I know, Mrs Davis. I was there too. But with all due respect, this is a conversation between Emily and I. Now, if you would be so kind as to point me in the direction of her house, I would appreciate it."

Knowing she wasn't getting rid of him without relenting, she sighed and provided him with the address. Knowing exactly where it was, he nodded a brief thank you to her and made his way down the street in search of her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What was all that about Charlie?" John asked, refilling the glasses in front of him. "Who is this Emily?"

Charlie shrugged.

"You clearly do know. Otherwise, why would you have brought it up?" John quizzed. "Tommy ran out of here. He obviously knows exactly who she is."

"Look John, I don't know what the deal is. All I know is, she was here before. Now she's appeared again and asking for Tommy once she knew he was here. I didn't know he was in here, otherwise I'd have brought her in. She asked about him briefly and that was it. But I could tell. She had that glint in her eye. He meant something to her."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emily rested her head against the soft pillow. The sheets clung around her body as she lay in the darkness. It was late and the only brief sign of light was from the moon as it crept into the room through the small gap in the curtains. Closing her eyes tightly, she turned on her side and pulled the cover closer to her body as she willed herself to fall asleep. Gripping onto the pillow with her left hand, she took a deep breath as she felt her eyelids grow heavy. Almost succumbing to slumber, she was brutally pulled back to reality at the sound of a loud knocking coming from her front door. Pushing her eyes open, she waited for a few seconds, wondering if she had purely imagined it. However, she was proved wrong as the sound of the knocking appeared again. Sighing, Emily pulled the covers off of her body, shuddering at the harsh coolness which radiated around her bare legs. Sliding out of bed, she picked up her nearby robe which was hanging up on the back of the door and pulled it on. Making her way downstairs, she carefully approached the door and waited for the sound again. When it rattled once more, she tentatively approached, lifting up a nearby umbrella. Shaking her head at her poor choice of weapon, she placed her free hand on the door handle.

"Who's there?" she called out nervously.

"Thomas Shelby."

She froze. She wasn't sure whether it was hearing his name or just hearing his voice but her whole body stiffened, apart from her fingers which slightly flexed, allowing the umbrella to fall to the floor. Pulling herself from her stupor, she turned the key to unlock the door before taking a deep breath and finally pulling it open. She kept her head down, almost nervous to make eye contact with him. As the door was finally opened wide, Emily allowed herself to slowly raise her head, her eyes drifting over his attire as they went. She eyed his perfectly shined shoes, his incredibly well tailored suit, complete with gold pocket watch before her line of vision finally fell upon his face. She was taken aback. Other than his appearance, he looked different from the last time she had seen him. Two years had passed. But other than him being dressed in better quality clothes, he was exactly as she remembered him. Despite the fact the last time they had been in each others company, he had been lying in a hospital bed, he looked as he had done then. As if no time had passed. She gazed at the cap which sat on top of his head, and it was only then that she spotted his harsh haircut. The shaved sides wasn't something she was used to seeing him with. And it was only then that she realised he was the man who had been driving the car that morning.

"Emily?"

As the sound of her name fell from his lips, her attention fell back on his face. It was only then she realised that a few minutes had passed by without her saying a single word to him.

"I….I…."

"Can I come in?" he asked, eyeing her cautiously. He glanced over her form in front of him and shuddered as he took her in. He remembered her being slender, however, now she looked frightfully thin. Her dark ebony hair fell carelessly around her shoulders, signalling that he had disturbed her from her sleep. Her skin was paler than he remembered, and her eyes looked tired, as though they had lost their vivacity. He felt at that moment as though he wanted to look after her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her and tell her everything would be alright. That he would care for her. But he knew he couldn't. it had been too long since they had been in each others company. It was difficult. They had been so open and exposed in their letters to one another, however, they had only met in the flesh a handful of times. Did he have any right to feel that way about her? Did she even feel that way about him? He had asked her to wait for him. He had essentially bared his soul to her. He watched as she stepped slowly to the side, opening the door wider to allow him access. He lifted his cap from his head and made his way inside, slowly stepping past her. He turned to face her as she closed the door, locking it again. He heard her take a deep breath before she finally turned back towards him.

"What are you doing here?" she finally asked.

He carefully considered her question, as he did with all things. "I heard you were back."

Emily nodded. "I didn't know you would be here. I hadn't heard from you in so long." He took a brief step towards her. "You didn't reply to my last letter."

His eyes narrowed as he considered what she was saying. "No, you didn't reply to my last letter. You wrote to me when you left France. I sent a letter back but never heard any more from you."

Her eyes widened at his revelation. It was then that realisation set in. She hadn't received his response. He had written to her, but she hadn't received it. He hadn't ignored her. She felt her eyes begin to water. They stung with regret and pain. She felt her knees begin to give way from underneath her. Before she could reach the floor, she felt him before she saw him. His arms wrapped tightly around her body and pulled her close to him, holding her up. As she allowed herself to be pulled into his embrace, she felt her frame melt into him. She felt her hands grip onto his waistcoat and her face buried itself into the crook of his neck. She couldn't stop herself as she took in his scent and felt the warmth radiate from his body. It was heaven. It was only then that she realised this was the first time he had ever touched her. The first time she had ever felt his hands on her and she relished every moment of it. Finally succumbing to the anguish, tears began falling down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey." He spoke, pulling slightly away from her, gripping her shoulders gently with his fingertips and feeling her skin through her thin robe. "What's wrong?"

"I thought you were dead." She spluttered, allowing herself to meet his gaze through her tear stained eyes.

He pulled her back to him, his fingertips twisting through the locks of her hair. His usual demeanour was gone. The angry, mean and heated Thomas Shelby was gone. She had that effect on him. He couldn't deny it. He felt all the anger he had endured since the war slipping away from him. He held her tightly, feeling her body heave against him with her sobs. "Hey, I'm right here."

She lifted her head from his shoulder and glanced up at him from under her long eyelashes. Her dark eyes searched his face. "We've lost so much time."

Thomas nodded. "We don't have to lose any more. We don't. I'm here." He lifted his hands and placed them on the sides of her face, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears. His calloused skin rubbed roughly against her soft cheeks. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to her forehead, causing her to shudder underneath him. Pulling back, he allowed his eyes to meet hers. They searched her for any reaction. Any indication that she wanted him. Unable to contain himself much longer, his eyes drifted down her face until they reached her lips. She watched him intently as his pupils danced across her face between her eyes and mouth. As his head began to dip towards her, she allowed her eyelids to close and her fingers gripped onto his waistcoat as she felt his slip back into her hair. His breath was hot on her face as he closed the gap between them, taking her mouth almost forcibly within his. Her breath caught in her throat as all of the anticipation of the last few years finally came to a thrilling climax. All of the emotion from their letter exchanges was felt between them as they gripped onto one another. Thomas' hands slipped from her head down her back until they wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her as closely to him as he could. Emily released his waistcoat and pressed her hands flat against his chest, placing some distance between them as their lips finally parted. Their breathlessness was evident as they stared at each other, almost unsure of what to say to each other.

"I don't want to lose any more time." Emily stated, staring into his blue eyes.

Thomas shook his head. "We don't have to." He closed the gap between them again, their kiss become more passionate. Slipping his hands down her body, he took her by surprise as he lifted her with ease. She responded immediately, allowing her legs to wrap around his waist, pushing her nightgown up her legs, baring them to the cool air, yet she couldn't feel it. The whole room felt as though it was on fire.

"Where?" Thomas' lips slipped to her cheek as he gasped the word.

"Upstairs." She found his lips again as she provided him with her blessing, knowing there was no way she was letting him slip through her fingers again.

He held onto her as he made his way towards the staircase, taking them one at a time. Their foreheads were pressed together. She pushed his cap from his head, allowing it to topple down the stairs behind them. Her fingertips slipped through his dark hair, enjoying the softness before they adapted quickly to the harsh haircut as her hand found its way to the back of his neck.

"Straight ahead." She murmured as she recognised the route from over his shoulder. His hands gripped tightly to her buttocks as he manoeuvred himself towards her bedroom door, kissing her once more before finally placing her down on the bed, allowing his body to engulf her.