As weeks passed by, Sullivan sobered, doing her shifts perfectly, and heading home sometimes with one of the Shelby boys, or by herself when they were busy. However, one night she met John at the Garrison, as he was leaning against the counter with a whiskey in front of him. 

"Oi, are you fucking listening?" he asked with a deep voice, slamming the glass on the wooden counter. 

"Fucking bastard don't you slam that glass on my counter, you're going to injure it," she scolded, her hand smacking his arm as Grace passed behind her. John followed the other blonde movement before clearing his throat. 

"Family meeting tomorrow," John said while walking to the front doors. She nodded, putting his glass in some water in order to clean it later. Grace looked at her from her right, making Sullivan turned her way. 

"What are you staring at again?" she demanded, her eyes floating to the now empty Garrison. 

"You're so close to them, I just wonder how it's even possible since it looks like an exclusive club," she mocked. Sullivan snorted, a smirk on her face as she thought of her reply.

"Seems like I'm a part of that exclusive club, Grace," she answered with a wink. The blonde rolled her eyes, carrying on their cleaning. 

ᚔᚔᚔ

"You're late," Polly stated as Sullivan pushed the Garrison front door opened the next morning. The blonde only rolled her eyes at her eldest, not bothering to answer because she knew she was right. As she lifted to the counter, she took sight of Thomas pouring drinks behind the counter, his eyes settled on her and Polly. She gave him a small smile before turning to Polly, whom of which held her hand with a knowing look. They walked side by side to their private room, and as soon as Sully stepped in the room, Arthur whistled. 

"About time," he exclaimed as she rolled her eyes, giving him the finger and making him laugh. She stayed in a corner of a room, John standing in the middle of the room. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, as Tommy stepped in the room, drinks in hands. She sighed when he gave her a whiskey and a raised eyebrow, but she only muttered a 'nevermind'. He stood beside her, as John had now sat down next to his eldest brother. 

"Alright, John, there's only a man guarding the house," Tommy said while glaring at Arthur to stop him giving a drink to him. "What's troubling you?" The littlest brother cleared his throat, looking everywhere except his friends until he set himself. 

"You know what it's been like since Martha died," John began. Sullivan sadly looked at him, her hands holding the other to stop them from grabbing his. 

"God takes the best first," Polly muttered, her hand on John's one. He pursed his lips together, lifting to the woman. Sully looked at Arthur and sighed. 

"Fuck, Arthur's not going to die soon then," she said, making John giggle slightly, the said man rolling his eyes playfully. 

"The truth is,", John said, earning the attention on him again. "My kids have been running bloody rings around me. Running barefoot with the dogs until all hours," he explained, and as soon as the words left his mouth, Sully put her hands on his forearm, looking down at him with kindness. 

"I can babysit them if you want, Johnny, I have more time now," she said, trying to comfort him the best she could. The man turned towards her and smiled kindly, his hand on her as they lifted their eyes to Tommy. 

"Pol, give him ten bob, some shoes. Is that it, John?" Sullivan scoffed as she shared a look with Polly.

"You're such an idiot, Thomas," she cursed. The raven-haired man frowned and she motioned for John to continue. 

"What the kids need is a mother," he stated, looking up to Sully as she nodded in understanding. "So that's why I'm getting married." Sullivan frowned, looking around all the Shelbys to witness the same shock on their faces. She opened her mouth to talk, but didn't find something smart to say. 

"Did you ask her?" Sullivan finally said. "I mean, does she knows it?" John smiled brightly, his eyes sparkling. 

"I did, and she said yes," he explained, making Sully cross her arms under her chest, looking at Tommy with wide eyes. He raised an eyebrow, lighting the cigarette he had at the corners of his mouth. 

"I think there's a shell about to land and go bang." Sullivan frowned and looked back at John, her mind wondering who the lucky girl was, and she was about to ask when John told them by himself, hesitance clear on his face. 

"It's, uh, it's Lizzie Stark," he announced. All the boys in the room snorted their laughter, as Sullivan pursed her lips to contain hers. John marrying Lizzie Stark had something amusing considering that Lizzie was a whore and that it was well-known. 

"John, Lizzie Stark's a strong woman and I am sure she provides a fine service for her customers." Sullivan snorted but then John was standing up, slamming the palm of his hand on the table. 

"I won't hear the word!" He exclaimed defensively, standing up for his future wife. "Do not use that word."

"What word is that, John?" Thomas asked, his eyes shining with amusement. 

"You know what word," John muttered. 

"Everybody bloody knows," Arthur said with a laugh. 

"Everybody can go to hell," John retorted, sending a dead glare to his older brother. 

"Whore?" Tommy asked. "That word? Or maybe prostitute. What about that one?" 

"Perhaps slut," Sullivan suggested quietly, glancing at Tommy who was looking at her too. 

"Alright, I want it known," he snapped, his eyes flying on each person in the room."If anyone calls her a "whore" again, I will push the barrel of my revolver down their throats and blow the word back down into their hearts." 

"Men and their cocks never cease to amaze me," Polly stated, her arms crossed over her chest. 

"John, listen," Sullivan said by putting her hand on John's shoulder. "Did she already worked vertical, at least one time?" 

"She's changed," he snapped, escaping Sully's touch by pushing her away. "Alright, she's changed. People changed, like with religion." 

"Does she have religion, eh?" Arthur asked, earning himself a glare from his brother. 

"She doesn't have religion," John explained. 

"Oh, no, of course she doesn't," Sullivan mocked as John walked to Tommy, his voice a request.

"But she loves me alright," John stated, just like it was finally enough. "Now, listen, Tommy. I won't do it without your blessing. But of all the people in the world, I want you to see it as brave." 

"It's brave all right," Arthur said by taking a sip of his drink. 

"Brave is going where no man had gone before," Polly clarified, a giggle leaving her throat. "With Lizzie Stark, this is really not what you'll be doing." 

"He's brave to stick it wherever everyone had been -" 

"Welcome her to the family. As someone who's had a hard life," John proposed to Thomas, cutting off his blonde friend while his eyes turned a little wet. "All right? Because I need someone. All right, the kids need someone." Sullivan nodded,  turning to all his siblings. 

"Alright, enough negativity," she said, looking at Thomas. "Maybe it'll be good, after all." 

"Good to what? Stuck him with her?" He said as he approached her, like he was giving privacy to their discussion. 

"Thomas, if she loves him, then what's wrong? He loves her, and he's lucky enough that she loves him too." The girl brushed her blond hair behind her ears and stared in Tommy's eyes. "Tommy, it's love we're talking about here." The man sighed, leaning backward as he looked over her, at his brother. However, he couldn't say anything because the door flew opened, Finn appearing in the doorway. 

"Tommy! We've been done over!" Sullivan looked at the boy, as one of the Shelby asked what happened. Finn didn't answer as he started to run again, all of the Shelbys and Sullivan behind him. Polly grabbed the blonde's hand not to let her behind. Arthur slammed the shop door opened, letting everyone see the mess that was now the shop. 

All the tables were upside down, thrown all over the room, broken glass on the floor. Some of the chairs had been broken and were now resting on the wooden floor, and papers that were once in perfect piles were now spread across the room. 

"Gosh," she muttered, her eyes flying all around the shop. She looked at Scupboat, whom of which was holding his eyes, blood falling on his cheek. 

"What the bloody hell happened here?" Arthur asked, giving a drink to the injured man. 

"The Lees," the man explained. "Cousins, nephews, even the bastards."

"They've taken anything they can lay their hands on," Polly stated with disgust. "Four cash boxes." 

"Wait," Sullivan said while she frowned. "They didn't let anything?" 

"Wire cutters," Scupboat announced. All the boys gasped in the room, and Tommy outstretched his hand at his friends. 

"Nobody moves." He ordered. Sullivan froze at his words, just like everyone across the room. 

"What's the problem?" The blonde asked. 

"I think our friends are playing a game," Tommy explained. Polly frowned, taking a step further, but Thomas raised his hand at her. "Aunt Pol," he warned. 

"Don't touch anything," John said, looking around him with panic in his eyes. Sullivan frowned, looking at the boys around the room.

"What's bloody going on here?" she asked, her tone bored. 

"Erasmus Lee was in France," Thomas explained. Sullivan gasped a little, cursing under her breath. "When we gave up ground to the Germans. We'd leave behind booby traps, set up with wires. And we'd leave wire cutters as part of the joke." The blonde ran a hand through her hair, biting her bottom lip with fear, already understanding his words. 

"There's a hand grenade somewhere in there," John said, putting words on Sully's panic. 

"Holy Jesus," Polly cursed. 

"Attached to a wire," Arthur completed. "Don't move any chairs or open any door. Go easy, John boy." As they all looked around the room, Sully's brain processed something that the boys didn't seem to think about. 

"Thomas," she called. "It can't be here, Arthur slammed the door. Tom, if it was in here, we would've already died," she explained her thoughts, making the man frown with disbelief. 

"The bullet," he said softly. "Damn, she's right, it can't be here, it was my name on that bullet." 

"Boys, where's Finn?" she asked, looking around the shop. 

"Shit," Tommy cursed, exiting the shop in a hurry. Sullivan watched him leave before she was clasping her hands together. 

"Alright, let's clean up I guess," she said with a soft smile. As she crouched down to pick up some papers in front of her, Arthur hit her ribs with his knee. 

"So, I'm not going to die soon?" he asked. "Seems like you either," he laughed. 

"Your partner in crime won't leave without you," she said with a wink. 

Once the shop was cleaned, she returned to the Garrison to make her night shift. Between serving glasses of whiskey and exchanging some words with Harry, she let her mind float to what happened earlier. At the end of the shift, she turned to Grace, whom of which raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Alright, I need advice," she said. "Well, not really advice, but rather an opinion." Grace nodded, putting down the glass she was cleaning. "What would you think if someone said that you're going to marry someone that doesn't deserve you?" Grace inhaled and pursed her lips.

"I think that I would try to show that he's not that bad," she answered. "I wouldn't give up, because that would only show how weak my love is," she added. "Why?" 

"It's not for me," Sullivan said quickly. "I was just asking." 

"Is this has something to do with you and Thomas Shelby?" Grace demanded, an eyebrow raised. 

"No, I told you, it's not even about me," Sullivan replied, turning her gaze away. "Will it bother you if I let you close up?" Grace shook her head, so Sullivan grabbed her coat and her purse and exited the Garrison with a slight 'thank you' in Grace's direction. 

As she walked to her home, she crossed John's path and smiled, grabbing his arm. 

"The one I wanted to see!" she exclaimed, stopping herself from walking. "Can we talk?" John nodded. "Alright, I have something to say but I couldn't do it this morning, because well, I didn't have time with everything that happened." 

"Just go straight," John giggled. "You're too long."

"I just wanted to say that whoever you want to marry, I'll be by your side," she stated, her hand resting on his forearm. "I know what you're about to say, I joked around with the others when you told us, and I apologize. It doesn't matter who you love, as long as she loves you too and she's alright with it." John sighed and put his hand on the blonde's shoulder, his eyes now glossy. 

"Too late, Sul Sully" he shushed. "I know she wasn't honest, thanks to Tommy, so I'm not marrying her anymore." Sullivan pursed her lips and hugged the man. 

"You deserve so much more," she stated. "I swear, you deserve the world, John. I'll keep an eye on your kids if you need help, as long as you will." He nodded and they broke their embrace, before John spoke again. 

"Thanks, that's really nice, considering how much the kids fucking love you," he said with a bright smile. "But enough of that, how are you?" Sullivan shrugged, sliding her hands in one another. 

"I'm great, I guess," she replied, a sweet smile on her lips.

"You're so bad at lying," the man giggled. "Well, you look fine, but not great." Sullivan rolled her eyes and smacked his arm playfully. 

"Alright, don't play on words, I'm fine." John sighed as they walked together to their home, the fresh air wiping their worries away. They chatted happily all the way home, until they reached for their porch. There, John put his hands in his pockets, looking over the blonde, before he looked down at her. 

"No matter how hard you fell in love with Tommy," he began, "you deserve better too." 

She watched him with wide eyes as he walked in his house, closing the door quietly behind him, not wanting to wake his family up. Even in her own bed that night, staring at the ceiling, she thought about John's words. 

Maybe she was, but she didn't want better.