XVIII. Quarantine.

The day Michael returned to Birmingham, Maude, Arthur, and Polly went to meet him at the train station. Polly, dressed in all black, with a hat and some dark sunglasses, was leaning up against one of the cars. Arthur, dressed in his usual Peaky Blinder attire, was making a call in the phone booth. And Maude wore a long-sleeved black dress with matching gloves and heels, standing on the sidewalk as she had a cigarette.

Michael stepped through the doors of the train station, taking his hat off as he looked at his mother when she approached him. Maude remained standing close by on the sidewalk, letting out a breath of smoke as she watched Michael closely.

"Hello, Mum." Michael greeted his mother with a smile. He glanced over at the train station's entrance just as a beautiful young blonde woman walked out. "This is Gina. Gina Gray." Michael introduced as Gina came to stand beside him, hooking her arm in with his. "The captain married us on board," he explained and even though Polly wore dark sunglasses, it was clear she did not spare Gina one glance. "She's my wife, Mum. At least look at her." he snapped at his mother.

"Tommy said to ask you to tell me the truth," Polly informed her son before turning her body to send a quick glance at Maude as she took off her glasses. "In front of Maude," she added as she looked back at Michael.

"We've been traveling for days, Mrs. Gray." Gina spoke up, and her American accent grinded on Maude's ears. "Maybe we could talk about this at another time." she insisted, her tone unfriendly and hostile.

"Yes." Michael agreed as he nodded his head. "Let's go home and we can talk."

Polly took a few steps closer to Michael, her face firm and cold. "You have no home until you tell me the truth," she informed him.

"Here?" Michael questioned his mother in disbelief as he raised his eyebrows, his eyes briefly shooting towards Maude.

"Yeah," Polly confirmed as she nodded her head.

The door to the phone booth slammed open and Arthur stepped out, spreading his arms out by his side as he approached. "Michael!" he called out before his gaze turned to Gina. "Hello, love. Welcome to Birmingham, eh?" He greeted as he came to a stop.

"Michael?" Polly urged her son.

"OK." Michael sighed as he looked at his mother, nodding his head. "Our ship docked at Belfast. I was then taken off the ship by two men." he began to explain before getting interrupted by his wife.

"At gunpoint," Gina added in a snarky tone.

"I'm speaking to my son," Polly replied sharply without ever taking her eyes off Michael to look at Gina.

"Fuck you." Michael spat at his mother before glancing at Arthur. "Fuck you too, Arthur." he spat as he pointed at Arthur before looking at Maude. "And fuck you." he spat at her as well and Maude quirked an eyebrow at him as she blew out a puff of smoke. "This is my fucking wife. I bring her home, to this?" he snapped at them before taking Gina's hand. "Come on, Gina." he huffed as he started walking away.

Arthur was quick to step in their way, getting in Michael's face. "Well, where are you going now, eh? Hmm?" he questioned as he raised his arms up by his sides. "Introduce me at least." he taunted.

"Excuse me." Gina huffed as she took a few steps away from Arthur.

"Look at this. Look at this." Michael spat as he looked around before turning to his wife. "This is it, Gina. This is my fucking people."

"You have no people, no family, and no fucking home until we say you do," Maude spoke up, her voice eerily calm and low. She stared Michael dead on, her head slightly tilted to the side. She flicked her cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath her heel, never breaking eye contact with Michael. "And right now you're not giving us any reason to say you do," she added as she stepped closer.

Michael sharply turned to face Maude, clenching his jaw. "Do you want to know the truth, Maude?" he questioned her before shooting a glare at his mother. "Do you want to know the truth, Mum?" he asked. "I did not betray my fucking family!" he yelled as he turned in a circle with his arms spread out by his sides. He turned back to his mother and walked towards her, getting in her face. "Now, Mum...I want to go home."

Maude pushed her hands into her dress pockets, raising her chin as she stared at Michael, her facial expression cold. "I've booked you a suite at the Midland Hotel," she informed him.

Michael slowly turned to face Maude. "Was that Tommy's orders, then, was it?" he questioned her before turning to his wife. "See, the Midland Hotel is Tommy's little kingdom. Where all the porters keep an eye, where all the telephone exchange girls are reporting on my calls," he informed her.

"Yes, Gina. It's Tommy's little Kingdom, where he can watch those he can't fucking trust." Maude replied as she nodded her head in agreement, never taking her eyes off Michael. "Should have sent you to the Midland Hotel instead of America, Michael." she spat at him.

Michael turned sharply and immediately got in Maude's face, standing nose-to-nose with her. She didn't flinch, didn't blink, or move a single muscle. Her face remained stoic as she stared at Michael.

He glared at Maude, trying to intimate her. But Maude was married to the scariest Peaky Blinder of them all. Maude had dealt with men far worse than Michael. She wasn't intimidated by him, not in the least.

But Michael's actions towards Maude, did not sit right with Arthur. He stepped in between the two, forcing Michael to take a step back and away from Maude. "Yeah, well, why don't you think of it like, er, quarantine, Michael, eh?" Arthur mocked as he forced Michael to take another step back. "We'll treat you like a fucking dog, hmm? Smelly one. Stinking one. Until we know you're clean, hmm?" he continued to mock as he got in Michael's face.

"Fuck you, Arthur." Michael spat in a low voice.

"Stand aside, Arthur," Polly demanded as she watched the two men closely, stepping up to them.

"No, Poll." Arthur denied as he shook his head.

Michael glared at Arthur for a moment before stepping back and walking over to Gina. "Come on, baby. Forget about 'em." Gina coaxed as she rubbed a hand over Michael's arm.

Polly turned to Maude. "I believe him. He's telling the truth." She muttered softly as she stared at the younger woman.

Maude stared back at Polly in silence for a moment before slowly nodding her head. "Alright, Pol." She replied. "I'll tell Tommy," she assured before turning around. "Come on, Arthur." She called out as she walked towards the car and he fell in step with her.

They walked to the car and Arthur opened the passenger door for Maude. "Fucking American girl, eh?" he mocked as he quirked an eyebrow at her. Maude hummed in agreement, sending a last sharp look at Michael and Gina before climbing into the car.

Arthur dropped Maude at the Garrison, where she made a call to her husband before sitting down with her brothers in the snug to have a drink. "Hear Michael's back," Henry spoke up as he lit himself one of Maude's cigarettes. Maude raised her eyebrows. For a bunch of men, the Peaky Blinders liked to gossip. "Hear he's married now."

"Michael's married?" Daniel questioned, raising his eyebrows as he poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"To an American," Maude added as she sipped on her glass of whiskey, holding a cigarette in her other hand.

"Fucking hell." Daniel huffed as he sat back in his chair, downing his whiskey in one go. "And how is she?" he asked his sister as he raised his eyebrows, grabbing her cigarettes and lighter from the table and lighting one.

Maude turned her gaze to the table, her lips pulling into a pouty frown as she slowly shook her head. "I think Linda's no longer the worst person in this family," she muttered as she let out a huff.

"Yeah, well, lucky for us, it's your family." Henry scoffed as he looked at his sister, letting out a puff of smoke into the air and Daniel hummed in agreement.

Maude looked at her brother, raising her eyebrows as she finished the last of her whiskey. "Yeah, that's why you two have big houses and fast cars, ey?" she questioned them and she was met with two sets of eye rolls.

"What's Tommy say?" Daniel asked her as he raised his eyebrows, refilling her whiskey glass as well as his own.

"He's sent Michael and Gina to the Midland," Maude replied with a soft sigh, taking a drag of her cigarette. "Doesn't want them home until he's sure they're clean," she explained as she slowly shook her head.

"You think Michael betrayed him?" Daniel asked her curiously as he took a drag of his own cigarette.

"I'd not put it past Michael," Maude admitted as she shook her head, looking between her brothers as she frowned. "Not anymore," she muttered. Michael was no longer that sweet and innocent doe-eyed boy they had gone to see in the village. But part of Maude didn't think Michael betrayed Tommy., but something still felt off and she didn't trust him regardless.

"And what of Polly?" Henry asked as he grabbed the whiskey bottle, taking a swig straight from it.

"What of Polly?" Maude questioned as she looked at him, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Does she think Michael betrayed Tommy?" he clarified as he shrugged his shoulders at Maude.

She shook her head as she sighed, ashing her cigarette in the ashtray. "She's his mother; of course, she won't think that," she replied softly as she pursed her lips.

"Well, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if she's his mother or what she thinks," Daniel spoke up as his whiskey glass hovered at his lips. "Only one person's thoughts around here matter," he muttered before finishing the last of his whiskey.

Maude looked at Daniel, knowing he meant Tommy. She clenched her jaw and shifted in her seat. "Well, it is his business." she reminded. "No one would be where they are if it wasn't for Tommy," she added as she shook her head before motioning between herself and her brothers. "We'd all still be stuck in London, Michael wouldn't even know his real mother, and the Shelby family would still be in Watery Lane."

Both Daniel and Henry went silent for a moment, knowing it was best not to provoke their sister when it came to her husband.

"You know, John never trusted that boy," Daniel muttered softly as he slowly shook his head, a frown on his face. It was clear he still missed his friend dearly, even after all these years, with a soft sigh, Maude reached out and placed her hand over Daniel's, giving him a squeeze.