Out Of Time | A Shelby

nineteen

Arthur and Nancy had been taking their relationship slowly. They had mutually decided to let things happen naturally without putting any pressure on anything. That being said, it hadn't stopped them from spending most days together.

Arthur was staying round at Nancy's house more often than not. He had gotten used to the routine of going out to work in the morning with his brothers and returning home to the sound of Vincent laughing whilst playing with his toys and Nancy stood over the stove cooking dinner.

Every time he walked through the door, he had a smile on his face. This was all he'd ever wanted. He felt like the luckiest man alive when Nancy would look over from the kitchen with a huge grin on her face and the way he'd almost lose his breath when it got knocked out of his chest by Vincent running to him for a hug.

One of the things Arthur had feared the most was not doing a good enough job at helping take care of Vincent. Sure, he did have an actual father, but Nancy had told him that the time they spent together was few and far between.

Arthur felt a strong paternal urge when it came to Vincent. He loved spending time with him and making him laugh, even if he'd had an exhausting day at work, it was like he got a second wind of energy as soon as he saw the little boy's face.

Admittedly, Nancy was also worried about how Arthur would adapt to being a father figure for her son. She was well aware that most men wouldn't want to take on such a huge responsibility, but to Arthur, it seemed like an added bonus. Vincent had become attached to Arthur, so much so, that he would refuse to let Nancy read him a bedtime story at nighttime, saying only Arthur was allowed to do it or he simply wouldn't sleep.

The three of them were slowly starting to become used to life as a family unit. Nancy felt happier and more secure, Arthur had noticed a glow in her skin that hadn't been there before. She loved having him around the house. He was helpful and kind, being good with Vincent took a huge weight off her shoulders.

Life was going well for the three of them, but when Arthur told Nancy he had to leave for a week to go down to London with his brothers, the way her face fell broke his heart.

The morning he left, Nancy was resentfully quiet. She kissed Arthur without saying anything and he begrudgingly closed the door behind him without saying anything either.

Arthur hadn't been working for a while and since his return, he hadn't been involved in any heavy duty tasks. London was the first chance for him to get back into the swing of things and he was over the moon at the chance to be doing what he loved so much with his brothers.

Nancy knew very little about what the Peaky Blinders actually did, which was more than fair since not many people did. Everybody had a prejudice against them, including Nancy, but she had began to fall for Arthur and she had to accept the fact that he was involved in one of the most notorious gangs in England.

It came as a shock to her when Arthur told her he was going away for a week. It was even more of a shock when he refused to tell her what they were heading down to the capital for. A million and one things began to race through her head. She'd lived in Small Heath long enough to have seen some of the situations that the Peaky Blinders had been caught up in, and the thought of Arthur being hurt made Nancy's bones chill.

She just wanted Arthur home safe.

It was only on the second day of Arthur being gone that Nancy, Esme, and Thomas' wife Angelina met in The Garrison. Esme had noticed that Nancy had been quieter than usual and arranged for the three of them to spend some time together to take their minds off their men being gone.

"Nancy, you made it."

Nancy smiled and walked over to Esme, taking a seat at the table.

"Nance, this is Tommy's wife, Angelina."

Nancy smiled at the woman sitting across the table from her. She was intimidatingly beautiful to say the least, but the way she cradled her newborn baby at her chest gave her a warm aura.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Angelina spoke with a thick Italian accent that suited her perfectly.

"It's lovely to meet you too, congratulations," Nancy smiled at the baby, "What's his name?"

"Thank you, his name is Stefan."

The three women spoken for a while, Angelina proving she was nowhere near as scary as she looked, and Esme doing her best to make them all laugh.

The topic quickly turned to Nancy and Arthur, Angelina was eager to know everything about how their relationship had ended up where it was at.

"That bitch doesn't still work with you, does she?" Esme asked, pulling a repulsed face.

Nancy sighed, "Unfortunately, yes. But she's barely there. She only turns up once, perhaps twice a week sometimes."

"I'll speak to Thomas," Angelina said, "See if he can get her sacked. I never liked her."

"Thomas owns the factory?" Nancy questioned, her eyes darting between the two women.

Angelina just chuckled, "Nancy, our boys own most of Birmingham. Don't take it personally, though, Thomas won't even know she works there, he has plenty of people to handle that stuff for him."

Nancy just laughed shyly and sipped her drink. She didn't particularly like the thought of getting somebody sacked, but she also didn't like seeing Linda's face at the desk opposite her, even if it was only once a week.

After a few more hours of mindless conversation, the three of them picked up their children from school and headed home. Nancy was happy she'd had a busy day, it had taken her mind off the fact that Arthur was God knows where, doing God knows what.

When she returned home, she did her every day household chores before finally taking the time to change into some comfier clothes. She took a seat on the bed, only to stand up when she felt something underneath the covers.

She reached under the linen and pulled out a small leather box. Carefully opening it, she found herself holding a silver chain with a diamond pendant embedded in the centre. Turning it over, she read the engraving on the back, a simple N V A was etched into the silver.

Tears welled in her eyes as she sank back down onto the bed, pulling out the folded up note that had been stuffed inside the box with the necklace.

Nancy,
I'm sorry I've had to leave you and Vincent. I wish I didn't have to, but it'll be good for me to be back working like I used to, I hope you can understand.
I know you worry, but I'll be home before you know it. Just know that I'm missing you just as much as you're missing me, but we're both on the same Earth and we both see the same moon at night.
It won't be like this forever. One day we'll have the life I know you've always wanted to give Vincent. Just hold on until then, for me.
Yours,
Arthur