━━𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 [𝐓.𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐁𝐘]

𝘹𝘷. -𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘻𝘦

𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫

𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

♕

𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴

Birmingham
Small Heath, 1919

Guns had been cocked. Fingers tickling the the trigger awaiting orders. Two sides, squaring up. A pristine battlefield, suits adorned instead of uniforms. More guns and more soldiers, confidence and dignity.

A woman, dressed in black. An angel of death, pushing a pram of darkness. A baby's cries and whines. Stood idly in no mans land, between the lines, dangerously sure of herself.

Like a heavy blanket of realisation. A smirk was pulled as was a pistol. The scope, the aim, the bang. Then another, then one more. Singing it's melodic tune of suffering. Blood, dirt and grime. Shouts, pain and horror. Laughter of the wicked. But then another, another bang. An end to a war, like four years in the trenches. Dug free but scars still remained.

Bullets. Lodged in a dead man and lodged in a broken one. Heavy in his chest, pulling him down to be picked up. Gliding through the air. One side remained, carrying their fallen comrade. An angel of the heavens. Pure white, golden and the shades of serenity. A perfect drift off.

Wings and a ivory dress. A halo around her platinum locks, wrapped around her ring finger. Pearls and diamonds. A dream?.. no a hallucination.

But then darkness, groans and burning. Excruciating pain. Makeshift metal tweezers fishing for the lead. Alcohol and cheers. Dizziness and confusion.

The smile.

The relief.

The realisation.

They had won, they were safe. And he had a promise to see to.

♕

Dawn had thought the worst, the gunshots ringing in her head, the vexatious buzz clouding any sense of the judgement. For a bad feeling had worked it's way up her throat like bile. Rationality was left back at the shop as her heels hit the pavement slabs. Locking the door behind her, a cowering Theo hidden in the back room, trying to busy himself in the reassurance his mother had left him.

Her heart was thumping, loudly, almost echoing burst of bullets itself. And she wasn't sure if she was running or not. But to where? She also didn't know. Feet hobbling along the uneven path, focus stuck down the dull lane, striding with intent. However the young woman didn't see the figure stalking from the alley, body's crashing, yet not from a fall.

Strong arms wrapped around her, despite the ache in his chest. Spinning her around as she yelped but when their eyes met she let out a quiet sob. Hand reaching to grip his face, thumbs circling his cheekbones. Biting down on her lip to stop anymore whimpers.
"You are alive."

Tommy smirked, "You should watch where your going." He playfully but back, memories rewinding in front their first encounter.

Dawn struggled to keep the soft laugh in through her teeth that clamped down on the soft pink skin of her mouth. "I..I heard the gunshots and-"

"I'm okay. I'm safe. We're safe." He whispered.

The French woman however shook her head, eye locked in front of her at the dark crimson soaked through white linen, trailing her hand from his face, past his neck and grazing around the scarlet material, cautious and hesitant. Worry eating at her. "Tommy..you're hurt."

He shushed her, his finger trailing to her chin to point her head up, tearing her gaze from his battle scar. "It's just a scratch."

"Tommy it's a bullet wound!"

Though instead of replying to her concern, he smiled. Catching her stray tear with his finger, wiping it away and leaning in. Planting a soft kiss on her lips before taking her hand, intwining their palms. Capturing each other's mouths once again in a moment of pure bliss, ecstasy passing through them like a drug, drinking it in like it was an addiction.

They didn't care about the stares on the streets, Small Heaths residents furrowing in on the pair, confused to see the PeakyBlinders leader showing affection to a girl out in the open. It was a shock, but they seemed to calm, because this woman had seemed to tame the devil. And perhaps with with her help, peace would wash over the Birmingham Gang.

But as there hearts tugged towards each other, the cogs were turning in his head. For now Shelby Brother Limited had become the third largest legal racetrack operation in the country,  and with that came expansion. And London was calling Tommy the same way Dawns pants did. A hunger for more.

But his greed would come at great price. His happiness overlooked by business which would be the death of him and his family, and surely his French lover too.

But Dawn Johnson has secrets. And it would take her looking death straight in the eye to unlock them from he chest she had buried so deep in her past.

Because the war against the Birmingham turf was over, but a new one was blooming. And the bullets could already be heard, slipping into place of the guns ready to take down the challenge. Thomas Shelby.

♕

There will definitely more actual plot from the show next Act, you'll see.

𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫