A/N: I so shouldn't start another story, but I've become a little obsessed with Peaky Blinders. Hope you enjoy my new thought.

Disclaimer: I own what is mine.

Chapter One

There was no murmuring, only the simple static of scratching pen to paper.

Surprising, Nell thought, as the Shelby boys had decided to make an appearance to class for once. There was usually never a dull moment when the brothers were a foot.

"…French negative adjectives, sometimes called indefinite negative adjectives, are made up of two parts which surround the verb: ne auc.…."

Curiously, she glanced to her side to see Tommy diligently scribbling away. His eyes were bright, focused. It made Nell frown, Tommy never paid this much attention. At almost fifteen, Tommy held the same restless energy that all boys seemed to have. His attention set more on the happenings of the world outside their neighborhood's crummy little school, more on boxing and earning his status and right as a Peaky Blinder. His sudden preoccupation with taking notes didn't make sense.

A light shake to her chair had Nell remembering the other Shelby. Arthur shifted tirelessly, his foot tapping a steady rhythm to the leg of her chair. Nell held in a sigh of irritation, but was silently grateful that one of the brothers was at least acting somewhat normal. His unusual silence and lack of smart responses for their teacher had her baffled. There weren't many things that Nell claimed to know, but she knew Small Heath, she knew every canal and alley, she knew its residents and their habits and she liked the pattern of it all. Birmingham was cold, and chaotic, but it wasn't without its rules and structures. She fit into that structure in her own way as did the Shelby's. Yet, two of those Shelby's were not conforming to code and that produced a conundrum that her fourteen-year-old mind did not like.

Tommy, to his credit, seemed to suddenly realize her suspicious gaze as he glanced towards her. He blinked almost self-consciously before hissing, "What?"

The tapping to her chair stopped and Nell knew that Arthur was paying attention. She tilted her head to catch the oldest Shelby in her peripheral. Arthur's snarky grin almost made her roll her eyes. He may have just turned seventeen, but he was still stuck with them in French lessons. She turned her stare back to Tommy as she whispered, "What's wrong with you two?"

Both of the boys seemed to pause at the question. Their confusion was more than apparent and it exasperated Nell to no end, "You're behavin'."

The boys exchanged glances as Arthur spoke up, "Behaving 'ow?"

"That's just it, innit? You're behavin'!" Nell exclaimed softly.

Tommy snorted as Arthur scoffed indignantly, "I always behave."

"And I'm the Mother Mary." Nell drawled lowly to both boy's amusements.

"Then you look good for an old hag." Tommy muttered lightly, making Arthur snicker.

By this point the trio were starting to attract the attention of their teacher. A pointed stare and cleared throat were enough to get the three of them to quiet down and pay attention again. Well, Nell paid attention, she was rather sure that Arthur went to sleep while Tommy continued to scribble away.

She didn't see the boys again until it was time to leave. Nell had her books clasp tight to her chest as she sauntered down the hall musing over the unusually quiet day with the Shelby boys. A light bump to her shoulder let her know she was no longer alone. Her lips stretched into a pleased smile as she looked up into twinkling blue eyes, "Michael…"

" 'ello Nell." Michael Bennett murmured softly. His eyes never left her grey ones and she was beyond happy that he wasn't giving her the up down that she had seen other boys give girls, but then Michael was a bit older at sixteen, maybe he knew better, "May I walk you 'ome?"

She smiled shyly, "Of course."

Michael reached out for her books as he returned her smile. Nell couldn't help the butterflies that fluttered in here stomach as the two continued to head out the school. Her thoughts on the Shelby brothers disappeared until they were outside and a familiar pair of peaked caps turned in their direction. She didn't notice them at first, too busy trying to think of what to say to Michael.

"Oi, who's the tosser, Nell?" Arthur called out.

Nell held in a groan as the boys trotted over. Michael stiffened next to her, a nervousness appearing in his eyes that hadn't been there before. Funny how the boys didn't come to class enough to know the other kids much, but it seemed as if all the students knew who they were. Great the Peaky Blinders strike again. He surprised her though as he stepped forward with a raised hand, "I'm Michael."

Tommy and Arthur exchanged amused looks before eyeing the stranger. Neither reached out to shake the offered hand and it only took a moment more before Michael let it drop. Tommy turned abruptly with a steely look at her, "It looks like he 'as your books, Nell."

"He's walking me home, Tommy." Nell scowled in warning. She hadn't seen that look directed at her since she had turned six and had pushed Tommy into some mud. He had always been able to communicate his displeasure with just a look. Only this time she wasn't sure what she had done to earn it.

"Is he now?" Tommy smiled snarky, "Well then, you best take care of our Nell. She means a lot to us Shelby's"

"Tommy-"

"We'll see you later Nell." Arthur said softly with a gentle look as he grabbed his brother's arms, "Don't have too much fun, now."

Nell sighed softly as brother's disappeared. She looked nervously up at Michael only to find him watching her warily. He smiled half-heartedly, "So how do you know the Shelby's so well?"

Nell shrugged as she began walking down the street, "My mum was friends with their mother growing up. So I always played with them when I was younger. Went to so many of their family functions and vice versa that Tommy and me thought we were cousins for a while. They're family, I suppose."

"I don't think they like me."

Nell laughed as she beamed up at Michael, "They don't like anyone."

It had been a different kind of complicated then – before the war changed everything. Nell could never call their lives simple. Simple didn't really exist in Small Heath. She sighed tiredly and pulled a cigarette from the tin box by the stove. She didn't think much of it as she took a drag and stared out into the bleary smoked filled morning. A list of errands and chores wafted through her mind as she put off old memories. She didn't have time to reminisce – when really she didn't want to focus on how she had changed. She missed the uppity child she had been more than she ever cared to admit.

Stubbing the cigarette out, Nell turned abruptly from the window and headed toward the basement stairs. Below, a leaf of cotton woven paper and various colored ink jars awaited her attention, she paid no mind to the supplies as she glided pass her work table. Her hand rose to tap against the wall, an unconscious habit as her head tilted to the side to listen. There was no hollow sound of a space hidden to be heard, but there was a slight squeak. A sound that most would have written off as a loose nail, always made Nell pause in familiarity. Her nimble fingers unfurled to smooth over the walls wooden board to feel for the edge. It didn't take her long as she plied the board out to remove a densely packed stone box from within. The thick rock was heavy enough to reinforce the plank when hidden and remove the telling hollow sound of most hiding spots, but its plain façade made others overlook it when it was left out on her tables. She hefted the ten pound box to her station before wresting the lid back to reveal what was inside.

Photos stared back at her of various people; most she had yet to meet and doubted that she ever would. She removed the grainy pictures to pull the documents underneath from shadow. Government papers, licenses, passports, if it had an official seal on it then she had it firmly tucked away. These were her true assets.

Carefully, she searched for the documents she needed before putting the rest away. As she settled at her work table her mind became lost to her work. Pens dipped and swirled through thick ink before skillfully being flourished across paper. Her hand moved quick enough to leave no blotches as her breath evened out to keep her from shaking. Bit by bit the once blank page began to resemble the identification documents that rested to her side. She should have been an artist…not a forger. A skill among many on her eclectic resume. Sometimes Nell thinks she may have spent too much time around the Shelby's as she grew up, not that her favorite criminal family knew what she was up to.

It was hours before she stopped. Her hand was cramped and her stomach was emitting a low rumbled that reminded her that there was no food in the house. Cautiously, she picked up her drying work and carefully placed everything out of sight. Despite the fact that she lived on her own now and there was no one to snoop through her belongings, Nell would never trust the security of a simple locked door. It wasn't much longer before she was outside, amongst Small Heath's buzzing little city. The odd combination of horse hooves clacking on cobble stones and the hum of engine cars entered her ears. Nell knew she wouldn't be able to tolerate the noise, no matter how mild, for long. Whenever she spent time in the dark, near silent basement she would become overly sensitive to sound and light. She typically didn't go outside on her forging days, but necessity made that an impossibility today.

She barely made it into the main square when she nearly got bowled over by a blur in the shape of a man.

"Christ." She muttered as she tried to keep her balance.

"Watch where you're goin!" A harsh voice exclaimed back, a voice she was all too familiar with.

Nell groaned internally as she sniped back, "Could say the same to you, Arthur."

There was a surprised pause as she watched Arthur stop mid-stride and turned abruptly, "Nell?"

"No, the Ghost of Christmas Past." Nell stated dryly as she smoothed her coat. She glowered with exasperation as she took in Arthur's baffled expression. He was stuck somewhere between contrite and surprised at seeing his old school friend, " 'ello by the way."

Arthur had the grace to look a bit chagrinned as he stepped toward her, "Sorry Nell, didn't mean to almost trample ya."

"Mmm." Nell hummed softly as she watched him move towards her.

Arthur seemed to almost sway restlessly as he offered her an arm, " 'aven't seen you in a while. How've you been?"

"I've been." She muttered vaguely as she accepted his arm. She crinkled his nose lightly as she smelled the alcohol that seemed to cling to Arthur's person. A shift of sorrow filled her, but Nell was careful not to let it show, "What has you in such a huff?"

"Who says I'm in a huff?" Arthur murmured back, but the tension in his body and clenched jaw were all signs that he was in a mood. He only had to see Nell's unimpressed stare to know that she wasn't going to buy anything he was selling, "Tommy."

"Tommy." Nell stated with a raised brow that said she needed more than the name of his brother to understand what was going on. The duo began to walk slowly with Nell gently guiding the way to the grocers. She tipped her head to the side with a faint smirk, "You two goin at it?"

"Somethin' like that." Arthur sighed tiredly and shook his head, "He's doin' things that are gonna get us all into trouble…I'm not even sure he cares."

"He's workin on one of his schemes then." Nell said knowingly. Tommy was always a good planner; a good strategist her mother would say. It had never really been a problem before the war. Tommy would have a plan and would share it with his family and either something would come of it or nothing, but after the war he had become a great deal more tight lipped on his plans. The cold man that was Thomas Shelby was a far cry from the good humored boy of the past. Nell sighed softly as she patted Arthur's arm, "Everything that Tommy has ever done has always had a point and that point is you lot. He does everything to take care of your family."

Arthur shrugged tiredly as he led her up the steps to the grocer, "Just don't seem like it no more."

"I don't know what to tell you. I haven't seen Tommy in forever." Nell smiled fondly as started to shop for her necessities, "Though I have seen quite a bit of Ada, Finn and John."

Arthur blinked in surprise, "Finn? John? You don't even like John much."

"Your brother has too much attitude for my taste, but he needs help with the kids on occasion and your Aunt Pol doesn't always have the time. Finn will run small errands for me from time to time." Nell informed as she put bread into her bag. She didn't need much. She was just shopping for her today.

Arthur snorted with laughter as he watched, "You watch the holy terrors? Oh fuck, I'm surprised you haven't killed 'em yet."

Nell shrugged, "They're not so bad. Know to mind their p's and q's with their Aunt Nell if they want any treats."

"Yea, just what they need. Treats." Arthur shook his head in exasperation as he smiled softly, "You always could make my day better."

Nell smiled as tossed an apple over to him. She hadn't seen Arthur often since he returned, but even more rare was the smile he sported now, "Well, I try. You should come by sometime, have a meal."

"I could do that." Arthur smirked as he took a bite from his apple. Nell scrunched her nose slightly as he talked with his mouth full, "You know I'd marry you in a 'eartbeat if you let me. Well, if Tommy didn't kill me first."

"Arthur, the day I marry a Shelby is the day the world stops turnin." Nell stated dryly as moved to pay.

Arthur looked indignant as he followed behind her, "What's wrong with us Shelby's?"

Nell smirked, "You lot? You never behave."