Give my heart. | Thomas Shelby [english]

/3/ Danny Whizz-Bang

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1919, Birmingham

Rage filled every pore of her body when she found out that Thomas Shelby wanted to kill Danny Owen. Her friend.

Pacing through the caravan and ranting on about how she in turn would murder Thomas Shelby for that Nora didn't even realize that her mother and Leander were standing at the entrance, looking at her confused and worried.

She ripped open a drawer and took a knife out of it. Weighing it in her hands, she tightened her grip around it, before storming past her family.

"Nora! What are you doing?" Leander, still deeply confused, shouted. He wanted to go after her, but his mother put a hand on his arm and stopped him.

"Let her. They finally need to talk."

"Who?"

But it seemed that this was another question he wouldn't get an answer to. Not even from his own mother who now sat down in the caravan as if it was the most normal thing in the world that her daughter went off with a knife to murder someone.

If he had only been born a few years earlier, he probably would have remembered the name Thomas Shelby.

***

Having threatened some citizen to tell her where the execution would take place, Nora hoped ardently that she would arrive before it happened. She couldn't believe that Thomas would actually kill Danny. She knew what his razor blade gang did and that they were feared for a reason, but Danny fought during the war alongside Thomas. They had probably saved each other's lives countable times over there.

Nora took a wrong turn and blamed it on her madness. But it costed her time.

A gun shot filled the air and she stopped in the middle of the alley, only a few yards away from the place at the docks.

"No..." After overcoming the first shock, she ran. She arrived at the Cut, ignored the strange people standing around and Thomas who must have been there as well and looked at the little boat which was manoeuvred down the canal. She watched in horror how a man placed a dirty sheet over a dead body. Danny's dead body.

"NO!" Tears brimmed in her eyes, clogging her sight for a moment. But then, her fury took over again. She spun around and for the first time in over five years, she looked into the crystal blue eyes of Thomas Shelby who was not able to hide his surprise when she stormed at him all of a sudden.

"Nora..." He breathed. Although he hadn't seen her for about six years, it was, without doubt, Leonora Shore. The wild, curly mane, the terrific dark eyes, the pendants around her neck which she wore since she was a little child gifted from her mother...it was her. And she was seething.

"You! You fucking, vicious world-class arsehole!" Lifting the hand with the knife above her head, she approached him. "You fucking killed him!" She tried to lunge for him, but Thomas quickly stepped back.

At first, he was too taken aback by her sudden appearance, but now he found his composure again. Thomas took hold of her lifted arm before she could go for him again. As she struggled to get her hand free and therefore tried to punch him with her left fist, Thomas took hold of her other arm as well. Without much force, he grabbed the knife from her fingers and threw it away. All while she was throwing curses and insults at him.

"He was my friend. He was your friend, God-dammit! I want to curse you for eternity, I will curse you, you fucking...!"

"Nora, listen to me." He tried to soothe her, still holding her arms together between them.

"No! He was a good man!" In a sudden, forceful movement, Nora yanked her hands free and took a step back. She was seething and Thomas stomach churned as he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. He quickly looked around. There were still some Italians standing around and watching them. Also, some Peaky Blinders who were ready to shoot the crazy woman in front of him.

"Nora."

"Want me to shut up? Kill me as well, eh?" She lunged for him again but this time, she grabbed the side of his coat and tried to get the gun she knew was somewhere there.

"Stop it! Nora, stop it!" She cried out when she found herself being overpowered again. As Thomas wrapped his arms around her body to keep her arms down, he waited until she would look into his eyes. "Calm down. I won't harm you."

"You killed him." Feeling the anger leaving her body and only leaving space for sadness, Nora gave up every fight. She only cried. Her head sunk against his chest and although he was surprised by the sudden change, Thomas couldn't find it within himself to let her go.

"Listen carefully now and don't make a move..." He whispered into her ear. She tried to lift her head, but he kept it in place. He looked around again. There were still too many people. "There are eyes and ears everywhere, Nora."

"Tommy, what are you...?"

"He is not dead. Danny, he is not dead. It was sheep brains. He is alive. Danny is alive." Part of him cursed himself for telling her. All his secretiveness and the self discipline went out of the window when she glared at him and that although its been over half a decade. He hoped he wouldn't regret it.

It took a moment before the new information seeped into her mind. The moment it finally did, Nora let out a relieved but still shaken breath and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"I hate you so much, Thomas Shelby."

He exhaled before leaning his head against hers. "I know."

And a part of him wanted to reciprocate that he hated her just as much, but he couldn't bring himself to.

For a moment, both considered standing there forever. Before, it was the rage and grief clouding her mind, but now Nora realized how good it felt to be back in Thomas Shelby's arms.

"Listen. Now you're gonna yell at me again and walk off. We're gonna talk later at mine."

"Can I slap you?" She asked, stifling a sob. She felt herself hiccup and her eyes burn from the tears.

"No."

"But you deserve it."

"Just this once."

She didn't wait long and did what they've spoken about. Almost. Instead of slapping him like he anticipated, Nora balled her hand into a fist and punched him before walking off. 

Thomas rubbed his left cheek, regretting that he allowed her to slap him. He should have known. She'd probably have done it anyways though. As he watched her leave, he couldn't believe that this was how they finally met again.

"Show's over!" He shouted at the bystanders before taking Nora's knife and walking off as well.

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If any of you have read other stories of mine, you'll quickly realize that Nora is a bit more irrational and even crazy than my other protagonists and I am really excited to write a character like hat (and her development especially)

Tell me if you liked the chapter <3

- Lena