Blackbird (a Thomas Shelby/Peaky Blinders Fanfiction)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Rule one. You don't punch above your weight." - Polly Shelby

The next morning, the weather hadn't got any warmer. As Lily stepped out of the hotel, the cold air immediately tingled her button nose; closing her eyes as the sensation passed. As she opened them she saw the city of Birmingham in daylight. She stood for a minute taking in how different it looked during the day, yes it was still shadowed by smog but the scale of the factories was breathtaking.

Lily began walking, her now red nose acclimatising to the wind biting at her face. She could barely remember the way to The Garrison, the trip there she had stumbled upon it accidentally - and the way back, there was a native Shelby to show her the way.

After a good five minute stroll, Lily heard the signature huffs of a blacksmith. She remembered that there was one on the same road as The Garrison, so she took her chances and followed the sound. Low and behold, there she was. The doors were shut and there was dead silence instead of the loud chatter there was the night before.

Lily stopped at the doors and knocked her knuckle against the frosted glass pane, twice.

One of the doors swung open, the smell erupting out and reminding her of last night. Thomas stood in the doorway, he was in similar clothes as the previous night but instead he had a dark wine coloured silk tie. His deadpan face contorted into a small smile.

"Ah, Lily. Very punctual, come in" he stepped inside and held open the door.

The woman walked in, pulling off her fingerless gloves and stuffing them into her pocket. She looked around her, the pub looked so different when there was no one in it. The floor was worn, the wood showing the amount of weight they had be subjected to. The sunlight seeping through the frosted windows, making the colours clearer. Lily span on the spot to see Tommy staring at her.

"It looks different during the day" She said. He pulled his icy eyes away and looked around the pub.

"It does, doesn't it. It could do with a new lease of life though" he looked at Lily as he finished speaking. The sun shining through her pale eyes and making her skin a light peach colour. Lily smiled and walked to the bar to sit down.

Tommy made his way round behind the bar so they were face to face. "Drink?" he said, as he turned to look at the wall of booze.

Lily chuckled, "Bit early, isn't it?"

"It's never too early for whisky" he grabbed two glasses foreshadowing the night before, doing the same as he filled Lily's first.

"Why me?" She asked, without thinking. It had been weighing on her mind why he'd been so open to allowing her to work at the pub.

"As I said, this place needs a new lease of life. You're doing us a favour, really" he tipped the glass back and the dark liquid slipped down his throat. He placed the empty glass down.

For some reason, Lily felt slightly disappointed. She didn't know why, "Oh right, of course."

She sipped the whisky, crumpling her face slightly at the taste this early in the morning. Tommy got up and went into the back room behind the bar. Her eyes followed the back of his head as he walked out, she noticed a small scar on the back of his head where no hair grew.

Lily sat back on the stool and looked into the dark liquid sitting between her hands. She wondered if this was such a good idea, she had come here to get revenge. Not get caught up with the Blinders.

She decided she would use them as an information outlet, that was it. She doesn't want to cause more trouble for herself. She had heard that the Peaky Blinders have caught the interest of Billy Kimber after some guns had been stolen, but she couldn't care less about the guns. Lily wanted Billy Kimber, she wanted him dead.