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theyoungoneed · 1 year ago

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Title: Ch.1: First Impressions

Summary: The year is 1925. Main character Jacqueline Rose is part of an organized crime family in Chicago during the 1920s when a family rival Luca Changretta of the Sicilian Mafia over takes them. Desperate for help, Jacqueline travels to Birmingham where another crime family is experiencing the same thing, to try and join as well as make an alliance with the notorious Peaky Blinders. Meeting with the one and only Thomas Shelby, Jacqueline hopes to persuade him and his family he can trust her to take down their common enemy, but will he? Will the Shelby Family trust her?

Word Count: 2,483

Warnings: mentions killing

A/N: based off of season 4 of Peaky Blinders so spoilers if you have not seen season 4. Some events happened in the show and others I added my own. This is not the official chapter one title. I will be posting each chapter separate some in parts until I am done with the entire fan fic which will consist of 6 chapters total. Once done I will make a big post and link the official chapters in the post. Hope you guys enjoy I've been working on this entire fan fic for six years now lol. Anyway, hope you guys like the first chapter<3

I step out of the automobile and close the door behind me. Standing outside in the foggy streets of Birmingham in the neighborhood of Small Heath, winter of 1925 with my rose print coat and my mini black purse clenched tightly by my side. The cold breeze brushed through my hair as I walked down the lane. Watery Lane, they called it. I inhale sharply. This is what I have to do to save myself. My fear would be hard to conquer, but I had to do it if I wanted to survive.

My name is Jacqueline Rose. I am 23 years old and I am the daughter of once the most notorious gangster in the Midwest, Clifton Rose. My family was the biggest ruling gang in Chicago called The Blood Red Roses. Everyone feared us. Even Al Capone knew not to mess with us. I was born in downtown Chicago. I lived there my whole life. I am the youngest of two brothers. My other older brother, Alex, is still alive and is now the leader of our gang. My oldest brother Charles was killed in a shootout along with my father on the same day by our enemy, Luca Changretta. Leader of an Italian gang and part of the Sicilian Mafia in New York. They were good friends with my family until one day things changed and they turned their back on us. We have allies but once they found out he took us over, they all refused to offer aid because Luca threatened them not to help us. No one can beat their numbers, there are a ton of them.

For a year now there have been bloodbaths between our two families. More like a vendetta, you may call it. Most of the people working for us are not family but close friends. The majority of my gang escaped or were killed. Luca Changretta wants to erase my family's name from the face of the earth, but I won't let him. I was an assassin for my family’s gang and I was good at it. So what am I doing here in Birmingham England? To join a new gang, a notorious gang, to form a new alliance, and to have protection. They call themselves the Peaky Blinders.

I stand in front of the headquarters located on Watery Lane and stare at the two doors which read, SHELBY COMPANY LIMITED. The Shelby family runs it, and Thomas Shelby is their head. I’ve heard about the man and how handsome he is, kind, but also very manipulative. The Shelbys also hate Luca Changretta and his gang, so there’s one thing we have in common, which might help me get this job.

I walk towards the entrance to the building’s headquarters, almost being toppled over by pedestrians. As soon as I walked in, dozens of men with nice suits white collared shirts, gray vests, and peaked caps, were rushing past me. The paper was flying, the phones were ringing, and this was one busy place. I walk to the front desk, to see a woman with black bobbed hair and green eyes.

“Hello, can I help you?” she asks looking up at me.

“ I have an appointment with Mr. Thomas Shelby.”

“Hold on one moment please,” she tells me and picks up the phone. After a few seconds, she hangs up the phone and gestures to me to follow her.

“This way,” she says. Upstairs was more calm and less noisy. The woman told me to wait in the hall for a moment before she would call me into Mr. Shelby’s office. A few minutes pass and the woman comes back.

”Ma’am? Mr. Shelby is ready for you,” she says, taking me to a set of two tall brown doors that read Shelby Company Ltd. As the woman opened the doors, I took a deep breath, walked in, and saw a tall figure standing in front of the sunlit window with a straight posture holding a drink in his hand. The room smelled like cigarettes, whiskey, and cologne. There was so much space between me and his desk. He turns around and I am stunned by his facial features. His jawline was sharp as a knife, he looked to be in his early to mid-thirties and had the most beautiful ice-blue eyes. Not a wrinkle in sight on his gray vest or the sleeves of his white collared shirt underneath. Half of a golden chain hung out of his pocket, the rest tucked in his vest.

“Jacqueline Rose.”

“Thomas Shelby,” he says, extending out his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shelby,” I say, walking up to shake his hand. He clears his throat.

“Please sit,” he gestures and I take a seat in a wooden round armchair, crossing my legs with my purse on my lap to appear a bit more charming. His long polished wooden desk had stacks of paperwork, a bottle of whiskey, a crystal ashtray, a telephone, a bowl-shaped lamp, and some letters. Behind him was a spinning globe and a big brown bookshelf filled with books, family pictures, and on the wall hung paintings of horses.

“Would you like some?” he asks, pointing to the bottle of whiskey in front of him.

“Yes, that would be lovely,” I reply. It would be rude to reject a drink since I am coming to his aid.

“My secretary recalls you are from America, yeah?” He pours me a glass and hands the drink to me.

“Yes. Chicago to be exact.” I take the drink in my sweaty hands, take a sip, and rest the glass on my lap.

“So, Ms. Rose,” he says, leaning back in his leather chair and lighting a cigarette. “What brings you here to Birmingham?” he asks, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

“I’m here because I want to work for you.” He blinks at me with no expression on his face and leans forward on his desk.

“My apologies, but I’m afraid all the women vacancies have been filled,” he says.

“Oh I won’t be working in the women's positions, I'll be working with the men,” I tell him, giving a half-smile. He stares at me unfazed and takes a drag of his cigarette.

“Are you a whore?” he asks bluntly.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Are you a whore?” he asks again nonchalantly. I clench my jaw slightly.

“No, I’m not a whore, Mr. Shelby,” I implied.

“If you’re not a whore then you’ve come to the wrong place then,” he says, exhaling a swirl of smoke. ‘Or you could be a barmaid,” he suggests.

“I’m not here to be a whore or a barmaid Mr. Shelby. I already told you what I came here for.” I was losing my patience.

“With all due respect Ms. Rose I don't think…I don’t think you are suited for it,” he says plainly. I stare at him, fixing my eyes on him.

“Do you know who I am, Mr. Shelby?”

“Only your name and that’s about it,” he replies, taking a smoke of his cigarette. I stare at him with a fierce look in my eyes and smirk.

“ I guess you can say I am part of an organized crime gang called The Blood Red Roses. As you can see by my coat,” I say, implying my black coat full of roses grinning proudly. He quickly takes back a smile as I continue. “We work with the mafia, we kill anyone who comes in our way, those who betray us, and we are known for showing no mercy. You must’ve heard about us, I’m sure.” He nods slowly.

“You know, I believe I might've heard of your organization.”

“I know you have. We’re hard to miss,” I tell him, smirking.

“I see, and what role did you play in your family's business?” he asks, taking a drag of his cigarette. I stare at him with hostile eyes leaning closer.

“ I was the assassin.” He swallows but tries to act unconcerned. He plays with his cigarette on the ashtray without looking at me due to fear but is forced to because of the information I told him.

“Why do you want to work for The Peaky Blinders?” he asks curiously.

“I want to work for The Peaky Blinders because I need help. My family is ruined and I need your family’s protection,” I tell him.

“Why us? I’m sure you have lots of allies willing to help you back in Chicago, no?” I shake my head.

“No. We don’t.”

“What happened to them?”

“They were all threatened by our common enemy. Luca Changretta.” His face becomes pale as if the blood was drained out of him from mentioning that name.

“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath. I unclasp my purse and take out a white card with a black hand printed on it.

“I’m assuming he gave you this?” I ask, sliding him the card.

“They got you too eh?” he scoffs looking down at the card.

“For a year now,” I tell him.

“Fuck,” he says leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes. I grabbed the card and put it back in my purse, I took a look around the room. The pictures of the family were hard not to miss.

“I can see you’re a family man. You value family and you’d do anything to protect them.”

“It’s true, you’re not wrong,” he says, sighing. “ I grew this business for my family. Started you as a regular working-class family but then we moved up in the world, so yes, I agree. I would say I consider myself a family man,” he says, taking a sip of whiskey.

“If you agree then you should be open to the idea. The idea of me working for you, because Mr. Shelby I too value family and would do anything to protect mine. Even if it means doing sacrifices of the unthinkable. I assume you have made sacrifices for your family before.” He says nothing but looks at the pen he is fiddling with on his desk. “Help protect a family member as if it was your own. I am counting on you and your family Mr. Shelby. Let me prove it to you I can be of good help-”

“I don’t know! I don’t fuckin know, alright?” he yells getting up and walking to the window in frustration.

“I don't even know you,” he says, turning around.

“Then get to,” I tell him. He scoffs smoking his cigarette, fixing his attention back out the window.

“How can we trust you?” How do we not know you’re some spy of Luca’s?”

“Our fathers worked together for years,” I told him.

“Oh did they,” he says unimpressed.

“Yes, they did. They kept it a secret, which is why it makes me believe that if they did, and you let me work for you, then I am in partnership with a very decent family.” He slowly looks at me, switching his eyes to the floor before drawing his cigarette. He stands there gazing out the window, thinking.

“You need me.”

“No, I don’t think we do,” he says, clenching his jaw ever so slightly as if he changed his mind last minute.

“You don’t think you guys need me? How many of Luca’s men have you killed?” I ask him with a raised eyebrow. He doesn’t respond and instead looks at his feet.

“Mhm, exactly what I suspected. Zero.” He looks at me and rolls his eyes.

“ I killed four of his men. By myself, while my gang was under attack. Four versus zero here Mr. Shelby, you know who’s winning in this vendetta right now. My organization consists of five hundred and more members stationed all across the globe. How many are there of you? Twenty, thirty perhaps, and you guys couldn’t even kill one?” He doesn’t respond to my question and looks annoyed as he looks out the window.“Also Mr. Shelby I must add, it was so easy getting through the front door of this place, anyone could walk right in here,” I point out. “If I were you, I would invest some time for better security.” He scoffs at me and looks away, taking another drag of his cigarette.

“Although, think about this. Hear me out. Together we can defeat this son of a bitch. I know you want to defeat him as much as I do and be free of this burden,” I explained to him. This caught his attention slightly. Judging from the facial expressions, he doesn’t know what to do, to be honest. He doesn't know if he should say yes to me or no. I get up from my chair and stand in front of his desk. “Listen, Mr. Shelby, I am good at my job. I have killed many people. About half of those people were Luca’s.” I trace the outside rim of my glass. “You see, I’ve heard of the notorious Peaky Blinders of Birmingham and knew they’d be good. I know I can trust your family, knowing that I would get the same trust back, and this is why I came here,” I explain. There was a moment of silence before he gave me a response. I couldn’t tell if his face read terror or craziness from what I said. He probably never heard of a woman killing as many people before. He stepped back from the window, took one last drag of his cigarette before pressing it on the tray, and put his hands in his pockets

“If we hire you, what will we get in return?”

“An alliance with The Blood Red Roses. A partnership of course. We’ll provide you with anything you need. I heard you guys are into the liquor business, no? You already have relations in Boston, think of what Chicago can bring you. I’ll make sure to bootleg your product over here,” I say. He nods slightly leaning against his desk with his arms crossed.

“Please. I’ll prove it to you.” I plead.

“Alright,” he tells me. “You’re hired.” A sigh of relief goes through my whole body.

“Thank you, Mr. Shelby.”

“I may have hired you, but I still need to get my family’s approval. Meet me at this address tomorrow night at seven o’clock, wear something nice, but not too fancy, and don’t be late,” he says handing me a piece of paper.

“I won’t,” I tell him. He leads me to the door and opens it for me.

“It was nice to meet you, Ms. Rose and welcome to Birmingham,” he says.

“Thank you and I look forward to working with you Mr. Shelby,” I say, shaking his hand.

“Til tomorrow then,” he says.

“Til tomorrow,” I confirm with a smile on my face, walking away with my heels clicking behind me. Victory never felt so good.

To be continued of this chapter...

#peaky blinders #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders imagine #thomas shelby #tommy shelby #peaky blinders x reader #1920s #historical fiction #season 4 #circa 1925 #birmingham #waterylane #smallheath #peaky blinders season 4 #peaky blinders fan fiction

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fangirlofdifferentfandoms · 1 year ago

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i like tommy shelby in this warning he is a jerk in the beginning but does a complete 180 after the reader is kidnapped by Luca but you have to keep in mind that tommy and Arthur and the rest are still grieving John's death

family ~ shelby family;peaky blinders

word count: 3531

request?: no

description: when a long lost shelby sister arrives after the death of her half brother, it takes a life threatening situation for her brothers to accept her as family

pairing: shelby family x sister!reader

warnings: swearing, violence, crude comments

masterlist

She took a deep breath and entered the building. Many men dressed in fine dress shirts and black pants were walking around, carrying arm loads of papers and talking so loudly it was hard to hear what anyone was saying. She wasn’t sure who to speak to. She wasn’t sure if she should really speak to anyone. Maybe she should just leave now and forget doing this.

A passing man stopped suddenly and turned to look at her. “You lost, girl?”

She shook her head. “N-no. I mean, I don’t think so. Is this where Thomas Shelby works?”

“This is where they all work,” he told her. “Do you have an appointment? Mr. Shelby is very busy.”

“I don’t, but…it’s a family matter. If I could see him whenever he’s available, I’d really appreciate it.”

The man eyed her a moment before nodding for her to follow him. She followed him up a set of stairs to a large looking room. The letters on the door read Thomas Shelby. Suddenly, she was feeling more nervous. Her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears and her head was spinning.

The man knocked at the door. “Mr. Shelby? There’s a young girl out here asking to speak with you. Says it’s a family matter.”

“Send her in, Devlin,” a voice responded.

The man, Devlin, opened the door to the office part way, nodding for her to enter. She thanked him before walking in.

He was sat at a desk - his desk - with his head down reading some papers. He looked up as the door closed behind her, taking off his glasses to look her over once as Devlin had done moments before.

“Do I know you?” he asked. “You’re no family of mine, you must be some messenger from the Changrettas.” He stood, taking a cigarette from his coat pocket and lighting it. “Come on then, what do you have planned for my family now?”

“I-I don’t know any Changrettas, sir,” she stuttered.

Tommy looked at her, confused. “Well then, why the fuck are you here?”

“I’m here because…well…” She took a deep breath and said, “My name is (Y/N) Shelby, and I’m here because I’m your sister.”

~~~~~~

Nearly an hour later, (Y/N) was sat at Tommy’s desk. In front of her stood the entire Shelby family; Polly, Arthur, Tommy, Ada, Finn, and Michael. They were taking turns exchanging looks between them before looking back at her, all of them uneasy.

“Whose kid are ya?” Arthur asked first, finally breaking the silence. “You’re definitely not our mum’s, she only had the five of us before she died. Dad never had any other wives after mum.”

“He didn’t have a wife, but he had a mistress,” (Y/N) explained. “My mum, her name was Edith Hollett.”

(Y/N) opened the hand bag she had with her and pulled out a picture, placing it on Tommy’s desk for her family to see. Polly picked it up first to look at it. Sure enough, there was her brother, Arthur Shelby Sr., with an unknown woman that looked like an older version of (Y/N). She passed it to Arthur next.

“They met when mum was travelling,” (Y/N) explained. “They had a love affair that lasted months. He left suddenly, telling her he couldn’t stay because he had a family and a wife waiting for him. She had no idea when she met him. She was so distraught and angry. She tried to reach out to your mum to tell her the truth of what her husband had done, but she couldn’t track her down. A few months later she realized she was pregnant with his child. Again, she tried to get in contact but couldn’t find him, or her, or anyone really. She figured he either gave her a fake name or told everyone he knew not to let her speak to anyone in his family.”

“Why did you come looking for us now, then?” Ada asked, returning the picture to the desk in front of (Y/N). “Why did you come looking at all?”

“I had no idea who my father was,” (Y/N) explained. “Mum never told me. My grandparents didn’t know about the affair, no one close to mum did so none of them knew who my father was either. Mum never married, it was just me and her my whole life. She died a few days ago, caught a bug she couldn’t shake. After she died I was given a note she had written while she was pregnant with me. It explained everything; who my father was, that I had half siblings that I didn’t know about, what my real name was. She told me she wanted me to know you, to have a family that wasn’t just her, but she wasn’t able to track any of you down. She told me it was up to me what I did with the information I had, but she said she wanted me to have a family after she was gone.”

The Shelbys looked between each other. This didn’t surprise any of them. Their father was far from father of the year. The fact that he fathered a child through an affair seemed right up his alley.

“So what is it you want?” Tommy asked. “Money? Security?”

“I wanted to meet you,” (Y/N) responded, confused by his question.

“Well, you met us,” Arthur said. “Now it’s time to get goin’.”

(Y/N) furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “What, that’s it? You find out you have a sister and you’re shoeing her out the door like that?”

“You ain’t our sister,” Arthur hissed. “You’re just the bastard child our asshole father produced from an affair. We don’t owe you anything.”

Arthur’s comment hurt. (Y/N) looked down at her lap to try and hide the tears she felt starting to form in her eyes. This was not how she expected this meeting to go. Sure, she didn’t think she’d be welcomed with open arms immediately, she was the product of an affair their father had on their mother after all. But she thought maybe they’d want to get to know her a little, not insult her and push her away almost immediately after meeting her.

Finally, she composed herself enough to stand. “Well, I guess I ought to get going then.”

“Wait,” Polly said. “Don’t go yet. The boys are just upset, they just lost their brother. Please, stay a while. Come over to mine, I’ll make you something to eat. Just us girls, no hotheaded boys.”

(Y/N) shook her head. “No, I’m not welcome, therefore I shall leave.”

She made a point of bumping Arthur’s shoulder as she walked out, angering her eldest brother enough that he could’ve strangled her right then and there. She paused at the door a moment before deciding to add, “Can’t say I’m shocked by this behaviour, coming from the children of a man who can’t even stay faithful to his own wife.”

And with that, she was gone.

~~~~~~

(Y/N) found the closet bar in town, intending to drink away her frustration and sadness. She couldn’t believe they had really just tossed her out like that, like she was nothing more than just some street beggar looking for shelter. Sure, she wasn’t their full sister, but she was still their sister for fuck sake!

She sat up at the bar, waiting for the bartender to notice her presence. She felt her annoyance rise when he looked her way and promptly ignored her.

“Excuse me,” she said, her voice raised enough to be heard. “I’d like a whiskey please.”

“We don’t welcome women who are alone at this bar,” the bartender told her. “Come back when you’re on some gents arm.”

“I am a fucking Shelby!” (Y/N) snapped. “And I fucking demand to be treated with some goddamn respect, now get me a fucking glass of whiskey!”

The bartender’s eyes widened then and he quickly hurried off to get her drink. (Y/N) smirked to herself. She could get used to being a Shelby and using the name to her advantage. Even if her family didn’t welcome her, that didn’t stop her from using their influence.

The man next to her looked up as the bartender passed her the glass of whiskey. “You’re a Shelby? I haven’t seen you before.”

“Long lost sister,” (Y/N) responded. “I’ll get my birth certificate for you if you need proof.”

The man chuckled. “No, I believe you. You have the attitude of a Shelby.”

(Y/N) grunted at the response. While she was enjoying having the Shelby power, she wanted nothing else to do with that shitty excuse of a family. She especially didn’t want to be compared to them.

The man waved to the bartender, grabbing his attention, to tell him, “Whatever she buys, put it on my tab.”

“You don’t have to do that, I can buy my own drinks,” (Y/N) told him.

“I don’t doubt that you can, but I’d like to be a gentleman,” he responded. He offered her his hand and said, “Luca.”

“(Y/N). Nice to meet you, Luca.”

They talked for a while. Taking advantage of his kindness, (Y/N) ordered enough glasses of whiskey that she was starting to get properly drunk. She could barely see straight or form a coherent sentence. Luca, although had been drinking quite a bit as well, seemed more sober than her. She made sure to keep an eye on him in case he tried to take advantage of her in her drunken state.

“Where are you from, Luca?” she slurred after some time. “We’ve been talking this whole time and I haven’t even asked. You have a really nice accent.”

Luca smiled. “I’m from America, but my parents are Italian.”

“Oh, I’ve never met an American! Or an Italian! Today is my lucky day!”

Luca chuckled. “I guess it is. You may know my family, we’ve been in much contact with the Shelbys recently.”

(Y/N) scrunched up her nose as she took another sip from her drink. While the glass was raised to her lips, Luca finished, “We’re the Changrettas.”

(Y/N) knew that name. She wasn’t sure how, but she did. It rang a bell. Why did it sound so familiar?

Through the drunken fog in her head, (Y/N) managed to pick out where she had heard the name before: Tommy had mentioned it earlier. When (Y/N) walked into his office, he asked her if she was a messenger for the Changrettas. He asked what the Changrettas had planned next for his family.

Alarms were going off in (Y/N)’s head. Changrettas were not good, this man was not good.

She was looking at Luca over her glass of whiskey. He didn’t look friendly anymore, the exact opposite really. He was smirking at her in a way that sent a shiver down her spine.

Before she could do anything, something covered her head and everything went black.

~~~~~~

(Y/N) woke up sometime later. She was much more sober than she had been at the bar, and was now more aware of her surroundings.

She was tied to a chair in the middle of what seemed like an abandoned building. There were men stood around her, one she recognized as Luca Changretta.

“Well, good morning sleeping beauty,” he said. “We were wondering when you’d wake up.”

“Where the hell am I?” (Y/N) demanded.

Luca shook his head. “I don’t believe you are in any position to making those sorts of demands right now. Not when you’re near moments away from losing your life.”

(Y/N) felt her blood run cold at this. She looked around her, counting how many men were there. There was four of them, four men who looked fully capable of taking her down if she tried to run. She tried to move her wrists to find that they were bound so tight that it would was impossible to do so. There wasn’t even any way that she could escape.

She was stuck, she was trapped, and she was dead.

“Why kill me?” she asked, trying to buy herself some time. “What have the Shelbys done to you?”

“I would think they had filled you in on what they’ve done,” Luca told her. “With you bein the replacement for that boy we killed and all.”

The woman, Polly, she mentioned that they had lost a brother. These bastards murdered him. Now they intend to murder me!

“Please!” (Y/N) scoffed. “They kicked me to the curb the moment they learned who I was. I’m just the bastard of an affair their father had. They have no love for me, they didn’t even want me there. That’s why I was at the bar.”

Luca looked skeptical of her story. “The Shelbys aren’t the sort to cast out their own. They’re all about their family, especially when it’s starting to get smaller.”

“They said it themselves, I’m not their family,” (Y/N) told him. “I met them for the first time just hours ago. We may share blood, but there’s no love between any of us. If you kill me, they won’t care. It won’t hurt them, it won’t affect them. They’ll probably be overjoyed if you did.”

“We don’t want that,” Luca said, tapping his gun against his lips as if he were thinking.

“Let us have our fun with her, Luca,” one of the Changretta men said. “If we can’t kill her, let’s do the next best thing to piss Thomas Shelby off - send her home with a belly full of one of ours.”

(Y/N) pulled at her leg restraints then. Bound just as tight as her arms. There really was no way of stopping these men if they tried to have their way with her.

Luca shook his head. “No, no that won’t do. Besides the fact that Thomas Shelby has the money and the connections to get rid of it, I won’t have you breeding with one of them.”

(Y/N) tried to make her sign of relief not so obvious.

“No, what we’re going to do is we’re going to let Thomas Shelby know that we have his little sister, and tell him whether he cares for her or not she will be executed by the time the sun rises tomorrow,” Luca decided. “And we’ll tell him that, unless he comes to us before her death, we will frame him and his entire family.”

~~~~~~

(Y/N) watched out the window as the sky began to lighten. The sun was beginning to rise, meaning her death would follow shortly.

In the hours since Luca’s decision, (Y/N) had come to terms with her inevitable fate. What did she really have to live for anymore? Her father was a deadbeat asshole who left her and her mother, his children - her siblings - were less than welcoming, her mother was dead. She didn’t have any other family. She was completely alone. Might as well be alone and dead.

(Y/N) put her head back, letting it rest against the back of the chair as she closed her eyes, waiting for the Changretta men to return. Any moment now they’d be here, and her life would be over.

She heard the footsteps before she decided to see who was coming. She figured it would’ve been Luca, ready to kill her. Instead, she found Thomas Shelby standing before her.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“What do you care?” she hissed.

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Only because Luca threated to frame you and your family for my murder.” Tommy approached, inspecting (Y/N)’s bindings. “You’re being incredibly stupid, you know. Your coming here isn’t going to save me, he’s gonna kill us both now.”

“You’re a natural born Shelby,” Tommy muttered as he pulled a knife from his coat. “Just shut up and let me free you. Arthur and our boys are going to deal with Luca and his men. The minute I cut you free, you run like hell back to my house, I’ll give you the address. Polly will be there, she’ll make sure you’re alright.”

“Why are you doing this?” (Y/N) asked. “I thought I wasn’t family.”

Tommy looked up at her after cutting her wrist free. “Like Polly said, we were angry. Our brother, John, was just killed by the same men who took you. We’re angry, we’re upset, we weren’t ready for this bombshell to be dropped on us. But it doesn’t matter who your mother is, you’re still a Shelby. And we look after our family.”

He finished cutting (Y/N) free and helped her to her feet. Her body was stiff from being tied to the chair for hours. She could just barely walk at first. Tommy had to assist her to the door. Before he could bring her to freedom, a bullet hit the wall next to them, ricocheting off the wall and just narrowly missing (Y/N).

“I knew you’d try to free her,” Luca said, his gun still aimed at (Y/N) and Tommy. “The minute I heard gunshots and my men yelling, I knew exactly what it was. Yet another Shelby distraction. Well, it didn’t work this time, did it?”

“I’m the one you want, Luca,” Tommy said. “Let her go. She has nothing to do with this. She only just met us today.”

“She’s a Shelby,” Luca insisted. “You care for her. Therefore, she’s a part of this.”

“You’ve already killed one of ours!” Tommy snapped. “We only killed two of yours, kill me and let the girl go.”

He was standing in front of (Y/N) protectively. Standing behind him, (Y/N) noticed that Tommy had his blazer hitched up, revealing the gun tucked in his waistband. She looked up at him to see he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. He had a plan, of course he had a plan.

(Y/N) grabbed Tommy’s gun and pointed it at Luca, pulling the trigger before he could comprehend what she had done. The bullet missed any major organs, but did hit Luca in a way that incapacitated him. Tommy grabbed his gun and (Y/N)’s hand and the two raced out of the abandoned building.

They climbed into Tommy’s car, which was parked just outside. (Y/N) watched the abandoned building disappear behind them as Tommy drove quickly away from it. “What about Arthur? And your men?”

“They have their own ride back,” Tommy responded. “Luca’s men don’t stand a chance against them. I have no worry for our men.”

In near moments, they were outside of Tommy’s house. He helped (Y/N) into the house, despite her arguments that she didn’t need help. Polly met them in the foyer, immediately fussing over her.

“Are you alright? Did those men do anything to you?” she asked. “I’ll fucking murder the lot of them. Chop their dicks off and shove them down their fucking throats.”

“I’m fine, Polly,” (Y/N) insisted. “They didn’t do anything. Luca wouldn’t let them. They just wanted me dead.”

“She held up on her own pretty well,” Tommy told Polly. “A natural Shelby, she is.”

“She’s not being involved in any of your fucking plans,” Polly told him. “She’s still a child. You’ve already taken Finn’s childhood from him - ”

“Who says I want to be a part of anything?” Polly and Tommy stopped to look at (Y/N). She looked between them, annoyed. “Nearly 12 hours ago, you were telling me we weren’t family. You asked me if the only reason I sought you lot out was for money. Now you’re here, debating on whether or not I’ll be a part of your business?”

Tommy stepped past his aunt, placing his hands on (Y/N)’s shoulders so she would look at him. “Listen, we were mistaken. You are a part of this family, you’re our family. It’s up to you if you want to stay, and if you do it’s up to you if you wish to be a part of our business. But if you decide to leave, to be by yourself, just know that we will always be here to help you - the Shelbys and the Peaky Blinders. No matter where you are, no matter what trouble you’re in, you call, we’ll be there. We’re family now, (Y/N). In this family, we look out for one another.”

(Y/N) looked up at Tommy. Her whole life, she had been an only child, and now she had not only one big brother, but two, plus a big sister, and a little brother. She looked over at Polly, already like a second mother in her life.

The promise of continuous security and power beyond her wildest dreams was also a pretty good deal.

She smiled at them both. “Well, since you seem like you need a little more estrogen in your company, and some more youths. I guess I can stay. What kind of jobs you got for me within the business?”

#shelby sister #tommy shelby #peaky blinders #John shelby #peaky blinders imagine #luca changretta #arthur shelby #Peaky blinders season 4

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blinders-grace · 2 months ago

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So I was thinking about Esme and the fact that she, the only person to join the Shelbys’ with no input from her through an arranged marriage, is also the only one to actually escape the family and remove herself from their sphere of influence. She manages to rid herself of them for damn near a decade and even when she does interact with Tommy in season six, it doesn’t end with her being pulled back into the family like Linda. She is the one in control of the situation, Tommy seeks her out, she is the one with the information and Tommy has to follow her lead because in the life that she has built after John’s death the last name Shelby is not important and all powerful.

Like it’s not a big thing, but that fact is important and special to me.

#esme shelby #peaky blinders #season 4 #season 6 #sometimes this show does some really neat things and then I get excited for more neat stuff but then I get disappointed #not grace related #queue

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reb0rned · 2 years ago

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No Man's Land.

Summary: Lizzie's friend happens to be too busy for the day, so she recommends that you take on the job of helping the youngest of the Shelby brothers out.

Warnings: mentions of prostitution and sex, allusions at abuse, society rooted in misoginy.

Pairings: Finn Shelby x f!Reader (platonic for now!)

Characters: Finn Shelby, Prostitute! f!Reader.

Word Count: 2306.

This is set in Season 4! <3 Hope you enjoy your reading!!

You looked at yourself in the framed mirror that hung on one of the corners of the crowded room. The image that greeted you did not at all reflect what you felt inside. Make up helped hide your sunken eyes, and gave you and the rest of the world the comfortable illusion that everything was just fine; that you didn’t loathe every single second of your day with a burning passion.

Sleep was hard, but then again, it was that way for most women, at least in your line of work.

Your lips looked nearly naked, swollen and numb, but it was ok. The next one wouldn’t notice, you doubted he would even care at all if he did. You covered your skin in a disguise anyway; cheeks flushed, alive, and lips fresh, eyes hungry for more, fingers willing to please.

To please a man, you thought, a Shelby man.

That should mean something, should make you feel nervous, scared even, but you were surprisingly calm as you brushed your hair into place.

No matter the name before it, a man was a man, and that you knew how to handle. Even though dangerous, like any wild animal, once you learnt their language, your chances at survival increased greatly, to the point where sometimes you may even feel safe around them.

That, you had learnt the hard way, was as much an illusion as the smile that automatically grew on your face when you heard the doorbell ring outside, signaling for you to get ready. As was the curve on your back, or the confident tilt of your head as a man made his way into the room, deciding your fate for the rest of the day.

“Mr. Shelby, is it?” the young man nodded his head, but his face was tense and hard, he closed the door behind him almost hesitantly. He waited a few seconds before he met your eyes, then hastily proceeded to avoid your gaze. A flash of wild blue was what you had expected when you were told that a Shelby would be visiting today, or even a pair of dark stones, menacing, hungry for what laid beneath your clothes.

That wasn't what you found in his face for that brief moment though, his eyes were not as dark as caves nor as cold as ice; they felt bashful, innocent, like a fawn wandering a little too far away from home for comfort.

That, you thought at that moment, must've been one of the many illusions that surrounded you these days. After all, this was one of the Shelby brothers standing in front of you, and the blood on their hands was something nearly impossible to overlook, as was their infamous reputation.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he stood at the entrance for a bit too long, which meant that you had to stand up to go and greet him first. You groaned internally as your body ached in protest, your legs sore, your skin burning in tender places, but you didn't let him see that. You offered a hand, and he took it; sweaty, and warm, but that didn't matter. You gently pulled him towards the center of the room, to the foot of the bed, where you sat and waited for him to follow suit.

He was a good looking young man indeed, but this was not enough to fool you. You had witnessed beautiful forest fires; but that never stopped them from burning everything down to ashes.

Albeit you would've thought a Shelby man to be quite rowdier than this one was.

Once again, it was you who broke the silence.

“I know that the plan was to meet with Lizzie’s friend and not me, so I apologize if I can't reach your expectations. I promise I will try, Mr. Shelby,” as you spoke, you performed what you had memorized expertly, exposing your bare breasts to the dusty air of the room. He didn't need to talk, you knew what was expected of you, and you were sure he’d make you know otherwise, so you paid no mind to his silence.

“It’s fine.” his eyes darted towards your hands as you placed them on his leg, and he shifted in place.

“There's no need to be nervous, sir, I will do anything you ask for,” squeezing one of your hands, you took his with the other and gently led it towards your chest, trying to show him the way, but he wriggled it out of your grasp before any contact was made, scooting away from you uncomfortably. It didn’t leave your hands any colder than before, but his body language did cause a sting at the pit of your stomach, even if for a second. You pursed your lips then, slightly shocked as you tried to decipher his behavior.

“You really don’t need to,” his face was pointing opposite from you, and you wondered what could be of more interest to him than what you had to offer.

“I’m confused.” trying to gain his attention back, you spoke, searching for his gaze with a lean of your body. He barely glanced at your face.

“This is not right, I don’t want to… to force anything, ‘right?” you tried to make sense of his words, looking elsewhere. You were starting to feel frustrated. Was this some sort of game? Was he making fun of you? He didn’t look like he was having fun, precisely. Why was he here, then?

“Do you find me unpleasant, Mr. Shelby?” there wasn’t as much honey tangled in your voice anymore as there was a moment ago, words coming out sharper than you intended them to. Time wasn’t something you enjoyed spending, let alone waste it. If he wished to change whores, he should be a man about it and just say it.

“Please don't call me that.”

“Isn't that your name, though, sir?” your patience was wearing thin, but your voice remained calm.

“My name is Finn, and, I don't,” he stopped himself, seeming to think his words over before he spoke. “it's not that I find you unpleasant, believe me, I’m just… I don’t want this, not this way…”

“Right…” you busied your hands with buttoning up your blouse, concentrating on each button individually. This gave you time to think as the man paced around the room aimlessly. “but you paid for this service.” you carefully pointed out.

“Yes, I know. Look, my family just expects me to, and I thought that I could do it, but… I don't like the way I’m feeling right now.” you couldn’t stop the small frown that made its way to your face. Of course, he was one of those.

“Ashamed?” you wanted to get this over with.

“No, not ashamed!” he looked at you then, and he must’ve seen something lingering in your gaze, because his eyes opened slightly more than usual, and he rushed to say his next words. “This has nothing to do with you and everything to do with my family, I promise.”

You sighed.

‘’Why does your family expect you to?’’

‘’I thought it might be a good idea to tell them that I was, well… a virgin.’’ his last words were soft, like a shameful confession, but you heard them clearly.

‘’Oh,’’ your gaze dropped to the floor for a second. A virgin. That concept was so far away from you, it felt strange to hear it again, to reflect on its meaning like you did once, when you were a child. You do remember the fear, though. Knowing that someday it would be taken from you, painfully, ripped away like a wobbly tooth by someone that did not understand, nor care.

Because they couldn’t understand, not one bit.

Yet, how could you explain the fear that you could see dancing in his soft green eyes? Suddenly you felt as if you were looking at yourself, a version of yourself lost long ago, that knew no delusions; not yet. The one you would do anything to keep safely wrapped around your arms.

How could a Shelby, out of all people, feel so fragile under your eyes?

And how was he alive?

‘’Apparently they think it's time for me to become a man, so,’’

‘’You’re not a man?’’ tilting your head to the side, you questioned.

‘’Not until I’ve fucked, I’m not.’’ you exhaled a laugh at that, getting up from your seat by the bed, and walking up to the small cabinet under the mirror. Opening it, you pulled a small bottle of rum out, pouring it out into one of the glasses that sat on top. Finn Shelby observed your movements from his side of the room, fidgeting with the cuffs of his sleeves.

‘’I mean no offense by this, but that's a weird logic to have.’’ you walked up to him then, offering the glass up. He looked at it for a moment before taking it, with a nod of his head. You went back to fill your own.

‘’You think?’’

‘’I know.’’ you turned to look at him again, leaning back against the cabinet and stopping to sip on your drink. ‘’I’ve met all kinds of people, and I can assure you, no matter how many times they’d visit our whorehouse, or whomever they chose to fuck each night, that didn't make them any more of a man than they were before. Not in my eyes.’’ you shrugged.

‘’So fuck, or don’t. It’s the shit that you do outside of that what will tell everyone else what sort of man you’ve chosen to be.’’

He was silent again, but pain was visibly haunting his face. This was an intense chat to have with a stranger, but somehow this room, the very same room that held countless wars each day, some of them bloody and terrifying, had become no man’s land for the both of you, the sounds of guns and screams too far away for you to hear, and a strange sense of calm filling your chests.

‘’You don’t need to worry about me, I won’t tell anyone,’’ setting your glass down, you busied yourself looking for something else, giving him time to think, since he seemed to need it.

Once you found what you were looking for, you approached him again.

‘’Here,’’ you reached out your hand again, this time holding up to him a considerable amount of money; the same amount that you had received for the job. He seemed to snap out of his small trance then, knitting both eyebrows together softly.

‘’No, no, please keep it!’’ he held your hands and pushed them back gently.

‘’You payed for the fucking, and we’re not fucking, are we?’’ he didn’t let go of your hands, stubbornly holding them close to you.

‘’Let me pay you for your time, otherwise I’ll feel awful,’’

‘’Alright, if that's what you want, I thank you.’’

‘’I should be the one to thank you, really, uh… uhm… ‘’ he stared blankly at you for a second. You noticed his ears turning red, beneath all the freckles that adorned his skin.

‘’Something the matter?’’ you quirked one eyebrow up.

‘’I just realized I never asked for your name, that’s all.’’ he shook his head with an embarrassed smile, and you turned to look at him for a moment while you put the money back in its former place.

‘’My name? And why would that matter?’’ with a light groan, you fully rose back to your feet. God, you felt like sleeping. You hadn’t felt like sleeping in weeks.

‘’How can we become friends if I don't even know what to call you, miss?’’ his smile took you off guard, you had to admit. Lips folding into themselves with a soft curve, bared teeth never seemed so harmless in your eyes.

‘’I suppose you're right,’’ after you told him your name, you reached for your glass and took a final swig, the both of you falling into a silence that could not be described accurately, for it didn’t make you uncomfortable, but at the same time, it gave you a sense of vertigo that felt deeply unusual.

Finn, on the other hand, looked way calmer than before, and you didn’t know him enough to tell, but you could swear there was a hint of the smile before lingering at the corners of his mouth.

‘’Well, I… will be taking my leave now, I’m supposed to be making money. But I’m glad to have met a man as respectable as you’ve proven to be, Finn,’’ you figured some theatricals wouldn't hurt, so you courtly bowed at him with a smile, turning to go for the door.

You stopped when you heard him call your name, however.

‘’Will you stay? I’ve some money left to spend, and I did enjoy our chat, you’re honest.'' when you turned to look at him, he was sitting on the bed again, a light smile while he looked at you. You couldn't help but return it.

''You’re paying me to speak to me? Shouldn't that be the other way around? You’re the Shelby, I’m just…''

“You’re you, and I’m me. At least in this room,'' he didn't stop looking in your eyes whilst you approached his sitting figure, waiting for some sort of confirmation, some mutual agreement. You pursed your lips, looking around for a moment.

''No man in sight?'' he shook his head at your words, and you stepped closer to the bed, to the free spot beside him.

''No woman either,'' he dared say as you sat down finally, letting your back hit the soft bed, and stretching your arms comfortably. You agreed, silently.

''Man, woman, what in the fuck does that mean, anyway?'' you whispered back, and he followed you down onto the softness.

#peaky blinders #peaky blinders imagine #finn #finn shelby #prostitute!reader #oneshot #finn x reader #finn shelby x y/n #finn shelby x reader #season 4 #s4 #female reader #fem presenting reader #platonic

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vivianleighwishesshewasme · 2 months ago

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Arthur's Sacrifice

Part 3

House arrest and Ravioli

“Come here love, meet the rest of the family huh.” Arthur held his arms open wide and waited for his daughter to embrace him. She politely walked over and hugged him back tightly. She missed family affection. There always had been someone to pinch her cheek, hug or kiss her in Italy. On the boat Luca couldn’t keep his hands or lips off of her, his mother was full of face touches and hugs for her. The Shelby’s seemed to only ruffle the hair of kids or kiss spouses in semi private moments.

Filomena was grateful to be near her father, it still seemed foreign to call him father, papa or da as he’d asked. He’d tried teaching her a few words in his language and she learned quickly earning favor among Polly and Thomas who would quiz her and teach her new words to impress him.

Linda was softening up to her as well. Filomena took her fiancé's advice and tried asking Linda about her faith. She was even learning how to cook the English way from her. As long as she listened and acted interested, they were good.

She was even getting to play peek-a-boo with her brother Billy. He was a giggly little lad and loved to tumble and run. Ran right into trouble like her father seemed too. Things were looking up just in time for Tommy to call everyone to his house to live until a threat to the family was taken care of.

She hated not knowing what was going on. If they were in danger, how and why was she exempt? Why couldn’t she do something useful. She spent her days playing with the kids and trying to stay out of the way.

She crept downstairs at midnight, unable to sleep and starving for real food. Her uncle Thomas had told her she was free to roam inside the house and could go into any room but his office. She didn’t care about what he was doing in his office.

She snaked her way into the kitchen and found everything she was looking for. Spreading out the flour she got to work. She was surprised at all the various cheeses, herbs and spices from her homeland. She got to kneading her pasta and cutting out her shapes to add the filling to her ravioli. She had accidentally dropped the pot alerting whoever was in the kitchen. The loud clanging no doubt woke up more staff and family. She blushed, embarrassed, turning quickly and found two men staring at her.

"Mi dispiace" I said in a rush then realizing I used Italian to apologize. I hadn’t meant to cause a scene let alone disturb anyone. I truthfully hadn't even heard them in the kitchen, how big was this house?

“Va bene, principessa." The man had my attention. He’d told me it was okay. He definitely was Italian. Handsome with olive skin, dark hair and a mustache that was well groomed and a troublemaker's smirk. I sighed in relief.

“Stai bene?” The older gentleman came up to me, he was wiping blood off his arm with a kitchen rag. He looked much older like my grandfather back home. My heart twisted, the man I thought had been my grandfather, I chide myself. He’d probably been preparing the stag the men had drunkenly drug into the house tonight.

“Yes, I’m alright.” I could feel the tears welling up. “You had no idea how nice it is to hear my own language’” I rambled on. They both smiled at me kindly. The older man took my pot and put it in the oven. I got the water going to a boil. We all chatted about Italy, London, America and so on. I hadn’t realized how well traveled they were. I was young but suddenly felt a bit left out.

Of course the younger man, Antonio, had asked me if I was seeing anyone. I mention my finance Luciano, he was American. I told them about the wedding in New York. He kept tossing me odd glances. Apparently Antonio had lived in New York for many years. I asked if they knew each other by chance, he told me New York was huge and probably not. I caught him smiling at the other man though. Was I that naïve or was he lying? I knew something was off.

Once the freshly made sauce was plated we all dug in and talked. I kept trying to cover my mouth from laughing so hard. My heart needed this so much. I couldn’t wait to tell Luca I’d made Italian friends. At two a.m. I crawled into my guest bed grateful for the interaction.

#peaky blinders fanfic #arthur shelby #thomasshelby #original character #vendetta #luca changretta #luca changretta fanfic #season 4

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