ʀᴏᴜɢʜ-ᴛʜᴏᴍᴀs sʜᴇʟʙʏ

0.1

Part one

Two things River hadn't missed about Birmingham was the smell and it's awful weather.

The day was cold and the woman was surprised she was still surviving in her blouse and skirt, having not taken a coat from her home in her rush.

A cigarette led in between her cold, vermilion coloured lips, it was enough for every man she crossed to stare at her with question. Her attire shown her to be of some expense causing confusion when she wasn't holding some sort of cigar to her lips instead of a cheap packet of cigarettes.

Nevertheless, the woman continued to stride towards the bakery, a purpose in her steps.

"Miss Silver." Jace Lee spoke as he joined her in walking.

The man was of average height, dark brown hair which was beginning to fall in front of his eyes from its length. His top two buttons of his t-shirt undone to show part of his tone chest, obviously undone after his mother had dressed him.

"I see you didn't dress yourself again."

The boy grumbled underneath his breath at the woman, a small chuckle falling from his lips as a boy about 9 years old tripped in front of the two, a sudden cry causing the man to send his boot into his side.

"Did your father raise you to cry, boy?" Jace muttered, bending down to the boy who now writhed in pain.

The woman rolled her eyes at the man, allowing her hand to grip the back of his t-shirt, yanking him up.

"Don't be a nause" River spoke, stepping over the crying boy, pulling the man with her.

Jace sent a small smirk towards the woman as he tugged himself out of her grip. "We don't want our people to grow up as pussies do we, riv?"

"Shut up." She chuckled as she replied, her attire becoming serious as she spotted her father slam a man against her bakery window.

"Fucks sake." She muttered, her pace increasing as she reached her father, pulling him away from the man who had blood rolling down his lips from his now broken nose.

"Fuck off!" The woman yelled down to the man causing him to push himself off the floor, jumping back when Jace had decided to scream into his face.

"Jace- get the fuck in. Dad, what the fuck?!" The woman gritted her teeth as she pushed her father forward, opening the door to the bakery, Jace following shortly behind her.

"'Ello Riv, nice seeing you 'ere." The older man grumbled out, lifting his hand to his lips as he sat at one of the tables in the bakery, sending a smirk towards Mary, the only other person that had the balls to work in the Silver's bakery.

"Don't call me that." The woman grumbled, crossing her arms as memories surfaced through her mind. Memories she wished would've carried on throughout her teenage life instead of being forced to leave the only ever place she called home.

"After 13 years of being out of this fucking place, you still decide to create 'avoc." River muttered, walking towards Mary who gave her a warm smile, pulling her face in between her hands, laying large, sloppy kisses upon both of her cheeks.

"Oh, River, it's been so long. You've grown up to be such a beautiful, young lady." Mary gushed before moving over to Jace, scolding him for bringing in the mud on his shoes.

The woman turned to her father, who frowned, standing up to face her.

"I'm sorry, Riv. He pissed me off." River rolled her eyes at her father, waving her hand in the air to brush the whole thing off.

"Stop calling me that!"

She turned away from her father, moving to the back room to pull a bottle of whiskey off of one of her many hand made shelves. Grabbing four glasses, she returned to the front, noticing her father trying to sweet talk Mary causing her to huff out in anger.

"Honestly, sweet couple." Jace spoke from beside her causing her to jump slightly, her grip on the drinks and glasses tightening before swinging the bottle at the boys head.

His hand stopped the swing of the bottle, simply pulling it away from her grip and undoing the top.

"Don't you dare-" but the man had swigged from the bottle and taken off out of the shop.

"Dad, look after the shop." The woman yelled as she ran after her friend who was laughing loudly in the streets, her tight lips not lifting to smile as the whiskey began to slosh out of the bottle and onto the streets.

"JACE FUCKING LEE!" The woman screamed causing the man to stumble slightly at her raised voice, bumping into one of the small lads that leant against the wall.

"Oi!" He had yelled in shock, the newsboy cap being brought of his head from the sheer force of the knock.

"Sorry lad!" Jace yelled, picking up the cap before shoving it into his chest, giving a grin towards the small boy who flared at him.

"Oi you prick-"

"JACE!" River yelled as she caught up to the boy, bringing her fist upon his back before he was off again.

Heaving huffs of air through her lungs, the woman bent her knees, trying to catch her breath.

She let her gaze fall around the group of boys surrounding her, noticing the clean glare one of the lads was giving her friend that was running away.

"I'll give ya' a pound if you get him and bring me back that whiskey." She huffed out towards the group and just with those words, the group had began chasing the grown man down the road- all yelling a range of swear words that made the girl hold back a chuckle.

"What've you said to our Finn, eh?"

The woman stood straight as the man spoke, matching his gaze before suddenly looking back down the street.

It couldn't be-

"He hasn't been that happy since before the-" The man stopped speaking, almost as though he'd fear he'd said the wrong thing.

River couldn't help but glance at his face, the bags under the mans eyes were no different from when he were just a boy. His hair much longer now though, as well as his sudden height. He was towering over her 5"3 figure and it unsettled her slightly- she was always taller.

"Offered 'im a pound." She muttered, pulling a pound out of her pocket of her skirt before flipping it over to the man, "oh and tell 'im to get a smaller cap, his is to big for his head."

And as the woman began to walk away, a shaky breath fell from her mouth. That man's voice hadn't changed from when he was 17 and she was 13. He'd barely changed at all but oh, he'd changed so much. To everyone else, all the men had changed. Ever since the war.

But she could tell who Arthur Shelby was any day of the week, even if she hadn't seen him in 13 years.