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   She despised smoke. Her chest ached every time she inhaled it. Her little lungs fighting to breathe in the harsh air. Growing up walking on the cobblestone streets of Birmingham, her little body had almost become immune to the fog but it drew the line at smoke. So instead of being near the man she found the most comfort in, she sat beside Finn in the dimly lit dining area of the Shelby home. A book sat in her lap, her small fingers turning the page as the fingers of her free hand fiddled with the lace trim of her pale pink dress. Her blonde curls hung loosely down her back, the strands shining orange as the firelight danced around the room. Finn hadn't said much to her as he sat beside her, a pencil in his hand as he drew on a discarded paper John gave him.

"Ella," the short blonde furrowed her eyebrows as she looked quizzically at the young kid who was almost her height. "You take your medicine today?" Her lips formed into a slight frown as she nodded at him, unsure why he was asking. He grinned and pulled a cigarette from his trousers pocket, a lighter falling out with it.

"Finn!" She gasped, extending her short arm as she tried to take it from him. "Tommy says you're not old enough yet." She frowned as he scooted the chair away from her. She sighed frustratedly as she gave up. He smirked smugly at her as she turned her body away from his. With her medicine in her system, the tainted air wouldn't harm her little body but she didn't want to witness his little act or rebellion. Not fully anyway.

A short minute later, she heard the lock on the door click just before the doors opened revealing Tommy's lengthy body. She turned as the youngest Shelby quickly tried to discard the smoking stick in the fireplace. "Finn?" Tommy's tone sent a small shiver down her spine as she straightened up. She shut her book and held it to her chest as the second eldest gave her a small smile before glaring sternly at his youngest brother.

"Arthur's mad as hell." Ella smiled to herself at his poor attempt to distract Tommy.

"What does a ten-year-old know about hell, eh?" Tommy sighed, putting out the cigarette with the tip of his shoe.

"I'm eleven, Sunday." Finn protested. Tommy gave his brother a small grin before standing to his full height. He didn't offer a response to him as he walked to the other side of the room where the thick emerald green curtains hung. Ella watched as he pushed them aside, revealing wooden double doors. He pushed the doors open and the silence that surrounded her turned into noisy chatter. He left the doors open as he entered the betting shop and Ella shot up in her seat. She stood in the doorway as her coffee-colored eyes searched for the Shelby brother her heart desired the most. She smiled brightly as she finally noticed him. His back was turned to her as he wrote on the blackboard, shouting things as he scribbled. The hem of her dress fluttered around her legs as her white kitten heels created soft taps against the floor as she walked closer to where he was. The men in the betting shop maneuvered around her small frame, steering clear of her as they smoked and shouted at each other. She saw John turn as he clocked Tommy's appearance, not noticing his best girl had followed his older brother into the room.

John held the book up for Tommy to see, proud of the bets people were making when he felt her small finger loop through one of his belt loops. He smirked to himself as he spun on his heel. He instantly smiled softly at her as her eyes met his.

"Hi, Johnny." She beamed up at him, one arm around his waist as she kept her fingers in his belt loop while her free hand still clutched her book.

"Hey, doll." He grabbed her small wrist, gently removing her arm as he brought her hand up to his face, placing a chaste kiss across her knuckles. "I thought you had something to do with your father today?" He guided her to a small room in the shop he claimed as his office. He shut the door behind him, blocking out any noise from the men who worked for his family. He perched on the edge of his desk, pulling the girl to stand in between his legs. While John wasn't the tallest out of his brothers, he felt like a giant whenever Ella was beside him. Her short stature barely reached his chest when he stood and as he sat, he grinned again as the top of her head barely reached his chin. He took the book from her hands and set it on his desk.

"He had a meeting so he dropped me here to wait for him." She explained to him. She leaned her body forward, relaxing fully when he wound his arms around her. She tipped her head up to look at him, his breath catching as her beauty struck him. She never ceased to amaze him when she gave him a smile that was reserved only for him. He felt like the luckiest lad in the world. He bent down a planted a kiss on the tip of her nose, chuckling as she scrunched her face cutely. "I missed you." She mumbled into his chest.

"Not as much as I missed you, doll." His words were muffled by her hair as he breathed in her clean floral scent. He loved that despite living in a place with polluted air, she never smelled of anything but her floral shampoo and linen-scented laundry soap. They stood there for a minute in silence until Arthur came round and rapped his knuckles against the glass on the door. The almost couple broke apart as John waved for him to come in.

"Family meetin' tonight." Arthur's voice was harsh as he paced the small office. Ella looped her index finger through John's belt loop, right beside the buckle, as he kept his hands on her waist. They watched silently as the eldest Shelby grumbled to himself. Ella gasped softly as he abruptly stopped and glared at them before hastily leaving the room, slamming the door shut behind him. John chuckled as the glass rattled, his lips twitching upwards.

"Let's leave before he tries to stomp his way in here again." John collected his coat, a frown forming on his face when he caught sight of his girl's bare arms. "Where'd you leave yours?"

"On a chair in the other room." He grabbed ahold of her hand, her small fingers intertwining with his, as he led her out of the betting shop. He caught sight of her cream-colored coat, smiling to himself at the white ribbon that peeked out of the pocket. He held it open for her, his smile widening as she giddily wrapped herself in it. Once the fabric covered her body, he turned her and buttoned it, placing a soft kiss on her forehead once he finished. "Thank you," she beamed up at him, her voice a soft whisper.

"My pleasure, love." If it was even possible, she beamed brighter at the endearment. John Shelby was a cocky man, his confidence never lacking, and just the simplest of smiles or appreciation from his best girl had his ego and pride bursting. The man felt invincible when she was near. Just as they headed for the exit, she stopped, tugging on his hand.

"I've left my book," she pouted, preparing to retrieve it.

"We'll come back later for it," he promised. She nodded but didn't move. She sucked her plump bottom lip into her mouth, John instantly reaching up with his thumb to gently coax it back out. "It's safest in there, for now, doll. If I can't come back for it, I'll have Arthur bring it to the meeting, yeah?" He waited patiently for the worry to leave her eyes, a nod eventually being his response. "I swear it."

"I believe you," she smiled dreamily at him. His smile was genuine (as it always was when she was around) and he rubbed her cheek with his thumb before grabbing ahold of her hand once again and leaving the betting shop. As they walked down the cobblestone streets, his arm looped over her shoulders, pulling the girl into his side. She sighed contentedly as she soaked up the warmth his body was providing. He kept his steps small, matching her pace. To onlookers, they were a sight worth seeing. A Peaky Blinder being cuddled by a girl who strictly wore pink and lace. An angel who found comfort within a devil.

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They had almost reached their destination, the two exiting one of the tunneled alleys, when they abruptly stopped as a gun was pressed to John's cheek. He instinctively pushed Ella's small frame behind him, the short girl whimpering at the sight. John kept his stance firm, his jaw clenched and glare strong as his aunt explained how Finn had the firearm. John simply hummed in response, his mind not focusing on her words as Ella began to tremble behind him. He was tempted to push her further into the alleyway behind them but he didn't want to chance Polly aiming the weapon in her direction instead. He was so caught up in trying to protect his girl that for a brief second, he forgot to protect himself. Polly used the weapon to strike his head, causing the Shelby man to fall to the ground in pain. She mocked him as she urged him to get up, Ella's small hands covering her mouth as her eyes welled up with tears.

"What the fuck you do that for?" John spat at her as he stood to his feet. Ella scrambled to his side, her small hands clutching his arm as he tucked her behind him.

"Finn had it. Was playing with it down by the cut, nearly blew Ada's tits off."

"It must've fell out of my pocket," John defended himself.

"He said he found it in the betting shop, bullets in it," Polly explained, her head cocking to the side as she readied herself for whatever excuse he planned to feed her next.

"I must have been drunk," John relented. Ella's plump lips formed a frown at his carelessness.

"When are you not drunk?" Polly accused him.

"Hey! That's unfair," Ella piped up from behind John's back, ready to defend him the same way he always defended her. John felt a sense of pride for his girl as he realized what she was trying to achieve, glaring rudely at his aunt as she sent a mocking glare the girl's way. She knew better than to act in such a way towards the small girl in John's presence, knowing her nephew would pick Ella over his own family.

"Look, Aunt Pol," John tried to get aunt's attention back on him. "I'm sorry."

"We'll keep this between ourselves if you swear not to leave any more guns lying around." She accepted his apology, handing the weapon back to him once he nodded at her words. "Look, I know it's hard to keep your mind straight when Ella's around, but my boot's harder so keep that in mind for next time." The two shared a small grin as the blonde girl poked her head around his body at the sound of her name. "Come on before we're late," she ushered him along. Ella didn't hesitate to cuddle herself back into John's side, both relieved there was no real threat to their safety.

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"Right, I've called this meeting because I've got some very important news." Arthur began. Ella sat beside John, his leg flush against hers as his left hand settled up on her knee, his thumb rubbing circles on her skin. Her father George sat beside her, her cream coat draped over the back of his chair. "They were buying stallions to cover their mares." Ella was only half listening, her thoughts purely on the veiny calloused hand that soothed her skin. A flimsy slip of paper passed over her lap, settling in her father's hands and she briefly read some of the words before he angled the page away from her. She looked over at John, trying to peer over the paper but he passed his along to Tommy.

"I'm telling you." She heard Tommy mutter, but she was distracted as John stood up in his seat. He held a cigarette in his hand but wouldn't dare light it around her. He'd never risk her health.

"We're Peaky Blinders. We're not afraid of no coppers." He proudly proclaimed, his eyes meeting Ella's. He sent her a wink and a tinted red hue adorned her cheeks at the action. He smirked at her before turning back to his brothers. "If they come for us, we'll cut them a smile each." He finished with a glance around the room, earning a nod from George.

"So, is that it?" Tommy piped up once John was done.

"What do you think, Pol?" Arthur valued her opinion. As Ella waited for the woman to respond, she sighed softly when a large hand rubbed the back of her neck. She adored how John always had to find a way for his skin to connect with hers.

"This family does everything open. You have nothing more to say to this meeting, Thomas?" Their Aunt was skeptical. The second eldest always had more to say but she knew by him not saying anything meant he was hiding something. The man was only quiet when he wanted to be.

"No." He gave a simple answer. "Nothing that's women's business." His icy blue eyes flickered from his aunt, to his sister, finally landing on the girl clad in pink and frilly socks.

"This whole bloody enterprise was women's business while you boys were away at war." Polly reminded him. Ella's plump pink lips turned downwards as she recalled the years they were away fighting for their freedom. Sensing her sadness, John stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, reminding her that he was there with her. She leaned her head back to rest against his stomach, sending him an appreciative smile. John's heart skipped a beat as her coffee colored eyes stared up at him. "What's changed?" Ella's attention was directed back to the conversation happening in front of them.

"We came back." Tommy concluded.

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not much happened in this part butttt
there's still lots more to come !
plus the next part is when we really start
to get into the kinky bits