Your half-brother Danny hadn't been the same since the war. That sounded so cliché. Isn't that what everyone said about their loved ones when they came home? And it was true. War changed everyone. But your brother...

You weren't certain what happened to him, what he had seen, and you weren't about to ask him. Whatever it was had driven him crazy. God, you hated that word and everything it entailed. If you'd known...if you'd had any idea, you would have locked him up for his own good.

It was common for him to have episodes where he didn't know where he was or what he was doing. He would shout at enemies that weren't there and attack anything or anyone that got in his way. His wife Rosie had grown so scared of what was happening that she asked you to move in with them. "Just for a while," she'd said. You knew then you should have said no, made her get him some help, but you couldn't.

Danny was your big brother. He didn't care about the differences between the two of you. Didn't care that you were the product of an affair between his father and your mother. Danny had always been there for you and this was your chance to repay him. But it had been so much longer than a while. You barely remembered what your apartment looked like anymore.

You intervened when you could, steering Danny out of the house and away from Rosie and the boys. Usually when he was having one of his episodes, you could guide him to a quiet area and calm him down. Usually. This was not one of those times. No, this was one of the times you were going to end up sore and bruised. As predicted, Danny screamed and shoved you aside as you tried to calm him. He darted past you and down the street.

"Shit." You sighed and hurried behind him, cursing again when he burst through the doors of the Garrison. "Damn it, Danny."

By the time you caught up to your brother, he was face down on the floor being held by Thomas Shelby and Freddie Thorne. Thank God. Tommy and you had been friends for ages and Tommy was good to Danny. They'd served together and he'd taken to looking after Danny since they returned. When they got him to his feet, he was back to himself. Danny's eyes were sad as they met yours. "I did it again, didn't I?" Shame colored his words.

You nodded and a single tear slipped from your eye before you could stop it. You hastily wiped it away. Tommy knew enough of your business without you crying in front of him. Danny moved past you to walk out the door. He stopped you when you moved to follow. "Give me a minute, yeah?" he asked.

"Sure, Danny," you said, knowing it was unlikely he would have two episodes that close together. Besides, you were tired. Keeping tabs on him was exhausting. Hiding that fact from him was even more so. Sometimes you wondered if it would have been better for everyone if he'd never come home. Then you hated yourself for having the thought. For feeling relief at the thought. God, you were a horrible human being.

You watched him walk away then turned to find Tommy standing right behind you. You gave him a sad, crooked smile. "Sorry for the trouble, Shelby." Sorrow was heavy in your voice. "He got away from me."

He pursed his lips and looked you over. "It's all right, love. Can I buy you a drink?"

Nothing in the world sounded sweeter at that moment. "Yes, please." You tried not to sound too eager but was fairly certain you'd failed.

He led the way to the bar and you hopped up on the stool next to him. While he ordered the drinks, you discretely dug into your coin purse. Pulling out every cent you had, you slid it across the bar to Harry. "For the damage." Your cheeks heated in embarrassment. Danny couldn't help it, but that didn't change what others thought of him. You heard every whisper and saw every dirty look. "I know it won't cover everything, but I'll get you the rest as soon as I can."

Tommy put his hand on top of yours, pinning the money beneath. "I thought you lost your job," he said quietly, those blue eyes of his piercing into you.

You had. Danny had come by your work and had an episode. You'd been dismissed on the spot. Not wanting to explain all that, you simply nodded. Tommy pulled your hand back across the bar. "Keep your money. Send the bill to the Blinders, Harry. We'll cover it."

You took a sip of your drink. "Thank you, Tommy. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"You don't have to repay me. I just told you we'll take care of it." Irritation hung heavy on his words.

You shook your head. "I'm not talking about the money. I'm talking about everything else. Most everyone's given up on him. Thank you for sticking around."

He studied you in silence for a long moment. "You don't owe me anything. Just keep doing what you're doing, love. He needs you."

***

Danny was having another of his bad days. Physically, he may have been on the street with you, but his mind was stuck in the war. You needed to get him calmed down and home as soon as possible. You steered him toward an empty table along the side of the road. Once you got him to sit, you squatted in front of him so you could see his eyes. Placing your hands on his knees, you called his name.

"Look at me, Danny. See me." There it was, that small spark of recognition deep in his eyes. He was starting to come back to you.

"Hey, get out of here we're closed," a harsh voice said and you jerked your head in that direction to find the shop keeper trying to shoo you away. Part of you was tempted to invoke Tommy's name like a prayer against evil but you wouldn't dare without his permission.

Instead, you played pathetic female. "Please, sir, he's ill. Just give us a moment and we'll be out of your way." You turned your attention back to Danny only to find you'd lost him again. His attention was focused on the shopkeeper now, completely ignoring you.

Before you could register what was happening, pain exploded from your cheek, radiating through your head. You were knocked on your ass and it took a moment for you to realize Danny had hit you to get you out of the way. This was the first time he'd hit you outright. Usually it was a shove or a hard grip. And he'd hit you hard. You could already feel the skin growing tight as your face swelled.

Danny dived for the man and your stomach dropped as you realized he'd stabbed the shopkeeper.

"Oh, Danny," you whispered as your heart broke. You couldn't save him from this. Not even Tommy could fix this. Danny had gone too far and he'd have to face the consequences. His terrified eyes met yours before he took off, fleeing the scene of his crime.

You scrambled to your feet ignoring the throbbing in your cheek. You headed directly for the Shelby house. You pounded on the door and waited anxiously for someone to answer. If Tommy wasn't home, they could at least tell you where to find him. The door opened, Polly's welcoming smile fading when she saw your face. She grabbed your arm to pull you into the house and steered you to a chair at the table. Other members of the family hovered round but you didn't see Tommy.

"Bloody Hell," Arthur mumbled. "Tommy's going to be right pissed."

"Thank you, Arthur. That is incredibly helpful," Polly said with a scowl. Arthur held up his hands and backed out of the room. John leaned against the wall chewing on a toothpick and looking you over while Ada fretted nearby. "Oh, for...will one of you make yourself useful and fetch Tommy, please?" Polly barked and the room cleared.

Ada jumped to obey, hurrying out the door. Polly got a bowl of water and rag to clean your face. It was then you realized the skin must have split where Danny hit you. You cleared your throat. "How bad is it?"

Polly stopped to look at you. "It could be worse, but Arthur was right. Tommy won't be happy."

"You say that like he usually is," you teased, earning a smirk from the other woman.

She soaked the rag in cool water and held it against the side of your face. You closed your eyes and enjoyed the soothing sensation of the cold against the wound. The door slammed open and you jumped at the noise. Your eyes locked on Tommy's crystal blue gaze as he stepped forward. Polly moved back to give him room and he squatted in front of you, much as you had done to Danny earlier.

His hand laid over the top of yours. "Let me see, love," he said, his voice soft.

You moved the cloth away from your face. Tommy's eyes narrowed as his thumb ran gently over the bruised skin. Suddenly his other hand slammed down on the table and you jumped. "Sorry. Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you. What happened? Was it Danny?"

You glanced around the room only to realize that you were alone. "He was having a bad day, Tommy. He didn't mean it. There was this shopkeeper and—" You stopped talking when he pressed two fingers against your lips.

Amusement flickered in his eyes. "I want to hear this, love, but you need to slow down. I'm not going to hurt Danny, okay? I know he can't help it. I just need to know what happened."

You took a breath and started again. "He was having an episode. I was trying to calm him down when the shopkeeper interrupted. Danny hit me so he could get past to the other man. He stabbed him, Tommy."

"Shit," he breathed.

Tears ran down your cheeks. You'd failed. You were supposed to take care of him and you'd failed.

Tommy cupped your face in his hands and wiped your tears away with his thumbs. "Oh, sweetheart, don't cry. I'll figure something out, okay?"

"Okay, Tommy." You had complete faith in the man before you.

His gaze stayed locked on you for a long moment then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours. Your stomach flipped. You were surprised but didn't hesitate to return the kiss. You'd been a little bit in love with Tommy Shelby since the first day you saw him.

He pulled away and kissed your forehead before standing and taking your hand in his. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you home."

***

You were sitting with Rosie two days later when word came that your brother was dead. And that Tommy had seen to it. Your chest grew tight and you struggled to breathe as tears flooded your eyes. No. He said he'd figure something out. He kissed you. He couldn't make you fall in love with him, kiss you and then kill your brother. Danny was the only blood family you had left. You sucked in a breath as you tried to keep from hyperventilating. What kind of sadistic bastard would kill Danny?

Tommy Shelby, that's who. You jumped up from the table, leaving Rosie in the hands of the friend that had delivered the news. You hurried through the streets, looking for a Shelby, any Shelby. Just your luck, you found the one you actually wanted to see.

Running up to him, you pounded your fists against his chest. He wrapped his hands around your wrists and held you to him as he looked down in surprise. He must have seen on your face that you knew what he'd done. "Not a word. Not one word until we're off the street."

You didn't answer as you clenched your teeth and glared at him. He kept a tight hold and pulled you down the street. When you came to a stop, you blinked in surprise as you realized you were in front of your apartment. You hadn't been willing to give up your apartment despite spending most of your time at Danny's house. It would have felt like you were giving up. Not that it mattered now.

"Where's your key?" Tommy bit out.

You pulled the chain from the inside of your dress and unlocked the door. He steered you inside then slammed the door behind you. He released you. "All right, love. Let me have it."

You slammed your hands into his chest again and again, shoving him against the wall. "You murdered my brother, you bastard. You told me you wouldn't hurt him. You said you understood. You said you'd figure it out." Angry, disappointed tears ran down your face. This hurt so bad. Your heart was broken not only because your brother was dead but because you loved the man that killed him. You hit him again. "Damn it, Shelby. I loved you, I trusted you."

He grabbed your wrists then, holding your hands out to the side to stop your assault. "What did you say?"

"I trusted you."

"No. Before that," he demanded, those piercing eyes boring into yours. You simply glared back, not wanting to give him what he wanted. "Damn it. Danny's not dead. Now what did you say?"

Your brother wasn't dead? But..."Explain please."

"It was a trick, a ruse to satisfy the Italians' need for revenge and teach your brother he's got to learn to control himself."

You stumbled back in shock and Tommy released you. "Danny's alive. Thank Christ. I never would have forgiven you for that, Tommy."

"I am well aware of that," he said with a lifted brow. He took a step toward you, a predatory glint in his eye. "Now. What. did. you. say?"

You closed the space between you. Placing your hands gently on his chest, you looked up at him. "I said I love you, Thomas Shelby." You no sooner said the words than his lips crashed into yours.