Time jumps happens for the first 3 chapters until 1919. All detail is as historically accurate as possible.

As always... Enjoy!

"Did you see this?" Polly demanded, slamming a copy of the Daily Mail on the kitchen table.

Thomas paused, setting his cup of tea on the table, and picked up the copy of the newspaper.

GREAT BRITAIN DECLARES WAR ON GERMANY

He arched an eyebrow at the title as he read over the article that followed. Thomas could feel Polly's impatience where she was standing and heard the backdoor open as his brothers, John and Arthur walked in.

"Have you heard, Tommy?" Arthur asked, sitting down in an empty chair. "We're going to war."

"I just heard," Thomas replied, lowering the paper and looking at his brother.

"Johnny and I were talking to some of the boys. They're all leaving tomorrow morning to sign up," Arthur said, nudging his younger brother and ignoring the scowling face of Polly.

Polly huffed from her spot behind the chair. Thomas turned his attention to his aunt, raising an eyebrow at her. "Something you wish to add, Pol?"

"I don't like it," she spat, worrying her lower lip with her fingers. "I don't like it at all."

Thomas cocked his head. "It's not for you to like, Pol. War is war and everyone is going."

"All three of you?" she asked, looking at each of them.

Thomas looked at his brothers, who nodded. "All three of us."

He pushed his chair back and grabbed his jacket that hung on the back of it and slipped it on. Thomas chuckled as Arthur and John jumped up from their chairs, shoving each other as they walked out of the Shelby house and onto the Lane. The Lane was full of men standing around talking to each other, gathering groups that would go to the recruitment office in the center of Birmingham.

When Thomas and his brothers stepped into the Lane, all eyes turned toward them, as if waiting for him. Thomas suppressed a scowl, seeing several of the Pack members waiting by the Shelby house. They were waiting on instructions from their Alpha, even if Thomas still didn't want to lead the Pack.

He remembered the uproar when he shifted on the full moon after his twenty-first birthday three years prior. Arthur damn near pushed the Grimoire in his face, the anger clear in his posture. Thomas knew Arthur wanted the prestige of being the Alpha of the Darkfur Pack, but the curse fell upon him.

When Thomas refused to read the Grimoire and accept responsibility for the entire Pack, it was the first time Arthur hit him since they were children. Arthur's decision did not shock Thomas and politely handed the Grimoire to Polly, who said she'd keep it safe until he was ready.

Thomas looked at the men in front of him, their waiting eyes watching him. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at his brothers, who both nodded. "We're going to war, boys!" Thomas shouted over the din.

A raucous cheer went up as Pack men filtered away from the steps of the Shelby house. Rubbing his hands together, he stepped away from his brothers and shoved his hands in his trousers to walk toward The Garrison. As he walked, he could feel his mood shifting later the day went.

The full moon was in two days. Thomas would lead the Pack to their hunting grounds and watch as the men ran through the woods while he sat alone, refusing to join in any hunts. He could have suppressed the shift, but it was uncomfortable. As he walked, he thought about what to do while he was at war. The wolf would want to run, but he knew he couldn't let that happen. No one could know their secret.

He didn't believe the war would be over by the end of the year. There wasn't a way for the British army to defeat the Germans in a matter of months. He looked around the Lane as people stepped out of his way as The Garrison came into his line of view. Pulling the dark green double doors open, he removed his hat, shoving it in his jacket, and stepped into the private room his family commandeered years ago.

As he took a seat, he sighed, leaning his head back to glance up at the ceiling. Raising his arm, he knocked gently on the small double window for a bottle of whiskey. He heard the clink of the bottle and glass land on the small sill and he shoved his hand in his trousers to find a few coins to pay for the bottle before grabbing it and twisting the top open.

He was going to war….

Thomas filed out of the front of the truck and looked around at woodlands the Pack used for hunting grounds. He could see in the distance where pathways had been made by trucks, supposedly for military training camps that were to be built on the Cannock. Thomas was sure everyone in the Pack would be sent here for training before they were sent off to war.

In the distance, he could see the deciduous forest line where the men would run through the trees and onto the open heathland. Behind him, he could hear the men gathering around as clothing fell onto the damp grass. As he inhaled, not turning around to acknowledge the Pack, he heard the grunt of a fallow deer.

The noise behind him ceased as the men heard the rustling and grunt of the deer. Thomas shivered, feeling their excitement for the upcoming hunt. He walked to a fallen log and sat down to untie his boots, setting them neatly beside him. His jacket and waistcoat followed seconds later, laying over the boots.

As he unfastened his trousers, he felt coming out here and removing his clothes just to sit around was a waste of his time. This train of thought hadn't left him since the night he first shifted. Thomas looked up to see Arthur removing his jacket, standing close by the fire that one of the men built without him realizing. It would provide a little warmth for the men until the moon rose.

Inhaling heavily, the scent of the woods invading his senses, Thomas felt the pull of the curse twist up his spine and into his brain. The pain started out slow, but gained in strength the longer it went on. Thomas flicked his eyes to the moon to see it fully rise before him. He twisted his head from side to side, trying to push the pain down, but it continued to grow.

Grunting, he bent at the waist, feeling his limbs grow heavy as the joints and tendons began to twist and elongate. His hands trembled as he lost the standing fight and fell to his knees, planting his hands in the damp grass.

"Fuck," he grunted, closing his eyes as he tried to turn off the pain.

His body trembled violently as the wolf shimmered underneath his skin as Thomas fought the shift. He let out the tiniest of whimpers as the wolf fought desperately to appear. Shaking his head side to side as if to say no, he felt the pain rollicking around his muscles and he finally shuddered, giving into the inevitable and released the wolf.

Thomas collapsed on the damp grass, waiting for the pain to pass. His senses were on high alert as the world came alive to him differently than human. Rising on four legs, it took a moment before he gained his balance and ambled over to the warm fire where he would sit and let the rest of the Pack run around Cannock.

He shifted his head to see the Pack waiting for him to release them for their run. They would stay there until he sent the signal for them. If he could sigh as a wolf, he would have. Tilting his head back, he howled, signalling the start of the run before he curled close to the fire to wait out the night.

"Tommy!" Arthur shouted from the bottom of the stairs at the Shelby house. "Are you fucking ready to go?"

Thomas sighed hearing his older brother yelling at him. The men were heading into town that morning to stand in line to join up for the war and everyone was waiting for him. Stomping down the stairs, he grumbled under his breath and found John and Arthur waiting for him. Ada and Finn were nowhere to be found, but he could hear Polly moving around the parlor.

"No need to shout," Thomas said, pushing past his brothers.

He'd been in a bad mood since the morning after the full moon. The harder he fought the shift, the worse he felt days after. He twisted the handle on the doorknob and winced, feeling the residual pain from his shift.

John and Arthur followed him out the door and found half the Pack waiting on them. They would all walk to the recruitment office that had been set up in the center of town. As long as he passed the medical examination, they would soon send him to one of the training camps. Walking quickly, the sun was slowly rising, illuminating the Lane. They wanted to get there early to enlist before the queuing became a nightmare. Arriving half an hour later, Thomas saw the line was already long.

"Well," he said, turning to John and Arthur. "Looks like we'll be here a while."

The hours passed slowly as the line moved along. It was half past noon when Thomas reached the front door of the recruitment office. As someone shoved inside him, he filled out the paperwork before being led to a room where an officer was giving a vision test. The room was packed with men standing in lines for vision tests, medical tests, and fitted for their uniforms.

He noted that several of the men in the room were far younger than John and wondered how they were getting away with enlisting. Ushering him through the examinations it surprised him that it didn't take as long as he thought. In the next room there were half a dozen men standing in a semi-circle with Bibles in their hands. Thomas listened patiently as the men gave their oaths before they were ushered out of the room and they thrust a Bible in Thomas's hands.

Within minutes, he had recited the pledge to swear an oath to the King, swear faithfully defend His Majesty, etc. Setting his Bible back on the table, he was ushered out of the room quickly to be given his uniform and a file on where he would receive his basic training.

With a pushing nudge from the newly enlisted soldiers, Thomas stepped out into the warm air, looking around for his brothers. Somehow, they had been separated during the medical examinations. He adjusted his uniform in his hands, shuffling the material before it fell onto the wet tarmac. When he didn't see them again, Thomas shrugged and began his walk home.

He would find them later.

Thomas sat quietly in the private room at the Garrison indulging in a glass of whiskey when the door opened, revealing Mazella. He lowered his mid-raised glass, setting it lightly on the worn wooden table to look up at her. He could tell something was wrong. Her hair was dishevelled, the brass buttons torn open on the dark blue vest she was wearing. Thomas noticed something was wrong by her posture.

His blue eyes roamed over her body, assessing if she was truly hurt. Pushing the chair back sharply, the legs scraping against the wooden floor; he moved toward and pulled her arms away from her body. When she flinched lightly, he growled lowly. He felt anger spike in him.

"Something wrong, Maze?" he asked, inhaling and smelling something different about her. Underneath the stench of something else, he shivered at her sweet scent of springtime and lemon.

When she didn't answer, he placed a hand on her shoulder, his long fingers skimming over the skin of her throat. He tipped her head slightly to make her look up at him. "Thomas," she whispered, trying to avoid telling him.

Now he understood something was wrong. Maze never shied away from him. "Something happened, Maze… what is wrong?" he asked again, eyeing her carefully.

Maze sighed softly, knowing she would not get out of the conversation. She came here for…. who knows what reason, but seeing Thomas comforted her. It was like he was a pillar of strength for her when things went bad during this time period.

She moistened her lips slowly, mulling over how to explain to him why she looked the way she did. Maze noticed the slight flaring of his nostrils as he inhaled deeply. He would know instantly that she didn't smell like her normal self.

"I was in town, shopping, and I didn't notice the man following me," she began, ignoring his growl. "You know the alley beside the Supply store?" she paused. "I didn't see him, like I said, when he grabbed me from behind and dragged me into the alley."

Thomas growled low, his eyes flashing amber dangerously. He could feel the wolf simmering under his skin. Shaking his head, he pushed the wolf down to concentrate on Maze.

"He demanded my money bag and the goods I just bought. When I refused, he grabbed my arms." she showed where the man grabbed her, dark growl elicited from Thomas. "Shook me a bit and pulled a knife on me and demanded again for my money bag and goods."

This time he didn't hold back a swear and turned away from her, rubbing his hand across his mouth as he contemplated the different ways he was going to kill this man. Maze watched as he turned away from her and wished he wouldn't. It wasn't the first time a man accosted her and harmed her, and like the last time, she wanted Thomas close.

"Did you glimpse his face?" Thomas demanded, turning around to face her, his eyes amber as he suppressed a vicious growl.

"He was a portly man with the worst accent I've heard. He smelled like fish and alcohol."

"That could be fucking anyone," Thomas snapped, his anger directed elsewhere. He crossed the room and into her space again. He gently grabbed her chin and looked into her dark eyes. "Anything else you can remember, Maze?"

She shrugged, feeling his warm body close to hers, and suppressed a shiver of delight that she shouldn't have. "He was wearing a tan peaked cap and a dirty black coat."

Thomas nodded and pressed a light kiss to her forehead before turning to grab his coat and sliding past her to exit the private room. He could hear the wolf howling loudly in his mind as he pushed the green double doors open and stepped out onto the Lane. Inhaling deeply, he wondered if he should find a Blinder to help him with this or do it alone.

The last time a man attacked Maze, she was seventeen and leaving her job for the night at the hospital when someone grabbed and nearly raped her. It had been Thomas to pick her up that night, and he was eternally glad he arrived when he did. Maze watched as he beat her attacker's face in with a brick before escorting her home.

It was a well kept secret between him, Maze, and her father Jamesen.

As he walked down the Lane, he ignored the surrounding sights, his main focus on getting to the center of town to find the arsehole that dared lay his hands on Maze. He couldn't treat Ada this way because she would scalp him for taking care of her in a situation like this.

Thomas rolled his neck from side to side, his restlessness magnified from the prowling he felt from the wolf. It wasn't unusual for the wolf to appear when his emotions were high, especially at a time like this. He shoved his hand roughly in the pocket of his coat and retrieved a cigarette. Placing it between his lips, he found a match a second later and lit the cigarette before tossing the match.

He thought about how she reacted to telling him about the man who attacked her. How her warm body felt delicious being close to his own. His reaction to any injury she received was volatile. He would destroy any man that dared lay a hand on her other than himself. Everyone knew Thomas carried a possessive streak in him he couldn't define when it came to Mazella.

Thomas wasn't sure where it came from, but he remembered when he truly began. It was a week after his first shift when Maze found him hiding in a dilapidated shack the Shelby men used during hunting season. His vision glazed over as he remembered the moment she pushed the door open, and her succulent scent invaded his hyperactive senses. His body shook with fervor as he forced himself to stay where he was instead of pushing her against the floor and claiming her.

He paused step and shook off the emotions that flooded him and continued his walk toward the center of town. Thomas stopped by the Shelby house to find two Blinders that would assist him without telling Arthur. Giving the description of the man that assaulted Maze, he left them to bring the man to him later that evening.

That evening, Thomas walked into one of the tobacco wharfs the Shelbys gained a few years ago to find the man who assaulted Maze. As he approached the man, Thomas could smell the fear radiating off him. Apparently, when the man attacked Maze, he didn't know her close connection to Thomas Shelby.

Moving around his prey, his hands clenched tightly into fists as the anticipation of hurting this cretin thrilled him. He wanted to let every man in Birmingham know that if you harmed Mazella, then he would face Thomas's wrath.

When Thomas finished venting his anger onto the man, he ordered the two Blinders to drop the man off in the center of town as a warning.

Two days after the incident with Maze, Thomas tied the laces on his boots and grabbed his canvas bag full of personal items. He and his brothers were leaving today to go to Cannock for basic training. He would be one of the twenty thousand men stationed there before they were shipped off to France.

They met their leaving with tears from Polly, Ada, and Maze. None of the ladies wished to see Arthur, Thomas, and John leave their sights, but understood the gravity of the situation. What Thomas didn't know was that Maze would volunteer to go to France with a contingent of nurses in 1915.

Thomas checked the time on the clock on the mantle of the Shelby house and noted they needed to leave shortly. Instead of taking the train to Cannock, they would drive there and report for basic training. Many of the men he would encounter would be useless for weapons training, unlike himself and his brothers. That skill would make them stand out among the crowd of those who didn't.

The next few weeks were grueling. He trained in his civilian clothes until they started sending in uniforms and weapons. Many of the men training used wooden fake guns for target practice until rifles arrived. Had the conditions not been so terrible, Thomas would have enjoyed himself.

The days comprised ten hour grueling training days that never seemed to end. Most nights, Thomas collapsed onto the rickety cot they provided him with and was eternally grateful that it wasn't snowing outside.

Halfway through his three-month training, his commanding officers decided the soldiers were ready for the fitness and competency tests. Though he never said it, Thomas saw the commanding officers lacking. Many of them were old enough to be his grandfather. It wasn't surprising when he passed both fitness and competency tests and was moved onto marksmanship and weapons training.

He would spend the next several weeks honing his marksmanship skills, weapons training, and digging trenches before he was fit to leave and ship off to France.

Thomas shivered in his uniform. Today was the day the train would leave Birmingham and take him to Dover, where the boat would sail to the coast of France. The boat would take him to whatever port in France. There, he would be separated, he was sure, from his brothers. Training camp had been brutal for many who volunteered, but he and his brothers excelled in marksmanship and combat.

Now he was standing outside in the middle of December. Snow fell softly around him as he continued to gaze upon Maze's houses. He had one hour left. He should spend it with his family, but there was one stop he needed to make before he left. Fishing his box of cigarettes out, he fingered one before deciding against smoking.

Maze hated smoking.

Placing the box back into the small left pouch, he removed his hat and walked up the small sidewalk to her front door. His pack was heavy on his shoulders, the entrenching tool and bayonet slapping gently against his left leg. Thomas raised his fist and knocked on the door. He shifted his weight, waiting on Maze to answer.

He smelled her before she unlocked the door. Thomas groaned quietly, inhaling her scent of sweetness with hints of lemon. It could be the dead of winter and she would smell like springtime to him. When the door opened, he first noticed that she looked exhausted, as if she hadn't slept the night before.

They stood there on each side of the threshold, staring at each other for a long moment. Thomas realized this might be his last time seeing Maze, and an icy hand gripped his heart for a second. He didn't know how he felt about that, not seeing her again. Since their childhood, she has been a forceful presence in his life.

Thomas shook his head from his woolgathering. Time was short for him. Quickly, he turned his head to look around and saw no one close enough to see him slip into her house once he asked her.

"I-," he stammered, clearing his throat, "The train leaves in an hour, Maze."

"And you're not spending time with your family?" she asked, her hand gripping the doorknob tightly.

"I wanted to see you before I left," he admitted. "May I come inside?"

Maze hesitated. Her heart longed to let him inside and hold him, but if she did, she didn't think she could find it in herself to let him go. He was leaving today. Nightmares plagued her thoughts last night, keeping her from sleeping. She was afraid that one day she would wake up to find he had died somewhere. She inhaled a shaky breath but nodded to him. Stepping aside, she let him enter her home and closed the door quickly.

Thomas was faintly surprised she let him inside. He had not been inside her home alone with her since the day they swapped secrets. His boots tapped loudly against the flooring as he walked into the parlor. He reached to the middle belt and pinched the edges of the strap together and through the buckle, releasing the pack and setting it down on the sofa in the parlor.

Once he was sure it wouldn't fall off, Thomas turned to see Maze standing patiently behind a chair, her hands resting on the back of it. An awkward silence fell between them, as neither knew what to say to one another. Maze opened her mouth to say something but snapped it shut, shaking her head lightly.

He realized as he stood there watching Maze that he wanted to be close to her. The distance between them at that moment was slowly becoming unbearable. The overcast light poured in through the opened windows, allowing anyone to see inside. If they went further into the house, someone would figure out what was happening.

Thomas wanted privacy. Her apartment was private since was the only occupant. Finding his resolve, Thomas crossed the room to stand beside her. He could almost feel her warmth. He was so close. Pinching her chin between his fingers, he lifted her head to see her. Up close, he could see the watery film over her dark eyes.

His own heart ached a little seeing how his leaving affected her so deeply. He knew she cared for him, but never expressed how deep her feelings went. The wolf, normally quiet in his head, whimpered about being so close to Maze. It had been three years since his first shift. He and the wolf fought like mad for control those first few weeks. When the Grimoire was presented to him, Thomas refused to read it.

He didn't want the responsibility, much as he told Maze.

Now, standing before the woman he trusted, he finally felt the fear of death creep over him. As he stared into her eyes, a panic settled over him. His pale blue eyes flicked to her plump lips before he saw her eyes again. Thomas was aware of his overprotective nature of Maze and not truly since the day he flirted with her that the thought of kissing her crossed his mind.

But he couldn't kiss her in the parlor.

He summoned his courage, something that was failing him now, and hoped he wasn't making a mistake. "Will you take us to your apartment?" he asked, observing her face.

When he didn't feel the sting of a slap to the side of his face, Thomas let out an internal sigh. Warm fingers slipped through his free hand, tugging him toward the stairs to the bedrooms. He followed obediently, like a trainable puppy, as she guided them to the second floor and to her bedroom door.

Entering her room a second later, he was gifted with the silver bracelet. He slipped it on his right wrist and waited for her to open the portal back to her future apartment. Thomas followed her, stepping into the bright afternoon. He watched as she stepped into the parlor, close to the entrance of her kitchen, and spun to look at him.

Thomas casually glanced at the watch on his left wrist, noting that he had less than half an hour to get to the train station. Groaning, he heaved a sigh and lowered his arm. Time was against him as he crossed the two steps to stand in front of her. He could hear the hum of the portal to his left as they stood there.

"May I kiss you?" Thomas asked, hoping she wouldn't slap him.

Maze's eyes widened at his request. In all their years together, no once did Thomas make a romantic gesture to her. She nodded her head dumbly at his request, knowing that she would over-analyze it later.

It surprised him when she nodded. The wolf urged him to lean down and kiss her until she was breathless. Thomas placed his hand to rest on her cheek, his thumb rubbing her lower lip delicately. He stiffened as her tongue instinctively wet her lower lip, grazing his thumb. His heart hammered in his chest as he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers.

The wolf in his head howled in pleasure when they kissed. As his lips touched hers, he groaned with pleasure, sparks igniting inside his mind. When he pulled away from her, he barely had time to open his eyes before he felt two small hands wrinkle his uniform, pulling him back to her. When her lips found his again, a sliver of control loosened. Thomas pressed her into the wall behind her as she opened her mouth to his probing tongue.

His lower hand pressed against the small of her back as he explored her warm mouth. She let out a small moan as his hand lost altitude, caressing her hip. Time slipped away as they continued to kiss. Breaking away from her swollen lips, he left a trail of kisses down the side of her neck, pressing her closer to him.

Her body submitted to him, making his mind stutter, as a breathy moan escaped her lips, "Thomas!" she gasped, feeling his teeth nip her skin.

Thomas groaned, tasting her flesh for the first time. Instinct drove him to nip her skin gently between his teeth. Her gasp of his name distracted him from biting down, marking her. Forcibly, he stopped himself and pulled away from her.

He opened his eyes instantly to see her swollen lips. She hadn't opened her eyes yet to see him. Panic overcame him from what he'd done. "I have to go Maze," he said urgently, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Thomas walked away from her, entering through the portal and back into her room. He tore the bracelet off and flung it on her bedspread. Without a glance back, Thomas quickened his step to enter the parlor and slip the equipment pack back on before leaving her house. As he walked toward the train station, all he could think about was how incredible it felt to have her pressed against him.

To know what she felt like under his hands as he touched her. He swore to himself, stepping around a hole as he continued his walk. Few people stopped to thank him for his service while many others rushed away as he stormed to the train station. Whatever had annoyed Thomas Shelby, many weren't keen on staying around to find out and face his wrath.

Polly and Ada were waiting at the train for him to arrive. Arthur left the day before, heading to Gallipoli for who knows how long. John stood to the side with his wife and their children, saying a tearful goodbye.

"Maze not come with you?" Polly asked, eyeing him carefully.

"We said goodbye at her house," Thomas answered coolly.

Polly nodded, not believing a word from him. A whistle blew somewhere, letting the standing soldiers know it was time to board. Ada burst into tears, throwing herself at Thomas and hugging him like her life depended on it. She let him go and rushed to John. Polly replaced her and hugged Thomas as well.

"Stay safe, the both of you, and don't do anything stupid," Polly demanded, eyeing them both, and wrapped an arm around a tearful Ada.

Thomas nodded his head and followed John onto the train to find his compartment. Entering it, he removed the equipment pack, setting it at his feet when he sat down. He couldn't see Polly or Ada, but felt his brother John sit across from him.

"You all right, Tommy?"

Thomas pulled his eyes away from the window to look at John. "No, I'm not."

Maze listened as Thomas left her in the future. She felt his warm body pressed against hers and then the next second he was rushing out of her apartment and back to 1914. She placed her hand on her mouth, feeling hot tears stream down her face as she stumbled back through the portal. Maze heard a distant slam of the front door as he walked away after giving her the best kiss of her life. Crumpling to the floor, she sobbed in her hands. She didn't know long after long she sat there on the floor sobbing when a warm pair of arms wrapped around her, holding her close.

"Maze, what happened?" her mother, Elizabeth, asked.

Maze shook her head. She couldn't bring herself to ever let anyone know about this. Her heart shattered, thinking that it felt like a goodbye kiss. The time-traveller knew that if they killed Thomas during this war, she wouldn't come back to the past.

Unequivocally, her heart belonged to Thomas, but she didn't know if his heart belonged to her.