Four in the morning and the cockerel crowed. For once, Milly had a reason to crawl out of bed when the rooster made his presence known, so when Bonnie saw her by the fire after coming back from his ungodly run- he was surprised. Milly wasn't an early riser, nor a morning person. She hated seeing the sun rise and she hated how to air thickness changed from heavy to clammy. Sometimes, if Milly was awake as the sun rose, the air felt suffocating.

Thomas Shelby had given her strict instructions to be in Small Heath by seven, and Milly wasn't entirely sure how long it would take her to travel. She wasn't necessarily a slow walker but she was rather good at getting herself lost.

Cracking sticks overpowered the sound of the crackling firewood, causing her head to shoot up. No one else was around the be the look out, and with no gun in her hand- if it was an intruder, she'd just have to take a leaf out of Bonnie's book.

Luckily for them both, it literally was just Bonnie.

"Something on your mind?"

Bollocks, Milly thought to herself. She hadn't told Bonnie about her trial within the Shelby gin distillery. If it had been anywhere else, it wouldn't have been so bad. But now Milly was about to walk into the belly of the beast and she hadn't told the most important person in her life a single thing.

"Do you remember when we were all at Charlie's Yard?"

If she started off easy, she'd be able to slide the information in without a problem but Bonnie picked up on everything. He noticed the way her voice wasn't as confident as usual, and how she was far too well dressed for your average trip down to the library. Her hair was a little too perfect for a walk to the bakery and back.

He already had an idea, but he needed to hear it from the source directly.

"Yeah, what about it?"

Based off of his response, Milly already knew that Bonnie knew.

"I asked Thomas Shelby for a work trial, and he gave me one. I start today, with some bloke called Finn."

Bonnie let out a sigh of relief. He knew Finn, and he was fine with him working along side her- but he wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of it being within a Shelby company. Everyone knew they were all just fronts for illegal activities, but Milly was old enough to make these decisions for herself.

"I wish you would've spoken to me about it before you did it, but..." Bonnie paused, shaking his head softly whilst he walked closer to the fire. Both hands stretched out to catch the radiating heat. "I suppose I'll just have to walk you there and back. Every single day, and you can tell me all about it."

A loving smile quickly spread across both twins faces. As children, they would be seen walking to and from whatever schooling organisation Aberama could force them into. Not many schools were willing to accept any Romani children, especially those from known families like the Golds. The schools were segregated from the roaming communities and often looked down upon those who were culturally different to them. Bonnie would always do his duty as the older brother and protect them all, but Josette and Nicolette didn't need it as much as gentle souled Milly did.

It was only after her sixteenth birthday did her whole attitude to life change. She smiled less, talked less, argued more and became a girl one shouldn't mess with.

"Wait- wait, when do you start if you're up at the asscrack of dawn, in January?" Bonnie asked before he plonked himself down onto a carved log.

Bonnie hadn't even given her time to reply before he shoved a stick into the fire to waken it.

"Seven-thirty but I wanted to be early. Make sure I know where I'm going." Milly replied finally after a few more moments of silence.

Like the gentleman his mother had raised (for a little while anyway), Bonnie extended his hand towards her which she gladly took. He held it for a moment, placing his other hand on top- creating a sandwich almost.

"Tomorrow, don't get up so fucking early, you spoon. It'll take no more than an hour."

The laugh that followed, for a moment, made Milly feel really stupid, but it was a little bit idiotic. Even at her slowest speed, she wouldn't need three full hours to get there. If she was Esmeralda, then sure- that girl took hours getting ready so for her it would've been understandable. Milly could get ready on a moving horse if she truly had to, so time was one of few things that was always on her hand.

"We'll practice on your people skills whilst we walk, too." Bonnie replied to a question that she hadn't even managed to think yet, let alone say!

She scoffed, pulling herself up from her seat, dusting down her seat. The nerves began to eat away at the lining in her stomach, her mind slowly beginning to whirl. Maybe that was why she woke herself up hours before she needed to. Bonnie noticed, but didn't dare to mention it.

"What is Finn like?"

Bonnie shrugged. He knew of Finn, but they weren't exactly friends. In fact, they had spoken on two occasions and no more. He could say the obvious, that he's young— naïve, and had massive shoes to fill. Or, he could say the things that he thought. That he was in over his head, had a distorted version of reality in his head and that he was once again, naïve.

"Well, he's a Shelby-"

For some reason, Milly hadn't realised that he was. The red hair, greener than hazel eyes, freckled cheeks- he didn't look like anyone else Milly had seen. A sheep in wolves clothing, from the first glimpse- but Milly was the same.

Two outcasts, perhaps they were destined to be friends.

"You didn't notice?"

Milly gave him a cold glare, walking away from the fire and her brother. His heavy footsteps were heard moments later, holding his hands up in feign surrender.

"Alright, alright! I won't say nothing more. You want to set off now, get yourself familiar with the immediate surroundings of your fancy new job?"

Her head nodded without hesitation, almost making her brain rattle. Bonnie let out a chuckle, looping his arm with hers. His warmth and the pressure his arm against hers began to calm her down. At least, to help keep it away from the edge.

The woods were silent, aside from the owls talking and the bats fluttering their leathery wings. The Gold Twins footsteps were silent, always knowing where to put each foot to avoid noise. With Bonnie's boxing training, he had become feather footed and Milly- well, she was as light on her feet as a dirty little thief.

His tight grip didn't falter the further they got away from the campsite, in fact, it had gotten all the more tighter. People were suddenly in sight, and the air was suddenly sucked from her lungs, her lungs screaming for something more. Only when it had dawned on her that those people weren't there to ridicule, she finally started to breathe again. Bonnie didn't notice, his eyes were focused on the road in front, and those around them. He was looking for danger, it could be lurking around any corner and if they weren't prepared- one of them would return empty handed.

Streets, alleys, ginnels, secret passage ways, all of which Milly tried to remember. An escape if she needed, an escape when she needed. The time would always come when it came to a Gold.

"The betting shop, or their new venture?" Bonnie finally spoke after their lengthy journey in silence.

"Gin." Milly squeaked, placing one of her frozen hands to her burning cheeks.

Reddened faces were the least of her worries. People were. They hadn't talked about her people skills and - in her mind, they should've. Milly knew violence, anger and sadness when it came to strangers, nothing more and nothing less. The two stood outside the heavy distillery doors, staring up at the stained glass window above it. Neither had thought of picking up one of the many watches that Aberama kept in his possession.

Half past six, probably no earlier- and definitely no later!

The door suddenly pulled itself open, revealing the redheaded Finn Shelby who sheltered his body with it.

His eyes narrowed in on Bonnie, Milly hadn't even been registered in that moment, until she cleared her throat. Then, she was all that he could see.

"Christ, you're really fuckin' early." His Birmingham accent called out, opening the door wider now, allowing the two to step in and out of the cold.

Milly did, but Bonnie stood still- he raised a hand in a little wave, he had done what he had set out to do. Finn pushed the door shut with one of his feet as soon as he saw the back of Bonnies head. The awkwardness hadn't returned, but what replaced it was a sudden need to prove herself worthy of this trial.

She was in the belly of the beast without warning.

"Shall we start a little earlier, then?"