Chapter 1

Megan Kavanaugh heaved a relieved sigh. Her apartment was finally unpacked and satisfactorily decorated, to her standards, anyway. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand as her father flopped onto her couch. "What do you think, Da?" She asked, lifting the hem of her long shirt to wipe off the sweat off her brow.

Her father, Quinn Kavanaugh, looked around the place one more time. "I think your room in my house is much nicer," he rumbled, making his daughter roll her eyes at him. "But you took a piece of shit and made it into a gem," Quinn continued, gesturing for her to sit down next to him.

Megan sat down heavily, leaning into her father as he wrapped an arm around her. "That was truly eloquent, Dadaí." She teased.

Quinn kissed his daughter on the forehead. "Aye, that's because I'm not educated like you, mo ghrá. I was a farmer in Ireland, and a construction worker in Boston. You, mo ghrá, are the first of our family to ever enter college, and will be the first to graduate it. That is why we moved here, remember, Meg? Your mother and I wanted you to be a scholar, not a laborer like us," Quinn explained to his daughter. "And look at you! Three years into Boston Uni with two majors! Top of your class, no less!" Megan couldn't help but grin at her father's words, lean more into his embrace.

Quinn Kavanaugh was mid-way through his forties, but looked at least a decade older. The death of Megan's mother ten years ago had devastated Quinn, and his grief had aged him. Even with that, Quinn was still a good-looking man. He was tall and fit from his lifelong years of manual labor, his hair was salt and pepper, and if he took the time to style it, he looked quite dashing. He had lots of ladies lining up to hit on him- but he had never paid them any mind.

Quinn was far too devoted to his work and his children to even think of a woman in his life like that. He used to joke that the only ladies that he needed in his life were his mother Siobhan, and Megan. Siobhan had come with them to America, to help Quinn take care of eleven-year-old Megan and sixteen-year-old Billy.

Siobhan still lived with Quinn, nearing 80, bickering with her son endlessly, very unhappy her granddaughter had moved out- and was completely convinced that it would come to no good. Megan was utterly convinced it was because her grandmother couldn't keep a constant eye on her anymore.

Megan's older brother Billy, however, bounced from couch to couch working odd jobs here and there, getting trashed every night. Presently, Billy had literally just moved back in with their father and grandmother. Quinn had managed to get Billy a job at his construction company, since Billy was currently trying to straighten his life out for the third time this year.

"It's getting late, Da. Maimeó is probably laying in wait for you." Megan suggested, making her father groan.

"Don't remind me, Meg. I have to get your grandmother some good Irish whiskey for her coffee or she'll make me life miserable," Quinn complained.

"For her coffee," Meg scoffed. "If there is more than an ounce of coffee in that cup, I'll eat my own hat."

Quinn squinted at her. "You don't have a hat," he retorted.

"So it is a safe bet." Megan confirmed.

Her father started laughing, turning to kiss his daughter on the forehead. "Smart girl," he teased, getting to his feet with a groan. "I will go. The sooner your Maimeó gets her Irish coffee, the sooner she goes to sleep and stops nagging me." He remarked. Megan giggled at his words- standing to embrace her father. "And I think me girl here is ready to pass out on this very couch."

Megan smiled at Quinn, nodding and acknowledging his words. "I have work in the morning, and I start at McGinty's tomorrow night." She confirmed.

"Then you go to sleep, mo ghrá. Doc will be good to ya, he swore- well, as he swore." Quinn joked, chuckling at the look of disbelief on his daughter's face.

Quinn had frequented McGinty's for ten years, and was quite friendly with the owner - known quite widely as Doc. And as Megan was on summer break from school, she wanted to make a little more money while she had time. Doc had been more than willing to let her come in and help out for the summer at least.

"Oh, go on home, Da!" Megan told him, pushing him towards the door.

Quinn laughed and did as prompted, stopping as he came face to face with the door and its flimsy lock. "Imma replace that," he informed her. Megan laughed again and pushed her father out the door. "Lock the door!" She could hear her father shout through the door.

Obligingly, Meg locked the door and flopped onto her couch. She looked around, grinning at her new home. Megan moved through her apartment, checking her windows to make sure they were locked, and drawing the blinds. She then turned out the lights in the living room and went into her bedroom.

The walls were a soft white. Before they had started moving her things in, Megan and Quinn had scrubbed the filthy walls, and the landlord had even allowed them to paint. And it was a miracle what a coat of paint could do! As did the rugs covering the cracked laminate all over her apartment. Megan's careful decorating made the crappy apartment actually look like something. There were no windows in her bedroom, the walls instead covered with pictures of her friends and family.

Megan flicked on the lamp beside her bed and then turned to her dresser, rifling through to find a pair of pajamas, selecting a soft pink cotton set with green polka dots. She quickly changed into the set and then carried the discarded clothes to her hamper. At her dresser, she combed a brush through her short, dark hair hurriedly before scurrying back to her bed, diving under the covers and turning off her lamp.

As she tried to fall asleep, she could hear two voices through the thin wall. Two men, it seemed. She could hear their Irish accents, too, so thin were the walls. Her neighbors were scuffling around and arguing, but she wished they would just shut up. It wasn't really so late, Megan admitted, but she was tired and had so much to do the next day.

She turned over and grabbed her other pillow to press it against her ear. With that, Megan managed to fall asleep.

Megan Kavanaugh sat back on a stool behind her register, sighing audibly as her crabby customer – a well-to-do stay-at-home mother- finally walked away. She ran a hand through her chin-length black hair. Her co-worker and good friend Mary nodded at her from her own register, unable to do anything more as she helped a customer herself. "Hey, Meg! Time to punch out!" her boss, the owner of the small neighborhood grocery store.

"Joe, I've still got ten minutes," Megan protested.

Joe looked around the store exaggeratedly, waving his arms. "We're dead right now! I don't need a second checker!" he argued.

Megan hopped off her stool and walked around her register to approach her boss. "Joe, you know I just got a new place and I'm saving for college. Every dollar counts…and if I punch out early, I lose one." She said pleadingly.

"Joe, what are you doing?" Another voice called. The voice belonged to a plump older woman with gray-streaked black hair- Joe's wife, Amelia.

"I've just told Meg she can knock off early. That's all!" the old man justified.

Amelia waddled over, taking her husband's arm. "And she doesn't want to. So Megan will stay until she is scheduled to leave," she informed her husband. Joe wisely said nothing – instead cutting his eyes to Megan who averted her own. "Go back to work, Meg." Amelia ordered the young woman.

Megan nodded gratefully and scurried back to her register. Mary made a silly face at her – not daring to speak this time with the bosses in hearing distance. Joe stomped towards the back of the store while Amelia winked at her employee before returning to her office.

And Megan waited idly at her register for precisely eight and a half minutes – until two customers – both laden with armfuls of groceries – came to her register. The two men dropped their load onto the counter haphazardly, flashing Megan matching, charming grins.

While clearly brothers, the two men were hardly identical. One was as dark as the other light. "'lo there, lassie, you mind helping us out?" the darker man requested. Megan smiled weakly in response, quickly leaping into action by beginning to scan up their groceries.

"That'll be 23.36, please," Megan requested as she tucked the last grocery into a bag, turning back to the clearly Irish brothers – by the thick brogue of their accents and the fact that they had slipped into Gaelic a few moments ago. She hadn't hinted that she understood what they were saying – much less that she knew they were talking about her.

"Of course, love," the blonde brother responded genially enough, pulling a cracked, black leather wallet from his pocket. He handed her the right amount of money in wrinkled old bills and exact change. Megan swiftly counted through it as though she hadn't just watched him count it out and tucked it into the money drawer, then handing them a receipt.

"Have a nice day," Megan said, willing them to leave so she could.

But the brothers didn't leave as quickly as she'd hoped, instead gathering their bags slowly, and trading a few quiet words. "So, lassie, we might have been wondering what plans you might have later… after all, a pretty girl like you couldn't-" the darker-haired brother began before Megan was forced to cut in.

"I'm sorry, but I'm supposed to be punching out right now or I'll be getting into trouble," Megan said, nodding past them to her boss – who watched from his office.

"Aye, aye, but I was wondering if after-" the same brother began again.

"I'm sorry," Megan repeated as she took off her apron. "I have another job to get to as soon as I'm able to leave this one," she told him pointedly.

The man looked slightly crestfallen, but not all that discouraged, nodded after a moment. "Of course," he said finally.

Megan fidgeted at the awkwardness of the encounter. "Have a nice day," she said again before walking off quickly towards the back to punch out and collect her things.

Behind her, the lighter-haired of the two let out a great guffaw. "Aye, Murphy, I think she's real interested in you," he teased his brother.

"Why don't you shut it, Connor, it ain't like she were looking at you, either," Murphy muttered, swatting at him with a frown on his lips.

"Ah, don't you worry about it all, Murph, let's get these nice groceries home and then we'll hit McGinty's," Connor said as the two left.

The other cashier, Mary, let a big grin steal over her features. She fidgeted anxiously at her register until Megan came rushing out from the back. "Meg! Meg!" Mary hissed urgently, motioning the other young woman over.

"What, what?" Megan asked idly, trying to stuff her apron into her purse.

"Those two – ah, the painfully hot guys that were just here?" Mary referenced. Meg drew her eyebrows up, looking to her friend expectantly. "They might have mentioned they were heading to McGinty's," Mary informed her.

Megan let out a low groan, her shoulders falling slack. "This is not what I need on my first day…" she said.

"Oh, like you should complain!" Mary interrupted – her violently pink hair whipping back and forth as she spoke. "You haven't had a boyfriend in years," she added lowly.

"And the only person who seems to have a problem with that is you, Mary." Megan hissed in response, stuffing her apron in her bag with one last good shove.

Mary sighed, tucking a pink strand behind her ear. "I didn't mean it that way, Meg, and you know it," she said, her friend nodding reluctantly. "It's just – those two were freakin' hot, Meg," she whined. "If I didn't have Jake…" Mary added, referencing her loveable loser boyfriend who couldn't hold onto a job for more than two weeks.

"Okay, okay, Mary…" Megan said, trying to edge off towards the exit.

"Well, just remember, Meg… if those two go to McGinty's often enough, they might know your Dad," Mary reminded her. The dark-haired girl turned back towards her friend with a look of dread.

"Keep bringing on that sunshine, won't you, Mary?" Megan said as she started towards the exit.

"Only if you call me after you get off tonight! I want to hear how this night goes!" Mary called after her.

Megan shook her head, squinting at the bright sunshine after having been shut inside all day. She started on the ten block walk towards McGinty's, surprised at how nervous she wasn't. It wasn't as if she'd never been to McGinty's before – but not more than a handful of times, anyway.

Her father had forced her there for her 21st birthday, though Meg had really never been interested in drinking anyway. She had had exactly three drinks before Quinn had been satisfied – and had had to take her home anyway, since the three drinks had gotten her quite tipsy and he didn't want to leave her in the hands of deviants – as he called the other bar patrons.

Which now included two young, gorgeous Irishmen; it seemed. The darker haired one, the one who had tried to flirt with her – he was filled with a sultry sort of beauty that Meg couldn't deny she was drawn to. But she also couldn't deny that getting involved with him, or anyone, really; was a daunting thought.

Megan was sure the brothers wouldn't really bother her, especially if her father happened to drop in tonight. Quinn had said he wouldn't, but Meg knew he would. When she had gotten her first job – at the same grocery store she still worked – her father had hung around the whole shift to keep an eye on her. He had almost gotten her fired, if it hadn't been for Amelia.

It had been Amelia who told Quinn that he could come in and keep an eye on Meg any time he liked, as long as he didn't disturb her from her work – as well as telling him that he had no reason to worry, that Amelia kept her girls safe. And so, Quinn's visits had trickled to almost nothing – only dropping in to walk Meg home if she worked late – or to walk her there if she worked early.

Meg glanced at her watch as she saw McGinty's bar come into sight and slowed her steps, she was twenty minutes early. Once she reached the steps in front, Meg turned around and basked in the sun for a few long moments, before she sighed and went inside.

There were only a few bar patrons for the moment, two sitting at a booth in the back, and one sitting at the bar. Her father wasn't there, yet. "Meg – lassie-" Doc called out, before breaking off into obscenities – gesturing her over with a wave of his arm.

Megan grinned, crossing the room towards the old man. She kissed him on the cheek the moment she reached him, "Good afternoon, Uncle Doc," she greeted.

Doc McGinty was a much-loved fixture in the Kavanaughs' lives. He had been the first to extend a hand of friendship to Quinn; right after they'd come to America and Quinn had still been grieving for his wife and Meg's mother. In fact, Meg was fairly certain that her father would never have gotten over her mother's death if it hadn't been for Doc. He spent all his holidays with them, and every holiday he'd end up in a drinking contest with Meg's grandmother. And more than half the time, Meg's Maimeó managed to drink Doc under the table.

"Where do you want me?" she asked.

"In the kitchen, for now. You can put your – ASS! FUCK! things back there. Make up some – SHIT! sandwiches fer later." Doc instructed, gesturing to the kitchen doors.

"You don't need me at all out here?" Meg asked in surprise.

"Not righ' now, lassie. SHIT! FUCK! Most of these assholes pretty much serve themselves." Doc answered.

Megan shrugged. "Alright. Let me know if you need me, Uncle Doc." she said, giving a little wave as she headed for the kitchens.

Murphy and Connor MacManus entered McGinty's just as it was starting to get busy. Half the bar shouted when the two entered – cueing the two to make some outrageous gestures. They took the last two seats at the bar, yelling to get Doc's attention. "Ah, ah, what do you bastards want?!" Doc said teasingly, turning to two of his most loyal customers.

"What do you think we want, Doc!?" Murphy retorted – even as Doc was filling two glasses with cold Guinness.

"I thought you were hiring someone on to help you out, Doc!" Connor remarked, gesturing to the slowly filling up bar.

"Meg's in the back – SHIT! FUCK! – I haven't had a chance to ASS! her!" Doc responded.

"Well, I'll go 'ass' her," Murphy teased, sliding off his barstool and walking around the counter.

"You be nice to her, MacManus! SHIT!" Doc warned.

"When am I ever mean to a lady?" Murphy called back with a big grin, heading down the hallway that led towards the kitchen. He pushed open the kitchen door. The smile dropped from his lips. The pretty dark-haired girl he'd hit on just a few hours ago at the grocery store was the new waitress at his favorite bar. This had to be God's work. It was the only explanation.

He hovered in the doorway for a few moments, quietly observing her. She hadn't noticed him yet. A stray, dark curl hung in her face as she packaged up at least a dozen sandwiches, and she persistently blew her breath up in hopes of dislodging the curl. Then she moved to put the sandwiches in the fridge there. He knocked on the doorframe then, startling the girl as she closed the fridge door.

She looked up at him sharply, but she did not look surprised to see him. "You don't seem surprised to see me," Murphy remarked.

She shrugged lightly. "You and the other man said you were coming here as you were leaving the grocery store," she said. Her voice was soft and a little husky, with the faintest trace of an Irish accent that Murphy hadn't noticed before. He suddenly felt embarrassed, the thought of the girl being able to understand his and Connor's conversation about her. His surprise was obvious. "The cashiers hear everything," she added, alluding to the fact that one of her coworkers must have overheard him and his brother.

"You're Meg, right? Doc was calling for ya," Murphy remarked, gesturing back towards the rowdy bar as she washed her hands at the kitchen sink.

"Oh. Thank you," she said, turning back towards Murphy with intent to try and sidle by, but his figure filled the doorway.

"I'm Murphy MacManus," he said, holding out his hand to her.

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Megan Kavanaugh," she responded, hesitantly shaking his hand. "You come here often?" Meg asked, finally pushing the man back a little in order to sidle by.

"Yes, my brother Connor and I come in almost every night," Murphy answered, nearly on the young woman's heels with his eagerness to speak with her.

Meg turned her head back towards him, expression cool. "Then you must know my Da. Quinn Kavanaugh," she commented, a subtle warning in her tone.

"You're Quinn's girl? The way he talks about you, I thought you were a little girl," Murphy said, grinning over at her.

Megan shrugged. "I always will be, in his eyes," she responded, striding quickly through the hallway to re-enter the bar, not giving Murphy a chance to reply. She immediately gravitated to Doc's side once she re-entered the bar.

Murphy returned to his seat next to his twin brother reluctantly, watching casually as the old man spoke lowly to the new barmaid, clearly instructing her on what she was to done. Connor stuck an elbow in Murphy's ribs. "And isn't that the girl from the grocery store?" he said lowly, a shit-eating grin spreading over his lips.

Murphy grinned back at his brother. "God's lookin' out for me, Conn," he responded, glancing back over to the pretty waitress, who had started to flit around the bar, a large tray filled with drinks balanced on her arm.

"Ye find out her name?" Connor asked.

Murphy nodded. "Megan. Quinn Kavanaugh's girl," he answered, crooking a finger towards the man named seated at the opposite end of the bar. The older man's eyes followed his daughter's every movement protectively.

Connor let out a low whistle. "Of all the girls you take a fancy to, it's Ol' Kavanaugh's girl. You've got luck, brother," he teased.

Murphy shrugged, returning his brother's smirk. "I choose to look at it this way, Con. The girl works at our favorite bar and our new favorite grocery. And I know her da already," he responded, beginning to laugh at the very expression on his twin's face.

My first attempt at a Boondock Saints story! Please Review and tell me what you think!

edited 2/20/17 to include a new character - Megan's brother Billy.