The Boondock Saints: Murphy's Melody
By: Raven in Red
After a drive-by shooting and a run-in with the Russian mob, Melody is welcomed into the hearts of the Saints of South Boston, but she's not exactly prepared for bullets, blood, and a jaw-dropping Irish love. MurphyOC.
Chapter 1: Down from Heaven
Melody Rose Charleston never expected her seemingly perfect (but not really that perfect) life to all come crashing down in just a few days, but it happened. Well, no one actually expects their life to be ruined, right? Anyway, it happens, and this is how Melody's journey through both Heaven and Hell all began.
It was just a usual day at Melody's boring job at a cliché coffee shop on the streets of Boston. She clocked in, threw on her sickeningly lime green apron with its 'Hi! I'm Melody!' name tag, and began her usual robotic process of serving cute little cups of coffee to hipsters and wannabes.
Despite her happy-peppy job, Melody had an edgy side. When she wasn't working at Cassie's Coffees or lazing around her miniscule apartment, she could often be found at her favorite gun range a few towns over, practicing with her Glock 27. After her older sister had been mugged and nearly raped by a Russian mafioso while she was forced to witness it, she had taken it as a sign from God Himself to take full advantage of the state of Massachusetts' conceal and carry handgun options.
After serving what must have been her hundredth cup of coffee to her hundredth regular on the day of March 15th, she looked over the counter to see two refreshingly unfamiliar faces. Two men, brothers from the looks of it and maybe even twins, stood on the other side of the tile, waiting for her to give her usual order-taking speech. They both looked to be not too much older than her age of twenty-one, but maybe they were just blessed by God Himself with a youthful glow. Melody's eyes immediately fell on the darker-haired, blue-eyed beauty. Either this man was a saint sent from the heights of Heaven or Melody had woken up in a dream. She hadn't realized how far into space she had slipped until he cleared his throat with a devilish smirk.
"Y-yeah?" stuttered Melody, snapping out of her awestruck trance as a crimson blush flared onto her cheeks.
"Could we get two black coffees?" the man asked, handing a crumpled five-dollar bill across the counter. Meanwhile, his companion took a step back and simply observed the exchange with a knowing look on his face. Melody couldn't help but be charmed by the smooth Irish brogue he spoke with.
Her shyness was shot to shit in an instant once she snapped completely back down to Earth. While she busied herself with preparing the coffees, she decided to make small talk. "You know, that's actually a pretty uncommon request here." It was true; the words 'basic black' were written in boring white chalk at the smallest corner of the menu board as opposed to the myriad of loopy, bright, colorful cursive. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever actually seen you two in here before." Melody had finished brewing and pouring the two coffees, so she slid them back across the counter along with a dollar fifty in change.
The man took the coffees and the fifty cents but slid the dollar bill back into Melody's hand. "We decided to do somethin' different fer a change," the man said. "An' I think I like what I'm seein' here." He paused to glance quickly up into her eyes. "So, what's yer name?"
"Melody," she introduced herself, with a bright smile and a polite handshake.
"Murphy," the man said, pulling his hand from hers as slowly as he could get away with in an effort to prolong their physical contact. "Over there's my twin brother." He paused to throw a gesture over towards his companion.
Melody was about to utter a response, but she was immediately cut off by a shout from her boss. "Mel! Time to clock out!" Sure enough, she looked up at the clock to see a time of 6:00 p.m. on the dot, signaling the end of her shift. "Well, it looks like I'm out of here."
"Well, ya'll certainly be seein' a lot more of us," said Murphy, passing Melody a cute wink.
Melody passed her new favorite customer a beautiful, friendly smile. "I certainly hope s-" She was in no way prepared for what happened next.
The sound of a gunshot shattering the shop's storefront window brought about a wave of shrieks, swears, and broken glass. Melody was lit ablaze with fear. To her horror, the shots just kept on coming, whipping around her like a monsoon of death.
"Mel! Get on the ground!" she heard Murphy shout. He and his companion were huddled under the table they had only so recently been enjoying a cup of coffee at. He reached up and yanked Melody down to the floor, but not before she caught an angry, fiery sting to the soft flesh of her arm. She came down to her knees with a long hiss of pain.
"Oh, fuck!" she snapped when she saw the resultant mess of fresh blood dripping from her arm.
"Mel, what is it?" asked Murphy, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her further out of the line of fire. When he saw the blood and took a closer look, he looked her right in the eye. "It's just a graze, darlin'," he said in a smooth whisper. "Ya'll be alrigh'."
As the tears began to collect in Melody's eyes, she reached for Murphy's hand and clutched it for dear life. "I'm scared," she whispered.
"I know, darlin'," whispered Murphy, bringing his other hand gently to her face. "I know, but it'll all be over soon. I'm righ' here to protect ya."
"Murph, I think the coast is clear!" hissed Murphy's companion. "Get Melody behind the counter while I scope things out!" Murphy gave a hasty nod before turning back to Melody. "When I say 'go', ya take my hand and make a run for it, just in case there's any more. Alrigh'?"
"Okay," said Melody, taking deep breaths to slow her oncoming sobs.
"Ready?" Melody gave a firm nod. "Go!" Exactly as Murphy instructed, she clasped his hand tighter than she already was and made a dash across the open floor of the shop so they could get safely behind the counter. Unfortunately, that was exactly when the next round of gunshots started raining down on them. Murphy and Melody made it safely behind the counter, with Melody not knowing whether she would come out of this mess alive or dead. It was then that she noticed her black denim purse perched on the counter right above Murphy's head. As quickly as possible, she snatched it down and rifled through it until the comfort of her Glock 27 was pressed into her palm.
"Don't worry; it's licensed," Melody explained. She then paused to listen when the shots stopped once again. "Shit! I think someone's coming in!"
"If ya have ta shoot, then shoot," said Murphy, softly caressing Melody's face.
"I know," said Melody, stifling her sobs and putting on her brave face. "I know."
"Yer a really pretty lass," said Murphy, bringing his hand through Melody's soft red hair. "Ya know that, right?" Melody's face flared back into a blush and she laughed a little bit.
"Thanks," she whispered shyly. Then, Murphy pressed a finger to her lips to silence her when they both heard someone entering the wrecked shop. As quietly as she could, Melody scooted closer to Murphy and leaned into his chest. She gave a pleased sigh when she felt his arms tenderly wrap around her.
Melody's worst fear came true when a filthy, ugly face peered over the counter at them. He grunted angrily and jumped right over, but not before she and Murphy got to their feet and dashed back out into the middle of the shop. "Get 'im, Mel!" Murphy shouted as she drew her gun on the man.
"Go ahead," the stranger taunted, his voice decorated with an impossibly thick Russian accent. "Shoot me, you leetle bitch."
"What do you want here?" Melody demanded, her finger hovering dangerously over the trigger.
"I vant to kill you," the man said, advancing slowly on her. "Sure you remember our leetle run-in last year. You know too much. Can't have you talking." Everything all came flooding back at once. Melody was staring into the face of the one and only Russian mafioso that had mugged her sister just over a year ago. She knew very well that once a mob guy's identity was revealed to a civilian, that civilian almost always ended up dead.
Instinct kicked in, and Melody put a bullet into the man's chest without second thought. He took a while to bleed out, but soon enough he was stone cold dead on the floor of the coffee shop.
"Mel, darlin'!" Murphy exclaimed, tossing Melody's gun to the floor and pulling her right into a crushing hug. "Are ya alrigh'?"
"I fucking killed a man, Murphy," Melody uttered in a shock-ridden whisper.
"I know, darlin'," said Murphy, rubbing her back in soft, smooth circles while the other hand was secured at the back of her head. Melody couldn't give a flying fuck that this man was still a complete stranger. His arms were warm and very secure, and she wasn't about to give up that comfort.
The clearing of a throat alerted Melody to Murphy's companion's presence, so she gently untangled herself. "I'm Connor, by the way," he said, reaching over and shaking Melody's hand. "Glad ta see yer alrigh'."
"We should get outta here 'fore someone pins this shit on us," said Connor.
"Good plan," Murphy said, looping an arm around Melody's waist and following his brother out of the shop.
"Shouldn't we wait for the police?" Melody wondered aloud, snaking her arm around Murphy's waist to return the favor.
"Absolutely not," said Connor. "Cops mean the press will get involved."
"The two of us are always keepin' a low profile, darlin'," Murphy explained.
"But my gun is registered," Melody pointed out. "They'll know I killed the mob guy, and running from the scene will only make me look more suspicious." In one smooth motion, Murphy stopped, lifted the gun out of Melody's purse, and dropped it right into a nearby sewer grate without second thought before continuing to walk. "I suppose that's okay," said Melody, feeling a spark of warmth when Murphy's arm was once again around her waist. "Then I guess you guys can just walk me home now."
"Not a chance," said Murphy, stubbornly shaking his head.
"Why not?" asked Melody, more out of curiosity than suspicion.
"That mob fuck knew who ya were and his other guys prob'ly know where ya live," Connor explained. "Ain't no way Murph and I are lettin' ya be on yer own fer a while, until things clear up."
"You have a point," sighed Melody. "So, where am I supposed to go?"
"Should stay with us," said Connor. "I'm sure Murph doesn't mind playin' the knight in shinin' armor." He passed his twin a knowing smirk.
"Shut it, Conn," snapped Murphy. "I'm just doin' the lady some good after she nearly got 'er head blown off." When Connor wasn't looking or listening, he leaned over and whispered into Melody's ear, "He's right, though. I'm here ta protect ya."
"You know, my arm is still bleeding," Melody suddenly realized. The bleeding had slowed considerably, but it obviously still needed to be taken care of before it got infected.
"I know, Mel," said Connor. "We'll take care o' that when we get back ta our place." When Melody started to look a little nervous and in pain, Murphy leaned over to whisper in her ear again.
"It's alrigh', darlin'," he said smoothly. "Me and my brother are gonna protect ya. I promise."
"Home sweet home," Murphy announced as the trio crossed the threshold of the MacManus brothers' run-down loft apartment. It was furnished about as simply as one could get, with only minimal electricity and plumbing, but at least it wasn't dirty.
"It's not bad," said Melody. "After all, I've been through worse."
"I'm not gonna ask," Murphy said, gently pushing Melody down onto the tattered couch and taking a look at her wound while Connor gathered up their makeshift first aid kit. "This should be fine once we get it under control." The wound itself was nothing serious, so the main goal would be to just clean away the blood.
"This might sting a bit," Connor explained as he brought a wet washcloth to Melody's skin. To stifle her cries of pain as Connor somewhat-roughly scrubbed away the blood, Melody turned and buried her face in Murphy's shoulder. "Now, this definitely will sting," said Connor, grabbing a new washcloth and pouring some disinfectant onto it.
"Shit… shit… shit…" Melody gasped until the stuff was actually on her skin. "FUCK!" Connor could have been pressing a hot poker to her skin and it probably would have felt exactly the same. While Melody wasn't full-on crying, she was hissing and gasping in pain every second until the ordeal was finally over.
"Last step, Mel," said Connor. "I promise this one will feel better." Once the disinfectant had had a chance to dry a little, he tore a few strips from a t-shirt and fashioned them into a makeshift bandage. "There we go," he concluded, pressing a cute little kiss right over the bandaged wound. "You'll be good as new in no time."
"Thanks, Connor," Melody said, giving a relieved sigh along the way. "Hey, do you guys have a phone? I should probably call my sister and tell her what happened."
"Yeah, I can take ya ta the pay phone down the street," said Murphy. He helped Melody to her feet and even went as far as to place his own black pea coat over her shoulders.
"That'll be just fine," said Melody. "I appreciate it."
"Be careful," warned Connor, just before the two left the apartment.
"This is certainly a welcome change of events," said Melody, taking deep, calming breaths of the nighttime Boston air.
"What do ya mean?" asked Murphy, keeping a polite distance between them to help her feel more comfortable.
"I was just so bored until today," said Melody. "My life was basically one long, robotic chain of nothing. I've never even had a real boyfriend to pass the time, and my friends all scattered to the ends of the earth after high school."
"What kept ya in Boston?" asked Murphy. "I mean, there musta been somethin'."
"Not much," sighed Melody. "I came here only about six years ago to finish high school, but I decided not to go to college. I also didn't have the money or resources to go anywhere else, so Boston just kind of grew on me and I decided to stay."
"That's about the same time Conn and I hopped over from Ireland," said Murphy. "Thought there'd be more opportunity in the States, but we weren't exactly correct."
"What were you so wrong about?" coaxed Melody.
"We work at a meat packin' plant and live in an unsanctioned shithole loft house," grumbled Murphy. "Not exactly a glamorous life."
"Then, maybe you and I are just the thing for each other," suggested Melody. "You were going nowhere, I was going nowhere, we both want something different, and maybe we should tap into that a bit more."
"What are ya sayin', darlin'?" asked Murphy. There was just enough fading sunlight for Melody to see the twinkle in his eye and the smirk playing with one corner of his lips.
"Honestly, Murphy, what do you think I'm saying?" teased Melody.
"Yer suggestin' that we get ta know each other better," said Murphy, snaking his arm back around her waist.
"A lot better," said Melody, popping a quick kiss onto Murphy's scruffy cheek.
"Yer killin' me, girl," laughed Murphy, tightening his grip. It was only a short walk down the block before the couple reached an old, rusted pay phone. Melody picked up the receiver, deposited the fifty cents Murphy handed her, and punched in her sister Carla's cell phone number at lightning speed.
"Hello?"
Melody was overjoyed when she heard the woman's voice on the other end. "Hey, hun, it's me!" she said joyfully.
"Hey, there, Mel!" exclaimed Carla, obviously equally as excited. "What's up?"
"Oh, the usual boring shit, for the most part," sighed Melody, "but something happened today that I think I should tell you about."
"Oh?" coaxed Carla, starting to sound a little worried. "Is something wrong, hun?"
"There was a shooting today at the coffee shop where I work," Melody announced, igniting a sharp gasp from Carla's lips.
"Oh, my God, are you alright?" panicked Carla. If she were in person instead of several states away, she probably would have yanked Melody right into her arms. "Did you get hurt?"
"I took a graze to the arm, but that's all, even though the guys were actually after me," said Melody, effectively calming Carla down a little. "These two guys fixed me up and are going to let me stay with them for a while."
"Wait a second, slow down," Carla cut in. "What do you mean by 'after you'? What two guys?"
"The guy that shot me was the same mob guy that hurt you last year," said Melody. "He recognized me from the incident."
"Okay…" Carla said slowly. "And what about the two guys?"
"They're these two Irish twins that came in for coffee today," said Melody. "Don't worry; they seem like nice guys and one of them actually made every effort to protect me during the shooting."
"Well, that's a huge relief," sighed Carla. "So, what are you going to do?"
"I think it's best for both of us to just stay safe and stay put in case they try something else on either of us," said Melody. "And look, I've gotta go. It's getting dark here, and I don't want to be caught out at night."
"Good idea, hun," said Carla. "Call again soon, okay?"
"Okay," said Melody. "Kisses, hun. I love you."
"Love you, too," said Carla. With that, Melody hung up the receiver and went back to Murphy's side.
"You and yer sister seem close," said Murphy, returning his arm to Melody's waist and leading her back towards the apartment.
"She and I were each other's strength when we were growing up," said Melody. "And we're only two years apart, so we had the chance to be extra close."
"Conn and I 'ave been near inseparable since we were firs' born," said Murphy.
"It's always good having a sibling you can really lean on," said Melody. "They're your first friends in life and the last ones to give up on you."
"Exactly," agreed Murphy. Shortly after, he and Melody returned to the apartment.
"Well, I see ya made it back in one piece," observed Connor. He was busy flipping over the two mattresses to swap over to the clean sides. "So, Murph, where's the lady gonna sleep?"
"Anywhere's fine for me," said Melody, looking to Murphy for an answer.
"Take my bed, and I'll take the couch," he suggested, gesturing to one of the two mattresses for Melody.
"Are you sure?" Melody asked, blushing a little bit at Murphy's suggestion. "I can take the couch. It'll be no problem."
"He's just tryin' ta be a gentleman," teased Connor. "Let 'im have his fun."
"Oh, alright," surrendered Melody. "I'll sleep on Murphy's bed if it'll make him feel better." Shyly, she sat down onto the mattress he had pointed to and was surprised by how comfortable it was. She wrapped the one tattered blanket around her knees and gave a relaxed sigh.
"Just try ta sleep, darlin'," said Murphy, walking over and kneeling down in front of her. "I know ya've had a rough day, but it'll all get better once ya've had some shuteye."
"Wow, ya really are takin' this knight in shinin' armor thing to heart," joked Connor. "Ya gonna be okay there, Mel?"
"Why don't both of you shut up and let me sleep first?" Melody joked back. "I'll let you know in the morning." With considerable difficulty due to her fatigue, she pulled herself up from the mattress and went to give Connor a hug.
"Sleep tight, Mel," Connor said casually. Melody then went to hug Murphy.
"Do I get a kiss, too?" Murphy joked once Melody was tucked tightly into his arms. "Ya know, since we're gonna get ta know each other so well?"
"Not so fast there," said Melody, giving him just a quick peck on the cheek while she hugged him. "We've got all the time in the world."
"Good night, darlin'," said Murphy, reluctantly letting go of Melody so she could crawl back into bed. "Sleep tight."
Author's Note: After the success of my other Boondock Saints story, Angel of Death, Angel of Love, I knew I had to do another one with Murphy getting the girl. Anyway, reviews are much appreciated, so please just take a few moments to tell me what you thought.