Work had been long, tedious, and what some would call grueling, but the twins enjoyed what they did and never really complained. It put beer and some food in their refrigerator and sent home enough money to Ma to keep her happy. So what if the factory was colder than normal? It was expected, especially since it was December. Christmas was two weeks off and the two had been contemplating what to get Adrienne for the upcoming holiday. Nothing seemed perfect for her, though, so they had been trying to hint around and see what she wanted. So far, she'd been stubborn enough to ignore the hints and not even bring up the holiday. They were persistent, though, and they would find out one way or another!

That was their plans for that night, actually. Stop by Adrienne's, pick her up and head to McGinty's, and then head back to cuddle and enjoy some 'them' time. Since the relationship had been exclusive for some time, the boys had their own keys to the apartment (that and Britney had moved out about a year before, so Adrienne just handed her key over to them). What they were met with was surprising—a dark apartment that seemed…empty. Adrienne was usually home by now, wasn't she? Connor and Murphy exchanged looks and then headed back to the bedroom.

Once they stepped foot inside the bedroom, they felt their hearts sink down into their stomachs. On the floor were various bags of luggage, all packed and ready to go. Three suitcases and a carry-on littered the floor, and it seemed as if the closet and chest of drawers had been cleaned out.

"Do ya think…"

"She couldn' be…"

"But suppose she is?"

"Naw…never."

While Connor and Murphy stood there, confused and hurt, Adrienne had entered her apartment in silence, hoping to get everything out before the twins had arrived. She knew they would be there—it was like clockwork. They arrived every day once they had cleaned up after work to do something with her for the past two years. Two years. It seemed like such a long time. Instead of getting everything settled, though, she came face-to-face with the backs of the boys, who stared at her room in shock. They were early! Usually they would not arrive for another hour, at the least. Shoving her keys in her pockets, Adrienne stepped forward, clearing her throat. The moment Connor and Murphy spun around to face her, she felt the guilt settle in the pit of her own stomach.

"What the fuck is goin' on?" Murphy demanded, pointing back to the packed luggage in her room. Out of the two, he seemed the angriest by the scene before him. He took a step forward, causing Adrienne to take one back out of precaution. "Why the 'ell is all yer shit packed up, Adri? Why the fuck didn' ye tell us?"

Taking in a deep breath, she slowly exhaled and then held a hand up to silence him before he went off on a cursing tirade. "First off, I was going to tell you two once I had everything packed and made sure all the extra stuff would be taken care of. Second, don't get snippy with me, damn it!" Moving past Murphy and Connor, she placed the luggage in a corner and then settled down on the edge of her bed, rubbing at her face. Why was it so hard to do this? "I'm leaving." There. That wasn't so hard.

"Y'mean, like when ye go off for a coupla of weeks fer vacation or Chris'mas, right?" Connor spoke this time, the tone of his voice almost pleading with her for that to be the case. Two weeks, or three, for vacation or family time was not hard to deal with. They were able to make do with two weeks, even three, but if she meant leaving as in for good…would they be able to make do? "Y'mean like tha', right, darlin'?"

"Yeah, jus' a two week vacation, to see family, right?"

Their tones were pleading with her to say yes. Murphy had moved forward, Connor right by his side, and they both looked down at the woman settled on the bed, face covered by red hair and trembling hands. "No, guys. I'm leaving for…for I don't know how long." Saying forever was just too painful. The new job would not bring her back to Boston, not for a long while. That was the most painful part—being separated from them. They were her family now, they were her everything, and this new job, this new life and adventure she was about to embark upon, it was going to take away her everything.

The bed sunk beneath the weight of the twins as they settled on either side of her. Connor brushed her hair back from her face and tucked it behind her shoulder before he pulled her close, hugging her to his side. Murphy took one of her hands and squeezed it, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay. "You can come visit," he whispered, ideas already springing to mind. "Doc will let ye stay wit' 'im at tha bar, or ya can come stay wit' us."

While it all sounded wonderful, Adrienne knew it would not be that easy. This was a new job, a new job in a fast-paced field that would keep her busy for some time, wherever they sent her. New York, Pensacola, New Orleans, Atlanta…all were options currently, and she would find out where she was going first thing in the morning when her plane ticket arrived. Instead of promising them she would write, promising she would keep in touch, or promising she would visit, Adrienne only smiled, pressing a tender kiss to each of the twins' lips. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft and full of emotions.

"I love you both."

"We love ye too, darlin'."

"More than ye'll ever know."

She knew that they had come expecting to go out, but maybe they would agree to staying in that night. She had told Doc goodbye earlier that day. She was not certain that she could actually say goodbye to anyone else. She had cried the whole time she had said her fond farewells to Doc, after all. "Can we stay in tonight, guys?"

"Sure, darlin'. Movie tonigh'? Charles Bronson?"

"We always watch fuckin' Bronson, let's watch somethin' else tonight!"

"Like wha'? Rambo?"

"It'd be better'n that!"

"Guys!"

The bickering silenced the moment Adrienne raised her voice and she looked between the two, rolling her eyes. "No movie tonight. Let's just enjoy our night together, okay?" She stared between the two, hoping that the argument would not presume. Sometimes, just sometimes, they did like to bicker over such small things for an extended amount of time. Probably because they had nothing better to do.

Noticing that Adrienne was in no mood for any other arguments, Connor and Murphy ceased what they had been doing and kicked off their boots, scooting back to lay down on the bed in their usual spots. Adrienne kicked her own shoes off to join in their pile and scooted up to settle in with them, eyes closing for a moment. It was her last night with the twins. It would be her last night feeling their comforting presence by her side in her bed, or in their beds. It would be her last night being their Adri.

Was she ever going to see them again?

--

A/N: This is not the end, I promise! This is set the December before BDS. The next two will be set AFTER BDS. Comments and critique welcomed. Probably shouldn't have wrote this after immediately writing a paper for class, but oh well.