It was nearing four o'clock in the afternoon when Katie caught herself gazing out the window again, looking for Murphy. He was at the bar, she knew that. But a small part of her hoped that might get a glimpse of his dark hair as he played soccer again with the boys in the school yard. That she might catch him grin with his eyes on her window, knowing that there was no way he could see her from where she sat.
Laughter flowed in from the kids who were out there and she smiled despite herself. Murphy wasn't there today. But there was a good chance she would find him tomorrow, or the next day.
Shaking her head, she tried to bring her focus back to the files in front of her, but her eyes wandered around her, taking in the details of her office. As she'd told both Murphy and Sara when she'd met them at the Anvil after her first day at work, it was the office she'd gained with a sigh.
The sigh wasn't hers, but rather the school's principal, Mr. Daly, who sighed at nearly everything she did, but mostly at her request for an office. It had been her by all rights, sitting there empty since the death of their last school counselor, and she'd needed the space. And, as she'd calmly explained to Mr. Daly, the students deserved privacy when they came to see her.
So she'd won the office, but not without a cost that she paid with each faculty meeting and each terse greeting she'd gotten from the principal since. Connor had told her not to take it personally. That man had been that way since they'd been in school, and age had apparently not made him mellower.
Her eyes had finally wondered down the file folder in front of her when her telephone let out it's piercing ring, making her heart skip a beat. Christ, she hated the phone. She'd turn it off it wouldn't get her in more trouble. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the receiver and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Is this Kathleen Shafer?"
The use of her full name made her sit up a little straighter. She'd expected a McManus on the line. Or Peter. But the voice was unfamiliar. Maybe a parent? No, to them she'd be Miss Shafer. Or to the teasing parents, Mrs. McManus.
Running her tongue along the inside of her lip, she focused her eyes on the telephone again. "Yes, this is. How can I help you?"
"I'm a reporter, Miss Shafer, with the New York Times." The accent should have tipped her off. Or rather, the lack there of to her ears, at least. The voice was American. "I had a few questions I wanted to ask you."
"Okay." The word came out slowly and she narrowed her eyes as he paused.
"I'm writing an article about the Saints and a contact gave your name to interview. I'm hoping to cast light on their lives and on the men they were before becoming the Saints. Can you tell me what you know about them?"
The room seemed suddenly silent, overly silent in the wake of his words brushing over her ears. Fuck. Fighting to keep her voice completely natural, Katie breathed out slowly before answering. "I'm afraid you're contact is wrong. What I know about the Saints is what I learned from watching the news."
The man paused for a second before sighing. "I was told you had had contact with them. That you knew them. That you knew who they were."
"You were told wrong, sir." She managed to laugh lightly. "I would've contacted the police if I'd known their names."
"Shit. Sorry, forgive the language." The man gave another heavy sigh and she heard the phone being shifted. "I was hoping to get this article out in time for the anniversary edition. I thought that by starting early enough, I could really get some good stuff."
"Anniversary edition?"
"Yeah. Of their deaths. Second anniversary. The Times is planning a special edition for it."
"Oh." She closed her eyes against the oncoming headache and rubbed a hand across her forehead. "Well, good luck with that. Sorry I couldn't help." She hung up the phone before realizing she hadn't actually told the report goodbye.
Putting her head in her hands, she allowed herself a moment to breathe, a moment to think with her eyes closed. Second anniversary. Fuck, the first one had passed a good six months before and she'd finally felt able to relax.
A year had gone by and nobody had looked for them. Sara and Connor had married, and in Feburary, she'd given birth to Eamon. Eamon Murphy McManus, named partly after his uncle and proving to be the cutest McManus yet. A year had come and gone and life had continued normally. She and Murphy were finally settling down some, flirting with the possibility of marriage.
Six months had gone by since Murphy's last nightmare. He'd had it in the early morning hours of the anniversary of that day and it'd taken nearly a week to drive the worry away from both of them. And it was because of that, that Katie knew she wasn't going to tell him about the call.
It hadn't tripped off any warning bells in her head or anything. Most likely, it was just a reporter who had actually done his research, and who had no idea just how on to something he'd been. And she'd closed the door for him. Maybe that would be the end of it.
"Miss Shafer?" The words made her tense but she knew the voice. Forcing a smile on, she raised her head up to look at the dark haired teenager loitering in her doorway.
"Donal, please tell me you just stopped by to say hello."
He gave her a quick lopsided grin and plopped down in the chair across from her desk. "Hello."
"Donal?" She'd mastered the warning tone on this kid alone. And he reacted to it like he did every other time he was in there. Letting out a sigh, he rolled his eyes at the ceiling.
"It was a practical joke, Miss Shafer."
Scrubbing her hands over her face, Katie leaned back in her chair and raised an eyebrow at him. "What'd you do this time?"
"I just changed the labels o' the chemistry storage beakers." He put his hand up in defense as she opened her mouth to reply. "It was a freakin' joke but I didn't get a word in edgewise once he started yellin' at me."
"Donal! That could've been dangerous."
Donal flashed a quick grin at her. "I know me basic chemistry, Miss Shafer. I would've never done anythin' ta hurt Mr. Jacobsen. It just let off a harmless blue smoke."
"Just? Christ, kid, now you've even got Mr. Jacobsen yelling at you."
"Nu-uh. He didn't yell at me. Mr. Daly did. As freakin' usual."
"Donal, you're going to get yourself kicked out if you keep this up. Save your brains for class and your pranks for university, okay?"
He nodded finally. "Okay, Miss Shafer. I'm sorry."
"Good. Now remember that and we'll be okay." Slipping the folder on her desk into the top drawer, she looked up again to see him heading toward the door. "Oh, and Donal? It's after four. You can call me Katie now."
Grinning, he nodded as he headed out the door. "Have a good weekend, Katie."
The emphasis of her name made her smile and she heard his tennis shoes squeak as he left the hallway nearest her office. Donal. He was the favorite of her frequent visitors and a kid who really did mean no harm. And there was something about him that kept her from every really getting mad at him. Frustrated, yes. Disappointed, yes. But never actually upset with him.
Grabbing her coat and purse, she shook her head with a laugh. The kid could never really get on her bad side, simply because he reminded her of a McManus. And that was never something she could dislike in a person.
The cold weather hit her as she stepped out into the school yard, and she pulled the collar of her coat up around her. It was October and already freezing. She'd long lost her fantasy of Ireland being green year round. If anything, its weather tested its visitors with regular brutality.
Her eyes found him without a problem, and she grinned against the surprise at seeing him waiting on the swings. Murphy's eyes were on her and his lips spread with a smile as she moved quickly toward him.
"You know, I'm not sure we can have a relationship filled with lies, Murph." She took the swing next to him, and caught the rhythm of his slow swinging. He gave a half laugh and left his swing to stand behind hers. His hands gently pushed her forward.
"And how did I lie ta ye this time?"
"You were supposed to be working. How am I supposed to find any time with my other boyfriend if you keep showing up?"
"Well, at least ye're honest 'bout it. How is Smecker doin' anyhow?"
She reached out and smacked him as her swing moved toward him. Katie let out a soft laugh when he just kissed her temple in response. Grinning, she waited until he pushed her again before responding.
"I was talking about my real boyfriend."
His arms slid around her waist as she swung back toward him and he rested his chin on her shoulder. "Liar."
"Prove it."
Murphy paused for a moment, his arms tightening slightly around her and she saw a spark of something in his eyes before his lips met hers. There was passion in his kiss, always passion and sweetness and love. But this time there was a seriousness that surprised her. His eyes stayed closed for a moment as he rested his forehead against hers, then he smiled slowly at her.
"Murph, you know I was teasing you, right?"
"O' course. Just makin' sure yer boyfriend knows that ye're already claimed." He kissed her quickly again before releasing his hold on her and letting her swing forward. His soft laugh touched her ears and she twisted in her swing to stick her tongue out at him. "Real mature, Katie."
"Claimed, huh?"
"Damn right. Gotta make sure the men in this town know not ta poach me girl."
"So, does that make me a pheasant or a deer?"
"That makes ye m'dear." His grin was quick as he held out his hand to her and she shook her head at his bad joke.
"A Mhuirnín, you mean."
His arm slipped around her and Katie closed her eyes against his warmth. It's gotten even colder, it seemed, since she'd stepped outside.
"Ye know, ye've got ta work beyond the terms of endearments, Katie, if ye're gonna learn the language."
"I'm trying. Maybe if I'd been raised learning sixty different languages, I'd be as perfect as you." She shot a mock glare at him and he just smiled in response.
"Ye're perfect in yer own way."
"And that's like saying I'm unique, just like everybody else, right?"
Murphy just laughed in response. "Sure."
"You still haven't answered my question."
"Which was?" He opened the car door for her, and his hand touched the small of her back to guide her inside. She wanted his touch back as soon as he moved away but she narrowed her eyes at him instead.
"Why aren't you at the bar?"
"Conn gave me the night off."
"You mean you gave yourself the night off?"
Laughing, he moved to shut her door. "Somethin' like that."
She waited until he got back into the car and had started the ignition. His radio blared on and her hand beat his to it to turn it down. "Murphy?"
"I want ta take ye somewhere." His eyes met hers only for a moment but his gaze was intense. Katie tilted her head at him as he looked away and put the car in gear.
"Okay. Where?"
"Just trust me." He shot her a grin and touched the volume knob again, turning his music back up. Smiling to herself, Katie relaxed back into her seat and found herself singing along with the radio before long.
He clenched his left hand again to keep it from shaking, and guided her down the wooded path with his right. Her voice was soft as she teased him, but the words slipped away as he concentrated on what he was going to say. On what he was about to do.
The old cabin came into sight and he caught her glance as they neared it, keeping silent to her unasked question until they stopped in front of it. "This is our old fort. We used ta hide out here all the time durin' the summers."
"He-man woman haters club?" She grinned as she stepped inside and Murphy found the tightness in his chest easing up as he laughed.
"Somethin' like that. Glad we got out o' that stage."
Her voice was dry as she responded. "When did that happen?"
The hair had started to fall out of the clip she'd grabbed on her way out that morning, curling softly against her neck and shoulders. He'd made her late again, convincing her to stay in bed for just a little longer, not quite able to let her warmth leave him. And she'd been a very willing and eager participant in what had followed. The memories made him grin and he indulged his need to touch her, to feel the exposed skin of her neck beneath his lips.
"Murph." Katie jumped and laughed as his kissed her neck. "You didn't bring me here to make out, did you?"
"Nope." He continued making a trail of kisses up over her jaw and to her lips. She sighed against him as he opened the kiss up. It was her cold hands slipping beneath his coat to caress his back that brought him back to the reality of it. They weren't here for that. Stepping back, he kept his hand on her cheek as he glanced around him.
It didn't feel right. He'd pictured it brighter than this, cozier. Shaking his head, he raised his thumb to his mouth. Shite. It just wasn't right.
Her hand covered his and she replaced his thumb by a gentle kiss. "So what are we doing out here on a Friday night?"
"I just wanted ta show ye this."
"Oh, well. It's…cozy." The hesitation and her phrasing made him grin.
"I remember it lookin' better than this."
"Clean it up more than once a decade and it might."
He heard her words, but his eyes started to wander again and he fought to think. It'd taken him a week to work up the courage. But his planning skills obviously needed work. He'd pictured it in his mind and it'd seemed so much better. Smoother. But a new idea flashed into his head and he knew exactly what he needed to do.
Taking her hand again, Murphy pulled her out of the cabin without another word.
"Where now, Murph? A tour of the bogs?" Her eyes twinkled as she looked up at him and he just smiled in response.
"Nope."
"You're saying that a lot tonight. Care to explain?"
"Nope." Laughing, he kept his hand in hers but stepped out of reach of her swipe at him. "Just wait."
The spot was just a short hike from the cabin, but as he noticed that it was getting steadily darker around them, Murphy knew he had to hurry if this was going to work. The familiar tree line caught his eye and he fought against the rising nerves as he led her toward it.
Her brow was wrinkled as he nodded for her to step up beside him, but she followed without a sound. Her hand tightened in his as she saw that the rocks ended just beyond their feet, but he simply squeezed back and pushed the tree branch out of the way.
Katie gave a soft gasp and her eyes widened as she stared out beyond the ridge. The view was terrific he knew, but Murphy kept his eyes on hers, finding that his view was just as beautiful as hers.
"I can see your Ma's house from here."
"It's hard not ta. She's got the whole damn thing lit up." The words came out easily despite the dryness of his throat and Murphy felt for the box in his pocket. It was hard to open one handed, but managed it without her realizing it. Her eyes were still fixed on the glittering lights below as he went down on one knee.
Katie's eyes widened as she glanced over at his movement, and her hand tightened in his. "Murphy, you're too close to the edge!" And then he saw it click in her face, as she realized what he was doing. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly and she gripped his hand even tighter.
The words he'd practiced in his head were gone and Murphy felt the nervous need for the scripted speech disappear as he stared up into her eyes. Gesturing with their joined hands toward the town below them, he smiled slowly.
"That was me whole world, Katie. It's me home. And I thought that's all I'd ever need ta complete me. But then I met ye and I realized what a fool I'd been ta need a place. Ye're me whole world now. And I want ta spend the rest o' me life makin' a home with ye. Will ye marry me?"
He felt more than heard the answer slip from her lips and he slid the ring onto her finger, loving the feeling of completeness that came over him. He was whole now, and she was his.
Laughing softly, he wiped his thumbs beneath her eyes to catch the tears and her lips met his. The box was back in his pocket and his arms were tightly around her before he knew it. It felt different and yet the same. She'd be his wife, his family, his other half, the same way she'd become over a year ago. She'd be his now, and nothing would ever be able to change that again.
Her cottage had been decorated, Katie found as she unlocked the door and lead Murphy in and out of the cold. A vase of roses sat on the table and she didn't have to look to know who the card was from.
It would be from the same couple who left the champagne chilling in the ice pail and who left crock pot on and ready to eat. And who left Eamon's pacifier on the counter nearest the sink.
"So, this means that Conn and Sara know too?" She asked her question with raised eyebrows and caught Murphy's slightly embarrassed grin.
"Ye might say that."
"Quite confident of yourself, aren't you?" She loved the way his arms slid around her and his chin rested on her shoulder, close enough that she got a whiff of what was left of his morning cologne.
"Ye might say that."
"Are you going to repeat yourself all night?" She felt his laughter against her and brought their entangled left hands up to look at it. The diamond caught the light and she leaned her head against his. "It's beautiful, Murph."
"Do ye like it?" His voice was soft, almost muffled against the collar of her coat but she knew the real question he was asking. Turning in his arms, she turned his head to look at her and just studied him, knowing that for all the happiness and love that was bursting out of her heart, some of it had to be showing on her face.
His eyes grew softer as he watched her, waiting for the answer. And after a long moment, she realized that he needed to hear it. That seeing it wasn't enough.
"It was perfect, Murph. Everything was. You've even got good taste in rings."
Murphy kissed the palm of her hand. "Ye mean Sara has good taste. After goin' with Conn, I wasn't about ta go alone."
"I know. You had the good taste to realize you needed Sara's help." She kissed his left cheek gently before doing the same to his right. But his lips caught hers halfway in between and claimed them in a deep kiss. Her coat was off before she realized it and a magnet on her fridge was digging into her back as he leaned her up against it.
But she didn't care. Because it was Murphy and he was hers and they were engaged! She broke off from the kiss and slid her hands into the back pockets of his jeans. "So, Murph. How long do you think that pot roast can wait?"
"Long enough." His hands pulled her sweater off and she found herself wanting to giggle at the frustration in his eyes as he saw the camisole she had under it. And his next words made the laugh slip out without warning. "Sara said we'd have a good three hours before we'd need to eat." On the last word, his mouth found her neck again, his soft kisses whispering up and Katie found herself melting into his arms.
His hands adjusted to support her weight and to bring her closer and she found herself pressed against the doorway of the kitchen again. Smiling as his lips finally found their target, she pulled on his shirt and led him down the hallway toward the bedroom.
It had been nearly an hour later before Murphy had brought them a plate of food and the bottle of champagne. And now, at half past two, Katie was finally venturing back into the kitchen. The candle that had been lit for them was long past out and she wondered briefly if Murphy had blown it out.
She tightened the belt on her robe and grinned as her eyes followed the trail of clothes out of the kitchen. Grabbing two glasses out of the cupboard, she set them on the table, the roses catching her eye again. The card was from who she figured, the main part written by Sara with a side note from Connor.
Congrats! Enjoy and we'll
celebrate properly with you tomorrow at brunch!
Love,
Sara and Connor
P.S. – Murph, do the dishes. It'll be worth it, I promise!
Katie grinned at the end note, shaking her head again. There Connor was, being her pimp again. Promising things he couldn't give. Her smile grew wider as she realized he was right. It was amazing what a little proper reward could do in the long run.
Taking one of the glasses off of the table, she moved to the sink to fill it with water for Murphy. But her eyes caught sight of the pale face in the window and the glass slipped through her fingers, shattering on the floor. Her heart raced in her chest and she paused only slightly before throwing open the back door and stepping outside.
Murphy was stretched out on the bed, half asleep but forcing himself to stay away until she got back. The bed had grown colder without her. But it was the sound of glass breaking that made him sit up, fully awake.
"Katie? Ye okay?"
Her lack of answer made him freeze and he listened for noise, any noise. The skills that had been so necessary as a Saint had gone rusty and unused in the last year, but his heart steadily pumped faster as he realized he heard nothing. And in his experience, hearing nothing from Katie was never a good sign.
The wood floor of the hallway was cold beneath his feet, but he didn't feel it. The kitchen had dropped in temperature but his eyes were on the open back door. Stepping around the broken glass, Murphy found the tightness in his chest had returned as he hurried outside. And his heart stopped only for a moment until he saw her, shivering a few feet away with her eyes on the woods.
"For Christ's sake, Katie. What are ye doin' out here?" The cold air whipped around his bare chest and he stepped closer to her.
Her eyes stayed on the woods, but she reached back and grabbed his hand. "I saw something." There was no fear in her voice, only confusion but he closed the gap between them and put his arms around her.
"What'd ye see?"
"A face. In the window."
Murphy raised his eyes to the woods, scanning them quickly and finding nothing out of the ordinary. "A face? Who was it?"
"Couldn't tell. Only got a glimpse before it disappeared."
He looked into the woods again, but the darkness and moonlight only played tricks on his eyes. And any movement he saw could be explained by the wind. Keeping his arm around her, he pulled her back toward the cottage. "It's fuckin' freezin' out here. Let's go back in."
He knew she was tired and possibly still a little tipsy by the way she willing stayed near the door as he swept up the broken glass, and the way her eyes kept moving toward the window as she shivered where she stood.
"Dammit, that was my favorite glass, too."
"Ye can just steal another from the bar."
Katie's laugh was light and she grinned at him, stepping away from the door now that it was safe. "Yeah, Conn'll love that."
"I'll just tell 'im I did inventory. That way he'll blame the fucked up numbers on me."
"Murph. You screwed up the bookkeeping once. Are you ever going to let yourself get past it?"
Making a face, he pulled the ice tray from the freezer and grabbed another glass from the cupboard. "Once and a hundred and fuckin' fifty two dollars. He won't let me near the books now. Not that I fuckin' blame 'im."
"So, let him do it. You hated it anyhow."
"That's not the point, Katie. He's the fuckin' brains o' the Anvil. And I'm what? The fuckin' bouncer? The floor scrubber?" He handed her a glass of the ice water and tapped their glasses. "Cheers."
Her eyes were clear and as he watched her drain the first half of the glass, he realized he'd been wrong. The sparkle in her eyes wasn't from the champagne, just like the red in her cheeks wasn't from the cold. She caught him watching her but mistook it as him waiting for an answer.
"Okay, so Conn might be the business minded one. But Christ, Murph, you're twins, not clones. You have your strong areas too."
"Like what?" His words were more of a teasing challenge but he caught the slight frown on her face as she looked closer at him.
"You're more creative. More people oriented. You can talk down nearly any fight without having to throw them out and you came up with the idea of the variety show last year."
"Which made no fuckin' money with the amount everybody drank."
"And you wrote your brother's wedding vows with him. The night before his wedding. After he'd finally given up and asked for help."
Murphy finished his water and set it in the sink before sighing. "That's different. Conn not a bad writer usually."
"But he sucks at putting his emotions down on paper. You're better at understanding emotions than he is. And that's a vital part of running a small town bar." She set her glass in the sink with his and leaned against the counter next to him. Murphy's hands touched her waist and she leaned her head against his chest.
"Let's go back ta bed."
"To sleep." Her voice held a half warning and he laughed as he pulled her closer to him.
"O' course. What else is there ta possibly do in a bed?"
She slipped her arm around him without another word and Murphy flipped off the kitchen light as they passed it. Pausing slightly, his eyes shifted back toward the kitchen window but he wasn't surprised to find nothing there. Katie's head fell back against his shoulder, bringing his attention back to her.
"Conn says you're supposed to wash the dishes."
"What?"
"In their note. Conn said you were to wash the dishes."
Kissing the top of her head, he shrugged. "Maybe we'll just leave them for him ta wash then."
She grinned up at him. "I don't think you want to do that. He probably shouldn't get the reward he'd planned."
"Reward?"
"Yeah. Me."
Pausing for a moment, Murphy narrowed his eyes at her. "I'll do 'em in the mornin'."
Her laughter filled the hallway and she pulled on his hand, leading him back to the bedroom. "It already is morning, Murph."
"Afternoon, then. I meant ta say afternoon."
"Of course you did." Her response came late, after they'd already climbed back into bed and her head had found its spot on his chest. "Love you, Murphy."
"Love ye, Katie." He held her close to him, his arm draped around her waist and his hand resting on her hip. She'd fit perfectly beside him the first time they'd been together, and he realized now as he traced small circles on the blanket covering her hip that she always would. Nothing could change that and nothing could ever keep them apart again.
A/N: Okay, so I couldn't wait. Fortunately, my beta didn't make me wait longer. :) Like last time, I think we'll go chapter by chapter. I'd planned on having much more written before posting, but I didn't want to wait! Those oneshots might still get up, as I get stuck or whatnot. I have a few in mind, but none of them seemed necessary to get out and done with. I'll try to keep posting at a good pace, but have patience:) Oh, and this was all focused on Katie and Murphy because it seemed like the best way to start things out. You'll start seeing everybody else with Chapter two on. My goal is to balance all POVs as much as possible, since they are all pretty much of equal importance when it comes to the storyline! I know exactly where this story is going and how it ends, but I'm not sure of the length yet...guess we'll see as we go! Thanks Anasazi Darkmoon. You rock!
