Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed the last chapter. It was such an amazing response and made my very happy. Here is the next chapter and another piece in the puzzle as to what is going on. Enjoy!

Declan Brady was rarely sure of many things in life, but today he was sure that Debbie Blake was the most boring girl he'd ever gone out with. It had taken him nearly two months to get her to agree to go on a date with him and what a waste of time that was. She was the prettiest girl around and he'd wanted to prove to everyone that he wasn't gay like his Dad. He was beginning to release what a mistake that truly had been.

'So I threw it back in my Ma's face and was like I don't want that cheap market tat.' Said Debbie, she was oblivious to the fact that her date wasn't really paying her that much attention.

'Do you fancy some chips?' asked Declan suddenly, spotting a nearby chip shop. His mouth watered at the delicious smell of frying potatoes and vinegar.

'Haven't you not just listened to a word I just said Declan? I've just been telling you for the past twenty minutes that I'm on a diet.' Her face looked ugly when she scowled.

Declan nodded but dived into the chip shop any way. He always had a big appetite; it was part of being Irish and having Brendan Brady as a father. Brendan Brady the father he never really knew, the man of mystery. He glanced down at his arms and shuddered, remembering the scars from his last encounter with his dad's old friend.

'Are you listening to me?'

Declan shoved a big pile of chips into his mouth, so he wouldn't be able to give her an honest answer. 'You sure you don't want any?' he asked, but it came out more like 'moo for sue penny?' with the amount of potato in his mouth.

Debbie wrinkled her nose in disgust. 'I don't know why I even agreed to this.'

Declan deep down couldn't have agreed more.

'Everyone thinks you're weird and I've heard such awful things about your father.'

For a second he froze, just as he was reaching up to put another chip in his mouth. 'What have you heard about my Da?'

For a second Debbie looked unsure of herself. 'That he was a murderer.'

'Oh,' said Declan, placing more chips into his mouth. He couldn't argue with her on that statement, not when he knew it to be true. His father had murdered his own Dad and then proceeded to be shot. It all sounded so clean cut, but Declan would never understand it all. He only had a vague memory of his Granddad Seamus, a forgotten Christmas where the man had spent the whole meal staring at him with a creepy intensity. Declan still felt shudders even when he thought about it now. The man had unnerved him and thank goodness he'd never seen him again.

'My mate Shane even said your Ma's dating a man young enough to be her son.' Debbie continued, not knowing when to shut up.

'So?' said Declan starting feel a wave of annoyance. So what if his Mum was dating an younger man? It had never stopped his father. His mother had spent years in a loveless marriage; it was about time she found some type of happiness.

'I'm just saying it's a bit wrong, that's all.' Said Debbie, she was starting to realise that perhaps she had gone too far.

'Did you know my Dad was gay too? Or did Shane fail to mention that?' he tried to ignore how dangerous he sounded.

Her cheeks flushed. 'Listen I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything.'

'No,' said Declan angrily. 'You shouldn't have.'

The two stopped and Declan realised they were standing alone on Dublin's pier. The only one there was a man who seemed to be clutching a bottle of some sort.

'I hate you!' cried a voice from the side, the man who was clutching the bottle had now thrown it towards the sea. He was so drunk that it only flew a metre before it smashed on the floor. 'Can't get anything right!'

Declan found himself frozen and as he suddenly realised something.

'I think we should go.' Said Debbie nervously, glancing towards the drunken man. She placed a nervous hand on his arm.

Declan harshly shrugged it off. 'I think I know that man. I've got to go and see if I'm right.'

'You're nuts!' said Debbie angrily.

'Like father like son then, ay? You can go home and tell all your friends that Declan Brady is a nut job. That's what you wanted, isn't it?'

Her face twisted into a bitter scowl. 'You really are Brendan Brady's son!' she turned and disappeared into the night without looking back.

Declan let out a sigh of relief as soon as she was gone. He'd rather be stuck with a drunken man than that girl. It seemed his repertoire with the ladies was almost as good as his fathers and he was gay. He closed his eyes and forced himself to be brave; he had to see if he was right. He knew that voice and he knew that slouching form.

Declan crept quietly up to the man and got a good look at his face.

'Ste?' he asked, his courage was failing and a part of him was ready to bolt at any minute.

There was a pause, which gave Declan time to see an empty bottle of vodka and a few bottles of piles.

'Declan?' slurred the figure.

'Oh my god!' he said suddenly. 'What on earth have you done?' He shot round the bench and kneeled in front of Ste. 'How many have you taken Ste?' he pulled out his mobile, ready to dial 999.

'I haven't taken any.' His eyes were now filling with crystal tears. 'I couldn't do it.'

Declan forgot himself and pulled Ste into his arms for a hug. 'Thank god, I can't loose you too.' He pulled away and felt his heart break at the tears which were sliding down Ste's cheeks.

'I'm sorry.' Whispered Ste.

'What's this about?' asked Declan. 'I thought everything was okay. You sounded quite happy when I texted you last. What happened to Broody?' He frowned trying to figure out what had brought this change in Ste. Against all odds he had stayed in contact with his father's lover and they had developed a bond of sorts. But Declan didn't know this Ste, this was not the Ste he had seen last.

'I killed him.' Said Ste. 'I killed your father.'

Declan glanced around and noticed more people had appeared on the pier and were beginning to stare. 'Come on, let's get you home.'

'I don't have a home.' said Ste through the tears, 'not since Brendan died.'

'We're going to my home.' Said Declan, he put an arm under Ste's shoulders and pulled him to his feet. He cringed at how light the man felt.

'Eileen won't like that.' Slurred Ste.

'Mum's away on a hen party. It's just me and her boyfriend at home at the minute.'

Ste nodded, the fight had gone out of him. He allowed Declan to guide him through the streets of Dublin as it all became a blur. He was vaguely aware of some drunks shouting a provocative comment, but Declan skilfully walked past them without a fight.

A few hours later Declan found himself sitting in his living room alone. He wiped away a few tears that he hadn't even been aware of. He simply just sat there staring at the television not hearing the words or seeing the pictures. This had been a regular habit when his father died, but lately things had started to feel normal again and it had all stopped. He angrily punched a cushion, trying to control the rage that regularly tried to consume him. How could one man he barely knew cause so much pain and suffering?

He had checked on Ste an hour ago, the man was now sleeping peacefully in his bed upstairs. He was relieved that Padraig was at a mates' for the night and his mum wasn't there. If his mum was there he was sure she would have thrown Ste out onto the streets by now. His mum often let Declan know what she felt about his relationship with that council rat trash. Underneath it all Declan knew his mum was jealous of Ste. Ste was the man his father had loved enough to change for. Eileen was the one Brendan couldn't get away from quick enough.

The sound of a key in the door alerted him to the fact that his mum's boyfriend had returned. He thought of the many excuses he could make up for a stranger being in the house, but decided to avoid all that trouble and sneak Ste out in the morning. In the morning was when he'd find out why Ste was in Ireland and what had caused him to be in the state he'd found him in.

'Alright Dec?'

Declan smiled and nodded. The two of them got on well enough, but there was just something about the man that irked him. He made his mum happy, but was forever taking business trips to the UK.

'Want a beer?' he asked his blue eyes on Declan.

'No thanks.'

He sat down next to him on the sofa. 'How did the hot date go?'

Declan sometimes wished he'd get the hint that he didn't enjoy small talk. 'Terrible.'

'Ah. Plenty more fish in the sea.' He gave Declan his best attempt at a parental smile. 'Any way, I've just got to nip upstairs and use your computer.'

'No!' said Declan standing up suddenly.

He frowned at the boy, obviously confused. He regularly used Declan's computer without any fuss. 'Why not?'

'You just can't, okay?'

'Declan.'

Declan shut his eyes for a second. 'Look there's somebody up there, okay?'

His mother's boyfriend's eyes lit up suddenly. 'Is that Debbie up there?'

'No.'

'I like your style Declan. Which lucky girl is it?'

Declan clenched his fists. 'It's not a girl.'

The man's eyes widened in response to his admission, 'Your mum is going to go mad.'

'It's not what you think,' said Declan quickly.

'Who's up there?' he demanded.

'Me.' said a soft voice from behind them.

Declan turned and noticed Ste standing on the stairs watching the two of them. The man's eyes seemed to widen in shock at the sight of his mum's boyfriend.

'Ste?'

'Kevin?'

That was the moment in which everything suddenly got very messy.