I know I have this rated as teen but just want to give an extra heads up there's some swearing in this chapter. Not sure if I liked where this chapter went, but I'll let you all tell me if it was way to out there.

Chapter 7.

I am Normal.

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"Rory?" The burly man loomed over her. Her vacant eyes took in his shaved head, his snake tattoo, the small nick above his eyes. "Rory." The voice boomed more sure this time. She nodded slowly. He stuck out his hand in gesture. "Names Tim. We need to talk." She took the proffered hand in a meek shake nodding compliantly. "Good c'mon." She followed him out onto the streets; he led her along the Boston roadways and into a small park. He instructed her to sit on one of the park benches; she complied.

"Rory, I'm sorry about Mack, he was a good kid." He began bluntly with sympathy in his voice.

"You knew Mack?" She asked her eyes shining brightly. He took a heavy sigh. "When Mack came into the job, I knew he wasn't meant for it. He had this huge imagination, he could dream up anything; it's not a good skill to have in this line of work, letting your mind wander imagining the possibilities and the ramifications of the actions we take. When he ran away I wasn't surprised. I looked after that kid while he was still in and I tried to watch over him when he was on the run, but I lost him and when I couldn't find him easily I let him go figured if I dug too deep, too hard someone would have gotten suspicious and then both of us would have been in a whole lot of fucked up shit. It's been 3 years and nothing I thought maybe the sonuvabitch had made it out. Then I get this note." He produced the letter sized sheet and she reached out for it recognizing the lettering. "The letter tells me that when I got hold of it he'd be dead but that's life he says, there's this girl though he tells me and I owe him a favour which is true but that's another time, he tells me there's this girl blue eyed, brown haired, eyes that light up the world. This girl he writes will change lives changed his life. His favour? Make sure this girl doesn't get fucked up like him, make sure she stays safe."

"You're in the mob." Rory stated softly, unbelievingly.

"I am." He concurred matter of factly.

"You let this happen." She looked at him angrily.

"I didn't know the hit was going down I didn't know they'd found him."

"You let him get found." She rose, her small five foot five frame trying to overwhelm his six feet.

"Hey I didn't come here to get blamed."

"Why did you come here?" She spat, she was thinking she was moving on emotions and adrenalin.

"I came here to make a deal."

"I thought I was a favour."

"I already made good on that favour, now I'm here to make a deal and make the final bit of Mack's letter come to life."

"How very poetic of you. What was the favour?"

"Don't worry about that. The deal. You drop this insane idea of yours to look into Mack's death and his killer and you let the police let this case fall through the cracks. You do that and you'll be safe."

"If I don't?"

"If you don't there'll be consequences, and you may as well have gotten shot."

"How'd you know that?"

"I know a lot of things."

"How very cryptic of you." She spoke icily.

"Do we have a deal?"

"I already struck that deal with Mack."

"Well as much as I'd like to believe your loyalty to Mack I often see deals die along with the other members of that deal."

"We have a deal." She offered her hand this time shaking his firmly.

"Just so we're clear it's implied that you keep your mouth shut."

"I don't want to see you again Tim. As much as I respect you for following through on a deserter of your gang and respecting and watching out for him, even if he ultimately met an untimely death I don't wish to have any dealing with your gang or any other."

"Trust me on this girl I don't want to see you again either." She nodded and handed him the note. "Keep it." He ticked his head in salute and left her standing in the small Boston Park watching his shrinking figure.

----

Present day. After New Years.

The cell phone buzzed in Rory's pocket as Logan helped her bring her bags up to her apartment. Without a seconds thought she pulled the phone out of her pocket and flipped it to her ear.

"Hello." She breathed heavier than usual into the phone, because of the heavy bag she had insisted on carrying.

"Lorelai Gilmore took me awhile to find you again, why didn't you tell me Rory was just a nickname." She stopped suddenly causing the bag she was carrying to drop to the ground. Her stomach lurched, her breathing becoming shallow and erratic.

"What do you want?" She asked trying to remain calm.

Logan called to her rounding the corner coming from her apartment. "I told you I could carry that bag for you." He joked. He stopped when he saw Rory on her cell, her face was drained of colour. "Rory what's wrong?"

She waved him off, when he didn't move she turned her back to him walking down the opposite hallway praying he didn't follow. The voice on the phone had remained quiet when Logan had appeared but it continued sensing she was alone again.

"We need to talk Rory." The voice was annoyed.

"No we don't. We're done I've done what you said, I never went to the police I never investigated further."

"Someone's snooping around." He answered bluntly.

"What does that have to do with me? There are probably hundreds of people looking into your gang."

"It's a detective."

"The police." She answered feeling her nerves being replaced by anger.

"The police? Really Rory I would've thought you smarter than that. Did you really think we were just good enough to get away with all the shit that we do?"

"You pay them off."

"Bingo."

"But this person investigating it's not me." Her voice raising more than she could help.

"Rory your naivety is getting a little old. Meet me at eight at the park." He didn't wait for a reply. It wouldn't have mattered what she had said anyway, he wasn't the kind of person you could negotiate with. She shoved the phone back in her pocket, her heart still beating out of her chest.

Walking into her apartment she saw Logan had brought her bags in. He looked up when she entered. "What was that about?"

"Work stuff."

"You looked petrified."

"Did I?" She played dumb coming to sit beside him.

"You weren't?"

"Nope." She pecked him on the cheek "But thanks for caring."
"When are you going to quit that job Rory and come work with Jim and me?"

"When I have the proper education to be more than just a paper pusher."

"You have more than that Rory."

"Actually Wolfe gave me a small bit in an upcoming paper."

"Ace that's awesome."

"Thanks"

"Of course it's probably just his master to plan to steal you away."

"No one could steal me from you." She purred inches from his lips. Straddling him on the couch, she smiled seductively at him. "I can't believe you've kept your stupid pledge going Logan. You can't possibly think I'm still going to run."

"I won't lie it's been hard."

"Yes it has." She laughed softly at the implication rubbing the bulge between his pants making him groan softly. She smiled leaning in for a kiss.

"Rory." He groaned.

"Logan." She looked into his blue eyes, he looked back at hers gone dark with lust, want and love. "I've been patient. I'm not going to be anymore." She assaulted his lips, she felt him hesitate then give into her.

The clock shone 5:45. Events were about to change her life once again but for now she enjoyed the bliss of the present and forgot the horrors of the past and the uncertainties of the future.

---

"Hey." He greeted her groggily. "We fell asleep?"

"Yeah not during though. Thank God." She joked rolling her eyes, and leaning in to kiss him. He chuckled smiling into the kiss.

"Aren't you glad we didn't wait any longer?" She purred.

"Mmm…better than I remembered." She replied by kissing him again groaning as he pulled her onto him.

"Mmm no Logan. I have to go."

"What do you mean you have to go?" He asked teasingly.

"I have that…work thing."

"This late in the night? Blow it off."

"I can't." She pushed off him suddenly feeling the weight of the meeting crash down on her.

"Rory." He pleaded seriously, feeling the shift in her mood. "I'll come with you."

"No." She said quickly, coming forward to kiss him reassuringly noticing his apprehension. "I'll talk to you later." She grabbed her coat and keys and walked quickly out of the apartment.

Rain misted across the city glowing in the waning hours of the day's sun as Rory walked along the streets. A young couple walked past her, whispering to each other. Her mind fluttered to Logan and the fact that she had used him, used him to get her mind off what she was about to walk into. She wiped a hand over her face trying to forget what she had done. She did really love him but in that moment she had just wanted an escape. She looked up at the entrance to the small urban park; she hadn't been back to the park since he had first brought her to it. Fingering the pepper spray in the bottom of her coat pocket she stepped foot into the park.

She spotted him sitting at the same park bench she had sat at two years ago. Another nick was added to the collection on his face but otherwise he looked the same. He rose when he saw her, a smile graced his face and for some reason she felt reassured, it was his job she guessed to reassure his hits.

"Rory."

"Tim." She shook his hand, her vacant no longer. "I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again."

"I thought I told you the same thing."

"Funny since you called me here for something I am not involved in."

"I have to disagree."

"And why is that?"

"This man." He produced a 5 X 7 glossy of a man in his late thirties walking along a busy street.

"I've never met him before."

"This is our friendly detective." He produced another paper. "James Groldenchken, private eye, thirty-six, works the east coast." He recited the facts. "Phew" he whistled. "Look at these credentials…."

She suddenly felt a new fit of rage take her over. She didn't need to take this pestering this unsubstantiated claim. "You know what I don't know why I came here. I am not involved in this and you are obviously not going to believe me."

"You came here because you know who this James is working for. Think about it. Who have you told?"

"Why would I tell someone now when I've kept it quiet for so long?"

"Because it got too hard and you couldn't handle being alone in it any longer." He answered so truthfully and genuine that she thought at first he was speaking from experience.

"How do you know that? Were you following me?"

"I can see it in your eyes, it's a knack I've picked up from studying people for so long. And you my dear read like an open book."

Rory stared at the man before her. She didn't know what quite to think, he was right about one thing she had told someone what had happened. "But it couldn't be him." She murmured out loud.

"Who couldn't it be?" Tim questioned.

"He wouldn't do that." She looked away from him at an old fir. "He was the one who convinced me not to go to the police when I was going to. He couldn't; I can't believe that."

"Are you sure about that Rory? Would you bet this mans life on it? Because if he digs any deeper he's going to be taken down and if he is in anyway found to be linked to you I can no longer say that you will be free of the mob Mack wanted you to stay far away from. Keep this." He handed her the picture.

Rory shook her head she felt like she was in some horribly cheesy mob movie, and she couldn't think straight. "Tell me Tim I'm ready to know what the favour was?"

He sighed heavily; he had thought she would have figured that out by now. "Really Rory why do you think no ones come for you yet? You're linked to a messy hit and you as the sole witness are not dead or bought off."

She looked at him as he spoke, the words hitting her like knives. "You killed him. This entire time I was wondering if he was still out there and he wasn't."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you but you weren't ready for it then and you may not be ready for it now but there it is, he was slime, one of the worst in the business sloppy, careless and without respect for the job. Don't feel sorry for him, it is not your fault that he is dead, he shouldn't have been so fuckin' careless if he wanted to live."

She couldn't speak. Her life from then on would carry this burden of knowing that because of her a man was dead. No matter how evil he was, he was a living breathing person. "I…I have to go." She looked up at him.

"Be sure Rory."

She nodded in acquiescence.

"Hey" he called as she turned from him. "I'm sorry you seem like a good kid, like Mack you both have that 'I can change the world' vibe about you. You should never have had to get involved in this part of the human world."

She shrugged slowly. "But that's life right. You can stick your head in the sand but life will catch up with you eventually right? I lived half my life believing there was nothing bad out there, I deserve this." She turned back picking her feet up leaving him far behind. Standing there he shook his head, he should have never told her, he should have never gotten involved in her life, but for once in his life he didn't want to do the wrong thing.

In a matter of an hour her life had once again hit rock bottom. She felt listless, she needed to do something to get her mind off everything but she had done it all before, she had run, she had drunk, she had hid, she had cried, there was nothing left for her to do. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, deftly she pulled it out and stared at Logan's name flashing across the LCD screen.

Logan she couldn't quite believe he would hire a detective but she knew he had, something in the pit of her stomach told her that her fears were right. The phone buzzed softly across the open palm of her hand. She wanted to be angry at him but she couldn't muster up the energy to feel anything toward him at the moment. The phone suddenly stopped and she pushed it back into her pocket as her feet started their migration forward once again. From her pocket the phone beeped. She had a message. Without thinking she pulled the phone from its spot once again and pushed to hear her message, lifting it to her ear.

"Rory!" He was happy, loud, bubbly. It jarred her. "Can I just tell you never be patient again. Hurry…" She pulled the phone from her ear simultaneously shutting it. Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to block out the days events.

If only there were time machines.

But this wasn't Back to the Future and she definitely wasn't Michael J. Fox. Spotting a sports bar ahead of her aptly named Harry after the common Joe.

"What can I get you?" The bartender asked as she took a stool at the bar.

"Rum and coke make it a double." She paid for the drink as he set the full cup in front of her. Taking a gulp she felt the alcohol course through her. Felt the liquor numb her extremities and start to haze her overactive mind.

"Lay it on me."

"Hmm…?" She looked up surprised to see the bartender...she read his nametag, Cal standing afore her.

"It's a slow night, you look like you need someone to bounce off of and frankly I need some bit of gossip, like I said its been a slow night."

She took another long drink. "My boyfriend lied to me put his and my life in danger. I got a visit from an old friend, and I found out it's my fault someone left town."

"It could be worse." He sympathised. She laughed darkly, if only he knew it was.

She finished off the drink in another gulp and rose from her chair. "Thanks for being my brick wall."

"No problem…" His voice faded as she left the bar. How could she think this would be solved by alcohol or a bartender?

She walked quickly feeling the blood carry the alcohol to every fibre.

It was wearing off though and already her mind was busy rewinding the day's events.

She came in quietly so as not to disturb him. Why she did so she wasn't certain maybe it was more for herself than for him. She didn't wish to bring it up with him, she wanted desperately to forget everything that had just happened. That bottle of tequila was looking better, why she had left that bar now she couldn't be quite sure. Logan wasn't asleep though, instead he was flipping aimlessly through channels on her small 27" television. A tear slid down her cheek, wiping it away without notice she walked into full view.

"Rory." He smiled getting up from the couch to greet her. It disappeared when she took a slow step away from him.

"I don't think this is going to work Logan." Rory spoke softly.

"What? You're joking right? Playing with me because of the whole sex skit we had going."

"No it has nothing do with that. Everything to do with this." She pulled the picture from her pocket. "I watched the closest person I ever knew die in front of me, another died because of me. I can't watch another one go down the same way. I won't."

"Rory you have it wrong."

"Do I Logan? Tell me you don't know this person tell me you didn't hire him to look into the east side mob."

"I did it to find the sunuvabitch who killed Mack."

"Why would you do that? After what you told me that night a couple months ago, do you remember Logan?"

"Of course I remember, how could I forget?"

"Why did you do it? I know you know that it wouldn't make a difference."

"It would make a difference to you."

"Did you even think this through? How could you think that you could find this guy and not bring the house down with him?"

"I…"

"Because you haven't even got that deep and they are already alerted to this guy. They are ready to off him if he gets any deeper. Call him off Logan. Tell him to go home to his family and leave this job alone."

"Rory."

"Don't argue with me Logan. Do it now."

"How do you know all this? Are you not telling me something?"

"I've always been watched Logan."

He looked baffled, grasping at straws to right the horrible mess the conversation was. "You were going to go to the police Rory, you wanted me to take that picture to them."

"I would never have gone through with it. I made a deal."

"You made a deal? With who?"

"Just go Logan." She backed off allowing a path to her door. "Go home phone this detective, you risk putting numerous people in jeopardy."

"Rory…"

"Logan…" Her eyes shone with hot tears unable to hold her emotions in check. "I need time, space. Please just go."

He didn't say another word but collected his jacket and left her apartment, not bothering to close the door. She went to it and gently shut it sliding the bolt into place she slid down the door landing at the foot of it her body shaking with sobs. Quiet hiccups spread from somewhere below her chest. They had been so good they had hit their stride, why had he felt the need to bring her past back? Could she ever forget that he had?

Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket and she reached for it pulling it to her ear.

"Hello." She breathed into the phone.

"Did you tell him?" It was Tim. She already knew that.

"He won't be bothering you anymore."

She heard him breathe a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry Rory that this happened to you. I never meant to come back, I truly didn't."

"I understand Tim."

"Okay."

"Okay."

The line clicked shut and she closed her phone.

She ran her fingers through her shoulder length chestnut hair. She made a decision.

She moved stealthily like a jaguar stalking its prey, to her computer. Waking it out of its two week hibernation she opened a word document and typed. Let her fingers find the story she wished to tell, one of happiness, failure, hope, grief, confusion, love, loss. She could only hope it would find its ending.

----

Jim had followed Rory's naughty old neighbour into the main entrance. Taking the stairs he beat her up to Rory's door.

He wasn't aware of the happenings of the night before.

Reaching her door, he found it slightly ajar. "Rory." He called out pushing the door open. Immediately he felt the emptiness of the space. "Rory." He called out again, his heart beating faster. He walked into her small common room. "Rory, are you here?" Out of chance he saw her computer, pictures of her family slid across the screensaver. He moved the mouse, a word document came up. 'What's a life?' he read on the first page. He took the mouse scrolling the bar, page after page was filled with type; almost three hundred pages. He noticed his name and read the page. It was her life. He felt a lump form in his throat a cold dread wash over him. Slowly he paged to the last sheet. His eyes scrolled across the last sentences brushing tears away from blocking his sight.

"I'll be found amidst the wreckage."

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Rory pushed the wire buggy through the aisles humming along with the music filtered through the megamarts speakers. Poptarts. Jam. Rocky road ice-cream. Eggs. Celery. Ground meat.

Normal. She is normal.

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