Dani's POV:
"It's after hours. I mean, if you ladies want a drink…" Greenly offered both me and Eunice as they all walked from her car across the street toward the pub entrance. I stood by the front doors, waiting for the group to come closer.
"Thirty-seven bodies later, and we're finally back to where it all began. You boys ever heard of the Southern expression, 'We have an elephant in the living room'? I hope you fellas brought some peanuts." Eunice told them with a confident stride to her gait.
She and I led the trio of nervous detectives inside, sharing a secret smile between ourselves. I pulled myself up onto the bar and sat down on it while Romeo leaned against one the stools. The detectives stopped when they saw me sit near him.
"Wait, what is this? Who the fuck are you? You're either Vice or IAD. You're IAD, aren't you?" Dolly rambled on, pointing at Rome. "Alright, come on! Fucking arrest us!"
Then, it all came down as Connor and Murphy rose up from behind the bar and sprayed all three of the stuttering men with the fountain sprayers. "Hands above yer head!" The Irishmen yelled playfully as I burst out laughing. I sat between both of them as they "shielded" me from the oblivious victims to our prank.
"Stop it! Goddammit!" Duffy managed to shout before the boys stopped spraying them. All three of the men's heads were soaked with either beer or soda.
"Ya don't write. Ya don't fuckin' call!" Connor shouted in loud mischief.
"Ya should be ashamed o' yerselves." Murphy jabbed playfully, holding his cigarette between his fingers.
"Get the fuck outta here!" Greenly yelled in happy disbelief.
"You knew all along?" Duffy asked me and Eunice incredulously.
"You fucking bitches!" Dolly got down on his knees in front of Eunice and scootched to her, joyously wrapping his arms around her waist. She patted his head as he laughed. "Thank you! Thank you!"
We all laughed in light of the humor. I was secretly relieved that the detectives knew about the boys being back so they'd stop being so damn paranoid about the discovery of them being accessories to murder. After all, I was in that same category…
About half an hour later, after the merriment subsided, Eunice got down to business and informed the boys about the real suspect who killed Father McKinney.
"That's the feller?" Connor asked her, holding up a photo of the criminal in his hands.
"That's the fella. He's a Sicilian immigrant, name of Ottilio Panza. He'll be front page news in the morning, but we have to assume Yakavetta knows we've ID'd his guy. Can't give him time to 'Plan B' us." Eunice explained, standing between the boys. I sat in between Connor and Romeo, checking the time on my cell phone. 2:45 in the morning…
"We're hittin' 'im in 48 hours. That fast enough fer ya?" Murphy asked in his husky voice.
"Should be. Where's it gonna happen?" Eunice asked, putting the suspect photos in her jacket pocket.
"The Pru." Connor answered her, extinguishing his cigarette in an ashtray.
"The Prudential? What are you, cracked?" Dolly asked him, leaning forward in his barstool.
"Why don't you just do it on center ice at a fucking Bruins game?" Greenly put sarcastically, his eyes wide with bewilderment.
"That's where the man is, so that's where we're goin'. No guts, no glory, Greenbeans." Connor shook his head at him, gently putting his arm around my back. I struggled to suppress a yawn.
"In fact, we could use a few extra hands. That is, if you boys can still get yer Irish on." Murphy briefly glanced at me, as if he was expecting that I'd speak up.
"Hey, I got balls for days, pal-ey. I'm a fucking sack-o-matic!" Greenly announced, making me smile.
"He's a sack-o-matic." Connor laughed, pointing at Greenly as he moved his arm up to my shoulders.
"Well, guys. I think I better head home and get some shut-eye. The girls are gonna wonder why Mommy has such big ugly bags under her eyes." I chuckled to myself.
Connor grunted and placed his tattooed finger under my chin so he could see my face clearly. "Sei Bella in ogni modo." He purred in what I could guess was Italian.
Feeling the energy beginning to drain out of me, I slid down off my stool to join Eunice. "You boys have fun. Connor, Murphy. Escort a couple of ladies to the door."
"Aye." Murphy answered as Eunice looped her arm through his. She took her other arm and linked it to Connor's. I did the same with his other arm, halfway leaning on him.
"You lasses sure ya don't wanna hear the plan?" Connor asked us as he and Murphy led me and Eunice to the entryway. "I'm not one to sit here and brag, but…"
"Jesus." Murphy sighed out, folding his arms.
"This one's really Picasso. Ya shut yer hole." Connor scolded his brother playfully.
"No, I wanna critique your masterpiece with fresh eyes. Besides, it's a school night. Got some homework to do." Eunice briefly looked down at the floor, away from us.
"What's the matter?" Murphy asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Panza knew ya'll were in there tonight, and he just…let it happen. I mean if he's working for Yakavetta, why would he just stand by and watch all his men get taken out?"
"Ya think we got us another fox in the henhouse, then?" Connor questioned her, momentarily glancing at me.
"Starting to look that way. Somebody pushed that visa through. We're gonna have ourselves a genuine Ghost and the Darkness here."
Both of the boys nodded in understanding. I, on the other hand, was really too tired to say much else. "Well, I better head home so I can look presentable when I pick up the girls tomorrow." I smiled at the thought of seeing my babies again.
"All right, Dani. Stay safe on the road." Eunice smiled at me, opening the door and walking out to her own car across the street.
"Do you wanna stay here for a bit longer, or come with me?" I asked both of the Irishmen staring at me.
"We'll meet ya up at yer house, Dani. We're gonna fill in the boys in there what the plan is." Murphy explained, leaning against the wall.
"Alright, Danielle. Ya drive safely. We'll back in a couple o' hours." Connor stepped forward and planted a soft kiss on my forehead.
As he pulled away, I slowly took the step back toward the door. "Goodnight, guys."
"G'night, lass." They both in unison before briefly glancing at one another in confusion.
I left them behind, getting into my car and letting the outside world distort around me. Once I got home, I was definitely going to take some stuff to knock me out.
When I finally made it home, I slipped on the first pair of pajamas I got my hands on, a nightgown that went down to my knees, and went to turn on the TV. The first thing that appeared on the screen was a scene from one of my favorite films, The Quiet Man.
As I listened to the lovely voice of Maureen O'Hara singing at her piano, I went to the medicine cabinet and took out some Ibuprofen and Nyquil. After taking one pill of the latter and a drink of the former, I staggered to the couch and pulled the black afghan blanket over me.
I waited for the medicine to take effect, which they soon did. My eyelids drooped as the scene came up of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara having their famous rain-soaked kiss in the cemetery. The following narration of the movie faded out as I fell in a calm darkness, wishing I could sing like the Irish heroine on my television screen…
.
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Connor's POV:
Murphy and I rode back to Dani's house in Romeo's car after telling Dolly, Duffy and Greenly about our plan to execute Consezio Yakavetta. Now, we were on our way back from the bar to get some sleep.
Romeo stopped the car in front of the house, saying that he'd see us again tomorrow afternoon, and drove away into the suburban darkness.
"Murph, we gotta be quiet. Dani's probably passed out cold." I said to him as we walked up her driveway to the house.
"Are ya pissed that she didn't tell us about workin' with the FBI?" Murphy asked as he walked up the porch steps. I followed him as I answered.
"I was a lil' angry, but she's doin' what she can to help us. Hell, she's already givin' us her house to stay in. I find that too much as it is." I reached forward and opened the front door as quietly as I could. We both entered the house and saw the dark living room with the only source of light coming from the TV screen.
As I went to turn it off, I heard Murphy's voice whisper at me. "Connor, look."
I turned around toward where my brother was pointing. On the sofa lay the beautiful mother of my children. Her chocolate brown hair flowed down the pillow while her head was turned slightly in our direction. The soft sounds of her breathing with the occasional snore came out of her nostrils, her lips closed in an unconscious frown.
On the coffee table in front of the couch sat two medicine bottles, ones I recognized as Nyquil and Ibuprofen. I hoped she hadn't taken too much or else she'd be in a coma. Nevertheless, I knew this woman deserved a good period of rest.
"Well, looks like she's taken yer sleepin' spot, Conn. And with all that over-the-counter shit she took, I don't think she'll be wakin' up 'till tomorrow afternoon." Murphy chuckled and whispered at the same time, reaching down to move a stray piece of hair off her forehead.
"I won't blame her if she sleeps 'till then. She did shoot at a man who was tryin' to kill us just a few hours ago. But, I'm not gonna make her sleep on the couch in her own home." I walked to Danielle's side and gently lifted one of her arms and positioned it around my neck as I bent down toward her. Then I slowly slid my arms underneath her body and lifted her up, blanket and all. Her head rested naturally on my shoulder, though I doubted she'd be able to feel it.
"I can't believe ya just did that, man. It's fuckin' creepy. And she's gonna kill ya fer breakin' her rule about no men allowed in her room." Murphy shook his head as he turned off the TV.
"I'm not gonna do anything, Murph. I'm just gonna put her in bed and get the hell out. Fuckin' relax." I ignored his chortling as I walked down the dark hallway with Dani in my arms. I had forgotten how heavy of a sleeper she was.
Luckily, her bedroom door was cracked open, so I opened it wider with my foot and carried the sleeping woman into the room. Since it was so dark, all I could really see was a huge two-person bed and a personal bathroom for her use.
I laid her onto the correct side of the bed, making sure her head landed comfortably on the pillow. She hadn't made a peep since I picked her up off that couch.
When she woke up tomorrow, she'd understand that I was only trying to be a good guest and not take advantage of our lovely hostess. After adjusting the soft blanket to cover her body with its warmth, I turned away from her to leave…but not before leaning down and pressing my lips tenderly to hers in the quiet darkness.
That had been our third kiss since I had reunited with her three days ago…
"G'night, me love." I whispered, finally turning away from her slumbering form and exiting the room.
Back in the den, I saw Murphy leaning against the recliner, a smug smirk on his face. "God, Connor. She's gonna give ya a beatin' tomorrow when she wakes up."
"No, she won't." I folded my arms and leaned against the wall by the TV stand. "I think we're actually makin' some progress. Think about it, Murph. She wouldn't be workin' with the police of she still didn't give a shit about us."
"I know that. I've known fer six years that she still cared about us." He looked down at the floor in shame. "In fact, Conn…I brought the letters we wrote each other, 'cause I knew it'd all blow up in me face sooner or later."
"Ya…ya have her letters she wrote?" I asked, feeling my hands shake.
"Aye, got 'em right here in me bag. Ya wanna take a peek at 'em or not?" He bent down and unzipped his duffel bag on the carpet.
"Ya think?" I nearly ran to the couch and plopped down onto it in excitement. "But, maybe we should wait 'til Dani wakes up. She's wanna share these with us, too." I removed my pea-coat and holster before taking my gray shirt off to get more comfortable on the sofa.
"Alright, Conn. We oughta get some shut-eye anyway. I'm sure ya wanna look yer best tomorrow fer yer sweet Sleepin' Beauty." Murphy laughed as he positioned himself on the recliner, using his own pea-coat as a pillow.
We actually didn't get much sleep that night as we ended up wrestling on the carpet as Murphy mocked my chivalrous act of carrying Danielle to bed. What's an Irishman in love to do…?
AN: I know, this chapter was dull, boring and mediocre. But, I swear, it'll get better as the story goes along. Also, the foreign phrase Connor says is Italian for "You're beautiful in every way." Please review!
