A/N: This story is back to life! As am I, I had to move shortly after my last update, got a job in Oklahoma, and then when I was just starting to return to writing and reading fanfiction, I get hit with a Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis! Any-hoo, enough about me, on to the next chapter, finally!

Chapter 8: I Don't Want This Night to End

As they drove through the quiet, mostly empty streets in the MacManus' beat up sedan, Kinley couldn't help but think about the kiss that she and Murphy had shared in the alley and how she couldn't believe she'd only known him for such a short while, a very short while, and yet she couldn't help but think of how much she wanted to be with him, mentally, physically, emotionally, and any other way a person could be with another.

"So, have ya always lived in Boston?" Murphy asked half looking at the road and half looking at her.

"No, I've only been here for like 7 years. My dad got transferred here with his job and then after they passed I stayed because of Jay. He's a Boston boy, born and bred. He didn't want to move anywhere else. Or travel for that matter." She said, a tad bitterly.

"I see," Murphy said, pulling out another cigarette and offering her one.

"Thanks," she said as she accepted his offer. They drove in silence for a while until she couldn't help but ask, "Why did you kiss me back there?"

"Lass, I don't know if you realize this or not, but you are beautiful. I ain't lying, either. Conn and I both noticed and it takes one helluva beauty to tickle both our fancies." Murphy said, taking his eyes off the road ahead and looking dead into her eyes.

"Well. . ." she said, blushing again. "That's the first compliment I've gotten in a long, long time. I'm used to being called a 'dumb whore' or a 'stupid bitch.' Beautiful was never a word that Jay used hardly ever."

"Then it's his loss. He fecked up and it serves him right, they way he treated ya," Murphy said, motioning to her neck where the handprint bruise was. Thankfully it wasn't hardly visible anymore since it turned it's yellowish color. The only way it could be seen was if Kinley was in the right lighting or if you knew it was there.

"So, this is, uh, a nice car," she remarked trying to steer the subject away from Jay as it brought up frightening memories and Kinley couldn't help but look behind the car just to make sure he wasn't back there.

"Eh, it's old and dumpy," Murphy complained. "Connor and I got it when we first got to the States. We bought this before we had an apartment. It's seen a lot of stuff."

"I'll bet." Kinley remarked, raising an eyebrow and thinking of the MacManus's shady past.

"Do ya like music?" Murphy asked, reaching over to turn on the radio.

"I love music," she said, glad to have some sort of distraction from Murphy's deep, ocean blue eyes that seemed to be pulling her in.

"Any particular kind?"

"Anything and everything, whatever you like is fine with me." She said, trying not to drown in his eyes.

They drove through the night just listening to music as he showed her parts of Boston she'd never seen before even though she'd lived there as long as she had. A few times she caught herself singing along to the radio. More than a few of those times she caught Murphy either singing along or smiling at her and her happiness.

"Well, lass, it's gettin' late and my dear brother may be wondering what's happened to me." Murphy said as he motioned to the clock on the dash that read 3:35am.

"Oh gosh, I didn't realize! Romeo will probably be wondering the same about me. I hate for this night to end though. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

"Ya know, I could head back in the direction of our place and see if they haven't beaten us upstairs yet. I'm sure ya'd like to freshen up a bit and have a nicer place than a bar to wait for your friend. If I know Connor, and I do, he's led Romeo around to the other neighborhood bars that he tends to frequent."

"Sure, that'd be great. I'd hate to fall asleep right here and have someone carry me out and up."

As he drove back to the small apartment that he shared with his brother and father he couldn't help but think that for once he might have a relationship that lasted longer than the sex.

Neither he, nor Kinley was paying attention to the road or buildings any more so neither of them saw the tall shadow lurking suspiciously in one of the alleyways.