Even In Heaven II: Saints' Scourge Chapter 10: Appearances, a boondock saints fanfic

A/N: Well, folks, it's been a VERY long time since I've updated this story. I do apologize, but when I have writer's block, I prefer to stop writing instead of writing pure crap. But here I am again! What pushed me to continue was evidence that you were still reading this and enjoying this. Thanks to those who reviewed: A Hotter Kiss A Better Touch, dragonzfire718, alandava, Jade Opal, IrishSaints, ivyshortcake, pixiebean82, and KittynJenn. Thanks to those who saved this story as well. I really appreciate the support! Enjoy this next installment.

xx IFHD

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Chapter 10: Appearances

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"Indestructible"

By: Disturbed

Another mission
The powers have called me away
Another time
To carry the colors again
My motivation
An oath I've sworn to defend
To win the honor
Of coming back home again
No explanation
Will matter after we begin
Unlock the dark destroyer that's buried within
My true vocation
And now my unfortunate friend
You will discover
A war you're unable to win

I'll have you know
That I've become...

Indestructible
Determination that is incorruptible
From the other side
A terror to behold
Annihilation will be unavoidable
Every broken enemy will know
That their opponent had to be invincible
Take a last look around while you're alive
I'm an indestructible master of war

Another reason
Another cause for me to fight
Another fuse uncovered
Now, for me to light
My dedication
To all that I've sworn to protect
I carry out my orders
Without a regret
A declaration
Embedded deep under the skin
A permanent reminder
Of how it began
No hesitation
When I am commanded to strike
You need to know
That you're in for the fight of your life

You will be shown
How I've become...

I'm...

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Somehow, the MacManus-Donnelly alliance was functional, to say the least. Owing to the numerous compromises and truces that Connor and Tommy had agreed upon (as a result of their brothers' continuing bickering, mostly), they were making headway with the issue of Cillian and his mob. Even more surprising was that they were able to keep Murphy and Kevin in check, preventing them from throwing punches at one another every time they met. Now able to trace Cillian's whereabouts in Boston, they were able to plan their first hit as partners. Needless to say, I was well nervous about this. Though, in the core of my heart, I did want them to get rid of the bastard and his cronies once and for all. For my own protection and peace of mind, none of the four Irishmen offered to divulge any information to me. Little did they know it only served to increase my worry.

Another week passed before the MacManuses met with the Donnellys at McGuinty's pub once more. Though, neither set of brothers planned this meeting – it was only by chance that they decided to have a relaxed night out in Boston on the same evening at the same establishment. Although one was able to sense the tension between Murphy and Kevin as the Donnelly brothers entered the establishment, both Irishmen remained silent and went about nonchalantly to mind their own business. Contrary to the friction between them, however, Connor and Tommy gave each other heart-felt slaps on the back amidst greetings, genuinely content with seeing one another. As Connor handed the Donnelly boys a pint, he nodded over to the booth where Murphy and I sat – funny enough, the same booth where we all shared our first meeting.

I cleared my throat, poking in a semi-serious voice as Murphy and I observed Connor converse with the Donnelly brothers a few meters away, "Murphy, behave. I don't want a bar fight in here tonight, alright? I want to relax for once, aye?"

"Aye, I'll behave right now," Pushing aside his pint, he leaned over the table and ensued to place a trail of kisses upon the side of my neck, "…but I can't promise that I can be'ave tanight, darlin'…"

"Hmm. Good enough for now," I replied with a laugh, shaking my head. Stroking his hair, I kissed his ear as I whispered, "The next time you want to throw a punch at Kevin Donnelly, just remind yourself how hard Connor's been working to keep this alliance in tact."

Slightly shivering at the contact of my lips upon the side of his face, he managed to throw me a light shrug. "Will do, love." Then, only about five seconds later, he recited his new mantra with a thoughtful expression, "Con's been workin' 'ard ta keep this alliance…Con's been workin' 'ard ta keep this alliance…Con's been workin' 'ard –"

Pushing him playfully upon the shoulder, I cried incredulously, "Oh, you are impossible, Murphy MacManus! Jaysus!" Through his boisterous laughter, he began to mercilessly tickle my sides, right where he knew I was most sensitive. Shrieking for him to stop through my uncontrollable giggles, he took me in his arms with a growl, playfully nibbling at my ears and lips.

It was then that, through the corners of my eyes, I spotted a set of other patrons entering the pub. My smile entirely vanished as I perceived who walked through the main entrance right behind Smecker. Almost instantly clenching my jaw, I pried myself from Murphy's grasp in annoyance, eyeing him in overt suspicion. "Murphy, what is she doing here?"

At that moment, Fiona flashed Murphy a brilliant smile, excitedly waving to him. I raised my eyebrows as Murphy smirked tightly and curtly waved in return. With a sigh, he mumbled, "I'll be back." Without another word or looking back in my direction, he shifted through the booth and strode purposefully towards Fiona and Smecker. I let out a scoff of disbelief as Fiona threw her arms wildly around Murphy's neck and kissed both of his cheeks in greeting. My fingers coiled so tightly upon my pint glass that I was sure that it was going to shatter at any moment into a million pieces. Gulping down the rest of my drink and slamming down the empty glass before me, I continued to seethe quietly, all alone, in the booth.

My mood only worsened when I heard the sounds of cheers and claps. Aye, go ahead and mock the shit out of me, ye bastards! I grumbled inwardly, anger not really directed at anyone but the Fuckface. Doc had stepped upon a small stage situated at the corner of the bar, microphone held firmly in hand. Holding out his free hand in order to quiet the unsurprisingly rowdy crowd, he began, "A-alright ye love-lovely people! O-open mic t-time. FUCK! ASS! S-So if…if ye know 'ow t-ta sing or play an ins-instrument, c-come up 'ere…c-come up 'ere an'…oh, just fuckin' play somethin' fer tha rest o' us! FUCK! ASS!"

Another round of shouts and cheers sounded throughout the semi-packed establishment as those in the crowd eyed each other for any takers on the offer. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Kevin purposefully zigzagging through the crowd. Confidently hopping upon the stage a few seconds later, to the delight of some nearby women, he nodded to Doc in a signal to hand him the nearby guitar. Sitting comfortably upon the provided stool as the instrument was given to him, he was encouraged with loud cheers and whistles, mostly coming from Tommy and Connor.

"Alright, glad to see I have two fans in here. Better than one." He lightly commented, eliciting chuckles and raised glasses towards him from the crowd. As he began to tune the guitar, he proclaimed rather proudly, "I'm Irish, and I'm drunk. So clearly, drunken Irish singing is next on the list." Clearing his throat through the whooping and hollering, he continued, almost sheepishly, "I suck at singing and I suck at playing the guitar, but I just wanted to sing this song for…for someone in the crowd tonight."

Strumming the strings once in preparation, he began in almost a hushed whisper:

How long have I been in this storm?

So overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form

Water's getting harder to tread

With these waves crashing over my head

At this point, I realized that his attention was wholly directed towards…me. His piercing emerald orbs collided with my own. With my lips slightly parted, I continued to watch and listen intently, mesmerized and completely speechless.

If I could just see you

Everything would be all right

If I'd see you

This darkness would turn to light

His confidence grew with every passing moment, though he never broke his stare upon me.

And I will walk on water

And you will catch me if I fall

And I will get lost into your eyes

I know everything will be alright

I know everything is alright

I know you didn't bring me out here to drown

So why am I ten feet under and upside down?

Barely surviving has become my purpose

Because I'm so used to living underneath the surface

The intensity of his gaze was too much; it pierced right through me, and I had to break his stare after a few more moments. Eyes fluttering downwards, I swallowed, trying to concentrate on anything in the pub instead of Kevin. With my eyes flickering towards the bar, I caught a glimpse of Tommy irritably massaging his temples with the tips of his fingers; Connor standing stalk still with his jaw visibly clenched, as though attempting to keep his collected composure; and Murphy's eyes narrowed and afire as they alternately switched from Kevin's form to my own. And, to a hint of my irritation, Fiona's lipstick-covered mouth was agape, eyebrows raised in sheer bewilderment, as her eyes landed upon me. Smecker, however, seemed completely unaware of what was discreetly transpiring, merrily drinking his pint and freely chatting with other patrons. Unaware of any of this, Kevin merely continued to perform, wholly concentrated on the ballad…

If I could just see you

Everything would be all right

If I'd see you

This darkness would turn to light

And I will walk on water

And you will catch me if I fall

And I know everything will be alright

I know everything will be alright…

Then, almost abruptly, he stopped.

Seeing the contorted expression on his countenance, I realized that, with furrowed brows, his attention had turned to the clear, front window of the bar. I knitted my own brows in question, crossing my arms lightly and briefly following where his stare was fixated before looking back at him.

His eyes suddenly grew wide in recognition and panic. Haphazardly dropping the guitar to the side of the stage, he startled almost every patron in the pub as he yelled in a panicked voice into the microphone: "Everyone, duck for cover, now!"

Nobody had time to question what the bloody hell he was on about, because right after he finished his sentence, a fusillade of bullets ripped through McGuinty's front windows, shattering them all into a million pieces upon the hardwood floor. Almost instantly, a chorus of panicked screams and shouts sounded amidst the pandemonium as every single person in the bar dropped to the floor for cover. It was hard to tell if anyone was injured, even killed, as another round of thunderous bullets sounded. Objects shattered all around us, bullets puncturing them left and right. With a throbbing head and my vision blurred, I scurried behind a post, trying my best to calm my rapidly-beating heart.

Through some huddled patrons, I could see to my left that Connor and Tommy had taken cover behind adjacent booths, guns drawn in front of them. They both seemed as confused as I was, having no idea who was shooting at the bar and, verily, who to shoot at.

I then felt a rush of panic rip through my veins.

Murphy. Oh God, where's Murphy?

It was then that I felt myself being roughly tackled towards the ground. With the wind knocked out of me, I quickly gasped for air as I hit the floor. Peering between the tendrils of my mussed hair, I could see, with the help of what was left of the flickering lights, Kevin's concerned expression. Wrapping an arm around the small of my waist, he pressed me behind the bar as he screamed, "Lourdes, stay down, alright?" Gritting his teeth in anger and frustration, he wildly thrust his hand into his pocket in search of, what I assumed, a weapon.

I wasn't in any position to reject the protection that Kevin willingly and freely offered. Although I was still concerned for Murphy's safety, I closed my eyes and clung onto Kevin for dear life. Warmth and comfort immediately surrounded my body, and for a brief moment, I reveled in a period of safety. As the deafening shots began once more, I tightly gripped the front of his sweater and kept the side of my head buried upon his chest.

"It has to be Cillian," he deduced with a tightened jaw, peering down towards me. "I don't know how he found us, but I don't know who else would do something like this!" Finally finding his silencer, he ensued to expertly cock it with his arms still around my waist. Face softening for a moment, he quickly questioned, "…So did you like the song?"
"Kevin –"

His small smirk suddenly disappeared as more bullets punctured the wooden bar. Their impact on the bar top ripped some shingles, which succeeded in sending a piece of oak upon Kevin's arm. With a curse, he dropped the gun in between us, momentarily immobile as pain coursed through him.

I didn't know whether it was annoyance or concern for the safety of everyone present in the pub, but whatever emotion was responsible, I found myself snatching the abandoned gun from the floor. I shook as I stared blankly at the weapon in my hand. Swallowing deeply, I mustered enough courage (or stupidity, rather), to slowly peer above the bar. Repeatedly pushing Kevin away as he began to pull me down in protest, I began to shoot at shadowed figures that were standing outside of the pub with their guns drawn and firing. I wasn't quite sure if I hit any of them, but for a passing moment, the gun shots halted.

Bullets suddenly penetrated the bar wall behind me. I let out a curt shriek as I cowered down to Kevin's side once more. Reflexively, I covered my head as a mélange of shattered glass and alcohol rained down upon me and Kevin. Hearing even more screams and the continuing discharge of guns, I resolved to gather my wits about me and shoot at the motherfuckers outside once more. Half-standing and half-squatting, I suddenly found myself frozen as I finally spotted Murphy across the establishment, directly in front of me.

He had his arms wrapped protectively around Fiona as they hid behind a booth.

With a hand on her head and the other upon her back, he held her closely and seemed to be attempting to calm her. Pressing his chin and lips upon her head, Murphy quickly drew his weapon from somewhere inside his pea coat, but never loosened his grip on Fiona.

Jealousy and annoyance coursed through my veins then. The activity in the room slowed, and the deafening sounds around me slowly began to fade into faint whispers. Was he even thinking of where the fuck I was? Was he so busy trying to retaliate at whoever the fuck was doing this that he couldn't even look for me?

"Lourdes, watch out!"

Eyes flickering towards the entrance of the bar as I heard the warning, I spotted a masked man pointing a gun in my direction.

I heard a shot fire and felt myself falling to the ground.

Everything turned black.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed that and that it was up to par! Let me know what you think! Cheers! xx IFHD