Because the last chapter was so short, here's the battle after the battle. :-)

Yep I'm making a little time jump. As said from the start I never intended for this to grow this big. It started out as a one shot. There will be more time jumps and shorter chapters! Sorry for that. It's not that I'm taking it easy its just how I felt to write it.

For the sake of the story I'm taking more time between Rocco's death (aka finding their Dad) and the Yakavetta Trial. Instead of three months in between its more like six months.

Again thank you for reading and please keep sending me messages and reviewing.

And as always I do not own the McMannus Brothers and such.

Saorishe's POV

I sigh against Connor's lips. Our kisses are great but I break off and start to get up. Connor loves being nurtured and that's exactly what he's getting. Though we've been home for a few weeks he still has trouble walking so I pretty much hand him everything he needs. "You're lazy." I tell him. Connor snickers. "Ye know I'm de one who almost died, now don't ye." I smile at him. "Almost being the imperative word there, Connor. I love you but you have to get up more. Murphy is getting on my nerves. He's too jigglish for his own good."

Connor's face falls. "I know. Ye're right. Dis is the only time I got this close though. So close to death. It was so peacefull and I swear I literally saw white light." He says. He turns his head and stares outside. I can't handle this hurting man that Connor has become and I'm on my knees next to him immediately. I stroke his gorgeous hair softly before he turns his face to me, a watery smile on his face. "Sorry, love." He whispers. I want to console him, to get this pain out of his system so I help him, the way he helped me months ago. I lean in and kiss him again. I let my tongue trace his lips and after a few moments he responds.

Murphy chooses that moment to burst inside. "Busted." He yells with one of his superb smiles and I can't help to smile back at him. He kicks the door closed behind him and plops down on my couch. I stand and take a few steps towards my kitchen but then I turn.

I can see how Murphy's eyes send me a question. How is he today? I tilt my head just a little bit and bite my lip for a second as I shrug. He's ok I guess.

Murphy and I have been conversing this way since Connor got back from the Hospital. Murphy's hand is still in a cast and the doctors aren't that anxious to get it off yet. It will need at least four more weeks to heal and even then they're not sure if he'll be able to use his hand properly.

"So. I went to meet Smecker today. Yakavetta's trial is in two and a half months." Murphy starts. But instead of coming up with a plan Connor just turns his head to stare out the window again.

Murphy curses under his breath then nudges Connor. "Come on, Con. I know ye're hurting but please. Come back to me?" Silence settles in between my boys. I'm edgy, desperate to say at least something, but I know I can't help this. So I bite my tongue and look at my dry wall. I wipe away my tears and turn to my kitchen. Comfort food, that I could do.

BDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDS

Connor was progressing slowly. He'd started to go outside again, went drinking, shopping and practise shooting with Murphy as often as Murphy wanted to go. He'd give me tight hug when he got back and then hung around in the living room. Sometimes pacing, sometimes just staring out of the window. He laughed at Murphy's jokes and scoffed at my next diet. But the Connor I'd known before all this didn't seem to be able to make his way back to us.

Noah crashed on my couch every now and then. Where he went and what he did in between I had no idea of. And I was pretty sure I didn't really want to know.

Ciara had moved into the loft above McGinty's so Connor and Murphy could stay with me. The bed was hardly big enough for the three of us but I adored being in between them. I enjoyed being basked in by their love.

As every other night Murphy wrapped his arm around me from behind me while I held on tight to Connor's shirt, snuggling into his chest.

I woke up panicked. Connor had wrapped his arms around as well. Normally that would be ok. Murphy would usually let up a little and later on during the night I would turn and switch it up. But now I could feel Connor's arms around contracting. He held me so close, my face buried in his chest I could hardly breathe. He literally was suffocating me. I squirmed and tried to move but his arms tightened even more.

"Connor." I muffled in his shirt. But he didn't seem to hear me. I started kicking my legs. Not hard but I had to get out of this prison he created. My vision started to blur already. Tears leaking out of my eyes.

"Connor?" I felt my consciousness waver and tried to swallow, though my throat burned. My longs hurt in desperate need of air.

All of a sudden I heard a roar. And then Connor was off me. I scrambled off my bed, gasping for air and huddled in the corner, looking how Murphy was restraining a screaming Connor on the other side of my bed. Murphy was pushing him to the ground with all his strength. "Nooo. They can't have her. They musn't get to her." Connor screamed out.

"Connor? Con? It's me. It's yer Murph. It's just a dream, brother. Wake up.!" Murphy talked to Connor. But Connor's trashing continued.

I hated this. I couldn't help but literally despise the people who had done this to my Connor. And they'd used me to do it. Not literally but if it hadn't been for me, Connor and Murphy wouldn't have walked into that trap.

I looked up when Connor seemed to awaken and stopped trashing against his brother. Murphy sat back leaning on his arms while Connor moved away from him. He let his back rest against the wall, his knees pulled up.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, his eyes closed. "I'm so, so sorry!"

I got up and crawled to him then. I was a little hesitant but I was sure Murphy wouldn't let anything happen to me. And my heart ached for Connor. I wished I could take some of his pain away.

Finally I reached him and carefully touched his leg. His eyes flew open. Before he could say 'sorry' again I took his head in my hands and kissed him. Hard and demanding. "It's ok. Just come back to us." I whispered.

Then I wrapped him in a hug as much as he let me. I felt Murphy joining us, touching both me and Connor.

Connor started crying then. Literally crying, his tears wetting his shirt. Mostly wiping them away because the tears embarrassed him, but unable to hold them back.

I didn't know how long we sat there but after a few hours we got up and got back to our usual positions on my bed.

I felt safe as long as Murphy was behind me and I stroked Connor's face until he fell asleep.

We would be ok. I just knew it.

BDSBDSBDSBDSBDSBDS

"Look at this!" Murphy wriggled his fingers as he sighed. "Me arm looks as white as the moon and it's as thin as one of Ma's knitting needles." He sighed again, exasperated. Murphy's cast had come off the day before. The muscle dystrophy in his arm pretty terrible but the muscles and tendons didn't seem torn. The doctors had given him the approval of going without his cast. He could train his arm every day now, the bones in his wrist and hand fully healed.

I nodded to him, trying to find a witty remark. But Connor suddenly looked up from his seat at my kitchen table. "I always knew you were a stick puppet." He winked. I tried to keep my shock under wraps. He didn't need to know how surprised I was for him to respond at all. Even though it wasn't as funny as something Murphy would have said; the fact was he responded to our conversation. Something he hardly did since that night he'd cried so much.

Murphy seemed baffled as much as I was so I kicked him in his sheen. "Ow." He glared at me but then he turned to Connor and smiled widely. "I can still take ye!" He taunted. In half a second Connor was up and the two men I loved were tangled on the floor. Shoving and tugging at each other. A good an friendly bawl between the brothers.

I smiled widely. See I knew we'd be good.