Even In Heaven

by I Fancy Hugh Dancy

Even in Heaven, the Saints still cry. The Saints have returned to Dublin. When Murphy reunites with a childhood friend, will sparks fly, even amongst the bullets? Rating will definitely go up in later chapters. MurphyOC. Sequel up!

25. Relief

A/N: You know who's awesome? Yes, YOU! Thank you to those who read and reviewed. I'm getting busier by the moment, but I wanted to sneak in a post before school, volunteer and work fully trap me in their claws. Cross your fingers that I get a break and can post post-haste! haha xx IFHD

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Chapter 25: Relief

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"We Belong Together"

By: Gavin DeGraw

We belong together
like the open seas and shores
wedded by the planet force
we've all been spoken for

The hammer may strike, be dead on the ground.
a net to my hand, a cross on his crown.
we're done if, who we're undone,
finished if who we are incomplete.
as one we are everything,
we are everything we need.

We belong together
like the open seas and shores
wedded by the planet force
we've all been spoken for

What good is a life, with no one to share,
the light of the moon, the honor of a swear.
we can try to live the way in which you speak,
taste the milk of your mother earth's love,
spread the word of consciousness you see,
we are everything we need

All this indecision
all this independent strength
still
we've got our hearts on safe
we've got our hearts on safe

Someday when you're lonely,
sometime after all this bliss,
somewhere lost in emptiness,
I hope you find this gift
I hope you find this gift
I hope you find this gift.

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The flood of relief that rushed through my body was indescribable. I was completely at a loss for words. At this revelation, I felt even more lightheaded as more tears freely streamed down the sides of my cheeks. I was so thankful that I even began to embrace Mr. MacManus, wholly disregarding the shouts and protests of the surrounding doctor and nurses. Releasing him after a few glorious moments and holding my hands up in gleeful surrender, Mr. MacManus only reacted by letting out a loud guffaw, his mirthful laugh colouring the already loud and bustling room.

Ding fucking dong, Ciaran was dead! The emotions that pervaded my thoughts and heart were more than mixed. I never thought that I would be happy to hear that someone was dead – but then again, this case was quite special. Not allowing myself to feel any guilt regarding Ciaran's death, I continuously reminded myself what kind of man he was and what awful things he must have done to earn him a place on the MacManus hitlist. If I had the opportunity to do so, I may have just killed him myself… Visibly shaking my head, I decided to push this matter aside and let it rest in peace. The case was closed, and Mr. MacManus' recovery was all that mattered now; a joyous event to celebrate, for once!

As my heart was bursting with happiness and relief, I immediately resolved to find the twins as soon as possible. With a hasty farewell to the MacManuses, I bolted out of the hospital as quickly as I could manage without hurting myself even more and, indeed, not hurting others along the way! Flailing my arms wildly in the air as soon as I exited the swivel doors, I attempted to hail for any cab in sight. I must look like a bloody lunatic! Literally stopping traffic and surviving a barrage of honks and yells, I hopped into the nearest cab, finally able to catch my breath and slow my erratically beating heart. With a wheeze, I told the driver to race as fast as he could towards the MacManus home, the first place where I would begin my search. Disregarding the curious glance that he shot me from the rearview mirror, I merely rummaged through my bag for any type of payment. Beaming as I finally managed to find my wallet, I looked up just in time to see him ascend the MacManus driveway.

"Thank you!" I squeaked as I handed him a crumpled 10 Euro bill, pushing the door wide open as he nodded to me in gratitude. Seeing nobody in sight, I immediately raced towards the front door. Almost tripping and sprawling on their porch in my clumsy haste, I repeatedly rang the doorbell, now even more than impatient. When I received no answer after a few moments, I continuously banged on the door with all of my might, gritting my teeth in utter annoyance. If the twins weren't home, then there was no way for me to know where the hell they were at the moment or where they would be headed afterwards. Then, just when I was about to kick the bloody green door out of spite, it suddenly swung open without warning, revealing a distraught Connor. As he expertly evaded my misplaced kick, his eyes only grew wide at the sight of me. Quickly ushering me inside with a mumbled curse, he took a cursory glance behind me, then shut the door closed.

"What the fuck are ye doin' outta the hospital?" He chided as a father would his naughty daughter. Even pointing a finger at my nose to exhibit his point, he lightly scolded, "I thought I told ye ta stay in there and…"

"Your father's awake!" I quickly blurted out, placing a finger on his thin lips to finally shut him up. "He's well and he's awake. The doctors and nurses are probably going to do some tests on him, but he will be fine." I found that I had to briefly pause at this point. Finally catching my breath and closing my eyes, I finished firmly, "And Ciaran's dead."

"Oh, thank God!" The complete relief that passed upon Connor's rugged face made me smile. He placed his hand on his forehead, then proceeded to plop down on the nearby couch with another long exhale. "Thank God."

I eyed him expectantly, then took a languid glance around the room for any sign of Murphy. "Well?" Aren't you gonna go see him and celebrate with your mother?"

Connor remained silent. The hesitation in his expression immediately told me that something was bothering him. Crouching down in front of him, I suspiciously inquired with furrowed brows and squinted eyes, "What is it? What's wrong?"

The Irishman suddenly seemed uneasy. Fidgeting in his seat, he replied in a quiet voice, "Murph's…er…recoverin' upstairs." He rubbed the nape of his neck with a shrug. "I don't wanna leave 'im on his own ta…"

I abruptly stood, somewhat startling him, as I felt a rush of emotions course throughout my body. In sheer incredulity, I repeated sternly, "Recovering?!"

Flashback

Two days prior…

Connor stealthily entered the spacious MacManus house basement. With his arrival unnoticed, he immediately perceived, a few meters from him, Murphy hastily filling a black duffel bag with several weapons and ammunition. As he finished gathering what seemed to be most of his belongings, Murphy placed his hands upon the wooden table, surveying what was left in front of him. After a few moments, he pursed his lips in thought as he grasped and held up some thick, black rope. Then, with a dismissive shrug and tilt of the head, he tossed it mindlessly behind his shoulder, where it landed with a light thud right in front of Connor's feet. Feeling the rage boil inside him even more, Connor bent over to pick up the rope, then swiftly proceeded to mercilessly hit his twin upside the head with it.

"Jaysus fuckin' Christ!" Murphy exclaimed with a jump, almost knocking the duffel bag over with his flailing arm as he whirled to face his brother. Scrunching his face in an exhibition of annoyance, he snarled, "The fuck's yer problem?"

"First o' all, ye fuckin' need this." Connor began through clenched teeth, shoving the rope purposefully into the duffel bag then zipping it closed. Pointing a stern finger at his brother's nose, he continued, "Second, what the fuck do ye think yer doin'? Are ye fuckin' insane, tryin' ta go after all the bastards by yerself? Yer not fuckin' Rambo, as much as ye'd like ta believe it."

"Yer not Charlie Bronson either, ye wannabe. What's yer point?" Murphy retorted with a scoff, merely tilting his head to the side in complete dismissal. He then proceeded to collect everything that he had meticulously prepared. "Well, we still don't know where the fuck Ciaran is. Might as well take out all 'is men in the meantime."

Connor gave his twin a rough shove upon the chest. "Ye've lost yer fuckin' mind thinkin' ye can do this on yer own." Pausing to calm his rising emotions, Connor's orbs eyed his brother's alternately as he exhaled, "By the look o' ye, nothin's gonna stop ye from doin' this…"

"Nope."

Taking the duffel bag in his hand, Connor reasoned, "Alright, Murph. This is yer hit. But at least let me come with ye."

Murphy flashed him a side smirk, obviously pleased by this. Tossing his twin a loaded pistol, he remarked, "What are brothers for?"

End Flashback

"…When we got there, everythin' went according ta plan. Murph had the map o' the place, knew where the men were and everythin'. But what he didn't account for was exactly how many men were goin' ta be there that night." Connor let out a deep sigh, running his fingers irritably through his spiked hair as he continued to reminisce. "We were unsurprisingly outnumbered. Even though I tried ta stop 'im, Murph, the idiot, still went through with it. He had guns all o'er 'im, but there were just too many o' 'em. God must've decided ta give us a break, because none o' the ones we encountered were armed. Thankfully Murph only got the shit kicked outta 'im rather than his brains blown from 'is 'ead." He gave a light shrug. "Just our luck that Ciaran's cronies were unarmed at the time we ambushed 'em. If they were, well…I don't think either of us would be 'ere right now."

"Where is he?" I sternly demanded, visibly fuming at this revelation. Although I expected Murphy to do something brash, I was still angered by the fact that he had actually followed through with it – and even allowed his brother to go along for the ride! When Connor unsurely motioned his head towards the stairs, I steadfastly declared, "Your parents need you. Go to the hospital. I'll stay here with Murphy."

"But Lourdes…"

"Now." I replied firmly, not allowing Connor's protests to dissuade me from standing by my decision. I shook my head in disappointment. "I shouldn't have left them in the first place, but I couldn't get a bloody hold of either of you, so…"

At this point, Connor held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, I'm goin'." He even dangled his car keys in front of my nose to exhibit his point. When I thought that he was finally going to leave, a mischievous smile slowly appeared upon his face, as though a light suddenly turned on in his head. Clearing his throat for show, he raised his eyebrows repeatedly. "How about a goodbye kiss, then?"

I gritted my teeth in utter annoyance and let out a high-pitched squeal. Pushing at his arm and steadily pointing at the door, I snapped. "Connor, ye ass! Get. The. Hell. Outta here!"

"I was only jokin'!" He merely snorted with laughter, stalking over towards the doorway as he held his stomach. Though facing me once more after a few seconds, the expression on his countenance had completely changed. His face had grown serious, which managed to gain my attention. Sticking his head into the threshold, he questioned quietly, "So we're okay, then? Ye know, about that…thing…that happened between us?"

The unexpected question momentarily softened my mood. In response, I sent him a genuine smile. Eyeing him tenderly, I nodded, "Don't worry. We're fine Connor, really." I replied more softly, hopefully enough to reassure him. Holding onto the doorknob as I observed him step onto the porch, I joked, "Besides, I was so shitfaced that night that I probably would've done that with anyone!"

Connor didn't know whether to take me seriously or laugh till his stomach hurt. The comical expression that appeared on his face was enough to make me burst out laughing, but I somehow managed to keep the charade on a little longer. Surveying the completely serious expression on my face, Connor stuttered, "No way…n-no fuckin' way! Ye just don't wanna admit that ye find me attractive!"

"If you say so." I nonchalantly shrugged as I inclined my head in mock conceit, making his jaw drop so low that I thought it would hit his feet.

"Oh, I say so." In a matter of seconds, Connor had managed to reassure himself of his wondrous good looks even without my aid. Without a word, he placed the palm of his hand upon my mouth, then kissed the back of his hand with an exaggerated puckering noise. As he pulled back, I merely stood stalk still, wide-eyed and unsure of what had just transpired. With a grin resulting from his cheeky behaviour, he gave me a tap on the nose with a finger, his mood apparently lightened once more. "Look, just make sure Murph doesn't get outta the house. I'll try ta be back as soon as I can. Hopefully me parents will be with me, too."

"I hope so," I slowly replied, clearing my throat. Then, with the "kiss" momentarily forgotten, I couldn't help but snarl as I muttered under my breath, "And Murphy will want you to come back as soon as you can after I'm done with him!"

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A/N: Murph doesn't need to worry about the Irish mob - he needs to worry about Lourdes beatin' his arse. Till next time, my lovely readers! xx IFHD