A/N So another chapter that is my brain child. Hope you all enjoy.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Joi Zaira MacManus

Five Years Later

Murphy and Connor stood approximately twenty yards from the cottage they had once called home. It was mid-afternoon and they stood there just staring at the place. Murphy was scared shitless of walking up to the door. The only thing he could focus on were the words he had heard from his beloved Yvette. "I don't care if I have to wait all my life, you will always be the only man I can ever love." He truly hoped that she had kept true to her promise. Walking up to the door, he trembled horribly. Five years. It had been five long years since he had seen his wife. Five fucking years. Getting up the balls, he knocked on the door. Nothing happened at first. Knocking again, he waited patiently with Connor at his side. Murphy's eyes lit up when he heard the sound of an adult, feminine voice saying something.

The door opened to show a young girl behind it. She had shoulder length brown hair and brilliantly blue eyes. With a tiny little smile she said, "Me Maman es gettin' changed. She said ta let you in so you can wait for her." Opening the door, she took their hands and led them in to sit on the small, but comfortable couch. She smiled at the two men, "Are you Maman's friends?"

Connor smiled and nodded, "Yeah, we've known yer Ma fer almost eight years."

"Wow! Zat's older zen me!"

Smiling, Murphy asked, "How old are ye?"

The sweet little girl held up four fingers, "I'm four years ol'. I'll be five en…" she thought for a minute, "I'll be five on December tenf." Sitting on the floor she picked up a couple dolls are started playing.

Murphy looked at the girl in wonder. She was so beautiful. The little girl looked exactly like her mother, save the brown hair and blue eyes. She seemed so bright and full of life. Not to mention the sweetest thing he'd ever had the good fortune of knowing. He smiled at her, "Whah's yer name?"

She looked up, a toy pony in hand, and smiled. Her eyes seemed to twinkle with amusement, "Me name es Joi Zaira MacManus. 'Joi' means 'rejoicin'' en French an' 'Zaira' es Gaelic for 'princess,' Maman olways said I don' act like a princess, zo, she says I'm a crazy little monkey."

"Crazy li'l Sea Monkey?"

Joi nodded happily, "Yeah! Zat's wha' Maman olways calls me!" She looked at the man with a scrutinizing eye, "'ow did ye know zat?"

Murphy didn't get a chance to answer.

A door opened to reveal Yvette braiding it as usual. She didn't even see the two men at first, "Joi, who ees eet?"

The little girl shrugged, "I dunno. Zey say zey are yer friends."

Murphy smirked. He found the little girl's mixture of French and Irish pronunciations. When he looked at Yvette, the first thing he saw was her brown eyes. Then, old and not as shiny as before, the horseshoe necklace. She still wore it.

Yvette stopped as she looked at the two men sitting on her couch. Finishing off her braid and tying the end, she tossed it over her shoulder. It had taken her the entire five years, but her blonde hair was long once again and not a bit of red in sight. She swallowed hard and looked at the men. "Murphy…Connor…"

Connor stood and went to her. Picking up his sister-in-law and hugging her close he laughed loudly, "Yvette! God et's good ta see yah!" Putting her down, he smiled, "An' yer blonde again! Fantastic! Thah red just wasn't yer color." He hugged her again. He had missed her terribly. There had never been a woman he found more like a friend than Yvette. She was the biggest smartass he knew, next to Murphy of course.

She couldn't help it. The blonde hugged him with a big smile, "Why didn't you coll me when you got out?"

"Murphy was a pussy."

"Maman! He said a bad word!"

Connor turned to see the little girl glaring at him. He whispered to Yvette, "She's got your temper." He smiled at the little girl, "I'm sorry."

"'old out yer 'and."

Confused, but listening, he held out his hand.

Joi smacked the top of it fiercely.

He brought it back, "Ow."

Yvette laughed and looked at Murphy. She didn't know whether to be angry, or overjoyed. He was home. He was finally home after five years. For years she had waited and each year that passed hurt even more, but now he was home. He had come back to her. That made her happy. However…he wasn't there for Joi. He wasn't there for her first steps, first birthday, first tooth, first word, or even her first laugh. He wasn't there to teach her ride her pony that she got for her fourth birthday (a gift from her 'Tante' Laoise). He wasn't there for her, for his daughter. That made her mad.

Connor, sensing Yvette's confused moods, smiled at Joi, "Why don't yew an' I play? Yer Ma needs ta talk to thes man."

Nodding, Joi held up the little pony for him to take, "'er name is Coco an' she loves ta eat flowers."

Yvette gave a little smile as she watched the nearly forty-year-old man play with the nearly five-year-old girl on the floor of the little cottage.

Murphy stood and walked over to her. Taking her hand, he walked outside. With a deep breath he said, "Hi."

She looked up at him, "Five years."

"I know."

"She's olmost five! Five, Murphy!"

"I know…"

"Do you know 'ow many times she asked me 'o 'er papa wos? She olways asked why her friends 'ad two parents, a mama an' a papa. Eet keelled me when I told 'er zat 'er papa wasn't 'ere an' leeved a long way away."

"I know."

Tears were in her eyes. "Every day I looked at 'er wis zo blues eyes, your eyes." She looked away from him, "I wos reminded every day of ze last time I saw you. Eet 'urt more zen labor. Every sought of you 'urt."

He didn't say anything.

Yvette looked up at him, "But…"

Hope filled his heart.

"When eet 'urt ze most, I would close my eyes an' I'd be zere wis you. I'd put myself in zat cell an' eet would be you an' me."

Murphy turned her face so he could look her in the eye, "I love yew."

She nodded, "An' I love you. I kept my promise, Murphy, zere 'as been no one else." She gave a playful smirk, "Not zat zere weren't offers. Zis one fantastically muscular man wis gorgous red 'air an' blue eyes."

"What?"

She laughed, "I'm joking. I promise, zere wos never anyone else."

He smirked and shook his head, "Smartass."
"Olways."

He couldn't control himself any more. Looking over her he was reminded of every second they spent entwined in sheets. She looked amazing. No one would ever think she'd had a baby. There she stood in those fitted jeans and a tight black top. It was almost too much for him. It had been five years. He couldn't wait. Pushing his wife up against the side of the house he kissed her furiously.

Yvette tangled her hand into his short hair and kissed him back. It was amazing was five years of abstinence would do. Had it not been for Joi and Connor, she would have taken him to their old room and had her way. As it was, she couldn't do that. That would just have to wait for later. Pulling back from the passionate kiss, she asked him with a sweet smile, "Would you like to tell your daughter she 'as a papa now?"

Murphy nodded, "I'd love to. Oh, an' I tought yew liked 'Celeste'?"

"I did, but ze day she was born, I suddenly wrote 'Joi Zaira' on the certificate. I liked eet better."

They walked back into the house, hand in hand, to find the funniest sight in the world. Joi was holding a pallet of makeup that she had obviously taken from her mother's room. She had Connor looking like a clown with bright blue eye shadow and pink cheeks.

"Joi! What did I tell you aboot using my makeup?"

The little brunette looked like she'd just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She frowned, "Zat I wasn't allowed ta…"

Yvette was trying her best not to laugh at Connor. The best she could do was ask, "'ow did she convince you to do zis?"

"She said she wanted ta practice so she could help ye put on yer makeup…"

Murphy couldn't hold it in any longer. He fell onto the couch laughing his ass off so hard he could barely breathe.

Yvette broke. She laughed and dropped to her knees. Taking her daughter in her arms she said, "Eet's olright, Sea Monkey, eet's olright." She took the makeup from her daughter's hands and kissed her cheek, "'e looks very, very pretty."

"I know 'e does."

"But, bebe, men don't wear makeup."

Joi frowned and looked at Connor. Sighing she sat down, "Fine…"

The clownish man stood and went to wash his face off.

Yvette looked at Murphy over Joi's head. She smiled at her daughter, "Sea Monkey, where ees your daddy?"

"I dunno. You say 'e's really far away?"

Turning the little child to face Murphy on the couch, she whispered in her ear, "'e's right there."

Joi stepped forward and looked at Murphy. She stared long and hard at his face. Turning, she looked at her mother long and hard. She then picked up a little mirror on the floor and looked at herself. Putting the mirror down she looked back at Murphy and reached up to touch his brown hair. She suddenly smiled, "You 'ave ze same brown 'air an' blue eyes, just like me."

Murphy nodded, "Aye, Sea Monkey, I do."

"'ow do ye know zat Maman calls me zat?"

Yvette sat back and watched as the man chatted with the little girl.

"Well, before ye were even born, back when ye were still in yer Ma's tummy."

"Like Tante Laoise?"

Murphy looked at Yvette who confirmed with a nod. "Aye, just like Tante Laoise. Yer Ma told me thah ye looked like a squiggly, wiggly little sea monkey. I called ye thah an' de name just stuck." He took her little hands in his large ones, "So tell me, Sea Monkey, why don't ye tell me everyting about ya? I wanna know et all."

Scrambling up onto the couch besides Murphy, she smiled, "Well, me favorite time es summer, I like bugs, me favorite color es purple." She put the teddy bear she was holding in his hands, "Maman gave 'im ta me when I was a little bebe. I call 'im Monsieur Cuddles because 'e's so soft and sweet." She smiled, "I want my papa ta 'ave 'im now."

Looking at the rugged teddy, his heart clenched. The bear was already missing an eye and looked careworn, probably from the years of being dragged everywhere. He smiled at her, "Ah no, I couldn't take Cuddles from ye, thah wouldn't be right."

She shook her head, "No, ye keep 'im! I want ye ta 'ave 'im."

Murphy smiled and held the teddy, "Alright, I'll keep de bear."

Joi smiled, "Good."

Yvette was watching them from where she stood making up a snack for her daughter. Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes. After she had given the bear to her daughter no one but Joi had touched it. Now she was giving her most prized possession to someone she had just met. Wiping a tear from her eye, she brought in the little snack to her daughter, "'ere you go, bebe." If there was one thing Yvette caved on, it was cookies. She thought it was unfair to nibble on cookies, but tell a kid no. So, she gave her daughter a few cookies every now and again.

"Merci, Maman." After nibbling on a cookie, she offered one to her father.

Murphy smirked and took the cookie after thanking her.

Joi sat beside her father and kept jabbering away for the next two hours about absolutely everything. She told him about all her little friends she had in town and about her pony. With a proud smile she showed him a scar on her forehead. It was a little, inch long pale streak above her left eye. She happily told him the story of how it happened.

"Ye see, when I was only free Maman took me wit' 'er ta ze barn one day. Well, 'er mare Bibiane spooked an' kicked. She knocked me over an' I yelled at 'er 'cause she made me 'it my 'ead. That mean ol' fing!"

With a curious look the man turned to his wife.

Yvette nodded, "Oui. Ze child, bleeding fore'ead an' oll, yelled at my mare for 'urting 'er. Funniest sing I 'ave ever seen."

Joi nodded with a proud smile, "Aye, I made 'er regret 'urtin' me!"

Murphy chuckled and kissed the girl's forehead, "Yer just like yer Ma."

The petite brunette beamed the biggest smile at her father.

That Night

Yvette and Murphy laid in bed. Five long years had passed and there was more than just talking to make up. He had his wife wrapped in his arms as he kissed her furiously. Hands roamed over regions of the body neither had touched in some time on the body of another person. Both were on fire with desire as they kissed and touched each other's skin. For five years Yvette hadn't even thought about another man because she knew there was no one else in the world who could light her fire with only one tough like Murphy could. No one could look at her and make her go to mush inside. There was nothing in the world to her like the feeling of his lips or the touch of his hand.

Just as the two of them were about to really get the fire burning, there was a tiny knock at the door.

Turning to the door they both saw their little daughter in her long night shirt and her toy pony Coco in hand. She rubbed her eyes and looked sad, "I 'ad a bad dream."

Murphy groaned inside. Did this really have to happen? With a thought about his parents having sex, he dismissed the snake in his trousers. Sighing he gave her a little smile and patted the bed, "C'mere."

Joi smiled and crawled up between her parents. Holding her pony close she snuggled up against her father's chest. Within a few seconds she seemed to be asleep again.

Yvette gave her husband a little smirk as she kissed Joi's head. Quietly she whispered to him, "Eet 'appens. She gets zese dreams, but she never tells me wot zey are, just zat zey are bad."

"Aye, I had bad dreams as a kid, too." He put his arms around both of them and pulled them close. "I just wish she'd 'ad the dream tomorrow night."

With a smile and a quiet laugh the blonde nestled down to sleep happy and comforted with the thought that her beloved husband was home once again.

A/N I am sorry that this chapter has taken so long. After the move it took ages before I could get a hold of any internet. I hope no one is too upset with me.