A/N: Okay, warning. This is a very long chapter, but I wanted to get it all in on one because I think it would have been too disjointed to divide it. Hopefully you guys are able to sit through it. And if I must beg, please review at the end. Pretty please with sugar on top! XD And if I have to threaten, then... well, you know what I threaten you with ;)
The long walk nearly had Connor and Murphy winded before they reached their destination. Of course, with cigarettes dangling from their lips, they weren't surprised. They had parked their car several blocks away from where they were headed, so as not to draw too much suspicion. The address Julie had gotten was in a warehouse district. Only a few factories remained functioning in that area, the rest were just rundown buildings. The only reason half of them weren't already demolished was for the same reason the brothers had come out there that night. It was a whole lot easier to do illegal operations in a practically abandoned warehouse than in the ritziest restaurant in town.
It was cold enough outside that the twins could see their breath in puffs through their ski masks, but the layers of black kept them comfortable enough as they waited for the criminals to arrive. Two cars pulled up separately; one black and sleek, the other dark green and a little rough around the edges. They were parked facing each other, the headlights illuminating the ground between them. It was as dramatic as anything the brothers had seen on TV or in movies, and they watched with bated breath as people started piling out of the vehicles. Three men from the black car and four from the green.
The men gathered in the middle in the light, each small group seeming to stare each other down. Connor crept forward first, Murphy close behind as they moved in to hear better. The two groups were talking about drug deals and payments and how the cops would never suspect a thing because they had an inside man. That was when both brothers stood, arms extended outward as they fired into the crowd.
Three men went down instantly, the other four starting to draw their own weapons. But the brothers were quicker, dispatching two more before the others could fire a bullet. The shot went wide, because one man had fallen onto the other, knocking them backwards in the process. The one man left standing didn't seem to be armed, but Connor kept his gun trained on him as Murphy went to make sure the others were dead and to place pennies over their eyes to signify why they had all been killed.
"Fuck," Murphy hissed after shooting the man who had been knocked down. "He's not here!"
"Where's Dupo," Connor asked the ratty looking man at the end of his gun.
"Dupo," the man asked nervously, then shook his head. "Ya mean Tony?"
Murphy came over to stand beside his brother. "Aye, that's who the fuck we mean."
"I don't know where he is," the man twitched. "Said he couldn't come tonight. Had other business to take care of."
"What other business," Connor urged, both brothers pulling back the hammers on their guns.
The man let out a cross between a yelp and a groan. "I don't know! Something to do with the bitch he'd been sleeping with."
Murphy pistol-whipped the man hard across the face, sending him backwards into the gravel. Connor reached down, turned him over and pulled him up on his knees. The man had started to cry as the brothers pressed the barrels of their guns to the back of his head.
"And shepherds we shall be," they began in one voice. "For thee, my Lord, for thee…"
---
"Don't you ever worry about them, Julie," Jayne asked as the two girls made popcorn in the kitchen.
"Of course I do, more than anything," Julie replied, pressing the buttons on the microwave. "But I can't stop them from doing what they do. We can only hope that they'll come home safe."
"And what about the day they don't," Jayne said sadly, leaning against the counter.
"It's nights like this that prepare you for it," Julie answered solemnly. "You watch them walk out the door, and you let your fears take hold of you for a few moments. You let all the bad thoughts break you down for just those few shaky breaths. Then, you steel yourself against it. Accept the idea that the next time you see them, they could be in a body bag. That way, when… if they walk through the door, it's nothing but the sheer rush of relief that over takes you."
Jayne gave her a skeptical look, completely unconvinced. "You'd have to be a cold-hearted bitch for that to work."
"I can pretend, can't I," Julie asked, glancing at her with a rueful smile. "Besides, truth is, I just eat my worries. Why else do you think I'm so chubby?"
"I thought it was because you were a baker," Jayne laughed lightly.
Julie waved the comment off. "That's just a cover for the real reason."
Jayne laughed harder, walking over to help Julie salt and butter the popcorn. They had decided to watch one of those cheesy romantic movies girls are supposed to like for the love story, but they only wanted to see it for the hot actor that was in it. The popcorn was finally seasoned to taste when the lights flickered a bit and went completely off.
"What's with the lights," Jayne asked, looking around confused.
Julie shook her head in the faint streetlight coming through the window. She opened the door to the microwave, but it didn't light up either. "Maybe we blew a breaker."
She went over to the small closet that held the electric breaker box. None of them were flipped to red. Stepping back out, she shook her head again. "I don't get it. They're all fine. And the street lamps are all on."
Julie was just walking back in to the kitchen when she heard the dogs start barking outside. They were at the far corner again, only this time they were jumping up against the fence, looking up at something on the telephone pole just on the other side. Her eyes widened and she turned toward Jayne.
"Get into the bedroom now," she ordered, pushing her toward the guest room.
"Why? What's going on," Jayne protested, trying to stop Julie's shoving.
"The dogs have been barking at that corner all week," Julie replied, grabbing Jayne's arm and starting to pull her along. "They've never done that before. Then the power goes out one night when the boys are gone. Something just doesn't add up."
It seemed at that moment, Jayne realized what was going on. Headlights flashed through the living room window as the girls passed by. For her and Jayne's sake, Julie didn't even try to hope that it was just the brothers returning. She pulled Jayne into the guest room just as a loud banging came on the front door
"Jayne," a loud male voice boomed from outside. "Get your ass out here, right now. Before I have to come looking for you."
"It's him," Jayne practically screamed.
Julie slammed the bedroom door shut and locked it. Jayne scrabbled to the other side of the room as Julie went for the bedside phone. Putting the receiver to her ear, she realized there was no dial tone. She searched the bedside drawer frantically for Jayne's cell phone, the loud banging on the door making her panic. When she couldn't find the cell phone, Julie turned her eyes to Jayne.
"Where's your phone," she asked in a hoarse whisper, trying not to speak too loudly.
Jayne seemed lost for a moment, petrified in her place on the floor. "I don't know. I guess I left it out in the living room."
"Fuck," Julie grumbled, and dropped to the floor.
Reaching under the bed, she half expected to find one of the brother's suitcases that was normally filled with weaponry. Apparently, they had taken it all with them. The gun Julie had been given by the twins was in her room next to Pokey on the bedside stand. She started for the bedroom door, despite Jayne's high pitched keening sound of worry and fear. Julie thought she might have a chance to rush to her room and grab the weapon before Tony got in, but the resounding crash from the other side ruined that idea.
"Don't let him get me," Jayne said frantically, standing and pressing herself back against the wall as if she could meld with it.
Julie went over to her quickly, grabbing Jayne's shoulders and giving her a little shake. "I won't, I promise. But you've got to listen to me. Now, stay calm and do what I tell you."
Jayne gave a shaky nod in understanding. Even as Tony began to pound on the bedroom door, Julie started looking around for ideas.
"Come on, Jayne-baby," Tony pleaded from the other side of the door. "Let me in. I'm sorry for what I did, and I just want you back."
Tears had started to flow down Jayne's cheeks, and Julie used her palms to wipe at them, holding Jayne's face in her hands. She still looked for some kind of idea, squinting when another set of headlights flashed across the window. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she remembered that the window was painted shut and there was nothing heavy enough in the room to break the glass.
"Jaynie, please," Tony continued, becoming progressively louder. "You know I love you, baby. Can't we work this out?"
Jayne started to sob, shaking her head in a frenzy. Julie grabbed the unusable phone and unplugged the telephone line, yanking the other end out of the wall and starting to wrap each end around her fists. She left Jayne to stand by herself as she moved a chair next to the door, just in time to hear Tony give a sound smack at the door.
"Let me in, Jayne, you bitch," he bellowed. "You're mine, you hear me? Mine! And I won't let you go that easily."
Another streak of headlights, another loud thud, and Tony was through the door, gun in hand. Jayne screamed just as Julie pounced on him from behind, wrapping the telephone cord around his throat and pulling back with all her might. He jerked back, choking for a second, hands tugging at his neck. But he was bigger than Julie, and better trained, so with one strategic twist, she went flying off his back and onto the floor.
"Here the whole time, huh," he said cruelly, smacking her hard with the gun, sending blood flying from her lips as she fell the rest of the way on the floor. "Liars! Every last one of you cunts!"
He raised the gun, pointing it at Jayne now. Her eyes widened, and her whole body trembled in fear, too much to allow her to think clearly, to move. Julie sprang up just as the hammer was clicking back on the handgun. With something between a grunt and a growl, she threw Jayne backwards and to one side. But the shot had been fired, and Julie wasn't fast enough. Jayne landed hard on her rear, Julie on her knees, both girls' eyes wide as they stared at each other.
It was Julie that looked down and saw the quickly growing red stain on her shirt. Her whole stomach felt like it was on fire as she looked at Jayne's face. Over the sound of the blood rushing through her ears, Julie could hear Jayne making that keening sound again as she reached for Julie's face.
There was the muffled sound of silencers behind Julie just as she listed to one side, crashing sideways on the floor, then an echoing thud a split second later. Rolling slightly onto her back, Julie pressed her hands to her stomach, not knowing where the wound was. Jayne was screaming her name somewhere close to her head, but Julie's mind was too foggy to pick up where. Quick heavy footsteps. Julie tensed, worried that it was Tony come to finish the job. But it was Murphy's face that flashed over her first.
"Oh Christ, no" he whispered horrified, eyes wide and filling with tears as he scanned them over her form. His hands moved over her midsection. "Fuck! There's so much blood, I can't find the wound!"
He was shoved out of the way, and Connor's arms lifted her up a little from the floor. She knew it was Connor because no one else ever touched her quite so delicately, like she might break. The pain had seeped away, but her mind hadn't cleared completely as she looked up at his face. He was cradling her close, one hand pressed hard against her stomach.
"No! No! Stay with me, Julie," he pleaded, face full of anguish, shaking his head frantically as he rocked her a bit. "Ye can survive this. Ye stay with me, damn it!"
"Connor," she managed to whisper softly. She wanted to reach up and touch his face, but her arms felt heavy and slightly cold. Her eyes squinted when she realized he was getting fuzzy around the edges in her vision.
"God, no, please" he cried out, looking up toward the ceiling, starting to sob slightly. He pulled her tighter to him, pressing his forehead to hers. "I love ye, Julie. Please hold on. Don't let 'im take ye yet. I love ye…"
Those words and the sound of Jayne's muffled weeping were the last things Julie heard before darkness overtook her.