Here's the next chapter! Not much to say this morning, mostly because it is way too early to be at work on a Monday morning. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always, REVIEW!

When Filip entered the tiny rectory, he almost had to stop himself from laughing aloud at the scene that greeted him. Juice was standing near the door, shuffling nervously from foot to foot. Kerryanne was seated on the couch, glaring at him silently, her eyes narrowed, her arms crossed. It was clear that there was a battle of wills going on, and the only reason Juice was winning was the size advantage. He and Fiona walked through the door and Kerry was on her feet and in his arms within seconds. Juice just looked relieved that they were back and he was no longer responsible for the girl.

His little daughter was clinging to him tightly, crying her eyes out. He was amazed that she could go from angsty, furious teenager to sobbing girl so quickly, but that was the least of his concerns right now. She was hugging the life out of him, crying hysterically, and forming indecipherable words. He held on to her, just slightly less tightly. He had gone too many years without her hugs, so he was going to take advantage of them as often as he could. He was, however, beginning to wonder if she might be having a panic attack or some other sort of fit. He moved his arms from around her to grip her shoulders. He pushed her back just slightly, forcing her to look at him.

"Kerryanne? Listen, Darlin', I am so sorry. I know you are probably scared and mad, but please don't cry. We are all in one piece and everything is going to be okay," he told her, feeling sort of frantic because he hated to see her cry.

"I'm not mad, Da. It's just, today has been…" she trailed off, trying to think of the right word. "Shit. Today has just been shit."

He somehow found that really, really funny. She looked like she was waiting to get yelled at for cursing. That could come from her mother, though; he just hugged her and smiled where she couldn't see. It seemed as if she was done crying, at least for now, and she came up with a tissue to dry her face. Juice and Fiona were both staring at him. Juice looked in awe, probably wondering how he had managed to calm the girl. Fiona's just looked like she loved him, and he was absolutely fine with that.

"Can you stay, Da?" Kerry asked, sounding heartbreakingly hopeful. He didn't want to tell her no, wanted to stay with them, but he really did have some things he had to discuss with the boys. They would be expecting him back, and soon. They needed to come up with some sort of a plan as to who was going to pay for this and how. He opened his mouth to tell her he had to go, but Juice cut him off.

"He has to go back to Maureen's, the guys will be meeting, but he'll be back after that," Juice told Kerry, surprising Filip and Fiona both.

Kerryanne's smile was electric, "Seriously?"

"Absolutely," Filip told her, smiling himself before leaning down and kissing her forehead. He loved this little girl so goddamn much, and if she felt safer and happier with him there, than he would be there. Fiona looked relieved and more than a little happy herself. Filip was not used to being so wanted, but it was something he could get used to. He hugged her to him again, this time pulling Fiona in as well. He may have lost Paddy today, but at least Filip knew the boy was at peace, and it only made him want to hold his family that much closer.

Oh, God. He was suddenly stricken by the knowledge that he would have to tell his daughter, sometime very, very soon, that her cousin was dead. Had it really only been yesterday that the two of them had been sitting together on the bed, fighting and smiling about music, teasing each other mercilessly? And now, Paddy was gone forever. Kerryanne would be beside herself. She loved her cousin, had always loved him, and had relied on him in many ways. Filip knew that there was no way she was going to take this news well. Should he tell her now? If he did that, and then just left, it would feel too much like he was abandoning her. But if he waited until he returned tonight, she would be furious that they hadn't told her sooner. Jesus, was parenting always this hard?

Fiona solved the problem for him. "Kerryanne, let's sit down, Love. Da and I need to tell you about something."

She took it exactly how he thought she would. At first she was just stunned, but it didn't take long for that stunned silence to turn into grief and anger. He and her Ma took turns holding her, soothing her, until she finally looked like she was about to just collapse in sheer exhaustion. Filip picked her up and carried her into bed, like he had done so many times when she was little. Fiona laid next to her, stroking her hair until she fell asleep, pausing only to kiss him soundly and make him promise to be careful and hurry back.

He reentered the living room to find Juice, standing anxiously, looking ready to go.

"Hey Chibs. Listen man, I'm sorry for answering for you, but you have to be here tonight. Your daughter is terrified, and there is absolutely no reason for you to have to be at Ashby's. You can blame it on me, if you want to; tell the guys I promised them you would be here, whatever. I just…felt bad," Juice explained, so very ineloquently. The kid actually thought that Filip was mad at him.

"No worries, Juicey," Filip said, heading for the door. Juice quickly moved to follow him. "Not so fast, kid. I want you to stay with them. I hope this won't take long, but I have no idea when I will be back and I don't want them alone."

"What about you? You can't ride back alone," the kid argued.

"We aren't talking about me. I want you on them. They are your priority. Anybody who comes through this door who isn't me, you shoot them, understood?" Filip persisted. He appreciated the concern, he really did, but his girls were more important.

"Yeah, okay," Juice agreed once he saw how serious the older man was. He could do this.

Filip clapped the boy on the shoulder before leaving. He walked out past the new guard Father Kellan had for the girls and made his way back to his bike. He lit a cigarette and grabbed his prepay, making a quick call to the boys to let them know he was safe and on his way. Climbing on his bike, he started it and felt the engine roar to life. He wanted to go get this over with. The sooner he got back to Ashby's, the sooner he could be back here, where he belonged.