Chapter 52: See, The Road to Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions

(Lauryn Hill)

"NO!"

But it was too late. Murphy fell on the bathroom floor, and Connor lunged at him.

Aideen tried to stop him. She grabbed his arm, though Connor blindly shook her off him, and she fell back, smacking her head on the sink. Murphy saw that and sprung into action himself. He grasped Connor's collar and landed a heavy hit on his jaw.

She'd seen them row before, but this was something else. Their already mangled skin broke again under the forceful blows. She had no choice but to clear herself away from them rolling on the floor, kicking and punching thoughtlessly. She yelled at them to stop, in vain. They weren't listening anymore; they just exulted in rage and fury. Any move she made to break them apart, she just hurt herself more.

"Well, if that's how it is, fuck ye! Ye can wreck each other for all I care!" And she slammed the door to hurtle down the stairs. She could have cried with frustration. Couldn't they behave like normal fucking humans for once?

Noah was just returning from his run. "Is everything alright lass?" he asked, concerned at her appearance. She had a small cut on her cheekbone and a bruise forming on her collarbone that weren't there before. And he couldn't even guess about the bump behind her head that was thumping inside her skull.

"No, it's not. Nothing's alright. At all! Yer sons are fucking arseholes," she stated, immediately knowing she didn't mean a word of it. However, the bruising made her feel nightmarishly at home.

She looked at the frowning man who glanced at where the ruckus was coming from, clenching his own fists. Suddenly she wondered fearfully if he might hurt them and tried to get his attention back: "Maybe that's what happens when boys grow up without a father," she spat.

His scowl turned immediately back to her. Though she stood her ground with a defying look. Just as the twins had, part of her needed to fight, in order to escape from the pain and guilt. Though, he did not answer. Again, she guessed that was where Connor's—usually—slightly calmer temperament came from. It was definitely not from Annabelle.

Upstairs, the commotion had stopped, and she thought of going to see if they hadn't maimed each other too badly. The older man sat and pulled out his guns one by one to put them on the table.

"Ye've known them for long, lass?" Noah suddenly asked when she had just turned her back on him. She spun on her heels; after all, she wasn't sure she wanted to go back up there just yet.

"For as long as I can remember. Literally. My first memories are all with them."

"So, ye grew up in our old little village, did ye?"

"I was living just a few houses over." She sat across from him, got her Glock out too, and borrowed his utensils to clean it as well.

Noah looked more closely at her: "Ye're William's daughter, aren't ye?"

Aideen paused. Then nodded slowly, cautiously. So, Noah continued:

"He only had a boy when I left, but his wife was pregnant, I remember."

She went back to cleaning their weapons silently, her back a little stiffer than it already was.

"It couldn't have been easy growing up in that household either," he added.

Again, she paused to watch him. But he waited for her to ask:

"Ye knew him well then?"

"He was a few years older than me, but we grew up in the same neighbourhood too."

She looked at him expectantly, so, this time, he kept going without her asking: "He was a joyful wee lad. Always a prankster, always in trouble for being the class clown."

"No, ye must have him wrong-" she started, but:

"I'm quite sure, lass; ye look just like his ma did when we were young. She had that exact same striking hair and eyes."

"His mother?" She was awestruck. No one was allowed to speak of her grandmother in their home.

"Didn't ye know? She left when he was about twelve. Flew off with another man was the town's hearsay. His father took to the bottle after that. And the belt. I remember William completely changed as well. And it was even worse after he came back from the military. He became impossible to talk to."

"Aye, that's more the man I know…"

They remained silent for a moment before she asked: "Are ye trying to say that no father is better than a bad one? Because that'd be bullshit in this case."

"Of course not. I was just thinking that everyone has their reasons for doing what they do. Even if it's sometimes bad ones. We're all trying and failing. I'm sure his ma had reasons to leave, and I-"

"I'm not going to leave." She stated, wary but determined.

"I didn't say ye were."

"Ye said I looked like her."

"That ye look like her doesn't mean ye are like her, lass."

That made her think… "Well, someone should have said that to my da back then…"

Noah cleaned up the table and handed her one of the sandwiches he'd bought. He glanced up, to the silent bedroom, then decided that waiting for them was useless.

After a while, Aideen broke the silence: "Ye're going to watch out for them now, right sir?"

"As much as I can, dear. Do ye want me to go check on them now?"

"No, I'll go. They'll come back down when they're ready." She feared one of them might try and pick up a fight with him too.

Noah went to sit on a comfortable chair, facing the door, while she anxiously tiptoed up the stairs, with two sandwiches and another bag of ice.

"Thank ye, by the way." She suddenly turned back to tell the older man.

"What for, my dear?"

"I don't know. For not being a jerk, I guess."

She even managed to stir a small smile on those forever scowling traits.