A/N: Alright. Anna is going to. Wyoming. My God. Save me. Well, that's
besides the point, we won't be able to update as frequently, sorry mates,
but We just can't do it so quickly when one of us is more than half way
across the country. *Shrug* BUT! I will be writing my Specs fic! Yes I
will! If you get anxious, search under the rlyles@knology.net email and
bother me there. I love reviews. Thanks. ---Fishface.
On to the fic.
***
I softly rested my head on Kerry's broad shoulder and smiled, "Thanks Kerry.." I trailed off, not exactly sure what I was going to say. He was quiet, but he softly put his strong arms around me.
He was quiet for a few more moments, until I heard his soft Scottish accent, the one I had thought was so gruff before, softly kiss my ear with his words, "I love you." I closed my eyes. For a moment, I thought that it couldn't get any better than this.
I suddenly blushed, realizing that I hadn't even freshened up before running out onto the docks to see him. I smiled and whispered in his ear, "I need to freshen up, I'll see you when you're done sellin', okay?"
He nodded then softly kissed my cheek, "Alright, see you later."
I filled Fishface's tub with water from the pump then slowly shampooed my hair with a bit of her shampoo that she had let me borrow. Fishface really was a handy person to have around, with all that stuff she had, and especially with her disposition being "I don't care about anything until I have Jack back, so sure, use my tub, use all my shampoo, there's no use looking nice anymore". She lived that too. Though she sickeningly enough still looked great with her hair pulled into a sloppy bun and her clothes all wrinkled around her. But it didn't matter to me anymore.
It felt good to be clean again, I smiled, getting out of the tub and re- dressing. I had just started re-braiding my half-dry locks when I heard the door creak open. Spot Conlon.
Turning back away from him, I smiled. Even he couldn't ruin my day now. I'd left my flowers from Kerry on my mattress, alongside his note, and I heard Spot walk over to it, and I saw him pick up the note out of the corner of my eye. I could tell he was reading and re-reading it, until he finally folded it and tossed it back onto the mattress.
"So..." I could tell by his voice that was going to attempt to rope me into another argument, "you and Kerry?"
"Me and Kerry," I replied flatly. "Jealous?"
He raised that icy eyebrow at me once again. "Me? Jealous of Kerry?"
"Jealous that I have a chance to be happy, and you're still followin' after Fishface... pointlessly, I might add. She ain't gonna give up Jack for ya, so you might as well find somebody else." I stared back at him. "Not that you'll have much luck findin' anyone with that attitude of yours."
"But you wouldn't like me any other way, would ya?" I wanted to slap that smug look right off his exasperating face. If only he hadn't ever kissed me...
Glaring back, I spat out, "I wish I hated you."
"Ooh, I'm shiverin' all ova, doll-face," there went those green eyes again, right back to laughing at me. I had nothing to say back, so he took the opportunity of having the upper hand to make his exit, him and that stupid cane.
I shook my head and sat down, picking up the flowers again and burying my face in them, letting their sweet fragrance engulf my senses. A sweet smile crept across my face. Kerry loved ME, When he kissed me, he kissed ME, and when I was with him, I was happy. I giggled, leaning back onto my mattress. Kerry loved me.
I was descending the stairs when I started to hear them yelling. I wondered why I couldn't hear them upstairs; usually I could hear everything going on down there right through the thin floors. I shrugged, but stopped dead in my tracks when I heard who it was.
"It ain't none of your business what I do, Conlon," I heard that Scottish accent snap, It was no longer soft as it had been when it had whispered in my ears, when it had told me it loved me. I leaned in, curious as to what was going on, but not wanting to be noticed.
Then Spot's voice came in, "It is damn well my business what my boys do, MacKilligan." THAT was Kerry's last name. It sounded right. Kerry MacKilligan. "Mush told me to watch over Shortstack, and that's what I'll damn well do, and if you don't treat 'er ri-"
"What?" I heard Kerry's voice suddenly interrupt Spot's rampage, "Treat 'er like you do, Conlon? Like dirt? Like GARBAGE?" He demanded. I suddenly gained a new admiration for Kerry. He had noticed how Spot was treating me; he had stood up for me. I smiled, even though I knew it would mean that Kerry would be in trouble later, I was proud of him.
There was a silence over the room, Kerry had the upper hand. Suddenly I heard Spot spat out, "You don't know what happened between me and her. She kissed ME, MacKilligan." I jumped back. Was Spot THAT desperate for a comeback? I slowly turned the corner on the stairway and appeared. The first eyes that mine caught were Kerry's. He had been facing the stairwell, and Spot had his back to me. Kerry smiled softly at me.
Spot spun around and stared at me for a moment, his eyes looked almost frantic, as if he was trying to decide whether or not I had heard what he'd just said. I raised an eyebrow at him, and then looked directly past him towards Kerry. "Hey Kerry," I said lightly.
"Hey Shortstack," He said, grinning ear-to-ear. I had to smile. He had a nice smile, it didn't make me want to melt, but it made me want to smile back at him, and that was something.
Spot looked around angrily, I could tell from his eyes, though his facial expression hadn't twisted in the slightest. He was angry as I walked over to Kerry and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
Kerry seemed stiffer than usual though. Perhaps it was because he was arguing with Spot. And soon enough, I knew in the back of my mind, he was going to be physically fighting with someone else. But I banished the thought. He stiffly placed his arms around me and smiled when I didn't pull away.
Spot left in a huff a moment later, with his usual beat of step, step, and then the rapping of his cane on the floor. He slammed the door like a frustrated fourteen year old. Oh how I remembered the times I used to do that when one of the Sisters would make me do extra chores for the day. I smiled softly kissing Kerry on the cheek and pulling Kerry to sit down next to me on one of the many crates sitting randomly around the room.
"You must be tired," I said softly, not really sure what to say after hearing him stand up for me like that.
Kerry grinned sheepishly, "Just a bit," He said honestly, "I missed you." It was one of the most honest, pure things I had heard since I had come to Brooklyn. He had missed me.
"I missed you too," I said, and it was true, while he'd been gone, all I had done was smell his flowers, and read his note over a million times. He thought I was beautiful. He missed me when we were apart.He loved me.
I paused for a moment, his blazing blue eyes had a different look about them, he was tense, maybe even scared, "Thanks. You know, for what you said to Spot, about him treating me like garbage." I said quietly, touching his arm.
"Any decent person would've done the same," He said, blushing, but obviously very proud of himself for standing up to Spot Conlon, "He was treatin' a lady like garbage, and it ain't right to do that."
I smiled in gratitude. Kerry was truly a good person. The only good person in Brooklyn as far as I was concerned.
I don't remember how exactly it happened, but I found myself kissing Kerry again. His lips were soft, and he kissed me with a passion that only the purest know of, even though the kiss only lasted few seconds, it seemed to last an eternity. An eternity of joy. He loved me; I could see it in his eyes. I could feel it when he touched my hand, when he kissed me.
Our lips had only just separated when Patrick suddenly walked in. He saw Kerry and me sitting together on the crate, and he smiled at us. We grinned back, we'd been caught.
"Well, well," Patrick shook his head and laughed. I jumped up and leapt into his arms. He held me tightly around the waist as I dug my fingers into his arms, not able to pull him close enough. I was just so happy, I had to hug Patrick as closely as possible to try and let some of my joy flow into him. I had something wonderful in my life now, and as always, I wanted to share it with absolutely everyone.
Patrick grinned when I released him. I heard Kerry say over my shoulder, "Hey Mush." Mush. I wanted to know so badly why they called him Mush, but I didn't ask.
Patrick nodded back to Kerry, "Hey MacKilligan." He said friendlily, I smiled, and pulled my brother over to where Kerry and I had been sitting. Patrick looked happy, "I just came to check up on my sister." He smiled and pushed some of my hair out of my face. I realized that I never had actually braided it after Spot had intruded on me after my bath.
I smiled; it was good to see Patrick. He looked happy. Well-fed, well- groomed, and smiling, that was how Patrick should always look. Though I knew that he didn't always, I was glad that he did right now. I was glad that everything was the way it was right now. I glanced at Kerry; he had been absentmindedly tapping his fingers on the crate where he was leaning on them. I softly placed my tiny frail hand on top of his large rough one. He glanced over at me, his blue eyes smiling at me. Beaming. I grinned.
Apparently Patrick caught sight of this, because he started laughing. I blushed and with my other hand covered my face and shook my head.
Patrick turned to Kerry and said, "Hey, can I have a moment alone with me baby sister?"
Smiling, Kerry replied, "Sure, if I can get two moments alone with her later." They both laughed, and I just blushed, trying to hold in my smile. Kerry kissed me on the cheek, stood up, and walked out of the clubhouse. Patrick jumped up onto the crate where Kerry had been, and I leaned my head on his shoulder.
"So..." my brother tried to think of what to say.
"So..." I mocked him, and he kissed me on the forehead.
"How are things goin' around here?"
"They're all right. Today has been a better day than usual."
"They treat you right? Spot, I mean?"
I hesitated. I really wasn't sure how to answer him. Should I just tell my brother everything, about how Spot had been treating me terribly and even about when he had tried to rape me? But then, what would that have gained? I decided to keep it a secret, never wanting my brother to know that I had actually enjoyed letting Spot Conlon kiss me.
"He treats me all right, doesn't hit me or nothin'." Looking up at Patrick, I forced a smile. "We tolerate each other, I guess."
Reading my mind yet again, he could sense that I was uncomfortable with the subject. Grinning, he asked, "So, when did this uh... 'thing' start with Kerry?"
I couldn't resist flashing an honest smile this time. All day, whenever I thought of Kerry, I smiled. "This mornin'. He left me some flowers, told me he loved me." I closed my eyes happily.
"I'm glad you're happy, you deserve to be."
I didn't open my eyes, "I'm not so sure about what I deserve."
He stroked my wavy brown hair lightly, and I silently wondered if Kerry and Fishface ever had moments like this, "You deserve everythin', Anabeth." I suddenly realized that I liked it when he used my real name.
God, he was naïve. I didn't deserve any of this. I didn't deserve Kerry MacKilligan, I didn't deserve Patrick Meyers, the only thing I may have actually deserved was scrubbing Spot Conlon's clubhouse. Patrick was the one who had grown up on the streets, not me. If either of us deserved anything good to happen to us, it was him.
On to the fic.
***
I softly rested my head on Kerry's broad shoulder and smiled, "Thanks Kerry.." I trailed off, not exactly sure what I was going to say. He was quiet, but he softly put his strong arms around me.
He was quiet for a few more moments, until I heard his soft Scottish accent, the one I had thought was so gruff before, softly kiss my ear with his words, "I love you." I closed my eyes. For a moment, I thought that it couldn't get any better than this.
I suddenly blushed, realizing that I hadn't even freshened up before running out onto the docks to see him. I smiled and whispered in his ear, "I need to freshen up, I'll see you when you're done sellin', okay?"
He nodded then softly kissed my cheek, "Alright, see you later."
I filled Fishface's tub with water from the pump then slowly shampooed my hair with a bit of her shampoo that she had let me borrow. Fishface really was a handy person to have around, with all that stuff she had, and especially with her disposition being "I don't care about anything until I have Jack back, so sure, use my tub, use all my shampoo, there's no use looking nice anymore". She lived that too. Though she sickeningly enough still looked great with her hair pulled into a sloppy bun and her clothes all wrinkled around her. But it didn't matter to me anymore.
It felt good to be clean again, I smiled, getting out of the tub and re- dressing. I had just started re-braiding my half-dry locks when I heard the door creak open. Spot Conlon.
Turning back away from him, I smiled. Even he couldn't ruin my day now. I'd left my flowers from Kerry on my mattress, alongside his note, and I heard Spot walk over to it, and I saw him pick up the note out of the corner of my eye. I could tell he was reading and re-reading it, until he finally folded it and tossed it back onto the mattress.
"So..." I could tell by his voice that was going to attempt to rope me into another argument, "you and Kerry?"
"Me and Kerry," I replied flatly. "Jealous?"
He raised that icy eyebrow at me once again. "Me? Jealous of Kerry?"
"Jealous that I have a chance to be happy, and you're still followin' after Fishface... pointlessly, I might add. She ain't gonna give up Jack for ya, so you might as well find somebody else." I stared back at him. "Not that you'll have much luck findin' anyone with that attitude of yours."
"But you wouldn't like me any other way, would ya?" I wanted to slap that smug look right off his exasperating face. If only he hadn't ever kissed me...
Glaring back, I spat out, "I wish I hated you."
"Ooh, I'm shiverin' all ova, doll-face," there went those green eyes again, right back to laughing at me. I had nothing to say back, so he took the opportunity of having the upper hand to make his exit, him and that stupid cane.
I shook my head and sat down, picking up the flowers again and burying my face in them, letting their sweet fragrance engulf my senses. A sweet smile crept across my face. Kerry loved ME, When he kissed me, he kissed ME, and when I was with him, I was happy. I giggled, leaning back onto my mattress. Kerry loved me.
I was descending the stairs when I started to hear them yelling. I wondered why I couldn't hear them upstairs; usually I could hear everything going on down there right through the thin floors. I shrugged, but stopped dead in my tracks when I heard who it was.
"It ain't none of your business what I do, Conlon," I heard that Scottish accent snap, It was no longer soft as it had been when it had whispered in my ears, when it had told me it loved me. I leaned in, curious as to what was going on, but not wanting to be noticed.
Then Spot's voice came in, "It is damn well my business what my boys do, MacKilligan." THAT was Kerry's last name. It sounded right. Kerry MacKilligan. "Mush told me to watch over Shortstack, and that's what I'll damn well do, and if you don't treat 'er ri-"
"What?" I heard Kerry's voice suddenly interrupt Spot's rampage, "Treat 'er like you do, Conlon? Like dirt? Like GARBAGE?" He demanded. I suddenly gained a new admiration for Kerry. He had noticed how Spot was treating me; he had stood up for me. I smiled, even though I knew it would mean that Kerry would be in trouble later, I was proud of him.
There was a silence over the room, Kerry had the upper hand. Suddenly I heard Spot spat out, "You don't know what happened between me and her. She kissed ME, MacKilligan." I jumped back. Was Spot THAT desperate for a comeback? I slowly turned the corner on the stairway and appeared. The first eyes that mine caught were Kerry's. He had been facing the stairwell, and Spot had his back to me. Kerry smiled softly at me.
Spot spun around and stared at me for a moment, his eyes looked almost frantic, as if he was trying to decide whether or not I had heard what he'd just said. I raised an eyebrow at him, and then looked directly past him towards Kerry. "Hey Kerry," I said lightly.
"Hey Shortstack," He said, grinning ear-to-ear. I had to smile. He had a nice smile, it didn't make me want to melt, but it made me want to smile back at him, and that was something.
Spot looked around angrily, I could tell from his eyes, though his facial expression hadn't twisted in the slightest. He was angry as I walked over to Kerry and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
Kerry seemed stiffer than usual though. Perhaps it was because he was arguing with Spot. And soon enough, I knew in the back of my mind, he was going to be physically fighting with someone else. But I banished the thought. He stiffly placed his arms around me and smiled when I didn't pull away.
Spot left in a huff a moment later, with his usual beat of step, step, and then the rapping of his cane on the floor. He slammed the door like a frustrated fourteen year old. Oh how I remembered the times I used to do that when one of the Sisters would make me do extra chores for the day. I smiled softly kissing Kerry on the cheek and pulling Kerry to sit down next to me on one of the many crates sitting randomly around the room.
"You must be tired," I said softly, not really sure what to say after hearing him stand up for me like that.
Kerry grinned sheepishly, "Just a bit," He said honestly, "I missed you." It was one of the most honest, pure things I had heard since I had come to Brooklyn. He had missed me.
"I missed you too," I said, and it was true, while he'd been gone, all I had done was smell his flowers, and read his note over a million times. He thought I was beautiful. He missed me when we were apart.He loved me.
I paused for a moment, his blazing blue eyes had a different look about them, he was tense, maybe even scared, "Thanks. You know, for what you said to Spot, about him treating me like garbage." I said quietly, touching his arm.
"Any decent person would've done the same," He said, blushing, but obviously very proud of himself for standing up to Spot Conlon, "He was treatin' a lady like garbage, and it ain't right to do that."
I smiled in gratitude. Kerry was truly a good person. The only good person in Brooklyn as far as I was concerned.
I don't remember how exactly it happened, but I found myself kissing Kerry again. His lips were soft, and he kissed me with a passion that only the purest know of, even though the kiss only lasted few seconds, it seemed to last an eternity. An eternity of joy. He loved me; I could see it in his eyes. I could feel it when he touched my hand, when he kissed me.
Our lips had only just separated when Patrick suddenly walked in. He saw Kerry and me sitting together on the crate, and he smiled at us. We grinned back, we'd been caught.
"Well, well," Patrick shook his head and laughed. I jumped up and leapt into his arms. He held me tightly around the waist as I dug my fingers into his arms, not able to pull him close enough. I was just so happy, I had to hug Patrick as closely as possible to try and let some of my joy flow into him. I had something wonderful in my life now, and as always, I wanted to share it with absolutely everyone.
Patrick grinned when I released him. I heard Kerry say over my shoulder, "Hey Mush." Mush. I wanted to know so badly why they called him Mush, but I didn't ask.
Patrick nodded back to Kerry, "Hey MacKilligan." He said friendlily, I smiled, and pulled my brother over to where Kerry and I had been sitting. Patrick looked happy, "I just came to check up on my sister." He smiled and pushed some of my hair out of my face. I realized that I never had actually braided it after Spot had intruded on me after my bath.
I smiled; it was good to see Patrick. He looked happy. Well-fed, well- groomed, and smiling, that was how Patrick should always look. Though I knew that he didn't always, I was glad that he did right now. I was glad that everything was the way it was right now. I glanced at Kerry; he had been absentmindedly tapping his fingers on the crate where he was leaning on them. I softly placed my tiny frail hand on top of his large rough one. He glanced over at me, his blue eyes smiling at me. Beaming. I grinned.
Apparently Patrick caught sight of this, because he started laughing. I blushed and with my other hand covered my face and shook my head.
Patrick turned to Kerry and said, "Hey, can I have a moment alone with me baby sister?"
Smiling, Kerry replied, "Sure, if I can get two moments alone with her later." They both laughed, and I just blushed, trying to hold in my smile. Kerry kissed me on the cheek, stood up, and walked out of the clubhouse. Patrick jumped up onto the crate where Kerry had been, and I leaned my head on his shoulder.
"So..." my brother tried to think of what to say.
"So..." I mocked him, and he kissed me on the forehead.
"How are things goin' around here?"
"They're all right. Today has been a better day than usual."
"They treat you right? Spot, I mean?"
I hesitated. I really wasn't sure how to answer him. Should I just tell my brother everything, about how Spot had been treating me terribly and even about when he had tried to rape me? But then, what would that have gained? I decided to keep it a secret, never wanting my brother to know that I had actually enjoyed letting Spot Conlon kiss me.
"He treats me all right, doesn't hit me or nothin'." Looking up at Patrick, I forced a smile. "We tolerate each other, I guess."
Reading my mind yet again, he could sense that I was uncomfortable with the subject. Grinning, he asked, "So, when did this uh... 'thing' start with Kerry?"
I couldn't resist flashing an honest smile this time. All day, whenever I thought of Kerry, I smiled. "This mornin'. He left me some flowers, told me he loved me." I closed my eyes happily.
"I'm glad you're happy, you deserve to be."
I didn't open my eyes, "I'm not so sure about what I deserve."
He stroked my wavy brown hair lightly, and I silently wondered if Kerry and Fishface ever had moments like this, "You deserve everythin', Anabeth." I suddenly realized that I liked it when he used my real name.
God, he was naïve. I didn't deserve any of this. I didn't deserve Kerry MacKilligan, I didn't deserve Patrick Meyers, the only thing I may have actually deserved was scrubbing Spot Conlon's clubhouse. Patrick was the one who had grown up on the streets, not me. If either of us deserved anything good to happen to us, it was him.