Murphy stumbled into the kitchen on his crutches, dragged out of bed by the smell of fresh coffee and pancakes. "Mornin'." He pulled out the available chair and sat down, leaning his crutches on the edge of the table. Sara set a plate in front of him and he eagerly dug in. It wasn't until he had finished his coffee and Sara went to grab to the pot to top it off that he realized just how quiet the breakfast table was.

"So," he said. "Did the two of ya learn anything last night?"

"No we didn't." Sara poured him more coffee.

"So nothing fucking happened? Sounds like a wasted trip ta me."

"I wouldn't call it wasted." Connor put a rather large bite into his mouth. "I found it rather enlightening," he said after he finished chewing and had swallowed.

"Really." Murphy looked intrigued. "What happened?"

"Nothing of consequence." Sara sat down and gave Connor a pointed look from across the table.

Murphy looked from one to the other. "Right…" The air was suddenly tense. He decided to let the matter of last night drop. But his next topic didn't end up much better. "So what now?"

"We go out again."

Sara stood, clearing all of the dishes, including Connor's, who wasn't even done eating.

He grabbed the wrist attached to the hand holding his plate. "I'm not done yet."

"Well I am." Her voice was low.

Now Murphy was real confused. "Someone please tell me what the fuck is going on!" He was ignored; he had no idea why he felt surprised. It was like he wasn't even in the room in any more.

Sara and Connor stared at each other. She tried to pull her arm away but he just tightened his grip. Instead he pulled her so that she was leaning over and eye to eye. "I said I wasn't done. In fact I think I might even want more."

"Well you can't have any more. The kitchen is closed and it won't be opening again any time soon." Sara gave him a smile that did not reach her eyes. "Now let go, please."

He let go. Slowly, one finger at a time. "I'm not sorry."

"Well I am." Sara left him his plate and walked out of the kitchen. The sound of the front door slamming shut reverberated through the apartment.

"Shut the fuck up Murphy."

"I didn't say a fucking thing."

"No but yer thinking it."

Murphy just sipped his coffee and kept his mouth shut. He had enough injuries already.

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The bar door slammed open causing Mary to look up in surprise. "Oh, hey Sara."

Sara sat on the bar stool and just soaked in the warmth. In her haste to leave the apartment and Connor's infuriating ways she had forgotten her sweatshirt. All she had on was her long sleeve white t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Good thing the bar was just a couple blocks away. She was too stubborn to go back and get the only warm piece of clothing that she owned.

"Sara you're freezing. What were you thinking walking all this way without a coat?"

"I don't actually own a coat," Sara answered through her chattering teeth. "And I forgot me sweatshirt."

"You could have gone back for it."

"No I couldn't."

Mary came around from the back of the bar and sat on the stool next to Sara. "Okay, which one was it, and what did he do?"

"Excuse me?" Sara tried to act like she had no idea what Mary was talking about.

"Oh no you don't." Mary turned Sara so they were facing each other. "I've known those guys long enough to know the affect they have on women. Why do you think I kept Murphy at arms length for as long as I did? Would have kept him at arms length longer but it was Saint Patrick's day, I was full of alcohol, and lets just face it, it's very hard to say no to a MacManus." She laughed, but when Sara didn't join in her laughter she sobered up. "Come one tell me. I'm a great listener."

Sara took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's Connor. Last night, last night we went 'out'."

"Out as in the kind of 'outings' he and Murphy go on?" Mary frowned.

"Exactly. Only Murphy couldn't go because of his ankle, so Connor made me go."

"And… did something go wrong? Your okay right?"

"No nothing went wrong. Nothing was happening. We were just sitting there watching a sleeping house and freezing to death in the process." Sara cracked her knuckles. "Then Connor saw someone and got worried. Next thing I know he's on top of me kissing me."

"What! Why?"

"I'm not exactly sure. I guess he figured a couple making out in their car in the freezing dead of night was less conspicuous than two people just sitting in their car in the middle of the night."

Mary sat there and just took it in. "So you made out with Connor?"

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"Ya made out with her!" Murphy had finally squeezed it out of Connor.

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"Not really. It was kind of one sided." Sara nibbled on a hangnail.

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Connor rubbed his eyes. "She just kind of lay there."

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"You just sat there? How do you just sit there and let someone make out with you?"

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"She didn't move? At all? How the fuck does that happen?"

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"Mary what little experience I've had with guys on a romantic and physical level, it wasn't at all pleasant. This was no exception."

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"I've fucked things up real good this time."

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"And you guys were all just starting to get along too."

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"She hate's ya. And I don't blame her. I'd hate ya as well."

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"I really can't deal with this right now. My life is screwed up enough as it is. I'm just getting over the whole 'all males are ass holes' thing. And now I feel like I'm right back where I started. I take one step forward and fall two steps back."

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"And the worst part is I'm not sorry. Fuck, I wanted to go farther. I can't look at her and not want her. Damn I've wanted her since that first night in the bar. I wanted her the night I brought her home after the shooting in the alley… There is just something about her."

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Mary and Murphy were both thinking the exact same thing, "And I thought I had relationship problems."

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Author's note: I'm glad so many of you liked the previous chapter. It was fun to write. And I love hearing what you think. Every time I get another review I'm like "YAY!" And it keeps me going. So keep them coming!

Another thing, hope ya'll like the code talk going on there in the kitchen scene, and that the conversational switching wasn't too hard to follow. But I couldn't just write it as two separate conversations. The whole Sara/Connor thing is too intertwined. I saw it as more like a bunch of clips from a movie or T.V. show that meld into the other so it feels like one conversation.

Let me know…