" So….why couldn' we keep her?" Murphy asked looking over at the sniffling Mary.

As a few details needed to be worked out, Mary had recounted her tale about her father and the accident, which is when she broke into tears, and how their mother had finally confessed the truth to her. And in response Connor immediately comforted her, not just because he hated to see a woman hurt, but because the years of separation couldn't severe the kinship her felt for her. He'd always wanted a sister to protect and look after. Ever since he learned the truth he just held her, he didn't want to let her go, he'd missed the first twenty some odd years of her life, he'd be damned he missed any now. He rubbed her back and soothed her, whispering hopeful phrases in Gaelic. She looked up into his eyes, her ice blues ones glistening with the tears she'd shed. The look of hope inspired a pride in him he'd never felt, and he made a silent vow then and there, he'd always protect her, no matter what.

"Murph," Connor replied, "ya remember what it was like for us growin' up, not a ball o' lint and a penny to rub together. Imagine what it'd been like with another mouth ta' feed."

Murphy nodded, "Besides," he added "everyone knows how high maintenance girls are."

The men laughed and grew uncomfortably silent when they realized the company they were keeping. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "but, tha's beside the point…." He murmured. Suddenly the floor had become extremely interesting.

"ANYWAY," Lili exaggerated the word to draw everyone's attention. "We just have to wait a day or so to get the results for the test back. But I'm pretty sure I know the answer. Mr. McManus, I think we can expect you to be goin back home to Ireland on the next train out."

He grumbled "I thought after ya'd help patch up me leg with Jassi here we'd moved past the formalities of Mr. McManus…"

She gave a dramatic sigh "Fine, Da!" he smiled triumphantly

"Wait train?" Connor looked at her "there's not train to Ireland…why not just take a plane?"

She examined him; he looked tall even from sitting down. Her had sort of dirty blonde hair like hers, and amazing blue eyes. His accent was definitely something she could get used to. And he'd impressed her, he spoke Gaelic, and she was pretty sure from the faces he'd made, he spoke Spanish too. He was sweet and comforted Mary, and he was close to his brother and his Da. A Family man she thought. She let her eyes wander over his face, he had that sweet yet gruff look to him, and the whole not shaved man stubble thing actually looked good on him. She allowed herself to take closer inspection of his lips, they were full and looked soft to the touch, she wondered if all those tattoos and such betrayed a more sensitive side of him. She let herself wonder what it be like to kiss him. She suddenly realized that there were still other people in the room and he was waiting for her to answer, she started to blush and franticly wondered if he knew her thoughts. Luckily Jay came to her rescue.

"Since he was arrested and he did technically violate his parole it might not be a good idea to take him to a heavily guarded airport."

"Who told ya about his record?" Murphy asked seriously

"Non-ya."

Murphy stood up and walked over to her, he stood directly in front of her and looked into her eyes, there was intent within his. She gave him a subtle assessment. He was definitely attractive. He had dark hair, bright blue eyes; he had that bad boy air about him. His tattoos were alluring. His beauty mark was adorable, and his accent made her weak in the knees. He was well built, and relatively tall. And he dressed in her opinion so sexily; he wore a kind of over sized sweater, black; and boots and jeans. She studied his face, it was intense and serious, but she could see laugh lines, and a hidden light in his eyes, she could tell by looking at him he had a hidden part animal clawing its way out. Its keeper a little impish boy, this child looked out in Murphy's eyes as well. As she looked at him he did seem to radiate a sort of boyish quality. But was no boy, she looked up at his lips, they were kind of thin, but this didn't bother her, the rest of him compensated for that. She looked up into his eyes and her cheeks tinged pink at seeing he too was assessing her.

When Jasmine had mentioned his father's criminal record Murphy was immediately concerned. That wasn't just something everyone knew. He'd wanted intimidate her with invading her personal space- that plan backfired. In the close proximity to her he couldn't help but notice that she had a subtle smell of vanilla about her. It wasn't a very strong smell, more than anything her smell was unnamable. All he could do to put his finger on it was to compare it to a fresh meadow after a warm summer rain. Moonlight playing on the blades, the condensation dancing in the air. That fresh, natural, cleansing smell. It was incredibly soothing. He looked down at her, noticing that tall for a girl though she was, she was still shorter than her. Walking behind her he would have sworn she was 5' 10, but looking at her he highly doubted that, more like 5' 8. Her eyes were an amazing warm sugar brown, it was a sort of caramel color all around with a dark hazel rimming, and around the pupil was a star burst of honey brown. Her eyes were like his, only brown. And looking down he couldn't help the fact that his eyes just happened to drift to her v-cut tank top. Her skin was pale and creamy; it was smooth and like her hair looked soft. Her bust was impressive, and it was coupled with stunning hips and he'd already formed an opinion about her butt. She had stunning features, high cheeks bones and full large kissable lips; she was in a word, lust. She was the wanton wench men dreamed about incarnate. He couldn't look at her with out a tightening in his jeans. His chest constricted, his stomach did flip-flops and he waited with bated breath for her to speak. When he held her back from Mary he couldn't help but love the feel of her in his arms. Her body, writhing though it was, fit well against his. And she didn't look it, but she was strong. He would never admit it out loud, but he could tell she wasn't really after Mary, if she had been there's no way he could have stopped her. He was relatively sure in a scrap, she could have even him. Maybe. He suddenly realized that she was looking at him, from the blush darkening her skin she had noticed his appraisal. He felt the tightening becoming unbearable; he had to try to push it down. She was watching him. He saw the look of approval in her eyes, she found him just as sexy as he found her. Unfortunately there was still the matter of how much she knew to deal with.

He knew that he could never physically intimidate her, so he tried a different approach. If he reasoned she blushes at mere notice, then when she sees the true lust she inspires in men, she may loose some of her bravado. He opened himself, when he blinked he allowed her to se what he was feeling, and she withered like a flower in scorching heat.

Jasmine noticed he was looking at her. She had wondered if he was going to try to intimidate her when her came over. But then she looked into his eyes. First there was a realization she too was watching him, then he sort of got this giddy look in his eyes, than when he blinked, she didn't know what happened. There was nothing he could do to scare her and they both knew it, but when he gave her that look, she cowered like a dog. She had never seen so much lust in one man stare. There was fire and passion and an intense sense of longing. And it wouldn't have mattered except she knew it was all directed at her, she knew he was allowing her to see into him, to see what he felt. Her eyes flicked quickly to his waist, his jeans were noticeably tighter, and her mouth came open. She looked back to him; he moved even closer to her, she backed up against the wall. He came closer still; she ducked ever so slightly as if she could slide down the wall. He was doing all this to her with a look of sensuality, and she found herself liking her vulnerability. She didn't like being the dominate one all the time, she wanted to meet someone who could make her feel weaker, so they could at the same time make her feel protected. And she hated that he inspired that in her. her own lust became evident I her flushed state, and quickened breath. He was directly I front of her now, not a hairs width from her. She felt his body quiver. When he spoke his voice was husky, and deep with want, the butterflies in her stomach became bats. She felt his breath hot on her face, she thought she as going to faint.

He loved it, the look on her face, the way she cowered before him. The hunter becoming the hunted. Then her eyes flicked to his waist and her mouth came open in realization, when she looked back to him her want for him became apparent. This was too much for him, for every step he took she would take one back. He had her up against the wall, and she like it. His jeans suddenly became like some make shift spandex, tight and rough against him. He could practically smell how much she needed him, it was so intoxicating he lost him self in it. He was directly in front of her now, so close he'd barely have to move to take those luscious lips in his, he had to exercise great self control not to. He tried to remember his excuse for being this close with out her permission; he had to ask her about the information. She looked at him, her eyes begging him to through her on the linoleum floor and take her. He silently groaned. When he spoke his voice was low and husky, it made her eyes flutter and nearly close in satisfaction, he drove her as crazy as she drove him, he knew it. But he had to think of his father first. So he pushed himself to breathe,

"Who?" she looked like she might faint, but before she could they were interrupted.

"Leave her alone!"

Connor was watching his brother getting more nervous by the second. Murphy was letting his little McManus make decisions for him, and that was always a bad idea. But luckily before it could go any farther Lili interjected.

"Leave her alone!" she growled, her voice low and dangerous.

Connor never expected to hear such a tone come from such a delicate looking woman. He watched her interested. Her frame was slight of build, but that detracted nothing fro her. She had a natural beauty, her face glowed, and her eyes shined. She had beautiful eyes; they were an amazing green. A pale shade with dark rimming, around the pupil was a burst of jungle green. Looking closely he realized she had the same as he and his brother, only green. Her dirty blonde hair was swept up in a messy style that looked like shed spent an hour on it, though he watched her put it up so he knew she didn't. Her face was long and smooth, she had very defined features, and it held a sort of whimsical charm. She was a amazingly beautiful, and he found himself staring in awe at her. When she used that tone, and her eyes became hard, and her face stony; she looked an Amazon queen standing there, shoulders back, legs apart. He couldn't help but admire her.

" Why don't you back off?" she growled.

Jasmine dashed out from under Murphy and left the room, tears in her eyes. Liliana glared at Murphy and dashed after her, she stopped at the door turned to them and said coldly, "remember how much liquor tends to loosen your mothers tongue…"

The McManus; put their heads down knowing the truth in her words. When the room was tensely silent Murphy dared to break the mood.

"What was that all about?"

Connor rubbed his face and sighed, "Who knows?"

"Do they always act that strange?" Murphy asked Mary

"Sometimes. If ya say or do something it can suddenly trigger a sever change in their mood."

They looked at her questioningly, so she elaborated on the strange incident at the front desk last night. It didn't help, it actually only made more questions form in the boys minds. It wasn't until their Da spoke quietly that his children remembered he was even in the room.

"Ya have to respect another's past."

They looked at him in the same confused manner; it was Mary who caught on "you know something…what?"

"They gave me leve to say it but I don' think it's my place. " he hesitated.

"Well if they let ya, then…" Mary pushed

"Fine, but only if ya' lids manage to behave yer selves from here on out?" he questioned them with his gaze, when they all nodded he continued. "Now once upon a time, those two girls were just average college students. Just out a high school, they had big dreams and sweet hopes. They went to a fair, and attracted some unwanted attention. These boys kept hasslin' them, and they chased the girls to a bad neighbor hood. Those girls were terrified, and in their fear they chanced an escape through that place. They were picked up and taken. Some psycho-killer in the makin'. Now apparently this bastard liked them so much he kept them. He locked 'em in his basement. With not but books and each other for company, the girls lived on. Through pain, torture, rape, and murder, these poor girls became playthings, living on the whim of a madman." He had to stop, there was so much emotion, so much rage it constricted his vocal chords. He looked at his children. Mary had her hands over her mouth terrified; the boys had similar looks of sheer malice written on their faces.

"Now they never told me just how they escaped, or what they had to endure. All I know is that those girls are the bravest one to ever walk the earth, and if I ever find the sick bastard that did that to them, I'll send him to judgment table me self!" he was shaking from the anger. His heart was pounding, his blood pressure going through the roof, soon his monitor started to beep, the next thing everyone knew he was convulsing and his monitor became erratic. Mary screamed and the boys ran to get nurses. People filed into the room and moved around trying to find what was going on. Jasmine and liliana ran into the room and pushed people out of the way.

"His blood pressure is way too high!"

The monitor beeps didn't stop

"Help me put him out!"

BeepBeepBeepBeep

"Why the fuck is it so high?"

BeepBeepBeepBeep

"Stop him before he swallows his tongue!"

BeepBeepBeepBeep

"Too much tension!"

BeepBeepBeepBeep

"Da!"

BeepBeepBeepBeep

"Da calm down!"

BeepBeepBeepBeep

"He needs more oxygen!"

BeepBeepBeepBeep

"Get his heart rate down!"

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

"DADDY!"