Priscilla and Justin have to get together somehow. It may require the meddling of the whole town. And Priscilla coming clean about what she and her sister did. Maybe.

Chapter 1

Priscilla was never, ever, ever helping her sister again. Covering up a murder was one thing, but she was at Finnegan's Bar in her fucking pajamas!

"Oi, Connolly! Over here!" Paulie flagged her down when she stepped through the door. Her lips pursed together when she saw who was with him. Priscilla took a breath and walked through the bar with her chin held high, rubber boots and dancing fish pajamas be damned.

"Pris!" Mary Beth cheered when she saw her, nearly falling out of her seat as she tried to stand. Paulie caught her by the waist. Mary Beth just giggled as the fisherman dumped her back in her chair.

Paulie sighed, "Sorry to call so late, but your sister…"

"Is utterly and completed wasted." Priscilla finished for him, jaw clenching as her lips spread wide in a faux smile, "On a Wednesday."

The men that were there with Paulie were clustered around the pool table and the dart board. A few snickered when they glanced at her. Most of them were fisherman or worked on the docks so they'd seen her covered in fish guts already and it wasn't a big deal. Except, of course, for Justin Brennan, who was standing right there with them.

He was watching their conversation out of the corner of his eye. Priscilla ignored him, or tried to. His presence made her antsy and her throat bobbed when her eyes accidentally slid in his direction. He'd never seen her in fish guts or pajamas.

"Alright, Mary Beth," Priscilla pushed her hair behind her ears and leaned over to talk to her sister. Mary Beth swayed in her seat. Priscilla ducked her head then shifted around to crouch beside Mary Beth's seat. She wrapped an arm around her sister's back beneath her arm pits and then stood.

"No-oo!" Mary Beth whined as Priscilla pulled her up. Her hands pushed at Priscilla's face, but there was no force behind them.

Priscilla rolled her eyes and nudged Mary Beth's hands away as she started to walk her sister towards the door. She smiled over her shoulder, "Thanks for the call, Paulie, I appreciate you lookin' out for her."

"No problem!" Paulie waved her off, eyes already back on the pool game and hand reaching for a cue. Priscilla felt eyes on her all the way out to the truck. That had her spine at attention.

She shoved Mary Beth up and into the passenger seat. Priscilla'd parked, semi-legally, close to the door for a quick ingress and egress. She glanced around to see nothing but snow and a flickering street light.

No one was around. The parking lot was empty except for them. Priscilla shook her head, "Just being ridiculous." She climbed into her truck and started the engine.

"That cop has a thing for you, ya know," Mary Beth chuckled to herself, face planted against the window. Her drunken gaze spotted the cop she was talking about watching them out a window until Priscilla was safely inside.

"Wha-" Priscilla cleared her throat and shook her head, "I don't know what you're talking about." She pulled out of the parking space, jolting Mary Beth forward.

Mary Beth collapsed into a fit of giggles, "Bull!" Her head lulled to the side as tried to look at Priscilla, "You got a thing for him too. That's why you invited him in for dinner that night and 'changed your mind.'" Mary Beth nodded to herself. Her attempts at air quotes looked more like jazz hands.

"Don't be ridiculous," Priscilla swallowed, kept her eyes on the road as they drove over the bridge. The truck jumped as they went over the seam in the road between the bridge and the asphalt. "I was just being polite."

"Uh-huh," Mary Beth's eyes were swimming and she slurred her next words, "I think he'd like to eat more than your fish is all I'm saying." The truck jolted to a stop. Mary Beth caught herself on the dashboard, "Hey!"

They were home. Mary Beth blinked as Priscilla slammed her door shut and came around to help her out. It was a long, arduous trek up the stairs, but Priscilla deposited Mary Beth in her own bed and Mary Beth happily snuggled her pillow as soon as it was in grabbing distance.

"He and Paulie were talkin' 'bout you," Mary Beth sung against her pillow and Priscilla froze in the doorway.

Mary Beth's eyes fluttered as she watched her sister spin around, her mouth opening and shutting before she finally got out some words, "What were they saying?"

"Thought you were just being polite?" Mary Beth teased, rolling around to face the other direction. It was still a little weird to see Priscilla's bed unmade and empty.

Priscilla shoved her back as she sprang forward, "Mary Beth!"

"He talked about your hair," Mary Beth laughed, eyes falling shut, "And your smile. And your ass - though he wasn't real upfront about that. Paulie plied him with beers and he still sounded like a fucking love song…"

"Is that all he said?" Priscilla shook her sister, who only murmured and curled up against her pillow. "Mary Beth?"

The slumbering pile of jackets and red hair did not move. Priscilla huffed and stalked back towards her mother's room - her room. Falling back asleep wasn't particularly easy though, with Officer Brennan's bashful smile and careful distance worming their way into her thoughts.

If he did like her, which Priscilla wasn't saying he did, than why was he avoiding her? Did he know about Gorski and the money? He'd smiled at her after dinner that night, and yeah, Priscilla had been a little distracted with everything, but… she thought she'd made it pretty clear she was interested in him.

Calling him Justin was clear right? Oh god… what if Mary Beth was just pulling her leg? Guys didn't talk about a girl's smiles or their hair… did they?

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