Chapter 31: Good Friday

Broken.

Absolutely broken.

She could still only see his body, flat on his back and unmoved. There was no sound emanating other than from the Cops and their radios.

It didn't stop her from crying out for him… screaming his name.

"JAMESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

"JAMESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

In truth, they more like shrieks than screams.

"Get her somewhere safe". The lead officer instructed to two of his men.

Suddenly, Erin found herself being approached by two fully armed RUC men. They might not have been pointing their guns at her, but it made it no less terrifying seeing the weapons… knowing they'd just been fired. Knowing that perhaps a stray bullet had killed her wee English fella…

They picked up her as she kicked and screamed, desperately trying to see if James would suddenly get up, but to her pure despair, he did not.

"GET OFF MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"JAMESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!".

Her pierced cries cracked the eardrums of the cops, who were trying to secure the ward and designate it as a crime scene. Erin was back in his room a second later, finding herself shut in and blocked from looking out by a cop standing directly in front of the glass on the other side. She frantically banged on the door, demanding to be let out to see her James. He might have been dead, but she wanted to hold him one last time… to kiss him and feel him like he was there, even if it was only his body present and not his soul.

She was ignored by the cops.

The absolute bastards didn't even flinch at her demands to be let out. When she tried to open the door, hoping to somehow be able to barge the man out of the way, he simply held onto the handle the other side, preventing her escape. She didn't care that they had a job to do out there; she needed James one last time.

But fate refused to let it be that way. As her attempts to escape the room came to an abrupt end, Erin sank to her knees crying about the future that was torn away from her. Her future with the fella she'd given her heart to, that she was prepared to give anything for to spend the rest of their lives together. Fate was a cruel opponent and after weeks of waiting for its moment, it had brutally delivered the Coup de grâce at the eleventh hour. Her chest was ablaze with remorseless pain, her legs burning like a wildfire and her head beating a barbaric agony of drumming torture. She curled herself up into a ball on the distinctly lava-feeling floor of that room, her own heart erupting with a tormenting grief, her stomach sickened.

Erin didn't know if she wanted to scream or be silent…

She didn't know if she wanted to be sick or gorge on so much food that she'd forget everything…

She didn't know if she could survive without him.

Her everything.

Waking up to face the world every morning became a lot more bearable the day James walked into it. It might have taken them well over a year to become the sweet couple that they were, but Erin could distinctly list the day that she first saw James as the end of the unfulfilled life she didn't even know was so miserable. There was the period before James and the time with him. One might have been many years longer than the other, but it was the second period that was the happiest time of Erin Quinn's life. It had taken until that very moment to truly separate the two and realise just how brilliant the second truly was.

And then the night of the 4th April 1996 was closing that beautiful chapter.

What do I do? I've lost everything…

I am nothing without him…

My life means nothing now…

Hurts…

My head…

My arms…

My legs…

My heart…

Her family would be there for her, processing their own grief at his death too. They would ensure that she was cared for in the darkest moments when everything would be too much. In time, they'd try to ease her back into the world, to encourage her to find happiness again. She had the support of two wonderful parents, her Granda and no doubt Kathy too. There were her friends as well. How well they would be able to cope was a question that Erin didn't dare ask herself though.

Clare would cry for days…

Michelle would struggle to come to terms with it…

Orla… perhaps her capacity to deal with it didn't even exist…

In a ball, shrieking into the lonely, desolate Hospital room on the top floor, an unrelenting gale of suffering swept through her. Erin was left with so many thoughts and questions, but so very few answers.

She was left to face them alone.

James was gone and Erin's life had never felt more worthless.


Peaceful

It was anything but for them that night.

They didn't know what was going on when the first shouts arrived, and the door was banged relentlessly. It was no surprise that it was Michelle mind, but there was no shout of 'Motherfuckerssssssssss' this time… there were only shouts of despair. She brought news of gunshots being heard at the Altnagelvin, having ran up to the house after Martin broke every road law thinkable to get them there.

They were all gripped with fear.

The cars darted away from the house at speed, with no care of whether they were breaking the legal limit. They had to get to the Hospital… fast. The flashing lights of the police cars were visible from a way out, the sirens being audible as they got closer. There must have been ten vehicles there, with some of the Police holding back the crowd that had formed, and the others holding the perimeter. They were all brandishing firearms to meet whatever the threat inside was.

Inside were Erin and James.

Mary searched desperately for her daughter, as Kathy did for James. Neither could be found outside the large group of people that were stood outside. Deep down, every single one of them knew that it would be the two of them in danger as soon as they heard about gunshots at the Hospital. That was despite the Detective Inspector's belief that James was no longer in danger. Clearly, he was wrong, and now Erin was in danger too. It was all becoming too much for Mary, who was unable to stand unless Gerry assisted her. As they had been when James was first attacked weeks before, it was he and Orla who stood up to be the rocks of the group. Orla could feel a sense of normality returning to her life in a way too; stood out in the dark Hospital car park, she was a normal girl and not the Grand National winning legend that she was reminded of everyday.

They heard the occasionally blaring of Police radios, but the cops were telling them nothing, even after the multiple attempts to pry information from them. The group must have been stood there for half an hour with no further news about the young couple.

Kathy was sobbing onto Joe's shoulder as tears tried to escape his own eyes. When he heard there was another person of interest, he didn't quite believe the Detective Inspector. Who else could possibly want to hurt him? However, he was too taken by trying to calm the terrified Kathy, putting his own feelings aside in order to comfort her. She'd only just made her way back into her son's life… a life that could have been over for all she knew. It was too much…

Mary and Gerry were stood together, Gerry holding his wife tightly whilst Orla was hugging her mother to their side. Baby Anna was spared the night, with Uncle Colm at the house after having been to church with them earlier in the evening. They could only hope that the two were safe, with Gerry holding no doubt that James would do everything in his power to make sure Erin was. He would do the same for Mary if it were them in that situation, whether it had been then or twenty years before. Love like that was worth everything to fight for.

The Devlin's were already at the scene when the rest of them got there, having heard of the gunshots first via a friend of Geraldine's. They were consoling their wee Clare, who was beyond the stages of cack attacks, instead breaking down completely distraught outside the Hospital. Two of her best friends were in grave danger inside, as once again the darker side to Derry appeared to show its face that night. The dreams of peace and prosperity now seemed ever so much further away, when for the first time in a long time they'd looked to be far more realistic prospects than ever before.

Harriet was also on the scene just after them all, having arrived with Jenny and Aisling. The three of them were enjoying a night in watching the television when the phone rang for her father. Being a surgeon at the Altnagelvin, he knew his duty called when a colleague phoned to inform him of what was happening. He knew the girls would need to be there for their friends too. The sickening thing for them all was when he rushed in, the cops confirming that a surgeon of his calibre was required. Considering they weren't given any further details by the cops, conclusions were drawn by all of the family very quickly.

Deirdre wasn't called in to assist, despite working at the Hospital herself, instead shivering away as Martin put an arm around her. Having tried to toughen him up during his time in Derry, there was not one lesson she could have taught him to be prepared for this. An odd guilt festered in her mind, that if she hadn't have accepted him the day Kathy left him, that she'd forced him back onto her, then he'd never have been through the agony of the previous weeks. Yet his life, the one he built with the girls, and the even more special one with Erin, would never have been so rewarding either. He was happy in Derry… unsafe, but happy…

Michelle's vulnerable side was giving a public display in the Hospital car park. Only usually experienced in glimpses, it took over where the boundaries of the normal confident Michelle couldn't extend to. James might have been an English dick of a cousin… but he was her English dick of a cousin that she truly cared for. She would have to go to church that Sunday and thank god for letting her have Tom for comfort. Having expected a different experience to the monotonous life he lived back at home, he never thought he'd walk into a life-or-death situation involving those that Michelle cared for. But he was cut from a similar cloth to James, immediately wishing to calm those around him. Perhaps being new to the family helped in that regard, not knowing James or Erin enough to be as emotionally wrecked as the others, not that he wasn't feeling upset inside. James seemed like he could turn out to be a good mate, distressing Tom that he might be lying dead inside.

The Detective Inspector, who'd been in the building for some time, finally stepped out into the now cool night air. The temperature was dropping all the time as the hours in the day began to run out. An icy backdrop to the already frozen reality of the suffering that they were beginning to believe had taken place.

"I think ye all best come inside".

All of them were ushered in, watching on as the crowds, now laced with press reporters, tried to understand why they were all being led in. Gerry led the way, almost dragging the distraught Mary along with him.

Barely inside the building, the most harrowing sight of any of their lives appeared. There were two trolleys being wheeled down the corridor, both with bodies zipped up in bags on them. Mary's knees buckled the moment she clapped eyes on the body bags. The only reason she wasn't on the floor within the next second was the combined efforts of Gerry and Orla holding her up, as well as Sarah once she'd added her weight to holding her sister up.

They should never have seen that.

The Detective Inspector entered a door on the left side further down, one that Deirdre knew to be a large private room on the ground floor. Taking deep breaths, they all entered the room.

There they found Erin.

Distressed…

Eyes puffy…

Bloodshot…

But safe…


The morning of the 5th April 1996, was Good Friday morning. A day that signified the supposed crucifixion of Jesus Christ himself after the betrayal by Judas.

Yet there was little good to be found on that Friday in Derry.

The sickening violence of the night before sent shockwaves throughout the city.

Ever since Orla professed her wish for peace in front of the crowds the previous Sunday, a genuine wish for peace was formed within the people of the Derry. A wish for peace not only for them, but for the rest of the country. Years of never-ending violence was yet to solve anything, the same gripes of the days of battles in the Bogside being unchanged to the days of Bogside Warrior winning the Grand National.

But there were still those opposed to it. As the prior night sadly proved.

Joe volunteered to make the trip back to the Altnagelvin. After everything that had happened, there was little competition to him when he spoke up at home that morning. Orla herself wished to go with him, company which he found very much welcome on what would have been an otherwise lonely car journey to the Hospital. They said very little to each other though. The Grandfather and Granddaughter always held a special bond, but none of them had truly gotten over the events of Maundy Thursday evening.

To combat the silence, Joe flicked his car radio on, but quickly wished he had not done so.

He'd heard the statement that the Detective Inspector read out in the early hours of that morning from the scene, spending most of the night replaying the chilling words in his head.

"… this was such a tragic waste of a young life. The life of an honest young man, who was loved dearly by his friends and family, with a prosperous future ahead of him, taken away by a man who acted with such callous hatred. I can confirm tonight that the suspect we were seeking is the same man who my fellow officers had to use lethal force on to stop tonight. Michael McNulty, fifty nine years old, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after engaging with armed officers. No further comments will be made at this time".

Michael McNulty.

Joe buried the name years before, believing any further dealings with McNulty to be over. In truth, they had little to do with each other. They weren't really friends, not existing to a social extent outside of any meetings that the two might attend. McNulty was always one of the most hard-line men that the local cause possessed, Joe having witnessed him spout his hatred of the Brits many a time. He was nicknamed The Condor for reasons which Joe never found out; it was not like he had the wingspan of the Andean vulture anyway.

A vulture he was though, as privately, the Detective Inspector painted the family a picture of a man who'd prayed on the hatred within three teenagers, who were little more than children, in order to further his ambitions.

"Did ye know him Granda?" Orla heard Joe snarl when the name came up on the radio.

"Once…". Joe sighed. "… a long time ago".

Orla didn't like to see her Granda Joe upset, having already done so the night before at the Hospital, but wished to know more about the mysterious man.

"What was he like?"

"McNulty?" He questioned, Orla nodding. "He was… a nasty man. Always had been really".

"Was he ever nasty to ye?"

"Ach, well love… I don't think he was too fond of my decision to choose yer ma and Aunt Mary over blowing something up or ambushing a Brit somewhere".

That was the truth. The ambitions of The Condor were all based on an overdue revenge against Joe from all those years before when he'd chosen his family. A revenge that should never have been sought or carried out on the poor wee English fella, who was just an innocent caught up in a fight he didn't belong in.

"Have ye ever killed anyone Granda?"

Joe's conscience was thankfully clear when it came to taking life. It never got to the point where he'd gone as far as to kill anyone. He might have enjoyed threatening Gerry with a rifle in his later years, but that was just messing with the free state prick. There was no such humour when holding a gun and intending to use it. He knew that.

"No love".

"Good".

The conversation dried up again, and they were soon in the car park of the Altnagelvin, trying to set aside the ghosts of the night before. Both still remembered rushing out of the car the night before, with tears in their eyes and grief in their hearts.

"Are ye alright Orla, love?" Joe asked as they were still sat in the car.

"Aye… aye I am Granda".

Taking deep breaths in unison, they exited his car, walking over to the entrance of the Hospital across the way. The same walk they'd done so many times since the beginning of March, yet this walk was going to be a very different one. Very different.

Passing through the corridors, their feelings changed. It was not the same as when they were walking up to go to James's room. They weren't heading to the top floor again either, the cops having sealed the area off as a crime scene, yet to re-open the whole ward. They were instead heading to a ward further back into the Hospital on the ground floor. The same room that the Detective Inspector had taken them to the night before.

On reaching it, Joe opened the door first, holding it for Orla to walk through. The room was a large one, with a Hospital bed at one end, and almost a whole reception area out in front of it. There was even a little kitchen at the opposite end to the bed, and that was where they found Erin. She was stood washing up a glass of water that she'd drank from minutes earlier. Glancing up, she saw her cousin and Granda enter the room, with the two of them noticing her eyes were still red raw from tears.

They were never getting her away from the Hospital that night, not even speaking to her about the possibility of going home. The impact it would have on her mentally in the long term was unknown to them too; the dark memories of the night would no doubt haunt Erin forever though. Memories that would haunt the others in their close family too, creeping up on them in a nightmare or at a quiet point in their day. It was hard to escape what had happened.

But it was finally time for Erin to head home. That was the mission Joe and Orla were on that morning, the task he'd volunteered for back home that nobody challenged him for.

"Are ye ready Erin?" He asked his blonde-haired Granddaughter.

"Aye".

Erin sighed her reply, looking towards the other end of the room where the bed was located. Joe's eyes followed, until they stopped at it. And what was on it.


The night before, in the minutes after the gunfire ceased…

The windows had safety latches on, so she couldn't jump.

The room did not contain anything she could inject herself with to send her along her own path to the pearly gates.

Orla didn't keep her knife collection in the room… there was nothing to cut herself with…

Erin couldn't even try to join her angel in heaven that night.

She just cried in her little ball on the floor, an overflowing river of tears trickling away around her to form a full reservoir.

Perhaps if I cry enough, I'll drown…

There would be no drowning though. Erin couldn't estimate how long she'd spent down on that floor, but at a random guess it must have been half an hour. The cop that blocked her exit was still in place when she eventually looked up, eyes full of an intense crimson fire.

Sniffling to a stop, Erin just listened to the air around her.

It was pure silence.

There may have been the distant voices of the cops and the sirens from out the front, with the occasional blare of the radio, yet to her it was just silence.

An uncomfortable, sickening silence.

A minute later there were more voices and noises from outside, this time drawing closer. She could hear the voice of the Detective Inspector out in the corridor, getting ever closer to the room she was in at the end of it. It was apparent to her that his final destination would be the room, to tell her something that she already knew. That James Maguire was dead.

James Maguire was dead…

She turned away from the door deliberately to face the bed itself. She'd moved onto her knees into what would seem like an act of prayer to anyone behind her. Her hands were not clasped together in an act of communication with the almighty though, instead covering the gaping hole where her heart once belonged. It may have stayed there physically, but emotionally it ceased to exist the moment her eyes found his still figure on the blood splattered horizon.

She'd never get to sit in front of him and tell him she loved again…

She wouldn't run her hands through those beautiful curls, watching his face light up, ever again…

There would be no passionate kisses…

There would be no warm hugs…

The feeling of his warm hand in hers gone forever…

When Michelle would make an idiot of herself… when Clare would have an almighty cack attack… or when Orla would say something ridiculous… never again would he share in her laughter.

Erin's head was working against her, only seeking to deepen the chasm created by the death of her wee English fella. The thoughts were dark; but they were justified to her.

What was the point of a life without James?

Thoughts of ending her own life were alien to Erin, barring the irritational occasions where a small child would utter something they truly didn't mean. There were so many people that would miss her if she did so, adding another layer of grief to the already vast one from James's passing.

Was it selfish?

She battled with that question for another couple of minutes, the questions drowning out any other noise that made itself present around her. She might have lost James, but she still had her family and friends. She could still have a successful career ahead of her if she threw herself fully into studying to be a journalist, as was her dream. There was still so much of life to be experienced for her, almost a lifetime of highs and lows, a door waiting to be opened in the distance, to which only she held the key.

But the key to her lay with James, one which could only be opened by the press of his lips against hers. An action that could no longer be performed in the mortal realm.

However, one door that could be opened was the one to the room she was in. Not that it caused her to turn around or jump. Secretly she hoped there was another attacker… perhaps working in collusion with the cops, ready to finish her off. A part of her told herself to turn around and beg for death, wanting to be reunited with James in the next life, but then the thought of her family having to grieve both of them stopped her. As hard as it was at that moment, as it would be for years to come, she would have to continue on because they needed her.

"Erin…".

And then fate decided to play another cruel trick.

Of course it would on a night where it had already taken everything away from her… why not one more final teasing action?

The Detective Inspector had taken his time making his way into her room, considering she'd heard him minutes before. Having the audacity to address her by her first name, instead of Miss Quinn as he usually would, the wheels of fate thought it pertinent to even make him sound like her wee English fella.

He'd died and there fate was… laughing at her.

It controlled her ears, forcing her to hear James's voice from beyond the grave.

Making her think of him being there, even though he could not be.

As if he w-

Wait… wait…

Unless…

Surely it could not be. Her own eyes would not have betrayed her so easily. She'd seen him lying dead on the corridor of the ward.

They were ahead of their time… fate had already made them fully aware of that through the various attempts to break them apart… it could not be… it could not be…

Gingerly, trembling from an overwhelming sense of fear, Erin slowly began to raise herself onto her feet. Her breaths were staccato, a weakness forming in her knees at the very moment she was back up into a straight posture. She could be mistaken for a foal, stumbling around in a stable box in the minutes after it had been born, unsure of where it was in the world. Very much like Erin was in that room in those brief few seconds. Turning around she saw…

JAMES!

"J… J…".

He was stood there, held up by his crutches, slightly dazed… but without a scratch on him, and with a small, quivering smile that curved at the end of his lips. There were tears in his eyes too. Actual tears… the type of tears that were shed by a real, living human being.

Ignoring the fact that the mortal James Maguire still carried a broken leg that was in the process of healing, she ran forwards and dived at the figure. If there was no wince, or warning that she would hurt him, she'd know it was either a cruel dream or that her heart had truly burst on that cold floor, killing her and sending her to the ethereal planes of the afterlife with him.

"ARGH!"

His shout confirmed it for her.

James Maguire's miracle counter was not as dry as it should have been.

He still had one more up his denim jacketed sleeve.

"JAMESSSSSSSS!"

She still wailed as they came together, squeezing together within the comfort of their arms. Her tears launched out of her eyes and down his back. Despite the broken leg, James pushed through the pain, in order to hold onto the person that he never wanted to ever let go of again. His Erin.

"I'm sorry…". He whispered into her ear.

"I'm sorry…".

Erin just continued to cry, finding a further bout of strength to somehow grasp James even more tightly than she already was doing.

"I'm sorry for scaring you". He told her sincerely.

James was terrified she wouldn't want him. When he got up from the floor, he was taken straight into a side room to be assessed for any injuries, only getting a short glance at the prone figure of The Condor to his left. He was still a little out of it, but he could have told them from the second that his eyes flickered open that he hadn't been shot. The eighty million to one chance that his attacker would miss him… even the most optimistic of backers wouldn't have put their money on it.

But it wasn't to be his destiny.

The bullet whizzed past James's face, smashing into the wall to his right a little way behind him. The RUC men were quickly on the scene in the seconds after, McNulty turning to fire at them, but being ripped apart as the officers opened fire. Keeping him alive was never going to be a part of the plan, the Detective Inspector had told them as much before they'd ascended the stairs to the top floor. He'd been incorrect about his belief that the locksmith who Danny Scanlon named in his confession, was going to leave James alone. Brian confirmed as much as Danny too once he'd known his brother had caved in, informing the cops that their mentor refused Danny's request to finish James, acting on Moira's behalf, on multiple occasions. Yet when the Inspector received the first reports of the shots at the Altnagelvin, he oddly knew straight away who the shooter would be and who their target was. He didn't even need the confirmation from Collins to confirm it.

"I th-… thought… ye… ye… were…".

Erin was stammering into his neck now, having pulled back from her original dive onto him. His leg might have been trying everything in its power to give up and cause him to crumple, but James held firm with Erin in his arms.

"I… I just lost my feet as… as the bullet went past… and hit my head…".

"But… but… the blood…".

She pulled back to finally meet his eyes. For James though, he wished a bullet would have hit him, because it would not have caused anywhere near the same amount of pain that seeing his Erin so upset did.

"His… not mine… god…Erin I'm so sorry".

His apology was accepted, not that it needed to be. Confident that it was reality, Erin smashed her lips against his, feeling her very soul escape through the gaps in her teeth, joining his in their mouth walled cavern. As if they'd practiced it for years, both reached around their necks for the necklaces he'd brought on the night they truly became more than just friends. The little hearts between the letters E and J came to touch as the two's tongues came to do the same.

James Maguire was not dead.

Erin Quinn was not broken.

And it was in that similar state that the family found them on the ground floor.

She was still distressed, eyes puffy and bloodshot, but she was safe… safely wrapped up in his arms, neither willing to cease contact with the other.

He made a promise to Mary, Gerry and Joe to keep her safe. He'd honoured it and came out of the other side ready to face the world.

Against all odds, the plucky Brit survived again.


"Are ye ready too son?" Joe asked James.

James was sat on the bed of the massive room they'd been allocated on the ground floor. It was finally time for him to go home. A strange feeling given the night before he'd so very nearly only left the Hospital in a coffin. Officer Collins's death still hung in his mind too. He was getting to leave the Altnagelvin with his beloved, to go home to their family, whereas the family of the RUC man were grieving like his family almost were. The poor young man was already long gone by the time the cops stormed the floor, which James believed must have been a horrendous experience for them, having to walk past their friend and colleague's lifeless body. He'd gotten to like him too, the two of them having spoken about various bits of their lives during the short time they'd known each other.

"I am". James replied to Joe after his reflection.

He looked up to Joe and smiled. When the family's relief at seeing the two of them alive and unharmed the night before wore off, James told Joe privately about what McNulty had told him. Joe nearly broke down, burdened with the sudden feeling of responsibility of being so close to breaking Erin's heart by costing James his life. The Englishman was not offended or angered by him though. It might have nearly killed him, but James told him that he'd happily confront anyone looking to settle a score with Joe one hundred more times. That was how much respect he held for him. Joe cried in James's arms after he'd told him that, only doing so as the rest of the family happened to have vacated the room at the time. He was used to holding Erin and not her Granda, coming as a shock to him that Joe would open up so freely, yet unable to shake the feeling of it being right by him doing so.

Ready to get up, Erin rushed over to James's side to help him, with Orla ready holding the door open for them. She was off to meet the Queen of England within a fortnight, and there she was holding doors open for her cousin. That was Orla.

His few personal belongs he'd kept with him at the Hospital were in a rucksack which was sat next to him on the bed. With a steady hand from Erin on his back, James was up and onto his crutches a second later. The final visit from the doctor that morning confirmed that he was ready to be released back into Derry. His time at the Hospital, bookended by occasions where his life was so very nearly lost, drew to a close. The cops were gone too, convinced that the threat to his life was at an end with the death of McNulty. He hadn't told them about the true reason why the Provo wanted James dead, a question the Detective Inspector asked him after the ordeal, after his own information from the Scanlon's indicated the opposite. James instead wove him a tale of revenge, the man being angered that his students were arrested and any other plans he might have had were finished. Worried that they might investigate Joe's links to anything from years earlier, James neglected to mention his part to the Detective Inspector. That secret died with The Condor.

Ambling down the corridors towards the reception, Orla carrying his rucksack for him and Erin always staying close to him, James was hit with a wave of emotion.

Weeks.

Weeks of his life were spent at the Altnagelvin, with the morning that Orla returned from Grand National glory being the only time he'd ventured out into fresh air. No one should ever have to spend such a lengthy spell in Hospital, especially after the brutally he'd suffered from Moira and the Scanlon boys.

Moira, his half-sister.

His half-sister who he was willing to forgive.

He was yet to mention it to anyone, fearing that they would call him insane for wishing to forgive her for wanting to commit such atrocious violence against him, but he was a benevolent young man. A young man who found it in his heart to put the past where it belonged, to move forward with the life he hoped to lead. Reserved within the plan of that life would be an attempt at reconciliation with her.

His father too.

He wanted to get the day over with, but Easter Saturday would be the day that James would try to reach out to Ronan. He could understand that the man wouldn't get involved that Friday; he needed to look after the family around him first before inviting any others into it. He would even understand, despite knowing it would upset him greatly, if the man wanted nothing to do with James. After all, there was the accent at the end of the day…

"Hey". Erin beamed up at him, stroking his back.

"Hey". He looked back at her and smiled.

"Ye look deep in thought…". She noted.

"I was". He breathed out, moving his focus to the main doors ahead. "Maybe… maybe later we can talk about it".

"Whenever yer ready".

That was the other part of his Erin that he loved. Her caring side, the one that hid behind the ferociously ambitious and often self-righteous outlook of her school persona. It was only James that really saw that side to Erin on a regular basis, with the rest of the group only getting occasional glimpses. Another reason to love her.

He was concerned that there would be an army of reporters waiting for him outside given the events of the night before, but it wasn't to be. To his relief, they could simply make their way over to Joe's car. Erin caringly helped him into the car, Joe holding the door open for them as she took James' weight, easing him down onto the seat.

The couple were holding hands across the back seat of the car, with James feeling there was a sense of déjà vu to the scenario, though with improvement on the prior time. He'd sat behind Joe on the night of the prom all those months ago, with Erin sat across from him in the back and Orla sat in the passenger seat up front. He didn't have a broken leg then, but neither did he have a totally fulfilled heart, a fulfilment he'd found with Erin in the months since. One he wanted forever.

"Ye still want to make that stop James?" Joe asked him.

"Yes please Joe". He replied without hesitation.

"What stop?" Erin and Orla asked together.

"That… is a secret". James purred.


Joe knew that asking James about the stop was a stupid question. There was no chance that the Englishman would change his mind now, especially with how close he came to losing everything. All of the favours that James had asked for were complete, and now it was the time for the wee English fella to start his part of the plan. The patriarch also had to accept that Gerry had done an incredible job with the main task handed out by James. Having already viewed it, he couldn't believe his eyes that the slack southern shite was able to do such a good job for James.

The car came to a stop on a street a couple away from the Quinn residence, with Orla and Erin both looking mightily confused. In comparison, James was grinning from ear to ear, with Joe unable to prevent a little smile passing his lips.

"Why have we stopped?" Erin asked.

"Aye Granda, we don't live here ye know". Orla added.

"I know love. We don't live here". Joe confirmed to her.

His granddaughters were still none the wiser, turning to James to try to understand the reason for them stopping where they had.

"Will you help me out the car?" He addressed Erin.

Despite being suspicious of whatever was going on, she wordlessly complied with his request, exiting the vehicle on her side. Walking over to his, she allowed him to put his weight back onto her as he rose from the car, having his crutches out ready for him too. Once he was out of the car, he gave her a quick peck on the lips, with giggles falling from the pair of them at the action.

"Are we gettin' out Granda?" Orla asked Joe from her front passenger seat.

"Not yet Orla…". Joe moved his left hand to place over her right. "… we need to give them a few minutes".

"Are they havin' funny business?" Her eyes widened.

"No…". Joe chuckled. "… we just need to give them time… that's all".

Joe looked out of the window as James went past, the two sharing a nod as the Englishman rounded the front of the car to reach the path to the left. Erin was walking by his side, her own curiosity bubbling over, ready to demand to know exactly what they were doing.

"James…". She said his name as they reached the path. "… what's going on?"

He stopped in front of the gate to the house they'd pulled up in front of. She took a quick glance at it, noticing there was no car on the drive, the whole place looking seemingly empty, though there was no for sale sign outside. There was a beautiful little garden to the side of the driveway, with a little bed of flowers growing in the corner.

"Well…". He started, but laboured when it came to an explanation.

"Ach come on James, I don't like ye keeping secrets from me…". She muttered in a low voice.

He took a deep breath, requesting her hand. Having received it, he gently tugged her around so that she faced the house full on. It all began here.

"There's no secret". He stated softly. "You're looking at it".

"A house?" Erin's brows furrowed, though she didn't take her eyes off it.

However, she did take her eyes away when he dangled a key up in front of them, pulled from the pocket of his denim jacket.

"Our house".

She slowly turned her head to him, eyes wide and a heart beating faster than a race car. James knew how to pull out a surprise or two, usually when it came to staying alive, yet this was one that Erin never saw coming. A house. A house for the two of them to live in, away from the attentions of their family and friends, where the two of them could hold their future together.

"Wh… What?" Her disbelief took over.

James laughed to himself under his breath at her disbelief, watching how cute she looked, as her brain tried to process the newly found information.

"Remember when I said your dad put a bet on Bogside Warrior?"

"Yeah…". She responded with a raised brow, remembering him telling her as they cuddled in the Hospital.

"We… well I suppose I, won quite a lot of money. A couple of hundred thousand nearly…".

"WHAT!?"

"I… I wanted to do something for us…". He squeezed her hand as he spoke to make her calm again. "… and Gerry said he had a friend who was an estate agent, so it was easy enough".

Their eyes met as they looked away from the house; there was no question about what would happen next. Cupping her face with his right hand, James tilted his head down, placing his lips onto hers and kissing her with a loving passion. There was nothing rushed or childish about the kiss like most of their kisses usually were. No, this one held true love within it, making Erin blush profusely at just how romantic it was. These were the kisses she envisaged with him as her mind showed her the future through the vessel that was her happiest dreams.

"A house... THAT IS CRACKER!"

Orla's shouting, and the slamming of the car doors, broke the two out of their passionate moment. Erin was about to give Orla a piece of her mind for interrupting such a perfect moment of divinity and peace, but James shook his head to tell her not to. He didn't want a shouting match in the street.

"I'm sorry son". Joe apologised to him. "I had to tell her ye know…".

"It's alright Joe". He laughed.

"We goin' inside then… I hope yer house has a Wham bar handy James. I can only have one more this week and I am STARVIN'!".

"Orla!" Erin scolded her this time.

That was as far as the scolding went though, as James started on up the empty driveway to the front door, Erin relinquishing his hand but staying by his side. She'd thought of many doors the night before, and the many keys that were needed to unlock those specific doors, but never this door with this key.

She never expected her future to lay a few streets away from the family home.

But of course James would buy them a house… a sensible investment for a teenager when confronted with a raft of unexpected money. He could have spent it on meaningless items for himself or organised a wild party for everyone at school.

Instead, he unlocked part of their future.


The house was mostly unfurnished, but immediately Erin could tell that she would happily make it her home. The hallway leading from the entrance reminded her of the family home, being confronted with stairs to the right hand side and the hallway extending down towards the back of the house. However, the similarities ended there. The walls were not covered in hideous wallpaper like they were at home, being painted a lovely cream colour at their new house. There were no paintings hanging on the walls either. Everything was spacious and free, like they would be when they moved in.

"James…. I… I don't know what to say".

The supply of tears seemed unending for Erin, although the tears of sadness were replaced by those of joy in the hallway of their new home.

"Shall we have a look round?" He smiled, taking her hand back in his.

She nodded, but before they could start off, Joe got something off his chest.

"I have to say… Gerry's done a grand job…".

"Have ye had one of those funny scones again Granda?" Orla questioned him.

Erin snorted a laugh at the memory of Joe being ever so kind to Gerry at the wake that night, having consumed one of the drug-filled scones that were accidentally distributed. Joe gave the three of them a roll of his eyes but had to laugh at the memory himself. This time though, he didn't require any substances to compliment Gerry. Gerry had done a fine job.

James led the way, though he didn't particularly know it himself. Very quickly it was apparent that this house was bigger than the Quinn house. The first door he came to on the left was open, leading into a fairly large area that did hold one piece of furnishing within. There was a long dining table in the middle of the room, signifying exactly what the room would be used for, confirmed by the opening to the right, that led into the next room.

"Christ!" Joe exclaimed. "It's feckin' huge".

"I… how are we even goin' to fill it?" A dumbfounded Erin asked James.

"I'm sure we'll find a way". He hummed back to her.

Going through the opening to the right, they were greeted by a large kitchen. It wasn't particularly wide, but it extended right to the back garden, with a back door at the opposite end from where they were standing. There were worktops running along either side, with an oven already in place as well as washing machine. The house might have been mostly unfurnished, but between the two of them, James and Gerry ensured that essentials would be in place. Which was also why there was a gift wrapped up on the worktop immediately to the left, with Erin's name on the tag. A gift that James picked up and handed over to her.

"Ye can't have something else for me?" She grinned, a laugh creeping out from between her lips.

"Just open it". He shared the same amusement.

Gently tearing away the wrapping, Erin burst out into a fit of guffaws when she saw the essential item that James had got for her. Granted, she would have followed in her mother's footsteps by having one ready at all times, but considering his chequered past with the item in question, she was surprised it would be her fella that ensured she possessed one.

Her very own wooden spoon.

"Ye don't need to steal ours now James". Orla commented.

"That's right Orla".

He couldn't contain his laughter either, Joe being in the same boat, though Orla just smiled through it, not quite seeing how funny it truly was.

Eventually they meandered on through the kitchen, James unlocking the back door for them to go out into the spacious garden. There was a little shed up against the back fence, but other than that the rest of the garden was a lush green paradise, the grass freshly cut. A small patio area lay directly outside the door from the kitchen, with a washing line stretching around the perimeter between grass and pavement. Erin could imagine them sat out there on summer nights with the rest of the gang, drinking away without a care in the world. Listening to Michelle's overly exaggerated tales about some fella getting off with some girl, Clare fretting about whatever might have happened in the day that proceeded them and Orla making them laugh with her left field comments.

The living room had a set of French doors, they certainly wouldn't be inviting Sister Michael around anytime soon, which they re-entered the house through. The living room was perhaps the emptiest of all, only containing a television in the corner, just along from a beautiful feature fireplace. In time, they would add a large sofa and an armchair for when Joe visited, with even space for two sofas if caution was thrown to the wind.

"Can I go back outside and have a look in the wee shed?" Orla put to them.

"Here". James gave her the keys. "It's the little silver one".

"I'll come with ye love". Joe smiled at Orla. "The two of you's can have a look upstairs".

Exchanging smiles, Orla skipped out into the garden towards the shed, with Joe following her out, still grinning away. It left just James and Erin, holding hands in a house that would soon become the home that they lived in.

"Can ye get up the stairs?" Erin spoke of her concerns for him.

"For you…". He raised his other hand to pinch her nose. "… I'd do anything".

The pair of eejits were kissing again, just as passionately as they'd done when they were interrupted outside before. This time there would be no interruption though, Orla being in a world of her own in the empty wee shed at the bottom of the garden.

"I love you". He whispered into Erin's ear.

"I love you too".


After having a thorough look around upstairs, eventually joined by Orla and Joe, they were ready to depart their future home for the Quinn house. There were three bedrooms upstairs, with a large bathroom too. James and Erin had the master bedroom for themselves of course, the bed already in place for when they were to move in. There was a secondary bedroom which, upon arriving upstairs, Orla claimed for her own whenever she might visit in the years to come. Not that she would have much spare time as a professional jockey of course, though Michelle would no doubt find a few breaks in her schedule during the year to allow for a visit or two. Having a third bedroom was a luxury, but before they went inside it, Erin decided to see if James had already made plans for the room. Perhaps it might be a study space for the two of them, they might even be able to get a fancy new computer to work on.

"What about this room?" She'd asked.

"This room…". His hand had fell to her belly. "… is for when we are ready".

A room for a child… or children. James was so convinced of their future together, that he was already planning for the next generation of their family. He may have still been a teenager, and still immature in many ways, but there was no doubting how sensible his approach was. She knew he would make a brilliant father, having already told him as much a few days earlier at the Hospital, a comment reinforced at that very moment.

The trip back to the Quinn house was short, if James wasn't on crutches then they could have probably walked back hand in hand, and quickly Erin realised that it wouldn't be a quiet day. They would usually go to church on Good Friday afternoon, but judging by the number of cars that were parked all down the street, a party was in the offing. Orla was just as clueless too, having been left out of the knowledge in the fear that she might spill it to James and Erin. Only Joe knew that all of their family and friends would be at the house ahead of James finally coming home after his weeks of hell.

Walking into the house, they were greeted by Mary at the door, with the sound of family and friends chatting in the background.

"Welcome home James". She said to him.

It might not have been his real home, but the Quinn house was forever going to act as home to him. In theory, it already was for all of the gang, spending the majority of their time there, rather than at the Mallon or Devlin households.

Along with Erin, he hugged her mother, Orla almost jumping on Erin's back to be able to join in too. Joe watched on with fondness at the scene. After his past nearly conspired to ruin the foundations that they'd built over the last few months, he could only watch on in admiration at their future. They were led through to the living room, where they found all of their family and friends, along with a few surprising guests too.

James nodded a thanks to Gerry the second they were in the room, for doing such a tremendous job finding them a home. His estate agent friend would no doubt have recommended it, but James owed it to Gerry for arranging it on his behalf. His toll would soon be repaid though.

Tick Tock

The guest list was illustrious. In addition to Gerry, Sarah and baby Anna…

Michelle, Clare, Deirdre, Martin, Geraldine, Sean, Kathy, Tom, Uncle Colm, Frankie, Paul, Mr Flanagan, Sister Michael, Jenny, Aisling, Harriet, Jenny's parents… even Dennis.

They were all packed into the Quinn's living room as the clock struck twelve. There was a round of applause for James, with tears threatening to fall from most eyes in the room at the wee English fella truly being back in all of their lives. Even Sister Michael's hardened exterior was allowed to fall for a moment, genuinely happy to see James out of Hospital and ready to return to everyday life. She might have to put up with the antics of him and Erin for the rest of the school year, but those thoughts were for another day.

"Thank you". James sniffed out his feelings to them all.

"Stop crying dicko!" Michelle shouted at him, receiving a slap on her wrist from Deirdre.

Accepting a glass of champagne from Sarah, James looked back over to his cousin, who was wrapped up in Tom's arms in the corner of the room. Revenge time…

"How many of these has Michelle had?" James asked the room in a pompous tone, a chorus of laughter sounding at the open question.

"Do ye want that other leg broken?" She huffed.

"Do ye want to be grounded for the whole of Easter young lady?" Deirdre again came to James' defence. "With no access to the phone…".

"What!" Michelle argued back. "I have to have access, I'm Orla's agent and…".

Tom put his hand over Michelle's mouth, a very sensible idea that Deirdre commended him for with a dip on her own head. Sometimes it was the only way to stop Michelle, and there could be absolutely no disagreement that it was effective.

General chatter spread amongst them all for the next few minutes, with James sneaking out of the room, as sneakily as one can when on crutches, to go to the bathroom upstairs. Erin helped him up there, making sure that he did not fall on the long, agonising journey up the stairs at the Quinn house. It seemed however, that James was still full of surprises, as he told her to go to her room as there was another present for her.

Five minutes later, once he'd finished in the bathroom, they met out on the landing once more, Erin's heart melting when she realised what he'd done. When she'd gone back to her room after he'd closed the bathroom door, she found a brand-new Easter dress on her bed. It was Easter after all… it didn't look too out of place to wear it when she returned to the family downstairs. Yet when he re-appeared from the bathroom, with a familiar scarf wrapped around him, she could have oozed into the floorboards. It was like prom night all over again, except this time James wasn't at her house because John-Paul stood her up. James was there because he was her world. Her everything.

After a careful navigation on the return leg down the stairs, Joe having come to meet them at the bottom in case of any accidents, they made their way back to the family. Commenting on how beautiful Erin looked in her Easter dress, Joe's heart swelled for the young couple. Especially so, because he knew…

The couple never left each other's side once they were back in the room, taking up a spot right in the middle of the living room. The family were all stood around them, with wide grins on their faces and cheerful laughs filling the air. James knew it was the right moment. The perfect moment for his final surprise. He just needed a little bit of assistance in silencing the room. Once again, Gerry was on hand to aide him.

"I think James has something he wants to say!"

"Oi! We aren't deaf boy! Don't you be shoutin' in this house!" Joe reprimanded Gerry, whilst shouting himself… obviously.

"Thanks Gerry". James smiled his appreciation.

Tick Tock

He looked around the room, taking his hand out of Erin's grasp for a second. It was quite the crowd for what he was about to say, but it would at least save a hundred conversations over the next couple of days.

"I… I want to thank you all for what you've done for me over the past few weeks…". He started off nervously. "… I know from what I've been told that it was touch and go for a while back there… and I'm sorry that I… I… well… I'm sorry that I scared and upset you all."

"There is no need to apologise James…". Sister Michael spoke up before anyone else. "… it is to others not present to provide the apologies".

As much as he appreciated her sentiment, and would thank her privately another time, the Sister's hint towards Moira was one he didn't wish to speak of. It just wasn't the right time to openly admit to them all that he was willing to wipe the slate clean with Moira. Or that he wished to be in contact with his father. Those were experiences to have with the part of his life that was dormant for so long, but it would have to remain dormant for now, as the other part was active and in need of his attention.

"I want to say thanks to you mum, for getting these…". He pointed at his suit & scarf, along with Erin's new Easter dress. "… shipped in at such late notice".

"It's my pleasure son". She beamed back at him.

"And also to Joe for everything with the horse…". He nodded to the man, who nodded back with a tear in his eye. "… Orla for riding it so well…".

"Ach well like I was sayin… it was eeeeeasy!" She stated, sending the room into a state of laughter.

"Gerry… words really can't express what you've done for us…". He put his hand in Erin's again, her face lighting up, though with some confusion etched into it. "… with the house and getting everything together".

"For you son, any time". Gerry grinned, never being happier.

"Ye… ye organised all this… without me knowing… how?". Erin couldn't quite understand it all.

James could do nothing else but smile at his beloved's confusion, and her realisation that he'd somehow managed to plan something around her so craftily, when she believed Derry to be the worst place on earth for the concept of stealth.

"And to you Harriet…". He then addressed the blonde across the room. "… thank you for Erin's last present".

Catching the glances of Gerry and Joe, the time had come for James. He'd experience so many important moments in his life since he'd been left in Derry, some being good and some leaving him dangerously close to losing that life. They all led to this moment in the front room of the Quinn house, none of them coming close to topping what was about to happen. Erin's frown returned, creating a ripple effect of frowns around the room, except from Harriet, Gerry and Joe. Because they knew…

The two men knew because he'd asked their permission. Harriet… for the use of the family business…

Usually, you would only have to ask the father for the hand, but in this family, if you consulted Gerry, the decision needed to be accepted by Joe too. That was the way it was.

Tick Tock

"Erin…". He squeezed her hand, shifting away a second later and taking the hand away.

She stood there, still perplexed by whatever he was about to say. To him, it didn't seem like she had any idea of what was to come.

Harriet hadn't provided Erin with a final present… she'd provided James with the last question to complete the quiz that was the future. He just needed the right answer from Erin.

"You… you stayed by my side every night, from the first nights where I was hanging by a thread to… well… last night… where I was hanging by a thread…".

"And… and I'd do it again". She sniffled, tears of joy already falling.

Erin wasn't the only one tearing up around the room. Light bulbs began to flicker on through the ranks of the family. Clare was one of the first to realise, her jaw dropping open as she stared at the couple in the middle of the room. Her own heart jumped out of her chest in joyous celebration at what was about to come… they were so perfect for each other. It was always going to come to this.

"But…". James spoke again. "… I lost a few weeks of my life with you… and I never want to lose you again".

The light bulbs were all on at that comment, with James reaching into the pocket of his new suit jacket providing the concrete evidence to all suspicions.

Erin's brain was the last one to latch on, even behind Orla's, but when it finally entered her radar on what he was about to ask, her heart soared to new heights that were never before imaginable.

The little box was in his hand, and he carefully opened the lid to reveal the most perfect ring… a ring to say that they were going to be together… forever.

"I… I can't do this properly because of the leg… but…".

"Erin Josephine Quinn… will you marry me?"

There were gasps around the room, Mary practically falling apart with glee when the question was put to her daughter by the wee English fella.

Sister Michael and Michelle both chose the same moment to utter the same words, 'feck's sake', the Sister looking at the young Mallon with a face of thunder for copying her.

"YES!"

Erin leapt up to kiss him. Tears were falling from them both, but in those few seconds, nothing mattered to them outside of their own little world. The most important person in her life, the one that she thought she'd lost less than twenty-four hours earlier, had just asked her to marry him.

In the following minutes, there were hugs and kisses aplenty between all of the family. Kathy could not be prouder of her boy, shocked by the scene, but ultimately over the moon for her son. These were the moments she prayed for when she was first allowed back into his life a few weeks earlier, now having the most beautiful daughter in-law to spend time with.

Like they had done when James returned on the day of Clinton's visit, the gang formed a huddle, though Orla respectfully refrained from diving on James due to his injury. The dynamic of the group may have changed now that James and Erin were engaged, but they would still be the pack animals. They would still get into classic scrapes along the rest of the journey through school, frustrating the hell out their teachers and fellow students. That could never be taken away from them.

The gang was truly back together.

Derry Girls.


That night, Erin was safely tucked up under the covers of her own bed for the first time in weeks. She'd missed the warmth of her duvet in that time, having spent the majority of it stuck on a makeshift bed on the floor of various rooms of the Altnagelvin. If there was one place in Derry that she hoped to never see again, it was the bloody Hospital. The whole family shared that view too.

Despite having left the catering partly to Dennis, which would have been a disaster if Mary hadn't insisted on only genuine goods, the family had a brilliant afternoon. Church would stuff off for the day, even Sister Michael couldn't be bothered, though that was partly due to her being intoxicated by two o'clock, being driven home by Gerry in the end to spare her blushes with a taxi driver. She'd done one good thing for them though; drank Michelle under the table. Deirdre decided to let it happen so that she could berate her daughter the next day, fully aware that Sister Michael may have been a nun, but knowing no one could outdrink her. Deirdre tried once and failed.

As bedtime drew closer, Erin yawned, exhausted from the exhilaration of the day. But she wouldn't end it alone.

She'd told her mother on the night after he'd been attacked that she wouldn't sleep in her bed again until James was in it. That statement rang true on the evening of Good Friday, as her head was next to his, his arm around her shoulders. The couple together in bed… as they should be.

She sat back up, placing the book back on the side table, on top of the diary she'd neglected to write in for some time. In truth, she'd grown out of it.

His eyes watched her all of the way, even when she switched the light off and plunged the room into darkness. They found each other in the dark again, Erin curling up into his side, capturing his lips within an instant.

"I'm not sure my leg's well enough to withstand any funny business". He snorted a laugh into her ear as they pulled apart.

Her own giggles filled his in the next few seconds, bringing her back in to kiss again. His future wife. Wife… what an odd thing to contemplate at seventeen years old…

"I just want you to hold me tonight". She whispered to him in the darkness. "… just hold me".

The tone she spoke to him in was the one which was for his ears only, the little voice that sent his heart into overdrive. The loving voice of his Erin.

"Yes Mrs Maguire".

He dared to say it… dared to dream of the day where he could, when in law it was recognised.

"Not yet". She playfully slapped his chest, their noses coming to graze against each other.

"Oh but you so are…".


Asleep on his chest, with wide smiles on both of their faces, Gerry watched on from the doorway. They'd forgotten to shut the door before going to sleep, leaving a beautiful view for anyone else in the house to witness. Trusting them not to conduct any funny business, he was unsurprised to find them wrapped up in each other. He'd have done the same with Mary had they been in that situation… because that was how the two men both loved the important women in their lives.

"Goodnight you two". He whispered into Erin's snore-filled bedroom.

The agonies and ecstasies of the weeks gone by drew to a close as he shut her door. From the highs of Orla's racing exploits and the scenes of the afternoon just gone, to the lows of James's attack and his near death the night before… it was finally over.

As Good Friday itself came to an end, Gerry's final look over the happy couple turned his mind to thoughts of peace. They looked so peaceful in bed together, cuddling, with the reality of a life to be lived in matrimony in the years to come no doubt inhibiting their dreams.

He hoped it would be the first of many Good Friday's that were lived in peace.

Tick Tock