A/N: I was going to end the story in the last chapter, but the story sort of go away from me. LOL. So, we're time jumping ten years into the future and the Saints are getting into trouble...again.
2019 – Greenwich, New York
The heavy footsteps echoed through the air while ten set of eyes watched a shadow moving across the wall and the muffled sounds of moaning, grunting, and heavy breathing filled the darkness. The shadow moved closer then bled into the darkness and the heavy footsteps stopped.
"Look at you," the voice in the darkness said and a muffled scream filled the air. "You believe you are heroes, but you are nothing. Nothing, but pathetic copies. To you, this is a game. Something to do because you are bored. But it's not. What I do…. It is a calling. A hunger that can never be ignored or forgotten."
The muffled voices grew louder and the hard eyes looked at them and leather gloved hands clenched into fists.
"But, seeing how you think this is a game, you have lost. And the price of failure is death."
Muffled pleading filled the air when flashes of light appeared in the darkness then the sound of heavy footsteps. The shadow moved across the wall then faded and a stream of blood trickled out of the darkness.
London, England - unknown location
The doors to the elevator opened while Morgan walked out of the elevator car as he down the hallway then he stopped at the security desk. After showing the guards his identification and being searched, he watched the doors open and he walked down the hallway. Stopping at the door to his office, he slid his identification card into the keypad near the door and he pushed the buttons on the keypad. The soft beeping sound alerted him the door was open as he opened the door and he walked in the office. He headed for the desk as he sat down on the office chair and he looked at the computer monitor. He powered up the computer monitor and the computer monitor flickered on. He looked at the screen wallpaper of his niece, her husband and their three children smiling at him and he blinked his eyes a few times.
"Sir," came from the monitor to his left made him turn to look at the woman on the screen and he sighed, sitting back against the chair.
"What is it?" Morgan asked.
"It's happened again."
"Where?" he asked as he stood up and he walked to the screen.
"In New York."
"How many?"
"Ten."
He looked at the screen as images of ten dead bodies lying on the ground appeared and he could see the blood under their heads.
"Was there a message?"
"Yes, Sir. 'In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."
"Damn," Morgan whispered. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers and thumb and he shook his head.
"Orders, Sir?"
"Clear the area and retrieve any security footage."
"Yes, Sir,"
The screen went blank as Morgan walked back to the desk then he sat down. He looked at the screen wallpaper when he leaned back in the chair and he steepled his fingers together.
The Angel Wings Ranch, Ireland
Murphy never minded celebrating Saint Patrick's Day. It was a chance to have fun, eat and get drunk. But since the birth of his twin sons, David and Murphy, Saint Patrick's Day meant a whole lot more.
"How th'hell did this happen?" Murphy asked while he and Connor stood on the porch and they watched thirty-five kids standing and talking near the fence to the paddock. Both of them were wearing jeans, blue denim shirts and brown work boots and Connor leaned on the porch railing.
"I told Annie she could invite nine friends t'her birthday party. How was I supposed t'know you told th'twins th'same thing?!" Connor asked.
"An' you fergot about Robbie, Soibhan, Caesar, Rosita an' Moira," Murphy said with a sigh.
Caesar and Rosita were Romeo and Jessie's children, and Robert and Moira were Connor's seven-year-old twins. Caesar was also seven and Rosita was four.
Nodding, Connor scanned the scene with his eyes when he noticed something and his eyebrows arched down.
"I think we're a kid short," Connor said.
"What're you talkin' about?"
Murphy looked at the kids when he noticed his youngest son, Murphy, was missing and he walked to David.
"David, where's yer brudder?" Murphy asked.
"I saw him goin' into th'barn," David said and Murphy looked toward the barn.
"Why did he go in there?"
"Dunno."
Murphy quickly walked toward the barn when he looked inside and he saw his son sitting on the crate. Murphy slowly walked closer when he noticed his son was looking down at his jeans and he was shaking his head.
"Fuck," his son said when he looked up and he saw his father walking closer.
"What's wrong?" Murphy asked. He stopped in front of his son when he knelt down on his haunches and his son shook his head. "Come on. You can tell me."
"No, I can't," his son said as he glanced up at his father with sad eyes. "You'll tease me."
"Aye, it's true I love t'tease you an' yer brudder, but I won't if it summat serious."
Murphy watched his son stand up when he saw the wet stain across the crotch of his son's jeans and down the legs of the jeans and Murphy frowned.
"You wet yer jeans?"
"No. I…. Uh… I had to fix summat."
"What sort of summat?"
Murphy waited for him to speak when his son sighed and lowered his head. Murphy looked over at the showers when he saw a puddle of water on the ground and he blinked. He stood, walked over to the puddle when he looked up at the shower head and he watched some water droplets drip from the shower head. He thought for a few seconds when something clicked in his head and he softly smiled.
"You have gotta be kiddin'," he thought, turned and he walked back to his son.
"Murphy?" Louisa asked while she walked in the barn and she walked to them. "What's going on?"
Murphy saw the pleading look in their son's eyes when he placed his left hand on their son's right shoulder and Louisa waited for one of them to say something.
"Everythin's fine. We just need t'have a private talk," Murphy said while his eyes glanced down to their son's jeans and Louisa saw the wet stain. She nodded then she turned and walked away. After she had left the barn, Murphy turned his son toward him and he was still amazed with how much his son looked like him. He sat down as his son sighed and Murphy turned to face him. "Shit. I thought I have another two years before I needed t'have this talk with you."
"What talk?" his son asked.
"Yer sex talk," Murphy said and his son scrunched up his face.
"Do we have to?"
"Well, seein' how you're in here with wet jeans an' you didn't want me t'tell yer ma what's wrong, aye. Now, who's th'girl who caused all this?"
"You know Annie's friend, Sarah?"
"Which one's Sarah?"
"She's th'one with blue hair."
Murphy thought for a second when he remembered who Sarah was and he arched his eyebrows up.
"Is she th'one in th'red sweater?" he asked.
"Aye, that's her," his son said with a nod.
"Annie said Sarah's th'first lass in their class t'wear a trainin' bra."
"Aye, she is."
"So, when you saw her today, summat happened," Murphy said as he fought hard not to smile.
"I had t'take a piss, so I came in here. But…."
"But when you looked down at yer jeans, you noticed summat was stickin' out a bit?"
"Aye. I didn't know what t'do," his son said with a slight crack to his voice and he sniffed. Murphy looked at his son when Murphy moved closer and he slid his arm around his son's shoulders.
"Hey, there is no need t'cry," Murphy said in a soft voice.
"What's wrong with me?!"
"Nothin's wrong. It's just summat that happens when a boy starts growin' up."
Taking a deep breath then letting it out slowly, Murphy explained as his son gave him a puzzled look then a slightly stunned look and Murphy smiled.
"Feelin' better now?" Murphy said and his son nodded.
"Uh…. When did it happen t'you?" his son asked.
"I was eleven. An' yer Uncle Connor teased th'hell outta me."
"That's why I'm in here. I don't want David t'do that t'me when he finds out."
"Gives you th'right t'tease him when it happens t'him," Murphy said with a wink and his son laughed. "Now, let's go in th'house so you can change yer jeans."
Nodding, his son got up as he followed him and they left the barn. Louisa was waiting for them as she led their son to the house while Connor walked to Murphy and Murphy saw the confused look on his twin's face.
"What happened?" Connor asked, watching Louisa lead Young Murphy into the house.
"Murphy's growin' up," Murphy said with a sigh.
"What does that mean?"
"It means he noticed summat an' his body reacted."
"What did he notice?"
"Annie's friend, Sarah," he said and Connor looked over at Annabelle and her friends. He knew which one was Sarah as he looked from her to Murphy then Connor softly laughed.
"Oh…. I get it," Connor said.
"Don't tease him like you did me, aye?"
"I promise."
A few minutes later, Louisa and Young Murphy walked back out of the house and they headed for the fence. Connor and Murphy were sitting on the top of the fence to the paddock when Murphy's son looked at him and Murphy gave him a wink.
"Right. Who wants t'ride a horse?" Connor asked and the kids raised their hands.
Later that night, the bathroom door opened while Louisa walked to the bed and she looked at Murphy sitting under the blankets with the pillows piled behind his back. She noticed he was shirtless and he was reading a book. He pushed the wire rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose with his left middle finger and she silently admitted she liked it when he wore his glasses.
She crawled onto the bed as he moved the blankets back and she snugged under them. He used the rainbow maned unicorn bookmark Soibhan had made him to save the page he was reading when he closed the book and he placed the book on the night table. Louisa snugged against his right side while she placed her head against his right shoulder and her fingers slid across his chest. A cool shiver moved through him as her fingers brushed against the scar on his left side near his ribs and he placed her hand against the center of his chest.
"Why were you lookin' at me like that?" he asked, removing the glasses and he placed the glasses on the night table.
"I can't help it. I have a very handsome husband," she said and he snorted a laugh. "Don't laugh. You are."
"Even at forty-seven?"
"Even when you're one hundred and seven," she said, kissing the spot over his heart. He made a deep sigh as he looked at a spot on the wall and she felt him shutting down. "What's wrong?"
"I'm jus' sad."
"About what?"
"Th'kids are growin' up. Why can't they just stay little forever?"
"That wouldn't be fair to them."
"You're right."
"Murphy told me what you two were talking about in the barn."
"He did?" he asked and she nodded.
"And I understand why you wanted to be the one who handled it. You never got the chance to have that talk with your dad."
"You're right. Connor an' I had t'learn about it from some boys at school."
Louisa still felt sad that their father, Noah, spent twenty-five years in prison after he was framed by his friend, Louie, and she slid her hand along Murphy's side then up and along his stomach.
"Do you have any idea what that does t'me?" he teased and she crawled on top of him.
"Show me," she said and he swore she was purring. He slowly unbuttoned the blue pajamas top with cartoon sheep printed on it when he tossed the pajamas top across the room after he slid it off her and she kissed his lips.
The door opened while Margaret walked in the den then she closed the door behind her. She walked to the desk chair when she sat down and she looked at the monitor. She sat back in the chair as she looked at the framed photographs of her and her family on the wall and she smiled at the goofy grin on Connor's face in one of the photographs. Her mind showed her the black and white photograph of him looking miserable during his long exile and she sighed. A soft buzzing sound alerted her as she typed on the keyboard and the monitor clicked on. She looked at the screen wallpaper of her, Connor, Romeo, Louisa and Murphy when they lived in Costa Rica and Connor was kissing her left cheek. Murphy had his tongue sticking out as he made a face at Louisa and Louisa was laughing while Romeo rolled his eyes at their silliness.
Smiling, Margaret typed on the keyboard when the screen went dark then Morgan's face appeared on the screen.
"Good evening, Sir," Margaret said.
"Good evening," Morgan said with a nod. "Is the channel secure?"
Margaret saw the look on her uncle's face and she knew things were serious when he asked if the channel was secure.
"Yes, Sir."
"I am sorry I was not able to attend Annabelle's birthday party."
"We fully understand why, Sir."
"Did she receive the present I sent?"
Margaret sat back in the chair when she sighed and she brushed some hair from her eyes. Her mind replayed the birthday party and she thought back to what happened when Annabelle opened his present.
"Right, we're down to th'last three presents. Who wants t'go first?" Connor asked, rubbing his hands together.
"Me," Young Murphy said as he picked up the present wrapped in green wrapping paper with Happy Birthday written on it and he opened the envelope. He looked at the birthday card when he smiled and he looked at Connor and Murphy. "Thanks, Uncle Connor. Thanks, Da."
He opened the wrapping paper as he looked at the video game and player's guide and he smiled.
"Cool!"
"Uh, isn't he a little young for that?" Louisa asked, looking at the video game.
"He's ten, Lou," Murphy explained. She tried to resist the pleading look they were giving her when she sighed and she handed the video game to their son.
"My turn!" David said. He opened the envelope as he removed the birthday card and he smiled. "Thanks, Da. Thanks, Uncle Connor."
He opened the wrapping paper as he removed the same video game and the player's guide and he smiled.
"Yes!"
"Stops them from fightin' over it," Murphy said and he slid his arms around Louisa.
"What's going to stop you and Connor from fighting over it?" she teased and Margaret softly laughed at the stunned look coming from her brother-in-law.
"My turn," Annie said. She reached for the envelope when she opened the envelope then she frowned after she removed the piece of paper.
"Who's it from?" Connor asked.
"It's from Uncle Morgan," she said, handing the piece of paper to Margaret. Margaret looked at the piece of paper when she frowned and she blinked her eyes a few times. Her mind replayed her birthdays and her receiving the same piece of paper and she lightly shook her head.
"What is it?" Louisa asked.
"It's a bond to be used to help pay for her education if and when she wants to go to college," Margaret said and Annabelle's friends giggled and laughed.
"What a crappy gift," Sarah said and the other girls nodded.
Margaret saw the embarrassed look on her daughter's face when Annie got up and she ran to the house. Holding up her left hand toward Connor to stop him from following their daughter, Margaret got up and she headed for the house.
"Margaret, is there something wrong?" Morgan asked and she looked at him.
"I'm sorry, Sir. Yes, she received your present," Margaret said.
"Did she enjoy it?"
"If I am allowed to be truthful…"
"Of course."
"She hated it."
"She…hated it."
"Sir, you have to understand. Children today don't want things like bonds for their birthday. They want video games, smartphones…."
"No. I do understand," he said then he paused. "Do you wish me to send something else?"
"No no no. It's fine. Connor and I talked with her and she said we can place it in her savings account."
He became quiet while she leaned forward and she placed her lower forearms on the top of the desk.
"Is there anything else you wish to talk to me about?" she asked.
"Yes. It appears we had some more deaths."
Even though she had told Connor eleven years ago she would give up her career to help run the ranch, Margaret knew Morgan would never let her fully retire and she felt a cold ball of ice building in her stomach.
"Where?" Margaret asked.
"In Greenwich, New York."
"How many?"
"Ten."
"Was there a message?"
"Yes. In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."
Margaret kept her face blank, but she recognized the message and she sat back in the chair.
"That is the calling card of the Church," she said.
The Church was the name of a group of vigilantes who lived in Greenwich and they patterned themselves after the Saints.
"Yes, it is. Which is why…."
"No!" she said with an icy tone in her voice and Morgan arched an eyebrow.
"Margaret…."
"I will not allow it."
"You will not allow it?!"
"Did I stutter?!"
Morgan knew there was no reasoning with her when she went into her ice queen mode and he sat up a little straighter.
"Don't you think they have a right to decide what should be done?" Morgan asked.
"Yes, I do. But have you considered the repercussions if them return to active duty?"
"I assure you they will be safe."
"Like you assured me they would be safe eleven years ago?!"
"They're alive, aren't they?" he asked. His saw the anger in her eyes and he waited for her to say something.
"Good night, Sir," she said as she ended the conversation and the screen went blank. She looked at the screen wallpaper while her eyes locked on Connor and Murphy then she turned the computer off, got up and she headed for the door. She opened the door as she turned the light off, left the room and she closed the door behind her.
The bedroom door opened while Margaret entered the bedroom, closed the door and she looked at Connor. He was shirtless and sleeping under the blankets and the soft sound of gunfire came from the television. She glanced at the action movie when she smiled and she walked to the bathroom.
A short time later, she walked out of the bathroom and she was wearing a gray flannel nightshirt. She walked to the bed, moved the blankets back and she slid under them. She moved the blankets back when she carefully removed the remote out of his left hand and Connor sighed. She used the remote to turn the television off as she placed the remote on the night table, used the other remote to turn the lights off then she placed the remote on the night table. Snuggling under the blankets, she went to rest on her right side as she could just see Connor's face and she moved her knuckle along his jawline.
"Watchin' me sleep?" Connor asked with a groggy voice.
"Of course," she said in a soft voice. She moved closer when she slid her left hand over his right shoulder and she could just see him smile.
"Are you alright?"
Margaret loved how he knew when she was upset and she kissed the tip of his nose.
"I guess I'm just a little sad," she said.
"Aye, I felt that way, too. Hard t'believe Annie's ten. It feels like it was only yesterday that she was this tiny baby."
"I remember how nervous you were the first time you held her."
"I was afraid I'd drop her."
He could barely see her face as he sat up and he pushed the pillows behind his back. She sat up to snuggled next to him and she placed her head against his left shoulder. He slid his arms around her as she felt him lightly rocking her and he kissed the side of her head.
She thought about her conversation with Morgan while her fingers stroked the scar on his right shoulder and the memory of Connor lying unconscious on the floor of McGinty's delivery room caused a cold shiver to move through her.
"You're shakin'," he said and she looked at him.
"I usually am when you're holding me," she teased. She smiled after he snorted a laugh and he shook his head. "Will you hold me until I fall asleep."
"Always," he said. He rocked her as she closed her eyes and he soon felt her body relaxing against him. He glanced at her while he tried to figure out what was really bothering her and he gently brushed the hair out of her eyes.