o()o
Author's note: This chapter is dedicated to MKOLO, who has asked me consistently for the last 15 chapters when Murphy was going to get a little lovin'.
Nifty fact for the day: The language Murphy speaks to Danae later in the chapter is Gaelic, it means exactly what he repeats to her in english.
o(22)o
Murphy awoke with a start, tangled in the bed sheets, his heart pounding hard against his ribs. He knew he had been dreaming, but the nightmare that had disturbed him was already fading from his memory. He never could remember the bad ones, and he was convinced that he should be grateful for that.
A muted sound caught his attention. Frowning, he sat up and cocked his head, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Was someone crying?
His first instinct was to check on his brother, but Connor was still sleeping on the daybed above him, snoring quietly.
As if sensing Murphy's unease, he stirred slightly, brow furrowing, "Yeariatmuf?" he mumbled, more asleep than awake.
"Aye, fine," Murphy said softly, "go back ta sleep."
Connor made a muffled noise of agreement and Murphy sat silently, watching as his twin's breathing became deep and relaxed again, still keeping an ear out for the noise that had woken him.
There.
He heard it again, more of a sigh than a sob, and not from inside their room. Sliding off the rollaway mattress, he padded through the darkened house, listening.
As the sounds grew louder, he paused outside of the kitchen, "Danae?"
He heard quick intake of breath, and a quiet sniffle, "Murphy?" she asked, her voice muted with tears, "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"
"Ye didn't." he said softly, feeling a flicker of relief that she was finally speaking to him.
"Liar."
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could make her out, sitting at the kitchen table, head bowed over her hands.
"What's wrong luv?" he asked, moving to sit next to her, smoothing a hand over her hair and smiling slightly when she leaned into his touch.
Danae made a sound that was part laugh and part sob, her breath hitching. "It's funny the things that run through your mind when you can't sleep."
"Want ta talk about it?" he asked.
"No . . . yes . . . I don't know," she made a helpless gesture with her hands before running them through her hair, "it was just a pair of jeans, I shouldn't be this upset over a stupid pair of jeans."
"Jeans?" Murphy asked, nonplussed.
She nodded, swiping impatiently at her eyes. "I was doing laundry and I found a pair of Connor's jeans, they were all . . ." she drew in a shuddering breath, and suddenly her words were tumbling over themselves, ". . . all stained with old blood and I just looked at them and thought that it could have been your blood. It was bad enough that it was Connor's but it could have been yours."
New tears slipping down her cheeks, she pressed a hand against her mouth,. "I don't ever want it to be yours, Murphy. I don't want you to die."
"Oh, hey don't, Danae don't." Murphy gathered her into his arms and Danae clung to him, burying her face into his shoulder as she wept, releasing all of the emotion that she'd been keeping pent up inside.
"Is this what's been botherin' ye for the past couple o' days?" he asked, "Ye think I'm goin' ta die?"
Danae's shoulder's jerked as a forceful sob escaped her, her arms tightening around him, and Murphy knew he was right.
"Ah, luv, nobody's goin' ta die." He said softly.
"How can you say that?" she asked, her words muffled by his shirt. "How do you know?"
"Ye just have ta have a little faith."
"No, that's not good enough. Faith isn't enough."
He raised an eyebrow, amused despite her tears. "How about a little faith, two big fuckin 'guns, and a twin with two big fuckin' guns besides, then?"
The quiet sigh she had been in the middle of taking rushed back out as a giggle, "That's better."
Leaning back, he smiled down at her, using his thumbs to wipe away the tear tracks staining her cheeks. "Ye all right now?" he asked, when no new tears fell.
"I think so. How do you do that?"
"Do what, luv?"
"Make things okay the way you do?"
He chuckled, pulling her back into his arms, "Gift of the Irish, passed down through generations of MacManus men."
Danae put her head on his shoulder, her lips curving against the sensitive skin of his neck as she smiled. "Thank you."
"Ye're welcome." He said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"Murphy?"
"Aye?"
"I want you to take this." She said, unfastening the bracelet around her wrist and offering it to him. "For luck."
Smiling, Murphy took the bracelet and held it up, examining the bright rainbow of crystal beads interwoven with silver wire. It was one of her favorite things and was never far from her wrist.
"Thank ye, luv." He said, slipping the bangle into his pocket. "I'll take good care of it for ye."
o()o
Author's Note:I know this isn't a new chapter, but this scene is rated M for sexual content. All of you out there in PCLand need to use discretion when reading, if it bothers you or if you're too young, then go ahead and skip it, it won't interfere with the plot, I promise.
o()o
They sat quietly for a while, Danae listening to the sound of Murphy's heartbeat and the rhythm of his breath, feeling the slow circles he was absently rubbing over her back with a warm palm.
I love him, she thought, and was surprised at the sweet throb that accompanied the reflection.
The idea wasn't a new one, she fell in love with Murphy at least a hundred times each day, but tonight it seemed sweeter, more intense than before, and she realized that she wanted him to know how she felt.
Life was so short, and a feeling like this was too precious for them to keep dancing around it the way they were. Suddenly, all the things that had seemed so dire and fearsome the past few days faded away.
Lifting her head, Danae looked at him, her heart in her throat, "I love you." She whispered.
Murphy drew in a sharp breath, "What?" He demanded, his voice low.
"I'm in love with you. Whatever happens Thursday, I want you to know that."
He reached out and cupped her cheek in one hand, breathing her name against her lips as he offered her a loving kiss.
She wound her fingers into the soft darkness of his hair and felt his arms tighten around her, his thumbs stroking across her shoulders as he held her, deepening their kisses.
Before she knew it, they were on their feet and she was pressed up against the refrigerator, Murphy's body against hers. His mouth changed from sweet to wanton as he slid a jean-clad thigh between her legs, circling her waist with his hands.
Danae had always thought of lovemaking as a pleasant enough experience, designed more for the man than the woman. But now as Murphy's touch sent fire racing through her veins and straight to her core, taut and burning, she realized that this time was going to be very, very different.
The idea sent an electrifying shiver throughout her body and she explored him with her hands, tasting the salt of his skin as her mouth followed close behind.
Reaching, he caught her wandering hands in his, pulling them to his chest, running his thumbs over her knuckles.
"Danae, please, be sure about this," he said, his voice rough and breathless "if we keep it up I might not be able ta stop."
"I never want you to stop." She whispered, slipping her hands out of his and resuming her exploration of his body.
Murphy arched against her as she discovered a particularly sensitive spot and she felt him, hard and ready, through the thin cotton of her pajamas. The sensation sent another potent bolt of desire through her.
She tugged at his shirt impatiently and in a swift, practiced, motion he tugged it over his head, relieving her of her pajama top as well. Calloused hands wandered over her back and shoulders before moving to cup her breasts, thumbs teasing the sensitive peaks there.
Kissing him thoroughly, she had the satisfaction of hearing him moan into her mouth as she snaked a hand down his waistband, sliding her fingers over his length.
Murphy's breath tickled across her skin as he murmured to her in a jumble of languages, his breath rising and falling with her strokes, and Danae was certain that she had never felt anything as sensual as his weight against her body and the velvety softness under her palm.
Lost in the heady sensation of warm muscle and smooth skin beneath her hands, she was surprised to find herself in the bedroom when Murphy broke their kiss and lowered her onto her bed, kneeling in front of her; she was equally surprised to find that the rest of their clothing had disappeared.
"Are ye still alright?" he asked, and chuckled when she answered by wrapping her legs around his waist. "I suppose I'll take that as a yes."
Murphy closed his eyes, pausing slightly as he eased into her, catching his lip between his teeth. When he looked at her again, he grinned, humor in his eyes.
"Breathe." He murmured, completing the long, slow stroke he was taking, and she gasped out a breath she hadn't been aware of holding. "Ye have ta remember ta breathe."
Quiet whispers and moans marked the ancient rhythm they were creating together and before long, pressure began to build inside of Danae. She quickened their pace, encouraged by Murphy's soft groans.
Eyes dark, his expression danced along the edge between pleasure and pain as he watched her, waiting, sweat beading on his upper lip and dampening his hair.
Danae dug her fingers into the muscles of his back. Harder, faster, she needed more, thrusting her hips up to meet his increasingly urgent strokes. If only she could . . . if only he . . .
Murphy lowered his mouth to her ear, "Súnas air mo shon, Danae. Come for me." He whispered, and her world exploded.
Danae buried her face in his neck, muffling her cries against his skin and Murphy echoed the action, shuddering in and around her as he reached his own climax.
They were still for moment, clinging each other, and then Murphy looked at her through dark lashes, his eyes sparkling as he ran a hand through her hair.
"I forgot ta tell ye, luv," he murmured before kissing her soundly, "that I like yer tattoo."
o()o
The persistent feeling of being alone niggled Connor out of sleep. At first, he thought a noise had roused him, but upon opening his eyes, he realized that it was the exact opposite. The familiar sound of Murphy's breathing and the quiet noises his twin made in his sleep were absent, and the silence was what had woken him.
Pulling a shirt on, smiling to himself as he realized that, for the first time in weeks, the action no longer hurt, Connor rubbed the sleep from his eyes and went to go see where everybody was.
He found Danae out on the patio, a ceramic cup in her hands, quietly watching the brightening sky.
"'Mornin'." He said, sliding open the door and joining her, stretching out in a deck chair.
"Good morning." She replied, offering him a warm smile. "Did you sleep well?"
"I did, aye."
"Good."
He glanced around the patio. "Where's Murph?"
Danae took a deep drink from her mug, color rising to her cheeks. "He's still sleeping, he's . . .ah . . .in my room."
"Is he now?" Connor grinned at her, eyebrows rising toward his hairline, "I take it ye two made up, then?"
Danae looked away, the blush working its way up to the roots of her hair, and remained silent.
"Ye're mighty quiet all of a sudden." He teased; laughing at the look she shot him over the top of her mug.
"Leave her be, Conn." A warm hand ruffled Connor's already disheveled hair as Murphy stepped out onto the patio, holding two ceramic cups.
Connor tugged a pack of slightly squashed cigarettes out of his pocket, offering a smoke to his brother while simultaneously accepting the mug Murphy was holding out to him.
"Coffee?" he asked, eyeing the cup with a mixture of amusement and dismay, it was too early for Danae's coffee.
Murphy shook his head, "It isn't. Turns out our Danae actually makes a decent cup of tea."
Taking a swallow from his mug, Connor was pleasantly surprised to find that his twin was right.
The sun was just starting to rise and Danae smiled at the watery light that was beginning to paint the darkened clouds, her expression serene for the first time in days.
"S'her favorite time of day." Murphy explained, taking a drag from his cigarette and Danae made a quiet noise of agreement. "So what's the verdict, luv, is it goin' ta be a good day?"
Danae tilted her head, still smiling softly, looking almost as though she were listening to something. "Yeah, she whispered. I think it's going to be a good day."
o()o