A/N: I just wanted to thank those of you who left such lovely reviews- they're thoroughly appreciated.

Love,

MBA

Chapter Two

Pushing aside her embarrassment at her reaction to Murphy, Katie glanced up at the clock. "If you want your necklace back tonight, we should talk to her soon. Dhurata usually goes to bed by ten-thirty on school nights."

Both men turned and moved for the hallway door at the same time. It really was remarkable how often they mirrored one another, Katie thought as she gathered the tea makings on the tray to deposit by the sink. She wondered if Matt and Russ would be so attuned to one another in twenty years.

Connor gave Murphy a considering look as his brother leaned against the wall next to him and lazily watched Katie go about washing the few dishes. Oh, he could make all the fuckin' noise he wanted about how irritating she was, but his eyes still tracked her every movement. He wanted to grin, but Connor settled for flicking his brother's ear.

"Ow! What was that for, ye shit?" Murphy cupped his throbbing ear indignantly. Fucking Connor. He'd just been standing there minding his own business and gotten flicked for his trouble. Bastard.

Two minutes. It took Katie just two minutes to pick up and wash the dishes and already the two were poking and cursing at one another. "How you ever made it to maturity is beyond me. Your poor mother must have either been a saint or popping Zoloft like candy."

The minor scuffle ceased as both men grinned. Murphy gave his ear another rueful rub. "Ma'd laugh her arse off ta hear ye call her a saint. She always said the best way ta raise us was with one hand on the whisky bottle an' the other on the Bible."

"I can believe it," she muttered, setting the teapot in the drainer. Eyeing the clock, Katie decided she could wipe down the table later. "All right, let's go get the thieving little brat." Trusting them to follow, Katie trooped out through the swinging door into the hallway and waited at the base of the stairs by the front door.

Connor poked his head out after she cleared her throat pointedly and said, "Can ye give us jes' a minute? There's somethin' I've been dying ta say ta me brother." When she waved a hand in resignation, he disappeared back into the kitchen with a mischievous grin plastered to his face.

Murphy ran his tongue over his lips, a habit of his when he was curious. "An' jes' what the fuck is so important that ye have ta say it right this second? Or was I mistaken when ye were in an all-fired hurry ta drag me out o' a nice, warm pub ta walk all the way over here ta get yer medal?"

Keeping one ear tuned to the impatient shuffling of Katie down the hall, Connor gave his brother a long, appraising look before he asked, "When's the last time ye been fucked, Murph?"

"Christ, Conn!" he exploded before cutting his eyes to the door and dropping his voice to a whisper. "What the hell kind o' question is that, ye nosy bastard?"

The shock on Murphy's face was almost comical, but Connor had a point to be making and not much time to be doing it in. "The kind a brother is entitled ta ask when he sees ye slavering like a starvin' dog at a juicy bone." He raised an eyebrow as his brother spluttered and shook his head emphatically.

Where the hell had that come from? Murphy felt a little shell-shocked. Sure and she was reasonably pretty in a clean-scrubbed kind of way, but the woman had the personality of Napoleon after the exile. He'd never met a bossier, pricklier woman, Ma included- and that was saying something. "I find me a quick, uncomplicated fuck when the urge takes me, not that it's any o' yer business." His voice was rough with embarrassment. They shared almost everything, but sexual encounters were where Murphy drew the line. You had to do some things alone, dammit, and fucking was one of them.

Connor glanced over his shoulder at the door and said hurriedly, "Maybe it's not me business, but yer never goin' ta land her if ye keep actin' like a first rate jackass."

It was hard, but Murphy bit back his retort as the door swung open and Katie peeked through.

"Family meetings are great and all, but I'd like to get to bed sometime before Christmas, if you two don't mind."

Giving her a jovial slap on the shoulder, Connor squeezed past Katie into the hall. "Let's go get me medal." Just to be perverse, Connor made sure his brother was the one directly behind Katie as she mounted the stairs. Attraction was well and good, but having a sweetly rounded female arse directly in your eye-line never hurt, either. He smirked when Murphy threw a dirty look over his shoulder.

He knew exactly what Connor was doing, that meddling bastard. Still, and he'd suffer a good deal of torture before admitting it, she did have a beautiful arse. The urge to reach out and cup it was strong, but Murphy just stored everything away to be taken care of in the shower later when he was alone. Wanking was a time-honored method of self-control for men everywhere.

Both brothers looked around in amazement once they reached the landing. The upstairs hallway had doors everywhere, at least a good half dozen of them. Katie forgotten for the moment, Murphy craned his neck to look in both directions. "Good Lord, no wonder ye've got six kids here. This place has surely got enough room for six more."

Katie laughed. "I told you, this place was a steal for someone willing to put in a little work. It had four bedrooms and two baths, but I insulated and finished the attic so I've got five big bedrooms now. Plenty of room for everyone." Moving off to the right, she paused in front of a door plastered with torn out magazine pages of pouty male models and actors like Brad Pitt. "Please be polite. If she gets obnoxious, I'll handle it. Dhurata can be a little, ah, difficult sometimes, but she's got a heart of gold."

Connor snorted. "Kids wi' hearts o' gold don't have fake IDs an' steal other people's possessions." His voice conveyed his disbelief.

Ceding the point, Katie shrugged. "She's had a rough childhood and some habits die hard, but she would do absolutely anything for me or the kids. She even gave up playing on the basketball team at school to get a job to help pay for food for her brothers and sister."

Confused, Murphy interjected, "Wait- all these kids are from the same family?"

God, these two were curious. Nevertheless, the fact remained that she didn't want to be standing outside Dhurata's door all night giving them the entire unabridged history of every soul in the house. "No. Dhurata's parents came over from Armenia and her father was deported last year for working for the Russian mafia. Her mother's still here with four kids from diapers to Dhurata's seventeen. She couldn't feed them all, so Dhurata came here. Now she's giving her mother most of her paycheck." Katie hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe that's why she stole your necklace. Maybe she's stealing and fencing things again for extra money. I'll have to ask her mom if she's tight on money this month."

The MacManus boys had grown up poor. They knew what it was like to eat potatoes until you wanted to gag because that was all that was in the house when Ma had lost her job, and suddenly Connor's desire to scream at the girl for stealing his precious St. Christopher's Medal evaporated. Maybe they could see that her mother got a bit of help. Katie's thoughts were apparently on the same track.

She worried her lower lip with her teeth a moment before musing, "If I put off buying new spare tires for the cars, I can probably swing a trip to the market for food and diapers and other necessities for them." Shaking off the thought, Katie knocked firmly on the door. "Dhurata, are you dressed? I have someone here that needs to talk to you."

The door was yanked open after a muffled response and Murphy stood gaping at one of the most beautiful faces he'd seen in a long time. A tall girl with strong cheekbones and slanted black eyes stared back at him with mistrust, the stamp of her exotic heritage clear on every feature. "I don't know him and whatever he said I did, I didn't." She flipped her long black hair away from her face defiantly.

Connor stepped into view around the doorframe. "Hello, Dhurata," he said smoothly, a hint of ironic humor making his lips tip up. "I believe ye've got somethin' that belongs ta me."

Her olive skin paled considerably and a wary light came into her glittering eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about." She jutted her jaw out stubbornly. "Katie, I don't know who these guys are, but I need to go to sleep. I've got a history test tomorrow morning."

Katie grinned. "The day I believe you're worried about being well-rested for an exam is the day I'll let you sell me the Brooklyn Bridge." She folded her arms and got serious. "Now I want you to know that he told me everything, including where you were when you stole his necklace." Katie held out a hand and said in a voice that brooked no argument, "I want that ID right now."

Dhurata opened her mouth only to be cut off ruthlessly.

"If you try to lie to me, Dhurata, I'll ground you until Molly's old enough to drink." Katie's blue eyes flashed. "ID. Now."

With an aggrieved sigh and an accusing glare aimed at Connor, Dhurata fished out her purse from a perilously tilting mountain of clothes. Shoving the plastic card in question into Katie's waiting hand, she flounced over to her bed. "There. You've got the stupid ID. Happy now?"

Counting to ten was one of Katie's most frequently exercised methods of dealing with teenagers without losing her mind, and she employed it now. "Why are you stealing again, sweetheart?" She did her best to sound understanding. Of all her kids, Dhurata responded best to coaxing. Shouts just made her so angry that she tuned right out. "When I told you that you could come to me with anything, I meant it. I don't want you going to bars and drinking because I don't want someone to hurt you, not because I want to suck all the fun out of your life. Even if you stole his necklace for a good reason, you didn't know what he was capable of. He could have seriously hurt you- pulled a knife, a gun, anything. You're lucky he turned out to be a good guy."

No one can transmit wounded pride like a teenager, and Dhurata was better at it than most. Murphy had to give her credit when she coaxed a few tears to shimmer prettily on her eyelashes. He still couldn't believe she was only a kid- she really did look the same age as the short woman talking quietly to her. Maybe he wouldn't give Connor that much shit about necking with a kid after all. Hell, he probably would have made the exact same mistake had it been him in the bar that night.

"She's good," Connor whispered quietly at his brother's shoulder. "Look at her face."

Murphy nodded. "Aye. Had we been half that good at her age, Ma'd have never been able ta smack us a good one. Hell, Conn, I still remember the thumpin' I got when she found out it was me that borrowed the car, not Uncle Sibeal."

That was one of Connor's fondest memories, since Murphy had gotten twice the punishment for both stealing the car and blaming the joyriding on him before finally coming clean. He squeezed his brother's shoulder. "Ye deserved that one, ye dunce. Last time ye ever took the car, though, wasn't it? But I was talkin' about Katie, not the lass. Look."

Now that his attention had been redirected, Murphy noted with surprise that his brother was right. Despite the tears, Dhurata was looking increasingly miserable. They were too far away to hear the actual conversation, but Katie was sitting on the bed next to the much-taller girl and holding her hand. Her pale little face practically screamed concern and love and Murphy had the uncomfortable thought that she was indeed a skilled mother. Were Ma here, she'd have been applauding the performance.

After another few minutes of reminding Dhurata that there were ways to help take care of your family without putting your life at risk and pointing out that it would break her mother's heart if Dhurata was deported like her father or worse, killed, Katie knew she'd made her point. There was no need to grind it into the ground. Sparing a quick glance at the brothers –who had surprisingly held their silence in the doorway while she'd talked to Dhurata- she stretched up to press a kiss to the girl's forehead. "I love you, you crazy kid, and you can't change that, but please don't steal again. Come to me- we'll do whatever we have to to make sure your family's okay. Now please give Connor his necklace back. His mom gave it to him and it means a lot."

Connor was astounded when Dhurata pulled the gleaming silver chain and medal out of a pouch and came forward, her cheeks burning with shame. She truly seemed penitent. He accepted the offering silently and dropped a gentle hand on her arm. "Listen ta her, Dhurata. The woman loves ye ta pieces, an' that's a hard thing ta find in life." He smiled kindly. "Stealin's not yer path, lass. Enjoy bein' young and work hard in school so ye can help yer family for the long haul. Stealin' things isn't goin' ta get ye nothin' but enemies an' jail time if ye keep at it."

She nodded, her face still aflame with a blush. "Yeah, sorry. I didn't know it was an heirloom thing." When he held out his hand to her, she tentatively took it and looked at him with confused eyes. "What?"

"Work at a foster home, do ye?" Connor burst into laughter as she groaned and yanked her hand away.

As Katie herded them back downstairs, she smiled to herself. Dhurata had come clean fairly quickly and promised to talk to her tomorrow about what was going on with her family. It was a good, solid start. Now to just get these two out the door so she could fall into bed herself. "Well, it's been interesting," Katie offered cheekily as she pushed into the kitchen and grabbed a sponge from the sink. "I don't think I've ever had two more interesting strangers knock on my door demanding the return of their things."

The weight of the silver chain and medallion once more around his neck was immensely comforting. Connor knew he'd sleep well that night. He watched as Murphy prowled the room. "All the same, we owe ye a debt for bargin' in on ye out o' nowhere in the middle o' the night."

Katie sniffed and swiped the sponge over the length of the table. "That's ridiculous. She stole your necklace, and you were just trying to get it back. You were nothing but pleasant." Her eyes flickered over to where Murphy stood at the back door, staring quietly out into the night. "Well, you were pleasant. Your brother apparently did his best."

Bristling at the backhanded insult, Murphy turned back towards the kitchen and the little woman standing in it mocking him. "Me best? Darlin', ye haven't seen even a speck o' what I'm capable of. When I'm not around foul-tempered harpies, people say I'm a ball o' fuc-freakin' charm an' manly appeal." Christ, he hadn't said a word and here she was attacking him again. Did this woman have some sort of grudge against him?

Connor grinned and stood quietly to the side. He could sell tickets to this shite.

"Oh, I'm sure you're a real Casanova," she scoffed. "Who doesn't swoon when a scruffy, dirty hoodlum shows up armed at her back door on a freezing cold winter night only to insult her at every turn? I mean, you're the one calling me a guinea hen and a harpy, right?" Katie waved him off with a dismissive hand. "I just bet the women are tripping over themselves for you, MacManus. At least your brother here tries."

"Why, you pint-sized pain in the arse! You freckled little mealy-mouthed dictator! I'm no' one o' yer kids ta be ordered about an' talked down ta. I'm a man!"

Now would be a good time to intervene, Connor thought wryly as he stepped between the two as they advanced on each other. He raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Ye still went out o' yer way ta be nice ta us, Katie, an' ye didn't have ta do that. Murph and I appreciate it." A significant glance and a sharp elbow had Murphy nodding, albeit grudgingly. "We'd like ta repay ye by givin' ye a hand. Do ye have things around the house needin' ta be done? We're fair hands at menial labor. Murphy can even do a bit o' electrical wiring."

Spat with Murphy quickly forgotten, Katie lit up. Wary of strangers she might be, but volunteers for chores she'd been putting off? She'd taken in kids for less. "If you mean it, I do have a few things I haven't had the time or the manpower to get around to."

With a handshake and a grin, Connor sealed the deal and herded a perplexed-looking Murphy to the door. His poor brother was clearly at a loss now that she'd stopped arguing with him mid-insult. "Right then, we'll be stopping by Saturday mornin' after Mass." Halting, he spun around to grab her hand and raised it to his mouth in an old-fashioned gesture. "A real pleasure meetin' ye, Katie Fennessy. I hope ye'll think o' us as friends."

Rolling her eyes, Katie snatched back her hand and swatted at the beaming Irishman. Her cheeks were pink and she knew it. "Flirt," she accused as he stabbed a finger in his brother's side.

"Say goodbye ta the pretty lass, Murph." Connor knew good and damned well his brother was attracted to her, hence the bit of over-the-top flirting on his part. Sometimes a good push helped clear the cobwebs from his twin's head. He hadn't courted a girl properly since they'd left Ireland the first time and if his earlier response was any indication, he hadn't been laid in awhile, either.

"Fuckin' charmed," Murphy growled as he glared at Connor, who just grinned as Katie's sponge smacked Murphy full in the face.

"No f-word!"

Connor laughed all the way back to the dingy motel they were staying in.

They seemed nice, but Katie wasn't stupid. When she walked the twins over to Mrs. Carrack's the next morning to catch the bus, she'd already decided to do a bit of research on Murphy and Connor MacManus.

After the boys had shuffled into the tidy sitting room to watch cartoons, Katie motioned her neighbor and dear friend closer as she double-checked backpacks for homework and lunches. Meggie Carrack had lived in this neighborhood for forty-odd years and knew just about everything about everyone. "I had some visitors last night- a set of Irish brothers by the name of MacManus. Both about thirty or so. Murphy and Connor. Ever heard of them?"

Mrs. Carrack's wrinkled face froze in surprise before she carefully schooled her features. "Why were they visiting?"

Head still buried in Russ' bag, Katie missed her neighbor's initial reaction. "Dhurata stole something off one of them and they found out where she lived. You know, all things considered, they were very nice about it. No yelling or threats. They just wanted the necklace back." With a hum of success, she dug out the math homework she'd been looking for and scanned the answers quickly. He'd done well with the improper fractions they'd been working on. "They even offered to come back and help around the house this weekend for the trouble. I just wanted to know if there was any dirt on them I should know about, and you're the lady to ask around these parts, Meggie."

Those were two names Meghan Carrack thought she'd never hear again, but something told her not to impart the tale of the infamous Saints of South Boston just yet. Their cleanup of the south side's worst scum was something Meggie was eternally grateful for, and everyone knew they didn't harm the innocent. Still, Katie hadn't returned to Boston until months after the Yakavetta trial and would flip out if she knew her visitors were Boston's once-notorious vigilantes. She was very protective of the children. Meggie cleared her throat quickly and patted her iron-grey hair into place. "The names ring a bell, but I don't think we've ever met. You're sure Dhurata's not in trouble with them or anything?"

Katie shook her head and gave her watch a quick check. "Nope. I was there the whole time. Neither of them was ever alone with her. You don't think they're dangerous, do you?"

"Oh no, dear. I'm sure they meant well. In fact, now that I reflect a bit, I believe they did a bit of community service around these parts a few years back, but I thought they'd left town." Mrs. Carrack shepherded her towards the door. "Now you're going to be late for work if we keep jawing. If you're still curious about those boys, you can stop by Ned's Market after work. He's always got a gaggle of old fogies hanging around in the afternoons. I think Artie there knew the MacManus boys fairly well." Oh yes, Artie knew them and would give Katie a glowing reference. Frankly, Meggie thought her young neighbor could make much worse friends. "Off you go now; I promised the boys I'd make them hot cocoa this morning."

Katie let herself be swept out the door to a chorus of goodbyes from the twins. Wrapping her scarf around her neck, she readjusted her purse and strode off for the train station. If she hurried, she could still catch the 7:05.

Ned's Market was a typical South Boston mom-and-pop store that had been around for the better part of a hundred years. The soda fountain counter was still intact and had become an ad hoc deli area where Ned, named after his grandfather, sat around with his buddies in the afternoon and played chess and bitched about the sad state of the Celtics.

The kids loved the place because he sold soda and candy half-price on Fridays, and Katie had been dragged there more times than she could count in the last three years. Sailing through the front doors, she called out a cheerful greeting to the pack of men crammed around a small television set.

"Argh!" the cluster of old men roared in unison as Ned slapped his cleaning rag against the counter in disgust. "Damned Bruins are gettin' killed."

Katie slid onto a cracked vinyl-covered stool and checked the score of the hockey game on the TV. "Wow. The Rangers are really schooling them." She smiled warmly at old Ned. "Meggie sent me down here for a bit of gossip."

Jack Leary, a florid-faced man that was pushing ninety, gave her a wide grin. He was very proud of his shiny new dentures and took every opportunity to show them off. "When are you goin' to marry me, dear? You wait much longer and I'll be past my prime."

That inspired a round of laughter as Katie endured the friendly ribbing. Living in a close-knit lower middle class Irish neighborhood meant everyone was constantly trying to marry her off. Her adamant refusal to go on anything more than a casual date had made the gossip rounds more than a few times. She pressed a fond kiss to Jack's papery cheek. "I don't think I could keep up with you, Jack. You're too much man for me."

"What brings you down for gossip, love?" Ned leaned on the counter and pushed a ginger ale over to her. He knew everyone's favorite drinks by heart. "This group of old biddies knows everything."

She took a sip and looked around. "Meggie said you and a guy called Artie know something about two men by the name of MacManus."

All five turned from the television to stare at her. One man down at the end with a wispy white comb-over and a tweed vest peered at her through thick coke-bottle eyeglasses. "Th-th-the MacManus boys? What do ye want to be knowin' about th-them for?"

Katie shrugged and began to fiddle with the label of her soda. "I got a surprise visit from them last night. My oldest stole something from Connor MacManus and they came to get it back." She nodded to the man in the vest. "Are you Artie?"

"In the f-flesh, dear." His eyes twitched behind the lenses. "Connor and Murphy came to s-see you?"

An announcer from the Bruins game began to shout as they scored a goal, but not a single face turned towards the set. All eyes were glued to the brown-haired girl in their midst. Ned coughed and twisted the rag in his hands. "What do you want to know about them, Katie?" His voice carried a hint of nervousness.

Things were strained, and Katie wondered at the cause. Were the MacManus men something to be concerned about after all? God, she hoped not. Selfishly, Katie hoped they were perfectly nice guys. She really needed help picking up and refinishing the furniture Mrs. Baldwin's niece was holding for her. Lucy and Molly's bedroom sets were about to fall apart, and if she didn't get the floodlight on the front porch fixed the house was liable to burn down. She couldn't afford an electrician. The one she'd gotten a quote from wanted almost six hundred dollars to rewire it. "Anything you know about them would help. Are they dangerous?"

Suddenly, the tension eased. Artie laughed. "There's no reason for you to fear them, dear. They're g-g-good boys. I've known them for years and I'd trust them with my life."

Katie sighed in relief. "So they're safe to have around the kids?" At the matching looks of inquiry she got, Katie blushed. "They offered to come by this weekend and help me around the house."

Ned's rheumy brown eyes twinkled. "About time you had a man around to help you, Katie. Meggie's been burning my ears for years about how you refuse to get yourself a man. Her grandnephew is devastated. He's been mooning over you since he met you at last summer's Fourth of July party."

God, the whole damn neighborhood was up in her business. She'd date when she was good and ready, and not a second before. Besides, not many men wanted to date a twenty-seven year old with six kids. Katie raised her ginger ale in a salute. "They're coming as friends, not prospective husbands, you nosy old women, but I'm sure you'll have the whole neighborhood yapping about it soon enough." She shrugged back into her coat. "Thanks, guys, but I'd better get home. The high school bus should be through soon."

"Give Meggie my best," Ned called after her. "And if one of them asks you out, you say yes!" A wave of laughter carried her out of the store.

Things start to get interesting, Saints-style, in the next chapter. As much as I love writing a good romance, it's hardly a BDS fic without some interesting baddies to muck things up, right? As always, I love reviews, so take a second and let me know what you think so far.

Thanks! -MBA