A/N: Thanks to GoddessLaugh for her usual awesomeness and for saving the 1st scene of this chapter. I was crashin' & burnin' before the help.

Thanks also to my newest reviewer, Aranatta. I appreciate you taking the time to read & review.

Tapa: Spanish appetizers usually served with drinks.

Headers: Irish slang for mad, crazy people.

CHAPTER 7

Connor was humming quietly to himself as he stood beneath the shower spray. He was letting the warm water wash away some of the tension that had been building in him since Luciana had arrived in their midst. Her presence had dredged up all his feelings about Rocco that had been lying just under the surface. He didn't regret taking her in, but he wasn't prepared for the emotional turmoil that was part of the package.

He knew he needed to get away from the waves of emotion that had been threatening to overwhelm him, and Murphy's plan seemed like just the thing. It was an insane plan, as most of Murph's schemes were, but Connor couldn't deny its appeal.

His brother had proposed a holiday of sorts. They were supposed to lay low in Boston until Da returned, and that made sense. Boston's baddies were on edge and they were packing enough heat to take out an army. He and Murph did some dumb stuff but they weren't complete headers; they knew they needed Da for any big jobs. But, as Murphy had been quick to point out, no one would be expecting a reign of righteous fury to pop up in Youngstown, Ohio.

The two of them could have a grand time. They would go to Youngstown, do some "house cleaning", see the sights, and still get back to Boston before Da. Murphy had been so enthusiastic about his scheme, that, before too long, Connor had found himself warming to the idea. It hadn't been just the two of them for almost a year; first there was Roc, then Da and now Luciana. Connor missed the days when he and Murphy would spend the whole day together with no interruptions. It was clear that Murphy did as well. He had become so animated during his attempt to convince him that he had reminded Connor of a puppy, wriggling with excitement.

Never able to deny his brother, Connor had eventually agreed. No matter how much hassle this little venture brought them, it would be worth it to Connor. The look on Murphy's face when he had agreed would make it worthwhile. It had reminded Connor of the Christmas when Murphy got his first bike.

They had just turned eight and Murphy wanted a bike in the worst way. Seamus and Slevin O'Grady had gotten bikes 3 months prior and they hadn't stopped taking the piss out of him or Murphy since. Connor had a thicker skin, even then, and he had ignored their boasts, but Murphy wanted his own set of wheels and their jibes stung. Murphy had begged and pleaded with Ma for his own bike to no avail. Money was tight and she wasn't buying a bike for the two of them to gallivant around town on. After three months of fruitless effort, Murphy had broken Seamus O'Grady's nose, and given up on getting a bike of his own.

So on Christmas morning, when Murphy's eyes had landed on the shiny red bike in the middle of the living room, he went wild. Alternating between jumping up and down and hugging their Ma, Murphy had woken up half the neighborhood, with his exuberance. Connor had spent the next two years riding around on the handlebars of that stupid bike, and, even though his ass was perpetually sore, he just couldn't tell Murphy no.

Now, twenty years later, he still couldn't.

After he had acquiesced to the trip, Connor had decided to take a walk to work on the details. The obvious elephant in the room was what to do with Luciana. They couldn't just abandon her but they couldn't take her with them either. He had rolled it around for the better part of an hour before coming up with the solution.

He made the necessary phone calls and the key players were on board. The only thing left to do was sell the plan to Luciana. If she wouldn't cooperate, then they weren't going anywhere. No matter how much he was looking forward to the quality time with his brother, he couldn't just walk away from her. Hopefully, if he buttered her up with good food and strong drink, she'd agree without too much fuss.

----

Luciana frowned at her reflection in the mirror, trying to find the bright side of her current wardrobe situation. When she had made her speedy departure from Ohio, she hadn't been thinking about what to wear when going out to for Spanish food in Boston. She had been surviving in her favorite jeans and a worn out Ohio State hoodie that had definitely seen better days. After Connor's announcement about going out to dinner, she had donned a t-shirt and some old sweats of Murphy's and departed for the laundry mat around the corner.

Now, looking in the mirror, she was glad she'd taken the time to wash the jeans. The dryer had shrunk them back to their original size and they hung snugly around her hips. She had her favorite turtleneck sweater on and some clunky black shoes. No point in worrying about it, she realized, I don't have anything to change into even if I wanted to. First thing in the morning, she was going to have to take stock of her finances and come up with a game plan.

Pulling her hair up into a messy bun, she gave her reflection one more glance and headed downstairs.

"Well, well, well! She does own something other than that fuckin' jumper." Murphy said, chuckling at her discomfiture.

"At least, I own some clothing that's not black." She snapped back, her voice harsher than she intended.

"Settle down, kids, or there will be no flan for you" Said Connor, coming in from the kitchen before Murphy had a chance to retort. "You clean up well." He added, giving Luciana an appraising look.

"Thanks, and likewise." She replied, willing herself not to blush under his gaze.

She couldn't help but notice how well MacManus brothers cleaned up. They wore jeans and dark sweaters. Connor's was charcoal grey and Murphy's was, of course, black. They had both showered and shaved; their smooth cheeks making them look younger, boyish almost.

"Let's get this show on the road! I'm fuckin' starving."

Connor reached out and ruffled his brother's hair. "Yer always starvin', Murph. It's one of the few constants of the universe." He said, opening the apartment door and gesturing to her, "Ladies first."

----

Luciana leaned back in the booth, glad to have a moment alone to think. Connor had made his was over to the bar for another pitcher of sangria and Murphy had excused himself to the restroom.

Dinner certainly hadn't been what she was expecting. Connor had brought them to a cozy Spanish restaurant, tucked in between a sports bar and a jewelry store. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and, judging by the welcome the brothers had received, they had been there before.

Connor had ordered for all of them without ever looking at a menu. She had been taken aback to hear him speaking fluent Spanish in a lively discussion with their waitress. Murphy had chimed in a few times, making the girl laugh. When the waitress returned, she was carrying a tray that held several different types of tapas and a pitcher of sangria. Later, she brought out a huge dish of spicy paella and three forks. The three of them happily dug in.

The sangria had put them all at ease and Luciana had felt some of her reservations slip away. They had talked and laughed all through dinner. No heavy conversations about death or murder or justice, but normal everyday chatter. She discovered just how difficult it was to be around Connor and Murphy and not have a good time.

Now, she sipped her drink, watching Connor from across the room. He was talking to an enthralled audience that consisted of the entire female staff of the restaurant; two waitresses and the hostess. She was able to hear the lilt of his voice but he was again speaking Spanish and the meaning was lost to her. Judging by the tinkling laughter that punctuated his pauses, it was quite an amusing tale.

The twins were like a whirlpool, she realized. People were drawn to them whether they wanted to be or not. When they were together, Murphy and Connor seemed to exude all of the things that made life worth living: joy, faith, laughter and love.

The love that flowed back and forth so freely between them had a seductive, tangible quality. It was as though if you could just get close enough you could grab some for yourself. Everyone wanted to be loved as completely and unconditionally as the twins loved each other.

I'm getting sucked in to the MacManus vortex, she realized. The thought disturbed her, more than she was willing to admit.

Just then Murphy slid into the booth, interrupting her reverie.

"Quite the ladies man, isn't he?" She said, nodding towards the bar.

Murphy followed her gaze and laughed softly. "Aye, that he is. He always has been, the fucker."

"I'm sure you don't do too badly yourself." Her voice oozed false sympathy as she patted his hand.

"Sara Delaney put it best…"

"Wait, who's Sara Delaney?" She interrupted.

"She was me first…well, ye know."

"Ah." She grinned at him, his meaning slowly making it's way to her sangria addled brain.

"She made a man outta me in her Da's barn one magical St. Patty's day. I was flipped for her o' course. Been mooning after her for weeks, but she'd only had eyes for Connor. For some reason, that night she had a change of heart, or so I thought."

She tried not to laugh as he gave an exaggerated sigh and tried, rather unsuccessfully, to look morose.

"The next day, I showed up at her house, flowers in hand, ready to profess my undying devotion. She took one look at me at the door, and, if ye can fuckin' believe this, she laughed at me. The fuckin' slag!" He was warming to his story now, leaning towards her his eyes sparkling.

"Oh, poor baby! What did she say?"

"Well, she says to me, 'Murphy, let me tell ye something, yer the kind o' guy that a girl can have one great night with, but it's Connor that we want to take home to meet our Ma's.'"

"She did not say that!" Luciana sputtered, nearly spitting sangria everywhere during her laughter.

"Aye, she did. That very next night, she was back to batting her eyes in me brother's direction."

"I don't believe it! What a horrible thing for someone to do."

"It's amazing I turned out as well adjusted as I am, after a trauma like that at such an impressionable age." Suddenly, he leaned towards her half laughing, half leering. "So, care to see if she was right about that one great night?"

At that, she did spit sangria all over the table much to Murphy's obvious enjoyment.

----

Connor collected the pitcher of sangria, tucked the hostess' phone number into his pocket and turned back towards the booth. He had no idea what his brother had just said but the results spoke for themselves. Luciana was wiping sangria off the table and Murphy's shirt simultaneously. There was no way Murphy could help her as he was laughing so hard that there were tears trickling down his cheeks.

"Why on earth did ye spit on me brother, woman?" He demanded, sending Murphy into fresh gales of laughter.

Blushing all the way to the roots of her hair, Luciana muttered something that sounded like Sara and lecher and Connor knew immediately what had just occurred.

"Damnit, Murph! Ye know yer not supposed to proposition the company!" he said, swatting his twin in the back of the head. Turning to Luciana, he added, "Don't let him get ye with that sob story."

Murphy waved a hand in protest, but he was still laughing to hard to speak in his own defense.

"Sorry but it's only fair that she knows" Connor said grinning. "Otherwise, she might fall victim to yer ploy." Sliding into the booth beside Luciana, he continued, "Don't you worry about Murph.. The following weekend, Don Juan here got his revenge. He bedded both of Sara Delaney's sisters."

"You didn't!" She gasped incredulously.

Looking smug, Murphy leaned back in the both and put his hands behind his head. "Ahhh, Meghan and Kathleen Delaney, now that was a night!"

The proud expression on Murphy's face and the equally shocked expression on Luciana's caused Connor dissolve into his own fit of laughter. Eventually, they all calmed down and, once he had poured them all a fresh glass, he turned his attention to the real reason for their dinner out.

"Luciana, Murphy and I were hoping you could do us a favor. We've got to go out of town for a few weeks, and we were hoping that ye'd be willing to hold down the fort for us."

"We hate taking off and leaving the place, not knowing exactly when we'll be back in town." Murphy added, looking at her earnestly. "We'd really appreciate it."

Connor watched as her good mood began to evaporate.

"No guys, you've done so much for me and I'd love to help you out, but I wasn't kidding about needing to move on. Vic will show up in Boston eventually." She was fiddling with her napkin, ripping it into little shreds. "I can't bring that kind of trouble down on your heads."

"We didn't tell you sooner, because we didn't want to worry ye," Connor paused.

Murphy picked up where his twin left off, "But he's already here. Been here two or three days as best we can figure."

The fear in her eyes tugged at Connor's heart and he knew that Murphy noticed it too, because his brother's hand had just come to rest over Luciana's.

"Ye've nothing to worry about, Luciana." Connor said, trying to soothe her with his voice. "We've got friends with the Boston police who are keeping an eye on him for us. He may know you came here but he's having no luck finding ye."

"Aye. And we intend to keep it that way." Murphy added.

"So will ye stay?" Connor asked, hoping for all of their sakes that she'd agree.

There was still a hint of fear in her eyes, but she picked up her glass, downed the rest of the sangria and said "Well, I guess I do have to make up for spitting all over your brother."