A/N: Getting closer to normal update time! Woo hoo! And don't worry, I do plan to update again very soon. :):)

"Sara, I can't do this." Katie put her face in her hands, keeping her eyes on Sara.

"Can't do what?"

"I'm not the writer here, you are. I can't just make up shit for this."

Sara smiled slightly and let out a small sigh of relief. She thought Katie was having second thoughts. Fuck, she'd been having second thoughts off and on for the last hour. Can we even pull this off? She didn't know the answer to that question, but she was beginning to realize that it didn't matter. They needed to do this.

"And you have the psychologist training." Tapping her pen against the table, Sara grinned at her. Katie rolled her eyes.

"Yes, so I can tell you all about the id, superego and ego. That does a lot of fucking good."

"Are you telling me you know nothing about profiling? We need to create a believable trio of people who could pass as the Saints."

"You can make up the characters. Isn't that what you writers do?" Katie smiled and this time Sara rolled her eyes.

"Fuck, Katie. I'm a journalist. Not a fucking author here. I tell the truth. I need your screwed up mind to help me create a believable lie."

"Ha ha. Gee thanks."

"Are you ready to help me now? Or shall we continue in our counter-productive arguments?"

"I kinda like our counter-productive arguments." Katie drained the last of her Pepsi and started the second level of their can pyramid. "But, the guys will probably be home soon. So stop screwing around so we can get to work." She capped off the sentence with a wide grin.

Sara just sent her a short glare before giving into a sigh. "Let's figure out the basics here. Then we can fill out the other details tomorrow sometime at my apartment."

"Yeah, having the file might help us a little. Do you remember what they do know about them?"

Tapping her finger slowly, Sara pictured the file. Her memory wasn't quite photographic, but it was close. The picture was toward the top, second page. The first page was Davis's specific details of what the buyer wanted us to find. Closing her eyes, Sara answered, her voice quiet. "They have a blurry picture of them. And a list of their supposed 'crimes'. Not much else though."

"How did they get a picture?" Katie's voice was just above a murmur and her eyes were on the sunlight drifting in through the kitchen window.

"It's from the courtroom thing. Someone snuck a picture without them looking."

"A journalist?"

Sara shook her head, pointing her pen at Katie. "No, that wouldn't make sense. A journalist wouldn't have sat on a photo opp like that for anything."

"Who else was in the courtroom? Victims? Why would one of the victims of Yakavetta take a picture of his killers?"

"Wait, Katie. If those against him were there, than those in support of him were also there. It means the trial was open to the public."

"And that the picture was taken by someone with ties to the mafia?"

"Exactly. Which means the mafia has had this picture for over a year." Sara tossed her pen against the pad of paper and leaned back in her chair. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Katie again. They stared at each other for a minute.

"They've been planning something for a year. I really was just a means to get to the Saints."

Sara crinkled her forehead. "What are you talking about?"

"They broke in. Left messages. Very vague messages. We didn't know if I was the target or if they were."

"Why would you be the target, Katie?"

"Murphy told me that the kidnapping of Janie Fertitta wasn't real. They were really after me."

"Why though? Did they figure out why you went in to begin with?"

Katie bit her lip and stared off at the far wall. "No. They wouldn't have bothered with kidnapping me then. They would've just killed me."

"So why kidnap you?" Sara watched Katie closely, refusing to think of how close her friend might have come to death. Katie blinked slowly before moving her eyes to meet hers.

"I don't know. We couldn't figure it out. We just knew that they didn't bring the Russians in until after I was with the McManuses. After they saved me." Her voice trailed off.

"Katie." Sara kept her voice light, reaching over to take her hand. "You didn't lead them to the McManuses. They've been after them for this long. And there's another thing to consider."

Katie sighed heavily and put her other hand on top of Sara's. "What?"

"These mafia guys are fucking idiots."

They both smiled. Katie tilted her head. "What?"

"They've had this picture for a year. And they still haven't gotten any further. They're getting desperate. Which means…"

"They'll believe anything."

Sara nodded slowly and felt better as she saw Katie smile even more. Her doubts were dissolving. They could do this.

"So…" Sara's words got cut off as they heard three familiar voices coming down the hall. Katie grabbed the paper from the far end of the table and spread it out in front of her as they heard the key turn in the lock. She flipped the tab on another can of Pepsi and winked at Sara.

"So, I think we need to definitely go see that new movie, City of Angels." Her voice was relaxed as the door opened. Sara just grinned back.

"Even if it sucks, it's worth it to see Nicolas Cage as a fallen angel." Raising her eyes, she watched the three McManus men move into the room, removing their coats, none the wiser. Oh yeah, they could definitely do this.

Murphy followed Da and Connor into the apartment and felt himself start to smile as soon as he heard Katie's voice. Both she and Sara sat at the kitchen table, a stack of pop cans in-between them.

"Productive day, ladies?" He laid his coat across the back of Katie's chair and put his hand on her shoulder. Glancing down at the paper, he smiled. "Since when do ye care about world politics, Katie?"

She looked up at him, her brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Nodding down at the table, he pointed to the category title at the top of the open page. Katie's eyes followed and she laughed softly. "Oh. Well, I wasn't. I was looking for the movie times."

"Which would be over in this section, Kat." Sara pulled another part of the paper over and set it in front of her. "Typical Katie. Gets lost in a newspaper."

Murphy wrinkled his forehead and watched Sara open the paper quickly to the movie times. Typical Katie? It was hardly typical Katie. Not that he'd seen her around many newspapers, but he knew she wasn't ditzy enough to not know where to look.

"Movie times, huh? Are ye desertin' us for a movie?" Connor slipped into the chair next to Sara and sat facing her. Da grabbed three beers from the fridge, giving one to both Connor and Murphy. They all opened them together.

"Yeah, we got tired of waiting for you." Sara grinned up at him. "So we decided we'd just trade our Saints for a hot angel."

"A hot, possibly shirtless fallen angel." Katie just laughed as Murphy squeezed her shoulder.

"Ye do realize he's an actor, right? Not really a fuckin' angel?" He grinned down at her. Katie gave him a wide-eyed look.

"You must be joking. Nic Cage is nothing if not an angel."

"I'll be goin' ta McGinty's now. Doc owes me a game o' chess." Da interrupted them with another quick swig of his beer.

"How's your back, Da?" Katie pulled the beer bottle from his hand with a small smile.

"Better now. Got meself ta a doctor this mornin'."

"And?" Connor raised an eyebrow at him. Murphy turned fully to Da for his answer.

"And I'll be fuckin' fine, me boys. Just a pulled muscle. Another few days and I'll be good as new." Nodding at them all, Da pulled out his keys and walked to the door. "Ye can feel free ta join me at the bar later, if ye want ta."

"Will do." Katie smiled at him again. The door closed before Murphy turned back to face the girls.

"So what was that again about an angel?"

"Actually, I've got to get back to my apartment now." Sara got to her feet and shot a quick glance at Katie. "Got some work to catch up on."

Murphy watched Katie nod slowly and frowned. But before he could comment Connor stood up and nodded toward the door. "I'll walk ye home. Then I can tell ye what Smecker called us in for."

"Good." Sara looked around for a moment, then held up her finger. "Gimme just a second." She disappeared into the hallway. Connor exchanged a confused look with Murphy.

Yes, they are actin' fuckin' weird, Conn. It's not just yer fuckin' imagination. Murphy crossed his arms over his chest and glanced back down at Katie. Her eyes were back down on the paper, unaware of their scrutiny.

"So you staying there or coming back after?" Katie raised her eyes finally and raised an eyebrow as she realized she was being watched. "What?"

"Why do I have a feelin' somethin' is fuckin' goin' on here, Katie?" Connor looked at her closely. Murphy held back a smile, recognizing the stubborn set of his brother's jaw. Fuck, he was hardly needed for this situation. Connor could definitely take Katie on his own.

Katie smiled slowly before getting to her feet and standing in front of him. "Because you have an overactive imagination and no life. That and you are a fucking paranoid Irishman."

Working harder, Murphy managed to swallow his chuckle. Maybe not. He knew he should be helping his brother, but he'd learned that Katie would tell him in due time. When he pushed her, he rarely did either one of them any good. Apparently, Conn is no fuckin' better at it.

He thought of stepping in before either one of them got too annoyed but Katie's action surprised him. Stepping forward, she put her arms around Connor tightly. "But I still love you anyway."

Connor's eyes widened and he placed his hands on her back as he gave Murphy a confused look. Shrugging, Murphy shook his head. He had no idea what was going on either.

"Katie, are ye alright?" Connor kept his gaze on Murphy. She nodded slowly and stepped back.

"Fine. Just be careful, Conn."

Moving his hands to her shoulders, he looked down into her face, his eyes finally leaving Murphy. "What's goin' on here? Ye gettin' another fuckin' bad feelin'?"

Murphy's heart sped up slightly but she shook her head. "No. I just…"

"Ye just what?"

"I just have a good idea of what Smecker was going to tell you. And fuck, something's gotta happen soon. Can't I just tell you to be careful without having it analyzed?" She raised both of her eyebrows at him before glancing at Murphy, who just held up his hands in surrender.

He had no idea what was going on, but he wasn't about to get in the way of female emotions. Especially ones he understood perfectly.

"Aye, ye can." Connor reached up and rubbed the palm of his hand over her hair. With a half laugh, she knocked his hand away. "Ye just caught me off guard."

She shook her head again. "I should have known emotion displays would confuse a caveman like you." Reaching up, she patted him on the top of the head. Connor hooked his arm around her neck and kissed the top of her head.

"Shall I fuckin' grunt ta please ye? Or take Dino out for a walk?"

"Just take Sara home." Katie grinned up at him and nodded toward Sara, who had picked up her purse and was now watching them with a raised eyebrow. Connor just smiled slightly, slipping his arm over her shoulders. Katie laughed. "Good job, caveman."

Grunting, Connor stepped back away from Sara and hunched over. "Me see pretty woman. Me take her back to cave. Have lots of Pebbles and Bam-Bams." He picked Sara up and slung her over his shoulder. Her laughter filled the hall as he marched them out the open door.

Murphy laughed at the spectacle his brother was making and closed the door tightly. Turning around, he crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow at Katie. She just looked at him.

"What the fuck was that, Katie?"

"An impulse." She turned back to the table and began folding up the paper. Sighing, Murphy stepped up behind her and put his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Caused by what?"

"They know you are alive, don't they?"

The room was silent for a second. Finally Murphy nodded. "Aye, they do."

She merely sighed and the lack of outburst surprised him. It took him a moment to realize he'd be bracing for one. Letting go of her, he stepped in front of her and looked down into her face.

"No tears?" He kept his voice soft, but she looked up quickly.

"You disappointed?" She frowned at him and he shook his head in response.

"No, no. I hate it when ye cry, Katie. But I was just expectin' it, I guess."

"I'm tired of cryin' Murph." She moved into his arms again and laid her head on his chest. "When is this gonna be over? When can we stop tensing for everything? When are we going to be able to watch someone walk out the door and not wonder if it's the last time we're going to see them?"

"I don't know, Katie. Soon, hopefully." He pressed his lips to her temple and then to her hair. Breathing in the smell of her shampoo, Murphy closed his eyes.

This had to end soon. They were good at joking to cover it up, but he could see it wearing on them all. Even Da. Fuck, especially Da. His thoughts wandered to McGinty's, where he knew Da and Doc would have started their game already. At least Da had found an outlet. Someone to pass the waiting time with over a Guinness and a semi-serious competition at chess.

And now Katie was starting to become numb to it. Murphy had once thought he'd become numb and he realized there was little to life if you felt no emotion. The thrill of doing God's work had long since left him at that point and the blood of the dead had stopped haunting his dreams. And he realized that above all else, he feared himself. He feared what he'd become.

But then he'd met Katie. And with her came back all the long forgotten emotions of fear, anger, love and hope. It was that last one that he was the most thankful for. Hope. Before Katie, there was none. But now he had hope. Hope for a better life without bloodshed and living in the shadows. Hope for a life with her.

Murphy's arms tightened around her and he felt her sigh against him. He couldn't let her become numb. "So is this what else ye've got planned for me today?"

She laughed softly into his shoulder. "Hardly. But nothing seems to be going according to plan today."

"Fuck plannin'. Let's just have a good time."

"And what do you suggest, Mr. McManus?"

"Humm…" He pulled slightly away from her and tucked hair behind her ear. "Why don't ye decide what ye want ta do for supper? And I'll be right back."

Murphy kissed her softly and walked back to his and Connor's bedroom. The bag was in the corner of the nearly empty closet, right where he'd left it. Fuck, where he'd left it and forgot about it until earlier in the day. She'd been working so hard to surprise her and he'd forgotten the surprise he'd planned for her. Unzipping the bag, he made sure it was the same one.

With a grin, he walked back out to the living room and chuckled softly when he saw the Katie had nestled into the couch. The television was on some comedy about gray haired women. It seemed vaguely familiar to him.

"This is how ye decide what's for supper?"

"It's already been ordered, Murph." She smiled but kept her eyes on the screen.

"What? What'd ye order?"

"Chinese. You like Chinese, don't you?" Her gaze moved to him and he just shook his head.

"Ye're fuckin' lucky I do."

"What's in the bag?" Her eyes fell on the blue duffel. He grinned and presented it to her.

"Ye didn't think I went all the way ta New York and didn't bring you back anything, did ye?"

"If it's a gun, I'm going to hurt you, Murph."

Sitting down beside her, he pushed the bag closer. Katie sat up fully.

"It's not a gun. I wouldn't do that ta ye."

"So what is it?"

Murphy laughed. "Stop lookin' at it like it's gonna fuckin' bite ye. Open the bag."

Her hands were hesitant but she unzipped the bag and only paused slightly before dipping her hand inside. The first thing she pulled out was a framed picture. Her jaw dropped slightly as she stared at it. "Oh, Murph." She ran her fingers along the edges, wiping away the remaining dust as she stared down at it. "That's me. At high school graduation."

Her eyes were misty as she looked up at him and Murphy didn't know what to say. He settled for wiping away the first tear with a smile. "Ye look beautiful."

"I hated my hair back then." She sniffed and looked down at the picture again. Murphy realized that she thought he'd been referring to the picture. But he'd meant that she'd looked beautiful in that moment, dusty picture frame in hand and a few fresh tears in her eyes. Her hand was pulling something else out of the bag before he could correct her.

The green stuffed bunny plopped out and landed on her lap, making Katie let out a laugh. "Bunny!" She held the stuffed animal to her chest and smiled up at Murphy.

"Keep goin'. There's more ta find in there." Leaning his arm up on the couch, he watched her with a grin. Her face lit up more as she pulled out another few pictures. He knew the second her hand reached the metal box that filled the bottom of the bag.

With a puzzled look at him, Katie reached in with both hands and pulled the metal box out. Her eyes widened as she ran her hands over it. "How did you find this?"

"I…uh…" He chuckled softly. "By accident. I swear."

She raised her eyes to his and laughed. "You snooped, didn't you?"

"I didn't mean to find it though."

"Should have known." Her fingers traced around the combination for a second before steadily moving the numbers on the dial. After three numbers were lined up, she pressed the button. The lip popped up with a click and Murphy leaned closer to see what was inside.

Katie laughed again. "Curiosity killed the cat, Murphy."

"What's in there?"

"The stuff I considered valuable two years ago. That's when I hid it." She turned the open box slightly. Murphy moved closer. Folded papers lay among photographs. An envelope lined the bottom of the box and Katie pulled that out first. She opened it and pulled out a stack of bills and a few plastic cards. "My safety stash of money. Two hundred whole dollars. It seemed like a lot when I put it in here. And my license. My credit card, which is now outdated."

"Ye don't have I.D. with ye here?" Murphy frowned at her. "That's not exactly that fuckin' safe, Katie."

"And if I'd lived a Pollyanna life, Murph, I wouldn't have had to hide my I.D. I couldn't carry it with me. I had my fake I.D. but they took it away when we reached the warehouse." She returned her attention to the box and pulled out the rest of the papers. A few pictures fell out onto Murphy's lap. He picked them up and glanced at them as she flipped through the papers. "Christ, why did I think it was important to keep this? Look Murphy, I was CPR certified…three fucking years ago."

He just grinned at her and looked back down at the pictures. The top one was of her and Brett. Since they both looked younger than the last picture he'd seen of them, he assumed it'd been taken before Brett had changed. And she'd been fresh from his death when she'd put this box together. Raising his eyes back to her, he couldn't help but wonder how much her older brother's death still bothered her. But even as her eyes met his finally, he couldn't bring himself to ask.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Pictures." He passed the first one over and she glanced down at it quickly.

"I used to love this picture. One of the few good ones of Brett and me. That's from a few months before our parents died." Her voice remained relaxed as she turned her attention back to the papers in her hand. Murphy's eyes returned to the next picture and he grinned.

Katie was smiling widely into the camera, her arms around a guy he didn't recognize. By the expression on the guy's face, Murphy could assume this wasn't a family member. He laughed and held it up for her. "And who is this?"

Her eyes widened and she gave a short laugh. "Fuck, where did you find that?"

"In this stack of pictures. Who is it?"

"Uh, just a guy I met freshman year."

"Just a guy, huh?" Murphy teased her and was surprised to find that it didn't bother him.

"Yes, just a guy. Trust me, it's not worth mentioning. It lasted nearly two whole months."

"Then why keep the picture?" He knew he hit on something as she turned slightly red.

"Murph." She sighed and reached for the picture. "It's nothing."

"Katie, why did ye keep the picture?"

"He…uh…"She sighed and rolled her eyes. "He was my first…you know."

"Yer first what? Looooove?" He grinned as she got flustered.

"No, he was my first…I…he was the first guy I slept with." She pulled the picture from his hand and shoved it into the box. Her eyes remained on the box, not returning to look up at him. Murphy waited a second before leaning forward. He put his hand under her chin, bringing her chin to look up at him. After a moment, her eyes followed and fell on his.

"Why are ye embarrassed, Katie?"

"It's just that he was the first for me. And you're…you're…"

He smiled softly at her. "And I'm what?"

"You're…fuck, Murphy, you're the guy I love. It's slightly fucking awkward to discuss it with you."

Leaning forward, he kissed her lightly, lingering only for a moment. "I love ye, Katie. I don't care if ye've got a whole fuckin' shoebox of these guys in yer past."

"How about two shoeboxes?" She grinned up at him and he raised an eyebrow. "One and a half?"

"How many shoeboxes do ye need there ta be?" He laughed.

"None. I love you, Murphy. So much." Her lips found his again and her arms slipped around his neck. He leaned closer to her but pulled back as the metal dug into his side.

"Ouch." He whispered against her lips and she pulled back.

"What?"

"Box." He smiled as she started laughing again.

"I told you those boxes would get between us."

Lifting the metal box from the couch, he set it on the floor and pulled her over to sit across his lap. "Not anymore. No more fuckin' boxes between us."

She relaxed against him, leaning her head against his shoulder. Her warm breath whispered across his neck and he kissed her forehead again. "Think we should call Connor?" Her voice was soft.

"He's fine, Katie. He's probably with Sara at the moment."

"How do you know?"

"ESP."

"Bullshit." She shifted against him. Sighing, Murphy reached behind her and picked up the stuffed bunny she'd pulled out. Switching it to his other hand, he held it in front of her.

"He's fine." He used his fingers to make the bunny's head nod with the high pitched voice he used. Katie laughed and looked up at him.

"Bunny's a male, Murph."

"Fine, then." He lowered his voice slightly and tried again. "He's fine."

"Much better. Can't have you embarrassing Bunny for the sake of making me laugh."

"Of course not." He set the stuffed animal on her lap and kissed the top of her head again. "God forbid I embarrass the fuckin' stuffed rabbit."

"He has feelings too." She grinned up at him. He kissed her softly.

"Yeah yeah." Murphy ran his hand over the back of her head and she settled against him again. The credits of the show ran slowly across the screen. Connor had to be fine. He had to be. And Murphy had a feeling he'd be home yet that night.

Connor twisted the off of the beer Sara handed him and grinned at her. "So are ye really workin' tonight? Or was that just the fuckin' means of an escape?"

Leaning up, she kissed him. "Depends. What are your plans?"

"Well, I have a few girls ta meet up with. It's only a three date night fer me. So I might be able ta spare ye some time."

"Oh, lucky me." She pressed her lips to his again and Connor wrapped his arms around her, setting his beer on the counter. He worked his tongue into her mouth and backed her up against the wall. Her hands were cold against his abdomen as she worked his shirt up, only pulling away from him to slip it over his head.

"God Sara, I love ye." The quiet words slipped out before he could stop them and Connor found himself staring down at a surprised Sara. She raised her hand to his cheek, running her thumb across his lip. Then she pressed her face into the hallow of his neck without a word.

She still couldn't say it back, he realized. And it hurt. It hurt because he thought they'd gotten past this. He thought they'd been working toward something solid. Her tears were wet against his neck before he even felt her start to cry. His arms came around her quickly, holding her tightly against him.

"It's okay, a Mhuirnìn." He murmured to her but she just sobbed harder. She pulled away from him and held up a finger.

"Just gimme a minute." Her voice was shaky as she managed to get the words out. Connor helplessly watched her hurry out of the room.

Fuck! He raised his hand to his lips, still able to feel her lips on his. Why did he say that? Why couldn't she just accept it? What if she was never going to be able to say it back to him? What if she wasn't the one he was meant to be with?

The tight feeling in his chest returned at this point. Life without Sara was unimaginable at this point. He loved her. Quiet possibly more than he'd loved anything so far in his life. Maybe even more than he loved Murphy. Christ, what had he gotten himself into?

Pacing, Connor found himself over by her desk again. His eyes fell upon the manila folder that was leaning against the monitor of her computer. Maybe it's not me that's bothering her so much. She had said it was a project but that was before Davis had died. Before she told him that she'd turned the project down. But why did he feel that whatever was in that folder was bothering her? And why do I now have a bad feeling?

Reaching out, he picked up the folder and slid the stack of papers out of it. The blood rushed to his head in a whirl as his eyes skimmed down the first page. It was about them. About the Saints. Her project is about the Saints. Why? No. She couldn't… Not quite fully formed thoughts sped through his head as his shaking hands lifted the sheet. A fuzzy photo covered half of the next page and Connor's heart leapt to his throat as he stared down at it. Someone had taken a picture of them that day. Fuck, someone knows what we look like. What is she planning on doing with this?

The click of her boots on the polished floor in the hallway nearly made him drop the papers. His fingers gripped them tightly as he turned to face her. Sara's eyes had widened in shock and she stared at the stack in his hands. He could only see the fear in his face as she looked back up at him.

"It's not what you think, Conn."

"Than what the FUCK is it?" He worked to keep his voice calm, his breathing steady. But he knew his temper was winning out. Soon, he'd lose that tight control.

"It's a project. Davis gave it to me…"

"Ye said ye didn't take it, Sara. Ye fuckin' lied ta me."

She ran a hand over her mouth. "I didn't really lie to you. I didn't get a chance to take it. Davis died first."

"Rather fuckin' inconvenient, huh?" He threw the stack down on the desk and took a step forward, his motions still tightly controlled. But she still stepped back. Her obvious fear of him just made him angrier. Was there ever any trust here?

"Connor, you don't know what you're saying."

"And I didn't know what ye were fuckin' doin' until now either. Ye fuckin' used me ta get information, didn't ye?" The words came out before the clear thoughts even formed.

"How can you say that? I didn't get this until yesterday, Connor."

"Maybe not the file, but ye know it was coming, didn't ye? Didn't want ta have it around in case I went snoopin' a bit too early fer ye?"

"No, Connor. No! I don't think Davis gave it to me to set you up. I think he knew I was involved with you." Her words were leaking out faster and they made no sense to Connor. And he found that he couldn't care anymore.

The lump had formed in his throat and he had to force himself to keep breathing. The air in the apartment was suddenly too tight, too thick. Shoving his shirt over his head, he grabbed his coat and headed toward the door.

"Connor, wait! Hear me out!" There were tears in her voice as she pleaded but he slammed the door on her words. He couldn't allow himself to care. He couldn't allow himself to want to know what else she might possibly have to say to him.

Gaelic lesson #2: A Mhuirnin means my dear. (# 1 was A Ghra means my love - from Chapter 28)...and for some reason accents aren't working on here...