A/N: 4444 words exactly. Now that takes talent, right:) And you'll be glad to know that I'm already partly into Chapter 33.

Connor paused outside of Sara's door and was surprised to notice the slight tremor in his hands. He'd fucked up. She'd fucked up. And suddenly he didn't feel any better about this relationship than he had when he'd stormed out several hours ago. There was only silence on the other side of the door, he realized as he leaned his ear against it. She was waiting for him. Which meant he had to go in.

Raising his hand to the door, he only allowed himself a moment's hesitation before rapping his knuckles lightly on the wood. There was a pause of silence during which he because increasingly aware of his steadily rising heartbeat. Then the door opened and Sara stood before him, her face carefully blank.

And it was as Connor stared down at her that he realized it. That no matter what had gone on, he still loved her just as much. Even if it ended up that she had used him, he couldn't force himself to take that back from her. Which meant that he had little choice in what he needed to do next. No matter what she had to say, he would have to stick through it and hear her out.

"Hey."

She blinked at his soft tone, almost as if it had broken her concentration. "Hey." Shifting to the side, she opened the door fully to allow him in.

Despite the growing need to touch her, to make contact with her, Connor just slipped out of his coat and pushed the sleeves on his sweater up. Sara had wandered out to the kitchen, where she poured coffee into two mugs. Nodding toward the table, she set the second mug at the spot next to her. Connor eyed the manila folder at the spot.

"I thought you might want to see it. To read it fully before we try to talk. So we start out at the same level of knowledge." Her voice was calm, but he noticed her lack of eye contact as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Ah, good idea." It was all he could think of to offer as a response. Sitting down, he pressed his hand against the folder before shaking his head and looking up at her. "Sara-"

"Conn, please." Letting go of her mug with one hand, she pushed the folder toward him. Connor laid his hand on top of it lacing his fingers through hers. And with his other hand, he slid the papers out.

He skimmed through the top page again, which spelled out specifically what she was to look for, before glancing over the two pages beneath the folder. He found that the facts about the Saints were bare, the list of their supposed hits filling three-fourths of the report. Connor couldn't help but to smile slightly as he realized that they were giving the Saints more credit than was due to them. More than five of their supposed hits didn't seem familiar at all.

When he reached the bottom of the second page of the report, he slid it back and raised his eyes to Sara. She looked away then and pulled her hand out of his. Readjusting her mug in both of her hands, she stared down into the cup.

Forcing himself not to sigh heavily, Connor rubbed his hand over his face. "They don't have much here."

"No, they don't. Which is why they recruited Davis."

"And Davis gave it ta ye."

Sara nodded shortly before turning her gaze to him. She pressed her lips together. "I'm sorry you found the file that way, Connor. But I'm not sorry I have it."

Connor nodded but remained silent, not sure if he could trust his words at the moment. The burning in his gut had returned but he forced it back with the growing frustration. He had to hear her out.

"You know that Katie nearly fucking flipped her lid when she found out, too? I had to talk her down from calling you two." Sara took another drink of her coffee before setting it down on the table. Interlocking her hands, she stared down at them. "And I'll tell you the same thing I told her. If Davis willing left me this folder, without me officially accepting it, that means there is another one out there."

Raising his eyes back to her, Connor frowned. His mind processed the information and he sighed when he realized what she meant. "So if ye don't take it, someone else might?"

"Someone else might have already taken it. I don't know for sure. It depends on whether Davis had a second-in-charge."

"Katie said somethin' about a fuckin' second option. What did she mean?"

"Second option?" Sara brought her eyes back to him and wrinkled her forehead. Then she nodded slowly. "Oh. She meant that there is a second option on what to do with this folder."

"Ye mean besides burn it?" He meant it to sound like a joke but at her sigh, he realized she thought he was serious.

"The second option is to give the mafia what they want. They want to know the true identities of the Saints. But they won't know the difference right away if I give them false ones."

"Sara, ye can't do this." The words were out even though he hadn't meant to say them. He'd meant to convince her another way. And by the way she bristled, he knew it was the wrong way to go about it.

"Unfortunately, you don't have a choice in the matter." She got up from the table and dumped the rest of her coffee out into the sink before turning and facing him. Crossing her arms over her chest, she just looked at him. And he realized that she'd been preparing for this fight.

"No choice? It's me own fuckin' life, Sara."

"If someone had a fucking gun to my head, Connor, would you just stand there and do nothing?"

He scowled at her. "Christ, that's not even the same fuckin' thing and ye know it."

"It is to me, Conn."

Tilting his head back slightly, Connor glared up at the ceiling and rubbed a hand over his face. "What is it with the two of ye? Don't ye realize that we've been survivin' without ye this whole fuckin' time? That we don't need yer fuckin' help?"

"Because we fucking care about you. Is it that hard to understand? Because that's the funny thing about l-loving someone. It's much harder to do if they aren't around anymore." Slapping her hand down on the counter, Sara moved to walk past Connor but he caught her arm.

"Sara." He sighed but she wouldn't look at him. He studied her profile for a moment. "Do ye even know what they'd do ta ye, if they found out that ye lied ta them? Davis got it fuckin' easy."

She took a shaky breath and Connor had to force himself not to reach out to her. Her fuckin' pace. This has ta be at her fuckin' pace. After a few more breaths, she turned to look at him. "And do you realize that I have a good fucking idea of what they might do to the three of you, if they get a hold of you? I'm afraid mine trumps yours, Conn."

And with that she pulled her arm out of his hand, disappearing into the hallway. Her bedroom door didn't close but the lack of it slamming in his face still didn't make him feel welcome as he stepped through the doorway. She sat against the headboard of her bed, her knees pulled up tightly against her chest and her eyes on the far wall. Connor moved slowly toward her, not getting her to actually look at him until he sat directly in front of her, blocking her view of anything else.

"I've never met anyone like ye, Sara." He was finally able to say, resting his hand on her knee.

"That's probably good. You can't have any more of your girlfriends lying to you like I have." Her voice was barely above a whisper and she managed a small smile after a few seconds.

There was a vulnerability in her smile that made him want to do nothing more than just hold onto her forever. To protect her and to be the shield for her against anything that could make her feel that way again. But he knew she felt vulnerable because of him. And he didn't know how to protect her against that.

"Sara, I…I can't lose ye. Not over something like this. Something that I got meself inta."

"Got yourself into? Connor, you're out there saving the fucking world by getting rid of one asshole Mafioso at a time." Sara sat up fully, tucking her legs underneath her and leaning closer to him. She put her hands on his forearms, her thumb gently running over the newly formed scar tissue there. "The three of you have done so much good by just being there that the mob could never do anything to ruin it. You've given everyone fucking hope."

"Shall I get ye a fuckin' pom pom?" Connor tried to joke, tried to get the serious mood away. Anything to keep the lump from growing in his throat.

"Don't joke about it, Conn. Have you never stopped to think about it? Think of what you've done for girls like Katie, who have had the mafia tear apart their family and walk away untouched? With you three out there, maybe fewer girls will spend their college years with a steadily growing need for vengeance. Do you even realize that? You saved Katie. You saved her from the mafia. And you saved her from herself. And even if I didn't know you three, that would be enough for me to do what I could to help you." She ended in a whisper, leaning closer to him.

Connor swallowed hard and cupped his hand on her cheek. "Sara." Her eyes closed for a moment.

"Connor." She looked at him again, the beginnings of tears shining at the corner of her eyes. "I love you." The words were a whisper but they still managed to echo through his head as he slowly reacted.

"Christ, Sara. I love ye, too." His lips met hers and he deepened the kiss almost instantly. She slid forward onto his lap and Connor held her tightly against him. He wanted to laugh with the sudden joy he felt, but didn't want to pull away from her long enough to do it.

Right now, just having her in his arms was enough for him. Fuck, she was more than enough for him. She was everything for him. And as he laid her back on the bed, he finally knew that he just might be enough for her too.

Katie found herself pausing as the diner came into sight. Christ, she was nervous, Murphy's words still echoing through her head. I think we need ta talk. Ta get the full fuckin' story.

The butterflies in her stomach were bouncing around more and she forced a deep breath. She couldn't do this. Why couldn't she do this? It was only Murphy. Fuck, but it was Murphy and she hated seeing him angry. Especially at her.

She took a step toward a retreat without realizing it and jumped as she backed into a warm body. Not quite being able to swallow a scream, she tried to whirl around as a hand grabbed her arm.

Murphy stood behind her, laughing softly. He put his hands on her shoulders, but she pulled away and pressed a palm over her racing heart. "What the fuck was that?"

"Sorry." He raised both hands. "Didn't think ye'd fuckin' jump like that."

"How long have you been lurking behind me?"

"Long enough to know ye weren't fuckin' wantin' to go in." He smiled slightly and ran a hand over her hair, tucking a few strands behind her ear. "Ye're not fuckin' scared o' me, are ye?"

Katie caught the underlying serious tone of his voice and shook her head. "Hardly."

"Just Connor then, huh?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head slowly. "I grew up with two brothers. It takes a lot more than yelling to scare me."

"I'm…I'm sorry I didn't fuckin' step in or anything." His eyes had moved away from her and were focused on the diner window instead.

"Christ, Murph. I'm not the type of girl who picks a fight and then expects my man to protect me."

"Yer man?" He grinned down at her and Katie finally smiled back.

"You know what I mean. I'm sorry I picked at Conn like that. It was hardly fair…"

"Ye were worried about Sara. I understand. Fuck, I think even he understood once he cooled off." Murphy slipped his arm over her shoulder and turned them back toward the diner. "Let's go eat. Then we can talk more." He pulled her toward the entrance.

Katie noticed that Murphy stuck to relatively small talk until their food was served and she realized she'd rarely just talked with him. Ever since they'd met, there's always been something much more important to discuss than the weather or the definition of what a 'good' day was or even the best way for her to order eggs with her pancakes. But even as she dug into her first bite, she knew the casual conversation was over by the look he was giving her.

"Why don't ye start at the beginnin'?" Murphy finally said with a sigh. Katie was surprised to realize that he was reluctant to leave the small talk conversations, too.

She glanced around the nearly empty diner. "Should we talk about this here?"

"Aye. Just avoid the obvious fuckin' names, and I think we'll be alright." He offered her a small smile. Nodding, she pressed her lips together.

"I didn't find out until earlier today what Sara was planning to do. But she received a file yesterday from Davis. A file on you three." She sipped at her milk, hoping it would settle the still twitching nerves in her stomach. Suddenly food wasn't sounding so good. "She thought that it was something we could do. Something to help keep you safe."

"What specifically did ye plan on doin', Katie?"

"Giving the buyer misinformation about you three. He wanted names and we were prepared to come up with names. Just not yours." Running her finger along the edge of her plate, Katie sighed when she realized she could feel his frustration from across the table. Murphy wasn't the best at hiding his emotions.

"Did ye realize what would happen when the mob figures out that ye lied ta them? The danger that'll put Sara in? The-"

She pushed her plate away from her with a jerk. "That's not fair, Murph."

He held up a hand. "Ye didn't let me finish. Did you realize the danger that it'd put you in? Since I know ye'd never let Sara stand alone in a dangerous situation."

"Anymore than you'd let Connor stand alone."

Nodding his agreement, Murphy pushed her plate back toward her. "Eat."

"Murph." She sighed.

"Please."

Katie picked up her fork and played with her food as a sort of half compromise. "I do realize the danger she's in, but do you understand the situation? Whoever Davis was working for probably knows that Sara has the file. Her name is out there either way. And if she doesn't take the project, don't you think that might just give the mob a reason to look closer at her? Her connection to me has a paper trail. And her connection to you two wouldn't be that much harder to find out. If she acts normally, she might seem average enough to ignore."

"Ye've actually put a lot of fuckin' thought into this." He considered her for a moment before taking a long drink of his water.

"Honestly, I didn't want her to get any more involved than you or Connor did. And I hate it, but I'm starting to understand your side of things here." Cutting a small bite of her pancake, Katie managed to force it down. The hunger was winning over the jumping of nerves.

"Our side?"

"Yeah. I'm used to doing this alone. Which means I don't have to worry about someone else getting hurt. But fuck, Murph, I can't see a better way out here. Besides, if it helps give you guys time, I'm not sure I'm strong enough to walk away from it. I just wish I could take it away from her and do it alone."

"Sounds like a true fuckin' team player." He gave her a small smile but reached over and took her hand. Warmth spread through her as she stared down at their connection, at that spot where his thumb brushed over her knuckles. Somehow he managed to comfort her and let her keep her pride at the same time. Squeezing his hand lightly in response, she picked up her fork again.

"So?"

"So what?" Murphy raised an eyebrow and took another bite.

"What do you think?"

"I have a fuckin' voice in this?"

"Murph."

"I wish ye wouldn't do it. But since I also wish I could wrap ye up in a fuckin' box and send ye ta Ireland until this is over, I know that wishes don't always come true. And I think that I trust ye not ta take an unnecessary chance, since ye know what that does ta me."

"Murph."

He held up his hand again. "And I'm startin' ta think that ye might be our only fuckin' chance ta survive on more than just luck."

Katie frowned at him, feeling the bottom drop out on her stomach at his words. She'd never heard doubt from any of the McManuses. "What's changed, Murph?"

He shrugged. "I'm just not as good at waitin' as Conn and Da, I guess. And I feel a little like we're facin' a fuckin' brick wall here. With a fuckin' trap door beneath us." Pulling his hand from hers, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. "Think we can find a box big enough fer ye?"

"Maybe we should just run. Fuck fighting them. It's not worth it."

"No." He shook his head quickly. "If we go anywhere, we're goin' back ta Ireland. And I'm not gonna let this touch home."

"Then Sara and I might just have to buy you some time."

Murphy's lack of response didn't discourage her. As she forced herself to finish her food, Katie began playing with the idea of possible Saint stand-ins.

They'd have to be Irish, as the mafia was probably smart enough to figure that out. But a good Irish name was never too hard to fake. But she knew this would be much easier if they actually knew anything about profiling.

She smiled slightly as she thought about it. Fuck, they might just have to make a side-trip to have a chat with Smecker. He should know a thing or two about faking out the mafia.

It was nearly midnight when Sara woke up and realized they'd both fallen asleep in each other's arms. Her stomach protested her lack of supper and she pulled herself slowly from Connor's warm grasp. Slipping her robe off of the hook behind her door, she wrapped it around herself as she headed out of the bedroom.

As she reached the still brightly lit kitchen, everything finally hit her. The relief, the happiness and of course, the love, swarmed over her and she had to muffle a giggle. She allowed herself one full turn on her tiptoes and looked behind her, glad to see that Connor had not woken up yet. Not that she didn't want to share her happiness with him. But there had to be a limit on just how much they could share their emotions in one night.

And this, right now, was her time alone. As she pulled the macaroni and cheese box from the cupboard, her eyes fell back on the abandoned papers and manila folder. Her time alone would be devoted to laying out all the information basics they would need to fulfill. They were going to do this and they were going to do it right.

After she got the water on the burner, she sat down. Spreading the pages out in front of her, she pulled out the notepad from her work bag. These three Saint fill-ins would have to be convincing. And she'd have to be able to supply the type of information Davis had said the mafia was looking for.

The image of Davis's face floated across her mind and Sara felt the lump build in her throat. He said he'd kept track of her. She thought about their conversation in her office. He'd been so sure she'd take it if she just looked at it. So confident. Tapping her pencil, she bit the tip of her tongue. And somehow, he knew she was with someone. Was it possible that Davis knew exactly what he was asking her to do? Was it possible he was trying to make things up to her, by giving her this chance?

Socks slipped across the hallway floor and Sara looked up, smiling when she saw that Connor was awake. He'd simply pulled on his boxers and t-shirt, managing to look completely tousled and adorable.

"Workin' already?" The corner of his mouth turned up slightly as she nodded. "The pains o' datin' a career woman."

Sara laughed softly. "What?"

"Murph said it first." Opening the cold beer he'd pulled from the fridge, he squinted down at the pan on the burner. "Are ye tryin' ta boil this pot dry?"

"Fuck." She got to her feet but he just laughed and held up his hand.

"I got it."

"Do you know how to cook?"

"It's fuckin' mac and cheese. I think I might be able ta manage."

Grinning, she sat back down. "If ye need help, I'm right over here."

"Shut it." He shot her a glare but ended up chuckling instead. Adjusting the heat on the stovetop, he glanced back over at her. "Workin' on that, huh?"

"Yeah. Better to get it done sooner, rather than later. And I've already lost a day, really."

"I wish ye wouldn't do it, Sara." He stared down at the steam coming off the water, but she knew he was waiting for a response. But she didn't know how else to say it.

"I wish I didn't have to do it."

Turning, he faced her and she knew somehow he was stopping himself from coming over to her. Instead, he just stood near the stove, his arms over his chest. "Ye don't, Sara. Don't ye realize that? Ye don't have ta do this at all."

"Yes, I do, Connor." She looked back down at the paper, not really seeing the words before her. There was little left to be discussed on this matter. And she knew he realized that as he turned back to the stove and poured in the macaroni.

He stirred it slowly and she found herself peering up again to watch. The wooden spoon did seem rather natural in his hand, but as she watched him continue to stir past the limits of necessity, it was clear that he wasn't at home in the kitchen. Any real cook would not be willing to continually stir for the ten or so minutes it would take to boil the pasta.

Smiling, she tapped her pencil lightly. "Remember, I'm over here if you need me." She teased him.

His quiet laughter filled the kitchen but he didn't turn to look at her. He was apparently unsure if the macaroni would, indeed, cook if he wasn't watching it every step of the way. "Shut it, Sara."

Satisfied that he was completely entertained, she turned back to her report and started taking notes.

Murphy lay in the quiet of their bedroom and shifted his arm where it lay over Katie. She moved again, readjusting her position and he sighed. "Can't sleep either?"

It'd been over an hour since they'd both claimed to be tired, but even after getting comfortable, he hadn't been able to get to sleep. If he relaxed, he knew sleep would take him quickly, but somewhere not so deep down, he was afraid of exactly that.

Connor was gone for the night. He hadn't had a nightmare like this without his brother around to wake him up. He'd seen the bruises on Connor's face when they were younger and knew he could get violent while he was still dreaming. And that was nothing he wanted Katie to have to deal with.

She shifted again in his arms, this time turning to face him. Her eyes found his. "Nope. Just not tired."

"Liar." He smiled down at her and kissed her lightly. "Ye can barely keep yer eyes open."

"And if you closed your eyes for more than a minute, you'd fall asleep."

"Are we both stayin' awake fer the same fuckin' reason?" He ran a finger down her cheek. The answer was in her eyes long before she said it.

"What if you have a nightmare? And I sleep through it?"

"Ye won't." Murphy gave a half laugh. "I can fuckin' guarantee that."

"What if I can't wake you up like Connor can?" Her voice was calm but he could see her nerves in the way she pressed her lips together and simply looked at him.

"And will that change if ye force yerself ta stay awake?"

"Will your nightmares disappear if you try to stay awake?" She countered and he just shrugged. "Murph, you have to sleep sometime."

"Pencil me in for fuckin' next week then."

"Murph." Katie sighed. "If I can't wake you up, I'll just get Da."

Looking at her, he finally nodded slowly. He didn't want to break it to her that Da didn't know about them. Didn't want to try to explain that tonight. It was dark, the bed was warm and fuck, he was tired. Maybe sleep would come easily and he'd just glide right through to morning. Or maybe he'd have the worst fucking nightmare yet.

But either way, as Murphy started to drift off, he realized it didn't matter. Because as bad as his nightmares were, they were only dreams. And dreams were nothing but vapor compared to real life.

I thought it was only polite to warn you: we're still simply in the calm before the storm. :) Don't get too comfortable.