Connor crossed himself as he finished his prayer, lifting his head and looking at the tombstone of their old friend. Beside him, Murphy was finishing as well, paying his last respects to a man who they had been close to for many years.
"Rest well, Doc", Connor said softly, brushing his hand against the ground where he was buried.
"Yeah, have a nice time in heaven, Fuck Ass", Murphy said lightly, and they both broke into sad laughter at the memory. The sun gave one last flare of light before it finally sank below the horizon, and it flashed off the rock Animal had left, shining with brilliance before fading back into the plain-looking rock it was. Connor smiled again and stood up, looking toward the tree where he had seen Animal many hours before.
In the dim light, he could see her shadowed form leaning against the tree still, body relaxed in sleep. Stars sparkled dimly above her, and the wind softly blew against the grass. Murphy stood up beside him, and followed his gaze.
"I can't figure her out", Connor said, and Murphy only shrugged.
"If she wants to be fucking figured out, she let us figure her out. Until then, all we can do is watch. Now come on, let's go wake her up. We have free beers tonight."
Connor snorted but began walking up the small hill to the willow tree where Animal slept. The rushes moved softly in the slight breeze, producing a soft shushing noise, and birds gave out their last calls before they slept. It was peaceful.
"Oi, wake up", Murphy said, crouching down to watch her carefully. Animal only twitched, still remaining in sleep.
"Come on, wake up. I'm not fucking staying here all night."
Her brow furrowed and she began to stir, though she still moved sleepily.
"Animal, wake up. We're leaving", Connor finally said, and Animal finally opened her eyes, blinking at the world around her.
She looked around in confusion, as if unable to remember where they were, then comprehension slowly spread across her still-sleepy features. She stretched and yawned before rising, then clambered to her feet, still looking tired but now awake. She looked at them, tilting her head to the side in a question.
"C'mon, we're done. We're gonna go back to the pub and drink."
Animal made a face, and Connor looked at her.
"What?"
"I hate alcohol", she growled softly, and the brothers looked at her in amazement.
"No one hates alcohol."
"I do."
"Well then, something's fucking wrong with your brain", Murphy scoffed, and Animal looked at him, eyes glowing slightly in the dark.
"You're just realizing that now?" she grinned, and Connor laughed. Animal may be impossible to figure out, but her mind was wickedly sharp and ruthless when it came to come-backs.
He stopped in his tracks, thoughtful, and Animal and Murphy turned back to look at him oddly.
"What the fuck's the matter with you?"
"Thinking."
"Well then, we're going to be here a while, aren't we?" Murphy drawled, and Animal coughed a laugh.
"Shut the fuck up", Connor retorted, still thinking. A memory ran through his mind, when they were at the rental-place.
He had told Animal she could pick out a vehicle, and she had ran happily into the room to pick out the truck. However, he had said something to her, but he just couldn't remember what he said….
"It'd better not be gay-looking!" That was it! He had told her not to pick out a gay-looking car, and she had come back with the biggest and most masculine vehicle she could find in the lot. He now realized it had been a come-back of her own, though physical instead of verbal.
He looked at her and growled.
"You fucking bitch, you picked the truck to get back at me, didn't you?"
Animal's face lit up, and she exploded into hoarse laughter, an expression of pure glee on her face. She chortled happily away, while Murphy looked confused.
"What the fuck are ya' talking about?"
"Remember when she wanted to go pick out a car, and I told her to make sure it wasn't gay-looking? She came back with the biggest truck she could find, remember?"
Comprehension dawned on Murphy's face, and he looked at the still-laughing Animal.
"Fucking bitch, that was a good one."
"I can't believe it took us this long to figure out", Connor muttered, and Animal broke into new waves of laughter, holding her side as she doubled over.
The brothers rolled their eyes and started walking out of the cemetery, and Animal followed a few moments later, still laughing slightly. Murphy began to lead the way out of the cemetery, and cursed a moment later when he stumbled over a clod of dirt in the darkness. Without a word, though a smile was still spread across her features, Animal walked past them, leading them out.
Connor sighed.
"Can't even leave with fucking dignity, can we?" he said to his brother, and could hear Animal break out into even more laughter, chortling happily.
"Oh, shut the fuck up!" Murphy shouted, following her into the street. Animal only silenced her laughs, though the brothers could still see her shoulders shaking as they ventured into the streetlights.
They both growled.
"Fucking bitch."
Animal sighed yet again at the antics of the two brothers. They had been drinking for almost an hour now, and one could definitely tell. Connor was currently trying to remember the name of some cat he had once shot (to Animal's great approval), and Murphy was flailing around on the table pretending to hold a gun, scattering bottles everywhere. The disgusting reek of alcohol was everywhere, though thankfully they were the only ones in the pub that night.
She winced as Murphy rolled off the table, landing on the ground with a loud crash. Connor forgot his mission to try to remember the name of the cat, and laughed at his brother, who was pretending to be a whale, according to him, though he looked more like a drunk lying on the floor.
Animal groaned in misery, burying her face in her arms.
"Why aren't you drinking too?" she heard from her shoulder, and looked up to see Adam, the person they had met earlier. From his reaction to her eyes, they apparently weren't reflecting anything, so she looked at him fully.
"I'm worse than they", was all she growled, and hid a smile when he winced. In truth, she had never drunk before, since she normally felt the effects of a hangover long before she got a buzz. Her theory was that the smell gave her a headache, thus discouraging her from drinking anymore. It was probably for the best, Animal thought, looking at the brothers distastefully. If they let themselves go like this when they drunk, who knew what she would do.
"Oi, Connor, if she was a dog, what kind of dog do you think she would be?" Murphy asked, giggling, and Animal sighed as she looked at him. So far, they had remembered not to call her Animal, but she had a feeling they would soon forget. Out of the corner of her vision, she could see Adam lean against a nearby table and grin in anticipation, and she sighed. The brothers had been comparing her to things all night, from furniture (she was a rocking chair) to birds (a falcon). Yes, she had to admit it was quite amusing, but it was really starting to get on her nerves. How on Earth exactly was she a teacup (tableware)?
"I don't know, I'll have to think about that one", Connor said, jabbing a pointed finger in her face. Growling, Animal shoved it away, rolling her eyes as she heard Adam snicker in the background. Honestly?
"I was thinkin' a Doberman or somethin' like that, since she's always so foul-tempered", Murphy suggested, grinning lopsidedly. Animal groaned and buried her face in her arms. They. Were. INFURIATING.
"I don't know, maybe not a Doberman. She's not always in a bad mood."
Animal looked up to give him a thankful glance, but froze at the expression that was on his face. Connor was grinning wickedly, and she clamped down on a whine of exasperation that threatened to leave her throat. She began to look around as Connor started speaking again, but his next words caused her mind to go blank.
"Maybe a Chihuahua, since she's always so helpless."
Animal froze, then slowly, furiously turned to face Connor. They. Did. NOT.
Adam could see that nothing good would come of this, and began to edge quietly away. However, the brothers, in their alcohol-induced stupor, were unable to see the building storm under the surface, and foolishly continued their speech.
"Hey, you're right! She needs to be led around and everything!" Murphy laughed, and Animal twitched at the remark.
"I wasn't thinking about that, though that is true. I was thinking that since she's so small, she'd be helpless-"
He never got to finish his sentence. While Animal could take many insults in good stride, there were two things she could not and would not tolerate. She could not stand being called small, and being called helpless was the worst offense one could deal to her. Unfortunately, the brothers had called her both of these things in the same sentence.
Silently, she threw herself at Connor, like a furious lightning bolt followed by thunder a few moments later. Savagely, she knocked him to the ground, flipping his chair over, and held him there a brief moment, and expression of solid rage on her face. He blinked in drunk shock as she snarled seethingly in his face, trembling as she fought the urge to kill him. Murphy, normally quick to defend his brother, stared in surprise at them, Animal pinning his brother to the ground with one hand on his throat and the other holding his right wrist above his head.
There was silence for a few moments, then the thunder arrived as Murphy began to protest.
"Hey, what the fuck-"
Screeching a snarl, Animal lashed her head around to glare at him, and light erupted from a streetlight at that same moment to catch her eyes, reflecting brilliantly off her silvered irises. Her snarling face coupled with her glowing eyes caused Murphy to step back in instinctual fear, and he could hear Adam begin to say something in the background.
Through his alcohol-induced fog, Murphy found a moment's clarity, and he turned to face the bartender, yanking his gun out of hiding in the same motion and pointing it at the teen.
"Don't fucking say a word."
Adam could only nod fearfully and hold his hands up in surrender, starting to shake as realization came over him. The girl he had thought of asking out was really Animal, the murderer of so many people in New York. He had no idea what she was doing here and with the two men, but he knew what she was. He could only guess what the two others were, but as he caught a glance at the tattooed hand holding a gun at him, he suddenly realized. Everyone knew that the Saints had escaped from prison, but they had vanished from the state. Now they were back in Boston, on the same street they had once lived-
Suddenly, Adam felt like throwing up.
Murphy turned his attention back to Animal, who was still pinning his stunned brother to the floor, though her snarls were starting to cease.
"Get the fuck off my brother."
Animal reluctantly yanked herself away, standing angrily a few feet back. Murphy walked forward and helped his brother up.
"What the fuck was that about?" Connor asked in bewilderment, and flinched as Animal growled.
"I am not helpless or small", she spat out, glaring at the both of them. Connor and Murphy stared at her.
"That's what you're fucking problem is? It's a fucking joke, you don't need to fucking spaz about it!" Murphy shouted. Animal focused on him, bristling.
"I am not small, and I am DEFINITELY not helpless!" she repeated, snarling, and they both flinched this time as a ray of light found her eyes.
"It was a fucking joke!" Murphy screamed, uncomprehending.
"It was an insult!" Animal screeched back, hands clenching, wishing desperately for her knife.
"Ya' didn't need to throw a fucking fit!" Connor shouted back, and Animal's eyes locked on him and her muscles tensed. Murphy swung the gun from Adam to her, and she stilled herself, though it was obviously with great effort.
"Um, may I make a suggestion?" Adam asked timidly, and they all turned to glare at him.
"WHAT?" they snarled simultaneously, and he flinched.
"Um, maybe you should just apologize to each other?" he suggested, cringing. They all stared at him.
"That's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard."
"I'm sorry."
The brothers blinked and looked again at Animal, who was still glaring, though she appeared to be calming down.
"….What?" Connor asked, looking at her oddly.
"I'm sorry for attacking you", she said again, looking directly at Connor. Her gaze was expectant, and he looked around uncomfortably.
"Uh, I'm sorry for insulting you", he stated, and blinked in confusion when she seemed to suddenly relax, though her body was still tense. Murphy gave her an odd look, then turned his gaze to Adam.
"Alright, maybe that wasn't such a stupid fucking idea."
"My mother made me apologize for everything when I was younger", the teen confessed, smiling shamefully when Murphy looked thoughtfully confused.
"Okay, now that we've got that settled, what are we going to do about him?" Connor asked, gesturing at the kid, who winced when Animal turned her glowing, curious gaze to him.
"I can kill him if you need me to", she volunteered, and they all cringed.
"Let's see if we can come up with another option first, shall we?" Connor suggested, and Animal shrugged
"Um, please don't kill me. I have a goldfish at home, and Flippy needs to be fed twice a day."
"Shut up, I'm thinking", Connor remarked simply, and Adam snapped his mouth shut. Murphy looked at him.
"What's your fish look like?"
"It's one of those solid orange ones. I won him at the fair two years ago."
"I didn't think they had games like that any more."
"They do in New York. At least, in my county they do."
"Ever win any there?" Murphy asked Animal, who shrugged.
"At least three a year. They didn't last long, though. On occasion I had one that lived for more than six months."
"Geez, what'd you do to the poor things?" Adam questioned, and drew back when her glowing eyes turned to him.
"Same thing I would do to any animal: fed them, cleaned their cage, and took care of them. Not my fault the stupid things died."
"Did you bury them or flush them down the toilet?" Murphy queried.
"Flushed them. I wasn't digging that many holes."
"Of course", Murphy snorted, while Adam cringed.
"If you're done talking about fish, I thought of something", Connor interrupted, and Murphy rolled his eyes as they all turned to face him.
"Took you fucking long enough."
"Oh, fuck you!"
"Isn't that illegal?" Adam timidly joked, and flinched when Animal suddenly burst into laughter. Connor and Murphy glared at him.
"Maybe we should fucking kill 'em."
Adam paled at the thought while Animal spoke up.
"I like him. Can we keep him?"
"He's not a fucking stray cat!"
Animal flinched, and Murphy sighed.
"Okay, sorry for mentioning cats. Even so, he's not some stray animal we found on the side of the road! What if he talks?"
"I promise I won't!"
"Stay out of this", the brothers growled simultaneously, and Animal frowned.
"Shouldn't he have some say in this?"
"No", they said in return, and Adam winced.
"There's no way we can trust him. We don't know if he'll talk."
"I can spy on him. You two need a couple more days to heal anyways."
"That's not necessary. I promise I won't tell anyone!"
"Stay out of this!" the brothers growled again, and Adam flinched.
"Wouldn't we need an informant in the city anyways? I used the homeless in Albany. Maybe we can use him here."
"Now, she has a point", Murphy agreed, turning to his brother.
"That she does. However, we also have Romeo's uncle."
"Who's Romeo?"
"If he'll even fucking talk to us again after we put his nephew in jail."
"Well, we'll have to find that out, now won't we?"
"Again, who's Romeo?"
"One of our old friends", Murphy finally answered, while Connor looked thoughtful.
"Alright, here's what we'll do: We'll talk to Romeo's uncle, and if he's still on good terms with us, then we'll see about Adam here. Until then, I suppose we can let him live." He turned to Adam. "Now, do you promise to be a good boy and stay quiet?"
"Yes sir!"
"Scout's honor?" Connor asked, and Murphy sniggered in amusement. Adam looked confused.
"Um, yes?"
"Good. Now come on, I need some sleep."
Connor began walking out the door, Murphy following, while Animal rolled her eyes. She glanced one last time at Adam, giving him a silent warning, then left as well, vanishing into the darkness.
Adam sagged against the counter in relief.
"Oh, thank you God."
"Did you see the fucking look on his face?" Murphy laughed, and Connor snorted.
"Course I did! Kid looked like he was going to fucking wet himself!"
"That was cruel. Funny, but cruel."
"Oh, and you have any right to talk?" Murphy retorted, and Animal grinned back.
"Not really. I've done crueler."
"See?" he pointed out, then yelped when something large and fluttery collided with his face before flying off.
"What the fuck was that?"
"Brown bat. He was going after a moth by your ear."
"You could see that?" Connor asked, and Animal shot him a withering look.
"I thought I already explained all this."
"Hearing it is one thing, experiencing it is another."
Animal just turned away and continued looking out into the night as they walked back to their loft apartment, breaths fogging in the air. It was cold for a night like this, and the brothers wondered in there would be any heat in the apartment when they got back. Sometimes the heater didn't work, and it was normally miserable those nights.
"Think we should get the blankets out of the truck?"
"Probably. The heater barely warmed the apartment on its best day."
The brothers winced as they heard a squeal come from the basement of their building.
"And somehow I don't think this is a good day for it."
"What is that?"
They turned to look at Animal's wincing form.
"That, unfortunately, is our heater. Somehow, I doubt it's going to be very warm tonight."
Animal made a face, and they laughed.
"Don't worry, it doesn't get that cold this time of year. And if it does, we'll give you the most blankets since you're sleeping on the floor."
"What?"
The brothers froze, and at least Connor had the decency to look ashamed.
"Well, since neither of us trust you, we're giving you the floor. Besides, you do kinda work for US….."
Animal snorted.
"You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings, I've lost them a long time ago. But you could have at least warned me before now. I would have found some more blankets."
"Well, it's a little late now, isn't it?" Murphy remarked brightly, and both Animal and Connor shot him withering glances.
Connor held the door open as Animal and his brother walked in to the elevator, and he pressed the button for their floor. As they slid up, Animal's eyes darted around the rising platform, grimacing at the graffiti scribbled on the walls.
"Do you know what this says?"
"Unfortunately, we do."
"We have lived here for a few years."
Animal ignored the remark and yawned as the elevator ground to a halt on their floor, and the grate was lowered. Connor turned on the lights, and Animal winced and slid her eyes shut, grimacing.
"You may be able to see in the dark, but we can't. We need the light."
"I'll be on the balcony", was all she said, and the brothers watched as she walked across the room to stand on the precarious balcony.
"Oi, stay out there a while, will ya'? We need to fucking shower."
They got a growl in return, and, shrugging, they took it as a yes. Very little did Animal respond to questions with words.
Connor began yanking off his clothes while Murphy turned on the water, letting it run to warm up. Thankfully, there was hot water, and as Connor walked into the spray Murphy took off his own clothes, wincing as the stitches caught on the fabric.
"Fuck, that hurt!"
"Be more careful then, next time."
"Oh, fuck you!"
"If the stitches look good tomorrow, I'll take them out."
"Stay on the fucking balcony!"
"I am!"
Connor started laughing, and Murphy gave him the best disgruntled look he could through the water sluicing down his face.
"What?"
"NOW you're shy around women?"
"Fuck you!" Murphy growled, doing a fair impersonation of Animal as he threw a bar of soap at his brother. Connor laughed again as the soap collided with his stomach, bending over in mock pain. Something struck Murphy, and he paused, water running off his skin into the drain.
"Oi, why the fuck has nothing here changed? I mean, the soap's still fucking here and everything. It's been nine fucking years."
Connor snorted.
"Who the fuck would rent an apartment with the toilet broken? Besides, we DID live here. Everyone probably thought we'd come back and shoot them or somethin'."
"I don't know. Something about it seems off to me."
"Stop fucking worrying! It's been nine fucking years since we lived here, we're fine."
Murphy began washing his hair again, but he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease.
Animal scented the air as the brothers showered, looking around her with bright eyes. The blue and silver orbs flicked from place, mapping out the area around her. In the night, she could see insects fluttering around lamps, rats scuttling in the garbage, and even, she shuddered despite herself, cats stalking the streets. The air held the metallic bite of approaching snow, and the deep chill sank into her bones. Still, she relished the fresh smell the storm brought with it, tired of the stink of cities. How she wished she could walk her home forests again.
She sighed and shifted, motion sending a few more flakes of rust down onto the street below. It was stupid staying out on this ancient metal, but she didn't really want to go back into the light and warmth of the brothers' apartment. Besides, Murphy would most likely be angry if she walked in before they were done showering.
She stilled as she heard a brring sound to her left, and tilted her head to the side in curiosity while searching for the source of the sound.
She found it almost instantly. Human eyes, even in daylight, wouldn't be able to see it, but with her eyes at night, she could. There was a small piece of glass imbedded in the metal of the balcony, and as she shifted, she could see there was a lens inside the glass, whirring as it focused in on the apartment. Frowning, Animal looked in as well, noticing as she turned other small lens placed around the room. A small glint in the corner, a flare in a bed post. The entire room was bugged.
Animal stiffened, looking at the object of the camera's next to hers focus. Its orientation aimed it directly at the brothers, and she could see their muscled, tattooed backs directly in her line of vision.
Tattooed backs that were instantly recognizable anywhere in the eastern United States.
The backs of the Saints.