When Julie's eyes opened next, she found herself alone on the mattress. Something told her that it was much later in the day. She sat up, wrapping the sheet around her and yawning.
"Well, if it isn't Sleepin' Beauty," she heard Connor say.
Lookin up through bleary eyes, she caught sight of him and Murphy sitting at the table. Each had a mug with steam rising out of it, what she could only assume was coffee. Both were fully dressed in jeans and t-shirts, even with belts and boots on, smoking and watching her as she sat there. Julie just scratched the back of her head and yawned.
"Ye feelin' okay," Murphy asked, and she smiled up at the twinge of concern in his voice.
"Yeah, I'm okay," she answered. "I had a headache earlier when I woke up. Must have slept it off."
"Ye were up earlier," Connor asked, his voice pure curiosity.
"Yep," Julie nodded, pulling the sheet tighter around her as she gave a smile. "You two were latched onto me, so I couldn't get up."
"Connor does tend ta get a bit clingy when he sleeps," Murphy joked.
"Aye, well," Connor retorted, taking a drag from his cigarette. "At least I wasn't at 'er chest like a sucklin' babe."
Murphy chuckled, pulling the cigarete away from his lips to take a drink from the mug. Julie stood, clutching the sheet and scanning the floor for her dress. It was sitting on top of a pile of the brothers' dirty clothes at the end of the mattress. She literally wanted to turn her nose up at it, but instead she just sighed and walked over to the table wearing nothing but her undergarments and Connor's bedsheet.
"Ye want some coffee," Connor asked, giving her a gentle smile.
She shook her head, licking her dry lips. "No, I don't drink the stuff."
"That's what ye said about liquor," Murphy grinned. "And look what happened last night."
Julie took a second to try remembering. She could flashed on the waitresses Murphy had picked up, then the man who had slapped her. Things got a bit fuzzy until she remembered what she had done. A blush started to creep up her face, and she couldn't look the men in the eye.
"Aye, tha's it," Murphy snickered. "Rememberin' now, are ye?"
She bit her lower lip as she kept her eyes on the table. The image of kissing the two men without a care in the world except to enjoy the taste of them made her cringe.
"It's alright, Julie," Connor soothed. "Ye were drunk fer the first time last night. People do things when they're drunk."
"But what you did," Murphy smirked, shaking his head with amusement. "Well, that makes me think ye should start comin' ta Church with us."
"I didn't really mean anything," she pleaded, looking back and forth between them, feeling lost. "I mean, you guys kiss me all the time… And I just wanted…"
Julie sighed, leaning her elbows on the table and holding her forehead in her hands. "Besides, I don't need to go to church. You guys have got enough religious stuff on you, I could get down on my knees and start praying for forgiveness right here."
She heard Murphy start to laugh. It made her smile, knowing he was still acting a bit immature. Looking up, she saw the slight grin she had come to expect from Connor. With a sigh of relief, she realized that nothing had really changed between them.
"Ye know, if ye want, ye could start prayin' fer fergiveness right now," Murphy winked.
"Ah, go fuck yourselves," Julie replied, smiling when she heard them laugh. "Which reminds me, which one of you two took my dress off of me last night?"
She looked up at Murphy first, but his eyes darted toward Connor. Jaw dropping a bit, Julie looked at Connor to find him blushing just a little. He wouldn't look her in the eye and she laughed hard.
"I'm surprised at you, Connor," she giggled.
"It was all I could do ta keep 'im off ye," Murphy grinned, giving his brother a shove.
Connor smacked the back of his head. "Shut it, Murph."
Julie nearly fell on the floor laughing. She covered her face with her hands and tried to supress the sound. When she had finally got it under control, she looked back up at the brothers who smiling at her fondly.
"It's alright guys," she grinned. "Just hope all the scars didn't creep you out."
Their smiles faded in unison. It surprised her, and she started to ask what was wrong before she realized what she had done. Mentioning anything that involved her being beaten always garnered upset expressions from the boys. She licked her lips, giving a soft sigh.
"I love you guys," she said softly, looking at the table.
Murphy smirked a little. "Ye said that last night."
"You know what I mean," Julie replied, giving him a slight glare.
"Aye, we do," Connor replied.
It was quiet for a while. The brothers sipped their coffee silently, smoking and flicking their ashes in the big tray. Julie sat there, wondering if she could eat anything. But every time she started to think about food it made her stomach feel queasy. That crossed breakfast off her list. She sighed again and looked around the room. Her eyes fell on the pile of clothes with her dress on top.
"I guess I should go get the laundry done again," she said absently, scratching the back of her head.
"Ah, leave 'em 'til tomorrow," Murphy replied, putting out the butt of his cigarette.
"Aye," Connor nodded in agreement. "The rest of the day should be spent lazin' around the apartment. Besides, we'll be leavin' ye alone here tomorrow. It'll give ye something ta do while we're gone."
"You'll be gone tomorrow," Julie asked, looking up at them.
"We have some business ta tend to," Murphy answered, emptying his mug.
Julie nodded. "Will you be gone long?"
"'Til tomorrow evenin'," Connor replied.
"Oh," Julie remarked softly, already not liking the idea of being alone. She pulled the bed sheet tighter to her, standing up slowly. "I'm gonna go get dressed."
"No need ta hurry," Murphy smirked, watching her walk toward the bedroom.
Julie stopped and looked back at him. "Really? Now, Murphy, if you want me to flash you, just say so."
"Would ye flash me, please, Julie," he asked, and she could barely tell that he was joking.
"I don't think so," she smiled, her eyes turning to Connor who was watching her intently. "You wanna try, Connor?"
He raised his hands in surrender, giving her his lopsided grin. "And get shot down like me poor brother? I think I'd rather not."
"Good," Julie nodded with a chuckle, finishing her walk to the bedroom.
A/N: Happy Halloween! And All Saints Day! Please review, I'll love you forever!