I love all the great reviews that I am getting and I hope you like this chapter just as much. I am now getting into some harder stuff, so the chapters might not come as fast.

disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with The Black Donnellys.

Three days had gone by with no word from Teddy.

The brothers got everyone they could trust to help them look for her, even Dokey decided to help with the resources he had at his disposal.

Jimmy had been keeping a low profile, Sean wasn't talking to anyone and Tommy and Kevin were looking almost constantly.

Everyone was at the apartment eating supper, when the door opened.

Everyone looked to see who it was and Teddy was standing there wearing the same clothes as when she left. She was dirty and she looked like she hadn't slept since she left. The large, black circles under her eyes were a dead give-away.

Helen was the first one to reach her. She pulled her into a hug, "I'm so happy you're home. Are you hungry? You look like you haven't slept, are you tired?"

"Ma, I'm fine. Yes, I'm hungry. Yes, I'm tired and I probably am in dire need of a shower."

Sean was standing beside his sister, "Do I get one of those?"

Teddy hugged her brother and seemed to hold on for dear life.

He pulled back a little, "Don't ever do that again."

"I won't, I promise."

He pulled her back into the hug and Teddy laid her head on his chest, "Are you feeling ok?"

He nodded and kissed the top of her head, "I am now that my sister's home. I thought I had lost you."

"You aren't going to get rid of me that easy."

Sean released the hug, but still held her hand, "Come and eat."

Teddy sat down and Helen filled a plate for her, "Thank you, ma. It looks great." She started eating, but she was playing more then eating.

Everyone was asking where she was, how did she feel and why she didn't call home.

Jimmy spoke up, "We looked everywhere, where were you?"

Teddy looked right at him, "Do I know you? You look like my brother Jimmy, but you can't be. My brother would be telling me how stupid I was for running away. He would be telling me how worried I made ma and that he would personally kick my ass if I ever did it again. He would also be telling me how disappointed he was for me acting like a child and not the smart young woman I am." She got up and pushed her chair in, "My brother would have fought tooth and nail to hug me and tell me how much he loved me and how scared I had made him. So I'm sorry I don't know who you are."

She looked at Helen, "The food was great, ma. I sorry I couldn't eat more, but I just lost my appetite." She glared at Jimmy, "I'm going to get a shower." Teddy left the room.

Tommy looked at Jimmy, "She is pissed at you."

"No duh." Jimmy got up and went to his room.

Helen looked at her remaining sons, "She didn't even touch the food on her plate and she looks like she is losing weight. We already know she didn't sleep while she was gone." Helen stood up, "Where was she, who was she with and why didn't anyone contact us?"

Tommy shrugged, "I don't know, ma, but I will definitely try to find out."

They all heard Teddy come out of the shower and go into her room. Kevin stood up, "I think I'm going to go and try talking to her. Tommy, don't go running out and start doing what you usually do, ok."

Tommy looked at Kevin like he was crazy, but finally gave in, "Ok, go ahead, go find out what you can."

Kevin walked down the hallway and walked right into Teddy's room. Tommy thought it was funny that Jimmy and he had to ask permission to go into her room and Kevin and Sean walked right in without even a word.

Teddy was sitting on her bed with her comforter wrapped around her and brushing her hair, "What do you need, Kevin?"

"How did you know it was me?"

She turned her head and looked at him, "Sean always taps before he comes in. He told me at one time that he would never want to see me naked."

Kevin laughed and sat down on the edge of the bed, "I never thought about that."

"What do you need?" She put the brush down on her dresser and then leaned against it, "I am really tired and I should get some sleep."

Kevin motioned for her to come over to him and he pulled her into a hug, "Can't I just be concerned about you and where you were for three days without a word to your family or even to me or Sean."

"I guess so." She laid her head on his chest the same way she had Sean's, "I'm sorry if you were worried about me, Kevin, I just had to get away and do some thinking."

Kevin forced her to sit down on the bed and held the top of her arms, "If I were worried about you? Let me just tell you this and we'll be done with it, I don't care how old you get, I don't care if you go and get married and I don't care if you have 10 children of your own, I will always worry about you and don't you forget it."

Teddy laughed, "I don't think I'll ever get married and I don't want any kids, but I understand what you're saying." She sat down on the bed next to him and laid her head on his shoulder, "You want to know where I was don't you?"

Kevin nodded, "You don't have to tell me where you were or who you were with, I would like to know why you didn't try to call us?"

"I couldn't call you. I didn't want to talk to Jimmy; he was shooting up, Kevin." She put her hands over her face and turned into his shoulder.

Kevin put his arms around her and stroked her hair, "I know, but I told you that is why Tommy wanted him to go to rehab. You insisted on bailing him out."

"I know, but I was thinking more about Sean and all of the family wanting to be there for him, then I was what you were saying. I'm sorry, Kevin, we should have left him in there."

"Don't worry about it. I didn't plan on leaving him in there even if you didn't have the money. Jimmy bailed me out of jail at the last minute one time and I owed him one."

Teddy yawned so hard that it shook her whole body, "I am so tired."

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

Teddy nodded as she lay down, "Until I fall asleep, please?"

Kevin turned so she could lay her head on his lap and he stroked her hair, telling her everything was going to be ok, until she fell asleep.

After she was asleep, Kevin laid her head down on the pillow and slipped out of the room, leaving the door a crack so they would all hear if she woke up.

When he walked out into the living room Tommy and Sean were the only ones there, "Did ma go to bed?"

"Yes, she needs to work in the morning and she was exhausted." Tommy stood up, "So what did she say?"

"Nothing about where she was or who she was with, but I do know that she didn't want to call here because she thought she would have to talk to Jimmy."

Jimmy came out of the bedroom, "What about me?"

Kevin shut his mouth and refused to say another word. Jimmy was pissed before, but if anyone told him what Teddy had said he would blow a hole through the ceiling.

Sean stood up, "Teddy didn't call here because she didn't want to risk talking to you. Thank you so much, Jimmy." Sean walked over to him and usually he wouldn't get in Jimmy face, but right now Sean didn't care, "So we all worried, ma worried, for three days because you can't keep the needle out of your arm."

"Back off, Sean."

"No!" Sean put his arms up in disgust, "Why are you going to hit me, Jimmy?"

"I wouldn't hit you for no reason, Sean, but if you don't get out of my face."

Sean moved even closer to him. So close, that even Tommy and Kevin got up not knowing what Jimmy was going to do.

Jimmy pushed Sean backwards, "Don't get in my face."

Sean pushed him back, "I'm not a kid anymore and you can't push me around."

Jimmy pulled his fist back and was ready to let it fly when he realized that someone had grabbed his arm.

He turned to look and he saw Teddy standing there, "What in hell are you thinking? You have never raised your fist to Sean."

"I just…He started…"

Teddy put her hands on her hips, "Jimmy, you aren't a little kid. Just take a deep breath and say what you are trying to say." She didn't want to talk to him, but she didn't want him to punch Sean in the face either.

"He got in my face and when I told him to move he didn't, so I pushed him and he pushed me back."

"So you were going to punch him in the face? That makes a lot of sense." Teddy looked around Jimmy at Sean, "That must be what heroin does to your brain, it makes you stupid. Remind me to never shoot heroin." She laughed in Jimmy's face.

He just stared at her, "What in hell do you think you're doing?"

"I think that I might be speaking to someone that I never wish to speak to again for the rest of my life. Good night." She turned and walked back into her bedroom. As she did she was thinking, 'Yea, I might never shoot heroin, but give me a little Ecstasy and watch me fly.'

Jimmy sat down at the table, "She hates me and there is nothing I can do about it."

"You just have to give her some time to get over it and realize that everyone makes mistakes." Tommy sat down with him.

"But she hates me."

"No, she doesn't." Tommy shook her head, "I hate to say this, but you're like her hero. That's why she is taking this so hard."

Jimmy shook his head, "No way, you are."

"Nope, I'm what she calls her warden."

"Then Kevin?" Jimmy pointed to his brother.

"Nope, he's the logical one. I know that it's hard to believe, but he understands her and tries to make us at times." Tommy put his hand up, "Don't say Sean because he's like her best friend."

Jimmy leaned against the back of the chair, "You really think I'm her hero?"

Tommy nodded, "She looks up to you and always has. We all include her, but you're always teaching her things. You taught her how to fight, how to play street ball and, most of all when we were kids, how to spit."

"So why does she hate me?"

"I already told you, she doesn't hate you." Tommy stood up and leaned against the counter so he was facing all his brothers, "Teddy put us all up on pedestals. If she knew half the stuff we've done we would all be in the same spot you are, but she only knows what you did. When she found out that what Kevin told her was true, that you're an addict, you crashed to the ground in her eyes." Tommy put his hand on Jimmy's shoulder, "You'll get back in her good graces. Just remember to her we're not human, we're her brothers so that makes us all invincible in her eyes."

"I'll try, but she has never acted like this to me before. I'm not sure how to act around her."

"Just be yourself and give her all the space that she needs. You can handle it." Tommy headed down the hallway, "I think we all need to get some sleep. It looks like tomorrow is going to be a rough day."