Paudoc angst ahead! If you don't care about this subplot you can skip. It still takes place the day after Noodle and 2D left and still no one finds out.
And if you stayed for the Paudoc angst, then enjoy! xxxx
"Ye think I'm a theif I bet..." Paula said rubbing her thumb over the silver cross. "I ain't no theif. I just dunno if yer goin'k to believe me when I say yew gave me tis," Paula looked at it intensely. Actively avoiding Murdoc's glare. Paula expected to have the necklace ripped off her body and she get thrown out. Yet Murdoc was still entranced by the engraving of his name on the back. Paula got the chance to see Murdoc shockingly calm for just a second. It was rare to see. But truly so genuine when he did that. He looked up at her after what felt like a while. Almost nearly as entranced by her as the cross.
"Why would I give ya this?" he asked. Paula turned bright red. Years upon years of wearing it and she could never forget. Yet he couldn't remember the second most crucial night besides being found out? Paula swallowed. Ignoring years worth of pain. "Because yew thought I could keep it safe. If Beelzebub found ye with this he would kill yew. And yew said..."
"...he aint got no reason to come looking for you wearing it." Murdoc said smiling. He draped it over her bare neck and letting the cross dangle between her exposed breasts. He smiled at her side. "Hide it from D and hide it from Bub. But keep me close, never let it be hidden from me. Yer really fuckin pretty wearing my things," He cooed at her as she brought herself into a smile. "Are yew sure I'm gonna be okay?" Paula asked rubbing his chest. "I'll wear my rubber one here on out. And we can match. And we're gonna be fine so long as through that ye know I'm there." Murdoc whispered. Paula felt tears well up in her eyes. If he was faking it, he was doing either a damn good job on her or a terrible job knowing he was giving up prized possessions to her.
"I said all that. Me?" Murdoc raised a brow. "To you." he added gesturing her way. Paula genuinely got maddened by all this. "Want to take this back and face the music?!" Paula growled raising the cross to his face. "Do yew really want tat???" Murdoc turned his cockiness back into confusion again. "I still think it just doesn't sound like me...why would I...?" Paula shot him a look. One of worry he hadn't seen in a while and now he was remembering it well. A look she shot him when asking his motivation. Between seeing her and that necklace all over again, it clicked. It did happen. But that still didn't explain why. "Why can I never just shake you off?" he admitted. A smile threatened his lips. Paula remembered that smile blending with concern from before. "I couldn't shake ya off either." Paula said walking towards him. "I remember the nights where I would just sit in the bathroom with a knife and yew would be with me for hours to make me take my pills..." Paula wrapped her arms around him. "The first night was so terrifying, the last was the worst and I remember that being the first time I saw ya cryin." Paula could almost see it as she said it. Murdoc saw a blurry image of Paula. Knife in hand cowering in his arms screaming and sobbing. But in Kong's parking lot in his Winney no one could hear them. And he remembered breaking down almost a fraction as much as she did. He remembered being too weak to dry her tears this time. He remembered falling asleep with her in his arms. The knife in his hand now, just to make sure she wouldn't take it when he wasn't looking.
Murdoc let a faint gasp escape as his heart sunk. He was never that weak in front of anyone. "For years I blamed ya for so much. My nose broken, and my body nearly destroyed cause of Russ. Not once did I even rethink your view and I just tried to drink you away." Murdoc locked arms around her. Paula now unable to break free and ask him why she was worth drinking away. But the simple gesture said she wasn't. That he would finally be better.
But she heard it all before.
She broke free of him and rubbed her watering eye. "Heard it all, heard the excuse of 'I'll get better babe I promise.' Believe it or don't not all just from yew." Paula wanted to shoot him a glare but her glasses fogged in protest. "Who was he?" Murdoc asked as he took her glasses off and wiped them for her. "After yew I found out I was pregnant. I lost the kid though. Got depressed, took to the streets, whored myself. Got hooked on heroin. Met my ex in rehab. We got better. I went to school got a job at my uncle's kareoke bar. Then when he passed my husband tried turning it to a strip joint. When I protested he hit me and I relapsed to cope. But so did he..." Paula said this without nearly as much emotion as she did before. Perhaps her mental health was taking a toll now just bringing it up, but based on memory Murdoc knew not to stop her. She would only blow up again. Instead of asking anything Murdoc nodded for her to keep going. "He died. I took back my bar. Then you texted me. I shagged yew again instead of blocking yer number like I probably should have...an I'm right back to where we started."
Murdoc could only itch his head and admit she was right. "Looks like we're shagged and confused about what to do with that information all over again,"