I think we're approaching the end *tear*...I am just so very unsure & it all seems to be going in circles but I will get it finished no matter how long it takes :)
"Shit Pete, no wonder you always let her get away with murder – she's fuckin' terrifying to be in a fight with," Swill slurred out as he wiped a dribble of beer from his chin while Pete smirked at the boys recollection of Josie and Colin's fight from the day before.
"I'd piss meself if I was ever on the receiving end of that," Ike agreed, nodding his head sagely while Pete tried not to laugh.
"She 'as a temper on her, I've just learned how to distract her before she really gets goin," Pete replied, leaning back in his chair smugly. For the past thirty minutes the boys hadn't stopped chattering about the run in between the two siblings, "Now just where were you lot? Joze had told me she was just going to do girly things with Emma – who knew you mates had yer bollocks removed."
Pete watched as the boys faces immediately fell and they all tried to comically change the subject with Swill going so far as trying to leap up to buy more drinks, "Oy! I don't think so," Pete yelled as he leapt up after him and shoved him back into the seat, "What were you guys up to?"
"Err, Josie didn't tell you?" Dave asked awkwardly while Pete tried not to let his temper get the best of him. Josie had been vague and mysterious about what she was doing yesterday, reassuring him only that it was something he'd eventually find out about.
"Nooo she didn't, which is why I'm asking why you lot were all out for an afternoon with my fiancé while I got stuck writing lesson plans," Pete managed to grit out, sounding only marginally bitter.
"Wewereweddingdressshopping," Swill finally blurted out quickly while the rest of the boys cringed back, wondering how Pete would react.
"Wedding dress shopping?" he managed to strangle out, shocked that the boys cared so much for Josie that they'd subject themselves to an afternoon of Emma playing dress up with her. He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his hands together and gazing away from the boys as he thought about the fact that in a few months he'd be married. The usual silly grin painting his face as he realized a dress meant it was really happening.
"Well…we knew Joze doesn't have too many lady friends so we thought we'd keep her company and try to keep Emma in check. Honestly," Ike said with a short laugh, "You'dve thought Emma was the one gettin' married. Though she did find the dress for her."
Pete felt his breath catch and his words came out slightly strangled, "She found one?"
"Yep," Swill said matter-of-factly, "Yer gonna shit yerself when you see her…and I mean that in the best way possible."
"I was unaware there was a good kind of pants shitting but I'll keep that in mind," Pete managed to snort out as he grabbed for his pint glass. Draining the small amount left he moved to grab another from the bar, floating over in a happy daydream about his upcoming wedding day. Christ, I might as well start stowing my bollock's in Josie's purse, he thought with a short laugh. If someone, two years ago, had told him he'd be happier talking about a girl in a wedding dress than the Hammer's next match he'd have kicked the shit out of them.
As he stood waiting for the pint glass to be filled he felt a presence to the right of him, standing impressively close when the bar was barely half full. Glancing over he stepped back with surprise to see none other than Eamon Murphy standing in front of him with a sheepish smile on his face.
"Ello, Dunham," Josie's oldest brother said quietly. Pete, for one of the first times in his life, stood speechless as he stared stupidly at the man in front of him, "Erm…could I talk to you? In private?"
Pete nodded his head dumbly as he followed the other man out of the Abbey and into the early dusk light, moving a few feet away from the entrance to gain some privacy. The two stood staring at each other in silence when Pete finally snapped, "You fuckin' bastard."
Shoving the other man up against the wall, he shook Eamon in frustration, "Do you have any – any – fuckin' idea what you did to your baby sister? Christ if you weren't her flesh and blood and didn't have her exact eyes staring accusingly back at me I'd slam my fist into your face until I couldn't tell whose blood was whose." He bit out angrily, the surge of emotions that he had tried to hide from Josie breaking through after so many months.
"Don't you think I know that I deserve that?" Eamon shouted back, not even struggling against the grip Pete had on him.
"God knows what you think after the shit you've pulled. She didn't sleep for weeks. Barely ate. Sat there wasting away in front of me and wouldn't even plan our wedding because you fucks wouldn't support her," Pete gritted out, allowing the bitter words to flow from him. He would never admit to anyone but himself just how close he thought he'd been to losing Josie.
Eamon dropped his head in shame, "I fucked up. It's just…I just…you don't understand."
"Don't understand?" Pete asked in disbelief, "What I don't understand is how you can ever walk away from the girl that loves her family more than herself."
"No, Dunham, you don't understand," Eamon said as he finally shoved the other man off of him, "You don't understand that Josie has had to be this strong little soldier since the day our bitch of a mother walked out, been the glue that held our fucked up little clan together. You don't understand what it's like watching her grow up with barely any friends of her own because she only wanted to tag along with her big brothers and had no idea what a dress was, let alone owned one. You don't understand how you can possibly love someone so much you'd happily go to your grave if it meant she never felt an instant of pain. You don't understand the gut wrenching fear that envelopes your very soul when her boyfriend calls to say she's banged up in a hospital because of the choices he made.
"You don't understand how it feels to watch this little girl who used to make you mud pies when she was five grow into a beautiful woman who is not only head over heels in love with a man that could get her killed but that she would actually willingly die for," Eamon finished with a whisper, eyes filled with pain and sadness.
"You think I don't get that?" Pete asked in shock, "You actually think your sister is just some passing fancy to me? Don't you understand that as long as I live I will do anything in my power to make her happy? She is everything to me. Since the day I met her I've been wrapped around her little finger, I will never hurt her. She is my life."
The two of them stood, staring at each other silently while contemplating what each had just said. Pete couldn't believe her family still didn't understand what Josie meant to him and how she had changed the course of his life so irrevocably he'd die without her.
"What in the fuck are you doing here?" another voice interrupted the impromptu staring contest and both whirled around to see a livid Colin glaring at his sibling, not even seeing Pete.
Colin advanced on his brother with fire in his eyes, causing Pete to nearly trip over the curb in his haste to get out of the line of fire, "Colin boy! Hi ya," Eamon managed to get out, having no idea of the fight Colin and Josie had gotten into just yesterday about him and Pete cringed at what he could only guess was coming.
Pete had only just managed to step fully out of the way when Colin launched himself at his older, slightly bigger brother. The two of them crashed onto the sidewalk and fists began flying, the thud of blows echoing across the empty street. Pete heard a crack that signified one of them was coming out with a broken nose and he had no idea whether to break it up or join in as it seemed Eamon was slowly getting the upper hand. Just as he'd made the decision to join in and enjoy beating Josie's older brother another interruption came along.
"Oh you have got to be fuckin' kidding me," Pete looked over to see Josie's livid face and before he could react she was marching up to her two fighting siblings and reaching down. Pete nearly had a heart-attack in fear that she'd get injured but needn't have worried as she expertly managed to grab hold of one ear of each brother and began to pull hard, dragging the two fully grown men onto their feet.
Pete had to bite back a laugh as he watch the two men looking like some of his students getting caught fighting as they tried to avoid the angry gaze of their younger, much tinier sister. Suddenly she whirled her gaze onto him, "And you! Just standing there, letting them fight like that. If I had another hand you'd be getting your ear pulled off too."
"He can borrow the one I'm using right now, I wouldn't mind," Colin managed to quip out through a bloodied mouth which led to Josie releasing him then promptly smacking him across the face.
"Knock it off," she said angrily, "You're in enough trouble as it is – you owe me a phone."
Whirling around to face Eamon, she seemed to lose steam as her voice wavered slightly, "And you. Well, you just owe me about the biggest fucking apology you can manage and possibly the pony you assholes said you'd buy me for my seventh birthday that I never got."
Pete grinned slightly as he listened to his fiancé lecturing the two men. It wasn't often he got to be on the outside of her temper and he planned on enjoying it.
"I'd buy you an entire horse farm if I thought it would make up for the past few months," Eamon replied sincerely and Josie's shoulders slumped as all rage whooshed out of her.
"I'd make him pony up to that promise, Josie Jo," Colin said with a smirk at his own pun. It seemed that the little beating got any lingering anger out of system, something Pete could fully understand.
Josie rolled her eyes at the sight of the three men before her: her two siblings in various states of beat-up and her fiancé grinning like a mad man that he was getting to watch her temper turned towards someone else, "What am I going to do with you three?"
"Three?" Pete asked indignantly, "What'd I do?"
"That choir boy act won't work on her Dunham," Colin stage whispered, "Come clean, I know you were about to join in."
Throwing her hands up in frustration she glared at the three men, "Knock it off Col. Pete, you are awarded the get out of jail free card, go inside."
Pete opened his mouth to protest but stopped when he saw the look in her eyes. He knew this was a family thing. He whispered a good luck to the boys as he moved to go in only stopping to press his lips to Josie's temple, "I love you."
"Love you," she murmured before turning her gaze back to her brothers. She heard the door of the Abbey close shut and she stared into the familiar brown eyes of her brothers.
"Would you look at the state of us?" Josie said quietly as she tried to fight off the tears that were threatening.
Eamon stepped forward and quickly wrapped his arms around her before she could protest, "There are no words to make up for what I've done to you, I know that. But I promise you I will spend the rest of my life making sure you know that you're the most important girl in my life, that I will never hurt you like this again."
"And if he breaks that promise, me and Petey boy get free reign on him," Colin broke in with a grin. Yesterday's fight was a thing of the past; all he wanted was his family whole once more.
"Deal," Josie said with a small smile, "Now, how about we find the most American place in London and pretend we're wicked obnoxious tourists?"
"Pretend?" Eamon asked, "Sweetheart, you forget that I am an obnoxious tourist. Not all of us have gone over to the dark side. I'm just happy you don't have some uptight British accent."
Josie rolled her eyes as she linked arms with her two brothers, "Don't worry, I think the collective island would have to beat the Boston accent out of me before I ever lost it."
"It's true," Colin nodded his head sagely, "Though you should hit the pubs brother, British girls love them a rough Boston boy."
"That right?" Eamon asked, perking up slightly, "Actually, rumor has it you're sweet on Josie Jo's only lady friend so you're not exactly living up to the Murphy reputation."
Colin flushed before knocking his brother upside the head, "Shut the fuck up and pass that slap along to Ronan…big mouth."
Josie grinned up at her two brothers, feeling like the massive weight on her shoulder had finally been removed and that now, for once, life may actually be going their way.
Rolling over onto his back, Pete tried to get comfortable while sneaking a glance at the clock. It was just past midnight and he had yet to hear from Josie. She hadn't bought a replacement phone yet and he knew he shouldn't be worried when she was just out with her brothers but he couldn't help it. Loving Josie meant feeling a constant emptiness if she wasn't around.
Finally he flipped on the bedside light, figuring he may as well grade some papers for a bit until she stumbled in.
He didn't have to wait long as not ten minutes later he heard the crash of the front door opening and the sound of a body falling to the ground. Pete was in the kitchen in four steps only to find Eamon and Colin play wrestling on the floor while Josie sat at the table inhaling a kebab like it was her last meal.
Pete smirked when Josie started playfully commentating on the fight while using her kebab as a microphone, "Ooo and looks like Murphy has him but no! Murphy gets free. And then Murphy pulls out the dreaded haymaker. Oo, that one looked like it hurt folks," she said before taking a massive bite.
"How can you tell which Murphy is winning?" Pete broke in with a smile as he dropped into the seat next to Josie, kissing her cheek quickly.
Josie grinned back at him, eyes slightly squinted in her telltale sign of drunkenness, "That's the beauty of it: the announcer is never wrong. Doner kebab?" she offered him a bite.
"I'm good babe, you look like you'd hit me if I said yes anyways."
She shrugged happily, "You're probably right. Ah," she shouted getting distracted, "Tap out Col, he's got you beat!"
"Fuck. Ou. Joze. Aren't. Announcers. Impartial?" Colin managed to wheeze out through the chokehold his brother had on him, "Alright! I submit!"
The two men rolled onto their backs on the floor, both slightly out of breath from their drunken play, "Toldja I still had it," Eamon said with a smug grin.
"I drank more, old man," Colin bit back.
"Now boys, let's not be sore losers or sore winners," Josie said evenly, "Now – get out of my flat. Eamon you can stay with Colin."
Both of them groaned at unceremoniously being thrown out but still managed to leap up nimbly for two men who'd just been drunkenly wrestling for the past ten minutes. After kisses on the cheek Josie shooed them both out before slamming the door shut and locking it.
"Well now that was a bit rude, Joze, doncha think?" Pete asked her with smirk, knowing exactly why she'd booted them out.
"Fine, if that's how you see it, you can sleep on the couch tonight," she replied back, sticking her tongue out in the process as she went to pass him.
"Don't think so love," Pete said as he gathered her in his arms garnering a squeal from her as he made a beeline for the bedroom, "Though you sure you're up for any physical activity? You went to town on that kebab," he squeezed her belly slightly until she swatted his hand away.
"I was unaware I was asking for physical activity," Josie said with a huff, "I just want to sleep," she finished with an exaggerated nod while pretending to pass out on his shoulder.
"Liar," he said with a smirk, "I can see you trying not to smile."
Josie smacked his stomach lightly, "God you're a pain in the ass."
"Ah but I'm a pain in the ass that it is stupidly in love with you and wants to marry your stubborn Yankee behind so I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."
Reaching their bed Pete dropped her down before climbing on top of her, trapping her hands above her head before she got the opportunity to hit him, "Oi! That's not fair, I bet lots of people would put up with me forever."
Pete arched an eyebrow as he leaned in to kiss her roughly, "That a fact?" he whispered.
Josie could only moan in response as he moved to kiss her neck gently, pausing to nibble on her ear as he went.
"What was that Murphy? I didn't catch your answer," he asked her smugly as she squirmed underneath him, pressing her body into his.
"How is it," she asked breathlessly, "After all this time, you still manage to knock the wind out of me with just a kiss?"
Pete grinned down at her happily, finally releasing her hands that she immediately wrapped around his neck, "Just the Dunham charm I suppose."
Leaning up to kiss him she managed to roll them over so she sat atop him, "Somehow I don't think a kiss from Steve would leave me quite so breathless."
"Well thank fuck for that Joze," Pete said gruffly as he leaned up to pull her top off, "Now – enough chatter. You booted your brothers out, I assume there was something you wanted to discuss with me?" he asked devilishly.
With a soft smile on her face, she unclipped her bra before leaning in to capture his lips, "Talking was at the bottom of my list actually."
That's all for now folks!