Author's note: You've probably caught on already, but just in case…The italics mean flash-back time.
Chapter 3 – Look What You've Done
Maggie wandered around the family room, taking her time so she could study the many pictures framed and stationed around the room. She saw one of Connor and Murphy on the mantle when they were little, grinning madly for the camera. She chuckled as she reached for the picture, but stopped when another caught her eye.
It was a woman, Maggie guessed her to be in her twenties. She wore a semi-serious expression, not quite smiling. She had sharp hazel-colored eyes and long, curly auburn-colored hair. She was beautiful, and she could see Murphy and Connor in her. There was a definite resemblance.
Maggie carefully picked up the frame and turned towards the kitchen where Annabelle had been cooking. "Is this Caelan, Ma?" She asked.
Annabelle entered the room and stood beside her, smiling warmly as she took the picture from her. "Aye. That's my Caelan, my jewel." She gazed lovingly at the photo.
"Does she visit a lot? When was the last time you saw her…If you don't mind my asking."
Annabelle's expression hardened at the question. She returned the photo to it's resting place on the mantle. "No me dear, I don't mind ya askin', in fact, I was wondering where she might be me'self." She took care in straightening the photo. "She had been plannin' a visit for awhile now. I was so excited when she told me she was going to be home. She made all the arrangements for this week and next."
"This week? Well that's great news! The whole family will be together." Maggie noticed Ma wasn't sharing her enthusiasm. "Caelan's not coming now, is she?"
"Aye…When she heard her Da was here, she changed her mind. She said she'd think about comin'. That was a few days ago…Haven't heard from her since."
Maggie was sad for her. "I'm sorry, Ma."
Annabelle turned to face her again. "It's alright, lass. I really don't blame her for not wanting to come. She's very angry with her father, and she was with me too for a long time." She gazed up at the photo again. "Still, I wish she'd come home, I miss her somethin' terrible."
Maggie pursed her lips together. "Where was that picture taken?"
Annabelle chuckled. "Caelan hates havin' her picture taken. Her friend Mary brought this back for me last time she visited her in New York."
Murphy chose this moment to enter the room. He peered over at them, curious about what they were discussing. "What did Mary bring ya'?"
"Nosey, aren't we?" Ma placed her hands on her hips. "Mary was kind enough to bring me a photo of that rotten sister a' yours."
Murphy snatched it from the mantle, studying it intently. "Ah, Caelan. I miss her. This is a nice shot of her but would it kill her to smile? Where is she anyway?"
"She's busy these days." Annabelle said as she snatched the photo from her son, returning it to the mantle. "In fact, I don't even know where she is. Ungrateful peasant hasn't called in weeks."
Maggie sent Ma a sideways glance. She heard the lie but she didn't say anything about it.
"Murphy, go across the street and invite Mary over for dinner. I'm sure she'd love to see you and Connor."
"Alright, Ma."
Maggie watched for him to leave, then she turned back to face Ma.
"Mary's parents died in a car accident a few years ago, the poor dear." Maggie wordlessly raised an eyebrow. Annabelle noticed, "I know what you're gonna say. I lied to my son. I suppose I should tell you why." She turned to and started to make her way back towards the kitchen. "Caelan's angry at them too… Murphy and Connor."
"Why?"
"She told me once that she feels like they betrayed her." Maggie looked at her, confusion clear in her face. "I've already said too much. Please keep that between us, ok Maggie?" Maggie nodded silently. "Caelan will tell them eventually, when she's ready. I don't want to upset me boys. They just got home."
She returned to the kitchen and Maggie stood and thought, quietly trying to figure out what her brothers and father could have done to upset Caelan so much…
"Cae, you're absolutely killin' me. You've been here two days already. When are you gonna go over there?"
"I'm not goin' over there. I already told ya', I changed my mind." Caelan turned from the window to face her friend. "And what's with you? Have I worn out me welcome already?" She smirked at her.
Mary moved closer to her, placing her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Of course not. You can stay with me as long as ye want. The whole point of this trip was for you to visit your Ma, though. Why didn't you just cancel it?"
"Do you know how much this trip cost me?" Caelan said, half joking.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but you've been spendin' an awful lot of time sittin' at that window."
"Is it a crime to look out the window?" She said in mock-defense, turning back towards the window in question.
Mary crossed her arms across her chest. "Oh, it's no crime. But don't you find it a tad odd that this particular window overlooks your house?"
"Coincidence. And besides, I've been tryin' to scope out that girl Connor had with em'. You said yourself you didn't get a good look at her."
"We could just go over there."
"No we – Wait a second…Murphy's coming this way…Shit!" Mary rolled her eyes as Caelin scrambled away from the window. She jaggedly pointed at Mary. "Don't you dare tell him I'm here."
Mary batted her finger away. "Don't you point that talon at me!"
"Talon? The fuck?"
"Yeah. Talon. Chickens have talons."
"Mary I swear…" There was a knock at the door.
"I have to answer that. Are ye coming?"
"No."
"Fine then. I'm telling him." Caelan started to protest but Mary simply raised her hand. "You want to be mad at them forever? Your brothers?" Murphy knocked again.
"Hello? Mary? Are you home?" They could hear his muffled voice all the way upstairs.
Caelan's fight began to waver at the sound of his voice. "Alright. Let him in. I'll be down."
Mary pointed at her non-existent wrist-watch. "Five minutes or else I tell him."
"Alright! Jeez! I just want to check my face."
Mary scoffed. "Gonna pretty-up for Murphy?"
"Heh. I'll leave that to you." Mary blushed. "You know he's gonna try an' make me go back with him. I have to be prepared."
"I'll come with you if he succeeds."
"God damn right you will." The two of them quickly made the sign of the cross at Caelan's curse. "Now go get the door, bitch."
Murphy was about to walk away from the house when Mary finally answered the door. He turned and smiled when he saw her. "Hey! Mary O'Neill!"
"Wow! Murphy MacManus!" Murphy pulled her into a tight hug. Mary felt a flutter in the pit of her stomach at the gesture, but she pushed it aside. She hadn't had a crush on Murphy since she was sixteen.
She broke the hug and held him at arm's length. "God Murph, you haven't changed at all since we were kids. You've still got that baby-face."
Murphy chuckled. "You look good, Mare. You seem less shy, too."
Mary's ears pinked. "Touché. What brings you back to these parts?"
"Visitin'. We had to. Ma was drivin' us crazy."
Mary laughed. "Well, how long has it been?"
"Too long." Murphy smiled at her, and Mary felt her face flush. She looked different to him now. Her glasses were gone, and the freckles had faded a little. Mary had always been pretty girl, but Murphy noticed that she had grown into a woman. A beautiful one.
"You cut your hair?" He found himself reaching out to brush her hair from her shoulder.
Mary bit her lip as she absently smoothed the hair that he had touched. "Yeah. A long time ago. Wanna come in?" She opened the door wider, allowing him inside.
"Sure." He stepped in, taking in Mary's house. It'd been years since he'd been inside.
"So what can I do for you, Murph?" She said, trying her best to sound confident.
"Ma wanted me to invite you over for dinner tonight. You know how she worries about ya."
"Ma is so sweet."
"Have you talked to Caelan lately?"
Mary was afraid he was going to ask that. "Yeah…Recently." She avoided giving too many details. 'She better get her ass down here.' She thought to herself.
"I just thought, since we were here…" Murphy stopped suddenly, glancing over Mary's shoulder.
Mary spun around to see that Caelan had appeared on the stairs. She tried to read her face but it was totally blank.
"Caelan? You're here?" Murphy smiled.
"I am."
He was puzzled why she didn't seem happy to see him. He stepped closer to the stairs. "When did you get back?"
"Two days ago."
Now he was confused and slightly annoyed. "You've been home for two days and you haven't been home yet?" He took a few steps closer to the stairs.
"I'm staying with Mary." Caelan remained where she was.
"What's with you? Ain't ya' happy to see me?" His voice was almost pleading. "Connor's here too."
"That's great, Murph. And our father is there too, right?"
Murphy suddenly understood why she was acting this way. He looked away from her. "Yeah. He's here too."
Caelan finally made her way to the bottom of the stairs. Murphy watched her carefully. She moved to stand in front of him. He had never seen his sister look at him this way before...he didn't like it.
"I had planned this trip awhile ago, for Ma. But now I'm staying here with Mary until I leave."
Murphy swallowed a knot that had suddenly grown in his throat, but he didn't look away from her. "This hurts, Cae."
Caelan took a deep breath, her rage boiling just beneath the surface. "Hurts does it? Is it painful for you? Is it anything like the pain I've felt since I learned he was alive? 25 years worth of hurt…Does it feel like that?"
Murphy took a step backwards, Caelan took one forward. "To be betrayed by my own flesh and blood…My brothers? Tell me Murphy…Does it feel like that!? Does it!?" Mary watched the scene quietly. Her heart broke when she heard her friend's words, but she knew it had to be said.
"I would never hurt you like that. You have to know that." His voice was shaky. Caelan noticed it but she stood her ground.
"It's too late." Caelan turned away from him, towards the door, opening it with a heavy sigh. "I have nothing more to say to you. You can tell Ma that I'm here if she wants to see me."
Murphy regarded her. He didn't know what to say to her, to make the pain go away. He was so busy with his life in Boston that he and Connor had completely written her out of their lives. Her wounds were deep. So he did as she wanted. He left without another word.
Caelan closed the door behind him and rested her head against it, eyes shut tightly. Mary watched her cautiously, waiting to see what she would do next. Suddenly the floodgates opened, and Caelan slid to the floor. Mary seized the moment and dropped down beside her friend, pulling her into a tight embrace. Caelan gripped Mary tightly, sobbing into her shoulder. Mary just held her, gently rocking her back and forth, fighting back tears of her own.