A/N: this is only a preview of the story, more on my AO3 under the same name.
It was an average afternoon in New York City, with people going about their business in the usual bustling city, with the sounds of people yelling all around or the street cars going around the large city streets.
Standing on the busy platform at Grand Central station were a young man and a young woman who appeared to be in their early 20s. The man seemed unfazed by the crowded space or noise, but his counterpart seemed worse for wear, clinging to him.
The ticking of the clock located on one of the many brick pillars was an agonizing reminder to the pair that it was slowly approaching the time they would have to embark on their separate paths of life.
People were walking by the two blondes, giving sympathetic looks to the young lady as if they looked like a couple, but the man was being sent away, although that wasn't that far from the truth.
The young blonde man groans as he adjusts the grey fedora on his head. He would straighten his grey pinstripe suit, but the shorter blonde woman was hugging him tightly while crying into his suit jacket, darkening and wrinkling the fabric.
"Ok, ok, Molls, ya can stop now, you're wrinkling my suit…" a young blonde man sighs, gently trying to pry the other off him without success, as she would only tighten her grip with each attempt.
Molly pulls her face away from his jacket just enough to look up at him, tears still streaming down her cheeks, "But Tony, I can't help it…you're leavin' me, and I don't know if I'll eva see ya again." She sniffles.
Anthony sighs but cracks a small smile at his twin sister Molly and wraps his free arm around her slim waist while his other hand is holding onto his suitcase.
"Molly, ya know I can't stay here not as long as Padre is the Don of New York crime ring … he would have my head if he knew about that secret I've been hiding my whole life." Anthony lets out a sigh and glances down to the train trails to see no approaching smoke just yet or even hear the train anywhere near the station.
Molly lets go of Anthony and pulls out of his hold around her waist so she can take a step back to get a better look at her twin brother as if she wants to save what he looks like to memory. First, she noticed how his left eye was being hidden behind his golden bangs; she knew it was to make the fresh black eye not visible to the many people around them to avoid anyone from asking what happened when neither of them could speak the truth.
Although there wasn't much Molly could tell anyway since she wasn't in the same room as Anthony at the time, but she knew about their father's recent outburst for something not going the way he wanted that resulted in Anthony getting the butt end of that man's rage. She knew it was always Anthony who would get the beatings for a job gone wrong even though the reason behind them wasn't always Anthony's fault or it didn't even have anything to do with him to begin with. For some reason, It was like their father was truly out to break Anthony down. Molly, deep down, felt the reason was to make Anthony obedient like Nico, but she knew Anthony could never be like Nico, and she was happy about that. However, if Pops knew that, plus Anthony's secret, he would indeed be killed for it to keep anyone else from discovering that secret and using it to humiliate him.
Molly sighs, "I know that Tony, but once ya get on that train, I won't get to see you again until Padre either retires or dies, and that could be decades from now." She sobs as she thinks that she'll never see her twin alive ever again.
Anthony groans, hating to see Molly cry, so he pulls his sister back against his chest and wraps his arms around her in a tight hug to comfort her, but he is careful not to hurt her with his suitcase. He rests his head on top of hers with a small smile while trying to contain himself so he doesn't start to cry as well; he had to be the strong one for them both, especially at this time when they will be parting for a more extended period of time and distance than they usual do when he's on the job for his father.
"You never know; it might be sooner than you think, Molls." He chuckles slightly, trying to give her some hope before he turns back to a serious tone as he continues, "But in all honesty, I will be fine down in New Orleans. Uncle Dante has his own mob and wants me to help him out with his jobs."
The siblings knew that wasn't the whole truth, especially since Uncle Dante was the Don of the New Orleans crime ring, so he had many goons to do jobs; he didn't need Anthony for anything except to protect him from their paternal side of the family.
Uncle Dante was their late mother's older brother and one of the only people aware of Anthony's secret about being gay; he was supportive of his choice of who to love, just like their mother was. One of their mother's last wishes was that if the time arises that their father, Henry, becomes increasingly more violent towards Anthony, Uncle Dante needs to do everything in his power to get him out of there. This was precisely what was happening; their father has begun beating Anthony more often now due to not just things he has seen but for things he has heard due to their older brother Nico telling their father things that happen in mafia jobs to enrage the Don more.
When the beatings became more frequent, Molly sent word to Uncle Dante via a letter she entrusted to one of his men, who was keeping an eye on them without their father knowing about whom their true loyalty was to. She hoped he was still willing to help somehow, even if she didn't want her brother to leave; it would be for the best so he could be safe. The twins received a letter from their uncle one afternoon, a week after Molly sent the first one; the letter included the exact instructions on how Anthony would get out of New York without being spotted and what would be needed for him to bring with him. This was Anthony's only chance, his ticket to the freedom he deserved, away from the control of the cruel man and their brother, who was turning into the carbon copy of their old man so as to become the next don when Henry either dies or retires.
Anthony held Molly for a few minutes until she stopped trembling, and her cries turned into only sniffles. He couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being watched, so he released his twin to look at his watch to see that the train should be pulling into the station within the next ten minutes. He looked from side to side to see if he could figure out who was watching them, and if it were one of their father's men, then he would be forced to take them out before they could report back or, worse, attempt to take him out. However, the second opinion was less likely since it would be Pops or Nico who would want the privilege of beating him an inch of his life before possibly ending his existence as a reminder to others what happens to those who think about abandoning the 'family', but he would be more concerned if they could get him then what would they do to Molly to get the information about where he was heading; he knew their father would never harm Molly since that was his princess, but still that didn't mean he won't keep her locked away like a bird in a golden cage until she starts talking.
He did not notice any familiar faces in the sea of people walking the station; his attention was turned back down to Molly when he felt some tapping on his chest.
Molly looks at him with a raised eyebrow, "What are you looking for, Tony? You seem nervous." She stated.
Anthony sighed, "Molls, I keep feeling like we're being watched, so I was just making sure no one followed us to the station. I don't want you getting caught in this mess for coming to the station with me."
Molly shook her head, "I wouldn't get caught, to begin with, Tony; no one was around when I snuck out, so to Pops and his men, I'm still at home in my room, sewing. I wanted to see you off so I at least know you got on the train safely."
"I get it, Molls, but I care for your safety; you're the only one left here that I don't want to lose. We already lost Mama unexpectedly, so I don't want you to be next." Anthony sighed.
Molly places a hand on Anthony's chest with a sad smile. "Anthony, you sound like the older sibling here, and I know you miss Mama. I do too, but we can't change the past and stop what happened. All we know is Pops had something to do with her untimely death, but we can't prove it, and even if we could, who would listen to us."
Anthony sighs and nods, "Yeah no one here would listen, and if Pops knew we suspected him, then he would make sure I'm silenced so I couldn't poison your mind anymore while he locks you away until he can marry you off to one of his goons or use you as a bargaining chip to form an alliance. Also, I am the oldest twin, so technically, I am the older sibling."
Molly rolls her eyes, "You're only oldest by about a minute, Tony. You also don't poison my mind. I see things just like you do, and Pops can try to marry me off, but I won't work well for him..." she smirks.
Just as Anthony was about to say something, he was suddenly cut off by the slight shaking in the station, followed by the sound of squealing wheels and smoke as the train came to a halt in the station.
Anthony looks at his sister with a sad smile, " I'm sorry, Molls, but I need to go, " he gives his a tight hug and a kiss on the forehead before moving away, "I will try to get a letter to you once I am settled, in maybe a month. Please stay out of trouble; I don't know what I would do if I found out something happened to you. I love you so much, Molls."
Molly begins to cry again, unable to form words, but nods, and before Anthony can move too far from her, she grabs his arms and squeezes his arm in a code pattern to say she loves him as well. It was something they used to do as kids when their parents would fight, and they would hide away, unable to make a sound. They would use squeezing in a pattern to say something, but over the years, they only still used the 'I love you' pattern.
Molly stood there, tears still streaming down her face as she waited, waving at the train even if Anthony wouldn't see her, but she wasn't paying much attention to one person who rushed past her and was trying to weave through the crowd like they were trying to catch up with someone who had just gotten on the train. When she saw the grey fedora pop up against one of the windows, she smiled, at least knowing that he had got into one of the cabin compartments. She watches as the last few people enter the train before the doors shut, and the train begins its descent down the tracks, leading to its destination down south.
"Safe travels and be safe down there my dear sweet brother. I am going to miss you dearly but you deserve so much more than to be under Pops's thumb, just waiting for death to come for you. Hopefully, you find everything you ever wished for, especially someone to love you for the wonderful person that you are." She thought as she turned to leave the station and head back home before anyone came back early and noticed that she was gone.
•······················••······················•
Anthony made his way through the train while the other passengers were determined to get their seats in one of the cabins in the first car; as he entered the second car, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was still being watched but still unsure of who. When he felt far enough, He went into one of the farther back cabins in the second car, hoping he got away from whoever might be watching him. luckily, he had this cabin all to himself. He puts his briefcase down against the wall underneath the window and positions himself against the case and the wall so he can stretch his legs on the bench and be propped up. He kept his back to the window since he didn't want to watch his sister leave; it would only break his heart further since he didn't think he would ever see her again unless she somehow ran away to New Orleans to find him but even then she would draw the attention of Pops's gang which would lead them right to him.
As the noise from people moving around the train starts to settle, Anthony lowers his fedora to make the illusion that he is sleeping, but he will do his best not to fully rest until he gets to the safety of his Uncle's house. Also, to add to the illusion of him being asleep, he places a hand inside his suit jacket, but his hand is actually resting around the hand of the gun he has hidden in the holster in his jacket.
"If any of these fuckers think they can get a jump on me and try to rob me on this trip, then they have another thing coming… I will fill their guts full of lead." Anthony thought to himself as he felt the train jerk and begin to roll, meaning that it was now leaving the station.
He could hear the door of his cabin being slid out of the way, which made him hold onto his gun handle tightly, knowing it was not the train's movement along the tracks causing it to slide open. The next noise Anthony heard was the sound of footsteps hitting the carpeted floor as whoever it was took a step into the cabin, but all he could see from under his fedora were brown slacks.
As the figure continued to invade Anthony's personal space, the more Anthony secured his grip on his gun, awaiting the newcomer's next move. He was ready to fill this person with lead on a second's notice if they tried anything.