Boondock Saints 1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Boondock Saints Fanfiction. Just something that traveled through my head while reading some of the stories on here. Hopefully I've hit close enough to the characters that you enjoy it. Feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Alexis held her hands out in front of her as she came stumbling out of the door and into the wall. Her body slammed into the hard surface, but luckily her face was spared as she spun around to face the man that just threw her out her home. Her mother's boyfriend, Gabriel, grinned back at her, showing his pearly white teeth and said, "No children." His eyes slide up and down her body, and Alexis quickly crossed her arms to stave off the shiver his gaze created. "At least not tonight."

When he moved to close the door, Alexis rushed forward to stick her foot out before it slammed shut, and he managed to lock her out.  
>"You stupid fuck," she hollered, reaching in to claw at him. The man dodged out of her grasp, and swung the door open a second time, allowing Alexis a chance to step into the door way and holler at the woman sitting on the couch just out of her sight.<p>

"Mom!" she screamed, shoving the man away from her and taking another step into the apartment. "Mom! You stupid whore! You promised!" Alexis said, swiping the man's arms away from her as she tried to reach her mother. The woman slunk further into the couch, ignoring her daughter's taunts as the man standing before Alexis manage to grab a hold of her arm, and toss her out of the apartment a second. This time Alexis landed on her backside against the unforgiving wooden floor, and it sent a stab of pain up her spine. Wincing as she moved to stand up, and once again flung herself against the door only to miss pushing it open by seconds and the clear sound of a lock clicking closed rang in her ears.

"Mom!" Alexis screamed, using her fists and bare feet to pound at the door. Hoping to cause enough ruckus to piss the man inside off and force him to let her in. "Open this God damned door!" She used her body to shove against the wooden frame, making the old door creak open slightly, but not enough to force it open.

"I'm going to call the cops," she screamed, knowing, Gabriel knew it was an empty threat. The last time she called the cops on him, she spent six months as a ward of the state until Gabriel told her uncle where to find her and she was promptly returned to his side, and forced to promise never to pull that stunt again. It didn't take much prompting on Alexis's part, seeing how living in the states foster care wasn't any worst then living with Gabriel; then again it had it's upsides.

She continued slamming against the door for several seconds before taking a couple steps back and kicking her foot out. She heard it creak again, but not give away and she pulled her hair in frustration, letting out a few more choice curses as she raised her fists up and slammed her whole body against the door.

"Ye havin some troubles, lass."

Alexis turned to see two men standing just a few feet from her, and she backed up until she felt the door at her backside. Her arms flew up to cross over her chest as she narrowed her eyes at the both of them.

"No," she replied, sticking a foot out to let them know she wasn't in the mood to be messed with. The one that first spoke raised his eye-brows in question and took another step closer, and Alexis drew herself up to her full height.

"ye sure?" he asked, stopping when he noticed her tensing up at his approach. "looks ta me like yer havin trouble with dat door."

"I'm fine," she replied, making sure to pronounce every syllable. Hoping the strange men would get the message and leave her alone. They looked at each other for a split second before the man tried again.

"If it's just the door, Murph here can pick a lock before ye can count ta ten." He nodded toward the dark haired on, and the man met her gaze with a smirk on his face and an eye-brow raised. Alexis shook her head, her hands falling to her side to begin knocking on the door. Every now and then she would throw a kick in for good measure, and the boys looked at each other, looking for all the world like something was passing between the two men.

"That's comforting," she said, gaining their attention again.

The one closest to her shrugged his shoulders. "We're just tryin ta help, lass."

"Don't need your help," she said, sending another kick to the door. This one louder than the others and right on cue the door swung open, making Alexis fall back into the arms of the man who'd thrown her out moments ago.

The man behind her took one look at the situation, and spread his wide opening grin to the newcomers. His purely whites welcomed to the new comers, and Alexis's rolled her eyes. Gabriel always said looks were the most important thing, because what you look like when you first meet a person is what they would judge you on every time you encountered them, and thus is why he always looked immaculate.

Even standing in the doorway of his apartment at one in the morning, he wore what looked to be silk pajamas, a buttoned up top and robe that wrapped snuggle around and his hair was slicked back to give the best possible appearance. Alexis gagged at the sight and looked toward the two men standing before them to see they weren't buying his act either. Alexis quickly pulled away from his grasp, and moved to stand to the side as the three men assessed each other.

"Alexis, honey, did you lock yourself out again," he asked, turning his false grin toward her. Alexis cringed from the sight.

"No, you asshole, the deadbolt was locked," she replied, not flinching when the grin disappeared, and his eyes turned hard.

He narrowed his gaze at her but turned when the one who'd been speaking to her before cleared his throat. Both Alexis and Gabriel turned to look at him, and he looked to his brother. Again, Alexis got that feeling they were communicating without actually speaking. It only took a few second for the silence to grow uncomfortable, making Gabriel chuckle and take another step out of the apartment.

"Sorry if my daughter here bothered you boys, she has a knack for theatrics," he said, holding his hand out. The one that was originally turned toward him, looked at his outstretched hand and down right ignored it as his eyes turned toward Alexis.

"Names Conner MacManus, tat's ma brother Murphy," he said, nodding toward his brother but not once glancing toward Gabriel. "We live in the apartment just at ta end of ta hallway."

Alexis gave them a short smile. "Names Ally."

"Alexis," Gabriel corrected, moving to swat at her.

Alexis moved out of his reach and snapped back. "Sounds like a whore's name."

"Its' the name your mother gave you," Gabriel said, practically spitting out the words as he once again forgot the brothers were standing there. Alexis flinched as his hand swiped out again and brushed just across her arm before she managed to slide out of his reach.

"My point exactly," she said, glancing over at the brothers. They were once again staring at each other. Both of them were looking irritated by the interaction, and Alexis forced a smile in their direction to get Gabriel to focus on them.

Gabriel let out another chuckle as he reached yet again for Alexis. This time he managed to wrap his hand around her neck, and he pulled her closer to him as he said. "Children these days, huh. No respect."

Alexis tensed as Gabriel's hand squeezed down on the back of her neck, and did her best to hide the hint of pain that appeared on her face. "Let go of me."

Gabriel landed his other hand on her shoulder, and shook her, laughing as he turned to the men watching them. "Thank you, boys, for your concern, but I think we got it from here."

The brother's nodded their heads simultaneously, and both of them looked toward Alexis again as Conner took another step toward her.

"If ye need anythin, remember, we're just down ta hall."

Alexis nodded, but otherwise moved to get out of Gabriel's grasp as he began pulling her back into the apartment.

"Thanks, boys, we'll keep that in mind," he said through clenched teeth while giving them another wide grin. When he turned himself, and Alexis around he practically flung her into the apartment, and she had to catch herself on the sofa. When she turned back around, Gabriel was practically stalking toward her with a death glare in his eyes and his hands turning into fists.

"Now before you start that shit," Alexis said, holding her hands up to stop him. It worked, he froze and waited for her to continue. "It's your own fault. If you hadn't thrown me out like you did, I wouldn't have been beating down the door." She shrugged, crossing her arms and giving him the most innocent look she could muster.

He still sent the back of his hand flying, landing a rather hard smack to her cheek that made her fly back and land rather awkwardly onto the floor just behind the sofa.

"You made me look like a goddamn fool in front of those boys," he hollered, grabbing her hair so that he could yank her up from the floor. Alexis still managed to smirk as she met his gaze.

"You manage to do that all on your own," she said, turning away just as his hand went flying a second time. This time the palm of his hand connected with the top of her head and he let her fall to the floor in a daze.

Alexis wiped the blood from her nose, and looked back up at the man before her. His face was still red, and his hands were still in tight fists but he was backing off. His feet unsteady as he moved to the kitchen counter that held his alcohol, She took that as her cue to stand, and move slowly toward the hallway where she could duck into her room.

"I'll teach you to respect me again," he muttered as he watched her duck into her room. Alexis gave him one more scathing look before she slammed her door shut and barricaded it with the kitchen chair that she used to sit at her make shift desk.

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><p>That was Alexis's first encounter with the brothers that she would one day call the saints, and it was weeks before she encountered them again. The second time she ran across them as she looked for somewhere warm to hang out late one night. Gabriel had once again locked her out of the apartment, muttering something about it'd probably won't be good to come back til morning, so Alexis found herself sleeping on one of the church benches, again. It was the only place with in a twelve block radius that was open all hours of the night that didn't have odd men looking her up and down, and provided a warm enough place to get semi comfortable.<p>

This morning she was woken by the sounds of two men walking toward her pew, with a third one whispering something that she couldn't quite make out, despite the room echoing every other sound that came through the place.

"Aye, yes, I see what ya mean father," one of the men said. Alexis peeked from behind hooded eyes at the newcomer and she automatically recognized the dark hair, and blue-eyed brother that she met in the hallway a few short weeks ago. A small curse made it's way past her lips and the man standing above her narrowed his eyes.

"Watch yer mouth, lass, yer in da house of da lord." The one she believed to be called Murphy said, grinning at her afterward. Alexis looked toward the other brother, and then the priest and uttered a quick apology in the man's direction.

"No harm done, dear," The man said, giving her a reassuring smile. He looked to the brothers to ask. "So ya know the girl?"

"Aye, we know her," Conner said, smiling at her as she sat up, and straightened her clothes out. "She lives in our apartment building with her da."

"That man is not my father," she snapped, glaring at him. He raised an eyebrow at her, but otherwise turned toward the priest and said something that sounded suspiciously like 'we got it from here.'

Alexis wiped at her eyes, and moved to stand. Ready to be home where she could lock herself in her room for the rest of the afternoon. Conner was still talking to the priest, but Murphy quickly followed after her, catching at her elbow just as she exited the front doors and making her turn to him.

"Everythin okay?" he asked, gripping her arm so that she couldn't escape. Alexis glared at him for a second before yanking her arm away and turning to leave.

"We're just tryin ta help, lass," he hollered. Alexis turned to face him as she continued walking down the steps.

"I don't need your help." She turned back around, quickening her pace when she heard the man run to catch up with her.

"Sure as hell looks like ya need somethin," he said, keeping pace with her. "Yer sleepin in church pews and God knows where else." His brother, Conner, caught up to them and took the position on her other side, making her roll her eyes at their determination.

"Look," Conner said, grabbing her arm and forcing her to stop as he came to stand in front of her. "Ya don't trust us, and we get t'at." He gave her a long hard look, and realized this conversation wasn't going to go the way he originally planned it to. "So...let's get some breakfast, and we'll go from t'ere."

Alexis eyed both of them, looking for that hint of a lie that was always there whenever someone wanted something from her.

"Aye, ya got ta be starvin after all," Murphy said, coming to stand next to his brother, and smiling down at her. He cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrow just like his brother had done earlier, and Alexis felt her resolve waiver at the sound of real food, and not just stale cereal.

"Fine, breakfast and that's it." She pointed at the both of them and they returned her gaze with the most charming smiles that she'd ever seen on any man. Before she knew what was happening, she was smiling with them, and they started walking again.

The brother's began arguing as they tried to decide where to take her, and before long, Alexis found herself in the cross fire as Conner reached over to smack Murphy on the arm and Murphy tried to retaliate by reaching in front of her and smacking Conner on the chest. That's when they both stopped to continue slapping each other unhindered while continuing to banter back and forth and Alexis couldn't stop herself from laughing at the two.

It was a genuine laugh to, something that she hadn't done in weeks. Not since Gabriel came back into her life, and screwed up her and her mother's plan. The boys heard the sound, and stopped their argument to stare at her. Shaking her head, she covered her mouth to hide her expression and it wasn't long before they were laughing with her as well.

Before they could all settle down, Conner reached out and put his arm around Alexis's shoulder to pull her along, and they continued walking as the brother's finally agreed on a diner that they both said made some of the best eggs and bacon around. Honestly, Alexis just wanted a plate full of pancakes, but she kept her opinions to herself as they led the way.

When they entered the small diner, it didn't take Alexis long to realize that these guys were loved. The middle aged waitress standing behind the counter looked up from pouring a cup of coffee and a large smile grew on her face as she greeted the boys. "Was wanderin when ya two were comin back," she said.

"Hey there, Melia," Murphy said, waving at her. "Ya know we can't stay away fer ta long."

"Aye, those eggs and bacon been callin our names," Conner shouted at her, and the woman laughed at the brothers.

"Oh, please, ya two are full of shite" she said waving at them "take a seat and I'll be there in a moment." The boys turned to Alexis, and she couldn't stop herself from shaking her head at them. Murphy was the one to put his arm around her this time, and guide her over to an empty booth that sat at the back of the diner. Murphy let Alexis slide in first, and took the seat next to hers while Conner slide in the booth across from her.

The trio remained quiet for a moment, the boys stealing glances at her, and Alexis simply looking around the place. A few other people waved and greeted the boys as they passed, and the brother's greeted them in kind. Sometimes asking them questions that told Alexis that they knew these people pretty well.

"You must come here often," she said after the fourth guy to greet them left the table.

"Aye, at leas' three times a week," Conner replied, smiling at her. Alexis smiled back and let her head fall as the waitress came over to the table.

"The usual, boys?" she asked, grinning when they both nodded their head in unison before turning toward Alexis. "And fer ya, dear?"

"Pancakes," Alexis said, almost making it sound like a question as she looked at Conner and Murphy and then the waitress they called Melia.

"Aye, Pancakes it is, be right out." She left with a wink in Alexis's direction, and a younger waitress appeared right behind her with a three cups, and a pot of coffee that she hastily put down in front of them.

"So what have ya guys been up to?" she asked, leaning over the table as she looked toward the brothers. Amelia realized immediately what she was doing and adverted her gaze so that she couldn't see down the woman's shirt.

"Nuthin much, just workin and the sort," Conner replied, grabbing a cup of coffee for himself. Alexis followed his lead, but kept her eyes glued to the cup.

"What about ya, haven't seen ya at McGinty's lately," Murphy said, almost like he was continuing Conner's conversation with the girl. Alexis wondered if he even realized he did that, or if they even noticed how in sync their movements were as they both took sips of their drink and then placed it back down again without even looking at each other.

"Aye, my worthless brother weaseled his way back in ta my house, so I've been dealin with his load for the past couple of weeks," the woman explained, putting on the best pair of puppy dog eyes Alexis seen in a while. She looked toward Conner and Murphy to see if either one of them noticed the girls antics and was surprised to find they to were looking down at their cups. Only glancing up from time to time, but otherwise they just nodded their heads.

"Well, sounds like your ma needs to slap some since in ta him," Murphy said, looking toward Conner as they both smiled at the comment.

She returned their smile and said, "She tried that. Poor boy got beat with the belt when he first returned, but didn't seem to do any good."

They both chuckled at the statement, but was interrupted as Melia hollered at her from the counter. When they looked over, the older woman had a sour look on her face, and was waving for the young girl to go over there.

"Yelp, looks like I gotta get back ta work, see ya boys," she said, giving them another one of her flirtatious smiles, and moving away.

"Aye, see ya later, lass," Conner replied, nodding his head toward her before turning toward Alexis.

"Sorry about that," he said, making sure their eyes met.  
>Alexis shrugged as she looked back at the woman that was now being lectured by the older one. "You're handsome men, it's to be expected."<p>

She looked up to meet both their gazes, and was surprised to find the wicked grins spreading across both their faces.

"Ya think we're handsome?" Murphy asked, moving closer to her while placing his arm to the back of the booth just behind her. Alexis scooted away from him, and shook her head.

"Any seventeen year old would find you both quite attractive," she replied, looking to both of them, in hopes they would get the message. Murphy looked toward his brother, and then back at her as his face fell. The sight made Alexis's stomach drop as she realized they weren't going to want to hang out with her anymore.

"Yer seventeen?" Conner asked, cocking his head to the side to catch her attention. Amelia met his gaze, and then turned toward Murphy who was giving her the same expectant look.

"Yep," she replied looking back at her coffee. The knot in her stomach was growing bigger by the second, especially when Murphy withdrew his arm, and took up his previous position.

"Why aren't ye in school?" Conner asked, keeping his gaze locked on her.

Alexis shrugged. "Graduated last year," she explained, looking to both brothers for the expressions. Conner and Murphy glanced at each other as their eyes furrowed together and then back to her.

"If yer so smart, why aren't ya in college or somethin?" Murphy asked.

Again Alexis shrugged and looked toward her coffee. This was the part of the conversation she wasn't looking forward to. "Plans went to shit."

"Anythin to do with that man back at yer apartment?" he asked, meeting her gaze. Alexis stared at him for a moment, and then looked toward Conner trying to decide how much she should tell them. They obviously, didn't need to know the whole truth, but there wasn't a way around it unless she just clammed up now and stayed silent.

"Maybe," she said, deciding on the alternative.

"No creo que su ... ¿sabes?"(Don't think his...you know?) Murphy asked, looking toward his brother. The change of language caught Alexis off guard, and she looked between the brothers for a moment. Listening more closely when Conner replied in the same language.

"Es posible"(Its possible) Both brother's looked at her up and down and Alexis's shoulder slumped in defeat.

"Madre e hija , eso es jodidamente enfermo" (Mother and daughter both, that's fucking sick.) Murphy said. Alexis threw her head back in defeat as she listened to their conversation.

"He hasn't touched me. If he had, he wouldn't be throwing me out of the apartment at night," she said, making both boys look at her in surprise. She smirked at their gaping faces for a moment before explaining.

"Recently lived six months in San Antonio, and let me tell you, there's whole neighborhoods in that town that you either learn Spanish or get the fuck out."

The brother's nodded their heads, and Alexis laughed at them. "No, if you want to keep your secrets from me, you will have to learn a new language." She looked toward the waitress just as the food came, and missed the playful smile that passed between the brothers.

"Quale vorreste noi per imparare?" (Which would you like us to learn?)

Alexis looked up from her pancakes, wide eyed as she took in Conner's smirking face, and then turned toward Murphy as he continued in a completely different language.

"Quizais un pouco de Gaelic." (Perhaps a bit of Gaelic.) Murphy's smile widened, and her attention was then forced back to Conner as he continued the banter.

"ou française." (Or french.)

Alexis pointed her knife at him. "Okay, I know that one. Sort of."

Conner nodded his head with appreciative look on his face, before the three of them busted out laughing.

"That was awesome, seriously," Alexis said, looking at them with new appreciation in her eyes. "How'd you learn all those languages?"

"Our ma was adamant about our education, especially in us knowin various languages." Conner explained, shrugging as he turned his attention toward his food. Alexis nodded her head, and focused on her pancakes, practically drooling as she poured the syrup on them, and made the first cut. When she took the first bite, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she couldn't stop the moan that escaped her lips.

The sound of her company snickering caught her attention, and she looked between the both of them. "What?" she asked, confused as to why they were laughing at her. "I haven't had pancakes in ages, don't judge me."

She looked back toward her food while Murphy leaned over to pat her on the shoulder. "We weren't judging you, lass, just the sounds coming from you lips." He winked at her, and Alexis felt her cheeks heat up as she realized what she'd done in front of the boys.

"Perverts," she muttered, looking back at her food. Despite being embarrassed by the change of topic, she still peeked at them from time to time, to find that they were both still smiling but otherwise focusing on their food. Deciding not to interrupt them, Alexis let the silence grow as the three of them continued eating, and before she knew it her pancakes were gone and she was looking at her companions to see if they were finished as well.

Conner was leaning back against the booth with one hand propped against the back of it, while Murphy had his head propped on his fists, and both of them were staring at her.

"Ready, lass?" Conner asked, smiling at her as she wiped her face, and hands with a napkin. She looked around the table, and realized they were all finished and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah I guess," she said, reluctant to leave their little corner. It was one of the best morning breakfasts that she could remember in a long time, and she didn't really want to go home where Gabriel was no doubt fuming about her absence.

While they were exiting, they were again engulfed with numerous farewells, and see ya laters to the boys. Melia was the only one that smiled at Alexis, and said "Ya come back again, dear."

Alexis nodded her head, smiling appreciatively at the woman as Murphy placed his hand at the small of her back and gently pushed her out the door.

When they were outside, Conner once again stepped next to her side, and Murphy remained on the other as they guided her through the streets of South Boston. Every now and then they would point out a place of interest to the boys, and Alexis would nod as she listened to them explain what it was. Eventually she realized that they were giving her a small tour of their neighborhood, and a smile spread across her face at kindness they were showing her.

"And this is McGinty's," Conner said, pointing to a sign just above their heads. "Best damn pub on this side of Boston." A smile spread across his face, and Alexis returned it as she tried to peek into the windows.

"Aye, many a bar fight ta be remembered in t'at place," Murphy said, smiling at his brother.

"And many more ta come." Conner threw in, his eyes lighting up from the memories that the two shared in the place. They slapped each other on the shoulder, and together guided Alexis away from their favorite establishment. The smile remained on her face all the way to the small apartment building where it fell the moment she walked into the building.

As they pulled the lever for the lift to go up, Conner leaned against the wall. "Well, lass, what does the jury say?"

Alexis looked at him, confused as she turned toward Murphy for an explanation. "Of us, what does the Jury say of us?" Murphy clarified, and Alexis's eyes grew wide as understanding came to her.

She narrowed her gaze at them both before smiling. "Your tolerable."

"Tolerable?" Conner asked, his hand flying to his chest like he just been assaulted. "Ya here dat Murph, we're just tolerable."

"Aye, tolerable," Alexis's repeated, doing her best to fake an Irish accent and grinning as the two brothers stared her down.

"And now she's mocking us, Murph, what are we ta do with such a lass?"

"I have a few ideas, Conn," Murphy replied, stepping toward Alexis. Her eyes grew wide, and she let out a small laugh as the lift came to a stop, and she was able to pull the doors open just as the brother's reached for her, and attempted to get their hands under her arms to tickle her. She shoved them both away, laughing as she stepped into the hallway. Her laughter fell short however, when she noticed Gabriel standing in the door with deepest frown she'd ever seen on his face. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the door, and Alexis immediately straightened and stepped away from the boys.

"Gabe, I-" she started to say, shuffling closer to the opposite side of the wall.

"Save it, Alexis, your hours late from coming home." He glared at her, and then turned the full force of his anger toward the two men standing behind her. "I suppose you have something to do with this?"

Alexis expected them to back off, to leave her to her fate. So when Murphy's voice rang out in the hallway, she turned to make sure she wasn't just imagining things.

"Aye, we found her in a church pew, and t'en took her ta breakfast," he said, taking step toward her. "She acted like she hadn't had a proper meal in days."

Alexis closed her eyes at his words, wishing he would just go away, and let her handle this. When she opened them up again, Gabe was glaring down at her.

"So what," he said, turning back toward Murphy. "You want payment for feeding my child."

"I ain't your child," Alexis shot back, moving further away from the brothers. Murphy eyed her movements but didnt' say anything as Gabriel came toward.

"Damn straight you ain't mine. Mine would have more respect for me," he said, his finger inches from her face. "And you two, I catch you near Alexis again, and I will call the cops." His snarling face turned toward one brother and then the other, and Alexis turned to them with pleading eyes.

They both looked at her for a moment, and then back at each other as if they were agreeing on something in quiet.

Murphy was the one to step forward, his hand reaching out to touch her elbow as he leaned toward her.

"Usted no tiene que quedarse aquí, puedes venir con nosotros" (You don't have to stay here, you can come with us.)

Alexis's eyes went wide at his words, but she shook her head before sent a glance toward Gabriel.

"Él no me dejará ir tan fácilmente" (He won't let me go so easily)

Murphy gave her a confused look, and she shook her head, not wanting to explain any more. Especially when she could see Gabriel's face turning red just from being excluded from the conversation. Murphy took another look back at his brother, and this time it was Conner that came to stand just behind her to whisper.

"Ya sabes dónde encontrarnos." (You know where to find us.) he said, making sure her eyes met his, and she nodded her head in understanding. Murphy rubbed her elbow for a moment longer before pulling away, and turning to leave with his brother. Surprisingly, they went back into the lift instead of their apartment, and Alexis swallowed the large amount of bile that formed in her throat when she could no longer see them.

Turning toward Gabriel, she flinched when she noticed the murderous glare in his eyes. Shuffling to the side farthest from him, she did her best to avoid his hands as he reached for her, but when she ducked he grabbed a fist full of her hair and threw her into the apartment. Her head slammed into the coffee table, and she blinked a few times only to blink away the spots that were growing in her eyes. She knew now would be a bad time to pass out, and she clutched onto whatever surface she could as she crawled her way around the sofa, and away from a fuming Gabriel that was muttering something that she couldn't quite make out in her daze. When she reached the carpet, she looked up in time to see her mother leaning over the couch looking at her with sad eyes before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**I think I finally know what I'm going to do with this story, and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I'm going to enjoy writing it.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

Alexis was on her way out of the apartment building late one afternoon when she next spotted the boys. Both of them were coming toward her with dark sunglasses covering their eyes, and a cigarette hanging from their lips She stopped at the doorway to spare them a look, appreciating just how good looking they were before they spotted her, and made their way towards her. The moment Conner's smile morphed into one of fury, Alexis remembered the rather large lump on the top of her forehead that no amount of makeup would hide., and she quickly shook her head so that her hair would fall over the spot.

Not like it did any good. As soon as Conner was close enough, he made a grab for her chin so that he could tilt her head up and get a better look at the bruise. Murphy was right next to him, brushing the hair out her eyes, and running his finger across the top of it. Alexis hissed at his touch and pulled away from the both of them.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Alexis said, using her hair to cover the bruise once again. She peeked up at the brother's to see them both glowering at her, and she smiled to reassure them. "Honestly, I've had worse."

It was the wrong thing to say, Alexis realized it the moment the words slipped from her mouth and Conner's eye flared wide.

"That man up there do it?" he asked, moving to walk into the building. Alexis snatched at his arm, catching his sleeve as she moved to stand in front of him.

"Please, just let it go," she said, pleading with him silently as they stared each other down. She placed a hand on his chest to push him back. "Please."

He gave her one more hard look, and then a glance to his brother who'd remained oddly silent through the whole ordeal, before looking back at Alexis.

"Fine," he said, his voice coming out strained. "But if I see another bruise on ya, lass, I am going to be kickin his arse."

Alexis closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, realizing that was as close to an agreement she was going to get from either brother. When it seemed the two had calmed down, she moved to walk around Conner and the man stopped her, finally noticing her outfit of choice as his eyes traveled over her.

"Where ye goin?"

Alexis looked down at the knee length skirt, and button up white top with a tie hanging down and up to Conner like it should be obvious. "Work."

Conner's eyes furrowed together, and she laughed at his expression.

"Had an interview yesterday at McGee's and got hired on the spot, now I'm on the night shift," she explained, shrugging her shoulders as she moved past him. Conner looked to his brother who stood there smirking, and he let a small laugh escape him, making Alexis curious.

"What?" she asked, turning to face them again.

"We know where we're eatin at tonight," Conner said, letting that wicked grin spread across his face. Alexis groaned at the thought of the two brother's hounding her at work and she pointed a finger at the both of them.

"Don't be getting me into any trouble on my first night." she made sure they both met her gaze. Murphy slapped his brother on the side of the arm, and nodded toward Alexis.

"Relax, lass, I won't let me brother start anythin," he said, smiling at her as Alexis walked backward from the pair.

"Aye, we'll behave ourselves," said Conner with that wicked grin still spread across his face as he winked at her.

She glowered at the both of them while turning away. She heard Conner and Muprhy holler one last farewell, and she waved at them in kind.

Alexis made her way down the street, mentally preparing herself for the night. She'd worked in restaurants before on late nights, and knew that they could sometimes get pretty hectic. Her experience in restaurants was part of the reason that they hired her, and so she was pretty confident she wouldn't have any issues. It was just getting used to the new routine, and co-workers that would be a bit of the hassle. New people tended to ask a lot of questions, and Alexis's wasn't one to answer everything the moment they met. Even the MacManus brother's still knew very little about her. They knew some, and they had some idea of what was going on between her and Gabriel, but she still hadn't told them the whole story.

Sighing, she stood outside the building for a moment, and took a deep breath. Clearing her mind of the brother's and everything else that was going on at home at that moment.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by a smiling blonde girl with streaks of green in her hair, and balding man that she knew from the interview the day before.

"Hey Geoffrey," she said, walking right up to greet him. The man smiled down at her, and nodded his head.

"Hey there, Ally, you ready for tonight?" he asked. Alexis nodded her head and gave a quick 'yep."

"Good, follow me." He nodded toward a small hallway that led to the kitchens, and Alexis followed after him. Listening intently as he gave another quick tour of the place, and introducing her to some of the people that she would be working with. He mentioned that it was still a bit early in the afternoon rush, and so she was stuck in the back room in front of a television, watching a prepared tutorial video.

Alexis sighed as the thing started up, she'd seen something similar before, and judging by the peppy girl standing on the screen, it was going to be just as cheesy as the last one. She was told the video would last about an hour, and she couldn't stop herself from looking up at the clock several times in a span of twenty minutes and realized time wasn't going to speed up for her on this one.

When it was finished, she found Geoffrey fiddling with some paperwork in his office, and he happily introduced her to Kelly, the waitress that she would be shadowing for the night. The girl seemed nice enough, she was a nonstop talker and Alexis found she could only reply with short answers, and quick nods as she explained that she'd been there for a good few years, making this her first job that she just couldn't quite. Alexis smiled at her excitement, growing more and more comfortable with the girl as she went through her usual routine for the night

The night went on as Alexis would expect, families bribing their children, co-workers and buddies gossiping, nothing that Alexis hadn't seen before inside of family responsibility. When Kelly finally said it was break time, Alexis half ran to the employee area, and pulled out the small bag of chips she packed with her for lunch.

When her fifteen minutes were up, she made her way back to the front and met up with Kelly, who was already standing in front of a table with two familiar men. They were sitting with another man with long shaggy hair, and a booming voice, and Kelly looked to be handing them a round of beers. Alexis rolled her eyes, and walked up to them

The two brothers beamed the moment they saw her, and Alexis waved at them with a smile just as big as theirs.

"Hey there, lass," Conner said, holding his drink up in greeting to her.

"Hey, Conner, Murphy," Alexis replied, smiling at the two boys. "Glad to see you made it by."  
>She was holding a tight grin, and Murphy laughed.<p>

"We just wanted to make sure ya were okay before we headed to McGinty's." He took a sip of his drink and Kelly turned to her then

"Friends of yours?" she asked, a smirk playing on her lips. Alexis nodded her head, and Kelly's grin widened.

"Good, then you shouldn't have any problems watching this table for a few minutes." Kelly walked off, and Alexis was left grinning at the girl as she turned back to the boys. The one with the long hair was eying Kelly as she walked away, and Conner was the one that nudged him in the ribs to get his attention.

"Fuck man, if I was single," the man said, making Alexis roll her eyes.

"Rocco, this is our friend Alexis," Murphy said, pointing toward Alexis and then back to Rocco as he continued. "Alexis, our pal Rocco."

"Hey," Alexis and Rocco muttered at the same time, and they both laughed.

"So what can I get ya boys?" Alexis asked, nodding toward the menus still lying in front of them. Conner flipped through the pages and quickly handed the menu back to her.

"Steak and Potatoes, side of greens," he said, and Murphy nodded his head in agreement. Alexis pulled out her pen and paper and wrote down their order, then turned to Rocco.

"Ahh, hell, give me the same thing." Rocco handed the menu back to her, and Alexis smiled as she wrote down a third order, and said she would return. Which didn't exactly happen, she wound up getting busy with some of Kelly's other tables and before she knew it, their order was up and Alexis was juggling three plates on two arms as she made her way over to them.

"Shit, Alexis," Murphy said when he noticed her coming up to them. He quickly jumped up, and grabbed the plate balancing on her arm.

"Careful, it's...hot." Murphy hissed as he practically threw the plate onto the table, and looked at his red fingers.

"How ta hell'd ya not feel dat?" Murphy asked, looking at the girl like she'd lost her mind.

Alexis shrugged as she placed the other two plates in front of Conner and Rocco. "Been doing this work for a couple years now, guess I've just grown immune."

"Hell of a thing to be immune to," Conner said, placing his finger on the edge of his plate. He removed it quickly and shook his head at Alexis. She smiled at the trio, but shook her head. Ready to answer when Kelly hollered at her from behind the bar.  
>Alexis waved at the boys as she took off, and walked over to Kelly who was steadily counting her tips.<p>

"Don't know what you did while I was gone, but..." she trailed off as she held up seven bucks. "Found this on the two tables that vacated just as I came back and one of them said give this to the pretty young thing that just stopped by."

She held up a five dollar bill and handed it over. Alexis sneered at the money, not really wanting to take it after hearing the comment that followed.

"Cheapskates, let me tell ya," Kelly said, nudging her in the arm. Alexis looked up at her in confusion. "They're always in here, and they don't leave big tips, and their disgusting, but what can ya do?"

"Spit in their food," Alexis replied, earning a giggle from Kelly. There was a round of laughter coming from the table where the boys sat, and Alexis turned in time to see the three of them clinking their glasses together.

"Look," Kelly said, getting her attention again. "Geoffrey said you're free to go. Being a Friday, it's going to start dying out here pretty soon."

"Whys that?" Alexis asked, curious to why there would be hardly any business on a Weekend.

"Because we're a family restaurant in the middle of an Irish neighborhood. Everyone's going to start heading for the Pubs soon." Kelly looked at her like she should have already known that answer. Alexis nodded her head, realizing she should have realized that fact, seeing as the boys were out tonight.

"Then I guess I'll see you later," she said as she waved at Kelly.

"Yep, take care." The girl waved back at her, and Alexis removed her apron and headed to where Murphy and Conner were sitting. When she sidled next to Conner, they all looked at her with odd glances, and she explained that the boss sent her home.

Conner and Murphy both looked at each other for a moment before turning to her. "So I take it ye be headin home, then," Conner said, looking toward the table. Alexis shrugged in response, her focus going to her fingers as she began picking at her nails.

"Don't have much of a choice," she replied, peeking up at Conner and then looking to Murphy, who was once again glancing toward his brother again.

"Well, lass, we could walk ya home if ya like." Murphy met her stare and Alexis nodded. Her eyes meeting each of theirs and then looking toward Rocco, who was looking between the three of them like he knew something that wasn't being said.

"That would be great," Alexis began, smiling to show her appreciation. "But you really don't have to. I can make it back on my own."

"Don't be ridiculous, our ma would skin us alive if she found out we didn't walk a lady home," Murphy said, already pulling out his wallet to pay the bill. Alexis grinned at his statement, but didn't stop them as the four of them stood to leave. She waved good-bye to Kelly again as she passed, and again to Geoffrey when she passed by him at the front.

"Be here tomorrow at the same time," He said before she walked out and Alexis waved her hand to let him know she heard. The four of them walked in silence, Rocco was going on about some new joke that he heard the night before and the other three listened intently. When he reached the end they burst out laughing, and Alexis found herself once again, grinning from ear to ear with the boys.

She couldn't deny that she hadn't had this much fun in a long while, so when they came across the front of their apartment building she stalled at the door.

"I take it you're going out now?" she asked, not bothering to look at the either one of them.

"Only if ya don't think ya need us," Conner replied, stepping closer to her. Alexis looked up to the fourth floor, and then back to the ground. She kicked some dirt with her foot, a few times before looking up to meet the brother's eyes.

"I think I'll be okay," she said, not entirely certain of that statement. They must have picked up that small hint of nervousness in her voice, because Conner reached out to push the hair out of her face, his fingers brushing across the side of her forehead with the bump on her head, and she flinched away from his touch.

"Ya sure, lass." Alexis met his Conner's eyes, holding his gaze for a moment before nodding her head.

"I know where to find you if I need you," she said sending him another one of her grateful smiles. He grabbed her hand as she started walking away, and she squeezed it for reassurance before saying goodbye, being sure to wave to Murphy and Rocco as well before disappearing behind the front door.

When she reached the apartment, she was grateful to find that it was unlocked, unfortunately, she also found Gabriel standing at the counter nursing a bottle of hard liquor as he watched her come in.

"Your home awfully early," he said, watching her as she made her way to her room.

"They didn't need me any more tonight," replied Alexis, stopping at her door to look back at him. She scanned the living room to see the woman that she called mother wasn't anywhere around, and she assumed the woman was passed out in the bedroom.

"Those boys looked like they could have used your company," Gabriel said, taking another sip of the bottle. Alexis turned to roll her eyes at him, and grimaced as he smirked while his eyes traveled up and down her body.

"Don' start that shit again," she said, doing her best to ignore his stare and move into her room. The sound of his laughter followed her as she slammed the door shut and barricaded it once again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the third chapter. Hopefully it gets a little more interesting from here. Feel free to comment and let me know if you love or hate this story. Thanks for reading.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

"This is bullshit, I didn't sign up for this," A woman hollered just outside of Alexis door. She took a moment to rub the sleep from her eyes, and sit up. Recognizing the voice as her mothers. Gabriel hollered something back, and Alexis found herself pulling the pillow over her head to drown out the argument. It worked for several seconds until there was a banging on her door.

"Ally, get your shit!" her mother hollered, banging on her door again. The banging stopped after several seconds, and the sound of skin hitting skin, and then something running into her door made her jump.

"Fuck," she said, grabbing up some clothes that were spread out on the floor, and flinging her door open. She was pulling her shirt over her head when Gabriel looked up to see her heading toward the front door.

"Where the hell you going?" he asked, leaving her mother to sob on the floor. Alexis took one look at the weeping woman, and red faced man and shook her head.

"Out," she replied, slamming the front door in the man's face. She got out of the building, and made the long walk to the church building where she knew she could get some peace and quiet. When she entered, she wasn't surprised to find the building mostly empty. It was a Saturday morning after all and she quickly took her place at the back of the building. Sitting in a pew, and staring at the cross that hung at the front of the building. A priest spotted her, the same one that pointed her out to the MacManus brothers earlier in the week, and came over to sit next to her.

" I see you've returned, child," he said, not looking at her. Alexis nodded her head, her eyes still glued to the cross. "Is something bothering you?"

Alexis thought about it for a moment; there was plenty bothering her, but there wasn't much she could tell the priest.

"Not really," she said, finally meeting the priests questioning stare.

"Most people only come here when they are seeking answers," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.  
>She returned it, and shook her head. "Just came here to think."<p>

He nodded his head and gave her a small pat on the arm before standing to leave. Alexis watched him go, and then turned back to the cross.

"Jesus went to his death when his father told him to without question, right?" she asked, making the man stop and give her a peculiar look. He looked toward the cross himself, and then back to her.

"He had questions, and even doubts about God's plan, but in the end, yes, he accepted what his father told him to do." The priest looked back at her, and smiled.

"Then, according to his example, we all must do as our fathers tell us?" Again, that peculiar look spread across the priests face, and he thought about his answer for a moment.

"We must honor our father's and mother's in all things," he said, looking away from her. "Within reason, of course."

Alexis smirked at the man's response, and stood to leave. "Thank you, Father."

The priest nodded his head, smiling when she shook his hand and brushed past him. When she reached halfway down the hall, he moved called out to her a second time.

"But you know, of course, that you must also follow the lord's commands above all others," he said, making Alexis stop and look at him. She gave him another gracious smile and looked skyward.

"Ahh yes, do not lie, steal, murder... Etc, etc., right?"

The priest nodded his head, and Alexis turned toward the cross one last time then to the priest. "I promise, father, I'll be a good girl."

With that, she turned and left the way she came. When she reached outside, she took a large breath of fresh air, and headed back toward her apartment. Fully aware that she had a full nights worth of work ahead of her, and not enough sleep to actually make it through. Half way down the steps, she looked up to see two sets of blue eyes staring up at her in confusion.

"Didn't expect to see ya here, lass," said Murphy, walking up the steps to meet her. When he reached her, he pulled her into a hug, and Alexis returned it with a half hug of her own. Conner stepped up next to her, and hugged her other side before turning to look at her forehead.

"Looks like that's healing pretty good," he said, running his finger along the bump on her head. Alexis smiled at him, but pulled away from his fingers.

"Yep, feeling better too." She smiled at Conner, and then looked to the Church behind her. "You heading in there?"

"Aye, just about every mornin," Murphy said, moving to walk in.

"What for?" she asked, turning to watch them head into the building. She couldn't stop herself from noticing that they were once again in matching clothes -black shirts and coats, and blue jeans- just like the time she first met them.

"Confession," Conner replied, doing that back and forth thing that the brother's were really good at. "What else would we do 'ere."

"Just like good little saints, huh?" she asked, half joking as both guys moved up the steps. Murphy and Conner both laughed at her words.

"Ye could just wait for us," Murphy said while Conner moved to hold the door open.

"I could," she replied, grinning at the both of them as they stopped in the doorway. The brother's shook their heads at her, and waved as they moved to enter the building. Alexis stood on the steps, half wondering if she should stay or just head home where no doubt Gabriel would be waiting for her once again. When she thought about that, it wasn't much of a choice, and she perched on top of a concrete wall at the end of the steps. It was just past half an hour when the boys emerged from the building. Both of them stopping to light a cigarette before looking around. They spotted Alexis at the same moment, and simultaneously made their way toward her.

"So what's the plan?" she asked, as soon as they were in earshot. Conner and Murphy stepped next to her, one on either side, and looked at each other before looking out at their surroundings. Alexis looked at the both of them before Murphy took another puff on his cigarette.

"We could go for breakfast," he said, turning to Alexis.

"Same place?" Alexis asked, looking at him hopefully. He grinned at her, and looked toward Conner.

"Aye, lass, same place," Conner replied, grabbing her hand and pulling her off the wall. Alexis gladly wrapped her fingers through his, and Murphy moved closer to her as they continued walking. Conner was going on about their time in McGinty's the other night, and Alexis couldn't stop herself from smiling as she listened to the boy's antics. A lot of it seemed to include the guy Rocco that she met the night before, and Alexis looked at Conner with a smile on her face.

"He's your best pal isn't he?" she asked, when they he stopped talking to smile at her.

"Aye, lass," Murphy replied, wrapping an arm around her waist as they moved closer to the diner they visited the other day. When they entered it was the same greetings by the same people and it left a warm feeling in Alexis's heart. Especially when Melia, the waitress from before, greeted her like an old friend and even remembered she liked pancakes.

When they settled down, and were waiting for their food, Murphy turned to her and asked, "So what's your plans for tonight?"

Alexis shrugged. "Work, remember," she replied. Keeping her focus on the coffee in front of her. Nothing in her voice showed she was too enthused about the situation, and both brothers must have picked up on that.

"If you don't like the job, maybe you shouldn't go," Conner said, nudging her arm from where he sat next to her.

"Nah, it's a few extra dollars in my pocket, and it gives me a legitimate excuse to be out of the house for a few hours." She put on that extra big smile, and stared at Conner. He looked at her eyes for a moment, still looking for that tattle-tell sign that she might be lying. Alexis realized that soon they would be asking more questions, and expecting more answers, but Conner's return grin told her that for now they were backing off.

"That's true enough," Conner replied just as their plates of food arrived. For the next several minutes they sat in silence. Every now and then the boys would say something, and Alexis would respond in kind, and one of them even mentioned heading back to McGinty's for the night, but otherwise they focused on their food. When they finished, the boys paid for the meal yet again, and Alexis felt a prickle of irritation rise at that.

"You know, after my first check, I am so paying you back for all this food," she said, eying the both of them. They shook their heads at the same time, and it was Murphy that piped up. "Won't be seein ya do that any time soon."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alexis asked, feeling a little insulted by the statement.

"It means, lass," Conner started, placing his hand on the booth behind her. "The ladies never pay."

Alexis shoved him away, but followed the boys as they scooted out of the booth and headed toward the front door, waving their goodbyes to those that hollered at them.

When they reached the apartment building, Murphy was the one to take her hand and lead her into the lift. When they reached the forth floor, both boys stared at her and Alexis was the one to make her way out of the lift. The hallway was empty and Alexis felt whatever breath she'd been holding leave her as she turned to Conner and Murphy.

"So I guess this is see you later," she said, smiling at the both of them. They both smiled back at her, and Murphy stepped to her, bringing his hand up to push a few stray strands of hair from her face.

"Aye, but feel free to drop by if you need to," he said before leaning over to place a kiss on her forehead. Alexis felt her skin heat up, and she looked to the floor to keep from meeting his eyes. Conner stepped to her then, and placed a hand under her chin to lift her head up.

Alexis looked into his eyes, and he once again brushed a hand across the bump on her head. The one that she still hadn't told them how it happened exactly, but they both had a pretty good idea. When he leaned over to lay a kiss on the bump, Alexis felt a lump form in her throat, and this time she did look up to meet Conner's gaze. "We'll see ya tomorrow."

Alexis pulled away from him, half smiling, half blushing as she turned to her apartment and made her way inside. When she entered, she was glad to see that no one was in the living room. Allowing her a chance to escape to her room, and barricade the door before lying down and thinking more about what just happened between her and the brothers.

At some point, she had drifted off to sleep, and she was woken up by the sound of her alarm clock letting her know it was time for work. Grumbling about the unfairness of life, she quickly shot up and got ready for work, including a shower since the house remained blissfully quiet for her that day.  
>Alexis didn't think much of it, just enjoyed it while she could before she started the long journey to work. When her clock turned four, she headed out of the apartment, and couldn't decide if she was either relieved or disappointed that for once she didn't see the MacManus brothers anywhere around her. She couldn't stop thinking about their lips on her forehead this morning, and the memory even invaded her dreams that afternoon until she had several scenarios playing through their head.<p>

Sighing, she took in the sight of the restaurant and realized that she must put the thoughts away. There was no point in being distracted by something that would never happen. As she entered, she was greeted by Geoffrey, and Kelly along with a few other people that she remembered meeting the night before along with a couple others that weren't there.

"Kelly says you did really good last night," Geoffrey said as he pulled her to the side for her assignment.

"Oh yeah," Alexis said, grinning from ear to ear at the compliment.

"Yep, so I am putting you on your own area tonight," he said, pointing toward the back of the restaurant. "It's a small one so you shouldn't feel too overwhelmed."

Alexis smiled up at him, waving him off as she said, "I so got this."  
>She left a grinning Geoffrey behind as she made her way to the back to grab an apron, and whatnot before heading out to her side of the restaurant. Kelly and one other waiter greeted her and informed her if she needed anything to holler. She smiled at them, giving them a quick thanks before rushing up to her first customers.<p>

The evening went on from there, and by the middle of her shift, she found herself out of breath, but smiling as she came to stand next to Geoffrey with a drink in her hand.

"Here, you look like you need this," Alexis said, as she handed the bottle of water to the man. She noticed him helping out back in the kitchen earlier, and then jumping up to the front to help with drinks. It occurred to her about an hour ago, that the man hadn't stopped and was in need of a drink as much as she was at the moment. He smiled at her, taking a sip from the bottle of water gratefully while looking down at her.

"What about you? You've been working just as hard."

Alexis shrugged, but otherwise kept her gaze away from him as he took another sip of water.

"Go on, take your break, I'll have Daniel watch your tables," he said, nodding toward the back of the employee area.  
>Alexis gave him a grateful smile, and muttered her thanks before taking off. She grabbed her bag of chips and jacket and made her way toward the back alley way where she could get some peace and quiet for a few minutes. There were a few people out there smoking, including Kelly, and the older girl reluctantly gave her one her cigarettes. Lecturing her on how much of horrible habit, it was to start, and Alexis narrowed her eyes in the girl's direction.<p>

"You would know all too well, right?" she said, raising an eyebrow to the girl. Kelly shook her head at her.

"Just don't make it an everyday thing," she said, narrowing her eyes at the young girl as she walked back into the building.

Alexis laughed at her statement before growing quiet. The wind started howling in her ears as she took another drag of her cigarette and then an ear piercing scream rang out from inside. Throwing the smoke to the ground, Alexis stepped inside and made her way toward the source of the cry. Already there was a crowd gathered around the man on the floor, and Alexis stood on tiptoes to see Geoffrey sputtering through what looked to be his own bile that kept pouring out of him. Some of it was mixed with blood, and soon the man began to shake.

"What's happening to him, " One person asked the girl standing next to her, but it was Kelly that was thinking under pressure.

"Just call 911, hurry" she said, looking at her co-workers in earnest. The guy next to Alexis quickly rushed off toward the office, and started dialing the phone, and Alexis managed to push forward as Kelly knelt down to hold the man's head up.

"Think he's going to be okay?" she asked, looking to Kelly with fear in her eyes. Already Geoffrey was growing still, and his lips looked to be turning blue, and Kelly looked up at her with tears in her eyes.

"I don't know," she said, honestly.

He wasn't okay, of course. The medics arrived several minutes later, and it didn't take them long to load him up on a stretcher and cover his body with a blanket. Kelly and another girl, Tasha shuffled the remaining customer's outside, assuring them that their meals were free for the night. When the last one left, she leaned up against the doorway where Alexis was speaking with the officer.

"I'm sorry, like I said I didn't see what happened. I was outside on my break, and when returned, he was already on the floor spitting up and shaking." she said, her voice somehow managing to remain even as she stared the man down. The guy took his notes, and nodded his head while thanking her for her time. She smiled in return and he walked off.

"Don't see what their investigating," Alexis said as the man moved up to one of the cooks. "It looked to be a heart attack after all."

Tasha shook her head. "It's the timing of the death is all," she explained, pulling a cigarette from her pocket and lighting it up as she offered one to Alexis.

"What do you mean?" Alexis asked, watching the cop question the young cook.

"South Boston's in the mist of a takeover. Any and all untimely deaths of local business owners are to be treated as a crime scene," Tasha explained, looking at Alexis like she should have known this.

The girl's eyes widened as she thought about it and she began shaking her head when the information sunk in.

"Leave her be, Tasha, she's new around here," Kelly said, stepping in front of the them. Alexis gave her a thankful smile, and looked to the ground.

"Yeah, well, now what are we gonna do?" Tasha asked, looking toward Kelly for all the answers. The girls stared at each other for a long while.

"We're going to clean up, and hope for the best," Kelly said, pulling Tasha around so that they both could go back inside. Both girls looked sad at the thought, and lump of guilt rose up inside Alexis as she watched them go. Straightening up, she moved to help them and was stopped by Kelly shaking her head and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Please, let me help." Alexis pleaded, her own eyes tearing up as she noticed the defeated look in the older girl's eyes.

"Nah, we'll be good. Go home and we'll call you when we know what's going to happen." Kelly nodded toward the door, and Alexis looked to see a couple of the cooks coming to join the other two girls to help clean up.

She turned back to Kelly. "You sure?"

"Yeah, go on," the girl replied, pushing her out the door. Alexis gave her one last curious glance and Kelly returned it with a reassuring smile as she closed the door. A few people were still hanging around the building, some co-workers that weren't willing to go back inside and a few patrons of Geoffrey's restaurant. Alexis watched the ambulance doors close up, and then take off not long after that, followed by the few police officers that came out for statements, and then everyone else dwindled home. Alexis didn't hang around long after that. Her thoughts scattered as she slowly made her way through the Boston streets.

When she reached her apartment, she walked in silence to see Gabriel sitting on the couch with her mother turning around to stare at her.  
>"Ally, honey," she started to say, but Gabriel interrupted her. "How'd work go?"<p>

Alexis looked at him for several minutes before replying, "How you would expect."

"Any problems?" He asked, his eyes darkening as he watched her eyes lower to the floor instead of meeting his.

"Boss had a heart attack," she said, shrugging like it was no big deal. Which to Gabriel it wasn't. Just another dead man to him.

"I see," he said, nodding his head in approval. Alexis headed for her bedroom, not willing to talk about the subject any more.

"Hey Ally," he said, making her freeze with her hand the door knob to look up at him. "Happy Eighteenth Birthday." The smile that spread across Gabriel's face made Alexis sick and she swallowed the lump of bile that rose in her throat.

"Go to hell," she said, quickly moving into her room and slamming the door. When the door was shut, and sealed she backed up until her legs hit her bed, and she was able to topple on to it. Tears streamed down her face as she thought about how wonderful the day had started, and how it ended so horribly for her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Merry Christmas everyone! Here's the next part. Sorry for the beginning, but you can skip it up until the part where she runs if you wish, and I hope the ending will leave you with a smile on your face.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

The sound of her door opening caught her attention, and she looked up to see a tall figure looming over her bed. Instead of being frightened, she turned over and curled up so that she couldn't face him. That didn't stop her from feeling her bed dip down when he sat on the side, or keep her from feeling his hand rest on her hip.

"Now, Ally, we talked about this," he said, leaning closer to her.

Alexis remained on her side as she said, "I changed my mind."

The man laid down on the bed behind her, his arms wrapping around to bring her closer. "Now, Ally, it's not good to go back on your word."

Alexis threw her elbow back, hoping to knock the man in the gut, and make him let her go. He caught her arm at the last second and brought both her wrists into one of his hands. His fingers squeezing so hard, that Alexis flinched from the pain as she tried to wrestle free from him.

"Just hold still," he said, bringing his other hand up to cup one of her breasts. "This won't last long."

"Bullshit," Alexis whispered, bending until she could catch his wrist in her mouth. She bit down until she felt blood welling up in her mouth, and the man yanked free. Allowing Alexis to scoot away from him as he looked at the damage done to his arm.

"That's it," he said, grabbing a fist full of her hair, and yanking her back. "You made a promise you little bitch."

He pulled her underneath him, and Alexis brought her legs up to knee him He saw the move before she could execute it and used his own leg strength to pin her down. Lying between her, he brought both her hands above her head, and pinned them down with one of his own as he leaned down. His nose brushed across her neck, and Alexis felt the goosebumps raise on her skin as the first hint of fear hit her hard. The thought that she wasn't getting out of this one, came to her and she rebelled against the idea. Even as his hand slide down her body and underneath her shirt, she attempted to yank her hands free. Her body twisting as much as it could underneath his, trying to free herself. The man chuckled as his face came within inches of her own.

"That's it, fight, it only makes it better for me." His hand pinched her nipple, and a tear slide down her face as she realized she wasn't getting out of this any time soon. He continued trailing kisses down her chin, and to her neck. Moving slowly down to her chest, like he was kissing a lover, and bile rose in Alexis's throat as she realized that's exactly what he thought.

Pushing the thoughts away, she forced her body to remain still. Told herself to focus, and ignore the feeling of him on top of her. She felt, rather than saw the grin that spread across the man's face as she went still. He loosened his grip on her wrists, but didn't fully release her as his other hand reached down to her pajama bottoms.

"That's my girl," he whispered, sitting up enough so that he could start pulling them down. A hand slid inside, and she clenched her legs together as his fingers reached for that personal space there. His eyes flicked up to hers, anger building up again as he attempted to pry her legs apart.

"Ally," he whispered, the word practically hissed out between clenched teeth. She stared back in his eyes, doing her best to muster the strength needed to get out of this.

"Go to hell," she said before pulling her head back and spitting into his face. The man let out a disgusted gasp, releasing hands so that she could shove him off and move off the bed. The man quickly recovered, and made to grab at her arm. His fingers gripped her shirt, and as Alexis yanked away the sleeve ripped, dangling at her side as she moved toward the door to escape.

"Damn it," the man hollered, moving quickly off the bed. Just as Alexis opened the door to escape, he shoved it closed and spun her around to throw against the wall. His body pressed against her, his hand once again, yanking her hair back until she was looking at him. His other hand came up and smacked her across the face. Sending her in a daze as he yanked her head back straight. She blinked several times until the dots disappeared and she was able to focus on the man in front of her.

"Where the hell you think you're going?" he asked, practically spitting in her face. Alexis grimaced at the man, moving to get away from him only to have her hair pulled harder and forced to look at him again.

"You think you can just leave when you want," he said, pulling at the top of her shirt, making it rip more. "Think you can just back out of whatever deals you want."

Alexis felt his hand move further down, and he had to take as step back to reach her pajamas a second time.

"You're disgusting," she whispered, making him look at her as she brought a leg up to kick him. Her aim hit true, and the man released her to cup his balls. Taking whatever chance she could, she shoved him away a second time, not stopping to watch him topple to the floor as she turned and ran out the door. Her mother sat on the couch, tears streaming down her eyes, and Alexis didn't even pause to see the woman's pain. Instead, she rushed out the door, and into the elevator shaft before she could think about where she was heading.

The cold night air hit her full force as she stepped out of the apartment building. Her mind reeling for a moment of the turn of events that just happened, and it took her a moment to realize where she needed to go. Slowly, her shaking legs remembered the way the boys showed her not that long ago, and eventually she found herself standing outside their favorite pub. Even from out here she could hear the raucous going on inside, and she cringed thinking about how many men were in that building.

She knew she couldn't stand in the cold all night waiting for them, and so she swallowed her fear and opened the door. Immediately she was greeted with loud laughter, smoke and a funny looking man with glasses on that was the only one that looked up at her.

"Y-Yo-Your to yo-y...Fuck... Too young to be in here, Lass," the man said, making his way across the bar toward her and waving at the same time. Alexis flinched from his words, but remained in the doorway as she did a cursory glance around the room. She didn't see either one of them, but then again the place was packed.

"I'm looking for the MacManus brother's," she said, focusing on the old man again. He stopped just at the edge of his bar, and squinted at her. Looking like he was ready to tell her to fuck off but then asked.

"Which one?"

Alexis thought about it as she crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes darted around the room one more time. Honestly, she wanted both of them at the moment, but she would take either one, and she looked back to the old man. "Either one," she replied.

He gave her another glance, taking in her clothes, and messed up hair and moved to the back of the bar where there was a large group of men hooting and hollering about something. One of them, she easily recognized as Rocco with his long shaggy hair, and dark glasses in place. In the middle, sat the two brothers she was looking for, and they both looked up at the bartender, and then toward the door where she was attracting quite a few stairs from the other patrons at this point.

"Alexis?" Murphy asked, as they drew closer to the door. Alexis didn't respond to him, she just threw herself into his arms and twisted her fingers into his shirt as the tears she'd been holding in came flowing out. He wrapped his arms around her without question, and held onto her as she continued to sob. Conner came to stand behind her, and brushed his fingers through her tangled hair, drawing her attention to his concerned face.

"What happened, lass," he asked, cupping her chin and turning it to the side. No doubt looking at the rather large hand print that was probably forming on her face. She shook her head as she curled into Murphy's side. His arms remained around her as he looked toward his brother and then around the bar.

"Not here, Conn."

Conner looked to Murphy and then her before nodding his head and turning toward the old bartender that was standing close by. "Thanks Doc, " he said, reaching into his pocket.

The man shook his head, waving his hand toward Conner. "F-Forget it, i-it's o-on me."

They both waved at him, and Murphy wrapped his arm around Alexis shoulders and led her out the door. They walked in silence until they reached the apartment building and Alexis froze just outside the door. She didn't doubt that Murphy could feel her shaking, and he stopped as well. Pulling her out of his arms just enough so that he could look down at her.

"Shh, lass, nothings going to happen to you," he whispered, brushing her hair out of her face, and placing a kiss on top of her forehead. "We're just going to our apartment, okay."

Alexis looked to him, and then his brother that stood next to him, and nodded her head. She couldn't explain why she trusted them. Maybe it was because they never caused her any harm, or maybe it was because she'd grown comfortable with them in the past couple of weeks, whatever the reason, she knew that they would keep her safe.

Nodding her head, she let them lead her inside, and up the lift. When they reached their apartment she was shocked to see that there wasn't much there. Just a couple of mattresses lying on the floor, and a torn up old couch sitting against the wall next to the table and TV and the what could be called a kitchen against the opposite wall. She especially eyed the shower, and toilet area that didn't have anything separating them from the rest of the room.

Conner was the first one to make a circle around the room and let his hand rise up and fall. "It's not much, but its warm and keeps the rain out."

Alexis smirked at his statement, as he rummaged through an old dresser sat against the wall. Murphy rubbed his hand on her shoulder as he pushed her through the door, and then sat her down on the couch. When he sat down next to her, Alexis kept her gaze locked on her hands and didn't look up until Conner sat down on her other side holding a T-shirt and boxers out to her.

"Go clean up, and then ya can tell us what happened." He nodded toward the open shower, and Alexis gaped at him and the Murphy.

"We'll step outside," Murphy said, moving to stand and indicating for his brother to do the same. Panic flashed through Alexis as she thought about being in here alone, and she gripped Muprhy's arm. Stopping him in mid-step.

"I-" she began to say looking at the both of them with fear building up in her eyes, even as she realized how irrational it was. She'd never been afraid of being alone before. In fact, she relished it, and should be thankful these guys realized her need for privacy. "I'm sorry." she muttered, unable to stop the tears that tracked down her face again.

"Oh, lass," Conner said, pulling her into his arms. His head rested on top of hers, and Alexis sobbed harder. "We're just outside."

"Ya can holler if ya need us," Murphy added, and Alexis nodded as she pulled away from Conner. Both brothers rubbed a side of her cheek, and she closed her eyes to absorb the feeling.

"Just outside," Conner repeated before they turned to leave the room. Alexis looked at the clothes in her hand, and then looked around the room and noted the towel hanging on the bar.

When the hot water hit her Alexis closed her eyes. Imagining the water was washing away the feeling of the man's hands on her. She wouldn't let her mind recognize who the man was. She knew who he was, but she didn't want to say the name. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about it, and she quickly grabbed the bar of soap and started scrubbing. Turning her skin red as she scrubbed wherever he touched until her fingers grew numb and the bar of soap fell from her hands. She stared at it for several minutes, watching the soapy water go down the drain. Somehow it allowed her to reign in her emotions, to get some semblance of control inside of her again so that she could turn off the now cold water, and grab a towel so that she could dry off.

When she was dressed, she stepped into the doorway and stared at the two guys just outside as promised. They both held a cigarette in their hands and were speaking in one of the languages that Alexis didn't understand. Tonight it didn't bother her, she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of them conversing for several seconds. When they stopped, she cleared her throat and asked, "Can I bum one of those?"

Murphy took the pack out of his pocket and shook one out for her while Conner grabbed his lighter and helped her light it. The sight made Alexis smile, and she relaxed a little in the knowledge that they would probably never change. When she looked at them, they both had an expecting look about them, and she gulped knowing she said she would explain what happened.

Instead of answering them there, she moved back into the apartment, and took her place back on the couch, taking another puff of the cigarette, but not looking up as they both sat down on either side of her.

"Ya gonna to explain what happened, lass," Conner asked, growing impatient with the silence that was surrounding them. Alexis nodded her head, but kept her gaze on the floor.

"Plans went to shit," Alexis said, not knowing what else to say. It was the truth, Gabriel hadn't lied when he said they made a deal, but when it came time to follow through Alexis freaked.

"You've said something like that before," Murphy noted, his voice showing an edge of irritation.

"Yep," Alexis replied, taking another puff of her cigarette as she stood to get away from them. She didn't know where to begin, and she knew if they found out the whole truth they would hate her. "And it pretty much sums up my life."

She looked to the both of them only to find they were starting to get agitated. Taking a deep breath, she looked toward the ceiling and then back to them. "Just to set the record straight, my family's traditions are fucked. I mean seriously screwed," she said, her hands waving in all directions to emphasize her point. "And Gabriel wanted to use me to screw with them even more."

"What kind of traditions," Conner asked, pressing for information. Alexis shook her head and took another puff of the cigarette.

"I mean, Gabriel for all his faults is still my blood." she said, noting the confusion in the guy's eyes as she said the words. "He's not my father, but he is my uncle, and even though I want to hate him I can't because he is the only father figure I've known my entire life. He saved my life before I was even born."

Conner's head fell back at the statement, and looked toward Murphy. Something passed between the twins, and Murphy looked back at her. "So you feel you owe him?"

Alexis shrugged, her eyes darting around the room like the answer would be written on the wall.

"Not what he's asking of me," she said, finally sitting back down between the brothers. Her cigarette was finished and so she continued rubbing her hands together as she tried to explain.

"When my mother found out she was pregnant with me, she tried to have an abortion. That's where Gabriel found her, and he dragged her from the abortion clinic, and placed her in an asylum where she had me, and seeing as she didn't even want me then, he left her there until I was five. That's five years where he was my only parent figure, and even when my mother returned to us when I was seven he still took control of my upbringing. He made sure there was the best of everything- tutors, schools all of it= so that I could be the best."

Alexis took in a large breath, and looked to the guy to see how they were digesting this information. Their expressions remained neutral and Alexis took that as her cue to continue.

"When I turned thirteen, he started talking about changing some things, and my mother argued with him, and for the first time I agreed with her. When Gabriel didn't look like he was going to budge, I called the cops and he made sure I was sent to state Juvi and then to the state foster care for almost a year. When one of my other uncles finally came to get me, I was returned to Gabriel where I swore I wouldn't try to get away again, and I didn't up until six months ago where I tracked my brother down in Texas."

She looked up from her explanation, and Conner was looking at her with disgust. There still wasn't an explanation of what the original family traditions were, but one could piece together what Gabriel wanted to change judging by the events of tonight.

"How'd ya wind up with him again?" Murphy asked, scooting closer so that he could wrap his fingers through hers. Alexis stared at his hand for a moment, then looked up to meet his gaze.

"My brother sold me out, told my mother where to find me, and she tricked me into believing she had gotten away from Gabe."

She looked to her hand where Murphy was rubbing circles across hand with his thumb. She took a moment to think about what she just told them, and shook her head. "I should have known better, he's never going to let me go."

"No," Conner said, grabbing her face between his hands and making her look at him. 'Yer with us now, and he's not going to touch ya."

Tears sprang up again, and she pulled from Murphy's grasp to wrap her arms around Conner's neck and cry into his neck. "He already has, " she muttered. Sniffling as she tried to regain some sort of control.

Conner wrapped his arms around her, one hand resting at the base of her neck and stroking his fingers through the strands of hair that fell there. She closed her eyes, and cried harder, thinking about her screwed up life.

"Don't think about it," Conner whispered, his breath fanning across her neck and sending goosebumps down Alexis's spine. She shivered at his touch, and it only reminded her of the way Gabriel did the same thing barely an hour ago.

"I can't," she confessed, pushing away from him. "I can still feel him touching me." She admitted, looking away, ashamed of what happened in her bedroom. Conner brushed her hair back from her face, and let his fingers slide down to brush across her jaw. She stared at him, confused by the expression on his face as he watched his fingers trail down to her neck where it curled around her skin to drag her closer.

"Then think about something else," he whispered as he came closer. Alexis gaped at him for a moment, then his lips brushed against hers, and she felt her world tip sideways. At first fear clawed at her as realized what was happening, and she brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders, meaning to push him away, but then his hands came up to cup her face and his thumb stroked along her jaw line, sending all rational thought out the window. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she scooted closer so that she could lean into his kiss as he moved his lips against hers.

Alexis closed her eyes, and fell into the sensation of Conner kissing her. Her mind going fuzzy for the moment as he continued a slow and steady pace. When another hand brushed across her neck, she opened her eyes to find Conner pulling away, and staring behind her. She'd forgotten about Murphy sitting there as well, and she felt her insides melt when his lips brushed up against the nap of her neck. Sending another kind of goosebumps down her spine as he placed small pecks along her shoulder. Alexis looked to Conner for explanation, and he sat there smirking as Murphy moved closer, caging her between him and his brother so that she could lean back against him when she looked to him. There was an identical smirk playing across his lips as he asked, "What are you thinking about now, love?"

"Um," was Alexis's great reply and both brothers chuckled as they looked at each other.

"I do believe we've addled her brain, Murph," Conner said, brushing his finger along her jaw line which made her look at him.

"Aye, and with so little effort on our part," Murphy replied, running a finger through her hair before laying a kiss on the back of her head. Alexis blushed, and swatted at the both of them as she tried to regain some kind of control over the situation.

"Oh, you two," she said, standing from the couch and putting some distance between her and the twins. "A pair of trouble makers you are." She smiled at both of them, letting them know it was just a jest and the boys laughed with her.

"You feel better, love?" Murphy asked, moving to stand in front of her. She looked up into his eyes, and noticed only concern there as he cupped her face, waiting for a response.

"Yes, thank you." She looked at him and then his brother, making sure she conveyed that her gratitude to both of them.

Conner jumped up from the couch with a wicked smile on his face as he came over and grabbed her hand. "Good, then we can go to bed," he said, pulling her to his own mattress. Alexis hesitated, and moved to speak. But it was Murphy that stopped her from saying anything.

"Hey, she sleeps with me," he said, pulling her arm back toward him.

"The hell she does, I'm the older brother." Conner countered, pulling her back toward him

"Fuck ya, I'm the older brother, Ma said so. Besides, ya got the first kiss, so there for I get to sleep next to her first." Murphy yanked her arm again, and Alexis was beginning to feel like a yo-yo the way they continued tugging her back and forth as their bickering went to a language she couldn't understand. She only took a few more seconds before she yanked her hands away from the both of them and held them up for them to stop arguing.

"Why don't I just sleep on the couch," she said, hoping to keep them from arguing anymore. As amusing as it was, the fact that they were arguing over her was a bit disconcerting.

Both guys turned to her and shouted, "No" at the same time.

Alexis moved away from the both of them, her eyes going wide as they stared her down. "Really, the couch is fine," she said, moving toward the mentioned furniture. She heard the sound of the two brother's slapping each other as they said something in that same language, and then Conner was the one to step to her.

She froze as his hands came up to cup her face, and he leaned forward placing a kiss on her forehead. "Sorry, love, didn't mean to frighten ya."

Alexis shook her head. "You didn't frighten me, just had me a bit worried is all," she explained, looking toward Murphy. "I don't want you two fighting over me."

Conner grinned as Murphy shook his head. "A little late for that."

Alexis looked at him confused for a moment, and Conner was the one to turn her around and gently push her to the couch. "Don't worry about it, love, just get some rest."

Alexis sat down on the couch, and sent the brother's a small smile as she laid down and curled up. Muprhy brought one of his blankets over to her, and Conner offered a pillow so that she could be comfortable, and before long she lay there watching the brothers do their own nightly routine that prepared them for bed. Which didn't take much, considering they just stripped their shirts and shoes before lying on the mattresses. Alexis smiled at them as they continued discussing something in that odd language,. Every now and then, one of them would look in her direction, but she ignored their stares as she allowed the sound of their voices lull her to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello people. Hope you had some wonderful Holidays. I know I'm looking forward to the New Year. But in the mean time here's a little chap. Enjoy**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter Five<span>**

The next morning, Alexis woke to an empty apartment. She was confused at first, but didn't waste any time taking advantage of the privacy to use the bathroom before the boys returned. She realized that if she was going to stay here, she would have to find some privacy curtain or something to draw around the toilet. Still, when she was finished, she really started to wonder where the boys went.

She even peeked into the hallway, and to the fire escape to see if they were anywhere to be found. When there was no sign of them. She let out a long sigh, and started digging through their fridge. Making another note that the boys didn't do a whole of lot cooking. If the contents of their fridge was proof of that. When she located a half eaten sandwich that looked to still be good, she quickly heated it up, and was just about to take a bite of the food when the door opened, and in walked the two brothers in question. Both of them looked a little roughed up, and one of them was holding a bag that looked awfully familiar.

"What the hell did you do?" she asked, dropping the food on the counter and rushing over to grab Conner's face as he dropped the bag on the couch. His lip was split, and when she grabbed his hand there were open scraps like he'd been fighting.

"Well, love, as much as we enjoy seeing you in our clothes, we thought you would like a few of your own," he explained, stopping her search for more wounds by grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles.

"You went to my apartment?" The disbelief in her tone was enough to make Conner take a second look at her expression. There was definite anger in her eyes, and she could feel her temper rising as she turned to Murphy, who looked to have a cut on the side of his face.

"Aye, got ya some clothes, and managed to give that Uncle of yers a taste of his own medicine," Murphy said, grinning like he'd just done Alexis the greatest favor ever.

Alexis shook her head at him, her hands torn between wanting to smack him and wanting to shake him, and it was the first thought that one out as she began pounding on his chest.

"What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea what you just started?" she shouted, shoving him away from her, and turning toward the counter. She leaned over and rested her head on the cold surface.

"Don't worry, lass, he's not going to be bothering ya again," Conner said, making Alexis stand straight and look at him. She gave him that pleading look again, and Conner came over to stand in front of her. Resting both his hands on either side of her so that he caged her in.

Alexis looked up at him, taking in his grinning face and all she could do was shake her head as she cupped his face in her hands and looked him over.

"Please, just tell me he looks worse than you," she said, smiling when he grinned down at her.

"Aye, love, he looks worst then us," he replied, leaning over to capture her lips with his. Alexis melted into his touch, enjoying the feel of his arms wrapping around her and the way he pulled her against his body as he deepened the kiss.

Alexis broke the kiss first, her eyes darting to his chest as her cheeks heated up. When Conner brushed his fingers across her cheeks, she looked up to find him smiling down at her. She wasn't sure what she should be doing or saying. She'd never been in a relationship, never even let herself like a guy for fear of what Gabriel would do should he ever find out. Looking into Conner's eyes, she finally settled on a simple, "thank you," before turning her eyes toward Murphy who just stood behind them watching.

She remembered the way he kissed her shoulder's last night, and his words to his brother moment's after, and she felt the guilt eat at her. She wasn't sure what was going on between them, but whatever it was it included the three of them and so she made her way over to him.

Reaching out to brush her fingers through his hair, and muttering' "both of you," before going on her tiptoes and brushing her lips against his. Murphy's arms wrapped around her instantly to pull her closer. Practically dragging her off of her feet, as he titled his head to deepen the kiss between them. Alexis found just as much enjoyment in kissing Murphy as there was in kissing Conner. She enjoyed the way his hands rested on her hips, digging his fingers into her skin as his kisses became more urgent with each passing second. Alexis moaned when she felt his nails dig into her skin, and that left her mouth open for him to slowly explore her mouth, her knees weakened from the movement.

Finally, Alexis pulled away from him, breathless but smiling as she looked into his eyes and noted the way they continued searching hers as if he was unsure of something. When she turned to Conner, he was leaning against the counter watching them. Well, watching her as he nodded in her direction.

"Ya okay with this, lass," he asked, his gaze meeting hers. Alexis brought her hand up to her swollen lips, looking at Murphy and then back to Conner and she slowly nodded her head. Not completely sure what she was getting herself into, but willing to see it through all the same.

Alexis nodded her head, her eyes locking onto Conner's as she nodded her head. "I...I think so."

Conner and Murphy looked at each other, something passing between them for a moment before both of them nodded their heads and stepped to her. Conner in front of her, and Murphy behind. Conner took her face in his and looked into her eyes. Searching for something that Alexis couldn't place. Whatever he found must have appeased him because, he leaned forward to lay a kiss on her forehead.

"Okay, love."

Alexis nodded as Murphy turned her to face him, and laid a kiss on her cheek while Conner moved to the fridge. Reaching up, he pulled a pile of menus from the top and started leafing through them.

"Where we eatin at?" he asked, handing the menus to Alexis.

Alexis flipped through the menus, barely glancing at them as she continued trying to understand what just happened. Looking up, she handed them back to Conner and shrugged. "Chinese sounds good."

He smiled, caressing her cheek with his fingers before turning to the phone.

"Chinese it is."

That's how the rest of the Alexis's week went. She would wake in either Conner or Murphy's bed, switching between sleeping with the two brothers. Nothing more than kissing happened in that time. Though Alexis could honestly say she enjoyed kissing both of them, and each time, they left her light headed and feeling giddy. Every morning they would wake up to head out for work. Alexis went with them at first, preferring the company of the strangers at the library over being alone in the apartment. The thought of Gabriel coming for her while the boys were gone scared Alexis at first, but Wednesday morning when she woke in Murphy's arms, she realized that her fear was just holding her back. Making her rely on the brothers, and that was something that she couldn't allow. No matter how much she enjoyed their company.

"Ya can come with us, love," said Murphy as he brushed a stray lock of hair from Alexis's face. She curled into his side more. Enjoying the feeling of him being so close to her as she smiled up at him.

"Aye, we don' mind ya wit us," Conner added, sitting up on the side of his bed.

Alexis sat up, her eyes resting on Murphy as her lips perked up into a smile. "Now boys, you both know I can't have you babysitting me for the rest of your lives."

Alexis swung her legs over the side, fully prepared to stand when two strong arms came from behind and pulled her back onto the mattress.

"And why not, lass. There could be perks to babysitting one such as ya," Murphy said, nuzzling his nose against the side of her neck. His hands slide down to her side where they found her ticklish spot the other night, and he quickly began tickling her. Alexis curled up, going to her side instantly as she tried to pull away from him, which only landed her in the awkward position of him lying on top of with her legs wrapped around him.

When Murphy stopped, he noticed their position and sent her one of his wicked grins while wiggling his eyebrows. Alexis smacked him on the chest, shoving him off as she did, so that she could stand up and head toward the kitchen to start the coffee pot. When she turned back around, she found Murphy and Conner both lying back on their beds with their arms propped behind their beds and staring at her.

"You two getting up, or are you just going to lay a round all day?" she asked, raising an eyebrow to both of them.

"Aye, love, we're movin'," Conner said, being the first to move from his bed. He slowly trudged over to her to place a morning kiss upon her lips. It was short, and soft, and it made Alexis melt instantly as he pulled away and made a grab for a coffee cup. Alexis grabbed her own cup, and moved to go outside on the fire escape while the boys dressed. Back in Texas, her brother had a small front porch that allowed her to sit outside all morning and the peace and quiet while she sipped on her morning coffee. South Boston was far from quiet in the mornings, but the air was fresh and it still brought a smile one her face as she looked down on the scene provided for her.

Conner joined her on the fire escape some time later, and Alexis was happy to see him dressed and ready to go as she leaned against one of the railings.

"So, what are yer plans for the day?" he asked, getting Alexis's attention. She thought about it for a moment. There wouldn't be much to do in the boy's apartment aside from watching some daytime TV.

"Thinkin I'll clean up the pig sty of yours," she said, giving him one of her mischievous smiles.

Conner rolled his eyes. "You've been hounding us about dat apartment since ya moved in."

"Aye, and I'll keep houndin ya to," she replied in her mocking tone. He glared at her, and her eyes turned to slits. Both of them stared each other down for several seconds before Conner conceded by looking.

"Do as ya please, love, ya live here just as much as we do." Conner sent her another eye roll, and turned back into the apartment.

"That's what I thought," Alexis mumbled, as she crawled back inside with Conner. Conner turned to ask her what she said and she quickly replied, "Nothing." Again, another squinted stare before they turned to find Murphy leaning against the counter looking at the both of them. The smirk on his face told Alexis he'd heard the whole thing, but wasn't going to say anything.

Conner walked up next to him and slapped across the head as he asked, 'What da hell ya smilin at?"

Murphy slapped him back replying, "Nothing, just watchin yer dumb ass."

"Bye, boys," Alexis said as she tried to laugh at the two of them. She could only imagine how their full days would go if she were to be stuck with the both of them for twenty-four hours. Both of them stopped their bickering long enough to each give her a kiss good-bye.

When they were gone, Alexis took another few minutes to down a second cup of coffee and think about where she was going to start. It wasn't a big room, and it was all thrown into one space, so cleaning didn't really take that long.

Before Alexis knew it, she had all the food wrappers and beer bottles thrown into a couple of trash bags, and all the surfaces wiped down. The only thing she had left to do was figure out what to do about the bathroom situation, and she had a few thoughts about that.

It was while she was taking the trash out that the first trickle of unease settled over her.

"How those boys treating you?" an all too familiar voice asked. Alexis stopped short of the front doors when she noticed her Uncle leaning against the wall next to the entrance. Alexis froze, her fight or flight instincts kicking in as she began looking around her. It dawned on her then that they were in broad daylight, in public. There was little he could do to her at the moment. With that knowledge, she straightened her spine, crossed her arms over her chest, and refused to answer him.

"That bad, huh?" He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and held the packet out for her. Alexis shook her head no, and he shrugged his shoulders. It was then that she noticed the barely healing knot on the side of his head, and wondered what the boys did when went to his apartment.

"You know, maybe you have some brains left," he said, taking a long drag from his smoke. "I mean, using those boys just to get your way."

Cold swept through Alexis's body as she listened, something twisting inside her gut and she quickly shook her head to deny anything he had to say. He ignored her, of course, laughing as he pointed in her direction.

"And their brothers, twins at that. Damn Ally,. That's just downright low."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alexis shot back, moving to walk past him. It'd occurred to her on more than one occasion that he was crazy, and now his ramblings only proved her point.

"I'm giving you another chance to prove your loyalty to this family, Ally," he explained just as she opened the door to step inside. She stopped to look at him, confused for a moment. When she shook her head at him, his eyes came together in anger, and he stepped to her.

"You're not going to be given a choice, you understand. One week. If even that." His finger was inches from her face, and she stared down it to meet his gaze.

She sneered at him, spitting at his feet. "Go to hell."

"After you, darling," he replied. His mocking tone following her all the way up the elevator shaft and back into the safety of her apartment.


End file.
