title: Promises to Keep

author: lisa roquin

rating: 15 for language.

fandom: Boondock Saints/Buffy the Vampire Slayer

series/sequel: Saints Verse

characters/pairings: Faith, Xander, Andrew, Connor, Murphy, others around the edges.

disclaimer: all copyrighted characters and their "universes" belong to their respective authors, writers, creators, production companies, producers and long lists of people that are so very much not me. Quite simply, if you recognize it, it isn't mine. No profit made, no harm intended, just having fun.

summary: Doc McGinty's family--his great-niece Faith and the boys he befriended when they were still just boys return to Boston to say goodbye.

author's note: written for tth5000's character death challenge.

wordcount: 10,105

 

November

"Find them?" Faith asked quietly looking up from the bedside of the great uncle she'd only reunited with a few weeks before.

"Yeah. Willow and I are gonna go get them," Xander said softly. "Well, I'm gonna go get them. Will is just gonna send me there and bring us back."

"Be careful, Boy Toy," Faith said. She had no doubts that these men her Uncle wanted to see so badly could be very dangerous. She remembered them when they were just kids, no older than Xander had been when she'd first met him. She'd been seven and Connor MacManus had fixed her pigtails that Uncle Joe had put in crooked.


Connor and Murphy MacManus were good men. Her Uncle Joe said so. She remembered the boys who had been friends with her father, had helped out her Uncle. They'd only been kids then even if they'd seemed grown to her. They'd fought like demons. She'd thought that at seven, and she found no reason to change that opinion when her mind wandered back to the vivid memory of the thugs that had jumped them on the way home from the movie the twins had taken her to because her dad was higher than a kite and her mom had dumped her at her dad's.

That fight remained crisp and clear in her memory, burned into it from fear and awe. And even after years of fighting demons herself, she saw no reason to change the opinion that the MacManus brothers fought like demons.

"Any help on recognizing them,"

"They had Celtic crosses on their arms. A Saint on their neck, Connor had Veritas on his hand, Murph had Aequitas on his. They--Boy Toy, just be careful. They grew up..." she broke off unable to explain. "They're good guys but..."

"I get what you mean," Xander said quietly. "That's why Willow isn't going with me."

She nodded.

~*~*~

Xander looked around the alley. Great. Willow was supposed to put him within easy finding of the MacManus twins without discovery. He wandered out toward the street, ignoring the drunk who eyed him with wary, bleary eyes.


Bar was all the neon sign said. Seemed like a good enough starting place.

The place made Willy's look positively glamorous and The Bronze something movie stars would have frequented.

He ordered a beer and started looking. Two. Not identical but moved together. Faith said they always knew where the other was. That they had some weird freaky psychic twin thing all the time and even more when they were fighting. She wasn't sure how weird and freaky the psychic twin thing was, and she wasn't a hundred percent certain they weren't maybe a little demon. They could fight like demons.

Buffy had sniffed her disbelief at that. Willow had given her a skeptical look. Xander took Faith at her word. Unlike Buffy, Faith had a grasp of hell and evil long before she became a slayer and if she still held the opinion these guys could fight like demons, Xander was willing to bet they were at least on par with a Childe a decade or so turned. Dangerous, beatable, survivable, but dangerous and even more dangerous with the 'freaky twin factor'.

The familiar sound of a Zippo being opened and ignited. Make that two Zippos, only in an odd echo only a nanosecond off perfect unison.

One was dark haired, one had lighter hair reddish/sandy sort of hair. Both had hard blue eyes. They looked nothing alike but they wore matching black pea coats that were about five years over due for replacing. Worn dark t-shirts, might be the difference in one was navy and one was black, it was hard to say in the dim of the bar.

Veritas and Aequitas on the hands that held the cigarettes.


He turned and bought two Guinnesses from the barkeeper and then Xander walked toward them with resignation. He hoped he didn't get killed before he could explain

~*~*~

Murph noticed him first. Connor noticed Murph's shift in posture, the normal-wary to alert and ready.

Shaggy dark curls well overdue for a cut. An eye patch, battered leather jacket the kind that looked like it had been fought in and fucked in for a good decade even if the wearer was hardly old enough for either activity that long ago. T-shirt and jeans nigh falling apart at the seams. Workboats on his feet and neither twin doubted steel-toed at that. The coat had just enough bulk to it that it was hard to say if the man was armed or not.

He moved easily, a grace at once loose limbed and unimposing, but there was a man who could be dangerous. And it wasn't just the odd patch that made him seem so.

Murphy looked at him.

Connor looked back. Aye, there was something about this one they needed to sort out. What he couldn't begin to say. A niggle. Something.

"Guinness okay with you two?"

The bottles were unopened.

"Aye,"

"Veritas is Connor, Aequitas is Murphy right?"

"And how would you be knowin' that?"

"We've been trying to find you two for a couple weeks and got lucky. My name's Xander by the way. I'm not looking for any trouble. Joe McGinty--he goes by Doc--he's dying. He honestly should have been gone about three weeks ago but he was stubborn wanting to see his kids one last time. Faith got the news and is there with him--his great niece--"

"Roc's girl? She's alive?"

"Yeah, she's a good friend of mine. She's with him now. We've been trying to find you two, which even with our resources has been harder than hell. And we had to take more than a few less than normal channels so if you're worried someone else is going to be able to find you. Really unlikely."

"Roc's little girl? She your woman?"


The man's dark eye widened. "Oh hells no. Faith's--one of my heart-sisters. Nothin like that."

"Heart-sisters?" Murph questioned, especially how the man seemed to hesitate and stumble on the word. As if he meant it but thought it sounded stupid all the same.

Connor heard the faint trace of hope and pleasure in his brother's voice. Aye he liked that too that Roc's little girl found herself a family. Found herself an honorary big brother to watch out for her.

"Buffy, Dawn, Willow and Faith. And you'll meet them. But really, guys, Joe doesn't have much time. We need to get your stuff and make the call for the pick up cause, he's not going to make the night I don't think no matter how hard he's trying to hang on."

"You can get us to Boston yet tonight?"

Xander nodded.

"How?"

"Not explaining it here. Please, will you trust me?"

"You armed?"

"Gun, no. Sharp pointy objects, yes."

"Y' think you could take both of us?"

"Doubtful, but you'd know you tangled with me."

"Who's with Faith now?"

"Buffy, Dawn, Willow, Kennedy, Giles, Angel, Spike, Illyria and Andrew. Giles is trying not to kill Angel. Spike is doing his best to drive Angel batshit. Buffy is flipping because she had major soap opera style relationships with both Angel and Spike. Illyria thinks the hospital stinks and everyone around is beneath her. Kennedy is--she spends more on a single pair of shoes than I did on the first three cars I ever bought put together. She was born to money and is in a state run charity hospital and afraid she's going to get contaminated by poverty or something. Faith wants to beat the snot out of Buffy and Kennedy. Willow's trying to make everyone play nice. Dawn's pissed as hell at Buffy over some damn thing or other. Andrew is having a nervous breakdown because he's Andrew. When Joe dies, Faith's going to go nuclear for a bit, and if she goes nuclear in the presence of Buffy or Kennedy..uh it's not going to be pretty. Even if Willow's probably the only one that cares if Kennedy got flattened or not, it's just not going to be good. And Faith will be wanting to kick your asses for disappointing Joe by not getting there in time, and kick my ass for not getting you there in time."

"The girls not get along?"

"They get along like sisters. That's the problem"

Connor smiled at that. Murphy snorted.

"And for the sake of my sanity and your own hides, well your tats all religious and that--don't piss off the lesbians please. We really don't need any added drama."

"The lesbians?" Murphy asked with raised eyebrows.

"Willow and her partner Kennedy. In fact this is a good week to just smile and nod and offer to go get things containing chocolate when they glare at you--all of them."

The twins stared at him confused.

"Women spend a lot of time together, they synch up."

"Synch up?"

"It's PMS week okay? Just don't piss them off cause with Joe and a bunch of ancient history being dug up right and left, it's not going to be pretty. One starts going off the deep end they all will be. I need to get back, Willow has Kennedy control. Giles is trying to keep Buffy in hand and I get Faith Watch."

Connor looked at Murph. His heart tight with the thought of losing Doc too. Ma was gone. Da too. Both within the last two months. They'd not done a job since they lost Il Duce. They'd considered it but something stayed their hands.

Their calling wasn't--it was changed. Perhaps it was time to help that which was good flourish in another way. Perhaps they were needed elsewhere. Perhaps they just needed a sabbatical of sorts to pray and find their way once again.

Grieving and soul-weary the brothers had decided to take a bit of time for reflection and see if they received any sign or message. Even putting words to the thought in their own minds sounded a bit mad but then they had never been quite sane or whole the two of them. Not one without the other. They'd had too many close calls this last year before they lost Il Duce, Connor had the scar on his shoulder that only a miracle had saved him. His draw was still a little slow and Murph hadn't been sure he got all the bullet out.

Murph had a similar wound in his thigh, less than two weeks after Connor's injury, Il Duce had had to go after another. Connor too ill to go with. It had just been Il Duce and Murph. Connor almost wondered how Murph got back to their hole in the wall room. Il Duce had been increasingly unsteady of thought the last year and had gone nigh ballistic when Connor had been wounded and Murph risked himself to carry Connor off. Murph defying God's will for keeping his brother from being caught or dying evidently.

This one eyed young man had recognized them by their tattoos and spoke of Doc, of Roc's baby girl alive and whole, hopefully. The dark eye looked directly at them. With a tired old soul in a face still young.

Murphy's eyes went to the carved wooden cross on a strip of leather around the young man's neck. It was simple only about an inch and a half in length.

Connor's followed it.

"What sort of name is Xander?"

"Short for Alexander, which only the IRS or telemarketers use. With the exception of Willow doling out death threats because I haven't called her enough or something."

"Defender" Murphy murmured in Gaelic.

"A warrior" Connor agreed. The word odd and archaic but it fitted. Murph's agreement was felt by way of a shift in his brother's posture.

They looked at one another.

Do ye believe him? one set of blue eyes asked.

Aye, don't ye?

Aye

We've nothing to lose

And perhaps something to gain. Roc's little girl. Goodbye to Doc as we couldn't say to Ma.

"And there's the freaky psychic twin thing. So we doing this the easy way or we going to do this the painful way? I'm too tired for pain. Please."

"The easy way for now." Connor decided. "But we might change our minds."

"Joy"

"Xander Harris?"

~*~*~

Xander blinked and looked up warily at the voice of someone he'd thought long dead. "Larry?"

"Heard Buffy died."

"She got better."

"Huh. What about the other one? The crazy one that was in the coma?"

"Faith. Coma Free and Sane."

"Fuckin' Coma? The fuck?"

Xander ignored the twin, or twins, he wasn't sure if one or both had spoken or which, his eye intent on Larry. "So you here alone?"

"Nah."

"This isn't a good idea to really try anything, Larry."

"For old times sake, I'd let you go if you went quick."

"One kiss isn't exactly old times especially when preceded by thirteen years of you beating the shit out of me at school nearly every day."

"Yer the same age? Kiss? He looks like he's still in high school? The fuck?" the twins voices came. This time they both spoke. Xander was sure of it, though in which order he could not care less at the moment.

"Why don't you just actually get smart and go?" he asked Larry.

"Boss man wants them."

"They're the Dark Slayer's honorary Uncles. They're under my watch til I get them to her."

"Harris, just get outta here."

"No. My first dusting was Jesse McCrary, Larry. Think I will think twice about dusting you after dusting Jess?"

"That's what happened to him?"

"Yeah. C'mon Sunnydale. Really, duh much?"

"Harris...look, just go. Cause there's supposed to be a scary hunter around."

"Here?"

"Yeah, the Boss's Seer said he was in town. Some dude they call the White Knight"

Xander choked and reached for his beer. "Your boss is scared of the White Knight?" he laughed.

"The fuck?"

"Chill, guys." Xander told the gaping twins and then looked back to Larry. "Seriously, your boss is scared of the White Knight?"

"Yeah. He's supposed to be some scary badass. Took on some big bad Scum of Europe."

"Scourge"

"Huh?"

"If you mean Angelus, he was known as the Scourge of Europe not the Scum. I kinda like Scum though. Fits for a guy his age panting after Buffy when she was a fifteen, sixteen year old."

"You heard of that dude?"

"Unfortunately."

"Look just go, cause this Knight is supposed to be a crazy bastard and--"

"And what, Larry?"

"Why do you have a patch?"

Xander took off the patch. "I make little children cry when I don't wear it."

"The-the-the knight has one eye...and a wooden cross he wears and..."

"And I'm about dyin' here trying not to laugh you picked a loser for a boss if he's scared of me. But we've got elsewhere to be. Wish I hadn't seen ya again, Larry." Xander sighed and with a practiced motion pulled his stake from his pocket and plunged it into Larry's heart. "See ya in hell. Damn I hate dusting people I've known since I was a kid."

"Shit," Larry managed weakly as he fell to ash.

"The FUCK!" the twins shouted drawing eyes to their corner and the now pile of dust on the floor from five in the room.

"Well now we've got the rest of the vamps spotted. That was a Vampire, guys. Duh."

"Fuckin vampire?"


"You--how the hell did you get the attention of a vamp. Doubt they could turn you anyway with the tatts. Explanations later. Promise. We need to get out of here."

The twins stood, noting the five that followed.

Xander pulled his two spare stakes out once they were in the alley. "Through the heart, just like the movies. Faith said you two could fight. so I hope you can. There's only five and if Larry was the head minion on this, they're tough but dumb."

 

 

~*~*~

Yellow eyes, fangs. Fuckin' vampires.

"Murph?"

"Alright. You?"

"Aye."

Connor turned his eyes to the one eyed young man with the cross dangling from a piece of leather on his neck.

"Think we got it." Murphy said

"Aye." One interesting revelation to be sure but it was a revelation that couldn't be doubted.

"And again with the freaky twin thing. Lets get your stuff and call Willow. We got a one way to Boston on the Rosenburg Express ASAP guys."

"Huh?"

"Weird's gonna get weirder."


Connor had his gun out.

Xander sighed. "I'm human. Same as you. Found out about demons and vampires and werewolves and magic and all that shit being real when I was fifteen. When my best friend since we were in diapers was caught and turned into a vampire. My first kill was also my first lover. We've fought the things that go bump in the night. Buffy and Faith are Slayers. Buffy was drowned, CPR brought her back. That was enough for Kendra to be Called. Used to be one Slayer died, the next was Called. Kendra was killed Faith was called. A half dozen barely averted apocalypses later the whole one Girl at a time being the Slayer kinda got tossed out. So not really the story for a dark alley surrounded by vampire ashes when we have to get back to Boston. Joe doesn't have much time."

"Do y' believe in visions from God too?" Murphy taunted.

Connor stiffened. He knew Murph had his doubts but...

~*~*~

"Oh WHY ME!" Xander shouted sky ward. "What have I ever done so bad that I always get all the crap dumped on me! Not only do I get to explain demons and slayers to the clueless. They're THE FREAKING SAINTS OF RETRIBUTION!" Andrew had stumbled across the mention of the Saints of Retribution a little over a year before and Dawn hadn't helped matters by musing they might come after him. He'd been hyper and annoying, she'd been pms-ing and evil. Andrew had spent a month obsessing about the Saints of Retribution. Faith had laughingly wondered if it wasn't some kind of relative to the MacManus brothers she knew. He'd grown up in Sunnydale. He was used to strange things and the freaking powers sometimes heavy handed maneuvers, with hindsight the Slayer's Scythe conveniently in Sunnydale was one of the biggest obvious maneuvers. He was used to weird coincidences and knew better than to ever utter the words "wish" "what next" and "we shouldn't ever have to worry about that" and the apocalypse guaranteeing "at least it can't get worse." But really. No. Unreal. Yet there couldn't be any other answer.

The twins tensed. "The what?"

"The Saints of Retribution. Irish clan named MacManus has had one in every generation since freaking Saint Patrick was out chasing snakes. If they played their cards right they went on a seven year killing spree and went home had a family so there was a MacManus Saint for the next generation. They screwed up somehow they ended up dead or in jail or whatever. Watcher's--Watchers find train and take care of Slayers. I'm Faith's watcher these days by the way--the Watchers have come across the Saints of Retribution a few times. A few Watchers have been taken out by the Saints of Retribution. Not surprising considering how things were ran when Travers was in charge. And again long story covering multiple apocalypses and a lot of soap opera worthy drama."

"There's two of us."

"Freaky twin thing." Xander shrugged. "So you share visions. Unless you're having one right now we really need to move it. If you really want to blow my brains out, you can later okay, right now we need to get back cause there's a sweet old man hanging on by a thread to see you one last time. Someone lead the way to where you're staying."

 

Xander followed the pair through several alleys and finally into a building that had to be condemned and awaiting demolition. He wasn't sure what the silent conversation ahead of him was but there was one. Long glances back and forth between the twins and the occasional quick peek in his direction.

Still they'd led the way in silence, moving like vampires so quick and quiet. Xander kept up. Waiting for the barrage of questions when they got done with their looking at each other, which continued through their gathering their things. Though the looking conversation seemed to be more they were just that in tune with each other rather than full out telepathy. At least he hoped. Telepathy was just too weird. It'd already been a long enough day.

Their things seemed to be mostly weapons. "Got everything?"

"Aye."

"Okay, I'm going to call Willow and then about ten seconds after that we'll be in a broom closet in the hospital. So--don’t' flip on me please. And Willow's a good witch honest. She's helped save the world plenty of times."

The twins looked at each other. "Why would we shoot you?"

"It wasn't intentional. It was bad planning trying to stop a demonic Ascension. I was the one left figuring where the hell to put the explosives and which volunteers were going to go up front to buy us the most time and die first. I'd do it again, but if I'd had a better idea of what I was doing, been better prepared there would have been less casualties. Long time ago but I still wander what I could have done better exactly."

"How old are y?"

"Twenty four."

"How old were y' then?"

"Seventeen."

"Y' can tell us about it later. This--"

"It's freaky feels like you're drunk off your ass on a rollercoaster for a second and then you're somewhere else. Okay."

"Aye" they said doubtfully.

He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "Yeah, it's me Will. Three for the utility closet give me the count of ten to grab hold of them okay? Bye"

"Grab hold"

Xander moved across and grabbed their arms. "She can focus on me easiest. We've been friends since Kindergarten--she'll get the feel of you two through me and pull us all. Brace yourselves"

~*~*~

No more than the words "Brace yourselves" came out of the younger man's mouth the world started spinning.

Not even the first time he'd drank rye whiskey had left Connor's head and stomach spinning so badly.


"Jaysus" Murph whispered shakily and for once his brother didn't correct or swat him

"You okay?"

Before either could answer the storage room door was thrown open and a redheaded woman in a long skirt and pretty sweater was there. Behind her was a pretty dark haired woman taller and a slightly cruel set to her eyes.

Connor was damn sure the things sparkling in the dark haired one's ears were real diamonds. A little blonde looking angry and a willowy brown haired girl who was a bit younger than the others was there. All of them dressed far too fine for this part of town, for this hospital they knew all too well. Far too fine for any company Connor and Murphy had ever kept.

A glance at Murph said his twin thought the same. These were women from a world away from theirs. Foreign and a bit frightening.

"She's --"

"Buff, just go get some coffee or something." Xander sighed.

"She--"

"Buffy,"

"Those are they guys she wanted here so bad? What jail did you bust them out of ?"

"Kennedy," the redhead said warningly and then bit her lip. "You're okay right, Xander?"

"Fine."

"You sure."

"Oh good, Xander, you're back. I'm taking the girls back to the hotel for the night. You'll call if...?""

The twins looked at the older man, suit and glasses, respectable. Cultured British accent and well dressed, as out of place in this hospital as the women.

"Nah, wait til morning if it's tonight." Xander shook his head. "No need for everyone to be up. Faith'll want some time anyway."

"Yes, quite."

"Giles, we are not leaving Xander with those tattooed freaky--"

"Buffy!" came from three directions.

"I'll be fine. Faith'll protect me."

"They're not demons, are they?"

"No, they're human."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, neither of them has asked me for a date yet, Buffy" was the bitter retort.

"Good lord, children, must you?"

"Sorry, Giles," was chorused by five voices.

Connor looked at Murphy who looked back and then he didn't dare look again. Neither were sure whether to laugh or run.

"Well, excuse us for worrying about you. You're as helpless as --"

"G-man. Take them to the hotel and feed them lots of chocolate, hot fudge sundaes from room service anything. Just please..."

"Alexander LaVelle Harris!" the redhead eeped.

"XANDER!" was shouted by the blonde and the youngest.

"You've been drinking! I smell beer on you!" the blonde continued huffily.

"I was at a bar."


"You know you shouldn’t' drink! You--"

They watched in amazement as the younger man whom they'd both been impressed by was hen-pecked and nagged and fussed at. Finally the Brit managed to get the women shuffled off down the hall.

"Fuckin' Christ," Connor stared in disbelief.

"Lord's fuckin name," Murphy hit Connor lightly on the back of the head.

Connor automatically crossed himself. "How the fuck do y' put up with that? Y' had one fuckin' beer!"

"I die for any of em." he shrugged. "They mean well. And they're stressed out and it's pms week."

"Fuckin' hell shouldn't talk like that about em!"

"I've been drowning in estrogen since I was fifteen and have put up with scenes like that since I was fifteen. I have been sent out for Tampax after being threatened with a stake, an axe and a sword. I've gotten roped into chaperoning slumber parties for Dawn and listened to more discussions about actors asses than I ever wanted to imagine. I can assure you that hell has several shopping malls. It has to. I've been forced to answer if heels make ankles look fat, give opinions on underwear and shirts, herd a dozen thirteen year old girls on a sugar high through a mall. Gotten stuck being the pack mule for more sales than I want to count. I've earned the right to grumble when they can't hear me. "

"Is Faith like that?"

"Nah, she's -- she doesn't quite get them and is she's--" Xander sighed. "Faith spent a few years on the streets before she was a Slayer. Shit was really screwed up for a while...and things were done all wrong. Faith was defensive, wary. They didn't get it. There's some hard feelings from back then with the girls. They don't have a clue. Which, I'm glad they don't. But Buffy, Dawnnie and Willow came from nice middle class. Buffy and Dawn's mom ran an art gallery. Both Willow's folks are shrinks, do lecture and book tours even. Kennedy is--her dad is in the same tax bracket as Donald Trump and Bill Gates and Oprah. And back then Buff was sixteen, seventeen. Willow was sixteen, Faith was fifteen. They--yeah. Teenage girls class-warfare and jealousy issues. And Faith would go for the proverbial jugular before anyone got close enough to try and reach out to her back then. Faith won't be as scary for you guys promise."

"And you get stuck in the middle?" Connor guessed.

"I get where Faith comes from better than where they do sometimes even if I've known them longer." Xander shrugged. "They've all grown up since then. But...too much stress lately and too many old scars being picked at from all sides."

Connor and Murphy nodded. "Let's get goin 'fore were too late"

"He's--he's skin and bones, he looks really bad," Xander said softly as they reached a room door. "We set the little snot Doogie Howser wannabe straight--he's got all the morphine he can have without it being what kills him. Dumb butt was worried about a pushing eighty year old with terminal cancer ending up an addict. He's as pain free as he can be."

~*~*~

Connor heard Murph's soft gasp. A twin to his own. Doc looked--Sweet Christ!--he looked like something from the pictures of Holocaust survivors.

The young woman at the bedside looked up. Connor reached for his twin's arm as Faith Lehane looked at them.

"Y' got yer da's eyes," Connor said quietly.

"Aye," Murph said roughly.

Connor reached further and rubbed the demons on his brother's back. Murph stiffened in near shock.

Sometimes his brother was an idiot. Roc was a decent looking man, and a good friend, free with hugs and tussles and touches all in innocence but Connor knew the demons there as well. Murph never let on, and Roc would've belted him one if he had, all the same Connor wasn't that fuckin' stupid.

Murph gave a soft rueful snort.

Connor swallowed. Hell, he'd known the teary eyed seven year old with her crooked pigtails sitting on the bar at McGinty's was going to grow up to be a beauty but even so...

"Ccc Fuck...ass" the sound was nothing more than a weak thread, the rattle and rasp of Doc's breathing held more volume than the words.

"Aye, it's us, Doc. Connor and Murphy." Murph said stepping closer to the bed. "We came home."

"Bbbar!"

"Yeah, Uncle Joe. We got the bar closed on yesterday. Bought the building. It's ours. Gonna reopen it. Connor and Murphy have a place with me and Xan there." Faith said quietly.


"Aye, we're back in Boston fer good. We'll do what we can, long as we're able." Connor nodded.


"Ttake care each other."

"We will, Uncle Joe"

Joe McGinty's eyes roved over the three of them a moment. Then beyond them to Xander who nodded and gave his own silent promise to watch over the Slayer and the Saints. Joe's eyes closed as a ghost of a smile tugged over his lips.

Three more hours the only sounds were the rattle and gasp of Doc's breathing until with a final hitch it was over.

~*~*~

Somehow Xander got the three out of the hospital and into a cab. He half sat on Murphy MacManus' lap on the cab ride to the bar, which Faith was determined to christen McGinty's Redemption. McGinty's because that's what it had been when it had been her Uncle's years before. Redemption just because.

Connor had been the one to demand the stop at a liquor store. The cabbie waited, irritatedly with the meter running and Faith and Connor in the cab while Xander and Murphy went in to load up on whiskey.

Whiskey, tears, and laughter, Faith and the twins set out to mark the old man's passing in style in the empty bar, Faith taking out her pain on more than a few hapless tables and a wall as well.

~*~*~

"XANDER!!"

Connor opened his eyes to blinding sunlight and scowling women. And a female form half on top of him. His brother a few feet away flopped against Xander.

"Fuckin' hell, woman!" Murphy groaned.

"You-- you--bad influencing person you stay out of this."

Despite the pounding in his head Connor looked at his twin and the two broke into snickers. "Bad influencing are y', Murph?"

"No fuckin worse'n you, Conn"

"Xander, did you just growl?" the blonde asked. "Are you possessed again?"

"I'm hung over not possessed, Buffy."

"Can I stay with you, Xander, please? I won't talk or anything I swear, please."

Connor watched the glance exchanged between Faith and Xander.


"Heck, yeah, we need us a witch here anyway, Geekboy," Faith said.

"I'm not sure that's the best--"

"G-man, Andrew's a big boy and he might not be in Willow's class, but he's still a hell of a witch."

Connor glanced at the boy looking back and forth between Faith and Xander with begging almost fearful eyes.

"Really, Xander, why must you persist in calling me that dreadful name?"

"Because it never fails to make you sigh and polish your glasses."

The scowling women started giggling.

"We've got an appointment at the funeral home in two hours."

"And every last one of your phones was broken?"

The Brit gave Xander a wry look.

"We had to check on you," the blonde, Buffy, insisted.

"We were worried." the redhead, Willow agreed.

"Okay you checked, go have breakfast or lunch or whatever time it is. I've been showering and dressing myself for years. Andrew can stay if he's gonna be in on McGinty's Redemption he can help us clean up last night's mess"

"That's hardly fair" the Brit scowled.

"I don't mind really!" the kid Andrew said.

"I suppose not." The Brit said dryly. "Let's go, girls. Leave them to their hangovers and Andrew's babbling."

"I can--" Andrew began after the other's left.

"Oh sit down and shut up, Andrew, we made the mess, we'll clean it." Xander groaned as the boy began moving about.

"But--"

"Andrew--"

"Geekboy, SIT!" Faith snarled.

The kid all but fell to the floor. Connor looked at Murphy uncertain if he should be amused or concerned. Murphy gave him a quirked eyebrow-- how the fuck should I know? the eyebrow said clearly.

"Andrew, you want here. You're here. End of the discussion. You're decent enough in a fight and know when to get the hell out of the way. You're decent with the mojo and damn good with the books and the computers. You want to work at the bar--"

"He old enough?" Connor had to ask.

"He's twenty-three, almost twenty-four" Faith snorted.

"He is?" Murphy gaped.

"You want to go part time witch boy and apply to friggin Harvard or some chef school. Go for it. Whatever. Don't care. Just don't do the groveling slave boy routine, please."

"You guys stink."

Faith laughed. "Awe, there's hope for Geekboy to actually grow a pair yet."

"Aye, if we're around to teach the wee lad," Connor grinned.

"Poor kid be scarred for life by anything you'd teach him" Murphy snorted.

"An' he wouldn't by you," Connor teased and regretted it as Murph moved arranging his coat around on his lap and grabbing his cigarettes and lighter from the pocket. Shit. Shit he was a fuckin' idiot.

"Did we miss something, Boy Toy?" Faith frowned in Xander's direction.

Murphy's posture tensed further. Fuckin' hell.

"Freaky twin shit" Xander shrugged. Connor could have kissed him for the casual passing over of Murph's obvious distress. No, not casual, just making it clear they weren't going to poke at that subject, not even going to ask what the subject was.

"Mmm," Faith stretched and tilted her neck until it cracked. "Damn, I need coffee."


Andrew made a face. "Is it groveling slave boy if I offer to go get coffee?"

"No, we'll grovel if you go get coffee,"

"I'll be back."

"Andrew's got his problems but he's a good guy. Just don't hit him. Ever. He's--Tucker was a fucking psychopath. Andrew's still got issues from Tucker and then Warren and Jonathan and the shit from the First."

"Huh?"

"Seriously not even joking around, back slapping, just fun rough housing--just don't with Andrew, least not for a while."


"Tucker?" Faith frowned. "I should know that..."

"His brother Tucker. Hellhounds at the prom."

"OH shit." Faith nodded. "Yeah heard about that one."

"The fuck?" Murphy turned to look at Xander.

"The town that me, Andrew, and Willow were born and raised in--Sunnydale California was home to La Boca Del Infierno"

"The mouth of hell?"

"Hellmouths are mystical energy convergences where dimensional barriers are thin. Easy to punch through and get out of hell there. Hellmouths' are also the biggest demon tourist attraction there is. Anyway. Tucker had some mojo too. Theirs runs in their family. Tucker was Andrew's older brother. He was in me, Willow and Buffy's class. Andrew was the year behind us. Tucker was a psychopath even without hellmouths and magic. The kind of little sicko that was killing small pets as a kid and er, watch the cigarettes kinda stay a couple or three feet back from Andrew for a couple weeks with em."

"Smoke bother him?"

"No. Tucker would tackle him and put out his butts on Andrew's stomach. Like I said Tucker was a sick bastard. Anyway, Tucker managed to summon some hellhound puppies and raise and train them in the basement. Trained them to attack and kill people in formal wear. Set them loose at the prom my senior year. Some justice Tucker was eaten by one of his own damn hellhounds but Andrew saw that. He saw his friend Warren skinned alive by a spell.. and he is the one that killed Jonathan while he was being controlled by The First Evil, but even if Andrew was pretty well helpless and all but kicked out of his own body at the time he saw it, felt it...He's got issues with cigarettes and guns and people he doesn't know being too touchy right off the bat. Just give him a little bit. Let him get used to ya and not a whole lot of roughhousing but..."

"Aye" Murphy nodded. "He's lucky to have ye for a brother now."

"Hey, I need all the testosterone around I can get, even such as Andrew," Xander grinned.


"Ain't that the fuckin truth." Connor muttered under his breath.

"X-man--I--fuck it I don't have a dress for the funeral."

"We'll get you one tonight. The five of us can go. Me you, the twins and Andrew. Between us we'll find something decent. I don't have anything that the girls will let me get away with wearing and you two need at least jeans without holes."

"Nope, they need something like what you're getting."

Xander nodded.

"Hey now."

"Dress pants, dress shoes, and a sweater." Xander said.

"Buffy and Willow will be all over my ass for that shit," Faith frowned.

"Andrew will be in the same, I bet anything Angel will be at the whatchacallit tomorrow night."

"Rosary Xan"

"Rosary. And you know what Spike will be wearing."

Faith snorted.

"I'll put the bug in Giles ear to dress it down too. The girls--well, they'll do what they're gonna do."

Faith nodded.

"What will Spike be wearing?" Murph asked.

"Docs, black jeans, black t-shirt, maybe a red button down open over the black t-shirt and a black leather duster. I've never seen him in anything but."

"Bermudas and a Hawaiian print shirt."

"No way!"

"When Giles made me keep him after he got chipped."

"Oh god you had some bad clothes."

"It was all I could afford, the twenty-five cent rack from the Goodwill. You wouldn't believe the clothes I went through with helping with the slayage and ruined with demon slime and crap." Xander snorted.

"They were still bad"

Xander stuck his tongue out at her.

Connor shifted around Faith to sit next to Murph on the pretense of bumming a cigarette from his twin. He made sure his hand rubbed over the demons in apology. The way his brother had rearranged his coat, it was fuckin' obvious what waking up half on half entangled with Xander had done to him, and how close to the surface those demons were a-tauntin' now.

"So what do we need to do to get you guys completely legal free and clear? You got green cards? Or citizenship?"

"Citizenship"

"Are you wanted?"

"Smecker's helped us. Don' think they got anything they can use to really pin us. The only eyewitness incident was seven years ago."

"Okay but they'd have descriptions and sketches somewhere. Need to get rid of those. And the names of the people they got them from. Andrew can do that. Most of it would be on computers and we can rig up a summoning and burn any paper trail."

"X-man?"

"Saints of Retribution." Xander smiled.

"Huh?" Faith gaped, understanding the reference but not quite believing that the twins were those MacManuses.

"They just got done with their vision-mission family inheritance." Xander nodded.


"Willow--"

"No. I don't want the girls and Giles--it's their business, Faith. They don't need Giles going all scholar and questioning and the girls wigging."

"Geekboy gonna wig?" Faith asked worriedly.

"He'll get over it. Andrew's more resilient than even I give him credit for most of the time. He grew up with Tucker and is still sane, that tells ya something right there. And if the family vision inheritance being over is explained he'll be okay. He might be a bit jumpy cause--hell we got the Saints of Retribution in our midst and we're not the squeaky clean ones. Andrew's doing his own redemption shtick. That's his business. He's a good kid. Was fucked up, screwed up royally and is making up for it. Faith's done her time. I live with my mistakes."

Connor rubbed Murph's demons once again.

"No one's perfect, Connor just thinks he is," Murph said trying to lighten the look in Xander's eye, as well as accepting the apology from Connor, accepting it was a missaid word at the wrong time nothing more.

"Bastard," Connor grabbed his brother in a headlock and scrubbed his knuckles over Murphy's head.

Connor didn't miss the raised eyebrow of Faith's or the shrug of Xander's. Wondering what was the shift between the twins and what did it matter in answer.

"So you've been gone for seven years and I've been gone for twelve." Faith said guiltily.


"Ey, we visited, an' we called as we could. No answer the last time we called an we couldn't get back... We had to see Il Duce buried an' "

"Whoa, I remember Pop talking about that guy once..."

"Il Duce was our da."

Faith stretched again. "I'm gonna hit the shower. Save me coffee."

Xander nodded.

Faith was back almost as soon as she left. "We gotta get--"

"I already got it. We need to take it with us later. First floor upstairs in the bigger bedroom closet. Simple charcoal gray, plain white shirt, blue whatevery tie. Dawn thought the tie was pretty."

It was the word tie that clued the twins in what Faith was on about. A suit to bury Doc in.

"Little D's got taste. Simple classy." Faith nodded with a ragged breath. "You're good at this..."

"Done it too many times." Xander said simply. "Go get showered."

She nodded grimly and left again.

~*~*~

Murphy was rattled and feeling more than a little raw, not to mention the fact he still wasn't sure he was going to be able to walk for a bit yet. He was fuckin' sick definitely going to burn in hell.

Connor leaned close again and his hand was warm and heavy on the demons. Murphy wanted to curl into his brother and cling for a minute but didn't all too aware of the presence of Xander.

"You're not Catholic?"

"My parents worshipped the trinity of Budweiser, Jack Daniels and Smirnoff. With the occasional devotion to Cuervo" Xander shrugged. "Only time I've gone to church really was for funerals."

Murphy eyed the little exquisitely carved, though simple wooden cross dangling from the strip of leather. "So that's for show?" Neither one of them liked crosses brandished about like nothing more than trendy decoration.

"No we all wear them. Crosses do work against vampires. All Holy Objects do really but crosses are the most common--well used."

The twins nodded. Murphy could live with that he supposed. At least it was worn with the thought of Holiness if not devotion, that was okay then he supposed.

"Willow was born Jewish and is a practicing Wiccan. She wears a gold cross on a thin chain. Andrew, Dawn and Faith have ones like this. Bit longer ropes on theirs so they're hidden away but they've got almost the same."

"The marks?" Murphy prompted squinting at the little designs he'd noticed the night before.

"Runes. Mine reads Defender. Faith insisted on that. Hers reads Redemption. Andrew's Wisdom. Dawn's Light."

"It's beautiful. Never seen anythin' quite like it." Connor said, a bit of awe in his voice. Murphy swallowed. Defender, like his name. Warrior like Connor had pronounced him in the dive of a bar in Los Angeles the night before.

"Faith wants the bar open again the week before St. Pats and have a blow out for that."

Murphy liked the sound of that. "St. Paddy's just in time for our birthday! Doc always loved St. Paddy's. We had some fine ones here."

"Y' an' Faith are pretty close?" Connor asked.

"Guys, Faith and I are not together and will never be together."

"Aye, heart-sister y' called her but--"

"Robin was killed about a year after Sunnydale went."


"Robin"


"Sunnydale?"

"Little town in California that was swallowed by the sinkhole going on four years ago?"


"Aye."

"That was the apocalypse that shook the Slayer--Chosen One thing up but...Robin and Faith hooked up during that Apocalypse. I never really thought much of him he was a decent guy, just...Robin's mom was a Slayer, one of the best, and one of the few that ever had a kid or lived past sixteen. He saw her get killed, he was probably 4 or 5 and her Watcher raised him. Good fighter, good man, all about the cause of keeping the world safe from demons and that. Had the imagination of a box of rocks, very by the books when it came to fighting, to dealing with the weird. Basically he thought I was an idiot who took nothing serious and couldn't find my ass with both hands and a flashlight, I thought he needed to remove the stake from his ass and realize there was more than black and white. Don't get me wrong, he was a good guy. We just liked each other better if we didn't have to be in the same room. He went by the book and planned everything to death, I wing it on instinct. We'd drive each other nuts when we had to fight together. Which is why we were almost always in separate groups cause it just didn't work to let us near each other. And he thought I'd try and get Faith from him or something I think. Which was another bit of stupidity. He loved her a lot, and things were still new and started in the middle of an Apocalypse for Pete’s sake so he was a bit shaky on her maybe not caring as much as he did especially when she was coming out of a really bad place just before then. She's got an interesting track record. She's lived pretty rough...He was being an idiot but you couldn't quite blame him either for being a bit insecure."

"Aye" Connor prompted.

"He never had any reason to specifically get jealous of me, just the only other two guys around much were Giles and Andrew."

Murphy grinned. "Aye,"

"Anyway, after Sunnydale went and we were all patched up and recovered what we could, we went to Cleveland."

"Cleveland?"

"What the fuck is in Cleveland?"

"Hellmouth. Sunnydale's Hellmouth being destroyed kicked that one up a notch in activity. Eventually I ended up in Africa, looking for the Slayers there. Buffy tried retirement for a while in Rome, bent on being normal since there were other Slayers and trying to have normal for Dawnnie."

The twins nodded.

"Willow, Kennedy and Giles ended up in England. Buffy and Dawn are there now. Dawn's going to Oxford. Buffy does a lot of traveling and training with several Slayer groups we've pieced together, the old Watcher's Council have to be rolling in their graves--the Apocalypse that wiped out Sunnydale pretty much wiped out the Old Council too. Giles is in charge of the Council now and at one point he was fired for so much rule breaking and inappropriate behavior like letting his Slayer have a night off for a date and letting his Slayer's friends help...not that we would have listened if he sent us home we'd've just gone and helped anyway and probably be dead."

The twins both made little movements for him to continue.

"Faith and Robin took charge of the ones that stayed in Cleveland. Vi and Rona are there now. Willow and Kennedy split their time between the Council headquarters in Devonshire and Cleveland. Depending on what's what and where they're needed more. Faith ended up in Africa with me after Robin died. Giles sent her there because he really didn't know what else to do with her. Sent Andrew as well because Andrew was driving him nuts. Andrew was there for about 5 months. Dawn came and spent a couple weeks of school vacation. Both of them went back to England. Faith's been with me since."

"So...y' don't have yourself a girl?" Connor asked.

Murphy made a mental note to beat his brother later. Fuckin' hell. What the fuck was Connor thinking? Connor wasn't thinking he was--fuckin' hell. He needed to get his own head together...fuck. Never slept next to anyone, half on anyone but Connor, and damn Connor knew but..

"Faith and I get each other cause we've both been there. Whatever prayin you intend to do for my soul or whatever fine, but spare me the lecturing. Jesse and I'd still be together if I hadn't had to dust him. Hell he came back for me wanted to turn me together for ever. Watched him crumble to dust on the stake I was holding. He was sixteen I was fifteen but yeah, we'd still be together if we were both alive, or both undead. Anya and I were together almost three years, almost got married, split up, kinda working at getting back together quiet like because the girls well...anyway--Anya didn't make it out of Sunnydale when it went. Faith at least got to bury Robin. Jesse's ashes just got swept up and scattered in the middle of the mess that happened in. Anya," Xander gave a little shake of his head. "We barely got out alive, barely got our injured out, didn't have the chance to grab our dead to take with us when the town went. Had to get the little Slayers out most of them were just fourteen fifteen then..."

Definitely going to beat Connor. Fuckin' hell. But sure enough Murphy heard his brother ask in that confused sort of 'what the fuck' voice of his "So ye..."

"Swing both ways yeah. And if you have a problem deal, Faith wants you here. Only reason I said anything is I don't feel like getting the shit beat out of me if it accidentally came out somehow later."

Connor squeezed Murphy's shoulder.

Murphy was going to beat his brother bloody the first chance he got.

~*~*~

The twins stayed close to one another through the day, perhaps a bit closer than usual if that was possible. The group of women that became "The Sisters" in their minds weren't quite as bad as they'd seemed first off, though they seemed inclined to treat Xander and Andrew as mindless children. Andrew just took it. Xander gave them a line and a bit of whatfor when they crossed it.

There were two other men--Angel and Spike, who were dressed pretty much as Xander predicted--and a woman called Illyria decked out in leather and blue in her hair.

Xander had been the one picking the clothes for them all when they hurriedly made the stop for something decent to wear. Connor and Murph found themselves set up with black loafers, black trousers and dark charcoal gray sweaters. Xander himself had almost the exact outfit though his sweater was a very dark green and Andrew's a navy blue. Faith had a demure black dress that went to the middle of her calf, simple and modest but stunning. She hemmed and hawed and grumbled she knew more about knives than dresses damn it. Xander insisted it was being bought, as well as the little black shoes to match.

When the funeral director asked about family seating looking at the group of them it had been Xander who spoke up the family pew would be taken by Connor, Murphy, Faith, Andrew and himself. Then probably Giles and the Sisters. Angel Spike and Illyria were leaving town before the funeral or some such.

The twins merely nodded when informed they were pallbearers along with Xander and Andrew.

Their new clothes were taken off and carefully laid out for the next morning after the rosary. That night they had an air mattress in one of the rooms above McGinty's to share. The sorting out of who was going to actually end up wear and furniture would wait til after...

"Can't believe we're back,"

"Can't believe Doc's gone," Murphy agreed as he lit a cigarette.

Connor sat next to him and took the pack Murphy handed him. "What are you thinking?"

"About what?" Murphy frowned. Connor's mind had been so fuckin' rabbity here and there all day, thinking in circles, Murphy honestly wasn't sure what his brother was getting at just then.

"About stayin on around here?"

"We promised Doc" Murph said.

"Aye, but--"

"But fuckin' what?"

"We ain't e'en able to pay for our fuckin' clothes for the funeral--"

"Aye, but Xander will let us pay him back when we can."

"And the makin' sure we're completely in the clear? That we can just--"

Murphy took a deep drag on his cigarette, then shrugged, his shoulder bumping harder than necessary against his brother. "We'll do what it takes. We've promises to keep."

"Aye," Connor nodded.

"We'll settle tomorrow after..." it didn't set well with him either. The fact they were going to be so in debt to a virtual stranger.

"Aye," Connor agreed.

~*~*~

"Xan, Kelli invited us to supper--"

Xander shook his head, with a patient smile at the wide eyed Kelli who Faith had talked to the night before. She'd gone to school with her when they were ten or so. "You and Andrew go ahead."

Faith made a little frown. Xander hugged her and murmured something in her ear.

She kissed Xander's cheek, then Connor's and Murphy's in turn. "See you three at home."

Xander smiled at her encouragingly. Kelli had cracked Faith's together-act a bit the night before. Maybe a good cry with an old friend would help. Andrew would at least call if she got out of hand or fell too far apart. That and it gave her reason to keep her distance from the rest of the girls. Not that he expected the others around. Giles had said their flight left later that night but Buffy had made a comment on how together Faith was earlier before the service. Faith had nearly went postal on Buffy because of that. Xander had quietly pointed out Buffy didn't let people see her cry or weak very often either. He'd deliver Buffy's apology to Faith when she was able to hear it in a couple days. Buffy didn't do well with funerals. It brought back Joyce's vividly. Buffy hadn't meant the words the way they came out but...no emotionally upset and/or fragile slayers with PMS in the same place was not a good thing.

"C'mon, Andrew," she grabbed the boy by the arm and went with her old friend.

The last of the mourners had finally left the church basement where the coffee after the burial had been held.

"Father Brennan, the service was--was really fine." Connor offered as the priest came up to them.

"Yeah, it was," Xander said. "Wish I would have known him before."

"Doc would have loved y'" Murphy said sincerely. "Even without how y' care f'r Faith an' Andrew."

"It's been a long time since I've seen you two here."

"We've been away. Home now" Connor said uncomfortably.

"We'll be seeing you in Mass regularly?"

"Aye" Connor and Murphy agreed, there was absolutely no question about their attendance of Mass.

"Probably not me. Not Catholic so not at Mass at least. Don't know about Faith, and really doubt Andrew will show up. He doesn't like churches. He's like me, about the only time he's gone to church is funerals. I like the quiet and the statues to think though, so you might find me sitting here sometime if you don't mind."

"Faith made her First Communion here. I remember that mass, I hope she finds her way back to regular attendance." the priest smiled. "And you're welcome to come think."

"Aye, should have seen her. Roc was bustin at the seams she looked so pretty in her little white dress." Connor smiled.

"Prettiest one of the lot." Murphy agreed.

Father Brennan frowned for a moment. "You did sit with Joe that day. One of your rare attendances for the full Mass."

"Usually had to get to work," Connor defended their actions.

Father Brennan smiled. "I know, though I must say if it wasn't for your tattoos I might not have recognized the two of you."


~*~*~

Connor and Murphy looked at each other as they lit their cigarettes.

"You mind if we flop in one of the rooms til--"

"Uh hello guys, case you haven't noticed. You've been adopted. Faith will track you down and kick your butts if you take off, especially now. She's hurting having something connected to what little good she had in her past is what she needs."

"What do we owe y'--"

"Well, for the clothes nothing but you can pay it back if you want. I'll give you the receipt even if you really have to do that. Andrew will get on the clean up tomorrow. That--that's our job anyway. So don't worry about it."

"It ain't yer fuckin job to cover our arses."

"No, it's our job to take care of weird and protect those involved in the weird--holy visions and missions fall into the weird."

"Nice try," Connor snorted.

"Help us get the bar ready to reopen and we'll call it square on that. We're aiming for March tenth, with a big blow out for St. Patrick's like I said. This includes a furnished room--and the furniture will be yours cause there's plenty of work you'll earn it."

They glared.

Xander sighed. "I'm just doin' my job. I fix things. I'm fixing what I can for Faith. And it just so happens if fixes things for you two, too. We do need the help getting the bar going. Cause, well, Faith'll work but she doesn't have the patience to do some of the more repetitious and delicate stuff. Andrew doesn't have the strength or the attention span, and no matter what my girls think I am not an idiot or a miracle worker."

"But you can't afford t'--"

"I was Anya and Halfrek's beneficiary. Halfrek was Ahn's best friend. She didn't have family, neither did Ahn. Hallie had Ahn listed as first and then since I was the one who got Ahn's stuff...Faith was taken in by a guy named Wilkins. Psycho evil scum but he treated her like a daughter for a little bit and left her a fortune. Either one of us could buy and sell Kennedy's dad a dozen times over. We could spend millions a day for the rest of our lives, do didly and never spend it all. Honest. Neither of us ever wanted any of it, and we're not sure what we're doing with any of it. Faith wanted the bar--we bought the block. She wanted to come home and do something here. I had nothing else to do and I was sick of landing in the middle of civil wars and sleeping on dirt worried about wild animals and snakes I got the first three I trained in Africa running the show there now. If Giles needs me all he's gotta do is pick up the phone. We're going to have some slayers from time to time. The ones that are trouble or broken somehow. Cause good old Xander will fix em. I ain't trying to step in and run your guys lives, just--options I guess, and I'm used to just doing, taking care of all the little details the others are to busy to notice. You two notice."

"You trying to tell us you're rich?"

Xander shrugged.

Connor looked at Murphy, Murphy looked back. They knew where Faith came from. Nothing about Xander or Andrew was--Kennedy was from money, it was in every move the girl made, in the clothes she wore without a care. It was obvious that the other three Sisters--Buffy, Dawn, and Willow--came from well enough to do. They'd seen hard times, seen their share of heartbreak but it was in their words, in the way they moved, the way they carried themselves, they'd been born to better than the MacManus twins had ever known.

Only once in their years had the twins known any kindness offered by a virtual stranger, when Joe "Doc" McGinty had literally stumbled across them in an alley where they'd slept for their first night in America. Doc'd taken them home and kept them for their first three months in the states. Doc had known Mike at the slaughterhouse who had given them their jobs. Doc had known the fellow who had known of the empty flop that they could have, it had electricity and running water and there was some heat that went in the building, not much but some. Better than nothing, that had been their home for a full decade before they'd crossed the Russians in the bar and received their calling.

"We--"

"C'mon, lets grab something to eat and some beer and you guys can think about it."

The twins exchanged a look. "We promised Doc, til the bar opens at least."