Realistic or Modern A Family Affair: The Irish Mob - IC (Ended)

[neverbackdown]

Alexandra Romano​

Alexandra watched as Conor took a seat closer to the bed and remained quiet as he briefly told her about her history. Her mouth opened in shock a few times as she listened to the unspeakable horrors her family had done to Conor’s. She bit her lip as she came to terms with her history but yet no memory of this time came back to her , it sounded familiar but more like a bed-time story she had been told as a child rather than a past she had lived through.

She didn’t even know where to start or what to ask about what he had told her. Her mind racing with all this new-found knowledge of a life she once had. She remained quiet for a few moments as she tried to come to grips with this.

“Like a modern day Romeo and Juliet” she muttered slightly amused by this statement, only Alex wouldn’t realize that she had once used this line on Conor when they lived in Chicago. “And your family are clearly ok with me?” She asked still slightly confused by the entire scenario. She assumed they were if she was here in Ireland but she still couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t have fled with her remaining siblings to Italy, unless she fell pregnant before her family were killed. The time line was fuzzy to her as she tried to put the pieces together “so Michelle is 10?” She asked in an uncertain tone

Misty Gray

​

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor couldn't help but smile at Alex's Romeo and Juliet comment. "Are you sure you don't remember anything? That's what you called us way back then too," he lightly informed her. All things considering, she seemed to take the revelations well and wasn't yelling at him to get out, so that was reassuring. "Yeah, my family is alright with you now. You and Shelly are living with us for the time-being too." He knew sugar-coating things would only lead to trouble later down the road, so decided to be as honest as he could. "My mam still isn't overly keen on you, to be honest. It's nothing you did yourself, but she's a very fiery lady and she holds grudges, with this grudge extending to you because of your old man. And, um, my cousin Arlene and my friend Ryan only just found out about our relationship too, so they still need some time too," he admitted. "Michelle is 10. I didn't even know about her until a couple of months ago. When our war was put to an end back in Chicago, my sister and I helped you escape the city. You and me didn't see each other again until two months ago," he told her.

Conor rested his elbows on the side of Alex's bed and looked her in the eyes, with a sad smile visible on his face. "I only just got you back. If I find the dumb fucks who did this to you..." He stopped himself and took a deep breath. "I feel like I only just got you back and now I'm losing you again. I hope you remember me and Shelly soon."



neverbackdown (Alex, Michelle)

Sinead and Savannah Callahan​

When Sinead entered the lounge, she was relieved to discover the children's raised voices were only ones of excitement as Skye had joined them in the house. The nanny could see Sinead's exhaustion so offered to get the two youngest ready for bed, knowing Savannah was allowed to stay up a little later as she was older. After getting a quick update on Syd's whereabouts and Delilah's state, Skye happily took Braden and Emery back to the Callahans' house to get them ready for bed. This allowed Sinead to fall back into the sofa and control her rapid heartbeat which had been triggered by her anxieties. Soon enough, the affectionate young Savannah curled up next to her mother and rest her head on her shoulder whilst wrapping her arms around her waist.

"You're so sweet, my little princess," Sinead softly praised her daughter. She knew they often had their little arguments and Savannah wasn't innocent when it came to the siblings fighting, but she loved her no less. Like herself, Savannah loved hugs and affection. "You're growing up too fast, baby. Promise me you won't ever get too old to hug your mummy?" Sinead gently played with the girl's long blonde hair as she took advantage of their peaceful moment.

"Um, I love hugs, so that's never going to happen. But you're my mum, not my mummy. Only babies say mummy," she pointed out, evoking a scoff from her mother. Savannah smiled as she enjoyed having her hair played with. "It's December already and we haven't decorated the house for Christmas yet. Please can we do it soon?" she asked, turning her head and looking up to Sinead with her eyes wide open.

"Oh dear... I guess I've been too sick to think about that yet," Sinead sadly admitted. "We'll do it next week, okay? I should have all of my energy back next week and your dad will want to be there too. Family tradition and all. And we can ask your grandma and Michelle if they want to help. Skye is definitely helping because she's so creative and makes the cutest snowflake decorations." Sinead had to admit, mentioning Christmas had managed to cheer her up. After the pain everyone had endured recently, they needed some festive cheer.

"Oooh. Ooooh. And will dad take me, Brady and Emmy shopping? I want to find a present for you, mum," Savannah excitedly asked.

"Hmm, well it's a present for me, so that's definitely happening," she sarcastically replied. "I'll kick your dad's butt if it doesn't," she playfully joked. Her smile faltered as she glanced to the clock and couldn't help but wonder what kind of job James was having her husband do tonight.

Mention: Bellz (LOL!)

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan​

Peter’s hand hesitated as the officer warned him not to grab another bar, he hung with one arm looking above him at his only way to freedom. He licked his lips nervously as he let his head hang down to look at the foaming dogs below, the cool barrel of a gun pressed against his back. The officer calmly ordered him to get down from the ladder and Peter hesitated once more in his actions. He stayed still, hanging on the ladder a long moment before he let his hand slip from the medal step. Falling, he bended his knees to land on his feet steadily. "Alright, Alright." He said slowly, continuing to look at the brick wall in front of him, not daring to turn around and face the police. Raising his hands up slowly, he reached up over his head and rested them behind his neck. His head turned to look all around him, looking for any final escape. He would have tried any which way to escape, if there hadn’t been a gun pointed at his back. Allowing the officers to restrain him, Peter once again let his head hang low as he thought about all the people he would be letting down with his arrest. Surely this wasn’t going to be good for James, if he had gotten away from the police without them finding Gary’s body in the trunk. Jackson had been the one to tell him to run but what if he hadn’t gotten away, Peter hoped that he wouldn’t see him at the jail. Feeling the cold metal handcuffs around his wrists, he knew it was all over.

Jail time was something that would be very new to Peter, he wasn’t one to normally get caught. He wondered what his wife would think of all of this, he couldn’t help but feel like he had let her down the most in the end. It was nearing Christmas, it was meant to be the most wonderful time of the year, he should be shopping for gifts to shower his family with and instead, here he was, about to make a trip into a cop car down to the station for booking. She would be furious; Peter could put money down on that reaction from his wife. He was putting her in a position where she would have to explain to their children what he had done wrong implying that he might be a bad guy. Swallowing hard, Peter didn’t have any fight left in him. He was caught and there was nothing more he could do to stop it. Knowing that if he fought anymore it would only prove worse for his sentence, Peter listened to the officers as they spoke orders at him.


With: Officers Enzyme
Mentions:

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter​

Theatre​

Lucy could see the distain in Arlene’s eyes as she silently and respectfully listened to her words. Hearing that Lucy had blown her cousins cover was more relieving than upsetting to her, it made it easier for Arlene to stay out of it, which James had made clear. Lucy nodded her head along as her cousin went on to say that she could have made progress with the plan she had, especially with Grace, who seemed to be the weakest link in the Armstrong family chain. ”Well in a way, you are helping. You’ve been a wonderful help to me the past few days, not to mention the rest of the family appreciates your presents. Sometimes, its best to stay out of the way.” Lucy murmured to Arlene before turning to move away from the cigarette smoke, finding it all too tempting for her at the moment. Pursing her lips, she wanted to help Arlene get back out there. ”Tell you what, you humor me tonight by indulging in my cravings and I’ll talk to James about giving you a chance.” Lucy looked briefly to Arlene, giving her a light shrug. ”I’m sure something can be worked out to where he will let up and let you help, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to.” She stood by her husband’s decisions till the end but she would be the first one to question them as well. She was sure he had excellent points for why Arlene wasn’t allowed to carry on with her plan and Lucy could see the damage it could cause if she tried to manipulate the Armstrong children in some way.


The blonde’s stomach growled then and she twisted her face in a displeased manner. Opening the car door, she moved to sit down in the seat while the two finished smoking. Waving her hand to keep the smoke from her face, she sighed thinking back to how Quinn reacted to her being present. ”As much as I would want to get back at them…for what happened with Delilah…I can’t find it in my heart to ever involve children into such feuds.” Lucy knew that others thought differently but she would stick by her beliefs that it was wrong to have them involved. After what happened with Delilah, she was sure she was one of the only people to still have such an opinion.



With: Arlene Misty Gray

 

[Enzyme]

Jackson McCarthy​

Jackson watched as Mallory protested, pointing out the obvious in his current state. As much as he cared for her, he was too exhausted to argue. The thought that she was genuinely concerned for his health was touching, even if a bit of Lucy was rubbing off on her, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. "I'm fine," Jackson flatly said as he eyed the building he'd soon be forced to scale. He could feel her staring at him, whether she believed him or not. He slightly tilted his head to her when she inevitably asked what he was doing. "Work." He knew his answer wouldn't quench her curiosity, but there wasn't much more to it. At this point, the less she knew, the better.

Letting out a pent-up sigh, he rested his hands on his hips. "I've never babied you, Mal', always treated you like an adult, but you need to go." He knew how much Mallory hated to be patronized, but he refused to let her rebellious nature get her caught up in this mess. "I'll be okay; I can take care of myself," he reassured her.

The sounds of men marching and dogs snarling caused Jackson's head to perk up. Great. He looked to Mallory, hoping she would immediately understand the severity of what was to come. He started to move towards the brick, knowing the Gardai would only be targeting one of them. He raised his finger to her as he picked up his pace. "Go, before you no longer have a choice." He then turned towards the wall in front of him.

Jumping up to the low apartment level for something to grab, his fingers caught a protruding windowsill. He let out a loud grunt as he pulled up the entirety of his weight. He could now hear the men, who's voiced seemed to boom from directly below him. "Come down, immediately!" They ordered him. Yeah, right. He turned over on the thin windowsill and faced the hovering fire-escape. After swinging his arms back and forth, he leapt to the sleek bars. The metal clanged against the brick as he dangled from the ladder. With no time to spare, and with the help of the Gardai's flashlights, he scaled the escape until he made it to the roof.

neverbackdown (Mallory)

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

He was a little surprised when the first Gardai Zephyr passed by but it only showed as a slightly raised eyebrow. Ryan pulled the slide back of his pistol a smidge to confirm that it was a round was indeed chambered. Along with the seven in the magazine, he made sure to mentally note his total count. His attention was drawn back to the front of them when a light shone on the building to their left and raced towards them along its side, giving only a second of warning. It was enough for Ryan to refocus, his adrenaline had already started pumping when the Garda picked up their scent hardly a couple minutes ago. The alley was narrow as one would be barely able to fit a garbage can on either side of the idling Imperial. The Zephyr obviously had more breathing room even though the car only pulled into the alley just enough in an attempt to blockade it.

Ryan didn't initially look at James when he expressed concern at their predicament, his eyes locked hungrily on the Garda vehicle, his mind racing to log as much info as possible. The intensity of the stare only faded as the headlights of the Zephyr suddenly increased its brightness to try and blind them. Ryan could still see the light glowing through his eyelids after he reflexively closed them to protect his sight. He turned to James before opening his eyes and let a rather smug grin spread across his face, the realization came to him that this was his first actual job with James. Ryan had worked on cars for the Mob when he was younger, but he was never more than a grease monkey then. There was the Casino incident, but that hardly counted in his mind. While James might of heard of a few of Ryan's endeavors, it was likely in passing and hearsay. The prospect of showing what he was capable of only added an excited and dangerous glint in his eye.

While the bright light provided a decent shroud, the passing of traffic behind them gave away the silhouette of the car with its now open doors. The Gardai voice demanding their surrender was only met with a Ryan flipping on the Imperial's own brights. This was followed by a quick volley of gunfire from Ryan as he roughly aimed at the two shining orb before them. The combination of his own sudden lights blinding the officers with the three rounds that followed afterwards was one of Ryan's shock and awe tactics that he employed in his time as an Enforcer. One of Gardai immediately caved and ducked behind the dash for cover as the side view mirror next to him exploded while the other, being a bit more grizzled, didn't completely fold even when a bullet punctured through the laminated windshield and the driver's seat behind it. The third bullet punched through the radiator, ricocheted off the engine block, and into the cobbled road below.

Though the veteran officer had stood his ground, the sudden assault on his senses had loosened his trigger discipline and he fired a round reactively as he flinched, sending it much lower than what was initially aimed for. It, instead of burying itself in the ground, caught a stone at an angle and skipped into the rather thick chrome lined steel bumper of the Imperial. While Ryan did hear the dull ring of metal being stuck, he barely acknowledged it over the realization of return fire. It wasn't something he was expecting, but Ryan didn't freeze like the officer did after the man suddenly felt the recoil of his revolver go off. The Imperial roared angrily as though it took offense to being struck when Ryan slammed the pedal to the floor, while he hadn't expected the Gardai to be armed, he didn't let it deviate him from the plan that had etched itself in his mind.

The officer had recovered from the sudden shock of his handgun going off and leveled it at the Imperial, now approaching at an alarming speed, his brain not registering the threat until after the officer cocked the hammer back and let loose another hunk of lead at the vehicle. He quickly realized that the bullet he fired was going to do nothing to stop the well over two tons of steel accelerating towards him, his partner, and the vehicle they were using for cover. Ryan barely flinched as the the officer's last round clipped the edge of the car frame that held the windshield in place and tumbled off at a slight angle and nicked his left shoulder before lodging itself in his seat. He could feel the sudden heat of the friction as the round tore a small chunk out of him, sure to add another scar to his collection, but the adrenaline numbed the sensation and his focus remained on the task at hand.

Ryan's carried on with his intent and the impact was harsh. While Ryan, James, and definitely Gary felt some of the recoil of the Imperial smashing into the Gardai Zephyr, the Gardai were met with a much harsher force. While it was obvious that James' Imperial was a little bigger than the Zephyr, Ryan was very much aware of the massive weight difference due to automobiles being a focus of his passion. He couldn't remember the exact weights, he knew that the '57 Imperial weighed about a ton more than the Zephyr it had just collided with. This meant that while there would be some resistance, the Gardai could do little to stop the behemoth that was now propelled by the monstrous V8 engine. The force of the impact shoved the Zephyr backwards quite aways but it wasn't enough to clear the way and this wasn't helped by a car clipping the back end of the Zephyr that was now suddenly in its path.

While Ryan's path on to the road was blocked by the now escalating car accident, that was starting to block traffic as well, the weather had left the sidewalks rather empty. Turning the opposite direction of the patrol car that had initially passed by them, he sped down the mostly vacant walkway, having to honk a few times to clear the way before returning to the road at the next intersection. With a car accident in the way and now out of sight, Ryan hoped their their luck would hold as he made a few extra turns while he rerouted his path on the map that had come back into his mind's eye. Their run-in with the patrol cars, while inconvenient, didn't do much to ruffle his feathers as he turned to James, his smugness apparent. "Sorry about the delay, sir. Just needed to introduce the locals to some American driving."

Overall, Ryan and James had not been delayed much, time-wise, and their luck held out as they reached the butcher shop unaccosted. After pulling into the alleyway that led to the rear entrance, Ryan stopped the grumbling Imperial as close to the door as possible, the area being dimly lit by the residual light bleeding from the insides of the surrounding buildings. A myriad of thoughts were running through his head, but he pushed them to the back of his mind as he put the parking brake on. Retrieving his M1911 that he dropped during their earlier collision from the floor, he pulled the slide back slightly to confirm that it had a round primed. This was quickly followed by him releasing the magazine to check the count and after a split second of contemplation, Ryan swapped the magazine with a fresh one from the holster opposite of the one that he returned the handgun to.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at James as a pressing matter emerged from the thoughts that were bouncing around in the background of his head. "You know, since we stepped on their tail, the blue boys are going to looking for this car." The faint sound of sirens whining through the dreary evening seemed to press the point. "Now, I'll be back in a bit but I think it would be best if I ditched the car a few blocks off." Ryan lazily jerked his thumb towards the trunk and its content to his press next point. "Last thing we need is for our 'interview' to be interrupted. We already kicked the dog, might as well make sure we get the bone." A slight smile was accompanied by hard eyes as he thought about Peter and Jackson. He hoped they were able to lose their own heat, but if they didn't, it was best if they at least get what they came for. With his opinion on current affairs in the air, he waited for James' response before signalling that he was going to go open the trunk.

After turning the Imperial off for the time being and taking the keys to open the trunk, Ryan was opening the heavy door when his shoulder wound reminded him of its existence. "Ah..." His mind quickly replayed the encounter in his head to try and remember the source of the wound but the eyes caught the small cracks spreading from a rough half-circle on the perimeter of the windshield. Ryan felt the meager impression in the metal gingerly, confirming the culprit of his injury. "Fucking pigs, I thought they don't carry weapons here in Dublin." The question was more to vent his frustration as the answer had clearly already been given to him. "Hold on a second, I need to patch myself up here." While the wound was painful as he was now very aware of it, it didn't hinder his movements as he got of the car and shed his blazer. Even in the dim light he see the stain slowly spreading down his arm. Tenderly, he felt wound and was a bit relieved to find that it wasn't very deep, but it was still enough to make him bleed freely. Tearing the arm off his already ruined white dress shirt, he wrapped it a few times around his wound with surprising effectiveness, hinting at his previous experiences. Grunting lightly as he tied a firm knot, Ryan then grabbed the blazer that he set aside and put it back with the only sign of a grimace showing in his wrinkled brow.

With his wound tended to for the time being, Ryan picked up the keys he'd put aside and moved to back of the Imperial. The muffled sounds of shuffling gave away Gary's state of consciousness. Signaling his boss to keep a distance just in case, Ryan put the key in the trunk latch and the shuffling immediately stopped. Bringing his handgun to the ready from its holster, he unlocked the trunk and it popped open slightly. There was a few seconds of silence before Ryan finally felt the need to encourage Gary to make own exit. "You can either come out or I can shut the lid and we'll go for another ride. Your choice, buddy." While the annoyance in his voice was indeed in part to Gary's unwillingness to get out, it was mostly due to his now paining shoulder.

Misty Gray [James + Gary] Enzyme [The Gardai]​

 

[Enzyme]

Jackson McCarthy​

"Through the bottom!" Jackson heard one of the men shout below. He shook his head lightly, surveying the rooftop. A door sat in the center, proving there was a staircase the led to the top. Jackson was at least five stories up. He could crawl to safety before they'd make it up there. While the thought comforted him, it also made him realize that he really was five stories up. His eyes scanned the horizon, where distant flashing sirens popped up like light fireworks through the thick mist, which overlayed the cityscape. Jackson had always been comfortable scaling buildings since he was young, but with the hindrance of his concussion, he didn't have as much faith in his abilities. The building opposite from his was lower, but the alley that separated the two wasn't so narrow. He shook his shoulder as if he were revving up and engine. "C'mon... C'mon!" He took off sprinting towards the edge. As he approached the corner, the stretch appeared bigger than he anticipated. He immediately threw on the brakes and stopped just short of the edge. "Shit!" He exclaimed, looking at the long way down. His concussion was affecting more than just his sense of depth, making it feel as if cinderblocks were tied to his ankles. He stepped back to a safe distance so he could build back up his speed. The very thought of the long drop was enough to cause his heart to beat against his ribcage. He shook his head, attempting to throw the doubt aside. "C'mon, yer' bastard!" He softly slapped his face a couple times. Letting out one more deep breath, he cleared his mind of any lingering thought and bolted towards the corner. Just before his feet curved over the edge, his legs exploded into a lung, sending him over the alleyway.

As he plummeted down to the concrete surface, his body instinctually tucked into a ball, allowing him to alleviate the pressure over the course of a long roll. Shooting into an upright position, his face masked the shock and terror of being suspended over a long drop. It lasted a few seconds, before cracking into a wide grin. He stood back up to his full height as if a gust of fresh, energizing air had rushed into his lungs. The sounds of the Gardai on the adjacent rooftop smacked him back to reality. "There!" They pointed to him. Jackson moved towards the edge of the new building, looking to the balconies below. Perfectly aligned, he jumped from rail to rail. The feeling of freerunning again was exhilarating and more than enough to wake him up. He stopped on the last rail, balancing on the edge of the balcony. A small gap separated his balcony and the last, due to the lobby doors being directly below him. He swung his arms back and forth, before leaping towards the bars.

The drizzle had picked up into a torrential downpour, making catching railings increasingly more difficult. Jackson hung from the edge of the balcony as a flashing Zephyr pulled up below him. Four Gardai climbed out of the vehicle, looking up to Jackson. Jackson hung from one hand and smiled down to the officers. "Coming, lads?" He asked with a toothy grin. While the rest of the officers were dumbfounded, one of them climbed back into the car and brandished a shotgun. He pumped it once and aimed it up to Jackson. "Well, now you're not playing fair," He muttered, quickly pulling himself over the balcony.

He pressed his soaking hands against the sliding glass door and forced it open. Inside was an elderly couple, who had been watching the news from the comfort of their couch. Jackson awkwardly stood there as their bewildered eyes stared at him. "Don't mind me," he calmly said as he made his way across the room. Before exiting into the hallway, he plucked a cap off of the couple's hatrack.

Loud footsteps stomped up the stairs to the hallway. Jackson placed the cap over his head and kept his gaze to the ground. He passed by Several Gardai, who had their sights fixed on the fire-escape. Once in the clear, Jackson discarded the cap down the stairs and moved towards the hallway window. He peered out the glass to make sure he was heading in the right direction. Once he got his barrings, he flipped open the window and climbed out.

The trek from there on was far more subtle and relaxed. Having thrown the Gardai off his trail, he kept to the rooftops to keep it that way. Once he arrived, he scaled down the three balconies, before swinging under cover of the tarp. Jackson then pressed himself against the window and cupped his hands around his eyes. There, he could make out Blake in the living room. A smile grew on his face as Jackson tapped on the window with his knuckles to try and grab her attention. Once he caught it, Jackson fogged up the glass door with his breath and drew a heart with his finger.

Bellz (Blake)

 

[Bellz]

Blake Walsh​

The night had been unbearably slow for Blake. As she paced the house for the hundredth time, her mind wouldn’t stop the racing thoughts that were leaving her almost useless in that moment. All at once, feeling a sense of fear as each thought passed, her heart raced as though cars were coming towards her, unable to see past their headlights not noticing her, going to hit her. It consumed her so much so, that she had lost track of time. Six o’clock had came and went and when Blake finally looked at the time it was ten minutes till ten pm. She had been lost in herself and her thoughts again. Taking a deep breath felt like she could finally breathe for the first time in hours, her lungs burning with the familiar fire of lacking oxygen. The book she had in her lap closed as she shifted on her orange colored couch, the happy color and comforting fabric and cushioning soothed her somewhat, her chest still breathing in and out heavily. She was just about to calm herself down when a tap at the window caused her to jump up from her seated position, forgetting the book in her lap as it fell to the carpeted ground. Her eyes turned to the window and she felt a smile growing on her lips as Jackson was seen, smiling widely and drawing a heart with the fog he created from his breath.

Forgetting her troubles all at once, Blake practically skipped towards the window, flipping up the latch and pulling it up her smile faded once she saw the condition Jackson was in. ”What the fuck?” She asked voice full of worry. He was soaking wet, bloody and bruised. Sticking her head out the window Blake looked down to the street below her balcony, wondering if anyone could have followed him. Regardless of anything, she waved him inside. She stepped back allowing him to get inside before closing the window behind him. Blake turned and moved to hold him in her arms, relieved to see him alive. Seeing the condition he was in as well as the route he took to reach her apartment, it looked like things hadn’t gone like planned on the job tonight. She squeezed him tighter as she thought about what danger he had been in. Stepping back, Blake gave him a once over. She tried hard to smile wanting to keep things light, ”Well, you’ve seen better days.” Her voice was rough and her tone lacked the teasing tone it needed to convince him that she was okay.

Blake gulped before looking away from Jackson a moment, it was hard to look at him in such a state. She couldn’t look away long, not wanting to offend him. He was roughened up now, but he was going to be okay. ”We should get you to Finn.” She looked at him closer now, trying to figure out what was wrong before they went to Finn. She would bet money that Jackson would object going to see a doctor, but she could always call a doctor over, Finn would travel. Blake slowly led Jackson to the couch and sat down beside him. ”Things didn’t go as planned?”


With: Jackson Enzyme

 

[neverbackdown]

Alexandra Romano
Alex smirked when Conor mentioned her having said that line to him before when they were younger “I was obviously just as witty then” she laughed trying to use humor as a way to shield herself from the turmoil that was increasing inside her. When he mentioned his mother, Alex nodded her head slightly “I guess that is to be expected all things considering” she said slowly before a curious yet somewhat worried expression took over her features “does she like Michelle?”Alexandra asked quietly. She could understand the woman not liking her but she really hoped that she wouldn’t take it out on Michelle also, the child seemed to be too sweet not to be liked.

Alexandra frowned when Conor gave her a sad smile and explained how he had only got her back. She placed a hand gently over his as she looked down at the sheets “I hope I do too” she sighed “like everything you told me I recognize it sounds so familiar like a dream I once had but I can’t remember it” she sadly stated. “This place though...” she looked around the room “I don’t like it and I don’t know if it’s a rooted thing or what but I just want to go home , wherever that is” . She practically pleaded.

“When can Mam come home?” A voice piped up as Michelle arrived into the room holding a few chocolate bars she had gotten from the machine down the hall. She handed one to her father before slowly offering one to her mother “I know you don’t remember but this used to be your favourite sweet” Michelle said shyly. Alexandra took the chocolate bar and smiled leaning over to help the child sit on the bed beside her again “thank you sweetie”. She wrapped her arm around the child, it was clear that hearing about her past and self had allowed her to relax more comfortably into the hug with Michelle.

Misty Gray

..................................

Mallory Porter
Mallory listened to Jackson and frowned unimpressed with his response but before she had a chance to argue against him or demand more from him she too heard the loud approaching footsteps of the guards. Sighing she turned quickly “be safe” she called before running off down the alley and towards the Main Street again.

She knew that she should probably just head home but she decided against it , the night was still young and there seemed to be enough action around to entertain her. Even if the rain had picked up it felt nice against her skin, nice to just be out of her house anyways.

Mallory fell out onto the street and broke down into a stroll pace . She was on high alert however very aware that her families men were in doubt out and about up to something tonight . She honestly didn’t know if she wanted to find them and see what was going on tonight or if she wanted to avoid them all together. Nevertheless she headed immediately to the pub, she knew she was nervous of being caught by her parents but yet she had a feeling she was being watched but when she looked around she saw no one to be worried about.

Mallory shook off the thought as she walked into the bar and confidently walked up to the bar, taking a seat as she waited for Adam to turn around. When he did she sent him a wink and grinned as he approached her “hello beautiful” she teased, her eyes lighting in a smile at seeing the man in front of her.

Enzyme (Jackson)
Pyroclast (Adam)​

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

After overcoming the initial shock of the glaring headlights that were shining into his eyes, James turned to Ryan as he sensed the man was looking to him in that moment. He picked up on the smug grin and as it seemed like a confident one, James sent a small smirk in return before his expression turned straight again. Despite the urgency of the situation, he still felt compelled to put his trust in Ryan and give the man the chance to make the first move, any move. It certainly didn't seem like Ryan was caving into the pressure, so he was left anticipating how creative his American friend would be now. Peter and Jackson had already proved themselves that evening and he didn't doubt Ryan would too.

When the Gardai demanded they surrendered, James mumbled a "no fucking chance". He moved his hand down to retrieve his gun from the holster, ready to step in and shoot when needed. Instead, Ryan took the lead and started firing his own bullets at the pigs. This led the to the cops firing back and thankfully being mostly useless about it. Then Ryan stamped the acceleration pedal down to the floor and drove the car towards that of the Gardai. Meanwhile, one of the officers fired at them as the car sped towards him and his colleagues. A bullet managed t grazed Ryan's shoulder, but the man's composure and lack of reaction made it so James was unaware the man had being injured by the gunfire.

As their Imperial smashed into the Zephyr, James couldn't help but think of his car's bodywork. Gary's blood likely making a mess in the back had been something that had already crossed his mind. The big sack of shit. Still, Ryan was doing the only thing that would get them out of their current predicament and so their car would need to take a few blows for the team! A smirk crossed his face as their vehicle pushed that of the Gardai out of the way and cleared an escape path for him and Ryan. When they finally got clear of the nearby car accident and the other obstacles, James sat back in his seat. The gun in his hand remained there, as James wasn't about to let his guard down. As he looked out to the roads in front, he shook his head. "Well, shit. I liked this car, mate," he piped up, bringing a little light to the situation. He looked to Ryan, who was appeared rightly proud of his achievement. The man mentioned the delay and introducing Dublin to the driving they'd grown up used to. "Don't worry about the delay. You took the right amount of time to consider our escape and your plan worked," he assured him.

James was glad when they finally stopped down the alleyway behind the butchers. The business appeared to be in darkness inside, but James had stationed two men there and asked them to keep a low profile until he arrived with Gary. His attention was then drawn to Ryan who spoke about the fact the cops would be looking for his car. He reached into the glove compartment to collect the spare handgun and the pack of cigarettes he'd kept there, before firmly closing the lid. "Yeah. This car's got to go," he agreed. He ran his hand cross the dashboard in front of him before nodding his head and pulling his arm back. "Damn, I'll miss this car," he spoke up. He loved practically all of his cars, but that didn't soften the blow of losing this one. "Ditch it and make sure it can't be traced back to us... I also think it would be safer if you went straight back to my place after. I can handle things back here and I've got the guys here to help with the clean up. I don't want people to see too much actively over here. Hopefully Pete and Jackson will have got back there too."

James got out of the car and Ryan drew his attention to his injured shoulder. "They're dealing with scumbags like us, mate. They can't hold their own without guns now," he remarked. "You need any-" James was cut off from offering to help when Ryan set about doing a good job at patching himself up. It seemed neither of them were strangers to dealing with their own injuries. "You good?" he asked, for confirmation that Ryan was well enough to continue his job.

James walked to the shutter door of the butchers and knocked five times, in an identifiable sequence. The steel door folded upwards as one of the men pulled the chain from the inside of the building. "You're up! We've got him in the trunk," he informed the two bulky men, cuing for them to help get the large body of Gary into the back of the butchers shop. James then returned to the trunk as Ryan unlocked it. Porter aimed his own gun, ready to fire at Gary if the prick tried anything.

"Fuck you..." Gary replied to Ryan's words, his speech slightly slurred due to being knocked out and the effects of his ongoing injuries. James only now got to see close up what Jackson had done to the IWU thug's face. He had no sympathy for the guy and deemed it a fair fight. Gary had shown in the past that he wasn't into fighting fair.

"Don't worry, Gary. We'll get you out of there," James assured the man. At the same time, the two men who had emerged from the butchers shop approached the car. James stepped aside as they went about dragging Gary out of the back and into the building. James slammed the trunk closed once it was empty and he looked to Ryan. "Go get rid of this car and get yourself off the streets, Ryan. I'm good here. Seamus and Wes will help me with the rest," he firmly assured him.

Fletchawk (Ryan)
Mention: Enzyme (Gardai)

James/Gary scene will be finished up and posted later.

 

[Pyroclast]

Adam Walker


Saturday nights were often Adam's busiest shift of the week at any time of year, but cold, wet nights like this one seemed to draw in even more people than usual. With so much background noise and an almost constant flow of people coming up to the bar, Adam didn't immediately notice Mallory take a seat right in front of him. When he eventually did catch sight of her, he was slightly taken aback.
"Mallory," he smiled, glancing up at her as he poured a pint for another customer. "I wasn't expecting to see you tonight. Did you come here looking for company or did you bring some with you?" he asked, giving the room a quick scan, hoping not to spot her friends from before. After he had handed the man his drink, he leaned across the bar to her and, with a grin, said, "Anything you want to drink, it's on me, alright?"

Once he had learned that she was in fact on her own, he had to wonder how she had ended up there in the pub.
"You know, you're a bit of a mystery to me, Mallory," he said, trying to look busy behind the bar so that other customers wouldn't interrupt them. "Walking the streets on your own at night just to come see me? You've gotta be careful you don't run into trouble out there. And I don't just mean with your mum," he smirked, referring to the time Lucy had caught them running from her. "I mean real trouble. We've been hearing sirens all over the place tonight - even had a few guards run through the pub a little while ago. Don't suppose they're looking for you?"
Though he was concerned for her safety and for the way she didn't seem to care about putting herself in danger, he couldn't help but lightly tease her. He was almost always in a good mood at work, but being in Mallory's company only escalated his happiness.


Interactions
neverbackdown Mallory

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

"You're still witty, Alex. Still tough and brave as well," Conor assured her. "Give her another ten years and my mam might give you a Christmas card," he lightly joked. But his face did turn more serious. "She loves Michelle. Granny Shannon adores all of her grandchildren." Whilst his mother didn't like Alex, he knew she would never hold it against Michelle. When Savannah was born, Shannon instantly fell in love with her granddaughter, despite absolutely despising the kid's evil father. As scary as the woman was, she didn't extend her anger to children.

Conor smiled as he felt Alex's hand on his. He nodded his head as she said things were like a dream she couldn't remember. He stopped himself from making a comment about wishing he could forget some of his own memories. Most of which had been the workings of Vinnie and others were born out of his own actions. He looked around the room as she mentioned not liking the hospital. "Yeah, I'm with you on that one. I don't know many of us who like being in this place."

Michelle returned and asked when Alex could come home. "Well, how should I know? I'm no doctor. Finn's the smart Sullivan, not me," he joked. "Honestly, though. I think they'll want to keep her in a little while longer as she's only just woken up. Maybe a few more days?" he asked, looking to Alex and sending her an encouraging smile. He looked to the chocolate his daughter had brought back with her. "You'd think hospitals wouldn't sell junk food. Not that I'm complaining," he said, taking his bar from Michelle. As he removed the wrapper, he watched Alex and Michelle hug each other, feeling warmed by the scene.

neverbackdown (Alex, Michelle)

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter
~ Gary, Seamus, Wes ~​

Greg had been dragged down to seated position in the lone wooden chair in the centre of the dull and soulless room. The meat hooks which hung from the ceiling were all empty and free of animal carcasses. Seamus had been about to restrain the IWU thug to the chair when James stopped him. The guy was already weakened by Jackson and he was now outnumbered by Porters. It wasn't that he gave a damn about Gary or even intended for the man to live to the end of the night, but he'd been tortured enough himself by enemies in the past that he wanted to at least keep himself apart from those. Not that he owed Gary anything, considering he had been the last one to tie James to a chair on Ciara's command.

James watched Wes lock the shutter doors behind them, protecting them for the outside, though he doubted anyone would be lurking down the back alleys of the industrial area. Still, he placed his gun into the holster at his hip, not expecting to use it. If there was one thing that would sound loud enough and echo through the building powerfully enough, it was a gunshot. That would be likely to attract unwanted attention. The area had already been cleared of any sharp knives or tools that could find themselves within Gary's reach, but James himself had his own hunting knife on him. The cleaner way to get rid of the man would be to strangle him to death, but even in Gary's weakened state, James wasn't about to underestimate the bigger man's strength. As much as he tried avoiding revisiting the method he'd used to killed Vinnie Romano, James knew the knife would kill Gary faster than strangulation and more quietly than a gunshot.

James took a few controlled steps towards Gary, leaving a few feet distance between them. Wes and Seamus took their positions a short distance to each side of the IWU thug. They weren't to intervene unless told to by James or absolutely necessary. "This is familiar, isn't it?" James spoke up. "Though I recall more of you attacked me and my wrists were tied to a chair. But I'm not going to dwell on that. Ciara isn't an issue anymore, so let's focus on your new boss, Jared Armstrong. We came face to face in the hotel after you helped get the Commissioner shot."

"Yeah. You couldn't even catch me..." Gary mumbled, his eyes scanning the cold room for any hope of an escape route.

"Then, I learned you were involved in the attack on Jackson and Blake," James added, ignoring the man's words. "Which makes me more than certain you're pretty high up with Jared's structure and he clearly confides in you enough. So you're going to give me some information and I might let you limp out of here in one piece." The man shook his head in response, which only served to strengthen James' desire to kill the guy and go ahead with the message he had planned for Jared. Still, he was a patient man and would at least give him the chance to try save himself, even if it was going to fall on deaf ears. Wes and Seamus knew Gary wasn't leaving the butchers alive. They'd been prepared to do their part in the clean up and handling of Gary's corpse afterwards. "I need you to tell me which cops Jared has on his side. All you have to do is give me two names, other than the one who saved your arse back at the hotel."

"Fuck you. I don't know any pigs," Gary mumbled, still only semi-conscious and feeling all kinds of pain in his smashed up face.

"Well, that's a fucking lie, isn't it?" James remarked, with a smirk. "Alright then... Tell me more about Jared's campaign. How does he intend to win over the public? What's his next move?" he asked. As much as he hated to admit it, James didn't even expect a straight answer from Gary. When he thought deep enough about it, he knew he was simply going through the motions, perhaps to convince himself more than anyone else that he didn't just want the satisfaction of killing the guy before him. It didn't even need to be Gary and he would have preferred it was Carter. But the fact was, James wanted to spill IWU blood in retaliation for them hurting Delilah, Leo and Tommy. He wanted to send a message to Jared that would unsettle him and Gary just happened to be the unfortunate soul who would be that message. Whilst he knew not to put himself in the same category as some of his former foes, James knew what he wanted to do and he felt no remorse for the fact he was going to take another life.

"Maybe... he's gonna screw your wife..." Gary slurred, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor close to James' feet. The man didn't believe James was going to let him go free, so he wasn't about to cooperate. Instead, he used what energy he did have to stumble up onto his feet. He wouldn't have got very far, even if he could. Instead, James had reflexively grabbed hold of his knife in his right hand and swiped his arm from left to right, in one smooth motion. The action caused the sharp blade of the knife to cut deep into the side of the man's neck before gliding across the man's throat tearing through the main blood vessels, trachea and the carotid arteries. The spray of blood along with the stream that flowed from Gary's throat barely unsettled James. At the same time, it did nothing to make him feel better about the memories of holding his daughter in his arm as she bled from the cuts to her stomach.

James kicked the back of Gary's knee to speed up the man's decent to the ground, ensuring he fell face down over the drains on the floor which were used to clearing away any remaining blood of slaughtered animals. James remained silent as he walked over to the long, narrow sink to wash the blood from his hands and clean the blade of his knife. He knew that once Gary had bled out, Wes and Seamus would deal wish the man's corpse as well as cleaning the place with the nearby hoses.

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

For the moment everything was sort of perfect. But, then again, she didn't really believe in perfection. But watching him lean more into her touch started to spark up something she thought she had gotten rid of. It scared her, to say the least so she cleared her throat and pulled her hand back. "I'm looking forward to this evening out with you. You've piqued my interest at having a calming evening." She gave him a little smirk as she crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat.

With a slight laugh, she feigned a painful look and put her hand on her chest. "Promises? You want me to make promises?" She was joking of course, but at the same time very serious. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, knowing that she was a very emotional and irrational person. "How about this. I promise I won't kill anyone. I don't believe in murder... To an extent." Her serious voice matched his and before he got the opportunity to try and make her agree to his terms, she stood up. "So, I think it's time for you to return to your room, sir."

Tommy ( Misty Gray )​

 

[Fletchawk]

Ryan Donahue​

Ryan stood there, watching Gary get dragged out of the trunk, as he contemplated how to carry out getting of this fine specimen of vehicle. He could see that it pained James to have to let it go as well. Still, it was a loose end and it was always best to cut those off before things got unraveled. Nodding to confirm James' request to get off the street after dealing with the car, Ryan started to move towards the driver side of the vehicle. "Alright, sir. I'll put her to pasture and meet with you later. Don't have too much fun."

Once he was back behind the steering, his wound complaining as he shut the door, Ryan turned on the headlights and turned over the engine. It rumbled to life, unaware of it's doomed fate. The droplets of rain starting to crescendo on the windshield as they grew in size and became more frequent as Ryan pulled away from the butcher shop. He became more vigilant as reached the main road. Even though the rain decreased visibility on this already dark night, he really wasn't in the mood to play with the Gardai again. It as though the rain discouraged the patrols since he ran into none on his way to the seedier part of town.

The location was medium sized warehouse next to fenced off dirt lot. It was late, so the gate to dirt lot was closed which meant that he had exit the Imperial and bang on what seemed to be the only door to the place besides the big cargo doors that connected to the dirt lot. While it wasn't marked, the warehouse was a scrapping operation. They weren't associated with the Mob directly, but they provided other services that proved valuable. Making cars disappear being one of them.

His hair was about soaked when he heard a window creak open above him. "We're closed! Sod off!" The voice was loud and matter of fact. Ryan looked up at the window that was cracked open couldn't see the owner of the voice, but he knew it was the standard greeting for after business hours. "I've got an express drop off." Ryan waved a fold of bills that he pulled from the of his jacket. "I've got the fee. Besides, I think you'll like this little treat." There was few seconds pause before the window clicked shut and Ryan could hear muffled yelling inside. He returned to the Imperial as he waited. It wasn't long before one of the cargo doors opened and someone come out to do the same with the gate.

The area inside was dimly lit but was obviously a workshop of those mechanically inclined. The all too familiar smells of grease and oil greeted Ryan as he stepped out the Imperial after parking it in the warehouse. A rather lanky older man come out of the second floor office and peered not at Ryan but the horse he rode in on. The man who opened the came back through the giant doors and pulled the closed. The older man finally looked at Ryan once he came down the metal grate stairs. "What needs do?" The older man's accent was Irish, without a doubt, but he annunciated very clearly even if the words were short and to the point. "She needs to disappear. We're were a little too rough with the Gardai." Ryan shook his head with dismay to show that he didn't like prospect of parting from her. He pulled the fold of money out of the inside pocket of his jacket yet again held it out but the wiry man ignored it as he walked past Ryan and continued to examine the Imperial.

After peering inside and walking around it to see what shape the car was in, the older man nodded to his cohort, who in turn took the payment from Ryan. "She's a little rough but she ain't messy. So, we'll take care it." The man gestured for Ryan to follow and led him to the door that he'd banged on earlier. It heavily secured with a number of metal bars and locks. "Next time, I suggest you call ahead. Makes the process so much quicker." Ryan could hear a hint of irritation in man's voice as he watched him unsecure the door with practiced movements. It wasn't much longer before he was standing in the darkness of the rainy night, the only louder than the rain was the door behind him being resecured. His shoulder ached as to remind him of his new wound. Let at out a deep exhale as a stray car passed by, Ryan knew it would likely be a few blocks before he had chance at finding a cab. Steeling himself, Ryan put one foot in front of the other and started his journey back to the manor, wondering briefly what happened to Peter and Jackson.


Misty Gray [James]

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 10: A Change of Scenery
Saturday 12th December 1959
Early Afternoon - Cold, Sunny, Clear Skies
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Dublin Hospital
​

Thomas Dempsey

Tommy had been discharged from the hospital 6 days ago, after being pretty firm with the doctor about him wasting a hospital bed that he didn't even need. Even though he was no longer a patient, he still spent quite a bit of time at the hospital so he could spend time with Aliana and keep updated on Leo's progress. The young man was still in a stable condition but hadn't yet woken up, which Tommy hoped would only lead to good news.

Last night, Tommy hadn't made it home and instead had crashed on one of the Porters' sofas. He'd ended up going out for drinks with Conor. Conor had done most of the drinking and he'd clearly needed it. He'd spent much of the night getting things off of his chest, which Tommy didn't begrudge him of and made sure he was just there as a supportive ear to be chewed off. From his worries about Alex's memories to his anger at James for letting Peter get arrested, Tommy finished the night with a pretty detailed account of everything Conor was being forced to keep to himself, hidden behind his usual playful and charming demeanour.

After a conversation with James that involved nothing that Conor had said the night before, Tommy had been asked to take Delilah to the hospital so she could visit Leo. He waited outside for Delilah, smoking a cigarette as he leaned against his car. Every time he lit up a smoke he couldn't help but hear Aliana's voice in his head telling him to quit the habit. Thinking about her always brought a smile to his face. He was hoping they would get to go on their date later in the day, but at the same time he wouldn't force Aliana to leave her brother's side if she didn't want to. "Come on, Delilah. I'm sure you look fine!" Tommy impatiently called out, grinning to himself.


Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana, Leo) ElectricDandellion (Delilah)

Christmas Fair
Dublin City Centre​

Skye McKendrick

Yesterday evening, James had told Syd he could take one of the cars out over the weekend and get out of the house for a bit. Despite the many cautions that came with the reprieve. it seemed like his father was having a change of heart about his kids' curfew, for now, at least. Skye had been thrilled to hear Syd was finally allowed to leave the house without a bodyguard and she excitedly suggested going to the Christmas fair. She remembered going there every year before her mother died and had never been back since. She loved Christmas and wanted to spend as much of it with Syd, especially as it was their first one as a couple.

As Syd drove to the city, Skye fell silent a little from gushing about all of the cool things she expected to see at the fair. Her mind had snapped back to the poor start she'd had to her day. "Is everyone okay at your house?" she curiously asked him. "It's really not okay at the Callahans' place. Sinead is really struggling to pick herself up and I'm scared if I say anything to her, she'll snap at me. Peter gave me my job and I don't want to get fired, but I really want to tell her how much she's upsetting the kids. Emmy was really excited about decorating the house for Christmas today, but Sinead refused." Skye sighed and glanced to Syd, a slight smile forming on her lips. "I know what we should do. We should buy some pre-Christmas gifts for Sinead and the children. That might help get them into the spirit, right?"


Pyroclast (Syd)

Shamrocks Cafe
Outskirts of Dublin City Centre ​

Arlene Sullivan

Arlene had been away from the Porters' place for the last four days, having decided she needed to catch up with some friends in Dublin and also avoid the tensions around the place. It wasn't just the fallout of Peter's arrest or seeing Conor so troubled because of a damn Romano that was suffocating her. She was also on the verge of confronting James about him not giving her anything to do. It made her restless to be doing nothing for the family when she knew there was a lot that needed doing. She'd spent most of her life fighting and running business back in New York that it frustrated her that James had yet to give her a job she could sink her teeth into. She wanted to make Jared and the rest of his cronies pay, but she'd only been told to stand back from it all.

Arlene had checked into a bed and breakfast on the outskirts of Dublin a few days ago but she hadn't decided how long she'd be staying there. She told Lucy she'd be back in time for Christmas and would return with plenty of gifts for the family. Whilst she was enjoying catching up with her friends and exploring Dublin, she had to admit that she was missing the chaos of her family. Everything right now was so peaceful and she wasn't used to that.

Arlene left the hotel and walked a couple of blocks until she reached Shamrocks Cafe. She'd had lunch there with Veronica yesterday and enjoyed it so much she decided to head there again today for something to eat, even if by herself. When she entered the cafe, she walked toward a small table by the window and took a seat, placing her shoulder bag on the empty chair opposite. After eating her lunch, she then ordered another coffee, enjoying people-watching from her spot.


Enzyme (Carter)

Callahans House
​

Sinead Callahan

It had been a week since Sinead had last seen Peter. She'd waited up for him that night, with Savannah fast asleep on the opposite sofa. It wasn't until James returned home at around 2am that she learned her husband had been arrested. As the man expected, his sister-in-law reacted with anger and he let her slap him across the face, just the once, mind you! She had calmed herself enough to ask if he'd be home in the morning, but was heartbroken to learn it wasn't going to be that easy. She'd been so used to Conor spending the odd night in the cells for punching people that she struggled to understand that James couldn't get Peter the same kind of treatment. Not only had they slapped more charges on Peter, but James' alliance with Detective Donnelly was fragile and the cops involved this time weren't budging on the charges. Sinead eventually returned to her own house, carrying an unaware Savannah with her.

When it came to Peter, her second worst nightmare had become a reality and the only thing that could be worse was if she'd been told her husband was dead. Sinead had spent the rest of the night crying, until she was disturbed the next morning by the sound of Emery screaming out from downstairs asking when they were having breakfast. Sinead had to force a brave face as her children asked where their daddy was and she knew she couldn't lie to them. Savannah was upset by the news, having always linked cops to being bad people after she'd learned it was the police who killed Angel. Braden wasn't happy with the news as he was closer to his male role models, but at the same time he thought his old man was a badass for it. Emery didn't have the best concept of time, so whilst she fed off of her sister's upset and demanded someone brought her daddy home, she expected he'd only be gone for a short time, like the times her parents had gone away together for short vacations.

Sinead knew she had to be strong and put on a brave face for the sake of her children, but no matter how much she told herself that, her mind wouldn't let her. The whole situation had dragged her Bipolar Disorder down into an episode of depression and she wanted to fight it before being forced to start taking medication again. Instead, Sinead has stayed in the house for the last week, forcing herself to wake up every morning to tend to the children's meals, but other than that she'd been lounging around the house like ghost of her former self. No matter how much her children pleaded with her to play, she just couldn't put her heart into it. Skye had thankfully been there to help and to distract the children, but even she hadn't avoided the effects of her boss' sadness and irritability.

Earlier this morning, the children had asked Sinead if they could trim up the house with Christmas decorations, but Sinead refused. She didn't see much point in wasting energy decorating the house when there wasn't going to be a Christmas for them this year. This resulted in Emery calling her mother a "grumpy bitch" before Skye quickly ushered the kids over to the Porters house.

Sinead was upset with herself for failing to overcome her own sadness and to instead support those who needed her the most - her children. She wanted to fight it but she felt like she'd lost the motivation to keep fighting everything that was thrown at her. She hadn't worn make-up or her usual pretty dresses all week, figuring she didn't need to make the effort to merely exist around the house. She knew Peter had been transferred from the station holding cells to the city's prison during the night and she had been granted permission to visit him later today. She was scared to go to the jail, especially if Peter was relying on her to be both smiling and coping well. She curled up on the sofa, hoping to find the strength to do what her husband would need of her in his and their children's time of need.


Bellz (Finn)

Porters House
​

Conor Sullivan

Conor had been out late with Tommy and spent much of the time getting things off of his chest, thankfully to a willing listener. Any plans to sleep in late were scuppered when the hospital called to inform him Alex was ready to come home. If there was ever a good reason to get up early, then bringing the woman he loved back home was at the top of any list. With the door of his own car not yet repaired - and Conor not about to rush Ryan - he needed to use someone else's car. It seemed like everyone had places to be that day and with James a car down, he decided the easiest option was to use Sinead's car, one of which he felt he could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen her drive all year. Others had driven it, but rarely the owner herself. As he got into the Chevy Dreamer convertible, he could only find himself thankful that Peter and James had talked her out of getting the car in the colour pink.

After bringing Alex home and surprising Michelle with her mother's return, Conor returned outside to inspect Sinead's car whilst it was still daylight. During his drive to and from the hospital, Conor had been irritated by the grinding, screeching sound which he figured was coming from the brake pads. Conor wasn't a mechanic and he'd long since learned he lacked the patience and dexterity to start fiddling with car parts. With James as busy as always and Syd finally being allowed to leave the place, Conor knew his choices were limited. Were it his own car, he would have just left it until he could ask someone who wasn't pissed off with him. However, this was Sinead's car and on the off-chance she would decide she needed it, he didn't want to put her at any risk, nor did he want her to have the extra stress of having to worry about a faulty car. He was angry that Peter had been left to get arrested but more than that, he was worried about his younger sister's silence and aloofness around him.

Finally swallowing his pride, Conor headed around the place in search of Ryan. When he eventually found his former friend, he cleared his throat to alert the man of his presence. "I guess I shouldn't be asking you for any favours right now, but is there any chance you can do me one?" he asked, a slight awkwardness in his voice as he spoke. "Any chance you could take a look at Sinny's car? I've just been out in it and the brakes sound fucked. Grinding kind of sound," he noted. Perhaps he was playing down his knowledge of the car's problem, but he wasn't undermining his lack of skill to fix it. Having not spoken to Ryan since their fight, he decided to approach the current interaction cautiously, especially as he was keeping back his anger and upset about Peter taking one for the team, so to speak.

Fletchawk (Ryan)


Shannon Sullivan and the Callahan kids

When Conor had asked her to look after Michelle whilst he went to pick up Alex, Shannon didn't hesitate to agree. Whilst it was because she liked her granddaughter, there was also a part of her that simply had to be present when Alex was brought home. It had crossed her mind that the memory loss could be an act, but either way, Shannon was curious more than anything to find what the Romano woman could or couldn't remember.

Shortly before Conor returned with Alex, Shannon heard the voices of the Skye and the Callahan kids, but stayed aside with Michelle as they found Lucy first. She didn't get much chance to hear what was being said as Conor entered the house with Alex. She allowed Michelle to greet her mother and listened to Conor as he explained he had to go back out to check on Sinead's car before it was too late. Once Michelle had greeted Alex, Shannon stepped forward, and despite her smile there was still a hardness to the older woman's face. "Good afternoon, Alexandra. I'm not sure if you already know, but I'm Shannon - Conor's mother. Can I get you a drink or show you to your room?" she offered.

neverbackdown (Alex, Michelle)

*****​

Skye had explained to Lucy about what had happened with Sinead as the three kids seemed to flock around their aunt. The nanny left the children with Lucy as she was heading out with Syd for her date. Savannah hugged her aunt and pulled a sad expression. Though she wasn't crying, it was clear from her red eyelids and glistening eyeballs that she had been. "Mum won't let us put up the Christmas decorations and Emmy called her a 'grumpy bitch' and she didn't even yell at her for swearing. I know Mum's sad, but so am I. Can we stay here today?" she asked. "When are you going to put your tree up? We really really want to help you."

"Brady thinks Daddy is the bestest and he stood up to the coppers. But I think that's naughty and I should give my Daddy a piece of my mind. He's naughty, isn't he?" she asked, with a small smile. "I'll kick his ass when he gets home... will he be home tomorrow?"

Savannah let out a groan at her siblings. "My dad who died stood up to the police and they killed him. So it's not cool, Brady. You're such a moron!" She looked to Lucy and shook her head. "I know he won't be home tomorrow," she dejectedly told her.

Bellz (Lucy)

Currently Active Cast: Misty Gray Bellz neverbackdown Enzyme Melanin-Gxdess Pyroclast Fletchawk ElectricDandellion ReverseTex
​

Others TBD:
Adam
Mallory
Oliver
Quinn, Faye, Grace

 

[Enzyme]

Chapter 10: A Change of Scenery
Saturday 12th December 1959
Early Afternoon - Cold, Sunny, Clear Skies
********************************

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St Edmundsbury Hospital
Lucan, Dublin

Eli Porter
​

It had been a pleasant afternoon in the mental institute. Sunlight poured in through the open tall glass doors, with the soft, chilly breeze carelessly blowing the bleach white curtains. Most of the patients had taken to recreation under cover of the warm sunlight. Even with the inmates uncuffed, the guards held an equally relaxed demeanor, casually overseeing the main hall. Board games and books were strewn about the floor; some even inspired enough by the beautiful scenery to take up finger painting on the broad canvases. With the civil behavior from the patients, the institute had allowed visitors to come in. They hadn't even bothered to escort parties to cement chambers, letting them talk in the main hall freely.

Eli had gotten dressed up for the beautiful afternoon, wearing a green sweater to keep warm with the open windows. The guards attempted to feed him his stemetil in preparation for James' visit, but with the idea of how much it affected his clarity, he spit the pills out in the sink once their attention was drawn elsewhere. Despite his reasoning, his usual dosage of tablets didn't directly dull his mind to where he couldn't form a coherent string of thoughts; his mind did that on its own. The stemetil merely suppressed his psychopathic tendencies, which was brought on by his paranoia. It was only when the consumption of the tablets exceeded his usual amount, brought on by a violent outbreak, would he begin to fall into an insensible trance while conscious.

"Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous," Eli drew out as he stared down the Eurasian Blackcap, which was perched on the branch outside the open door. His glassy eyes slide to James, not bothering to blink within the transition. "Did you know they're called 'Northern Nightingale' because of their delicate melodies?" He asked James, without so much of a hint of a smile. His crazed eyes returned to the Blackcap. "They got such a beautiful voice, they do. Sometimes I hear them out my window, trying to sing me to sleep when I've had a nightmare." His lips parted, his eyes desperately wanting the bird to return his yearning glare. "It's okay, Elijah. It's not real. It was only a dream," he mimicked the birds. He shook his head softly as he returned his attention to James. "Brilliant creatures. Brilliant, brilliant creatures."

Misty Gray (James)

___________________________________________________________________________________

The Textile Factory

Gideon Burnell
​

The Textile Factory had become fully operational, with multiple vans pulling in and out of the loading garage. Even with Jared's aversion to explosives, shipments of gelignite and dynamite arrived in several crates, no doubt under Carter's order. With the successful transitioning of power and Jared up for election, the IWU was unsure with what to do with itself. It seemed to be in a 'golden' period of sorts. They had corrupt Gardai on the force, the Commissioner was shot, the Porters had been seemingly forced into submission; they had been playing their cards correctly. They had become the most powerful organization in Dublin overnight and most people in the city hadn't even noticed a shift. To Gideon, this couldn't be more perfect. For him, there was nothing better than holding all the power, while none were any the wiser.

The two men who were primarily responsible for Jackson's execution had returned to the factory. By now, the word of Jackson's escape had spread like a wildfire among the ranks. Jared and Gideon had waited in the office, ready to discipline and insight consequences for the men's failure. While Jared sat at his desk, Gideon stood by the side of the wall with his hands crossed over his chest, resembling the other thugs in the room. His eyes would occasionally glance out the gorgeous view that Jared's office provided, which overlooked Dublin.

As the two men walked in, Gideon's facial expressions remained passive. His eyes were the only things that resembled any emotions. Like the watchful stare of a predator. He hadn't shifted his posture at the sight of the men, already standing perfectly straight, his eyes moved to Jared, expecting him to be the first one to speak. Gideon hadn't clawed his way up to Jared's right hand just yet, overcast by the shadow of Carter. Soon, he'd cement himself in the IWU's growing empire.

​

Misty Gray (Jared/Thugs)

 

[Bellz]

Chapter 10: A Change of Scenery
Saturday 12th December 1959
Early Afternoon- Cold, Sunny, Clear Skies
********************************

********************************

DUBLIN COUNTY PRISON?
Peter Callahan ​

”Let’s go #2319.” A voice boomed from outside of the cell that Peter was being held in. He jolted upright and rubbed at his tired eyes. ”Yard time.” The officer informed Peter as he walked up to the cell door where the officer unlocked it. ”Hands.” The officer ordered and Peter moved his hands forward automatically, it was all becoming muscle memory…

Look, Officers, this is a complete misunderstanding!” Peter said to the two officers interrogating him, the room around him only dimly lit by the center hanging light. His seat scraped against the floor as Peter moved forward struggling only slightly because of the handcuffs. “Yes I ran, but what the hell was I suppose to do? It seemed like your officers were bent on taking shots before taking names.” His eyes looked to both of the officers who seemed to only be angered by what he was saying. “This isn’t a complete misunderstanding Mr. Callahan. Resisting arrest is a serious crime in this city, lad, not to mention you had a weapon on your persons, it is not looking good for you.” One officer to the left stated seriously before standing. ​

With a harsh shove from the baton that the officer was holding, Peter was sent sprawling forward forced to move. He ground his teeth at the officers as they whispered something about him being fresh meat in the yard. Peter looked around him as other prisoners were shoved towards the exits, the yard. It was different than the cell he had been in for almost a week, the prison was like a terrible maze, so many gray hallways and rooms. Peter wanted to be home, anywhere than where he was now. ”Keep moving!” Peter didn’t even noticed that he had hesitated in his walking now. The panic was setting in and his breathing was becoming harsh and shallow burning his lungs. The officer took his stick and raised it up, hitting Peter in the back, the man let out a cry before falling to his knees. The officers responsible for him laughed at his misery as they bent down, pulling Peter up from his knees roughly. Peter clenched his teeth as his eyes watered from the pain, the officers shoved him forward again and this time, he obeyed.

”You have one phone call.” The cell door opened at the police station and the officers cuffed him before leading him to the phone. Peter knew who he would call. He knew it would be hard for him to get out of this one, James was going to have a lot of trouble on his hands now but somehow he knew he wasn’t getting out. Peter tapped his foot anxiously as he heard one ring, then two, the third never came around as someone picked up the line. “Hello?” Peter was at lost for words. His little Emery had picked up the phone and nearly broke his heart in that second. “Hellooooooo?” Emery said again her voice taking on a sass that she could have only inherited form her own mother. Peter cleared his throat, “Hey Smiley, its Daddy.” The excitement in her voice was hard to miss as she asked when he was coming home. Peter held the phone tighter, his knuckles whitening. “Well, I was actually going to speak with mummy about that, is she around baby?”He asked his daughter, his voice shaking with emotions as Emery called for Sinead. “I love you Daddy!” Emery said letting him know that she was going. He didn’t know when he would hear her sweet voice again, but before he could say it back to her the line went dead, his time was up...​

Peter looked down as he continued to walk towards the yard with the rest of the prisoners. The looks that were given his way were not missed but at the moment he was far too caught up in his own thoughts to be worrying about the men around him. Prison was new to him, terrifyingly so. 6 months he would be here, his temporary home until he was released…something was beginning to tell him that he might not ever be released. The walls spoke to him, screaming that there was no passing them. Peter and the rest of the prisoners passed through a set of large and tall metal doors leading out into the yard. The fresh air was a shock for him, not having been outside in the past week. The air was chilled and the sun was bright. Peter began to notice the prisoners separating away from the lines they had formed, instead now they began to form their own groups. Some eyed Peter as they passed and others didn’t even give him the time of day. Once his officers removed his cuffs, Peter rubbed his wrists and was left alone.

”Here.” One of the holding cell officers said as they handed Peter a thin scratchy blanket and a pillow that had so many stains it was hard to see what color it had been before. “Thanks.” Peter said numbly as he was shuffled into the cell for the night. 6 months was a long sentence and he had been shocked when it was announced. He was all alone. No wife, no kids, and family for 6 months. He wouldn’t be there for Christmas, to watch his children run down the stairs excitedly on Christmas morning. To see them open up the gifts that Sinead and himself had placed carefully under the tree the night before. As Peter sat down on his cot, he placed his pillow at the head of it before turning to lay down. Tears welled in his eyes as he thought about everything he would be missing. Anger built up at his own stupidity. He didn’t belong working for James…maybe Sinead had been right. He couldn’t keep up with the others… As Peter laid in the cot, missing his family and a warm bed, he couldn’t help but think of how pathetic he was before the lights in the holding cell went out. ​

Spotting an outside table, Peter cautiously made his way towards it, seeing as no one was using it. Once he was sure he was safe to sit, the man sat down and stared down at the table blankly. This was how he would survive, staying invisible was bound to be his best option. Just like he didn’t belong working for James, he didn’t belong in prison either.
Misty Gray Enzyme

 

[Misty Gray]

George Sanderson​

George had spent the night in the infirmary following a legitimate sprained wrist and an exaggerated concussion which he'd done a stellar job of acting out. He'd needed to make sure he spent long enough in the hospital to procure what he needed from the nurse's trolley. George was known around the prison as the man to go to if you needed something bringing in or sending out of the prison. He had a knack for getting people what they needed. Mason Sweeney was a big guy and one of the most intimidating prisoners in the place, so when Mason asked for something, then George knew he would have to pull out all stops to get it. This time, he'd asked George to steal a pair of scissors from the kitchen. George was trusted to work in the kitchen and he knew the guards counted the utensils at the end of every shift, so he'd get caught and lose the trust of the prison warden. Mason hadn't taken too kindly to having his request refused, but George was quick to suggest he could easily swipe some from the medical wing. The larger guy gave him a day to get what he wanted and George had to think fast. With the help of a friend, George managed to take a violent tumble and land on top of his left arm, spraining his wrist. He also hit the back of his head and chose to play on that injury to buy himself an overnight stay in the infirmary. The things he had to do to survive and keep his fellow criminals on side.

As the guard escorted George back to his cell, he informed him of his new cellmate. A man named Peter Callahan, who the guard wasted no time in adding was a member of the Porter Gang. George had been in jail for ten years now, so had practically missed the Porters' rise to power out on the streets. Still, he'd heard plenty about the mob from the prisoners who had passed through the prison over the years. Some had good things to say and others only bad. The guards by default looked down on organised crime and seemed to take great pleasure in treating gang members like crap. George didn't much care who his fellow crooks were aligned with, as long as they didn't hurt women or kiddies. Well, and as long as they weren't complete pricks towards him.

Once alone in his cell, George quickly got to unravellling the top half of the bandage that was wrapped around his sprained wrist. He tightened his jaw as the movements caused pain in his wrist, but it was still a relief when he finally removed the scissors that had been pressing against the back of his hand and arm for the last few hours. He quickly put the bandage back how it was and supporting his injured wrist. Then he crouched down and tied some string to secure the scissors to his shin, pulling his trouser leg back down to conceal what was no doubt to be used as a weapon at some point.

George had eventually flagged the guard down again and managed to talk him into letting him go and enjoy the rest of the recreation time out in the yard. Once outside, the guard wasted no time in pointing out the newcomer who was sitting alone at the table and would be his new cellmate. George approached the table, though he looked around the yard, noticing quite a few pairs of eyes had already found their way to Peter, looking at him like the fresh piece of meat he was. Unable to sight Mason to attempt delivering the scissors he requested, he instead continued to approach the table. He sat opposite Peter, but with his body turned to the side, so he wasn't committing to remaining there if the newcomer told him to fuck off. He turned his head 90 degrees to face the man and sent him a nod. "Peter, right?" he asked. "I'm George Sanderson and it would appear we'll be sharing a cell. I've had too many roommates to count now. How long have I got you for?" he curiously asked. "I've been here far too long. So if you need to know anything about this place, then all you have to do is ask me." He bit his lip as he contemplated his next words, but he'd seen far too many guys make the same mistake and even though he figured it would be existing knowledge for a member of the mob, he felt it still needing mentioning. "First rule I tell anyone is that you tell the guards nothing. Nothing at all." There were an awful lot of accidents around the place and the paperwork for them was much less time consuming for the prison staff.

Bellz (Peter)

 

[ReverseTex]

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Oliver enjoyed observing and studying behaviors. It was a interesting pastime of his, whenever he grew bored or curious. And today had been one of boredom. He had left the hotel in London around nine, to be at the airport early enough to have some minutes of free time before his flight, which meant he’d have time to observe...

The London airport brought more interesting subjects. Businessmen in their pressed suits and leather briefcases, off to god knows where to sell god knows what. Young woman off to start a new life whenever they wish, in hopes of finding a husband and live the “American Dream” so many desired... The flight had remained boring the entire time, no one that intrigued his eye. Which meant he was left to his own devices the entire hour and a half in the air. Fun.

Currently, Oliver limped through the Dublin airport, his suitcase in one hand, and his cane in the other. Grumbling at his struggle, he spotted a small cafe in the ‘Pier’ of the airport, and dropped his suitcase with a THUD. Fucking leg of his... Slapping his bad leg lightly with his cane, barely feeling the infliction, he sighed. He didn’t want to pay anyone to carry the suitcase nor did he want a buggy to roll it. Slightly chuckling to himself, he simpered. His ex had always commented on his stubbornness, and for once she was right about something...

It took Oliver much longer than desired to leave the airport, but after much struggle he limped out of the revolving doors, suitcase in hand. His icy eyes scanned the array of cars, looking for the one he knew would be here- Bingo. Limping towards the car, he watched as he son spotted him heading his way, and sprang into action. “Come help your crippled father with his suitcase, it’s bloody hard work dragging that on one leg!” Letting Adam handle the rest, Oliver took a deep breath of the chilly Dublin air, and adjusted his overcoat. His outfit was simple; a button-up white shirt, grey slacks with black shoes, a speckled wool overcoat, and his glasses. Adjusting his glasses next, he slowly made his way into the car.







[/div][/div][/div][div class=credit]credits RI.a [/div][div class=overlay]Oliver Morgan[/div][div class=tags]Location: Airport
Misty Gray
Pyroclast [/div]

 

[Misty Gray]

Jared Armstrong​

Jared had forgotten how much he enjoyed one-on-one time with his wife and the previous Saturday at the coast had reminded him of how much he loved his wife, something he hadn't realised he'd been failing to show her lately. The day after, he'd taken Faye and the kids to the Christmas Fair in the city centre. They'd finished the evening by putting up the Christmas decorations at home and making plans for the day itself. He knew Quinn and Grace were growing a little restless with his increasing absences from home, so knew he would have to do more to appease them. After having such a pleasant weekend last week, it made him more irritated that he had to be at the factory on this one. However, weekends were the only time the regular workers were not present and those who were there there were only trusted IWU members. Today, he had to attend to the important matter of inept employees.

Carter was a very useful asset to Jared and had an excellent track record of carrying the jobs asked of him. But Jared hadn't called his right-hand man into the office today and instead had opted for the man currently standing in the room with him. Gideon was an intelligent man who was proficient in social and psychological tactics, but he was also able to display more brutal and systematic physical attacks. Jared would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy watching the complex man at work. Perhaps his methods would help make him feel less bitter today about having to leave his family on yet another Saturday.

Jared had been sat back in his chair as he waited for the other two men to arrive. Just as he looked to his watch, he heard a couple of knocks on his office door. He sat forward before telling the men to enter and then to close the door behind themselves. He glanced to Gideon who would no doubt be correctly waiting for the boss to speak first. Jared looked back to the two who had failed to complete a job that was asked of them. He pointed to the two empty chairs at the other side of his desk and waited for them to be seated. He could see in their eyes they perhaps weren't expecting this meeting to be quite as serious as it was intended to be.

"Ross. John. Glad you managed to make it," Jared sarcastically greeted the pair. Unless they were complete idiots, they had to know why they'd been called in and he wouldn't waste anyone's time by humouring them. "You two were told to killed Jackson McCarthy and when you failed to do so, you were too cowardly to come to me and admit to it. So when I found out Jackson was still living and breathing, I felt quite betrayed." Ross began to speak up but was silenced when Jared calmly raised his hand and hushed him. "When Gary left you so he could deal with Blake, you had Jackson beaten and even a child could have finished him off. There's no excuse for your incompetence."

"Boss, we made a mistake. We thought we had him beat too. Turned my back for one second and the prick sprang to life again," Ross explained, speaking quicker than normal as he desperately made use of his time to explain. "We won't let you down again. It was just one mistake and it won't happen again."

Jared couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle and he glanced to Gideon to see if he could make out any sign that the man also found Ross' desperation laughable. He looked back to Ross and John, shaking his head. "Ross, I wouldn't trust you to water my damn plants after the shit you pulled... And that puts me in a tricky situation, because I can't just let you walk out of here either." Both men knew far too much to be able to walk away now. He looked to Gideon with an inviting expression. "What do you suggest we do with them, Gideon?"


Enzyme (Gideon)

 

[Pyroclast]

Adam Morgan

Adam sat in a long queue of cars, attention divided between the newspaper on his lap and the doors of the airport terminal. He had arrived slightly late to collect his father due to one or two unexpectedly congested roads, but fortunately his father, laboured by his injury, was not the fastest on his feet and so Adam had ended up waiting for him rather than the other way around. At least it would give him one less thing to complain about.

As soon as he caught sight of the limping man approaching the car, Adam quickly got out and hurried over to help him.
"Hello to you too, dad," he smiled, his tone dripping with sarcasm as his father handed over his luggage. Adam was used to aiding the man, but that didn't mean to say he enjoyed it. Once the two of them had got in the car, Adam switched on the radio at a low volume to fill any silences that may ensue. "So, how was it then?" he asked. "Or are you to keep things under wraps this time?"
Pulling away from the airport, he prayed that the traffic would not keep him trapped in his father's company for too long.

Interactions
ReverseTex Oliver

 

[ReverseTex]

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Oliver couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment, knowing the truth behind Adam’s facade. Ever since his mother had left town to wherever she fled to, the boy hadn’t held the same resolve he once had. And in truth, it was majority his own fault, but Adam hadn’t been old enough to remember those days...

Adams words cut through the car like a knife, the passive-aggressive nature only adding to the blade. “It wasn’t anything groundbreaking if that’s what you’re getting at Adam... This fucking war has caused what family we had lots of turmoil, and I’d rather not talk of it.” Leaning his cane against his limp leg, he rested his arm against the passenger door as the two drove off...

Oliver glanced at his son, his icy eyes studying the boy’s features carefully. Adam did have his father’s eyes, his mother’s hair, but the large build he could never figure out. He had been a scrawny boy himself in his youth, his mother not much different. But yet there he sat, jaw clenched in anger that he had to pick up his old man...

“You know what Adam. I’m tired of this bullshit you’ve been giving me since your mother left. I was going to let it slide, but I’ve taught you, and your mother has taught you better than this.” Oliver rarely yelled when he was angry, and he wouldn’t now. “You’re a young man now Adam and you need to start acting like one... Why do you think your mother waited to tell you how she felt about me and us until you were eighteen? It’s because she didn’t want you to act like this. And yet here we are...” The truth did hurt, which is why he didn’t lie to Adam now. He needed to hear it...


[/div][/div][/div][div class=credit]credits RI.a [/div][div class=overlay]Oliver Morgan[/div][div class=tags]Location: Car
Pyroclast [/div]

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Four days ago, Leo's eyes fluttered and his hand twitched. Aliana hadn't seen it, having been sleeping but it happened. Two days later, while Ali is trying to determine whether or not he would like the beard that had just grown, his eyes fluttered again. This time she sees it, but since it didn't happen again she paid it no mind. But then he groaned and moved and his eyes really did open. Her eyes got wide and her breathing shallow when Leo looked at her. "What's your problem and why are you so close?" Were his first words.

Today, he was up and moving but he wasn't going to be released for another day. Leo explained everything he remembered to Ali but he was shot and everything went black. "Al, listen. It wasn't personal so I don't want you getting involved. Listen to what Tommy is telling you, okay?" Ali just kissed his forehead and smiled at him. "You didn't listen to me when I asked you NOT to go and work for James and you think I'm going to listen to you about this? Not a chance mate." In a huff, Leo leaned back in his bed and groaned, still in a bit of pain. "The only reason I did is because I want to help James. He's the only person-" Ali shook her head at him and put her hand up. "I spoke to mom and she made a point. I don't care about that anymore; I just care that you're careful in this venture and you make the right decisions." It shocked to hear his sister say this but he wasn't about to try his luck. He thanked her and to quickly change the subject, she clapped her hands together. "Anyway, Tommy boy and Del are coming for a visit. She's missed you, I'm sure."

Tommy,( Misty Gray ) Delilah ( ElectricDandellion )​

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

The last week hadn't been one of the best for James and he had a relatively vast history of bad days to compare it to. Any time one of his men or women were injured or punished when working for him he considered it a failure on his part. The fact it was his brother-in-law made it even worse. Whilst he knew Peter was old enough to make his own life choices, he still felt it was his duty to ensure Peter made it home safe after every job. That was why he allowed Sinead to slap him across the face when she found out about Peter's arrest. She was entitled to her anger and he was willing to let her direct it at him rather than anyone else. James had tried everything he could to get the cops to drop the charges, but none of those involved in the case had any care or reason to help the Porters. Peter had gone and gotten himself arrested by the few honest Gardai still working the city. Detective Donnelly had no involvement in the case and was unwilling to involve himself, which to James was the final nail in the coffin of their former cooperative relationship. Donnelly and his team would find their jobs more difficult now, that was for sure.

As James walked with the guard through the corridors of the mental institute, his mind was on the other man who he'd failed to prevent from being incarcerated. Elijah had severe psychological problems, but James had to wonder which of them deserved to be locked up the most. People could say James had been far too distracted trying to help Peter all week, to feel any remorse or guilt for slaughtering Gary, but James knew there was no excuse. He knew he had a heart and he cared for his family, his friends and even showed compassion for strangers who needed it. Still, he had to question if there was something unhealthy in his own mind that meant he barely showed any remorse for the people he had killed. He considered all of his victims to have deserved to die in some way - never innocent people. But still, his ability to switch off from caring about those taken lives was something that had concerned him for almost two decades now.

James was pleasantly surprised to be led into an open room rather than a grubby interview room where he'd previously had to visit Elijah inside. The inmates were free of restraints, with fresh air blowing into the room and had the options of various recreational activities. His eyes fixed on Elijah and he wasn't surprised to see the man's attention glued eagerly to a bird outside. James took a seat next to Elijah and continued to look out of the window as his brother spoke enthusiastically about the Eurasian Blackcap. James listened with interest as Elijah spoke of the birds' characteristic melodies. His brother knew a damn sight more about ornithological matter than he did. "They sound like intelligent birds, mate. Perhaps highly perceptive too?" he rhetorically asked.

James made a point of looking around the room again before focusing back on Elijah. "How are you doing, Eli? Have you all been behaving yourselves in here or something? Looks like you're having all the fun in this place," he remarked. He then smirked a little as he thought back to the heavy-handed guard who had conducted the body search at reception. "I think one of the guards here has got the hots for me. Couldn't keep his fucking hands off me," he said, with a slight chuckle. "Luce would be jealous!" On the subject of searches, James reached into his shirt pocket for the one thing he'd been allowed to bring in with him and handed a folded sheet of paper to Elijah. "Something for you to read later. Ciara wrote you a letter... The guards were all over it - they must've thought I was bringing you an escape plan..."

Enzyme (Elijah)