Realistic or Modern Family Ties: 1980s Gangs - IC (Ended)

[Misty Gray]

May Thatcher's Place
~ East London ~

Christian Brooks​

Christian might have been off his game on account of his recent concussion and May's physical contact earlier having him flustered, but right now he was fully aware of the signals she was giving off. He noticed the subtle change in her, the threatening tears beneath her rapid blinking. Him declining to go to the club with her had clearly had an effect, no doubt along the lines of feelings of rejection, and he felt bad about that. Despite this, he had to remind himself that he'd feel even worse if he allowed himself to get at all close to her if he then had to lie to her. As long as he was keeping her father's identity a secret from her, he could not in good conscience let her get close to him.

"Thank you," he told her as she cleared the plates. She didn't take long in the kitchen before returning into view with what he could only conclude was a forced smile. As she leaned against the doorframe, she spoke up and apologised for keeping him for so long. He quickly shook his head. "No need to apologise. It made a nice change and the food was great," he assured her. As much as part of him wanted to stick around to reassure her, he knew it would be best to leave rather than string her along or spend too much time alone with her that he would put himself in a tricky position. He stood up from his seat and sent her a friendly smile as she moved to stand next to him. "As soon as I have any answers I can give you, I'll let you know." Heading towards the door, he briefly turned back to her. "Meanwhile, you stay out of trouble, May Thatcher," he joked.

No matter how desperate he was to be honest with her, Christian knew her father's identity was something he could not divulge until he had spoken with the Kings. With this information being significant to his employers, Christian knew how important it was that they were informed first.

BasDorcha (May)

 

[Misty Gray]

Syd Porter's House
~ £100 and I'll snitch with the location, Dublin ~

James Porter and George Sanderson-Sullivan
​

James looked suspiciously to Lucy when she told him she was full of good ideas and that both Syd and Roxie were grown adults. When she asked him if he didn't trust her, he furrowed his eyebrows. "Not when you're fluttering those eyelashes at me, I don't. That's when I know you're up to something," he joked. "I just hope whatever you're up to, you know what you're doing," he lightly warned.

George couldn't help but smile when Lucy complained about not liking New York, citing the noise and pollution as key reasons. "Well, I'm happy wherever my hunky Finn is," he said, putting his arm around his husband and kissing him on the cheek. "That being said," he began, turning back to Lucy and James. "I was born and raised here in Dublin, and in a close-knit village, no less. So New York did take a lot of adapting to for me. But now we're back here in Dublin, I have to admit, I can feel the difference in the air already."

Having been born in Chicago and even spent longer in New York, James had always been more familiar with the big city. However, now he'd retired, he was getting used to the quieter life in Dublin. Besides it wasn't like Dublin came without its chaos or drama. If he truly wanted to relax somewhere peaceful, he was sure it would be where gangs were not running rife. James smirked at mention of grown men breaking things, especially with reference to Thomas and Leo. "I'm sure they're fine now and past breaking everything. It's all of these young teenagers you need to start worrying about!" he teased.

When Lucy said his and Finn's kids had always been so well-behaved, George let out a small laugh. "Oh, I can't deny we have had it easier than some of you lot have. Lucas does have his moments, though. Nothing mean or bad. He can just get a little carried away when he's having fun and in an excitable mood. Was often getting told off in school back in New York, mostly for being a chatterbox. That said, Liam is quite introverted and mature, so I think that'll keep Lucas balanced," he thought, looking to Finn to check he agreed. Asked what their adopted son and daughter were studying, George flashed a smile. "Robert is studying Physiotherapy, and Melissa is studying Psychology. I think they've taken inspiration from Finn on that front. I'm counting on Lucas taking after me and being a mathematics or literature nerd," he joked.

Bellz (Finn, Lucy)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Local Pub
~Bethnal Green - London~

Nikita Blake

​

Kit watched on in amusement as Jeremy made his way over, immediately greeting the brunette. Either he understood what she was doing and knew not to interfer or he was just playing along for the moment. Either way it was working well for what she had in mind. She introduced herself to Jeremy as Sara, whilst the redhead was introduced as Elizabeth. Kit nearly cracked up when she heard the woman's name - her eyes growing wide as she turned to see Jeremy's reaction. Oh, this was going to be easier than she thought! Because Jeremy had been so pissy towards Harper it was only natural he'd project that anger towards someone with the same name. Which meant his reactions and expressions towards her would all be legitimate. The blonde then waved a hand before introducing herself and Margaret - though she seemed more into Nikita than Jeremy. Kit picked up on this and ignored her for the moment.

The moment Jeremy spoke and alluded to sleeping with Sara, Kit snickered. Elizabeth was turning red now and barely hiding the fact that she was pissed with her friend. Afterall, the woman had been married. There was no reason Jeremy should be flirting with her or even trying to have sex with a married man. But alas, it's what the two women had thought and therefore it was what they were going with. "Funny," Elizabeth said, placing her hand on Jeremy's arm. "I like that in a guy." There was a flash of anger in Sara's face but she had been more subtle about it. "You guys make a cute pair," Kit said, though she hadn't been specific to who she was talking to. Both women said thanks only to turn to each other in annoyance.

"You're married, Sara, shouldn't you be checking on your husband?" Elizabeth stated, cocking her head to the side. Margaret turned from Kit to her friends and watched as Sara frowned at her. "We're separated," she lied before turning back to Jeremy. What was once a shy and reserved woman had been replaced by someone feeling a bit more... Risque. She pressed herself against Jeremy and grabbed his hand, leaning forward to whisper in his ear. "She's always been a jealous bitch. Why don't you and I go somewhere in private where she won't bother us?" Sara then pulled back and winked at him, which was apparently the last straw for Elizabeth. The woman practically pushed Jeremy to the side before lunging for Sara, taking a swing at her head. Kit watched on in amusement as the two women rolled around the dirty floor fighting each other before turning to Margaret. "You know, if I'm being honest. My friend is more into blondes, anyway. And he's having a rough night," she said, her voice as alluring as possible. She rubbed under the girls chin and she practially melted. "Think you could help him with that?" Margaret nodded her head before turning to Jeremy. "You poor thing."

Jeremy ( BasDorcha )

 

[BasDorcha]

Local Pub
Jeremy Gray
​

Jeremy sat back, glad for an intervention when the two started fighting. Truth was he was already trying to figure out a way to worm his way back to the hospital when Kit pulled the seat out from beneath him, figuratively speaking. One second he was ready to walk away and call it done, finishing his drink in one swig, the next Kit was working her magic on the blonde at the table. For a split second he seen Harper’s face and his demeanor almost broke, but then his eyes focused in and he saw it wasn’t, and the calm came back to him.

Kit’s hand caressed the woman’s chin, while the other two were drug out by bouncers. A waitress walked by, placing his now half empty bottle on the table, eyes raised at the three of them, before she walked away. The girl leaned in and placed a hand on his lower stomach, causing the bile to rise in his throat before he choked it back down, looking at Kit in a new light. Turns out there might be a bit of human in there after all.

He had to force himself to not revolt, or leave, so he started on swigging from the bottle directly. Looking Kit dead in the eyes, he gave her a knowing look as if to ask, are you joining this? Jeremy had once had a heavy petting session with two women, but ended up sitting back and letting them have fun while he watched, feeling awkward and unneeded. The woman reached out and took both of their hands, leading them to towards the door. Jeremy grabbed his bottle and brought it along, watching both women with a somewhat reserved and studious look. You can do this, ya fucking pansy. Just get it over with. You’ll feel better after. Alex always said nothing felt better then a good roll in the sack.

Still, his internal war continued. A little motel across the street from the bar stood bright and big, the girl standing between Jeremy and Kit, stopping only to kiss one, then the other on the neck and giggling. At the front, Jeremy threw down a card and waited to get checked in. His skin was still crawling, and now the world was spinning faster then it ever had. He had every intention of following through, if he could just make it to the room.

Mentions: @Bella:D - Devil woman / @Melanin-Gxdess - Psycho woman

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~

​

With the tensions behind Trevor's appearance still lingering within his body, Alex had been thankful that Savannah would drop Callum off at his place tomorrow. He didn't have it in him to start any sort of snarky arguments or be fully committed to looking after his son and even entertaining him for the night. No, too many old memories and feelings had been dredged up that he just couldn't shake. For years he'd felt the effects being a child of a dead-beat dad left you with. Fears of becoming like them because you share similar DNA, fears of commitment. The desire to love and be loved but only for a certain amount of time. And of course, the desire to be reckless with his own emotions and with others. Before Savannah, he'd only ever given a shit about himself and when the two of them got together he swore he tried his damndest to be a better man for him. But as he got settled into the routine of being a boyfriend and a future father, having all these new responsibilities, and having to change his lifestyle before he was ready, he realized maybe that wasn't who he was. No, he knew for sure that wasn't who he was, which is why he'd gone and destroyed him.

Alex had made many mistakes in his life, but cheating on Savannah and ruining what they had had been his greatest. He'd thought about it from time to time, but never for too long and never too much. Those sort of thoughts he pushed to the darkest corners of his mind and willed them to stay there. Something about Trevor showing up and admitting his mistakes, giving his apology for them had made him want to do the same to Sav. But with the way things between their families were, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Alex knew full well that Savannah had nothing to do with what her family had done, but it was hard to separate her from her family at times. So perhaps until he was able to do so, he would keep those thoughts and feelings to himself.

For the time being, Alex had stuck around the pub long after everyone had left. Erik and Billy. Darcey and Bruce. Spencer, Shona, and little baby Eddie. They'd all gone about their business and no doubt wanted to unpack the events of the day, but Alex? He wanted to drink them away. God, he needed to drink them away. He was trying to be better than Trevor - had even been making good progress so far - but that part of him that ran and hid when things got too serious was itching to be let out. The Maldives, Ibiza, Italy. He wanted to be somewhere else drunk and not thinking about London at all. But he couldn't. He had Callum waiting to be with him tomorrow which meant any sort of trip was not allowed. So instead of some lavish place with mint chocolate on his pillows, he was at the Pub staring at the half-finished pint next to the empty shot glasses. In between his lips sat another cigarette - a habit he normally didn't have but did when he was stressed. He could hear the sound of other workers cleaning up but ignored it, looking up. "Kerry. One more shot," he said, dragging his hand through his hair and then down his face.

Kerry had been the only one to keep him company once his family had left. Granted she had other patrons to take care of and her other bartending duties, but she'd checked on him from time to time. Alex was a bit surprised when she decided that she'd stay in London and work under the employ of the King family, seeing as Savannah had been her best friend. Well, after the explosion he guessed he understood why she would want to. He appreciated her company, too, back at the hospital and was grateful she cared about Harper. His sister didn't have many female friends these days and after the ties between himself and Sav had been severed he imagined it was hard for the two of them to be friends. "Were you excited to see Sav?" He asked, attempting to make small talk and distract his wandering mind.

Misty Gray (Kerry)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~

Kerry Patrick​

Late that evening...

Despite her time in New York and everything that had happened since, including the nightclub explosion, Kerry was somehow still surprised by the current day's activities. Not only had Trevor Stewart returned, causing a lot of stress for the Kings, but then Savannah had taken everyone by surprise when she entered the pub with Danny and Callum. It was a lot to take in, even for Kerry, who wasn't personally affected by it all. So she could only imagine how upsetting it was for the Kings. Alex in particular, as he had the extra shock of his ex girlfriend showing up with their son after weeks of being away.

Kerry was aware of Alex's reputation with women, primarily because of her friendship with Savannah, who he'd cheated on. Despite that, she didn't think badly of Alex and she could see he was a man acknowledging his mistakes. She always thought he was a nice guy - a charmer, for sure, but he didn't seem cold or malicious. He also seemed like he really cared about his son, even if he hadn't always acted in ways that proved it. Meanwhile, the impression she was getting about Trevor was that the man may share Alex's womanising nature, but the older man had abandoned his family and was altogether self-centered.

Whilst the rest of his family had left the pub, one way or another, going off to their relative homes or wherever else they wished to be, Alex remained seated at the table. From her position behind the bar where she was stacking some cleaned glasses, she briefly observed the man. He was troubled, that much was obvious. When Alex looked up to her to request another shot, Kerry caught the way her colleagues were quick to look at her. As last orders had been called just a few minutes ago, Kerry was sure her colleagues were concerned they might not finish their shift on time if Alex wanted to keep drinking. "Coming right up!" she pleasantly told him. After pouring the spirit into the shot glass, she looked to her two colleagues. "I'll stay until lock-up. Kane was going to show the the ropes locking the place up anyway," she told the other staff, not wanting to rush Alex out where he might just ended up stumbling into some nightclub and drinking himself stupid. Besides, Alex was basically one of the pub's owners, so she wasn't about to rush him out of his family's business.

When Kerry took his drink to his table, Alex asked her if she was excited about seeing Savannah. Placing the shot glass on the table in front of him, Kerry hesitated for a moment before deciding to sit on the stool opposite Alex. She'd been on her feet all night and talking to the customers was part of her job. The fact Alex was the family of her employer gave her all the more reason to check in on him. "Excited isn't the word I'd use," she admitted, biting her bottom lip. "Don't get me wrong. We're still friends since I told her I was staying here in London, but I also told her I wanted to keep my distance from the rest of her family... after what had happened. I didn't expect to see her so soon and I'm sure she had some thoughts on me seeing me working here. So I guess awkward is the word I'd use," she explained.

Folding her arms and resting them on the table, she tilted her head a little and looked at Alex's face. "How did you feel about seeing Sav?" she curiously asked. "More to point... She brought Callum, right?" she said with more enthusiasm, flashing a warm smile. "Didn't you want him to stay with you tonight?" she asked. "I suppose with everything else that was happening... You can talk to me. Are you okay, Alex?" she finally asked, a tone of concern in her voice.

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~

​

The moment Kerry set his drink down he picked it up and knocked it back, setting the glass down on the table and playing with it. He felt like his fingers needed something to do so he pushed the glasses between the two of them. He'd heard Kerry sit down - saw her even in his peripheral vision - but he hadn't exactly acknowledged her yet. Too busy messing about with the glasses. It wasn't until he heard her voice that he looked up at her, almost curious as to why she was sitting there. That's when he remembered he had asked her a question. Just that quickly he had forgotten that he was making small talk and he blamed it on the fact that he was definitely drowning his brain in alcohol right now. She explained she wasn't exactly excited, but still happy to see her nonetheless. Alex nodded his head in understanding, tipping the shot glass over before leaning back in his seat listening to her talk.

"Awkward is probably the better word," he said in agreeance. "Well, it's good you got to see her regardless," he sighed. Despite the lack of enthusiasm in his voice, Alex really was happy they got to see each other. When he and Sav were dating he recalled the two women being close friends. The last thing he wanted was for either of them to lose a friendship because of the family feud - though he wouldn't say that to either of them. As far as Kerry was concerned, she needed to choose a side and not fraternize with the enemy. Savannah may have been better than her stupid family and not a part of their scheming ways, but he knew it wasn't a good look for Kerry whatsoever. The moment he repeated his question to him he looked up. With a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, he mimicked her and crossed his own arms. "I mean, is there a proper way to feel? Her uncle did just try to blow me up so I don't exactly have the warm and fuzzies," his voice was sarcastic but had been void of any other emotion.

She then asked about Callum, to which a gave a quick smile. "Surprisingly, yeah. Figured she'd think it was too dangerous over here for him or that we'd try something as sick as Conor has," he said, rolling his eyes. "That woman knows we aren't as low." He let out a scoff before getting himself back on topic. "Anyway, I did. But Trevor showin' up put a wrench in those plans." He placed his elbows on the table before burying his head on his hands, rubbing his eyes with the base of his palms. "Him bein' 'ere- Trevor, I mean, it's fucked me up. Heads all screwy and I didn't wanna be a bummer when the kid was so excited. Needed a drink and I've been trying not to drink too much around the kid." Alex wouldn't realize it just yet, but ever since Callum's week-long visit a while back he had made an effort to not act the way Trevor had when he was younger. Meaning, drinking around him or doing anything that would get him labeled as a bad influence. He really was trying to be better - but it was more of a struggle than he had been expecting.

It was the concern in her voice that made Alex look up at her. "You really concerned or you just doin' your due diligence?" He asked. Alex knew it was a bartender's job to listen and talk to the patrons about what ailed them - it's what got them spending more money and buying more drinks. Though this was the first time he had been to the pub with Kerry working there, he had seen her work her magic back at the nightclub. Now he wondered if she was working his magic on her. "Well, if you must know Ms. Patrick, I'm not," he said, smirking. "I'm barely resisting the urge to hop a flight to some foreign country and escape the bullshit that is my life but unfortunately I can't. Otherwise, my family will think less of me - more so than they already do. Sav and her family will be proven right and my son will think I'm a piece of shit. Then I'll really be Trevor's son." His last sentence was dripping in venom, disgusted with the fact that he shared blood with the man as it was. He hated the fact that the man had been his father and that he was anything like him.

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~

Kerry Patrick​

Kerry couldn't help but lightly shrug her shoulders when Alex said it was good that she'd got to see Savannah. With everything going on in the pub and the drama of the blonde showing up at all, Kerry hadn't exactly had much opportunity for a friendly catch-up or anything of the sort. Even in the opportunities that did present themselves, Kerry didn't instigate conversation. Having chosen to stay in London and restart her employment with the Kings, along with the fact the Sullivans had just blown up the nightclub, Kerry wasn't surprised by the awkwardness she felt around Savannah. If she were being honest, she hadn't expected her to show up in London for a long time and with that in mind, any remaining friendship would likely have died out over time. Savannah was a good person and Kerry believed she would never have anything to do with the mob's activities, but actively maintaining their friendship seemed wrong now. As bad as she felt about it, Kerry had been stuck in the middle of the Sullivans' wars before and she didn't want to be in the middle of this one. She was sure the Kings wouldn't want her sitting on the fence either. What she knew for sure was that the Sullivans would never give her well-being a second thought and she was even in the club they decided to blow up. Pain and destruction followed the Sullivans wherever they went. Kerry knew all of that was why she hadn't approached Savannah today.

Kerry nodded her head when Alex answered the question she'd repeated back to him. It was no surprise he wasn't happy about seeing Savannah after what her uncle had done. Whatever Kerry felt about it, she knew Alex and the others felt more strongly. "Yeah. I get that. Any of us could have been killed because of him. It's not even the first time he's made me fear for my life," she said. She couldn't help but recall how Conor had kept her confined to a secure New York apartment while he mulled over what to do with her; leaving her spending every day wondering if it were her last. Even though he was aware of what East Harlem and the Morettis had done to her, she felt Conor never showed her any understanding or compassion.

"No matter what she or her family has done, Sav cares about Callum. So I think she knows she can't keep him away from you. It doesn't matter how good a mother she is, she knows it's not right to deprive him of you," she reasoned. "I think we all saw how much his face lit up when he saw you earlier," she said, fondly smiling in hopes it would give Alex something positive to hold on to.

Kerry nodded in understanding when he explained how Trevor's arrival had messed him up and that he needed a drink after that, which he couldn't do with Callum there. It was him making such considerations like that which made Kerry sure Alex was better than his reputation and he was making steps to be more responsible. The fact he was drinking his night away right now seemed reasonable, considering everything he had on his mind. Kerry was sure she'd be hitting the bottle too.

When Alex looked to her and questioned if her concern was genuine, Kerry feigned an offended expression. He told her he wasn't okay and, despite his smirk, she knew he meant it. "That's perfectly understandable," she sympathised with him. She then listened as he spoke of his urge to rush off out of the country but was held back by how his family would judge him for it. "Okay, listen..." she began, tapping the table and making sure he looked at her to pay attention. "You might have done some irresponsible things in the past, but your family love you. I've seen them and that's unconditional. Sure, they want the best for you, but neither them nor Callum will ever think you're a piece of shit. So don't be throwing yourself a pity party!" she asserted. She then sat up straight and shook her head as she thought back to his earlier comment. "I'm not sitting here with you now because it's a requirement of my job. I just know when someone needs to talk - and to a genuine listener. I know you and I don't know each other so well, but I'm friends with Harper and others in your family. Not to mention I understand how much the nightclub attack affected you... Plus, I'm all for sitting here and joining in with the "Conor Sullivan is a prick" conversation."

When Alex spoke bitterly about his father, Kerry sat back a little and studied him, before deciding to ask about him. "I've heard plenty of mentions about Trevor before. Admittedly, I probably only know a fraction of it. My understanding is that he's selfish. A man who walked out on his own wife and kids. Not even waiting for Harper to be born," she clarified on her knowledge. "Yes, you cheated on Sav, and you could have been around more instead of suddenly jetting off on holidays. But, you don't strike me as anything like Trevor. You love Callum, that's easy to see, and you were already making changes before Trevor showed up today."

Kerry glanced over her shoulder as her colleagues called out to let her know they were finishing for the night. She nodded in acknowledgement but was quick to focus back on Alex. "Is he as terrible a man as he sounds?" she asked about Trevor. Alex clearly needed to offload, so she was willing to be his audience.

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~

​

Kerry explained to Alex that the explosion hadn't been the first time Conor made her fear her life. He'd heard about her run-ins with Moretti and that she had been forced to betray the Sullivans, but he was never given details - or, if it had been, he could never recall them. With his brows furrowed and his arms crossed, he gestured with his hand towards her. "You know, you've mentioned Sullivan and the shit that happened in New York but I'm curious - what happened? I mean, I know Moretti blew up the club you worked at and he made you bait Conor and everything but what about after?" Alex knew what he was asking would probably be a sensitive topic, but thanks to the alcohol he hadn't stopped to think about it. All he wanted to know was why she disliked the man as much as he did. Sure, he'd blown up their nightclub and beat up his brother and tried to force Sav to keep his son away but when she talked about him it seemed much more... Personal. Personal enough for Alex to get curious and finally ask about it.

Alex let out a soft chuckle hearing about Callum and how excited he had been to see him. Of course, Alex had shared the sentiment completely, especially with how his day had been going. He still felt bad that he had to tell the kid they wouldn't be able to hang out that night, but he would rather it be this way than any other alternative. "You see, it's not Sav I'm worried about - though I think she should drop the princess act and stand up to her fucking uncle. It's some of the members of her family all whispering in her ear about what she should do and just putting their noses in places it don't belong."

The tapping on the table grabbed his attention, Alex looking up from his hands at Kerry. He started playing with the cups again while she talked. She was being assertive, it seemed, and wanted to put an end to his pity partying. There was a slight smirk on his face as she explained that though he had been troubled in the past, his family still loved him. This he knew, but he could never wrap his mind around the idea that they had. None of them had indirectly started a war between two families nor caused so many issues and some days he felt as if they'd be better off without. However, the moment Kerry mentioned that none of them - including Callum - thought he was a piece of shit, he nodded his head. He thought, as long as Callum at the very least didn't think ill of him then maybe he would be alright.

Kerry reassured him she was talking because she wanted to and not because she had to, bringing about a chuckle. "Fair enough, barmaid," he teased, leaning back in his seat one more. She then stated that the two of them didn't know each other very well and how she had been friends with Harper and smirked. "Be careful, then. The last time I got to know one of my sister's friends - well, we see how well that went, right?" He joked with a wink. While he was with Savannah, he had never thought to cross the line and flirt with Kerry or even make eyes at her. It wasn't until well after their breakup that he would make slightly flirtatious comments in passing and flashing her one of those boyish grins.

The topic then drifted back to Trevor, causing Alex to bite his lip. Kerry stated the stark differences between the two of them and while he appreciated it, he was still struggling with seeing those differences himself. Taking a deep breath he prepared himself to explain Trevor and who he was - at least, when it came to what he'd experienced. "A million times worse, love," he started. Alex leaned forward, placing his laced fingers on top of the table. "He's a fucking disease that spreads until it's destroyed everything in its path. Used to abuse Spence, yell at us until he was red in the face. Don't get me started on the shit with our mum. Trevor doesn't care about anyone but himself and doesn't care about who he hurts so long as he's taken care of. He abandoned us when we were kids. Left wondering what we did that had been so terrible. Terrible enough to kill our mom and disappear," swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat along with the tears, Alex shook his head. "He's a goddamn monster."

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~

Kerry Patrick​

When Alex asked her about what had happened back in New York and the aftermath of it, Kerry stayed silent for a moment. It had taken years after for her to be able to speak about her experience without stirring up her anxiety, but with Maddox's help, she was now at a stage where she could say more without getting upset about it. "Moretti did have his men burn Sinead's club down. But before they torched the place, they robbed the safe and shot dead Sinead's employees and the security guards. I had to watch that all happen before I was abducted from the club. Everyone else died in there and I was instead locked in some dark, tiny basement room for days. I was threatened and tortured for days and nearly..." she trailed off. Alex had asked, but she realised he really didn't want to hear it all. Clearing her throat, she sat up straight. "Moretti used me as bait, sending Conor and his people into a trap. Conor lost people he cared about and he blamed me for it just as much as he blamed the Morettis. He kept me locked up at one of his bases, until he finally decided to let me live and made me leave New York. He made me feel so much guilt for what happened, as if I had killed his friends with my own hands. For a long time I believed he was justified and I was to blame." Kerry subconsciously tapped her fingertips on the table to keep her nerves in check. "Now, I just realise he played God, made me spend all those days fearing he would be sending someone to kill me. And he knows everything that I went through and how much I was terrified of refusing Moretti, yet he never tried to understand or show compassion. Even when Sinead and Sav defended me to him." She lightly shrugged her shoulders. "Seeing what's going on with your family and the Sullivans now... he's trying to play God with you too." She toyed with whether or not to say her next words, but in the end, she felt she should. "I understand your family is working with the Morettis now. I imagine they can help you against the Sullivans, but be careful, won't you? Gabriel gives me the creeps."

Kerry listened as Alex spoke about wanting Savannah to stand up to her uncle and not let her family members keep influencing what she did. Kerry lightly nodded her head. Whilst she knew Savannah wanted to do her own thing, she was aware the blonde was more introverted and tended to let her family overrule her. "What do you think about her being here now? I haven't spoken to her but surely she didn't come here with her uncle's blessing. Maybe she's already breaking away from listening to him."

Kerry couldn't help but laugh when Alex told her to be careful, reminding her of what happened the last time he got to know one of Harper's friends. "Oh, I know too much about you now, Alex. You wouldn't dare go behind my back," she teased him, referring to him cheating on Savannah. "Not to mention, you would not be going off to Ibiza on some solo bender. I'd be sneaking into your suitcase so I can got there to work on getting a tan!" Before now, Kerry had always brushed off any attempts from Alex to flirt with her. Now, she didn't feel held back by her friendship to Savannah and she wanted to help provide some cheer to Alex right now.

Kerry gave Alex her full attention when he elaborated on Trevor, making it clear the man was far worse than the impression she had of him. It was a lot to hear him speak of his own father so badly, saying the man was a disease. It only made her wonder more what awful things the man had done. It was horrible hearing how he used to abuse Spencer and yell at the brothers. Whilst she was sure it wasn't the only reason, Kerry figured that offered some insight into why Spencer was so serious and closed-off with those not in his trusted circle. Alex then said not to get him started on what happened to his mother. She was aware from Harper that Trevor had abandoned his family before she was born and that Laura had died not long after. It seemed that Trevor had some part in Laura's death and it was possibly deeper than him just walking out on her.

Alex elaborated on how Trevor had made his kids feel like they must have done something bad for him to leave. Kerry felt her heart ache at the thought of how much Alex and the others had been affected by their father's selfishness. Her own mother died during childbirth and she never knew who her father was. She didn't really know what it felt like to lose a parent as she'd never known her own, but being brought up by her strict grandparents, she felt she has some understanding of what it felt like to disappoint them, but nowhere near the level Alex must have felt when Trevor left. And the fact was, Alex should never have had to feel like he'd done anything wrong at all - Trevor was the one at fault.

Kerry was an intelligent woman and didn't take everything literally, but based on everyone's reactions to Trevor's reappearance, she wasn't sure if Alex's words about Trevor killing his mother were to be taken literally. Seeing the man's eyes fill with tears, Kerry automatically reached her hand out across the table and took hold of his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "He killed your mother?!" she asked for clarification. She then cleared her throat. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she reassured him, seeing the topic was upsetting for him.

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~

​

As Kerry delved into what she went through in New York, Alex listened intently. He raised his eyebrows in surprise the moment he brought up just exactly what Moretti had done to her. Alex knew Moretti wasn't a man to cross but hearing about his actions from someone who had actually experienced them was completely different from idle gossip. For a moment it made him wonder if his family being in business with the man was such a good idea, but it would be a topic for another time. Right now, he was paying attention to the woman across from him. He suddenly felt bad for even asking and making her relive the whole thing all over again when she paused - he had even been about to tell her so when she kept going and went on to Sullivan. Had she not mentioned Conor he would have told her not to finish but she had and his desire to learn more about the man's ruthless tendencies took over. It wasn't as shocking to hear that Conor had locked her up just as Moretti had or that he'd been playing God. Alex knew this about the man when he started making decisions about Callum without his or Sav's input. But that doesn't mean hearing it didn't disgust him as he shook his head. "You'd think he'd be a bit more sympathetic, hm?" He commented, nodding his head. "And yeah, I agree. Conor's always been about showin' how big his dick is that I'm not surprised by what you're sayin'." He paused before looking up at her and shaking his head. "But still, that's shit and I'm sorry you had to go through that." Alex laid his hand on the table with his palm open, offering his hand to her in case she needed comfort.

She warned him about Moretti, stating that he gave her the creeps and he couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, you're not the only one. He and Damian are two weird blokes. His daughter, however, Tatiana?" He made the 'okay' symbol with his fingers and nodded his head. "Just the right amount of hot and crazy mixed together, but like 80% of her looks has got to be her mother, right?" He joked, trying to lighten the mood. After making her reach into the darkest parts of her memory, he felt it only right to make her forget about it for the time being. She then asked about how he felt about Savannah being in London and he shrugged. "A part of me wants to believe she's here of her own accord, but Conor's been pulling her strings so long it's hard to. I mean, he could've sent her here as a 'Whoops, didn't mean to get you guys', sort of thing." Ever since his last visit to Dublin, Alex had become very paranoid and suspicious about anything Sullivan-related. Whether it be a Sullivan who had found their way under King employ or his ex showing up, he had become weary of the family altogether. "Can't trust 'em," he finally said.

Alex let out a hearty laugh when she mentioned climbing into his suitcase to go to Ibiza with him. He had imagined the sight and for some reason, it tickled him. "You won't have to worry about that," he stated, making it seem as if he were talking about him cheating. "The suitcase, I mean. I'd ask you to go with me," he said, suddenly acting bashful as he looked down at the table. "The cheating, however..." He joked, shaking his head. "I'm working on changing my ways." He stated honestly. Though he hadn't exactly stopped sleeping around with women, at least they had been the same women he had already slept with. No new randoms was his rule and so far so good.

Maybe it was the way she was being so attentive or because he needed to talk about it, but Alex found himself sharing more about Trevor than he thought - and liked, to be quite honest. Or maybe it was the alcohol that had loosened his inhibitions and tongue making him spill his guts. Whatever the reason, he scrunched up his nose at the topic of Trevor. He held onto her hand - subconsciously rubbing the back with his thumb - and shook his head. "I mean- well- technically. She erm. She was addicted to drugs that he introduced her to. Died of an overdose when Harp was just a baby," he said softly, breaking his eyes away from hers to look off to the side, his leg bouncing anxiously under the table. "Had he not been a junkie, piece of shit she'd still be here."

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~

Kerry Patrick​

Alex agreed with Kerry about Moretti giving off creepy vibes and he went on to mention Damian was weird too. She couldn't disagree - there was definitely something unsettling about Damian from the very few times she had seen him around. She grinned when Alex spoke of Tatiana being a mix of hot and crazy. "I haven't seen her mother, but it's got to be more than 80%, surely. None of those looks came from her dad," she remarked.

With talk of Alex's reputation for cheating and vacations, Kerry wasn't immediately sure which he was telling her she wouldn't have to worry about. He soon made it clear he meant her sneaking into his suitcase, instead saying he'd ask her to go with him. "How nice of you, Alex King. Aren't you a charmer?" she teased him. He went on to suggest he couldn't promise as much when it came to not cheating. "Hmm. You're working on it, huh? See, progress already," she commented, with a playful wink.

As Alex spoke about Trevor and he kept hold of the reassuring hand she'd offered him, Kerry couldn't help but glance down as he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. Looking back to his face as he spoke of how his mother had been addicted to drugs, something Trevor introduced her to, Kerry couldn't help but feel saddened by it. The woman had died of an overdose after Trevor had walked out on her, leaving her to deal with a mess he'd been the one to introduce her to in the first place. She watched as Alex looked away, clearly anxious by the conversation. "That's terrible. I'm so sorry your family had to go through that and it's awful your mother was dragged into that world. I can't believe Trevor would have the audacity to show up here after what he did. No wonder him showing up has knocked you for six," she sympathised. "You can always talk to me about this stuff, you know. Regardless of you having a few drinks and me being a barmaid," she reiterated.

Before Kerry could say anything else, the pub door opened and Kane stepped inside. The big guy stood in the doorway as he looked around the pub, acknowledging only Kerry and Alex were left inside. "Unless you're planning on sleeping here, I need to lock this place up," he informed them. It had been a long day and the bodyguard wasn't normally involved in such tasks, but after Trevor had shown up, he was to make sure there weren't any more unwanted visitors for one day. He also wanted to ensure Kerry knew what she was doing if she was going to be involved in locking up in the future. "You can both have a lift home. Each to your own homes," he clarified.

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~

​

Kerry responded to his comment about Tatiana with a joke of her own - one he hadn't been expecting from her. Normally when he'd make a joke like that he would get berated or an eyeroll but Kerry went along with it. He wasn't sure if it were because she was trying to help lighten the mood or if she was just as humorous as he was. Whatever the case, she was definitely helping him forget about what a hectic and annoying day it had been.

Even though he knew her remark had been one of teasing, just hearing her acknowledge him trying to be a better human being was enough. Even if her words didn't hold the same weight as someone like Billy, Spencer, or even Harper, the acknowledgement was still warranted. The same way he was trying to be a better father for Callum he was trying to be a better person overall and needed someone to tell him he was doing a great job. He gave her a boyish grin and shook his head at her. "Always have been. I thought you knew this about me?"

Talking about his mom had him thinking about the past again and if he were to be honest, he was tired of thinking about it. He was tired of the images of his mother happy one second and distressed in the next. When it came to his emotions he had been feeling things he hadn't felt in a long time - things he didn't even know were still locked away in his heart. He didn't know how to deal with any of it nor who he would be able to talk to about them. How would he even explain it in a way that made sense? The moment Kerry offered to be that person, he looked back to her. His first instinct was to ask why she'd offered but he didn't want to come across as rude. She had offered and he was looking so why wouldn't he accept? "I appreciate that and I may take you up on that one of these days. Although, I hope you know what you're getting into makin' an offer like that," he stated, shaking his head.

Before he was able to spew out another line of flirtatious words, Kane interrupted them. "Terrible timing as always, Kane, I was just about to turn Kerry into my personal therapist." He leaned back in his seat, finally letting go of her hands to link his fingers togeether. Kane then offered the two of them a ride home, clarifying that it would be to their separate places. Alex let out a slight chuckle before shaking his head. "I've no idea what you may be alluding to, but I'll have you know I'm a proper gentleman," he stated standing up from his seat.

As the three of them stepped outside, Alex put his hands in his pockets and turned to both Kane and Kerry. "I think I'll take a walk. Place ain't too far from here and I've still got some shit to sort so," he nodded his thanks to the man before turning to Kerry with a smile. "Thanks for, you know. The talk. You really are a top notch bird," he winked at her before waving his goodbye. "Get her home safe, Kane."

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 12: Dust to Dust
Wednesday 10th July 1985
...10 days later...
Dublin: Late Evening - Warm, Clear Skies, Dark
London: Early Evening - Warm, Cloudy, Breezy
New York City: Late Afternoon - Warm, Rainy

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

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

Undisclosed Location
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~
​

Spencer King

The last few weeks hadn't gone down at all how Spencer believed they were supposed to. He'd believed that this one time, he'd have been granted a break so he could spend time with Shona and his new-born son. He'd had every intention of making sure Edward was born into a warmer environment than he and his siblings had been. It turned out that forces outside of his control had not been willing to grant Spencer just a few weeks of peace so his son's first days in the world could be the best possible. There were two men responsible for ruining Edward's entry to the world, and they were also responsible for giving Spencer some of the worst days of his life. Conor Sullivan and Trevor Stewart. Trevor's suffering and punishment were a work in progress, but there was nothing stopping Conor from imminently paying for what he'd done. The Irish Mob Boss had nearly wiped out Spencer's family. He'd trespassed on King territory to blow up one of their businesses. Even before that, he'd got in the way of Alex seeing his kid. Then he'd had Spencer beaten up for trying to stand up for his brother and what was right. Over recent days, the thoughts that had been taking over Spencer's mind were ones of killing Conor, and making sure the Irish man suffered in the process. He wanted the man dead, but he didn't want to make it easy on him by making it quick. He'd already let Trevor walk out of the pub in one piece, so Spencer had a lot of fury to get out of his system. For now, he was more than happy to let Conor take the brunt of his built-up anger.

Since the decision had been made with his uncle and brothers, Spencer had been working with them to plan their visit to Dublin. Gabriel, Tatiana and Damian had also provided additional and helpful insight about weaknesses and blind spots within Dublin, especially the areas they could take advantage of. One Phelan Sweeney had flagged up as a man they could use to get to Conor. Overall, the logistics of the plan were something Spencer was comfortable with, especially as the Morettis had been assisting them with their abundance of past experience and knowledge. Something Spencer wasn't going to be cocky about was actually dealing with Conor when he did get to him. By no means was Spencer weak and there weren't many fights he'd lost, but he wasn't about to underestimate Conor, even if the man was twenty years older than himself. Spencer was well aware of Conor's reputation and the fact the man was difficult to take down, especially in a fair fight. So, like the night Spencer was jumped and the night of the nightclub explosion, Spencer was willing to lower his integrity to match Conor's and not make it a fair fight. The aim was to kill Conor, so fairness and integrity didn't need to play a part. With the help of his brothers, Jeremy included, Spencer wasn't going to let let Conor win this one.

Spencer, Alex, Billy and Jeremy had arrived in the outskirts of Dublin the night before. At the same time some as their employees had also made their way to Dublin so they could scope out the city and keep up surveillance on Conor and the other key Irish Mob members so they could communicate back to the Kings. Spencer knew many of Conor's high-ranking members, having met them during past meetings and visits, so he knew which ones needed to be kept away from Conor tonight. Various diversions and distractions had been put into place should any of the Irish Mob members come close enough to run to Conor's aid.

The call to Conor Sullivan's house had now been made and the Kings now found themselves waiting out in their black van for the man in question to show up to supposedly deal with Phelan Sweeney. They'd been in the van for well over an hour already, prepared for any potential changes to the location and plan. As such, Spencer was trying his hardest to maintain his concentration and focus, barely taking part in any conversation that his brothers and Jeremy might be having. The four of them were seated in the back of the transit van awaiting their cue to move. Occupying the driver's seat was their armed driver, who was keeping out of sight whilst monitoring the area around the dark, empty backstreet. All of the businesses and any flats were already in darkness, having closed earlier in the evening. Not that he expected any civilians would dare step in to stop a fight on Sullivan's territory. Another message came over on the car radio from one of their men, confirming the coast was still clear. Turning to the others, Spencer looked them over. "Porter and those with him are headed away from here to our little diversion. Syd's not left the house. Adam's still out with some poor young lass. Anyone else they have on standby will most likely be attending to the port, along with Porter. So whoever Conor brings with him, they'll be a piece of piss to deal with. Alright?" he asked the other three men.

Spencer was more than aware that killing a man wasn't something Alex and Billy had done before. Whilst Jeremy and himself had. Spencer was more than familiar with the act of killing, torturing or severely injuring an enemy. The main difference this time was that it was much more personal, so he knew no matter how much he was willing to let his aggression loose, he still had to maintain a level head in doing so. The toyed with the hunting knife in his hand, idly extending and retracting the blade. At his feet were more weapons as well as some rope. Spencer had no intention of using guns in this, both because he wanted Conor to suffer but also because gunshots tended to attract the most unwanted attention. "Are you lads all okay with this?" he asked them. There was no way any of them could walk away from it now, but he at least wanted to reassure them and make sure they kept their heads in check. "I ain't expecting any of ya to murder someone tonight and neither is Bruce. I have no issue with doing that for us. I want to make Conor suffer and after doing so, I don't intend on leaving the bastard alive. I'm not asking any of ya to do that. But what I do expect you lads to do is make sure we all walk away from this tonight - that no Sullivan and no copper can stop us getting back to London after this. That also means making sure Conor doesn't win the fight. He might be old, but he's still a big, tough bastard who can still kick the fuck out of a bloke if he wants to. So it might need more than one of us to subdue the giant lump enough to get him in the back of this van. There's no time time for us to be cocksure when we need to be realistic. I need all of ya to keep your fuckin' heads screwed on and to have my back," he firmly commanded them. "Are we clear?"

Melanin-Gxdess (Alex) Pyroclast (Billy) BasDorcha (Jeremy)

The Funky Cat
~ Dublin City Center, Dublin ~
​

Benjamin Reznik

Benjamin had arranged to meet Lorelei at the club once she was due to finish work for the day. With Benjamin intending for them to have some drinks there once she was off the clock, Aidan had stepped in and offered to take the young couple back home once they were ready. So they could both enjoy some alcoholic drinks, Benjamin had accepted his guardian's offer for the ride home.

Sitting across the small table from Lorelei, Benjamin sent her a warm smile, with a fondness that was reflected as far as his eyes. He couldn't help but smile when he was in her presence. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever dated and he'd never felt as close to a girl as he did with her. Maybe it was still considered the early stages of their relationship, but in his heart, he felt like they had a strong future together. "So, um..." he began, noticing she'd finished her drink. "I should give Aidan a call so he can come pick us up," he suggested. "Would you like him to drop you off at home, or would you like to stay over at my place tonight? I know it's not the Ritz or anything," he remarked, his cheeks blushing as he spoke. However she answered, Benjamin got up to use the club's phone and called through to the number Aidan had given him to use. He understood Aidan was working on surveillance that night, but the base in question was close to The Funky Cat.

Returning to their table, Benjamin held his hand out to help Lorelei up from her seat. "Aidan's setting off right now, so he'll only be a few minutes," he informed her. With it being a warm evening, he knew they'd be fine waiting outside. Once they were out and standing in front of Lorelei's club, Benjamin stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He placed a kiss on her cheek before lightly resting his head against hers. "I will apologise in advance for anything Aidan says to us," he playfully told her. Though Lorelei had already met the man who had worked for the Sullivans for many years, Benjamin still felt the need to warn her about Aidan's quirks on a personal level. "He is a massive dork, so there's a high chance he's going to say something embarrassing during the ride home. I'm certain he does it on purpose," he explained, letting out a fond laugh. "It'll all be at my expense, of course. He thinks you're great!"

Bellz (Lorelei)

Paddy's Diner
~ Ashtown, Dublin ~
​

Adam Harper

With work taking up a lot of time, Adam was glad to finally have a full day off. Whilst it was easy to fit in time to spend with Blake around his shifts, he had been waiting to get a full day away from work to spend with Elena. Today may have been a Wednesday, but he'd thought of plenty of things to do and for once, none of them involved him sitting in a pub. Having picked Elena up before lunch, the first place he took her was for fish and chips on Clontarf Pier. Knowing his daughter had spent practically all of her life in Cuba, he wanted to show her things she wouldn't have seen before and give her an initial tour of Dublin. After lunch, he'd taken her to Dublin's three castles and some of the other points of interest. More than anything, he just wanted time to chat with Elena and get to know her, without it simply being the two of them sat across from each other at a table forcing conversation. This felt more natural to him and in a way, it was like he was showing her his home... her new home.

The day had seemed to fly by and before Adam knew it, the sun had set and they both needed some dinner. After walking alongside Phoenix Park, Adam took Elena to an American-style diner he'd frequented on a number of occasions. It had always been something of a tradition back in New York for the lads on duty to fill up on burgers during surveillance, and tonight he was craving one too. Of course, there was plenty of menu choice for Elena to pick from, but Adam's mind had already been made up before they reached the diner.

As they ate their food, Adam couldn't help but smile at his daughter. "How has today been? I figured we could both do with some fresh air and something other than sitting in a pub," he told her, before taking another bite from his burger. He glanced to his watch, noting it was approaching 10pm. "If you're not ready to go home yet, we could always fit in one last activity. Obviously, there's always the pub. But you see those lights over there," he began, pointing towards the park and the distant colourful flashing lights. "There's a funfair in the park for the summer. We could wander there for a bit. Did you ever go on any rides before?" he asked, wondering how much she got to do in Cuba. Seeing the sign for Dublin Zoo prompted him to shake his head. "One place I'll never take you is the zoo. I don't agree with 'em. Wild animals, like tigers? They don't belong in Dublin and they certainly don't belong behind bars. That ain't right," he told her.

After another period of silence as they finished their food, Adam looked to Elena again. There were a couple of things he wanted to ask and tell her about, with now seeming like a good enough time. "How are you and Thomas doing?" he finally asked her, keen to know how serious his daughter's relationship was. "What does he think about me been your old man? Tu papá."

Pyroclast (Elena)

On the Road to Home
~ Clontarf, Dublin ~
​

Sinead and Liam Callahan

Since the music shop had closed a few hours ago, Sinead, Aliana and Liam had been working together to reorganise some of the displays and shelving. Sinead had been determined to get it all done in one evening, so by the time they had finished, it had got relatively late. Thankfully, it was all finished and it wasn't too late for Liam to get to bed early enough to be up for school the next morning. "You've both been life savers," she told Aliana and Liam. "We'd best get going though, so Ali can pick up the kids from Finn and George's," she spoke whilst switching off the various lights as they made their way to the shop's exit. As Sinead locked up, the three of them were approached by the Sullivan guard who had been stationed outside on security.

The guard walked them to Sinead's car and stood watch as they all got into the vehicle. "You drive safety, Mrs Callahan. I'll let the team know you're on your way home," he assured her. The man took a step back away from the car as he watched Sinead start it up before setting off and driving down the street out of sight.

Sinead had been driving for around 15 minutes, happily singing along as she took in the sight of the coast to her right. "Isn't it so pretty?" she asked Aliana and Liam, before continuing to hum along to herself. The road ahead was clear, but Sinead could help but think something looked off. The headlights seemed to be dimmer than usual, and her dashboard lights seemed to flicker a little too. She pulled in at the side of the road so she could get out of the vehicle and check. After studying the headlights for a moment, she returned inside the vehicle and thought for a second. "I think I need to get the car checked out tomorrow," she said, looking to Aliana before sighing. As she was about to set off again, she managed to stall the car, causing the engine to shut off. After a small grumble, she turned the key in the ignition to start the car up again. The car audibly struggled to start up, and after a few more tries, the car lights shut off completely. "Oh shoot!" she muttered. She sat back for a short time before trying to start the car up again, but still getting the same lack of results.

"I think it broke down," Liam remarked from the back of the car.

"Oh, well aren't you a smarty pants!" Sinead drily remarked, turning back to her son to see him pulling a sarcastic-looking expression. She then looked to Aliana and awkwardly bit her lip. "Ali, be a darling and get my little notebook out of the glove compartment. Petey and Brady are out tonight, but I have the number for Syd's garage written down. If not, we can try Finn's or Syd's homes," she suggested. "There's a payphone just down the street we can use," she added.

Liam listened to his mother and aunt speak, a curiosity on his face as he wondered how long it would take before Sinead stopped being calm about it. He got his answer without having to wait long at all as Sinead let out an irritable groan. "You know what does my head in?!" she asked, turning to face Aliana directly. "I didn't pick this car. Nooo. I was always told I couldn't keep choosing cars because they looked cute. Oh, no, I've always had Peter, James, Conor... the lot of them, all like 'you don't know a decent car, Tink. Let us men get you one'," she said, mimicking Conor's voice. "Well, let me tell you. That purple car I had all those years ago. It didn't break down once. And another thing! I drive how we're supposed to drive. I don't go speeding around the city, chasing people down backstreets, doing crazy stunts, or anything like that. Why is it always my car that has troubles? Next time I'm picking the darn car!" she decided. She then took a deep breath and looked to Aliana. "Did you find the numbers?" she calmly asked.

Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana) BasDorcha (Tom)

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~
​

Christian Brooks

The last time he had seen May, Christian had left her apartment feeling like a horrible person. He could see she was hurt by his rejection to go out for drinks with her. He had to remind himself that it was the best way to prevent further, worse hurt down the line, especially if he had to keep lying to her. It hadn't taken long that night for his focus to be forced elsewhere, when he received a call from Bruce himself. The moment he heard Trevor had shown his face, Christian had been about to tell Bruce about the photograph. However, his employer seemed extremely stressed by his former brother-in-law's appearance, so much that Christian didn't have the heart to pile on yet more Trevor stresses in the form of May being the man's daughter. Besides which, there hadn't been much room to add in more issues by the time Bruce had given Christian his orders to look into Trevor as a matter of urgency. Christian needed to find out everything he could about Trevor so the Kings would have the upper hand and know what games the man was playing at, if any. Christian decided Trevor being May's father would be presented to Bruce along with everything else he could get on the man.

Thankfully, May had been kept busy by Darcey and away from any opportunity to bump into Trevor. Then May was then taken to New York with Erik to attend the funeral for Marcus Moretti. Christian felt able to fully focus on the task at hand and for the last nine days. In fact, it was all he could think about. He was by now sick of the sound of Trevor's name and even more sick of the man's face. Despite that, he really did feel in his element being tied to such a case.

Whilst nine days was not enough to get beyond the surface of Trevor Stewart and the man's erratic past, Christian still felt it was time to arrange a meeting with Bruce and Darcey. Not only did he have plenty of information to give them for the time-being, but he also needed to tell them about May. He knew Bruce already had a lot weighing on his shoulders, along with his nephews presently being in Dublin, but Christian could not hold back any longer, no matter how much extra stress it would put on the Kings' shoulders.

When Christian entered the pub that evening, he made his way straight to Bruce and Darcey, giving them each a handshake. Once he'd ordered himself a pint, the three of them made their way into the back office. Christian sat himself at the opposite side of the desk to Bruce and Darcey, placing the file down in front of him but not rushing to open it. "Thank you for seeing me today, Bruce," Christian began. He tapped his fingers on the file before shaking his head. "I've got some information to give you, but there's still a lot to find out - a lot to drill deeper into. We're not just talking about the 24 years since he left, but also I've had to find out about what went on before he walked into your lives," he explained. "I'm going to start with the easy ones before I get to the more pressing matter, if that's okay with you?" he asked, looking to Bruce and then Darcey.

Christian opened up the file and removed a photograph of a car sales forecourt and the outside of the business' building. "In terms of him claiming to have his own income, this is a car showroom he owns in Watford. He's had it for six years and it looks to be doing well for itself, but I'm still trying to get more details on the finances and how he was able to afford the business to begin with." Christian then pulled out a piece of paper - part of Trevor's medical record dated November 1981. "What he said about being involved in an accident when he was run over was true. He spent months in hospital recovering from injuries to his head, limbs and back. He said it was a drunk driver, didn't he?" he asked for confirmation of what exactly Trevor had told Bruce over a week ago. "While that may be true, there are no police records of the driver ever being found. It was a hit and run. Perhaps Trevor could tell the driver was drunk before he was run down, but I have no concrete evidence to confirm anything about the driver." Christian shrugged his shoulders. "Trevor could well be telling the truth, but I'm merely pointing out the absence of evidence to confirm any details of the driver."

Christian decided to stop there before moving onto everything else he had to tell them. "Do you have any questions? Anything around his income and the accident you want me to go into more detail about?" he asked Bruce and Darcey, not wanting to get ahead of them.

Pyroclast (Bruce) Melanin-Gxdess (Darcey)

Currently Active Cast: Misty Gray Bellz Pyroclast Melanin-Gxdess BloodThunder27 BasDorcha​

 

[Bellz]

Chapter 12: Dust to Dust
Wednesday 10th July 1985
...10 days later...
Dublin:Late Evening - Warm, Clear Skies, Dark
London:Early Evening - Warm, Cloudy, Breezy
New York City: Late Afternoon Warm, Rainy

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Clayton Byrne
The Ugly Pub
~ Dublin, Ireland ~​

After Clayton was finally debt-free from the Sullivans, he felt like a relatively new man. His brush with death after working that job for them seemed to have given him a look at just how bad things could get if he didn't change his ways and while he had cut back on the gambling, Clayton wasn't a completely changed man. While most people were at home with their families after a long day of work in the office on a Wednesday evening, Clay could be seen at the nearest pub from his house. He made sure to steer clear of the Sullivan-owned establishments, for the time being, not wanting to get tangled up in any of their messes again. He, as well as the rest of the city, had heard about the shit going on with the family and the trouble they brought along with them. He'd be stupid to continue to borrow money while all of that was going on.

While it had been a while since he repaid his debt and nearly lost his life, Clayton hadn't been able to get the face of Emery Callahan out of his head no matter how much he tried. It was beginning to irritate him to no end and while gambling wasn't something he did a lot of anymore, tonight was an exception. Clayton was sitting at the makeshift poker table in the back corner of a hole in the wall pub. It was relatively slow in the pub tonight but the usual crowd was all accounted for.

"I hate when you look like that, Clay." Horus hissed at him. The man had lost everything fairly recently due to his alcoholism and gambling habit. His wife had left him with their whopping 10 children, all he had was a home in his name that he was sure to lose soon...that last thing he could gamble on besides the clothes on his back. "Look like what?" Clayton said, raising an eyebrow at the older man. "That smug poker face...I know that look." The man said in a raspy growl, seeming to grow more and more frustrated by the second.

Clayton wasn't the sensitive type, he wasn't an empath. But the man before him, smelling strongly of booze and desperation made him feel sorry. Never having a girlfriend for more than a month at a time, Clay didn't understand what it was like to have a family and what it was like to lose it. "You're about to win, I know that look! What more can you take from an old pathetic man like me? Hmm?" Horus grumbled on, moving to swipe the bottle he'd been nursing off the table to take a final swig.

Clayton had bet quite a bit and was intending on getting all of it back and then some but as he looked at Horus, something changed. Clayton showed his cards and everyone at the table groaned, folding almost simultaneously. The four other men left the table, stating they were going o get a drink and Clayton watched as Horus clumsily stood from his seat. "I knew it! I knew it!" He said, his words slurring together as he almost tipped sideways.

Clayton stood quickly to steady him before motioning to the bartender to call a cab. Horus didn't seem to mind Clayton leading him towards the door but as they exited the man started to ask, "What the hell am I going to do? I have nothing left. That was all of it." The words moved Clayton in a way that he wasn't familiar with and as the cab pulled up, he looked to Horus. "Here." He said, shoving the winnings he earned into the man's hands.

Horus looked up at Clayton with wide eyes, speechless. "Don't tell anyone about this, got it?" Clay said in a low tone. "You'll ruin my reputation." A small smirk formed on his lips and Horus let out a laugh, "Alright, alright. No telling no one." He said and hiccuped heavily. "Now get going." Clay said, opening the door and placing the man in the cab. "Don't spend it all on some game, you hear? get some food in you and for Christ sake take a fuckin' shower!"

Clay watched as the cab took off and moved to light himself a cigarette. Placing it between his lips, he took a nice long drag. The nicotine hit different this time around...almost like doing something nice made everything better.
mentions: Emery Misty Gray

Thomas Porter
The Sullivan Residence
~ Sutton, Dublin ~​

Thomas thought things were going pretty smoothly with Elena since their first date together. Although she was 100% more experienced than him in every single way, he tried to keep things exciting and sweet for her. She insisted that she wanted to repay him for staying in his apartment so he settled for her paying the electric bill instead of paying for half of the rent. He could take care of that on his own and he wanted her to be able to save up some money for herself. He knew what having responsibilities did for a person's self-esteem and although he could have paid for everything on his own, Thomas was happy to see Elena thriving.

A few days ago she had broke the news that Adam was actually her father and that was the reason she had come to Ireland. While Thomas had been shocked it wasn’t something that was going to scare him away from her. Thomas respected Adam and hoped that the man knew he wouldn’t do anything to hurt Elena…at least not on purpose.

She was going to spend some time with Adam today so when Leo had called him up and asked to hang Thomas didn’t hesitate to say yes. He needed to definitely get out of his own head and he knew that wouldn’t be easily obtainable if he had decided to stay home in the house all day. Deciding to give Lucky a bit of a break from her service dog duties, Thomas left her at home.

When he pulled into his Uncle’s driveway, he took a moment to look at his surroundings, reminding himself that everything was fine. It had been hard lately, dealing with all of the shit his family was going through. There was a small moment in time where he felt he didn’t have to watch his back but now he once again felt like he had to be everywhere at once in order to make sure no one was following him. He’d been torn up about Leo and Ali as well as Sinead and Liam. He didn’t want any more of his family members being hurt or kidnapped. Sleep while at one point before all the shit started going down had been possible but most nights he was up pacing the apartment, constantly checking on Elena and Lucky.

The sleeping pills he was prescribed didn’t even touch him and his psychiatrist warned that if he didn’t get the sleep he would start to go delirious. The warning was clear but Thomas didn’t know what else to do if the pills didn’t work. He even tried drinking, which he hated. Nothing seemed to sedate him enough to sleep but that was the least of his concerns at this moment in time.

Thomas got out of his car and walked into the house without knocking. "Hello?" He called, "You home, Leo?" Might be a dumb question but with his cousin, Thomas never knew. As much as he loved him, he knew that sometimes he could completely forget about plans they’ve made.
Entering a scene with: Leo Melanin-Gxdess Conor Misty Gray

Harper King
White Hart Pub
~ London ~​

Harper had mixed feelings about being out of the hospital. Though she was happy to be able to go places (with the help of whoever got stuck pushing her wheelchair), she was in quite a bit of pain. The doctors prescribed her all sorts of prescription drugs that she was ordered to take for the pain. While they did help for the first hour or two, Harper found herself taking more after the third hour. It had been suggested by her siblings to see if she could go without it for a few more hours but after two days of trying that, she noticed she was in a considerable amount of pain and extremely irritable without them. The one pill that seemed to help the most was Morphine. She had been interested to know that it didn’t just come in I.V. form but figured out pretty quickly that if she wanted to feel the same pain relief results as the I.V. form she’d have to take twice as much.

The last few days since her release had been a bit of a blur, the medication putting her to sleep when she took enough of it or rendering her memory utterly useless. What she did remember, however, was how upset she was with Jeremy. After her release, she had asked her siblings if she could have a break from him and was happy when that was granted to her. Today, while her brothers and Jeremy were away, Harper was hanging out with Kerry. Kit came along as muscle but Harper didn’t mind it at all. As long as she didn’t have to be around Jeremy and stuck in her apartment, Harper was pleased.

"Sorry you have to push my arse in this chair, Ker." Harper mumbled, having just taken another pill about 30 minutes ago, her words slurred ever so slightly as her body felt like jelly. "But I did lose a bunch of weight so I shouldn’t be too heavy." The blonde said with a lazy and dazed smile. "I’m so glad we get to go out again. I feel like I haven’t been out in ages!" Harper said, her eyes focusing on the pub as Kit held open the door for them. "Ah Kit, you’re good at that, ya know. Holding open doors." Some of the things that came from Harper's mouth couldn’t be controlled and she wouldn’t know what she said a few moments later.

"What are you ladies going to get to drink?" Harper asked, "It’s on me tonight, for having to push me around. No ifs, ands, or buts about it." The blonde looked to Kerry and Kit with a smile. "Oo! Let’s get that corner booth please, I can slide myself into it." She pointed towards the booth in the farthest corner. Once they had made it there, Harper wasted no time pushing herself out of her chair, her arms wobbling slightly, weak from the medication. Despite this, she had successfully pulled herself into the booth, smiling triumphantly. "Look at that, getting stronger every day. Spence, Alex, and Billy don’t have to worry about me at all. I don’t think I can keep Uncle Bruce from worrying…but I did that all by myself, I did!"

Watching as both girls slid into the booth, Harper smiled at them both. "Would one of you lovely ladies get me a pint?" She asked sweetly, "I think that’s just what I need at the moment." She sighed. Harper had been told about Trevor being in the area a few days ago after she had been settled at home but she hadn’t really given it a lot of thought. Her brothers were anxious to keep the man away from her and when she was in her coherent frame of mind, she couldn’t agree with them more. Harper wanted nothing to do with the man who had abandoned her before he’d even gotten to know her. She wasn’t exposed to what he’d done to Spence or Alex but all she needed to know was that he was a jerk.
with: Kerry Misty Gray ; Kit Melanin-Gxdess
mentions: Spence Misty Gray , Alex Melanin-Gxdess , Billy Pyroclast , Jerky Jerk-Face BasDorcha

Roxie Carriveau
Roxie's House
~ This information is classified...not because I forgot...it just is, okie? ~​

There hasn’t been a day since JJ’s party that Roxie didn’t cry. She wanted to shake herself. Once again as she had when she confronted Ricky, she found herself looking in a mirror. In a moment of…vulnerability, Roxie had thrown caution to the wind. It had been more than a decade since she’d slept with Syd Porter and 10 days ago, she’d done it again. The worst part of it all was Lucy’s knowing face as they sang happy birthday to JJ and the fact that Roxie couldn’t even meet Syd’s eye after it was all said and done. Pretty quickly after that, Roxie had broken the news to Reina that she was pregnant as well as the gender of the baby since she'd just recently found that out. She knew that Reina was going to be the easiest person to break the news to. After JJ’s party, Roxie had kept her distance from Syd. Not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable with her around. Things fell back into the same old, where they didn’t converse as much. Dropping the kids off at his house, Roxie didn’t allow herself to say more than she needed to.

Clearly, she couldn’t trust herself at the moment and she didn’t want to hurt Syd anymore than she thought she had already. However, a day ago, she’d asked if he was ready to help her break the news of her pregnancy to the kids. She would have done it on her own if she had been strong enough, but out of all the things that should have scared her in this world…nothing scared her more than her own children’s opinion of her.

"Mom!" Jeanie cried, though Roxie was sort of in a trance as she continued to stare at herself. She didn’t even hear the heavy footsteps running up the stairs before Jeanie and JJ were standing right behind her. "Mom!!" Jeanie huffed, causing the woman to jump, immediately focusing her gaze on her eldest twin in the mirror. "What’s wrong with you?" The girl snapped, "You look sick." She commented to which Roxie sighed, "Is that what you came up here to tell me, Jeanie?" She asked to which Jeanie shook her head. "Why is dad coming over for dinner again?" The young girl asked. It seemed that the three of them were taking turns asking that question. JJ had his turn earlier in the afternoon and Jane had asked early this morning.

"I thought it would be good to invite him over…you guys need us to be there for you now more than ever." Roxie said to which Jeanie narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Rolling her tired eyes, Roxie shook her head. "You three have pulled my leg about doing this sort of thing for years, you want me to cancel it?" JJ looked to Jeanie and pushed her, "See what you did! Mom’s upset now." He huffed and Jeanie scoffed at her brother, starting to ramble in a high-pitched voice only dogs could hear.

"Please!" Roxie snapped. "That’s enough! Go wait in your rooms until your father gets here. I will call you down when dinner is ready. I can’t take the high pitch squealing tonight." She hissed out, moving her hands to her temples. Learning to tune out her children when she needed to had been a gift from above and despite their bickering, she managed to usher them both out of the room towards their own bedrooms. "Jane, dear. Please keep these two separated for me okay? Mom can’t handle the fighting right now." Roxie said, popping her head into the twins' room to smile softly at Jane. Jeanie was about to go on some tangent about her being the eldest but Roxie wasn’t going to stick around to hear it.

Moving down the stairs towards the kitchen, she had prepared something easy for dinner. Spaghetti was always a favorite in the house, something Roxie could prepare without much thought. Without Reina in the house, Roxie didn’t have someone to talk to and she found herself missing Matthew intensely. Despite not being in the same house, she thought she could see him from the corner of her eye sometimes. Especially in her bedroom and her office. Absentmindedly, she rubbed her left ring finger where her engagement band used to sit. It was out of habit, having twirled it when she was anxious over the year and a half she wore it.

Sometimes, in her deepest moments of anxiety, she would forget that she had given it back to his parents and when she looked to her hand to find it not there, she would panic. Moving to cut up some bread to go with dinner, she grabbed a cutting board from one of the drawers and a serrated knife before placing the loaf on top. Sawing into it quickly, Roxie’s mind went back to when Syd had finally taken off his wedding ring back in 1972. It hadn’t been an easy thing for him, he’d taken 10 years to move on…

Her mouth dried thinking about just how quickly she’d moved on. Or at least, how quickly she’d been able to sleep with someone else. Roxie felt dirty, kind of how she felt when she’d first slept with Syd and saw Skye’s picture…thinking she’d still been alive. She knew that Syd thought most of the time that she couldn’t do any wrong but surely he thought she had done wrong this time. She was nervous to see him, unsure of what to say about what happened…if anything. Roxie was going to leave it completely in his hands. What she had done was wrong and the guilt about it all wasn’t going to go away any time soon. The brunette wondered if Matthew would have moved on from her as quickly as she had with him. He was perfect. Everything she wasn’t. His only flaw was that he didn’t have any and boy, no one let her forget that. Roxie liked to think that maybe he would want her to move on. To fool herself into thinking that maybe she was taking a step in the right direction somehow.

She’d tried to amount herself to that same level of perfection. Went to law school, passed with flying colors despite being one of the only people in her class who had 3 children. Her firms held up and continued to hold up even without her. She provided her children with everything they could have wanted and yet…she felt so inadequate. Roxie knew that feeling stemmed from her childhood, never being good enough for a man who abused her, abused Ricky. She poured herself into her relationship with Syd, trying to be good enough for a man who had been so caught up in his own issues that he never saw just how hard she tried and just how hard she fell after he betrayed her. She’d done the same with Matthew and just when she thought that she might have been good enough for someone, he had been snatched away from her.

A sharp pain in her finger caused her to cuss and when she looked down, she realized she cut into her index finger with the knife that had been working on cutting the loaf of bread. "Shit." She ground out, what was left of the loaf now turning bright red as blood pooled into it. "Son of a-" Roxie started before the doorbell interrupted her. Moving to grab a hand towel to stop the bleeding. She hurried towards the door to answer it, shooing the barking dogs out of the way. Opening it awkwardly with her hands full, she offered Syd a lopsided grin. "Hey, come on in." Roxie said. "Kids are upstairs. They are banished to their rooms until dinner is ready. Which it will be after I clean up the horror show." She held up her hand, "Fought a serrated knife and it won." Roxie joked, smiling again though it didn’t meet her eyes.
with: The Semen Demons (lol)
Entering a scene with: Syd Pyroclast
mentions: Reina Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Chapter 12: Dust to Dust
Wednesday 10th July 1985
...10 days later...
Dublin:Late Evening - Warm, Clear Skies, Dark
London:Early Evening - Warm, Cloudy, Breezy
New York City: Late Afternoon Warm, Rainy

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Moretti Family Home
~Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn~
Elvian Moretti, Ava Moretti, Teddy Wycliff, & Erik Snowden​

The day Elvian and Gabriel Moretti found out they were pregnant had been the scariest day of their lives. They hadn’t exactly been trying and though they had been married, they were still young and enjoying their lives. A child had been a wrench in their plans but it didn’t take them too long to get used to the idea. Elvian had always wanted children even if this one came early on in her life. When she was finally able to welcome her baby girl, Tatiana, into the world Elvian was more than excited and had dedicated her life to being the best mother she could ever be. She’d baby proofed her entire home and made sure to keep eyes on her at all times - there was none of that nanny nonsense. Elvian was aiming for mother of the year and being the most perfect housewife she possibly could be. When she found out she was pregnant with her second child Elvian had been prepared and therefore not as scared as she was with Tati. She had the experience she needed and her house was already safe enough! Marcus being born brought a different type of joy to her life. He was her first son and his birth felt something like a milestone - being able to give her husband the son he always wanted. Seeing the way their children softened her husband warmed her heart and when she found out she was having a third she was ecstatic. Valentina had been their last child, though Elvian would want more. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t have anymore kids but the three she did have she would cherish for life.

Elvian had been in her atrium, watering the plants when she was summoned to the door. Two police officers accompanied by two guards were waiting for her in the foyer. The smile on her face had slowly disappeared the moment she stepped foot in the room - the looks on the faces giving away the severity of their visit. “Yes? What is it?” She asked, her heart beating in anticipation. The last time she had spoken to a pair of officers her daughter had been attacked. “Are you Elvian Moretti,” he asked for clarification. When she nodded her head, the shorter of the two cops looked to the taller one for the go ahead. Once given he stepped forward and took off his hat, clearing his throat. “Is there, erm, anywhere we can sit? I don’t think I-,” she raised her hand to him, a frown on her face. “Please, spare me the pleasantries. What is it you’ve come to my home to share?” The short man nodded his head in understanding and stepped even closer.

“It’s your son, Marcus. He… Well, there was a boating incident in Italy and he… Mrs. Moretti, your son is dead.” Elvian had been unable to process those words - she had just spoken with him a few weeks ago. There was no way he could be gone, right? "Ex-Excuse me? No, that's not possible," she stated, a short laugh escaping her. "Well I just," she started, turning to point towards the kitchen. "I just spoke with him not too long ago." She looked between the two police officers - their silence confirming the worst. She felt her heart shatter into a million pieces and stab her in the stomach. In a split second her knees gave out from under her and she fell to the ground. Expecting this, the shorter cop immediately caught her in his arms and lowered them both to the ground. Elvian would have never thought in a million years that she would be given such news and here she was having her entire world yanked from under her.

Telling the rest of her family had been the hardest part. She'd wanted to tell them all in person but there was no way she would be able to get her entire family under one roof in time to do so. She was more so worried that they'd hear it from someone else and she wanted to be the one to tell them. Besides, with Tatiana and Ava being in London and Valentina in New York it would have been difficult anyway. With each call she was tasked with making her heart broke just a little more. Having to repeat such news over and over was never easy. Though Gabriel had offered to make those calls for her, she was determined to make them herself. When she'd rolled around to Ava she had to steel herself. The woman had still been in London visiting Erik after he'd nearly been blown up. Going from nearly losing her cousin to losing her husband had been intense and Elvian was sorry that she even had to put her through even more trauma. Ava jumped on the first plane she was able to get to come back to New York leaving Erik behind. He would join her when the plans for the funeral had been decided upon and ironed out.

It had been nearly an hour since the family left the cemetery and were now at the Moretti family home for the wake. Elvian had been up all night cooking simply because she couldn’t find it in her to sleep. Her mind had been racing and she was trying to be strong for everyone else. As the matron of the family she knew they would need to lean on her and if she wasn’t strong enough she’d end up falling over. Therefore, she needed to find ways to keep busy and her mind racing. Cooking for the wake, arranging floral placements, and even taking out hers and Gabriel’s clothes for the funeral seemed to help. Anything, really, so keep her mind from settling on Marcus and thinking about him. Reminiscing on the first time they brought him home and the last time she saw him. It was all too painful for her to remember and she wanted nothing more than to keep her mind from even going there.

Elvian was sitting with Gabriel - Harmony and Damian sat nearby. She had just finished waiting on everyone, fanning away concerns that she wasn’t eating or drinking anything. Despite needing to - because she hadn’t in the past week eaten much of anything - she couldn’t bring herself to for some reason. There was no urge or desire to do so, so why bother? Turning to Gabriel she mustered a smile for him and grabbed his hand. “How are you, darling?” She asked, knowing he couldn’t have been feeling well about the whole thing. She then turned her attention to Harmony and Damian nodding her head. “You know, you didn’t have to come but I do appreciate that you have.” A part of her couldn’t help but feel Damian, along with Ricky and maybe even Teddy, would have business to discuss with her husband. As much as she would rather him not do it during the wake of their son she figured it may have proved a good distraction for him as well.

***​

The day Elvian told her Marcus had died Ava didn’t know how to respond. She’d had many people in her life pass away that she just felt numb to it all. Funerals were like a once a year thing and taking part in them was very common. Considering Marcus had been her husband she felt as if she should’ve had a stronger reaction but perhaps the initial shock of it all had taken the words from her mouth. Ava had been enjoying her time spent in London with her cousin and what she hoped would soon be his boyfriend. So to go from such a high to such a low in a matter of seconds baffled her. Perhaps that was the reason why she hadn’t been as heartbroken as she should have been. However, when it came to the day of the funeral Ava felt all of it at once. The realization that she was no longer a wife and no longer able to have the children she and Marcus talked so much about in the past. That the first man she had ever had such strong feelings for was no longer going to hold her at night. It was a lot to take in and she was grateful to have her cousin and in-laws there to support her. Bartender, tattoo artist, gallery owner, and business owner were all titles she happily wore. Now, she had widow to add to that list.

Ava was making her rounds around the house, being greeted by people she didn't even know. She assumed they were men who worked for Gabriel who wanted to pay their respects and as the widow they wanted to pay respects to her as well. She was sure they just wanted to kiss ass but in order to not cause a scene about it she bit her tongue. With another glass of wine in her hand - her 4th, to be exact; she needed to calm her nerves - she approached Julia and Ricky with a scowl on her face. "Are mafia funerals always like this? People who probably didn't even know the deceased?" There was a hint of disgust in her voice as she shook her head, taking a sip from her glass. She was clearly uncomfortable and had even wrapped one of her arms around her waist. "And so many. How- How many people exactly work for Gabriel?" She asked out of curiosity.

After Valentina’s birthday party, Ava had befriended Julia in the hopes of securing more female friends. All she had going for her was Val and Harmony and while they were great, they weren’t always available. Julia had been and so the two women were able to hang out frequently. When she returned to New York she had leaned on her a bit and was more than relieved when she attended the funeral. With Julia came Ricky. She'd heard rumors about him having a few screws loose but from the time she had spent with him he seemed to be an okay person. She was sure that could've just been because he was different towards her than the others, but the fact remained. The man he presented himself to be around her was enjoyable so until he showed her that instability people talked so much about she wouldn't judge him. "Jesus, I know for a fact Elvie has stronger stuff around here somewhere..."

***

​

The days following the peace meeting with Conor, Teddy was so sure he'd be able to relax a bit. He'd even planned a small getaway for himself just to recoup and destress. The night he was supposed to leave for the weekend he'd gotten a call from Elvian. Her words had been incoherent and muffled through sobs but after a few minutes he had gotten the gist. When he hung up the phone he just stood there for a few moments, thinking about how he was going to tell his wife and kids. His children adored their uncle so knowing that he would have to give them this bad news was going to be difficult. It was going to be even harder to relay the news to his wife, who had been standing behind him. Teddy knew she would be able to tell that something was wrong so instead of him beating around the bush and trying to find a more suitable time to tell her, he just went ahead with it. He'd hugged her immediately after and did his best to console her leading up to the funeral. When it came time to tell their children, it was a little more difficult. The concept of death hadn't been explained to them just yet and Marcus' passing would be their first exposure to it.

Even after the funeral, Teddy wasn't sure his kids understood fully what was happening. They had been running around the house as usual once the burial was over and though normally they'd be told to stop, Teddy just couldn't find it within himself to say so. Instead he asked them not to break anything and even take it to one of the designated playrooms. Francis ushered his siblings to the playroom, but before he did so, turned to Teddy. "Uncle Marcus is gone, right?" He asked, prompting Teddy to kneel down and nod. Francis looked off to the side for a moment before nodding his own head. "Paolo and Cristina will be sad." Teddy gave his oldest son a sad smile and placed his hand on his head. "Yeah, they will be. So I need your help, alright? You keep them happy and I'll try and keep mommy happy." Francis eagerly nodded his head before departing and Teddy slowly stood to his feet, watching as the three of them played outside.Shoving his hands into his pockets, he joined Valentina, Erik, and May. He wrapped an arm around his wife and kissed the side of her head, glancing down at her. "You talk to your mom yet?" He asked, trying to make conversation. Afterwards he looked at Erik who seemed to be more nervous than usual.

"How's Ava doing?" He asked, Erik shooting his head up. He looked to May for support before looking at Teddy again and shaking her head. "Erm, well. Not good? I don't think, anyway. This sort of thing," he said, gesturing around the room. "It uh. Happens a lot in our family so I guess we're sort of... Desensitized to it?" He was talking with his hands a lot more than usual. Though to be honest, it was because Erik was very nervous. Though it was a funeral being around so many big people and even Gabriel Moretti himself was nerve wracking. Sure, the guy was also technically family, but he was also his boss. Boss first, family second. "She'll be okay, is what I'm trying to say," Erik finally said before turning to Valentina. "What... What about you? How are you and the kids?" Remembering that he hadn't had a chance to introduce May he then turned to her. "Oh, this is May, by the way. She's from London. I asked her to come with since funerals aren't the coziest. Anyway, May this is Valentina and Teddy - Ava's brother and sister-in-law. Or, erm. Would it... Would it be former?" He asked, looking between Teddy and Val. Teddy shifted in place, looking to Valentina then back at Erik. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about what they would call Ava now that Marcus was gone, but she was still family. "We're still her family - and yours too. Right, Tin?"

Gabriel, Valentina, Damian, Ricky ( Misty Gray ) Julia ( Bellz ) May ( BasDorcha )

Sullivan's Weapons Warehouse
~Dublin Port~

Reina Richards​

Reina's time as a bodyguard had always been interesting, but she noticed with each new contract the interest only escalated. For example, Roxie Biancardi. Reina had been around long enough to see familial disputes - especially the ones that end in bloodshed. It always ended up with one or both family members in the coroner's office but not this time. It came as a shock to Reina that Roxie had left Ricky alive after his confession a few weeks ago. She fully expected to have a big mess to clean up and had even had a clean up crew on standby in case of it. Alas, all her planning had gone to waste seeing as Roxie had let the man go. Reina had decided right then and there that her boss had been a better and even stronger woman than she, considering if she were in her shoes she'd have shot Ricky, no questions asked. The man had been responsible for the death of a man she loved and traumatizing her children. In Reina's opinion he shouldn't be allowed to live, but she wasn't getting paid to give her opinion, now was she? Instead, Reina had followed the woman out of the room and back to Dublin.

Moving to a new country hadn't been as fun as she thought it would be. Though Roxie had given her a raise and therefore the ability to afford a better place, finding one that suited her standards was rough. She wanted to be as close as possible to Roxie so if she needed her it wouldn't take long to reach her home. It also needed to have a third bedroom as she was about to adopt a dog and was about to be the sort of dog mom to give them their own room. When she did find it she realized she needed to furnish the place and nearly gave up on the process altogether. Back in New York, the place she resided in hadn't originally been hers. Long story short it belonged to an old client who'd kicked the bucket and given it to her. Well, given isn't the correct word to use. More like, Reina had stolen it by putting herself in the will. She'd worked for the old woman for five years, she deserved something.

Reina's next order of business was security. After hearing about Liam, Sinead, Leo, and Aliana she knew that things weren't as tight in Dublin as she'd have hoped. Though Roxie had aligned herself with the Sullivan's and therefore would have their guards around as well, Reina wanted some of her own Biancardi men around. She'd arranged for the few still aligned with Roxie to fly to Dublin and get things started. While they got their own living arrangements together, Reina decided it would probably be best if she went ahead and learned the layout of the area. Since their first arrival she had been doing so but now she wanted a more indepth look at things. What businesses were Sullivan owned, where the territory began and ended, what enemies the Sullivan family had, and so on. They were all important to Reina, especially following Malcolm's death. They were in Dublin - in Sullivan territory - under the guise that they were going to be safe and obviously that wasn't the case. No, Reina was going to take matters into her own hands and make sure the Biancardi family was safe.

She had been pointed in the direction of James Porter, who had been saved from the grasp of Gabriel Moretti. Along with him came a man by the name of Edwards. He had apparently spent time with Porter in prison and had been able to leave with him. James was not only going to be giving Reina the layout of things, but Edwards as well. The whole day the three of them spent going through territories and where some stopped and others began. During this time Reina made sure to try and remember street names but with them all sounding so foreign she knew it was going to take a while. By the time they had finally taken a break, the sun had retired and let the moon take over. "Alright, so this is-," her stomach made a noise and she rolled her eyes. "If I don't eat now, that's gonna keep happenin'. There's food around here, right? We can take a quick break." The three of them ended up at a burger place before moving on to a warehouse in the Dublin Port. The car was parked a bit away from the warehouse and once parked, she got out of the vehicle. Reina wanted to take a moment to take out her map and mark the location of the warehouse on it for reference. With her fries in hand she stepped out of the vehicle they were in and spread the map out over the hood. “Cool. Hey Jimmy, where on the map are we?” She asked, sticking a fry in her mouth. She then turned to Edwards. "It's darker than I thought it would be out here," she said gesturing with her hand. "Got a light?"

James ( Misty Gray ) Edwards ( BloodThunder27 )

 

[BasDorcha]

Chapter 12: Dust to Dust
Wednesday 10th July 1985
...10 days later...
Dublin:Late Evening - Warm, Clear Skies, Dark
London:Early Evening - Warm, Cloudy, Breezy
New York City: Late Afternoon Warm, Rainy

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


******************************
Adam's Gym
Ruby Miller
Dublin, Ireland​

The last six months of Ruby’s life had led to a lot of changes. Luka had allowed her to leave the gang with little complaint once he realized that she was unable to fight for him with her broken arm. Ruby hadn’t been to upset about it, as she had felt the need for a break anyways. For the first three months after the fight, she had a full arm cast, then came three months of therapy. She was back to normal in usage, but fighting was still off the books for now. Adam had seen her fighting, training, and then recovering through the course of her fighting career, and taking all his available courses at the gym. She’d finish one class then go to another. When she came back in after her cast was removed and started to do her physical therapy there, she had a feeling everyone was surprised to see her back so soon.

A few weeks ago, Adam had mentioned he might have a job for her to help her stay on her feet while she couldn’t take her two or three fights a week. The days had passed and she hadn’t heard much, but she never bothered him about it. Instead, she just on with her therapy, working the arm until it was building back up its strength. This morning she had received a call from the man asking her to meet up with a woman named Stella at the gym. He’d offered her a chance to possibly take a security position protecting a high-profile family in the city. Everyone who was anyone knew who he meant – The Sullivan family.

Ruby wasn’t about to say no to that. At the very least, it was a chance to get back to work. Before her swung a punching bag, probably as heavy as she was. Her fist hit the bag in a thumping rhythm, practiced and precise, the headphones on her head playing random songs from the Walkman radio attached to her hip. Today she chose a more masculine look, typical for day to day Ruby. Her backwards hat covered the long hair on top, and she wore men’s gym clothes. Some of the women looked at her as if they wanted a chance, buts he knew they wouldn’t appreciate it once they realized she was a woman.

As pretty as she was often told she was when she was growing up, she still made a convincing man most days – just a bit prettier then most. She sweated, the heat in the gym seeming to raise, her form flowing fluidly as she was lost in thought, taking out the imaginary opponents in her mind. Today it was Sharlotte and all the ugliness they had been through lately.

Sharlotte was her girlfriend, but based on the last day they spent together, that was likely about to be over. Ruby was no angel, but Sharlotte expected nothing less. When Ruby got hurt, at first she was supportive, but as money began to run short and she could spend less on herself, she started to get ugly. A week ago she came home to Sharlotte packing her things. Ruby fought to keep her, to explain that money wasn’t the most important thing, but the other heard none of it. She left that night, and Ruby now close to accepting the fate of them.

Growling she punched the bag harder, lost in her own thoughts as she stared down the bag. She was so spoilt, why did need so much money. Money wasn’t the only important thing in the world. It had become obvious to Ruby that there was no real love there. Sighing, she sat back from the punching bag, taking a moment to breath and take a sip of water. Soon the anger was coursing through her again though, this time she practiced her kicks, giving her arm a rest. A flurry of fast landing kicks later, the bag swung unceremoniously as if it was tired of the beating.

Looking around, she wondered how she would know who Stella was, and when she would arrive.

Mentions: @Kawashima Lightning - Stella / @Misty Gray - Adam [CENTER][/CENTER]

 

[BasDorcha]

Moretti Family Home
May Thatcher
~Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn~​

The trip to New York was just what May needed to get her head straight. As the plane took off, she thought about what her last few days had consisted of. Tom came out, same day she had attempted to ask Christian to a date. Thinking about it still flushed her cheeks, she still felt silly that she had thought a guy like him would be interested in her, the real her. She hadn’t heard from him since he left, which she figured was for the best at this point. She sighed softly; it would have been nice though. As much as she was feeling rejected, she still thought there could have been something nice with him.

Tom had stayed for two nights and went everywhere with her, which wasn’t far as she hadn’t been needed for a few days. They went out dancing, even got matching tattoos while he was in. May had gotten a cartoon devil on her inner arm, while her brother got a cartoon angel. They talked about the fact they had more family than they realized, and who they were related too – Tom seemed to know who the Sullivan’s were but hadn’t realized their mom was related to them anymore then she had. May was careful not to mention that she had it on good authority that Tom was currently working at a Sullivan related business, but Tom thought it was just another shop.

Without revealing how she had gotten injured, why her job had changed, and why she couldn’t take him to the bar she was working at had been rough. She was left feeling like she lied to him, but she didn’t want to let down those who had been helping her either. Still, the visit had been cathartic, and she loved seeing her brother and catching up. She tearfully seen him off at the airport and had spent the rest of the day sitting home, drinking tea, and crying. She had never felt more alone when he left.

It was soon after that Erik had come and asked her to take a trip to New York with him. At first she was shocked – she didn’t realize he considered her a friend like that, even more so when he said it was for a funeral. May accepted without thinking, but thankfully Darcey had allowed her the time off. The next few days of preparing and leaving was a blur, and now that they were on the plan, May eventually dozed off, awakening when Erik woke her on touchdown in America. America, this was something she never figured she’d get to do.

The next few days consisted of spending time with Ava, some of his family, and then times with just them. He’d taken her to see the lady in green – the statue of liberty it was called. He showed her around New York, his stomping grounds, great places to eat, even better places to drink, and she had done her best to keep his spirits up the best she could.

After the funeral, May followed with Erik back to the Moretti mansion, quietly at his side. When Erik looked at her for support, she found her arm naturally slid into his and she squeezed gently, letting him know she was right there. It was strange, but May felt no feelings of romance, sexual glances, anything from Erik, and a genuine and unique feeling of platonic trust had built. She still thought she knew why, but she didn’t care, she finally felt like she had a friend.

Looking about, she offered a soft smile, holding her hand out to shake everyone’s hand. “Hello, May Thatcher.” She used her unoffered hand to lightly pull Erik’s hands to a stop as he spoke with them more then she had ever seen him do, offering a calming – she hoped – touch. “Its nice to meet Ava’s brother and sister-in-law’s, although I’m sorry it’s under such conditions. You all have my condolences.” She wanted to mention that she was sure that Valentina and Teddy would not think them less family, but she had enough knowledge to realize that Val and Teddy were inner circle for the Moretti’s and she should be very precise in what she had to say, least she say something insulting and mess up her and everyone’s life more then she already had.

Slyly, May pulled a small flask out of her purse, a small black bag that carried just the essentials – liquor, passport, cigarettes, lighter, money. May wore no makeup, and carried none with her either. She tipped a sip back, before offering it to both Erik, and the others around them. It was Jocelyn’s King’s Black Label Whiskey – her favorite since moving to London. “Bit of the good burn anyone? Might numb you a bit.”

Mentions: Erik/Teddy/Ava/Darcey - @Melanin-Gxdess | Valentina/Erik - @Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

White Hart Pub
~ East London ~

Kerry Patrick and Trevor Stewart​

Since the day Trevor had shown up, things had been that extra bit tense around the King family, which Kerry hadn't been oblivious to during her shifts at the pub or whenever she saw any of the Kings. Although she had seen Alex around, they'd hadn't spoken too much since their one-to-one on the same night as his father's unexpected return. Admittedly, Kerry had seen a different side to Alex that night and though he was vulnerable that evening, she genuinely felt he was making an effort to change. With Callum in London for the week, Alex had also had the opportunity to spend time with his son and further prove himself. Since the night of the explosion, there hadn't been a single reason for her to regret choosing to side with the Kings. As the days went on, she stopped feeling any guilt for deciding to push aside her friendship with Savannah. Frankly, Kerry had to choose between her friends, no matter how much people might say she didn't need to. As such, Kerry had chosen Harper and May, along with the King family as a whole. Whilst Maddox would have preferred she simply steered clear of both families, he was at least grateful Kerry had decided not to get stuck in the middle - it was the best result he was going to get, he had now realised.

Harper had been released from hospital a few days ago and seemed eager to get out of the house, so had arranged to go to the pub with Kerry. Of course, Harper didn't like arranging to go to King-affiliated pubs, which Kerry couldn't blame her for. Sometimes her friend needed a break from the watchful eyes of her brothers and uncle. Still, Kerry was glad to know security, in the form of Kit, would be present. It wasn't that she was worried about herself, but Kerry didn't want anything else to happen to Harper and to fail to help her on her own.

Kerry had been pushing Harper in the wheelchair until they got closer to the pub and her friend apologised for having to be pushed. "Hey, don't sweat it. It adds to my workout regime," she casually told her, flexing her left bicep. For years, Kerry had been hitting the gym. After what had happened to her back in New York, Kerry didn't want to feel helpless again if someone attacked her. She also found, on Maddox's recommendation, that the exercise did wonders to help her release built-up stress and clear her mind. "Like you need to lose anymore weight, Harper," she drily remarked at her friend's comment. Still, she smiled when Harper spoke of how glad she was to be out again. "You'll have to take it easy on the drinks, mind you. I'm not sure how much you're meant to drink with the meds," she pointed out. Kerry looked to Kit and thanked the woman when she held the doors open for them to enter the pub.

Kerry pushed the wheelchair towards the booth Harper had picked out and briefly sat down as her friend spoke about getting stronger. With mention of her brothers, Kerry couldn't help but let her mind think back to the fact the men were presently in Dublin. A concerned expression formed on her face as she thought of them, particularly of Alex. "Have you heard anything from your brothers today? Are they all doing okay?" she asked, the concern evident in her voice.

"I'll get the drinks," Kerry said when Harper asked for a pint, quick to steer away from giving away her concern for Alex specifically. "Kit, what would you like?" she asked the bodyguard. She then made her way to the bar where the middle-aged man took her order. Once she was handed the drinks, Kerry gripped the three glasses in her hands, able to expertly carry more glasses than she had hands on account of her profession. She had managed to turn her back on the man approaching the bar behind her, just in time not to see him. When she got back to the table, she placed the drinks down and sat across from Harper and Kit, her back still turned to the bar and the man who she would otherwise have immediately recognised from ten days ago. "Here you go, ladies," she said, sliding Harper's and Kit's drinks towards them before lifting her own cocktail glass to her lips.

*****​

It wasn't that Trevor had been expecting any of his sons to welcome him with open arms, or any form welcome, for that matter, but he couldn't deny their reactions had got to him. He knew it wasn't going to be easy and that he had one hell of a challenge to get through if he was ever to be on speaking terms with any of his kids. Like everything else recently, he knew he had to be patient and work hard to undo the damage he had done over the years. He'd visited Laura's grave again today, but as with all of the times before, he knew he was an imposter and had no right to speak any words to her in her resting place. More than anything, just being there was to remind himself of how much damage he had done to her and those who loved her.

After a long day, Trevor decided that rather than head home to drink alone, he would instead head to the pub to do it. The White Hart was one he would usually go to when he was in the area, so he wasn't about to change that now, especially as he'd got himself on speaking terms with some of the staff and regulars. As he approached the bar, he couldn't help but let his eyes wander to the back of the brunette who had just finished being served. After she'd turned and walked away, Trevor focused ahead again and smiled at the familiar middle-aged barman. "She's too young for ya, mate. Pint of Guinness?" the barman asked Trevor, chuckling to himself.

"Thanks for the warning, Fred," he remarked, though he hadn't intended to look at Kerry that way at all. "Aye, the usual," he confirmed, deciding not to bother defending himself when Fred was likely just teasing him. Once he had his pint and had grabbed a newspaper from the end of the bar, Trevor made his way to a small, empty table and sat down on the stool. As he set about opening out the newspaper, he looked ahead, catching the back of Kerry's head as she sat a short distance away. However, his eyes soon landed on someone else as he saw the young woman who was sat facing towards him. He couldn't help but stare as it was like seeing a ghost. He quickly diverted his eyes down to the newspaper before reaching for his pint and taking a long drink from it. But he couldn't shake off what he'd just seen. He looked ahead again, his eyes once more landing on Harper. She was the spitting image of Laura. He reached up to massage his forehead before looking down and forcing himself to read the newspaper. Of course, none of the words were sinking in. All he could see in his head now was Laura's face. Was this some kind of cruel joke?

Melanin-Gxdess (Kit)
Bellz (Harper)

 

[BloodThunder27]

Chapter 12: Dust to DustWednesday 10th July 1985
...10 days later...
Dublin: Late Evening - Warm, Clear Skies, Dark​

---

Stella Kwon - Bodyworks Gym

The last two to three weeks haven't been the friendliest to Stella. Since the kidnappings of Leo and Ali, which Stella had blamed herself for after finding them badly hurt and unable to find or even identify the perpetrators. Aside from having trouble sleeping at night thinking about what would have happened if she had not found any of them when she did, Stella was pushing herself harder during her workouts and was extremely critical of herself to where she had trouble focusing when it came to shooting, not to mention she felt really outclassed and outmatched now that her Employer had a newbie, fresh blood in the group. Stella certainly could not help but be a little jealous of the newcomer James Edwards. From what she had heard from Chase and Adam, the newcomer was a former Sailor for the US Navy. Of course once she had heard that he was a former SEAL, that was where she started pushing herself even more, not wanting to be outdone by a washed up Soldier who found his way into the Mob because he had befriended the former boss, also named James. James Porter. On top of that, Ed had also gotten a good first impression with Sinead, which only further fueled the jealousy. Of course, the Bounty Hunter tried not to dwell on it too much because it wasn't like Ed was a bad person or anything. For a Battle-Hardened Soldier, he was pretty kind and gentle...and surprisingly good with kids. She did have some concerns for the man's mental well-being though after hearing that he had taken part in the Vietnam War.

As these thoughts continued to cross her mind, Stella had to remind herself that it wasn't a competition. They were part of the same team and had completely different skillsets. But his kill count left her a little terrified because of how many wars and battles he had been in. And the fact that he spoke about his past with a straight face did shake her a little as she knew war wasn't pretty in any form, given what she had heard about the Sullivan's long and bloody war with the Italian-Americans across the Atlantic Ocean. As she parked her Mustang, Stella shut off the engine and went to grab her jacket before closing the car door. Sure it was a little warm out, but she didn't give a rat's ass. And if it got too hot, she could just switch it out for something else. Although not armed to the teeth, she just had two of her pistols and a revolver holstered on her back as a last resort.

Upon entering the gym, she saw a heavily tattooed person unleashing a flurry of kicks on a poor punching bag. That must be Ruby. Once the woman...or man...made eye-contact with her, Stella simply straightened out her coat and walked over with her hands in the pockets. "Hello there. You must be... Ruby. I-I'm Stella." Whoever he or she was...they were hot.

Soon, Stella found herself struggling to maintain a straight face and her heart started beating a little faster then it should... 'Dammit...This is not the fucking time to get horny!' She thought.

---

Interactions: Ruby Miller BasDorcha

 

[Misty Gray]

The Moretti Family Home
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn ~

Valentina Wycliff​

Valentina had been relieved and even excited to learn that Teddy's meeting with the Sullivans had gone well. Her father and Conor finally willing to quit their dick-measuring contest and stop trying to slaughter each others' families was the best news. Perhaps now her family could relax more and if everything got back to just being about business, the men in her life would stop patronising her and keeping her out of the family business. After all, if there was less risk of her or her children being abducted and attacked, why couldn't she take a more active role?

Any happiness was short-lived when Teddy informed her of Marcus' death. She had previously wondered if it was her family or the Sullivans who would next be attending a funeral, but this was different. It didn't provide any solace, but at least Marcus hadn't died at the hands of an enemy. No, he'd gone and got himself killed in a boating accident whilst in Italy. Regardless of the circumstances, Valentina was devastated to learn her brother had died. She hadn't seen him in months and when she last saw him, it had been just as though he were going on a vacation. She hadn't been able to savour their last moments or cling onto any last words knowing she wouldn't see him again. She couldn't believe her big brother was gone. One of the only three men in her life she could completely trust; Teddy and Gabriel being the other two.

After all of the upset of learning of her brother's death and then having to console her sobbing children, by the time the funeral came along, Valentina felt numb. It was as though she'd run out of tears and now only felt a void where those emotions should have been during the service. Did this make her cold and heartless? Or did it make her strong and better able to support her children? Valentina had quietly watched as the children ran around the house, not having the heart to tell them not to. Thankfully, Teddy had stepped in and sent the children to go to the playroom. Valentina had still been in her own world as she stood with Erik and May. It wasn't until Teddy re-joined them that she snapped out of her thoughts.

Feeling her husband's arm around her she moved her head in to his kiss, managing a weak smile at his gesture. He asked her if she'd spoke to Elvian yet and she lightly shook her head. "Not yet," she confirmed. "I thought I'd wait a little, until people have stopped going to her and Papa to pay their respects," she commented.

Valentina listened on as Teddy asked Erik about Ava. She sadly frowned upon hearing her sister-in-law wasn't doing well. Though it was expected, it was still sad to imagine losing the man she loved. Valentina wasn't sure how she would cope if she lost Teddy. One thing that seemed evident was that Ava and Erik were also used to losing family by now, as were the Morettis. Erik soon directed a question to Valentina, asking how she and the kids were doing. "I don't know, I'm just. I..." she said, lightly shrugging. Whenever people had died in the past, her family had someone to blame and some kind of revenge to take that distracted them from some of their grief. Marcus' death had not been at anyone else's hands, so it felt strange not to have the element of blame to consume her. "The kids are still trying to process it, I think. They've been really upset when we talk about it and Marcus was one of Paolo's favourite people. For now they're distracted, but when it's just us, it all catches back up to them," she sadly explained.

Erik soon realised he hadn't introduced them to May yet. Valentina managed a smile as she reached out to shake the younger woman's hand. "You're from London? Are you related to the Kings, then?" she curiously asked. "I keep hearing so much about London but I've yet to be invited to meet the Kings myself," she said, glancing to Teddy as if to make it known it was something she wanted to do. Then, Erik posed the question as to whether he and Ava were still family; a part of the Morettis. "Of course we're all still family," she assured him. Stepping forward, Valentina wrapped her arms around Erik to hug him. "Ava is still my sister and you're my brother," she informed him. If there was one thing she had learned, it was to keep hold of family, even if they weren't blood-related or were no longer bound by marriage.

Valentina noticed as May slyly removed a flask of liquor. When the young woman offered her a drink, Valentina didn't hesitate to accept. After knocking some back, she handed the flask to Teddy. "Thanks," she told May. "When that's empty, I'll see about getting us some more. I think we all need something to relax us," she reasoned.

Melanin-Gxdess (Teddy, Erik)
BasDorcha (May)

 

[Pyroclast]

Undisclosed Location
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Billy King​

Sitting in the back of the transit van, Billy couldn’t deny to himself that he was intimidated by the gravity of what he, his brothers and Jeremy were about to do. There was no doubt in his mind that Conor deserved what was coming and that he needed to be dealt with, but it was still the first time he had been directly involved in a murder plot. His job usually only went as far as kidnapping the target for Bruce and Spencer to deal with, and then helping them deal with the body - even if that only involved covering for them somehow. This time, however, he was to be there for the whole event.

Suffice to say, he hadn’t got a great deal of sleep the night before. Alcohol was usually his go-to sleeping aid, but the group were keeping a low profile whilst in Dublin so he hadn’t let himself venture into any pubs or off-licences. There were enough other things on his mind to distract him from overthinking the job, but none of that helped him sleep. Concerns for Harper’s health were hard to ignore as she seemed to be growing heavily dependent on the morphine. Since their mother’s opioid addiction had been what killed her in the end, Billy was more than a little worried that Harper was at risk of developing a similar addiction. He had watched her try to space out her drug intake but the agony it caused her had led her to give in. Having helped Erik through his drug addiction, Billy knew how ugly it could get but he also now had some experience in handling an addict - and if he could do it for Erik, he knew he could do it for Harper, too. The fact that his little sister was in this state to begin with only fuelled his determination to see Conor dead, which helped to quieten any anxiety he had about the potential risks and consequences of their mission.

Another thing keeping his head up was Erik. This was the first time since Billy had realised he was in love with him that the man had gone back to New York, and for a funeral no less, so he was eager to give him a call as soon as he was back in London and make sure he was okay. Without being able to see him, he was back to imagining the man lying next to him at night, just like he had before their first kiss...except that now, it was much easier to imagine. Despite Trevor’s presence, Harper’s health issues and the plot to murder Conor Sullivan, there was a feeling of elation stored in Billy’s heart that managed to make him smile through anything.

One of those smiles had crept onto his face without him realising and when Spencer looked up at the group and started speaking, Billy had to quickly wipe it off his face to show everyone he was serious. His brother reminded them that Conor’s most dangerous team members were occupied elsewhere, leaving Conor likely to be unprotected by anyone the Kings weren’t prepared to handle. Billy had faith in Jeremy and his brothers, as well as his uncle and their team of operatives helping them bring the plan together, so as far as murder plots went he was fairly confident that theirs was as airtight as they could have made it.

Spencer then asked the group if everyone still felt okay about what they were going to do, and he knew his brother didn’t just mean in terms of the plan. “I just wanna get this over with,” Billy admitted. The man went on to clarify that he was prepared to do the actual killing and wasn’t expecting the others to do it, since neither Billy nor Alex had ever taken that jump before, but that he expected them to help take care of the larger jobs - protecting and covering each other before, during and in the aftermath of the job. “Spence, you can trust us, alright?” Billy assured his brother. “I ain’t gonna freeze up or back out on ya'. This is as important to me as it is to everyone 'ere, as is makin’ sure we get away with it. Besides, you know I’ll always have your back.”

Interactions
Misty Gray Spencer
Melanin-Gxdess Alex
BasDorcha Jeremy

 

[Misty Gray]

The Ugly Pub
~ Dublin, Ireland ~

Emery Callahan​

Emery had been working surveillance with some of the guys during the day, but after finishing in the early evening they headed to the pub for a couple of drinks. Deciding she'd had enough of their company and bad jokes for one day, Emery abruptly got up from the table and told the 'morons' to enjoy the rest of their night. She set off walking down the street, figuring she could stop by the nearest mob base for a ride home.

As she walked towards The Ugly Pub, she saw a familiar man stepping out of the place along with another male. Swiftly, Emery stepped into an unused doorway, keeping out of sight. She observed Clayton giving the other man some money. She caught the Sullivan's former debtor's words as he told the man keep something secret, speaking about not wanting his reputation ruined. Emery couldn't help but raise a curious eyebrow at the exchange. Once the other man was ushered into the cab by Clayton, Emery stepped out into view, wasting no time in walking towards him.

As Clayton lit up his cigarette, Emery pulled one of her own out of her cigarette box and placed it between her lips. "Give us a light," she asked, managing to keep her lips from moving so the cigarette stayed in her mouth. Once lit up, and after taking in a long drag of her cigarette, she held it between her middle and index fingers so she could pull it away from her mouth. Blowing out a breath of smoke she studied Clayton's face for a moment. "Either you're turning into a loan shark or you've gone soft," she remarked. "The first one can get you into fresh trouble with my family, so I do hope you've just gone soft," she joked.

"What are you doing drinking in that place?" she asked, looking up at the pub's name. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You should find a place called 'The Above Average Pub' and you'll fit right in then," she suggested. She took another drag from her cigarette before flashing him a playful smile. "So, what are you up to now you've shipped that bloke off to bed?" she casually asked.

Bellz (Clayton)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Undisclosed Location
~Dublin City Center, Ireland~

Alex King

​

The past week had definitely tested Alex and his ability to stick through difficult decisions. In the past, Alex would have been gone by now to some foreign country - drinking and partying and sleeping with random women. Whatever it was that was bothering him or causing a strife in his life didn't exist when he was on his trip. Whatever responsibilites he was supposed to take care of were nothing but a distant memory. However, with him trying to be a better man and a better father he couldn't do that. It was hard not to ust run to whatever country he wanted to for a few days until he felt better. But with the proper motivation, he was able to stick around. He'd felt bad that he wasn't able to get his shit together the night Savannah showed up with Callum, so he planned to make it up to him. He got one night to stay up late and eat whatever he wanted, but after that it was actual food and a proper bedtime.

The time he spent with Callum eased his mind about both his father showing up and the situation with Harper. He wasn't sure why Trevor was around or what exactly he had planned but he did know he wanted him to fuck off. Alex was a young kid when Trevor had abandoned them, leaving Bruce to raise them instead. His uncle had taught him everything he needed to know - everything a father should be teaching their kids. Alex thought that was the point of a father, and seeing as Bruce had done that there was no need for Trevor. If there was no need for Trevor then why the fuck would he want him around? Not just around him, but his siblings as well. Harper and Billy had been too young to remember what life was like or to remember the man himself. Either way he didn't want the man around his younger siblings. When it came to Harper, the concern of her use of medication had been brought up. Ever since being released from the hospital he'd made sure to visit her every single day and make sure she was healing properly. He'd seen her in pain and it broke his heart, so if she wanted to take another pill he would let her. Alex's desire for his sister to not feel pain clouded his judgment when it came to her drug use.

Sitting in the back of the van, Alex had been trying to steel his mind and get rid of the things plaguing his mind. He'd been present for each of the meetings to plan out the attack on Conor, not missing one. This was a big job and effected everything so he wanted to make sure he brought his A game. He hadn't changed his mind one bit, even knowing that he was about to take part in killing his son's beloved Uncle. The guilt would eat away at him for a time but he knew he would get over it very quickly. Conor had disrespected his family and tried to kill them - the time for feeling guilty no longer existed. Besides, even if he wanted to change his mind it was far too late. They had already set all the plans into motion and there was no pulling back.

Alex had been looking down at his feet, leg bouncing in antcipation of their plan when Spencer turned around to address them. He was clear in stating that he and Billy didn't have to kill anyone, but they did need to watch his back. It wasn't until he mentioned killing Conor that he realized that was what they were inevitably going to do. Kill Conor. Alex hadn't killed anyone, though he did put enough people in the hospital. But, he knew taking a life and getting his hands dirty was completely different. Despite understanding this Alex had been more than willing for Conor to be that first person. He waited for Billy to finish speaking before he started adding on to his younger brother's comment. "Yeah, what he said. The last thing we're gonna do is leave you out here on your own, mate." Alex paused for a moment, finding his resolve and finally steeling it. He placed his hand on Spencer's shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"Conor Sullivan nearly killed our family. He crossed the line and put his nose into business that had nothin' to do with him. Further more, he put hand on ya 'cause you were protectin' your family. Those are transgression I can't ever forgive. I don't care about the consequences - I'm more than willing to end Conor Sullivan when the time comes." For once in his life Alex had been serious, committing to his words and making sure Spencer understood that. "I know I've fucked about more than you'dve liked, but I swear to you I'm not fuckin' about this time."

Billy ( Pyroclast ) Spencer ( Misty Gray ) Jeremy ( BasDorcha )

Moretti Family Home
~Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn~
Teddy Wycliff, & Erik Snowden

​

Teddy nodded his head in understanding, picking up on her dislike at amount of people paying their respects. He'd even let out a slight chuckle before rubbing her arm in comfort. "It'll be okay. They won't be around for much longer. Men like them normally spend an appropiate amount of time before they do one more pass and start trickling back out; we've got an hour, at best," he stated, glancing around the room. He recognized each and every man - some of them being smaller bosses in some of the Moretti owned territories. Teddy was sure that the only reason the men and their wives had even showed up was because they thought Moretti would favor them for being respectful. However, Teddy knew better but he would keep his remaining snarky comments to himself. "If anything, your father will scare them away," he joked, attempting to make her feel a little better. He placed a kiss on her forehead before sticking his hand out to shake May's. "Nice to meet you," he said, before putting his hand back into his pocket.

Erik listened intently to Valentina's answer, nodding his head in understanding. It was understandable that the woman couldn't find the right words to say - she had just lost her brother, what was she supposed to feel? Loss was never easy especially when it came to a family member. She talked about the kids and Marcus being their favorite uncle. There was no doubt in his mind that the kids would be feeling the loss soon and he felt bad about it. "I wish I could stay longer - take them out or something to distract their minds?" He said to Valentina, though looked to Teddy. Not because he had been looking for permission when it came to the children, but more so when it came to business. Teddy scratched the back of his neck, unsure of how to respond before nodding. "I'm sure an extra day or two won't hurt," he said, looking to Valentina. "We can figure it out, yeah?"

Teddy didn't miss the look Val had given him, nor the tone of her voice. This was the first time he had heard about her wanting to go to London, but seeing as tensions were high between the Kings and the Sullivans at the moment (and the recent bombing) he wasn't comfortable about it. "A... Trip to London?" He said, voice uneasy. He glanced to Erik, feeling as if he'd understand why he was so unnerved by the idea before looking back to his wife. "Um, sure. One of these days we can take a trip down there." He was thankful that Erik had asked another question, listening as Val reassured him they were still family. Erik gave her a soft smile, returning her hug. "What a relief," he said, shaking his head. "Was worried you'd kick us to the curb," he joked.

May's calming touch helped settle Erik's nerves, but he knew it wouldn't last. Still, he was grateful that she'd even come along with him. He'd always been bad at funerals and would have Ava to help him out but unfortunately, this particular funeral was for her husband. In the brieg moment things were quiet, Erik looked around to see if he could spot out his cousin. "You seen Ava?" He asked, to which Teddy shook his head. "No. Not since we got here. She was with Elvian on the way here." Erik nodded his head in understanding before clearing his throat. May then took out a flask and offered it to the group, Valentina happily accepting first. She then handed it off to Teddy, who politely declined and passed it off to Erik. "One of us has to be sober when we go home," he said with a smile. Erik then took the flask and took a sip from it before handing it back to May. "You're a saint, Val," Erik stated with a smile. With his nerves all over the place he was hoping the alcohol would help - even just a little.



Val ( Misty Gray ) May ( BasDorcha )

Sullivan Family Home
~Dublin, Ireland~
Leo Sullivan​

"If you don't tuck in your elbows, you're not going to spin any faster, Rhi." Leo had been on the ice for nearly three hours now trying to help his younger sister practice. She'd been wanting to hit the ice now for days but ever since Conor told them they weren't allowed to leave unaccompanied, she wasn't able to. The last thing Rhiannon wanted was bodyguards following her everywhere so she had sucked it up and stayed inside. However, when she had gotten that itch to go skating she had given in but asked Leo to come with her. It was difficult to get him to agree since all he wanted to do was spend time with Natasha, but she had managed to finally break him. Now, he was getting on her nerves by being worse than an actual ice skating coach. "Leo, they're tucked. I don't know how much more I can tuck them," she grumbled, skating back to her start position. Leo put his hands on his hips and skated until he was in front of her. "Sure, but your elbows aren't up. So, tighter tuck and put your elbows up." Rhiannon knew Leo was right, but it was still annoying to hear.

Once she'd pushed off and gained spinned, she did exactly as Leo told her and went faster than she had before. Unfortunately, she wasn't used to the extra speed and ended up falling on her butt. She winced and lay on her back for a while, Leo hovering over her to see if she was alright. She gave him a thumbs up and he smiled, grabbing her arms to help her up. "You're alright, get up. Falling means what?" He asked, to which Rhiannon replied, "That the only other place to go is, up, up, up." Leo nodded his head and checked his watch, remembering he had made plans to hang out with Thomas later that night. "Hey, I have plans with Thomas soon. Go do your laps so we can go."

An hour later and Rhiannon and Leo returned home. Aliana hadn't come home yet, which worried Leo. "She said she would be out late," Rhiannon reminded him, sensing him tense up. "Besides, she's with Aunt Sin and Liam. They're okay." After learning the truth about what happened to her family members Rhiannon still hadn't figured out how she should feel about. She hadn't said anything to her parents nor her brother about what she learned - she didn't think it would contribute anything if they were aware she knew. So instead, she continued to act oblivious about it. "Yeah, you're right..." Leo stated, opening the front door for her. "Alright well, it's kinda late so maybe you should go get ready for bed." Rhiannon started walking up the stairs, playfully rolling her eyes. "Ew, I don't like when you try to parent me. You're my brother for a reason." She disappeared around the corner before walking back to the banister.

Leo had just been about to walk into the kitchen when he heard her call for him. "Thanks for today, by the way. I really appreciate it." Leo just gave her a confused look before nodding his head, watching as she disappeared again. He hadn't been oblivious to her strange behavior as of late, but he just figured it was because of puberty or something. Walking into the kitchen he opened the fridge, only to close it once he heard his name again. This time, it had been from Thomas. He poked his head from around the corner and smiled when he was able to confirm it had been him. Ever since the two of them had talked about their relationship, they hadn't been able to spend much time together. Leo figured he'd take that first step again and invite him over. "Look what the cat dragged in," he said, noticing Lucky hadn't been with him. "No partner today?"

Thomas ( Bellz )

On The Way Home
~Clontarf, Dublin~
Aliana Sullivan​

Ever since the blow up with Michelle, Aliana had been feeling down and out of sorts. For years she had already felt as if she had ruined Michelle's life because Alex and Conor didn't work out. Hearing that Michelle blamed her for exactly that had only furthered the guilt she had been feeling. All the reassuring Conor had given her over the years was demolished in a matter of seconds when it came to his daughter. He could tell her a million times that things between him and Alex had been over long before they'd made the decision to start seeing each other romantically. It meant nothing compared to someone who had actually been effected by the decision. And Michelle had made her feelings about her abundantly clear. When Conor returned home, Ali tried to keep what happened between the two of them to herself, but she couldn't hide how it was making her feel. When she did tell him about it, he wasn't happy. And though Aliana had been upset with Michelle, she understood why and tried to talk him down from yelling at her. However, Ali should've known better. Conor hadn't talked to her yet - at least, not to Ali's knowledge - but she knew it was coming eventually.

To get her mind off it, she decided to try and spend time with Sinead. The woman had been there during the whole thing and Aliana felt compelled to apologize for it all. Sinead had been defensive of Ali and she greatly appreciated. Which is why when she asked her to help at her record store Ali agreed with zero hesitation. Sinead thanked her for her help and Ali smiled, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it," she said, grabbing her purse. "You know I'm always available to help." She waited next to the guard for Sinead to finish locking up before following her out to the car. "Allen will have picked them up by now, I think," she said, looking at her watch.

Sinead's voice brought Ali out of her thoughts, things she had been shoving away slowly making themselves known. She mentioned the coast and Ali looked to the right to take in what she was seeing. "Ugh, agreed. I wish I was able to take more time with Conor to just destress. The coast sounds like such a nice place to do that but," she shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. "Busy, busy, busy." She muttered, playing with her fingers. Feeling the car roll to a stop, Ali looked up again and over to Sinead. "Everything okay, Sin?" She asked, glancing back to Liam before looking at her again. When she mentioned the headlight was looking strange and she wanted to check, Ali couldn't help but grip her purse. Though the streetlights had been illuminating the streets and they were clearly visible, Aliana still didn't like that they were in a dark place without the guards. Her nerves were calmed when she returned to the car to start it up, only for it to stutter and not come on at all.

As much as Ali wanted to panic, afraid that they had been sabotaged, she knew she couldn't start freaking out over nothing - especially with Liam in the back seat. He made a comment about the car breaking down, to which Sinead gave him a snarky remark. It wasn't the situation Aliana found herself snickering at but Sinead's reponse. She then asked for her to retrieve her phonebook from the glove box to search for the number to Syd's garage. "Yes, ma'am," she teased, grabbing the book. Just as she was about to hand it over, Sinead starting ranting about the car and not having been the one to choose it. She used the notebook to hide the amused grin and stifle her laughs as she listened to her rant about Conor and Peter. And in typical Sinead fashion, she returned to being calm. Ali just nodded her head and chuckled. "Yes, my love, I got the book. I'll be back," she said patting her friend's shoulder. "Liam, look after your mom so her head doesn't explode."

With her purse close to her body in case she needed to take out her gun, Ali made her way to the payphone. Flipping through the book she found the number she was looking for and immediately dialed the garage. After a few rings she heard the sound of a males voice on the other end. She informed them that Sinead's car had broken down and where to find them before returning back to the car. "Alrighty, gang. Help is on the way - just gotta... Wait."

Sinead, Liam ( Misty Gray ) Tom ( BasDorcha )

White Harp Pub
~London~
Nikita Blake​

The last think Nikita Blake ever expected was how easy it had been to manipulate a group of girls into fighting over a guy that didn't want them. By the time she, Jeremy, and Margaret had left the pub, the cops had been called and the other two were in handcuffs. They were still shouting obscenities at each other and Kit couldn't help but watch in amusement. If she wasn't going to be able to hurt anyone physically, then mentally would be her next best bet. She didn't think it would be so easy to turn the women against each other, but it would seem as if there were already issues going on in their circle. Whatever the case, it made for an interesting night for Kit. And it didn't end there, either. Margaret, Jeremy, and Kit ended up at Margaret's place - a bit further than Kit thought they were going to go. A few risque actions later and she was sure Jeremy was about to really loosen up his inhibitions. Alas, he hadn't as the girl lying in a hospital bed had gotten the best of him. The moment he freaked out and decided to leave, Kit followed. He'd ruined the mood and there was no coming back from it.

When Kit was told she'd be on babysitting detail, she nearly pulled her hair out. She was aware of what the King siblings were up to in Dublin and it infuriated her that she wasn't going with them. She had begun to feel like she was a declawed cat learning how to be tame and nice. The amount of time she spent around people was making her incredibly uncomfortable, but unfortunately she had to suck it up. But it wasn't all bad as they were spending time at a local pub. Not in the mood to deal with another set of women, she decided she would be on her best behavior today and behave. Holding the door open for Kerry to push Harper inside she couldn't help but smile to herself.

Seeing Harper doped up on morphine was like a show - you never knew what you were gonna get to see. It was like whatever the girl thought she said and didn't care about any of the consequences. It brought nothing but free entertainment, which she was lacking at the moment. Harper then offered to buy them drinks and Kit had no qualms about it. "Whiskey sour, please. Feelin' frilly tonight." Really, a bodyguard shouldn't be drinking on the job but Kit wasn't a normal guard. No, she was trained and could handle copious amounts of liquor without feeling a single buzz. The girls then settled into a booth - Kit sitting next the Kerry on the outside. She wanted to make sure she could see everything going on in the pub, as well as keeping an eye on Harper. Kerry then returned and Kit got up so she could slide into the booth. Once she sat back down, Kit picked up her drink and tried to take her time sipping it this time around.

Harper ( Bellz ) Kerry ( Misty Gray )

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivan Residence
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Conor Sullivan​

Whilst the Moretti problem had been put to bed for the foreseeable, Conor still found himself becoming increasingly irritated and it wasn't merely down to the Kings. His own family seemed set on getting on his last nerve. He'd returned home from New York a week ago to find out that Michelle had been upsetting Aliana over Alex. Having a firm word with his daughter was on his ever-growing list of things to do. Whilst he did regret how much she'd missed out on because he and Alex hadn't worked out, there was no changing that and it certainly wasn't Aliana's fault. He wouldn't have anyone upsetting his wife, so once he was granted even a minute to clear his head and compose himself, he would be having that conversation with his eldest daughter. Someone he had already had words with was Savannah, just yesterday. After hearing she'd spent time in London so Callum could see the Kings, Conor had a very heated conversation with his niece which ended with his niece telling him, in no uncertain terms, to "go to Hell". Yet another problem to deal with, which Conor had decided Sinead and Peter would have to be involved in.

Conor had just stepped out of his office in time to hear Thomas' voice calling Leo from the main area of the house. Before he could join the two young men, Conor was drawn back into the office by the sound of the telephone ringing. When he answered the call, he was surprised to hear one of the local businessmen on the other end, complaining that Phelan Sweeney and a friend were out dealing drugs again on the man's property and the surrounding area. Sick to his back teeth of Phelan, Conor wasn't willing to go via the older Sweeney brothers for the soft approach. He'd had enough of the guy already and wasn't going to bother Adam or anyone else with having to deal with him again. Phelan had been warned too many times and Conor wasn't willing to sit back on it a moment longer.

After ending the call, Conor marched out of his office and into the main house. He sought out his son and nephew so he could speak with them. "Alright, lads. Get your shit together, we're going out on a job. Phelan Sweeney's at it again so we're going to pay him a visit," he informed them. If Leo wanted a part in the family business, then what better place to start than dealing with pests like Sweeney. "We should be able to track him before he wanders too far," he said, handing Thomas a set of car keys that made it clear he'd chosen him to drive them to the city centre.

Bellz (Thomas) Melanin-Gxdess (Leo)