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

[Misty Gray]

On the Road to Home
~ Clontarf, Dublin ~

Sinead and Liam Callahan​

Sinead sarcastically laughed when Aliana joked with Liam about getting her a joke book. "Sure! I'll take a joke book, as long as it doesn't have any rude ones, or fart jokes!"

Liam scoffed. "Like we need a book for any of those. I've heard enough rude ones from my cousins and uncles. We do have a very loud family," he pointed out, having overheard many a joke he perhaps wasn't intended to. Of course, Aliana's own husband was one such guilty party in that.

When it was time for them to pile into the pickup truck, Tom pointed out that it was going to be a tight fit. "Excuse me, Mister. I'll have you know I'm very petite!" Sinead feigned offence to Tom. She then nudged Liam. "Guess I'll be sitting on your knee, kiddo."

"Uhhh, no you're not," Liam was quick to protest.

As it happened, they were all able to fit into the vehicle without having to share their laps. When they finally reached Sutton, Tom was instructed to drop Aliana off at her home first. When he pulled up at the security gates at the bottom of the Sullivan home driveway, They were not granted immediate access, as account of the security guard not recognising Tom's vehicle. As the man approached, he recognised Aliana and Sinead, the sight of the former immediately causing his face to turn more serious.

"Mrs. Sullivan, your family have been trying to contact you," Dermot, the security guard addressed Aliana. "There's been an attack in the city centre... Mr. Sullivan has been rushed into hospital and Aidan... he was killed," the man informed her.

"Oh no..." Sinead gasped, placing her hand to her mouth as she thought of poor Aidan having been killed. "What... And what about Conor? What's wrong with him? Why?" Sinead asked, clearly shocked. From her position between them, she reached down to squeeze Aliana's hand and placed her other arm around Liam's shoulder to pull him in close. "Liam, maybe you should stay with your cousins tonight," she suggested, referring to Rhiannon and Sydney, as she didn't want to leave Aliana to go to the hospital alone.

"Boss is in a bad way, last I heard..." Dermot sadly admitted. "You ladies should probably get to the hospital. Leo and Thomas are already there."

Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana) BasDorcha (Tom)

 

[Pyroclast]

Paddy's Diner
~ Ashtown, Dublin ~

Elena Velazco
​

While Elena had hoped to get away with her little slip up of mentioning her and Thomas’ sex life, she actually appreciate the response he gave. Nobody had ever told her that there was no need to rush into having sex - in fact, it had always been the opposite. To keep a guy interested, to get what she wanted from them, to stop them from doing something worse, having sex with them was always the answer. Now, Thomas and Adam were both telling her that she was allowed to take things slow. So unused to being given that choice, Elena wasn’t even sure if she wanted to. It had been nice to spend time getting to know Thomas intimately, but she liked him more and more every day, she could feel herself falling for him - and she was dying to know what it felt like to have sex with someone she felt truly connected to. Not just someone she liked, but someone who liked her back with equal emotion. Still, it felt good to hear that her father was looking out for her.

She found it curious to hear that Adam had never been into pursuing serious relationships. His job seemed to be rather demanding, but the fact that he still managed to make time for her suggested that would also have been able to make time for romance if he had ever wanted to. Elena may have been young, and her mother didn’t exactly have the best relationship record, but she still couldn’t imagine living as long as Adam had without at least trying to find love. She had given it a chance a few times herself, but it had never worked out with the sort of men she had got mixed up with. Not until Thomas, anyway.

Her eyes widened, then, when Adam told her he had eventually found somebody, and a smile spread across her face as she awaited details. “Blake,” she repeated softly. “I know! The woman in the pub, very beautiful. With the yellow hair?” Elena raised a hand to her cheek as she pictured the pair of them together, happy to hear that her father was in love. “Ah! A brother and sister for me?” While she hadn’t felt so bad leaving her mother, step-father and step-family behind in Cuba, she did miss her younger half-brother Benito. The two had always been close and even though he had left at 16 to go and live with his long-lost father, ultimately inspiring her to search for Adam, she had still felt close to him by the time she had left. At the thought that she could start building a sibling relationship with Natasha and Collin, Elena beamed so brightly it was almost audible.

Her joy was amplified further when Adam told her Blake knew about her and that she wanted to meet her. “You tell her about me?” she asked, wondering what he would have said. “Yes! Yes, I love that! I know her at the pub but we don’t speak too much, only for drinks. I love to meet her and meet Natasha and Collin!” Elena felt her cheeks grow warm with happiness. It meant the world to her that her father wanted to properly induct her into his life. “I leave my brother Benito in Habana,” she explained, her smile fading ever so slightly. “He is why I come here to find you. Like me, he doesn’t know his father and our mother tell him that he is a bad man, like she says about you. Then his father come back, and he is so nice, and we know our mother lies about him…and so, I come here to find if she lies about you, too.”

Though it was now largely overpowered by her happiness of finding Adam, the sting of being discouraged from looking for her father for all those years still resided in Elena, causing a deep resentment towards her mother. “I miss Beni,” she admitted. It was the first time she had ever admitted to missing someone in Cuba, but she felt sure enough by now that Adam didn’t intend on sending her back even if he knew there was something or someone she missed. “So I love to meet Blake y sus hijos. You say to her I want to meet them, yes? I want to know everyone special in your life, Adam.”

She had said his name out of habit, but after the conversation about family she wondered if perhaps she could start calling him something else. She wasn’t sure if it was appropriate yet, but he seemed to enjoy being a father to her so she figured at some point she might be able to make the transition and get away with it. Until she found the right moment, however, she would stick to calling him by his name. “You want to go to the rides?” she asked him, with a fresh smile. “Maybe there is a…una noria? Maybe we can see the pub and Tomás apartamento from the top!”

Interactions
Misty Gray Adam

Mentioned:
Bellz Blake, Natasha

 

[Pyroclast]

St. George's Channel
~ The horrible rough sea between Rosslare and Fishguard ~

Billy King
​

After the initial addressing of what had happened, the van fell quiet, everyone left deep in thought. With it too quiet to let himself cry any more, Billy curled up against the back of the driver’s seat in hopes that he might drift off. There was no other way to pass the time - no one felt like chatting - but in the end sleep didn’t happen, and it ended up feeling like the longest a two hour long journey could possibly feel. He tried to focus on thoughts of Erik but Aidan and Benjie kept swimming back to the front of his mind and while it was so fresh, there wasn’t much he could do about it besides consciously switching back to Erik.

Once the long journey was finally over and the van had managed to park aboard the ferry, Jeremy drew Billy out of his thoughts and helped him out of the van. It felt good to stretch and though there were still many hours until they got home, he figured it might be easier to pass the time on a ferry where he could walk around and explore a bit. Jeremy encouraged him to walk with him and even though it might not be a conversation he wanted to have, it might be one he needed. So, pulling on the spare shearling coat he had brought with him, he let Jeremy lead him away from the parking area.

As soon as they opened the door onto the front deck he was hit by the cold breeze and the smell of the salty sea air, which he welcomed after the long, stuffy drive. Without saying a word, Billy came to stand beside Jeremy and leaned his arms up against the railings. By now it was the middle of the night and too dark to see the horizon, but the lights from the deck illuminated the surrounding waves as they crashed violently against the side of the ship. He watched them for a few moments until Jeremy spoke up and handed him a cigarette. Without meeting his friend’s eye, Billy took it and proceeded to light up, muttering a quiet “thanks.” Knowing that Billy wasn’t in the mood for idle chat, Jeremy dived straight into what was on both of their minds. He told him not to speak and take a few moments to just breathe, which reminded Billy that Jeremy had plenty of experience doing what Billy had just accidentally done. Hearing him talk about it brought on another surge of anxiety in his stomach, but the cigarette helped him to hold down the urge to cry again.

Given the experience the man had on him, Billy trusted he knew what he was talking about when he told him the weight of taking a life would eat him alive if he didn’t find a way to make peace with it. He reminded him that everyone in this business understood and consented to the risks, insinuating that Aidan wasn't just an innocent civilian. It was true - and of course, Billy knew there was a risk that he, too, might get killed on a job someday. He didn’t want to die, but this was just the life he led, and it wouldn’t feel right to leave the business to the rest of his family and walk out. Of course, he had his own job as architect going for him, but with Bruce's firm, doing what his family did, that was where he belonged. Billy let his gaze fall back to the crashing waves below as Jeremy ruffled his hair and squeezed his shoulder and he took a long, refreshing drag of his cigarette.

Billy was just pondering the man’s words and how his actions might affect him in the coming days, weeks, months, years. He hoped, like Jeremy said, that he would be able to make peace with it at some point, and that the experiences and wisdom of Erik, Jeremy, Spencer and Bruce would help him to navigate the aftermath of murdering someone. At least he knew his family would stand by him, given that he was far from the first of them to take a life. However, he was worried about what Harper would think of him. Never having been directly involved with the business, she had always seemed to live the closest thing to a normal life, and therefore might not be so ready to accept Billy for what he had done. If she gave up on him for this, he didn’t think he would ever be able to make peace with it.

The thought of losing her faith in him brought the anxiety back and he exhaled a heavy breath, feeling the sting of tears begin to prick behind his eyes. He turned to face Jeremy, about to admit how he felt, but the man suddenly asked him what else he would be thinking about if not for the failed job. Billy stopped and tried to do as the man suggested. He turned away again, taking another drag from his cigarette as he looked out over the distant dark ocean, and after allowing a few seconds to calm himself down, Erik’s face appeared in his mind. He was used to keeping such thoughts to himself, but then he remembered that Jeremy knew his secret, and in this intimate conversation with nobody listening in, he felt free to talk about it.

“I guess…him,” he said, keeping his voice low despite no one else being around. Without using his name, the only thing to let Jeremy know who he was talking about would be the light blush forming on Billy's cheeks. “I just want to tell him what happened. He used to be a hitman, you know? There was that time a few months back when he shot and killed a guy in my car, who was tryin' to strangle me. And afterwards, he just…” Thinking back, Erik had seemed perfectly calm and collected straight after, but then Billy remembered that his friend had been in the throes of a cocaine addiction and had disappeared for a week or so after the body had been dealt with. Given that Erik had been keeping his suffering to himself at the time, it was hard to know whether the murder had contributed to that behaviour or whether the man would have withdrawn into himself and gone downhill anyway. Regardless, he had promised Erik he wouldn’t tell anyone about his drug problem if he got it under control, so he wasn’t about to bring it up with Jeremy now. “Well, I just think he’d know what to do.”

By that, Billy didn’t just mean how to handle the repercussions of the failed job, or even the murder - but what to do to make Billy feel better. Jeremy, his brothers and he imagined his uncle would all know the right words to say, but no one would be able to comfort him like Erik. Nobody else in the world could hold him, kiss him, whisper sweet things in his ear and have the effect on him that Erik did. He was glad to have Jeremy and his brothers to keep him company that night, but really, there was no one he wanted at that moment more than the man he was in love with.

“Still haven’t told him the other thing,” he admitted coyly, twirling the cigarette between his fingers before taking another drag. “You know…how I feel about him and that. I think he knows, but I ain’t said it yet. Don’t really know how to - never said it before, not when I actually mean it.”

Forcing himself through the discomfort of talking openly about his sexuality, Billy glanced up to meet Jeremy’s eye for the first time since getting out of the van. “What about you?” he asked. “You got a love life goin’ on in the background? Or…I don’t know, somethin’ that keeps you goin’ on a night like this?”

Interactions
BasDorcha Jeremy

Nearby:
Misty Gray Spencer
Melanin-Gxdess Alex

Mentioned:
Bellz Harper

 

[Misty Gray]

Paddy's Diner
~ Ashtown, Dublin ~

Adam Harper​

Adam couldn't help but smile when Elena confirmed she knew Blake by mentioning that she was blonde and beautiful. "That's her," he proudly confirmed. She then enthused about Natasha and Collin, with the potential of a new sister and brother. Adam couldn't help but notice how positive and wholesome Elena came across as. She had some kind of an innocent enthusiasm about her. With himself and Isabella as parents, he wasn't quite sure where Elena got her sweet personality from. Regardless, he found it very endearing about her.

Adam let out a small laugh when Elena asked for clarification that he'd told Blake about her. "Of course. Why wouldn't I tell her about you? A daughter is a big deal ya know. Especially when she's as nice as you are," he told her. "We'll figure something out for us all to get together in the pub," he assured her. He then listened as she told him about how she'd left her brother behind in Havana. From what she was saying, it sounded like Isabella had told Benito the same things about his father as he had told Elena about Adam. Whilst Adam knew he wasn't exactly innocent and hadn't been the best guy back when he knew Isabella, but the woman had certainly set out to paint the exes from her life in a bad light. What made it worse was that she'd been telling her two children their fathers were terrible people, which seemed extremely unfair to the kids. "I'm sorry your mother lied to you, Elena. I'm just glad you persisted and was able to find me. It means a lot," he told her.

When Elena said she missed her brother, Adam lightly nodded. It made sense she would miss the family she had left behind, and Cuba was a long way from Dublin. "You'll get to see him again, I'm sure. I'm sure you can visit him at some point - I can see to that," he told her. "For now, I will arrange for you to meet Blake and the kids," he assured her.

When Elena asked if he wanted to go to the rides, he nodded his head. He got up from his seat and waited until his daughter was ready to leave. "Let's get you to that Ferris wheel," he confirmed.

Once they reached the funfair in the park, Adam was about to take Elena to the large illuminated Ferris wheel but stopped before reaching it as he saw one of the sweet treat stands. Pointing to the machine where the fluffy pink candy was being prepared, he looked to Elena. "Have you ever had candy floss? Wanna try some?" he offered her. Either way, Adam got himself some. It had been a while since he'd eaten so much junk, but he was getting into the spirit of things and was sure he would make up for it all during his workout session the next morning.

Once they were seated in their own pod of the the Ferris wheel Adam checked Elena was comfortable. As the ride set off, Adam waited until they were approaching the highest height and pointed straight ahead in the direction of Dublin Port. However, he pointed to an area much closer than the port. "Do you see that tall chimney? The tower? That's an old mill... Just before that is the The Sullivans Pub, where you work," he informed her. After another full rotation of the wheel, he pointed to the left of them. "Right over there, where you can see the green lights, my place is just near there," he told her. "We can't really see your place for here, but it's right over there," he said, pointing in the direction of where Elena lived with Thomas.

Pyroclast (Elena)

 

[Bellz]

Thomas Porter
Lorelei Costello
Lucy Porter
Undisclosed Location
~ Dublin City Center, Dublin ~
​

Lorelei had returned to the group quietly, opting to continue to comfort Benjie as Thomas was working diligently to take care of Leo and Conor. She was fighting hard to keep herself together, at least until Aunt Lucy made it to them. The woman sounded dead serious on the phone as she told the redhead to stay put, not wanting to them to walk into any more trouble on accident. "Your mom and the ambulance are on their way." Lorelei called to Thomas and Leo from where she was sitting with Benjie.

Thomas had barely heard what she was telling him, far too focused on making sure there wasn’t a lapse in Conor’s breathing as he tried to remain in control still. He swallowed hard as Leo sobbed, not daring to look up at his cousin as he had a seemingly private moment with his father. While he attempted to stunt the bleeding, Thomas looked away from them both. Wanting to give them that moment together despite sitting next to them. While Thomas had been through his own type of anguish, he couldn’t imagine the type of pain Leo was feeling in that moment. It felt like forever before the ambulance arrived but when it did, Thomas felt some form of relief as he knew that he had managed to keep Conor alive enough for the medical professionals to step in.

Thomas stepped away but was able to give one of the medics a rundown of the injuries and what needed attention first before the man he was speaking with asked what had happened. Thomas was silent for a long moment, knowing he couldn’t say the truth. "We aren’t sure, we just found him like this…same with the man dead at the entrance." Thomas said firmly, making it clear that the medic shouldn’t ask anything further before he got the hint and went to work on his Uncle.

Leo caught his attention as he reached out his hand to Thomas, which the man watched cautiously. Thomas was in no position to be touched by anyone at the moment. He didn’t want to hurt anyone by accident. "I’m fine." Thomas answered simply, giving his cousin a small nod as Leo stated that the police were gonna want to talk to Lorelei and Benjie. "Mom will know what to do. Go on, he needs you." The young man said, tears pricking his eyes as he really took Leo in. "I’ll wait here with them." He said softly before watching his best friend get into the back of the ambulance before the doors slammed shut.

As the ambulance placed the sirens on and pulled out of the alleyway quickly, Thomas saw his mothers car come to a screeching halt. "Oh my god!" Lucy cried out, seeing Thomas, Lorelei and Benjie with Aidan’s body still slumped by the wall. She first ran up to Lorelei as the redhead stood, knowing that Thomas would most likely want his space for a moment. Lucy immediately grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Are you alright?" She asked, checking Lorelei for any injuries. Her lip trembled as she kept herself together, focusing on her niece as Lorelei explained in more detail what had happened. Lucy looked down to Benjie, kneeling down before him as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "I’m so sorry, Benjie. Aidan was one of the nicest men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. They won’t get away with what they have done to you…I promise." The blonde knew her words wouldn’t be any comfort to him right now, but she hoped he could find comfort in them eventually.

Police sirens drew closer and closer and Lucy knew that soon they would have to talk with them about what had happened. "I need you both to not say anything to the police when they get here okay? You both happened upon the scene without seeing anything and that’s it. I’ll make sure they back off and after they do I need you both to get into the back of my car okay?" She asked. Knowing that it was a lot, Lucy said, "I’ll give you both a minute to think…just remain calm. I’m gonna go check on my son."

Thomas had been watching Lucy check on Lorelei and Benjie in kind of a daze, his eyes glazed over as he suddenly felt exhausted and ready to break. "Thomas?" Lucy asked, walking slowly towards him with her hands up. Thomas didn’t move as he watched her, his muscles twitching under his skin as if ready to react to some sort of immediate danger despite the danger being long gone.

"It’s okay, my boy. Are you alright?" Lucy asked her son, continuing to step closer and closer to him, carefully watching to see if he would react in a negative way. "I’m fine." Thomas repeated though his lower lip started to tremble. Lucy stopped in her tracks, ready to give him the space he needed before Thomas shook his head, "I couldn’t save him, mom! I couldn’t save either of them!" He sobbed, his knees wobbling as Lucy stepped forward to steady him, wrapping her arms around Thomas as his legs gave out and they both fell to the floor. Thomas hugged her tightly, sobbing into her shoulder as Lucy cried as well. "You saved him, my boy. You don’t have to worry anymore. It’s going to be, okay." She whispered to him, rubbing his shoulders as they shook. "I love you." He cried out and Lucy told him that she loved him as well just as the cop cars pulled up to the bloodied scene. "I’ll get you out of here, okay? Don’t say anything to them." Lucy whispered to her son, moving back to hold his face in her hands as she wiped his tears dry with her thumbs just as officers started walking up to the group.
mentions: Benjie + dead guy + almost dead guy Misty Gray ; Leo Melanin-Gxdess

 

[BasDorcha]

St. George's Channel
~The night is dark, the shadows are long.~
Jeremy Gray​

The water lapping at the boat soothed the nerves that Jeremy felt at thinking about Harper. As Billy fought to have the courage to speak, Jeremy kept his eyes forward, trying not to make his friend feel intimidated by staring. When the words finally escaped his lips, Jeremy nodded in understanding. He had a very specific reason for asking the very personal question, and it had hit home. Carefully choosing to remain silent, he let his friend process the thoughts and continue speaking. The stars above shone brightly, like they had not seen the things that happened shortly before.

“When you get home, the first chance you get, find them and tell them.” Just on the off chance someone might step outside with them, Jeremy had dropped all sex-indicating verbs, attempting in his own way to indirectly teach Billy how he could openly talk without exposing himself. “You find them, you kiss them, you tell them the truth…” He trailed off, thinking about the last kiss in his memory – the one with Harper. He frowned again, wishing he had a drink about now. “It’s scary, but you’ve got to do it. You only live once. Then, when the nights when this comes back out of the dark and starts to wear on you, you talk to them. Tell them everything. Its not a burden you can bear on your own. It will get easier, with time, and then there will come whole days and weeks where you don’t think about it. Until then, let that person help you.”

Jeremy was lucky, he had Spencer as a friend the first time. Anytime his mind tried to get to him, Spencer talked him back down. It hadn’t taken long, Jeremy hadn’t struggled as much as most first timers, but it was still nice to have had a friend. These days, it didn’t bother him anymore, it was just another aspect of the job. When Billy mentioned that Erik had killed someone trying to hurt Billy, it didn’t surprise him – Erik seemed like a good guy to him.

The silence stretched before Jeremy continued on to answer the question that had been left lingering in the air. He glanced at Billy, before quickly looking away and back at the water below. “It’s complicated… I… I’m in love with Harper. I tried to tell her here recently.” He didn’t continue, the hurt in his chest suddenly to much. He took a long drag, finishing the smoking stick at his lips before tossing it into the water. His hands gripped the rail, tears forming in his eyes, unfallen. He blinked it away, clearing his throat. “It doesn’t matter. It’s over now, whatever it might have been. So, I guess the only thing that keeps me driving on is you guys.” Jeremy leaned towards Billy, playfully bumping his shoulder, forcing a smile onto his face.

Interactions Pyroclast - Billy King

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

St. George's Channel
~Dublin City Center, Ireland~

Alex King

​

Two hours was a long time to spend in a van in silence. But, considering the events leading up to their ride home it was warranted. Spencer reassured him he'd be okay until they got back to London. That at least eased his mind when it came to the number of worries he had on his list. The next had been Billy and whether or not he'd be okay after his first kill. Alex didn't have the same experience in killing men like Spencer and Jeremy. He knew he couldn't relate to how Billy must have been feeling but it wasn't about that. His younger brother was a lot more sensitive than himself, Spencer, and Harper. Alex would never fault the man for it, either, but it did mean he was more emotional too. It was obvious in the way he'd been crying and throwing up. Alex wanted nothing more than to comfort his little brother at this moment, however, he wasn't sure how it would be received if he did it in front of Spencer and Jeremy. Instead, he remained on his side of the van as it drove along towards their getaway.

Leaving the back of the van after they docked the ferry, Alex watched on as Jeremy decided to take Billy for a walk. He was grateful that he was able to be there for his brother - Alex still wasn't sure he would be well-received by Billy due to his past behavior. The air was colder thanks to the water and Alex found himself regretting not bringing along a better jacket. Alex had just tucked a cigarette between his lips when he heard Spencer address him. He'd nodded his head in agreement, but didn't move until his cigarette was lit. He took a drag as he followed his older brother into the cabin and took a seat opposite of him. Spencer then explained he would be the one taking the fall for the failure of their mission and Alex couldn't contain the chuckle emitting from his throat. He pinched his smoke between his thumb and index finger to remove it from his mouth and exhaled the smoke. "What happened to us doing this 'together'," he said, using air quotes. "It means we failed together too, Spence, you weren't the only one here."

The thing Alex loved the most about Spencer was how protective he'd been over himself and their younger siblings. He knew that he could always count on him no matter what. If he got into a fight and lost Spencer would make sure the other person looked worse than he. It's why he felt bad about his behavior - he'd felt he'd not done enough to pay him back for it. He'd gotten beat up because of him and it constantly nagged him in the back of his mind for weeks. "You can't shoulder this shit on your own. Especially when we all agreed to be here and complete this job." He paused for a moment to take another drag before shaking his head. "We may have failed in killing him but we did send a message." It'd taken Alex two hours for his mind to change to one of optimism. He, too, had been wallowing in his self-pity of their failed attempt but in the last thirty minutes, he had a change of mind.

"He's alive. We failed there without question. Our goal was to make sure he wouldn't be able to ever walk or hurt anyone one of us again," Alex stated, turning his head to look at Spencer. "But we made our point. Conor's lying in a pool of his own blood probably fighting to stay alive. Our attempt to kill him may not have gone through as planned, but now he knows that we're no longer going to roll over and take his shit. He had answering to do and we made sure he did this time around. Bruce will understand that - he's not goin' to be pissed or anything like that and if he is so be it."

Billy ( Pyroclast )

Le Hospital
~Clontarf, Dublin~
Aliana Sullivan​

Ali was grateful to be going home first, the day becoming a bit overwhelming. For some reason, the rowdy group of boys driving by them had taken a lot out of her than expected. The overwhelming amount of emotions she had fought to contain took a lot out of her. So when they arrived at the front gates of her home, she could already picture the bath she planned on taking. Upon seeing the familiar face of their security guard, Dermont, Ali gave him a brief smile. "Has my husband got you working hard," she joked before noticing the serious look on his face. Though she had seen his serious faces before this one seemed more... Urgent. A lot more grave and her heart started pounding. Something was wrong and not knowing what that something was freaked her out. "Dermont, what is it?" He soon told her her family had been trying to contact her, causing her to furrow her eyebrows. Hearing that there had been an attack made her freeze - Aidan was dead and Conor was in the hospital.

She'd felt Sinead's hand grab her own and though she knew it was meant to be comforting, she subtly pulled it away. Instead, she put her hands together, rubbing them around each other. It had been a nervous habit developed after her last attack. Dermont also informed her that Thomas and Leo were already at the hospital which only made her worry more. "We- were they involved?! Are they okay? Is- Is Thomas okay? Is LEO?!" She'd started to turn frantic, her questions coming out quicker than Dermont would probably be able to answer. After he'd responded, she helped Liam out of the truck and made sure he was in good hands with the security guard. Tom offered to drive them to the hospital and Ali wasted no time in accepting his offer.

The whole ride over her leg bounced in anticipation of what she was going to find. What sort of state was her husband in? What about her nephew? Her son? It was all rattling her nerves to the point of tears. She'd just been able to relax and enjoy a day out only to come home to this. But really, what did she expect? After what happened when they were first in Dublin, Ali knew things would be like this forever. Worrying that her loved ones wouldn't make it home. The risk of them being attacked at random times. It was never-ending and she had no one to blame but herself for getting put in such a predicament. She'd accepted this life - twice now. While chewing on her thumb, she used her other hand to grab Sinead's hand. "They're okay. They're gonna be okay," she muttered, looking out of the window.

Aliana hadn't even waited for Tom to come to a full stop before jumping out of the car. She let her body take her where it needed to go without giving it a second thought. Following the signs to the emergency room, she made her way to the nurse's desk. Out of breath and panting, she frantically looked at the nurse sitting at the nurse's station. "Yeah, hi. I- I'm looking for, um my husband. And my son and my nephew? Sullivan - uh, Conor. And Leo. And my nephew. His- His name is Thomas. Porter! There was an incident and-,"

"Mom?" Ali heard the familiar voice of Leo behind her and the moment she laid eyes on him, she exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Leo!" He wrapped his arms around her and vice versa, Ali reaching up to rub the back of his head. Just knowing that at least one person she was looking for had been found set her mind somewhat at ease. She wouldn't be able to say she felt better until all three were confirmed. Ali just held on to Leo for as long as she could before pulling back. "What happened? Where's Thomas? Is he okay? Is- Is your father okay?" Leo just nodded his head, eyes full of tears while trying to figure out how he was going to explain everything to her. When Sinead joined them, Leo moved to hug her next. Seeing both his mother and aunt eased his mind just a little. "Thomas is fine," Leo finally said, "More or less. He's not here. He's taking care of Benjie and Lori while they wait for Lucy. Aidan's- They killed him." When Ali asked who, Leo got choked up and shook his head. "Spencer, mom. He and his brothers were here and they were going to kill dad."

Sinead, Liam ( Misty Gray ) Tom ( BasDorcha )

Sullivan's Weapons Warehouse
~Dublin Port~

Reina Richards​

Hearing that both of the men had agreed to her plan was a relief. Figuring out something else - anything else - wasn't something Reina wanted to do. She was able to come up with this plan on the fly. Anything else more complicated would be difficult. The moment she saw an opening Reina made a move for the next cover of crates. Bullets whizzed past her and though she was confident none were going to hit her, she braced herself in the anticipation that they would. With her back pressed against the crate, she took a deep breath and peeked around the corner throwing herself back into cover. "Motherfuckers have more problems than anyone I've ever met," she muttered to herself, aiming for the next streetlight above her. It took a few shots to shoot out and once she had she was engulfed in the darkness. The rapid shots she heard closer to her had stopped, for the time being, as the shooter tried to get his eyes adjusted to the sudden dark. Reina used this opportunity to step out of cover and shoot him in the chest, watching him fall to the ground.

The moment she did, however, she was targeted again. Guns were pointed at her now and she cursed herself for it. Running back to the initial crate she was hiding behind she tried to see if she could catch sight of James and Edwards. She was sure the two of them would be able to take care of themselves. After all, they'd both been shooting people and dealing with shit like this longer than she. But considering Porter was the grandfather of her employer's children she wasn't going to take any chances with him getting shot. The two of them seemed to be doing okay for the time being so she turned to her little issue. The next crate that she was trying to move to was further than she would be able to make without getting shot at. RealIt a risk to move at the moment but she didn't have any other choice.

There was a brief moment when the other gunmen needed to reload and she took that opportunity to move - only to bump into one. She hadn't seen him appear or heard him whatsoever. She reacted quicker than she expected and shot him multiple times in the chest. As he was going down, his finger pulled against his trigger and he shot her in the arm. Reina let out a yelp and knelt to the ground, hiding behind her cover once more. Blood started leaking from her wound almost immediately and she reached up to touch it. "Shit."

Meanwhile, the gunmen on the same side as James and Edwards weren't letting up. It almost seemed like they weren't even needing to reload their weapons. It had been made clear to them through their employer that it didn't matter what happened tonight. That warehouse was getting blown up. And if there were anyone around, they were collateral damage. They weren't in any position to fail, so Reina, James, and Edwards weren't important to them in the slightest. Three gunmen moved forwards toward the three men while two moved towards Reina. Reina had just finished wrapping her arm when she heard the footsteps again. She waited for him to get closer before shooting out his knee caps and dragging him behind the crates. "Who the hell sent you?!"

In the distance, the leader of the men was still sitting in his car. Over the radio, he was told the King boys had gone home and they were good to pull out. Except, they hadn't finished the job yet. The warehouse was still standing and they still had weapons to come after them with. With a heavy sigh, he picked up the radio and clicked the 'Push-To-Talk button. "Blow it," he said, only to be met with resistance. "But our guys-," he was cut off by the sound of the leader once more. "Are collateral damage. Blow the fucking building."
James ( Misty Gray ) Edwards ( BloodThunder27 )

The Royal Taphouse
~Behtnal Green, London~

Darcey Winona Hargraves​

Even if Darcey hadn't meant to be annoyed with Bruce she was. The situation was tense enough as it was without her attitude, but she just couldn't help it. From day one everyone had been critical of May when they didn't have a true reason to be. All she wanted them to do was give her a chance, but she understood all too well how difficult that may be. It was why she hadn't pressed them too hard and wanted to let them come around on their terms - but now that they were aware Trevor was her father she wasn't too sure they would. Her arrival along with everything else was suspicious. It could have been completely coincidental and probably even was. But in the eyes of a suspicious and skeptical group of people coincidences didn't exist.

Darcey raised an eyebrow when Bruce mentioned what she wanted didn't matter. He quickly followed up by saying he didn't either and she managed to calm herself. His reasoning behind his comment was a sound one even if she didn't like the way he started it off. "Bruce, that's not fair," she stated, the moment he asked her who she cared about more. The man already knew the answer so for him to ask her that felt unfair. "Does me being here all these years supporting you and helping take care of them not suffice to show you how much I care?" Darcey couldn't help but feel a bit hurt by his question, though she was sure he hadn't intended it. She crossed her arms and took a step back from him, shaking her head. But she knew he had a point and that was the hard part. Though May had been growing on her - despite Darcey not liking very many people - Harper and the boys came first in everything...

"Obviously they mean more to me," she swallowed the lump forming in her throat, feeling bad about saying it out loud. "And for you to make me say it is shitty on your part." With a heavy sigh, she continued. "Look, I understand and I agree completely, but the same could be said of Billy or even Harper. They wouldn't be able to remember the shitty father he was. What if they wanted to get to know the man he is now? Would you fault them for that - no. The only reason you would for May is because she's an outsider." Darcey was aware there were keen differences but the fact stilined. May and the kids were all in the same boat. "If she wanted to get to know him then-," she cut herself off, shrugging her shoulders while trying to find a solution. There was none. Bruce was right a hundred percent and it only made things more complicated. "Then I don't know. But I doubt she would. He abandoned her, for christ's sake, abandoned all of them. Who would want to get to know him?"

Bruce then opted to put it to a vote with the boys being the deciding factor. She nodded her head once more in agreement before biting her thumb. "That sounds like the best option we have." Darcey knew for a fact none of them would and that made it all the more difficult. She already had a feeling they wouldn't take the news about May being their half-sister lightly, let alone if she wanted to get to know Trevor. At the end of the day, it was them who would get to make the final decision and Darcey wouldn't stop them from doing so. She cared dearly for May and wouldn't want to hurt her but that was where her loyalty lay at the end of it all. Looking over to Christian, she took a heavy sigh. "Some days I wish you could bury the things you found out instead of bringing them to us. Do we at least have eyes on Trevor at all times?"
Bruce ( Pyroclast ) Christian ( Misty Gray )

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
White Hart
~ East London ~​

If Harper had been in a more clear frame of mind, she might have noticed the way her father was taking in her every move. She might have been more careful with the way she went about things. Her father didn't deserve to know her, even if the person she was in that moment wasn't the real her. Any version of herself he didn't deserve to know yet here she was, unable to hide from him.

Despite being heavily under the influence, she still had at least some of her wits about her. She caught the surprised look on everyone's face when she said she would give Trevor until she finished her pint to talk. Having had to keep up with a bunch of men all of her life, Harper did know how to throw back a drink in order to keep it from being taken by one of her annoying brothers but with them not around, there was no rush in finishing it. The conversation was left at the discretion of Harper. She was allowed to choose when it ended and knowing that she had that power, the blonde felt more comfortable in her decision as they sat at the table together.

There was a power that she hadn't felt in a long time. Neither her brothers nor her Uncle was around to tell her that she wasn't allowed to speak with the man before her and she knew Kerry would allow her to have whatever she needed. The jury was still out on Kit. The woman was under strict orders to keep her away from him but it seemed as though everyone was in agreement that Harper was at least owed some sort of answer.


Harper didn't say anything as Trevor told her that her injuries would only turn her into a different person if she allowed them to. He reminded her that she had a lot of people around her for support as if that was supposed to mean something to her. She had always had support and in her opinion, it had been too much support. Her family shielded her from the world they participated in, keeping her in the dark. While she was sure that her brothers were all equally traumatized by the events that took place at the club...Harper knew they would never quite understand how she felt. To go from somewhat normal life, shielded away from violence to being thrust into the middle of it without so much as a warning. The medication she took wasn't just to keep the physical pain away.

Sleep was a treat for her and the most she had gotten had been in the hospital under constant pain meds for the first week she had been in the hospital. After things with Jeremy had taken a turn, sleep was impossible. The meds would knock her out for about two hours before she would wake up gasping for air. The same nightmare she would continue to have night after night was that of the beam falling on top of her and no one being able to save her this time. Insomnia had her in a vice grip with only a few semi-blissful moments of rest and as her family was starting to find out, she was doubling up on meds in order to get some sort of proper sleep.

Harper gripped her pint tightly in her hand as she thought about how alone she was, how isolated she currently was in her position. Not only was she isolated in her adult experiences but she had been isolated in her adolescent ones as well. The man before her was at fault for those experiences and she wondered why she was giving him the chance to explain himself. Silently, she reminded herself that this was more for her than it was for him. An opportunity to have some sort of closure before shutting him out completely.

Her father spoke about how he and her mother had met, how their relationship started. Harper stayed silent as she listened to him say that they had tried to settle down for the sake of Spencer but he had fallen back into his old ways. The way he rubbed his forehead made Harper see just how uncomfortable thinking back to that was for him. Harper thought that after all of this time, she would have been prepared for hearing the tragedy that was her parents' relationship, and yet, her skin started to pale as he went on. Harper had only been told good things about her mother, she knew that Laura was an addict but she hadn't exactly known that her mother had been doing drugs at the time she was pregnant with her.

Harper glared at Trevor from across the table, wondering who the hell in their right mind would give a pregnant woman drugs but the blonde had to remind herself that he wasn't in his right mind. It wasn't an excuse, it was just a fact. Her lower lip trembled with a mixture of sadness and anger, listening as Trevor told her that he was sorry if his timing made it seem like it was because of her that he had left them without so much as a second glance.

"You're absolutely fuckin' right. You were a selfish bastard and as far as I'm concerned at this moment, you've done nothing to prove to me that you aren't one now." Harper said, clenching her teeth as she forced herself to take a deep breath. "But...unlike my older brothers, you didn't stick around long enough for Billy and me to make an informed decision about who you really are."

"Knowing that all of my brothers got to know my mother...that my mother got to know them. It haunts me every day of my life. Knowing that you decided to call it quits before I was born, haunts me. Doesn't matter what your intentions were, Trevor. Actions speak louder than words." Harper told him, before moving to finish off half of her drink.

"What are your intentions now? Haven't you done enough to my brothers? Why have you all of the sudden come waltzing back with your tail between your legs? Because if all you are here for is your own damn peace of mind then I will be the first to inform you that you haven't changed at all."
with: Trevor + Kerry Misty Gray
mentions: Kit + Alex Melanin-Gxdess ; Spencer Misty Gray ; Billy + Bruce Pyroclast ; Jeremy BasDorcha

 

[Misty Gray]

On the Ferry
~ En-route to Wales & London ~

Spencer King​

Spencer couldn't help let a smirk cross his lips as Alex chuckled at him saying he'd take the fall for the brothers. "Sure, we failed together and we wouldn't have managed to do as much damage as we did to Conor without each other. But Bruce put me in charge and it was on me to make sure the job was a success. Considering none of you lads did anything wrong or anything to jeopardise the plan, then the blame it going to fall on me regardless of whether or not you all admit the failure was a team effort." Spencer pinched the bridge of his nose. The last few weeks had been some of the worst in his life. As strong and resilient as he was, Spencer felt that he was approaching the limit of how much crap he could take. Between the explosion at the club and Trevor's reappearance, Spencer felt like he was ready to snap and even kicking the living daylights out of Conor hadn't proved to be enough of a cathartic experience.

Spencer focused on his brother as he continued to tell him he couldn't take the blame on his own, not when everyone had agreed to be there. He lightly nodded at the reminder that they had at least sent the Sullivans a message. "Aye, that's true," he quietly agreed. "Yeah, let's hope he gets the message now that we're not just some little street gang he can bully like he does the ones in Dublin. But, with our show of strength, I wouldn't be surprised if the Irish upped their game with any retaliation from now on. Guess we're going to have to be prepared for that," he warned his brother. "Unfortunately, I suspect that means staying in bed with the bloody Morettis for even longer than I'd hoped."

Spencer fell silent as he thought about Alex's suggestion Bruce would understand. "I'm not sure. I don't think our uncle is going to be happy about this. It's a pretty big failure..." Spencer let out a frustrated groan. "Fuck sake! Why didn't I just kill him when I had the chance? I was too preoccupied by the thought of making him suffer for what he'd done to our family that I didn't just do as I should have and get it over with when we were running out of time," he admitted. Conor's face wasn't the only one stuck in his mind and maintaining his anger, though. "And ever since that arsehole, Trevor, showed his face, my mind has been in overdrive. The fact he showed up the way he did and we can't just kill him without first knowing what he's up to..."

Melanin-Gxdess (Alex)

 

[Misty Gray]

White Hart Pub
~ East London ~

Kerry Patrick and Trevor Stewart​

Trevor remained silent as he let Harper get her frustration off of her chest. She told him he hadn't done anything to prove he wasn't still a selfish bastard, which prompted him to lightly nod in response. With his appearance at the Kings' pub and now accidentally bumping into his daughter, he hadn't exactly been in any position to prove himself. He knew that was something that would take time, if the Kings even gave him much more of that. He frowned when she pointed out that he hadn't stuck around long enough for her to make an informed decision on him - an opportunity her brothers had been granted..

Harper took a drink from her pint, prompting Trevor to glance down to see how much drink she had remaining. Clearly, the half empty glance was an indicator of his dwindling time to explain himself to her. "I am truly sorry that my absence likely played a part in the things you missed out on. Especially the chance for you to know your mother. I made many mistakes in my life and one of the biggest was walking out on you, your mother, and your brothers."

When asked what his intentions were and why he had seemingly suddenly shown up in their lives, Trevor sat back in a relaxed and open posture, as if to display he wasn't holding anything back or being defensive. "I've been living in Islington for months now. After my accident a few years ago, I finally sat back and took a hard look at myself. Sure, I had my own business by then, but I still had a lot to address. Soul searching, so to speak." He let out a sigh. "I attended group therapy sessions and addiction support groups. Got my head straight and started to truly acknowledge how much of a piece of shit I'd been and that I had to take steps to make up for it all."

Trevor glanced between Kit and Kerry, making sure both were still content taking a back seat. He then focused back on Harper. "My intentions are to make amends for everything I've done. To become a better person and to try make it up to those I've wronged. I understand that none of you will be able to move past it, but my intentions have been to face the music and answer for my mistakes. My own mother - your grandmother - I owed it to her too and I'm working on making it up to her. As for you and your brothers, I had hoped to come to you all with more evidence I'd changed, but the explosion, it gave me a sudden push... I just couldn't stay away. I know I have no real right to come to find out if you were all alright after I abandoned you all of those years ago, but... It hit me more than ever before how much I left behind and how much I cared about you all." He placed the palms of his hands down on the top of the table. "I'm aware Bruce and your brothers are involved in a business that attracts dangerous rivals." Trevor was aware of the Sullivans having spent some time in Dublin over two decades ago and being fully aware of their reputation. He had good reason to suspect the dangerous Irish family were behind the attack on the Kings. "And if those are the ones behind that bomb then I can't stand by and watch you all get hurt again. Laura was a peaceful and gentle woman. One thing I can tell you with complete certainty is that she wouldn't have wanted any of this for you. Not for any of you."


Bellz (Harper) Melanin-Gxdess (Kit)

 

[BloodThunder27]

~Stella Kwon~

---

Dublin, Ireland | Bodyworks Gym Parking Lot

It was not long until Stella and Ruby returned to the Parking Lot. It wasn't entirely a lengthy walk, but Stella didn't mind and overall enjoyed Ruby's company. Over-all, the Bounty Hunter looked forward to what the future held for them both as partners. The walk came to its end when they reached Ruby's truck, which was oddly enough, parked next to her Mustang. Soon, their conversation took a turn into Ruby's past, to which Stella was a little intrigued. From how she learned to defend herself to getting jumped departing the gym and finally her career as an Underground Mixed Martial Arts Fighter, which seemingly ended after her arm was broken and how she has been trying to get back up to speed ever since. Stella couldn't really relate and she has never broken a single bone in her body. The worst she has ever gotten was a black eye and spitting out blood after being gut-punched really hard by someone three times her size. "One day at a time, right?" She said after receiving her chance to speak. "I'm sure by the time Adam gives us our assignment, you'll be at a hundred percent. And you work out a lot, so I think you'll be fine."

Soon, all the different martial arts styles began to cross her mind. Many of the ones she had heard of were taught mainly in North America on the other side of the world or in Asia. Sadly, she doubted that she would be able to learn Jeet Kune-Do, created by Bruce Lee himself. Though he had passed away in Hong Kong twelve years ago, he was buried in the United States. Over the course of his life, she never heard about him traveling to Europe, let alone Ireland. Still, there were other arts she could learn, or if she ever went to America, she could go to San Francisco, where she knew he opened a school, though chances were it wasn't open anymore unless someone else was now an instructor there. Leaning against her car as these thoughts trucked through her mind. However, there are a few that did catch her attention and for sure there were schools for them and she knew where she wanted to start; Kyokushin Karate. Why that one in particular? Because it was the strongest one of the Karate Schools and Stella wanted to be ready in the event that she didn't have access to her firearms or knives in a given situation. "I'll probably be looking into that Karate Dojo down the block from here next week. Wanna join me?" She asked, a smile on her face.

---

Interactions: Ruby Miller BasDorcha

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau
Jeanie Carriveau-Porter
JJ Carriveau-Porter
Roxie's House
~ Somewhere in Dublin ~​

Roxie was secretly happy that the kids had interrupted yet another intimate moment she had found herself in with Syd. He hadn’t had time to respond when they were interrupted but Roxie had a feeling that perhaps he felt the same way she did. It was clear in his actions.

She watched as JJ greeted Syd with his usual cheeriness, smiling softly before Jeanie stated that she felt like they were going to get some sort of news. The smile slowly faded from her face and wondered if she could chicken out now. The kids deserved to have dinner with both of their parents at the same table without Roxie dropping a bomb on it all. She felt almost selfish for taking that away from them now. Her smile had completely fallen as she watched the twins greet their father. Syd’s eyes met hers as he hugged them, and he sent her a small knowing smile. He stated that there was nothing weird about it and Roxie smirked ever so slightly at how unconvincing he sounded.

There was no pulling a sheet over their eyes now, they were far too old for that. Not nearly as gullible as they used to be when they were young. Not saying anything to further try to convince them, Roxie allowed Syd to tell the kids to set the table before following them all into the kitchen.

Roxie had focused her energy on cleaning up the bloody mess she had made while the kids were preoccupied with the table. She was scrubbing the countertop despite it already being wiped clean to keep her thoughts in order. Roxie was so focused on the task that when Syd’s hand lightly brushed her free one, Roxie jumped slightly. Looking up at him, he asked if she was ready to tell them and the woman bit her bottom lip nervously, staying silent for the moment. He then told her that it would be alright before reassuring her that although he was here for them, he was also here for her. Roxie’s eyes searched his for a long moment, nodding her head softly without looking away. "Thanks, Syd. Really…I don’t know what I would do without you right now." Roxie murmured under her breath as well, breaking the stare she had been giving him just as JJ walked into the room.

"It’s all set! Are we gonna eat now? I’m starving." JJ asked to which Roxie forced a smile. "Go sit at the table with your sisters, we’ll bring your plates out in a second." She told him, watching as the boy nodded his head before bouncing out of the room to tell his sisters to sit.

Roxie with the help of Syd had made quick work of plating the food before moving into the dining room to set the plates down in front of the kids. Once everything was situated, Roxie took a seat at one end of the table, motioning Syd to sit on the other end. Dinner started off quiet, silverware scraping against the plates was the only noise that filled the room. Roxie knew that it was up to her to explain what Syd was doing at the house but she was fighting an internal uphill battle. Things could be pleasant for once. They could just have dinner and the kids could have some resemblance of normalcy for the first time in forever. Roxie looked at Syd across the table, looking to him for some sort of cue but she knew at the end of the day it was completely up to her.

Before she could speak, Jeanie spoke up, cutting her off. "So…are you guys gonna tell us what this dinner is about?" Roxie shifted in her seat uncomfortably as she cleared her throat. "Yes, actually, we were." She murmured, looking each of her kids in the eye as she got their attention.

"I…am not entirely sure how to say this. But, you guys are going to have another sibling." Roxie said slowly, watching the three for their reactions. Jeanie’s fork had slipped from her fingers, clanging against the plate loudly causing Roxie to flinch. "Are you serious?" She asked in disbelief, her voice not necessarily upset as she looked from her mom to Syd. JJ’s mouth was open wide as she pointed from Roxie to Syd. "Wait! Wait! Are you guys back together?" JJ asked loudly to which Roxie immediately shook her head. "No, no, no!" She tried to explain before Jeanie interrupted to say, "Then why is Dad here? Who’s kid is it?" She asked, her tone a little more blunt and aggressive than before, looking to Jane in confusion.

"Your father is here for you because we know that this is confusing," Roxie stated, looking to Syd for a moment before looking back to the kids. "So…no, your father and I are not together. And the baby is not his. I found out that I was pregnant shortly after…" Roxie got choked up for a moment, his name catching in her throat. "After Matthew died. I decided to keep her after talking it over with your father…but we wanted to let you kids know together because we know this is a lot on you-" Jeanie scoffed, "A lot? That’s an understatement. What makes you think we want another sibling? What makes you think you should bring another kid into this world and fuck them up just as much as you did us?" Roxie flinched again, "Jeanie! We are trying! I didn’t expect this to happen nor did I want it to but I feel your father and I have done the best job we could raising you three with the cards we’ve been dealt." Jeanie shook her head, looking between Syd and Roxie with a glare. "Don’t you know that both of your issues are hurting us? This life you’ve chosen has ruined us. Do you both really think that bringing another kid into this mess is a good idea? I don’t think Matthew would have wanted that and we don’t want that either."

JJ glared at Jeanie, "Shut it, Jean! You don’t know what I or Jane want. You always just force your opinion on us!" JJ hissed at his eldest sister before looking at his parents trying to offer them a smile. "I like the idea of having a new sibling. I don’t have to be the little brother anymore. I think Jeanie has been riding around on her high horse for too long, she’s just jealous she’s not gonna be the center of attention anymore." Jeanie kicked his shin under the table causing him to yelp. "Oh real mature!"

Roxie didn’t feel like she was in a position to tell Jeanie to knock it off because, despite the delivery of her message, it was still something noble beneath all that anger. Looking to Syd, her eyes pleaded with him to calm her down before she looked to Jane. "Are you mad at me too?" She asked her directly, knowing that Jane tended to follow her sister, she wouldn’t be surprised if she was.
with: Syd + Jane Pyroclast
mentions: Dead Guy lol

 

[Misty Gray]

The Zegarra Residence
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Benjamin Reznik and Jasmine Zegarra​

Benjamin had for the most part blocked out the ambulance sirens, unable to avoid the fact that there wasn't any need for an ambulance for Aidan. What did snap him out of his thoughts was Lucy's familiar voice as she arrived on the scene and vocalised her shock. He quietly looked to the blonde woman as she spoke with Lorelei and checked on her. When the older woman then placed her hands on his shoulders, Benjamin looked her in the eyes and subtly nodded as she said she was sorry. His bottom lip quivered when he listened to her tell him how nice a man Aidan had been. "He was..." Benjamin quietly agreed. "I can't believe they'd... He's gone, Mrs. Porter," he said, once again crying as his emotions overwhelmed him. Thinking that she'd told him those responsible wouldn't get away with it, he quickly shook his head. "They already did. I just sat here and let them walk right past me. I didn't even try to stop them from leaving. Aidan deserved better than that, didn't he?"

As the police sirens could be heard approaching, Lucy reminded Lorelei and Benjamin not to tell them everything they knew. When the officers did arrive and question Benjamin, he only told them about finding Aidan's body the way he had, omitting to mention anything about seeing the Kings and knowing who was responsibly for the murder. Even though he knew all too well the rules about not speaking to the cops, having grown up with Aidan and practically having it ingrained into his mind, it still felt wrong. It wasn't so much that it felt wrong to lie to the cops, it just felt like he was somehow doing a disservice to Aidan. After all the man had done for him, he'd let the Kings walk away and he wasn't even able to make them face justice the legal way.

Rather than taking him back to his own apartment or even to Aidan's house, Lucy had taken Benjamin to Chase's house to make sure he wasn't on his own that night. He knew the Zegarras, but it was mostly Chase he knew well, as he had allowed Benjamin to be a passenger on his plane on occasions when he visited Kurt at Rikers Island. Mostly he'd met Jasmine and the children when they came to the restaurant for a family meal, so this was the first time he'd been in the family home.

One of the first things he did when entering the house was get himself cleaned up, on Jasmine's suggestion. Though he wasn't injured in any way, it was Aidan's blood on his hands and clothing. Although they didn't quite fit his shorter and smaller frame, Benjamin also accepted a spare change of clothing which Jasmine had told Chase to get for him.

Once he was cleaned up, Benjamin sat on the sofa across from Chase, with Jasmine giving them a little time alone whilst she made them all some drinks. Benjamin looked very pale, but he had no appetite to eat anything that was offered to him, so simply accepted the offer of a warm drink. "I can't believe he's gone," Benjamin said to Chase. His crying and sobs were now gone, replaced with something more resembling shock. A numb and hollow feeling had taken over. "I don't know what to do now," he admitted, looking Chase in the eyes. "When my mom died, Aidan sorted everything out," he explained, on account of Kurt being unable to arrange Dolores' funeral due to being in jail. "I'm all Aidan had and I'm not sure what to do for him now. What if I can't do him the justice he deserves?"

Pyroclast (Chase)
Bellz (Lorelei)

 

[BloodThunder27]

~James Edwards~

---

Dublin, Ireland | Dublin Port, Sullivan's Weapons Warehouse

There was simply no end to the gunfire and things were not going in the favor of the trio. Whoever was attacking them though really had a lot of hatred for the Irish. Sadly, as a newcomer, Edwards didn't really understand what this conflict was about and he wasn't really able to put a story or anything together based off of backyard beer talk or gossip among his peers and their loved ones. Either way, he had to make sure that both Reina and James would get out of this situation alive. When James said that he had nothing to add in terms of the next move, Edwards was ready despite being hit in the vest by a bullet a few seconds ago. "Alright, I'll keep you two covered! One way or another, you're making it back home to your family in one piece. Because if Lucy is as scary as you and Reina say she is, I'm gonna be in deep shit if anything happens to you." He said before leaning back out of cover to fire back as well as taking out street lights, but mainly wanted to provide suppressive fire for Reina and James once he began to make a run for it.

As guns continued to blaze from both sides, Edwards began to think about his experiences at war. While he didn't exactly have it bad with PTSD, Edwards did wonder if he would get out of a gang war alive too, because it was way different then what he was taught. His saving grace was the combat training he received when he became a SEAL, giving him an edge over some of the more seasoned members of the Mob, as he had combat experienced that many of them lacked. But it was too early for him to talk about that. He had only been with the Sullivan Family for a few weeks now. This train of thought stopped as they continued to move crate to crate in total darkness with the street lights taken out. Unfortunately in the darkness, he would find himself separated from both Porter and Reina. Although the rapid gunfire was slowly coming to a stop, since by now he figured that the men firing at him and his friends were gone and they were pretty much firing at nothing at this point, it didn't help him find his colleagues any faster. As he looked around for them, he was tackled from behind, causing his pistol to fly out of his hands as he was wrestled to the ground by an unknown assailant. As he saw the stock of a rifle coming for his face, he was able to move his head out of the way just in time, though only an edge of it scraped his cheek. As he wrestled for control of the gun, it fired a couple of times. Edwards then got the upper-hand and wrestled the gun away from the assailant that attacked him. Rather then shoot the guy, he ejected the magazine, pulled the bolt and had it eject the last bullet before tossing the weapon aside and retaliating with a punch to the face followed by a swift take-down before, by a stroke of luck, grabbing his pistol that he had dropped previously. Without another word, he shot his assailant in the heart, killing him near instantly. "James? James! James, where are you?" He called out, hoping that his Colleague would respond and make his way towards him so that they could make their way back to Reina.

---

Interactions: James Porter Misty Gray
Nearby: Reina Richards Melanin-Gxdess | Kingsmen (Enemies)

 

[Pyroclast]

St. George's Channel
~ The horrible rough sea between Rosslare and Fishguard ~

Billy King
​

When Jeremy started to speak in more ambiguous terms, dropping the pronouns Billy had been using to talk about Erik, Billy looked curiously to his friend, wondering if he had caught onto who they were talking about. He seemed to be using plural pronouns, but there was no one else Billy was desperate to talk to, besides Bruce out of obligation. His confusion cleared, however, when Erik mentioned kissing - and he realised that he was trying to speak more neutrally, as a way of concealing his sexuality for him. Billy looked out across the expanse of dark water and exhaled a breath of smoke, a memory of his and Erik's last kiss playing in his mind. There would be a gap between Billy getting back to London and Erik flying home from the funeral in New York and he wasn’t looking forward to not having him around while trying to deal with everything. He wasn’t sure how Erik would feel about Billy leaning on him as Jeremy was suggesting but he hoped that if he needed to, the man would be kind about it. After all, Billy had been there for Erik through tough times, helping him through his addiction and his leg injury…by now, there weren't many sides of each other they hadn't encountered before.

Billy remained quiet as he took in Jeremy's advice. Knowing that the man had experience killing people gave weight to his words and, at least in that instant, Billy believed that he would be fine. He may need Erik to help him get there, but he decided that was okay. At the thought of telling him how he felt, a brief smile flickered across his face. He wasn't sure how to say the words, but the thought of breaking past the initial awkwardness to be able to love him freely - in private, at least - made him realise he was ready to tell him. He didn't have any doubt that Erik would be happy to hear it, even if he wasn't ready to use the 'L' word himself. But he had a feeling that Erik loved him, too…and that was something he definitely wanted to hear.

When it came to answering Billy's question about his love life, Jeremy seemed to lose his confidence. The silence spoke for him, and as it dragged on it became clearer that Jeremy had something heavy on his mind. After a long, drawn-out pause, Jeremy finally confessed that it was Harper he was in love with. "What?" Billy pushed himself upright from the railings and turned to properly face Jeremy. "You and…Harper?"

Although he hadn't noticed anything romantic or sexual developing between his sister and Jeremy, his surprise contained no hostility, none of the defensiveness he would usually have when finding out Harper had a male love interest. Part of him wanted to doubt it, purely because of never having noticed it for himself, but as he examined Jeremy's facial expression he understood the man was completely serious. Now that he thought about it, the way Jeremy had reacted to Harper's almost-fatal injuries at the nightclub bombing had contained the sort of emotion and anguish that only someone who truly loved her would express - more so even than as a close friend of the family.

From the dejected tone of his voice, Billy figured that Jeremy's profession of love hadn't gone down well with Harper. He noticed tears form in Jeremy's eyes and instead turned his gaze back onto the water to protect his friend's ego. Jeremy leaned over with a put-on smile and assured him that whatever had happened between them was now over, that he and his brothers were the only thing left driving him onward. Billy had a feeling that was just the rejection talking but he slung his arm around the man's shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze. "You know what, I don't know what's gone on between you and my sister, but she's got a lot on her plate right now," he reasoned, pausing to draw from his cigarette. "Whatever she says, she needs us to be there for her through this, so if you've got feelings for her, just rein them in a bit. What she needs is more important than what you want, so just focus on that for now. Then, I dunno…revisit it when she's back to her old self."

In all honesty, Billy wasn't so sure what he meant by that. Harper had been through a life-changing, traumatic event and it was too early to know all the long term effects it might have on her. Maybe there would be no going back to her old self. "The best way to love Harper is to respect her," he added. "Like I said, I don't know what went on, but…if you love her, you gotta put her first."

He thought of Erik then and how every move Billy had made on him had been reciprocated - yet Erik had never initiated anything. He was sure that Erik liked him, but he had no idea how long he had liked him for. Given how upset he had been after Billy had drunkenly made an advance on him in the back of a taxi, it could have been at least that far back. Nevertheless, he was glad Erik hadn't pressured him, because he was still struggling to fully accept himself and it probably would have pushed him further into the closet. The only thing making him feel okay about being gay was his love for Erik. "Yeah, let her fall for you first," he muttered softly. He had made his cigarette last as long as it could at this point so he flicked it into the sea. "For what it's worth, mate, I think you two would make a nice couple," he said, still keeping his gaze on the water below. "Harper's one of my favourite people in the world, and you're close as family too, so I hope it works out. But you hurt her, and I will throw you in the sea."

The evening's events still weighed too heavily on him to joke around so even though he was exaggerating, he sounded a little more serious than intended. Still, talking about Jeremy's problems were helping him to focus on something other than the man he had killed back in Dublin. "What went wrong then?" he asked, wanting to continue the distraction. "Do I have to push you overboard already?"

Interactions
BasDorcha Jeremy

Mentioned:
Melanin-Gxdess Erik
Bellz Harper

 

[Pyroclast]

The Zegarra Residence
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Chase Zegarra​

The children had only just been put to bed when the Zegarras received a knock on the door. Getting a visitor so late in the evening was often a sign of bad news, but the last person Chase expected to see on the doorstep was Benjamin. The young man was covered in blood, his face white as a sheet and stained with tears. Alarm bells went off and Chase instantly switched to alert mode, ready to deal with the situation. He asked why Lucy had brought him to his house rather than a hospital or someone better equipped to fix him up, but once it was clarified that the blood belonged to Aidan and not Benjie, Chase agreed to take him inside.

He didn’t have time to react to Aidan’s death or begin to process it on any personal level. As long as Benjie was in his presence, there was nobody to think about but him. While Jasmine took him to get cleaned up, Chase found him a change of clean clothes, and eventually he came to be sitting opposite the young man, with his wife having given them some time to talk alone while she prepared hot drinks for everyone.

Even though the blood had been washed away, the evidence of grief could be seen all over him: his swollen, bloodshot eyes, the distant gaze, the hollowness in his voice as he spoke. Benjamin was clearly in shock and even though Chase had a thousand questions pertaining to the circumstances of Aidan’s murder, he refrained from asking anything insensitive so as not to cause further distress.

“He wouldn’t expect that of you,” Chase pointed out, when Benjie began to fret about not being able to bring Aidan justice. “You leave any retaliation to us. Me, Adam, Syd and the rest, we’ll handle that side of things, okay? I don’t think you need to be taking anything on right now.” As he looked at the young man, so small dressed in Chase’s oversized clothing, he could see how vulnerable a state Aidan’s death was going to leave him in. He was right - whilst taking Benjamin in had at first been a huge favour to Kurt, the relationship between Benjamin and Aidan had grown into something mutually significant. Benjie had become family to Aidan, the closest thing the man had to a son, and there were no other present family members to help take on the burden of dealing with his death. Nobody, of course, besides the mob.

“Aidan always was good at knowing what to do,” Chase agreed with a sigh. “And when your mother died and he took care of you, he was the one who made sure you got through that. So, I think that’s the best thing you can do for him right now: to be as kind and accommodating to yourself as he was to you back then.” With a glance to the door, he wondered what Jasmine would think about letting Benjie stay at their house for a while. It might not be the best idea to bring a grieving man into a house with small children, but the light-hearted innocence of Emilia and Safia and even Michael could give Benjamin the lift he needed - that, and having somewhere safe to stay and be looked after.

Turning back to the young man, Chase observed the emotion on his face and it brought him back to a familiar time in his own life many years ago. “I understand how it is you feel, Benjie,” he said delicately. “When I was 27, my dad was killed. He was the only family I had in my life, and it felt like a big part of me was ripped out. But Adam was there, and he made me understand that I wasn’t alone. I know it’s not the same. No one can take Aidan’s place for you, just like no one can ever take the place of my dad…but you have people looking out for you, Benjie. We are all one big family here, and we’re gonna make sure you get through this okay. Okay?”

Leaning across the coffee table that separated them, Chase placed a hand on Benjamin’s knee. “You can always call on me, kid, if you want someone to talk to,” he assured the man. “We’ll set a bed up for you here, but I’ll be up tonight for you, if you don’t wanna be alone.”

Interactions
Misty Gray Benjie, Jasmine

 

[BasDorcha]

St. George's Channel
Jeremy Gray​

The water blurred before his eyes, the reflections of the lights turning into streaks of brightness against a murky black background. He let the silence was anything but uncomfortable. The two men were so relaxed around each other, you’d think they really were brothers. With Jeremy’s secret floating in the air, he glanced up as Billy pushed off the rail, questioning Jeremy’s confession. He nodded silently when he exclaimed in surprise at what was said. Me and Harper… I could only wish. A deep sigh escaped his lips, even as he dropped his eyes away from his friends gaze, feeling a darkness consuming him.

He could see Billy’s face going through the motion of one thought to the next, trying to determine if he was telling the truth or not, and finally arriving at a decision, that Jeremy was indeed being honest. He might have finally remembered the reaction Jeremy had at the club, when Jeremy was counting on no one seeing him amongst the chaos. Nodding again, he turned back away striking up another smoke. He normally wouldn’t chain smoke, but his hands needed something to do, so a cigarette it was. He held them out in case Billy wanted another, then pushed them back into his pocket, crunching the box slightly.

When the Little King looked away, saving his pride, Jeremy turned back to hang over the rail, looking much younger for a moment, a small flash back to the young man from yester-years. He listened to Billy’s response with an open ear and a closed heart. He couldn’t afford any more pain from Harper, even if he knew he’d never stop feeling about her the way he did now. Billy’s voice was soothing, none the less. He was right, of course, Harper had a lot on her plate, he knew that. Plus, he had no intention of leaving her without his support.

The mirage disappeared as his friend slung an arm around him and started talking. Jeremy listened, letting the arm stay. It bolstered his spirits a bit, that hug. “You know I would never force a woman to do something she wasn’t comfortable doing. She turned me down…” He paused for a moment, his voice possibly hitching but he hid it well. “So, I’ll just be her bodyguard. Nothing more. Nothing less. If she still wants to be friends, I will of course be her friend as well. I would never do anything to hurt her, Billy. From now on, its business as usual.” His voice had returned to the flat, emotionless tone he carried so frequently.

He knew Billy was just being protective of Harper, and that was okay with him, he expected as much. He listened respectfully, letting him. When he almost whispered the part about letting her fall for him first, he took it to heart to let just that happen. A small laugh broke his lips though when he asked if the water should be where he was at already. “Maybe, depends on the version you hear. See…” Jeremy lifted his hand, nipping at his thumb. “I didn’t exactly handle it well when she turned me down. I um…” A deep flush started to creep over his cheeks even in the darkness as Jeremy continued, quickly before Billy could give him a hard time.

“I’m a virgin. I always said I would save it for the right one, but when she turned me down, I got angry and headed to the nearest bar. I ran into Kit there, crazily enough. I tried to drink myself stupid so I could change the situation, but I couldn’t go through with it. Either the whiskey or my own body turned against me because I ended up leaving without ever undressing.” Jeremy lifted his head, the crimson of his cheeks highlighting under a ray of lights shining behind them.

“I ended up back the hospital, sleeping outside her room. When I went in to check on her in the morning, she saw lipstick on my collar from the woman and assumed the worst. I don’t understand women if you want the truth. Why she was mad when she’d just turned me down didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I tried to explain anyways, she still wouldn’t have it.” Jeremy dropped his head back into the shadows, though the heat radiating off his body wasn’t easily hidden. He’d just revealed to Billy a secret as big as his loving Erik, and the moment of truth was upon them. Would he laugh at him? Would he hate him? He didn’t know. Jeremy had determined the same night that going after a random woman at the bar was wrong, even if he didn’t understand why Harper was mad at him. Still, it would give Billy plenty of reason to shove him over the rail, and Jeremy wasn’t sure he’d fight him if he tried. The cool water might cool his to hot head.

Interactions & Mentions Pyroclast - Billy
Melanin-Gxdess - Kit
Bellz - Harper

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

St. George's Channel
~Dublin City Center, Ireland~

Alex King

​

Spencer had always been the sort of person to shoulder the burden of any and everything that happened to them. Alex figured it came with the territory of being the eldest and had never thought much of it. It showed in the way he acted with himself, Billy, and Harper - even with Jeremy. Up until recently, Alex hadn't exactly shown the proper appreciation for his older brother's sacrifice. He hadn't even acknowledged it. But now, sitting next to him on the ferry and listening to him claim responsibility for their failure, Alex could. "You're too hard on yourself, Spence," Alex said, shaking his head. He knew nothing that came out of his mouth would be able to change how the man felt, but that didn't stop him from at least showing he cared and was listening. "Always have been," he mumbled. He was sure it was because of Trevor - damn near positive it was. With the shit Trevor put Spencer through, Alex wouldn't be surprised if Trevor's sudden appearance had dredged up all the bad memories the same way his own had been. Could explain why he was berating himself even harder than Alex had ever seen of him.

Alex was glad that Spencer at least agreed with him about a message being sent. If anything he felt like that was one of the biggest takeaways to be had from their attack. However, the Sullivans would definitely want to retaliate. On the off chance, Conor would just take the beating and think it was well deserved - which Alex sorely doubted - everyone else in his family would disagree. What were the chances that Conor said, "Don't do anything" and someone else disobeyed him? Syd? Adam? Leo? His brother-in-law? Sisters? His wife? No, the possibility of retaliation was far too high not to think about. Alex nodded his head in agreement and took a deep sigh before inhaling the smoke of his cigarette. "Fair enough. If the warehouse was blown up like we planned, though, that may slow them down a little. We'll have more than enough time to prepare and get shit together, I think." With Alex not having been a part of the business in a serious matter, he was unsure of exactly how much work went into something like this. But, he was trying and that was the most important part. He let out a light chuckle when he mentioned the Morettis, turning to look at him. "What, you don't like having a hot lesbian around? Or is it the brooding male equivalent to Kit that's got you spooked?" He joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Listening to Spencer speak about Bruce not being happy made Alex wonder; did he think Bruce would react how Trevor would have? It made him look his older brother over with concern in his eyes but he didn't dare mention it. It wasn't his place nor area of expertise so he just let it go for the time being. "It would've brought way more attention super fast. I mean- taking him out that way? It would've been sloppy and sloppy is what Sullivan and Moretti are. We're not sloppy." He paused for a moment, thinking back to how Billy had killed Aidan. Honestly speaking, that portion was a bit sloppy but only because the man being there had been accounted for. He started bouncing his leg at the thought, shaking his head. "Except for... That mishap with Bill. Think he'll be okay? He was shook up just watchin' Erik kill someone in front of 'im - I can't imagine how he's feeling doin' it himself." Shaking his head he turned his attention back to Spencer, hearing him go on about Trevor. "You're not the only one feelin' that way. Hopefully our resident boy scout's got some information for us when we get back."

Spencer ( Misty Gray )

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~

Christian Brooks​

Christian remained silent as Bruce and Darcey were clearly not on the same page when it came to how to deal with the May situation. Essentially, Darcey had acknowledged that what she wanted didn't matter, to which Bruce agreed, but also pointed how what he wanted also didn't matter. The priority was clearly what was best for the four King siblings and their feelings were being taken into more account than May's. As much as Christian's wanted to speak up for May and defend her in all of this, he knew what he felt and wanted were not of any importance in the present context. Whilst he was friendly with some of the Kings, he was aware of his place in the business and that he was employed to report back on findings, not to add in his personal opinions and feelings. He was fully aware that Bruce would not appreciate him bringing those to the table, especially not given how much stress he was under as of recent weeks. Christian had to remain a collected and objective private investigator for his own sake as well as everyone else's. His feelings were something he would have to keep to himself, as was often the case.

Christian took in Bruce's words about how May had never known her father and how Trevor might not be the man she was hoping for. Christian couldn't deny that had crossed his mind within minutes of May handing him the photograph. Based on everything he'd been told about Trevor by that point, he knew it was not only a highly complicated revelation, but also that Trevor was simply a waste of space who had abandoned the King siblings and left their mother to die a victim to her drug addiction. So with mention of letting Trevor stick around for May's sake, giving him access to his other four kids, Christian had to once again wonder how the man had strolled into the pub over a week ago and was still walking, never mind still breathing. Of course, he didn't endorse murder and violence, but after everything he'd heard about Trevor, he was surprised by the family's mercy. Then again, they were smart and Bruce was wise, so no doubt they'd known it would have been extremely risky to kill Trevor so hastily.

Christian looked curiously to Bruce when he suggested they put the matter to a vote with the three brothers but not Harper involved. Christian knew it was the diplomatic option and seemed sensible in theory. He just wondered how much of their decision would be influenced by their anger towards Trevor and how much or little they'd be able to take May's feelings into consideration too. It wasn't that he felt May was going to benefit at all from knowing Trevor was her father, but he felt she deserved the truth and to know of the other side of the family she'd never known she had - her other four half-siblings. Again, Christian knew he had no say on the matter and his place in the current meeting was to present his findings to his employer. Regardless of whether it fell on deaf ears, Christian was at least grateful Darcey was able to use her standing within Bruce's family to be able to openly speak up for May.

When Darcey focused her attention on him and made her comment about wishing he could bury the information he found out, he nodded his head in understanding. "Oh, believe me, there are times like these where I wish I could too, but I wouldn't be doing my job right if I didn't give you all the full picture," he assured her. When Darcey asked if they had eyes on Trevor at all times, Christian hesitated and briefly looked to Bruce. "Trevor is being watched as much as possible with the resources available. If we're to do this round the clock, and whilst I follow up on leads, then we need more eyes, which is going to cost more."

Pyroclast (Bruce) Melanin-Gxdess (Darcey)
Mention: BasDorcha (May)

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
White Hart Pub
~ East London ~​

Harper wasn't sure what to believe but as she sat across from the man who was said to be her father, a desperate part of her wanted to believe everything that came out of his mouth. He sounded sincere which was throwing her through a loop trying to figure out if he meant what he said or if he was just a superb actor. Coming back now of all times, when it seemed like her and her brother's world was crashing down around them seemed suspicious to her. He apologized for his absence and the chances that had been torn from her due to them.

She demanded to know what his intentions were and she watched as he sat back in his seat. His posture was relaxed and open, indicating to her that he had nothing to hide but Harper had been tricked and fooled far too many times to believe what she was seeing from him. Hearing that he had been living in Islington for months now made her raise a brow in confusion.

Here Harper thought that her father had just fled the UK entirely. He talked about his accident changing him, saying that it caused him to take a hard look at himself. Strangely enough, Harper realized that she was experiencing the same. Sure, she wasn't a piece of shit like the man before she was but...Harper had been a very free-spirited person before her accident. Alcohol, drugs the lavish and wild parties she used to attend, those things were merely something she enjoyed and didn't think twice about. She did what she wanted whenever she wanted to without thinking about the dangers or consequences. It was what some people admired and envied. Others -- well they feared it.

After realizing what kind of world her family had created for her and lived in, she had a hard time even getting out of bed without taking some sort of anxiety medication. Part of her wanted to lock herself inside her home and never leave but the old part of who she had been was so stubborn that she had been forcing herself out of the house the last few days. Being doped up on painkillers and anxiety meds made the outings feel like they once had before she got hurt. She would give anything for that feeling to be organic once more but she knew it would take a long time.

Harper was slightly impressed when Trevor said that he had been attending group therapy and addiction groups. She'd never met someone with an addiction but she understood that the hardest part of getting clean was getting the actual help that was needed. When he looked to Kit and Kerry, Harper did the same, secretly wondering what they thought of Trevor's explanation.

When he turned back to face her, Harper met his eyes as he stated that his intentions were to make amends for everything he'd done. Harper may have been young but she understood that when people wanted to make amends they tended to do it for their own peace of mind rather than the person they are trying to apologize to. But she couldn't tell with Trevor. Maybe it was because she wanted to believe that maybe he really did want to make amends...maybe it was because she wanted to have some sense of what having a parent was like.

Trevor spoke about making it up to his own mother, her grandmother and Harper's eyes lit up with interest but that was quickly squashed when he talked about the explosion. Harper had to close her eyes for a moment as a wave of nausea hit her. Harper hadn't really talked about that day out loud since Jeremy had told her what happened when she woke up. Being reminded of it and he had overwhelmed her with feelings she couldn't and didn't want to process at this time. Shifting slightly in her seat with the help of her own arms, she opened her eyes just as her father said that the incident had made him realize just how much he left behind...just how much...he cared about them.

Harper was hearing practically everything that her child self wanted to hear. That her father cared about her, cared about her brothers...that he knew what he had left behind. If she had been young and less hardened by time, Harper might have rejoiced in that fact and attempted to hug the man on the spot. But her youth and innocence were robbed, the man sitting before her could merely be someone else who wanted to use her. Savannah had used her. Sure, she didn't take information from her or anything but Harper had spent time getting to know the woman, coming to love her like family. Callum was her nephew and Harper had felt for a long time that Alex had been in the wrong for the way things ended with Savvy. Harper had turned on her own family for someone who had only been a part of the family for a short while...and what did Harper have to show for it now?

Trevor told her that he couldn't stand by and watch them all get hurt again. For some reason, Harper actually believed that. "The Sullivans had been somewhat family at one point you know?" Harper told her father dejectedly. "I mean...at least Savannah was. I trusted her...we-" Harper looked to Kerry for a moment before looking back to Trevor, "trusted her." Her face twisted uncomfortably as she shook her head, trying desperately to keep it together.

"She's nothing to me now." Harper said firmly, looking into Trevor's eyes before saying. "You don't turn your back on family." She said, making a point to him subtly that he shouldn't turn his back on them. "Do you..." Harper looked down at her drink, still noticing that it was half full but not moving to pick it up to finish it off quite yet. "Do you think mom would have been disappointed in us?"
with: Trevor Misty Gray
mentions: Kit Melanin-Gxdess [/USER] ; Kerry

 

[Misty Gray]

White Hart Pub
~ East London ~

Kerry Patrick and Trevor Stewart​

Trevor had noticed the way Harper's eyes had briefly lit up at mention of her grandmother. Whilst he knew his mother would love to meet her grandkids and it would surely lift her spirits, he knew it would be out of the question - he wasn't meant to be speaking with Harper, never mind introducing her to his mother. The thoughts were of course overwritten with ones of Harper's reaction to his mentioning of the explosion. It was clearly still having a significant effect on Harper on a psychological level, not just physical. He glanced away as Kerry took a moment to place her arm around Harper and reassuring rub her shoulder. Kerry then moved her arm away to give Harper some space, but at the same time stared daggers at Trevor for unsettling her friend.

When conversation turned to the Sullivans and Harper spoke of how they'd trusted Savannah, Kerry lowered her eyes for a moment. She understood why Harper felt hurt and betrayed by their former friend. Kerry had cut all ties with Savannah following the explosion, but not through fault of the blonde, but that of most of her family. Kerry couldn't maintain their friendship knowing how much people in Savannah's family hated her for what happened in New York, but more than that, knowing they had the nightclub blown up. The thought that Harper, May, as well as Alex, could have all been killed that night was too much to take. So, whilst Kerry couldn't actively speak up to put blame on Savannah, she wasn't in a position to defend her anymore. Harper's feelings about Savannah seemed justified and she was entitled to feel hurt after what the Sullivans had done.

Trevor nodded his head when Harper explained that the Sullivans had been family at some point. "Of course. Alex's little lad, yeah?" Trevor asked, fully aware of Callum's existence, even if he had never met his first grandson. He was also aware that the two families had once been in business together, which clearly hadn't worked out well at all. Even if he hadn't managed to learn about Alex and Savannah himself, nor had he ever met her directly, he still knew who she was. "Probably a good thing she's not still in the soap opera, huh?" he remarked, figuring Harper would at least be spared seeing her ex-friend on television now too.

Trevor caught on to the way Harper looked him in the eyes and made it clear that people shouldn't turn their back on family - a clear reference to his own actions. "No. Only a selfish, messed up arsehole would do that," he agreed, at his own expense. "One who has a hell of a lot of mistakes to make up for," he seriously added.

Trevor was expecting Harper to finish her drink now, especially considering the conversation had turned somewhat sour with mention of the Sullivans and his own mistakes. However, the young woman continued to leave her glass half full, which meant she was still willing to talk to him. The subject of Laura brought a genuine sadness to his face, the deep regret he felt feeling stronger than ever as he sat across the table from his daughter who looked just like her mother. Harper's question about whether Laura would have been disappointed caused Trevor to immediately shake his head. "No," he didn't hesitate to answer her. Sitting up straight, he let out a deep sigh before looking directly to Harper. "I can't claim to know everything about you or your brothers, on account of me not being here to watch you all grow up. But from what I do know, she wouldn't be disappointed. Between you and your brothers, there's all that education, the careers, the grandsons. She'd be proud of all that. Even more than that, I've seen first hand," he began, pointing to the fading bruising on his face, "how the four of you stick together and look out for each other. She'd have loved that you're all so close," he assured Harper, managing a fond smile to break through, but it was soon replace by another serious expression. "This business the family is involved in, though. The violence; explosions and fighting, she wouldn't have wanted that for you. She'd never want to see any of you hurt."

Fully aware of Kit and Kerry being present, Trevor had no doubt Bruce and the lads would find out about him speaking with Harper, even if his daughter didn't tell her uncle herself. He knew he wasn't meant to be talking to Harper, but he hadn't intentionally ended up in his daughter's presence today. However, he'd walked out on his family before, so he hadn't been about to turn away from her now. Regardless of the consequences of doing so, he owed it to Harper to have the balls to explain himself today and answer her questions. "Listen, Harper. I'm not supposed to be here, talking with you," he reminded her. He reached into his pocket to retrieve a small pen he'd be using to circle potential horses to back, whilst reading the newspaper. He then wrote his number down onto a beer mat before handing it to his daughter. "Chances are this won't happen again," he said, referring to them speaking face-to-face. "But if you want to talk... If there's something you can't talk to your uncle and brothers about. Something you think I'll have an understanding of..." he trailed off, hoping she knew he was getting at his history with addiction. "You can call me."

Bellz (Harper) Melanin-Gxdess (Kit)

 

[Misty Gray]

On the Ferry
~ En-route to Wales & London ~

Spencer King​

Spencer managed a small smile when Alex told him he was too hard on himself. When it came to the safety of his family, he knew he couldn't afford to relax. He'd failed to stop his mother from dying and when Trevor had still been around, he'd been made fully aware of his flaws and how useless he was. With his position in the company, he couldn't afford to fail and he didn't want to disappoint his family. "Ah, I'm just a control freak," he remarked. "If I'm hard on myself, I don't give anyone else the chance to get in first," he drily joked.

Spencer managed a genuine laugh when Alex spoke about Tatiana and Kit. "I'm a married man, Alex. I don't have time to be looking at hot lesbians... Not unless Shona wants to get in on that," he suggestively joked. He then shook his head at the thought of Kit. "Don't get me wrong, she'd a good-looking woman, but one wrong look at her and she'd cut my dick off," he said, with a brief laugh. Turning more serious, he shrugged his shoulders. "Moretti is a smug bastard, and I don't even want to hear what he thinks about this failed mission, but he has his end of the deal to hold up. Which means that hot lesbian and the creepy psycho she brought with her need to work with us to up our security in London."

Spencer let out a serious sigh at mention of Billy and if he was going to be okay, "Bill is going to need us all there for him, to reassure him. When I first killed someone, I had Bruce there for me, but even then I was..." he trailed off, stopping short of suggesting he himself was cold or desensitised to the act of murder. He didn't want to believe that of himself. "Bill is more sensitive than I am, so we're going to have to remind him that he did what he had to do. If he hadn't, then Aidan could have killed any one of us instead," he pointed out.

Spencer nodded his head at mention of Christian. It had been over a week since Trevor had shown his face and Spencer wanted to know what his deal was - if there was any dirt on him or even if Trevor had any dirt on them. Somehow, the conversation, along with the expected fallout of their failed attack, brought Spencer's thoughts on to Callum. "Listen, Alex. Sav showing up here the other week so you could spend time with Callum... Whether or not she wants to do that again, after what just happened, I doubt her family will let her come anywhere near London after this. Regardless of the fact we wouldn't harm her if she did." The look in Spencer's eyes made it clear he was about to suggest something serious. "The lawyer Christian put us in touch with has all of the paperwork written up and is just waiting for you to give the go ahead on starting proceedings. If you want Callum to grow up knowing his father, then you need to call Sav tomorrow and tell her Callum has to come live with you. Unlike the Sullivans, we would not stop her from seeing her kid." Spencer folded his arms. "Christian thinks we'd win if it did go to court. Sav's family have a known reputation. I can list off the top of my head the number of ex-cons with access to Callum, not to mention the history mental issues in that family. The last thing the Sullivans would want is all that attention, so Sav should spare everyone being involved with the courts and do the right thing - the logical thing - for Callum," he firmly told Alex.

Melanin-Gxdess (Alex)

 

[Misty Gray]

Sullivans Weapons Warehouse
~ Dublin Port, Dublin ~

James Porter​

With the street lights above them having been taken out, James found himself having to fully focus on his environment and use the sounds around him to safely navigate. Having been on many a dangerous job in the past, including hiding out in pitch black, he couldn't deny the situation was bringing back memories of the good old days before he became a mob boss. Hell, his time in jail had seen him spend days and weeks on end in the hole, with no source of light. This was honestly a walk in the park compared to that level of darkness and somehow everything from decades past seemed to naturally flood back to him, like it was an innate part of him that knew what to do now.

Hearing footsteps approaching, he calculated there were three men he needed to be concerned about. Although, that soon became two as one moved in on Edwards, who proceeded to dealing with the gunman a short distance away. Crouched down behind the concrete barrier, James slotted his pistol back into the holster, fully aware he was out of bullets. James remained still and silent as the footsteps got closer, before the gunman stopped in front of James' face. Before the gunman could realise James was hidden right beside him, the Irishman rushed up to his feet and grabbed the man's arm from behind, twisting it back until he heard the popping sound followed by the clattering sound of the AR-15 falling to the ground from the gunman's limp hand. The gunman's cry at having his arm dislocated was cut short as James wrapped his arm tightly around around throat, pulling it increasingly tighter to restrict the man's airways. After a while and a lot of pressure, he felt the man's struggling grow weaker. James released the man, allowing him to stumble around as he struggled to catch his breath and bearings. Quickly swiping the AR-15 from the floor by his feet, James used the handle to harshly strike the man's skull twice, knocking him unconscious. As the man fell to the floor in a heap at his feet, James heard another pair of footsteps approaching and was able to duck back down in time to avoid the round of bullets sent his way. "Fuckin'..." he grumbled. Before the gunman could get any closer, James used the AR-15 he'd seized to rapidly fire back, a bullet ripping through the man's throat. Crouching back down, James listened to the gurgling sounds of a man clearly choking on his own blood. After the clattering of another dropped firearm, he then saw the faint silhouette of the man collapsing onto the floor whilst clutching at his bleeding throat. James hadn't intended to go out killing people, not ever again, having just been released from jail, but there was no way he'd hold back when it was a matter of life and death.

Hearing Edwards call out his name, James got back to his feet and approached the source of the voice. "Great, you're still alive," he gruffly told his friend once he'd found him. "Now where the fuck is Reina?"

Melanin-Gxdess (Reina)
BloodThunder27 (Edwards)

 

[Misty Gray]

Dublin Hospital
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Sinead Callahan​

The journey to the hospital felt long and unpleasant. All Sinead could think about what whether she would ever get to speak with her brother again. Until recent years, she and Conor had always been close. Her brother had always known how to make her smile and she'd known how to keep him calm, to reassure him. Over recent years, her brother had changed and they'd drifted apart, which had been hard enough to take. But over recent weeks, Sinead had been upset with her brother, feeling she no longer recognised him. The last time they'd spoken was after the explosion in London, where she'd told him he was breaking her heart and she didn't know him anymore. Since then, Sinead hadn't spoken with Conor. Were her last words to him weeks ago really going to be the last words she'd ever say to him? Had she been avoiding him for the last few weeks when really she should have been making the most of what little time she had left with him in her life? Feeling Aliana's hand grab hers, Sinead squeezed it in return. "Of course, honey..." she quietly replied when the other woman muttered that Conor and Leo were going to be okay.

When they arrived at the hospital, Aliana rushed out of the vehicle and into the hospital. Once they were parked up, Sinead also made her way to the emergency room, expecting Tom would accompany her. When she caught up to Aliana, she saw her hugging Leo before pulling back to ask him what had happened. Sinead tightly folded her arms around herself for comfort as her sister-in-law continued to fire out questions about Thomas and Conor. When her nephew noticed Sinead, he moved in to give her a hug, which she gladly accepted, not wanting to release Leo from their comforting embrace. "I'm glad you're okay," she softly told him.

When they released each other from the hug, Sinead listened as Leo assured them Thomas was fine. Although she'd already heard about Aidan from Dermot, it still made her heart sink to hear Leo also confirm the man had been killed. She felt so bad for Benjamin, knowing the young man didn't have any other family. Sinead had lost many loved ones in her life, but she'd always had plenty of family and friends to share her grief with and take comfort from. She hoped Benjamin wouldn't feel alone now. Leo then went on to confirm her suspicions, that Spencer and his brothers were behind the attack. Alex, Callum's own father, had been involved in the attempt on Conor's life and also in Aidan's death.

Sinead brought her hand to her mouth and turned away as she tried to hold back her tears for the sake of Aliana and Leo. No matter how hard Savannah had tried to be different, history had repeated itself in the end. Not only had Savannah had a child with a rival - by now an enemy - but the man in question had gone on to try killing members of Savannah's own family. Just like how Sinead had a child with Angel, the man who killed Emmet, whilst wounding both Conor and James in the process. Sinead knew neither side of this war was innocent, but she was damned if she wouldn't take her family's side on this. Clearing her throat and standing as tall as a woman her height could, Sinead turned back to Aliana and Leo. "Forget about the Kings for now. The others can deal with them," she firmly told Aliana and Leo. Placing her hand on Leo's upper arm, she gave it a gentle squeeze. "Your dad is going to be okay. Conor's a tough guy and whatever they did to him, he can handle it. Okay?" she said, looking him in the eyes. The truth was, Sinead had never known her brother to take so much damage, not enough to be rushed to hospital within an inch of his life, but after every punch and hit he'd taken in the past, she liked to think he had a thicker skin than most. "He's a big, tough guy, okay?" she asked, looking to both Aliana and Leo. "He can get through this."

Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana) BasDorcha (Tom)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

St. George's Channel
~Dublin City Center, Ireland~

Alex King

​

Alex let out a playful scoff at the mention of Spencer being a control freak. "Hey, you said it; not me." He rubbed his hands together before leaning back in his seat, listening to Spencer speak again. His head nodded in understanding of his words. Though it sounded like his older brother was joking he was sure he actually meant it. That it was probably more painful than he wanted to admit. But again, Alex wasn't good at that sort of thing - the whole, confronting your past to make your present and future better. After all, he was internally running away from his own at the moment.

Spencer's laugh caused Alex to let one of his own out as he lay a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with enjoyin' the sight of a lesbian even if you are married! That's the best part. Shona won't have anything to worry about because she wouldn't be into you anyway." Alex tapped his templed with his index finger as if what he said was logical. When the conversation shifted to Kit, Alex softly winced before shaking his head. "I wouldn't even try that route. The rumors I hear of that woman are a mess. No, I'll settle for less," he paused, his mind suddenly drawn to Kerry as a smile grew across his lips. "Murderous types of women. Barmaids seem to be the best for that." He couldn't help but rub his upper lip with his finger thinking about Kerry. It wasn't until Moretti was mentioned again that both the innocent and lewd thoughts running through his mind were stopped. "Well. Hopefully, we'll be rid of him soon."

At Spencer's assessment of their younger brother Alex couldn't help but agree with him. Alex couldn't relate to either one of them in terms of killing had gone, but he could see how it affected both of the men separately. Whilst it had basically become a part of Spencer and he had accepted it, he was worried that the same wouldn't be said of Billy. He was a fighter - they all were - but he wasn't the murdering type. "I got what you're saying. Don't worry, with the support system he's got I'm sure things'll be alright." Alex let out a deep sigh just thinking about it, the worry he felt in the pit of his stomach but instead of continuing to dote and dwell he ignored it. It would be a situation he would handle when the time for it came. For now, he was supposed to be clearing his head.

Gaining legal custody over Callum had been something Alex had thought about for weeks. Though it would take his son away from his mother, Alex would be able to protect him better and make sure he grew up where he belonged. Besides, the Kings would never keep Callum away from his other family. And just like his brother informed him they would try their damndest to keep Callum away from him. He nodded his head in understanding, noticing the look in Spencer's eyes. He spoke seriously about him calling his ex and informing her of his plans - that he wanted Callum in London. Alex already knew how the conversation would go and was already dreading it. He broke eye contact first, resting his elbows on his knees and taking a deep sigh. It was about to be another battle he'd have to fight but it was what he wanted. "Yeah, I got it. Fuck. If she goes and tells her family about it, you know they're going to start shit," he said, gesturing towards Dublin. "If this whole thing has taught me anything it's to keep my dick in my pants," he joked, knowing full well he hadn't even after the breakup. "Once we get home I'll sign the papers."

Spencer ( Misty Gray )