Realistic or Modern The Oath - 1940s Gangster Drama - IC (Ended)

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan and James Porter
​

James' eyes followed Lucy as she walked out of the apartment and he handed the keys to Cormac so they could get back inside once the call had been made. He took a deep, apprehensive breath as he thought about him and a Lucy.

Once it was just him and Alex, James looked over to the young woman and could see she was upset. She'd done a pretty good job at hiding her tears but it seemed the mention of Conor was too much for her. It was clear his betrayal was affecting her worse than anything else she'd had thrown at her tonight. Still, he needed to talk with her. He walked over to Alex and grabbed the chair he'd been sitting on earlier. He sat down a few feet from Alex and listened as she told him she'd lied about Rayna. He quickly nodded his head as she explained how his mother regretted leaving him and had been annoyed with Vinnie after hearing what the man had done to James in her absence. "Okay... Thank you for telling me that. I do appreciate it," he told her, forcing back the emotions the relief brought to him at hearing his mother did care about him.

James quickly shook his head when Alex asked him to kill her. It was clearly brought on by her heartbreak at Conor's poor choice. "I'm not going to kill you," James simply told her. "While we're on the subject of things we didn't mean... I didn't believe or agree with most of the things I was saying to you, except for my words about your father. I didn't want to hurt you or upset you, because I believe you're a decent person. It was just the only way I felt I could get to Vinnie. I also took my own anger out on you because your family once again you something from me and I haven't yet come t terms with it," he explained. "As for Athena. I wouldn't have gone anywhere near her. Had she been anywhere near you when Cormac and I found you, I would have called the thing off. I wouldn't lay a finger on a pregnant lady," he firmly assured her. He then cast his mind to the man who would be joining Alex soon and sighed. "Whilst only Conor can tell you the truth about why you're here, I have my own ideas. I don't think he wanted anyone to be tortured or killed tonight, which is why he chose you. You and I came to an understanding with each other when you helped us get Finn back, so I honestly believe Conor thought you'd be the safest in my hands. I guess I let him down on that front," he admitted. He knew he wouldn't have hesitated to kill Nicolo and potentially Fallon too as he didn't know or like them.

**********​

Conor looked back to Peter. "What was I saying?" he asked, now appearing slightly distracted. "Oh, yeah.... Savannah-" Conor was cut off again when the telephone rang. A sense of dread overtook him as he knew this would be about Alex. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to hear, but he couldn't think any news would be pleasant. "Conor speaking," he answered, briefly glancing to Peter. "Lucy? Where the Hell are you?" he asked. He was surprised to hear his sister on the phone, having told her to stay safe at home.


neverbackdown
Bellz

 

[neverbackdown]

Alexandra Romano ​

Alex nodded when James thanked her for telling the truth, she blinked away the last remaining tears before moving her head down to wipe her eyes gently with her shoulder. When James told her he wasn’t going to kill her, Alex let her head fall slightly as a frown took over her lips. She didn’t want to face Conor, she didn’t want him to come here, maybe if she annoyed Cormac enough he’d do the job before Conor arrived, well based on Cormac she probably only needed to ask for him to put a bullet in her head.
As James spoke again, Alex lifted her head to look at him. Alex slowly nodded as he said he didn’t mean anything bad he had said about her “thank you” she said quietly while giving a slow nod “my father has taken so much from you that I can’t even blame you” she added.
When he explained about Athena, Alex allowed a slight smile to fall onto her lips for a brief second “good, Athena is too sweet and she’s already gone through an experience that no one should have ever have to suffer” she explained sadly as she thought of her friend, she tried to push the reminder of what had happened to Athena a few months ago out of her mind and was finding it impossible that was until Conor was mentioned yet again.
Alex listened to what James said as she looked at her knees. “I stick with what I said, I’m glad it’s me and not my siblings here” she said slowly “but it’s still not right how it was done” Alex sighed sadly before looking up at James, she gave a small shrug before a small smirk took over her features “leaving you in charge was fair enough, we are cousins” she half-joked before the smirk fell from her features “but why would he let that psychopath be involved if he didn’t want me being hurt, he must know what he’s like” Alex mumbled bitterly.

Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter​

with: Cormac neverbackdown mentions: Conor Misty Gray
Lucy made a face of worry as her brother answered the phone. "Hi Conor." She greeted simply and winced as he asked where the hell she was. "I know you are going to be mad, but here me out. James had to Cormac to call me and I knew you wouldn't let me go anywhere....I just needed to make sure things were okay and long story short, we need you down here please." Looking around at their surroundings she gave out the street and the cross street the apartment building was on. "You need to hurry." Was all Lucy said before she hung up the phone then. Her hand lingered on the phone for about a second before she drew in a long deep breath. "Well I will consider myself grounded when we get home." She teasingly said to Cormac before looking back up at the apartment.
(sorry that was so short, on my phone)

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan
​

Conor listened to Lucy and he had many questions but it seemed like she wasn't going to answer him over the phone. "I'll be there as quickly as I can," he told her. Conor carefully placed the receiver down as he began to think of what could possibly be happening. He hoped Alex was okay. He worried he'd made a mistake by not listening to Lucy in the first place and that James might have done something rash to the girl. He found it hard to believe, but he feared it nonetheless.

"It seems Lucy is the sister I should be worrying about leaving the house on her own," he said to Peter, unaware that the lad had already stopped Sinead from doing exactly that. "I have to go out. Please can you check on Sinead and make sure she stays here, as we discussed?" he calmly asked Peter.

After getting his gun, due to being unaware of what to expect, Conor got into his car. He sped off to the destination Lucy gave him.

Once he arrived, Conor found his sister and cousin outside the apartment. "What the Hell are you doing here, Luce? It's
not safe... Please tell me James and Alex are alright?" he worriedly asked.


neverbackdown
Bellz

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter​

with: Cormac neverbackdown ; Conor Misty Gray mentions:
Lucy had been anxious for her brother's arrival, knowing that he wasn't going to be too happy with all this going on right now. Cormac and herself waited outside until Conor pulled up. Shifting from one foot to the next, she let her brother get out of the car before making his way over to them. His words made him frown, she definitely realized the risks of being out here at the moment. "I know, I was suppose to stay at the house but I couldn't just ignore that call." She told her brother honestly, although it may not have looked that way, Lucy had showed up mainly for James' benefit. She felt bad that they had resulted to arguing in front of Cormac and Alex like that.

"James and Alex are fine. I mean neither of them are hurt." Alex was roughed up a bit, but she would spare those details for him to see himself. "We need you to be here now Conor, I know that James and Cormac were suppose to take care of this..." With that being said, Lucy turned on her heels and gestured for Conor to follow her and Cormac back up to the apartment.
[/center][/center]

Peter Callahan

with: Sinead Misty Gray mentions:
Peter looked worried as Conor spoke Lucy's name, apparently the other sister didn't follow the orders of her brother and was now out and about at risk of being caught by a Romano. He stayed silent for the short phone call and when Conor addressed him, he firmly nodded his head. "I will watch her like a hawk sir." He vowed to Conor before leaving the room with his boss. Conor left and Peter took this as the opportunity to find Sinead once more. "Sinead?" He called out to her as he moved towards her room. Biting his lip, he stopped just shy of the open doors and leaned against the door frame.
"You doing alright?"

(again sorry they are so short, still on my phone)​

 

[neverbackdown]

Cormac Sullivan ​

Cormac watched as Lucy picked up the phone and rang her brother, based on her facial expressions it was not going well. He watched her regain herself for a second after the phone call before she commented on being grounded. Cormac laughed at her comment and shook his head “he’ll definitely try but I doubt you’ll listen” he commented with a grin.

Cormac watched as a car pulled up and silently stood his ground as Conor arrived over, the worry was evident and Cormac could practically smell it as soon as he got out of the car. He decided not to comment on Conor’s question and instead left it up to Lucy to answer. He smirked at her half answer before following her back up to the apartment. Once at the door Cormac unlocked It before walking back into where James and Alexandra would be. Cormac briefly looked over towards the Italian girl and took in her appearance, her eyes were slightly red and puffy as though she had been crying, the girl looked a distressed mess but the most noticeable think about her was the blackening bruise and the dried blood on one side of her face from the punch he had given her earlier. Cormac stood in the doorway with his arms crossed and watched Conor to see what his reaction would be.

Misty Gray Bellz

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter and Conor Sullivan​

James slowly nodded when Alex said she couldn't blame him after everything Vinnie had taken from him. "I still shouldn't have involved you in the way I did, but I can't deny things are personal where your father is concerned. He's been trying to ruin my life since before I was even born." When Alex mentioned Athena had gone through something terrible, he could only imagine what she meant and didn't feel it was his place to ask for clarification. "I don't doubt she's a nice person. She seemed to have left a good impression on Sinead after the couple of encounters they've had."

James didn't voice his opinion on whether or not what had been done was right. It had been Conor's decision and it was for the boss to decide what to do now. It was for Conor to explain himself. He smirked at the mention of them being cousins. "Perhaps I'll get an invite to the Romano house for Christmas," he sarcastically remarked. When she asked why Cormac was involved, James was confident the man had an influence in Conor's decision in the first place. That wasn't really a bad thing as it was the first sign of positive action and attacking the enemy for a change. He just worried Conor had rushed into it. "I'm afraid that's a question for Conor."

​

Conor bit his lip and glanced to Cormac when Lucy mentioned Alex was a bit roughed up. He hoped it was nothing. He simply nodded his head when Lucy said he had to be there now. He thought not being there was for the best, fearing he'd never be able to go through the plan to get Alex at all.

Reluctantly, Conor followed Lucy and Cormac up to the apartment. "I wish you hadn't come out here, Luce. It's too dangerous. I can't lose anyone else."

Before they entered the apartment, Conor stopped outside the door and looked to Lucy. "On a scale of 1-10, how fucked am I right now?" he cautiously asked. He was expecting an angry tirade from Alex and James to vent his frustration in a manner he couldn't yet predict.

Sinead Sullivan ​

As soon as Sinead had started to change Savannah, the baby began crying and wriggling around, causing mild frustration. Even after feeding her, the baby picked back up on the unsettled and tearful behaviour. Sinead couldn't help but think it was her fault as she herself was feeling quite unhappy; sad for what Lucy and James had lost. Perhaps she felt guilty too, for having what they could no longer have.

"It's okay, Savvy," she softly cooed as she gently rocked her daughter in her arms. "Everyone loves you and they could never be upset with you. It's your mummy who's hurt them." She softly kissed the top of the child's head. She then began to sing an upbeat song to try calm the baby down. It eventually worked and Sinead couldn't help but smile to herself as she looked at her now smiling daughter.

Sinead sat down on the sofa in the nursery and kept Savannah close to her. "I'll get better at this, I promise..." she began, but stopped as she was sure she'd heard someone speak. She then looked up ahead to see Peter by the door of the nursery. "Yeah, I think so," she said, glancing down to the baby. "Come in. Sit down," she said, patting the empty spot beside her. "Look, darling. It's Peter!" she said as she turned the child around on her knee so she could see their visitor. Sinead then let out a sigh. "She's not been a happy baby since we left you," she half-joked. She then looked to Peter properly and nervously smiled to him, hoping he hadn't had time to regret the kiss. "W-what did Conor want you for? Is everything alright? If he's being too bossy tell me and I'll kick his butt," she playfully told him.


Bellz neverbackdown

 

[Lamia]

Athena Archer

Athena's eyes suddenly started to prickle at the reaction from Leo, the feeling of her heart speeding up as Leo told her that he loved her as well. With tears forming in her eyes, she kept her gaze on Leo as he spoke. He then asked to be apart of her and her children's lives. She felt a tear start to descend from her eye, "Yes, of course." she muttered softly, her eyes focused on him.
"As long as we both promise to never let anything come between us again." Athena voiced gently, using her free hand to wipe a few tears away.

Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter​

with: Cormac and Alex neverbackdown ; Conor and James Misty Gray mentions:
Lucy could see that this was going to be unpleasant for her brother, and she really did feel for him...but this was all part of the experience for him. Sacrifices had to be made in order to keep the ones closest to you safe. Staying silent as they walked up the stairs towards the apartment, Lucy found herself hoping that Alex would figure out a way to forgive her brother in the end of all this. He deserved to be happy just as much as anyone. Raising a blonde eyebrow at Conor's question, she looked between the now opened door and him. "I'm going to be 100% honest with you, you are definitely at a 9." She told him, not holding any truth back. It wouldn't do them any good if he waltzed in there and was absolutely stunned by Alex's behavior, he had to know what he was walking into.

With that, Lucy entered the apartment and looked to James. She didn't have much to say at the moment, the area around them was really starting to creep her out...and she was sure it was due to the situation. On any other day, this place would have seemed really nice and pleasant. Letting the men get down to business, she stayed off to the side towards the window, her eyes looking out at it again...hoping no one else had caught on to the suspicious activity.

(Will have Peter up after I get back from the store )
[/center][/center]

 

[Misty Gray]

Salvatore Romano
​

Finn would wake up to a headache, like he'd been hit at the back of the skull. He'd be able to recall leaving his date and making his way back home when he was intercepted by two well-dressed men. He'd felt two other men grab him from behind and in the struggle, something crashed into his head and that was when everything went dark. Turns out, he really had been smacked over the head and knocked out.
​

Spoiler: Lounge

When he opened his eyes and regained his senses, he would find himself sat in a pretty normal looking lounge, certainly not elegant enough to belong to the extravagant Romano household, but still homely enough to be a house. A far cry from the last time Finn was abducted. There were two chairs opposite him; one where Salvatore Romano was seated and the other seated his son, Junior. Surprisingly, neither Finn's hands nor feet were restrained. Salvatore and Junior clearly had guns on them, but even then the weapons didn't pose an imminent threat. It was almost as if he'd been invited over for a tea party, minus any tea. At least, not for now.

"Stay seated, Finnian" Salvatore spoke up, holding his arm out to make it clear there was no use in attempting an escape. "Whilst you should be afraid, there doesn't need to be anything to be afraid of right now," he casually told him. He pointed to the door, the only exit from the room. "Behind that door I have three heavily armed men and I'd hate for them to need to make the wallpaper in this place uglier and bloodier." He then pointed around the room to signal for Finn to take in his surroundings. "I understand this is quite different to the last time my family plucked you off of the streets. Whilst a dark and damp cellar would make a fine choice, I like to think of my own comfort too. Vincenzo prefers to be a martyr and sacrifice his comfort. But I don't know how long we'll be here and how heavy thing are going to get for you, so I'd like to at least be comfortable. Plus, I actually intended on meeting your sister today and I wouldn't have been a gentleman if I hadn't made the effort." Salvatore sat forward and smiled a crooked smirk at Finn. "How did your date go today? If you make it out of here alive, do you think you'll be seeing that pretty young lady again?" he curiously asked.
​

Bellz (Finn) Rhaine (Junior)

​

 

[neverbackdown]

Alexandra Romano

Alex gave him a small smile but it didn’t reach her eyes “at least your apologizing now” she commented with a half shrug “it’s better than nothing” she added. Her mind was racing as she tried one last feeble attempt to life her arms but they were firmly glued to the chair as they had been every other time she tried to move them, there was no strain in the ropes from any of her attempts but she was sure that the evidence would be clear on her wrists when and if the ropes ever got taken off. She couldn’t get comfortable but found that in the situation that she was in, comfort was the last thing on her mind. She knew who was outside the front door and she dreaded the moment he was going to walk in.
When James mentioned Christmas, Alex allowed the smirk to fall onto her lips “im sure he’ll save you a place at the head of the table” a slight laugh escaped her lips as she continued “or save a place for your head at the table” she added in a half joking manner. The laugh while genuine had no feeling to it, it sounded transparent and weak and even Alex noticed the lack of humor in its tone.
When the door opened again, Alex watched as Lucy walked in and took her place beside the window again. She nodded at James for his comment about asking Conor before she looked back towards the door. She looked at Conor and couldn’t get herself to hold back the emotions she was feeling. He would be able to tell how broken she was by the dead look in her eyes but there was also a flicker of anger as she looked at the man whom she had loved and had thought loved her. Alex let her head fall so that he could not see her tears and also so she would not have to look at him any longer.
​

Misty Gray Bellz

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan and James Porter​

"Well, fuck..." Conor grumbled when Lucy confirmed it was a 9. Whether it was Alex, James or both. When they entered the apartment, he watched Lucy as she walked over to the window. He then saw James and Alex together. Alex's hands were tied to the arms of the chair she was seated on. Her face looked bloody and bruised, much to his disappointment. But most of all, he could see the heartbreak and anger in her face. He knew he'd messed things up for real.

"What happened to her?" Conor asked, struggling for any words.

Upon hearing Conor's voice, James took a deep breath bit didn't turn to face him. He regarded Alex once more. "No hard feelings, lass," he simply told her.

He then turned to approach Conor and firmly patted the taller man's shoulder, struggling to crack a smile. "I'm done, mate. You and Cormac can deal with this now. I have my own drama to figure out and you have yours," he said, referring to his relationship with Alex.
​

Partway to the door, James approached Cormac and handed him the keys to the unregistered car they'd used to bundle Alex into. "Bring it home when you're done, but try not to scratch it as it's just had a new paint job," he told him. James continued walking to the door and turned back around as he placed his hand on the doorknob. He looked to Lucy and felt a wave of guilt overcome him. "Lucy, are you coming home or am I walking my own arse back there?" he asked her, trying to lighten up a little but failing. He hoped he could go home with her in her car so they could talk along the way. Or just sit in an awkward silence the whole journey, but at least he'd know she was safe.

James opened the door and stepped out of the apartment, walking slowly to give Lucy chance to catch up if she intended on going home with him.

Meanwhile, Conor took a deep breath and approached Alex, fully prepared to be yelled at or even given the cold, silent treatment. "Alex, I-" he began, becoming more cautious as he got closer to her. Seeing the injury on her face choked him up a little and he struggled to find the words to say. Regardless of expecting to be punched and kicked, he reached his trembling hands out to unfasten the restraints from around her hands. He wasn't going to let her leave the apartment yet, but he couldn't cope seeing her tied up. "I know I've fucked up, but is there a possibility you'll give me a chance try to explain or at least discuss this?"

neverbackdown Bellz

Leo Davide

When Athena agreed that he could be a part of her children's lives, Leo excitedly attempted to sit up, forgetting his injuries. He let out a pained groan before returning back to his resting position. He took a deep breath and managed to smile again. He quickly nodded his head. "Vinnie, Salvatore, the Sullivans... I promise nobody or nothing will come between us again." He wanted to reach out and wipe away her tears but knew the movement would only hurt him more.

"I'm sure it might get crowded at Alex's place when the twins are born and I... Well, I have spare rooms at my house. You could move into my place. If you want to? There's a garden and plenty of space."

Lamia


​

 

[Bellz]

Finnian Sullivan​

with: Salvatore Misty Gray ; Junior Rhaine mentions:
Jolting awake suddenly from a forced slumber, Finn hissed as the sudden light around him caused his sensitive eyes to throb in pain. He squeezed his eyes shut just as quickly and forced out a breath before trying once more. Blinking a few times, his eyes had adjusted well enough to the room around him and he was surprised by it, in a horrified way. He wasn't restrained, the room around him was well lit and well furnished. It looked like someone's home. A small scraping of fabric against fabric caught his attention and his eyes shifted to the two seats across from him. He was unsure of who these people were, or what the hell they wanted from him but before he could even open his dry mouth to speak, the older gentleman spoke. He ordered Finn to sit in his seat, using his full name like they had known each other for years.

Clenching his jaw, he followed the order reluctantly but forced himself to sit up straighter in his seat. Leaning forward he moved his right hand to press against his temple region, the pain from what was a whack on the skull causing every one of his senses to be off slightly still, the headache distracting them. The man continued to speak and explain that there was no escape for him and that he should be afraid...but not yet. Once again, Finn took in his surroundings of the area and confirmed that there was only one way out. Vinnie's name came up and Finn finally was able to at least put a last name to these faces, Romano affiliated, should have known. Mention of Maggie caused his nostrils to flare in anger, he was fucked in the situation he was in...but he was glad he was here instead of Mags.

A genuine smile escaped him despite his situation, finding it entertaining that the man asked about his date. Like he even cared, of course, this had to be apart of some mind game...instead of resisting, he would go along with it. "I would like to think I would see her again, yes." He answered simply, his eyes now staring directly at his kidnappers.

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter​

with: Cormac and Alex neverbackdown ; Conor and James Misty Gray mentions:
Lucy continued to look out the window, waiting for something to happen. Her brows furrowed together when she heard her brother ask what had happened to Alex...she stayed silent. Upon hearing movement, she turned slightly to look behind her, seeing James and Conor talking briefly, her husband patted her brother on the shoulder and explained that he had his own shit to deal with. Lucy's eyes glanced to the floor for a moment before looking back out the window, wondering if she should head home with him. They hadn't fought like that in a while...and now the air felt off. Biting her lip, Lucy turned her head as James spoke her name. A beat of silence passed before she slowly nodded her head and turned to walk towards the door. She said nothing to Cormac, Alex or Conor as she stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind her.

"You drive?" She asked softly as she dangled out the keys in front of them, taking longer strides to catch up with him. Dropping the keys in his hands, she sighed and used her now free hand to brush a lock of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear again. Lucy didn't know where to start, "I uh..." she cleared her throat and looked down as they stepped outside of the building now towards the car she had parked earlier across the street. She was truly at a loss as to what to say to her own husband. So she stayed silent, her mind now caught up in many tangled thoughts. Once the car was unlocked, she slid into the passenger seat and shut the door. Once they were both securely inside, she turned to him. "I'm sorry James, for what I said back there...I didn't mean for those words to come across that way." She murmured.

Peter Callahan

with: Sinead Misty Gray mentions:
With a large smile and a blush, he nodded his head before coming to sit beside Sinead and little Savannah who was perched on her knee. Cooing at the infant lightly, Peter chuckled as Savvy's eyes grew bigger at the noise, becoming interested in him. "Are you giving your mother a hard time little darling?" He asked sweetly before shifting his eyes to focus on Sinead fully now. "Actually, he was wondering if you were giving me a hard time." A teasing grin formed on his lips and he laughed before shaking his head, "You will be pleased to hear that I informed him that you were making this whole transition very easy for me...and making me feel welcome."

"Conor is actually less of a hard ass than James, so I think for now the butt kicking won't be necessary." He chuckled before sighing once more. "You don't have to hide out right now...no one is really here actually. Conor went to take care of some business and I'm not quite sure where Lucy and James are, but she did call your brother before he left the house." Peter hoped that Sinead would take this opportunity to allow herself some freedom, she had been cooped up in room's since after Lucy and James got home earlier.​

 

[neverbackdown]

Cormac Sullivan and Alexandra Romano

​

Cormac took the keys off James and gave him a smile “I’ll do my best” he said with a fake salute before putting the keys into his pocket. When Conor asked what had happened to Alexandra, Cormac raised an eyebrow at his concern before scratching the back of his head “she’s a fighter” he said as though this answered Conor’s question. Cormac watched as James and Lucy left the apartment before looking back at his boss who seemed to be completely over his head. “I’m going to the jacks” he told Conor, hoping that alone Conor would find his place.

Alexandra kept her head down as everyone around her seemed to be talking. She heard Lucy and James leave and they were quickly followed by Cormac. The inevitable had happened and she was now alone with Conor, she listened to what he was saying but she just didn’t know if she could, she had so many questions and yet she couldn’t find her voice.
She could sense that he was getting closer to her and that’s when she felt the ropes starting to be undone of her wrists. Once the ropes were off Alex gently took her arms back towards her examining her wrists and the damage, she had a bit of rope burn and a little bit of tearage of the skin, but it was nothing she needed to worry about. She gently rubbed her wrist as she tried to soothe the burning pain from them. After a couple or seconds Alex looked up at Conor, she looked him over before frowning “why?” She asked him

Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

​

James stopped and turned around to catch the car keys Lucy dropped into his hands. He remained still as he watched her push some hair behind her ear. She attempted to say something to him but she didn't get many words out. He simply nodded his head. "I'll drive," he agreed. He then walked out to the car with her and unlocked the vehicle from the driver's side. Before he had chance to open the passenger door for her, she'd done so herself. He got into the car and turned the key in the ignition before flicking on the headlights. As soon as she spoke her first few words, he turned the key again, switching off the engine. He twisted his body slightly so he could look at her as she assured him she didn't mean what he thought she'd said.

"Lucy... I know you didn't," he replied, letting out an exhausted sigh. He was mentally and emotionally drained after the day's events. "I, um... I let my guard down and I let Alex get to me. I picked out her insecurities and then she turned it back on me. She reminded me of how amazing and accomplished Rayna is, and how her husband and my siblings are good people. Alex told me she didn't mean it and there was no truth in her words, but before you got there she had told me Rayna was only here because she was working with Vinnie to get into my head. Like an idiot, I went and believed it. Feeling like I didn't belong in my mother's life kind of made me misinterpret your words too, like I wasn't part of your family. I'm sorry for making you feel bad about that," he told her.

"While I'm on the subject of apologising... I'm also sorry I let you and Conor down. You both trusted me not to harm Alex, but I said hurtful things to her and for a time I feared I might have shot her," he confessed, looking away for a moment. "As for telling you off for coming out here, I guess I'm a hypocrite on that front too. The reason I asked Cormac to call you was because I knew you were the only one who could stop me and I guess deep down I hoped you would show up here." He shook his head. "I'm a piece of shit, Lucy."

Sinead Sullivan ​

Sinead practically melted as she watched Peter interact with Savannah. She wasn't sure how Conor went about sourcing his employees, but she was sure he'd caught Peter as he was gifted to the Earth from heaven. She soon snapped out of her thoughts and focused her dreamy eyes onto him to listen to him address her. "Ahh, so Conor was checking up on me? That's still a buttkicking," she joked. She smiled when he said he'd told Conor she was making him feel welcome. "Aww, thanks, Piano Pete!" she said. "I like to make nice people feel welcome. Especially the handsome ones."

Sinead nodded when Peter mentioned Conor wasn't as hard going as James. "That is certainly true," she agreed. "But James is a lovely person too. You'll see he's only that way because he wants us all to be safe. Besides, I quite enjoyed watching you train hard this morning," she teased him.

Sinead was surprised to hear most of her family were out of the house, especially as she felt like she was on some sort of ban from leaving. "Alright. Shall we go to the lounge? I could put some records on, maybe? I wonder where my family all went..." she trailed off. She hoped nothing bad had happened or that Lucy and James hadn't left because they couldn't bear to live in the same house as her anymore.

When they got into the lounge, Sinead offered to make Peter a drink. "I could make up one of my favourite cocktails for us, maybe?" she offered. "I mean, if you... If you don't don't mind holding Savannah for a couple of minutes?" she sheepishly asked. It was obvious to her Peter was good with kids, but she wasn't sure if holding hers would make him at all uncomfortable.

Bellz

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor quickly turned his head to Cormac when he said he was going and couldn't help but feel his nerves building upon realising he would be alone with Alex. If she didn't hate him by now, he'd be very surprised.

Conor observed as Alex looked to her wrists which had some torn skin and rope burns. Then she looked up at him and asked him why. Why he'd done this to her. "I-I don't..." he began. Before he said anything else, he walked away from her and to the kitchen area. He quickly searched through the barely stocked drawers until a came across some unused cloths. He ran one of them under the cold tap and then squeezed out the excess water. He couldn't cope seeing her face and wrist wounds whilst doing nothing about them. He returned to Alex and handed the damp cloth to her so she could clean her wounds.

"I fucked up, Alex. I panicked. When I heard about what had happened to your dad I feared for my family's safety. Even though we had nothing to do with it all I could think was that he would attack my family. I needed to make sure I had something up my sleeve... someone to bargain with, for no less crude way of putting it," he admitted. "But I didn't want anyone to be hurt or killed in the Sullivans' name. I severely misjudged this. I thought taking you and with James there... I thought it would all be okay. I failed to recognise that James isn't himself right now."

Conor took a step back and ran his hand through his hair. "Long story short... I'm the sickest kind of arsehole. I'm sorry I hurt you, betrayed you and let you down. You didn't deserve this and I'm a fucking idiot." Conor wiped his tearful eyes as he looked at the beautiful woman he loved. The same woman he'd allowed to be hurt and terrified. Suddenly, he felt no better than Vinnie. He'd always tried to avoid sinking to that man's level and now he knew why. He knew now more than ever that he was in no position to be the boss of the Sullivans. He felt that every call he made was the wrong one and this one had been his worst yet.

neverbackdown

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter​

with: James Misty Gray mentions:
Lucy listened carefully as James explained what had happened for him to react in the way he did to her words, part of Lucy regretted momentarily that she had stepped in front of Alexandra and tried to keep her safe. Especially after hearing from her husband that she had made him feel so low. Her blue eyes looked down at her lap as he finished his explanation and apologies, she shook her head slowly. "You aren't though, and you must stop thinking so." Looking back up to his face, she offered a soft smile before reaching her hand forward and caressing his cheek...something she had done since the beginning of her relationship. "You aren't an idiot to believe something like that James, emotions are easily played, especially when you allow others into your life." Her thumb swept across the stubble on his face a few times before she released his face from her grasp and took his hand in her own.

"I'm glad you had Cormac call me. Its completely understandable for you to be reacting this way to things James, and if anything, I will go as far as to say my brother, who I love with everything, has failed us in this situation. My brother is young and new to this whole boss situation, thinking rashly is going to be apart of the territory. Cormac probably wasn't the best person to influence his thoughts." She sighed softly. "Conor was warned by myself that something like this may occur, and he chose to take the risk. Neither of us are in the right place to be doing this." On a regular day, Lucy would have gladly avoided the "daily activities" of her life which 9 chances out of 10 ended up with her or a family member being shot at or tortured.

"I would also like to apologize for pulling rank on you...you are definitely more than just an employee for our family, I really hope you understand this and that I love you more than anything else on this entire earth." Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his and shared a brief but passionate kiss, the closeness releasing some stress caused from the previous situation. After a few moments, she pulled away and smiled happily, her husband never ceasing to put a smile on her face. With thoughts of home, she was ready to just forget everything that had occurred...at least for the night. But she remembered who would be home and anxiety swelled in her chest. Sinead would be another obstacle.

Peter Callahan

with: Sinead Misty Gray mentions:
Peter's cheeks reddened as Sinead revealed she found him handsome, and a sheepish smile grew on his lips again. He nodded his head as Sinead defended his mentor stating that he was a lovely person as well. Peter could understand the overprotectiveness James felt for the family and didn't hold it against him for being a hard ass. "So you were watching hmmmm?" He teased right back and let out a small laugh. When Sinead suggest the head to the lounge, Peter nodded his head again, "That sounds like a great idea!" he said almost a bit too excitedly, he enjoyed Sinead's company tremendously, but being stuck in the same room was putting a damper on things, he was glad that they would be able to spend more time together in other places around the house. More memories to make, in his opinion.

Peter followed Sinead to the lounge and smiled widely as she suggested she make her favorite cocktail for them, "You are revealing such a precious secret to me? I feel so honored." He said teasingly. Her words that came next surprised him greatly and he looked to Savannah as he answered. He wouldn't admit it to Sinead, but he was nervous to hold her. With all of the questions about him liking children popping up, it seemed that everyone was on the same page that if Peter were to be with Sinead, Savannah would also be apart of his life. It was like accepting this great responsibility that wasn't officially his yet but at the same time...he would do anything for. "As long as the little princess wants me to." He answered sweetly and tried to not look as freaked out as he felt. He had held at least a million babies...well that was an exaggeration, but Savannah wasn't any different.​

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

​

James weakly smiled as Lucy assured him he wasn't worthless and as she began to caress his cheek, his smile grew. The soft and gentle touch of her fingertips always reminded him he was human, in a world where he'd spent most of his life without such affectionate touch. As she reassured him he wasn't an idiot, he took her words seriously. He knew the reason Alex was able to get to him was because he'd recently allowed himself to acknowledge him emotions. After spending so long blocking out other people and his own feelings, he'd let people into his life. Now that he had Lucy and his mother, as well as a genuine care for the Sullivans, he wouldn't wish to go back to being an emotionless, disposable hitman.

James glanced down as Lucy took her hand away from his face so she could hold his hand in hers. He smiled again, this time the expression managing to reacg his eyes. As she went on to mention how she thought Conor behaved rashly and took a risk, James sighed. "The only reason I didn't give him a piece of my mind back there was because he's probably going to suffer enough now he's with Alex," he admitted to Lucy. There had been a brief flash where he had wanted to square up to Conor, but he knew it wasn't worth it in the long run. "I'm just sorry I wasn't in the right frame of mind to talk him out of this before we did it. I know it's my duty to advise him and stop him doing mad shit, but all I had in my sights was wanting to make Vinnie suffer for what he's done to both of us."

Lucy apologised for pulling rank on him and that he really was family. "It's okay, love. I should have been more professional," he told her. "I guess you knocked some of my manly points off of me too," he remarked. When she reassured him of how much she loved him, he was about to respond when she leaned in to kiss him. He wasted no time in passionately returning the gesture, almost like they'd been apart for months and were finally reunited. As they drew back he mirrored Lucy's smile. "I love you too, Lucy. You're the most important person in my life. As much as I will enjoy making up with you, how about we try not to fight again?" he proposed.

James caught Lucy's anxiety and softly rubbed her shoulder. "We'll get through this, okay?" he tried to reassure her. "We can't keep avoiding things back home." He knew it was easier said than done, but he just wanted Lucy to feel comfortable at home. He wished there was something he could do... for her broken heart and his own.

Bellz

 

[neverbackdown]

Alexandra Romano

Alex watched as Conor struggled for words before leaving the room. She raised an eyebrow but brushed it off hoping that he wouldn’t return. She bent down and began to undo the ropes on her legs but stopped when she heard someone enter the room again.
Alex took the cloth of Conor “thanks” she muttered before setting to work on cleaning the blood from each wrist and then her face. She clenched her jaw at the movement trying to stop herself from crying out at the pain this caused. As a way to ignore the pain Alex listened inventively to Conor and what he had to say.
When he mentioned how he had misjudged it Alex nodded in agreement “you did fuck up but James wasn’t the problem, that other pyschopath is” she told him as she looked up at Conor “if you didn’t want anyone getting hurt then why the hell did you put him on this job aswell” she exclaimed.
When Conor wiped away his tears it took everything for Alex not to yell at him, why was he crying? He wasn’t the one who had been sat in this chair, she was the one who should be crying but she refused to do that. Once the blood was cleaned to the best of her ability, Alex leaned down again and began to slowly untie the ropes at her legs.
“As for what happened to my father” Alex said slowly “You mightn’t have given the order but I’m pretty sure it was a Sullivan that did it” she said quietly as she finished taking off the rope.
​

Misty Gray

​

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor watched Alex as she cleaned her wounds and showed visible signs of pain. It made him feel sick to see her that way and even more so because it was his fault. When she confirmed he did mess up, he had no argument because he knew it was true. "I'm sorry about Cormac. I didn't think it through," he admitted. He knew he'd made it clear to Cormac that only minimal injury should come to her, but even that sounded bad in his head now, so he couldn't even bring himself to try defend his decision. "I just knew he and James were men of action, whilst my repeated inaction has done nothing for my family."

Conor shook his head and sighed. "I could tell you reasons and excuses for why I did this, but none of them would excuse doing it to you. I know I've messed up big time and there's no coming back from this. For you and for my family." Conor struggled to speak his next words, letting out a frustrated groan and kicking some empty box aside. "This is finished. It's over, Alex. You should go," he told her, biting his lip as he he nodded his head. "All I ask is that you put the blame fully on me and leave James' name out of this."

neverbackdown

 

[neverbackdown]

Alexandra Romano and Cormac Sullivan

Alex looked up at Conor as he spoke, she could see the regret in his eyes but she wasn’t sure if she could forgive him, not yet anyway, it was too soon.
When he said that she should go, Alex remained sitting for a second before slowly standing up, she just wanted to go home and lie in bed and preferably forget about this whole thing. She turned to Conor and gave a small sigh “at least you picked me and not my siblings” she told him quietly. While it wasn’t meant to it would show to Conor that she may be able to forgive him for this eventually. With that said Alex turned and slowly made her feel way to the door, her body felt weak and while she wanted to leave as quickly as possible, her body wouldn’t allow her to move any faster than she was. Alex opened the door and stepped out without looking back, she was just glad to be out of that situation and that’s when she felt an arm wrap around her waist. “Get off me” she screeched as she felt herself being pulled back into the apartment.

Cormac had heard the front door open as he opened the bathroom door and wondered if Conor had left, there was no doubt in his mind that his younger cousin was unable for this side of the business. As he moved towards the front door he saw that it had been the Italian who had left and sighed at his cousins judgement before picking the girl up and dragging her back into the apartment. He ignored her protests and carried her struggling body back in before throwing her down on the ground beside the chair she had been tied to before looking at his cousin.
“Conor we need here her, as you said her family are going to attack us for something we didn’t do” he exclaimed with a tight jaw. “Leave her out off the ropes and let her roam the apartment for all I care but she needs to stay here, if we let her go now they are going To hit us even harder and see you to be weak” he explained. “We need to Leave here her till we make a deal with her family”. Cormac knew that Conor was his boss now but he also knew that Conor needed someone to stand up to him and tell him what to do in this situation, right now he was thinking of the Sullivans and he hoped Conor would too.
Cormac saw movement and looked to see Alexandra getting ready to run towards the door. “I will drag you back here again and you know what happens when you piss me off so shut up and stay down” he exclaimed to her, anger already starting to deep into his voice.
​

Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter​

with: James Misty Gray mentions:
Lucy sighed and nodded her head, "No more fights." She promised, closing her eyes as James rubbed her shoulder. She knew she couldn't avoid the situation at home forever. "its just so much easier avoiding..." She murmured to her husband honestly, her lips forming a slight pout. "If we are ever going to get through all this shit, I know we have to make up with her. Conor has put us all on house arrest." They weren't able to come and go as they please anymore and that irked Lucy more than anything. At this point, she just wanted to run away again. Well with James of course. Live a life far beyond all this fighting and bloodshed and try to heal the wounds that wouldn't close because of everything going on. It was a selfish thought and she knew she should be ashamed for thinking such things. Was it really selfish to want a normal life? They were far past the point of normal now.

Letting out a light almost bitter laugh, she looked towards the apartment, wondering if Alex was handing Conor a good kick in the ass. "Conor isn't going to stop this behavior or his pain until he finds closure with her. Both of my siblings fell for people they couldn't have, I mean what if Alex ended up pregnant? We would all be dead. More realistically what if Vinnie finds out about their little fling..." She didn't even want to think about what he would do then. "Its almost like Conor wants the man to be tipped off his rocker." Lucy didn't have any children, and after the news today it was painfully clear that she wouldn't be able to ever have her own, but she wondered if this is what it felt like. James and herself were often looking after both Conor and Sinead closely, making sure they didn't fall of the deep end. "You know, I think we would have made fine parents." She murmured, the blonde now turned her head towards the passenger side window and looked outside. "Despite all the madness and slight fuck ups, I say we have managed to keep Sinead and Conor on a somewhat positive track and have guided them along through their lives...I mean they aren't dead, so that's definitely a start."
The pain from the news they had received was still running deep, but she knew not addressing her feelings on it would only make things more difficult.

(Sorry its shorter! on my phone!)

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor simply nodded when Alex said at least it was her and not her siblings. She may not understand the overall action, but she at least seemed to understand why he chose her. He kept his eyes to the ground as she walked to the door. He wasn't sure if this would be the last time they spoke together. Perhaps she would now understand and help Vinnie. Or perhaps they would become two people who turn away from each other when they pass by on the street.

Conor was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Alex's screech. Instinctively, he rushed to the door after Alex, reaching into his back pocket for the gun. Conor backed back into the apartment as Cormac dragged Alex inside and threw her onto the ground. "Cormac, what the fuck?!" he snapped as he naturally crouched down to see if Alex was okay but also tried to stay back incase she rejected him.

Cormac explained they couldn't let her go as the Romanos would attack them and they would need Alex to bargain with them. Whilst it was true, he couldn't cope with it being Alex. He brought his fist to his mouth and dug his teeth into his knuckles for a time as he fought with his own mind. "Fine... Alex must stay," he gave in, his heart aching as he spoke. He hoped she wouldn't try anything. "But no ropes or anything. And don't lay a finger on her," he firmly ordered.

neverbackdown

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

​

James frowned when Lucy mentioned they were on house arrest. As far as he was concerned it didn't extend to himself but right now he was happy with being wherever Lucy was, even if that could only be the house. "I suppose it would be easier to deal with if we do make it up with her..." James let out a groan as he reasoned in his own mind. "I know it's hard for us, but I have to think to myself how did I feel about Savannah before we were told our bad news? I thought she was a gift and I was glad to have a niece. I don't think those thoughts can change."

"Conor should have known better than to get involved in the first place. But now he is, I don't think either of us can tell him what to do with his love life. I like Alex, but I worry about the danger their relationship brings too. Vinnie would be worse than anything before if he learned the truth."

James closed his eyes when Lucy said they would have made good parents, especially given their experience looking after her siblings. "You've done a lot for them. You helped guide Sinead over the last few months, even after knowing what she'd done with Angel." James put his arm around Lucy and pulled her in closer, still craving her warmth since their argument. "I know it's probably too early to think about right now, but we still could make fine parents. It would be a terrible loss if nobody got the chance to have you as their mother." He worried it may be too early for this, but wanted to consider other ideas before closing the book on a family of their own. "Growing up, some of my friends didn't have parents or families. They never got the chance for a good start in life or any future. I guess I was lucky to at least have a dad, even if he wasn't the greatest role model. Regardless... There's kids out there who would love to have parents just like we would love to have children..." he carefully suggested.

Bellz