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

[neverbackdown]

Cormac Sullivan and Alexandra Romano

Cormac listened as his cousin spoke, deciding to let him speak without bombarding him with his opinion. He could see the pain in his bosses face as he looked at the Italian. Despite the fact that Conor clearly loved the girl, Cormac was glad that he had now messed it up between the two. At least this way, Cormac wouldn’t have to talk his boss out of the relationship, although it seemed that Conor already knew all of the faults of being with her.
“So Lucy and James know” he mused “who else?” He asked Conor.
Cormac couldn’t pretend that he understood why they were together , as far as he was concerned Alexandra was filthy scum like the rest of her family but what he did understand that Conor was very different to him and that was clear by the way he talked and acted. He knew there was no point in giving out to him about this and for once let it slide but it was obvious that he wasn’t impressed by the news.

As Cormac and Conor spoke, Alex kept her head down and for once kept her mouth shut. Her tears kept flowing as Conor talked about how he felt about her and how he felt with her. But it hurt too much to hear, her heart was breaking even more with every word because despite all this, she still loved him and that was worse than hating him

(Won’t let me tag)​

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan and Lucy Porter

with: James and Sinead Misty Gray ; Peter mentions:
Lucy cuddled the baby close to her, shoving her sadness and potential bitterness with each breath she took. She could never be mad at the face staring up at her, and she could never be mad at the woman who was now being comforted by James, at least not forever. Hell, barely even a few hours had passed. Lucy talked to the little baby as she moved to sit down beside her sister. "She's so beautiful Sinead...a little you." She whispered softly before leaning her head down on her sister's shoulder while still cradling Savannah close to her chest. Lucy looked up for a moment to see James and Peter talking, glad to see that they were still getting along well...She definitely hadn't missed the tension when she stepped into the room however...Lucy sniffled slightly finally reining in the tears she had shed. "So." She said a small smirk forming on her lips as she looked up to her sister. "You and Pete huh?" Was all she said before looking over to Peter who was chatting with James still.

​

Sinead turned into a pile of motherly mush as Lucy and Savannah bonded and he couldn't deny that it touched his heart as well. He stayed back though, letting James console the girl silently. Peter gave his mentor a small smile as he nodded his way. Straightening his back as James made his way over, he smiled a bit wider to reassure him that he was fine. "Just fine. Everything has been a bit quiet to be honest with you. But other than that nothing new to report." Peter looked over to Sinead, Lucy and Savannah on the couch. "I'm glad that they are making up." He told James, "Sinead has been distraught all day about what happened...poor thing tried to run away on me." He sighed.

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Sullivan and James Porter​

​

Sinead watched Lucy, a distant and fond smile taking over her face as the touching moment sank in. Seeing the sight before her brought a huge relief and warmth to her, especially after what had transpired earlier in the day. Lucy then sat beside her and spoke fondly of Sinead and her daughter. "Thank you, Lucy. You're quite the stunner yourself," she told her sister. As a child, Sinead had always looked up to her glamorous style and envied her gorgeous looks. When Lucy rested her head on her shoulder, Sinead glanced to content Savannah and then placed a kiss on Lucy's forehead.

Lucy's demeanor suddenly changed and a smirk was evident on her face. When she mentioned Peter, it became clear why. Sinead blushed as she glanced over to Peter, who was occupied talking with James. "Me and Pete?" she innocently asked, but the twinkle in her eyes deceived her. "Pete plays piano - can you believe that?" she gushed. "He's a very nice and sweet guy. Conor picked a good one there." She closed her lips for a moment and she briefly looked away from Lucy. "Oh, and..." she began, turning back to face her sister. "We might have kissed too. I mean... we did kiss," she said, stumbling over her words a little at her confession. By now her cheeks were burning with embarrassment.

James nodded his head when Peter mentioned it had been quiet. That was unsurprising, considering four of the family had been with Alex. No to mention Finn was out on his date and Shannon working away. The place wasn't often this peaceful. It was quite uncomfortable, in a way. Which surprised James as he'd always been a big fan of peace and quite. In the Sullivan House, silence was typically worrying.

"I'm glad they're making up too," James said, glancing to the two sisters. Despite his and Lucy's loss, he couldn't bear to think of the sisters being anything other than close. He quickly turned his head back to Peter at mention of Sinead trying to run away. It went without saying that Peter had successfully stopped her. "Well, it sounds like you passed your first test," he praised the younger man. James knew how tricky Sinead could be if she put her mind to it - she's given James himself the slip in the past. "I think Sinead is going to be fine. Besides, it looks like she's found someone to keep her smiling," he observed, noticing her rosy cheeks and then looking back to Peter with a suspicious, but humored expression.


The phone by the sisters began ringing. Sinead recognised the tone as not being for the personal phone line. She made a point of never answering business calls. She looked to Lucy and took Savannah from her so she could answer the call instead.

"Good evening, Mrs Porter. Is your big lout of a brother home?" Salvatore asked for Conor, in his strong Italian accent. "Tell him it's regarding one Finnian Sullivan."



Bellz

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan and Lucy Porter

with: James and Sinead Misty Gray ; Peter mentions: Salvatore Misty Gray Alex neverbackdown
Lucy rolled her eyes as her sister tried to play innocent, knowing that her sister should have known well by now that things rarely got past Lucy anymore. Her eyebrows raised in surprise as Sinead revealed Peter played the piano, a small smirk forming on her lips as she tried not to look to smug. This failed however as Sinead soon gushed that they had kissed. Her smirk turned into a large smile as she looked towards the young man for a moment, she had a really good feeling about him. "Sin, I think you should just go for it. He's sweet, not to mention handsome, and shares your interests." She encouraged her sister as she watched Peter and James converse.

​

Peter beamed with pride as James said he had passed his first test by keeping Sinead from running away, his eyes went to her as she spoke with her sister and for a moment , he just stared in appreciation. She had made him feel more at home than any other person in his life, and not just because they kissed. She had opened herself and her daughter to him when she didn't have to. This whole relationship could have stayed very professional and black and white. But as he stared at the young woman smiling, the way her cheeks turned a rosy color. He knew their relationship would be colorful and much more than that. The words that came from James followed by the look he gave her made it clear that he knew something was up between them and before the rather bashful Peter could answer, the phone rang, causing him to pause and look towards it.

Lucy looked to the phone as well, noting the different in ring tone. Looking to Sinead, she returned Savannah to her before standing to grab it. "Hello?" Lucy answer, her voice skeptical of the mystery person on the other line. Good evening, Mrs Porter. Is your big lout of a brother home? Tell him it's regarding one Finnian Sullivan. Her blood ran cold for a moment as she turned her head to look at James, her eyes making it clear that something was wrong. Pausing, she searched for the right thing to say. Conor was taking care of business with Alex...wait. A smirk played on her lips, the dirty Romano's think they had them beat.

"I'm sorry my big lout of a brother isn't here but I'm sure anything you want to say to him you can say to me considering we have a lovely dark haired guest here. I would sure hate for anything to happen to that pretty little head of hers, nothing ruins a life like a lead bullet you know." There was venom in Lucy's voice as she said this, a prime example of her words being her own life and the experience she's had with bullets in the past. " So I think we should move on and instead of discussing what you want us to give you in exchange for Finn, how about we chat about what you will give us in exchange for Alexandra." Peter was staring at Lucy with wide eyes, already hearing something was about to go down. They had a Romano captive? Was this where everyone was? They have Finn! Lucy's face despite the severity of the situation looked rather smug, knowing that the Romano's would not be expecting the Sullivan's to be one step ahead of them.

 

[Lamia]

Rayna Caito

Lucy and James had been in Rayna's thoughts for the whole day, she was very worried. The woman pulled up to the front of Sullivan home. She sighed softly, pushing away strands of her fresh cut away. The woman stepped out of her vehicle and entered opened the door, which was unlocked. She soon found the voices of Lucy, James, Sinead, and Peter. She walked until she found the faces that belonged to them. She waved lightly, "Hey everyone." she greeted gently with a soft smile.
Misty Gray
B Bella4444

 

[Misty Gray]

Salvatore Romano

Salvatore had left Nicolo and one of the other gang members watching Finn whilst he made his call to the Sullivans out in the hallway. As Lucy spoke to him, he gripped the handle of the gun as she seemed to speak with a sense of confidence about her. Perhaps she'd inherited her cocky attitude from that mother of hers.

When Lucy made it clear they had Alex, Salvatore rubbed his chin as he suddenly had to think of a new direction. "Hmm, well that is an interesting twist..." he drily remarked. He knew he wouldn't win any favour with Vinnie if he let Alex get hurt... Quite the opposite, in fact. "Well, I must admit, I didn't think you lot had it in you to pull anything like this off. Robbing candy stores, maybe..." Salvatore let out a slight chuckle. "Well, I suppose in exchange for Finn, you can give me Alexandra. I believe that would be the most logical way of doing this. I mean, you could throw in the Emerald Pub as a bonus gift, seeing as I called you first?" he half-joked. "Let us not waste any more time. How do you want to do this, Mrs Porter?" he asked her.

James, meanwhile had rushed to Lucy's side upon realising what was going on. He stood close to her and watched closely as he tried to work out what Salvatore could be saying. Upon seeing Rayna enter the room, he sent her a friendly nod, but it was clear he had something going on.

Sinead had picked up on things too and got up to stand with Rayna and Peter, holding Savannah close. "Oh, Rayna. I think they've taken Finn," she fearfully told the Italian. She figured it went without saying that it was the Romanos to blame. She hoped they wouldn't hurt her sweet cousin, not after what he went through the last time. As she pulled Savannah in even closer, it was clear in Sinead's eyes how worried she was.

Bellz neverbackdown Lamia​

 

[Misty Gray]

Shannon Sullivan​

Earlier...​

Shannon was dressed in her off the shoulder sweater, fitted trousers and black stiletto heels. Her back rested against the black, iron drainpipe which was attached to the brick wall of the cold and dreary cellar. Her hands were tied behind her, around the drainpipe. She had a bruise on her cheekbone and a bleeding cut on the top of her forehead. Not to mention the throbbing in her stomach from being punched by one of the two dumb fuck Italians standing guard a few feet from her. Whilst pain was never a fun thing, Shannon was hardly going to let them take her without a fight, so she made sure to get a few punches in herself when they'd bundled her into the van. Not to mention biting the arm of one of the assholes. Just watching him massaging his wound brought a smile to her face. She wasn't overly concerned for her own safety, so no amount of threats to her life would affect her. She just hoped the rest of the family was safe and that they wouldn't risk their own lives to get her back.

Shannon watched one of the men as he lit up a cigarette and couldn't help but feel like she needed one herself. "Hey, Smokey!" she called out, sending the Italians a friendly smile. "I know I bit your friend's arm and punched you in the balls, but can you spare this lady a couple of drags? Be a gentleman, yeah?" she suggested. "My hands are tied. I can't do shit now," she reminded him. The man eventually relented and placed the cigarette into Shannon's mouth so she could take a couple of drags. As he took the cig back, Shannon glanced down to his feet, before lifting her foot from the ground and slamming the end of her pointed heel violently into the front of his ankle. The man instinctively screamed out in pain and slammed the back of his hand across Shannon's face. The sudden pain in her cheek shocked her a little, but it wasn't as excruciating as the pain the Italian was experiencing as he limped away to tend to his wound. Above the feeling of her throbbing cheek, she let out a small laugh. The humour fell from her face as she saw Salvatore approaching. "Considering I already heard Vinnie had been shot, I figured the dumb fuck behind this would be you."

"Shannon, it's been a while," Salvatore said, maintaining a twisted smile as he approached her. He motioned for his two men to keep their distance, though one of them seemed a little preoccupied with his injured foot anyway. "How's life treating you since that husband of yours got decorated with bullets? One of my biggest regrets in life is that I wasn't there to watch it. I heard Angel did a stellar job, God rest his soul." Salvatore looked the woman up and down before continuing. "How the Hell Emmet put up with you for so long is beyond me. Perhaps he jumped in front of those bullets just to escape you."

"Nice try, Weeny," Shannon drily remarked. Whilst she still grieved for her dear husband, nothing Salvatore or any other sack of shit could say would drag an emotional response out of her. She grieved in private and only when alone would she shed a tear for her lost love. She certainly wasn't going to change that for a man even less worthy than Vinnie. "I'm doing perfectly well. At least I know my husband loved me until the day he died. Elisabetta walked out on you. She realised she'd married an ugly little man. A fucking freak," she hissed. "You're nothing, Salvatore. You can hurt me all you want, but it won't change the fact that you'll always be nothing. Even Vinnie is more of a man than you are."

"You never could keep that mouth of yours shut, could you? After all of those years, you're still the same bitch who can't control her mouth. Do you really believe you have nothing to lose? That I have nothing to hurt you with?" he asked. Still smiling, he reached out and grabbed her by the hair before dragging her down onto the floor, causing her to bend her arms and waist in an awkward position as the rope began to dig into her wrists. "I will kill your sons and parade their heads around the city," he said, still holding her by the hair as he brought his face close to hers. "I will sell your daughters to the highest bidder. I'd get a lot for two pretty young women like Lucy and Sinead. I will destroy every member of your family - your nieces and nephews - and tell you every detail of it, every day, as you rot down here." Salvatore let go of Shannon's her and calmly stood back up. "So shut your damn mouth."

Shannon fixed her eyes on Salvatore, forcing herself not to respond to him. The thought of her family being harmed disgusted her and to speak now would only let him know he'd hit a nerve., Instead, she remained stone-faced as she stared up at him. Despite her own predicament right now, she didn't believe he had it in him to do what he threatened. She felt he'd already excelled himself by getting her. Which reminded her that if she got out of this one alive, she'd be ripping Olivia's eyes out for helping Salvatore on this one.

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter

with: James and Sinead Misty Gray ; Peter mentions: Salvatore Misty Gray Alex neverbackdown
Lucy attempted to keep the grimace of distaste from her features as Salvatore spoke with her but it was useless, she furrowed her brows together in concentration as she listened to his words, looking for any other meaning to them as he spoke. Once satisfied that he wasn't alluding to anything more, Lucy sighed and turned to look to her husband for a moment and bit lost on how they should meet with the man to get Finn back. "Well, as much as you would like me to throw in the pub as an added bonus, that's definitely not helping. You Italians have no use for an Irish pub. But I suppose we can meet at the pier to exchange them, in public so there is no funny business. Fair?" Her voice was mocking in a way, making it clear that she couldn't give a shit if this was fair to the Romano's or not. Her eyes looked from James to Peter and Sinead along with Rayna who had just arrived.

The sight of her mother in law and the news she knew they would have to reveal later made Lucy bite her lip nervously. Offering a small smile in greeting despite the situation, she then turned to Peter and covered the phone from the end that Salvatore could hear her words. "Peter, I need you to round up a few men and get them here immediately, have them pull two cars around." Peter without hesitation, nodded his head quickly before rushing out of the room to find the rest of their gang. Lucy watched the young man go before uncovering the phone and speaking again. "Pier in 30 minutes. If you agree, we will have no problems. You disagree with this meeting place and Alexandra might not make it to see another sunrise. Your choice doll." Lucy's blue eyes looked to James again and wondered if she was doing this right. It wasn't everyday that Lucy had to negotiate for a family members life.
​

 

[Misty Gray]

Salvatore Romano and James Porter​

Salvatore couldn't help but smirk when Lucy suggested he had no use for the Emerald Pub. That was part of why it was alluring to him. He and Vinnie knew how much Conor loved the place, so it was more about taking it from him than actually needing it for themselves. He wouldn't even bother to open the place or try to make profit from it. He'd simply let it stand there out of the Sullivans' reach. Now, the Irish owned cafe by the pier he had his eyes on was a profitable business and in neutral territory. That one did have a use to the Romanos and he knew Vinnie would be impressed to know they had taken it from Conor for free. But, that was to be discussed later.

"Ah, the pier. I do like to see the pier. That sounds fair to me, Mrs Porter," he casually replied. As Lucy put him 'on hold' to address Peter, Salvatore place his gun down by the telephone so he could take the final sip of his tea before waving one of his men over to relieve him of the empty china cup. "Grazie!" he told the man and then picked his gun back up. He'd been fully aware of the mocking tone to Lucy's voice and figured she was likely just as much of a bitch as Shannon was. Hopefully he'd get a chance to mess with Lucy at a later date. For now, he had plenty to work with.

When Lucy told Peter to round up some of the men to pull the cars round, Sinead looked to her bodyguard and a nervous feeling overcame her. "Be careful, Peter," she worriedly told him, despite knowing he wasn't actually doing anything dangerous. It was just the whole situation that made her feel unsettled. She was worried about Lucy and James being involved in this too. She couldn't bear to lose anymore family members.

Meanwhile, James remained by Lucy's side, a confident and reassuring aura around him. He place a firm, supportive hand on his wife's shoulder as she continued to take the reigns on this situation. He might be Conor's right-hand man and more seasoned in this kind of situation, but he trusted Lucy to be able to take control or ask for his help if she was truly unsure.


Salvatore perked up when he heard Lucy's voice again so she could deliver her demands. "Thirty minutes, at the pier. I have no problem with that, blondie. I'd hate for Alexandra to be harmed, so this will be a smooth transaction." he agreed. "However! I have a demand of my own. Nicolo and myself will bring Finn to the pier, and in return, I want it to be you and Conor who bring Alexandra. I don't want to even set eyes on James Porter. I don't give a damn if he drives you to the pier, but he waits at the entrance and you walk with Alexandra to the Ferris wheel. Do we have a deal?" he asked her. He'd hate for this to turn into a gunfight, or more accurately, he didn't want to risk the Sullivan's sniper/hitman getting a shot in after the exchange. He would be giving his men orders to kill Shannon if they didn't hear back from him in two hours' time.


Bellz
neverbackdown Lamia

​

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter

with: James and Sinead Misty Gray ; Peter ; Rayna Lamia mentions: Salvatore Misty Gray Alex neverbackdown
Lucy's nose scrunched up in distaste as Salvatore called her blondie but listened intently as he spoke. Her eyes narrowed as he spoke of a demand of his own. Lucy liked to give the demands but she didn't want to hear any from this man. Unfortunately she knew the situation they were in was far more important than her own feelings, so she sighed, not saying a word as he began to speak of his demand. No James. Her eyes narrowed even further as she wondered why the man had a problem with her husband being there. It would be Conor and herself who deliver Alexandra to the pier. Looking to James, she bit her lip knowing how upset he would be about this. Conor would be there however, he could protect her if needed. With a short pause after Salvatore spoke his peace, Lucy sighed once more. "I agree to those terms. 30 Minutes Pier. See you then." Lucy then hung up the phone before anymore could be said, leaving it at that. Turning to the Room, she set her jaw. "We exchange Alexandra for Finn in 30 minutes at the pier. " Looking to Sinead, she bit her lip. "I don't want you leaving this house without any of us..." She didn't want to leave her at the house alone either in case something were to happen. The Romano's always had some sort of trick up their sleeve.

Turning to James, she sighed. "Our condition are that we meet at the pier in 30 minutes....Conor and I will bring Alexandra to the Ferris Wheel and no one else. I need you to watch Sinead and the others. " This was bound to cause a bit of controversy, but if this was the only way to get their cousin back again, it had to be done. She trusted her older brother just as much as she trusted James. Conor hadn't killed a man yet, that was the only difference, one that could mean life or death for them both in this situation.​

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

When Lucy said they were exchanging Alex and Finn in half an hour's time, James reached to his pocket for his gun and out of habit he checked it was fully loaded. He was ready to jump into action and get Finn back. If Salvatore happened to get killed and end up in the bottom of the lake along the way, that would be a bonus. When Lucy told Sinead she didn't want her leaving the house, James nodded along in agreement. He was sure Peter could keep watch over his sister-in-law, along with their men outside guarding the house.

When his wife turned to him, James listened intently. Lucy mentioned she and Conor would be accompanying Alex... nobody else. He looked curiously to Lucy as she said he was to stay behind to watch Sinead and the others. "You really think I should stay behind?" he asked, clearly not happy with the suggestion. He glanced between Rayna and Sinead, before letting out a relenting sigh. He didn't like this one bit, but if his presence was going to jeopardise Finn's safety, he didn't have much choice. "Fine," he gave in, placing his gun down on the coffee table in submission. He lead Lucy to one side so he could speak with her out of Sinead's earshot. "You need to make sure Conor gets his shit together by the time you get to the pier. When you all get back here, you and I need to have words with Conor, because I'm not sure he can keep this family propped up for much longer. Agreed?" he asked.

James would give Lucy a kiss before letting her leave with the Sullivan men to get Conor and Alex. Once she'd gone, he turned back to Sinead and Peter, curiously observing their body language around each other for a moment. He then approached Rayna and let out a sigh. It would be clear to his mother how exhausting and emotionally challenging his day had been. She would know his and Lucy's earlier news was the primary cause. Following his relief that Alex's words about Rayna had being untrue, he was now quite glad to see his mother had made the effort to visit him. "Are you okay, mum?" he asked her. Though he wouldn't make a move to do so, Rayna might read from his face that right now he perhaps just needed a reassuring hug...

Interactions: Bellz Lamia

 

[Misty Gray]

Salvatore Romano​

The two black cars parked up across from the entrance of the pier. In the back of one, Finn had been made to sit between Salvatore and Nicolo. Before they got out of the car, Salvatore turned to Finn and sent him a sinister kind of smile. "We're going to go along the pier until we reach the Ferris wheel and you're going to walk like the three of us are the best of friends. I mean, I've quite enjoyed your company, if I'm honest," he told the Sullivan lad. "Just because we're in a public place, it doesn't mean I won't be afraid to put a bullet in your skull. So you're going to behave yourself and you're not going to speak a word to the others about me having Shannon. Right now, she's being taken elsewhere and if you say anything that could affect my plans, then it's bye bye aunt Shannon. Capisce?" he asked. "This doesn't have to be anything other than a couple of smooth business transactions, so you keep quiet and nothing bad will happen."

They walked towards the Ferris wheel, with Finn told to remain between Salvatore and Nicolo. It almost was like the three men were friends, judging by the way Salvatore whistled along and casually purchased soft drinks from one of the food stands. "Don't you just love the pier, Nicolo?" he curiously asked his nephew, handing him a drink and then making Finn take one too. When they were at the agreed meeting location, Salvatore pointed to the nearby bench so the three of them could sit down and wait. Salvatore leaned forward and looked to Finn. "So, you met my cousin Lorenzo, huh? How did you both get along? He was a nice guy, right?" he asked. To most people it would seem like a bit of small talk, but Finn and Nicolo wouldn't find anything casual about their memories from the night Lorenzo messed with Finn's head.



Bellz neverbackdown

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter

with: Salvatore, Conor Misty Gray ;Alexandra neverbackdown mentions:
Lucy knew that James would not be happy with staying behind to take care of those who would stay safe at home, but it was what needed to happen. Lucy just stared at her husband with a knowing expression, making it clear to him that they had no choice if he stayed or not. Salvatore would not meet under different terms and although all red flags seemed to be going up inside of her mind about that small detail, there was no getting around it. She sighed as well when he relented and pulled her off to the side. She nodded intently as he explained what she needed to do with Conor. Her brother would be falling apart at the moment and they both knew this from the look on his face at the apartment and the reaction he had with Alex. This would be a difficult mission for him and she would do everything she could to make sure he pulled through. "Agreed. I love you." She murmured to him and let him pull her in for a kiss, which she returned passionately. Once released Lucy looked to her family again before smiling softly and nodding her head in goodbyes as she moved out the door with the rest of her families men.

Lucy had a responsibility that depended on her to make sure her brother and her cousin got out of this safely. Her heart raced and her nerves bundled even further as she slid into the passenger seat of the car, letting one of the men drive as she gave directions to the apartment.

***
The transition between leaving her home and retrieving her brother and Alexandra had gone fairly smoothly. Sending Cormac home, she was now seated in the car with her brother and Alexandra in the back seat, along with another one of their men. Lucy turned into the parking lot of the pier and parked quickly not wanting to waste anytime perfecting her parking job or even making sure she was in an actual space. Throwing the car into park, she moved to open her door and stepped out quickly. Watching her brother and Alexandra step out, she sighed softly. Turning to the two men who had been in the car with her, she nodded ahead of them, "Scope out the area, act casual and don't approach us until we have Finnian in our grasp." With a hard nod, the two burly irishmen who were loyal to the Sullivan name scurried off towards the pier. Once they were out of sights, Lucy looked to Conor and Alex. Holding out her arm to her brother, she let him loop his arm through her own before forcing her arm to loop through Alex's. "Let's try to be a civil about this as possible okay? we are in public.." To the Romano's this probably meant nothing of importance...but Lucy would protect the innocent from their families drama as much as she could control.

With the two on each arm, Lucy made a beeline for the pier and the Ferris wheel that they had agreed to meet at. The gun in her thigh holster weighed heavily on her leg as she thought about having to end another person's life again. She would avoid it at all costs. These were not the people she wanted dead. The Romano's and Finn came into her sights and her heart raced again. It angered her that her cousin had been placed back into a dangerous situation. Luckily, they had Alex. Lucy stopped a few feet in front of them. "Lovely weather for a day at the pier hmm?" Lucy asked smoothly as her eyes locked on Salvatore.

(Finn will be coming soon )​

 

[Misty Gray]

Salvatore Romano and Conor Sullivan​

Conor had been shocked when Lucy arrived and told them about Finn. The one time he thought he'd outsmarted the Romanos and they'd already balanced out the odds, as far as he knew. Obviously, he would find out the odds were in fact firmly in the Romanos' favour. He didn't hesitate to go along with Lucy and do what was agreed to get Finn back safe. There was also a part of him that felt relief to be able to let Alex go free too. During the car journey, Conor turned to Alex and for a while he struggled to speak, until he finally managed to get at least a few words out. "I'm sorry, Alex. For all of this..." he dejectedly apologised. It would be clear to both Lucy and Alex that something had gone - the spark in his eyes and attitude seemed lost. He was a mess and even he knew the Romanos were going to walk all over him.

Conor had never believed he was ready and able to take over Emmet's position, so right now it was all being confirmed to him and likely those around him,

When they finally reached Salvatore, Nicolo and his dear cousin, Finn, Conor was relieved to see the man was in one piece. He listened as Lucy spoke up, seeing she clearly had a better handle on this situation than he did. "Finn, mate. Are you okay?" he asked his cousin, voice full of concern.

Salvatore set his drink down on the floor and stood up when Lucy addressed him. "The weather is perfect, blondie," he told her, a bright smile on his face. He motioned for Finn to rejoin his family and beckoned Alex to stand by Nicolo. As she did, Salvatore caught sight of her bruised face as well as her injured wrists and lifted her right hand into view, briefly inspecting the marks from the ropes. "Hmm, well that's not very nice," he muttered, briefly eyeing Conor, before releasing Alex's arm. "You will find Finn is in one piece," he noted. He wasn't about to make a song and dance about Alex's injuries, considering what he'd already done to Shannon.

"Now that's all taken care of, how about part two?" Salvatore asked. His eyes started off fixed on Conor, but then moved to Lucy, seeing her as the more reasonable or intelligent in this situation. "I still want the Emerald Pub and that nice little cafe you've got by the pier. I won't be handing cash over for it, of course..."

"You're not getting anything from us. You f-" Conor angrily began. The pub had great personal meaning to Conor and he knew the Romanos were trying to get at him through it.

"Now, now," Salvatore held his hand up and was pleased to see Conor temporarily silenced. The Italian looked back to Lucy. At the same time, he slowly reached into his front trouser pocket, allowing the Sullivans to realise he wasn't reaching for a weapon. Instead, he pulled out a gold wedding ring and very carefully placed it onto Lucy's hand. If she didn't recognise it straight away, the engraving of her parents' names would make it clear the ring belonged to Shannon. A sheepish smile grew on Salvatore's face and he casually shrugged his shoulders. He trusted things would be clear enough. "So, about the pub and the cafe? I already have the contracts drawn up, ready for you guys to sign," he said, sending Conor a look. "I've even managed to drag your family's trusted lawyer out of his home to oversee the contract signing."

"If you've done anything to my mother, I will kill you," Conor furiously threatened. He couldn't believe they'd managed to get Shannon and that he'd simply assumed she'd been safely working away from the city. Yet again, the Romanos had the upper hand and Conor had ruined things with Alex for apparently nothing. He knew he had no choice in the current matter. He loved his pub, but nowhere near the level he of how much he cared about his mother. He turned to Lucy, trying to gauge her thoughts on this. As far as he was concerned, they had no choice but to give the two businesses to the Romanos so they could get their mother home safely.


Bellz neverbackdown

(I figured I'd get this out to help us reach the end of the chapter soon...)

 

[neverbackdown]

Alexandra and Nicolo Romano

Nicolo was a mixture of furious and worried when he heard the Sullivans had taken his sister, he was the most angry at himself however remembering the fight he had with his sister before she left the house. Nicolo has accused her of sleeping with the enemy and yet she had been taken by them.

Nicolo walked with Finn between himself and his uncle a smile on his face as he turned to face his uncle “oh the pier is great” he beamed before turning to look towards the Ferris wheel. When Lorenzo was mentioned, Nicolo froze slightly remembering the events from that day, the regret he felt for Finn was still present


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

Alexandra wasn’t surprised that Finn had already been taken and had expected something along the lines of this to happen. However that didn’t stop her worrying about what her uncle may have done to Finnian. Alex still remembered the state Finn had been found in last year when Lorenzo had taken him and Alex just hoped they weren’t going to see something similar. She was dragged from her thoughts when she heard Conor speak to her, Alex turned her head to look at him bit couldn’t get herself to speak, she had nothing to say to him. Alex gave him a slow nod before turning her head away again. She couldn’t see him not now, yet she couldn’t help but feel as though this was their last time together.

When Salvatore motioned for Alex to stand beside Nicolo, She did so without hesitation. Nicolo couldn’t take his eyes of her face but when Salvatore held up her wrist and examined it, Nicolo felt sick with rage. His little sister looked in pain and dead behind the eyes and it took everything he had in him not the kill the two Sullivans in front of him. Nicolo carefully wrapped his arm around his sister holding her close as he Salvatore continued to speak.

Misty Gray Bellz

(Sorry it’s so bad, I wanted to get a quick post up before work )

 

[Bellz]

Finn Sullivan

with: Salvatore + Conor Misty Gray ;Alexandra + Nicolo neverbackdown mentions:
Finn's time with the Romano's hadn't been nearly as terrible as before. He still didn't like being held against his will and it was a huge downer, but he was smart enough not to complain with Salvatore. Finn was obedient, especially when he heard that his Aunt Shannon was now involved in this situation. He wondered where the hell she was being held as he was forced to hold a soft drink and walk along these people as if they were friends. Finn attempted not to sneer as Salvatore revealed he enjoyed his company, fighting the urge to say that he would enjoy anything else besides his company. Salvatore mentioned Lorenzo, and Finn's heart was sent into overdrive as his nerves began to bundle. The memory of his time with the other Romano was too painful to think about. Anxiously, Finn awaited his cousin's arrival, perking up when he finally saw Conor, Alex and Lucy all walking arm and arm towards them. Lucy released her grip on Alex and let her walk forward back into the safety of her family, Finn's eyes caught Salvatore motioning for him to head back to his own family. His legs couldn't have carried him any more quickly across the space between him and his family. But once he was over to them, he answered Conor's concerned question. "Now I am, mate." Finn offered a happy go lucky smile, but it failed to meet his eyes.


Lucy Porter

with: Salvatore + Conor Misty Gray ;Alexandra + Nicolo neverbackdown mentions:
Lucy released Alexandra to return with her family and was relieved when Finn scurried over to them. Her arms lifted and she pulled her cousin in for a tight and relieved embrace before she turned her attention unwillingly back to Salvatore, who unfortunately didn't seem satisfied with the trade off that had just taken place. Her eyes widened slightly as Salvatore revealed he still wanted the Emerald and the cafe, both places were dear to the Sullivan name and she knew how much the pub meant to her brother. A smirk formed on her lips as she was preparing herself to decline his low life offer. A laugh bubbled on her lips as her brother responded angrily to the fact that he may have to give up his pub. It was immediately halted when the man held up his hands, trying to sooth the situation momentarily as his hand snaked down to his trouser pocket. Lucy's hand immediately reached to her left thigh, ready to pull her own weapon as her heart thudded in her chest. Relief was seen on her face as she figured out he wasn't pulling out a weapon. It was soon covered with confusion as a gold object caught the light and winked at her. Lucy's palm reached out as Salvatore gestured that he was handing her the object and the cool metal of the ring was almost a shock to her.

It was her mother's wedding ring and the delicate gold ring weighed a thousand pounds in her hand as she realized where her mother was now. Conor reacted first, furious words and threats spewing from his lips. Lucy stared at Salvatore and couldn't help but wonder if this man was even worse than Vinnie. It was hard to imagine but the amount of thought and expertise that had gone into this plan seemed to exceed Vinnie's usual style. Lucy's fist closed around her mothers ring before she shoved it into her coat pocket. "You take her to us first and then we will sign. I'm not trusting you kept your slimy hands off of her. " Lucy knew that she could have fought this to her grave, to her mother's grave if she wasn't careful. She wanted to fight this, for her brother's sake. Her eyes turned to look at Conor for a moment, the look on her face making it clear that she was determined to get their only surviving parent back in one piece but she would have to hurt him in the process.

​

 

[Misty Gray]

Salvatore Romano and Conor Sullivan​

Salvatore pretended to think over Lucy's request to see Shannon first. He eventually nodded his head and pointed down the pier to the exit. "I will take you to see her, but until those contracts are signed, you only look. Deal?"

"Deal," Conor impatiently answered. "Just take us there now and stop fucking about."

"I heard about your temper, big guy. Are you going to kiss your mother with that mouth?" Salvatore teased Conor. He then shook his head and took a step to start walking. "Come on, everyone. The place we're going is just a few minutes away. Public enough too, so no funny business. I know what you Irish lot are like."

Conor stuck close to Finn and Lucy. Despite his own broken state, he'd managed to catch the fact Finn's smile wasn't a genuine one and that his cousin was unsurprisingly troubled. He hoped he would be able to provide Finn with strength after this business was over, though right now he knew he was even failing himself on that front.

After leaving the pier, the group of six would continue past the very cafe Salvatore wished to take from Conor. A little further down the street they stopped outside a Chinese takeaway. Though the business was lit up, the sign on the door read "Closed". With a turn of the key, Salvatore opened the door and stepped inside first, allowing the others to enter behind him. There was only one other person visible in the takeaway and that was Samuel Peterson, the Sullivan Family's trusted lawyer. The man sat quietly at one of the tables, with the contract papers neatly set out in front of him. He looked up and sent the Sullivans a friendly nod. Though unharmed, it was clear Samuel knew what was happening and that he fully expected to be overseeing the signing of contracts he'd read over. Long story short, was the Romanos would get the two businesses for free.

"Blondie, you wished to see your mother," Salvatore spoke up. "Only on my word will she be let out of the kitchen alive. So don't get any ideas." He pointed towards the double doors which led into the kitchen. There were round windows in each door which would allow her to look into the room, but both doors were bolted shut from the other side. Conor followed behind Lucy and when they peered through the window, they saw Shannon tied to a chair with two heavily armed Romano goons standing either side of her. Salvatore stood on his tiptoes so he could briefly look over Lucy's shoulder to glimpse what she could see. Shannon's face was bloodied and bruised, along with a swollen, cut lip. Otherwise, Shannon looked okay - exhausted and furious, but okay. "Your mother is quite the fighter. Managed to injure a couple of my men. Hence, anything done with her was out of retaliation. Did Emmet have this much trouble controlling her? He really should have taught the woman some manners, if I'm being honest. He was weak..."

Conor suddenly turned around and grabbed Salvatore by the collar, slamming his back against the wall. He was ready to hit the man. To beat the living daylights out of him. That was, until Salvatore smiled and tilted his head towards the kitchen, to remind him of Shannon's current predicament. Reluctantly, Conor released Salvatore and took a couple of steps back as he breathed deeply to compose himself. "When this is all done, you will pay for this, Salvatore." Conor's eyes briefly caught Alex's. He wondered what could possibly be going through her mind right now.

"Sign the damn contracts, Sullivan," Salvatore ordered him. He then approached Nicolo and patted his nephew on the shoulder. "Keep a close eye on Lucy and Finn. Especially Lucy. I don't trust her," he told him.

Conor glanced to the table where he was expected to sign two of his businesses away. Before making a move in that direction, he returned to Lucy and spoke quietly. He knew what he had to do but he just wanted his sister's approval or reassurance he was right to give in. "I don't like giving in to them, but I have to sign those papers. Our mum is more important than money and right now we have no other choice. We have nothing to fight them with. I'm done with the pub," he told her. He then bit his lip as he spoke his next ominous words. "I'm done with everything after tonight." Though ominous, Lucy may well at least understand what he meant and perhaps it would tie in to the discussion James wished to have later. James knew Conor was struggling to keep control of the family business and it couldn't continue that way for much longer.


Bellz neverbackdown

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter

with: Salvatore + Conor Misty Gray ;Alexandra + Nicolo neverbackdown mentions:
Lucy stayed silent as her brother hastily agreed to the deal that they would be only able to see their mother until the contract was signed. Lucy would have disagreed with the deal, perhaps tried to work around it somehow, there had to be a loophole; but Conor wanted their mother back immediately. She couldn't deny that she wanted the same. A dull ache settling in her chest as she thought about what her mother could have possibly been going through the few days she's been away, on business. Setting her jaw, Lucy quickly followed Salvatore. Her hand found her brother's and she squeezed it tightly, willing him to breathe and concentrate on his temper. Conor was at his breaking point, Lucy could see the very thin thread that he held and it was about to snap.

The area they were taken too was public, like Salvatore had mentioned. Lucy glared at the sign on the window and her own reflection. Salvatore definitely didn't want James here because he knew her husband would have blew his head off without a second thought. She wished he was here now, it was much more difficult conducting business without him around, both emotionally and professionally; he saw things they didn't, to put it simply. Her eyes happened upon their family lawyer, who nodded their way. Lucy felt sick as Salvatore lead them to see their mother. Lucy paused with hesitation as he pointed to the small round kitchen window, but curiosity quickly took its toll and her feet carried her to peer through it. Covering her mouth quickly with one hand Lucy saw her mother looking weaker than she had ever seen in her life. It was a no brainer that Lucy had looked up to her mother, who was loyal to both her husband and her family. Her mother was the mother Lucy wanted to be, but now was temporarily halted from being. She thought about how much she needed her mother all those hours ago, after finding out the news in the hospital. The tables turned quickly and now her mother needed her. Lucy's fists clenched as she felt warm breath briefly on her neck as Salvatore spoke, the vile words that spewed from his lips causing her to shake with momentary rage. Once again, her brother reacted before she could ever dream of doing so. Turning away from her battered mother, she saw Conor grab the man by the collar and throw him up again the wall. "Conor!" Lucy shouted out slightly, watching as Finn scrambled forward to help calm his cousin. Lucy was upset and she wanted nothing more than to see Salvatore beat up by her brother but they had to approach this carefully. They did not have the upper hand any longer. Luckily her brother snapped out of his raged state and released the Romano.

The blonde turned to her brother as he approached her now, curious eyes wondering what he wanted to ask. As he spoke, Lucy couldn't help but get a sense that he was leaving this all up to her and James now. I'm done with everything after tonight. Those words seemed to take her breath away, her brother who had fought tooth and nail to get to where he was now, was ready to give up his position it seemed. Lucy's eyes watered as she wondered where they had all failed Conor somehow, because in her eyes, she saw a young man who didn't have all the right tools to become great. Lucy looked back towards where their mother was being held as she thought back to what her father would have done. Lucy had heard many different things about their own father, somethings that her siblings didn't know. He was a man of many faces it would seem, but she would always remember the family man. "Father always said that family was the most important thing in his world. I'm sure given the choice, he would have given up so much for us at the hands of these idiots." Her eyes sought out Salvatore, who she glared at. "Men who don't understand the meaning of family see a family man as weak. But they are the strongest of men in my opinion."

"We are better than them, better than this, better than the Emerald." Lucy finalized for her brother. "I am done with this. If we have to leave our most precious of possessions in the grasps of these monsters in order to get our mother back, do it. She's more important than anything we could ever have, because she's family." Lucy would look around to stare at each of the Romano's making it perfectly clear where she stood. Lucy was ready to wash her hands clean of this feud, and if giving up the Emerald and the cafe was the way to do it, it had to be done.​

 

[Misty Gray]

Salvatore Romano, Conor Sullivan and Shannon Sullivan​

Conor listened to his sister as she spoke about what their father would have done. It made him feel a little better to know Emmet would have done the same and that he wasn't being weak by not fighting the Romanos on this. There was no other way he could get his mother out of this alive. All he could do was give Salvatore what he wanted. When Lucy had finished speaking, Conor placed a kiss on her forehead before nodding his head, now with more certainty in his mind. "We're going to get mum out of this," he assured her, before making his way to the table where the paperwork awaited him.

"Samuel..." Conor greeted his lawyer, giving him a firm handshake before taking a seat opposite him and taking the time to read the contract. He trusted Samuel to have gone through it in detail, but if he was going to sign anything he would make sure he'd read the words with his own eyes.

Salvatore walked over to Lucy as he waited for Conor to catch up with the paperwork. "Interesting you preach about the meaning of family when you gunned down Alex's and Nicolo's mother." He shrugged his shoulders. "Family is the best thing in the world, until it gets in the way... How is that a strong man?" he asked, pointing to Conor. "I'm surprised he even knows to tie his own shoelaces... But do you know who I feel sorry for? That poor daughter of Angel's. She had no choice but to be born into a life of mediocrity and to grow up weak, like her silly mother and the rest of you."

"Romano!" Conor called out as he finished signing his name on all three copies of the contract. "Your turn," he said, holding out the pen. Salvatore walked over to the table, snatched the pen and leaned over to sign his own name in all of the relevant boxes. He then handed the pen to Samuel so he could finalise things. Conor glared at the Italian, his eyes practically piercing through the man's skull. "You do realise you can't do fuck all with the Emerald? It will have no value to you."

"You're right, Conor," Salvatore began, smirking as he stood up straight. "I will happily just let it stand there, rotting away into nothingness. I don't need or want it, if I'm being completely honest. I just don't want you to have it. Piece by piece, I will chip away at you and your family name until you have nothing. In fact, you'll be begging the Romanos to buy you out of this city." Salvatore was about to take his copy of the contract when he realised Samuel had both hands placed firmly on the piles of paperwork. The lawyer motioned to the kitchen doors to make it clear Shannon was to be released before the Italian could get his claws on the contracts.

Salvatore obliged, asking the two goons to untie Shannon and unlock the kitchen doors so she could go free. The Italian then returned to Samuel and snatched his copy of the contract. "Alright, Sullivans, get the fuck out of here. And Conor, clean your crap out of the pub by noon tomorrow. Don't worry about getting the keys to me - I'll have the locks change myself. Absolute pleasure doing business with you!" he taunted.

Salvatore waited for the Sullivans and the lawyer to leave, before he turned to his niece and nephew. "Well, that was a successful evening!" he observed. He then focused his attention on Alex and carefully took both of her hands, lifting her arms towards him so he could take a closer look at her injuries. "What did they do to you? You need to tell me what happened and who was involved," he told her. "I won't let them get away with it and I know Vincenzo will want their blood for this."

Conor hadn't even taken his copy of the paperwork, figuring Samuel would file it where needed. His focus was on his mother and as soon as the kitchen doors were opened, he rushed to his feet. He gave Shannon a hug and a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm so sorry we didn't get to you sooner," he apologised. Seeing his usually strong mother looking hurt and exhausted was one of the worst sights for him.

Once released from her son's embrace, Shannon looked to Lucy and pulled her eldest daughter in for a tight hug. "Luce, I'm so glad you're okay. All of you..." Her voice was hoarse from the thirst and slightly weaker than usual. In the back of mind, she hoped everyone was okay and nobody else had been harmed. When Salvatore told them to leave the place, Shannon's head whipped around to face him and she released her daughter from the hug. "You will pay for this, you filthy little sack of shit," she furiously warned him. "I won't rest until I'm standing over your rotting corpse."

When the Sullivans were outside, Shannon leaned against the wall and only when out of Salvatore's sight did she acknowledge the pain she was in. There was a cut along her hairline at the side of her forehead which had been bleeding down her face enough for her to expect it would need stitches. "Finnian, love. I think you're going to be stuck helping your poor aunt out tonight," she told him, trying to force her usual dry attitude through into her shaken voice. "My fucking ribs hurt like Hell too, but I don't think anything's broken." Shannon noticed the fury in Conor's face gradually building the more she spoke, so she decided she didn't want to add to his temper right now. "Right now, I want to go home and lay on my bed, whilst I drink and smoke myself to sleep," she remarked. Her hand trembled as she reached into her pockets to find she had no cigarettes on her.

Conor took one last look over his shoulder and into the takeaway. His eyes fixed solely on Alex for a time. His heart felt heavy as he got the strong feeling everything they'd had together for the last eleven months was now over. As it sank in, it hit him that it was more than a feeling. He knew he'd messed up and there was no going back from this. Everything he'd had with Alex was now lost and by his own doing.

************
​

As he pulled into the driveway of the Sullivan home, Conor couldn't help but get an unsettling feeling. He soon came to the conclusion it was due to the events of the last 24 hours weighing heavy on his mind. Between Vinnie being shot, Luca attacking Leo, Shannon and Finn being taken by the Romanos and Conor himself having Alex kidnapped... how could he possibly feel anything but unsettled? When he got out of the car, Conor opened the door for Shannon and took her hand to help her out of the vehicle. "Finn, mate. Would you be able to take my mum upstairs and check on that cut?" he asked, seeing the head wound was still bleeding and his mother looked very pale. He then cleared his throat and walked by Lucy's side. "How about you, me and James have that conversation right away?" he suggested. As they entered the house it finally hit Conor that there was a distinct lack of security in that moment and perhaps that was what had been making him feel so uncomfortable. "Luce, where did everyone go?" he suspiciously asked. One thing he'd been sure and forceful about today was that nobody was to leave the house, especially not Sinead and the rest of their cousins...


Bellz (Lucy and Finn) neverbackdown (Alex and Nicolo) (Cormac could also be returning home?)

 

[Enzyme]

Nikolai Kuznetsov

​

Nikolai had been anticipating the arrival of the family. He had sent a few Russians to overlook the transaction, but nothing had been reported back to him. He rested in the family chair, as he had done many months ago, with James standing by his side. In his hand was a glass of straight vodka, most likely taken from the pantry in the kitchen, evident by the familiar glass belonging to the family's set. Two Russian soldiers stood by his side as well. They weren't as heavily armed as the family was accustom to. They were only armed with pistols, which were primarily kept away. It was clear Nikolai had no intentions to intimidate the vulnerable family, instead appearing as more of an ally.

When the family stepped through the door, he remained seated in the poorly lit room. "I'm glad you all made it home alive." His thick Russian accent cut through the air, leaving no imagination as to who was sitting in the dark. "Jesus," he said, looking to Shannon's injured silhouette. "Помогите бедной женщине наверху," He ordered his men, who immediately moved to help Shannon up the stairs.

As his eyes slid to Conor, he rested the glass on the table next to him and stood up off the chair. He then slowly moved over to Conor as the skylight revealed a little bit more of his features. "You're struggling, comrade. There's no shame in that. To be a leader, you must be bold, strong, and wise. You don't lack any boldness or strength from what i've seen, but you're too young to hold wisdom. That comes with experience and you were left in a position that you just weren't old enough for, to no fault of your own."

He rested his hand on Conor's shoulder to comfort him, almost like a mentor would do. “The Romanos have become more of a pester than anyone could've foreseen. With Salvatore in town, the family will only grow more fearless. It is time for the Romanos to end."

Misty Gray Bellz neverbackdown

 

[neverbackdown]

Alexandra and Nicolo Romano

Nicolo held his little sister close to his side as Salvatore talked to the Sullivans, a smirk taking over his features for a short time when Salvatore handed them Shannon’s ring. At first Nicolo didn’t really see the point in having Shannon but looking down at Alex, he was glad that they had her, he just wished Salvatore hadn’t given it away so soon.

Alex looked over Finn as she stood beside her brother, her eyes examined every square inch of him to see what state he was in. She was glad that he seemed to be relatively okay and was in a lot better shape than the last time her family had taken him. She breathed out a silent breath of relief before letting her head hang slightly as she leaned into her brother, allowing him to support her weight. When her uncle mentioned the Emerald and Cafe, Alex lifted her head, a confused look on her face but her eyes widened in horror when she realized that her uncle also had Shannon. She was surprised to say the least and was slowly coming to the conclusion that her uncle was worse than her father.
................................

When Conor angrily picked up Salvatore, Alex looked at him for a second before slowly making her way towards the kitchen to see their mother. Looking at the state of Shannon, Alex gasped and placed her hand over her mouth in shock. So all the torturing had been left for Shannon? That’s why Finn looked unharmed?. She turned back around and quietly watched the intereaction between Conor and Lucy. As Conor signed the documents, Alex’s heart hurt to see how broken he was. She knew how much the pub meant to him and the burn was only heightened when her uncle suggested leaving the pub to rot.
As Shannon was released Nicolo smirked at the pair, he found the whole situation to be somewhat amusing, it would have been hilarious had Alex not been caught up in it. Nicolo laughed when Conor threatened to get their uncle “how on earth do you suppose to do that?” He asked “your family are nothing anymore, well done Conor you ran your father’s business into the ground” he told him before looking around the take-away, his eyes lingering on each off them for a second. When they left Nicolo turned his attention solely on Alexandra as he brushed her hair out of her face to look at the bruise and small cut “in so sorry for earlier” he told her referring to the fight they had earlier “are you ok?”

Alex listened to her brother and Salvatore taunting the Sullivans and watched quietly as Shannon was released and the three left. Her eyes watched Conor walk away and she knew that was the last time she was going to see him. Whatever was left of her heart, Shattered in that moment and left her with a gaping hole in her chest, the heartbreak was worse than the physically pain she was feeling as tears began to roll down her cheeks. She turned back when her uncle gently grabbed her arms and her brother examined her face “ive been better” she replied with a half smile but it never reached her eyes. Alex looked at her wrists and sighed “that happened when I was trying to get out of the ropes” she bit her lip as a small smirk took over her face “apparently I’m very lippy” she laughed referring to her face as she tried to brush it off as though she was unaffected by what happened but one look at her eyes would tell you exactly how she felt. Alex blinked back tears as she was asked who was involved “some Irish cousin, Cormac was his name, he was the only one there” she told them. Alex left Conor’s name out of the conversation as even after what he had done, there was still a part of her that loved him. While James was the one who had tried to emotionally torture her, they had made up in the end and he was right , the two did have an understanding and so she didn’t want to see him hurt. She meant what she had said to him, he had been the most messed up by her family and Alex was not going to cause him anymore pain. “Can we go home now?” She asked as her voice started to get weak again

Misty Gray (Conor and Salvatore and Shannon)
Bellz (Finn and Lucy)

Cormac Sullivan ​

Cormac had been surprised to See Lucy arrive back with some of the goons. He believed she was back with backup to try and get them to let go of Alexandra and he was ready to fight her on it but her words shocked him. They had gotten Finn? Cormac was surprised to say the least, he hadn’t expected the Romano’s to act so fast. He smirked at Alex as Conor and Lucy led her out of the room “don’t miss me too much” he called to her with a laugh to which Alex scoffed but ignored him, she was too in shock to think of a reply not that she cared anyway.

When they had left, Cormac cleaned up the room, gathering the ropes and placing the chairs back in place before leaving and locking the door behind him. He drove the car they had used earlier back to the garage before walking back to the Sullivan household.
Cormac entered the house and heard a Russian accent, with a raised eyebrow he made his way towards the voice and looked at the man standing in front of him before looking at a Conor “friends?” He asked his cousin

Enzyme
Misty Gray
Bellz

​

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter and Finn Sullivan

with: Conor + Shannon + James Misty Gray ; Nikolai Enzyme mentions:
Lucy nodded her head firmly again to make sure her brother understood that she approved of this decision, not that she had much of a choice in the matter at the moment. Watching Conor move to the table, she shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably before she heard Salvatore's words. The struck a chord in her to saw the least and she spun around quickly, ready to come up with something to get him to zip his lip. Her eyes expressed the rage she felt and her hands twitch, ready to grab the gun strapped to her person and use it on this pompous asshole. He was entirely too smug for someone who was going to lose. Salvatore spoke of her brother and she snapped. "Listen here you sniveling little man. Conor is more of a leader than you could ever think to be. You talk a big game for someone who isn't even in charge of anything. Last time I checked your brother was in charge." Lucy would have said more, but her brother interrupted her fire. Lucy snapped her mouth shut and turned to where her mother was being held. A laugh escaped the blonde woman as she overheard Salvatore gloat about how her family would beg his to buy them out. "There is a word for people like you Salvatore....oh god what is it.." Lucy pursed her lips and looked his way, "Delusional."

Lucy followed her brother to their mother once the doors were opened, practically running behind him. The shock of seeing her mother in such a state really set Lucy off, her tears that she extinguished earlier returned with full force and she moved to cover her mouth again, watching as Conor hugged their mother. Once it was her turn to greet her, Lucy tried not to fall into her mother's arms. She had been anxiously awaiting her return, not even thinking she was in any sort of danger. A small sigh escaped her as her mother expressed that she was glad they were all okay, always so selfless. Salvatore's irritating voice told them to get the fuck out and her mother whipped her head around quickly. A smirk arose on Lucy's lips, happy to see her mother had some fire still left in her.

"We wouldn't want to stay in this dump willingly." Lucy added to her mother's words before they all left the premises. Finn trailed behind them all and was attentive to Shannon as soon as they were out of the place and she showed just how much pain she was in. "Don't worry Auntie Shan, I don't mind, its been a bit of a crazy day for me as well. We can get through it together and I'll patch you up nicely." With that, Finn carefully helped Shannon into a standing position.

Lucy turned to look to Conor and saw him looking back at the takeaway. Most likely at Alex. With Finn helping their mother, Lucy wrapped her arm around Conor and leaned into him. Knowing how hard it was to lose the love of your life, she would be there for him if needed.

* * *
When they arrived home, Lucy felt off. All she wanted to do was curl up for the night and rest, perhaps curl up with her mum in bed and spend some time with her. But all those plans were thrown out the window when Lucy noticed the lack of men around. She had taken back up with her earlier that now followed them home, but there was more Sullivan guards than that. As they walked up to the house, Conor asked Finn to help Shannon. "Of course, I'll get straight to work, mate." He murmured to him before they all walked through the door. Lucy tried not to look on edge as they entered the house and was greeted by silence. Not even her dogs were around. Lucy heard Conor's question but before she could answer him or call out to her husband, a Russian accent caught her off guard, causing her to jump slightly in alarm. Her heart raced as she looked to the lounge and her hand when to her weapon. One look to James and she stood down, unsure if these people were still allies or not, she trusted her husbands judgement.

Nikolai spoke truth of what he said to Conor, something that both herself and James have come to realize. Lucy had a vague idea about what the conversation would be about between the three of them. Conor was a man Lucy would always look up to, just like she had with her father, he was far from a failure in her eyes. A smirk came to the blonde's lips as Nikolai spoke of ending the Romano's now. "And how do we end them?" Lucy asked, looking at the man, wondering what Nikolai had thought of that her family did not.​

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivans/Porters​

James stood by Nikolai's side. With his gun peacefully rested on the coffee table and his arms casually folded; his body language would hopefully reassure the family if the Russian's own words didn't. Whilst he waited for the Sullivans to return home, James had maintained a straight face despite the many thoughts going through his head. Mostly, he was hoping they would get Finn home safe and that Conor wouldn't doing anything rash with the Romanos involved. He was also figuring out in his head how best to approach bringing up the fact he believed this was all too much for the Sullivan boss - unaware Conor himself had reached the same realisation by now.

James knew the Russians were not present to cause trouble for the family, and he knew Sinead, Savannah and the rest were all safely out of the way in other rooms of the house. With that in mind, he was able to send Lucy a brief, reassuring smile when she appeared alarmed upon entering the room. He was glad to see she stood down and acknowledged this wasn't a hostile visit. James' attention was then drawn to his mother-in-law, who he thought was working away. Evidently, she hadn't manage to get far out of the city and no doubt the Romanos were behind the injuries she was displaying. He tightened his jaw as he held back on demanding to know what had happened and who had hurt her, figuring he could ask those questions later. He looked curiously to Nikolai, both surprised and pleased to see the Russian's concern for her. He was glad to see the other two Russians help Finn take Shannon upstairs for treatment.

*****​

When he first heard Nikolai's voice, Conor instinctively clenched his fists as he recalled the Russian's previous visit, which was far from friendly. As he stepped forward and got a closer look, Conor noticed the other two Russians weren't heavily armed. Even more surprising, he saw James was standing by Nikolai in a pretty casual manner. When the unexpected visitors then proceeded to assist Shannon, Conor stood in a stunned silence for a time. After everything that had gone on in one day, he had to question if his mind was playing tricks on him. He relaxed and glanced to Lucy, seeing she didn't look so worried either.

Conor looked back to Cormac as his cousin asked if Nikolai was a friend. "I'm not sure..." he suspiciously replied. He looked back ahead and caught the reassuring nod James sent his way.

As Nikolai got up and approached him, Conor stood tall and tensed his posture, unsure what to expect from the other man. Then, there was something strangely reassuring in the way the man addressed him. Even the Russians could clearly see Conor was struggling and the younger man slowly nodded his head to confirm Nikolai was correct. Perhaps it had been a long day, but the way the Russian spoke to him and even told him the whole mess wasn't his fault hit Conor deep. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the man's understanding, but he was just surprised and confused by it all.

Conor relaxed as the man placed his hand on his shoulder. Why was Nikolai being nice to him? He firmly nodded his head and untensed his muscles as conversation turned to the Romanos. Clearly, Conor's family weren't the only ones growing tired of the Italians. It gave him some confidence simply to hear they weren't alone in this war. "I couldn't agree more," he finally spoke up. He looked to Lucy as she asked the question of how they would end the Romanos. "We all want to take the Romanos down. I want to get rid of Vinnie and Salvatore for good, but Lucy;'s right. How do you propose we do that?"

James unconsciously glanced down to his gun. With talk of taking the Romanos down and the presence of the powerful Russians, there was a strange sense of hope drawn from the prospect of finally being able to take Vinnie down. After everything that had happened, it would be an early Christmas present to see the Romano boss dead. However, James was certain that Conor would struggle to do the job, despite all of the pain the Romanos had caused him. It wasn't a bad quality, but he genuinely believed Conor didn't have it in his big heart to take another person's life. If he did, he was sure he would have killed before now.


Enzyme Bellz neverbackdown

((I'll post Shannon and the Romanos later. I need food!))

 

[Misty Gray]

Salvatore Romano

Salvatore sent a warm smile to Alex when she told him she'd been better. She was alive, talking and giving weak smiles, so that was good enough by his books. She wasn't dead, so that was certainly a bonus. She explained the marks on her arms were from trying to get out of the ropes, which sounded perfectly plausible. When she made her remark about being lippy, he nodded his head and chuckled. "Well, we all already knew that, Alexandra. That's why you're my favourite niece, remember?" he assured her. He could see in her eyes that she was troubled by the night's events, but that was to be expected. The fact was, she was alive and relatively uninjured, so she'd get over it. He certainly wasn't about to shower his niece with affection and reassurance. She would have to learn to deal with it rather than have people lick her wounds for her and make her weak. As far as he was concerned, that kind of behaviour was a Sullivan trademark, hence why they were all so weak.

"Cormac, hmm?" he repeated when Alex told him who had hurt her. "I've not heard about that one before, but I'll be sure to do some research now I'm aware of him." When Alex asked if they could go home, he nodded his head. He could hear the weakness in her voice and let out a sigh. "You'll get over this, my dear niece. In this case, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Use what happened tonight to remind you of why the Sullivans are the enemy. No more lecturing your father and judging the family business. The Sullivans did this to you, nobody else. Just like they killed your mother." Salvatore motioned to the exit and asked one of his goons to bring the car round to drive them home. "Nicolo, I need you to make sure your sister doesn't dwell on this little hiccup."

neverbackdown


Shannon Sullivan



With her sweet nephew's help, Shannon entered the house and in time to hear the Russian man's voice. It didn't take long for her to realise it must have been Nikolai, the man who had previously let himself into their home and been less than friendly towards Conor. Hearing the Russian's concern was a surprise to her. She tried to keep track of the family's business dealings, so it was news to her if they were now allies of her family. She looked Nikolai in the eyes as he spoke to the other men in his native tongue. She simply nodded her head as it became clear he'd asked his two friends to help Finn get her upstairs. She was grateful for that, though curious to learn about Nikolai's reason for showing up.

When she'd been helped onto her bed and Finn began tending to her wounds, she recalled the brief mention of Finn's own crazy day and decided she could now asked him about it. "What happened to you, Finnian? I hope you didn't let those Italians get into your head again," she told him. Though she didn't often show it, she was always concerned about her family and the way Finn was after Lorenzo had broken her heart at the time. "Please tell me you at least got to go on that date I heard about. I'm sure she's in love with you already, if she has any sense." She laughed ever so slightly, but even that caused a surge of pain in her ribs.


Bellz​

 

[Enzyme]

Nikolai Kuznetsov

​

Nikolai remained silent, allowing Conor's question to linger. He slowly withdrew from the skylight and backed up into the darkness, where his burning cigar sat undisturbed on the ash tray. He took a seat once more, feeling the eyes of the family piercing his skin as they subconsciously demanded answers. Instead, his hand glided to the cigar and lifted it off the ashtray. As he took a drag from the Cuban, the tip molted into a deep red and vaporized the remaining cinder. He released the poisonous smoke from his lungs and slowly nodded towards Conor. "We liquidate them." The cloud drifted towards the skylight and away from Nikolai, allowing the family to see his sinister glare. "All of them."

He patiently rolled the cigar between his fingers and allowed the utter silence to fill the void, before he chose to speak again. "As long as they hold 'Romano' as their last name, they're an enemy. Now that me and my people are involved, fire power will not be an issue. We will eliminate each family member systematically. First, Vincenzo and Salvatore, then their children. We cannot risk anyone coming back for vengeance, they all must die."

On that note, he extinguished the cigar; smother it in the ashtray. The remainder of the smoke was blown into the skylight, leaving behind only the smell. "This will be a walk in the park for you, comrade," Nikolai said as he patted James' on the shoulder. His eyes then slid to Conor, his finger slightly raising towards him. "You, however, will struggle with this. I imagine you still care for the girl, despite everything they've done to you." He shrugged lightly, shaking his head. "If you care about your family, you'll push whatever feelings you have aside and do what is necessary to keep them safe." he tiled his head slightly, a smirk creeping up on his lips.

Misty Gray Bellz neverbackdown