Author's Note: If you typically skip these, I'd give this one a scan before you jump in. This one will work a little differently. Chapters one and two are each devoted to a brother, taking place roughly at the same time, while Rocco gets the epilogue, which takes place after each of the brother's chapters is over. Because the boys are just so very different, they each get a different style in their own chapter. I tried to fit chapter style to personal style, so we'll see how that works out. Chapter one is Connor, so assume all talking is either him or our girl. You should be able to tell them apart pretty well, and I'll apologize in advance for the dialogue. I will not, however, apologize for the massive amounts of fluff. You could stuff an entire squadron of teddy bears with this thing. This takes place not long after Afternoon Haze and Dinner Conversations. This will make more sense if you've read those, but no worries if you haven't.

Connor

"Shh. You're gonna wake him up."

"So what? He wakes up all th'time…happen t'know fer a fact th'bastard wakes up ev'ry mornin'. An' yer a bit wasted there, t'ink yer talkin' louder dan ye realize. Prolly gonna wake 'im up 'fore I do."

"That's your mother you're talking about when you call him that, you know. I doubt she'd appreciate the reference to herself. And I'm not drunk, I'm just…lubricated…"

"Ye kiddin'? She called us bastards five times 'fore breakfast most days, 'n said worse 'bout our pa when she was stone cold sober, much less drunk. An' I gotta say, that's an interesting word ye used there…mind if I—"

"I don't mind if you…oh, that's…but…if you want to continue…alone time with me, just don't wake him up. One of you at a time is usually all the attention I can handle at once, anyway."

"I like havin' alone time wit'ye. He's been taken ye on all those damn walks; I can barely get five minutes wit'ye."

"I love it when you get all grumbly…C'mere, it's cold enough in here with clothes on, and you've removed most of mine already."

"Yer wish, my c'mand, lass. Let's see what we c'n do 'bout makin' th'rest of'em disappear."

…

"So…another long shift tomorrow, huh?"

"I ain't tryin' t'piss ye off, I swear. We're just…savin' up, an' we need t'take all the extra shifts they'll give us. Gettin' some overtime this week, could take ye t'that little Italian dessert place Saturday night, if ye like."

"I'd love to, Connor, but you already told me you were working then, too, so I made plans with Jenny."

"Dat girl at work who got yer promotion? When did y'get all friendly and whatnot wit'her?"

"I've had a lot of time to myself lately, Connor, and I didn't honestly feel like spending every free moment I have either alone or with Rocco. Besides, she's not nearly as bad as I always thought, and she even helped me figure out who's been taking my lunch at work."

"Really? Who—"

"Not the point, Connor. Look, I get that you and Murph feel like you've got to work all this extra time for whatever reason. I accept that, and I won't dig because if you wanted me to know, you'd have told me. I accept that, too. But I miss you both. I'm lonely, and…I…I'm just lonely, okay? I miss both of you, although I wonder why sometimes."

"What's really botherin' ye, lass? Know it's summat t'do wit'me an'Murph not bein' around, but I can tell dere's somethin' more. We know yer a bit pissed wit'us, but ye know ye c'n still talk to us."

"It's just…It's like you've been avoiding me ever since that afternoon with the storm and telling you about…what it was like when I was growing up. Seriously, ever since then, you guys have been around about as much as my parents were, and it's starting to get to me."

"Aw, c'mon now, lass, ye don't have t'cry…c'mere, I swear we're not avoidin' ye! We're savin' towards somethin' particular, just don't want t'tell ye what yet. T'ink of it as a surprise ye'll probably ferget about long b'fore we ever get a chance t'actually give it to ye."

"But you—"

"Lass, trust me. Th'last thing we want is t'spend so much time away from ye. Swear it on me ma's life."

"I feel like an idiot, I'm really sorry for blowing up like that."

"S'alright. If ye didn't freak out, we'd not know t'was you anymore— Ow, fuckin' hell, girl, t'fuck was dat for?!"

"Just another mini freak out so you could make sure it was still me. Still think you're ready for bed after all?"

"If yer in dat kind of mood, yer damn straight I'm ready. Bring it on, y'hell cat! Only, mind th'last set of scratches ain't quite healed over yet."

"I hope you don't want me to kiss them and make them better, Connor. I might think you're getting a little soft on me."

"T'th'contrary, lass, gettin' quite hard for ye. Speakin' of kissin' t'ings, though…"

…

"C'mon, lass, we didn't ruin it, we just stretched it a little. Dis happened last week, are ye really still so pissed about it?"

"For one thing, Rocco is just starting to get over the damned cold you and Murphy gave him from getting us completely soaked on what's been the coldest day of the year so far with your stupid water balloons. For another, I just tried to wear it again for the first time today, Connor, and you didn't just stretch it a little, you and Murphy took it up a fucking cup size! Why the hell did you have to pick one of my best ones?"

"T'was more stretchy than th'others, and now ye have more room fer comfort, yeah? Yer always sayin' how good it feels t'take 'em off every day, maybe if dey was a bit more roomy dey wouldn't be so uncomfortable. 'Sides, ye hardly wear it 'round our place t'begin wit'. They all seem to come off after a few minutes anyway."

"That's not the point, Connor! You didn't pay forty-five dollars for the damned thing on sale at Victoria's Secret! You don't pay for it, you don't get the right to ruin it! I expect you two to not only be responsible for replacing it, but you have to take me to do so. I don't trust the two of you in the store without supervision."

"So…yer sayin' our punishment fer ruinin' one o'yer fav'rite undert'ings an' soakin' you an'Roc is t'go wit' ye on a field trip to a store full of scantily clad women, an' den we get t'watch ye model dese undert'ings and be responsible fer getting' ye new sexy bits t'wear?"

"Don't you dare get any ideas that this is some sort of reward, Connor MacManus! I can find ways to make this shopping trip a truly miserable experience for both of you, I swear to God!"

"Lord's name, lass, an' not t'comment on yer God-given skills as a woman t'make men mis'rable if ye choose, but 'm not sure y'could ruin somethin' as glorious as dis trip sounds."

"Just try me, MacManus, and don't say I didn't warn you."

…

"Was I lying, Connor?"

"No, lass…ye weren't lyin'. C'n we never do that again? I swear me an'Murph'll not use yer unders t'do anyt'ing but admire yer goddess-like form ever again, y'have me word."

…

"I'm sorry to call you over so late. I know you have the early shift tomorrow, I just…"

"Lass, fer you, I'd spend th'next forty years as sleepless as ye needed me to. Now talk t'me."

"Did Murphy not come with you? I didn't think…"

"Didn't wake him up. He'll be pissed at me come mornin', but I'll deal wit'dat when it happens. I was still up, got yer call, got here soon's I could. An' yer stallin'."

"I just…I've been having bad dreams again, and then I couldn't sleep, and then I just wanted…Yeah, I don't know what I wanted, except that I wanted to be with you. I know that much, at least."

"Here, there's no point standin' around an' talkin' when there's a perfectly good bed just a couple o'rooms away."

"You never think there's any point to talking when there's a bed nearby."

"Doesn't have t'be a bed, an' y'never complain too loudly, 'n me experience. Y'say other t'ings quite loudly, but it's not usually complainin'."

"…"

"Lass, I know we ain't been around as much lately as any of us'd like, but me an' Murph both know somethin's been botherin' ye. Ye had our word we're not abandonin' ye, so y'can't be worried about that anymore, can ye? Ye said y'trust us, least about th'important things. Maybe not with yer underwear an' such, but y'told me once y'could depend on us when it mattered. Did ye not mean it? S'dat why yer havin' yer dreams again?"

"Not even a little, Connor, how could you even ask? You know I trust you and Murphy, and I know you aren't gone so much on purpose. It's just this time of year I always felt the loneliest, when everyone has all their family functions and parties and all those things where parents dote on kids and families go on trips and all that…And last Christmas with you two was fun, but it wasn't…we weren't as…serious then. You two and Rocco are all I have, and now that I have you, my life's that much emptier when you aren't around. I guess maybe I'm just…missing you more than I might've actually let on."

"And ye were plannin' on tellin' us this when?"

"I'm telling you now, aren't I? And you can't possibly be comfortable like this; I've got to be cutting off all circulation to your legs."

"Yer keepin' me warm, I get t'smell yer shampoo all up close an' personal, all yer soft bits are pressed right up against me, an'm pretty sure ye c'n tell ain't no problems with m'circulation just now. An'yer tryin' t'put me off again. We've talked b'fore, an' yer s'posed t'tell us when somethin's botherin' ye. I'm here now, an' I just want t'help ye."

"Your fingers and, erm…circulation are saying otherwise, Connor, and—oh…oh…If…you keep…doing that, we won't be getting anymore talking done tonight…and…"

"Jus' tryin' t'help ye relax, darlin'."

"Liar."

"Fer a good cause, I assure ye. Now, I get it's a bad time of year, an' yer lonely. Murph an' I c'n scale back th'hours a bit, an' no arguin' from ye'll change me mind on it. An' don't think y'can talk Murphy out of seein' more o'ye, either. But ye still ain't told me what's really eatin' at ye."

"How do you…how can you possibly know that?"

"B'cause I know ye. Simple as dat. Yer ours, an' when somethin's wrong wit'ye, we c'n usually tell. Be nicer if ye'd jus' talk to us, but ye've given us so much practice in figurin' ye out. It's hard work, but I s'pose yer worth it—Ow! Fuck, lass!"

"You know you deserved that."

"Always."

"Why do you keep insisting I'm holding back, like I'm hiding something from you? Why would I not just tell you?"

"I'm not one hundred percent certain ye are, girl, but ye called me over here at half past midnight, an' ye won't let me work it outta ye th'best way I know how. Dat tell's me there's somethin' ye probably ain't sayin'. Since I can't get ye t'confess th'fun way, might as well use me tongue fer summat good, as you're not gonna let me do nothin' else wit' it till ye've finally spilled what ye've been keepin' back."

"Connor, I don't know what you're talking about—"

"Who's th'liar now?"

"For Christ's fucking sake! You want me to tell you what I've been afraid to say? Fine! I fucking love you, alright? Are you happy now? Jesus!"

"Lord's name, lass, an'I love ye, as well. S'matter o'fact, I am fair content. S'middle o'th'night, got me arms around th'woman of m'dreams who finally admitted she loves me, an'm fair on me way t'celebratin' this glorious revelation…Care t'join in?"

"You…just…you're just okay with saying it like that? Just spitting it out like it's the easiest thing in the world to say and doesn't change everything?"

"Far's I'm concerned, nothin's changed 'cept maybe you'll feel a little better. Loved ye fer a long while now. Can't put me finger on when, exactly, but 'm glad ye finally got around t'sharin' wit'th'whole class. Didn't want t'push ye; know ye haven't had a lotta practice sayin' it. Figured it'd be easier fer me to say it den fer you, so I gave ye th'time I thought ye'd need. Was I wrong?"

"I…no…no, you weren't wrong. Have long have you know I wanted to say it?"

"At least since me an'Murph broke yer table. Maybe a little while 'fore dat. But ye weren't ready, we both knew ye weren't. So we didn't push. Much. Murph wanted to, an' I didn't stop him, dat's his business an' yers, but we both t'ought ye needed a little space, as well, so…dere ye have it."

"But you just knew? How did you…"

"Well, see, lass, th' t'ing is ye kinda already said it once, t'both of us. Y'may not remember, ye were more dan a little drunk. T'was after ye puked on that girl what was hittin' on Murph in th'diner. We carried ye'home, an' ye asked Murph fer somethin' just as ye was passin' out. We t'ink ye misunderstood what Murph said, 'cause ye told us ye loved both of us, too, an'…well, den ye passed out. Didn't remember a t'ing t'next day."

"And, what, you didn't think I needed to know this?! Geez, Connor, that's kind of freakin' important! I don't even…How…Oh, God, really? I need a minute to…Okay…wow."

"Ye alright? I could—"

"If you're going to do anything besides put your hands back where they were a minute ago and put your tongue to better use, then we might as well go to sleep for the night, because those are the only two things left on my to-do list, Connor."

"C'n t'ink of several good t'ings t'do wit' me tongue, lass, but dere's only one t'ing I need y't'do wit' yers at th'moment."

"And what exactly would that be?"

"Say it again, lass. Say it low, say it soft, an' say it jus' fer me."

Author's Note: I thought since Connor was first to meet her, it'd only be right that he have the first chapter. Did I mention how hard it is writing a story that is nothing but dialogue? Won't be trying that again anytime soon, I don't think. Next comes Murphy, whose chapter will be completely different. Takes place over roughly the same time from, a week or two. Let's say last week and a half of November, first few days of December. Sound good? Good. Thanks so much for reading; please take a moment to let me know what you think. I've mostly finished Murphy's chapter, but if there's some tiny little tidbit you want to see that I might not ever have thought to include, feel free to let me know. Thanks, and I'll see you at the next chapter.