RP LOG with artisticaoife | Offloading
Euan was sitting on the stone wall in the backyard of the house he had just signed on, the keys to their new home sitting securely in his pocket as he indulged in a cigarette. He blew out a slow stream of smoke as he looked up at the back of the modest two story house, still trying to wrap his head around everything that had changed and turned upside down around him in the last few weeks. Aoife had come along with him when he collected the keys, demanding to see the new place at the first instance, so Euan had brought her straight around here. The place empty, of course, sans anything to make it a home yet, but it was still theirs and Euan couldn't quite fathom it entirely. He hadn't lived in a house since he was shoved into drug rehab at eighteen and left the family home. It had always been apartments.
He flicked some ash off onto the grass and then looked down at his sister with a confused frown, her words only just managing to infiltrate his reverie over the house. "Wait. You spent the fucking morning with who?" he asked her to repeat again, pretty sure he had just heard her incorrectly. It was fortunate that Vee was more than happy to step into the aunty shoes again that morning, and went around to the apartment to keep Ciaran company while Euan once again met with Tom and then tied up the loose ends with the house. Euan was still reluctant to take his kid out into London City. He knew it was a phobia he was going to have to get over, it wasn't like he could keep the boy on a leash, but he was clutching to the aversion just a little bit longer. Besides, the kid was still snotty and shouldn't be outside. That was his excuse, and he was firmly sticking to it.
Aoife let out a small sigh as she gazed up at her brother, knowing full well his mind had been on other things. But she couldn't help herself, she'd starting to babble to Euan at the first possible chance. She still couldn't believe that there had been sex with Neil Morgan. Sweet, hot, amazing sex. They'd just clicked, and then as soon as Liam had left it had been on. Clothes were torn off, and orgasms were had. She had no idea if it was going to mean anything, especially given the fact he was apparently in possession of thirty-six hot girls' phone numbers. "Neil Morgan. I bumped into him at the coffee shop."
Euan wet his lips, looking at his sister skeptically. "So, let me get this straight. This is the same Neil Morgan you were moaning about never noticing you and you being toe fungus in comparison to his status of awesome? We have the same Neil Morgan right? Are you telling me you wasted my time with the moaning? God forbid a TV star actually does something normal like visit a coffee shop. That's just..." He feigned a horrified gasp and then smirked at her, putting the smoke to his lips again. "So, what's the verdict? Did he tell you that you were an ugly slag and not to breathe in his general vicinity to taint his aura of awesome?"
Aoife shook her head before kicking him lightly in the shin with her foot. "You can be such a prick sometimes, E. Aye, it's that bloody Neil Morgan. He was hungover and needed the coffee, but then these teenage girls screamed in face and got him to sign stuff, so then everyone just started to looking at him and he invited me back to Liam's place and we really were just talking. There wasn't any hint of a shag until Liam came out and said goodbye. Once we were left alone... I don't know. It was like I snapped and I just had to kiss him. But Liam asked if I was one of the thirty-six. Thirty-six girls. That didn't exactly make me feel amazing."
"TV stars get hangovers? No fucking way!" Euan continued with the mocking. He couldn't help himself, this was just too much fun. Until she mentioned shagged. "Hey, what the fuck! You mentioned nothing about fucking him! You fucked him? Thirty fucking six?! I'm gonna kill him," he resolved determindly.
This time Aoife got him with her elbow before she found the one ticklish spot that she knew the big bad Euan Fitzpatrick possessed. There was no escaping big sister. "I--Aye! I fucked him! I had consensual adult relations with him. No, no... Euan. Please. He didn't hurt me, or anything. Don't go killing him. His arse is too nice!"
"Hey, HEY! Quit it!" Euan protested and nudge her out of the way to stop the tickling, then attempted to hold her off at arm's length. "Thirty six! What were you, a fucking entree? This is exactly what I was saying. He'll be a player. He'll have it on tap. And as much as it sucks now, Liam was like that before he got hurt, too. He could have any guy he wanted just by giving him the pouty blue-eyed seductive look. It's in the blood, and he'll end up hurting you!"
Aoife held her hands up with her palms facing Euan in a show of surrender even if she was laughing and grinning. But then Euan had to mention the thirty-six again, and her mood took a nose dive. "Yeah, but... even Neil didn't seem to happy about it. Maybe that means he doesn't want me as an entree? Maybe I'm worth more than the thirty-six? I don't know... We didn't really talk about what it meant afterwards."
Euan snorted and shook his head. "Not happy he got sprung about it, more like," he stated knowingly. "Did you talk at all, or did you just go straight to the fucking? Seriously, you should have played hard to get. The guy probably has a string of chicks just fucking him because he is, and if it's on offer, why the hell not? Trust me, I'm him. Was him. I dunno, but I know how blokes like him thing. I do. It's even beyond man tart, it's a necessity. By the way, how was Liam? With all this shit with the kid, I ain't been in the loop with the case."
Aoife rest her head on Euan's shoulder when he let her close again and bit her lip. "I just said we talked a heap and then Liam interrupted and all of a sudden... game on. I'm not usually like that! But there were sparks. You can't deny sparks. Besides, you were still being a giant man tart when you and Gee met, right? And now look... How did you even know when it was time to make it beyond an entree? Liam looked... well, a little worn but it seemed to be okay for him to leave the house. No freaking out. We just didn't even know he was home, though. I think Neil thought he was already gone. He's nice, I like him a lot."
"Good. I'm glad. The kid was well banged up the first time I met him. Broken. I know his family were wondering if he would ever get over it." Euan shot her another smirk and shrugged. "Too much weed in Amsterdam and a kid turning up on my doorstep claiming to be the product of my jizz. Sorry, no real romantic comedy moments here. Life isn't always hearts and flowers. I've given her plenty of chances to back the hell off if she doesn't want me as I come. This is who I am. I was straight with the lad too, even if he counteracted by telling me he sucked as a son too. So, tell me. What did you all talk about that just simply had to lead to awesome celebrity sex? Are you sure all this wasn't just a fantasy dream?"
"Well, I can hardly bite myself, can I?" Aoife asked as she tugged down the neckline of her top to reveal a bruise on her collarbone. She'd caught sight of it when she'd been trying to get dressed after the rendezvous. "Weed, Amsterdam and a mystery kid? Okay, that's more romantic drama than romantic comedy. Or maybe a dysfunctional drama, but you still got there and I can't argue with that. I'm proud of you. She didn't back off, she's still there. Here. Do you think he sucks as a son? He rocks as a nephew. We talked about family, and being aunties and uncles... his career. But more the nuts and bolts I guess than the whole this is how amazing he is thing. About London. Coffee. Everything."
Euan threw his hand up to conceal his view of her neck. "I really do not want to see that. Really. Do not want. Cheers," he insisted, scrunching his face up. "Of course I don't think he fucking sucks as a son. He's my kid, I love him. I want to protect him. I want him to not be hurting or crying or sick. Only, he is and I've gotta do what it takes to make that feel better. Plus, I'm really fucking aware all of a sudden that I've missed out on fourteen years of his damn life. I don't have baby photos. I don't even have his fucking birth certificate. That's another freaking court form sitting at Hunt's office waiting to be processed. I can't enrol him in school without it. I can't get him a passport without it, and I have this sneaking feeling the kid wants to go to France because he worships some dead French painter, so he'll need a passport for that. I'm gonna have to go to Dublin. I wanna have it out with the bitch in jail. I want to get his shit from grandparents. I'll take a freaking copper escort if I need to. You talked. That's something I suppose. But you realise that ain't gonna change who or what he is, aye?"
Aoife put her top back into place as she smirked lightly at her little brother's reaction. "You're welcome, sweetie. Aye, the France thing... Erm, Ciaran didn't really know how to tell you about that. He's worried you won't want to do anything he wants to do because it'll be too much trouble. I told him he should maybe suggest it for you and Gee's honeymoon and then he got all nervous because kids weren't supposed to go, but then I told him fuck tradition. This is the Fitzpatrick family, you know? And then he asked about if aunties could come... He loves Batma--I mean Ethan. Thinks it's cool he's got the plane and everything. Poor kid feels like he can't ask for anything. What the hell kind of life did his grandparents give him?" She gave a shake of her head. "Aye, of course. I'm not even at that stage yet anyway! We had sex. For all I know that was it. I'm choosing to cherish the memory."
"I probably should be jealous, but I ain't. There couldn't be better people than Sophie and her husband for the kid to look up to. He needs positive influences wherever he can get them. I'm not going to be able to be in the presence of the grandparents on my own, or I'll do something I regret. He was sick for weeks, and they didn't even know. He had a disease that could have killed him, and they had their heads up their arses. He wasn't allowed to get in the way, he wasn't allowed to ask about me, he wasn't allowed to to do normal kid things because it would cost them too much money. They didn't own a computer, his TV was rationed. His art teacher gave him his art stuff secondhand from her. That's all he really thought to bring with him, with one set of clothes. He had enough money for a train ticket and a sandwich, despite telling me he had been saving for years. He was practically starving when he got here, hadn't eaten in over twenty four hours." Without realising he was actually getting emotional, Euan choked up, his voice breaking on the last words and tears welled up in his eyes before there was any chance of stopping them. He put a hand over his eyes with a shake of his head. "I want to kill them for hurting my kid like that. They could have tracked me down. I would have fucking taken him as soon as the bitch was in jail if I'd have known. They wouldn't have had to bother their arses with him. And I... I think I'm gonna go speak to my boss and ask for a few months off, maybe until the New Year. Three months ain't gonna make up for fourteen years, but it's a start, aye? It's better than nothing, isn't it?"
"Aye, aye, of course it's better than nothing," Aoife murmured as she slipped her arms around her brother in a hug. "Oh, Euan... It's okay. You know what? You really are a great dad. You'll be wonderful for the lad. You may have missed the first part of his life, but you're here for the rest of it. You'll love him, you'll give him a home... Show him what family's really about. I have no doubt about that, big brother."
Euan pulled back and shook his head. "No. Don't do that. I don't need to hear verbal diarrhoea of positive platitudes. You know that ain't me. You know I hate it. I don't need a cheerleader with this, I just need help with getting it right. That's all. You can try and be positive all you like, but there is no denying the whole situation has been up the shit and it's going to take time for everyone to try and find a way that works for them. This ain't a Hollywood movie, Aoife. It's real life, and there are real fucking bastards involved. A kid has really been abused. Me walking in with a halo of sunshine and daisies ain't gonna just flick a switch and make him fall into my arms calling me daddy while Gee stands in the kitchen baking heart-shaped cookies of love. He doesn't need just me promising it's all gonna be fine. He needs to experience it. He needs to see he's gonna get a whole life package, or he is at serious risk of falling into the same trap I did when I was a teenager."
Aoife sighed, not sure she had actually intended on her words to just be positive platitudes, but she did remember all too clearly her brother's hatred for them. "Alright, well, if you're taking a few months off you won't need a babysitter, will you? But when you do I can take him. I'm his aunty. It'll be my pleasure when Vee isn't. Or Gee's parents. Plus if you want me to try and find out if it's possible to enrol him in my school, I can. I know I'm new but I might be able to find a few strings I can pull."
"I don't know if I can get time off. All I can do is ask. Things have been up the shit lately, they might not let me walk away in the middle of a case. Gee just got a new partner in from Liverpool, and she seems to think she is destined to have weirdos as a her partner. But the case is a big one. The bloke who raped Liam turned up a stiff the day after it all went down, and we literally had to question every Morgan as to their whereabouts that night. We still don't know who did the bastard in. We've been working as a foursome because there are so many fucking twists, and chicks and blokes rocking up all over the place saying the bastard tried to rape them too. It's a case I really would've liked to see through because it cut so close to home with family involved, but then there's the kid who is doing better, but you can see he still ain't doing the best, you know? There are things I need to talk to him about, things he needs to understand. I... I don't even want to fucking take him out into the city because of..." Euan stopped and sighed, looking down at his feet as he stubbed his cigarette out on the wall. "It's a miracle I'm even here. When I came to visit Vee when she was fucking Supercop that first time, it was ridiculously shitty. I got sick, and I was having these fucked up panic attacks about being in London. I didn't say anything to you and Ro' about it. There wasn't much point, but I was. And now the shitting feelings are returning when I think about the kid going anywhere near public transport. He doesn't know about Ma' and Da', and I also haven't met Gee's folks. I wouldn't know them to trip over them. Just that she keeps feeding me this chicken soup when I'm poorly that's apparently her Ma's recipe."
"Chicken soup, huh? That's... wow. You have someone making you chicken soup." Aoife gave him a small smile before she linked her arm through his and her eyes went focused for a moment as she thought about their parents. "I miss them. Of course I do. But I work in London now. You were here... We're both living here. Life, unfortunately, goes on. Mum and Dad wouldn't want us to stop just because they're gone. I just don't know what to tell you, kiddo. I know you don't want platitudes, and this isn't a platitude, but I really am proud of you. I know you still have a long way to go, but come on. You're ready to step up to the plate as a dad, you've bought a house. A house! You're getting married, and you're a great cop. You've just had hit after hit, and of course you're over them. The break might even do you as much good as it would your son. Jesus, I can't believe what you're telling me right now though. No wonder all the Morgans seem to know you in a professional capacity, and not just because of Liam. The guy was murdered? What the fuck..."
"Aye, well your wet dream actually spent most of the time interrogating me and Stuart on how to be a cop," Euan said with a smirk and a snort of a laugh. "To the point Stuart actually told him to quit it or he would get personal research with his coppers badge in awkward places. The murder thing was fucking difficult, considering about every Morgan had verbally threatened to kill the bastard in the hours preceding the corpse showing up. Then there was Ethan, and Tom, and all of Liam's pals that were with him the night it happened, who just happened to beat the bloke up out the front of the bar when they realised what he had done to Liam in the toilets. The list of suspects we had to get through was ten miles fucking long. We nearly had to bring Ethan in, until some rich fucker from New York produced phone records of a conversation with him at the time of death. This is what we were trawling through when the kid showed up. It's why my name was in the paper. Anything remotely connected to Ethan and Co lands in the papers, without fail. But I can't help hating this place with a passion. I probably always will. I'm still not one hundred percent sure why I even decided to come here in the first place. Then, if I didn't, kid wouldn't have found me, would he?"
Aoife gave a shake of her head. "Not without a trip to New York maybe, but your name never really got in the papers over here for any cases you did there. Look, I'm not going to tell you you can't hate this place. Of course you can. Even I have my moments, but right now it's... home. You could always take the kid and Gee somewhere else if it was really what you wanted. They'd understand. Ciaran will probably think anywhere with you is home. Fuck, there are days I really don't envy you being a cop. I'd be a mess by now if I had to work on something like that, and something so close to home."
Euan shook his head. "Nope, can't. Gee's lived here her whole life, her family is here, so is her best mate. She might have thought he was the prince of dipsticks when she first landed him as a partner, but they've gotten close over the time, especially with everything Stu has gone through. My job is here. I ain't gonna be a fucking bobby in some piss weak shite wee town. It'll send me mental. I've worked NYPD. I need my hands continuously dirty. London already makes the crimes here look like a tickle compared to some of the shit I sore over there, but it's the biggest city in Britain, and the people here are pretty cool, despite the odd prick in the bunch. Kid's already got a ready-mad extended family. Hell, I had one of Stu's big brothers offer to babysit for me without even having met the kid. I gotta get over my own fears for his sake, plain and simple."
"Well, now you got a big old house to do it. Or a big new one. And you got your big sister around for support." Aoife hugged his arm tightly before she stretched up to blow a raspberry on his cheek and grinned. "I really have missed you, wee brother. I know it's hard being in this city, but I'm still glad you came back closer to home."
Euan looked at her uncertainly and then snorted softly. "I would say you need to get a cheerleader outfit and pom-poms, but I don't trust the fucking bastard not to bang you again," was his reply. "Do me a favour? Next time I try and make with the deep and meaningful, stop me? The positives give me a migraine."
Aoife nodded as she pulled away to get another look at the house. "Just not used to a deep and meaningful you. It's my fault. Guess my attention span just started sinking with yours. What if he does want to bang me again?"
"All I want is someone to talk to, sis. That's all. It's just hard when you keep trying to make it all better with perfect scenarios. Vee tries that and I cut her off just as much. I don't have any answers with any of this. It's the hardest fucking thing I've done in my life, and considering the fact I was nearly murdered and we have buried our parents, that's saying a lot." Euan took his smokes out of his jacket pocket to light up another one. May as well make the most of it while they were out in the fresh air. "Don't do it while you're high and use condoms."
Word Count | 3,906
He flicked some ash off onto the grass and then looked down at his sister with a confused frown, her words only just managing to infiltrate his reverie over the house. "Wait. You spent the fucking morning with who?" he asked her to repeat again, pretty sure he had just heard her incorrectly. It was fortunate that Vee was more than happy to step into the aunty shoes again that morning, and went around to the apartment to keep Ciaran company while Euan once again met with Tom and then tied up the loose ends with the house. Euan was still reluctant to take his kid out into London City. He knew it was a phobia he was going to have to get over, it wasn't like he could keep the boy on a leash, but he was clutching to the aversion just a little bit longer. Besides, the kid was still snotty and shouldn't be outside. That was his excuse, and he was firmly sticking to it.
Aoife let out a small sigh as she gazed up at her brother, knowing full well his mind had been on other things. But she couldn't help herself, she'd starting to babble to Euan at the first possible chance. She still couldn't believe that there had been sex with Neil Morgan. Sweet, hot, amazing sex. They'd just clicked, and then as soon as Liam had left it had been on. Clothes were torn off, and orgasms were had. She had no idea if it was going to mean anything, especially given the fact he was apparently in possession of thirty-six hot girls' phone numbers. "Neil Morgan. I bumped into him at the coffee shop."
Euan wet his lips, looking at his sister skeptically. "So, let me get this straight. This is the same Neil Morgan you were moaning about never noticing you and you being toe fungus in comparison to his status of awesome? We have the same Neil Morgan right? Are you telling me you wasted my time with the moaning? God forbid a TV star actually does something normal like visit a coffee shop. That's just..." He feigned a horrified gasp and then smirked at her, putting the smoke to his lips again. "So, what's the verdict? Did he tell you that you were an ugly slag and not to breathe in his general vicinity to taint his aura of awesome?"
Aoife shook her head before kicking him lightly in the shin with her foot. "You can be such a prick sometimes, E. Aye, it's that bloody Neil Morgan. He was hungover and needed the coffee, but then these teenage girls screamed in face and got him to sign stuff, so then everyone just started to looking at him and he invited me back to Liam's place and we really were just talking. There wasn't any hint of a shag until Liam came out and said goodbye. Once we were left alone... I don't know. It was like I snapped and I just had to kiss him. But Liam asked if I was one of the thirty-six. Thirty-six girls. That didn't exactly make me feel amazing."
"TV stars get hangovers? No fucking way!" Euan continued with the mocking. He couldn't help himself, this was just too much fun. Until she mentioned shagged. "Hey, what the fuck! You mentioned nothing about fucking him! You fucked him? Thirty fucking six?! I'm gonna kill him," he resolved determindly.
This time Aoife got him with her elbow before she found the one ticklish spot that she knew the big bad Euan Fitzpatrick possessed. There was no escaping big sister. "I--Aye! I fucked him! I had consensual adult relations with him. No, no... Euan. Please. He didn't hurt me, or anything. Don't go killing him. His arse is too nice!"
"Hey, HEY! Quit it!" Euan protested and nudge her out of the way to stop the tickling, then attempted to hold her off at arm's length. "Thirty six! What were you, a fucking entree? This is exactly what I was saying. He'll be a player. He'll have it on tap. And as much as it sucks now, Liam was like that before he got hurt, too. He could have any guy he wanted just by giving him the pouty blue-eyed seductive look. It's in the blood, and he'll end up hurting you!"
Aoife held her hands up with her palms facing Euan in a show of surrender even if she was laughing and grinning. But then Euan had to mention the thirty-six again, and her mood took a nose dive. "Yeah, but... even Neil didn't seem to happy about it. Maybe that means he doesn't want me as an entree? Maybe I'm worth more than the thirty-six? I don't know... We didn't really talk about what it meant afterwards."
Euan snorted and shook his head. "Not happy he got sprung about it, more like," he stated knowingly. "Did you talk at all, or did you just go straight to the fucking? Seriously, you should have played hard to get. The guy probably has a string of chicks just fucking him because he is, and if it's on offer, why the hell not? Trust me, I'm him. Was him. I dunno, but I know how blokes like him thing. I do. It's even beyond man tart, it's a necessity. By the way, how was Liam? With all this shit with the kid, I ain't been in the loop with the case."
Aoife rest her head on Euan's shoulder when he let her close again and bit her lip. "I just said we talked a heap and then Liam interrupted and all of a sudden... game on. I'm not usually like that! But there were sparks. You can't deny sparks. Besides, you were still being a giant man tart when you and Gee met, right? And now look... How did you even know when it was time to make it beyond an entree? Liam looked... well, a little worn but it seemed to be okay for him to leave the house. No freaking out. We just didn't even know he was home, though. I think Neil thought he was already gone. He's nice, I like him a lot."
"Good. I'm glad. The kid was well banged up the first time I met him. Broken. I know his family were wondering if he would ever get over it." Euan shot her another smirk and shrugged. "Too much weed in Amsterdam and a kid turning up on my doorstep claiming to be the product of my jizz. Sorry, no real romantic comedy moments here. Life isn't always hearts and flowers. I've given her plenty of chances to back the hell off if she doesn't want me as I come. This is who I am. I was straight with the lad too, even if he counteracted by telling me he sucked as a son too. So, tell me. What did you all talk about that just simply had to lead to awesome celebrity sex? Are you sure all this wasn't just a fantasy dream?"
"Well, I can hardly bite myself, can I?" Aoife asked as she tugged down the neckline of her top to reveal a bruise on her collarbone. She'd caught sight of it when she'd been trying to get dressed after the rendezvous. "Weed, Amsterdam and a mystery kid? Okay, that's more romantic drama than romantic comedy. Or maybe a dysfunctional drama, but you still got there and I can't argue with that. I'm proud of you. She didn't back off, she's still there. Here. Do you think he sucks as a son? He rocks as a nephew. We talked about family, and being aunties and uncles... his career. But more the nuts and bolts I guess than the whole this is how amazing he is thing. About London. Coffee. Everything."
Euan threw his hand up to conceal his view of her neck. "I really do not want to see that. Really. Do not want. Cheers," he insisted, scrunching his face up. "Of course I don't think he fucking sucks as a son. He's my kid, I love him. I want to protect him. I want him to not be hurting or crying or sick. Only, he is and I've gotta do what it takes to make that feel better. Plus, I'm really fucking aware all of a sudden that I've missed out on fourteen years of his damn life. I don't have baby photos. I don't even have his fucking birth certificate. That's another freaking court form sitting at Hunt's office waiting to be processed. I can't enrol him in school without it. I can't get him a passport without it, and I have this sneaking feeling the kid wants to go to France because he worships some dead French painter, so he'll need a passport for that. I'm gonna have to go to Dublin. I wanna have it out with the bitch in jail. I want to get his shit from grandparents. I'll take a freaking copper escort if I need to. You talked. That's something I suppose. But you realise that ain't gonna change who or what he is, aye?"
Aoife put her top back into place as she smirked lightly at her little brother's reaction. "You're welcome, sweetie. Aye, the France thing... Erm, Ciaran didn't really know how to tell you about that. He's worried you won't want to do anything he wants to do because it'll be too much trouble. I told him he should maybe suggest it for you and Gee's honeymoon and then he got all nervous because kids weren't supposed to go, but then I told him fuck tradition. This is the Fitzpatrick family, you know? And then he asked about if aunties could come... He loves Batma--I mean Ethan. Thinks it's cool he's got the plane and everything. Poor kid feels like he can't ask for anything. What the hell kind of life did his grandparents give him?" She gave a shake of her head. "Aye, of course. I'm not even at that stage yet anyway! We had sex. For all I know that was it. I'm choosing to cherish the memory."
"I probably should be jealous, but I ain't. There couldn't be better people than Sophie and her husband for the kid to look up to. He needs positive influences wherever he can get them. I'm not going to be able to be in the presence of the grandparents on my own, or I'll do something I regret. He was sick for weeks, and they didn't even know. He had a disease that could have killed him, and they had their heads up their arses. He wasn't allowed to get in the way, he wasn't allowed to ask about me, he wasn't allowed to to do normal kid things because it would cost them too much money. They didn't own a computer, his TV was rationed. His art teacher gave him his art stuff secondhand from her. That's all he really thought to bring with him, with one set of clothes. He had enough money for a train ticket and a sandwich, despite telling me he had been saving for years. He was practically starving when he got here, hadn't eaten in over twenty four hours." Without realising he was actually getting emotional, Euan choked up, his voice breaking on the last words and tears welled up in his eyes before there was any chance of stopping them. He put a hand over his eyes with a shake of his head. "I want to kill them for hurting my kid like that. They could have tracked me down. I would have fucking taken him as soon as the bitch was in jail if I'd have known. They wouldn't have had to bother their arses with him. And I... I think I'm gonna go speak to my boss and ask for a few months off, maybe until the New Year. Three months ain't gonna make up for fourteen years, but it's a start, aye? It's better than nothing, isn't it?"
"Aye, aye, of course it's better than nothing," Aoife murmured as she slipped her arms around her brother in a hug. "Oh, Euan... It's okay. You know what? You really are a great dad. You'll be wonderful for the lad. You may have missed the first part of his life, but you're here for the rest of it. You'll love him, you'll give him a home... Show him what family's really about. I have no doubt about that, big brother."
Euan pulled back and shook his head. "No. Don't do that. I don't need to hear verbal diarrhoea of positive platitudes. You know that ain't me. You know I hate it. I don't need a cheerleader with this, I just need help with getting it right. That's all. You can try and be positive all you like, but there is no denying the whole situation has been up the shit and it's going to take time for everyone to try and find a way that works for them. This ain't a Hollywood movie, Aoife. It's real life, and there are real fucking bastards involved. A kid has really been abused. Me walking in with a halo of sunshine and daisies ain't gonna just flick a switch and make him fall into my arms calling me daddy while Gee stands in the kitchen baking heart-shaped cookies of love. He doesn't need just me promising it's all gonna be fine. He needs to experience it. He needs to see he's gonna get a whole life package, or he is at serious risk of falling into the same trap I did when I was a teenager."
Aoife sighed, not sure she had actually intended on her words to just be positive platitudes, but she did remember all too clearly her brother's hatred for them. "Alright, well, if you're taking a few months off you won't need a babysitter, will you? But when you do I can take him. I'm his aunty. It'll be my pleasure when Vee isn't. Or Gee's parents. Plus if you want me to try and find out if it's possible to enrol him in my school, I can. I know I'm new but I might be able to find a few strings I can pull."
"I don't know if I can get time off. All I can do is ask. Things have been up the shit lately, they might not let me walk away in the middle of a case. Gee just got a new partner in from Liverpool, and she seems to think she is destined to have weirdos as a her partner. But the case is a big one. The bloke who raped Liam turned up a stiff the day after it all went down, and we literally had to question every Morgan as to their whereabouts that night. We still don't know who did the bastard in. We've been working as a foursome because there are so many fucking twists, and chicks and blokes rocking up all over the place saying the bastard tried to rape them too. It's a case I really would've liked to see through because it cut so close to home with family involved, but then there's the kid who is doing better, but you can see he still ain't doing the best, you know? There are things I need to talk to him about, things he needs to understand. I... I don't even want to fucking take him out into the city because of..." Euan stopped and sighed, looking down at his feet as he stubbed his cigarette out on the wall. "It's a miracle I'm even here. When I came to visit Vee when she was fucking Supercop that first time, it was ridiculously shitty. I got sick, and I was having these fucked up panic attacks about being in London. I didn't say anything to you and Ro' about it. There wasn't much point, but I was. And now the shitting feelings are returning when I think about the kid going anywhere near public transport. He doesn't know about Ma' and Da', and I also haven't met Gee's folks. I wouldn't know them to trip over them. Just that she keeps feeding me this chicken soup when I'm poorly that's apparently her Ma's recipe."
"Chicken soup, huh? That's... wow. You have someone making you chicken soup." Aoife gave him a small smile before she linked her arm through his and her eyes went focused for a moment as she thought about their parents. "I miss them. Of course I do. But I work in London now. You were here... We're both living here. Life, unfortunately, goes on. Mum and Dad wouldn't want us to stop just because they're gone. I just don't know what to tell you, kiddo. I know you don't want platitudes, and this isn't a platitude, but I really am proud of you. I know you still have a long way to go, but come on. You're ready to step up to the plate as a dad, you've bought a house. A house! You're getting married, and you're a great cop. You've just had hit after hit, and of course you're over them. The break might even do you as much good as it would your son. Jesus, I can't believe what you're telling me right now though. No wonder all the Morgans seem to know you in a professional capacity, and not just because of Liam. The guy was murdered? What the fuck..."
"Aye, well your wet dream actually spent most of the time interrogating me and Stuart on how to be a cop," Euan said with a smirk and a snort of a laugh. "To the point Stuart actually told him to quit it or he would get personal research with his coppers badge in awkward places. The murder thing was fucking difficult, considering about every Morgan had verbally threatened to kill the bastard in the hours preceding the corpse showing up. Then there was Ethan, and Tom, and all of Liam's pals that were with him the night it happened, who just happened to beat the bloke up out the front of the bar when they realised what he had done to Liam in the toilets. The list of suspects we had to get through was ten miles fucking long. We nearly had to bring Ethan in, until some rich fucker from New York produced phone records of a conversation with him at the time of death. This is what we were trawling through when the kid showed up. It's why my name was in the paper. Anything remotely connected to Ethan and Co lands in the papers, without fail. But I can't help hating this place with a passion. I probably always will. I'm still not one hundred percent sure why I even decided to come here in the first place. Then, if I didn't, kid wouldn't have found me, would he?"
Aoife gave a shake of her head. "Not without a trip to New York maybe, but your name never really got in the papers over here for any cases you did there. Look, I'm not going to tell you you can't hate this place. Of course you can. Even I have my moments, but right now it's... home. You could always take the kid and Gee somewhere else if it was really what you wanted. They'd understand. Ciaran will probably think anywhere with you is home. Fuck, there are days I really don't envy you being a cop. I'd be a mess by now if I had to work on something like that, and something so close to home."
Euan shook his head. "Nope, can't. Gee's lived here her whole life, her family is here, so is her best mate. She might have thought he was the prince of dipsticks when she first landed him as a partner, but they've gotten close over the time, especially with everything Stu has gone through. My job is here. I ain't gonna be a fucking bobby in some piss weak shite wee town. It'll send me mental. I've worked NYPD. I need my hands continuously dirty. London already makes the crimes here look like a tickle compared to some of the shit I sore over there, but it's the biggest city in Britain, and the people here are pretty cool, despite the odd prick in the bunch. Kid's already got a ready-mad extended family. Hell, I had one of Stu's big brothers offer to babysit for me without even having met the kid. I gotta get over my own fears for his sake, plain and simple."
"Well, now you got a big old house to do it. Or a big new one. And you got your big sister around for support." Aoife hugged his arm tightly before she stretched up to blow a raspberry on his cheek and grinned. "I really have missed you, wee brother. I know it's hard being in this city, but I'm still glad you came back closer to home."
Euan looked at her uncertainly and then snorted softly. "I would say you need to get a cheerleader outfit and pom-poms, but I don't trust the fucking bastard not to bang you again," was his reply. "Do me a favour? Next time I try and make with the deep and meaningful, stop me? The positives give me a migraine."
Aoife nodded as she pulled away to get another look at the house. "Just not used to a deep and meaningful you. It's my fault. Guess my attention span just started sinking with yours. What if he does want to bang me again?"
"All I want is someone to talk to, sis. That's all. It's just hard when you keep trying to make it all better with perfect scenarios. Vee tries that and I cut her off just as much. I don't have any answers with any of this. It's the hardest fucking thing I've done in my life, and considering the fact I was nearly murdered and we have buried our parents, that's saying a lot." Euan took his smokes out of his jacket pocket to light up another one. May as well make the most of it while they were out in the fresh air. "Don't do it while you're high and use condoms."
Word Count | 3,906