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       #Post#: 1411--------------------------------------------------
       Reconciliation
   DIR By: Wolfy
       Date: November 13, 2012, 8:24 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa285/Danisvampiress/Untitled-1-11.jpg[/img]
       I remember making that banner a few months back and posting it
       here to start a story, but ended up taking it down cause I had
       zilch in the idea department. Apologies if it looks familiar,
       but I really liked this when I created it so I thought why not
       put it to good use again xD
       My characters are Jackie and Sophia. I've yet to put together an
       outfit for her, but once I have done that I shall edit this post
       to include a link to the image. Jackie is merely dressed as he
       always is :]
  HTML http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=63356168
  HTML http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=63356168
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa285/Danisvampiress/Frances_01_104.jpg[/img]
       Frances Cobain may be a bratty little princess these days, but
       she is by far one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. I'm
       really against her looks cause I just wish I could look like
       that, haha. I like her now, only for her father. By the way,
       this is Sophia :D
       #Post#: 1414--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Reconciliation
   DIR By: Maggie Flannery
       Date: November 13, 2012, 10:22 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       *squeals in glee* woohoo! I'm loving the banner and the outfit!
       I can't wait for this to start! :D
       #Post#: 1415--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Reconciliation
   DIR By: Wolfy
       Date: November 13, 2012, 10:24 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Thank you kindly! :D I just added Sophia's looks as well, just
       to give a rough idea. I'm happy to know you're liking the
       banner! xD I shall begin this one very soon. I'm tired as hell
       right now, but my inspiration is pumping madly so.. I better get
       started!!
       So sorry about all this, haha. I just changed her outfit cause
       the other one wasn't good enough to me. I hope you don't mind
       the new one! :]
       #Post#: 1421--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Reconciliation
   DIR By: Wolfy
       Date: November 14, 2012, 7:33 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Jumping off the Greyhound Bus left Sophia feeling a little light
       headed as she stumbled carelessly into Old Town Bar. For no more
       than six months, she had been living uptown, away from all the
       gang violence that was one day sure to ensnare her. Sophia was
       no mere simpleton however. It was clearly becoming too much for
       her to stand, and so one day, she packed up and left without a
       word of goodbye to anyone. Leaving behind her beloved friends
       and cousin had been the hardest thing she’d ever had to do, but
       she did it. Word broke out over Hell’s Kitchen about the tragic
       death of her cousin Stevie just two months ago, but Sophia could
       never face the neighbourhood again so soon after his passing.
       Her aunt and uncle had always taken care of him, since the day
       he was born, until that dreadful news reached their ears. The
       whole block had been talking about it for weeks on end, but
       Sophia was well out of earshot at the time. Now, after
       belittling herself for making such a decision in the first
       place, she had made it back safe and sound.
       “Bartender, toss me a Guinness would ya?” she asked.
       Sophia allowed her head to drop down on the bar as she waited
       for her drink. It had been the only comfort she’d found since
       moving so far away. Sure, she had made a handful of friends over
       in Boston, but they never would have been the same as the
       friends she had made here. As the bartender slid her drink
       across the bar, she caught it in her hand and immediately gulped
       it down, leaving only half a pint left. The men around the bar
       looked at her, bewildered, but she simply shrugged them off and
       dropped her head back down.
       Music played silently through the radio just across the room,
       and as she listened closely, she knew it to be the familiar
       sound of The Pogues. Her favourite band growing up, or one of
       them anyway. It reminded her so much of her cousin and her
       friends, and brought a few tears to her eyes. Just as she raised
       the glass to her lips once more, a rowdy bunch of guys burst
       through the bar doors.
       “Well look here, long time no see, Sophia” spoke one of the men.
       Sophia would know that voice anywhere. It was one of her best
       friends and the one she had missed most since leaving all those
       months ago. Terry Noonan had always been a shoulder for her, and
       would spend hours upon hours listening to her romantic
       confessions about their buddy Jackie. Speaking of which, as
       Terry embraced her and pulled away after a few moments, her eyes
       sparkled as she asked where Jackie was, finding it unusual that
       he wasn’t hanging around with the rest of them.
       She watched Terry’s face drop ever so slowly and immediately
       felt her heart breaking inside her chest. He had not even spoken
       a word yet, but somehow she knew by the look on his face that it
       couldn’t be good news. Even he would not be cruel enough to
       torment her like that.
       “Sophia, you’ve been away sometime. Shortly after you left,
       things got pretty bad around here, you know. Frankie tore the
       place apart and somehow Jackie got caught up in all that. I wish
       I could have called you to let you know sooner, but you left
       without a word to anyone. I didn’t know how to reach you. He was
       gunned down by some asshole from outta town just one week ago.
       We haven’t given him a funeral yet. His mother wants to know who
       killed her son, before she puts him into the ground.” Terry
       said.
       The entire time he was talking, his head had dropped so he was
       staring blankly at the ground. Sophia merely stared openly into
       space, as though watching a heart breaking scene in a
       mesmerising musical. Her cheeks were flooded with tears, and as
       she continued to stare at nothing in particular, Terry grabbed
       her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
       It was no use. Nothing was going to make her feel better now.
       Losing her cousin had broken her, and now she had lost the man
       she hoped to one day find happiness with. Her mind screamed out
       to her that the only thing left for her to do was end it all,
       but rational thinking clouded that over in an instant. Dying was
       not going to solve anything, not anymore, not around these
       parts. Around here, death was inevitable and seen as nothing but
       just another tragic loss. It was expected. Nothing written about
       suicide or loss was a big deal or a shock to anyone in Hell’s
       Kitchen these days. It seemed Terry was right. Frankie had
       indeed given the city a shift in power. His gang of drug
       dealers, murderers and reapers had turned it all upside down.
       “Terry, do you have anywhere I can stay for the night? I hadn’t
       made plans” Sophia asked, hopeful.
       “Of course, there’s a vacant room in my apartment building. I’ll
       talk to the manager, pay a few bills and you can camp out there
       as long as you need to.” He said.
       Sophia sniffled a thank you and curled herself into his arms
       briefly. Terry enveloped her, running his fingers through her
       wavy hair and whispering soothingly that things were going to be
       alright again soon. She did not believe a word he was saying,
       but nodded her head in understanding nonetheless. Despite his
       best efforts, she wasn’t going to feel better about any of it.
       As they walked out of the bar and toward the apartment building
       Terry was staying at, he informed her that there was something
       of great importance she needed to know, sooner rather than
       later. Confused, she turned to him and asked to know what was so
       important, but he wouldn’t tell her. Sophia stomped her feet
       like a child and pouted to capture his attention and make him
       feel bad, but he told her to wait until tomorrow. Now was not
       the best time, given the news she had just received. He
       suggested a nice warm bath with some bubbles and scented
       candles, at which she laughed and gave him one final hug before
       walking into her room just down the hall from his own.
       “Sleep well, Sophia” he said.
       “And you, Terry” she replied.
       Sophia slept like a baby that night, much to her surprise. As
       soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light and
       nothing could wake her. That was, until morning came and Terry
       began hammering on the door to hurry her up.
       “Alright, I’m up!” she yelled.
       Terry backed off and returned to his own apartment, telling her
       he would be waiting outside until she was up and ready. Sophia
       had no idea where they were going, but as she peeped out the
       window and spotted Terry dressed in a black suit, she figured it
       must be for business. Business, to Terry and his friends, was
       never a good thing in her book. She had no idea why he wanted
       her to tag along, given how dangerous their jobs usually were.
       But, she figured Frankie had made things a little safer since
       losing two of his men.
       As she invaded her suitcase for something to wear on such a nice
       day, she came across her favourite outfit, and one she had
       packed specifically for her return to Hell’s Kitchen. It
       consisted of a tartan skirt, a green tank, yellow socks and
       ballerina shoes. Her tank was her favourite accessory, or
       rather, the writing imprinted on the front seemed to brighten
       her mood a little.
       [glow=green,2,300]Property of an Irish boy[/glow]
       She winked at herself in the bathroom mirror, slipped on her
       clover headband, sprayed her honey scented perfume, applied some
       emerald eye shadow, fastened her earrings tightly and adjusted
       the rosary beads sitting neatly around her neck. The Celtic
       cross hung low on her stomach, just the way she liked it.
       “Alright, so where are we going?” Sophia asked as she hopped
       into the car beside Terry.
       Terry spent a few minutes laughing heartily at the outfit she
       was wearing, and left Sophia sitting there with her arms folded
       and staring angrily out of the car window as they drove along.
       “Sorry babe, we’re going to see Frankie. Well, I am, but since
       you’ve returned I think it would be best if he filled you in on
       everything that’s happened. He also needs to be aware that
       you’re going to need protection if you’re planning on hanging
       around with us again.” he said.
       Sophia’s mouth dropped open wide enough for a nest of bees to
       fly in and out. Terry was out of his mind if he thought for one
       minute she was going to put herself in harms way. She put her
       foot down as soon as she found the courage to speak.
       “Erm, I don’t think so Terry. Look, I know I came back and all
       but I am in no way going to be hanging around dark corners and
       lingering in the shadows or drinking till I puke with you guys
       like we used to. It just isn’t going to happen. Understand
       something now, that is the very reason I left in the first
       place.” she said.
       Terry turned his head to glance at his friend with a very
       serious expression on his face. Sophia held back a gulp as he
       told her rather colourfully how he felt about the whole thing.
       “God damn it, Sophia. If you had grown a pair back then and
       stuck around, maybe Jackie could have settled down with you and
       he’d still be here.” he half yelled.
       That had done it. He had gone too far with that outburst and
       reminded Sophia of another reason she had left them all behind
       without saying goodbye. When they were angry, they knew not how
       to control their temper, and never would they apologise for
       saying stupid shit like that. Sophia elbowed him in the ribs and
       caused him to stop the car a little too quickly. Both of them
       flew forward, injuring their bodies in the process. Terry
       sustained a bloody nose, whilst Sophia glanced in the mirror to
       find a gash above her right eye. Fuming, they both began to yell
       at one another and sat in the car for almost two hours just
       tearing each other apart. The people walking by seemed to stop
       and listen quite a few times, amused by the spat.
       “Oi, you two, get out the damn car and get in my office, now”
       yelled a voice from Sophia’s side of the car.
       Terry and Sophia both hushed at the sound of a very pissed off
       Frankie Flannery. To her, he had always been like an aggressive
       fatherly figure, whom she knew better than to annoy. He looked
       absolutely livid with the pair of them as he slammed the door
       and walked inside behind them. Sophia gulped in fright when he
       spoke up again, his voice still somewhat raised.
       “If you can’t manage to keep your voices down when you’re
       talking business around this city, you can both get the hell
       out, or I will make sure I take care of it” he threatened.
       Terry bowed his head and Sophia nodded profusely. As they all
       sat in his office and spoke of an upcoming job, Sophia became
       irritated. Of course, she would not be involved, but detested
       the idea just the same. Two people she cared a lot about had
       died doing their jobs for Frankie, and she was getting pretty
       sick of it. If only he wouldn’t beat her down for speaking her
       mind, she would have told him off a long time ago, just like his
       sister had. Unfortunately, Kathleen had moved out of the country
       around the same time Sophia took off six months ago, for the
       same reason. It seemed, only the feminine gender of these
       relations still had the sense they were born with, enough to
       realise they had to get away and fast.
       Whilst the boys continued their light banter over every last
       detail and danger, Sophia rose from her chair and walked over to
       Frankie’s shot cabinet in the corner of the room. Not one of
       them looked up or even acknowledged she had moved, so she went
       ahead and poured herself a shot of whiskey. After another three
       shots, the room was spinning all around her.
       “Hey guys, is it earthquake season over here?” she asked,
       stumbling a little as she walked back to her chair.
       “Sophia, sit down and shut it” Terry barked.
       A little taken back by his attitude toward her, she stayed
       silent and made her way back to the chair, in which she sat in a
       very unladylike position. She had one of her legs up on the arm
       of the chair, giving the boys full view of her very Irish themed
       underwear.
       “Christ, Sophia. Why did you even bother?!” Terry shouted,
       straightening her out a bit.
       “Do you know something, Terry. I am starting to get really
       pissed off with how you’re treating me. Sure, I left town
       because I didn’t want to get my ass buried along with my cousins
       and Jackie’s, but that doesn’t give you the right to treat me
       like a piece of crap on your shoe!” Sophia screamed, now pacing.
       Frankie was watching the entire ordeal from behind his desk with
       a sickening grin on his face. After Sophia had finished ranting
       at Terry, she turned to Frankie and saw the look on his face.
       With the strength of about ten men, she flung her fist toward
       his face and knew he would suffer from a black eye in a few
       hours.
       “You, you’re just as bad as him, if not worse. All these games
       you play, using your men and my own damn cousin as chess pieces
       in a bloody board game, just so you can get your hands on the
       prize. You have no idea what they go through for you, you son of
       a bitch” Sophia raged, breaking down into tears.
       “Terry, get this harlot out of my office before I break you
       both” Frankie said, tending to his bloody eye.
       Terry picked up Sophia as gently as possible, realising he had
       indeed been treating her horribly over the last few hours, and
       knowing she didn’t deserve any of it. In a way, he knew he too
       was suffering still from the loss of two great friends. He could
       only imagine how she must be feeling about it all, and could see
       clear as day that the drink was not helping.
       “We’re gonna take you back to the apartment alright, and you’re
       gonna get some more rest. The boys and me have arranged for
       Jackie’s funeral to be held at his mothers house this afternoon.
       You need to be in the right frame of mind by then, Sophia. Start
       pulling yourself together.” Terry said.
       Sophia had been lounging against the car window for the entire
       ride back, nodding her head every now and then to let Terry know
       she was listening to him. Her face was stained with tears and
       her eye shadow had smeared all down her cheeks. Right now
       though, she didn’t care what she looked like. All she knew was
       that she’d over reacted and possibly damaged her civilised
       friendship with Frankie, if you would even call it that. No
       matter who he was to the man she once loved, she had always
       believed him to be someone she could never fully trust. Even if
       Jackie doted on him.
       As quickly as a bullet would stop your heart, Sophia instantly
       fell asleep as soon as she collapsed on her bed. It never
       occurred to her that getting changed out of her clothes might be
       a good idea, given that she would be wearing this outfit for the
       funeral, just to be different. In her own way, she would be
       paying her respects to the only Irish man she’d ever fallen hard
       for, no matter how inappropriately dressed she may be.
       Further hammering on her door woke her from her sleep again, and
       she groaned loudly into the pillow. As she opened one eye, she
       noticed Terry was actually standing inside the room and knocking
       like an idiot instead of shaking her awake.
       “You dope, what the hell are you doing? How did you get in
       here?” she asked.
       “Key, duh. I’m renting three rooms on this floor” he said,
       grinning as he held up the key.
       Sophia, for the first time in a long time, smiled up at him as
       he helped her stand. Before running out of the apartment and
       leaving her to get changed, he told her to just call at his room
       once she was ready. They would not be needing the car this time.
       Sighing, Sophia stretched a few times and yawned. She took the
       quickest shower she’d ever taken in her life and managed to blow
       dry her hair in about ten minutes, which was easily a new record
       for her. She smiled approvingly at her reflection before leaving
       and locking up.
       “Terry, his mother and father haven’t seen me in a long time.
       They never did like me back then. What the hell are they going
       to make of me now, knowing I wasn’t even here when their son
       died?” Sophia asked.
       As they walked down the street toward the Flannery’s home, Terry
       wrapped an arm around her to reassure her that they wouldn’t be
       holding a grudge. At least, he did not think they would. Jackie
       and his mother had always been incredibly close, and he got on
       well with his father now and again. The thought of his mother
       breaking down and sobbing without a care in the world during
       this service put a huge lump in Sophia’s throat. If that
       happened, she knew she would end up the same way. Other people’s
       emotions expressed so freely always broke her down.
       “Terry, I don’t think I can do this” she said, grabbing his arm
       and halting him just outside the house.
       “Babe, trust me. I will stay with you as much as I can, but you
       have to face them at some point” he said.
       “Yea…” Sophia mumbled, taking a deep breath and following Terry
       inside.
       #Post#: 1422--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Reconciliation
   DIR By: Wolfy
       Date: November 14, 2012, 7:35 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       A gathering of people rushed over to welcome us both, and a few
       stopped and stared at the sight of me. I’d been away for almost
       half a year, but surely they remembered me. I was about to fall
       apart under their stares when Mrs Flannery approached me. She
       looked me up and down and a small smile graced her lips. I was
       thankful at least someone approved of the outfit I’d chosen in
       order to celebrate her sons life. I never did mourn at funerals.
       The choice to remember only the happier times was mine, and I
       always stuck by that. If I so much as thought about anything
       depressing whilst here, I would surely be climbing into my own
       grave by the end of the afternoon.
       “Sophia, darling, where have you been?” she asked, pulling me
       aside and away from Terry.
       He simply smiled and waved after me, which I returned. I did not
       mind being left alone with her anymore, now that I knew she did
       not hate me. For so long, after leaving the city, I had spent
       day and night thinking about Jackie and his parents. I felt
       guilt every single day for leaving him behind, even though he
       had never once known of my feelings for him. His mother and
       father knew though, just as Terry knew.
       The sound of bagpipes playing softly around the room filled her
       eyes with tears. Every single Irish melody she heard took her
       back to her younger years. When she, Terry, Stevie and Jackie
       were younger, they were all so close. They did everything
       together, and now the group had been split up by death and
       chaos. Sophia did not condone the boys’ behaviour or their need
       to involve themselves in such dangerous acts, but she blamed
       Frankie for almost everything that went on. He was the boss
       after all. Nothing was ever done without being run by him first,
       and almost every time something needed doing, it was live or
       die. Terry, Jackie and Stevie were always in on the jobs, as per
       Frankie’s wishes. Sophia couldn’t stand him. The regret she had
       felt over hitting him this morning disappeared.
       “Sophia, are you alright?” Mrs Flannery asked her.
       “Yes, sorry Ruthie. I was just thinking about things. I feel
       awful for not being here for you or your son, or my own cousin
       for that matter. I regret leaving so much” Sophia said, allowing
       tears to fall freely.
       “Ohh, honey. Don’t you think about that now. All that matters is
       that you’re home, you know. You came back, and even if you
       weren’t around for these tragic moments, there’s no sense in
       punishing yourself over something you can’t mend.” Ruthie said,
       pulling Sophia into a motherly embrace.
       Sophia broke down like a small child who had lost her candy, and
       she didn’t care. This was after all a funeral service, so it
       wasn’t likely to be anything noticeable. She heard Ruthie join
       in with her sobbing shortly after and felt really bad for
       stirring her emotions. Nevertheless, they held each other for
       some time before Jackie’s father walked over. Sophia pulled back
       and stared up at him with tearful eyes, not knowing what he was
       going to say or do.
       When he reached his arms out to her and smiled warmly, she
       almost broke down again. Never in a million years would she have
       thought this man could be so delicate. Then again, he had lost
       his only son not so long ago, of course he was going to be in a
       delicate state.
       “Thank you for coming home, Sophia” he whispered into her ear.
       She closed her eyes and blinked the tears away at his words.
       “Yea, I came home for your son. I’m just sorry I was too late to
       make amends” Sophia said.
       A priest dispersed the crowd that had gathered around a coffin
       upfront, and Sophia’s stomach did a backflip at the sight of him
       laying there lifeless. Luckily, there was a chair right behind
       her, and as she fell back against it, Ruthie grabbed her hand
       and held it tightly.
       As he spoke of all the wonderful things Jackie had done in his
       lifetime, all who had gathered for the service laughed and a few
       even clapped at his antics. Then, it came time for everyone to
       endure the words of a very heartfelt eulogy, from the minds of
       Mr and Mrs Flannery. The priest lay his hand across Jackie’s
       heart for a brief moment, and walked forward away from the
       casket until he was standing before Sophia. The distance between
       them was but a metre, if that. As he read from the parchment,
       the room went silent.
       [center]You can shed tears that he is gone
       or you can smile because he has lived.
       You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back
       or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.
       Your heart can be empty because you can't see him
       or you can be full of the love that will not dim.
       You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
       or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
       You can remember him and only that he's gone
       or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
       You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
       or you can do what he'd want - smile, open your eyes, love and
       go on.[/center]
       #Post#: 1423--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Reconciliation
   DIR By: Maggie Flannery
       Date: November 14, 2012, 7:41 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       You're very welcome :D I love Sophia's look by the way! I do
       wish I had her style :) Aww I'm sorry to hear that rest up my
       dear. Take your time! I know all about that inspiration, haha. I
       shall post this evening for you! I can hardly wait for the first
       bit of yours! :D
       #Post#: 1424--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Reconciliation
   DIR By: Wolfy
       Date: November 14, 2012, 7:52 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       I wish I had her style too! :] and thank you for understanding
       about the lack of inspiration, haha. I do hope you enjoy the
       first part I have up. I had to cut in in two because the post
       limit is 2,000 characters. I should sort that out really.. and I
       shall be awaiting the first part of yours! :D
       #Post#: 1425--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Reconciliation
   DIR By: Wolfy
       Date: November 14, 2012, 8:48 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Once he had finished speaking, Sophia’s mouth hung open slightly
       at how beautiful the words had been. She looked to her left at
       Ruthie and blinked away tears as she smiled brightly at her.
       Ruthie had also been crying during the eulogy, as had Mr
       Flannery. Sophia’s hands began to tremble as she looked over at
       the casket once again. Her eyes met with Terry’s as she looked
       around the room, and his seemed to glisten a little in the
       sunlight, indicating he too had found the tribute heart warming.
       Terry mouthed the words beautiful to Sophia, and she nodded her
       head in agreement before turning her attention back to Jackie
       laying there, still as ever. It was such a sorry sight to see.
       To her, Jackie was always a bouncy boy and couldn’t keep still
       for anything, ever. His lifeless and pale body made her feel
       psychically sick, and she excused herself to find the bathroom.
       “Ruthie, I’m sorry, do you mind if I rinse my face upstairs?”
       she asked.
       Ruthie squeezed her hand gently and told her it was absolutely
       fine. With a nod in Terry’s direction, she stood and left the
       room. Just as she was walking up the stairs, she heard the
       familiar record that Jackie used to sing all the time. There
       never was a moment he wasn’t humming the melody or singing the
       lyrics with his horrible voice. Sophia smiled through another
       river of tears as she rushed into the bathroom and drenched her
       face with water. Her head was now spinning from the build up of
       emotions.
       Before she had chance to reach for the door handle, she
       collapsed on the bathroom floor, knocking her head on the side
       of the sink as she went. Because of the music playing
       downstairs, no one had heard the sound. It seemed a lifetime
       before she finally woke up, only, it was fairly dark outside
       now. She figured she must have knocked herself out for a good
       few hours after that clumsy moment. And yet, no one was trying
       to break the door down, and no one had come to check on her.
       Sophia stumbled as she tried to stand steady. Her hand reached
       out for the handle, and as she unlocked the door and stepped
       into the hall, silence surrounded her. The house had turned cold
       and the only light was coming from the room which held the
       casket. As she walked slowly down the stairs, careful not to
       trip over anything as she couldn’t see a thing, faint voices
       travelled through the air. Sophia was more than a little worried
       that something terrible had happened, and figured that another
       gang had invaded the Flannery home.
       “Surprise!” someone screamed, jumping out in front of her.
       Sophia fell back on the stairs and landed painfully on her
       behind at the fright the stranger had given her. She had
       absolutely no clue what was going on, until the lights came back
       on. There, more alive and well than ever, stood Jackie. Terry
       hung back behind him, and his mother and father, along with the
       rest of the gathering, stood further back in the other room.
       She couldn’t open her mouth. She couldn’t focus her eyes. And
       she certainly couldn’t even look at any of them at all right
       now. She was confused, hurt and bordering insanity.
       “Sophia, did you miss me?” Jackie asked.
       Just when everyone thought she was about to pounce on him and
       playfully tell him off for such a cruel joke, she managed to
       stand up tall and glare daggers at him. Jackie looked bemused.
       Terry looked worried, and everyone else just didn’t know where
       to put themselves. Everyone scattered into different directions,
       leaving only Sophia and Jackie standing in the hall at the
       bottom of the stairs.
       With hurt written all over her face, he finally gave up grinning
       like a maniac. Once she saw that he picked up on the fact that
       she wasn’t at all delighted, she raised her hand and smacked him
       hard across his face.
       “I don’t think you realise what you’ve done. I don’t ever want
       to see you again. Coming back here was a mistake. I’d been right
       the first time around, I should have never come home” she said.
       Before he could respond to her anger, she stormed up the stairs
       as quickly as her feet would allow her. Only, she heard his own
       footsteps following close behind and hurriedly ran into an empty
       room at the end of the hall. Unfortunately, Jackie was much too
       quick for her. He slid his foot between the door and its frame
       so she couldn’t even attempt to lock it.
       “I don’t even want to see you, Jackie” Sophia yelled, pushing
       against the door with all her might.
       “Let me in, Sophia. Stop fighting me!” Jackie yelled back, also
       pushing against the door.
       “Guys, don’t you think this is better off elsewhere?”
       interrupted Terry, who was standing in the shadows at the top of
       the stairs.
       “Shut up, Terry” they both shouted.
       Terry, realising he was only making matters worse, sighed and
       skipped down the stairs to join the crowds of people who were
       now wondering what all the noise was. Mr and Mrs Flannery were
       also surprised by Sophia’s harsh reaction, though there was a
       little more understanding from Ruthie.
       With one final push, Jackie managed to knock Sophia back a few
       inches and quickly closed and locked the door behind him. The
       room was pitch black, but once his eyes adjusted, he could see
       her standing still in the middle of the room, shaking her head
       from side to side as though possessed.
       “Sophia…” he said, stepping toward her.
       “Jackie, no! stay away from me, I’ll jump out the window” she
       threatened, stretching out her arms so he wouldn’t come too
       close.
       It broke his heart to see the sadness seeping through her
       without a care in the world. He had to do what he had done, to
       save his family. The mobs around Hell’s Kitchen were after him
       and his money, and unless he made them believe he was dead and
       gone, they would go after his parents. He could never have
       allowed that, and that’s all he was trying to tell her.
       “Would you just hear me out?” he half yelled, frustrated with
       her blabbering.
       Sophia stepped a little closer and started attacking him with
       her hands, not caring if she hurt him. What he had done had
       upset her too much for her to care even a little about causing
       him bodily harm. Jackie grabbed her arms with his hands and
       forcefully backed her up against the nearest wall. He pressed
       himself right up against her so she could not move, and once his
       face was an inch apart from hers, he told her what had happened
       in the time she had been away. Bit by bit, it began to make
       sense. Once he had finished explaining himself to her and
       apologising for causing her any amount of grief, she calmed
       down.
       “You… you looked dead, Jackie” she said, raising her head to
       look at him.
       He was so close now, maybe even too close. In all the years she
       had known and loved him, she had never been this close to him.
       If she accidentally tipped her head forward now, she could kiss
       him. But the thought of him pulling away in disgust changed her
       mood.
       “Yea, but I’m not am I” he said with sarcasm.
       “Same old Flannery” Sophia added, pushing him away from her and
       storming out of the room.
       This time, she didn’t hear him following her. As she reached the
       bottom of the stairs, she spotted Ruthie in the corner of the
       main room and informed her she would be leaving. She told her as
       nicely as possible not to invite her around anytime soon, as she
       had a lot of thinking to do.
       As she walked down the street in the dark, wondering how the
       hell she was supposed to get back to the apartment, a car pulled
       up beside her. Terry was driving, but as she moved to climb into
       the passenger seat, she noticed Jackie sitting in the back out
       of view. They must believe she is doped enough to fall for it.
       Little did they know, she had outgrown that period in her life,
       very much so. She was no longer the stupid girl who chased
       people around for whatever she wanted, whenever she felt like
       it. She looked after herself and depended on no one. Whatever
       she wanted, she would make it happen.
       “Thanks, but no thanks” she said, slamming the car door and
       continuing on up the street.
       “Come on babe, you don’t know the way” Terry pleaded.
       “Read my lips, Terry” she said, turning to face him, “I don’t
       give a ****”
       Terry swerved the car and blocked her path, startling her. She
       couldn’t believe he had actually driven onto the sidewalk, and
       it only angered her further. When she still insisted on walking,
       Jackie jumped out and began to chase her down the street after
       she took off running.
       “Sophia, you can’t keep this up forever darlin’” he yelled,
       catching up with her.
       Sophia ran as fast as she could until her breath wouldn’t allow
       her to anymore. She came to a halt as she reached another road
       and looked up at the building across the street. Who would have
       believed she’d ended up outside the apartment, after all that
       fuss over her supposedly not knowing the way. Though, Terry did
       have a point. She was simply being her stubborn self.
       “Ah ha! Now who is doped” she said, tossing Jackie the finger as
       he grabbed her arms.
       She didn’t know what he was going to do when he pushed her up
       against the wall of the building, but as they stood there in the
       dark, a streetlamp further down shining a little light over
       their heads, everything went silent. Terry had stopped the car
       and was now leaning against the passenger door smoking a
       cigarette. Apparently, he knew exactly what was going to happen.
       Sophia would give anything to know.
       “Jackie, what’s going on” she asked, turning her head from side
       to side.
       The silence was deafening, but she couldn’t work out that it was
       only in her head. Before she could blink or part her lips to ask
       another question, Jackie was kissing her. Her eyes bugged out of
       her head for a moment, then closed ever so slowly at the
       delightful taste of whiskey on his smooth lips. She never
       imagined it to be quite like this. Perhaps she had thought too
       little of such an intimate moment with him. She realised now
       that had to be true, for this was giving her stomach all kinds
       of trouble. So much so, she had to raise her arms up and wrap
       them around his neck to prevent falling.
       “And that’s the way the cookie crumbles” Terry said, walking
       into the apartment building after patting Jackie on the back.
       The pat on his back had knocked their teeth together, and with
       an angry growl, Sophia barked a colourful choice of words at
       Terry.
       “Terry, you ****, that hurt” she said, allowing her mouth to run
       away with her.
       “Ahh, Sophia, I think he gets it” Jackie cooed, moving his
       kisses down to her neck, which silenced her instantly.
       “Jackie, upstairs” she mumbled, pulling at his jacket in a poor
       attempt to get it off him.
       Jackie giggled like a small boy as he half lifted her off the
       ground and stumbled carelessly up the stairs with her and into
       Terry’s room.
       “I don’t think so… get your own room” he said, like the
       sarcastic ass he is.
       Jackie lifted Sophia into a bridal hold, and almost as though he
       was drunk, fell all over the place before reaching her room just
       across the hall. Once inside, he turned his back to the bed and
       dropped her down on it, climbing over her like a snake and
       devouring her mouth with his own.
       End - For Now
       - The song Sophia fondly remembers Jackie singing constantly -
  HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_p1E3Nk_PQ
  HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_p1E3Nk_PQ
       #Post#: 1432--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Reconciliation
   DIR By: Maggie Flannery
       Date: November 15, 2012, 2:05 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Ahh! I loved no, adored this! poor Sophia, I would have reacted
       the same way she did, poor girl. Shame on Jackie, but I can
       certainly see him doing that. The song fits him perfectly (how
       did you know I was a Flogging Molly fan? haha) I absolutely can
       not wait until you post more! Wonderful wonderful work my dear!
       Please by all means keep it up! :D
       #Post#: 1438--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Reconciliation
   DIR By: Wolfy
       Date: November 15, 2012, 8:05 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       I'm so pleased to know you liked this one. I was having a little
       trouble with wording things, because I'm not used to writing in
       third person and was finding that a little weird, haha. I felt
       all of her emotions as I was writing the funeral service, and
       now that you mention it, I could see him doing something similar
       as well. I would murder anyone who faked their own death like
       that and gave me a whole load of depression.. it's just not
       right. Ooh, I'm glad you like the song too! and Flogging Molly
       are fantastic xD
       I shall post another part to this story sometime soon! :]
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