Status: Complete
Risk It All
Revenge
*Three months later*
'Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.'
Life had started to feel like it was slowing down for the three adults yet the rest of the world had carried on so easily. A dark gloomy cloud seemed to linger around as they tried to adjust to a life without their beloved Italian. The mornings had been less satisfying without the usual chatter and insults. It was a hard pill to swallow to think that Rocco would never walk into their apartment late as usual for events, no silly Rocco mishaps, no Rocco to smile and call Nolee by her nickname she'd never thought she'd end up missing so much.
'My Nolee-cannoli.'
A sour sensation had seem to permanently nestle into Nolee's body. Grief was such a strange thing to go through. Nolee had never really mourned the loss of someone important in her life besides her mother when she was younger. Nolee had not become attached to anyone else besides the people sitting next to her. Losing Rocco had cut her deeply just as much as it did the brothers. Rocco had become an integral part of life in such a short period of time, life didn't seem right without him now.
"Can I just have a water?"
"Sure ye can. Fuck! Ass!" he suddenly yelled as she stared him completely speechless.
"He's not talkin' to you personally sweetheart. That's Doc, he's got Tourettes." the man sitting next to her explained amused at her shocked reaction. She turned her head to a large man with shaggy dark hair and a full grown beard.
"Oh." she was all could say.
"Hey, are you Betty Boop? I love Betty Boop! Very classy lady." the shaggy haired man exclaimed with a smile. Nolee involuntarily laughed, there was nothing alarming about him that registered with her. He seemed pretty innocent enough.
"I am, yes."
"Now that is impressive. Much cooler than all the girls dressed as cats I keep seeing." he replied rolling his eyes dramatically.
"Well thank you, I appreciate that." Nolee giggled.
"I'm Rocco by the way, nice to meet you."
"I'm Nolee." she responded kindly before the bells went off in her mind. "Rocco!" she repeated at the familiarity and smiled at the coincidence. "I've heard about you."
Tears had pricked the corner of her eyes when she would drift back to the night on Halloween when she first met the shaggy haired Italian. How easily he had been kind to her and how easily she'd been drawn to his personality. Rocco may have been a goof that wasn't always the brightest, but he was by far the most loyal person you could ever hope to have by your side in life. It hurt her deeply to know Ruby would be left without one uncle and wouldn't get to enjoy to him like Nolee got to in so little time. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, there was so much more to do.
Connor and Murphy had tried their hardest to carry on without their friend and act normal, but Nolee could easily see the pain killing them inside. Their smiles were less frequent and both of their eyes had dulled. That seemed to be the hardest challenge was helping someone else deal with a loss while struggling to cope on your own. Each of the adults had loved Rocco in their own individual ways, and they mourned in their own individual ways.
Connor would of course distract himself with his western movies when he wasn't investing time into Kira. On the other hand Nolee would often find Murphy in his own world listening to music. She could also see a part of them had blamed themselves, despite Rocco joining them on his own accord. Even if the adults had known the risks of what could happen in the midst of their conquest, it still didn't comfort them in the slightest of the loss actually occurring.
All the three adults could do now was rely on each other to help them all get through, and in a way it had only strengthened Nolee's bond with the twin brothers. They knew they had no choice but to remain strong not only for each other, but for Ruby. All that was left was memories and each moment from that point on had been cherished completely. For like always life would continue whether they liked it or not. Time would eventually come to move on but no matter what, Rocco will always be a part of them. And as much as it was painful, they'd continue to live life for Rocco.
But it was also ironic that with grief, there had always seemed to be an underlying meaning. The pain somehow bringing you to a new phase when you might've not realized it. It seemed like a Twilight Zone episode when Nolee inevitably found herself face to face with the older gray haired man sitting at their kitchen table.
"Nolee...there's something else we need ta tell ye...we...we found our Da."
"W-what?" Nolee whispered questioning whether she had heard the Irishman correctly. "What do you mean you found your father?"
"Our Da was apparently an expert hitman and somehow he had ties with ta Yakavetta family. He's been in Hoag prison for the past 25 years this entire time. When we began our hits, Yakavetta had become panicked and brought in backup. He managed to get our Da paroled so he could handle us."
"So...he's the one who ambushed you? He was trying to kill you?" Nolee whispered angrily.
"Ta be technical...yes. But he hadn't known it was Connor and I until Rocco had been shot. When...we were doing ta family prayer, he had come in. We knew it was our Da...because he finished said prayer. Only ta men in our family know of that prayer, it was no coincidence."
"H-how can this even be?" she replied in astonishment not able to process anymore events as her heart still ached.
"I don't know love...but it's him. Connor and I have always wondered about him and because of strange fuckin' circumstances...now he's here."
Nolee felt indifferent staring at the older bearded man, not sure what to think. There was a slight resemblance between the brothers and him making the biological connection not too unbelievable, only difference was Connor and Murphy had taken on their mother's eyes instead of the man's dark browns. After Connor and Murphy had taken time to deal with the loss of Rocco, they had now had been brought to something much deeper.
"Nolee...this is our Da, Noah." Murphy introduced softly as the older man had made eye contact with the small girl and very faintly smiled. Nolee remained still, unable to will herself from the spot she stood in. It appeared that the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree when it came to wanting vengeance and taking such vengeance into their own hands.
"Ahh, ye ta one me son talks about all ta time. It's a pleasure ta finally meet ye lass, ye more beautiful than Murphy described." Noah greeted kindly but it did little to make Nolee feel comfortable. She didn't know what to make of the older man being a hitman who had almost taken away the two people she loved most, even if he wasn't aware it had been his own sons he shot at. Nolee couldn't be sure if she could trust the man given his line of work. But yet Connor and Murphy hadn't shared the same feelings, perhaps it was the simple fact that they'd been missing their father all this time. In some freakish parallel universe Noah had been right under their nose the entire time. Maybe it was the fact that losing Rocco had made the brothers realize there had been no more time to waste. All their resentment and anger towards their father's disappearance was a misunderstanding. There was so much more to the story than they thought possible and the brothers had not been too proud to forgive and forget. Because if Rocco's death had taught them anything, it was that life was indeed short.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you too, and thank you." Nolee greeted back politely. She may have had her own personal feelings towards the reunion, but ultimately she knew it was not her place to object, it was Connor and Murphy's decision solely.
"I hear I have a beautiful granddaughter as well, where is ta wee little one?" Noah inquired excitedly at Connor and Murphy. Murphy had glanced briefly to Nolee as if asking permission, his eyes filled with a plea. Despite her indifference Nolee nodded and faintly smiled at Murphy granting him the okay to retrieve Ruby. Murphy had only smiled back gratefully before picking up a sleeping Ruby from her bouncer. Slowly Murphy had placed her into Noah's arms where the older man had observed the small infant adoringly. A genuine smile spread across his face as his hand lightly brushed Ruby's.
"It almost feels like holding ta both of ye for ta first time all over again. How I wish I could change a lot of things." Noah lamented glancing up at his grown sons with regret. "I'm so very sorry me boys. But by ta looks of it, it seems ye both have done well for yourselves. How amazin' this little one is." Noah sighed with content turning his attention back to Ruby. The indifference Nolee felt had then faltered as she studied Noah's face. The regret he had felt for missing out on his sons' life by being in prison had made her sympathetic understanding what it was like to put herself in his shoes as a parent.
"Thank you love." Murphy whispered into ear gratefully as he squeezed her hand noticing the change in her. "Thank ye for givin' him a chance." he added making the small girl look into the Irishman's face briefly before squeezing his hand back. There was a lot of catching up to be done and no more time to waste.
It amazed her that once more despite bad circumstances, life had come full circle again.
_____
Connor and Murphy had enjoyed each moment they got to be reacquainted with Noah. There were a lot of similarities Noah had passed on to his sons personality wise that was for sure. Nolee had watched from behind the scenes with a faint smile happy to see her boys happy again. The dark gloomy cloud was slowly starting to fade away.
Connor and Murphy had seized their quest for justice after the night at Pappa Joe's. The decision of whether they should carry on weighed heavy in their minds. With Rocco gone now, the boys had reconsidered continuing on. It was better for them to lay low until the mafia had simmered down anyways. Even though Nolee had selfishly been happy to have the boys back home she knew eventually at some point they'd be going back out into the world again. For now she had focused on enjoying her time with the brothers, Kira, and Ruby finally getting to have a grandparent. For the most part Noah had fit right into the family and Nolee had to admit the older man hadn't been so bad having around. The vigilantism would just have to wait.
"Ma won't give us a straight answer, so tell us Da who came out first?" Connor demanded to Noah who sat on the couch holding Ruby.
"Shut ta little bastard up and tell him it was me Da!" Murphy insisted causing a sibling bickering match to ensue as their father looked on amused.
"Ye both unfortunately got ye Ma's temper that's for sure."
The sibling argument had continued on with no resolution as to who actually came out first for Noah hadn't been able to arrive at the hospital until after the boys were born, disappointing the brothers. Perhaps it would always remain a mystery of who was born first. As Noah and his sons joked around Nolee had laughed to herself flipping through the television channels. An ache in her stomach formed when she saw a familiar face on the news.
"Infamous mafia Pappa Joe Yakavetta is expected to strand trial tomorrow for the third time in two years. Yakavetta is expected to take the stand to defend himself against the allegations against of his involvement in ordering the killings of no less than 17 men. The third case against him is relying heavily on circumstantial evidence and a third acquittal has already been predicted." Anger had slowly flowed into the small girl's veins upon hearing the words of the reporter. Something had triggered a response in her she had not felt before staring at the image of Pappa Joe. The disgusting criminal was expected to get off scot free yet again.
Nolee could feel the unfamiliar urge spread throughout her body and it was only then she had truly begun to view the world through the brother's eyes. The craving, the lust for truth, and in that moment she could only bring herself to think about one person. Nolee shifted her attention to the brothers seeing them share the same anger. Murphy had switched gaze to Nolee noticing her expression and as their eyes locked, there had been absolutely no hesitation from her.
"I want revenge...for Rocco."
'Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.'
Life had started to feel like it was slowing down for the three adults yet the rest of the world had carried on so easily. A dark gloomy cloud seemed to linger around as they tried to adjust to a life without their beloved Italian. The mornings had been less satisfying without the usual chatter and insults. It was a hard pill to swallow to think that Rocco would never walk into their apartment late as usual for events, no silly Rocco mishaps, no Rocco to smile and call Nolee by her nickname she'd never thought she'd end up missing so much.
'My Nolee-cannoli.'
A sour sensation had seem to permanently nestle into Nolee's body. Grief was such a strange thing to go through. Nolee had never really mourned the loss of someone important in her life besides her mother when she was younger. Nolee had not become attached to anyone else besides the people sitting next to her. Losing Rocco had cut her deeply just as much as it did the brothers. Rocco had become an integral part of life in such a short period of time, life didn't seem right without him now.
"Can I just have a water?"
"Sure ye can. Fuck! Ass!" he suddenly yelled as she stared him completely speechless.
"He's not talkin' to you personally sweetheart. That's Doc, he's got Tourettes." the man sitting next to her explained amused at her shocked reaction. She turned her head to a large man with shaggy dark hair and a full grown beard.
"Oh." she was all could say.
"Hey, are you Betty Boop? I love Betty Boop! Very classy lady." the shaggy haired man exclaimed with a smile. Nolee involuntarily laughed, there was nothing alarming about him that registered with her. He seemed pretty innocent enough.
"I am, yes."
"Now that is impressive. Much cooler than all the girls dressed as cats I keep seeing." he replied rolling his eyes dramatically.
"Well thank you, I appreciate that." Nolee giggled.
"I'm Rocco by the way, nice to meet you."
"I'm Nolee." she responded kindly before the bells went off in her mind. "Rocco!" she repeated at the familiarity and smiled at the coincidence. "I've heard about you."
Tears had pricked the corner of her eyes when she would drift back to the night on Halloween when she first met the shaggy haired Italian. How easily he had been kind to her and how easily she'd been drawn to his personality. Rocco may have been a goof that wasn't always the brightest, but he was by far the most loyal person you could ever hope to have by your side in life. It hurt her deeply to know Ruby would be left without one uncle and wouldn't get to enjoy to him like Nolee got to in so little time. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, there was so much more to do.
Connor and Murphy had tried their hardest to carry on without their friend and act normal, but Nolee could easily see the pain killing them inside. Their smiles were less frequent and both of their eyes had dulled. That seemed to be the hardest challenge was helping someone else deal with a loss while struggling to cope on your own. Each of the adults had loved Rocco in their own individual ways, and they mourned in their own individual ways.
Connor would of course distract himself with his western movies when he wasn't investing time into Kira. On the other hand Nolee would often find Murphy in his own world listening to music. She could also see a part of them had blamed themselves, despite Rocco joining them on his own accord. Even if the adults had known the risks of what could happen in the midst of their conquest, it still didn't comfort them in the slightest of the loss actually occurring.
All the three adults could do now was rely on each other to help them all get through, and in a way it had only strengthened Nolee's bond with the twin brothers. They knew they had no choice but to remain strong not only for each other, but for Ruby. All that was left was memories and each moment from that point on had been cherished completely. For like always life would continue whether they liked it or not. Time would eventually come to move on but no matter what, Rocco will always be a part of them. And as much as it was painful, they'd continue to live life for Rocco.
But it was also ironic that with grief, there had always seemed to be an underlying meaning. The pain somehow bringing you to a new phase when you might've not realized it. It seemed like a Twilight Zone episode when Nolee inevitably found herself face to face with the older gray haired man sitting at their kitchen table.
"Nolee...there's something else we need ta tell ye...we...we found our Da."
"W-what?" Nolee whispered questioning whether she had heard the Irishman correctly. "What do you mean you found your father?"
"Our Da was apparently an expert hitman and somehow he had ties with ta Yakavetta family. He's been in Hoag prison for the past 25 years this entire time. When we began our hits, Yakavetta had become panicked and brought in backup. He managed to get our Da paroled so he could handle us."
"So...he's the one who ambushed you? He was trying to kill you?" Nolee whispered angrily.
"Ta be technical...yes. But he hadn't known it was Connor and I until Rocco had been shot. When...we were doing ta family prayer, he had come in. We knew it was our Da...because he finished said prayer. Only ta men in our family know of that prayer, it was no coincidence."
"H-how can this even be?" she replied in astonishment not able to process anymore events as her heart still ached.
"I don't know love...but it's him. Connor and I have always wondered about him and because of strange fuckin' circumstances...now he's here."
Nolee felt indifferent staring at the older bearded man, not sure what to think. There was a slight resemblance between the brothers and him making the biological connection not too unbelievable, only difference was Connor and Murphy had taken on their mother's eyes instead of the man's dark browns. After Connor and Murphy had taken time to deal with the loss of Rocco, they had now had been brought to something much deeper.
"Nolee...this is our Da, Noah." Murphy introduced softly as the older man had made eye contact with the small girl and very faintly smiled. Nolee remained still, unable to will herself from the spot she stood in. It appeared that the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree when it came to wanting vengeance and taking such vengeance into their own hands.
"Ahh, ye ta one me son talks about all ta time. It's a pleasure ta finally meet ye lass, ye more beautiful than Murphy described." Noah greeted kindly but it did little to make Nolee feel comfortable. She didn't know what to make of the older man being a hitman who had almost taken away the two people she loved most, even if he wasn't aware it had been his own sons he shot at. Nolee couldn't be sure if she could trust the man given his line of work. But yet Connor and Murphy hadn't shared the same feelings, perhaps it was the simple fact that they'd been missing their father all this time. In some freakish parallel universe Noah had been right under their nose the entire time. Maybe it was the fact that losing Rocco had made the brothers realize there had been no more time to waste. All their resentment and anger towards their father's disappearance was a misunderstanding. There was so much more to the story than they thought possible and the brothers had not been too proud to forgive and forget. Because if Rocco's death had taught them anything, it was that life was indeed short.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you too, and thank you." Nolee greeted back politely. She may have had her own personal feelings towards the reunion, but ultimately she knew it was not her place to object, it was Connor and Murphy's decision solely.
"I hear I have a beautiful granddaughter as well, where is ta wee little one?" Noah inquired excitedly at Connor and Murphy. Murphy had glanced briefly to Nolee as if asking permission, his eyes filled with a plea. Despite her indifference Nolee nodded and faintly smiled at Murphy granting him the okay to retrieve Ruby. Murphy had only smiled back gratefully before picking up a sleeping Ruby from her bouncer. Slowly Murphy had placed her into Noah's arms where the older man had observed the small infant adoringly. A genuine smile spread across his face as his hand lightly brushed Ruby's.
"It almost feels like holding ta both of ye for ta first time all over again. How I wish I could change a lot of things." Noah lamented glancing up at his grown sons with regret. "I'm so very sorry me boys. But by ta looks of it, it seems ye both have done well for yourselves. How amazin' this little one is." Noah sighed with content turning his attention back to Ruby. The indifference Nolee felt had then faltered as she studied Noah's face. The regret he had felt for missing out on his sons' life by being in prison had made her sympathetic understanding what it was like to put herself in his shoes as a parent.
"Thank you love." Murphy whispered into ear gratefully as he squeezed her hand noticing the change in her. "Thank ye for givin' him a chance." he added making the small girl look into the Irishman's face briefly before squeezing his hand back. There was a lot of catching up to be done and no more time to waste.
It amazed her that once more despite bad circumstances, life had come full circle again.
_____
Connor and Murphy had enjoyed each moment they got to be reacquainted with Noah. There were a lot of similarities Noah had passed on to his sons personality wise that was for sure. Nolee had watched from behind the scenes with a faint smile happy to see her boys happy again. The dark gloomy cloud was slowly starting to fade away.
Connor and Murphy had seized their quest for justice after the night at Pappa Joe's. The decision of whether they should carry on weighed heavy in their minds. With Rocco gone now, the boys had reconsidered continuing on. It was better for them to lay low until the mafia had simmered down anyways. Even though Nolee had selfishly been happy to have the boys back home she knew eventually at some point they'd be going back out into the world again. For now she had focused on enjoying her time with the brothers, Kira, and Ruby finally getting to have a grandparent. For the most part Noah had fit right into the family and Nolee had to admit the older man hadn't been so bad having around. The vigilantism would just have to wait.
"Ma won't give us a straight answer, so tell us Da who came out first?" Connor demanded to Noah who sat on the couch holding Ruby.
"Shut ta little bastard up and tell him it was me Da!" Murphy insisted causing a sibling bickering match to ensue as their father looked on amused.
"Ye both unfortunately got ye Ma's temper that's for sure."
The sibling argument had continued on with no resolution as to who actually came out first for Noah hadn't been able to arrive at the hospital until after the boys were born, disappointing the brothers. Perhaps it would always remain a mystery of who was born first. As Noah and his sons joked around Nolee had laughed to herself flipping through the television channels. An ache in her stomach formed when she saw a familiar face on the news.
"Infamous mafia Pappa Joe Yakavetta is expected to strand trial tomorrow for the third time in two years. Yakavetta is expected to take the stand to defend himself against the allegations against of his involvement in ordering the killings of no less than 17 men. The third case against him is relying heavily on circumstantial evidence and a third acquittal has already been predicted." Anger had slowly flowed into the small girl's veins upon hearing the words of the reporter. Something had triggered a response in her she had not felt before staring at the image of Pappa Joe. The disgusting criminal was expected to get off scot free yet again.
Nolee could feel the unfamiliar urge spread throughout her body and it was only then she had truly begun to view the world through the brother's eyes. The craving, the lust for truth, and in that moment she could only bring herself to think about one person. Nolee shifted her attention to the brothers seeing them share the same anger. Murphy had switched gaze to Nolee noticing her expression and as their eyes locked, there had been absolutely no hesitation from her.
"I want revenge...for Rocco."