"Ta New York?"

"Aye, lass..."

"But wha' about teh gym?"

"Jimmy can run it while I'm away."

"Jimmy cannae run a lap wit'out needin' yer guidance!"

"Jimmy will be perfect'ly fine lass... 'E's more t'an competent."

"Aidan, I don'ae like et, nae one bit!"

"Filly..."

"Don'ae 'Filly' Me Aidan O'Connor!"

"Fi..."

"I don'ae wanna hear et. Yeh jus' go' me 'om-"

"FIONA!"

......... Silence sat at the other end of the conversation as @FionaBelfry backed off a bit, his yelling not being good for her current condition as she still healed from her attack.

Aidan sighed and took a step forward, Fiona taking one step back. He lowered his head, shaking it.

"Fiona, I know yer worried about me... An' if yeh want, yeh can come wit' me. Maybe it would be nice fer yeh ta ge' outta town fer a bit. Actualleh, I think yeh -should- come wit' me. I'd like it if yeh did. Keep me company on t'ose long nights when I ain' go' naeone but meself. An' I'd feel safer knowin' yer wit' me an' nae here only wit' me lackeys. I know t'ere good fer it, but I'm bet'er."

He smirked, and it was almost like that's what Fiona had wanted to hear, an invitation to tag along. Stir crazy maybe from being locked up in Aidan's place the whole time? Or maybe it was true worry of him being away, or maybe her just not being beside him. It had only been a few weeks since her attack and she was still a bit shell shocked from the whole ordeal. Aidan seemed to be the one constant that kept her at ease. And even then, he still walked on eggshells most of the time.

It was obvious though, the new look on her face told him she was going with him to New York. She knew it was business, but maybe they could at least have ONE night out while they were there. See some sites, try some of New York's famous dishes, maybe even visit the lovely Cotton Club. She didn't take long to pack her things and have her luggage stacked with his. At least she was getting around better now, and she was finding it easier to rest at night... Though sometimes she still woke flailing and screaming. Aidan assumed that would go on for years. What had surprised him, though, was that she was quickly feeling more comfortable with him.

Aidan smiled as she sat on top of her suitcase with a wicked smirk of her own...

"Yeh ready, t'en, lass? We got'a plane ta catch..." She offered him a nod and he opened the door, whistling for his boys to come and grab the luggage while he escorted Fiona to the car that awaited them below.

The drive had been quiet, and the boys had gotten him and Fiona to the airport quickly. All that was left now, was to give @Sho_Nuff a call to let him know that he was headed to New York, and would soon be on the ground there. Aidan made his way to the phone booth and stepped inside, shutting the door of it behind him. Fiona walked around it and stared at him through the glass with a smile, even pressing her nose to the glass and making a strange face at him to lighten the mood. He couldn't help but chuckle and smile back at her.

He lifted the phone and deposited a coin, making his call to Sho. A few rings, and he smiled hearing his friends voice on the other side.

"Sho, we're at teh airport now... We'll be leavin' soon, an' we'll be on teh ground in New York in about four hours. Everyt'in' seems fine so far."

He hung up and exited the booth, a man giving him a courtesy shoulder check before entering the booth on his own. Aidan spun around and caught the man by his jacket and yanked him out of the booth...

"Yeh go' a problem wit' me, boyo?" he growled out at the man who grinned.

"Nothin' against you personally, just your whole community. You Micks should go back to Ireland, we don't need ya here."

"Is t'at so... Well t'en, maybe I'll jus' take yeh up on t'at..." Aidan smirked, "Or maybe I'll beat yer arse so hard t'at yer own family wouldn' even recognize yeh... Do yeh know who I am, lad? Or are yeh jus' t'at fockin' stupid o' a wanker?"

The man chuckled and spit in Aidan's face, which warranted him a quick response of a jab in his gut, doubling him over... Followed with Aidan slamming his head back into the thick glass of the phone booth. The glass cracked, and blood trickled down through the twisting rivers that now flowed outward from the impact point. The man's head spun dizzily and the few people around shrieked and began to run.

"Maybe yeh'll t'ink again befer bein' so rude, hi?"

The man barely nodded and Aidan let him go, his body slumping down to the ground with his back against the booth. Blood continued to slowly fall from the back of his head as he sat there dazed. Aidan sighed, and took the man's hand, pressing it to the back of his head.

"Put pressure t'ere, lad. It'll stop teh bleedin'... An' don'ae go ta sleep. Nae fer a few hours a'least."

He then circled the booth and locked arms with Fiona and briskly began walking toward their gate.

"C'mon, lass. Le's go befer someone brings back teh coppers an' we get detained. Cannae miss t'is flight..."

The two hurried along and were quickly boarded onto their plane. Luckily, no one on this flight had been at the scene of the phone booth so they were smoothly out and in the air in no time. It wouldn't take but a few hours for them to land in New York. Aidan turned to Fiona and smiled...

"I'm gonna take a nap, lass. I suggest yeh do teh same... But if yeh don' want to, t'as fine. T'ey should bring us a meal in about an hour. Relax, an' enjoy teh flight."

With that, Aidan covered his head with his hat and closed his eyes... The flight, he hoped, would be nice and easy...

Aidan's mind wandered all around as he slept, his body twitching every now and then. Even though Fiona was getting better, he wasn't doing so great on discovering who had attacked her the weeks prior to this trip... His dreams were filled with blank faces and it nearly drove him mad. And his nightmares were made worse by knowing that Fiona was faced with even WORSE nightmares for the rest of her life. The traumatic events had happened to her, not him... And if the visions in his head were this bad, he could only imagine the monsters she was dealing with.

Fiona shook him lightly until he shifted, moving the hat from across his face and opening an eye to peek at her.

"Hmm?"

Fiona smiled at him. "Planes landin' soon." She nudged him with her shoulder and he chuckled.

"Aight, lass. Yeh ready fer teh big apple t'en?"

They buckled themselves in and prepared for the plane's decent. It had been an uneventful flight, which in Aidan's book was a VERY good thing.

Once on the ground in New York, Aidan and Fiona made there way to the Bronx. First things first? Stop in at one of the local watering holes and get a drink. Besides, where was the best place to listen to stories and learn information? Always the bars and the speakeasies! Why did no one actually "speak-easy" when they were there? 

Aidan allowed Fiona the chance to head in to the pub by herself to scope out some of the local riff-raff and see about plucking some info from those that might try and cozy up to a woman who was apparently by herself. He gave her a kiss and held her chin...

"Yeh ready, lass? T'ere's nae tellin' wha' yeh may find in t'ere... Jus' be prepared. An' if yeh holla? Know t'at I'll com runnin'. Ot'er wise, I'll be in after I smoke meself a stick an' I'll make meself a table in teh corner ta listen in on shite."

She nodded and nuzzled his hand lightly before turning and putting on the moves, her hips swaying as she marched into the pub like she owned the place. And who's to say she didn't aside from the proprietor? She looked and sounded Irish enough...

Aidan sighed and chuckled to himself. With a shrug, he leaned against the wall outside of the joint and lit up a cigarette, taking his time to enjoy the feeling of smoke filling his lungs. He eyed those who passed by with wonder, and nodded to those that seemed to notice him; even winking to his fair share of beautiful New York women that walked along the concrete paths. If Fiona was going to play the part of being available for the moment, he was too; if only to sell the ruse.

After giving her ample time to establish herself, roughly a good ten to fifteen minutes, Aidan threw the door open and blew out the last of his smoke from the cigarette, and snuffed the burning embers in the palm of his hand; a nice sizzle added to the burn that sent a shiver of excitement down his spine. He made his way to the bar and slipped in next to Fiona.

"I'll 'ave meself a dark, t'anks..."

He looked around and smiled as Fiona took a glance at him.

"Greetin's lass." A toothy smirk followed before the low thunk of a glass full of stout was sat before him. His attention turned and he rubbed his hands together happily. "T'anks fella," he nodded and raised the glass to Fiona before turning and walking off to a corner of the room and taking a seat to survey everything.

It took every ounce of calm that Fiona could muster not to squirm in her seat as she waited for Aidan. The bartender was friendly, offering a her a warm smile as she took a seat. But the hopeful glimmer in his eye made her stomach lurch and slither. Grinding her teeth into her bottom lip, Fi gave the man a nervous smile and a nod. The waves of tension that rolled off her were enough to snuff the suggestive smoulder in his gaze. And he sighed softly with a gentle nod as he lowered his head to meet her downcast gaze. "Hey now, darlin. Can I get you something?" 

Fiona nodded quietly, "Scotch. On teh rocks? Splash o wa'er?"  The bartender gave an appreciative nod. The girl knew how to drink. As he slid the glass across the slick bartop, Fiona's hands shook as she snatched it... almost a few seconds too late. She felt like raw skin, an exposed nerve. The long bar was opposite the entrance, forcing her to sit with her back against the door. She could've chosen a table, but had she done so she would have undoubtedly given herself away when Aidan came in. So there she sat -back to the door - tense and twitching at every movement and noise, every drunken chuckle and clink of glass. 

"New around here, huh?" the bartender asked with a smile, "You look fresh off the boat." Fiona forced a shy smile, nodding softly, "Feels like me feet jus' touched down," she half-lied, slipping into the grooming of her childhood with ease. It made her feel a bit more herself, which was a blessing in itself given the recent weeks. And it helped her explain her jumpy behaviour... creating a story, a foundation, from which to build rapport and glean information. 

They chatted for what felt like an awkward eternity, but as Fiona eyed the clock above the bar she realized it could only have been about 10 minutes. She was relieved when Aidan finally crept up beside her. Something in his smile helped her settle into their little ruse. Even as he turned away to take a seat elsewhere, just knowing he had her back, quite literally, put her mind at ease. "So, yeh ge' a lot'a fresh faces in these parts? Doesn' tha' make et kin'a... I dunno... tense? All those differen' views an' backgrounds all mixin' an' minglin'... seems like et'd cause a lot o trouble. Isn' t'es where teh points was?" 

The bartender chuckled, launching into a convivial rundown of the local cultural street-climate. Fiona actually smiled as he lectured her about who was best known for doing what and how best to "stay safe" in the city. Fi leaned in, milking as much information from him as she could with her innocent new-blood routine, as Aidan moved over from his seat to join the conversation. 

Aidan smiled as he took a seat next to her. The more the man spoke, the wider his smile became. As the bafoon continued waxing eloquently, bringing her along was looking more and more like a fine idea. THIS was exactly why they were here.

Aidan was impressed with how easily she made the bartender open up. It was most assuredly a gift, probably from the Scot side of her heritage. Regardless, he turned his attention to a group of men that were speaking quietly one table over from him. Seems they wanted no one to hear about a shipment of booze they planned to jump on. Unfortunately, the people he was looking for already HAD the booze and would be looking to get rid of it. She that made Aidan shake his head at first, lighting a second cigarette before taking a drink of his beer. He almost choked as soon as the drink hit the back of his throat and everything caught up.

The Irish; they had booze and would be making shipments...

These good fellas; they wanted to steal a shipment of booze...

If he could get a message out and maybe -warn- the Irish about these interlopers, then perhaps he could get himself a quick sit-down with their head honcho... Or at least this Dwyer character if he wasn't the head of their organization. He leaned back and continued to listen to the four men's plans... They actually had a rather elaborate plan to hit the shipment just on the outskirts of the city; a roadblock, ambush with a small crew of five men plus the men from the roadblock, a few explosives, a hidden cargo truck, and everyone packing heat.

Their plan? Distract the drivers and shoot them dead, then fill the other men with holes as well... Pull the truck around, load the booze into the truck, blow up the other vehicles with the bodies in them, and make haste. They would set everything but the roadblock up early in the day, so they could easily be taken advantage of if the Irish were to know about their little excursion plans. Aidan took a drink of his ale and puffed on his cigarette. He closed his eyes so it seemed like he wasn't really paying attention to anything. However, it actually helped him tune everything else out and focus on exactly what he -wanted- to hear. A trick he'd been taught back in Dublin during a boxing tournament.

He hoped that Fiona was getting more juicy details as she sat at the bar, and one look told him she was. He grinned, downed his beer, and made his way over to the bar to "order another". It was always nice to listen in on the conversations at hand.

"Sorry, can I get anot'er dark... An' I heard yeh mentionin' names... Do yeh happen ta know of a Dwyer? Irishman? I'm supposed ta try an' meet wit'im about a business proposal."

The bartender nodded as he poured a second round for Aidan.

"Oi, put t'is nice lass on me tab too, if'n yeh don'ae mind. She shouldn' be payin' fer her own drinks lookin' as nice as she does." He smirked and winked to Fiona. "Yeh don'ae mind, lass, hi?"

Fiona shook her head and smiled, but they were both drawn in by the bartender giving them information on Dwyer... About how he liked to frequent the pub and would probably be coming in some time later. How he ran an organization of Irish hooligans that cornered the market on booze trade in Atlantic City, and ran a friend of his out of business.

"Sam?" Aidan mused, and the bartender nodded.

"You knew him too?

"Nae personally, lad, but 'e supplied booze ta one of me establishments in Philadelphia."

They nodded to each other in an understanding.

"I'll be honest, friend. Dwyer isn't a bad businessman. He's actually been able to get me more booze, quicker than Sam ever did. You might see about working together with them. I know he set his main workshop up here in the Bronx... I mean, I know that Godfather Insomnia and Godmother Bubbles were worried about them moving in on New York turf, but... I bet with the right connections, he'd be happy to work for a more established organization."

Aidan nodded and smiled, taking a gulp from his glass and sighing happily.

"T'anks fer teh info, lad. Maybe I'll jus' wait fer 'im here..."