The timers were set, like the sun in the Western sky, and Kittie was just minutes from her revenge.  Deirdre had messaged her, letting her know that her beloved older brother Declan had died in a logging accident while in hiding from the O’Shaughnessy gang.  Bill O’Shaughnessy had tried to ruin her brother’s boxing career and Kittie had killed him during a shakedown but now, even in death, Bill had been indirectly responsible for Declan’s tragic end.  It had taken Kittie several years in hiding to slowly hunt the remaining gang members and pick them off one by one, but now she had discovered their hideout and there was going to be hell to pay.  Star sat next to her in the car, neither of them speaking, or even smoking.  The silence of the impending night settled between them like a cushion.  Kittie checked her watch, silently mouthing a countdown to herself.  With only seconds remaining she heard Star scream.  A shrill, banshee like shriek that tore apart the quiet. 

"Katherine, my God.  I just saw Declan. I swear it on my life.  I just saw him head towards the building!" 

Kittie paled, her head suddenly too light for her body.  She knew Star wouldn't lie about something like that so she wrenched her door open, just in time for the blast.  With an ear shattering explosion, everything had changed.  The O'Shaughnessy Gang was dead, but if Star was right, so was Declan, and this time it was for real.  Kittie slumped back into the car seat, fiery tears coursing down her cheeks.  She tried to wrap her head around the ramifications of what she'd just done.  Revenge had come to her finally, but at what cost?  Her brother? Her sanity? Her place in heaven? 

"Oh fuck me." She muttered, her voice hoarse with emotion. "This changes everything Star.  Fucking everything.  What am I going to tell Deirdre?"  Kittie sobbed and hid her face in her hands.  The smell of smoke filled the car as she cried.  Finally she found her voice again.  "He must have faked his death up in Canada.  God only knows why."  She wiped her face.  "We need to get out of here, I can hear sirens already." 

Kittie

The Observatory

In the years that Kittie and Star had been friends, they had shared many thins together. Their home, wild raucous adventures, and even the heartbreak of losing family. Though their home was in Philadelphia, they had traveled together far and wide through some of the major cities to hunt down the men that had threatened Kittie's family and broken them apart. It had been months since they had last seen Deirdre and years for Declan. It had finally come down to the last few men, holed up in some two bit hideout like the rats they were. 

Star remembered the day Kittie had read the letter that Deirdre had sent, tears coursing down her best friends face as she'd dropped the letter on the table, unable to finish reading the words on the page. They'd held a small wake, remembering the best of Declan, praying to God that he had at last found his peace. Star remembered his mussed straw coloured hair flying in the wind as he ran from the girls back when they were neighbors. They'd spent summers causing mischief, setting her aunts horses free in the pasture and chasing them down until all four of them collapsed in a heap, giggling and gasping for air. As each of them had gotten older, they had chosen their own paths and it was an excited young man who stood at the bus stop, clutching his bag as he headed for the big city to start his career as a boxer. After O'Shaughnessy had ruined his career, the young man had gone on the run, trying just to stay alive. 

As she ruminated on those old memories of her long lost friend, she looked up towards the building which was set to blow at any second. It took her a moment to adjust her eyes as she bolted forward in her seat. No, no way it couldn't be. The hunched figure that was creeping towards the building carried himself in such an unmistakable manner that there was no way to mistake him. It was Declan, but HOW? He...he was dead except he wasn't and clearly he was heading straight for their trap. There wasn't time to react but she found herself screaming anyway, fumbling for the door handle as she screamed his name, hoping against hope that he could hear her.

As Katherine wrenched her door open the bomb went off and the building exploded in a shower of splinters and chunks of brick that rained down for several seconds, leaving almost nothing left except a few half destroyed walls and debris. Next to her, Kittie was silent for a moment, trying to process what had happened before speaking. Star was shocked, her ears still ringing from the noise from the blast which only made her feel dizzy. Maybe it was the shock of the realization that she and Kittie now had Declan's blood on their hands, but as she stared out the window just as Kittie started up the car, she thought she could see movement next to one of the walls. 

Without thinking, she yanked open the door and got out and started running, ready to finish the job they had started, hoping to at least finish off whoever had survived. As she pulled up to the figure who was stirring underneath the remains of a heavy wooden door, she cocked her gun and pointed it at the survivor. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, the person yelled her name and pushed the door off of himself, shaking out his filthy blond hair as he put his hands up. 

"Star, wait don't...man you mean business! You uh...you did this?" 

Star's eyes widened as Declan spoke and quickly she clicked the safety back on her gun and holstered it, offering a hand to him as he pulled himself out of the rubble. She didn't give him time to talk, pulling on his arm as she pointed to the car. 

"We gotta get outta here Dec, the cops they're coming! You can tell me all about it in the car how the HELL did you su....nevermind lets go!"

The pair raced towards the car and Kittie threw open the door, her eyes just as wide as Star's had been as Declan slid into the front seat and slammed the door. Kittie pulled away from the curb the moment Star was in the back and the three of the raced away from the blast site, driving until they got out of Los Angeles and made their way towards the beach in Santa Monica. As they drove, Declan told them how he had faked his death to throw off the last of Bill's men and had made his way back through Canada, tracking them to L.A. where he had intended to take them out himself. 

"So sis, I get there, it's been months right? I know it's a crap shoot but I gotta take it. They're all together and if I can make it work, I don't have to hide anymore and I can come back home. GOD I've missed home so much. Anyway I'm sneaking up and I get to the corner room and I swear I can hear someone calling my name but it was enough and I managed to duck just as the bomb went off. That door was solid mahogany, now it's a bit splintery but it saved my arse without more than a couple scratches. You girls did a good job, I'm amazed I made it out but anyway this girl here comes runnin up wit her gun, I thought I was done for Katherine. I didn't know you two were such a ruthless pair but you did this all for me and look how I almost repaid you! God I feel like such a lump but it's over now and we can go home."

The trio drove all the way to the beach, parking their car and stepping out into the salty air just as the sun was starting to set. Hand in hand, they trekked down to the water's edge and sat down on the damp sand, taking in the fresh air as seagulls screamed overhead. There, huddled together, their arms wrapped around each others shoulders, they sat there watching the sun sink until it seemed to be kissing the waves which shone like gold. They were finally reunited after years of searching and fighting, they were family and soon they would reunite with Dee. That moment had changed everything and from then on it would be so much different. Everything they'd worked for had come to fruition and they would be able to rebuild stronger now that Declan was home. 

Star-The Observatory