The crowd roared as Will wailed on Dermott for all his wiry little body was worth.  Aurora reached out for William, but just before she got her hands on her pain in the ass little brother, two sets of adult hands grabbed her.  She was instantly pulled her back towards Dermott's boss who was laughing his ass off.  Clearly finding the sight of a drunk young boy pounding on a slightly older teen to be the height of hilarity.  

The whole room winced and groaned as Dermott lobbed a dizzying haymaker into the side of William's head throwing her little brother off him with a spray of blood arcing across the open dance floor.

Aurora screamed, "DERMOTT!  STOP!  STOP, DERMOTT PLEASE HE'S MY BROTHER, DERMOTT!"

Will and Dermott scrambled to their feet and the young boy began to make use of a lifetime of training in evasion.  While his blows were largely ineffectual, Dermott was swinging blows that might knock a grown man cold and blessedly he was missing time and again.  

Aurora knew she could remove herself from the grip of her captors, kill them both if she had to, but getting out of this basement would be impossible if the boss didn't want that to happen.  Considering that bets were now exchanging hands, Will and she had no hope of getting out without a full pound of flesh being extracted.

"Look at the little scrapper!"

"He doesn't know when to stay the fuck down!"

Laughter and amazement rippled through the crowd as time and again William took a terrible punishment from the older and much stronger boy but kept coming back for more.  Will was keeping out of Dermott's reach pretty well but when a second massive blow to the head split her brother's lip open wide, Aurora found herself unable and unwilling to wait to see how things played out. 

She twisted abruptly, rolling out of one man's grip while elbowing the other in the diaphragm knocking all the wind of him.  Now she had a small window to rush into the ring created by the observers which she, in her mother's elegant red dress, took.  Fists balled at her side she sprinted as hard as she dared in her heels.

Will was laid out on the floor in a bloody heap as Aurora skid to a stop right over top of him.  She glared at Dermott.  The boy who was kissing her only a moment ago clearly had no intention of stopping his onslaught upon Will.  He'd been made to look a fool in front of his boss and worst of all it was a young boy who had done it.  

Aurora threw the first punch.

Then a second.

The crowd was stunned as the young girl pummeled upon Dermott who had no idea what hit him.  Then, they went absolutely mad.  Aurora was vaguely aware of money changing hands again, but she didn't care.  It felt good to hit someone.  She was pissed. 

"Rora?"

Pissed about her little brother ruining this great evening.  Pissed that her parents' marriage was in shambles.  Pissed that her birth mother wasn't here to give her advice about any of this. 

"Rora..."

Pissed that it was her birth father who had taken her mother from her.  Pissed that what should have been one of the happiest moments in her life, had become something horrific. 

"Rora!"

"I LOVED HIM!"  She roared.  Dermott's blood became Anthony's and Joey Nose's blood.  Nothing made sense, all she could feel was anger the likes of which she'd never allowed herself to touch upon in her whole life.  

"STOP!"

Aurora never realized she'd taken Dermott to the ground, never noticed that she'd torn her mother's dress, never noticed that she'd knocked the boy out cold and was now beating him to death right in front of an audience of horrified onlookers - not until Will's hand took hold of her shoulders and pulled her off the kid.

"It's okay..."  He said past his broken and blood covered lips, pulling his sister into his arms.

"BOSS!"  A man at the top of the stairs called out.

Every head in the room turned towards the stairs.

"There's a woman outside ... would like a word with you ... about those Americans."

"Fuck."  the Irish boss said softly.  "Bring 'em... and get this piece of shit off my dance floor."  

With that Aurora and William were taken hold of by Irish goons and escorted up the stairs.  

Tara stood in the street outside her car flanked by two men she'd had with her for many years now.  She watched as the front door to the home opened and five men emerged, two of which brought out her brother's children... bloody. 

Aurora was dressed up in a manner that was well beyond her years and her hands were bloody as if she'd been fist fighting and Will's face looked like it had been the recipient of his sister's fury.  The kids looked worried, hurt, but not dying.  Both were averting her eyes leading her to believe this wasn't something they were victims off ... but participants in some way. 

Clearly, Aurora had been here for the party with the boy Dermott ... but why would she bring William with her?  Did he follow?  Why?  So many questions.  No good immediate answers.  She willed herself to remain calm, to not jump to conclusions or give the signal which would have caused snipers to fill the men who had her niece and nephew full of hot lead.  

"Donovan?"  She called out as the door closed behind the men & the children.

"You have me at a disadvantage, Lass."  The man was attempting to be charming, but it had been many years since she was past the age of being called lass by anyone.

"I'm the Aunt of those children you're keeping."  She stressed the word children, making clear she did not see them as a part of whatever they'd become mixed up in.  "I'm here to take them off your hands."

"Is that so?"  Donovan asked.

"It is." Tara replied.  "I see no reason you and I should become further acquainted.  Believe me, that's the last thing you and your operation wants or needs.  Just hand over the children and we can part ways without incident."

Donovan looked at the kids, "And if there's already been an incident?  If I've taken losses tonight that aren't easily recouped?"

Tara replied in perfect Irish-Gaelic, "I find it distinctly hard to swallow that a ten-year-old boy and fourteen-year-old girl could possibly have taken anything of real value from someone like you.  Unless the stories of your great deeds are somewhat oversold?"

Donovan narrowed his eyes.

Tara nodded to the man next to her who opened his briefcase to reveal a large sum of money. 

"Surely this is enough to help compensate you for your losses?"  Tara asked in English.

"We're so fucked ..."  Aurora breathed the words just loud enough for her little brother's ears alone.

Donovan smiled.  

Tara nodded her man forward.  

Donovan nodded for his guys to walk the kids forward.  After only a moment, Aurora and Will were being rushed back to Tara's car.  

"The boy is welcome back anytime... but his sister should consider her invitation revoked, permanently,"  Donovan called out as Tara move to the passenger door, and her bodyguard opened it for her.

Tara answered back, "I don't think that's going to be an issue."

The car doors slammed shut solidly and the it pulled away from the curb, not sparing the rubber.

Will held a raw steak against his face that was nearly as big as his head, trying not to wince as a woman with a needle stitched up the skin under his lip.  He winced and tears filled his eyes, but he told himself he wasn't going to cry.

Aurora was back in her own clothing, her hands washed of Dermott's blood and her cuts wrapped in white bandages.  He had wanted an adventure, but this wasn't exactly how he'd seen it playing out - him being sewn together like a torn up stuffy and his sister staring out a window dead in her eyes and so silent even their dad would have been uneasy with it.

Outside a storm was raging, but Will couldn't bring himself to worry about his parents out on the ocean, now on the two-way radio with Aunt Tara in the next room.  Whatever happened to Aurora in that basement wasn't about Dermott or him.  She needed help.  She needed someone and by her expression, Will was sure she felt she had no one.    

I loved him!

It could only have meant one thing.  Aurora had been with Anthony that day she came home covered in his blood.  She'd cried in the shower, he'd heard it.  She'd been more hateful to their mother than ever before that night, insisting she knew what could happen to people and why it was she needed protection.  The blood had to be Anthony's.  He was either very badly hurt or maybe even ... 

A tear ran silently down Aurora's pale cheek and William felt a pang of pity for his older sister such as he'd never felt before.  The thread was tied off near his lip, and the woman who was a desk clerk from downstairs stepped back and ruffled Will's hair.  

"No more scraps now, ya hear?"  She told him.  

"Yes, Ma'am."  He said, letting his tone hint at his guilt, though he honestly felt little for all that had happened.  Aurora had needed him to help her, even if she couldn't ask for the help.  She was making the sort of choices he'd never known her to make before.  She wasn't the irresponsible one, that was his job! 

She was the smart one.  She was the tough one.  Aurora was all things to everyone, there was nothing she attempted she didn't excel at ... while he... well, he was just the baby.  Adorable Will, a joy to have around, but despite being the baby and the boy - what did he really bring to the table? 

He was always Aurora's brother and he'd honestly never minded it so much.  She was the person he could always look to.  He could count upon her to know what to do in any situation.  She was true north itself.  Unwavering and dependable, but tonight, she'd needed him and he was glad that he was able to be there for her.  Even if his lip did scar like the hotel desk lady had said that it would, it would be worth it, if Aurora had been spared more shit.

Tara entered the room.  Both kids looked to her and they could immediately see her worry for their parents. 

"They have to stay out on the sea, it's too dangerous to try to bring the boat in during the storm," she told them.  "I didn't tell them about what happened tonight... they have too much on their minds now... but I, however, feel I'm owed an explanation."

Tara's eyes glanced first at William and then turned to the oldest Byrne child.  In a word, her expression was one of total disappointment.  William knew his Aunt was a smart lady.  She probably already had figured out that Aurora had chosen to go to the party with Dermott and that he'd followed.  She, therefore, likely blamed Aurora for the risk they'd both faced tonight.  

Tara shook her head sadly as she continued looking at Aurora and said, "Well?"

Aurora took a breath, "I..."

Will stood up and put himself between Tara and Aurora, just as she'd done with Dermott, though Aunt Tara wasn't likely to punch Aurora for anything she might have confessed.  Still, he wouldn't let her take the heat.  Not tonight.  Not while she was hurting so much already. 

"Omerta!"  He said firmly, as much for his sister as a reply to his Aunt.

Tara arched an eyebrow high, taking in the sight of her young nephew.  The wiry boy, beaten within an inch of his own life, standing defiantly in front of his clearly broken-spirited sister whose tone had already indicated she'd accepted something of a defeat.  She mused at how much he resembled his father then.  Gavin as a boy had been much the same, all passion and no sense, but total devotion to his sister... her.  Willing to stand between her and danger no matter the risk to himself.

"Omerta?"  she asked a cross between amused and annoyed.

"We can't tell you, even if we wanted to."  Will asserted.  "We swore a blood oath to each other.  We won't talk about what happened."

"Will..."  Aurora spoke softly behind him, but he didn't look back.  She was going to try to tell him it wasn't necessary, but he wasn't going to protect her from Aunt Tara so much as he was protecting her from herself.  Because that was the truth... the only person who would ever be able to bring his sister down, was Aurora herself.

"Aunt Tara, we're both super grateful you bailed our butts out... but, Dad says that a Byrne doesn't break his word.  I and Aurora swore on the plane ... she won't tell you a thing.  And neither will I.  Whatever punishment you need to give us... you just do that.  We'll accept it.  Whatever it's got to be."

Tara looked at Will and then past him to his sister.

"Does he speak for you too, then?"

Aurora hesitated only a moment before speaking, "I gave my word."

Tara sighed.  "God willing, your parents will be back tomorrow.  I don't know if this omerta thing is going to fly with them. Will your face looks like hamburger meat and Aurora... they will want to know what happened."

She looked at the kids again shaking her head at how much they reminded her of she and her brother in their youth.

"Sleep.  The both of you.  No more sneaking off."  She told them both assertively, watching them both make their way to their beds in the room.  Once they were under the covers she came over and gave each a kiss on their foreheads and then, she turned out the light leaving them alone in the dark listening to the storm outside.

For a long while, William lay there thinking and then he got out of his bed and walked over to Aurora's and climbed into the bed with her.  Aurora, to his surprise, rolled over and hugged him.

"You said you know why I'm mean sometimes..."  She whispered, a peel of thunder breaking her stream of thoughts.  "Why?"

Will kissed his sister's head through her hair, his lip feeling as though it might split open again as he put any pressure on it.  "Because... it must be hard being perfect."

Aurora scoffed.  "I'm not perfect."

"You try though.  Heck, you're closer to it than I am, at least."  He chuckled.  "But mom and dad would love you just the same even if you weren't.  You do know that right?"

She was quiet for a moment before admitting, "Yeah.  I know it."

The rain pelted the window and the wind howled outside.  Will wasn't sure Aurora was awake until at last, she said, "You're funny.  Other kids, hell everyone, loves you. You don't even have to try and people just... do what you want.  Even tonight when you jumped Dermott... a roomful of his friends thought you were amazing even as you tried to break his nose."

She chortled.

"He was kind of an asshole though, putting moves on you like that."  Will laughed with her and then in a more serious voice added,  "I just ... didn't want you to wake up tomorrow regretting it."

"I wouldn't have."  She stated, but then admitted, "But I appreciate you were worried about me."

"I am."  Will corrected as he ran fingers through his sister's hair.  "But I know if anyone can get through losing someone close to them... it's you."

Aurora looked up at her little brother on his place high up on the pillows, "You know?"

Will nodded.  "Not everything, I suppose but I put the bits together."

"And... you won't tell Mom and Dad?"

"Were you hurt?"  William asked.

"Only my heart,"  Aurora whispered.

Will kissed his sister's head again.  "Then no.  I won't tell.  Omerta.  Family first.  You and me.  Just like Dad and Aunt Tara, we'll always be here to take care of each other when we got no one else we can turn to.  Now and forever."

Aurora hugged William tight and he hugged her in return.  

"Do you think they'll be alright,"  William asked just before slipping off to dream.

"I told you before," Aurora yawned, seemingly unconcerned.  "They're the Wolf and the Dragon, Silly.  How can't they be?"