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Lucas knocked on the door and waited. Looking around the street he was acutely aware that Ellie lived in one of these houses. He scanned the cars for one that he'd recognise as belonging to one of his men. If he saw them close at all he'd have Tara packed up within the hour.

"Hey Lucas. Tara isn't here."

Lucas turned towards the older man, his face grim.

"Hello sir. May I come in and talk with you?"

Peter looked at the distinct rigid stance of Lucas' body and felt his blood run cold.

"Is something wrong with Tara?"

"Not at the moment sir but that's something I'm trying to prevent."

"You better come in." Peter stepped back leaving room for Lucas to step past him.

"Come into the kitchen. I was taking a break from writing and making a cake."

"You're a writer?" Lucas was surprised. That piece of information didn't show up in the file he'd requested.

Peter chuckled that Lucas had picked up on that bit of information and not the fact that he was cooking.

"I resigned a month ago from a dead beat office job and having been somewhat successful I decided to give full time writing a shot."

Lucas followed the man while shaking his head.

How did he not know?

Peter seemed to sense the quandry Lucas was in.

"If you're wondering why it wasn't in the write up you have about me it's because I don't use my own name."

Lucas looked at him in surprise but decided to let the obvious question pass.

"You have a pseudonym?"

"That I do... and no, I won't be telling you what it is. There's some things a man likes to keep private and this is one of them."

"It's enough for you to live on?" Not that Lucas was actually worried about Peters income as such but the idea of someone choosing a career as a writer made him curious.

"Easily, well now it's easily. It wasn't in the beginning, I wouldn't have been able to even buy noodles in the beginning. Now it's fairly lucrative, I get what I need as well as paying for anything that Keiran and Tara need or want with change to spare."

"Tara's my wife so I'm happy to pay for all her expenses and for you and Keiran if I can help you with anything you can't..."

"There's no need. I said I was somewhat successful but the truth is that my books are being read around the world and my name, my author name, is becoming rather well known."

Lucas sat in the chair Peter indicated to him and watched as the older man moved around the kitchen as if it was his second home.

"I have to say sir I never expected you to be a writer."

Peter nodded once before answering.

"Not many people would believe it either. I lived a pathetic existence before. I was never happy with my life, especially after Keiran's mother left and when I started looking for excuses not to go to work I knew it was time to move on."

Peter stopped suddenly as he put two coffee mugs on the counter near where the kettle was boiling away.

"Do you like what you do Lucas?"

Lucas sat quiet for a moment.

"For the most part. I changed alot that my father set up because the way he did things didn't always sit well with me."

Peter pondered his words for a brief second before continuing.

"And killing? Do you actually like killing people?"

A heavy silence fell on the room. Lucas knew that he was being put under the spotlight, a position he hadn't been in many times in his life.

"I don't like actually killing people but I will do whatever I have to in order to protect my family and rid the world of scum."

"Some people would say that what you do makes you scum" Peter pointed out the obvious humane idealism.

"I have no doubt about that sir but I won't apologise for protecting what belongs to me." Lucas answered with a firm voice. He made no apologies for what he did, he only did what was necessary.

"And my daughter? Do you believe that she belongs to you?"

"Originally yes. Now... I'm a possessive man Peter and I love Tara. There isn't anything in this world that would stop me from protecting her... or Keiran for that matter."

"Keiran?" Peter was surprised.

"Yes sir. Keiran as well. He's stood by Tara through everything, he deserves the best. Both you and Keiran are Tara's family, you'll aways be protected."

"I have to say that you surprise me Lucas."

"Why is that sir?"

"You've accepted my son without questioning who he is. You've based your decision on what he's done without any regard to how he lives his life."

"The fact that he's gay?" Lucas asked.

"Yes" Peter replied while nodding.

Lucas shrugged.

"A persons sexual orientation is their business and as long as they're happy who cares if it's someone of the same sex?"

"You don't have to convince me of that. Keiran's had a hard time with a lot of people, his mother included, actually she'd be the worst reaction he got."

"Keiran is Tara's brother. You're her father in more ways than her pathetic piece of shít biological parent was. You don't turn your back on family just because they do something you wouldn't do yourself."

Peter grabbed the mugs of coffee before moving over to the table.

"There's a whole lot more to you than meets the eye Lucas. To be honest I wondered if you were only putting up with Keiran because of Tara."

Lucas shook his head.

"Possibly when we first met but that wasn't anything to do with him being gay, that was more the fact that he was a tag along. Keiran is a damn fine young man. You've raised him well. I still have problems accepting that he's only seventeen with everything he understands."

"Keiran's had a tough life, he's grown up faster than he should have but he makes me proud."

"I can see why." Lucas paused for a moment before he launched into the reason why he'd come to visit. "Sir... there's something we need to talk about."

"I didn't think this was a social call."

Lucas spent the next hour talking with Peter about the entire Ellie situation.

Peter had sat shocked when he realised how close Ellie actually was. From everything that Keiran and Tara had told him and now Lucas there was no doubt at all in his mind that Ellie was an overflowing pot of crazy.

"So you want to boost up security around this place?"

"Either that or move you all to the beach house."

"Is that really necessary?" Peter felt bubbling in his stomach as he thought of Maggie.

"Well sir, the beach house is completely safe and my men know all the possible weak points and will have them guarded."

"Surely this is a bit over the top? I agree that Tara needs protection but Keiran and I? Why would we need protection?"

"Easy. You're Tara's weak spot. You're her family. Ellie wouldn't think twice to threaten you and Keiran in some way to make Tara do what she wants her to."

Peter fell against the back of his chair and looked at Lucas in disbelief.

"You're joking?"

"I wish I was. Ellie is a conniving bítch who stops at nothing to get what she wants."

"And she wants you?"

Lucas grimaced.

"Yes she does."

Peter shook his head.

"Is this really the life you want to live?"

"This is my life. I was born into it."

"You don't have to live it."

"Better to be living it than have old enemies come back and no power to deal with them."

"Like with this Ellie?"

"Ellie believes that she can still do as she likes because of my father. She's about to learn that my father isn't in charge any more."

"What'll you do?"

Lucas stopped tracing the top of his mug with his finger and looked Peter directly in the eyes.

"Whatever I have to."

"Would you kill her?"

"If she gets too close to Tara?"

Peter nodded.

"Yes sir. If she gets to Tara or you or Keiran then yes... I will kill her."

"I don't know what to say." Peter said in a way that showed his concern and disbelief.

Lucas shrugged.

"Its not the life for everyone."

"I don't know if I can condone killing Lucas."

"Sir, let me ask you this. If you arrived home one day and Ellie had a knife at Tara's throat would you let her kill Tara or would you stop her any way you could?"

"That answer's obvious. I'd do whatever I had to do to save Tara."

"Then you have to understand sir that I'll do anything I need to in order to make sure it doesn't get that far."

"Is that likely?"

"With Ellie I can honestly say that anything's possible."

"And this is the woman your father chose to have an affair with?" Peter asked the question as if trying to make sense of why someone could possibly want someone who was clearly insane.

"It's because of my father that Ellie's like she is. She was a means to an end and when he didn't want her around he shared her. Actually I suspect that he shared her even when he was around. That sort of crap has to affect you somehow."

"This... I... Did your mother know?"

"I don't believe she knew in the beginning but I can't be too sure on that. I know that she knew in the end. It was the reason they moved to England."

Peter sat shaking his head.

"Why did she put up with it? Why not leave?"

Lucas' face fell solemn.

"My mother's first marriage was to a príck who treated her and my brothers like crap. I asked her one day why she didn't leave him."

He stopped and shook his head at the memory.

"She turns her head at the affairs because he treats her like a queen. His flings are always second place to my mother."

"I can't believe she puts up with them."

Lucas scowled.

"A few years ago she decided she'd had enough, I don't know why but she told Dad it was her or them. He chose her... well apart from one but he won't have her much longer."

"How do you know?"

"My mum's in the early stages of dementia. Not enough to greatly panic about but we don't let her go out without someone with her anymore and some small every day things have started to be affected."

Peter's face mimicked the sadness of Lucas'.

"It's a tragedy when age gets to people."

"She's not actually that old. She was just one of the unlucky ones."

"Have you got any idea what your father plans to do when things get bad?"

Lucas shook his head.

"There won't be any need for that. They're coming home. Family will be there for them."

"Admirable."

"No less than what you've done for Keiran amd now Tara."

"Maybe so Lucas. Maybe so." Peter thought for a moment "I'm not against staying at the beach house for a bit, it'll actually be good to see a different set of four walls but I'll leave you to tell Keiran and Tara."

Lucas grinned at him.

"Piece of cake right?"

Peter openly laughed at him.

"With that pair? Who knows what way they'll go with the news... good luck with that."

Lucas groaned and his next words had Peter laughing at him even harder.

"Sir... you're a wimp."

The two men fell silent and were surrounded by the smell of Peter's cake in the air. Each sat thinking about their family. Each with the exact same way of thinking although with very different ways of dealing with the troubles life threw at them.

Each now knew that they, as two men from very different worlds, had joined together for the one common purpose. A purpose like no other but which was an oath said by many.

Protecting their own.

********

Gawd this felt like it waffled on. At least you should have some answers to the many many questions I keep getting asked now.