A/N:

Hope everyone liked the last chapter. As you can see, I'm now moving onto the present time and finishing up the Pilot.

italics flashbacks, bold Joey observations

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Another day, another wake.

If I had a penny for everytime some Irishmen died and I had to help cater the food from the Diner, I'd be a rich woman and out of my shit hole of an apartment. I move past a group of guys crowded around the bar with almost five pounds of meat on a tray. I groan loudly. My way was blocked by some heavy set guy's back. "Walking with food, gentlemen. Some consideration would be wonderful." He turns and quickly shifts his body out of my way, "Sorry." Under his breath, "Jesus H Christ.. look at that.."

I glance behind me and watch as all four men are oogling my backside. This was a normal thing, of course, but that didn't mean I liked it, and at poor Patty's wake no less. "Oh that's real classy. A dead guy in a box less than ten feet away and you're checking out my merchandise?"

I turn around and keep walking towards the back of the room, not waiting for a response. No one had any respect for the dead anymore. The wakes were just a way to score free food from the Diner and get boozed up. Like this city needed more drunk Irishmen roaming the streets on a Saturday afternoon?

Jenny was already at the back table cutting the ham. She looked tired. Matter of fact, she always looked tired these days. "Hey Jen. How's it coming? You need a break?" I drop the tray on the table and start separating the cheeses.

Jenny shakes her head, "No, I'm good. That tray is huge! Where did Jimmy get that? Or do I want to know?"

"Oh, Jim didn't. Joey Ice Cream brought it by the Diner this morning after you left. His Grandmother bought it from some antique store in Deerfield or somewhere."

Jenny eyes the tray, "Three to one he stole it and his Grandmother doesn't have anything to do with it."

"Two to one." I spoke to soon. As soon as I look up, Joey Ice Cream's walking towards us through the crowd carrying two beers. "Great."

"Hello ladies. Liking the tray so far? It's nice, huh? Perfect for the occasion." He hands me an unopened beer.

I shake my head at him, finishing with the cheese. "Nah I'm good, Joey. Thanks though."

He motions towards Jenny and she shakes her head too. "None for me. I'm working."

"Speaking of work, I've got some more stuff to bring out from the front. I'll be back." I was lying. I just wasn't in the mood for Joey at that particular moment.

Jenny looks up at me quickly, tugging at my sleeve. "What? This is it. It's all right here. Stay."

I smile at her, patting her arm. "Have fun. I'll be back."

Jenny glares at me and starts cutting harder into the ham with the knife in her hand. "Uh huh, we'll have fun. Lots and lots of fun."

Joey moves to my spot next to Jenny and leans against the table. "So, how've you been Jen?"

"Since you asked me yesterday and the day before that? I've been fine, Joe. How 'bout yourself?"

I head to another side table at the other end of the bar and find a few unopened bottles of alcohol, and it wasn't the cheap stuff. Jimmy must have forgotten to put them on the shelf. I scoop them up and head over to him behind the bar. "Hey, forget something?" I hold up the bottles.

He glances over at me while he's pouring a drink. "Thanks, babe. Put them under, will you?"

I nod and lean down underneathe the counter. The same group of guys from before lean over the bar to try and see what kind of underwear I have on. Jimmy quickly moves his body to block their view. "What the hell are you mooks looking at? Floor treatments?" He stares them down for a couple of seconds and they retreat.

I stand back up and pull my hair back in a ponytail. "I hate wakes. Why did you have to have Patty's here? Why not the bar down the block?"

He smiles at me. "Because the bar down the block's a dump."

I laugh, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. "Jimmy, can I tell you a secret?"

His smile gets wider as he hooks his arms around my waist. "If you tell me in the store room again, sure."

I lean in close to his ear and whisper, "You won this place in a crap game with Donnie. He lost on purpose just so you'd take it off his hands. This, my dear, is the dump." I give him a kiss on the lips, take a fresh beer from the counter, and walk back into the crowd before he could think of any form of a comeback.

As I make my way to the other side of the bar, I hear Tommy say something to Kevin about two thousand dollars. I laugh. Poor Kevin. Tommy was always on his ass about his gambling debts, and Kevin had alot of them. I mean alot. I lean on the table next to Sean. "Hey Seany. Mel. You guy's having a good time?"

I had introduced Sean to this girl Melissa last week. She seemed nice enough. Not nice enough for Sean, but nice enough. I look over and see Tommy coming up from behind. I give him a smile. Tommy and Kevin had always been like my older brothers. Even though Tommy was the same age as me and Kevin was a year and a half younger. Somehow the big brother thing came into play later in life. "Hey Tom. How's it goin'?"

Tommy returns a tired smile, "Good, Mad. It's goin' good." He gives me a kiss on the cheek and turns to Sean. "You know how much Kevin owes?"

"I don't know. Three thousand?" Sean responds, turning back to Melissa. I watch Tommy walk over to Jenny. Joey left right on cue. If anyone knew how to get rid of Joey Ice Cream it was Tommy. Sure, they were friends. But only because of Kevin and Jimmy. I doubt they'd have much to do with eachother otherwise.

Frankie walks past me with another cop (who for some reason had his badge out in plain sight-- was he askin' to get his ass kicked or what?) towards Tommy and Jenny. My mouth drops open. I knew why they were there and it wasn't for the wake. The shit was about to hit the fan. Jenny left Frankie and Tommy alone and noticed me staring at them.

She takes the beer out of my hand. "What's with you?"

I shake my head, "Nothing. No, I um- I think I just ate some bad meat earlier. My stomach's acting up."

I pretend to listen to what Jenny's saying but what I'm really trying to do is read Frankie and Tommy's lips. One of my many hidden talents that actually came in handy now and again. Oh shit. 'How can Jimmy steal a truck, Frankie? He can't even drive.' 'Do with it what you want.'

My eyes drop when Tommy catches me staring and gives me daggers with those eyes of his. He always knew when I knew something he didn't. What did I know that he didn't? Not much really. Yeah, I knew Jimmy stole the truck and I knew Sean and Kevin helped because of his bum leg.

I walk to the apartment door, half alseep, hoping whoever was banging on the other end had a gun to their head. I let out a sigh after looking through the peephole.

I unlock the chains and move aside, "It's three o'clock in the morning, Jimmy. If you wanted to crash all you had to do was use your key."

He starts to walk past me and then kisses me. Not just a little kiss, a hard kiss. His hands were shaking and I could feel his heart going a mile a minute against my chest. That only meant one thing. He was banged out of his head-- again. "Sorry, I lost it again. I'm sorry, baby. I just need my crobar and the .45 I asked you to hide last week. Then I'll be out of here and you can sleep, I promise."

I shut the door behind him, "You didn't ask me to hide anything. You came in at five in the morning last week and hid them yourself. I found them both by accident and moved them. Don't thank me. Crobar's between the stove and the wall and the .45's in the loose floorboard under the couch."

"Yeah, yeah good thinking. That's real smart, Mad. I must have been in a hurry." He quickly shuffles into the living room and starts moving the couch. I follow him and sit on the couch arm. "What do you need them for?"

"Just a small score. A truck with a couple a thousand shirts I can sell. No big deal."

My eyes widen, "You can't steal and truck by yourself, Jim. You can't drive with your bum leg! You know that."

"Kevin and Seany are helping me out." He removes the floorboard and makes sure the gun is loaded.

I look away while he checks the gun for bullets. I'd seen alot of guns in my life growing up in Hell's Kitchen but that doesn't mean I didn't hate them. Especially when Jimmy has one and he's as high as a kite. Not a good combination. All I could do was hope he gave it to Kevin.

"Did Joanie set this whole truck thing up?" I ask him. Where did that come from? He didn't answer, which meant yes. "Answer me, Jimmy!"

"What the hell are you yelling at me for? Yeah, she helped set it up. So what?" He walks past me into the kitchen.

I follow him again but stand right behind him this time while he reaches behind the stove. "I told you last time I didn't want you going to her anymore. You know how I feel about that girl-- if you even want to call her that. She's a fucking junkie." I wanted to say, "And so are you.." but I didn't. That was a conversation we'd yet to have, and I'll be the first to admit I'd been avoiding it. No, I did not want to face the fact that my boyfriend was a junkie. So, shoot me.

He'd never shot up in front of me but I knew what he did, and where he did it, and he knew it. Only, he didn't care, and that was why I was so pissed off, and why I threw him out of the apartment while chucking glass plates at his head. Missing on accident, not on purpose. I need to work on my aim.

"What did you say, Jen?" I look up and notice Jenny was already halfway across the room talking to Kate Farrell. I take a long sip of my beer, finishing it off, when Tommy starts walking up to me with that look still on his face. Here we go. "Hey, how's Frankie doing? I haven't seen him around in awhile."

He drapes an arm over my shoulder and takes the empty glass out of my hand. "He's fine, Maddie. Can I talk to you for a sec? It's about Jimmy."

I duck out of his hold and start walking through the crowd away from him. "I think Jenny needs my help with some more of the food. I'll be back, okay?"

Ducking out seemed to be my speciality today. I slid into the empty seat across from Kevin and swipe his half full beer, finishing it in one take. He looks over at Tommy talking to Jimmy at the bar. "He knows about the truck thing?" I nod and he takes the drink back from me. He slams the glass down after realizing I had finished it all.

He rubs his forehead, "You tell him anything?"

"Frankie got a tip. Not exactly hard to put together. Look at it this way Kev-- you, Jimmy, and Sean aren't gonna be winning the criminals of the month award anytime soon. Joey's Grandmother could steal a truck better than the three of you."

Kevin glares at me, "Go easy, huh? I don't need this today. He's already on my ass about the two thousand I owe to the guy in Jersey."

I look at him confused, "I thought you owed like five?"

"How the hell do you know anything about it?"

I don't answer because he already knew. "Fucking Joey. Can't keep his mouth shut for anything and always using the sarcasm on me. Damn."

"You know Kevin with all these bookies after you for money, I'm surprised you still have your kneecaps."

He smiles at me, "Thanks, Maddie. Love you too."

I look over when someone starts banging on the cigarette machine. Jimmy hated that more than anything. Then someone yells and before I know it, Jimmy is standing on top of the bar and taking a guy down to the floor. Kevin bounces out of his seat and starts shoving past people to get to him.

I watch as Sean, Tommy, and practically everybody else in the place starts joining in. "Another day, another wake. Fan-fucking tastic."

A few minutes later the fight was still going on and I already felt tipsy after three and a half beers. It never took much to get me drunk. Which is ironic seeing as though I'm half Irish. I stand up, trying to keep from falling on my face. I push through the crowds towards the backdoor. I figure I can get out faster that way.

But as soon as I make back someone yells, cops, cops! I look back and see a mob of people running right towards the doorway. I bolt outside before they can run me over and lean against the brick wall. People start running past me down the alley and into the street. Then Kevin runs out with Sean, Jimmy, and Tommy right behind him. Tommy is the only one who notices me and stops. Who could miss a drunk, red head barely standing against a wall?

I smile at him and try to replace my shoe that fell off. "Where's everybody goin' in such a hurry? It's a wake, not a funeral."

Tommy puts his hand on my shoulder, pushing the hair out of my face with the other. He examines my eyes. "Yeah, I'm guessin' you're a little drunk there, Mad?"

I started feeling the material of his jacket. "Wow, Tommy, this is a really nice jacket. I like this. Can I wear it?"

Tommy tries not to let the smile show on his face and turns towards the truck. "Jimmy!" He notices that Kevin and Sean are getting into the truck parked in the middle of the alley. He starts pulling me by the sleeve with him towards the front. "What's this the truck you didn't steal, Jimmy?"

"Hi Jimmy." I say as we pass by him and Tommy starts pulling me down the alley.

Jimmy looks on as confused as ever. "Tommy, lighten up! She okay?"

Tommy stops and turns around towards Jimmy, "Get out of the truck, the cop's are here. And yeah, she's fine. Just really drunk."

I nod at Jimmy, agreeing. "I can't even feel my toes. Oh wow, I really can't. Is that okay?"

Kevin yells from inside the truck, "Come on, we can just drop her off up the street! You know Jimmy can't drive!"

Tommy yells right back, "Neither can you, get out of the truck! Come on, we've got to get her back to the Diner and get the hell out--"

Tommy stops when a police car pulls up at the end of the alley. I look from him to the car. "Remind me-- what does NYPD stand for?"

He turns around, dragging me by the sleeve again back to the truck. "Son of a bitch." And then to Jimmy, "Get back in the truck, and take your girl."

Jimmy smiles, steading me with his arm around my shoulder. "Now I should get in the truck."

I try to get inside before Jimmy but I fall backwards right into Tommy's body frame. I laugh as both he and Jimmy hoist me into the truck to climb in. "This is so much fun. Jimmy why don't we do this more often? I never do anything with all of you guys anymore."

I smile at Sean and Kevin who are awkwardly looking on, exchanging horrified looks. "Hi." I slide in next to Kevin, and Jimmy and Tommy get inside.

Jimmy holds up a shirt. "Hey, Tommy. You like this shirt?"

Tommy starts the truck, "You're asking me if I like that shirt? Ask your girlfriend. She seems like she'd like anything right about now."

I quickly take the shirt from him and put it on. "Jimmy, I love it! Did you buy this for me?"

Jimmy nods, and gives Tommy a look over his shoulder and Kevin and Sean the same one over mine. "Yeah, I bought it just for you. Nice, huh?"

Tommy stops the truck in the middle of the alley before reaching the end. "Okay, we need to hide her or we're not gonna get through."

Kevin looks below him, "We could shove her in the floorboard. There's room."

I nod, "Kevin, you're a genius! I could fit in the floor."