Niamh's heels clicked along the concrete as she made her way from the parking garage of her building.

      "Hello." She greeted  an older gentleman passing by. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, She clutched her small bag to her and jogged lightly to the entrance to avoid the cold breeze of the night. There was an insistent burn on her backside as she moved up the flights of stairs. It reminded her of her muscles aching after a good run from a workout hiatus.

    "Woo." She breathlessly exhaled as she moved up the stairs. Finally reaching the tenth floor exit, she hauled the heavy metal door open and proceeded to apartment 1073. She could hear the muffled sounds of the television. A bright blue light illuminated the bottom of her door.

    Without looking, she grabbed her house key and with a flick of her wrist had the door unlocked. Opening it slowly, just in case the latch was on, Niamh walked into her warm home.

      " You want to explain yourself miss thing?" A voice bellowed from the couch. Niall Deges smiled over the back of the couch towards his younger sister. He had one braced leg thrown over the armrest as he lounged in the path of the beaming lights from the tv.

      Niall had been an overseas basketball player in Germany for the past three years. A recent devastating leg injury had ceased his career bringing him back home to the states where he now lived with his only family members.

    " Stop all of that talking. Where's Mama?" Niamh came to the couch throwing the comforter her brother had masterly wrapped around him, knowing the annoyance of him getting out of comfortable positions in his condition.

      " Now you're going to get your ass over here and put that back on the way I had it like you got some damn sense." Niall commanded deepening his voice dramatically.

     " All I got to do is be black and die." She murmured giving up on talking to him and decided to go look for her mother on her own. Noticing the quiet and darkness surrounding her room, she pried the door open softly, not wanting to disturb her sleep.

     " Mama? Are you up?" She spoke tenderly. With no response, she opened her dresser to retrieve a long night shirt and underwear as she made her way to the connecting bathroom. Niamh tended to shower with the lights off, the reason being that this was when she felt the closest to equanimity. Not wanting to ignore the call of her bed from the other side of the door, she made sure to not enjoy the hot water spraying on her tender body. Once she felt the last of the soap suds roll off of her shoulders toward the drain, she shut off the water.

     The steam in the room was invigorating, making her chest swell as she took in a deep drag of air. Her eyes remained closed as water still ran freely down her face. From memory, Niamh took the steps toward her bathroom counter and reached for her scrunchie, finding just where she knew it would be. Tying her hair into a messy bun, she retrieved her night scarf and tied it along her edges.

      She turned on the light switch, shielding her eyes from the almost violent shine in the bathroom. Wiping off the mirror, she stood staring at bloodshot eyes on the face of a woman about to pass out. With a sigh, she patted her face dry and leaned closer to examine it.

    " It's not that bad." She said to no one. She was never a make up pursue and relied on nothing to hide the dullness that truly dressed her face. " I'm just exhausted." Niamh tried to convince herself.

    Pulling on her boxer shorts and long sleeve shirt, she looked over her shoulder into the mirror for a peek at the fresh bruises appearing on her hip. Sliding down the side of her bottoms and lifting her shirt, the observed the deep red and purple marks aligning her backside.

    Biting her lips, she held in a smile.

    After finishing her late night wash up, she trudge toward the bed she shared with her mom Lorraine. With a sigh, she pulled back the covers and glanced at the digital clock at the bedside. It read 3:47 am. Lorraine made a stirring noise at the feel of her daughter's weight on the bed. Niamh seeped deep into the covers, drawing herself to press into her mother's body, securing her hold with an arm thrown over her waist. Niamh's mind drifted back to the way that her body was held tonight by the stranger. She had never known her mother to have any love interests at all, and inside she felt a tad guilt at the way she treated relationships with men -- taking them for granted-while women like Lorraine lived out their lives in honor of the one and only loves of their lives, whether they were alone or involved with someone else, they cherished the ability to love.

     It was quite possible that Niamh would never find out why her mother insisted on not needing to be held at night. She refused to allow someone who rightfully deserved to be appreciated in the most solemn moments as sleep. If anything, Niamh wanted to give her every feeling possible that a daughter was able to convey to her hurting mother. It never needed to be spoken of for her to understand.

    " I adore you Mama."

     The words permeated the silence as sleep overtook her worn out body.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

        The next morning, The Deges were found in front of the living room tv watching the closing of Joel Osteen's Sunday show. The trio sat with hands interlocked, Niamh's head resting on her brother's shoulder. They were not afraid to show affection with one another. It wasn't out of the ordinary to peck each other or hold hands in public. They have always been mistaken as couple if one of the women were out and about with Niall and being loving.

       The Deges have heard some people refer to their relationship as inappropriate once they figured out they were mother and children. Those opinions never affected the way they acted; they expressed their love for each other in the utmost way. For all of their lives it has only been them and their mother. Through every struggle, every night sitting in the emergency room for Niamh, all of those nights they wandered the city until the morning because they had no home, it was only them.

      Their bond would never break.

      Niall and Niamh knew how much their mother had sacrificed for them. She never attended college because she became pregnant with Niall, and the expenses for a single mother had been through the roof. The kids were known as Irish Twins, having been born less than a year apart. Sadly, there was no room for Lorraine to return to what she had always dreamed of, but she never held that against her children.

     They were the best thing she has ever had. She wept alone some days knowing that now her daughter had taken the support role of their family after her heart attack just two years ago at forty two. The stress of life tried to end her, but it only cut her abilities slightly.

     Too sick to work, her daughter opened up her home to her. The very first one she had acquired through her own hard work. Niall didn't handle the near death of his mother, and remained in Germany refusing to come home and see her after surgery. Lorraine never took offense to this, knowing her son's way with dealing with difficult situations. In due time, he would find a way back home which showed itself when he injured his leg, permanently keeping him from playing basketball again.

     Heaven knows she never would have wished such a thing upon her baby, but she couldn't deny that having him close to her made her heart settle than him being an ocean away.

     Now here they were, making a one bedroom apartment work for three adults.

     " I'm feeling stir crazy. Are y'all up for going walking?" Niall asked as he staggered up and did a full body stretch.

      "Family walk day!" Lorraine cheered lightly. "Help me up boy." Pulling his mother into a fierce bear hug, he led the way into the bedroom so that they could get dressed properly. Once they were all set, they headed at the door. Niamh being in the caboose was the last to close and lock it.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

      Blaise's footsteps echoed through the large veranda as he strolled into his father's home. It was their traditional Sunday breakfast, something he has always looked forward to. His father was all he has had since he was five. Seeing his mother walk out the door all of those years ago was still clear and vivid in his head.

       " I can't even have my own child to myself Joe. I will gladly welcome you with me if you take a step out of this door. Our baby needs normalcy, and staying here won't bring that to him you know that!"

      " Carol, you of all people should know what entails to even considering leaving The Family. Just what do you expect do out there after you break away from them? They will find you dear and you'll have nothing. If you think this now is so wretched and what not, then wait until then." Joseph was torn between convincing his wife and scaring her into reconsidering her decision to run away.

      "The Family needs you baby, please think of it."

      "No! This family needs me not the fake shit you've been brainwashed into. I love you Joseph and I can see it in you that this isn't what you want. You don't have to stay, even if leaving is unprecedented, there is really nothing stopping you but the fear they have put into all of us." Bending to meet her son's eyes, Carol grabbed his face between her hands. The boy's tears flowed freely at what he was witnessing. He had never been without his mother, and now his dad was saying she was running away?

    He remembered when he tried to run away because he had broken a window playing tennis in the house. He didn't want to be found when he tried to leave home. Is that what his mother wanted? To never be found? His parents had found him in thirty minutes....How long would it take to find his mother when she left?

     "Mommy, it's okay. If you did something bad you shouldn't run from it remember? You told me that Mama, you have to stick by it too!" he cried.

    Carol swallowed the lump in her throat that threatened to choke her. She wasn't ignorant to what The Family was capable of doing when she left. The children were accounted just the same as adults to them. Her baby would be forced to suffer whatever awaited her, and she couldn't allow that.

       "Sweetie, I am sticking by something. I always said that I'd make sure you get taken care of didn't I"

    He answered with a slow nod and pouted lips.

    "Will you take care of me? Let me go with you Mommy. Daddy, go get us bags so we can go, she can't leave us." Blaise broke out into hysteria clawing and climbing onto his mother's body. Trying to attach himself like plankton on a whale.

     " Joseph get him please!" Carol finally broke." Baby, your father is going to take care of you..I promise!" She wailed to her son.Making a speedy exit, she locked the door on her way out refusing to see her husband fight to hold the flailing boy.

     "No!" He shrieked He bit his father and ran to the door, banging and scratching at the too high lock. He fell to the floor barely breathing as sobs racked his small frame. Joseph ran a hand over his face eliminating the tears there and went to cradle his son while he finished his crying; rocking him back and forth like an infant

       "You're early." Joseph called from the kitchen after hearing his son's steps. He stood over the stove tending to the eggs before him. He was a man who prided himself on doing things on his own. He never fancied having help to clean or cook for him. He was capable of both. He had finally caved in a few years ago hiring a maid to help the days during the week when he was too busy to mind it.

    Blaise came in patting his dad on the shoulder as he picked up a piece of bacon." Put it down Blaise." His father said, but was too late as it disappeared into his mouth.

      " Pancakes? You know I only like waffles." Blaise said haughtily as he smiled at his father with a dishtowel thrown over his arm as he cooked. He was the only parent Blaise had ever seen walk into their own kitchen in his life.

     " Hardy har har. Pour the drinks." The two men began getting ready to sit at the small dining table and enjoy the meal. Joseph turned on the television so that they could hear the conversations running on ESPN from the living room.

     "I saw the new home last night. I was impressed old man." Blaise reached for the syrup and poured it onto his plate.

      " Tell me, did you find my secrets?" Smirked his father while he looked from under his brow at his son.

    "That's it. That. Is . It."

      "I did indeed. That could make a man motion sick with all of that moving."

      Joseph let out a hearty laugh.

     The rest of their breakfast was finished with jabs and mindless conversation as the morning wore on.

    "I'll go grab the bikes." Joseph stated as he stood up wiping his mouth. Throwing it onto the table, he jogged out of the kitchen leaving Blaise to put the dishes into the dishwasher. The pair stuck to exercising regular, participating in triatholons and marathons together.It was a dynamic of their relationship. To free and refresh their minds from Kincaid Apex, they used getting active as a remedy.

     "Let's go!"

Oooooooooooooo