AN: Sorry this took so long. Been REALLY busy IRL. Also, I found out that a friend has written a BDS3 spec script and there's a "deleted scene" that she took out of the script posted up on tumblr. It's awesome, it's called "Conjugal Visit" and I laughed too hard when I read it. Go find her: .com and tell her I sent you.

Slainté

-Shazzy

-Verse 13-

Connor came back downstairs as quickly as he could, clean and changed and on the edge of a panic attack. Blaise was curled up in the armchair, resting her head against the arm and staring at Murphy with wide eyes. Murphy was unconscious and his chest moved slightly beneath the blanket. Connor padded quietly over to sit on the other arm of the chair. He placed his hand gently against Blaise's back.

"I owe you." He said quietly.

Blaise looked up at Connor and he noticed how pale she was. He assumed that it was from the blood loss and he wondered vaguely how close she had been to dying for his brother.

"I want to be pissed off at you." Blaise explained quietly. "But I can't bring myself to be. I told you to stay and just wait, since you're supposed t' be dead and yet you ran off and pulled the job."

"I know." Connor mumbled.

"He nearly died." Blaise pointed out.

"I know." Connor whispered, guiltily.

"And yet," Blaise conceded, "I've never been prouder to know you."

Connor stared at her for a long moment. "You look exhausted." He said, uncomfortable with the praise she was heaping on him.

"I'm pretty tired." She admitted. "But I might as well stay here. You wouldnae know what to do if he takes a turn for the worse. And by the time you come and wake me, anything could happen."

"I'll stay with you then." Connor offered.

Blaise sighed. "All right." She agreed, standing slowly as she realized how dizzy she actually was. "I'll just go grab another blanket." She said, moving around Connor and disappearing up the stairs.

Connor couldn't help but watch her go. He moved, kneeling next to Murphy in the few moments they'd have while Blaise was elsewhere. "Murph?" Connor asked quietly. "I'm sorry. You were right. It was a stupid idea an' I almost lost ye tonight. I couldnae live with myself if I had an'... I hate the fact that you were right, ye bastard."

Murphy didn't answer, he didn't move. He just slept, and somehow, Connor was all right with this. Slowly, he stood from his spot as he heard Blaise returning.

Blaise smiled as she tossed a pillow at Connor. "It is far too late to be uncomfortable." She announced. "Wanna watch a movie or somethin'?"

"If you like." Connor said slowly, fidgeting uncomfortably.

Blaise arched an eyebrow in his direction and set one of the blankets she was carrying on the loveseat closer to the couch. "Suit yerself." She said with a shrug, grabbing the book she'd left of the end table by the loveseat before returning to her vigil on the armchair and wrapping herself in her own comforter and tucking her legs under her.

"Why don't you lie down on th' loveseat?" Connor asked.

"Don't wanna fall asleep if I can avoid it." Blaise replied easily, opening the book to where the bookmark stuck out. "I can pull an all-nighter, and when he wakes up, then I'd be thankful if you let me catch a few hours a' sleep." She smiled up at Connor. "You can sleep if you want." She added. "I'm used t' livin' alone and stayin' up all night. You don't have to keep me company."

"I'd rather make sure you're all right." Connor replied.

"Why?"

Connor was momentarily taken aback by her question. "Because you just saved m' brother's life by pumping more blood than you should have into him? Because it's been nothing but trouble for you since we showed up? Because I owe you more than I can ever repay an' this is going to help me sleep at night?"

Blaise's lips quirked up into a smile. "All right, no need t' get defensive, boy." She said lightly. "You're welcome."

Connor huffed a sigh and flopped onto the plush loveseat across from Blaise. She was already engrossed in her book, but she still cast quick glances over towards Murphy's sleeping form every few moments, just to make sure.

She was infuriating and wonderful and Connor couldn't help but feel guilty over the whole thing. He knew that she could have died just as easily saving Murphy's life as Murphy would have if Connor hadn't been faster. And she had no reason for it, aside from some misplaced sense of duty to help the brothers.

Connor shook his head and watched her until the pull of exhaustion finally forced him to unintentionally fall asleep.