"Come on Jules, just one! Pleeeease?" Julia let out a heavy sigh of frustration and turned around to the bar with a few drinking glasses in her right hand while a half empty bottle of rum was in her left. She placed the glasses in front of two older men and shook her head as she quickly threw in some ice and began to pour them their drinks. She glanced over to her right to see a drunk patron gazing onto her with the look of booze fueled determination. This patron was known as Nick, a man in his mid twenties that was literally Julia's first customer since she opened up a few months back. His usual tanned cheeks were flushed red thanks to his nearly empty glass of whisky and his bright blue eyes were nearly hidden under his messy blond hair. Smudges of mud and sweat stains covered his work clothes from his long day at a near by construction sight. He knocked down the rest of his drink and sighed before looking back to Julia with more determination. "Just one date, that's all I'm asking!" he pleaded once more.

As Julia finished pouring the two older patrons drinks she leaned against the bar with a frown. "For the, I don't know, sixtieth time?" she looked to the older patrons who nodded with smirks of amusement on both their faces. "Yeah, sixtieth time, thanks fellas," they nodded once again and she looked back to Nick. "No," she simply sated without mercy. Nick lowered his head and groaned before sliding his glass out towards her to signal for a refill. Julia gave a smile of amusement and shook her head before reaching below the bar to grab a new bottle of whiskey for the defeated drunk. Though she knew after his glass was filled again he would be back at it. She chuckled as she opened the bottle and poured him a glass. She had to give him props though, he was a persistent one.

"Alright, alright Nick, just a few more drinks and call it a night," she says before looking out over her decently filled pub. "That goes for all of you too! Get the last of your rounds and head home!" the pubs patrons all groaned and complained, but the atmosphere stayed as it was with loud cheerful voices and laughter. She felt her smile grow as she inspected her place of business. It wasn't anything fancy really, but it was a comfy place to drink with your friends, or drink away a bad day. Honestly it would remind some of an Irish pub. As she basked in the glory of her own business one of the youngest waitresses, Polly, stopped by the bar after delivering her last round to a table.

She cleared a few strains of her rosy hair from her face and smiled towards Julia. "Tonight was pretty good ma'am, but why are we closing up so early? We usually start clearing out everyone in an hour," Julia looked to Polly with a smile and showed just the smallest hint of excitement.

"Well you remember how I had you help me clean up the apartment above us?" Polly nodded and Julia continued as she leaned in closer. "Well my little brother, Marcus, is going to be staying up there with his friend," Polly's eyebrows arched themselves slightly at the news and she let a smile float onto her pale skin.

"Really? Is he coming to visit for awhile or something?" Julia shook her head.

"Nope, he's coming to work the bar for me. He's just going to stay up stairs for a bit until he gets his own place. He's officially moving to town!" she grinned before letting out a sigh. "It's been awhile since I've seen him so I'm a little excited," Polly nodded, before taking a seat in the bars stool to rest her legs. After stretching them under the bar table for a second she spoke.

"You said he's bring a friend along to live with?" she asked with a slight smirk. "Sure you wanna leave them alone up there?" she asked with a cocked brow. Julia paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. After a moment she shook her head and composed herself.

"No, no not that kind of friend. He's gonna be living with his close friend Luther," she cleared up with her amused smile still on her face. Polly shrugged.

"Ya never know, maybe they got a thing. You said you haven't seen him in awhile," Julia shook her head and shrugged.

"Well it's none of my business, but if that's the case I know for a fact I don't wanna walk in on that," Polly chuckled slightly before leaning onto the bar with her elbows.

"Well, wanna give me a little info on this friend of his?" Julia scoffed as she let her eyes drift around her pub to see that some of the patrons were beginning to clear out slowly.

"Luther? Hmm, well I haven't seen him for awhile either, but from what I remember he was a mean looking kid. He was usually the biggest out of a group and he always had a frown on his little face so no one really wanted to talk with him," she said as few memories flooded her thoughts. She smiled and shook her head. "Everyone except for Marcus of course. I swear that kid would try to be friends with a wild animal if he could," she chuckled before shrugging. "But basically he's got a mean look to him, but he's actually pretty sweet when you around him long enough. Usually saw a smile on his face whenever him and Marcus hanged out," Polly nodded with a smile.

"Sound like close friends. You gonna give Luther a job somewhere?" Julia pursed her lips and stroke her chin for a second before giving a sheepish smile.

"Actually I'm not sure where to put him. I only needed a new bartender," she admitted before waving off the issue. "I'll find something," she said with confidence.

"Juuuules!" Julia sighed heavily as she heard Nicks familiar drunken whine. She hated being called Jules, but she let it slide seeing as how he's a regular. Don't wanna run off any business. Poppy gave her one last smile before getting up from the stool.

"I'm gonna help clean up and get ready to close up, good luck ma'am," Julia nodded with a small frown before looking towards Nick who was holding up folded hands with a pleading look.

"Please?" he asked in one last ditch effort to secure himself a date. Julia let her frown brighten up into a small smile and shook her head.

"Sorry Nick, not gonna happen," she said before taking his empty glass. He was about to push it further, but she cut him off with a single finger. "Goodnight Nick," she said with a chuckle. Nick was obviously let down, but he let a smile grace his lips as he nodded and stumbled off his stool. She watched him trudge towards the front door, but before he left he spun around and held out his hands while looking towards Julia.

"I will get that date my emerald haired goddess! I swear i- gah!" he was cut off by one of his co-workers who dragged him by the collar with a grin.

"Night Julia, thanks for the drinks!" Julia chuckled and shook her head before waving them goodnight. Once the bar was finally cleared out she sighed and began her routine cleaning of the bar while her three waitresses cleaned the rest of the pub. She would usually take her time since she literally lived next door to the pub, but she wanted to make sure everything was done before they got here. As she cleaned the glasses she was able to see her reflection and scoffed slightly. Her long emerald hair was tied back into a messy ponytail with strands of hair poking out from nearly all corners of her head. Her bright green eyes still had her usual shine in them, but sadly a small pair of bags began to form under them. A cringe came to her tanned face and she shook her head as she silently kicked herself for not keeping up her glorious appearance.

With a sigh she finished cleaning the glasses and took of her apron to reveal her tan pants that hugged her tightly and patted down her black T-shirt to clear anything that may have gotten onto her. "Ugh, I hate being the only bartender," she complained with a small frown.

"Good thing you hired me then huh?" a voice filled the pub and Julia's eyes lit up as she looked up towards the front door to see a welcoming face.

"Marcus!" she exclaimed with a laugh before quickly making her way from behind the bar. Marcus chuckled and walked to meet his older sister with a tight hug. Marcus chuckled as he noticed she was still a few inches taller than him and sighed.

"Looks like I'm still the shrimp," he grimaced with an amused smile. Julia chuckled and broke the hug with a wink.

"Never gonna beat me little brother," she joked before resting her hand on her hips and inspecting Marcus. He seemed to be built alright, but he was much closer to the slimmer side of things. Though it was obvious his height hasn't improved all that much. "But it looks like you've grown a bit. You used to be here," she paused and held her hand above her stomach. "But now your up to here," she grinned as she raised her hand just under her neck. "Progress," Marcus crossed his arms and smirked.

"Veggies, nothing but veggies and milk," he joked and was awarded an amused eye roll from his sister.

"Well it's good to see you after all this time, but where's Luther? He's with you right?" Marcus nodded and jabbed a thumb towards the front door. Julia looked to the door and smiled to see Luther leaning against the door way with crossed arms. He gave a wave with his usual frown, but Julia has learned from the past to always see his emotions in his eyes.

"Hey Julia, long time no see," he said with a nod. Julia rolled her eyes and sighed.

"It's good to see you too, but how about you come over here and give me a hug already?" she asked with opened arms. Luther flashed a small smile before walking from the door and giving Julia a big hug. She chuckled and patted his back before breaking the hug and slightly looking up at him. "Man, looks like you've grown a lot," she pointed out as she inspected him. His height was about a foot higher than her and it looked as if he hit the gym a bit. Luckily he wasn't one of those muscle bound freaks, but it certainly fit him.

Julia was happy to see the two had grown up a bit, but was quick to see the tired look in both of their eyes. She smiled and gestured towards a vacant table with her head. "Come on, sit down and relax. I'll fix you two a drink," she said before heading towards the bar. She knew they were under aged, but they looked like they needed it. Marcus chuckled and gladly took a seat before Luther who was quick to follow.

"Just get me some rum with ice," Julia nodded at Marcus's order and looked to Luther for his.

"Just a beer is fine," he said with a shrug as he laid back in his seat with a sigh. As Julia went behind the bar Polly had finished cleaning the back of the pub and was quick to notice the two new patrons relaxing. It wasn't hard to realize who they were so she put on her best smile and walked up to their table.

"Hey there, you must be the two Julia was talking about earlier," both Luther and Marcus looked to Polly and of course Marcus was the to greet himself.

"Yeah, I'm Marcus, her awesome brother," he introduced himself as he patted his chest. "And that's Luther," he said with a bored wave towards Luther who only nodded towards Polly. Polly was quick to shake Marcus's hand and quickly turned to Luther to do the same, but as she held out her hand she noticed that he had a frown on his face. It made her a bit tense as she began to think that she may have done something to upset him, but Marcus chuckled as he noticed what was happening.

"Don't worry about him, he keeps that ugly look on his face around most people, but he's cool," he says with a smile. Luther seemed to grunt in annoyance at his friends 'ugly' comment, but ignored it and shook her hand.

"Sorry," he apologized and shook Polly's hand with a gentle hand, which honestly surprised Polly. Maybe it was because of his appearance, but now that she thought about it she recalled Julia talking about Luther and how he just looked mean, but was a good guy. Polly chuckled and shook her head.

"No it's fine, it's just been a long day is all. Anyway I'm Polly, one of Julia's waitresses," she introduced herself. Both Marcus and Luther nodded, but before Marcus could say anything Julia arrived at the table a placed down both their drinks.

"Thanks," both friends said together in union and quickly began to tend to their drinks. Julia nodded and looked to Polly with her hands on her hips.

"Hey, you guys all finished?" she asked.

"Yep, Kate and Megan already left out the back so it's just me. Mind if I stay here for a bit? My brothers picking me up and it looks like he's running late," Polly sighed. Julia nodded and gestured for her to take a seat.

"Sure, want something to drink?" she asked, but Polly shook her head as she took a seat. Julia shrugged and took a seat between Marcus and Luther. With a grin she pulled out a flask and took a quick swig. Marcus cocked an eyebrow at her, but she only shrugged. "I'm to lazy to go back to the bar, been on my feet all day," Marcus nodded and sighed as he laid back in his seat.

"I really gotta thank ya Sis, you're helping us out," Julia shook her head and waved off his thanks.

"Don't mention it, always got room for you," she says before pausing as a thought came to her mind. "Though I really do have to ask this. When we talked on the phone you sounded sort of, I don't know, in a hurry. You two all good?" she asked, glancing between Marcus and Luther. The two fell silent for a moment, well Luther stayed quiet as always, but he shifted his eyes away to dodge hers. Her suspicion only grew, but soon Marcus sighed and spoke.

"Right now, yeah we're good. But when I called ya, I'll admit, we were in a small jam," Julia arched an eyebrow.

"What kind of 'small jam'?" she asked with concern, but managed to keep a frown on her face. Marcus scratched the back of his neck, trying to find the right words to say.

"Well, it's hard to explain really," he said before glancing to Polly who was still listening to the conversation. He was about to say something, but Luther cut him off.

"Look Julia, it's been a long ride and we really don't want to talk about this right now. Mind just holding off on the questions until we're all settled in?" he asked. Julia looked to Luther with a bit of surprise since she wasn't expecting him to speak, but she caught the look of exhaustion in his eyes and sighed.

"Fine, finish your drinks and I'll help you carry you're stuff in," she said, a little disappointed that she had to wait for her answers.

"I'll help until my brother gets here," Polly offered with a smile. Marcus and Luther thanked the two and began to finish off their drinks.

Later that night.

Marcus let out a groan before flopping onto a nice leather couch that rested in his new apartments living room. He looked around his surroundings and gave a nod of satisfaction. It was a decent place to live really, had the a modern look to it. Plenty of space and Julia had made sure to already put in some furniture for the two. Even threw in a couple of beds in two of the bedrooms. There was a third one, but it was empty. Honestly Marcus was a bit surprised, he wasn't expecting a pubs upstairs apartment to be so comfy. It was of course missing something. Something rather crucial. "We need a TV," he muttered with a heavy sigh. He glanced over to Luther's gaming console and smirked at his rather deep frown when he learned the lack of a TV. Big guy really likes killing time with that thing. The door to their apartment soon opened and in came Luther and Julia with the last of their things.

"Thanks for the help," Luther said bitterly as he placed a box of cooking books and other various tools you would see in a kitchen. Marcus grinned and held up a thumbs.

"No prob buddy, just thought I test out this couch for ya," he said before bouncing up and down a bit and nodding. "yep, it's good," Luther only shook his head and muttered something to himself. Julia chuckled and placed another box on the kitchen table.

"That should be it," she said before crossing her arms and looking to the two. "Anything else you guys need before I head out? I want to hit the hay for tomorrow," both Luther and Marcus looked to each other for a second before shaking their heads.

"Nah, we're good," Julia gave a mental sigh of relief and clapped her hands.

"Good, then have a good night guys. Marcus, make sure to get up early because I'm going to train you," Marcus gave a quick salute before Luther spoke up.

"And me?" he asked with an arched brow.

"Right," Julia said with a sheepish smile. "Well I'm still looking for a spot for you Luther. I only needed one bartender and I gave it to Marcus," Luther crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"So I'm jobless?" he asked, a small hint of annoyance in his voice. Julia shook her head.

"Sorry, but for now yes," she said with an apologetic frown. "But I'll find you something to do. I just need some rest, it's been a long day," Luther stayed silent for a moment before sighing and nodding.

"I get it, I get it. I shouldn't be picky anyways, I'm just thankful for the roof you put over us," Julia shook her head with a smile.

"I'd put it over you two even if you were both a pair of jobless bums. We're family," she chuckled. Marcus's grin widened with a nod and Luther simply smiled, though it hid his true feelings.

'Family huh?' he thought silently while holding back his scoff. 'If only that was true,' his thoughts were interrupted as Julia spoke.

"Get some rest guys, lord know you two need it," she said before giving a wave goodbye and leaving the apartment. Both Luther and Marcus stayed silent for a moment, but as always Marcus was the one to break it.

"Wanna play a game of poker before hitting the hay?" he asked with a smirk. Luther stared at Marcus for a second before smirking and arching an eyebrow.

"You sure? Last time we played you ended up storming out after your twelfth loss," Marcus narrowed his eyes and rose from the couch.

"Get them cards out," he demanded with a challenging glare. Luther simply shrugged and retrieved an old box of cards. The two then proceeded to sit at the kitchen table and battle it out for the night before Marcus finally called a quits after his thirteenth loss in a row. Both friends headed to bed, one victorious and the other defeated. Though soon that didn't matter as they finally fell asleep in their comfortable beds. Unfortunately, three other strangers deeper within the town were not so lucky.

Author's Note

So I'm enjoying writing this so far, but I just wanted to know if you all think this is a bit slow, or to casual. I would really like some feed back so I can better improve this story.

But beside all that, thanks for reading!