Peter To The Rescue!
This is my second Brady Bunch fanfic here and the second instalment of the continuing relationship between Peter Brady and Linda Taylor. If you would like more please let me know. As always I do not own any of the characters in this story and I hope you will enjoy it.
Peter Brady was thirteen years old now and in the eighth grade of Junior High. He and Linda Taylor first met when they had both started the 'big' school and have been inseparable ever since. They were now closer then ever before and their relationship was getting quite serious. They knew they were still too young for any long term plans for the future but Peter couldn't see any girl ever taking Linda's place in his heart.
On this particular day it was mid-June and very hot. School would be out for the summer soon and Peter and Linda and all the other kids were looking forward to the long summer break. It was a few days before the last day of school and all the children had just terminated their activities for the day. Peter was hanging around some of his buddies outside the school grounds. He had agreed to meet Linda in the local park shortly after. He soon bade his friends farewell and made his way to the park which was the meeting place for many of the local young couples.
He made his way along the concrete path between the well- maintained grass and then heard a cry in the distance. "Peter, is that you? Please come quick!" That was Linda he was certain. He quickened his pace until he saw her sitting down against the big old oak where they had both sat together and kissed many times. Her face looked pale and drawn. Some blood trickled from her lip and there appeared to be some bruising on her left arm. She was wearing a short red dress and a skimpy sleeveless blouse because of the hot weather.
Peter came up to her and demanded, "Who did this, Linda!"
"It was three older boys," she replied, "they beat me up. Hit me in the stomach too. Oh, it hurts so much!" She seemed to be in shock. Peter was a little shaken himself. He wasn't really sure what he should do.
"Can you get up?" he asked her. She wasn't sure. "I'll go and get help. You just stay there and don't move."
"No, Peter!" she pleaded. "Don't leave me here all alone. I'm afraid they'll come back and hurt me some more. I'll try and get up if you'll help me."
Peter put an arm around her waist and Linda slowly rose to her feet. She put a hand to her stomach and said, "Oh, that hurts!" Once she started to walk with her right arm around his shoulder things looked a little better. Once they were out of the shade of the trees the day was very hot and bright again. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the park. They were all inside because of the heat.
Peter was about to ask her if she could make it to her parents house on the other side of the park when she told him, "I think I'm going to faint!" Panic welled up inside him and he knew he had to catch her before she could fall. Her eyes rolled and she began to collapse. He bent and caught her under the armpits and around the back of her knees and then he picked her up and he was cradling his girlfriend who had now fainted in his arms.
Linda was about Peter's height and weight and he knew it would be difficult to carry her all the way to her house but there was no choice now. He moved very fast through the park in the sweltering heat with the unconscious Linda in his arms and there was nobody to stop him and ask what was wrong with the girl. He could hear cars in the distance but this part of town was ominously silent. He finally reached the main street on the other side of the park where Linda's house was situated. He began to stagger now and his arms felt like lead weights.
He climbed the steps to the front door of the Taylor residence and called out, "Mr Taylor!" Linda stiffened in his arms and he told her, "It's okay, we're here now, babe!" He sometimes called her this and she didn't mind at all. The door soon opened and there stood Jim Taylor attired in a short sleeved shirt and household shorts. He was surprised and concerned when he saw his lifeless daughter lying in the boy's arms.
He asked the Brady lad, "What happened, Peter? Speak up, boy!"
"Some kids laid into her at the park, beat her up. Sorry I couldn't stop them, sir!"
The big man replied, "You did very good getting her here, son! Can I take her now?"
The boy seemed relieved. "Sure, she's getting pretty heavy anyway."
Linda's father took her easily from Peter's arms. She was starting to come round and she whispered to him, "They hurt me, Daddy! I begged them to stop but they wouldn't."
Jim told her in a reassuring voice, "Don't talk, darling. You'll be fine. Hold the door for me, Peter." He carried his only child into the living room and laid her on the couch. Soon his wife came into the room and sat beside Linda. Jim told her Peter had brought her here from the park after she had been assaulted by three older boys. Ann Taylor was very alarmed after hearing this.
Linda told her mother, "Don't worry, Mom, they beat me up, they didn't do anything else." Her mother was relieved when she heard this. She only seemed to have minor cuts and bruises but her father decided she should be taken to hospital for a check-up to be sure she was okay. He also decided to call the police.
"The boys who did this aren't getting away with it." His voice took on an angry tone. "They are going to answer for it." Linda told him she knew one of them. It was a boy from the ninth grade named Joey Spence, a big bully who everyone was afraid of. While Jim went to call for an ambulance Peter sat down opposite Ann Taylor on the couch as she held her daughter's hand.
Peter told her, "I sure wish I'd been there to stop them. It took three of them to rough up one thirteen year old girl, COWARDS!"
Ann smiled at him and said, "Linda is very lucky to have a boy like you to protect her, Peter, but they were bigger and older boys. They would have done the same to you. I'm just grateful you came along when you did."
And so two paramedics soon took Linda to the hospital. There was some swelling and bruising in her abdominal region but nothing really serious. She was discharged after a few hours and taken home again. Her parents decided she should stay home the last few days of school. Two police officers later questioned her about her assailants and they were pretty sure they could find the other two boys also. One of them told Jim Taylor that they would probably have to appear in juvenile court and do some community service for the summer break. He said they would all be warned not to do anything like this again because the judge would be a lot harsher next time. Peter thought they were getting off too easily.
When Peter's father and mother and his brothers and sisters all heard about how he had come to Linda's aid and carried her all the way to her home they were all full of praise and admiration for his actions. Mike Brady said that he was very proud indeed of his son. The two families would be closer friends then ever before.
His brother Greg told him, "Nice work, buddy, but don't go getting a swelled head like the time you saved that little girl in the toy store from being crushed by that wall and we were all hearing about it for weeks afterward."
"Hell no!" Peter replied. "This is different, Linda's my girl. Wouldn't you have done the same for yours?"
Greg grinned. "Absolutely! Good to have you as a brother. Hope you're not planning on taking on that Joey Spence by yourself. He's twice your size you know. Those guys have already been told to stay away from Linda so maybe you should let it go."
His younger brother frowned. "No way! That bullying creep needs a good beating and I'm gonna be the one to give it to him."
Greg was surprised at hearing this. "No way you'll take him, bro, you'll get pulverized! Let me help."
Peter shook his head. "This isn't your fight, Greg, I'm fighting for Linda's honour. I have to do this on my own but who says I'm gonna fight fair. I'll sneak up on him and then let him have it."
His big brother sighed. "You've got a lot of guts, Pete, but I think you need a weapon." He went to his chest of drawers next his bed and took out the baseball bat he used to use in Little League but he only kept it as a reminder of those days now. He handed it to his sibling and advised him, "Maybe this will come in handy."
Peter gave a wide grin and said, "Thanks, Greg, it just might at that."
The following week Peter happened to meet up with Joey Spence and his two cohorts in the park. School was closed by this time. Joey stood head and shoulders taller and outweighed him considerably. The other boys were not that much bigger then him and he figured he might whip them one at a time but not Joey, at least not in a FAIR fight. Now's not the time, he thought. Still, he wasn't about to show them that he was afraid. "I don't like what you did to Linda, you creep! You better watch out."
The local bully was a little surprised at the smaller boy's nerve. He made a dismissive gesture and replied, "You're crazy, Brady, I'll beat the crap out of you. You want a piece of me? I can say you started it. You guys will back me up, right!"
His companions nodded.
Peter looked at him and said, "What about tonight at eight without your buddies, just you and me?" He pointed to the far side of the park. "Over there, where those trees are. If you're not chicken that is!"
Spence sneered at him. "I'm glad you said that, you wimp! I'll enjoy pounding you to a pulp even more."
The young Brady boy smiled and retorted, "You trying to talk me to death, jerk! See you tonight." He then walked off in the direction of home. He told Greg about his planned meeting with the bigger kid in the late evening and his brother discussed a strategy with him. He would need the element of surprise. Peter should arrive there first with the baseball bat of course. The copse of trees would provide good cover and he could hide behind one of them until his opponent showed up. Greg told him he had to make his move at the right moment, timing was important.
So at ten minutes before the scheduled encounter with probably the toughest kid in the neighbourhood Peter Brady hid behind a large oak tree with his 'weapon' gripped firmly in both hands. He knew he had to stay calm and be quiet or he was simply dead meat. Joey Spence showed up at just one minute after eight and called out, "Where are you, Brady? Guess you're a chicken livered runt after all!"
Peter resented being called that but he knew he couldn't reveal himself just yet. He moved around the tree until he was facing Joey's back. He moved swiftly. He aimed the baseball bat at the older boy's right lower leg and then swung it. It connected squarely with the intended target. The big boy howled in pain and dropped to his knees. He's there for the taking now, Peter was thinking. He kicked the kneeling kid in the midsection and Joey went flat on his back. He was completely winded.
"Won't need that anymore!" Peter threw the bat onto the grass and then sat on top of the larger boy who seemed to have had all the resistance knocked out of him. He pinned both of his arms with his knees and then began to pummel away at him with both fists. "Not so tough, are you!"
Joey said with a pained expression, "You sneaked up on me! You couldn't beat me man to man, could you! You did it the cowardly way!"
Peter told him as he landed blow after blow, "Well, it took three of you big brave guys to hurt Linda so I guess we're even now. You've had this coming for a long time." He continued to pound the now helpless bully for the next five minutes. Joey had never been beaten up like this by anybody in his life and it was being done to him by the most unlikely kid in town. When Peter finally stopped he was feeling quite groggy. "Now you stay away from Linda, got it!"
Joey was close to tears as he whimpered, "Okay, I won't bother her again! Will you please stop!"
Peter just sat on the beaten boy for a time, savouring his victory. Then he said, "Guess I'm done with you but there's just one more thing." He began to undo Joey's pants belt and then his trousers. He then started to tug his grey pants down his legs and soon he pulled them right off and was holding them in his hands. There was a look of outrage on Joey's face. The local bully being depantsed was the ultimate humiliation. The Brady boy grinned at him as his face flushed red. He couldn't have wished for a better outcome then this.
He got to his feet and stood over the boy whom nobody before today had ever dared challenge. Joey's colourful briefs were on full display and Peter just had to laugh. He told him, "I won't say anything about this if you won't, Joey. I don't think you'll want it getting around that wimpy Peter Brady whipped you good. I'll hang your pants on one of the tree branches. When you can get them down again you can go home. I always said you were a big bag of wind and I was right."
He then heard a voice nearby. "Bravo, Peter! Couldn't have done much better myself!" In the gathering darkness a figure appeared. It was none other then Greg Brady. Peter was quite mad at him being here.
"I thought you'd keep out of this!" he directed at his brother with anger in his voice. "Didn't think I could do it, did you!"
Greg smiled. "I was pretty sure you'd come out on top, bro, but I just wanted to be sure nothing went wrong. I mean, his friends could have showed up. Just had to be sure it was a fair fight."
His younger sibling grinned when he heard this statement. "It certainly wasn't that!"
Greg shrugged. "All's fair in love and war, buddy. Joey's pretty big and brave when the odds are stacked in his favour but you sure turned the tables on him today. You taught him a lesson he won't forget in a hurry. Put his pants on one of the lower branches. He's been punished enough already. When he feels like getting up he can collect them. I think he's gonna be quite sore for a couple of days." Greg then addressed the youth who still lay on the grass. "By the way, Joey, those are very cute underpants!"
The demoralized teen's face turned bright red from embarrassment and both Brady lads began to giggle. Peter draped the fallen bully's trousers on a branch within easy reach and then the two Brady boys headed in the direction of home. The younger brother asked his sibling, "So what should I tell Linda. She doesn't have to know about this does she!"
Greg shook his head. "Just tell her everything will be all right now and that'll be good enough for her. Chicks like to be reassured by guys, trust me! I'm proud of you, Pete." He gave his kid brother an affectionate hug. "As for our friend Joey I think his pride hurts more then anything else."
Peter then said to his big brother, "You know what? I don't fight fair."
Greg replied, "You know what? I don't think anyone's gonna care!" And the boys walked on toward home.
THE END