Not my characters, just my story. I only wish I owned Pete. The story is best read if you've seen the series and know the characters. If you haven't seen it lately, watch, enjoy.
This is just a sorta kinda fluff piece that introduces Edie's brother. The story doesn't give a lot of detail about him, just includes him to make the story go. Hopefully we'll see him sometime in the future again. As is the norm Pete is on the wrong end of some bumps and bruises but that's just the way it goes!
Oh Brother! My Brother
Peter Gunn trudged tiredly up the stairs leading to Edie Hart's apartment, stopping in front of Number 15 and digging in his pants pocket for his keys. He slipped the correct one into the lock and quietly opened the door, shutting it behind him just as softly. Without turning on the lights he shrugged out of his suit jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair, loosening his tie at the same time. He was beat. He'd finished an out of town job a day early and decided to head home instead of sleeping in a motel room for another night, four nights had been more than enough. Seven straight hours of driving had him back in town by two and parked outside of Edie's apartment building by two-fifteen. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed beside her and sleep the sleep of the dead. He would give her a proper hello once the sun came up. That thought brought a weary smile to his face. There was nowhere else in the world he had wanted to be for the last few days than with his girl and he'd driven right past his own place just to get here. He needed to stop taking these cases that took him so far from home.
A squeaking sound had Pete turning his head to look behind him. His smile grew at the sight of the ginger-colored cat stretching sleepily in the soft glow of the nightlight. With a chuckle he headed in the direction of the bedroom. Halfway there a different sound brought him to a stop and turned him around. He staggered backwards, upsetting a lamp, as a fist connected with his face, then doubled over and fell to his hands and knees at a very low blow that knocked the breath from his lungs. He grunted and slumped to his side, reflexively curling into a fetal position as the pain radiated through his groin. He felt a presence beside him and hands grabbing at him and another glancing blow to the face but he had no desire to do anything but just lay there and wish the pain away.
Suddenly the lights were on and Edie ran out of the bedroom, hastily pulling her robe on over silk pajamas.
"What hap-" The sight of the dark haired man lying on the floor, clearly in a great deal of pain, had her on her knees on the carpet next to him. "Pete!"
"Pete?" Jeff Hart released his grip on the man's shirt, belatedly recognizing the man he'd punched as his sister's boyfriend.
"Pete, are you all right? Pete?" Edie tried to help the prone man roll over but he resisted all her attempts, instead clutching at his midsection and trying hard to breathe properly through a bloodied nose. She tossed an agitated glance at the fair haired, pajama-clad man on Pete's other side. "What happened?"
She tried to gently turn Pete's face to get a look at the damage but stopped when he hissed in further pain. Another glance at her brother had him trying to explain how he'd awakened from his slumber on the small pullout bed to the sound of someone entering the apartment. Instinct had taken over and he'd gone on the offensive before the intruder could make a move against him. As Edie listened to his explanation she was finally able to coax Pete onto his back. She gasped at the sight of the blood seeping from his nose.
"Oh Pete, honey, look at you." Her hands gently roamed his face looking for further damage. She glared across him at her brother.
Pete raised his eyebrows weakly as one hand went to his left eye, which was already beginning to puff up.
"Swell way to welcome a fella home," he mumbled, raising his knees and rocking from side to side in an attempt to relieve some of his pain. Edie missed the odd look her brother threw her way. She was too busy trying to assess Pete's injuries. The eye and nose she could do something about. The other, well, she wasn't really sure.
"Come on, let's get you somewhere more comfortable." She motioned to her brother and between the two of them they got the injured man upright. Pete suddenly felt like a turkey wishbone as he was pulled toward the living room by Jeff and toward the bedroom by Edie. He ended up in the bedroom much to the discomfiture of his girlfriend's brother. Once he was settled on the bed Edie's hands were running over him again.
"Honey, are you hurt anywhere else? Did you hit your head?" She grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and gently cleaned the blood from below his nose where it was already congealing.
On the one hand Pete felt like he just wanted to curl up and die. On the other hand he wanted her to continue touching him like this forever. He finally just moved his head in a negative motion where it rested on the pillow. He looked at her fuzzily as she gently removed his already loosened tie and tossed it on the bedroom chair. His shoes followed.
Jeff moved to stand beside her, uncomfortable simply because his little sister had removed those two very innocuous items of clothing. He was afraid of what might be coming off next.
"Why don't you let me do that?"
"Haven't you done enough already?" She frowned and shot him an irritated glance. It had been a long time since she'd been this frustrated with her brother and she sensed his discomfort with what she was doing. She had a good mind to go for Pete's belt next just for spite.
"Look, Edie, I'm sorry. It was just a reflex action on my part. If I'd known it was Pete I wouldn't have reacted the way I did, but I didn't know. For all I knew it could have been a burglar... or something worse." He was struck by a sudden thought and frowned toward Pete. "Besides, what was he doing sneaking in here at two o'clock in the morning anyway?"
Edie ignored him as she inspected Pete's eye and decided on a course of action. Her fingers were gentle in their inspection of the bruise already forming but Pete still flinched at her touch and said ouch and glowered at her and pushed her hand away.
"And how did he get in?" He was suddenly becoming more than a little bit suspicious as he sensed his sister didn't seem surprised to have her boyfriend come waltzing into her apartment in the dead of night. "Please don't tell me he has a key." He gave her a searching look and waited for an answer that didn't come. "Edie?"
Edie released a frustrated breath and pushed past her brother. She went to the kitchen and gathered ice and a towel into a makeshift ice pack, then stopped in the bathroom to moisten a washcloth. Jeff stood in the doorway and watched as she positioned the ice over Pete's eye and then used the cloth to gently clean away the remaining blood from his nose which had stopped bleeding. She didn't know what else she could physically do for him for the moment so she decided on aspirin as the next course of action.
"There's some aspirin in the nightstand drawer," she motioned vaguely in that direction. "I'll get some water."
Stepping around the bed, Jeff opened the drawer and began searching for the aspirin. He gave Pete a thoughtful look as he rummaged through hankies and magazines and cough drops and hand cream and everything else a woman seemed to collect.
"Look Pete, I feel bad about punching you." He finally found something that might contain aspirin. "I've just had an irritating week and it's been a long day and and I miss my wife and kids. The sooner I get home the happier I'll be." He spared Pete a quick glance. "I'm sure you know the feeling. And then you come stumbling through in the middle..." His voice trailed off.
Edie returned with a glass of water to find her brother staring at something he held in his hand.
"Did you find the aspirin?"
He lifted his eyes and looked at her for a long moment before returning his gaze to the item in his hand.
"I'm not sure," he finally said, then held up the yellow tin with the brand name of a popular men's form of protection emblazoned on the lid. Disbelief warred with disappointment as he stared at her. "Unless this is what you call aspirin these days."
There was a brief uncomfortable silence then Edie grabbed the tin from his hand and threw it back in the drawer. She quickly found the smaller tin of Bayer tablets and got Pete to sit up a little so she could get a couple into him, followed by a sip of water. He lay his head back on the pillow, re-positioning the ice pack on the one eye while giving her a questioning look with the other. She gave him a small reassuring smile.
"I'll get you a shot of bourbon, maybe that will make you feel a little better."
She headed back to the kitchen, her brother hot on her heels, and grabbed a bottle from an upper cabinet. Opening another cabinet she found a small glass and poured some bourbon. Capping the bottle and picking up the glass she turned around and nearly ran smack into Jeff.
"Edie, what's going on?" His deep voice held frustration and disbelief and a frown marred his handsome face. "Tell me you aren't doing what it looks like you're doing with that guy."
"Save it for later," she answered in a low voice, shaking off the hand he lay on her arm and brushing past him. She closed the bedroom door in his face.
Edie watched as Pete swallowed the bourbon then she took the glass and set it on the nightstand. She placed the ice pack over his cheekbone this time and then began unbuttoning his shirt. She removed his wristwatch, cuff links, belt and socks then with a little cooperation from him got him undressed down to his boxers. Then she just looked at him, wondering what she might be able to do to relieve the pain not related to his eye and nose. Pete met her gaze, a cautionary gleam in his eyes. She finally just decided to pull the covers up over him. Then she sat down beside him on the bed, crossing her legs Indian-style so she could face him and running a soothing hand up and down his chest.
"If I'd known you had company I wouldn't have come over," Pete told her.
"I didn't know I was going to have company and you're back early," those final few words spoken in light accusation.
"I wanted to surprise you."
"You certainly managed that," Edie teased.
"I should probably go home." But he made no move to get up.
"You're not going anywhere, Buster."
"Yes ma'am."
Pete removed the ice pack and placed it on the nightstand.
"I missed you." The words were accompanied by a tired sigh. "I managed to get things done sooner than I expected and just decided to drive home after."
"And just look at all the trouble it got you into," dimples appeared as Edie smiled and ran fingers over his face and hair, careful to avoid the bruises.
Pete huffed in annoyance then grabbed her roaming hand and gave it a kiss then held onto it.
"Speaking of which, I think I got you into some." He felt his body begin to relax from the aspirin, the drink and especially her ministrations.
"You didn't get me into any trouble," she assured him.
"Not what it sounded like to me."
Edie sighed as she turned his hand over in hers and began studying the small fine hairs on the back of it, the neatly trimmed fingernails, the small callus on one side of his index finger. She wondered why life had to be so complicated sometimes.
"I love my brother."
"I know."
"I just-" Her voice was consumed by frustration. "He treats me like I'm still twelve years old. Sometimes it seems like he doesn't realize that he's not the only one who grew up and left home and made a life. I don't need him to fight my battles for me or try to protect me from myself." Her clear gaze met Pete's. "Or from anyone else."
"He loves you, too." His eyes crinkled at the corners as his lips curved in a smile, his lashes dark smudges against his cheeks as his eyelids became heavy. "It's just human nature to want to protect the people you love."
"You love me." Blue eyes searched his face.
"Yes I do."
"You don't treat me that way."
"That's because I love a different you."
Pete smiled at her confused look, catching her restless hand in his and raising both to trail a soft caress along her cheek.
"Jeff loves the little girl he grew up with. To him you'll always be his little sister no matter how many years go by and how old you both get. That will never change. He had you for all those years and knows all those little girl things about you and they'll always be a part of him. He's very lucky."
"And you?"
"Me? I love you the way a man loves a woman." He stared into her eyes and felt a sudden lump in his throat at exactly how much he did love her. "That's an entirely different proposition. I get to have you for the rest of my life and I get to learn all those womanly things about you that nobody else will ever know." He smiled and gave her a sleepy wink. "I think I got the better end of the deal."
"That's nice, Pete." Edie smiled one of those big slow smiles that made his heart want to burst. Then the smile dimmed a bit, but not entirely. "But I'm still mad at him."
She picked up the now soggy ice pack from the nightstand, flung open the bedroom door and made her way to the kitchen for a dry towel and more ice. When she returned Jeff was standing at the bedroom door, arms folded across his chest, peering in at Pete. He'd obviously noticed Pete's bare chest, uncovered down to his belly button, his clothes draped over the chair and his personal items on top of the bureau.
"Go back to bed," Edie told him tiredly as she pushed past him into the bedroom and made to close the door. "You have an early day."
"You're sleeping in there with him?"
"Yes," Edie, clearly exasperated, spelled it out for him, "s-l-e-e-p-i-n-g."
Jeff Hart had never seen this side of his sister. It was as if he was talking to an entirely different person than the girl he'd grown up with. And that apparently had everything to do with the man in her bedroom. Though their folks, based on one previous meeting, appeared to find him a likable enough fellow, he himself was of the firm belief that Peter Gunn was leading his sister down the garden path. And in his mind the events of the early morning hours clearly confirmed that.
"That's-"
"That's none of your business."
"You're my sister, that makes it my business," he argued.
When she didn't answer he tried a different tack.
"Do Mom and Pop know what's going on between you two?"
Edie glared at him, her lips forming a thin line, and shut the bedroom door.
Showered, shaved and wearing a fresh suit, Jeff Hart paused in the kitchen doorway and stood for a few moments watching his sister. He'd heard them talking as he'd lain in his own bed during the early hours of the morning, the light musical tones of his sister intermixed with the deeper rumbles of Peter Gunn. He didn't hear what they were saying, the words themselves, just the muffled sounds of their voices, seemingly very much at ease with one another. Like it was something they did on a regular basis, lying in bed talking.
He took a critical inventory of his sister as he leaned against the door jamb and continued to watch, unnoticed, as she prepared breakfast. Edie had exchanged her light blue robe and white silk pajamas for a pair of dark blue close-fitting slacks and a white short-sleeved shirt that fell a few inches below her waist. The cut of both items of clothing highlighted her figure and brought out the golden highlights in her hair. She wore a watch on one wrist and a wide gold bracelet on the other along with a pair of clip-on pearl and gold earrings and a necklace in the same style. On her feet were low-slung white sandals. Jeff drew a deep breath and released a silent sigh. Somewhere along the line little Edith Hart had transformed into a grown up woman and a person in her own right. But that didn't mean she had ceased to be his little sister. It also didn't mean she should be sharing her bed and, well, everything that encompassed, with a man to whom she wasn't married. Especially the man in question.
Stepping into the kitchen he cleared his throat and gave Edie a tentative smile as she spared him a sideways glance. She didn't return the smile nor did she say anything as she kept an eye on the eggs cooking in a skillet on the stove.
"Some of that for me?" Jeff tried again, moving to take some plates from a cabinet and pick some silverware from a drawer. He looked on as she filled one of the plates with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast and then handed it to him. Grabbing a fork, knife and napkin he sat down at the small kitchen table. He began eating only when it became obvious she wasn't joining him. There had been only a few times in his life when he'd been on the receiving end of the silent treatment from his sister and it appeared this might turn into another. Halfway through his breakfast he dropped his fork to his plate and slumped back in his chair, watching as she poured herself a cup of coffee without offering him any.
"I apologize for that crack about Mom and Pop." Jeff pursed his lips and let out a sigh, running a frustrated hand over his short-cropped dark blond hair and along the back of his neck. He placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward and stared at Edie. "I just don't understand how you can be-" He ran a hand over his face in continued frustration and stared at Edie for a few long seconds. "That sort of relationship is-"
Edie's empty coffee cup hit the counter with a loud bang, interrupting whatever he was about to say, and her eyes sparked with a dangerous blue fire.
"You know absolutely nothing about our relationship," she informed him, her voice extraordinarily calm.
"I know enough about it that I'd rather he not be around while I'm here."
"Then maybe you should go stay at a motel for the next few days."
"Edie-"
But he was talking to her back. And that's the way Peter Gunn found the two of them when he slowly walked into the kitchen about five minutes later. He had taken a shower and dressed, finding clean underclothes and a fresh shirt in the closet. Beyond that he looked a little scruffy, having not yet shaved and in dire need of a haircut, dire as far as Peter Gunn was concerned anyway. The bruising above and below and around his left eye didn't help things any. All things considered he looked very unlike his usual dapper self. He cast a look at Edie's brother, who ignored him and quickly went back to eating his now cold breakfast. So he stopped just behind Edie and looked over her shoulder as she gently dropped several eggs into a small pot of water already heating on the stove.
"It still continues to amaze me," he quietly observed. His hands settled naturally at her hips and he figured he was probably adding fuel to the fire if the man sitting at the table behind them was paying any attention but he just couldn't help himself and he really didn't care.
Knowing where the running joke was going Edie played along anyway.
"What's that?" She asked, humoring him.
"The things you can do with boiling water," he answered, aware of her guile. "If it wasn't for you and that pot I'd probably starve to death."
"You're a nut." She smiled and offered him a sideways glance, admiring his disheveled appearance but worried about the bruising on his face. She touched a hand to his chin and turned his head so she had a better view of his eye. Seeing her concern Pete just shrugged a little and bumped her shoulder with his own.
She set the timer as the water began to boil then elbowed past him to slip a couple slices of bread into the toaster. As she did, Thomas the cat appeared out of nowhere, as was the norm. He stared up at the counter and began meowing to attract attention to the plight of his hungry stomach. Edie looked down at him and shushed him, explaining to him that first the humans were fed and after that it would cat feeding time. He whipped his tail around in annoyance until Pete gently picked him up.
"Come on, Bozo. Let's go see if we can find the newspaper."
When he returned, the cat under one arm and the paper under the other, Edie was setting a plate with two boiled eggs and an egg cup, toast and bacon on the table along with two cups of coffee, one for each of the men, her anger with Jeff relenting just that little bit. She smiled mischievously at Pete's thank you.
"I even cut your toast into those little soldiers you like so much."
He gave a bemused smile and this time a half-embarrassed thanks as he felt Jeff's gaze fix on him over the fold of the sports page the other man had picked up. Edie brought her own coffee over and sat down between the two men, idly reading the front page of the News Standard as Pete ate in silence. The telephone rang just as Pete finished eating, causing Edie to roll her eyes and look at the clock on the counter. Barely past eight o'clock. She grumbled, wondering who could be calling at this hour, before going into the next room to find out.
When he was certain she was out of sight and out of earshot Jeff dropped his section of the newspaper, folded his arms on the table and leaned forward, his face troubled as he stared at Pete. As Pete picked up his coffee cup and took a sip their gazes clashed.
"You know, I've had my doubts about your true feelings for my sister but I never thought you'd turn out to be that kind of guy." Jeff's blue eyes held the same spark he himself had seen in Edie's earlier and there was a grim set to his handsome face.
"That kind of guy?" Pete stared right back at him over the rim of his cup before taking another sip of coffee, setting it down and mimicking the other man's posture.
"Yeah, that kind of guy. The kind of man who leads a woman on and spends his money on her and promises her the world just so he can get what he wants from her." His angry eyes raked Pete's face. "The kind of man who's all talk and no commitment."
"And just what does that kind of man want?"
"What you're obviously getting from my sister."
"Meaning?" Pete's question was disarmingly soft but the tic of his jaw gave away his growing anger at the other man.
"You're not naive. You know what I'm talking about. How long has it been going on?"
"Not your business."
"Edie's my sister. She's my family. That makes it my business." Jeff pushed his chair back and stood up, placing his hands on the table and leaning even closer into Pete. "I just wish I knew what kind of fairy tales you've been feeding her to get her that involved with you. Any man who takes advantage of a woman like that, any man who treats a woman that way, is a jerk."
Pete didn't respond. He got up from the table, took his dishes to the sink and began rinsing them. Once that was done he opened the refrigerator and took out a small bowl from which he dropped a few bits of leftover meat into the cat's dish. Thomas hurried over from where he'd been crouched in a corner keeping a wary eye on the situation. Returning the bowl to the refrigerator Pete absently wondered who was keeping Edie talking on the phone for so long. He also wondered whether she'd mind if he killed her brother.
"Does she think you plan on marrying her?"
"Also not your business."
"So what, that's all it is then? You just drop by for a quick roll in the hay whenever you get the itch and you have my sister at your beck and call-"
Jeff Hart's head snapped back against hard wood as Pete grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and slammed him roughly against the kitchen door frame, getting into his face, close and personal. Pete didn't know whether to be glad or ashamed to see the tiniest spark of fear in the other man's eyes.
"Don't you ever say anything like that again," he ground out. "I don't care what your opinion of me is or what you say about me or what you think you know about me, but you show your sister some respect."
"Pete!"
Edie was suddenly next to him, one hand on his shoulder while the other grabbed at his forearm as she attempted to pull him away. With a deep breath he finally let go of Jeff's jacket and stepped back, staring at him for a moment before pushing at his chest with an open palm and shoving him into the door frame one more time. Then he stepped around Edie and headed back toward the bedroom.
Edie looked at her brother askance, uncertain about what had just happened between two of the most important people in her life.
"What did you do?"
"What do you mean, what did I do? How do you know he wasn't the one who started it?" Jeff straightened his jacket and smoothed the lapels.
"Because I know you and I know Pete. He wouldn't act that way unless he was pushed and you're very good at pushing. You're acting like a child!"
He had the good grace to look ashamed. Edie looked at her watch, tired of the discourse, tired of her brother's antics, tired of the entire situation.
"Don't you have to leave for your meeting?" Her voice was cool.
Jeff nodded.
"In a few minutes." He motioned with one hand toward the bathroom door, which was now closed. "As soon as I can get in there. Look, Edie," he rubbed the same hand over his eyes tiredly, "I'm your brother and I love you and I'm just trying to protect you."
"From what?" She watched his gaze stray back to the closed bathroom door. Her eyes widened. "From Pete?" she asked, incredulously, almost laughing at the ludicrousness of the situation. Almost. "You must be out of your mind."
"Can't you see he's just-"
His mouth snapped shut as they both heard the bathroom door open and saw Peter Gunn's lean frame emerge. He had shaved, combed his hair and was in the process of knotting his necktie as he strode into the living room. Edie watched in dismay as he found his suit jacket on the chair over which he'd tossed it in the wee hours of the morning, checking the inside pocket for his wallet and pulling his keys out of the side pocket. With a murderous glare at her brother she left him to his own devices and hurried over to where Pete was shrugging into his jacket.
"Pete. You're leaving?"
"I have some errands to run." His brief glance at her revealed the poker face which normally wasn't directed at her. He checked his other pockets to make sure he had the rest of his personal items. "I need to stop at the bank, get a haircut, check my messages..." he paused thoughtfully, frowning slightly as he moved his shoulders back and forth, "...and maybe sit in the steam for an hour."
Edie folded her arms across her middle and watched as Pete selected his car key from the key ring in his hand and walked past her. He paused with his hand on the doorknob and after a long moment turned his head to look at her. She stood with her back to him just as he'd left her, blond hair falling softly against shoulders that seemed just a little too tense. With an inward sigh he took the few steps that brought him back to her and moved to stand in front of her. Without a word, without otherwise touching her, he leaned forward and kissed her, his lips lingering as he felt her response, felt her arms snake around him. He looped his arms around her as he pulled back, looking her in the eyes.
"Lunch?"
Edie gave him a disappointed smile as she shook her head.
"I already made plans with Sheila. You weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow, remember? That was her on the phone." Now that Pete knew who it was that Edie had been talking to he understood why she had been on the phone so long. "She already made reservations for lunch and we planned on visiting some dress shops. But I can call her..." Her voice trailed off as Pete shook his head.
"No, you go and have some fun." He leaned his forehead against hers. "How about a late supper instead?"
"I'd like that."
Pete dropped his keys into his pocket then brought his hands up to frame her face. He placed a light kiss on her lips, then another, then a third that turned into something much, much more. Edie's arms moved from his waist to his shoulders, one hand cupping the back of his neck, while his hands moved to the small of her back to pull her as close as possible. So close she could feel his body's physical response to their kisses. Then she felt his hands on her arms, gently pushing her away.
"I'll make a call and pick you up around seven."
This time she turned and watched him as he left, smiling in response to the wink he gave her while pulling the door shut behind himself. She was still smiling when Jeff appeared next to her, shifting uncomfortably as he glanced from her to the door through which Peter Gunn had just exited. Edie held up a hand as her brother opened his mouth to say something. She didn't even look at him.
"Just... Just go."
