Hello All! I promised an update by the end of the week, and here it is! I know it's not as long as the others, but it starts to set some things up, so it's important. The reviews are loved and keep me writing, so please continue! Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter up my the end of the weekend, but I'm moving into my new apartment...so we'll see. I have a story line, so as long as you all keep my motivation up with the amazing comments, the story will be finished!

Thanks again!

Pete gently brushed the stray hairs off of her smooth face, careful not to wake her. Jules lay in his bed, bundled in the covers, hugging a pillow to her face and looking like an angel to him. She smiled slightly in her sleep, having a dream, he hoped, about him. He couldn't but smile and feel his heart leap as he thought of the previous night. It had been like unlike any other night he had ever had, and it had been all because of her.

They had gotten back from the park around seven at night, and curled up together on the couch to watch the football highlights from the weekend. He watched in fascination as she absentmindedly toyed with the stitching of his jeans, pulling her fingernails against the puckered sewing. She mesmerized him by doing the silliest, more pointless things, and while it scared him it also called him forward, wanting more and more. How had he never noticed before the way she curled her toes under when she sat down or the small scar beside her left eye and the birth mark on her wrist that was shaped like a heart; these things were so beautiful and yet he had been blind to them.

Up until that night she had been simply, Bubbles, Bov's little sister and member of the GSE. Now, she was Jules, the girl who with a raise of an eyebrow could make him go weak in the knees or with one flippant, sarcastic remark could make his heart burst with happiness that she was his. She was his.

Sighing, Pete realized how pathetic he sounded, even to himself inside his own head. But he didn't care. He could be a pathetic, one-legged leper and still be happy if he had her. Although he seriously doubted they would have spent as much time cuddling as they had if he were a leper. Even Jules wasn't that nice.

However, she had been nice enough not to grimace at his mangled knee, which she saw for the first time after he had changed into shorts. It was the result of a nasty run-in with a defender and three bottled surgeries. The thing looked more like a waffle than a joint, but Jules had blown his mind once again by sitting between his knees and drawing patterns in the scars with her finger.

They had talked for hours, just lying there in bed and listening to the rain pat against the window. He learned so many new things about her, and remembered things that he had. She hated asparagus and claimed to be allergic when she was offered it, only liked vanilla and never chocolate, read Pride and Prejudice four times...in one week, could wiggle her ears and demonstrated, and secretly had had a crush on Swill when she first met him. The last bit was something Pete planned on using as blackmail if need be.

They had talked about serious stuff as well, which told more about her than her favorite type of crisps ever would. He was amazed when, after he casually mentioned her parents, she opened up completely. Talking about her mom seemed to be even harder than about her abusive drunken and deceased father. Pete had only met Carolyn Harris once, when he had gone over to help Bov with "school work". She had been the sweetest lady, and he remembered preferring her to his mother, who seemed to think that Bov was the spawn of Satan and refused to have him around. Mrs. Harris didn't seem very demonic to him at the time, but what kind of mother just leaves her kids?

"She probably lives in Dusseldorf, married to an engineer and has two replacement kids, Gunther and Hans," Jules had said as she snuggled into his side. "That's what I would do anyway."

"Gunther and Hans...really?"

"Well, no, I'd pick names that would prevent my kids from being kicked about. I mean I would start an entire new life if the last one was shitty enough. Apparently, hers was." Hearing the contemptuous tone in her voice, Pete had place a soft kiss on her head.

"No life with you in it could ever be shitty."

The way her face lit up warmed him inside and he loved the way she buried her head into his chest in happy embarrassment. They had fallen asleep like that, wrapped in each other's arms and happier than either of them had ever been.

Pete stood up from the bed, looking down at her sleeping form. He hated leaving her, but a United away match was never a pretty one. He hadn't spoken to the lads a few times already, and it was unanimous decision: Jules would stay behind. After last year, the last thing they needed was another target for Nigel Riffton to release his pent up rage on. Pete had done a number on him last year when the cunt had the balls to grab at Jules while she was helping Ike with a broken wrist. Rumor had it, that Nigel was gonna want major revenge. The poor sod hadn't been able to sit for three weeks after the last scrap.

It had been very easy for Pete to make the decision that Jules wouldn't come, but now, standing in his room, pulling on his tan zip-up, he realized just how difficult it was going to be to tell her. She would be heartbroken to say the least, as she lived for being there with the GSE.

Sighing, Pete slipped on his pure white sneakers. There was no way he could tell her. The best way was just to let her figure it out on her own. Kissing her softly on the cheek, he whispered, "See ya later, love" before walking quietly out of the room.

"Good night?" Matt asked cheekily from his spot on the couch.

"Sod off, Yank," Pete replied, smile tugging at his lips. For some reason, even after knowing Matt for only a few days, he trusted that guy. That was his problem, as Bov always said. He trusted people too easily. Well, then Jules trusted him to easily as well, since neither tried to hide their growing feeling from the man who was bunking up on Pete's couch. "Come on, then. I need you to come to the train station with me so you can drive the car back."

"Where are you going?" Matt asked like an eager puppy as he hopped off the couch and grabbed his shoes.

"Manchester." Pete didn't want to deal with a lot of questions. He liked Matt enough, but he would actually prefer bringing Jules along over the Yank. "Come on, then."

Jules smiled and stretched her arms, but snuggled back into the covers when she couldn't find a warm body next to her. Slowly opening her eyes, she blinked into focus the empty room.

"Pete?" she called groggily. Sliding out of the warm sheets, she padded out into the main room. Pete was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Matt for that matter. As clarity came to her brain and sleep was pushed aside, Jules realized she had been played.

"Fuck!"

Pete leaned back on his seat on the train, carelessly playing cards with Bov, Swill and Keith. Much to his dismay, Matt had joined the group on the way to the game. He figured he could just put him in the back and hope he didn't get to roughed up. Bover was none to happy, though.

"So Jules was alright with staying?" He asked swiping his winnings from the table.

"Yeah, she was fine with it," Pete replied casually. No sooner were the words out of his mouth than his phone began buzzing in his pocket. Reading the BUBBLES that scrolled across the screen, he hit the silencer and let it go to voice mail. He couldn't worry about her being pissed right now.

"Peter William Dunham! You pick up your fucking mobile!" She yelled into the phone when after the third call he still wasn't answering. "I don't appreciate being left here for a United away match and you have a shit load of explaining to do!"

Slamming the phone shut on the table, she sat in a huff on the couch. She realized selfishly that the only reason she really wanted to go was to spend time with Pete, but still was angry. What right did he have to leaving her there, without so much as a word?

Suddenly, her phone buzzed to life, sliding along the table as it vibrated. Frowning at the unknown number, Jules flicked it open.

"Hello?"

There was a short silence on the other end, until a meek and nervous reply flooded her senses and brought memories swarming to her brain. She opened her mouth, but she could barely breathe let alone talk. Finally, Jules was able to croak out one word.

"...Mum?"