Happy New Year, guys! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and 2015 is treating you well so far. :) I've been on a mission with this story over the holidays and done so much writing so that I can go back to posting weekly instead of "oooh, yay a chapter" *four months go by* "Is the bitch dead or what?" Haha.

This chapter is the build up to the next one which as a treat I'll be posting on Tuesday. I told you I'd been on a mission ;) and THAT chapter will be where you start to see the story taking a different turn than the original, although ironically, it was the original storyline before I changed it. *Insert Inception sound effect here*

anyway, you know the drill, read, please enjoy and be kind enough to review. Speak soon, love El xx

Allie gently draped a comforter over Moira Dunham, holding her breath as she did so, afraid that the slightest noise would jar the woman awake again. They had left the hospital over two hours ago and having refused lunch, coffee and even a glass of wine, Allie had finally persuaded Moira that if she wasn't going to eat or drink, she might as well try and get some sleep. Smiling gently down at her, Allie crept out of the living room and let out a long breath, leaning against the door and closing her eyes, allowing the tiredness to wash over her.

It hadn't escaped her notice that just a few hours ago she had been happy, lying in bed with the man she loved and now here she was, one hospital, no coffee and an uncomfortable car trip later trying to work out what the hell was going on.

"You alright?"

Her eyes snapped open and she smiled softly at Pete as he rounded the stairs, stepping into the small hallway and looking at her with concern. Guilt swept through him when he noted the slight bags under her eyes.

"Kind of feel like that's my line," she shook her head, holding out her hand and feeling the usual burst of electricity shoot through her body when he took it, coming to a stop in front of her and wrapping his arms around her, his head dropping down to her shoulder. "You ok?"

He snorted against her shoulder, wondering if she knew deep down the weight of her question; what was he supposed to tell her? That he was shredded on the inside wondering whether to be more afraid or angry that someone had tried to kill his brother. That it was down to the Firm, something he could and would never tell her about if he could help it.

"I'm fine," he told her, pulling back and cupping her face with his hands. "Thank you for all of this,"

"It's what I'm here for," Allie smiled softly, resting her forehead against his. "I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now…" she shuddered slightly, imagining if it had been Harry or Richard. "But if you want to talk…"

Pete stared at her for a long moment, wanting so badly to tell her everything; his insides were yearning for it, part of him thought she might even understand but the other part of him knew better. He didn't want her to understand, he didn't want her to lead that life. Fuck, sometimes he didn't want to lead this life. But it was predestined and he knew he could do it, he could do it differently that his father and Steve had. He could take the Firm back to how it used to be and what it was meant to be.

"Do you really love me?"

The question caught her off guard and Allie blinked, shaking her head slowly as she looked up at him, a joke on the tip of her tongue spurned back by the sincerity in Pete's baby blue eyes.

"Always,"

Pete cupped her face in his hands and rested his forehead against hers, feeling the slight tremor rippling through her and realised he was frightening her.

"Promise me…" he trailed off. Promise me what? That you'll feel that way forever even when you find out who I really am. Even he wasn't so naïve. "Promise me you'll beat the shit out of me if I don't live up to it, if I ever let you down then…"

"Can we skip the pre-emptive strike on you ballsing up our relationship?" Allie cocked her head and smirked at him, grabbing his chin between her fingers when he went to turn his head. "Pete, I'm serious. I'm not waiting for you to mess up, so please stop acting like you're walking on egg shells with me. I love you no matter what you do or say, you could never do anything to change that."

"What's that old saying?"

Both Pete and Allie turned, somewhat startled by the intrusive voice, their eyes settling on Bovver as he let the front door close behind him.

"Never say never?"

As always when Bovver spoke to her, Allie felt her insides clench, feeling stupid for god knows what reason as she subtly shuffled that little bit closer to her boyfriend.

"What you doin' here?" Pete frowned, noting the way Allie's hand had tightened on his sweater.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Bovver shook his head in disgust, pushing himself away from the door. "I've just been having a nice chat with your brother,"

"Visiting says family only," Pete shot back, knowing exactly where this was going. "Tell 'em you was our sister, did you?"

"If I was a Dunham, I'd be the only one with a full set of balls," he snapped. "Do you know who put him in there, Pete?"

"Not now," Pete cut him short, the dangerous look in his eyes enough to make Bovver pause for a moment at least.

"Why not?" Bovver cocked his head, casting a lightning fast glance at the blonde who was looking anywhere but back at him. "I'm sure Allie is as concerned for Stevie's welfare as the rest of us, ain't that right, sweetheart?"

Pete stepped away from her for a moment, coming toe-to-toe with Bovver and meeting his eyes dead on, his usually handsome face almost unrecognisable as it contorted with rage.

"I don't know what you're trying to do," he spoke with a low tone that Bovver wasn't sure he'd ever heard before. "But fucking cut it out. I'm on thread right now, Bov and fucking believe me, you don't wanna be the one who snaps it."

"I'm just going to go make some tea," Allie swallowed hard and tried not to let her nerves show as she forced her eyes to meet Bovver's. "Did you want some?"

He stared at her, his eyes hard and set on her daring her to look away which she inevitably did, hating herself for it. Shoving her hands into the back pockets of her jeans she rocked on her heels and nodded more to herself than to them and turned without another word, finding solace in the small kitchen at the end of the hall.

Pete watched her, his chest tightening as the door closed and he knew that behind it her eyes were probably watering as she chewed her bottom lip wondering what she had done wrong.

"The fuck is your problem, Bov?" Pete snarled, closing in on the shorter man and registering with pleasure the faint flash of fear in his eyes.

"You really want to have a chat about your Mrs being a delicate little flower when your brother is laying in hospital looking like a fucking patchwork quilt?" he shot back disgustedly. "Get a fucking grip, Pete."

"I'll deal with Tommy," Pete jammed his finger into his chest hard enough to send him staggering back into the door. "I'll deal with Steve and you…fucking take yourself home and remind yourself of who runs this Firm,"

"Well it sure as shit ain't you, isn't bruv?" Bovver half shouted, his patience snapping. He'd be damned if Pete was going to shut him out just as they were starting to find their feet in the Firm. "Look at you, Pete. What the fuck are you doing mincing around here? We should be out there right now settling this,"

"The GSE is still Steve's firm," Pete told him quietly. "And I'm second in command so with him out of action, we play this my way. Now you can either stand with me on that or you can take yourself out that door but don't fucking bother coming back through it."

Understanding what Pete was saying, Bovver realised not for the first time that he may have underestimated his best mate for the wrong reasons; Pete was led by his heart, Steve was the loose cannon, the one who always wanted the fight. Their world dictated that common sense wasn't always a necessity, sometimes you had to go with your gut and that was something that Pete would have to learn.

"Alright," Bovver held up his hands, his eyes softening as they met Pete's. "What do you want to do?"

Realising with surprise that he was being serious, Pete let out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair. What did he want to do? That was a loaded question. A huge part of him wanted to go out and find Tommy right this second and tear him limb from limb but the other part knew that wasn't what Steve wanted and he had to think about their mum, about Allie.

"If we cross the river, if we bring blood to their doorstep, that's on us, mate." Pete sighed. "I don't know if that's something we're ready for without Steve."

"We can't make it much worse, can we?" Bovver shrugged. "I mean fucking hell Pete, Hatcher made it pretty crystal that he ain't messing about,"

"You're right," the blonde answered, though to Bovver's disappointment he didn't sound angry or ready to go out the door and fight. He sounded resigned. "Look mate, I've got to look after my mum tonight. She's been through enough, I'm not saying we're not moving on this, I'm just saying not now."

Bovver looked at him and saw the shadows developing under his eyes, the glazed expression with which he stared at the floor apparently unable to do anything else. He was exhausted; the Firm aside, he had almost lost his brother today, a mother had almost lost a son. Perhaps he was right, now wasn't the time.

"Give me a bell if you need me, yeah," Bovver clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "We'll get this straight, Pete."

"I know, mate," he nodded, stepping away from the front door and allowing him to open it. "Cheers, yeah,"

Nodding, Bovver yanked his coat up around his neck to ward of the cold and stepped out into the darkness, slowing slightly as he caught sight of the police tape around the garden wall, the same garden he had played in when he was a kid, now stained with Steve's blood. Nodding to one of the officers who was still stood there, he picked up his pace and turned the corner towards the Abbey, needing a pint or something stronger to ward of the feeling of dread in his gut. They had wanted the Firm for so long, he and Pete. Dreamt of running it their way but they hadn't thought about the cost. And he was certain as he cast one last glance behind himself at Steve Dunham's blood splattered on the cobbled street that they hadn't even begun to pay.

Gently easing the kitchen door open, Pete frowned when he noted Allie was nowhere to be seen; he panicked wondering if she had heard anything he and Bovver had been talking about and run. Not that he would blame her, he realised with a snort. It might be the best decision she ever made.

Reaching out to touch the kettle checking if it was still warm, he caught the lights in the garden and squinted into the darkness, laughing softly to himself as he realised where she was.

The treehouse that he and Steve had built was a boys only club, it had taken them an entire summer and countless trips to the local DIY store where they would more often than not pocket handfuls of screws that they couldn't afford to buy. And ten years later it still stood, perched high in the willow at the end of the garden, overlooking the glamourous Green Street suburbs. Wincing as the cold folded itself around him, Pete ran to it, taking the planks nailed to the tree two at a time until he could see inside and smiled.

Allie was sat in the middle of the den, a blanket draped around her shoulders as she flicked through what he recognised to be one of his school year books, a strand of hair fell into her eyes as she laughed softly at something and he felt his heart soar, wondering what it would be like for a moment if the firm didn't exist and it was just them. What life he could potentially give her and what life he would end up forcing her into if they stayed together. The thought caused a knot to form in his stomach and he gripped the chipped wooden window sill hard enough for a splinter to embed itself in his thumb.

"You're not half as stealthy as you think you are," her voice carried through the night air, the smile evident in it.

"I'm whipped," he smirked back at her. "My stalker skills are getting weaker as a result,"

"Ah ha," Allie nodded, laughing as he pulled himself through the window and landed in a heap beside her, his head on her knee. "You know there's a perfectly good trap door,"

"I was trying to impress you with my manliness," Pete winked at her, grabbing her and pulling her down so she was lying next to him. "And don't tell me it didn't work,"

"Well it didn't impress me nearly as much as your year 8 haircut did," she teased, grabbing the year book and holding it above them, laughing when his eyes widened and he actually blushed.

Pete Dunham was blushing.

"It was a phase,"

"It was a centre parting," Allie laughed, elbowing his ribs. "Look at how cute you are!"

"Fuck off," Pete grinned, trying to yank the book from her hands unsuccessfully as she jammed it under her back and held up her hands.

"Oh no you don't, that one is definitely coming home with me," she giggled as he rolled on top of her and pinned her hands either side of her head, giving her a death stare. "Lara will love it,"

Chuckling, Pete dropped his forehead down so it was resting against hers and met her eyes.

"Tonight has been a head fuck," he told her.

"Yeah, I can see that," she gave him a look so full of love that he felt his ribs contract painfully around his lungs. How did she manage to do this to him? "Is Bovver…?"

"He left," Pete finished for her, letting go of her wrists and brushing his fingers down her face, his breath hitching when she kissed the tips of them. "He was out of order,"

"He was Bovver," Allie laughed, rolling her eyes. "Its fine,"

"No, it's not," he shook his head vehemently. "I love him, he's my brother but you come first. Before any of that,"

"Any of what?" she cocked her head, looking puzzled.

Cringing when he realised he had more or less walked into that one, Pete held his breath for a second, debating on simply telling her what was happening. She was a smart girl, if she wanted to run then she would.

Don't be so fucking stupid, his brain hissed at him. She's in as deep as you are and you know that your chances of using common sense when it comes to her are slim to none so don't expect the same of her.

"There's something you should know," Pete swallowed hard. "About me, about Steve…I uh, I don't.."

He was cut off when Allie raised her head and swept her lips over his, her hand coming around to cup the back of his head and pull him down to her. As always, the second her soft, full lips were on his, his brain shut down and she became everything.

"Do you remember what you told me not long ago?" she whispered, tracing his features with her long delicate fingers. "You told me when I was ready, you'd be ready." She blushed slightly recalling the events just a few hours ago but shook the thoughts from her head. "Well the same goes for this. I don't know what's happening but I know that right now finding a way to explain it to me isn't your priority. So when this all dies down, if and I mean if you want to talk to me about it, then you can."

Pete met her eyes for the longest moment and wasn't certain what to say; how the hell could he answer that? He didn't know whether to tell her she was a fucking idiot and to run for the hills or to kiss her. Settling for the latter, he cupped her face between his hands, revelling in the softness of her cheeks beneath his rougher fingers and kissed her deeply. And pulling her into his body, falling back onto the dusty old sofa with her and peeling the blanket from around her shoulders, wanting, needing more than anything to make this last. To know that she loved him for who he was because he knew that once she realised who Pete Dunham truly was, she would leave him.

And then it would be a toss up between what kills him quickest, Tommy Hatcher or Allie Harding.