Author's Note: I managed to get another chapter together despite all the things going on right now, kudos to me :P
As always thanks for the reviews/favourites/follows, it's a big motivator and reading the reviews are always the best part of uploading a new chapter, so thank you!

As promised, I wrote the backstory and mostly in dialogue, hopefully it will be readable :)

CHAPTER 14

Peter started to get a little worried when 15 minutes had passed and still no sign of Elizabeth.
It was quite chilly outside and she wasn't wearing warm clothes, which was clear when she finally returned inside, shaking like a leaf.
As soon as she sat down he put his arm around her and as she snuggled up to him, he draped the blanket around them again.
Peter had fully expected her not to be ready to talk, so he was more than a little surprised when she did.

"I was abused by my dad."

She said, dropping a bombshell that reminded him of how Neal had told him that his grandparents were mean.
He wasn't sure what to say so instead he just took her hand and squeezed it gently and she responded by squeezing back.

"I ran away to New York on my 18th birthday and I soon met what I thought was the love of my life.
He was a charming, handsome, artist and I thought I would spend the rest of my life with him but then I got pregnant and he told me to choose between him or the baby. I picked Neal of course"

Peter shook his head in disbelief, he understood that some people didn't want to become parents but the very least you could do was to talk about it instead of forcing an ultimatum on her.

"Then I lived alone for three years before John came along. I had somehow gotten into my head that as a single mother I should be happy about any attention from men at all, so I didn't think twice before jumping into a relationship with him."

It was evident on her voice that it was hard to talk about it, so he reached for the remote and turned the TV off before he hugged her tighter to his chest, to show that she had his full attention and that he was showing her support.
He wanted to say something, to respond to her story, but he didn't know what.

"John didn't like children, he acted as if every second he spent with Neal was a big sacrifice and that he always deserved a reward.
He thought he was a hero every time he took Neal of my hands for a few hours.
He both hated and neglected my child and it took me way too long to see that. I thought I was done with dating after that but then a year later I met Mark."

It was easy to see a pattern here, so far the men in Elizabeth and Neal's life seemed like jerks and it was no wonder that Neal was scared of letting another man in.

"Mark was the nicest guy both to me and Neal. He acted like a real father to Neal and they became very good friends.
We had lived together for three months when something suddenly snapped in him and he started to get violent. He yelled, and when he got angry he took it out on me.
I stayed with him, maybe because he always apologized or maybe because I was so used to it.
Then one day he hit Neal and all I saw was my mother just standing by, letting my father hit me and I wasn't going to be like her, I wasn't going to let my son have the same life as me."

At this point the tears had started to roll down her cheeks and even if she was very upset, she also seemed relieved about talking about it.
He guessed that this was the kind of things you bottled up inside.

"We had nowhere to go, so we had to spend the night on the street before Mozzie found us. He helped me find an apartment and he became a good friend to me but mostly to Neal. That day I decided to never date again, but then I found you."

Elizabeth looked up at him, and she looked so beautiful that he couldn't resist to kiss her.
After the kiss she leaned her head against his chest again while quietly sniffling, and he thought that she was done talking for the night but was yet again proven wrong.

"That's why I made sure that you knew from the start that I have a kid that's my number one priority and that's why it took so long for you to meet him, because I wanted to make sure you were a good person."
"And you're sure of that now?"
"I knew you were different ever since the babysitting incident, even if Neal was on his very worst behaviour you shouldered through it, something John or Mark would never have done, but I didn't know for sure until just now, when you willingly cared for Neal in my absence. It would've been so easy for you to just hand him of but instead you took care of him."

Elizabeth sat up straighter before grabbing his hand and looking into his eyes.

"I made a huge mistake breaking up with you, I knew that Neal was just acting out because he was scared of you being like them and I put aside my own happiness because I didn't want him to feel scared or uncomfortable. I am willing to start our relationship back up again, but only if you are ready to take care of Neal and love him unconditionally.
I want him to have a positive father figure, all he has now is Mozzie who's more of a big brother with a bad influence."

Peter couldn't help but smile at that last part, he could easily picture Mozzie trying to lure Neal into whatever shady business he was doing.
When it came to the more serious part of her words, he was surprised that he didn't have to think twice about his decision.
At first the thought of Elizabeth having a son almost scared him away but now the kid had really grown on him and now he just saw Neal as an extra bonus.

"I want a relationship with you and with Neal."

Those words were enough for Elizabeth and she threw her arms around him and he was quick to hug back.
Elizabeth had a dark past but Peter swore that he would do everything in his power to make sure that both her and Neal's future would be as bright as possible.

After the talk Elizabeth was exhausted, which was totally understandable considering that just a couple of hours ago she was still kidnapped, and she went to bed early.
Peter stayed up and watched an old action movie until he was tired enough to go to bed as well, he let Satchmo out in the yard for a last chance to do his business, before they both went upstairs.
The dog settled on the dog bed while Peter brushed his teeth and then crawled into the bed where Elizabeth was already fast asleep.
He was filled with an indescribable, warm feeling as he was finally in his bed without the space next to him feeling empty and cold.
Peter started to drift off, with a smile on his face, when a sudden sound brought him back to full alertness.
It was the creaking that the door made when you opened it, and it was followed by small footsteps.

"Mommy?"

A soft, quiet voice called out and despite it being so quiet, it managed to break through Elizabeth's slumber.

"Yes, baby?"

Elizabeth answered before Neal quietly told her that he had a nightmare and asked if he could stay with her.
She turned around to look at Peter but before she could even voice the question, he patted the space between him and Elizabeth.

"Come here, bud."

The kid immediately climbed up on the bed and plopped down in between them.
His mother was quick to wrap her arms around him and pull him close to her in a comforting embrace.
Neal put his head on her chest and it didn't take long for the child to fall asleep to the sound of his mother's heartbeat.
Elizabeth gave him a tired smile and mumbled "thank you" before she fell asleep as well.
Peter stayed awake for a couple of minutes just to look at Elizabeth and Neal, while his body was filled with that warm feeling again.
He heard Satchmo move from his bed to the floor next to Peter, so he turned around and looked down at the dog with a smile.

"We're lucky aren't we boy?"

Peter whispered to the dog while he reached down and petted the dog's soft head.
Satchmo let out a soft whine, as to answer his question and Peter chuckled before he too fell asleep, with the wonderful, warm feeling still lingering in his body.