"Hey, what's this?" Kit reached over, picking up the pentacle that hung around Pete's neck and examining it.

Pete pulled back, taking her necklace with her. "Nothing."

"I've never seen you wear much jewelry aside from earrings…" Kit said. He frowned. "Constantine gave it to you, didn't he?"

"Kit, it isn't a big deal."

"Yes, it is! He gave you jewelry, and you're wearing it. That's a big deal."

"It's just for protection, Kit."

"From what?"

"We were just attacked by demons. And Nergal could still be out there somewhere…"

"It's just a piece of metal, Pete."

"Then it shouldn't be a big deal that I'm wearing it."

Kit let out a deep breath. "It's from him. Take it off."

"No."

Kit got up, heading for the door. Pete sighed. "Wait!" she said, reaching up to take off the necklace. She opened up the drawer on the bedside table and threw it in, slamming the drawer shut again. "Are you 'appy now?"

Kit came back, looking down at her, his eyes angry. "I don't want to ever be reminded of him. I don't want to hear his name or see anything from him ever again. You're with me, dammit."

"Kit…" Pete reached up, stroking his cheek. Kit leaned into her touch, giving a shuttering breath. "I love you, Kit Pryde. I promise you I always will."

Kit wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "I couldn't loose you. I love you too much. If you left…"

Kit rested his head on her shoulder, and Pete stroked his hair, cooing softly. "It's all right, luv. I'm not going anywhere. I'd never betray what we have."

Kit turned a little, kissing her neck. "Let's go to bed," he said softly. "I need you."

Pete reached down and took hold of his hand, giving it a light squeeze. "Let's."

xxx xxx xxx

John sat on the floor of his flat attempting to get too pissed to be conscious. He felt lonely and sorry for himself, and he didn't like that. Went against his philosophy of "fuck all."

He cursed Pete Wisdom for still having a hold on his heart after all this time. One look into her eyes, and he'd fallen all over again, like some daft kid. And he'd worked so hard to shut his heart off again after…

John shut his eyes. He hadn't thought about her the whole time he'd been on Muir, but now that he was home and miserable again, the memory of Kit Ryan came back with a vengeance.

He threw his mostly-empty bottle of whiskey across the room, letting it smash against the wall. As if having one woman break his heart wasn't enough.

He stood up, smashing a lamp that sat on a pile of old books. He wanted to break something, to make everything around him look the way he felt. Kit had told him she couldn't live with his "lifestyle." Pete had gone for the safe, comfortable relationship.

He hit the wall, plaster cracking beneath his fist. Did they think he wasn't good enough? That he didn't deserve someone with him, someone to love him? He was as good as Pryde, that was for sure. Hell, he was better. And if Kit had found someone new back home in Belfast, well, he was better than him, too.

John slumped back to the floor, opening a new bottle of whiskey and taking a long drink. Sod 'em both. He didn't need them. He didn't need anyone.

xxx xxx xxx

Pete lay stomach-down on the bed, her face resting in her hands, watching Kit pack. "I wish you weren't going."

Kit gave her a small smile. "I know, but S.H.I.E.L.D. needs me."

Pete pouted. "I need you, too."

"I'll be home soon, baby, I promise. It'll be a week. Two at most."

Pete got up, waking over to Kit and draping her arms over his shoulders. "I'll be so lonely without you…"

Kit grabbed her waist, pulling her closer. "I'll be lonely, too. But it will make it that much better when we're in each other's arms again."

"You won't spend your nights in anyone else's arms, will you luv?"

"Of course not. You're the only woman for me."

"I love you, Pryde."

"I love you, too, Wisdom." Kit kissed her forehead. "Don't worry your pretty little head about this. I'll be home before you know it."

"I'll know it," Pete muttered. "I'll know it every night I lay alone in a cold bed…"

Kit hugged her again. "I'll call you every night. It won't be the same, but at least you can hear my voice before you go to sleep…"

Pete sighed. "I guess it'll 'ave to do."

"That's my girl." Kit kissed her cheek.

Pete lay back down on the bed as Kit went back to packing.

xxx xxx xxx

"Um, hey Pete. I didn't expect you to call."

"You haven't called me in three days, Kit. And you said you'd be back already."

"I'm sorry," Kit said. "I've been really busy here."

"I miss you."

Kit sighed heavily. "I'll be home as soon as I can, Pete."

"I know, but…"

Kit cut her off. "Look, I have to go."

"Oh. All right. I love you."

"You, too. Bye."

Pete heard the phone click. "Bye," she said softly, hanging up herself.

xxx xxx xxx

Pete waited anxiously as the Midnight Runner came into the hangar. Kit had been gone almost a month, and she had spent the last half of it afraid he was slipping away. He kept telling her it was just the stress of what he was doing with S.H.I.E.L.D., but she needed him to hold her in his arms while he told her that.

Pete smiled when she saw Kit walk down the ramp only to have all her joy fall away when she saw a young, blonde woman walk off behind him. She shook her head, trying to convince herself that it wasn't what she thought it was. She was just paranoid…

Kit walked over to her, blonde in tow. He stopped when he reached Pete and didn't touch her. Pete swallowed hard. She knew what was coming.

"Um, I'd like you to meet Renée Fallon," Kit said. "Renée, this is Pete Wisdom."

"This is Pete?" Renée asked. She giggled. "I thought your friend Pete was a guy."

"Um, no," Pete said, glaring at Renée. "Did he tell you we're shagging?"

Renée blanched. "No. Kit…"

Kit ran a hand through his hair. "Wow, this is awkward."

Pete forced herself to be angry and not shattered. "Wot's going on here, Pryde?"

Kit looked down at his shoes. "I'm sorry, Pete. I didn't mean to, but, well, I fell in love with Renée."

"And you're just now telling me this! You couldn't say anything before, like when I tried to call you?"

"I'm sorry!" Kit said. "I didn't think it would be right to do it over the phone like that…"

"Oh, so bringing the little bint 'ome and rubbin' 'er in my face is?"

"Excuse me, ma'am, but I'm not a bint."

"You shut the fuck up," Pete snarled.

Kit looked up sharply. "Don't you talk to her like that."

"Oh fuck you," Pete snapped. Kit blinked, and Pete suddenly couldn't hold her tears in anymore. "You said you loved me…" she said, tears streaming down her face.

"Pete, I'm sorry," Kit said. "But you should have known it could never work. I mean, look how old you are…"

"I'm twenty-three, you bastard," Pete snapped.

"Look, I…I'm sorry…"

Pete looked from Kit to Renée and then back at Kit again. She couldn't take it anymore. She ran from the hangar.

xxx xxx xxx

Pete was trying very hard to ignore the knocking at her door, but it was insistent. "Sod off!" she yelled.

"Och, open the door, Wisdom. I'm sick of standin' here."

"Then don't."

"Open the door or I'm having Brian install the most sensitive smoke detectors all that money of his can buy in every room here."

Pete threw open the door. "Wot?!"

Moira frowned when she saw the streaks on Pete's face and the look of total pain and humiliation in her eyes. She knew what that felt like… She handed Pete a glass of scotch. "No ice, no water, just the way you like it."

Pete blinked. "Moira, are you…"

"Bein' nice? Yeah. Now can I come in?"

"It's a bit of a mess in here…" Pete said as Moira stepped past her.

"What happened in here?" Moira asked, surveying the mess of papers, clothes, and other random things strewn about the room.

"I got a bit upset…"

Moira sat down on the bed, patting the space beside her. "Come here."

Pete sat down beside her, taking a drink of the scotch. "Why'd he do it?"

"Because men are self-centered bastards, Pete. And they tend to go for leggy blonde over substance."

Pete started crying again. "I love him so much!"

Moira tentatively wrapped an arm around Pete. Pete fell over, sobbing against her shoulder. "I know, lass," Moira said soothingly.

Pete looked up and Moira frowned at the mascara stain on her blouse. "Do you…do you think maybe this is just a fling? Maybe 'e'll get over the S.H.I.E.L.D. tart and want me again…"

Moira frowned. "I don't know, Wisdom."

"But 'e could, right?"

Pete's tone was so pitiful that Moira almost hugged her again. "He might…"

"She can't love him as much as I do…"

Moira gave Pete an understanding smile, wiping at her tears. "I know."

Pete sniffled. "Thank you, Moira. For bein' nice…"

Moira gave her a smile. "Jus' don't get used to it, Wisdom."

Pete smiled back. "I won't."

xxx xxx xxx

Pete convinced herself that the best thing to do was stick around and wait. The thing with Renée couldn't possibly last forever. Kit would come to his senses soon enough and remember what they had.

Still, it would be a lot easier if she didn't keep walking into rooms to find them all over each other.

She stopped, looking at the scene in front of her in disgust. Kit had Renée up against the kitchen counter, his hands up her shirt. "Fuckin' 'ell, that's disgusting," Pete snapped. "We 'ave to eat in 'ere."

Kit had the decency to pull away from Renée and blush. Renée just rolled her eyes. "Look, Paul, or whatever your name was, Kit and I are together now, and if you can't handle it then just go somewhere else."

"Piss off, bitch."

"Pete, really, that was rude," Kit said.

Pete's eyes widened. "Rude? That was rude? 'ow about you goin' off and fucking some brainless tart while I was 'ere waitin' for you? Wot was that, all nice an' polite?"

"Pete, I didn't sleep with Renée until I'd already talked to you."

"Oh, thank you for your consideration," Pete snapped.

"Pete…"

"Go bugger yourself," Pete said, storming out of the room. She was half way down the hall when she felt someone grab her shoulder. She turned around, glaring at Renée. "Sod off before I 'urt you."

"Why can't you just accept that you've lost?" Renée asked. "You're too old for Kit, and you're certainly not pretty. Besides, Kit wasn't happy with you for a while. He told me. He felt trapped by you."

Pete suddenly felt like some old harpy with her talons digging into Kit. "I hope you two are happy," Pete said, her voice wavering. She took off down the hall, not trusting herself not to cry in front of Renée.

xxx xxx xxx

Pete slammed the door to her bedroom. What was she doing? As much as it hurt to admit it, Kit wasn't coming back. Renée had been right. She was too old for Kit. She was just an ugly, pathetic woman who was sucking the life out of him.

She packed her things quickly, grateful that she didn't have a lot to her name. She wanted out of there as soon as possible. She wouldn't even bother to have anyone fly her back to the mainland. She could still make the next ferry off that god-forsaken rock.

She opened the door, coming face to face with Kit. "Wot the 'ell do you want, Pryde?"

Kit glanced at her bag. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah."

"Will you be back?"

"Depends?"

"On?"

"Dunno, Pryde. It just depends."

"That's not fair, Pete. We parted on a bad note. I was having doubts about our relationship.  Renée…"

"Save it. She's your age, an' she's bloody gorgeous. That's all there is."

"Pete, that isn't it at all. You're beautiful. It's just…" Kit sighed. "I'm not asking you to like it, but can't you at least see my side?"

"Why should I?"

"Pete, if you can't answer that…"

"Then maybe this is for the best," Pete finished.

Pete started to walk away, then stopped, looking over her shoulder at Kit. "You said you loved me."

Kit looked away. Pete turned back around, walking away.

Kit watched her go.

"I thought I did."