It's a lot longer than I'd first anticipated but I didn't want to halve it into two parts so I'm sorry if you're brain turns to mush half way through it! :D Give it a chance though as it rounds off the last couple of chapters nicely so think of it as closure...anywho...you know the rules by now, I am the review monster: feed me!!
Dave glanced at the petite blonde out of the corner of his eye as she drummed her finger nails against the tiled surface of Pete's kitchen counter, rhythmically swivelling on her stool as she stared at the front door, waiting for it to open.
Clearing his throat, Dave sighed and reached out, clapping his hand down over Allie's and pinning it to the counter top.
"Sweetheart," he shook his head and she knew that she had been annoying him. Smiling apologetically, she stopped moving completely for the first time in about ten minutes and stared at their hands piled up on the table.
"I thought this was over," she told him quietly and he looked at her seriously for a moment.
"What?" he frowned.
"All of this," she gestured to the empty flat around them and shook her head. "I didn't think that after what happened…"
"Allie," he gently rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. "He'll be alright, I promise."
She wanted to ask him how he could stand there and promise her that, how he could be so sure that after everything that had happened, Pete would be ok. But she didn't. She just nodded mutely and went back to staring at the door, her stomach twitching nervously when she heard the approaching footsteps.
A second later, the door swung open and Pete strode over to her, wasting no time in pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly. Casting a grateful look at Dave over the top of Allie's head, he ran a hand up under her hair to cradle the back of her head, pulling away just enough so that he could look into her face.
"Are you alright?" he asked her urgently. "Did he hurt you?"
"No," she told him gently, her hands resting on his chest; she could feel his heart thumping beneath his sweater and bit her lip, fighting the urge to ask what had happened out there. "I'm fine,"
She watched as Pete's eyes scanned her body, making sure of it, the bright blue orbs darkening when they landed on the slight red mark Lee had left near her elbow when he had grabbed her. Lifting her arm to inspect it, he bent his head, kissing the inside of her wrist and heard her breath hitch, knowing it was one of the less obvious spots on her body which could send her into overdrive. Shuddering slightly, she lifted her eyes to his and tried to get her breathing back to normal.
"I have to talk to you," he told her quietly.
Not knowing what to say, Allie nodded and followed him as he took her hand and led her past the boys and into the bedroom. Letting go of her hand, he shut the door behind them and turned to face her as she leant back against the railing at the end of his bed, staring at him intently.
"I…" Pete looked at her for a long moment and sighed. Fuck, how was he supposed to explain this to her? "Allie," he tried again. "Listen, alright? I have to do something and you're not gonna like it,"
"What did he want?" she asked, ignoring the sick feeling in her gut at his words. What did he have to do that she would be so unhappy about?
"Sean, the bloke I was with in the street that night," Pete watched her eyes darken slightly and felt guilty, remembering the way she had looked at him as he attacked Lee…like he was a complete stranger.
"What about him?" she asked, tilting her chin up and clenching her fists, determined not to let her fear show.
"He's stepped in as the Major for Liverpool," Pete shook his head, still unable to believe it. "So not only is he after Tommy, he's after us an' all."
"So?" Allie spat. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Lee wants me to help him get Sean away from Tommy tonight," he told her. "It's the only shot we've got at stopping someone getting fucking killed,"
"You've got to be shitting me," Allie muttered, pushing herself away from the bed frame and raking her hands through her hair. "Pete, have you seriously lost your God damn mind?"
"He risked a lot coming here tonight, Allie," Pete told her. "Sean will kill him if he ever finds out,"
"And what exactly do you think this Sean bloke will do to you then?" she laughed bitterly. "Tell me Pete, if he's capable of killing his own brother, what the fuck do you think he's going to do to you?"
"Nothing worse than what Hatcher will do to him," Pete shrugged.
"Why do you care so much about these blokes all of a sudden?" Allie demanded. "Last week you were trying to kill each other and now, what…one of them has a spat with his brother and you decide to play Oprah and step in?" she shook her head. "Are you that much of a fucking mug?"
"I'm not doing it for him," Pete snapped, his patience growing thin. "Sean is a fucking lunatic, alright? He's the type of bloke who, give him a couple of years, will be the next Tommy Hatcher and one's enough,"
"So you think it's your job to step in and sort him out?" Allie raised her eyebrows. "Pete, these men kill people." She laughed bitterly and shook her head. "You know what's funny about all this, is what the hell does it even have to do with football anymore?"
"It's about reputation," he told her evenly.
"Its bullshit!" Allie shouted. "You're risking your life and for what? Someone like that kid down there who lurks around ally ways and grabs your girlfriend? What do you get out of this, Pete? I mean other than another trip to hospital?"
"It's to protect you," he shouted back.
"What?" Allie shook her head. "Don't you dare stand there and make this about me, you bastard. I'm trying to get you to realise that what you're doing is nothing short of idiotic,"
"I thought I was doing the right thing in telling you this," Pete laughed bitterly and shook his head. "How fucking stupid was I?"
"Don't make yourself out to be the bloody martyr here," she burst out. "You didn't come in here to ask my permission, you'd already made your decision when you walked through that door. This was just your get out of jail free card," she shrugged. "Your way of saving face so that I don't kill you later myself if one of those fucking clowns fails to finish the job,"
Allie watched as he shook his head and stared out the window, apparently unwilling to look at her anymore. Sighing deeply, she felt the fight evaporate from her body as the pain in her stomach made itself known again briefly. Walking over to the door so that she was stood directly in front of his 6"1 frame, Allie stared at his chest for a long moment and then reached up, pulling his chin so that he was facing her again.
"Pete," she spoke softly. "Baby, look at me,"
Pete turned his head completely, staring down into her emerald eyes and gently tucked her hair behind her ears. His hands swept down her back to rest in the curve of her waist and he leant down, kissing her fiercely as she stood on her tip toes, straining her whole body as she tried desperately to get closer to him.
Pete pushed her sweater up so that he could run his hands over her bare skin, a moan passing from her lips into his and making his mouth feel fuzzy for a moment. Her tongue swirled around his as she reached in between them to tug on the zipper of his sweatshirt when suddenly shook her head and pulled away from him, pressing the back of her hand against her mouth as she stared at the floor.
"What?" Pete stared at her in confusion. "What's wrong?"
"I can't just…" she shook her head again, letting her hand fall away from her mouth and lifting her eyes back to his. "I can't just kiss you and then watch you walk out that door, it's not fair, Pete."
Walking over to the bed, she sat on the edge of it and folded her hands in her lap, not looking up even when he came over and sat beside her, his shoulder brushing hers and sending goose bumps down her spine.
"There's nothing I can actually say to make you stay, is there?" she spoke so quietly that he almost didn't hear her.
"Allie," Pete reached out and gently rested his hand on her knee, pulling her closer. "I have to do this,"
Realising that she didn't have a choice, that this was something she had to accept, Allie leant forward and pulled him to her, her eyes slipping closed as her mouth found his. His hand drifted from her knee to her thigh while the other held her to him, his thumb brushing over her delicate cheek bones.
After a long moment, they broke apart staring at each other for a minute before Pete opened his mouth to speak, frowning slightly when she shook her head and placed her thumb over his lips, silencing him.
"I get it," she whispered sadly, leaning forward and pressing her forehead against his. "Just please be careful,"
Pete nodded and bent down, kissing her neck softly as he stood up from the bed and pulled her with him; they stood like that for a while, just holding onto each other as Allie pressed her face into his shoulder, determined not to start crying.
"I'll be back soon, ok?" Pete looked at her, seeing the fear in her eyes, how hard she was trying to hide it.
"Ok," she nodded, sighing as he kissed her once more before letting go of her, her body already feeling the cold creeping in without him touching her. Watching as the door closed, she stood there stoically for a moment, her arms wrapped around her body were no substitute for Pete's. The taste of bile filled her mouth as she realised that she had just let him walk out of here to risk his life yet again for something she couldn't understand. Making her way into the bathroom, Allie perched on the edge of the porcelain tub and turned on the faucets full blast, the force of the water bashing against the tile as it poured in creating an almost thunderous noise in the flat and breaking the silence.
It was loud enough to prevent Allie from hearing anything the seven men on the other side of the door were saying, just as it was loud enough to prevent any of them from hearing her dropping to the floor and sobbing.
"How do we know this ain't a fucking set up?" Ike grumbled as he sat in the back seat of Keith's car, glancing at Ned who was sat next to him. "I mean, we're going on the word of Lee Esdon," he shook his head. "Lee fucking Esdon!"
"It don't feel like a set up," Bovver piped up from the passenger seat, lighting a cigarette and inhaling deeply. "But that don't mean we're not gonna get our fucking arses handed to us on a plate,"
Staring out of the window at the car up ahead, he glared at the outline of Pete in the drivers seat. Millwall and Liverpool both in one night? Neither of the clubs had the best history with the Hammers so even if this was for the greater good, it felt like walking into a fucking death trap.
"I'm worried about the Yank," Keith winced.
"I'm fucking not," Bovver spat. "Stupid little cunt reckons he's up to it, let him at it," he flicked his cigarette, the wind sweeping through the car blowing it back onto Ned who knew better than to say anything when Bovver was in this kind of mood. "Besides," he added bitterly. "It's Pete's call, ain't it?"
None of the other's replied, knowing full well that things between Pete and Bovver were ropey at best these days. The problem with Bovver was that Pete was the only family he had ever known and so when someone new showed up like Matt or indeed Allie a few years back, he got jealous and in turn tended to act like a bit of a prick.
"We almost there yet or what?" he snapped at Keith who tightened his grip on the wheel, obviously trying to control his temper.
"We're at Blackwall tunnel, so not long now, alright?" he shot back. "Fucking hell Bov, ease up a bit, yeah?"
Snorting in disgust, Bovver turned back to the window and stared out at the peaceful night sky, making the most of its tranquillity before they entered the tunnel and darkness enveloped them once more.
"So what do we actually do once we get there?" Matt swallowed hard, trying not to let his nerves show as he sat in the back of Pete's car next to Swill who was absentmindedly texting someone on his phone. It was almost as if he wasn't bothered by any of this…but then why would he be? Matt asked himself. after all, you're the one without experience here…it's going to be your blood they try and clean out of their clothes tonight.
"I don't know mate," Pete shook his head, glancing in the mirror and checking that the rest of the boys were still behind them. "But you stick with either Dave or Swill alright? No fucking running off on your own and trying to pull of shit you say in Enter the Dragon the other night,"
His words were playful but his tone was anything but, in fact as he stared at the blue eyed man in the mirror, Matt could have sworn that he could see fear in Pete Dunham's face.
"Was Allie alright?" Dave asked him, lowering his voice more so to prevent Matt from hearing than Swill. Despite the fact everything had been conveniently swept under the carpet after last month, Dave knew that Pete was still a bit wary of the American when it came to Allie.
"No, mate," Pete muttered. "She's not,"
"We didn't have to do this y'know," Dave told him. "She was right, it's not your problem,"
Pete shot him a slightly confused look and he shrugged.
"Your bedroom door is a lot thinner than it looks," he explained, catching the slight smirk pulling on Pete's mouth even though it faded as quickly as it appeared.
"Dave, there's seven of us and one of Sean," he nodded. "We've got no worries,"
"What is Hatcher decides to stick his fucking nose in?" Swill piped up, flipping his phone closed and raising an eyebrow.
"Then…" Pete took a deep breath. Then he wasn't sure what the hell would happen…it could go either way. "We play this by ear, alright lads? No one tries to be the fucking hero or goes shooting their mouth off. Last thing we need is Hatcher getting wise to what's going down and either killing us or getting us thrown in the nick,"
Realising where he was, Pete pulled his car into a lay by and cut the engine, glancing behind him and noticing that Keith had done the same.
"What's going on?" Matt frowned. "I though their pub wasn't for another block?"
"Over 'ere we call 'em streets," Dave quipped climbing out of the car before leaning back in and meeting the younger man's eyes. "Its called insurance mate," he shrugged. "We pull up outside that pub, we may as well just fucking bend over right then and there, this way no one has to know we're there, we can take Sean by surpise,"
Matt nodded, actually quite impressed that they had gone to this much trouble, thought about it in this much depth. Clambering out of the car, he winced as his legs stretched to their full height for the first time in about 20 minutes and turned to see Ike and Bovver walking towards them, sombre expressions on their faces.
"Where're Ned and Keith?" Pete frowned.
"I sent 'em to have a look about," Bovver shrugged. "Make sure this ain't a fucking joke,"
Pete regarded him seriously for a moment, the rest of the GSE tensing, seeing the undoubted fury in Pete's eyes as he took a step closer to the man he called his best mate and shook his head.
"And when did you start handing out orders, Bov?" he hissed. "Or have you forgotten who the head of this firm is? What if it is a set up? You've sent two of the boys off on their own to find out? How long d'you reckon they'd last against the entire Liverpool firm?" Reaching out, he tapped his finger a little too hard against Bovver's temple. "Do you ever use this fucking thing? If you don't it's a shame because it ain't exactly there to look pretty, is it mate?"
Bovver stepped up, smacking Pete's hand away from his head and meeting his eyes dangerously. Dave glanced back and forth between the two and shook his head; he hadn't thought the first fight they'd be having tonight would be within their own fucking firm. Luckily for him, just as he was about to step in, Ned and Keith ran up to them slightly out of breath.
"Any sign of anyone?" Dave asked them, drawing the group's attention back to the matter at hand.
"No one," Ned answered, shaking his head. "Pete, there's something pretty fucking sussed about this if you ask me,"
Before Pete could answer him, a brick flew past them and crashed through the windshield of Keith's car, causing all seven men to duck.
"Fuck me!" Swill shouted, using his hands to cover his head as shards of glass reigned down on them.
"Sorry about that, ladies," Sean Esdon grinned, coming to a stop in front of Pete's car and leaning against it. "I didn't see you there,"
"What the fuck are you playing at, Sean?" Pete shook his head. "Coming down 'ere on your fucking todd to square up to Tommy Hatcher? Have you got a fucking death wish or are you really just that thick?"
"I'm not on my own," Sean shook his head. "The other boys will be 'ere soon,"
"What about your brother, Sean?" Pete asked his tone smug as he watched the fury etch across the other man's face. "I know you're a bit of a twat," he nodded. "Shit, the whole of the UK knows you're a twat but having your own brother sell you out, that says a whole fucking lot about you, doesn't it son?"
"I'm not overly worried about my little brother," Sean rubbed his chin. "He's sorry he couldn't be here tonight by the way Dunham, I know how close you and him are these days, having little chats and what not."
Walking around the side of Pete's jamming his hands into his pockets as he stared at the GSE in disgust.
"He's got the same problem as you 'ave, Petey," Sean called. "He never quite fucking knows when to shut his mouth until someone has to step in and do it for him,"
Pete went cold at those words and briefly wondered what had happened to the younger Esdon brother but then glancing at the rather impressive amount of blood already staining Sean's shirt, he decided that maybe he'd rather not know.
"He was trying to do you a favour," Pete told him bitterly. "He knew how fucking stupid you were and he was trying to stop you getting yourself killed,"
"You think I need your help, Dunham?" he shouted. "You can fuck right off, because the day I ask some Hammer cunt to help me out won't even be the day I die,"
"And you reckon that day's far away, do you?" Pete snapped. "You're standing outside a Millwall pub thinking of taking on Tommy Hatcher with your merry band of twats?" he laughed. "If they see you out 'ere, you'll be dead before your body hits the fucking ground,"
"You best watch your mouth, Dunham," Sean snarled. "I'm getting bored of hearing you talk,"
"You reckon I'm scared of you, Seany?" Pete laughed, the rest of the boys chuckling along with him. "Mate, you're a fucking joke, d'you know that? Look at the state of you, you're not a fucking Major,"
"Oh and Mikey was, was he?" he screamed, slamming his fist down on Pete's car and denting the hood. "He did everything half arsed, never went the extra mile for fear of fucking up, that's what killed him,"
"Being an arrogant fuck is what killed him," Pete snorted. "Fucking around with the likes of Hatcher is what killed him."
"He was wet as fuck," Sean growled, pacing now, almost talking to himself. "Everything he did, he never…he never finished anything. He didn't finish you, that fucking Chelsea match when he copped out," Sean stopped and laughed, looking at Pete directly. "He couldn't even finish your bird for fuck sake,"
Pete tensed and cast a quick glance back at the boys, seeing that they too were on guard; over the past four years, they'd all become as protective of Allie as he was and he knew how they felt about people dragging her into all this shit.
"What the fuck are you on about?" Bovver snapped.
"Oh come on, Petey, surely you of all people must remember when your missus got the shit kicked out of her a few years back," he grinned, watching as Pete clenched his fists so hard that he drew blood from his palms. "Only Mikey was meant to do more than that," he pursed his lips. "What? You reckon this little partnership between Mikey and Tommy is something new? Nah mate," he laughed. "Tommy cut Mikey a deal. Tommy said that he'd draw a line under all the shit between Millwall and Liverpool," Sean licked his lips. "All we had to do in return was fuck you over good and proper…and what better way to do that than to take out your little friend,"
Pete felt his heart twist and bile rise up in his throat as he stared at the dark haired man in front of him.
"What the fuck are you saying?" he whispered.
"We weren't out to smack her up, Pete," he shook his head, frowning. "Christ, if that was all he wanted, we could have sent come fucking kid to do it. No, when we followed her that night on the tube, we had every intention of killing her,"
The words seemed to echo through the late night London air, the only sound rivalling Pete's heavy breathing were the distant sirens on the other side of the river.
"Only Mikey couldn't do it," Sean shrugged. "He said you'd get the message anyway, but what was the point?" he shook his head and leered at Pete. "If I'd be the Major back then son, you're little whore wouldn't have stood a fucking chance. Not that I wouldn't 'ave had some fun first," he smirked. "You don't go passing up nice, tight little opportunities like that, do you?"
Pete was semi aware of someone –it sounded like Dave- yelling his name as he launched himself forward, not really registering what he was doing until the small spray of blood hit his face and he looked down, seeing he had slammed his fist so hard into Sean's face that he'd broken his front four teeth in half and split his lip. The man groaned as Pete clutched his collar and pulled him upright, getting in his face and forcing him to meet his eyes as he slipped in and out of agonising consciousness.
"You wanna be like Mikey?" Pete hissed. "I'll help you out,"
Dragging him up the street, Pete waited around the corner, making sure no one was watching as he pulled Sean over to the entrance of the Kings Head pub and shoved him to the ground, his head colliding with the pavement, making him cry out in pain.
The doors opened and a young bloke, no more than 17 wearing the pubs uniform stepped out, cigarettes in hand, his eyes widening as he took in the scene in front of him. Pete stared up at him, his breath still coming out in harsh, fast pants as the anger poured out of him in waves.
"You work 'ere?" Pete demanded, seeing the fear in the boys eyes as he removed the cigarette from his mouth with a shaking hand, his eyes glued to the body on the floor.
He nodded mutely, not trusting his voice as his eyes peered past the blue eyed man to a group of men standing in the distance watching the scene unfold.
"I take it you know who Tommy Hatcher is then?" Pete narrowed his eyes as a flicker of recognition flashed in the youngsters eyes.
"Yeah," he spluttered. "He's…he's inside,"
"Good," Pete kicked Sean's foot hard enough to pull him back into the world of the living, ignoring the curse he mumbled as he rolled lazily onto his side and spat out a good amount of blood and some of his teeth. "Tell him he's got a visitor,"
The young man turned and practically ran back inside, letting the door slam behind him.
"See," Pete crouched down and wiped the blood off of his hands on Sean's jacket. "You wanna take on Hatcher," he narrowed his eyes. "Be my fucking guest,"
With that, he stood and walked back towards the boys who managed to conceal themselves in the shadows just as the pub doors opened revealing the shadowy form of Tommy Hatcher, a sickening laugh followed by a desperate, if hoarse 'help me' both of which Pete chose to ignore as he strolled back towards his car, ignoring the sick feeling in his gut as Dave placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. They were ok…they had lived to tell the tale just like they always did. And in a few nights they would be down the Abbey laughing it off, speculating over what had happened after they'd left, just like normal.
And they would pretend that Mikey hadn't set out to murder Allie, because that would mean facing reality; and as Pete climbed in behind the wheel of his car, listening faintly to the conversation building up around him trying to ignore the stinging of tears in his eyes, he knew that right now, his heart couldn't take it.
"So you just…let him leave?"
Allie looked up from where she was inattentively sliding her bracelet on and off her wrist as she sat on Pete's bed and stared at Lara who was strolling around the small room, taking account of every picture and article having never been in here before. She had called her shortly after the boys left, needing to stay in the flat to be here when they got back but at the same time slowly being driven mad by her own company.
"What was I supposed to do?" she cried. "Jesus, Lara I can't just…order him about, ok? I'm not going to be that girlfriend,"
"Fiancé," Lara corrected her, pointing at the ring.
"Oh yeah, because that makes all the difference," she rolled her eyes and brushed a strand of still slightly damp hair behind her ear. After her bath, she had felt so much better, the pain in her stomach subsiding somewhat and had changed into a pair of grey sweats and a light green tank top which had felt a little more snug around her middle than it used to. Frowning, she glanced down at her taut stomach but decided there would be no more Starbucks Panini's for lunch just as a precaution.
Looking back up at the expectant red head who was leaning on the rail of Pete's bed, she sighed and went back to playing with her bracelet.
"Lara, I can't just tell him to stop," she shook her head. "I know it's not an ideal situation and you know what…yes, I'd rather he wasn't involved in all this but…"
"Allie-Cat," Lara smirked and leant her head on her hands. "You and I both know that all men, Pete Dunham included, hate hearing the words 'don't' or 'stop' unless they're used in conjunction with one another and screamed at the top of your lung while you're naked,"
Allie burst out laughing and shook her head; no matter what the situation, Lara always had the ability to put her own special spin on it and nine times out of ten, it cheered her up to the point where she forgot what she was even upset about.
But this…Allie sighed….this was something that would hang over her until Pete was back in his flat so she could look at him, touch him and make sure he was really ok.
"And you're right," she shrugged. "Telling him what you think he should do will be more trouble than its worth so just...have faith," she smiled and then looked her in the eye. "He'll be ok, honey," Lara promised, her voice softer and less playful.
Suddenly, the sound of voices filled the flat and Allie was instantly on her feet, pegging it over to the door and almost knocking Lara off balance; but before she even reached it, it swung open and Pete stepped in, pulling her to him and hugging her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder and inhaling the smell of her skin.
"Right," Lara nodded to herself, squeezing past the couple with a pleased smile and making her way down the hall, out into the living room. Her eyes landed on Matt and she cringed inwardly; even though they had sorted things out, she still cursed herself every time she recalled her decision to sleep with him after Pete had kicked him out when he confessed to being in love with Allie. Rolling her eyes, Lara decided that if ever she needed an instant cash flow, she was writing that down and sending it to the producers of Hollyoaks.
"Alright, red?" Swill grinned at her. "What brings you 'ere?"
"Oh I don't know," she smiled. "The friendly neighbourhood, the ambiance, not to mention the top notch company,"
The boys chuckled lightly and she took a seat next to Matt, playfully nudging his shoulder with hers before looking up at Bovver whom despite his gruff appearance and lack of social skills, she had always liked.
"What happened?" She asked. "I mean, Allie told me what was going on but…" she looked around at them and noted that none of them looked in any way injured. "I'm guessing it went ok?"
The boys exchanged glances and then fell back into silence. Sean was probably dead by now and according to him Allie was supposed to be too.
How could they be ok with that playing on their minds?
"Yeah," Dave nodded after a moment. "It's dandy,"
Biting back the urge to roll her eyes and mutter bullshit, Lara settled for nodding and standing up, grabbing her jacket as she did so.
"I'm gonna head off then," she told them. "Early meeting tomorrow," flipped her hair over her shoulder she put on a dramatic voice as she pulled on her jacket. "Couture won't sell itself now, will it?"
"'Ere, I'll walk you," Dave told her. "Make sure you get home alright,"
Smiling her thanks she jumped when the bedroom door slammed shut and then turned back to the boys with a wicked grin on her face.
"I think that's our collective queue to piss off," she told them, nodding towards the front door. "Good news is, you can all walk me home now,"
Laughing at the symphony of groans she received in response, Lara closed the door to Pete's flat behind her, happy that after hours of worrying, her best mate could finally sleep knowing everything was alright.
"Oh my God,"
Allie moaned against Pete's shoulder as he rested against her, their breaths coming out in fast, heavy bursts as their bodies fought to get back to normal. She had wanted to question him, to find out what the hell had happened at that fight but Pete had just held her for so long and when she had finally prised herself far away enough to look into his eyes she had gasped when she'd seen tears there. So many questions had started buzzing around her head but then he had kissed her and whispered how much he needed her against her mouth and she had been lost.
Kissing a path from her shoulder to her chest, Pete lay his head against her, closing his eyes as he listened to her heart beat, trying to force Sean's words from earlier out of his head, but the harder he tried, the louder they became.
Mikey had wanted to kill her…his breath hitched in his chest as his brain disobeyed him and forced him to peer into an alternate reality in which he had walked down the road to find her, stumbled into the ally way and found her cold, lifeless eyes staring back at him.
Fuck, the pain ripped through his chest and the next thing he knew, Allie was tugging him up so that his face was above hers again, her green eyes so open with concern as she wiped a tear off of his cheek.
"Pete?" she whispered. "Baby, what's wrong?"
Closing his eyes tightly, he leant down, his arms either side of her head and kissed her deeply, her body which was still wrapped around him, pressing even closer as she kissed him back hard. He pulled away after a moment and rubbed his face against hers.
"You're mine aren't you?" he whispered, his voice actually shaking.
"Always," she told him immediately, not even having to think about it.
"And you won't leave me," Pete shuddered at the thought and continued to gaze down at her as her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Of course not," she shook her head, tightening her grip on his shoulders, one hand sliding up to stroke his cheek. "Pete, what's-…"
"I love you," he told her. "More than anything, you know that, don't you?"
Allie felt another wave of fear rise up in her chest; why was he acting like this…she'd never seen this much fear in his eyes before and it was worrying her.
"I know," she told him gently. "I love you, too."
He barely gave her time to breathe before his mouth crashed down onto hers again, his hands pinning hers above her head as he lowered his body onto hers again, pushing aside every worry, every doubt she had in her mind. He was ok and so was she and that was all that mattered right now. At least until the sun came up anyway.