So - this has been drivin' me nuts: I realized I made some time errors since in the movie Matt doesn't show up until Aprilish so now it's all a bit messy but hopefully you all can suspend the reality of it since it'd be a disaster to fix. Anyyyyways, on with the story!
As always, thank you to the reviewers you seriiiiously make my life :)
Josie allowed Pete to drag her down the street, her family trailing behind the two of them. She was trying desperately to keep calm however they were already ten minutes late and were still at least five minutes away from the restaurant where Pete's family was waiting.
Fuck, she thought, this is so not a good impression for the families meeting. Pete held her hand tighter and began to walk even faster, glancing at his watch frequently as they walked. Josie knew how Shannon and Steve would react to them being so late. Finally they reached the restaurant and Pete shoved through the door, moving quickly towards the snooty looking man standing behind a podium.
"Yeah," he said gruffly to the maître d', "We're with the Dunham party."
The man looked down his nose at Pete, glancing around him to glare at Josie and her family, "You're late…lucky half of your party showed early so we didn't give your table away." He said condescendingly, "This way, sir," and Josie fought to keep a blush off her face. This wasn't going well and they hadn't even sat down yet. Pete gritted his teeth angrily at the man causing her to rub his arm soothingly, hoping he wouldn't respond.
Thankfully he kept his mouth shut and as they reached the table Josie caught Pete's mom's eye who was grinning at the two of them causing both her and Pete to visibly relaxed, "Josie! So great to see you dear, come're you."
His mum pulled her into a hug as she reached her, "Mrs. Dunham, I am so so sorry we're late." Josie said sincerely.
"Oh stop, I told you to call me Grace and," she continued giving a slight glare at Pete, "I'm sure it was my son's fault."
"Aw mum, don't start – it actually was Josie and her family's fault," Josie's jaw dropped open and smacked him in the stomach as he smirked back in reply.
"Way to throw me under the bus," she mumbled to him, "Shannon, Steve – I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting." Steve surprised her by grinning while giving a casual wave whereas Shannon gave a tight-lipped smile in her direction that clearly indicated it was not ok. Not good, not good, not good, Josie chanted in her head, feeling her stomach fill with nervous butterflies. She so wanted her family to get along with Pete's.
Introductions were finally made and they took their seats quickly. Josie had her dad sit next to Pete's mum and then smartly decided to place Colin on one side of Shannon as he tended to be the politest of the bunch and might be able to sooth her ruffled feathers.
After the initial awkwardness that comes with these types of meetings, things relaxed and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Josie smiled to see Ronan chatting Steve's ear off and Shannon was actually giggling slightly in response to whatever Colin was saying while her dad and Grace were laughing loudly over what sounded like embarrassing Josie and/or Pete stories.
Josie set her fork down, feeling stuff from the meal and leaned into Pete's side as he placed a kiss on her cheek, "Things seem to be going well, dontcha think?"
"Seems like it. Even Shan is lettin' her stuck up-ness drop," Pete nodded in the direction of Shannon and Colin, earning a smack from Josie.
"Oh stop Pete, she's not that bad," Josie replied and Pete's eyebrows shot up at her remark.
"Love," he moved her wine glass away from her theatrically, "Just 'ow much 'ave you had? Do you not remember the first meeting with Shannon?"
Josie rolled her eyes dramatically, grabbing for her drink, "You're sucha prick. To be fair, I missed the first dinner so she sorta had a right to be uppity that night." She cringed internally at the first disastrous meeting with Shannon and Steve. There'd been no problems with Steve; however Shannon seemed to have made it her personal mission to make Josie feel as terrible as possible about missing the first meal.
"You're too forgiving babe," Pete said, pulling her tighter to his side, "But it is part of your charm."
She grinned up at him, giving him a quick peck on the lips, "I'll be right back love – little girl's room calls."
Josie stood up quickly, Pete giving her hand a tight squeeze that she returned softly. God I love him, she thought as she grinned stupidly to herself. She looked down the table catching her dad's eye, giving him a smile and a quick wink. She glanced around the table, noticing that Shannon had stood to go to the bathroom as well. Oh fantastic, a trip to the girls room together.
"Hey Joze, how's it goin'?" Josie eyed Shannon's friendliness suspiciously but then noted the red spots on her cheeks and realized that everyone had drunk about a bottle of wine each with dinner.
"Great," Josie replied truthfully, "Seems like everyone's gettin' along fine, food was fantastic too."
"Absolutely. And your brother Colin is great. Very polite."
Josie smirked to herself at how well the plan of seating Col next to Shannon was, "He's a great guy. Always been a little quiet – Ronan and Eamon always tend to outshine him. Well…more like out loud-him."
Shannon gave a slight laugh, leading the way down the short hallway to the restroom, "You and Pete are cute together."
Josie smiled in response since they'd just reached the bathroom and entered separate stalls. Josie chose to remain silent while using the toilet. She'd always wondered why girls liked going to the bathroom together and she preferred to do her business in private rather than chitchat away.
As she exited the stall she saw Shannon staring at her own reflection in the mirror, "You guys seem to be going strong. What's it been? Eight months now?"
Josie grinned at the thought of Pete, "Just about nine now."
"I'm impressed, in all the years I've been with Steve I've never seen Pete with a girl longer than a month," Shannon said as she eyed Josie slyly.
"Yeah well…" Josie trailed off casually, feeling her insides twist as they always did when she thought of Pete with other girls crossed her mind, "But we're doing great, he makes me happy." Josie confessed cheesily. Although having a chat about her relationship with Shannon wasn't exactly on her to do list for the night.
"It'll be perfect once you give him the ultimatum," Shannon said sweetly.
Josie tilted her head in confusion at her, "Ultimatum?"
"Yes Josie, an ultimatum," Shannon replied as though speaking to a toddler, "I mean sooner or later you'll have to make him choose between you and the GSE. You can't keep seeing him if he's the leader of those thugs."
Josie saw red at her words, gritting her teeth in an attempt to hold her temper, "I'm not gonna make him choose. I love him."
"I'm not saying you don't love him but think about it: he's out runnin' around with those losers all night, getting into God knows what kind of trouble while you're sitting at home worrying. Plus there are always other girls around that he might take a liking to. You've got to keep a tight leash on him."
Josie seethed, feeling the grip on her temper becoming threadlike. She jabbed an angry finger in Shannon's direction, "Those boys aren't thugs or losers. They're his best friends and they're good guys. Not only that – Pete would never cheat on me and he isn't a dog that needs to be kept close by or he'll get into trouble. He is an adult man and a trustworthy one at that."
Shannon looked taken aback at her reply, "Josie – don't be an idiot. I know you think like that now and you may love him now but a man involved in that mess can't provide for a family. If you expect to have any type of future with him, then you'll have to make him decide. You'll get tired of washing the blood out of his clothes, bandaging his cuts and icing his bruises, mark my words."
"I highly doubt that…and I certainly don't think you are one to judge. You don't know him like I do," Josie whirled around to exit the bathroom, "And I would never make him choose. I'm not going to change the man I love like he's some fuckin' puppet. I'm not you."
The last thing she saw was Shannon's outraged face as she stormed out of the bathroom. The absolute nerve of that fuckin' woman to think I have to change Pete to make him fit as a boyfriend, she thought viciously as she marched back to her seat, as though we won't have a future if he stays in the GSE – stupid woman was no idea how much Pete loves me…or how much I love him.
As their table came into sight she tried to hide the anger coursing through her veins as she walked back to her seat. She could feel Pete's eyes on her and she tried to force a casual look on her face but when she looked up and locked eyes with him she saw his eyes widen in surprise and a confused look appear on his face. He knew her far too well and could read her like a book.
She plopped into her seat as Pete immediately pulled her towards him, kissing her forehead tenderly, "You alright love? You was in the toilet forever," Pete said, rubbing her back soothingly.
Josie tried to avoid his piercing gaze that would see right through her, "I'm fine, just…" her voice trailed off as she spotted Shannon returning from the toilet whose usually pale face was flushed red with anger.
Pete followed her gaze, noticing when Josie's eyes narrowed slightly and his grip tightened on her, "Oi, what's this about? Shan didn't start something with you did she?"
Josie cringed, knowing it was impossible for her to lie to Pete. He saw through the tiniest of white lies so she knew it was pointless to try to lie about this, "I'll tell you after dinner, I don't want you gettin' all riled up in the midst of it." Pete stared into her eyes questioningly and she placed a hand on his leg before leaning in to whisper quietly to him as she noticed Eamon leaning in an attempt to eavesdrop, "Babe – please just let it go for now. I pinky swear I'll tell you when we get back," She leaned closer to kiss his neck softly, grinning into his skin when she heard him exhale loudly at the sensation.
He opened his mouth to continue just as the waitress set a large slice of cheesecake down in front of her. Josie squealed slightly in delight and was thrilled for the distraction, "Yesss, I was worried I missed dessert ordering."
"Like I woulda let you miss out on that. I ordered yer favorite," Pete proclaimed loudly earning slight smiles from her brothers and dad who all knew of her obsession for cheesecake, "Who loves you?" he whispered to her.
"You do, Petey Dunham," she smiled up at him, trying to erase the anger she'd felt during the 'chat' with Shannon while pointedly ignoring the glare from her that was thrown in her direction. Pete loved her and that was all that mattered to her, he was perfect for her just the way he was.
Two hours later Josie and Pete were hurrying down the icy streets back to Josie's place. They'd just said goodbye to her family after they'd been forced to have a nightcap in the hotel bar. The hour away from Shannon spent with her family and Pete had nearly erased the miserable feeling that had settled over her after the argument in to the bathroom.
Pete squeezed her hand tight as she shivered slightly causing him to pull her into his side, rubbing his hands up and down on her arms to warm her up, "Fuck, it's absolutely freezin' tonight," she murmured with a slight chatter.
"Mm, well we're almost there babe then I'll have plenty of time to warm you up," he replied suggestively earning a roll of Josie's eyes in his direction.
"And you said I had a one track mind?" she said, arching an eyebrow in his direction.
"Not my fault, you just look so sexy."
His words caused Josie to break into a fit of giggles – she was definitely feeling the affect of the wine and the more time between dinner and the present, the happier she became, "Sexy? I'm bundled up in a huge winter coat, wearing goofy gloves and a hat and I think my eyelashes are frozen together. You really need to get your eyesight checked."
Pete twirled her around, lifting her in the air and holding her tight, "Nah love, I've got 20/20 vision and these eyes say yer perfect." He kissed her nose lightly and Josie felt her stomach flip pleasantly.
"Yer gonna make me swoon, ya know that? How come no one snatched you up before I met you?" Josie questioned seriously, her brown eyes locked with his blue ones. She always felt like she could get lost in his stare and now was no exception.
"Cause they weren't you," he whispered before kissing her deeply, bending her backwards and holding onto her tight. After a minute or so he set her upright and watched with a smirk while she tried to catch her breath.
"You're sucha smooth talker, you are," she said, poking his stomach lightly.
He cupped her face softly, forcing her to meet his gaze, "Gospel of Paul love, yer my life now. I couldn't imagine another girl making me feel like this in a million years."
Josie's heart pounded in her chest at his words, "Fuck, I love you Pete – promise you'll never leave?"
Holding his pinky up to her in their usual form of promises, Pete locked fingers with her tightly, "Now why would you think I'd ever do somethin' so stupid as to leave the best thing in my life?"
Josie blushed slightly, going over the conversation with Shannon in her head again, "Dunno, I worry is all."
"Well don't," he replied bluntly, tapping her nose as he spoke, "Like I said on our first date you're mine, I'm yours. That's all I know and that's enough. Now – you gonna tell me what 'appened with you and Shan to cause all this worry to sprout in that pretty little head of yours."
Josie sighed heavily, locking her hand in his and dragging him forward, "I knew I couldn't trick you into forgetting about that."
"Well I saw your face and I just hate seein' you so upset," Pete pulled her to a stop, forcing her to face him, "Joze, what happened?"
Josie heaved a heavy sigh, seeing as he wouldn't be stopped in his pursuit of the truth, "Let's get upstairs, I'll explain everything." Pete finally nodded, allowing her to lead the two of them towards her flat. The rest of the short walk was done in silence, broken only by their steps echoing around them.
"She said what to you?" Pete yelled angrily causing Josie to shy away from him. They were seated on her couch, the TV flashing silently in the background and she had just finished telling him about her encounter with Shannon in the restroom, "The fuckin' nerve of that woman to get involved in our relationship. Like she knows anything about me…or you for that matter." He mumbled in a disgruntled voice.
Pete leapt to his feet, pacing back and forth in front of Josie while she tried to soothe his temper, "I know babe, but it's not going to happen. I'd never make you choose, I know what the boys mean to you."
He stopped mid-pace, staring at Josie in shock that she thought he was upset she might make him choose. He dropped to the floor in front of her, taking her face in his hands and forcing her to meet his eyes, "Joze, stop. I'm not upset because I think you'll take her advice. I'm upset that Shannon thinks you have to do that for us to be together because that's bullshit."
Ignoring his words she continued, "I promise I'll never make you choose, I don't want you to think I'm the kind of girl that is out to change her boyfriend."
"I know what kind of girl you are," Pete said seriously wondering why she thought she had to convince him of who she was.
"Promise me one thing?"
"Anything," he said honestly.
"Promise you'll always come back?" Josie asked her eyes suddenly glistening as Pete stared at her bewildered at the sight of the moisture.
"Of course I will, where would I go?" he asked stupidly, rubbing her shoulders softly in an attempt to relax her.
To his shock tears rolled down her face, "You don't get it Pete – it's not safe. I hear the talk in the Abbey. How men are always gunning specifically for you, I see the cuts and bruises and I clean up your blood. Sometimes I have nightmares that you'll end up dead and leave me forever. I just need you to promise me you'll always come back," her lower lip trembled as she finished talking and he leaned forward to kiss her softly.
Pulling away but keeping his face just inches from hers he said, "I'll always come back to you. Pinky swear," he took her finger and linked it with his then leaned in to kiss her while keeping them locked together, "Now stop yer cryin', pinky promises are binding ya know?"
"You're a twat, ya know?" Josie replied with a watery smiled and Pete pulled her to him in a tight hug.
His mind was reeling from the day's events and this last part didn't give him any relief. All he wanted was for it to be the two of them and for the rest of the world to leave them alone. He had no idea how worried Josie had been about his involvement with the GSE. But of course she'd try to keep it from him, she knew how important it was to him and she also knew he'd be upset if she was worried. It was such a Josie thing to do that it made his heart hurt at the thought of upsetting her.
"Come on love, let's get you to bed – it's been a long day," without letting her respond Pete swept her up into his arms, carrying her bridal style into her room before dropping her onto the bed. She yawned loudly and stretched her arms over her head while Pete watched her in fascination as her shirt rode up slightly and he caught sight of a small sliver of skin. He licked his lips at the sight, continuing to stare until she noticed his gaze.
"It's a one-track mind you've got," she said lightly, standing up to get ready for bed.
But Pete had other plans and pounced on her, pushing her back onto the bed, "Now 'ow do you know what I was thinkin', smarty pants? They teachin' you mind reading at that fancy school of yours?"
Pete smirked in satisfaction as he felt her heart start to race and her breath came in short gasps at his close proximity to her, "I can tell because of your eyes."
"My eyes?" he pulled away from her in slight surprise, groaning when she took the opportunity to nibble lightly on his neck.
"They always get just a shade darker when you look at me like that," she licked his neck and blew on the spot lightly, "then you usually lick your lips like I'm a piece of meat followed by a smirk."
He leaned down to catch her lips running his tongue along her lips and she eagerly allowed him access, moaning into his kiss sweetly. Breathless, he pulled away from her slightly, "You, my little Yank, are doin' far too much thinkin' and talkin' for my liking," he smiled as she grinned up at him and he leaned down to kiss her again, effectively ending all talking for the night.
The rest of their holidays passed in a blur, Josie's family left two days after Christmas giving her and Pete almost a whole week of uninterrupted time most of which was spent one of three places: the Abbey, the couch or one of their bedrooms. All too soon their break was over and January 4th saw Josie back at the museum full-time until her second semester classes started at the end of the month.
"So how was your New Year's Em?" Josie and Emma were wandering around the nearly empty main exhibition floor of the Imperial War museum catching up on their holidays as they pretended to work.
"Fantastic, we went to this nightclub Aura right off Piccadilly. It was bloody amazin' Joze, you and Pete shoulda bought a ticket and come with us." Emma had just started dating some rich bloke that she'd met at the holiday party and had tried convincing Josie to tag along for a ritzy New Years, "What'd you two end up doin' anyway?"
Josie gave a soft sight, smiling at the memory of her New Year's, "Pete and I just went to dinner then back to my place for the night," Josie felt her face flush and barely noticed Emma rolling her eyes.
"Will you ever get tired of fucking that man?" Emma asked, eyes sparkling with humor as Josie's mouth dropped open, "Actually, he is practically a gift from the gods so I don't blame you."
Josie gave an indignant snort then hit Emma's arm lightly, "Hey! That's my boyfriend you're talkin' about. Keep those baby blues to yerself, you've got your own eye candy to slobber over."
The two of them continued to wander around, occasionally stopping to talk with the few tourists that were there that day. Not for the first time in that long day Josie wondered why they were even open. She and Emma stood casually near one of the tanks when she noticed an older man watching her closely from across the room causing a shiver to run down her spine.
He motioned in Josie's direction and Emma shoved her forward, "Eh, looks like someone's got a question. He's all yours love, my head is still killin' me from New Years."
Josie gave a slight glare in Emma's direction but nonetheless moved towards the man, "Can I help you sir?" she said softly as she approached him.
"Ere love, could you tell me what this tank is? I've been comin' 'ere for years and I never knew," he pointed to the tank he was planted in front of.
"This one here is a British Infantry Tank Mark II nicknamed Matilda. It was used in France and the Western Desert in the early years of the Second World War." Josie answered quickly; it was one of the more common questions she fielded when she was working downstairs and the man nodded slightly in response.
He was silent for a few moments so she turned to walk away but was stopped by his voice, "My son always loved this tank," he stated roughly causing Josie to stumble slightly in confusion.
"Oh," Josie said softly, "Well if he's here I'd love to tell him more about it," she looked around the near empty room not realizing her mistake until she looked up and caught the stony glare he was giving her.
"He's dead," he answered bluntly.
Josie gasped and felt her face burn, "OH, I am so sorry," she exclaimed, knowing how insincere it sounded.
The man eyed her cruelly causing her to feel extremely uncomfortable but seemed to decide against whatever was on his mind, "Yer fine, couldn'ta known. I'm Tommy," he held his hand out to her which Josie took reluctantly. She was surprised to find how gently he shook her hand, holding on a few seconds longer than was appropriate.
"Josephine," she replied formally and Tommy turned back to stare thoughtfully at the tank.
"So yer a Yank, eh?" Josie rolled her eyes slightly as it was a question she was asked far too often.
"What gave it away?" she replied sarcastically.
"Accent," Tommy stated seriously, "You live around 'ere?" he questioned casually.
"Erm, West Ham actually," Josie started looking around the floor for Emma or for anyone else that might be able to rescue her.
His eyes lit up at this and Josie almost smiled until she caught a hint of something that again caused a shiver to run down her spine, "Really? I know a few of the gents 'round those parts."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, just from goin' to football matches all these years," she noticed how he clenched his fists tightly and she again took another step away from him.
"My boyfriend is a football nut," Josie said casually, hoping this man would stop talking to her at the mention of a boyfriend.
No such luck.
"Boyfriend, eh? Maybe I know 'im, whas his name?" Tommy stared at her blankly, waiting for an answer.
Josie frantically scanned the floor again, hoping Emma would appear to rescue her once she noticed her discomfort but she was nowhere to be seen, "Um, his names Pete," she replied quietly, still praying for any type of distraction that would get her out of this conversation.
"Pete?" Tommy said with a manic grin, "I know a Pete from West Ham…you can't mean Dunham?"
Josie took another step back, wondering if she should lie, but then he might genuinely be friends, "Yeah, Dunham."
At her words he rubbed his hands together in excitement, "You tell both Dunhams Tommy Hatcher says hello, will you do that for me love?" He took a step forward, gripping her shoulder tightly, "Make sure you say hi to Steve too…not just Pete, got that?"
Josie nodded silently, feeling his grip grow tighter on her shoulder while he stared at her with a grin on his face, "Joze! There you are – we've been lookin' for you."
Tommy dropped his arm to his side as Emma came towards them and Josie sighed in relief, "Well Josephine, it was a pleasure to chat. Now you make sure to tell Pete and Stevie I say hello," Josie gave a slight nod and with that he turned on his heel striding away from the two girls.
"What was that about? He know Pete?" Emma questioned lightly, looping her arm through Josie's.
"Guess so…that was weird though. He kinda freaked me out…" Josie shuddered slightly remembering the cold eyes that had stared back at her. She glanced at her watch before leading Emma upstairs towards their desks, finally days almost done, she thought with relief.
"Yeah, he def had a touch of crazy in his eyes," Emma nodded in agreement, dragging her quickly to the stairs, "Whatever love, days done. Forget it; I'm sure it was nothin'."
Josie shook her head slightly, trying to shake the awful feeling away and the vision of the stony glare out of her mind. Emma chattered away meaninglessly allowing Josie to tune her out and become lost in her own thoughts. This continued while they walked towards the tube where they would part for the day.
Emma gave Josie a peck on the cheek, "Tomorrow I expect you to actually listen to me, kay? Forgot about the crazy creep, I'll see you laters. Give Petey's bum a pinch for me, will ya?"
Josie finally came out of her daze at that, "Oi, stay away from him or I'll get my mitts into Richie Rich."
Emma gave a hearty laugh, pulling her into a hug before dancing away from her to her own train. Josie smiled slightly, heaving a sigh as she walked towards her own train. She moved quickly, anxious to see Pete, to have him reassure her she was overreacting and say that Tommy was just an old friend. Yup, old friend – that was all it would be and there'd be nothing to worry about. Finally convincing herself of this she picked up her pace even more, wanting nothing more than to be locked in Pete's embrace.
Josie hurried into the Abbey, scanning the room in hopes of finding Pete. He was supposed to be meeting her there at five but by the looks of it, no Pete just yet. The train ride home did nothing to calm her frayed nerves and the fact that Pete wasn't there only served to make her more anxious. Her shoulders slumped slightly and she walked towards the bar to wait for him. She caught Terry's eye and she saw him immediately start pouring her a drink – the man is a saint, she thought with a grin.
Just as she neared the bar she felt her phone vibrate in her bag, fumbling around she finally found it and answered quickly, "Where are youuu?" she whined into the phone.
Pete chuckled in response, "Sorry baby, I just finished with Paddy. I'll be there in about ten minutes – I expect a cold pint waitin' for me."
"You'll get piss warm beer and like it for making me wait. You know how impatient I am," she said with a smile on her face at the snort that greeted her.
"Well stop chattin' my ear off and I'll be there faster," Pete said with a smile.
"Ugh fine, hurry hurry or someone might drink your pint before you get here," she said happily as she reached the bar and sat down next to Dave who she hadn't noticed until just now.
"Tell 'oever it is to keep their mitts off it," Pete said gruffly into the phone, grabbing his jacket as he went to leave the school, "I'll be there before you know it. I'll even run if it means someone's out to steal my beer. I Love you, Joze."
Josie smiled at his words, the usual butterflies bouncing in her stomach whenever she heard him say them, "Love you too."
As she ended the call she slumped down onto the stool next to Dave, eagerly pulling her drink towards her. After she had downed about half of it she glanced up to see Terry and Dave eyeing her suspiciously. Wiping her mouth sloppily she looked back and forth between the two, "What?"
"Bad day, love?" Terry raised an eyebrow at her.
"More or less, bad ending to the day I guess more than anything else."
Dave leaned in closer to her, "What 'appened Joze? You were just at the museum yeah?"
Josie shrugged her shoulders slightly, looking up at Terry wondering if she should bring it up with the two of them or wait for Pete. Being the curious person that she was she chose the first option, "I ran into someone that claimed to know both Pete and Steve. He just…" grasping for the right words she stuttered slightly, "He just, made me nervous is all."
"Someone that knew the Dunham boys? That's nothin' new love, they're pretty well known in the football world," Terry responded to her first, "Who was he, freckles?"
Josie rolled her eyes, "I wish you'd stop calling me that – half this country is covered in freckles."
"Ah, but none so cute as you. Now what was the name of the geezer you ran into?" Terry asked again.
"Tommy Hatcher," she said as she glanced down to take another gulp of her beer. At their silence she looked up, startled to see their concerned faces.
"He didn't hurt you, did he love?" Dave asked, placing a concerned hand on her forearm.
Josie tilted her head to the side in confusion, biting on her lip in thought, "Um, no…I met him in the museum. Why do you think he'd hurt me? I'm a girl."
Dave snorted humorlessly, "Tommy Hatcher doesn't care who he hurts."
Josie laughed at the serious looks on their faces, "But who hurts girls?"
Just as the words left her mouth a strong set of arms wrapped around her causing her to jump slightly, "Who hurts girls?" Pete mirrored her question, nuzzling his cold face into her neck, breathing in deeply and reveling in the warmth of her soft skin.
Josie noticed the nervous looks on both Dave and Terry's faces but she ignored them as she turned to face Pete, pulling him down to meet to her lips. Pete held her tightly, pulling her up and off the stool so that she was flush against his body. He groaned into her mouth but broke away due to the smack from Dave on his back.
Pete glared in his direction, "Can I help you?"
"Josie was just tellin' us about someone she ran into at the museum today and it's a story yer gonna want to 'ear mate," Dave answered him seriously. Pete glanced from him to Terry who was wearing the same grim stare.
"What 'appened, Joze?" Pete said as he turned away from the two men to face Josie, taking her hand in his.
"I ran into some guy at the museum who said he knew you: Tommy Hatcher," the hand that was holding hers squeezed tight.
Pete felt his mouth go dry, "Hatcher? At the museum? Josie – what happened? He didn't hurt you did he?"
Josie got the distinct feeling she was missing out on something as all three men were now staring at her intently, waiting for her to explain, "Alright, who is this guy?"
"No no no, your story first. And you need to tell it now and in full detail," Pete said, moving his hands up to grip her arms. Sighing slightly Josie finally recounted the story to the three men watching carefully as Pete turned from calm to livid in the span of the two minute talk.
"You see 'im again, you ignore 'im, got that? He's dangerous and I don't want you near him," Pete stared into her eyes intently, waiting for her to agree.
"Waiiit a second, don't I at least get an explanation as to why he's so dangerous so I have the fear of God in me to run and hide?" Josie tried to joke lightly but Pete stared back at her seriously, wishing she understood how serious this was. She tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for an answer.
Pete didn't get the chance to reply because before he could Terry cut in quickly, "Josie – please just listen to Pete," he plead with her, "He's lookin' out for what's best for you. And what's best for you is to stay away from that man. He's had it in for the Dunham's for years. And it's well known 'round other Firms that Pete's got himself a permanent bird. Just stop bein' a stubborn Yank and listen to Pete. No one wants to see you get hurt just because you thought Pete was bein' his usual overprotective self and decided to ignore him. He mean's well, just…just listen to
'im alright?"
Josie's mouth dropped open in shock, Terry had never said raised his voice to her until now and it seemed that was what finally made the severity of the situation sink in. She nodded her head silently and Pete let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding in. He gathered her in his arms, burying his face in her hair.
Just the idea of Hatcher anywhere near Josie scared the absolute shit out of him. The sudden vision of Josie beaten and battered came to his mind with a grinning Tommy Hatcher looking down at her as she bled. He squeezed tighter, praying with all his might he could keep her safe.
"Oi, I'm not goin' anywhere so stop trying to squeeze the life out of me please," Pete smiled slightly, just barely relaxing his grip on her as he pressed a firm kiss on her forehead.
"I know you think I'm hidin' somethin' from you but I'm just tryin' to keep you separate from the GSE as much as possible. You're mine, member?" he whispered into her ear.
Josie pressed a light kiss to his neck, "Course I am. And I know you try to keep me from the dark side but sometimes we don't always get what we want. The GSE isn't exactly tryin' to stay away from me, ya know?"
He grinned down at her, smoothing her hair away from her face, "Stubborn brat is what you are. Now forget the afternoon ever 'appened, k?"
"You got it baby. Now, you may buy me a delicious pub meal to make me forget allll about it," she smiled back at him cheekily.
"Anythin' for you," Pete said, squeezing her again. Another flash of Josie bleeding crossed his mind that he pushed from his head quickly, I'll die before that happens, he swore to himself. He watched her as she chatted away with Terry and Dave, the day's events already behind her. He pored over every each of her face, memorizing the details and praying that the meeting with Hatcher would be a one off.
Unfortunately for Pete and Josie, it wouldn't be.
Pllllease tell me what you think, I just hope you're liking it!