Hey-ho. So I'm not feeling too clever tonight..in fact that's an understatement: I feel like hell. It was my summer ball last night and I drank far too much so thought I'd come on here and post another chapter in hopes of getting some decent reviews. Because last time I only got 3 and that sucked. :( Be nice to me, I'm fragile and every time I hiccup, I can still taste tequilla.
Matt stared at the young woman who had introduced herself as Natalie Dunham warily as she leant against the kitchen counter, her deep green eyes skipping about the flat, taking it all in. The changes were noticeable and for her, heartbreaking; gone were the Rolling Stones and Zutons posters, the piles of random books scattered over the shelves were now replaced with magazines and dirty ashtrays.
Stirring their coffees as quietly as he could so as not to disturb the already fragile silence, he tapped his bare foot against the cold wooden flooring nervously and debated whether or not to speak.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you it's rude to stare?" Natalie asked him, meeting his eyes and raising her eyebrow.
"S-sorry," he stuttered, pushing her coffee over to her side of the counter, not willing to get any closer to her for the moment.
Looking down at the coffee, Natalie shook her head and pushed it away with a bluntly cut fingernail.
"I asked for tea," she told him with a shrug.
"No, you didn't," Matt frowned at her as though she was mad. He'd even added the four sugars she'd requested and stirred it thoroughly before putting the milk in.
"So are you going to tell me where my cousin is or am I going to have to start guessing?" Natalie raised an eyebrow and leant on the counter. "As far as I know, he ain't dead, so…"
"Pete doesn't live here anymore," Matt told her, putting the milk back in the fridge and leaving her coffee on the side. If she didn't want it then she could make herself something else, he was too tired to chase after some kid with an attitude problem.
"But you do?" she pointed at him. "Who the fuck are you again?"
"Matt," he sighed, sitting down on the worn sofa and rubbing his face. "Matt Buckner…Shannon's brother,"
"Two yanks for the price of one," she snorted. "My, aren't we Dunham's lucky?"
"So I take it Pete doesn't know you're here?" Matt asked her.
"Why d'you say that?" she narrowed her eyes at him.
"Well, its gone midnight and you're standing in a stranger's living room with a duffel bag," he smirked. "Doesn't exactly scream planned visit to me,"
"First off I didn't think a stranger lived here," Natalie snapped. "And second off, what the fuck business is it of yours if this was a planned visit or not? I show up 'ere with nowhere to go and no sign of Pete and you're gunning up to play 20 questions with me?" she snorted. "Bloody 'ell, are all you yanks this polite?"
"Well, we can't all be like you, can we?" Matt muttered, taking a long sip of coffee and shook his head.
"Christ, you're a right little charmer," Natalie rolled her eyes. "Pete must 'ave loved you,"
"Actually the first time we met he ripped the piss out of my accent, kicked me to the floor and then dragged me to a football game," he told her, watching her smile for the first time since she'd entered the apartment.
"Yeah, that sounds about right," she nodded, perching on the arm of one of the chairs and shrugging off her jacket. "Still can't believe the GSE boys let a yank in though,"
"What'd you know about the GSE?" Matt frowned.
"Probably more than you do, Max," Natalie smiled tightly.
"It's Matt," he corrected her.
"I'm sure it is," she nodded. "So if Pete ain't 'ere, where is he?"
"Oh, he uh, he lives with Allie now," Matt frowned as Natalie snorted, shaking her head. "Over in Kensington,"
"Kensington?" she laughed. "Fuck me, I take it he's still under the thumb then, eh?"
"It started out as convenience really, the original plan was for her to move in here but then with everything that happened," he sighed. "It's only been for the last year and a half, you know, since his accident," Matt tilted his head. "You know about that, right?"
"Auntie Moira told me," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around her knees as she recalled the tremor in the older woman's voice as she'd explained what had happened. "I almost came back but…"
Remembering who she was talking to, Natalie quickly shook herself out of her trance and cleared her throat.
"So he's living with Mary Poppins now," she tried to laugh but failed. "I wonder how long that'll last,"
"They're really happy," Matt told her indignantly, getting protective of his friends. "They've had a really rough two years but with the wedding…"
"The what?"
Matt blinked in surprise and turned to stare at the brunette who was sat on the edge of her chair, hands gripping the arms of it tight enough to turn her knuckles a ghostly white.
"Uh, Pete and Allie got married last year," Matt gulped, seeing her eyes darken slightly. "You're family; I would have thought you knew that,"
"So you're telling me that my cousin," she laughed in disbelief. "Married the Sloaner?"
"Yeah," Matt nodded, a smirk pulling at his lips. "So I uh, I take it that if you didn't know about the wedding then you won't know about Poppy?"
"Poppy?" Natalie scoffed. It took a second to sink in and Matt laughed as her green eyes widened in horror. "Oh for fuck sake tell me they just bought a dog or somethin',"
Reaching over onto the rickety coffee table, Matt grabbed the light blue photo frame which contained a picture of himself along with Pete, Allie, Poppy and the rest of the boys at the park last month.
"She's seven months old now," Matt smiled, holding the frame out to Natalie.
"Y'know when I left town three years ago," she shook her head. "Pete 'ad only just met 'er…and now 'ere I am sat with some yank in what used to be my second home gettin' updated about how the leader of what used to be one of the top firms in this country is now doin' his best Mike Brady impression?" she shook her head in disgust and tossed the photo onto the sofa beside Matt, picking up her duffel bag and slinging it over her shoulder.
"Hey, where're you going?" he called, standing up and following her. "That's it then? You came all this way to see Pete and then just because he's married with a kid you're gonna piss off again without so much as a 'hello'?"
"That," she pointed to the photo and laughed. "Ain't Pete Dunham,"
"He hasn't changed," Matt shook his head. "And even if he has, so what? Its like you said, you left three years ago…what did you expect?"
"I expected 'im to have a bit more fuckin' backbone instead of settling down for some nine to five with that Prada wearing bitch and the result of a condom malfunction!" she snapped, yanking the door open and preparing to step out into the hall, stopping only when the all too familiar pair of scuffed white sneakers came into view, the Stone Island black jacket hanging off of his shoulders as it always did, a pack of cigarettes ready in his hand.
At least some things didn't change.
"Well fuck me," Bovver smirked, shaking his head and looking her up and down. "Look what the crack dragged in,"
"So she left because of drugs?" Matt stared at Bovver as he slurped the last of his cereal out of the bowl and wiped his mouth with the hem of his t-shirt.
"She 'ad to," he shrugged, keeping his voice low so as not to wake the girl who was still asleep in his bed. He'd forgotten how bad it was sleeping on sofas.
"Well, was she selling or taking them?" Matt pressed.
"A bit of both," Bovver shrugged. "She was 19 and she got mixed up with the wrong crowd, it happens, don't it?"
"Who were the wrong crowd?" Matt asked, not sure if he wanted the answer.
Just as Bovver opened his mouth to answer him, the bedroom door opened and Natalie stepped out, her long hair pulled into a tidy pony tail, her body emphasised much more than it had been last night as the fitted jeans and black polo shirt clung to her body, her somewhat plain looks boosted by the traces of barely there make up.
Matt blinked in surprise, the almost pretty girl in front of him not in the least resembling the cold, bitter young woman who had stormed through the front door last night.
"You ain't half as stealthy as you think you are, Stuart," she quipped, yanking on her Sketchers which had been left by the sofa last night. "If you wanna ask questions, grow a pair and come ask me yourself, alright, yanky?"
Matt blushed slightly as she glared at him, causing Bovver to smirk in response.
"I'm sorry," he shrugged. "I just…"
"Ugh," she rolled her eyes, looking past the blue eyed man to Bovver. "Does he always yammer on this much first thing in the morning?"
"You know how these yanks are, darlin'," Bovver laughed.
"He can't be as bad as Shannon though," she shook her head. "That bird had a voice that could cut through fucking glass,"
"Hey," Matt frowned. "I'm sorry I upset you but that's my sister you're talking about,"
"My condolences," Natalie told him deadpan, making Bovver laugh again. "So who fancies takin' me to see the pussy bitch formerly known as Pete?"
Both men exchanged looks, neither of them obviously enthused by the idea.
"Alright, fuck you then, I'll go on my own," she frowned, grabbing her jacket and walking towards the door.
"Wait," Matt called and she stopped, facing the door and grinning to herself; sometimes men were so predictable that it hurt.
"I'll come with you," he told her with a sigh. "Just let me grab my jeans, alright?"
He gestured to his boxers and caught her nod before jogging into his bedroom and yanking open the wardrobe, silently wondering what the hell he had just signed himself up for.
"We've only got one shot at this," Pete looked around nervously as he shrugged the tension out of his shoulders. "And Allie can't know, alright? Just remember everything I told you and don't for the love of God, get cocky and start gunning it because it'll be my arse on the line if anything goes wrong."
Taking a deep breath, he crouched down in front of his daughter and held onto her waist, keeping her standing as he placed her in front of the miniature football. She screeched excitedly and bounced in his arms, thumping her chubby little fists against his hands as though begging him to let her go so she could do this her way.
"Oi," he laughed. "What'd I tell you about patience? Work out your angle, then balance, then kick the shit outta it,"
She giggled loudly and started babbling, her interest in the football waning slightly when she caught sight of his watch.
"Ready?" he bounced her up and down, making her squeal happily. "Right, one…two…three!"
Walking her forward he used her little feet to kick the ball and send it flying across the hallway, rolling to a stop by the foot of the stairs as she screeched after it.
"Not bad, gorgeous," he winked at her, kissing her cheek as he lifted her up and carried her over to where the ball was sat, bending over to pick it up. "We've got some serious work to do though if we wanna get you in the league,"
"Face it Dunham," Lara smiled, jogging down the stairs and smiling at the pair. "The girl lacks skills; in fact if she's anything like her mother, running in a straight line is going to be enough of a challenge without having to worry about kicking a ball at the same time."
"Allie's alright," Pete laughed. "She used to do gymnastics and shit,"
"Yeah and she was great at it," Lara conceded. "Put the girl on a bar and she knows her stuff but ask her to walk along a pavement and she's on her arse within seconds,"
Pete laughed and shook his head, trying to keep hold of Poppy who seemed dead set on finding a way down to the floor so she could play with the ball again.
"Speaking of finding yourself on your arse," he smirked at her. "You recovered from the other day yet or what?"
"Huh?" she cocked her head at him and then laughed. "Oh, you mean Benjamin's brother, right? The one with the hands?" she wiggled her fingers, making him laugh loudly.
"Determined little shite, ain't he?" Pete winked at her.
"Determined?" she snorted. "He spent a good ten minutes asking me if Allie and I had ever gotten so drunk we'd made out and if we had was there a chance we'd taped it,"
She laughed and looked up at Pete who was looking at her with his mouth slightly open, a flicker of awe and hope in his eyes. Bloody men.
"Oh my God, the answer was no!" she slapped his arm as she walked past him.
"Never say never, right?" he smirked, trailing after her towards the kitchen.
"Oh please," she waved him off. "In Alyssa's dreams maybe...and speaking of," she glanced around. "Where is my lover?"
"Making lunch," Pete nodded towards the kitchen.
"Wait a minute," the redhead held up a finger. "You let her cook? Pete, you do know that Alyssa and I lack any manual skills right? To the point where had it not been for the Dominos pizza opposite our flat we probably would have starved to death at Uni?"
"She's making sandwiches," Pete laughed. "Nothing that actually requires turning on an oven," he ruffled her hair as he walked past her. "You think I'm stupid or something?"
Pushing through the kitchen door, he smirked and shook his head seeing Allie putting the finishing touches to the plate of sandwiches, a proud look in her eyes.
"I take it its safe to come in then?" he smirked at her.
"Safe?" she raised an eyebrow. "Prepare to worship me for I have just made the most amazing sandwich in the world,"
She held up a plate with a huge sandwich on it complete with the cocktail stick and green olive pocking out of the top.
"Hot grilled chicken with bacon, salad and a teeny bit of avocado on white bread with chive mayonnaise," she smiled. "Tell me you don't love me,"
"You're such a retard," Pete laughed, planting a kiss on her neck as he passed her to go to the fridge, pulling out a beer for himself and one for Lara. "I do love you though," he winked, leaning over her shoulder to kiss her properly this time, feeling her smile against his lips when one hand sneakily drifted down to her backside.
"Hey, hey," Lara called, interrupting them. "Some of us actually still have an appetite,"
Looking up, Pete laughed seeing that she had one hand over her own eyes and one over Poppy's. Picking a stray piece of lettuce off of the counter he threw it at the redhead, laughing when it landed on her cheek.
"So have you guys decided on a nanny yet or what?" she asked them, picking up the salmon and rocket sandwich Allie had made her and smiling gratefully as she took a huge bite.
Allie looked over her shoulder from where she was sat trying to get as much rice pudding as she could into Poppy's mouth without having it flung all over the kitchen again. Grimacing when some of it hit her cheek with a splat, she realised that that probably wasn't going to happen.
"Yes," she answered at the exact moment Pete said no.
They stared at each other for a moment, eyes narrowed and prepared to battle it out.
"You're joking, right?" she sighed. "Jesus, Pete, not this again,"
"What?" he mumbled through a huge bite of his sandwich. "I told you we're not hiring a fucking bloke,"
"A guy applied?" Lara raised an eyebrow. "Was he hot?"
"He was gay," Allie smiled. "But he was brilliant with this one," she tapped Poppy on the nose and gently wiped her face. "Not to mention had an amazing CV and degrees coming out of his arse,"
"I really don't want to talk about what comes out of his-…"
"Hey!" Allie frowned, hurling an olive pit at Pete's head and getting him in the eye. "I know you're pissy just because I wouldn't hire the girl with the tits the size of Texas but that doesn't mean you get to be horrible about the guy I like."
"Allie," Pete put down his sandwich and looked her in the eye. "Babe, I know you liked him, I know you got all excited because he knew what designer you were wearing just from looking at you," he shook his head. "But gay or not, I ain't leaving my daughter with a bloke, its fuckin' weird,"
"Oh come on," she scoffed. "We leave her with the boys sometimes and that never bothers you,"
"I know the lads," he told her. "I trust the lads; however I don't trust blokes who swan in 'ere with pink ties on, yammering on about how the colour of your skirt brings out your eyes,"
Taking a sip of his beer, he drummed his fingers on the table and then clicked them, pointing at Allie with a smug smile.
"What about that Irish bird, you liked her too, remember?" he nodded.
"She was nice," Allie conceded. "Kinda young though, don't you think?"
"Babe, she was two years older than us," Pete laughed. "And she came from a big family which means she knows her shit when it comes to babies."
He saw the reluctant look on his wife's face and grinned, tossing the olive pit back at her, making her jump.
"And if it seals the deal, her tits weren't great," he smiled when she laughed.
"Fine," she sighed, shaking her head when he beamed at her. "We'll call her tomorrow," she held the spoon back up to Poppy's mouth. "Poppy loved her anyway," she commented, remembering how at ease her daughter had been with the woman, how she's happily let her tickle her feet and play with her toys as opposed to screaming her head off when any of the other applicants tried such a thing.
"Oi, red are you still ok to take her next weekend?" Pete asked the redhead, leaning over and handing her another beer.
"Yeah, 'course I am," she beamed. "I'm looking forward to it," turning on her stool, she grinned at Poppy. "You up for some girlie action, Pops?"
"Just try not to scar 'er for life, yeah?" Pete smirked, dusting some crumbs off of his jeans.
"If she's survived having some hooligan like you as a parent, Dunham," Lara raised her eyebrows. "A cute little thing like me should be a walk in the park."
Laughing and winking at her, he stood up and took her plate and his, shoving them into the dishwasher and moving over to sit next to Allie, using a napkin to wipe some of the rice pudding off of her cheek.
"The girl's got a good aim," he nodded in approval, grinning at his daughter when she giggled. "So am I ever gonna get to find out where you're draggin' me next weekend?"
"It's your birthday surprise," Allie told him with a smile. "Key word there would be surprise,"
"Yeah, but how do I know what to bring?" he leant his chin on her shoulder, hoping if he bugged her enough she's at least give him some idea.
"Give it up, Pete," she laughed, shaking her head.
He'd be turning 26 in exactly eight days and to celebrate she had bought them two tickets to a Zutons gig and then booked them to stay for the weekend in the Four Seasons where on Sunday night the boys were scheduled to pick him up and take him to a football game.
West Ham were playing Arsenal and even though a part of her still felt sick every time he went to a game, she knew that the days of the GSE were behind him, she trusted him more than anyone else in the world; not to mention that between Dave and the rest of the boys, she knew nothing would kick off.
"I'll get it out of you at some point," he told her, sliding one hand around to rest on her stomach, rubbing the flat expanse of it and feeling her breath hitch as he leant forward and brushed his lips over her ear. "One way or another,"
"You're such a git," she laughed, shrugging him off half heartedly and then groaning when the doorbell rang.
"You know its Harry having lost his key again, don't you?" Lara laughed. "How the hell you put up with that thing as a brother, I'll never know,"
"You're the one who's dating him," Allie reminded her with a smirk, handing Pete the spoon and letting him feed Poppy. "Surely that makes you his keeper?"
"Someone needs to be," the redhead quipped.
Allie took a moment to smile at Pete as he attempted to get the spoon into his daughters mouth, jumping back when she smacked his hand away from her face causing the spoon to snap back and the rice pudding to fly up and hit him in the eye.
"Fuck me," he laughed. "Poppy, that was a shot!" he reached down and picked up her little hand. "That might 'ave just blinded me, but that was beautiful. Now you just need to channel that kind of aim into your feet," he looked at her seriously. "I just about dealt with the fact you were a girl, but I ain't 'avin no cricket player for a daughter,"
Allie shook her head and left him to it, watching as Lara got involved, arguing with him over the best way to teach Poppy to play football.
Strolling over to the front door, she yanked it open and her jaw dropped to the floor.
It had been over three years since Allie had last laid eyes on Natalie Dunham and the last time they'd been in the same room together had been back when she'd been admitted to hospital after taking an accidental overdose.
Unlike that night when the young girl had looked pale and gaunt, the blood on her lips and hands making her skin seem even paler as she snarled at them from where she lay strapped to the bed, spitting at anyone who tried to come near her, her skin seemed to glow.
Her green eyes which were a shade darker than Allie's were bright and alive, not sunken like they had been. Glancing past her, she spotted Matt shifting nervously from foot to foot as the cold began to seep into the house, invading her body and making her shiver.
Natalie looked the blonde up and down quickly, assessing that aside from the small diamond on her left hand, not much had changed. Her hair was slightly longer but she was still as beautiful as ever, her peachy coloured mouth opening and closing again making her look like a goldfish as she struggled for words.
"Alright, Harding?" she snipped, raising an eyebrow and then shaking her head. "Sorry, my mistake, it's actually Dunham now, ain't it?"
Allie didn't know how to respond, her mind filled only with the memories of how violent and malicious Natalie had been the last time she had seen her.
"Gee, I don't know how they do things in this poncy neighbourhood, but back in Barking if someone knocks on the door its considered polite not to leave 'em freezing their tits off in November weather," she pursed her lips, waiting for some kind of reply from the blonde.
"Uh, sure, of course," Allie stuttered, stepping aside. "I'm sorry, I just…" shaking her head, she gulped nervously as Natalie stepped past her, followed swiftly by Matt who smiled apologetically at her.
A low whistle filled the foyer as Allie shut the door, blocking out the cold wind once and for all before turning to face the taller brunette who was turning in a slow circle.
"Fuckin' ell," she laughed. "Pete's done alright for himself, ain't he?"
Instantly, Allie felt herself grow angry; Natalie had always had an amazing talent for getting to her, even with the tiniest of looks or remarks, she was one of those girls who could tear you to shreds in front of a room full of people without them noticing a thing.
"How, um…" Allie pasted a smile on her face. "How are you, it's been…I mean, I haven't seen you in what, three years now?"
"Something like that," Natalie nodded, not seeming particularly interested. "Now don't get me wrong, Allie as much as I know we have a lot to catch up on," she smiled too brightly, the sarcasm thick in her voice.
"I'm sure you've got lots of pretty new things to show me and God knows I just love hearing about fashion shows and what's new on your IPod this week but before we break out the facemasks and have ourselves a good ol' fashioned girlie catch up, d'you reckon it would be at all possible for me to talk to Pete?"
Matt frowned, staring at the her in complete shock; sure from talking to her on the way over here he'd gotten a clear impression that Natalie wasn't Allie's biggest fan but this was unbelievable…he'd never expected her to be so rude to Allie in her own home.
"He's in the kitchen," she spoke quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and watching as Natalie defiantly towards the door. "Natalie, wait, he's feeding…"
The brunette ignored her, instead pushing the door open and fighting the urge to gasp at what she saw.
"My, my how the mighty have fuckin' fallen," she whispered to herself, staring at the tall blonde in the centre of the room as he hoisted the baby above his head, laughing at something the redheaded woman next to him was saying and tickling the baby until it started giggling loudly.
"Pete?" she called, sounding unsure and almost fragile.
He stopped playing with Poppy and turned in the direction of the voice he knew all too well, his eyes widening when he saw her; Natalie Dunham, the same little girl who used to follow him and Bovver around like a puppy when they were growing up, the same girl he would watch like a hawk at school to make sure no one messed with her.
The same girl he had watched more or less destroy herself three years back, right before he met Allie.
Natalie had been the closest thing he'd ever had to a little sister so watching her go through all that had almost killed him, then she'd disappeared off the face of the earth for three years, sending only the odd letter but never calling to actually tell him that she was ok.
"Nat?" he frowned. "Fuckin' 'ell!" he laughed, shaking his head in disbelief as he started towards her. "What're you doin' 'ere, eh?"
"I could ask you the same thing," she muttered, rolling her eyes and catching the confused look he gave her.
"What's going on?" he asked her quietly. "Is everything alright?"
"Fine and dandy as always," she quipped, picking up one of the half empty bottles of beer and taking a sip. "But it looks to me we've got a fair bit to catch up on," she looked at Poppy who was a striking combination of both her mother and father. Whether Natalie wanted to admit it or not, the kid was stunning.
"So what'd you say?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow. "You reckon you've got time in between changing nappies for a chat or should I come back later?"
So, you've officially met Natalie now. :) Leave me a review and let me know if you hate her so I can kill her off! (only joking!) But not about the reviews though...seriously, I'm sat in bed with the hangover headache from hell watching Scrubs. I need good reviews to make me smile! xx