Whoa! HUGE chapter ahead! Sorry for throwing this at you but I just wanted it out there so that I can really start getting into the juicier aspects of this story arc! Thanks so much for all your reviews on the last couple of chapters, it means the world to me that you guys are still following this story a very scary 90-odd chapters down the line!
Allie strolled down the hallway towards her office, watching the rays of early morning sunshine casting strange shadows on her shoes as she went. The journey to work hadn't been quite as torturous this morning as it had been the day before and she knew she had Pete to thank.
He was still refusing to let her walk to the station alone, had woken her up early with breakfast in bed and not to mention had made sure she fell asleep last night with work as the last thing on her mind.
Grinning to herself as she began recalling the events after their rather awkward dinner with Natalie, she lifted her head from the floor, stopping suddenly when she saw Nathan leaning against her office door dressed pristinely in what she could see was a Prada shirt and jeans, looking as though he'd just stepped off of a billboard.
"Bloody yanks," she muttered under her breath, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes and carrying on, not letting her smile falter as she got nearer to him. She was still pissed at what he had said to her yesterday; no matter how right he had been, he still had no right to speak to her like that after eight years of nothing but emails here and there.
Coming to a stop before her door, she frowned when he smirked at her and shuffled out of the way just enough for her to unlock the door and push through.
"Not even a good morning, huh?" he drawled, scratching the back of his neck. "I guess I had that one coming,"
"Good morning," Allie mumbled, flicking her blinds open and hissing at the harshness of the sun.
"Ah, she speaks," he grinned. "Should I speak now or hear more?"
"If you think quoting Shakespeare at me before I've even had a cup of coffee is going to make me less pissed at you then you're wrong," she told him, grabbing the pile of post off of her desk and sifting through it, raising an eyebrow when he placed a huge Starbucks cup in front of her.
"I came prepared," he chuckled deeply, sitting down on the edge of her desk and taking a sip of his own coffee. "Call it a peace offering,"
Allie merely looked at him, sitting down slowly and eyeing him warily as he stared around the office, his eyes oddly flashing a little when he spotted the photos of Pete, Poppy and Alex in various locations scattered about the far wall.
"I'm uh…I'm more than aware I was out of line yesterday," he admitted.
"Out of line?" Allie smirked.
"Alright, I was a first class asshole, is that better?"
"Much," she grinned, taking a sip of her coffee and closing her eyes for a moment as Nathan laughed.
"I'm sorry," he shook his head, still laughing. "I shouldn't have…it wasn't my place and-…"
"I needed to hear it," Allie interrupted him, catching him off guard. "I've been in a really shitty place the last couple of weeks and I…I needed that push I guess."
"So you're not angry at me?" Nathan asked hopefully.
"No, like you said, you were an asshole," Allie pursed her lips. "But that doesn't mean you were wrong. "I don't want to forget Lara, I won't forget her but at the same time…I can't be angry because everyone else is doing the one thing I'm incapable of,"
"Which is…" Nathan prompted.
"Moving on and pretending nothing happened," she shrugged. "Maybe one day I'll wake up and it won't hurt like hell but…"
"It's a long way off, right?" he smiled sadly.
"Yeah," Allie nodded. "And I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. She was such a huge part of my life…I can't…"
An all too familiar lump formed in Allie's throat and she quickly forced the conversation in another direction.
"So anyway," she shook her head. "What about you, huh? How are you finding London?"
"It's not that different from the Big Apple," Nathan grinned. "Except we're better looking and we make better pizza."
"That better not be your chat up line," Allie laughed. "If it is, good luck getting laid in the next century,"
"I don't need lines," Nathan smirked at her. "I've got the accent,"
"Ah, my mistake," Allie rolled her eyes. "How's that working out for you?"
"Not that great," he winced, making her laugh. "I'm having trouble finding a British girl who actually fits my type,"
"Your type doesn't exist," Allie snorted. "Remember all those parties we went to in New York and all those models and actresses would hit on you and you'd barely acknowledge they were there,"
"We were there to work," Nathan told her half heartedly.
"You know part of me actually hopes you're serious because otherwise I might have to start questioning whether or not you're a Gok Wan fan," she giggled.
"What'd you just call me?" Nathan frowned, obviously confused.
"Nothing," she waved it off. "Don't worry about it."
Nathan stared at her as she laughed, still amazed at how little she had changed in eight years. She was still as stunningly beautiful as she had been the first day he had seen her, her blonde hair falling into those huge, emerald eyes as she smiled at him…
Verboten! His mind reminded him, his eyes forcing themselves to stare at the silver band on her left hand not matter how much it made his stomach hurt.
"So we have a meeting with Marc Jacobs at 11," Allie was saying when he tuned back in. "Jack's not in till noon so it's just the two of us. Think you can handle it?"
"Please," Nathan forced himself to play along. "Sit back and learn from the master, kid,"
"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you," she stuck her tongue out, standing up and bringing her coffee with her, feeling that today might be a good day after all.
"Fuck me; it's the ghost of Christmas past!"
Pete smirked and shook his head as he spotted the boys at the back of the pub as usual, Swill standing up and pointing at him with a goofy grin on his face.
"You sure you're in the right pub, sweetheart?" Dave called. "It ain't often we get posh twats like you in 'ere,"
"Fuck off," Pete shot back, pulling him into a hug and clapping him on the back.
With everything that had happened the last couple of weeks he hadn't had a chance to really spend any time with the boys. So on the one day that school had finished early he had decided to call a crisis meeting down the pub.
The crisis being that they needed beer and they needed it now.
"Seriously, you sure it ain't past your bedtime or somethin'?" Ike smirked.
"Alright, you lot got any more or can I sit down?" Pete laughed, yanking a chair back noisily and flopping down onto it.
"So how's tricks?" Ike asked, sipping his rapidly warming pint.
"Alright," the blonde nodded, searching for his wallet and blinking in surprise when someone placed a pint in front of him from over his shoulder.
Turning, he smirked as he caught Bovver's eye and shook his head.
"Fuck me," he grinned. "And they say I'm the ghost of Christmas past,"
Standing up he was instantly pulled into a hug by the man he had come to know as his second brother.
"It's been too long, mate," Bovver whispered to him.
"I know, Bov," Pete pulled back and nodded slightly. "I know,"
Glancing over Bovver's shoulder, he caught the familiar set of blue eyes, not unlike those of his sister in law and felt his blood boil. He hadn't spoken to Matt since the night of Lara's funeral when he'd beaten the shit out of him for kissing Allie.
Pete had wanted to think that he was over it, that it no longer mattered. But one glance in Matt's direction had brought it all back again and the jealousy surging through him caused him to grip his pint so tightly he briefly wondered whether the flimsy glass would smash.
"Hey Pete," Matt murmured quietly, looking everywhere but at the man in front of him.
The room seemed to hold its breath as both men stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Pete settled for nodding towards him and sitting back down.
"Fuck, I 'ad a fiver on Pete twating 'im one," Swill whispered to Dave.
"I know, so pay up, you fucker," Dave whispered back, snatching the crumpled five pound note off of the table with a smirk. "So," he cleared his throat. "I hear your girl went back to work,"
"Yeah," Pete smiled proudly. "I think it was shit for 'er for the first couple of days but she seems happy…"
"And everything's alright?" Dave asked, his eyes narrowing.
None of the other boys knew how close Allie and Pete had come to complete destruction, even Dave had to remind himself occasionally that it had all been real.
"Yeah," Pete met his eyes and gave him a small nod. "Everything's fine,"
"Right, well if we're all done kissing each others arses, how's about a game of pool?" Bovver raised an eyebrow.
"I'm in," Ike looked at Ned. "You 'ad better not fuckin' ask me to borrow money,"
"What?" the smaller man frowned. "You know I don't get paid till the end of the week,"
"And how is that my problem?" Ike snapped. "I ain't lending you any more money…I already covered the £60 for your ticket,"
"Ticket?" Pete frowned, taking a long sip of beer.
"See what 'appens when you go a week without answering your phone?" Dave smirked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an envelope. "Lucky enough for you I'm such a considerate little sweetheart that I went and got you one anyway."
Pete craned his neck to see the small piece of paper Dave had dropped onto the table, the familiar tingle of excitement moving up his spine as he stared at the Hammers crest.
"Hammers V City," he grinned lopsidedly. "How the fuck did you cheeky tarts get your mitts on these?"
"Ask boy wonder over there," Bovver jerked his head towards the chair at the end of the table where Matt was still sat silently, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. "He's the one who got it all sorted,"
Pete looked up and glared at the yank, waiting patiently for him to lift his gaze up from the table top.
"You did this?" he muttered, his voice low and cold.
"It's not a big deal," Matt stammered, clutching his pint glass like it was a lifeline.
"Oi," Dave whispered, leaning forward until his face was inches away from Pete's. "Go easy on 'im, mate. He's a complete dick for doin' what he did but he's trying,"
Pete shot him a withering look but sighed, knowing his friend was right. There was no point in being angry at Matt for something that he couldn't take back. There would always be friction in their friendship just as there had been all those years ago back when Pete first found out about his feelings for Allie but focusing on it now would only make matters worse.
"Nicely done," Pete nodded, pretending not to notice Matt's double take as he stared up at him in disbelief in his eyes. "Cheers, mate,"
"Yeah," Matt smiled shakily. "Sure thing,"
"Fuck me, its all gettin' a big group therapy for my liking," Swill shook his head. "We playing pool or what?"
"Yeah, alright, keep your fuckin' bra on," Dave snorted, turning his attention back to Pete. "So you're in for the match then? On Saturday?"
Pete stared down at the ticket, his mind torn between two evils. He knew that after everything that had happened this would be the perfect escape, a means of him getting away from everything for a few hours and he knew that for that reason alone Allie would push him to go.
But the other part of him was more than aware of how…unstable he still was. His emotions were all over the place and all it would take was one comment, one accidental shove for things to get out of hand…
The anger coursing through his veins instantly reminded him of the situation with Natalie and he found himself gripping his pint glass a little too tightly.
"Yeah," he nodded after a second. "Count me in,"
"Good boy," Dave cheered, winking at him and standing up from the table. "Now come on, its been a while and I reckon we're all a bit rusty but what'd you say to takin' all of Swill's money?"
"I'm in," Bovver nodded.
"Fuck off!" Swill frowned. "I'm the fucking master of pool these days,"
"Shut up," Pete laughed, shoving his friend forward. "Good to see you talking out of your arse is one of the things that ain't changed,"
They continued laughing, the conversation falling back into the old routine as though nothing had ever happened. But the past was lingering around them, none of them all that willing to face it. Lara's name was left unsaid, Matt refused to meet his gaze throughout the entire game and it was in that second that Pete Dunham acknowledged for the first time that things were never going to be the same again.
Allie stepped into the house, closing the door quietly behind her and smiling to herself. Pete's mother was looking after Alex and Poppy for the night and she intended to use the time to her advantage.
Smirking down at the bag she was holding in the bottom of which lay a lacy number from Chanel that barely qualified as underwear she debated what to cook. It would only be an hour until Pete got home and she wanted things to be…perfect.
The large foyer was cloaked by the darkness, the only light coming in faintly from the living room. Unable to hear the TV or any music, Allie frowned, wondering if Pete had beaten her home.
Dropping her bags on the bottom of the stairs, she padded warily towards the living room, putting on her best come hither look just in case she did discover her husband behind the door.
Pushing it open with a flourish, she screamed, backing out and slamming it shut again, clapping a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide in horror.
"Oh shit," she giggled a little too loudly to herself.
The shuffling on the other side of the door brought her back from the brink of hysteria and a second later the doors whipped open, leaving a panting Natalie Dunham staring back at her.
"Allie," she breathed, adjusting her bra strap which was clearly undone. "I…uh, I didn't think you were going to be home this early."
"I can see that," the blonde grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. "Is he in there?"
Natalie slammed the door behind her, pushing Allie back a couple of inches to stop her looking into the room where Daniel was no doubt sat there with his shirt still off, an idiotic grin on his face.
"Is this really how you want the introduction to go?" Natalie pleaded.
"Oh, so it's ok for you to dry hump the guy on my father's antique sofa but I'm not allowed to even shake his hand?" Allie winked, laughing when the younger woman gave her a disgusted look.
"I wasn't…" Natalie glared at her. "Unlike you, Harding, I can keep my legs closed longer than ten seconds with my boyfriend around,"
"And I applaud you for it," Allie deadpanned. "But let me assure you that that task is a little harder when you're married to someone who's as good in bed as your cousin happens to be…"
"Oh fucking hell," Natalie groaned, closing her eyes. "This is NOT happening,"
"Oh but it is," Allie shoved her to the side, diving into the living room before the brunette could pull her back.
Over by the fire place, a man who looked nearer her age than he did Natalie's was leaning against the wall, wearing a smirk that was far too arrogant for Allie's liking.
His hair was dishevelled and unlike Natalie, he hadn't bothered straightening his clothes, his shirt was still half unbuttoned, his belt fastened loosely around his waist.
Fighting the urge to wrinkle her nose, Allie could tell even from where she was standing that Natalie could do much better. The man in front of her was rugged but not in the same way Pete had been, he simply looked as though he needed a good bath and a hair cut.
"Hi," she forced a smile and took another few steps into the room. "Sorry we haven't met yet, I'm Allie,"
"Allie," the boy grinned and it made her feel a little ill. "I've heard a lot about you,"
"I'm sure," she smiled.
"I'm Daniel," he held out his hand. "You can call me Dan,"
In the background, Natalie rolled her eyes and fought the urge to gag. She just wanted this over; she wanted him out of the house before Pete got home.
"It's a nice place you've got 'ere," he sniffed, looking around the room.
"Uh…thanks," Allie nodded. "So…how did you and Nat meet?"
"So I think we better get going," Natalie's voice came out a little too loudly as she strolled across the room and snagged Daniel's arm. "I'm hungry,"
"You're welcome to stay for dinner," Allie piped up, not wanting them to leave until she'd talked to this Daniel guy a little more. Noticing the way he was looking her up and down, she quickly concluded that there was something about the kid she didn't quite like.
"I thought you were just having a night in with Pete?" Natalie snapped at her, her eyes narrowing dangerously at the blonde.
"Not particularly," Allie shrugged, her gaze just as intense.
"Well the soft porn underwear on the stairs tells a different story," she hissed back, ignoring the half impressed, half amused snort Daniel gave.
"Natalie…" Allie stared at her in shock.
"Look, just do whatever you were planning alright?" she sighed. "I'll be back later,"
"Nat," Allie called as the pair strolled past her, wrinkling her nose in disgust when Daniel winked at her. "Nat, come back, I just want to…"
The front door slammed.
"…talk," she finished, sighing and leaning back against the door. "Great," she huffed at no one in particular. "Just perfect…"
Now, not only was she worried about Natalie but she also had to face the fact that Pete had more than likely been right about this mysterious boyfriend of hers. She had seen the bruises on his face, the faint marks and scratches marring his arms and a part of her felt ill wondering if that was really how Pete had looked when she first met him.
Casting her mind back she tried to recall the first time she had laid eyes on him and smiled, only being able to remember the cheeky glint in his bright blue eyes of the intensity with which he had stared at her on the train platform.
"What's with the smile?"
The voice brought her back out of her Pete induced stupor with a bang and she gasped, her eyes seeking out the intrusion.
"Nathan?" she half shrieked. "How the hell did you…"
"I know you live in the fancy ass part of London, but I still wouldn't advise leaving your door open," he smirked. "Someone might want to mention that to the oh-so polite young lady who told me to go fuck myself when I asked if you were in,"
"Natalie," Allie sighed, rubbing her forehead. "God, I'm sorry, she's…she's Pete's cousin, she's going through a…phase, I guess."
Folding her arms, she looked him over, noticing that he hadn't changed out of his clothes from the office which meant he hadn't been home which meant…
"Did you follow me home?" she wondered aloud.
"Yes and no," Nathan shrugged. "Depends what you define as 'followed',"
"Did you leave at the same time as I did and then end up at my house?" she asked patiently.
"Well if that's your definition then yeah, I guess I followed you home," he grinned at her. "That a problem?"
"No," she laughed. "But if you wanted to come round why didn't you just ask?"
Because the underwear I saw you snag from the closet told me you weren't exactly planning a night in with fish and chips and a board game, he thought with a silent snort.
"I don't you…I guess I feel a little pathetic that you're my only friend here," he told her.
"Christ, you Americans and your emotions," she rolled her eyes but smiled at him gently. "I was actually just about to make some dinner if you fancy it," her eyes lit up and she grinned. "Hey, Pete should be home soon, you can finally meet the guy who made your life hell all those years ago,"
"Pete?" Nathan laughed. "How'd he make my life hell?"
"Oh come on," Allie nudged him, taking his arm and pulling him through to the kitchen, smiling slightly when he let out an expletive at the size of the room. "All I did for that entire 8 weeks was piss and moan about how much I missed him, you're telling me that wasn't your idea of living hell?"
"No, no…" Nathan slid into one of the stools on the counter and picked at the grapes sat in front of him. "Living with a hot girl who talks about her boyfriend every second of the day is every guys dream,"
"Funny," Allie narrowed her eyes at him, thankfully not picking up on any of the brutal sarcasm. "Just be nice…he's protective,"
"I'll bet," Nathan muttered, having to make a conscious effort to keep his eyes in check when she stood up on her tip toes to get something from a high shelf, her skirt sliding up her legs that little bit higher…
"You need help?" he chuckled, his voice coming out a little huskier than it should have.
"Nope," she replied with a smile. "Almost got it,"
Her fingertips grazed the cookery book on the shelf, coaxing it out to the edge of the shelf where it felt as though she might just be able to grab it…
"Fuck it!" she screeched as it crashed down, bringing another few books with it.
Though it didn't smack her on the head as she had expected it to, instead she cracked one eye open and looked up to see Nathan had caught it mid-fall and was holding it above her head, his body pressing hers against the wall.
"You alright?" he asked, his breath coming out against the top of her head.
"Yeah…" she laughed lightly. "Trust Jamie Oliver to finally be the one who kills me,"
Nathan smirked, bringing the book down and hissing under his breath when she turned to face him, her body still so close to his that she brushed teasingly against him. Finding himself all the more infuriated by the platonic smile of gratitude on her face, he fought back a growl but didn't step back from her.
"If you're waiting for a medal, I'm fresh out," Allie joked, holding up the book and for some reason finding her palms a little sweaty. Why was he staring at her like that?
"Yeah," he whispered, his eyes on hers. "You know I'm uh…I'm actually not that hungry so I should probably just g-…"
"Ay, ay! Where's that gorgeous girl of mine?" Pete smirked as he strolled into the kitchen. "You'll never bloody guess where I'm going on-…"
He stopped short, his words getting stuck in his throat as he saw just where his gorgeous girl was.
She was currently situated between the wall and a tall, dark haired bloke in a poncy suit. Fists tightening at his sides, Pete ground his teeth together and silently began counting, determined to calm down before he said a word.
"Pete," Allie smiled, pushing Nathan back, obviously oblivious to the fact that both men were on the verge of hysteria but for very different reasons. "You're never going to guess what you literally just missed, I can't-…"
"Who's your friend?" Pete inquired, glaring dangerously at the strange man who didn't seem in the least bit affected.
"Oh, right, sorry," she laughed, wrapping an arm around his waist and smiling up at him. "Pete, this is Nathan, Nathan this is my husband Pete,"
Both men stared each other down for a second, sizing the other up and mentally listing the pros and cons of taking the other one out right then and there.
"Good to meet you, mate," Pete smiled forcibly, stepping forward and offering his hand.
"Yeah, you too," Nathan shook it hard, trying not to wince at the blonde's death grip.
Great, Pete thought with a growl, just what I need…another fucking Yank.
"I was just going to start cooking dinner," Allie stood on her tip toes and brushed her lips over his, blinking when he kissed her back a little harder than he needed to, the sensation more surprising than unwelcome.
"I'll give you a hand," he told her as he pulled away, shooting the yank a smug smile.
"I should let you two get on with it," Nathan muttered, wincing when he realised what he'd said. "As in dinner," he corrected. "I should let you get on with dinner,"
"Well the offer still stands," Allie shrugged. "You're welcome to stay if you want,"
Pete looked at her as though she was mad and then glared at Nathan, warning him as best he could without saying anything that if he valued his safety, he'd keep walking.
"Actually, that'd be great," the yank smiled, mainly at Pete. "Give me a chance to get to know the man I've heard so much about,"
"Ok, great," Allie beamed. "Uh…steak, I'll get the steak,"
"If there's anything I can do…" Nathan held up his hands.
"How about fucking off?" Pete muttered, grabbing some salad stuff out of the fridge.
"What was that?" Nathan leaned across the counter as though he hadn't heard.
"Nothing," Pete smiled sweetly. "I was just remembering a funny joke someone told me earlier,"
"I love jokes," Nathan prompted.
"You wouldn't get this one," Pete raised his eyebrows.
"Try me," Nathan shrugged.
"Don't tempt me," Pete smiled back, chopping the peppers with more venom than necessary.
"Ok, so steak, new potatoes and salad, everyone ok with that?" Allie asked, leaning against Pete and handing Nathan a bottle of beer.
"Fine by me," he smiled at her, watching Pete's eyes flash as his fingers grazed over hers.
"Perfect," Pete spat, slamming the knife down hard enough against the chopping board to rip a chunk of wood out of it.
"Easy tiger," Allie laughed, slipping in under his arm and taking the knife from him. "Its not trying to hurt you,"
Pete simply smiled down at her and reached for his own beer, meeting Nathan's eyes over the top of Allie's head and giving him a wilting look as he continued chatting to Allie about shit he didn't understand.
What the hell was an empire line and what the fuck did it have to do with a dress?
Knowing all to well what the guy was trying to do, Pete simply smiled to himself as Allie reached around and slipped her fingers through his.
The guy wasn't even losing a battle because there was no battle to fight. Allie was his, always had been, always would be.
But if this twat dressed in daddy's best suit wanted a fight for the hell of it, then, well…who was Pete Dunham of all people to say no?
And so the Pete v Nathan v Daniel v Chris battle begins…not to mention you've got Chris who hates Matt for sleeping with Natalie who likes Dan who flirts with Allie who's totally unaware that her friend and her husband want to kill each other…its all getting a wee bit interesting don't you think?
Throw in some good ol' fashioned GSE style post-match violence and I'd say we've got ourselves a story! Keep reviewing, kids, they make me oh-so very happy!