Well hi there! Two updates in 24 hours? The girl is back to her old tricks already :) Thank you to everyone for their continuing support and love for this story, it means so much you wouldn't believe.

For those of you wanting an update on the whole...ugliness of this morning. The author in question has removed their version of both WCHB and Intervals from all sites. If anything like this happens again, please let me know because despite coming to an understanding with that author, what happened upset me a lot. But as always, you guys cheered me up so thank you. :) I love you guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter, I'm already working on the next 3 so you won't have to wait long.

Also...little teaser, I'm writing a 5 part Pete/Allie fic that's slightly AU compared to this. Its a one shot I've had in my head for literally years in which they meet at university just as Pete is getting into the GSE. So, woo-hoo, new fic! Anyway, enough rambling, thank you for reading and enjoy. Big hugs, El xx

"I dunno," Pete Dunham squinted from where he was crouched on the floor. "It looks like a standard war wound to me, mate. I can't really see what it is you're bitching about,"

Matt Buckner coughed painfully from the narrow bed on which he was perched and tried to keep himself from laughing. The hairline fracture that ran from his nose to his eye socket made laughing and breathing both fairly excruciating.

"You sure Poppy didn't do this?"

"And to think people say the English have no sense of humour," Matt grumbled, attempting to turn awkwardly so the handrail on the side of the bed was no longer digging into his hip.

"Who the fuck says that?" Pete raised an eyebrow.

"Is this really relevant?" Bovver snapped from where he was leaning against the wall. His tall, thin frame unsurprisingly sinister in comparison to the brightly lit room.

"Relevant?" Dave cocked his head. "Jesus, who's been giving Bov sugar? Don't often hear him use words with more than four letters."

Ignoring the rush of insults pouring from his friends mouth, Dave set his eyes on the American and folded his arms.

"Who was it and how many?"

"You think I know?" Matt shook his head. "All I saw was a few of the guys from the GSE and then..." he breathed heavily and shrugged. "Nothing. I don't remember much,"

"You reckon the GSE boys did this?" Pete scoffed. "Nah, bollocks."

"I dunno, mate," Swill grimaced as he tapped his foot rapidly against the cool tile floor. It was a habit he had picked up when they were much younger after being slashed in the leg with a broken bottle during a post-match fight. It had severed his nerve and therefore caused his foot to shake, the movement becoming far more manic with apprehension. "Have you seen who's fronting the GSE these days?"

"Some little shit from South Marks and what looks like One Direction?" Ned shrugged.

"Who the fuck do you know who One Direction are?" Swill smirked, all eyes turning on the smaller man.

For a brief moment, they all chuckled, silently trying to work out what could have happened and who was behind it. It wasn't unheard of for firms to turn against their old guard but...the GSE...you had to be insane to take on the GSE.

"Mr...Buckner?"

A doctor stepped into the room, looking down at the crumpled chart in his hands, his voice already carrying a tone of disinterest that got Pete's back up. He was sick of hospitals, ever since his own accident; the place had lost its charm after the second month of being trapped in there.

"Your x-rays have come back, chest is clear, everything is normal except for the nose," he smiled tightly. "I suggest hot and cold packs for the next week until we see you for a check up and um...maybe get one of this lot to walk home with you next time you decide to take a short cut through Trinity Warf."

At that , the room became cold. Pete felt his heart start to pound, his veins swelling as they tried desperately to pump the ice masquerading as blood around his body. Trinity Warf. What the hell had Matt been doing at Trinity Warf? The last time any of them were there...

Pete looked down at the long scar on his forearm, picturing the metal that was holding his bones together. As if on cue, his chest began to ache and his head pounded. Oh yeah, he remembered Trinity Warf.

"Your belongings," The doctor handed Matt a clear plastic bag which seemingly contained his wallet and what was left of his clothing. "I'll see you next week,"

The boys waited for the door to close, Bovver even holding it open for the doctor to stroll through before he slammed it behind him and all eyes turned to Matt.

"What?" the American half laughed. "Guys, I wasn't at the Warf, I don't remember being there..."

"Well, someone does." Dave noted grimly, pulling the Matt's shredded shirt out of the plastic it had been enclosed in and examining it. The words "Hammer Cu" were scrawled across the back of it. It didn't take a genius or even Swill to work out what the last two letters had been before Matt's blood had covered them.

"So what are we dealing with here?" Pete muttered, more to himself that the others. "New boys, old firm?"

"It won't be the new boys," Swill shook his head. "They don't give enough of a fuck about the Yank to single him out," he shot a look at the younger man and gave him a small salute. "No offence, treacle."

Matt snorted and stuffed the clothes back into the bag, figuring it would be better to go home in his hospital gown than that.

"So who then?" Bovver snapped. "Its gotta be old guard, Millwall? United?"

"Allie."

"Mate, I know she can be a handful but I don't think even she'd go this far," Dave frowned, holding up Matt's bloodied shirt and shaking his head.

"No," he laughed. "As in..."

Pete followed his gesture to the large window at the back of the room where a streak of blonde dashed past then stopped, skidding to a halt and peering in at them, the relief on her face warming his heart. He had no idea what she was doing here but since their argument in the kitchen, he'd been sick. The look in her eyes as he had walked out of the door had nearly killed him, to the point where he was almost glad of the GSE drama cropping up again, he needed something to take his mind off of Allie. But as per usual, the woman never let him get away with that.

He stared at her along with the rest of the boys, frowning in confusion when she stayed there on the other side of the glass, making no move whatsoever to walk through the door. He could tell even from this distance that she had been crying; her emerald green eyes were darker than usual and her bottom lip was fuller from where she had been chewing it nervously.

"'ere," Swill piped up, his brow furrowed. "Your missus having one of them psychotic episodes or some shit?"

Before Pete could even open his mouth to answer him, Allie slammed her palm against the glass, her eyes not leaving his. Pete's eyes flickered down to the yellow scrap of paper in her hand and he felt his breath catch. She'd found it then. He had dropped the note into her purse as he was leaving that morning, unable to get the words out without falling into the trap of yet another argument with her. He walked wordlessly towards the door and yanked it open, ignoring the colourful language Bovver sent out into the hallway with him. The GSE could wait; it could all wait. Taking in the form of his wife, the cream coloured peplum top and black skinny jeans teamed clinging to her perfect figure, the red rings around her eyes and swollen bottom lip telling him more than she ever could. Yeah, the GSE could wait.

Noise suddenly enveloped him, making him realise for the first time how excruciatingly quiet Matt's room had been since the mention of what had happened at the Warf. But now out here in the hallway, he was overwhelmed almost with the sound of footsteps, crying, laughter, the general buzz that came with being in a hospital. But when she spoke, all he heard was her.

"My first day at Vogue was the best day of my life,"

Pete blinked; that really hadn't been what he had expected her to come out with. But again, he thought with a grin, this was Allie. Predictability wasn't exactly her style.

"I was so certain that this was it, I had reached the pinnacle of my existence, I had everything I wanted and the shoes to match," she laughed, but the smile soon faded and she pointed at him almost angrily. "And then you! You came along and messed everything up! Suddenly all I wanted was you, all I thought about was you!"

She reached forward and slammed the note against his chest, not in the least bit surprised when he didn't even move an inch but happy when she felt his heart pounding.

"And you're still stupid enough to question it," Allie shook her head and shot her other arm out, opening the door to Matt's room just slightly. "Swill, ever been to Paris?" she shouted.

"The French one?" he snorted. "Like fuck,"

"Well its your lucky day," Allie threw her airline ticket at him and then let the door swing shut again, not before a happy cheer of "Aww sweet!" echoied through the hall.

"Allie..." Pete shook his head. He wasn't going to be this guy. He wasn't going to make her choose something she didn't want and he was pretty sure he fell into that category these days.

"I'm tired," she met his eyes, her voice firm but her own eyes watering, thick heavy tears clinging to her dark lashes and making his heart ache. "I'm tired and all I want is to be done with this. All I want..."

She looked at the floor and shook her head, a quiet sob escaping before she launched herself forward, her hands cupping his face and her lips finding his. It was desperate and careful all at the same time. It felt like their first kiss, there was something there so strong and so undeniable yet they were both slightly afraid of it. Pete grabbed her and pulled her off the floor, her feet barely brushing his own as he held her tighter, revelling in the feel of her, the want and need and love emanating out of her.

"All I want is you," she whispered against his lips. "All I have ever wanted, all I'll ever want...is you."

"But Paris..." Pete whispered back.

"Will still be there next year and the year after...what I need now is to be with you." She smiled, leaning down and kissing his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Pete."

Holding her tighter, he let his hand sweep up her back, under her hair to hold her neck as he closed his eyes and breathed in her scent.

"Don't be soft," he told her with a quiet laugh. "I'm sorry, too. For all of this bollocks, everything since...since Lara..."

"I know," she whispered and he felt a silent sob shake her small frame. "I just want..."

"Pizza," Pete finished for her, causing her to pull back just far enough to look into his face, one eyebrow raised.

"Pizza?"

"Pizza," he nodded. "And beer and a whole day in bed watching shit films. Strict no clothing policy,"

She giggled against her will and the sound made his heart swell; for the first time in 24 hours, he felt human again. As though he had something to fight for.

"I think I can schedule that in," Allie smiled into the curve of his neck, pressing her lips against the skin there. "I love you."

And there it was.

The reason the GSE would never come first again. The reason the world spun, air was worth breathing, days were worth being awake for. Her, it had always been her.

"You have no idea how much I love you," he replied seriously. "I was saving that IOU for something fucking special."

She grinned and he felt her slip the small piece of paper into his pocket, patting it securely before wrapping her arms around his neck once more.

"I'll let you have this one for free, if that's the case," she turned her head and laid it against his chest, feeling the strong muscles twitching beneath her touch, the heart she treasured above anything in her life beating fast and strong beneath it. Peering into the room, she was brought back to earth, her mouth going dry as she watched Matt try to dress himself feebly with one arm.

"What happened?"

Pete closed his eyes; he had known that question was coming but with everything between them happening so fast, he had yet to come up with an answer.

Or maybe you should learn your lesson from the last 24 hours and cut the bullshit, he thought to himself bitterly.

"I don't know," he told her quietly. "Matt got jumped, that's all he remembers."

He felt her tense against him and this time when she pulled back, he allowed her to, looking down into her emerald eyes so filled with worry unlike that had been just a second ago that he wanted to slam his own head against the wall.

"Was it..." she glanced around and lowered her voice. "GSE stuff?"

Pete fought the urge to smile at her; she was ridiculously cute when she worried.

"Maybe," he nodded slowly. "Until Matt can remember something, we're in the dark as much as you are, sweetheart. It could be anyone," he snorted. "Fuck, he's a yank wandering around London on his own at night, it could have just been a random mugging."

Allie froze and swallowed hard; unable to shift the sudden lump in her throat as she watched the scene unfold behind him.

"I doubt that," she spoke quietly, her voice too even and calm for his liking. "Did Hatcher have a son?"

Hatcher.

The word was never spoken in their house, a common law imposed by Allie on more than one occasion. Truth be told, it was something Pete was more than happy with, after all he didn't particularly want to think about the man who had almost killed him, killed Allie, killed Poppy. The thought made his stomach clench painfully and the scar on his chest hurt knowingly.

"Allie..." he frowned at her, utterly confused. "He had a son, yeah. But Steve-..."

"No," she shook her head, blonde waves falling into her eyes. She didn't bother to push them out of the way, she didn't move at all. "Another son? Eddie?"

At that, Pete grabbed her shoulders and forced her eyes back to his, tilting her chin up towards his gaze with his thumb, trying his best to be gentle with her even though he had a million questions running through his brain, not to mention the fear and adrenaline which had caused his heart rate to pick up, mimicking the monitors around them.

"How the fuck...-"

Allie simply grabbed his elbow and turned him around to face the end of the hallway where a makeshift doctors station which had become more of a dumping ground for day old coffee and month old magazines was sat. Above it, a large whiteboard hung on the wall, stating the names and conditions of all the patients in the wing.

Eddie Hatcher. Hand Laceration. Assault. PI. X-ray.

Eddie Hatcher.

Before Pete could even open his mouth to let out the ice cold air that had built up in his lungs, he noticed the small, almost frail looking woman grasping a young doctor by the shirt.

"Please, I need to go in and see him," she cried. "How many more men am I going to bury before this stops? My son, my husband...now my nephew..."

Pete grimaced, his heart genuinely going out to her. She was so much like his mother, the same battles, the same constant worries. Reaching blindly behind him, he grabbed Allie's hand and squeezed it probably harder than he should have. But he was scared.

"Millwall," Pete mumbled to himself. "Fucking Millwall,"

"What?" Allie asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. "How...I thought that was done with? Who was that? I don't understand..."

"That woman was Tommy's wife," Pete told her, feeling her grip tighten. He refused to turn around, not yet. He couldn't see her eyes fill with tears, knowing that yet again, the GSE had taken her from elated to distraught and petrified in a space of minutes. "Eddie is his nephew."

"You fucking what?"

Allie and Pete turned sharply, staring at the boys who had at some point left the room and gathered behind them, Swill still happily clutching the airline ticket to Paris that Allie didn't yet have the heart to tell him still had her name on it.

Bovver stepped forward and lowered his voice, his tone taking on a darker edge that Allie hadn't heard in years.

"Hatcher's lot? You're fucking kidding me."

"Bov," Pete shook his head. "Mate, we closed the book on this years ago,"

"Yeah well apparently they fucking didn't." he shot back, gesturing to Matt who's face seemed to be getting darker with bruising by the moment, the large purple streak across his right cheek accentuated by the unflattering lights of the hallway.

"And what do you propose we do, Bov?" Pete snapped. "Go in there and finish him now with his Aunt and a couple of surgeons watching?"

Allie flinched at the comment and moved closer to him, slightly eased when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side.

"Nah mate," Bovver pulled his phone out of his pocket and started towards the end of the hall. "We're finishing this where they started it. We're going to the Wharf."

DUN DUN DUNNNNN...so there you go, 4am and no sleep does funny things to a gal. Its genuinely not as good as the first draft that I deleted into the ether but que serah. Please review and be kind, I'm still getting back into the swing of things but any suggestions, throw them at me. Thank you guys! xx