(AN) Hello and welcome to my next Family Guy fanfic: Road to Recovery.
This story will be an anthology fic, where in each chapter, one or more of the Griffins will go through a traumatic experience, resulting in them having to overcome their trauma, so I hope you all enjoy.
This first chapter will focus on Peter being mugged, and in typical Peter Griffin fashion, he decides to deal with it in the dumbest way possible.
Disclaimer: I don't own Family Guy; all characters and locations are owned by Fox and the Walt Disney Company.
Family Guy: Road to Recovery
Chapter One
It started off as a lovely day in Quahog. Work had finished for the day and so Peter was where he usually was at this time: hanging out at the Drunken Clam with Quagmire, Cleveland and Joe.
"So, Peter, what have you been up to lately?" asked Quagmire curiously.
"Been watching a bunch of 70s revenge flicks," said Peter, "You know, those protagonists are so cool; they don't wait for the law; they become the law: David Sumner; Paul Kersey; Travis Bickle and Jennifer Hills."
"Mmmm, think I was too focused on Susan George when it comes to Straw Dogs," snickered Quagmire, "Now there was a good lookin' woman; giggidy."
Okay, you are aware that Straw Dogs isn't a revenge flick?" asked a slightly bewildered Joe, "David never finds out about Amy being raped."
"Sure he does; he just never says he does," said the dim-witted man, "All these films are awesome cause they show people being tough and doin' what's right."
"Think you're missin' the entire points of those movies," commented Cleveland, "Well, except for I Spit on Your Grave: that film didn't even have a point … or a plot come to think of it."
Soon after, Peter left the Drunken Clam and started to make his way back home. The brunet decided to take a shortcut to the bus stop via an alleyway. Peter was just approaching the exit to the alleyway when suddenly, a middle-aged man with scruffy looking clothes and fingerless gloves came through the exit and drew a gun on Peter, causing him to stop and yelp, while raising his hands.
"Please, don't shoot!" begged Peter in a terrified manner.
"Give me your wallet, man!" hissed the man in a threatening manner, keeping the gun trained on Peter.
Hands shaking, the obese man slowly reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and threw it at the mugger's feet, prompting him to pick it up and pocket it.
Peter ran at the man, only for him to punch the obese man in the face and run in the opposite direction, leaving the dim-witted man lying on the ground.
Peter slowly staggered to his feet; tears in his eyes, the obese man then ran out of the alleyway while crying hysterically.
Some time later at the Griffin house, Lois was pacing up and down the living room; a worried expression on her face. Brian and Stewie were sitting on the couch, watching the redhead as she continued to pace.
"Peter should've been back ages ago," commented a worried sounding Lois, "I'm going to call Joe."
But just as Lois was about to reach into her pocket for her mobile, the front door opened and an exhausted looking Peter staggered through it before closing the door.
"Oh my god, Peter!" cried a relieved Lois as she ran over and hugged her husband, "Where have you been?"
"I-I got mugged." muttered Peter in a distraught whisper as he walked over to the couch before slumping on to it.
"What!" cried a shocked Lois as she came over and sat down next to Peter, "Did they hurt you?"
"Just got punched in the face," replied Peter quietly, "I feel so humiliated."
Lois wrapped her arms around Peter in a hug and rubbed his back while making hushing noises.
After this, Lois called Joe, who soon arrived with two male detectives. Peter quickly told them what had happened; Lois gently squeezing his hand.
"Don't worry, guys, we'll do everything we can to find this guy," assured Joe in a comforting manner, "Just try and take it easy for now."
"Thanks, Joe." thanked Peter.
Joe and the two detectives left.
"Right, Peter, I think it best if you talk to somebody about this," suggested Lois gently, "You could be suffering from PTSD or agoraphobia and just don't know it yet."
"No way, Lois; men don't talk about their feelings," retorted Peter, "No, the best thing I'm gonna do is find that guy and kick the crap out of him."
"That won't help at all," argued Brian, "Getting revenge never helps anybody; especially those suffering PTSD."
"Sure it does, Brian," countered the obese man, "It helped Jennifer Hills."
"Okay, let's not use I Spit on Your Grave as an example of realism," sighed Meg, "She wouldn't have gotten away with any of that; especially since she never makes an attempt to report the rape, and even then, there was no evidence. Also, she would've still been left traumatised afterwards; killing those men wouldn't have made that go away."
"Sure it would," replied her dim-witted Dad, "Look, this isn't just about making me feel better, this is about regaining my manhood and proving my masculinity. That's one of the big things about those 70s revenge flicks; men proving they're men and getting back at those who hurt them and their loved ones."
Everybody simply facepalmed.
Later that night, Peter and Lois were cuddled up together in bed; both snoring softly. Peter suddenly began shifting about in his sleep, clearly having a nightmare.
Peter was running through a maze of darkened alleyways, desperately looking for a way out. The brunet continued to run before slamming straight into a dark, shadowy figure. Peter looked up and yelped at the sight of the mugger towering over him.
"Awwww, is the little baby having a bad dream!" mocked the mugger before drawing his gun and aiming it at Peter's face.
"Please, don't hurt me!" cried Peter in alarm, causing the man to chuckle darkly.
The man then pulled the trigger, which was followed by a loud bang and everything going white.
Peter suddenly found himself in an endless white void. The obese man staggered to his feet and looked around. "Am I dead?" he questioned in a confused manner.
"No, you're not dead you dumbass!" retorted a gruff voice from behind.
The obese man turned around and gasped in delight at the sight of David Sumner, Paul Kersey, Travis Bickle and Jennifer Hills. "Oh wow: it's like the Avengers, but with 70s revenge flick protagonists!" he exclaimed in delight.
"Exactly," replied David, "You need to go out there and show that mugger who's boss!"
"Yeah; give that mugger what's comin' to him." said Travis.
"I certainly will!" stated a determined Peter.
Peter woke up from his dream with a determined smile on his face. He was going to catch that mugger and beat the crap out of him, whether the others agreed or not. And in Peter's mind, he believed that Lois would be impressed with him once he'd finished.
The next day, Peter went driving around Quahog; keeping an eye out for any sign of the mugger. Before leaving, he'd lied to Lois by saying that he was going shopping, and if she didn't fall for it, he had who he felt was a great person to lie for him: Chris.
Peter turned his head and suddenly brought the car to a screeching halt. Walking along the sidewalk was the man that had mugged Peter.
"Look at that guy: walkin' around like he did nothin' wrong." muttered Peter darkly.
The obese man hopped out of the car and ran over to the man. "Hey you!" he barked furiously.
The man turned around and yelped at the sight of Peter scowling at him. "What do you want?" he asked.
"You humiliated me and I'm gonna make you pay!" replied the obese man before charging at the man and shoving him.
"Don't shove me you prick!" snapped the mugger before shoving Peter back.
The two men then began shoving each other for a few moments before flying at each other and entering a brawl. The two began exchanging punches and kicks as they brawled across the street, causing several cars to collide with each other.
Inside a toy store, parents and children were wandering about, looking at various toys when suddenly, Peter and the mugger came flying through the window, sending glass flying everywhere and causing everyone to run and scream in panic. The mugger attempted to run, but Peter grabbed a boomerang and threw it at the middle-aged man, causing him to trip and fall, Peter then grabbed a toy lightsaber and turned it on, the mugger quickly grabbed his own lightsaber and the two began parrying their blows. After a short while, the obese man tripped over a stray teddy bear and flew into the man, causing them to fly into the air and land in a shopping cart.
"You stupid bastard!" hollered the mugger, "Why can't you just leave me alone? I'll hand myself into the police, I swear!"
"Because, you humiliated me and I need to regain my manhood." explained Peter as if it were obvious.
The man then grabbed a pink tricycle and began riding away on it, Peter grabbed a blue one and began following him.
After riding through the door of the store, a security alarm sounded and two burly security guards gave chase. Peter and the mugger began ramming into each other. Eventually, the two men were thrown off of their tricycles and hit the ground, the two men groaned as they sat up. Suddenly, a police car rolled up and the two detectives that had been with Joe hopped out.
"Mr Griffin, what the hell is going on?" asked the first detective in shock.
"I caught the mugger for ya." said Peter proudly.
"I can see that," remarked the second detective, sounding unimpressed, "Well, you're both under arrest."
"Oh." muttered Peter glumly.
Over at the Griffins house, Lois was doing a bit of dusting in the study and wondering what was keeping Peter with the shopping. The redhead watched as Chris entered the room. "Chris, have you heard from your father?" she asked curiously, "He was supposed to be back ages ago."
"Uhhhhhh, I'm sure he'll be back once he's dealt with that guy," said the dim-witted teen before clapping his hands to his mouth.
"What!" cried Lois in shock.
"Nothing." lied Chris sheepishly.
"Christopher Cross Griffin, don't you dare lie to me," said Lois in a warning tone of voice as she marched over to Chris and glared at him, "Where is he!"
"He went to go find the mugger and kick his ass," explained Chris nervously, "He said he needed to regain his manhood and impress you."
Chris' mom groaned in frustration. "Dammit, Peter!" she seethed before exiting the room.
Upon entering the room, the phone rang. Lois walked over and answered the phone. "Hello?" she said before listening to the person on the other end and then sighing, "Alright, I'll come and get him."
The redhead ended the call and turned to Meg and Brian as they entered the room, "You two, keep an eye on Chris and Stewie: I need to bail your father out of jail."
And with that, Lois turned on her heel and exited the house.
Over at the police station, Peter was sitting in a jail cell with a few plasters and stitches. The obese man was beginning to wonder if he'd made a mistake.
A police officer came over to the cell and opened the door. "Mr Griffin, you'll be pleased to know that your wife has bailed you out and is here to collect you."
"Awww crap." uttered Peter as he realised he was in trouble.
The brunet followed the officer out of the cell.
Peter entered the main entrance area and saw his wife standing at the desk. Lois turned, and upon spotting Peter, she marched over to the man and gave him a hug. "Peter, thank God you're alright." she said in a relieved manner.
"You mean you're not mad at me?" asked a surprised Peter.
"Oh no, I'm furious," said Lois as she and Peter parted from the hug, "but I'm glad you're not seriously hurt."
"You know, I thought that beating that guy up would make me feel better … but it didn't," sighed Peter, "Guess I should actually talk to somebody."
"Exactly, Peter," replied Lois as the couple held hands, "Being a real man means being honest about your feelings; not trying to prove that you're tough or brave."
The couple then exited the police station, and true to his word, Peter did go and see a therapist.
(AN) And that's a wrap on the first chapter of Road to Recovery; hope you all enjoyed.
This chapter is far more lighthearted than the others as it's hard to take Peter being mugged seriously and I felt it would be best to have this be an easy first chapter; the calm before the storm.
In the next chapter, Peter, Chris and Brian go out for the night, leaving Lois, Meg and Stewie to have a nice night in, but the peace is shattered when they're caught up in a harrowing home invasion/burglary, which ends with Lois and Meg being assaulted and tied up in the basement.
Until then, this is TimeLordMaster108 signing out.