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An eleven-year-old Peter was standing in front of his drunken father as the man went on and on about how he was a disappointment to the family. Peter had been the recipient of a rather nasty-looking black eye and Klaus Kempf was of the opinion that Peter should have given the boy who had caused it a black eye in return. Peter wasn't like that. He wasn't a fighter. So he stood in front of his father, his head bowed in shame, waiting for his father to tire of his tirade.
"How could you let this happen? How could you let someone do this to you? Do you want people to think this family is entirely composed of weaklings? Is that what you want?! Do you want ot be a disgrace to your kin?"
Peter stood there, and he thought that he didn't much care what the family was composed of. He didn't care if he was a disgrace to them either. He had been to visit the family manor in Dresden and he rather thought that they were a disgrace to him. But he held his tongue and instead he said, "no, Sir."
Before Margaret's death, Peter's mother, Louise would have interceded on behalf of her son. But since her daughter had died, she had been a different person, completely unable to deal with reality. She spent most of her time curled up on Margaret's bed and when she wasn't sleeping, she was telling people her little girl would be home soon. Peter was on his own. Or so he thought...
Klaus stood and he approached Peter, and Peter was nearly knocked over by the strong scent of alcohol wafting off his father. Immediately he started shaking, thinking Klaus was going to strike him too. He never had. Klaus was not someone you would call a loving father, and he was quite often verbally harmful, but he had never hit Peter. Peter had never felt so sure it was going to happen as he did right then.
And as if from nowhere, his salvation appeared in the doorway in the form of his sister Elizabeth. "Dad." She said with an arched eyebrow. "When you're done disciplining the kid I thought you should know I dropped my maths units and replaced them with arts ones."
Klaus completely forgot about Peter as he rounded on his daughter. "You can't drop maths for ridiculous courses like art! If you do that you won't ever be a lawyer!"
"That was pretty much exactly why I did it." Liz informed him easily. And then Peter was sure she saw Liz give him a little wink. She had dropped those maths courses weeks ago. She was only bringing it up now to take the heat off of him.
"You can't jeopardise your future like...is..is that metal sticking out of your nose?"
Liz grinned. "I pierced it."
"Like a common streetwalker!? Get it out of your nose right now."
"Fuck you, I like it!" Liz yelled back and Peter took that opportunity to run up the stairs and away from the racket. On his way to his room, he passed Margaret's and he peered inside. The door was propped open and he was able to see his mother on the bed. She looked up and gave Peter a blank smile as he stood there.
"Peter! Hello, darling! Is your sister Greta just finishing her tea then?"
Peter never knew what to say to his mother when he talked about Margaret like she was alive. He just stared at her, looking slightly terrified and then he shook his head.
"Out with a boy then?" Louise asked, looking amused.
"Mum, she...she's..." Peter sighed. "Yes. Out with a boy." And he ran to his room before Louise could ask him any more questions. A few minutes later, Liz entered looking mutinous.
"Boor." She hissed and Peter looked up at her in wonder. Before Maragret's death, both Peter and Liz had been closer to her. But now that she was gone, they had become like a team, working together to survive parents who had completely lost the plot.
"Thank you." Peter said softly, and he offered her a smile.
Liz's angry expression melted away immediately and she took a seat on his bed. "Let me see that." She said, and she tipped his face up gently so she could better see his eye. She clucked her tongue and then ruffled his hair. "Should go down in a few days. You want me to beat the crap out of him?"
Peter laughed, as it was easy to do around Liz. "Who, Dennis Clarke? Nah. I don't really care. It doesn't hurt. Was father mean to you? You didn't have to tell him about the maths."
"Stuff him." Liz said easily. "I'm not going to be a bloody lawyer. And I had to get the heat off you somehow."
Peter reached out for her hand and he gave it a squeeze. "Thanks again. And, Elizabeth? I really like your nosering."
Liz laughed and then she gave her little brother another wink. "Thanks, Kid. So do I."
Peter, now 38-years-old and an alcoholic much like his father had been, was still as different from the man as day was to night. He had his 9-year-old step-son in his lap and he had his arms around the boy while Caleb chattered on and on about what he had done that day.
"And then I ate lunch and it was awesome!" Caleb announced, because the life of a 9-year-old was not often filled with action. "And then I played in the dirt and got told off!"
Peter, who had to force himself not to recoil at the knowledge that Caleb had played in dirt because he had an issue with germs and scum, chuckled lightly. "Maybe save the dirt playing for the back yard." He said, with much difficulty because ew. But if it made Caleb happy, that was his business.
"Okay, Daddy! What did you do today! Is your head big yet?" He reached up to brush aside Peter's hair, as if it might hide a swelling head. And with Peter's hair, that was entirely possible...
"Not yet." Peter said, with much affection. "And we'll do everything we can to keep my head small, hmm?" He leaned down to kiss Caleb's hair.
"I think that is a good plan." Caleb nodded his agreement. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, Caleb! Would you like help with your schoolwork?"
"I can do it!" Caleb jumped off of Peter's lap and he raced for the stairs at breakneck speed.
"He has so much energy." Liz remarked from the doorway where she'd been hovering for the last few minutes. "It's impressive."
"Don't I know it. Put him and Hope in a room together and they could power London." Peter smiled easily at his sister and he went to stand but he was hit with a rush of dizziness the second he attempted it and he sunk back down into the sofa with a slight groan.
"Peter?" Liz rushed over to him and she took a seat beside him. "Are you alright?"
"Mmm." Peter nodded slowly, blinking a few times as if that would clear his slightly muddy head. "Yes, I'm fine." He finished a second later when he felt a little better.
"Dear god, don't scare me like that." Liz exclaimed, but instead of swatting him like she usually would, she simply clung tightly to his arm.
Peter lifted his head so he could look sideways at her. "I'll be alright, Liz. See?" He smiled at her bravely and then he leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Nothing to fear here."
Liz let out a shaky breath and she forced herself to calm down. She had simply lost too many loved once to cancer, and it terrified her. "Whatever you said, Peter. I'm still making you tea." She kissed his forehead right back.
"I wouldn't ever say no to that!" Peter said happily and when she smiled and winked at him, Peter felt all at once, reassured. "Thanks for looking out for me, Liz."
"Always." Liz said with a simple shrug and she rose from the sofa to fetch him some tea. It was an easy enough promise to make. It always had been true and it always would be.
"How could you let this happen? How could you let someone do this to you? Do you want people to think this family is entirely composed of weaklings? Is that what you want?! Do you want ot be a disgrace to your kin?"
Peter stood there, and he thought that he didn't much care what the family was composed of. He didn't care if he was a disgrace to them either. He had been to visit the family manor in Dresden and he rather thought that they were a disgrace to him. But he held his tongue and instead he said, "no, Sir."
Before Margaret's death, Peter's mother, Louise would have interceded on behalf of her son. But since her daughter had died, she had been a different person, completely unable to deal with reality. She spent most of her time curled up on Margaret's bed and when she wasn't sleeping, she was telling people her little girl would be home soon. Peter was on his own. Or so he thought...
Klaus stood and he approached Peter, and Peter was nearly knocked over by the strong scent of alcohol wafting off his father. Immediately he started shaking, thinking Klaus was going to strike him too. He never had. Klaus was not someone you would call a loving father, and he was quite often verbally harmful, but he had never hit Peter. Peter had never felt so sure it was going to happen as he did right then.
And as if from nowhere, his salvation appeared in the doorway in the form of his sister Elizabeth. "Dad." She said with an arched eyebrow. "When you're done disciplining the kid I thought you should know I dropped my maths units and replaced them with arts ones."
Klaus completely forgot about Peter as he rounded on his daughter. "You can't drop maths for ridiculous courses like art! If you do that you won't ever be a lawyer!"
"That was pretty much exactly why I did it." Liz informed him easily. And then Peter was sure she saw Liz give him a little wink. She had dropped those maths courses weeks ago. She was only bringing it up now to take the heat off of him.
"You can't jeopardise your future like...is..is that metal sticking out of your nose?"
Liz grinned. "I pierced it."
"Like a common streetwalker!? Get it out of your nose right now."
"Fuck you, I like it!" Liz yelled back and Peter took that opportunity to run up the stairs and away from the racket. On his way to his room, he passed Margaret's and he peered inside. The door was propped open and he was able to see his mother on the bed. She looked up and gave Peter a blank smile as he stood there.
"Peter! Hello, darling! Is your sister Greta just finishing her tea then?"
Peter never knew what to say to his mother when he talked about Margaret like she was alive. He just stared at her, looking slightly terrified and then he shook his head.
"Out with a boy then?" Louise asked, looking amused.
"Mum, she...she's..." Peter sighed. "Yes. Out with a boy." And he ran to his room before Louise could ask him any more questions. A few minutes later, Liz entered looking mutinous.
"Boor." She hissed and Peter looked up at her in wonder. Before Maragret's death, both Peter and Liz had been closer to her. But now that she was gone, they had become like a team, working together to survive parents who had completely lost the plot.
"Thank you." Peter said softly, and he offered her a smile.
Liz's angry expression melted away immediately and she took a seat on his bed. "Let me see that." She said, and she tipped his face up gently so she could better see his eye. She clucked her tongue and then ruffled his hair. "Should go down in a few days. You want me to beat the crap out of him?"
Peter laughed, as it was easy to do around Liz. "Who, Dennis Clarke? Nah. I don't really care. It doesn't hurt. Was father mean to you? You didn't have to tell him about the maths."
"Stuff him." Liz said easily. "I'm not going to be a bloody lawyer. And I had to get the heat off you somehow."
Peter reached out for her hand and he gave it a squeeze. "Thanks again. And, Elizabeth? I really like your nosering."
Liz laughed and then she gave her little brother another wink. "Thanks, Kid. So do I."
Peter, now 38-years-old and an alcoholic much like his father had been, was still as different from the man as day was to night. He had his 9-year-old step-son in his lap and he had his arms around the boy while Caleb chattered on and on about what he had done that day.
"And then I ate lunch and it was awesome!" Caleb announced, because the life of a 9-year-old was not often filled with action. "And then I played in the dirt and got told off!"
Peter, who had to force himself not to recoil at the knowledge that Caleb had played in dirt because he had an issue with germs and scum, chuckled lightly. "Maybe save the dirt playing for the back yard." He said, with much difficulty because ew. But if it made Caleb happy, that was his business.
"Okay, Daddy! What did you do today! Is your head big yet?" He reached up to brush aside Peter's hair, as if it might hide a swelling head. And with Peter's hair, that was entirely possible...
"Not yet." Peter said, with much affection. "And we'll do everything we can to keep my head small, hmm?" He leaned down to kiss Caleb's hair.
"I think that is a good plan." Caleb nodded his agreement. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, Caleb! Would you like help with your schoolwork?"
"I can do it!" Caleb jumped off of Peter's lap and he raced for the stairs at breakneck speed.
"He has so much energy." Liz remarked from the doorway where she'd been hovering for the last few minutes. "It's impressive."
"Don't I know it. Put him and Hope in a room together and they could power London." Peter smiled easily at his sister and he went to stand but he was hit with a rush of dizziness the second he attempted it and he sunk back down into the sofa with a slight groan.
"Peter?" Liz rushed over to him and she took a seat beside him. "Are you alright?"
"Mmm." Peter nodded slowly, blinking a few times as if that would clear his slightly muddy head. "Yes, I'm fine." He finished a second later when he felt a little better.
"Dear god, don't scare me like that." Liz exclaimed, but instead of swatting him like she usually would, she simply clung tightly to his arm.
Peter lifted his head so he could look sideways at her. "I'll be alright, Liz. See?" He smiled at her bravely and then he leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Nothing to fear here."
Liz let out a shaky breath and she forced herself to calm down. She had simply lost too many loved once to cancer, and it terrified her. "Whatever you said, Peter. I'm still making you tea." She kissed his forehead right back.
"I wouldn't ever say no to that!" Peter said happily and when she smiled and winked at him, Peter felt all at once, reassured. "Thanks for looking out for me, Liz."
"Always." Liz said with a simple shrug and she rose from the sofa to fetch him some tea. It was an easy enough promise to make. It always had been true and it always would be.
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