![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Peter stepped out of the shower and he toweled his hair off. He looked at himself in the mirror and he frowned. He looked far too grave and he hated it. He hated feeling this way, and he hated disappointing everyone he loved. He'd fallen to the drink again the night before and he hated it, but he'd felt so guilty for upsetting Spectre on his journal. He was nicer when he drank, so he drank. And now he was staring at himself in the mirror, chock full of guilt.
When he stepped out into the bedroom, Aly and Thomas were sitting on the bed, talking quietly. "Hey." Peter said softly, crawling on the bed to join them. He planted a kiss on both of their cheeks and they both looked pleasantly surprised. "Sorry, I've been a bastard. I'm changing now. See me change? I even changed my clothes!"
Thomas chuckled. "About time."
"I think the sweater is still me shaped in the hamper." Peter said off-handedly. He grabbed his mobile off the nightstand and he switched it on the the first time in over a week. "At least it'll get washed now."
"Again I say...about time." Thomas said and Aly giggled. She reached out for Peter's hand, but he dropped it right away.
"Peter...?" Aly sounded hurt.
"No! No it's...I love you, Aly...it's Katherine. I had my phone off and there's about 57 missed calls from her...and she sent me so many messages. God, I didn't even...I didn't even think about her, how terrible am I?"
Thomas shook his head. "Peter, you had other things on your mind!"
"But I told her I'd always be there for her! No matter what! And then I just ignore her...shit. This looks bad." He said, reading a violently worded message. "I should get over there."
"Take Thomas with you please!" Aly begged.
"Of course." Peter leaned in and he kissed Aly deeply. "I love you, Beautiful. So much." He took her hand and squeezed it once before he stood to dress quickly. He didn't want to waste time.
They arrived at Katherine's to find the door locked. Peter had expected that. He knocked, but there was no answer. Pounding on the door didn't receive a reply either. "Fuck." Peter pulled his lock picker out of his pocket and he went to work, while Thomas made sure they weren't seen by any neighbors. Peter made short work of the lock and the door swung open. The apartment smelled like booze and sweat and Peter wrinkled his nose. Thomas stepped in behind Peter and he shut the door behind them. "You go that way, I'll go this way." Peter stepped into the hallway as Thomas searched around the small living room. He was slightly relieved when he heard the shower running until Thomas called his name. It was the tone of Thomas's voice that made Peter's insides freeze. Thomas sounded as horrified as he ever had.
"Peter...I...I found a note." Thomas gulped and he walked towards Peter who took it from him with shaky hands. His eyes fell around the middle of the letter and he read -never be enough for Lydia. She shouldn't have to live with a disappointment for a mother. And I can't live with the guilt. I'm sorr- Peter dropped the note and he raced towards the bathroom door. It was also locked. He pounded on it.
"Katherine! Are you in there?! Let me in!" He received no response. "Shit. I'm coming in!" He yelled and then he threw himself in to the door. It took several tries, but the door gave. And there, sitting on the floor of the shower was exactly what Peter had dreaded to find. Katherine was curled in on herself, looking dreadfully pale. Her arms were limp at her sides. Long lines of red spilled blood in a swirl down the drain hole with the water from the shower. Katherine's life was slipping away, to be claimed by the London drainage system. Peter made a horrified sound and he ran into the shower, not caring that it got him wet. Not caring that Katherine bled on him. "No! Nonononono! NO! Thomas!"
Thomas was hovering behind Peter, completely horrified. He had never liked Katherine, but he had never wished this on her! "I'll call an ambulance!" Thomas yelled and he ran into the living room to locate a phone.
"Oh, Katie.....oh god, I'm so sorry!"
Katherine looked up at him, her beautiful green eyes glazed. Peter loved those eyes. He began to cry in earnest as he held her in his arms. "Peter..." She said, her voice weak.
"I'm so sorry, Katherine. Fuck!" He bit out the word, as if it itself was to blame. Then he reached up to turn off the shower. He pulled his jacket off and then his shirt. "Here. We can stop the bleeding. We can. Thomas is getting someone! Thomas will get someone. You'll be fine, Katie. I know you will be. Just hold on, okay? Please? Please...fuck. Katie!" Peter tried to press his shirt to Katherine's wounds to quell the bleeding. Tried to remember how to make a tourniquet, but it was too late. Katherine couldn't hold on. There wasn't anything to hold on to.
"I thought...you had left me...." Katherine said, her voice barely audible.
Peter pressed his face against Katherine's and he shook his head, his wet hair dripping in her eyes. "Never. Never, Katherine. Don't you leave me either!"
"Peter...I failed...can't..."
"No. No you didn't fail. I did. We'll get you help, you just have to hang on." Peter's voice was becoming more frantic. More childlike. As if he was once again the 14-year-old boy who had found his mother hanging there and he'd asked her softly, 'why?'. His voice filled with what could have been mistaken for wonder were the scene not so heartbreaking. "Katie...please.."
"Too hard, Peter..." She looked up at him again. "Tell Lydia I love her."
"She knows. But I'll...I'll tell her. Please just...it won't be long. THOMAS! TELL THEM TO HURRY!" Peter clung to Katherine, but he could feel her slipping even as she was in his arms. "Katherine...I love you. I love you, please?" It was hard to talk through the sobs, but he had to get it out. She had to hear.
"Peter....I love...y..." Katherine went limp in Peter's arms and when he pulled back in horror, her eyes rolled back in her head. "Katherine?" He asked, her name turning into a frantic sob. "Katie? No. Oh no! Katherine!" Peter shook her, but there was nothing he could do. Nothing anyone could have done by the time they'd arrived. But there was much he could have done before now. "Oh, Katie..." He held her against him so tightly and he cried into her hair. Even when the paramedics did arrive, they had to fight to get hold of her because Peter pushed them away and refused to let go. Peter didn't want them touching Katherine. Didn't want them taking away the first girl he'd ever loved in one of their fucking black body bags. That wasn't where she belonged. Even if Katherine had begged to differ.
Hours later, sitting in the hospital near the morgue, topless under his jacket, damp and covered in Katherine's blood, Peter remembered the day he'd first met Katherine. He'd been so lost and she'd found him. She'd brought him out of his shell. And Peter curled up and wept into his knees because he hadn't ever been able to do the same for her.
When he stepped out into the bedroom, Aly and Thomas were sitting on the bed, talking quietly. "Hey." Peter said softly, crawling on the bed to join them. He planted a kiss on both of their cheeks and they both looked pleasantly surprised. "Sorry, I've been a bastard. I'm changing now. See me change? I even changed my clothes!"
Thomas chuckled. "About time."
"I think the sweater is still me shaped in the hamper." Peter said off-handedly. He grabbed his mobile off the nightstand and he switched it on the the first time in over a week. "At least it'll get washed now."
"Again I say...about time." Thomas said and Aly giggled. She reached out for Peter's hand, but he dropped it right away.
"Peter...?" Aly sounded hurt.
"No! No it's...I love you, Aly...it's Katherine. I had my phone off and there's about 57 missed calls from her...and she sent me so many messages. God, I didn't even...I didn't even think about her, how terrible am I?"
Thomas shook his head. "Peter, you had other things on your mind!"
"But I told her I'd always be there for her! No matter what! And then I just ignore her...shit. This looks bad." He said, reading a violently worded message. "I should get over there."
"Take Thomas with you please!" Aly begged.
"Of course." Peter leaned in and he kissed Aly deeply. "I love you, Beautiful. So much." He took her hand and squeezed it once before he stood to dress quickly. He didn't want to waste time.
They arrived at Katherine's to find the door locked. Peter had expected that. He knocked, but there was no answer. Pounding on the door didn't receive a reply either. "Fuck." Peter pulled his lock picker out of his pocket and he went to work, while Thomas made sure they weren't seen by any neighbors. Peter made short work of the lock and the door swung open. The apartment smelled like booze and sweat and Peter wrinkled his nose. Thomas stepped in behind Peter and he shut the door behind them. "You go that way, I'll go this way." Peter stepped into the hallway as Thomas searched around the small living room. He was slightly relieved when he heard the shower running until Thomas called his name. It was the tone of Thomas's voice that made Peter's insides freeze. Thomas sounded as horrified as he ever had.
"Peter...I...I found a note." Thomas gulped and he walked towards Peter who took it from him with shaky hands. His eyes fell around the middle of the letter and he read -never be enough for Lydia. She shouldn't have to live with a disappointment for a mother. And I can't live with the guilt. I'm sorr- Peter dropped the note and he raced towards the bathroom door. It was also locked. He pounded on it.
"Katherine! Are you in there?! Let me in!" He received no response. "Shit. I'm coming in!" He yelled and then he threw himself in to the door. It took several tries, but the door gave. And there, sitting on the floor of the shower was exactly what Peter had dreaded to find. Katherine was curled in on herself, looking dreadfully pale. Her arms were limp at her sides. Long lines of red spilled blood in a swirl down the drain hole with the water from the shower. Katherine's life was slipping away, to be claimed by the London drainage system. Peter made a horrified sound and he ran into the shower, not caring that it got him wet. Not caring that Katherine bled on him. "No! Nonononono! NO! Thomas!"
Thomas was hovering behind Peter, completely horrified. He had never liked Katherine, but he had never wished this on her! "I'll call an ambulance!" Thomas yelled and he ran into the living room to locate a phone.
"Oh, Katie.....oh god, I'm so sorry!"
Katherine looked up at him, her beautiful green eyes glazed. Peter loved those eyes. He began to cry in earnest as he held her in his arms. "Peter..." She said, her voice weak.
"I'm so sorry, Katherine. Fuck!" He bit out the word, as if it itself was to blame. Then he reached up to turn off the shower. He pulled his jacket off and then his shirt. "Here. We can stop the bleeding. We can. Thomas is getting someone! Thomas will get someone. You'll be fine, Katie. I know you will be. Just hold on, okay? Please? Please...fuck. Katie!" Peter tried to press his shirt to Katherine's wounds to quell the bleeding. Tried to remember how to make a tourniquet, but it was too late. Katherine couldn't hold on. There wasn't anything to hold on to.
"I thought...you had left me...." Katherine said, her voice barely audible.
Peter pressed his face against Katherine's and he shook his head, his wet hair dripping in her eyes. "Never. Never, Katherine. Don't you leave me either!"
"Peter...I failed...can't..."
"No. No you didn't fail. I did. We'll get you help, you just have to hang on." Peter's voice was becoming more frantic. More childlike. As if he was once again the 14-year-old boy who had found his mother hanging there and he'd asked her softly, 'why?'. His voice filled with what could have been mistaken for wonder were the scene not so heartbreaking. "Katie...please.."
"Too hard, Peter..." She looked up at him again. "Tell Lydia I love her."
"She knows. But I'll...I'll tell her. Please just...it won't be long. THOMAS! TELL THEM TO HURRY!" Peter clung to Katherine, but he could feel her slipping even as she was in his arms. "Katherine...I love you. I love you, please?" It was hard to talk through the sobs, but he had to get it out. She had to hear.
"Peter....I love...y..." Katherine went limp in Peter's arms and when he pulled back in horror, her eyes rolled back in her head. "Katherine?" He asked, her name turning into a frantic sob. "Katie? No. Oh no! Katherine!" Peter shook her, but there was nothing he could do. Nothing anyone could have done by the time they'd arrived. But there was much he could have done before now. "Oh, Katie..." He held her against him so tightly and he cried into her hair. Even when the paramedics did arrive, they had to fight to get hold of her because Peter pushed them away and refused to let go. Peter didn't want them touching Katherine. Didn't want them taking away the first girl he'd ever loved in one of their fucking black body bags. That wasn't where she belonged. Even if Katherine had begged to differ.
Hours later, sitting in the hospital near the morgue, topless under his jacket, damp and covered in Katherine's blood, Peter remembered the day he'd first met Katherine. He'd been so lost and she'd found him. She'd brought him out of his shell. And Peter curled up and wept into his knees because he hadn't ever been able to do the same for her.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}