The best way to be (Peter, Thomas)

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

It had taken a lot for Peter to reach out to David. Peter loved David. David was one of his best friends and his brother-in-law and Peter hated that he hadn't noticed that David was suffering so much that he would cheat on his wife. But Peter was someone who had been cheated on in every relationship he had ever had, though Aly hadn't actually known that was what she was doing at the time, so he didn't necessarily count it. Peter hated cheating. He saw no excuse for it, but then the world was never black and white. Peter didn't believe it ever was. And so he shoved his own feelings about betrayal far away, and he reached out. Because David needed a friend right now and while Aly was no doubt showing him love, she was always better at being the 'bad cop' and she was probably kicking his arse all over his house at the same time.

Peter had to get his mind off of it the second he posted it, so he did something that wasn't necessarily advisable in his condition, but he didn't care. He was feeling okay now that it had been a few days since he had had his latest round of chemo. He had slept last night, thanks to his mother's letters, and he was sick of feeling useless. So he walked to Thomas and Spectre's house because even if he wasn't at his best, he could help them look for Mara. He could still sense things. He could still think, though his mind felt sluggish at times nowadays.

When Peter knocked on the door, a rather frantic looking Thomas answered it, though his expression faded to one of confusion when he saw Peter standing there. "Petunia? Is everything alright?!"

Peter didn't bother to answer the question, because both of them were very aware that everything was absolutely not alright. Mara was still missing. It had been too long now...far too long. "I want to help." Peter said, actually managing to sound rather helpless. "All I do is sit around all day and translate and read letters my mother sent her best friend over forty years ago and I want to help, dammit." If Deirdre could face what had been the darkest time in her life, Peter could do this.

Thomas just stared at his friend for a moment before pulling Peter into a rather painful hug that Peter did nothing to try to escape from. "We need you." Thomas finally uttered and Peter patted his back.

"You have me. Why don't you tell me where you've looked...what you've done so far?"

Thomas pulled Peter into the living room and he talked Peter through everything they had already covered. The person Thomas now suspected most was Aurelia and, by extension, Amaris, though he was too scared to say anything to Spectre. To watch Spectre as the man envisioned his little sister at the hands of his would-be rapist was not something Thomas wanted to do. He needed a quick and easy way to rule her out.

"Lucian." Peter said at once.

"...what?" Thomas glanced at his best friend as if his tumour was making him say crazy things now. "Lucian?"

"Dr Lucian Wentworth. From the hospital. He's related to Aurelia. Someone in his family will know what she's up to. They keep tabs on each other. And while they won't know why, they'll know if she's got a little girl with her or not."

"Peter...you're in-fucking-credible, you know that?" Thomas asked, looking at his best friend in awe.

"Would be more incredible if I'd come sooner." Peter mumbled, reaching for the phone.

It wasn't five minutes later that Lucian rang back and confirmed that Aurelia was around the London College area, but that she had no interest in dealing with little children and no one in her family had seen her with one. Which meant they were back to having nothing, but they had ruled out a terrifying possibility and that was priceless. Peter felt he had accomplished something and Thomas had a weight off his mind.

And then Thomas and Peter put their heads together, as they always had, and they tried their hardest for sweet little Mara.