If You Ever Come Back ~Peterick Fanfic~

29 - I Came Back

Pete's POV

Never thought that big, white building the angels call Home would feel as safe as it felt now. As Patrick and I fly into the entrance hall with the marble pillars, we are greeted by an applause so loud my ears hurt.

I awkwardly laugh, not knowing what to do with the situation and just hold Patrick's hand, as if I'm afraid he will suddenly disappear. In the back of the enthusiastic crowd I see God, still in the same shape as he was when I saw him last.

He notices how awkward I feel and walks to the front until he is standing next to me and puts his left hand on my shoulder, and his right hand on Patrick's shoulder.

"Listen, people", he says in his calm, low voice. "These brave, young boys have been through a lot. Please give them the rest they deserve."

The crowd slowly stops applauding and makes a pathway for us to walk through. God walks in front of us and shows us the way to a private room for us to get some sleep. Well, at least I thought it was private.

When I open the door I nearly get knocked over by Andy Biersack who is trying to give both of us a hug. But since he is about the size of a tree and we're like half his height that doesn't work out.

"My God, I thought I'd never see you again", he whispers, his voice muffled by the sob in his throat.

I smile and hug him back. "Come on, you know me. I wont leave so soon."

The happy moment gets suddenly broken by two strong arms pushing me against a wall and knocking the air out of my lungs. I groan and look up, seeing two blue eyes only centimeters from mine.

"Tell me where Dan is!", Phil shouts at me. "Tell me!!", he repeats as I don't answer.

"Phil, calm down!", Andy shouts, pulling him back. Phil just keeps standing there, his chest rising and sinking quickly.

"Where... is... Dan, Pete?", he says, breathing heavily.

I look at Andy in distress, not knowing how to say it. He immediately sees what happened and turns to Phil.

"Phil... We need to tell you something about Dan", he says softly, trying to prevent Phil from raging again. "But I don't want you attacking Pete. This wasn't his fault."

"What- What happened to him?", Phil stutters, his innocent, blue eyes widening in fear. He knows. He won't admit it but he knows.

"He...", Andy takes a deep breath and swallows. "He didn't survive it..." He immediately looks down, afraid of the slightest eye contact.

I'm expecting Phil to start screaming, crying, freaking out... But none of that happens. He just slowly sits down against a wall and stares at the void in front of him.

"Dan, no...", he just whispers, burying his head in his hands. "Please...", I can hear him mumble.

Slowly he looks up, looking me straight in the eye. His face is blank, emotionless. He must be in shock.

"You broke your promise, Pete", he softly says, his head tilting a bit to the side. "You broke your promise, and you will pay for that."

"I- Phil, I tried everything I could...", I say, blown away by his weird reaction.

"No!" Phil is standing in front of me within a second. "You promised we'd all make it out alive!", he shouts. "You promised!"

"I didn't know this would happen, okay?", I shout back. "How do you think I felt while I watched him die in front of my own eyes!"

"I loved him!", Phil just screams. "And he's gone because you couldn't save him!"

That flicks a switch inside my brain. With one swift motion I shove him against the wall, a hand around his throat.

"You're not the only one who has lost a loved one", I hiss. "And now, do you see me cry? No, so quit your whining and act like the man you are."

I let him go and he falls to ground, gasping for air and looking up at me with tears in his eyes. All of a sudden his behaviour changes.

"I'm sorry...", he mumbles with a sob in his throat. "I- I just... He was... He is my everything... And now he's gone..."

He takes a deep breath. "Did he say something... As last words?"

I nod. "He said I had to tell you that he loves you, and that you couldn't do anything to change this. And that you made his life brighter..."

I shake my head, fighting against the tears. "He died smiling, Phil. He died knowing everything would be okay. That's the most important thing."

Phil nods and stands up again, walking towards me and doing a thing I never expected him to do. He hugs me. Only for a short moment, then he pulls away.

"Thank you for being with him in his last moments", he says, smiling a little. "I'm glad he didn't die alone."

He turns to Patrick. "And you." I see him look scared. "I don't blame you. I blame this piece of... of... of shit that can rot away in the dungeons."

I look suprised. Phil never swears, never. He must be really mad.

Andy breaks the silence that follows. "I didn't like that Howell guy very much, but I must say one thing."

He looks around, at all of us. "He would have wanted us to be happy. To go on. To make the best of what we have. And I think we should do that."

I nod, encouraging him to go on. "I mean, look at us. Look at what we are."

He looks at Phil. "Someone who couldn't swear if his life depended on it, but just called Lucifer a piece of shit."

He looks at Patrick. "Someone who has been posessed by the Devil but still manages to look like the most adorable person in the world."

Patrick laughs and I laugh too. "Stay away from my boyfriend", I tease Andy. He winks and I laugh even more.

Andy points at himself. "Someone who betrayed his best friend, resulting into what nearly was the end of Heaven."

He looks at me. "And finally, someone who has lost everything a person can lose, but still manages to save all of our lives.

We're such a mess, all of us. But goddamn, we're the best mess ever."

I look at Patrick and see him smile like he's never smiled before. He looks up and reaches out to grab my hand. And when we touch, it feels like a weight has been lifted from my chest. A weight that has existed since the day he left.

"I came back, Pete."

"What- what do you mean?", I say confusedly.

"You said you would do anything, if I ever came back", he says. "I came back."

Tears start to well up in my eyes as I remember the first letter I ever wrote him and how broken I was.

"Guys", Phil breaks the moment. "Please promise we never have to go through this again."

"I promise."

"I promise."

"I promise", I say. And I mean it. With all of my heart.

The sun breaks through. I start to smile. Patrick is holding my hand. I'm okay. That is the most important thing. I'm okay.

I'm okay.

I'm okay...

A/N: This is it... The end... Wow... I want to thank all of you-

SIKE. Of course there's gonna be an epilogue and a sequel, because how can a soul-wrecker like me be content with a happy ending?

But really, I'm gonna do all of the thanking stuff later so you can all go and cry then. Seriously, I nearly cried while writing this. This story is like my baby and it has grown up! And look at Pete! He's changed from a sad, lonely boy to a brave Angel. I'm so proud of him.

Anyway, prepare for the epilogue, which will come soon and I will probably celebrate my 3K then too so that's exciting. I love all of you. Thanks for sticking with me and I can't thank all of you enough.

~Panda