Bright Blue Skies [P. Parker] [complete]

Twelve - Safe

When Briar woke, Peter was really feeling his previous injuries.

It seemed that the healing thing had lasted just long enough for him to take Briar back to her apartment, but not long enough for him to get home himself.

Milo allowed him to sleep in the bed with his sister, provided that he sat on the end of the bed and kept watch.

Peter assumed he was still there, but he couldn't see him anymore.

Then Briar stirred next to him.

He never thought he could jump out of a bed as fast as he did then.

He landed in her desk chair and pulled his phone out in a matter of seconds.

"M-Milo?" she asked, her voice hoarse. "Milo? You came ba-" her mouth snapped shut and her eyes widened as she saw Peter. "Peter, I-"

"It's okay. I know. Something weird happened last night and I could see him for a while." Peter told her.

"What? What happened?" She was trying to sit up, but Peter leaned over and pushed her shoulders back down gently. "What's going on?"

He glanced at the door when he heard a voice in the apartment. "I-"

"Sh!"

"What?"

"It's Stephanie. Hide."

Peter heard the serious note in her voice and jumped up, ignoring his wounds screaming in pain and leapt into the closet, closing the door silently behind him.

Just as the door shut, the bedroom door slammed open.

"You!" Stephanie was a short, skinny woman with stringy brown hair and piercing blue eyes like Milo's. Her skin was blotchy and red and she held a bottle of whiskey in her hand. "You were out all night, and you came back with a boy!"

Briar struggled for words.

"Don't try to deny it! I saw you two, you slut!" the woman's words were slurred. She stumbled drunkenly around the room. "Where is he, huh? The closet?"

The doors were flung open and her bony hand grabbed Peter's collar, yanking him out into the open. He was lucky he'd been able to change into some of Milo's clothes the night before.

A man appeared in the doorway, his shirt buttoned wrong and glasses askew. "Steph, what-" he stopped.

Stephanie shook Peter violently. "This little weasel slept with your daughter, Cameron! Our daughter! Our baby..." her eyes filled with tears. "He did disgusting things to her, Cammy! Disgusting things!"

"Ma'am, sir, I-" Peter swallowed nervously. "I never did anything. Briar- I- We- We never-"

Cameron Drake dragged a tired hand over his face. "I know. You're that Parker kid, right?" then he stopped and took in Peter's appearance. "Jesus Christ! What happened to you?"

He stepped forward and pried Stephanie's hand off him as Peter looked down.

All the wounds and injuries from the night before had come back, as fresh and painful as they were when he got them. Pain flooded his body and he tried not to collapse or pass out.

Cameron's hands gripped his slumping shoulders and held him up as he stumbled. He guided him to the bed, where Peter sat down heavily.

Briar reached out, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and let him lean on her.

Stephanie was still standing there, her eyes bloodshot, hair messy, skin pale. She looked shocked, the whiskey bottle hanging loosely from her limp hand. She was staring at her husband and step-daughter, once beautiful eyes darting between the two of them, skimming over Peter as if he wasn't even there. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Then she left the room.

Cameron was treating Peter's many wounds, muttering under his breath. Then he looked up at him. "Who did this to you?"

"No one," Peter said, his back straightening and his leg shifting away from the man.

He placed a hand on his knee and dabbed at another cut on his arm. "You can be honest with me, Peter. I won't tell anyone."

"Just these..." Peter tried to come up with a believable story. "These guys. They mugged me. I'm okay, really."

"Like hell, you are." Cameron scoffed, wrapping a wound. "Stay here today, let your mom, dad, aunt, whoever, know you're staying. I'll drop you home tonight."

"But-"

"You're in no state to walk around, even to go downstairs and get in the car," he said firmly. "And I'm guessing that you don't want to go to the hospital. So you're staying here."

Peter went to protest again, then the man wrapped another one of his gaping wounds and he nodded.

He closed his eyes and breathed out slowly.

Briar was beside him, talking quietly to her dad, her hand on his upper back. Cameron was cleaning a wound on his cheek with an antibiotic wipe. Peter felt safe.

Then he heard a door being broken down and heard someone scream.

~~~

A/N

Hey everyone!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

So... I don't really like this chapter.

Stephanie is the antagonist of this story, but her character is very deep, and there's a lot you guys don't know, so just keep on reading and don't assume too much about her because she's very complex and we haven't even started getting into all that yet. That's book two.

I have so many blisters on my ankles.

I hate maths.

- amy