A Little Less Sixteen Candles... Continued

Ultimatums

Patrick stared up unblinking as Andy stepped closer. He had quite literally given him the ultimatum of his life and he held his breath as his friend gazed down at him, an expression of anguish fixed his face. Only minutes earlier, Patrick had heard his friend say that no vampires could be trusted. Had he meant it? He had been talking about Pete after the revelation of his return to Beckett's mansion, but even so, it had been a shock. Had Andy always felt like that? Thinking back, Patrick remembered that out of all of them, Andy had been the last one to come around to Pete's return. Perhaps he'd never really trusted him? Did he believe him now when he said that Pete had come to his senses and was trying to escape? Did it matter? Was he going to die for the second time?

Andy took a deep breath and reached for the draw in the small cabinet next to the bed, his fingers closing on the stake. Patrick nodded, knowing now what his decision was.

"I'm sorry, Andy," Patrick sighed.

Andy turned a deep frown towards him as he withdrew the stake and held it with a trembling hand.

"You're sorry?" he asked confused.
"Yeah," Patrick nodded.

Sitting up with astonishing speed, Patrick grabbed a handful of Andy's hair and pulled him down until his forehead collided sharply with the cabinet. Quickly releasing his hair and snatching at his arm before he had time to fall, Patrick dragged Andy's limp form across him, smiling with relief as he heard the stake clatter to the floor. Reaching into Andy's pocket, Patrick withdrew the key to the locks on the chains holding him down. Freeing himself easily within only a couple of minutes, Patrick got to his feet, pushed the chains aside and rolled Andy's unconscious form on the bed.

"You didn't really think I was going to just let you kill me, did you?" he spoke quietly as he drank the contents of the glass that Andy had brought back with him. Almost as an afterthought, he wrapped one of the chains around Andy's left wrist and locked it firmly.

"And it may surprise you to learn that I don't trust you either!"

*

Pete pushed Andrea behind him as he pressed himself back up against the wall as ahead of them three vampires stalked the halls. Pete knew without question that the word was out. If nothing else, he had to get Andrea out of there; she was innocent in all of this and was dangerously close to being killed, or worse. Turning to look at her when they had safely passed, he smiled as he could see only concentration and determination in her eyes; she had no fear, certainly none showing anyway.

"You okay?" he whispered.
"How do I keep him out?" she asked in reply.
"What?"
"William, he got into my head, made me turn on Joe," she admitted with a frown. "What if he tries it again? How do I keep him out?"

Pete frowned. He couldn't say for sure, but he had an idea, something that might work.

"Let me in," he suggested.
"You can do it too?" she asked with surprise.
"Apparently, yes, but I don't really know how. I can try, but..."
"Try!" Andrea replied urgently.

Concentrating hard, Pete reached out with his mind and was immediately surprised to feel her presence in a different way. He could hear her thoughts, her fears and felt her feelings.

"He's okay, Joe's okay," Pete answered her silent question. It was a few moments before he realised that he hadn't actually spoken the words.
"He really left me here? William wasn't lying?"
"I don't think he had much choice," Pete tried to reassure her. "I'm pretty sure it was my fault."

Trying now to turn his attention to escaping, Pete found it hard to concentrate on what to do next and to keep a foothold in Andrea's mind. It felt to him as though he were being pulled in two different directions at once. It struck him that this particular power was a learned one and not like some of the others that simply came with the package. But Pete didn't have time to learn it. He had two simple choices: stay linked to Andrea and possibly be distracted as they tried to escape, or to use all of his skill and guile to get them out of there as fast as he could. One thing helped him make up his mind.