Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > A Little Less 16 Candles... continued...
Andy settled himself in a chair and found that it was all he could do not to fall asleep again. Keeping his eyes open was proving difficult, even not letting his head loll forward was taking quite a lot of effort. Still nauseous and weak, Andy knew he really wasn’t ready for a big argument or debate.
“You should be in bed,” Simon scolded.
“Yeah,” Andy agreed without making a move, only causing his friend to roll his eyes. “Whatever happened to following doctor’s orders?”
“We’re having a bit of crisis, Simon, I think we can put the small stuff on hold,” Andy fought back the nausea to try to look stern.
“The state of your health is not small stuff!”
“Please, Simon, can we concentrate on what to do about Pete and Patrick?”
“But…” Simon nodded as he saw the pleading expression in Andy’s eyes, realising that the drummer was in fact fit to drop yet was putting his own needs aside to address their group’s other big concern. “Sure.”
“You should be in bed, Andy,” Joe commented as he followed Andrea into the small room.
“Don’t you start!” Andy sighed.
“Sorry!” Joe raised his hands defensively.
Andy sighed to himself; Joe was still angry. Neither Patrick nor Pete had made it easy on themselves. They expected to be trusted and appeared not to understand why anyone doubted them. He had seen this exact pattern before when Pete first escaped from Beckett. He had been missing for eleven weeks. Beckett had bitten then abducted him without witnesses; it wasn’t until his return that they even knew what had happened.
Patrick looked up as the hammering on the outer door distracted him from his case notes. He knew he had to be careful; there were a lot of vampire groups that would love to lay their murderous hands on them. Not the least of them were The Dandies. William Beckett, The Dandies’ charismatic leader, had made it known to them via a series of beautifully crafted letters all written in blood, that he intended to break them one by one. Patrick couldn’t help but notice that each of the letters, addressed to him personally, had all been received following Pete’s disappearance and he feared for his friend’s life. In the letters, Beckett had never gloated about taking Pete or even killing him, but he couldn’t rule it out. Patrick just prayed it wasn’t true.
“Who is it?” Patrick shouted through the still closed door, making a mental note to set up a video camera outside to avoid the need for guesswork in the future.
“Trick, it’s me, Pete! I got away. Please, they’re catching up, let me in!”
Without hesitation, Patrick unlocked the door and pulled it open wide. Standing outside, alone, breathless and scared was Pete. In the distance, Patrick could see four known vampires, plus two he hadn’t observed before heading at speed for the warehouse. Rushing forward in his panic, Pete seemed to collide with an unseen obstruction.
“Pete?” Patrick gasped as he realised what the problem was – the only thing it could be.
Pete stared at his friend, his lips parted in fear and Patrick could now see the fangs, largely retracted, but still obvious. He could hear the laughter of the pursuing vampires as they realised that Pete was cornered and unable to escape to the safety of the warehouse without an invitation to enter. The very thing that had kept him safe as a human, now spelled his downfall as a vampire. They had him.
“Are you going to eat me?” Patrick asked hurriedly, which even he would admit seemed a stupid thing to ask.
“No!” Pete cried, shocked by the question.
The response was enough. By way of an invitation, Patrick pulled Pete through the open doorway before slamming it behind him, shutting out the vampires giving chase.
“Same question,” Patrick asked again, staring wide-eyed and praying he hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of all their lives.
“Same answer,” Pete replied quietly with considerable relief.
“I… I want to hug you… but… I mean, will…”
“Don’t. It’s probably best you don’t,” Pete replied looking down. “In fact, it’s probably best you just stake me now.”
“I’m not going to do that,” Patrick almost laughed.
“Well, you need to do something,” Pete looked up; his brow furrowed and eyes pleading. “I haven’t eaten and I’m… I’m a bit edgy.”
“Oh… I don’t have anything to give you.”
“Patrick, you idiot, you do! But, you have to stop me before I just help myself.”
“You mean…?”
“What would you do if one of Beckett’s vampires were here?” Pete asked helpfully.
Patrick frowned and shrugged. “Chain him up, I guess. We’re not really equipped for…”
Pete held his arms out, his wrists close together. “Get equipped. I don’t want you to kill me and I definitely don’t want to kill you.”
“Beckett?” Patrick asked incredulously.
Pete nodded. “Do what you need to, then I’ll tell you everything.”
When Patrick had told them of Pete’s return, Andy couldn’t help but notice what Patrick had missed. Yes, he had offered himself up almost as their prisoner, but only because he personally couldn’t trust his bloodlust. It was a good reason, certainly, but Pete was shocked to find that neither Andy nor Joe and possibly not even Patrick trusted him in return. He believed his efforts to be a precautionary measure only; that he was actually doubted had come as a shock to him. Perhaps they hadn’t handled it as well as they might now, but there was no precedent, just four friends, one of whom had become the very thing they were fighting. They were each thrown into turmoil and it had been months before the problem was resolved to any degree of satisfaction. Kept locked up for longer even than he had been held at Beckett’s mansion, Pete had tried hard to maintain a level of understanding, but his newly limited emotions and instincts failed to accept the lack of trust. Everything to him was now black or white, right or wrong. He had done nothing to deserve the mistrust they displayed. It was as if he simply didn’t understand that they didn’t fear what he had done, so much as what he might do. Falling ever deeper inside himself and feeling increasingly bitter, he developed a near-permanent surly edge to his outlook. Andy reflected on the fact that he had been the last to accept Pete’s return and his period of captivity had been extended three times, twice at Andy’s insistence. It had been a mistake and now, Andy hoped two things – firstly that they would not make the same mistakes with Patrick and secondly that Pete would find some comfort in the understanding of a fellow vampire. But what would Joe think? Now was probably not the best time to argue a case, but he would try.
“Is there much to say?” Joe asked perching on the end of a table.
“I don’t think it’s as straightforward as all that,” Andy replied with a frown.
“I never said it was straightforward,” Joe grumbled in return. “Just that when it comes down to it, there’s no real argument, is there? It’s just a vote. I mean last time…”
“You think we got it right last time?” Andy cut in.
“We didn’t know any better then!” Joe snapped back, jumping down from the table. “We had to do something! He could have eaten us, we had to keep him locked up until Patrick could figure out the right blend.”
“Which he did within about three weeks.”
“Five,” Joe corrected.
“No, it was five before you believed he’d done it.”
“And twelve before you did!” Joe snapped accusingly. “And then probably not.”
“We took a leap of faith,” Andy replied quietly.
“You didn’t! It was months before you really started to trust him.”
“It was when he saved my life, to be exact,” Andy sighed.
“Yeah,” Joe sighed too, the memory of how close Andy had come to death, was an unpleasant one, despite how things had eventually turned out.
“Hang on,” Simon interrupted. “Do you guys know what you’re arguing about?”
“What do you mean?” Joe asked, tilting his head to one side. “Of course we do. Whether or not we can trust Pete and Patrick. I know this must seem really weird to you, Simon…”
“No, no, no!” Simon shook his head. “I don’t think you get it. Do either of you know what the other wants to do?”
Both Joe and Andy looked up at their friend’s ridiculous question. Of course they knew!
“Keep them locked up,” they replied in unison.
Joe and Andy stared at each other in astonishment.
“You trust them?” Andy asked.
“Yeah,” Joe admitted. “It was what you said about Patrick drinking the shake. You? I thought you’d be too angry with Patrick.”
“Same, he could have killed me but he didn’t. I don’t believe he even meant to do what he did and I was pretty stupid not telling him the stake was just for self-defence. I forgot he had a hand free from drinking his last shake.” Andy paused as he considered his next words. “Joe, we made a lot of big mistakes with Pete, I don’t want to miss the blindingly obvious this time.”
Joe nodded with a smile. “Then… we free them?”
Andy gave his first genuinely happy smile since he woke. “Yeah. And… uh… thanks, Simon. I think that could have gone on a while if you hadn’t stepped in.”
*
Patrick looked over as the door opened. His expression turned to one of anticipation as he saw Joe look behind him and laugh.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Pete muttered behind him.
“Get out of my head,” Patrick grumbled in return.
“I don’t need to be in your head,” Pete scoffed, “I have eyes too, you know. So, the jury’s back quickly. Verdict?”
Joe pulled his lips into a thin line before the ends curled up and he produced a key from his pocket. “Not guilty.”
“Really?” Patrick gasped with surprise.
“Really,” Joe replied with a grin.
“What!” Pete turned an incredulous expression towards his two hunter friends.
“Pete?” Andy frowned. “We’re freeing you. How is that a bad thing?”
“I was locked up for fourteen fucking weeks! He hasn’t even been here fourteen hours!”
“Thanks, man!” Patrick scowled, wishing he could land a punch on Pete’s pouting jaw.
“Don’t even think about it!” Pete snapped.
“Get the fuck out of my head!”
“Look,” Andy interrupted, “if you two don’t want freeing, just say so!”
“No!” Patrick replied quickly. “The faster I’m out of here the better.”
“No, Andy, I think you better leave him another week or so.”
“What the hell!” Patrick tried to turn his head at the words.
“Well, maybe I don’t trust you!” Pete goaded.
“Get me out of here, Andy! Please!” Patrick begged.
“Look!” Andy raised his hands in a gesture of silence. “Shut up! The pair of you! I’m not up to this right now!”
A dull repetitive thudding came from the outer door, catching Joe’s attention.
“Andy,” he shrugged, “why don’t you tell them why we came to the decision we did? Maybe it’ll help? And I’ll see what’s going on.”
Andy nodded. Pete’s reaction wasn’t entirely unexpected. Whilst he had objected strongly to his extended period of captivity, he had tried to understand. Now, Patrick had been accepted back in a matter of mere hours. Whilst he didn’t want Patrick to suffer as he had, it seemed extremely unfair to him. Andy would be able to settle his mind, if only he would listen. Heading for the door, Joe walked the long length of rooms and corridors back to the main door. Checking the video cameras Patrick had installed after Pete’s return, he could barely believe his eyes. Outside a man stood, bruised, bleeding and barely able to stand. The man worked for them, but more than that, he was a friend.
“Dirty?”
“You should be in bed,” Simon scolded.
“Yeah,” Andy agreed without making a move, only causing his friend to roll his eyes. “Whatever happened to following doctor’s orders?”
“We’re having a bit of crisis, Simon, I think we can put the small stuff on hold,” Andy fought back the nausea to try to look stern.
“The state of your health is not small stuff!”
“Please, Simon, can we concentrate on what to do about Pete and Patrick?”
“But…” Simon nodded as he saw the pleading expression in Andy’s eyes, realising that the drummer was in fact fit to drop yet was putting his own needs aside to address their group’s other big concern. “Sure.”
“You should be in bed, Andy,” Joe commented as he followed Andrea into the small room.
“Don’t you start!” Andy sighed.
“Sorry!” Joe raised his hands defensively.
Andy sighed to himself; Joe was still angry. Neither Patrick nor Pete had made it easy on themselves. They expected to be trusted and appeared not to understand why anyone doubted them. He had seen this exact pattern before when Pete first escaped from Beckett. He had been missing for eleven weeks. Beckett had bitten then abducted him without witnesses; it wasn’t until his return that they even knew what had happened.
Patrick looked up as the hammering on the outer door distracted him from his case notes. He knew he had to be careful; there were a lot of vampire groups that would love to lay their murderous hands on them. Not the least of them were The Dandies. William Beckett, The Dandies’ charismatic leader, had made it known to them via a series of beautifully crafted letters all written in blood, that he intended to break them one by one. Patrick couldn’t help but notice that each of the letters, addressed to him personally, had all been received following Pete’s disappearance and he feared for his friend’s life. In the letters, Beckett had never gloated about taking Pete or even killing him, but he couldn’t rule it out. Patrick just prayed it wasn’t true.
“Who is it?” Patrick shouted through the still closed door, making a mental note to set up a video camera outside to avoid the need for guesswork in the future.
“Trick, it’s me, Pete! I got away. Please, they’re catching up, let me in!”
Without hesitation, Patrick unlocked the door and pulled it open wide. Standing outside, alone, breathless and scared was Pete. In the distance, Patrick could see four known vampires, plus two he hadn’t observed before heading at speed for the warehouse. Rushing forward in his panic, Pete seemed to collide with an unseen obstruction.
“Pete?” Patrick gasped as he realised what the problem was – the only thing it could be.
Pete stared at his friend, his lips parted in fear and Patrick could now see the fangs, largely retracted, but still obvious. He could hear the laughter of the pursuing vampires as they realised that Pete was cornered and unable to escape to the safety of the warehouse without an invitation to enter. The very thing that had kept him safe as a human, now spelled his downfall as a vampire. They had him.
“Are you going to eat me?” Patrick asked hurriedly, which even he would admit seemed a stupid thing to ask.
“No!” Pete cried, shocked by the question.
The response was enough. By way of an invitation, Patrick pulled Pete through the open doorway before slamming it behind him, shutting out the vampires giving chase.
“Same question,” Patrick asked again, staring wide-eyed and praying he hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of all their lives.
“Same answer,” Pete replied quietly with considerable relief.
“I… I want to hug you… but… I mean, will…”
“Don’t. It’s probably best you don’t,” Pete replied looking down. “In fact, it’s probably best you just stake me now.”
“I’m not going to do that,” Patrick almost laughed.
“Well, you need to do something,” Pete looked up; his brow furrowed and eyes pleading. “I haven’t eaten and I’m… I’m a bit edgy.”
“Oh… I don’t have anything to give you.”
“Patrick, you idiot, you do! But, you have to stop me before I just help myself.”
“You mean…?”
“What would you do if one of Beckett’s vampires were here?” Pete asked helpfully.
Patrick frowned and shrugged. “Chain him up, I guess. We’re not really equipped for…”
Pete held his arms out, his wrists close together. “Get equipped. I don’t want you to kill me and I definitely don’t want to kill you.”
“Beckett?” Patrick asked incredulously.
Pete nodded. “Do what you need to, then I’ll tell you everything.”
When Patrick had told them of Pete’s return, Andy couldn’t help but notice what Patrick had missed. Yes, he had offered himself up almost as their prisoner, but only because he personally couldn’t trust his bloodlust. It was a good reason, certainly, but Pete was shocked to find that neither Andy nor Joe and possibly not even Patrick trusted him in return. He believed his efforts to be a precautionary measure only; that he was actually doubted had come as a shock to him. Perhaps they hadn’t handled it as well as they might now, but there was no precedent, just four friends, one of whom had become the very thing they were fighting. They were each thrown into turmoil and it had been months before the problem was resolved to any degree of satisfaction. Kept locked up for longer even than he had been held at Beckett’s mansion, Pete had tried hard to maintain a level of understanding, but his newly limited emotions and instincts failed to accept the lack of trust. Everything to him was now black or white, right or wrong. He had done nothing to deserve the mistrust they displayed. It was as if he simply didn’t understand that they didn’t fear what he had done, so much as what he might do. Falling ever deeper inside himself and feeling increasingly bitter, he developed a near-permanent surly edge to his outlook. Andy reflected on the fact that he had been the last to accept Pete’s return and his period of captivity had been extended three times, twice at Andy’s insistence. It had been a mistake and now, Andy hoped two things – firstly that they would not make the same mistakes with Patrick and secondly that Pete would find some comfort in the understanding of a fellow vampire. But what would Joe think? Now was probably not the best time to argue a case, but he would try.
“Is there much to say?” Joe asked perching on the end of a table.
“I don’t think it’s as straightforward as all that,” Andy replied with a frown.
“I never said it was straightforward,” Joe grumbled in return. “Just that when it comes down to it, there’s no real argument, is there? It’s just a vote. I mean last time…”
“You think we got it right last time?” Andy cut in.
“We didn’t know any better then!” Joe snapped back, jumping down from the table. “We had to do something! He could have eaten us, we had to keep him locked up until Patrick could figure out the right blend.”
“Which he did within about three weeks.”
“Five,” Joe corrected.
“No, it was five before you believed he’d done it.”
“And twelve before you did!” Joe snapped accusingly. “And then probably not.”
“We took a leap of faith,” Andy replied quietly.
“You didn’t! It was months before you really started to trust him.”
“It was when he saved my life, to be exact,” Andy sighed.
“Yeah,” Joe sighed too, the memory of how close Andy had come to death, was an unpleasant one, despite how things had eventually turned out.
“Hang on,” Simon interrupted. “Do you guys know what you’re arguing about?”
“What do you mean?” Joe asked, tilting his head to one side. “Of course we do. Whether or not we can trust Pete and Patrick. I know this must seem really weird to you, Simon…”
“No, no, no!” Simon shook his head. “I don’t think you get it. Do either of you know what the other wants to do?”
Both Joe and Andy looked up at their friend’s ridiculous question. Of course they knew!
“Keep them locked up,” they replied in unison.
Joe and Andy stared at each other in astonishment.
“You trust them?” Andy asked.
“Yeah,” Joe admitted. “It was what you said about Patrick drinking the shake. You? I thought you’d be too angry with Patrick.”
“Same, he could have killed me but he didn’t. I don’t believe he even meant to do what he did and I was pretty stupid not telling him the stake was just for self-defence. I forgot he had a hand free from drinking his last shake.” Andy paused as he considered his next words. “Joe, we made a lot of big mistakes with Pete, I don’t want to miss the blindingly obvious this time.”
Joe nodded with a smile. “Then… we free them?”
Andy gave his first genuinely happy smile since he woke. “Yeah. And… uh… thanks, Simon. I think that could have gone on a while if you hadn’t stepped in.”
*
Patrick looked over as the door opened. His expression turned to one of anticipation as he saw Joe look behind him and laugh.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Pete muttered behind him.
“Get out of my head,” Patrick grumbled in return.
“I don’t need to be in your head,” Pete scoffed, “I have eyes too, you know. So, the jury’s back quickly. Verdict?”
Joe pulled his lips into a thin line before the ends curled up and he produced a key from his pocket. “Not guilty.”
“Really?” Patrick gasped with surprise.
“Really,” Joe replied with a grin.
“What!” Pete turned an incredulous expression towards his two hunter friends.
“Pete?” Andy frowned. “We’re freeing you. How is that a bad thing?”
“I was locked up for fourteen fucking weeks! He hasn’t even been here fourteen hours!”
“Thanks, man!” Patrick scowled, wishing he could land a punch on Pete’s pouting jaw.
“Don’t even think about it!” Pete snapped.
“Get the fuck out of my head!”
“Look,” Andy interrupted, “if you two don’t want freeing, just say so!”
“No!” Patrick replied quickly. “The faster I’m out of here the better.”
“No, Andy, I think you better leave him another week or so.”
“What the hell!” Patrick tried to turn his head at the words.
“Well, maybe I don’t trust you!” Pete goaded.
“Get me out of here, Andy! Please!” Patrick begged.
“Look!” Andy raised his hands in a gesture of silence. “Shut up! The pair of you! I’m not up to this right now!”
A dull repetitive thudding came from the outer door, catching Joe’s attention.
“Andy,” he shrugged, “why don’t you tell them why we came to the decision we did? Maybe it’ll help? And I’ll see what’s going on.”
Andy nodded. Pete’s reaction wasn’t entirely unexpected. Whilst he had objected strongly to his extended period of captivity, he had tried to understand. Now, Patrick had been accepted back in a matter of mere hours. Whilst he didn’t want Patrick to suffer as he had, it seemed extremely unfair to him. Andy would be able to settle his mind, if only he would listen. Heading for the door, Joe walked the long length of rooms and corridors back to the main door. Checking the video cameras Patrick had installed after Pete’s return, he could barely believe his eyes. Outside a man stood, bruised, bleeding and barely able to stand. The man worked for them, but more than that, he was a friend.
“Dirty?”
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