FicWad

It was the first night that Patrick hadn't been in the house. Her breathing quickened as she ensured the door was locked and she made her way through the house locking everything. She didn't feel safe.

Standing in his open hallway she tried to calm down and Dax, sniffed at her feet nonchalantly, before licking her bare feet.

"Damn...Dax - Back off you slimy mutt!" she whined, shoving his sloppy chops away with her foot. His tail just wagged excitedly.

The house phone rang loudly and she gasped quickly, clutching her chest. She tore it off it's stand and pressed the button to answer.

"Hello??!" She said hurriedly.

"What are you doing in my house?" his voice asked, all Petra could do was smile, smile because it was just what she needed at that very moment. Someone/Something to distract her from her mentality.

"I live here - who is this - why are you calling this house?" She asked back with a smile and he laughed emphatically on the other end.

"Joe wants to know how Dax is?" he said, she knew he was smiling.

"Yeah!! Tell me he hasn't humped you yet!" Joe yelled in the background.

"Dax is fine, sexually frustrated, but he's just fine - oh, he ate the fish food though." She admitted.

"Ok, I'm gonna keep that between just us ok?" he said softly on the line.

"Alrighty." She whispered back.

"LA is hot, Chicago is...."

"Sunny but bloody cold!" she chimed.

"Ok, well I gotta go, we're in a shoot, I'm glad everything's alright." He said.

"Yep. Fine. All Good. Homie." She said, he laughed hard again and she smiled to herself.

He's easy to humour...yes, with a 'u', damn sneaky Americans....

She put the phone back down. It was an empty conversation, he didn't ask about her, she didn't enquire as to his well being, Dax was the only subject of interest and the damn weather.

Dax trotted behind her as she slowly walked through the house to Patrick's room.

"Who on earth am I married to?" she asked herself as she pushed open his bedroom door slowly.

The room was huge. She immediately lost herself in it, looking at the posters on his wall, the pictures, her fingertips touching the frames gently.

She smiled softly and even laughed a little at the memories.

Petra sat down on the bed and Dax followed, he circled his new territory and after finding the softest spot, heavily planted his bottom down and huffed as his head rested on his front paws.

Temptation overruled and she just couldn't help opening the all important top drawer by his bedside cabinet.

"What a neat freak." She whispered, her fingers rummaging over the symmetrically aligned items in the drawer.

There was a small tub of hand cream which she giggled at with as much scoffing as possible, the usual, a comb, batteries ( this is a standard item in a man's top drawer ), a lighter. She flicked it and the flame shot out. Placing it back, she noted the condoms without much reaction and then something caught her eye.

She curled her fingers under the photo's and lifted them out. She sifted through, smiling at some familiar faces and questioning others. There was a reason why these photo's were in his top drawer, these were the one's he could easily access when he felt that weak moment.

As she neared the last of the 10-15 photo's , her eyes stopped as she looked at that particular Polaroid.

It was her.

She studied it carefully. It was nothing special, she was only aware as much as anyone else that she wasn't a woman of striking beauty. It was only a photo of her at some Clandestine gathering some weeks back, before the crazy idea that they should marry.

Petra wasn't sure how she felt about being amongst a pile of such privileged people in Patrick's life, was it just mandatory that your wife be in that bunch of photo's. Even if the marriage was a shambled publicity act?

Was it embarrassment, because it only reminded her of the stupid position they were in?

Was it honour, because she was in this special pile of photo's?

Or was it hope?

Hope of, or for something that was more than the empty outlines of the relationship they had now?

Closing the drawer, she laid down on top of his bed, Dax shimmied up closer, right up close to her face and after therapeutically stroking him for 10 minutes, she fell asleep.



Dax's lazy bark threw her body into shock and she bolted up from her place on Patrick's bed. He flew off the bed, bassett hound style and galloped to the front door, looking back to Petra with a quickly wagging tail as she ruffled the back of her bed head.

The door bell went again, and again, and again.

"Alright!!!" She yelled angrily, she undid the locks and the door bounced open.

A short blonde girl stood with a box in her hand.

"Who are you?" She asked rudely.

"Uh...I was going to ask the same thi-"

"-It doesn't matter, is Patrick around? I need to talk to him." She said wistfully, she invited herself in and walked past her into the kitchen.

Wow, little piss face knows her way around.... Petra said in her head.

"So is he here??" She asked again, swivelling and standing with, what would appear aggressive, but amusing stance.

"Um, who are you?" Petra asked with her gruff morning voice.

"What do you mean, who am I? Who are you, what are you his new girlfriend?" She asked.

"Oh stop! You're pissing me off badly - just tell me who you are and I'll tell you where Patrick is!!" She said exasperated.

She flounced a little in her cute pumps and tried her best to look like she was thinking about it but in reality, she couldn't wait...

"I'm Katy...." She said, like she needed to add more.

"OK...." Petra said, putting a hand on her hip.

"Patrick's...../ex/-girlfriend....." She finished, hiding the 'ex' part oh - so - well.

"Alrighty, progress, Patrick's not here." She said, looking hard at the small woman before her.

Katy rolled her eyes and her hand shoved the box angrily.

"He'll be back tonight some time...try coming then." She explained.

"Who are you then?" Katy asked with a frown.

"A lodger." She smiled faintly.

A sudden smile of relief crept over her face and Petra was sure she almost smiled...but she laughed in her obvious relief which made Petra smile.

"Thought you were his new girlfriend or something, kind of makes me feel better that he didn't move on so quick." She said. It was then Petra connected with her. She felt it. She felt the hurt emanating from this stranger.

"This is some stuff I came across, he needs to have it back because I'm done with him screwing my heart over." She said sadly, taking the box.

"I'm gonna put it in his room." She said, moving past Petra silently. Petra followed. Only for the fact that, for all she knew, this could have been some crazed obsessive fan who was just waltzing into his home, y'know, the weird ones that write fiction and all that...

Petra stopped as she saw Katy frozen at his door.

"You sleep in his room?" she asked, turning to look at Petra as Dax returned to his place of refuge on Patrick's bed. Petra's heart quickened.

"I-er....I didn't mean to I was...." She stopped and swallowed, Katy continued to bore various organ parts from her body with her eyes.

"I fell asleep last night....with Dax...My room's upstairs!" she smiled quickly, pointing up.

"Right...." Katy acknowledged the possible truth in that reply and walked in, dumping the box on his bed. She then sat down on the bed and Petra groaned inside, this kid was planning on making herself comfortable.

She pulled open his top drawer and took out the photo's, like she knew they were there the whole time.

"Should you be doing that?!" Petra asked quickly.

"Probably not..." Katy said, still flicking through.

God, this is the most ironic situation of my life! she cursed herself.

Katy giggled and ran her fingers over a particular picture.

Oh Pluck a duck, she's going to see that picture! she squealed in her head.

Katy's eyes stilled on the Polaroid and she immediately looked at Petra, showing her the Polaroid of herself.

"Lodger, right?" she asked, with raised eyebrows.

"Absolutely!" She smiled wide.

"Who sleeps in his bed." Katy continued.

"In error!" Petra said in a higher pitched voice.

"Who Patrick's keeps a photo of in his personal collection...." Katy added.

Tell her the truth Fairfax...

I can't, don't be retarded.

This kid needs to know...

Nope, she's fine!

"So how long have you been dating?" Katy asked, tossing the photo's back in the drawer, in a way that Petra knew she'd have to tidy up before Stump got back.

"We're not dating! Just friends!" Petra insisted

"Oh whatever..." Katy sighed and walked out the room.

"Look, I don't mean to speak out of term here but you are his ex girlfriend - you really should not be in here demanding answers from-"

"- Hey! I gave 2 years of my life to this jackass, everything I my life went on hold for him, I have every right to know at least a little bit about what's going on!" She snapped angrily.

Petra looked down, again, feeling the hurt from the girl and not liking it at all.

"Then you should talk to Patrick." She said, after having a few moments to think it through.

"Honestly, I am not the right person you want to have this out with, I'm especially bad with dirty laundry!" Petra said, squirming slightly.

Katy laughed a little and shook her head.

"You're funny yo." She said, Petra pulled a puzzled expression at her.

I'm married to the man you evidently still love... she replied inside.

"Look, tell Biscuit I came by. Maybe when he's done being dramatic with everything, he could call me and let me know he's still alive." She said, walking past Petra and toward the front door.

"Bye.." Petra said softly, closing the door behind her. She slid down the other side and sighed hard.



Patrick lugged his bag in and threw it down in the hall way, Joe followed.

Most of the lights were still on, despite it being 2 am in the morning.

"Petra?" Patrick asked, walking into the living room, he stopped suddenly and Joe bumped into him after his abrupt halt.

"That's the sexiest thing I've ever seen..." Joe said.

Petra sprawled out on the floor with her head resting on Dax's body, both deep in sleep.

"It's kind of grossing me out." Patrick said, his face representing his squeamishness at it.

Joe approached the sleeping couple and Dax's ears pricked up at smelling his master's scent. He jumped up into life and excitedly pounced on Joe. Petra's corpse like body wasn't even disturbed by the removal of her canine cupid pillow and her head rolled as she slumped onto the carpet.

"Petra?" Joe asked, nudging her shoulder slightly.

Nothing.

"Petra??" he asked again, moving her whole upper body.

Her body rolled back again and he looked at Patrick.

"I think she might be dead." He said gravely.

"She'd not dead, she's just a pain in the ass!!" Patrick huffed and waltzed over.

"Petra - Come on!!" Patrick said, shaking her more violently. A small sound came from her lips.

"Dude - you don't treat women like that! What's wrong with you??!" Joe asked with a frown.

Patrick gave up and stared at her.

"Mmm..." she moaned slightly and stirred.

"Petra?" Joe said softly, her eyes opened gently as her brain told her to wake...

Both boys jumped as she screamed suddenly and sat up quickly.

"Bloody Hell!!!!" She cried at them both, gasping for breath.

"What do you mean bloody hell - what the hell is wrong with you??!" Patrick asked angrily.

"You frightened me!!" She said, her whole face proving the alarms that had been set off in her head.

"We tried to wake you but you were like a lead weight!" He argued back.

She rubbed her face slightly and looked at Joe. He was just grinning at her.

"What are you grinning at you big geek?!" She asked grumpily.

"I can see your nipples in that T-Shirt..." Joe grinned. She looked down and pulled her zip up across her body roughly.

"Ugh!" she groaned, rubbing her head.

Dax jumped on her and she fell back to the floor as he knocked her off balance and her head hit the edge of the coffee table hard.

"Oww!! Oh God!!" She cried out and clasped her hand over her left brow.

"Let me see!" Patrick said quickly but Petra started crying.

"Hey!! Shhh! It's OK, you just got a shock!" he said to the childlike woman on the floor. He took her hand away and gasped slightly as the blood running from the wound.

"Ok, maybe a little more but you're gonna be OK!" he soothed her gently. He helped her up as she kept her hand over the cut and she moved slowly to the kitchen, crying gently as she did.

"Here..." he said in a soft tone, pulling a stool out and she clambered on with his help. He got out a first aid box and carefully cleaned up her cut.

"You're ok.." he said with a little smile and she just stared at his eyes.

You can make it all Ok.... she whispered.

"What?" he frowned as he heard her quiet words, her eyes opened wide.

"Nothing! No, nothing!" she said, shaking her quickly.

He carried on putting the butterfly stitches over her cut and as he did the last one, looked at her eyes again.

"Ok?" he asked.

"I think so." She whispered.

He tidied everything away.

"Do I get a kiss to make it better?" she asked, her legs folded child like at the ankles and swinging on the stool.
He stared at her and she smiled.

"You need to kiss it ...it makes it better...." She said, pointing to her cut.

"Alright..." he said, putting the box back in the cupboard.

He came towards her and leaned in, softly kissing the brow that had received the knock.

"Thank you.." she smiled, he smiled too and she got off the stool.

"Let me help you up to bed..." he said, taking her arm gently.