FicWad

Chapter 18 - Face to Face





Petra stood against the sink, cleaning some dishes when two hands slipped over her tummy. Warm lips pressed against her neck and she smiled wide.

"Morning." He whispered, kissing her again.

She stopped what she was doing and pulled off her gloves, turning to him and touched his shoulders softly.

"Hi." She whispered, cuddling him gently.

"I have to go to the studio today..." he said, Petra nodded and he saw the disappointment in her eyes.

"Ok." She smiled weakly.

"You can come if you want to!" he said excitedly. Petra smiled back at him, her eyes mirroring his excitement.

"I have a tonne of work to do...I have to get everything signed off before I start maternity break." She said.

"Well....how about before I go.....we..." he started, he made small accurate attempts on her neck and she laughed gently.

"How about when you get back?" she reasoned.

"Ohhhh I dunno..." he whined. She smiled as he then kissed her some more and the shiver it sent down her neck was wonderful.

"Oh you're clever!" Petra smiled, Patrick took her hands and pulled her as he walked backwards and he sat down on the sofa, pulling her onto his lap.

His fingers slipped her night gown off her shoulders and it fell over her tummy and she moved close to him as she felt the exposure on her skin.

His hands squeezed her breasts firmly but gently and Petra shuddered slightly at his touch.

"Petra - you're beautiful." he whispered and she blushed hard at his compliment, she cupped his chin and kissed him gently before letting her hands undo his trousers. Patrick hands slithered up her thighs and around the curve of her back.

Petra gripped his head firmly into her chest and put her head back as she made love to him.

"God Petra!" he said in a low deep voice. She leaned back gently, allowing her hands to lean on Patrick thighs as they slowly made love. Patrick's hand grabbed her hips and he pulled her close to him firmly.

Petra leaned into his neck and cuddled him gently and she could feel him changing as his climax came. He pulled her face to his and kissed her hard as he released himself. Petra felt the pangs of pleasure softly override her, it was nothing like what Patrick had, it was calmer, more decent, more emotional.

She laughed gently as Patrick's quick breaths on her chest slowly calmed.

"The baby always moves like mad after we've made love!" she smiled. Patrick laughed and kissed her softly, his hand running over the warm skin of her tummy.

"That kind of disturbs me..." Patrick said, Petra laughed hard and softly wiped his damp forehead.

"It's not disturbing. It's weird! But not disturbing!"

"It is! It's like we're being watched!" he laughed. Petra silenced him with her lips and kissed him softly.

"I love you." She said gently.

Patrick stared at her suddenly and Petra's eyes opened wider, realizing what she'd said.

"What?" he asked

Petra didn't say anything.

"You love me?"

"Maybe." She said with a frown.

"Good, cos I love you." He said.

"What?" Petra frowned.

They both looked at each other.

Petra slowly moved nearer to his lips and as they softly kissed this time, both their worlds had changed.

His fingers knotted up in her hair and he allowed their confessions to manifest themselves.

When Patrick looked at her this time, he saw his wife in every sense of the word. Far from perfect but far from what they'd been professing to have.

"Whoa." Petra said, and touched her tummy again.

"I think he actually kicked me for real." Petra laughed.

"This isn't funny, he's 5 months old and he has an attitude problem!"

Their heads pressed together gently and they just smiled.

---


CeCe arrived with Petra's post and she flicked on the coffee machine.

"Pets!!! You want coffee???" She bellowed, Petra came through and CeCe stared at her.

"You're getting the waddle." CeCe said laughing.

"I am not you cowbag!"

"You are - look at you!" she said laughing again.

"Make me coffee - don't gloat, you're not that far behind me!" Petra said pointing to her growing tummy too.

Petra opened the letters addressed to her as she talked with her. Suddenly she stopped.

"What?" CeCe asked, stopping too. Petra moved the photographs in her hand.

"Oh god." She said weakly as she stared at them.

"Petra." CeCe said concerned, she took the photo's from her hand and her eyes opened wide.

"Are you kidding me???" she said angrily.

The photo's showed her and Patrick that morning as they shared those intimate moments.

"How did they get these??" she asked angrily.

Petra stared at the photo again.

It feels good to watch... it said. Petra covered her mouth with her palm and suppressed the reflex of her throat.

---

She swore CeCe to secrecy, claiming she'd tell Patrick when he got home later on that day. She stared at the photo's over and over.

How could he have invaded my privacy so deeply?? she asked.

Even when Patrick got in, she felt so embarrassed, she just hid the photo's until she could find a way to tell him.

Petra shuffled through to the intercom and pressed it to speak.

"Hello?"

"Hello - I need a signature for a delivery from Gibson Guitars for a Mr Patrick Stump?" the man asked.

"Oh - right, um...."

"Wait, I'll buzz you in." she said, not fancying the walk all the way down to the gate for a package she probably couldn't carry.

As she opened the door she instantly recognized him despite the hat and his delivery clothing, she shut the door quickly but he blocked her and pushed his way in. Suddenly she was pinned against the wall opposite the door.

"Peekaboo!" he said, smirking, Petra closed her eyes tight and broke down inside. When would her past ever leave?

"Pretty stupid of you to let someone in who had such a bad American accent." He said in his strong cockney accent.

"Pretty stupid of you to be here Lucas." She growled angrily. He thrust her against the wall again and he pulled out the huge blue pen knife.

Petra gasped inside and her fingers shook in their curled up position in Lucas' grip.

"You killed my brother." He said bluntly, Petra stared at him. Her eyes weren't scared this time, because when she looked into Lucas' eyes, she saw despair. Despair that he had lost his brother.

"I never meant to." She whispered, shaking her head.

"He's still dead!" he growled suddenly and pushed her harder against the wall, putting the pen knife to her throat.

"Petra - I wasn't sure which went better the white or blue shir-" Patrick froze.

Lucas quickly looked at Patrick, who's horrified eyes stared at him holding the knife to his wife's throat.

"The blue shirt..." Lucas said calmly. Patrick dropped the shirts and moved towards him quickly.

"One move I'll slit her throat - I swear to god, she deserves it." He said coolly. Patrick stopped and Petra's defeated eyes dragged from Patrick back to her accuser, Lucas.

"Don't do this Lucas..." Petra whispered.

"Shut up!!!" He yelled at her, his angry eyes blazing over her.

Lucas stared at her, he looked down at her tummy and let go of her hands from being against the wall. His hand moved across her tummy and then he looked back at Patrick.

"Don't move!!!" He shouted back to Patrick who had moved inches closer.

"You obviously have NO respect for her life because you have to know - that I will kill her!" he warned him sternly.

Turning back to Petra, his eyes bore into hers deeply.

"You should be carrying Ethan's children." He said quietly to Petra.

"I'm sorry." She said, as she wept silently.

"He loved you!" Lucas frowned. Petra shook her head.

"He loved you!" He growled.

"He had a horrible way of showing it." She said weakly.

Lucas stared at her again, his fingers touched her face gently.

"I never meant to kill him Lucas....why don't you believe me?" she asked gently.

"Because he's still dead, it's not about whether you meant it or not - it's about the fact he's still dead!" he argued.

"I know!!!" She yelled back at him, breaking down into sad tears.

Patrick stared at the interaction she was having with Lucas, didn't she care he had a knife to her?

"Maybe I should take the one thing that's important to you!!" Lucas reasoned with bitterness in his tone. Petra's eyes wandered quickly over his face as he turned back to Patrick.

"No!" She said in a dreaded tone, shaking her head.

"Not him...." He muttered, smirking.

He let the knife travel down her chest and it stopped as it hit her bump.

"Please....Lucas..." She whispered, taking his hands in hers.

"No you took something from me and I want something back from you..." he said, pressing the knife firmer into her abdomen. Petra winced and resisted his hands.

Lucas frowned as Petra's eyes quickly glanced away and before he knew it, Patrick grabbed him and tossed him to the floor angrily.

"You get your fucking hands off my wife - you sick bastard!!!" Patrick yelled at him and dragged him up from the floor and threw him against the table in the hallway.

Patrick threw the pen knife across the floor and they scuffled angrily as Petra cried down the phone to the 911 operator. Lucas wrestled free and bolted out the door.

Patrick rushed over to Petra and took her into his arms as she sobbed uncontrollably.

"You're safe - I won't ever let him hurt you!" he reassured , just like he did that first time. He kept his promise too.