Baby, We Have Eternity

Ryan knocked on the door of the warehouse. It brought back memories of when I used to come here.

There was the slow click of a lock and the door opened slightly, wider as Patrick realized it was only us.

“Thank God,” he said, letting us in and to the kitchen. We all sat around the table.

“What is she doing here?” I heard a deep voice growl, interrupting Patrick as he opened his mouth to speak.

Pete sullenly appeared in the doorway, irises burning red as they had in my nightmare.

I gripped Brendon’s arm tighter, and he noticed my uneasiness, kissing the side of my head reassuringly.

“Hanna’s going to help us get to Beckett,” Patrick stated evenly, either not noticing the tension or choosing to ignore it completely. More likely the second one.

“We can’t trust her,” Pete said, crossing his arms defiantly as he jerked his head in my direction.

“Pete, don’t be ridiculous,” Patrick interrupted. “She’s our only chance to beat him.”

“Whatever,” Pete spat venomously. “Just keep that lying bitch away from me.”

“Don’t fucking call her things like that,” Brendon snarled, taking a step closer and tearing his arm from my grasp. Pete also came closer, narrowing his eyes. I grabbed a hold of Brendon’s arm once more, trying to pull him back to me, but he wouldn’t budge.

“I’ll call her whatever I damn well think she is,” Pete growled back.

“This is stupid. Cut it out,” Patrick intervened, shoving them apart. “Pete, stop being a dumbfuck. You know it wasn’t Hanna’s fault and she already apologized. Brendon, we don’t need another fight here, we’ve got plenty of fighting to worry about as it is.”

Brendon backed off, the two of them still glaring at each other. “Don’t listen to him,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around me protectively. I buried my face in his shirt and closed my eyes, hiding the tears that were welling up behind my lids at Pete’s accusations.

He was right. Why should they trust me? I had already betrayed them once. Why not again?

I stared shaking a little from trying to hold in my sobs, and Brendon pulled me closer, pressing his lips to my hair and whispering words of comfort to me until I stopped as the conversation continued without us.

“It’s almost morning. You should get some rest,” Patrick soon pointed out. “We’ll fill you in on everything else when you wake up.” I didn’t move from Brendon’s arms and heard Pete storm away wordlessly, slamming a door as he exited. Patrick told Brendon and Ryan where we could stay, and I finally pulled away, feeling only slightly better.

Ryan and Brendon nodded, thanking him before heading for the door.

“Hanna,” Patrick began, stopping me as I made to follow them. I nodded for them to go on. “Don’t worry about him, okay?” he asked, once they left the room. I nodded unsurely. “It’s just, well…no, never mind,” he said, now shaking his head as if he regretted mentioning it.

“What?” I asked, still curious despite my being on the verge of tears. He hesitated.

“Just that…when Beckett used you to get to Pete…he was really hurt. He thought you loved William. But now you’re back after you ran away with Brendon. It’s a lot to take in for him,” he informed me honestly. I nodded guiltily. He came and hugged me. “He’ll be fine,” he assured me before letting go.

I nodded wordlessly, trying to give him a smile before heading off to find Brendon.

He was waiting in the hallway and smiled once he saw me. I followed him into the guest room we would be sleeping in. He pulled me into another hug, resting his face in my hair. I sighed into his chest, worries gone for the moment.

“Come on, you’re tired. Let’s go to sleep, and we’ll figure everything out tomorrow,” he said, after a minute. I nodded, kicking off my shoes and not bothering to change out of my clothes before getting under the covers. He quickly joined me, pulling me onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and we soon fell asleep.