The Fast Times

Pete returned to Chicago in a slight drug filled haze. He was in pain from being hit, but knew when he got home he'd have to stop taking pills. He figured once he was with Holliday and Nancy, things would be better and the urges would go away.

Nancy and Holliday had been waiting at the terminal for him; Holliday was holding Nancy's hand, standing on her tippy-toes, looking frantically for Pete. She kept mumbling, "Where is he?" Impatiently.

"He's coming, baby, just wait," Nancy laughed softly.

Finally, Pete appeared, and Holliday bolted towards him. Pete was almost thrown off his feet when Holliday launched herself into his stomach. He grunted, but didn't falter to pick her up, "Hey! You almost killed me!"

Holliday giggled, "Not-uh!"

Pete nodded, "Yes-uh! You almost killed me, baby girl."

Holliday continued to laugh, her arms wrapping around his neck, "Silly daddy."

Pete was feeling a lot better, especially hearing that, and actually seeing her in the flesh. He carried her over to where Nancy was coming from, then took her hand in his, "Did you miss me?"

"Yeah," Holliday answered, "lots! I wanna show ya my room!"

"I can't wait," he said, "I just gotta get my stuff, then we can go home."

All the while they waited for Pete's luggage, Holliday told him about what she had done while he was gone, and the things she could do in her room now that she had her own space. Pete was totally engrossed in her talking, he barely noticed his bags; Nancy grabbed them for him, and told him to put Holliday down.

"She can walk," Nancy said, then looked down at Holliday, "daddy has to carry his heavy bag."

Holliday nodded, "'Kay. Hold muh hand," she told him.

Pete smiled, taking her hand in his and followed her and Nancy's lead out of the airport. After putting his bags in the car, he buckled Holliday into her car seat, listening to her hum and telling him to play some music. Pete had known just a little of what music he liked, so, when Nancy got in, he asked her, "What does she like?"

"Metal," Nancy said seriously.

Pete's brow furrowed, "No, really?"

Nancy smirked, looking back at Holliday before turning on the car, "Holly, what's your favorite song to listen to when you're with Andy?"

"I like Mad House!" She exclaimed.

Pete looked back at Holliday, "What band plays that song?" He wanted to be sure.

"An-thwax!" She giggled.

Pete was pleased, grinning, "I love this kid! That's one of my favorite bands."

"Yeah?" She grinned, "Play some!"

Nancy turned the car on, Pete was happily surprised to hear Anthrax playing. He turned it up, just a bit, and bobbed his head, listening to Holliday sing along. He couldn't have been any prouder.


Finally at home, Pete played with Holliday while Nancy cooked lunch for them. They had calmed down from hopping around, listening to Slayer, and were coloring. She laid on her belly beside Pete, coloring inside of her princess coloring book.

Holliday copied every movement Pete did, wanting to be just like him. Pete had noticed, smiling and feeling closer to her. He kissed the top of her head, "I love you, Holly."

She leaned up and kissed his cheek, "I love ya too, daddy."

All he could think about was just that, that he loved his daughter and she loved him. He couldn't believe how lucky he was, he cringed at how he acted 3 years ago, he wished he could take it back. Pete knew he couldn't, he figured that he'd spend the remainder of his life making it up to Holliday and to Nancy as well.

"Holly," Pete murmured her name softly, causing her to look up at him, "I'm sorry I wasn't around."

Holliday frowned, "When ya was gone?"

Pete nodded, "Yeah...when you were a baby...I didn't mean to leave."

Holliday was confused, but shrugged and continued to color, "'S okay."

Pete exhaled, "I just wanted to say sorry."

She frowned again, "You leavin' me again, daddy?"

Pete shook his head, looked at her and then sat up, pulling her into his lap, "I'm not going anywhere, Holly. I'm not ever leaving you again, okay?"

Holliday nodded, "Okay."

Pete kissed her forehead, hugging her, "I'm acting weird, ain't i?"

Holliday smiled, scrunching her nose, "Li'l bit."

Pete chuckled and set her down, "You keep coloring, I'm gonna go check and see if lunch is done."

Holliday hummed and resumed her position on her stomach, picking up a pink color crayon. Pete got up and headed to the kitchen, he could smell the chicken fingers and fries coming from the oven; he heard Nancy humming before he saw her. She was drying dishes and putting them away in the cupboard; as she reached up, her shirt lifted, showing off a bit of skin, causing Pete to smile.

He walked up behind her, just as she put her hands in the sink, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Nancy had jumped, but quickly relaxed when she was reminded it was Pete. The peach fuzz on his cheeks and jaw scraped across the back of her neck as Pete kissed at the side of her neck. She smiled, wiped her hands on the drying towel, then placed them on his, around her waist.

"What's Holly Thrasher doing?" She asked.

Pete chuckled, "She's coloring, I'm checking on lunch."

"It'll be done in 10 minutes."

He hummed, "I'll let her know," he rested his chin on her shoulder.

Nancy laughed softly, "Yeah, then why are you still here?"

"I missed you, and I wanted to hug you. Ya'know," he began quietly, "I apologized to Holly."

"For what?"

"For not being here when she was a baby."

Nancy sighed, "You don't have to apologize anymore, Pete, it's all water under the bridge now."

"I know that, I just wanted to apologize to Holly."

Nancy turned around in his embrace, "And did she accept it?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

"Good, do you feel better?"

"Yeah, I do actually."

Nancy kissed his lips, "Great. You know, she's starting pre-school in September, next week she has to get her vaccinations...and I have to get you to sign her birth certificate, and change her name."

Pete cocked a brow, "Change her name?"

"Her last name to yours," Nancy blushed slightly, "I feel kinda silly bringing it up."

"Nah, it's okay," he smiled, "I'll sign it."

"We'll do it all next week. She's been asking about going to school, too, so I'm totally excited to tell her."

"She's not gonna like the shots," he laughed.

Nancy sighed softly, "Well, she's tough, she can handle it."

"She is a trasher after all."

Nancy laughed, "Yep."


Over the next two weeks, Pete was feeling the pain from his injury, and the fact that Crystal was calling his family nonstop. Without her, she was still driving Pete nuts; there was nothing he could say that could turn her down. He was trying to find a way out, without doing something utterly stupid.

He spent a lot of his time with Holliday while Nancy worked; they had partition to change Holliday's name to add Wentz to the end of it, and to have Pete's name signed on her birth certificate; all that was left was getting the official forms in the mail. Pete even took Holliday to have her vaccinations, by himself, and was surprised to see she took the shots like a champ. He took her to get ice cream, then his parents, but still, he was anxious and in pain. He wasn't sure how he was gonna get through the day, even with his daughter and family right there by his side.

Pete found himself getting frustrated when Nancy would come home; she'd be too tired to talk to him. The only energy she really had left was to cook and then play with Holliday before putting her to bed. He wasn't angry with her, he was upset with himself for letting Crystal control him, even when she wasn't around.

Nancy hadn't known anything of what Crystal had done, nor what she had been doing. She was rarely at the Wentzs' since she was working overtime to get vacation days to have time off when the school year started. She had felt resentment and anger radiating off Pete when she would come home, and Holliday told her that Pete was grumpy a lot.

Nancy came home at 5PM, finding that Pete and Holliday weren't there, so she called Pete's cellphone. She stood at the counter, tapping her fingers absentmindedly until he answered, "Hey," he spoke distantly.

"Hey, where are you guys?" She asked.

"We're on the way back from Patrick and Sabrina's," he replied, "uh, Holly wanted lasaunga, so we stopped by my folks and picked up some, you don't havta cook."

"That's cool," Nancy exhaled, "so, you guys are close?"

"Yeah, we'll be home in a few minutes."

"Okay, see ya then."

"Yeah."

Nancy hung up; the tone of Pete's voice made her feel upset. She didn't understand what the problem was, but she planned to ask him what was wrong. Distance between them was becoming apparent, and Nancy was so confused about how it quickly gotten this way. This was something she didn't want, because her love for him wouldn't allow her to let him go again. She was hoping Pete wasn't having second thoughts about herself and Holliday; she'd be heartbroken if he was to leave again.

But, that was far from Pete's mind, she just didn't know it yet.