How Dark Is the Night?

(Pete’s POV)
“Kat, can I talk to you alone?” I asked.

“Ok, she asked following me away from the others and Micah.

“Kat, why didn’t you tell us about him before?” I asked a little mad. It was Micah she was talking to that night I caught her downstairs and felt a vampire presence. It does ease my mind a bit that she wasn’t trying to betray Amanda in any way which still left me in doing that from what Beckett had said about someone betraying Amanda.

“Pete, I wanted to believe me. Do you know how hard it is keeping secrets? Especially since you and Amanda have taken me in. I really wanted to tell you guys but Micah said he wanted to wait until everyone was together and so I invited him to the party tonight. He was going to tell you before you decided to knock him down and fight him.” She said crossing her arms and glancing over at Micah talking to Amanda.

“How was I to react when I feel a vampire walk into this party and not know who it is or what is going on?” I said defending my actions.

“I understand but everything is under control and don’t be mad at him. You guys were friends. He is still the same person, Pete. The more time I spend talking to him the more I understand things and what has happened to you guys before I was a slayer. Like with you and Brendon for instance. According to Amanda’s journals you hated him and thought he was a bad guy until Amanda helped you see that Brendon was still the same friend he always was. He was just trapped. You forgave him and look at you two now.” Kat said.

“So all this time we thought you were patrolling alone he was with you?” I asked.

“Yes. I like him Pete. Micah is a sweet guy and a good fighter who we need on our team.” She replied but I sensed there was more to her comment then she let on judging by the way she would stop and glance at him.

“Do you like Micah?” I came out and asked.

“What?” She said taken aback.

“Do you have feelings for Micah?” I asked.

“Well, yeah, a little.” She said blushing.

“Then do this for me. Be careful. I don’t want to see you end up getting hurt. I have had my share of hurting Amanda in the past. We have overcome so much but I don’t want to see you and Micah end up like us.” I said.

“Trust me I won’t let him hurt me.” She said.

“I will try to get along with him but it will take some getting used to.” I replied.

“Oh, thank you, Pete!” She said almost jumping in my arms and hugging me.

“Easy there. We don’t want Amanda getting jealous.” I said laughing. “Come on.” I said leading her back over to where Amanda and Micah were.

“There you are!” I said pulling Amanda off the bed and giving Micah a look.

“What is it?” Amanda asked.

“I just want to take my gorgeous wife back downstairs and dance with her.” I replied pulling her away from Micah.

We danced before I broke the silence between us. “I had a talk with Kat. She likes him and trusts him and I am worried.” I replied.

“Oh, I get it. You are jealous you may not be my only knight in shining armor but on top of that you feel as if Kat is your baby sister and Micah is taking her away from you, right?” She asked laughing.

“Well, it was, is, my job to protect and watch out for her. It’s hard to see my little Kat growing up with out needing me.” I said.

“Oh, Pete.” She said rolling her eyes at me.

We danced for a little more. I couldn’t help but sense that somehting was wrong. I could feel that Amanda had been on edge about somehting all night. It was weird too that she had sensed Micah walk in the door and then realize he was good. Is her slaying ablities coming back or was it a fluke thing?

Amanda pulled me into a long kiss distracting me from my thoughts. Then she whispered in my ear, “I love you.” I kissed her back and said it back to her making Amanda smile.

She then told me that she needed to talk to Bev and the others. She gave me this stare before she went to go find them. I wondered what was bothering her. I walked around talking to other friends I knew from bands and such then looked at my watch. It was almost midnight. Where was Amanda? She would have came to find me by now.

All of a sudden I felt this horrible feeling and I frantically searched the room. Amanda wasn’t here. Brendon and Erelin came over to me to talk but I snapped at them to grab Patrick that Amanda was gone.

I closed my eyes and focused in to find out where she was and I felt pain. I tried to get passed that and finally got into her thoughts. She was at Lookout Pointe fighting Volkmar.

“What’s wrong?” Patrick asked with everyone in tow now.

“I need your keys. Amanda went to Lookout Pointe to fight Volkmar and we don’t have much time.

“I’ll drive.” Brendon said grabbing the keys seeing how I wasn’t a match to drive and Patrick was in a big cat suit.

“Wait, I’m coming too.” Kat said.

“No. I want Micah and Brendon only. Everyone else stay here in case Volkmar decides to crash this party with his men. I am counting on you two, Kat and Erelin to make sure that doesn’t happen.” I said not knowing for sure what he had planned.

“Be careful, man.” Andy said.

We ran to the car. Micah made sure no papprazzi followed is and Brendon took off. I was so worried. Why wouldn’t she tell me she was going to do this. I would have come. Was she under his spell somehow still?

“We are going to find her and we are going to save her.” Micah said in the back seat putting his hand on my shoulder.

I felt every blow and it was killing me. Her pain was my pain. She wasn’t going to last long.

“Can’t you go any faster Brendon?” I yelled.

“Hey, I am going as fast as I can go with traffic!” He snapped back worried about Amanda too.

We finally made it to Lookout Pointe and we all jumped out of the car and took off towards the woods. Now that I think of it, Amanda acted funny around them a few nights ago. Now I know why. She always knew something was up with the woods.

“Amanda!” I yelled running through the woods with a flashlight that Patrick had kept in his car at all times for emergencies.

I heard voices and saw lights up ahead. Then I heard Amanda scream and I felt my left side severly hurt. No. The baby! I have to save them.

The lights seemed to fade and I stopped with Micah and Brendon stopping behind me. It became quiet. “Amanda?” I asked loudly knowing Volkmar was still around somewhere and shining my light around me.

Then I heard a movement and flashed my light in front of me again. I saw Amanda walking slowly grabbing her side with blood all over. I threw the flashlight at Micah and ran to her catching her as she fell into my arms.

“Pete.” She said breathing shallowly. Every breath was getting harder and harder for her to take.

“Shh. No, save your energy.” I said trying to fight back tears.

Micah flashed the light on us and I saw exactly what Volkmar had done to Amanda. There were cuts and bruises all over her but he had stabbed her left side maybe injuring her lung. She was bleeding pretty bad as I was trying to apply pressure to her wound. Then I looked at her face bruised up. Her mouth had blood on it. She also had a nasty bite mark on her neck. Volkmar had apparently bitten her pretty bad then stabbed her before fleeing when he heard my voice.

“I’ll call 911.” Brendon said.

“We can’t. We will have to rush her. It will be faster.” I said.

“Yeah, Pete, but she is bleeding pretty bad and fighting for every breath.” Brendon added.

“Pete…I…love you and…I want…you to know I am sorry.” Amanda said having trouble breathing.

“No. You aren’t doing this to me. You aren’t leaving me!” I said.

“It’s getting so…cold.” She said coughing up some blood.

“Brendon, help me get her to the car!” I said trying to pick her up carefully.

We picked her up and somehow kept her stable and placed her in the back seat laying across me. Brendon floored it to the hospital and we rushed her in. “My wife was attacked and I found her. She’s pregnant too.” I said.

I watched as the doctors took Amanda, who at this point had become unconcious into their trauma part in the ER where I wasn’t allowed to go. They were prepping her for surgery and all I could do was wait and feel her barely hanging on for her life. I felt helpless.

“She will be ok. She is like a cat, Pete. She has nine lives it seems.” Brendon said trying to make me feel better.

“If that is the case then what number is this?” I asked with my head in my hands.

“Amanda is a fighter. She will get through this and the baby too.” He said.

“Oh, the baby. What if Volkmar…” I trailed off.

“They will both be fine, Pete.” Micah said as Brendon started to call everyone to get to the hospital stat.

I wanted to believe him but this time I wasn’t sure. I should have known. I sensed something was wrong but did nothing to stop her. What kind of husband am I?