Peter Green's Story

After Eve had been persuaded to return to her room, she curled up under the large comforter that had been in a tangled heap on the floor beside her bed. Her beautiful blonde locks lay sprawled around her in a tangled mess. She had yet to shower - she had found herself too tired to do more than allow Dana to poke and prod at her before trudging back to her room - and the yellow-white colors in her hair were streaked with twigs and dirt. Grass made an appearance, along with some flowers and leaves, and there were knots strewn throughout the normally-silky smoothness. Staring at her hair only furthered the anxiety that had curled into a ball in her stomach, and she rolled over heavily so that she faced the wall.

Something was really wrong with her, and not even Dana could summon an explanation. It was the same as when she was little, after she had gone through the ordeal in town, just as she had told Dana. When she had found herself lost in the crowd of human strangers in the unknown town, she was quickly pushed and pulled far away from the comfort of her parents. She couldn't have been more than six or seven years old, and of course she hadn't accessed the wolf side of herself, so she wasn't capable of finding them on her own. In addition to her inabilities as a young werewolf, the smells and noises in the town further blockaded what little skills she had in tracking, so in no time she was in another part of the town, not sure where to go or what to do. So instead of just standing there - she was never really one for doing nothing when in danger, and even when she was little she hated the damsel in distress mindset that many had for women - she set off on her own in an attempt to possibly find her parents.

Instead, she had found four disgusting alcoholic humans stumbling out of a bar. When they had reached for her, she tried to get away - she kicked and screamed, bit and punched at the men - but they were, of course, far stronger than her, a small child. Before the men could do any real physical harm, a man shrouded in shadows appeared, shot two of the four with something that gave off a crackling sound and caused them to spasm, and shouted to the remaining two to remain still or they would receive the same treatment. In an instant more men appeared, and the blue and red lights of what she now knew were police cars were permanently imprinted in her memory, along with the smell of the alcohol and cigarettes that had stained the human men.

But also in that memory was something bittersweet. The taste of sugary chocolate long john donuts and sweet hot chocolate with marshmallows, whip cream, and caramel drizzle sat with her even now whenever she recalled the events. Where there was darkness there was also a bit of light. The sounds of bands that were common favorites of the age group that the man who stepped in blasted on the radio, and one in specific she remembered very well.

Guns N' Roses performance of their famous song Sweet Child O' Mine. At the time the only words that she could really understand and remember were the 'sweet child of mine' chorus lines, and something about the song had made her feel immensely better. Because of that, she had always been a huge fan of hard rock and even current rock, such as Evanescence. Call her cheesy, but the music reminded her of something that was good that had come out of something bad.

After the man had taken her back to the police station, they found her mother and father there already, her mother visibly upset and her father trying very hard not to show his own feelings, but instead only comfort for her mother. As her mother clung to her and squished her against herself, Eve had peaked through the mass of red locks that belonged to Rachelle Sutton to look at the man who had swooped to her rescue.

"It doesn't take a hero to do what's right. We're all born with the idea of what is right and what is wrong in the universe - but it's left up to us to choose to do what's right. Anyone can be a hero. It's all a matter of whether or not the right choice is made."

And that man was a human.

The same species as the men that tried to hurt her that day.

But the man had not hesitated to save her, even though he had later admitted - without them knowing she heard - to her parents that he knew what they were and what she was.

He hadn't cared that she was a werewolf.

He hadn't cared that her parents were werewolves.

He had simply wanted to do what was right and help them.

Lifting her fingers to her eyes, she pulled them away with tips wet with tears that she hadn't known she was shedding.

She understood why her species hated them, and she understood why they hated her and her kind. But at the same time she couldn't understand what had caused all of the hatred to begin with. It had simply always been that way, and to her that was the greatest shame known to men of any kind. There were good and bad apples in every batch, as with those men in that alley, and as with Richard and his followers. But why ostracize and target an entire type of people simply because a few of them didn't hold up to the standards and morality that they should?

Sniffling through her stuffy nose, Eve cuddled further into her blankets.

That was the true reason why she was so adamant about the issues between wolves and humans. There was no real reason for the issues between them but instead a deep seated anger from hundreds and hundreds of years ago - something that mattered very little now. It was why she fought so hard against her father and the rest of the pack's beliefs that all humans were evil. Although her father was a lot more accepting than, for example, Russell, he was still very against any and all involvement between humans and werewolves, and that was something she planned to change if she ever became the Alpha. As for Russell - well, only time would tell if anything could change his mindset on them. God only knew why he hated them; as with her reasoning and experience with humans and why she accepted them, he undoubtedly he a reason to hate them so passionately, and she couldn't very well expect him to simply drop his beliefs when she, too, had her own reasoning for her opinions.

Fighting back a yawn, Eve felt her eyes closing. Her exhaustion was evident, because what little sleep she had gotten hadn't been restful, and she was nearly asleep when she heard her door quietly creak open. The soft whispers belonging to her parents and Dana carried to her ears but barely registered in her sleepy state, and as her mother had done when she was little and not feeling well or had had one of her night terrors, the woman sat beside her on her bed and gently brushed her palm across her head. It was something that Eve found extremely comforting, and in moments she was deeply asleep.



Adjusting the knit cap that was bobby pinned into her hair, Eve completed the outfit that she had spent the past twenty minutes working on putting together. She had matched a sheer black shirt with dark black leggings, and matched those with black combat boots and a couple of bracelets and a silver ring as an adornment. She had barely managed to get the clothes on over her bandages and cast, but had struggled through the pain to do so.

"The things I do for cute clothes," she sighed, turning to shove books into her messenger bag. She'd be damned if she let Dana keep her cooped up inside her room all day long. She understood why at night, but it was completely unnecessary during the day. So, instead of allowing the woman to play doctor and mother hen along with her actual mother, Eve was determined to at least be able to go outside.

Sneaking outside proved to be quite a bit more difficult than she expected. Luckily, her wolf was half-awakened, allowing her to know when someone was coming down a hallway with enough time for her to duck somewhere and hide. Her scent would have been throughout the house no matter what, so it didn't raise any flags for the people walking the halls to smell her. Any sound would have been suspicious, so she managed to keep quiet the two times she was forced to hide behind a door. She made a small detour into the kitchen, risking running into her mother but luckily not actually doing so, to snag a bag of chips and a water bottle filled with sweet iced Lipton tea.

When she finally made her way outside, hobbling on her booted cast the entire way, she pushed open the door to the garage and froze. She had entered the garage just in time to see Peter and Silver take off on Peter's bike, and two of the men that lived at the house leave the driveway in front of the garage, leaving only Phoebe working on her car - directly in between Eve and her momentary freedom from the intense scrutiny of the people that were smothering her with concern.

It was too late to turn back, and by that time Phoebe had undoubtedly heard the door open, so with a heavy sigh, Eve feigned nonchalance and hobbled across the cement floor and into the sunlight of the outdoors.

"Hey, Phoebe," she sang merrily, attempting to appear as though it were perfectly normal for her to up and about five days after the incident. "How's the work coming on your car?" she asked, peaking over the woman's shoulder at the vehicle in question. "Do you mind if I sit and study while you work? It may be summertime, but if I want to graduate early and work on furthering my career, I really shouldn't be lacking in studying. Plus, I've missed reading my schoolbooks. So, I figured I would sit outside and enjoy the warm sunlight while studying - by you, if that's okay," she said, already removing a book labeled Mixed Species Track: Volume IV and moving to get comfortable, tea in hand.

---

"I hope you realize this is a one time thing... This is not an invitation for you to start hitting on me constantly..."

Smirking, Peter pulled on his black leather gloves he used solely for biking and Velcro'd the wrists to hold them in place.

"I'll keep that in mind, love," he drawled, hinting slightly at the grin on his face, which was hidden from view behind his helmet. Once she was on and her own helmet was in place, he snapped down the black shield that was attached to his helmet and blocked anything from going into his eyes, snapped up the kickstand, and started the bike.

"I'm afraid you'll have to hold on tight, though - she has a bit of a wild side to her, Noir does," he said, patting the side of his majestic bike. Before she really had a chance to respond verbally, he revved the bike and they took off, surging to a breathtaking speed of 80 in less than five seconds. It was almost a straight shot from the Sutton Mansion to the highway, although it was a couple of miles off, and other than a few curves he was free to go however quickly he wanted due to the desertion of the road that would take them to town. Once he was on the highway he slowed a bit, if only because he had a passenger instead of it only being himself, and if anything were to actually happen he didn't want to be to blame for it, simply because he wouldn't want anything weighing on his conscious.

"Sorry about forcing you to wear the helmet," he shouted over the wind roaring past them, noting the sign welcoming them into the town. "Just like with all of my other endeavors, I believe in riding with protection," he joked, obviously hinting at other 'activities' when saying that. Whatever Silver said in response was lost in the wind, and a few minutes later he pulled to a stop in a parking spot on the street in front of Serena's Diner. Snapping down the kickstand and turning off the bike, he allowed Silver to step off before following suit and removing his helmet in the same motion. A few of the older women seated outside of the diner, who looked to be around mid-thirties to early-forties, immediately dropped to hush tones, openly admiring the bike and himself as he placed his helmet over one handle. Twirling the keys on his one finger, he waited for Silver to finish unloading herself from the motorcycle, before motioning with his head to the eatery.

"I'm not sure if you've been here before, but if you haven't, trust me when I say that you're going to love it," he said, waggling his brows as they approached the door. They were immediately seated in a booth along a windowed wall as soon as they entered, and the hostess returned with two waters for them before scurrying away to find their sever.

Snapping up the menu, Peter leaned back in his side of the booth while simultaneously brushing his hair from his eyes and off to the side.

"You know, they have some of the best sandwiches I've ever had - and I've traveled quite a bit," he pointed out. "Feel free to get whatever you want - money isn't a worry."

It was a few moments later that a pretty, blonde teenage girl approached, her name tag boldly stating her name to be Cindy, with a heart cutely drawn as the dot on the i.

"Hiya, Mr. Green!" she breathed out, slightly breathless from her rush over. She stood with notepad in hand, pink glittery pen poised at the ready, and barely seemed to notice Silver. "Can I get you something right away? Did you want your usual, or were you thinking something else today? How about our special?" she asked quickly. It was only then that she took notice of Silver, and when she did, her demeanor instantly changed, her bright blue eyes darkening slightly as she seemed to size the other girl up. "And is there something that I can get you?" she seemingly forced out, her voice a bit snippy when she asked.

Peter, for all of his good qualities, barely seemed to notice the girl's obvious advances and attempts to impress him, instead simply glancing at the menu.

"I'll go ahead and take a strawberry milkshake for now, thank you. And can we get a sampler possibly - perhaps some mozzarella sticks, onion rings, and fried pickles?" he asked, flicking his eyes very briefly to Cindy before turning his gaze to Silver.

"Are you ready to order, love?" he asked, closing the menu and setting it down. "If not, I'm more than happy to wait."

---

Wind tore through Aziel's fur as he ran through the canopy of trees that made up the Sutton compound. His legs carried him forward, the moonlight filtering through the branches shining on his mixed coloured coat. The night was peaceful, but soft crunching of footsteps echoed in various directions amongst the trees. The patrols, the pack was keeping up their guard. Aziel grimaced his lips twitching pushing harder picking up speed.

It had been a few days since the incident when his sister and friend had been taken by Rogues. The mansion had filled with wolves, allies and pack alike. It was difficult to find time alone, he had never been fond of the pack house when it had visitors. More bodies always meant more possibilities for agitation and turmoil. Running was the only action he could do now to calm his mind, to settle his growing anguish of emotions whenever he saw his sister's wounds. If that wasn't enough, seeing Charlie, such a kind girl, she shouldn't have ever had to experience what she did. Now she too suffered from wounds, some most definitely running deeper than physical much like his sister no doubt did.

The scent of a deer he had been hunting grew stronger. His wolf in full control Aziel changed direction slowing down his pace as he circled down wind from the creature. Quietly he padded through undergowth watching his prey carefully. It wasn't the full moon, but Aziel had chosen to shift these past few nights. When a wolf, it was easier for him to forget the irritation of his own uselessness during the kidnap. The simple instincts his wolf enveloped him was all he wished to concentrate on, to escape his own self anger.

As he lightly stepped closer to the stag standing proudly in the moonlight Aziel prepared himself for the attack, silently baring his teeth.

He moved.

Pushing off from his hind legs for power Aziel leaped from the raised rock he had crouched upon. The creature noticed its demise too late as it fleetingly jumped in panic but Aziel had already found his mark. His jaw stretched forward as he flew mid leap crunching on the hump of the Stag before digging in his claws.

It was over quickly.

Standing over his kill Aziel solemly sized the creature. However as he lowered his nose towards the creature a sharp scent struck him with the passing breeze.

Evangeline?

Straightening up Aziel's ears flickered back and forth as he listened to the woods. Footsteps, light and uneven. Forgetting his kill Aziel stalked through the trees quietly so as not to scare Eve. Approaching her scent closer she first came into view staggering against a bush which had caught her clothing. Her hair, it was blonde. Aziel raised his eyebrows cocking his head as he watched her quietly. He didn't want to startle her.

What was she doing out here?

Suddenly her back stiffened as she let out a cry of pain. “No ... No, not the dark,”

Her voice struck him, Aziel immediantly began to step towards her but stopped as a new scent approached. He had sensed them nearby but they must have heard Eve's voice and came this way. Peter calmly spoke to her before scooping her into his arms.

She was a mess.

Eve!? Aziel was confused. She hated the dark, this made no sense, unless...

She couldn't be? Could she?

It had been so long since she had sleepwalked, what had changed?

-----

His own question answered itself almost instantaneously. Aziel growled his claws digging into the soil beneath his paws. Moving backwards he ran. He ran back through the trees towards his kill. Locking his teeth around the stags neck Aziel lifted the creature
from the ground and began carrying it back to the mansion. As he neared the building the trees began to dispearse.

Stepping out from the shadow of the branches Aziel's wolf form plodded across the lawn. He spotted Jared watching him from of the windows before nodding and moving away. The back of the mansion had many windows overlooking the forest. Aziel had always been an incredibly large wolf, his structure overpowering to most the weight of his body leaving deep footprints in the damp soil. As he reached the decking at the back of the house he dropped his Stag on the grass nearby before stepping onto the pine wood and beginning his shift.

His bones cracked, his back arched, his fur pulled itself back into his human shell.

---

Shaking off the pins and needles Aziel strecthed out his human limbs. Glancing towards one of the deck chairs he picked up the pair of dark grey slacks and black t-shirt donning them over his naked skin. He always left his clothes on the same chair, it was a habit of his, but he knew it gave his mother some comfort knowing where he was if she couldn't find him in the house.

Turning around he picked up the Stag by the horns throwing it over his shoulder before opening the back door into the kitchen. As he entered the familiar room a fresh smell of chamomile and lavender filled the room. It may not have smelt so obvious to a human. Down the hall Aziel could hear Dana' speaking to his parents. He wasn't sure what they were saying exactly, but from the pitch of their voices it was more than likely about Eve.

Tightening his grip on the Stag Aziel threw it over his shoulder and onto the table, it made a thump from the weight. Not bothering to turn the lights on Aziel leant his hands on the table either side of the stag, slowly he released a heavy sigh.

Was there nothing he could do to make this right? Other than hunting Richard that is.

Alone with his thoughts Aziel contemplated his own emotions. Running as a wolf had pushed them back for only a short time. Anger, sadness, it was a mix between the two. He knew he could have done more, he should have been there much sooner than he had have been.

Suprisingly, as Aziel took in a deep breath the smell of the lavender in the room calmed him somewhat. It was soothing.
Looking to the counter he saw the kettle neatly placed to the side, water droplets sliding down the base. It had recently been used, and was most likely the source of chamomile and lavender.

Raising an eyebrow curiously Aziel took his hands from the table, leaving the stag behind for his mother to prepare for a meal he wondered through the halls of the mansion following the smell of the lavender. It lead him towards the library, pausing before the door way he realised who was inside. A small smile tugged on his lips as he realised it was Charlie who had the tea. Moving towards the door way Aziel leaned on the post crossing his arms as he looked into the dark room.

Charlie hadn't turned the lights on but she had decided to sit on the couch near the window. He wondered if she knew that the moonlight danced on her skin, illuminating her despite the darkness. He made another small smile as he spotted the t-shirt she was using for a blanket whilst reading quite comfortably. He couldn't say he'd seen her with it before, where had she been hiding that?

"So is sitting alone in the dark a new past time or this is way of getting away from everyone?" He asked from the doorway unsure if she had realised his presence yet.

"Can't say i'd blame you if you were trying to get some time alone. The house is chaotic right now" he sighed moving into the room leaving the lights off. Casually he slouched at the end of the couch being mindful of Charlie's feet. Leaning his elbow on the window sill he rested his chin in his palm whilst looking out at the forest in view.

"Listen I.." he hesitated for a moment trying to pull his words together. "I just wanted to say, I'm sorry. I should have been there with you," he spoke quietly his eyes glancing towards Charlie's arm. His facial features visibly grimaced with anger for a split moment before he relaxed his shoulders. "I would take it all back if I could."

He sat in silence before looking towards her, unconsciously he slowly stretched out his hand to Charlie's arm where a new scar was forming under bandages. Her branding. He hadn't told her he knew about it, she had been pretty out of it when he brought her to Dana. He wasn't sure if she was aware he knew, or if she had told anyone.

Realising what he was doing he moved away without touching her and instead trailed his hand through his hair brushing it out of his eyes.

He should change the subject, he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable around him.

"On other matters.." he began "I must say that is a very charming blanket you have there" he grinned teasingly. "Where dare I ask where you hiding that gem?"

Flipping through the pages of her college textbook, Eve settled on page 145, which was the start of the segment on small wild animals. She was growing closer and closer each day to starting her studying on the wolf species, but ever-the-obedient-student, and never skipped ahead. She made sure to read everything from cover to cover, instead of jumping between chapters as many people did. She did, however, read ahead, hence what she was doing right now.

A small red fox peered at her from the book, its eyes large and innocent in nature. Dropping her hand on top of the picture, she stifled a sigh and sipped at her tea.

"It was foolish what you did. And I'm sure you've been chastised so I'm not here to do that...I'm here to apologize. I failed you...and Charlie. As your Beta I offer my life as tribute for my failure. It is yours to take."

The words came from nowhere, leaving Eve a bit perplexed as to how the topic came up. It was unsurprising, however, seeing as she was only just now seeing Phoebe for the first time since they had all returned to the house. Of course the woman would want to address what had happened - Eve had already been spoken to by a few people about her actions and how they had affected the others.

Lowering her tea to the ground, she set it beside her and quietly closed her book before setting it next to the tea.

"Phoebe," she began, leaning forward a bit. Her stomach ached in argument to the movement, but she forced herself to do so, knowing that if she pushed through the soreness of the broken ribs, the soreness would dissipate far more quickly.

"You and I both know that you're not a superhero. And no one expects you to be," she said quietly, motioning for the woman and stop baring her neck and stand again. Eve grabbed her book and tea and forced herself to her feet, ignoring the scream it caused her foot to give. "Were you supposed to protect us? Yes," she said, and lifted her hand to silence any interruption the woman may have given. "But you're only one person, Phoebe. You can only do so much, and I for one do not expect you to completely risk your life to protect me. I should be more than capable to protect myself, but I lacked in doing so. It only shows that I need to work more to prepare myself for the unknown. And the unknown is something that will always be there. Could you predict that we were going to be ambushed at the bar?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "No, I didn't think that you could. So how can you blame yourself for something that was completely out of your control?"

Turning away slightly, she looked over her shoulder at the older woman.

"'You may not be able to control every situation and outcome, but you can control your attitude and how you deal with it.' Unknown," she stated simply, before turning away from her. "If it's forgiveness that you're seeking, than I can't give it to you. I'm sorry, but I can't forgive you for something that doesn't need forgiveness. And in this situation ... You don't need forgiveness, because you didn't do anything wrong. I know you were hurt during the fight, and for me ... That simply shows that you did everything in your power to make things right. And to me, that's more than enough."

Crossing the garage to the door, she paused with her hand on the knob. "The fact that you put your everything into helping Charlie and myself speaks so much volume for me. I can't say Charlie's views, because I don't know what they are. But I, for one, have never and never will blame you. And besides," she said, looking over her shoulder with a smile, "You're one of my friends. I wouldn't want to sacrifice our friendship over something as silly as placing blame on you for something that you didn't cause and couldn't control. The entire situation was a shit-fest, and we're all a little to blame for how it was handled. No single person was the reason for what happened. And once you realize that ..." she paused, before turning back to the door and opening. "Well, I think that the only person that you need forgiveness from ... Is yourself."

Stepping inside of the house, she shut the door quietly behind her.

It took her double the time it normally would have to reach her father's study, but when she did, she paused. She could hear the soft ruffle of papers inside, giving away her father's presence, and that alone was enough to shake her resolve. She had approached the room with determination, both to apologize to her father and to tell him about Russel, and even though she had never seen her father as a frightening man, he was definitely a bit scary to her, as all children viewed their parents. He was the authoritative hand that could deal out any punishment upon her without question, and she would have to accept the punishment no matter what.

Not that the punishments were ever very terrible - the worst one he had ever given her, in her eyes, was a grounding from her books. The worst one from the eyes of the other members of the household was him ordering her to run laps until she was exhausted, but due to her physical condition, she had never had an issue with exercise.

Drawing in a breath, she lifted her hand and lightly rapped on the door with her knuckles. When there was a soft sound in response, she nudged the door open, slipped inside, and shut it quietly behind her, as per norm.

"Hi daddy," she said with a smile. Approaching the desk, and lowered herself gingerly into one of the chairs across from him and set her book and tea beside some papers that sat before him.

A few moments of silence ticked by. Nervousness coiled within her, causing a slight queasiness to start. She wasn't quite sure how to start the conversation, so instead, she opted to just say it outright.

"I'm sorry for ... How I handled things," she said quietly, lowering her gaze to her hands playing together in her lap. "I know you know what happened, and I know you know that I tried to offer myself as a trade. And while that may not have been the ideal option ... I hope you understand that I was just trying to do what you always taught me to do - I was trying to protect the pack at any cost. And by sacrificing myself, I thought that I could protect everyone. But ... I understand now that Richard never would have let them go unless he was forced to do so, and even a sacred wolf pact has loopholes," she murmured, biting her lower lip. "So ... I'm really sorry for everything that happened, and if I could take it back, I promise you that I would."

Raising her gaze to his, she squared her shoulders and drew in a deep breath.

"And I know about everything, too. About what Russell did, I mean. I know that he let the Rogue go, and I know that the Rogue killed one of our allies' men," she said, her resolve unwavering once more. Leaning forward, she looked at her dad with what was almost desperation in her gaze. "But I also know that Russell wouldn't have let him go if he had known what he was going to do, and that he wouldn't have done so without good reason. You know Russell as well as I do, daddy, and you know that he would never do anything to endanger our pack. He may not have been born into it, but he's one of us. He loves us, and he holds so much respect and gratitude towards you and mother for everything that you two have done for him. He would never do anything to hurt any of us. He loves being a part of our pack," she insisted, her eyes begging for her father to see it from her view. "Please, daddy - don't hurt him. I-I-" she cut off, tears gathering in her eyes. Raising a bandaged hand to her equally-bandaged and bruised face, she wiped at the warm liquid. "He's my mate, and I love him," she whispered out, ending on a soft sob. "Please, don't let the other pack hurt him. I know Ian, and I know Eliza. I know that Ian wants revenge, and I know that he wants Russell to pay for what he caused. But allowing him to kill Russell also goes against all wolf ethics. Russell's been claimed - and I'm the one claiming him" she said, her voice holding a firmness that was taken away a bit by the tears in her eyes. Clenching her hands together in her lap, she squared her jaw. "I love you, daddy, and I hold nothing but respect for you. But if you allow Russell to be taken by Ian's pack and harmed in any way, I will not hesitate to do what I have to in order to protect him. Even if it means putting my own life at stake. And I have no doubt that you can understand where I'm coming from, because you would do the same thing if it was my mother who was in Russell's position."

Leaning back, Eve allowed herself to relax a bit, the ache in her body screaming and shooting off warning signals that she was nearing her limit.

"Please, do what you know is the right thing. At least get Russell's side of the story," she begged softly, the exhaustion and defeat inside of her evident in the pallor and expression on her face.

---

"Actually why don't you order for me 'hun'?"

Peter raised a brow in surprise when Silver spoke, a small smirk turning up the corners of his lips. It gave him a charming appearance, and he flicked a glance at the menu.

"I always get the same thing and I feel like mixing it up for once. Oh I usually get a burger so anything other than that."

Grabbing her menu and placing it atop his, he held them out to Cindy, who was openly glaring at Silver at this point. The jealousy in the girl's eyes would have been flattering, had it not been focused on his companion, who he genuinely enjoyed spending time with. She had spunk, and her responses amused him, unlike the bimbo that stood beside them, notepad at the ready.

"My lovely partner in crime will take the Chef's Specialty Wrap, easy on the lettuce, extra bacon, and medium rare for the steak. For a side she'll have the mixed fruit and a yogurt parfait with granola, and she, too, will have a strawberry milkshake. As for me, I'll go ahead and have a mushroom and swiss burger, done medium rare, with crispy french fries and a side of thousand island dressing. Oh, and bring a Dr. Pepper with the milkshake, sweetheart," he said with a dazzling smile. The girl quickly returned to her perky mannerisms, jotted down the order, before turning away, giving Silver a briefly dirty look as she did so.

Once she was gone, Peter leaned back in his booth and finger the ever-present, small, silver circular locket that hung from his neck, his gaze focused on the woman across from him.

She was definitely an enigma, for lack of a better word. He had been with the Sutton's for less than and week, and Silver was probably the one he knew the least about. At least with Aziel, he knew who his family was, and with Phoebe, he knew where her loyalties and morals were. With Silver, the only thing that he had gathered was her unwavering devotion to her and Evangeline's friendship, and her obsession with motor-mechanics. What he knew of her from the bar was little to none - he had known her name, and that was about it. At least now he knew a bit more about her, along with her age.

And he had definitely been studying her as closely as he could without getting caught doing so. When something or someone piqued his interest, he did everything in his power to figure it or them out, and he was normally very good at doing so. He had yet to meet or find anyone or anything to completely and utterly stump or escape him.

He did, however, notice her love for sweets, hence the order he placed for her having a side of fruit and parfait, and a milkshake, too.

"So how are your injuries healing? They aren't too sore, I hope?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. His locket twirled distractedly between his fingers, weaving in and out, and his blue gaze was completely focused on her, something that he had mastered doing and knew made people have mixed feelings about.

"You said you work not too far from here? I'm guessing that, with your love for mechanics, you work at the shop just down the street?"

Releasing the locket, Peter allowed it to fall back to a resting position on his chest. He leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table before him, his eyes focused on Silver. He gave her a small grin. "You should really learn to be more careful with yourself. Your injuries won't heal very quickly if you don't take care of them, and then you'll be stuck with them even longer than you originally would have been," he said pointedly. They both knew that he was right and made a valid point, and he said it both because of the fact that he knew he was right, and because he honestly cared whether or not she was taking care of herself. Why he cared was beyond his knowledge, but he was never one to just ignore his own worries, because more often than not his worries were completely valid.

"Yeah I do all the motorcycle repairs as well as helping out with the normal stuff. Frank, the owner, is really cool. I've been working for him for a few years now."

Leaning back in the booth, Peter drummed his fingers on the table, studying her features. The look of love and adoration in her eyes when she glanced out the window towards the shop wasn't hidden in the least, but instead blatantly obvious. He felt his breath shudder. It was rare to see the appreciation for a person's craft out in the open in such a way. Brushing it off, he covered the halted breathing easily with a cough before speaking.

"I've met Frank a few times at the bar. He's a good guy; it's a shame about his marriage falling out. I met the woman once. She was ... Interesting," he snorted. He wasn't wrong. Frank's ex-wife, Shannon, had been bat-shit crazy. He even remembered first meeting the lady. Frank had swung by the bar to pick up some food after a late day at the shop and had ended up staying for a little less than an hour to visit his buddies. The wife had shown up and pitched a fit, throwing out a slew of insults ranging from 'deadbeat loser' to 'rotting piece of shit'. The next day Frank had shown up with a black eye and signed divorce papers and bought a round for the bar as celebration. "Hopefully he finds someone who isn't utterly barmy," he snorted.

"What about you, What's your occupation? Traveling doesn't really give one much time to keep a job."

Peter nearly choked on his own saliva when he went to swallow. The question came out of nowhere and caught him off guard, and he smacked at his chest in order to clear it, coughing sporadically as he did so.

Once he had finally cleared his chest, eyes watering and throat aching, he straightened in his seat and leaned across the table, hands clasped atop its white surface. Looking slowly around the diner, he finally refocused on Silver with an extremely serious look in his eyes.

"Alright, I'll tell you. But it's serious and it needs to stay a secret," he said, lifting a hand to waggle a finger in her face.

"I'm actually a secret agent sent by the British government to investigate the sleeper cells stationed in the United States. My mission is imperative to national security," he said in a whisper. After a moment the serious expression on his face completely dissolved and he burst out into loud laughter, drawing a few looks from the other customers in the diner. He didn't seem to notice but instead continued to laugh until tears were spilling over in his eyes.

Finally, after his laughter slowed down to chuckles, he wiped at his eyes before settling into his booth.

"No, I'm just having a laugh - but I promise that it's not at your expense," he said with a grin.

At that moment Cindy returned, tray holding two milkshakes, a pop, and the appetizer along with two small plates. Setting the food down and then the milkshakes, she turned her focus on Peter, smiling down at him with tray raised beside her head.

"Is there anything else that I can get-" She cut off with a yelp, the tray tilting and the glass slipping across the falling tray. Before it could completely tip and cascade over Silver, Peter shot to his feet, one hand grabbing the glass and the other snagging Cindy's wrist. The instance only happened for a second, but in that brief second, attention of the diner was brought to the three of them.

His eyes darkened and locked on Cindy's as he placed the glass on the table and pushed her slightly away. It took all of his effort to release her wrist, and he practically threw it at the girl, who's own eyes were wide and alarmed. The manager started over, and he ground out one small threat.

"If you ever try that again, I will personally make you pay for it."

With that, he lowered himself into his seat, the manager reaching the table at that point.

"Is there an issue over here?" she asked, her gaze moving between the three of them. Peter leaned back and crossed his arms in response, the dark expression almost completely gone.

"I think you need to reevaluate the attitudes that your servers have towards their female customers. Next time their male companion might not be so ... Understanding," he said simply, his voice holding a slight undertone of threat. The manager hesitated before giving him an apologetic smile while at the same time grasping Cindy's elbow.

"Don't worry about your meals - they're on us today. I'll go ahead and find someone to help you for the rest of your visit," she said, immediately steering Cindy towards the back.

Heaving a sigh, Peter turned his attention back to Silver, his expression sincere in apology.

"I'm sorry about that. If I had known she would try something like that, I never would have allowed her to continue with her infatuation of me. I'm really sorry, Artie," he said, reaching across to lightly brush her fingers with his. The touch was brief and over quickly as he drew his hand back to open his two straws and shove one into his milkshake while the other found a home in his Dr. Pepper. Taking a sip of the pop, he returned his full focus to the woman who sat across from him, who wholeheartedly lived up to her name. "Where were we?"