mercy ; peter ballard

28. m o o n s i c k n e s s

may 15, 1986

"can i bring my dog?" bea asked peter as he walked down the hall. she held his hand as he walked with a purpose. they needed to find somewhere more permanent to live.

"bea," peter began. "we have eddie."

"first of all, eddie is not a dog. second of all...peter, please! pretty please!"

peter sighed. of course, he wasn't going to say no. he could never. he stopped in the hallway, looking at her. she had those eyes. he couldn't say no to those. he was entranced by them. "fine, bea, you can bring your dog. after we find somewhere to stay, okay?"

she felt his lips in her hair before he turned to walk again. his hand gently guided her to the glass doors.

peter was in the process of fixing the whole max situation. he had a plan that was waiting to be executed. hopefully after, he will be a bit stronger.

the woods around the old lab were the perfect place for bea to build their home. it would be the exact home she envisioned with an added room for eddie. she could always add more later.

will was going to leave. he didn't know how but he was going to contact him. he opened the creaky wooden door.

"i'm going for a walk," he called out. it echoed the cabin. everyone was home. he got no answer. "whatever," he scoffed, slamming the door shut behind him.

he wandered through the woods, alone. he was utterly alone. maybe vecna could feel that loneliness, too. that pit in his stomach.

the sounds of nature surrounded him. it was calming and allowed will to focus. it was like the white noise that helped eleven travel between worlds and mindscapes. he thought if he could focus hard enough, he would be able to tap in to that part of him that vecna could feel.

he allowed himself to close his eyes and just listen. he searched his mind for him.

bea was making a base for the house when peter closed his eyes.

"peter?" she said, turning to him.

he stayed focus. "i need to focus, dear. just keep building. i'm okay."

she reluctantly looked back to the house. "okay," she said, quietly.

she allowed the walls to take shape and the kitchen began to form.

peter let the connection go through.

"will," he whispered.

he was in will's mindspace. it was the wheeler boy's basement. will was on the couch, waiting. he looked up. "henry."

"peter actually," he answered.

will looked around, nervously. "is bea there? with you, i mean."

peter furrowed his eyebrows, nodding slowly. he began to ponder if this was a trap, if they were trying to take his wife away from him again. they could have her over his dead body.

"can you tell her i want to take up her offer?" will said. will was nervous. he never actually saw the man up until now. he was intimidated.

"her offer?"

"she said i could stay with her," will replied, kicking a dust bunny on the ground. he was scared to look at him.

peter sighed, holding the bridge of his nose. 'this woman and taking in things.'

"i'll talk to her. i'll let you know. she'll come in get you at her trailer."

will whispered a quiet response of confirmation.

"be ready, kid."

will began to fade from the mindspace. peter's eyes opened.

he walked up to bea, who was waving her hands, orchestrating the finishing touches on the house.

"looks good, dear," he wraps an arm around her waist.

she jumps a bit. she lowers her hands and looks at him. "jeez! you alright now?"

"yeah, um, when you get your dog today, you need to pick up will at the trailer."

bea takes a second to process his words. "pick...up...will. oh! is that alright with you, darling? i'm sure he won't be too much and he could be a valuable asset. plus he was one of the only ones that stuck up for me."

"yeah, it's fine." 'anything for you,' he thought. he planted another kiss on her head. "just come home soon. i'll set up inside and when you get back, you can add a room for will."

"okay," she smiled. she turned to face him and placed a kiss on his lips. she felt a smile grow on his face. "i'll be back."

peter nodded. "alright. be careful. i love you."

her cheeks flushed, "i love you too."

he gave her one last kiss before letting her go. "come back to me?"

she nodded. "i always do."

he watched as she walked away. he cleared the path to the gate. she was going to be okay but it there was no harm in being sure.

will used the spare keys that were hidden specifically under the trailer home to unlock the five locks. he locked the doors behind him and sat on the couch anxiously waiting. he knew for a fact that they weren't looking for him.

to him, it was funny how quickly his mother was to freak out in nineteen-eighty-three, but she didn't even notice when he left this morning. nobody did. he announced it and everything.

he wondered if he stayed, how long would it take for them to turn on him like they did with bea. he was a spy once too. the trailer was cold. his leg bounced. where was bea?

his attention turned to the turning of the locks. his head shot up.

"beatrice?" he called.