A Second Chance (Peterick AU)

Chapter 1

I met the Doctor the day my world was destroyed. Not the world I lived on, no, that was still in tact. I lived on Earth before my world, the one I cared about the most, was ripped out of my life.

**

I lived in a small Chicago apartment with my better half, Patrick. We didn't have much, but we had each other and the music we wrote together. That's where most of our income came from, but that wasn't important to us. We were happy with the little we had. We were together and that's all that mattered.

On the day my world was taken from me, we had been asleep on our blanket covered mattress on the floor. My arm was wrapped protectively around his small torso as we snoozed into the later morning. It was a bit gloomy out, the kind of 'stay inside and cuddle' weather. So that's what we were doing. Cars honked furiously outside and I just laughed quietly.

"What's so funny, Pete?" Patrick asked. He turned himself over and smiled at me.

"All those people..." I smiled back at him, "They're all out and about wasting their lives away from what's really important..."

"If we were smart we'd be out there joining them." Patrick closed his eyes and cuddled close to me, "We barely cover rent..."

"But we do." I reassured him. I moved some of his soft hair out of his face and kissed his forehead, "That's perfectly enough for me..."

Patrick giggled and opened his eyes. His baby blue eyes looked right into mine and he smiled, exposing his pearly teeth.

"You're absolutely adorable!" I held him a bit tighter, "my god I'm so happy to have you..."

I finally let him go and he sat up next to me, stretching. "Being with you is one of my favorite aspects of life." He smiled down at me. I sat up and kissed him lightly.

"Why don't you go put a shirt on!" He teased, pushing me away playfully. He got up and tip-toed across the room in a shirt and some boxers.

"Why don't you go take your shirt off!" I teased right back. I grabbed a shirt from the ground next to our floor bed. I could hear Patrick rummaging around in the kitchen. Hope he wasn't looking for the cereal I had eaten in the middle of the night.

I stretched and walked out into our living room/kitchen area. Patrick was digging through the cabinet where we kept the cereal.

"You ate it, didn't you Pete." He asked, looking over at me knowingly.

"Bet I can make it up to you." I smiled sheepishly at being caught over the cereal.

"Bet you can." He walked over and I ruffled his hair. He slapped my hands away laughing. "Go get some pants on and get the mail you cereal eating monster!"

"You're closer to pants than I am!"

"But you ate my cereal."

I sighed. "Okay, okay Pat. But only cuz you ask, not cuz the cereal was good."

"Like you'd turn down food!" Patrick threw a pair of pants at me and laughed.
He knew me too well. He plopped down on our worn couch as I grabbed the mailbox key from the small bowl we kept by the door for change and keys.

"Back in a sec!" I called out, opening the door and leaving. I went down the hall and started taking the stairs two at a time.
We lived on the forth floor of a four story building. It was nice enough for us. A real bitch when we had to take groceries up, but we liked it. Had a beautiful city view if you got the right angle...

I finally reached the end of the steps and walked over to the mailboxes on the wall by the building's main entrance. I was turning my key in the small box when a man with a red bowtie Threw the door open and ran inside. He looked around wildly and hurried over to me.

"Yes! Hello...Um, can you tell me, have you by any chance seen something... Weird or strange around here?"

Weirder than you? Some rushed man with a bowtie and an brittish accent.

"No, sorry man." I said, closing the empty mailbox, "Nothing strange that I can tell."

"Drat..." He turned away from me for a moment before turning back, "Excuse me, how rude, hello! I'm the Doctor!" He extended his arm and I shook his hand.

"Peter." I smiled politely, "but I'm called Pete."

"Peter! Like the saint, or the king! He was a screwy fellow, but never mind that, great to meet you! But you're positive, nothing stra-"

As this crazy Doctor guy was talking, screams erupted from upstairs. We both looked up then at each other.

"That's a bit weird." I said before we both darted up the stairs.

The second floor was chaos. Chunks were missing from the walls, people were lying in the hall, slumped over.

"Holy Shit!" I cried out. I had just passed this floor, nothing had been wrong! More screams from above us.

"Oh dear..." The Doctor muttered, concerned. He bolted up the stairs and I followed once again. Same thing as on the floor below.

Patrick.

I ran up the next flight of stairs before the Doctor could even get a glimpse of the scene of the third floor.

"Patrick!" I yelled. I could hear screams from our floor, "PATRICK!"

I ran down the hall, taking no notice of the carnage along it, and burst into our room.

It was completely overturned. Our couch and other small furniture pieces were scattered across the room. I panicked, unable to find Patrick, until I saw a hand sticking out from under the couch.

"Patrick!" I ran over and pushed the couch back. "Oh my god, no."