“I really don’t know, Gary. You should ask him yourself. I know, I tried…no…there’s nothing I can do. He seems determined to go through with it.”

Peter sat in his small den on the phone to his oldest school friend, Gary Sanders. He hadn’t spoken to him for a while, but they always tried to catch up at least once or twice a year. Since Gary and his beautiful wife, Kim, had left New Huntington to follow their daughter across the country they had lost contact and only in the last year or so had they picked it up again. This was partly due to the fact that Peter had begun to worry about their son, Matthew, and wanted to let the Sanders’ know. The other reason was that he felt he needed to reach out to the few friends he had before everything went to Hell.

And, judging by the sound of an unexpected vehicle pulling up in his driveway Hell was about to descend in the next few moments.

“Gary, I can’t promise you anything. But, I can tell you this. Matthew knows what he’s doing. And when you do return he’ll be there to welcome you home.” Peter glanced toward the front hall hearing the heavy, recognisable footsteps heading up the drive. “I have to go, I’ll call you next week same time? That’s cool. Take care, Gary.” He hung up, straightened his shirt and slowly made his way to the front hall just as the doorbell rang.

Opening the door, he smiled slightly as his visitors came into view. “Shadows, this is a surprise.” Though he didn’t sound surprised at all.

Matthew stood on the doorstep with two of his friends. The town’s famous mechanic and the young man who was always poking his nose into the city’s history archives. James, or something like that.

“Um, yeah,” Matthew rubbed at the back of his head. “Spur of the moment decision.”

Peter nodded as he stepped back giving them space to enter. He noticed that Matthew’s friends appeared nervous as if they really didn’t want to be there. Then again that wasn’t surprising. He was the General after all. Though he really didn’t feel like it at the moment.

“Please do come in. I was just about to have a drink.”

The mechanic, Zachary, muttered something about not being able to stay long; James just smiled blandly, blue eyes bright and wary. Matthew, calm as ever, nodded walking into the front hallway casing the place as if he were on the job. Old habits die hard, obviously. Then again it wasn’t as if he’d been out of the Creed for long. Days really.

“So,” Peter cleared his throat as they entered a large kitchen-dining area. “I heard from your father earlier.”

Matthew jolted slightly; the elder male noticed this only because he’d been watching him closely.

“You spoke to my dad?”

Peter nodded as he went to the fridge and took out a couple of bottles of Jack Daniels. Zachary lifted an eyebrow at him. He smiled and set them on the counter, leaving them there as an offering before returning his gaze to Matthew.

“Yes. You did know we went to New Huntington High together.”

“Uh…sure. Dad never really talked about school.” Matthew shrugged his shoulders taking one of the beers. “Shared something in common with me there.” He cracked it open but paused to swirl the contents in the bottle.

Peter smirked. “True, Gary was always trying to get out of things.” He added to James and Zachary, as way of an explanation, “I always backed him up. Got in a lot of trouble myself.”

Matthew raised his eyebrows finally allowing his expression to thaw a little. “You, sir?”

“Please, let’s not stand on ceremony here, Shadows.”

“I think Shads feels more comfortable calling you ‘sir’,” Zachary snapped, interrupting the tension that had increased since they had arrived. Peter shook his head and smiled almost sadly.

“Well, since he’s resigned I am no longer his superior officer.”

“Yes, but we’re civilians, it’s only polite,” Jimmy pointed out.

Peter smiled coolly at the tall male. “I doubt your friend cares too much about being polite to me after what I’ve put him through.”

“Yes, about that,” Matthew murmured. The atmosphere in the room tightened as he glowered at Peter. The General held up both his hands and sighed.

“You have questions. Ask away. I’m feeling…generous today.” Which was an understatement. Peter had his own secrets to tell or keep whichever way you wanted to look at it. And he felt that it was time some of them were aired. At least the ones that were relevant.

Matthew dragged his fingers through his hair, glancing at his friends who were staring at him expectantly.

“How’d you find out?”

“About Haner’s campaign?”

Matthew nodded. “About my part in it.”

Peter shook his head. “My brother.”

“Elijah?” Zacky exclaimed.

“Yes, Elijah. I presume he told you of our relationship, Mr Baker.” Peter opened a beer for himself and took a long drink. The mechanic grimaced as he leaned against the counter, but only tilted his head in acknowledgement. The General sighed setting his bottle down and looking at Matthew again. “It wouldn’t have been difficult for me to find out anyway.”

“True. So…I suppose that’s the real reason behind my demotion?”

Peter nodded. “I couldn’t leave you in the top position.” He wet his lips as he set his considerable weight on a stool next to the bench. “I have also abdicated my own responsibility. Berry is in control over this...”

Zacky muttered, “Chasing after us?”

The General pursed his lips. “The Creed has to do its job.”

“And what’re you going to be doing?” the mechanic asked, irritation evident in his tone. Matthew sipped at his beer and remained quiet allowing his friend to speak his mind. It was almost a relief that he didn’t have to face the General on his own.

Peter finished his beer and set it down on the bench next to him. “Me? I think I’ll go visit my brother and see what he’s up to. Maybe help him out with some renovations.”

Zacky lifted an eyebrow. Jimmy and Matthew glanced at each other. The idea of the General lifting a finger to do any kind of manual labour was laughable. His considerable size would put an end to the idea before he even stepped out of the house.

Peter smiled at their sceptical expressions. “Maybe not renovations.” He folded his arms. “But, he has a project he needs assistance with.”

“What project would that be?” Matthew asked, acidly.

“Matthew, let’s not pretend that I don’t know what you three are up to.” Surprisingly the General’s tone held no venom; he sounded almost resigned. And the fact that he’d used his first name for probably the first time, ever…

The former soldier’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you three and your other friends.” Peter narrowed his eyes. “Speaking of which, I received a memo from the Astor saying that Jonathan Seward has not returned.”

“Um…” Matthew didn’t know what to say to that one. What he’d done concerning Johnny was still too fresh in his mind.

“I know you took him to his parents. You do realise that dragging them into this could cause unwanted heartache.”

“I had thought of that…” he spoke into his bottle.

Peter cocked his head to the side, disbelief in his expression. “Really? Well, no matter. I told them to give him five days with his family and then he’ll have to return…unless…”

Matt blinked and looked at him hard. “Unless?”

“Unless you can think of some better idea,” Peter finished lightly.

Matthew’s eyebrows lifted high on his brow. “Excuse me?”

The General looked at him expression frank, “I said, unless you can think-”

“I heard you, sir…but…why would you even suggest that?”

“Yeah,” Zacky mumbled, annoyed. “Shouldn’t you be ordering him to send Johnny back?”

Peter smirked. “As I have just told you, I absolved myself of the responsibility. It’s up to Berry to decide the course of action to take.” He sighed, features softening. “And as it is, I don’t really want the lad to return to The Astor. It would kill him.” He looked at Matt. “And you. And I couldn’t…stomach that.”

Matthew stared incredulously at the General his mind chewing over what he had just spoken. The words repeated themselves in his head but made no sense whatsoever. His two friends’ cast sharp, equally surprised looks at each other and then Zacky spoke up, anger in his voice.

“What the fuck do you care? Why the fuck do you give a shit? You demoted him…humiliated him…made him execute our friend…and not just Luke.” He was actually stalking forward at the General and to the elder male’s credit he didn’t flinch. He stood and took the mechanic’s fury with aplomb.

He gave him a sad look as he replied. “I’ve lost friends in this as well, Mr Baker. Eli’s fellow band members…” He paused, vulnerability that he never exhibited appearing on his face. “They were my friends too.”

The thought that the General had friends was a strange one. Zacky stood still and blinked hard as the words flooded his mind. He shook his head, but he didn’t apologise for his stance. He was too angry. He knew Jimmy and Matthew were too. It was evident in the fact that Jimmy wasn’t smiling or making jokes, and the set to Matthew’s jaw.

“Still, doesn’t explain why you care,” Zacky said in a cold voice.

Peter nodded willing to acknowledge that point. But then he added, softly, “Your father, Matthew.”

“What about dad?” Matthew growled not liking the fact that the General had the nerve to mention him again.

“He was my best friend. Still is. If that helps clear anything up.”

Matthew shook his head and said roughly, “I want a proper explanation. And I’m quite willing to stand here all night if I have to.”

Peter blinked. “Well, then…let’s go somewhere more comfortable.”

Matthew seemed surprised by the fact that the General hadn’t tried to brush him off. “You mean you’ll actually talk?” He dug his fingers into his pockets as he suddenly looked uncertain.

The General lifted an eyebrow. “You want to know the truth, and I owe you. And considering I’m off duty and you…well, you quit, off the record? Yes.”

Matthew exhaled slowly then nodded. Then he glanced at Jimmy and Zacky. “You want to do this with me?”

Zacky rolled his eyes; Jimmy smiled for the first time clapping a hand to his shoulder in support.

“Of course, buddy.”

Matthew’s lips twisted slightly then he returned sharp eyes to the General. “Alright. Let’s do this.”