darker_london | Love! (Peter, Aly, Lauren)

Aly had little baby Lauren beside her on the bed, and she herself was propped up on one arm, cooing at the little girl. Lauren had spent the entire morning screaming as she was passed mercilessly between Aly's relatives who were arriving in droves from Valencia. And no matter how Aly protested, saying Lauren didn't like strangers, her family insisted they were not strangers and they continued to hold the little girl. Which was why Aly had escaped to the bedroom.

About twenty minutes later, Peter slipped in through the door and he turned to face his wife. "Baby Thomas is still doing the rounds. He seems especially fond of Miguel..." Little Thomas, as opposed to Lauren, loved people. You could hand him to complete strangers in a supermarket and he'd be pleased as punch. Not...that either of them would do that.

"You have lipstick on your cheek." Aly said, looking up at him with a wicked little smile on her face.

"What? Arse!" Peter ducked into the bathroom and he emerged a few moments later, though the lipstick mark wasn't completely gone. "What does Aunt Rosalia use?! It's water proof, but apparently it comes off on my face!"

"Too bad you can't wipe your face with your face." Aly commented, smoothing her finger down Lauren's head.

"That's weird, Honey." Peter went to sit beside Aly and he bent over to kiss her knee. "How are you doing?"

Aly took a deep breath and she considered the question long and hard before answering. "I'm...I don't know. I miss Reina. It's a pathetic waste. I don't understand why Brian would kill her...beyond being able to say 'hahaha'."

"Unfortunately, I wouldn't put that past him." Peter said, stretching out on his stomach so he could tickle Lauren's feet. "How's our girl?" Lauren kicked her little legs as Peter tickled her, and she actually smiled, something that was quite rare for her.

"Awww, you got a smile. She's alright now that she's not being accosted by crazy Spanish people."

"One of my favourite things is being accosted by crazy Spanish people." Peter winked. "Though I could do without the lipstick..."

Aly chuckled. "Yes... I'm glad they're here. This is...what happened is terrible. But it's drawing everyone together again. There's so much love in this family. And when something awful happens, they all gather to show support and I love that."

"You know, they could stop mentioning how last time they were here, it was for my funeral..." Peter commented before kissing Lauren's little feet, and prompting a further smile.

"I think they all came up with the joke separately and they won't be outdone." Aly winked.

"Ah. You're right anyway. There's a lot of love in this world." That was what he was trying to defend, after all. The right to love. "And much of that is downstairs right now." Peter looked up at her and he smoothed his hand up Aly's leg before kissing her knee again. "And right here."

Aly gave her Peter a winning smile. "Always, my darling Peter."

"I could stay here with Lauren if you wanted to go downstairs. You should be with them."

Aly sat up, capturing Peter's lips in a deep kiss. "Thank you, Peter. You're wonderful."

Peter turned red because Aly could still and always would be able to make him blush. "Well, I have a brilliant muse."

"Oooh!" Aly slid off the bed and she kissed the top of Peter's head. "Major points for calling me a muse. I might even make you a cake."

"Or paella!?" Peter asked excitedly. "We want paella, don't we, Lauren. Yes we do!!" He waved her little arms around in the air and Lauren giggled. "I think that's settled then, Aly."

Aly just chuckled and headed for the door. "Junkie."