darker_london | That's Better (Peter, Aly) (Reply)

Yesterday had been Peter's birthday. And yesterday, Peter had just barely saved his son Thomas from being run over by a lorry, which hadn't made for the happiest of birthdays. Considering the outcome, however, it was better than the one on which he had discovered he had a fatal brain tumour.

Since the incident, Peter hadn't let little Thomas out of his sight. He had insisted that the boy sleep with them the previous night and he had taken him everywhere that day. Even now that he was sleeping, Peter was sitting in his room, reading a book and watching over him.

Aly, Peter's wife, appeared in the doorway and she raised her eyebrow at him. "Peter, could you come here a moment, please?"

Peter looked up and he frowned. "But...Thomas is sleeping..."

"It's alright. I want to speak to you. He'll be okay, Peter." Aly reached in to gently take his hand. Peter relented, letting her pull him out and into their bedroom. He left the door open, however, so he could still see Thomas' sleeping form. "Sweetheart...you didn't go into the hospital today?"

"Hmm? Oh. No, I told Abby to hold down he fort."

"Abby, who is helping with Thomas and Spectre's kids while they're otherwise engaged?" Spectre was touring and Thomas was dead again, and James and Marie did have Mary and Stephie respectively, but yes Abby was helping. And yes, Peter had asked her to be the boss for a day too.

"Er...yes. Aly, you know she loves to boss people around!" It was really true...

"Hah! I do. And I know she wouldn't do it if she didn't want to because she's not like that. I'm just trying to say that you're not the only one with kids to look after."

"I do have seven," Peter pointed out.

"Yes, but one is twenty, one is fourteen, three are at Mama and Dad's and one is with her mother. You're obsessing."

"I am not!" Peter sounded shocked that she would say such a thing, even though she was clearly right.

"Yes you are. Honey, it's okay. You saved our son." Aly stepped closer to him then, pressing herself up against him. "You can relax. Or...various."

"Aly," Peter breathed, and he leaned his face down to her hair. His hands went to gently hold her shoulders. "You know it's very hard to continue to focus on my issues when you do this..."

Aly smiled against his chest and she looked up at him, planting a small kiss on the corner of his lips. "I know. It pleases me. Peter, what are you afraid of?"

Wasn't that a good question? And it got to the very heart of the matter as well. What was he afraid of? "Aly...I'm just...I keep thinking I'll wake up and I will have been two seconds too late."

"You weren't, Peter. You saved Thomas."

"Yes...I know, but-" Peter took a deep breath. "But I saved Samantha too..."

"Oh." Aly clued in then and she moved her hands to cover his. Samantha had been a demon Peter had saved from herself, but she had gone back to violence at the first opportunity. She didn't partake in it anymore, but her life with her husband Paul was ruined. Everything she had had was gone. "Peter, that wasn't your fault. You can't control everything."

"I feel like I can't control anything!" Peter admitted. "I have...all these demons in the hospital, all depending on me... Abby can't get through to Evan and Darren like I can... And if I make one false move, it could be the difference between success and disaster and yesterday...just brought that into the limelight a little, I think. Our little Thomas..."

"Is fine," Aly repeated. "He's happy. He doesn't remember. And now your wife wants to show you how grateful she is, and give you the birthday present she couldn't give you last night and she can't do that if you're obsessing."

Peter smiled lightly at her and he kissed her hair. "You'll distract me from the Wrath of Atlas?"

"Yes, Peter. The world can rest on someone else's shoulders for a few hours."