darker_london | And yet another breath of fresh air (Peter, Aly)

It has been a long day. Peter has welcomed a new person to his hospital and he has spent time with Deirdre who needed his presence in the wake of her pain over the disintegration of her marriage after only four hours. He has broken up a fight between his two oldest daughters over something ridiculous like lip gloss. Peter will never understand girls, but he loves them and being firm and disciplinary is hard.

When every last child living under his roof finally falls asleep, Peter is sure he is too tired to even climb the stairs to his bedroom in order to fall into bed. And then he hears someone calling his name and when he walks to the bottom of the stairs, he looks up to see his wife standing at the top of them. She is smiling and even after four years of what can only be called a rather tumultuous marriage, her smile gives him the energy he needs to join her. She is still the only woman he can imagine spending his life with. Even after everything.

Aly meets him in their bedroom and she takes his hand. "Long day?"

"Murgh," is Peter's ineloquent reply.

Aly kisses Peter's hand, turning it over and over in her own so she can kiss his palm and then every single one of his fingers. She looks up at him with dark eyes and suddenly he isn't so tired any more.

"I think you're some kind of magical thing," Peter informs her, which is true in a way. She is an angel, though she has only been one for just over a year. It suits her. "And not just because you have wings."

"It's because I do the thing where I bend over backwards, isn't it?" Aly grins delightfully.

"Oh, I do like that thing," Peter replies, looking wistful. "I miss that thing," he says as if he is recalling an amazing holiday he once had.

Aly giggles and she gently swats him on the arm. "I did 'that thing' two days ago, don't you dare!"

"I can miss two days ago! If I recall, you were wearing that purple, lacy, get up. I miss that too."

"I'll make you wear that purple, lacey get up," she threatens him, though she is joking. And, slowly, she starts to untie her robe. "I don't think you'll be disappointed by tonight's get up either."

Suddenly serious, Peter steps forward and he takes Aly's beautiful face in his hand. He rubs her cheek with his thumb and then he gently kisses her lips. She tastes like watermelon lip balm. "Never, Alyona," he reassures her.

Things have been hard lately. It has been almost two years since they nearly split up and since then they have never had a fight. It hasn't been hard for lack of love. Aly is an angel because she was made into one over a year ago and since then she has spent days at a time confused about who she is. It is to be expected when she has someone else's voice in her head. And on the days when Aly is not Aly, it breaks Peter's heart. Which is why the days when she is are so precious. And even so, Peter wouldn't trade his life for anything. He wouldn't trade her, nor would he change her. "I love you."

"I love you too, Peter," she replies easily. She is smiling and her smile is one of his favourite things to look at. And the red lace bra and knickers she shows him when she pulls away her robe completely aren't too bad to look at either.

"I completely recant on my previous 'murgh'," Peters says with a grin. "Aly, you are breathtaking."

"Thank you! Now strip!"

Peter laughs and it feels good to just relax with his wife. Even if relaxing isn't really what she has in mind. That is quite okay with him too.