darker_london | Crazycakes (Peter, Lauren!Aly, Caleb)

With the memory of last night still replaying happily in his mind, Peter rises from his bed and, after finding something suitable to wear so he doesn't permanently scar any of his children who might be up by now, he leaves the bedroom in search of breakfast. The house is still quiet, which these days means that Lydia and Anna are still asleep. At fifteen and thirteen, the sisters who were once close now spend most of their time fighting. Loudly.

In the living room, Peter's path crosses the eleven-year-old Caleb who frowns in Peter's direction. Caleb is a happy boy, and Peter doesn't believe the frown is meant for him. "Caleb?"

"Mum's in the kitchen, only she's not mum today," Caleb sighs. His words are spoken with a world-weariness that a child of eleven shouldn't have to have, but as one of Peter Kemp's children, the wider and more painful world has been shown to him earlier than either of his parents would have liked.

"It'll be alright, Caleb."

I know that, but this one's weird," Caleb says with another frown all for Peter. "She has a weird accent. I'm going to go watch cartoons!" And with that, the boy is off to enjoy his Sunday-morning cartoon-watching ritual.

After a hesitation, Peter enters the kitchen and he cautiously approaches the woman who is his wife. "Hello?" He has learned not to call her Aly when she gets lost to one of the many lives she now remembers living, even though she has only ever lived the one. Calling her Aly then only frustrates her. "May I ask your name?"

Aly turns and when she sees Peter she hides behind the kitchen island, staring at him with wide eyes. She looks afraid of him, though this is still preferable than when she lobbed all the fruit and then the fruit bowl at him when she was convinced she was a rich, Victorian woman and he was trying to steal her expensive things.

"It's alright," he reassures her, feeling ridiculous because she is is wife and she should know all this. "I won't hurt you."

"My name is Lauren," she whispers, her accent markedly Scottish, and it sounds strange coming from Alyona who is markedly Spanish. Peter knows Lauren. Many years ago when Peter himself was made an angel like Aly is, Lauren was the name of the young, angelic spirit who had tried to take up residence inside him. It hadn't lasted, but Peter could now remember every single detail of her life. And when his brother-in-law had died and taken up temporary residence in Peter before transferring over into Aly, making her the angel she is, he picked up Lauren's memories along the way. And Peter's too.

Peter very much hopes that he will not wake up one day and find that Aly believes herself to be Peter Kemp. He doesn't think the sight of him would be much good for her that day.

"Well, Lauren, you are safe in my home. In fact one of my daughters is named Lauren." In truth, this is who Lauren Kemp is named after. But Peter doesn't say that.

Aly smiles shyly and she looks up at him. "Really? That's awesome. I'm sorry, I-I don't know how I got here. I was in...there was a basement-"

Peter remembers the basement. He remembers when Lauren died and how she died and she doesn't think that information will be useful for Aly now either. "It's alright," he assures her. "You're here now. In London. My name is Peter."

"Could I have something to eat, Peter?"

Peter is at her side in an instant, ready to make her something for breakfast. He has to remind himself not to touch her, because even though it is Aly's body, it is not Aly beside him now. It is never easy. "I'll make you something right away," he says, trying to smile at her.

"Thanks, Pete. Ooh, you have dogs outside!" Aly is now looking out the window at Petey and Cardinal Sin who were frolicking around the backyard.

She has called him Pete, and Peter only just manages not to react with horror to that. "Yes, the dalmatian is Cardinal Sin and the collie is Petey. They're very friendly if- oh, there you go," he said, as Aly is already racing out the door to play with the dogs even as he speaks. "Right, that's-" Peter heaves a sigh and he watches her for a moment before continuing to fix her some breakfast.

"That's fine. Just leave me here. I'm cool. I'm talking to myself, which probably isn't so cool. Just come back to me, Alyona," he mutters as he mixes pancake batter and tries not to listen to the youthful whooping coming from the yard. It is a good thing he is a patient man, but he can't help but wonder what life would be like if good things didn't come at so high a price.