darker_london | More problems (Peter, Aly)

Peter was pushing it and he knew it. He was putting all his energy into finding out just what was happening just outside of London. Small towns like Iris and military bases like Fort Haven did not just vanish. And Peter didn't buy the 'terrorist' explanation for a moment. There had to be something supernatural going on and if it was happening now, it had probably happened before. Like the Tunguska event in Russia, and similar catastrophes. Anything that wiped out an entire area without explanation. And even things like Chernobyl caught Peter's eye, as that clearly had a cause, but who caused the cause?!

Peter's quest to find the answers had become slightly manic. Aly noticed the signs, even while she was busy making sure her older brother didn't self-combust because of his dying marriage. When Peter obsessed over something, he didn't take care of himself, and considering his body was very weak at the moment, the consequences of that could be dire.

"Peter? I'm making paella." Aly called to him, hovering in the doorway of their bedroom.

"Mm." Peter grunted, flipping through the pages of a history text that was written in Greek.

"Paella's your favourite." Normally, nothing could keep Peter from paella.

"That'll be fine." Peter said, mostly to his book.

"Oh, fuck this." Aly strode across the room and she ripped the book right out of Peter's hands. "Come eat, you goon."

"I was reading!"

"I know, Grunty." Aly sighed and she set the book on the bed so Peter couldn't get to it. "You're obsessing."

Peter looked up at the worried look on his wife's face and he frowned, bringing his hands up to massage his temples. "I'm sorry. I was just...I need something to focus on. It's getting harder..." Peter was sure that the tumour in his head was supposed to be getting better and not worse... "I wanted to make a difference before I-" Before he couldn't anymore. "Before something else happens."

"Maybe it's someone else's turn to make a difference, Peter." Aly replied softly. "Now if you do not come downstairs and eat paella with your family, I will pull all your hair out and then feed that to you."

Peter raised his eyebrows. "That's a new one."

"Eh, the old ones were getting boring." Aly's smile was warm then. "Hey, Peter?"

"Yes, Beautiful?"

Aly's heart absolutely melted when Peter replied like that...so simple. And it made what she was about to say even more perfect. "Thank you. For being so wonderful. My whole life, I looked up to David as being one of the best men I knew. He was my hero, you know? And he goes and cheats on his wife. My best friend. And I know there are reasons, but excuses don't help. I know I'm safe with you. So thank you."

Peter smiled at her and he rose to his feet, intending on stepping forward to hold her and wax rhapsodic about love and his feelings because no one did that quite like Peter did. But his body had other ideas. The moment Peter was within arms reach of Aly, his eyes rolled back into his head and he crashed to the floor.

"Shit!" Aly hissed and she went to grab a pillow. She did her best to slide it under Peter's head so that he wouldn't repeatedly hit it against the ground as his body spasmed and jerked in the grips of his seizure.

Aly reassured Peter in a calm voice all the way through it, though she knew Peter couldn't hear her. It helped keep her calm as well. The seizure lasted a good two minutes, and it always felt like the longest minutes of her life, watching her husband go through something so horrifying. When Peter's body finally lay still, Aly made sure he was breathing and she rolled him onto his side in case there were complications, but everything seemed alright at first. Until Peter woke up.

As his eyes fluttered open, Aly hovered over him. "Peter?! Are you hurt anywhere?" Aly asked, as he had hit the floor rather hard.

"Wh...who are..." Peter gazed at Aly in confusion which was turning rather quickly to alarm. "Who are you!?"

"Peter it's.." Aly felt her heart rip in two. Peter was asking who she was. This couldn't be happening. She wasn't supposed to lose him to this. Not this time! "Peter, it's Aly! I'm your wife!"

"I don't have a wife!" Peter yelled, inching away from her. When Aly reached out to him, Peter shrank back from her hand. "Don't touch me!"

"Peter!" Aly practically sobbed his name and she covered her mouth with her hand. Peter continued to stare at her in horror until it was as if something clicked into place and a spark of recognition crossed his face at first. Then there was more confusion before...

"Aly?"

"Jesus Christ!" Aly breathed and she leaned forward to hug Peter so tightly he let out a little squeak.

"What...what happened?" Peter said into her neck.

"You had a seizure, Peter. You didn't recognise me."

"I had a...oh. Aly. Oh god no. Aly no, I...I saw..." Peter closed his eyes, suddenly remembering the vision that had come to him when he had fallen to the floor. "It's Kali."

Aly stiffened in Peter's arms at the mention of her friend's name. "What? Is she okay?" Aly pulled back from him and she stared into his eyes. "Is Kali okay?"

"The Templar have her." Peter bit his lip. "Fuck. I...we should call Saul. We need to call Saul." Kali was an angel. If the Templar had her, then there were more problems than just Iris and Fort Haven.

In the wake of all that had happened, Aly and Peter forgot all about the paella.