Love (Peter, Aly)

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Home was nice. It was perfect, actually. Peter hadn't seen the place in far too long and now that he was back he decided he was never leaving again ever.

Except that he continually had visions about people in trouble, and the moment one became clear, he would have to leave again. For the moment, he was safe and because he was at home and not in the hospital, he let himself feel relief. He relaxed and did his favourite things. Like showering.

Aly entered their bedroom with a laundry-basket full of clean clothes, just as Peter stepped out of their en suite bathroom. He ran a towel over his wayward hair and then slung it over his shoulders before watching his wife bend over the basket of clothes to pull out a shirt to fold. He loved watching her bend over... "Hey." Peter leaned against the wall, because it helped with the dizziness. That, and the exhaustion, as well as the mind-numbing fear that the Templar would come for him again were some of the things he hadn't yet rid himself of.

"What are you doing, Peter?" Aly asked, setting the newly folded shirt aside.

"I...took a shower?" Peter shook the excess water out of his hair and then he looked at the walls in dismay. "That was tasteless," he murmured, and he proceeded to use the towel to dry the mass of drips he had sent all over the wallpaper.

"It'll dry!" Aly said with a laugh. Peter's fussiness just meant he was back to being himself. "Isn't that the third shower today?"

"I fear I'll never feel clean again," Peter lamented, a cute little frown on his face. "I smelled, Aly. It was horrible."

Aly abandoned the clothes and she stepped over to place her hands on her husband's sides. "I know," she said, her face utterly serious. "I smelled you." Peter looked crushed until Aly leaned in to kiss his chest. "You smell wonderful now. What is that?"

A small, wicked smile graced Peter's face. "Strawberries. Your husband is a giant fruit."

Aly chuckled and she ran her hands up to cup his face. "Ah, it's a good thing I like that in a man." She patted his chest, but she did it carefully. He still flinched when she forgot and touched his back. "You know you only like that shampoo because of the bottle."

"And the fact that it's pink! And the girl in the commercial looks so zesty and full of life!"

"And full of boobs," Aly pointed out, her lips thin.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Peter gave her an aloof look and then he kissed her forehead. "Oh my God, I missed witty banter!" He clung to her hard then for a moment, lavishing in the feeling of holding someone in his arms.

"Oh, honey. Looks like you missed writing everything down like a maniac too." Aly pointed to his desk once she pulled away. It was scattered with paper and three different journals. Seventeen pens of every colour imaginable were lying exactly side-by-side, because it was, after all, one of Peter's 'messes'.

"It's slow going. My fingers still hurt." They had had a while to heal since the antics of Dragonetti and his thugs, but it didn't help that they were also out of practice. "I'm afraid I'll forget it all."

"Wouldn't...that be preferable?" Aly looked up at him, and she smiled because he was watching her in his calm, gentle way. "Wouldn't you want to forget."

"No," Peter answered quickly. "For the same reason I don't want to forget that bad things happen and sometimes they happen to good people. If I forget this...then they're just jealous men who can't handle the fact that their church isn't the big bully on the playground anymore. If I remember, then every thing I do to stop it is worth it. And I'll try harder."

Aly smiled sadly at him. "You're kind of amazing, you know."

Peter let out a deep breath and then he leaned down so he could bury his face in her hair. "Murgh. Aly...why does your hair smell like taco sauce?"

"Ask your son," Aly grumbled into Peter's chest.

"Which one?" Peter asked, and it was a very legitimate question, considering his hoarde of children.

"Caleb. He...nevermind. It was an ill-fated venture involving doing karate moves while eating lunch..."

Peter chuckled, his face still buried in his wife's hair. "I missed you all so much." Peter took a deep breath and then let it out. "And tacos."

"You're not very subtle, Peter Kemp." Aly pulled away from him, but she was grinning. "Go lie down, I'll bring you some."

"Awww, why am I always being ordered to lie down!" Peter finally leaned up off the wall and he made his way unsteadily to the bed where he had to admit he was glad to collapse into it. Just because he hated lying around and feeling useless didn't mean he didn't need to.

"Because you're walking like this." Aly then proceeded to do a perfect impression of Peter walking like an unsteady Frankenstein. Then she turned and put her hands on her hips. "It makes me nervous! I just got you back and there are dozens of flights of stairs in this house and I know the second you have a chance you'll be headed towards the roof and I don't want you breaking your neck! So you lie there and you like it! Me comprende usted?"

Peter nodded quickly. "I ...yes! Comprehending, that's me. One big comprehender... Mmmhmm."

Aly chuckled and she went to kiss him on the head. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Peter watched his wife disappear (he liked watching her leave as much as he liked watching her bend over) and then he leaned back against his pillows. He couldn't possibly have explained how much it meant to him to be back in his own bed. It was soft and warm, and sometimes it had an Aly in it. Right now, however, he was alone. That tended to make him slightly panicky. He was in a house with eleven people living in it, and he still felt terribly alone because none of them were in the room with him.

By the time Aly returned, Peter was sitting on their bed, his knees pulled up to his chin. He resembled a large, frightened squirrel, and Aly immediately set down his lunch and rushed to his side. "Peter?"

"I'm alright," Peter reassured her, despite the irrational pounding in his chest. It felt like his heart was trying to escape. "I'm really alright. I was just...lonely."

Aly gave him another sad smile and she brushed his too-thin cheek with her hand. "My poor Peter. I was lonely too. You know...? I'm quite at a loss as to what to do with myself without you." Aly had lost her older brother, and just because he now resided in her head didn't make that all better. A voice in her head was not as comforting as arms to hug her or a shoulder to lean on. She needed Peter. She always had, but that need was all the more prominent without David around. "I went all Xena..." Aly had never gone on a rescue mission before. She was relieved it had gone as well as it had.

Peter smiled weakly and he loosened his white-knuckle grip on his knees. "I know. You came to find me." All at once, Peter's smile was much more genuine. "My Aly came to find me. It was amazing looking up and seeing you there. My beautiful wife. You blinded me. And I mean literally..."

Aly grinned in triumph and she kissed Peter's cheek. "I never knew how frustrating it was to search and search and find nothing. I know how it is to be the one at home hearing nothing, but this...this was different. Horrible. I kept imagining the things they could be doing to you and the longer it took me to find you, the more it was my fault..."

"No." Peter said firmly. "No, Aly. Not your fault at all. They're the only ones to blame." And then he looked at her, his eyes pleading. "Aly...may I please have those tacos?"

"Oh!" Aly rushed to retrieve his lunch and she placed it in Peter's lap. Then she stared while Peter proceeded to wolf his tacos down as if they were his last meal. "My goodness. Okay, since there won't be any conversation while you do that, I'll do this!" Aly moved to the end of the bed, and she lifted Peter's foot into her lap. She started to rub it and Peter protested around a mouth full of food. Having his wife rub his feet made him feel so cro-magnon.

"'Oo don' have ta....hoooseeboysi..." Peter practically melted against the pillows as Aly's hands relaxed him. "'s good..."

Aly laughed and she continued her foot massage while Peter continued eating, though he did so at a slower pace now. "Good. I love you, Peter."

Peter swallowed his bite of taco and he studied her for a moment to make sure she wasn't pampering him out of some delayed bout of guilt over what had happened in February and March. She didn't look guilty, however. Just happy to have him around. "I love you too, Aly. Come on, I don't want you down there. Come up here with me." Aly grinned and she moved to join him until Peter moved back a little. "Oh...but your hands...they uhm...they touched my-"

Aly laughed and she bounced off the bed. "You know, you said that at the exact same time David did?! You boys and your germ fear. So predictable!" She danced into the bathroom to wash her hands, singing a song in Spanish as she did so. Peter felt his heart lighten. Fear of germs or no, he was still home. He was surrounded by people who loved him.

He was okay.