Snapshot Six: Selfish
TITLE: Snapshots (7/8)
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: Not mine.
SUMMARY: For Peter Petrelli, those 63 years of his life were the most significant, and they will be eternally, because she became the gift he held in return for being immortal.
NOTES: Snapshot--a record or view of a particular point in a sequence of events or a continuing process.// I did some re-writes on this one, which explains the late update =) Feedback rocks! You know, I was going to name this chapter 'Petrelli' but I decided against it. Just a little (not so) fun fact. Fluff abounds--'Ye have been warned! Just one more to go!
PART(S): 1 l 2 l 3 l 4 l 5 l 6 l 7 l 8 l or HERE
All I need
Is the air I breathe
And a place to rest
My head
"Say (All I Need)"//OneRepublic
~*~
Seven months since he proposed.
Fourteen months since they became one.
Twenty-one months since they met.
It all seemed like a whirlwind, almost unreal, and it felt like just yesterday that she had gotten her first kiss.
Elle Bishop had never considered herself a lucky girl, and she really thought she deserved all the bad things that happened to her. Until one Peter Petrelli came along, and showed her that second chances could be given. It was only one little thing she learned from him when the company had him, and then he was gone. Despite his departure, she could still feel the sensation of their hands touching, and the momentary lapse of joy from their kiss.
No wattage necessary.
Elle did not put much thought into Peter thereafter, still slightly angry at him for leaving her when he was the best toy she ever laid her hands on. The thought of him made her go a flush with anger, and self-depreciation, and she thought if they ever crossed paths again, one would not come out alive.
Instead, the very opposite occurred, and the re-crossing of their paths came to show her another life. A life in which she did not have to be a ‘Bishop’ and she could just be Elle, roommate of Peter. Being Peter’s roommate enabled her to witness and learn other things as well.
She knew Peter Petrelli was that one vulnerable guy who felt his powers too deeply, therefore making him the most powerful super-human out there. Still, the extent of his generosity and kindness surprised her, made her want to have a quarter of that humanity he semmed to carry so easily. From there on, she learned so many things from him, and with every little new thing she learned, she fell a bit more for him.
She could look at him and see everything she could ever need, and she really wondered sometimes what in the world he saw in her.
Her, Elle Bishop: bratty, sadistic, whiny, playful, and careless. All synonymous with her being, but he held on tightly to her through the rough patches they encountered. Yes, she had improved her ways, downplayed some of her traits. She had not made a complete 360 however, and Peter had expressed to her many times that he was glad she hadn’t changed completely, that her flaws could be her greatest assets at times.
Yes, Elle was completely and absolutely sure that she loved Peter with all her heart, and that he loved her just the same, if not more so. Still, her curiosity dominated her and she had to ponder aloud how Peter could love her so.
So on that night, the night that she could finally acquire a surname that did not make her cringe, as she lay in the arms of her new husband, she said, “What is it about me?”
He had been playing with her hair, basking in the peace they shared as husband and wife for the first time.
“What is it about you?” he repeated her question, unaware of what she meant.
“Yeah, what is it about me that made you, the most powerful human being in the whole wide world, choose me?”
She felt the treble of his laugh reverbrating on his chest, and she frowned playfully at him, tracing blue jolts up and down his bare chest.
“Elle!” he chastised her, only causing her to giggle.
“Come on Peter, just answer the question!” she propped herself up on her elbows, hovering over him.
He mumbled something or other under his breath and cleared his throat.
“Alright…,” he put in a pause just for semantics, “you’re hot.”
She dropped her shoulders and buried her head in her palms. He laughed at her exasperation, waiting for her to lift her head back up.
“If you were looking for hot, you could go off and make some uber-famous model fall for you, so come on Peter, tell me,” she gave him a little pout, knowing it always worked on him.
He laughed at her again, her little acts somewhat predictable by now, and he swept a thumb under her chin. “Because of that,” he said sincerely.
“That? What’s that?”
He gave her his adorable lopsided grin and took her left hand, toying with the gold band he had placed on her earlier that night.
“You make me smile,” he said softly, kissing her knuckles. “Make me laugh when I’m too serious,” he raked some fingers through her golden hair,” and just remind me that I’m not in charge of keeping this world in order.”
“I make you laugh?” Elle looked at him incredulously. “That’s it?” she laughed softly.
“No, there’s a lot more, but it’s the one that’s easiest to pinpoint, ‘cause no matter what, each and every day you manage to make me smile and laugh. No one else in the world does that,” he wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her back onto his chest.
Elle tilted her head a bit, staring intently at him, his admission proving her wrong--she really could love him more than she already possibly did.
“And you’re hot,” he added, pulling her into a passionate kiss.
She sighed against his lips, smiling like a fool, and said,” I’m going to ask you the most selfish thing in the world Peter, and if you still think you made the right choice by marrying me of all people, then by God you’re a saint.”
Laughing, he nodded,” Okay, but nothing could change my mind about you, Elle.”
“Alright…” she took a deep intake of breath, preparing to ask him the grandest of favor. “Promise that even when I’m long gone, you'll never, ever forget me."
This caught Peter by surprise, not because her question was far-fetched or anything, but because he didn’t think she would have that fear.
“That’s not even possible,” Peter breathed after a moment.
“I could never forget you--I won't even be able to love someone else as much as you,” he clarified for her, tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear.
“I’m not asking you not to love Peter, because I do want you to go on and be happy, to find some good company, but I know you’re the love of my life…And I hope a part of you will hold a special place for me, too,” she rambled on, spitting out her explanation quickly.
“Well, whatever doubts you had, you don’t need them. You’re the only thing I’m sure of in life Elle,” he kissed her temple, reassuring her.
“But you will go on,” she demanded when he pulled back.
“I’ll try,” he said with a sad smile.
“Oh great, now I’m depressing you, just when the honeymoon’s started,” she rolled her eyes and let her head fall on his chest.
“Actually, you just reminded me of something,” he said.
“What would that be?”
“You know how I’ve been playing with the Haitian’s power?”
“Uh huh?”
“Well, I’ve been practicing how to suppress my own powers for awhile,” he confessed.
This definitely caught her attention, and she lifted her head to meet his eyes again.
“What? Why? I mean, your powers rock, why the hell would you suppress them?!” she looked panicked and flustered at the mere thought of him stopping the use of his powers.
“Elle, let me finish,” he gave her a pointed look.
“Fine,” she rolled her eyes.
“I’ve been practicing so I could do just one thing, and to do that, I’ve had to work with the hardest power to suppress,” he took a deep pause, preparing for whatever impact this news could have,” the power to regenerate.”
Elle’s mouth parted slightly, and her eyes gazed at him with a hint of fear.
“It’s only human nature to protect yourself from harm, so whenever I get injured, I regenerate without so much as a second thought. I had to practice a lot to suppress my very own reflexes, Elle, put I’ve pretty much got it down.”
“But,” she gulped,” if and when you do get hurt, you won’t--”
“I’m trying to get it so I only use the early stages of regeneration. It takes longer for larger wounds to heal, and the pain is more intense, but I’ll get to grow old. With you,” he stared into her blue orbs, trying to make her understand why he would put himself in danger.
“It’s not worth the risk Peter,” she nodded her head violently,” no, I won’t let you do it.”
“Hey,” he cupped her cheek,” we made a vow, and last I remember, it’s pretty much an unwritten law that married couples have to grow old together.”
A tear escaped her eye, in awe of his sacrifices, all his sacrifices for her. She just kept falling and falling for him, and it seemed as though she always would. She then began to laugh, a sort of deliriously happy laugh with a hint of frustration at herself, and all she could do was bend down and give him a sweet little kiss.
“Seems you’re not entirely predictable, Mr. Petrelli,” she said as he wiped a few stray droplets away.
“Not with you in my life, Mrs. Petrelli,” he returned her soft kiss,” and you don’t know how much I thank you for that.”
“Like you always say, Petrelli,” she laughed, answering (per usual),”no problem.”
~*~