Day 53, after lunch; Elizabeth's office; attn: Peter [f]

[dr_liz_weir]

Elizabeth had made her spoken promise to Dr Heigthmeyer to keep herself honest, and to assure her commitment, and now that she knew there was no way out, it was much easier just to take the plunge. There was no reason not to take the first opportunity to talk to Peter about her apparent change of heart, and there would be no clearer opportunity

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[dr_pete_g]

Peter was a little unsettled by Elizabeth's request because he could only think of painful conversation topics that would cause her to be nervous as well as requesting privacy. He didn't think he'd crossed over the line she'd drawn but maybe he had or she wanted to set more guidelines. Whatever the reason, Peter knew he would say yes. "Of course, Elizabeth. After you."

[dr_liz_weir]

Elizabeth stepped through and Peter followed, and she could immediately see that her own nervousness had made him nervous. Well, she considered, it's almost never a good thing when the boss calls you into her office for a 'private conversation', is it? Especially not when you've just made a pass at said boss, albeit a very restrained one. She knew she needed to set him at ease as quickly as possible.

Putting her desk between them, however, was not going to achieve that, she realized right away as the door closed behind Peter. Instead, she grabbed the smaller of the two chairs that sat in front of her desk, and gestured for Peter to sit in the other. "What I wanted to talk to you about," she said, getting right to it, "is that I think I might owe you an apology... or at least need to explain to you that I'm afraid I've been a little bit stupid."

[dr_pete_g]

Peter watched Elizabeth pick a chair in front of her desk and offer him the one beside it.He felt himself relax a little bit. That coupled with her words made it apparent that he wasn't going to be chastised. He gave her a curious look once he settled himself in the chair beside her. He wasn't sure how to respond other then to tell her not to worry about whatever it was but he thought maybe she needed to talk about it. So he waited.

[dr_liz_weir]

Elizabeth was gratified to see Peter relax, and that he was prepared to give her the time she needed to make herself clear. She took that time to consider how best to proceed, then drew a breath and stated her case

[dr_pete_g]

Peter listened to what Elizabeth said and had to give himself a minute to make sure he understood her meaning because he didn't want to overstep again. Elizabeth was saying that she wanted to give them a try, that he was worth the risk. Peter could feel his heart beat faster as she looked into his eyes. It was then that he could see her fear and vulnerability as she waited for him to answer.

Wanting to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere, not ever, he pulled Elizabeth's chair closer and took her hands in his. "Elizabeth, I care about you and I don't blame you for being cautious," he said looking into her eyes with equal seriousness, "I want to face those risks together, no matter what they are or where they come from."