Peter is walking. He has no destination in mind, no real plan, he's just walking, sometimes running -- picking a direction at random and going that way until he hits a dead end or the radius tugs him back, then picking another way to go. It's something to do, it's better than hanging around the Tower, and sometimes he'll finds somewhere interesting to spend some time.
It's really just luck, that he happens to head in the right direction at the right time. Because only a few minutes after Elizabeth sits, he's walking down the street, trying to judge how long it's been since he's hit the two-mile mark and how much longer he has before he hits it again.
And then he sees her, and for a second he freezes, because he can't believe she's actually there, because he's not sure he should believe his eyes.
"El?" Her name is barely out of his mouth before he's sitting next to her and reaching out to pull her to him.
"Yeah, it does that too. I don't know, I don't understand how it works. I don't think most people understand how it works," he says, shaking his head.
"He's... toeing the line, at least as far as I know. The only actual illegal work I'm aware of is, unfortunately, necessary, but he's making contacts and I don't know what he might be doing and managing to hide." He sighs, and adds after a moment, "It's still been better having him here than being here alone would have been. I'm just not sure what to do about it."
His hold on her loosens just a little as she shifts, in case she does want to move away, though not by much. "Just a couple of years ago. 2011," he specifies, with a small shrug.
"Oh," she says, a little dryly. "That's comforting." SHe couldn't help it. There's just not really anything that reassuring about something like this happening and no one understanding why
She nods. "Well, it's better than nothing and there's always a chance he might not do anything. He's just trying to get used to everything, like you are. Unfortunately, his methods are a little more unique." She laughs.
But then she's pausing, pulling away to look at him. "What do you mean 'a couple years ago'. Peter, it's not..." She shakes her head. "Oh god, here we go." She sighs, closing her eyes and leaning against him, not really even wanting to think about what this could mean.
"Unique is one word for it," Peter answers dryly, though he doesn't comment on the rest. She's right, of course, and he knew it all already, and really, right now it's a subject he doesn't want to get into.
As El trails off, Peter closes his eyes. Of course the rift would pull this again. And it's not like it makes him any less glad to have her there, but still, this isn't exactly news he's glad to share. "It was, where I left from. I guess it does that more often than I thought," he adds humorlessly.
She can't stop looking at him, stop looking at the little signs of age on his face, on all the ways he's changed. This would ahve been bad enough, knowing he's been here for months on his own but to know that, before that, it's been four years? It just makes her uncomfortable.
"It's not that long," she repeats sighing and closing her eyes. She takes in a deep breath and just leans against him, taking comfort in the fact that he is there and trying not to think of anything else.
He looks a little uncomfortable under her scrutiny, knowing what she's looking for, but he doesn't look away until she leans against him. Then he closes his eyes again as he presses a kiss to the top of her head, just holding her close for the moment.
He's silent for a while, and then he sighs, and starts talking again, slowly. "There's more that you need to know. The rift that brings you here -- it also changes something about you. Sometimes it's little things, and then sometimes it can give you superpowers. Or so they tell me."
She nods, just getting to the point where he could probably tell her anything and she would accept it. It's not quite n8umbnesss but ti's an odd acceptance of the situation that is vaguely uncomfortable.
"So we have superpowers," she says in a vaguely amused tone. Great. Do we get to know what they are or do we find out by trial and e3rror?"
"Might have superpowers," he corrects. "Might change your eye color or make you allergic to peanuts. It's luck of the draw and you just kind of... stumble into whatever it is. Unless you're lucky enough to have something immediately obvious, I guess."
He pauses for a second before going on, because he might as well get it done now. "There's also, uh, angels. And demons. And a... few other things that are only kind of human."
"I give up," she says simply. "I just...give up. I will try and understand Chicago tomorrow, okay? Right now I am going to stay here and pretend the world is normal. Can we just...do that for a little while?":
She says it jokingly but there's a little bit of hope in her voice, a little bit of need.
"Yeah," he answers immediately, with a slightly sheepish note to his tone. He was trying not to overwhelm her, he's just... really not good at this whole explaining thing.
On the other hand, he'd rather Elizabeth heard it from him than a stranger, so that counts for something.
There's another quick kiss pressed to the top of her head -- he can't seem to stop kissing her, any more than he could let go of her right now, for his own comfort as much as trying to reassure her. She's here, she's in his arms, she's with him, and it's going to be a while before he can really keep himself from touching her just to reassure himself that it's something he can do again -- and he falls silent, just waiting for her to be ready to start moving, or to say something, or... really, in general, he's just waiting for her lead at this point, because he's not sure what to do.
She tries not to look too relieved but she is, she really is. She just needs a break form all of this, from Rifts and superpowers and angels and demons and the fact that her husband is from the futre...All of it.
Not ttalking about it will due for not but, at one point or another, she is going to take some serious time to hereolf for processing, she kind of needs it.
"We can't sit here all day, can we," she says after a while, her eyes still shut as she leans against hijm. She wouldn't want to, even if they could, there are things that need to be found out but a part of her does entertain the thought all the same.
Whether they should or not is up for debate, but he doesn't really care about that. At this point he's willing to give her just about anything she wants that's within his ability to give.
She smiles a little bitterly, a little sadly. "I know what I want," she says. "I just can't get it."
She doesn't mean to be like that, she really doesn't, it's just...all of this. it's so much and so strange and so not what she was expecting. She's trying not to take it out on Peter and not even that comment was directed at him so much as it is at Chicago but still.
She loves him. She loves him and is grateful for him and is so, so happy he's here, she's just...still a little lost.
He understands, and he wouldn't really blame her for taking it out on him. It needs to be taken out somewhere, to deal with it and -- maybe not move on, because he'd be lying if he said he'd moved on after all, but to not be torn up about it constantly.
There's frustration and helplessness and maybe even a tiny bit of guilt that flickers in his expression for just a second, but he doesn't give it a voice; anything he could say would be more for his comfort than hers, and right now hers is what's important.
He holds her tight, and after letting the silence sit for a little while, he tells her quietly, "Love you."
It's really just luck, that he happens to head in the right direction at the right time. Because only a few minutes after Elizabeth sits, he's walking down the street, trying to judge how long it's been since he's hit the two-mile mark and how much longer he has before he hits it again.
And then he sees her, and for a second he freezes, because he can't believe she's actually there, because he's not sure he should believe his eyes.
"El?" Her name is barely out of his mouth before he's sitting next to her and reaching out to pull her to him.
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"He's... toeing the line, at least as far as I know. The only actual illegal work I'm aware of is, unfortunately, necessary, but he's making contacts and I don't know what he might be doing and managing to hide." He sighs, and adds after a moment, "It's still been better having him here than being here alone would have been. I'm just not sure what to do about it."
His hold on her loosens just a little as she shifts, in case she does want to move away, though not by much. "Just a couple of years ago. 2011," he specifies, with a small shrug.
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She nods. "Well, it's better than nothing and there's always a chance he might not do anything. He's just trying to get used to everything, like you are. Unfortunately, his methods are a little more unique." She laughs.
But then she's pausing, pulling away to look at him. "What do you mean 'a couple years ago'. Peter, it's not..." She shakes her head. "Oh god, here we go." She sighs, closing her eyes and leaning against him, not really even wanting to think about what this could mean.
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As El trails off, Peter closes his eyes. Of course the rift would pull this again. And it's not like it makes him any less glad to have her there, but still, this isn't exactly news he's glad to share. "It was, where I left from. I guess it does that more often than I thought," he adds humorlessly.
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She smiles a little bitterly, though it has nothing to do with Peter himself. "Do I even want to try and guess how far ahead you are?"
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"It's not that long," she repeats sighing and closing her eyes. She takes in a deep breath and just leans against him, taking comfort in the fact that he is there and trying not to think of anything else.
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He's silent for a while, and then he sighs, and starts talking again, slowly. "There's more that you need to know. The rift that brings you here -- it also changes something about you. Sometimes it's little things, and then sometimes it can give you superpowers. Or so they tell me."
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"So we have superpowers," she says in a vaguely amused tone. Great. Do we get to know what they are or do we find out by trial and e3rror?"
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He pauses for a second before going on, because he might as well get it done now. "There's also, uh, angels. And demons. And a... few other things that are only kind of human."
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She says it jokingly but there's a little bit of hope in her voice, a little bit of need.
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On the other hand, he'd rather Elizabeth heard it from him than a stranger, so that counts for something.
There's another quick kiss pressed to the top of her head -- he can't seem to stop kissing her, any more than he could let go of her right now, for his own comfort as much as trying to reassure her. She's here, she's in his arms, she's with him, and it's going to be a while before he can really keep himself from touching her just to reassure himself that it's something he can do again -- and he falls silent, just waiting for her to be ready to start moving, or to say something, or... really, in general, he's just waiting for her lead at this point, because he's not sure what to do.
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Not ttalking about it will due for not but, at one point or another, she is going to take some serious time to hereolf for processing, she kind of needs it.
"We can't sit here all day, can we," she says after a while, her eyes still shut as she leans against hijm. She wouldn't want to, even if they could, there are things that need to be found out but a part of her does entertain the thought all the same.
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Whether they should or not is up for debate, but he doesn't really care about that. At this point he's willing to give her just about anything she wants that's within his ability to give.
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She doesn't mean to be like that, she really doesn't, it's just...all of this. it's so much and so strange and so not what she was expecting. She's trying not to take it out on Peter and not even that comment was directed at him so much as it is at Chicago but still.
She loves him. She loves him and is grateful for him and is so, so happy he's here, she's just...still a little lost.
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There's frustration and helplessness and maybe even a tiny bit of guilt that flickers in his expression for just a second, but he doesn't give it a voice; anything he could say would be more for his comfort than hers, and right now hers is what's important.
He holds her tight, and after letting the silence sit for a little while, he tells her quietly, "Love you."
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