The Way of Things, Chapter 32
Peter rubbed his eyes blearily, another long day without Rose done and gone. He’d come home and, after a light supper, had spent a few hours working at the table in the kitchen. After re-reading the same report for the fourth time, he’d given up, moving to stretch out on the sofa. He had a new book he’d been meaning to read for ages, and hoped it
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she looked over to see him thoughtfully chewing on the end of his pen. Damn him and his oral fixation, anyway.
Oh, she loves it. The fangirls know.
He’d brought that under control quickly, had swung hard-over to aloof sarcasm; and she’d begun to wonder if she’d had a chat with Mickey a bit too early.
Rose, he's like the wounded puppy who snaps at you when you try to fix its paw. He's defending himself against further hurt instinctively-- give him a chance. He didn't have the luxury of running a few hundred miles away to heal up.
All she had to do was forget what the previous week had been like.
Easier said than done.
She’d been wrong when she’d said the Doctor was his twin: the only thing the two had in common was their physical appearance ... she’d never felt that he completely understood her, or she him. Peter had instinctively known what would appeal to her, had understood her in a way not many people ever had.
Ah, the key! IF only Peter knew.
while I’ve no doubt you could do hand-puppets to share the information, ink-on- ( ... )
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Poor, puppy dog Peter. *sigh*
Ah, the key! IF only Peter knew.
Exactly! But--will Rose tell him? And will it be under duress?
If it's not directed at you, Peter's snarkiness is pretty funny.
My love for Snarky Peter really knows no bounds. And thank heavens the primary source of my snark inspiration--Snark Boy, as I call him--is back in the office this month. His timing was impeccable.
Ah, some perspective on our elusive Peter.
Even if you don't like the person you're partnered with, you're going to get to know them pretty well by virtue of exposure. EGT specifically requested Penny having a talk with Rose, and thus that bit was born.
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Shall I dig back up that set of comments from Chapter whatever-it-was? XD
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Dammit! It's so good, but dammit they're SO stubborn!
It's 9 am and I'm frustrated! Make out and get it over with already!
And this is how good this story is that it can get that kind of reaction out of me this early in the morning.
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The mind does boggle at how a woman could stand in front of a man who looks like Carlisle, and not jump his bones. ;)
And this is how good this story is that it can get that kind of reaction out of me this early in the morning.
More effective than coffee, then?
Have a good day!
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First she's treated to regular scruffy Peter, then cleaned-up Peter, then jammies Peter, then jeans and a band t-shirt Peter, then actually-wears-color Peter, and now absent-minded-professor Peter and still she resists?
What is the woman made of? Dry ice?
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No one wants to work with him, even if everyone admits he’s good at his job ... But since you all came up here, he’s…I don’t know. He’s got some spark, I suppose. He cares about what he’s doing, and it’s suddenly been much better working with him. And then, last week-I’ve never seen him like that. It even crossed my mind that some weird alien body-swap might have happened, so different was he.”
So Penny's definitely seen the change in him. And for Rose, hearing it from him... Well, he's not exactly Peter's friend, but he cares, and I think Rose needs some outide perspective that isn't from Jackie and Mickey.
Thought he’d given up on women, actually-don’t tell anyone, but there’s a station pool on how long it’s been between shags for him. None of the estimates is under three years.”
This should really tell Rose how special she is to him. He's been more or less a monk for 3 years or more, and suddenly, he's dallying with her and opening up to her? He ( ... )
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She definitely needed that outside perspective. Penny's someone with nothing vested in the outcome of the situation; and while the words of Jake or James or Jackie are just as true as Penny's, his perceived neutrality adds extra weight to his observations.
This should really tell Rose how special she is to him.
It should--and were she outside the immediacy of the moment, I think it might. But to hear that co-workers were doing such a thing, and about a man she cares about...
Peter needs someone to care-- he hasn't got a support group the way Rose does.
Exactly.
I took the last bit to be her playing on his phrse, not actually really referring to Peter like that-- am I right?
You're exactly right. :)
so doesn't that include isolated places like the ladies'? Hmmm...I thought I slipped this in somewhere in these past few chapters: the station is considered a 'safe place', and so the rule doesn't *really* apply. Safe, because it's populated enough with ( ... )
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If she only knew that that is just the tip of the iceberg...
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I'm off to lunch now--food! Sammies!--but I'll start on the second bout of replies when I get back.
In the meantime--*points to icon*
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Ah, but what will the catalyst be? *waggles eyebrows*
I know you're going to do ficlets, but there's going to be a sequel right?....
Now...don't take this the wrong way...but the thought of writing a proper sequel currently sends me into shivers of horror. I love writing Peter, I love writing Rose, I love this story to bits. But...it's a huge commitment. Literally every spare moment I have--and even some which aren't so spare--is dedicated to this fic right now, to ensuring that I do right by Peter and by Rose as I get them to their happy ending. Well, I say ending, but it's not really. So...I'd love to do a sequel, but until I'm mentally up for doing something huge again, ficlets will bridge some of the gaps. (that sounds an awful lot like whingeing, and I'm sorry about that. It's not--it's just that writing something takes a lot of effort!)
I do have one ficlet request. Peter's kitchen, either cooking dinner or ( ... )
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hehe, yes, let's count the possibilities.
(that sounds an awful lot like whingeing, and I'm sorry about that. It's not--it's just that writing something takes a lot of effort!)
I know, I know. you're entirely entiltled to it with all the effort you've put forth. sanity first, then fic.
EGT can correct me if I'm wrong here, but this is already taken care of, twice over. I, too, love Peter's kitchen--and, more to the point, Peter in Peter's kitchen. ;)
kitchen savvy males are delightful aren't they? maybe Rose could take him shopping for a bigger couch? umm, I'd better stop before my mind gets hijacked by the bunny.....
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You mean like one of those huge things from Restoration Hardware? I can't find any pics on the site to do it justice, but I look like a five-year-old sitting on one of those, they're so deep. Perfect for napping and, er, other things.
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