alwaysenduphere (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
alwaysenduphere) wrote2007-12-30 10:59 am
alwaysenduphere) wrote2007-12-30 10:59 am
Fic: Salvation (2/?)
Title: Salvation
Author:darkmerrick
Word Count: 2174
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairing: Peter, Elle, Niki
Spoilers: Five Years Gone Universe
Disclaimers: Peter's not my puppy. sadface.
Summary: Peter learns about Elle
A/n: So, this is shaping up to be a longer story than I originally wanted, in a completely different direction. Stay tuned! :P
“I worked for the Company once, bagging and tagging those like us. It didn’t matter whether or not you were dangerous; it was my job to see to it that you ended up with the Company. We had Sylar for awhile, you know, but he managed to escape. The system obviously had flaws, even then, but I was too naïve to notice. When he exploded, the Company slowly started to unravel. I could see it in Daddy’s eyes whenever we talked business. And most of our last conversations were about business. Daddy became quite important in the Company. But once I lost him…”Elle pauses momentarily, taking a moment to regain her composure, get the pulsating sphere hovering in her hand back under control. “I escaped before I was lost too. The Company was the only life I knew, and life out here is far from easy. Gets harder everyday. Some days I wonder if I waited to long to leave.” She consciously allows the ball of electricity grow brighter in her hands.
Peter watches her as her tough façade slowly breaks down as she tells him her story, then watches it quickly appear, harder than ever, as the ball grows brighter. She uses her power like a safety net, he realizes. He’s not unfamiliar with the concept, as he often makes himself invisible to block out the harsh reality of life. Once or twice, he’d even used Hiro’s power to see a time when the world wasn’t bleak, but the experiences were always fleeting. Being advanced was only a physical effect; the effect on the mind was a much harsher reality, and it left you grasping for things to keep yourself sane, whether invisibility or a glowing blue ball to make you feel in control.
“Within the company, I hurt, killed even, people for a living, and I liked it.” Peter could tell she was waiting for him to cringe, but when he made no movements, she continued. “Maybe I was miserable within those walls sometimes, just as much a prisoner as anyone else I’d brought in. But I had a purpose. Now this is all I have left.” The blue orb sparked and peaked almost supernova in her hands. But as quickly as it was there, it was gone, leaving only the slightest crackling noise as her hand became just a hand once again.
Peter tries to feel pity, compassion, something for the girl so fragile in front of him. But all he can come up with is a need for answers so he can go back to his quiet existence in his own personal hell. “So what do you need me for?” He asks, knowing full well he could just slip back into her mind and pull the answer from her. But he wants to hear it from her lips, her voice. She’s already seeping into his core and he doesn’t even realize it.
“I’m 29 years old. I’ve never been on a roller coaster, never gone swimming. But I’ve been struck by lightening 34 times. It’s getting old.” She gives a bitter smile. Peter waits for her to continue, not seeing how he can help. “I used to pride myself on the precision I had with my powers. I could take out an entire city block with a full release of power or start a car with a concentrated burst. But anymore...” She looks down at her hands. “This little power display I’ve shown you so far? It may look pretty controlled, but it’s taking practically everything I have. Bad things keep happening to me in this damn world. My control keeps slipping and I don’t know how to fix it. I need help.” Her last sentences rush out as tears begin cascading down her face.
The compassion, Peter realizes, is there. It’s sprung up sometime between his failed attempt to not care and the tears streaming down her face. It’s so unfamiliar to him anymore he’s unsure of what to do with it. Once upon at time, he would’ve rushed to put his arms around a crying girl, try and fix her problems, save her any way possible. But he’s not that person anymore, not even sure he remembers how to be that person. So he stands, still and intimidating like a statue, waiting for Elle’s emotional display to end so he can go back to the cold and unfeeling Peter he’s most familiar with now. “You want me to help you control your powers,” he states, as she wipes the tears away, visibly embarrassed at her lack of control.
“I wasn’t…Can you do that?” she stutters.
Peter’s not sure if he can or not. He’s come a long way from the poor teachings of Claude and trying to stop an exploding man, and his control is nothing if not extraordinary. But he’s not sure he could ever teach someone else his control and he’s certainly sure he doesn’t want to make the effort. At least he was until five minutes ago when this blonde with her bright blue sparks sparked something in him he didn’t know still existed. “I don’t know. Never tried.” He opens his palm and pictures the glowing ball he’s seen earlier in her hands, and it appears in his. He focuses on it a moment, flickering it stronger and brighter, then softer and weaker, then snaps his hand shut and the ball disappears. He looks up to her and sees the look of wonder on her face. “Just because I can control your powers doesn’t mean I can teach you, though.”
“I’ve never seen anyone else do…that was cool!” There’s a child’s excitement in her voice, on her face. It’s like a completely different person flew in and replaced the one with the frayed dress and shaking exterior.
Peter admits to himself that the woman child is growing on him like mold, and tries to work through his mind whether or not he can actually help her. He’s losing the battle with what’s left of his conscious when he hears Niki’s voice calling.
“Baby, you in here? I broke a heel on stage, did you see? Worst damn thing ever. I swear, one of these days I’m gonna…” Her rant stops when she steps into the room and sees Elle. “Who’s this?” It’s almost as though Jessica is back, her face hardens so quickly. But Peter knows Jessica is gone, along with everyone else Niki ever cared about. She’s replaced them all with a hardness, something even he can’t get through but every once in awhile.
Elle gives a beaming smile, sticks out her hand and announces, “I’m Elle. Pleased to meet you.” Peter just shakes his head, still astounded by Elle’s quick mood changes. Niki doesn’t take Elle’s hand.
Peter doesn’t like to read Niki’s thoughts. It’s an invasion of privacy of the worst kind, and even though they share practically everything now, there’s ten million things about themselves from their past that they never want to bring up or think about ever again. And yet, the thoughts are constantly fresh on their minds. Peter sticks himself into Niki’s thoughts, just brief enough to catch her fear of losing him.
“Don’t leave,” he tells Elle. He’s not sure what he would do if she leaves at this point. She’s broken into some part of him he didn’t think still existed, and she’s slowly pulling down walls he’s worked hard to keep up. The worst part of it, Peter thinks, is she’s not even trying, doesn’t even realize the effect she’s having on him.
He follows Niki to her dressing room, knowing the battle that’s about to come won’t be pretty, but also knowing that it’s necessary, it’s something they’ve been leading up to for awhile. He’s using Elle as an excuse when he knows he’s going to say things he’s needed to say for five years, dark, hurtful things that will hurt their relationship to the breaking point. He doesn’t want to lose Niki, doesn’t want to lose the only source of comfort he had, but something about this day has sparked that sense of nobility in him, that sense that he can save the world one person at a time. But first he has to tell the truth, painful as it may be.
**
“Remember what we promised each other?” Niki sits in her chair now, doing her best to keep her calm, but Peter can see the anger boiling underneath her skin. He remembers, and he can’t blame her; he’d probably be angry or jealous as well if he walked in on her conversing with another man. But then again, he thinks, she dances for hundreds of men five nights a week and he thinks nothing of it. “Why can’t you just let go? Why are you in such a hurry to leave me?”
He’s not in a hurry. There’s just something about Elle that he knows he can fix somehow, hopefully. Hope. Now there’s something Peter hasn’t seen in a while. It’s certainly one thing he had indeed let go of.
He tries to explain Elle to her, knowing full well she won’t understand, because he leaves out the parts about how Elle inspires something in him he hasn’t felt in over five years.
“What makes you think you’re so important that you have to fix everything?” she spits, and he knows its coming. “Why does it fall on your shoulders to save everyone?”
He’s already used DL and Micah in the argument, and they’re still fresh on his mind. Them, and the rest of the .07% of the world’s population he destroyed. Just acknowledging it in his mind makes him angry every time, but the pain, the hurt he sees in Niki’s eyes day after day has compounded and still does. When he spits out “Because I do,” the anger is almost overwhelming. When her fists pound into him, the super-strength she once had as Jessica barely noticeable because she refuses to accept that she has the power too, his anger at himself builds. “Because it was me!” he grits out, the truth finally revealed. Even explaining what Nathan did to protect him hurts, knowing that now even his own brother can’t stand him, knowing that telling Niki will push her away just like Nathan, and he’ll be alone all over again. He expects more of a reaction from her, more anger, but there’s only sadness as Niki accepts what he tells her.
Peter storms out of the room, knowing he let his anger get the best of him. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her with his words, to tell her the truth so forcefully, especially hadn’t wanted to expressly point out that he’d been the one to leave her without a family. In truth, he wasn’t sure who he was anymore without Niki. His entire existence had become the invisible man watching his lover onstage and now…what? His mind whirled with the possibilities, none of which were very appealing. But the moment he reenters the room where Elle is, one possibility pops into his head over all others, a possibility he’d been fighting since the moment he left the room with Niki.
She sits in one of the over-sized chairs, still playing with her little floating electric ball. He can see what she means now, how her brow wrinkles because she’s trying so hard to concentrate on controlling it, but it just flickers and flickers and she can’t keep it under control. It starts to spark out of control, little bolts jolting out of the edges, and she sighs, frustrated, and snaps her hand shut. He clears his throat, making his presence know, and she jumps slightly.
“Everything okay?” she inquires cheerfully.
He doesn’t bother to answer her that. “So, I really don’t think I can teach you how to control your powers. I mean, you know them better than I do, you said so yourself. And just because I control my ever-expanding list doesn’t mean I can help you with my newest acquisition.” He can see the look of disappointment on her face. All her emotions play over her face so blatantly, he thinks. He wonders how she’s made it this far in this world wearing her emotions on her sleeve. “You didn’t come here for me to teach you, though. You seemed surprised when I even suggested it. So what did you want?”
The woman child instantly disappears from her appearance, replaced once again with the distant, cold, yet fragile mysterious blonde of hours before. “Before the Company, before I had control of my powers, I set my grandmothers house on fire. I took out half the power of the state of Ohio. I’m afraid that if I keep slipping, I’ll do irreparable damage.” She falters, but Peter doesn’t even need to read her mind to know what she’s going to say next. He’s felt the same way many times in the five years since going nuclear.
“You came here because you wanted me to kill you.”
Previous
Next
Author:
darkmerrick Word Count: 2174
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairing: Peter, Elle, Niki
Spoilers: Five Years Gone Universe
Disclaimers: Peter's not my puppy. sadface.
Summary: Peter learns about Elle
A/n: So, this is shaping up to be a longer story than I originally wanted, in a completely different direction. Stay tuned! :P
“I worked for the Company once, bagging and tagging those like us. It didn’t matter whether or not you were dangerous; it was my job to see to it that you ended up with the Company. We had Sylar for awhile, you know, but he managed to escape. The system obviously had flaws, even then, but I was too naïve to notice. When he exploded, the Company slowly started to unravel. I could see it in Daddy’s eyes whenever we talked business. And most of our last conversations were about business. Daddy became quite important in the Company. But once I lost him…”Elle pauses momentarily, taking a moment to regain her composure, get the pulsating sphere hovering in her hand back under control. “I escaped before I was lost too. The Company was the only life I knew, and life out here is far from easy. Gets harder everyday. Some days I wonder if I waited to long to leave.” She consciously allows the ball of electricity grow brighter in her hands.
Peter watches her as her tough façade slowly breaks down as she tells him her story, then watches it quickly appear, harder than ever, as the ball grows brighter. She uses her power like a safety net, he realizes. He’s not unfamiliar with the concept, as he often makes himself invisible to block out the harsh reality of life. Once or twice, he’d even used Hiro’s power to see a time when the world wasn’t bleak, but the experiences were always fleeting. Being advanced was only a physical effect; the effect on the mind was a much harsher reality, and it left you grasping for things to keep yourself sane, whether invisibility or a glowing blue ball to make you feel in control.
“Within the company, I hurt, killed even, people for a living, and I liked it.” Peter could tell she was waiting for him to cringe, but when he made no movements, she continued. “Maybe I was miserable within those walls sometimes, just as much a prisoner as anyone else I’d brought in. But I had a purpose. Now this is all I have left.” The blue orb sparked and peaked almost supernova in her hands. But as quickly as it was there, it was gone, leaving only the slightest crackling noise as her hand became just a hand once again.
Peter tries to feel pity, compassion, something for the girl so fragile in front of him. But all he can come up with is a need for answers so he can go back to his quiet existence in his own personal hell. “So what do you need me for?” He asks, knowing full well he could just slip back into her mind and pull the answer from her. But he wants to hear it from her lips, her voice. She’s already seeping into his core and he doesn’t even realize it.
“I’m 29 years old. I’ve never been on a roller coaster, never gone swimming. But I’ve been struck by lightening 34 times. It’s getting old.” She gives a bitter smile. Peter waits for her to continue, not seeing how he can help. “I used to pride myself on the precision I had with my powers. I could take out an entire city block with a full release of power or start a car with a concentrated burst. But anymore...” She looks down at her hands. “This little power display I’ve shown you so far? It may look pretty controlled, but it’s taking practically everything I have. Bad things keep happening to me in this damn world. My control keeps slipping and I don’t know how to fix it. I need help.” Her last sentences rush out as tears begin cascading down her face.
The compassion, Peter realizes, is there. It’s sprung up sometime between his failed attempt to not care and the tears streaming down her face. It’s so unfamiliar to him anymore he’s unsure of what to do with it. Once upon at time, he would’ve rushed to put his arms around a crying girl, try and fix her problems, save her any way possible. But he’s not that person anymore, not even sure he remembers how to be that person. So he stands, still and intimidating like a statue, waiting for Elle’s emotional display to end so he can go back to the cold and unfeeling Peter he’s most familiar with now. “You want me to help you control your powers,” he states, as she wipes the tears away, visibly embarrassed at her lack of control.
“I wasn’t…Can you do that?” she stutters.
Peter’s not sure if he can or not. He’s come a long way from the poor teachings of Claude and trying to stop an exploding man, and his control is nothing if not extraordinary. But he’s not sure he could ever teach someone else his control and he’s certainly sure he doesn’t want to make the effort. At least he was until five minutes ago when this blonde with her bright blue sparks sparked something in him he didn’t know still existed. “I don’t know. Never tried.” He opens his palm and pictures the glowing ball he’s seen earlier in her hands, and it appears in his. He focuses on it a moment, flickering it stronger and brighter, then softer and weaker, then snaps his hand shut and the ball disappears. He looks up to her and sees the look of wonder on her face. “Just because I can control your powers doesn’t mean I can teach you, though.”
“I’ve never seen anyone else do…that was cool!” There’s a child’s excitement in her voice, on her face. It’s like a completely different person flew in and replaced the one with the frayed dress and shaking exterior.
Peter admits to himself that the woman child is growing on him like mold, and tries to work through his mind whether or not he can actually help her. He’s losing the battle with what’s left of his conscious when he hears Niki’s voice calling.
“Baby, you in here? I broke a heel on stage, did you see? Worst damn thing ever. I swear, one of these days I’m gonna…” Her rant stops when she steps into the room and sees Elle. “Who’s this?” It’s almost as though Jessica is back, her face hardens so quickly. But Peter knows Jessica is gone, along with everyone else Niki ever cared about. She’s replaced them all with a hardness, something even he can’t get through but every once in awhile.
Elle gives a beaming smile, sticks out her hand and announces, “I’m Elle. Pleased to meet you.” Peter just shakes his head, still astounded by Elle’s quick mood changes. Niki doesn’t take Elle’s hand.
Peter doesn’t like to read Niki’s thoughts. It’s an invasion of privacy of the worst kind, and even though they share practically everything now, there’s ten million things about themselves from their past that they never want to bring up or think about ever again. And yet, the thoughts are constantly fresh on their minds. Peter sticks himself into Niki’s thoughts, just brief enough to catch her fear of losing him.
“Don’t leave,” he tells Elle. He’s not sure what he would do if she leaves at this point. She’s broken into some part of him he didn’t think still existed, and she’s slowly pulling down walls he’s worked hard to keep up. The worst part of it, Peter thinks, is she’s not even trying, doesn’t even realize the effect she’s having on him.
He follows Niki to her dressing room, knowing the battle that’s about to come won’t be pretty, but also knowing that it’s necessary, it’s something they’ve been leading up to for awhile. He’s using Elle as an excuse when he knows he’s going to say things he’s needed to say for five years, dark, hurtful things that will hurt their relationship to the breaking point. He doesn’t want to lose Niki, doesn’t want to lose the only source of comfort he had, but something about this day has sparked that sense of nobility in him, that sense that he can save the world one person at a time. But first he has to tell the truth, painful as it may be.
**
“Remember what we promised each other?” Niki sits in her chair now, doing her best to keep her calm, but Peter can see the anger boiling underneath her skin. He remembers, and he can’t blame her; he’d probably be angry or jealous as well if he walked in on her conversing with another man. But then again, he thinks, she dances for hundreds of men five nights a week and he thinks nothing of it. “Why can’t you just let go? Why are you in such a hurry to leave me?”
He’s not in a hurry. There’s just something about Elle that he knows he can fix somehow, hopefully. Hope. Now there’s something Peter hasn’t seen in a while. It’s certainly one thing he had indeed let go of.
He tries to explain Elle to her, knowing full well she won’t understand, because he leaves out the parts about how Elle inspires something in him he hasn’t felt in over five years.
“What makes you think you’re so important that you have to fix everything?” she spits, and he knows its coming. “Why does it fall on your shoulders to save everyone?”
He’s already used DL and Micah in the argument, and they’re still fresh on his mind. Them, and the rest of the .07% of the world’s population he destroyed. Just acknowledging it in his mind makes him angry every time, but the pain, the hurt he sees in Niki’s eyes day after day has compounded and still does. When he spits out “Because I do,” the anger is almost overwhelming. When her fists pound into him, the super-strength she once had as Jessica barely noticeable because she refuses to accept that she has the power too, his anger at himself builds. “Because it was me!” he grits out, the truth finally revealed. Even explaining what Nathan did to protect him hurts, knowing that now even his own brother can’t stand him, knowing that telling Niki will push her away just like Nathan, and he’ll be alone all over again. He expects more of a reaction from her, more anger, but there’s only sadness as Niki accepts what he tells her.
Peter storms out of the room, knowing he let his anger get the best of him. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her with his words, to tell her the truth so forcefully, especially hadn’t wanted to expressly point out that he’d been the one to leave her without a family. In truth, he wasn’t sure who he was anymore without Niki. His entire existence had become the invisible man watching his lover onstage and now…what? His mind whirled with the possibilities, none of which were very appealing. But the moment he reenters the room where Elle is, one possibility pops into his head over all others, a possibility he’d been fighting since the moment he left the room with Niki.
She sits in one of the over-sized chairs, still playing with her little floating electric ball. He can see what she means now, how her brow wrinkles because she’s trying so hard to concentrate on controlling it, but it just flickers and flickers and she can’t keep it under control. It starts to spark out of control, little bolts jolting out of the edges, and she sighs, frustrated, and snaps her hand shut. He clears his throat, making his presence know, and she jumps slightly.
“Everything okay?” she inquires cheerfully.
He doesn’t bother to answer her that. “So, I really don’t think I can teach you how to control your powers. I mean, you know them better than I do, you said so yourself. And just because I control my ever-expanding list doesn’t mean I can help you with my newest acquisition.” He can see the look of disappointment on her face. All her emotions play over her face so blatantly, he thinks. He wonders how she’s made it this far in this world wearing her emotions on her sleeve. “You didn’t come here for me to teach you, though. You seemed surprised when I even suggested it. So what did you want?”
The woman child instantly disappears from her appearance, replaced once again with the distant, cold, yet fragile mysterious blonde of hours before. “Before the Company, before I had control of my powers, I set my grandmothers house on fire. I took out half the power of the state of Ohio. I’m afraid that if I keep slipping, I’ll do irreparable damage.” She falters, but Peter doesn’t even need to read her mind to know what she’s going to say next. He’s felt the same way many times in the five years since going nuclear.
“You came here because you wanted me to kill you.”
Previous
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no subject
This is so lovely!!!
Sad and sorrowful and I love how you have put Niki in the equation.
Aww!And Peter wantintg to save everyone! So true!!!
Loved this:
He’s not in a hurry. There’s just something about Elle that he knows he can fix somehow, hopefully.
And of course the last line killed me!!!
*bows*
no subject
yeah, i've always thought of elle as peter's ultimate fixeable quest.
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I cannot wait for the next part.
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When I saw from the summary that this is set in the "Five Years Gone" universe, I knew I had to click. Peter's character is sweet, likable, adorable throughout the whole series thus far (IMO anyway), but it was that episode that cemented my interest in him. His intensity was magnetic, and I don't just mean the cool powers at his disposal. I mean that stoic exterior that veils little of his pain, that guilt that's nearly ripped him apart, and that heart that somehow still remains despite everything he's been through. It makes you wonder what it is that he's been through, how much and how little he's changed. It makes you want to explore. And so I was thrilled to pieces to find a solid writer willing to explore:
Once upon at time, he would’ve rushed to put his arms around a crying girl, try and fix her problems, save her any way possible.
I love this part. He then tells himself that he doesn't know how to be that person anymore, and I sort of nod and go along with it because yeah, he's been through a lot that would harden a person, just like he talks about Niki hardening, just like he talks about relying on your powers like a safety net, a shell. So it's quite understandable if he doesn't still dream about saving the world. But then as he talks about Elle and the weird effect she was having on him and how it felt like hope, I realized he is -still- that person, still empathetic, compassionate Peter with a heart bigger than the world. That helping her, "fixing" her, is what gives him hope is very telling, isn't it? Like he said, one person at a time.
All her emotions play over her face so blatantly, he thinks. He wonders how she’s made it this far in this world wearing her emotions on her sleeve
And this. Oh how I love this. :) His making note of it speaks a lot to his cynicism, to their environment, and to her, a bit of an illustration of the hope she gives him.
And there is so, so much more in here that I really enjoyed. Very meaty. And just good, solid writing. So I'm definitely on the bandwagon with this. What a nice New Year's gift. ;) Have a wonderful start to the year!
no subject
FYG is my favorite episode, for that reason, actually. All we see is this sweet, caring Peter, and then that episode shows us that his character can have a hardness and it gave him more depth.
There's so much to be explored between Peter and Elle, and not just in a relationship way. I feel like there's so much about them that I can relate to. Which I guess makes it easy to write for me. I'm glad you like it.