Darker London

Usually, Josie didn’t pay that much attention to other people on the street, even when the crowds were thick enough that strangers had to press up against her. Usually it was an ordeal to bear in order to shop; lay back and think of Dorateymur. People would touch you in the street, it was a given. It would make you both frustrated and sometimes disgusted, also a given. It was worth it for beautiful shoes.

Maybe it had been too long since her the days that she and Stephie had challenged each other to steal for the hell of it or maybe the kid was just too good at his job; but in any case, when a blond kid managed to get his hand into her bag, she didn’t notice.

( ... )

Peter stuck his head around the door to the pilot's break room, just glad the door had been open and he wasn't about to walk in on something. "Stephie?" he asked, a sort of aloof look on his face. "Are you busy at the moment? I was wondering if you could accompany me on a work-approved fieldtrip?"

He was, in fact, trying to give her a present. But they had to drive to it, and so he was going to play 'work field trip' until he couldn't any more. "Won't take long. And perfectly safe!"

Leaving hospital, Rachel tripped and skinned her knee.

It happened just a moment before she got in the car and she didn’t think Danny had seen. That was her first thought. Don’t let him have seen. Don’t worry, don’t waste your energy.

Then, the sight and smell of her blood caught up with her, and she stared at her knee.

But she laughed and it was like a release. All the stress and grief of the funeral all the paranoia that the juice was poisoned all the indecision and fear about what to do about the gun all the fear that Zoe was irreparably ill. All of it, releasing into the air around her.

( ... )

The decision to have their family Christmas in the hospital had been Tasha's own. She was still lucid (still!) and Peter had suggested that she might come home for the family celebration. He had, however, only hesitated for a second when she admitted she wasn't ready but they could come to her. It was still a huge step in a hopeful direction and Peter didn't allow himself to be saddened by the fact that she was afraid to return home. She had very purposely used the word 'yet' and so Peter clung to that word with a vice-grip, and set about decorating his office within an inch of it's life.

( The Kringle Touch )

There were people all around her who said things like she was 'going through a phase' and 'she'll grow out of it'. Anna didn't feel like a phase or that she would grow out of anything. What she knew without a doubt, was that hardly anyone understood her at all, and most of what people did annoyed her.

But then someone in her periphery lost a grandparent. Anna didn't really hang out with Cai at all, nor did she spend much time with Zoe even though Zoe was her cousin. But she knew enough to know that Cai lived with his grandparents which probably meant his parents themselves were out of the picture.

Like hers.

And now one of them was dead.

The idea of it had hit her like a freight train. Aly was an angel, but not by birth and eventually she would die. And Peter was immortal, sure, but considering that he sure did try to die a lot. And what if he got another brain tumour and he let go without realising it?! Or gave up his immortality again?!

Anna found Peter in the dining room, pouring over some texts and looking studious despite the fact that he had about twelve pens stuck throughout his hair at various angles. Anna rolled her eyes and crossed over to him, and without a word she wrapped her arms around his neck.

On Friday afternoon, Thomas strolled into Robert McGavillary Memorial Hospital whistling to himself. The children were being spoiled by Lavinia and he had taken it upon himself to fix a delicious lunch for Stephie and come surprise her at work. When he arrived, he notified the front desk so they could page her. If she was out in the copter he would wait, though he had asked what time they broke for lunch. He wanted to be a pleasant surprise and not a burden.

When they called for her, Thomas took a seat, the bag of food in his lap. He found himself unbelievably excited to see her, and it made him feel a little giddy. Just when had this happened?! Not that he was about to fight it. Being with Stephie like this was the best thing to happen to him in a long time.

Halloween was always a difficult time of year for Peter. It was the anniversary of the day he had been rescued from his terrifying ordeal beneath the Vatican at the hands of the Templar. And sure, being rescued had meant his torture was over, but it was also the only date he truly remembered too. While he had been trapped in the dark, never knowing day from night, the days had passed without knowledge or memory.

( Dorks )

Peter gathered the necessary items on his desk and he squared them perfectly in the centre, all lined up beside his pencils. If Peter was anything, he was extraordinarily neat for no reason at all. He wanted the papers all ready so it would be harder for Nova and Razvan to refuse his proposal, though that was just a little underhanded. The mission he needed to send them on was just too important-

Clearing his throat, he pressed the red intercom button and tried to speak with authority, "could Razvan Dumitra and Nova Montaigne please come see the hospital director in his office asap?"

Down in her office, Razvan pulled away from kissing Nova as if she'd bitten him on the nose. "Are there fucking cameras in here?!"

Cai peered at himself in the mirror, his face looked tired and old, and he glared at it. This just made him look tired and old and grouchy. He tried smiling, but looked fake and annoying. Stupid face. Why'd he bother?

He sighed, and slowly made his way back to Rachel's room, trying to take his time to let them talk about... whatever hellish secrets needed to be shared. He stopped at the vending machine to kill time, but it was a helpful sort of stop. More sugar, that would help. Just cans and cans of coke, yeah, that was what they needed right now. And a raspberry coke for Rachel, because she needed liquids and sugars and liked raspberry things. Cai fed the machine and was punching in buttons when Zoe’s voice said “Cai?” behind him. He spun round to find her watching him, hands in the pockets of her hoodie and a frown on her face that was as tired as his and just as confused. Had he sent her a message as well? Had she had a vision to let her know they were here? “What are you doing here?”

( ... )

It had been happening more and more lately; so often that Peter was getting to a point where he couldn't quite ignore it any more. The blurring vision, and confusing words, all of it was so familiar.

So horrible.

( Bonsai? )

Lucine had met Peter at the docks along with her new deathless friend Nancy, but she hadn't said much at the time beyond introducing herself and Ko and stating that a vision had sent them there. She'd said she'd like to speak more privately after she and Ko had had a chance to shower and clean themselves up after the long trip from Russia.

But once showered and dressed (now in something less heavy for the milder London winter), Lucine made her way to the hospital and to meet with this Peter, the undying man who'd once been a true deathless. She was understandably curious about that aspect of him, as she was with all the dhampirs and polyy.

The receptionist (not human, good,) had taken her up to Peter's office and there she greeted the man in the door and smiled, reaching to shaking his hand. "Very nice to see you again," she said in English. "I feel much more awake now."

At the hospital in Walsall, the doctors had to re-break Astrid's wrist so that they could set it properly, and it had hurt but they'd given her morphine and that had made everything a little better. So many people and so many things after such seclusion felt a little overwhelming.

To begin with Astrid told them her name was Jenna, because she had forgotten and it was hard to really remember anything properly. They asked her things but she could give them no answers. She said, please, let me sleep and please make it all stop. They stopped asking her things and she slept in a hospital bed as Jenna and it was okay, even though her dreams were dark and blood and horrible.

When she woke up the next day and a nurse called her Jenna she balked at the name. "I'm Astrid," she said, saying her own name for what felt like the first time in years. "My name is Astrid Kensington and I was kidnapped."

The police were called but before they arrived Astrid asked them to call Peter Kemp at the Robert Macgavillary Memorial Hospital in London. "Please," she said. "He'll tell my friends I'm okay."

They brought her the phone after it was dialled and in her hospital bed in Walsall Astrid listened to hold music while Katia put her through to Peter.

Life was exhausting.

Trying to find poor Astrid with clues amounting to a pile of nothing was exhausting.

Trying to be strong was exhausting.

( I like the word exhausting )

A proper medical crew met them at the hospital, and Stephie sat in the van near his head, trying to keep out of the way as they moved him. Lucas was waiting when she finally emerged, and gave her his hand to help her jump down. She looked pale – not Miles pale, but pale.

“Ruined your hoodie,” she said, wiping a bloody hand on the bloody hoodie. One sticky clot fell to the ground from where it was clinging to the centre pocket. Stephie made a face.

“Gross,” said Lucas.

( ... )

Placeholder to remind me to write Peter and Sad Thomas and bedsiecuddletimes.

Zoe took a taxi back to Cai's to pick him up. He didn't want to take the car today; he didn't trust himself to drive. Not after Zoe told him what they were going to be doing. They sat in the back of the taxi together and didn't touch and barely talked.

"It's going to be really bad, isn't it?" Cai asked, though he'd seen Peter's warning. Of course it was going to be bad.

( ... )

Considering how horrified Danny had been after his nightmare, Cai's attempts to cheer him up with his antics were much appreciated. It hadn't made him smile like it might have on a normal day, but it had made him feel a little less panicky about the world in general.

Still, by the time fifteen minutes had passed, Danny was waiting outside for Cai's car, his arms wrapped around his chest as he paced the footpath. What he hadn't expected, and what froze his blood in his veins for a moment, was hearing his name called by a voice he didn't immediately recognise.

( Shit )

Peter hated MRIs, he decided. Technically he had decided this several MRIs ago, but he was rudely reminded every time he slid into the vile machine and it beeped viciously at him. Then he would listen to inane music on his iPod for twenty minutes while he tried to ignore the jackhammer-like sound the machine made as it worked.

Still, it was better than as stereotactic biopsy. God he hoped he didn't have to have another one of those.

When it was all over he jumped up and pulled his own clothes on, discarding the hospital gown in the 'used' bin with gusto. The results would take awhile and all he really wanted to do was drink which wasn't entirely helpful.

Instead of giving in to the delicious amber liquid he really wanted, Peter went in search of someone to talk at. Perhaps he could find one of the Littletons who worked at his hospital, or even one of the residents who felt like a chat. Upon entering the residency ward, Peter spotted Charles Allen and lifted a hand in greeting. "Hello, Charles. You're looking well."

Abby opened the door to the Kemp's house and then she glanced at Peter who was standing beside her, swaying slightly. She had found him before he had finished too much of the bottle, but he still wore a hangdog expression as she took his arm and led him into the house.

Aly Kemp was seated on the sofa just surrounded by children. William, Rasputina and Tommy were playing with blocks at her feet and she was reading Lauren a book while the tiny girl fussed in her arms. She looked up when Abby walked in with her husband, and she clearly recognised the look he was giving her immediately. "Oh goodness. Did you have to drive him home?" she asked, rising to her feet and hefting Lauren onto her hip.

( I KNOW SEKRITS )

After having tea with Thomas, Peter excused himself to head to the hospital.

If these headaches he was having recently really were a recurrence of his brain tumours, he was going to have to go through a lot of crap before he was better. There might be chemo and pain and surgery again, or they could decide not to treat like the first time he had had it. The cancer had run its course and Peter had been unable to remember his family or even who he was by the end of it.

( Decay )