Not Mine! The tense might be a little off, because it used to be in present. Sorry :)
As the door slammed shut on the isolation tank, Peter Bishop turned to his father.
"What are the chances?" he asked simply. Anyone looking at him would think that he was simply asking about the weather – Peter had lying down to an art. Anyone who knew him well would think that he was mildly concerned. Only he knew that inside the cool exterior, his chest was constricting and his heart was pounding.
"Of what?" Walter asked innocently, staring up at his son blankly.
"Of this…whole thing…ending…" he hesitated, "badly?"
"Oh I'd say about 85%." Walter smiled and turned around to flick on a few monitors.
Peter bit down, "That's ending positively?" he hoped, but Walter shook his head cheerfully.
"Oh no – that's a very slim possibility. The risk of death, coma, or loss of sanity is quite significant."
Peter did not like those odds. He hated himself for not trying harder to prevent her from doing this. Why had he even considered helping his father? She was obviously under a lot of stress and not emotionally stable enough to make the decision. Sure, he had told her it was a bad idea, but after spending so much time with her he berated himself for not recognizing that she was just like him – a simple warning wasn't enough to get her to back down. Hell – not even a death threat could get her to stop. She wouldn't give up unless she was unconscious.
He could take her in a fight. Sure, she was a tough FBI agent who was fighting for the one she loved, but he knew plenty of dirty tricks, and as much as he hated it, it was easy for him to detach himself and hurt someone he loved if it was necessary for his survival. And her safety was necessary for his survival. Once she was out of danger those feelings would dissipate quickly and they would be nothing more than friends – he was sure. But there was just something about her that made his heart beat faster. And if that meant that he had to actually render her unconscious and tie her up to keep her safe, he would.
And instead, he had helped his father obtain and/or make the drugs that had helped add to the life-threatening situation he never wanted her in. He supposed that if anything actually started between them (which he doubted because she would never risk her life and sanity for a man like him), he would have to accept the fact that she was in dangerous situations all the time. It was part of her job. But that didn't make it any easier. And it wasn't an excuse to help her get into another one.
Then there was that tiny voice that said that the only reason he didn't want her in there was because it meant that John Scott might live. But he refused to listen to that voice, and shut it away. It was his evil, dark voice, which, while helpful in the life he used to lead, wasn't useful now. So it had to shut up. Self preservation was not high on Olivia's list of qualities she liked and found important. He was pretty sure selfishness wasn't either. So those reactions weren't acceptable here. Not with the woman who put the world in front of herself and was probably going to die for it.
And when he rushed to tell her that John was waking up, he told himself it was because they were friends, and he knew that being there when the person you love woke up was important. Especially after you just risked your life to save them. The voice that told him he just wanted to make sure she was happy and that everything she risked was worth it was also shoved to the back of his brain.
But when he saw her smile at the man who was not him – that heartfelt, adoring smile – he felt his already crumbling heart break in two.
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