A Note From Lara: It's been awhile since I wrote any Pemma stuff, so I figured, in the spirit of acting on spoilers and promos, I really needed to get some out there.
Peter stumbled out of the trauma unit, just barely managing to stay on his feet as he gasped for air. His vision was blurry and he couldn't seem to keep his balance. Then, out of nowhere, a firm pair of hands caught him and steadied him, helping him to sit down in a bench across the hall. Peter was bewildered- it had been a long time since he'd been the one needing someone to catch him when he was falling. He looked up to see who his rescuer was and was amazed to meet a familiar pair of hazel eyes.
"Are you okay?" Emma asked.
He nodded. "Yeah," he choked. "Fine."
She smiled bitterly. "No you're not. What happened?"
Peter leaned back against the wall, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "This healing power is... bigger than me," he admitted as his vision started to clear. "It's perfect for what I do, but I don't know if I can handle it."
"What do you mean?"
He sighed. "When I use it, it drains the life out of me. It comes back, but then it drains away again."
Emma put a concerned hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you should stop using your ability," she suggested.
"And be normal?" he scoffed.
"What's wrong with that?" she asked.
"Everything!" he exclaimed. "I have a chance to make a real difference, to save lives! If I don't use my power, I'm not doing everything I can to save them. If somebody died, when I could have healed them... how could I ever live with myself. Emma, I'm helping people! What does it really matter if it hurts me when I'm doing it?"
"It matters to me!" she said, and the obvious sincerity in her eyes cut him to the core. "What if you go too far trying to bring somebody back?" she demanded. "What if you can't come back yourself? What then?"
Despite her obvious distress, Peter couldn't help but say what immediately sprang to his mind. "My life for theirs. Seems like a fair trade to me."
She dropped her hand away from his shoulder as if she'd been burned. "Well, it doesn't seem like that to me," she said stiffly, and she rose to her feet and started away.
Peter watched her retreating back for a moment, then, with a sigh of frustration, hurried after her. "Emma, I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Emma shrugged, avoiding his eyes. "I know. It's just... I've never met anybody as selfless as you," she said. "It scares me. Who knows if this will be the last time I see you before you throw yourself in front of a bus for... well, some idiot who walked her way in front of it." Her lips quirked up in a small smile, and Peter grinned with her.
"Hey," he protested, "I've only done that once, and the girl I saved was no idiot." She turned pink, and it gave him the courage to say, as casually as he could manage, "You know, we never did have lunch. Tell you what, my shift is actually just about over, and I don't think anybody will notice if I don't take on a third shift for once. What do you say we go get something to eat and talk about something that isn't super-powers?"
"That would be... really good," Emma said.
Peter smiled.