Title: Not Too Late
Rating: PG-13, violence
Genre: General
Pairings/Characters: Peter, Claire, Elle, Becky
Warnings: None
Word Count: 1, 231
Prompt: Rain/Water Drops One Shot #19
Summary: AU, Peter needs to find her and save her. (And he has all his abilities, with some nice new ones!)
Raindrops hit his face hard, slapping his skin sending tiny stings of pain through him as he ran faster towards the screams he heard. Just a minute ago he had been eating dinner alone in his apartment, and now he was dashing off into the night towards a voice he didn't know. He was rushing to save a person he hoped would still need saving once he got there.
He hurried past the crowds of people. They seemed to be minor roadblocks in his way as he used his telepathy to lightly part the crowds without hurting them. He paused as he got to the intersection in the middle of the city. He turned left and then right, then straight ahead as he heard the faint scream once more. He stepped on his tiptoes to lift off, but thought better of it. Her voice was just about 3 miles off, and he wondered if he would get there in time. He turned quickly to see a dark alley, and ran towards the alley. Now shrouded in the darkness of the alley, he lifted off again, up into the night.
He landed in a derelict park. It had once been a place where families could bring their kids and couples could enjoy a peaceful picnic under the shade of a tree. But, now it was overrun with thugs who didn't even try to hide their shady dealing, day or night. It was the type of place a woman shouldn't be alone at night. He lifted his head to hear her again. And for a few seconds, there was nothing. He stood running quietly to the left, then the right. But, still nothing. Then he heard it. The wet, crushing sound of metal to flesh. He rushed through the thick brush to where the faint noise had come from, using his phasing ability to cut through instead of walking around.
She turned quickly to him as if she knew he was coming. She stood a couple of feet away from him. He paused for a second to adjust his eyes to the dark shape that was running towards him. Her blade rose up and came down at him quickly. He went invisible just as quickly, and thwarted her attack. She turned hurriedly to see where he was. Her eyes scanned the darkness. But, she realized that he'd gone invisible.
"I should've known they'd send you," she said as she continued to peruse the darkness to see him.
"Elle," he said feeling the blood rush through him and letting the anger bring his radioactive ability through his hands.
She laughed at his preparation. "This isn't about you, pretty boy." She put the sword back. "He's just looking for more…"She paused to think, "…tempting lackeys to train."
She turned and ran into the forest, and seemed to vanish in thin air. He knew Elle only had one ability. But, quickly realized that she wasn't alone. He heard a faint laugh from the bushes, and his head darted to see. Her accomplice was whispering something about leaving the victim and getting back to Samuel. He went invisible to get in closer and listen in more, and but when he got to the clearing he heard the whispers from, they were gone.
He walked back to the scene and sat on the park bench trying to decipher the whisperings. And, since he didn't know if Elle and her partner were still around, he stayed invisible for a few seconds until he thought it was safe to materialize. His eyes had adjusted to the dark night, and he looked around the park to see who had been screaming. To see who he'd heard from 10 miles away.
Finally, he looked down to see the victim of Elle's blade.
She was a young girl. From her length sprawled on the ground, he would say probably 10 years old. Her blond hair soaked with rain and blood. Her faced bruised beyond recognition. He began to look down to the blade wound. And he quickly raised his hand to cover his scream. The blade had cut her almost in half. And, he reasoned that his presence stopped the assassin from finishing.
"Who would do this," he began whispering to himself. "Massacre a child like this?" His eyes glanced back and forth trying to see if the two were still around. He stood to call 9-1-1. If there was a God anywhere, she might still be able to be saved. As he reached in his pocket to get his phone, he heard a deep, strained cough. He quickly turned around and was preparing for going invisible again. His eyes squinted in the darkness trying to see where it came from. His fingers telepathically calling emergency.
His eyes found where the sound was coming from and showed nothing but shock and awe. The blond girl began coughing again. Squirts of thick blood came spewing from her mouth. She raised her hands to her chest where the blade wound was, and he watched as her body began putting itself together. She lay panting as her wounds began to heal and her face regained its color.
He stared in awe. Not because he hadn't seen anything like this before, but because he was relieved that she didn't die such an atrocious death.
"Hello, what's your emergency?' The voice came from his phone. Without thinking, he raised the receiver to his mouth and said, "Nothing, sorry." But he never let his gaze leave the girl.
Once she was completely healed she still laid there lifeless. The only thing moving were her eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness. The rain hit her face in such a way it looked as if she were crying. He kneeled down to her.
"Are you alright," he whispered as if talking any louder would make the wounds come back. He still looked at her in awe. But, that awe was quickly turning to concern.
She sat up slowly and stared into his eyes. She shook her head no, and leaned into his chest.
"It's going to be alright," he said resting his hands on her head and back. "I'm going to make sure you're alright."
She looked up at him, and shook her head again. He didn't understand. And when she saw that he didn't hear her, she barely whispered, "She killed them." The emotion of what she had uttered fell upon her and she fell limp in his arms and sobbed into his chest. "They're gone, they're gone…" she repeated over and over.
He sat with her in the rain and darkness not knowing what to do, but resolving to help her. He pressed her harder to his chest and helped her up to stand. "I'm going to get you out of here." He said. She nodded in agreement, but stayed buried in his embrace. "I'm Peter, by the way." He stared down at the fragile girl in his arms.
She looked up at him, contemplated telling him who she was, but thought better of it. She just pressed herself into him harder and began sobbing again.
Peter realized that she was too traumatized to talk here, and stood thinking of where to take her. As if a light bulb went off in his head, he looked up, and with a quick push off, they were in the air.