Title: It Sometimes Takes a Push to Fall
Summary: Christmas-themed fluff. Peter/Emma, featuring Hesam, and the mention of an old friend.
Notes: I wanted to write something with Peter and Emma at their hospital's Christmas party, but the plot went in a new direction. Also, Hesam was originally supposed to be behind the decoration of Emma's office, but then I realized he couldn't do it if he was with Peter while Emma was at the party.
Snow was falling gently outside Mercy Heights Hospital. Inside, however, the air was warm and close as staff members milled about during the annual Christmas party. Red and green tinsel was draped over the entrance to every common area, the children's ward had amassed a pile of wrapped presents, and the nurses' station even had a miniature Christmas tree on top of their desk.
For the festive occasion, Emma wore silver studded earrings, a long-sleeved red shirt, and comfortable black slacks to work. In previous years, she had skipped the party, but this year was different.
This year, she had discovered she had an ability, and that there were other people out there who had abilities too. One of those people even worked at the hospital with her.
Peter Petrelli had stopped by her office the day before to drop off his latest accident report. A flyer for the party had been lying on her desk. He had held it up for her to see, saying that his partner Hesam had made him promise to come to the party after their shift. He had never asked if she was going, but the way he ducked his head a little and avoided eye contact with her as he spoke told her what he was not verbally saying.
So, here she was, gathered in the recreation room with the other employees, sipping some eggnog from a plastic cup, and waiting for Peter to show up. She already knew her mother would not be here, having decided to take the day off.
As she looked around the room at the other partygoers, someone began playing Christmas carols on the radio. Emma couldn't hear the words of the songs to know they were carols, but she could see the colors of the music, and that, combined with the sickly sweet taste of the eggnog in her mouth, was enough to give her the beginnings of a headache. She slipped out of the recreation room and headed to her office, where she kept a bottle of aspirin in her desk drawer.
As she rounded a corner on her way there, she almost collided with Peter and Hesam, who were coming from the opposite direction, both still dressed in their work clothes. Hesam was supporting his partner while Peter held an ice pack to his forehead.
"Peter? What happened?" Emma asked. She quickly helped guide him to a bench, where the two of them sat down together. Hesam chose to lean against the wall on Peter's other side.
"It's nothing," Petrelli replied. Hesam snorted derisively, earning him a dark look from his fellow paramedic.
Emma glanced back and forth between the two men and repeated her question.
"Yeah, Peter, tell her what happened." When the young man refused to speak, Hesam explained. "Mr. Good Samaritan over here wanted to put some quarters in someone else's meter that was about to expire. I told him to forget it, but he said it was Christmas. So, he goes to put the money in when he slips on some ice on the sidewalk, and bam, his head hits the parking meter." He shook his head. "And to top it all off, he still put the quarters in before I could get him to take the ice pack."
"Did you take an X-ray or a brain scan?" Emma wanted to know. She lightly touched her fingertips to Peter's forehead, then let her fingers trail along to brush his bangs back from his face.
"We just came from Radiology. Nothing's fractured. There's no brain damage. It's just a bump." Peter smiled slightly. "But thanks for the concern. I'm sorry I was late to the party."
"Speaking of which," Hesam broke in, "I'm going to get some eggnog before it's all gone. Anyone else want some?"
Emma wrinkled her nose in disgust, making Peter chuckle. "We'll pass, Hesam. Thanks. And merry Christmas."
Hesam grinned at his partner. "Merry Christmas, man. I'll let you off this time because you're injured, but next year, we're going to party." He glanced at Emma. "Why don't you take Peter someplace quiet?" he suggested. "Maybe your office?" Hesam turned to go to the party, putting his hands in the pockets of his pants. He then paused and removed his hands from his pockets to pat himself down, as if searching for something. He looked back at his co-workers. "Hey, you guys seen my wallet?"
Peter and Emma shook their heads, making Hesam scratch his head in puzzlement. "Maybe it'll turn up later," he said. He waved goodbye and walked down the hall to the party.
Emma watched him go until she saw Peter wince, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
"Headache," he explained, forcing a smile onto his face. Emma got to her feet, deciding it was best to take Hesam's advice. "I have aspirin in my office. You can rest there," she said, helping him stand.
They walked to her office, which had its door closed and its lights off. Emma came to a stop a few feet away from the door, looking confused.
"You okay?" Peter asked.
"Someone turned off the lights in my office and closed the door."
Peter glanced at her, then went ahead to open the door. The office was empty. He switched on the lights and looked around, checking that nothing had been disturbed. Some green material on the ceiling made him look up and then grin when he realized what it was.
He turned to Emma and waved her over. "You should see this," he said.
She followed him into her office, marveling at her ceiling. Someone had covered it with mistletoe. A sheet of paper had been left on top of a stack of folders on Emma's desk, weighed down by a small pigeon paperweight. Peter picked up the note, his mouth falling open in shock as he read it. Emma read the words over his shoulder.
Peter,
I've seen you with this girl, mate. Looked like you needed a push in the right direction. Oh, and about your friend's wallet—call it payment for all my hard work.
Emma glanced curiously at the paramedic beside her, who was now chuckling. "You know who did this?"
Peter nodded, his headache forgotten. "His name's Claude. I haven't seen him in years, though. I guess he's been keeping an eye on me." He glanced at Emma before adding, "He can become invisible."
Her eyes widened in surprise and she glanced wildly about the room. "Is he here now?"
"I don't think so. He doesn't like to stay in one place for too long." Peter set his ice pack down on Emma's desk, then turned to face her. "My head's feeling better. Do you want to go back to the party?"
Emma studied him for a moment. "I have a better idea." She walked over to her office door, then closed and locked it. "Let's take advantage of your Christmas present."
She rejoined Peter at her desk and kissed him. As he returned her kiss, he lifted her by the waist and sat her down in the small amount of clear space left on her desktop. This was one push from Claude that Peter was grateful for, and before the Christmas party ended, he and Emma would make good use of his friend's present.
.