A Note From Lara: Well, after copious requests for this, I finally got around to updating it. Aren't you glad? Anyway, I've decided that Pemma is a bit like Spock/Uhura. It's one of those ships where you'll wonder "How the hell did that even happen?" Of course, with S/U, that's entirely because of Spock's personality. With Pemma, it's more because they're both so shut off from the world, you have to wonder how the heck they could ever lower those barriers enough to connect. I get the sense that Emma's not big on the touchy-feely stuff, which makes me think that the writers really HAVE given me what I've been looking for in a Heroes girl for a long time- Dianne! (For those of you who don't follow my long stuff, don't worry, it's not really important, I'm just rambling) Thank god Peter is like the single most touchy-feely guy in the universe. He'll more than make up for her reticence in the sappy department.

*Emma*

We'd settled for terrible coffee and stale muffins in the hospital cafeteria, since I was technically supposed to be working, and I didn't think they'd appreciate me randomly leaving to take a lunch break elsewhere when I hadn't actually done any work yet today.

"So... what exactly happened that's got you so freaked out?" Peter asked as he sat down and slid a mug across the table to me.

I gave him a look. "I'm not freaked out. Confused, though."

"Sorry," he said, looking like he meant it. Actually, he looked so sorry, it was almost comical. I grinned to show him I wasn't that offended, after all, and he gave me a hesitant smile in return.

I took a sip from the mug he'd brought me, then looked up in surprise. It was tea, not coffee. "You remembered," I said. Peter's uncertain smile burst into a happy, adorable grin that made my stomach flip over unexpectedly.

Then his expression turned serious again. "So what happened then?"

"I broke my wall," I said. His eyebrows drew together in confusion and I explained. "I was playing the cello last night. It's the first time I've touched it in years and I was thinking about... things. I got frustrated. Then a bunch of the colors focused on one place on the wall, and the next thing I knew, there was a five-foot crack in the plaster."

Peter stared at me, amazed. "I'm not crazy!" I exclaimed. "I know what happened."

"No, you're not," he said. Then he fell silent, chewing thoughtfully on his lower lip and staring intently at the table-top. After a moment, he looked back at me again, and the intensity of his eyes as he met my gaze made my stomach do that swooping thing again. Get ahold of yourself, I commanded myself, but it didn't do a whole lot of good.

"I'm not quite sure what it is you did," he finally said. "But... maybe you could try to do whatever you did again?"

I raised my eyebrows and gave him a look. "Yes, just what I need, cracks in all my walls," I said sarcastically.

"Good point," he said. "I'll try it, then. I can't play the cello, but I think it has something to do with sound waves in general. Manipulating the force of sound, or something like that."

That actually made a lot of sense. But... "You would risk destroying your apartment for me?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Not like I spend much time there anyway," he said. "I'm always here."

"Thank you," I said, all the while thinking, Another thing we have in common.

*Peter*

I glanced over at her where she sat across the hospital cafeteria, drumming her fingers idly on the table-top. Her chin was resting in the palm of her other hand and she was staring off into space... or perhaps watching the colors. I didn't know at the moment. I had taken Hiro's power last night, and I'd been careful not to reabsorb hers when I touched her arm just now. She had a faraway, wistful look in her eye and I wanted to ask her what she was thinking about.

But first I had to wait for the stupid tea to brew. Just lovely.

Finally, the water had turned the desired shade of amber, and I plucked the tea bag from it and carried it over to the table. As I slid into the seat across from her, I asked, "So... what exactly happened that's got you all freaked out?"

She glared at me. "I'm not freaked out," she said defensively. "Confused, though."

Crap. There I went again, saying something that offended her. I just couldn't seem to go right with this girl. Not that that was terribly unusual, but it was more frustrating than usual because Emma was amazing.

"Sorry," I said. But she was smiling again, and I gave her a smile in return. My grin widened when I saw her expression of surprise as she realized I'd remembered that she drank tea. "So what happened then?" I asked.

"I broke my wall. I was playing the cello last night. It's the first time I've touched it in years and I was thinking about... things. I got frustrated. Then a bunch of the colors focused on one place on the wall, and the next thing I knew, there was a five-foot crack in the plaster," she explained. I stared at her, trying to work out what she'd said. But apparently she misinterpreted my look as doubt, because she exclaimed, "I'm not crazy! I know what happened."

"No, you're not," I assured her, and went back to puzzling out what this new facet of her power might be. She had destroyed her wall... with light. No, not light. Sound. Sound waves? Vibrations or harmonics or something? I wasn't sure. But she was still waiting for me to explain this to her, as was made abundantly clear when I glanced back at her. Her dark eyes that I found so captivating were locked on my face, waiting on tenderhooks for me to make it all clear. I just hoped I wouldn't disappoint her. I was too prone to disappoint everyone who pinned their hopes on me lately.

I sighed. "I'm not quite sure what you did. But... maybe you could try it again, whatever you did?"

She rolled her eyes. "Just what I need. Cracks in all my walls," she said sarcastically.

"Good point," I said. Alright then, there was an easy solution to that. "I'll try it, then. I can't play the cello, but I think it has something to do with sound waves in general. Manipulating the force of sound, or something like that."

Emma asked, "You would risk destroying your apartment for me?"

Yes, most definitely. I'd risk a whole lot more for her, I was pretty certain, because despite having known her only a few days, she had a frighteningly strong hold on me already. But actually saying that would be a little odd, to say the least. And so I just shrugged. "Not like I spend that much time there anyway. I'm always here."

She smiled that slow, unsure smile of hers. "Thank you," she said. And in that moment, like an echo of the powers I had held before, her voice whispered across my mind, Another thing we have in common...

And just like that, everything had changed. Had I read her mind? Were my powers coming back?

And perhaps most importantly of all: Was Emma thinking about me as much as I was thinking about her?

The rest, as they say, is history.

I have this theory based on the WORDING of certain spoilers they gave out over the summer (in which they used the exact same phrases Peter used when he was first beginning to understand how his power worked) that loving Emma will restore his original empathic ability. And we've had enough proof on this show of how deeply these powers are connected to the heart to make that entirely feasible in canon, so I'm holding out hope. Reviews, por favor?