Chapter Eighty-six

Laying awake but keeping as motionless as she could Elizabeth wasn't sure what she should do. Still asleep Peter had his arm around her pinning her back to his chest. Under usual conditions she would either just untangle herself from him or more likely nestle against him and go back to sleep. However with Peter locked in the grip of violent nightmare Elizabeth found herself afraid of the consequences if she startled him. He had already lashed out at her in the hospital the other day when she'd tried to put a blanket over him while he was sleeping with Neal on the floor. She hadn't wanted to upset him at the time but he had injured her wrist to the point that it was still sore now. He wasn't hurting her now but he was holding her tight enough that it wouldn't take much more pressure before he was.

By the time Elizabeth and Mozzie had returned from the vet last night Peter and Neal had fallen asleep in the back of the speakeasy hide space. Elizabeth had been happy to let them sleep but Mozzie had sneezed at an inopportune time with a yelp of pain. Jerked awake Peter had instantly advertised with his body language that he was not only ready for a fight but that he was more than willing to make it a bloody one if challenged. Baring his teeth with an intense murderous gleam in his dark eyes Peter had been momentarily unrecognizable. It had been a terrifying transformation from his peaceful sleep to full alert. It had been like watching a bizarre variation on Jekyll and Hyde as Peter recognized Elizabeth causing his alien aggressive countenance to relax back into the gentle man she knew and loved. Even on the rare occasions when Elizabeth had seen Peter truly angry he still had an air of disciplined control about him, but this time he had looked more like a wild animal. Although he had quickly regained his composure the glimpse of the violent streak that had kept him and Neal alive had been frightening.

Pushed too far past his limits that night and confident in his guardian Neal hadn't woken at all during the display. Feeling guilty for snarling at Elizabeth and Mozzie Peter had been very insistent on getting Neal home. By the time Peter had made it back to his own bed dawn wasn't far off and he had basically collapsed. Exhausted herself Elizabeth had curled up next to him but had had a difficult time actually falling asleep. Deciding to just spend some time enjoying Peter's warmth Elizabeth had laid against him until she had eventually drifted off.

Hours later Elizabeth had been woken by a deep growl in her ear that she had first thought had come from Satchmo. When Peter tightened his hold on her and repeated the sound a chill ran down her spine at the frustrated rage in his guttural baritone. Far from sounding frightened he sounded like he wanted nothing more than to tear something apart but was being prevented by some kind of barrier or restraint.

With her heart racing Elizabeth debated if she should just wait Peter's nightmare out or try to wake him. She knew Peter would never knowingly hurt her, but he could hardly be blamed for his actions in the confusion of the split second when he joined the waking world. When Peter's nightmare turned darker and he started twitching Elizabeth remembered back to when Neal had been whimpering in his sleep in the CCU and Peter had woken him by pushing against his chest. Despite the obvious nightmare Neal had woken fairly gently and she wondered if that trick might work on Peter as well.

Carefully turning over in Peter's arms Elizabeth snaked her hand up onto his chest. The nature of Peter's dreams had changed now and he was panting in either pain or fear. Hoping to calm him Elizabeth pushed against him. Elizabeth smiled as Peter suddenly took a deep breath and visibly relaxed. Fluttering his eyes open Peter looked at Elizabeth before closing them again with a contented purr. Elizabeth chuckled in a mixture of relief and joy as she nuzzled him.

"I love you." Peter said warmly.

"I love you too." Elizabeth smiled.

Feeling left out Satchmo whined from his space on the bed at Peter's back.

"He's going to be sleeping on the bed forever now isn't he?" Peter chuckled.

"Likely."

"I don't really mind and I don't really have the heart to make him sleep on the floor."

"He certainly earned a space up here." Elizabeth said as she reached over Peter and pet between the dog's soft ears. "Satchmo got me through some tough nights, and perhaps more importantly he got me out of bed on the more difficult mornings."

"Good boy." Peter praised.

Happy for the attention Satchmo thumped his tail against the bed before getting down off the bed to go sit next to the bedroom door.

"Speaking of which I suppose we should get up." Elizabeth sighed.

"Hmmmm…five more minutes."

Elizabeth laughed as Peter rolled over onto his back and grabbed the edge of the sheet and pulled it up over their heads to hide from the day. Not about to protest Elizabeth rested her head on Peter's chest and listened to the steady thumping of his heart. With her own heart light as a feather Elizabeth enjoyed the feel of Peter's skin against her own. Sighing contently Peter reached up and brushed her cheek gently. It took a lot longer than five minutes for either one of them to be willing to make any moves towards getting up since that meant separating from one another. However eventually Peter started to act like something was bothering him.

"Hon?" Elizabeth asked concerned.

"I'm sorry." Peter automatically apologized.

"Are you worrying about Neal?" Elizabeth asked knowingly.

"I am." Peter admitted. "I want to focus on you and I, but…"

"It's okay." Elizabeth assured.

"I don't even know what to say to him to help fix all this."

"If it's one thing Asha taught me it's that during tough times what you need is empathy not sympathy and right now you and Neal are the only ones who can really empathize with each other's situation. Don't worry about 'fixing' Neal, just be there for him. Asha helped me by simply validating how I was feeling rather than trying to change how I was processing it. Even though she was letting me resolve my feelings on my own she made sure I didn't have to do it alone."

"When the trial is over I need to meet Asha so I can thank her."

"I hope she's okay. I feel awful just suddenly cutting off contact with her. If Walker…" Elizabeth stopped not just because she knew she wasn't supposed to talk about him but because she was afraid she might end up in tears if she thought too much about how he had basically come to their home to gloat.

"I can talk to Agent Walsh, make sure he keeps a close eye on her."

"Thank you."

Elizabeth gave Peter a kiss before rolling over and getting to her feet. Having been very patient sitting by the door Satchmo jumped up with excitement as she opened it for him. Laying in bed for another minute Peter stared up at the white ceiling. Feeling his stomach starting to turn with anxiety Peter sighed heavily wishing that everything could just go back to normal. Chastising himself for not being more grateful to have survived the Labyrinth in the first place Peter sat up on the edge of the bed. His broken ribs hadn't minded having Elizabeth laying against them but the action of sitting up was where they drew the line and they lanced a stab of pain into his chest.

Ignoring the pain Peter got to his feet. He had to stand for a moment to let the dizziness pass before he took a step. Frustrated by the apparent set backs Peter had to remind himself that although things had worked out in the end the previous night had been a difficult one and some fatigue was to be expected. Still in the pants and shirt he'd put on to go over to Neal's last night it didn't even occur to him to change into fresh clothes. He and Neal had been living in the same rotting clothing for so long that it seemed silly to consider what he was wearing dirty after just one night.

Getting down the stairs Peter noticed that Neal had neatly folded up the blanket he'd been given and placed it with the pillow under the coffee table so they were out of the way. Although Satchmo had done a good deal of damage to the sofa it was still usable, however Peter would be surprised if Neal hadn't slept on the floor last night. Their small house wasn't really set up for guests, but today they would work on removing the gnawed on couch and replacing it with a bed. Peter wasn't sure how long Neal would be living with them but it was safe to assume that it would be long enough to warrant at least trying to set the living room up for him for a while.

Elizabeth was busy in the kitchen and although he wasn't hungry now Peter hoped that once food was offered that he'd warm up to the idea. Joining Elizabeth in the open kitchen dinning room area Peter was surprised to find her alone.

"Where's Neal?"

"Outside." Elizabeth smiled. "Why don't you join him? It will take a few minutes for me to get breakfast together."

"Do you know where my sunglasses are?"

"You won't need them." Elizabeth said confidently.

With all the curtains and blinds closed Peter assumed that they had managed to sleep through an entire day and that night had fallen again. His sense of time had become so distorted that it wouldn't surprise him in the least. However opening the back door a scent he hadn't experienced in a long time washed over him that explained why the sun wasn't going to be a problem. A light rain was falling out of the slate gray sky bringing with it a glorious freshness to the mid morning air.

Joining Neal out on the small covered porch Peter was surprised to find that Neal was holding his hand out just enough to let the rain strike his palm. Hearing Peter behind him Neal looked over his shoulder and smiled. Peter stepped up next to Neal and looked out over the bright green wet grass that Satchmo was running around in. It had been so long since Peter had heard rain that he had forgotten how soothing it was.

Neal seemed to agree as he continued to experiment with allowing nature to help ease his fears. Growing more confident Neal held his hand out further so the wet weather started to soak his forearm as well. Starting to breath a little harder Neal looked to Peter anxiously. Peter smiled encouragingly and put his own hand out into the rain as well. A warm breeze kicked up by the rain brushed past them that Peter found to be a welcome change from the stagnate stillness of the Labyrinth.

The swirl of air brought the rain splashing in under the cover of the open air porch. Peter worried that the water against Neal's face was going to be too much for him and that he'd step back. However he not only held his ground but a slight smile touched his lips. Hopeful that they'd found a way to help break through some of Neal's violently acquired hydrophobia Peter decided to step out into the gentle storm. Peter took a few steps out and turned to face Neal and silently encouraged him to join him.

Neal balked that the idea at first but taking a deep breath he nodded to let Peter know he was open to the idea. However he still had trouble actually taking the first step forward. Peter held his hand out for Neal to take. With his hand already stretched out Neal only had to lean forward to take Peter's hand. Peter didn't pull Neal out into the weather he just offered him an anchor point. Unlike the claustrophobia inducing concentrated spray of the shower the rain had an open and free quality to it but it was still bound to bring back dark memories.

Following Elizabeth's advice Peter just silently waited while he let Neal work through his trauma at his own pace. Swallowing hard Neal eventually stepped fully out into the rain. He tensed at first and Peter was fully prepared to guide him back inside if he started to truly panic but he wanted to give Neal a chance to adjust. Closing his eyes Neal's chest starting to heave as the rain soaked through his clothes and plastered his unruly hair to his face. When Neal went to take a step back Peter didn't try to stop him but he did squeeze his hand reassuringly to try and convince him to give it a little more time.

Taking Peter's unspoken advice Neal didn't retreat even though he clearly wanted too. With his eyes still closed Neal tilted his head back slightly as the rain started coming down a little harder. With Neal starting to shiver slightly Peter put his free hand on Neal's shoulder to let him know it was okay to give in for now if he needed too. Peter was about to suggest they go back inside when Neal suddenly won his internal struggle and relaxed. Breathing easier Neal opened his eyes and looked at Peter with a bright smile. Peter smiled as well, proud of Neal for riding out the storm both literally and figuratively. He doubted that Neal was cured but he had taken a huge step forward. Feeling a wash of relief himself Peter suddenly found himself laughing, a condition that quickly spread to Neal.

Watching from the kitchen window Elizabeth smiled at seeing the pair laughing together. She had every confidence in them helping each other through this considering how well they had done getting each other this far. Feeling more relaxed than she could remember Elizabeth still jolted when there was a knock at the front door. Assuming it was Mozzie Elizabeth headed over to let him.

Still cautious Elizabeth checked out through the window before unlocking the door. Elizabeth's blood flashed to ice when she caught sight of the unexpected visitor standing on the porch soaked by the rain. Quickly opening the door Elizabeth was even more shocked to find that her guest was more than just wet. Standing with her arms crossed over her stomach trembling uncontrollably a small trickle of blood mixed with the rain trickled down Asha's face from a gash in her temple.

"Asha?"

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth, I…I didn't know where else to go."