She didn't expect this. Elizabeth lets Woolsey escort her into the ballroom and make the rounds. There are contacts she can use here, resources she can cultivate. It's so much like the days before Atlantis and the SGC that Elizabeth almost feels guilty for having so much fun. She tells herself it's a working vacation, but that all vanishes when she turns a corner to find a familiar face.

Woolsey, ever the jovial host, pounces. With a stunned smile, Elizabeth listens to his murmured introductions and shakes the hand Mrs. Nathan Petrelli holds out to her.

It's the hand of a stranger, lily-white and soft. Heidi worked at her father's hardware store, used the money to pay for school. Elizabeth remembers a hand very much like it, rough and capable, sliding over her skin and raising gooseflesh in its wake.

Knowing the moment is stretching past propriety, Elizabeth lets go and steps back. "A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Petrelli," she demurs, seeing relief flood Heidi's eyes.

"And you, Doctor Weir," Heidi says, voice even. Elizabeth tries not to hear that voice, broken and ragged, crying out her name. She fails and, instead, suppresses the shiver of delight. "May I say how much of an honor it is to meet you. I've long been an admirer of your work; your accomplishments are inspiring."

Reaching out, Heidi cups Elizabeth's elbow and draws her away from Woolsey and the crowd. "You really must tell me about that treaty in Algiers -- " she begins, leading her through a doorway.

Away from the prying eyes of the society matrons and government officials, Heidi smiles the way she remembers. "It's good to see you again, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth reaches out, brushing fingertips along Heidi's collarbone, her touch sweeping up and along her bare shoulder. "I'd say the same, but --"

Heidi nods. "I know."

She casts a glance at the ballroom doors then leads Elizabeth into another room. Heidi's full skirt brushes the floor, whispering over it, as she turns quickly to lock the door behind them.

When she turns back, Elizabeth is there and kissing her. Hampered by their dresses, it's awkward, unfamiliar. Elizabeth's watch snags in Heidi's hair, one of Heidi's rings catches on the lace of Elizabeth's bodice. They ignore it, Elizabeth flicking her tongue over Heidi's lower lip, silently asking permission.

Heidi grants it, opening her mouth beneath Elizabeth's and pressing a hand into her back. Elizabeth lets herself be pushed forward, tangling her hands in Heidi's hair and holding tight.

A whimper works its way free of Heidi, a greedy sound that makes Elizabeth moan. The soft noise of frustration is spurred by the memories that come flooding back too easily.

In her mind's eye, she can see Heidi sprawled across rumpled bed sheets, skin gleaming with the sweat of their exertions and the hot summer day. Elizabeth tenses, remembering the taste of Heidi beneath her tongue, feeling her hips cant upward into her mouth. It's her turn to whimper when the memory plays itself out with Heidi coming hard, then repaying the favor with lips and a tongue that can still make Elizabeth forget her own name.

They're gasping when they part, both desperately gulping down air. Heidi looks considerably less composed, her hair disheveled and her lipstick smudged. Elizabeth stares at her, feeling an illicit thrill of accomplishment, watching as she tries to compose herself.

Heidi smiles weakly. "I suppose saying I missed you now would be a terrible understatement."

"Very terrible," Elizabeth agrees, smiling anyway. "It would be just as terrible an understatement for me to agree with you." Her smile gentles, nerves creeping into her voice as she says. "You married a lawyer."

"A congressman now," Heidi corrects, her own voice nervous. "Nathan's a good man." She twists her rings, moving them back and forth in a way that tugs at Elizabeth's heart.

"Not always," Elizabeth says. Even in Pegasus, she isn't without her contacts. "He's been unfaithful." More than once. She sighs. "And there's been trouble lately." The rumors swirling around the family Petrelli have made her connections to Heidi quite attractive. The pressure isn't anything Elizabeth can't handle, but it is worrisome. She's not sure what Heidi has fallen into, but she doesn't like it.

Heidi looks at her, the look in her gaze sad and loving all at once. "So have I." She reaches out, fingers gently wiping the corner of Elizabeth's mouth. "Lipstick," she says.

Elizabeth catches the hand in hers, bringing it to her lips. She presses a kiss into Heidi's palm, her mouth lingering against the soft skin. "I'm sorry."

"Despite everything, I love my life," Heidi says, lifting her chin, "and I do love my husband." She curls her fingers around Elizabeth's. "As much as I love you."

"Do you ever wonder?" Elizabeth asks, suddenly torn for what might have been.

Heidi laughs shakily. "Only on days ending in Y." She kisses Elizabeth again, pressing close and tight. "You look beautiful tonight," she says and the she's gone, fumbling with the locked door before slipping out.

When the door closes behind her, Elizabeth slumps against a desk. "So do you."

Naturally, the work on is pages is fanfiction. That means I have no ownership, or claim, on the source text or the characters. I am certainly not making any money off this process, it is about the fun and promotion of the source text involved. When I am done, hopefully, all I will have done is advance the show/movie/book I have been working with and, thus, ushered new fans/consumers into the fold.

 

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