Okay, I spoke too soon when I said I wasn't going to post any more on this. This is just a short scene between Peter and Bella as she deals with the aftermath of the Building 26 episode; mostly it's me paying homage to Stephenie Meyer's 'relating what Bella's going through to classic literature' thing.

Warning: copious Shakespeare references.

The Shakespearean Analogy

Bella sat with a book in her lap, but she wasn't reading it. Her eyes were glazed as she stared blankly into space. "What're you doing?"

She jumped as her reverie shattered but relaxed when she saw it was only Peter. "Over-identifying with fictional characters. Again."

He was intrigued; this was one of her most unusual quirks, and it offered new and different insights into what went on inside that unreadable mind of hers. He lifted her book just enough to read the title on its spine - a collection of Shakespeare's plays. "Let me guess. Juliet, right?" Romeo and Juliet was Bella's favorite, and the heroine of an epic love story seemed like someone she would relate to.

She gave a slight nod. "I used to have kind of a thing for Romeo - until I met better men who actually exist, of course." She flashed him a quick smile which quickly disappeared, giving way to a more somber look. "But since everything went down at Building 26 I've been reading something else."

Peter circled around so he could look over her shoulder at the open book. "Macbeth? I didn't know you liked that one."

"I've gained a new appreciation for it." She ran her finger down the page, her eyes never leaving the printed words. "Lady Macbeth helped her husband murder the king so they could take over," she said softly.

"And then guilt over what they'd done drove her insane," Peter added sharply. "Bella, look at me. Do you regret shooting Arthur?"

Bella smiled wryly. "You don't see me compulsively scrubbing my hands, do you?" He didn't smile back. "No," she said more seriously. "King Duncan was a nice guy. Arthur Petrelli wasn't. Sometimes I've thought I should feel guilty…but I don't. I'm happy he's gone." She sighed. "I just never thought I'd be identifying with the murderous wife of all people."

Peter took the book out of her hands and tossed it aside onto their bed. "You know, I never really liked Juliet."

"What's wrong with Juliet?" Bella demanded.

"She was a wimp. When Romeo was banished, she could've gone with him, or run away on her own to find him when her father told her to marry Paris. Instead she just sat around whining about her messed up love life and waiting for her boyfriend to rescue her. At least Lady Macbeth had the guts to go after what she wanted."

"I never thought of it that way…" Bella grinned as he took her hand and pulled her up out of her chair. Being a Lady Macbeth instead of a Juliet wasn't so bad after all.

And now I'm really done with this series. For real this time. I'm sure of it. Maybe.