To Love a Petrelli
Okay so I come bearing a fic...This thing is damn near epic. It took me almost two weeks to finish. It's nearly 8,000 words and I think it's my proudest accomplishment to date. Hopefully, ya'll will agree with me.
Title: To Love a Petrelli
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Petrelli, Peter/Claire.
Warnings: Incest. No real spoilers.
Genre: Angst
Summary: “I’m just trying to make sense of it.” “Seventeen years and it still makes no fucking sense to me, kid,” Nathan says as he sits down at his desk, the picture of Marie’s mother staring him in the face. “Her name was Claire, and that’s all I can tell you.”
Part I: Predestiny
A/N: For those of you who might watch OTH, see if you notice the character who slipped in here totally on accident.
James Scott had an average childhood, nothing terribly life altering about it sans the wonderful power he was blessed with. He lived in a normal two story house with a white picket fence and a golden retriever named Sally. His parents were married while in high school and that was about the extent his abnormal heritage went. His best friend, Marie, laughed whenever he told her that. Because when it came to having an odd history, Marie’s took the cake.
For starters, her first name wasn’t really Marie. It was Michael. Yes, Michael like the boy’s name. She was an only child to her best knowledge, and she lived with her grandfather, Nathan Petrelli, in a big mansion in the outskirts of New York. She had a mom and dad who were still living, but of whom she didn’t talk about and therefore led James to believe that they had abandoned her when she was a baby. He never asked though. And she never elaborated.
James met Marie when they were ten. Both of them were attending St. Vincent’s Academy for the Extrordinary. It was the only school that catered to evolutionarily advanced children. It would teach them how to develop and hone their craft while learning the basic knowledge every member of society is programmed to know. It was a secret place established by the Company and disguised as an expensive private school. It reminded James of the school in X-Men only the Professors were just geneticists with no gifts themselves.
Nathan never wanted Marie to go there, but she had developed the ability to disappear early and unlike any of the family’s previous “gifts”, invisibility, ironically, couldn’t be hidden from others, especially since she had no control over it yet. James’s parents on the other hand were thrilled with the idea of him learn about his power. He could heal things, and it was an incredibly beautiful gift to have, they said. He could heal the world, and even as a child, he was eager to make the world right. Marie was more interested in her sketchbook.
They had immediately attached to each other. Both were only children. Even though Marie had uncles who were close in age, she never felt connected to them. It was as though she was stuck in her own little world all the time. She was drawn to James natural warmth and candor and the fact that he cared so much about everyone around him. They finished each other’s sentences and know what the other’s feeling without even have to see their face.
They were soul mates.
James didn’t realize how much that statement would test him.
------
Part II: Mystery
She’s always taking. Absorbing things that he places out before her unconsciously. When he talks about his family, she listens with wide eyes fixed on his own. Those green eyes are needy and clinging to every word that slides out of his mouth.
He notices that she loves when he talks about his mother. Elizabeth Scott is nothing special, but to Marie she’s fascinating. But then again, the closest thing Marie ever had to a mother was Heidi Petrelli who ignored her as much as humanly possible.
“Heidi always wanted a daughter,” Marie says one day. It’s one of the few times she actually divulges anything of her home life.
“Yeah?”
“My mother screwed that up…” she mutters averting her eyes, “Twice.”
He doesn’t get it. Not at all, but he sees her turn back to her magazine, and he knows she won’t be elaborating on it.
Later that day he asks if she’d like to meet his mother tonight. She refuses. Like always.
-------
She draws all the time. During classes. After school. Before bed. She has sketchbooks and sketchbooks full of the same things. Wide open fields and vast skies. And occasionally there’s a little girl, but most of the time it’s just space. Colored and shaded space.
He loves to psychoanalyze her stuff. He tells her she’s dying for freedom. She feels repressed and shackled. She just quirks an eyebrow at him and tells him he’s fucking nuts.
“I can disappear whenever the hell I want and go wherever I feel like at the drop of a dime. You can’t get much freer than that.”
“It’s a metaphor, Michael Marie.”
“It’s Marie,” she says plainly, snatching the sketchbook from his hands.
“What’s so wrong with Michael? I mean besides it being a boy’s name,” James says, as he flips through his i-pod nonchalantly, “You’re named after a freaking archangel and seeing as you’re obsessed with mythology, that should make your day.”
“I’m not named after the damn angel,” she hisses, and he drops the subject.
The next time he sees her sketchbook it’s filled with drawings of an angel clad with shield and sword chained to the ground. He tries not to read into it this time.
-------
Being in her own world has always left her without anyone who really understands her. Worst of all, most of the kids at school think she’s weird because she rarely talks. She’ll occasionally answer a question in class to prove she’s still breathing, and there’s times where she’ll interact with the other kids, but mostly she just sits there while James talks with his friends on the football team. Listening to them talk, she doesn’t roll her eyes like she wants to because this is her way of proving to James that she’s as dedicated to him and he is to her. But James can tell they all annoy her.
She hates Roy Connolly most of all. Because he’s arrogant and crude and he thinks he’s always right. Even when he’s wrong, he’s got to find a way to prove he wasn’t. James isn’t really friends with Roy, but their co-captains of the team and that means they have to sit together. High school code of ethics.
One day they’re talking about Candice McEllen’s bra size when James suddenly realizes Roy’s staring at Marie again. He always is. And James knows that soon he’ll ask her a really embarrassing question to get her frustrated because when she’s angry, her eyes glow and it’s probably the most beautiful thing anyone could witness.
Of course James knows that you don’t have to make her angry to see her eyes glow. But Roy prefers it that way. This time he asks her something about confirming whether she’s a natural blonde, but she doesn’t respond. Heck, she doesn’t even notice he’s asking the question because she’s too busy sneaking a peak at cheerleading practice across the way.
Roy tries to get her attention again but she’s completely zoned out. Finally, James clicks his fingers in front of her face and she jumps back.
“What?” she says slowly turning back towards them.
“Jesus, Marie, you’re slow! Were your parents related or did they just-”
Roy Connolly never does finish that sentence. Marie dumps her whole lunch tray on him and runs into the girls’ bathroom. It takes James twenty minutes to coax her out of the stall and when she finally comes out, she collapses in his arms, crying about how it isn’t fair.
James has never seen Marie cry over her parents before. They were always a touchy subject for her. Just never that touchy.
It’s there in that bathroom James realizes that after 7 years of friendship; Michael Marie Petrelli is still a mystery to him.
-----
Part III: History
Marie’s grandfather, Nathan, is probably the most intimidating man James has ever met in his life. He’s way too young to be a grandfather, only in his forties at the most. He’s tall, around six foot two, with dark piercing eyes that seem to assume be accusing you every minute of every day. He’s got this grin that makes him look like a shark waiting to attack. It seems everyone walks around him on pins and needles.
Everyone but Marie whose sass and sweet smile make it hard for anyone to not melt. Even Nathan the hard ass disciplinarian is not immune to it. They both seem to find the other incredibly amusing. James loves watching the two of them interact. Marie’s mom never lived with Nathan (which is just another thing to add to James’s list of things he doesn’t get). But because of that, he can tell that Nathan will never quite get used to the emotional rollercoaster that comes with having a young girl in the house. There are days when he just stares at her during her tirades and shakes his head before leaving the room as if to say “what did I get myself into?”
On the other hand, Nathan seems to be able to handle the fact that Marie has her head always stuck in the clouds quite well, which surprises him seeing as Nathan is so grounded in reality. But whenever Marie brings up her plans for creating utopia and spreading love, instead of rolling his eyes, Nathan just smirks and bites his tongue.
They balance each other like yin and yang. It’s seems peaceful enough, but everyone can feel the tension just barely hidden beneath the surface. James wonders why Nathan’s always holding back when Marie knows how he really feels anyway.
But like everything in the Petrelli household, it’s not as simple as it looks.
-----
The first time James is ever introduced to Marie’s mother it’s entirely by accident. He’s not really introduced to her, per say. It’s more he spots her picture in Nathan’s study when Marie sends him to find a book on Business Ethics.
He shouldn’t have even noticed it. There’s at least twenty pictures on Nathan’s shelves. But for some reason, the flash of blonde hair catches his eye and he has to look twice. He expected it would be another picture of Marie seeing as Nathan’s desk is filled with them. But it’s not. The girl in the picture, while the spitting image of Marie, is definitely different. Her face is rounder and her nose is pointier.
So he finds himself staring at the picture in silence, jaw hinged and Business Ethics book hanging limply in his hands as he wonders idly if it could possibly be the elusive mother of his best friend. He’s so entranced that he doesn’t even notice the study door open. No, he doesn’t hear Nathan until he’s right next to him clapping a hand on his shoulder.
“Business Ethics, huh?”
James jumps two feet back and closes his eyes trying not to feel as though he’s just been caught snooping.
“That’s Marie’s mother if you were wondering,” Nathan says, noticing the boy’s eyes are still lingering on the picture when they reopen. It’s hard not to stare at her.
“Yeah,” he mumbles, “Sorry I just…She’s beautiful,” he blurts out. It’s the truth, but he realizes that it’s probably not something Nathan wanted or needed to hear. Still, the older man lets out a bark of a laugh and pats him on the back again.
“She is,” he repeats firmly and then he whispers it again, this time much softer, “She really is.”
“Marie doesn’t talk-”
“Can you blame her?”
James looks back at the picture. Sweet girl. Sad little smile. Oh how he’s seen that smile before.
“No. Not at all,” James sighs.
“Listen, I know you want to help, but if you dig to deep on this one, it will come back to bite you in the ass. Just leave her parents out of this.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” James says simply, “I’m just trying to make sense of it.”
“Seventeen years and it still makes no fucking sense to me, kid,” Nathan says as he sits down at his desk, the picture of Marie’s mother staring him in the face. “Her name was Claire, and that’s all I can tell you.”
James knows that this is not Nathan being cryptic. The reason Nathan can’t tell him anymore is because he never really knew his daughter.
------
Marie’s more comfortable talking about her mother than her father. It’s not like she’ll really talk about either of them, but she’ll occasionally mention the fact that she has a mother. Her father, on the other hand, might as well have been a sperm bank donor because James has never once heard her mention the concept of having one.
The strange thing is deep down he knows that’s not the case. He can’t explain it, but he just has this gut feeling that Marie was created in love. That her parents loved each other enough to have her and give her to Nathan so she’d have a good life. Maybe he’s crazy or maybe he’s just a romantic at heart, but he doesn’t see Marie’s dad as a one night stand or Sample #15096.
They’re looking through old photo albums, hoping to find a picture of Marie for a school project, when Marie comes across Nathan’s old wedding album. Marie fingers the edges before slowly opening it up.
“Wow,” James says, as he peaks over her shoulder from his position on her bed, “Heidi was hot.”
“Shut up,” Marie giggles. Her fingers trace over Nathan’s face, a small smile still echoed on her lips. “God, Nathan hasn’t aged a day, has he?”
“Maybe he sold his soul to the devil.”
“That or it’s just good genes,” Marie says, flipping the page to a picture of Angela Petrelli.
“Yep, it’s in the genes,” James says, “Your great-grandmother hasn’t aged a day either.”
“Yeah, but she is the devil,” Marie quirks. She turns another page and freezes there. Her smile slipping off her face quicker than it took to flip the page.
It’s a picture of Nathan and his best man, James presumes. The guy is a little less than ten years younger than Nathan. He’s got the same haunting brown eyes. But his hair is much longer, falling in his face. James’s eyebrows furrow as he tries to remember if Marie ever mentioned having a great-uncle.
“Who’s that with your grandfather?” he asks.
“My father,” Marie says curtly.
“Oh,” James says simply. He thinks better than to tell Marie that her father looks a lot like her maternal grandfather.
“He was the best man in Nathan’s wedding.”
“Is that how he met your mother? Through Nathan?”
“No,” Marie says, chuckling at the thought, “They met in Texas. My father found out later that my mother and Nathan were related.”
“Wow. Small world.”
Marie shuts the book and shoves it aside.
“A really small world.”
-----
Part IV: Destiny
“Do you believe in destiny, James?”
This is a weekly thing for Marie. She asks him an incredibly deep question and expects him to have a very convincing answer prepared off hand. She’ll most likely disagree with everything he says and she’ll be able to defend her opinion with researched points and dialogue. He’ll try not to smirk at how predictable it all is.
“There’s no such thing as destiny.” It’s not James who answers her. It’s Nathan who’s just strolled into the kitchen with his morning coffee and newspaper.
“You seriously think that?” Marie says swiveling around on her stool to face him.
“Yes. Everyone’s got choices. You ultimately decide your life.”
“It is kind of odd to think that our whole life is mapped out for us,” Marie admits, “But then I kind of think that if there’s no destiny, there’s no purpose.”
“There’s a purpose. It’s just one of your own making.”
“What do you think, James?”
“There’s a difference between destiny and fate,” James says simply, “Fate is the idea that your life is mapped out for you and every choice you made has already been made. Destiny is the idea that you have a purpose out there and that you need to fulfill that purpose. So while I don’t believe in fate, I believe in destiny.”
“So what happens then if you don’t follow your destiny?” Nathan smirks.
“Karma,” James shrugs, “You get punished for ignoring your destiny with bad karma. Or if destiny’s feeling charitable it might give you a second chance. For instance, my grandpa always thought that he should have married his high school sweetheart. She was the love of his life and instead he wound up marrying a girl he met in college. He got a second chance with my dad. He actually sat back and let him marry my mom in high school…I don’t know if that’s the best example, but basically, we all screw up. And Karma provides us an opportunity to make it right.”
“I definitely believe in Karma,” Marie says meeting Nathan’s eyes.
“Me too,” Nathan says, smiling softly.
James looks back and forth between the two of them. He blushes when he realizes that Marie is Nathan’s second chance.
-----
Angela Petrelli doesn’t speak a single word to Marie when she’s in her presence. It’s almost painful to watch her be so bluntly ignored, but she’s gotten used to it now. Most of the time, she takes her meals in her room and waits until the woman’s gone home before she sneaks back down to grab some ice cream. Sometimes James is with her when it happens and they’ll sneak out and go see a movie or take a walk in the park.
One day James takes her ice skating and they miss time they’re return. They come in right as Angela’s going to leave. Her cold eyes lock onto Marie’s, and for some strange reason, she takes the time to talk to the poor girl.
“How’s school?” Angela says curtly, no greeting whatsoever.
“Good,” Marie responds in turn.
“You’re a senior, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And this is your…” she trails off, as her eyes dart over James’s figure, appraising him from every angle.
“Best friend.”
“Oh,” Angela says, her eyes snapping up to meet Marie’s, “Will you be attending college?”
“Probably,” Marie shrugs.
Just then, Nathan strolls into the foyer and stops mid-step seeing Marie and Angela conversing. Marie is tugging on the sleeves of her jacket nervously, but her eyes stay fixed on Angela, refusing to back down. Nathan comes to stand next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
“Ma, you’re not giving Marie a hard time, are you?”
“Don’t worry, Pops. She was just asking me about school,” Marie says resting her head on his shoulder.
“Did you tell her about how you’re captain of the Debate Team? Or how you’re ranked second in your class?”
“Really? I expected her to be a cheerleader,” Angela says raising an eyebrow.
“Are you kidding?” Marie mutters, “Nathan would never let me do that. I think it’s the only thing he forbid me to do.”
“But why, Nathan?” Angela says, “Cheerleading is such a firm part of this family’s history.”
The sarcasm dripping from her words goes unnoticed by Marie who has drifted off into her own little world again. James notices though. He sees Nathan’s eyes have narrowed and his grip tightens on Marie’s shoulder.
“Marie’s better than that,” he says simply.
“Ah well I see,” Angela smirks as though she’s won the argument neither of them was fighting. “Best be going.”
She slips out of the house quickly. Nathan drops a kiss on the top of Marie’s head.
“You know I’m proud of you right?” he whispers, hoping James won’t hear, even though he does.
“Yeah,” Marie nods, “and that’s all that matters.”
-----
James comes to family dinners, every Friday night. Marie’s uncles, who are in their late twenties, come home from college. Both of them are in graduate school. One’s going to be a lawyer and the other, a geneticist. James has given up trying to figure out which is doing which. Either way, they’re always bugging Marie over what she’s going to do with her life.
“Leave her alone boys,” Nathan chuckles, one night while they’re harping on her over the main course, “She’s still young.”
“She’s a senior now, dad. It’s not ridiculous to ask,” Monty (or so James thinks) asks.
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about med school,” Marie blurts out.
“Med school?” Nathan asks cautiously and James almost thinks he’s dreading where this is going. He can’t for the life of him figure out why Nathan would fear having a doctor in the family.
“Yeah, I was thinking of being a nurse,” Marie shrugs.
“Awesome,” James says immediately, knowing Marie would be perfect as a nurse. She’s definitely got the heart. He smiles encouragingly and pats her on the back.
“You think so?” she beams up at him.
She starts to ramble off about medical school at John Hopkins and how she’s sure she’s got the grades. James notices her smile fades when she catches Nathan’s eye. He tries to contain his disappointment, but he’s never been good at hiding his feelings, especially with Marie. His dead eyes give him away and Marie stares down at her plate and stirs her mashed potatoes aimlessly.
“I mean I’m still young,” she says finally, her eyes not moving from her plate, “And I have other options. I was thinking of law school too.”
Nathan nearly sighs in relief, but instead tries to cover it up with a good natured grin, “You’d make an amazing lawyer.”
“Yeah?” She says, smiling at him.
“You could do anything, kid.”
Except cheerleading and nursing, James thinks wryly.
------
Part V: Reality
Being invisible should make it easy for Marie to eavesdrop on private conversations, but when it comes to Nathan he can always tell when she’s around. It’s his sixth sense, he tells her. So she never gets the chance to use her gift on anyone but Heidi, who’s utterly boring. The only time she ever really uses it then is when she and James want to sneak into the movies.
It’s a Friday afternoon when James decides they’re gonna ditch the last class of the day and go see Phantom Heights, the epic romance movie that Marie’s been hinting about for the past six weeks. He’s doing it because lately she’s been down about not applying to John Hopkins and as much as he hates chick flicks, he loves seeing her smile. It’ll be worth it in the end.
She squees with delight at the idea and wastes no time pulling them off campus, using her power not to draw any illusion to them. Seniors ditching was really commonplace, but she had to be extra careful that Nathan didn’t find out.
They pass by her house and she tells him she wants to run inside and grab her wallet. She’s about to leave him outside without the protection of being invisible when she spots the horror on his face at the thought of being discovered by Nathan. She giggles and tugs his hand so he follows her inside. As soon as they open the door, they hear an onslaught of raised voices coming from Nathan’s study.
“You can’t just walk in here and act like you own the place!”
“Shit,” James mutters as he protectively pulls Marie closer to him, “We should just leave.”
“I need you to listen to me!”
“I don’t give a damn, Peter! You understand me?”
“No,” Marie says firmly, “Wait a second…”
James looks down at her pleading eyes and nods. She pulls them closer to the door, even though they don’t need to be closer to hear any better.
“I understand, Nathan. I really do, but-”
“But nothing! Just get the fuck out of my house before Marie comes home and sees you here.”
“You can’t keep me from her. Not this time,” the man named Peter whispers.
“She doesn’t need this, okay? She doesn’t need you fucking up her life more than you already have. So just go.”
“Claire is dying.”
Marie gasps, and her grip on James’s arm increases. He instinctively pulls her close and wraps his arms around her holding her to him as she curls as close as possible to his chest.
“How is that possible?” Nathan says, his voice no longer yelling but still harsh nonetheless, “She can regenerate. She’s supposed to live forever.”
“I don’t know.” They can hear Peter sigh. “It started a couple years ago. She’d been suffering from depression. I noticed that she’d get cut and it would take hours to heal instead of minutes. Then hours became days. We thought maybe she just lost her power, but then her system just started shutting down. She couldn’t get out of bed some days. Dr. Suresh ran as many tests as he could but he couldn’t find any reason for why it was happening.”
Silence follows and James can feel the hot tears on his chest.
“I don’t get it.”
“She still has her power. It’s still a part of her system, but she’s rejecting it. She’s lost the will to live.”
“Oh don’t give me that bullshit!” Nathan hisses.
“Believe what you want, Nathan, but your daughter is dying, and her final wish is to meet her daughter just once before she passes. She wants to make peace with her, and I promised I would do everything in my power short of kidnapping her to make sure that happened.”
“No,” Nathan says firmly, “The poor girl has suffered enough because of you two.”
“How long are you going to keep her away? How long are you going to blame us for falling in love?”
“Oh this is rich…”
“It just happened, Nathan. It’s not something we wanted. We both knew it was wrong, but we couldn’t fight it. We were weak and-”
“You should have been the strong one.”
“How can you blame me for falling in love?”
“YOU WERE MY BROTHER!” Nathan roars suddenly, “You were my brother! And you were supposed to know better, Peter. You were supposed to know that she was just a teenage girl with a hero complex. She had her whole fucking life ahead of her and instead you took advantage of her trust. You let her commit a sin that she will pay for, for all eternity.”
The gears in James’s mind start turning, and it’s not long before he lets out a small gasp in recognition. Everything begins to make sense. Hearing his gasp, Marie panics and tries to dart away from him, but he just pulls her closer. His eyes meet hers. And he doesn’t look at her with pity, but rather sympathy. She’s held her secret for so long. Too long.
“Michael Marie is not a sin,” Peter says firmly.
“No, she’s not,” Nathan responds quietly, “But you’ve never had to live with what you’ve done. For you and Claire, it’s just love, right? That’s what you told us. You two were in love and happy and that love kept you from seeing what you had done. It still blinds you.”
Nathan takes a deep breath and continues, “She was six when I had to explain to her why her parents didn’t live with her. She was ten when she figured out what incest was, and she was twelve when she stopped being able to look at herself in the mirror without cringing. She wakes up everyday and prays to God that He’ll forgive her for existing. Can you even imagine that? Hating the fact you exist…”
“Ma won’t even look at her. Heidi barely speaks to her. They both treat her like she’s the scum of the Earth and that only helps her feeling of utter disgust with who she is. You couldn’t count the number of nights I’ve spent holding her while she cries herself to sleep. You don’t know how afraid she is that someone at school’s going to find out about it. The shame and the fear she carries are something no girl her age should have to deal with.”
“A lot has changed in seventeen years. You look at me, Peter, and you still see the heartless shark that turned his back on his daughter, but what you don’t realize is I’ve been given a second chance with Marie. And I’m sure as hell not going to make her face the two people she hates more than she hates herself. Because I love her as if she was my own daughter and I’m tired of you ruining her life.”
“So I’m asking you nicely and for the last time to stand up and walk out that door. Go back to Claire and live in your little imaginary bubble and leave me and your daughter alone.”
“Nathan, I-”
“Go.”
Peter stalks out of the study. He still looks like that man in the picture only his hair is longer though, the bangs covering his eyes, and he’s not smiling. No, he looks like he’s about to cry. But he just takes a deep breath and heads towards the front door. As soon as his hand is on the doorknob, Marie jumps away from James.
“Wait!” she shouts, both their bodies slowly coming into view. Peter turns around, and their eyes lock.
“Michael…” he whispers in awe, a small grin tugging on his face.
“Peter,” Nathan says firmly, from his doorway, “Leave.”
Peter’s still staring at Marie though, drinking in her sight. He glances over at Nathan and the pleading look in his eyes, and he sighs, turning back to the door.
“Wait,” Marie begs, “Just wait there one second.”
Peter nods, placing his hands in his pockets. Marie walks over to where Nathan is and wraps her arms tightly around him. He hugs her bag as fervently as she hugs him. His eyes are shut tightly and James swears he sees a stray tear linger down his cheek. When they pull back, Marie looks up at him with a soft smile on her face.
“You’re the best dad a girl could ask for, you know that?”
As fucked up as her family is, James thinks that’s the most accurate statement of the night.
“I’ve tried my best,” Nathan says pushing the hair behind her ears.
“I have to do this. I have to face them,” she sighs, “I’m tired of running.”
“Okay,” Nathan says slowly, “If that’s what you want.”
She turns and finds Peter still standing there.
“So you can turn invisible, huh?” Peter whispers.
“Uh yeah,” Marie says, scratching her head, “That’s my gift.”
“Did you hear-”
“All of it.” She sighs softly. “I need to think about it so can you just…stay here for a second.”
“Fare enough.”
And like that she takes off up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her. Nathan sighs and follows her up there. And it’s just James and Peter in the foyer.
“Uh…hi,” James says awkwardly extending his hand, “I’m James, Marie’s best friend.”
“Peter,” he says returning the gesture.
“So you’re her father?”
“Yep.”
And you fell in love with your niece, James adds in his head.
“Yep, that too,” Peter mutters.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m an empath, kid. I picked up mind reading and I have issues controlling it around people I haven’t met.”
“Oh…Ohhhh,” James says suddenly recognizing what he meant. Saving James the worry of having to control his thoughts, Nathan appears at the top of the steps.
“She wants to see you, kid.”
James nearly sighs in relief as he runs up the stairs, passed Nathan and straight into Marie’s room.
“Did you know Peter can read minds? I totally just made an ass out of myself down-”
“Do you hate me?”
The question throws him off guard and his eyes dart up to meet hers. She’s curled up in a ball on her bed.
“Uh no,” James says furrowing his eyebrows, “Why would I hate you?”
“Because I’m a freak.”
“You’re not a freak,” James sighs, sitting down next to her.
“Yes I am!”
“So you’re parents were…well related. It happens.”
“James! That doesn’t just happen!”
“Yeah well it does. You’re proof.”
“Thanks,” she mutters curling even more into her pillow.
“Listen, Marie. I know it’s kind of weird. I’m not gonna lie. But if they had never…done that…well you wouldn’t be here. And well…I like you being here so I’m fine with it.”
She doesn’t respond, just pulls his hand close to her body.
“James…”
“Yeah?”
“If I go to meet her, will you come with us?”
“Of course.”
Part VI: Fulfillment
James used to throw around the term awkward like it was nothing. But, today he realizes that “awkward” is the true definition of his situation now. He’s sitting in the backseat of Peter’s car with Marie, a stack of suitcases pressed between them. Nathan is in the passenger seat as Peter drives them to Crestline, Ohio where he and Claire have settled down.
There’s not a word spoken between any of the occupants of the car. The air is thick with tension and works unspoken. Marie has her i-pod on and her sketchbook open. She’s drifted off to her own little world. James is stuck here, in reality.
Finally the awkward silence is broken by the ringing of Peter’s phone and James lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Some sound, any sound is welcome.
“Hey…yeah we’re just entering Crawford County so we should be there soon…How’s she doing?...Well that’s good…Good, very good…Can I talk to her?”
There’s a second pause where James sees Nathan and Marie exchange glances in the side mirror.
“Hey,” Peter sighs, “I just passed State Street…so we’ll be there in about five minutes…do you need me to pick up anything?...all right, I should go…I love you too…Tell Noah thank you again.”
He hangs up the phone and Nathan stares at him blankly.
“What?” Peter asks.
“Noah? As in Noah Bennett?”
“Yeah…”
“Interesting.”
“He’s been watching her while I’m at work. He moved to Ohio right after Sandra passed on…”
“I didn’t know she died,” Nathan says plainly.
“A couple years ago. Noah hasn’t been the same since. Neither has Claire.”
“It’s hard to lose a mother,” Marie says from the back seat. And suddenly the awkward tension rebuilds and James wishes he hadn’t broken his i-pod last month.
-----
Peter and Claire’s house is beautiful. A brick two-story on at least two acres of land and there’s a golden retriever that reminds James much of his own dog. Marie leans against Peter’s car, watching Nathan and Peter carry in their bags. James leans next to her and they just watch the scene unfold.
“This is weird,” Marie admits.
“A little.”
“It’s okay, James. You can admit it’s weird.”
“It’s really weird.”
They exchange a chuckle, and Nathan looks back at them.
“You two coming or what?”
“Yeah!” Marie yells. She turns to face James. “How do I look?”
Her blonde hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail. She’s wearing a red T-shirt and baggy black zip-up. Her jeans are loose on her small frame and her face, while clear of any make-up, is the prettiest it’s ever looked, her natural beauty shining through when she gives him a lopsided grin.
“You look like an angel,” he admits.
“An angel that they should have never given up?” she whispers.
“Definitely,” James says grabbing her hand, “You ready for this?”
“As much as I’ll ever be.”
-----
He’s been stuffed in a corner of the room while Marie meets Noah, her adoptive grandfather…or something. Marie’s immediately enthralled with the man, probably because he’s not a Petrelli and therefore, a non-blood relative. Nathan and Peter are conversing heatedly, and James is just…watching. He watches how Peter keeps sneaking glances at Marie, and Nathan glares trying to get his attention back. They’re both acting like petulant children instead of fathers.
Peter finally approaches Marie and tells her something. Nathan waits behind him with his arms crossed. Marie listens intently, then nods and heads over to where James is.
“You’re coming inside with me.” It’s not so much a request as a demand.
“Inside where?”
“Into her room,” Marie says tugging on her sleeves.
“Are you sure?”
“I can’t do this alone, and besides Nathan you’re the only one I trust. And I’m not making Nathan face this if he doesn’t want to. I know it’s-”
“Okay, you made your case!” James smirks, “You seriously talk too much.”
“Shut up,” she smiles, tugging at his hand, “Let’s go…”
They approach Peter who nods at them.
“You sure you’re ready for this, Michael?”
“It’s Marie,” she says on instinct, “And yeah I am. James is coming with me.”
“Okay,” Peter says leading them down the hall to a door. He stops suddenly causing Marie to almost run into him. “Listen…I…”
“You and I have time,” Marie says cutting off his rambling, “She and I don’t. And if we don’t get in there soon, I’m going to lose all my courage and run all the way back to New York.”
“Just like your mother,” Peter smirks, “Overdramatic.”
“Oh shut up,” she says, unable to hide her grin, “Just let me in there.”
“As you wish,” Peter grins opening the door.
The room is dark, blinds drawn only on one side, letting in the least light. There’s a king sized bed in the center, where a petite woman is submerged in large comforters and pillows. Her attention is fixed on a television on the right side of the bedroom. Hearing the door open she glances over and her eyes widen.
The woman is blonde, her hair stuck to her forehead. Her eyes are hollow, bright green but empty and tired. She looks pale and sickly, but her smile is bold, fixed on her daughter. It’s a sad little smile.
“Michael,” she whispers, “Michael Marie.”
Marie clutches James’s hand tighter.
“Hi,” she says shyly.
“Come here so I can get a good look at you,” Claire says patting the seat next to her bed. Marie approaches with caution, her hand slipping out of James. She looks back at him and he smiles encouragingly.
“Who’s this?” Claire asks.
“I’m James Scott, Marie’s best friend.”
“Nice to meet you, James.”
“I needed him with me,” Marie blurts out.
“I understand,” Claire whispers, “I imagine this can’t be easy for you.”
Marie sits down tentatively on the seat next to the bed. James stays back near Peter who’s watching his daughter and wife interact with a nervous smile on his face.
“So you’re really dying then?”
“I think so.”
“But umm, Nathan told me you could regenerate. You’re not supposed to die.”
“Sometimes things happen when they shouldn’t, but there’s always a reason. I think this was the only way I could get to meet you.”
“You’re wrong,” Marie says coldly.
“Nathan told me you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you,” Marie whispers, “I just hate what you did. I hate that you could just walk away from what you did.”
“I wanted you to have a normal life…”
“And a life in a brick house on two acres of land with a goddamn golden retriever isn’t normal! Life with a mother and a father isn’t normal?!?” Marie hisses, her voice rising rapidly.
“You’d have to live with the fact that your father and I were doing something taboo everyday. We didn’t want you to question yourself. We didn’t want you to have to face it everyday,” Claire responds calmly.
“Well, I still do! Every day!” Marie yells, “God! Why did I even come here! I knew you two wouldn’t have one ounce of remorse for what you did! Pops was right! You both don’t care about anyone but yourselves.”
Marie moves to leave, but James pulls her back.
“No.”
“James! Let me go!”
“No. Not like this,” he whispers in her ear, “Make peace.”
“I can’t do this.”
James looks over Marie’s shoulder at Claire who’s in tears. Peter has rushed to her bedside, stroking the hair on her head and trying his best to console her with murmured words.
“She’s dying because of you,” James whispers in her ear, “She’s dying because of the guilt. Because she wishes she fought harder to keep you, but she doesn’t want to tell you that. She doesn’t know how to tell you she loves you more than you’ll ever know. That she’s not ashamed of you.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“I don’t need to be a mind reader to know how to read a Petrelli.” He lets out a deep breath. “Just try again…tell her how you feel. Tell her about your life.”
Marie sighs and turns around, sitting back down in the chair. Peter is still holding one of Claire’s hands and their eyes are locked, speaking words as only soul mates can; without opening their mouth. Marie bravely reaches out for her mother’s other hand, catching them both off guard.
“Michael, I-”
“Don’t talk, just listen,” Marie says, “Before I lose my nerve.”
“Okay.”
“I hate when people call me Michael and not because it’s a boy’s name. When I was little, I didn’t mind it, but then one day Angela mentioned it was my father’s name and I stopped letting people use it because I don’t like thinking about you guys. It’s nothing against you two, it can’t be because I don’t know you. Nathan doesn’t like to talk about you. I see you two just as the incestuous duo that happened to birth me. And that makes me see you as just figures to hate. It’s because of what you are, not who you are.”
“I didn’t have a choice in this. You two did. You could have been careful. It might sound odd, but I wish you wouldn’t have had me. I hate who I am. I hate my existence and the pain it’s caused everyone I love. I hate the fact that Nathan has lost his whole family because of this. You have no idea how much you two broke his heart with what you did.”
“And he should hate me for everything I stand for. Because I’m the reason he lost it all. The reason his wife can’t even look at him, the reason his mother never visits, the reason his brother and him don’t talk. But not once has he ever blamed me for any of it.”
“He blames both of you and so do I. I can’t help it and I don’t think I’ll ever stop blaming you, but I don’t want to hate you anymore. I’m seventeen years old. Pretty soon I’ll be off to college and I want to be able to think about my parents without just seeing the one dimensional evil people that I’ve trained myself to see.”
“So please…give me a reason not to hate you.”
Silence fills the room and it’s Peter who speaks first.
“We fought it. We did. For three years, we tried to pretend that we could just be family. And it took every ounce of restraint we had. We became miserable people. Neither of us could be around each other for long. It was just too painful. Nathan started to suspect something was wrong.”
“I’ve always been honest with my brother, but I couldn’t tell him the truth this time. So I kept on hiding until one day we just couldn’t hide from each other anymore.”
“It was a Friday,” Claire interrupts, “He promised Nathan he’d pick me up from the movies. We spent the car ride in silence until we both caught a shooting star.”
“You said that shooting stars were rarely visible to the human eye,” Peter chimes in.
“And you said it was destiny.”
“And you said it was fate.”
“And we both agreed that those two were the same thing.”
“They’re not,” James says, breaking their moment. When they both look up at him, he realizes he said that out loud. “Sorry, continue.”
“And then I kissed her,” Peter says smiling down at his wife. He glances over at his daughter who seems to be taking it all in. “I’d never take that back, Marie. Claire is the love of my life, and yes, I wish the circumstances were different, but they’re not. Some days are tougher than others, but I can’t imagine not being with her.”
“Likewise,” Claire smiles.
“We would have loved to raise you with us, but we chose to give you to Nathan for a reason. He may have ranted and raved about how we couldn’t raise you ourselves, but in the end, it was our choice.”
“So then why’d you do it?” Marie asked.
“I had Peter and Peter had me, but Nathan had nothing,” Claire says squeezing Marie’s hand, “I knew that he would take care of you. I knew that you would take care of him in return. Call it mother’s intuition.”
“I don’t get it,” Marie whispered.
“I wanted you to get to know him like I never did. You’ve changed him and because of that, I don’t regret it.”
Marie stares at her oddly, just soaking her in. James knows that she gets it now.
------
It’s time for them to leave. Peter’s driving them back over night so Marie and James will get home for school tomorrow. Nathan offers to fly them, literally, but Peter just smirks and tells him the drive will do them good.
Claire and Marie talked for a couple hours allowing for James and Peter to slip out of the room. It’s during that time that Peter completely broke down in the hallway. Nathan saw him out of the corner of his eye, and as if on impulse, he gathered him in his arms and told him everything was going to be okay.
When Peter finally calmed down and head back into Claire’s room, James and Nathan were left alone in the hallway.
“He’ll always be my brother,” Nathan muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“I know,” James smirked, “There’s hope for you two.”
Since that exchange, James notices that Nathan is more comfortable around Peter. He didn’t see Claire during their visit though. He tells Marie he’s just not ready for that.
“He’s not gonna have time,” Marie mutters opening her door.
“Yes he will,” James says confidently.
“This is probably the last time we’ll see her.”
“I’m pretty sure you’ll see her again,” James says as they tumble into the back seat.
“What are you talking about?”
“Before we left, I took her hand and thanked her for inviting us.”
“And you’re just so charming that she’ll miraculously be…” Marie’s sarcastic retort trails off as their eyes meet.
“Cured? Yeah I think so,” James murmurs, “I think she was receptive to my healing. In fact, I think she called me back into her room for a reason.”
He gives her a knowing look, and Marie launches herself across the suitcases separating them, throwing her arms around him and kissing him as if there’s not a moment to spare. James is caught off guard but he returns it and when they pull back she looks at him in total awe.
“I love you so much, James Scott.”
“Well,” James sighs, “I love you too, Marie Petrelli.”
“Call me Michael.”
She winks and he wraps his arm around her shoulder. For the first time since he’s met her, he truly understands it all. He understands why her parents fell in love. Why Nathan is so protective of her, why it’s so hard for him to forgive Claire and Peter and yet so hard for him to let go. He understands what it means to love a Petrelli. And to have one love you back.
Title: To Love a Petrelli
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Nathan Petrelli, Peter/Claire.
Warnings: Incest. No real spoilers.
Genre: Angst
Summary: “I’m just trying to make sense of it.” “Seventeen years and it still makes no fucking sense to me, kid,” Nathan says as he sits down at his desk, the picture of Marie’s mother staring him in the face. “Her name was Claire, and that’s all I can tell you.”
Part I: Predestiny
A/N: For those of you who might watch OTH, see if you notice the character who slipped in here totally on accident.
James Scott had an average childhood, nothing terribly life altering about it sans the wonderful power he was blessed with. He lived in a normal two story house with a white picket fence and a golden retriever named Sally. His parents were married while in high school and that was about the extent his abnormal heritage went. His best friend, Marie, laughed whenever he told her that. Because when it came to having an odd history, Marie’s took the cake.
For starters, her first name wasn’t really Marie. It was Michael. Yes, Michael like the boy’s name. She was an only child to her best knowledge, and she lived with her grandfather, Nathan Petrelli, in a big mansion in the outskirts of New York. She had a mom and dad who were still living, but of whom she didn’t talk about and therefore led James to believe that they had abandoned her when she was a baby. He never asked though. And she never elaborated.
James met Marie when they were ten. Both of them were attending St. Vincent’s Academy for the Extrordinary. It was the only school that catered to evolutionarily advanced children. It would teach them how to develop and hone their craft while learning the basic knowledge every member of society is programmed to know. It was a secret place established by the Company and disguised as an expensive private school. It reminded James of the school in X-Men only the Professors were just geneticists with no gifts themselves.
Nathan never wanted Marie to go there, but she had developed the ability to disappear early and unlike any of the family’s previous “gifts”, invisibility, ironically, couldn’t be hidden from others, especially since she had no control over it yet. James’s parents on the other hand were thrilled with the idea of him learn about his power. He could heal things, and it was an incredibly beautiful gift to have, they said. He could heal the world, and even as a child, he was eager to make the world right. Marie was more interested in her sketchbook.
They had immediately attached to each other. Both were only children. Even though Marie had uncles who were close in age, she never felt connected to them. It was as though she was stuck in her own little world all the time. She was drawn to James natural warmth and candor and the fact that he cared so much about everyone around him. They finished each other’s sentences and know what the other’s feeling without even have to see their face.
They were soul mates.
James didn’t realize how much that statement would test him.
------
Part II: Mystery
She’s always taking. Absorbing things that he places out before her unconsciously. When he talks about his family, she listens with wide eyes fixed on his own. Those green eyes are needy and clinging to every word that slides out of his mouth.
He notices that she loves when he talks about his mother. Elizabeth Scott is nothing special, but to Marie she’s fascinating. But then again, the closest thing Marie ever had to a mother was Heidi Petrelli who ignored her as much as humanly possible.
“Heidi always wanted a daughter,” Marie says one day. It’s one of the few times she actually divulges anything of her home life.
“Yeah?”
“My mother screwed that up…” she mutters averting her eyes, “Twice.”
He doesn’t get it. Not at all, but he sees her turn back to her magazine, and he knows she won’t be elaborating on it.
Later that day he asks if she’d like to meet his mother tonight. She refuses. Like always.
-------
She draws all the time. During classes. After school. Before bed. She has sketchbooks and sketchbooks full of the same things. Wide open fields and vast skies. And occasionally there’s a little girl, but most of the time it’s just space. Colored and shaded space.
He loves to psychoanalyze her stuff. He tells her she’s dying for freedom. She feels repressed and shackled. She just quirks an eyebrow at him and tells him he’s fucking nuts.
“I can disappear whenever the hell I want and go wherever I feel like at the drop of a dime. You can’t get much freer than that.”
“It’s a metaphor, Michael Marie.”
“It’s Marie,” she says plainly, snatching the sketchbook from his hands.
“What’s so wrong with Michael? I mean besides it being a boy’s name,” James says, as he flips through his i-pod nonchalantly, “You’re named after a freaking archangel and seeing as you’re obsessed with mythology, that should make your day.”
“I’m not named after the damn angel,” she hisses, and he drops the subject.
The next time he sees her sketchbook it’s filled with drawings of an angel clad with shield and sword chained to the ground. He tries not to read into it this time.
-------
Being in her own world has always left her without anyone who really understands her. Worst of all, most of the kids at school think she’s weird because she rarely talks. She’ll occasionally answer a question in class to prove she’s still breathing, and there’s times where she’ll interact with the other kids, but mostly she just sits there while James talks with his friends on the football team. Listening to them talk, she doesn’t roll her eyes like she wants to because this is her way of proving to James that she’s as dedicated to him and he is to her. But James can tell they all annoy her.
She hates Roy Connolly most of all. Because he’s arrogant and crude and he thinks he’s always right. Even when he’s wrong, he’s got to find a way to prove he wasn’t. James isn’t really friends with Roy, but their co-captains of the team and that means they have to sit together. High school code of ethics.
One day they’re talking about Candice McEllen’s bra size when James suddenly realizes Roy’s staring at Marie again. He always is. And James knows that soon he’ll ask her a really embarrassing question to get her frustrated because when she’s angry, her eyes glow and it’s probably the most beautiful thing anyone could witness.
Of course James knows that you don’t have to make her angry to see her eyes glow. But Roy prefers it that way. This time he asks her something about confirming whether she’s a natural blonde, but she doesn’t respond. Heck, she doesn’t even notice he’s asking the question because she’s too busy sneaking a peak at cheerleading practice across the way.
Roy tries to get her attention again but she’s completely zoned out. Finally, James clicks his fingers in front of her face and she jumps back.
“What?” she says slowly turning back towards them.
“Jesus, Marie, you’re slow! Were your parents related or did they just-”
Roy Connolly never does finish that sentence. Marie dumps her whole lunch tray on him and runs into the girls’ bathroom. It takes James twenty minutes to coax her out of the stall and when she finally comes out, she collapses in his arms, crying about how it isn’t fair.
James has never seen Marie cry over her parents before. They were always a touchy subject for her. Just never that touchy.
It’s there in that bathroom James realizes that after 7 years of friendship; Michael Marie Petrelli is still a mystery to him.
-----
Part III: History
Marie’s grandfather, Nathan, is probably the most intimidating man James has ever met in his life. He’s way too young to be a grandfather, only in his forties at the most. He’s tall, around six foot two, with dark piercing eyes that seem to assume be accusing you every minute of every day. He’s got this grin that makes him look like a shark waiting to attack. It seems everyone walks around him on pins and needles.
Everyone but Marie whose sass and sweet smile make it hard for anyone to not melt. Even Nathan the hard ass disciplinarian is not immune to it. They both seem to find the other incredibly amusing. James loves watching the two of them interact. Marie’s mom never lived with Nathan (which is just another thing to add to James’s list of things he doesn’t get). But because of that, he can tell that Nathan will never quite get used to the emotional rollercoaster that comes with having a young girl in the house. There are days when he just stares at her during her tirades and shakes his head before leaving the room as if to say “what did I get myself into?”
On the other hand, Nathan seems to be able to handle the fact that Marie has her head always stuck in the clouds quite well, which surprises him seeing as Nathan is so grounded in reality. But whenever Marie brings up her plans for creating utopia and spreading love, instead of rolling his eyes, Nathan just smirks and bites his tongue.
They balance each other like yin and yang. It’s seems peaceful enough, but everyone can feel the tension just barely hidden beneath the surface. James wonders why Nathan’s always holding back when Marie knows how he really feels anyway.
But like everything in the Petrelli household, it’s not as simple as it looks.
-----
The first time James is ever introduced to Marie’s mother it’s entirely by accident. He’s not really introduced to her, per say. It’s more he spots her picture in Nathan’s study when Marie sends him to find a book on Business Ethics.
He shouldn’t have even noticed it. There’s at least twenty pictures on Nathan’s shelves. But for some reason, the flash of blonde hair catches his eye and he has to look twice. He expected it would be another picture of Marie seeing as Nathan’s desk is filled with them. But it’s not. The girl in the picture, while the spitting image of Marie, is definitely different. Her face is rounder and her nose is pointier.
So he finds himself staring at the picture in silence, jaw hinged and Business Ethics book hanging limply in his hands as he wonders idly if it could possibly be the elusive mother of his best friend. He’s so entranced that he doesn’t even notice the study door open. No, he doesn’t hear Nathan until he’s right next to him clapping a hand on his shoulder.
“Business Ethics, huh?”
James jumps two feet back and closes his eyes trying not to feel as though he’s just been caught snooping.
“That’s Marie’s mother if you were wondering,” Nathan says, noticing the boy’s eyes are still lingering on the picture when they reopen. It’s hard not to stare at her.
“Yeah,” he mumbles, “Sorry I just…She’s beautiful,” he blurts out. It’s the truth, but he realizes that it’s probably not something Nathan wanted or needed to hear. Still, the older man lets out a bark of a laugh and pats him on the back again.
“She is,” he repeats firmly and then he whispers it again, this time much softer, “She really is.”
“Marie doesn’t talk-”
“Can you blame her?”
James looks back at the picture. Sweet girl. Sad little smile. Oh how he’s seen that smile before.
“No. Not at all,” James sighs.
“Listen, I know you want to help, but if you dig to deep on this one, it will come back to bite you in the ass. Just leave her parents out of this.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” James says simply, “I’m just trying to make sense of it.”
“Seventeen years and it still makes no fucking sense to me, kid,” Nathan says as he sits down at his desk, the picture of Marie’s mother staring him in the face. “Her name was Claire, and that’s all I can tell you.”
James knows that this is not Nathan being cryptic. The reason Nathan can’t tell him anymore is because he never really knew his daughter.
------
Marie’s more comfortable talking about her mother than her father. It’s not like she’ll really talk about either of them, but she’ll occasionally mention the fact that she has a mother. Her father, on the other hand, might as well have been a sperm bank donor because James has never once heard her mention the concept of having one.
The strange thing is deep down he knows that’s not the case. He can’t explain it, but he just has this gut feeling that Marie was created in love. That her parents loved each other enough to have her and give her to Nathan so she’d have a good life. Maybe he’s crazy or maybe he’s just a romantic at heart, but he doesn’t see Marie’s dad as a one night stand or Sample #15096.
They’re looking through old photo albums, hoping to find a picture of Marie for a school project, when Marie comes across Nathan’s old wedding album. Marie fingers the edges before slowly opening it up.
“Wow,” James says, as he peaks over her shoulder from his position on her bed, “Heidi was hot.”
“Shut up,” Marie giggles. Her fingers trace over Nathan’s face, a small smile still echoed on her lips. “God, Nathan hasn’t aged a day, has he?”
“Maybe he sold his soul to the devil.”
“That or it’s just good genes,” Marie says, flipping the page to a picture of Angela Petrelli.
“Yep, it’s in the genes,” James says, “Your great-grandmother hasn’t aged a day either.”
“Yeah, but she is the devil,” Marie quirks. She turns another page and freezes there. Her smile slipping off her face quicker than it took to flip the page.
It’s a picture of Nathan and his best man, James presumes. The guy is a little less than ten years younger than Nathan. He’s got the same haunting brown eyes. But his hair is much longer, falling in his face. James’s eyebrows furrow as he tries to remember if Marie ever mentioned having a great-uncle.
“Who’s that with your grandfather?” he asks.
“My father,” Marie says curtly.
“Oh,” James says simply. He thinks better than to tell Marie that her father looks a lot like her maternal grandfather.
“He was the best man in Nathan’s wedding.”
“Is that how he met your mother? Through Nathan?”
“No,” Marie says, chuckling at the thought, “They met in Texas. My father found out later that my mother and Nathan were related.”
“Wow. Small world.”
Marie shuts the book and shoves it aside.
“A really small world.”
-----
Part IV: Destiny
“Do you believe in destiny, James?”
This is a weekly thing for Marie. She asks him an incredibly deep question and expects him to have a very convincing answer prepared off hand. She’ll most likely disagree with everything he says and she’ll be able to defend her opinion with researched points and dialogue. He’ll try not to smirk at how predictable it all is.
“There’s no such thing as destiny.” It’s not James who answers her. It’s Nathan who’s just strolled into the kitchen with his morning coffee and newspaper.
“You seriously think that?” Marie says swiveling around on her stool to face him.
“Yes. Everyone’s got choices. You ultimately decide your life.”
“It is kind of odd to think that our whole life is mapped out for us,” Marie admits, “But then I kind of think that if there’s no destiny, there’s no purpose.”
“There’s a purpose. It’s just one of your own making.”
“What do you think, James?”
“There’s a difference between destiny and fate,” James says simply, “Fate is the idea that your life is mapped out for you and every choice you made has already been made. Destiny is the idea that you have a purpose out there and that you need to fulfill that purpose. So while I don’t believe in fate, I believe in destiny.”
“So what happens then if you don’t follow your destiny?” Nathan smirks.
“Karma,” James shrugs, “You get punished for ignoring your destiny with bad karma. Or if destiny’s feeling charitable it might give you a second chance. For instance, my grandpa always thought that he should have married his high school sweetheart. She was the love of his life and instead he wound up marrying a girl he met in college. He got a second chance with my dad. He actually sat back and let him marry my mom in high school…I don’t know if that’s the best example, but basically, we all screw up. And Karma provides us an opportunity to make it right.”
“I definitely believe in Karma,” Marie says meeting Nathan’s eyes.
“Me too,” Nathan says, smiling softly.
James looks back and forth between the two of them. He blushes when he realizes that Marie is Nathan’s second chance.
-----
Angela Petrelli doesn’t speak a single word to Marie when she’s in her presence. It’s almost painful to watch her be so bluntly ignored, but she’s gotten used to it now. Most of the time, she takes her meals in her room and waits until the woman’s gone home before she sneaks back down to grab some ice cream. Sometimes James is with her when it happens and they’ll sneak out and go see a movie or take a walk in the park.
One day James takes her ice skating and they miss time they’re return. They come in right as Angela’s going to leave. Her cold eyes lock onto Marie’s, and for some strange reason, she takes the time to talk to the poor girl.
“How’s school?” Angela says curtly, no greeting whatsoever.
“Good,” Marie responds in turn.
“You’re a senior, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And this is your…” she trails off, as her eyes dart over James’s figure, appraising him from every angle.
“Best friend.”
“Oh,” Angela says, her eyes snapping up to meet Marie’s, “Will you be attending college?”
“Probably,” Marie shrugs.
Just then, Nathan strolls into the foyer and stops mid-step seeing Marie and Angela conversing. Marie is tugging on the sleeves of her jacket nervously, but her eyes stay fixed on Angela, refusing to back down. Nathan comes to stand next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
“Ma, you’re not giving Marie a hard time, are you?”
“Don’t worry, Pops. She was just asking me about school,” Marie says resting her head on his shoulder.
“Did you tell her about how you’re captain of the Debate Team? Or how you’re ranked second in your class?”
“Really? I expected her to be a cheerleader,” Angela says raising an eyebrow.
“Are you kidding?” Marie mutters, “Nathan would never let me do that. I think it’s the only thing he forbid me to do.”
“But why, Nathan?” Angela says, “Cheerleading is such a firm part of this family’s history.”
The sarcasm dripping from her words goes unnoticed by Marie who has drifted off into her own little world again. James notices though. He sees Nathan’s eyes have narrowed and his grip tightens on Marie’s shoulder.
“Marie’s better than that,” he says simply.
“Ah well I see,” Angela smirks as though she’s won the argument neither of them was fighting. “Best be going.”
She slips out of the house quickly. Nathan drops a kiss on the top of Marie’s head.
“You know I’m proud of you right?” he whispers, hoping James won’t hear, even though he does.
“Yeah,” Marie nods, “and that’s all that matters.”
-----
James comes to family dinners, every Friday night. Marie’s uncles, who are in their late twenties, come home from college. Both of them are in graduate school. One’s going to be a lawyer and the other, a geneticist. James has given up trying to figure out which is doing which. Either way, they’re always bugging Marie over what she’s going to do with her life.
“Leave her alone boys,” Nathan chuckles, one night while they’re harping on her over the main course, “She’s still young.”
“She’s a senior now, dad. It’s not ridiculous to ask,” Monty (or so James thinks) asks.
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about med school,” Marie blurts out.
“Med school?” Nathan asks cautiously and James almost thinks he’s dreading where this is going. He can’t for the life of him figure out why Nathan would fear having a doctor in the family.
“Yeah, I was thinking of being a nurse,” Marie shrugs.
“Awesome,” James says immediately, knowing Marie would be perfect as a nurse. She’s definitely got the heart. He smiles encouragingly and pats her on the back.
“You think so?” she beams up at him.
She starts to ramble off about medical school at John Hopkins and how she’s sure she’s got the grades. James notices her smile fades when she catches Nathan’s eye. He tries to contain his disappointment, but he’s never been good at hiding his feelings, especially with Marie. His dead eyes give him away and Marie stares down at her plate and stirs her mashed potatoes aimlessly.
“I mean I’m still young,” she says finally, her eyes not moving from her plate, “And I have other options. I was thinking of law school too.”
Nathan nearly sighs in relief, but instead tries to cover it up with a good natured grin, “You’d make an amazing lawyer.”
“Yeah?” She says, smiling at him.
“You could do anything, kid.”
Except cheerleading and nursing, James thinks wryly.
------
Part V: Reality
Being invisible should make it easy for Marie to eavesdrop on private conversations, but when it comes to Nathan he can always tell when she’s around. It’s his sixth sense, he tells her. So she never gets the chance to use her gift on anyone but Heidi, who’s utterly boring. The only time she ever really uses it then is when she and James want to sneak into the movies.
It’s a Friday afternoon when James decides they’re gonna ditch the last class of the day and go see Phantom Heights, the epic romance movie that Marie’s been hinting about for the past six weeks. He’s doing it because lately she’s been down about not applying to John Hopkins and as much as he hates chick flicks, he loves seeing her smile. It’ll be worth it in the end.
She squees with delight at the idea and wastes no time pulling them off campus, using her power not to draw any illusion to them. Seniors ditching was really commonplace, but she had to be extra careful that Nathan didn’t find out.
They pass by her house and she tells him she wants to run inside and grab her wallet. She’s about to leave him outside without the protection of being invisible when she spots the horror on his face at the thought of being discovered by Nathan. She giggles and tugs his hand so he follows her inside. As soon as they open the door, they hear an onslaught of raised voices coming from Nathan’s study.
“You can’t just walk in here and act like you own the place!”
“Shit,” James mutters as he protectively pulls Marie closer to him, “We should just leave.”
“I need you to listen to me!”
“I don’t give a damn, Peter! You understand me?”
“No,” Marie says firmly, “Wait a second…”
James looks down at her pleading eyes and nods. She pulls them closer to the door, even though they don’t need to be closer to hear any better.
“I understand, Nathan. I really do, but-”
“But nothing! Just get the fuck out of my house before Marie comes home and sees you here.”
“You can’t keep me from her. Not this time,” the man named Peter whispers.
“She doesn’t need this, okay? She doesn’t need you fucking up her life more than you already have. So just go.”
“Claire is dying.”
Marie gasps, and her grip on James’s arm increases. He instinctively pulls her close and wraps his arms around her holding her to him as she curls as close as possible to his chest.
“How is that possible?” Nathan says, his voice no longer yelling but still harsh nonetheless, “She can regenerate. She’s supposed to live forever.”
“I don’t know.” They can hear Peter sigh. “It started a couple years ago. She’d been suffering from depression. I noticed that she’d get cut and it would take hours to heal instead of minutes. Then hours became days. We thought maybe she just lost her power, but then her system just started shutting down. She couldn’t get out of bed some days. Dr. Suresh ran as many tests as he could but he couldn’t find any reason for why it was happening.”
Silence follows and James can feel the hot tears on his chest.
“I don’t get it.”
“She still has her power. It’s still a part of her system, but she’s rejecting it. She’s lost the will to live.”
“Oh don’t give me that bullshit!” Nathan hisses.
“Believe what you want, Nathan, but your daughter is dying, and her final wish is to meet her daughter just once before she passes. She wants to make peace with her, and I promised I would do everything in my power short of kidnapping her to make sure that happened.”
“No,” Nathan says firmly, “The poor girl has suffered enough because of you two.”
“How long are you going to keep her away? How long are you going to blame us for falling in love?”
“Oh this is rich…”
“It just happened, Nathan. It’s not something we wanted. We both knew it was wrong, but we couldn’t fight it. We were weak and-”
“You should have been the strong one.”
“How can you blame me for falling in love?”
“YOU WERE MY BROTHER!” Nathan roars suddenly, “You were my brother! And you were supposed to know better, Peter. You were supposed to know that she was just a teenage girl with a hero complex. She had her whole fucking life ahead of her and instead you took advantage of her trust. You let her commit a sin that she will pay for, for all eternity.”
The gears in James’s mind start turning, and it’s not long before he lets out a small gasp in recognition. Everything begins to make sense. Hearing his gasp, Marie panics and tries to dart away from him, but he just pulls her closer. His eyes meet hers. And he doesn’t look at her with pity, but rather sympathy. She’s held her secret for so long. Too long.
“Michael Marie is not a sin,” Peter says firmly.
“No, she’s not,” Nathan responds quietly, “But you’ve never had to live with what you’ve done. For you and Claire, it’s just love, right? That’s what you told us. You two were in love and happy and that love kept you from seeing what you had done. It still blinds you.”
Nathan takes a deep breath and continues, “She was six when I had to explain to her why her parents didn’t live with her. She was ten when she figured out what incest was, and she was twelve when she stopped being able to look at herself in the mirror without cringing. She wakes up everyday and prays to God that He’ll forgive her for existing. Can you even imagine that? Hating the fact you exist…”
“Ma won’t even look at her. Heidi barely speaks to her. They both treat her like she’s the scum of the Earth and that only helps her feeling of utter disgust with who she is. You couldn’t count the number of nights I’ve spent holding her while she cries herself to sleep. You don’t know how afraid she is that someone at school’s going to find out about it. The shame and the fear she carries are something no girl her age should have to deal with.”
“A lot has changed in seventeen years. You look at me, Peter, and you still see the heartless shark that turned his back on his daughter, but what you don’t realize is I’ve been given a second chance with Marie. And I’m sure as hell not going to make her face the two people she hates more than she hates herself. Because I love her as if she was my own daughter and I’m tired of you ruining her life.”
“So I’m asking you nicely and for the last time to stand up and walk out that door. Go back to Claire and live in your little imaginary bubble and leave me and your daughter alone.”
“Nathan, I-”
“Go.”
Peter stalks out of the study. He still looks like that man in the picture only his hair is longer though, the bangs covering his eyes, and he’s not smiling. No, he looks like he’s about to cry. But he just takes a deep breath and heads towards the front door. As soon as his hand is on the doorknob, Marie jumps away from James.
“Wait!” she shouts, both their bodies slowly coming into view. Peter turns around, and their eyes lock.
“Michael…” he whispers in awe, a small grin tugging on his face.
“Peter,” Nathan says firmly, from his doorway, “Leave.”
Peter’s still staring at Marie though, drinking in her sight. He glances over at Nathan and the pleading look in his eyes, and he sighs, turning back to the door.
“Wait,” Marie begs, “Just wait there one second.”
Peter nods, placing his hands in his pockets. Marie walks over to where Nathan is and wraps her arms tightly around him. He hugs her bag as fervently as she hugs him. His eyes are shut tightly and James swears he sees a stray tear linger down his cheek. When they pull back, Marie looks up at him with a soft smile on her face.
“You’re the best dad a girl could ask for, you know that?”
As fucked up as her family is, James thinks that’s the most accurate statement of the night.
“I’ve tried my best,” Nathan says pushing the hair behind her ears.
“I have to do this. I have to face them,” she sighs, “I’m tired of running.”
“Okay,” Nathan says slowly, “If that’s what you want.”
She turns and finds Peter still standing there.
“So you can turn invisible, huh?” Peter whispers.
“Uh yeah,” Marie says, scratching her head, “That’s my gift.”
“Did you hear-”
“All of it.” She sighs softly. “I need to think about it so can you just…stay here for a second.”
“Fare enough.”
And like that she takes off up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her. Nathan sighs and follows her up there. And it’s just James and Peter in the foyer.
“Uh…hi,” James says awkwardly extending his hand, “I’m James, Marie’s best friend.”
“Peter,” he says returning the gesture.
“So you’re her father?”
“Yep.”
And you fell in love with your niece, James adds in his head.
“Yep, that too,” Peter mutters.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m an empath, kid. I picked up mind reading and I have issues controlling it around people I haven’t met.”
“Oh…Ohhhh,” James says suddenly recognizing what he meant. Saving James the worry of having to control his thoughts, Nathan appears at the top of the steps.
“She wants to see you, kid.”
James nearly sighs in relief as he runs up the stairs, passed Nathan and straight into Marie’s room.
“Did you know Peter can read minds? I totally just made an ass out of myself down-”
“Do you hate me?”
The question throws him off guard and his eyes dart up to meet hers. She’s curled up in a ball on her bed.
“Uh no,” James says furrowing his eyebrows, “Why would I hate you?”
“Because I’m a freak.”
“You’re not a freak,” James sighs, sitting down next to her.
“Yes I am!”
“So you’re parents were…well related. It happens.”
“James! That doesn’t just happen!”
“Yeah well it does. You’re proof.”
“Thanks,” she mutters curling even more into her pillow.
“Listen, Marie. I know it’s kind of weird. I’m not gonna lie. But if they had never…done that…well you wouldn’t be here. And well…I like you being here so I’m fine with it.”
She doesn’t respond, just pulls his hand close to her body.
“James…”
“Yeah?”
“If I go to meet her, will you come with us?”
“Of course.”
Part VI: Fulfillment
James used to throw around the term awkward like it was nothing. But, today he realizes that “awkward” is the true definition of his situation now. He’s sitting in the backseat of Peter’s car with Marie, a stack of suitcases pressed between them. Nathan is in the passenger seat as Peter drives them to Crestline, Ohio where he and Claire have settled down.
There’s not a word spoken between any of the occupants of the car. The air is thick with tension and works unspoken. Marie has her i-pod on and her sketchbook open. She’s drifted off to her own little world. James is stuck here, in reality.
Finally the awkward silence is broken by the ringing of Peter’s phone and James lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Some sound, any sound is welcome.
“Hey…yeah we’re just entering Crawford County so we should be there soon…How’s she doing?...Well that’s good…Good, very good…Can I talk to her?”
There’s a second pause where James sees Nathan and Marie exchange glances in the side mirror.
“Hey,” Peter sighs, “I just passed State Street…so we’ll be there in about five minutes…do you need me to pick up anything?...all right, I should go…I love you too…Tell Noah thank you again.”
He hangs up the phone and Nathan stares at him blankly.
“What?” Peter asks.
“Noah? As in Noah Bennett?”
“Yeah…”
“Interesting.”
“He’s been watching her while I’m at work. He moved to Ohio right after Sandra passed on…”
“I didn’t know she died,” Nathan says plainly.
“A couple years ago. Noah hasn’t been the same since. Neither has Claire.”
“It’s hard to lose a mother,” Marie says from the back seat. And suddenly the awkward tension rebuilds and James wishes he hadn’t broken his i-pod last month.
-----
Peter and Claire’s house is beautiful. A brick two-story on at least two acres of land and there’s a golden retriever that reminds James much of his own dog. Marie leans against Peter’s car, watching Nathan and Peter carry in their bags. James leans next to her and they just watch the scene unfold.
“This is weird,” Marie admits.
“A little.”
“It’s okay, James. You can admit it’s weird.”
“It’s really weird.”
They exchange a chuckle, and Nathan looks back at them.
“You two coming or what?”
“Yeah!” Marie yells. She turns to face James. “How do I look?”
Her blonde hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail. She’s wearing a red T-shirt and baggy black zip-up. Her jeans are loose on her small frame and her face, while clear of any make-up, is the prettiest it’s ever looked, her natural beauty shining through when she gives him a lopsided grin.
“You look like an angel,” he admits.
“An angel that they should have never given up?” she whispers.
“Definitely,” James says grabbing her hand, “You ready for this?”
“As much as I’ll ever be.”
-----
He’s been stuffed in a corner of the room while Marie meets Noah, her adoptive grandfather…or something. Marie’s immediately enthralled with the man, probably because he’s not a Petrelli and therefore, a non-blood relative. Nathan and Peter are conversing heatedly, and James is just…watching. He watches how Peter keeps sneaking glances at Marie, and Nathan glares trying to get his attention back. They’re both acting like petulant children instead of fathers.
Peter finally approaches Marie and tells her something. Nathan waits behind him with his arms crossed. Marie listens intently, then nods and heads over to where James is.
“You’re coming inside with me.” It’s not so much a request as a demand.
“Inside where?”
“Into her room,” Marie says tugging on her sleeves.
“Are you sure?”
“I can’t do this alone, and besides Nathan you’re the only one I trust. And I’m not making Nathan face this if he doesn’t want to. I know it’s-”
“Okay, you made your case!” James smirks, “You seriously talk too much.”
“Shut up,” she smiles, tugging at his hand, “Let’s go…”
They approach Peter who nods at them.
“You sure you’re ready for this, Michael?”
“It’s Marie,” she says on instinct, “And yeah I am. James is coming with me.”
“Okay,” Peter says leading them down the hall to a door. He stops suddenly causing Marie to almost run into him. “Listen…I…”
“You and I have time,” Marie says cutting off his rambling, “She and I don’t. And if we don’t get in there soon, I’m going to lose all my courage and run all the way back to New York.”
“Just like your mother,” Peter smirks, “Overdramatic.”
“Oh shut up,” she says, unable to hide her grin, “Just let me in there.”
“As you wish,” Peter grins opening the door.
The room is dark, blinds drawn only on one side, letting in the least light. There’s a king sized bed in the center, where a petite woman is submerged in large comforters and pillows. Her attention is fixed on a television on the right side of the bedroom. Hearing the door open she glances over and her eyes widen.
The woman is blonde, her hair stuck to her forehead. Her eyes are hollow, bright green but empty and tired. She looks pale and sickly, but her smile is bold, fixed on her daughter. It’s a sad little smile.
“Michael,” she whispers, “Michael Marie.”
Marie clutches James’s hand tighter.
“Hi,” she says shyly.
“Come here so I can get a good look at you,” Claire says patting the seat next to her bed. Marie approaches with caution, her hand slipping out of James. She looks back at him and he smiles encouragingly.
“Who’s this?” Claire asks.
“I’m James Scott, Marie’s best friend.”
“Nice to meet you, James.”
“I needed him with me,” Marie blurts out.
“I understand,” Claire whispers, “I imagine this can’t be easy for you.”
Marie sits down tentatively on the seat next to the bed. James stays back near Peter who’s watching his daughter and wife interact with a nervous smile on his face.
“So you’re really dying then?”
“I think so.”
“But umm, Nathan told me you could regenerate. You’re not supposed to die.”
“Sometimes things happen when they shouldn’t, but there’s always a reason. I think this was the only way I could get to meet you.”
“You’re wrong,” Marie says coldly.
“Nathan told me you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you,” Marie whispers, “I just hate what you did. I hate that you could just walk away from what you did.”
“I wanted you to have a normal life…”
“And a life in a brick house on two acres of land with a goddamn golden retriever isn’t normal! Life with a mother and a father isn’t normal?!?” Marie hisses, her voice rising rapidly.
“You’d have to live with the fact that your father and I were doing something taboo everyday. We didn’t want you to question yourself. We didn’t want you to have to face it everyday,” Claire responds calmly.
“Well, I still do! Every day!” Marie yells, “God! Why did I even come here! I knew you two wouldn’t have one ounce of remorse for what you did! Pops was right! You both don’t care about anyone but yourselves.”
Marie moves to leave, but James pulls her back.
“No.”
“James! Let me go!”
“No. Not like this,” he whispers in her ear, “Make peace.”
“I can’t do this.”
James looks over Marie’s shoulder at Claire who’s in tears. Peter has rushed to her bedside, stroking the hair on her head and trying his best to console her with murmured words.
“She’s dying because of you,” James whispers in her ear, “She’s dying because of the guilt. Because she wishes she fought harder to keep you, but she doesn’t want to tell you that. She doesn’t know how to tell you she loves you more than you’ll ever know. That she’s not ashamed of you.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“I don’t need to be a mind reader to know how to read a Petrelli.” He lets out a deep breath. “Just try again…tell her how you feel. Tell her about your life.”
Marie sighs and turns around, sitting back down in the chair. Peter is still holding one of Claire’s hands and their eyes are locked, speaking words as only soul mates can; without opening their mouth. Marie bravely reaches out for her mother’s other hand, catching them both off guard.
“Michael, I-”
“Don’t talk, just listen,” Marie says, “Before I lose my nerve.”
“Okay.”
“I hate when people call me Michael and not because it’s a boy’s name. When I was little, I didn’t mind it, but then one day Angela mentioned it was my father’s name and I stopped letting people use it because I don’t like thinking about you guys. It’s nothing against you two, it can’t be because I don’t know you. Nathan doesn’t like to talk about you. I see you two just as the incestuous duo that happened to birth me. And that makes me see you as just figures to hate. It’s because of what you are, not who you are.”
“I didn’t have a choice in this. You two did. You could have been careful. It might sound odd, but I wish you wouldn’t have had me. I hate who I am. I hate my existence and the pain it’s caused everyone I love. I hate the fact that Nathan has lost his whole family because of this. You have no idea how much you two broke his heart with what you did.”
“And he should hate me for everything I stand for. Because I’m the reason he lost it all. The reason his wife can’t even look at him, the reason his mother never visits, the reason his brother and him don’t talk. But not once has he ever blamed me for any of it.”
“He blames both of you and so do I. I can’t help it and I don’t think I’ll ever stop blaming you, but I don’t want to hate you anymore. I’m seventeen years old. Pretty soon I’ll be off to college and I want to be able to think about my parents without just seeing the one dimensional evil people that I’ve trained myself to see.”
“So please…give me a reason not to hate you.”
Silence fills the room and it’s Peter who speaks first.
“We fought it. We did. For three years, we tried to pretend that we could just be family. And it took every ounce of restraint we had. We became miserable people. Neither of us could be around each other for long. It was just too painful. Nathan started to suspect something was wrong.”
“I’ve always been honest with my brother, but I couldn’t tell him the truth this time. So I kept on hiding until one day we just couldn’t hide from each other anymore.”
“It was a Friday,” Claire interrupts, “He promised Nathan he’d pick me up from the movies. We spent the car ride in silence until we both caught a shooting star.”
“You said that shooting stars were rarely visible to the human eye,” Peter chimes in.
“And you said it was destiny.”
“And you said it was fate.”
“And we both agreed that those two were the same thing.”
“They’re not,” James says, breaking their moment. When they both look up at him, he realizes he said that out loud. “Sorry, continue.”
“And then I kissed her,” Peter says smiling down at his wife. He glances over at his daughter who seems to be taking it all in. “I’d never take that back, Marie. Claire is the love of my life, and yes, I wish the circumstances were different, but they’re not. Some days are tougher than others, but I can’t imagine not being with her.”
“Likewise,” Claire smiles.
“We would have loved to raise you with us, but we chose to give you to Nathan for a reason. He may have ranted and raved about how we couldn’t raise you ourselves, but in the end, it was our choice.”
“So then why’d you do it?” Marie asked.
“I had Peter and Peter had me, but Nathan had nothing,” Claire says squeezing Marie’s hand, “I knew that he would take care of you. I knew that you would take care of him in return. Call it mother’s intuition.”
“I don’t get it,” Marie whispered.
“I wanted you to get to know him like I never did. You’ve changed him and because of that, I don’t regret it.”
Marie stares at her oddly, just soaking her in. James knows that she gets it now.
------
It’s time for them to leave. Peter’s driving them back over night so Marie and James will get home for school tomorrow. Nathan offers to fly them, literally, but Peter just smirks and tells him the drive will do them good.
Claire and Marie talked for a couple hours allowing for James and Peter to slip out of the room. It’s during that time that Peter completely broke down in the hallway. Nathan saw him out of the corner of his eye, and as if on impulse, he gathered him in his arms and told him everything was going to be okay.
When Peter finally calmed down and head back into Claire’s room, James and Nathan were left alone in the hallway.
“He’ll always be my brother,” Nathan muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“I know,” James smirked, “There’s hope for you two.”
Since that exchange, James notices that Nathan is more comfortable around Peter. He didn’t see Claire during their visit though. He tells Marie he’s just not ready for that.
“He’s not gonna have time,” Marie mutters opening her door.
“Yes he will,” James says confidently.
“This is probably the last time we’ll see her.”
“I’m pretty sure you’ll see her again,” James says as they tumble into the back seat.
“What are you talking about?”
“Before we left, I took her hand and thanked her for inviting us.”
“And you’re just so charming that she’ll miraculously be…” Marie’s sarcastic retort trails off as their eyes meet.
“Cured? Yeah I think so,” James murmurs, “I think she was receptive to my healing. In fact, I think she called me back into her room for a reason.”
He gives her a knowing look, and Marie launches herself across the suitcases separating them, throwing her arms around him and kissing him as if there’s not a moment to spare. James is caught off guard but he returns it and when they pull back she looks at him in total awe.
“I love you so much, James Scott.”
“Well,” James sighs, “I love you too, Marie Petrelli.”
“Call me Michael.”
She winks and he wraps his arm around her shoulder. For the first time since he’s met her, he truly understands it all. He understands why her parents fell in love. Why Nathan is so protective of her, why it’s so hard for him to forgive Claire and Peter and yet so hard for him to let go. He understands what it means to love a Petrelli. And to have one love you back.