Downward Spiral (Paire) NC-17 [4/?]
Title: Downward Spiral
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes, or it would be on HBO
Pairing: Paire
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Peter’s been gone for 2 years, and in his wake he’s left a drug addicted Claire. Everyone is trying to help her, but he might be the only one who can get through to her.
Spoilers: Through the first few episodes of Season 2
Warnings: Drug Addiction, Angst, and Peter/Claire Canon
A/N: After Peter turned up in Ireland, he didn’t find out who he was until 2 years passed. That is where this story picks up. Just think: Claire and Peter fall in love, then she thinks she’s lost him forever.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
“When did all this start?” Peter asked Nathan as they flew over American to Los Angeles. “Just start from the beginning.” He had to get his mind wrapped around this thing. It couldn’t be that bad. Anything could be fixed. He just needed to know what he was dealing with.
Nathan took a deep, tired breath and thought about his words before he spoke. “After you exploded, we all thought you were dead.” He began. “Claire blamed herself for not being close enough to you to save you.”
At first Nathan was confused by how affected Claire had been by Peter’s ‘death,’ but by noting the reaction of his brother to the news about Claire, he had a feeling there was something going on there that no one knew about but Claire and Peter.
“That’s absurd!” Peter almost shouted and Nathan and Heidi had to calm him down again before the entire first class section of the plane turned on him.
“Absurd or not, that’s what she believed. So, she went back with Bennett, after the explosion, because it was for the best, and I think she had a hard time staying in New York without you around.” Nathan explained. Truth be told, he hadn’t fought very hard to have her stay with him, but he was also grieving the loss of his brother. They would have been no help to each other. Nathan probably would have just driven Claire to the bottle sooner.
“They moved to California, and apparently that’s when things started going downhill quickly.” Nathan continued. “She started dating this guy and hanging out with the wrong kind of people. Noah tried. He really did try.” Nathan could never express how grateful he was to Noah for being the father he couldn’t be.
“She got arrested six months later for underage drinking and public indecency.” Nathan choked out, remembering the call he’d gotten to tell him that Claire was caught having sex in public. He may not have really seen her as a daughter, but they were linked and it was too much for him to take.
Peter’s heart raced as Nathan explained how Claire came to be in the state she was. “When did Noah kick her out?” he asked, his voice cold and distant. If Noah was such a great father, this wouldn’t have happened, would it have?
“Peter, it’s not like that.” Nathan tried to explain. “Noah stuck by her through everything. He even chose Claire over his wife and son. But when Claire wanted to move out and live her own live, how was he going to stop her?”
“I would have stopped her!” Peter insisted. “I would have saved her!” Why didn’t anyone understand that?
“Maybe you would have,” Nathan conceded. “But we have been trying in our own way to help her, and I think you should keep that in mind before you judge any one of us. We’ve been here dealing with this for the last two years. Where have you been?” He knew it was a cheap shot, but he was getting sick of Peter’s accusations. Nathan would be the first to admit he’d probably handled things with Claire poorly, but Peter hadn’t been there to handle them at all.
“I’ve been trying to find out who I am.” Peter replied and the pout in his voice was too endearing for Nathan to resist.
“Come on, Peter,” he said, a smile covering his features. “Let’s just agree that Claire needs help and work together to give it to her.”
Peter conceded the point. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s just get to her and save her.” He didn’t care how old either of them got, he wanted to be Claire’s hero until the day they died, which it turned out might never come.
Heidi just watched the exchange and breathed a sigh of relief when the two brothers decided to let the conversation go, at least for the moment. Claire didn’t need their sibling rivalry, and Heidi could bet that Peter still didn’t have any idea what he was in for, so there was really no use talking it to death. They would just have to see how bad she really was when they got there.
*********
When they checked into the hotel, Peter started to get antsy. He knew he was in the city Claire was in, and the closer he got to her the more desperate he was to see her. “Calm down, Pete,” Nathan said. “We are going to Hiro and Ando’s first.”
“Why!” Peter asked. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his friends, it was just that he needed to find Claire first.
“First of all, because it’s the right thing to do, since they are hosting us while we are here. Secondly, because I don’t even know where Claire is living. She gets kicked out of her apartments every other week. I send her money, but apparently it does not go to rent.” Nathan figured as much, but he couldn’t stop sending her money, in hopes that some of it at least went to food.
Peter sighed and nodded. He knew he was being a baby about all of this. If he was going to be any help to Claire he had to keep a level head. “Okay, let’s go. I kinda miss the rest of the gang as well.”
When they got to Hiro and Ando’s, Peter couldn’t help but notice how well they had done for themselves. He couldn’t imagine where the money was coming from, but he had a feeling it had to do with Hiro’s father finally coming clean about what he really does for a living. Now Hiro was part of the family fortune.
When Hiro came to the door, he seemed preoccupied. “Peter!” he replied, almost surprised to see him. It was strange because Hiro knew Peter was coming.
“It’s good to see you again,” Peter said, with a smile as Hiro led them into the house.
Nathan, Heidi, and Peter couldn’t help but notice that Hiro kept looking around the house like he was waiting for something or someone to jump out from nowhere. “We’ve had a little bit of an eventful day,” he said, looking at Nathan closely.
Nathan and Heidi immediately knew what he was talking about and began to get a little nervous, themselves. This was not what Peter needed. But before they could get him out of the house, a blond girl came running out of a back room, a breathless Ando behind her.
Peter’s breath caught in his throat as he laid eyes on Claire for the first time in two years.
TBC…
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes, or it would be on HBO
Pairing: Paire
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Peter’s been gone for 2 years, and in his wake he’s left a drug addicted Claire. Everyone is trying to help her, but he might be the only one who can get through to her.
Spoilers: Through the first few episodes of Season 2
Warnings: Drug Addiction, Angst, and Peter/Claire Canon
A/N: After Peter turned up in Ireland, he didn’t find out who he was until 2 years passed. That is where this story picks up. Just think: Claire and Peter fall in love, then she thinks she’s lost him forever.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
“When did all this start?” Peter asked Nathan as they flew over American to Los Angeles. “Just start from the beginning.” He had to get his mind wrapped around this thing. It couldn’t be that bad. Anything could be fixed. He just needed to know what he was dealing with.
Nathan took a deep, tired breath and thought about his words before he spoke. “After you exploded, we all thought you were dead.” He began. “Claire blamed herself for not being close enough to you to save you.”
At first Nathan was confused by how affected Claire had been by Peter’s ‘death,’ but by noting the reaction of his brother to the news about Claire, he had a feeling there was something going on there that no one knew about but Claire and Peter.
“That’s absurd!” Peter almost shouted and Nathan and Heidi had to calm him down again before the entire first class section of the plane turned on him.
“Absurd or not, that’s what she believed. So, she went back with Bennett, after the explosion, because it was for the best, and I think she had a hard time staying in New York without you around.” Nathan explained. Truth be told, he hadn’t fought very hard to have her stay with him, but he was also grieving the loss of his brother. They would have been no help to each other. Nathan probably would have just driven Claire to the bottle sooner.
“They moved to California, and apparently that’s when things started going downhill quickly.” Nathan continued. “She started dating this guy and hanging out with the wrong kind of people. Noah tried. He really did try.” Nathan could never express how grateful he was to Noah for being the father he couldn’t be.
“She got arrested six months later for underage drinking and public indecency.” Nathan choked out, remembering the call he’d gotten to tell him that Claire was caught having sex in public. He may not have really seen her as a daughter, but they were linked and it was too much for him to take.
Peter’s heart raced as Nathan explained how Claire came to be in the state she was. “When did Noah kick her out?” he asked, his voice cold and distant. If Noah was such a great father, this wouldn’t have happened, would it have?
“Peter, it’s not like that.” Nathan tried to explain. “Noah stuck by her through everything. He even chose Claire over his wife and son. But when Claire wanted to move out and live her own live, how was he going to stop her?”
“I would have stopped her!” Peter insisted. “I would have saved her!” Why didn’t anyone understand that?
“Maybe you would have,” Nathan conceded. “But we have been trying in our own way to help her, and I think you should keep that in mind before you judge any one of us. We’ve been here dealing with this for the last two years. Where have you been?” He knew it was a cheap shot, but he was getting sick of Peter’s accusations. Nathan would be the first to admit he’d probably handled things with Claire poorly, but Peter hadn’t been there to handle them at all.
“I’ve been trying to find out who I am.” Peter replied and the pout in his voice was too endearing for Nathan to resist.
“Come on, Peter,” he said, a smile covering his features. “Let’s just agree that Claire needs help and work together to give it to her.”
Peter conceded the point. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s just get to her and save her.” He didn’t care how old either of them got, he wanted to be Claire’s hero until the day they died, which it turned out might never come.
Heidi just watched the exchange and breathed a sigh of relief when the two brothers decided to let the conversation go, at least for the moment. Claire didn’t need their sibling rivalry, and Heidi could bet that Peter still didn’t have any idea what he was in for, so there was really no use talking it to death. They would just have to see how bad she really was when they got there.
*********
When they checked into the hotel, Peter started to get antsy. He knew he was in the city Claire was in, and the closer he got to her the more desperate he was to see her. “Calm down, Pete,” Nathan said. “We are going to Hiro and Ando’s first.”
“Why!” Peter asked. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his friends, it was just that he needed to find Claire first.
“First of all, because it’s the right thing to do, since they are hosting us while we are here. Secondly, because I don’t even know where Claire is living. She gets kicked out of her apartments every other week. I send her money, but apparently it does not go to rent.” Nathan figured as much, but he couldn’t stop sending her money, in hopes that some of it at least went to food.
Peter sighed and nodded. He knew he was being a baby about all of this. If he was going to be any help to Claire he had to keep a level head. “Okay, let’s go. I kinda miss the rest of the gang as well.”
When they got to Hiro and Ando’s, Peter couldn’t help but notice how well they had done for themselves. He couldn’t imagine where the money was coming from, but he had a feeling it had to do with Hiro’s father finally coming clean about what he really does for a living. Now Hiro was part of the family fortune.
When Hiro came to the door, he seemed preoccupied. “Peter!” he replied, almost surprised to see him. It was strange because Hiro knew Peter was coming.
“It’s good to see you again,” Peter said, with a smile as Hiro led them into the house.
Nathan, Heidi, and Peter couldn’t help but notice that Hiro kept looking around the house like he was waiting for something or someone to jump out from nowhere. “We’ve had a little bit of an eventful day,” he said, looking at Nathan closely.
Nathan and Heidi immediately knew what he was talking about and began to get a little nervous, themselves. This was not what Peter needed. But before they could get him out of the house, a blond girl came running out of a back room, a breathless Ando behind her.
Peter’s breath caught in his throat as he laid eyes on Claire for the first time in two years.
TBC…