Matchmakers: (Ch 2) Memories of a Lonely Heart
Title; Matchmakers
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Peter/Claire and a lot more
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes
Author’s notes: This takes place after Vol. 3, but Peter does not have that one power at a time thing because I don’t like it! Also, fugitives never happened so forget about it! Thanks to Arinna, Mel, Alex, Lauren, and Beth for letting me use them as characters. You guys rock! If there are some grammar errors in the dialogue , I did it on purpose. I’m not dumb. Sorry if you get confused :D
Summary: It’s funny how just one night of love and passion can turn Peter and Claire’s whole world upside down. Claire getting pregnant with her uncle’s baby makes them realize they made a mistake and now they must suffer the consequences. Claire is raising her daughter with the help of her best friend Laura while Peter embarks on a new path in life with his new friends Arinna and Alex. They both struggle without each other and will need all the help they can get to show them that they are truly meant
Peter Petrelli; New York
Peter Petrelli stood on the roof top of his apartment building, looking down at the world below him. It was his favorite place to be when he needed some time to himself. Even in his dreams, it was where he did most of his thinking. He would often watch the cars zoom by, look down at the crowds of people going about their day , and listen to all the crazy sounds of the city. It was like he was getting the experience of life from a bird’s eye view. Claire would’ve loved it up here, he thought sadly to himself. He remembered her telling him how much she adored being so high up above the ground, how it made her feel bold and powerful. He began thinking about all the things he missed most about her. He thought about her sad little smile that caught his attention every time he was around her. He thought about looking into her breath taking green eyes, burying his hands in her soft blonde curls, even leaning in to brush his lips against hers. Normally, images and memories of her brought out his internal happiness and even made him smile, but today was different. Today, the anniversary of the time he had lost the love of his life, replaced his content feelings with pain, guilt, and misery.
About Three Years Ago; Petrelli Mansion
Peter sat silently at the kitchen table sipping away at his coffee. His mother, on the opposite side of him, flipped through a magazine, not taking her eyes off of it even for a second. Strangely, that was the only way they knew how to bond with each other. Not sure of what else to do, he pulled out his phone from his jean pocket to check for new messages. He was hoping to hear something from Claire, but alas, there was nothing. Damn! What happened to that girl? Ever since that night at his apartment, they had spent every waking moment with each other, despite the suspicious vibes they received from his mother and brother, and even when Claire went back home, they used up much of their time calling and texting one another. Then, out of nowhere, it all just stopped, There hadn’t been any contact between them in over three weeks. He tried so many times to get hold of her, but she never retaliated. Peter wanted so badly to hear her sweet voice again, to hold her tightly in his arms like she was the most important thing in the world. Sometimes he thought about teleporting to California to see her, but he knew he needed to respect her privacy and giver her space. If anything, she was probably just busy. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his mother watching him stare blankly at his phone. “Are you expecting a call?” She perched an eyebrow at him.
“Uh, no,” he shook his head putting his phone back in his front pocket. She looked at him suspiciously, almost in warning, and then went back to reading the magazine. As he continued to sit there, he noticed a pile of letters at the center of the table. Mom really needs to be more organized. He reached over to pull them closer to him. His mom looked back up at him curiously.
“What are doing?” she asked. Peter began stacking the letters neatly.
“Trying to help you out,” he told her. But then something very peculiar on top of the stack caught his attention. Why was one of the letters addressed to him? He looked at it more closely. It was from Claire! This was sent to him three weeks ago! What the hell was it doing here?? He stood up, staring furiously at his mother. “Were you going through my mail?”
“Peter, listen to me,” His mother stood up holding her hand out in front of her. “Give me the letter, you don’t want to read it.”
“No!” Peter turned his back to her and tore open the envelope.
“Peter!” His mother screamed. Peter paid no attention and read the note from Claire to himself.
Dear Peter,
I know writing a letter sounds mushy and lame, but I feel I have no other choice. As much as I’d like to see you in person or hear your voice over the phone, I don’t think I could bare it. I’d text you but my cell only allows 160 letters per message. Getting back to the point, I have some news for you that may be difficult to take in. As it turns out Peter, I’m pregnant. I guess the odds weren’t in our favor after all. I think this is God’s way of punishing me for getting involved with my uncle. A child can’t be raised by parents who are related to each other.. It’s wrong and you and I both know it. I love you Peter, and as much as it pains me to say it, I think it’s best if we stay as far away from each other as possible. I hope you understand.
Love Always,
Claire
Peter stared at the letter in disbelief. How could she possibly think that something as big as this was going to keep them apart? If she was having his baby, then wasn’t it obvious that she needed him now more than ever? He had gone through far too much trouble to tell her how he felt, and he wasn’t going to giver her up without a fight! He stuffed the note in his back pocket and walked past his mother. “Where are you going?” She followed hard on his heels.
“To find Claire!” He moved quickly across the room.
“You can’t do that! I won’t allow it!”
“Try and stop me,” he was opening up the front door.
“Wait!” Feeling patient enough to give her a chance to speak, Peter whipped his head back around.
“What!” He waited for her to talk.
“There’s something else you should know.” She spoke softly now, but her eyes were rock hard. What she said next ran his blood cold.
****
The memory sent chills down his spine. He took a few steps forward so that his toes barely hung over the ledge. He closed his eyes, breathing in the New York air. Sometimes he wondered if his life was even worth living without her. Perhaps, it would just be easier if he were to….
He felt his body fall forward just a smidge. “Don’t even think about it,” a voice said from behind him. Peter’s eyes remained locked on the streets he hovered over.
“What does it matter, Alex? I can heal.” He replied darkly.
“Does that give you permission to go jumping off a building whenever you feel like it? You don’t see Alex shooting lasers from his eyes wherever he goes or me throwing fire balls everywhere just for the heck of it, do you?” Another voice, this time a female, told him.
“Well, who’s stopping you, Arinna?” He turned to face the thin, dirty- blonde man and woman who were twins and also his neighbors. Alex flashed him a quick look of concern.
“Look man, I know you miss her, but killing yourself isn’t going to make matters any better.”
“I’d kill myself a thousand times over if it meant finally getting rid of the emotional pain I’ve carried with me on my back for three years.” Alex and Arinna remained silent, just as Peter thought they would. At this point, misery had taken it’s toll on him, and there was nothing anyone, not even his friends, could do about it. “I should be getting to work, Nathan hates it when I’m late.” He hopped off the ledge.
“Well hopefully it’ll help you get your mind off her.” Alex assured. Like that was possible! Every sight he saw, every sound he heard made him think of Claire in some way.
“Or maybe you could try thinking of good things about her, like you usually do,” Arinna contradicted.
“Whatever,” Peter started walking away.
“Wait, Peter!” Alex called. “Arinna and I have a lot of work to get done at the shop, and…” He scratched his head, obviously scared of intruding.
“We hate to bother you with this, Peter but do you think you could pick up our little sister from school today? We can’t, and our parents are getting home late tonight,” Arinna helped her brother finish the sentence.
“No problem,” Peter said gloomily, stuffing his hands in his coat pocket, and continuing to walk away from his friends.
Nathan Petrelli's Office
Peter tapped his fingers lightly on Nathan’s desk while his brother discussed important business with a fellow congressman. It didn’t even matter that he had no clue as to what they were talking about because his only job was to assist Nathan and pretty much agree with whatever he said. Admittedly, dressing fancy and listening to old men in suits use big words wasn’t for him, but after he gave up on the medical field, he became unsure of what he wanted in life, and Nathan offered him a fresh start. Although he stopped trying to impress his mother a long time ago, she was happy to see him working alongside his brother, so that was always a bonus. Bored out of his mind, he found himself daydreaming about Claire again. He tried getting her off his mind like Alex had advised, but it was simply impossible especially on this day. He thought of a happy memory to put a smile on his face just like Arinna had said to do. He must have looked silly in front of his brother and the congressman, but he was past the point of caring.
About Three Years Ago at the Park
Needing to get away from the prying eyes of Nathan and his mom, Peter decided to take Claire out for the day. The weather was warm and the sun shone brightly. It was the perfect day for being outdoors. He took her sight seeing, showed her some old childhood hangouts, treated her to lunch, and now their final destination was a trip to the park. They stayed very close to each other occasionally bumping shoulders. Peter even took it a step further by taking hold of her hand. Thankfully she didn’t refuse it and instead entwined their fingers together. They found a shady spot under a big oak tree and took a seat. Claire leaned her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her in response. They watched the neighborhood children play cheerfully on the playground. Their joy and their laughter seemed to be contagious to the people around them. Even Peter and Claire found themselves chuckling at how cute they were. “It’d be nice to have children someday wouldn’t it?” He felt Claire shift uncomfortably in his arms and wondered if he had said something wrong.
“Peter,” she began awkwardly, “ I don’t know if we could ever-“
“Oh, right. I, uh, I didn’t mean it to sound like that. After all, we are still…” He really didn’t want to say it.
“Related,” Claire saved him the trouble. “Honestly Peter, sometimes I worry how far our relationship can really go.”
“Why are you worrying? Learn to live in the moment, would you? Don’t think about what’s going to happen in the future, think about what’s going on right here, right now.” She giggled.
“Well, if it makes any difference, you’re making my trip here a lot more fun then I thought it would be.”
“Is that because we’re sleeping together?” He looked down at her amusingly.
“That’s part of it,” she teased. “I’m going to hate having to go back home.”
“Well, when’s that?”
“A few days,” she pouted.
“Oh,” Peter said sadly. He could scarcely imagine what he was going to do without her.
“But we can still talk on the phone,” she tried to cheer him up.
“That’s good. I’m still going to miss you, though.” He kissed the top of her head.
“I’ll miss you too.”
“I love you, Claire.”
“I love you too, Peter.” They sat there for a while longer, not even needing to say another word to each other. Being snuggled together and enjoying one another’s company was more than enough. That had become one of Peter’s favorite moments of all time.”
****
“Peter, is everything okay?” Both Nathan and the man that sat across from him looked at him with concern. Peter still smiled giddily.
“Yeah, fine. I was just thinking.” They nodded. The congressman stood up, getting ready to leave. “Good meeting with you Senator Petrelli. Hope to see you again soon.”
“Good meeting with you too.” They shook hands. The man nodded his farewell to Peter and walked out the door.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Pete?” Nathan asked. “You seemed a little distracted.
“I told you I was just thinking.” He shrugged.
“Yeah, well you can’t be doing that when we’re in the middle of an important meeting. And don’t think I don’t know what you were thinking about. Or who, I should say.”
“What’s it to you?” Peter asked bitterly.
“I realize it’s a sad day for you Pete. It is for all of us. She was my daughter, you know.” Peter rolled his eyes and moved away from the desk.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Nathan. I have to go pick my friends’ sister from school, so you’ll have to excuse me.” He walked out of the office without even waiting for his brother’s permission.
Mel Moretti, New York Middle School
If there was one thing Mel hated more than anything else in the world, it was Math. How could teachers possibly think she would use this stuff out in the real world? It was a waste of time. Plus, the class was so damn boring, she had to pinch herself several times to stay awake. She thanked God, when the bell finally rang and the class was dismissed. Mel threw the last of her things into her bag and walked hurriedly towards the exit. “Have a nice day, everyone. Don’t forget to do your homework! You never know when there’s going to be a pop quiz,” her teacher called as the kids piled out. Mel, being the last one out, looked back at her. An idea made it’s way into her head.
“Is there going to be a pop quiz tomorrow?” Mel asked despite her knowledge of how stupid it sounded.
“I can’t tell you that Mel. That’s why they call it a pop quiz.” Her teacher giggled with amusement. Mel, however failed to see the humor in it.
“Oh I think you can tell me.” She smirked menacingly. The teacher looked at her, puzzled. Tell me. Is there going to be a pop quiz? Yes or no? Mel forwarded the message into her brain, and as if under a spell, the teacher told her what she wanted to hear.”
“Yes! Yes there will be.” The teacher covered her mouth with her hand, shocked that she had just blurted that out.
“Well, I’ll be sure to study.” Mel simply smiled at her and walked out of the classroom, leaving her teacher completely dumfounded. Having an ability sure did make life all the more fun.
Mel sat on the curb in front of her school, waiting impatiently for someone to take her home. Just two more years, she said to herself. Two more years, and than I can finally drive home instead of having to wait a frickin’ hour for someone to come pick me up! She sighed, resting her chin on her knee. Her parents were away, her brother and sister were working, and everyone in her family was so damn busy, that she was always put last. Did anyone care about her at all? Peter, she immediately thought. He cared about her. He was always the one to pick her up from school, always the one to help her with homework, always the one willing to have some fun with her. He treated her as if she were his own daughter. Her thoughts were interrupted when, a tall grown man, appeared out of nowhere in front of her. “Peter!” She called, getting off the curb and running to hug him. He openly took her in his arms.
“Good to see you too, Mel. How was school?”
“ Boring! Stupid! Lame! I hate it, and I’m so glad it’s over.”
“Good, let’s go home then.” He held onto her tightly and in the blink of an eye they were back in her apartment. She smiled, throwing her backpack off to the side. His powers proved very useful a lot of times.
Later that night, after Alex and Arinna had come back home, the adults sat around the living room drinking coffee, while Mel sat at the table finishing her homework. Although, she wasn’t included in the conversation, she could still hear what they were talking about.
“Thanks for staying with her until we got back,” Arinna told Peter.
“Well, I know how much you care about her safety,” he answered.
“We know you have to work,” Alex put his mug on the coffee table. “Hope we weren’t interfering with something important.”
“Nope,” Peter assured him, “just another boring day as usual.”
“ You know, sometimes I wonder why you quit being a nurse. You don’t seem too happy with your new job,” Alex continued. The room grew quiet for a minute. Mel waited with anticipation for someone to say something more. Peter finally broke the silence.
“Yeah, well I’m tired of saving lives. I’m tired of being the hero. Believe me, there’s no such thing as a happy ending.” Mel glanced at him, astonished and full of interest. Poor Peter. Lately he had seemed so sad, so distant from the rest of the world.
“Is this about her again? Peter I told you-“ Peter interrupted him, slamming his mug down and standing up in fury.
“No, don’t tell me to stop thinking about her! Don’t tell me to forget about her, or move on! I can’t! I won’t!” Mel saw a flash of pain in his eyes. She felt tempted to use her ability on him, but decided against it. He would probably just block her out anyway. She thought he would yell more, maybe even throw a fit, but he didn’t. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. “I’m-I’m sorry. I need some fresh air. ” With that, he walked out the door. Alex and Arinna looked at each other fearfully. It was obvious that they knew something Mel didn’t. No one tells me anything anymore! What’s up with that?? Not even a minute later, Peter came bursting back through the door, taking her by surprise. “Mel, do want to come with me?”
Peter Petrelli; New York
Peter found himself back on the roof top of his apartment building, this time in the company of Mel Moretti. She had been kept in the dark for far too long, and it was about time he told her what was going on. After all, he did like to think of her as his own daughter, since it gave him the opportunity to experience what he never had. The closest he had ever come to having children of his own was when Claire got pregnant. Then, in the blink of an eye, it was all taken away from him. The thought of it brought back the more than familiar ache in his heart.
“Why are we up here, Peter? Why are you sad? Who’s this girl that everyone keeps talking about?” Mel attacked him with all sorts of questions. Hands in his pockets, as always, Peter kicked lightly at the hard concrete.
“I’ll try the best I can to answer all your questions Mel. But there are some things that are still too painful for me to talk about. So, I want you to promise me, you won’t use your power on me.”
“I promise I won’t use it, Peter,” Mel assured him. “Not if you don’t want me to.” Her fingertips brushed his arm lightly. He took a deep breath, forcing away the tears that were forming in his eyes.
“Today’s the day I lost someone very special to me,” he started off by saying.
“Who?” Mel asked curiously
“Her name was Claire.” The mention of her name stung Peter’s throat.
“Did you love her? Was she pretty?”
“She was the most the beautiful girl in the world, and yes, I loved her very much.” He choked on his words, not often spoken by people referring to their niece, bur he didn’t care. He couldn’t take back the way he felt about her. It just pained him for those words to go unheard of by the one he loved.
“Do you miss her?” Mel asked quietly.
“More than you know.” He felt his voice starting to sound scratchy. He had to clench his lower lip in between his teeth to pull himself together. Peter wasn’t sure how long he could keep this up. He was losing the will power to remain calm.
“What happened to her?” A moment of silence followed her question, in which was the starting point of Peter’s breakdown. His lip quivered, his body shook involuntarily, and he couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks.
“I-I can’t,” for a moment he lost his ability to speak. “I can’t tell you. I don’t think I can bare it, Mel, please don’t make me relive it.” Loud sobs escaped his lips and he hung his head low.
“Peter…” Mel wrapped her arms around his waist She held on to him for dear life, showing him that she was there for him. He didn’t want to relive it, but it was too late. The memory lingered in his mind, coming back to haunt him.
Peter Petrelli; About 3 Years Ago
“Wait!” Feeling patient enough to give her a chance to speak, Peter whipped his head back around.
“What!” He waited for her to talk.
“There’s something else you should know.” She spoke softly now, but her eyes were rock hard. What she said next ran his blood cold “Claire Bennet is dead, Peter.” The words cut him like a knife, but he wasn’t ready to believe it.
“Don’t lie to me, Mother! Claire can’t die! It’s impossible!”
“You know there’s a way, Peter. She shot herself in the back of the head.” Peter shook his head, still not buying it.
“Why would she do that?” She wouldn’t, he had to tell himself. His Claire would never pull something that outrageous. She wouldn’t just leave him.
“Because she was ashamed! She was ashamed of loving you, ashamed of getting pregnant with her uncle’s baby! She felt so guilty, she was willing to take her own life, along with that child. They’re gone, Peter, and they are never coming back!”
“Alright, Mother, I’ll play along. Let’s pretend Claire really did kill herself. I’ll just go back in time. I’ll stop it from ever happening.”
“Let it go, Peter. She didn’t love you!” His mother screamed at him
“That’s not true!” Peter yelled right back. “I don’t care what you say, I’m going to find Claire!” He swung the front door open, only to be stopped by a tall, red-headed girl that stood right outside. Peter took a few steps back, giving the girl the chance to come inside the house. “Who the hell is this?”
“Peter, this is Lauren. If I can’t convince you that Claire is dead, she can. You’ll find her to be very persuasive.”
“No!” Peter screamed, but Lauren put a hand on his shoulder forcing him to look into her eyes.
“She’s gone, Peter,” Lauren started, “She shot herself and killed both her and that baby.”
“No…” Peter said weakly. “I’ll stop her…”
"You're not going to do that, Peter. You're going to stay here and accept it." Peter couldn't fight her anymore. Some how, his brain was telling him that he had to listen to her. There was no other option. Claire, the love of his life, was dead. He felt weak to the point where he could no longer keep his balance. Falling to his knees, he buried his head in his hands, mourning the loss of his dearly beloved blonde beauty.