Fic: Some Family (Heroes)
Some Family
by Tracy lunarknightz
Rating: PG
Category: Pre-Series fic. Peter, Nathan, with some Nathan/Meredith
Spoilers: "Distractions"
Disclaimer: My super power is that I own nothing of this I write about! Nifty, huh?
Summary: Nathan has no idea how special his family is.
“He misses you.” Angela Petrelli chided her oldest son. “Peter is your brother. It’s hard on him, you being gone so much.”
“Mom,” Nathan sighed. “I’m in law school. I don’t have the luxury of time to jet across the country to hold Peter’s time every time his little adolescent world goes kaboom.”
“Nathan!” Angela’s voice bore a tone of disappointment and judging that only a mother could have. “I thought your family meant something to you!”
“Family does mean something to me, Mom. And I’m sorry that Pete’s going through some tough times right now, but I have too much on my hands right now to drop everything and come back to New York.”
“Fine.” Angela snapped. “Peter has a school break next week. I’ll be calling you back with his flight information.”
“Flight information? What?”
“Peter” Angela said firmly, “Is going to fly out to Texas and visit you for a week.”
“But Mom! I don’t have any place for him to stay. I’ve got classes and papers and tests, and the last thing I need is an obnoxious teenager underfoot.”
“Your brother is coming to visit you. End of discussion. He’s been perfectly miserable since his best friend died in that horrible car accident. He’s always looked up to you, Nathan. Peter needs you now. And I know that you won’t let him down.”
After he hung up the phone, Nathan grimaced and turned to his live in girlfriend, a blond angel clad in denim, who sat on the couch.
“Come now, is it really that bad?” Meredith said, getting up off the couch, and wrapping her arms around Nathan’s midsection.
“You haven’t met my family.”
“But maybe,” She grinned, “I’d like to.”
_______________________________________
Nathan hardly recognized Peter when he picked them up at the airport. The young, wide eyed boy who had followed him around like a puppy dog was gone, replaced by a sullen teenager with shaggy hair and clothing that was overwhelmingly black.
“Hey Petey!” Nathan said, wrapping his arm around his little brother, who wasn’t quite as short as he remembered.
Peter shook off Nathan’s arm. “Don’t call me Petey.”
“Well it’s good to see you too.” Nathan was a little put off. “So what do you think of Texas so far?”
“Considering that I’ve only seen the airport,” Peter sighed, “I’d say it’s pretty damn boring.”
“Hey, give it a chance, why don’t you?”
“I’m giving it a chance that I survive this week without being absolutely bored to death.” Peter sighed. “We need to go get my luggage.” He stalked away.
“This is going to be a great week.” Nathan swore sarcastically under his breath.
____________________________________
“Are you sure you’re okay staying with Sandra while Petey’s here?” Nathan said, taking advantage of the stolen moment to bend down and kiss Meredith on the lips.
“She’s only my best friend.” Meredith smiled. “A million times, yes. Having family is a blessing, Nathan. Trust me, you wont understand how much until everyone else is gone.”
Nathan pushed a blonde lock of hair out of her face. “You really are an angel, you know that?”
“Don’t you ever forget it.” She said, shimmying out of the kitchen, her hands loaded with platters. “I made tacos!” She chirped merrily. “My Gramma’s recipe, too.”
Nathan followed her, carrying the guacamole.
____________________________________
Nathan was to his breaking point. In the last few days, he’d bent over backwards for Peter. He’d splurged and bought Peter’s favorite kind of chocolate milk- the bottled kind, with the rabbit on it, he’d skipped class to take Peter around town- to the mall, to the zoo, to race go-karts, he hadn’t said a thing when Peter stayed up all night watching programs that were way inappropriate for his age on pay cable. At every turn, Peter had been a complete brat. Nothing was good enough for him. He whined and bitched and moaned at every turn, and Nathan had played the good big brother and just shook it off.
They’d started to argue last night, after dinner, and petulant Peter had stalked off. It was now three o’clock in the morning. Nathan was beside himself- half with anger, half with worry. The phone was in his hand, as he considered calling either his mother or the police.
Meredith sat beside him, rubbing his back in tiny circles. “He’ll show up.” She soothed him quietly.
“Yeah, in the middle of the desert with buzzards picking out his brains.” Nathan sighed. “He really wasn’t this much of a pain when he was a kid.”
“That’s good to know.” Peter said, strolling into the room as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Now do you mind getting off of the couch- my bed so I can go to sleep?”
“Do you have any time what time it is?”
“I don’t wear a watch.”
“Oh take a guess, hot shot.”
“I guess I’m a little early for breakfast.”
“I have been sitting here, worried OUT OF MY MIND for hours. I had no idea what could have happened to you!”
“Nothing happened to me! I’m fine!”
“Peter, you’re not indestructible!”
”I KNOW THAT!” Peter yelled. “For crying out loud. Everybody dies! DEAN DIED! I was in the car that day, did you know that? If I would have been in the front seat, I would be dead, not him! And maybe I should be! I hate this! I hate everything!”
“Peter…I…”
“AND I HATE YOU!” As Peter screamed, his fingertips were engulfed in flame.
____________________________________
“Thanks for everything.” Peter said, giving his brother a warm hug. “It was great.” He turned to Meredith. “It was great to meet you.”
“You too.” She smiled.
Nathan patted Peter on the back. “You don’t want to miss your flight. Say hi to Mom and Dad for me.”
“You got it.” He turned and walked towards the gate.
Nathan watched his brother grow smaller and smaller as he walked down the walkway to the plane, until Peter turned the corner to go into the plane. After that, Nathan walked down the hallway a little, over to a bank of windows, where he watched Peter’s plane until it pulled away.
“Are you sure we did the right thing?” Nathan whispered, watching a plane, maybe even Peter’s plane, take to the sky. “Messing with his memory?”
“With a power like Peter’s,” Meredith said softly, “Yeah. Take it from me, being a fire starter isn’t easy to deal with. Add in teenage hormones, and that’s a hell of a lot to deal with.”
“But taking away the memories of the accident…”
“Will help Peter in the long run. Everyone in our group agreed with it. We erased those memories with Peter’s best interests in mind. You’re looking out for him, Nathan. You did a good job. ”
“But what happens when his powers surface again?”
“Then we’ll bring him out here, and we’ll help him master it. The same way that all of us learned to manage our powers. Bit by bit.”
“But…I guess,” Nathan sighed. “I thought if he would do anything, he’d fly, like me.”
“Face it, sugar.” Meredith said, kissing his cheek. “You’ve got some family, Nathan.” Her hand dropped to her stomach quickly, a movement too quick and too slight for Nathan to notice. “Some family” she repeated, beaming.
by Tracy lunarknightz
Rating: PG
Category: Pre-Series fic. Peter, Nathan, with some Nathan/Meredith
Spoilers: "Distractions"
Disclaimer: My super power is that I own nothing of this I write about! Nifty, huh?
Summary: Nathan has no idea how special his family is.
“He misses you.” Angela Petrelli chided her oldest son. “Peter is your brother. It’s hard on him, you being gone so much.”
“Mom,” Nathan sighed. “I’m in law school. I don’t have the luxury of time to jet across the country to hold Peter’s time every time his little adolescent world goes kaboom.”
“Nathan!” Angela’s voice bore a tone of disappointment and judging that only a mother could have. “I thought your family meant something to you!”
“Family does mean something to me, Mom. And I’m sorry that Pete’s going through some tough times right now, but I have too much on my hands right now to drop everything and come back to New York.”
“Fine.” Angela snapped. “Peter has a school break next week. I’ll be calling you back with his flight information.”
“Flight information? What?”
“Peter” Angela said firmly, “Is going to fly out to Texas and visit you for a week.”
“But Mom! I don’t have any place for him to stay. I’ve got classes and papers and tests, and the last thing I need is an obnoxious teenager underfoot.”
“Your brother is coming to visit you. End of discussion. He’s been perfectly miserable since his best friend died in that horrible car accident. He’s always looked up to you, Nathan. Peter needs you now. And I know that you won’t let him down.”
After he hung up the phone, Nathan grimaced and turned to his live in girlfriend, a blond angel clad in denim, who sat on the couch.
“Come now, is it really that bad?” Meredith said, getting up off the couch, and wrapping her arms around Nathan’s midsection.
“You haven’t met my family.”
“But maybe,” She grinned, “I’d like to.”
_______________________________________
Nathan hardly recognized Peter when he picked them up at the airport. The young, wide eyed boy who had followed him around like a puppy dog was gone, replaced by a sullen teenager with shaggy hair and clothing that was overwhelmingly black.
“Hey Petey!” Nathan said, wrapping his arm around his little brother, who wasn’t quite as short as he remembered.
Peter shook off Nathan’s arm. “Don’t call me Petey.”
“Well it’s good to see you too.” Nathan was a little put off. “So what do you think of Texas so far?”
“Considering that I’ve only seen the airport,” Peter sighed, “I’d say it’s pretty damn boring.”
“Hey, give it a chance, why don’t you?”
“I’m giving it a chance that I survive this week without being absolutely bored to death.” Peter sighed. “We need to go get my luggage.” He stalked away.
“This is going to be a great week.” Nathan swore sarcastically under his breath.
____________________________________
“Are you sure you’re okay staying with Sandra while Petey’s here?” Nathan said, taking advantage of the stolen moment to bend down and kiss Meredith on the lips.
“She’s only my best friend.” Meredith smiled. “A million times, yes. Having family is a blessing, Nathan. Trust me, you wont understand how much until everyone else is gone.”
Nathan pushed a blonde lock of hair out of her face. “You really are an angel, you know that?”
“Don’t you ever forget it.” She said, shimmying out of the kitchen, her hands loaded with platters. “I made tacos!” She chirped merrily. “My Gramma’s recipe, too.”
Nathan followed her, carrying the guacamole.
____________________________________
Nathan was to his breaking point. In the last few days, he’d bent over backwards for Peter. He’d splurged and bought Peter’s favorite kind of chocolate milk- the bottled kind, with the rabbit on it, he’d skipped class to take Peter around town- to the mall, to the zoo, to race go-karts, he hadn’t said a thing when Peter stayed up all night watching programs that were way inappropriate for his age on pay cable. At every turn, Peter had been a complete brat. Nothing was good enough for him. He whined and bitched and moaned at every turn, and Nathan had played the good big brother and just shook it off.
They’d started to argue last night, after dinner, and petulant Peter had stalked off. It was now three o’clock in the morning. Nathan was beside himself- half with anger, half with worry. The phone was in his hand, as he considered calling either his mother or the police.
Meredith sat beside him, rubbing his back in tiny circles. “He’ll show up.” She soothed him quietly.
“Yeah, in the middle of the desert with buzzards picking out his brains.” Nathan sighed. “He really wasn’t this much of a pain when he was a kid.”
“That’s good to know.” Peter said, strolling into the room as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Now do you mind getting off of the couch- my bed so I can go to sleep?”
“Do you have any time what time it is?”
“I don’t wear a watch.”
“Oh take a guess, hot shot.”
“I guess I’m a little early for breakfast.”
“I have been sitting here, worried OUT OF MY MIND for hours. I had no idea what could have happened to you!”
“Nothing happened to me! I’m fine!”
“Peter, you’re not indestructible!”
”I KNOW THAT!” Peter yelled. “For crying out loud. Everybody dies! DEAN DIED! I was in the car that day, did you know that? If I would have been in the front seat, I would be dead, not him! And maybe I should be! I hate this! I hate everything!”
“Peter…I…”
“AND I HATE YOU!” As Peter screamed, his fingertips were engulfed in flame.
____________________________________
“Thanks for everything.” Peter said, giving his brother a warm hug. “It was great.” He turned to Meredith. “It was great to meet you.”
“You too.” She smiled.
Nathan patted Peter on the back. “You don’t want to miss your flight. Say hi to Mom and Dad for me.”
“You got it.” He turned and walked towards the gate.
Nathan watched his brother grow smaller and smaller as he walked down the walkway to the plane, until Peter turned the corner to go into the plane. After that, Nathan walked down the hallway a little, over to a bank of windows, where he watched Peter’s plane until it pulled away.
“Are you sure we did the right thing?” Nathan whispered, watching a plane, maybe even Peter’s plane, take to the sky. “Messing with his memory?”
“With a power like Peter’s,” Meredith said softly, “Yeah. Take it from me, being a fire starter isn’t easy to deal with. Add in teenage hormones, and that’s a hell of a lot to deal with.”
“But taking away the memories of the accident…”
“Will help Peter in the long run. Everyone in our group agreed with it. We erased those memories with Peter’s best interests in mind. You’re looking out for him, Nathan. You did a good job. ”
“But what happens when his powers surface again?”
“Then we’ll bring him out here, and we’ll help him master it. The same way that all of us learned to manage our powers. Bit by bit.”
“But…I guess,” Nathan sighed. “I thought if he would do anything, he’d fly, like me.”
“Face it, sugar.” Meredith said, kissing his cheek. “You’ve got some family, Nathan.” Her hand dropped to her stomach quickly, a movement too quick and too slight for Nathan to notice. “Some family” she repeated, beaming.