Gilded Genesis :: Chapter 6 :: Better Halves
Title: Gilded Genesis :: Chapter 6 :: Better Halves
Author: rebelle_elle
Artist: therisingmoon
Word Count: 885
Rating: PG
Type: Gen
Characters/Pairings: Gabriel Gray, Samson Gray, Simone Deveaux, Nathan Petrelli, Noah Bennet, (Isaac Mendez), (Claire Bennet), (Jackie Wilcox), (Eden McCain)
Warnings (sexual context, non-con, violence, strong language, characters death, etc) None
Summary:
Gabriel is headed to Texas. Nathan decides to destroy some discoveries. Noah discovers Claire has gone to the homecoming game despite his express wishes.
There was one count on which Gabriel admired his father. He’d never seen a better actor than Samson, and he doubted one existed. The two had dinner together once a week; it was an old tradition they’d been doing since Gabriel was a boy, though he couldn’t remember how it had started. It was the only time of the week when, surrounded by witnesses, his father would be kind to him. Attentive, even encouraging at times. Especially when Gabriel was talking about his work as an agent.
For all Samson’s acting ability, though, something terrible must have happened for him to be so nervous even Gabriel could tell something was wrong. “So what’s really upsetting you?”
“I’m not upset, Gabriel.” Samson stopped shaking his foot and appeared just as calm as ever. “Why would you say something like that?”
So that was how they were playing it. “No reason.” Gabriel looked down at his tray and stuffed three fries in his mouth at once.
“Don’t eat like that, son. People will think you’re a pig.”
“Yes, sir.” Gabriel clenched his jaw, wondering what was really going on. He’d heard Daphne Millbrook had gone MIA after making some sort of delivery, but Samson wasn’t the sort to care what happened to his own family, least of all what happened to his workers.
“I’ll be out of town for the next couple days.”
Gabriel raised his eyebrows. Maybe his dad was searching for Millbrook after all? He waited for his father to continue. When nothing was forthcoming, he asked, “Why? You almost never take vacations.”
“It’s business. Maybe I’ll bring you back something.”
Gabriel nodded. “That’d be nice.”
Samson grinned with the smugness of someone who had just won the Father of the Year award.
“Where are you going?”
“L.A.”
Los Angeles. Not Europe, then. Millbrook usually headed there when she could. He frowned at something over Samson’s shoulder. “Dad. It looks like Bennet wants to talk to you.”
“Oh?” Samson turned and looked over his shoulder.
“He just looked in, saw you, and went back out. You have a meeting or something?”
“No.” Samson frowned and stood, dusting off his suit even though there was no need. “I’ll be right back.”
Gabriel nodded and waited until Samson was gone to check his dad’s phone. Three minutes later, he had a seat on the same flight. He was willing to bet Millbrook’s disappearance and his dad’s lying were connected.
Gabriel replaced the phone and paused, his heart hammering. It had felt for a second there as if he were being watched, but he couldn’t see anyone in the cafeteria who seemed interested in him.
He jumped as Samson slid back into his vacated seat. “I didn’t see him. Are you sure you saw him?”
Gabriel frowned and shrugged. “Weird. Guess I imagined it.”
“Any more paintings like this?” Nathan studied the painting he had just covered with black paint, seeing if he had missed anything.
“What, you want to ruin those, too?”
Nathan clenched his teeth as he looked at Simone. “I’m not going to let my brother die, Simone.” He dug out his wallet and pulled out a wad of bills. He looked down at her until he was sure he had her attention. “I want every single painting Isaac Mendez has ever done featuring my brother, Simone, and I want them by the end of this week.”
“You’ll just destroy them!” she argued.
“So that my brother can live,” Nathan snapped back. He shoved the bills at her and turned back toward the painting, hands on his hips. “I’m buying them. It shouldn’t matter to you what I do with them after.” His eyes fell on her portfolio. “Are there any in there?”
Simone shook her head. “Those are other artists’ paintings for the Deveaux Society.” She considered taking the money and slapping Nathan in the face with it, but in the end, she slipped it into her pocket. No telling when Isaac would need rehab again, and good treatment wasn’t cheap.
Just because she’d accepted his money didn’t mean she was going to show him the rest of the art for the Society. She’d lied when she’d said they were from other artists; they were all done by Isaac. A couple had featured Peter, but she was hardly going to tell him that and let him destroy them. “So what are you going to do now?”
Nathan studied the painting again. He couldn’t tell if Peter’s mangled body was still visible or if it was just his imagination. “I’m going to Texas.”
Noah was glad for an excuse to ground Claire. He had quickly hidden his pride over Claire punching Jackie and sent her to her room, the homecoming game be damned. Isaac’s paintings had more than convinced him to keep Claire close.
He knocked on the door to her room, frowning as the silence stretched. “Claire?” Still nothing. He called again and waited.
After several moments, he bent and picked the lock. If Claire was still there and got pissed with him, he’d take it. But if she wasn’t there…
He took in the open closet and the open window, and then spun around to run downstairs. “I’m going out!” He was already dialing Eden as he shoved the key into the ignition.
Link to fic master post: here
Link to art master post: here
Chapter Five || Chapter Seven
Author: rebelle_elle
Artist: therisingmoon
Word Count: 885
Rating: PG
Type: Gen
Characters/Pairings: Gabriel Gray, Samson Gray, Simone Deveaux, Nathan Petrelli, Noah Bennet, (Isaac Mendez), (Claire Bennet), (Jackie Wilcox), (Eden McCain)
Warnings (sexual context, non-con, violence, strong language, characters death, etc) None
Summary:
Gabriel is headed to Texas. Nathan decides to destroy some discoveries. Noah discovers Claire has gone to the homecoming game despite his express wishes.
There was one count on which Gabriel admired his father. He’d never seen a better actor than Samson, and he doubted one existed. The two had dinner together once a week; it was an old tradition they’d been doing since Gabriel was a boy, though he couldn’t remember how it had started. It was the only time of the week when, surrounded by witnesses, his father would be kind to him. Attentive, even encouraging at times. Especially when Gabriel was talking about his work as an agent.
For all Samson’s acting ability, though, something terrible must have happened for him to be so nervous even Gabriel could tell something was wrong. “So what’s really upsetting you?”
“I’m not upset, Gabriel.” Samson stopped shaking his foot and appeared just as calm as ever. “Why would you say something like that?”
So that was how they were playing it. “No reason.” Gabriel looked down at his tray and stuffed three fries in his mouth at once.
“Don’t eat like that, son. People will think you’re a pig.”
“Yes, sir.” Gabriel clenched his jaw, wondering what was really going on. He’d heard Daphne Millbrook had gone MIA after making some sort of delivery, but Samson wasn’t the sort to care what happened to his own family, least of all what happened to his workers.
“I’ll be out of town for the next couple days.”
Gabriel raised his eyebrows. Maybe his dad was searching for Millbrook after all? He waited for his father to continue. When nothing was forthcoming, he asked, “Why? You almost never take vacations.”
“It’s business. Maybe I’ll bring you back something.”
Gabriel nodded. “That’d be nice.”
Samson grinned with the smugness of someone who had just won the Father of the Year award.
“Where are you going?”
“L.A.”
Los Angeles. Not Europe, then. Millbrook usually headed there when she could. He frowned at something over Samson’s shoulder. “Dad. It looks like Bennet wants to talk to you.”
“Oh?” Samson turned and looked over his shoulder.
“He just looked in, saw you, and went back out. You have a meeting or something?”
“No.” Samson frowned and stood, dusting off his suit even though there was no need. “I’ll be right back.”
Gabriel nodded and waited until Samson was gone to check his dad’s phone. Three minutes later, he had a seat on the same flight. He was willing to bet Millbrook’s disappearance and his dad’s lying were connected.
Gabriel replaced the phone and paused, his heart hammering. It had felt for a second there as if he were being watched, but he couldn’t see anyone in the cafeteria who seemed interested in him.
He jumped as Samson slid back into his vacated seat. “I didn’t see him. Are you sure you saw him?”
Gabriel frowned and shrugged. “Weird. Guess I imagined it.”
“Any more paintings like this?” Nathan studied the painting he had just covered with black paint, seeing if he had missed anything.
“What, you want to ruin those, too?”
Nathan clenched his teeth as he looked at Simone. “I’m not going to let my brother die, Simone.” He dug out his wallet and pulled out a wad of bills. He looked down at her until he was sure he had her attention. “I want every single painting Isaac Mendez has ever done featuring my brother, Simone, and I want them by the end of this week.”
“You’ll just destroy them!” she argued.
“So that my brother can live,” Nathan snapped back. He shoved the bills at her and turned back toward the painting, hands on his hips. “I’m buying them. It shouldn’t matter to you what I do with them after.” His eyes fell on her portfolio. “Are there any in there?”
Simone shook her head. “Those are other artists’ paintings for the Deveaux Society.” She considered taking the money and slapping Nathan in the face with it, but in the end, she slipped it into her pocket. No telling when Isaac would need rehab again, and good treatment wasn’t cheap.
Just because she’d accepted his money didn’t mean she was going to show him the rest of the art for the Society. She’d lied when she’d said they were from other artists; they were all done by Isaac. A couple had featured Peter, but she was hardly going to tell him that and let him destroy them. “So what are you going to do now?”
Nathan studied the painting again. He couldn’t tell if Peter’s mangled body was still visible or if it was just his imagination. “I’m going to Texas.”
Noah was glad for an excuse to ground Claire. He had quickly hidden his pride over Claire punching Jackie and sent her to her room, the homecoming game be damned. Isaac’s paintings had more than convinced him to keep Claire close.
He knocked on the door to her room, frowning as the silence stretched. “Claire?” Still nothing. He called again and waited.
After several moments, he bent and picked the lock. If Claire was still there and got pissed with him, he’d take it. But if she wasn’t there…
He took in the open closet and the open window, and then spun around to run downstairs. “I’m going out!” He was already dialing Eden as he shoved the key into the ignition.
Link to fic master post: here
Link to art master post: here
Chapter Five || Chapter Seven