Hospital, New York City
Peter stood at the edge of the building. He was going to do this. He was meant to do this.
He stepped forward. The ground rushed up towards him. Was he falling? He couldn't be falling. Nothing in his dreams had ever indicated he would drop like a stone to the pavement below. He was supposed to soar! He was supposed to fly!
Instead he was heavy and earthbound. He could see the light glinting off the puddles beneath him. He was hurtling towards it. He was destined to be no more special or important than any other smear of shattered flesh and bone on the ground.
Peter couldn't believe that, though. He refused to believe it. He was going to be important. Special.
Which he believed right up to the moment that Nathan raced upward and grabbed his hand.
"Woah, woah, easy buddy," Nathan's voice broke through the topsy-turvy chaos of... dreams? inside Peter's mind.
Peter took a gasping breath. He looked around, trying to will everything to hold still so he could stop feeling so dizzy and recognize something other than the feel of his older brother's hand on his shoulder. "Where am I?"
"You're in a hospital," Nathan said.
Peter tried to sit up to get his bearings. He wasn't strong enough to pull this off. "What happened?"
Nathan stepped back. He gave Peter a curious and - was that hopeful? - look. "You don't remember?"
"No." Peter shook his head.
"You jumped, Pete," Nathan said. He had that quietly disappointed tone that he always used when Peter didn't do something Nathan approved of.
"Jumped?" Peter tried to stand. That wasn't right, that couldn't be right.
"Off of the roof of a fifteen story building," Nathan told him. His face twisted in what could've been an actual wry smile, or what could've been Nathan Petrelli Appropriate Facial Expression #72. Deep down Peter always believed Nathan used the former more than the latter with him. Either way, the wryness became more sober. "You tried to kill yourself. You were a little wound up yesterday but I thought you were just being you."
Now this was wrong. Peter knew that for certain. "What are you talking about? I didn't try to kill myself!" As he spoke the memories started to come back to him. "You - you were in the alley below and you flew."
Nathan laughed. "I what?"
"You flew," Peter said. "You flew up and you caught me."
"You jumped, Peter." This was Nathan Petrelli Expression #1: I'm in charge, and you will listen to me. "You fell twenty-five feet to a fire escape. I climbed up and carried you down. The rest is just crazy talk."
"Nathan, I remember!" Peter told him.
"Crazy talk," Nathan repeated. He glanced towards the door to Peter's hospital room. Instinctively Peter looked too, checking to see that no one was around to overhear them. "But it worked."
Peter was confused. "What worked?"
"This little scheme of yours."
"Nathan, it wasn't a - "
"Mom's agreed to send you to that school you've been drooling over."
For the second time in 24 hours, Peter felt the world drop out from under him. "Fandom High? Really?"
"You scared her enough that she's arranged it already," Nathan said. Because god knew he couldn't give Peter good news without undercutting it with guilt somehow. "Soon as they check you out of here, you're going to Virginia."
Peter found it hard to sit still. There was so much he wanted to. "I'm ready now. Send me now!"
"It's just a school, Peter," Nathan said, using Expression #1 again. "You're not going there to encourage these Petey ideas of yours. You're there to learn and to grow up."
Peter smiled. He knew in his gut that Fandom High was where he was meant to be, just as sure as he knew that - "You flew, Nathan."
"I'll tell the doctor you're ready," Nathan replied.
Peter grinned. He thought of all he'd heard about Fandom High. How it was a special school, for special people.
He didn't know what exactly that meant, but he knew he wanted in on it.
Maybe he'd fallen yesterday, but he sure as heck felt like he was flying now.
He stepped forward. The ground rushed up towards him. Was he falling? He couldn't be falling. Nothing in his dreams had ever indicated he would drop like a stone to the pavement below. He was supposed to soar! He was supposed to fly!
Instead he was heavy and earthbound. He could see the light glinting off the puddles beneath him. He was hurtling towards it. He was destined to be no more special or important than any other smear of shattered flesh and bone on the ground.
Peter couldn't believe that, though. He refused to believe it. He was going to be important. Special.
Which he believed right up to the moment that Nathan raced upward and grabbed his hand.
"Woah, woah, easy buddy," Nathan's voice broke through the topsy-turvy chaos of... dreams? inside Peter's mind.
Peter took a gasping breath. He looked around, trying to will everything to hold still so he could stop feeling so dizzy and recognize something other than the feel of his older brother's hand on his shoulder. "Where am I?"
"You're in a hospital," Nathan said.
Peter tried to sit up to get his bearings. He wasn't strong enough to pull this off. "What happened?"
Nathan stepped back. He gave Peter a curious and - was that hopeful? - look. "You don't remember?"
"No." Peter shook his head.
"You jumped, Pete," Nathan said. He had that quietly disappointed tone that he always used when Peter didn't do something Nathan approved of.
"Jumped?" Peter tried to stand. That wasn't right, that couldn't be right.
"Off of the roof of a fifteen story building," Nathan told him. His face twisted in what could've been an actual wry smile, or what could've been Nathan Petrelli Appropriate Facial Expression #72. Deep down Peter always believed Nathan used the former more than the latter with him. Either way, the wryness became more sober. "You tried to kill yourself. You were a little wound up yesterday but I thought you were just being you."
Now this was wrong. Peter knew that for certain. "What are you talking about? I didn't try to kill myself!" As he spoke the memories started to come back to him. "You - you were in the alley below and you flew."
Nathan laughed. "I what?"
"You flew," Peter said. "You flew up and you caught me."
"You jumped, Peter." This was Nathan Petrelli Expression #1: I'm in charge, and you will listen to me. "You fell twenty-five feet to a fire escape. I climbed up and carried you down. The rest is just crazy talk."
"Nathan, I remember!" Peter told him.
"Crazy talk," Nathan repeated. He glanced towards the door to Peter's hospital room. Instinctively Peter looked too, checking to see that no one was around to overhear them. "But it worked."
Peter was confused. "What worked?"
"This little scheme of yours."
"Nathan, it wasn't a - "
"Mom's agreed to send you to that school you've been drooling over."
For the second time in 24 hours, Peter felt the world drop out from under him. "Fandom High? Really?"
"You scared her enough that she's arranged it already," Nathan said. Because god knew he couldn't give Peter good news without undercutting it with guilt somehow. "Soon as they check you out of here, you're going to Virginia."
Peter found it hard to sit still. There was so much he wanted to. "I'm ready now. Send me now!"
"It's just a school, Peter," Nathan said, using Expression #1 again. "You're not going there to encourage these Petey ideas of yours. You're there to learn and to grow up."
Peter smiled. He knew in his gut that Fandom High was where he was meant to be, just as sure as he knew that - "You flew, Nathan."
"I'll tell the doctor you're ready," Nathan replied.
Peter grinned. He thought of all he'd heard about Fandom High. How it was a special school, for special people.
He didn't know what exactly that meant, but he knew he wanted in on it.
Maybe he'd fallen yesterday, but he sure as heck felt like he was flying now.