Peter's bedroom, NYC, Thursday afternoon
Peter had showered and changed. It didn't seem like much, but it did help him feel better after, you know, being dead for a little while.
The piece of glass that Nathan had removed was resting on Peter's nightstand. Peter touched the tip of it with his finger.
Nathan came into the room. "Pete."
"What do you do with the thing that killed you?" Peter asked.
"You could put it underneath your pillow." Nathan came closer. He put his hand on Peter's shoulder. "I don't know what I would've done."
Peter knew Nathan wasn't talking about the glass anymore. "Don't think about it. I didn't die."
"Yeah, but if you had..." Nathan gripped Peter's shoulder tighter. "I don't know who I am without you."
"Of course you do." Peter gave Nathan a wry look. "You're Nathan Petrelli. Top of his class, valedictorian, most likely to - you're that guy with me or without me."
"Who's to say I'm not all that because of you?" Nathan came forward so it was easier to look Peter in the eyes. "Most of what we are is what people expect us to be. I mean, if you take them away, nothing means anything."
"It's a good thing I can't die then," Peter replied, glossing over the part where he had died, and would have remained so if Nathan hadn't taken the glass out of him.
"No matter what happens?" Nathan asked. "What about the paintings? You explode. I mean, if that happened, could you survive it?"
"Doesn't really matter, does it?" Peter moved closer to Nathan. "Think about it for a minute. If I go nuclear - if anyone blows up New York, do you know how many people are gonna die?"
"Point-oh-seven percent," Angela said, from where she'd been listening by the door.
Nathan and Peter shared a guilty look. Peter was the one who broke the silence. "About what happened... Nathan and I need to talk to you."
"It's okay," Angela said. "I know. I knew long before either of you did."
The silence was even longer this time.
"That might beat you coming back from the dead," Nathan told Peter.
"No kidding," Peter replied. He looked at Angela in confusion. "You knew?"
"About your powers, yes." Angela indicated both of her sons. "Nathan's flight, your empathy. Of course I didn't know you'd picked up healing or I would've removed the glass myself. Heaven forbid either of you should talk honestly to your mother."
"You're a long way from being able to point that finger, Ma," Nathan said.
"I did what I thought was best," Angela replied, unfazed. "I told you what you needed to know when you needed to know it. As you see, it worked out fine."
"It worked out with Peter dead," Nathan told her. He was amazed that she needed to be reminded yet again.
"Until he healed." Angela made a dismissive gesture, as though the issue of Peter's death had been no more than a bothersome fly. "I assume he acquired the ability while he was in Fandom, which only proves that my decisions have been wise."
"You knew about Fandom?" Peter felt his entire worldview shifting. "All of it?"
Angela gave a look Peter was familiar with - one of disappointment that was not untinged with affection. "Some of your classmates didn't look human. Did you think I never noticed?"
Peter had assumed just that thing, but he had more to worry about. "Sam! What do you know about Sam?"
"Enough to know you should never see him again," Angela told him, her voice sharp.
"Not now." Nathan stepped in between them, looking back and forth at them both. "Both of you. We can deal with that later. First let's deal with this explosion."
"And Sylar," Peter said. "He was here. He did this to me. He - " Peter couldn't help the look of guilt he flashed Nathan " - he knows about Ted."
"He's gone," Angela told them.
Nathan looked at her suspiciously. "How?"
"Your mother is not without friends," Angela told him.
"Let me guess," Nathan replied, smirking. "Any more than that I don't need to know about?"
"There are more important things at stake," Angela said. "Such as the election, and how everything regarding the explosion will be fine so long as Nathan does as he's told."
Nathan and Peter shared a look.
"We may as well hear her out," Peter said.
"If this goes wrong I'm going to remind you that you said that," Nathan told him.
The piece of glass that Nathan had removed was resting on Peter's nightstand. Peter touched the tip of it with his finger.
Nathan came into the room. "Pete."
"What do you do with the thing that killed you?" Peter asked.
"You could put it underneath your pillow." Nathan came closer. He put his hand on Peter's shoulder. "I don't know what I would've done."
Peter knew Nathan wasn't talking about the glass anymore. "Don't think about it. I didn't die."
"Yeah, but if you had..." Nathan gripped Peter's shoulder tighter. "I don't know who I am without you."
"Of course you do." Peter gave Nathan a wry look. "You're Nathan Petrelli. Top of his class, valedictorian, most likely to - you're that guy with me or without me."
"Who's to say I'm not all that because of you?" Nathan came forward so it was easier to look Peter in the eyes. "Most of what we are is what people expect us to be. I mean, if you take them away, nothing means anything."
"It's a good thing I can't die then," Peter replied, glossing over the part where he had died, and would have remained so if Nathan hadn't taken the glass out of him.
"No matter what happens?" Nathan asked. "What about the paintings? You explode. I mean, if that happened, could you survive it?"
"Doesn't really matter, does it?" Peter moved closer to Nathan. "Think about it for a minute. If I go nuclear - if anyone blows up New York, do you know how many people are gonna die?"
"Point-oh-seven percent," Angela said, from where she'd been listening by the door.
Nathan and Peter shared a guilty look. Peter was the one who broke the silence. "About what happened... Nathan and I need to talk to you."
"It's okay," Angela said. "I know. I knew long before either of you did."
The silence was even longer this time.
"That might beat you coming back from the dead," Nathan told Peter.
"No kidding," Peter replied. He looked at Angela in confusion. "You knew?"
"About your powers, yes." Angela indicated both of her sons. "Nathan's flight, your empathy. Of course I didn't know you'd picked up healing or I would've removed the glass myself. Heaven forbid either of you should talk honestly to your mother."
"You're a long way from being able to point that finger, Ma," Nathan said.
"I did what I thought was best," Angela replied, unfazed. "I told you what you needed to know when you needed to know it. As you see, it worked out fine."
"It worked out with Peter dead," Nathan told her. He was amazed that she needed to be reminded yet again.
"Until he healed." Angela made a dismissive gesture, as though the issue of Peter's death had been no more than a bothersome fly. "I assume he acquired the ability while he was in Fandom, which only proves that my decisions have been wise."
"You knew about Fandom?" Peter felt his entire worldview shifting. "All of it?"
Angela gave a look Peter was familiar with - one of disappointment that was not untinged with affection. "Some of your classmates didn't look human. Did you think I never noticed?"
Peter had assumed just that thing, but he had more to worry about. "Sam! What do you know about Sam?"
"Enough to know you should never see him again," Angela told him, her voice sharp.
"Not now." Nathan stepped in between them, looking back and forth at them both. "Both of you. We can deal with that later. First let's deal with this explosion."
"And Sylar," Peter said. "He was here. He did this to me. He - " Peter couldn't help the look of guilt he flashed Nathan " - he knows about Ted."
"He's gone," Angela told them.
Nathan looked at her suspiciously. "How?"
"Your mother is not without friends," Angela told him.
"Let me guess," Nathan replied, smirking. "Any more than that I don't need to know about?"
"There are more important things at stake," Angela said. "Such as the election, and how everything regarding the explosion will be fine so long as Nathan does as he's told."
Nathan and Peter shared a look.
"We may as well hear her out," Peter said.
"If this goes wrong I'm going to remind you that you said that," Nathan told him.