Heroes, "Petrelli Land" Peter/Claire, Rated PG-13
Fandom: Heroes
Title: Petrelli Land
Rating: R/M
Chapters: 1/17
Characters/Pairings: Mainly Peter/Claire, others to be determined
Warnings/Spoilers: AU and Canon Paire, Season One Spoilers, turns AU from "How to Stop an Exploding Man", will not follow Season Two storyline.
Notes: This fic is inspired by the Marvel comic series, "House of M". The inspiration belongs to Marvel, and the Heroes characters belong to NBC and Tim Kring, but the story is entirely mine. Thank you to karathephantom for the beta job!
FFnet Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3735029/1/
Summary: After Peter encounters someone with a dangerous ability, his lack of control causes him to shift reality to the desire of others, where most are happy except one, who vows revenge. Paire.
Petrelli Land
Prologue
Four months ago, Peter Petrelli woke up tangled inside a fisherman's net retrieved from the ocean. Surprised, Peter looked back at sea scavengers who were just as bewildered as he was that he was actually alive. His memory shaky, visions of Nathan tossing him into the air toward the ocean soon shed light on how he was not dead.
Even after exploding, Claire's powers had still come through, not only helping him heal up after his explosion, but also saving his life from drowning as well.
His memory still shaky, he remembered Claire and Nathan and that he had all sorts of powers, but as he awoke more from his long sleep in the ocean, he realized that suddenly some of his powers were unreachable.
Shrugging off the dilemma, Peter allowed the scavengers to free him from the net and usher him to medical care. As his feet lumbered down the small hallway of the boat, his vision became blurry and his energy began to wane. The moment he felt the soft bedding of the hospital, he fell into slumber as exhaustion spread through his body again.
--
"Some things still feel hazy," Peter explained, breaking through the silence in the room with his mother and brother. Not too long ago, they had received a call from a doctor on a fisherman's boat that Peter was miraculously alive. Of course, Nathan had rushed immediately to retrieve his brother to bring him home. For once, emotions became unguarded, and his distraught mother and depressed brother had taken him into their arms, crying and holding him for hours from joy that Peter was alive. Yet, there was little time for a family reunion, and they soon caught him up on the unfortunate news.
"Sylar is still alive," Nathan had told him. Peter's eyes widened, and instantly he thought of Claire and whispered her name. He moved to call her, warn her, but his brother had held him back.
"Claire's got a new life in California now. Noah Bennet assured me she would be safe, and not in danger like the time before." Nathan paused and gave his brother a sympathetic expression. He rubbed his new, grizzly beard and placed a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder, but he knew his brother was still eager to call Claire. Nathan informed him, "Dr. Suresh tells me that from the evidence, Sylar is still in New York, targeting people with powers."
Peter pursed his lips, and Nathan could tell in his eyes that he was still thinking of Claire. He knew Peter was thinking of intercepting Sylar before he could target her again.
"Look, I know you want to be a hero again, but you just got back," Nathan's voice was soft, and Peter looked up into his brother's worried expression. His voice was as low as a whisper when he said, "Your family needs you, Pete. And you don't have all your powers back, so you have to take it easy before rushing off again.
Peter scoffed audibly, and he looked away scathingly from his brother's gaze, burning a hole in the wall of the room.
"I still can fly and heal. I'm working on the invisibility. Look, I'll be ready soon. I just can't sit by and let him do this all over again," Peter snapped at him. "Was what we did four months ago a waste?"
Nathan didn't respond readily, so Peter quickly sighed in exasperation. "I need to take him down before he hurts anyone else. The explosion was just one battle," he said, pausing and then getting up from his seat to leave the room. Angela made a motion to protest, but Peter shot her an angry glare.
"I'm going to Mohinder's..."
"Peter, wait, Nathan is right," Angela said, her voice more demanding than desperate.
Peter stopped in the doorway, and he bit his lip in fury.
"Pete..." Nathan started. But when he blinked, Peter had slammed the door and had already made his way out of the house.
--
Mohinder Suresh was more than happy to partner up with Peter Petrelli again to locate Sylar. The two of them had worked together tracking him for a month when they realized that Sylar was moving cross-country at a slow rate.
"He probably doesn't think anyone knows he's alive, so he's taking his time. He no longer has the list, so he has to do some of his own investigating."
"Right, I'm guessing he's checking local newspapers while still tapping into Isaac's ability to search for these people," Peter added. Mohinder nodded, and then opened his folder, he sifted through the drawings Peter had done and pulled out the picture of Sylar's next possible victim.
"It's a good thing we can stay a step ahead of them with these drawings, although..." Mohinder glanced at the crude drawing, and he gave Peter a bemused smile. "We could use a little more detail in faces."
Peter gave him a sour look. "Well, my powers are still a little unrefined. It's taking longer than I'd expected getting them back."
Mohinder sighed, and he leaned his head back onto the seat as Peter drove them.
"So where to next, Doc?" Peter asked, hurt from Mohinder's comment still evident in his voice.
"We go to Los Angeles. There's a few there that you drew. A middle aged woman, a young boy, and..." Mohinder stopped but Peter didn't need him to finish. The doctor traced his fingers over the third drawing, which was the most detailed of them all. Finally after a moment of awkward silence, Mohinder asked him quietly, "We're going to make a detour stop in L.A., I'm presuming?"
Peter glanced at him momentarily before directing his attention back to the road. He nodded once and heard another sigh escape from Mohinder.
"I am sorry for Claire," Mohinder said. He turned his attention out the car window. "She must be looking forward to a normal life at a new home. It's most unfortunate that it will not last.”
Peter was silent for the rest of the car ride. Without anything else to say, Mohinder dozed off as the car trailed down the highway toward the west.
--
Within the next week, Peter had called Claire from a pay phone in Las Vegas. Mrs. Bennet had answered the phone, and when he told her who he was, he could hear the woman gasp heavily into the receiver. Before he could get her to turn the phone to Claire, Noah Bennet had intercepted.
"Mr. Petrelli, what a pleasant surprise." Noah Bennet's voice had been unwavering, in control as it always had been before. He paused, and Peter imagined him grinning cryptically on the other end of the phone. "We had assumed you were dead."
And after that last phrase, Peter heard shuffling in the background, and soon it was stilled. He wondered if Claire was in the room with them and if Bennet had just shooed her away. His voice got low and intoned with warning. "Listen, I don't know what you want, and we're grateful that you're alive, but we're trying to build a new life here. I assured Mr. Petrelli I was going to keep Claire safe from harm, and I meant it. Whatever it is you want, keep in mind that I will not let my daughter get involved in any more danger."
"I know, and I mirror your concern Mr. Bennet..."
"Ah ah; it’s Noah, remember?"
"Noah. Look, I'm sure you know that Sylar is still alive and out there." Peter paused, and Bennet made no audible indication to affirm that statement. "Dr. Suresh and I are tracking him across this country. He has Isaac's ability to paint, so he's using it to gather more powers. Please... we're in Las Vegas now, but we have reason to believe he's coming to L.A. There are three people in particular I painted that had to do with L.A., and I'm sure Sylar knows of them too."
"Peter... look..."
"Noah," Peter said harshly, "one of those drawings is of Claire, so it's important that I speak to her. And whether you say so or not, I will see her when I get to L.A."
Noah was again silent, which started to rile him up even more. Peter understood that he wanted to keep Claire safe - to allow her to have a normal life. But Peter knew that Claire understood she just couldn't have the type of normal life someone without abilities could. And she had particularly special abilities that Sylar was determined to possess, and until he was dead, Peter knew she could never be safe.
"Please...just put her on the phone," Peter pleaded. He heard a grunting noise into the phone and then a draught of breath.
"Claire?" And within seconds, she was talking to him; her voice choked up and full of emotion.
"Peter! You're alive!" And then after hearing the sound of her voice after so long, Peter's heart warmed. "Oh my god, I thought you were dead. Nathan told me that... Where've you been lately? How did you survive? Are you okay?"
After lambasting him with an endless number of panicked questions, Peter interrupted. "I'm fine. Everything's fine. Your powers saved me from drowning in the ocean and healed my wounds from the explosion. I'm alive because of you, and I always knew I would be."
"Peter..." Claire's voice was tender, absent of sadness and ringing with relief.
"Claire...I..." Peter said soothingly, the words stuck in his throat when he didn't know what else to say. He couldn't figure out how he was going to tell her about Sylar. So before he could think, he blurted out, "How are you?" and she laughed lightly into the phone. She sniffled, and Peter imagined her crying, tears trailing down her face that he longed to wipe away.
"I'm good...um, I made the cheer-leading squad at my new school, of course… And well, there's this boy..." Peter's heart tightened at that last line, but she didn’t elaborate. "Hey, what is this all about? My dad looked really worried."
"I'm coming to L.A. to see you, but this isn't a social visit, Claire." Peter closed his eyes, and he imagined her heartbreak when he told her that her normal life was over. "Sylar's alive, and he'll be in your town soon. I did these drawings of three people with abilities...He's after you again, Claire, and by now he knows that you're in L.A."
Claire didn't say anything at first, but Peter could hear her heavy breathing into the phone. "So it's happening all over again?” she cried out. “You're alive, and so is Sylar."
"Yes," Peter said calmly, and he could sense that Claire was falling to pieces on the other end. "Look, Mohinder and I will be there tomorrow. You need to call in sick from school, and we'll figure out what to do."
"But -"
"He could get you at school, Claire. If he's painted you at all in your new uniform, it won't be hard to find out what school you go to." He hated himself for it, but he had to say it. "If you go, you'll be putting your new friends in danger."
Claire laughed dejectedly, her voice trembling from the onslaught of Peter's words. "So it's really not over, is it? I can't become normal after all." She inhaled heavily and said in a breathy voice, "As long as he's after me, I'll never be safe."
"That's why I'm here, Claire. I will be the one to keep you safe."
She let out a small, rueful guffaw before saying sardonically, "You always do, Peter. You always do."
--
Peter saw Claire's face light up as she opened the door, and he gave her an eager smile.
“Peter!” she exclaimed, and when she hugged him she trembled against his body. She embraced him tightly, and Peter relished in her warmth. The hug was a little too long for Mohinder’s comfort, and he cleared his throat behind them to break up the moment.
Peter looked down at Claire’s face, and he saw tears welling at the sides of her eyes. He brushed a light finger over them, wiping them away and smiling wider as she giggled at him.
Noah and Sandra Bennet poked their heads out of the kitchen to see the commotion, and when they saw Mohinder and Peter standing in the doorway, they quickly invited them inside.
“We’re sorry to intrude,” Mohinder said readily, and Peter nodded beside him, glancing momentarily at Claire who couldn’t keep her gaze away from him. Her face was paler, and he could feel in her thoughts that she was extremely glad that he was alive and here.
“Yes, thank you for having us,” Peter said, and Noah Bennet smiled at him with thin lips.
“I don’t think you gave us much of a choice, Mr. Petrelli,” Noah said, and Sandra frowned at him.
Sandra Bennet giggled nervously, and she turned to Peter and Mohinder and offered them some tea. Her gaze was fixated on Peter, and it was obvious she picked up on Claire elation of seeing him.
“Won’t you make yourself at home? I’ll bring out the tea.” But Peter was quick to refuse her.
“None for me, Mrs. Bennet. If I could, I’d like a private word with Claire,” Peter asked. Suddenly the air in the room became thick and awkward, but Noah nodded in affirmation, even when his eyes evoked his discomfort.
Claire took Peter’s arm and led him to her father’s study, quickly closing the door to give them some privacy.
“Claire…” He looked at her expression, and he could feel the sorrow in her eyes. “I’m sorry if you’re upset.” Peter gazed around the house, exhaling heavily. He started to pace, and his attention focused on a new picture of Claire in her blue cheer-leading outfit. “You already started a normal life, but here I am ruining it.”
“Peter, stop it,” she said in exasperation. “Look, it doesn’t matter, all right? You’re alive and you’re here, and you’re on to Sylar. The important thing is that you warned me.” She paused and she moved to stand beside him. “The last time I had no warning at all, and my friend died.”
After a pregnant pause, Peter turned to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He met her eyes with determination and said, “I need your help, Claire. Come with me so I can protect you from Sylar.” Her expression turned to awe, and before she could answer, Peter continued, “I don’t want to be looking for him while you’re not in my sight. I trust your father’s words when he says he’ll protect you, but I also trust in the fact that Sylar is a dangerous man and no match for anyone but me.” He bit his lip and added, “And even I had a hard time against him.”
“But Peter, even if I do come with you, I can’t fight against him. I’m in as much danger there,” she answered.
Peter turned from her; he paced around the room again and then ran his fingers through his hair anxiously. “Look, after the explosion, some of my powers aren’t working anymore. I can barely fly and heal.” He turned around and met her curious gaze sadly. “It’s not like it was before. I keep trying, but I don’t know what type of match I’m going to be against him.”
“This doesn’t make sense, Peter. Why would you come after him if you’ve lost some of your powers?”
“I need you to come with me. You're still safer with me than anyone else, including your father. And Mohinder and I are planning on tracking down the others, finding them first so I can absorb their powers, making me stronger against him." Peter shook his head; he didn't want to lose his composure in front of Claire. "Every day I slowly get these powers back. I believe they're being blocked, and so does Mohinder. He has a theory that the explosion wounded my mimicry powers. With you close, maybe I can heal by getting through the block." Peter walked up to her but didn't touch her. He looked into her eyes and smiled. "Ever since I walked in the door, I could feel my healing powers becoming stronger, Claire”
Claire crossed her arms and scrunched her face in worry as she walked away from him. Peter watched her closely, and he could sense she was still having reservations about coming with him.
She plopped down in a chair, directing her gaze out the window. “I still can’t, Peter.” She fidgeted with her hands in her lap. “I can’t come.”
“Why?” Peter’s voice had a frustrated edge.
“Because I can’t,” she responded more desperately than before. “Look, I’ll skip school tomorrow, lay low; I’ll even take up a safe house if Dad finds one.” She met his gaze again, and Peter could see pain behind those green eyes. “But I can’t come with you.”
“Claire,” he said, moving over to her curiously, and sitting on a chair opposite from her. “I know you’re scared…”
“It's not that," she snapped. "I'm not scared. How could I be? After what I went through five months ago?" She smiled sadly. "Listen. When you exploded, my dad told me that I should expect you to be dead. I had held out hope, but after two months, what he said finally sunk in. I couldn't believe that my powers wouldn't save you, but he insisted that no one could survive a blast like that. Three months later, and you were still gone." She inhaled heavily and said, "Nathan had called a few times to keep in touch, but each time I talked to him, his hope was fading just as much as mine was." Claire smiled at him and cocked her head. "I even told Nathan he didn't need to call me anymore, not unless he felt it was an emergency." She turned away and looked at her hands. "Every time he called, he reminded me of you, and I just couldn't deal with that anymore. I told myself I needed go on and live my new life. And that's what I did."
"Claire... I'm sorry."
"But here you are," she stated, ignoring him and looking away from his piercing gaze. "You're here and alive again, and nothing has changed."
"I know it doesn't seem like anything has changed, but Claire, listen, if we defeat Sylar, than everything can change and you can be normal again.” Claire immediately shook her head.
"That's not what I mean, Peter." She hesitated, but then made a decision. "What's never going to change is me and you."
Peter froze, and Claire looked at him, a faint coloring rising in her cheeks. She moved away nervously, and the strange thick air and low buzzing in his ear indicated that she just gave him a very important yet awkward confession.
"I... I had no idea; I mean," Peter stammered, but Claire looked at him in annoyance, more for herself than him. She furrowed her brow.
"Forget it," she said harshly, still looking down at her hands and fiddling nervously with her sleeves. She inhaled deeply again, and her breathing rang of deep emotion that she was desperately trying to push away. "Like I said, I met someone... at least this time it's right and not some weird cosmic joke," she added ruefully.
"Claire," Peter said again, but when he reached out to her, Claire shied away, walking over to the door of her dad's study. Peter was sure she was ready to finish this awkward conversation.
"Now, do you see why I can't go with you? It's hard enough as it is with you here." She shifted and turned her back to him, putting her hand on the doorknob. "I'm glad, at least, that you're alive."
"Claire, wait! There's something I need to tell -"
When she turned around to meet him, curious as to what phrase was going to finish that sentence, her mouth went agape as Peter fell backward, his eyes open in surprise.
Peter could see Claire calling to him, but he couldn't hear her. His mind was drowned out by a woman's deep scream. Unfamiliar surroundings flooded his mind's eye, and when he began to make out the scenery, he could see a dark figure standing over the body of a middle-aged black woman who had fallen unconscious to the ground. The dark figure was laughing sadistically, and blood dripped from his fingers. Peter's stomach lurched at the sight of Sylar's familiar trademark; the innocent woman's head sliced open, her blood pooling onto the sidewalk. The cool evening air chilled Peter's bones, and an overwhelming sense of remorse surged through his body as the woman was murdered and died alone, without anyone around to help her.
"Help me, Peter Petrelli," she said to him, her weakened body rousing to reach a hand out to him. She leaned up and looked at him with pleading eyes, still open even after she was dead - even after her skull was barely whole.
Suddenly, Peter's vision went black, and the woman's desperate plea echoed within his brain. "You can't let him get these powers, Peter," she said in a forlorn voice. "He'll change the whole world and drown it in peril."
He slipped into unconsciousness, and his body felt numb, frozen from the cold premonition. When he came too, there was light among the dark and warmth among the ice. Peter's eyes blinked open to see Claire crying over him, her tears dripping on his face. She was praying that she didn't lose him again - finally promising that she would help him against Sylar.
Chapter One
[mood|
tired]
Title: Petrelli Land
Rating: R/M
Chapters: 1/17
Characters/Pairings: Mainly Peter/Claire, others to be determined
Warnings/Spoilers: AU and Canon Paire, Season One Spoilers, turns AU from "How to Stop an Exploding Man", will not follow Season Two storyline.
Notes: This fic is inspired by the Marvel comic series, "House of M". The inspiration belongs to Marvel, and the Heroes characters belong to NBC and Tim Kring, but the story is entirely mine. Thank you to karathephantom for the beta job!
FFnet Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3735029/1/
Summary: After Peter encounters someone with a dangerous ability, his lack of control causes him to shift reality to the desire of others, where most are happy except one, who vows revenge. Paire.
Petrelli Land
Prologue
Four months ago, Peter Petrelli woke up tangled inside a fisherman's net retrieved from the ocean. Surprised, Peter looked back at sea scavengers who were just as bewildered as he was that he was actually alive. His memory shaky, visions of Nathan tossing him into the air toward the ocean soon shed light on how he was not dead.
Even after exploding, Claire's powers had still come through, not only helping him heal up after his explosion, but also saving his life from drowning as well.
His memory still shaky, he remembered Claire and Nathan and that he had all sorts of powers, but as he awoke more from his long sleep in the ocean, he realized that suddenly some of his powers were unreachable.
Shrugging off the dilemma, Peter allowed the scavengers to free him from the net and usher him to medical care. As his feet lumbered down the small hallway of the boat, his vision became blurry and his energy began to wane. The moment he felt the soft bedding of the hospital, he fell into slumber as exhaustion spread through his body again.
--
"Some things still feel hazy," Peter explained, breaking through the silence in the room with his mother and brother. Not too long ago, they had received a call from a doctor on a fisherman's boat that Peter was miraculously alive. Of course, Nathan had rushed immediately to retrieve his brother to bring him home. For once, emotions became unguarded, and his distraught mother and depressed brother had taken him into their arms, crying and holding him for hours from joy that Peter was alive. Yet, there was little time for a family reunion, and they soon caught him up on the unfortunate news.
"Sylar is still alive," Nathan had told him. Peter's eyes widened, and instantly he thought of Claire and whispered her name. He moved to call her, warn her, but his brother had held him back.
"Claire's got a new life in California now. Noah Bennet assured me she would be safe, and not in danger like the time before." Nathan paused and gave his brother a sympathetic expression. He rubbed his new, grizzly beard and placed a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder, but he knew his brother was still eager to call Claire. Nathan informed him, "Dr. Suresh tells me that from the evidence, Sylar is still in New York, targeting people with powers."
Peter pursed his lips, and Nathan could tell in his eyes that he was still thinking of Claire. He knew Peter was thinking of intercepting Sylar before he could target her again.
"Look, I know you want to be a hero again, but you just got back," Nathan's voice was soft, and Peter looked up into his brother's worried expression. His voice was as low as a whisper when he said, "Your family needs you, Pete. And you don't have all your powers back, so you have to take it easy before rushing off again.
Peter scoffed audibly, and he looked away scathingly from his brother's gaze, burning a hole in the wall of the room.
"I still can fly and heal. I'm working on the invisibility. Look, I'll be ready soon. I just can't sit by and let him do this all over again," Peter snapped at him. "Was what we did four months ago a waste?"
Nathan didn't respond readily, so Peter quickly sighed in exasperation. "I need to take him down before he hurts anyone else. The explosion was just one battle," he said, pausing and then getting up from his seat to leave the room. Angela made a motion to protest, but Peter shot her an angry glare.
"I'm going to Mohinder's..."
"Peter, wait, Nathan is right," Angela said, her voice more demanding than desperate.
Peter stopped in the doorway, and he bit his lip in fury.
"Pete..." Nathan started. But when he blinked, Peter had slammed the door and had already made his way out of the house.
--
Mohinder Suresh was more than happy to partner up with Peter Petrelli again to locate Sylar. The two of them had worked together tracking him for a month when they realized that Sylar was moving cross-country at a slow rate.
"He probably doesn't think anyone knows he's alive, so he's taking his time. He no longer has the list, so he has to do some of his own investigating."
"Right, I'm guessing he's checking local newspapers while still tapping into Isaac's ability to search for these people," Peter added. Mohinder nodded, and then opened his folder, he sifted through the drawings Peter had done and pulled out the picture of Sylar's next possible victim.
"It's a good thing we can stay a step ahead of them with these drawings, although..." Mohinder glanced at the crude drawing, and he gave Peter a bemused smile. "We could use a little more detail in faces."
Peter gave him a sour look. "Well, my powers are still a little unrefined. It's taking longer than I'd expected getting them back."
Mohinder sighed, and he leaned his head back onto the seat as Peter drove them.
"So where to next, Doc?" Peter asked, hurt from Mohinder's comment still evident in his voice.
"We go to Los Angeles. There's a few there that you drew. A middle aged woman, a young boy, and..." Mohinder stopped but Peter didn't need him to finish. The doctor traced his fingers over the third drawing, which was the most detailed of them all. Finally after a moment of awkward silence, Mohinder asked him quietly, "We're going to make a detour stop in L.A., I'm presuming?"
Peter glanced at him momentarily before directing his attention back to the road. He nodded once and heard another sigh escape from Mohinder.
"I am sorry for Claire," Mohinder said. He turned his attention out the car window. "She must be looking forward to a normal life at a new home. It's most unfortunate that it will not last.”
Peter was silent for the rest of the car ride. Without anything else to say, Mohinder dozed off as the car trailed down the highway toward the west.
--
Within the next week, Peter had called Claire from a pay phone in Las Vegas. Mrs. Bennet had answered the phone, and when he told her who he was, he could hear the woman gasp heavily into the receiver. Before he could get her to turn the phone to Claire, Noah Bennet had intercepted.
"Mr. Petrelli, what a pleasant surprise." Noah Bennet's voice had been unwavering, in control as it always had been before. He paused, and Peter imagined him grinning cryptically on the other end of the phone. "We had assumed you were dead."
And after that last phrase, Peter heard shuffling in the background, and soon it was stilled. He wondered if Claire was in the room with them and if Bennet had just shooed her away. His voice got low and intoned with warning. "Listen, I don't know what you want, and we're grateful that you're alive, but we're trying to build a new life here. I assured Mr. Petrelli I was going to keep Claire safe from harm, and I meant it. Whatever it is you want, keep in mind that I will not let my daughter get involved in any more danger."
"I know, and I mirror your concern Mr. Bennet..."
"Ah ah; it’s Noah, remember?"
"Noah. Look, I'm sure you know that Sylar is still alive and out there." Peter paused, and Bennet made no audible indication to affirm that statement. "Dr. Suresh and I are tracking him across this country. He has Isaac's ability to paint, so he's using it to gather more powers. Please... we're in Las Vegas now, but we have reason to believe he's coming to L.A. There are three people in particular I painted that had to do with L.A., and I'm sure Sylar knows of them too."
"Peter... look..."
"Noah," Peter said harshly, "one of those drawings is of Claire, so it's important that I speak to her. And whether you say so or not, I will see her when I get to L.A."
Noah was again silent, which started to rile him up even more. Peter understood that he wanted to keep Claire safe - to allow her to have a normal life. But Peter knew that Claire understood she just couldn't have the type of normal life someone without abilities could. And she had particularly special abilities that Sylar was determined to possess, and until he was dead, Peter knew she could never be safe.
"Please...just put her on the phone," Peter pleaded. He heard a grunting noise into the phone and then a draught of breath.
"Claire?" And within seconds, she was talking to him; her voice choked up and full of emotion.
"Peter! You're alive!" And then after hearing the sound of her voice after so long, Peter's heart warmed. "Oh my god, I thought you were dead. Nathan told me that... Where've you been lately? How did you survive? Are you okay?"
After lambasting him with an endless number of panicked questions, Peter interrupted. "I'm fine. Everything's fine. Your powers saved me from drowning in the ocean and healed my wounds from the explosion. I'm alive because of you, and I always knew I would be."
"Peter..." Claire's voice was tender, absent of sadness and ringing with relief.
"Claire...I..." Peter said soothingly, the words stuck in his throat when he didn't know what else to say. He couldn't figure out how he was going to tell her about Sylar. So before he could think, he blurted out, "How are you?" and she laughed lightly into the phone. She sniffled, and Peter imagined her crying, tears trailing down her face that he longed to wipe away.
"I'm good...um, I made the cheer-leading squad at my new school, of course… And well, there's this boy..." Peter's heart tightened at that last line, but she didn’t elaborate. "Hey, what is this all about? My dad looked really worried."
"I'm coming to L.A. to see you, but this isn't a social visit, Claire." Peter closed his eyes, and he imagined her heartbreak when he told her that her normal life was over. "Sylar's alive, and he'll be in your town soon. I did these drawings of three people with abilities...He's after you again, Claire, and by now he knows that you're in L.A."
Claire didn't say anything at first, but Peter could hear her heavy breathing into the phone. "So it's happening all over again?” she cried out. “You're alive, and so is Sylar."
"Yes," Peter said calmly, and he could sense that Claire was falling to pieces on the other end. "Look, Mohinder and I will be there tomorrow. You need to call in sick from school, and we'll figure out what to do."
"But -"
"He could get you at school, Claire. If he's painted you at all in your new uniform, it won't be hard to find out what school you go to." He hated himself for it, but he had to say it. "If you go, you'll be putting your new friends in danger."
Claire laughed dejectedly, her voice trembling from the onslaught of Peter's words. "So it's really not over, is it? I can't become normal after all." She inhaled heavily and said in a breathy voice, "As long as he's after me, I'll never be safe."
"That's why I'm here, Claire. I will be the one to keep you safe."
She let out a small, rueful guffaw before saying sardonically, "You always do, Peter. You always do."
--
Peter saw Claire's face light up as she opened the door, and he gave her an eager smile.
“Peter!” she exclaimed, and when she hugged him she trembled against his body. She embraced him tightly, and Peter relished in her warmth. The hug was a little too long for Mohinder’s comfort, and he cleared his throat behind them to break up the moment.
Peter looked down at Claire’s face, and he saw tears welling at the sides of her eyes. He brushed a light finger over them, wiping them away and smiling wider as she giggled at him.
Noah and Sandra Bennet poked their heads out of the kitchen to see the commotion, and when they saw Mohinder and Peter standing in the doorway, they quickly invited them inside.
“We’re sorry to intrude,” Mohinder said readily, and Peter nodded beside him, glancing momentarily at Claire who couldn’t keep her gaze away from him. Her face was paler, and he could feel in her thoughts that she was extremely glad that he was alive and here.
“Yes, thank you for having us,” Peter said, and Noah Bennet smiled at him with thin lips.
“I don’t think you gave us much of a choice, Mr. Petrelli,” Noah said, and Sandra frowned at him.
Sandra Bennet giggled nervously, and she turned to Peter and Mohinder and offered them some tea. Her gaze was fixated on Peter, and it was obvious she picked up on Claire elation of seeing him.
“Won’t you make yourself at home? I’ll bring out the tea.” But Peter was quick to refuse her.
“None for me, Mrs. Bennet. If I could, I’d like a private word with Claire,” Peter asked. Suddenly the air in the room became thick and awkward, but Noah nodded in affirmation, even when his eyes evoked his discomfort.
Claire took Peter’s arm and led him to her father’s study, quickly closing the door to give them some privacy.
“Claire…” He looked at her expression, and he could feel the sorrow in her eyes. “I’m sorry if you’re upset.” Peter gazed around the house, exhaling heavily. He started to pace, and his attention focused on a new picture of Claire in her blue cheer-leading outfit. “You already started a normal life, but here I am ruining it.”
“Peter, stop it,” she said in exasperation. “Look, it doesn’t matter, all right? You’re alive and you’re here, and you’re on to Sylar. The important thing is that you warned me.” She paused and she moved to stand beside him. “The last time I had no warning at all, and my friend died.”
After a pregnant pause, Peter turned to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He met her eyes with determination and said, “I need your help, Claire. Come with me so I can protect you from Sylar.” Her expression turned to awe, and before she could answer, Peter continued, “I don’t want to be looking for him while you’re not in my sight. I trust your father’s words when he says he’ll protect you, but I also trust in the fact that Sylar is a dangerous man and no match for anyone but me.” He bit his lip and added, “And even I had a hard time against him.”
“But Peter, even if I do come with you, I can’t fight against him. I’m in as much danger there,” she answered.
Peter turned from her; he paced around the room again and then ran his fingers through his hair anxiously. “Look, after the explosion, some of my powers aren’t working anymore. I can barely fly and heal.” He turned around and met her curious gaze sadly. “It’s not like it was before. I keep trying, but I don’t know what type of match I’m going to be against him.”
“This doesn’t make sense, Peter. Why would you come after him if you’ve lost some of your powers?”
“I need you to come with me. You're still safer with me than anyone else, including your father. And Mohinder and I are planning on tracking down the others, finding them first so I can absorb their powers, making me stronger against him." Peter shook his head; he didn't want to lose his composure in front of Claire. "Every day I slowly get these powers back. I believe they're being blocked, and so does Mohinder. He has a theory that the explosion wounded my mimicry powers. With you close, maybe I can heal by getting through the block." Peter walked up to her but didn't touch her. He looked into her eyes and smiled. "Ever since I walked in the door, I could feel my healing powers becoming stronger, Claire”
Claire crossed her arms and scrunched her face in worry as she walked away from him. Peter watched her closely, and he could sense she was still having reservations about coming with him.
She plopped down in a chair, directing her gaze out the window. “I still can’t, Peter.” She fidgeted with her hands in her lap. “I can’t come.”
“Why?” Peter’s voice had a frustrated edge.
“Because I can’t,” she responded more desperately than before. “Look, I’ll skip school tomorrow, lay low; I’ll even take up a safe house if Dad finds one.” She met his gaze again, and Peter could see pain behind those green eyes. “But I can’t come with you.”
“Claire,” he said, moving over to her curiously, and sitting on a chair opposite from her. “I know you’re scared…”
“It's not that," she snapped. "I'm not scared. How could I be? After what I went through five months ago?" She smiled sadly. "Listen. When you exploded, my dad told me that I should expect you to be dead. I had held out hope, but after two months, what he said finally sunk in. I couldn't believe that my powers wouldn't save you, but he insisted that no one could survive a blast like that. Three months later, and you were still gone." She inhaled heavily and said, "Nathan had called a few times to keep in touch, but each time I talked to him, his hope was fading just as much as mine was." Claire smiled at him and cocked her head. "I even told Nathan he didn't need to call me anymore, not unless he felt it was an emergency." She turned away and looked at her hands. "Every time he called, he reminded me of you, and I just couldn't deal with that anymore. I told myself I needed go on and live my new life. And that's what I did."
"Claire... I'm sorry."
"But here you are," she stated, ignoring him and looking away from his piercing gaze. "You're here and alive again, and nothing has changed."
"I know it doesn't seem like anything has changed, but Claire, listen, if we defeat Sylar, than everything can change and you can be normal again.” Claire immediately shook her head.
"That's not what I mean, Peter." She hesitated, but then made a decision. "What's never going to change is me and you."
Peter froze, and Claire looked at him, a faint coloring rising in her cheeks. She moved away nervously, and the strange thick air and low buzzing in his ear indicated that she just gave him a very important yet awkward confession.
"I... I had no idea; I mean," Peter stammered, but Claire looked at him in annoyance, more for herself than him. She furrowed her brow.
"Forget it," she said harshly, still looking down at her hands and fiddling nervously with her sleeves. She inhaled deeply again, and her breathing rang of deep emotion that she was desperately trying to push away. "Like I said, I met someone... at least this time it's right and not some weird cosmic joke," she added ruefully.
"Claire," Peter said again, but when he reached out to her, Claire shied away, walking over to the door of her dad's study. Peter was sure she was ready to finish this awkward conversation.
"Now, do you see why I can't go with you? It's hard enough as it is with you here." She shifted and turned her back to him, putting her hand on the doorknob. "I'm glad, at least, that you're alive."
"Claire, wait! There's something I need to tell -"
When she turned around to meet him, curious as to what phrase was going to finish that sentence, her mouth went agape as Peter fell backward, his eyes open in surprise.
Peter could see Claire calling to him, but he couldn't hear her. His mind was drowned out by a woman's deep scream. Unfamiliar surroundings flooded his mind's eye, and when he began to make out the scenery, he could see a dark figure standing over the body of a middle-aged black woman who had fallen unconscious to the ground. The dark figure was laughing sadistically, and blood dripped from his fingers. Peter's stomach lurched at the sight of Sylar's familiar trademark; the innocent woman's head sliced open, her blood pooling onto the sidewalk. The cool evening air chilled Peter's bones, and an overwhelming sense of remorse surged through his body as the woman was murdered and died alone, without anyone around to help her.
"Help me, Peter Petrelli," she said to him, her weakened body rousing to reach a hand out to him. She leaned up and looked at him with pleading eyes, still open even after she was dead - even after her skull was barely whole.
Suddenly, Peter's vision went black, and the woman's desperate plea echoed within his brain. "You can't let him get these powers, Peter," she said in a forlorn voice. "He'll change the whole world and drown it in peril."
He slipped into unconsciousness, and his body felt numb, frozen from the cold premonition. When he came too, there was light among the dark and warmth among the ice. Peter's eyes blinked open to see Claire crying over him, her tears dripping on his face. She was praying that she didn't lose him again - finally promising that she would help him against Sylar.
Chapter One
[mood|
tired]