Down My Road (3 of 4)
title: Down My Road
character(s)/pairing(s): Elle, Peter, minor Claire, Cody (OC) (mentions of Peter/Elle)
rating: pg-13
summary: For nearly four years, Peter has been searching for an answer he's feared. Instead of the expected answers, however, he finds an Elle that has opened up an entirely new road for herself, one she has chosen to walk without ever looking back. But before their roads diverge once again, another old face reemerges in Elle’s life to threaten that which she loves most, forcing Elle to remain in the cross of Peter's path longer than she would like.
parts: one ;; two ;; three ;; four
~*~
“So when was the last time you encountered this woman?”
“Close to three years ago.”
“And until now, she hasn’t made any other attempt to get closer to see Jeanne?”
“No, Peter. Up until today, we hadn’t seen her. To-day.”
She rolled her eyes, pushed herself out of the chair, and turned her back to him. They had managed to remain civil for the first ten minutes, in which Elle had told Peter how the kidnapping happened and who was responsible.
“Are you saying this is my fault?”
He stayed seated, but his voice level rose along with hers.
“No, Peter, she just so happened to find us on the same day you did!”
She turned around to him, and placed her hands on her hips.
“If I was being followed, I think I would have noticed!”
“Then how do you explain it?!”
“It could have been a coincidence!”
“Since when do you, Peter Petrelli, Mr. oh, we all have a destiny, believe in coincidences?!”
“Maybe since you--”
“Stop it!” Claire screamed. She and Cody had been hanging back, letting the two just talk, but obviously they weren’t doing that anymore so Claire needed to intervene.
“Peter, she must have followed you. Obviously, you’re not yourself. I noticed it from the instant you showed up here, so it’s not some grand, hidden fact. You’re not being exactly considerate about your own welfare, and so that woman who must’ve done some research, realized you were the best way to find Elle and hence her daughter.”
Claire then turned her attention to Elle.
“Elle, this is your daughter. The one you love. The one we all love. We want nothing more than to find her, but in the end, the only person to blame is that damn woman who sent a couple of goons to take Jeanne the one second your eyes weren’t on her. It’s not your fault. And it’s not Peter’s. But he can help more than Cody and I combined.”
“Aw come on, don’t give the guy too much credit,” Cody began, but Claire shot him a sharp look that forced him to shut up.
Elle sighed in exasperation but threw up her arms to comply.
“Fine, alright. So what the hell do we do? Stand around and keep talking?”
“Cody and Claire will stay here until Nathan and Hiro arrive with Molly, you and I--”
“Why aren’t they here yet?” Elle questioned.
“Because Mohinder doesn’t like her being out too late,” Peter answered.
Elle scrounged up her face and mouthed ‘what?’
“Anyway, it’s best they--like us--think things through before taking any real action. They do need to get here without detection--the FBI’s kind of been on our asses lately.”
“We should fry the FBI’s asses then,” she mumbled, but then sickly smiled at Peter when Claire shot her a glaring look.
Peter took that as his cue to continue speaking.
“When they get here, Cody and Claire will tell Molly everything they remember about that woman and about Jeanne. Meanwhile, you and I are going to Canada, to that hotel where you last ran into her. We should be able to find stuff out there. If and when Molly gets some headway in finding Jeanne’s location, either Claire or Nathan or whoever will contact us, and we’ll be able to give her information you and I find.”
“Can’t you just do all that? Get a map, think about her, and locate her?” Elle asked.
“It’s better and quicker with more than one, Elle. That and…lately, we’ve seen a trend with those like us who aren’t using their powers for the reasons we are, banding together and aiding one another. There’s variation in their powers, but sometimes, and enough times they have powers so alike that if one person has the ability to cloak someone’s location. There’s sure to be someone else with a similar ability who although may not cloak locations, can scatter someone’s possible location to a dozen other places. Does that make sense?”
Elle eyed him warily, hating how true that was. Just as her powers had evolved, another’s surely were able to evolve as well, and just as she had encountered one or two others with powers having to do with electricity, others were to find parallels as well. Thinking about it, it had been simpler those years back when they only a select few knew of their abilities even if it didn’t seem that way. She nodded tentatively, and crossed her arms over her chest, her worry rising with every second passing.
“Are you ready, then?” Peter asked.
She nodded again and glanced to Cody and Claire.
“Be careful, Elle,” Cody walked towards her and embraced her.
“Good luck,” Claire smiled sadly at her and hugged her as well.
Elle couldn’t muster any words, much less a smile, so she only grabbed her bag and took her final steps towards Peter.
She gathered up her courage, looked him in the eye, placed a hand on his forearm, and smiled tightly to say in her bravest voice, “ready, alligator?”
-¤-
“I hate this place,” Elle declared as she paced the parking lot.
“What good does this do anyway? She attacked Claire here, threw her over there, knocked Cody out right here, and you see where that little metal piece is? That’s right about where I was standing when Claire stabbed the bitch.”
Peter stopped rubbing his face when Elle said that last part. From the moment they arrived, she pushed herself off of him, and began walking back in forth not allowing him to focus. It was late enough as it was, and yet she insisted on rambling and complaining about useless things. Fortunately she had finally said something that could help them get closer to that woman.
“That metal piece?” Peter pointed to the object in question..
“You going deaf now?”
He didn’t know how he was putting up with her. The woman was irritating him to no end, but still here he was searching for her daughter. Well, that should be reason enough. A kid shouldn’t be punished for their parent’s shortcomings, but he knew it wasn’t for that exact reason that the instant he heard Elle calling him, he went to her.
He made his way towards the spot where the metal laid and bent over the scrap.
“Elle, you said she was stabbed with a piece of metal?”
“Yeah, but it was bigger than that.”
She startled him when she spoke, as he thought she was further away, but now she was kneeling beside him.
He turned his head to her, and thereafter found it difficult to turn away.
She sighed in deeply, and rocked herself onto her heels. She wrapped her arms around her knees, rested her chin on her hands, and pouted lightly as some stray blond strands covered her face. He itched to push them aside, just see her bare face, but still she looked so surreal right there. And sad. Not too much time passed when she let out a loud breath, unlocked her arms, and pushed herself off the ground.
He shook his head and turned back towards the metal piece. His fingers grazed over the surface as he closed his eyes, attempting to extract images from whatever occurred that night. As it turned out, there was such an ability that could cause inanimate objects to talk…sort of, anyway.
He was hoping the small piece was a piece leftover from the bigger piece that was used as a weapon, but from what he could see, it wasn’t. So he moved his hand to the concrete, hoping to get something from there. Although he had to dig through thousands of memories and images, he finally caught a glimpse of that fight. He had to stop his brain from going too far back, and slowly treaded through what happened after Elle left. He couldn’t get a clear picture of the woman, but he could see her squirming on the ground for many minutes until some man came up beside her and pulled the metal out.
From there on, there were mostly fragmented images, but this woman was pulled up by the man and helped inside a waiting truck.
It wasn’t much to go on, but it was a commercial truck that drove back onto the road and took the left lane, then made a turn to the left at the light. It was something. And at least he knew a few of the woman’s features now, such as her hair, approximate height, and a mark she had on the palm of her left hand.
He stood back up and turned to tell Elle the little he had seen, but instead found that she was sitting on the stairs and apparently fallen asleep. He smiled to himself when he saw how she rested her head on the railing and her hands kept twitching every few seconds or so.
He knelt in front of her, and carefully touched her hand.
“Elle,” he whispered, and repeated the actions with a stronger stroke of her hand when she didn’t respond the first time.
She flinched her hand away that time and awoke with a startle.
“What?” she rubbed her eyes and leaned back when she saw how close Peter was.
“You’re on the stairs,” he said with a grin.
She looked at her surroundings when he said this to see he had been telling the truth.
“Oh,” she grumbled and reached her hand to railing, but as she prepared to stand, her hand slipped. Fortunately, Peter was quick on his feet and helped her maintain balance by holding onto her waist.
“Thanks,” she laughed.
It was the first laugh he had heard from her since…God, since even before she left. He heard her giggle back at the coffee place that morning, but it wasn’t a laugh, and wow did it bring back memories.
She didn’t seem affected by any of this though, and she stepped away from the grip of his hands.
“So--” she paused to let out a big yawn, “what now? Did you find anything, or--”
She stopped again, obviously still sleepy and tired.
“I’m going to rent us a couple of rooms.”
“Peter, I don’t--”
“You need to rest Elle, at least a little while, and fortunately for us I’m used to unplanned trips so I have some cash.”
“That’s great, but we’re in Canada.”
He smirked. “Like I said, I’m used to unplanned trips.”
He was just glad the hotel wasn’t too expensive though, as he wasn’t exactly rich and he still hated the idea of taking money that he hadn’t earned. Elle was able to make it to the front desk on her own, even if she was slow about it. They rented out two rooms, one right next to other, but that’s when things began getting tricky.
Their rooms were on the third floor, and apparently Elle found the elevator ride to be quite soothing because she kept nodding off in there. She protested for all of ten seconds until she allowed him to help her out of the elevator, through the hallways, and to her room. One of her arms he threw over his shoulder, her other arm he clasped by holding her hand firmly, and he wrapped his free arm around her waist.
They finally made it to their rooms, and Peter had to manage getting the key out from its sleeve to the keyhole as he held onto Elle enough that she wouldn’t fall. But he managed it without having to use his powers, a feat he was always proud of.
The room by no means were luxurious or fancy, but they were nice and neat. Just a bed, a small restroom he spotted as well as night drawer besides the bed, the bed he helped Elle climb into. There was even a television, though it looked like one of those old ones that would only play in black and white. They were only staying the night though, so it was more than enough. Gently he placed Elle on the bed, who immediately pulled on her pillow and clutched it. He couldn’t help the smile that crossed over him, as that action of hers was one other thing that had not changed.
As carefully as possible, he pulled the folded blanket over her and willed himself to leave her. He wasn’t going to lie to himself. He knew his feelings for her never left, and he still cared about her very much even if she had managed to move on. But being in that room with her wasn’t his place, so he backed away, left her key on the nightstand, and headed to his own room to catch some sleep.
--
“Up and at ‘em, cowboy!”
With those ringing words, Peter thought to himself that he ought to conduct a list that would entail the things that had not changed about Elle. Of course, then that would make him look like an obsessed ex-boyfriend. It wouldn’t exactly be fair either, considering the point that Elle probably had not changed much to begin with, she only had been exhibiting sides of herself that she used to tuck away.
It seemed as though at the end of the day, Elle was still pretty talkative, abrasive, unafraid, and confident. Why else would she be knocking and talking so loudly at seven-thirty in the morning, Canadian time, after they’d had no more than five hours of sleep and while other guests were in the hotel?
Which is why he had to get up when she called for it, otherwise she might not stop and people would begin complaining--if they hadn’t begun complaining already, that is.
When he opened his door, he was just glad that he had already slipped on his shoes and grabbed his sweater because she wasted no time in pulling him by his sleeve, leaving the room to close with his hotel key still inside.
“Elle!”
“Shh! You’ll wake people up!”
She made no sense. He had made that conclusion five years ago, but apparently he had forgotten it until now. She was anxious, though, that much he could understand.
She walked down the corridor towards the elevator without skipping a beat as she questioned him
“So tell me you didn’t waste away the night completely, Peter. Tell me you got some information to track down that bitch and get my daughter back, tell me you did something produc--”
“From what I could find out, some guy picked her up in a commercial truck that headed east.”
“Okay…so what was this commercial truck? Did this guy look familiar, did--”
He pulled her arm and turned her towards him.
“Elle, that’s all we have to go on right now.”
She bit the inside of her cheek and her eyes shifted through his eyes.
In a low voice, one that hinted at her vulnerability, she said, “Peter, you need to do more. Tell me what to do. Please, I…I need to find her.”
It tore at him. He wanted to do more. He wished he could just turn back time and never let the kidnapping happen, along with a few other things, but the past was a tricky thing to play with, and more often than not, it was not worth the trouble.
“Soon Molly will contact us, and hopefully she’ll have some news for us to go on.”
He smiled at her encouragingly, and took it upon himself to give her a comforting hug. Thankfully, she didn’t pull away. At least not immediately.
“Geez Peter, you might consider a shower. Even I managed one in the time we’ve been here--You could‘ve at least sprayed on some cologne.”
--
“She had long, dark brown hair--this big ugly, curly mess, about this tall,” Elle drew her hand some inches above her head as she described Jeanne’s biological mother to the cashier of the gas station.
“Look Miss, a lot of truckers stop by here. You can’t honestly expect me to remember someone from three years ago, do you?”
“She was a relatively skinny girl. You’d think you’d remember a truck driver like that.”
He shrugged. “Seen more truck drivers who look like that than you might think.”
Peter pulled Elle’s hand then as he politely gave the cashier a thank you.
“Pe-ter!”
“Hiro just called,” he whispered to her.
Her heart began beating quickly, and her eyes went wide, hoping this was something good.
“What did he say?”
“Elle, maybe you--”
“What did he say!” she screamed. There was no point in even appearing to be patient by now.
“Molly can’t locate her.”
“Oh God,” Elle blinked back tears as her hand flew to her mouth.
“Elle, listen to me--they couldn’t locate her, but someone called the café. Jeanne’s mother, actually.”
Elle’s mouth fell open, and her brows furrowed.
“And you couldn’t tell me that first!”
He noticed Elle’s hand was glowing, and he looked around frantically hoping the gas station‘s cashier wasn‘t watching her.
“Elle, stop. Just listen.”
When the electricity fizzed out, he continued.
“She--she wants to meet you somewhere.”
“Where and when?”
“Elle, you can’t--”
Louder, and with a more menacing gaze, she repeated,” Where and when?”
“This warehouse about 20 miles from the coffee place, but she said you have to be alone.”
“When?”
“You’re not going!”
“Yes I am!”
“Elle, think about it! Do you really think it’s safe? That by going you’ll somehow manage to get Jeanne back? Because I can guarantee you Jeanne won’t even be there!”
“But that damn woman will be! And she knows where my daughter is!”
“I can find your daughter!”
“No you can’t, you can’t, you can’t! I can! I am Jeanne’s mom--no one else. I’ve taken care of her for the past three years. I have loved her, I have never abandoned her, and that won’t stop now!”
“Then I won’t let you!”
Her hand met his cheek in a slap that left the side of his face burning.
She locked eyes with him as he rubbed his left cheek and he stared at her, shocked.
“Take me home.”
He wasn’t going to fight her. She had made her point clear. She still blamed him for what transpired between them, and apparently she always would.
He placed his hand on her shoulder and he took them back to her place.
--
“Pete, how did it--”
Without so much as a glance, Peter moved towards the exit and mumbled to his brother, “Let’s go.”
Claire, Hiro, and Molly, who had been speaking in the corner of the cafe, glanced nervously at Peter and watched how Elle ran up a set of stairs and disappeared into a room.
“No,” Nathan didn’t move.
“We’re going to finish this, Peter. This is what you’ve been looking for all these years, isn’t it? The answer to where Claire went and what happened to Elle? So no, we’re not leaving now that you’ve found them.”
Peter chuckled morbidly, and shook his head.
“I got my answers, Nathan. But they don’t want me here, and I have no right being here, so I am leaving.”
The café’s door slammed shut behind Peter. Nathan made a move to follow him, but Claire spoke up as she strode towards her father.
“He won’t go far, Nathan. He didn’t yesterday. He won’t today.”
He turned to his daughter who looked so sure of herself, and decided that Claire was probably right so he did not follow Peter.
“Nathan? How long has Peter been looking for us?” Claire asked when she stood in front of him.
Eyeing his daughter, he thought about when it was that Peter began acting so out of sorts, that he would leave days at a time without communicating.
“Some weeks after you left, he started, and when we began hearing that Elle had been killed, it got worse. But after you left, Mohinder had to work really hard to talk Peter out of using his powers for every little thing--I never really knew why he began using them so carelessly, and so long as neither you nor him tell me what exactly happened for Elle to leave so abruptly, I doubt I’ll ever know.”
Ignoring his last bit--because she wasn‘t the proper source to tell him the story of Elle‘s departure--she solely commented, “So that’s why he’s not big on using his powers much anymore, huh?”
Nathan nodded, and Claire mentally shook her head at the mess Peter had created. Elle had been happy the last couple of years, but since Peter she had yet to connect with a man in the same manner. She’d even dated a guy for nearly a year, but the instant he mentioned that she and Jeanne should move in with him, Elle freaked. Maybe it was because of Jeanne that she was being so cautious, but Elle had been with Peter for no more than three weeks when she moved into his bedroom. Since Elle and Peter had already been sharing an apartment, the only big move was to his room, and that transition happened overnight.
“So when is this meeting happening?”
The four pairs of eyes turned to Elle, who suddenly stood in the center of the room, with a different set of clothing.
“Peter didn’t tell you?” Nathan asked.
“No.”
“Elle, he was probably right in not telling you.”
Elle ignored Claire and trained her eyes on Nathan, who wouldn’t bullshit her.
“He was right in not telling you, but it’s your kid, and you have to do what you have to do. She said tomorrow, four pm on the dot. You come alone. No bag or purse. Nothing on you,” Nathan answered her.
Elle nodded. “Okay,” she voiced and retreated back to her bedroom.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Claire said once Elle was out of earshot.
“She’ll be alright,” Nathan said.
“Yeah, and you know because you can see the future, right?” Claire mocked him.
“She’s a big girl, Claire.”
“Yeah, so am I, and yet you manage to scare my boyfriend into grabbing some food for you at some fancy name restaurant.”
“He scares easily. Not my fault.”
Claire smiled softly, but this small conversation could not make her forget about the meeting. Elle would be going alone, not a safe bet in any way. They had to figure out a way to help her, but in truth, Claire just hoped Peter was off concocting a plan of his own. He wouldn’t just leave like that without planning to come back or doing something to help Elle. He wouldn’t do that again.
-¤-
Elle wouldn’t even go downstairs to eat. She hadn’t had a proper meal since before Jeanne was taken from her, but only just then did she realize her stomach was growling. But she had some crackers and cookies in a jar on her shelf. It was more than enough for the time being.
After the first few tries at getting her out of her room, they left Elle alone. She was grateful for that, because all she wanted was for it to be tomorrow afternoon. It wasn’t a smart or logical plan, hell it wasn’t even a plan, but she wasn’t best admired for her intellect or logic. More for her wit, snarkyness, and ability to endure. Yes, her endurance. And all of those things would be her greatest assets that afternoon because she would have to act on her feet and remain strong.
She ran through her mind all the possible scenarios, kept wondering why that woman wanted to meet with her. She had Jeanne, so why did she need Elle? It made no sense, but it was to her advantage, she told herself.
Night finally came, and in less than 24 hours she would be face to face with her. Sleeping was difficult, and when she finally managed it, she got the relatively same amount as the night before.
At six am, she left her bed, and decided to creep downstairs, hoping that their visitors had left some of their effects downstairs. It turned out the spare room they had could be useful, as Molly joined Claire in her bedroom and Nathan had packed Hiro and Cody in the spare room. Cody didn’t even have a choice--Nathan instantly announced that he would let the ladies have their space, and the men, who did not belong in the ladies bedrooms, would make the sacrifice.
Elle tiptoed downstairs, ensuring that the old stairs would not creak underneath her feet, and she quietly closed the door that led to the stairs.
She turned on the lights of the work area and glanced around the effects left downstairs. Apparently Nathan was just as cautious as ever as there was nothing of his downstairs, and Molly probably kept her things with her at all times, but Hiro’s things were (for the most part) there. She spotted his jacket and a briefcase beside it, one that probably did not have what she was looking for. So she just hoped that it was in his jacket--which it was--in his left pocket to be precise.
She fished out his cell phone, and looked through the contacts until she found the number she wanted, then dialed it on café’s work phone so Hiro wouldn’t know that someone had made a call using his phone.
She couldn’t sit still, so she leaned against the counter and shook her foot as she impatiently waited for someone to pick up. Finally the phone on the other end clicked, and he answered with a snippy hello.
“Peter,” she spoke his name softly.
“Elle? What--”
“I know I probably woke you up, but I needed to be able to talk to you before…”
“Elle, I have things to do.”
“I just have to get this out, Peter.”
When he didn’t respond, she went on.
“I wasn’t a kid. You didn’t owe me. I was too old to have someone wait on me hand and foot. I know what you meant with your words Peter. I kind of figured it out awhile ago, but I’m not going to defend my reaction. What I said to you, and what I did, all speaks for itself. Aside from the last day and a half, I’ve had a few good years. So just promise me one thing, and it’ll make up for everything.”
“Elle--”
“I want to say more things, Peter, I do. There’s what Nathan said about you looking for Claire, then there’s the whole who Kelly is thing, and who Elle is--”
“Elle you might think that saying these things over the phone is fine, and yeah, it’s your call because I did hurt you, but still--”
“No, I know, but I need to hear you promise me something.”
A long, hard sigh came out from his end of the phone, but he said a small, quick ‘fine.’
“Don’t show up this afternoon.”
“Who said I--”
“You’re not the hardest person to read, Peter, and I know that you still…care about me. So don’t be there.”
“Fine. Is that all?”
“Peter, I’m begging you to do what I ask. Just hear what I’m telling you--don’t go.”
“I said fine, now is that all?”
Nodding more to herself, she solemnly said ‘yes.’ Hopefully, he would listen to her.
--
Some time later, Nathan would come downstairs along with Hiro and Cody, both whom looked displeased at being awake so early. Quietly, she would make them coffee, and some time after that, Claire and Molly also came downstairs.
By then, Cody was awake enough to head out to get them some food, accompanied by Claire. When they would return, everyone was separated into small groups all eating on different tables. Nathan sat on his own, eating and reading the newspaper, Hiro and Cody ate at another table, talking very little as they mostly ate, and Claire and Molly sat with Elle.
Once in awhile, they would try talking with her, but she gave quick, short responses. Claire looked on, afraid. They had lost Jeanne, and now Elle was going on this dangerous meeting. Claire had tried fighting with her the night before, as she knocked on Elle’s door. Claire said that she would show up with her, or just hide. There had to be something she could do.
Cody did the same. He whispered through her door that he had the power to be invisible--how could anyone even notice he was there? He needed to be there, needed to help get Jeanne back.
But Elle refused, swearing she’d fry him herself if he followed, and swore to Claire that she’d abandon the mini-team if she followed, and she would take Jeanne with her. Claire still wasn’t threatened by that, because so long as Jeanne and Elle were safe, it didn’t matter if their mini-team disbanded. Even if it was the family Claire had come to depend on. First it had been her and Claire, and sure they had a hard time getting along, but they could get along on occasion. Then they encountered Cody one day, a guy who was being experimented on like some lab animal by a group of so-called scientists. And when she and Elle had freed him and a few others, Cody had insisted on joining them, and along the way he became a sort of mediator for them.
However, Claire was more than familiar with sacrifice, and if the best threat Elle could come up with for Claire not joining her for that meeting was that their team would be torn up, then it was something Claire would risk. But then Elle swore she’d fry Cody and well, Claire knew better than to challenge Elle’s threats that involved electricity.
So now as Elle prepared to leave to meet the woman who had Jeanne, Claire hardly said a thing. Claire hoped to herself that someone would help Elle, someone who could care less for themselves because Elle and Jeanne were the top priority. So Claire stood by and watched Elle count the hours, watched Elle prepare herself for whatever fight she‘d have to engage in, and she watched Elle walk out the door.
Hopefully that wouldn’t be the last any of them would see of Elle Bishop.
-¤-
character(s)/pairing(s): Elle, Peter, minor Claire, Cody (OC) (mentions of Peter/Elle)
rating: pg-13
summary: For nearly four years, Peter has been searching for an answer he's feared. Instead of the expected answers, however, he finds an Elle that has opened up an entirely new road for herself, one she has chosen to walk without ever looking back. But before their roads diverge once again, another old face reemerges in Elle’s life to threaten that which she loves most, forcing Elle to remain in the cross of Peter's path longer than she would like.
parts: one ;; two ;; three ;; four
~*~
“So when was the last time you encountered this woman?”
“Close to three years ago.”
“And until now, she hasn’t made any other attempt to get closer to see Jeanne?”
“No, Peter. Up until today, we hadn’t seen her. To-day.”
She rolled her eyes, pushed herself out of the chair, and turned her back to him. They had managed to remain civil for the first ten minutes, in which Elle had told Peter how the kidnapping happened and who was responsible.
“Are you saying this is my fault?”
He stayed seated, but his voice level rose along with hers.
“No, Peter, she just so happened to find us on the same day you did!”
She turned around to him, and placed her hands on her hips.
“If I was being followed, I think I would have noticed!”
“Then how do you explain it?!”
“It could have been a coincidence!”
“Since when do you, Peter Petrelli, Mr. oh, we all have a destiny, believe in coincidences?!”
“Maybe since you--”
“Stop it!” Claire screamed. She and Cody had been hanging back, letting the two just talk, but obviously they weren’t doing that anymore so Claire needed to intervene.
“Peter, she must have followed you. Obviously, you’re not yourself. I noticed it from the instant you showed up here, so it’s not some grand, hidden fact. You’re not being exactly considerate about your own welfare, and so that woman who must’ve done some research, realized you were the best way to find Elle and hence her daughter.”
Claire then turned her attention to Elle.
“Elle, this is your daughter. The one you love. The one we all love. We want nothing more than to find her, but in the end, the only person to blame is that damn woman who sent a couple of goons to take Jeanne the one second your eyes weren’t on her. It’s not your fault. And it’s not Peter’s. But he can help more than Cody and I combined.”
“Aw come on, don’t give the guy too much credit,” Cody began, but Claire shot him a sharp look that forced him to shut up.
Elle sighed in exasperation but threw up her arms to comply.
“Fine, alright. So what the hell do we do? Stand around and keep talking?”
“Cody and Claire will stay here until Nathan and Hiro arrive with Molly, you and I--”
“Why aren’t they here yet?” Elle questioned.
“Because Mohinder doesn’t like her being out too late,” Peter answered.
Elle scrounged up her face and mouthed ‘what?’
“Anyway, it’s best they--like us--think things through before taking any real action. They do need to get here without detection--the FBI’s kind of been on our asses lately.”
“We should fry the FBI’s asses then,” she mumbled, but then sickly smiled at Peter when Claire shot her a glaring look.
Peter took that as his cue to continue speaking.
“When they get here, Cody and Claire will tell Molly everything they remember about that woman and about Jeanne. Meanwhile, you and I are going to Canada, to that hotel where you last ran into her. We should be able to find stuff out there. If and when Molly gets some headway in finding Jeanne’s location, either Claire or Nathan or whoever will contact us, and we’ll be able to give her information you and I find.”
“Can’t you just do all that? Get a map, think about her, and locate her?” Elle asked.
“It’s better and quicker with more than one, Elle. That and…lately, we’ve seen a trend with those like us who aren’t using their powers for the reasons we are, banding together and aiding one another. There’s variation in their powers, but sometimes, and enough times they have powers so alike that if one person has the ability to cloak someone’s location. There’s sure to be someone else with a similar ability who although may not cloak locations, can scatter someone’s possible location to a dozen other places. Does that make sense?”
Elle eyed him warily, hating how true that was. Just as her powers had evolved, another’s surely were able to evolve as well, and just as she had encountered one or two others with powers having to do with electricity, others were to find parallels as well. Thinking about it, it had been simpler those years back when they only a select few knew of their abilities even if it didn’t seem that way. She nodded tentatively, and crossed her arms over her chest, her worry rising with every second passing.
“Are you ready, then?” Peter asked.
She nodded again and glanced to Cody and Claire.
“Be careful, Elle,” Cody walked towards her and embraced her.
“Good luck,” Claire smiled sadly at her and hugged her as well.
Elle couldn’t muster any words, much less a smile, so she only grabbed her bag and took her final steps towards Peter.
She gathered up her courage, looked him in the eye, placed a hand on his forearm, and smiled tightly to say in her bravest voice, “ready, alligator?”
-¤-
“I hate this place,” Elle declared as she paced the parking lot.
“What good does this do anyway? She attacked Claire here, threw her over there, knocked Cody out right here, and you see where that little metal piece is? That’s right about where I was standing when Claire stabbed the bitch.”
Peter stopped rubbing his face when Elle said that last part. From the moment they arrived, she pushed herself off of him, and began walking back in forth not allowing him to focus. It was late enough as it was, and yet she insisted on rambling and complaining about useless things. Fortunately she had finally said something that could help them get closer to that woman.
“That metal piece?” Peter pointed to the object in question..
“You going deaf now?”
He didn’t know how he was putting up with her. The woman was irritating him to no end, but still here he was searching for her daughter. Well, that should be reason enough. A kid shouldn’t be punished for their parent’s shortcomings, but he knew it wasn’t for that exact reason that the instant he heard Elle calling him, he went to her.
He made his way towards the spot where the metal laid and bent over the scrap.
“Elle, you said she was stabbed with a piece of metal?”
“Yeah, but it was bigger than that.”
She startled him when she spoke, as he thought she was further away, but now she was kneeling beside him.
He turned his head to her, and thereafter found it difficult to turn away.
She sighed in deeply, and rocked herself onto her heels. She wrapped her arms around her knees, rested her chin on her hands, and pouted lightly as some stray blond strands covered her face. He itched to push them aside, just see her bare face, but still she looked so surreal right there. And sad. Not too much time passed when she let out a loud breath, unlocked her arms, and pushed herself off the ground.
He shook his head and turned back towards the metal piece. His fingers grazed over the surface as he closed his eyes, attempting to extract images from whatever occurred that night. As it turned out, there was such an ability that could cause inanimate objects to talk…sort of, anyway.
He was hoping the small piece was a piece leftover from the bigger piece that was used as a weapon, but from what he could see, it wasn’t. So he moved his hand to the concrete, hoping to get something from there. Although he had to dig through thousands of memories and images, he finally caught a glimpse of that fight. He had to stop his brain from going too far back, and slowly treaded through what happened after Elle left. He couldn’t get a clear picture of the woman, but he could see her squirming on the ground for many minutes until some man came up beside her and pulled the metal out.
From there on, there were mostly fragmented images, but this woman was pulled up by the man and helped inside a waiting truck.
It wasn’t much to go on, but it was a commercial truck that drove back onto the road and took the left lane, then made a turn to the left at the light. It was something. And at least he knew a few of the woman’s features now, such as her hair, approximate height, and a mark she had on the palm of her left hand.
He stood back up and turned to tell Elle the little he had seen, but instead found that she was sitting on the stairs and apparently fallen asleep. He smiled to himself when he saw how she rested her head on the railing and her hands kept twitching every few seconds or so.
He knelt in front of her, and carefully touched her hand.
“Elle,” he whispered, and repeated the actions with a stronger stroke of her hand when she didn’t respond the first time.
She flinched her hand away that time and awoke with a startle.
“What?” she rubbed her eyes and leaned back when she saw how close Peter was.
“You’re on the stairs,” he said with a grin.
She looked at her surroundings when he said this to see he had been telling the truth.
“Oh,” she grumbled and reached her hand to railing, but as she prepared to stand, her hand slipped. Fortunately, Peter was quick on his feet and helped her maintain balance by holding onto her waist.
“Thanks,” she laughed.
It was the first laugh he had heard from her since…God, since even before she left. He heard her giggle back at the coffee place that morning, but it wasn’t a laugh, and wow did it bring back memories.
She didn’t seem affected by any of this though, and she stepped away from the grip of his hands.
“So--” she paused to let out a big yawn, “what now? Did you find anything, or--”
She stopped again, obviously still sleepy and tired.
“I’m going to rent us a couple of rooms.”
“Peter, I don’t--”
“You need to rest Elle, at least a little while, and fortunately for us I’m used to unplanned trips so I have some cash.”
“That’s great, but we’re in Canada.”
He smirked. “Like I said, I’m used to unplanned trips.”
He was just glad the hotel wasn’t too expensive though, as he wasn’t exactly rich and he still hated the idea of taking money that he hadn’t earned. Elle was able to make it to the front desk on her own, even if she was slow about it. They rented out two rooms, one right next to other, but that’s when things began getting tricky.
Their rooms were on the third floor, and apparently Elle found the elevator ride to be quite soothing because she kept nodding off in there. She protested for all of ten seconds until she allowed him to help her out of the elevator, through the hallways, and to her room. One of her arms he threw over his shoulder, her other arm he clasped by holding her hand firmly, and he wrapped his free arm around her waist.
They finally made it to their rooms, and Peter had to manage getting the key out from its sleeve to the keyhole as he held onto Elle enough that she wouldn’t fall. But he managed it without having to use his powers, a feat he was always proud of.
The room by no means were luxurious or fancy, but they were nice and neat. Just a bed, a small restroom he spotted as well as night drawer besides the bed, the bed he helped Elle climb into. There was even a television, though it looked like one of those old ones that would only play in black and white. They were only staying the night though, so it was more than enough. Gently he placed Elle on the bed, who immediately pulled on her pillow and clutched it. He couldn’t help the smile that crossed over him, as that action of hers was one other thing that had not changed.
As carefully as possible, he pulled the folded blanket over her and willed himself to leave her. He wasn’t going to lie to himself. He knew his feelings for her never left, and he still cared about her very much even if she had managed to move on. But being in that room with her wasn’t his place, so he backed away, left her key on the nightstand, and headed to his own room to catch some sleep.
--
“Up and at ‘em, cowboy!”
With those ringing words, Peter thought to himself that he ought to conduct a list that would entail the things that had not changed about Elle. Of course, then that would make him look like an obsessed ex-boyfriend. It wouldn’t exactly be fair either, considering the point that Elle probably had not changed much to begin with, she only had been exhibiting sides of herself that she used to tuck away.
It seemed as though at the end of the day, Elle was still pretty talkative, abrasive, unafraid, and confident. Why else would she be knocking and talking so loudly at seven-thirty in the morning, Canadian time, after they’d had no more than five hours of sleep and while other guests were in the hotel?
Which is why he had to get up when she called for it, otherwise she might not stop and people would begin complaining--if they hadn’t begun complaining already, that is.
When he opened his door, he was just glad that he had already slipped on his shoes and grabbed his sweater because she wasted no time in pulling him by his sleeve, leaving the room to close with his hotel key still inside.
“Elle!”
“Shh! You’ll wake people up!”
She made no sense. He had made that conclusion five years ago, but apparently he had forgotten it until now. She was anxious, though, that much he could understand.
She walked down the corridor towards the elevator without skipping a beat as she questioned him
“So tell me you didn’t waste away the night completely, Peter. Tell me you got some information to track down that bitch and get my daughter back, tell me you did something produc--”
“From what I could find out, some guy picked her up in a commercial truck that headed east.”
“Okay…so what was this commercial truck? Did this guy look familiar, did--”
He pulled her arm and turned her towards him.
“Elle, that’s all we have to go on right now.”
She bit the inside of her cheek and her eyes shifted through his eyes.
In a low voice, one that hinted at her vulnerability, she said, “Peter, you need to do more. Tell me what to do. Please, I…I need to find her.”
It tore at him. He wanted to do more. He wished he could just turn back time and never let the kidnapping happen, along with a few other things, but the past was a tricky thing to play with, and more often than not, it was not worth the trouble.
“Soon Molly will contact us, and hopefully she’ll have some news for us to go on.”
He smiled at her encouragingly, and took it upon himself to give her a comforting hug. Thankfully, she didn’t pull away. At least not immediately.
“Geez Peter, you might consider a shower. Even I managed one in the time we’ve been here--You could‘ve at least sprayed on some cologne.”
--
“She had long, dark brown hair--this big ugly, curly mess, about this tall,” Elle drew her hand some inches above her head as she described Jeanne’s biological mother to the cashier of the gas station.
“Look Miss, a lot of truckers stop by here. You can’t honestly expect me to remember someone from three years ago, do you?”
“She was a relatively skinny girl. You’d think you’d remember a truck driver like that.”
He shrugged. “Seen more truck drivers who look like that than you might think.”
Peter pulled Elle’s hand then as he politely gave the cashier a thank you.
“Pe-ter!”
“Hiro just called,” he whispered to her.
Her heart began beating quickly, and her eyes went wide, hoping this was something good.
“What did he say?”
“Elle, maybe you--”
“What did he say!” she screamed. There was no point in even appearing to be patient by now.
“Molly can’t locate her.”
“Oh God,” Elle blinked back tears as her hand flew to her mouth.
“Elle, listen to me--they couldn’t locate her, but someone called the café. Jeanne’s mother, actually.”
Elle’s mouth fell open, and her brows furrowed.
“And you couldn’t tell me that first!”
He noticed Elle’s hand was glowing, and he looked around frantically hoping the gas station‘s cashier wasn‘t watching her.
“Elle, stop. Just listen.”
When the electricity fizzed out, he continued.
“She--she wants to meet you somewhere.”
“Where and when?”
“Elle, you can’t--”
Louder, and with a more menacing gaze, she repeated,” Where and when?”
“This warehouse about 20 miles from the coffee place, but she said you have to be alone.”
“When?”
“You’re not going!”
“Yes I am!”
“Elle, think about it! Do you really think it’s safe? That by going you’ll somehow manage to get Jeanne back? Because I can guarantee you Jeanne won’t even be there!”
“But that damn woman will be! And she knows where my daughter is!”
“I can find your daughter!”
“No you can’t, you can’t, you can’t! I can! I am Jeanne’s mom--no one else. I’ve taken care of her for the past three years. I have loved her, I have never abandoned her, and that won’t stop now!”
“Then I won’t let you!”
Her hand met his cheek in a slap that left the side of his face burning.
She locked eyes with him as he rubbed his left cheek and he stared at her, shocked.
“Take me home.”
He wasn’t going to fight her. She had made her point clear. She still blamed him for what transpired between them, and apparently she always would.
He placed his hand on her shoulder and he took them back to her place.
--
“Pete, how did it--”
Without so much as a glance, Peter moved towards the exit and mumbled to his brother, “Let’s go.”
Claire, Hiro, and Molly, who had been speaking in the corner of the cafe, glanced nervously at Peter and watched how Elle ran up a set of stairs and disappeared into a room.
“No,” Nathan didn’t move.
“We’re going to finish this, Peter. This is what you’ve been looking for all these years, isn’t it? The answer to where Claire went and what happened to Elle? So no, we’re not leaving now that you’ve found them.”
Peter chuckled morbidly, and shook his head.
“I got my answers, Nathan. But they don’t want me here, and I have no right being here, so I am leaving.”
The café’s door slammed shut behind Peter. Nathan made a move to follow him, but Claire spoke up as she strode towards her father.
“He won’t go far, Nathan. He didn’t yesterday. He won’t today.”
He turned to his daughter who looked so sure of herself, and decided that Claire was probably right so he did not follow Peter.
“Nathan? How long has Peter been looking for us?” Claire asked when she stood in front of him.
Eyeing his daughter, he thought about when it was that Peter began acting so out of sorts, that he would leave days at a time without communicating.
“Some weeks after you left, he started, and when we began hearing that Elle had been killed, it got worse. But after you left, Mohinder had to work really hard to talk Peter out of using his powers for every little thing--I never really knew why he began using them so carelessly, and so long as neither you nor him tell me what exactly happened for Elle to leave so abruptly, I doubt I’ll ever know.”
Ignoring his last bit--because she wasn‘t the proper source to tell him the story of Elle‘s departure--she solely commented, “So that’s why he’s not big on using his powers much anymore, huh?”
Nathan nodded, and Claire mentally shook her head at the mess Peter had created. Elle had been happy the last couple of years, but since Peter she had yet to connect with a man in the same manner. She’d even dated a guy for nearly a year, but the instant he mentioned that she and Jeanne should move in with him, Elle freaked. Maybe it was because of Jeanne that she was being so cautious, but Elle had been with Peter for no more than three weeks when she moved into his bedroom. Since Elle and Peter had already been sharing an apartment, the only big move was to his room, and that transition happened overnight.
“So when is this meeting happening?”
The four pairs of eyes turned to Elle, who suddenly stood in the center of the room, with a different set of clothing.
“Peter didn’t tell you?” Nathan asked.
“No.”
“Elle, he was probably right in not telling you.”
Elle ignored Claire and trained her eyes on Nathan, who wouldn’t bullshit her.
“He was right in not telling you, but it’s your kid, and you have to do what you have to do. She said tomorrow, four pm on the dot. You come alone. No bag or purse. Nothing on you,” Nathan answered her.
Elle nodded. “Okay,” she voiced and retreated back to her bedroom.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Claire said once Elle was out of earshot.
“She’ll be alright,” Nathan said.
“Yeah, and you know because you can see the future, right?” Claire mocked him.
“She’s a big girl, Claire.”
“Yeah, so am I, and yet you manage to scare my boyfriend into grabbing some food for you at some fancy name restaurant.”
“He scares easily. Not my fault.”
Claire smiled softly, but this small conversation could not make her forget about the meeting. Elle would be going alone, not a safe bet in any way. They had to figure out a way to help her, but in truth, Claire just hoped Peter was off concocting a plan of his own. He wouldn’t just leave like that without planning to come back or doing something to help Elle. He wouldn’t do that again.
-¤-
Elle wouldn’t even go downstairs to eat. She hadn’t had a proper meal since before Jeanne was taken from her, but only just then did she realize her stomach was growling. But she had some crackers and cookies in a jar on her shelf. It was more than enough for the time being.
After the first few tries at getting her out of her room, they left Elle alone. She was grateful for that, because all she wanted was for it to be tomorrow afternoon. It wasn’t a smart or logical plan, hell it wasn’t even a plan, but she wasn’t best admired for her intellect or logic. More for her wit, snarkyness, and ability to endure. Yes, her endurance. And all of those things would be her greatest assets that afternoon because she would have to act on her feet and remain strong.
She ran through her mind all the possible scenarios, kept wondering why that woman wanted to meet with her. She had Jeanne, so why did she need Elle? It made no sense, but it was to her advantage, she told herself.
Night finally came, and in less than 24 hours she would be face to face with her. Sleeping was difficult, and when she finally managed it, she got the relatively same amount as the night before.
At six am, she left her bed, and decided to creep downstairs, hoping that their visitors had left some of their effects downstairs. It turned out the spare room they had could be useful, as Molly joined Claire in her bedroom and Nathan had packed Hiro and Cody in the spare room. Cody didn’t even have a choice--Nathan instantly announced that he would let the ladies have their space, and the men, who did not belong in the ladies bedrooms, would make the sacrifice.
Elle tiptoed downstairs, ensuring that the old stairs would not creak underneath her feet, and she quietly closed the door that led to the stairs.
She turned on the lights of the work area and glanced around the effects left downstairs. Apparently Nathan was just as cautious as ever as there was nothing of his downstairs, and Molly probably kept her things with her at all times, but Hiro’s things were (for the most part) there. She spotted his jacket and a briefcase beside it, one that probably did not have what she was looking for. So she just hoped that it was in his jacket--which it was--in his left pocket to be precise.
She fished out his cell phone, and looked through the contacts until she found the number she wanted, then dialed it on café’s work phone so Hiro wouldn’t know that someone had made a call using his phone.
She couldn’t sit still, so she leaned against the counter and shook her foot as she impatiently waited for someone to pick up. Finally the phone on the other end clicked, and he answered with a snippy hello.
“Peter,” she spoke his name softly.
“Elle? What--”
“I know I probably woke you up, but I needed to be able to talk to you before…”
“Elle, I have things to do.”
“I just have to get this out, Peter.”
When he didn’t respond, she went on.
“I wasn’t a kid. You didn’t owe me. I was too old to have someone wait on me hand and foot. I know what you meant with your words Peter. I kind of figured it out awhile ago, but I’m not going to defend my reaction. What I said to you, and what I did, all speaks for itself. Aside from the last day and a half, I’ve had a few good years. So just promise me one thing, and it’ll make up for everything.”
“Elle--”
“I want to say more things, Peter, I do. There’s what Nathan said about you looking for Claire, then there’s the whole who Kelly is thing, and who Elle is--”
“Elle you might think that saying these things over the phone is fine, and yeah, it’s your call because I did hurt you, but still--”
“No, I know, but I need to hear you promise me something.”
A long, hard sigh came out from his end of the phone, but he said a small, quick ‘fine.’
“Don’t show up this afternoon.”
“Who said I--”
“You’re not the hardest person to read, Peter, and I know that you still…care about me. So don’t be there.”
“Fine. Is that all?”
“Peter, I’m begging you to do what I ask. Just hear what I’m telling you--don’t go.”
“I said fine, now is that all?”
Nodding more to herself, she solemnly said ‘yes.’ Hopefully, he would listen to her.
--
Some time later, Nathan would come downstairs along with Hiro and Cody, both whom looked displeased at being awake so early. Quietly, she would make them coffee, and some time after that, Claire and Molly also came downstairs.
By then, Cody was awake enough to head out to get them some food, accompanied by Claire. When they would return, everyone was separated into small groups all eating on different tables. Nathan sat on his own, eating and reading the newspaper, Hiro and Cody ate at another table, talking very little as they mostly ate, and Claire and Molly sat with Elle.
Once in awhile, they would try talking with her, but she gave quick, short responses. Claire looked on, afraid. They had lost Jeanne, and now Elle was going on this dangerous meeting. Claire had tried fighting with her the night before, as she knocked on Elle’s door. Claire said that she would show up with her, or just hide. There had to be something she could do.
Cody did the same. He whispered through her door that he had the power to be invisible--how could anyone even notice he was there? He needed to be there, needed to help get Jeanne back.
But Elle refused, swearing she’d fry him herself if he followed, and swore to Claire that she’d abandon the mini-team if she followed, and she would take Jeanne with her. Claire still wasn’t threatened by that, because so long as Jeanne and Elle were safe, it didn’t matter if their mini-team disbanded. Even if it was the family Claire had come to depend on. First it had been her and Claire, and sure they had a hard time getting along, but they could get along on occasion. Then they encountered Cody one day, a guy who was being experimented on like some lab animal by a group of so-called scientists. And when she and Elle had freed him and a few others, Cody had insisted on joining them, and along the way he became a sort of mediator for them.
However, Claire was more than familiar with sacrifice, and if the best threat Elle could come up with for Claire not joining her for that meeting was that their team would be torn up, then it was something Claire would risk. But then Elle swore she’d fry Cody and well, Claire knew better than to challenge Elle’s threats that involved electricity.
So now as Elle prepared to leave to meet the woman who had Jeanne, Claire hardly said a thing. Claire hoped to herself that someone would help Elle, someone who could care less for themselves because Elle and Jeanne were the top priority. So Claire stood by and watched Elle count the hours, watched Elle prepare herself for whatever fight she‘d have to engage in, and she watched Elle walk out the door.
Hopefully that wouldn’t be the last any of them would see of Elle Bishop.
-¤-