Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes. End of story. Thank you.

Note: Whoever it says it is following in the section, that whose POV it's in. That way you can see what the characters are thinking. This story takes place at he very end of Chapter 14- Distractions. It centers around the Petrelli family.

-Heidi Petrelli

New York City

"Nathan, honey, what's wrong?" I asked, wheeling myself over to my husband. He was staring at the phone he'd just put down, looking as if it was a snake about to strike him down, "Did Linderman drop his funding?" If he had, there was no way in hell Nathan would win the election. His family was rich, but not as rich or as influential as Linderman was.

As Nathan shook his head no, I wondered. Something had to be remarkably wrong. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but no sound came out. He was looking more and more like a fish. A fish with no water.

"Heidi, remember when we first met? All that trouble I was going through?" He spoke, finally. Of course I remembered. He'd been distraught.

I'd had my eye on his for a while, but my roommate said he'd been 'occupied'. One day I'd spotted him looking extremely melancholy. I'd asked what was on his mind, and he replied, quite simply, "My daughter just died." Reluctantly, I'd consoled him, and, before either of us knew it, we were together.

But anyway, back to what was happening now…

Nathan shook his head, as if ashamed, "Nathan- what aren't you telling me?"

He looked me straight in the eye and said, "She's alive."

"Who- your daughter?" I felt the world seemingly spinning around me.

Slowly, but surely, Nathan nodded yet again. I thought, no, hoped that my vision had betrayed me, that I would somehow wake up and find that this was all a dream. When nothing happened, I aske d, "Are- are you going to visit her?"

"I need to see her mother, Meredith first. After that, possibly."

I wish I could say that I was happy that she hadn't died in the fire. That she'd gotten to live life and not be deprived of it… But that would be a lie. But to think that my husband had a daughter, and a 16 year old one at that. It made me a little nervous. What would this result in? Would he abandon Simon, Monty and I?

I sighed. I knew Nathan would never do a thing like that, never. I looked at Nathan and nodded.

"You're a good man, Nathan, no matter what the papers say sometimes."

He exhaled, relieved that I was taking it so well, "I hope Meredith and her think so too."

I put my hand on his knee. There was too much to think about at the moment. I for one felt a headache coming on, "Come to bed, Nathan. Worry later."

This was not at all what I was thinking, and my entire night was plagued with nightmares. Would this girl hate me? Was I going to be the 'evil stepmother' type figure to Meredith and her daughter? Worse ye- Would the papers find out somehow?!

But as Nathan left for Texas the next day, I had a lot of other things to worry about.

-Meredith Gordon

Kermit, TX

Oh, god. Why was he always late? One thing was for sure, he hadn't changed a gosh darned bit. I was pacing nervously around my pathetic excuse for a home. Every little sound outside made me go check the window. Suddenly, a big, black car pulled up. It had class written all over it. A tall man with a suit, brown hair, and sunglasses got out. Most people in the Trailer park were peeking out of their curtains, wondering either who died, whose lawyer that was, or both.

I, on the other hand, knew it to be Nathan Petrelli. He was the reluctant, accidental father of our daughter, Claire. Until about a week and a half ago, I believed that I'd killed her. So had Nathan.

When she called me, at first I thought it was a nasty prank. And then I saw her. She was gorgeous. And popular. She was like me in more ways than just my looks- she had a power- to heal herself. I thought it only courtesy to alert her biological father to the fact that she was alive. Of course, I knew he was bound to have moved on. It was expected of him in such a cruel, cold, world.

Claire called me every night now. From her friend's phone. She said her adoptive father was very protective and hated to think what would happen if he knew that she'd found her biological mother. She'd told me, very specifically, to call if someone showed up uninvited. Especially a man with brown hair and horn-rimmed glasses. I could only assume that it was her adoptive father she was worried would show up.

As Nathan approached my trailer, I opened the door. He looked up at me, as if expecting me to scold him for an unforeseen reason. I smiled and motioned for him to come in. He entered, cautiously. Honestly, I wasn't gonna scream at him for thinking his daughter was dead. Hell, I'd thought so too, hadn't I? I started the darn fire, after all.

"Hello, Nathan," I stated.

"Hello, Meredith," he replied.

"Would ya like anythin' to drink?" I offered, gesturing for him to sit down. He shook his head in response and sat down.

"No, but- uh- thanks," he shuffled in his seat. Naturally, I sat across from him.

"How's Peter?" I asked, thinking of the nice boy who I'd met once, before I got pregnant. He was so nice, but really shy. I wasn't too used to shy.

"Still dreaming, more so than usual, I'm afraid," Nathan seemed uncomfortable as ever. His eyes told me that he was hiding something. I decided it wasn't important and changed the subject.

"Your wife?" He looked up at my question, which I'd just assumed. I knew he was bound to have one. He probably had kids, too.

"Heidi… And she's uh- handicapped. She- uh knows I'm here," he replied, a little shocked from my accurate guess. This Heidi person must've been a strong woman. For someone I'd never met, I admired her.

"Anyway, about Claire," I began. Nathan looked a little confused, so I explained, "That's what they called her- Claire Bennet." She'd been Chloe to me. I pulled out a picture that I'd started carrying with me right after I'd met the girl, "Look, Nathan, look how beautiful she is."

He took the picture from my hands. As his eyes scanned it, I saw a quick flash of pride in his face, "She's- got your hair."

"She's also got my knack for bein' quite special," He looked up from the picture, "Nathan, it might sound crazy, but- I- I can start fires. Without a match or- or wood or nothin'. With my bare hands."

Nathan's face was unreadable as he considered my words.

"And- uh, she can heal. Lightnin' fast. Good thing, too. Or else she'd be dead, 'cause a me," I choked out. For years, I'd been alone, afraid to let anyone get to close, for fear I'd kill them too.

He was thinking, probably trying to put thoughts into words. Sure enough, about a minute later, he blurted out, "I can fly. That's my talent, or, uh- curse, as I call it." I looked at him. I could sense that he wasn't lying.

"And here I was, thinkin' it was only me an' Claire. Turns out her daddy's special too. 'Magine that," My voice was just above a whisper.

Nathan smiled a little, "So- uh, where does she live?"

"In Odessa, not too far from here."

For some reason, his eyes glinted with familiarity at the name of the town.

"Does she go to a high school called Union Wells by any chance?" he inquired.

I nodded, wondering how on earth he'd know that, "I think I do recall that."

"Did she mention anything about a cheerleader dying there?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"It's just-," he seemed defeated as he sighed, "Peter… has a power too. And he came to Union Wells to save a cheerleader. A cheerleader died, though he saved whoever it was he was- supposed- to have saved. At their Homecoming game."

"Well, I can ask her about it. She'll probably know a lot. See- she's a cheerleader. And Homecoming Queen."

Nathan's eyes widened. I wondered if somehow, in this strange world, fate was bringing this dysfunctional, illegitimate family together in more ways that we'd first seen.

A/N: hey, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, I think it's going to be the longest. I can't promise you when the next one's coming, but I'll try and encourage inspiration to strike me. Read and Review, please and thank you!(hey, that rhymed!)