Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes. That belongs to Tim Kring.
"I think the catalyst is in me!"
Peter stiffened upon hearing Claire's words. It seemed like all the puzzle pieces in his mind were finally "clicking" into place. Everything made sense now.
Why Knox and Flint had captured Claire.
Why Mohinder's mutation was going so horribly wrong.
Why Arthur hadn't sent anyone to recapture him when Gabriel had thrown him out of the window.
Why Future Claire was so……dark.
Claire is the missing piece.
Peter looked over at her. She was staring out the window, but he could tell her mind was elsewhere. Instinctively, he reached out and took her hand. She glanced down at his hand, startled, and then looked up at him. He smiled at her and she smiled timidly in return.
Peter felt a surge of protectiveness towards her. He words in the tunnel rang through his head:
"You should've never come to Odessa to save me, and you never should've become my friend or my hero."
He sighed. He had done all those things. He was her friend. Her hero. Her protector. Her uncle.
His dark eyes flickered to Nathan. His brother was looking thoughtful, but Peter could tell that he wasn't really thinking about Claire. He was probably thinking about what was to come: A war. Angela, Nathan, Peter, Claire, Matt and Daphne against Arthur, Gabriel, Flint, Knox, and whoever else their father had conned into working with him.
Peter suppressed a memory at the memory of what his father had done in the past few days. He'd taken Peter's powers in the single most painful moment of Peter's life. He'd imprisoned his own wife in her worst nightmares. He'd set Peter – his own son – up for experimentation.
And then there was what he'd done with Gabriel.
Finally, after all Gabriel's years of murdering, he'd found his family and a place where he felt like he belonged. He'd helped lead Peter to discover their father's return. He'd rescued Peter from Pinehearst – even after Peter had beaten him and left him behind – simply saying that it was "what brothers do".
Then Arthur had gotten ahold of him.
In the blink of an eye, Gabriel was switching sides, proving the worst things anyone had ever said about him, and using his powers to throw Peter out of a window, the ultimate act of betrayal.
Not that Peter blamed him. He'd saved Peter from dying in the fall, for starters. Besides, he was just a lost sheep looking for his familial flock. Instead, he'd found a wolf: Arthur Petrelli.
The man who'd raised Nathan and Peter.
The man who'd spent forty-one years in love with their mother.
The man who'd turned against them.
The man who'd hurt them more than anyone else.
The man who wanted to destroy the world.
The man who wanted to use Claire to do it/
Peter's grip on Claire's hand tightened. Powers or no powers, overwhelming odds or no overwhelming odds, he wouldn't let anything happen to Claire.
"Save the cheerleader, save the world."
Well, he'd done it before. He could – he would – do it again.
Hopefully this isn't too terrible! Please don't forget to review!