Title: Wardrobe Change

Summary: An attempt to fill in the gap between when we saw Peter and Nathan in "Shadowboxing" and next in "Brother's Keeper" with some Peter/Emma interaction thrown in.

Spoilers: Up to "Brother's Keeper"

A/N: I had some difficulty coming up with a title for this one. I wanted a scene in "Brother's Keeper" where Emma tells Peter she's going back to medical school, but that didn't happen, so I wrote one here. Reviews are welcome.

Peter stood across from Nathan, who sat at Peter's kitchen table in his apartment, where the elder Petrelli sibling had shown up last night.

"And then you woke up at a carnival?" Peter said the last word with disbelief.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah," he admitted in a low voice, barely believing it himself. He then glanced down at the dirty, unbuttoned, multi-colored striped shirt he was wearing, and any doubts he had disappeared. "I need to get some clothes," he muttered.

"You can borrow some of my stuff," Peter offered.

"No, I need a suit, and I wear a larger size than you. I'm going back to the office."

"What for?"

"I've already lost a week, Pete. I need to go in, catch up on my work. Keep up appearances if nothing else. Besides," he added, "it'll make me feel more…normal. Like I'm back to my old self again, you know?" He glanced down at his clothes again. "The question is whether I can go out in broad daylight wearing this."

Peter sighed. "I'll get you a suit. I need to go to the hospital anyway, tell them I won't be coming in."

"I thought that's what phones were for," Nathan responded.

"It's not just that," Peter said, raising his voice as he went into his bedroom to change. "I'll need to ask another paramedic to cover my shift. Since it's the day before Thanksgiving, I think it's better if I ask in person."

Nathan shrugged wordlessly at his brother's determination to go to the hospital. "At least wear a shirt with buttons on it," he called to him. "You're an adult, remember?"

Peter, who had been about to put on a green t-shirt, sighed, and surveyed the rest of the clothes in his closet. He found a faded yellow button-down shirt in the back, and put it on. It was old, but it was the only clean button-down shirt he had available.

He grabbed a jacket and tried to hurry to the front door before Nathan could say anything else about his wardrobe choices.

"You remember my suit size?" his brother called after him.

"Yeah." He opened the door, but something made him pause and turn back. "I'll call Mom, let her know we'll be at your office," he told his brother.

Nathan acknowledged his words with a nod. "Thanks, Pete," he said sincerely, a rare smile flitting across his face.

The paramedic smiled back. "It's good to see you again, Nathan."

-*-*-*-

Peter walked quickly towards the locker room at Mercy Heights. He found Hesam and Jackson there. The former was starting to change into his work clothes, while the latter was changing out of them. Peter took a deep breath, readying himself to break the news.

"Jackson, I need to ask you a favor."

The paramedic he addressed glanced up at him, then at Hesam, who shrugged.

"Don't look at me. I don't know what's going on," Peter's partner told him.

"I need you to cover my shift today," Petrelli pressed on. "There's a… family crisis I need to deal with. I know it's bad timing….Look, I'll owe you one, okay?"

But Jackson shook his head. "No, I got it. You've covered plenty of times for me before. I can help you out this time."

Peter's face brightened. "Really? Great. Thanks."

"Yeah, whatever," Jackson mumbled as Hesam slapped him on the back.

"Have a good Thanksgiving, Peter," his partner called as Petrelli left the locker room.

"Thanks, Hesam. Same to you. And especially you, Jackson!"

-*-*-*-

Peter almost bounced out of the locker room, so relieved was he that Jackson had agreed to take his shift.

He was on his way to the main exit when he spotted Emma in an adjoining hallway. He changed direction, figuring he should say goodbye to her while he was here. Deep down, a part of him acknowledged that the reason he had been so insistent on going to Mercy Heights in the first place was because he had hoped to see the pretty file clerk.

"Hey," he greeted once he was sure she had seen him. "I wanted to wish you a happy Thanksgiving."

She smiled. "Thank you." She took in his civilian clothes. "You're not working today?"

He shook his head. "I need to go deal with some family stuff," he explained. "But I'll be back after the holiday."

She nodded. "Me too. But not as a file clerk."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm restarting my residency here," she informed him with a grin.

Peter's eyes widened with delight. "Emma, that's great!" he exclaimed. He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm happy for you," he said sincerely.

She beamed at him, and he let the moment continue for a beat longer, before he reluctantly removed his hand from her shoulder. "Well, I should get going," he began. "I need to get a suit for my brother. It's a long story," he said, seeing the questioning look on her face. He gave her a wave. "See you later."

He walked away, leaving Emma staring after him. Later, she thought.