"I'm bringing Claire and Caitlin to dinner tomorrow night," Peter announced one evening at dinner.
That caused an uproar with Angela, Nathan and Peter's mother. She stood up suddenly from her seat. "What? That... that?" was all she got out.
Nathan had turned a purplish color. They had been trying to work everything out and now this. "Claire? You are bringing Claire here?" he asked, enraged at his brother.
He was upset his younger brother could be so thoughtless as to not think of his brother's rocky marriage and bring his daughter to their table, stirring up memories of his adultery, his powers, and all the lies he had told.
"Yes, I am bringing Claire here. No matter how much sometimes you want to deny it, she is in fact, your daughter. Accept it. She is your future."
Before Nathan could respond, Peter left.
Peter looked at Caitlin as she sat down. She looked back and closed her eyes; this was a big moment, and she didn't know if she could handle it. Sure she had seen the remains of her big brother, but this, the formidable Petrelli family, was another matter entirely.
She kept her mouth closed and followed his lead as people entered the room – no one she knew. A young woman someone called Claire and the older woman who took the head of the table had an instant dislike for her, she could tell. Then there was another middle-aged gentleman who seemed to have a barely restrained anger beneath the surface aimed at Peter. Why, she had no idea. From what she gather they were brothers. Why would he, as his brother, dislike Peter?
This family was strange and didn't act like Caitlin's view of a real family. They were cold and abusive as far as she could tell; it made her skin crawl. The feeling made her want to get out of there as fast as possible, even going so far as running - somehow, she figured it would be for her life.
But she didn't get up, she didn't run, she didn't leave – no – she just sat there, not talking, but with a bright grin like she was having the time of her life. Inside, she felt sick inside, and when she left tonight, she'd never be coming back – that much was for certain.
On the other side of the table, Claire looked over at Caitlin and knew exactly what was going in her mind. Not the first time, but the second time she had met these people, she had felt the same cold and horrified feelings. They just destroyed all the warmth in a person leaving them with nothing. She pitied the girl, sighing and wishing the evening over. Why had her uncle brought her here when her "grandmother" hated her, her "stepmother" disliked her for what she stood for, and her "father" hated her because she shook up everything he had. Damn them all!
So finally, though Caitlin couldn't do it, she could. She stood. "Caitlin and I are leaving."
And with that, she walked over to Caitlin, took her hand, and dragged her right out the front door and into the night.