The alarm startled Laney as its buzz echoed through out the emptiness of the apartment. The heavy foot steps she had been hearing all morning tried their best to be silent as Peter walked over to turn off the alarm clock until the knock came at the door. Laney gave up on trying to sleep at that point jolting up in the bed and rubbing the back of her nappy head as she stared at the alarm clock and then at Peter who was answering the door.
""Hey, are you Peter Petrelli? The paramedic who saved that cop's life last week?" The voice at the door spoke with excitement.
Peter nodded in agreement, "Yeah."
"That was awesome man, here." The voice said clearly handing Peter something.
"Thanks, what's this?"
"You've been served, guess you need to be more careful when you're saving people, Hero." The voice said as it left leaving Peter standing there confused as he opened the package and shut the door in disgust. Throwing the papers down on the foot of his bed, "Nice to see you up. Would have thought you got enough sleep the other day to last you a week." He said returning to the bathroom to continue brushing his teeth.
Laney yawned and stretched hiding a giggle in between, "Been a long time since I slept so good. Since I gained this ability, is that what you called it last night? I haven't been getting much sleep. To worried I might suck all the gravity out of a room and I would be floating around everywhere."
"Well now that you're learning to control it, maybe you can sleep easier." Peter said smiling as he walked into the bedroom and slipped on his work shirt. "I'll be back later."
"Can I tag along?" Laney said as she stood up from the bed and stretched some more.
"Not today, I got some things I have to handle."
"Gotcha, you should handle that before it does get serious." She said nodding at the papers and heading to the bathroom, which she had become acquainted with yesterday after she woke up from her nap. "I'll just hang around here."
Peter watched her walk into the bathroom and chuckled at her a bit as she walked out. He handed her some cash, "Here go buy some new clothes, those are pretty worn out."
She blushed as she took the money, knowing that if she argued she would wind up losing anyway, "You have a very good point, it'd be nice to get something new."
Laney made her way down to the nearest thrift shop since they had always been her favorite places to find things. She hugged the four bags she had filled with clothes and other things to her as she headed back to Peter's apartment. Using the key he had given her that morning she hurriedly made her way into the emptiness once again, setting her bags on the floor in bedroom and beginning to scour through them for the pieces she wanted to wear first. She pulled out a black Jim Beam T-shirt and quickly found some scissors modifying it into a tank top and slipping it on after removing the old clothes she had been wearing. Finding the blue jeans she had, which were about the only thing she had bought that were new. She made her way into the bathroom to finish changing. Fiddling with the tiny pearl star necklace that she had always worn since high school before putting on the little bow earrings she had bought and finishing up with the moccasin loafers she had gotten as well. She looked herself over in the mirror and found herself amazed and wondering where this girl had been hiding. She had changed so much to hide her ability from herself as well as the world. She continued to ponder on her thoughts until she heard Peter return and immediately snapped out of her own mind.
She heard his foot steps get closer and peeked out of the bathroom as she heard him say, "He was on the bus."
"Who was on the bus?" She said emerging from the bathroom and watching Peter's eyes flick in her direction as he turned towards her and admired her new wardrobe.
"Now there's the Laney I remember." He chuckled As he continued to her admire her and she performed a little turn. His eyes caught on the necklace she wore. "You still wear that?"
"It's one of my favorites, well its my only favorite now I guess." She blushed beginning to fiddle with it once again.
"I gave that to you-."
"Sophmore year, yep. Only thing that has ever stuck around is this little thing." She smiled looking down trying to see it.
He took a step closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm happy you kept it."
"I am too, it goes with everything." She chuckled brushing past her friend to collect her bags and set them in a corner. "So who was on the bus?"
"William Hooper, I don't remember him being there though, he is the guy that is suing me." Peter said pointing to the newspaper clipping with a confused look on his face, "He said I dislocated his shoulder pulling him out of the bus."
Laney walked over to stand beside him and look at the clipping in his hand, "He looks familiar, but I don't recall the name." She squinted at the picture staring at the man.
"Come on." Peter said grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers taking off down the stairs and finding themselves on a street corner, face to face with William Hooper.
"Mr. Petrelli, didn't expect to see you again. You look like you've been running all over the city." The strange man said looking Peter up and down and then turning his attention to Laney who was standing behind him. She pulled herself in tighter to Peter her eyes never leaving Hooper.
"I need to apologize to you, you were on that bus. I made a mistake and I am sorry." Peter said breathlessly but honestly to the man.
"Thank you."
"I'm gonna make it right."
"No need to concern yourself," Hooper said turning and walking away.
Peter followed with Laney close behind him, "There must be something I can do."
"Have you ever lost a brother?"
Peter exhaled, "No, no I haven't. I used to work hospice. I used to help families through the worst pain imaginable."
William stopped at that point and appeared to be thinking a bit as Laney just stared at him. "Joseph and I grew up near by, I thought I'd go back home to remember the good times."
"Can't bring yourself to go?"
"Too many bad memories mixed in with the good." He began walking once more still heavy in though, "My trip here started as one thing but turned into something else." He sighed sitting down on a bench, "Can't seem to find any solace anywhere."
Peter sat down next to him as Laney followed suit beside him, "Grieving is… messy. I saw it all the time, people can offer their condolences. They can tell you their sorry for your loss but they don't know what it is that you feel."
"What would you say to people."
"I just sit with them, be with them. I'd let 'em know that their not alone."
"So what made you become a paramedic?" Laney looked between the two but focused on Peter wondering about the answer herself.
"I wanted to save lives instead of watching them pass."
Hooper reached out his hand to Peter, "You're exactly who I'd hoped you'd be." He said as they shook hands. "I'm dropping the law suit. Thank you, Peter for everything."
Peter nodded is welcome as William stood up. "You know it's not for nothing, but if you made the trip all the way out here I really think that you visit your home."
"I think i will," Hooper responded as he walked off behind them.
Laney exhaled deeply as if she had been holding her breath the whole time. Peter chuckled wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "What's wrong with you? Still practicing the fight against gravity?"
"No, he just gave me the creeps." She looked at him with concerned eyes as he returned her stare.
"He just, needed someone to talk to is all and needed someone to notice." Peter said standing up pulling Laney up with him with his arm still wrapped around her shoulder.
"Well he sure has a funny way of showing it." She giggled a bit as they walked back in the direction of Peter's apartment, stopping to buy Laney a coat since she forgot to buy one. The leather was warm from the heat in the store but even warmer from Peter's grip around her shoulder. Stopping at the sound of music coming from the park and heading in that direction. They stood there watching the girl that Peter knew play the cello. She watched as the girl reluctantly stood up from her performance and replaced everything she had found before running away. Saddness filled her eyes at the sight knowing something was wrong. Peter and Laney both followed after her but were unable to catch her.