AN: Thank you for all the great reviews! I know I said I'd try to upload the next chapter within a week and that didn't really work out. So, I made this chapter extra long. I was going to cut it off a bit earlier than I did, but thought I'd give you all a little extra. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and Tim Kring owns Heroes.

Awkward didn't even begin to cover it. Peter was staring intently at the menu in his hands, but his brow was furrowed and he kept shooting me occasional glances over the top of it. Claire was doing the same, but every time I caught her staring, she would give me a small smile and then quickly look back at the menu.

It had been like this since the waitress had led us to our table and handed us the menus before walking away to fulfill our drink orders. It seemed that no one wanted to broach the thing that was obviously on all of our minds. I cleared my throat and blushed when Peter's and Claire's heads snapped up to look at me. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and stared down at my lap.

"Uh," I winced at the hoarseness of my voice, "so you said that I was one of you. What does that mean?"

Claire smiled genuinely for the first time.

"You really don't know about your ability?"

I shook my head slowly. They were crazy if they thought that I had some special ability.

I was definitely not special. If I was, Edward wouldn't have left me.

"You're not good for me, Bella."

I winced as his words replayed in my head. Those words still haunted me even though I knew they were true.

"Well," Claire's smile faded and she hesitated, probably picking up on my change in mood. "There are people out there…people like us who have these special abilities—"

"Wait," I interrupted. "Special abilities?"

I knew that Peter had a "special ability" as Claire put it, especially since I saw him fly, but I couldn't help but still feel a little skeptical. I had grown to believe in the supernatural what with all of the vampires and werewolves inhabiting Forks.

But, Claire and Peter seemed to be completely human. Humans weren't supposed to have special abilities. That was supposed to be a vampire thing…like with Alice and Jasper and…Edward. I swallowed and suddenly found myself fighting back tears. I had to stop drudging up those memories.

They're gone. They aren't coming back. Get a grip, Bella.

I could feel that prodding inside my head again and winced at the annoying feeling. I glared at Peter who had his brow furrowed as he looked at me.

"Could you please stop doing that?"

Peter shrugged, but looked a bit sheepish at being caught trying to get inside my head.

"I just can't seem to figure you out. It bothers me," he admitted.

A wave of nostalgia washed over me at his words.

"You aren't the first one to tell me that," I muttered.

He raised his eyebrows. Apparently I hadn't said that as quietly as I thought I did.

He started to say something but stopped abruptly when the waitress returned. She placed our drinks in front of us and took our orders while wearing a slightly bored expression. When she left again, Peter leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him on the table.

"Well, I know one thing for sure," Peter said slowly. "You're blocking me…something that no one has been able to do," he smiled slightly and added, "until now."

I shrugged as I took a small sip of my mango iced tea. That didn't make me special. I was probably just messed up in the head or something. I could believe that Peter and Claire were special. They just had that air of purpose surrounding them, like they were meant for something greater than the average person. But, me? I was definitely not special. I was just boring, klutzy Bella.

Peter seemed to sense my doubt.

"You know," he said, leaning back in his chair and staring at me with a slight smile on his face. "I didn't even find out about my powers until I jumped off the roof of a building and didn't die."

"You what?"

Peter's lips twitched in amusement at my bewildered expression.

"I probably would have died if my brother hadn't been there," he continued. "I can absorb other people's powers. My brother just so happens to have the power of flight and I managed to absorb that before I hit the ground."

I really needed to stop being so surprised at everything they said.

"So, what I'm trying to say is that your powers might surface as a defense mechanism. You might not know what you can do until you're in a situation that you need your power to survive. Obviously, we can cross flight off your list of potential powers," he joked, referring to my jump off the cliff only an hour earlier.

I laughed nervously and shifted in my seat. I was hoping he wouldn't bring that up again.

"About that," Peter said seriously, all joking aside. Oh no. "You weren't…uh," he scratched the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable, "trying to—"

"No," I cut him off abruptly, knowing what he was going to ask. "I saw some boys at La Push cliff diving, and it looked like…fun."

I grimaced at how lame that sounded and stared down at my lap.

"Look, I know it was stupid for me to jump during that storm," I admitted, feeling completely idiotic. "But I wasn't trying to…um…hurt myself or anything."

Peter and Claire both sighed in relief at my words. The three of us sat there in uncomfortable silence which was broken momentarily when the waitress returned with our food. When the three of us were left alone again, I remembered something Peter had said earlier.

"Wait... Your brother can fly?"

My abrupt question seemed to surprise him but he nodded and gave me a small smile. I pondered this for a moment.

"Is this a genetic thing then?"

I wracked my brain for any sign that Charlie and Renee had some type of power, but was drawing a blank.

Peter looked a bit taken aback by my question.

"I don't know. I never really thought about it that way."

He glanced sideways at Claire who looked just as thoughtful over my question as he did.

"Well, there's me…my brother Nathan…our mom," he looked at me and explained, "she can sometimes see the future in her dreams." I nodded at him, trying to ignore the pang his words caused as I remembered someone else who could see the future. "Our dad…although I'd rather not talk about him." The sudden bitterness of his voice confused me, but I didn't press it. "And then there's Claire," he finished, reaching over and ruffling her hair affectionately.

She laughed and gave a half-hearted "hey!" I looked between the two of them, smiling at their playfulness.

"You two are related?"

"He's my uncle," Claire explained. "His brother Nathan is my biological dad. We actually just found out about that. After Peter saved me from Sylar in Odessa, things just kind of got crazy…err…crazier from there."

"Save the cheerleader, save the world," Peter said with a smile.

Claire laughed again and nodded.

"Who's Sylar?"

Their smiles dropped off their faces and I started to regret my question. Whoever this Sylar person was, I had a feeling he wasn't someone I wanted to meet.

"Sylar is a killer," Peter said seriously, all traces of laughter gone. "He finds people who have powers and he kills them for it." His words made me feel sick.

"He can do that?"

My voice was no more than a whisper. Peter nodded solemnly.

"He, uh…removes the top of someone's head to take their power."

I gasped. Yep. Someone I definitely don't want to meet.

"So, has he tried to…uh…you know," I cleared my throat uncomfortably, "do that to you?"

Claire grimaced and Peter looked at her worriedly.

"Yeah," Claire whispered. "He did that to me. He took my power."

I stared at her in horror and Claire smiled humorlessly.

"It's clearly not one of my fondest memories."

Peter placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a concerned look. She sighed and looked away. Although I felt bad for bringing up an obviously painful memory for Claire, I was also a bit confused. If Sylar had taken her power, then that must have meant he took off the top of her head too. There was no way someone normal could have survived that. I bit my lip and glanced curiously at Claire.

"You never told me what you can do."

I was surprised when Claire smiled brightly at my question. However, instead of answering me, she picked up the steak knife beside her plate and winked at me. Before I could stop her, she had plunged the blade into the crease of her elbow and sliced down towards her wrist. My eyes widened in horror.

"What the hell, Claire?" I whispered, horrified.

Oh God. There's so much blood.

I felt like I was going to pass out as the coppery scent of the blood reached my nose. I squeezed my eyes shut in an effort to keep from passing out so that I could help Claire.

Why isn't Peter doing anything? We need to get her to the hospital…

"Hey," Claire said softly. "It's okay. Look."

Against my better judgment, I opened my eyes and gasped at the sight I was met with. I forgot all about my aversion to blood as I watched in awe as her skin started knitting itself back together, not even leaving a scab or scar in its wake. When it was over, I stared in shock at the blemish free skin of her arm which had been sporting a rather severe and fatal-looking gash only a moment ago.

"I can heal," Claire said unnecessarily with a grin.

"Wow," I breathed, before frowning when I thought of something. "But, you really didn't need to do that. I mean…" I paused and stared at her with a curious expression. "Didn't that hurt?"

I was surprised when her smile slipped off her face and she looked down at her lap. I also didn't miss the concerned look that Peter was sending Claire.

"After Sylar took my power," she started sadly, still looking down. "It did something to me. I can't feel pain anymore."

I stared at her in confusion, not understanding why she seemed so sad because of that.

I thought back to my high school biology class when I learned briefly about a disorder that caused someone to be unable to feel pain.

Congenital Analgesia. I remembered.

It was a dangerous and sometimes deadly disorder. If the person with the disorder seriously hurt themselves, they would have no idea that they should go to the hospital because they wouldn't be able to feel pain. The person could fall down the stairs, break a few ribs and get a concussion, and still think that they were okay because their brain wasn't processing the pain to let them know that something was seriously wrong.

But, Claire didn't have that problem. It wouldn't be dangerous for her since she would just heal anyways. So, wasn't that a good thing?

If I was in her place, I would have considered myself lucky. I must have said that last bit out loud because Claire laughed humorlessly.

"Yeah," she whispered to herself, shaking her head slightly. "Lucky…"

This was obviously a sore topic for Claire. Although I didn't really understand what the problem was, I decided to change the subject.

"So, what do you think my ability is?"

Peter shot me a grateful smile at the subject change. He obviously cared a lot for Claire and didn't like seeing her so upset. Claire also looked relieved and seemed to cheer up slightly.

"I was thinking that you might be a shield," Peter suggested. "It would explain how you can keep me out of your head. Maybe your power is that you can block other powers."

I chewed on my lower lip as I pondered his words. It made sense. It explained how I could block Edward…and now Peter.

"I also have a theory that with some training, your power could expand."

I stared at him confused. What did he mean expand?

"Which leaves us with our next problem," he continued unabashed by my confused expression. "Where should we stay while we help Bella discover her power?"

This last part he addressed to Claire. I gaped at the two of them. They were planning on staying? I voiced this question and Peter and Claire both looked at me as if to say, "Well, duh!"

"Of course," Claire said. "I wish someone had been there for me when I discovered my power. I thought I was an alien or something."

I laughed at her words, picturing how Claire must have freaked when she discovered her power.

"We'll help you figure this out, Bella," Peter added. "But, do you know where we could stay? I'd rather not have to keep teleporting back and forth between New York and Washington. Teleporting constantly over long distances makes me dizzy. Not the best feeling in the world…"

When we had finished eating and paid for our meals, Peter and Claire decided to go get a couple of rooms at the small inn I told them about. It was really the only hotel in Forks…if it could even be called a hotel. It was more the size of a small two story home that was managed by a sweet older woman in her early seventies. There was really no need for a hotel bigger than that seeing as Forks wasn't too high on the list of tourist destinations.

I gave them my home address and they promised to stop by in the morning. We parted ways after Peter and Claire gave me their cell numbers. I didn't have a cell of my own but I could always use the home phone to get in contact with them if I needed to. Peter had offered to walk me home, but I had politely declined his offer, assuring him that my house wasn't that far away.

About five minutes into my walk though, I started to wish that I had taken him up on his offer as I started to get the feeling that I was being watched. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I became more alert, straining my ears for any sound. I turned around and scanned the area with my eyes, but there was nobody there. Nobody.

That was normal though. This area wasn't usually packed with people, which was why I chose to go home using this back road instead of my normal route. It let me think over everything that happened with Peter and Claire without all of the chatter from anyone distracting me. When I was convinced that no one was following me, I shook my head at myself, feeling stupid for acting so paranoid.

I took another few steps before my ears picked up the sound of a snapping twig behind me. I definitely didn't imagine that...

My breath hitched in my throat. But instead of turning around again, I just picked up my pace, determined to get home as quickly as possible. My breathing started to become labored when my ears now also picked up the sound of footsteps behind me.

Losing all pretenses of calmness, I quickened my pace even more so that I was almost jogging. Real fear gripped me when I could hear the footsteps behind me quicken to match up with my faster pace. Someone was following me.

I yelped in alarm when I was suddenly grabbed from behind, but the sound was abruptly cut off when a large hand was shoved over my mouth.

"Shhh," a voice whispered in my ear, warm breath fanning over my neck. "It will all be over soon."

I squirmed even more as he half-carried, half-dragged me with him. I stilled when he forcefully shoved me into the wall of an alley, briefly knocking the breath out of me. Slightly disoriented, I looked up into the face of my attacker while cursing myself for not taking Peter up on his offer of walking me home.

The man standing in front of me looked normal. I didn't know what I was expecting…maybe a vampire? But, he looked like just an average human.

Just because he isn't a vampire, doesn't mean he isn't dangerous, a voice in my head pointed out.

Images of the guys who assaulted me that night in Port Angeles flooded my mind. Those thoughts made me struggle even more, but I quickly stilled again when he backhanded me across the face as a warning to stay still.

More scared than ever and with my face now throbbing, I trembled and stared up at him. His eyes were so…cold. He looked almost hungry. But, hungry for what?

I had a feeling I didn't want to find out the answer to that question.

"There's a good girl," the man cooed mockingly as I remained frozen in place. I cringed as his lips brushed the shell of my ear. "Now stay still and I'll try to make this as quick as possible."

I was surprised when he suddenly released me and took a step back. I stared at him in confusion as he lifted a finger and pointed at my head. What the hell?

All thoughts abruptly cut off as I was suddenly consumed by an overwhelming amount of pain. I screamed as I felt the skin of my forehead begin to split open and the bone of my skull begin to splinter. I was vaguely aware of the warm trail of blood running down the side of my face, but I couldn't focus on much else besides my pain and the utter horror of the situation. I was frozen in place as the blood mixed with my tears of pain and fear, clouding my vision.

And then suddenly my attacker was ripped away from me. I blinked at his sudden disappearance.

Unable to remain standing any longer, I slowly slid down the wall until I hit the cold, hard ground of the alley.

I could distinctly make out the figures of two men fighting in the distance. I flinched as a third figure came closer to me. When I realized it was just Claire, I relaxed and tried to regulate my breathing. She knelt beside me and I caught her worried gaze.

I wanted to tell her not to worry, that I had had worse injuries than this, but I couldn't seem to get my lips to move. It felt like my whole body was shutting down, leaving only numbness behind.

"Peter!"

Claire's voice sounded scared as she called for her uncle. After her shout, there was a loud thud followed by Peter cursing furiously.

He appeared suddenly right in front of us and crouched down to where I was slumped against the wall. I grimaced when he gently tilted my face up so that he could get a better look at the wound. Claire silently watched with a small frown as Peter examined the damage done to my head.

"The cut's too deep," he finally sighed. "It looks like her skull's been fractured. We need to give her some of your blood, Claire."

Claire nodded without any hesitation.

"But I didn't think to bring any syringes with us," Peter continued, groaning. He focused his attention back on me. "Bella," he gripped my shoulders and shook me slightly when I didn't answer.

My eyes were starting to feel really heavy. I just wanted to go to sleep…

"Bella!"

I sleepily looked up at him, struggling to keep my eyes open. His brow furrowed in concern.

"Bella, I know you're tired, but you can't go to sleep. You have to stay awake, okay?"

I muttered a sleepy "okay" in response. He sighed and his hold on me tightened slightly.

"I need to get something to help you. Is there a hospital around here?"

"Yeah," I whispered, my eyes slipping shut before I forced them back open.

After I managed to tell him the hospital's location, he attempted to move me out of my awkward half-sitting, half-lying position against the wall. I became limp in his hold as he tried to help me sit upright. It felt like my bones were becoming liquefied.

He sighed and gave up trying to get me to sit upright, maneuvering me so that I was lying on the cold ground instead. I was grateful when he placed his jacket over me to keep me warm. He asked Claire for something, and soon he was lifting my head and placing something soft underneath it. Claire's jacket. I realized. He brushed the hair out of my face, being careful to avoid the wound, and gave me a reassuring smile.

"I'll be right back," he promised me. "Claire, make sure she doesn't fall asleep."

Claire quickly agreed and we both watched as Peter disappeared into thin air. A warm hand slid into mine and squeezed gently.

Claire.

I sleepily turned my head to the side and saw her sitting beside me. Her worried frown turned into a slight smile when she caught my gaze.

"Don't worry," Claire said quietly. "Peter knows what he's doing. My blood will heal you and you'll be as good as new."

I didn't respond, so Claire kept talking in that same calming voice. I was only vaguely paying attention. Most of my concentration was going to trying to stay awake. If I closed my eyes for longer than a second, I was afraid that they wouldn't open back up.

I listened somewhat absentmindedly as Claire told me about Peter's job as a paramedic, the way she discovered her powers, how Peter saved her from Sylar, and about some of the other specials she had met.

She told me about Hiro and Ando, and how Hiro could time travel and Ando could supercharge powers. She explained how the two friends went back to Japan so that Ando could marry Hiro's sister, although they still dropped by from time to time.

She told me about a woman named Tracy who could freeze whatever she came in contact with. Then she told me about Nikki, a woman with super strength who had been killed in a fire when trying to save Monica, her late husband's niece. Monica apparently had a power as well, being able to mimic any physical movement she saw.

I also found out about Nikki's late husband D.L who could phase through solid objects. Their son Micah was also special with the ability to control technology with his mind.

She talked about Daphne the speedster, and Matt who could control people's minds. I learned about Elle and her powers of controlling electricity. Claire also talked about Isaac who could paint the future and Mohinder who gained his powers only after injecting himself with some type of formula. It was amazing how many people were out there that had these abilities. I hadn't realized there were so many.

If I hadn't been so preoccupied by the numbness spreading throughout my limbs, I would have been riveted by what she was saying.

Claire suddenly stopped talking and sighed in relief when Peter appeared in front of us.

"What took so long?"

Peter immediately dropped down next to Claire who had extended her arm without being asked.

"Sorry," Peter murmured as he prodded her arm for a vein. "There were some nurses that were a bit hard to get around, even with my invisibility. And then I had to find the supply closet where they kept the syringes. Took longer than I thought…" He trailed off, glancing at me as he finished filling the syringe with Claire's blood. "How are you holding up, Bella?"

"M'kay," I slurred.

Peter sighed, turning to me with the now full vile of blood. I watched sleepily as he carefully lifted my arm.

"You're doing great, Bella," he said gently. "Just stay awake for a little longer."

I hummed in agreement. He prodded the crease of my elbow as he looked for a vein and I felt something cold and wet being swiped over the area.

"Alcohol swipe," he explained before I felt the unmistakable prick as the needle punctured my skin. "Don't want you getting an infection now, do we?"

As he spoke to me, he kept his focus on my arm. I watched as he slowly depressed the plunger of the syringe and injected me with Claire's blood.

Compared to the pain in my head, the needle surprisingly didn't bother me. That had to be a first. I was usually such a mess when it came to needles.

"There. All done."

Immediately after Peter spoke, I felt a tingling sensation on my forehead and the pain completely receded along with my sleepiness. Peter was scrutinizing my face closely, making me feel a little uncomfortable as I started coming back to my senses.

After a few moments, Peter seemed satisfied with my recovery. He helped me stand and hesitantly withdrew his grip on my arms when I was upright, seeming prepared to catch me if I fell. But, that wasn't necessary since I seemed to be completely healed. I tentatively reached up and felt around my forehead where I knew the wound had been. Other than some dried blood along my hairline, there was no sign that I had just had my head sliced open.

"Wow," I breathed, amazed. It felt like I was saying that a lot lately.

Peter and Claire both smiled at my awed expression.

Now that things had somewhat calmed down, I started to go over the events that had just transpired. I grimaced as I remembered my attacker and the hunger I had seen in the man's eyes before my head felt like it was being torn apart. He had seemed so evil.

"Who was that?" I hesitantly asked, although I already knew the answer before the words even left my lips.

The conversation in the diner was brought back to the front of my memory. I remembered Peter and Claire telling me about a killer. A man who removed the top of someone's head to gain their power…

Peter and Claire exchanged looks, obviously not happy with the situation. They appeared to be having another one of their silent conversations.

"That was Sylar," Claire finally said as she turned to face me again. She bit her lip and continued hesitantly, glancing worriedly at Peter as she did so. "And Bella, it looks like you are his next target."

AN: Thanks again for the great reviews! I'll try to have the next chapter posted as soon as possible. But, I'm not promising a specific time frame. My last semester at the university is coming to an end and I have to put together this portfolio which is taking up a lot of my time. But, I'll try to post the next chapter within a week. "Try" being the key word...

I also wanted to ask you all whether you want me to list all of the powers that Peter has. I wasn't going to originally, but if it would help to clear up anything, please let me know! One more thing I wanted to ask was whether I should explain the time frame that my story is taking place in regards to the "Heroes" plot? It's a bit different than the TV show since I made it so that Peter still has mutliple powers, so I'm not sure if that's confusing at all. If it is, please let me know and I'll try to explain that better.

So, what did you guys think of this chapter? Please review! :)

Love,

Katie