Deciding to forget about her woes, Eliza was now drinking to celebrate Peter's achievement as she was beyond proud that her brother had graduated from nursing school. Like her, Peter had went against the family norms and did something that he was passionate about without any help from the family and here he was happy with his career of choice. Eliza couldn't be anymore happier for Peter as she knew that he would be a brilliant nurse as Peter was the most kind and compassionate person that she knew, always putting others before himself. Eliza didn't know where Peter got it from a selflessness was not a trait that was found in the Petrelli family. It was something that Eliza didn't have in buckets as she was well known to go off on her own steam a lot of the time. But taking a sip, Eliza reminded herself to not worry about anything to do with her many problems or her and just focus on the positives as she sat on the couch of Peter's living room which also doubled as her bed, talking to a couple of her brother's friends when she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder. Turning around, Eliza saw a familiar dark haired beauty and she beamed at the sight of her brother's wife Heidi who Eliza completely adored.
"Heidi!" Eliza squealed in delight as she shuffled around on the sofa so she could properly face Heidi and hug her sister in law from where she was sitting. Despite the fact that she knew if Heidi was here, then the rest of her family were lurking around somewhere Eliza was pleased to see Heidi as she was one of the few people in her family who didn't judge Eliza on the choices that she made. As much as Eliza loved Heidi, she could not see why on earth her sister in law had married Nathan as there were so different as Heidi knew how to have fun whilst being a mother and wife whilst Nathan… Was about as fun as watching paint dry. Hence why Eliza didn't go out of her way to spend time with Nathan, she knew that she shouldn't have favourites but she did and Nathan was not her favourite brother. That spot went to Peter who had held on to that coveted prize since Eliza was a small child.
"It's so good to see you Eliza, I've only seen you twice since you've come home and the boys have missed you terribly! You need to come round the house for dinner next week and tell us more about your trip, the boys and I would love to hear about it some more and it would just be an excuse to see you." Heidi said as she placed a kiss on Eliza's cheek and Eliza grinned widely, Heidi had been the most supportive about the whole leaving for Africa thing and for that Eliza always had time for her sister in law.
"I will I promise, I've got a couple of things going on next week but it's nothing I can't shuffle around or put off entirely for my favourite nephews. After two years away I've got a lot of catching up to do with you and the boys and I intend to make up for all the time that I've been away…" Eliza quipped taking a sip of her beer before she spotted her eldest brother approaching her and Heidi, so with a bit of reluctance Eliza greeted her brother as even though he was the last person she wanted to see, she had been raised with proper manners. "Nathan."
"Elizabeth."
With a roll of her eyes Eliza took another sip of her drink, Nathan refused to call her Eliza instead choosing to call her Elizabeth much to her irritation as Eliza hated being called Elizabeth. Sure it was a perfectly nice and respectful name but Eliza preferred to go by Eliza as she found that it suited her personality a lot better. Even their parents respected her enough to call her Eliza except for when she was doing something that they didn't approve of or when they were being all sentimental. Eliza was only grateful that Nathan hadn't called her by her full name of Elizabeth Eve. The only people who were allowed to call Eliza that were hear parents, she was sentimental about the whole thing and Nathan calling her that in his houlier than thou attitude would have just sent Eliza flying off the handle which she did not want to do on Peter's special night.
"Oh no! We're not doing this tonight, it is Peter's night and we're all here because we love him we're proud of his achievement so the two of you will be on your best behaviour and that means no arguing, veiled insults or snide comments." Heidi warned as it was a well-known fact that Eliza and Nathan did not got along in the slightest. Nathan looked down on his sister's choices and practically every aspect of how she lived and made no attempt to hide it where as Eliza just thought her brother was full of crap with no mind of his own as he did everything their parents wanted him to do no questions asked. The two of them didn't hate each other but they were pretty close to it. Hence why Heidi was warning the two of them to behave themselves as Eliza and Nathan had a tendency to get into arguments at a drop of a pin over anything and the two of them were too stubborn to stop themselves before things went too far. When Eliza was in her junior year of college, her and Nathan got into a huge argument on Thanksgiving before they had dinner and she ended up storming out of her parents house and going to a 24 hour diner. That year Eliza didn't bother showing up to Christmas either as she didn't want to spend time with Nathan, she ended up spending it getting drunk with friends on Staten Island.
"Fine by me, I'm going to get another drink so I will catch you later Heidi…" Eliza said as she rose from her seat and made her over to the kitchen to grab another drink when she ran into straight into her mother Angela. One of the two people who she didn't want to see along with her father and if her mom was here no doubt her dad was around somewhere. Eliza could just hear the lecture that her father had prepared for her coming a mile away. She had been accustomed to being on the receiving end of her father's lectures since she was nine years old and they always started and ended the same, with her father being disappointed in her. "Mom…"
"Relax Elizabeth your father couldn't make it tonight, he's in Atlantic city on business…" Angela explained and Eliza just rolled her eyes, she didn't believe that for a second as she was well aware that her father disapproved of Peter becoming a nurse. Arthur Petrelli disapproved of anything that wasn't 'approved' or 'planned' by him like Peter becoming a nurse or her going off to Africa to teach English. No doubt her father was back at the family home in his study drinking a vintage scotch wondering what on earth happened to his two younger children that they had ended up the way they had.
"Hey ma… That obvious?" Eliza questioned as she placed a kiss on her mother's cheek as she referred to how apparent it was that she was relieved that her father wasn't here. The two of them had only had only seen each other three times since Eliza had come home and things had been awkward given the whole hundred grand thing.
"Only because I know you so well my darling, I do wish you'd come home Eliza instead of staying on your brother's couch or at least stay with Nathan." Angela said and Eliza ruefully shook her head, she knew her mother worried about her which was very sweet and unneeded but her suggestions about coming home or staying with Nathan were never going to happen. Eliza would rather sleep on Peter's couch for the rest of her life than do either of those suggestions.
"I told you already mom I'm not coming home and dad's kind of made it obvious that he doesn't exactly want me there at the moment. Heidi's repeatedly asked me to stay but Nathan would just be on my case all the time and I can't deal with that at the moment so I'm staying here mom. I know crashing on my big brother's couch isn't the best thing in the world but Pete's really good about it, I don't have to worry about him being on my case and make snide comments about my life choices because Pete supported what I did. He doesn't make be feel bad for doing what I wanted to do." Eliza replied as she picked up another beer and tugged at her ear, right now it felt like there were a million people talking in her ear at the moment.
"Eliza you know your father loves you."
"Yeah… Freezing all my accounts and my trust fund, essentially leaving me penniless and relying on you and Peter for money doesn't exactly say that. But I get it, I've never made dad proud and until I do something that he approves of then I can't have my money back which is probably going to be never." Eliza wirily commented as she took a sip of her beer, she knew that her father loved her, she had always known that but he had a hard way of showing it such as the whole freezing her accounts thing.
"Now you're being melodramatic Elizabeth, your father loves you very much and he is very proud of you." Angela stated.
Eliza rolled her eyes. "I'd have to disagree with that ma given that daddy dearest only spent ten minutes at my high school graduation and he plus Nathan didn't bother turning up to my college graduation because I went to Dartmouth and majored in English instead of going to Columbia and studying business. Face it mom, dad has never been proud of me and I accept it that's why I'm not going to crawl to him and beg for him for money. I'm doing what I want by myself and I don't need his approval to live my life how I want to live it. I am not going to have him dictate my life like he has with Nathan, I can make my own choices and deal with the mistakes that come with being my own person. It may not fit into dad's grand plan for his children but at least I'll be standing on my two feet and being responsible and accountable for my actions."
"That is what he is proud of; your determination to do anything you want regardless of what anyone may say or think. So please Eliza, come over to the house and make a effort with your father, I know it may not seem like it but he missed you every single day that you were gone and he still does. He kept every single one of your letters although he asked me not tell you but every year on your birthday, thanksgiving and Christmas he donated fifty thousand dollars to the red cross in your honor. He may find to tell you express this to you but Arthur was very proud of all the work you did in Africa and you will never know the full extent of how proud he is of you." Angela revealed and Eliza felt herself caving as her mother was clearly pulling her heartstrings, trying to guilt trip her into coming home and trying to reconcile with her father.
"I'll come over and have a talk with him but I'm not promising anything mom…"