A/N: I want to warn you that there is mention of implied noncon in this chapter. It's not descriptive or graphic, but it is mentioned in passing. You probably could bypass this chapter if you wanted to, but you might get a little confused in the next chapter.

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Isaac Mendez's loft, Manhattan, New York, November 8, 2011

Hiro Nakamura frowned. Why was the light on in the loft? He had turned it off when he had left. He quietly stalked up the fire escape and entered the loft through a window in the bedroom. He was shielded from view by the main room by the shadow of the partition between the bedroom and the main room. Before he stepped out of the darkness, however, he noticed a notification of incoming mail on his computer. He went to it and opened the message. It was from Irene.

Get out of New York. Now.

That could only mean that Homeland Security had found out where he was. He needed to get out, and fast; but first he needed to take care of the disturbance in his loft.

He withdrew his sword from its sheath and stepped out of the darkness. He drew back in surprise at what he saw.

"You."

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Petrelli Mansion, Manhattan, November 8, 2011

Irene stood in front of the large fireplace, looking at the pictures on the mantle, but not really paying attention to them. Her mind lingered on the dispute she had with Nathan the night before. Almost every night turned out like that; it usually happened because Irene could not keep her mouth shut about Gabriel.

Last night, however, was a picnic compared to some. There had been a few nights when Sylar had forced himself on her to put her into submission; she would much rather not think about them, let alone the possibility that a child might come as a result.

Irene hated Sylar with every fiber of her being for everything he had put her through, and that was saying a lot.

There was a soft rustle behind her. Without turning around, she addressed the figure that had appeared in the room. "Hello, Peter. Long time no see."

"Irene," Peter greeted solemnly. "It's good to see you again."

Irene turned around and smiled. Peter Petrelli was just as handsome as she remembered, even with the long scar across his face. He still had that same crooked mouth and the same dark eyes. He was dressed in black—as usual—and his hair had been slicked back. "You look good," she said.

"So do you," he replied and smiled crookedly, though still slightly uneasy.

Irene looked down at herself—at her Ramones tee shirt and jeans, and shrugged her shoulders. "I've been better." She looked up at him and put on a more serious expression. "Peter, can you take us somewhere more private? I need to talk to you without these suffocating Secret Service men around."

Peter nodded and laid a hand on her shoulder. He screwed his eyes shut and concentrated as hard as he could. In a moment, the pair was standing on the roof of the Deveaux building. Newspapers and trash littered the ground under their feet. A few pigeons sat perched on the edge of the aging brick hedges surrounding them. The air was crisp and chill; Irene hugged her favorite khaki jacket closer to her body to shield herself from the breeze.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Peter asked.

Irene folded her arms over her chest. "Hiro was captured early this morning. Parkman's taken him in for questioning."

Peter looked at her incredulously. "What are you talking about? I saw Hiro and Ando in Vegas just a few hours ago. Niki sent them off to Bennet down in Texas."

Irene furrowed her brow and unconsciously started biting her lip. "Hiro can travel through time. Could it be possible that there are two Hiros, one from the past and one from this time?"

Peter considered the possibility for a few moments before answering. "You're probably right. The Hiro I saw today was definitely the one from this present—"

"Then Past Hiro must have been captured," she interjected. She swore under her breath and planted her hands on her hips. "We've got to get him out."

"Wait, 'we'?"

"Yeah," Irene retorted. She crossed her arms and glared. "I may not have any abilities, but I am the First Lady. Hell, I'm the most powerful woman in the country. I'm not completely incompetent."

"I never said you were incompetent."

"Yeah, but you sure think so." Irene turned her back to him, went to the brick hedge, and leaned on it with her hands.

Peter went to and stood next to her. "Okay, Irene, you win." He threw up his hands as a gesture of defeat. "I've always thought you were a loser and wondered why Nathan ever married you in the first place. Is that what you wanted to hear? Jeez." He ran a hand through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh.

"No," Irene replied angrily. "I wanted you to tell me that you would appreciate my help." She paused and added quietly, "That I was actually worth something to somebody."

Peter seemed not to hear her last statement. "I don't need your help…because I'm not going to rescue Hiro." Irene looked at him incredulously, but he waved it off. "Let the other Hiro take care of it. He's used to taking things into his own hands."

"How can you say that?" Irene shouted. "That's Niki talking, not you. Besides, Hiro is the only one who knows how to fix this and you're the only one who can save him now!" She shoved him a step backward. "If you don't save him, they'll kill him with their new "cure"…and we lose any chance of stopping Sylar in the past. And trust me, this future sucks."

Peter looked at her in utter shock. He had never seen her so aggressive. When he had first met her—when she had married Nathan—she was so quiet and submissive. She hardly ever smiled or spoke out of turn. Of course, he was never able to see her face to face after that because the Linderman Act was passed, restricting the movements and lives of evolved humans like him. She must have changed drastically over the past couple of years. What in the world could have caused her to become so passionate?

"Okay, okay," he held up his hands as a peaceful gesture. "Just calm down."

Irene nodded and took a deep breath to calm herself. "You're going to rescue Hiro," she said quietly. "And I'm coming with you."

"Why do you insist on coming with me? You're not part of this."

"Yes, I am." She gently rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Hiro is my friend, and I turned him in."

Peter frowned and crossed his arms. "Why would you do that?"

"That doesn't matter now. What does matter is that I'm somewhat responsible for getting Past Hiro into this mess; I should at least help rescue him."

Peter nodded. "All right," he sighed quietly. He leaned closer to her his face becoming grave. "But even though I have all these abilities, I may not be able to protect you the whole time."

"I can take care of myself," she assured him. Peter still looked skeptical, but nodded and wrapped an arm around her. She never ceased to surprise him.

He screwed his eyes closed again. "There's no place like Texas," he whispered, and they disappeared.

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A/N: Don't worry, Peter/Niki or Paire fans, this will not end up a PeterOC pairing.