Title: Fatigue
Fan dom: Heroes
Rating: T -Violence, Adult situations, Moderate Language
Notes and Spoilers: Through "Chapter 23: How to Stop an Exploding Man", Graphic Novel Chapters 39 to 42 "Betty" and the Fan Fiction Squall
Chapter 4
"Go Fish," Molly said.
Taylor took a card from the pile..
"Got any fives?" Molly asked.
Taylor gave Molly a side-wise glance.
Molly laughed, "What?"
Taylor continued to give Molly her look as she handed the child the card she just fished.
Mohinder knocked on the door.
The silence was deafening as he stood at the door for a few seconds. The number 1407 burned into his mind. He didn't want to seem precocious yet the anticipation was severe. So many words were racing in his head that he was concerned that when he finally did see Peter they would all spew out in a mangle fashion similar to the knots of his stomach. He thought about knocking again when the door crept open.
"Hey..." Peter said. "Come in."
Mohinder nodded before entering.
Peter tried to smile. "Some crazy five weeks, huh."
"Definitely."
Mohinder stared at Peter–until he realized what he was doing. He quickly turned away and fought for the words to come out clearly. At least Peter didn't look at him the same way he did a few weeks prior when he and Nathan came offering an incomplete cure. The look of betrayal was unnerving, so much different from the man that came to his apartment looking for answers. Their next encounter wasn't much better; actually it was much worse. An encounter from which Mohinder thought Peter didn't survive.
Peter laughed. "You know Nathan made that same expression at the mansion."
Mohinder's expression dropped. Nathan. He knew he could fly. He saw him fly Peter away. He assumed that Nathan was how Peter got his power of flight; Peter even mentioned that day, the day Mohinder got his father's ashes sent to him. If only Peter came any other day, if only he wasn't short with him.
Claire was listening from the kitchen door.
"Stop eavesdropping Claire," her father whispered.
Claire turned around and almost laughed. Her father...she had two men with that title in front of her. Noah was her Dad though, he would always be, but she could not deny the sad look Nathan gave her. She was so angry that she ignored the look before; the look he made when she called out to her Dad when her grandmother...when Angela picked up her cell phone, and she shouted "Dad!"
It was a sad look that was eerily similar to her own.
Nathan recognized the man Claire considered her father the second he saw him. He felt the dull ache down his spine as he nearly bit his tongue to fight off the temptation. He wanted to feel anger for this man. The one that stole so many years that by rights were his own. The day at the hotel. Did he know who he was? But that didn't matter now. His daughter was alive and she was standing in front of him. She was alive and so was he. Alive to fight...
She's just a kid Pete.
He remembered the words like bullets to the skin. He shuttered to think about what Peter asked her to do.
Mohinder looked at Peter, a helpless look on his face. He had to say that he was surprised that Peter had the look of hope in his eyes. Was there something Peter wasn't telling him? Perhaps a reason he was able to be so cheerful even with what must have happened to his brother?
Peter smiled at Mohinder, laughing despite of himself.
"There is another thing I remember. You in your taxicab. Do you remember the first time we met? I didn't put two and two the second time I saw you but that dream I had clarified some things. The day of the eclipse. Do you remember?"
Mohinder stood with a blank stare for a few seconds as he recalled the memory. Soon the blank stare was replaced with a look of utter surprise and frighten irony.
"Yes I remember. You spoke about being special."
Mohinder sighed and looked down at his feet.
"Fate kept throwing us at each other. I didn't listen. I fought it. When I found out that I actually unwillingly lead Sylar to victims, I thought I could stop him, and I just ended up getting you killed."
Peter smiled. "Wasn't the first time I died and won't be the last."
"I can see that..."
Mohinder paused before taking a breath, and saying what he has been afraid say. He too was burdened with too much grief: his father, Eden, Dale, "I'm sorry."
Peter glanced at Mohinder curiously.
One of the last times he used his mind reading powers, he heard a heart breaking truth from his brother Nathan. Therefore, he knew the dangers of using the power foolishly, but Peter decided that perhaps this violation of privacy would be easier for Mohinder who was obviously tiptoeing around something.
"Nathan's alive."
Mohinder looked at Peter.
"I'm full of surprises."
"I apparently he is too."
"I sent him away. I told him to fly away. As fast as he could. That I would be safer if I knew he was safe."
"That is pretty incredible."
Noah stared at Nathan.
He remembered their first encounter clearly.
Nathan resisted his kidnaping quite fiercely. Noah told the Haitian to bring Nathan down but he flew away. As did Peter at the roof. And the memories he allowed Claire to keep. But then Claire told him stories about how weird the Petrellis were and how soon, he would wrap his arms around her and save her from the people that were now claiming to be her family. When it was he that took care of her after her biological mother blew up the first home she knew.
But something then happened that mellowed out his earlier expectations. Peter saved Claire's life on the night of homecoming, and came to trust him but then Nathan saved both Peter and Claire the night of the Election. Noah never wanted to burden Claire with killing Peter, but he injured his arm and couldn't shoot a gun. Noah still had nightmares when Claire used an exhibitor to stop Ted. She survived but their safe life in Texas was finally destroyed when Thompson saw what Claire could do. A bullet to the head killed Thompson, but Noah wasn't naive enough; he knew that wasn't the end.
To Be Continued
Author Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! More soon. Thanks for reading!
