Chapter Four: In Your Eyes

"You're the engineer," the Cape argued. Fair point. If anyone was going to stop the runaway train, it would be Peter.

He allowed the Cape to hold him as he climbed underneath the train. The vigilante apparently still had much to learn about vampires. He didn't, of course, actually need the Cape's assistance. He was quite capable of defying the laws of gravity as he did his task but, Peter smirked, if the mortal was so intent to get his hands on him, who was he to refuse?

The human's hood fell off as he strained himself to support the undead body, revealing a head of curly hair and successfully distracting Peter from his work. Why on earth did he look so damned familiar? Was he already acquainted with the hero's alter ego? His need for answers was almost as tangible as his need for blood at this point.

"Who are you?" The Cape glared at him and refused to answer. So be it. Peter would have to use his powers to get the answers he sought, but first he had better save the hapless mortals aboard the train. Even if he hadn't caused the mechanical failure, the deaths of dozens of people at the gala he had thrown would be terrible PR.

There; mission accomplished. Oh god, had he actually just saved people? Pretending to be a hero was bad enough, but actually performing rescues was worse. Fleming comforted himself with the thought that one: the news of his heroics would be good for business and two: if the humans had died in a train crash, it would be a waste of a perfectly good food supply…

He blinked as the masked man hauled him back up and roughly pushed him against the side of the car. Peter certainly had quite an effect on the Cape, whoever he was. Perhaps the fool had forgotten just which of them was stronger. Mayhap a little reminder was in order.

Fleming, his pupils distorted into slits, wrapped his arms around his attacker and turned him around, trapping him against the side of the train. Their bodies were so close together that had anyone passed them between the cars, the onlooker would probably have assumed he was interrupting an intimate moment between two lovers.

Heightening the illusion, the Cape shifted against Peter, unconsciously proffering his neck to the vampire. Apparently the hero hadn't forgotten the night at ARK Tower, after all. With his enhanced hearing, the villain could hear the other's heart speed up in anticipation…

Against his will, his fangs extended. Oh, he was so tempted, but now wasn't the time to feed. Not here, while they were on a train full of mortals and not while he was still wearing that ridiculous white cowboy suit. Blood would stand out all too clearly against the pale fabric and it was dreadfully hard to explain away.

He should just fly the two of them off the train, somewhere private, where he wouldn't have to worry about explaining anything… No. He couldn't. Then he would eventually have to explain how he had just vanished off of a moving train. He sighed. The important thing was that this time he wasn't going to let the vigilante get away without satisfying his curiosity.

Peter's eyes bored into the human's as he willed the other to answer his questions.

"Who are you?"

"Vince Faraday." The words were torn from Vince's lips before he could stop them. Fleming stared at him. That was why the Cape was so familiar. That face, sans mask, had stared at him from the front of all of his newspapers and from each of his television stations for weeks.

"But that's not possible. Faraday died in an explosion." He didn't get a response. Oops. He forgot that he'd have to put his inquiries into the form of a question. Okay, the Cape was currently under his power, so he had told the truth and he was Faraday. So the question was:

"How did you survive?"

"Tunnel…underneath the freight train…shielded me from the blast."

Fleming cursed himself. By framing Faraday he had created his archenemy. No wonder the Cape hated him so much and was hell-bent on proving he was Chess. He should've known it wasn't driven by altruism; it was personal: He merely wanted to restore his reputation so that he could go back to the way things were before.

Unfortunately for Faraday, his life would never go back to the way it was before. Fleming would personally see to that.

In the meantime, as much as he appreciated the opportunity to play goo-goo eyes with his enemy, he had another mystery to solve. And if his suspicion that his daughter was on the train was correct, he didn't have a moment to lose.

Jamie had the same gift of super hearing that he had. By now she must have caught snippets of his interrogation and she could barge in on them at any moment…

But perhaps she wouldn't. He knew that had to have been her at the masquerade earlier, the one hurling accusations at him left and right. It was the same voice he had heard screaming at Faraday nights ago. But when he had started following her, she had disappeared into the crowd, unwilling to face him. And if she had really wanted to disappear, she was capable of doing it. The public might notice if the CEO of ARK Corporation was suddenly absent at his own party, but everyone would be none the wiser if his heir apparent quietly slipped out a window and flew off.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and turned to Faraday, who was still under his control.

"How do you know my daughter?"

"I don't," the fugitive replied. The barest hint of confusion lingered in his voice, though the compulsion had drained most emotion out of it. Peter sighed. Terrific. This wasn't going to be as easy as he'd thought.

"How do you know Jamie?" he rephrased.

"Who?"

"Oh for crying out loud!" Fleming resisted the urge to bang Faraday's head into the wall. "Let's try this again. The woman who picked you up after you threw yourself out my window… Do you know who she is?"

"Never…told me…her real name."

"That's Jamie alright. Where is she?"

"Looking for me, Daddy?" Peter looked up and saw his daughter crouching on top of the train.

"Hello, sweetheart!"

"Let him go, dad. You don't want to hurt Vince."

"Hurt him? Heavens, no! Faraday and I are merely having a little chat."

"Do you always compel people when you talk to them?"

"Well, not always… Oh, no. No, no… Jamie, dear, you've already laid claim to him, haven't you? Well, this is awkward."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she insisted.

"You always were terrible at lying to me, darling."

"Just let him go!"

"Very well, but before I do…" Peter looked back into Faraday's eyes. "You hate me, don't you?"

"Yes."

"You could never forgive me for what I've done to you?"

"Never." Peter smirked.

"Wrong answer. You forgive me."

"Dad! NO!" Too late. The suggestion had already taken root firmly in Vince's brain.

"I forgive you," he murmured. Only then did Peter let go of the former police officer. As he broke eye contact, Faraday blinked, as though coming out of a trance.

"You can take him home now," Peter addressed his daughter. "I'm sure we'll meet again."

~VF~

"What happened back there?" Vince demanded. He and Orwell were back at his hideout.

"Vampires have a power over humans, similar to Ruvi's mind-control power. Fleming was using it on you. He got you to tell him your name."

"And he called you his daughter. Why? Is it true?"

"Yes."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Vince exploded.

"I'm sorry; I don't like to brag about being Chess' daughter. Would you have trusted me if you knew who I was? That's what I thought."

"Are you… are you also…?"

"A vampire?" Jamie swallowed. "Yes, Vince, I am. I didn't have a choice! He forced me to turn."

"So how old are you, really?"

"Seventeen going on forty-three." Vince whistled. "Vince, I don't know how much you remember from earlier, but Dad did something to you. He used his power to make you forgive him for…well, everything."

"I thought my sudden lack of burning hatred was a bit unusual. Can you undo it?" Jamie shook her head slowly.

"I wish that I could. Dad's older and stronger than me. I can't override one of his orders. Too bad your brain isn't a computer," she smiled weakly.

"I really am sorry, Vince."

"Does it wear off at some point, then?"

"No, I mean, it would only wear off if…" she trailed off.

"If what?"

"If you were turned into a vampire."

Author's Note: Curse you NBC for taking a show with perfectly good potential and ruining it! I'm talking, of course, about "Heroes." This chapter was named after the song "Eyes" by Rogue Wave, which some of you may remember from season one. If you don't know the song, go listen to it! It's awesome.

Oh my. Was that a cliffhanger above? Guess more people will have to review if it's going to be resolved… *grins evilly*

Once again, thank you to IronAmerica for serving as beta and thanks to IA and Orwell for reviewing!