Chapter 7: The First of Many Kindles
(The Petrelli Mansion: New York City)
"...I know this baby in the picture, we all know her don't we because she's back where she is suppose to be. So tell me mom…is this Claire as a baby? Is there something you're not telling us and does it involve her and what happened to her recently? What did you do to me and Nathan?"
"I'm afraid it's beginning to unravel and eventually you're all going to find out," Angela reluctantly answered. "It's been staring at you right from the start the truth about the past."
Peter continued to stare between the picture in his hand and back at his mother. The incidents of sudden memory recollection began the day of Nathan's shooting after they stopped the Shanti Virus from being released. It also happened to be the same day Noah and his family was murdered and Sylar's attack on Claire. For some reason none of it wasn't making sense. But a picture is worth a thousand words as Peter thought and he wouldn't be regaining lost memories he never knew existed unless otherwise. However, something inside of his conscience told him it is real, and it must be possible that Claire was part of their lives prior to Odessa.
"Is this real? This picture…is this all real? Did Claire…did we have her with us before?" Peter asked staring at the picture.
"A period of our life where things were once innocent and pure. One's heart and conscience cannot deny the truth Peter. I may come off as distant, detached and cold like your father but one look in her eyes, we knew she would change the tide of our family." Angela said walking into the living room with Peter following closely behind. "For every secret and lie created, there is always a kindle needed to get the flame going."
"It doesn't make sense, how was she with us seventeen years ago? Did you do something to us to make us forget she existed?" He asked sounding upset and then looking around the house.
"There were reasons that you and your brother wouldn't understand why but apparently the kindle is piling up," Angela sounded concern. "I can't stop it for I have seen it that these series of unfortunate events will bring to light the shadows of the past. Those flashes you are getting, they'll keep coming in tenfold until the trigger goes off which will open up the floodgates. Do not strain yourself, it's a very doting task unless you have the right conduit."
"I know what you're doing trying to keep us in the dark about the Bennets' death and the shadow man. Mom, whoever he is knows what you're up to and he's been lurking around. How do you think I ended up with this picture? He gave it to Molly Walker by delivering it to Mohinder Suresh's apartment as a message not only to Claire, but to the rest of our family. You can't keep us in the dark as a way of protecting us mom because if he comes after you, me, Nate or Claire…"
"You try seeking out this man you won't understand what he's capable of Peter," Angela warned him. "Sylar is the least of our problems right now."
"Where is Claire? Where are the boys? I'm taking them back to Nathan's place," Peter replied changing the subject as he saw Monty and Simon in the kitchen doing their homework. He looked at his nephews and asked them to get their things ready before heading out to garden to find Claire. He found her working outside planting a few seeds and watering some flower pots. Peter noticed his old vinyl record player and a few of his old Oasis records he had got on vinyl.
"Hey Peter what do you think of the garden?" Claire's smile made Peter clench thinking about the possibility of revealing something that is either truth or not. He still had the picture in his hand before discreetly putting it in his pocket and gave Claire a small smile. "It looks like there's a few flowers blooming in late season but the plants is still a work in progress. Peter, are you okay?"
"Oh huh, yeah I'm fine kiddo. I see you found my record player." Peter diverted his attention from his mother to his niece. "Hey Claire, the boys are getting their stuff together so how about you finish up out here and meet us back at the house. We'll be leaving soon."
"Okay I'll go get my things then," Claire replied stopping the music from the record player. Peter turned back to her.
"Tell you what, why don't you bring that and my old Oasis records back to your dad's place? I kind of want to listen to those later on." He watched Claire getting her stuff ready and following behind him and Angela back into the house. Both of them whispered without letting Claire eavesdrop on their conversation.
"So now you know a partial truth, I feel this will not stop you until you know the whole truth," Angela replied.
"If only I can remember what I was meant to forget about." Peter looked at his mom and then his thoughts were focused on Claire. He can sense that Angela was thinking the same thing too. "I'm not upset with you mom, just disappointed and confused as to why. You know more than you do but yet you're going to leave it up to us to figure out the truth. I honestly don't know what is true or not but what I know is that this family's first priority is Claire. She's been through enough and she can't take anymore trauma that can stop her from staying innocent."
"You're not the only one who is going to keep on collecting more kindle for the fire. You and Nathan shouldn't underestimate our young Claire, she is definitely a Petrelli and your brother's daughter. When you let her in on the first of many mysteries behind the past, you three will all need to support one another."
(Washington D.C)
Back in Washington, Nathan finished a day of press conferences following his swear-in ceremony as Junior Senator. He was back at his office finishing settling and arranging all his furniture and belongings. He hadn't heard any word from his political aide Tracy Strauss although she was the one that arrange for the press conference and interviews. Heidi was back at hotel calling to check up on Peter and the kids hoping his brother was alright looking after them. Nathan checked his phone and saw a message left by Peter which sounded urgent as he played it.
"Nathan, it's me Peter. I can't explain it over the phone but if you get this message please call me right away. I think…I think there's something going on and somehow Claire is involved. You have to call me right away." The mention of Claire's name made Nathan concern and what was Peter going on about learning something and how it maybe connected to the events that occurred the last few months in Claire's life. He saw his brother teleport into his office suddenly, but the scar on the face indicated that it was the future version of Peter. He was on high alert remembering the press conference and the shooting.
"Do you know what the message is about?" Nathan asked bewildered. "Or…are you here to finish me off?"
"If I wanted to shoot my own brother then I could easily pop two bullets into your chest, figuratively speaking. But I mean no harm in all honesty." Future Peter stated glancing around the room. "As for the message, if it involves Claire then that should be something to take into consideration. You have to be careful on how you guys unearth the past."
"Peter left me a message earlier this afternoon. He wouldn't call me unless if it was of significance. I'm beginning to feel a sudden relapse of memories starting to resurface. I don't know if these are actually real memories or not."
"He's still out there lurking in the dark waiting to strike. If you love your daughter and Peter you do everything in your power to keep them safe? If you want to know about the message I suggest you get yourself on the next flight back to New York City. It never faded after all these years, the emotional attachment you have with your daughter, you just never realize that it was there all along."
"What are you talking about? Is it about what happened six months ago in Costa Verde?" Nathan questioned. "You know there's still no leads and I promised Claire we find out who was responsible for the deaths of her family and Meredith. Unless, four homicides are just the beginning of something bigger. If you're from the future then you know who this shadow man is and maybe you can tell us how to stop it."
"I have to be careful of what I say or else I'm going to change things but it's too late. I've already changed the future by coming back six months ago." Future Peter noticed a picture of Claire and the boys on his desk. "I was suppose to look out for her, keep her safe and I failed. The shadow man…we know who is he but you'll understand why. Just promise me Nathan you and Peter make sure Claire stays innocent?" With that, he watched the future Peter teleport out of the office.
(Hyde Park: Nathan Petrelli's house)
The next day Peter was thinking about the picture Mohinder gave him and the conversation with his mother. He heard that Nathan and Heidi would be back in New York and had the day off to look after the kids. Claire invited her friend Sloan Samuels over to the house to help organize an upcoming party. They've only been friends for a couple of weeks but it was nice for his niece to interact with kids her age. Nathan introduced Sloan to Claire since she is the daughter Nathan's old boarding school friend, Liam Samuels. Peter was happy that Claire had someone besides him, Nathan and Heidi to confide in.
Peter is drawing in a sketchbook a picture of hotel up in flames. A few coloured masks are in the forefront of the inferno. He also draws what looks like the Level 5 prison of Primatech and bolts of electricity and sparks in the forefront. Peter sits on the couch drawing in a sketchbook. Outside, car doors slam as Nathan and Heidi and return from their trip.
"Come on honey I can't wait to see the kids," Heidi replied as Nathan opens the door. "Kids, we're home." Monty and Simon run to Nathan in the foyer.
"Daddy! Mommy!" Nathan picks Monty up and reaches for Simon.
"Hey, boys, come here. Ugh! I got you" Claire comes down the stairs and stops near the top watching her half-brothers greet their dad and mom.
"Anything interesting happen while we were gone kids? I hope you three weren't too much trouble for your Uncle Peter." Claire watches Nathan with Heidi and his sons. Nathan gives Heidi a kiss and her stepmom glances around the foyer. "Boys, where is your sister?"
"She's with Sloan upstair planning one of Sloan's fancy parties again," Simon chuckled as Claire watches them walk across the foyer. Nathan walks in carrying both Simon and Monty as Heidi walks in after them.
"What kind of party do you think they're planning?" Nathan asked while in the next room, Peter watches Nathan with the family. He looks up and sees Claire smiling at him and then smiling at her dad and his family. Peter sees Sloan join Claire at the stairs watching until he sees his brother and Heidi spot the girls.
"Welcome home dad, mom I hope everything went well in Washington" Claire replied surprising Nathan. It was the first time he ever heard his daughter call him "dad" or address Heidi as "mom." He puts his sons down as Claire walks up to him giving him a hug. "Congratulations by the way, Senator Petrelli."
"It's great to be home with you kids," Heidi smiled giving Claire a hug as well and turning to Sloan. "Sloan, always a pleasure seeing you."
"Yeah congratulations Mr. Patrelli," Sloan offered her congrats. "My dad told me the good news that you're the new junior senator for New York."
"Nothing gets pass her considering her father is part of your staff," Claire teased.
"So Sloan what big festivity you're planning to throw this time with access to your father's trust fund? Claire, you keep an eye on this one because sometimes her little upper eastside get togethers end up involving a crime scene tape and a visit from the NYPD." Nathan mockingly teased the teenager.
"Very nice Senator and you're worried with your new position of power I might corrupt your little Claire and she ends up on the front page," Sloan laughed.
"Okay enough badgering New York's newly appointed senator aka my father." Claire playfully dragged her friend back to her bedroom to resume organizing for Sloan's upcoming party. "How am I going to do anything promiscious if I end up being tailed by secret service huh? Besides Sloan, aren't you suppose to be expecting a call from your sweetheart Jamie?"
(Living Room)
In the living room, Peter closes his sketchbook and pulls out the picture he received the other day from Mohinder. Ever since his conversation with his mother he started drawing pictures of the future. What he ended up drawing looked like something that was going to occur on Halloween night in less than a month. He stared at the picture coming to grips of the identity of the mysterious infant which turned out to be Claire. Nathan came into the living room while Heidi and the boys went to the kitchen to eat.
"So do you believe me when I said I was able to manage things while you and Heidi were out of town?" Peter asked.
"Yeah at least not one of my children ended up in the hospital, with a new tattoo or in jail. At least you were able to look after the kids Pete and for that I owe you big time." Nathan replied.
"Don't think about it. However, do warn me next time on the days when Simon has soccer practice. Can you imagine what it's like spending a day with a bunch of soccer moms?"
"Yeah, but they're tolerable to talk to unless if they're bragging about their kids' athletic abilities."
"And next time don't leave a car that has a standard transmission," Peter slightly joked. "But hey at least the taxi system worked in their favor this week. I got your kids to school on time and picked them up from mom's place on time."
"Of course you're super uncle and you got to admit those kids do love you a lot, especially Claire, but not in a...well you know..." Nathan added.
"It's a good thing that she's my niece and don't worry I would never ever consider crossing that line. Plus that has jail and illegality written all over it." Peter continued. "I do however wish you luck dealing with the realities of raising a teenage daughter including the dating and teenage angst and hormones."
"Tell me about it I got my first fill of after the whole Kirby Plaza incident. She was in her junior and she dated some kid back in Costa Verde. Apparently she has a thing for boys who fly but I saw it as having major daddy issues after the prank she and her last boyfriend pulled by scaring the crap out of a bitchy cheerleader."
"She actually dated a kid who had the same ability as you?" Peter couldn't help but laugh at the idea but Nathan's stern unpleasant face told otherwise. "Wow that is major daddy issues but I won't comment. Besides, I was MIA pretty much during that time but yeah, well didn't know your daughter had a rebellious streak."
"Noah actually called me one time to try to talk some sense into my daughter." Nathan said as he suddenly got to the main reason of his presence in the living room. "I got your message last night. You said something is going on and it might involve Claire somehow."
"Do you remember two weeks back at Coney Island? Do you recall when Claire convinced us to go to the photo booth for picture? I thought I was experiencing a sense of deja vu and then I was remembering a trip before that we took to Coney Island. However, we brought someone else with us."
"That's weird because that day at Coney Island I...felt a sense of deja vu too." Peter pulled out the picture hidden in his sketchbook showing it to Nathan. He saw his brother's reaction and then saw the message on the back. What Peter described minutes ago was the same thing Nathan recalled that day noticing the baby he was holding.
"What should we do, Nathan? Apparently this is real and that baby not just some girl, that's your daughter." Peter pointed out.
"How did you get this picture?"
"It came from Mohinder. Apparently it was delivered to his apartment and Molly was instructed to pass it to Mohinder to give to us as a message. Someone knows about Claire's past and we're somehow involved in it. I showed mom the picture and she was surprised but there was truth to it. She's been investigating the Bennets' death since the funeral without either of us knowing." Peter explain.
"You're meaning to tell me mom knows something but doesn't want to reveal the truth to us?" Nathan asked holding the picture.
"Yeah and it turns out the baby I've been seeing in my dreams turns out to be your daughter - your daughter! Look around. Everything that is happening somehow involves her. It's real." His voice goes down to a small, hopeful whisper. "Maybe if Claire's here, she maybe the key to helping us unlock the memories we were made to forget. Maybe whatever happened in the past is connected to what happened with Claire. We have to talk to her, Nathan. She deserves to know the truth, we all do."
"But why are we suddenly remembering things in our past we don't know are real memories or not?" Nathan questioned it as he continued to glance at the picture of him, Peter and Claire in the past. Like his younger brother, he felt some truth behind the picture and his mind was telling him otherwise. "I...I should have known or recognize my own daughter. I guess my maternal instincts...it outweighs any memory damage or whatever the heck they did to us. But for now...we can't let Claire know until the time is right to tell her."
"What if that bastard who killed her family or Sylar comes back huh?" Peter objected to the idea of lying to his niece. "Mom said whoever killed Claire's family is someone who we would recognize once we regain our memories. The last thing I don't want to do is lie to Claire, not about something as big as this. She's a seventeen year old girl she's not stupid and she'll figure out the truth whether or not we tell her. Being raised by Noah Bennet all her life she knows the tricks and trades."
"Look I want to protect my daughter just as much as you do and get some justice for her family." Nathan stated. "But if what you're saying about these flashbacks and memories are true along with this picture, we need to look more into it before letting Claire know. The last thing I don't want to do is put her through more pain because she's already been through enough the last six months. I want my daughter to stay innocent, have some sense of a normal life with the only family she has left. If she was with us sixteen years ago, then why have someone make us believe we didn't know about her until last year?"
"That's what I like to know and apparently I'm coming to understand how Claire's power works," Peter saw Claire and Sloan coming down the stairs and heading to the kitchen. "It's more than just healing broken bones and injuries. It can also stretch to memory damage, that was how I got my memories back the first time. But ever since the shooting, I think I may have just repaired more than memory damage. It's too late for us to drop this Nate, for our sake and Claire's in order to help her we got to understand the past."
Peter tucks the picture back into his sketchbook when they hear footsteps walking into the foyer. Nathan and Peter walk out to the foyer seeing Claire and Sloan coming out of the kitchen with their purses and jackets in hand. Nathan eyes the girls curiously with intrigue.
"Dad, we're heading out to meet Jamie and our friends at the Carlyle," Claire said eyeing her father. "I talked to mom and I told her I be home by dinner."
"We're trying to scout out potential venues for the upcoming party I'm hosting," Sloan added. "So...can Claire come out with me for the day Mr. Petrelli?"
"Seems like my daughter is more of your personal assistant today than your BFF there Sloan," Nathan teased the teenager
"Yeah right, besides it's a two person job to plan something like this." Claire leaned in to whisper something to Nathan. "Actually, I never helped plan an upper eastside party it kind of reminds me of your charity events you attend."
"You haven't seen the half of it," Peter jokingly added as the girls waited.
She kisses Nathan on the cheek. "Don't worry, I'll be careful you can trust me. Sloan knows not to get a newly elected junior senator's daughter in trouble with the press.
He sighs heavily. She looks at him hopefully along with Sloan. "Well, if your best friend is in need of your services today, we might be able to let you two head uptown today and meet up with your friends." The girls were excited as they were about to leave until he called them. "Hey Sloan, I got your father's number on speed dial so you make sure you two stay out of trouble. The driver went home today shoot."
"What about Rene? He's in town for business with mom surely he can drive the girls uptown," Peter suggested pulling out his cellphone. "I can call up mom to see if he's available today."
"Thank you so much Mr. Petrelli and I promised Mrs. Petrelli Claire would be home by six for dinner," Sloan smiled watching Peter getting off the phone.
"Mom says he's chauffeuring her today and has some business to take care of uptown," Peter replied hanging up the phone. "She said that they'll drive the girls to the Plaza and drop them off later. Mom's coming by for dinner later just to let you know Nate. They'll be here in twenty minutes."
(Upper East Side, Manhattan)
Later that afternoon, Angela and Rene picked up Claire and Sloan on the request of Nathan to take the girls to the Carlyle. With the promise to bring Claire home for dinner and drop Sloan home, they informed the girls to check in with them. The car ride was one of civil pleasantry while Claire explained that she was accompanying Sloan to meet up with their friends about scouting out potential venues for one of Sloan's parties. After dropping off the girl and informing them of their pick up time, Angela had Rene drive to the Metropolitan Museum. The car stopped and the back limo door opened as Matt Parkman slid into the back sitting across from Angela.
"I heard that our mysterious shadow man paid a visit to Dr. Suresh and young Molly Walker," Angela stated.
"Apparently there was no harm done to them and he simply left a package he wanted Mohinder to deliver and it was received by Peter," Matt replied. "Whoever this guy is wants them to know something and somehow your granddaughter is involved."
"It will only be a matter of time before he makes his next move Detective Parkman. I can't stop them from knowing the truth but it will all make sense eventually."
"You know we're not Noah Bennet and all this secret meeting and all," Matt argued referencing Noah's affiliation with the Company.
"I know you and Mohinder are not Noah Bennet, but he was a well respected man despite his flaws and motives. I'm looking into his death as an act of respect and a chance of closure for my granddaughter. He raised Claire for almost sixteen years it's a debt to bring him and his family's killer to justice. That package that was left at your apartment is the first of many kindles needed to light the fire. Nathan and Peter will learn the truth about the past, but that's only the beginning of it."
"Mohinder told me to look into a murder that occurred in 1958 in Los Angeles of someone named Theresa. I may have something but I'm not sure if it will help."
"Something is better than nothing Matt." Angela replied giving him an envelope that contained documents and a passport. "As promised, everything needed to provide safety for young Molly."
"I had a friend back in LA look into unsolved cold cases back in 1958. There was one of a woman named Theresa Monroe who was shot to death alongside her lover in her sleep. According to reports, she attempted to kill her husband and he was suspected of his wife's murder. They assumed the husband died but Theresa's file stated she had a younger sister who resided in Texas in the seventies. I don't know what the maiden name was but Monroe was her married name..."
"Stop, the woman's married name was Monroe? It makes sense now why come after the Gordons in the seventies." Angela said. "One of the many follies of one immortal parasite that nearly wiped out the founding members of The Company. That woman, Theresa Monroe was the wife of Adam Monroe you remember him right? The sick bastard that tried to release strain 138 of the Shanti Virus over six months ago in Odessa. For a man whose over 400 years old, he can stir up a lot of problems wherever he goes."
"Adam Monroe? What does he have to do with all of this?" Matt asked curiously.
"More than you could possibly understand. Now we found the link through Theresa Monroe now we need to see how Adam fits into the puzzle," Angela replied deep in thought knowing what is going to happen next. "Peter and Nathan will figure out their connection to Adam and how Claire plays into all of this. It's only going to add more kindle to the fire."