November 2, 7:30 a.m.

Nathan Petrelli flipped the lights on in his sons' room, picked his way over matchbox cars and Lego's, and threw open the curtains. 'Ten minutes to breakfast. Get up and move, boys.'

Simon groaned and sat up, rubbing at his eyes. 'Too early.'

'I got you up ten minutes late. You need to get downstairs or I'll face your mother's wrath,' said Nathan. He stepped over to Monty's bed and shook the boy gently.

'Time to get up, slugger.'

'I'm awake,' Monty mumbled without opening his eyes.

'He's just going to go back to sleep once you leave,' said Simon as he slid out of bed and started rummaging through his dresser. 'Mom always makes him put his feet on the floor so she knows he's awake.'

'Sounds good to me,' Nathan laughed. 'Up you go then, kiddo.'

Monty opened his eyes and glared at his brother before sighing dramatically and sitting up. 'Is this okay?'

'That's excellent.' Nathan patted his son on the shoulder and left him to get up and get dressed. As he crossed to the door, he paused by his other son and kissed him on the forehead. 'No more tattling from you, okay?'

Simon smiled. 'Okay.'

Nathan cuffed the boy playfully and left the room, shutting the door behind him. He turned around and nearly ran right smack into his own brother who had suddenly materialized out of nowhere.

'Peter,' Nathan said in a low voice. 'Do not do that in my house, especially where my boys could see you.'

'I waited until the door was shut,' Peter pointed out. 'I wanted to talk to you. In private.'

Nathan shook his head and started down the hallway towards the stairs. 'Not now, Pete; I've got a lot of things on my mind.'

'Things like Claire?' Peter caught his brother by the shoulder, halting him. 'You're really going to let Mom take her away to Paris tomorrow? After everything that's happened?'

'We've talked about this already. This is what's best for everybody. I'm not going to talk about it again.' Nathan shrugged off Peter's hand and started to move away, but Peter caught him again.

'Best for everybody, or best for you? Nathan, if what I've been seeing happens, if I explode, then Claire is the only one who can get close enough to stop me!'

Nathan shoved him away roughly. 'Enough of that, okay?' Nathan said in a low, dangerous voice. 'If you're so convinced that its going to happen, then you need to think of another way to stop it. Take yourself out to the middle of the desert and stay there until the day passes. Find Suresh and talk to him; he said something about a cure. Do whatever you want, Pete, but this bomb, whatever it is? If its supposed to happen then there's nothing you, or Claire, or anybody else can do to stop it. If its supposed to happen then all we can do is react to it in the best way we can.'

Peter stared at him. 'What the hell are you talking about? "Supposed to happen?"'

Nathan opened his mouth to respond but before he could the boys' bedroom door banged open and Simon tattled 'Dad, Monty went back to sleep again!'

'Tell him I'll be in in one minute, and he'd better be up and dressed,' Nathan called over his shoulder. Simon ran back into the room, slamming the door behind him, and Nathan sighed.

'Look, Peter,' he began, but Peter had vanished again. Downstairs the front door shut nosily, startling the maid who was just coming into the room. Nathan closed his eyes briefly. The day had only just started and he already had a headache.

November 2nd, 8:45 a.m.

Ando woke to someone rapping on the apartment door. Hiro was curled up beside him, snoring gently with his arm flung over Ando's chest. He'd stolen Ando's pillow sometime in the night and every time he exhaled his breath tickled Ando's neck. Ando smiled and nudged Hiro gently.

'Somebody's knocking on the door.'

'Suresh's apartment,' Hiro mumbled. 'He can get it.'

'He'll see us on the couch.'

'Don't care. You're comfortable and warm and I'm not moving.' He licked Ando's neck, making him gasp. 'Mm. And you taste good.'

The knocking grew louder.

'Hiro, stop that,' Ando's voice was strained. 'Its inappropriate when somebody's knocking on the door.'

'You're inappropriate!' Hiro smiled and finally opened his eyes. 'You're the one with his hand on my leg.'

Ando mumbled something unintelligible and moved his arm so it was around Hiro's waist. Hiro laughed. The person at the door paused in their knocking.

'Mohinder?' called a voice. 'Dr. Suresh?'

Ando sat up. 'I know who that is!'

Hiro sat up and fumbled for his glasses. 'Hmm?'

'That voice! Its Peter Petrelli.'

'Petrelli?' Hiro said excitedly as he adjusted his glasses. 'Here?'

'I can hear somebody,' said Peter Petrelli on the other side of the door. 'Please answer; I need to talk to Dr. Suresh.'

'We'd better answer the door,' said Hiro.

'You do it!' Ando exclaimed, leaping up. 'I'm going to the bathroom. I need a shower.'

'But-'

'Go on! I'll be out in ten minutes; I'm not answering the door like this.'

'Ando-kun!' Hiro protested, but Ando just flashed him a grin and disappeared into the bathroom. 'Not fair!'

The knocking intensified. Apparently Peter Petrelli was relentless.

'Be right there!' Hiro called looking around frantically for his shirt and unable to find it. 'Where is Suresh?' He wondered aloud, glancing at Mohinder's bedroom door. No noise came from it; there was no sign that the professor was even in there. Frowning and slightly confused, Hiro tugged the sheet off of the pull out couch and wrapped it around his shoulders. This was going to be embarrassing and not at all how he pictured meeting Peter Petrelli for the first time.

Hiro edged around the couch and over to the front door with the sheet trailing behind him like a cape. Taped over the peephole on the front door was a scribbled note. Hiro could barely read it.

Hiro and Ando,

I've gone to see what I can find on Sylar's whereabouts. Please don't leave until I've returned. Help yourselves to whatever is in the kitchen. I'll be back shortly.

Suresh.

Well, that explained one thing at least. Hiro looked around for a place to put the note, couldn't find one, and ended up sticking it back on the door. Then, taking a deep breath to steel himself for the utter humiliation that was about the befall him, he unlocked the door and opened it.

'Peter Petrelli.' Hiro smiled and bowed, though his cheeks were burning.

Peter stared at him, then blinked. 'Hiro?' he asked incredulously. 'Hiro Nakamura?'

'Yes,' Hiro admitted, averting his eyes. 'That's me.'

'You're...you look...different.' Peter's lips twitched as he tried not to laugh. 'You sound different.'

'I know. I'm not mean and scary yet.'

At this, Peter laughed out loud. 'No, you're not that. What are you doing here?'

Hiro stood aside so Peter could come through the door and said 'Long story.'