Previously on Heroes (Storm Clouds Gathering): While Phoebe has bad dreams about him, Peter manages to stop the tornado from destroying the train. But it is too much for him, and he passes out. Fortunately, Nathan is there to catch him and quickly gets him back on the train, where Sasha uses her power to determine that he is having bad dreams about Phoebe. The train arrives safely in Portland, where Peter, Nathan, Heidi, and Sasha are met (to their surprise) by Noah Bennet, who has rented a van and reserved motel rooms. Peter insists on going to get Phoebe, but Nathan talks him out of it. Nathan plans to go after her instead. Meanwhile, Phoebe has decided to take an early morning walk, and Will the Snatcher is watching her...

This is a long chapter, beloved readers. The characters took my story and went running like crazy with it. It was probably the most fun to write so far. There will probably be a lot of questions left unanswered at the end of this chapter, but they will be resolved.

As always, thanks for reading and double thanks for reviewing!

CHAPTER NINE

Peter Petrelli was fighting to keep his breathing rhythmic and deep. For one thing, he was eaten up with worry for Phoebe. And for another thing, this wretched weakness was still threatening to send him into another blackout… He leaned his head against the back of the couch in the motel room he shared with Nathan. He wished that he could be the one to fly to Phoebe's aid; but instead, here he sat, feeling as if he would slip away if he did not concentrate hard on living, on breathing, on Phoebe. He closed his eyes.

"Don't worry, Heidi," he could hear Nathan saying, his voice laced through with frustration. "I'll be perfectly fine. No one has seen a future where I get killed by this--this danger that's threatening Phoebe."

Peter had to smile a bit at that. Trust Nathan to have something sarcastic to say…

"Nathan… I…" Heidi's voice was hesitant, shaky.

Peter suddenly got the feeling that she was more worried about Nathan's fidelity than his physical safety.

Nathan must have gotten that feeling, too. "Heidi… This isn't about me being safe, is it?"

Peter opened his eyes wearily and fixed them on the couple. Across the room, Sasha sat perched on the foot of one of the beds, her posture tense, her lips pressed into a frown. Noah was at the window, looking out with alert eyes framed by horn rims.

Heidi glanced sharply at her husband, then continued pacing, eyes fixed on the soft gray carpet. "Nathan, I don't know how to… to trust you anymore."

Nathan closed his eyes for a brief moment, a pained look touching his features. He sighed. "Heidi, do we have to do this in front of everyone?"

"If we don't 'do this' now, we may never get the chance," Heidi snapped, halting her pacing and standing akimbo. "Nathan, just tell me. How do you feel about Phoebe?"

Peter saw Sasha shake her head despairingly. He wondered why, and his wonderings were touched by panic. Sasha understood things through touch. She, of all people, probably knew the truth behind Heidi's suspicion. She had had the opportunity to make physical contact with everyone involved… Stop it, Peter! There's no reason for you to be suspicious of Phoebe. Heidi's just paranoid.

Nathan faced his wife steadily, also standing akimbo. "Heidi, there is nothing… unwholesome between Phoebe and myself. We're friends, close friends, and that's all."

Heidi held his gaze. "Well the two of you seem to share a--a closeness that you and I don't have. Maybe we never had it. But you and Phoebe--you have it. What is she to you that I can't be?" There was desperation in her voice.

Peter leaned forward. If he wasn't feeling so dizzy, he would have jumped right into the conversation to defend Phoebe, but suddenly, all he felt like doing was listening.

"Heidi, I love her," Nathan said quietly.

Heidi looked away from him, folding her arms across her chest, lips pressed tightly together. Peter's eyes went sharply to his brother's face.

But Nathan was not finished. "She's--she's like my sister," said Nathan, calmly and sincerely. "That's what you could never be to me that she is--a sister. We talk and we tease and we laugh--and there's nothing--nothing at all--romantic about it." He looked around Heidi to where Peter sat, listening anxiously. "Not that she' s not attractive, Pete. I mean, she is. She's a--" He caught Heidi's look and stopped, clearing his throat. "Anyway, what I mean to say is, I could never love her the way I love--the way I love you." He looked down, his voice trailing off hoarsely.

Heidi looked at him again, her face unreadable to Peter. "Do you mean that? All of that?"

"Yes." Nathan threw up his hands. "As surely as I'm standing here in front of you, everything I've said is true. Can I go now? The girl is probably in a world of trouble by now, while we're standing here talking."

Heidi nodded tightly. "Go."

Nathan looked at her silently for a moment, then turned to face Peter. "I'll bring her back safely, Peter. I promise."

Peter rose shakily. Nathan opened his mouth to protest, but Peter held up a hand to silence him. "Thank-you, Nathan," he said quietly. He took a few wobbly steps forward until he could reach out and pull Nathan into an embrace. "Do whatever it takes to keep her safe," he whispered to his brother as they hugged.

"I will," Nathan replied firmly. His strong arms supported Peter, guiding him back to the couch. "I'll return as soon as I can," the elder brother declared. Then he walked to the window and flung it open.


Phoebe became entranced by the sunlight streaming through the pines, the sharp coolness in the breeze, and the calls of forest birds. With a pang, she realized that Peter would also appreciate the beauty of the Canadian forest and valley. Peter…

Abruptly, she stopped walking and sighed, leaning against the nearest pine tree. His absence disturbed her deeply. She wanted him beside her. She worried for his health and safety. She needed him so much it hurt.

"Phoebe, Phoebe. What are you going to do without Peter Petrelli to save you?"

Phoebe looked up sharply at the mocking voice, startled to see a man standing near her in the forest. He was deeper inside the treeline than she was, and he was a surprisingly young man, of medium height, slim, with unruly golden hair and slightly tilted eyes of some pale, indeterminate color. "Who are you?" Phoebe asked, backing away from him, toward the clearing. She raised a hand in front of her, preparing to use her power if necessary.

"The name's Will," the young man told her, bowing with flourish, his mouth stretched in a cocky grin.

"How do you know who I am?" Phoebe asked, taking another step backward.

"Not telling," Will said impishly, still grinning. He took a step toward her.

"Come any closer, and I'll fling you all the way to Iceland," Phoebe cautioned, her heart beating hard and heavy in her chest.

"You don't really want to do that, Phoebe," said Will calmly, taking another step forward.

And suddenly, she didn't. Frowning, confused at her own apathy, she lowered her hand. "No… I--I--" She caught herself and quickly raised her hand again. "What are you doing to me?"

"I'm snatching your will," said Will, making a snatching motion with his hand. "Every second, it's becoming less and less yours… and more and more mine."

A strong feeling of vagueness washed over Phoebe. Everything seemed blurry, even though she knew it really wasn't. And she was so tired, so very tired… "No! Stop it!" she shouted, shaking herself. She gathered her power, preparing to fling it at Will.

"No. You stop it," Will said calmly, raising one dark eyebrow.

And Phoebe did. With a sob, she felt her desire to fight back slip away.

Will chuckled softly. "You're mine, now." He raised one elegant hand and motioned to her. "Come with me. We're too close to the house right now."

Numbly, Phoebe followed Will deeper into the forest, stepping exactly where he had stepped before. "Where are we going?" she asked, her voice sounding distant to her own ears. Who was she? she wondered. Why did she feel so sad, as if something was missing?

"We're going to rest," Will told her. There was cruel amusement in his voice. "At least… You are." He led her to a small clearing, where the sunlight streamed beautifully through the trees onto a patch of deep green grass.

"Pretty," said Phoebe softly, vaguely.

Will reached out and took her hand, drawing her to the center of the clearing. "Kneel," he told her calmly.

She knelt in the grass, distracted for a moment by its coolness, its softness.

Will bent down and tilted her chin up so that she was looking directly into his pale, greenish-bluish eyes. "You desire nothing but sleep," he told her quietly.

Phoebe realized dimly that she needed to fight this command. She frowned. "No. That's not… That's not it." Why was it so hard to speak against his words?

Will sighed impatiently. "Phoebe, I admire your resolve. You're one of the hardest tasks I've undertaken so far. I feel…" He sighed again, a momentary look of guilt coming over his roguish features. "I feel almost bad about doing this to you. You're a nice girl."

"You should feel bad," said Phoebe mutedly, somehow knowing that what she said was true. "You should stop doing to me whatever it is you're doing to me…"

Will hesitated, then suddenly returned to smiling mischievously. "Sorry. I can't do that." He straightned. "You really want to sleep. And that's all you want." Then he turned and walked away from her.

Phoebe knelt alone in the clearing, breathing. Hazily, she recalled that she should be fighting sleep. Sleep was her enemy. She had to find the others… What others? Why did she need to find them? She was so tired… So she closed her eyes and drifted, frozen in a kneel in the forest.


Peter's directions had been very clear. Nathan knew he was nearing the spot where Phoebe was in trouble. Landscapes rushed away beneath him, and the air was very cold, getting even colder the further north he flew. He finally spotted the forest Peter had described. It looked exactly as he had imagined it from his brother's words.

Now where was that clearing…?

Aha! Nathan slowed his speed of flight, circling above the clearing. Below, he could see a figure in pink and green, all alone in the exact center of the clearing. Whoever it was, they were not moving.

Taking a deep, worried breath, Nathan quickly landed in the clearing. To his relief, the person was Phoebe. To his concern, she did not look up upon his arrival.

"Phoebe!" he called. "It's me--Nathan. Get up. You're in danger."

Phoebe remained still, eyes closed. Her golden hair drifted on the wind. Her hands stayed locked tightly together on her lap.

A jolt of panic jerked through Nathan's bones. "Phoebe?" He took a step closer to her, then another, and another, until he was standing over her. "Phoebe, wake up!"


Stop bothering. Stop bothering. Stop bothering!

Phoebe frowned in her trance. She wished the voice would go away. She wanted to rest. She was so sleepy…

Then, abruptly, she remembered. She remembered a name. "Peter," she whispered, her voice light and breathy and hardly there at all.

"What?" came the voice.

She started to open her eyes, suddenly and inexplicably longing for the person behind the name. "Peter?" Her eyes were opened, and she saw a man standing above her, the sunlight shining out from behind him, so that he was merely a silhouette against the light. "Peter?" she asked again.


Nathan raised his eyebrows. What in the world was wrong with Phoebe? "No, not Peter," he said slowly. "It's Nathan." He chuckled. "If only Heidi were here to hear you say that…"

Phoebe's distant eyes clouded. "Oh," she said softly, dreamily. "It's you." For a moment, she smiled at him, and she was the Phoebe he knew. Then, suddenly, her face morphed into a blank expression. "I have to sleep," she told him. Then she closed her eyes.

"Phoebe, what happened? What's wrong with you?" Horrified at her condition, Nathan quickly knelt down in front of her, forcefully grabbing onto her shoulders.

"I want to sleep," she told him in that voice that barely sounded like Phoebe, that barely sounded alive. "I desire nothing else."

"Oh no." Nathan hung his head, anger, frustration, guilt, and sadness all vying for control of his heart. "I'm too late. Oh, God… Please…" He took a deep breath and looked back up at Phoebe. "Come on, Phoebe. Snap out of it." He gave her a shake.

She frowned lightly, but her eyes remained closed, and she made no sound.

"Phoebe!" He shook her harder.

Suddenly, a ragged sob tore from her throat, startling Nathan. "Nathan, please don't let me go!" This time, the voice was distinctly Phoebe, but her eyes stayed closed. "Don't let me drift away! I'm slipping. I'm slipping…"

"Stay with me, Phoebe!" Nathan exclaimed, tightening his grip on her as if he could physically force her will back into her body.

"Nathan, don't let me go!" she cried. "I can't fight it. He took my will… I can't…" She sighed heavily, hoarsely, then bowed her head, suddenly still.

"No, Phoebe!" Nathan shouted, shaking her hard. "Fight it!"

She was completely limp, slumping this way and that as he shook her.

Nathan drew her tight against his chest, shocked and terrified at how cold she was. "Come on, Phoebe. You have to wake up. You're stronger than this." Sighing and closing his eyes, he leaned his forehead against hers. "I don't want to lose you." He laughed sharply, grimly. "You're the only sister I've got."

"Sister…" The word came quietly from lips that barely moved.

"That's right, Phoebe," said Nathan quickly, patting her cheek gently. "You're like my little sister. You've gotta stay with me so you can marry Peter, and we can keep you in the family for good."

She frowned then and murmured, "Peter."

"That's right. Peter." Nathan's voice broke, and he had to fight to regain his composure. "He needs you, Phoebe. You have to come back to me so I can take you to him."

But she had slipped away again, drifted into nowhere.

Nathan swore. "I won't let you do this, Phoebe!" He slapped his hand hard against her cheek, wincing at the sharp smacking sound.

"Ow…" Still keeping her eyes closed, she reached a trembling hand to touch the reddening cheek.

"Wake up, darn it!" He shook her hard.

"No… Want to sleep… Don't want anything else…" She frowned and turned her face from the sound of his voice.

But Nathan was encouraged. At least she was responding. "Phoebe! Wake up!" he shouted.

She shook her head, and he could tell she was going to slip away again.

Muttering to himself, he caught her up firmly in his arms, bracing one hand behind her head. "This one's from Peter," he told her gruffly. "He told me to do whatever it takes, so I'm going to do what he would do." Then he kissed her hard on the mouth.

First, she did nothing. Then, to his shock, she started kissing him back. And then, her eyes flew open. He had never been so happy to see the color green.

"Phoebe!" he cried, releasing her from his embrace.

"You're not…Peter…" She raised one dark eyebrow and rubbed the back of her hand across her mouth.

"Sorry." Nathan winced. "I'm glad Heidi wasn't here to see that…"

"Nathan, what's going on?" She frowned, drawing back from him slightly.

"I had to do something to wake you up," Nathan explained. He shrugged. "That seemed to work."

"I feel so tired, so weird," she replied wearily. "What's wrong with me?"

"I think you were attacked," Nathan told her. He stood, gently helping her to her feet beside him. "In fact, I'm sure of it. You told me someone took your will."

Phoebe shook her head as if to clear it. "That might explain why I feel so numb…" She looked up at him, cheeks red. "Uhm… Thanks for bringing me out of… whatever I was in."

"You're welcome," said Nathan. He cleared his throat, embarrassed. Why on earth had he thought of kissing her? Put that one on the list of 'weirdest ideas generated by a Petrelli…' "We need to get you back to Peter now."

"Is he okay?" Phoebe asked, her eyes suddenly intense as she grabbed onto Nathan's arm.

"He's sick," said Nathan. "I think he needs you."

"I knew it!" Phoebe exclaimed. "I knew he was in trouble. I dreamed he was."

"Funny…" Nathan raised his eyebrows, amazed. "He had the same sort of dreams about you…"

"Nathan, take me to him," Phoebe demanded, her grip tightening on his arm. "He needs me." Suddenly, she blinked and swayed.

"I've got you," said Nathan, reaching out to steady her. "Maybe we should tell Hiro and Claire--"

"No, Nathan," Phoebe protested. "That man who attacked me… I don't think he was after them. Peter needs me now."


"Peter, are you okay?" Sasha asked worriedly. She was sitting next to him on the couch, and her hand had just brushed across his arm accidentally.

"I don't think so," Peter replied, his voice breathless. "I'm worried…about Phoebe."

"Me, too," said Sasha. "I'm also worried about you. You need medicine or something."

"I just need to know that Phoebe's okay." Peter stood shakily. "Maybe I should wait outside. Nathan will probably land--" The room seemed to spin suddenly, sickeningly. Peter wanted to throw up, but he could not move. He felt his knees start to buckle, so he knelt quickly, before he could fall.

"Peter?" Sasha's voice, sharp with worry, sent undulations of pain through his head.

Noah left his spot by the window to hurry to Peter's side. "Peter? What's wrong?"

Peter took a deep breath, but could not reply. That breath had not been enough. There wasn't enough air in it. There wasn't enough air in the room. There wasn't enough air anywhere.

"We have to get him to a hospital," said Heidi, kneeling beside Peter and Noah.

Peter doubled over, hugging himself tightly, focusing on each breath, achy pangs flashing through his body, accompanied by a vicious nausea. He could barely hear what the others were saying. His mind was crowded with thoughts of Phoebe. Phoebe, where are you?

Heidi's hand, cool and soothing, reached out and touched his forehead. "He's burning up."

"Phoebe…" Peter stumbled to his feet, amidst protests from Heidi and Noah. "I have to find her…" He staggered forward a few steps, then began to collapse. He reached out toward where he knew the wall should be, hoping to catch himself, but his hands caught at nothing. He was falling through the wall.


"Good thing I booked the room on the other side," said Noah casually as he and Heidi stood staring at Peter… Or at least, at Peter's legs. The rest of him had somehow gone through the wall.

Horrified, Heidi ignored Noah's comment and rushed to Peter's side. "Oh my--"

"That must be a new one for him," said Noah calmly. "Let's see if we can drag him back through."

"This is crazy!" Heidi burst out suddenly, hysterically. "My husband is flying to help his brother's girlfriend, who we know is in trouble because of my brother-in-law's dreams. And now, my brother-in-law himself has just passed out from some unknown ailment and fallen through the wall!'

"You seem to have a good grasp on the situation," Noah replied. He glanced over his shoulder at Sasha. "Sasha, follow the sound of my voice. We may need your help here."


In the end, they managed to pull Peter back into the hotel room. Sasha's power had come in handy in letting them know that Peter was, in fact, still alive and could, in fact, be dragged back through the wall without coming to harm. So now, the three of them stood beside one of the twin beds, where a very pale, very unconscious Peter Petrelli laid.

"I'm going to need Prozac after this," said Heidi, running a hand through her hair.

"A warm bubble bath would be nice," said Sasha, sighing.

The two women glanced at Noah. "This is pretty routine for me," he said with a shrug.

Suddenly, the figure on the bed stirred.

"Peter? Are you alright?" Heidi asked.

Peter frowned and slowly sat up, breathing harshly, one hand going to his chest to rest over his heart. "I feel… I feel a little bit better," he said, looking up at his three benefactors. "Did I just… Did I just fall through a wall?"

"You did," Noah replied with a nod.

"So I can… walk through walls now?" Peter's voice was laced with boyish wonder.

"It would seem so," said Noah. "You must have picked up the ability somewhere. As I recall, there were a few people in the Company files who had that ability."

"Whoa." Peter looked down at himself, then back up at the others. "I feel… better," he repeated. "I think maybe--"

All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door.


Phoebe was not quite as traumatized as she thought she would be from the hasty flight to Maine with Nathan. The politician had been very considerate of her the entire flight, but still… She shuddered as they started to land. This was the worst part. The feeling of gravity tugging at her insides had never appealed to her. She was the person who skipped out on the roller coasters at the fair…

"You can open your eyes now," came Nathan's amused voice.

Phoebe opened her eyes and sighed with relief to see that they were standing in a motel parking lot. "Thanks, Nathan," she said quietly as he set her down.

"You're welcome, Phoebe," he replied, patting her shoulder. "You look like you feel better."

Phoebe nodded. "I do. I think… I think it's something to do with Peter."

Nathan smiled crookedly. "Me, too. I think the two of you have some sort of special… bond."

Phoebe smiled back at him. "I think so. It's really strange, but… Yeah, I think we do."

"Come on." Nathan led her to the door of the room he was sharing with Peter, then raised his hand and knocked on it.

There were a few seconds of silence, and then--

"Phoebe!"

The door was flung open. Phoebe rushed inside into the waiting arms of Peter, who scooped her up and spun her in the air, then set her down and kissed her passionately.

Nathan raised his eyebrows. Whoa.

Noah, Heidi, and Sasha all gathered around the couple. Sasha hugged them, while Noah looked on with a knowing smile, as if perhaps, even without powers, he had deduced that this even would come to pass. Heidi glanced around them to where Nathan stood in the doorway. Quietly, she moved to stand before him.

"I… I know now that you were telling the truth," she said almost shyly, eyes lowered. "I mean… Look at them."

Nathan did look at them. And he grinned. Their joy at being reunited was contagious.

"Nathan."

He looked back at Heidi. This time, she was looking straight into his eyes.

"Nathan, I--"

"Nathan!" Peter rushed around Heidi to pull his brother into a hug. "Thank-you so much!"

Nathan found himself chuckling. "You're welcome, Pete. I only did what you would have done."