Chapter 27 Our

Odessa, Texas

'Claire!' Peter called her, but she did not stop until she did not reach her room. 'Claire!' He called her once again, but she just could not react. She felt weakness in her knees and fell on the floor sobbing. 'Claire…' she heard his voice closer this time.

Peter closed the door behind him and put Pete in his crib. He already was calm and just looked at them.

'I'm sorry!' Claire sobbed. 'I just can't…'

She felt him knelt behind her and his arms wrapped over her shaking body. Claire leaned on him and let the tears flew. She kept them for too long. She was strong too much time… Now she just cracked. It was not only her anger… It was her fear too. Her fear she had kept in her heart. She was scared that someday Angela or Nathan would come and try to take Pete from her. Claire knew that this would devastate her completely.

Peter felt her fear. He knew that she was scared downstairs. He knew her when she was angry or scared. He just had seen some strange mix of the both. Why she had acted like this? Maybe Angela had done something to her that Claire kept it hidden. What was that thing? What they had done it to her?

'Claire, please… I am here… Calm down…' Peter swayed her like a baby. She held his arms and her grip was so tight as if she would never let him go.

'They… they…' She sobbed loudly and could not say anything.

'They what? Who they?' Peter asked her carefully. He was not sure that he would like the answer.

'Nathan he… and I'm not sure if she…' Claire stuttered.

'Nathan and my mother?' Peter asked quietly. Some nasty feeling started eating him up inside.

Claire nodded and tried to calm enough to tell him.

'They tried…'

Odessa, Texas. 11 months earlier

Claire bent over Pete's crib. She just could not stop looking at him. He was quiet baby and his eyes… Claire felt the knot in her throat again. His eyes were the same as his father has. They were hazel. Hazel and warm… Claire was amazed how much Pete looked like his father. Even now, as a baby…

Claire could not stop thinking about Peter. Where he was now? How he would react if he knew about Pete's existence? Despite the fact that he had left her alone, Claire still thought about him. She had tried to hate him, but her heart would not allow her that. However, she had Pete now. She had Peter's son and that was something that nobody could take from her. Claire was the mother of his child… She reached and lingered fingers over her baby.

One bitter smile appeared on her lips. She had some secret hope that Peter would come to see her after all. He just could not stay away from her that long. That was not him. However, he never showed and Claire still lived with that expectation. She never would have admitted that to her parents. They did not even know who Pete's father was. Claire did not tell them. If they knew, this only could complicate things. Claire knew and that was only that matters.

Her phone rang and Claire frowned. Who that might be? At this early hour…

'Hallo?'

'Well, well… My dirty daughter!'

'Why are you calling?'

'I heard the good news!' Nathan spat the words.

'This is not your concern!' Claire snapped, but some unpleasant felling slid over her spine.

'You Damn right! It is not!' Nathan said and made short pause. 'I just wanted you to know that… According my mother this baby is not real! She thought that you had an abortion!'

'Get it!' Claire snapped again. Nathan had hid her, but she could not understand why.

'If she knew, she probably would want to take him here and I…'

'No!' Claire felt sudden scare. 'I'm not giving up on him! She cannot do that! She can't take my baby!'

'Trust me, Claire – she can!' Nathan said firmly. 'We share the same opinion here though; I don't want my brother's bastard in my house!'

'Don't call him that!'

'But he is!' he snapped. 'Now, keep your mouth shut and you could raise your precious… son! Just stay out of my sight!'

'My pleasure!' Claire answered him in his tone and hung up the phone.

She stared at her sleeping son for some time, trying to convince herself that everything was okay. There was not any reason for her to feel scared about Pete. There was not… except one – Angela Petrelli.

'She'll never take you away from me!' Claire watched Pete with wet eyes. 'She can't take you away! I will not let her! I promise…'

Odessa, Texas, Now Days

Peter listened to her carefully. She had told him the whole story through tears. He felt her pain and he could understand her fear now. Nathan… and Angela. The both people Peter had trusted the most had made her suffer.

'I hate her…' Claire said quietly and searched protection in his arms. 'I hate her for doing this… I hate them both!'

'Sh-sh…' Peter held her tightly. 'I'm here now… I'm here and as long as I'm alive you don't have to worry for anything!'

'Don't let them take him away from me! Don't let them take him away from us!' Her sob turned into a cry again and just now, Peter could realize how difficult it was for her to be strong. She got scared just of the presence of his mother.

'I won't let them, Claire! I swear!' he said and held her tightly. 'I won't let them!'

New York

'We have a gather this evening and my mother just gone?' Nathan spoke on his cell phone angrily. 'Where the hell is she?'

Heidi peered from the door and saw his frowned face. That almost made her day. Nathan was in bad mood whole day. Heidi was glad. Even if that made her bad person, she was glad that he had such days. Nathan played his political role pretty well. He deceived everyone with his honest face. He had fooled everyone, but her. Heidi had seen his true face. She thought that she could change him. She thought that she could make him better person… She got wrong. Nathan could not been changed. He was selfish man with so many wrong choices that he could not been saved.

Heidi knew about Peter. She knew how Nathan had banished him and disowned by him again. She still did not know the exact reason, but felt that was something big. Nathan had forbid even pronouncing Peter's name in their house. For him, Peter was dead. He was only obstacle on his way to the White House. Yeah… Nathan dreamt for the White House. That was his goal and each sacrifice on his way to there was acceptable.

'She took the plane?' Nathan growled and Heidi flinched. 'To where? You don't know? Remind me, why I am paying you? Fine!' he said finally and threw the phone on his desk.

'You can stop peering there and come inside!' He said and Heidi was not even surprised. She entered with blank face. 'Are you ready for tonight?' he asked her with stern voice.

'Sure… My smile is ready!' Heidi spread her lips in one fake smile. 'Is that good for you?' she asked after that.

'It's enough!' he snapped and sat on his chair. 'We have to be accurate! Lot's of people are going to be there!'

'The cause is good.' Heidi said and crossed legs. 'People think that you have lot to say about it…'

'Yeah… 'cause my brother supposed to be in such clinic!' Nathan frowned. 'Huh! My brother! He is everything else than my brother!'

'Boy! He really got you angry!' Heidi said sarcastically.

'Read my lips – don't talk about it!' Nathan snapped once again and narrowed his eyes. 'Go get dress! I have to rewrite my speech!'

'Don't worry!' Heidi said as he got off the chair. 'You are a good liar! People would believe you!'

Nathan did not say anything. He just watched her leaving the room and think about the old times. He had succeeded to fool her too then. He had succeeded to fool everyone… including Peter. However, his brother apparently had learned his lesson. The student became better than his teacher was... He had slept with his daughter.

'Touché, Pete!' Nathan narrowed his eyes again. 'Whatever you are…'

Odessa, Texas

Claire had calmed in his arms and Peter took her to the bed. He gently placed her body there and covered her with one warm blanket.

'How is she?' Sandra asked him and Peter turned around to see her standing at the doorframe.

'She just calmed down!' Peter said and looked back at Claire. She flinched in her dream. 'I have never seen her so… fragile!' He said with cracked voice. 'She is so strong through the whole time…'

'That was her first outburst, Peter…' Sandra said. 'Your mother presence obviously…'

'Nathan told her that my mother is going to try and take her Pete…' Peter said suddenly. 'He made her live in constant fear for our son…'

'Oh my…' Sandra looked terrified.

'The saddest part?' Peter licked his lips and his eyes became sad. 'He was right! He knows our mother… Where was I at this time?' he closed his eyes for one moment. 'Where was I when she needed me the most?'

'Peter, stop blaming yourself!' Sandra touched his shoulder. 'You didn't know…'

'I ran! I ran away and left her alone! I left her alone with them! God!' he fell on the bed and covered his face. 'I left her… How could I live with that thought? How could I?'

'Peter!' Sandra sat beside him and touched his shoulder again. 'I love my daughter and I know how much she loves you! She protected you through all this time! She…'

'Was too young and I had to be strong!' Peter said and put down his hands. Still, his voice sounded harassed. 'I had to be… Then none of this would've happened!'

'What about Pete?' Sandra asked quietly.

'What about him?' Peter looked at her with haggard face.

'I admit that I can't understand your relationship… I admit that it is wrong! Still… If you were stronger then, Pete would not be here! You thought about that?'

'It's so… hard.' Peter said and looked at his son. Pete stood in his crib and looked at him. Peter could not help, but smiled. 'But now I can understand Claire. I can understand her source of strength…'

Sandra followed his look and smiled.

'You know… when Pete was born, the doctor asked me who Peter is. Why he is so important for my daughter? Claire had screamed your name through the labor. She thought about you Peter! She never stopped loving you! Even then!'

'I love her too…' Peter said and looked back at Claire. He reached and fixed some golden curls. 'She is so small and delicate…'

'Peter?' Claire trembled with her wet eyelashes and her eyes opened. She sat on the bed and looked around with blind eyes. 'Peter?'

'I'm here, Claire!' He said and she threw in his open arms.

'I thought that you leaved again!' she cried. Obviously, she had dreamt a nightmare. 'I thought that you leaved with your mother…'

'Claire… I'm here!' Peter said and they both heard the door closed. Sandra had left them alone, but no one of them had noticed. Peter took her in his lap and his heart skipped one beat as he felt her pressed closely to him. She was like a frightened child. 'I'm never going to leave you again! I swear!'

Claire felt strange secure when she heard his words. Her body cried for his attention and Peter wrapped arms around her. Finally, she calmed enough to speak normally.

'You still want to check the house?' Claire asked quietly.

'It's my birthday present! Sure I want that!' Peter said, but did not move. He just waited for her. Claire finally pulled back and looked at his face. One shy smile appeared on her lips and Peter fell in love again. Her smile… Her sad little smile, charmed him before was back. 'You don't know how beautiful you are now!' he said and saw the pleasure in her eyes.

'Thank you…' she said blushing. Peter still had the same effect over her senses. 'Come on!' she said and kissed him before stood up. 'Let's go see our house…'

'Our house…' Peter repeated with strange voice. He still could not believe it. 'Our house, huh?'