Chapter 49 Grip

Odessa, Texas

Burn Toast Coffee

Two days turned into one week and then in two. Claire got back to her work, but Peter waited for her after every shift. She told him that he did not have to, but he insisted. She saw in his eyes that he would not give up and finally agreed. His shifts were the same as Claire. Their free days were the same. Peter took care for that too. Sometimes it was good to have ability. He knew that he did not have to use it in this way, but Claire was important to him, so now he was able to take care for her.

First day of her work, Claire spent mostly sitting at her office. The second day – also. On the forth day, she felt practically useless and shared that to Barb. She told her to sit down and keep the baby. Claire could not fight with such an argument.

It was the last Friday of the month so they had to make a financial report. Usually, Claire hated the numbers. She was not good at Maths in her school, but now she had to deal with it.

'Can we be more b-o-o-o-oring?' Barb yawned and threw one look at Mick. He had bit his low lip and worked on the accounts.

'What?' he looked at her with absent eyes.

'Nothing!' Barb pouted and Mick looked back at the documents. Barb saw Claire yawned too and watched the clock. 'Are you okay?'

'I am. It is just… I miss him.' Claire blushed.

'Who? Peter?' Barb smiled and rubbed her arm. 'It's okay, you love him.'

'You know…' Claire looked at her clasped hands on the table. 'After all these years, now we're living together, have a child, expecting new one… I still love him like the first day I met him.'

'Oh, so romantic!' Barb exclaimed.

'Sh-sh! I'm working here!' Mick frowned and Barb rose up her hands.

'Sorry!' Then she looked back at Claire. 'You never said how you two met.'

'It was…' Claire coughed and looked nervously at her hands. 'It was destiny.'

'Destiny?' Barb looked at her strangely.

'His words, not mine!' Claire shrugged.

'He is older than you…'

'… ten years.' Claire finished. 'Still, I think that he is my life now. It was true luck that we actually made it! It was so hard from the beginning, but now…' Claire smiled and placed one hand on her belly. 'Now I think that all this was worth it!'

'You love him that much?'

'And more!' Claire answered. Then she saw him walked in the diner and her face shined. He held Pete in his arms. 'Peter!' She got off the table and ran to him.

Peter smiled against her and in the next moment, she already hugging him. Her lips touched his in one very soft kiss.

'Mama… kiss… Pete…' the voice of their son made them pulled away and laughed.

'Hi.' She said and kissed his little nose. Pete giggled.

'Hi, you.' Then she turned back to Peter.

'Hi, you.' He answered and Claire did not miss his inquisitive look. 'How are you feeling?'

'I'm fine, just missed you!' She said and his smile widened. 'I missed my boys!' She pinched Pete's nose and he giggled again.

'So, are we ready to go?' Peter asked her. 'You look tired.'

'We just have to finish something.' She waved at the table. Barb looked at them with strange expression on her face. Peter almost wished to read her thoughts, but Claire touched his arm. 'Peter!' He looked at her and she shook her head. 'Don't do this!'

'She knows something! I can feel it!'

'Maybe, but she liked him! I don't want you to…'

'Okay, I won't!' Peter said and thought. 'Not now, but I will!'

'I just have to…' Claire felt dizziness and grabbed his arm.

'You just have to come home with us, now!' He said firmly.

'But I'm really…'

'Are we arguing or something?' Peter rose up his eyebrows. He did not do anything more. His voice was the same, but his eyes demanded her to listen.

'Nope.' She bent down her look as if she was some kind of a student in front of him. 'I'll go get my coat.'

'Good.' Peter nodded.

'Claire, are you leaving?' Mick asked her as she passed beside him 'You are the boss and…'

'She is pregnant and she needs to get back home!' Peter shot him one look. Claire reached him and grabbed his free hand. 'Any problems with that?' Peter rose up his eyebrows towards Mick. He did not use any power now. He just looked like a man you have to listen.

'No, no problems!' Mick said and looked back at his work.

'Bye, Claire!' Barb said and went to kiss her cheek. 'Peter!' She nodded at him and went back to Mick. Peter frowned again. She was too nervous.

'Peter, c'mon!' Claire took his attention and he looked at her strangely.

'Call me whatever, but I really think that this girl is hiding something.' Peter murmured while they walked out of the diner.

Odessa, Texas

Barb's Apartment

Andy was missing. He had left her one note. It said that he went out for a walk. Barb sighed and fell on the bed. Sometimes, she felt like a very bad person. She felt like this was wrong. She was not supposed to do this. She was not supposed to hide Andy. If he was as innocent as he was claming, then why he was hiding from the law. He said that he needed time to prove his innocents, but Barb started to doubt about that. She looked him at his pure blue eyes and tried to find any sign of a lie. She could not see it. That was why; she still thought that this was some kind of mistake. Maybe Andy was the one pulled the trigger, but he did not wanted to. Maybe, Peter had shot him by accident. The problem was that Peter did not look like a man who would attack someone without reason. He looked like a decent guy. He loved Claire and his son. He cared about them and that was obvious.

There was only one or two times when Barb got scared from him. The first one was when she had to stay with Claire while he was gone. In the minute, he came back and she had looked at his face, Barb thought that he was very angry at something. Maybe something had happened and that had driven him mad. He changed in the minute he had seen Pete. The little boy had changed his attitude completely. Peter had smiled and all the anger was gone away, until the moment when Barb had thought about Andy. Peter had looked at her with his peering hazel eyes and Barb thought that he had read her mind. That was an impossible of course. Such things did not exist. However, Peter had asked her about Andy and she almost had told him. Almost, but thank God, Pete had helped again.

This evening, Barb had scared again. Peter looked at her with strange look. It was as if he wanted to see her mind. He wanted to understand what she was thinking. Barb had winced under his look. He was strange. He was mysterious, but Claire loved him and Barb was happy for her.

The sound of Andy's laptop pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked at the monitor and saw that he got mail. Barb frowned. Andy got mail? From who? For what? He had not told her anything. She Pressed ENTER and saw something that literally stole her breath. It was a file, named Peter Petrelli. There was a photo beside it. There was a photo of a man, Barb knew well. However, she knew him under other name – Peter Parker.

Why Andy was so interested from him? Revenge? No, it was too obvious, or was it?

Barb did not want to rummage among Andy's files, but she was already curious. That was how she found how Peter and Claire had met. He had saved her. He was her hero. Barb smiled. So, that was how they had fallen in love. However, why Peter had to hide his identity?

There must be some serious reason for that. Andy did not have to see that. He did not have to know about Peter. Claire deserved to be happy and now, Barb did something that only one friend would have done. She deleted Peter's picture from Andy's laptop. This was the right thing to do now. She closed the small PC and walked in the bathroom.

Odessa, Texas

Parker's House

Peter felt that someone was watching them. He would smile if Claire were not beside him. He knew who that might be. However, he had to take care for Claire first. He told her that he had to take something from the car and she just nodded, entering in the house along with Pete. Peter knew that he would not wait long. Therefore, he was not surprised when he heard his voice.

'We are meeting again.'

Peter just turned around and looked at him. One smile appeared on his face and he tilted his head aside looking at Andy. He held a gun pointed at him. That boy was really stupid.

'I was waiting for you.' Peter said and looked in his eyes. Andy was shocked for one moment.

'You were waiting for me? Why?'

'Why you are so eager to die?' Peter asked him instead and Andy saw his eyes narrowed. Cold chills ran down his spine. That was absurd of course, because he was the one, holding the gun.

'What are you talking about?' Andy asked carefully.

'I swore to make you pay.' Peter said and walked toward the gun. He stopped just few steps away.

'Are you crazy?' Andy almost yelled. 'I could kill you!'

Peter spread his arms and said mockingly.

'You could try.'

'What?'

'C'mon! I dare you! Shoot me!' Peter tilted his head aside again.

'I will.' Andy growled.

'It's gonna be your last try!'

'We'll see.' Andy smiled and his finger trembled on the trigger.

'Oh, I am sure!' Peter rose up his eyebrows.

'Then prepare yourself to die!' Andy showed his teeth. Just before he could even think about pulling the trigger, some invisible force swept it out of his hand. 'What the…?'

How and when Peter had reached him, Andy could not understand. Now Peter had grabbed his neck with iron grip. He saw his eyes shinned with anger against him. Maybe that was how the death looked like, Andy thought and grabbed Peter's wrist. There was not any point though. He held him tight and now he had lifted him up in the air. Andy could not fell the ground under his feet. The amazing part of all this was that Peter held him with only one hand.

'This… is… impossible!' Andy coughed.

'Save your breath!' Peter snarled. 'You are going to need it soon!'

'Peter!' He heard Claire calling him at the front door. Peter turned slightly to look at her. She was scared. Her eyes widened and she wrapped her stomach with her hands.

'It's okay Claire.' Peter said with the most calming voice he had. 'Get inside and call your father. He has to take care for this trash here!' He shook Andy and he opened his mouth gasping for air. 'You have to be quick, though! I don't think he has much time!'

'Peter, please don't…' she said stared at them. 'You don't have to do this!'

'Call your father, Claire!' Peter hissed and saw her rushed into the house. 'Now…' He loosened his grip around Andy's neck and the other man fell on the cold ground coughing. Peter crouched over him. 'You are lucky.'

'Why?' Andy looked at him still holding his neck.

'You have to choose – the police or me.'

'You might kill me…'

'Oh, no! No my friend – I will kill you!' Peter narrowed his eyes again and Andy saw the flames in them. He quickly looked around and saw his gun, lying close to Peter. Maybe if he was quick enough… 'Is that what you're looking for?'

Peter already held the gun with two fingers and waved it in front of Andy's face. Then he carefully put it in his pocket. Andy lost any hope for survival. Peter laughed on his face.

'What were you thinking exactly? What survival? You don't deserve one!'

'Are you… are you reading my mind?' Andy looked at him shocked.

'Maybe I am.' Peter said and his smile faded. He watched Andy got off. 'Maybe you just did your biggest mistake!'

'I just wanted Claire…' Andy did not finish. Peter grabbed his neck again.

'Wrong words, my friend!' He hissed angrily. 'Wrong words and I'm the wrong man to tell them!'

Andy looked straight in Peter's eyes. He wanted him dead. Andy tried to free himself once again and once again, he failed. Peter held him tight.