Heroes - Rise of the Phoenix
Chapter three - time to run again

Tracy rolled over in the warm sheets of her bed and placed a sleepy hand on the pillow that should have cradled the head of her new husband. With her eyes closed and a frown marring her brow she slid her hand along the satin sheets wearyingly searching for his touch. He was not in the bed with her. Slowly her mind cleared from her sleep and she remembered Noah was on a call with his new partner and position with the New York City police force. He had been scheduled to start at his new position after the first of the year, but there had been an emergency and just as the turkey had been carved and the family had grasp hands to say grace, his phone had rung and it had been his new boss.

Tracy pulled his pillow across the bed to her chest and hugged it close against her body, while breathing in the faint aroma of his scent. She missed him already and it was only the first night on the job. She had understood when Noah took the job that there might be nights where he did not have the opportunity to come home. She knew a detective was the best position for him to help keep the family safe, allowing him to do what he did best; but still have somewhat of a normal life. She thought back to the day he came home from his interview and showed her his new badge. It was a huge step in their plans to create a new life, a new beginning. He was like a child with his first puppy. They had dinner that night over candlelight, and he spoke more to his of dreams and the future than he had ever spoken since she had married him.

After Noah left, Peter and Gabriel had been a great help by stepping in and taking over the lead in his absence. They had managed the festivities and gift exchanged planned with ease and excitement. Everyone had a great time, even Alfred's niece Melody seemed to enjoy herself, and was very excited when Angela had produced a gift for her to participate in the fun. Gabriel had been like a child watching his new family open their holiday gifts with happiness and glee. He had selected while shopping each gift with intent, according to his hearts reflection on the person he had purchased for. He presented a gift of his own selection to each member of his family like he had just placed a crown of gold at their feet in worship. When Noah had opened his present from him; Gabriel had watched every move. His eyes tracked every movement. He caught every twitch, every glint in Noah's eyes as he un-wrapped the bright glittery paper with handfuls of ripping and tarring. Noah was young but it was not his first Christmas.

Little Noah pulled at the tape that held the box lid closed and grunted with satisfaction when the tape broke and the lid popped off and fell to the floor at his feet. With a gasp of silence he lifted out of the box a action figure dressed in a cowboy outfit. The Cowboy had black pants and a pale blue shirt. His boots were black, but his hat was white. Its toy holster was black and held two plastic silver six-shooters. Noah's looked at the toy and turned it over slowly in his hands. He rubbed a small thumb over the cowboys face to see if the mask over his eyes was moveable. Gabriel slid closer to the boy and lifted him into his lap with the toy in his hands. "This is the Lone Ranger. He is a good guy that has to wear a mask to protect the ones he loves. He stood for justice, and honor. He had no special powers, but a heart of gold." Gabriel looked around the room at his new family, "We might each have to wear a mask, like this hero to protect our loved ones, but it is worth it all to be truly loved instead of being all alone." Noah threw his arms around Gabriel's neck and ran off to play with his new toys, with a squeal.

As the evening passed, the family had eventually dispersed. Each had departed their own way home with hugs and kisses as they left. Alfred had promised to return and help clean up in the morning. Hiro and his sister had their sleeping bags on the floor in the living room, settling in for a movie night with popcorn. They were staying the night, as she had an important meeting tomorrow in the New York office of their father's company. Molly had begged to stay up and watch old movies with them, as Tracy caught her dragging a pillow and blankets from her room. She had relented and given her permission to Molly and surrendered to her tired soul hours ago, and Noah was still not home.

Quietly Tracy swung her legs out of the sheets and placed her small feet on the hardwood floor. She lifted her cell phone from off the bed stand to her blurry, and weary eyes, it was 2 o'clock in the morning.

X-X-X

Claire Bennet lay in her bed staring up at the ceiling in deep thought. The day had been full of joy and festivities. It had been the first time she could remember in the last few years where she felt loved, safe, and able to relax. The presence of Peter and Gabriel gave the apartment a feeling of Fort Knox. She was safe inside an impenetrable fortress. She rested one arm behind her pillow, as she looked toward the clock on the bed stand beside her. It was 2am and she could not sleep. The bunk above her was empty as Molly was in the living room having a movie night with Hiro and his sister. Her heart beat strong under her skin, without a hint of being tired. She had brought young Noah to the room hours ago, hoping to fall asleep quietly among her thoughts. Little Noah slept soundly beside her having fallen asleep in her arms still clutching the Lone Ranger toy in his hands.

She had not expected such a gift from him.

Claire drew her slim finger along the pearl necklace that lay across his neck and rested on her bare skin. The pearls in the necklace were perfectly round and had a soft tint of rose in them when you lifted it to the light. The smoothness of the pearls made her skin tingle and heart swell in her chest with pride. What did such a gift mean? Hiro had seen the gift under the tree and pulled it forward with anticipation. He had helped Gabriel place it there when he arrived, and he had noticed it had been saved for last. It was a small unassuming box, flat. She had reached out her hand to receive the gift with a little trepidation and saw her fingers tremble slightly as her finger tips touch his.

As she opened the box and the ladies in the room gasped in a unified breath when they saw what was in the box; she felt worry and a little fear. It was too beautiful. It was too expensive. It was too rich for her to ware. Angela had asked to see the box as Tracy helped her drape the pearls around her neck. It felt so wrong to accept such a gift; but it gave her a rush and brought a flush feeling to her cheeks as she put it on. She looked up at Gabriel as he sat there on the floor before her on his knees. His hands clasp together, fingers intertwined. His face was softened with a smile, "Something from the bottom of the ocean, for the one I found at the bottom of the sea."

She had kissed his gently on the cheek as she whispered a thank you through a dry mouth of awe and surprise.

Peter had patted Gabriel on the shoulder and said something to him that she could not hear, whatever he had said; it had been said with a smile.

They had spent the rest of the evening on the terrace, looking up into the sky. Gabriel told her of his plans to go open a shop down town; a shop to fix watches and clocks. He wanted to make her proud of him. He wanted to live a quiet and humble life. They had talked of dreams and plans for the future. Claire gently rolled over in her sheets and looked out the window into the night sky. He was out there, protecting the city; being a hero. Was he doing it to impress her? She closed her eyes as she crossed her arms over her breasts to get warm. Would her father say? Please let him like the necklace, she pleaded to the heavens above.

She had not expected such a gift from him.

X-X-X

Gabriel Gray leaned against the cold stone of the building brick behind his back. He loved this particular perch high above the city. The skyscraper provided a 360 degree view point of the city below for miles without any major obstructions of his line of sight. He liked that the building did not lease its roof top to the local cell tower companies and he could sit quietly listening to the city below, without the constant humming at the base of his neck from the signal waves. He lifted the sleeve of his jacket and glanced at his watch, it was 2am and he could not sleep.

When he could not sleep he found himself here, trying to clear his mind of the pressures and concerns that plagued him. He wanted so hard to do right by Claire. He wanted with every ounce of his soul for her just to be happy, safe, and a willing part of his life. He needed with every fiber of his heart to be a part of her life and family. He could not fathom a day without Claire and little Noah bringing joy and excitement to his heart. It seemed like they were now the only thing in his life that gave him purpose, direction, and stability.

Christmas day he finally had stiffened his resolve to asked Peter to join him for a late night coffee. He was going to ask him for a loan. A small loan, so that he could start a small shop downtown. A shop that would place him in the center of town where he would be able to keep his eyes open for trouble, but also so that he could apply himself to a craft. He needed to keep his mind active, to force out the haunting faces and chilling screams of his past victims. He needed a place to belong so that he could build something that Claire would be proud to be a part of.

He had caught Peter in the hallway outside of the apartment, as they left after the festivities. Peter had been so busy since their return that they had not had much time together, and he missed their comrade. He even sometimes missed the mental prison where it was just the two of them for what seemed like hundreds of years. "Peter! Do you have a moment?" He had called out as Peter hurried down the stairs at the end of the hallway. Peter had stopped and turned to him with a look of friendship and openness that exploded is a bright smile. "Gabriel, yes. I have an appointment downtown, would you like to ride with me?"

"We could fly. We would get there faster." Gabriel mentioned as he caught up to his closet friend. "True, but that would risk too much. It is better for this appointment to arrive in a taxi." He had shrugged his shoulders not completely understanding or particularly caring one way or the other; but if Peter wanted to ride in a Taxi it would give them time to talk.

Peter settled into the back seat of the yellow taxi cab as Gabriel pulled the door closed. "Wall Street and Pearl please." Peter chimed out as the driver pulled away from the curb, and into the flow of traffic. "So Gabriel, what did you want to ask of me?" Peter opened the conversation as he placed his shoulder bag in his lap and dug through its contents looking for something, as if it was important.

"Peter, I was hoping...I wanted to ask if." he remembered stammering out as Peter's cell phone rang, and he suddenly found himself facing a uplifted hand as Peter motioned for silence and answered to call. He stared out the window as the cab turned onto the Brooklyn Bridge and made it's way into the financial district of the city and onto Wall Street. Peter spoke into the phone in a hushed voice with little comment throughout the ride. "Thank you for completing the transaction so late in the day. I am sure we can manage from here. Please tell the staff Merry Christmas and I will see they each receive a generous bonus in the mail before the New Year."

Peter put his phone away as the driver pulled up to the corner of Pearl and Wall Street as directed and came to a halt. "This is my stop," Peter acknowledged and paid the driver as he stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Gabriel," he called back, "Walk with me."

Gabriel remembered stepping out of the cab with frustration. It was so hard to ask for a favor of this magnitude. He would pay him back every penny, but to humble himself and ask Peter for a loan was tying his tongue in his mouth, like a steer just hog tied out of the shoot at the rodeo. He had followed after Peter as they made their way to a shop where a single man was just locking the front doors and preparing to leave for the night. "Oh, good we made it just in time." Peter had said as they hurried across the way and to the shops door. The man spoke to Peter in hushed tones before he took a long look at Gabriel, starting at his feet and all the way to his face, and finally resting on his eyes in a deep stare.

Peter and Gabriel stepped into the shop and Gabriel drew in a sudden deep breath. Everywhere he looked was lined with clocks and watches of all makes and models. The front glass case held more than a dozen watches he recognized instantly that retailed for more than 10,000 a piece. He was at a loss for words. He was in a clock maker's paradise. "You wanted to ask me a question?" Peter asked.

Gabriel looked around the beautiful store with awe, "Yes, question. Need to ask you a question." he mumbled absentmindedly, "Question for Peter..."

"Gabriel, I am sorry but I don't understand your question."

Gabriel came back his senses quickly, took a deep breath and spouted out before he lost his nerve, "I want to make Claire proud of me. I want you to be proud of me, I want Noah to have what I never had; I want to give him a dad that loves him. I need to start a small business or something to make an honest living. Something small, that I can build into something grand. I need a loan, but I promise to pay you back: every penny!" He had closed his mouth then and watched Peter's face intently for his response.

"Gabriel, I knew I had forgotten something, tonight. I forgot your Christmas present."

Was Peter not hearing him? Had he brought him here to buy him a late present? He looked around the store once more and thought, with the price of just one of the watches in this store, he could buy a vending street cart and open a hot dog business and not have to ask for a loan after all.

"Peter, did you bring me here to pick-out a watch for my Christmas present?"

Peter took Gabriel's hands in his and looked into his eyes like a father into the hopeful eyes of his beloved son. "No."

Gabriel felt something pressed into his fingers as Peter released his hands and watched as he looked into his open palm and saw a key.

"Make me proud, Gabriel. This store is your Christmas present."

It was now 2am and he could not sleep.

X-X-X

Angela Petrelli sat up with a start and a sudden gasp of air. She placed a trembling hand against her heart to calm its racing pace deep inside her body. She was covered in a glistening glow of sweat and worry. Her fingers were trembling as she tried to calm her nerves. She had fallen asleep at the counter in the kitchen. She looked at the clock on the wall with red rimmed eyes of exhaustion and fear. It was 2am in the morning. She slid to her feet off the counter stool and placed her coffee mug of Darjeeling tea back in the microwave to warm it up. With trembling fingers she managed to press the control buttons and then start.

She was afraid to go back to sleep. Since she had placed her head on her pillow; she mind had been bombarded with images and visions of a dreaded future: a future of flames, death, agony, and sorrow. She wanted desperately to rest from the recent events and just have a quiet "normal" life for a little time. But it would seem that the option escaped her, and it was time to plan and prepare for the doom that was pressing against her soul.

Doom and fire. Dread and death were on the horizon.

She needed to see more to be sure. Her dreams were not an exact science. They were a series of images that when combined told a sorry; a story of a future possibility, or a course of action that would bring about a result. She had time. She needed more information. The farther away from the dreamed events the more abstract and less defined her dreams would be. Sometimes her dreams could be years before the event ever came to pass.

Angela slid the tea mug out of the microwave and took a mild sip from the hot liquid. The warmth flowed down her throat and as it reached she stomach the feeling of heat and tranquility spread throughout her limbs and body. She held the hot mug under her nose and inhaled the steam from the tea and breathed in the aroma. Her mind began to clear as her heart quieted down deep in her chest; bringing her pulse back into the normal range.

What was she going to do? Could she confide in Peter? Would he know what to do? How could she save the world if she was too terrified to close her eyes in sleep?

Would they all die? Was this the end of all ends? Or was she seeing something that was a possible future if she did not act?

What if what she saw in her dream was the direct result of her pending choices? What if she was seeing a future which she would create by the choices and action of her own hand? What if her fear of what was to come was the reason the future became unavoidable? What if?

Angela sat once more on the stool beside the counter in the kitchen and pulled from a pocket in her thick winter robe a long case. It looked like an oversized pen case. She placed the case on the counter before her and stared at it. Would this be her undoing? Would this simple choice of what she was to do tomorrow with the contents of this case, be the catalyst that ushered in a destruction of all she held dear? She should sleep. She needed to know more. She needed to see the images and process them. She needed to filter the visions and conclude its meanings. She needed to sleep.

A cold shiver ran down her spine. She feared what she had been seeing.

Angela lowered her chin to the nest of her arms interlaced on the counter top and stared at the small case before her. Would tomorrow change the world and place it on the train tracks of doom? Would she be the cause of so much pain and suffering? She should destroy the case now. But would the destruction of the contents of the case before her be the action that cements the future into an unavoidably dread? She must not sleep, she needed to think to plan, to analyze. She needed to know more information; but she feared falling asleep, as her eyes slowly drooped and closed once more in exhaustion.

X-X-X

Noah Bennet looked at his watch as he took a sip of his cold coffee. It had been fresh and hot when the night began. It is 2am and he had long since missed the remnants of Christmas dinner, and the festivities of the gift exchange. He made a mental note to pick up flowers on his way home, to say he was sorry for such a late night. He covered his mouth discreetly to stifle a yawn, as Detective Sam Beckett approached him from across the street. They had been in the center of chaos interviewing witnesses and reviewing the scene for the last several hours. The last of the frightened and injured people had been cared for and the last ambulance was just pulling away into the early morning quiet. Sam stopped beside him and took a sip of his own long cold cup of coffee. "There is a great diner not to far from here, we should go get something to eat before we call it a night." Sam offered as he looked over his note pad and thought things threw.

"Did you get anything from the door to door interviews?" Sam asked as he shoved his pen and pad into his thick winter coats inner pocket.

"Door to door?" Noah looked at Sam with confusion. "You said that row of houses was abandoned, I haven't done a door to door yet."

Sam patted Noah on the shoulder as he smiled a playful grin, "Looks like the Rookie has some more work to do. I will just go shut down and get ready to head out. Call me if you need me." Sam shook his head from side to side as he walked toward his car. "This night is like one of those episodes in that Star trekking show my dad used to watch. It creeps me out." He turned and looked over his shoulder at Noah Bennet, "must be right up your alley."

Noah grumbled under his breath and looked at the line of houses facing the street. Five homes all small and run down. Several of the homes were covered in gang graffiti and the windows had long since been boarded up. Only two of the houses had doors that could be opened and used as functioning access points to the interior of the dwellings. He knew He would have to search each home, but where to start? Should he start with the farthermost place and work his way from one end of the row to the other? Or should he start with the two homes with accessible doors?

He lowered his eyes and turned to look back at Sam, "Rookie?" when a flicker of light in the corner of a window caught the edge of his vision.

The house stood directly before him and it was supposed to be an abandoned building. But it had movement, and light. The house was in a perfect line of sight to see what had happened in the streets earlier that evening. He shoved his cold hands into the depths of his coat pockets and stepped out toward the house before him. He paused at the bottom of the stairs leading to the porch. The house before him was small and snug. It looked like a country cottage that a large city grew up around it. It looked like a house out of place amongst the towering buildings that covered the horizon behind it. It was the only house in the row of abandoned homes that had a front window that was not boarded up or broken.

He squatted down and ran a finger over the middle step of the stair case leading to the porch. The stairs were broken and slanted through age and neglect; however he was looking at a fresh bullet hole. Noah looked over the front of the house once more and took out a small flashlight. The front of the house had several bullet holes in the wall and door, which looked new and menacing. There appeared to be more to last night than they first thought. If someone was in the house, they would be either an aggressor or victim. Either they were shooting and being shot back at, or they were victims of a lead attack by a attacker now long gone.

Noah turned and clicked his flash light several times in the direction of Detective Beckett to get his attention. He was not going to approach the door solo.

Sam Beckett drew his sidearm and dashed across the street and took up a position behind a box truck parked at the curb near the corner of the house. Noah and Sam exchanged knowing looks as Noah cautiously climbed the steps and approached the front door. He gently placed a foot on the porch and settled his weight down on the old boards and felt the porch hold, but it creaked and groaned loudly. He took a second step and the porch groaned even more under his weight and he could hear stirring in the house. He looked back to Sam and watched Sam dash silently through the shadows and stood now at the corner of the building and hide in the darkness at the edge of the porch.

Noah lifted his hand to knock on the door when suddenly light poured out of the house through the window in the lower corner closest to him. His eyes locked on the face a young girl. Her eyes were bright blue with long blonde hair. She looked to be about six or seven years old. Her face was one of curiosity and fear. She looked into his eyes and seemed to look deep into his soul. She wore a soft pink night gown and had a simple pink ribbon that held her hair back from her face. Her eyes were like an ocean of emotion and wonder that pulled his heart to want to protect and save her. She quickly dropped a sheet or canvas over the window and he could hear small feet run away from the door. Noah lifted a hand of caution toward Sam in the shadows as larger feet could be heard in the house and a door opened and closed with the sound of hushed voices.

Noah gently knocked on the thin door and announced, "This is the New York City Police, please open the door."

He could hear a bar lifted away from the door and an older man slowly opened the door as a dim light from an open wood stove flooded the porch and highlighted his form. He looked tired and old. His eyes were hidden in the shadows as he spoke in a deep voice that gave Noah a sudden fleeting memory of his own grandfather, "Good Morning Officer, it is quite late for a house call."

Noah acknowledged the early hour, "I am sorry for the inconvenience, but there has been an incident and I need to ask you a few questions. May I come in?"

"It is late, I am sorry officer, but I will need to ask you to come back at another time." the old man replied with a stone cold face.

Noah took out his pad and pencil, "Can I get your name please? We could come back in the morning if that is best." as he stepped to his left to get a better look into the small house. There was no furniture or pictures on the wall. There was a door that led to a basement just to the left of the kitchen area and near a small hallway that led to a bedroom or two. the condition of the home which he could see, told him these were squatters, and did not live here legally.

"Your name is Sir?" Noah asked as a whizzing sound passed his ear and a thud of impact hit the door jam just to the left of the face of the old man. Bullets impacted in a rain of lead that caused the front of the house and porch to exploded in flying bits of wood and plaster. Sam turned and aimed his revolver toward the source of the fire power and Noah opened his arms and dove through the doorway taking the old man to the floor in his dive. "Stay low!" Noah yelled at the man as he swung around and slid back to the front door and lifted a corner of the canvas covering the front window. He could see the flash of a rifle barrel from high up on a building across the street. Sam was on the run, and he could see him leap into the air and catch the fire escape latter with one hand and muscle himself onto the scaffolding. Noah dropped flat against the floor and took careful aim and fired several rounds toward the building roof and the flashes of light.

The shooter weapon from high on top of the building across the street spat out round after round. Each bullet felt like a burn iron searching for flesh to pierce. The front window shattered in a waterfall of glass over Noah's body. The thin front walls failed to stop the slugs of lead that ripped through them and left gaping holes in the front and back walls of the house. Noah rolled on his shoulder toward the open kitchen stove and with the tip of his shoe slammed the iron door closed, plummeting the small house into sudden darkness. He rolled back to the open door as his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID, it was Tracy. Why was she still awake? He grabbed his department radio from his belt and whispered into the device, "Sam?"

"Noah, Sam here. They are gone. The roof is clear. I am going to gather evidence. We need to bring in that family for questioning."

Noah rolled over and looked into the darkness of the house and could see that the basement door stood wide open. He jumped to his feet and rushed through the basement door and down the stairs, taking two steps at a time on the stairwell. He reached the bottom step and stopped. The basement was empty, three beds of blankets and pillows were on the floor; otherwise the room was empty. He rushed back up the stairs and checked the bedrooms, and the rest of the house. The backdoor stood wide open, they were gone.

This was going to be a long day.

~ Heroes - Rise of the Phoenix ~

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