"Where are we going?" Claude asked for what felt like the hundredth time already.

"I'm invisible now," Peter kept answering over and over again. "I can go wherever I want."

"Which is... where exactly?"

Peter threw a glance at Claude, who he was finally able to see after three weeks of talking to thin air. "Does it really matter where I'm going? You're going to follow me anyway, whether I tell you or not."

Claude let out an irritated growl. "Oh, just admit it, will ye?"

"Admit what?"

"That you don't have to do anything. Start living your own life. Don't think about the others. Forget them. Forget everyone. You have to learn how to let things go, Peter."

"No."

"Don't worry." Claude had to talk louder as Peter started walking faster. "You'll get used to it! It will take some time, a lot of time in your case, but you'll get used to it eventually!"

"I doubt it." Peter wasn't planning on keeping the ability for too long. He had already decided that he was going to switch at the first possible opportunity.

"Why can't you see how good it can be? Just think about all the things you can do now. You can go home. You can travel. You can do anything. You don't even have to worry about them coppers breathing down your neck no more." Claude increased his pace and stopped in front of Peter, giving him no other choice but to stop as well. "You don't need anyone. You'll do just fine on your own."

"It's not what I want." Why couldn't Claude see that Peter just wanted to be left alone? Not forever, but for a while. Just long enough to get his head sorted. "If I'll do fine on my own, then what are you still doing here? I don't need you. Yet here you are, following me around, because you got nothing better to do."

Claude raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps Angela was right."

"Just... shut up. You don't know what you're talking about." Peter resumed getting to his destination, undoubtedly still followed by his invisible stalker. "You haven't changed one bit," he said without looking at Claude. "All these years and you still haven't changed. How's that possible?"

"I know how the world works and I know I don't want to be a part of it. It's as simple as that."

"It can't be that simple."

"Yes, it can. You just wait. Once you see what people are really like, you'll get it."

Get what? Peter wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer. Claude's view on how the world worked was a very negative one. He had spent a lot of time in peoples' homes and the things he saw, the things he heard have made him a distrustful, sceptic and pessimistic man. And even though there was some truth in what he had to say, Peter couldn't imagine becoming like him. He wanted to be left alone, but not like Claude. Not if he had to disappear for good.

He stopped and looked sideways at the house on his right. It felt like forever since the last time he was here.

"Who lives here?" Claude asked.

Peter closed his eyes and had to take a deep breath to calm himself down. There was no way to get rid of Claude. Taking his power only had only given him more reason to hang around. A different approach, that was what Peter needed to get rid of him. "My two nephews and their mother," he answered.

"Okay... So, what's the plan?"

Peter shrugged. "I'm gonna see how they're doing." He had not seen the boys since the funeral and he had been curious how they were coping with the loss of their father.

"There's a difference between seeing how they're doing and actually staying and watching them, Peter. Remember, you can see them, but they can't see you. You'll hear things you'd wish you didn't hear. Once you go in there, there's no going back."

"They're just kids."

"Those are the worst."

Claude was overreacting. Simon and Monty were good kids. Peter used to get along with them just fine. He used to see them a lot before his ability manifested. After that... not so much.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see you around." Peter left Claude on the sidewalk and made his way to the house. He kept looking over his shoulder, expecting Claude to follow him even though he had made it pretty clear how he felt about that.

Claude was gone the third time Peter looked over his shoulder. About time, he thought as he continued moving to the back of the house. Claude's absence made him feel calmer, more relaxed. He savored the silence, even though it was probably just momentarily.

Everything still looked the same, Peter noticed. The back yard, the terrace, the table, it seemed like nothing had changed. Like the past few years never even happened.

He went to one of the windows, pressed his nose up to the glass and gazed inside. Monty was there, Nathan's youngest son. He was playing with a few of his toys. Peter couldn't see either Simon or Heidi, but that didn't mean they weren't home.

Monty looked fine, from where Peter was standing. He didn't look sad or anything. He looked pretty normal. Just a kid playing with his toys. Was he too young to realize what had happened? How old was he? Six? Seven? Old enough to understand what's been going on? Probably.

Peter opened the door, making as little noise as possible and walked inside slowly, step by step. He just wanted to say hi. He didn't even have to stay long, just long enough to see how they were doing and to see how much they knew about abilities.

Monty was facing the other way, so Peter made himself visible before announcing his presence. "Monty?"

Monty turned around. He seemed confused at first, but then his face broke into a broad smile that covered his face from side to side. "Uncle Peter!" He stood and ran towards his uncle.

Peter expected a big hug from his nephew, because that's what Monty always used to do when he saw him, but this time was different. This time, Monty stopped right in front of him and looked up. Maybe he was getting too old for hugs.

"What are you doing here?"

Peter held his index finger against his lips and waited one moment to hear if Monty's enthusiasm had attracted the attention of his brother or mother. "Sssh." He knelt down on the floor and smiled. "Hey buddy. Is your mom home?"

Monty nodded. "She's upstairs," he whispered. "She's talking on the phone."

"Okay." That's good. "And your brother?"

"He's there too." Monty looked confused. "Why are we whispering?"

Peter glanced at the stairwell. He didn't know how Heidi would react if she saw him, if she knew about his ability and if she did, how she felt about that. "Your mom. I don't want her to know I'm here. Not yet."

"Why?"

Curious kid, Peter thought as he looked down and smiled again. "It's a surprise."

"What kind of surprise?"

"I'll show you later, okay?"

Monty suddenly raised both his eyebrows, as if he had figured it out all by himself. "Are you going to fly again?" he asked, keeping his voice down as much as possible.

Peter tilted his head to the side and frowned. He wasn't expecting that specific question. "Why would you say that?"

"Because you can, right Uncle Peter? You can fly?"

How was he going to answer that? What else did Monty know? What did Heidi tell him? What did she allow him to know? "Who told you that?"

"Simon and the other kids at school. Mom says it wasn't real." Monty looked at Peter and at that moment, it was as if he remembered something. Like he was realizing he was doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.

"What's wrong?"

"Mom says we're not allowed to see you. She says you're dangerous."

"Did she really say that?"

Monty nodded.

Peter had expected that Heidi wouldn't trust him after his ability had been revealed. She never trusted him to begin with (not since she thought he had tried to kill himself), but to tell her kids that he was dangerous? That they had to stay away from him? That just wasn't fair. "What do you think?"

"You're different," Monty said as he observed Peter's face from side to side. "You look... scary. Just a little bit..."

Peter couldn't help but laugh at Monty's answer. "Because of the beard?" he asked as he ran his fingers through his facial hair.

Monty nodded his head again. "You look like Daddy."

Peter was taken aback. His smile faded from his face instantly. He just didn't know how to react. Monty comparing him to Nathan had brought a lump in his throat, which made it hard to swallow. It felt so good and yet so painful to hear Monty mentioning his father, it was almost enough to bring tears into his eyes.

I look scary, he thought with a frown. He hadn't shaved in the past month or so. Not because he was getting lazy or because he liked it better that way, he just no longer cared. He hadn't been home a lot after he lost his job and when he was, he only slept and showered. That was all he needed these days. And also, he kind of hoped that his beard would be enough disguise to stop people from recognizing him, which... didn't work as much as he hoped it would. "When did Daddy have a beard?"

"When he wasn't living with us anymore," Monty answered as he looked away. It was obviously hard for him to talk about it.

After he and Heidi split up, Peter realized. That was after Peter almost blew up New York, after he had lost his memory, after he was transported to Ireland. After everyone thought he had died, including Nathan. "Did Daddy look scary?"

Monty shook his head rapidly. "No. He looked really sad. But only because Mom said she didn't want us to see him too. She said he was dangerous too."

Peter sighed. That Heidi would do that to Nathan was unimaginable. "I'm not dangerous, Monty. And neither was your daddy. I know that your mom wants you to be safe and that she only wants the best for you and Simon, but you know what? Even Moms can be wrong sometimes." Trust me, I know.

"Simon says he saw you fly," Monty suddenly said out loud, completely forgotten that he had to be quiet. "Mom didn't let me watch, but Simon saw it. Is that the surprise? Are you going to teach me how to fly?"

Peter gestured for him to stay quiet again. "I can't fly, Monty," he answered truthfully. "Not anymore." He suddenly realized how good it felt to finally say the truth about his power, and to Nathan's son of all people. Heidi wasn't going to appreciate that at all, but Peter felt a strong need to get back at her for telling her kids he was dangerous. For telling them their dad was dangerous. "But I can show you something else. You wanna see it?"

Monty's eyes grew bigger with excitement and nodded his head eagerly.

Peter got up from the floor and started looking for something that could make his, otherwise seemingly boring ability, a little more entertaining for Monty. He wanted to show his nephew that he was everything but dangerous or scary.

His eyes fell on some kind of red blanket that was draped over the back of the couch which gave him an idea. He moved towards the couch slowly, all the while keeping his eyes on the stairwell to be sure nobody had heard them yet. It was quiet, though, apart from Heidi's voice that he was able to hear through the ceiling every now and then. Peter wondered what could have been so important that she left Monty alone, downstairs, with the backdoor unlocked. It must have been something urgent.

"Uncle Peter?" Monty whispered carefully. "Why can't you fly anymore?"

"Because I can do something else now. Look." Peter pulled the blanket from the couch and threw it over his own head. He knelt down on the floor so his whole body was covered from head to toe and asked, "Can you see me?"

"No. You're under the blanket."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright then. Go see for yourself." Peter made himself invisible as he felt Monty taking hold of the blanket. Monty pulled it off, only to reveal that there was absolutely nothing underneath it. "Can you see me now?"

Monty shook his head, unable to speak.

"How about now?" Peter asked, and made himself visible again.

Monty's mouth fell wide open. "Wow! That's so cool! How did you do that?" He was definitely impressed. "I want to do that. Can you teach me how to do that? Please, Uncle Peter."

I wish I could, Peter thought as he got to his feet. "Maybe some other time, yeah? I'm gonna see how your mom and Simon are doing." He still wasn't sure whether he wanted to confront Heidi, especially after what Monty just told him, but he could at least check to see if she was fine. "If that's okay with you of course," he added with a smile.

"When are you going to fly again?" Monty asked, completely ignoring Peter's attempt to get away.

"Don't know, buddy. Not for a really long time, I'm afraid." Unless he found someone to borrow it from again. "Stay here, I'm gonna go and talk to your mom."

"Okay."

"Good boy," Peter said as he ruffled his hand through his nephew's hair. He went to the stairwell and ascended to the second floor. As he got closer, Heidi's voice grew louder.

He followed the sound of her voice and found her in what probably used to be her and Nathan's bedroom. He only took a brief glance inside, saw Heidi talking on the phone like Monty said she was, and quickly continued his way to the next room, which turned out to be Simon's.

Nathan's eldest son was playing a video game. He was seated in front of his TV, fully equipped with headset and controller. It was a shooting game, Peter noticed. Probably some sort of online thing, because he was also talking to someone. Whatever it was, Simon seemed to be engrossed in it, so Peter decided not to disturb him. He went back to watch Heidi instead.

"I don't know," she said to person on the other side of the line. "I feel like I should do something."

"..."

"Maybe I should hire someone. Someone to protect the boys. I can't do it on my own."

"..."

"No, I will not calm down!"

Heidi's sudden outburst took Peter by surprise. He realized (just in time) that he had forgotten to make himself invisible. Heidi never saw him. She did look in his direction, but only for a second before turning the other way again.

He leaned his shoulder against the doorpost and kept listening to the conversation. Heidi was getting more upset by the second. It made him wonder what got her so upset in the first place. Something to do with the boys. They needed to be protected by someone. But by who? Who did they need to be protected from?

"Of course not! I get what you're saying, I really do, but you've got to face the facts. It was him. He did it. They even got it on camera."

Who did what? Peter was starting to get the feeling that this was exactly what Claude had tried to warn him about. That he was going to hear things he'd wish he didn't hear, see things he didn't want to see. He knew he had to leave. He was already leaving, but then his eyes fell on the television and he froze.

Nathan.

It was a picture of Nathan winning the elections. Why? Why were they talking about him? Why was he on the news? Did they find out about his death? Did someone tell them it was Sylar? Peter wanted to know so badly, but the volume had been turned off.

He needed to hear what they were saying about his brother. So he grabbed the remote control from the bed and turned the volume back on, not bothered how Heidi would react to the sudden noise.

"... former U.S. Congressman Nathan Petrelli."

Peter moved closer to the television screen, making as little sound as possible. He had feared this moment ever since Claire told him she had talked about Nathan at the press conference. The moment of truth about Nathan's death.

"Petrelli who, after winning the elections in May 2007, barely survived an assassination on his life in December later that year, was presumed dead after his plane crashed in the beginning of January, earlier this year."

Peter was so close to the television that the tip of his nose was almost touching the screen. It was too soon. He wasn't ready for this yet. Not ready to hear his name, not ready to see his face, not ready to hear them say the truth. And yet, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen.

"His case has been reopened after Peter Petrelli, Nathan Petrelli's younger brother, confessed this Tuesday that the plane crash was, in fact, a set up and that he himself was the cause of his brother's untimely death."

Wait... What? Peter backed away from the television instantly. I did not hear that right...

"Several witnesses claim to have seen Peter Petrelli entering a police station in Manhattan, New York, where he walked up to one of the police officers and confessed to murdering his own brother in cold blood."

What the hell? "No!" No, I didn't! He stared at the television with wide eyes and his hands in his hair. He couldn't believe it. He had to be dreaming. Why would they be making up something like that? Witnesses... what witnesses?! They were all liars. It wasn't him. He didn't do it.

"Police officers present at the time had not been able to take Petrelli into custody due to his abrupt disappearance. Whether he was there to turn himself in, remains unclear. Surveillance cameras show..."

Peter felt like putting his fist through the television screen. He never confessed to being the cause of Nathan's death. He never said that the plane crash was a set up. Tuesday... that's four days ago. He didn't know exactly where he was or what he was doing that day, but he sure as hell hasn't been going around confessing to murdering his own brother. What the hell is happening?

Claude was suddenly by Peter's side and tried to pull him away from the screen. "We better go," he whispered impatiently.

"No, wait." Peter needed to hear more.

"Come on now." Claude grabbed Peter by his arm and practically had to drag him away from the screen.

Peter was too much in shock to react. They actually had it on tape. He saw it as he moved further away from the television. They had footage of him going into that police station, they had witnesses who heard him say those words. I killed Nathan Petrelli. He shook his head. It wasn't him. He didn't do it. Someone was trying to frame him for something he didn't do.

Claude was able to get him to the doorway and out of the room. All the while Peter kept listening to the sound of the television and if he thought it couldn't get any worse, he thought wrong.

A picture of himself popped up on the screen.

"We have reason to believe that Petrelli, who has been notified as someone who possesses supernatural powers, is still somewhere here in the city. Citizens are advised not to go near him and to call the emergency phone number if and when catching sight of him."

"No!"

"Who's there?" Heidi finally dared to ask.

"Don't do anything stupid." Claude was still trying to drag Peter away. "You'll make everything worse."

Peter pulled away from Claude's grip and walked back into the room. "I didn't do it!" he yelled at Heidi. He made himself visible and repeated, "I didn't do it, Heidi. You have to believe me. I would never hurt him. You know me. You know I would never hurt him!"

Heidi was too surprised by Peter suddenly appearing in her bedroom and too frightened to react to his pleading words. She did move her thumb to the red button on the cell phone in her hand, and thereby ending the call.

"Don't..." If she calls the police... "Please, don't make the call. I swear, I didn't do it." Her face was so hard to read. There was doubt on it, but also a lot of fear. Was she really scared of him? Was that why the boys needed to be protected?

"They've got it on camera." Heidi's voice was fragile, barely a whisper.

"No." She believed it. She honestly believed that he would do that to Nathan. "That wasn't me, Heidi. Please, you gotta believe me. Why? Why would I do that to my own brother?" No matter what he said, his words had no effect. She still dialed.

"Enough."

Peter felt a hand on the left side of his neck and got yanked backwards so hard, he almost fell over. Claude pushed him forward from behind, making him stumble towards the stairs. He managed to hold on to the railing just in time. "I didn't do it!" He didn't even know if he was yelling at Heidi, at Claude or himself, but he had to say it. He had to make sure they believed him.

"Shut your mouth." Claude grabbed the sleeve of Peter's coat and pulled him down the stairs with so much force that Peter actually slipped on the edge and fell. A heavy groan escaped his mouth as he landed on his back. He didn't fall all the way down, but he did fall hard. Hard enough to leave a good bruise.

He wasn't even allowed to recover from his fall, because Claude was already dragging him to the front door. Peter tried to fight him, to free himself from Claude's grip, but it was no use. He felt sore from his fall and tired from the accusations that were made against him. I didn't do it, he kept repeating over and over in his head.

Claude opened the door, threw Peter outside, followed and closed the door behind him. He kept pushing Peter forward and Peter kept walking until Claude was content with the distance between themselves and the house. "Are you out of your fucking mind?!" he shouted after pushing Peter forward one last time.

Peter turned around, hoping that he wasn't shouting in the wrong direction. "They think I killed my brother!"

"I don't care if they think you killed your fucking dog! You just practically told the cops about your power!"

"So? They won't know where to look for me."

"Idiot! They will know how to look for you." Claude sighed, waited a couple of seconds, then sighed again. "For Christ's sake, use your power."

Peter made himself invisible immediately. He kept forgetting to use it somehow. He didn't blame himself. Invisibility was a pretty difficult ability. It required constant awareness. Without Claude, he had no way to be sure that his ability was actually working. Of course it was different for Claude, who had been using his power for so long that using it became as normal as it was for him to breathe.

"You are such an idiot. That woman is calling the cops as we speak. Can you imagine what she's telling them? How her ex-husband's murderer suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started shouting at her? Once they do the math, which, trust me, they will. They will know exactly what kind of power you have and they will know exactly how to find you."

Claude was right. Peter had made it a lot easier for the police to find him, but Claude didn't have anything to do with that. Claude had no right to get angry with him. "Why do you even care? I am not your problem. This is not your problem." Claude never wanted anything to do with other people's problems. He never felt obligated to help anyone. He even left Peter to deal with his 'exploding problem' on his own, because he only ever cared about saving his own ass.

"If you keep making stupid mistakes like that, you'll get yourself killed."

Peter glared at Claude with narrowed eyes. He was finally figuring out why he hadn't been able to get the man to stop following him. "It's guilt, isn't it? You feel guilty for leaving me back when I needed all the help I could get." All this time he thought that Claude only needed the company, a drinking buddy of some sorts, but all the while Claude was just trying to get rid of his guilty conscience. "Well, guess what? You are forgiven. Now leave me the hell alone."

"Aren't you overreacting just a little bit? I'm just trying to tell you that yelling at your brother's ex-wife wasn't the smartest thing to do."

"You're only pissed at me, because you don't want to be found. It's got nothing to do with me. You only care about yourself. The fact that I've just been accused of killing my own brother doesn't even bother you, does it?"

"Who cares what they say? You know the truth, you know that you didn't do it, that's all that matters."

"No. I'm going to put this right. I'm going to find that imposter, find out who he is and when I do, I will make him pay for stealing my identity and for using it to confess to killing Nathan."

"Finding a shape-shifter, that's a lot more difficult than you'd think."

"That's something I'm going to figure out, on my own," Peter said, already increasing the distance between himself and Claude. He turned around and kept walking, not looking back once. He didn't even stop when Claude started laughing at him. Loud, demeaning laughter irrupted from the man's throat. He was sick of it. Sick of Claude, sick of everybody who wanted to blame him for Nathan's death.

Claude (still finding Peter's anger hilarious) caught up with him and tried to make him stop. "Would you just calm down?"

"No." Peter suddenly stopped and grabbed the collar of Claude's coat with a swiftness that surprised even himself. His voice was hoarse when he spoke. "I'm serious, Claude. Stay away from me. If you come near me again, I will kill you. You hear me?!"

Claude stopped laughing and stepped away.

Peter let go of his collar and did the same. It took him a second to realize what he had said to Claude, the words he had used that sounded so awfully familiar. He didn't mean it, of course he didn't. It was just an empty threat, but he wasn't going to take it back. Instead, he turned around and walked away, finally (hopefully) leaving the invisible man behind for good.

Next Chapter: The Walker System