"Alex, it's dinner time."

Alex looked up from his bed sleepily, having fallen asleep in the mess of blankets while listening to his mp3 player. His eyes focused on the large man in front of him, seeing his lips move but hearing only the audio from the music in his ears. He still shuddered at the sight of him, and removed one earpiece so that he could hear what the tall man wanted.

"I said that it's your dinner time, Alex," he repeated in an irritated yet calm way.

Alex wiped his eyes. He hated it when he said his name like that. "I'm not allowed to leave my room."

"Well, you gotta eat, kid. You're a growing boy," he told him somewhat chillingly as he smiled that menacing smile.

"I didn't eat yesterday," Alex almost retorted, but managed to respond in a less aggressive tone when he saw the man's expression. "I mean, I'd rather just stay here tonight, Tom. I guess I'm not really hungry."

"You're all skin and bones," Tom replied, but he didn't sound concerned at all. "Wasting away. It's a shame really." Alex avoided his devilish eye with caution. "So you had a visitor earlier? Friend of yours?"

Alex cleared his throat awkwardly. "He's nobody."

"Don't lie to me," Tom tsked, shaking his head. "I hear he's your brother. Now, where's he been hiding?" Alex shrugged, absentmindedly rubbing the bruise on his right arm. "I hope this doesn't mean you'll be leaving our company," he continued teasingly. "I've rather enjoyed our time together."

Alex forced a smile. "Been a blast," he said somewhat sarcastically under his breath.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Tom added, stepping closer. Alex instinctively sprang back, his hands out protectively in front of him. Tom raised his eyebrows. "Relax, kid." He leant forward and took the mp3 player from his trembling grasp. "No music. Part of the punishment."

A frown-line formed on Alex's forehead, "Come on, don't you think I've been punished enough? You can't do that!"

"I can do whatever I want," snapped Tom, folding the device in his palm.

"It's the only thing keeping me sane!"

"Karen's orders." Tom shot him a dirty look, and he struggled to find his voice.

"I…I'd like to talk to Karen."

"She's busy," Tom muttered, and Alex thought he could see the man's hand tighten around the device, almost snapping the flimsy plastic.

Alex bit down hard on his lip and scowled. "Okay, that's it. You know what -"

"What?" Tom interrupted with a grim smirk. "You gonna tell on me? Nobody cares, pal. Nobody cared with the files, and nobody will care about this. You're on your own."

Alex swallowed hard and looked away. "One day, man. One day you're gonna pay for everything you've done to me. And you won't be able to ever touch me again." His dark eyes stared coldly in to his, burning with hatred. Tom looked down to the floor and sneered.

"Goodnight, Alex."

The door shut and the lights went out, leaving Alex in darkness. In the silence, he could hear his breathing waver as his heart thundered in his chest. Somehow, he found his hand in his pocket, running a finger along the edge of the piece of paper with Peter Petrelli's number on it.

Peter Petrelli. The stranger who shared his name, his blood. The man who showed up after all this time, claiming he wanted to help. How could he help? Everything was so messed up. Like a thick black line drawn in pen; it couldn't be erased. What could some stranger possibly do to help him? And why? He didn't deserve it.

This Peter guy had no idea who he was, what he was capable of. He was confused and he wanted answers. Needed answers. But they were still just strangers. How on earth could Alex trust him? Once this so-called brother of his found out the truth, he would run in the opposite direction. Forget helping him!

Alex had accepted that he was all alone; that he had to take care of himself. He told himself he didn't need anyone. He didn't need his abandoning father, he didn't need his alcoholic mother, and he certainly didn't need this new guy. This new guy that looked kind of like him, that sounded kind of like him, and seemed to swoop out of nowhere promising things that Alex knew wouldn't last.

Still, he was curious. About his father and his estranged brothers, about the lives they lead and how much his own life paled in comparison to their cosy lifestyles.

He scorned again and rolled over on his bed. His stomach ached, but he ignored it. He wished he could fall asleep again, but the thought of Tom creeping around outside his room made his heart thump loudly. He could hear his footsteps, he was sure of it. Suddenly, he felt sick. And he wished he had his mp3 playing in his ears again.

It felt like hours later when Alex heard the creak of his door and noticed a light shine in to his bedroom. For a horrifying moment, he feared it was Tom, but was almost relieved to see, as he turned over on his bed and glanced up at the silhouetted figure, that it was just Ryan the Moron standing at his door with his arms folded across his chest.

Shielding his eyes from the light of the corridor, Alex sat up and asked him what he was doing. Ryan smirked.

"Tom taught you a lesson, did he? That'll teach you not to nose in to our private lives," he scoffed. Alex's jaw stiffened.

"I didn't read any damn files. I can read you like a book, Ryan. I know you."

"Don't pull that crap on me. Everyone knows you did it."

"You don't know shit."

Ryan smirked again and glanced down for a moment as a few other boys emerged behind him, all with identical frowns and knitted eyebrows. Ryan watched Alex's threatened expression with relish. "You need to come with us."

Emma Coolidge had called round to see Peter that night, filled with concern about the revelation of a third Petrelli brother. She had never met Nathan, but she knew Peter was having trouble getting over his death, and the discovery of this Alex boy must have given him quite a shock.

With a sad smile, she placed a hand on top of Peter's as they sat together in his apartment. "Are you okay?"

He looked at her and smiled at her reassuring face. "Yeah. I'm fine." He felt the urge to look away, but thought she'd find it easier to read his lips if he were facing her. "I'm just worried about him, that's all."

She nodded and squeezed his hand. "I'm sure he'll be alright with you looking out for him."

That time he did look away and smiled modestly. "I hope so. It's just -" he sighed and got to his feet, running a hand through his smooth hair and leaning against the wall to face her. "With everything that's been happening lately…I'm not sure I can be there for him. That is if he even wants me to be there for him."

She stood too and walked over to him. "I'm sure you'll find a way. It's going to be hard but I know you'll try. Because you care, Peter. And I can be here to help too." Her concerned frown transformed in to a sweet smile and Peter found himself grinning too.

He leant closer to her and placed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you," he told her, making sure he paused to finish his sentence before pulling her in to a warm embrace.

"I know, I love you too," he heard her say, and felt her smiling. She pulled back again to kiss him and he smiled against her lips.

Their romantic moment was interrupted by the loud ring of Peter's phone. He pulled away and sighed, indicating to the object, and Emma nodded understandingly. He kissed her gently on the forehead before rushing over to answer the disturbance.

"Peter Petrelli speaking," he said in to the speaker. There was a slight pause and heavy breathing from the other side. Peter pressed the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"It's me. Alex." He heard the familiar voice reply almost breathlessly. "Look, uh…Can you come get me?"

The drive didn't seem as long as before, Peter thought as he pushed down harder on the accelerator. Then again, he hadn't been in as much of a rush the first time. He peered out the car windows frantically. He was sure this was where Alex said he'd be!

Then he spotted a hooded figure hunched over the side of a fountain and Peter knew it was him. He parked the car at the side of the road, jumped out and hurried over to the troubled youth.

"Alex!" he called, and leant forward to get a better look at him. He pulled him up but Alex pushed him away. It was then Peter noticed his clothes and hair were damp from the water and his face displayed an impressive new collection of cuts and bruises.

"I'm fine. I fell," he mumbled unconvincingly when Peter had sat him upright on the pavement.

"What? On your face?" he scoffed. "It doesn't look like you fell," Peter remarked, pulling down his hood to inspect the damage. Nothing too bad. He wouldn't need a hospital visit after all. "What happened, Alex?"

He frowned and looked to the pavement. "Nothing I can't -"

"Nothing you can't handle, I got it." Peter sighed and began to reach for his arm. Alex slapped him away and attempted to stagger to his feet. Peter caught him before he stumbled.

"Look, I just need a ride home, okay? They can't know about this."

"About you falling on your face?" Peter asked scornfully.

"About me sneaking out," Alex gave him a glare before wincing.

They paused a beat and Peter looked at the boy seriously. "What are you so afraid of, Alex? What do they do to you in that place?"

The boy felt his skin burn hot, his heart beat increasing. "Nothing! Okay? Please. I need to get back before they see I'm gone."

"Tell me the truth, or I can't help you."

"You can't help me. Not unless you're gonna drive me back."

Peter was beginning to lose his patience. If Alex wasn't going to trust him anyway, he might as well try things the easy way. He took in a deep breath, slowed down his own thoughts, and listened intently for Alex's voice echoing in his mind.

Except…it didn't.

What was going on? Peter was sure he hadn't taken another power. The only other people he had come in to contact with lately was his mother and Emma. He couldn't remember having any vivid dreams of the future; he knew what they felt like, and he hadn't experienced that for a while. He definitely wasn't seeing an array of beautiful colours dancing in front of his vision to substitute the many sounds that filled his ears. There was no sign of René, the Haitian whose ability prevented other powers from working. So what, he questioned himself, had happened to his mind-reading ability?

His attention turned to the young man in front of him who was staring at him with a mixture of confusion and impatience. He furrowed his dark eyebrows, pushed his damp hair out of his eyes, and shook his head with confusion. "What?"

Peter stared at him. Was it possible? He hadn't really thought about Alex having an ability. Of course, he had considered it. But he had been more anxious about meeting the boy rather than what he was capable of thanks to their father's DNA. He opened his mouth to question the boy before closing it suddenly. What if Alex didn't know what the hell he was talking about? What if he thought Peter was crazy? Now wasn't the time!

He sucked in a breath and instinctively found his hand on Alex's shoulder. This time, to his surprise, Alex didn't shake him off. He just watched as a change seemed to reanimate Peter's features. Because then something quite extraordinary happened: Alex's life flashed before Peter's eyes.

TBC