Laney and Peter sat up through the night watching as Nathan struggled in his sleep.
"What do you think is going on in there?" Laney whispered laying her head on Peter's shoulder.
"I don't know."
A knock came at the door startling Laney and causing her to jump receiving a smirk and a raised brown from Peter as he went to answer the door.
"Happy Thanksgiving." Angela's voice rang from the door causing Laney's eyes to roll.
"Mom, what are you-."
Angela made her way into the kitchen being followed by men carrying trays, Laney stood in the bedroom door way, still in her night clothes watching the commotion ensue.
"What is this?"
"Where's your brother?"
"That's a good question." Peter said turning his attention to the bedroom as Angela did the same snarling a bit at the sight of Laney.
"Oh, would you please put these in a bowl for me." She handed him a container of food and headed in the direction of the bedroom.
"We need to talk," Peter announced following behind.
"Yes, I know. That's what Thanksgiving is all about. Just families sharing our lives together." She said with a snide look on her face directed at Laney. "Thank you, gentlemen." Angela said dismissing the men she had hired to help her. "Ok, and please remember to stir some milk into that that's the way your brother likes it."
Laney scoffed and caught a glare from Angela and a sympathetic look from Peter before she headed into the bathroom to get dressed, slipping into a tea length white lace dress and sculpted red heels making sure to show off the necklace that Peter had given to her long ago, she heard Peter talk about the storage unit and put her ear up to the door listening carefully to the conversation. She stepped out hearing the conversation go into some what of a whisper to see Nathan standing there listening as well.
"You sleep ok, Nathan?" She asked putting a smile on her face.
"Yeah, yeah, slept fine, Laney." He said with hesitation as if he couldn't remember who she was.
"That's good to hear." She took a step closer and placed a hand on his shoulder, "you had me and Peter pretty worried."
He nodded his head and took a step further as the conversation between Angela and Peter became a bit more interesting. "Answer him, mom."
He said addressing Angela as Laney stepped forward to stand beside him. "We'd all like to hear that one."
"Happy Thanksgiving, Nathan. So if you two will help me set the table we will sit down like a family and we will discuss everything." Angela began to walk towards the table but was stopped by Nathan's grasp. "Ow. Let go of me, Nathan."
Laney placed her hand on Nathan's arm and looked at him and then to Peter.
"Answer him."
"It's Thanksgiving and you are my family. And we will sit down like a family as we do every year or I will leave here and you will never hear from me again. Your choice."
Laney's hand began to grasp Nathan's coat slightly, her eyes twitching between Peter and Angela. She sighed, releasing her grip as Nathan released his mother and stared at the floor for a moment before returning eye contact with Peter and walking over to the table with him.
Everyone sat at the table uncomfortably scraping at the food on their plates till Peter finally broke the silence, "Ok mom you got us here, sitting, just like you wanted. So talk."
"Peter, where are your manners? Nathan, would you please say grace?"
"No." Nathan answered quickly causing a giggle to escape Laney's lips.
"It's Thanksgiving, Nathan. It's the one day we should express our gratitude."
"What do I have to be grateful for? I'm dead. He knows it, you know it. Why don't you tell us why and put us all out of our misery?"
"Tell us," Peter chimed in grabbing Laney's hand, her fingers lacing around what she could grasp of his.
"I don't expect you to understand or approve of the decision I made, but I hope you can keep an open mind and not condemn it. Sylar was gonna kill the President and you two had flown off to stop him at that hotel in Washington. And I had a dream about you, Nathan. I saw you fighting for your life, I also saw Matt Parkman save you, but I panicked and I went and found him, and I dragged him to the hotel, but by the time we got there-."
"I was already dead."
Angela fought back the tears at sound of Nathan's confirmation before she spoke again, "I made Matt Parkman do it. This is the part where I ask you to forgive me."
"So that body that we saw… that was Nathan." Peter said causing Laney to tighten her grasp around the tips of his fingers. Angela nodded as tears built up in her eyes no longer able to fight them back or hide the truth. "Technically, yes, but as far as the world is concerned Nathan is still alive."
"Yeah, but I'm not me."
"It's your mind. They are your memories. You look exactly the same. You are Nathan Petrelli, you are my son. You're Peter's brother and its been this way for months. And just because you know the truth nothing has to change. We are still a family." Angela reached for her wine glass and offered up a toast, "to us." She said taking a sip back as the brothers sat staring around the room with saddened and angry looks on their face. Laney flipped her hand under Peter's grasp and squeeze it a bit look at him as she tried to get his attention and comfort him a bit but unable to carry out her plan.
"Who's ready for pie?" Angela walked in from the kitchen carrying a pumpkin pie and setting it down between Nathan and Laney, staring holes into Laney's head and then turning her attention to the Nathan and the knife. She sighed and reached for the knife as Nathan did the same.
"Is there a problem, mom?" he said looking up at her. "Some family, you look at me you don't see your son. You see the man who killed your son."
"Don't be silly." Angela forced out in a whisper.
"You," Nathan said turning his attention to Peter, "you don't see your brother. Well that's because I'm not your brother."
"Nathan," Peter said trying to comfort is brother while firming his grip around Laney's hand.
"Guess again."
"Oh, God Sylar's in there with you, isn't he?" Angela said with worry in her words as she stepped back to stand beside Peter.
"We never should have gone to Texas, Pete."
Nathan began to shoot electrical current around the room as Peter grabbed his mother using himself as a shield for her and Laney ducked into the bedroom watching in terror as Nathan painfully fought against the man whose body he had been in.
"Nathan." Peter said fighting against his mother as Nathan fell to the floor motionless. Laney inched closer to him glancing at Peter a bit before continuing on her path, jumping as Nathan began to move and catching a glimpse of his face, she covered her mouth in shock and slight fear at the sight not knowing who this person was as he winked at her and turned around to Peter and Angela. "It feels good to finally be me again." He pulled a napkin from the table and stuffed into the collar of his shirt before sitting down at the table. "What's for dinner, I'm starved." He whipped the three chairs around as a force began to pull at Laney and the rest of them.
"Peter?"
"Just go with it Laney. It'll be alright." Peter said plopping down in his seat as the man that was once Nathan turned around to smirk at her, "He's right, Laney it's gonna be just peachy." he followed her all the way to her chair watching as her fear turned to anger. "Watch that temper, Lane. I don't you to squish anyone with a piece of furniture or stab them by manipulating the gravity in here." He chuckled and smirked at her as she tried to jump at him from her chair. Then turned his attention to the pie between them, scooting it over and front of him and beginning to devour it. "I feel like I haven't eaten in months. You think that's some kind of existential soul thing?"
"You have a soul?" Peter fired back, causing the man to laugh.
"Come on, buddy. That's the best you got? No big speeches about hope? Triumph of the human spirit?" The man said running his fingers through Laney's hair causing her to flinch and snarl at him.
"Why don't you let me out of this chair and find out?"
He laughed once again and turned his attention to Angela, "and you. You have raised the evil incarnate bar to an entirely new level. Thank you, for giving me something to strive for." He stood up and kissed her lips, "all this talk of souls and spirits sends my head spinning. I am not a religious man. But there is one thing I do believe in… blood. Time to carve the turkey." he said keeping his attention fixed on Angela as he lifted his finger parallel to her head.
"Get away from her."
He began dragging his finger slowly across through the air causing a cut to appear on Angela's forehead. Her screams filled Laney's ears and all she could do was close her wet eyes at the sight. Until the screams suddenly stopped.
"What's happening?"
"It's Nathan, he's in there. Come on fight him, Nathan." Peter said trying to reach the piece of his brother that was inside Sylar. Only getting scooted across the room in his chair by him.
"Nathan's dead!"
"No he isn't. He's still in you." Angela said bringing Sylar's attention back to her as Laney's eyes flew open. " His spirit and his mind are fighting for his family. Nathan!"
"Come on, Nathan! Nathan!"
A physical war began to ensue inside the body between the two opposing inhabitants until Nathan resurfaced staring at his mother.
"What have you done to me?" He said before walking out of the apartment.
"Nathan?" Peter said following his brother as Laney stood to check on Angela.
"Are you alright, Mrs. Petrelli?" She said looking over her.
"I'm fine." Angela said wiping her face and standing up nudging her way past Laney, who sighed and sat back down in her seat with her arms folded across her chest. Peter came back in giving Laney a concerned look and them tending to his mother. "I'm gonna find him and I'm gonna bring him back, mom."
"It's over. It isn't possible anymore."
"The one thing I know, the one thing I can count on since all this started, is that anything is possible."
"It's Sylar."
"Nobody wants him dead more than me, you want to know what I want even more? My brother alive. I'll find a way." He said standing up and heading for the door, Laney jumped up and grabbed his arm, he turned to see the concern in her eyes and rubbed the back of her head, "I'll be fine."
"I know, but I'm not going to let you do this alone."
"Lane, I-."
"Pete, your ready for a lot more ability wise than I am, but death is kind of my forte." She turned and looked to Angela as she dragged Peter into the kitchen, "what if she's right? What if you can't get Nathan back? I know better than anyone how hard it is to lose someone."
"And you think I don't?"
"I know you can handle it, you could handle losing anyone, besides Nathan. I'm coming with you. I may not be much use but maybe I can help a little."
"Alright, you win."