MOHINDER SURESH, CLAIRE BENNETT & MOLLY WALKER
NEW YORK
"Claire…" Mohinder crept silently into the bedroom the minute he was off the phone with her father. "Claire, wake up…" he was leaning over the bed whispering to the blonde, trying not to wake up Molly who was rolled over in the other direction.
Claire wasn't waking up, and Mohinder wasn't quite sure what else to do to stir her. He straightened up and fixed his hands on his hips, staring down at the steadily sleeping teenager. He shook his head. What the hell am I doing? I don't know the first thing about kids, let alone girls! How am I supposed to take care of them?
Mohinder sighed, trying to push his fears and doubts from his mind as he once again leaned over Claire, this time touching her shoulder attempting more firmly to wake her. "Claire, please wake up!"
She finally started to stir. Her eyelids twitched and opened slowly, then she yawned and her eyes started to focus in on him. "Dr. Suresh?" She yawned again.
"Yea…shh…don't wake up Molly." Mohinder instructed as Claire sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. He held his finger to his lips, signaling for quiet, and led her into the other room.
"What's wrong?" Claire asked in a whisper.
"We need to leave here." Mohinder told her simply.
"Why? You told us we'd be safe here." Claire reminded him.
"I thought we would be, but I was wrong." He sighed. "I just got a call from your dad, Claire."
"What?" Claire shook her head. "Did you tell him I was here? Is he coming to get me?" She headed toward the door, preparing to grab her jacket and flee from his apartment.
"No, Claire calm down!" Mohinder took hold of her arm, pulling her over to the couch and forcing her to sit down. "Your dad is not coming for you."
"Are you sure?" She calmed a little bit, but she could still feel her heart beating quickly.
"Yes, you have my word. He called to tell me that he was heading back to Texas and he wanted to ask me to try and find you so I could look after you." He explained. "Your dad is very concerned about you, but he is going to respect your decision and give you space."
"Space?" Claire felt like laughing. Regardless of what her father did or where he went, she knew that giving her space would be the farthest thing from his mind. She knew him well enough to know that he wasn't going to give up, even if he would temporarily leave her alone. "Did you tell him I was here?"
"Yes I did." Mohinder didn't feel like lying to her. She was a young woman who had had a difficult enough life without everyone trying to coddle her and lie to her. "He needed to know that you are not alone."
"It's okay. It's good that you told him." Claire decided. "Maybe it will keep him from worrying."
"I doubt that." Mohinder offered her a slight smile, but then remembered what else her father had told him on the phone and his smile faded. "We need to leave here though as soon as possible."
"Why?" Claire sensed Mohinder's fear and instantly grew serious as well.
"Your father also called me to tell me that Sylar is not dead as we all assumed. He somehow lived despite his wound." Mohinder explained. "That's why we can't stay. He knows where I live. If he comes here…" He couldn't finish the thought.
Hearing about Sylar sent a strange coldness through Claire. She felt as though someone had replaced her insides with ice and for a moment she couldn't breathe. "He can't be. I mean I saw him dead…or dying. He was lying there and…"
"I know Claire, it's difficult to comprehend like this, but we have to face the facts and we have to deal with the situation." Mohinder glanced around the apartment nervously. "I'm afraid you and Molly are both prime targets for him. If he learns that you are here with me, I doubt he will hesitate to come after you both."
Claire nodded in agreement. "You're right, we need to take care of Molly."
"And you Claire. I know you're basically indestructible, but he could still kill you." Mohinder reminded her. "I promised your father I would take care of you and I intend to keep my promise."
She smiled. "Thank you. I really do appreciate it. I mean, I just crashed your life, probably putting you in a whole lot of danger…"
"Claire, don't worry about it. This is the path I have chosen and I have no regrets about it."
"Well, thanks all the same." She stood and headed back to the bedroom. "I need to wake up Molly. Get what you need…" she waved her hand around the apartment, "and then we'll get out of here."
Mohinder started gathering things in a hurry, shoving books and scraps of scribbled pages of research notes into a bag. He gave his smashed computer a longing glance before moving onto the desk drawers where he managed to salvage a few important files of genetic identities that he hadn't had a chance to contact yet.
Meanwhile, Claire had returned to the bedroom to wake the young girl. As Claire leaned over her, she realized that the girl seemed to be in some sort of sleeping fit. Her expression was a fierce scowl and her eyes were shifting speedily beneath her closed eyelids. Even her body started twitching strangely.
"Molly…" Claire started to worry. "Sweetheart, wake up…"
The little girl's mouth stretched and she released a strange little scream.
"Molly!" Claire laid her hand on the girl's shoulder gently. "I think you're having a nightmare sweetie."
Molly's eyes snapped open suddenly. "He's here…" Her breathing was faster than normal and Claire noticed beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
"Who's here?" Claire asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking Molly's hand comfortingly.
"He was here…he could see me." Tears slipped out of her round brown eyes and she turned her head away from Claire.
"Sweetie, I don't understand. There's nobody here except for me." She wiped the tears away from the girl's face. "You were just having a bad dream."
"No. It wasn't a dream." Molly insisted. She sat up suddenly. Her eyes were still shimmering with tears, but she wasn't crying anymore. "You don't understand. Sometimes he can see me when I sleep…and then sometimes I feel like I can't stop sleeping. It's like I'm stuck."
Claire didn't have a clue what the girl was talking about, but she tried to show support for the girl's nightmare. "It's okay sweetie, you're awake now and he's not here anymore, right?" She scooted closer to the girl and pulled her into a comforting hug.
Molly nodded, sniffing slightly. "If I concentrate on him though, he can see me when I'm awake."
"Then don't concentrate on him." Claire told her simply. "Just clear your head. Just relax." She stroked the girl's long hair soothingly. "You're safe here with me and with Dr. Suresh." Claire hesitated slightly, realizing that what she was saying wasn't true. They weren't safe there. That's why she had come into the room in the first place. "Sweetie, I need you to get up now, okay? We've got to go…" Claire wanted to tell Molly what was happening without scaring the girl anymore than she already was.
"Where are we going? I thought Dr. Suresh said we were going to stay here for a while…" Molly obediently slid off the bed and followed Claire back into the front room where Mohinder now had three bags full of his belongings piled on the couch.
"Molly, we have to go somewhere else for a little while." Mohinder spoke up, not quite sure how much Claire had told her.
"Why?" The girl repeated her question to Mohinder.
"Something's come up is all." Mohinder told her simply. He glanced at Claire and she understood that he was equally hesitant to be too truthful to the girl.
"Okay." Molly let Claire help her tie her shoes, even though she was more than capable of doing it herself, Molly still felt a little sleepy and Claire was more than willing to help out.
"Are we ready?" Mohinder asked as the girls stood and moved over to the front door.
"I think so." Claire nodded, taking one of the bags from Mohinder to help him with his load.
"Good, then we should be off."
"Umm, Dr. Suresh…" Molly spoke up as he opened the door for them and motioned them out into the hallway.
"Yes, Molly?"
"Where are we going?"
Mohinder paused, realizing that he didn't have a plan. "A hotel?"
Claire nodded. "That woman, Niki, she told me where she and her son were staying in case we wanted to get in touch with them." She fished in the pocket of her pea coat and pulled out a piece of paper that she had scribbled the information on. "This is the hotel and room number."
"So, you think we should go to her?" Mohinder asked.
"Maybe so." Claire didn't know where else they could go. She didn't know anyone else in New York except for the Petrelli's, but she wasn't quite ready to seek out her grandmother. "Safety in numbers, right?"
Mohinder nodded. "I suppose so. Besides, she doesn't know…" He stopped himself, realizing how intently Molly was listening to their conversation.
Claire picked up on his meaning and didn't need him to finish his sentence. "There's a cab!" She took a step off the sidewalk and held out her hand to catch the driver's attention and the taxi pulled over.
Mohinder pulled open the back door and waved the girls into the backseat before tossing in the bags that he was carrying and climbing in after them. "52nd and Broadway please." The driver nodded to confirm that he had heard and pulled back into the thin stream of early morning traffic.
"Sweetie, why don't you rest your head on my shoulder and see if you can fall asleep?" Claire suggested to Molly. "The drive might be a while." Molly's eyes stretched and Claire realized that she had said the wrong thing. "Never mind. Just stay awake and relax." She slipped her arm around the young girl's shoulders and stroked her arm soothingly. While Molly focused her eyes on the sights through the window, Claire turned to Mohinder, lowering her voice. "She says that there's somebody who sees her in her dreams."
Mohinder's forehead creased with worry. "I think she's mentioned him before. She told me once that there was only one person that she wouldn't use her powers to locate because he could see her."
Claire nodded. "She mentioned something about that. Who do you think it is?"
"I have no idea, but she's clearly terrified of him." He stated unnecessarily. "We need to help her keep her mind off of this man."
Claire agreed with a nod. She had already thought of a way to distract Molly. "Sweetie, are you feeling well enough to try and find someone for me now?"
Molly glanced up at her and nodded. "I can try." She sat up straighter. "Do you have a map?"
Claire glanced at Mohinder who shook his head. "We'll wait until we reach the hotel."
"Do you want me to find your hero?" She asked.
Claire nodded, smiling slightly at the girl. "Yes, I want you find Peter." Mohinder cleared his throat, but she glared at him. "I believe he's alive."
"I hope you're right." Mohinder told her.
"I have to be." She was speaking to herself now. If he's dead, then there's no one left for me.
Mohinder seemed to sense her sadness, because when he spoke again his voice had grown softer. "He's strong. Like you, right? He can survive."
Claire started to reply, but was cut off as her cell phone rang. She instinctively decided that her dad was calling to lecture her for running off, and so she pulled it from her pocket with some resistance. She didn't recognize the number, but that only confirmed her suspicion that it was her dad. I just hope he's calling from the airport.
"Hello?" She answered on the third ring. Only silence greeted her. "Hello?" She repeated. "Is anyone there?"
"Claire?" The voice was soft and low.
Shock made her unable to respond for a minute. She felt like she had lost her voice entirely.
"Claire, is it you?" The voice sounded a little raspy and the question was followed by a fit of coughing.
"Yes…" She finally managed to sputter. "It's me…"
"Are you okay?"
"I…" She was at a loss for words. "Yea…I…oh god…you're alive!"
There was a short silence, followed by a slight laugh. "Yea, I'm alive."
Mohinder was watching her with a curious frown, but she wasn't giving him any information.
"Where are you?"
"I'm in Canada."
"How'd you get there?" She paused. "Never mind. It's not important…" She took a deep breath, still trying to calm herself down after the excitement of hearing his voice. "Have you…do you know if…" She couldn't force herself to finish the question, but he seemed to know what she was trying to ask.
"I don't know. You're the first person I called…" He coughed again. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay…"
"Thank you." Claire felt her whole body melting with relief and overwhelming joy. "I…I'm so happy to hear your voice."
"Are you still in New York?"
"Yes, I am. I'm with Dr. Suresh at the moment." Claire told him.
"Good, he can take care of you for now."
"Yea…are you coming back?" Claire asked hopefully.
"Of course. I'm heading back today. I'll call you when I get into the city."
"Promise?"
"I promise." He was quiet for a minute, but she could still hear him breathing on the other line. "Be careful."
"You too."
He hung up and she stared at her cell phone for a minute, as though if she stared long enough she would be able to make him call again.
"Claire?" Mohinder finally brought her back to reality.
Claire turned to him and announced with a wide smile: "Peter's alive."
NATHAN & HEIDI PETRELLI
NEW YORK
It had taken Nathan almost twenty minutes of coxing to convince Heidi to go to bed without all the details concerning the dishonesty of Angela. He had promised to tell her in the morning after he had time to work all the details out for himself. She had begged for him to come to bed as well, but he had insisted that he wasn't tired. In truth, his head was too full of all that had happened and all that he knew was inevitably going to happen. He had made a serious change by choosing to tell his wife the truth, or at least most of the truth, but he was still hiding so much from her and it made him feel guilty.
I need to know that I'm not alone in all of this. Nathan was ecstatic that his wife had offered him full support, but he needed more. He needed support from someone who could share in the complexity of what he was going through. I need to hear that I still have a purpose. He picked up his cell and dialed a number from memory.
"Hello, you've reached Peter's cell. Leave a message."
"Hey Pete. Umm, it's me." Nathan sighed. He had no idea what to say on an answering machine for his brother who may or may not be alive. "If you can…or well if you're you know…umm…call me Pete, please. I need to know…I need to talk to you." He waited for a moment longer on the phone as if Peter might actually pick up if he waited long enough, but he finally had to hang up.
Nathan hated the hopeless feeling he had about his brother, but optimism seemed pointless. He came back from the dead once. He can do it again, right? He sighed and picked up the phone again to try another number.
The answering machine picked up immediately and he hung up promptly, not quite sure what to say on her voice mail. There were some things that just needed to be said in person and telling your daughter that you did not in fact die like she believed was one of them.
Against his better instincts, Nathan decided to call one last person. He dialed the number hesitantly and gripped the phone tightly as he listened to it ring. She was the last person he wanted to talk to at the moment. He wasn't ready. He had no idea what he was going to say to her, but he had to face her eventually. After four rings she answered, sounding much too enthusiastic.
"Nathan!"
"Hi mom."
"Oh darling, I am so relieved to hear your voice. I knew you hadn't actually died, of course, but you must understand that I was a little apprehensive nonetheless." Angela's voice came over the phone clearly and precisely. She didn't sound as though she had wasted much time genuinely fretting over the life of her son. "Where are you now?"
"I'm with Heidi and the boys in DC." Nathan told her quickly. "After what happened last night I wanted to be with my family."
"Of course you did. I understand completely." Angela's tone expressed something different than understanding though. "Have you spent sufficient time with them now? Because truly you need to come and join me in Paris, we have much to discuss…"
"Mom, I will not be joining you in Paris." Nathan told her quickly.
"Excuse me?" She huffed for a moment, and then resumed her control. "I realize that you may be hesitant to leave your family after everything that has happened, and I must respect that choice. Very well then, I will come to you."
"No, you will not."
"What did you say to me?"
"You are not coming here, mom. I don't want you anywhere near my family." Nathan gripped the phone more tightly still. It was very difficult for him to speak to his mother in this way, but after everything she had been a part of, and al the dark plans she had hidden from him…its necessary. "Stay in Paris. You will not be in contact with anyone in my family, not Heidi or the boys…and not Claire. Do you understand me?"
Angela was silent. "Do you have any idea what you are saying?"
"Yes I do."
"Nathan, you can't be serious. You haven't thought this through…"
"No mom, I have thought this through and this is my decision." He took a deep breath. "If I hear that you have tried to talk to anyone that you shouldn't, or if I learn that you are not in fact staying away from me and my family, I will make you regret it."
"Are you threatening me?"
"Yes mom. I am. You should be proud, I'm finally behaving as a politician, right?" Nathan hung up the phone without another word.