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Brother's Keeper	By : Bloodylocks Category: G through L > Heroes Views: 3679 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes or the characters, and no financial gain is made from this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Brother's Keeper
- 2-Ch. 2
- 3-Ch. 3
- 4-Ch. 4
- 5-Ch. 5
- 6-Ch. 6
- 7-Chapter 7
- 8-Chapter 8
- 9-Chapter 9
- 10-Chapter 10
- 11-Chapter 11
- 12-Ch 12
- 13-Ch 13
- 14-Ch 14
- 15-Ch 15
- 16-Ch 16
- 17-Ch 17
- 18-Ch 18
- 19-Ch 19
- 20-Ch 20
- 21-Ch 21
- 22-Ch 22
- 23-Ch 23
- 24-Ch 24
- 25-Ch 25
- 26-Ch 26
- 27-Ch 27
- 28-Ch 28
- 29-Ch 29
- 30-Ch 30
- 31-Ch 31
- 30
- 31
Chapter 31
Around nine o�clock in the Christmas Eve morning, the two brothers were busy eating breakfast when the doorbell rang unexpectedly. Nathan went to get it and was not totally surprised to be greeted by their mother, carrying two seemingly heavy paper bags.
�Hello, my dear,� Angela said with a smile, and the two exchanged hugs and kisses in the doorway. �Is Peter up yet?�
�Yes, he�s in the kitchen,� Nathan informed her. �Ma, if you�ve come to invite us to your annual Christmas party...-�
Angela promptly interrupted her son by shoving both of her bags into his arms. �Oh no, I wouldn�t make the same mistake twice. I just came to check on my boys and wish you a merry Christmas. And to drop off some things. Surely Peter will be happy.�
Peter�s initial response when he saw his mother was not the usual look of pure joy but something rather hesitant, as though he was afraid Arthur might have come too.
�Good morning, Peter,� the woman beamed. �I brought you some things.�
�Good morning, Ma...-�
All three of them went silent when they simultaneously discovered that the three pornographic magazines Nathan had gotten for his brother the previous day were still on the kitchen table, one of them open.
Perhaps because his brother had gone silent, Peter had done so in kind. Both waited to see the reaction on their mother�s face. Angela�s eyes widened at the sight of one of the explicit sexual scenarios on the centerfold, but otherwise she said nothing, so Nathan felt the need to step forward.
�UHH sorry about that,� he said in an attempt to distract her. The magazines were quickly snatched from the table and handed to Peter. �Pete, could you take these to your room so that Mom doesn�t have a heart attack?� he asked with a subtle wink.
�Sorry, Mom,� Peter muttered as he hurried out of the room.
�It�s quite alright dear,� the woman replied, her voice calm. �Just remember where you leave those when it comes to having guests over.�
�Yes, Mom.�
Nathan glanced back at his mother, wondering how she could be so sedate about the situation, but he could see in her eyes that she had been very surprised about the discovery. Indeed, as soon as Peter was out of earshot, Angela spoke up regarding her thoughts on the matter.
�Nathan, you shouldn�t let him keep his pornography on the kitchen table. Teach him to be a little more responsible than that.�
�They were there because I only got them for him yesterday, for his birthday,� Nathan explained with barely-there patience. �So don�t blame Peter.�
Now the woman�s eyes widened further. �You got them for him, Nathan?�
�What about it?� the lawyer demanded. �Arthur threw away most of his mags, so I thought it was only fair he gets some new ones.�
�Nathan, I can�t believe you�re encouraging��
�Encouraging what, Ma? He�s nineteen now, after all. Almost an adult. As you keep pointing out.�
Nathan couldn�t help but wish his mother would leave. It seemed that every time she came over, they got into a fight about something, mostly involving Nathan�s treatment of his little brother.
�Can we just have a nice �Merry Christmas� today, and not sit here arguing? Please?�
Angela�s eyes spoke of defiance, but she answered with an �of-course-dear� and sat down. Shortly afterward, Peter bounded back into the kitchen. Nathan noticed his brother had changed his clothes into khaki slacks and the blue button down shirt he had worn for the Thanksgiving dinner.
�Good morning, Ma,� he said, giving his mother a hug and a kiss.
�Good morning darling,� she replied, giving a genuine smile to her youngest. Surely the argument would have gone on longer without some sort of intervention, but neither boy nor their mother wanted the visit on the day before Christmas to be soured by fighting.
�Can I get you some tea, Mom?� Nathan offered, trying to leave the argument in the past.
�That would be lovely,� she replied.
After taking a few sips of her tea, Angela Petrelli motioned to the two heavy paper bags she had brought with her. �I recall how upset you were about your room being emptied out, so I brought some of your things here from the attic,� she explained, watching his younger son�s face light up. �And I also have a little something for your birthday.�
She had barely finished the sentence before Peter was on his knees on the floor, emptying out the contents of the paper bags in search of the present. Among the items Angela had returned to him were some more of his clothes, his childhood baseball game trophies, as well as a few projects from grade and middle school that Peter was particularly proud of. On the bottom of one bag was also a framed picture of Peter with his big brother, representing Nathan giving his younger sibling a piggy-back ride. Sadly, however, the glass covering the photograph had broken.
�Oh, don�t worry about that,� Nathan reassured his brother when shown the faulty glass. �It�s easily fixed. At least the picture is still okay.�
�Where did you find that photo?� Peter asked his mother curiously. He could not remember seeing it in the big family album.
�It�s one of my personal favorites,� Angela answered. �I kept it in another book to keep it safe.�
�You look like you might be five years old in that picture,� Nathan mused aloud, taking the framed photograph to gaze upon it again. �That means I was around eighteen. You were such a little ball of energy.�
Peter blushed at the memories concerning him, a little embarrassed.
�I remember you wanted plenty of rides like that,� Angela said, allowing herself a smile. �And never from the staff, even though you treated them like members of the family. Always from Nathan.�
�Mommmm,� Peter said, reddening further.
�Nathan, Nathan!� his older brother said in a high voice, imitating him from much younger times. �Pick up horsey, pick up horsey!�
�Oh, come on! Stop it!� Peter demanded, though he couldn�t help but giggle himself. �I didn�t sound like that!�
�No, but pretty close,� Nathan teased. �And you�d still want rides even though you were like twelve.�
�I didn�t look like twelve,� Peter pointed out. �I�ve always looked younger.�
�You�ll be thanking your maker when you�re my age,� the lawyer said. �Just wait.�
�Peter, aren�t you going to open your present?� Angela cut in upon realizing that Peter had been sidetracked by the photo before he�d gotten a chance to find his actual birthday gift.
�Sure, where is it?�
The woman nodded at the second bag. �In there, darling.�
Peter proceeded to pull out a huge rectangular box heavy enough to overwhelm him to the point of almost dropping it. Nathan reacted instinctively and caught the box, supporting Peter�s hold on it. The older man was reminded of an occasion last summer during their camping trip, when Peter had tried to ease down a heavy cooler from a tree all by himself; a task too mighty for his skinny arms.
Memories from that trip always led to far worse recollections, so he turned his attention back to the mysterious wrapped box. How could someone like his mother have enough strength to carry that damn thing?
Once the box was firmly standing on the floor, Peter peeled apart the wrapping paper, totally clueless as to what he had been given. Nathan felt the same way.
�What did she getcha, bud?�
�It�s...� he tilted the unwrapped box to the side to see the illustration which could explain the contents within far sooner than the label did. �Oh my god, Nathan, look!�
Peter shuffled aside to give the lawyer a better view of the box, containing a plastic model of a human torso, complete with removable organs and parts.
�I remember you enjoyed biology in school, darling,� their mother explained.
Peter�s hands were twitching, as though he couldn�t wait to pick the figure apart and examine each individual organ. �Oh Mom, thank you so much!�
Angela patiently returned her son�s enthusiastic hug, pleased that her gift had been well-received. �You�re very welcome, dear. What did your brother get you?�
�I got an electric shaver,� Peter replied, proud of said fact. �Then he got a boyfriend for Trixie, and... and...well...�
�I think I understand,� Angela broke in. �You don�t have to be embarrassed. Maybe you could show me what Trixie�s new companion looks like?�
Peter eagerly agreed, relieved to have been spared a really awkward moment. Rather than exclusively bring the new dinosaur, Peter brought out both, to show them as the lovely looking pair that they were.
�Oh my goodness,� Angela exclaimed in amusement as she saw the new tyrannosaurus. �He really is perfect for her.�
Nathan was happy that his mother was actually comfortable enough to humor some of the new aspects of Peter�s personality, or rather the old ones which had come back after so many years. Nathan knew that Peter could not always be treated like a child, but shunning every bit of childlike behavior would have gotten them nowhere.
As Angela continued to talk with her younger son about the additional dinosaur (�what will his name be?�), Nathan�s thoughts dwelled on Peter�s progress. For the past few weeks, the boy had been making significant progress, even though he obviously was not fully recovered. At some point � as he had once told Peter himself � he would have to return to work. He wanted to be able to provide for his brother, but that meant he might have to leave him for hours on end. How would Peter react to something like that? Even more pressing, how would Peter react to the very news of it?
Once their mother had left, Nathan took his brother aside, making sure both he and Peter were comfortably seated in the living room. If Peter had a bad reaction to what he was about to hear, at least he would be sitting down.
The boy seemed to sense that something serious was going on and became visibly anxious, trying to ease the worry by biting on his fingernails.
�Buddy, there�s something we need to talk about,� Nathan began, an impending feeling of dread surrounding his heart.
�What?� Peter asked in a small voice. Gone was the happy young boy who had only moments ago been laughing with his mother.
�It�s about me. Peter, I�ve thought about going back to work after New Year. The DA�s been nagging at me for months, and I�m afraid I might find myself without a job if I don�t honour his wishes, so...� Realizing that he was babbling, Nathan shut his mouth.
Peter�s eyes, wide and innocent as ever, were unreadable. Waiting for a true response was painful for Nathan.
�Peter...?�
The younger man finally lowered his gaze, dark hair falling in front of his face. �I was kind of thinking this would go on forever, but... I was afraid one day you�d say that. I knew you would.�
�I�m sorry, buddy,� Nathan said, unsure of what to say. Somehow his way with words had vanished on him. He took Peter�s head in his hands, stroking the hair, and this was when Peter�s shoulders began to shake.
�I wish you didn�t have to leave,� a tiny voice said, cracked with sorrow.
�Sweetie...� Nathan soothed, pulling his little brother into a hug. �You�re doing so well. I wouldn�t have mentioned it if I didn�t think you were getting better.�
Peter certainly didn�t feel like he was getting better. And after his brother�s crushing news, he was sure he wouldn�t for a long time. All he wanted to do now was crawl into a dark hole and never come out. Hiding his face in Nathan�s shirtfront, Peter began to weep silently.
�Peter...� Nathan pleaded, fearing that the boy was taking the news even worse than he had dared to suspect. �Peter, please... baby... Let me explain...�
�I... I don�t wanna be all alone...� the young man said, his voice cracking with sobs. �I�m a mess... I can�t take care of myself!�
�Peter...� Nathan began slowly, �you must understand that the DA has been very understanding and generous toward me. He�s allowed me to stay off work for six whole months, but if I don�t honour his wishes now, I might soon find myself out of a job. And without a job, I won�t be able to provide for myself... or for you, baby brother.�
�I know...� Peter�s voice was but a mere whisper.
�I�ll start by working part time to begin with, so you�ll have some time to adjust. Or if you want, I could hire someone to spend time with you while I�m gone.�
�Who?�
�Well, I don�t know yet.�
Peter stiffened at the thought of being alone with a stranger. What if something happened and Nathan was not there? What if that person looking after him was there for a different, much more sinister reason?
�No,� he answered. �I don�t want to be with someone I don�t know. Even if someone was looking after me... it wouldn�t be you.� As if to punctuate, Peter squeezed the body he was embracing. He was rewarded with a hand rubbing his back, making soothing circles.
�If that�s the case, then perhaps I should go in part time. Maybe we could arrange something where I could work from here too. Half the job in the office, half at home.�
Peter�s quiet sobs slowed and faded away. He lifted a hand and wiped away some tears from his face. Nathan helped him and received a fleeting smile of gratitude. �Do you think I could handle you being at the office for hours?�
�I know it, buddy,� Nathan insisted, placing a hand against his little brother�s cheek. �You can take care of yourself. You�re really getting there.�
TBC...
- 30
- 31
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Brother's Keeper