Starring:
Also Starring:
Simon and Monty Petrelli
Summary: Claire comes over to babysit the boys, and they are a handful. They hunt mutant alligators in the basement.
Date It Happened: 17 SEPTEMBER 2007
Evil Mutant Basement Alligators
Petrelli Mansion
It's mid-afternoon, and as usual, the Petrelli house is noisy. The kids just got home from school, Julius and Caesar are all over the furniture, the cat's hiding up on the book shelf away from the commotion, and Heidi's about two minutes away from locking them in their bedroom forever. Then again, this happens on a daily basis, and she hasn't snapped yet. It must be that motherly love.
Today, though, Heidi's taking an evening to regain her sanity. Namely, she's going to treat herself to dinner and a movie, and drag along whatever friends she can find on the way. This required a babysitter; while there are people who live closer, she called Claire first. The boys should get to know their sister a little better.
The guards at the gate will know Claire from her previous visit, and she should have no trouble getting to the front door. Or, she wouldn't, except Simon and Monty have been warned, and they're waiting in the bushes with super soakers, and Heidi is none the wiser.
—-
Unaware of the descent into madness that awaits her, Claire makes her way towards the front gates and then past them towards that door, the softly curled blonde hair bouncing just a little as she walks. In a pair of jeans, white cotton button down, and denim jacket, she at least looks a little more presentable at a political hopeful's door than the last time she showed up. Over her shoulder is slung a little tan leather hobo purse, and she looks thoroughly respectable as she lifts her small hand to push the doorbell. She is, therefore, cluelessly looking at the door with both hands anxiously gripping the strap of her purse and lips curled into a self-conscious smile while she waits for someone to let her in. Assuming that the little boys — solely on merit of being Nathan's sons — would behave any better than Lyle did at their age is obviously a short-coming in her logic.
—-
Nathan's sons are definitely their father's children, as they have minds of their own, and this is even despite the fact that Monty is usually mindful. Simon got it in his head that it would be an excellent idea to accost Claire upon her arrival, and the only comfort is that it's just clear water, with no food colouring added.
They've done that before.
No sooner does she reach the door than Simon signals the attack, and the two boys jump out of the plantlife around the house in order to super-soak their babysitter. Except Simon is doing most of the shooting. Monty stands there for a moment before coming to Claire's silent rescue and attacking his brother, instead. BETRAYAL!
—-
At the sound of rustling bushes, Claire whips around with a tiny gasp. Okay, so, yeah. She's a little jumpy. And while he's not imminently dangerous, Simon's watergun pointed at her is more than enough to warrant a shrill shriek, especially as she finds her entire front DOUSED with cold water. Hands come up to guard her face without thinking, and they prove to be ultimately useless in the war. "OH, THAT IS IT," she yells before dropping her purse on the porch and tearing down the front steps. Monty is spared the babysitter's wrath, all attention on the one who is shooting her and soaking her. "Gimme that!" Height of maturity here.
—-
How quickly Monty's allegiance changes! As soon as Simon takes off and becomes the victim instead of the attacker, Monty's attention turns to shooting Claire in the back. Thankfully it's just water, or the whole healing thing that would follow would take a little bit of explanation — Even if the kids know a bit about it now.
Around this time, Heidi realizes that the house is abnormally quiet, and appears on the porch — Just in time to see Simon running away from Claire, and Monty running behind. "HEY!" she calls. Monty stops squirting Claire, but Simon? He's terrified, because Claire's going to catch him and EAT HIS SPLEEN or something. Girls are weird.
—-
Yeah, let's not do anything that will force Claire to explain that , yes, their half-sister is a freak. Relentless in the pursuit, the cheerleader has the advantage this time because her legs are longer. About two feet out, however, when Simon starts aiming for her face, Claire is left to sputter and put her hands up in defense once more. "HEY. QUIT IT! LISTEN TO YOUR MOM." At least she's nice and leaves off the 'you cretin'?
—-
Well, they do know that Peter got that whole self-healing thing from somewhere. Heidi knows who it's from, but names were left out when it came to explaining things to the boys. Probably for good reason, though they haven't told anyone about Peter yet. At least they're keeping the secret.
Simon, deciding he's pushed his luck just a little too far, comes to a stop, faces Heidi, and hides the super soaker behind his back - because that solves everything. "What! I wasn't doing anything!"
"Both of you, in the house. Now." Angry mom voice wins, and Simon and Monty evacuate to their rooms… Where they're safe. For now. To Claire, Heidi asks, "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"
—-
Once the super soakers are gone from the immediate vicinity, Claire starts buttoning up her jacket as she crosses the lawn. There's a smile plastered back on her face. "Nah," she replies good-naturedly, even as she gives her hair a good shake with her hands to get some of the water out. "It's just water. I'm a little tougher than that." She looks down at herself, and then at Heidi with a more sheepish variation on her grin as she closes a bit more of the distance between them. "If… If you have like some beat up sweats or something I could borrow while I throw these in the dryer, though, that would be awesome."
—-
Boys. Seriously, how they escaped is anyone's guess, because Heidi thought she was watching them. Claire must think she's a horrible mother - but the last time she saw them was literally five minutes prior. They were supposed to be washing up for dinner. Running a hand through her hair, Heidi returns Claire's smile. "Definitely. Definitely, come on in." She'll lead Claire into the house and up the stairs. On the way, they'll pass the cat, Spica, who has both water guns resting next to her. It was the cat's fault, ma, really!
"Sorry about that, I swear they…" the statement is concluded with a shrug. "Were right there."
—-
In response to Heidi, there is nothing but reassurance from Claire. Her shoes are peeled off and left at the door, so she doesn't have to squeak and leave footprints all over the hardwood and rugs. "It's really okay. They're boys. They do that. I'll survive. It's not like it was the middle of February or anything." Blue eyes look about as they walk; it's been a while since she was invited back into the bowels of the Petrelli manor. "So," she tries for the sake of continuing conversation. "Got something fun to do tonight?"
—-
She can hear them giggling somewhere. As he rottweilers discover that there's company, they come running to see, though they are, thanks to training, not prone to jumping up on people. Today. At least that's one thing to be thankful for, and the verbal warning from Heidi helps tremendously. It's in their eyes, though - you can see they want to tackle Claire to the floor. "Just dinner and a movie with some friends," she says. "Getting away from the house for a bit, and I thought it'd be a good chance for the boys to get to know you better." And now that they're out of the immediate area, Heidi finds herself suddenly not knowing what to say to the girl… It's always a little awkward, given certain… circumstances, even if - obviously - the affair (Can it even really be called an affair?) happened years and years ago. At least it's not..
Cutting herself off with that thought, Heidi procures a t-shirt and a pair of black track pants for Claire. "Thanks for coming over. Everything been okay? School?"
—-
"Golden," Claire lies with a bright smile as she reaches down to pat the two big dogs who gave her a similarly exuberant greeting just a couple of days ago. After all, Heidi's really only asking to be polite. The teenager is thus, more than willing to comply with this level of superficiality. "It's a little different than Texas," or California for that matter, "but us kids are pretty much the same wherever you go." Mean, heartless, vicious little jerks who prey on the weak and raise up the bigger jerks and pretty people. New York kids just judge who that happens to be a little differently. "I'm glad you called, though. You totally saved me from having to help keep Mom company as she went down memory lane. She was unpacking the photo albums."
Taking hold of the two items from Heidi, Claire offers a grateful chuckle as she holds them away from her soaking clothes. "Thanks. I'll be right back." And with that she makes her way out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom to change.
—-
Well, it's to be polite, and because in some odd way, she feels a parental responsibility to Claire, awkward as the entire thing can be. It's not as if the Petrellis are going to drag her along for Family Day and Game Night, but Heidi does care as much as she can. Oblivious to Claire's internal monologuing, Heidi heads down the hall to retrieve the boys while Claire's changing.
They'll be downstairs when she's done. The boys are seated on the couch, cowed from mom's wrath, apparently… But they'll bounce back quickly. Heidi's sitting on a nearby chair, writing out a list - her cellphone number, the police, the fire department, 9-1-1 JUST IN CASE you never know, the number to her parents' house upstate, and - best of all, perhaps - the number to the pizza place that the boys love. "You guys be good tonight, she's saying, just as Spica sits right square in the middle of her note. Simon and Monty giggle.
—-
When Claire comes back downstairs, clothes bundled in a heap at the end of outstretched arms that she's doing her level best to keep from dripping on the floor, she sees her half-brothers sitting there, being oh-so-well-behaved. Her blue eyes, still suffering from a case of Raccoon Eyes despite her quick efforts to rub off the streaked bits of black, narrow suspiciously. Mama's little angels. Uh-huh. That silence is like a babysitter's dirge. "I'm sure we'll get along great," she chimes in, all of her cheerleading enthusiasm thrown behind the words. Because she's not above throwing around her weight as the much bigger half-sister. It's said as much for Heidi's peace of mind as it is to mentally psyche herself up to deal with them.
—-
Where Claire taking care of Monty alone, she'd probably have absolutely no trouble. Add Simon to the mix, though… In any case, Simon turns around to flash Claire a smile that will one day rival even Nathan's. He'll be goon, honest. Until Heidi leaves, and then? All bets are off. It should be a fun night.
After shoving Spike off her list and jotting down a few more quick notes, she stands and hands it to Claire. Preferred pizza toppings, shows they'll SAY they're allowed to watch, but really aren't, as well as an addition that there are ice cream sandwiches in the freezer for all of them. That's for the kids to know later, though, or they'd pester Claire forever until she snapped.
They're good kids, really. "Simon can show you where the drier is. After dinner, they both have a little homework they have to finish— " They protest this, but Heidi continues. "Thanks for doing this. It may not mean a lot to them now, but…" One day, it will.
—-
"You don't have to thank me," Claire says with a suddenly very nervous smile. Wow. Heidi's so… nice. It almost makes this conversation as awkward as it is with Nathan. Almost. "Really, you're the one who's doing me a favor." There's a look to her half-brothers, and that entirely disconcerting smile from Simon makes her wonder how long it's gonna take until she's gonna find herself duct taped to a chair. Hopefully Heidi had the foresight to remove all duct tape and rope from the house. "You… you didn't have to let me do this. I know that you've probably got a dozen older, more qualified babysitters on speed dial." She's the wife of Nathan Petrelli. How could she not?
—-
Well, Heidi does have a list of numbers - people who have babysat before, even baby-sitting services which she doesn't tend to use Unless there's no other alternative at all. Claire's family! But to prevent the uncomfortable silence that mentioning that would cause, Heidi just shrugs one shoulder. "So we're helping each other." They're both getting something out of it - Heidi will hopefully have some peace of mind by the time she comes home, and Claire gets to learn how terrible her half-brothers are. It's a win-win situation.. Kind of? Holding up a twenty dollar bill and some change for the pizza, she adds a couple more rules that aren't on the list - "No red pop for Simon. He'll try to get you to order it, but he's allergic to strawberries. And no caffeine for either of them after— "
"Ten o'clock!" Simon interjects.
"…Seven thirty. I should be home before their bed time." She pauses, then adds, "You need anything?" In a lower voice, "A couple straight jackets, maybe?"
—-
Taking notes and bills in one hand as she balances her clothes on the other, Claire laughs. It's a genuine sound, pleasantly disarmed by Heidi's seemingly natural sweetness. "Have a good time. I've got this covered." She shoots a bright smile in Simon and Monty's direction. "We're gonna have fun, aren't we?" Regardless of their answer, she turns quickly back to Mrs. Petrelli. "So go and don't give it another thought until it's time to come home." A pause. "Just… promise me you'll come home."
—-
The kids are in good hands. Really good hands. Because if they throw themselves off a roof or break their faces or decide to accidentally push Claire down the stairs or a meteor hits the house or whatever, HEY, BUILT IN HEALER. Maybe Heidi did consider that - just a little - but not extensively. Chuckling, Heidi nods. "I'll come home, promise." Going around to the other side of the couch, she gives Monty a kiss on the forehead, does the same to Simon, and then points menacingly at her older son. BEHAVE. "See you in a few hours," she says, grabbing her purse and heading for the door. With any luck, the house will be standing when she gets back.
—-
As soon as Heidi's out the door, Claire locks it behind the woman and then turns to face her two half-brothers. Stooping down, she pastes on her brightest smile. "OKAY! I have an idea. Let's get the homework done first so that we can get it all done while the pizza's on its way… and then as long as you promise not to do anything against The Rules or dangerous, we can do whatever you guys want." Bright smile? Check. Self-assured voice? Check. Charade as My Babysitter, My Sister, My Friend? Check. Now here's to hoping the boys buy into it. "How does that sound?"
—-
But! But they have plans!! They involved chasing Claire around with water guns again. However, the temptation to be allowed to do whatever they want is almost too much to pass up. "Can we play Mario Kart?" Simon finally asks. "Will you play Mario Kart? You can be Princess 'cuz you're a girl. I'm Bowser. Monty's Yoshi, that's how we always do it. Do you like Math? I have like a bazillion million problems to do."
"Yeah!" Monty agrees. "I have spelling." Not the same as math, but for a second grader, that can take a little bit of work to get through.
"By the way, I'm a super hero. You can know, 'cuz you're a girl." And also his half-sister, but that's beside the point. "And girls like heroes. I'll be right back." He tears up the stairs to get his homework, and Monty follows. They're not bad kids, really. Bargains help.
—-
"I'd love to be the princess," Claire agrees. "After math." Then a look to Monty. "And spelling." There! That wasn't so bad. The talk of superheroes takes the teenager aback for a moment, and she rears her head back for a moment. O-okay. He must be going through an X-Men phase. Oh, please let it just be an X-Men phase and not the only warning she's gonna get about being trapped babysitting the Baby Incredibles. The fall into her own thoughts is ample time for the children to take tearing off away from her. "And… where are you two going? You have to show me where they dryer is!"
—-
It's an x-men phase! Kind of. If they have some sort of ability, they don't know about it yet, but things like Superman and Wolverine and Underdog are awesome and too cool to just forget about and Simon and Monty are going to grow up and save the whole planet and get their names in the paper. With masks on, because superheroes wear masks. They have this all planned out.
By the time Claire recovers enough to inquire about the drier, the kids have vanished - hopefully just to the upper floor of the house, and not, say, the dinosaur era. That'd be awkward to explain to Heidi - Hi, I lost your kids. I think Simon's piggy-backing on a velociraptor. No big.
But when they return, it seems like Monty, at least, heard the question. "It's in the basement, but the mutant alligators are down there, so you have to take this with you." It's a flashlight shaped like Michelangelo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. When you press his shell, the light goes on.
—-
Claire is aglow with amusement, momentarily lost in Happy Kiddie Land. She sets Heidi's meticulous notes on a small occasional table, and pushes the money in the waistband of her pants. That's not allowed to go walking off. Turning the flashlight on, she shines it around the room before pointing it at Monty's belly. When she speaks, her tone is infused with the fantastical melody that is Playing Along. "Mutant alligators, huh? They sound pretty dangerous. I dunno. I think I could use a couple of superheroes to make sure I stay safe. Do you know any? I mean, you guys are probably going to be so busy with that homework. …Unless you think you could do both."
—-
"Mutant alligators," Monty repeats solemnly. They're very dangerous, see, and they live right in the vicinity of the wash room, because alligators like water or something. At the thought of guiding Claire into the basement so she can throw her clothes in the dryer, Simon is… dubious. This, however, is where the younger boy shines. He's all too happy to agree! And despite the fact that Simon is too 'cool' to play 'Mutant Alligators in the Basement' with anyone other than his brother, he isn't about to be upstaged. Monty is the one who reaches for Claire's hand, though - the one that isn't occupied by her clothing. Simon drops his bag on the floor with a thump, and motions toward the basement. Spica casually meanders over to said bag and lays atop it.
"You have to be quiet," Monty says. "They usually only come out at night, but they wake up if you're too loud."
—-
These kids are anti-angst. Pure anti-angst. If Claire could just bottle their innocence and sprinkle it about on dark days, the world would likely be a much shinier place. When Claire hands off the flashlight and Monty takes her hand, it twinges against something deep down and generates a whole lot of warm fuzzies. Here, it's okay that they're just them. It's not about who's got who for a mom, and it's… just okay.
Kids are awesome.
"How long have they lived down there?" she whispers as they begin their descent on the stairs. For added effect, she hunches her shoulders and ducks her head.
—-
Simon scouts ahead, because he's older, and not a girl, and because there's always a guard at the bottom of the stairs. Always. Maybe Leatherhead himself!
"Since Dad flooded the toilet," Monty whispers back very, very seriously. That gave them the— How did Simon describe it? It was a warp zone or something, like in Mario. "That was like a year ago and they have a football— "
"Foothold," Simon corrects quietly.
"Foothold in the basement. That's where they're planning world domination." Funny, the words kids learn by watching Saturday morning cartoons. There's no more time for discussion now, though, because they've reached the bottom of the stairs. There's no alligators in sight - yet - but there will be!
—-
Picking up and setting her feet quietly, Claire gives a quiet 'ohhhh' as if understanding. It takes a great deal of self-control to not comment about the flooded toilet. She focuses her brain on following them and seeing in the dark in order to aid herself in this endeavor. "Where's the dryer? They haven't booby trapped it or anything, right?"
—-
Booby trapped the dryer? That's a good question. "They might be in the drier," Monty says, and Simon nods, agreeing. Alligators, especially mutant ones, love hanging out in dryers, and also washing machines, because of the water and stuff. It's a little known fact that the boys have learned through trial and error.
"…I don't see any. C'mon," Simon says, making his way through the (dark) finished basement and to a room off the side of the stairs. Reaching up, he pulls on a light - of all the rooms in the house, this one looks the spookiest. The rat wall is still exposed, and the floor is a grey concrete slab with no tile or carpet or anything. And one one side against the wall is the washer and drier; the latter is open, and there don't appear to be any alligators inside.
—-
"Do you have the flashlight?" Claire asks with wide eyes, looking around the room in a feint of fear. Stooping down, she still keeps her voice in a soft whisper. It wouldn't do, after all, to have come this far simply to be eaten by the tricksy mutant alligators. "I'll check before I put my clothes in there. As soon as I get them in, we run, right? Then I call the pizza man, we do your homework, and then whatever you want." Must continue to dangle that carrot. She puts out her hand, TEAMWORK GO style, with the palm towards the floor. "Deal?"
—-
"Yeah, got it," Monty says, flicking it toward the drier so that the inside of it can be seen. Simon's standing just beyond it, looking toward the shadowed area of the room, where - it's a well-known fact - mutant alligators like to dwell. He returns, though, when Claire lays out The Plan, and it sounds like a good one.
"Mutant alligators are slow," Simon says, "So if you run, they can't catch you. But you really have to go, or they'll catch on, and they'll be waiting at the stairs, then we'll never escape." The boys throw their hands into the teamwork pile! It's Simon who steps away first, toward the dark corners of the room, just in case.
It's just at that moment that the air conditioner kicks on, and there's a RUMBLE and a CLANG from somewhere in the basement. Simon and Monty, who are already totally into this and don't see it coming, leave poor Claire in the laundry room and RUN AWAY SCREAMING. It's not long before the barking of dogs follows. AAAAAAH ALLIGATORS
—-
When the boys start screaming, Claire can't help but to scream a little, too. Mostly because she wasn't expecting them to do so. But soon enough, they're gone, and she's left to calm her heart rate back down to a normal pace. She heaves a small sigh and then throws the clothes in the dryer and sets it to the needed settings before taking up the stairs at a jog, azure gaze desperately searching for the two Petrelli brothers. The two boys on their own can only lead to trouble… and she really doesn't want to borrow any more clothes from Heidi. "Monty? Simon? Where are you?"
—-
Where are they?! That's an excellent question, isn't it? And impossible to answer, once the screaming and barking of dogs stops. If Claire wants to know where they are, she's going to have to hunt them down! Fortunately, there's a huge clue, because there are three animals standing very quietly outside one of the coat closets - Julius and Caesar have their ears perked forward, and Spica's got her paws up against the door itself, which means they're probably in there. If that wasn't enough of a hint, there's giggling and "She'll never find us here!" coming from the other said of said door.
—-
"Monty? Simon? Oh, man." Her eyes roll, though the boys can't see it, as she throws melodramatic words up into the air. "If those alligators got them, I am going to be in so much trouble. But I… I'll get to order the pizza by myself." Then more loudly, to carry through the door and over giggling. "I guess I can get those sardines on the pizza. And onions. And barbecue sauce —" Ugh. She's turning her own stomach just thinking about it. Turning away from the door, she talks even louder. "— since they're not around to help me eat it. Alas, poor Monty and Simon, I knew them well…"
—-
"No, wait, we—! " Monty begins, but Simon can clearly be heard saying, "Shh! She's joking! She wouldn't order a pizza with sardines." Would she? The question remains unanswered as Caesar snuffles under the door with a loud puff of snot and air.
"I think we should go," Monty whispers back.
"No, she thinks we got eaten by alligators," Simon replies.
There's some silence, before the door swings open. "Well, I'm gonna do my homework, 'cuz I want pizza," Monty says, marching from the dark little room, "With NO sardines or onions or barbecue sauce or anything weird. Simon says girls always like weird stuff."
Grumpily, Simon withdraws himself from the pile of shoes he was sitting on. "You ruined it," he states with a frown.
—-
"OH MY GOSH, YOU GUYS ARE OKAY!" Claire gushes, turning around and rushing forth to gather the two boys in arms. She's a girl, after all. And girls do weird things. "THANK GOD. I thought I was gonna have to eat your ice cream sandwiches, too!" Letting the boys go as quickly as she embraced them, the teenager smiles as though oblivious of Simon's ruined plans. "What do you guys want on your pizza?"
—-
AAAAH GIRL GERMS!— Or so the boys would yell if they weren't so startled by this sudden hug. Shouldn't their babysitter by screaming and running out the door by now? Okay, that's never happened, but it's always their goal. They are young boys, after all. And everything is forgotten at the mention of ice cream sandwiches. "We have ice cream sandwiches!?" Simon exclaims, while Monty cheers, "All right!"
But— Pizza. Oh, they could run for the kitchen and steal their treat, or they could wait until after pizza. It's on the minds of both kids - the decision is agonizing! Until Monty finally answers, "Cheese and pepperoni," And Simon adds, "Green peppers. Do we still have to do our homework?"
—-
"Absolutely," Claire replies without hesitation and emphasizing the sentiment with a single, unfaltering nod. "But I'll come up after the pizza is ordered so we can make sure that it's all cranked out before dinner so that you don't have to mess with it after. Because we have a game of Mario Kart to play, right?" Then the teenager puts her hands on her hips as she stands up in an attempt to claim some authoritative aire as she settles her gaze on the two. "We had a deal, right?"
—-
Drat, they couldn't get out of homework. Well, they would have had to do it later, anyway. Sometimes they can make a deal with the babysitter… No homework 'til mom gets home, but Simon can tell that Claire won't give in so easily. Well, it's just math. Surely he can finish it before the pizza arrives, and Monty can definitely finish is. After the requisite groan, Simon trudges over to his bookbag and picks it up. "Yeah, I guess, he says, dropping his bag onto the nearest chair. At least the idea of Mario Kart in their future - and also ice cream sandwiches - is appealing. "Deal, but you better be good with math!"
"And spelling!" from Monty, of course. The younger boy plops his bag down next to Simon's, crawls over it, and pulls his workbook out of his bag. At least one of them's eager enough to get started.
—-
"I think I'm pretty good. So, okay. You guys get started. I'll be in as soon as there's pizza on the way." And with that, Claire walks off in the direction of the kitchen with a bounce in her barefooted step and the piece of paper left behind by the dutiful Heidi Petrelli in her hand. Other than the squirt gun incident, this is a remarkably EASY babysitting job. It's so easy, as a matter of fact, that the blonde can't help but smile as she walks. Okay. So she can't exactly be the Traditional American Family with the Petrellis. This? This is good enough.
The future's looking a little brighter already.