2007-10-02: No Guarantees

Starring:

Elena_icon.gif Peter_icon.gif Noah_icon.gif

Summary: If you disobey him, HE WILL COME. But Peter knows HRG was going to stop by eventually. After his and Elena's visit to the Dawson-Sanders home, Noah finally stops by Peter's apartment to inquire about the incident the other day.

Date It Happened: October 2nd, 2007

No Guarantees


Peter Petrelli's Apartment, East Centennial Apartments Building, New York City

It has been a few hours since their visit to the Dawson-Sanders residence. Dinner had just been finished, though there wasn't a lot of appetite on either of their parts. After depositing the spent plates in the sink, Elena washes off her hands and soaks them in warm water, before drying her hands with a dish cloth. Tonight is pretty quiet, the low thrum of the television can be heard from the door. They had been watching a movie, but not really watching it considering they're both preoccupied with what happened the night before. And she's yet to call Gene.

Clad in a pair of black, hip-hugging yoga pants and a tanktop, she's all set for bed. Maybe. She knows she'll sleep, but she's certainly not sure as to why Peter manages not to sleep and not be tired. It was a little disconcerting. Everyone needs sleep, and whenever they don't get it, they usually look like hell later. But Peter hasn't been showing signs of -fatigue- even, really. Not even after they—

She grabs a bottle of V8 from the fridge, and a bottle of orange juice. Moving back to the couch, she hands Peter the V8 from behind the couch, and leans over to press her lips gently on top of his head. "You think you might've absorbed something the other day that's keeping you from sleeping?" she wonders, leaning against the back of the loveseat just a bit. She's a little restless, so she's not sitting back down yet.

In a pair of loose jeans and a plain white short sleeved shirt — thin enough it shows off his muscle tone— Peter takes the bottle of V8 and opens it, taking a drink before he nods in response. "I'm thinking that's what it is, yeah— one of the women we met, probably." He pauses, as if trying to think about this situation for a moment. It's pretty tough to try and figure out an ability that he got from an unknown location— especially one that just seems to work without anything done on his part. "I think it only works for regular tiredness— I got tired after getting you back here, with the invisibility and the healing— but that passed." It faded away.

The only way he might be tired enough to sleep these days is if he starts using a bunch of abilities? But how much sleep would he need? "I'm sure I could make myself sleep if I need to," he adds, citing her ability.

There is a simple knock on the door. A couple of raps and then silence. If it's Noah, he didn't text ahead saying he was on his way.

"That might be a good thing to use later, but getting some shut-eye now and then is a good idea." Doctor's orders. Not quite doctor yet but Elena was on her way there anyway. She looks up from where she's leaning, hearing someone knocking on the door. Since she's already standing, she sets her unopened bottle of orange juice down, and moves towards it. "I'll get it," she tosses over her shoulder. She was already up anyway. She peeks through the little peephole thing through his door….and blinks. "Mr. Bennet's here," she tells Peter - both an introduction and a warning, before unlocking the door, and opening it for the Company agent and everyone's favorite Family Man. She closes it after he's through though.

Mr. Bennet. Peter puts the lid back on his V8 and puts it down on the coffee table, standing up from his seat. The white dog's not currently in the room, having claimed a spot up on his bed, but she does perk her ears up at the noise from the knocking, and the door opening. Stepping over to the doorway leading into the kitchen, he puts his hand against the frame. "Noah. Been expecting you," he admits, even if he'd kind of been hoping it would never actually happen. "Come on in." Please say he's alone.

And there Noah is. The tazer is fired, shocking Elena and taking her out. As she falls to the ground, Noah's famed gun is pulled out, a couple of shots ringing out in the apartment. In slow motion, they pierce Peter's skull, exploding with the special charges placed in there just for this occasion. As the second body drops, Noah pulls out his phone. "Mission completed, time for a Frosty."

That doesn't really happen, by the by.

Figuring that the two are clearly wary enough to think he may try something that, he doesn't have a gun out or seem rather alert. His eyes seem rather bloodshot, his suit a little on the wrinkled side. He is alone, but he is a Company Man. As Peter may remember, if Noah wants the pair taken out, it's the hidden threats that will be the issue not in the face-to-face. "Ms. Gomez… Mr. Petrelli." A nod is given to both before he walks into the apartment enough so Elena can close the door. "Thank you," he offers to Peter's request to enter.

"Hi, Mr. Bennet," Elena says, locking the door. "Would you like anything to drink?" He looks like he could use it. And it doesn't look like he's gone home or anything like that since. She doesn't even have to use her abilities to gauge his stress, the fatigue, the bloodshot eyes. She shakes her head once and gives both men some room, much like what she had done in the first meeting. It still wigs her out a bit that the man knows her name, without her or Peter telling him. But she's over it, mostly. She's going to have to get use to it eventually.

There's a pause, where Peter looks at the taller man in the glasses, a questioning but serious expression in his eyes. Should he be using Mr. Bennet all the time now? He doesn't outright ask, but… "There's more room in the living room," he adds, moving deeper into the room that he's talking about, turning off the television and making sure some lights are on. There's a couple chairs the man can choose from, but the man who owns the apartment chooses the love seat, which he probably intends to share with Elena.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I'll keep standing…. Been a long night," Noah admits, quietly moving into the living room. He looks over the place as he walks in, speaking with a somewhat distracted tone to Elena. "No, it's okay… Had too much coffee before I came as is." While it's normal for a person to study a place when they enter it, he likely knows Elena and Peter are likely thinking he is casing the place. The fact that he's still doing it could mean he just doesn't care. Waiting until he can make eye contact with the two, he states the simple fact without a hint of emotion. "You fled."

"Peter was tired….and not in the way normal people are," Elena says, sliding her hands in the pockets, and moving to the living room. When Peter sits down on the love seat, she takes a seat next to him, extracting her hands from her pockets so she could fold her arms over her torso and lean back against the couch. "We would've stayed if we could, but Peter used too much of his abilities….he was unstable and he was getting sick. Invisibility, flight, absorption…the latter especially since he can't control that. If he had been in the vicinity any longer he could've overloaded." And that could've been disastrous.

It's true, he'd been worn out from all the exertions of power, but— that had nothing to do with why he fled the scene. Pretty obvious from the way he's looking at Elena with a hint of confusion in his eyes, wonder at her choice of reasons. Peter doesn't even seem to realize he's doing it, until his eyes move back to Mr. Bennet. Who remains standing. Even then, he stays seated, if only because at least then he doesn't get tempted to pace, and he can reach over and hold her hand. "And you'd told me to lay low. Figured getting out of there was part of that. Figured you were already going to be handling clean up. Less I was involved, the better."

Watching each person as they talk and offer their excuses, Noah offers his all too calm attempt to cut the BS. "You were scared of me. Do you think you should?"

"I am," Elena says simply. "I don't know you very well and you're one of them." She's truthful in that at least - but being scared and being stunted because of that fear are two different things. But she says this one rather readily, and she pulls her legs up on the couch so she could cradle a pillow between her arms and legs. It's a casual gesture - and it's clear that she feels at home in the younger Petrelli's place, despite the intimidating presence inside.

"I'm not scared of you— I'm scared of who you work for, and what they do to people," Peter says, reaching over and slipping his hand between her arm and the pillow just so he can hold onto her for a little while. Specifically he's afraid of what they do to people's families. It's not what they did to him, so much as what they did to Claire and Elle that bothers him the most. What they could do to Elena, or her siblings. "If it would've just been you, I would've stuck around— but it wasn't."

"I may work for the Company, but I am NOT one of them. As for your reasoning, I'd recommend you reconsider it. Because if Bob thinks you are doing your own thing when the Company is doing theirs… I won't be able to help." That is the closest thing that Noah will ever get to explaining how merciful he's already been. He doesn't expect to be understood fully… Not even his wife does. However, he figures they can understand him just enough to avoid things from getting worse. "You confuse me for Bob though and I promise I'll treat you the same, we clear?"

"…." Elena stares at Noah blankly. "What do you— " What do you mean he's not one of them? He's got the rank, the credentials. But what did he mean he isn't… the confusion clear up for a little bit, and she reaches out so she could pluck the orange juice from the table, uncapping it and taking a quiet sip. "Crystal," she says simply. If Peter trusts him, and the man himself is telling the both of them that he's trying to help, she gives him a small nod. "I don't intend of reneging my agreement in lying low - I'm pretty ill equipped to do otherwise anyway." She cradles her fingers around her bottle. "But Peter trusts you, if you're telling me that you're…not Mr. Bishop, then I'll gamble." She looks up at Noah. "I told Elle Bishop this a while ago as a warning, because at the time I didn't know anyone else who works for the Company that talks to me but…I was warned before that there might be someone in the Company hierarchy that's trying to sabotage the Company. Have you managed to catch whoever it is?"

Clear? Peter's eyes shift down, avoiding contact for a few long moments. Even if he understands… Bob is right to treat him like that, because he is doing his own thing. He has no intention of doing anything with them at all. But… "What am I supposed to do then?" Because he doesn't have the slightest idea anymore. He glances up and looks at the man now, really wanting to be told what he's supposed to be doing. And when Elena shares her warning, he glances over.

"Not yet. If you have any information to share, I'd be happy to hear it." That's all Noah has to say on traitors. Tired eyes look to Peter, the Company Man removing his glasses just enough to rub a closed eye with his pointer finger. "As for you, Peter… Meet discretion with courage." While Noah is not one for talk on destiny, he does believe in people's potential. It would seem that Noah has high hopes for Peter, even if he doesn't trust the probability of the man to reach them. "If you want my help, I'll give it. But it will be on my terms and only when I feel it suits the Company's best interests." Loyalty to the Company is key for Family Man. Claire's safety depends on it.

"I don't know much about it," Elena says, chewing on her bottom lip. She looks down at her bottle of orange juice with a small frown. "I've been warned before by someone in the Company that while my courage…" Recklessness. "Is heartening, that it was also dangerous and that there was a monster in the Company. Someone actively going against the ideals it was founded on. The person didn't tell me anything more than that." Of course she doesn't know that the person who warned her is Noah's -partner-, the Haitian. "I tried to ask if it was one of the Founders, but the person told me that it wasn't my time to know. The person I talked to was telling me this while telling me that…there was another that escaped, before Sylar and before this recent slew of villains were released." Her mother's killer, but she'll keep that out of the books for now. "But it wasn't an escape. He was let out. Someone inside the Company made it happen. I don't know if this case is the same, but someone in your organization has a bad track record of letting the killers you capture out of their cages."

Someone inside the Company let him out, but Peter hardly thinks that his case is the same. He's got no intention of harming anyone, and until last night, he'd not lost control like that again. Meet discretion with courage. Not really sure what that means, but… "Did Elle already report what was in the dream we were all in? Cause that's the only piece of information I got at the moment. I think almost everything I experienced in the future has already been changed." Which in some ways is good, but in others…

HRG listens intently to Elena, but he doesn't say a word on it. After all, he's already risked saying too much already. No sense inviting more trouble now that Peter and Elena once again believe he is looking out for their best interest.

Glancing toward Peter, he shakes his head. "I'll ask her for a report on the dream. As for the future, I'm sure it has. Merely the act of going back may be enough to change it. After all, you were absent for a period of time, right?" Noah doesn't let Peter answer the question, speaking after giving a glance toward his watch. "Well, we've come to an understanding once more… So it's time I get back to work." Work? But he hasn't even gone home tonight, surviving only on 15 power naps to get him this far. But Noah is Noah, so he'll do what needs to be done. "In the future, I hope this sort of mistake isn't repeated again. Unless you have anything you need to add, I need to be moving on."

Standing up, Peter moves as if to follow him toward the door, extracting his hand. "I can send you details on what I remember of the dream too— since I might've seen something Elle didn't." It's the most he can really offer, even as he moves to follow. "So next time there's a lock down situation, I should stick around and you'll make sure I get out of it without my memories being violated?" Since that's the 'mistake' they're talking about, really, which he's still not completely sure was a mistake in his own mind.

There is a brief squeeze…. a little tighter than normal, over Peter's hand before he removes it, Elena still staring at the far wall. Talking about the monster, whoever he is, always makes her tense - more than just a little bit angry. But she takes a deep breath, and finishes the orange juice with several swigs. She stands up, but she doesn't move, folding her arms around herself as she watches the boyfriend move over to see Noah out. Her eyes close after a bit, absently rubbing her forearm with a hand, and glances downwards at the coffee table.

"If I'm not around, let them know you have an arrangement with me. It shouldn't be a problem as long as you are helpful to them. Ms. Gomez, however, will not be given the same privilage. Act accordingly." The last part causes him to glance toward Elena, letting her know exactly where she stands within the Company. Which is roughly has high as any other Evolved that's on the streets, perhaps a little lower considering her powers are unknown if they actually exist. Considering that the higher-ups haven't deemed Peter worthy of another capture, Noah decides that he can take a small risk. However, Ms. Gomez is not in the same boat, nor does she have the Company connections as the young Petrelli does. Even so, Noah doesn't make a clear promise… But he rarely makes promises to allies that he is unable to keep.

Moving toward the door to let himself out, Noah opens it up. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry that you both are caught up in this. It's going to be a long road ahead. Good night." With his vague warning given, Noah merely turns and makes his way out the door.

"In that case— I hope you realize, if she's with me… I'll make the same mistake," Peter says, shaking his head a little before he looks through the door toward his girlfriend. If it came down to risking the wrath of the Company, it's all or nothing with him. He won't avoid it just to let it get pushed on her. If she's going to get it, then he'll take the consequences as well. "I'm sorry we were caught up in it too. Good night, Noah." He's gonna keep first name usage, if he can.

Part of her feels guilty…Elena doesn't want to make this harder on him than it already is. If it comes down to it she'd rather he not make that choice. She's capable of taking herself out of the equation so she won't be a liability, but that's a little difficult where Peter was concerned. He made her promise. He said he couldn't do this alone, and he depended on her to keep him straight…and to save him, when necessary. And she can't do that when she's away from him. She gives him a small smile though, but when Noah cuts her a look, the smile fades and she just nods. "I get it," she tells Noah quietly. No. She doesn't have any Company guarantees heading her way. But that was just fine. She's gone this far without it so far.

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