Couch Surfing And Gunshot Wounds

Participants:

kaylee2_icon.gif peter7_icon.gif

Scene Title Couch Surfing and Gunshot Wounds
Synopsis After getting kicked out of McRae's Safehouse, Kaylee turns to Peter Petrelli for help… but fate conspires for him to help her in a totally different way.
Date January 27, 2010

Lower East Side


A duffel slung across her back and another hefted in her other hand, Kaylee stood outside the apartment building debating turning around. Everything that had happened had discouraged her from facing any of the Ferrymen. She was afraid of what might have been passed around and besides the pain of rejection was still too fresh.

She had spent the day kind of wandering, wondering what to do, but also making sure to do her time at the bookstore, which allowed her to focus on something else. While sitting behind the counter of the bookstore watching Gabriel swat lazily at something under a bookshelf, Kaylee realized she needed to talk to someone.

There Kaylee stood outside, Peter's apartment build chewing her lip and wondering if she should even bother him with her problem. "Well… no one better." She murmurs to herself and makes her way into the building. Though, twice on the way up she almost turned right around and left. Cowardice doesn't really fit her well.

Reaching the door marked 1407, Kaylee drops on duffel and pulls the other off her shoulder to drop on her other side. Kaylee takes a deep breath, "Here goes nothing…", and knocks softly on the apartment door.

When the door opens, the popping beats of a classic Big Band tune come rolling out from within. Standing there silhouetted in the doorway, Peter Petrelli looks remarkably surprised to see anyone come visit him today, let alone a familiar face. It's difficult to really answer the door with a towel around your shoulders, and Peter's recoiling from the cold hallway as water comes beading down off of bare shoulders, steam rising from his back and the top of his toussled hair. At least he's wearing pants, but it does look like he just got out of the shower.

"K— Kaylee." Dark eyes immediately go to the duffle bag over her shoulder, and he leans away from the door, giving another assessing look at the blonde before waving her in. "Come— Come on in, close the door behind you?" As Peter treads barefoot away from the door, he pauses and turns, looking back at Kaylee again with a puzzled expression, visibly and wordlessly demanding an answer of what's up?

Oh.. dear god… Blue eye drop down and then up again rather quickly. Clearing her throat and trying to stay focused on his face and not the fact he was obvious just out of the shower… She offers him a mild, "Hello Peter." Grabbing the duffel bags and dragging them into the apartment, Kaylee explains a touch blandly. "Seems that associating with Petrelli's is looked down upon at McRae's place…. especially ones that founded a certain Company."

The duffel bags a dropped unceremoniously, so that she can shut the door slowly behind her. "I got asked to leave." When the door clicks shut she turns around and gives him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I.. ah…. " Don't think about it Kaylee. Focus " .. showed up like this. I didn't know where else to go.. and it was the first place a thought of.

"You told them?" There's a quick look over Keter's shoulder to Kaylee, followed by a sigh and a shake of his head as he starts walking towards a large pair of French doors that lead into the bedroom. Pulling a white, button-down shirt off of where he'd left it to hang on the doorknob, Peter slings it over his shoulders and starts buttoning the front up. "Sorry I— probably should have warned you not to. I didn't know you were still staying at that— " He eyes the dufflebag, and suddenly Peter starts to put this very obvious puzzle together. "Oh— oh."

Grimacing awkwardly, Peter looks around the apartment as he finishes buttoning the shirt up to the top, leaving the collar awkwardly raised. "Well, yeah I— you can stay here for a little while if you want, till you get back on your feet. It's my fault for getting you into that situation anyway so— I mean, if you don't mind sleeping on the couch. It's not too bad, and hey— I have hot running water for the first time since I moved in too, you've got good timing."

The upturned quality of Peter's collar is explained when he retrieves a black necktie from the arm of the sofa, swinging it around his neck as he walks towards a small hanging mirror on the living room wall. Fidgeting, fussing, and struggling to tie his tie properly— he was never good at doing this sort've thing.

"Yeah… not my smartest moment, but Eric had asked if I had been on some hot date or something." She gives a little flip of her hand, "And I told him… It didn't think about it.. he's my friend." She looks somewhat embarrassed when he figures out that she is homeless, her eyes focus on anything but him. "I had thought about a hotel, but I can't exactly be trusted to sleep on my own, since one of my nightmares left me swimming in the bay." Eyes flick over to him as he fumbles with the tie. "… I won't be around too long, just long enough to find a new safe house."

There is a small frown and she moves put herself between him and the mirror, blocking his view. Not hard considering they are about the same height. "Here.. let me.. I use to have to help my uncle with his.. He was old and his fingers didn't work so well." There is a quick glance up at him, then she focuses on the tie, hands moving with practiced ease."Anyhow, couch is fine.. probably more comfortable the cot I've been sleeping on for months now."

Peter tenses when Kaylee steps between him and the mirror, chin lifted up and brown eyes angled down as he watches her work the nexttie into a Windsor, then wiggle it up snugly to the front of his throat. He's silent, watching her,e ven after she's done, then cracks a hesitant and awkward smile after the fact. "Thanks… for— you know— for that." Creasing his brows for a moment in an uncertain expression, Peter backsteps from Kaylee and reaches up to fold down his collar, affording her a more honest smile then.

"Don't worry about it, really— the ah, timing thing. I don't mind if you need a place to stay for a while, I can probably help you look over some school too. Really, as long as you don't mind pulling up some couch space for a little while." Moving around the living room, Peter heads towards the open kitchenette, saparated from the living room only by an island. On the way over, he's tucking that white shirt into his slacks, carefully smoothing it out on his way over to a stool at the counter, pulling a black suit jacket off of it and swinging it over his shoulders.

"So… what exactly happened, how upset were they at you?" Brown eyes angle towards Kaylee again, and Peter starts fishing through his pockets, grabbing a comb out of one as he starts mussing with his damp hair, combing it to one side."I— I'm really sorry— that they reacted that way. I should've warned you."

Patting the tie gently, she steps away even as he steps back, feeling a touch uneasy. Kaylee flashes him a smile, though it doesn't exactly reach her eyes as she turns way, glancing at the door. "No problem. Didn't want you have a crooked tie for.. you know.. where ever your going." She moves to pull the bags away from the door and prop them somewhere out of the way. "I could definitely use some help on colleges. What I've wanted to do.. has kind of been in the back of my mind for awhile… But I didn't want to do the same thing my dad did, but I need to get past that." Making sure the bags are okay, she faces him again her face somewhat neutral. "I think I'm going to look into law."

His las question gets a grimace and, her face falls. "Eric.. was really mad at me." Her voice drops to a soft whisper, eyes dropping to the floor and her arms wrap around her middle. "I… I don't know what hurts more. Getting kicked out… or Eric not trusting me enough to know what I'm doing." She had been trying not to think about it, so her eyes close against the surge of emotions. "We got into a huge fight and McRae showed up to find out what was going on… and Eric told him. And.. McRae told me I had to leave." The young woman doesn't hide the hurt the decision caused her.

"Doyle's…" Peter furrows his brows, shaking his head slowly. "Doyle's got a lot of problems under the hood, Kaylee. He— he's had a pretty traumatic childhood, from what I remember of his Company dossier. He killed his uncle— just— walked the guy into the ocean and drowned him. That's really what got him put into Company holding. I— I'd like to think he's turned over a new leaf, he seems like he has, it's just— he has that really large potential for something bad to happen. To be honest, I'm kind of glad you're distancing yourself a bit… just— you know— to be safe?"

Looking down at his bare feet, Peter makes his way back past Kaylee again, towards the couch where a pair of dark socks and dress shoes lay on the cushions. "I'm ah— actually headed out to the Orchid Lounge, a friend of mine is singing there tonight, and I promised I'd go out and see her perform." Pausing as he reaches the sofa, Peter quirks a dark brow and turns back around to look at Kaylee, lopsided smile raised. "You wanna come?"

"First time my ability manifested, I made a boy walk into a lake and drown himself." Kaylee's tone is somewhat flat as she relays a rather frightening similar event, eyes opening so that she can give him a sideways look, "Not to mention I'm just as dangerous, Peter." Arms unfold and she draws her fingers through her hair. "He just needs people that understand him… he.. he listens to me." She gives a small sad smile watching him walk to the couch. "I'm worried what will happen without me there to keep an eye on him.

Brows lift and Kaylee has a bit of an amused look, "To.. the Orchid Lounge?" Glancing down at herself, in her soft maroon sweater and worn blue jeans, Kaylee can't help but chuckle. "I'm not exactly dressed to go anywhere that nice." Glancing at her duffel bag, where everything has been shoved. "And.. I only have two dresses to my name.. it would be bad form to wear the white one again.. the… ah… other one…" The number she wore to the night club… she isn't exactly sure about that one. ".. might not be appropriate for the Orchid Lounge." Kaylee gives him a shy smile.

Peter's taken aback when Kaylee mentions what happened with her ability, staring at her in silence, before closing his eyes and nodding his head. It's a reluctant— embarassed— smile that crosses his face afterward. He didn't need to know that, but on the same token, he's apologetic for having brought something up so close to home with her. Like any good Petrelli, he evades even mentioning it again— it's easier to avoid difficult subjects, after all.

It's with a laugh and a crooked smile that Peter deflects, shaking his head as he looks down to the dufflebag. "Like inappropriate matters, I'm sure you'll look good in anything. Besides, you're going with the President's brother, I'm sure whoever sees you will be too busy snapping pictures and trying to figure out who you are to be worried about what you're wearing— unless other people try and imitate it after the fact." Crookedly grinning at Kaylee, Peter sits down on the sofa and goes about pulling on those socks and grabbing his dress shoes.

"Seriously, I think it'd be fun, you know? Eve's a great singer too, she's like us— special— I'd really like you to meet her. She's an old friend." At the same time Peter is saying that, Kaylee's phone begins vibrating in her jacket pocket, letting out a noisy little angry-bee sound, and flashing on the caller identification screen, is the name she programmed into her phone from the number calling: Colette.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn, Mr. Petrelli…" Kaylee comments lightly happy to get off the more depressing subject. The mention of who he's related to, gives the young woman pause. She.. really hadn't put two and two together. She stares at Peter for a moment, it's hard to think of him as the Presidents brother, but then shakes her head and turns to her bags. Best not to think too hard about it. Crouching down to unzip one, while she listens to him talk about Eve, she pulls out a simple red dress, this one looks much more fitted then the one she wore to meet his mom.

While she's in the process of checking it for horrible wrinkles her phone goes off, so holding the dress up in one hand, she fishes for the cellphone with the other. There is a sharp fearful intake of air as she sees who is calling. "News gets around fast." She murmurs, while she debates whether to answer or not. Finally, she decides she can't ignore Colette of all people.

A flick of her thumb across the screen and Kaylee tucks the cellphone under her hair against her ear. "Hello?" She offers cautiously, even as she hold up the red dress and arches a brow at Peter to make sure he is okay with it.

The other end of the phone is not what Kaylee expects. «Kaylee? Oh my God Kaylee you have to come quick— Eric's been shot. He— he's lost so much blood— Oh my god.» All the while, Peter is sitting on the couch, tying his shoelaces and trying not to watch Kaylee while she talks on the phone, though the hint of that red dress seems to have him angling a side-long look at her, wondering how that little fabric covers a girl that tall. He's a bit concerned that he's going to find out.

«We were down at Summer Meadows and— and there was a fight. Oh my God, Kaylee— he's bleeding everywhere. We— we're at Eileen's apartment at Fort Greene in Brooklyn. She— I dunno— there's so much blood. P— Please, please come out here please. I dunno— I— I dunno what— I'm scared.»

This is not how she imagined this would go.

The dress lowers slowly has a cold fist of fear twists her stomach into a knot, while she listens to Colette go on about Eric's condition. Peter can see the girl pale her breath catching, "Oh god…" Is all she can say as first, the words barely making it out of her mouth. Her eyes drop to Peter in a wide eyed look, then she suddenly turns, tossing the dress down on top of the duffel bag. Trying to sound calm through her own fear, Kaylee works to ease the young girl on the other end, "Colette… take a deep breath, girl, calm down. I'll be there as soon as I can. Okay? I'm on my way out the door right now."

Hanging up, Kaylee turns back to Peter as she stuffs the phone in her pocket again, and zips up the leather jacket she's been wearing. "I knew something would happen if I left him.. I have to go." The young telepath says trying not to sound like she's panicking and failing badly. Her voice catches as she explains, "Eric got shot.. Down at Summer Meadows, I… I'm sorry… I have to go right now."

"Shot!?" Peter's up and off the sofa as fast as he can be, brown eyes wide and lips pulled tight across his teeth ina grimace. "He— Jesus Christ. Okay, just— " a look is offered towards the kitchen, then instead peter begins making a quick rush over towards the coat rack where his scarf and jacket are. "Just hold on, I— where is he?" Swinging his jacket over his shoulders, Peter looks to be hastily getting dressed for the cold weather. "We'll go together, go into the bathroom— " Peter waves a hand towards a door he'd left open with a light on, "get the first aid kit from the medicine cabinet."

Reaching into his pocket, Peter pulls out his cell phone, checking the time on the front and the shakes his head, hissing out a breath. "Sorry Eve…" he admits in a hushed tone of voice, turning to look back up towards Kaylee. "This is the sort've thing I'm supposed to do."

"He… they are at Eileen's… Over at Fort Greene" Kaylee knows the woman from the times they've spent caring for the Ferry's sick children. So that at least gives the telepath some comfort. Hurrying to do as she asks, Kaylee's voice is heard from the bathroom as she yanks open the cabinet. "It was some sort of fight, Colette was panicking too much to understand her."

As she steps out of the bathroom, Kaylee grimaces. "I'm sorry that this is taking you away from seeing your friend play." The first aid kit is held against her chest as she gives him a pained expression. "I just…" She just doesn't know what to say, so she gives a little shake of her head and moves for the door instead suddenly feeling like a burden.

"Hey— don't worry about it. I'd better get used to having to be on call a whole lot more often than I am." Peter offers an apologetic smile to Kaylee, picking up the brick red scarf from the coat rack and winding it aorund his neck before tucking it in to the front of his jacket. It's funny, he hasn't worn that scarf since his days with Pariah, and now it feels so much more at home than it ever did then. "Your friend's in trouble, and that's really all that matters."

Moving to come up to Kaylee's side, Peter rests a hand on her shoulder, turning the blonde to face him, both brows raised as he looks at her. "Kaylee." Dark eyes search hers. "It'll be alright, this isn't your fault. C'mon, let's go get a taxi and get out there, I know right where Eileen's place is." Nodding once, sharply, Peter turns towards the door and opens it out to the hall, brows furrowed and a thoughtful look crossing his face.

This would be a lot easier with Hiro's power.


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