Awww :) I really love how you had Reid comfort Peter. It's nice to see him being the strong one in the friendship. I also really liked how at the end of the day Claire and Reid stood together to support Peter. So while their relationship may have started off really rocky, they still came together in the end! It seems like Peter's road is going to get really rocky from here and it's good for him to know that Reid is there for him no matter what. Bravo!

Awwwwwwww :).

Such a touching ending. I feel for Claire and Peter, because it sounds like things are far from over for them once they leave here. But for now, at least, they can enjoy a night of peace and quiet with someone who cares about them, and who they care about in turn.

Poor Peter. My heart went out to him when he broke down as he did. His insistence that he's supposed to protect Reid and Claire, and his feeling like he's failing them if he can't because of his lack of powers...oh, Peter :(. I don't think it's just the lack of powers that is making him break down, either-it sounds like he's unleashing a whole lot of stress and pain that goes well beyond that, with Nathan and Sylar and his parents and his history in general. The guy's led kind of a rough life, it sounds like (to put it mildly). As sad as it was to see him so upset and scared, though, I am glad he was finally able to let it all out, and to someone who loved him and cared about him at that.

And Reid. With every story you continue to remind me over and over again why I love this man. He's so incredibly sweet and lovely with Peter here. I love him being the one to make the move to hug Peter. And I liked him calling Peter out on hiding his secret, and then turning comforting in an instant, by reminding him of all the ways he does protect Reid, has protected Reid. Especially Reid's statement about how Peter keeps him alive simply by loving him, that that's a reminder to Reid that, in his darkest, loneliest moments, SOMEBODY cares about him. That is so powerful and moving. I loved him reminding Peter that he looked out for him even before Reid was aware Peter had powers, too. Very true.

And I loved him reassuring Peter that he would always be there for him in turn, and that he and Claire will carry whatever Peter can't. "Strength is love"...that's just such a perfect message, and just the sort of thing Peter deserved to hear. It's especially meaningful coming from Reid, considering how he had to learn that very lesson himself when it came to letting his teammates in, and letting them care about and love him, and learning to trust them in turn.

I also liked him and Peter discussing everything with Claire-they almost sounded like parents discussing their temperamental child there for a moment :p. Reid sticking up for Claire and defending her was really sweet, and a great show of how much he'd come to like and understand her in the short time he knew her.

As for their little fight at the start of that scene, I'm completely on Reid and Claire's side there, but given all the stress Peter was dealing with and given the frustration about his powers and whatnot, and whatever craziness was going on with Claire, I can very much sympathize with his little outburst at Reid over the elevator situation all the same. Claire getting them to stop fighting was good, too :D. I like how controlled and mature her response was in comparison :p.

And of course, everything with Reid and Claire was great, too. Reid being his ever-thoughtful and concerned self was sweet-LOVED him giving her his coat to warm her up, and making sure she was all right (and aw at him wanting to get the two of them out of the dark). And Claire expressing admiration for Reid's ability to always be constantly thinking, and thanking him for helping her with everything, was nice, too :). I'm glad they were able to come to some common ground. I also liked their discussion about the FBI Academy, even if I felt for Claire with how emotional she got at the end about it. Her reasoning for not joining makes total sense, of course, but if she ever were to go that route, I think she could be a pretty awesome FBI agent :).

On much lighter notes, LOL at Peter's "Dr. Phil" comment-now I'm wondering if Reid even knows who that is :p. Was his reaction just out of a momentary offense, or was he genuinely confused who Peter was talking about, or was it a mix of both :D? And I chuckled at Peter chastising Reid over his lack of food in the house, too. I'm all for Peter continuing to take care of him in that area where necessary :).

So happy to see Reid and Peter talk their issues out, and have Claire adding her support and love. And it was great to see Reid and Claire become friends along the way, too. I'm sad to see this story come to an end, but it was a really sweet and tender and entertaining peek into this time in Reid and Peter's lives, and it was great to meet Claire, too. I like her :). She seems like a cool person. And I hope she and Peter can find some happiness down the road (and if they don't, don't tell me! Spoilers!).

Congrats on finishing your schooling for the year! And have a good, well-deserved break and safe trip as well! I look very forward to whatever stories you come up with down the line. Excellent story, as always with you :).

I'm jealous. I have an exam on Monday, and then all holidays will be spent on preparing to my other exams in January. (This is just a break from studying extensively for Monday - I'm dying...)

This was wonderful, though I had to kinda roll my eyes at Peter's overreaction over the elevator. I'm glad Spencer told him that he can't stop accidents happen. Life is life. But that's Peter, I guess. Way too over protective. Otherwise, this was just really cute, and this is right before they go to Coyote Sands, huh...

So this chapter was really good at bringing the two of them together. I'm glad that while they are not going to be the best of friends at least they have some common ground to start on. At least Claire is softening up a bit to my wonderful genius...I mean...come on, how can you not like Reid? So, is this united front going to work? Can Spencer get past the betrayal he feels at Peter hiding such a big secret from him? I can't wait for more!

Bonding over some good-natured teasing about Morgan. I love it :D. And Claire saying Reid reminded her of her little brother with his excited rambling...awwwww.

So good to see the initial tension between them thawing out. It's a shame that it has to take something like what Peter's going through to bond them, but I love that Reid makes the first move in that regard, with his "united front" suggestion (and of *course* he'd make a classic reference, with the Atlas thing-I loved that line). And I like that he strikes a compromise, too, by reassuring Claire that they don't have to be best buddies, but should just be plain civil. Fortunately, if the ending's any indication, they'll bond a little more than they initially thought they might, though, so yay :). That's going to be one strong united front by the end of this story, I think.

Loved seeing Claire opening up to Reid about everything with Peter. It's good to hear he does still have *some* power in him-I'd seriously wondered and worried about how he would've been adjusting to having no powers, so thank goodness that's not the case. But it sucks to hear that it's been so diluted, and that it's all weird with him losing powers whenever he gains a new one. How very odd.

But that's not nearly as heartbreaking as the revelation that Peter was left to die by the person responsible for sucking his powers away, or the idea that Peter didn't tell Reid about this because he was so humiliated or in despair that he couldn't protect those close to him anymore. Ohhhhhhhh :(. I get it, and I can't even begin to imagine how scared he is thinking about all those "what if something happens to Claire or Reid" sorts of things, but still...that's so sad. Poor Peter.

And I feel for Reid, too, with his struggle to wrap his mind around this news regarding Peter, and the hurt and confusion he feels over the fact that Peter didn't tell him about any of this, the realization that Peter was afraid Reid would judge him or react badly somehow or something. Aw. I love that he reaffirms, though, that he would never, could never judge Peter for that, or anything else. Not only is it a great reminder of how much he loves and trusts Peter, but it's also great that Claire gets to hear those words, too, and see just how much Reid cares about her uncle.

She makes a great point, though, about people's logical skills failing them in moments of distress. Reid would certainly know about that, after all, considering the way he tried to keep his whole addiction thing from his teammates and from Peter, and the fact that Reid felt like he failed his mom 'cause he couldn't properly take care of her anymore. Plus, there's the way he struggles with cases where he can't save some of the unsubs/potential unsubs they deal with (Nathan Harris, anyone?). All these "why didn't he tell me?" questions he wants to aim at Peter are ones he'd likely have to aim at himself, too. No wonder he and Peter click so well-they both have the uncanny ability to do everything possible to help everyone else while refusing to show their own vulnerable moments and struggles, or admit they themselves need help.

I love, by the way, that Claire is the one who suggests that keeping Reid reassured was the reason Peter didn't tell Reid about this powers business, rather than let him deal with the possibility that Peter didn't want to open up to his oldest and closest friend about something so important. She clearly sees how special Peter is to Reid, and I love that she wants to reiterate that the feeling is very much mutual on Peter's end, despite her own wariness regarding Reid :). Reid's protectiveness towards Claire is great, too, with the way he tries to comfort her when she talks about all this scary stuff, and self-censors with the near mention of Sylar. It's sweet to see him looking out for her.

I also love seeing their banter come out here, with the "listening in/talking about others during conversations" thing, and the way Reid's trying to politely deal with Claire's sarcastic barbs :D. And him explaining his particular "ability" to her was great, too (LOL at his remarks regarding mind reading as well). I LOVE it when Reid gets in "excited rambling" mode. And I'm glad Claire seems to appreciate it, too.

The beginning had me chuckling, too, with everyone staring at Reid and Claire, and Hotch looking for all the world like an irritated father :p. His "Care to explain how you come back with more than you went down with?" line in particular made me laugh-it just sounded so funny, the way he phrased that. And I like how he's all suspicious and trying to be stern yet can't help being a little amused at the whole situation, too. It's moments like that that show why he's such a cool boss, though, and Reid covered nicely with his explanation for Claire's appearance.

Claire's flirty response to Morgan was great, too. Ooh. Garcia would like her :D.

Again, so happy to see Reid and Claire starting to click a little more, and seeing them deciding to work together to help put Peter at ease and let him know they've got his back. The love these people have for Peter, and he for them...it's just so gosh darned heartwarming! I have a feeling their plan will work just fine :). In the meantime, I continue to look forward to seeing Reid and Claire get to know each other better. As always, look forward to what's next. Good luck with finals, too!

(Also, yay for news of a potential oneshot in the works! Good luck with that as well.)

Of course Claire thinks Morgan is hot :) I like that Claire and Reid are finally getting somewhere. Claire actually confides a little about Peter. Wonder what Peter will think when he comes back to find out his two favourite people have united to have an intervention or something for him :P

Holy Crap! Peter has no powers! Way to drop a bomb! So now what?
Ahhh, a profile is always the greatest weapon...way to go Reid! I loved how he peeled away all of her layers and laid her out bare. I know that it could be considered mean but hey, she deserved it at the moment. Sometimes people just need to be put in their place.
So, will Reid even be able to do anything to help Claire or Peter? I mean, this stuff is a little bit out of his league. And it seems like Peter doesn't want to get Spencer involved...why else would he leave out that big piece of information?
Now that Claire knows that Spencer can relate to her, "knows" what it's like, will she trust him? Or is it too much to soon? Will she still be guarded? Will he be able to convince her that he is truly there to help her and Peter?
Anyways, I hope you had a great holiday and I can't wait for more!

First things first, sorry to hear you're not feeling well :(! Hope you get well soon!

Second...whoa. There's a shocker of a revelation! And yes, Morgan definitely needs to work on his timing :p!

So. Yeah. I'll definitely be anxious to hear more about THIS news regarding Peter. No wonder Claire's so tense and worried, and Peter was so antsy and shifty when trying to convince Reid to look after her. I'm feeling even more for Claire now, with her family situation as uncertain and shaky as it is. And now learning she'd seen Peter die at one point, too...oh :(. Plus her own past that Reid relayed back to her as well (being killed THREE times?!) and the fact that her family seems to have a lot of deep-seeded problems-dang. Yeah, I imagine quite a few people would develop some serious trust and emotional issues after all of that. I certainly would. Now I kind of want to give her a hug.

I love that she openly acknowledged how aware she was that Peter loved her. It was touching to see her getting emotional as she spoke about just how important Peter was to her, and her to him. I am glad that despite all the horror she's been through, she does have him by her side. And I don't doubt that even without his powers, Peter can and would still do everything possible to try and save her and anyone else he cares about. But of course, there's much bigger risk for him should he fail, too. So I get her being scared and worried-certainly would explain one of the many reasons she's anxious to get out of the elevator, and was bothered by the thought of leaving his side in the first place. Poor Claire.

And, of course, I LOVE the way Reid finally broke through to her. His controlled anger and extreme closeness as a means to convey his seriousness and the intensity of what he's trying to tell her was powerful and appropriately intimidating (and I do rather like it when that side of him comes out every now and again, not going to lie). I like the way he finally got her to snap to attention, and didn't hold back when talking to her.

And then I love that he was able to let that kind, gentle tone of his seep in, too, the one we've seen him use whenever interviewing victims or interrogating unsubs-I could hear his soft voice in my head so perfectly the more he talked here. I hate that he had to dredge up his own painful memories of Sylar, and the Company, and all the horrors they visited upon him and Peter and the victims whose deaths he and his victims had to investigate during their case in "Time". But it's rather sweet that he was willing to show that kind of vulnerability and emotion in the hopes of getting Claire to let her own guard down, and connect with him.

Especially since he wasn't just talking about his experience with Sylar there, either. His mention of her turning to rage, and taking pride in one's strength and feeling like asking for help is a sign of weakness, is a great touch as well, a perfect nod to his struggle to take care of his mom, everything with Hankel and the aftermath of his attempts to get better, the stress he deals with given all he sees and deals with on the job... I'm not all that surprised he'd be willing to get that personal with her, though. Sure, he'd never met Claire until now, but he clearly knows about her thanks to Peter, and he knows automatically that anyone who's important to Peter is someone he feels he can trust in turn. Which says a lot about how much his relationship with Peter means to him-I love that their bond is that strong :). Plus, it's just a great example of his profiling skills in action, showing that he knows so much about how she behaves and reacts to situations and such.

I don't blame Claire for being a little startled by Reid knowing so much about her own past, of course, even if he is a close friend of Peter's. It would be weird to be profiled and analyzed, and to have such personal demons and traumas being drawn out of you without even having to say a word. But given that long pause after Reid's big ol' speech, it's clear he was spot on with his assessment of her, and it's also clear that what he said did sink in with her. She's still in antagonistic mode, again, understandable given her worry and frustration about Peter and his not-so-little problem with his powers, but at least she is talking with Reid, and letting him in on just what exactly is going on with Peter. So that's a start. Hopefully once they get past Morgan's attempts to interrogate them she'll be able to explain further.

Other things I liked: the whole bit at the start of this chapter regarding Reid's appreciation of quiet places, because I can very much relate. The line about his and Claire's relationship being "younger than the Snickers bar in his satchel"-it amused me. And made me want a Snickers :p. The description of Claire's features as she stood quietly, musing over Reid's rant. It gave her a haunting, and even more sympathetic, air. I also liked Reid's observation of himself, smiling at his shoes, and his deciding to memorize the emergency procedure instructions :D.

And Reid snapping and launching into his rant after Claire made a snide jab at his friends-aw. Love him getting all protective of them :). Also like Garcia keeping in contact with Reid as well, giving him updates on the elevator situation. If one must be stuck in an elevator for almost an hour and a half, talking to Garcia ain't exactly a bad way to pass the time :). It amused me that Claire raising her voice happened just as the elevator resumed life, too-if I didn't know better, I'd suggest she'd activated it herself :p.

So, at least they're out of the elevator now, which, yay! Can't wait to see what else happens when they get another opportunity to chat, and what else we can learn about Peter and this powers issue. And it'll be interesting to see how the team reacts to Claire, too, and how she and Reid deal with Morgan's teasing :D. Look forward to the next chapter, as always! And once again, sending "get well" wishes your way.

So, I gotta apologize for being so late to the party with this review.
First of all...you are positively prime evil! Trapping him an elevator with a moody teenager! Oh my poor Spence! I know now and thank you for explaining Claire's background...but I can't forgive her irrational bitchyness. I mean, anyone can tell that Reid was uncomfortable around her and he doesn't know the first thing about trying to relate/reach out to a teen...let alone a female teenager.
It seriously hurt my heart when she told him that he was nothing...ohhhh, I was livid and at the same time I just wanted to wrap Reid in a hug.
Gah, your last line about pretending...how appropo...
Anyways, loved the angst but promise me Claire will regret/want to take back her words in the end!

...ouch. Awww. Reid :(.

As hurtful and startling as those words were, though, I can understand Claire's mindset here, too. Thrust into a situation she's got no say in, this chaotic situation going on with Peter and her father and whatnot, feeling like she is being seen and treated as a child even though, obviously, that's not Reid's intention at all, and then, like you said in your opening note, the simple fact that she is a teenager and prone to some mood swings...I get it. And I know Reid understands all of that, too-he's a smart guy, after all.

But still, I don't blame him for feeling a little hurt regardless, since he'd done nothing to her to warrant such harsh words, and since it's no doubt bringing back some painful memories from his own past in a lot of ways.

And now they're going to be stuck in an elevator for the next hour and a half or so with this tension? Oh, FUN! Heh. But hey, what better opportunity to try and begin some sort of bonding, right? Funny how it takes moments like this to get people to open up sometimes.

I also like the brief moment of softness between them, too, with Reid trying to comfort and reassure her about the temporary power outage (which sounds like a MASSIVE pain in the you-know-what, by the way, especially in such a high level line of work like that of the freaking FBI), and Claire actually showing a slight hint of vulnerability by getting spooked over this sudden darkness and getting trapped in this elevator. I think many people understand her fear there all too well. And I like that that's a brief moment where she and Reid can bond and have something in common, since Reid's no fan of the dark and isn't thrilled about getting stuck in elevators, either.

On that note, I KNEW there'd be a nod to that episode where he and Morgan got stuck in that elevator together :D! I love that scene. So funny. And LOL at Reid wishing he could go back to that moment, instead of having to deal with this particular "stuck in an elevator" scenario :p.

I also chuckled at him mentally counting the number of seconds he'd spent with her thus far, and his remembering the thing about not diagnosing adolescents and being sure she wasn't a sociopath, and his attempt to inform her on what the law says about anyone under the age of eighteen. Oh, Reid...:p. He's way too polite and kind to do this, but considering some of his thoughts he's had about her thus far, he could probably get just as snarky as she did with him at the end if he really wanted to. He can bring the snark when he needs to, after all. But since she's a teenager and special to Peter, it makes sense he'd hold his tongue and try and remain civil.

On an entirely different note, I like the random bit with Garcia flirting with Morgan over her phone, and not being fazed by this power outage the way she otherwise might if it were some other situation. Wonder if she'll discover Reid and Claire are trapped in the elevator at any point?

Definitely looking forward to seeing what comes of Reid and Claire's time together in that confined space, and how they come to trust each other, and bond. This should be very interesting, in a good way :). Can't wait for what's next.

LoL, I'm very interested in seeing what hyjinks this petulant teenager may get Spencer into. I still have never watched the show (Heroes). Was Claire so moody and pushy on it? I can't wait to see how the team facts to her! Till next time!

First things first, yay, another CM/Heroes crossover story :D! *Does happy dance*

Second, ohhhhhhhh. This should be fun. To say the very least :p. I can already hear Reid's teammates' reactions to him carting a teenage girl around. Hehe. I like Peter being completely oblivious to her standing there for a moment at first, so wrapped up as he is in reuniting with Reid, and Claire just boring holes into his head as she waits impatiently :p.

I also liked Reid quietly mentally profiling her, getting a sense of her character. Such a contrast in so many ways to Peter. But from what I've learned about Nathan through these stories, the way he changed from the brother Peter knew and loved, it's easy to see where Claire might've developed some of those traits (though, fortunately, not quite to that sad and upsetting extent, it seems, as Peter's affection and love for her is very apparent). Course, some of that's also due to her just being a typical teenager, too, so...:p. Reid's thing about her demeanor reminding him of the kids he encountered in school was a little prick to the heart, though. Aw.

I also feel for Peter, too, since it sounds like he's got quite a lot of mess on his hands with his mom (and grrr at Nathan not doing anything to help-I shouldn't be surprised, again, given what I know about him, but still, damn it, Nathan). Peter's bitterness about Nathan's lack of help just makes it even more heartbreaking. I don't blame Reid for relenting at that point-I probably would, too.

That said, I was also on Reid's side throughout his attempted protest, 'cause, yeah, not exactly the most ideal place to drop a teenager off, for sure. And while Reid is indeed a trustworthy person, being expected to suddenly take care of a teenager with no preparation of any sort is a lot to ask of someone. I also couldn't help but bristle a little at the way Peter kind of played on his close bond with Reid to try and wear down Reid's defenses-I get Peter's desperate and the situation's a huge, horrible one and all, but still, kind of presumptuous. I smirked at Reid's comeback to Peter's bragging about his managing to get into the building. I was thinking the same thing as Reid there :p.

Still, though, of course Reid proves he'll do literally anything for his friend/brother, because that's the kind of good-hearted person he is. Though I suspect he and Peter will probably be having quite a thorough talk when Peter comes home later. And if he winds up needing help with whatever his mom's going through, I've no doubt Reid will help there, too.

As crazy and dire as the circumstances seem to be for this situation to occur, though, I am always very happy to see these two reunite and interact. I liked Peter taking note of Reid's recent struggles here, and noting that Reid looks "well". Even when they haven't seen each other in a while, they still remember the important things. On that note, too, aw at Reid struggling with headaches after Gideon's departure-I wonder if he'll discuss everything with Gideon with Peter at some point now, too. That would certainly be the sort of thing he could open up to Peter about, and the sort of thing his friend would be sympathetic to and help him deal with.

And on a lighter note, LOL at Reid's phone irritating his friends, and the two of them plotting to sneak files onto his desk (and of *course* Reid would be one to come in early on a Friday to get all his stuff done early :p). I like that they're still keeping a close eye on Reid, too, given all he'd have been through at this point. Be interesting to see how they react to Peter's return, too, especially Morgan-I remember he and Peter were kind of at odds in your "Time" story, after all, so if they have any interaction again here, I look forward to seeing how that'll play out.

I'm sorry the reboot isn't quite grabbing you, but at least it's inspired some story ideas, so yay for that, right? And happy to hear all's going well elsewhere in your life, too-hope that streak continues! As always, I look very forward to seeing where this latest story in this 'verse goes :D.

This was good. Spencer will have his hands full with her.

This is interesting, I must say. Poor Reid, to be launched with Claire, though I'm sure she'll eventually be endeared by Peter's best friend... Right? Right?