Sweet Lies

Characters: Nathan and Peter
Words: 600
Disclaimer: All characters belong to NBC, not me.
Rating: PG
Summary: Peter lies too well.

Nathan looks into Peter's eyes, searching for the lie. "Yes, I'll sit down with you," says Peter, and Nathan believes him, just for the split second it takes for Peter to run out the door, and steal a little bit of Nathan's power to fly away. Or do something. Who knows what Peter does anymore. He's gone, and it's Nathan's fault, again, for not standing in the way.

Peter always was too good a liar, and even Nathan, lawyer and professional politician, can't match the absolute certainty Peter gives people when he talks to them. Professors, girls, patients, everyone always trusts him, and wants to think the best of him.

Nathan remembered a conversation from a few years before. "How do you do it?" Nathan asked as they took the train back to Manhattan together, after a family dinner. Nathan usually drove Peter back to New York in his BMW, but that day it was in the shop. Taking the train was no hardship, though: it was one of those long fall evenings, when the last rays of sun lit up the changing leaves along the Hudson valley, and made Nathan think, once again, about moving his family out here. The kids were too young to care yet, but someday they'd need a place to run around. Kids grew up too quickly in New York. Look at him.

"Do what?" asked Peter, without turning his head from the window.

"Lie so well. That whole song and dance you gave Mom about school."

She asked, and Peter told a story about challenging classes, and informative professors, dates with girlfriend from Delaware—a complete fabrication. Peter never went to class, and Nathan had a little bird in the registrar's office who said Peter would have to take all incompletes this semester. But the way he told the story, no one would ever know.

"If you could tell, then I wasn't doing that well."

"I couldn't. I just know the truth."

Now Peter turned to face him. "Are you spying on me?"

Nathan made a face. "I keep track of you. Get over it."

Peter rolled his eyes, but didn't respond to that. "I believe it while I'm saying it."

"That's kind of sad, Pete," said Nathan, imagining Peter's fantasy world, where he could escape from the mess he was making of his college career, but yes, it made sense. Peter was so earnest, without a cynical bone in his body; of course he had to believe the lie to tell it.

Peter shrugged. "It works."

Nathan put his hand on Peter's shoulder, and Peter leaned in to him a little. Nathan was always better at physical reassurance than saying the right things, and he felt helpless. He couldn't make Peter choose the right path, couldn't stop him from this endless drifting. Lectures, pleading, threats--none of it had worked. "You know, if you want to talk . . ." said Nathan, lamely. He knew he was probably part of the problem.

Peter looked at him with those wide eyes, and transparent smile, and said, "I'm just working some things out right now."

Nathan felt reassured for a moment but, "You're doing it now, aren't you?" he asked.

Peter's smile faded. "Yes. I told you it worked." They rode back to New York in silence.

Nathan tells himself, time and time again, that the flying is just one of those weird things. He shouldn't have to change his whole worldview because of it. It's not denial, it's a judicious selection of the facts. His flying and Peter's problems have nothing to do with one another. They're already too bound up in each other, too tied together with secrets and lies, but this at least, is all Pete's problem.

He tells the young Dr. Suresh this: concentrate on my brother. You can have my resources, but you can't have me. Fix Peter; I can take care of myself. But now Peter's gone, and Nathan wonders if maybe it's time to stop believing his own lies.


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