Mercy Me

Pressure

Diego looked over at Klaus in the passenger seat, then at Kat in the rearview mirror. The car was unusually silent, and he could feel the unease rolling through the air. "Wow. This is a first. My brother Klaus is silent. Last time you were this quiet, we were 12. Ran down the stairs wearing Grace's heels, tripped over, and broke your jaw. How long was it wired shut again?"

"Eight weeks." Klaus mumbled.

"Eight glorious weeks of bliss." Diego joked.

"Hey, just... just drop me off here." Klaus said suddenly.

Diego brought the car to a screeching halt as they all looked over at the bar Klaus had told them to drop him at. The latter got out of the car, then opened the back door so Kat could get out and move to the front seat.

"You sure you okay?" she asked quietly as he closed the back door.

Klaus sighed and rubbed his face. "No, not really. But I will be."

"Just promise me if things get too bad, you'll talk to me. I don't know what you went through when you went back whenever you went, but I can tell you that I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you."

"I know you will, Kat. I'll be here for you, too. And I promise I'll stay here until you can come get me, or I'll be at the house by tonight."

"Thank you. Be safe." She said quietly, then hugged him tightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He whispered, kissing the top of her head.

She got into the front seat of the car and closed the door, watching Klaus walk into the bar. Diego started to drive away, and Kat looked over at him.

"Something is really wrong. I think we should go in there and make sure he's okay." She said quietly.

Diego glanced over at her and saw the look of worry on her face. "Okay. Okay. We'll go back in for him if it'll make you feel better, babydoll."

"Thank you, hon." She said quietly, reaching out to squeeze his hand.

They turned around and parked, staring up at the entrance of the bar.

"Why here? Why a bar for vets?" Diego asked.

"I think I know, but I don't think it's my place to tell you." she admit.

"That's okay. He'll tell me eventually. For now, though, let's go get him."

They got out of the car and entered the bar to see Klaus standing in front of a board full of pictures of veterans.

Diego approached Klaus and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Just go away, please." Klaus sighed.

"Not until you talk to me." Diego denied.

"Is that a threat? You threatening me?"

"Klaus-" Katherine started.

"Hey, guys.This bar? It's for vets only." A buff man said, cutting her off.

Kat looked up at him with wide eyes and shuffled behind Diego next to Klaus. She clutched onto Diego's arm and grabbed Klaus's hand. The energy this man have off was hostile and uncomfortable. She was immediately on guard, her heart pounding in her chest and energy flowing through her veins.

"I am a vet." Klaus argued.

"Really?" the vet chuckled, "Where'd you serve?"

"None of your business."

"You got balls comin' in here, pretendin' you're one of us."

"Hey, listen here Asshole. He has every right to be here, just like you." Kat snapped suddenly.

"Yeah, Asshole." Klaus agreed, turning to confront the man.

All of the vet in the bar stood up and started approaching them, causing Kat to tense up even more. She could feel a new level of raw energy rising in her. She let go of Diego and stood beside him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey. Slow down, Marine. All right? My brother's just had a few too many. Let's just call it a day, all go our own way." Diego said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Sure thing." the vet said.

Diego's shoulders relaxed. "Thank you. Kat, Klaus--"

"As long as you apologize."

Klaus giggled and Kat rolled her eyes. Her body was buzzing, and with all the intense energy in the air, she could practically feel an oncoming fight.

"Fine. I'm sorry. He's sorry. We're all sorry. So... are we good?" Diego asked.

"I wanna hear him say it."

Kat closed her eyes and sighed. Wrong choice, big man.

"Hey, man, I'm just trying to--" Diego started.

Klaus stepped forward, interrupting him. "No, no. He's right, Diego. He's right. He's right. I'd like to apologize... that you... are depriving some village of their idiot!"

There were three moments in Kat's life where her brother's mouth had gotten her into serious trouble. First, when they were teenagers and he had said something to Reginald about her and Diego hooking up. Second, when he had dragged her to a bar on their twenty-third birthday and Klaus thought it would be appropriate to pick a fight with the biggest guys there. This was the third time, and she could already tell that it would by far be the worst.

The marine took a swing at Klaus, who dodged it then headbutt the man. The fight broke out almost instantly, and the boys were neck deep in vets who had joined in to fight alongside their friends. Kat stumbled back to lean against the wall, her body suddenly feeling as though it was going to explode. She looked up at the cluster of people surrounding Klaus and Diego and started to breathe erratically. Something was happening, and she wasn't sure if it was going to turn out well for anyone- including herself.

"Guys, get the fuck down!" she yelled. Diego and Klaus didn't question her order, they just dropped. Everyone else, however, looked at her with very angry expressions.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" a bigh man in a flannel shirt demanded.

"I'm Katherine Hargreeves, bitch!" she yelled, throwing her hands out in front of her like it was the natural thing to do. As soon as she did that, a wave of energy flew from her hands and knocked everyone who was standing into the walls. She lowered her hands and looked down at them in shock. What the hell was that? Where had all that energy come from? Where did that kind of power come from? Her power had always been healing and fixing things, and only by contact.

She looked up at Diego and Klaus, who were now standing, and let out a short breath. "We need to go."