![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
Title: Buried (7/?)
Author: Heather Perl
Fandom: Heroes
Pairing/Character: Sylar/Claire
Word Count: 1622
Rating: PG-13 so far
Summary: As Sylar rediscovers his identity, Claire struggles with the idea of a future with him, while they face off against her family
Spoilers: Through An Invisible Thread
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Heroes. No copyright infringement is intended.
Buried
Chapter Seven
The instant they rematerialized in his loft, Sylar began cursing himself at himself in a language Claire thought might be Latin, from what she'd heard in movies, but she couldn't translate it. He released her immediately and began pacing back and forth, while her brain very slowly caught up to what their mode of travel had to mean.
“Filius vilis meretricis quod a monachus! Quam unus non animadverto is propinquo? Unus est summitto, plurimus inconcinnus creatura umquam respiro!” After this rant, which left Claire more confused than she already was, he switched to English. “Damn it, I should have anticipated Angela suspecting something! Her visions are puzzles and riddles more than straightforward guides, but I should have known she'd have inklings.”
“Did we just teleport?” she asked blankly.
“Yes, Angela showed up with Peter and I had to get us out as quickly as possible. I'm almost sure neither of them saw me...”
“Hiro?” This came out in a very small voice.
He barely noticed her tone, too distracted by his own thoughts. “Ran into him yesterday. Great timing, right?”
Finally, everything came together in a crystal clear picture in Claire's head. He'd killed Hiro. He'd just told her he'd try to stop killing, but he'd killed Hiro just yesterday, probably without a thought as to how she'd react...and if he did have a thought about it, he'd clearly pushed it aside in favor of such a tantalizing ability. So much for me being his white whale. Poor Hiro. With his abilities not working the way they should, he never stood a chance.
Before she could even think to stop it, to weigh the benefits of yelling at him against the dangers of being alone with him in an unfamiliar place, she unleashed on him, letting all her fears pour out of her mouth. “How could you?” she yelled. “His powers weren't functioning; he couldn't even defend himself!”
Sylar had stopped pacing and was now staring at her curiously, his head tilted to the side, like he was confused by her outburst. His refusal to understand her anger only fueled it, and now she started pacing the same ground he'd let up on. “Claire, what...”
She cut him off before he could finish. “And don't even try to tell me that you didn't say you'd stop killing until tonight. We talked yesterday and I said I was willing to give it a try, and what, you didn't think that maybe I'd have a problem with you killing innocent people for their abilities? You know it's like genocide, right? Killing people for something they're born with.”
He saw now where her brain had gone, and he couldn't blame her for assuming what she did, but he had to stop her rant before her imagination got the better of her. “I didn't...”
“I can't believe I was even considering this! What is wrong with me, anyway?” Claire's volume had come down to a normal speaking level, but the venom in her words remained. As she talked, she looked out the window, trying to ascertain a location. After all, for all she knew, he'd teleported her to Guam. But the skyline was clearly that of Washington D.C., so at least she knew she could catch a cab back to Peter's once she left. She continued, not even having paused for that thought. “You're never really going to change and we both know it. But hey, apparently I killed Peter in the future, so maybe there is a time for us, once I'm evil and think as little of human life as you do. But until that day comes...”
“Claire...” This was starting to irritate him, mostly because the tingle wasn't coming to him, which meant she believed every word she was saying, no matter how untrue it was. If she continued for much longer, he was going to lose control, and he had a feeling that wouldn't endear him to her. “You need to...”
“Until that day comes,” she said again, louder, speaking over him, “it's probably best that we stay away from each other. Go be Nathan if you want. I don't care and I won't tell. But so help me, if you come near me or try to hurt my family...”
That was it. The tight control Sylar was trying very hard to keep over his abilities finally snapped. Hadn't he promised not to hurt them? Didn't she know that he'd keep his word to her, even if she did back out of this? Instinctively, his hand shot out, Claire's air cut off, and she froze in place. He quickly eased up a bit, allowing her enough to breathe very shallowly, so she wouldn't pass out on him, but not enough to continue on her misinformed tirade. He met her eyes. “I was trying very hard not to do this to you, but you wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise. So I'm sorry I had to do this, but we can't have an adult conversation if you won't shut up every once in a while. Now, listen carefully. I haven't killed anyone since remembering who I am. Hiro Nakamura is alive and well, and I even sent him on his way with some information that might help him restore his abilities. Now, I'm going to let you go, and I'll explain and answer your questions, but try to remember that I haven't done anything wrong.” He smiled grimly and then added, “Recently.” He dropped his hand and Claire took a deep breath.
“If you didn't kill him, how do you have his ability?” she asked quietly, rubbing at her throat. Though she couldn't feel any pain, she had noticed that, when something should hurt her, before it quickly healed, it felt numb, like she'd been given a local anesthetic. Her throat didn't hurt, of course, but it also didn't have that numbness that told her that it should hurt. He'd been gentle with her.
“I have empathy. I didn't know about it until I met Arthur Petrelli. It's sort of like Peter's ability, with a few essential differences.”
“Differences like what?”
“He can mimic any ability he encounters. At least, he can when he's at his full potential. But the abilities he mimics are never really his, never really a part of him, even the subconscious abilities, like the healing. It's not as easy for me, but the...rewards, I guess you could call them, are greater. I can't just see it and then do it, like he can. I have to understand the person to gain their ability, like I have to understand their brain if I go with...the other method. It's not easy. Emotions and experiences cloud the process, but I get to keep the ability. It becomes mine just as much as the intuitive aptitude is. The point is, I empathized with Hiro and he's fine.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Though apparently you have more issues we should discuss.”
Claire's mind was spinning, but there was one clear thought in all the madness. “So...if Peter ever gets his powers fixed and gets to use my power again...he'll still die of old age someday, if he lives that long?”
Sylar could see how much that hurt her and he felt an unreasonable bolt of jealousy go through him. But he fought it off. Peter was her haven, and if she chose the way he wanted her to choose, she'd lose that haven forever. “Yes. He's not immortal, Claire, not like us, and he never has been.”
“But when...” she almost said 'when you killed him,' but she had tossed enough blame at him, so she rethought her next words. “When he had that glass shard stuck in the back of his head, I pulled it out and he healed. If my ability is that ingrained in him, shouldn't it keep him alive forever?”
“I'd have to get close enough to empathize to be absolutely sure, and you know how badly that could turn out, but I'm nearly positive that, the way your ability works in him, it only reacts to unnatural injuries. His life span will probably be longer than most, since he'll have no injuries to contend with, but he won't live forever, if I'm right. Our entire body chemistry is different, making something natural like aging seem unnatural in our bodies.”
Well, that certainly gave her a lot to think about. Claire had always hoped that, eventually, Peter's powers would be miraculously restored and he would use her power to live forever too. So even if it took him a thousand years to forgive her for this betrayal, he would forgive her, someday. But now she had what was most likely the truth: her uncle and best friend would die and she would be utterly alone...unless she turned to Sylar. “I have to go,” she muttered, heading for the door.
“Claire, don't leave angry.”
“I'm not angry,” she told him. Looking back at him, she added, “I just need to think. I'll see you at the office in a couple days, okay? As Nathan's secretary, do I have a dress code?”
Sylar shrugged. “Wear what you want. I don't care.” He made sure to meet her eyes. “You know you can call me if you need to talk, right?”
“Of course.” She smiled a little. “See you later, Sylar.” She walked as calmly as she could to the door, but once she had shut it behind her, she raced as fast as she could down the stairs, bypassing the elevator so she wouldn't have to stand still. She needed to see Peter as soon as she could.
Author: Heather Perl
Fandom: Heroes
Pairing/Character: Sylar/Claire
Word Count: 1622
Rating: PG-13 so far
Summary: As Sylar rediscovers his identity, Claire struggles with the idea of a future with him, while they face off against her family
Spoilers: Through An Invisible Thread
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Heroes. No copyright infringement is intended.
Buried
Chapter Seven
The instant they rematerialized in his loft, Sylar began cursing himself at himself in a language Claire thought might be Latin, from what she'd heard in movies, but she couldn't translate it. He released her immediately and began pacing back and forth, while her brain very slowly caught up to what their mode of travel had to mean.
“Filius vilis meretricis quod a monachus! Quam unus non animadverto is propinquo? Unus est summitto, plurimus inconcinnus creatura umquam respiro!” After this rant, which left Claire more confused than she already was, he switched to English. “Damn it, I should have anticipated Angela suspecting something! Her visions are puzzles and riddles more than straightforward guides, but I should have known she'd have inklings.”
“Did we just teleport?” she asked blankly.
“Yes, Angela showed up with Peter and I had to get us out as quickly as possible. I'm almost sure neither of them saw me...”
“Hiro?” This came out in a very small voice.
He barely noticed her tone, too distracted by his own thoughts. “Ran into him yesterday. Great timing, right?”
Finally, everything came together in a crystal clear picture in Claire's head. He'd killed Hiro. He'd just told her he'd try to stop killing, but he'd killed Hiro just yesterday, probably without a thought as to how she'd react...and if he did have a thought about it, he'd clearly pushed it aside in favor of such a tantalizing ability. So much for me being his white whale. Poor Hiro. With his abilities not working the way they should, he never stood a chance.
Before she could even think to stop it, to weigh the benefits of yelling at him against the dangers of being alone with him in an unfamiliar place, she unleashed on him, letting all her fears pour out of her mouth. “How could you?” she yelled. “His powers weren't functioning; he couldn't even defend himself!”
Sylar had stopped pacing and was now staring at her curiously, his head tilted to the side, like he was confused by her outburst. His refusal to understand her anger only fueled it, and now she started pacing the same ground he'd let up on. “Claire, what...”
She cut him off before he could finish. “And don't even try to tell me that you didn't say you'd stop killing until tonight. We talked yesterday and I said I was willing to give it a try, and what, you didn't think that maybe I'd have a problem with you killing innocent people for their abilities? You know it's like genocide, right? Killing people for something they're born with.”
He saw now where her brain had gone, and he couldn't blame her for assuming what she did, but he had to stop her rant before her imagination got the better of her. “I didn't...”
“I can't believe I was even considering this! What is wrong with me, anyway?” Claire's volume had come down to a normal speaking level, but the venom in her words remained. As she talked, she looked out the window, trying to ascertain a location. After all, for all she knew, he'd teleported her to Guam. But the skyline was clearly that of Washington D.C., so at least she knew she could catch a cab back to Peter's once she left. She continued, not even having paused for that thought. “You're never really going to change and we both know it. But hey, apparently I killed Peter in the future, so maybe there is a time for us, once I'm evil and think as little of human life as you do. But until that day comes...”
“Claire...” This was starting to irritate him, mostly because the tingle wasn't coming to him, which meant she believed every word she was saying, no matter how untrue it was. If she continued for much longer, he was going to lose control, and he had a feeling that wouldn't endear him to her. “You need to...”
“Until that day comes,” she said again, louder, speaking over him, “it's probably best that we stay away from each other. Go be Nathan if you want. I don't care and I won't tell. But so help me, if you come near me or try to hurt my family...”
That was it. The tight control Sylar was trying very hard to keep over his abilities finally snapped. Hadn't he promised not to hurt them? Didn't she know that he'd keep his word to her, even if she did back out of this? Instinctively, his hand shot out, Claire's air cut off, and she froze in place. He quickly eased up a bit, allowing her enough to breathe very shallowly, so she wouldn't pass out on him, but not enough to continue on her misinformed tirade. He met her eyes. “I was trying very hard not to do this to you, but you wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise. So I'm sorry I had to do this, but we can't have an adult conversation if you won't shut up every once in a while. Now, listen carefully. I haven't killed anyone since remembering who I am. Hiro Nakamura is alive and well, and I even sent him on his way with some information that might help him restore his abilities. Now, I'm going to let you go, and I'll explain and answer your questions, but try to remember that I haven't done anything wrong.” He smiled grimly and then added, “Recently.” He dropped his hand and Claire took a deep breath.
“If you didn't kill him, how do you have his ability?” she asked quietly, rubbing at her throat. Though she couldn't feel any pain, she had noticed that, when something should hurt her, before it quickly healed, it felt numb, like she'd been given a local anesthetic. Her throat didn't hurt, of course, but it also didn't have that numbness that told her that it should hurt. He'd been gentle with her.
“I have empathy. I didn't know about it until I met Arthur Petrelli. It's sort of like Peter's ability, with a few essential differences.”
“Differences like what?”
“He can mimic any ability he encounters. At least, he can when he's at his full potential. But the abilities he mimics are never really his, never really a part of him, even the subconscious abilities, like the healing. It's not as easy for me, but the...rewards, I guess you could call them, are greater. I can't just see it and then do it, like he can. I have to understand the person to gain their ability, like I have to understand their brain if I go with...the other method. It's not easy. Emotions and experiences cloud the process, but I get to keep the ability. It becomes mine just as much as the intuitive aptitude is. The point is, I empathized with Hiro and he's fine.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Though apparently you have more issues we should discuss.”
Claire's mind was spinning, but there was one clear thought in all the madness. “So...if Peter ever gets his powers fixed and gets to use my power again...he'll still die of old age someday, if he lives that long?”
Sylar could see how much that hurt her and he felt an unreasonable bolt of jealousy go through him. But he fought it off. Peter was her haven, and if she chose the way he wanted her to choose, she'd lose that haven forever. “Yes. He's not immortal, Claire, not like us, and he never has been.”
“But when...” she almost said 'when you killed him,' but she had tossed enough blame at him, so she rethought her next words. “When he had that glass shard stuck in the back of his head, I pulled it out and he healed. If my ability is that ingrained in him, shouldn't it keep him alive forever?”
“I'd have to get close enough to empathize to be absolutely sure, and you know how badly that could turn out, but I'm nearly positive that, the way your ability works in him, it only reacts to unnatural injuries. His life span will probably be longer than most, since he'll have no injuries to contend with, but he won't live forever, if I'm right. Our entire body chemistry is different, making something natural like aging seem unnatural in our bodies.”
Well, that certainly gave her a lot to think about. Claire had always hoped that, eventually, Peter's powers would be miraculously restored and he would use her power to live forever too. So even if it took him a thousand years to forgive her for this betrayal, he would forgive her, someday. But now she had what was most likely the truth: her uncle and best friend would die and she would be utterly alone...unless she turned to Sylar. “I have to go,” she muttered, heading for the door.
“Claire, don't leave angry.”
“I'm not angry,” she told him. Looking back at him, she added, “I just need to think. I'll see you at the office in a couple days, okay? As Nathan's secretary, do I have a dress code?”
Sylar shrugged. “Wear what you want. I don't care.” He made sure to meet her eyes. “You know you can call me if you need to talk, right?”
“Of course.” She smiled a little. “See you later, Sylar.” She walked as calmly as she could to the door, but once she had shut it behind her, she raced as fast as she could down the stairs, bypassing the elevator so she wouldn't have to stand still. She needed to see Peter as soon as she could.
Looking forward to more. Like the first day at the office.;)
Thanks for posting!
-Ellie