A/N: I've always loved the father-daughter relationship between Claire and Nathan. It may not be as traditional as the relationship she has with HRG, but you can see the mutual care and respect between them whenever they do interact. And Nathan's doing a good job trying to be a good father, even though the writers are penning him out to be the villain this season. I just wanted to fill out the gap in the scene where they barge into Claire's house; I thought it was a good opportunity to showcase the father-daughter dynamic. The last scene was one of the most striking they've had in a while and props to Pasdar and Panatierre for pulling it off.

Refuge

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Claire sighed, collapsing onto the soft comforter. Doyle was right, she had been given a free pass for something... but instead of feeling accomplished, she felt regret. She just helped free a psychopath, the very reason why Primatech and now this new government operation was enacted in the first place. She tried to console herself by thinking that maybe Doyle was telling the truth, that he really was going back to puppets and dolls—but somehow, the glint in his eye and the smirk on his lips seemed to be conveyers of a mistake. Maybe she could tell her dad where he was and apologize for the oversight.

Her phone buzzed, and she doubt that the message would come from anyone else. It was too late.

Your free pass is up. Agents are coming.

Claire shot up and looked around. She heard screeching noises down the street and the faint rustling of bushes in the backyard. She weighed her options. She could hide, or she could run away. She remembered the vent where they hid Alex and she bolted towards the door. She turned around, however, when she heard a knock on her window.

It was Nathan. And he was flying.

Claire stared at him, wide-eyed. She knew he was very careful at trying to conceal his past; she heard a conversation between him and her (other, she reminded herself) dad about burning Primatech and Pinehearst files. He knocked again urgently. She opened the window.

"Come with me," he said quickly, extending his hand.

"Agents are coming," she answered, skeptical, "your agents."

"They're not my agents anymore," he convinced, "Danko saw me using my ability."

"And now you're running like the rest of us," Claire spat.

"Listen, Claire, I know I haven't been the best father," he explained, his face softening, "but you have to believe me when I say that I care for you and I want you safe." He extended his hand again. "So please, trust me."

Claire heard a loud bang. The front door had been forced open and her mother was screaming her name. Looking into Nathan's eyes, she took his hand. Footsteps were marching up the stairs. He slowly glided behind a tree to conceal them.

Claire saw the agents barge into her room. They upturned the bed, kicked the closet door open and rummaged through her drawers. She saw her mother peering into the room, horrified and hysterical. Claire let out a soft sob and looked away.

"You're going to tell her I'm alright?" she pleaded in a small voice.

"I will," he promised. "Now hold on."

She buried her head on Nathan's shoulder and felt the impact as he swiftly flew them away. Maybe if she'd just been compliant, if she'd gone to a college in the East Coast, she wouldn't have to subject her family to this kind of trauma. She wouldn't have to resort to deceit and trickery. She wouldn't have to live the life of a fugitive.

After all, she still was a seventeen year-old cheerleader.

And yet, despite all that's happened, she was grateful for this moment. Yes, she was being hunted. And maybe she's too powerless to stop it. But thousands of feet above the ground, locked in her father's embrace—it was the safest she's felt in a long time.

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