Title: Finding Destiny

Author: Calie

Summary: Takes place after "How to Stop and Exploding Man". Everyone's gone on with their lives, trying to forget what happened, but the determination of one girl will change that. AU only because Claire it not related to any of the Peterelli's. Claire/Peter.

Notes: I'm not sure where I am going with this. It started out just based on Claire and Peter and his disappearance at the end of the season finale.

"Are you sure about this Claire?" Bennet asked and was prepared to get back in the car with her at a moments notice. Over the past six months he'd become accustomed to the fact that Claire was very able to make her decisions. When she had went into their house with Ted he hadn't stopped her, when she had wanted to stay with Peter he hadn't stopped her. It was for all those reasons he had been hesitant to letting her go to school in New York.

"Dad." Just that word and a smile was all it took for him to shut his door and walk to the trunk of his car. While her father began unloading some of her bags Claire took a moment to stare up at the tall buildings in front of her. Being from a small town, New York had been a sort of culture shock for her. Oddly enough Claire was finding she was more scared now then those months ago when she had been with Peter. Something in her stomach clenched when she thought about him and she struggled to push him out of her mind in case her tears returned. Her father believed she'd moved to New York to find him, but it was more than that. Everything had happened in New York. She wanted answers. Even if those people she had seen in the square were no longer in New York she knew one person was, Mohinder Suresh. Dr. Suresh knew where everyone was and if he didn't then he knew where the young girl was who could find them.

"Come on."

Claire nodded with a smile and followed her father up the steps.

"I need your word that when she comes to you that you will send her away. I don't want her involved in this any longer."

Suresh studied the man in glasses for a few moments. When he had answered the door Bennet was the last person he expected to see on the other side. It had been months since he had last seen the man. When Bennet had walked away with his daughter Suresh had been sure that would have been the last he would have seen of either one of them. Now here was this man, that he didn't entirely trust, telling him that his daughter wanted answers. "I can send her away, but she won't stop, you have to know that."

"I do, but if I can deter her eventually she may let this go." At least he hoped. Claire was quite mature for her age and when she was determined to do something she would do so.

"She won't. No one can. Even she does it will find her. How many of us fought against it but we found ourselves together in the same place. None of us knew one another but destiny brought us together." Suresh knew his words were falling on deaf ears. Reasoning with a man that was trying to keep his daughter safe was impossible.

"How many people died? How many people almost died?" Bennet shook his head with determination. "Claire may not be able to die but I will not have her watch the people she knows die. It took her months to deal with what happened to Peter and Nathan, I don't want her to go through that again."

"Matt told me Peter absorbed her power. Peter may not even be dead."

"It doesn't matter. What matters is she has a chance to finish school, live a life that isn't filled with danger and death." Bennet narrowed his eyes and held Suresh's gaze. "Do I have your word."

Suresh was reluctant to turn anyone away but he nodded his head. If he was lucky she'd never show up at his door.

With a nod Bennet headed to the door. Just as she placed his hand on the knob he turned back to Suresh. "How is Molly?"

"Fine. She still gets daily transfusions of my blood but she's fine. She'dssafe were she is. They can protect her." Even though his blood had been the cure for her he still felt guilty for not being able to protect her.

"Look!" Micah held up a picture to the young girl sitting next to him and was rewarded with a loud laugh before she looked to the TV with a groan. "What?"

"Oprah." Molly wrinkled her nose and was relieved when Micah put his hand on the TV. Within moments the channel was changed and she smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem." He smiled and looked over to his mother who was standing in the doorway. "Mom? Everything okay?"

"Yea." Niki smiled warmly then turned from the living room and headed back to the kitchen. "How's it going?"

"Fine." With a frustrated sigh D.L. rubbed his face with his hands. "I'm not used to balancing balancing money."

Niki smirked and headed back to the stove. "I'm not used to cooking. It's hard being responsible. How are we looking?"

"Okay. That money we stole from Linderman is what's keeping up going. It also doesn't hurt that Suresh is still sending money for Molly. But having to pick up and move like we did three months ago didn't help us." Having had enough mathematics, D.L. sat back in the chair and watched Niki. "Eventually were going to have to get a job and they need to be put in school."

"I know." Niki sighed and glanced back to D.L. "I just feel safer when we're all together. I can't protect them if they aren't here."

"I know that. But they aren't without some protection, you know that. We can't keep them locked up in this house forever." She didn't respond and when he heard a small sniff he stood up and made his way over to her. "Niki."

"I'm fine. It's just both of them have been used by other people. I mean we've all been used for our abilities, but they're only children." His hands on her shoulders forced her to turn around and she couldn't help but be relieved when he pulled her into his arms.

"I don't know." He whispered softly into her hair.

Both Molly and Micah quietly hurried for the kitchen doorway and back to the living room. "We're going to be back in New York." Molly said softly.

"You can't predict the future now can you?" When she shook her head Micah was slightly relieved, the last place he wanted to be was New York.

"But they're gathering again." She whispered and leaned forward. "He's not gone Micah." The fact that the boogey man was still alive was something they all knew.

"So." In a poor attempt to show he didn't care Micah picked a crayon up and started coloring again.

"We can't escape one another." Molly waited but when she didn't receive a response from Micah she frowned. It was so hard for him to understand how she felt. She was connected to them all, there was not way for her to turn her back from it like Micah did. "That's not all." Molly scooted closer so that Micah could hear her softening voice. "He's back Micah, I felt him today."

Finally Micah turned and looked at Molly. As much as he wanted to ignore her he had to admit she had peaked his curiosity. "Who?" Her face brightened with a smile and he felt a little upset that she could have been so happy about the prospect of returning to New York. He'd had enough of people using him with claims of saving the world.

"The exploding man of course."