Claire Bennet sat at the dining table in her rather cramped apartment with shadows dancing around her as the sun set on a warm evening in California. The shadows amused but also distracted the two year old sitting next to her from his dinner. She smiled at his curiosity as his eyes followed the light travel across the table then onto the floor.

"What's that?" He asked and pointed to the floor. Claire laughed, this was his favourite phrase at the moment.

"That's the sun saying goodnight because it will be going to sleep soon," She replied and smiled at him. "Just like you will be soon."

"No!" He said, with a grin, and she smiled at him. He never did like bedtime, or the word sleep. But once he was in bed, getting a story read to him or songs sung to him, he was fine. But they lead up to that could be a battle.

"How about you finish up your dinner and you can get your pudding?" Claire said to the youngster and the boy smiled pushing his bowl away.

"Pudding!" He shouted and Claire shook her head, giving in to his cuteness and gave him his pudding. She put the dishes in the sink while he ate and left the room briefly to run his bath.

She couldn't believe her boy was two years old, his birthday was last Thursday and all the family were there and he got spoiled, big time! Of course all he cared about was hearing the word cake and when would they be having this cake. Claire was lucky to have the family around her, her mother wanted her to stay at the family home after the whole situation at the carnival but she needed out of the house for independence. She loved it at college so she didn't want to go back to living with her parents. So of course, Angela got her the flat as part of her second, and last, year at college present. I mean, that was normal right?

She was doing good at college, passing in all her classes. But there was just something that wasn't satisfying her. She got bored easy, feeling like there was something out there for her to had asked her Dad to work at the company, but he said no. He didn't want her involved in the whole bag and tag , she continued at college, bored as ever. But started going to parties, and having a party too. But again, it didn't make her happy.

It was at Christmas when she told them she was pregnant, during the family dinner of all times. Where there was a mixture of Bennets and went ballistic. Sandra had mixed feelings. Lyle laughed. Peter was supportive. And Angela was quiet, apart from saying how this hadn't come up in a dream.

First question her Dad asked was who the father was and where he lived so he could break his legs to which Claire started screaming at him for being inconsiderate. Peter tried to calm the situation but it Noah kept pestering her about the father where she screamed out that it was some college guy she met at a set Noah off even more saying how careless she actually was and the argument got so bad and Claire ended up walking out, with Peter following behind her. Angela stayed to calm Noah down, and Sandra regretted ever getting back together with him. So she ended up at her mothers along with a night it was. Claire had never shed as much tears in her life, but she was glad her Uncle was the shoulder to cry on. He did ask who the father was, but the look she gave him made him change the subject completely.

Of course, as the pregnancy went on, everyone warmed to the idea of the next generation of Petrelli/Bennet and Claire was given a lot of support. And they were all there at the birth, well excluding Lyle. Peter ended up having to do as she was too scared to go to a hospital and a little help from the Haitian to suppress her ability during it. She had never felt so much pain in her life. But at the same time it felt so good to feel again. Then he was there. 7Lb 2oz, baby boy. With the blue eyes and light dusting of blonde was no calling the baby boy Noah or Nathan like everyone thought it would be. She wanted the child to have his identity and not live up to someone else name. She named him Oliver, or Ollie for short.

Her journey had began into single motherhood, and she would face it head on, without failure.

"All done!" The two year old shouted, bringing Claire back to the here and now, where she was happy.

"Ok ,bath then bed." She said.

"No!" He screamed and ran off down the hall laughing.

"Ollie! Come back here!" She said chasing after him, laughing at her son's enthusiasm to get away.

It was two hours later when Ollie was finally in bed, sound asleep and Claire was tidying up the apartment after a day of destruction at the hands of her son. At least it was Monday tomorrow and she would take him to a playgroup to expose him to other children and help to develop his social skills. It also helped Claire with her social life as other mothers were there, of all different ages. She was twenty two but she still looked seventeen. She got to speak to other mothers, other families and a few Dads also. Some of who were single also and would often ask her out. But she always declined. At the moment she only had time for her son and family. No one else. Plus, Ollie already had a lot of male influences around him, in his Grandfather, Uncle and great Uncle. Plus Claire had still kept in touch with the likes of Hiro and Parkman, to which Ollie loved Matty. He would often look up to the youngster.

She sat down on the sofa, wrapped up in an old college hoody that was far too big for her while drinking a hot chocolate. She loved this time to relax before she went to bed. Being indestructible had it's advantages, but she would tire just like normal people would, and she would always be up before seven in the morning with her hyperactive son.

The phone rang softly and she looked over to the caller id and saw it was Peter phoning. "Hey you,"

"Hey, how are you doing?" He replied.

"Yeh, Ollie's in bed." Claire replied, feeling at home when Peter phones. "He counted up to 10 today, without any help."

"That's great," Peter said, enthusiastically. "Told you he'd be a smart cookie!"

"Yeh yeh," She said with a laugh. "Are you and Emma still coming over tomorrow after work?"

"Sure we are, just after twelve alright for you?"

"Yeah, that's great." She said and went quiet, looking off to the distance.

"Claire? What's up?" Peter asked, feeling some concern for his niece.

"Nothing, I'm alright." She replied, trying to smile down the phone, but it didn't work and Peter sensed this in her voice.

"Come on, I know you better than that." Peter tried again. "You know you can talk to me about anything."

"Yeah," She said and yawned. "Peter, I'm just having an off day is all. Ollie really tired me out today, you know he is in his terrible twos." She said with a laugh, while rubbing her eyes.

"Alright, well we'll be over tomorrow," He said. "You just get some sleep and I'll take Ollie off your hands tomorrow."

Claire laughed and nodded. "Night Peter."

She clicked on call end and put the phone on the sofa beside her and yawned again, she really did need to get to bed for switched off the muted TV and the lamp before making her way into Ollie's bedroom. He lay peacefully, his small chest rising quickly and his hand grasping every soft often.

She smiled down at him and leaned to kiss his forehead. "Goodnight my angel." She whispered and made her way to her own bedroom next door where she was asleep in no less than five minutes.

Both occupants of the apartment were fast asleep when the intruder came. The soft click of the window then the lighter than air footsteps padded along the baby blue carpet of Ollie's dark figure went over to the bed, protected by a guard for the child not to roll out, and picked him up. Ollie stirred and the figure shushed him to sleep, holding him tightly and went back towards the window, slipping back out with Ollie and left the apartment all together. He left the window open for the horrified mother to find it when she woke up in the morning.