Title: Written in the StarsFandom: HeroesCharacters: Sylar/ClairePrompt: Stranger by the Day for 15songtitlesWord Count: 800 wordsRating: PGSummary: "I've got time on my hands and hope in my heart, we both understand we weren't meant to be apart."Warnings: None. Spoilers up through season 2, but this is pretty AU.Disclaimer: Nah, I don't own it.A/N: This isn't betaed, so I apologize for any mistakes. If anyone would be willing to look it over, or any of my future Sylar/Claire stuff, I would be eternally grateful.
He promised that he'd come back for her; that they would be together forever. He said that it was fate; that they were written in the stars like Andromeda and Perseus. But, he's an unlikely hero and she's still waiting for him to save her.
He wouldn't tell her where he was going, and neither knew for how long. All he said was, "There's just one more thing I need and then we'll have forever."
It was that promise alone that gave her the strength to let him go. He brushed away her tears in a silent thank you and pulled her in for one last hug, before disappearing into the night. That had been three months ago.
Sometime between the night of Homecoming and the day he showed up in her bedroom to say goodbye, something had changed. She came to trust him; he wasn't lying when he said he loved her. That she knew, no matter what either of her fathers or uncle said.
She had fallen off buildings and jumped through fire, but she never really knew pain until he said goodbye. His larger hands framed her face, and he stared into his eyes, and promised. And then he kissed her, as if learning her for the first time. And when he left, he took a part of her with him. Not the part her dad suspected, but a piece of her soul was missing when he wasn't around. She didn't even know if he knew he had it.
It wasn't the white wedding her mother dreamed of and there would be no perfect little grandchildren to spoil, but the future he promised was enough for her. He was coming back. And there was even a small, subtle, maybe-promise that he would cut down on the killings (after he got this last one, of course).
The pain of goodbye could not even compare to the pain of missing him. The dull ache in the pit of her stomach made it so she barely wanted to crawl out of bed in the morning. Instead, she longed to hide beneath the warmth of her covers and pretend that it was his arms that were holding her, that it was his body that was keeping her warm. Then, he mother would call up the stairs, saying that breakfast was ready, and the moment would be ruined.
As the days went by, it got harder and harder to pretend that she didn't miss him. The strangest things reminded her of him, like black Saturns, or Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. She would remember that day at the beach: how he teased her for wanting to spend their time lying around in the sun; the care in which he rubbed lotion all over her back; and how he complained for days afterwards that he was still finding sand in the weirdest places.
The memories make her laugh and cry at the same time. But they were also keeping her sane. She wished she was stronger. How could he really want her if she was this weak? What if he changed his mind and didn't come back?
That thought always hurt the most; followed by the ache of betrayal she felt for thinking it in the first place. He wouldn't lie to her. Not about this.
He was coming back.
So, she tried living again; she might as well. It's not like the alternative was possible and her mother's worried question were really starting to annoy. She went to school, graduated, and played normal just enough to make her family proud (and no one caught on to the act at all).
She couldn't help wondering if he would have been proud as well. She hoped so; she was doing this for them, after all. She could almost see him there with the rest of the crowd on graduation day, smiling as she crossed the stage to pick up the diploma she worked so hard for. And he would have been there when she got the letter of acceptance from the college of her choice and would have treated her with ice cream to celebrate. And she really wished he was there after all those long fights with her father over why she shouldn't study genetics(you shouldn't be drawing attention to yourself, Claire).
He would have understood. He would have supported her.
These were the thoughts that kept her company on the murky Californian nights. She would sneak up onto the roof and wonder where he was. Maybe he was even looking up at those same sky.
"We're written in the stars, doll. Just you and me, forever. And no one will be able to keep us apart."
He promised he would come back for her.
Now all she had to do is wait.