Disclaimer: Do not own anything but the plot

Peter/Claire friendship, later on romance

Peter was just leaving the new apartment he, and everyone else (except for Claire, Micha, and Nathan the first two because they were to young, and Nathan because he still lived with his family ) had rented for them all to live in, when he heard his name being called.

He turned around to see Claire running towards him, her hair bouncing around her shoulders, and a smile on her lips.

" Hey Peter." she said breathlessly, " Where ya going?"

" Just out." he replied truthfully.

" Oh." she paused for a second, " Can I come?"

" Does Nikkie know?" he asked not wanting to face her wrath.

Nikkie's mothering instincts had kicked into over-time when they all moved in together. She had practicaly adopted Claire, and wanted to know where her and Micha were at all times. She cleaned up after all of them, except for Claire and Micha, and when they asked why, she would tell them that they were kids and needed to grow learning that all things didn't come as easy as they seemed to. At the looks she got from the two younger heroes, she would be pushing up daiseys by now. She had also done most of the cooking. The bit she didn't do, Claire did, and no one wanted to even attempt to guess what it was, let alone eat it. But she didn't mind. One time she was being particularly defient, and ate a bit of everything. She endded up spending two days rushing from her room to the bathroom to throw up. Needless to say she didn't do that again! So on the nights that she cooked, everyone decided to fend for themselfs. The only reason they all let Claire near a stove was because Nikkie, Micha, Ando, and Hiro thought that if she kept trying, she would eventualy make something even remotly edible. But no one but Nikkie, D.L., and Peter could be in the kitchen with her, because she would never use oven mitts. Peter, and Nathan ( when he came to visit) always begged her to, but she just smiled and watched the skin grow back.

" If I go ask will you wait for me?" she begged.

" Sure, but hurry. I want to get going." he urged.

He watched as she ran back up the hallway and walked - no barged is the better word- through the door, and smiled. She was a good kid, and it sucked that she had gone through so much.

Before he knew it, she was racing back.

" Well?" he asked.

" She said I could go as long as we're back in time for dinner." she panted, " I narrowly missed not going."

" What do you mean?" Peter asked confused.

" She was worried I would get hurt, so I had to remind her that I'm invinceable." a smirk that only Claire could pull off apeared on her lips, " Even then she was worried I was gonna die, but lukily D.L. was listening in and told her that even if I did die, you could pull a Claire, and presto! I'm healed!"

Peter smiled. It was amazing to him that after everything she had been through she could still smile, laugh, run, jump, play, joke, live.

But she never talked to anyone. Oh, she talked all the time, but never about what she thought or felt about their predicament. It couldn't be healthy for her, and she probably knew that and didn't care. As long as no one got hurt, she would stay silent.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Claire's bubbly voice.

" Well what do ya think?" she asked in her slight southern twang.

" About what?" he asked, while he thought ' Did I miss something?'

" I said 'Why don't we pick up some ice-cream, for our walk ' and you didn't answer" she said with a slight frown, but it was gone in a second.

" Uh, sure, that's okay with me. But won't Nikkie be mad? Ice-cream will probably spoil your dinner." he wondered out loud, peering down at the small blonde next to him.

" What about you?" she asked defiently, " Won't it spoil your dinner?"

" No." he replied simply

" Why not?!" she said in a verry confused Claire-like voice.

" Because I'm a man." he told her smirking.

Her jaw dropped as low as it would go as she stopped in the middle of the hallway. He just kept on walking.

" Peter Petrellie!" she exlaimed, shocked, " You did not just say that, did you?"

" What if I did?" he asked as he kept walking.

" I'd kick your butt, that's what!"

Peter then decided to walk backwards, so if Claire did attack him, he wouldn't be caught off-gaurd.

" Come on Claire. You know I was joking." he said deffensively.

" Better have been joking." she muttered under her breath as she rushed to catch up to him, but he still heard her and smiled, " Would kick your butt to the moon if you weren't joking." and she kept on until they were outside on the sidewalk, in the freezing December air. Then she started shivering. Peter noticed that she had forgotten her jacket and pulled of his. She refused when he offered it to her, but quickly changed her mind when a huge gust of wind blew at them.

" Ya sure you don't mind?" she asked nervously

"Nah. I'm fine." he told her. But in truth he was freezing. His hair was still wet from the shower he had taken before he left.

As they looked around they noticed that there was snow everywhere. There was also a big tree in the middle of the square.

" I totally forgot it was Cristmas!" exclaimed Peter. He had bought something for everyone except for Issac and Claire. And could you blame him? What do you buy a guy who can paint the future? Or a girl who had everything before it was torn away from her? He guessed he could buy Issac more paint and a new brush, but what if everyone else got him the same thing? He'd just play it safe and get him a new wallet. Did Issac even use a wallet?

' Who knows, who cares? Issac is off of the list.' he thought. But what about Claire? He didn't know what clothes to get her, or what kind of make-up she wore, or if she even wore jewlery. He decided that he would ask Nikkie for help. She was a girl, and would know what to get another girl. Right?

" How could you forget it was Cristmas? Specialy with Micha yellin' how many more days till today." She laughed.

" I don't know." he said distractedly. What kind of wallet would Issac use?

" So, ya wanna' help me find a present for Matt?" she asked.

" You didn't get him a present yet?" Peter asked suprised.

" No. I didn't want to have him read my thoughts and know what I got him." Claire said back, shocked that he was shocked.

' That was a good idea.' he thought, or thought he thought.

Claire blushed and told him it wasn't that great of a plan, because she still didn't know what to get him.

" So what did you get me?" he asked curiously.

" You'll see tonight." she replied grinning.

They walked on looking for a present for Matt, and a wallet for Issac. Twenty minutes later they got the wallet and a book that they proof read to make sure there was no conection to his ex-wife.

Claire grabbed Peter's wrist and pulled it towards her face so she could see his watch.

" Oh my God! Peter! We're fifteen minutes late!" she gasped.

" Come on! Let's go!" he said taking her bag from her so she could keep up.

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They panted as they raced through the door. Once they were inside they raced to Claire's room to wrap the gifts before they everyone saw them.

Meanwhile the others all watched, amused, as the two late heroes tried to get through the bedroom door at the same time but ended up colliding and falling to the ground, with Peter on top of Claire and Claire's shoulder at an odd gruesome angle. Peter quickly got up to see if she was all right, Nikkie also got up and rushed over to her. Claire sat up, wicing slightly in pain, then cracked her shoulder into place again. The sound was loud, and everyone shrunk back back into their seats except for Nikkie, who was helping Claire stand back up. Claire rushed to the room and yelped in what seemed like happiness. Peter groned, while everyone else looked confused. Claire came back out with a smile on her face - like she had never dislocated her shoulder- and held her hand out to Peter.

" Pay up." she ordered.

" No. You cheated."

" How did I cheat?"

" You really want to know?"

" Yeah, I really do."

" You used your powers against me."

" Against you! I used them to heal the shoulder you decided to dislocate."

" Exactly! You knew I wouldn't want to contiue if you were hurt, so you got to heal yourself while I was in shock!"

" Oh please! You are such a sore loser Peter! Now pay up."

" No."

" You better have gotten me a good gift to replace the five bucks you owe me."

The others shook their heads and went back to eating, while the two others continued on their way the room, arguing all the way.

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After everyone ( including Peter and Claire) was done eating, Peter dragged Nikkie out into the hallway, followed by D.L..

" Peter, what's going on?" asked Nikkie.

" I still haven't gotten Claire a gift." he wispered back incase she was evesdropping ( which wasn't out of the question).

" Dude, your in big trouble." D.L. told him.

" How could you not get her something!" exclaimed Nikkie while she slapped him after every word.

" Ow! Stop it! So what do I do?!" he asked desperatly.

" I don't know, but you better come up with something, and fast. Micha wants to open presents, like, right now." Nikkie siad.

" I've got an idea." said D.L., " Nikkie, hun, go back inside and keep them all occupied. I'll take loser boy here to go get her gift, and trust me, it'll be great." he assured her. Nikkie looked doubtfull as she walked back inside.

" Come on." D.L. ordered.

" Where are we going?" Peter asked.

" Next door."

" But next door is a bakery. Are we gonna get her a cake? "

" No. We're going to the other next door." D.L. rolled his eyes.

" Okay." but he was still very much confused.

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Next chapter up soon!