Title: Trade
Rating: PG/K
Fandom: Heroes
Characters/Pairings: Meredith (mentions of Nathan and Claire)
Spoilers: General S1 ones
100women prompt: 093. Choices
Word count: 357
Disclaimer: All NBC's and none of mine. I make no money from this. Also, please remember that fiction is fictional.
Summary:Considering she was watching her daughter's funeral, Meredith thought she should probably be a bit more emotional.

-----

Considering she was watching her daughter's funeral, Meredith thought she should probably be a bit more emotional.

It was her funeral too, of course, and she wondered again exactly what was in the coffin they were putting in the dirt. Was Claire's coffin just as empty? She couldn't imagine that They had just left the girl to die, not when she was probably just as useful to Them.

She could lie and say that she knew They wouldn't and that that's why she hadn't worried about leaving the girl behind. Hell, she could also say she tried to get to her, but the fire was too out of control. But Meredith wasn't one for lying unless she got something out of it.

Besides, it wasn't like anyone would ask her now anyways, what with her being 'dead' and all.

Nathan stood and she watched him toss a handful of dirt on their grave, and wasn't that a shock? She never would've guessed he'd risk that precious reputation of his and actually bother to show up. Not that she didn't know he cared about her before she'd gotten herself knocked up. Just like she knew he loved their daughter in that cold way of his that didn't actually involve helping to raise her. She'd planned on using that when Claire was grown up some, just in time for him to be running for mayor or judge or whatever it was that Ma of his decided.

Turned out that plan worked just about as well as getting knocked up to get married did.

Long-term plans don't help get rid of the shadows that've been following you for weeks. They don't help when you're setting your apartment on fire to get away, neither. And perfect blackmail or not, a baby's nothing but a liability when you're on the run.

So she made a choice and even as she watches her daughter's casket join her own, she can't say she regrets it a bit.

They wanted someone Special, Meredith wanted to get free.

So she got a new life in Mexico, and They got Claire.

Seemed like a fair enough trade.