A.N: I've seen crossover fics before, so I'm assuming I'm going by the right rules haha. Basically, this is my first crossover fic. It's a crossover of the movie Pathology with Heroes, and the pairing is Ted Grey and Claire Bennet.
Disclaimer: I own neither Pathology or Heroes. Dialogue at the end is taken from the episodes "Homecoming" and "Fallout" of Heroes Season 1. I have seen the movie, but I apologise if any of the characters seem OOC.
Warnings: Dark themes, mentions of drug abuse and murder.
Love to the girls from FF on the Paire thread, who all decided to start the Ted/Claire inspiration : )
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When Jake called him to the dungeon at the unearthly hour of 3'o'clock in the morning, Ted wasn't sure what to expect. Hell, involving yourself with Dr. Gallo was bound to have its unexpected moments, but this was by far the most startling thing Ted had ever encountered, and that was saying a lot.
"Get down here, Teddy," he'd said, voice shaking with suppressed excitement, "I've got something – I've got a new game."
Thinking it was drugs talking, and knowing how dangerous Jake could be in this sort of state, he'd agreed to go down, steeling himself for whatever manic idea the doctor had come up with this time.
When he arrived, travelling down the murky corridors that led to the place the 'game' was played, Jake was pacing the floor of the autopsy room and, Ted noticed with a pang of worry, there was a body on the table.
"This isn't a new game, Jake," he indicated to the covered-up corpse, "This is the same as before."
A grin broke out on the doctor's face, "No, no, no, Ted. This is completely different. Take a look."
Ted walked over and looked at the corpse dubiously, raising an eyebrow at Jake.
"Take a look!"
With a sigh, he pulled back a little of the cover, revealing the head of a young woman, a very beautiful young woman, Ted noted. Her long blonde locks were matted with blood and her skin, from the little he could see of it, was sun-kissed and smooth. He felt a strange connection to the body on the table, and part of him mourned the loss of life that Dr. Gallo had taken.
"You stabbed her," he stated, running his hands down the blade that was embedded in the back of her skull, "Not your best work, Dr. Gallo."
The other man let out a frustrated cry, "You don't get it do you, Teddy? You're not looking at the whole picture here."
Frantically, desperate to prove his point, he rushed forward and yanked the blade out of the woman's skull.
Nothing happened.
Ted sighed, shaking his head slightly, and was about to walk out of the room altogether when he heard a sound.
His head whipped around as he studied the corpse on the table once again – she was alive.
The wound on her head was clearing up, her eyes were coming back into focus, and she was breathing.
"See! See!" Jake pointed excitedly, "I told you, Teddy, I told you."
Ted raised a hand to silence him, fascinated by the rejuvenation of the girl. Suddenly, with a deep intake of breath, her eyes opened and focused fully, her body racking with coughs as the oxygen found its way to her lungs.
As soon as she noticed the men in the room, she let out a scream and held the cover tightly around her, breathing heavily as her eyes darted from one to the other.
"You see, Ted," Dr. Gallo began again; "She can't die. I've tried twice. We could have so much fun –"
"No!" Ted found himself shouting, rounding on Jake with anger, a sickness arising in him at the mere thought of this man killing her repeatedly, trying to find the perfect death, trying to make it stick –
The girl looked at him with frightened eyes, and Ted felt obligated to protect her from the madness of Jake's erratic mind, "No, Dr. Gallo, not this time," he said calmly.
Jake's brow furrowed in confusion, "But think of the things we could do, Teddy! Don't tell me that doesn't appeal to you in some way, huh?" His voice lowered and a smirk appeared on his face, "I know it does; just like all the other things do, hey, Dr. Grey?"
Ted took a deep breath, squashing the intrigue that had started at Jake's words, "No," he repeated softly, "I think you should get home, Dr. Gallo."
Laughter bubbled up from Jake's throat, "Oh, I get it, I get it, Teddy. You want to have some fun with her first." He started backing away towards the exit, still laughing, "Hey, just leave some for the rest of us, ok?"
The manic laughter echoed round the corridors as the doctor left, and Ted felt confidant enough to turn back to the girl, who still sat in a shocked state on the autopsy table.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said softly, inching closer to her, his brown eyes boring into her green ones, "Let me have a look at your head."
"No," she said sharply, backing away as much as she could, "It's – it's alright. It's gone. Healed. I'm fine."
He looked at her disbelievingly, but she silenced him, "That guy…he attacked me outside the diner I work at; just came up behind me and…" Her voice quietened and her head lowered.
Ted could see she was trying to keep tears at bay, and another wave of protectiveness washed over him, "He's not going to hurt you again, I promise. I won't let him."
Gently, his fingers brushed her chin and lifted her head up, so her eyes met his once more. She flinched at the touch, but didn't pull away, her mouth forming a sad, little smile.
It was then Ted realised she had nothing but the cloth to cover her, and searched around for anything she could wear. He found some scrubs abandoned on the floor and offered them to her, "I can't say where these have been, but it's better than nothing."
The girl took them gratefully and he turned his back so she could change, his mind reeling all the while. This girl could heal? How was that even possible? And why did he feel such a connection with her?
"It's ok," he heard her small voice call, and he turned back round, having to shake away the sudden pang of desire he felt as was able to look at her full body, shaped by the clothes she was wearing – most likely Juliet's seeing as they fit her so well.
"I'll show you the way out," Ted offered, gesturing for her hand. He was certain Jake had gone back to residence by now, or to Juliet's, or even out on the town. He wouldn't have stayed around waiting for Ted, that's for sure.
She took it, lightly winding her fingers around his, and Ted marvelled at the jolt that shot through his body at such a simple touch.
They made their way out in silence until they reached the exit, the moonlight sky and cold night air a blessing after the dampness and stench of death the dungeon provided.
He reached for his cell and called for a taxi – he wasn't going to let her walk home alone, not at this time of night, and insisted on paying for the fare. The taxi arrived a few minutes later, and Ted watched her get in before, satisfied she'd be fine; he started to turn and walk in the direction of his apartment.
"Hey," he heard her voice call out to him, and he looked back, "What's your name?"
"Ted," he answered, a small smile on his face, "Ted Grey."
"I'm Claire," she replied, that sad, little smile gracing her features once more. She paused for a second, looking slightly hesitant, "You're totally my hero, Ted."
His grin became wider as he watched her slip back inside the taxi before it sped off into the night, and he wondered, just for a moment, what his life would be like if she was a part of it, instead of Gwen.
But then he spotted Dr. Gallo lurking in the shadows of the building, and knew any sort of dreaming was wasted.
It was back to the game.