***Evolutionary Imperative***
Sequel to From the Beginning
still don't own Heroes, etc...
Synopsis: Sylar discovers a new way to gain abilities
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Claire's POV
Claire jumped off her bed and raced down the stairs at the sound of the mail truck pulling up, "I've got it!" she yelled as she hurried past her mom and out the door. Mr. Bennet stuck his head out the door of his study, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses, and sent a questioning look at Mrs. Bennet. "Don't look at me. She's been that way for weeks now. Always rushing off to the mailbox as soon as it arrives. She must be expecting a package or something." said Mrs. Bennet as she went back to brushing her dog.
Claire slowed her pace to quick walk, wouldn't do to scare the mailman. She stopped and patiently waited for the truck to pull away before ripping the door open and grabbing the pile of envelopes. She flipped through them, searching for his handwriting, before finding a postcard addressed to her.
~Yay! He hasn't forgotten me. I hope he's coming back soon. I miss you Gabriel.~
The postcard had a picture of a diner on the front, the Burnt Toast Cafe, in Midland, Texas. He was on his way back.
~Dear Claire,
Sorry I missed our last letter. Since visiting Mother, who wants to meet you by the way, I've been traveling, searching in the middle of nowhere. But I've finally found what I was looking for. There's a waitress here that remembers everything she's ever read. It's quite fascinating. Hope to see you soon.
Sincerely,
Gabriel~
Claire smiled hugged the postcard to her chest and skipped back into the house, dropping the rest of the mail on the kitchen counter before going up to her room. She wanted to put Gabriel's postcard somewhere where she could see it easily but wouldn't be obvious to anyone else, her dad was so over-protective.
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a few days before...
Sylar's POV
Slyar sat at a table in the corner of the Burnt Toast Cafe, watching the red-headed waitress serve the two Japanese men. He was so lost in the daydream of having her power that his hand slipped and he cut his finger, the pain brought him back to reality in time to see his blood well up and then suddenly his finger sealed itself. He took a napkin and wiped away the blood, marveling in the perfect skin that was revealed.
~That was new. I've never healed before. I haven't taken that power. So how do I have it? Is this what Claire can do? Is this how she survived the fire? I thought maybe she could control fire but this is so much better. Maybe I don't have to kill anymore.~
He was startled when the waitress suddenlyappeared before him. "Coffee?" she asked, holding up the pot. He shook his head, his thoughts turbulent.
~The man with the horn-rimmed glasses was wrong. I don't have to kill. I understand how things work. I never had to take a watch apart to know what was wrong with it. Why did I think I needed to … I didn't. I trusted him to know how my ability works because he seemed to know so much. I don't have to worry anymore. I won't hurt Claire.~
Sylar stood and walked into the cafe's kitchen, the waitress was there, Charlie. "You're broken but I can fix you. Don't worry." he said. She froze as he grabbed her by the throat, eyes wide but she didn't scream. Sylar closed his eyes and concentrated, he saw and understood how her ability worked and he saw the blood clot. He worked his way through the pathways, clearing out everything that was harmful. Sylar opened his eyes and staggered back, "You'll be okay now. I fixed you." Charlie's eyes widened even further at this and raised her hand to wipe away the blood dripping from her nose, "Thank you. I'm not sure what you did but I feel better. Thank you." He was gone before she even finished her sentence.
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present day...
Claire's POV
They were in the middle of eating dinner when a phone rang and Mr. Bennet excused himself to answer his cell. Everyone knew what that meant, he would be leaving on one of his business trips, just in time to miss Claire's 18th birthday. The table was silent when he returned, "Claire-Bear..." he started. "It's fine. You wouldn't be leaving unless it was important. I get it." she interrupted.
~I get it. Your job is more important than your family. Always has been, always will be. It's not like this is the first birthday you've missed. And it probably won't be the last. At least Gabriel is on his way back to town. I can't wait to see him. I hope he makes it time for my birthday. I'd be more upset if he missed it than my dad, huh.~
After he was gone, dinner resumed and Mrs. Bennet turned the conversation to Claire's birthday, "What do you want to do this year, Sweetie? One of those big parties your cheerleader friends like to throw?" Claire looked down at her plate, pushing the vegetables around with her fork, "Actually, I was hoping we could have dinner here. And that maybe I could invite my friend, Gabriel?" Lyle snorted, "Do you have a new boyfriend Claire?" Claire blushed and slapped him in the arm, "Shut up!" They both stopped as Mrs. Bennet cleared her throat meaningfully, "I don't see why not Claire. Did you meet him at one of your games? Is he the reason you've been so excited about the mail lately? Has he been writing you love letters?" Claire answered, "Yes, we met at the Homecoming game. Yes he's been writing me. But they are not love letters. He's just letting me know what he's doing. I wrote him too. It's just that he's been traveling a lot, and he lives in New York." She whispered the last part hoping to skip the awkward questions. Mrs. Bennet raised her eyebrow, "What was that Claire? He lives in New York and travels a lot. Just how old is he?" "24. But it's not that big a deal. I'll be 18 tomorrow. That makes it legal." Claire answered anticipating the disapproval of her mother. She frowned, clearly not liking the idea, but responded with, "I'll reserve judgment until I meet him. You have been acting more mature lately. And you do you have a point about your age. You will be a legal adult soon. So, yes, he can come to dinner." Claire smiled.
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Sylar's POV
Sylar smiled as he entered the town of Costa Verde, he'd made it in time for Claire's birthday.
~I made it. I wonder if I should let her know I'm in town? Or surprise her at school? I think I'll surprise her. Should be fun.~
He stopped at a flower shop and picked up a large bouquet of daisies, Claire's favorite.
~"They're such happy little flowers."~
Sylar adjusted his hat and picked up a clipboard and pen along with the flowers, as he made his way to the school's office. "Excuse me ma'am. But I was wondering if you could tell me where to find Miss Claire Bennet. I have this here package for her." he drawled, winking at the overweight receptionist. She giggled and said, "I can have one of the office aides take that to her." Sylar pulled back slightly, "Unfortunately, I need to have her sign for it. You understand." She nodded, "Of course, I'll just have Zach fetch her for you." she gestured emphatically for Zach to come over, "Zach, dear, go fetch Claire Bennet from room ..." He interrupted, "That's okay. I know where's she's at. I 'll be right back." He left quickly, leaving Sylar alone with the enthusiastic receptionist.
~Must not kill. I don't know how much more of this flirting I can take. Must not kill. Claire will be here soon. I can wait that long.~
He hurried out into the hallway, ignoring the receptionist's pout, as he heard Claire's laughter coming his way. He put the flowers down on the ground as she raced towards him, hugging her close and twirling around, "Did you miss me?" Claire slapped his chest lightly, "Of course I missed you. Oh, this is my friend Zach, I told you about him. Zach, this is Gabriel." They nodded in acknowledgment as Claire caught sight of the bouquet on the floor, "Is that for me? How sweet are you?" she said picking it up and smelling the daisies. She leaned up and kissed him right on the mouth, "I'm so glad you made it. You're invited to dinner tonight, for my birthday. You'll come right?" Sylar leaned down and kissed her again, loving the feel of her lips under his, "I wouldn't miss it. This is going to be with your family right? Should I be concerned?" Claire giggled, "No. My dad's out of town on a business trip and my mom's cool. Lyle is a bit of a pain, but that's to be expected."
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Noah's POV
Noah looked in at the Burnt Toast Cafe, the waitress was serving two Japanese men.
~How unexpected. Sylar was sighted in this cafe. So, why is she still alive?~
He entered and sat down at the very table that his query had used not so long ago. When the waitress, Charlie her name-tag said, came up to take his order he pulled out a slightly blurry shot of Sylar, and asked, "Do you know this man?" She nodded, all smiles, "He's my hero. I had a blood clot in my brain that was going to kill me. He fixed it. Such a nice man, good tipper too. Is he alright?" Noah frowned, "I'm sure he's fine. He's a dangerous fugitive. Wanted for murder. Did anything unusual happen while he was here?" Charlie started to shake her head but paused and nodded instead. Noah grinned.
~I knew that bastard wouldn't be able to resist.~
But his grin faded as Charlie continued, "I could have sworn he cut his hand. There was an awful lot of blood on the table but he didn't look hurt at all when he helped me afterwards."
~Claire. If he hurt her...Wait, this doesn't make sense. I was with her when he was here, she hasn't been hurt. I grounded her from going to Homecoming. Sylar never hurt her. I prevented Mendez's paintings from occurring. Didn't I?~
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Claire's POV
"Mom! I'm home!" Claire yelled as she entered the house, dragging Gabriel behind her, up to her room. She plopped on the bed as Gabriel looked around her room, taking everything in. Finally, he turned and said, "Claire, can you heal?" She sat up, a look of fear on her face.
~How does he know? Oh God. What if he thinks I'm a freak? What if he leaves me? We've barely started whatever this is but I don't want it to end. Ever.~
"What do you mean? Of course I heal. Everyone heals eventually." Claire said nervously. Gabriel just looked at her before going into her bathroom. She got up and followed, curious as to what he was doing. She gasped as he cut himself over the sink, rushing to staunch the blood only to find that there was no need. "You heal too?" Claire exclaimed excitedly. Gabriel smiled at her obvious joy, "No, well, yes, now. My ability is that I understand how things work. It means that I can do what others can do because I understand how they do it. And until I met you I thought I had to take it by force. You've taught me how to be different. Claire, I don't understand what I feel for you. Which is something I'm not used to. But I'm looking forward to figuring it out. With you."
~I'm not alone. I'm not alone.~
Claire kissed him, attacking his mouth with hers, hands sliding everywhere, just trying to be close to him. Gabriel responded in kind, grabbing her butt and lifting her onto the bathroom counter, hen they were interrupted by a knock on Claire's door, "Are you alright in there Claire? I thought I heard something thump." Mrs. Bennet asked. Claire gave Gabriel a quick peck on the mouth and slid off the counter. She moved over to her door, cracking it open, "Everything's fine mom. It was probably just my backpack, it's kind of heavy today. I have a lot of homework to do this weekend." Mrs. Bennet smiled, "Okay honey. You better bring Gabriel on out here though, let us meet him properly." Claire blushed and closed the door, "We'd better get downstairs. We're really lucky that my dad's gone. I'd be in major trouble."
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Sylar's POV
Sylar's stomach felt like it was full of butterflies.
~Why is killing so much easier than meeting Claire's family?~
There was a boy, her brother most likely, sitting at the counter playing a video game. And a woman, her mother, holding a fluffy dog while stirring something on the stove. She smiled as Claire gestured at Sylar, "Here he is. As requested." Mrs. Bennet walked over and held out her hand, "I'm Sandra, Claire's mother. And this is Mr. Muggles. He's a champion. Isn't that right Mr. Muggles?" She said letting the dog lick her face, "Lyle. Get over here and meet your sister's boyfriend." The boy groaned and came over, "Hey. Nice to meet you. Any chance you know anything about fixing stuff? My PSP totally just crashed on me. I was about to totally kill the boss. Then, you know, blackness." Sylar smiled, relaxing, "Let me take a look. I'm quite good at fixing things." Lyle grinned and shoved it at him. Sandra and Claire just stood back and watched the male-bonding take place. "I like him." Sandra said to Claire. "So do I." Claire sighed out, looking at him. Sylar looked up, feeling eyes on him, and they shared a soft look. Sandra witnessed it but decided to let things alone, her baby was growing up.
~God. She's so beautiful. And her family is surprisingly enjoyable.~
Sylar finished with the game system, it was an easy fix, just a loose screw in the back, and handed it to Lyle who, once he turned it on, gave him a look of hero-worship. He went over to Mrs. Bennet, Sandra, and inquired, "Would you like help with anything?" He could get used to this.
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check back later for a sequel...