Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes. Obviously.

Takes place after "The Second Coming"

He had always been attracted to the different, the unusual, the one-of-a-kind. As a child, he'd dreamed of a better way of living, of a world where life wouldn't be completely predictable, where the rules were ever-changing, where he was the main player.

And he knew that his new life was everything he'd dreamed of and more, exotic, exciting, with enough challenges to last him a lifetime. There was a delicate balance of power in the new world he had entered, and he knew from the start that he had the capability not only to be talented, but to be the best. He could find multiple talents where others only had one; he could even bring powers to their full capabilities, explore them, find hidden depths that their original users would never have dreamed of.

But there were others, other powerful ones that could make a stand against him. Peter Petrelli, his 'light' counterpoint, still inexperienced and surviving through sheer persistence and latent ability. The Haitian, who had the horrifying ability to make him normal, take away everything that made life worth living.

And then, her. The cheerleader.

He despised cheerleaders, in general. They were symbolic of the life he had left behind, mindless and only concerned with their unimportant whims and details. He had taken it as a slap in the face that a cheerleader would be granted one of the most useful powers of them all, the power to make one invincible, untouchable, effectively immortal. He had thought nothing then of her necessary death.

And, at first, he hadn't been surprised by her reactions. She had run from him. She had relied on the protection of Petrelli, had taken the passive route in avoiding him. Her only redeeming action was to return to her friend in need, to keep Petrelli alive.

However, as he continued travelling, continued becoming more powerful, learning, growing, he also continued hearing about her. She was stubborn, determined, and constantly testing her limits. In fact, in a singularly remarkable way, she was… different.

So he decided to draw the game out further. He waited, through health and illness, waited for her many protectors to let their guard down, to leave her alone.

Then, with third time's luck, he took a chance.

She didn't act like a cheerleader. She should've screamed and cried, should've run and cowered at the first sight of him. Instead, she fought. She fought pathetically, true, for how could a person who was built to be passive really attempt to hurt someone else? But he was intrigued by her persistence, and found himself reaching a conclusion even before he made the decisive strike.

She couldn't die. Therefore, she would lose nothing through his examination, while he would gain- well, everything. There were many people who often attempted either to shoot him or run swords through him, and it would be rather convenient if he could stop worrying about them. Still, the fact that she wouldn't die made it easier for him to learn her power, though he wasn't sure why he would care either way.

But he found it truly remarkable that she not only stayed alive during his examination, but also managed to stay conscious. He found himself talking to her, treating her as a peer, an equal, a- friend?

Well, he didn't need to go that far. He had been poking around her brain, after all, clearly the dominant figure in the scene.

Once he had finished, he could have let her remain unconscious on the table, could have left her there for her parents to find. But there was something that made him pause, and consider. She was still a teenager, barely an adult. She obviously craved dignity, and loathed showing signs of weakness in any way.

He wasn't sure why he encouraged that, enabled it, except that he knew that she was… special. She deserved better, like he always had.

He'd have to keep an eye on Claire Bennet in the future. There was no telling what she might do, how she might affect his eternal quest to become the strongest, the best.

And if he had other reasons for watching her, there was no reason to admit them, even to himself.