Disclaimer: I don't own heroes, and I sorta own Patience.

A/N: Hello everyone! Well, EmeraldMagik gave me this idea as a challenge fic for her so I decided to take it on and write it. She wanted a fic with a character that she developed, Patience, and the pairing of her with Claire. However, I came up with the plot and everything, but I still wanted to give her some credit cuz she rocks! So with all that said, onward!

Before You Wake

Chapter One

The Cheerleader

Patience Morrison slammed the door of the taxi, muttering furiously under her breath about her boss, who was rapidly becoming a pain in the ass. She sighed and glanced at herself in the mirror. She was a pretty girl, despite getting old at the ripe old age of 24 as she always joked with herself. Short, straight brown hair that brushed her shoulders, curving towards her slim face at the ends, and sparkling green eyes that held a small hint of mischief. She was of Finnish decent, so her skin was a little on the pale side, but dark enough so that she still looked healthy.

"Not a good day?" The driver asked, and she smiled as she placed her bag down on the seat beside her.

"Something like that." She answered flatly as she told him the address of where she wanted to go. A local bar - music, dancing, booze, relaxation.

"A bit early for drinking, don't you think?" He asked playfully as the car pulled away. She laughed.

"With my job, it's never too to be early drinking."

"Wrong career choice?"

"Wrong boss." She corrected. "You fuck-up one material order and he's all over you like Catholics at a witch trial." The man laughed nervously and she mentally wondered if maybe he was a Catholic, not that she cared. She wasn't Catholic, she didn't plan to be Catholic, and she had enough Catholic calling her a Satan-Worshipping whore that she didn't mind throwing a shot at them once in awhile.

"Pagan I take it?" He asked conversationally and she narrowed her eyes for a moment, waiting for the insults.

"Ya." She replied calmly, fiddling with the pentacle hanging around her neck. "Wiccan. Eleven years." He nodded, seemingly interested.

"My sister's a witch." He answered. "She always makes jokes about Catholics." At this, she smiled.

"We tend to do that a lot - holy shit!" She exclaimed, pressing her face against the window. There was building engulfed in flames, the fire rising high into the sky and billowing black smoke that couldn't have been healthy for the environment. "Stay here for a minute!" She ordered the driver, throwing open the door.

"Are you crazy?" He asked as she stepped onto the pavement of the road. He probably thought that she was crazy or just very nosy, but it was more then that for her. Despite her more unconventional power of super vision, she had always had some sense of ESP, the ability to 'feel' things. And she was sure as hell getting one strange feeling now.

"Been called worse!" She replied as she slammed the door and began running towards the scene. Cursing at her high heels she bent down and removed them, careful not to bend down too much at give the driver a free look at her ass seeing as she was in a black dress. Dresses and heels weren't exactly her thing, but in the fashion industry, people judged you on how you dressed, and wearing faded denim and band shirts didn't scream volumes for her profession.

She reached the building and stared at it for a moment, trying to sort of her gut feelings when a red flash ran by her and paused at the door before running inside. Patience stood there for a moment, staring where a young blonde in a cheerleading outfit had just been standing.

Ok, she's either really brave, or really stupid. She thought, tucking her hair behind her ear as she waited. Her feelings were rarely wrong and she waited patiently for the source of the feeling to become clear to her. It did when she the girl emerged, carrying a man. Their eyes locked for a moment and it was then that a surge made itself known in her stomach. Ok, so it' her. The blonde's eyes widened before she dropped the guy and ran.

"Wait!" Patience scared, chasing after her but she was gone in about three seconds. "Damn it!" Sighing in frustration but knowing when she was beaten, she turned back to the car and plopped back into the back seat, giving the driver a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that. I have a fascination with mass destruction." It was in no way true, but Patience was the kind of person that would say things just for shock value and she giggled to herself as she watched the man give her a very weird look.

She got to the bar and paid the man who probably thought that she was some kind of arson. Still laughing a little to herself about the look on his face she sat at the bar, ordering a rum and coke.

"Finally." She sighed, taking a long swing of it. "Better then those martini's that are rammed down your throat at cocktail parties." Aside from her talent for drawing outfits, Patience was also a very outgoing person, the kind of person that could strike up a conversation with almost anyone. The bartender, a short girl with black hair in a ponytail, laughed as she dried a glass.

"I'll say." Patience smiled as she took another drink and the girl went to take another order. She set the glass down and found her mind wandering back to the fire and the girl she had seen. She was a firm believer in the fact that there was no such thing as a coincidence, that everything happened for a reason, and her stumbling across a fire with a girl who made her stomach feel like that, was no coincidence. She had plenty of feelings and could usually predict things correctly, or know when things were going to happen. Nothing specific, usually just good or bad, but didn't usually get feelings about people. And from what she could sense, the girl was in a great deal of danger. But from who or what was anyone's guess.

"Hey, you!" She said, leaning over the bar and getting the bartender's attention. "I think I'm going to need another one of these." She smiled and walked over, refilling her glass. "Buy you one?" She offered with a shrug. She was in no way strapped for cash and had a bit of a generosity problem. She really didn't like spending too much on herself - the occasional shopping spree, some knickknacks or new toys here and there - but she loved doting on others, even people she really didn't know that well. She figured it was from growing up in a fairly wealthy family, she figured she owed the world something for her own good fortune.

"I'm technically working right now….." Patience grinned devilishly.

"Rum and coke my friend….it's a beautiful thing." She said, batting her eyes and looking lovingly. "Anyone asks, your indulging in some caffeine therapy." The girl laughed and poured herself a drink, leaning on the back counter. "You have a name?"

"Joyce." The girl replied, taking a sip.

"You?"

"Patience." She replied. "Doesn't really suit me though. My mom should have named me Pushy." Joyce laughed and set her drink down.

"Be right back." She said as she walked up to a man standing at the bar, looking impatient. He noticed her and gave her the eye, making her roll her eyes as he walked towards and sat down.

"Why hello."

"Hi." She replied flatly, downing her second drink. "And no, I'm not going to sleep with you, I'm not going to date you, I'm not interested in you in any way, shape, or form unless you have a pussy you're not telling me about." The man stared at her with his mouth open before his expression turned dark.

"Dyke bitch." He growled before sauntering off, looking putout.

"Wow, you have put him down harsh." Joyce said, eyebrows raised.

"Poor baby just can't handle a lesbian." Patience replied calmly, motioning for a refill as Joyce laughed.

"Most men can't." She answered, pushing the refilled glass across the bar. "They get all offended, gotta love male egos."

"Oh ya." Patience said, sarcasm dripping from her words. "They just rock my fucking socks." She drank her third glass quickly before glancing at the time. "Well, I better head out. I still have some drawings I need to get done, and it's a not good idea if I do it hammered. Last time I drew a kinky lingerie set. Boss was not amused." Joyce laughed again as Patience left a 20 on the table, leaving a good five dollar tip. "Keep the change, just cuz you're cute." She walked off, flipping open her cell and calling a cab. She mentally noted that she really should stop being a flirt, but it was in her nature to be a people person and flirting kinda feel into that category.

By the time she got to her apartment she was a little tipsy but forced the do the drawings anyway, and it was late by the time she finished the three that were required. Stripping out of her clothes she collapsed onto her bed, but not before drinking a large glass of water to reduce the risk of a slight hangover.

But even as she lay in bed, somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, she couldn't erase the vision on the cheerleader from her mind, or the feeling that came with it. She didn't know how, but she was determined to stop whatever was going to kill her. It had taken her most of the night to figure out why the feeling was so intense, but she knew what it was now.

Death.

Whatever danger the girl was in, it was going to kill her.

A/N:

I know, really, really, really short chapter, but it's late and frankly, my first chapters always suck so I like to try and get them over with. Well there we are. You get a good idea of Patience's character, I personally find her pretty funny. Anyways, as always, please let me know what you think and hopefully the next chapter will have more action!