AN: This is a new story I'm starting; it's based on a dream I had last night. This I my first, real Heroes story (I've only written a one-shot before) so I hope you all like it. This fic takes place in the future and doesn't really go with the main plot of the show so just go with it, ok? This is a Claire/West fic and will include some other characters of my own creation.

Chapter 1 – Meetings

Claire Bennett walked into Duke for the first time on a cool August morning.. It felt good to be starting new, away from her father. She needed to do this. Ever since her father had moved her a few years ago, her life hadn't exactly been a fairytale. But now was the time to change all that.

She drove further into the campus, using her map to find her dorm, Murphy Hall, south on the campus. She drove passed the Powell Library and around the Dickson court, before finally seeing her dorm before her. Claire grinned and made her way towards the large building.

Room 206, she thought to herself, lugging a few boxes out of her silver Mazda. She picked a few up and began carrying them up the stairs to the second floor. She reached her room, only to find the door already opened. She walked inside and saw a short redheaded girl with emerald green eyes on the other side of the room, putting sheets on her bed. The girl looked up as Claire walked in.

"Hi, I'm Lily Taylor," she said, walking over and extending a hand.

"Claire Bennett," Claire responded, laying down her box and grasping the hand. "I guess you're my new roommate."

"Looks that way doesn't it?" she smiled. "Do you need any help with your bags?"

"That would be great," Claire responded. The small girl nodded and followed Claire out the door to her car.

"So, are you a sophomore?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, you?" Claire asked. Lily nodded her head. "What classes are you taking?"

"Human Genetics, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Calculus, English, Italian and Anthropology (I know that's way too may courses for one year in university, and you most likely can't take all of them when you're a sophomore but for the purpose of my story…)," Lily replied. "You?"

"Human Genetics, English, Italian, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Psychology and Global Studies. Looks like we're in some of the same classes."

"Ye… jeez, Claire, what do you have in these boxes?" Lily exclaimed, lifting a particularly heavy box out of the back of the car.

"I don't know," Claire laughed. "That's probably the one with the mini fridge in it."

"You brought a mini fridge?"

"Yeah, is that ok?"

"More than ok. Now we can have cold drinks in our room. I was in this dorm last year and my roommate didn't have one. And trust me, drinking a can of Pepsi that's been sitting on a dresser of a day and a half, does not taste good."

"Good to know. I'll just grab a box and we'll head back up." Claire took a large box out of the back seat and they headed back upstairs.

"So," Lily said six hours later as they were siting on the couch she had brought, listening to music, all the unpacking done, "tell me about you're family. It's the only thing we haven't covered yet."

"Well," Claire said, wondering what she could say, " I've got a mom and a dad and a younger brother, Lyle. I grew up in Texas but my family started moving around while I was in high school so I never had many friends. And I'm adopted. What about you?" Where did the adopted come from? Claire thought.

"Well, my father abandoned my mother and I when I was a few months old so I never really knew him. It's just been my mom and I ever since. I grew up in Cali and have lived here my whole life," Lily answered, an odd look on her face, but quickly whipped it away. "Have you ever met your birth parents?"

Claire hesitated before answering, thinking about how much she had already told her and if she really wanted to discuss it.

"You don't have to tell me," Lily said. "I mean you've known me for what, a day? That's cool. I wouldn't want to tell me either. You want to go walk around campus? I can show you around."

"Sure," Claire said, getting off the couch and switching off the stereo, glad she was saved from figuring out what to say.

The two friends walked down the stairs and out into the sunshine. They walked around campus all afternoon and decided to go out to a restaurant for dinner. They went back to the dorm and changed into something slightly more formal before going out to a nice restaurant a few blocks from the campus.

"That was so much fun!" Claire giggled as she and Lily reentered the dorm later that night. "I haven't laughed so had since… well it's been a while." Claire said, West flashing in her mind momentarily.

"Did you see those two guys? They were totally staring at us," Lily giggled as she collapsed on the couch.

"I know. And that random guy on the street who whistled at you! He was cute."

"Yeah, in a stalkerish way. He followed us for two blocks!" she giggled again.

"True, very true."

Both girls giggled and talked for the next hour before realizing the time and deciding to call it a night. They went to bed that night, tired by the night's events, not knowing what the next day would bring.

AN: Hey! Well that's the end of chapter one and just so you know, this story has nothing to do with my one-shot. Please review! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update.