Baby, It's Cold Outside

Takes place a few years before It Was Peter's Fault!

"Claire!" Peter flung open the door and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Glad you could make it!" Claire hugged him back, smiling as she saw Emma standing behind him. "Of course I came. Wouldn't miss it for the world." She disentangled herself from Peter and pulled Emma close, knocking the breath out of her.

"Sylar's in the kitchen. Go say hi." Peter called, grabbing the presents Claire was holding and putting them under the miniscule, almost barren Christmas tree that sat in the center of his apartment. "What's he doing? Poisoning the food?" Claire asked, surveying Peter's apartment. It was strung head to toe in fairylights and red-cloth flowers. The effect was dazzling. Probably Emma's doing. Claire smiled. If the blond doctor could make Peter's apartment look like someone actually lived there, then she could do almost anything.

"No," A deeper voice than Peter's called from behind her. "I am preparing a delicious meal for all of you, and just for that, you're not getting any." Claire spun around to face Sylar, who actually wasn't dressed in all black for once. He was wearing a plain white T with dress pants. He actually looked...Good. "Like you could stop me." Claire snorted. Sylar smirked, grabbing a plate of what smelled like choclate chip cookies from behind him. "On the contrary, I believe I can." Claire narrowed her eyes and glared at him. Sylar stared back. This went on for a few moments. Finally, Claire gave in and lunged forward toward the plate of cookies. Sylar grinned and held it out of her reach, his taller-than-average frame giving him the supreme advantage as he held the steaming plate of cookies out of the petite cheerleader's reach. Peter sighed as he put on the old Christmas carols. This happened every year.

"No chance you're going to get it from me, shorty!" Sylar laughed, lunging out of Claire's reach, walking backwards across the apartment. Emma shook her head. Suddenly, she remembered. "Peter!" She signed. "I forgot the bottle of champagne." Peter smacked his head. The most important thing! "Let's go get it." He signed back, glancing back at Sylar and Claire who were still fighting over the plate of cookies. "They won't even know we're gone."

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15 minutes later...

Claire collapsed onto the couch, followed by Sylar, both out of breath. Claire leaned back against Peter's couch, thouroughly exhausted. "You could have," She stopped to catch her breath. "..Just given me a cookie.." She let her head fall onto Sylar's lap, lying horizontally on the couch as she kicked off her red heels. "Ahh, that's much better." She sighed in relief, and Sylar chuckled as he tucked a stray blond curl behind her ear. "What would be the fun in that?" Claire grinned against his lap, relishing in the cool air rushing against her overheated skin, which Claire assured herself had nothing to do with the man she was lying on, but more with their psuedo game of catching.

She glanced up at him, and not for the first time, realised exactly how long his eyelashes were. And how brown his eyes were. Slowly, as if in a trance, she reached out to trace her fingers along the curve of his eyebrows. His eyes fluttered open at the feel of her callused fingertips on his face. Slowly, she traced down the bridge of his nose and lower, to the stubble of his jaw. His breath hitched in his throat at the foreign, but definitely not unwelcome contact. Her butter fingers slid lightly over his neck and to the back of his head, using that as balance to push herself up until she was sitting on his lap. She stared into his eyes, resting her mouth against his cheek. A familiar song began to play.

"I really can't stay..." Sylar grinned as the song blasted through the speakers. Claire yelped as Sylar lifted her into the air, before setting her down in the middle of the room and spinning her out. "Sylar-" She gasped as he twirled her around and around, making the world swirl around her. "Stop!" She giggled as he spun her back to his chest and twirled her out again almost immediately. "This is my favourite christmas song!" He yelled over the music. "It's not going to be mine much longer!" She yelled back, although the grin on her face contradicted her statement. "Baby, it's cold out-siiiide!" The music ended with a bam and Claire disentangled herself from Sylar and grabbed a glass of cold water from the dining room table. Before he could react, she flung it toward his face and burst out laughing as he blinked as the cold water trickled down his face. "Oh, baby it's cold alright!" She choked out, laughing hysterically. He swiped a hand across and then stuck his hand in a glass of cold milk, flicking it at her. She gasped in shock, before grabbing the eggnog that was lying on the table and spraying it at him. "That's not fair!" He growled, lunging toward her. She giggled and let him pull her into him, let him back her into the corner. He dropped his forehead to hers, drops of eggnog trailing from his hair to her cheek. Claire relished in the warmth his body provided, and found herself entranced by the flakes of gold that seemed to sparkle in his eyes. Their breaths grew shorter and shorter, and even though few moments had passed, it felt like hours to them.

He leaned in closer and Claire closed her eyes, tilting her head up toward him. "Claire?"

"Hmm?" Her eyes still didn't open.

"Give me a reason." His voice was almost desperate, but it still had that low, husky tone to it that sent shivers down her spine.

Her eyes fluttered open and a mischievious smile lit up her face. She leaned closer to his ear. "My lips are cold. Do you think you could warm them up?"

Sylar pulled her against him, slanting his lips over hers in a way that left her breathless and wanting more. They didn't even notice when Peter and Emma stepped through the door. Peter blanched and turned away, uncomfortable with seeing his niece making out with Sylar. He knew it was going to happen eventually, he just didn't think it would happen in his living room! Emma just smiled. "Do you want to step out for a second?" Peter signed to Emma. "Give them some time?" Emma grinned before signing back. "But baby, it's cold outside." And then there were too couples making out.

Merry Christmas all! And a happy new year!:D