Attempt Number 6

by Diamond Gryphon

Drabble. Claire muses on why she keeps throwing herself off of the metal walkway. Because you shouldn't need six attempts to prove that the fall isn't going to kill you.

HEROES ONE-SHOT/DRABBLE

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE: 5/5/2013

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Heroes or any of the characters, settings, or storylines associated with the series. This is a fan-made work and I am receiving no profit from it.

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Attempt Number 6

". . . and that was attempt number six."

Claire called these masochistic activities 'attempts'. Earlier that day, Zach had tried to ask what, exactly, she was attempting. She had brushed him away by demanding to know if the camera was ready or not.

But the question ate at her.

The truth was that she really didn't have any clue what she was attempting. Suicide, apparently. But that didn't seem to work for her anymore. She could have figured that out after attempt number one. Perhaps she was attempting to find the limits of her powers. It was true that she was getting a better idea of how they worked, but that really wasn't why she threw herself from seventy feet in the air. No, experimenting was better done with knives and scissors in the safety and comfort of her own house.

Maybe she was attempting to reset her wardrobe. Goodness knows the number of outfits she had destroyed since she figured out about her healing. It had been hard to explain the ruined cheerleader outfit. 'Totally destroyed' didn't seem to do justice to the piece of clothing that had been ruined over six fatal falls and a brief trip into a burning train.

She was trying, trying so hard, to just understand. To come to terms with the fact that her perfect little life now included some twisted form of immortality. And while cracked ribs and punctured lungs hurt (and oh did they hurt), the blood and the pain at least meant there was some humanity left in her, that she wasn't entirely a freak.

Although (and who was she trying to kid?) that's exactly what she was.

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This is a fandom that I don't usually play in, but I found this sitting on my computer and thought it might be worth it to upload. I enjoyed it and thought someone else might, too. For those of you who would prefer that I actually update my regular stories: I'm working on it.