"FOR ETERNITY"

Claire stood, gazing into the distant scenery and oblivious to the rain pouring down hard upon her. She was mesmerized by the clear scene in front of her - the mere fact that the sky had broken free of the heavy weight of the water collecting in it. The water that had then washed away misery of each and everything it had come in contact with. She was soaked to the bone. The water on her body that was trailing down was blending with the water pouring from above. She didn't care now. She might have cared back then, but now it didn't matter any longer. Maybe after living for an eternity, facing all the storms, demons, and wars, she didn't want to any longer. Or she might have become immune to it. Or maybe the rain seemed silent and innocent when compared to the war she had been through. Maybe standing here now she felt like she was being baptized for the first time.

She stood there, waiting. He promised he would come. He told her to wait for him. But now all this waiting was turning out to be pointless and agonizing for her. She knew that the bastard had the uncanny habit of appearing at all the wrong moments, but now, when she stood waiting for him in the thunderous rain, he was nowhere to be seen.

Flashback

She had fallen in love and she was to get married to him tomorrow. She was so elated she couldn't conceal her sense of happiness. Everything had been like a fairytale romance and so quick that the past few days had been like a blur to her. She knew that there was nothing in this world that could spoil this time for her. Except….

"Congratulations. Didn't know you would find that somebody," drawled Sylar from behind her. Completely hidden from her view and beyond her field of vision, only his voice could be heard and that alone made her shiver. She was afraid what the rest of the beholder of the voice would bring. But still, she turned around from the mirror, letting her wedding dress she had been admiring slip through her fingers.

"They will all wither away, Claire. They are all going to die," he breathed from behind her. She wondered if he had acquired a new ability of moving without a sound.

Claire whirled around and her gaze settled upon him for the first time after they had all helped save the world and created a "Brave New World."

"Don't do that," snapped Claire, her eyes narrowing.

"Don't do what?"

"This thing… popping up into my life, time and again."

"Claire, Claire, Claire. Don't you see? This is the only part of your life that is exciting. Otherwise, you only breathe because it is the only involuntary action that you can't suppress or deny. I see you don't eat. You never smile, and most importantly, you don't really live your life." He moved forward, minimizing the distance between them. Claire opened her mouth to protest but he had telekinetically frozen her in place. She hated when he did that. She hated it when he tried to play God, depriving her body of its voluntary actions. She tried her best to break free of his hold, but her struggle only made him tighten it more.

"You will have to worry about everyone dying, Claire, but not me. Go ahead, marry Seth tomorrow and attend his funeral after some years. But you know it wouldn't be the same with me. You wouldn't have to worry about either of us dying, Claire. We'll have each other forever. I'll wait for you until the day you decide that I am a much better option. On that day, wait for me Claire. Promise me, and I'll promise you eternity," whispered Sylar, his eyes eliciting his raw, vulnerable emotions. Claire, who had been struggling up until this time, forgot what she had been doing and got caught up in his words and the depth shone in his eyes. For a second, she was sure what Sylar was saying was inevitable and it made more sense than her current situation. However, Sylar always made sense, and it was her own fault she didn't let his words seep in. He was the evil in her life, and she chose not to believe him, no matter what he said or promised.

"You lie," she whispered. Her hands which had been by her sides till then, now clutched his arms, so insistent was her hold, the pressure so hard that Sylar closed his eyes for a second and winced in pain.

"Have I ever lied to you, Claire? Sure, my existence is a complete lie - my name, my abilities, my past, my present, my immortality - all are complete lies. But not this, Claire, not this. Not my promises to you, Claire. Just wait for me and be really prepared for eternity..." breathed Sylar, bringing his head close to hers. Their foreheads touched and Claire shivered from the heat radiating from his body and his breath on her face. She released a sigh and her hold on him slipped. He moved away and vanished from her life, leaving her all alone, left to listen to her rapidly beating heart. And for the first time she felt the coldness that had surrounded her, depriving her of comfort.

Flashback End

She scanned the horizon again. Not a soul was in sight. But she wasn't waiting for any soul, just one in particular. Sylar's. It had been over 150 years since the time when he had given her the promise. The day after he had gone away, she was swayed by her wedding celebrations and had little time to ponder what he had said. The next day, she married Seth and since that moment, her life had been a true bliss. He had given her everything that she could have ever dreamed of: happiness, fulfillment, a sense of well-being, contentment, and security. But there was one thing he couldn't give her: children. The vow that Seth made was to live in health and in sickness with her until the day he died. But not Claire. When Seth breathed his last she felt a pain so deep, loneliness so threatening and at that moment she whispered Sylar's name with a caress. And right then she knew what she had to do.

She came to Peter's last resting place. She knew in her heart that this was the only place where they could meet. The only place where the one person they had both loved was buried. She bought fresh flowers to keep at his grave.

She sat down on the wet grass. The rain had seized, maybe minutes or hours ago, she didn't know. First she was cursing Sylar, but now an unknown fear gripped and crushed her heart. Maybe he found somebody over the years? After all, 150 years was a long time to wait for someone. Or maybe he wanted her to wait in agony like he had? Maybe he wanted her to realize the true need of somebody? Her thoughts forced tears to well up in her eyes and stream down her cheeks.

She had fallen in love with Sylar the day he left her in the janitor's closet during her college days. She began to love him from that moment: when he handed her the handkerchief and walked away from her life. His was the only face that popped in front of her eyes when she jumped from the Ferris wheel. But like Peter, she was too stubborn to forgive and forget his deeds, for taking away her parents and her innocence. She was too blinded to look beyond that lie that he had created to actually see Gabriel, to see his true self.

She wrapped her arms around her body and rocked back and forth, letting herself cry for everybody who wasn't in her life anymore. She deserved to live alone for pushing everybody away... for being selfish and blind and ungrateful.

"I hope those tears are for me," a distant voice whispered.

A hiccup stuck in her throat and she looked up, standing tall and handsome, with a ghost of a smile on his lips, was her Eternity.

****End****