Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes, Claire Bennett, or Peter and Nathan Petrelli. Blah, blah, blah. Get the picture?
…Crazy…Messy…Love…Death…
As soon as his feet left the ground, her heart froze. 'Not here, not now Peter. You don't die like this.' She silently pleaded. 'You can't leave me here like this.'
Well I was movin' at the speed of sound
Head spinnin', couldn't find my way around
And didn't know that I was goin' down
Yeah, yeah
Her eyes instantly filled with tears as she saw the tell-tale explosion. Her knees buckled and she crumpled to the ground, unable to support her own weight. 'It can't be true, no, not true, it can't be.' She kept the mantra running through her head, hoping beyond hope that if she thought it enough, he would come back to her.
Where I been, well it's all a blur
What I was lookin' for, I'm not sure
Too late and didn't see it comin'
Yeah, yeah
She turned to stone, not acknowledging anyone around her.
"Claire, honey?" Her father swept her up in his arms effortlessly. She whimpered, not wanting to leave Peter behind. "Claire, we're going to go back to the hotel. Can you walk?" She nodded, and her father put her back on her feet. She turned her attention, again, at the sky, looking for any sign of life.
Then I crashed into you
And I went up in flames
Could've been the death of me
But then you breathed your breath in me
"Claire, we're leaving." Her father tried to pull her with him, but she didn't budge.
"Dad, I can't go. I can't, he'll come back and wonder where I am. I have to stay here and wait for him." Her voice broke on the last word, and more tears streamed down her face.
"Claire, you have to. You saw what happened…" He paused, weighing his words. "There's no way that anyone could have survived something like that. Claire shook her head, about to argue when she saw some movement in the sky.
Then I crashed into you
Like a runaway train
You will consume me
But I can't walk away
She pointed, waiting for the return of her own personal hero. Her father waited with her, his heart filled with doubt and pity for his daughter. He looked up to where she pointed, and saw something move too. "There is no way…" He muttered under his breath, completely unconvinced. Claire felt a smile spread across her face as the thing in the sky got closer and closer.
"Daddy, it has to be him. Who else could it be?" She dried her face of the tears that had been shed. "Hurry up Peter, I need you…" She whispered.
Somehow I couldn't stop myself
Just wanted to know how it felt
Too strong I couldn't hold on
Yeah, yeah
He landed in front of her, his face grim. In his arms was her hero, unmoving, unbreathing. She gasped, taking the few steps to his body slowly. Nathan lowered his body to the ground, smoothing his hair out of his face. His clothes were in tatters, his body mangled and bloody. She bent down and touched his face, willing him to wake up. "C'mon Peter, you're like me. You can pull through this. You've died before, there's nothing different about this time. Dying is no big deal, remember?" She forced a smile, her heart still frozen. He didn't make a move, no breath of life, no nothing to indicate a change.
Now I'm just tryin' to make some sense
Out of how and why this happened
Where we're headed, there's just no knowin'
Yeah, yeah
Minutes stretched eternities as she stared at his broken face. "He isn't coming back from this, is he?" She looked up at Nathan, wanting something positive. Instead, she just got another grim look and a small nod.
"Probably not, Claire. He lost everything in that blast. The power has consumed him before he had even blown up. He was gone, Claire, before anything even happened." Nathan's voice held no emotion, just hard truth. She looked back down, taking a ragged breath in, holding it as long as possible. She blew it out, seeing stars as all the blood rushed to her head. She tried to stand up, but she stumbled and fell.
And then I crashed into you
And I went up in flames
Could've been the death of me
But then you breathed your breath in me
Then I crashed into you
Like a runaway train
You will consume me
But I can't walk away.
She woke up, feeling disoriented. They were in the Petrelli mansion, and she was stretched out on the very couch Peter had laid on the first time he died. She scrambled up, tripping over her feet in the process. She ended up on the floor, her wrist twisted in a weird fashion. She groaned and sat up, snapping the broken limb back into place. Nathan came in, looking surprised at her being on the floor.
"What happened to you? You were just fine five minutes ago."
"I tried to commit suicide my jumping off the couch. My bad." She replied, tossing his a sardonic look. He shook his head and sat on the now vacated couch. She hauled herself up and sat next to him, looking expectant.
"He's in his room. He hasn't changed from the way he was last night though. I wouldn't expect anything to change this time Claire." She stared at his face, not wanting to believe the words coming out of his mouth.
"How, why… You…" She took a breath and started again. "Can I go see him?" Nathan nodded and helped her up, gripping her arm. He led her up the stairs, and into the hallway.
"He looks even worse that last night Claire. Are you sure you want to do this?" She nodded, a plan forming in her mind. 'I'm gonna save him, I have to.' She thought.
From your face,
Your eyes are burning into me
You saved meYou gave me just what I need
Oh, just what I need
Nathan took her to the door, not going in to let her have her privacy. She strode to his bed, cupping his cheek in her palm. Nathan had been right; he did look worse than last night. She took her hand off his face, trying to think of a way to make her plan work. She looked at his face, willing it to look like it used to. She closed her eyes and lowered her head, slowly making contact between their lips.
And then I crashed into you
And I went up in flames
Could've been the death of me
Then you breathed your breath in me
She pulled back, searching his face for a sign of life. A single tear made a maze down her face as realized her plan didn't work. She laid her head on his stomach, her body starting to heave from the pressure of the sobbing. She traced circles on his chest, trying to comfort the demon in her throat. Her heart went from frozen to gone in a single breath. Without him, she was nothing. Without who he was, she didn't have an identity. Without him…
She ceased to exist.
Then I crashed into you
Like a runaway train
You will consume me
But I can't walk away
She jumped as a hand landed on her back. She almost bit off her tongue as she saw him looking straight at her, his face full of confusion.
"Claire, what happened?" She smiled and lunged for his neck, squeezing so hard that she would never let go.
"Oh my god, Peter, you're alright. You're alive, you're here with me. You stayed." She sobbed into his neck, the smile never leaving her face.
"Of course I am Claire, where else would I be?" He sat up, forcing her to let go of her hold on him. He looked down at his tattered state and gazed back at her. "Did I blow up?" She nodded, but tried to explain.
"Nathan said that you were gone before you even blew up, that the explosion consumed you before you had even done anything."
"But then… why aren't I dead?"
"I… I don't know. Maybe some part of you pulled my power out of you and made you live again." She lied.
Then I crashed into you
Like a runaway train
You will consume me
But I can't walk away
Peter shrugged. "I guess the important thing is that I'm still here, right?" He added a little laugh for small effect. She smiled a little more and put her hand on top of his.
"Yeah, that's the important thing." He put his arms around her and pulled her to him, planting a tender kiss in her hair.
"I could never leave you Claire. Always remember that. As long as you're here, I'm here." She nodded, placing a small kiss on his naked chest.
"You promise?" He nodded.
"Forever." She pulled back and stared in shock as his eyes glazed over and he fell back onto the pillow. She shook him and screamed.
"PETER! Peter, you can't do this, Peter, please. Come back!" She fell back onto his stomach in a sobbing mess as Nathan barged into the room.
"Claire… Claire!" He got her attention and looked in her eyes. "Claire, what happened?" She looked back into his eyes, sending wave after wave of sorrow.
"I couldn't save him Nathan, I couldn't save him…"
A/N So… what do you think??? Please review and let me know!This is only my second Paire fiction and I want to know if I got it right!