Prelude:
Noah Bennet had always been a doing man. He did his job, well, in his eyes. He did the whole husband and father role, as well as he could, under the circumstances. And now he did retirement, terribly.
Life had fallen apart fairly rapidly, since Claire's abduction; it was stupid to tell him anything else. Sandra had sunk so far into denial, that on her death bed she was still chattering on about how she and Claire were going to see a dog show. Lyle had at least turned his grief into something constructive, finally becoming the writer he always could have been. Harsh as it may have been Noah found it hard to excuse his late wife's weakness, because, as horrific as it had been, it has happened to all of them; she just chose the easy way out.
Now sitting here in the baking Miami sun, Noah Bennet had to admit that Claire's disappearance had hurt him far more then he had thought was possible. Since childhood Noah had built up the walls that would keep him safe, prevent heartbreak. He would hide behind his horn rimed glasses and watch the world go by, and although he was a doer he always worked in the fringes of life, his influence never really seen. Sandra had pounded ineffectually on his emotional walls, and even Lyle has failed to penetrate that icy exterior; but Claire was… well Claire. She had shattered his defences and left him more vulnerable then he could've imagined.
Noah took a sip of cold water rubbing the back of his now non-existent neck, removing the sweat that was slowly tracing wet tracks on his skin.
He came and sat here in this ridiculously uncomfortable chair, in this blistering heat, every day. Not because it gave him a chance to observe the local going's on but because if he didn't he knew his daughter would come back.
He had been on a business trip, three years after Claire's loss, sitting in the sweltering heat when he had seen a raven haired man step out of the shop in front of him. He would have called out Peter's name, but before his mouth could utter a single syllable Peter had pulled a young girl, no woman, behind him. Her golden hair streamed down her back and in the sling round her shoulders was a small child. Any inclination that Noah might have had to draw attention to himself evaporated faster then the water in his glass. Instead he lowered his slightly raised hand and watched the small family sit themselves down at a table across the road.
Peter's hair was shorter then Noah had seen it before, with only a few tendrils of coal coloured strands falling across his forehead. He swiped at these flyaway pieces of hair and his golden wedding band glittered in the sun. Married! Noah's mind screamed but still he sat silent. Claire looked radiant, her face down turned as she gazed at the honey blonde child in her arms. Noah could only see the stubby little hand waving up at its mother, yet he still noticed the warmth in Claire's eyes as she tucked the child more comfortably into its bed. She looked… older, if that was possible for her. A few words of the family's conversation drifted over to Noah as he sat, incredulous in the shade. "… Should really get moving again..."
"…Can't let them find us…"
"…Will always love you…"
Noah wondered briefly who they meant by 'them' until he saw the couple rise. If there was any time at which he could've stood up and made his presence known then it would've been then but Peter stopped him. It had not gone unnoticed by Noah the way that Peter looked at Claire, with such adoration, and now his feelings were visible for all to see as he bent down and kissed Claire. It was with such passion and tenderness that it stopped Noah Bennet, the doing man, dead in his chair. Peter then kissed the child, his grandchild he realised with a shock, and stood up again. He took Claire's hand and together the young family walked down the street, leaving Noah Bennet feeling more alone then he ever had in his entire life.
Noah was a doer and now he would wait at this café for the rest of his life; waiting for his little girl, because at least then he could say he was doing something.