Title: The Secret Promise
Fan dom: Heroes
Rating: T
Characters: Claire
Notes and Spoilers: Some inspiration and Speculation from spoilers. I thought this up after reading the episode summary for "Four Months Ago." (Aka the flash back episode for what happened after the explosion) I honestly made up some of this but some of this is a spoiler. Stuff I was figuring was true though... So you are warned. Just a short thought the preview inspired.
"Claire," The Haitian asked, his mouth over the cheerleader's mouth, in a failed attempt to reassure her. "I work for your father. He send me here to make you forget. But it is very important that you remember. Claire, can you tell me? Can you keep a secret?"
Claire took a deep breath, covered her face with her hands, and released her breath slowly has she willed her heartbeats to slow just a bit. She wasn't sure she had enough salt in her body to cry anymore tears and for the first time in weeks, she felt like her body suffered some permanent damaged. She felt so weak. And she thought back on how she thought that one day, the day Peter saved her life on Homecoming was the most scariest thing she could experience. She almost wished that the Haitian would take her memory from her, erase all the pain she was feeling. She knew that each time her biological father Nathan drank he was doing the same thing. Trying to erase the pain. Pain that she had the cure for.
"I know why you do it," she whispered on the phone earlier that week. "I miss him too."
"Don't call me anymore."
If only he knew the real reason she called him. It wasn't only that he was her father or the fact that he was her connection to her Hero, that he was now also her Hero, or the fact that her father Noah told her that she must leave her extraordinary life behind. These reasons were all true and important. But it wasn't the only one. It wasn't the most important one.
It was the one that Peter herself made for her. One he wouldn't even remember now if she saw him.
She told the Haitian that she wanted to be with Peter the day she abandoned him at the airport. The Haitian told her he wasn't in position to take care himself let alone anyone else. But she knew he would keep her safe, like he always did.
The week after the explosion was such a blur. Nathan saved the world but just couldn't understand why he couldn't save his brother. But she knew. She knew. That horrible company that horrible company that she once thought he was part of, saw Peter as a threat. That he meant the world harm. He had to leave. He had to leave or all of them would suffer.
Peter had to die.
Nathan stopped her from landing in front of the gun. He saved both Peter and the world. Peter's body was going to be fine. Her gift from God accomplished that.
Claire laughed nervously. She was a freak. It wasn't a gift. No matter what the Haitian said, it wasn't a gift. A gift you want to keep. A gift you want to share with the ones you love. But what did these gifts give her? She finally started to realize what her grandmother meant. These gifts just gave her pain. Perhaps physical pain was short lived, but what about the pain she felt in her heart?
"A threat to the world?" she said bitterly under her breath. Peter was the only one that was able to save her from the man that killed Jackie. The one that nearly killed her. He was dead, or they say, but what if he wasn't? Didn't he too survive falling off those bleachers?
"Claire..." Peter told her in a dream. "You have seen too much. I have seen too much. This power, I almost killed everyone if it wasn't for you and Nathan. I'm scared. But it is the only way I know I am here to make a difference and that is why I must go away. The Haitian is going to erase everyone's memory. It will be like everything didn't happen. Can you keep a secret Claire? Nathan isn't going to understand. He is going to blame himself. You can't tell him, but please keep an eye on him. Please make sure he's okay."
Claire muffled a scream. She had to keep the secret. She would keep her promise.