A/N: Chapter 2 Oh, if you like Claire and Elle, check out my other stories (I will update once I find the files...) This story isn't going to be heavy EClaire but you can interpret things how you want, sorry. However, I did make Elle a little over sexual like she is in the show. Hope you still enjoy!

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Peace and comfort can be found in the strangest of places. For Elle, it was in the Bennet's house.

"Elle!"

"Hmm?" Elle opened her eyes to see Claire shaking her while leaning over.

"You must've been dreaming. You kept shaking and saying something I couldn't understand."

"I don't remember," Elle said rubbing her eyes and tried to clear her head of the cloudiness. She stretched out and sighed with an angelic smile on her face, the circles under eyes were already fading. "This is how it should have been."

"What?" Claire's eyes narrowed as she looked confused at her.

"You know, what if there were no such things as powers. What if both our dads actually were top employees in a paper company? There would've been company dinners, we would've grown up together. Wouldn't we?"

"I don't know Elle, that's just a fantasy," Claire said dismissing it.

"Nothing is just a fantasy," Elle sighed. "Think about it. I don't know who saved me or brought me back to life and left me in an alley. But these things just don't happen in a normal world."

"I guess," Claire grunted falling back to the bed.

"So, I've been living in a bubble for the past few months," Elle rolled over to face Claire and draped an arm over Claire as she invaded her personal space and leaned her face near Claire's. "What's been going on?"

"I killed your boyfriend," Claire sneered. "He trapped us all in Primatech. He killed my mom-"

"Sandra?"

"No, Meredith," Claire continued pushing Elle off her. "Tried to make me choose between my father and grandma. But I got him, in the back of the head, and then we burned the place to the ground."
"Oh," Elle managed to squeak as she let out a sigh of either relief or discomfort, she wasn't sure which.

"Now they're planning something and I don't know what."

"What do you mean?"

"I caught Angela whispering something on the phone with Nathan about keeping me out of it while they round the others up but she caught me before I could hear the rest and sent me back here two weeks ago."

"The others…like a team of heroes?"

"I guess so."

"And you want to be part of that?"
"I'm tired of feeling so useless, so yes I do!"

"You always had it easy cheerleader, why do you always want to make things complicated?"

"Shut up," Claire growled.

Elle was silent as she lay calmly.

"What have you been doing the past few months?" Claire asked blankly.

"I woke up and I didn't know where I was," Elle grimaced as she remembered.

Elle sat up rubbing her head and gasped as she realized it was raining. Hesitantly she stood up and walked to the end of the alley. There were a couple people standing by a back door and Elle tried to approach them when she felt a sticky substance on the back of her head---blood. She realized then that she was only wearing Gabriel's clothes and she was still limping with her leg burning like hell.

"Hello?" she called out weakly but then she realized too late it was a bunch of wild drunk guys in their late 20's.

"Hey baby," one of them called out.

She stopped like a deer caught in headlight, her expression terrified. Her instincts told her to run, electricity couldn't be used in the rain. But her feet kept her glued to the ground.

"Don't come near me," she tried to say boldly as they walked over and when they laughed she turned and began to run. She ran out of the alley and into another one as she searched for signs of people who could help.

"Hello?!" she screamed but no one heard her. Things began to spin and before she knew it her legs gave way and she collapsed on steps outside the door of a shop.

"The owner, that guy you saw, he took me in but he didn't take me to the hospital or anything, he just kept me in the store room," Elle mumbled. "If I worked for him he said I could live in there. But I would never have stayed if I knew he would start hitting me."

Claire felt a spark of anger rise in her. She knew inside that Elle was vulnerable, and no one had the right to hit her like that. Well, she wanted to give Elle a good slap but when she thought everything over, she knew it wasn't Elle's fault. Whoever showed Elle affection was who she was loyal too. She had yet to figure out though, why Sylar and not her?

"I don't understand Elle," Claire said breaking from her own thoughts.

"What?" Elle said looking at her.

"I know how you work, you're like me," Claire said slowly. "So why did you choose Sylar over me? He killed your dad, Elle."

Elle looked ashamed for a moment. Then she answered, "I'm sorry I left you at Pinehearst. But I was scared and there was so much pain running through my body that I wanted to kill myself. When I got there, they locked me up. But Gabriel came and he took my all my pain away, Claire it was unbelievable."

She finally had this twinkle to her eyes that Claire recognized from a long time ago.

"He let me take my anger out on him, and then he took away my pain without taking my ability. He got my ability without killing me. Claire, he changed. I know he did. But after your father planted some shit in his head he went back."

"You're blaming my dad?" Claire's eyes darkened.

"No I'm not, and if it makes you feel better, I chose Gabriel not Sylar over you," Elle said. "I knew him before he became Sylar. I was…I kinda helped him become Sylar."

"You?" Claire's eyes widened.

"Hey don't look at me like that, I tried to back out of it. Your dad made me do it."

"My dad…" Claire finally realized.

"He let me go, Gabriel I mean, he didn't kill me. But the other guy there wasn't so lucky," Elle sighed.

"I-"

"Claire!"

Both girls shot up to see Sandra standing angrily in the doorway.

"Mom," Claire scrambled out of bed in a defensive position as she saw the hate in her mother's eyes.

"What is this low life bitch doing in our house much less in your room, in your bed?!" Sandra asked coldly She didn't shout, she didn't scream, but the ice in her voice terrified Elle who was now powerless.

"Mom, she needs help," Claire said cautiously eyeing her mom.

"You helped her last time and see where it got you!"

"It's not like that right now-"

"She came in here and held me hostage, Claire, I don't know how you can help some woman who was willing to kill your mother!"

"It's different, calm down mom," Claire tried coaxing as she took one step closer.

"Listen to me Claire," Sandra hissed. She marched right up to Elle who was petrified. Within seconds her hand connected with Elle's cheek resulting in a loud stinging sound causing Elle to hold her face while tenderly trying to fight her tears. "People like her are one giant mess that can't be fixed!"

"Mom!" Claire finally shouted as she rushed onto the bed and wrapped her arms around Elle while cradling her head and trying to console her.

"I want her gone Claire, and I want her gone by the time I get back from Mr. Muggle's dog show on Friday," Sandra finished and left the room without another word.

Claire stared aghast after her mom. She admired her for her courage but that was not the right moment to have used it.

"Are you okay?" Claire asked with a strange sort of apprehensive tone to her voice after a moment of silence as she gently took care of Elle. Elle's face was throbbing. It was like she was afraid to show sympathy.

"I'm okay," Elle sniffled.

"She has a right to be mad you know," Claire said slowly.

"I know," Elle said recomposing herself. "And I know you do too. I never meant to kill you Claire."

"You were aiming for my dad, that's not much better."

"He would've taken me down one way or another, he doesn't trust me," Elle told her. "But I wanted to take you back with us. That way, we could escape together. I didn't know you could die."

"What?" Claire asked pulling away from Elle.

"I wanted to bring you back so we could escape together, with Gabriel," Elle added sighing. "I went with him to make sure I could protect you."

"Elle I would never have gone with him, or you, this is my life," Claire tried to tell her but Elle started to laugh. "What?"

"You complain you want to do something, and when I give you the chance to run away you don't want to?"

"I will not run away with the man who terrorized me in my own house and then sliced my head open," Claire said glaring at Elle.

"It doesn't matter, he's dead now, right?" Elle asked holding her cheek while staring at Claire for a reassuring answer.

"Yeah."

"What's the matter?"

"Hm?"

"You don't sound so sure of yourself Pom Pom," Elle smirked finally taking her hand off her face.

"I have this feeling…like somehow he's still alive," Claire sighed.

"You're just scared," Elle shrugged and Claire gave her a look. "Really, you're just scared. I mean I've had nightmares that he's going to come back and kill me again. But he's dead. You said you watched the building go up in flames right?"

"Yeah, and he was dead inside," Claire reassured herself.

"Then no fears," Elle smiled leaning closer into Claire in a flirtatious sort of way. "Come on. We can do anything we want. It's a free world now. No company, no parents-"

"I've still got parents," Claire verified and tried to push Elle away.

"You're eighteen Claire, you could use a little happiness in your life," Elle said.

"Elle I've got a lot of time to be happy," Claire mumbled. "In fact I've got forever to be happy."

"Why wait? You're not going to have me around forever," Elle smiled in a way a little kid did as she looked for reassurance in Claire's response.

"I'm not going to have anyone around forever," Claire's mood darkened and Elle's expression fell. Claire sighed. This wasn't Elle's problem. "But if you want, we can go out after my mom leaves."

"Really?" Elle's face lit up and she grasped Claire's hands in between hers. Claire nodded slowly.

"Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you Claire!" she squealed. "I've never been out for fun!"

"Never?"

"Well not just to hang out with a friend," Elle said slightly embarrassed.

"Did you have any friends?" Claire asked and Elle didn't respond.

Claire forced a smile. "All right, let's get you changed."