New Years

Claire started dreading New Years around two days before when she realized that she had kissed Sylar on Christmas and basically promised to kiss him again on New Years. It wouldn't have made her nervous if she hadn't had another dream about her baby boy in the future, knowing she could be happy with him didn't mean she wanted to realize it before it happened. That would basically be forcing herself into the role, not growing into naturally the way they should have.

Now she was biting off her forever manicured nails and watching them re-grow stubbornly before she bit them off again as she worried about it. Maybe if she didn't think about then she could just focus on trying to like him without knowing the consequences, like he said the future wasn't set in stone. She might end up hating him, or loving him. There she goes again. By the time she was planning on taking a trip around the world conveniently on New Years to avoid him he showed up.

"If your thoughts were any louder I would need to go hunt down someone with the ability to not hear you and find something to empathize with them about just to get some sleep. Now what's bothering you," he said yawning.

"It's your own damn fault, no one told you to move into the apartment above me after the tenants moved last month," she said leaning against her door frame and biting her lip. It didn't help her concentrate on the issue when he was shirtless and the faint line of hair from his belly button was heading down-. She shook her head, 'Down girl, no thinking like that'. Sylar just smirked hearing her thoughts and moved his hips on purpose to draw her attention again.

"What's the problem Claire?" he asked seriously.

"I don't want to be forced into a relationship with you because you know that we'll have a baby together in the future and we look happy. Knowing it doesn't exactly make me all that excited to actually do it," she said crossing her arms.

"Claire, I wouldn't make you do anything you didn't want too. I just showed you that so that it wouldn't be so hard to get it through your head we're possible," he said coming closer to her. When she didn't look uncomfortable he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. He nuzzled the top of her head and sighed smelling the sweet vanilla and cinnamon scent coming from her hair. "If I forced you to do anything you'd end up hating me and I don't want that, ever."

"So, if I asked you to wait for me for a hundred years, would you?" she asked quietly.

"I'd wait a thousand if that's what you wanted Claire," he promised.

"Well, I want you to let me decide if I want to kiss you at Peter's New Years party tomorrow or not, I know I sort of said I would before but I'm not sure I want to or not," she said trying not to be too obvious about sniffing his cologne, it was nice and subtle, not the 'makes me want to gag' strong stuff her dad used sometimes.

"That's fine with me, now can you calm down enough and not think so strongly that I can't sleep," he said popping her butt hard enough to make her jump even though she didn't feel the sting.

"Yes," she said turning to her apartment and thinking of all the ways she could make him miserable without being miserable herself. Hm, reminded her of a joke she saw online about that Twilight vampire. As she imagined herself in the mirror after a shower she caught him frozen in the hallway as he was walking away. She smirked at him before shutting the door in his face as he started walking back towards her apartment with a scowl on his face.

"That's unfair Claire," he said through the door.

'Serves you right for being in my head,' she thought as she headed to bed.

The next night she showed up on time at Peter's apartment and could already hear the music from inside blowing the roof off of the place. She shook her head, for someone so serious when people were in trouble Peter knew how to party. The door opened and she saw Sylar smiling widely at her as she came in. She was wearing a short gold cocktail dress that hugged everything and heels that barely let her reach his shoulder with her hair in a ponytail. He was still in tshirt and jeans but the goofy new years hat made her smile back at him.

"You look…great Claire," he said taking his time checking her out.

"That's what I was aiming for," she said smirking.

"Come in before my guest escape before midnight," Peter called from the living room. She hurried in and got some wolf whistles from Peter's buddies till she felt a possessive presence behind her make them shut up. She turned her head to look at him questioningly, but he looked completely innocent.

"You know it's not very sporting if you scare off competition before it even appears," she said lightly.

"So, not how I see it. First come first served," he said walking around her to fiddle with Peter's music system. While he was gone her grandmother sidled up to her side.

"I expect great grandchildren Claire, in a year preferably," Angela said sipping her scotch.

"Let me guess, you already have my shower present bought," Claire said crossing her arms.

"I may have something on hold at Tiffany's," she said before disappearing in the Angela way, smoothly.

"Your grandmother's persistent, she was going through my wallet earlier while I was in the bathroom," Sylar said tsking slightly.

"Why?" Claire asked.

"To make sure I didn't have condoms," he said and she gagged slightly. Then she heard her favorite slow jam come on.

"Peter doesn't have 'Kiss me' on his ipod," she said smiling softly. He shrugged and pulled her into his dance hold and twirled her around the living room and through other couples effortlessly. She wrapped her arms around his neck laid her head on his chest to just side step with him as the song played out. She felt his arms tighten around waist and pull her closer without her asking, but then again he could be in her head. At the moment she didn't care. When the song was over both were reluctant to let go but she moved away to get a drink.

"You know something I found quite interesting later about your ability," Syalr said.

"No, what," she said.

"You can't get drunk, that has to be one of the biggest let downs of any college student," he said jokingly.

"Not really, I've been drugged before, if it's anything similar I'm not interested," she said finding a soda on a table.

"Well I do," he said picking up a beer. "Aw, it used to be so easy to just get that little buzz that helped me fall asleep at night before, now I can't do squat."

"Poor baby, anything else help you get to sleep," she asked.

"Exhaustion," he said looking at her suggestively.

"If I didn't know better I would think you and Angela were plotting together," she said reaching for some pretzels.

"No, her obsession for immortality through family is just convenient," he smirked.

"Hn," Claire said looking around Peter's apartment some more. It was packed for being so small, Emma had done a great job of making it actually look lived in, a complete one eighty from the empty bachelor pad that it had been before she moved in. Now people were busting a move and singing silly songs in random groups around the room and she felt happy. No insane supers out for world domination or power, though the one next to her seemed intent on a different conquest.

"What time is it?" she asked. He looked at his ever present watch.

"11:49," he said smirking. "Only eleven minutes to decide if you want to introduce the new year with me or not."

"Keep smirking and I'll pick one of the lonely EMTs to kiss," she said walking away. She could feel his eyes on her continually as she spent the last lingering minutes of the old year to pass by walking around and chatting. She finally managed to walk out to the balcony and took a gulp of fresh air and perched on the ledge to look out at the view. She knew the exact second he came out to the balcony and could tell he had leaned back against the wall, just staring at her.

"Three!" came from inside and she turned to find him right there. He wove his fingers into her hair and moved slowly toward her. "Two!" She took a deep breath and licked her lips as she looked at his. "One!" His lips met hers and she didn't have to see fireworks because they were going off in her head and behind her eyelids as he kissed her. He worked his tongue in smoothly and she met his with a moan before weaving her fingers into his and pulled him closer to her on the ledge and felt his other hand move down to cup her behind and grind into her lightly and caused her to gasp, giving him even acess to her. He broke off to smile softly at her.

"Happy New Year Claire," he whispered.

"Happy New Year Gabriel," she said.

AN: I'm so tired, I had to finish it on New Years, but here you go.