Sylar's POV
Sylar waited for Claire to catch up with him inside the door. Given her family's many talents, he was wary of any instinctual fear she might have developed. He could, however, understand her justified reluctance in the current situation.
She'd kept him up half the night with her nightmares. She was crying out and twisting around before he even got her out of the car. She awoke momentarily while he was carrying her and hit him so hard, she broke his nose. He very nearly left her there on the staircase, but the way she curled in on herself brought up a well of pity and he ended up picking her back up and resumed his course.
Next, he'd made the mistake of keeping her close. He'd laid her beside the corner he intended to sleep in. He was annoyed at the protective feelings he was developing for her; to care about someone was to give power to one's enemies. Sylar hated giving up power. A couple of times, he had moved to a different corner, but he kept being drawn back to be near her. He was irritated and a little disappointed with himself.
The first time that she woke up, he longed to be in a distant corner. What could be worse than caring? For others to know that you cared, of course. He was shocked at himself for the way he had acted while 'in love' with Claire. What had he been thinking by acting so openly?
When her soft hand slid up his leg, goose bumps erupted in its wake. He nearly acted like a fool when she kissed his thigh. Then, that delicate little hand had circled around to the inside, she probably had no idea what she was doing to him. Next, she had slid up to his waist and kissed softly just above his waistband. He'd had to clench his fists against that one. It didn't help that he could so vividly remember her soft little body, naked beneath him only the night before. He had almost denied her when she moved up to his stomach, her lips brushed across his abdomen and he wondered if she didn't actually have it all planned out.
By the time she had reached his chest, planting a single kiss in the middle, he had given up the resistance. He didn't even believe himself when he told her that it was the last time. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her and adjusted them until he was more comfortable. By sheer willpower, he avoided dipping his fingers into her golden curls. When he caught himself smelling her hair, he moved again so his head could rest on the opposite wall.
"Sylar? What is it?" Claire asked from right beside him.
"Nothing." He released the library door and led the search for the computers so he wouldn't be tempted to watch her body instead of their surroundings. Once located, he began hacking into the necessary systems. First, checking on the agents, then Noah. They appeared to be in town, but hadn't been able to pin him down yet. "He's on the move."
"My dad?"
"Yeah. We'll have to keep our heads down; agents are swarming the city looking for him."
"How do we find him?"
"We check out spots like this one. He's probably searching for information on you."
"Great," she grumbled. He watched her rub her temples and almost grinned at the habit.
That was possibly the hardest part of being with her constantly; keeping his mask in place. After that damn woman had manipulated him, he was left with a lingering trust in Claire. He frequently caught his guard slipping and on rare occasions it fell away completely. He was sure she'd noticed and the fact that she said nothing about it only fortified that trust, which frankly, terrified him. That was the moment he caught his hands reaching for her shoulders. He grunted in frustration as he pulled them away from the girl.
"I don't know about you, but I could use a vacation." She smiled at him. He loved that smile, the way her eyes lit up. When she flashed it, he was sure she could get whatever she wanted.
"Vacation would be nice." He shrugged, hoping she didn't see the effect that her grin had on him.
"Some place warm, with a beach."
An image of Claire in a bikini flashed through his mind. He forced himself to stop nodding and wiped the grin from his lips. "Snow. Lots of snow."
She grinned and shook her head. He watched the muscles in her shoulders tense as the worry came back to her eyes. Daydreaming time was over; back to real life. He stood and led the way to the front.
"Wait. I need to use the ladies." She trotted into the doorway on his left.
Sighing, he relaxed beside it to wait. Not even a minute later, five agents swept in. His back straightened automatically as their gazes fell on him.
"Sylar," his name was whispered from lip to lip. "Where's the girl?" one of the men asked a little louder.
He tilted his head as their eyes searched the room. "Killed her." A couple shifted anxiously. "Got what I wanted. Didn't need her anymore."
"You…you already had her ability," the lone woman said, nervously.
"There are other things to take from pretty little blondes." He stepped away from the wall, raising his hands, ready for a fight.
"You son of a bitch!" A voice yelled from above him. He tried to turn in its direction but an echoing bang rang out, followed by a sharp pain in the back of his head and everything went black.
"Come on, come on," a sweet voice said in a hushed tone. "Wake up!" He was vaguely aware of someone shaking his shoulders. "Why isn't he waking up?" He knew that angry voice, it was Claire.
"I don't know and you shouldn't care, but we've got to go." Bennett?
"We can't just leave him here."
"Yes, we can. Now get up and let's go."
"I'm not leaving him like this."
"We don't have time for-"
"Then you shouldn't have shot him!"
"Keep your voice down. Do you want them to hear you?"
"No." She shook him again. "His eyes are clearing. It'll only be another minute. Sylar?" A gentle hand palmed his cheek. "Sylar?"
He sucked in a deep breath and felt his heart start to pump again. After a few blinks, his eyes came into focus. Claire was sitting over him, his head on her lap. She was covered in blood. Noah was squatting a few feet away, gun pointed at a door. It took him a moment to recognize his surroundings as an alleyway.
Sitting up, he felt the back of his head; his hair was thick with blood but the wound was healed. "What happened?"
"Dad heard what you said about me and shot you." She passed him the bullet she had apparently dug from his skull. "I got you in the bathroom and we shoved you out a window. Sorry."
"Don't be." He pocketed the bullet, aware of the irony of her fishing around in his brain. "Why are we hiding?"
"Because Dad only got two of them. The other three ran, but they'll be back."
"With reinforcements," Sylar added. "It's time to move."
"That's what I've been saying for the passed five minutes," Noah growled. "We've got to find Capriah and get her to undo this mess."
"There's an idea," Sylar said. He'd like to get his hands on that woman.
"There's no reason to go after her. It's over." Claire glared at her father.
"It is?" Noah asked, uncertainly.
"Yes," they both agreed.
"Then why…"
"Dad," Claire interrupted him, "just let it go. Do you have a car?"
"Yeah, this way." He led the way down the alley, away from the library. Sylar watched as she obediently followed. A few feet away, however, she stopped and looked back at him. "Aren't you coming?"
He tilted his head at her. Did she really expect him to go with them? He saw the realization dawn and with a look at her highly irritated father, jogged quickly back to his side. "What are you doing?"
"Just," she whispered, standing awkwardly, only inches from him. "Take care of yourself." She fidgeted for another moment and Sylar was starting to wonder what the hell she was waiting for.
"Claire!" Noah's hushed voice carried to them.
"Go, Claire," Sylar said, keeping his voice steady and cool.
"I don't love you," she whispered. Her beautiful eyes looked slightly watery as his dropped to the plump lip she was biting. He watched fascinated as she rose to her tiptoes and pulled his head down to kiss his lips. It was brief and their lips stayed shut, but it was possibly the best kiss he'd ever experienced.
He forced his hands to stay immobile at his side, away from her hips. When she pulled back, her hands slid down his chest. "I don't love you, either." He hid behind his mask.
A/N: Did you see the last episode!?!? I don't know about all of you, but I want to see more episodes with Sylar in the rain. Wowza! Lol, don't forget to review.
