*Disclaimer* I do not own any of these characters. All characters are the property of NBC (as far as I know).

Chapter 11

Claire awoke feeling a little groggy and out of sorts, and it took her a moment to orient herself. While she had grown accustomed to waking up in her bed wrapped in Sylar's arms, she was defiantly not used to doing so naked! Since Sylar had moved in, Claire had taken to sleeping in yoga pants and a t-shirt, just to be cautious. So why was she now naked? Claire tried to take a deep breath but as alarmed to find she couldn't. She looked down into thick brown hair in shock. Sylars head was resting on her chest!

Claire's sleep-addled brain finally began to focus and memories of the night before rapidly gained clarity. At once she remembered everything.

Claire's breath caught and she did her best to remain motionless lest she wake Sylar.

Holy crap! Oh no! What have I done?

She remembered being so afraid that he was going to kill her. But then he hadn't. Instead he'd kissed her. And worse yet, she'd kissed him back! And that had only been the beginning!

He'd done something to her. He must have! Claire convinced herself. How else could she have felt such… pleasure? Claire winced internally at the thought.

Could he have…? Had he fixed her?

Claire pinched her thigh hard enough to break skin and frowned in disappointment. She had felt no pain. But that couldn't be right. She had felt pain last night. And pleasure.

Hadn't she?

But how could she feel it then and not now? Mind control?

Of course. And if he'd done it once, he might just do it again! Claire started to panic. She couldn't let that happen. Once was humiliating enough! She would not be turned into Sylar's sex slave! She had to get out of here before he woke up!

Claire tried to ease away from Sylar gently but stopped when she felt the arm around her waist tense.

"Well good morning, Claire." He murmured. He sounded drowsy and… content?

Claire flinched and slammed her eyelids shut before they made eye contact. His voice had sounded far too smug. And why wouldn't he be? Her brain asked. She just couldn't bear to see a matching look on his face though, so she kept her eyes firmly closed.

Claire hoped fervently that maybe if she kept her eyes closed long enough, he would just disappear.

"Claire," he said in that tone that sounded half mocking and half exasperated, like he was trying to force reason on the unreasonable, "I know you're awake. You should just open your eyes and face the music. It's not like you have to do the walk of shame. It's YOUR bed after all."


Gabriel knew he was being a jerk, but he'd known the instant she'd awoke, and he could feel her getting more tense by the moment so he'd HAD to say something. Plus, he'd gotten a bit angry when she hadn't spoken to him and he refused to put up with the silent treatment. He knew that if he was a jerk she'd at least talk to him. She didn't though.

Hum… Usually she was always so predictable in her anger.

Claire was going to have to come to terms with what they'd done eventually. Gabriel also knew that she was likely having some very big feelings right now. God only knew what was going on inside that pretty blond head of hers. Odds were though, that she'd already found a way to blame him for everything they'd done and alleviate herself of all guilt anyway.

Well, hell. If that's the way it was going to be he'd gladly accept the blame. Last night had been incredible.

Not that he'd admit that to her.

He looked down at her face. She refused to look at him, keeping her eyes firmly shut. Gabriel was struck with a spark of compassion for the girl. He didn't want her to feel bad about what had happened between them. He wanted her to enjoy thinking about it. And he wanted her to want to do it again.

Given Claire's rigid demeanor and current silent treatment though, Gabriel realized his wishful thoughts weren't going to take him anywhere this morning. And with that also came the realization that he'd much rather she was angry with him, than angry, or worse yet, disgusted, with herself.

Well, that would be easy enough to accomplish.

"So was that really your first time, or is that just one of the perks of your ability?"


Claire squeezed her eyes even tighter in humiliation. There was no way she was answering that question. There were just some things he didn't need to know about her. Ever.

She couldn't possibly admit to him that he'd been her first….

"So talkative this morning. I guess if you're not going to say anything it must mean that you're up for round two?" he chuckled and moved his hand across her smooth, flat abdomen. So nice… Gabriel committed her features to memory. "Or would it be round four or five at this point? As feisty as you were last night, I kind of lost count…"

His low voice rolled across her senses and stirred up memories from the night before, making her tingle in places that she shouldn't be tingling.

Oh God! She couldn't do this! She couldn't make small talk with Sylar after last night!

Claire attempted to bolt out of bed, but once again found herself immobilized. Not by his ability this time, but by his hand. It was like a concrete slab across her belly holding her in place.

"Now common, Claire. I thought girls usually liked to talk after sex."

"What did you do to me?" She managed to whisper. Her first words to him that morning.

"Do? Well, I thought that was fairly obvious. But if you really want a recap of last night… first, my hand went…"

"NO!" She shouted, stopping him and his hand mid-sentence, desperate to avoid a repeat performance. "You know what I mean."

"No Claire, I really don't." He had a suspicion though. Did she really think that little of him that she believed he would use mind control to get into her pants?

"You used mind control on me."

Huh. Apparently she did. He really didn't know why he felt surprised.

"No, actually. I didn't." Gabriel was quickly growing angry again and that anger crushed any compassion for the girl he'd felt earlier. Why couldn't she just enjoy what they'd had? "Sorry Claire, but last night? That was passion. That was all you. You wanted me. In fact, you asked me for it!"

He smirked at her. "Don't stop. Your words. Remember that, Claire?"

She flinched. Yes, she remembered, but… "But I felt…"

His eyebrow raised…"Yes?"

"Nothing." There was no way that she was going to admit to him what he'd made her feel. "I felt nothing. And I still feel nothing for you. Except hatred. Last night changes nothing." The same script, but her words lacked the energy that usually accompanied them.

Her statement would have made him angry if he hadn't known she was lying. Her words still hurt though.

Gabriel DID felt a bit guilty for not being completely honest with her. He'd told the truth about not using his abilities to control her. No, her passion had been all hers. But he had tweaked her a bit though, so that she could enjoy what it was they were doing. Where was the harm in that? He'd thought it was only fair. After all, he'd certainly enjoyed their activities.

Claire didn't need to know that right now though. He sensed the information wouldn't go over too well, given the circumstances. He'd tell her later. Once they'd grown closer. Much closer.

For now though, maybe she'd think it was something unique to him. He certainly wouldn't do anything to discourage that line of thinking…

"This will never happen again." Gabriel looked down. Claire had finally opened her eyes again but she was still refusing to look at him, instead focusing her gaze on the far wall. "I mean it Sylar. Never. I want you gone from my house today." Her words were irrelevant. What worried him was the flatness of their tone.

What she was asking though simply wasn't going to happen.

"Now Claire, that wasn't the deal and you know it. I'm not going anywhere. Remember your family? They want me here. To protect you. And you… well, you don't want me to backslide, remember?" And even more importantly, Gabriel didn't want their relationship, if you could call it that, to "backslide."

"I'm NOT going to be your whore." Claire hissed, the hatred in her words finally making her sound like the old Claire.

Gabriel's smile of amusement was barely masked anger. Would she NEVER stop? "Well Claire. I wasn't offering to pay you…"

She went even more ridged than before.

"…But there's no reason why we can't enjoy a nice friendship. Friends with benefits-type relationship perhaps?" He suggested, knowing full well that it would just make her all the angrier. At this point he was beyond caring.

Friends with benefits? He had to be joking! There was no way in hell that she would let that happen! Last night had been a horrible mistake. He had to have controlled her, or tricked her or something! Whatever he'd done, she would notgive him the chance to do it again!

As they had been talking, Claire had carefully reached under the side of the mattress with her free arm, remembering the knife she'd hidden there just two weeks ago. Fingers finding the handle, Claire's anger escalated.

Sylar was apparently still thinking about his last comment as his fingers made leisurely swirls over her abdomen, because he didn't notice Claire bring the knife up and plunge it into the back of his skull until it was too late.

Sylar's eyes glazed over as his full weight landed on top of her. Seizing the opportunity, Claire shoved him off her, jumped up, threw on the first clothes she could find ran for the door.

And as he slipped into unconsciousness, Gabriel was afforded one last thought…

That BITCH!