Okay, if you don't all utterly despise Claire by the end of this chapter- though most of you do already- there is something wrong with you =P

You'll probably despise ME for this chapter, too.

To those of you who said Daniella got the "Sixth Sense" basically, yes, she did... It may or may not become relevant (not in this one, but later)

Irene:... Twilight?....Where? -scans fic-.... I haven't, nor am I likely to, read the Twilight series... Hell, I haven't even seen the movie. All I know is that it's a typical vampire romance... only the vamps are cuddly, fangless, and they fricking GLITTER... what the hell?... So... where's Twilight? Glad you like it for the most part, though.

Poetz: Actually, the scene with Molly was something other than being able to control the future... He still can't fully do that, nor will he learn it for a long while to come.... What he did to Molly won't be something he does often, nor does he have control of it when it happens. You win the gold medal on guessing Gabriel's idea, by the way.

Ballet: Oh don't worry, Claire will get hers, in due time. As for the fight: well, I've got something planned, trust me.

Blooming: Glad you liked Claire's ringtone.... And you know, I never have seen those movies XD I just know the song. I sing it to scare little cousins =P

to clarify something, before we begin: Molly does not know who Noah's parents are. All she knows is that he is the weird little boy that Pinehearst wants, for some reason

And now, on to the story... please don't kill me, once you've finished it...


Close your heavy eyes, my darling one. Close them oh so tight, my precious one
the demons on the wall dance for you now, their fingers stretch and claw to reach you

run from demons, nightmare creatures, laughing men of longest limb. Hide your feelings
ask forgiveness, pray that they won't take you in.
-
Struwwelpeter

Brightest of souls, shining through, dearest of boys, I love you
wrapped in my arms, I would stay here with you
You are my lifeline, you make the stars shine, all of my life I have waited for you
You are the brightest star, I love all that you are
You are the brightest star, my beautiful child
-
Bright Star

Chapter 10

Primatech

"So, how do we deal with Claire?" Elle interrupted the plotting- they had covered up to the point where they, and Noah Bennet would be dispatching Nathan, and Tracy- with the question that really needed answering, "And how do we make sure they don't just use some synthetic regen to bring them back, if we get rid of Pom-Pom?"

"Lodge something in her brain," Angela began.

"Yeah, we know that... She can also bounce back from that," Elle interrupted again.

Angela gave her a slight glare, before continuing, "And remove her head... There is no 'bouncing back' from that. As for stopping any other regenerators from bringing back Nathan and Tracy; destroy the bodies."

If Elle hadn't already had many past experiences with Angela, she might have wondered how the woman could speak so casually about- and help plan- the murder of several members of her family. It didn't matter to Elle; she hadn't been kidding when she'd said she'd kill them all, and destroy every Pinehearst branch on her own, if she had to. The targets were just that; targets. They weren't to be considered family- then again, she didn't like to consider Angela family either- nor were they to be shown any mercy. Mercy wasn't something Elle had on her best of days, and the last few were definitely not some of her best.

"May I continue?" Angela pretended to politely request. Without waiting for an answer, she continued anyway. They were to meet with Noah Bennet in New York- at the Parkmans, because Gabriel and Elle wanted to see little Noah, before their march into battle began (though Angela didn't know that)-, working from a computer in Primatech, Micah would make sure that they were able to have access to all levels of the main Pinehearst office, as well as make sure they weren't spotted on any security cameras. From there, all they had to do was get to the office both Nathan and Tracy used, kill them in whatever way they saw fit, same with Claire, and then they were to leave, as quickly as they had come, as Angela had other plans for destroying the building- and therefore a good percentage of the formula, as well as any information on the Greys- but she refused to share it with them.

Of course, if the plan was to succeed, all participants had to be willing to work together, and Micah didn't seem too thrilled about helping Gabriel, though so far he hadn't said he wouldn't help. Elle wished she could be annoyed with all the distrust, but as she had nearly been one of Sylar's victims, twice, she could understand why so many were reluctant to believe that Gabriel was different from the monster. She had first hand experience, and even she had been reluctant to believe it at first.

"How are we getting to New York?" Gabriel's voice cut into Elle's thoughts, "And when?"

"As soon as Mr. Jensen arrives," Angela replied, "He's the teleporter who took Peter to New York," at both Gabriel and Elle's shocked looks, she smiled, "What? You think I didn't know? I can see the future... I knew where you would send Noah. I've already arranged for Bennet to meet you outside the Parkman house, so you don't have to call him yourself when you arrive. Now," she turned to Micah, "Micah, would you please do one more practice run on the computers here? I want to be sure you can do this."

Micah gave the Petrelli matriarch a "pfft, please" look, but got up from his seat, apparently going to do as he was asked.

As Micah left, Angela returned her attention to Elle and Gabriel, "I assume once this is all over that you will no longer feel the need to hide, and that I will be permitted to see my grandson?"

Elle immediately thought of her own childhood history with the Company; she'd die before she let that happen to her son. So, she was inclined to say no, but she remained quiet when Gabriel muttered an almost inaudible "We'll see."


Outside the Parkman House, New York City

Despite the fact that soon, he was going to be committing several murders, Gabriel couldn't help but feel almost giddy. Soon, it would be over, and done with. Provided Micah did his job, no one would know who had killed Nathan, and destroyed the main Pinehearst office, and they would therefore be free to go about their lives, without fear of being discovered. And, in few moments, he'd have his son in his arms, after more than four days away from his partner in crime.

He should have known things wouldn't go the way he'd hoped.

The first twinges of panic started when he saw the the front door of Matt's home was hanging open. For some reason, it didn't seem as though it was a simple case of someone having forgotten to shut it... It seemed more as if someone uninvited had come, and gone, without caring about the door- though Gabriel was unaware as to how he was able to make the distinction. Perhaps it was how one knew someone was sneaking, when a floorboard creaked, instead of thinking it was simply the regular creaks and groans any house made. Still, he forced himself to remain calm as he and Elle made their way up the sidewalk. As Elle was pressed close to him, he could feel her tense up as she too noticed the somehow-ominous open door. One of the kids left it open, one of the kids left it open, Gabriel chanted in his head. For some reason, their footsteps on the wooden porch seemed to echo.

Gabriel reached out to push the door the rest of the way open, but froze when he noticed the bloody handprint on it. Shit... Oh shit... Before panic could fully grip him, the sound came from inside the house. He wasn't sure exactly what it was; it sounded like a combination of sobbing, screaming, and a moaned "no". The best way to describe it might have been- to use the movie phrase- "the sound of ultimate suffering". Either way, while not particularly loud, it chilled Gabriel to the bone. It also woke him from the trance that seeing the blood had put him into. Wasting not another second, Gabriel shoved the offending door out of the way, and ran into the house, with Elle at his side (and crackling with electricity). The front room was a mess: tables knocked over- or broken, in the case of the glass one- chairs askew.

"Daphne!" the voice made both Elle and Gabriel jump. A small, stick-thin girl came from a doorway to the left, holding a squalling infant. Her eyes were wide, panicked, as she searched for the woman she'd called. Instead, she found the visitors. Clearly she recognized Gabriel- her own personal boogey-man- for she froze like a deer caught in the headlights, and hugged the baby closer to her. Gabriel knew she was thinking that he had done this. "Mom!?" she called, not taking her eyes from the pair, "Dad!?"

The wail that had so chilled Gabriel came again, from the kitchen. Molly- Gabriel remembered her name now- forgot about the intruders, and dashed for the kitchen, her sister still clutched to her chest. Gabriel and Elle followed, afraid of what they were going to find.

And they were right to be. In the kitchen, Daphne was on her knees, bent over a limp body, her entire tiny frame shaking with sobs, as she muttered to herself. Gabriel could only make out a few words; "Matt", and "No".

Moving closer he saw that it was indeed Matt that lie there, a hole punched clean through his chest, a lake of blood around him, soaking into Daphne's jeans. Molly screamed at the sight, and within moments was knelt next to her mother, reaching out with one hand in a vain attempt to shake the dead cop back to life, "Matt... Dad..." tears overflowed in her eyes, as her voice cracked, "Daddy."

Daddy... Daddy... The word flipped a switch in Gabriel's brain. "Noah!" he turned from the kitchen, and ran back to the living room, calling for his son, "Noah!"

Elle remained frozen in place, staring at the Parkman family. If he'd still had his super-hearing, Gabriel might have heard her near-inaudible chant, "Not Noah... Please, not my baby..."

Gabriel went from room to room, ending in the office, all the while shouting for his son. No answer came. Running nervous hands through his hair, he turned a full circle in the office, as if hoping that by doing so he would make Noah appear. Nothing. "FUCK!" to accompany the shout, he slammed his fists into the poor blameless desk that sat in the center of the room. The force he used was enough to dislocate several fingers, and to fracture several bones in his hands. He barely noticed the pain, barely noticed to discomfort that came from bone knitting its self back together, fingers moving back to where they belonged... None of that even came close to comparing to the loss of Noah. "Fuck."

A groan brought his attention to an overturned chair that had a pair of legs sticking out from under it. He telekinetically moved the object, only to discover that it was Peter underneath it. There was blood running from the corner of his mouth, and a gash on his forehead, but he was alive. With the chair gone, Peter sat up, rubbing his head. Before Gabriel could ask what happened, Elle appeared in the doorway.

"They took him, didn't they?" her voice was thick, her blue eyes brimming with tears.

It was Peter that replied, "Claire, and her team... Daphne wasn't here to get Noah out..."

Elle's gaze turned cold, and electricity started to crackle all over her body. Without a word, she turned sharply and strode determinedly for the front door. Gabriel followed- he knew what she was going to do- but didn't quite have the will to stop her. He wanted to follow along with her current course of action: go to Pinehearst, and completely obliterate it. To hell with Angela's plan; they needed to get their son back right now.

Peter apparently had different ideas, for he lurched to his feet, and, after a moment of swaying, caught up to Elle, "Elle, Gabriel, wait! You can't just go in guns blazing!" He reached out to grab Elle's shoulder, only to be knocked back by a bolt of electricity.

Elle spun to face the stunned man, "Don't tell me what I can't do, Peter!" she hissed, "They took my baby... And I am going to get him back. With or without anyone's help."

The part of Gabriel's brain that still operated on pure logic told him that Peter was right; they needed to wait... Needed to stick with the plan, or they could end up getting themselves, and Noah killed. Better to wait, and have a sound plan of action than to go in unprepared, and end up dead. Even as he moved to try and convince Elle that Peter was right, the emotional side of his brain was still raging right along with his wife, thirsty for a little blood after what had happened. Still, he placed a gentle hand on Elle's shoulder, absorbing the electricity without flinching. Elle turned those big doe-like eyes towards him, as if pleading with him to agree with her, to help her get their boy back.

"Elle," he said softly, words barely audible over the electrical hum that filled the room, "We'll get him back, baby, I promise. But Peter's right, we need to have a plan first."

Slowly- very slowly- Elle calmed herself, and the sparks died out. Though, no sooner had she stopped, then an angry voice came from the kitchen doorway.

"You did this didn't you?" all heads turned; there stood Molly, still holding her little sister, cheeks stained with tears, glaring daggers at Gabriel. Peter had said Daphne hadn't been there when Claire had come... Molly must have been with her. And now the girl thought that Sylar had taken another parent from her.

Peter moved to calm the girl, and explain matters to her; at least this time he wouldn't get knocked off his feet...

----

By the time they had managed to make Molly understand the situation, a glassy-eyed Daphne had wandered into the living room, and was now sitting in a righted chair, staring into space. She was in shock, according to Peter, and it would likely take a while for her to snap out of it. In the mean-time, Elle and Gabriel had told Peter Angela's plan. Peter suggested they stick with it, and wait for Bennet to arrive before they kicked down Pinehearst's doors.

"What happened?" Molly spoke for the first time since she had stopped threatening Gabriel. The question was directed at Peter. Both Gabriel and Elle were also interested in what had happened.

Peter looked between all of his companions for a moment, before starting, "After Daphne took you to the hospital, Claire, and her team arrived. There wasn't enough time to get out the back... Matt tried to stop them, but the one with super-strength got him... They trapped me and Noah in the office... Claire hit me with the chair, then she grabbed Noah, and they left."


Little Noah, Claire, Jessica, & Cody
New York City

Noah curled into as tight a ball as he could in the seat he'd been placed it. He was stuck in between the tall man with blood on his hands, and the short woman with the brown hair. The lady who sounded like she came from where he lived was driving. The woman with the brown hair kept looking at him as though she was angry with him. Why? What had he done to her?

"Missing your mommy?" the driver taunted, watching him in the rear-view mirror.

Noah didn't answer. He only stared determinedly at his hands. Truthfully, he was. Not that the Bad People cared.

"Shut up," the tall man snapped at the driver, "You'll make him start crying again." Apparently the tall man couldn't stand the noise.

But, Noah wasn't going to start crying. He was going to hold it all in; be strong, like his parents were. Which might have been easier, were it not for the dark-haired woman. She was watching him again, with that hateful glare. He turned his head and stared right back, trying to understand why she seemed so angry with him.

----

Claire wanted to reach out and strangle the child that sat next to her. It was her father that had use for him. To her, he was nothing more than a tool to be used to hurt Sylar. She ignored the part of her mind that told her if she was going to see that hurting the boy meant hurting Sylar, then she had to see that meant he wasn't the monster she thought him to be. The same went for Elle. Logically, the monsters she accused them of being would have cared nothing for the boy, and therefore her plan to make them suffer would have been pointless. The only reason it would work was because they actually loved the child, which negated the idea that they were soulless murderers, incapable of caring for anything or anyone but themselves. She hated it, but she wasn't going to let it stop her. When they came for the boy, and she knew they would, regardless of whether Nathan was done with his experiments or not, the boy was going to die.

He's just a child, said the "old Claire" part of her mind, innocent, like I was... Then the boy turned his head and met her gaze with his. The brown eyes that stared at her were far too much like Sylar's. Memories of watching Jackie die, of being held up against a wall while her skull was sliced apart, of lying on the coffee table while the monster poked at her brain all came at her like a ton of bricks, and Claire was forced to lose the staring contest. No, she thought, Not innocent. Not for long anyway... How long until he becomes like his parents? Or worse?... I'll be doing the world a favor.

----

Noah kept staring at the woman for a few moments after she looked away, then went back to watching his hands, humming a tune to himself as he did so. His mother didn't sing to him often, but when she did, it was always the same song. As he hummed, he imagined he was back at home, sitting in bed while his mother rolled her eyes at the mess in his room... When the room got too messy, she would clean it up, and sing as she did so, and he would usually fall asleep before she was done. You are the brightest star, I love all that you are, you are the brightest star, my beautiful child. Of course, that memory led to the one instance when he'd ever heard his father sing; Halloween; and it had been done to scare him... His mother hadn't been happy about that, but Noah had remembered some of the words all the same. Run from demons, nightmare creatures, laughing men of longest limb, hide your feelings, ask forgiveness, pray that they won't take you in. But for now, he preferred to keep his mind on his mother's song; it was the more comforting of the two.

----

Claire tried to ignore the humming, and was thankful when Jessica brought the car to a stop. She grabbed the kid roughly by the arm, opened the door, and dragged him out. The boy didn't let out a single sound of protest, though as she pulled him towards the door- a back entrance into the building- he dragged his feet as much as possible. It only made Claire pick up the pace, and thus drag him with more force.

Just before they reached the door, the boy stopped moving altogether. Claire turned to glare at him, and was met with as icy a gaze as any adult could have mustered... That combined with the eyes that were so like his father's, it almost made Claire nervous. Shaking off the feeling, Claire tugged him sharply, making him stumble forward a bit. When he regained his balance, the glare resumed.

"You're gonna die," the boy stated calmly.

"Not before you," Claire replied, pulling him along, again. Though his words lingered in her mind. Had the kid seen something, or was he messing with her?... Was a four-year-old capable of playing mind-games?

She supposed it didn't really matter; dying was no big deal, she'd done it before.... Would probably do so again. And not many people knew how to make it permanent.


Noah Bennet
Outside the Parkman home, New York City

Noah felt he had waited long enough. Already he had been sitting there for a good fifteen minutes, waiting for his supposed partners to join him, so they could get this over with; and still no one had come from the house across the street. With a frustrated sigh, Noah climbed out of the car, and slammed the door once he was out. Crossing the street quickly, he made his way towards the front door of the house. He paused a moment when he saw the bloody handprint. He drew his gun, and cautiously reached for the doorknob, and opened the door. It swung inward to reveal the trashed living room... As well as Gabriel, Elle, Peter, Molly, and Daphne all sitting in silence, looking as though they had just attended a funeral. There was blood on Daphne's jeans, cuts on Peter's face, tears on Elle, Daphne, and Molly's cheeks, and a strangely detached look about Gabriel. Shit. All of that could only have meant one thing: Pinehearst had finally gotten what they wanted.

Noah stepped further into the house, and they finally took notice of his presence. Holstering his weapon, he sighed, "What happened?"

They explained recent events to him in a few short sentences. Noah saw no reason why the original plan couldn't still work, with the added task of getting the kid back; he said as much. Though he had one request that differed from Angela's plan.

"When we get there... Let me deal with Claire," some small part of him hoped that he might be able to get his daughter to see reason once again. Another part said he was going to have to do exactly what the plan called for; kill her. Sandra would hate him; he would hate himself... But this couldn't continue. his daughter had become so absorbed in her own suffering- or lack thereof- that she didn't care who got hurt in the process of getting her revenge. That had been clear the night little Noah was born, but Noah had held out hope all this time, as much as Sandra had... But clearly the years hadn't done anything to change Claire's mind.

Gabriel stood, and nodded at Noah, "But if you can't do it... Can't put a bullet in her, Noah, I will."

Interesting. There had once been a time when Gabriel might have avoided making any threat to Claire, for fear of being shot. Not anymore apparently; not with his son in danger. Noah could sympathize with him; not so long ago, nothing had frightened him when Claire was in danger. Now Claire was the danger, or at least part of it. Regardless, Noah nodded. Hopefully it wouldn't come to a bullet, but in all likelihood, it would.

"I'll call Angela, tell her what's happened," said Noah. He glanced at Peter, "are you coming with us?" Peter nodded, "Then I'll tell her we have an extra hand, too."


Outside Main Pinehearst Office

The group sat in the car across the street from the Pinehearst building. Daphne and Molly had remained at home; Elle wasn't sure Daphne had even noticed that they had left. In a few minutes, as soon as Micah gave them the all-clear, they would be walking right through the front doors of the "enemy stronghold" to get rid of said enemy. Elle, though, was getting impatient, and that few minutes suddenly seemed like an eternity. Like Gabriel, she was eager for a little blood; but most of all, she was eager to get her son back.

She had apologized to Peter, for shocking him- he had a burn on his palm- but maintained that he shouldn't have tried to stop her. With as much power as she'd been generating, she probably could have caused a city-wide blackout, before proceeding to reduce everyone in the Pinehearst building to nothing more than a pile of ash.... She likely would have collapsed afterward, and it would have hurt like hell in the morning, but she could have done it.

Unfortunately, her husband'd had to start talking sense. She couldn't generate that much power when she was logical, and rational... The more emotional she got, the more powerful she became. Which sucked, because usually once she reached that point, she wasn't able to control the power, and she was as likely to kill those she wanted to protect as those she she wanted to cook.

Noah's cellphone rang. He set it to speaker, then accepted the call. "You're good to go," Micah's voice came through, slightly scratchy, due to the poor speaker on the phone, "You better hurry though... There's other technopaths in there, and it won't take long for them to notice something's not right."

"Alright," Noah flipped the phone shut, "Shall we?"

Everyone nodded, and said at the same time, as they reached for door handles, "We shall."

As they stepped out of the car, and strode across the street, Elle looked up at the massive building they were heading for, with its mirrored windows, and fancy little gardens out front...

We're coming, baby, she thought, knowing that her son was in there somewhere, Me and daddy are coming.


Now... Why the songs? Because I LOVE Bright Star (you should all look it up, and listen to it... It's a beautiful song), and Struwwelpeter because Gabriel seems the type of dad that would get a kick out of scaring his kids, while his wife scolds him for it. Not to mention, it kinda fits poor little Noah's situation =P

Now, my sister BEGGED me not to kill Matt... but SOMEONE had to die. Originally I was going to kill Noah (Bennet) back in... Oh hell... What chapter was little Noah born in?... Anyway, Noah was gonna die in that chapter, but I was threatened with having all my files deleted if I did that...

...Matt has been on the chopping block since I started this....And he's staying dead... So sorry.... Now hit the review button, and tell me how evil I am...