Disclaimer: You know the drill, these characters do not belong to me and I am in no way affiliated with NBC or Tim Kring. Thanks to those who left reviews, they motivate me :)

Chapter Three: We make a great team...

They were at a diner, eating breakfast sitting accross one another. Claire made a comment about the food but Peter didn't seem to be paying attention. She notices him deep in thought, a bit distressed.

Claire:"Hey, what are you thinking?"

He raises his head, drawn back to the present.

Peter:"Oh, it's nothing. Do you want more coffee?" he asked trying to change the subject.

Claire:"No, I'm good thanks. Are you thinking about your vision, about the bomb?" she asked.

He ran his hands through his hair, brushing it back while releasing a sigh. "Yeah. I have to figure out a way to stop it. I keep thinking about it and it doesn't make sense. In my vision, I explode but I don't understand how or why? Is it because of a sensory overload caused by all the abilities i've accumulated, or something else? I mean my dreams have been misleading in the past."

Claire:"Oh so they're not always accurate? That's good news Peter" she said shifting forward the table, placing a hand on his. "In that case, maybe --maybe you don't blow up at all. Maybe there is no bomb."

Peter:"No, that's not what I meant. I--I dreamt that I could fly once and it turned out that my brother has that ability. See the way I use other people's abilities is by thinking about them and what they can do. What if, in my dream, I saw myself exploding but I was really thinking about someone else who can do that? What if they're the one that is really going to explode?"

Claire shifted her head, a thought occuring to her. "Ted".

He raised his head. She continued. "Well, you remember what I told you about Officer Parkman and a man named Ted, how they came to my house and held us hostage?" his expression tensened as he remembered the pain and fear her and family were subjected to.

Claire:"Ted emits nuclear energy. He can release enough to cause the chaos you described from your vision. It has to be him. I can't believe I didn't think this sooner." she said in excitement, getting up. She was glad that there was a possibility that her hero wouldn't be behind the imminent disaster.

Claire: "We have to find him" she added, determined.

Peter also got up. "No Claire, I have to find him, not we. I'm not letting you anywhere near him after what he put you and your family through"

Claire:"Peter, i'm indestructable, he can't hurt me" she said reassuringly.

Peter gave her a look. "You and I both know that there are other ways to hurt somebody than by physically hurting them".

It warmed her heart to know that he sincerely cared about her, but she wasn't going to let him put himself at risk when she could do something.

Claire: "Think about it, Peter. What if--What if you meet him and you absorb his ability? Then your vision may come true, and, I know that we haven't known each other that long but I know you well enough to know that you'll never forgive yourself if you were the cause of millions of deaths".

He looked straight ahead. She was right.

Claire:"Why risk it? I can find him, I can convince him to leave town. Let me do this".

Peter took out some bills from his wallet and left it on their table before he turned to Claire. "Let's go back to the apartment. We'll figure something out".

-------------------

Back at the appartment, on the couch.

Claire:"How do we find him? Where should we start looking?"

Peter:"I can draw the future. Maybe if I concentrate hard enough, I can draw something about Ted that will give us a clue about where he is. I'm not sure it works that way though."

Claire:"Couldn't hurt to try".

He nodded. He closed his eyes and thought about Ted. 'Come on, come on, this has to work'. He squinted harder, but nothing. He let out a frustrated groan.

Claire put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. It's ok. Clear your mind of everything else".

Peter:"It's no use".

Claire: "It's ok. We'll find another way. But first, just humour me, ok? I read something in a magazine once, let's try it. Close your eyes." He was skeptical about this. "Go on" she motioned with her eyes.

He took a deep breath than obliged. "Picture your mind as having different rooms and you walking around the hallway to them. Open a door and just stuff all your thoughts in there, all your worries, your responsibilities, just stack them up one on top of the other and close that door, keeping everything away". (Pause)

Claire: "Walk over to another door. Open it. It's all empty, ready to be used. Picture yourself in that mental state. Your head is clear, absolutely nothing is in the way. Now think of Ted."

Claire waited for some sign that this was working. After a minute, he opened his eyes. Her shoulders fell, thinking that this method had proved ineffective. That is until she took a closer look. His eyes were stripped of their color and seemed ethereal. He stood up and took a paintbrush and started brushing at the images he saw, each stroke revealing a new image and painting it, just as he had witnessed Isaac do before.

Claire was amazed as she got up and witnessed the artistic revelation. After a minute, his eyes regained their olive color and he was brought back to a state of consciousness. His arm was still reaching out, holding a paintbrush. He turned to look at Claire.

Claire:"Peter, that was amazing"

That's when he realised that it had really happened.

He brought a hand to his mouth, covering his shocked expression. "Oh my god Claire, it worked" he said as he picked her up in his arms and swung her around in excitement.

Claire stroked his back while she was still in his embrace. He took a step back, still holding her. "I can't believe it. My head-- it was so clear, I--we did it".

Claire:"We make a pretty good team" she beamed.

Peter:"You know, for a cheerleader, you're kind of bright".

Claire:"Hey! I read." he chuckled and thought how cute her nose looked when she smiled. He released his hold on her, remembering the task at hand. For a second, he thought he saw disapointment in her eyes, but it was gone before it even surfaced.

He turned his attention to the painting looking for the tiniest clue that would help them find him. In the painting, Ted was with someone else, but their face wasn't shown. From their surroundings, Peter could tell they were uptown New York.

Peter:"I know where they are. Let's go".

Peter started walking towards the door but Claire stopped him, grabbing his arm. "Peter Petrelli, where do you think you're going? I thought we agreed." She folded her arms.

Peter:"I never agreed. I can't let you go alone, I won't" he said determined.

Claire:"Why not?"

Peter:"Claire, please don't push this" he said. Nothing she could say would convince him. Her safety was his number one priority.

Claire became frustrated. She took a minute to say what she had to say, wanting to get through to him. "I appreciate you trying to protect me, Peter, and i'm grateful, so much. But you don't have to worry. All my life, people have been trying to protect me like i'm some kind of porcelain doll that can break easily. And that's not me. Far from it."

She paused, searching his eyes.

Claire:"You told me yourself 'save the cheerleader, save the world'. Well maybe this is what it means. If I stop you from meeting Ted, you never absorb his ability and you don't go nuclear, taking half of New York with you".

He softened.

She waited for him to say something.

Peter finally spoke.

"You're really stubborn, you know that?"

She smiled, knowing she had won this argument.

Claire:"So i've been told, once or twice".

--------------

Uptown New York

Peter had called a cab for Claire and gave the driver directions. After making Claire promise to run away from Ted and call him if she so much as got uncomfortable around him, he let her go.

Cabbie:"All right, we're here miss"

"Thanks" she said as she got out.

She looked around her and searched through the crowd for Ted. She didn't see him. She started walking down a road that resembled the background in the painting. Before she knew it, she was in an alley. 'This is it' she thought. 'Just like the painting'. She looked around but there was still no sign of him. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning her around. She jumped and gasped at the same time.

"You. What the hell are you doing here?"

Claire's heartbeat raced as she was face to face with the man who terrorised her family.

Claire:"Ted. I came here looking for you".

From a distance, a presence watched their encounter.

He grabbed her arm menacingly. "How'd you find me? Do you have the tracking system?"

Claire was clearly confused. "Let go of me" she sneered, jerking her arm away. "I don't know what you're talking about but you need to listen to me".

Claire:"You're not planning to kill millions of people by going nuclear are you?" she asked bluntly.

Ted was taken aback. "What the hell kind of question is that?"

Claire:"Just answer it"

Ted:"No, of course not. Look, I never meant to hurt anbody or to get innocent people involved but your dad didn't make it easy. I didn't ask to be this way, if it wasn't for your father--"

Claire's anger rose. "My father didn't make you this way! It's not his fault!"

Ted:"No, I know that now but it still doesn't change the fact that he worked for a company that track people like us to perform their sick experiments like we're some kind of animals".

Claire:"Worked? What do you know about my father?" she said, noting the past-tense. Before Claire left Texas, her father planned to pretend to be loyal to the Company to keep Claire safe. What's changed?

Ted:"The Company had him prisoner and him, Matt and I escaped together. He's been on the run since".

Claire rose her hand to her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. Her whole family was in danger now and it was all because of her.

Ted snapped her out of her thoughts, ignoring her shaterred state.

Ted:"Look, All I want is to find the tracking system that your father's company has and destroy it so I can go on with my life without having to look over my shoulder."

Claire:"You need to listen to me, you have to leave the country"

Ted:"Why? What do you know?"

Claire:"I know this is going to sound crazy but--"

Before she could say anymore, she was interrupted by a sinister laugh.

"Well, well, well. Two for the price of one, must be my lucky day" they heard as a shadow revealed itself and stood in front of them.

Ted eyed the man. "Who the hell are you?"

Claire became paralysed with fear.

"Sylar"

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AN:Hey, tell me what you guys think...more PAIRE to come soon.