BLIND
CHAPTER SIX : Revelations
Nathan stood in front of Claire. He lift his hand up close to her face but backed it down before touching it.
Nathan:"I ca -- I can't believe it"
He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, placing one hand on her back and the other on the back of her head.
Claire stood still, her arms not returning the hug. Tears started to sting her eyes, overwhelmed by the situation. She kept remembering the day she visited Meredith and eavesdropped on her conversation with Nathan. She had wanted so badly for him to step up and say that he'd take care of her, be the father she needed. But instead, he wrote a check and expected that to make everything okay and went back to his picture-perfect life.
Nathan released her and stepped back to face her, steadying his hands on her shoulders.
She cleared her throat uncomfortably and he realises that he's staring.
Nathan:"I'm sorry, I don't --I don't mean to scare you. I'm uh--" Nathan wondered if she knew who he was or if perhaps she'd even come to find him.
Claire:"I know who you are" she replied matter-of-factedly, jerking her shoulder back, prompting him to remove his hands and place them in his pockets.
Peter watched the exchange, confused as hell. He couldn't fathom how these two could possibly know each other, never mind why so intimately. It wasn't like Nathan to show such emotion in front of... anyone really.
Claire:"No need to pretend like you care. We both know I'm nothing but a complication to you. Just a skeleton in your closet you try to hide by throwing money at it".
Nathan:"Claire --"
Claire:"I was there that day" she seethed, as if to warn him not to lie to her. "When you came to see Meredith. I heard you. I know you want nothing do to with me."
Peter couldn't sit back and stay out of the loop anymore.
Peter:"Ok, seriously, what the hell is going on here? What are you talking about?"
Claire turned her attention towards Peter. 'oh God' she thought, feeling sick to her stomach. 'Peter...' He searched her eyes for answers, but she couldn't bring herself to say it, to tell him that they were related.
Peter then turned to Nathan for an answer who was rubbing his forehead, all of this being new to him, not knowing how to handle the situation.
Nathan:"Claire is-- she's my daughter, Peter"
Peter's head shot back for a moment, clearly taken aback by that information.
He chuckled dryly, not registering what Nathan had just said. "You're daught--what? Nathan that's ridiculous-- she's-- I mean we--she can't--" he shakes his head looking back and forth at Nathan and Claire waiting for one of them to jump in and say that it's a lie but none of them do. "hm?" he says tilting his head to the side questioningly, and you can see him slowly processing that information as his smile starts to fade, realisation hits him, knowing full well his brother would not joke about something like this.
Nathan:"I knew her mother a--a lifetime ago" he starts to explain. "We were teenagers and in--ahem--in love" he turned to Claire when he said that, wanting her to know that she was the product of something beautiful, wanting the thought to be of some comfort to her.
He looked more intently at her when he continued. "But there was a fire and I thought you--that you died. I was devastated" he said sincerely. "I never would've abandonned you".
Claire had been fixated on Peter, trying to read his reaction but as Nathan spoke, she turned her attention back to him, not able to resist the urge to call him out on his hypocrisy. "You didn't exactly jump up for joy when you found out that I was alive though, did you?" she scoffed. "You wrote a check and drove away in your precious lincoln" her anger was clearly portrayed by her raised tone.
Nathan:"It's not that I didn't want to be there for you. But there are things that you don't understand--"
Claire:"like the fact that some illigetimate child might tarnish your image of the family man with ideal values and ruin your chances of winning the senatorial election?"
Nathan was taken aback. He opened his mouth to respond and tried to think of the right words to say to her, but realised that there were none since she was absolutely right. He bowed his head in shame.
Claire:"Believe me, I understand plenty".
Peter had managed to walk over to a sofa during the father-daughter exchange and fell backwards on it, trying to wrap his head around the fact that Claire, the girl he saved in texas, the one who had starred in his dreams night after night, the one whose presence alone had managed to liven up his meak existence was his--his niece?
Flashes of them skinny dipping and of them kissing heatedly on his bed half-naked assaulted him.
'I'm a sick fuck...I'm going to burn in hell' he kept mumbling over and over as he steadied his arms on the handles of the couch, looking straight ahead in disbelief.
Nathan:"I realise I have a lot to make up for Claire. And I want to be there for you." Claire looked up at him, the little girl in her wanting her father to take care of her, despite what she says. "But I can't" he added. "At least not now."
Claire:"Of course" she said, inwardly cursing herself for getting her hopes up. "I don't expect anything from you" she replies, hiding her hurt.
He was going to say something but she interrupted him, not up to hearing anything else he had to say. "I need to use the bathroom".
This didn't go unnoticed by Nathan. "It's the third door on your right" he informed her as she started walking away.
Nathan took a deep sigh and started to pace around the room. It was then that he noticed Peter on the sofa, he'd almost forgotten he was there.
Peter seemed to be in some kind of trance. "Pete?" Nathan tried to get him to come out of it. He snapped his fingers in front of his face and that seemed to do the trick.
Nathan:"Where'd you go?"
Peter:"oh, um, i uh--I'm just trying to wrap my head around the fact that i have a niece."
Nathan:"I know. Pretty crazy huh?"
Peter:"Yeah, you have no idea"
Nathan:"Wait a minute, so how do you two know each other? Did she come looking for me?"
Peter:"Uh, No, no." he shifted up in his seat. "You'll never believe this, she's the girl I saved in texas. The cheerleader in the paintings."
Nathan:"You're kidding"
Peter:"No, and she came looking for me. The people her father work for kidnap people with abilities and run some kind of tests on them and do god knows what to them."
Nathan:"Yeah, they tried to get me too."
Peter: "They're looking for her now so she's been staying with me for the past couple of weeks."
Nathan: "Wow. I had no idea. Maybe--maybe she should stay here, with me. I could protect her." His paternal instincts were starting to kick in.
A figure came out and revealed themselves.
"Nonsense, Nathan. Not so close to the election."
Nathan:"Ma, how long have you been standing there?"
Angela:"Long enough. Please tell me you haven't lost track of what's important here."
Nathan:"I'd say my daughter would be right up there, wouldn't you say so?"
Angela:"My darling boy, you've missed the last 16 years of her life, I'm sure you can handle holding out for a couple of more weeks."
Nathan:"There are things you don't understand or know about us--"
Angela:"I knew long before either of you did" she confessed. "I know you have certain abnormal abilities and that there are people after people like you."
Nathan was rendered speechless for the second time that night. People sure knew more about him than he realised.
Peter:"How did you--?"
Angela:"That's a story for another time. Let's focus on the situation at hand. Nathan, you cannot risk having Claire stay here and having people find out about her".
Nathan:"Ma, she's my daughter"
Angela:"Darling please, you're just a glorified sperm donor." Nathan sent his mother a menacing stare.
Angela:"I have a solution. I'll take her out of the country until the election is over. I hear Paris is wonderful this time of year".
Nathan:"No, I won't send her away".
Angela:"All right, then she can stay with Peter, he can take care of his niece."
Peter's jaw twitched at the term.
Nathan turned to Peter as if to ask whether that's ok with him.
Peter felt uneasy about this. He didn't think that was such a great idea in light of new develpments.
Peter didn't say anything.
Nathan give him a questioning look. "Can I count on you, little brother? Will you take care of my daughter?"
Peter was going to respond but Angela interrupted him.
Angela:"Where is this granddaughter of mine anyway?"
Nathan:"She needed to use the bathroom. She has been gone for long, now that you mention it. I wonder what's keeping her" he said as he walked down the hallway and knocked on the bathroom door.
Nathan:"Claire?" he called out.
No answer.
He knocked again. "You in there?"
Still nothing.
He turned the doorknob and pushed the door open and saw that the bathroom was empty. He turned to his mother and brother.
"She's gone".
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Hey all. I realise that this chapter is a bit shorter than usual but i figure that I can get the updates to you sooner this way. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, I love the reviews. Thanks so much to those that have been leaving their reviews, It makes me very very happy :P