Pairing: Claire/Sylar

Theme: Cowboy

Dimension: Alternate

Word Count: 1,725

Cowboy

Claire rode hard and fast up the mountain trail, wanting to beat the storm that was brewing in the north. Jagged strikes of lightning rent the atmosphere, and the curtain-like sheets of rain seemed to float in the distance. The young mare beneath her danced at the sound of thunder and Claire urged her forwards.

"Hush, Essie. We're almost there." The horse snorted but stepped forwards, eager to reach the tender shoots of grass in the mountain pass. Claire pulled her hat down further on her brow and looked around. The sounds of the forest were routine; birds called to one another, the wind whistled through the trees while squirrels scampered and fussed along the wide branches of ancient pines. Nothing here hinted at anything abnormal. There was no suggestion that a group of deadly outlaws could be hiding somewhere near. However, the young saloon owner touched the grip of the pistol strapped to her hip, ready to use it at a moment's provocation. She also knew how to use the rifle strapped to her saddle, but she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

A few minutes later the horse stopped at a familiar clearing, snorting softly in anticipation of a good meal. Claire slipped down off the mare and hobbled her next to a tree. She took a brown satchel from one of the saddle bags and started off.

Claire didn't really consider herself an animal person, but when she'd found three orphaned wolf pups, her heart went out to them. She'd raised them to maturity and then allowed them their freedom, but she always came up to visit them in their home at least once a month. She'd noticed that one of them had taken to following her back to town and decided that if she could just get a hold of him, she might be able to keep an eye on him in case he got too familiar and wandered into Denver. She whistled loudly and waited. They probably already knew she was there, but she liked to think she'd been able to train them.

Sylar was just feeling the edge of his consciousness beginning to blur when he heard a piercing whistle. He urged his horse into a trot and soon found a large open glade. in the middle of it, a young woman sat with three rather large wolves, petting them as if they were tamed dogs. She spoke lowly, teasing the creatures and feeding them bits of food from her pack. His enhanced hearing picked up a soft voice, younger than his own and oddly sweet. He smirked. His Intuitive Aptitude was screaming at him; alerting him that he'd found his prey. This little blonde thing was the Immortal Girl, and she had no idea the danger she was in. However, with his wound there would be no way he could attack her without more damage being done to himself, and he was too weak to have too much defense. He decided to bullshit his way through this and hope her soft heart would extend to humans.

Leaning heavily on his horse, he allowed the black monster to walk out into the open. the poison in his system was beginning to course through him, once again blurring his vision. he groaned in pain, barely hearing her gasp and the low growls of her pets. The last thing his aching mind registered was the audible click of a gun.

Claire whirled around when the smallest of her adopted brood stood with a snarl, puffing up his fur and straightening his tail in a display of aggression. The man was tall and dark, slumping on a stallion twice the size of her mare. He looked deathly pale, and while he wore all black she could tell that his hand was covering a splotch of blood. His wide brimmed hat hid most of his features, but Claire could tell that this man was dangerous. She pulled her pistol out of its holster and cocked the hammer. Standing slowly, she pushed the larger of the wolves out of her way and began edging to the man.

"Who are you, mister?" He said nothing, just slumped down more on the horse and groaned in pain. Claire was startled when he began to slip off his mount. The animal side-stepped in confusion and Claire forgot to be afraid as she raced to catch him. She reached his side to grab the reins of the angry stallion, holding on for dear life as the animal stepped back from her nervously. She spoke calmingly; her words gibberish as she reached out to steady the dark rider. He didn't say a word, and Claire realized that the only thing keeping him in his saddle was the foot that was caught in his stirrup. She huffed in annoyance and tried to push him up. She succeeded in slumping him over his mount's neck, but he was just too heavy to maneuver from on the ground.

The horse had stopped his prancing and was standing rather placidly. Claire spoke softly to him again, rubbing his velvet nose and patting his arched neck. His sharp ears pricked forwards as he snuffed loudly, nudging the newcomer.

Claire led the great animal to her own mount and swung up onto her back. The storm was closer now; the wind was picking up and rain was misting the air. Claire nudged Essie forwards in the hopes that she would reach Denver before the weather got too bad. she bade goodbye to her wolves and began the trip back down the mountain.

Peter was not surprised to find Claire gone after his meeting with Mohinder and Matt, but he was shocked to see an unfamiliar blonde woman straddling one of the bar stools. she played idly with her hair as blue sparks shot from a slender pointer finger. She wore a long brown trench coat that did little to hide the tiny figure. Her boots were scuffed and her hat was hanging down her back, but Peter had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. However he had learned to never trust strangers and loudly cleared his throat. Clear blue eyes darted in his direction and she straightened. Her smile was especially radiant as she hopped off the stool and observed him with a childish air. Peter stepped forwards and offered her a hand.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm Sheriff Peter Petrelli. Who might you be?" The woman giggled and took his hand.

"I'm Elle. Nice to meetcha, Pete!" His hand suddenly lit up in a slightly painful shock as she unleashed her power into his palm. He jerked back as she laughed. "Sorry. I tend to do that around cute guys." Peter blushed and tried to inconspicuously rub his injured and on his pants. He ignored the power she'd inadvertedly transferred to him as lightning began to settle into him as his current ability.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but what business do you have here?" The girl's eyes darkened for a moment before she beamed at him.

"Oh, I got separated from my finacee. I saw this saloon and figured he'd be around here somewhere." She hoped this was true, becuase if Sylar hadn't found the girl, then Elle needed to cut her losses and head out before the rest of the gang caught wind of it. Only Sylar's wrath kept them in check. She didn't miss how the Sheriff's face fell at her mention of a finacee and she smiled. "Well, since he's not here, why don't you show me someplace to eat and rest my tired legs?" She batted her eyelashes for good measure and noted with satisfaction that this man was much more susceptable to her charms than Sylar had been. He readily agreed and lead her away.

Claire struggled to lead the now frightened stallion as the storm began to roll in. His eyes widened in fear and he tossed his head, dangerously jostling his rider. Claire slid down off of Essie and reached up to calm the other animal. she sighed and returned her attention to the road ahead. It was not much longer until they reached the stables and the young saloon owner was tired. She noticed that the young wolf she'd gone to retrieve was slinking alongside her little caravan, watching his friend from the safety of the trees. Claire smiled in his direction and continued on.

An hour later the rain was beginning to fall and Claire was just leading the two animals indoors. She unsaddled Essie and led her into her stall, feeding her and patting her neck. She then turned to the man upon the stallion and shook her head. How in the world was she going to get him down? Then she thought of Peter. She knew he'd be upset, but-

A groan interrupted her thoughts as the man slowly became consious. He glared at her, but hadn't the strength to do much else. Claire straighted her shoulders and glared right back.

"Now you listen here, mister! I saved you, so none of those sulky glares. I'm going to get you down and then we'll try to get you into my saloon. For now, can you move at all?" He surprised her as he struggled to sit up. He sat up with much pain, pulling his leg over the saddle with a shout of pain. Claire was at his side in an instant, trying her best to support him. She was so busy trying to keep him from falling that she didn't hear the stable door open until a voice rang out.

"Claire Bennet! What the hell are you doing?"

So, my next part in this series. Not sure how many more there will be, but enjoy!