So here it is, chapter 9. It's not been the easiest to write but I think I know where I'm going with it now. Thank you so much to all of you who have so kindly read and reviewed. You guys are the best!

Chapter 9

Sylar quickly moved in her direction, "Claire, are you ok?" in a few paces he was by her side.

"Fine, just FINE!" she ground the words out through gritted teeth, he wasn't sure if that was anger or sadness in her voice, maybe it was a mixture of the two.

"Are you sure?" he peered around, trying to catch a glimpse of her face.

"Yes, now could you leave me alone! I've had enough of sadistic weirdos for one evening!"

Claire's flippant remark tripped Sylars temper, "You're welcome!" he bit back at her, still striding to match her pace.

Right on cue Claire stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look up at him, her eyes ablaze,"Oh so what? You scare of some asshole of a guy for me and we're even? Is that really how you think this works? Why are you even here? Are you following me or something?"

"Get over yourself Claire! Jesus, I was just passing by and heard you screaming..." she was getting just about on his last nerve.

"Yer well you ought to know what that sounds like huh Sylar?" Claire spat back, stretching her body up on her tiptoes to get in his face. She was expecting an explosion of sorts, she wanted to poke him with a stick and see what happened. Press his buttons to see what it would take to get the old, "Sylar" to make an appearance. The reaction she got was very different to the one she was expecting. His shoulders slumped and he looked back at her wounded, his eyes were huge pools of hurt.

"Wow, cheap shot Claire, even for you. And my name is Gabriel." with that he continued to walk on, leaving her be as she had requested. As he walked he could feel her eyes on him, and her footsteps gingerly following.

"Wait..." came a small voice, but he carried on walking.

"Would you just wait up a minute?" She called out to him again, this time reaching out a hand to grab a chunk of his jacket. He stopped, refusing to meet her eyes, instead focusing on the floor or the posters for some band on the city walls...anywhere but at her face.

"You're right, it was a cheap shot. I was angry and for once, not actually at you. I know you're trying. I guess I'm sorry." he could tell it pained her to say the words aloud, her hand remained firmly tangled in his jacket, even though he was stood dead still in front of her now, remembering herself she let go, in a strange unconscious act of affection she smoothed the material down on his arm.

He stood frozen at her touch.

"...I just, I really liked that guy, I've been sitting with him in class for weeks. I thought he was my friend and it turns out he just wanted me to be his lab rat. All I wanted to do was go on a date, do something normal y'know?" Claire tried to explain herself, and he found that his temper could not rule him for long.

"Well, he'll not bother you again, I'll make sure of that" he assured.

"I think you already did heh-heh" She half laughed looking back towards the wall where minutes earlier Jamie was pinned. Slowly they began to walk neither one of the knowing where to. Just walking and letting the night pass them by.

"Claire" Sylar broke the silence, "...can I ask you something?"

"hmm" she nodded, her emerald eyes looking up at him without an ounce of fear or annoyance. Maybe he was making progress? He dared to hope.

"Why do you always want to be normal? I mean, 90% of the time you're surrounded by people who aren't,"normal" just like you? Peter, Emma and me" he added that last bit on carefully. It was true that since the Carnival barely a day went by that she didn't visit Peter at their apartment, sometimes she'd make out that she was just tagging along with Emma but it wasn't hard to see the clique forming.

Claire continued to look straight ahead, she cocked her head to the side slightly, considering her reply, "Because I don't wanna spend my life running and hiding. I want normal things. I want a home, a family someone to share things with. In a way knowing that I have this ability, that I can't die, it just makes me want those things more. Forever would be a hell of a long time without them."

Sylar nodded in agreement as Claire put across one of the best arguments for,"normal" that he had ever heard,"You will have all of those things Claire" he reassured.

"Well, I'm not so sure. Maybe I'm just kidding myself. I mean, I don't age for Gods sake, how can I grow old with someone when I can't grow old?" the defeat in her voice threw Sylar, she sounded so resigned. One thing he could always rely on was that Claire Bennett would fight.

"You could not grow old with someone who is just like you? Someone who has your ability too." the words came out of his mouth of their own volition, he wanted to claw them back but it was too late he had said it. At first Claire didn't register but then her watery green eyes widened and she looked up at him, mouth a gape.

"You are unreal, you know that? Damn I am so stupid! I was beginning to believe you had changed!" her words hit him like daggers, "...you think because we're both immortal that that means we were meant to be? You have to be kidding, you only have my ability because you stole it, don't forget that!" she screeched irate.

Planting his feet to the spot her pirouetted to face her, hands firmly on his hips ready for the argument,"How COULD I forget it Claire? I hate myself for what I did to you. But I do have forever to make it up to you, and I will. I don't know how but I will." He knew he sounded crazy but he didn't care, he just wanted her to believe him.

Claire shook her head and looked to the heavens,"Have you heard yourself Sylar..."

"GABRIEL!" he corrected her, biting his toung so's not to reprimand her further.

Claire raised her hand, dismissing his point,"Whatever. Do you know how what you're asking? You killed my father. Like it or not, weather you're Gabriel or Sylar you killed my him with those hands and even if I do believe you have changed I could never be with you. Never, I'd rather be alone forever." There it was, the Claire Bennett fight, it was a relief to see it back. But one thing worried him. That last sentence, his lie detector ability was notable by it's absence. She was telling the truth.

Swallowing hard he rubbed his eyes, trying to summon up the strength to continue with what was now starting to feel like a rather humiliating lost cause,"I've seen it Claire, the future, and that's how I know you can have all of those things that you wanted" he said in a grave tone.

"What? What are you talking about?" Claire sighed screwing up her features in confusion.

He sighed hard, fiddling nervously with his keys. He knew this wasn't part of the deal, he was playing with fire. Peter had warned him of the butterfly effect, except this didn't feel like killing a butterfly, this was like nuking it into oblivion. "Peter borrowed Hiro's power, took me forward in time. He wanted to show me what could be, what is going to be." he explained.

"So..." Claire shrugged, trying not to looked creeped out by what she somehow knew was coming.

"So, we were together. Married in fact" he once again found that he couldn't bring himself to look her in the face, sure that she would mock him. He was right, a sly insulting smirk leaked across her pretty features,"Oh please!" she creased.

"...and we have a son too. He's beautiful Claire really he is." Sylar winced as Claire openly laughed at the mention of their child. He continued to stare back at her, with a look of hurt that to her surprise, she found tugged at her heart strings more than she would care to admit. "You can't be serious..." she asked with narrowed eyes as the last drops of laughter left her voice,"...you can't be?" she reconfirmed to herself.

Turning away from her, unable to resist the urge to run in to the night and lick his wounds any longer, he called back, "If you don't believe me Claire ask Peter to show you, see for yourself!" and with that he was gone.