"Okay, I'm getting really fucking sick of people accusing me of taking Claire," Gabriel blurted out as soon as they had exited Mohinder's home. That's why he hated people from his past; they kept bringing it up, a constant reminder of the monster he used to be. He took solace in the thought that this might possibly be his last one, excluding the coming confrontation between Bennet and himself. That fucking bastard!
"Gabe, forget about it; Mohinder has no idea what the hell he's talking about." He patted Gabriel on the back. "Besides I know the truth and so does Claire. That's all that matters."
"Yeah, I guess," Gabriel said sullenly. How could he tell his best friend, his brother, that he yearned for their approval, for their acceptance? Peter could never understand what it meant to be universally loathed because he was universally loved. Peter was the hero and to everyone he would always remain the villain, the psychopath, the killer...
"What are we doing waiting around here for? Let's go get Claire."
"Not just yet. I have to make a quick detour before we head to Barbados," Gabriel replied.
"Um, Gabe, what could be more important than saving your wife?" Peter asked bewildered by his response.
"Trust me, this is for Claire."
Noah slid the magazine into his gun after checking if it was fully loaded. Satisfied, he slipped it back in the holster at his waist. His next tasks was to remove his glasses and give them a thorough cleaning, inspecting them meticulously. Noah placed them back on his face and began walking down the hallway to search for Lauren. To his surprise he found her in Claire's room. "What are you doing in here?" Noah asked angrily.
"Admiring your handy work," She stood and faced him, eyes blood shot from crying. "This obsession with killing Sylar is destroying you Noah. "
"I am the same man I was before," Noah answered stubbornly.
"How can you even say that? Take a good look at what you've done. Go on, take a good hard look. That's your daughter lying on that bed." She began furiously wiping away fresh tears.
"Claire will be fine—"
"You don't get it do you?" She asked harshly. "It doesn't matter that Claire's invincible, you shot her and until that time when the bullet leaves her skull, she's dead. You killed her." Lauren waited for his response, but he remained quiet, never once looking over at his daughter. Unable to bear it any longer, Lauren continued. "I can't be a part of this anymore Noah. This is wrong and you know it."
Noah broke his silence to comment back, "You will understand one day. You'll understand that I did all of this for her. Sylar is a monster and she has deluded herself into playing house with that bastard."
"And it's Claire's choice, not yours; why can't you just accept that Noah?"
"Don't tell me what I need to accept. Claire belongs to me; she's my daughter and what she does is my business. What she does affects everyone around her. She's no different than him now."
I can't stand this any longer. I'm leaving and I'm taking Claire with me. This has gone on long enough." Lauren walked back to the bed. She brushed the blonde hair away from the girlish face wondering how she could have let this go on for so long.
"I can't let you take her."
"Do really think you can stop me?" Lauren should have really seen it coming. After all, the man had already shot his own daughter with no guilt; what's to say he would regret mistreating her? Noah Bennet moved with the swiftness and stealth of a highly trained assassin, coming up alongside her and stabbing a syringe into her neck.
"I told you, Claire's not going anywhere," Lauren's body swayed hazardously to each side, already feeling the effects of the tranquilizer. Noah caught his former partner turned lover before she could crumple to the floor. "Look what you made me do? I was saving that for Sylar. It was made to bring down an elephant, you know, so I'm not sure exactly what effect it will have on you. Hell, I'm not even sure if you will wake up, but sacrifices have to be made. Sylar is a plague upon this world, a virus with eternity at his command and it is my duty to mankind to rid the world of him once and for all."
Coughing a few times, Lauren tried to find the air to speak. After a few failed attempts, she was finally successful, "You say that Sylar's a monster and he needs to be stopped, but so are you." She inhaled a few ragged breaths before she could finish. "So who's going to stop you?"
Noah had enough. He quickly finished her off with a blow to the head, rendering her unconscious instantly. Her body fell limp in his arms and as he stared down at her, with her body wrapped in forced slumber, he couldn't summon any remorse. Perhaps she was correct, maybe he was a monster, but he couldn't bring himself to care.
Lifting her up, he carried her to the room they had shared and placed her on the bed. This whole situation was becoming a pattern, first Renee decided he was through and now Lauren. How hard was it for them to grasp what he was trying to accomplish? They were all too narrow minded, unable to see the larger picture. They would thank him one day; forget all he had to done to reach that point, satisfied that the world was a safer place. Claire might be a tough sell, but she was blinded by her misguided affections and once Sylar was removed permanently from the equation, she would come to his side of thinking. She would be his Claire-Bear again. Noah looked forward to that day. He imagined her happy and smiling, applauding him on his victory, thanking him for her new life. Yes, he could see it now, Noah Bennet, the hero. He liked the sound of that.
Now all he needed was Sylar. Noah was smart enough to realize that Sylar would very soon discover is location, but that made his goal simpler. He wouldn't have to track him down, and this way he was better prepared for an attack. Noah was impatient for the upcoming fight and the beginning of the future, he had so joyously imagined.
A/N: Question, did anyone notice in the final episode Peter used multiple abilities. Does he have his old power back, or were the writers too lazy to show him swapping powers?