Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes.

20 December, 2009

When the alarm rang loudly in the early hours of the morning Sylar rolled over in annoyance and flicked his fingers in the direction of the offending noise, silencing it with a fizzle of electronics frying.

"Well there goes your murder-free streak," Claire sighed into her pillow, pulling her arms in closer to her body. "Why did you even set the stupid alarm?"

Shifting on the bed, Sylar moved so he could half-cover Claire's body with his. He loved being able to sidle up to her and fit her body against his. Sylar was a man after all, and he was very appreciative of Claire's curves as well as her valleys. Her body was stiff under his. Claire's muscles were tensed in half shivers. As he curled around her she relaxed, her muffled breathing become a moan of pleasure.

"I set is so we could ignore it," Sylar pressed a kiss to Claire's bare shoulder, wrapping his arms around her.

Body arching, a tiny mewl slipped between her lips as Claire stretched. "And why are we ignoring it?"

Lips pressed to the hollow behind her ear, "So I can spend as much time as possible holding you like this."

"You are warm," Claire yawned lightly, head tilting to give the man paying a great deal of attention to her neck even more access.

"And you are very cold," Sylar tightened his grip on her, pulling her more securely against himself. "Although it might help if you wore more clothing than those little shorts and tanks you like so much."

"And where would you be if I started bundling up," Claire asked with a soft smile.

Teeth nipped lightly on the tender skin of Claire's neck, scraping before Sylar's lips secured their place and the man sucked gently. Her whole body rocked at the sensation as Claire inhaled forcefully, body tensing for a very different reason than being cold.

A rough laugh vibrated down Claire's spin, "Out of luck."

"Exactly," Claire tilted her neck a little more, thoroughly annoyed that Sylar had been distracted from his task, "Now, where were you?"

Sylar curled a little closer, "Right here."

Squeezing her eyes closed, Claire sighed, "Not really what I meant."

"Oh," Sylar exhaled against the back of her neck, "did you mean this," he pressed his lips to one of her vertebrae. Sylar grinned against her warm skin, brushing his lips along her neck, down her shoulder before sinking his teeth playfully into the tender muscle where her neck and shoulder met. Claire gasped again, before the gentle sound became a throaty moan.

"I'll take that as a yes," Sylar said lowly, one hand drifting down along Claire's side, slipping along her belly and skimming her bare thigh, flirting with the edges of her shorts.

"What," was the breathless question before Claire nodded hastily, "yeah?"

Rolling slightly, Sylar dragged Claire's body against his, wedging his leg between hers. Green eyes flashed open as hand slid along the back of Claire's thigh, hiking her leg up and against Sylar's hip. A blazing trail of hit followed Sylar's long fingers as he urged her closer.

"Good morning," Sylar smirked, "how are you feeling?"

"Good," Claire nodded absently as she shifted against Sylar, a thread of desire coiling tightly in her belly.

He kissed her, tongue parting her lips almost immediately so he could explore every inch of her mouth. It was a slow kiss, languorous and firm. There was no awkward fumbling, just Sylar taking ownership of her mouth and Claire letting him, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. Claire pulled herself roughly against him, arms curling around Sylar's neck. They didn't bother to part, even when their bodies naturally cried for oxygen. While there wasn't a need, and it wouldn't kill them, their bodies still reacting in similar ways.

The kiss became less languid and more hurried, Sylar's hand sliding up from the back of Clair's knee, fingers skating underneath the fabric of her shorts. It was Sylar's turn to react instinctually. He groaned softly and pulled away from Claire's lips when all that met his fingers was more taut, warm skin.

"You're not wearing underwear," it was a breathless statement as his hand shifted slightly as it cupped her bottom, fingers still dancing across the firm globe, searching.

The young woman's chest stilled. The breath she had taken oscillated in her throat, never fully inhaled or exhaled. He was watching her, dark eyes seeking permission, asking for her to trust him, to let him touch her. His fingers twitched against her skin but they never moved more than a millimeter, waiting for acceptance or rejection.

Claire, for her part wasn't precisely sure how to answer the unasked question. In this moment, when her blood began to cool, she had doubts that disappeared the moment he looked at her with those dark eyes, and his lips met hers, or his fingers crossed her body. If Claire's body didn't actively heal brain damage, especially resulting from oxygen deprivation, she might have blamed her muddled thoughts on that.

"Claire," her name was the softest question in his mouth.

Her eyes broke their gaze as Claire ducked her head. Sylar's hand slid back down her thigh before he moved to pull Claire against his chest, the tension of the moment evaporating. Burrowing against Sylar's bare chest, Claire sniffed softly, tamping down on the tumult of emotions threatening to spill over.

Nails dug into Sylar's shoulder as Claire clung to him, he frowned rested his lips against the top of her head, cradling her carefully. "Sorry," her voice was warbled, weak from the whiplash of emotion.

Leaning back slightly, Sylar stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb, "You have nothing to be sorry for." The sweetness of Sylar's gesture seemed to backfire as tears began to leak from her eyes. "Hey," he breathed, giving her a weak smile, "anything you need or want to say, you can, I will always listen."

Her eyes closed, lashes wet with tears that trembled before falling down her cheeks. "Did you ever wonder how I knew about the spot," Claire's voice was a whisper in the dark. Sylar knew better than to say anything. "Before homecoming, I went to the rally, I ended up dying, a tree branch got jammed into my skull," Claire leaned into the hand that began to weave through her hair. "I woke up in the morgue, with my ribs spread open. I read the file, I was found in the river, stripped naked." Sylar's whole body tensed and Claire flinched waiting for him to pull away. Claire hadn't told anyone besides her father, she was terrified about how people would look at her if she said anything. "Turns out that the guy I really liked, wasn't so nice, he tried to force me…I died during the struggle, and he stripped me and threw me in the river," Claire finished, waiting for the inevitable questions.

Sylar tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him, her eyes flicked up to meet his, "Did he…rape you?"

And there it was. The question Claire didn't have the answer to, and might never have the answer to. "I don't know," Claire shrugged uncomfortably, "I never got a straight answer out him, but I made sure he paid, and so did the Haitian."

"Claire," Sylar pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I don't…there aren't words."

Claire didn't need words. She didn't need empty promises or pity in the guise of sympathy or empathy. What Sylar was giving her was more than she had ever had, it was all she needed. Relaxing, boneless, in Sylar's arms, Claire felt whole for the very first time in a very long while.

A/N: 20/25. Well there goes my brain. On a serious note I felt it was really important to deal with Claire's assault. It is an issue that is close to my heart and I couldn't possibly move their relationship along without dealing with it a little. Happy holidays, ta!