Elle Saves the Day- Chapter 2
"Hi," Elle tells her, even having the nerve to give her a jaunty little wave. The same Elle, who is partially to blame for her Dad getting shot, killed, blackmailed and had the nerve to look her in the eye when she thought her father was dead, and didn't tell her. The same Elle who had just saved her life. Who does she think she is?
Claire's hands, previously limp at her side, clenched into fists so tightly they shook and her eyes that had been staring blankly, widened in shock, snapped into a glare. She pushed up against the wall into a standing position, swaying a little bit on her unsteady feet, and rushed over to the older women.
"What do you think you're doing here," Claire hisses at Elle, posture rigid and voice dripping with hate. "You're not welcome here."
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Elle steps back, raising her hands in the universal sign of surrender, "Whoa, Cheerleader, not sure if you noticed, but I just saved you from mmmm brains! over there." She was a bit put off by how upset Claire seemed to be. Mohinder was way nicer when she saved his life. It's not like she broke into her house and shocked any of her family members. A little gratitude would be nice. Hmph!
"Yeah, I should be sooo grateful," Clair spits, "If it wasn't for you, my Dad would still be here and it wouldn't be the first time he went against Sylar. He wouldn't have let Sylar get close. You still haven't answered my question, what the hell are you doing here."
Elle blinked, thinking fast. Given how Claire was acting, the pretty please with sugar on top bit would probably not help her to much right now. She knew first hand that the "magic words" only went so far. She could try breaking down and crying, some people would probably feel pity at such a display, but she would not demean herself in front of the stupid Cheerleader. Plus, the best way to get tears would be to really think about her situation and she was trying really hard not to do that.
'Fine,' she thought, crossing her arms in a defensive pose, 'if she wants a company bitch, that's what she'll get.'
"The company owns daddy dearest, Claire bear, but with him under house arrest, not HIS house of course, we gotta bring his work to him. In other words, I'm here for his files and his computer. I just happen to be the fantastically beautiful errand girl," Elle stated in a somewhat over the top duh! voice.
Claire smirked bitterly, even as her glare tightened, "They sent the human circuit board to pick up a computer. Geniuses those company men are, but then I knew that the moment I met you. First surveillance and now delivery, shuffling down the totem pole, so I guess the rest of them can't be that stupid." Her smirk twisted into a mug little grin upon seeing the other blonde visibly start to lose her cool.
Elle was barely controlling the growing impulse to zap the superior look right off Claire's face, though a small spark did escape to stingingly dance across her skin. She took a quick breath, knowing that shocking Claire would only hurt her cause and any escaping electricity just made her look incompetent.
"Whatever," she snaps, "Just show me his office."
Claire looks like she's going to protest for a second, but her eyes flicker over the downed Sylar and she abruptly turns and stalks down the hallway.
"I'll be right over there pompom, you just get the computer warmed up for me," Elle calls over Claire's shoulder, voice sugary sweet. Claire rewards this with a certain finger and, eventually, a door slam.
As soon as the door slams, Elle's posture just slumps and her entire body seems to shake. She takes a couple of breaths, because this really is an exhausting day, and then rushes over to Sylar. All bravado aside, her power is pretty much her one constant in life and, whether Bennet is telling the truth about her father or not, her power is what makes her important to him. The very thought of someone else taking it from her, even if it wouldn't end with her dead, sends a shiver down her spine.
She gulps nervously before forcing her hand quickly to Sylar's neck, feeling for a pulse. Elle doesn't know what she wants right now, because he being dead would be so easy, yet she remembers all the effort the higher ups put into to keep Sylar alive. She doesn't know why, but Eden is dead because of those orders, Candice too, and she knows somebody in the Company is satisfied with those losses, might be satisfied with her as a loss. Not Daddy, but somebody.
That's why she is so ashamed when her body clenches with dread at the slow, but there, pulse. She should be happy, but she's really, really not. She's collapsed on her knees in front of an unconscious serial murderer, and maybe she's a sociopath, but nothing would please her more than sending one last jump of electricity through his body. Enough to put him down. He can't heal, she stopped that, and it would be so easy. She could make it look like it wasn't her, use a weapon and everyone would see Claire the Super Cheerleader acting in self defense. And nobody would be angry with Claire; no, they would be sooo proud.
She realizes she's practically snarling at the body, but before she can calm herself down, a noise startles her from behind. Still agitated, and a little surprised, her whole body twists and her arm shoots out.
The jolt of bluish electricity misses Claire by an inch; sadly the TV does not survive.
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Claire is startled of course. In all her death attempts she has not tried electrocution, but she has heard it's very painful. She's used to pain, but the bolt was so close she could feel a hiss or a sting as it passed, and the look of that psycho's face was a little terrifying. For having such a memorable first meeting, what with the supposed death of her dad and all, she has never really thought of the other blond as scary. She was mostly protected by West before, and it wasn't her that led directly to her Dad's injury. Their second meeting was vaguely pathetic. She was completely incensed to see Elle spying on her family without a hint of sympathy, in hindsight it made Claire even angrier since Elle could have stopped their grief then and there. Nothing in the way she fumbled in her car or insulted her with blue slusho covering her scared Claire though. Elle had always seemed slightly pathetic, like she was nothing but a weapon full of arrogance and fake bravado. She had only a glance at how miserable Elle looked with her bullet wound before her Dad got his own, but it was enough.
Now, though, Claire could understand. Intellectually, she knew the most Elle could do was cause her pain, but her eyes right now made her wonder. They weren't pouty or frustrated or uneasy like she'd seen before. The way Elle was looking at her at this moment, with a glint of madness in her eyes, she knew why people called her insane. Claire thought it was the sort of immaturity that she carried herself with, like she really just didn't get the emotional part of being human. How else could she see them grieving and not feel the tiniest bit of unease, just sit there drinking her stupid slusho and watching like a family voyeur. But the malice covering Claire's face gave her pause. That looks said that even if she couldn't kill Claire, she'd do a thorough job trying. And enjoy it.
Of course that feeling was soon drowned by the anger at once again being attacked in her own home for no reason. Her entire body clenched up and she prepared to let loose onto Elle.
"What the hell is your problem? You heal so it can't be brain damage." Apparently Elle has her own word vomit to unleash and is quicker on the draw. "I'm a foot away from a known serial murderer and you decide it would be a great time to trudge right in. Fine, don't thank me from saving your annoying, self righteous behind or for stopping Sylar from becoming unstoppable, but could you stop being so full of yourself for a couple freaking minutes so I can figure out how to handle this complete and utter disaster."
Claire stares as Elle, breathing hard and jolts of energy dancing across her clenched fist, and wonders when Elle became the wrong party. 'Never,' she tells herself before gathering herself up again to tell Elle off.
"Sit down and be good for two seconds while I get some tranquilizers out of my car so he doesn't wake up on us and eat our brains," proclaims Elle, still glaring and cutting her off again, before she shoots out of the house leaving Claire blinking incredulously at her backside.
"... my brain…"