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Usual disclaimers – don't own, make no money, just having some fun
The two weeks spent with her mother went by very quickly for Claire and it was almost time for Sandra to return home. Something that made her very sad. She wanted to return with her, she wanted her brother to meet his niece and nephew. And most of all, despite everything, she wanted her father to see his grandchildren.
"Claire?" Sandra sat next to her daughter on the patio. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"
"Oh, Mom, I'm just gonna really miss you. It's been so great having you here, seeing you with the babies. I just…I missed you so much all these months." She laid her head on her mother's shoulder.
"Baby, I'm going to miss you, too. But if I stay here much longer, your father's going to get suspicious and Lyle needs me. I spoke to Sylar and he thinks you'll be coming home before too long and he wants me to take care of the babies when you do whatever it is that you need to do." She shuttered at the thought of her daughter in danger.
"Yes, well, Julia will let us know when we need to come back. On one hand I want it to be soon so we can come back home. But on the other, I'm scared, Mom. If anything happens to Sylar, I don't know what I'll do." Claire fretted.
"Who would've ever thought you'd be feeling this way about him?" Sandra shook her head, realizing her own feelings about her daughter's boyfriend were certainly different.
"I love him, Mom." Claire shrugged. "I guess Angela did us a favor, but I wish she had gone about it in a different way. The end result is all that matters, I suppose. I have my soul-mate, my beautiful children. If we can just get this pesky war out of the way, my life would be ideal." She chuckled.
"You have grown so much, Claire. Your father would be so proud of the woman you've become." Sandra stroked her daughter's hair.
"Thanks, Mommy." She giggled.
"Hey, Sandra…" Sylar walked out onto the patio. "Oh, sorry…" He turned back around.
"Oh, Sylar, please. Don't go." Sandra called to him.
"I didn't mean to interrupt, it's just, we'd better go soon. The weather, it's nice…" He was always a bit uncomfortable around Claire's mother. She knew who he was and he knew her trust would be hard won. It still baffled him that he wanted it.
"Yes, I know." She turned back to her daughter. "It won't be for long. Soon, you and your family will be back home." Sandra looked up at Sylar. "Right?"
"I'm sure it won't be long." He sat opposite the two women. "I just got off the internet, seems Nathan's attempting to get a new bill past that will make it mandatory for all people with abilities to register and to be tagged."
"Tagged?" Claire sat up.
"Yeah, microchips inserted. That way his little 'company' will always know where we are. Just like puppies from the pound." He said with disgust.
"Oh god, it's starting, isn't it?" Sandra asked with dread.
"Yeah, I think it is." Sylar sighed and stood up. "I'll take you as far as the airport in Tijuana and from there you can take a flight home."
"Yes. Of course." Sandra stood up as well. "Okay, Claire-bear, you take care of those beautiful grandchildren of mine. And take lots of photos, they're gonna grow like weeds and I don't want to miss a thing!"
Claire reached up and hugged her mother.
"I will, Mom. And you take care, too. Thank you so much for coming." Claire kissed her one last time before she left with Sylar.
"So, did you have a nice retreat?" Noah asked his estranged wife.
"Actually, I had a very nice time. I did a lot of thinking, Noah. About us." She took a load of clothes out of the dryer and began folding them.
Noah stood in the doorway and waited to hear whether his wife was going to stay with him or not.
Sandra took a deep breath and turned to face her husband.
"Noah, just what do I mean to you? Really?" Her face was determined. "Would you ever put me before this mission of yours? Do you really think what you are doing is right?"
"I…Sandra, everything I've ever done has been for you and the kids. This isn't a game; we're talking about national security…"
"The Petrellis are evil, Noah. Even I know that. What Nathan has planned, how can you back him up on this? Your daughter is one of the so called threats to our society. Our Claire, a threat. Noah, she's Nathan's biological daughter, Nathan himself has ability, yet he is targeting his own kind for extinction." Sandra was bordering on panic.
"Sweetheart, I'd never let anything happen to Claire. If she's still alive." He turned his back, his emotions getting the best of him.
"What do you mean?"
"Sylar has her; he escaped with her, from what Angela has told me. Why would he do that? Unless…" Noah couldn't finish his thought.
"Oh, so that's what Angela told you. Did she ever explain just how our daughter was imprisoned with Sylar that merited an escape?" Sandra asked.
"Danko took her and Sylar was also captured. I told you that already." Noah explained.
"Yes, I suppose you did." She turned back to her laundry.
"I still don't know why Claire went with him. The look on her face when she said good bye, she didn't have to go, she could've…"
"She could've stayed and let that damn Petrelli turn her into a fucking experiment! He and Angela put Claire and Sylar in the same cell together, Noah. They both knew she was captured." Sandra couldn't keep it from her husband anymore. Especially since she knew Claire and Sylar would be coming home soon.
"What are you talking about, Sandra?" Noah took his wife by her shoulders and turned her to face him. "What have you heard and from who?"
"Nathan thought it was an experiment, to put Claire and Sylar together with the express purpose of impregnating our daughter and then taking her child."
"What? That's insane, he'd never…"
"What? He'd never capture his own kind? Drug them, tag them, kill them? Oh, Noah, for being such a worldly man, are you really that naive? Angela had a totally different agenda, one totally separate from what her insane son had in mind. But she still meant to sacrifice Claire to her dreams, her vision of the future." Sandra cried.
"How do you know all this?" Noah asked quietly.
"Because I've been with our daughter and her lover for the past two weeks. She told me what they did to her at that precious company of yours. I held her hand as she gave birth to Sylar's twins. I've also seen her in love with a man that tried to kill her. And I've seen him in love with her." She spat out. "Don't you see what you've done to her? What she had to become because of you, because of them?"
"Oh my god, no!" Noah let go of Sandra and dragged himself into the living room.
"Yes, it's true. If it's any consolation, she's very happy. She's in love with Gabriel, that's what she calls him half the time. And he's…it's strange; he's totally devoted to our daughter. And to our grandchildren." Sandra went to her purse and pulled out a photo she took before she left. She handed it over to Noah.
He looked down at a picture of a family. A young mother, her face filled with joy and love as she held her two babies. She was looking up at a man whose face was filled with the same love and joy and maybe just a little bit of awe as he looked down at her.
"Sandra? I don't understand." Noah's voice broke.
"Okay, I'll explain it to you the best that I can." She sat next to her husband and related the events that took place during her 'retreat'.
Noah rubbed his hand over his face and watched as Sandra pulled clean sheets out of the closet.
"Are you sure you don't mind me staying here tonight?" He asked his wife.
"I wouldn't have invited you otherwise, Noah. And it's only because Kyle's away until Friday." She spoke over her shoulder as she began to change the bed clothes.
"Yeah, right." Noah went to help her.
"So, you expect them to be showing up here soon?" He asked.
Sandra turned to him, her eyes narrowing. "Are you asking as a father or as a company man?"
"As her father, Sandra. Jesus, I've been helping Matt and Hiro and the rest. You know that. I just can't leave Nathan and Angela, especially now. You know how I feel about all this." He voiced his frustration.
"Well, I have to be sure, Noah. Claire and Sylar may be able to live forever, but only heaven knows what sorts of abilities the babies will have." She turned back to finish the bed off. "And I need to know I can trust you with your grandchildren. But fine, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. And I'll get you a pillow."
"Sandy?" His voice was soft. "I love you, Sandy."
"I know, Noah. And I love you too. I just don't know if I can ever trust you again, but I want to. One thing Noah, I swear if you do anything to Sylar, you'll have to deal with me as well as our daughter." Sandra huffed.
Noah shook his head. No wonder Claire was so headstrong, she was just like her mother.