Thanks so much to all who have reviewed; I'm so glad you are enjoying this!
Usual disclaimers – don't own, make no money, just having some fun
Six months later...
Claire kissed her babies and gave Julia a tearful hug.
"Clarita, all will be well, I promise you. We have our passports and our tickets. Enrique will fly with us to Los Angeles and your mother will meet us there. I promise, all will be fine." She looked over at Enrique, who was a friend to all of them and had volunteered to go with Julia to L.A. and help with the babies.
"I know, I know, it's just this is the first time we'll be apart." Claire looked over at Sylar, who didn't look too happy himself.
"If anything happens, Julia…" He swallowed hard and held his daughter close to his chest as she alternately squirmed and cuddled, thinking her daddy was playing a game.
Julia chuckled. "I know what you must be feeling. And I'm willing to wait here with the niños until you send for us. Just give me the word…"
"No, I want them with us. We have no idea how long we'll be in the states and I need my babies." She turned to her lover. "Sylar?"
"Yeah, we want them with us. It'll be fine." He put Gabby in her car seat and took Noah from Claire.
"Hey, little man, you take care of your sister and we'll be together before you know it. Okay?" Noah giggled and made a grab for his father's nose.
Sylar had to laugh at the picture he must make. A deranged ex-serial killer, attempting to communicate with his six month old son.
"Yeah, I'm totally sure he gets it." Sylar shook his head as he chuckled, giving his son a last hug. "So, we'll take off after you land and we'll meet up with you in Coste Verde"
"Don't worry, I know it will be fine. These babies, all your babies, will live long, productive lives." Julia hugged both Claire and Sylar before getting into the passenger seat.
"Okay, Enrique, we're ready to go." She waved as they headed down the driveway.
"Oh, Sylar, this is the right thing, isn't it?" Claire asked as she pushed herself deeper into Sylar's embrace.
"I don't know how else we could've gotten them home without contacting Matt and Hiro. This is for the best. No one knows about Julia and no one knows we have kids." She felt him shrug.
"Alright. Well, we have some time to kill before we head out. What do you want to do?" She looked up at him.
He smirked. "You gotta know what I want."
"Are you serious? Really? We just sent our children off to the states without us and we are about to head into a war and you want to have sex?" Claire was incredulous.
"That's exactly why. When will we have a chance again? And no babies clamoring for our attention. Would it really be so bad?" He pulled her back into his arms and feathered kisses into her hair.
"You can talk me into anything, can't you? Are you using an ability or something?" She chuckled.
"Nope, just my ever present charm." He swung her up into his arms and headed back into their house.
"You know, your inner-Sylar comes up at the oddest times." She giggled.
"Yeah, I know. But aren't you glad about it? Sometimes?" He teased her.
"Yeah, sometimes." She groaned as he laid her on their bed.
The flight to Coste Verde didn't take long, thanks to Nathan's stolen ability. Sylar was nervous. They had gotten the call from Julia as soon as she and the babies had landed and Sandra had picked them up. Julia had used a purchased phone, so the likelihood that it had been traced was slim.
Never-the-less, Sylar and Claire wouldn't feel at ease until they held their children in their arms.
"Do you think your Dad'll be there?" Sylar asked Claire as they walked on foot from a nearby business district.
"I don't know. Mom said she had told him about us. And about the babies." She shrugged. "I just hope he doesn't betray Mom's trust."
"If he does, Claire, I'm not going to be held responsible." His voice was cold.
"Okay, Sylar, let's not borrow trouble." She pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "We'll see what happens when we get there. But if anyone tries to harm our babies, you have my full agreement to burn them to a crisp."
He chuckled. "Oh, I do love you, woman."
Claire breath caught in her throat. "Sylar? Really?" He'd never really said it out loud, at least not when he wasn't inside of her.
He shrugged. "What did you think, Claire? I…that I would stay with you out of a sense of obligation? That's not me, not Gabriel and certainly not Sylar."
Claire raised her hand and placed it on his cheek. "I know you aren't asking, but I love you, too. And I love our babies. And I love that you're their father. All I want is to get through this and be with you."
"Claire, we don't have to do this. We can go away, we can go to Canada. Or Europe. Or…I don't know, just somewhere else. Just the four of us." He was almost begging her.
"Sylar, how can we?" She reasoned. "We'd spend the rest of our very long lives running. And our childern? What kind of life would that be for them? No, baby, we have to end this. For the twins and for us."
"But, Claire…" He shook his head. "I know you're right. But…"
"I know, Gabriel. I know." She reached up, pulled his head down to her and kissed him deeply. "I do love you."
Sylar and Claire snuck onto the street where the Bennett house was situated and Sylar scanned the street and other houses for any sign of company men.
He shrugged and turned to Claire. "I don't get it, no one's here."
"Are you sure?" Claire peered from behind Sylar's shoulder.
"Yeah, I'd pick up something, but I don't hear anything but the normal suburbia bullshit." He pulled Claire up next to him. "But let's play it safe, we'll go in through the back yard and go up to your room."
She nodded and took his hand in hers. "I just want to see Noah and Gabby."
"I know, baby, me too." He looked at her and sighed. His life was a far cry from where he'd been a little over a year ago and he was grateful to Claire for all that he had. He wouldn't lose it, no matter what he had to do. He would not lose his family.
Claire looked up at him, and as if reading his mind, smiled.
"That's why I would choose you all over again, Gabriel. You will do anything to protect us. That's why I will love you forever."
He frowned. "So, when did that ability come into play?"
"What ability?" Claire asked.
"Mind reading."
"Silly, I can only read you. Maybe because we're so close. Or maybe because we think the same way now." She shrugged. "Now, let's go see our family."
Sandra was holding her grandson, cooing at him and causing fits of giggles. "Oh my god, I can't believe how big they've gotten, Julia."
Julia smiled. "Yes, at this age, they grow very quickly." She narrowed her eyes at Noah, who was looking down at the face of his granddaughter.
The little girl was looking up at him, her six month old fingers touching his chin. Noah felt a tightness in his chest, he had love for these children, his Claire-bear's babies, his grandchildren. But he hesitated. He pulled back. They were also Sylar's children. Did the acorn fall very far from the tree?
"She is very beautiful, no?" Julia asked the man in the horn-rimmed glasses.
"Yes, she has Sylar's hair and complexion, but I can see Claire in her face. The eyes." He stated sadly.
"Oh for Christ's sake, Noah!" Sandra exclaimed. She handed Lyle her grandson and went to take Gabby from her husband. "Give her to me."
She held Gabby close to her chest. "These are innocent children who were conceived because of your sick employer. But they are now a part of a loving family. Do you hear me, Noah? Your daughter and Sylar love each other and are in turn loving parents. So either get with the program or get the hell out!"
Lyle grinned down at his nephew. "Your grandma can get really feisty."
"Yeah, and so can her mom." Sylar walked down the stairs followed closely by Claire. "I see where she gets it from." He smiled at Sandra as he went to take his daughter.
"Hey, baby, did you miss mommy and daddy?" He was rewarded with a loud laugh of delight as she snuggled into his arms.
"Hi Lyle, so what do you think?" Claire held her arms out to receive her son. "Oh, I think you may have grown in the last few hours." She put her nose to his neck and breathed in deeply.
Lyle looked up at his sister. She looked so happy, which was so strange, considering everything she'd been through. He stood up next to her and embraced her gently, keeping Noah between them.
"It's good to see you, Claire. Are you okay?" Lyle looked deeply into her eyes.
She smiled up at him and laid her hand on his cheek. "I'm good, Lyle. I missed you."
"Believe it or not, I missed you, too." He chuckled. "You seem…older, stronger."
"I am. That's what happens when you have kids." Claire kissed Noah. She looked up at her mother. "Thank you, Mom, for picking up Julia and the babies."
"Oh, sweetheart, don't you dare say that." Sandra went to Claire and took her into an embrace. "I missed you all so much." She smiled over at Sylar, who nodded at her.
He turned to Claire's father. "So, there were no agents on the street. Your doing?"
"Well, it seemed the smart thing to do, considering the number one person we're supposed to be searching for was coming to my house." He looked up at Sylar with a hard look before he turned to Claire.
"So, what the hell happened to you? Why didn't you come to me, Claire? What possessed you to take off with him for over a year?" Noah looked at his daughter with disappointment.
Claire shook her head. "Are you serious, Dad? Did you really think I would trust you to protect my babies? You may have been able to get me out, maybe, but I know you would've left my babies, the spawn of Satan, for the company to cut open."
"Claire! No, I would've…I don't know, but you never gave me a chance." Noah denied.
"You would've made sure Claire had an abortion. If you could've gotten her away from Nathan. But that wouldn't have happened. He's power crazy and once the babies were born, once they found out just how superior they were, he would've found some sick way to use them." Sylar's voice was low, but Claire could hear the anger behind it.
"It doesn't matter. I went with Gabriel and I had our children and I fell in love with him. Can you at least pretend to be happy for me? I have a life I never thought possible." Claire gave her son back to Kyle and went to stand next to Sylar, putting her hand on his arm, hoping to keep him calm.
"Don't worry. I promised." Sylar looked down at her, a small smirk playing at his lips.
"Gabriel? Is that what you are going by now? Does it release you of all your sins?" Noah sneered.
"¡Basta! Enough! Noah, you are certainly not one to throw stones. You are as much a part of what Sylar had become as he was. Do you think you are absolved from your sins because you saved Claire from Linderman when she was an infant? You have much to answer for, and you are trying, but so is Gabriel. And because of Claire, he can cleanse himself of his past deeds." Julia looked hard at Noah.
"You know nothing of it, of what he's done. Of what he did to Claire." He turned back to his daughter. "Did you forget what he did to you?"
"Of course not. But if he hadn't, I would not be able to spend a possible eternity with the man I have come to love." Claire looked up at Sylar. "He's not perfect, Dad, but I don't need perfect. I need someone who can do what needs to be done to protect what's his. And Noah, Gabby and me, we're his."
"I so wish you hadn't made me name him Noah." Sylar groused.
"Enough!" Sandra parroted Julia's sentiments. "We are not here to 'save' Claire. She's made her choice and her choice is Sylar and her babies. We can be a part of her life or you," she looked directly at Noah, "can just walk out. Give us time to get to a safe place before you call in your goons."
Lyle shook his head. "Dad, this is a really screwed up situation. And you've done your part to add to the mess. Is it so hard to see that Claire's in love? That she basically turned shit into something really good and positive? You couldn't save her, so she saved herself. You should be really proud of her, Dad. She's not that ditsy cheerleader anymore, she's a grown up woman who turned a crazy ass serial killer into a responsible father."
"Thanks, Lyle, I think." Sylar shrugged and Claire smiled as she kissed her brother's cheek.
"Thank you, Lyle." She beamed at him in appreciation for his acceptance.
Noah rubbed his hands over his face. "I just wanted to protect you. Is that so hard to understand?"
"No, Daddy, is isn't. But there's no longer an option of being left out of this war. It's coming. And if we are going to survive, if our kind is going to survive, we have to fight. I have too much to lose, Dad. And I hope you feel the same way." She kneeled in front of him. "You have two beautiful grandchildren who deserve to live a life free of fear. Please, Daddy."
"Look, Bennett. I didn't choose this, with Claire, I mean. But we were forced into something and it gave me a second chance at life. She gave me a second chance. I'll do anything and everything to make sure I keep it. And if that means I become a warrior that wears a white hat, then that's what I'll wear." Sylar pulled Gabby closer to his chest.
"I have a daughter and a son. I know what if feels like to want nothing more than to protect them. The thing is, Bennett, I can protect them." Sylar gave the baby back to Sandra and stood behind Claire.
Noah looked up at him. "And what about when the hunger hits you? What about when you have to kill to satiate it? What then Sylar?"
He shrugged. "It really isn't a problem anymore."
"And by what miracle did this happen?" Noah didn't buy it.
Claire took a deep breath and stood up. "Well, when we were forced together and, well, when we, you know…umm, when we…"
"The only thing I hunger for now, Bennett, is Claire. Okay? She satiates any desire I have. And if I need an ability, I can transfer it. The whole empathy bit from Peter. He gave it to me awhile back, only I needed to feed the beast. Now, Claire does." Sylar shrugged again.
"I think I'm going to be sick." Noah groaned.
Sandra looked between her daughter and Sylar before she stood up. "I think we all need to just go to bed and get a good night's sleep. Noah, are we safe here for the time being?"
"Yeah, I'll go into work tomorrow and report an all clear. With Danko gone, it's not really as intense. But it's still bad. Nathan's sort of gone off the deep end this past year." Noah sighed. He saw the signs and knew the war was coming, but he didn't want Claire in it. And now, he didn't want his grandchildren anywhere near the Petrellis.
"Okay, well, Lyle was gracious enough to move into the den so we can put the babies in the room next to yours, Claire. Your father's going to stay in my room and we've fixed up the spare room for Julia." Sandra was as perky as her southern hospitality called for.
"Great, I'm really tired." Claire smiled at her mother. "Grab Noah, sweetheart and I'll get Gabby. Are there any beds set up for them, Mom?"
Sandra chuckled. "Indeed, I had your father set up yours and Lyle's old cribs. They're just perfect."
"Thanks, Mom." Claire kissed her mother's cheek before heading upstairs.
"Yes, thanks so much, Sandra." Gabriel gave her a shy smile as he followed Claire.
"So, this was your crib? I'm surprised your mom still has it." Sylar tucked Noah in while Claire took care of Gabby.
"I know, but Mom keeps everything. Look." She held up a sleeper that had a little bunny on it. "I think this was mine."
"Well, I sure hope it wasn't Lyle's." Sylar laughed. "Do you think your Dad will come into your room tonight and try to kill me?"
"For sleeping with his little girl in his house? Maybe." She went to put her arms around his waist. "Oh, Sylar, we have to end this quickly. I don't want them to ever know how hard this was."
"We'll take care of it, baby. I promise. I'll take care of everything." He tipped her head up and kissed her gently. "I love you and I'll never let anything happen to you or the kids. I promise."