A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you're all enjoying this story, because I'm really enjoying writing it. I promise Peter will come into it more soon! I've just needed to get some stories started without him, but he's almost back! I also have a couple OCs in development, but again, if anyone has any requests for more OCs let me know and I'll consider working them into this story! Thanks especially to Troypayislove for the creation of the character description of Jaden who will be making his first appearance in this chapter!

MOHINDER, CLAIRE, MOLLY, DL, NIKI & MICAH

HOSPITAL, NEW YORK

"So, you think there's some psycho wanting to kill all of us and, what exactly? Eat our brains?" DL let out a raspy cough.

"Honey, don't laugh." Niki critiqued her husband. "You're still not very strong and laughing might hurt you somehow."

DL patted her hand endearingly. "I'm fine, sweetheart, but thank you for being so concerned." He turned his eyes up to Mohinder. "Seriously though, I don't mean to laugh, but seriously…I don't understand."

"I'm sorry Mr. Hawkins, I don't know how to make this any clearer for you." Mohinder shrugged. "I suppose if you like I could go into more detail on others who Sylar has murdered in the past, thought I'm not sure if it is something the children should hear." He glanced at Molly and Micah were who listening to the conversation with rapt attention and wide eyes.

"I'll take them on a long walk to the snack machine." Claire offered.

Mohinder seemed a little hesitant to let her go.

"It's fine." Claire assured him. "I don't need to hear anymore about Sylar's killings, I've seen it firsthand, remember?" She reached out a hand to both of the children. "And don't worry about us, we'll be safe."

"Twenty minutes." Mohinder told her. "Be back in twenty minutes or I'm sending security after you."

"I promise." Claire smiled at him reassuringly and waited for the kids to take her hands. Molly did so quickly, but Micah just gave her a look that told her quite plainly he was too old for holding hands. "Fine, come on then." She motioned with her head and led the two children from the hospital room and down the hall.

"Can we go and visit Officer Parkman?" Molly asked, tugging on Claire's hand as they neared the waiting room.

"Umm…" Claire hesitated, not quite sure if Matt Parkman would be able to have visitors, or even if he was still alive. "We can try." She decided at last, unable to ignore the girl's pathetically hopeful brown eyes.

"Good." Molly walked a little quicker, though she didn't seem certain about where she was going.

Claire took charge, taking lead again and led the kids to the receptionist's desk. "Is Matt Parkman able to have visitors?"

"Let me check." The receptionist shifted through some paperwork on her desk and then turned to search the computer. "Parkman, you said?"

"Yes, Matt Parkman. He was in surgery last night for bullet wounds." Claire elucidated for the woman.

"Oh yes, I see now." The receptionist tapped her acrylic nail against the computer screen. "He's been moved to room 312, in the recovery wing."

"And can we see him?"

"Yes, visiting hours started ten minutes ago and they'll go until four." The receptionist smiled at them kindly and pointed down the hall. "Take that elevator there to the third floor and turn right. His room will be just past the main desk."

"Thank you so much." Claire squeezed Molly's hand and pulled her away from the desk, giving Micah a little nudge in the back so he would lead the way to the elevators they had been directed to.

"So he's all right then, isn't he?" Molly asked, glancing up at Claire as they waited for the elevator to arrive.

"I'm not sure, sweetie, but he is in the recovery ward, so that must be a good sign." Claire answered her honestly, secretly praying that Matt would indeed recover fully. "Just remember that he's been through a lot and he'll still probably be very tired and sore when we see him."

She nodded her understanding as the elevator doors slid open and Claire motioned the two children in with herself and pressed the button for the third floor. After exiting the elevators, the three turned right as they had been instructed and easily found room 312.

Molly hurried straight into the room without hesitancy, eager to see her hero. Micah followed Molly, but Claire hung back in the doorway. The few times she had run across Matt, things hadn't ever gone very well. She wasn't sure if he would be interested in a visit for her. She realized she really didn't know that much about him at all, other than the fact that he could read minds and he was good with a gun, since he had shot her once before.

"Officer Parkman!" Molly greeted the ex-cop with a wide grin, stopping beside his bed and reaching to grasp his hand.

"Molly, what are you doing here?" Matt returned her grin, though it seemed like it was an effort for him to do so.

"I came to visit you!" She told him matter-of-factly. "I wanted to come earlier, but last night you were still in surgery. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling just fine." He assured her. "The doctors here know what they're doing. They've got me all patched up and they say I should be well enough to leave in a week or two." With some effort, Matt turned up the palm of his hand and she slipped her tiny hand into his anxiously.

"I knew you'd be okay!"

"I'm glad you came to see me." Matt told her. His eyes darted over to Micah who was standing a little behind Molly. "I remember you. You were with the blonde woman…"

"She's my mom."

"Right. Her name's Niki or Jessica or something?"

"Niki's my mom." Micah corrected him quickly. "Have you met Jessica?"

"Yea, I have." Matt frowned thoughtfully. "She didn't leave a very good impression on me though."

"Yea, she's not exactly someone who you'd choose to be friends with. My mom's great though. You'd like her." Micah decided. "Everyone does."

"I'll have to meet her sometime." Matt smiled. His eyes drifted further and he finally noticed Claire lingering in the doorway. "Hey Claire!"

She felt a little less nervous by the friendly tone he greeted her with, but she still remained outside the room. "Hi, Mr. Parkman."

"Are you here with the kids, or just ironically stopping by at the same time?"

"No, I'm here with them. I mean, I wanted to come and visit you too, but I'm sort of the babysitter right now. Niki and Dr. Suresh are talking to Micah's dad. He's recovering from a gunshot wound too actually." She took a tentative step into the room and when Matt smiled at her warmly she felt more inclined to approach closer.

"I'm glad you came. I saw you at Kirby Plaza, and I was hoping everything turned out okay." He drew in a slow breath, clearing still suffering from the recent surgery. "Judging by the fact that the city's still here and everything, I'm guess you found a way to stop Peter from blowing up."

Claire shook her head. She felt the familiar sensation of tears burning behind her eyes, but again she was dry, unable to release the much-needed tears. "Peter did explode…but he's okay." She added quickly when she noticed his expression. "Nathan stepped in just in time. I didn't have to shoot him."

"Good, that's good." Matt kept staring at her. "Is your dad around?"

"No. He went back to Texas."

"And left you here alone? That doesn't seem very like him."

"I know. It wasn't easy to get him to leave." Claire admitted.

"So, what are you doing here on your own then? Do you have anyone to stay with?"

"I'm staying with Dr. Suresh right now, with Molly." Claire glanced at the side table and noticed a small vase of flowers. "Are those from your family? Have they come to see you?"

Matt turned his head sideways. "No, actually those are from one of my doctors. He's a nice kid. He noticed that none of my family had come to visit yet and felt bad for me, I guess."

"That's so sweet." Claire leaned over to sniff the flowers instinctively. "Do you have family coming? Have they been called?"

"I believe my wife has been contacted. I can't get a hold of her at home, so I hope that means she might be coming." He paused. "Though I'm not really sure what I'll say to her if she does come."

"Does she know about…" Claire glanced over her shoulder at the open door and when she was certain that no one could overhear she continued. "Does she know about what you can do?"

"Yea. I told her a while ago, but she doesn't know about Sylar and everything else that I've been involved with."

"Well, good luck with that." Claire didn't know what else to say. She couldn't imagine telling someone everything that Matt would have to tell his wife. "We should probably get back soon. Dr. Suresh will freak if we're late." She started ushering the kids toward the door, but then stopped. "Look, if you need anything, or anyone to talk to, I mean I know I'm just a kid really, but I'm more mature than I might seem…" She moved back to the side of his bed and pulled a gum wrapper from her jacket pocket. "I'm going to give you my phone number. I'm here if you ever need me for any reason." She used a pen from the bedside table to scribble down her cell and then set the gum wrapper beside the vase of flowers.

"Thanks Claire." He reached out and took her hand as she turned to leave. "I want to give you my number too. I know it won't be easy for you in this city without any family."

She pulled out her cell phone and set it up for him to enter his phone number in her contacts list. After he finished and returned her phone, she gave him a grateful smile.

"I'll keep in touch, and I'll try to come and visit you again, if that'd be okay."

"Please do." Matt squeezed her hand quickly before releasing her.

"Okay kids, let's get back to the others." She waved to Matt over her shoulder and turned to follow the kids from the room. While her eyes were still on Matt though, she accidentally bumped into someone who was entering the room. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She gushed instantly. "I wasn't paying attention…"

"No, not at all. I wasn't looking where I was walking either." The guy, whom with one glanced at his attire, Claire realized was a doctor, smiled sweetly at Claire, reaching out a hand to steady her. "I didn't realize you had visitors, Matt!"

Matt grinned. "Yea, see you're not the only one who cares whether I live or die!"

"Are they your family?"

"Something like that." Matt winked at Claire who smiled understandingly.

"Well, I'm glad you came to visit. I was starting to think he was all alone in the world." The doctor moved to the bedside and began to check Matt's vitals.

"No need to be mean." Matt joked, holding up his arm obligingly for the doctor to check his pulse. "They were just leaving though."

"Well, please don't leave on my account." The doctor smiled directly at Claire, who blushed under his unfaltering gaze.

"We aren't." Claire assured him quickly. "We just have other people to see."

"More than one visit in the hospital at once? That's a little unlucky for you, isn't it?"

"Yea, it is." Claire noticed Molly starting to slip back towards Matt and she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders to restrain her. "We should get going though."

"Thanks again for stopping by Claire." Matt spoke up. "And for bringing Molly to see me." He smiled at the girl who was beaming back at him.

"Claire, eh? It was nice to meet you." The doctor was still smiling at her and she felt her cheeks growing even warmer. "Or see you at least. I'm Jaden, or well Dr. Hill I suppose. I'm only an intern here though, so you can call me Jaden."

"Thanks, it was nice to meet you too Dr. Hill…Jaden." Claire tried hard to stop her mind from mentally memorizing all of the doctor's attractive qualities as she stepped backwards out of the room. "Thanks for taking care of Matt. He's very important to us all."

"Of course. It's a pleasure."

"Bye!" she waved at Matt, smiled once more at Jaden, and then led the kids quickly back down to the elevators.

"That doctor seemed nice." Molly commented obliviously as she waited with Claire and Micah at the doors to the elevator. "I'm glad Mr. Parkman has someone looking out for him."

"Me too." Claire replied automatically. She pressed the button for the elevators again, even though it was already lit. "I hope Dr. Suresh and Niki don't freak out because we're late." She pounded on the button impatiently. "All we need right now is a full-blown search of the hospital just because we're a few minutes overdue."

Micah smiled at her reassuringly. "Mom's pretty good about staying calm."

"Yea, but what about Dr. Suresh? He's never been a dad before and now he's doing his best to take care of Molly…" She grinned. "I'm assuming he won't be as good at staying calm."

The elevator doors opened and Claire hurriedly ushered the kids inside and pressed the button for the second floor. The doors had just started to slide shut again, but a hand slipped in between them, forcing them to reopen.

"Claire!"

Claire was too shocked to respond, she could only stare, realizing that her mouth had dropped open slightly.

"Claire…" He was still holding the elevator doors open, but when an angry alarm sounded, he stepped into the elevator so the doors could shut. "Are you going to say anything?"

"Umm…what the hell are you doing here?"

"Yes, that's a good question…" He hesitated briefly. "I wanted to see you."

"Why?"

"Because I needed to…I needed to apologize for what I said to you earlier, on the phone. And I needed to make sure that you were all right."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Nathan." Claire snapped at him. "You spoke what you felt and I'm glad that I heard it so I won't have any false hopes for our future together."

"Claire, I just flew here from DC. I think I have earned at least five minutes of your time." Nathan shoved his hands in the pockets of his suit jacket, looking strangely insecure for the first time Claire had seen.

"Fine. Five minutes." Claire glanced up as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. "I have to go see Dr. Suresh first though, just to check in. He'll worry otherwise."

"That's fine, I'll go with you." Nathan walked out of the elevator with the two girls and Micah and followed them down the hall to DL's room.

"You're late!" Mohinder commented the instant that they entered the room.

"By like a minute." Claire retorted with a smile. She didn't know how to tell him that she was actually flattered by how worried he was about her and the others. It made her feel cared for, which was clearly something she wouldn't get from Nathan.

Mohinder frowned as he noticed Nathan hanging back in the doorway. "Mr. Petrelli, I didn't expect to see you here."

"I came to talk to my daughter." He responded bluntly.

Claire rolled her eyes. "So now I'm your daughter?"

Niki was determinedly keeping her eyes off of Nathan, who seemed equally determined not to look at her. "Claire, you're always my daughter, that doesn't change simply because I haven't told my wife about you yet." He stepped towards her, but she backed away. "Look, you said you were going to give me a chance to hear what I had to say."

"You're right." Claire gave in. "We're going to talk. I'll be back." She told the others briefly before following Nathan from the room.

"Be safe!" Mohinder called after her. She waved her hand over her shoulder to show that she had heard him.

Once they had reached the lobby, Nathan motioned Claire into a chair and he sat across from her looking more nervous by the second.

"So?" Claire waited for him to speak, but when he didn't she had to prod him.

"I'm sorry."

"You've said that bit already." Claire knew that the fact he had flown all the way to New York to talk to her in person was a pretty big gesture in itself, but she couldn't resist giving him a hard time. He had hurt her feelings, and she wasn't accustomed to forgiving people that easily.

"Your dad called me."

"Oh. So is that why you came? Did he threaten you? Or, I know, he asked you to come and check up on me to make sure I was staying out of trouble…"

"Sort of." Nathan nodded. "He didn't threaten me. He just reminded me that you're my daughter too and, you're still only a child…" He paused, knowing that wasn't what she wanted to hear. "I wanted to come and see you. Talking to you was comforting, in a way, but I wanted to see for myself that you really were okay."

"Well, thanks then." Claire sighed. "I'm sorry you had to come all this way though. I really am okay."

Making the decision to fly to New York came to Nathan almost the minute he had hung up on Noah Bennett. He had known instinctively that he needed to see Claire. He wanted to see her. Now that he was there though, he had no idea what had inspired his decision. He hadn't a clue what to say to her and mostly he just felt pathetic, because she clearly had no desire to be talking with him.

"I wish I didn't disappoint you so much, Claire. I wish I could be the father that you need me to be. I want to announce you to the world and tell everyone that I have a beautiful daughter who is smart and strong, and who I couldn't be more proud of, but I can't." For a split second, Claire thought he might actually cry, but he quickly recovered the perfectly emotionless expression that he was so practiced at and continued without a trace of tears in his voice. "I have been elected to serve and to make everyone proud, and I intend to do just that. This city is going to be looking to me as a leader and right now, I am not sure how to fit you into everything."

"You know I'm not lying when I say that I understand, Nathan. I truly do. When I came to New York a few days ago, it wasn't to see you. I didn't come running here so that you could save me from some hopeless life. I came here to see Peter and just happened to be swooped up into your crazy family." Claire reminded him. "So, don't feel bad about not playing the daddy role. I wasn't looking for it."

Her announcement seemed to awaken a sudden confidence in him. "Just because I don't know how to fit you in, doesn't mean I don't want to be your father. I do. It simply might take a while. I do, however, want to take care of you as a father should, even if I can't make that public at this time."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"I want to provide for you. You should never have to want for anything."

"You don't owe me anything." Claire narrowed her bright eyes at him. "I don't want your charity, or whatever it is that you feel like dishing out to me."

"I'm not talking about charity, Claire. I'm talking about my position in your life as your father." He leaned forward a little, wanting to make her fully understand what he was trying to say. "I want to take care of you. If you would like to stay here in New York, and personally I hope you do, then I would like to find you someplace to live, a condo or somewhere…"

"Nathan, no offense, but I really don't need your help. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself…"

"Claire, I'm not trying to imply that you can't, I just want to help. I really do want to be a part of your life, and I want you to be a part of mine. Why is it so hard for you to accept that I genuinely care about you?"

"What's my middle name?" Claire asked suddenly. "Why was I named 'Claire' even?"

"What?" Nathan was at a loss for her sudden inquiries.

"Why did I have to use crutches for six months in the sixth grade? What's my favorite color? Who was my first kiss?" She paused. "How did I first learn about my abilities?"

"Claire…" His voice faltered. "I don't have a response for you."

"That's because you don't know me. You're not a part of my life. You never have been."

"I thought you were dead." He retorted quickly. "You can't blame me for that! If I had known…if I had any reason to believe that you had lived…"

"What? Would you have married my mother, raised me as a family should?"

"I don't know Claire. I can't give you an answer for that. We were both so young when you were born. Meredith and I barely had a relationship for more than a few weeks before she told me that she was pregnant. I was shocked…" He cleared his throat. "But I would have stayed with her. When she told me that she was pregnant, I was terrified, but I was also excited. I wanted to be a father."

"You didn't stay with her though." Claire reminded him. "I was almost two years old when the fire happened and you weren't there."

"I know. I stayed with her through the pregnancy and then at the hospital…" This time tears really did start to form in his eyes. Claire was stunned. "I was there the night you were born. You were a beautiful baby, Claire. 6 lbs. exactly." He smiled. "I spent the entire night with your mom in the hospital room, sleeping on a roll-away bed. I barely slept though. I spent half the night with my face pressed up against the window of the nursery, just staring at you."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Claire was feeling a little uncomfortable at the sudden sprint down memory lane with her biological daddy. She felt more comfortable having him remain distant and cold. Seeing him express emotion was a little too weird for her.

"I am trying to make you understand what I am having a difficult time with. It's not just about my political image." He insisted. "Let me just finish explaining, okay?"

"Okay." Claire nodded, settling back in her chair to let him speak his piece.

"After that first night I had to leave for a few hours, for work purposes, and when I returned to the hospital she had checked out. There was nothing, no note, no explanation, nobody there could tell me anything except that she took you and checked out." Nathan shook his head. "That was the last I heard for months. She finally called me on your first birthday to tell me that she was living with you in Texas. When I asked her why she had left, she made up some story about being scared of marriage, but I have different suspicions."

"Like what?"

"Suspicions that involve my mother, and her obsessive hobby of interfering in other people's lives." Nathan explained.

Claire nodded. "She does seem to have a way of manipulating people."

"Yes she does." Nathan sighed. "By the time that Meredith had called to confess about where she was, I had moved on with my life. I was finishing up my law degree and starting to date again. I wanted to meet you, of course, but at that point it didn't make sense. She had a life set up with you and clearly had no desire for me to be a part of it. We kept in touch through phone calls for a few months. The last call I had from her was actually the night before the fire. After that I feel that I grieved for you as if I had been raising you for the past year, but as far as I knew, you were dead. There was no reason for me to suspect otherwise."

"I know."

"Claire, if I had had my way from the beginning, you would have always been my daughter." Nathan told her honestly.

She stayed quiet, not able to respond to his confession.

"I know that I barely know you. I don't know your favorite color, or whether you have a boyfriend, and no, I don't know you're middle name, but I know that you are my daughter and if you let me, I want to spend time learning all those things about you. I want to know you and I want to have you in my life, finally." Nathan finished and sat back, waiting for Claire to respond.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she spoke after a few moments of silence. "Elizabeth."

"I'm sorry?"

"My middle name is Elizabeth." She repeated. "My favorite color is red, and I don't have a boyfriend…anymore."

Nathan smiled, instantly feeling more relaxed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She also smiled. "I don't want a condo though. I want to be a part of your life, but in order for that to happen, I need you to be honest about me to your family. I can't just be the daughter you have hidden away somewhere. When you're ready to accept me fully and tell your wife about me, then I'll be waiting."

"I want to tell Heidi. I really do. And I want Monty and Simon to know their sister. I just need time." Nathan replied.

"I know. And I'm giving you time, but I have already waited for fifteen years." She hesitated. "I won't wait forever…Dad."

"I won't ask you to." Nathan stood and she followed suit. After a brief hesitation, he held out his arms and she allowed him to fold her into a slightly awkward hug. When they broke apart, both of them had tears in their eyes. "Come on, let's get back to the others."

Claire allowed Nathan to hold his arm around her shoulders as he walked her back down the hall to DL's room. When they entered, Nathan headed straight to Mohinder, while Claire moved to Molly's side.

"Did you have a good chat?" Mohinder asked cordially.

"We did." Claire confirmed.

"Dr. Suresh, I have to return to DC for a couple days for some meetings and whatnot, but after that my family and I will be coming back home." Nathan started explaining his plans. "I can't be positive about what we'll be doing, but eventually I plan on bringing Claire home with me. Until I am able to do that though, can I ask you to take care of her for me?"

Mohinder nodded. "I have already told her she's welcome to stay with me as long as necessary."

"Thank you." Nathan nodded and turned to leave. "Goodbye Claire." He waved to her from the door, still avoiding eye contact with Niki.

"Bye!" Claire returned the wave, feeling more lighthearted than she had in the past few weeks. Somehow that short discussion with Nathan seemed to somehow clear almost all the stress that she had been dealing with. Even though her life was still an absolute mess, just knowing that Nathan hadn't always been as absent as he was now, and even more than that, he wanted to establish a relationship with her. Better late than never.