A/N: I know I've been gone forever! I'm so ashamed, but senior year has taken over my life. I'll be graduating in 8 weeks! Wow. No clue what comes next, but hopefully some more time for fun writing. Anyway, I know this isn't too long, especially considering how long I've been away, but I'm writing when I can, and updating what I have. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into a more regular routine, but bear with me! XOXOXO

HIRO & KYOKO

CLAUDE'S APARTMENT-HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

"Can I get you anything?" Hiro stood in front of the trembling girl nervously; he felt his heart racing and hoped he wasn't blushing.

She had been silent for nearly an hour. He felt concerned for her, like he had never felt for anyone else before.

"Water? Or a blanket?"

A slight smile tugged at her lips and she finally lifted her head toward him. Hiro was continually struck by her beautiful features. It wasn't that she was simply beautiful, but there was something very familiar—very comforting—about her face that made him want to smile. Her soft brown eyes glimmered with the faintest trace of tears, but her smile didn't fail. Her lips drew his eyes to them, and he was taken by how perfectly full and smooth they were. He couldn't explain his sudden desire to touch them, and the thought made him ashamed.

"Thank you." Her voice was always sweet, and it made Hiro close his eyes for a moment to enjoy the sound fully.

"For what?"

"For being so kind to me."

"I just want you to be happy."

Kyoko continued to smile at him, making him so uncomfortable that he finally had to look away.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?"

"I just need a minute to calm down."

Hiro stood in front of her quietly, letting her have her moment. She took a deep breath and finally stopped trembling.

"I'm better now."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I should probably talk to Claude. He always likes to know what I see."

"Yes, you should talk to Claude." Hiro glanced towards the bedroom where Claude had locked himself away; he always locked himself away these days. "He seems busy now though. You could talk to me…"

Kyoko gave him another soft smile and nodded. "I would like that, but I don't think he would like it very much."

"Maybe we shouldn't care so much what he thinks."

"Hiro." Hiro turned quickly at the sound of Claude's booming voice. "I would like to speak with Kyoko now."

Hiro obliged him by backing away from the girl and letting Claude step forward.

"Ready?"

Kyoko's eyes briefly glanced past Claude to Hiro as he slowly backed out of the room. He caught her eyes and smiled eagerly, but her expression showed worry and his smile faded quickly. He didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't explain why. There was nothing particular about his relationship with Kyoko that should give him a reason to stay—he didn't even have a relationship with Kyoko—but something in her eyes made it impossible for him to leave her. Since she didn't seem to wish for the privacy, he chose to stay, but lingered in the background so Claude wouldn't notice him.

"You had a vision?" Claude asked Kyoko.

She nodded.

"What did you see?"

"I saw a young woman and a little girl. They were running from something…" she paused and squeezed her eyes shut. "Or maybe they were running towards something. It is unclear."

"Try to understand it better."

"It doesn't work that way," Kyoko told him. "I can't understand what I do not see."

"Then try to see it better," Claude pressed.

She squeezed her eyes more tightly and a small vein shown on her forehead, brought out by the intense concentration. Hiro didn't like how hard she was focusing; he was afraid it would hurt her somehow.

"I think they are running towards someone else…" she murmured. "A man is there in the shadows. He is waiting for them. They seem frantic, but not scared of him. Anxious, perhaps." She continued to look inside her own mind for the answers Claude wanted. "The little girl is looking over her shoulders. I think they are running from someone also."

"Where are they?" Claude wanted to know.

"New York, definitely. Central Park it looks like. There are trees, and behind them, skyscrapers. It's dusk. There is wind in the trees. The woman is crying." She gasped and her eyes opened suddenly. "I'm sorry…that's all I can see."

Claude's body was tight; he was clearly unsatisfied.

"You did good, Kyoko." Hiro spoke up, despite his instinct to stay quiet.

Claude nodded stiffly. "We need more detail on the people you saw. Can you draw them?"

"I don't draw," she admitted.

"Can you describe them?"

"Yes, I think so. The little girl best perhaps. I only saw the woman's profile, and the man was in shadow."

"All right," Claude nodded. "We'll get someone in here who can draw it for you then. We need to know who those people are and why you're seeing they're future." He returned to his room and shut the door, pulling out his cell phone instantly and dialing a number from memory. She answered immediately.

"I thought I told you not to call unless it was an emergency."

"I know."

"Is this an emergency, Claude?"

"No…I don't think so. I hope not."

"Claude. I told you it was too great a risk for you to contact me unnecessarily. If they were to somehow pick up on this phone call and trace it to me…"

"You'd make sure they never did."

"You shouldn't put so much confidence in my abilities. One day they might fail."

"Hana, you can't fail me."

"Then stop putting the operation at risk."

"I needed to make sure you were safe."

"Safe? Of course I'm safe."

Claude sighed. "And you're assignment…"

"She's safe as well."

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"I'm positive. No one has been near her. She's perfectly safe."

Claude was silent for a minute and Hana did her best to interpret his silence.

"I know you're worried about her, but you sent me down here for a reason and now you have to trust that I am capable of protecting her."

"Hana, you and I both know that if anyone did actually show up, you'd be incapable of doing much to stop them."

"But I would inform you immediately and you would send others."

"I know."

"Claude, what's brought this on? Why are you calling me now? It's been weeks since we've spoken."

"We have a new member of our group."

"And?"

"She sees things."

"Did she see me?"

"No…I don't know…maybe. The details are all a bit fuzzy, but she saw a woman and a girl and they were running…scared…"

"Claude, nothing has happened here. Meredith is safe and she hasn't made any contact with Claire."

"All right. Keep me updated though, yea?"

"I promise."

"Thank you Hana."

"Good bye now Claude."

Claude hung up with Hana and rejoined the others in the living room. "Kyoko, the woman in your vision, and the girl…do they have blonde hair?"

Kyoko glanced up and shook her head. "The woman's hair is red and the girl's is dark."

Claude felt as though he could finally breathe completely.

MICAH HAWKINS

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, NEW YORK

Micah sat alone at his lunch table outside, eating the sandwich he had made that morning for his lunch. He was fine with the silence of being alone, but he missed Molly's company. She hadn't shown up for school that day though, and she was the only friend he cared to keep.

"Hello there."

Micah ears perked up at the voice, but he only inclined his head slightly and didn't turn around. He wasn't eager to invite conversation, especially since the voice was unfamiliar.

"Micah?"

He had to acknowledge the man as he sat down at the table across from Micah, so he nodded briefly.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Watkins, the new guidance counselor."

Micah nodded again, but didn't say anything. He eyed the man with skepticism.

"Why don't you call me Kenny?"

"Is that your name?" Micah asked.

Mr. Watkins nodded. "It is. I thought maybe it would be nice if we could talk casually, like friends."

"I don't know you," Micah told him. "We're not friends at all."

"Would you like to be?" Mr. Watkins smiled. "I've noticed you don't seem to have any friends, Micah."

"I have friends."

"I'm sure you do, but you are sitting here all by yourself…"

"My friend isn't here," Micah explained.

"Then you wouldn't mind me sitting here with you for a little bit, would you?"

"I guess not." Micah continued eating, keeping his eyes on his food.

"Micah, would you mind if we talked for a minute?"

Micah looked up again, feeling once again skeptical. "About what?"

"Well, you're one of our newer students here, and no one really knows much about you and your family and what brought you here," Mr. Watkins started. "I was hoping to ask you a few questions. Would that be all right?"

Micah didn't want to agree, but he nodded anyway, and started silently practicing the stories his family had made up for situations exactly like this.

"Where were you before here?" Mr. Watkins asked.

"My family lived in Nevada before here."

"And how many are in your family?"

"It's just my parents and me."

"What do your parents do?"

Micah hesitated for a moment before answering. "My dad does construction and my mom works at a restaurant."

"Do you live far from school?"

Micah hesitated again and then shook his head. "Not too far."

"What sort of things do you like Micah?"

"Like hobbies?"

Mr. Watkins nodded. "Sure hobbies…or do you have any special talents?"

"Talents?" Micah repeated. "No, I don't have any talents."

Mr. Watkins considered him for a moment and then spoke again, keeping his voice perfectly casual. "What do you know about your friend Molly? Does she have any special talents?"

"Why do you want to know Mr. Watkins?"

"I told you to call me Kenny."

"I'm more comfortable addressing you formally, Mr. Watkins."

"Whatever you prefer." He paused again and then continued. "So, your friend Molly…"

"I'm sorry Mr. Watkins, but if you want to know about Molly you'll have to ask her yourself." Micah stood quickly. "I have to go now, Mr. Watkins." Micah hurried away from the guidance counselor, depositing his trash in a bin as he passed. He kept hurrying until he had passed through the school and arrived out front, where he knew he would be completely alone; kids didn't usually go out front during school hours. Once he was alone, he pulled out his cell phone and used his speed dial.

"Micah? What's wrong? Why are you calling during school? Did something happen?"

"Mom, I'm okay, calm down." Micah looked around, just to be safe.

"What's going on?"

"I just needed to run something by you…"

"Okay?"

"I was having lunch by myself because Molly didn't come to school today, and this man came up to me and started asking me a bunch of questions."

"What sort of man?"

"He said he is the guidance counselor. I've never seen him before."

"What sort of questions?"

"Well, that's what was strange. He was asking me a lot of personal questions about our family and our past, and then he wanted to know if I had any special talents…" Micah hesitated. "And then he asked me about Molly."

"What about Molly?"

"He wanted to know if she had any special talents either."

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing. I made an excuse and left. He made me uncomfortable and I didn't like the questions he was asking." Micah hesitated. He didn't want to give his mom any reason to overreact, but he had to tell her. "Mom, I don't think he was really a guidance counselor."

MOLLY & MATT

MATT'S HOUSE, NEW YORK

"Matt?" Molly called out the moment she had the front door opened.

"In here, sweetheart."

Molly dumped her shopping bags in the living room and ran into the kitchen where he was calling from and greeted him with a hug.

"Hey there." He returned the hug. "Did you and Claire have a good day together?"

"We did," she announced. "Being with Claire is so much better than being in school."

"Yea? Well don't get used to it. I only let you skip this once, remember?"

Molly smiled. "I remember." She yawned.

"Are you tired?"

"A little."

"Did Claire wear you out with all that shopping, or are you just not getting enough sleep?"

"I'm sleeping fine."

"Molly, one of the great things about having you live here with me is that I don't need to read your mind anymore to know when you're lying to me." He sighed. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"A little."

"Molly? Do I need to read your mind?"

"After the nightmare I didn't sleep at all," she confessed.

Matt pulled a plate of brownies from the refrigerator and a carton of milk. "Let's talk about it." He poured them both a glass of milk and handed the plate of brownies to Molly. "Into the living room, young lady."

Molly obediently returned to the living room, placed the brownies on the coffee table, and took a seat on one of the couches. Matt sat across from her, looking serious.

"Tell me about your nightmare last night."

"Actually, it wasn't really a nightmare like usual," she told him. "Maybe that's why it kept me up all night."

"Wait, now you're not sleeping because you're not having nightmares?"

"Sort of…" she hesitated. "The dreams made me confused, so that's why I wasn't sleeping."

"Molly, what did you dream about?"

"I saw the Nightmare Man."

"And he didn't scare you?"

"He did at first, but then it was different. He showed me things, but not scary things like usual. He showed me some people, but he wasn't hurting them."

"What was he doing to them?"

"Nothing. He just showed them to me. And then he focused on himself."

"And then what happened?"

"He started talking to me," Molly explained. "He told me not to be afraid, and he said he needed my help."

"And you trust him?"

She was quiet.

"Molly, sweetheart, you can't trust him! He's been torturing you for months with these nightmares. This could be just one more tactic at getting inside your mind!"

"Why would he ask for my help though?" She wondered. "It doesn't make sense. Usually he's making an effort to avoid being seen completely and now suddenly he's just there, asking for my help! He's not trying to hide anymore at all."

"That's why it's dangerous. He's clearly up to something."

"You don't know that!"

"Molly…" Matt didn't want to sound angry, but he needed her to understand that he was worried about the situation. She wasn't taking it seriously enough at all and that scared him. "Don't trust him. Please."

She was still quiet, but she nodded slowly.

"Molly, I'm serious." He leaned towards her. "The next time he comes to you, I don't want you to listen to anything he says. And when you wake up, come to me right away and tell me everything he said."

"Okay."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Good, now tell me all about your day with Claire."

SASHA & MOHINDER

CHICAGO

"I think I'm losing her."

"Losing her is not an option, Jaden." Sasha kept her voice low, but took a few steps further away from Mohinder to be certain he wouldn't overhear.

"It's not really my choice."

"Look, I just need a few more weeks with Mohinder before I completely understand how this virus works. He's giving me all the information we need! We won't need him much longer, and then we can take action." She glanced towards the baggage carousal and saw that Mohinder was still waiting.

"We might not have a few weeks."

"Claire is crucial to our plan dammit! If you lose her, we're screwed."

"You think I don't know that?"

Sasha took a moment to collect her thoughts. "Once Angela Petrelli finds out that you've stopped succeeding in your assignment, she will take you off this case. She will put someone else on it before we even have a chance to act. Claire is too important for them to lose, but she's even more important for us. We can't risk letting someone else take your job."

"I know, but I don't know what to do. I think she's losing interest in me."

"Really?"

"She's a teenage girl, Sasha. She's not obligated to be interested in the same guy for eternity. Besides, Peter's back in her life now."

"Then get him out of her life. I don't care what it takes, Jaden. Do whatever it takes to make her interested in you again. Whatever it takes." Mohinder had retrieved their luggage and was heading towards Sasha. "I have to go. Don't call me again until you have good news." She hung up before he could argue and turned to Mohinder with a pleasant smile. "All set?"

PETER PETRELLI & CLAIRE BENNET

PETRELLI MANSION, NEW YORK

"Claire?"

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she heard his footsteps coming up the steps. He called out again, but she still didn't answer; she knew her voice would be shaky and she didn't want him to hear it. When he knocked on her bedroom door, however, she finally cleared her throat and responded.

"Come in." Looking in the mirror, she saw Peter push open the door and peek his head in.

"Didn't you hear me calling?"

Claire sighed and turned away from the mirror. "I heard."

"Okay…" he entered her room, but stayed near the door. "Is everything okay?"

"Nathan's not here."

"Yea, I know."

"Nobody else is here," Claire told him.

"So? I came here to see you."

She nodded. "I know."

He sat down on her bed. "I thought we were friends again."

"We are friends, Peter," she assured him. "I'm just not sure we're ready to be alone together yet."

"Don't you trust me?" His eyes showed such sincerity and desperation that Claire felt drawn to comfort him. She wanted to curl up on the bed with him and let him wrap her up in his arms and whisper soothing things into her ear like he used to before things changed.

"Peter…you should go."

He sighed. "I thought we were going to try again Claire."

"We are trying. We're trying to be friends, but you can't be here in my room like this. It's not right."

"I'm just sitting here!"

Claire moved to the door and motioned for him to leave. "Jaden's going to be here any minute, and I think it would be best if you weren't here when he comes."

"Jaden?" He stood suddenly. "He's coming here?"

"Yes."

"But you're here alone."

"Yea…."

"I don't think it's a good idea for the two of you to be here alone."

"He's my boyfriend," she reminded him. "We're allowed to be alone together."

Peter hesitated. "I really don't think it's a good idea, Claire."

"It doesn't really matter what you think though, does it?" She left the room and headed down the stairs.

He followed quickly. "Claire, please!"

"Peter." She pulled her arm away when he tried to take hold of it. "I don't want to hear your opinion of Jaden, and if you're only going to be critical, I would rather you left."

He obediently headed to the front door. "Be careful, Claire."

"Careful?" She repeated. "With what?"

"With Jaden."

"Seriously?" She rolled her eyes. "Goodbye Peter."

He opened the door and found Jaden waiting on the doorstep.

"Oh, hello," Jaden gave a curt smile.

Peter didn't reply, but narrowed his eyes at Jaden and stood in the doorway, blocking the way.

"Come on in Jaden," Claire shoved Peter out of the way. "Peter was just leaving."

Jaden stepped inside, leaving Peter on the doorstep, and wrapped both his arms around Claire's waist. He stared hard at Peter who was clearly not interested in leaving.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Peter told Claire.

"Fine."

Jaden started kissing Claire's neck and Peter quickly left. Once he was out of sight, Claire pulled a little away from Jaden. She closed the door and headed into the family room with Jaden close on her heels.

"So, I've been thinking about tomorrow night…"

"Yea?" Claire took a seat on the couch and he sat close to her.

"It's your prom, right?"

"Well yea, but I'm not going…"

"I know. And I feel bad about that, so I think you and I should do something special to make up for it."

"Like what?"

He grinned. "It's a surprise."

"You already have a plan?"

"Yep."

Claire felt strangely indifferent to his planned surprise, but she nodded and tried to convince him of her excitement as they settled in to watch a movie.

Two hours later, the movie was just at its end when the door to the family room opened and Nathan stepped in. He flipped on the light and stared hard at Jaden, who had taken the liberty of pulling Claire tight to himself the moment she had fallen asleep. Nathan cleared his throat loudly and Claire started to wake.

"It's late," Nathan said.

Jaden nodded. "Yes Sir, it is."

Claire blinked a couple times and craned her neck around to see Nathan. When she realized how close Jaden was holding her, she pulled away from him and sat up.

"Hey Nathan…" she smiled, but she felt a little humiliated to have let her dad catch her in that intimate of a possession with her boyfriend, even though they weren't actually doing anything to be ashamed of.

"I think it's time to call it a night," Nathan decided.

Claire stood and nodded. "Sure, of course." She glanced down at Jaden. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He stood and glanced briefly at Nathan before kissing Claire. He held it longer than she, or Nathan thought was necessary, and then left with only a slight nod towards Nathan.

"Okay…" Claire turned off the television and started to move past Nathan, but he followed her immediately up to her bedroom. "Umm…did you and Heidi have a good night out?"

"Oh my evening was very nice, but don't think we're not discussing what just happened down there."

"What do you mean?" She entered her bedroom and considered closing the door on Nathan, but he quickly entered behind her.

"I know I'm still new at being your father, but I know I have a right to be uncomfortable with what I just saw."

"We weren't doing anything wrong," Claire protested.

"And thank God I came home when I did or who knows what might have happened."

"Nathan, nothing happened, and nothing was going to happen."

He shook his head. "How can you be so certain? You were sound asleep and he had made himself quite comfortable…"

"Nathan, stop." Claire turned to him with her hands on her hips. "I really don't think you want to have this conversation, but since you won't let it drop…Jaden and I have never had sex. At this time, I have no intentions of having sex with him. Is there anything else you want to know?"

"Claire, I realize you are a very responsible young woman, but Jaden is older than you and he may have very different expectations."

"Jaden would never expect me to do something I wasn't ready for."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Nathan, I don't feel comfortable talking to you about this." Claire moved to her door and motioned for him to leave. "My relationship is none of your business."

Nathan wanted to respond, but he could think of nothing else to say, so he moved to the door. "Goodnight sweetheart."

Claire stopped him before he left. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I know you're just concerned." She gave him a hug and he kissed her forehead before leaving.

Nathan walked slowly down the hallway and heard Claire close her door completely before he reached the stairs. He hurried down the stairs and into his office, shutting the door for privacy before making his phone call.

"Hello?"

"Noah." Nathan kept his voice low even though his door was shut and Claire was two floors above him.

"Nathan? I have to admit I'm a little surprised to be hearing from you. I had thought maybe Claire was calling…"

"She's already gone to bed. I needed to talk to you about something."

"I'm assuming this is something I should keep from Claire?"

"Perhaps. This is a little awkward for me to even discuss, and I know it would be for Claire as well."

"What is it Nathan?"

"I caught Claire with her boyfriend tonight…they weren't exactly doing anything inappropriate, but something about her boyfriend makes me a little uncomfortable and I'm not sure I trust her to keep boundaries with him."

"Boundaries?"

"I don't know how to be a father to teenage daughter. I don't know what she expects of me and I don't know how to set rules without crossing the line…"

"Claire is a very responsible girl."

"That doesn't mean she doesn't need rules." Nathan glanced at the framed picture of Claire on his desk. He had had pictures of her taken very soon after she had moved in with them, and now he kept the picture on his desk between two framed pictures of his sons. "Have you and your wife ever discussed…umm…"

"Yes?"

"Sex. With Claire." Nathan spat it out quickly.

"She knows the basics, if that's what you mean."

"What does she know about being safe and setting boundaries?

"Her mother has discussed it with her. It's not really my area of parenting."

Nathan sighed. "I just don't know how to talk to her about it. She's responsible, but she's only seventeen. I don't know…is she allowed to have sex?"

"She lives under your roof now. You have to make the rules. Though if I may give my opinion, I'd rather she wasn't having sex."

"That makes two of us."

"Is there anything else, Nathan?"

"Not at the moment…"

"All right, because I'm sort of in the middle of something…"

"Oh, of course. Thank you for taking my call."

"Anytime. Good luck with Claire." Noah hung up promptly.