I Can Fix You

Previously on Heroes

"You're just about to finish up your first semester as a college freshman. You can't be tired of school already," he says. "Besides, you're a nursing major. You can't really become a nurse with only one semester's worth of education. College's supposed to be the greatest years of one's life. Enjoy it while you can," Gabriel tells her.

"You could enroll into UCLA with me," Claire says with a bright smile.

Gabriel snorts, "That's ok. Have you had orientation yet?"

She nods, "Yeah, last week, signed up for classes and everything"

"He's found me, hasn't he?" Claire wants to know.

"Yeah," Gabriel says, whatever intimacy there was is now dissipated. "Now we're totally at his mercy. He is hiding himself very well, better than I had anticipated."

"You got a package not too long ago," Tammy says to Claire. "I put it on your bed for you."

"Oh, my god," Claire exclaims, taking the thing out of the box. "Is that what I think it is?"

Gabriel's expression is tight, "Yeah. It's from him."

Claire automatically drops the taxidermied rabbit and kicks it under her bed.

Chapter 12: Ballad For The Lost Romantics

"Are you sure you want to live the dorms?" Sandra asks her daughter as they carry in the last of Claire's belongings to her dorm room and begin sorting and putting away various items.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Claire says. "Gabe's certain that his father will want me as isolated as possible, and that's how I am back at the apartment. I was always by myself and I never talked to the neighbors, so…"

"But what does Gabe think of you living in a dorm?" There is a slight disdain in Sandra's voice when she says Gabriel's name, but Claire does not pick up on it.

Claire shrugs, "He's not too thrilled. If he had it his way, he'd lock me in his apartment for a few decades. So he says to make sure I never leave the dorm alone."

"But what about when it comes to going to classes?"

"He says to become the good-girl/ social butterfly that he knows I am capable of being and make friends to walk around campus with," Claire tells her mother with a good natured roll of the eyes. "His words, not mine."

Taking a stack of Claire's tee shirts, Sandra begins to fold them, "I don't see how you're so quick to fall in line to what he says, or so quick to forgive him after what he did to you."

Claire groans, "Not this…again. Mom, he's not the same person anymore. Besides, what about you and Dad, after all the things he had done, and probably still doing?"

"It's not the same…"

Claire interrupts, "Mom! Gabriel attempted suicide when The Company intervened. Dad was the one who kept pushing Gabriel. You were more pissed off when you heard about that, so what is the real reason you don't like the idea of me and Gabriel?"

"It's just," Sandra starts, "he's so much older than you are."

Claire's jaw drops, "That's it?" Claire starts laughing, what ever irritation she had leaves. "Considering we're never going age or get old or anything, age difference is the last thing on our minds."

Suddenly a sad look appears in Claire's eyes. "Sweetie, what's the matter?" Sandra inquires.

"I was just thinking, what would have things been like, if I was the only one with my ability," Claire says. "How alone I would be. Bitter. Angry. The same emotions I would be having had I not chosen to forgive Gabriel for what he did as Sylar."

Sandra places a hand on Claire's back, "Maybe things happen for a reason, reasons we cannot imagine. Now, c'mon, let's go get your text books for this semester."

The following week, Claire finds herself at the school gym with her room mate Cathy, running along side her on a treadmill. On her other side is Jessie, a girl that lives across the hall from her. Like Gabriel had predicted, Claire is quite the social butterfly, and was able to become quick friends with the girls in her dorm and classes. The topic at the moment flitters over boys.

"All I want to know," Cathy says, in steady huffs as she jogs on the mill, "is when your deliciously yummy boy-toy is going to stop by again, and does he have a brother?

Claire laughs and rolls her eyes, "If you're hinting at the question of 'is he coming by again tonight after work?', then yes he is, and no to the second question." Since all of Claire's classes are scheduled in the morning so that she is out by one at the latest, and Gabriel's job at LAX is not far, he stops by for a few hours each evening before heading back to his own apartment in Costa Verde.

"Well, damn," Jessie says. "How old is he anyways? He seems a little old to me."

"Uh," Claire stutters, as she steps off the treadmill and begins wiping down the station. Her two new friends follow suite. "He's only…." The last part of the sentence is muffled as Claire chugs water from her water bottle.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" the other girls wants to know.

"He's thirty."

Jessie's and Cathy's eyes widen. Claire quickens her pace as they exit the gym and head back to the dormitories. "He's thirty, and you're, what, only eighteen?" Jessie says. "Cutting it a bit close, isn't he? Practically a cradle robber."

"Not to be crude or disrespectful or anything," Cathy says, "but you sure he isn't just trying to get into your pants or anything? Once he pops your cherry, what makes you think he's not gonna stick around? I've watched my older sister deal with this over and over again with older guys."

"It's not like that," Claire says. "He's been a perfect gentleman, and he hasn't pressured me into doing anything I didn't feel like doing. If anything, I've been the one trying to get him into taking things further."

"Claire?" Cathy says, taking Claire's arm and turning her so that they were facing each other. "He's not gay, is he?"

Claire let out a snort, "NO! He is definitely straight, that I can assure you. It's only that, well, he'll never admit this to anyone, but he still has issues over an old girlfriend." It is not exactly a lie. Claire has been trying to consummate their relationship, however brief it has been so far, but Gabriel has been insistent not to rush things. Gabriel would never tell her the real reason, but Claire has a good idea why, but the fake story of Elle's death from a car accident is the only story she can tell her friends.

"Oh don't you even start!" Jessie raves. "He's only with you to make this old girlfriend jealous, isn't he? And you're letting him take advantage of you!"

Claire interrupts her friend's rant, "She died. In a car accident from when Gabriel was living in New York. He was the one driving. There was a lot of snow, and Gabe lost control of the car. She died instantly, but the injuries Gabriel sustained were so bad that he was in a coma for two years, the doctors didn't think he'd make it."

"Oh, god," Cathy says, giving her room mate a quick hug, "I'm so sorry sweetie. I shouldn't have been such a bitch about the age difference. I was just trying to look out for you, after dealing with my sister's disasters, and all."

Claire grins and shoulder bumps her room mate, "It's fine, I'm used to it. My parents are still trying to get used to the idea."

Cathy looks over at Claire with a sly grin, "You know, since I go home every other weekend, you are more than welcome to having a sleep over with the boy-toy."

Claire laughs, and the three girls finally arrive at their dorm.

"What is the point of this class again?" Gabriel asks, sitting on Claire's bed, flipping through the pages of one of her textbooks.

Claire, pounding away at her keyboard, responding to various people IMing her at the moment, responds, "Which class?"

"Psychology into the Criminal Mind," Gabriel says. "You're not taking this class as a way to figure out my father's next move is it? Because it would be a poor move, it's barely a two-hundred level class. A six-hundred level in the masters program maybe…."

Claire does not look away from her computer, "Uh, duh. The class would fulfill a psychology requirement and I figured it'd be an easy A." When she says that, Claire turns around and gives Gabriel an innocent smile.

He only looks back at her, "And how is that working out for you?"

She shrugs, "Dunno yet, only had one class so far. The professor's interesting though. He reminds me of the guy that plays Lex Luthor's dad in Smallville."

"I still think you ought to hide out in my apartment till the old man croaks," Gabriel grumbles, telekinetically summoning the remote to the television, turning it on to a talk show with a large black woman proclaiming, "Ah am one thousand percent sho' he's mah bay-bah's daddy!" He turns off the TV.

"Gabriel," Claire starts, placing herself on the bed, head on his lap and feet propped on the foot board, "lets not start this again, please? I may never have much of a quasi-normal life after this, especially when I start outliving my family. I want to have a college life while they can still experience it with me. So, I have a crazy stalker after me, it's not like that part is unheard of."

"Except this crazy stalker have multiple abilities to wreak havoc," Gabriel tells her, incredulous. "How can you be so calm?"

"Because I just so happen to have an attentive boyfriend with a few tricks up his sleeves," Claire says, taking Gabriel's large hand into her own, pressing her thumbs against his palm, massaging it.

"What else is about your boyfriend," Gabriel says, lazily playing along.

"Well, he is quite ruggedly good looking," Claire says, "and he has thick hair that begs to be touched…"

She is about to go on when Cathy walks in, "Hello lovelies. I hope to God I didn't walk in on anything that will scar me for life."

"Nope!" Claire says, sitting upright. "Nothing explicit." She looks over at Gabriel and sees that he is silently banging his head against the wall, as if to say 'how dare she interrupt just as I was about to get laid'.

"I better get going," Gabriel says, getting up. "Janice is coming and I told Matt that I'd babysit Mattie while they go out to dinner."

"They're actually entrusting you with their baby's well being while they're out?" Claire says, faking shock.

"Surprisingly, yes," Gabriel whispers into Claire's ear as he kisses her good bye. "I'll call you later tonight."

When Gabriel shuts the door behind him, Cathy goes, "God he is fine."

"Yeah, I know."

In her psychology class, Claire sits in the back of the lecture hall as she waits for the class to end. It is not that she does not like the class, but the student sitting next to her keeps breathing through his mouth, emitting a long wheezing sound between his teeth. By the greasy hair and the stench of body odor, Claire surmised he has not showered in a while. The wheezing and the smell is distracting Claire's concentration of the professor's lecture about socio-economic possibilities of why someone would commit crime.

"African-American population is at a disadvantage in most places of large cities," Professor Jennings says, "since they are over represented in the criminal justice system, employers are skeptical of hiring African-Americans. If they are not working, they are not making money. No money to fulfill their basic needs is motivation to commit most crimes.

"Turn to page fifty-three and look at table 2.3," Jennings commands the class. "Now, what do you see?"

Claire looks over the table displaying the arrest rate of whites and blacks for types of crimes. She raises her hand, "Blacks have the highest arrest rate for non-violent crimes such as theft and narcotics. Those crimes are usually monetary related."

Jennings nods, "Good. We'll finish this chapter and then start up on white-collar crimes on Monday."

Claire gathers her belongings and slings her book bag over her shoulder and walks up to her professor, "Excuse me, Professor?"

The professor looks up, "Yes? How can I help you?"

Claire gives a nervous giggle. There is something about the professor that is familiar to her, but she cannot quite place the feeling. "Um, I was wondering if I could schedule an appointment to meet you in your office to go over today's notes. I have class during your office hours, so…?"

"That would be not a problem," he says. "But I do not know when would be the best time; I have meetings all next week."

Claire nods, "Yeah, ok. I'll just try sending an email to the class first."

"Yes. If you feel that you're missing anything still, just let me know, Miss Butler," Jennings tells Claire, placing folders in his briefcase. "I take it the boy next to you was distracting you?"

Claire laughs, "Yeah, a little bit."

Jennings laughs with her, "I know of the student, a senior I believe. He is quite infamous with the criminal justice professors with his-how should I say this delicately?-bodily disruptions."

Claire says her goodbye and turns to leave. But just as she reaches for the door, she turns around, "Professor, how'd you know my name?"

Jennings reaches into his briefcase and pulls out a piece of paper, "Your student ID picture is next to your name on my student roster . Your name is right here on the first page. I have a good memory, but I'm no mind reader-there's no such thing!"

Claire gives a nervous laugh, "Right! Of course! Hehe. See you on Monday."

Claire walks to her next class, thinking about the brief conversation with Professor Jennings. There is something strikingly familiar about him but Claire cannot, for the life of her, place her finger on why he seems familiar to her. The professor is tall, thin, with an aged face full of vitality despite the gray in his beard and the hair at his temples. She pushes the thought out of her mind as she looks at her watch, and realizes that she is five minutes late to her biology class.

Looking outside from the floor above the breeze way, Samson watches on as Claire hurries to the building down the walk way. He works his magic on her, displacing any realization or recognition she might have of his true identity. This shall be interesting, Samson muses to himself.

A/N: I like the idea of Samson hiding in plain sight from everyone, but I really felt that this chapter was a bit weak. But in other news happy birthday to Zachary Quinto! Even tho its after midnight now as I post this! And I must apologize for the lack of rapid fire updates, im out of school for the summer and picking up more hours at work, so the most I can do is once a week on updates.

So until then, farewell and good night!