A/N: Five yeas later everything looks good, but only on the surface. They can never be the same again. Claire is living in the Petrelli Mansion. She's trying to have a normal life and she's about to graduate from the University. The dark side in Peter rises and their lives are about to be changed forever.
Note: It's AU Paire fic. It's not the typical Paire fic you're going to read. The dark notes here are highlighted. I've never written such Paire fiction before. It's dangerous and it's a challenge for me to write it, but I'm going to try it.
Rated: M
Couple: Peter/Claire
Warnings: Again, it's AU. I don't own Heroes, sadly. The dark themes here are highlighted.
Enjoy reading,
ArinnaVal
Chapter 24
Claire loved this place. The top of the building where they lived the past few months. She felt like the whole city belonged to her. She used to sit there, on the edge with her legs hanging in the mid air. Her look wandered while she was looking at the magnificent view before her. The few quiet moment she spent there were only hers. Her thoughts were just for her. They didn't belong to Peter in that moment. She started to feel the moves of the baby inside of her. It was so soft, like the wings of a butterfly. Her eyes closed and a smile appeared on her lips. Her hand rested on her slight protuberant belly and she allowed herself to forget about the rest of the world. She allowed herself to forget about the difficulty of the situation she was in. Her eyes just closed and she let the wind touch her face. It was like a soft caress and she sighed.
Peter was away again. He didn't tell her where he went. He never did. Claire didn't even ask him to. What was the point? It was not like he was about to tell her. He was so closed inside his inner demons that she sometimes felt him as a stranger. However, there was something in his eyes that reminded her of the person he used to be. She couldn't help but remember the times when he was her hero. He was the only person that could make her feel safe. Not even her father was able to bring that feeling to her. This is why she had escaped The Haitian back then. She wanted Peter. She wanted him so badly that she had risked everything to find him. Oh, and she felt so devastated when she had found out that they were related. There was still that bad feeling in her heart. She couldn't escape from it. It didn't matter how hard she tried to do that. She wanted to do the right thing. She wanted to escape from this feeling. She wanted to escape from that pain that Peter had brought in her life. It was so difficult to have him every day in front of her eyes and to know that she couldn't have him. Only she knew what had costed her to kept that blank look on her face. The pain in her heart was so bad that she often locked the door of her room and used to cry all night. Nobody could hear her back then. Nobody could understand her feelings. People would claim that something wrong and dirty. Nobody cared that there was a time, when she thought that he was dead and she wanted to die just to be with him. She felt like half human. However, she had kept the smile on her face and had tried to move on with West. She tried to lie her betraying heart that Peter was just a memory.
However, he wasn't. He never would be. What had happened to him? Why he had changed that drastically? Claire wasn't brave enough to ask him. She could only guess and even if she tried to dig deeper, Peter wouldn't tell her the truth. There was a part of him that still tried to protect her. Claire knew that, because when she had asked him to hug her that night few months ago, he did it with no hesitation. She had told him that she loved him, but he never answered to her. However, Claire knew that he did love her as well. It didn't matter how bad he was right now. It didn't matter that his mind was a pure mess and his emotions were all over the place. Claire was sure that she'd love him no matter what. He was her weakness and her strength. Some people couldn't find that special person their whole life, but she did. It was bad and fucked up, but it was theirs.
"What are you doing?" Peter's voice echoed right beside of her. Claire didn't look up. She kept staring at the distance. "I thought I told you to stay inside."
"And I thought I told you that I'm not your puppet!" She scoffed and tried to stay calm. Her love for him sometimes wasn't enough. There were moments she wondered if she could save him at all. He was in the darkness right now and she missed his true self so badly.
"You're going to be if I ask that from you!" Peter's voice lowered and she could feel the anger in his voice. "It's getting cold!"
"I need some fresh air, Peter!" Claire looked up at him. He was standing there, hands in his pockets. His black jacket and black jeans contrasted on his pale face. Claire couldn't believe how pale his skin was.
"You can take it in the balcony," Peter scoffed and sat beside of her. He didn't touch her though. His face was dark and Claire could see the storm behind his hazel eyes. "Are you trying to riddle me, Claire?" He chuckled, but his face was still blank. Great! Now he was mocking her.
"I wonder why I even dare to think of it!" She quickly returned her look on the city. "Who can riddle you right now, Peter?"
"The only person able to do that is dead!" Peter's eyes narrowed and his voice went cold. "I'm not even sorry about it," he skipped a beat. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
"Do you even have a heart?" Claire lowered her voice. "I remember the time when you've had one."
"Are we going back down the memory lane?" He sounded a bit annoyed. "I told you that there's no way back."
"I know, I know!" She frowned and her hand rested on her belly. "I do think that your heart is still there though. It's just... hidden."
"Do you think you can find it?" His voice lowered as well and it was hard to tell what he was thinking right now. "Try not to get hurt in the process, my love."
"It's too late," she blinked to hide her tears. "I'm already there. I'm there since the moment I've met you!"
"Now you know how I felt!" He said and Claire shot him a look. He was staring at the distance as well. "Then I got tired of people telling me how to feel and what to feel. Love? I think it makes you weaker. I believe in the strength to do whatever you want in your life. If you can do it, then why not?"
"So you don't love me?" Her heart raced. "You think of me only as your possession."
"If you like to think like that, I won't stop you!" Peter snarled and Claire could almost touch the tension surrounding him. "I'm going to tell you one thing though, if you want to escape from me - just forget it!"
"I'm not even trying and maybe that's the problem!" Claire brushed her tears angrily. "I'm not just a puppet that you can control it! I have feelings and I think I live in a country where I'm free to-"
Peter grabbed her arm and squeezed it tightly. Claire moaned painfully, staring at the flames in his eyes.
"You'll never be free of me! Never!" His voice was more a whisper, but it was so thick of emotions that Claire was sure that she could touch it. "If you think that you can escape from me... I repeat - just forget about it! I'm so tired of people telling me what to do! I'm so tired of playing by the rules! I'm frankly pissed off when people try to get into my business!" He leaned closer to her and their faces were inches apart. "Don't push me, Claire! Just... don't!"
He released her arm and jumped on his feet. Then he pulled her up and before she was able to protest, he dragged her back into their apartment. Claire was more shocked than scared of him though. That was the first time in awhile, where he was actually talking to her like that. It was strange that Angela thought that Claire could save him once. Now she felt helpless than ever. Peter didn't want to change. He wanted to stay like this.
"Peter...," she tried to talk to him, but he put up his hand.
"By the way... I saw your puppy lurking around the building!" He ran his fingers through his hair. "How he found the address is a mistery, but I'm warning you... He'd be in great danger if he even lays his foot in this apartment!"
"Peter, please!" Claire stirred and her eyes stared at him with a plea.
"I told you!" Peter shouted and slammed the door behind his back. Claire sat on the bed, shaking her head. There had to be an exit from this situation and everything was in her hands now.