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 26
There were moments like this one; peaceful and quiet. It was like the whole world had disappeared all of a sudden. Sadly, the world didn't think the same sometimes. Peter was well aware of that. Even now when he watched Claire sleeping peacefully in his bed, he knew that the world just wouldn't let him live the life he wanted to. This was the reason he became the person he was now. The world wasn't a nice place and if you let yourself with the flow, you wouldn't go anywhere. This was the lesson he had to learn. Although he missed his old self sometimes. He missed the innocent boy he used to be, before all that madness to come and wash away his old simple life. Before he had met Claire. Before he had fallen in love with her and spent month and years trying to run away from her and his feelings. It didn't work and eventually he had found out that the fight wasn't worth it. He had tried to look at her as the part of the family even though he hated that fact since day one. He had tried to be the brother Nathan needed him to be, but he had failed eventually. He had spent countless nights just staring at the ceiling and thinking of Claire, and trying to find a way to save her from himself and he had failed again. It was one fail after another and he got tired of it. When the world had needed him, Peter was there. And what he had got in return? People telling him how wrong he was. People who tried to judge him without even knowing him and he got tired of it. He got tired of them, even from his own family. When he had found out what had happened to his brother, a part of him just wanted to run away. This was what he did, what he tried to do. Claire had stopped him and sometimes, Peter hated her for this. Just when he had thought that his old self was buried under the layers of his new self. Just when he thought that he could save the world again, one person at the time. Just then, Claire had showed again just to remind him how wrong he was.
She had held his hand then. She had hugged him tightly and when he buried his head in the crook of her neck, his heart just skipped a beat. She would never know, but that time he felt so weak like never before. That was the moment he had realized that there was no running away. There was no escape for him, not when it comes to Claire. She was the one, the wrong one and he knew it. He knew it with his whole body and it hurt him. Yes, that hurt him then. Sometimes he just wanted to escape from her and from everyone. Oh yes, he had tried. He had tried countless times, but only a call from her was enough to bring him back. Only a smile and he was in her knees again. It cost him a lot just to sit there with her and listen to her next boyfriend. It took him a lot to look at her eyes and to see his soul there.
He needed something to escape from that and he took the opportunity when he had killed Sylar. The monster that had changed everything. The monster that had taken away everything from him. The monster who had showed to him that everything is possible. So, Peter did it and then all of a sudden something inside of him just snapped. All the barriers just fell down and he realized that he could have Claire. She wanted him as well. Oh yes, he could hear her thoughts back then. Every time she was with a boy, her thought was about him. She constantly compared the person to Peter. She wondered what was the taste of his kisses. How would she feel if she just flew away with him? And just then... Peter decided he could have her. The thing was, he'd never thought that she would fight for him. When he had read her mind at her wedding, his satisfaction grew bigger. She was worried, oh yes she was. After the weeks he had spent in Level 5, Claire never believed that he was in Ireland. There was something way too possessive in her mind as well. After she had tasted the pleasure to be with him, she wanted more. And now, Peter was willing to give it to her.
"I worry when you look at me like that," her sleepy whisper made him look at her. She bated eyelashes at him and sighed. "What is in your mind, Peter?"
"I was thinking," he lay his palm on her cheek and felt her tremble. "I was thinking about your puppy."
"For the last time," Claire scoffed and her eyes narrowed, "Andy is not my puppy!"
"I like you when you're angry, my love!" Peter grinned mockingly. "You sound like you can really do something to hurt me."
"You're such a pig sometimes, you know that?" She tried to get off the bed, but his hand tangled in her hair stopped her. "Ouch! That hurts!" She glared at him. "Let me go, Peter!"
"Now, that's already annoying," he simply pushed her back onto the bed and hovered over her. His right hand rested right next to her head. Their faces were inches apart. "I'm doing everything to make you happy and you're acting like this."
"Happy?" She stared at him. "Do you think I'm happy here?"
Peter simply furrowed his brows and shook his head, "Why? Aren't you?"
"No," Claire scoffed. "I am not happy here, Peter. It's like I'm in a cage! This is how I feel and now... I'm supposed to be happily married to... Aw!" His hand had grabbed her wrist and pined it to the bed. "It hurts!"
"Oh, do you think?" He growled. "What about me, Claire? Every word you're saying right now is a lie! A lie! Ask me how I know that?" He tilted his head and stared into her eyes. "Your mind and your thoughts are betraying you. Do you remember the time when we used to live together in the mansion? Huh? Your boyfriends? You weren't hurting me back then, right? Not at all!"
"Peter!" She screamed painfully when her other wrist was pinned to the bed.
"You're not hurting me right now, when you're talking about your puppy and I know for sure that you don't feel sorry?" He squeezed her wrists even tighter. "That you enjoy all this and you love me! Me!" His lips caught hers in a painful kiss. It wasn't a pleasure, it was for punishment. When he pulled back her lips were swollen and he couldn't see even a sign of regret in her eyes. "This is what I'm talking about!" He growled. "This! It's like you're punishing me every time you're lying! You're lying to yourself, Claire! Can't you see that?"
"Peter, please..," now her eyes were filled with tears. "Just think of the baby... please..."
"What? Do you think I'm gonna hurt you?" He shook his head in disbelief. "You, above all people? I wanted to be different Claire, but you keep pushing me to the limits! Why? Why are you doing this?"
And he simply let go of her, storming out of the room. Claire was left alone in the bed, staring at the place he was. Yes, sometimes the world wasn't a safety place, not for everyone. Claire touched her swollen lips with her trembled fingers and closed her eyes. A lone teardrop rolled down her face. Sometimes she wanted to be able to read him, to read Peter. Just like he read her. It was like he was in her mind and he didn't even need his ability to do that. The reason was simple, he loved her... in his way. He loved her in his difficult and sometimes scary way, but it was love. Claire knew that, but she still missed the old him and she still wanted him back.