InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "turn around, bright eyes"

Nathan Petrelli [Heroes] (chosemanypaths) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2009-05-27 15:35:00

Entry tags:

claire winchester, nathan petrelli

WHO: Nathan Petrelli & Claire Bennet
WHAT: Nathan is alive; Claire wants proof it's him. So it's time to fly.
WHERE: The roof of Housing Building A
WHEN: Immediately following this
RATING: TBD - probably only PGish.
STATUS: In Progress

This place wasn't home. Nathan didn't need any sort of information to really notice that. One look around was enough to tell him that, and he was a little confused, even now. His memories of everything that had happened in that hotel suite conflicted with the fact that he was here, walking around, throat uncut. Everything about this place contradicted his last few memories, and it was getting a bit much. Add on top of that the knowledge that Sylar had taken over his life, taken over everything he had worked so hard to build and achieve, and at his mother's knowledge and participation . . . it led to a Nathan who was not happy with the state of things, to say the least. Claire's reaction to him had been wounding, though he wasn't exactly unused to the feeling. She had hated him once before, though not because he was Sylar.

And now? Now he had her mostly convinced that he was who he said he was. He just needed that last little push, so to speak. Walking down the sidewalk, hands buried in the pockets of his slacks, he looked around from behind a pair of sunglasses, his gaze focused on the roofs of the buildings he passed. The minute he spotted the diminuitive figure of his daughter, up on one of those roofs, he stopped, a lump rising in his throat. It was now or never. He didn't think about it; he just acted, his power accessing itself and letting him float gently up to the roof's edge, settling his feet on the roof floor gently, behind her. "Claire."

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x_clairebear_x
2009-05-27 09:27 pm UTC (link)

Claire had been on the rooftop since the moment she'd learned the horrible news that Nathan was dead. She hadn't wanted to stay in her room and answer any awkward questions from her roommate, nor had she wanted to go see any of her family. She'd just wanted to get away and had ultimately decided on the roof because, well, it was typically pretty desolate and if she were being honest, the height reminded her of Nathan.

God. Nathan. He was dead because Sylar had killed him. Murdered him, and why? He didn't take his ability. He'd just... done it. Because he could. And then he'd been given Nathan's life, complete with a family that loved him and... everything. It was such a bitter pill for her to swallow, but she was doing her best. She was trying to be rational. Mature. Logical rather than emotional. Just when she thought she had it all under control, too, she'd checked the message boards again and found a post from none other than Nathan himself.

At least, that's what he claimed. Part of her wanted desperately to believe it, too. But too many run-ins with Sylar, too much time spent fearing the man, made her wary. Not that wariness was a bad thing but, well, if it was Nathan she now ran the significant risk of having damaged their extremely rocky relationship simply by not knowing it was him.

That, ultimately, was why she had suggested he take her flying. It was something that Sylar couldn't do, so it was a good test, and it was also something that she'd grown a bit accustomed to during their time on the run. After all, her biological dad was like her own personal Superman.

She just hadn't expected Sylar to be the kryptonite.

The tears she'd yet to cry were starting to choke her up when the telltale sound of someone moving through the air reached her. She was half-turned when he spoke her name, watching with her own two eyes as he landed gently. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him as realization swept over her. It was him. Nathan. He was alive.

"Oh God," Claire whispered hoarsely. The emotional roller coaster of a day finally came to an abrupt halt as she burst into tears and threw her arms around his neck, hugging the man she thought she'd lost forever.

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chosemanypaths
2009-05-27 10:57 pm UTC (link)

The sight of his daughter, to whom he had grown so close over their time in Mexico and on the run, was enough to make Nathan's chest tighten a little as he landed on his own two feet on the roof. The devastated, shocked expression with which she greeted him made his stomach turn, and he knew now just how much this had apparently affected her. In all the time since he'd arrived here, Nathan had dwelt on what Sylar had done to him. He hadn't thought of what might have happened to Claire, to his mother, to Peter. What his death might mean for them, or what they might have felt about it. Even when greeted with a disbelieving family, their anger clear in their messages, he hadn't quite understood. One look into Claire's tear-filled eyes, though, and he knew, deep down, that he was not the only one Sylar had robbed, that day.

He wasn't alone.

When her small body was pressed close, and she clung to him for dear life, Nathan's eyes slid closed behind his sunglasses, and he held his daughter tight, head dropping a little to rest against the crown of her hair. He could hear her crying, feel her shaking in his arms, and it just made him hold her tighter. "It's okay."

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x_clairebear_x
2009-05-27 11:24 pm UTC (link)

Although the threat of Sylar still hung heavily in the air, as well as the betrayal she felt - however justified in their actions - from her dad and Angela, for the moment Claire was simply content to cling to Nathan and bask in the knowledge that he was really here and very much alive.

When he said it was okay, however, she let out a watery, bitter sounding laugh. "No," she whispered, voice thick with emotion, "it's not okay. I should have been able to help you. I should have known he wasn't you. I should have..." She stopped, not wanting to ruin the moment by complaining about all the 'should have's'. Instead she simply sighed softly and murmured almost inaudibly, "I'm so glad you're here."

Sniffling softly, Claire slowly - almost reluctantly - released her father and took a small step back so she could peer up at him. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands, knowing she probably looked a mess but not really caring at the moment. Slowly, a smile filled her face as she studied his by-now familiar features. "It really is you, isn't it? I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I just... I thought that maybe Sylar was playing another one of his tricks."

Claire was afraid to look away, afraid to blink, lest he suddenly disappear.

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chosemanypaths
2009-05-27 11:52 pm UTC (link)

Right now, as far as Nathan was concerned, all that mattered was getting his bearings and taking care of his family, Claire in particular. They might not have been the closest of family, but she was still his daughter, and he didn't want to waste time when she needed him. He'd learned the hard way just how much family actually did mean to him, and he wasn't going to run the risk of ruining that again. Not after everything he'd already done, and everything they had gone through. They needed him, and he needed them.

Claire's bitter laugh brought him back to the moment, and he swallowed heavily, still holding her close. He had heard much of what she was saying, from Peter over the message boards. Everyone seemed determined to blame themselves for what had happened, when they were blameless. And Nathan didn't really know how to get that point across. The only one he blamed was the man now running around with his face, and to some extent his mother. "Shh. You couldn't. Claire, just- it's over and done with. I'm here, and I'm fine. That's what matters right now." He gave her one of his patented smiles, all white teeth, though without the false jovial quality most of his political campaign pictures had bore. No, this was thinner, more genuine, though no less dazzling, so to speak.

He reached out when she stepped away, his fingers moving to brush her hair out of her face, much as he had done on numerous occasions in Mexico and after. "It's really me. Hey, you were being careful. I can't really blame you. I wouldn'tve believed me, either."

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x_clairebear_x
2009-05-28 10:10 am UTC (link)

Claire had a feeling he was going to tell her it wasn't her fault. She knew, of course, that it wasn't really, too. She just felt guilty for not having been able to do anything, and especially for not even knowing that the man she'd thought was Nathan since arriving here had in fact been the monster that had killed him. And while she appreciated the fact that Nathan obviously didn't begrudge her that fact, his words did little to alleviate the feeling that she'd failed him somehow.

Although she had to admit, seeing a genuine smile upon his face did help in that regard.

Reaching up to grasp his hand after he'd brushed her hair from her face, she squeezed it gently and held onto it loosely. Her expression was unreadable, likely due in part to her not even being sure what she should feel at the moment aside from pure elation that he was alive. "Well," she replied, sounding a bit more like herself now that the initial moment had passed, "I definitely believe you now."

Half-turning she glanced out, over the city, before looking back to him. Claire was a bit more somber by that point. "He's still out there, somewhere. We don't even know if he still looks like you or anything else, really," she stated with a light frown. Obviously there was no need to state who 'he' was. Not that she wanted to say his name out loud anyway. Just the thought of him made her vaguely ill.

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