InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I'm gettin' the pig!"

Claire Bennet (x_clairebear_x) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2009-08-26 23:14:00

Entry tags:

!closed, chris halliwell, claire winchester

WHO: Claire Bennet and Chris Halliwell
WHAT: Meeting to discuss ~~Chris' intentions with Peter~~ stuff.
WHEN: Right after this.
WHERE: The lake near the forest.
RATING: TBD
STATUS: In Progress

Claire knew that meddling wasn't her strong suit. It ranked right up there with telling a believable lie and staying angry with her family. Which, for anyone who knew her, would know that she pretty much sucked at those things. Still, for Peter, Claire was willing to try to meddle and only hoped that she could do so in a way that wouldn't scare off the guy she was going to meet.

After a week with Chris Halliwell as they'd waited by Peter's bed in that hospital room, Claire wanted to think that she could at least manage a conversation with him. At least, she hoped so. Granted they hadn't spoken about anything of real importance during their time spent together, but at least he knew who she was and she'd already shown she was perfectly fine with him integrating himself into her uncle's life. So that had to count for something, right?

Still, this was Peter's personal life she was dealing with, so Claire wasn't willing to take any chances. Which meant rather than enjoying the weather and sights on her way to the lake, she instead tried to compose a speech in her head that managed to ask the man "What are your intentions toward my Uncle?" without actually coming out and asking it in so many words. Because while she admittedly didn't know a whole lot about Peter's guardian angel, or whatever he was, she did think that might be a bit too strong of an approach.

So she tried to come up with another way to find out what she wanted to know without putting him instantly on the defensive. Unfortunately by the time she'd reached the lake she still didn't have any real plan, or speech, or much else figured out. That was okay, though. She'd figure it out. This was for Peter after all; that meant failure simply wasn't an option.

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notunreasonable
2009-08-27 08:12 pm UTC (link)

One of the best ways to get a whitelighters attention was to hint at the fact that something was going on with their charge that they hadn't a clue about. Chris' gaze grew very sharp, as he inspected Claire for a moment. The words that wanted to come out his mouth were paniced concern, however, he managed to calm himself. Though he didn't quite manage to keep his tone from becoming sharp. "What about exactly?" Because he would have sensed that something was wrong with Peter ... right? If he was hurt or distressed. So this had to be something else entirely.

Unconsciously his fingers closed tightly around the rock in his hand as he waited for her response.

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x_clairebear_x
2009-08-27 08:34 pm UTC (link)

Okay. Maybe not the best approach possible. Claire stifled a sigh and furrowed her brow, now really at a loss for what to say. Less than five minutes into the conversation and already things weren't going bad. Maybe she should have just left well enough alone.

Except, she knew if she did, nothing would ever come of it. Peter would probably spend the rest of his life alone and convinced he was some kind of screw-up who didn't deserve to be happy. And Chris... well, Claire didn't know much about him, but she highly doubted that he would be content just being responsible for Peter's safety or whatever it was he did as his... Whitelighter. That was the term, right? She thought so.

Clearing her throat, Claire realized she needed to speak. "It's nothing bad," she started. "At least, he's not hurt or in trouble or anything, just..." With a soft sigh, Claire worked up her nerve and met Chris' gaze directly.

"Look. I'm not sure how much you do and don't know about Peter so I figured I'd help you out. He's a great guy - one of the best guys I know, actually - and he'll do anything to help someone else. He's sweet and loving and forgiving, and... he's just amazing, really." She paused, shifting once more before admitting, "He also is firmly convinced that he's not good enough. That he's some kind of screw-up and that he... I don't know. Doesn't deserve to be happy, or something."

Her hands slid into her pockets as she spoke, fingers flexing slightly against her thighs through the denim of her jeans. Her shoulders hunched a bit as she added, "And he told me who you were, what you were to him, and I saw how you acted in the hospital room so I just thought that it might be a good idea if the two of us... talked."

There. That wasn't too obvious, right? Claire didn't think so. At least, she hoped not.

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notunreasonable
2009-08-27 09:13 pm UTC (link)

There was a slightly visible relaxation to Chris' shoulders when Claire said that Peter wasn't hurt or in trouble, but his fingers still remained clenched. That was good. That was very good. Not that he'd thought ... he hadn't felt that there'd been something wrong with Peter. But who knew. Peter was far from a typical charge, for one he would have never been Chris' charge-or at least he would have never known about it-if not for this place. Not to mention this place ... it was so strange. The rules were different here, he was sure of it. For all he knew this place would make it so that he couldn't sense it when Peter was in danger just to fuck with the both of them.

He remained quiet while Claire spoke but he couldn't help the twitch of the corner of his mouth as she spoke about how wonderful her uncle was. Both because he did think Peter was a great guy. A really great guy. And because she sort of, for a moment, sounded as if she was trying to ... Chris stopped that train of thought. It was ridiculous.

Something didn't add up though. Why would it be a good idea? To pool together to help Peter work through his issues? He was a whitelighter, not a shrink, and anyone would be able to tell Claire that when it came to the emotional, he sucked. He had no clue how to fix his own issues, let alone someone elses. After all he broke his parents marriage and hadn't been able to find a way to fix that before he left. Even with his aunts' help. And not so subtle hinting at his father. "Alright ... Let's talk." Chris answered slowly. "What do you want me to do." Which was a step away from what he had been going to say, what do you expect me to do? "I think Peter has a lot more going than he gives himself credit, you're right about that. A lot to offer, the world. But I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for. Peter doesn't really believe me when I tell him what a great guy he is, and I don't blame him. I plan on doing my best in helping him fix that. It's not going to be something that'll happen over night."

Is that what she was looking for? For Peter to have a immediate confident boost because he went 'I'm your Whitelighter and I'm proud of you'? Chris .. wasn't Leo. His dad could get anyone to believe and do anything. Just by the right look. He hadn't managed to figure out a way to do that. However, that didn't mean he'd just leave it be. If he had to tell Peter everyday for as long as they were there how much of a screw-up he was not Chris could do that. He would do that. He was more patient than he gave himself credit, after all. And he cared.

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x_clairebear_x
2009-08-28 02:25 am UTC (link)

Okay. Clearly, he wasn't getting it. Which was fine. Claire knew she wasn't exactly being direct. And although that had been her intention, clearly she was going to have to be more direct than she was being. The only problem was, she had no idea how to do that without being so painfully obvious that it would immediately set Chris on edge.

Idly, she found herself wishing she'd asked her dad to come along. He'd know how to do this. He'd know how to handle this. So would Angela. Hell, Nathan would stand a better chance than she was right now, and he was a staunch Republican who would probably have a heart attack at the mere thought of his brother having the hots for some other guy, much less Claire herself trying to hook them up.

Still. Anyone would be more suited for this task than Claire was. She was... well, she hated to say 'just a cheerleader' because she knew she was more than that - and technically wasn't even a cheerleader anymore - but really, this? Was not something she was cut out for.

But she was here, and Chris was here, and she'd already gotten started so she couldn't back out now. She just had to figure out some way to say what she wanted to say, without actually saying it. That wasn't that hard, right? Most of her family knew how to do it. She should be able to manage it, too. She just had to give it her best.

"Did you two hook up when you were a girl?"

That... wasn't what she meant to ask. At all. Already she could see the scoreboard flash before her mind's eye. Wrong questions to ask when trying to hook your uncle up with his guardian angel: 1. Claire Bennet: 0.

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notunreasonable
2009-08-28 02:42 am UTC (link)

She had not just asked him that. It wasn't anything he wanted to even acknowledge himself, despite the moments it snuck to the for front of his mind, let alone admit it to her.

God, Peter so owed him for this. The only reason he wasn't blowing Claire off or telling her to mind her own damned business was because of him. Because it would upset him and Claire very clearly meant a lot to his charge. Hell, even his aunts would have gotten him snapping at them by now and he loved his family more than anything. Even his mom would have gotten a curt, 'I don't want to talk about this'.

With a slow breath, Chris turned away from her, looking towards the lake. "I'm not going to try and hook up with him now, if that's what you're worrying about. I don't hook up with my charges." Not counting that one time with Nathalie .. or his female-self's lacking judgement. He didn't add that it was against the rules, because he was a Halliwell, they clearly didn't do rules. Besides, even if it hadn't. He wasn't attracted to males. Not now. Not ever. Not even Peter.

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x_clairebear_x
2009-08-28 02:51 am UTC (link)

He hadn't blown her off. Already Claire considered that a victory, albeit a small one. She'd take it, though, and work harder to make sure that the next question wasn't half as forward as the one she'd just asked. Although she did take a risk and stepped a little closer, coming up alongside him and peering out at the lake herself for a moment.

Looking back at Chris after a few seconds, she asked in a tone that was nothing but curious, "Why don't you? If you have a connection with someone, why does it matter if they're your charge or not?" After a second, she added, "And I'm not worrying about it, just so you know. Not like you mean it, anyway."

She didn't say more, afraid if she continued talking she'd spill her entire reason for being there. Instead she purposely clamped her mouth shut and once more looked out at the water... and silently hoped that at some point between now and his reply, inspiration would make itself known.

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notunreasonable
2009-08-28 02:58 am UTC (link)

Chris didn't turn back to look at her when he answered. "Because I'm not female ..." There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone, however, he elaborated to take the sting of it out. "I'm not attracted to males ... and even if I was, and Peter was too, I'm not interested in," Loosing anything else. "starting a relationship when either of us could be done tomorrow." It'd been one of female Chris' reasons, and if he remembered correctly one of his many, many for not wanting a charge. This time around, with this he was standing firm. Not that he had to. Because he wasn't attracted to men. Not even Peter.

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x_clairebear_x
2009-08-28 09:29 pm UTC (link)

Because he wasn't female and wasn't attracted to males. Now, Claire knew that wasn't true. She'd seen the concern he'd had for Peter in that hospital room and it was not purely platonic. She didn't care what the man might claim otherwise. However, calling him a liar was probably about as bad of an idea as her initial question had been, so she opted to take another route instead.

"So... you're scared."

Okay. Again. Probably not the best thing to say. But her tone wasn't judgmental. It was simply a statement of fact that she followed up with a shrug as she squatted down and picked up a handful of stones. "I can't say I blame you, really."

Glancing at him, she absently plucked one of the rocks out of the pile with her free hand and, turning back to the water, tossed it out over the smooth, liquid surface. Watching as it skipped along the edge before gravity finally took hold, she surmised lightly, "You almost lost him once and this place does have a habit of just yanking people out of here without warning. I guess I can see how being alone and safe would be better than taking a chance at being happy."

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notunreasonable
2009-08-29 05:46 am UTC (link)

He was probably terrified but it's not something he'd ever admit to himself. So instead he just gave Claire an incredulous look. "What? No! Weren't you listening? I'm not attracted to your uncle." He said, as he sent the rock in his hand skipping, it went from his hand harder than he'd attended. And since his powers were tied to his emotions-no matter how unacknowledged, even with Chris' constant state of irritable-it went further as well. Not even skipping, sailing out against the sky for a moment before deciding to jump a few times against the water and then sinking in. "Peter." He paused, stressing the name, and having to keep from enuncianting every word after. "Peter is my charge. Maybe with time, we could be friends. But that's it. Neither of us are attracted to men. I don't know what set you off to decide to play little matchmaker, but whatever it was, you need to let it go."

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x_clairebear_x
2009-08-30 04:19 am UTC (link)

Claire just stared at him with a look that clearly said she didn't believe a word he'd just said. He could claim he wasn't attracted to Peter all he wanted but she knew the truth and, try as he might, he couldn't convince her otherwise. It just wasn't going to happen. Of course, him admitting anything to her also wasn't going to happen, and she was wasting her time and energy trying.

She didn't say any of that, though. Instead she just gave a shrug of her shoulders and glanced back out at the lake. "I'm not telling you what made me decide to talk to you," she stated in a surprisingly calm tone. Squinting slightly, Claire looked back up at him.

"But I have it on good authority that you're wrong about at least part of that little statement you just made, and I have an entire week's worth of memories of you pacing around like a caged animal to prove that you're wrong about the rest." Wrapping her arms around her middle, her lips curved upward into a semi-smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"You want to deny it and that's fine. Go ahead," she murmured before her tone became a bit more hardened. "But Peter deserves to be happy and if you're going to act like he's nothing more than some kind of obligation, you'd do better to just stay away from him. He has enough people watching out for him, and my ability to make sure he doesn't die. He doesn't need your help. What he needs is someone to be there for him. No matter how scared they might be at the thought."

Moving past him, back to the path that led away from the lake and toward the heart of the city, she looked over her shoulder at him and added, "Thanks, by the way, for agreeing to meet with me. I won't bother you again."

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