004: [2nd floor hallway] I tried to be someone else (but nothing seemed to change).

[thecheerleader]

Claire woke up to the sound of her own scream. She pushed herself upright, pulling in deep breaths and taking in her surroundings. It only took her a few seconds to see that she was still in the apartment she shared with Sylar. He was laying in his bed on the opposite side of the room, and she could just barely make out Noah curled up next to him.

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[ispeakancient]

Daniel couldn't sleep. All night he'd seen her face. Sha're, his wife, but she wasn't in the way he had always loved to remember her. She was distant, cold, and had those eyes - those glowing eyes that made her very aware of her demise. How many times had he wished he could save her? After all these years, he had thought he had forgiven himself, but tonight made it clear that he had not

[thecheerleader]

Claire looked up just in time to see a man coming her way. She tried to get out of his way, but ended up cringing when his foot got tangled with her leg and she had to watch him fall to the floor. It only took her a few seconds to be at his side after that, and she muttered a quick apology before extending a hand to help him up. Sitting on the floor in a dark hallway had been a bad idea, but she hadn't thought much of it at the time

[ispeakancient]

"Me? Oh, I'm fine." Daniel settled himself against the nearest wall and gave her a small smile. "Really. I should have been paying more attention." It was a twisted version of the blame game where everything was your own fault. Even Daniel realized it was cyclical and so he tried to move on. "You too? Same here. I've been having these nightmares. They're- Well, they aren't pleasant, but I guess they wouldn't be nightmares if they were." And now he was rambling.

"Claire, right?" They hadn't been properly introduced from what he could recall, but there weren't so many people in the hotel that Daniel couldn't keep track of them. Besides, she was one of the youngest and he had been wondering how she was adjusting. There just hadn't ever been a reason to ask. "I'm Daniel Jackson."

[thecheerleader]

"Right," Claire nodded, moving back to give him a little space. She was curious about his nightmares, but skipped right to the introduction. Nightmares were kind of personal, and she probably knew that better than anyone else right now. It wasn't the kind of thing that you got into with strangers who practically tripped you in the middle of the night.

"It's nice to meet you, Daniel." She extended a hand to him, relieved that he didn't seem upset with her for getting in his way. The mansion was pretty big, but she imagined it felt a lot smaller if you started making enemies out of your neighbors. Three floors of people was less than her dorm building in Arlington.

"So you're...having trouble sleeping?" He didn't have to say anything that he didn't want to, she was just putting that out there.

[ispeakancient]

Daniel shook her hand and settled himself back down on the ground. It was good to talk to someone that was real and wasn't going to have glowing eyes any second. He couldn't get the image of his wife turned into a slave to the parasitic aliens as she had. He sighed deeply and nodded.

"My wife. She..." He can't begin to explain it. "She passed away several years ago. It's been so long since I've thought about it, but now... Now, it's like every time I close my eyes, she's there and she's..." Again, he doesn't know how to begin explaining what he remembers about Sha're. Lost for words, Daniel sighed. "What about you?"

[ooc: For those who aren't Stargate familiar, THIS is what Daniel's wife ended up becoming, which is what he's remembering in his nightmares.]

[thecheerleader]

Claire settled down next to Daniel, taking everything in as he explained what his dreams were like. It was a little soon to say that these things were connected somehow; people had bad dreams all the time. But vivid, persistent dreams that came out of nowhere and hit on their weaknesses? That had her a little suspicious that they weren't the only ones suffering with them.

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically, wanting to get that out of the way first. Claire knew what it felt like - how unsettling it was to have your mind focus on something that hurt you - and she didn't wish that on anyone. "When I close my eyes it's...the future, I guess. Everyone is dead, and I keep finding the bodies of the people I care about. New York City is a pile of ash, and I'm the only one who managed to survive."