mad_muses march set 2.1.2 [quote]
2) "We are men of action; lies do not become us." -Westley, The Princess Bride
Claire could go through her life lying about who she was and what she could do. She didn't need to tell anyone beyond those who knew in her family, the adopted and the biological. There was no reason to tell the handsome man and his charming daughter, both of who could become the center of her world if she let them. She wasn't sure it was safe to do so; caring lead to danger after all. It leads to being vulnerable and Claire always worried about such things but there was no way she could just stand back.
Molly had been attacked by someone who shouldn't have attacked her, someone who had hurt her and used an ability. Something that she didn't think Gabriel and Molly knew anything about; it seemed there were secrets kept on all sides.
Still, she wasn't going to demand answers right now. All she knew was that Molly was hurt and Claire could fix it; she had made the decision to do so even before she saw the tears in Gabriel's eyes. He should worry about the fact that someone had gone after her daughter and then that a young woman he barely knew was offering to help but the love a parent had for a child could sometimes override some instincts. Especially when one thought that there was someone who could help their child especially right after they had been hurt.
After knocking on his door, Claire could see the frantic worry in Gabriel's eyes as he opened the door to let her in. "Come in." He waved his hand at her frantically, stepping back and nearly stumbling over a pair of hastily removed shoes as he made room for Claire to enter. She was calmer or at least that was how it appeared on the surface. Inside she was a bundle of nerves, she was about to expose herself for what she was. A freak with a weird ability.
"Where is she?" She murmured inquisitively, watching him as she kicked off her shoes and moved to follow him. She had forgotten her jacket in the haste to get to their place, so her arms were tinged pink as she wore a short sleeve shirt and a pair of hip hugging blue jeans.
"She is in her room." Gabriel gave a worried glance over his shoulder before he turned back to her. "How can you help her?"
Claire looked up at him, wetting her lips almost nervously as she wanted to beg him not to freak out. To not treat her like some sort of monster because she wasn't sure that she could bear being sent away. But she couldn't get the words past the lump in her throat, instead she just whispered, "It's something I can do. That I've been able to do...possibly my entire life."
Maybe she'd tell him the whole truth some day.
"It's going to look weird, okay? It might even look gross but it will make sure that she doesn't have a scar there for the rest of her life." Claire moved past him then, heading into the kitchen as she paused for a minute to look over his counter. Then she pulled open the drawer of utensils, finding a short steak knife before glancing over at him. His eyes were wide and uncertain as he watched her, the blood draining from his face a bit but there was also a curiosity there as he wondered what she was up to.
When Claire entered Molly's room, she hid the knife at her side and Gabriel was right behind her like a hovering guardian angel. Molly was awake, clutching a soft pink teddy bear as she peeked over the head to look at Claire and her daddy. "Claire?" She whispered then, lowering the teddy as she looked at them, "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to help you, Molly." Claire tried to smile; it was almost hard to do so as she sat down on the edge of her bed. "You need to do me a favor though, okay? I need you to lay down and close your eyes, and don't open them till I tell you. Okay?" She kept her features gentle as she reached out her free hand, brushing her fingers lightly over the top of her head.
Molly looked hesitant as she peeked at her dad, scared but looking for reassurance. Gabriel looked like he could use it himself but he still nodded, biting his lip because he wanted to protect his Molly but he also wanted to get her help. Whatever it took. Molly shifted her weight a bit before she laid back; still watching Claire warily but eventually she closed her eyes.
Claire drew in a slow breath as she shifted the knife to her other hand, studying her hand for a minute before she pressed the blade to her fingertips, curling her fingers a bit to make them all even. She heard Gabriel gasp when she suddenly drew the blade across, slicing the skin deeply as she knew she had cut a far way down. Nerves were making her a bit clumsy but luckily she didn't cut her fingertips right off. Gabriel stepped closer, watching her as he struggled with what to say or do but he stood there as he watched her lean over to press her fingers over the stitches.
Molly gasped, wincing at the little pressure against her cut and she pressed back into her pillow a little more but she didn't pull back completely. Gabriel's mouth opened, about to tell Claire to stop putting her blood on his daughter but then he watched in shocked silence as the blood began to work. As Claire pulled her fingers back, her blood seeped into the long cut and then the strangest thing happened; the cut started to seal together. The stitches began to push out of the skin, appearing slowly as the cut healed and pushed them out since they weren't needed anymore. He watched as the angry, puckered red skin smoothed out beneath the blood and he could tell it was disappearing till the skin of her forehead was smooth once more.
"Molly!" He gasped, his voice nearly breaking on a sob as he scrambled forward to grab his daughter then.
Molly's eyes snapped open as she looked at her dad, finding herself in his arms as a bit of blood trickled down her forehead, "Daddy, what happened?"
"I...I don't know." Gabriel pushed his face into her curls, his eyes filling with tears once more, "You're healed, baby. The cut is all gone. It's all gone." His voice was filled with a bit of wonder. He felt a soft tap on his arm causing him to lift his head to look at Claire who was at his side, holding out a wet cloth to him. The knife was gone from her grasp and her eyes were wary but she was still there offering the cloth. As he took it from her, he noticed her fingers were healed. Completely.
He sat down on the bed, focusing on his daughter again as he pressed the cloth to her forehead and began to wipe the blood away. "Does it hurt still, Molly-Dolly?"
"No." Her eyes were wide as she shook her head,”Did...did Claire fix me?"
"Yes, yes she did. I don't know how though." Gabriel looked up then; about to ask Claire but he found the room empty. He frowned then, still clutching his daughter as he got to his feet and walked out of the room but she wasn't there either. Nor was she in the kitchen or near the front door but he noticed her shoes were gone. "Claire?" He called, stepping out of his home with his daughter still in his arms but there was no sight of the blonde.
She was already on the street, running.
Claire couldn't lie forever about who she was but she wasn't sure she wanted to be there when the truth started to sink in.
(humanmapquest and watchmakersboy are used with permission and a lot of love)
Claire could go through her life lying about who she was and what she could do. She didn't need to tell anyone beyond those who knew in her family, the adopted and the biological. There was no reason to tell the handsome man and his charming daughter, both of who could become the center of her world if she let them. She wasn't sure it was safe to do so; caring lead to danger after all. It leads to being vulnerable and Claire always worried about such things but there was no way she could just stand back.
Molly had been attacked by someone who shouldn't have attacked her, someone who had hurt her and used an ability. Something that she didn't think Gabriel and Molly knew anything about; it seemed there were secrets kept on all sides.
Still, she wasn't going to demand answers right now. All she knew was that Molly was hurt and Claire could fix it; she had made the decision to do so even before she saw the tears in Gabriel's eyes. He should worry about the fact that someone had gone after her daughter and then that a young woman he barely knew was offering to help but the love a parent had for a child could sometimes override some instincts. Especially when one thought that there was someone who could help their child especially right after they had been hurt.
After knocking on his door, Claire could see the frantic worry in Gabriel's eyes as he opened the door to let her in. "Come in." He waved his hand at her frantically, stepping back and nearly stumbling over a pair of hastily removed shoes as he made room for Claire to enter. She was calmer or at least that was how it appeared on the surface. Inside she was a bundle of nerves, she was about to expose herself for what she was. A freak with a weird ability.
"Where is she?" She murmured inquisitively, watching him as she kicked off her shoes and moved to follow him. She had forgotten her jacket in the haste to get to their place, so her arms were tinged pink as she wore a short sleeve shirt and a pair of hip hugging blue jeans.
"She is in her room." Gabriel gave a worried glance over his shoulder before he turned back to her. "How can you help her?"
Claire looked up at him, wetting her lips almost nervously as she wanted to beg him not to freak out. To not treat her like some sort of monster because she wasn't sure that she could bear being sent away. But she couldn't get the words past the lump in her throat, instead she just whispered, "It's something I can do. That I've been able to do...possibly my entire life."
Maybe she'd tell him the whole truth some day.
"It's going to look weird, okay? It might even look gross but it will make sure that she doesn't have a scar there for the rest of her life." Claire moved past him then, heading into the kitchen as she paused for a minute to look over his counter. Then she pulled open the drawer of utensils, finding a short steak knife before glancing over at him. His eyes were wide and uncertain as he watched her, the blood draining from his face a bit but there was also a curiosity there as he wondered what she was up to.
When Claire entered Molly's room, she hid the knife at her side and Gabriel was right behind her like a hovering guardian angel. Molly was awake, clutching a soft pink teddy bear as she peeked over the head to look at Claire and her daddy. "Claire?" She whispered then, lowering the teddy as she looked at them, "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to help you, Molly." Claire tried to smile; it was almost hard to do so as she sat down on the edge of her bed. "You need to do me a favor though, okay? I need you to lay down and close your eyes, and don't open them till I tell you. Okay?" She kept her features gentle as she reached out her free hand, brushing her fingers lightly over the top of her head.
Molly looked hesitant as she peeked at her dad, scared but looking for reassurance. Gabriel looked like he could use it himself but he still nodded, biting his lip because he wanted to protect his Molly but he also wanted to get her help. Whatever it took. Molly shifted her weight a bit before she laid back; still watching Claire warily but eventually she closed her eyes.
Claire drew in a slow breath as she shifted the knife to her other hand, studying her hand for a minute before she pressed the blade to her fingertips, curling her fingers a bit to make them all even. She heard Gabriel gasp when she suddenly drew the blade across, slicing the skin deeply as she knew she had cut a far way down. Nerves were making her a bit clumsy but luckily she didn't cut her fingertips right off. Gabriel stepped closer, watching her as he struggled with what to say or do but he stood there as he watched her lean over to press her fingers over the stitches.
Molly gasped, wincing at the little pressure against her cut and she pressed back into her pillow a little more but she didn't pull back completely. Gabriel's mouth opened, about to tell Claire to stop putting her blood on his daughter but then he watched in shocked silence as the blood began to work. As Claire pulled her fingers back, her blood seeped into the long cut and then the strangest thing happened; the cut started to seal together. The stitches began to push out of the skin, appearing slowly as the cut healed and pushed them out since they weren't needed anymore. He watched as the angry, puckered red skin smoothed out beneath the blood and he could tell it was disappearing till the skin of her forehead was smooth once more.
"Molly!" He gasped, his voice nearly breaking on a sob as he scrambled forward to grab his daughter then.
Molly's eyes snapped open as she looked at her dad, finding herself in his arms as a bit of blood trickled down her forehead, "Daddy, what happened?"
"I...I don't know." Gabriel pushed his face into her curls, his eyes filling with tears once more, "You're healed, baby. The cut is all gone. It's all gone." His voice was filled with a bit of wonder. He felt a soft tap on his arm causing him to lift his head to look at Claire who was at his side, holding out a wet cloth to him. The knife was gone from her grasp and her eyes were wary but she was still there offering the cloth. As he took it from her, he noticed her fingers were healed. Completely.
He sat down on the bed, focusing on his daughter again as he pressed the cloth to her forehead and began to wipe the blood away. "Does it hurt still, Molly-Dolly?"
"No." Her eyes were wide as she shook her head,”Did...did Claire fix me?"
"Yes, yes she did. I don't know how though." Gabriel looked up then; about to ask Claire but he found the room empty. He frowned then, still clutching his daughter as he got to his feet and walked out of the room but she wasn't there either. Nor was she in the kitchen or near the front door but he noticed her shoes were gone. "Claire?" He called, stepping out of his home with his daughter still in his arms but there was no sight of the blonde.
She was already on the street, running.
Claire couldn't lie forever about who she was but she wasn't sure she wanted to be there when the truth started to sink in.
(humanmapquest and watchmakersboy are used with permission and a lot of love)