if you stand or you fall, you're no problem at all (fic request for humanmapquest)
The blood was everywhere.
“We’re never going to find the body.” The Haitian’s accent is almost soothing to her but every word is a little stab to her conscience.
“No, of course not.” She shakes her head, not surprised at all as she looks down at a pool of blood and is reminded of a time when it was her own staining a coffee table. “He wouldn’t want anything to tie this to them.”
“Do you really think that he had Molly here with him?” He can’t quite sound as concerned as he should.
“Yes.” She hates it. It twists inside of her stomach as she thinks of the young girl that she considers her daughter being here; taking part in the murder of the maid that had told the world that the President had an inappropriate relationship with his young daughter.
“What do we do now?” As if she is supposed to know the answer to that one.
She’s not sure that she does anymore. She had made a promise to take care of the girl who wasn’t her own blood and she does. She does more than either her husband or her daughter know. They have no idea that she knows about what they do or that she has seen evidence of those things. They have no idea that she is here now, standing among the blood that stained the woman’s apartment.
“Who found this?”
The Haitian turns, pointing at an eighty year old man who looked a little too pale and a little too shaky as he looked over the blood of the woman he once knew. “The landlord.”
Claire nods her head, “Don’t let him remember this.” No one should have this scene burnt into their mind but she knows that she won’t be so lucky. She’s going to see it for days. “I have to get to my family.”
“Claire.” His voice is soft and his fingers even more so as they brush against her arm. “How much longer are we going to do this? Cleaning up his messes? How long are you going to condone what she does with him?”
“I’m doing what I have to, what I’m expected to do.” She turns to him, her eyes a little too bright and her tone a little too sharp. “Don’t forget, this is what they wanted.”
He winces as she walks away and returns to her home.
Claire tells herself that it all matters, that she is doing the right thing. She knew what she was signing up for when she finally agreed to being a part of this life and eventually becoming Sylar’s wife. The Haitian had warned her many times of the sacrifices that she would have to make, especially as she started cleaning up the messes that her husband and her daughter made in the hopes that she could protect their secret. The world wouldn’t react very well if they knew the truth after all, no one would.
It’s all because Molly is broken. Yes, she had been broken by the very man swearing that he was protecting her. At least he had started it but others had done it and Claire knows what that’s like. She’s been let down before, she’s been taught that you can’t always depend on others and that blood doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean that there will always be a bond and it certainly doesn’t mean anything when it’s spilled in the name of protecting what’s yours.
People have hurt Molly, just like they hurt Claire and she knows that Molly is just trying to take her power back. She doesn’t want to be helpless anymore and Claire can understand that because she didn’t want to be helpless either. But she is at times; she’s helpless because she had resigned herself to the fate of protecting her family. The Haitian accuses her of being an enabler at times but she does it out of love. She now recognizes what her father dealt with in the hopes of keeping her safe because that’s all she wants for Molly and for Noah.
When she walks into Molly’s room later that night, she pushes the sight of the blood out of her head and focuses on the young girl instead. Asleep, she almost looks like an angel and Claire can almost forget what she has done. What they have both done. She walks over silently to the edge of the bed and sits down, watching as Molly instinctively shifts closer to her.
Reaching over, Claire brushes her fingers over Molly’s forehead to push her bangs aside. It’s not very easy to do what she does but she does it because she wants to. She knows that it’s been hard for Molly lately, especially since the story that the maid told had gone out. Even though the story had been squashed, people didn’t let go of it very easily.
“Mom?” Molly’s sleepy voice snaps her out of her thoughts and she can see the worry on the young girl’s face.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up, sweetie.” Claire sighs a little, looking almost sheepish.
“Where were you? Daddy wanted to wait for you but Noah got cranky and then I got tired.” Molly sits up a little, worried about something in the blonde’s eyes.
“There was a meeting I had to go to.” Claire just smiles weakly, thinking of the news that would come in the morning. News of a house burning down, a house that belonged to a certain woman who used to work at the White House. No one would ever make the link because the one person who knew was in a coma and the other two would never say anything.
“Is everything okay?”
Claire has to not think about the blood as Molly’s arms wrap around her and she wraps her arms around her in turn. “Yeah, everything is okay.” She keeps her voice steady as she drops a kiss to the top of Molly’s head. “There’s no problem at all.”
She has chosen to protect her family and that certainly meant the little girl in her arms.
“We’re never going to find the body.” The Haitian’s accent is almost soothing to her but every word is a little stab to her conscience.
“No, of course not.” She shakes her head, not surprised at all as she looks down at a pool of blood and is reminded of a time when it was her own staining a coffee table. “He wouldn’t want anything to tie this to them.”
“Do you really think that he had Molly here with him?” He can’t quite sound as concerned as he should.
“Yes.” She hates it. It twists inside of her stomach as she thinks of the young girl that she considers her daughter being here; taking part in the murder of the maid that had told the world that the President had an inappropriate relationship with his young daughter.
“What do we do now?” As if she is supposed to know the answer to that one.
She’s not sure that she does anymore. She had made a promise to take care of the girl who wasn’t her own blood and she does. She does more than either her husband or her daughter know. They have no idea that she knows about what they do or that she has seen evidence of those things. They have no idea that she is here now, standing among the blood that stained the woman’s apartment.
“Who found this?”
The Haitian turns, pointing at an eighty year old man who looked a little too pale and a little too shaky as he looked over the blood of the woman he once knew. “The landlord.”
Claire nods her head, “Don’t let him remember this.” No one should have this scene burnt into their mind but she knows that she won’t be so lucky. She’s going to see it for days. “I have to get to my family.”
“Claire.” His voice is soft and his fingers even more so as they brush against her arm. “How much longer are we going to do this? Cleaning up his messes? How long are you going to condone what she does with him?”
“I’m doing what I have to, what I’m expected to do.” She turns to him, her eyes a little too bright and her tone a little too sharp. “Don’t forget, this is what they wanted.”
He winces as she walks away and returns to her home.
Claire tells herself that it all matters, that she is doing the right thing. She knew what she was signing up for when she finally agreed to being a part of this life and eventually becoming Sylar’s wife. The Haitian had warned her many times of the sacrifices that she would have to make, especially as she started cleaning up the messes that her husband and her daughter made in the hopes that she could protect their secret. The world wouldn’t react very well if they knew the truth after all, no one would.
It’s all because Molly is broken. Yes, she had been broken by the very man swearing that he was protecting her. At least he had started it but others had done it and Claire knows what that’s like. She’s been let down before, she’s been taught that you can’t always depend on others and that blood doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean that there will always be a bond and it certainly doesn’t mean anything when it’s spilled in the name of protecting what’s yours.
People have hurt Molly, just like they hurt Claire and she knows that Molly is just trying to take her power back. She doesn’t want to be helpless anymore and Claire can understand that because she didn’t want to be helpless either. But she is at times; she’s helpless because she had resigned herself to the fate of protecting her family. The Haitian accuses her of being an enabler at times but she does it out of love. She now recognizes what her father dealt with in the hopes of keeping her safe because that’s all she wants for Molly and for Noah.
When she walks into Molly’s room later that night, she pushes the sight of the blood out of her head and focuses on the young girl instead. Asleep, she almost looks like an angel and Claire can almost forget what she has done. What they have both done. She walks over silently to the edge of the bed and sits down, watching as Molly instinctively shifts closer to her.
Reaching over, Claire brushes her fingers over Molly’s forehead to push her bangs aside. It’s not very easy to do what she does but she does it because she wants to. She knows that it’s been hard for Molly lately, especially since the story that the maid told had gone out. Even though the story had been squashed, people didn’t let go of it very easily.
“Mom?” Molly’s sleepy voice snaps her out of her thoughts and she can see the worry on the young girl’s face.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up, sweetie.” Claire sighs a little, looking almost sheepish.
“Where were you? Daddy wanted to wait for you but Noah got cranky and then I got tired.” Molly sits up a little, worried about something in the blonde’s eyes.
“There was a meeting I had to go to.” Claire just smiles weakly, thinking of the news that would come in the morning. News of a house burning down, a house that belonged to a certain woman who used to work at the White House. No one would ever make the link because the one person who knew was in a coma and the other two would never say anything.
“Is everything okay?”
Claire has to not think about the blood as Molly’s arms wrap around her and she wraps her arms around her in turn. “Yeah, everything is okay.” She keeps her voice steady as she drops a kiss to the top of Molly’s head. “There’s no problem at all.”
She has chosen to protect her family and that certainly meant the little girl in her arms.