sunday_reveries prompt for 5/31 - 6/6 [quote #4]
4. Maybe not everything is supposed to last forever. Certain things are like skywriting; like a really beautiful thing that only lasts for a couple moments. --Little Manhattan
Claire had been standing in the same spot for at least a half an hour and it seemed she wasn't going to move any time soon. Probably something that worried her husband as he came to stand behind her, his hands moving to rest on her shoulders as he stood close enough that she could feel the front lines of his body against her back. His breath was warm over her shoulder as he pressed a kiss there, his voice breaking through her thoughts.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
She turned her head a little, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye before she glanced back out to the lawn that stretched on before them; reaching to the edge of a tall fence that worked to keep them safe but she didn't know if she felt that way at all. "I feel like there is something coming." She had been feeling that way for a long time.
He never believed her though, not really. That's what happened when you were married to a powerful man who thought he could stand against everything there was out there. A foolish man and a foolish thought but she loved him anyways, even if others saw it as a flaw. "Claire, nothing is going to happen."
"You don't know that." She frowned as she turned around to face him, one hand coming to rest on his chest where she could feel the steady beat of his heart under her palm.
"I do." He tried to assure him, lowering his head down to press a soft kiss to her mouth as he slid his hand over her side. "I do know it. We're together, we're more honest than we have ever been and no one is going to touch us."
He was right, they were more honest than they had ever been. He knew now that she knew what he did with Molly and he knew what hand she had in covering it up. He had promised to stop it though but she worried it was still too late. "Sylar." He murmured, leaning against him as she wrapped her arm around his waist. There was just so much for them to lose.
"Claire." His hand lifted so he could thread his fingers through her hair, enjoying the soft feel of the blond curls over his skin and his wrist. "I promised you I would stop and soon I'll find a way for us to leave. We'll go somewhere safe, where it's just you, me, Molly, Noah and our new baby." He gave a proud little smile as he rubbed his other hand over the small of her back.
She wanted to believe him, her struggling heart was desperate to but she knew he wouldn't see things her way. So she laid her cheek against his chest, closing her eyes for a moment before tilting her head back to look up at him. "Promise me." She murmured, her green eyes were wider than normal and he could see the fear that shimmered in the depths. It warmed him to know if wasn't fear of him but rather it was fear of losing him.
"I promise." He nodded before leaning down to kiss her once more, almost surprised by the ferocity of her kiss as she curled her fingers in his hair to lock him in place as she poured herself into the kiss. He pulled her closer with a little growl, pushing her up against the wall as he felt the flash of hunger that she caused in him. He had no problems with making love to his wife right in that moment which is exactly what he did as they tore the clothes from each other's bodies and found some solace in each other's arms.
It was enough to make her smile later as she got out of the shower, wrapping the towel tightly around her frame as she checked the time and then moved to get dress. She was just tugging on her shirt when her cellphone rang, the special tune making her heart jump into her throat as she moved to pick it up quickly to look at the tiny screen. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed she was alone but she still spoke in low whispers when she answered. "What?"
"I have cleaned up your mess." He's still not pleased and she can hear it in his accented tones. "We need to speak, Claire."
"I have to take Noah to a doctor's appointment." She wasn't sure she wanted to see him, she hated the look in his eyes every time he looked at her.
"Please." His voice was softer this time and she hated him for it.
"Fine." She told him the time and the place before hanging up, checking the time once more with a curse as she hurried to find her son.
Noah was asleep in his carseat when she finally made it to the meeting point, pulling her car to the side as she spotted the Haitian where he stood beside his own dark car. As soon as she killed the engine, she crawled out and straightened while keeping her eyes on him. "I'm not going to be able to keep meeting you."
"I know. It won't matter soon."
"I'm serious, it's hard to get away from the Secret Service and I'm sure my husband is catching on." She kept her door open a little bit as she wanted to hear Noah just in case he woke up and started to cry.
"Claire, this needs to end." He kept his voice soft as he moved towards her, glancing at the car. He was pleased to see the outline of Noah in his seat as it made it a bit easier to accomplish his goal.
"It is. It's going to." She nodded, a tingle creeping up her spine as she watched him. "Sylar has promised to stop."
"You killed someone." This was what troubled him the most.
Her eyes flashed with brief annoyance and guilt. "It was an accident. I...it was a hormonal reaction."
"A...you're pregnant again." There was a flicker of something and then he quickly composed himself as he nodded in a somewhat determined manner. "It's not going to stop, Claire."
"It is too." Her voice was a hiss as her eyes flashed with anger now. "He promised."
"He's a monster, Claire."
"He's my husband. We have a family and he promised for the good of our family, he will stop."
"He won't. He's already twisted your daughter into a killer. How long till he goes back to his ways? How long till Noah is at risk or your new child? How long till Sylar decides one of them should participate in his sick games?" His eyes flickered down to her stomach and then back to her face. "You should not have to deal with these things, Claire. You should not have to be in fear of your children's lives or what happens to them at the hands of their father."
"He would never hurt them."
"Hasn't he hurt Molly? He took a sweet girl and made her just like him." Then his eyes softened. "You’re beginning to change as well, Claire. You’re harder and colder, the sight of murder barely bothers you anymore."
"I am not." There was the tingle again, something that told her that something was wrong. That something was going to happen. As he moved a little closer, she stepped back.
"You are and you don't see it. You won't leave."
"I can't! You know what would happen if I did and I don't even want to." She felt her backside hit the edge of the car and she quickly looked down before looking back at him.
"I can save you, Claire. I should have saved you a long time ago as your father wanted me to." He brought his hand up to her shoulder and caught her as she went to wince away.
As his hand tightened over her shoulder, her heart started to race as she stared at him. "What...what are you going to do?"
"I'm saving you." He told her again, moving his other hand towards her as he pinned her to the car. She struggled against him but he had years of training on his side, and he was quicker as he pressed his hand to her forehead. He felt her entire body stiffen as her eyes widened, becoming unfocused as he started to go through her mind to strip everything away.
She felt it too. It was a horrible sensation, worse than having her skin peeled off by nuclear flames and worse than the time Sylar cut into her head. It left her cold, shaking and breathless as she could feel everything being peeled away as the darkness surrounded her. She tried to cry out but nothing came out of her as she tried to fight, as she tried to hold on but she couldn't. Everything spiralled out of her reach as she fell away from the world with a soundless cry.
When she collapsed, unconscious, the Haitian caught her body close to his and sighed. Luckily she was small which made it easy to carry her to his car to put in the back seat. He was gentle as he laid her against the door, fetching a blanket to cover her before he moved to her car to find Noah awake and alert. "Hello." The Haitian murmured.
"Hewwo." Noah murmured, clutching his bear tightly.
"Come on, le petite, we're going on a trip." The Haitian reached over, unbuckling the small boy from his seat.
"Where is Mommy?"
"She's sleeping at the moment." The Haitian looked over at the car as he shifted the small boy in his arms. "So we're going to have to be very quiet because she's not feeling well, okay?"
Noah looked uncertain but he nodded a little, giving a sniff. "Okay."
The Haitian nodded once more as he carried the small boy to his car and put him in the brand new car seat he had bought. He told himself he was doing the right thing; his job was to protect the innocent and he was doing just that even by saving the monster's children. He was saving them from the monster himself.
As he drove away from the car he set on fire, he looked in his rear view mirror to where Claire laid in the back seat next to her son and he set his jaw in a determined line. He would take her away and he would spin a story for her. He would tell her that she had been manipulated by Sylar, perhaps mentally so and so she couldn't be blamed for marrying the monster or having his children. He would tell her that they had to stay hidden because Sylar would be furious at losing his children and he would kill them both.
And even if she remembered one day, she would realize this was the best way. Nothing could last forever; and certainly not the promise of a monster who was only trying to be good to hang onto a family he didn’t deserve. Evil was evil and there was no changing Sylar or the man he had become. Not even an eternity with Claire could do that, instead Claire would change and the Haitian wouldn't allow that to happen.
WC: 1905
[Sylar is watchmakersboy and the Haitian is youhas_nopowers, and both are used with love and hopefully permission.]
Claire had been standing in the same spot for at least a half an hour and it seemed she wasn't going to move any time soon. Probably something that worried her husband as he came to stand behind her, his hands moving to rest on her shoulders as he stood close enough that she could feel the front lines of his body against her back. His breath was warm over her shoulder as he pressed a kiss there, his voice breaking through her thoughts.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
She turned her head a little, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye before she glanced back out to the lawn that stretched on before them; reaching to the edge of a tall fence that worked to keep them safe but she didn't know if she felt that way at all. "I feel like there is something coming." She had been feeling that way for a long time.
He never believed her though, not really. That's what happened when you were married to a powerful man who thought he could stand against everything there was out there. A foolish man and a foolish thought but she loved him anyways, even if others saw it as a flaw. "Claire, nothing is going to happen."
"You don't know that." She frowned as she turned around to face him, one hand coming to rest on his chest where she could feel the steady beat of his heart under her palm.
"I do." He tried to assure him, lowering his head down to press a soft kiss to her mouth as he slid his hand over her side. "I do know it. We're together, we're more honest than we have ever been and no one is going to touch us."
He was right, they were more honest than they had ever been. He knew now that she knew what he did with Molly and he knew what hand she had in covering it up. He had promised to stop it though but she worried it was still too late. "Sylar." He murmured, leaning against him as she wrapped her arm around his waist. There was just so much for them to lose.
"Claire." His hand lifted so he could thread his fingers through her hair, enjoying the soft feel of the blond curls over his skin and his wrist. "I promised you I would stop and soon I'll find a way for us to leave. We'll go somewhere safe, where it's just you, me, Molly, Noah and our new baby." He gave a proud little smile as he rubbed his other hand over the small of her back.
She wanted to believe him, her struggling heart was desperate to but she knew he wouldn't see things her way. So she laid her cheek against his chest, closing her eyes for a moment before tilting her head back to look up at him. "Promise me." She murmured, her green eyes were wider than normal and he could see the fear that shimmered in the depths. It warmed him to know if wasn't fear of him but rather it was fear of losing him.
"I promise." He nodded before leaning down to kiss her once more, almost surprised by the ferocity of her kiss as she curled her fingers in his hair to lock him in place as she poured herself into the kiss. He pulled her closer with a little growl, pushing her up against the wall as he felt the flash of hunger that she caused in him. He had no problems with making love to his wife right in that moment which is exactly what he did as they tore the clothes from each other's bodies and found some solace in each other's arms.
It was enough to make her smile later as she got out of the shower, wrapping the towel tightly around her frame as she checked the time and then moved to get dress. She was just tugging on her shirt when her cellphone rang, the special tune making her heart jump into her throat as she moved to pick it up quickly to look at the tiny screen. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed she was alone but she still spoke in low whispers when she answered. "What?"
"I have cleaned up your mess." He's still not pleased and she can hear it in his accented tones. "We need to speak, Claire."
"I have to take Noah to a doctor's appointment." She wasn't sure she wanted to see him, she hated the look in his eyes every time he looked at her.
"Please." His voice was softer this time and she hated him for it.
"Fine." She told him the time and the place before hanging up, checking the time once more with a curse as she hurried to find her son.
Noah was asleep in his carseat when she finally made it to the meeting point, pulling her car to the side as she spotted the Haitian where he stood beside his own dark car. As soon as she killed the engine, she crawled out and straightened while keeping her eyes on him. "I'm not going to be able to keep meeting you."
"I know. It won't matter soon."
"I'm serious, it's hard to get away from the Secret Service and I'm sure my husband is catching on." She kept her door open a little bit as she wanted to hear Noah just in case he woke up and started to cry.
"Claire, this needs to end." He kept his voice soft as he moved towards her, glancing at the car. He was pleased to see the outline of Noah in his seat as it made it a bit easier to accomplish his goal.
"It is. It's going to." She nodded, a tingle creeping up her spine as she watched him. "Sylar has promised to stop."
"You killed someone." This was what troubled him the most.
Her eyes flashed with brief annoyance and guilt. "It was an accident. I...it was a hormonal reaction."
"A...you're pregnant again." There was a flicker of something and then he quickly composed himself as he nodded in a somewhat determined manner. "It's not going to stop, Claire."
"It is too." Her voice was a hiss as her eyes flashed with anger now. "He promised."
"He's a monster, Claire."
"He's my husband. We have a family and he promised for the good of our family, he will stop."
"He won't. He's already twisted your daughter into a killer. How long till he goes back to his ways? How long till Noah is at risk or your new child? How long till Sylar decides one of them should participate in his sick games?" His eyes flickered down to her stomach and then back to her face. "You should not have to deal with these things, Claire. You should not have to be in fear of your children's lives or what happens to them at the hands of their father."
"He would never hurt them."
"Hasn't he hurt Molly? He took a sweet girl and made her just like him." Then his eyes softened. "You’re beginning to change as well, Claire. You’re harder and colder, the sight of murder barely bothers you anymore."
"I am not." There was the tingle again, something that told her that something was wrong. That something was going to happen. As he moved a little closer, she stepped back.
"You are and you don't see it. You won't leave."
"I can't! You know what would happen if I did and I don't even want to." She felt her backside hit the edge of the car and she quickly looked down before looking back at him.
"I can save you, Claire. I should have saved you a long time ago as your father wanted me to." He brought his hand up to her shoulder and caught her as she went to wince away.
As his hand tightened over her shoulder, her heart started to race as she stared at him. "What...what are you going to do?"
"I'm saving you." He told her again, moving his other hand towards her as he pinned her to the car. She struggled against him but he had years of training on his side, and he was quicker as he pressed his hand to her forehead. He felt her entire body stiffen as her eyes widened, becoming unfocused as he started to go through her mind to strip everything away.
She felt it too. It was a horrible sensation, worse than having her skin peeled off by nuclear flames and worse than the time Sylar cut into her head. It left her cold, shaking and breathless as she could feel everything being peeled away as the darkness surrounded her. She tried to cry out but nothing came out of her as she tried to fight, as she tried to hold on but she couldn't. Everything spiralled out of her reach as she fell away from the world with a soundless cry.
When she collapsed, unconscious, the Haitian caught her body close to his and sighed. Luckily she was small which made it easy to carry her to his car to put in the back seat. He was gentle as he laid her against the door, fetching a blanket to cover her before he moved to her car to find Noah awake and alert. "Hello." The Haitian murmured.
"Hewwo." Noah murmured, clutching his bear tightly.
"Come on, le petite, we're going on a trip." The Haitian reached over, unbuckling the small boy from his seat.
"Where is Mommy?"
"She's sleeping at the moment." The Haitian looked over at the car as he shifted the small boy in his arms. "So we're going to have to be very quiet because she's not feeling well, okay?"
Noah looked uncertain but he nodded a little, giving a sniff. "Okay."
The Haitian nodded once more as he carried the small boy to his car and put him in the brand new car seat he had bought. He told himself he was doing the right thing; his job was to protect the innocent and he was doing just that even by saving the monster's children. He was saving them from the monster himself.
As he drove away from the car he set on fire, he looked in his rear view mirror to where Claire laid in the back seat next to her son and he set his jaw in a determined line. He would take her away and he would spin a story for her. He would tell her that she had been manipulated by Sylar, perhaps mentally so and so she couldn't be blamed for marrying the monster or having his children. He would tell her that they had to stay hidden because Sylar would be furious at losing his children and he would kill them both.
And even if she remembered one day, she would realize this was the best way. Nothing could last forever; and certainly not the promise of a monster who was only trying to be good to hang onto a family he didn’t deserve. Evil was evil and there was no changing Sylar or the man he had become. Not even an eternity with Claire could do that, instead Claire would change and the Haitian wouldn't allow that to happen.
WC: 1905
[Sylar is watchmakersboy and the Haitian is youhas_nopowers, and both are used with love and hopefully permission.]