realmof_themuse prompt 2009.27.a.3 [lyrics prompts]
Pay my respects to grace and virtue // Send my condolences to good // Give my regards to soul and romance // They always did the best they could // And so long to devotion // You taught me everything I know // Wave goodbye // Wish me well // You've gotta let me go
The park was prettier than any park she had ever seen before. The grass stretched out before her like an emerald colored sea, every blade waving together in perfect ripples that seemed to spread beyond her and outwards. There were flowers too, mainly in shades of pink and yellow, reminding her of home. There were birds too but she couldn’t see them, she could only hear their soft chirping somewhere on the edge of her awareness. She enjoyed the whole scene and the warmth of the sun from where she sat quietly on a bench.
“Claire.”
She turned her head sharply to the side, looking at the figure that seemed to melt out of nowhere and join her in the vision of beauty. Almost like a dark little smudge on perfection.
“Hello, Daddy.” She sighed softly at the sight at him, watching him walk over to sit down beside her. At one time she would have been happy to see him but now she was only resigned. Too many fights and too many times of being on the opposite sides of issues had led to a chasm that she wasn’t sure could ever be repaired. “What are you doing here?”
“I want you to come back home.” Bennet looked like he was going to reach for her hand but she was quick to pull it out of reach. For a moment he looked forlorn, just a hint of something real but then it was gone as he set his jaw.
“Home? Where is that?” She asked with a faint smirk though there was no amusement there. “Would that be with you or with mom?”
“I think your mother would like it if you would move in with her for awhile. Lyle moved out a year or two ago, I think she’s lonely.” He looked away, his eyes flickering down to his hands. Mainly to where the ring was missing and now only a pale band of skin sat lonely.
“I can’t go back.” Claire shook her head as she sat forward, probably only so she wouldn’t be sitting the same way. Bracing her elbows on her knees, she looked over the park in front of her and in the distance she was sure she saw a flash of light. Just a flare and then it was gone.
“Why?” He sounded frustrated and bewildered. “What’s keeping you here?”
“You know the answer to that.” She answered him calmly.
“What? Sylar?” Now he gave a somewhat bitter laugh. “I can’t believe you’re choosing him over your family, after everything he’s done.”
“It’s not about that.” Now it was her turn to laugh, a sort of dry noise. “It’s not about choosing sides or choosing him over one person or my family.” She moved to her feet, not wanting to sit next to him.
“Isn’t it? Why are you with him? You can’t tell me it’s because you love him.”
“I do.” She kept her back to him.
“What?” She could hear from the change that he had moved to his feet and he was moving closer to her. “You can’t be serious! Claire, he’s a murderer. He’s a monster. Do I have to remind you what he did to you?”
“It’s not like I forgot.” She rolled her eyes a little.
“He chopped off the top of your head....”
She cut him off there, whirling to face him. “At least he never broke my heart! He’s never lied to me about who he is either.”
She could see the visible wince at the little stab, the barbed remark doing exactly what she had wanted it to do. She had wanted to make her point and she was sure she had gotten it across. “Claire, everything I’ve done...”
“I know. Everything you’ve done was for me and for us. Do you think that makes you the good guy? Like only you have the right now?” She stared at him, incredulous. “Do you really find it so impossible to believe that Sylar could love me back?”
“Yes.” His jaw was a firm line once more, his gaze never wavering.
Claire sighed softly, turning away from him once more as she wrapped her arms around herself. In the distance, she could see the flare of light again and she noticed the sky wasn’t the same color anymore. The pale blue was fading into mottled colors of black and purple, looking more like a bruise spreading over the sky.
“He’s never lied to me and I don’t have to lie with him either. It’s not longer about what I can do or what I can’t do. I know him now, almost as well as I know myself.”
“Do you think he’ll come to save you?”
“Yes.” She wasn’t sure when she had gotten that faith in Sylar but she no longer thought it was misplaced. There it was again; another flare in the distance or maybe it was getting closer now.
He must have seen it too because now he was at her side with a quiet and thoughtful look as he stared off in the distance. “So maybe you’re his conscious now. Maybe you’re his good side.”
“No, he always had a good side. No one ever trusted in it before though and so he’s never had a reason to let it show.” When she smiled, there was a soft tinge of sadness. “He wanted to be more and they pushed him to become something else.” She turned her head to look at him once more.
“Maybe they just wanted answers.” He looked at her.
“Maybe.” She tilted her head to the side now, catching another flare out of the corner of her eye. “Can I ask you a question though?”
“Sure.”
“What do you think is going to happen if I die with you in my head, Matt? Will you get trapped here?” She asked with a small knowing smile.
He looked surprised for a moment and he seemed to consider rebuffing her but then he decided against it. The visage of her father rippled before fading and now it was the mind reader at her side. “How did you know?”
“My dad can’t go into people’s minds.” She chuckled softly, giving him a look like ‘duh’.
“But how did you know this was all in your mind?”
“I’m dying.”
He looked sharply to the flares in the distance.
“We’re losing her.....go to three hundred.....”
“How do you know?” He turned his head to look back at her and she could actually see the worry there.
She felt bad for the little laugh that caught him off guard before she swallowed it down. “I’ve died before. I know what it’s like and you should leave while you can.”
“Claire...” He reached out for her arm as though he thought he could take her out of there but there was no saving her.
“Tell my dad I’m okay. Even if I come out of this, I’m not coming home. I’m right where I’m supposed to be and he’s going to have to accept that.” Reaching out, she pushed gently at his arm.
“....Again.”
“Go.” She urged him as the sky continued to darken over them and the grass was gone as well, turning to dirt beneath them. He hesitated one more time but then the detective was gone, taking the picturesque park with him and leaving her in the darkness she had become familiar with. The flares were gone as well but she was still there.
“We’ve got a pulse...it’s weak but it’s there.”
So she had a little while longer but she had no idea how close Sylar was to finding her. She was hoping he was close though because there was no doubt that her dad was as well. He wouldn’t take stock in whatever Matt Parkman would tell him. He would come to save her because he would still see himself the hero.
She could only hope Sylar would continue to prove himself by getting there first.
[the use of Matt Parkman isn't aimed at any specific journal]
The park was prettier than any park she had ever seen before. The grass stretched out before her like an emerald colored sea, every blade waving together in perfect ripples that seemed to spread beyond her and outwards. There were flowers too, mainly in shades of pink and yellow, reminding her of home. There were birds too but she couldn’t see them, she could only hear their soft chirping somewhere on the edge of her awareness. She enjoyed the whole scene and the warmth of the sun from where she sat quietly on a bench.
“Claire.”
She turned her head sharply to the side, looking at the figure that seemed to melt out of nowhere and join her in the vision of beauty. Almost like a dark little smudge on perfection.
“Hello, Daddy.” She sighed softly at the sight at him, watching him walk over to sit down beside her. At one time she would have been happy to see him but now she was only resigned. Too many fights and too many times of being on the opposite sides of issues had led to a chasm that she wasn’t sure could ever be repaired. “What are you doing here?”
“I want you to come back home.” Bennet looked like he was going to reach for her hand but she was quick to pull it out of reach. For a moment he looked forlorn, just a hint of something real but then it was gone as he set his jaw.
“Home? Where is that?” She asked with a faint smirk though there was no amusement there. “Would that be with you or with mom?”
“I think your mother would like it if you would move in with her for awhile. Lyle moved out a year or two ago, I think she’s lonely.” He looked away, his eyes flickering down to his hands. Mainly to where the ring was missing and now only a pale band of skin sat lonely.
“I can’t go back.” Claire shook her head as she sat forward, probably only so she wouldn’t be sitting the same way. Bracing her elbows on her knees, she looked over the park in front of her and in the distance she was sure she saw a flash of light. Just a flare and then it was gone.
“Why?” He sounded frustrated and bewildered. “What’s keeping you here?”
“You know the answer to that.” She answered him calmly.
“What? Sylar?” Now he gave a somewhat bitter laugh. “I can’t believe you’re choosing him over your family, after everything he’s done.”
“It’s not about that.” Now it was her turn to laugh, a sort of dry noise. “It’s not about choosing sides or choosing him over one person or my family.” She moved to her feet, not wanting to sit next to him.
“Isn’t it? Why are you with him? You can’t tell me it’s because you love him.”
“I do.” She kept her back to him.
“What?” She could hear from the change that he had moved to his feet and he was moving closer to her. “You can’t be serious! Claire, he’s a murderer. He’s a monster. Do I have to remind you what he did to you?”
“It’s not like I forgot.” She rolled her eyes a little.
“He chopped off the top of your head....”
She cut him off there, whirling to face him. “At least he never broke my heart! He’s never lied to me about who he is either.”
She could see the visible wince at the little stab, the barbed remark doing exactly what she had wanted it to do. She had wanted to make her point and she was sure she had gotten it across. “Claire, everything I’ve done...”
“I know. Everything you’ve done was for me and for us. Do you think that makes you the good guy? Like only you have the right now?” She stared at him, incredulous. “Do you really find it so impossible to believe that Sylar could love me back?”
“Yes.” His jaw was a firm line once more, his gaze never wavering.
Claire sighed softly, turning away from him once more as she wrapped her arms around herself. In the distance, she could see the flare of light again and she noticed the sky wasn’t the same color anymore. The pale blue was fading into mottled colors of black and purple, looking more like a bruise spreading over the sky.
“He’s never lied to me and I don’t have to lie with him either. It’s not longer about what I can do or what I can’t do. I know him now, almost as well as I know myself.”
“Do you think he’ll come to save you?”
“Yes.” She wasn’t sure when she had gotten that faith in Sylar but she no longer thought it was misplaced. There it was again; another flare in the distance or maybe it was getting closer now.
He must have seen it too because now he was at her side with a quiet and thoughtful look as he stared off in the distance. “So maybe you’re his conscious now. Maybe you’re his good side.”
“No, he always had a good side. No one ever trusted in it before though and so he’s never had a reason to let it show.” When she smiled, there was a soft tinge of sadness. “He wanted to be more and they pushed him to become something else.” She turned her head to look at him once more.
“Maybe they just wanted answers.” He looked at her.
“Maybe.” She tilted her head to the side now, catching another flare out of the corner of her eye. “Can I ask you a question though?”
“Sure.”
“What do you think is going to happen if I die with you in my head, Matt? Will you get trapped here?” She asked with a small knowing smile.
He looked surprised for a moment and he seemed to consider rebuffing her but then he decided against it. The visage of her father rippled before fading and now it was the mind reader at her side. “How did you know?”
“My dad can’t go into people’s minds.” She chuckled softly, giving him a look like ‘duh’.
“But how did you know this was all in your mind?”
“I’m dying.”
He looked sharply to the flares in the distance.
“We’re losing her.....go to three hundred.....”
“How do you know?” He turned his head to look back at her and she could actually see the worry there.
She felt bad for the little laugh that caught him off guard before she swallowed it down. “I’ve died before. I know what it’s like and you should leave while you can.”
“Claire...” He reached out for her arm as though he thought he could take her out of there but there was no saving her.
“Tell my dad I’m okay. Even if I come out of this, I’m not coming home. I’m right where I’m supposed to be and he’s going to have to accept that.” Reaching out, she pushed gently at his arm.
“....Again.”
“Go.” She urged him as the sky continued to darken over them and the grass was gone as well, turning to dirt beneath them. He hesitated one more time but then the detective was gone, taking the picturesque park with him and leaving her in the darkness she had become familiar with. The flares were gone as well but she was still there.
“We’ve got a pulse...it’s weak but it’s there.”
So she had a little while longer but she had no idea how close Sylar was to finding her. She was hoping he was close though because there was no doubt that her dad was as well. He wouldn’t take stock in whatever Matt Parkman would tell him. He would come to save her because he would still see himself the hero.
She could only hope Sylar would continue to prove himself by getting there first.
[the use of Matt Parkman isn't aimed at any specific journal]