mad_muses november prompt 1.3.1 [shield]
Claire was doing fine. She had good friends, a boyfriend and even a store that she was left in charge of. Not that she really knew the first thing about running a video store but that wasn’t the point. She was actually doing pretty well with her job and she was proud of herself. She was finally starting to enjoy the somewhat normal life that she had been denied for so long.
Sure, it was in the middle of a village that existed as a pocket dimension they weren’t allowed to leave but that wasn’t the point. She had been surviving well enough on her own but she wouldn’t deny there was something missing. There was some kind of connection that she needed to feel just that much better about everything that was going on.
She needed the connection that came in the form of Noah Bennet. The man who had taken her in as a job assignment but then came to love her more than even he even loved himself. He had given up so much to protect her and to keep her safe.
It was true she had her birth father in the village but Noah Bennet was the man who knew her best. He knew all the stories about her, had raised her from a baby into a young woman. He had been the one to encourage her and to discipline her when he thought she needed it. (He did more disciplining than encouraging at times though). Not that their relationship or life was perfect though. There were plenty of times when they fought, when they butted heads because they didn’t agree on something and there were definitely quite a few times when they found themselves on opposite sides of an issue but she never doubted his love for her or hers for him.
He was her father.
So to hear that he was in the village brought her a mixture of nerves but mainly a feeling of relief. She wasn’t sure how he would react to her having a boyfriend and that she was living with him but it was something she would deal with later. First she had to find him and make sure that he was real. That it wasn’t just a hopeful wish or a case of mistaken identity. So she went to the front desk first, to find out the number of the room he had been assigned to. At first she thought the man would tell her she was mistaken but he didn’t. Instead he gave her the room number and she shouted her thanks to him as she raced to the stairs. Waiting for the elevator would take too long.
Seconds later she stood in front of his door, her heart lodged in her throat and a lack of breath in her lungs. After knocking, she waited with an odd feeling like she was going to burst out of her skin at any moment. She still doubted his existence right up to the moment he opened the door and stood in front of her. He was very much real.
“Claire.” He said her name as though he was relieved to see she was there and the murmur was followed by a grunt as she flung herself into his arms with a relieved noise that bordered on a sob.
“You’re here.” She whispered, pressing her cheek against his chest as she hugged him tightly around the waist. If she had super strength, she would be crushing him but he didn’t complain as he held her just a tightly. "You're really here."
“I am.” He assured her, nuzzling the top of her head before resting his cheek there. As she stayed locked in his arms, she knew what she had been waiting for and this was part of it.
She had been doing fine but now she was even better. Yes, she was the indestructible one in their family but he was her shield. He was her original protector and she couldn’t help but feel better that he was there in the village with her.
Sure, it was in the middle of a village that existed as a pocket dimension they weren’t allowed to leave but that wasn’t the point. She had been surviving well enough on her own but she wouldn’t deny there was something missing. There was some kind of connection that she needed to feel just that much better about everything that was going on.
She needed the connection that came in the form of Noah Bennet. The man who had taken her in as a job assignment but then came to love her more than even he even loved himself. He had given up so much to protect her and to keep her safe.
It was true she had her birth father in the village but Noah Bennet was the man who knew her best. He knew all the stories about her, had raised her from a baby into a young woman. He had been the one to encourage her and to discipline her when he thought she needed it. (He did more disciplining than encouraging at times though). Not that their relationship or life was perfect though. There were plenty of times when they fought, when they butted heads because they didn’t agree on something and there were definitely quite a few times when they found themselves on opposite sides of an issue but she never doubted his love for her or hers for him.
He was her father.
So to hear that he was in the village brought her a mixture of nerves but mainly a feeling of relief. She wasn’t sure how he would react to her having a boyfriend and that she was living with him but it was something she would deal with later. First she had to find him and make sure that he was real. That it wasn’t just a hopeful wish or a case of mistaken identity. So she went to the front desk first, to find out the number of the room he had been assigned to. At first she thought the man would tell her she was mistaken but he didn’t. Instead he gave her the room number and she shouted her thanks to him as she raced to the stairs. Waiting for the elevator would take too long.
Seconds later she stood in front of his door, her heart lodged in her throat and a lack of breath in her lungs. After knocking, she waited with an odd feeling like she was going to burst out of her skin at any moment. She still doubted his existence right up to the moment he opened the door and stood in front of her. He was very much real.
“Claire.” He said her name as though he was relieved to see she was there and the murmur was followed by a grunt as she flung herself into his arms with a relieved noise that bordered on a sob.
“You’re here.” She whispered, pressing her cheek against his chest as she hugged him tightly around the waist. If she had super strength, she would be crushing him but he didn’t complain as he held her just a tightly. "You're really here."
“I am.” He assured her, nuzzling the top of her head before resting his cheek there. As she stayed locked in his arms, she knew what she had been waiting for and this was part of it.
She had been doing fine but now she was even better. Yes, she was the indestructible one in their family but he was her shield. He was her original protector and she couldn’t help but feel better that he was there in the village with her.