Vampire's Kiss 2/6? (Bennet/Claude, Teen)

[ninamusing]

Title: Vampire’s Kiss 2/6?
Author: nina_ds@ninamusing
Fandom: Heroes
Characters: Bennet/Claude, traces of Bennet/Sandra, Claude/Peter, Claude/various OCs, even a wee hint of possible-maybe Sandra/Claude; also Claire and, as requested, Mr. Muggles in a cameo
Rating: Teen
Challenge: written for brave_new_slash’s Morally Grey November, to prompts by hearsawho: “I'd love something set in the

Comments

[runningondreams]

Bennet and fandom are odd sometimes- he is a bastard, and he has done terrible things, but he's also hypnotic. So's Claude for that matter, and we seem to forgive Claude pretty easily- possibly because he's martyred, in a way. But they've both done some pretty horrible things in the name of the greater good. On the other hand, I don't think forgiveness is really the way fandom treats it- it's a rare fic that doesn't have some mention of morally-grey going ons, and I think that's part of the appeal. They're truly complicated characters and we can't depend on them being good the way we might with Peter or someone like Monica or Micah (though I reallyreallyreally want some dark!Peter fic because he is just begging for that. Not 5YG, but dark). Just because fandom as a whole hasn't gotten around to torturing Bennet much doesn't mean he's forgiven, really. It just means those fics have yet to be written.

That's an interesting point on Ten, and I think I do agree with it, at least in part. He's less genuine than Nine was, more flippant about serious issues, and he's much less likely to mean what he says.

[ninamusing]

So sorry for the delay in responding to this interesting discussion - I'm only getting some notifications from this journal, for some reason...

we seem to forgive Claude pretty easily- possibly because he's martyred, in a way.

I think that's part of it. I think it's also because he "saw the light" and was trying to get out - and then his partner shot him because he was "just following orders", so the betrayal is pretty intense. It's true, we can't rely on either HRG or Claude to be "good", although HRG's motivations are likely to be more expedient or manipulative (as well as protecting his family, I'm not disallowing that, it's just a matter of degree); Claude can be counted on now to do what he needs to protect himself, even if it might hurt others (running out on Peter), though he probably won't feel good about it. Still, at some time in the past he shifted from being a Company Man to someone working for the greater good, at least of "his people" - I suspect he always thought he was, and the shift came when he realized that he wasn't. His history is morally grey, but I think he's got a strong moral compass. HRG, not so sure - it's part of what makes him a fascinating character, but not necessarily someone you'd want to trust.

He's less genuine than Nine was, more flippant about serious issues, and he's much less likely to mean what he says.

I have never really understood why some parts of fandom insist that Ten is more "emotionally open" or "compassionate" than Nine. I find him much more closed off, and, as you imply, insincere (this is heightened for me, because I find Tennant's performance rather "distant" and insincere, but I'm not sure that's intentional!). Nine, on the other hand, could thunder and rage or exhilarate, but it "went all the way through". The only times he was able to lie convincingly ("I haven't got a clue how to get us out of this" in Father's Day, or "What a fabulous idea! ::kisses forehead:: Let's go! Just gotta go grab something..." in POTW) was in order to protect Rose's feelings. Even when he was tap-dancing around Lynda-with-a-y, we could tell he was searching for something to tell her that wasn't a lie - that she was sweet - even if she couldn't see it.