Title: Alone with you In the Dark
AUTHOR:
obisgirl Rating: PG-13
Characters: Claire, Peter
Summary: After the plane wreck, Peter goes in search of survivors and comes across Claire.
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, just borrowing. All NBC's and Tim Kring's. Please don't sue!
Spoilers: 3x15
It was dark.
As far as Peter could tell, he was somewhere in the desert. He had been able to find Matt and Hiro, but he was still looking for the others...and Claire. He had no idea where she was and it was killing him because it had been three hours since the crash. And even though he knew that she was probably allright because of her healing ability, he still had an aching desire to find her and make sure she was okay.
He walked a bit farther and then stopped, seeing some commotion and quickly hid, in case it was a soldier from the plane. Turned out to be a rabbit, who studied him curiously for a moment before running away. Then, just as he was turning around, he collided into Claire. She steadied his shoulders, grasping his arms for balance.
“Whoa!” she cried.
“Claire?!” he asked before hugging her tightly.
Claire hugged him, patting his shoulder. “I'm all right,” she said, “What about you?”
He sighed, pulling away and studying her face. “I'm fine. I found Matt and Hiro - what about the others? Did you see anyone?” he wondered.
“No but Peter --- there's something I have to tell you...”
“Wait,” he whispered, pulling her behind a couple of bushes.
She knelt down, pushing her long hair to her left shoulder. “One of the pilots who was flying, it was my dad,” she said.
“Nathan?” he questioned.
“Not Nathan,” she corrected, her lip trembling and her eyes swelling with tears. “And now I can't find him. I've been looking and looking but I can't find him, Peter...”
Peter instinctively pulled her close and Claire held him tightly, crying into his orange jumpsuit. First, he learned of Nathan's scheme to capture and tag specials and now, Noah Bennet was involved. No wonder why Claire was about to fall apart. He rubbed the back of her neck soothingly and could hear Claire's cries begin to calm down.
“Everything is so messed up right now,” she cried.
“Not yet,” he reasoned.
Claire sniffled, pulling away and wiping her tears. Peter smiled a little, brushing away some with his thumb. The swift movement brought back memories of their little talk in Kirby Plaza.
“We need to find the others,” Claire said, standing up to look around.
Peter sighed, taking her hand and pulling her back down behind the bush. She frowned, looking curiously at him. “Peter, what is it?”
“It's still dark out,” he reasoned, “Matt and Hiro are okay...I don't know about the others but we really shouldn't wander too far without knowing where exactly we're heading. So I suggest we take it easy for a little bit and rest,”
Claire wanted to protest but she knew he was right. It was still hours away from daylight and there was nothing more either of them could do at the moment. But her dad...
Peter brushed his hand on her cheek, smiling. “He'll be okay too,” he promised. “If the Company taught him anything, it's how to survive, Claire,”
“You're probably right,” she reasoned.
Peter leaned back against a rock, trying to get as comfortable as possible and then Claire laid down next to him, hugging his waist. He felt a cold chill pass over them and Claire hid her face in his jumpsuit.
The dessert was so still and the only thing he could hear was Claire's calm breathing as she lay next to him. Lying there with her, reminded him of camping. Nathan was never the outdoors type but whenever he had the chance to, he would take his little brother camping. Peter looked forward to those nights camping.
'This is nice,'
“Just try and get some sleep,” Peter soothed, “I'll keep watch,”
'You're always my hero, Peter,'
He chuckled, holding her tighter. He still couldn't believe after three years and that fateful night at her school, Claire still considered him her hero. He was nobody then and then suddenly, finding her gave him purpose. She made him feel like a hero.
A bond had formed between them after that night, and ever since, he felt a pull towards her. He was sure Claire felt the same way (she did ditch the Haitian at the airport and flew across the country to find him). But destiny or whatever, definitly knew what it was doing when it brought them together.
'Do you think we could just stay like this forever?'
Peter smirked, kissing her temple. He could see the corners of her mouth smiling and her cheeks blush red.
“This is kind of romantic,” he noted.
Claire couldn't help but giggle. “Romantic but in a weird kind of way,” she joked.
“Oh?” he wandered, raising an eyebrow.
“You're my uncle, Peter,” she said dryly.
It was Peter's turn to blush. “Oh yeah,” he mused, “Of course,”
'But a girl could always dream, Peter,'
Peter laughed.
'I always dream about you,' the thought continued. 'Ever since that night at Homecoming. You saved me Peter even when I didn't know I needed to be saved,'
He frowned a little, replaying the thought in his head. Peter knew it wasn't his own... Then he realized he was listening to Claire's thoughts. Suddenly, he felt dirty for opening a channel between them, listening to her thoughts without her knowledge of it. Still, he couldn't bring himself to shut it off so he held her tighter and she snuggled against his neck.
'I always feels safe when I'm with you, Peter. I know it's silly to say so but if I could - I would tell you how I feel about you,'
Peter smiled a little. 'And how do you feel about me Claire?' he wondered.
'I used to think it was a teenage crush but it's grown into so much more since then, Peter. You're selfless, caring, brave...even adorable sometimes...and oh God, your hair...those long bangs don't help either,' she continued.
'I'm never cutting my hair ever again,' he vowed.
Claire hugged him tighter, her hair tickling his chin. 'I just love everything about you, Peter,' she mused. 'You're perfect and wonderful...I know it's just a fantasy but it feels real to me,'
Peter kissed her forehead. 'Your love is real to me, Claire,' he whispered.
“Peter?” Claire asked quietly.
“Hmm?”
She snuggled his neck, wrapping both her arms around his waist. “This is perfect,” she whispered.
“Yes, it is.” he agreed, kissing her temple, entwining both of his hands with hers. Then, finally after a moment, Claire drifted off to sleep and he couldn't hear her thoughts anymore but her confession lingered on his mind.
The End