Heroes, "The Devil and Her Treasures" chapter 10
Fandom: Heroes
Title: The Devil and Her Treasures
Author: paynesgrey
Artist: rebelle_elle
Word Count: 23,514
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Claire, Peter, Sylar, Elle, Noah Jr, Nathan, Rene, Danko, Knox, Daphne, Claire/Elle, Elle/Sylar, past Peter/Claire
Warnings character death, manipulation, implied incest, torture, violence, sexual situations
Notes: Written for heroes_bigboom. A huge thanks goes to bellonablack for the beta job. This is a sequel to my other fic, Grave New World, and takes place in the "exposed future" around the events of the “Second Coming” and “I am Become Death” episodes, as well as the “Resistance” online graphic novel chapter 106 (which I would recommend reading if you want some early chapters to make sense).
Summary: Renowned terrorist Peter Petrelli has been hiding Sylar, Elle and their son for a long time after Noah Bennet’s death, and when Pinehearst Agent Claire Bennet finally discovers them, they strike a deal to leave Sylar and his son alone, as long as Elle becomes Claire’s prisoner.
Link to art master post: HERE.
The Devil and Her Treasures
Chapter Ten: Fugitives
Claire had to tell Elle about her son and husband first. The thought was in the forefront of her mind as she and Rene marched down the Pinehearst basement full of prisoners. She paid no mind to the others as she headed toward Elle, and she believed that Danko would give them what they deserved anyway.
Elle did not deserve this. Sure, she had been a ruthless Company agent in the past. She killed people, but she changed. Claire had become the agent that Elle once was, and for the first time, Claire was seeing that.
Only Claire felt she’d become much, much worse than Elle had ever been.
When she found her, Rene stayed hidden so the two women could talk. Elle looked up, and she rushed to the door as Claire came in.
“What’s going on? The guards are all gone and the prisoners are panicking! Did something happen?” she asked, and Claire didn’t know what question to answer first.
“There was an explosion in Costa Verde,” she said in a low voice. Elle stepped away from her, shaking her head. She probably already knew how dire Claire’s news would be.
“No,” she said in a strangled sigh.
“I’m sorry. We followed Peter to your house. We got in a stand-off,” Claire said, pausing as she began compartmentalizing the details. Elle didn’t need to know that Claire had threatened her son to get to Peter. Claire wasn’t going to shoot the kid anyway; she wouldn’t, not when she was betting on the past Peter to give up in the face of such violence; however, if Claire told Elle that, she would never forgive her. She would never understand. “Knox got in a fight with Sylar. I’m sorry, but Noah was killed.”
Elle fell to her knees as she let out a hoarse cry. She called out Noah’s name, and Claire watched as she hugged herself when the pain struck her deeply, and she curled to a heap, calling her baby’s name.
“Elle, Sylar lost control of his powers after Noah died. Only Peter and I escaped alive. I think...Sylar didn’t want to live again, so he didn’t use my ability,” she explained, and she looked over her shoulder at Rene, who nodded to her. They didn’t have much time, but Claire was trying to treat Elle delicately. Maybe she wouldn’t have done so a year ago, or even a month ago, but Claire had to do everything in her power to convince Elle that she wanted to help, and that they had to escape.
“I don’t understand; why are you telling me this?” Elle wailed at her. Claire slowly walked over to her, holding out her hand.
“Peter killed the President, and then he escaped back into time. Emile Danko is taking over now,” she told her, and Claire saw the shock in Elle’s face. “That’s right; I’m sure you know of him. He doesn’t like people like us.”
“What’s he going to do?” Elle asked.
“He wants retribution for what happened in Costa Verde and for what happened to Nathan. He’s going to kill the Pinehearst prisoners and then the country is going to go on lockdown,” Claire said, and she saw Elle tense despite her fragile emotions.
“That means...”
“We’re going to be alienated again, Elle. Peter was right. There’s going to be war, and heavy regulation of the manufacturing of powers and the experiments soon to follow will cause a great divide,” Claire said, and she looked away furrowing her brow. “You know I don’t like to admit that I was wrong, but after... after seeing the destruction Peter caused and how swiftly Danko blamed it on us all for one terrorist’s agenda, I know that things are going to change for the worse.”
“Then let him kill me!” Elle screamed at her. “I don’t care! My son is dead! My husband...Gabriel is dead too! It’s your fault! You followed Peter there! You started this!”
“Elle, I was doing my job! You know about that, don’t you? I never meant for your son and husband to get hurt! I just wanted Peter! I wanted Peter so that I could have you!” Claire yelled back at her, and Elle opened her mouth wide after Claire’s admission.
“What? So you could still torture me?” Elle sneered at her.
“No. I mean, I used to want that, but not anymore. I wanted to free you. I wanted to release you from Pinehearst after you helped me, but Nathan didn’t know. Then everything happened in Costa Verde, and it changed. I was blind, I know. I only cared about killing Peter. He had done so much...I lost myself in it. You were the only thing that I could come back to,” Claire said. “So are you coming or not?”
“No,” Elle said in a heavy breath. “Let them execute me.” Elle met Claire’s desperate eyes, and snarled at her. “I don’t care if you’ve turned a new leaf and went all soft like you used to be. I’m not going with you. I’m staying here.”
“You’re being stupid! What if Danko doesn’t kill you? What if he decides to send you to an internment camp? I’m sure Coyote Sands is ready for business again!” Claire yelled, and Elle’s face went pale at the mention of that facility. Her mouth trembled, and Claire knew the idea of going back there scared Elle more than anything. She was sure the woman still had nightmares of the place.
Elle was silent for a moment, and then she met Claire’s eyes. “I still hate you,” she said. “But I’ll escape.”
Claire felt inwardly relieved. “It doesn’t matter if you hate me. You hated Sylar once.” Elle looked away from her gaze and stared angrily at the floor. Claire continued. “Look, come on the run with us, and I’ll keep you safe. I know Danko - somewhat. I think I can outrun him for a while, and if you decide you can’t stand me anymore and want to go on your own, you can leave. I won’t stop you.”
Claire held out her hand to help Elle up, and the woman stared at her hand. “Come on, before they decide to execute you now. We haven’t got much time. They have to swear Danko into office, and then believe me, he’ll start making orders.”
Elle stared at her hand, and Claire knew she was weighing her options. She could die, or she could go back to life as a lab rat if Danko felt like she deserved it. Elle knew Danko was a thorough man, and he must have files on her. Maybe he’d feel that experimentation was a better punishment for her than death.
Claire didn’t expect Elle to trust her either. Hell, she didn’t expect her to like her, despite the way Claire felt for her now. Claire admitted they’d never really been close, and there had been a lot of mutual hatred. Claire may not feel that way about Elle anymore; after all, the girl did help her feel pain again, but Claire wasn’t stupid. She knew it’d be tougher for Elle to come around and accept her.
“Fine,” Elle said, grabbing Claire’s hand with ferocity as she helped her to her feet. “I’ll go, but I get to steal the car, and I get to drive.”
Claire smirked at her, and Rene came out of the shadows. Elle noticed, acknowledging his presence and remembering what he’d done for her at Coyote Sands. Claire could see that having Rene there would make Elle’s decision to run away with her easier.
And away the three of them went, running into the unknown right underneath the new President’s nose.
xxxxx
Epilogue: Freedom in This Crumbling World
Title: The Devil and Her Treasures
Author: paynesgrey
Artist: rebelle_elle
Word Count: 23,514
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Claire, Peter, Sylar, Elle, Noah Jr, Nathan, Rene, Danko, Knox, Daphne, Claire/Elle, Elle/Sylar, past Peter/Claire
Warnings character death, manipulation, implied incest, torture, violence, sexual situations
Notes: Written for heroes_bigboom. A huge thanks goes to bellonablack for the beta job. This is a sequel to my other fic, Grave New World, and takes place in the "exposed future" around the events of the “Second Coming” and “I am Become Death” episodes, as well as the “Resistance” online graphic novel chapter 106 (which I would recommend reading if you want some early chapters to make sense).
Summary: Renowned terrorist Peter Petrelli has been hiding Sylar, Elle and their son for a long time after Noah Bennet’s death, and when Pinehearst Agent Claire Bennet finally discovers them, they strike a deal to leave Sylar and his son alone, as long as Elle becomes Claire’s prisoner.
Link to art master post: HERE.
The Devil and Her Treasures
Chapter Ten: Fugitives
Claire had to tell Elle about her son and husband first. The thought was in the forefront of her mind as she and Rene marched down the Pinehearst basement full of prisoners. She paid no mind to the others as she headed toward Elle, and she believed that Danko would give them what they deserved anyway.
Elle did not deserve this. Sure, she had been a ruthless Company agent in the past. She killed people, but she changed. Claire had become the agent that Elle once was, and for the first time, Claire was seeing that.
Only Claire felt she’d become much, much worse than Elle had ever been.
When she found her, Rene stayed hidden so the two women could talk. Elle looked up, and she rushed to the door as Claire came in.
“What’s going on? The guards are all gone and the prisoners are panicking! Did something happen?” she asked, and Claire didn’t know what question to answer first.
“There was an explosion in Costa Verde,” she said in a low voice. Elle stepped away from her, shaking her head. She probably already knew how dire Claire’s news would be.
“No,” she said in a strangled sigh.
“I’m sorry. We followed Peter to your house. We got in a stand-off,” Claire said, pausing as she began compartmentalizing the details. Elle didn’t need to know that Claire had threatened her son to get to Peter. Claire wasn’t going to shoot the kid anyway; she wouldn’t, not when she was betting on the past Peter to give up in the face of such violence; however, if Claire told Elle that, she would never forgive her. She would never understand. “Knox got in a fight with Sylar. I’m sorry, but Noah was killed.”
Elle fell to her knees as she let out a hoarse cry. She called out Noah’s name, and Claire watched as she hugged herself when the pain struck her deeply, and she curled to a heap, calling her baby’s name.
“Elle, Sylar lost control of his powers after Noah died. Only Peter and I escaped alive. I think...Sylar didn’t want to live again, so he didn’t use my ability,” she explained, and she looked over her shoulder at Rene, who nodded to her. They didn’t have much time, but Claire was trying to treat Elle delicately. Maybe she wouldn’t have done so a year ago, or even a month ago, but Claire had to do everything in her power to convince Elle that she wanted to help, and that they had to escape.
“I don’t understand; why are you telling me this?” Elle wailed at her. Claire slowly walked over to her, holding out her hand.
“Peter killed the President, and then he escaped back into time. Emile Danko is taking over now,” she told her, and Claire saw the shock in Elle’s face. “That’s right; I’m sure you know of him. He doesn’t like people like us.”
“What’s he going to do?” Elle asked.
“He wants retribution for what happened in Costa Verde and for what happened to Nathan. He’s going to kill the Pinehearst prisoners and then the country is going to go on lockdown,” Claire said, and she saw Elle tense despite her fragile emotions.
“That means...”
“We’re going to be alienated again, Elle. Peter was right. There’s going to be war, and heavy regulation of the manufacturing of powers and the experiments soon to follow will cause a great divide,” Claire said, and she looked away furrowing her brow. “You know I don’t like to admit that I was wrong, but after... after seeing the destruction Peter caused and how swiftly Danko blamed it on us all for one terrorist’s agenda, I know that things are going to change for the worse.”
“Then let him kill me!” Elle screamed at her. “I don’t care! My son is dead! My husband...Gabriel is dead too! It’s your fault! You followed Peter there! You started this!”
“Elle, I was doing my job! You know about that, don’t you? I never meant for your son and husband to get hurt! I just wanted Peter! I wanted Peter so that I could have you!” Claire yelled back at her, and Elle opened her mouth wide after Claire’s admission.
“What? So you could still torture me?” Elle sneered at her.
“No. I mean, I used to want that, but not anymore. I wanted to free you. I wanted to release you from Pinehearst after you helped me, but Nathan didn’t know. Then everything happened in Costa Verde, and it changed. I was blind, I know. I only cared about killing Peter. He had done so much...I lost myself in it. You were the only thing that I could come back to,” Claire said. “So are you coming or not?”
“No,” Elle said in a heavy breath. “Let them execute me.” Elle met Claire’s desperate eyes, and snarled at her. “I don’t care if you’ve turned a new leaf and went all soft like you used to be. I’m not going with you. I’m staying here.”
“You’re being stupid! What if Danko doesn’t kill you? What if he decides to send you to an internment camp? I’m sure Coyote Sands is ready for business again!” Claire yelled, and Elle’s face went pale at the mention of that facility. Her mouth trembled, and Claire knew the idea of going back there scared Elle more than anything. She was sure the woman still had nightmares of the place.
Elle was silent for a moment, and then she met Claire’s eyes. “I still hate you,” she said. “But I’ll escape.”
Claire felt inwardly relieved. “It doesn’t matter if you hate me. You hated Sylar once.” Elle looked away from her gaze and stared angrily at the floor. Claire continued. “Look, come on the run with us, and I’ll keep you safe. I know Danko - somewhat. I think I can outrun him for a while, and if you decide you can’t stand me anymore and want to go on your own, you can leave. I won’t stop you.”
Claire held out her hand to help Elle up, and the woman stared at her hand. “Come on, before they decide to execute you now. We haven’t got much time. They have to swear Danko into office, and then believe me, he’ll start making orders.”
Elle stared at her hand, and Claire knew she was weighing her options. She could die, or she could go back to life as a lab rat if Danko felt like she deserved it. Elle knew Danko was a thorough man, and he must have files on her. Maybe he’d feel that experimentation was a better punishment for her than death.
Claire didn’t expect Elle to trust her either. Hell, she didn’t expect her to like her, despite the way Claire felt for her now. Claire admitted they’d never really been close, and there had been a lot of mutual hatred. Claire may not feel that way about Elle anymore; after all, the girl did help her feel pain again, but Claire wasn’t stupid. She knew it’d be tougher for Elle to come around and accept her.
“Fine,” Elle said, grabbing Claire’s hand with ferocity as she helped her to her feet. “I’ll go, but I get to steal the car, and I get to drive.”
Claire smirked at her, and Rene came out of the shadows. Elle noticed, acknowledging his presence and remembering what he’d done for her at Coyote Sands. Claire could see that having Rene there would make Elle’s decision to run away with her easier.
And away the three of them went, running into the unknown right underneath the new President’s nose.
xxxxx
Epilogue: Freedom in This Crumbling World