Heroes: The Final Destination (Claire/Zach, Mohinder) PG13
Originally posted 2006 at heroes_flashfic
Title: The Final Destination
Characters/Pairing: Mohinder, Claire/Zach
Rating: PG13
Spoilers: 1x04
Word Count: 1322
Notes: Written for heroes_flashfic "Travelling Through" Challenge and heroes50 #28 - Death. Beta'd by the wonderful toxictattoo. Anything you don't like is mine.
Summary: When Claire wakes up on the autopsy table, she has to get out of there, but she can't just go home. What if everyone knows?
They say every journey begins with a single step, and that there are many paths to the same destination. It is not, we are told, the destination that matters, only the way we arrive.
Evolution is the journey of living things, of life itself, from origin to extinction: from the first single-celled organism, to humanity and beyond. DNA is the travelogue of that journey; encoded in it, the missteps, side trips, false starts, and the summits reached.
Death is the destination of all living things. From the cockroach under my heel to my father's lizard, named after me, to my father himself.
* * *
Claire Bennett
Odessa, Texas
One second she wasn't, and the next she was again.
It didn't take one of Zach's dork friends to figure out she'd been dead. When she woke up - or whatever the dead equivalent of waking up was - her chest felt more open than her eyes.
Because it was, eww. Claire glanced down at the bloody mass, then away again quickly. Eww, ewww, ewww. Not good. So not good.
Great. Not only was she dead, but dead enough for autopsying. Fantastic. Probably everyone thought she died when…what had happened after Brody shoved her?
Did he get arrested? Were there police? Oh god, please no police. The entire city would know and-
Her chest still hadn't healed. Weird. Maybe dying screwed up her freakness. Maybe she'd wake up and it would be a dream. Or no, maybe she'd died and she'd become an angry spirit like on Supernatural. She just had to pop away from her body and -
Snap out of it, Claire. You're not dead. You're not that lucky. Claire Bennett, freak. Move over Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Meet Claire Bennett, the Girl Who Wouldn't Stay Dead.
Whatever. Table for one at the Pity Party later. She had to get out of here before the Coroner got off the phone.
And go where?
Heal now, think after.
Ewww, ewww. She pushed the peeled back flaps of skin together. That jump-started things, but she concentrated to give it a little speed boost. It might not've helped but it couldn't hurt, right?
Once she grabbed the gown and got out of there, the where hit her like a clue-by-four.
Zach.
He'd lose it, if he'd heard she died, but he'd know what happened. Or he'd find out. No one would think it was weird, him asking around. Not any weirder than Zach-normal anyway. They'd think he needed "closure" or something and send him to the school psychologist.
And he would totally hide her if she needed to be hidden - in his bedroom, Claire? Shut up. Does it matter? You were dead, you almost got raped by Brody. Hiding in a dorky guy's bedroom is so not the end of the world. -- until they figured out what to do.
By the time she got to Zach's, the sun had started to come up. She had to hurry. Either she needed to be home and getting out of bed for breakfast, since Mom would probably make waffles, or she had to get hidden before someone figured out the dead girl walked.
She picked up a pebble and stared at it doubtfully. Shrugging, she chucked it at what she hoped turned out to be his bedroom window. Why not? It worked in the movies. Besides, it was Zach.
The fact that it couldn't be later than 5 a.m. didn't occur to her until Zach's face appeared in his window. He rubbed at his eyes and opened it. "Claire? What're you… is everything okay?"
She scrunched her face at him. "Don't be an idiot. Would I be standing outside your house in a hospital gown at oh-dark-thirty if everything was all right?"
"Right. Do you want to come in or something?" He looked confused, and surprised to see her, but not surprised.
She took that for a good sign. "Could you just… could you maybe just come down for a few minutes?"
He rubbed a hand through his hair, looked into his room, probably at the clock, then back at her. "Yeah. Sure, Claire."
She didn't have to wait more than a minute, and he had an extra jacket for her, and socks. "Thanks." If she'd have said anything more, she probably would've cried, so she just took the jacket and put it and the socks on.
Zach rubbed his hands over his arms. "So what's up?"
"You haven't heard anything?"
He sort of cocked his head and squinted at her, frowning. "No. Should I have?"
Her brain didn't want to work but when Bridgette had died of an aneurism, the school phone tree had spread the news to every student in her class within an hour. If anyone - except Brody, the jerk - knew what happened, Zach probably would have heard.
She swallowed hard and shook her head. "I died."
"You can't die, remember? Six taped suicide attempts, a broken neck on the football field? You're practically a vampire."
She rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Zach. I died. Brody killed me."
"What? How? I mean, I know he's an asshole and everything but--"
"He wanted to have sex and I didn't and he shoved me and I died and woke up on the autopsy table and I ran away and now I don't know what to do-"
Then Zach put his arms around her, which, okay, after Brody kind of felt creepy. Not because the arms were Zach's though, and that was weird, and totally unacceptable. She pushed away a little, and he let her go, because that was Zach. He'd dissect his mother before he held a girl against her will, and right then she sort of seriously loved him for that. And for putting up with her being a bitch.
"Zach, can we not re-enact scenes from One Tree Hill and skip to the part where you tell me whether there's an APB out for me or anything?"
He shook his head. "Nothing that I've heard. But it's not like your friends would've told me if something happened at the bonfire. This was at the bonfire?"
"Yeah." Oh God. "Zach, you don't think he told everyone?"
The hand still on her arm squeezed. "No. If he thinks you're dead, he wouldn't have told anyone. Are you kidding? It'd ruin his reputation." She'd never seen Zach look or sound like that before, but it felt good, like he hated Brody. "Claire, did he…?"
Her eyes started to burn. "No. I got away, but he would have if he hadn't…you know."
"You should talk to someone."
"Not now. Please? I have to… I have to get home. My parents…"
For a minute it seemed like he might argue, might make her go down to the police station and report Brody.
"Okay." He nodded. "But you have to do something, Claire. It's not right. You can't let him get away with it."
Thank God. "We'll talk about this at school, okay? Just… I need to get home. Can I borrow your bike?"
It didn't happen like that. She had no idea what he told her about borrowing the car at 5:30 am, but Zach drove her home in his mother's car.
He stopped at the end of her street so the engine wouldn't raise eyebrows. "Thanks, Zach. Really."
"Sure, Claire."
Which was what he always said when it came down to it.
"Can you tape me trying to kill myself?"
"Sure, Claire."
"Listen, Zach, you can't tell anyone about this."
"Sure, Claire."
"Will you help me fake out the Coroner and make Brody look like an idiot if he tries to talk about what happened?"
"Sure, Claire."
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I mean it, Zach. Thanks."
He shrugged, and gave her an awkward smile. "Sure, Claire."
* * *
Death is the final destination for all living things.
Or is it?
Title: The Final Destination
Characters/Pairing: Mohinder, Claire/Zach
Rating: PG13
Spoilers: 1x04
Word Count: 1322
Notes: Written for heroes_flashfic "Travelling Through" Challenge and heroes50 #28 - Death. Beta'd by the wonderful toxictattoo. Anything you don't like is mine.
Summary: When Claire wakes up on the autopsy table, she has to get out of there, but she can't just go home. What if everyone knows?
They say every journey begins with a single step, and that there are many paths to the same destination. It is not, we are told, the destination that matters, only the way we arrive.
Evolution is the journey of living things, of life itself, from origin to extinction: from the first single-celled organism, to humanity and beyond. DNA is the travelogue of that journey; encoded in it, the missteps, side trips, false starts, and the summits reached.
Death is the destination of all living things. From the cockroach under my heel to my father's lizard, named after me, to my father himself.
* * *
Claire Bennett
Odessa, Texas
One second she wasn't, and the next she was again.
It didn't take one of Zach's dork friends to figure out she'd been dead. When she woke up - or whatever the dead equivalent of waking up was - her chest felt more open than her eyes.
Because it was, eww. Claire glanced down at the bloody mass, then away again quickly. Eww, ewww, ewww. Not good. So not good.
Great. Not only was she dead, but dead enough for autopsying. Fantastic. Probably everyone thought she died when…what had happened after Brody shoved her?
Did he get arrested? Were there police? Oh god, please no police. The entire city would know and-
Her chest still hadn't healed. Weird. Maybe dying screwed up her freakness. Maybe she'd wake up and it would be a dream. Or no, maybe she'd died and she'd become an angry spirit like on Supernatural. She just had to pop away from her body and -
Snap out of it, Claire. You're not dead. You're not that lucky. Claire Bennett, freak. Move over Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Meet Claire Bennett, the Girl Who Wouldn't Stay Dead.
Whatever. Table for one at the Pity Party later. She had to get out of here before the Coroner got off the phone.
And go where?
Heal now, think after.
Ewww, ewww. She pushed the peeled back flaps of skin together. That jump-started things, but she concentrated to give it a little speed boost. It might not've helped but it couldn't hurt, right?
Once she grabbed the gown and got out of there, the where hit her like a clue-by-four.
Zach.
He'd lose it, if he'd heard she died, but he'd know what happened. Or he'd find out. No one would think it was weird, him asking around. Not any weirder than Zach-normal anyway. They'd think he needed "closure" or something and send him to the school psychologist.
And he would totally hide her if she needed to be hidden - in his bedroom, Claire? Shut up. Does it matter? You were dead, you almost got raped by Brody. Hiding in a dorky guy's bedroom is so not the end of the world. -- until they figured out what to do.
By the time she got to Zach's, the sun had started to come up. She had to hurry. Either she needed to be home and getting out of bed for breakfast, since Mom would probably make waffles, or she had to get hidden before someone figured out the dead girl walked.
She picked up a pebble and stared at it doubtfully. Shrugging, she chucked it at what she hoped turned out to be his bedroom window. Why not? It worked in the movies. Besides, it was Zach.
The fact that it couldn't be later than 5 a.m. didn't occur to her until Zach's face appeared in his window. He rubbed at his eyes and opened it. "Claire? What're you… is everything okay?"
She scrunched her face at him. "Don't be an idiot. Would I be standing outside your house in a hospital gown at oh-dark-thirty if everything was all right?"
"Right. Do you want to come in or something?" He looked confused, and surprised to see her, but not surprised.
She took that for a good sign. "Could you just… could you maybe just come down for a few minutes?"
He rubbed a hand through his hair, looked into his room, probably at the clock, then back at her. "Yeah. Sure, Claire."
She didn't have to wait more than a minute, and he had an extra jacket for her, and socks. "Thanks." If she'd have said anything more, she probably would've cried, so she just took the jacket and put it and the socks on.
Zach rubbed his hands over his arms. "So what's up?"
"You haven't heard anything?"
He sort of cocked his head and squinted at her, frowning. "No. Should I have?"
Her brain didn't want to work but when Bridgette had died of an aneurism, the school phone tree had spread the news to every student in her class within an hour. If anyone - except Brody, the jerk - knew what happened, Zach probably would have heard.
She swallowed hard and shook her head. "I died."
"You can't die, remember? Six taped suicide attempts, a broken neck on the football field? You're practically a vampire."
She rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Zach. I died. Brody killed me."
"What? How? I mean, I know he's an asshole and everything but--"
"He wanted to have sex and I didn't and he shoved me and I died and woke up on the autopsy table and I ran away and now I don't know what to do-"
Then Zach put his arms around her, which, okay, after Brody kind of felt creepy. Not because the arms were Zach's though, and that was weird, and totally unacceptable. She pushed away a little, and he let her go, because that was Zach. He'd dissect his mother before he held a girl against her will, and right then she sort of seriously loved him for that. And for putting up with her being a bitch.
"Zach, can we not re-enact scenes from One Tree Hill and skip to the part where you tell me whether there's an APB out for me or anything?"
He shook his head. "Nothing that I've heard. But it's not like your friends would've told me if something happened at the bonfire. This was at the bonfire?"
"Yeah." Oh God. "Zach, you don't think he told everyone?"
The hand still on her arm squeezed. "No. If he thinks you're dead, he wouldn't have told anyone. Are you kidding? It'd ruin his reputation." She'd never seen Zach look or sound like that before, but it felt good, like he hated Brody. "Claire, did he…?"
Her eyes started to burn. "No. I got away, but he would have if he hadn't…you know."
"You should talk to someone."
"Not now. Please? I have to… I have to get home. My parents…"
For a minute it seemed like he might argue, might make her go down to the police station and report Brody.
"Okay." He nodded. "But you have to do something, Claire. It's not right. You can't let him get away with it."
Thank God. "We'll talk about this at school, okay? Just… I need to get home. Can I borrow your bike?"
It didn't happen like that. She had no idea what he told her about borrowing the car at 5:30 am, but Zach drove her home in his mother's car.
He stopped at the end of her street so the engine wouldn't raise eyebrows. "Thanks, Zach. Really."
"Sure, Claire."
Which was what he always said when it came down to it.
"Can you tape me trying to kill myself?"
"Sure, Claire."
"Listen, Zach, you can't tell anyone about this."
"Sure, Claire."
"Will you help me fake out the Coroner and make Brody look like an idiot if he tries to talk about what happened?"
"Sure, Claire."
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I mean it, Zach. Thanks."
He shrugged, and gave her an awkward smile. "Sure, Claire."
* * *
Death is the final destination for all living things.
Or is it?