fic: Worth the Wait [Heroes; Sylar/Claire]
Title: Worth the Wait
Rating: G
Word Count: 500
Spoilers: Volume 4
Summary: Sylar and Claire will continue to cross paths in the future. Five drabbles, each about a hundred years apart.
After the third proposal, Claire will consider giving up and giving in. After the sixth, she'll run - to Seattle, to Port-au-Prince, to Leeds and Helsinki. He'll be waiting for her every time. Finally, she'll decide to leave a forwarding address and a simple note; "Be anywhere else." He will. She'll move to Bangor and enroll in the local high school as a freshman. She'll meet a nice boy in college and accept his proposal after graduation, but she'll never kiss him without expecting him to turn into Sylar when she opens her eyes. He never will. She'll be disappointed.
---
After Lyle's children die, Claire will stop keeping track of her relatives - both the Bennetts and the Petrellis. So when she scours phonebook after phonebook looking for Nathan, it will be for a different reason. To his credit, he won't answer the door looking like the father he killed. That won't be enough to make her forgive him. This Nathan Petrelli will be older and for a moment, Claire will wonder if she made a mistake, if it's a coincidence and she's clung to her childish vigilante fantasies for too long. Then he'll invite her inside. She'll walk away.
---
About once a decade, maybe twice when times are hard, he'll think of her. Less frequently, he'll give in to the urge to see her. This time, she'll be an outdated stereotype of a teenager that stands in such stark contrast to the crowds milling around that he will wonder if she wants to be noticed. If so, he’ll oblige. She will make eye contact first and a long forgotten emotion will ricochet through him. He’ll try to forget again but it won’t work so he’ll start seeking her out more often. Her eyes will always meet his without hesitation.
---
Ten years, ten straight years he'll go without killing someone before the next time they meet. He'll still feel like an alcoholic on his first day sober. They won't plan to see one another but, once they do, neither one will walk away. They won't speak, either, but they will share a drink. Both will enjoy being in the company of someone they know, someone who understands, but both will feel guilty - each for different reasons. When they part ways, Claire will pause for too long and Sylar will have the urge to break the silence. Ultimately, he won’t.
---
For the first time since her father's death, she'll answer to Claire. For the first time, he'll call instead of appearing uninvited. For the first time, he'll sound broken and regretful, so for the first time she'll agree. They'll meet in public but they'll be alone, except for a man who will stagger around the edges of their consciousness, ranting that the world will end soon. He might be right. Sylar, at least, will feel an end coming. He'll try not to hope she feels the desperation, but when she does, he'll be grateful. It will be worth the wait.
Rating: G
Word Count: 500
Spoilers: Volume 4
Summary: Sylar and Claire will continue to cross paths in the future. Five drabbles, each about a hundred years apart.
After the third proposal, Claire will consider giving up and giving in. After the sixth, she'll run - to Seattle, to Port-au-Prince, to Leeds and Helsinki. He'll be waiting for her every time. Finally, she'll decide to leave a forwarding address and a simple note; "Be anywhere else." He will. She'll move to Bangor and enroll in the local high school as a freshman. She'll meet a nice boy in college and accept his proposal after graduation, but she'll never kiss him without expecting him to turn into Sylar when she opens her eyes. He never will. She'll be disappointed.
---
After Lyle's children die, Claire will stop keeping track of her relatives - both the Bennetts and the Petrellis. So when she scours phonebook after phonebook looking for Nathan, it will be for a different reason. To his credit, he won't answer the door looking like the father he killed. That won't be enough to make her forgive him. This Nathan Petrelli will be older and for a moment, Claire will wonder if she made a mistake, if it's a coincidence and she's clung to her childish vigilante fantasies for too long. Then he'll invite her inside. She'll walk away.
---
About once a decade, maybe twice when times are hard, he'll think of her. Less frequently, he'll give in to the urge to see her. This time, she'll be an outdated stereotype of a teenager that stands in such stark contrast to the crowds milling around that he will wonder if she wants to be noticed. If so, he’ll oblige. She will make eye contact first and a long forgotten emotion will ricochet through him. He’ll try to forget again but it won’t work so he’ll start seeking her out more often. Her eyes will always meet his without hesitation.
---
Ten years, ten straight years he'll go without killing someone before the next time they meet. He'll still feel like an alcoholic on his first day sober. They won't plan to see one another but, once they do, neither one will walk away. They won't speak, either, but they will share a drink. Both will enjoy being in the company of someone they know, someone who understands, but both will feel guilty - each for different reasons. When they part ways, Claire will pause for too long and Sylar will have the urge to break the silence. Ultimately, he won’t.
---
For the first time since her father's death, she'll answer to Claire. For the first time, he'll call instead of appearing uninvited. For the first time, he'll sound broken and regretful, so for the first time she'll agree. They'll meet in public but they'll be alone, except for a man who will stagger around the edges of their consciousness, ranting that the world will end soon. He might be right. Sylar, at least, will feel an end coming. He'll try not to hope she feels the desperation, but when she does, he'll be grateful. It will be worth the wait.