Unsung Heroes, Chapter 2
Title: Unsung Heroes
Author: Romako (on fanfiction.net) and then I join in to co-author on chapter 7. He gave me permission to post this on livejournal since I'm the one with an account here.
Characters/Pairings: Ensemble. Working towards Clach.
Summary: What will happen as Zach joins Claire as she embarks on her journey with the rest of the Heroes? What will happen as the bomb approaches, and what consequences will it bring to the Heroes? AU as of Unexpected. No connection between Sylar and Mohinder.
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Rating: PG-13
Chapter One
Unsung Heroes
By: Ro
Chapter 2: New Beginnings
AN’s:
Heroes belongs to Tim King and NBC, I’m just writing about em
Thoughts in italics
So help me, if they kill off Zach….well there’s not much I’ll be able to do, but it would be such a bummer
Zach/Claire for life!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Odessa, Tx
Claire’s house
Claire’s POV
Claire snapped up at the sound of her alarm clock going off. She looked outside and didn’t even see the rays of pink that meant the sunrise had started. Her alarm clock said 5:30 AM. What he hell?!
“LYLE!!!”
She tried to clear the fog out of her head while ignoring the laughter down the hall and trying to remember the details of a really good dream. Oh crap, I hate it when I can’t remember something important…
“Oh no…”
Before she knew what she was doing, Claire dived for her cell phone and dialed Zach’s number. She had to know that it wasn’t a dream. She had to know if Zach really had remembered what happened yesterday. She had to know that the Haitian man hadn’t visited him again in the night. She had to know she wasn’t alone again!! Pick up…pick up…pick up…pick up dammit!!
“….Claire?”
“Zach! Quick, what did we do yesterday?!”
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Zach’s Place: 5:00 AM Part A
Zack’s POV
I can’t believe I just pulled that off. I am the man! The incredibly exhausted….sleepy…man…
Zach jerked his head up just as he was about to nod off. A well deserved rest it would have been, but he wasn’t done yet. He printed out the documents, saved the files on to his flash drive, and deleted his internet history.
What he did next was one of the hardest things Zach ever had to do. He deleted every file on his computer, every program, launched a quarantined virus into his own system and watched his own computer, his lifeline for all his movie hobbies, crash spectacularly. Just for good measure he applied as many magnets as possible to completely destroy the PC. All for her, for her cause, just like homecoming…
Just as he was about to drift off in his bed, he hears his phone ring. He had never heard a more unwelcome sound. Was one hour of sleep to much to ask? Apparently so…
“….Claire?”
“Zach! Quick, what did we do yesterday?!”
“…Huh? Claire we went over to the bridge and I saw you try to kill yourself over and over. You told me the story about your healing powers, the homecoming, your dad, the Haitian man, even Peter.”
“Oh thank god!”
“Claire, not that I don’t enjoy hearing your voice, Doh!, but why are you asking?”
“I…uh…thought maybe the Haitian man might have gotten to you again.”
“Don’t worry Claire, he didn’t. Even if he does, I won’t forget you again.”
“Aw, that’s sweet Zach, but you can’t promise that.”
“Actually I can, come over to my house, I’ve got some things I have to show you and there are some things we need to talk about.”
“Oh, um ok. I’ll be there in a second.”
“So how do scrambled eggs and bacon sound?”
“What?”
“Breakfast Claire, it is *yawn* only 5:30 after all.”
“Oh right, that sounds good. Try not to burn 'em?”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence Claire.”
“Aw I’m kidding Zach, don’t be such a drama queen.”
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Zach’s Place 6:00 AM Part B
As soon as Claire stepped into Zach’s room, she realized how different Zach’s room was from hers. Where she had all of her old teddy bears Zach had relics of long gone rock bands and computer equipment. The more subdued colors actually looked good after staring at the bright pink hues of her room; she never did get around to repainting.
After awhile, her eyes landed on a poster of an old Metallica concert that looked oddly familiar. Duh, Zach and I went there a long time ago, what was it? Like 8th grade? It must’ve been, we were still hanging out back then, before I ditched him for the nazi cheerleaders. I won’t make that mistake again.
“Mind if I use your computer Zach?
“Um, sorry Claire, but you can’t?”
“Come on, I won’t check what internet sites you’ve visited, promise!” Ha, I love it when he blushes…
“It’s not that, it doesn’t work anymore. I…um…had to destroy it”
“What?! Why?! I thought you loved to work on your computer, doing all that movie stuff and all that other techie junk.”
“That’s actually part of what I wanted to talk to you about. Look, with all that’s been going on recently, I think we need to leave, now.”
“Why? Where would we go? Besides everyone would know, we wouldn’t get far”
“Why? Come on Claire! Geez where do I start? There’s your dad who apparently isn’t afraid to do some questionable things to get the job done, and there’s that guy who tried to kill you!”
“Yeah, but they arrested him! You’re going crazy Zach, we can’t just take off!”
“We have too, he escaped…”
“What?”
“..and he killed two people in the process. He’s after you Claire, and if you stay here, he’ll be back. I spent all of last night researching the author of the book I gave you, this Suresh guy, he’d be a good place to start. His site said he was planning a conference in New York. He might be able to give you more info about how you got your healing powers, maybe even how to control them or something.”
“Wow…I…um, how would we even get there?”
“It’s shocking what you can get done with some photo editing software and a reference pic or two. These are new ID’s and passports I printed out, never know when we might need them. That’s why I had to destroy my computer, technically this is illegal, if the cops were to salvage my internet history and files I’d be put in jail till my grandkid’s wedding.”
“Zach, these pictures don’t look like us.” What did he say about him in jail?
“I’ve got some old, uh, masks that I found awhile back, very realistic ones, they should get us past airport security. Our flight leaves at midnight, if you’re interested.”
“Zach these masks, are they from that time that…”
“Yea”
“Look, that was wrong of them, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have told them…”
“Don’t worry about it; we’ve got more important things to worry about now.”
Claire was in shock, to say the least. Zach had done so much for her. The masks from that evil prank a few years ago, the ID’s, the passports, the tickets, even his computer. Oh god, she didn’t deserve such a good friend, she didn’t deserve him. Yet here he was, clawing through his closet looking for something, so casually, like all his work and sacrifice didn’t mean a thing.
She could feel her eyes tearing up, and before she knew it she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him. He needed to know that she appreciated him and what he did for her. God, how long has it been since I felt comfortable holding someone like this?
“Thank you Zach. Just….thank you…”
“Anytime Claire, you may be the one with the powers, but we are friends after all. You know I’ll always be around to watch your back and cause all sorts of hell.”
Neither of them bothered to take note of how long they stood there in each other’s arms, each trying to savor every moment of rare joy. The joy of companionship, of knowing that there’s at least one person in this crazy world that cares about you. A rare thing indeed, especially in the sensitive, confused years of adolescence.
“I guess we should get going, school will start soon.” What? I don’t want to let go!!
“So do we do the usual split up halfway?”
“No, stay with me this time.”
“But the natzi cheerleaders…”
“Screw them! It’ll be our last day there. Besides, they’re only cheerleaders, it’s not like they’ll bite your head off.”
“Really, because I do remember these times that…”
“It’s a metaphor dork! Now come on, let’s get going”
“Um ok, but Claire?”
“What?”
“You’re going to have to let go in order for me too move” What? Where did that come from?! I don’t want to let go!!
“Oh, um…right”
As Zach saw her walk away, he did what every red-blooded American male would; he cursed himself mentally for his stupidity. He felt so empty without her closeness. It’s gonna be a long day…
Chapter Three: Ah, to be young again...
Author: Romako (on fanfiction.net) and then I join in to co-author on chapter 7. He gave me permission to post this on livejournal since I'm the one with an account here.
Characters/Pairings: Ensemble. Working towards Clach.
Summary: What will happen as Zach joins Claire as she embarks on her journey with the rest of the Heroes? What will happen as the bomb approaches, and what consequences will it bring to the Heroes? AU as of Unexpected. No connection between Sylar and Mohinder.
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Rating: PG-13
Chapter One
Unsung Heroes
By: Ro
Chapter 2: New Beginnings
AN’s:
Heroes belongs to Tim King and NBC, I’m just writing about em
Thoughts in italics
So help me, if they kill off Zach….well there’s not much I’ll be able to do, but it would be such a bummer
Zach/Claire for life!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Odessa, Tx
Claire’s house
Claire’s POV
Claire snapped up at the sound of her alarm clock going off. She looked outside and didn’t even see the rays of pink that meant the sunrise had started. Her alarm clock said 5:30 AM. What he hell?!
“LYLE!!!”
She tried to clear the fog out of her head while ignoring the laughter down the hall and trying to remember the details of a really good dream. Oh crap, I hate it when I can’t remember something important…
“Oh no…”
Before she knew what she was doing, Claire dived for her cell phone and dialed Zach’s number. She had to know that it wasn’t a dream. She had to know if Zach really had remembered what happened yesterday. She had to know that the Haitian man hadn’t visited him again in the night. She had to know she wasn’t alone again!! Pick up…pick up…pick up…pick up dammit!!
“….Claire?”
“Zach! Quick, what did we do yesterday?!”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zach’s Place: 5:00 AM Part A
Zack’s POV
I can’t believe I just pulled that off. I am the man! The incredibly exhausted….sleepy…man…
Zach jerked his head up just as he was about to nod off. A well deserved rest it would have been, but he wasn’t done yet. He printed out the documents, saved the files on to his flash drive, and deleted his internet history.
What he did next was one of the hardest things Zach ever had to do. He deleted every file on his computer, every program, launched a quarantined virus into his own system and watched his own computer, his lifeline for all his movie hobbies, crash spectacularly. Just for good measure he applied as many magnets as possible to completely destroy the PC. All for her, for her cause, just like homecoming…
Just as he was about to drift off in his bed, he hears his phone ring. He had never heard a more unwelcome sound. Was one hour of sleep to much to ask? Apparently so…
“….Claire?”
“Zach! Quick, what did we do yesterday?!”
“…Huh? Claire we went over to the bridge and I saw you try to kill yourself over and over. You told me the story about your healing powers, the homecoming, your dad, the Haitian man, even Peter.”
“Oh thank god!”
“Claire, not that I don’t enjoy hearing your voice, Doh!, but why are you asking?”
“I…uh…thought maybe the Haitian man might have gotten to you again.”
“Don’t worry Claire, he didn’t. Even if he does, I won’t forget you again.”
“Aw, that’s sweet Zach, but you can’t promise that.”
“Actually I can, come over to my house, I’ve got some things I have to show you and there are some things we need to talk about.”
“Oh, um ok. I’ll be there in a second.”
“So how do scrambled eggs and bacon sound?”
“What?”
“Breakfast Claire, it is *yawn* only 5:30 after all.”
“Oh right, that sounds good. Try not to burn 'em?”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence Claire.”
“Aw I’m kidding Zach, don’t be such a drama queen.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zach’s Place 6:00 AM Part B
As soon as Claire stepped into Zach’s room, she realized how different Zach’s room was from hers. Where she had all of her old teddy bears Zach had relics of long gone rock bands and computer equipment. The more subdued colors actually looked good after staring at the bright pink hues of her room; she never did get around to repainting.
After awhile, her eyes landed on a poster of an old Metallica concert that looked oddly familiar. Duh, Zach and I went there a long time ago, what was it? Like 8th grade? It must’ve been, we were still hanging out back then, before I ditched him for the nazi cheerleaders. I won’t make that mistake again.
“Mind if I use your computer Zach?
“Um, sorry Claire, but you can’t?”
“Come on, I won’t check what internet sites you’ve visited, promise!” Ha, I love it when he blushes…
“It’s not that, it doesn’t work anymore. I…um…had to destroy it”
“What?! Why?! I thought you loved to work on your computer, doing all that movie stuff and all that other techie junk.”
“That’s actually part of what I wanted to talk to you about. Look, with all that’s been going on recently, I think we need to leave, now.”
“Why? Where would we go? Besides everyone would know, we wouldn’t get far”
“Why? Come on Claire! Geez where do I start? There’s your dad who apparently isn’t afraid to do some questionable things to get the job done, and there’s that guy who tried to kill you!”
“Yeah, but they arrested him! You’re going crazy Zach, we can’t just take off!”
“We have too, he escaped…”
“What?”
“..and he killed two people in the process. He’s after you Claire, and if you stay here, he’ll be back. I spent all of last night researching the author of the book I gave you, this Suresh guy, he’d be a good place to start. His site said he was planning a conference in New York. He might be able to give you more info about how you got your healing powers, maybe even how to control them or something.”
“Wow…I…um, how would we even get there?”
“It’s shocking what you can get done with some photo editing software and a reference pic or two. These are new ID’s and passports I printed out, never know when we might need them. That’s why I had to destroy my computer, technically this is illegal, if the cops were to salvage my internet history and files I’d be put in jail till my grandkid’s wedding.”
“Zach, these pictures don’t look like us.” What did he say about him in jail?
“I’ve got some old, uh, masks that I found awhile back, very realistic ones, they should get us past airport security. Our flight leaves at midnight, if you’re interested.”
“Zach these masks, are they from that time that…”
“Yea”
“Look, that was wrong of them, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have told them…”
“Don’t worry about it; we’ve got more important things to worry about now.”
Claire was in shock, to say the least. Zach had done so much for her. The masks from that evil prank a few years ago, the ID’s, the passports, the tickets, even his computer. Oh god, she didn’t deserve such a good friend, she didn’t deserve him. Yet here he was, clawing through his closet looking for something, so casually, like all his work and sacrifice didn’t mean a thing.
She could feel her eyes tearing up, and before she knew it she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him. He needed to know that she appreciated him and what he did for her. God, how long has it been since I felt comfortable holding someone like this?
“Thank you Zach. Just….thank you…”
“Anytime Claire, you may be the one with the powers, but we are friends after all. You know I’ll always be around to watch your back and cause all sorts of hell.”
Neither of them bothered to take note of how long they stood there in each other’s arms, each trying to savor every moment of rare joy. The joy of companionship, of knowing that there’s at least one person in this crazy world that cares about you. A rare thing indeed, especially in the sensitive, confused years of adolescence.
“I guess we should get going, school will start soon.” What? I don’t want to let go!!
“So do we do the usual split up halfway?”
“No, stay with me this time.”
“But the natzi cheerleaders…”
“Screw them! It’ll be our last day there. Besides, they’re only cheerleaders, it’s not like they’ll bite your head off.”
“Really, because I do remember these times that…”
“It’s a metaphor dork! Now come on, let’s get going”
“Um ok, but Claire?”
“What?”
“You’re going to have to let go in order for me too move” What? Where did that come from?! I don’t want to let go!!
“Oh, um…right”
As Zach saw her walk away, he did what every red-blooded American male would; he cursed himself mentally for his stupidity. He felt so empty without her closeness. It’s gonna be a long day…
Chapter Three: Ah, to be young again...