Seduction of the Senses - 14
Title: Seduction of the Senses - Part 14
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2751
Disclaimer: Not mine. So not mine.
Previous chapters
A/N: Did some (minor) editing to clear up a continuity error - the school still thinks of Claire and her family as being the Butlers, not the Bennets. Everyone else - including West - knows (knew) better. The story has been changed to include the alias.
Sometime in between Noah coming upstairs to check on them before saying that everyone else was going to bed then, and Sandra sticking her head in the room the next morning to say that breakfast was ready, and he’s not really sure when, Claire finally breaks. Tears well up, and Mohinder can’t stop himself from brushing them from her cheek when she crawls into his waiting arms. He means nothing by it, he’s not interested in a teenager that’s just as damaged as he is, but he can’t deny her that physical comfort. She’s not the only one to gain comfort from the hug, though, and for the first time since Molly’s death, Mohinder doesn’t feel like he’s a doomed man.
They talk for hours, reminiscing about what Sylar’s stolen from them, but they both have to admit that he hasn’t just taken. His blood and his hints, conclusions he’d come to after hours of conversations with Chandra, had shown Mohinder the correct path of research, and Claire can’t deny that she’d received just as much from Sylar as he’d gained from her during their trysts. Of course, at the beginning of their stilted conversation, she doesn’t plan on admitting everything to Mohinder, but she can’t help spilling all of her secrets in the dead of the night. She’s pleasantly surprised when he doesn’t say a word of condemnation against her, just holds her tighter and tells her that everything was going to be okay. Unlike when West had told her the same exact thing, she believes Mohinder.
When Sandra interrupts them, she’s more than a bit disconcerted to find the two of them lying on Claire’s bed, fully dressed of course, whispering to each other. She’s more taken aback when Claire smiles at her and says that they’ll be right down for breakfast. As Claire eats with relish, almost attacking her eggs, Sandra smiles, glad that she’d convinced Noah to call Dr. Suresh.
- - - - - - - - - -
The following Monday, not even a week after Claire had been asked to leave the school, Noah, Claire, and Mohinder march into the guidance office. They’ve got a plan of action, and Mohinder’s looking forward to playing the good cop.
“Ms. Johnson.” Noah’s grin is oddly reminiscent of a shark’s. “How good to see you again.”
“Mr. Butler. What a surprise. I thought we had agreed that Claire wouldn’t be back for awhile.” It’s just then that the counselor spots Claire. “Claire. I didn’t realize you were there.” Her voice is completely flat.
“Claire’s going back to class today. What paperwork do we need to fill out?” Noah doesn’t even bother attempting to use a friendly tone, and Mohinder easily sees what he’s dubbed ‘the Company Man persona’ coming out to play.
“Now, Mr. Butler - may I call you Noah?”
“No.”
“Well, Mr. Butler”, she emphasizes the ‘t’ with a sharp sound, “we’ve had this discussion. Until she’s better - and there’s a doctor willing to vouch for her - that’s not going to happen.”
The shark smile widens as Noah responds. “Allow me to introduce Mohinder. I’m sorry, Doctor Mohinder Suresh.” He conveniently forgets to add the “Ph.D.” honorific to Mohinder’s name and the fact that the man’s a geneticist instead of a psych expert.
“Oh.” Ms. Johnson’s smile falls. “Dr. Suresh. Pleasure to meet you.” Her voice indicates that it’s anything but a pleasure.
“Mrs. Johnson, it really is a pleasure. I’ve heard so much about you.” Mohinder grasps her hand for a handshake, lingering for just a second too long, before he lets go of her and gives her the smile that Claire assures him will make the woman faint. “Please, call me Mohinder.”
“Oh, Dr. Suresh,” the counselor blushes, “actually, it’s Miss Johnson, I’m not married. So… Claire, darling, how about you run on to class and Mohinder and I can deal with this completely unnecessary paperwork?”
As Mohinder and Noah take a seat, both men realize that she’d caved entirely too easily. Noah chalks it up to Mohinder’s charms, but Mohinder knows without a doubt that Sylar’s there too.
- - - - - - - - - -
“Now, remember - you can call me whenever you’d like.” Mohinder earnestly tells Claire as they stand outside of the security checkpoint. “Doesn’t matter; call me collect if you need to.”
“Will do.” Claire grins at him, and he’s amazed at how much progress she’s made in such a short time. It amazes him how much he’s healed too.
“Mohinder,” Noah offers him his hand, “thank you again. You’re always welcome to come back; I’m sure Sandra’s going to insist that you come out for the holidays.”
“Just let me know when. I’ll be looking forward to it.” Mohinder hugs Claire again after exchanging an awkward handshake and slap on the back with Noah. He puts his bag on the conveyor belt and steps through the metal detector. As soon as he’s through the security checkpoint, he turns and waves to the family again before making his way to his gate.
As he passes the men’s room right before his gate, an unexpected shove puts him off-balance, and he stumbles into the restroom. There’s no one there but he knows what’s going on. “Sylar.” It’s not a question.
“Mohinder.” Sylar doesn’t bother to become visible again. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do it for you, you evil bastard. That girl needed help.”
“Still… doesn’t matter why you did it, just that you did. Because you were such a good boy, Matt will be safe for a few more months. Now, if you renege on your deal and call Noah - I’m not going to be happy, and then you’re not going to be happy. Keep you mouth shut, and when Claire calls you, don’t give her the slightest hint then either. In fact, here’s exactly what I want you to say to her when she does call…”
- - - - - - - - - -
A month passes, and Claire hears nothing from Sylar. There are no more notes, no more chocolates, no more scary threats in the middle of the night, no more secret rendezvous. She’s half convinced that he’s forgotten her. She stops looking over her shoulder every three seconds, she stops being afraid to talk to people, but she can’t stop hoping that maybe, just maybe, he’d show up again. She knows that she shouldn’t, but she can’t stop herself from craving the feeling of his body against hers, like he’s an addiction that she can’t put aside. Giggling, she decides to tell Mohinder that they need to come up with a twelve-step program for Sylar addiction. That should be good for an interesting conversation.
She’s startled out of her thoughts when the boy bumps into her as she stands in front of her locker, causing both of them to drop their books on the floor. “I’m so sorry!” He starts to hastily pick them up. “I didn’t mean to.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Claire kneels down to help him with the remainder of the books on the floor. “It happens.”
“Yeah, but it usually doesn’t happen with me bumping into the prettiest girl in the school on my first day.” A faint blush highlights his cheeks as he thinks about what he’d said. “Um…”
Claire laughs. “Thank you. So, you’re new here?”
“Yeah. I’m Michael - call me Mike.”
“Claire.” She can’t stop herself from smiling at him, remembering all too well what it’s like to be the new kid at school. “Where are you from?”
Looking away for a second, he hesitates before answering. “Here and there. I’ve got to run - I’m going to be late to class. Nice meeting you!”
He runs off before she can say anything else. She can’t help but think that she’d like to bump into him again. There’s something about him that just seems so familiar, but she can’t put her finger on it.
- - - - - - - - - -
“Class, we have a new student. This is Michael.”
English class has suddenly gotten much more interesting, Claire thinks.
“Now, why don’t you tell us something about you?”
“Do I have to?” There’s a pained look on his face.
“Well, you don’t have to, but it would be nice.” The teacher wishes that for once she’d get a cooperative student.
“Fine.” He crosses his arms in front of his chest. “I’m an orphan, lost my parents and an adopted dad too. I don’t want to be here, but the state’s making me. What else do you want to know?”
The teacher winces. Maybe she shouldn’t have forced him to say anything. “Thank you for sharing. Why don’t you take a seat… um…” she looks around the room for a minute. “Take the empty seat beside Claire.”
He slips into the seat, and puts his head down on the desk, muttering to himself. “I hate school.”
Claire whispers back to him. “You’re not the only one. Hi again.”
“Hi.” He doesn’t say anything else, and she lets the conversation drop; the middle of the class isn’t the best place to make a new friend.
- - - - - - - - - -
She lies on her bed, feet and legs propped up on the wall behind her headboard, as she chatters on the cell phone. “So… thoughts?”
“I… um…” Mohinder pauses. “When I said we could discuss anything, I didn’t think you’d want to discuss boys. Couldn’t you talk to your mother about this?”
“Mohinder, please.”
He’s not sure if it’s a plea for an answer or if it’s a sarcastic comment about his naivety in thinking she should talk to another woman about this. If he can convince her to talk to Sandra, then he won’t have to give her purposefully faulty advice. “Claire, I’m just not comfortable talking about it.”
“Okay then, let me phrase it another way so that it’s not a conversation about boys. What do you think the chances are that Sylar will continue to target people in my life?”
Mohinder hesitates again. “Er…”
“Can I ever date again without being worried about him showing up?”
“Um…” Mohinder still doesn’t want to answer the question.
“You’re so not helping right now, Mohinder.” Claire sounds exacerbated with him.
A second later, Sylar appears in his apartment, and Mohinder knows he’s not happy. “Claire, something’s just… popped up… that I need to deal with. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.” He hangs up without hearing her response.
“Mohinder, Mohinder, you disappoint me. Why am I sitting there hearing Claire say that you’re being uncooperative?” Sylar shakes his head. “Now, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?”
“Go to hell.” Mohinder’s sick of playing this game. “Go ahead, kill me and be done with it. I’m not going to tell her to date this boy, knowing that you’re going to hurt him.”
“I’m not going to hurt him. Promise.” Sylar holds his hand up and adds on “Scout’s honor.”
Mohinder can’t figure out what angle Sylar’s working now. “Why not?”
“I’ve got a few good reasons. Trust me, this little Mikey is perfectly safe from me. Now, call Claire back and tell her that everything’s just fine, and that if she has a crush on the boy, that she ought to pursue it. I want her to be happy, and if he makes her happy, well…” Sylar sighs. “What she wants, I’ll make sure she gets.”
When Mohinder doesn’t move fast enough, Sylar shoves him back against the wall. “Why you insist on doing things the hard way, I’ll never understand. Phone Claire NOW.” The phone flips open and Mohinder’s fingers unwillingly presses the sequence of buttons that will connect him with Claire.
“Hi, Mohinder. Back already?”
Mohinder doesn’t say anything, clenching his jaw. He does not want to do this to her. Sylar rolls his eyes at Mohinder’s stubbornness, and then makes a shallow cut across Mohinder’s arm, forcing him to call out “aaaahh” in pain.
“Are you okay?” Claire asks, unsure what’s going on.
With a glare at Sylar, Mohinder answers. “I’m fine. Just had a little paper cut, I’m sorting mail. Sorry about that.” As soon as he starts talking, Sylar heals the wound.
“So, about the whole Sylar stalking thing - what’s your real opinion?”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen any sign of him?” Mohinder knows that Sylar’s still there, sleeping in her room every night, but he can’t tell her that. He’s got to make this act look good.
“A month.”
“And this boy… you’re just going to casually date him? Group events, hanging out with a crowd?”
“Of course. I don’t want serious, not after everything that’s happened. Probably nothing more than hand-holding.”
‘I hate myself,’ Mohinder thinks as he passes on Sylar’s message to her. “I think you’ll be fine. Go for it.”
“Are you sure?” There’s a hint of doubt in her voice, and Mohinder wonders if she wants him to convince her or talk her out of her plan of action.
“Positive. You’ll be just fine.”
- - - - - - - - - -
“Hi?” Claire stands behind Mike in the library. “Is this seat taken?”
He doesn’t say anything, but he does stand and pull the chair out for her.
Claire smiles at him, but he doesn’t return the smile. “Thanks. So… working on that essay for class?”
“What do you want?” Mike sits back down and closes the book in front of him. “I don’t have time or the inclination to play games.”
“I’m not playing games.”
“Listen, you seem like a nice girl, but I’ve heard all the rumors. Everyone tells me to stay away from you, that you’re dangerous. I don’t want any trouble.”
“Who told you that?”
“Everyone. It’s written on the wall in every men’s rest room at school. Do you not find it odd that every guy around here runs away from you or did you just not notice, princess?”
The words he’s saying are at odds with the flirtatious tone that he’s using, and she sincerely doubts his claim that he doesn’t want to play games. She turns his words back on him. “Doesn’t look to me like you’re running.”
“Touché. Want to tell me what the real story is, or am I just going to have to depend on the graffiti in the bathroom?” He leans back in his chair, eyes sparkling at the excitement of their verbal repartee.
“There was a murder about a month before you started here; my ex-boyfriend was killed here at school.”
“Ah. That actually fits in well with the black widow rumors.”
“You know what, I don’t need this. I’ll let you get back to your essay.” Claire starts to stand, but he reaches out and gently touches her arm.
“Stay, please.” The words are soft, and she sits back down.
“Why would you want me to stay? You obviously don’t want to be near me.”
“I never said that. I just said that I’ve been told that you’re dangerous. Dangerous doesn’t really bother me.” He furtively looks around the deserted library. “Is there anyone else here?”
She doesn’t see anyone and tells him so.
“Good.” He hands her the reference book he’d been looking through before she’d shown up. “Hit me with this, as hard as you can.”
Claire can’t believe him. “What? Are you nuts? I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Just do it. Look, princess, I promise that you won’t hurt me.”
She barely taps him on the arm with the book, and he growls at her. “I said, hit me with it. Not give me a little love tap. Hit me.”
This time, she swings the book with all her might. About five millimeters away from contact with his shoulder, the book stops, butting up against a blue force field that’s suddenly surrounding him. She drops the book in surprise.
“Like I said, you’re not going to hurt me and I don’t mind the dangerous. I think I can handle it. Now, what did you want?” He wants to laugh. She’d fallen for the fake force-field trick so easily, and he can barely hide the smirk on his face as he listens to her ask ‘Mike’ to go on a date. Sylar doesn’t let the illusion slip for an image as he stands from the chair, taking her hand in his, and leading her out of the library. She’s so trusting, so willing to be fooled, and he doesn’t mind taking advantage of that fact. He’ll have her, one way or the other. If she doesn’t know it’s him, well, that doesn’t bother him nearly as badly as he thought it might. Whatever it takes, she will be his.
Chapter 15!
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2751
Disclaimer: Not mine. So not mine.
Previous chapters
A/N: Did some (minor) editing to clear up a continuity error - the school still thinks of Claire and her family as being the Butlers, not the Bennets. Everyone else - including West - knows (knew) better. The story has been changed to include the alias.
Sometime in between Noah coming upstairs to check on them before saying that everyone else was going to bed then, and Sandra sticking her head in the room the next morning to say that breakfast was ready, and he’s not really sure when, Claire finally breaks. Tears well up, and Mohinder can’t stop himself from brushing them from her cheek when she crawls into his waiting arms. He means nothing by it, he’s not interested in a teenager that’s just as damaged as he is, but he can’t deny her that physical comfort. She’s not the only one to gain comfort from the hug, though, and for the first time since Molly’s death, Mohinder doesn’t feel like he’s a doomed man.
They talk for hours, reminiscing about what Sylar’s stolen from them, but they both have to admit that he hasn’t just taken. His blood and his hints, conclusions he’d come to after hours of conversations with Chandra, had shown Mohinder the correct path of research, and Claire can’t deny that she’d received just as much from Sylar as he’d gained from her during their trysts. Of course, at the beginning of their stilted conversation, she doesn’t plan on admitting everything to Mohinder, but she can’t help spilling all of her secrets in the dead of the night. She’s pleasantly surprised when he doesn’t say a word of condemnation against her, just holds her tighter and tells her that everything was going to be okay. Unlike when West had told her the same exact thing, she believes Mohinder.
When Sandra interrupts them, she’s more than a bit disconcerted to find the two of them lying on Claire’s bed, fully dressed of course, whispering to each other. She’s more taken aback when Claire smiles at her and says that they’ll be right down for breakfast. As Claire eats with relish, almost attacking her eggs, Sandra smiles, glad that she’d convinced Noah to call Dr. Suresh.
- - - - - - - - - -
The following Monday, not even a week after Claire had been asked to leave the school, Noah, Claire, and Mohinder march into the guidance office. They’ve got a plan of action, and Mohinder’s looking forward to playing the good cop.
“Ms. Johnson.” Noah’s grin is oddly reminiscent of a shark’s. “How good to see you again.”
“Mr. Butler. What a surprise. I thought we had agreed that Claire wouldn’t be back for awhile.” It’s just then that the counselor spots Claire. “Claire. I didn’t realize you were there.” Her voice is completely flat.
“Claire’s going back to class today. What paperwork do we need to fill out?” Noah doesn’t even bother attempting to use a friendly tone, and Mohinder easily sees what he’s dubbed ‘the Company Man persona’ coming out to play.
“Now, Mr. Butler - may I call you Noah?”
“No.”
“Well, Mr. Butler”, she emphasizes the ‘t’ with a sharp sound, “we’ve had this discussion. Until she’s better - and there’s a doctor willing to vouch for her - that’s not going to happen.”
The shark smile widens as Noah responds. “Allow me to introduce Mohinder. I’m sorry, Doctor Mohinder Suresh.” He conveniently forgets to add the “Ph.D.” honorific to Mohinder’s name and the fact that the man’s a geneticist instead of a psych expert.
“Oh.” Ms. Johnson’s smile falls. “Dr. Suresh. Pleasure to meet you.” Her voice indicates that it’s anything but a pleasure.
“Mrs. Johnson, it really is a pleasure. I’ve heard so much about you.” Mohinder grasps her hand for a handshake, lingering for just a second too long, before he lets go of her and gives her the smile that Claire assures him will make the woman faint. “Please, call me Mohinder.”
“Oh, Dr. Suresh,” the counselor blushes, “actually, it’s Miss Johnson, I’m not married. So… Claire, darling, how about you run on to class and Mohinder and I can deal with this completely unnecessary paperwork?”
As Mohinder and Noah take a seat, both men realize that she’d caved entirely too easily. Noah chalks it up to Mohinder’s charms, but Mohinder knows without a doubt that Sylar’s there too.
- - - - - - - - - -
“Now, remember - you can call me whenever you’d like.” Mohinder earnestly tells Claire as they stand outside of the security checkpoint. “Doesn’t matter; call me collect if you need to.”
“Will do.” Claire grins at him, and he’s amazed at how much progress she’s made in such a short time. It amazes him how much he’s healed too.
“Mohinder,” Noah offers him his hand, “thank you again. You’re always welcome to come back; I’m sure Sandra’s going to insist that you come out for the holidays.”
“Just let me know when. I’ll be looking forward to it.” Mohinder hugs Claire again after exchanging an awkward handshake and slap on the back with Noah. He puts his bag on the conveyor belt and steps through the metal detector. As soon as he’s through the security checkpoint, he turns and waves to the family again before making his way to his gate.
As he passes the men’s room right before his gate, an unexpected shove puts him off-balance, and he stumbles into the restroom. There’s no one there but he knows what’s going on. “Sylar.” It’s not a question.
“Mohinder.” Sylar doesn’t bother to become visible again. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do it for you, you evil bastard. That girl needed help.”
“Still… doesn’t matter why you did it, just that you did. Because you were such a good boy, Matt will be safe for a few more months. Now, if you renege on your deal and call Noah - I’m not going to be happy, and then you’re not going to be happy. Keep you mouth shut, and when Claire calls you, don’t give her the slightest hint then either. In fact, here’s exactly what I want you to say to her when she does call…”
- - - - - - - - - -
A month passes, and Claire hears nothing from Sylar. There are no more notes, no more chocolates, no more scary threats in the middle of the night, no more secret rendezvous. She’s half convinced that he’s forgotten her. She stops looking over her shoulder every three seconds, she stops being afraid to talk to people, but she can’t stop hoping that maybe, just maybe, he’d show up again. She knows that she shouldn’t, but she can’t stop herself from craving the feeling of his body against hers, like he’s an addiction that she can’t put aside. Giggling, she decides to tell Mohinder that they need to come up with a twelve-step program for Sylar addiction. That should be good for an interesting conversation.
She’s startled out of her thoughts when the boy bumps into her as she stands in front of her locker, causing both of them to drop their books on the floor. “I’m so sorry!” He starts to hastily pick them up. “I didn’t mean to.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Claire kneels down to help him with the remainder of the books on the floor. “It happens.”
“Yeah, but it usually doesn’t happen with me bumping into the prettiest girl in the school on my first day.” A faint blush highlights his cheeks as he thinks about what he’d said. “Um…”
Claire laughs. “Thank you. So, you’re new here?”
“Yeah. I’m Michael - call me Mike.”
“Claire.” She can’t stop herself from smiling at him, remembering all too well what it’s like to be the new kid at school. “Where are you from?”
Looking away for a second, he hesitates before answering. “Here and there. I’ve got to run - I’m going to be late to class. Nice meeting you!”
He runs off before she can say anything else. She can’t help but think that she’d like to bump into him again. There’s something about him that just seems so familiar, but she can’t put her finger on it.
- - - - - - - - - -
“Class, we have a new student. This is Michael.”
English class has suddenly gotten much more interesting, Claire thinks.
“Now, why don’t you tell us something about you?”
“Do I have to?” There’s a pained look on his face.
“Well, you don’t have to, but it would be nice.” The teacher wishes that for once she’d get a cooperative student.
“Fine.” He crosses his arms in front of his chest. “I’m an orphan, lost my parents and an adopted dad too. I don’t want to be here, but the state’s making me. What else do you want to know?”
The teacher winces. Maybe she shouldn’t have forced him to say anything. “Thank you for sharing. Why don’t you take a seat… um…” she looks around the room for a minute. “Take the empty seat beside Claire.”
He slips into the seat, and puts his head down on the desk, muttering to himself. “I hate school.”
Claire whispers back to him. “You’re not the only one. Hi again.”
“Hi.” He doesn’t say anything else, and she lets the conversation drop; the middle of the class isn’t the best place to make a new friend.
- - - - - - - - - -
She lies on her bed, feet and legs propped up on the wall behind her headboard, as she chatters on the cell phone. “So… thoughts?”
“I… um…” Mohinder pauses. “When I said we could discuss anything, I didn’t think you’d want to discuss boys. Couldn’t you talk to your mother about this?”
“Mohinder, please.”
He’s not sure if it’s a plea for an answer or if it’s a sarcastic comment about his naivety in thinking she should talk to another woman about this. If he can convince her to talk to Sandra, then he won’t have to give her purposefully faulty advice. “Claire, I’m just not comfortable talking about it.”
“Okay then, let me phrase it another way so that it’s not a conversation about boys. What do you think the chances are that Sylar will continue to target people in my life?”
Mohinder hesitates again. “Er…”
“Can I ever date again without being worried about him showing up?”
“Um…” Mohinder still doesn’t want to answer the question.
“You’re so not helping right now, Mohinder.” Claire sounds exacerbated with him.
A second later, Sylar appears in his apartment, and Mohinder knows he’s not happy. “Claire, something’s just… popped up… that I need to deal with. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.” He hangs up without hearing her response.
“Mohinder, Mohinder, you disappoint me. Why am I sitting there hearing Claire say that you’re being uncooperative?” Sylar shakes his head. “Now, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?”
“Go to hell.” Mohinder’s sick of playing this game. “Go ahead, kill me and be done with it. I’m not going to tell her to date this boy, knowing that you’re going to hurt him.”
“I’m not going to hurt him. Promise.” Sylar holds his hand up and adds on “Scout’s honor.”
Mohinder can’t figure out what angle Sylar’s working now. “Why not?”
“I’ve got a few good reasons. Trust me, this little Mikey is perfectly safe from me. Now, call Claire back and tell her that everything’s just fine, and that if she has a crush on the boy, that she ought to pursue it. I want her to be happy, and if he makes her happy, well…” Sylar sighs. “What she wants, I’ll make sure she gets.”
When Mohinder doesn’t move fast enough, Sylar shoves him back against the wall. “Why you insist on doing things the hard way, I’ll never understand. Phone Claire NOW.” The phone flips open and Mohinder’s fingers unwillingly presses the sequence of buttons that will connect him with Claire.
“Hi, Mohinder. Back already?”
Mohinder doesn’t say anything, clenching his jaw. He does not want to do this to her. Sylar rolls his eyes at Mohinder’s stubbornness, and then makes a shallow cut across Mohinder’s arm, forcing him to call out “aaaahh” in pain.
“Are you okay?” Claire asks, unsure what’s going on.
With a glare at Sylar, Mohinder answers. “I’m fine. Just had a little paper cut, I’m sorting mail. Sorry about that.” As soon as he starts talking, Sylar heals the wound.
“So, about the whole Sylar stalking thing - what’s your real opinion?”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen any sign of him?” Mohinder knows that Sylar’s still there, sleeping in her room every night, but he can’t tell her that. He’s got to make this act look good.
“A month.”
“And this boy… you’re just going to casually date him? Group events, hanging out with a crowd?”
“Of course. I don’t want serious, not after everything that’s happened. Probably nothing more than hand-holding.”
‘I hate myself,’ Mohinder thinks as he passes on Sylar’s message to her. “I think you’ll be fine. Go for it.”
“Are you sure?” There’s a hint of doubt in her voice, and Mohinder wonders if she wants him to convince her or talk her out of her plan of action.
“Positive. You’ll be just fine.”
- - - - - - - - - -
“Hi?” Claire stands behind Mike in the library. “Is this seat taken?”
He doesn’t say anything, but he does stand and pull the chair out for her.
Claire smiles at him, but he doesn’t return the smile. “Thanks. So… working on that essay for class?”
“What do you want?” Mike sits back down and closes the book in front of him. “I don’t have time or the inclination to play games.”
“I’m not playing games.”
“Listen, you seem like a nice girl, but I’ve heard all the rumors. Everyone tells me to stay away from you, that you’re dangerous. I don’t want any trouble.”
“Who told you that?”
“Everyone. It’s written on the wall in every men’s rest room at school. Do you not find it odd that every guy around here runs away from you or did you just not notice, princess?”
The words he’s saying are at odds with the flirtatious tone that he’s using, and she sincerely doubts his claim that he doesn’t want to play games. She turns his words back on him. “Doesn’t look to me like you’re running.”
“Touché. Want to tell me what the real story is, or am I just going to have to depend on the graffiti in the bathroom?” He leans back in his chair, eyes sparkling at the excitement of their verbal repartee.
“There was a murder about a month before you started here; my ex-boyfriend was killed here at school.”
“Ah. That actually fits in well with the black widow rumors.”
“You know what, I don’t need this. I’ll let you get back to your essay.” Claire starts to stand, but he reaches out and gently touches her arm.
“Stay, please.” The words are soft, and she sits back down.
“Why would you want me to stay? You obviously don’t want to be near me.”
“I never said that. I just said that I’ve been told that you’re dangerous. Dangerous doesn’t really bother me.” He furtively looks around the deserted library. “Is there anyone else here?”
She doesn’t see anyone and tells him so.
“Good.” He hands her the reference book he’d been looking through before she’d shown up. “Hit me with this, as hard as you can.”
Claire can’t believe him. “What? Are you nuts? I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Just do it. Look, princess, I promise that you won’t hurt me.”
She barely taps him on the arm with the book, and he growls at her. “I said, hit me with it. Not give me a little love tap. Hit me.”
This time, she swings the book with all her might. About five millimeters away from contact with his shoulder, the book stops, butting up against a blue force field that’s suddenly surrounding him. She drops the book in surprise.
“Like I said, you’re not going to hurt me and I don’t mind the dangerous. I think I can handle it. Now, what did you want?” He wants to laugh. She’d fallen for the fake force-field trick so easily, and he can barely hide the smirk on his face as he listens to her ask ‘Mike’ to go on a date. Sylar doesn’t let the illusion slip for an image as he stands from the chair, taking her hand in his, and leading her out of the library. She’s so trusting, so willing to be fooled, and he doesn’t mind taking advantage of that fact. He’ll have her, one way or the other. If she doesn’t know it’s him, well, that doesn’t bother him nearly as badly as he thought it might. Whatever it takes, she will be his.
Chapter 15!