New Year's, New Beginnings
Title: New Year’s, New Beginnings
Rating: PG
Summary: It’s New Year’s Eve 2099, the dawn of a new century. Claire’s spending it at the best place possible. And of course she gets a surprise visitor.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: Heroes is not owned by me, but by Tim Kring. I’m simply borrowing these characters for non-profit entertainment.
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New Year’s Eve 2099:
Claire wanted to blame it on nostalgia. The holidays still got to her even though she had no one to spend them with. That was what had brought her back to New York.
Ever year the same stale TV specials would air, every year the ball still dropped in Times Square and this year she was there to watch it.
Not down below with the tourists of course, but close enough to where she could still watch and enjoy. No matter how fleeting the moment.
It was the end of another year, she had seen several already in her immortal life, but somehow this one felt different. Like she should be expecting something.
“Four, three, two!” she heard the crowd shouting.
Her heart rate had sped up, he could still hear it. After all he was never too far from her, especially not tonight. Tonight he had a plan and knowing she was there only furthered his want to create a show for everyone he could. Where better than Times Square on New Year’s Eve before the dawn of another century?
“One!” the vast crowd cried out in unison and just as the glittering ball nearly reached its base, the entire display exploded and shot bright sparks in every possible direction/ A few shards of glass even managed to find their way into the skin of some of the shrieking bystanders.
Sylar smirked to himself at his achievement, beaming away inwardly at the screams of terror and stampedes that ensued as platforms became engulfed in flames and every billboard and display went dark. Maybe it wasn’t an apocalypse, but he decided it would do.
“Sylar,” Claire groaned with a roll of her eyes. Who else could, or would, do this? She could swear she could almost hear him giggling.
“Miss me, Babydoll?” he smiled as he was beside her within a moment. After all she did call to him, who was he to ignore her?
“Obviously, but my aim can only improve from here,” she shot back as she stood.
“Oh come on, Claire,” he drawled as he curled a strong arm around her small waist to keep her from getting away, “not even a little applause?”
“It’s a new century, Sylar. Why not try growing up?” She wasn’t afraid of him and looked deep into his dark eyes as she spoke. What ever fear she may have had for him almost a hundred years ago had been obliterated long ago and only annoyance and irritation remained where he was concerned. Sure they had slept together a few times and even had a son running around loose somewhere. But they were immortal and their paths always seemed to cross, it was bound to happen.
“Admit it, you’re at least a little surprised,” he tried. He wanted her to be proud of him. After all he had done what no other could. He had given her a reason to smile on New Year’s Eve. All of that anticipation to see a ball drop? No, that wasn’t Claire. The anticipation of what he would do, how he would make this night different and the excitement of seeing people running in every which direction to escape whatever threat they feared this week? Now that was her.
“You always did know how to make an entrance,” she shrugged. It was the closest she would let him get to hearing what he wanted her to say.
“That’s my girl,” he smiled as he brought his other arm around her and held her close. “It’s too bad though, you’re in the perfect place for New Year’s Eve, otherwise alone with no one to give you a midnight kiss.”
“I’ve survived worse. Besides it’s after midnight. You missed your window when you blew up Times Square.”
He laughed. “No, I didn’t miss anything. It was worth it to see you smile again, Claire.”
“What?” How could he have seen her from down there? And how dare he know that she had even partially liked his little show?!
Before she knew it she was retuning his kiss a moment later. He had all but released her from his hold and yet now she was clinging to him. Suddenly all the years they had been apart began melting away, all the times they had tried to kill each other nearly forgotten.
It was the dawn of a new year and a new century and now a new beginning.
The whole world could burn around them tonight, but they would still go on as they had so many times before. That was what made it exciting, to know no matter how bored they got with the world they had seen it change and would continue to as time went on.
And now they would see it change together. After all their pasts did keep crossing, there was obviously a reason for that. It had taken them nearly a hundred years to finally get the hint. A cruel joke forced upon them by the universe, perhaps. But tonight they were happy to embrace it.
The End