Application for Claire Bennet (Heroes)

[ms-miracle-grow.livejournal.com]

((Done with permission from the Heroes-muns. Spoilers for the whole first season.))



The door to the Sorting Room opened slowly, and a pretty blonde girl, about sixteen, poked her head around it. "Hello?"

Hitching her bag over her shoulder, Claire Bennet made her way inside, eyes wide as she took in the stone walls and suits of armor. "Wow. This is so just like the set to a movie." A kind of half-smile was on her face as she headed towards the table in the middle of the room. Setting her bag down, she sat, crossing her legs and glancing down at the application.

She'd come all the way to Scotland for a purpose. After the explosion, after Nathan (her bio dad, which was a concept she still couldn't wrap her brain around completely) and Peter (Uncle Peter? That just sounded weird) had disappeared - had died, probably - all Claire could think of was that she had to do something with the power she'd been given. Peter had saved her, then had died saving the world. He'd lived so brightly, so completely focused on his destiny, on what he'd been meant to do, and Claire wanted his death to mean something. She wanted her dad - her real dad, the man who had raised her - to not have taken a bullet for her for nothing. She wanted to help people.

Hey, even Nathan had come around in the end. The future wasn't set in stone. There was always hope.

Unfortunately, being a cheerleader in Odessa, TX, wasn't exactly the best background for a super hero. Unless saving people required a handstand or a human pyramid, she was going to need some help. Hopefully, she'd be able to get it here. Claire just had to remember that she was posing as a totally normal girl. Hey, she could keep cover. Not like she didn't have any experience in that.

"Um, hi," she said, not really sure what else to do. "I'm Claire Bennet. I'd like to apply for your school? Please?"

The quill jumped to life and Claire started back. At first she looked wildly around the room, heart pounding. She hadn't exactly had the best experiences with objects moving seemingly on their own. But when she didn't see anyone, Claire relaxed, looking down at the quill with a smile.

"Cool."

1. What is your favorite cheese? Why is it your favorite?

Wrinkling her nose at the question, Claire looked around the room. "This is kind of an...unusual question, don't you think? I mean, for a school application. Sounds like a question that would be on some internet quiz or something." She flashed a tiny smile, then shrugged and laughed a little. "Um, I feel like I should say brie or something, so I sound mature and sophisticated." Again she laughed, looking ruefully at the application. "But I guess the truth would be the nachos that they have at football games at my school? Even though I so shouldn't eat them. Or toasted cheese sandwiches with a glass of orange juice. I don't know, I guess I'm kinda simple."

2. Who would you kill first, Barney or Carrottop?

The smile on Claire's face faded slightly, and she looked up quickly. What kind of application was this? "Well, Barney has that annoying song," she forced a laugh, one shoulder rising and falling in a slight shrug.

But behind the friendly, if slightly bland, expression, Claire's mind was racing. Could they know? Or were they just trying to make her slip up? Or maybe this was just one of those personality things, like 'If you could only save one person from a burning building, who would it be?'. (Of course, Claire's answer to that would, in reality, be a lot different than most people's. Having the ability to heal yourself would do that.) In any case, Claire suddenly was a lot more wary of the application, and she proceeded with caution, smile frozen on her face, eyes darting around the room from time to time.

She had to be careful.


3. What time is it where you are?

Compared to the last question, this one was refreshingly normal. Taking a look at her watch, Claire said, "Well, I'm still set to Texas time. And..." she laughed. "God, I'm so bad at math. My watch says six oh-five. So whatever it would be to get it onto Scottish time."

4. If you were Albus Dumbledore returned from the dead, which member of the Order of the Phoenix would you sexually harass? How would you harass them? If you are Albus Dumbledore, please answer as if you were Sirius Black.

A look of repulsion crossed her face. "You can't force yourself on people. That's just wrong, no matter who you are. And you shouldn't encourage it, either. People who think they're above all that, they need to be stopped. You should be able to feel safe around people, especially people you think you could care about. Harassing them, forcing yourself on them, that's disgusting."

5. If you are pushing to be in:

A. Slytherin - please state the clever, witty name of the bar in which you bartend, in the dark.

"Um..." She paused, thinking. Then one corner of her mouth lifted in a sad little smile. "'Between a Rock and a Sponge'. It's...a play on the name of...of this guy I knew. He...he was a hero." Her smile was forced larger and Claire stuck out her chin, definitely not crying. "And hey, heroes get things named after them, right? I mean, a fictional bar isn't exactly a statue, but I think he'd laugh."

B. Gryffindor – Debate whether Harry should ultimately end up married to Fred or George. Use examples from a variety of world mythologies to bolster your argument.

Holding up both of her hands, Claire laughed and shook her head, eyes going wide. "Oh, no. I kinda think I'm the last person you should ask about all that. I've got, like, no experience, and the little I do have kind of...ended bad." But she considered the question for a minute, a smile playing out on her mouth. "But I guess, if I had to, I'd just say it should be whoever he loved. I mean, really loved. Like, the person he trusted and wanted to spend time with and made him feel safe. And butterflies and all that. If you're going to do the whole 'til death do you part' thing, it should be with your best friend, right?"

C. Ravenclaw – You guys are supposed to be smart. Explain why my desk is inundated with paperwork at all times, even though I’m constantly disposing of it.

"Um, I'm not exactly smart." Claire gave a self-deprecating laugh, rolling her eyes. "I mean, I totally barely passed Bio. But maybe you should just get a secretary or something? Or switch jobs? I guess I don't see paper as a huge problem. That's kind of what my dad does for a living." Claire paused, biting her lower lip, then smiled again. "He's the manager of a paper company." So far as anyone else in the world needed to know, that is.

D. Hufflepuff – Prove you are not useless.

"Me? I'm...just a cheerleader. I mean, I don't think anyone is worthless, but I'm not exactly anything special." Sticking her hands in her pockets, Claire stared down at the paper for a minute, not really seeing anything. Or, rather, seeing something very different than a rough, wooden desk and a large piece of parchment. "I've known some really extraordinary people, though," she continued quietly. "I mean, really, really amazing. There was this one guy, he saved my life. Even though he didn't even know me. He died saving the world. And there were other people, they gave up everything... I think that's special." Raising her head again, Claire blinked, then smiled softly. "I'm just a girl."

6. Offer a bribe to the members of this community so that they will not squib you. Items used in bribery do not necessarily have to belong to the person offering the bribe. Do not threaten us rather than offering a bribe. A threat indicates you either don't really want to be here, or don't have enough sense to answer the question properly. The hat will automatically squib you, regardless of other votes, if you do.

Oh. Um. Digging in her bag, Claire brought out a bag of gummy worms, a few pens (pink, glittery ones), a disposable camera, and a few paperbacks she'd bought at the airport. "Sorry, that's pretty much all I have." Glancing around, she tucked a strand of hair behind her hear, eyes questioning. "So - did I pass?"

Comments

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

Needless to say, ever since Peter had finished talking to Claire for the first time in the Sorting Room, he'd stuck around. Lurking invisibly at the back of the room, watching everybody that she talked to and looking out for her safety. Partly because she was family, yes, and he felt a duty to her, especially after Mr. Bennet made him promise to keep her safe - but she was so young, and who knew what kind of creepy people there might be in this castle.

It had been pretty amusing when Rachel had started talking to Claire, but now she was just getting panicked and apparently Peter had to step in before bad things happened. With a roll of his eyes, Peter walked over to them, shedding the invisibility with a ripple of air as he stood next to them.

"Dozens of people were randomly married by one of the, er, people that runs this place," he filled in. "There's a whole tent village and everything."

[ms-miracle-grow.livejournal.com]

Claire turned to Peter, eyebrow arching in amusement. "What, you get married and you don't think that is important enough to tell me?" Rachel's panic had set off the inborn Texan hospitality genes. Also, it was really kind of funny to see her flail around.

As a teenage girl and, therefore, an expert on all things crush-related, it was pretty obvious that this Rachel had Feelings with a capital F for Peter. Claire was now intensely curious to see if the Feelings were returned. It was pretty romantic! Some kind of shotgun wedding, being forced to live together, falling in love... It sounded like a movie!

"You live in a tent?" She beamed a grin at Rachel. "Can I see it? Do I get to live in a tent." She gave Peter a sly look. "Are you guys dating?" What? Inquiring minds wanted to know!

[racheltherunner.livejournal.com]

Blowing out a relieved breath, I mouthed 'thank you' at Peter when Claire turned to him. Although the thanks turned into a horrified expression as Claire went on. Okay, I wasn't that far beyond my teenaged years myself, but I'd forgotten how blunt they could be.

"Um." Wow, that seemed to be my word of the day. Taking a breath, I returned Claire's smile tentatively. She really was a cute kid. I just...had no idea what to say to that.

"Yeah, we live in a tent. And, uh, sure. You can stop by anytime. I'm pretty sure you'll get a dorm room, though. The hat kind of assigns you."

I threw the last question over to Peter with a flick of my eyes, eyebrows raising. Hey, it was a good question. I was going to go with 'no', but since I'd fielded the tough tent questions, it was his go.

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

"No, you don't get to live in a tent," Peter replied, trying not to sound like a horrified mother. He didn't really succeed. But come on, the idea of Claire living in a tent was scandalous - she was a teenager, and to live in a tent here you had to be married, and god no. Claire was not getting married. Not if Peter could help it.

Peter had actually kind of forgotten how straightforward Claire could be. It was pretty refreshing.

Christ, whatever he answered to that 'dating' question was going to hurt Rachel, no matter what he said. If he said 'no', she was going to think he didn't love her and leave. If he said 'yes', she was going to rant about why he never showed her. Peter mentally facepalmed.

"But you can stop over anytime," Peter allowed. "There's maps and everything - we've got a pretty cool tent." Peter took a moment to hope that they'd cleaned every scrap of blood from the floor from their various fights. Then, he took a moment to readjust the length of material he'd kept tied around his right wrist. No need for questions. "I've even got a meerkat for a pet. He'd love you, I bet."

[racheltherunner.livejournal.com]

Oh, nice, Peter. Way to ignore the question. Sadly, he wasn't dealing with an average person who could be distracted by talk of meerkats. This was a teenaged girl. Claire was going to keep asking and I really didn't want Peter to be forced into an answer he didn't want to give.

"We're not," I said smoothly, even as I saw the question form again in Claire's eyes, giving Peter a tiny smile as if to say 'I got this'. "We're just friends. The hat is insane and put us together. Your uncle is just making the best of it."

I saw him fiddling with the band he'd tied around his demon mark. Without thinking, I slipped my hand into his, squeezing it gently as a show of support. Hey, my mark was out there for anyone to see. If Claire questioned it, I'd say it was a tattoo and leave it at that.

"And Charles Fluffers likes anyone who feeds him," I grinned at Claire. "But if you really want to experience marital-free tent life, you can kick our own personal hobo off the couch and crash there. We have a hot tub and everything. And Peter makes awesome pasta."

[ms-miracle-grow.livejournal.com]

Claire had, indeed, been about to press the issue when Rachel answered. Come on, talking about boys - even if said boy was her uncle, which significantly raised the 'ew' factor - was a lot more fun than talking about the end of the world or shooting people in the head, which seemed to be what most of her and Peter's conversations centered on. Still, the answer wasn't quite satisfactory, and Clare gave Peter a look before she smiled a little at the hand holding. Riiiiight.

"A meerkat?" Hey, she'd switch topics for now, but Peter was so getting grilled about this later! "That's so cool. And yeah, I'd love to come over." Her expression turned kind of shy. After all, it wasn't as if she'd known Peter that long. And Rachel not at all. What if they were just being polite? "If you guys don't mind? I mean, it's okay if you'd rather I didn't crash..."

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank god, Claire had dropped it. Peter wasn't sure what he'd actually be able to say, anyway. Were they dating? He didn't know. He knew there were feelings, but he still hadn't figured out his own. Peter was used to people where he would be able to say the right things and help, but it wasn't like that with Rachel. He was getting increasingly scared of opening his mouth and saying anything around her, because it seemed like everything he said, it just made Rachel feel worse.

That was his own fault, though. He had to learn better about what things he should say.

"Of course you can come over," he assured Claire, squeezing Rachel's hand gratefully. Good to know that he hadn't said anything hurtful yet. "We'd love it. Seriously, we have everything you could want. Ice cream, pizza, television. We could make slob nights of it." Peter hesitated slightly, forcing himself to remember that she had other family. Family she loved more than her biological family. He offered her a tentative grin. "When you're not busy with your family, of course."

[ms-miracle-grow.livejournal.com]

Despite all her maturity and world-weariness, Claire was just a teenager, barely going on 17. She saw the world - especially when it cames to adults and romance - through the filter that MTV and the movies had given her. And to Claire it was painfully obvious that Rachel liked her uncle. His behavior was baffling, though. It wasn't at all how guys in the movies did it! Reasonable conclusion: It was because Rachel's dress tended towards the pay by the hour rather than girl next door. Claire saw how she and Peter were with each other - how easy they fell in next to each other, how they seemed to be communicating without words - and it reminded her a little of her own parents.

...Just, you know, not the memory wiping.

In any case, Claire thought that maybe the clothing choices were hindering things. In typical teenage fashion, she decided to fix it! "Hey, Rachel, I really like those pants." She actually kind of did, in that 'my parents would kill me if I dressed like a Pussycat Doll' way. "Do you think I could borrow them sometime?" Which would give her access to the closet, so she could help Rachel pick appropriate outfits! Sneaky like a ninja was Claire.

Her own grin widened at Peter, eyes lighting up. "I'd like that. And maybe you can help me, you know, with what I came here to do. I mean, if anyone can, it'd be you." At Rachel's slightly questioning look, Claire blushed faintly but added, "I'm here to learn how to help people. So I can do the whole 'saving the world' thing maybe, someday." 'Saving the world' was said with quotes and a self-deprecating laugh. Then she looked back at Peter. "You're my family, too," she said matter-of-factly.

[racheltherunner.livejournal.com]

Sure, it seemed like everything I and Peter did resulted in...some horrible fight. But that was hardly his fault. It was mine. His way of communicating was much less horizontal than I was used to and until he figured out what he wanted I was up in the air. And hating it. But for him I'd muddle through and desperately hope that I didn't screw everything up before it started. My fingers laced with Peter's and I leaned my shoulder slightly into him at his little add-on to Claire. Yeah, this whole situation had to be tough. Families were hard enough when there was just one.

Claire's question made me blink and then shrug. "Sure. Anything you want." Only totally not my Takata tour t-shirt or my cute red leather jacket.

Ah. Okay, she was totally Peter's niece. Squeezing his hand slightly, I nodded. "Peter's your guy then, yeah. But tell you what - if you want, I can give you sparring lessons. Help you out with some stuff. Peter's been working with me a little and he's really good. You could join us." Then I grinned. "And we'll make him make him wait on us afterward. Nothing like a good action movie after hand-to-hand training."

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

Wait, what? Claire was burrowing Rachel's clothes? The thought was fairly horrifying, considering what Rachel usually wore - but Peter held his tongue over that particular subject. Protesting wouldn't be helpful. Maybe he could try and change Rachel's mind later. Peter didn't think Mr and Mrs Bennet would look too kindly on him if he let their daughter walk around in leather pants.

And Peter wasn't sure how to react to the idea that Claire wanted to learn how to 'save the world'. It was good that she wanted to help people, and Peter felt a small point of pride that he'd managed to pass on some qualities to his niece. But, on the other hand, Peter was probably the last person to look to for that kind of thing right now. The idea of saving the world? Not so exciting after you tried, screwed up, and had to have your brother save it for you.

"I'm not good, don't lie," he glanced at Rachel, his smile gone. "Helping people is really good, Claire, and I'm glad that you want to," Peter encouraged. But there was a hint of doubt. He wasn't Claire's parents, but he wasn't sure if he was happy with the idea of Claire going on runs or anything - he knew Rachel would bring it up eventually. "But sparring lessons are good. It's always useful to know basic stuff." The smile came back, gentle rather than teasing or amused. "And I know you'll be great at helping people, Claire. Even though I don't think you need to learn how to do something you've already been doing."

[racheltherunner.livejournal.com]

My brow furrowed slightly as I looked at Peter. "I'm not," I said, truthful. There was something going on in his head, something that had made him withdraw slightly, and for his trouble he got a gentle shoulder bump.

Claire glanced between us, a smile on her fact that was both sweet and heartbreakingly sad. "I haven't saved anything," she protested and I suddenly saw a family resemblance. "But I'd really like that, Rachel." The smile grew a bit and I found myself smiling in return. God, she was such a cute kid. I felt some desire to both protect her and show her all the stuff I'd had to figure out on my own long before I was her age.

"Hey, no problem," I shrugged one shoulder. "I get bored easy and teaching helps me stay in practice. You'd be doing me a favor."

"How do you know about all that?" Claire's mouth tipped up on one corner slightly and I glanced at Peter. He smiled the same way when he was interested in something someone was saying. Petrelli trait, apparently.

"Um, it's kind of my job. Well, part of it. No world-saving, but you can use the basic concepts when you and your uncle go off and become heroes." I gave her a crooked smile. "I'm not much of the hero type. But I'm more than happy to show you how to take down the bad guys."

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

Falling silent and letting them chat, Peter just looked over to the side, slightly distracted. There was something about Claire wanting to help people that reminded him of himself months earlier - he still wanted to help people, of course, but the drive to save the world had faded, tucked in behind his own failure to do exactly do that.

But he'd help Claire with her mission. He'd do his best to ensure that she learned what she needed to while remaining absolutely safe, and if she ever needed to use those skills in the real world, he'd be there, too. A safety net, of sorts.

"Any time you want to come over is fine," Peter spoke up, well aware that he was completely changing the topic. "We've got a pretty weird sleeping schedule in our tent, but... any time, Claire."

[racheltherunner.livejournal.com]

Blinking, I looked over at him, an obvious question in my eyes. That hadn't been the conversation at all, and it wasn't like Peter to just change the subject for no reason. Claire looked a little taken aback, too. It was obvious she'd expected Peter to be more enthusiastic about her plans. And instead it felt very much like he was dismissing her.

Was it because I was there? Was he ashamed of me? Or did he not want his niece to talk with me?

Damn it, why didn't I have the mind reading skills?

"Pretty much we're up after noon," I explained with a smile to Claire. She and I exchanged a look, more her questioning what just happened and me apologizing in confusion. I was used to having to cover for Ivy when she got all vampy and odd, but doing it for Peter was a new feeling. "We're tent 31. It's pretty easy to find. Just look for the lot that has a garden around it." Grinning, I added, "In fact, I was planning on spending tomorrow lounging in front of the hot tub. Want to join me?"

Claire's face had fallen slightly somewhere in there but her smile, though still small and hesitant, brightened somewhat. "I'd like that. I didn't bring a bathing suit though."

"No problem, I've got an extra that'll probably fit you."

"Then that sounds awesome." Hopeful eyes were turned to Peter. Turn it, but this girl adored him. That was evident enough. "Will you be there?" Her entire expression was one of nervous anticipation. This was obviously someone who wanted to get to know her family.

So, not waiting for Peter to answer and possibly crush her or something, I spoke up, "Of course." I turned my eyes up to him as if to say 'Right?'. Because, seriously, Claire made even me want to give her puppies and sunshine. There's no way he was unaffected by that. Whatever was going through his brain I'd find out later.

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

Peter just faded out of the conversation again as soon as they started talking about waking up after noon and bathing suits. He really was happy that Claire was here, and even more so that Claire and Rachel were getting along - Claire would need friends here, people that could and would protect her.

There was just something about her wanting to save the world that... bothered him, in a way. Maybe it was because he'd tried to do it once, maybe because he didn't want Claire to shoulder any burdens. Probably because he knew that he was the reason she wanted to do this, and therefore the cause of anything bad that happened to her from here on out.

"Hmm?" Peter blinked, looking back over at Rachel and Claire. "Oh! Yeah, sure. I'll be there. Definitely." He shook his head with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I was off in my own thoughts. Thinking's hard, I have to use all my concentration," he teased. "I can cook dinner while you girls relax in the tub, it'll be good. We can be your home away from home, whenever you need to get away from the parents. We don't even try to enforce curfews, I promise."

[racheltherunner.livejournal.com]

He was doing it again. Letting go of his hand, I slipped my arm around his waist instead, as if I could anchor him to the conversation. The way he talked about us - as if we were a home, a family, the two of us, instead of just two strangers in forced cohabitation - made my heart skip beats all over the place. I had to remind myself he didn't mean it before I could form any kind of thought.

Claire beat me to it, though. From the way the girl was biting her lower lip and picking at the sleeves of her shirt, it was apparent this had been on her mind for a little while. "Hey, Peter?" she said slowly. "I - I'm guessing you already know this, but...Sylar's here. I mean, he was here. With me."

I tightened my grip on Peter slightly as if to keep him from running off right then. "He's kind of a dick, isn't he?" I said mildly, dismissively. "Just ignore him. I think he's way more in love with the sound of his own voice than is healthy."

Claire just stared at me for a moment before a sly little grin worked its way across her mouth. "He's kind of insane," she said as if sharing a secret.

"More than kind of." I knew all about fear, about harboring terror about a person or a thing. Mostly, it was better to take the big bad and make them into something easier to wrap your brain around. Looking Claire straight in the eyes, I gave her a confident smile. "Don't worry about him. If he bothers you, just walk away from him. Drives him nuts. Your uncle and I, we can handle him if he needs to be. Mostly, though, it's better to just pretend he's not there."

Again Claire hesitated, then nodded, looking relieved. "Dinner sounds good," she told Peter. "And, God, curfews. I just know mom and dad are going to be crazy about that for a while." She gave him a small grin. "Thanks."

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

"What?" Peter cut in, quite abruptly snapping out of his own thoughts. "Sylar was here?" Jesus christ, he must have stepped out of the room for a bit when that asshole made his appearance. And while he technically knew that there was nothing permanent that Sylar could do to Claire, that didn't mean Peter was going be any less protective about this.

What Rachel had just said was good advice. Gently wrapping his hands around Claire's shoulders, Peter leaned down slightly so that he could look her in the eye. "Rachel's right," he agreed, brooking absolutely no argument about this. "If you see Sylar, you just walk away from him. And then you run. You run, and you come and get me, okay?"

Not that Peter would be able to beat off Sylar, but he'd at least be able to distract him long enough for Claire to get away. He wondered if there was a way to twist one of his powers to know when Claire was in danger. Taking his hands from Claire's shoulders, Peter turned his head slightly to look at Rachel, an idea clearly lurking behind his expression. Maybe she could make some kind of amulet to warn whenever Sylar was near Claire.

Thoughts about Sylar still rattling around his mind, Peter rubbed at his forehead - stupid spoons, he still couldn't eat with one - and grinned at Claire. "Your dad's a good guy. I don't know if he'd be okay with you crashing on our couch, but I'll try convince him." Now he was going to have to charm Claire's adoptive parents and reassure them that Claire was safe with him. That shouldn't be too hard, hopefully.

[racheltherunner.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Just him. Out of the two of us, who had walked away from Sylar - twice - still alive? ...Okay, so he'd snapped my neck last time. But still! I'd held my own and I could do it again. Eyes narrowing slightly, I added, "Or me," and then raised my eyebrows defiantly at Peter. Jerk. I was more than capable of taking care of myself.

Claire met Peter's eyes and gave him a little smile. "Hey, he's boring," she joked. "I'm not exactly looking to spend a lot of time in his company."

Heh. I knew I liked this kid.

Catching Peter's gaze, I tilted my head to the side for a second and then nodded. I knew what he was thinking and I'd make him up an amulet tonight. Of course, "It's good to run, Claire, but you also have to learn how to take care of yourself. There's not always going to be someplace to run to."

She looked at me. "Yeah. I know." Nothing more than that, but it made me actually reach out and squeeze her shoulder. Wow, and just like that, I was pretty much invested in her. Crap. Just what I needed.

Seeing Peter rub his forehead, I reached up and took that hand with my own, fingers twining with his. I didn't like to think about that. At all. "If your dad wants to come by and see the tent," I added, "he's more than welcome. I've got good protection up. It's probably one of the safest places on campus now." A little too late for Peter, but I didn't like thinking about that, either.

"I'm sure he will. After everything that happened, he's going to be a little protective." She didn't sound too upset about that, though, and I was hit with a huge wave of missing my own dad. "But he likes you," Claire said to Peter. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He knows I'm safe with you." Said with an unshakable faith.

Yeah, I was so stuck. Stupid cute kids.

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

Snorting quietly at Claire's joke, Peter just tipped an eyebrow back at Rachel. Oh, he knew she could take care of herself. And he even knew that, in a fight with Sylar, she'd be far more likely to take him down than Peter would. That didn't mean he had to recommend it, though.

"I don't blame him," he said dryly, wondering what having a protective father would even be like. The clear faith in Claire's voice brought another grin to Peter's face. He squeezed Rachel's hand before letting go, and moving forward to enfold Claire in a hug.

He was so glad that she was here. "You are safe with me," he assured. Peter pitched his voice low, earnest. "And you're still the only person that makes me feel like I'm not alone with this." It was true - Nathan was too busy denying their powers. Peter was never going to forget how amazing that it had felt the first time he'd met Claire, the simple reassurance that he wasn't the only one who could extraordinary things.

[ms-miracle-grow.livejournal.com]

"That's because you're not alone," Claire grinned against his shoulder, hugging him back. "We're in this together. You can do what I can do, remember?" Pulling back, she wrinkled her nose at him. "I thought I was just a freak until I met you. Now..." she laughed. "Okay, we're still freaks. But we're not freaks all by ourselves."

Glancing over at Rachel, Claire asked, "Is she like us?" in a lowered voice, eyes going back to Peter's face. It would explain a lot, actually. Maybe Peter was teaching Rachel, too?

Rachel was kind of hanging back, hands shoved in her back pockets, feeling decidedly uncomfortable. Family things - the showing affection, the clear love that was evident between Peter and Claire - always made her nervous. She just wasn't really used to it. Resting her hand on Peter's back she shot Claire an apologetic smile for interrupting. "Hey, I'm going to take off so you and Claire can catch up," she said, smile more forced than it should be.

Claire honestly didn't want her to - the woman was interesting and Claire wanted to learn what she could teach - but that kind of seemed like Peter's call. She looked back at her uncle, eyebrow raised in an 'only if you want her to' expression.

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

"We can have a Freak Club," Peter said lightly, raising his eyebrows at Claire. It was good that she'd come to embrace what she could do. Even though their powers were different, it still made him feel like he had company in this. "And nah, Rachel's a Witch." Peter beamed a grin at Rachel. "You should see some of the stuff she can do. "She makes me look really boring in comparison."

When Rachel announced that she was going to take off, the grin died slightly and turned into something more confused. He understood that Rachel was feeling awkward around family affection, but Peter didn't know what she wanted him to do. Did she want him to ask her to stay? Or just let her leave?

Who knew. Rachel was confusing at the best of times. And Peter had since been trying not to read her mind, ever since she fought Sylar.

"If you want," Peter replied slowly, wishing there was a way that he could keep Rachel happy while simultaneously keeping other people happy, too. It never seemed to work.

[ms-miracle-grow.livejournal.com]

"With buttons and everything," Claire agreed. With interest, she looked back at Rachel. And then rolled her eyes at Peter. "You're kind of hopeless," she muttered to him.

"Don't go, he means," she informed Rachel with a tiny smile. It was lucky that Claire spoke up, because Rachel had been hovering halfway between wanting to be a part of the obviously close family moment and running away from the uncertainty. But Claire didn't have the benefit of all the baggage and confusion that Peter and Rachel had built up. So she said what she meant and expected that Rachel would respond in kind. "Seriously, he doesn't want you to go. And neither do I."

Kind of surprised, Rachel paused, then her face relaxed into a smile. "Well, as long as we're talking about a Freak Club." She shot Peter a quick, questioning look, as if asking if this was okay with him. Her being around a niece he was just getting to know.

"Absolutely," Claire agreed with a grin. "You can join. I have no idea what sorts of things a witch can do, but that can't be normal."

"I don't know what kinds of things a cheerleader can do," Rachel responded with a laugh. "But I always was a little creeped out by pom-poms."

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

Rachel's questioning look was answered with an understanding smile. He hadn't wanted her to go; at least Claire had something. Maybe that was his problem, he was being too hesitant with Rachel. Then again, the times he had spoken his mind hadn't been reacted to so well.

Gah. He could figure out everything later.

"Pom-poms always kind of scared me, too," he confessed wryly. "Seriously, you shake them around, they're big and colorful, but what point do they actually serve?" He grinned down at Claire, shooting Rachel a look with barely concealed admiration. "And you should see some of the things Rachel can do. Seriously amazing. She can kick my ass and not even break a sweat."

[racheltherunner.livejournal.com]

"My point exactly!" I pointed at Peter with a teasing grin. "They are just big balls of weird plastic-y stuff and they make me think that I'm being distracted from something far more malicious."

Claire rolled her eyes, biting back laughter. "They're for school spirit," she explained as if to two simple children. "Because nothing says school spirit like large colorful random shakey things."

Laughing, I nodded. "Oh, it's all so clear now."

"Well, it's really quite obvious."

"I don't know why I didn't see it before."

Claire smiled at me, laughing herself. "You were distracted by the pom-poms?" she suggested innocently.

Peter's look made me blush and I shook my head. "He's exaggerating. Seriously. It's just some magic. It's not anything really special. What he can do - what you can do - that's cool." A proud smile crossed my face. "You should see him fly. It's amazing. Though I have to say I think the invisibility is my favorite. Or the telekinesis. No lie, Claire, he's amazing to watch."

Claire gave them both a look and started to laugh, putting her arm up to cover her face as if she had to cough. "Yeah, I'd like to see you both," she managed, grin impossibly wide. "I'm sure you are pretty cool together."

[likeabadpenny.livejournal.com]

Peter was going to argue the point and say that his powers weren't cool, but Rachel was smiling, and he didn't want to say something that might end that. To him, his powers were really just burrowed - it was more cool that Rachel's were her own and the range of things she could do.

"Yeah, well. I'm not a magician, so don't be counting on any special show of tricks," he rolled his eyes briefly. Even though, if Claire asked, he probably would make an exception and show her a few tricks just to watch her face light up in a smile. Peter was, and he knew this quite well, a sucker for doing anything that would make people smile.

[ms-miracle-grow.livejournal.com]

"I like the flying," Claire told Rachel. "I kind of wish I could fly."

"What can you do?" Rachel asked, then winced slightly. "Sorry? Was that...rude? I'm not used to people having different abilities. Where I'm from, you're born a witch or a vampire or a werewolf or whatever and you pretty much can do what other people can, with just different degrees of skill."

Claire shrugged. "I don't mind. It's...actually kind of nice to just get to talk about it." Pulling a pen out of her pocket, Claire glanced up at Rachel and then jammed the pen into her arm.

"Holy--" Rachel's eyes went wide as Claire pulled the pen out with a wince and the wound closed up right before her eyes. The witch stared for a second, brow furrowed. Then, without a word, she pulled Claire into a tight hug. "Thank you," she muttered fiercely. Because Claire was the reason Peter was still alive. And no matter what she said, Rachel still had nightmares about holding Peter's broken body in her arms, his blood staining her hands. Only in the dreams, he didn't wake up.

Surprised, Claire hugged Rachel back, looking over at Peter with a confused look before laughing a little in bewilderment. "I...didn't do anything."

"Yeah," Rachel said, pulling back. "But that nothing means pretty much everything to me."

Baffled, Claire nonetheless smiled. "Then you're welcome. But I have no idea what you're talking about."

Rachel shrugged, looking rather embarrassed. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

Claire paused, shooting Peter another look, before asking, "So, um...vampires?"

"Hey, you can jam a pen in your arm," Rachel responded lightly. "Don't judge my life."