This AU story takes place during the last season of Heroes. I own nothing. Anybody else super ready for a NEW season of Heroes?!
Thanks So Much!

Claire took a deep breath, as her eyes eased open slowly. Sunlight was slowly filtering into her room, shining off the dark oak. Claire could hear a clatter of pans and sizzling in the small kitchen off of her room. She smiled softly at the sounds, realizing it was Sunday, and stretched her arms over her head while still lying in bed. She shifted to her side, looking out her window. The sight was breathtaking, so breathtaking that it made Claire forget why she was stuck in this gorgeous place sometimes. A beautiful prison. A lake, with sparkling water lay below her view, with a curving mountain range encapsulating the lake. The pine trees were a deep green, a perfect painting set before her.

The cabin they were staying in laid at the top of a slope, that led down to the lake, surrounded by ledges and cliffs of a powerful mount range. They were deep in the forest of some region in Canada. Claire had no clue where in Canada they were in, not that her father would even tell her. It had been months since she had seen a new face, and her current company made her feel older than she actually was. Claire sighed deeply, being reminded that she was adult now, hearing a glass break in the kitchen. She stood up quickly, putting a pink robe over her dark red flannel pajamas, overhearing two voices cursing at each other through whispers.

Claire opened the door to see Micah and Molly staring at her with big eyes, both trying to clean up a broken glass on the floor. Claire crossed her arms at the sight.
"Sorry Claire, did we wake you up?" Micah shot Molly a look. Trying to pass the blame.

Claire scoffed at the attempt. "Micah, don't throw Molly under the bus. Don't need to add anymore enemies to our growing list."

She smiled wearily at the two of them and noticed a pot of brewed coffee. She made herself a cup and sat at the tiny kitchen table, watching the two teenagers cook scrambled eggs and toast. They both loved Sundays for this reason alone. They got to pick what they wanted to eat for breakfast, sleep in, and no lessons with Claire. She noticed they had their swim suits on too. She envied their youth for a moment. It was easier for them to distract themselves from the horrors of the outside world in this little hideaway.

The two sat at the table with Claire, chomping loudly on their food. They began to discuss "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad, the book Claire had given them to read as a reading assignment. Claire had tried to think of ways to keep their minds progressing forward, at the normal rate her teenage mind should have been going at their ages.
"Claire, Can we go to the lake today? Swim?" Molly gave her best impression of a baby deer.
Claire nodded. "Of course, today is a perfect day to swim down at the lake. Maybe I'll even take a dip?"

The two looked thrilled at the idea. It wasn't that they feared Claire, she just had started to create a distance with them. She had to be their mentor, leader, parent, and protector. Claire didn't want to give them an impression they could question her judgment. They respected her. They had each other for comfort, but Claire and Molly shared a room to make sure it wasn't too comfortable.

The two finished up their food, washed the dishes and were slamming the back screen door without a quick goodbye. Claire appreciated a moment to herself in the cabin. They had been here months long enough to know that they were in no real danger of alerting a nearby town of their presence. They were miles from the nearest road. Claire wiped down the counter and table, listening to the birds outside. So calm and peaceful. Claire changed into her red two-piece, that was flattering, but not overly sultry. Having a teenage boy in the cabin made her think twice about picking her clothes for her indefinite stay. It was an athletic shape, showing off her new arms muscles. She slipped some flip flops on and grabbed three towels, knowing that they had forgotten to bring their own. Claire slowly made her way down the path, that wasn't to steep, to the lake. She could hear them laughing. Claire took a deep breath of the fresh air and got to the edge of the lake. The two teenaged were splashing and diving deep trying to collect rocks at the bottom of the lake.

Claire laid her towel out and began to soak in the sun. She started to think back to a few months, the moments that had brought them here. Claire was in her first year of college, her father had started his own life without her mom, and Peter seemed to being finding his own path. Then life imploded, a carnival led by some mad-mad, Samuel, ended up killing thousands of people in New York. They were rejected Specials, who wanted to show the world their power. The worst part of it was that it had turned out that her biological father was actual dead. Angela had planted his memories into Sylar, who in turn went bat-shit crazy...if he could go anymore crazy. He tormented her grandmother, her uncle and joined forces with Samuel. Probably for his own needs. The carnival ended up taking over the entire island of New York, holding it captive. An army of Specials was practically built over a week, with people coming from all over the country. And she had watched it all on her tv at her college dorm. Claire had no part of it, she had been too involved with school and her roommate to know what was truly going on. Not that her father or Uncle would tell her. Her father's death wasn't revealed to her until the Carnival had made national news. Before Claire could do anything to help, Noah and Peter had brainstormed together and decided for her. They teleported her here with Molly and Micah, with the help of Hiro. They wanted to protect the "future". Claire scowled at the thought. The only person in the whole world who can't feel pain had to be protected. They placed the teenagers with her, almost knowing she wouldn't put them in danger. Noah, Peter and several others were trying to negotiate a peaceful process with the US government.

It seemed like her Uncle was fighting his own this time around. Peter teleports use to teleport in once a month, with supplies, but he refused to give any updates. He just wonders about their well-being, but overall he had become very quiet. Claire tried to press him on news, but they ended up having an argument. The last time he had been there, Peter left in a blur and there had been no updates since. He curtly informed Claire that their talks with the government had failed. The US government had bombed the city of New York and now things had escalated World Wide.

Claire fidgeted for a moment. The past year had come fast and furious, and this place was so slow placed and at peace...it almost put her on edge in a worse way. All she could do was reflect and do nothing. Guilt washed over her.

Claire got up and slipped into the perfect water. She waded in the water, putting her hair in a high ponytail. and began to swim out to the middle of the lake. She needed to wash some of her emotions off. Molly and Micah were exhausted and chatting on the beach. Claire wanted to give them their space, plus discussions about Cafeteria food never interested her. She swam strongly out to the middle of the lake. She had started to train herself, by doing as many laps as possible within an hour. But today was Sunday, and she wanted to relax. She floated on her back, looking up at the sky. She breathed in deep and closed her eyes. The water was cool, smooth over her skin and she felt at peace.
She listened to the waves, the distant chatter of the teenagers, the birds... Claire paused and slowly straightened up, treading water.

There was no sounds of birds. She knew the sounds of this forest. When there was silence, there was danger. The bird chatter, that was there moments ago when she was on the beach, had suddenly vanished. Claire tried not to look panicked, she slowly looked around the edges of the lake, looking for a sign of movement. She tried to not perceive anything, for she had many moments of overreaction since being stranded at this cabin. The tree-line was darker on the opposite end of the lake, she sunk herself slowly into the water, so that only her eyes were above the water. Claire waited cautiously, praying the birds would return to their chatter. She desperately wanted to motion to the teenagers to be silent, even if their chatter had slowed. Claire kept her eyes peeled at the opposing tree-line. Her heart started to explode as several figures began to step through the tree-line. She recognized none of them. She couldn't tell if they were government or special, but they looked as if they were prepared for a fight. A large man, with massive arms, pointed in their direction.

Claire instantly yelled to Micah and Molly, who both instantly jumped up. The two turned, running up the path toward the cabin. Claire looked behind to the other side of the lake, making out that there were four of them. Claire instantly began to swim harder to shore. She was impressed at how she had gotten to the beach so quickly. She didn't stop for her flip flops or items. They knew they were here, no need to hide anything. She jumped over logs and between trees, knowing the woods like the back of her hand. She had trained Molly and Micah countless times to know their surroundings. She could hear the shouts of the men behind her and nearly broke through the door to the cabin. She ran into her room, grabbing her jeans and a loose, white tank top. She ran through the other side of the cabin to the front door, hearing the intruders burst through the back door. She opened the door to be shocked to find the man with massive arms and his obnoxious tattoos waiting there.

He grabbed Claire by the throat and threw her hard back into the small living room, smashing the coffee table into pieces. Claire rolled over to right side, jumping up to face the intruders, a large window behind her. She could look at them clearer now. The massively armed man was almost 7 feet tall, his head almost touching the ceiling of the cabin. He wore a shirt that showed off his muscles. He clearly had super strength the way he tossed Claire without an ounce of effort. The second closest to her was a short man, skinny, with spiky black hair that made him look like he had been electrocuted. He had creepy pedophile face and never stopped smiling. The other two were twins, identical, and were scanning the room for trap doors or secret passages. Both were muscular, but not like the Giant, who was checking in Micah's room for anyone. They were all dressed in dark clothes, making Claire check off her list that they were with the Carnival. Villains dress all the same. She stayed still, taking a deep breath.

"What do you want?"
"You and your kiddos..." Creep-o had answered her, not taking his eyes off her, despite the noise his partners were making around the house. Claire shifted slowly, stepping back slowly. The group paused. The larger one grunted at her.
"Where are the other two?" Claire shrugged coyly.
"You know kids these days..."
The Creep-O began to giggle and electric sparks sprang from his fingers.
"I think she's playing with us. Can I play with her?"

The Giant grunted indifferently, scanning around the cabin still. Claire took this chance, and dove backwards out the window. The yells of the invaders gave her some glee. She landed decently and was up and running before they could get out the cabin. Claire knew not to head to Molly and Micah, but to bring the intruders away from them. She headed toward one of the high cliffs, she began to climb quickly up it. Knowing full well that she could be seen. It wasn't too long before they were at the base of cliff, trying to figure out how to climb up. Claire finally paused at a leveled point, breathing for a moment. She looked down at the frustrated intruders. Two of them attempted to climb up, but they hadn't built up enough strength like Claire had. She practiced on these cliffs for weeks. The Giant got so frustrated he started punching the cliff. The force he had was intense, the entire cliff had started to shake and crumble at his punches, but he stopped when debris almost struck one of the identical twins. The other twin flashed a fireball at him and the four of them discussed heatedly what to do. Claire could barely hang on during the shaking, but she found some strength. She hugged the side of the cliff, and slipped into a tiny nook. She was able to lean into it, looking down at the four as they talked.

Claire had zero clue what to do. She could fake her own death, but she had feeling they knew what her powers were. Claire watched them break off, the twins went one way and Creep-o another. The Giant decided to stay at the base of the cliff to watch her. Claire started to climb upwards again, slower this time, since there was less to grab onto. She made about two feet higher, when a force made her lose her grasp. Claire fell hard, hitting a few ledges on her way down. Breaking several bones. She hit the ground, staring straight up at the sky. The fall would have killed anyone, but she wasn't anyone. Claire slowly reset her shoulder, fibula, and femur back in place.

A hand grabbed her by the back of her head, and she felt herself being dragged back towards the cabin. She struggled, pulling at the guy's hand, growling in frustration. He finally released her, throwing her in the a clearing of the woods. The other three were waiting. Creep-o leaned into her face, uncomfortable close.
"Where are the teens?" Claire just laughed.
"That's all you got to intimidate me with? The Olsen Twins and the Green Giant?"
Creep-o slapped her hard across her face, causing a cut on her lip. It healed instantly, but Claire took the chance to spit blood in his face. He went to slap her again, but a twig snapped deep in the woods behind him and the twins. The Giant and the twins took off after the sound. Leaving Claire with the Creep-o. He grabbed her arm by the wrist, but Claire swiftly swung her leg behind his knee, sending him to the ground. The two of them scuffled on the ground for a bit. Claire getting a punch or two in, while he pulled at her hair. He began to shock her, which Claire couldn't feel at all. He finally rested on top of her, holding her throat tightly.
"I'm going to find that pretty little girl and I'm going to show her some shocking stuff."
He leered at Claire, who felt an instant rage rise in her. She would never allow that to happen to Molly. Claire struggled against his grip and used one hand to search the ground for anything heavy or sharp. Claire finally grabbed hold of a rock and brought hard across his face. It sent him to the ground and Claire quickly scrambled on top of him. She struck him again, blind with rage. As his blood splattered on her face, Claire stopped, realizing she had probably just killed him. She cried out, falling away from him. She backed up on her hands, resting for a moment. Staring at the body and at her bloodily, white shirt.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Molly through the clearing. Molly was staring at her oddly, but probably because Claire had just murdered someone in front of her. She cursed, sprinting up, grabbing Molly's hand. The two of them racing away from the other three's directions and towards the original hiding spot. It was a cavern, hidden by vines, located in the opposite direction of the cliff she had fallen from. Claire pushed through the vines, holding tight to Molly's hand.
"Micah!"
"Claire! Are you ok?"
Claire couldn't really see in the cavern too well, and she was breathing heavily. She let go of Molly's hand and leaned against the wall of the cavern. She could still feel the man's blood on her face.
"Yeah, I got away. Took some effort, they are Specials for the bad guys, for sure. Molly, What did I say about leaving the cavern? You wait for me here right?"
There was a silence in the dark cavern.
"Claire, I didn't leave the cavern."
The voice came from deeper in the Cavern, past Micah. Claire's heart chuckle behind her didn't belong to the Molly she had brought to the cavern. Before any of them could do anything, they were thrown out of the cavern by an unseen force. The three of them landed hard on the ground. Claire stared up at the figure now standing over her. This other Molly shifted from one form, to a form Claire dreaded.

Sylar.

He was dressed in his typical button down black shirt, dark jeans, and dark boots.
"Hello, Claire."
Molly began to whimper instantly, the flashbacks to her parents' deaths must have hit her instantly. Micah tried to put a brave face on, but the brain-man was pretty infamous in their circle of friends. He towered over the three of them, looking pleased with himself.
"Now, I am going to tell you this only once. You will come with us quietly, calmly, and willingly. Or I will kill one of you, very painfully. Or I will make one of you kill the other."
The threat was directed more at Micah and Molly, but Sylar knew Claire wouldn't allow anything to happen to them. She was now in a panic. The three other goons came running towards them, breaking through the trees, huffing and puffing. Sylar looked over at them, extremely disappointed.

"Well, since I have done your jobs, once again. I want you to escort the teenagers back to the cabin. Allow them to pack one bag and then We shall transport them back to Samuel. Clear?"

The three nodded hastily, grabbing Molly and Micah, pulling them from the ground. They started to escort them back towards the cabin. Sylar stood over Claire and offered his hand. Claire ignored it and pushed herself up. She glared up at him and he stared down back at her.

"Long time no see."

Claire slapped him hard in the face, before she could think of anything better to say back to him. He took the hit, gritting his teeth, and keeping his eyes closed.

"I assume that was for-"

"My father. You Bastard."

Sylar glared back at her. He grabbed her by the upper arm and began to pull her towards the cabin.

"Claire, I did miss our time together. I was disappointed that we didn't get much father-daughter time when I was stuck in that body. I have hoped to know a different side of you. But I guess you were just too busy with your little life away at college. How utterly normal."

"Let my arm go, I can walk myself. I know I can't run."
He instantly released her and kept walking. Claire knew not to run, Molly and Micah would be in danger if she did. She followed him reluctantly, seeing the others up ahead, making their way into the cabin.

"So you are Samuel's new errand boy?"

Sylar turned around on Claire so fast that she walked right into him. His eyes were on fire.

"I am no one's errand boy. Samuel is more of mine, than I of his. He may seem like he runs the show, but he's the stage manager. I'm the director. He is just simply better at... persuading his people."
Claire stared defiantly up at him.

"People mist then know who you are. They are scared of you. You'd rather attract bees with Honey over Vinegar these days?"

"Something like that..."

Sylar stared back at her with the same intense hate. He turned back to the cabin, pushing her forward with an invisible hand. She hated his telekinesis. Claire grunted and she could see him smile at her frustration. Claire entered the cabin and slowly made her way to her room. Molly was in there with one of the twins, sniffling while she packed. Claire gave the twin a look to leave, but he didn't budge.

"Give us a moment. We aren't going anywhere."
He stared back at her.
"Leave." Sylar was leaning against the doorway, watching the interaction.

The twin left the room hastily, but Sylar stayed, unmoving. Claire glared at him, but he stared back unapologetic. Molly had her back to the doorway. She was scared to look at Sylar. Molly covered her face in her hands and cried softly. Claire took Molly's head and rested it against her. Their foreheads touched. She softly spoke.

"We will get out of this. One way or another." Molly gulped down some breaths and nodded, turning back to her duffle-bag.

She packed with a dreaded look and puffy eyes. Claire, ignored Sylar's eyes, and pulled a pre-packed duffle-bag from under her bed. She was prepared for this. Molly finished packing and turned slowly to look at Sylar. Anger filled her eyes. Sylar clapped his hands together.

"Ready ladies?"

They answered him with silence. The group left the cabin briskly, so brisk that Claire didn't have a moment to have a last look. She sighed at the thought of a last look of the cabin. The group ended up in the same clearing where Creep-o's dead body was located. The Giant made a phone call on his cell and circled the body. Micah and Molly stared at the body and at Claire's shirt. They connected the dots, wearily looking at her. Shame flooded Claire's face. She looked anywhere, but at the body. The Giant hung up the phone, nodding at Sylar, who in turn took ahold of Claire's hand. It was unnatural to touch him that way, even if he seemed so natural to do it. She tried to pull away, but he motioned for her to take Molly's. Claire reluctantly relaxed and grabbed Molly's hand, squeezing it to give her courage. Molly took Micah's, but the Giant just clapped a massive hand on Micah's shoulder and Sylar's shoulder. In an instant, the beautiful pine green began to swirl, blending into a different space, colors flashing. Claire felt her body swirl faster than her mind could process. She could hear Molly yell out, but it was muffled by the swishing sound of the wind. Claire felt her legs hit stone floor, and she found herself trying to steady her legs.

Sylar had achieved a teleportation ability and he had brought them to what looked liked an abandoned church. Molly and Micah were on their hands and knees, vomiting. As was the Giant, who was also having trouble keeping his stomach. Claire thanked her ability internally, and stood up to check out their location. It looked like a church, but really was seemed like a massive Monastery. It was medieval in nature, but with some modern renovations. They were located in the chapel section of the Monastery. It had updated pews, that only took up half the room, sliver linings around the stain glass windows. They seemed polished and had some daily upkeep, considering there was a massive patch job on the roof. This place had been newly fixed up. There was a massive alter farther away from where they were standing. It had no religious statues or symbols, yet look modified for meetings rather than a service. At the sides of the Alter were two parallel hallways at either end. The hallways looked out onto what seemed to be a series of doors. This hinted to Claire that this use to be a monastery more so. At the opposite end of the Chapel, closer to where they had appeared was a long, wooden table with maps, papers and a few computers covering it. A beautiful fireplace, with a roaring fire, was set just behind it. A large door to the right was a possible exit. Claire eyed it for any extra security, but she noticed they were the only ones in the room. Once Molly, Micah and the Giant had finally gotten to their feet, Sylar had them sit in one of the pews. The Giant stayed guard as Sylar left through the right hallway.

"Claire...What do We do?" Micah was whispering to her. Molly was sitting between them, looking down defeated.
Claire didn't look at him, trying to gain more information at their surroundings.
"I don't know just yet."
"You don't know!?" He snarled hastily at her. Claire snapped.
"I didn't sign up for this job willingly, We are in this together, so do something useful. Use your head."
"Now Children, let's not fight."

They were interrupted by Samuel, the man Claire had seen on tv. He entered the chapel, dressed still like a ringmaster, but with darker colors than before. He had his arms raised in a peaceful manner. He looked from Micah to Molly and finally on Claire.
"Well, my mistake, Ms. Bennett. You are no child."
Claire stood up, crossing her arms, and throwing as much attitude into her voice as possible.
"Samuel, What do you want with us? We have no quarrel with you."
Samuel's sly grin slipped a bit at her tone, but he kept his southern charm strong.
"Ms. Bennett-"
"Claire."
"Claire...I promise you no harm, even though you certainly put one of mine six feet below."
Claire flinched.
"Self-Defens-" He raised his hand to silence her.
"I find you at no fault. Honestly, my men..." He gave the Giant a dark look. "lack the ability to communicate amicable approaches. I hope you were not to offended by the precautions I have taken to get you here. The world is a scary place now for the likes of us."
Claire laughed.
"Then why take us from our sanctuary to yours? I am not apart of your war, or the governments...or-"
"Your father's?"
"Yes, I have no way of contacting him. I haven't in months. I refuse to be apart of your games, my father's...or his."
Claire had noticed that Sylar had strolled back into the room. She stressed the last part of her sentence, throwing daggers with her eyes.

Samuel looked back at Sylar and then back at her.
"We offer safety, something that the "cabin in the woods" was not going to offer for much longer. We just need one, tiny, little favor in return for your safety. Or may I say their safety."
Samuel pointed at Micah and Molly, who seemed anxious to know their fate.
Claire started to laugh hard. Making everyone in the room fidget, even Samuel didn't know how to process her laughter. Claire found air to respond. "So you kidnap us? Then tell me that I have a choice in this? That you want something for me? Why not just take it? You sent my worst nightmare to find me, who does a fantastic job of doing so! Now you make it seem that I can just walk away? Why not just be the full villains you are, and do what you do best? Welcome to the School of Psychos. Where logic and ethics is a mash of bullsh-"
"We need your blood."
Sylar cut her off, with a stern voice. He walked up next to Samuel, stopping. His voice dripped with seriousness.
"Specials are dying Claire, and yes, We aren't the good guys. We want to rule the earth our way, and people like you know that it is not are the future and non-specials are holding evolution down. Since We know that the governments of this planet would love to get ahold of your blood, your ability to heal, why not have that advantage over them? Why not have you in our back pocket. We can let you go and let you be hooked up to machines for the rest of your life with them. Stifling our chances of success. I think being out there will be giving you no rest, no real life. Or We could be the Villains that we truly are, and do the same exact thing to you. We are giving you a chance to cooperate with us. This is a situation you do not want to waste, not just for your sake, but for Molly and Micah. Aren't you the hero?"
During his whole speech, he had slowly stepped up to Claire. His voice changing from serious to dangerous...like he was changing his mind about giving Claire a choice.
Claire's face sunk and she couldn't meet his eyes anymore, looking at Molly and Micah.
"Why can't you give your blood?" She asked Sylar softly.
"I don't have the real deal of the ability. So I assume we have a deal?"
"Yes." Claire said it so softly.
Samuel perked up with the change in Claire's strength. Sylar smirked down at her. He had won again. He felt like hovering over her to gloat.
"Can you say that a bit louder?"
"Yes, I will give my blood." Claire gritted it out.

Samuel clapped his hands together and motioned to the Giant. He pointed to Molly and Micah.
"You can send them to the section with the non-fighters, women and children section. But keep in mind , We may need you ability soon."
Claire started to protest, as did Molly and Micah. Claire tried to reach for Molly, who tried to run to her before being picked up by the Giant. Sylar held onto Claire as she tried to reach them. Micah was grabbed by the back of the neck, dragged out by the Giant at the same time. He had managed to grab the both of them and their bags with zero effort. Claire pushed Sylar off her and nervously crossed to the other side of the room. She wanted to stay away from her captors for the moment. They wanted to twist their sick logic into making her think she had a choice. She didn't. She refused to cry in front of them. She stared back at them, as they stared back at her like she was prey.
"So you going to hook me up to some machine right away? The situation seems dire."
Samuel swiftly sat at the head of the large table, facing away from her.
"The situation is less dire now. We can give you a day to adjust, get to know the place, and you may find that not all of us are Villains."
"Plus you may want to wash up, you seemed to have dirtied yourself."

Sylar pointed to her appearance. Claire looked down at herself, she was dirty, covered in mud and dried blood. She nodded slowly. She crossed the room to her bag. Samuel seemed pre-occupied with some paperwork on the table. Sylar simply was leaning against the pew, watching her. It unnerved her.
"Where do I have to stay?" Claire secretly hoped in the same sanction with Molly and Micah, but she knew it was not a possibility. She was too important to be kept far from these two. Sylar made a motion to follow her and Claire sighed at this. She slowly moved behind him, not willing to walk side by side with him. He took the hallway to the left of the alter and made their way down a long hallway. It was light with soft lighting, and had dark, red carpeting. There were no paintings or decor, just stonewalls. The hallway curved left and ended at a rounded corner. Two doors were situated there, like two corner rooms in a hotel. Sylar opened the left door with a key and Claire really hoped she'd have that key.

Claire entered the room and couldn't have helped but be surprised by the beauty of the room. The carpeting was a deep purple, with golden designs. The bed was large, canopy styled with a matching purple. A beautiful Vanity with a matching bench was set across from the bed. The windows were stain glass, that brought in a strong enough light, but there was no way to look out the windows. Claire walked to the middle of the room and dropped her bag. She hadn't seen anything this beautiful in her life, even living in New York with her grandmother never had been like this. Claire shook her senses back, remembered why she was stuck here, as pretty as it was, she was a prisoner. Sylar slid onto the couch that sat at the end of the bed. He sat very comfortably, his arm stretched out on the back of the couch, his legs crossed. He seemed satisfied with himself.
"Impressed?"
"Since I can't lie to you...Yes. Was decorating apart of your evil plan as well?"
She sat at the vanity bench, staring herself in the mirror. She could see him in the reflection, but she was more disturbed by the dried blood splattered on her face and clothes.
"No, this is an old monastery we found that was turned into a hotel. None of this was done by us."

Claire was bored and tired of the conversation already. The bed behind Sylar was enticing her.

"Can I please clean up?"

Sylar stared at her through the mirror, meeting her eyes. He seemed to be fighting words to say to her. After a moment, he stood up and headed to a door on the left side of her bed. It was hidden behind a dark curtain that matched the canopy. Claire followed him into a beautifully black and white tiled bathroom, with his and hers sinks. There was no shower, but an antique, black bath tub with legs, it was placed up against the wall, in a corner. A door was located on the other side of room. Claire noticed that there were male products on one of the sinks. She quickly connected the dots.

"No, I am not sharing a bathroom or a room next to yours."
Sylar didn't look at her as he turned on the water for the tub.
"Trust me, You don't want to be located anywhere near most of these folks in this place."
"And your'e my best bet?"
Claire nearly screamed.
Sylar grabbed her by the throat, holding her up against the tile wall.
"Princess, I am your protection. You know me. You know what I'm capable of. Or would you rather take a chance with the rest of these people. Stick to what you know."

He stepped in closer, narrowing the distance between their bodies. He released his hand from her throat, but didn't move away from her. Claire turned her face away from him, breaking their eye contact. He stepped closer and slid his hands to her wrists. When she tried to push him, he held them against the wall at her waist. Claire stilled finally and Sylar whispered into her ear softly.
"I think I like the look of blood on you."
Claire turned to meet his eyes. She didn't want to sound like she was begging, but she was dying for some privacy.
"Please, just let me be alone."
Sylar leaned in closer, leaving barely an inch between their lips. Claire stopped breathing for a moment. Sylar pulled away suddenly and pulled out white towels in a quick motion from underneath the sinks. He left them on the counter.
"I will be in my room. Enjoy your alone time."
He said it in a way that Claire couldn't quite read. He closed the door without giving her a second look. Claire closed the door to her bedroom and turned off the tub faucet when the water was just right. She undressed and slid into the tub, letting the warm water clear her skin of dirt and blood. She washed her face and stared at the only window in the bathroom. One single tear sliding down her face.