-1Eight Months and Nearly Perfect

Three months earlier

She watches him sleep intently, even in sleep it looks as if he’s got the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. It mystifies her, because he had saved the world. He hadn’t exploded that night, and instead had led her to believe that he’d died.

That was months ago she thinks, that’s not now. Now he’s safe, she’s in New York with her bio family, and now she’s standing over his bed. She’s looking at him in his sleep, and wondering how she lived without him when she thought he was dead.

Her feelings outnumber her conscious and soon she finds herself underneath his sheets. Her hands delicately roaming his bare chest and she straddles him. Claire’s lips meet his, and though he’s slowly waking up, he doesn’t seem to pull away but instead adds to the intensity building up between the both of them.

What happens next is all a blur and Claire just finds herself underneath him now, as he enters her. Something about the situation tells Claire that he doesn’t seem to know exactly what’s going on, for if he did he certainly wouldn’t be this blasé about it. That doesn’t concern her though, she’s just satisfied that she’s finally gotten what she wants, and that was one night with him.

It’s everything she imagined it would be, and even more. It’s perfect in everyway, and she wonders how she’ll ever live with out it.

It’s when Peter finally frowns and realizes what he’s doing, that he swears. He doesn’t stop, doesn’t look at her, and doesn’t say anything. Instead he continues with the same want and speed as before.

Afterwards they lay side by side and Peter merely drapes his face with his hand, and that is the moment, they don’t know it yet, but it is. It’s the moment when everything will change.

Present

Petrelli Mansion

“You’re what?!” Nathan is now standing up and glaring down at Claire with an unbelieving expression. In truth Claire’s mildly surprised he evokes so much emotion. Six months ago he wouldn’t have cared, but that just shows how much they have all grown close.

She’s biting one side of her lip, hard enough to taste the metallic tinge to her blood. She’s just told them the news, just told them she’s pregnant. It’s West’s she says. The boy she had briefly dated in California, the one who could fly. Only, she knows its not true, and so does Peter, who’s conveniently sitting next to Nathan, not looking up.

He doesn’t look up fearing that shame and incest is written across his forehead, too clear for anyone to decipher. Claire looks at him momentarily, and back at Nathan. It’s all under control, she tells herself, it will all be fine.

“I’m not keeping it, but I’m not getting an abortion, I’ll just give it up for adoption”, she explains. Heidi commends her on her wise decision, tells her that she’s controlling the situation in a mature manner. Angela even puts in her two words of how she’s relieved she’s not keeping “it”. Nathan just keeps repeating that it’s unbelievable, and says that it will have to be handled with discretion.

The one person who doesn’t say anything though, is peter. Who also is the one person, who’s opinion matters the most at the moment. Just a simple smile, a reassurance in the words “ok”, anything is all she needs. That doesn’t happen though, Peter doesn’t provide it.

“We’ll have to contact an adoption agency,” Angela announces. Which is what Claire had been afraid of.

She explains how she wants to pick out the family, wants to make sure the baby will be well taken care of, will be happy. What she doesn’t want is for the baby to be shipped off and not know that it’s ok, part of her cares for it.

Heidi seems thrilled with the idea, says that it’s natural for her to feel that way, and that she stands by her completely.

Peter finally looks up and clears his throat, but still does not look at her. He wants to, she knows that. Instead his attention seems to focus on everything else, but her. He wants to say something, but what needs to be said can’t be said in front of everyone else, not if he wants to be estranged from his family, and incarcerated.

Later

Its after they’ve all finished their discussion, Angela has mysteriously disappeared to go see a “friend”, Heidi is playing with the boys, and Nathan is on the phone talking about the upcoming presidential election, that they get time to speak.

Peter walks out into the back and to the garden, where it’s secluded and Claire instinctively follows him. For a few minutes there is silence, and she knows he’s thinking of all that he wants to say, they haven’t really said anything about what happened three months ago. They simply pretended as if nothing ever happened and went on with their everyday to day lives.

“I can’t believe this”, is what comes out first. Claire doesn’t lie to herself, she was expecting something along those lines to be the first thing that Peter said.

She manages and I’m sorry through her nervous whisper and turns to go back, but feels his hand touch her shoulder, stopping her. It’s a small but nice gesture, and she can’t help at smile because at least they’re touching again.

6 months pregnant

She’s laying on her bed completely stuffed after haven eaten a bag of hot Cheeto’s and ice cream. All the perspective families seem to be lacking the homey feeling Claire wants for the baby and she continuously denies them. They’re all wealthy, live in a nice neighborhood, have stable jobs, but it just doesn’t feel right.

Nathan and Angela both seem to be getting anxious and afraid that it might actually have to live with them if Claire does not find a family.

It’s a Saturday afternoon, and there’s rain outside, but in a surprisingly good mood. Maybe it’s just her, or the twisted fact that bad weather makes her happy, but she smiles, and it only grows when the boys announce that “uncle” Peter is down stairs.

Things between them are relatively normal, but when she walks down and sees everyone waiting for her in the formal living room, she knows something has changed. she sits down next to Heidi and everyone’s attention is directed to a pacing Peter. He stands before them evidently nervous, and for a second Claire wonders if he’s about to confess to their wrong doing.

“I’ve been thinking about this for the last three months”, he starts out. He lays a finger on his mouth, as if in deep concentration before continuing. There’s silence and Claire knows it then, knows that he’s going to come out with the truth, that the baby she’s carrying is in fact his, and not West’s.

“I was thinking, I want to adopt this child.”

The first few seconds there’s silence and everyone’s trying to figure out what’s going on, and what it is exactly that Peter means. Then it comes, the frenzy of talking, disagreement, and incomprehension for such a decision. Peter and Claire are both silent and let everyone burst out what it is they have to say.

“I don’t understand Peter, why would you want to adopt a baby? You’re single a nurse, your apartment is claustrophobic, I hardly think you take care of your own self, how do you propose to take responsibility for another human being?” Angela explodes.

Peter wait’s a few moments and collects his thoughts, “This isn’t going to be an ordinary child, it’s obviously going to have abilities, just like the rest of us. If we let this child go to someone who’s not aware of people like us, it might grow up to be the next Sylar. I know my apartment’s small, and I’ll be a single parent, but I can do it.”

“for the sake of your political image Nathan, we’ll say I’m adopting a regular orphan, wouldn’t that look good for your campaign? No one has to know that it’s actually Claire’s”

Again the room is filled with an uncertain silence where Claire feels that eyes are now burning into her skin. Her attention is quickly brought back into reality and she sees that indeed everyone is staring at her.

“What do you think of all of this?” Nathan is standing with his arms crossed, his attention completely on Claire. Its something that she would have wanted in the past, but now she wishes that he wouldn’t give her the time of day.

It’s a wonderful Idea, is what Claire wants too say. She wants to burst out and scream yes! She doesn’t of course, she remains still and carefully folds her hands on her lap, swallowing her nerves.

“Taking care of a child isn’t as easy as you think Peter, it’s not a toy, and you can’t give it back when you’re tired of it”, Heidi announces, and Claire is surprised that for once she isn’t on Peter’s side.

With the rolling of his eyes Peter throws his arms up as if in defeat, “I’m very aware of that Heidi, but I really want to do this”

There’s resignation in Nathan’s sigh, and he rubs his temples, “If this is something you really want to do Peter, then I guess there’s no stopping you”

That was all that needed to be said, because as soon as those words escaped from Nathan’s mouth, Peter embraced him in a hug and followed to everyone around the room. Claire dreaded being hugged by him for some reason, yet she turns and Peter looks at her, and she’s aware that he’s just read her mind.

What ever thought that may have crossed him, what ever feeling, what ever want, is gone though, because the next thing Claire sees is Peter turning his back on her and he’s in a deep conversation with Heidi. It shouldn’t hurt Claire , but it does. She thinks to herself that its her fault that they’ve been pushed into this situation.

Claire knows she should have stopped herself from her incestuous want months ago, she should have told herself she couldn’t have him. It’s too late now, because she’s pregnant and Peter has announced that he’s going to adopt a child that is actually his.

Eight months pregnant

The day it happens Claire is in sheer shock. The baby isn’t due for another month, yet it seems to have a plan of its own. When it happens she’s home alone with Simone and Monty, who have grown substantially in the few months she’s been there. They refuse to go with her in the limo for fear that the baby might be born and they’ll be stuck with her, and for some reason that Claire does not understand, that frightens them.

She’s not afraid of the pain, she’s not afraid of any labor at all, what she’s terrified of is that she might have grown to like ”it”, as Angela calls it. Claire trained herself for months, telling herself that this wasn’t her child, that she didn’t want it, she was merely not cruel enough to kill it.

Yet as she’s being rushed in the limo to the hospital where Mohinder will be waiting for her to deliver, she’s scared that having this child amongst the family will only intensify her want to mother it. She knows she has to be cold towards it, treat it with indifference, act as if it will just be her cousin, but there’s a wavering thought in her mind that tells her that it’s already too late because she just might care.

With a blink of an eye Claire finds a frantic Peter sitting next to her, “I heard your water broke, are you ok? Are you in pain?” He seems to be nervous enough for the both of them Claire tells herself, and she can’t help at smile at him, and let out a giggle.

What she wants to do at that moment like many before surprises her, because she had thought that by now the part of her with illicit desires would know that anything between the two of them, was forbidden.

All of those thoughts is why she is struck when Peter cups her face and gives her a passionately filled kiss. It’s exactly what she’s wanted for months and what she’s battled not to want at the same time, it doesn’t feel right, yet it does. She’s in labor and emotionally and psychologically confused she tells herself.

Through everything that’s surging through her mind, she tells herself that maybe he’s doing it because she’s wanted it, that perhaps if he keeps her calm, it will help his baby. He puts his hand on her stomach after they part, and he smiles, and Claire wants to know what he’s thinking, wishes that she could read his mind as he reads hers.

A jolt of pain shoots through her body, and she’s started to second guess herself about feeling anything for ”it” at all. Claire doesn’t understand why woman would want to purposely get pregnant and put themselves and their bodies through such hardship, when its completely unnecessary.

…..

They finally arrive at the hospital, and she’s rushed to the delivery room, where Mohinder is waiting for her. He’s not an obstetrician, he’s a geneticist, but only he can understand the bizarre situation, and the delicacy of the matter in which Claire is going through. There are certain measures in which this baby is being born under and only he can perform the adequate tests.

It’s the second child being born between two genetically advanced parents, other than Micah, and Mohinder thinks its best that he study it to see what glamorous ability will be bestowed upon it. Everything of which Mohinder wants to perform on “it” is fine with Claire, after all it’s not really hers, Peter on the other hand, is weary about what certain assessments Mohinder wants to put his adoptive child through.

Claire let’s a pain filled shriek out, and she’s told that its time, time to push. She swallows and does what she’s told, and a few minutes later the baby is finally out. Mohinder is holding it by it’s feet, but swiftly turns it, so that the baby is nestled in his arms. They all stand silent as they see that it’s not crying, merely staring up at him with its own green eyes.

“It’s a girl”, announces Mohinder, as he hands her off to the nurse who weighs her. She’s a month premature, but she weighs an almost healthy 5 pounds 3 ounces. Claire doesn’t really care to know the gender, she doesn’t want a connection with her, but Peter looks radiant.

“Do you have a name in mind?” A nurse who is now holding the baby girl to Claire, asks. Claire shakes her head and points towards Peter, insinuating that she doesn’t care to hold the baby.

For a second the nurse frowns, but as soon as it is visible, it disappears and a smile is plastered on her face again, as she hands the baby girl to Peter. Its apparent even to Claire that he is taken by the baby girl in his arms, and she sees the connection between them instantly.

“Evie, that’s her name”, Claire hears him whisper. Evie, the name processes through her mind, and it fits, there’s something about the simplicity of it that seems perfect. It’s not a complicated overused name like Elizabeth, and it’s not a cliché name either, its unique, and seems adequate to the worm baby in Peter’s arms.

The look between Peter and Evie is something that Claire can’t decipher, but she knows it’s there. She knows that they’re communicating and that she doesn’t share that connection with Evie. Her body now doesn’t hold a trace that it was once holding a child, it’s completely regenerated to her former fit self.

No, she tells herself, this isn’t her child, her name is Evie, and she is Peter’s.