"Danko."

Claire stood opposite him in the doorway, hand clutching tight around the handle.

"Nice to see you too, Claire."

The sarcasm only made her hateful stare worse..

"You're not going to let me in?"

Claire pursed her lips and stared him down for a moment, then stepped to the side. He walked into the house.

"What do you want?" Each word had a cutting bite to them.

Danko glanced around the house, taking it all in, and said, oh so casually…

"I'm looking for Sylar."

He turned to Claire.

"You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?" Claire could see through the innocent façade.

"No. I don't. Why?"

"Are you sure you haven't seen him, haven't caught him sneaking around town, maybe peaking through your bedroom window…no mentions of severed skull caps in the local newspaper-"

"No. Nothing."

Danko was, at this point, getting annoyed.

"I've tracked Sylar to this location and seeing as how there's only one person in this area that he'd be remotely interested in-"

"I don't know what to tell you, Danko, I haven't seen him. I can't help you."

Danko was now thoroughly pissed off.

"I know you know something Claire, and if you end up a bloody brainless sack of organs, it'll be your own fault. I tried helping you. Why are you trying to protect that psychopath?"

What?

"What are you keeping from me?"

Protecting him?

"I think you need to leave."

Danko and Claire stood there, feet apart, trying to stare each other down. Danko broke first.

"Fine. Do what you want."

He stepped around her, each step calculated, waiting desperately for her to break. He paused at the door, still hopeful, but when he realized she wasn't going to say anything, he swung the door open violently and slammed it on his way out.

Claire stood there in the middle of her living room, seething. She felt strangely triumphant. Then Danko's words began to replay themselves in her head.

A bloody brainless sack of organs

Why are you trying to protect that psychopath?

What are you keeping from me?

Why didn't she tell Danko about her little encounter with Sylar? Was she protecting him? No, of course not. Plus, the enemy of your enemy is your friend.

What?

No, no, they're all enemies, all contemptible people, Danko, Sylar, all of them.

…

Then why the hell was she protecting him?