Eternal Sunshine - Chapter 4
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Summary: Claire Bennet wakes up one morning with with no memory of the day before. Terrified by the thoughts of what might have happened to her during those missing hours, she and Peter embark on a journey to discover the truth.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
*****
In these deep solitudes and awful cells,
Where heav'nly-pensive contemplation dwells,
And ever-musing melancholy reigns;
What means this tumult in a vestal's veins?
*****
Claire opened her eyes and winced at the bright California sun.
“Well, that was different,” she said as she stepped out of Peter’s arms and looked around her.
Peter had used many of his powers around and with Claire before, but he’d never teleported the both of them. She was surprised to note that she barely felt it physically when Peter moved them from New York to California. She thought she would feel squeezed or pulled or strained somehow. Instead, it was like she blinked her eyes in her apartment and opened her eyelids to the sight of Zach’s apartment building. It was amazing.
It was still early morning here and the streets were silent except for the sound of chirping birds. The air felt warm and fresh, and Claire reveled in the contrast. Her problems, for a moment, seemed lighter here. She wondered why she ever left California to move to New York.
A groan to her left reminded her why: Peter.
He was bent over, clutching his knees. His eyes were closed and he was taking slow, deep breaths.
“Peter, are you okay?” Claire asked softly as she turned towards him and put a hand on his shoulder.
His eyes snapped open and his head tilted towards her. For a second his eyes were full of intense pain as he looked at her. The look felt familiar, but Claire couldn’t remember ever seeing it before.
“Peter?”
He blinked, nodded at her, and straightened. Peter took a deep breath and smiled at her, the pain now gone from his eyes.
“I’m fine. I’m just not used to teleporting two people. It’s a little intense. You all right?”
“I didn’t feel anything,” Claire responded, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them. “I just blinked and
we were here.”
She was about to say that it didn’t make sense, but then she saw the way that Peter was looking at her and it made complete sense. Somehow, maybe even subconsciously, he’d absorbed the pressure of the teleport or protected her from it. Peter had suffered to protect her like he always had. Claire suspected that he would always put her needs before his own.
That realization - that Peter suffered because of her - was unsettling. She, however indirectly, was the cause of the look of pain in his eyes a few moments ago.
“I’m sorry,” Claire said.
Peter looked surprised and confused. He ran a hand through his hair before he spoke.
“Sorry about what?” he asked.
A million things, Claire wanted to say. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry he’d died because of her and he’d been hurt because of her. She wanted to apologize for everything she’d ever done to cause him pain.
“Nothing,” she replied instead.
Peter didn’t look like he believed her, but nodded anyway and held out his hand. Claire reached out and grasped his hand firmly, like holding hands was something they did everyday.
“Let’s go find Zach,” Peter said as he pulled her in the direction of the apartment building in front of them.
They were halfway to Zach’s building by the time Claire stopped thinking about how perfectly her hand fit in Peter’s. Claire could only ever remember holding Peter’s hand when they were running from immediate danger. They’d never held hands in the bright sunlight as if it was normal behavior.
Even now, as they approached Zach’s door and slowed to a stop, Peter didn’t waver or release his grip. Instead, he squeezed her hand tight once before knocking on the door.
Claire was the one that let her hand drop as soon as the door opened.
If Peter had any reaction to Claire pulling her hand from his, she didn’t notice. The look on Zach’s face when he opened the door reminded her exactly why she was here. It wasn’t for bright sun and holding hands. It was for something terrifying and horrible that Claire had momentarily pushed to the back of her mind.
“Claire?” Zach gasped before pulling her into a hug. “Thank god! Thank god you’re all right.”
Claire said Zach’s name into his shirt and held him tight. The tears started to well up in her eyes as her best friend, a man she loved like family, stroked a hand up and down her back and held her liked he’d been afraid he would never see her again.
Zach would be able to help her. She had called him for a reason and he would know what that reason was. She had faith in him, like he had always had faith in her. Zach and Peter would help her figure this out. They had to.
“What happened to you, Claire?”
Claire shook her head against Zach’s chest, not able to say the words that she needed Zach to hear if he was going to be able to help her.
What happened? She had no idea.
Claire opened her eyes and lifted her head from Zach’s shoulder and turned to look at Peter, who was still standing outside the open doorway.
“Tell him.”
Claire thought the words loudly and directly, looking straight at Peter when she did. She knew, somehow, that he would hear her even if he hadn’t been listening to her thoughts, which she had always specifically forbade him from doing. He would hear her because she wanted him to. He would hear her because he was always there for her when she needed him. Now, in this moment, she needed him to voice the words that she couldn’t. Maybe it made her a coward, but she asked this favor of Peter anyway.
“Claire, what happened?” Zach whispered into her hair.
Claire saw Peter’s slight nod and watched him step forward to answer Zach.
“That,” Peter said, “is what we hope you can help us figure out.”
*****
A/N: Don't worry, next chapter we'll actually find out some information! This was actually meant to be the first half of chapter four, but it got a little long so I had to split the chapter in half. The wait for the next chapter is going to be a little longer, unfortunately, because I'm going to be out of town for a week. Thanks to all of you that are reading and reviewing this story!
Summary: Claire Bennet wakes up one morning with with no memory of the day before. Terrified by the thoughts of what might have happened to her during those missing hours, she and Peter embark on a journey to discover the truth.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
*****
In these deep solitudes and awful cells,
Where heav'nly-pensive contemplation dwells,
And ever-musing melancholy reigns;
What means this tumult in a vestal's veins?
*****
Claire opened her eyes and winced at the bright California sun.
“Well, that was different,” she said as she stepped out of Peter’s arms and looked around her.
Peter had used many of his powers around and with Claire before, but he’d never teleported the both of them. She was surprised to note that she barely felt it physically when Peter moved them from New York to California. She thought she would feel squeezed or pulled or strained somehow. Instead, it was like she blinked her eyes in her apartment and opened her eyelids to the sight of Zach’s apartment building. It was amazing.
It was still early morning here and the streets were silent except for the sound of chirping birds. The air felt warm and fresh, and Claire reveled in the contrast. Her problems, for a moment, seemed lighter here. She wondered why she ever left California to move to New York.
A groan to her left reminded her why: Peter.
He was bent over, clutching his knees. His eyes were closed and he was taking slow, deep breaths.
“Peter, are you okay?” Claire asked softly as she turned towards him and put a hand on his shoulder.
His eyes snapped open and his head tilted towards her. For a second his eyes were full of intense pain as he looked at her. The look felt familiar, but Claire couldn’t remember ever seeing it before.
“Peter?”
He blinked, nodded at her, and straightened. Peter took a deep breath and smiled at her, the pain now gone from his eyes.
“I’m fine. I’m just not used to teleporting two people. It’s a little intense. You all right?”
“I didn’t feel anything,” Claire responded, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them. “I just blinked and
we were here.”
She was about to say that it didn’t make sense, but then she saw the way that Peter was looking at her and it made complete sense. Somehow, maybe even subconsciously, he’d absorbed the pressure of the teleport or protected her from it. Peter had suffered to protect her like he always had. Claire suspected that he would always put her needs before his own.
That realization - that Peter suffered because of her - was unsettling. She, however indirectly, was the cause of the look of pain in his eyes a few moments ago.
“I’m sorry,” Claire said.
Peter looked surprised and confused. He ran a hand through his hair before he spoke.
“Sorry about what?” he asked.
A million things, Claire wanted to say. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry he’d died because of her and he’d been hurt because of her. She wanted to apologize for everything she’d ever done to cause him pain.
“Nothing,” she replied instead.
Peter didn’t look like he believed her, but nodded anyway and held out his hand. Claire reached out and grasped his hand firmly, like holding hands was something they did everyday.
“Let’s go find Zach,” Peter said as he pulled her in the direction of the apartment building in front of them.
They were halfway to Zach’s building by the time Claire stopped thinking about how perfectly her hand fit in Peter’s. Claire could only ever remember holding Peter’s hand when they were running from immediate danger. They’d never held hands in the bright sunlight as if it was normal behavior.
Even now, as they approached Zach’s door and slowed to a stop, Peter didn’t waver or release his grip. Instead, he squeezed her hand tight once before knocking on the door.
Claire was the one that let her hand drop as soon as the door opened.
If Peter had any reaction to Claire pulling her hand from his, she didn’t notice. The look on Zach’s face when he opened the door reminded her exactly why she was here. It wasn’t for bright sun and holding hands. It was for something terrifying and horrible that Claire had momentarily pushed to the back of her mind.
“Claire?” Zach gasped before pulling her into a hug. “Thank god! Thank god you’re all right.”
Claire said Zach’s name into his shirt and held him tight. The tears started to well up in her eyes as her best friend, a man she loved like family, stroked a hand up and down her back and held her liked he’d been afraid he would never see her again.
Zach would be able to help her. She had called him for a reason and he would know what that reason was. She had faith in him, like he had always had faith in her. Zach and Peter would help her figure this out. They had to.
“What happened to you, Claire?”
Claire shook her head against Zach’s chest, not able to say the words that she needed Zach to hear if he was going to be able to help her.
What happened? She had no idea.
Claire opened her eyes and lifted her head from Zach’s shoulder and turned to look at Peter, who was still standing outside the open doorway.
“Tell him.”
Claire thought the words loudly and directly, looking straight at Peter when she did. She knew, somehow, that he would hear her even if he hadn’t been listening to her thoughts, which she had always specifically forbade him from doing. He would hear her because she wanted him to. He would hear her because he was always there for her when she needed him. Now, in this moment, she needed him to voice the words that she couldn’t. Maybe it made her a coward, but she asked this favor of Peter anyway.
“Claire, what happened?” Zach whispered into her hair.
Claire saw Peter’s slight nod and watched him step forward to answer Zach.
“That,” Peter said, “is what we hope you can help us figure out.”
*****
A/N: Don't worry, next chapter we'll actually find out some information! This was actually meant to be the first half of chapter four, but it got a little long so I had to split the chapter in half. The wait for the next chapter is going to be a little longer, unfortunately, because I'm going to be out of town for a week. Thanks to all of you that are reading and reviewing this story!