[all the roads lead out] heroes ; claire bennet
(Written during Heroes S1)
all the roads lead out
Her mother’s sobbing carries over from the living room just loud enough to mask Claire’s footsteps.
He’s hunched over the counter, thinking he’s out of earshot. He's used to thinking of them as blind and deaf. "I won’t be in New York for a while. My wife. Yes, another incident. How soon can you be here?"
Claire slaps the phone out of his hand. "Liar! Liar!" He spins around too late, because she’s already sending it skittering across the kitchen tile in two pieces. It had made a satisfying snap sound when it hit the floor.
She’s pure reaction now, she can’t even tell what she’s saying anymore--it just turns into screaming, at some point, no and you promised and haven’t you done enough.
It’s the hospital all over again, more promises and eyes full of real remorse that isn't good enough. "Sorry" won't cut it anymore. They're way past that. "I'll make it right soon, Claire. Please." His eyes dart, for a second, to the phone. That’s all it takes.
"Claire, honey, where are you going? You need to have the paramedics look at the wounds first, it might be worse than you think-Claire!" Her mom’s voice is high and nervous, and Mister Muggles’s eyes are probably bugging out from her mom’s grip on him. Probably, but she only turns around to look straight at her dad, once.
"Don’t come after me. You owe me that much."
.
It’s embarrassing to realize later, fishing bullets out of her own shoulder at Zach’s house (she laughs at him when he needs to leave the room), that she forgot her money. And, she remembers even more belatedly, other necessities such as clothes, and, well, makeup seems a little fussy while on the run, but she could at least use her deodorant. Zach gives her a ride to her house on his handlebars, and it’s the middle of the night so he practically runs into about five things on the way there, and it’d be funnier if this wasn’t the worst day of her life, including the day she woke up dead.
She climbs up to her room the same way she climbed out on homecoming, another contender for worst day. The window creaks and she jostles the chimes she left up, so she opts for taking the stairs on her way back out.
Lyle comes out of the bathroom as she comes out of her room. It’s unlucky, because the night is so dark that he might not have noticed her if, he hadn’t left the bathroom light on again. You always do that, Lyle, she almost scolds. The slit of light from the not-quite closed door falls right on her.
Claire watches his eyes drop to her shoulder, where a few hours ago two bullets tore through, meant for their dad. She touches the spot unconsciously, but there’s nothing there now, anyway.
He turns his head to their parents' door and takes a breath in, but he doesn’t say a word.
She steals up to him and gives him a swift peck on the cheek. "Shut off the light, Lyle." Then she’s gone again.
all the roads lead out
Her mother’s sobbing carries over from the living room just loud enough to mask Claire’s footsteps.
He’s hunched over the counter, thinking he’s out of earshot. He's used to thinking of them as blind and deaf. "I won’t be in New York for a while. My wife. Yes, another incident. How soon can you be here?"
Claire slaps the phone out of his hand. "Liar! Liar!" He spins around too late, because she’s already sending it skittering across the kitchen tile in two pieces. It had made a satisfying snap sound when it hit the floor.
She’s pure reaction now, she can’t even tell what she’s saying anymore--it just turns into screaming, at some point, no and you promised and haven’t you done enough.
It’s the hospital all over again, more promises and eyes full of real remorse that isn't good enough. "Sorry" won't cut it anymore. They're way past that. "I'll make it right soon, Claire. Please." His eyes dart, for a second, to the phone. That’s all it takes.
"Claire, honey, where are you going? You need to have the paramedics look at the wounds first, it might be worse than you think-Claire!" Her mom’s voice is high and nervous, and Mister Muggles’s eyes are probably bugging out from her mom’s grip on him. Probably, but she only turns around to look straight at her dad, once.
"Don’t come after me. You owe me that much."
.
It’s embarrassing to realize later, fishing bullets out of her own shoulder at Zach’s house (she laughs at him when he needs to leave the room), that she forgot her money. And, she remembers even more belatedly, other necessities such as clothes, and, well, makeup seems a little fussy while on the run, but she could at least use her deodorant. Zach gives her a ride to her house on his handlebars, and it’s the middle of the night so he practically runs into about five things on the way there, and it’d be funnier if this wasn’t the worst day of her life, including the day she woke up dead.
She climbs up to her room the same way she climbed out on homecoming, another contender for worst day. The window creaks and she jostles the chimes she left up, so she opts for taking the stairs on her way back out.
Lyle comes out of the bathroom as she comes out of her room. It’s unlucky, because the night is so dark that he might not have noticed her if, he hadn’t left the bathroom light on again. You always do that, Lyle, she almost scolds. The slit of light from the not-quite closed door falls right on her.
Claire watches his eyes drop to her shoulder, where a few hours ago two bullets tore through, meant for their dad. She touches the spot unconsciously, but there’s nothing there now, anyway.
He turns his head to their parents' door and takes a breath in, but he doesn’t say a word.
She steals up to him and gives him a swift peck on the cheek. "Shut off the light, Lyle." Then she’s gone again.