Fanfiction: Claim (Heroes)

[selenak]

Title: Claim

Disclaimer: All owned by NBC.

Spoilers: Until the The Hard Part

Summary: Peter wants to talk about Claire. Nathan tries not to.

Rating: PG-13. .

Thanks to: resolute for beta-reading.

Timeline: Set between .07% and The Hard Part





Claim


“You’re afraid of her,” Peter says.

It is a typical Peter pronouncement; overly emotional, too insightful and yet missing a major point at the same time.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Yes, you are,” Peter says, and follows Nathan into the kitchen. That is what late night cravings for something to drink, something cool and free of the dust collected in his study result in: Peter on another crusade.

The memory of Peter dead, flesh already cold when Nathan touches it, eyes blind an unable to see, is as bad as the reality was a day ago, and for a moment, the relief at Peter’s presence is dizzying enough to make Nathan unable to breathe.

“That’s why you’re avoiding Claire. You’re afraid of her.”

“I think I can handle myself with a teenager, Pete,” Nathan says in his best sardonic voice and goes to the fridge. You can tell Simon and Monty haven’t been in this house during the last week when you open it; it has been filled by the servants, everything is in its place, and easy to find. Sterile perfection.

For no reason at all, he remembers Meredith and home-made ice cream, years ago, during one of the far too warm Texas nights; strawberry ice cream, spilled all over her fingers. The taste of her skin when he licked it away, the sound of her laughter.

“She can’t die either, you know,” Peter says, ignoring Nathan’s remark completely, and looks at him with his familiar brown eyes, all shadows of death and blindness banished. It’s simultaneously reassuring, infuriating and disturbing, this certainty of his. “You don’t have to be afraid of losing her.”

Time to give Peter another reality check.

“She doesn’t belong to me to begin with, Peter. I’m sorry, but that’s how it is. I could have been her father, all those years ago. I wasn’t. I’m not afraid of losing her, I’m afraid of losing the election.”

Peter takes the bottle of water Nathan is holding in his hands and closes the fridge. He does look annoyed now, but instead of launching in a tirade about selfishness, he retorts, stubborn as ever:

“You are her father.”

He remembers the burial. One coffin, for both Meredith and the child. They hadn’t let him see the remains; not enough left for an open casket, Mr. Petrelli. Are you sure you don’t want an urn? No? Well, it’s your funeral. You’re paying for it.

Now he wonders whose body had provided those human remains he had followed, wearing his dress uniform. There had been some friends of Meredith’s there as well; those who knew him didn’t talk with him, all too aware he had not been there when it happened. Had not been there all those months earlier, either.

When Simon was born, when he held his son for the first time and heard him cry, Nathan wondered, for a moment, if Meredith’s daughter had cried like that, if that had been the last sound Meredith heard on the night of the fire, and it had taken all those well-honed skills at deception not to let his proud smile slip.

“Did you ever consider Claire might be better off not being my daughter, Peter?”

There will be a lot of children burned to ashes if Linderman is right. If they are all right, every one of them: a dead painter, his brother, and the man who hoards prediction in his vaults like the withered orchid he brought to bloom again in front of Nathan’s eyes. Dead children, dead women, dead men, and no coffins for any of them.

“Like I said,” Peter returns. “She’s here to save us.”

Which isn’t a reply at all, and could be further proof Peter never listens to what he’s told. Or it could be proof Peter listens far too well, especially to what he isn’t told. But then they both have far too much practice with each other’s lies.

There is an obvious diversion available here: attack. It’s on the tip of his tongue to tell Peter the main reason why Peter is so insistent that Claire should be claimed is that he wants to keep her, his personal embodiment of hope. Irrefutable proof that he was right to fly to Texas on the base of a painting, right to risk his life, and will be right to do this again in the future.

It’s late, though, and Nathan feels too tired to lash out. He just raises an eyebrow.

“I’m still thirsty,” he says and looks pointedly at the bottle Peter is holding. Peter makes a face and practically throws it at Nathan. The water is still cold, cold as ice; nothing of Peter’s warmth transferred.

“Just tell me one thing,” Peter says while Nathan drinks. “What do you see when you look at her? Your daughter or just some strange girl?”

The first time he saw her was on a cell phone. Blond curls, sad eyes; face shadowed. Seen and avoided, as he left Meredith’s trailer, telling himself that it was for the best. But without an audience, his lies lacked conviction. The second time he saw her was when his life had ended anyway, and then she started it again.

She looks like me and she’s smart, like you, Meredith had said, and his mother had already made pointed comparisons to herself, which was her way of staking a claim. Nathan doesn’t see either Meredith or himself in Claire. But her eyes are familiar nonetheless. He puts the bottle back in the fridge, and as he shuts it, his right hand remains pressed against the polished chrome.

“I see your niece,” he says softly, and in the silence that follows, Peter’s fingers close around his.

Comments

[emmademarais.livejournal.com]

This is going to sound like an odd comment (and mein Gott could this font be any smaller?), but I both see this fic being totally something I would write and not at all.

Not sure how to explain, but I liked it. Kind of like reading one of my own fic for the first time without having to actually write it. A unique experience... Thank you...

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

Oh. Oh. I feel the urge to use all of my Petrelli icons simultaneously. I loved this. Loved all the little touches. It really felt like Nathan and Peter to me.

I could quote the whole thing, but I think one of my favorite lines was this one:

The second time he saw her was when his life had ended anyway, and then she started it again.

Yes. Exactly. Claire has the potential to stir everything up again. Peter started it, and now he and Claire are running around trying to save the world and Nathan's having doubts and The Plan that he's followed faithfully for so long is crumbling around him, not least because he's beginning to doubt it himself.

“I see your niece,” he says softly, and in the silence that follows, Peter’s fingers close around his.

We *need* to see the father/daughter relationship (or non-relationship) develop from here. Because right now, it's so true--Claire is completely disconnected from Nathan. She has much more of a connection to Peter. And having Claire to rely on is pulling Peter away from Nathan, as well. Ah, Petrellis, how I love you and your screwed up family dynamics.

[shimmeree.livejournal.com]

That was really kind of sad and sweet. I liked it.

[meli-64.livejournal.com]

Great!

[bashipforever.livejournal.com]

Oh I really loved this. The last line just clenched it for me.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Fonts always can in lj country, I think. *g*

Danke sehr for the feedback!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

To slightly misquote Mr. Bennet, "they do break my heart", these Petrellis, they really do.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

That mixture was what I was going for. Thank you!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I do adore them in their dysfunctional glory. And yes, this is so why they all three need to survive - they need to come to terms with each other, Claire and Nathan especially.

...I'm not sure, because in the ubercreepy scene where Sylar-as-Nathan kills her, that's not what you pay attention to, but: at the start of the scene, in Nathan's study, Claire is looking at three photos. One is Peter, Nathan and Angela, one is Peter and Nathan, and I think the third one might be Peter, Claire and Nathan, with Claire in the middle, but we see them so briefly that I'm just not sure. And speaking of that future of doom, her fiance says she watches "Nathan" every time he's on tv, which considering what happened and who he really is so sad...

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

Just goes to show how obsessed I am...I went back and looked at that scene. Unfortunately, no Claire in the photos...from left to right, they are:

1. Peter, Mama Petrelli and Nathan in a very posed, studio shot wearing formal clothes.

2. Peter, Mama Petrelli and nathan in what looks like a holiday photo. They seem much more relaxed and like a family.

3. I think this is a photo of Peter and Nathan on Nathan's wedding day--the one Claire looks at in "0.07%."

I continue to be amazed by how much these actors actually LOOK related. Fantastic casting.

One of the things I liked so much about "Five Years Gone" was that you couldn't really pinpoint when Sylar killed Nathan. Before the explosion? After the explosion but before the Peter cover-up? Even 1 or 2 years after the explosion? It's all possible.

[lostandalone22.livejournal.com]

Nice filler moment, I can see the boys having this conversation.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the feedback!

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

*applaudiert*

Well done!

[linaerys.livejournal.com]

This is really beautiful. And this is a perfect encapsulation of Nathan and Peter:

It was a typical Peter pronouncement; overly emotional, too insightful and yet missing a major point at the same time.

Thanks for sharing this.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

*grinst über Icon*

Humble thanks!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

That fraternal dynamic is really the heart of the show for me. (Well, and Hiro, of course!) I'm really glad you think I captured it.

[mimesh.livejournal.com]

You have a very good grasp of their voices, this was amazingly in character. I could picture this little scene effortless in canon. The ending was particularly heart-wrenching.

Peter coming into his own and Claire have definitely shaken up the dynamics of the Petrelli brothers. I could imagine Nathan having more problems coming to terms with that than Peter who has Claire as new ally. After reading this fic I really, really really want the show to explore those dynamics next season.

[cadesama.livejournal.com]

Eeee! I love it when you fic our conversations! Beautiful insight into Nathan's ambivalence about Claire, and how it ties back into his mourning for her and Meredith!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

After reading this fic I really, really really want the show to explore those dynamics next season.

So do I, which is reason #100222 why Nathan must survive.

Mind you, while I do think Peter can handle the current constellation far better than Nathan, I think that this is in (subconscious) part because he's the emotional focus there, for both Nathan and Claire. Let's face it, Peter never had competition for Nathan. (Human competition, that is; there is of course Nathan's ambition, but that's different.) And he definitely doesn't have competition for Claire right now, either.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

What can I say: you inspire me.*g*

I rewatched Nathan's phone call with Meredith the other way, and their meeting plus Nathan's talk with Angela, and so felt myself on firm ground on how he reacted to their presumed death and how it influences his present-day ambivalence...

[faroutgal.livejournal.com]

"I see your niece" (loved this line)

And that's exactly how I see who Claire "belongs" to..Nathan and Claire have no connection and it makes sense since Nathan is basically a sperm donor here.

Peter is the one she bonds with and can bond with since being an uncle in no way conflicts with her bond with her true father, Mr. Bennett.

Great fic!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

And thank you for the feedback.

[ivy-b.livejournal.com]

I liked Nathan's "I see your niece"- everyone else tried to stake a calim on her- Angela's mouth, Meredith's looks, etc. Nathan sees beyond that, and I loved it.

"“Did you ever consider Claire might be better off not being my daughter, Peter?”- Poor Nathan. He thinks he can protect everyone he loves by shoving them away, but it only hurts him in the end.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

It does. And I think this contributed to why nobody suspected Sylar-as-Nathan in the "Five Years Gone" verse - at the point of the switch Nathan must have tried to keep everyone away already...

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

*grinst über Icon*

Eines meiner ältesten und heißgeliebtesten.

I really need some of Ten, though, as I prefer him to Nine (I know - blasphemous!). And of course of Martha. And Jack. And, er, "Mr. Saxon."

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Consider me sharing the blasphemy. (cheesygirl made some great Ten icons, btw!) Mind you, neither of them is my favourite incarnation of the Doctor - that would be Seven - but I do adore Ten and only liked Nine...

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks for the tip. Will look there at once.

As for Seven, I think the idea that you love the Doctor the most whom you first saw as a child (or whom you first saw, period.) pretty much holds true for him. He still is the quintessential Doctor for me, even though I adore Ten and dread the day when David Tennant inevitably leaves the series. Nine is a different thing altogether, because I knew Chris Eccleston way before he took on this role, and he has done quite a lot of memorable stuff - besides, I already experienced his habit of suddenly abandoning a series and knew not to grow too attached.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Whenever a Heroes watcher goes on about what great arcs we can expect involving Claude, I always wonder whether or not I should point out that habit of Eccleston's...

[yahtzee63.livejournal.com]

I missed this yesterday! I like it very much -- Nathan simultaneously pierced by Claire's discovery and desperately trying to put up walls. But Peter is the one person who can get through those walls every time, and Nathan may have fewer defenses against Peter's niece than his own daughter. (Certainly he seems less than fascinated by his other two children, although I suspect this lack of interest is a direct function of the writers realizing how inconvenient they are.)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Re: Nathan's sons, well, we do have three occasions (that I recall) where they're either directly referenced or actually appear, and you get the impression he's being a good father there.

1) In "Collision", when talking with Niki. After she says she has a son who is a boy genius, Nathan mentions he has two "not boy geniuses, just boys". And he says that in a very fond tone, which comes across more real than if he had bragged of their accomplishments.

2) in "Nothing to hide" when they're running around, and Angela brings up there's a journalist invited for breakfeast. Nathan then tells the boys to go upstairs "to the train set we started yesterday", which means he does the building sets together thing with them, which takes time and patience.

3) and of course the scene that's so painful to Claire, when he greets them and Heidi in "The Hard Part".

So I think we're meant to assume that despite other dialogue references (as opposed to, say, Peter coming up in every second talk Nathan has with someone on this show *g*), he's being a good father to them; talking about them just doesn't serve the plot otherwise. Another example: how often does Mr. Bennet talk about Lyle, or is seen talking to him? For the same reason.

But they are children. Again, think of the conversation with Niki, where he says, and of course this strikes Niki in a way he can't know: "It's weird, having children. It's like being two people. The one they see..." (Niki then finishes: "And the one you see in the mirror.") Peter, of course, does see what Nathan sees, and Claire, whom he didn't raise and thus never was a persona named "Dad" for, could, if she stays.

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

I certainly know that feeling, especially when people start complaining that TPTB haven't brought him back yet. I'm always tempted to say, "Well, they are trying, you know. It's not necessarily their fault."

Concerning your icon: I am currently rewatching some of the old Seven episodes, and right now I'm at Survival (I didn't necessarily go by order). It's ... interesting. I totally forgot that I knew the Master.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I saw Delgado!Master before I saw Ainsley!Master in Survival, though alas, my first Master was the horror that was embodied by Eric Roberts. Still, Delgado was so great he blotted the unfortunate memory out, and Ainsley in Survival is fun.

Re: Survival, though - "opposites attract", and he really says that on screen. If they give John Simms that line, watch the fandom explode.

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

alas, my first Master was the horror that was embodied by Eric Roberts.

I've somehow successfully blocked the TV movie from my mind, but it might explain why I get very uncomfortable every time Thompson appears on screen.

Never seen Delgado, unfortunately, since I never had the pleasure of watching Old Who apart from Seven and the very few episodes of Six that were shown in Germany.

If they give John Simms that line, watch the fandom explode.

Indeed. Especially if they are brothers, as some theories I've read have posited, given that incest seems to be the new black in fanfiction. (For the record, I have some sort of non-opinion on that. I accept that it's there. I don't seek it out, but as someone who is interested in stories featuring Peter and Nathan it usually comes up at some point. :) I definitely draw the line at Nathan/Claire, though, that's a little too uncomfortable a topic.)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I've somehow successfully blocked the TV movie from my mind, but it might explain why I get very uncomfortable every time Thompson appears on screen.

LOL. Did someone notice that in the one scene where he's standing next to Eccleston, we have a kind of Timelord reunion?

For the record, I have some sort of non-opinion on that. I accept that it's there. I don't seek it out, but as someone who is interested in stories featuring Peter and Nathan it usually comes up at some point. :) I definitely draw the line at Nathan/Claire, though, that's a little too uncomfortable a topic.

Intergenerational incest is a different cup of tea altogether, especially if it is involves a minor (which actually is my problem with Claire/anybody not Zach, unless of course the stories are set some years in the future - but at least the Haitian or Niki aren't related to her), so I don't blame you. It's the parent/child power dynamics that make it impossible for me not to read it as abusive, even if we were talking adult child, which Claire definitely is not.

*uses own Zarek and Roslin icon in response to yours*

[takethesky87.livejournal.com]

This is beautiful. The last line especially is just so lovely ... setting up the warmth in Peter and the detachedness of Nathan just made the last line so much more poignant and true.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I love them dearly, and this ficlet just wanted to be written.