Heroes Fan Fiction ❯ Playing Minerva ❯ The Champion's Laurel ( Chapter 3 )

Spoilers: 01x11, "Fallout", AU after that, does not take “Distractions” in account
Warnings: time-travel, memory jumps, implied underage themes

 

Playing Minerva

Chapter Two: The Champion's Laurel

Back in the present...

Claire Bennet began to doze comfortably to the steady motions of the bus. The last image outside her seat window was of the midland Texas terrain, quickly becoming more lush and green as the bus trekked its way northeast through Dallas. While passing through the brightly lit city, Claire began to feel more at peace as she began to accept that by this time, her father already knew that she had run away from home.

She only hoped that the Haitian escaped her father's grasp, for she would not let his gift to her be wasted away. Yawning silently, she settled comfortably against her frog-shaped pillow and looked around the bus one last time just to see everyone else asleep. Her eyes began to close slowly, and after the bus went over a pesky bump, she felt slumber began to creep upon her.

Though as she closed her eyes, she felt the speed of the bus slightly pick up, continuing to rise faster and faster. She opened her eyes and noticed the other passengers rousing from it as well. Looking out her window, the night sky was dark and lit by dull stars, and she saw just a smidgen of color paint the bottom line of the horizon.

“What's going on?” asked a young mother, who had gotten on the bus in Dallas. Her young son clutched her tightly as he stared at the driver with wide eyes.

“Damn it, someone's been following us since we left Odessa,” groaned the bus driver, frantically looking at her mirrors. “I thought it was nothing, but they keep speeding up and riding my butt.”

“Just be careful! It's probably nothing, so please don't get too flustered,” said the single woman who had been on since Odessa; she looked mindfully at the young mother and her son, and then back to Claire. The older couple and teen-aged boy had gotten off in Dallas, so the only passengers now were Claire, the young mother and her son, and the single woman. The bus driver looked back at them in her mirror.

“I'm sorry,” she said. “But this black van is just very aggressive.”

Claire felt her heart freeze, and she was fearful that her father's people were tracking her running away.

Suddenly the bus lurched forward, and everyone hung onto their seats as someone slammed them from behind again.

“Shit!” the bus driver yelled. “What the hell do these people want? I should pull over.”

“Please don't! What if they're dangerous people? I don't want them to hurt my son,” the mother pleaded desperately, and the bus driver looked at her with sympathy. Everyone was scared, but mostly, Claire felt guilty for bringing such luck upon these innocent people.

Claire shut her eyes as the bus was hit again, and she heard cursing from the driver as she tried to keep control of the wheel. Everyone held on tightly as the bus began to swerve, and as it sped up, each minute everyone's fear heightened around her.

Suddenly, the bus driver screamed, and the bus swerved to the right, off the highway and then roughly back onto the pavement.

“What… is that a man?” the bus driver said, and the van slammed into her again and broke her concentration. She began to drive off the road over the yellow line when she frantically looked back with fear.

“Look out!” Claire yelled, pointing at the front. The bus driver gasped, grabbed the wheel and turned it swiftly to the right - too far - as an oncoming semi honked at them for the near miss. As soon as Claire felt the bus lose its balance and fall to its side, she jumped, grabbing the mother and son protectively into her arms and then pushing them into the large woman, and then pushing her onto her back. She didn't have time to catch the bus driver, and then the bus started to roll. In Claire's protective grasp the mother and son began to scream, and the large single woman struggled as Claire used all her strength to keep her down and protected by the bus's floor.

“It's going to be okay!” Claire screamed to them, and she could feel glass and pieces of metal pierce her skin. Several seats became disjointed and banged her around, on her back, on her head, and even on her legs. She could feel internal bleeding in her stomach, and she coughed it out involuntarily on the people she was protecting. They whimpered below her, horrified that she was taking a beating for them. Then Claire heard a loud screech of the metal on pavement as the bus slid along the highway into the ditch.

When the overturned bus was finally inert, Claire opened her eyes and breathed heavily, feeling the piercing pain of glass and metal violating her body. She knew she'd regenerate, so her first concern became the passengers she saved. She felt horrible that she did not get to save the bus driver but was thankful at least she managed to protect some.

“Are you alright?” she called to them, and the mother nodded to her as her son continued to cry. She had mild cuts, and the child only seemed rattled, virtually free of injury. The large woman below her made a noise that sounded like a yes, but Claire still wondered if she might be injured once she stood up.

Standing up, she helped the mother and son to their feet. Tapping into some leftover adrenaline, she dislodged a window that was already half broken, and led them through. As Claire got off the single woman, she slowly stood up and followed the son and mother out the window as well. When Claire came out, they waited for her and looked at her in wonder.

“Miss, are you alright? What…” the mother asked, looking at her and seeing Claire somewhat scratched up, but basically intact. “What did you do?”

“I'm fine, but let's go look for the bus driver.” Claire wanted to divert them from her abilities as much as she could and tried to focus on saving the victims. She felt it was especially her fault since the black van chasing them was probably in league with her father. Looking around at the busy highway, she squinted and didn't see the black van anywhere. She was hoping they had taken off away from the scene, but she was cautious, fearful that they could be hiding and watching as she tended the crash.

The mother held her son closely and the single woman followed her as Claire ran ahead, looking for the driver. When she finally found her, she was badly banged up after being flung through a broken window and thrown out the bus. She wasn't moving, and Claire quickly ran to her and checked her pulse. The survivors looked on behind, watching for a response. The look on Claire's face immediately told them the results were bad.

“She's dead,” Claire said softly, not able to stop the tears coming down her face. She bit on her shaky lip and cried, “I couldn't save her.”

The single woman ran up to her and put her hand on her arm. “But you saved us. We don't know how you did, and how you walked away with barely a scratch, but you saved us.”

“Yes, and you saved my son. He's only two. You saved him and gave him a chance to grow up,” the mother said. She had tears in her eyes, and Claire could feel an overwhelming surge of gratitude in her eyes. “Young lady, you're a hero.”

She smiled weakly, but their gratitude did not erase that someone was dead. It did not change that the cause of this accident was because she ran away.

“Please, don't mention it,” she said quietly. “Just call 9-1-1, and tell them what happened. Let them know that someone has died.”

“What about you?” asked the single woman, who noticed that Claire had picked what belongings she could find out of the wreckage and then headed away from the crash. “They're going to need to know a full report. You can't leave.”

“I have to. I'm sorry, but I can't be seen here. I'm a runaway,” Claire admitted, but she didn't admit that the crash could have been her fault.

The single woman looked at her with sympathy, and the mother's eyes widened. Claire gave them one last look before she turned away. She could hear sirens in the distance, and it seemed without their call, someone had told the police about the crash.

“I'm sorry. Please, don't mention me. I don't want anyone to find me.”

The single woman nodded and then looked over at the mother who nodded as well. “We'll think of something. It's the least we can do for what you've done.”

Claire smiled at the women, and the boy had finally quieted down and had held out his hand. Claire squeezed his little fingers lightly, and she smiled widely to prevent herself from crying. She felt a deep sorrow inside her gut, and she looked once more to the ground at the woman she failed to save. She turned away, and took off back down the highway. The horizon was now washed in darkness, and the cool Texas air nipped at her skin.

`Is this how a hero feels like when she learns she cannot save them all?' And her thoughts turned back to Peter for a moment, and she wondered if he, too, ever failed before.

---

Claire was tired of sticking her thumb out for hitching. Even with her amazing healing ability, it did not prevent her from getting tired. Besides, she felt she had been walking forever. The air was definitely colder, and she was sure it had been at least the early morning. She wished she could turn her cell phone on to see the time, but her battery was almost dead, and she wanted to conserve the remaining power for when she got to New York.

So she stuck her hands in her sweater, put down the towel from her bag, and sat down to rest, watching for any car that whizzed by. She looked down at the highway, and she noticed that her night vision had kicked in and everything had seemed lighter.

She squinted her eyes as she noticed something dark, and then shook her head. `Okay, Claire; now you're seeing things. Now shadows are walking down the street toward you...” She paused, and then her eyes widened. “Shadows...!”

She jumped up, grabbed her towel and shoved it into her bag. She took one look over her shoulder and then ran toward some cluster of trees not too far over the terrain. The shadow seemed to be moving faster, and as it got closer, Claire turned around and noticed that it was a person running after her.

She dreaded that it could be a person that worked for her dad.

She knew this person couldn't really hurt her, but being captured and taken back was a worse fate than being attacked.

“Wait!” the shadow shouted at her, and she thought that this person must be stupid to think that line would work on someone you were trying to assault.

So she ran faster, hoping she could hide in the small cluster of trees ahead of her, hoping she could find a big stick and …

“Claire!” the person yelled, and though it was obvious the person did know her, there was something off about his voice.

Claire stopped. She hoped she wasn't dreaming. `It couldn't be...'

She turned around and looked for the shadow, now becoming visible and fleshed out as he ran toward her.

“Peter...?” she asked, and when he came up no more than ten feet away from her, she turned around and sprinted toward him. She jumped and he caught her in a quick embrace as she wrapped her arms and legs around him in overwhelming excitement. He laughed with relief in her ear, and he twirled her around as she held onto him.

When he finally put her down, she cupped his face and took a ragged breath. “Peter… is it really you?” Her voice choked with tears.

“Claire... what are you…? Where is this place?” He put his hands over hers, and Claire realized the look of confusion on his face.

“I don't know...” Claire laughed. “I was on a bus coming from Odessa going to New York. It crashed and I've been walking ever since.”

Peter got a thoughtful look on his face and didn't answer her right away. Finally he said, “Oh, I remember that time…”

“Peter, you're not making sense,” Claire said, pulling him toward her to look him in the face. “Are you feeling okay? How can you not know where you are? Did you drive here?”

“No, Claire... I'm fine. It's just that ...I'm not who you think I am.”

“What?” Claire looked at him incredulously and then backed away. She was concerned for him. He seemed ill and confused, as if he had head trauma. “What are you saying?”

He turned to her and looked at her seriously. He was smiling, and there was this accomplished look in his eye. “Claire, it's amazing ... I've been practicing my powers, but I didn't mean to end up here ... it just happened.” He paused, and Claire looked at him perplexed like she still didn't understand him. “Claire, I had tried to tell you once before about my powers. I don't heal like you do... I borrow powers from others.” She nodded, and she had found that out from the Haitian. She watched him closely as he continued to speak. “So I borrowed powers from this guy Hiro, who can bend time.

“Claire... I'm from the future.”

Claire thought her jaw was going to drop. Her eyes seem to bug out of her head. She only hoped that he wasn't crazy, but she hated to doubt Peter. She had been thinking about him so much since she met him, and even though she didn't know him that well, she felt he couldn't do anything wrong or tell any lies.

“What...? Someone can do that?” Her surprise made him smirk. “Wow, no way.”

He nodded sheepishly, staring at her. Claire noticed he was full of relief at meeting her here.

“So... you borrowed some guy's powers to come back in time to see me?” Claire asked, but her face paled. “Am I in trouble again?”

Peter shook his head, and then he looked out to the desert. “No, I'm sorry but I didn't come for you… I just sorta ended up here.” He looked at her earnestly and then shrugged. “My powers are still unstable, and this guy Claude, he's been helping me develop and become stronger.” He stopped and then bit his lip, and Claire could tell he wanted to tell her so much more. “Look, Claire, I can't tell you very much about the future; Hiro said that time is very delicate. So I can only tell you so much.” She nodded at him when she understood, and he continued to speak. He laughed a little nervously and said, “I don't even know how long I can stay here before I pop myself back to my right time. To tell you the truth, since I've jumped to here, I've been bouncing all over the place, especially in this terrain.” Claire watched him as he paused again and gave her a thoughtful look. “And no matter how much I try to concentrate and take myself back or somewhere else, I always keep coming back here.”

Claire shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and said, “Why?” Her voice sounded small, but Peter smiled when he heard her. He looked like he was keeping some awesome secret, and there was something different... no, evolved in the way he kept watching her.

Did something happen in the future between them? She thought it was at least a relief to know that she finally made it to New York to see him anyway.

“I... I know you can't say much, Peter, but it seems to me that I must have made it to New York if you remember that about me,” Claire said softly, staring at him. He seemed to be staring back at her with `that look' again, and she wanted to challenge that. The only problem she was having was that sparks were going off inside her body when he looked at her or even touched her.

`Gees, I hardly know him,' she chided herself internally. But she couldn't deny that since he had swooped into her life she hadn't stop thinking about him. She hugged herself as a cool breeze whisked over her skin, and Peter had noticed right away. He scrambled to get closer to her, and Claire froze as he began removing his large black sweater and then giving it to her.

“Sorry, you must be cold,” he said, and she slowly took the sweater and clutched it to her chest. He looked to her with compassion and frowned. “I'm sorry about the bus crash. I did see it. It was one of the times when I was bouncing around with Hiro's teleportation powers. I had no discipline, and I'm afraid that after I appeared on the road, your bus went out of control.”

“So there was a man on the road...” Claire said, remembering the late bus driver's words. Seeing Peter's sadness, she squeaked and then got his attention. “Oh! Oh no Peter that wasn't your fault.” Peter looked at her skeptically, and she assumed he thought she was only trying to cheer him up. “It's the truth. Someone was crashing into the back of the bus and the driver got flustered and swerved. She said she saw a man on the road, but by then she had already lost control.”

Peter hung his head down and stared at the ground. “This is bad. No one's from the past is supposed to see me. I mean, I know you see me, but you know me and I can trust you to keep this between us...right?”

She looked at him, and she felt dumb because her mouth was hanging open. She didn't know why she was acting so flustered around him, not since she had run away from home to see him in the first place. “You ... you trust me?” she asked, feeling her throat dry up from the anxiety.

Peter gave one of his crooked smiles. “Of course. You saved my life, Claire Bennet. You're my hero.”

She was speechless. She had a million things she wanted to say to him and …well, she had a million hugs she wanted to give him, but she just couldn't jumpstart the motion yet, and she stood there silently and awkwardly in front of him.

Finally, she broke the heavy atmosphere and playfully punched him on the arm. She gave him a winning smile, rolled her eyes and said, “Silly, you're my hero.”

He grinned, chuckling a little and then looking away shyly. Claire thought it was cute that an older man (not much older she hoped) would act like that because of her.

“Well,” he said, obviously diverting the conversation - and ruining the forming moment - and looking ahead. “It's late, and you probably need to rest. While I was popping around this area, I found an abandoned shack over in those trees. So uh… we should at least seek shelter for the night.”

“Right,” Claire nodded, looking away and feeling deluded that anything would come between them out of that simple flirtation. However, she was certain she had seen him look at her knowingly, and she intended to find out more about what he knew ... and what he felt.

And she didn't care about some geeky-jabber-time talk that she couldn't learn the future. Didn't she know enough already? So what did it matter?

“Let's go, Claire,” Peter said, bringing her out of her daze and then tugging her arm. “This way.”

She nodded, and she picked up her pace to walk beside him.

To Be Continued...

AN: Sorry if you're having any difficulty understanding what's going on based on all the time traveling and memory jumps. I hope it will make more sense soon. Thanks for the support!