39Claire: Go Candy! You can do it! WHOOO!
Candy: Of all times you choose now to become a cheerleader? I have a migraine the size of...something huge!
Sylar: -snicker- I know something hu-
Candy: ...Don't you dare say what's on your mind. Here I am slaving away writing you a chapter, and all you're doing is thinking of your over large head!
Sylar: ...
Candy: -blush- NOT THAT!
Claire: ...OHHH now I get it...EW!
Sylar: You know you like it ;)
"Yes, it's me...Uncle Jim," Sylar sighed.
"What!?" Claire screeched.
"Uncle Jim?! I thought you were adopted!" Claire said confusedly. She glanced nervously at Sylar's uncle. Why was it that his family was overflowing with unnecessarily dangerous powers? And Sylar was so different from his uncle!
"You see Claire, my daddy gave me to his brother, who happened to have another brother, which is-"
"That'd be me miss."
"-him," Sylar finished. He grimaced. He'd never liked Uncle Jim too much, he was, to put it bluntly, too much of an opposite for Sylar to be comfortable with. Jim was hick, while Sylar thought himself "suave". Jim was bordering a bit on chubby, while Sylar considered himself very fit. What clashed most though, was that Jim was charismatic and kind, while Sylar was a loner and eccentric.
Putting it lightly.
"Damn Sylar, didn't know you had it in you! Always such a quite kid, you were...We~ll jus' lookit' you now, got yerself a fine piece of ass an' you're not lookin' as awkward as before!" Jim smiled innocently.
Claire was getting a bit more annoyed as each second passed by. She should want to kick Jim's ass for talking about her as if she were an object, but he looked too pure.
Ha! There's a thought! One of Sylar's relatives is pure! Claire thought. A wave of guilt washed over her as she thought that. What's happening to me? she mentally wailed.
Sylar, however, was not as receptive as Claire to Uncle Jim's thinly veiled contempt for Claire's presence. In fact, he was wondering why he hadn't turned around and walked away as soon as he saw who had answered the door.
"She's not an object," Sylar said calmly, pretending to be completely nonchalant. Inwardly, though, he was in turmoil. Why had he just stuck up for Claire? Their relationship, and even that seemed a stretch, was completely business. One less villain for her to hunt down, and he didn't end up like his bastard of a father.
Which was ironic, really, because he was the bastard.
"Shucks, Gabe, no need to get yer knickers in a twist." Jim snorted as he recalled a funny memory. "Hey miss, did Gabe here ever tell you 'bout that time when 'e took his mum's..." Sylar's face paled when he realized what Jim was referring to.
"Took his mum's what?" Claire asked curiously.
"No, Jim, really, p-please don't tell her," Claire raised an eyebrow. Sylar had the capabilities to stutter? And beg?
"Please, continue," Claire said, smiling coyly.
Why that little...is she fucking smirking at me?! Sylar thought angrily.
"Lil Gabe here thought it'd be right funny to take his mum's make up an' smear it all over his face. Damn funny sight it was, too!" Jim smiled again, and Claire burst out laughing.
Sylar groaned. Dammit, that son-of-a-bitch! It took all of his newly acquired self-control to not kill Uncle Jim right then and there. He looked around the room, searching for anything to distract him from his growing instinctual need to slaughter.
His eyes found Claire.
He stared intently at her, though not really realizing he was doing so. He watched as she laughed softly, the way her eyes crinkled from her smile, and how dimples seemed to surround her smile. A lock of hair quivered and fell to block her face, and Sylar had the strangest urge to tuck it back behind her ear.
Bennet was right. I've officially gone insane. Sylar shook his head. This was Claire! As in, "I'm going to be a cheerleading hero! I don't need anyone's help!" Claire! The only reason that he even put up with her was because he wanted to change!
And the reason for that would be...? Sylar shifted uncomfortably. At first it had been so he didn't end up like his father, but now...now he felt like he needed to prove himself. To Claire.
"Oh, shit!" Sylar said aloud. Claire and Jim looked at him.
"It's okay to have fooled around a bit when you were a kid," Claire said, chuckling. "I'll have you know that I once danced around in my dad's glasses and got so dizzy from wearing them I fainted." Claire's voice got softer with each word. Sylar looked at her intently.
"Well, Uncle Jim, it seems we have to take an early leave," Sylar said apologetically. "I'm so sorry to have troubled you." Sylar felt his mouth burn as he spewed these lies.
"That's a darn shame, now ain't it Gabe! Say... why'dyou come an' visit me anyhow? You ne'er come an' visit much," Jim said thoughtfully.
"Oh. Well..." Sylar smirked as he thought of a plan that would no doubt distract Claire from whatever was troubling her—not that he cared—and so, put it into action. "I needed to introduce you to my...fiance, didn't I?"
"W-what!" Claire exclaimed, head snapping up.
"You don't say! Well she's a keeper Gabe, you better keep 'er. I'll see you 'round at the weddin' right?" Jim said excitedly.
"Of course. Goodbye Uncle Jim," Sylar smiled as he walked out the door, dragging an extremely confused Claire with him. He slammed the door behind them and Claire jumped right out of his grasp.
"Sylar...would you mind telling me what the hell that was in there?" Claire said this quietly, but her voice was so cold that Sylar could feel himself freezing up with every word.
This is ridiculous. Future-ex-serial killers do not freeze, especially for Claire. "It was fun."
"Fun?! FUN?! You call purposely irritating me beyond belief FUN?!" Claire shrieked.
"...yes?" Sylar said hopefully. Claire raised an eyebrow, clearly unamused. He sighed. "Alright fine. I was, er, not to say I was worried, but, um...What's wrong?" Better to ask point blank, right?
"Did you just stutter?"
"Don't take advantage of my newfound kindness, no matter how minuscule it may be," he snapped. "Answer the question?"
"Oh. It's just...well my dad's never exactly been around, and you made sure that we'd been fighting lately." Claire made sure to shoot him a pointed glance at that. "Is it weird of me to miss him? I really miss the dad I used to have when I was ten...before all this happened." She made a noncommittal gesture with her arm, dismissing the subject.
Sylar, not sensing the dismissal, plowed ahead with an answer to her rhetorical question. "It's not weird. He's your dad, though admittedly not a very good one. It's natural to miss him."
"...Do you miss yours?" Claire asked carefully.
Shit. I walked right into that one, didn't I? Sylar berated himself. Why was it that he was acting so strange with Claire? So disgustingly nice! He wasn't looking for a nice demeanor, he was looking for control over his fucking powers! So...why...why...
"Sylar? Sylar!" Claire exclaimed.
Sylar came back to Earth. "What?" he asked irritably.
"I asked if you missed him," Claire said.
"...I never had a father to miss. I do, however, feel a gap where there should have been one. And yes, I miss my mother," he said, pointedly answering her next question.
Claire was silent. When someone you barely know spills that much of themselves to you, there isn't much more you can do.
Candy: I'm afraid that there was a leak in the OOC Corner, and some of the OOCness may have spilled into the chapter :( Sorry guys!
Claire: Like I care? Sylar was bearable!
Sylar: Haha cheerleader. You're just mad that I didn't show you something huge.
Noah: Sylar, I swear to god, if you corrupt my Claire-Bear
Claire: Dad? What're you doing here?
Noah: Candy realized that by now I should have gone all spazzy overprotective by now, so I'll be coming in soon. BUT I am still capable of being overprotective here, so Sylar, stay away from my Claire-Bear!
Candy: My GOD will you guys all get over yourselves!