Heroes Fan Fiction ❯ Girl in the Painting ❯ Chapter Ten ( Chapter 10 )

AN: This chapter contains very mild adult themes with an underage fictional character. Please be warned.

 

Girl in the Painting

Chapter Ten -

After Isaac got off the phone with Nathan, he assured Claire that her father was sending people over for their protection until she saw Mr. Bennet again.

"Don't worry, Claire. Nathan is taking care of everything."

Claire shrugged her shoulders and gave Isaac a weak smile. Obviously, she didn't feel safe enough, but was glad Isaac was trying to help. "Okay. Hopefully whoever Nathan sends can stand up to Sylar if he comes after us again."

Isaac nodded and looked off through the window thoughtfully. "That fall might have injured him a lot. It'll be awhile before he tries again. Hopefully you'll be in Paris by then."

Claire frowned after he said that, and he inwardly winced when he saw disappointment in her eyes. "I don't want to go to Paris. I want to stay here."

Isaac sat down beside her on the sofa, and he put a hand on her shoulder and said, "You have to, Claire. Or all of this fighting to save you would be in vain."

She broke away from his gaze and stared at her hands in her lap. She fidgeted with her fingers and answered, "What if he follows me to Paris?"

"I don't know, but there's a chance he won't find out. I know that Nathan and his mother have connections to keep you safe from Sylar. I don't know what those connections are, but if they are going to help us, we have no choice but to trust them."

Claire turned to him and asked pleadingly, "You're coming to Paris with me, right?"

Isaac dropped his hand from her shoulder, reluctant to answer. He wanted to be truthful with Claire, especially after what had happened with Sylar. He valued Claire too much in his life to keep things from her now. "No. I can't. I promised Nathan and Bennet that I would help them as long as I can. I know it seems like all I do is paint here, but I do believe my paintings can help stop against Sylar - and even more importantly to prevent against Peter exploding."

When Claire heard Peter's name, her attention piqued and she'd almost forgotten about him during the fight with Sylar. Her eyes widened when she remembered that the only danger wasn't Sylar, and if Peter didn't get a hold of his powers, he could destroy millions of people. She spoke to Isaac in desperate tones, "Peter's going to gain control isn't he? Do you really think he's going to explode?"

Isaac bit his lip. His anxiety heightened at the way Claire reacted to Peter's name. Obviously, she was still very close to him, uncle or not, and he tried to keep his jealousy at bay. Even though he had saved Claire from Sylar, Peter would always be important to her; she would still love him because Peter was amazing and he came to save her first. His eyes darted away from her gaze awkwardly, and then he sighed. "I don't know," he said. "We can only hope he doesn't come in contact with an ability that is so powerful he's unable to control it."

"But how can we know? Peter could be anywhere." She looked down at her lap mournfully and played with her sleeves. Quietly she replied, "I tried looking for him at Simone's house, and he wasn't there. And then..." Isaac watched regret and shame in her expression, and she appeared like she was feeling guilty for getting attacked by Sylar.

He grabbed her shoulders and replied, "Hey, hey, it's alright now, Claire. It's over and we're all safe." Isaac paused and then smiled at her. "You're safe, and it's all because you're braver than all of us."

Tears painted her face, and she choked back a sob. She laughed nervously, trying to mask the pain. "No way," she chuckled. She tapped him on the nose playfully. "I really think Bat Boy deserves all the credit on that one."

Isaac laughed, leaning his head against her forehead and then taking her hand in his, caressing her delicate fingers. He responded in a low, smooth voice, "Well, I couldn't have done it without my trusty sidekick, Window Girl."

Claire sniffled but laughed uncontrollably, wiping her tears away and shining with mirth. He heard her yell out "Window Girl" and then giggle some more, and when she began leaning back into the sofa, he pulled her up, close to his face. Her laughter died down when he met her eyes with a serious expression. He felt her breath on his face, and her eyes watched with adoration and wonder.

"Claire, I'm sorry..." Isaac finally said. "I should have never kept that from you about your dad. I should have never put you in that kind of danger." He leaned into her again, his soft hair brushing against her forehead. "I'm so sorry," he repeated, and soon he felt her fingers slip through his hair soothingly. He bent his head up and made her a solemn promise. "I'll never lie or keep anything from you ever again."

"I know." She smiled at him, trust filling her green eyes. "But it doesn't matter, Isaac. You saved me, and that's all that counts." She paused, reveling in the relief on his face.  She looks at him sadly. "I'm just sorry about Simone. She got in Sylar's way, and I wish we could have saved her."

Surprisingly, Claire noticed that Isaac had smiled at her instead of appearing sad at mention of Simone's name. She knew that he was still mourning her and that Simone would always be important to Isaac. However, she wondered if the way Isaac treated her was a sign she was important to him as well.

Isaac squeezed her hand, and she looked up at him as he touched her. His voice was just above a whisper when he said, "I'm glad you're safe. I don't want to lose anyone else important in my life, and I'll make sure of that."

His smooth, low voice made her shiver, and she felt warmth form in her belly as his words filtered into her ears. She inhaled deeply, feeling trapped in a euphoric moment of time while Isaac sat close to her. When he tried to release her hand, she pulled him back. Impulsively, she smashed her lips against his. She felt him freeze to her touch, and slowly he began kissing her back. She moved her tongue eagerly past his lips, delighting in his taste.

'Oh, he feels so good,' Claire immediately thought, and she pushed her body against him with urgency. She felt his hands pull at her shoulders bringing her closer against his chest. Automatically, she felt her body move on instinct, climbing into his lap and circling her arms around his neck. His teeth nibbled lightly at her lip, tugging on it before plunging his tongue deep into her hot mouth again, fiercer and hungrier than before. She moaned low, muffled by his frenetic lips, and she moved her fingers through his hair, pulling his face toward her, taking his tongue in deep. He grunted, the sound vibrating against her teeth as she began to grind against him, rubbing against his hardness. Quickly he moved his hands, squeezing her thighs hard as she bucked against him.

"Isaac..." she whispered so low, it felt like a hot summer wind against his face. She moaned again, and he almost lost himself. His arms began to shake, and he started to buckle under the excitement. He wanted nothing more than to pick her up and throw her down over his sofa to love and fuck her, mindlessly and artfully so.

"Claire," he muttered, his face rubbing against her hardening nipple over her light clothes. "Claire... we should stop."

"Ungh..." she moaned in protest, shaking her head and bucking her pelvis against him. "No, please..."

She was begging now, and Isaac was so close to relenting. But this wasn't right, and she was too young, and it was all just too fast. He could count on his hands the days she had worked here. It didn't matter that he had painted her in a prophetic dream, that he had saved her not once but twice from Sylar's clutches - he couldn't take her. Not now. He might have loved her, but he thought it was perverse. He didn't want to take advantage of her, no matter how much she wanted it.

"I can't, I can't," Isaac said, freeing himself from her heated touch. He pushed her aside roughly, and he jumped up from the couch. Claire looked at him in surprise, her face still flushed and her chest heaving from the excitement. She looked rejected, realizing that she had just thrown herself at him and Isaac had refused her.

Isaac couldn't handle the pain that came along with that look, so he had to set things straight. "But I want to... I can't but I want to." He rubbed his head and ran his fingers roughly through his hair. He gave Claire a desperate look. "God I want to... so bad."

"Then why can't you?" Claire challenged, her voice edgier than usual.

Despite her anger, Isaac gave her a wry smile. "Because I could get into a lot of trouble..." He came back over to Claire and took her hand. "You're sixteen, right?" When she nodded, he felt like laughing. "Age of consent is 17 here in New York. So unless you want me to go to jail..."

"No," Claire said quickly. She rubbed her eyes and sighed loudly. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Yeah." Isaac looked down at her delicate fingers and started playing with them, entwining his calloused digits with hers. "It's okay, uh..." He stuttered awkwardly and bluntly asked, "So when do you turn seventeen?"

Claire laughed instantly, and she bent in and gave him a quick kiss. "You'll have to wait until next August."

Isaac grinned and then rolled his eyes, falling back into the sofa in defeat but still clutching her hands. "I guess so." He was silent for a moment, taking time to stare and burn her image into his mind. He said softly, "I can wait... I'd wait however I need to just to be with you, Claire."

She lifted his hands to her lips and kissed them, and then she rose from the couch. "I think I should go to bed then." She looked around the studio confused, wondering where he intended her to sleep.

"Take my bed. I'll stay out here tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Isaac replied breathlessly, and then he gave her a cheeky grin. "I need to go up top for a bit anyway... to cool off."

Claire shot him a seductive look, nodding as she sauntered off to his room. "Good night, Isaac," she purred, and he watched her disappear behind the door of his bedroom, his excitement still prevalent in his pants.

"Damn..." he said under his breath, and he made his way up the fire escape to the top of the building so he could have some time to think. It was obvious he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, not after making out with Claire and certainly not after knowing she'd be sleeping (and writhing) in his bed tonight - without him. "Damn," he repeated, wallowing in pity. “I have to wait almost a year..."

Thinking of Claire's lips against him, her body thrusting against his - he knew that waiting that long would definitely be worth it.

--

As soon as he had stepped one foot onto the roof top, he was immediately slammed against the fence that walled the building's antenna.

"Hey!" Isaac protested, and then Peter Petrelli materialized in front of him.

"You bastard, how dare you touch her like that!" Peter screamed at him, gripping his collar with one hand and pulling his fist back for a punch.

"Get off! I'm not going to hurt her!" Isaac shoved Peter away and caught his breath back. He sneered at Peter, who glared at him ready to attack again. "It's none of your business anyway, Peter."

Peter jabbed a finger warningly at him. "If you dare touch her against her will..."

"Shut up!" Isaac threw his hands up in exasperation and snorted. "Don't you get it? I'm important to Claire now, and she's important to me." He paused, and he eyed him sternly. "We have something, and I'm not going to give it up just because you can't have it."

Peter hadn't been too fond of that statement, so he lunged at Isaac and slammed him back into the fence again. Isaac winced from the sting of metal wire jabbing into his back. Isaac could tell Peter wanted to say something to him - deny that he had any feelings for Claire beyond being her uncle, but he didn't deny anything. He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave Isaac one last warning look. "I'll be watching you. You think you can take care of her - protect her? Fine. But the moment you hurt her, I'll know about it, and I'll be here." He glared at Isaac and said bitingly, "I'll be here to give you just what you deserve."

Peter began to walk away, and before he could fade out, Isaac said one last thing, "That's never going to happen, Peter. I'll make Claire happy; more than you ever could." When Peter vanished, Isaac looked around and yelled loudly to the wind. "I'm her hero now!"

Beyond anyone's visibility, Peter watched Isaac from the distance. A large hand clamped onto his shoulder and pulled him aside. In an English drawl, his companion beckoned him away to continue his training. In one last glance, Peter watched Isaac go back inside the building.

He knew that where Claire's protection was concerned it was time to pass the torch to Isaac. Peter hoped that Isaac could prove himself capable of honoring and protecting his precious Claire.

To Be Continued...