for whack_a_muse: this isn't supposed to happen (rp with <lj site="livejournal.com" user="its_notluc

[heroslayer]

Claire didn’t want to be there when they brought Sylar out; she wasn’t sure that was something she wanted to see because she didn’t want to be there when Nathan faded away and became nothing more than a memory. Still, Edgar had convinced her that she should be there. It took a bit of cajoling but he managed to convince her to meet with Samuel.

So, wearing Nathan’s jacket over her clothes, she went in search of Samuel with an Edgar shadow lingering behind her. Finding the man near the House of Mirrors, she wet her lips with a nervous flick of her tongue as she got closer to him. “Hi,” she murmured, glancing back at the knife thrower before looking at Samuel once more. “You wanted me?”

"I did," Samuel answered, nodding. "It's time to wake him up -- Lydia's bringing him along now -- and I thought a familiar face might help. No matter what the circumstances."

"You know he might not be really happy to see me, right?" She arched a brow at him, wrapping her arms around herself as she glanced around to see if Lydia and 'Nathan' were approaching.

"That's why we're doing this here."

He gestured towards the House of Mirrors, but beyond that he made no effort to clarify. Not that he would have had a chance to even if he'd wanted to, Lydia appearing from the other side of the building, hands fisted in her skirt to keep it from being destroyed by the mud that had followed in the wake of the previous night's rain. Nathan followed behind her, free from whatever Samuel had done to him to keep him sedated and relatively unmindful of the puddles, clomping through them determinedly, a frown on his lips.

Lydia stopped short of the growing crowd; Nathan continue to march forward until he had joined the group. He shot a glance between Claire and Samuel, disapproving, and then he demanded, "Someone want to tell me what the hell's going on?"

Claire would have asked for an explanation but she didn't get the chance as she looked over to notice that Lydia and Nathan were approaching. There was a sharp tug at her heart, an almost heart breaking feeling as she had a hard time meeting the man's eyes as she glanced over at Samuel as though he had all the answers. She wasn't sure what she could even say.

Come into the House of Mirrors so that we can release Sylar. No, that wouldn't do.

Samuel offered Nathan an easy smile, holding up his hands defensively. "There's something in there I'd like you to see. After that, you're free to go."

Nathan looked over at the building, and then back at Claire -- or, more accurately, at the man hovering behind her. He didn't like this idea much, but if it earned him his freedom, he'd humor him. On one condition. "Your buddy going to follow me in and harass me again?"

Edgar chuckled at the statement which got him a little nudge from Lydia as she moved to stand beside him. Claire glanced over at the two of them before looking back at Samuel and Nathan, shaking her head. "He won't follow."

"She's right," Edgar piped up with a slight smirk on his mouth.

The senator offered Edgar a look that was particularly murderous even for him and then sighed. "Fine, right. Whatever." He gestured towards the building, suggesting that Samuel lead. "Let's go."

Another small smile and Samuel wheeled on his heels, dipping his fingers into the pockets of his coat as he moved towards the building. He paused just outside of it, one hand free of his pocket for a moment to press against the door frame as he cast a look over his shoulder to make sure Nathan and Claire were following, and then he turned back heading inside. Shaking his head, Nathan moved to join him.

Claire caught the look that Nathan shot towards Edgar and a slight chill ran down her spine as she half considered stepping between the two of them but she reminded herself that Sylar wasn't free yet. There was no way he would attack Edgar ... but later ...

She pushed the darker thoughts out of her head as she moved to follow Samuel, nibbling over her bottom lip as she glanced over at Nathan as he followed along. She wanted to take his hand but she wasn't sure she could touch him at the moment. She was sure she would break if she did So she chose to slide her hands into the pockets of the jacket instead, stepping into the House.

Strangely, this time there seemed to be more light in the House, filtering through the spaces between the glass from some unknown source in such a way it seemed almost mystical. The path seemed less disturbingly complex, too, though maybe that had something to do with the fact that Samuel seemed to know it, leading them through the maze of mirrors without effort. In fact, the only thing that seemed to have remained unchanged about the place was the fact that the further they got into the mirrors, the less sound filtered through from outside. Not that there had been much going on out there in the first place, the carnival not yet open for the day, but it was still oddly noticeable, the sounds of chores being done bleeding away to next to nothing.

If Samuel noticed this, however, he paid it no mind, instead continuing to lead them forward. He stopped only once they had reached a small room at what felt like the back of the building, floor length mirrors on each of the walls barring them from going any further. "Here we are."

"You wanted me to see a glass room?" Nathan asked, his eyes darting from reflection to reflection, still clearly disturbed by the place even though it seemed much less threatening now. "Great. Nice place. Can we go now?"

Turning, Samuel pressed his shoulders against one of the mirrors, sinking back against it, his hands still trapped in his pockets. "Actually, there's something else I wanted you to see. Damian just tells me this is the best place to do it."

It was easy to notice the change in the House of Mirrors as she followed Samuel, walking along quietly with Nathan on her heels. The House seemed brighter than before, not as hard to figure out as they made their way towards the center to a room that she didn't recognize from the last time. The only thing that was the same was the lack of noise as the silence became deafening around them. It was enough to send a chill up her spine but that was probably because she knew what was going to happen next.

Entering the glass room, she stepped to the side to let Nathan walk in and she switched her attention to him as he looked around. He looked spooked and she felt bad because of it. She could have told him to run but she stayed silent as she stood there, swallowing the nerves down.

Nathan caught Claire's reflection in the mirror and frowned. She looked just as upset as he did, though he had the vague, nagging feeling that it was for different reasons, and he shifted a bit uncomfortably. Whatever this was, whatever Samuel planned on showing him, he was suddenly certain he wasn't going to like it much and there was no escape. No way to fly away, no way to run as he was certain he wouldn't be able to navigate back through the mirrors despite how easy it had seemed coming in. Nothing to do but stand here and bite the bullet, and he wasn't sure he liked the idea much, even if it earned him his freedom. It felt too much like something his mother would do, trapping him like this.

That in mind, he said nothing, and in the silence, Samuel pulled something out of his pocket, filthy fingers obscuring it for the most part, and offered it to Nathan. "Do you know what this is?"

Hesitantly, he reached out for the thing -- the watch -- taking it from him, his sour expression deepening as he read the name printed under cracked crystal. "This is Sylar's, right?" He looked up at Samuel, sharply. "Where'd you get this?"

"A friend of mine returned it to me."

"Returned it to you?" Nathan snorted, looking back at the watch, inexplicably drawn to staring at it. "Sorry, man, but last time I checked, you were a kidnapper not a murderer."

When Nathan looked at her, Claire glanced over and briefly met his gaze but it wasn't long before her own gaze skittered away to look at Samuel when he pulled something out of his pocket. She knew what it was, of course. It was the very reason Angela had been hurt and Samuel believed that it could somehow undo whatever Matt Parkman had done to Sylar's mind to lock his memories away.

She wasn't surprised Nathan was irritated and confused because he had no idea what was coming. Sighing softly, she reached up to brush some hair back from her face as she looked at the watch and then fixed Samuel with a particular look at Nathan's comment because Angela had nearly died.

Samuel ignored the look. "Kidnapper seems a bit unfair, I think. We didn't steal you away in the middle of the night -- you came here, to us, of your own free will."

"Yeah, and then you drugged me up so I didn't know my ass from a hole in the ground," he shot back, his voice nothing more than a murmur, attentions fixed on the watch. Samuel didn't bother to correct him, and Nathan continued to stare down at the watch, rapt. "... what's wrong with this? The watch?"

"It's broken."

Nathan managed to pull his attentions from the watch long enough to offer Samuel a quick, hazy look from under his eyebrows. "Not what I meant. It's -- there's something ... "

"I said something about free will, earlier -- how you came here to us," the other man started, slowly. "I should tell you that it's the first choice you've made under your own power for weeks, now. Months, even. Think about it -- think about what you've been doing in the last few months. About the whys. You wouldn't make these choices on your own, would you? You wouldn't feel like this -- like you're fighting against your nature -- if it weren't true. If you weren't missing something vital. Your freedom and more."

He said nothing, tracing his thumb over the cracked crystal, and as he did so, his skin shuddered, something underneath it rebelling in response to Samuel's words. The barker smiled. "The watch isn't the only thing broken."

Claire had to hand it to Samuel, he had a way with words. He had a way of speaking and making it sound like whatever he had to say was the best possible thing. Like he had all the answers and he was willing to share them if you just listened. She had a feeling he could sell ice to eskimos if he really wanted to.

She could see it was working, too. As she watched Nathan, she saw the hazy eyes and the confused look on his face. He looked like he had been lost but was now just starting to figure it out, like all his answers were right there in reach. As his features rippled, she closed her eyes because she couldn't watch. She didn't want to see the exact moment everything changed and so she waited in silence, blocking it all out.

"Angela Petrelli. Matt Parkman. Noah Bennet. They betrayed you," Samuel continued, something near glee lighting in his eyes. "They took something from you -- your memories, your mind -- but I can help you. I am helping you. Everything you need, everything you are -- it's right there in that watch. All you need to do is reach out and take it."

Nathan hummed softly, another shiver running through him, this one violent, threatening a change.

"It's time to wake up, Sylar. It's time to come home."

That seemed to do it. He sucked in a deep breath, straightening suddenly, the watch slipping from his fingers as he lost the strength to hold onto it. It clattered to the floor loudly, Nathan following it down a moment later on his hands and knees, breathing hard as if he'd just been punched in the gut. He grit his teeth, fumbling for the watch for whatever reason, and the second he touched it again he seemed to bleed away, his facial features shifting, hair growing out all on its own. Before too long, it was Sylar crouch there, gasping for air, rather than Claire's father, and around them strangely, the mirrors seemed to hum their approval.

The mention of the betrayal caused a flicker in her, a combination of a cringe and a surge of anger as she curled her hands into tight fists. She could hear the obvious joy in Samuel's voice as they were just steps closer to bringing Sylar out and freeing him from the Nathan Petrelli jail he had been placed in. It sounded like he was taking all the credit for it but she didn't say anything as she heard Nathan make another noise.

Then the watch was hitting the floor and her eyes snapped open as she watched Nathan hit the floor as well. She hadn't wanted to watch it happen but she did. Right in front of her eyes, she watched the shudder that swept Nathan away and replaced him with her own personal nightmare. One that she was helping to unleash. As the mirrors hummed around them, she didn't stop herself from taking a step closer but that was all the move she made as she watched warily.

She was expecting an attack at any moment.

Slowly, hazily, Sylar looked up from where he'd been fallen. Rather than look full of murderous intent, however, he looked strangely hollow and almost afraid. "Where -- " He paused, clearing his throat as if he either didn't trust his voice or didn't recognize the sound of it. "Where am I?"

Samuel pushed away from the wall to crouch down next to him, a hand going to his shoulder automatically. "It's alright. You're safe, Sylar. Among friends."

"Sylar?"

Claire heard the tone of Sylar's voice and the look on his face. Looking at Samuel, she looked just as confused as the man kneeling on the floor. "What's wrong?" She moved around then, moving to stand on the other side of the killer.

"Sylar." She knelt down beside him, searching his features. He would have to recognize her, wouldn't he?

He turned to look at her, eyes wild and bewildered. "Who ... ?"

"You ... you're Sylar." She said his name firmly, trying to get it into his head but the confused look told her that it wasn't sinking in. Warily, she straightened as she looked at Samuel. "What's going on?" Was it possible Sylar still didn't know who he was? Or was he merely tricking them? If so, for what reason?

"He should know who I am," she stated, glancing down at Sylar once more.

Samuel rocked back on his heels, arms draping over his knees, and studied Sylar for a moment. He couldn't seem to find the source of the problem, as was evident by the sour look on his face, and figuring that would speak for itself, he didn't bother to answer Claire. Instead, he asked, "What's your name?"

"I don't know," Sylar answered, looking between Claire and Samuel, slowly. "She's -- you both called me Sylar, but that's not my name."

"Then what's your name?" Claire asked softly, crossing her arms once again.

"I don't know," he repeated, sharply. "I can't remember."

Pursing her lips, she looked at Samuel and then sighed, glancing down again. "Your name is Sylar." A slight hesitation as she was worried she would choke on the next words but she managed to get them out. "I'm Claire ... a friend of yours."

He looked at her for a moment as if he didn't truly believe that, but he made no comment to that effect. "Where am I?"

Claire could see that he didn't quite believe her and so his instincts were right. "At his carnival." She nodded towards Samuel.

"Why can't I remember anything?"

"I wish I could tell you," Samuel answered, his expression betraying both disappointment and anger, albeit barely, "but as I said -- you're safe with us. We're friends."

She wasn't quite sure that she got it either but she imagined it would be fairly easy to figure out. "We should get him somewhere he can lie down." Rather than stay in the creepy House of Mirrors. "And we should figure out what's going on." In other words, they needed a mind reader or someone who could tell them why they had brought out Sylar in physical form but his memories were still gone.

The barker nodded mutely, pushing back up to his feet before offering the other man a hand up. Sylar frowned at him for a moment, and then he reached up, pulling himself up off the ground, too. He hesitated for a moment, then leaned back down briefly to snatch the watch off the ground, fingers clinging to it as if it was some kind of security blanket.

Turning away from them both, she hurried ahead a couple of steps as she needed to get out of the House and into the fresh air. She felt nauseous and confused, something she didn't really enjoy. When she got outside, she could see Lydia and Edgar lingering outside, both looking worried and then confused by the expression on her face. Or Edgar did but there was an odd expression on Lydia's face as she looked past Claire to look for Samuel and Sylar.

Samuel caught the look as he appeared, Sylar in tow behind him, and shook his head viciously. Lydia looked surprised for a moment, then passingly upset, and moved away, headed back to whatever she'd been doing before. That, thankfully, didn't seem to aggitate Samuel further.

"He can stay with you," he told Claire as they rejoined Edgar. "Familiar face, and it'll suit until I can find somewhere else for him."

Claire turned around sharply to look at Samuel. "What?" she hissed, keeping her voice low as she looked over at Sylar and then back.

Calmly, Samuel repeated himself. "He stays with you."

For a moment it looked like Edgar might argue for Claire but one glance at Samuel had him staying quiet as he glanced over at the young girl apologetically. Seething and biting down a sharper response, Claire glanced over at Sylar who looked lost and then she nodded. "Fine," she bit out, motioning at man in question. "Come on."

Sylar looked between the two of them, half-certain he was imposing somehow, but eventually he nodded. "Alright."

At that moment, Claire didn't really seem to care as she started away and then paused to make sure he was following before she started back towards the trailer she had been given. One she was meant to share with Sylar now.

He followed after her, looking around as they passed the attractions and back towards the more private areas of the carnival. Twice, he worked his jaw as if to say something -- what, even he wasn't sure -- and twice he stopped himself. Despite Claire and Samuel's reassurances, he didn't feel welcome here, and that, he figured, meant he wasn't allowed to ask questions. And so he simply resigned himself to his fate, whatever that might be, as it wasn't as though he could do much else.

He was a prisoner to their whims, knowing nothing beyond what little he'd seen so far, and he was sharply aware of it.


Muse: Gabriel Gray (Sylar)
Fandom: Heroes
Word Count: 3350
Note: Samuel is offering_hope and is all mine to use and abuse. Edgar is right_handman and is used with love and permission. The use of Lydia is not directed at any specific muse.