Always

"So, how long until you get here?"

"Hmmm... about five minutes. I'm almost at the front door."

"Alright then, see you."

"Right."

I ended the call and placed my phone on my desk before reclining onto the bed, my gaze fixed on the ceiling. It'd had been hours since Sarah left and it was now four pm.

School had already closed and because of that, in just a couple of minutes, Claire would be here for our chat.

I had already asked my dad if she could come and he agreed, only because I said she'd be here to study so there was no trouble on that front.

The only problem was what I was going to say but I'd already planned it out. It was time to come clean, no more half-truths or mixed lies.

If my plan was to work, she needed to know everything—about Sylar, her father, the Company, everything. It'd make everything easier and besides, it was time she knew everything...

Suddenly, the faint sound of the doorbell echoed through the house, pulling my attention toward the door.

"Xander, Claire's here!" My dad's voice rang out from downstairs.

It must be Claire.

"Coming!" I yelled back and got up from the bed, heading towards the door. As I descended the staircase, I caught sight of Claire standing behind my dad, who was in the process of closing the door.

She was dressed in a dark brown turtleneck sweater, blue jeans that accentuated her figure, and black sneakers. Silver earrings dangled from her ears, and her lustrous blonde hair styled in beach waves together with her glossy pink lips completed her fashionable look.

Her brown bag hung casually over her shoulder, and as our eyes met, we exchanged smiles.

"Okay, guys, make sure you study and no loud sounds," My dad instructed, his tone serious. "You got that?" He gave me a stern look, and I almost rolled my eyes.

"Sure, Dad."

"Got it, Mr. Andersen," Claire and I nodded in understanding, and he smiled. "Then have fun studying." He settled onto one of the sofas, remote control in hand.

"Let's go," I gestured for Claire to follow me and began my ascent without waiting for her response. Once on the second floor, I waited for her to catch up and then opened my room's door, gallantly inviting her in with a nod and a smirk.

She rolled her eyes in response and entered the room. I followed her and locked the door behind us.

"Nice room you've got here," Claire complimented as she surveyed my tidy space, standing in front of my desk. "Not what I was expecting."

"I do my best," I shrugged nonchalantly with a smile and moved toward my bed. "By the way, you look gorgeous. Don't tell me you have a date tonight." I genuinely complimented her with a playful smile.

"I wish, and thanks for the compliment," she sighed playfully, her cheeks coloring with a hint of blush. But then, her expression turned serious. "But that's not going to get you out of this, Mister. So, start spilling."

She crossed her arms, her gaze fixed on me.

Hearing this, I sighed and plopped down on the bed, a wry smile playing on my lips. "Alright, alright, since you can't relax for even a single minute, where do you want me to begin?"

"...To start off, please tell me what the hell you did with my blood?" She interrogated, her tone firm.

"You're going to have to sit down for this," I advised calmly. She raised an eyebrow and kept her arms crossed. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Okay, so I basically used your blood to bring someone back, back from the dead."

"Huh?" Her arms dropped to her sides as she uttered in disbelief. "You said you did what?"

"I used your blood to bring someone back to life," I repeated calmly, shrugging. Her eyes widened, and she stared at me in shock.

"You're being serious," she managed to mutter amid her astonishment, slowly taking a seat on the chair. "This is not a joke, is it?"

I shook my head slowly, and she lowered her head slightly, massaging her temples with her dainty fingers.

"But... how is that even possible?" She asked incredulously, more to herself, before raising her head to look at me. "How can my blood bring someone back from the dead? It's impossible."

"Impossible? Nothing's impossible in this little world of ours, Claire. You should know that by now," I remarked seriously. "Trust me, there are things a whole lot freakier."

"...How did you know my blood could do that when even I didn't?" She paused for a moment and looked at me with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"Just guessed, to be honest," I shrugged calmly and lied, after gathering my thoughts. "I figured whatever special cells or molecules that make you heal would be circulating in your body through your blood. So, I thought giving your blood to someone else would heal them, and I was right. It worked."

"...I see. And who was the lucky person?"

"Eden, your father's... let's just say, coworker," I replied, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Wait, Eden? I know her. I've seen her hanging around my dad at the paper factory before," She said, astonished, and then quickly asked, "How come she's dead or died, and how do you even know about her?"

Instead of answering all her questions, I sighed and a frown settled on my face.

"To answer those questions, Claire, I need to tell you something first. It's about your father. I've found out who he truly is."

She instantly froze, her frown deepening as she snapped out of it, her gray eyes narrowing as they bore into mine.

"...What did you find out?" She asked, trying to sound calm, but her voice betrayed her anxiousness.

"It's a pretty long story, and I don't think you're going to like it very much."

"Thankfully, I have time, so just say it, Xander."

"Alright, if you say so," I glanced outside my balcony window, noticing the sun gradually setting, and took a deep breath. "You see, the thing you're right about your dad not being a paper sales manager. He's more than that. He's a Company Agent."

"Company Agent? Which company? PrimaTech?"

"No, it's something much more," I shook my head. "Here, let me explain. You see, the Company is a secret organization created..."

And with that, I proceeded to tell her everything I knew about the Company. Well, almost everything at least.

"...Wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight. So basically, what you're telling me is that my dad is some kind of secret agent for a secret organization that specializes in tracking, apprehending, and sometimes killing superhumans like us?

"And that my dad or this organization rescued Sylar after your fight with him and took him to their secret base to heal him. Which he then used as an advantage to escape the underground base, killing Eden as a result.

"This same Eden who is also a superhuman, like us, who you brought back to life with my blood because she'd be helpful in stopping Sylar in the future.

"Because Peter saw a vision where he'd be the one who'd blow up New York City like a human nuclear bomb.

"And that finally, you know all this because of your second power which essentially makes you see or know some 'things' and also because you've infiltrated the secret base before.

"...Remind me if I'm missing something?"

"No, that's basically everything in a nutshell."

"Oh God, this is insane," Claire groaned in frustration, holding the side of her lowered head with her face crestfallen and pale. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner? This... is just too crazy to be true."

"It wasn't long I found out myself, and I was just as shocked as you are," I answered her somberly. "But this is the truth, Claire, the pure unadulterated truth. I wouldn't make this up; you have to believe me."

"Oh, I believe you, Xander, I believe all of it," she said quietly, her voice low and trembling, still looking down. "It's... just so much to process right now." She looked up at me, and I could see her eyes reddening as they started to water.

I felt a deep pang in my heart when I saw this and sighed internally. I stood up and moved to envelop her in a hug, patting her head gently. She reciprocated intensely.

"I understand, Claire. But you'll manage because that's who you are, Claire, you're strong. And nothing can change that, not even your father," I whispered softly into her ear.

"A lot of bad things are going to happen, Claire, and I'm not just talking about Sylar," I continued, my tone grave and serious. "For that, I'm going to need your help, Claire. Otherwise, I don't think I can stop them or... even survive. So, I've got to ask, at least this once. Will you help and support me in fighting the bad guys, Claire? Will you help me survive what's to come?"

I pushed her back gently to look at her face and asked seriously, our faces just a few inches apart, my heart unconsciously racing. Her sweet scent enveloped us.

She stared into my eyes for a while and then smiled warmly, her cheeks reddening. She nodded seriously, her gray eyes full of conviction and emotion.

"Of course, Xander. Whatever you need. We're in this together, always," she stated meaningfully, as a matter of fact, and this made me beam at her, getting lost in her eyes.

"Always..."

...It was done. Sorry Claire, but all this was necessary...

•••

Sorry for the late update guys. My phone unfortunately wasn't working, couldn't even turn it on, so I couldn't post the chapters. Thankfully, it's alright now so I'm back on track. So be expecting more juicy chapters.

As always, if you want to read ahead or support me, check out my Pàtreon and sorry again for the inconvenience.

Thank you and enjoy the Weekdays.