“C’mon Claire, we have leave now or we’ll be late.” Gretchen called from the door, jingling her keys for emphasis. “I told your dad we’d be there at two. It’s one forty and we still have a fifteen minute drive.” The blonde swept out of the bedroom of their flat wearing a simple black dress, still fiddling with her hair as she worked to put it up into scattered bun. “You look fine, shoes are by the door. The necklace is perfect.” The brunette said as Claire opened her mouth.
“I was going to say I’m ready, but those things are nice to know.” Claire responded as she slipped her wedges on. “You look good too. I like where you’ve been going with the androgynous angle lately. You look good in slacks and blazer.” She rose and pecked Gretchen on the lips. “I love you.” She grabbed the taller woman’s hand and led her out of the house. “Do you remember who else is showing up? I think Peter said he and Emma couldn’t make it. My mom and Lyle, with his girlfriend and her boyfriend are all showing. Gabriel said he’d try but Noah was sick. Matt and his family said yes.”
“You’re right; it’s us, your dad, his old primatech crush, Gabriel, Naoh, your family and co, and the Parkmans.” Gretchen counted off. “Hiro and Ando are trying to set up a skype call.” Claire sat in the passenger seat while Gretchen started the car. “Gabriel and Noah showed up early with the Parkmans to help your dad with the food.”
“How do you know?”
“I told them to. Your dad has made some progress since the divorce but no one trusts him with a whole feast.” Claire shot her wife a small grin.
“I’m amused by your instinct of self-preservation.”
“Not all of us are immune to sickness and disease, plus one of the few pleasures of the flesh you enjoy is a sense of taste. I don’t want a burned ham messing up a perfect Christmas.” The brunette took Claire’s hand. “I’ve been thinking about how strange it is that our vision of a perfect Christmas includes Gabriel eight years after he cut your head open.”
“Sylar cut my head open. Gabriel is a man that has done horrible things and is looking to repent for them. He counsels special people like us now to prevent what happened to him. He didn’t want to become what he did; he was pushed by my dad.” Claire responded tensely.
“Sorry, it was a slip.”
“Don’t apologize, I will. Conditioned response.” The blonde sighed. “It is surreal after all of the strange things that happened; we still want to get together every year.”
“It’s our version of normalcy really, your lives were all so strange when you were together for those four years that it’s comforting to get meet up once a year and see how normal you’ve all managed to become. Each year everyone has steeped further into regular society. Mortgages, car payments, jobs, therapy, those are all normal things you couldn’t have had before you jumped off that Ferris Wheel because you were too busy hiding the regeneration and trying to save the world and each other, usually from one of the other people like you.”
“I like it when you talk dirty to me, Miss Criminal Psychoanaylist.” Claire flirted playfully.
“Usually I’m on the other side of the law, Detective.” Gretchen giggled. They flexed their fingers around one another. “Beyond jokes, you’ve become a family. We’ve become a family.”
They arrived at Noah Bennet’s house with at one fifty-eight without incident but as soon as they had clambered out of the car two small forms bolted out of the house howling. “Noah, Matty how many times have I told you not run out of the house?” A beleaguered voice called out from the house. Lyle Bennet poked his head out the door as the boys collided with Claire and Gretchen.
“I missed you so much, Claire and Gretchen! Matty did too, but he doesn’t talk with words much.” The older boy grimaced as his younger counterpart gushed.
“We missed you too boys, but we’d better get back inside before Mother Lyle has a heart attack.” Claire teased, aiming her statement at her brother. Lyle grumbled but disappeared from the door way.
They’d just closed the door when Gabriel appeared from the kitchen wearing an apron and smiling broadly. Gretchen and the man embraced while Claire greeted him. “Claire, Gretchen, just on time. We weren’t expecting you for another hour, so you’ll have to play with the boys and Lyle. Everyone else is helping out in the kitchen, Janice has pie recipes.”
“My dad sent you to greet me? What kind of disaster is he managing in there?” The blonde peeked over the man’s shoulder but he dipped and captured her attention.
“We locked him in the closet hours ago. He almost scorched my potatoes and he wouldn’t leave so we had to restrain him. He’ll probably be very grumpy at dinner.” He smiled charmingly and turned his attention to Matty and Noah. “Now gremlins, why don’t you show your aunts what you’ve been working on with Lyle all morning?” Turning to Claire he said. “They won’t let anyone see it, even Lyle is tight lipped.”
The boys chirped an agreement and each seized a hand and began pulling Gretchen along, which forced Claire to follow. They tracked up the stairs to the room that had toys strewn about, to find a lego and Lincoln log reconstruction of the night at the carnival Claire had jumped. “My dad says it’s the most important part of our history, because it was the beginning of our record.” Matty Parkman piped up. “We built it by hand because I couldn’t get the kinex to be accurate enough.” Claire swallowed. “Next we were going to do all of us together. Noah has a really good memory and fine motor control so we were gunna do life size. Lyle has been helping a lot, with structural analysis. He’s a good engineer.”
“That’s really great guys.” Gretchen exclaimed, embracing Claire from behind. “Let’s get started. I can draw out a basic outline and then we can show the rest of the family after dinner.”