Summary: What if Elle was never part of the Company? What if she was just some young woman with an ability, daddy issues, and a broken watch finding the young watchmaker about to make a horrible mistake? And what if somehow they fell in love only to find themselves in the hands of people who will ruin them?

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HEROES!

Author's Note: Another epic Syelle fic though this is a bit more angst and cutey than any fanfic I've written. So be forewarned this fic will pretty much take you on a wild emotional roller coaster ride of non stop action.

CHAPTER 1: Angel With The Broken Watch

"Let's play a lovegame." –Love Game, Lady Gaga

Elle ran her fingers through her hair. Her thoughts were all scrambled in the way they usually were. Job work sleep. She wasn't sure what the three jumbled words meant in her scatter brained mind, but she did know that she needed some sleep.

Elle Bishop was good at hiding her lack of sleep though. She still looked as ready as ever to work up a storm although she had recently got out of her first job. Retail was not something the woman wanted to be doing for the rest of her life, but seeing as she had no ambition on what she actually wanted to do with the rest of her life here she was.

She looked down at her watch for the time. She moaned seeing the hands not move. She had forgotten the stupid thing had broken two days ago. She should have just thrown it out, but it had been her grandmother's. She unsnapped the watch from her wrist looking at the golden wrist band that had woven into a thick band. The flower shape area where Elle always watched the time was a bit foggy as the young woman rubbed her finger against it.

She smiled walking toward her apartment building. She had adored her grandmother to no end. When her mother had passed away giving birth to Elle her grandmother had chosen to take her in after a long and hard custody battle with Elle's father. Bob Bishop had been deemed unfit to take care of the small child do to his long hours at work.

Grandma White had happily let her stay with her. Elle always had her mother's family around. Four sets of aunts and uncles and six older boy cousins always messing with her. She lived happily with them all up until she was nine. That was when her ability manifested. The electricity often scared Elle when ever lightning or lights flickered, but when she realized she could do it the fear seemed to disappear.

When she first started using her power her cousins, aunts, and uncles were scared. Slowly one by one they abandoned her and her grandmother, but Grandma never left Elle because of a silly reason like that. She welcomed Elle's ability telling her it was a gift from God and she should use it to help people. Elle lived up to her grandmother's word until her loving, doting grandmother passed on.

Elle was fifteen when grandma had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Five months later she was dressed in black and being taken away by social services who could not find her father at that time. The young teen spent a few months with foster families spending her sixteenth birthday surrounded by children she didn't know with a peach pie she had made herself.

Not many foster families could handle the electrified teen. Besides having the ability to shock anyone who got close was found with little reason to help her. Elle Bishop had become a difficult child. She refused to go to school. Her grades dropped from Bs to Ds. Her outbursts of anger scared even the toughest mothers and fathers. She was a bad seed.

At school everyone made up wild rumors about her being a slut. To this day Elle had no idea who started it, but it followed her through every school system. She found it amusing as the rumors about her sleeping with the entire football team spread around. In truth Elle Bishop had never been on a date, kissed a boy, or slept with one. She was more innocent than half the girls in her school yet they called her a slut.

Elle didn't care what they thought though. She was special and they weren't so why did it matter. When her father came through for her it had only been six long hard months. She grew to love and respect her father who had gotten better hours at his car salesman job. Elle settled into one high school in Brooklyn which she hated just as much as the others.

Things got only slightly better. Her father taught her how to use her ability and explained he had one as well. At home things were better, no outbursts or fits. At school people still teased her. She got into two fights with girls at school beating the snot out of one and burning the other. She was almost suspended, but due to her time studying hard and getting As now she was permitted to graduate.

After graduation Elle moved out of her father's house. Even though he desperately wanted her to go to college she wasn't. They argued and that was the last Elle saw of her father. So here she was nearly seven years later with nothing accomplished. Several jobs had gone where two were now kept. Her father called every year on her birthday, but that was all she heard from him. She had developed friends and close bonds with other people at both her retail and waitress job.

Elle pulled down her white top and pulled her white sweater jacket together. She figured this was it. This was all she was going to have in life when she left this world friends may have remembered the spunky little worker, but she wouldn't really have the love she needed, the love her grandmother always said she deserved.

The young blonde decided to bypass her apartment building. She looked back down at the watch knowing that it needed to be fixed. Today. She needed to hear that little tick that drove her crazy as a kid, but now was a lulling comfort. She walked a couple more blocks to the watch shop she passed every weekend at her diner waitress job.

Gary and Sons seemed like a good place to have the watch fixed. She smiled remembering how Grandma White had a huge grandfather clock in the living room. She remembered as a little kid she thought her grandfather had lived in the clock, but she had learned from her grandmother he had died a long while ago in the war.

Elle pressed her fingers around the cold door knob. How long had it been since someone had stepped inside? The door opened with a quick snap, the bars in the clear glass door showing the empty workings of the front of Gary and Sons.

"Hello?" Her voice was clear and unquestioning. Someone had to be inside. There was no closed sign in front. She looked from one side to another. No one. She stepped further inside seeing there was another section of the store.

She chose not to say anything else, but merely listen to ticking. Somehow it calmed her, but another sound came crashing to her senses. A soft choke. Elle peered through the glass in between the one area and the other. She saw the feet dangling and kicking. She started forward hurrying seeing the man hanging from the ceiling. A noose around his neck. She let out a breath not able to believe it.

She reached her hand forward letting a quick electric bolt to cut the rope. He fell with a thump and she remembered how her grandmother always wanted her to save people. This was the first person she had ever saved.

She was quick to run over to him. His rapid breathing told her he hadn't been hanging for long. She knelt down helping him undo the death rope he had put himself in. Once it was loose enough for him to breathe again she spoke.

"Are you alright?" She asked. She felt stupid for asking. Of course he wasn't alright. Emotionally and physically he had to be all wrong. He had just tried to hang himself and had almost succeeded.

He stared at her still catching his breath. Elle steadied her eyes over the gentle face. She studied him in the brief moment they both didn't speak. His eyes were a deep brown and unusually understanding. Every feature on his face was lined up with the other. His hair was a dark brown, almost black. His eyebrows were thick and close against his thick round glasses. His lips parted for more air and Elle found those lips strange in some way she couldn't describe.

"Say something." For some reason she felt as if she needed to know he was okay. Had she hurt him more by saving him or had she saved someone who only wanted death? She shook her thoughts away knowing that she had saved this guy for a reason. She leaned down to hear his words.

"Forgive me." He said after seconds of lone thought. Elle stared at the young man her mouth slightly opened. His face leaned forward into the beginning of a sob. She hugged him trying to comfort him in every way she knew how.

Grandma always knew the right words. She stroked the back of his head letting her fingers course through his soft hair. She didn't know this man yet here she was soothing him in every way she knew how. Her body felt his heart racing from the rush of air coming into his body. She closed her eyes concentrating on the rhythm. His heart song sang into her own heart. Her heart raced with an unknown passion.

Her fingers trailed down his spin as he sucked in more breaths. She rested her chin on the top of his head. His hair comforting her even more. His body was warm and full of life. She wondered what had led him here. To choose the end rather then begin again. She has often thought about ending it all especially when grandma died, when her daddy was out, when she struggled in school, or finding work. Elle had been close so many times, but she had never been strong enough to try.

The man pulled away from her sitting back against the rows of drawers. He was still trying to catch his breath. Elle's face and body shifted closer to the man wondering how alright he is.

"Everything is going to be okay." She finally told him.

"No it isn't." He protests immediately taking slow breaths as he looks away from the young woman. Elle now knows that a noose is no way to take your own life. "I've done something unforgiveable. " Elle blinks wondering what on Earth could he believe as unforgiveable. She rethought her moments in her life. An unforgiveable act had been wanting her father dead when he first got custody. He hadn't been the best father at first.

"Everybody does bad things." She told him trying to be a comfort rather than just the woman who cut the noose. "You think I haven't felt exactly what you are feeling right now." She held back a sob taking in a quick breath in the middle. Her grandma's face shone brightly in her mind. She still missed her terribly. He looked down still thinking and taking long breaths of air. "Maybe if you talk about it sometimes when you talk about it-"

"I can't." He retorted. He was still really shaken and Elle can tell. She held back a bit letting the watchmaker go at his own pace. He began stroking his neck. She changed her face like the way when Daddy used to scold her. For some reason his outburst upset her. He looked away almost sorry now. "That man had something that I wanted, but I took it at a terrible price. "

Elle watched his face. He was rethinking the incident. Elle wondered what he had done to bring him to this point. She tried to not think about it, but she was beginning to think he had stolen something from a man. She kept herself together watching him get himself together. She leaned forward placing her hand on his warm thigh.

"I know it seems hard to imagine, but you are going to get through this." She told him as he turned his face away. She knew how he felt. At least she thought and wanted to. She yearned to know more about this meek looking young watchmaker. "Because you are not a bad person."

She placed her other hand on his knee feeling her body react oddly. She stared at him making her eyes twinkle with knowing. No this man was not a bad person. She saw it in his eyes. Whatever he had done he was deeply sorry for. The sorrow screamed inside him and was reflected on his suicide attempt. He might just have been a better person then herself. He turned seeing her. Her face radiated beauty and salvation. She lifted her chin to look into his dark eyes.

"You don't even know anything about me." His lips twitched into a smile.

"I know what I see." She put back fast and hard. "A man who deserves a second chance." Her eyes flowed into his, feeling her system flow with new energy. It was hope. His hope was flowing toward her. Her fingers clutched the death weapon. "The rope broke. You can't tell me that's not a sign." She held it up showing him what could have been his final feeling of hot rope. Her lips pulled back into a smile.

He smiled tilting his head back. She knew that look. Unbelievable this girl thinks I deserve a second chance. Why me? She slightly felt her face squish when he wasn't looking. If he thought that for real then she really shouldn't have saved him. She felt awful for thinking it. So awful her skin burned on the inside. His bright smile changed her mind. She was glad for saving him. Glad to know him in his moment of weakness.

"I don't even know your name." He shook his head laughing. Her heart fluttered. Not even at work did the customers want to know her name. It was strange hearing someone ask her name. She gave a relieved expression. Her eyes gazed into his looking for understanding seeing complete hope.

"Elle." She said so soft and shocked she wondered if he would notice.

"Elle." He whispered her name slowly like it was a prayer. She was far from angelic though. Once her Aunt Matilda had called her the fiery blue devil. She wondered what this man would think if he knew about her past, her ability. How she wanted nothing more to be an angel right now. She smiled loving the way he said her name. Why did her body want him to say it again? She nodded her head still smiling letting her pink lips stick together. " Well look at you Elle, just showing up out of nowhere." He paused peering away for him for the littlest second. "Like an angel." He had said what she had thought. He was staring at the angel he thought she was.

"An angel with a broken watch." She stated letting the little laugh of his echo through the empty shop. She showed off the watch to him and his eyes fell on it.

He took it from her looking at the little numbers and the silent ticking. She watched him closely. He was already working despite the fact he had nearly taken himself out. Her fingers twitched to reach out for his hand.

"Do I get to know your name?" She asked with a playful expression. The man's head shot up looking at the woman with the messy blonde waves.

"Gabriel. Gabriel Gray." He let a smile pull as he tapped his finger against the glass of the watch. "How long has this not been working?" He stood up going over to one of the desks. Elle kept her position on the floor glad he was feeling better. When she did remember when the watch had stopped she stood up.

"A couple days ago." She smiled behind him pulling at her clothing for some reason. She shrugged walking toward him as he turned on a light and put on some huge magnifying glasses. "It was my grandmother's."

Gabriel quickly fiddled with some cogs in the ticking watch. She smiled hearing the wonderful tick sound. She tilted her head back smiling at the sound. He turned slightly seeing her smile.

"The sound reminds you of her." He realized. She watched as his eyes and lips smiled at her.

"She loved the watch." She told him going beside him as he put the watch together. "I always wanted to wear it and one day she gave it to me." He slipped the watch into her hand. She placed it on his wrist seeing from the corner of her eye Gabriel watch her. He shook his head taking his magnifying glasses off.

"How much do I owe you?" She asked looking through her purse for her wallet.

"It's on me. You saved my life. I have to start paying you back somehow." She heard the laugh in his voice and her body fluttered. She held in a buzz of electricity. When she got excited or scared that happened, but she wasn't going to expose herself to Gabriel Gray.

"Would that include giving me your phone number?" Gabriel's hands fluttered as he pushed the magnifying glasses into the drawer. His lips quivered slightly.

"My phone number?" He seemed oddly surprised. She wondered why. Why she asked and why he was surprised. She thought about why she wanted his number. Maybe she wanted to check up on him because he seemed slightly relapsable. Or maybe she just wanted to see him. He was meek and cute in a way. And he made her insides buzz.

"Yeah you know the number for your phone." She said wondering if she had said the wrong thing.

"Yeah, of course." It suddenly hit him hard that the young woman wanted his number. He fluttered around the desk for paper where Elle searched her purse for a pen.

Her head lifted as she handed the click top pen to Gabriel who turned over a receipt to scribble down his number. She peered over his shoulder as he wrote. She remembered her friend Annie once said you could tell a lot about a person by the way they wrote. Gabriel's handwriting was neat and slanted. She wondered what Annie would say about that.

"Uh, here." Elle wondered if he did this sort of thing a lot. He probably didn't. She could see his hand shake handing her the number and more.

"Thanks." It hit her that she didn't do this kind of thing either. Why was it hard to swallow all of a sudden? "I will definitely give you a call when I have a down moment." She had to get to sleep now in order to wake up for her night shift at the diner. She stared up into his eyes smiling.

"I look forward to hearing from you Elle." Her body got hot as her stomach stuck in her heart.

"Me too Gabriel." She gave a soft smile and wave. She turned toward the door smiling to herself and almost dancing toward her apartment.