This is a new multi-chaptered Sylaire fic from me. C: It's NOT following canon, and never has. It's COMPLETE AU. As for the recent spoilers that are out about this pairing, I don't like them. D; I like my pairings that are completely uncanonical (like Sylar/Elle, which is my OTP in the Heroes fandom), haha. Anyway, I love this fic as well. There are going to be at least 14 more chapters to this. I hope to finish this by 2010, haha.
There will be Gabriel/Claire & Sylar/Elle in this.
Enjoy! xoxo
Two Minds, One Body
Chapter One
April 25
"Gabriel!" Claire called as she closed the door with her foot. "I've got dinner."
She set down the box filled with Styrofoam boxes on the counter, looking around the kitchen for her boyfriend. They had their own apartment above Gabriel's watch repair shop. Her father got it for them, since they didn't get a lot of money from their respective jobs.
Especially since Claire was rarely paid for her job. She worked with her foster mother at a breeding shop for dogs, but it was mostly volunteer work. It wasn't enough to make a living off of, nor was Gabriel's salary, which mostly went to repairs around the house because she didn't want to live off of her biological father.
She turned to see Gabriel running up the stairs through the window. She smiled at him as he walked in the door and pecked him on the cheek when he came over to her.
"Smells delicious," Gabriel said. "Are you sure your mom made this?" Claire lightly smacked Gabriel.
"She always makes great food," Claire said. "Why do you never go see her anymore? She misses you."
"Your dad doesn't seem to like me," Gabriel said, taking two plates out of the cupboard.
"He's always like that," Claire said. "And he's never around anymore."
"Did he go out for a pack of cigarettes?" Gabriel asked.
"It's just for his work," Claire said.
"Isn't he a paper salesman?" Gabriel asked. "He shouldn't have to travel that much for paper. Maybe he's cheating on your mom."
"Don't say that," Claire said. "My parents have a great marriage. Speaking of which, when are we going to get married?" Next month would be their seventh anniversary - though neither of them had popped the question yet. They certainly acted like they were married, but nothing was official yet.
"When it's right," Gabriel said, setting the table. Claire bit her lip and brought the food to the table.
"Are you having doubts about our relationship?" Claire asked. She thought that they were perfect, despite the occasional fights they had. She couldn't see herself with anybody but Gabriel.
"No," Gabriel said. "But… it just doesn't feel right."
"You're in your thirties and I'm in my twenties," Claire said. "We've been dating for almost seven years, and we've lived together for four of those years. How could it not feel right?"
"I think we should just wait another three years, until we're positive we can stand living with each other," Gabriel said. "I don't want to go through a divorce."
"We won't," Claire said. "We're perfect for each other, I don't know why you're having doubts about our relationship."
"I'm not doubting it," Gabriel said. "I just think we should wait a little longer."
"Oh my God," Claire said suddenly.
"What?" Gabriel asked.
"You have commitment issues," Claire said. "I knew it. My mom told me that you were too perfect, and I didn't believe her."
"I don't have commitment issues," Gabriel said. "I'm fine with being married, I just don't want a divorce."
"What do you think about kids?" Claire asked.
"We've already talked about them," Gabriel said. "I'm fine with them."
"Okay, good," Claire said, sitting down. Gabriel sat down beside her.
"You don't have to worry about anything," Gabriel said. He wouldn't let her down, and he definitely would never break her heart. They've been through so much, it'd impossible for him to adjust to being with another woman. Nobody could be as strong as Claire in hard times, or be as loving as her.
"Good," Claire said, taking a bite of her food. "But… in three years, you'll be comfortable with marriage, right?"
"Yeah," Gabriel said, putting food on his plate.
"Then why haven't you proposed to me yet?" Claire asked. She wanted an answer, but Gabriel didn't have one. He had the money for a beautiful ring, and the jewelry store was down the street.
"I…" Gabriel didn't know what to say. Maybe he did have commitment issues.
"You don't know?" Claire asked in disbelief. Gabriel hesitated.
"Yeah," Gabriel said. "I just like it better like this."
"Like what?" Claire asked. "You like it better that you can just leave and there won't be any repercussions because we weren't going to be married?"
"No," Gabriel protested. "I like it better like this because there's no pressure."
"When have I ever pressured you?"
"You pressured me into going to see a movie with you and your girlfriends once," Gabriel said. "You threatened to break up with me if I didn't take you to the Statue of Liberty. I could go on and on."
"I was kidding the second time," Claire said. "And you liked the movie we saw."
"It doesn't matter," Gabriel said, "because that's not the point. The point is you pressured me into it, and I think that once you have a ring on your finger, you'll pressure me into marrying you when I don't want to."
"So, our relationship isn't going anywhere for three years?" Claire asked, disappointed. She wanted to be married before she turned twenty eight.
"What are you talking about?" Gabriel asked. "It'll be going places, it'll just not be official. Who knows, maybe we'll buy a house in three years."
"With our salaries?" Claire asked.
"I went to college," Gabriel pointed out.
"You'll never give up watches," Claire said.
"You don't know that." Gabriel was ready to drop the conversation. He might say something that would upset Claire, which he didn't want. Not now.
"Whatever," Claire said, picking up her plate and going into their shared bedroom. Gabriel stared at his plate, his appetite gone. He had a feeling he'd be sleeping on the couch tonight.
He was right.
---
April 29
"Hello?" Elle asked, opening the door to the watch repair shop, a broken watch in her hands. She was here on order of her father, Bob Bishop, to check on how Gabriel was doing. To see if he'd discovered his power yet.
She found Gabriel behind the counter, counting money and putting it into an envelope. She tapped on the glass, causing Gabriel to look up.
"I've got a watch that needs repairing," Elle said, holding out the watch. Gabriel took it and examined it. He put it against his ear, listening to the ticks. Some of them didn't match with the others. He glanced at the brand - Sylar. He hadn't seen one of those in a long time.
"I should have it done in two hours," Gabriel said. That was an overstatement, really. He could get it done in ten minutes, and that was if he took a bathroom break. Nobody else knew, though, not even Claire. It was a talent he had, figuring out how things worked and putting them back together.
"I can wait in here," Elle said. "I'm Elle Bishop."
"Gabriel." Elle watched him spin around in his chair and roll over to the desk beside the counter. He turned the lamp on and put on another pair of glasses that helped him see everything in the watch. Elle thought he looked silly with his strange glasses on.
She watched him work slowly - almost too slowly for her tastes. Her father told her that he was capable of doing it quicker than that. The other people who had come here had watched him do it quicker - without his knowledge, of course.
Elle walked around the shop, her eyes going over every little thing in it. It was small, with a clock above the door and a security camera. Her eyes trailed down the wire that went along the wall and saw it was connected to something behind the counter. It wasn't a fake, like most security cameras were.
She waved up at it, a smile on her face.
After exactly two hours passed - she considered leaving after the first hour, then realized it wasn't worth it after an hour and a half - Gabriel stood up. He handed the watch to Elle, a kind smile on his face. He had on his regular glasses now.
"Here you go," Gabriel said.
"How much do I owe you?" Elle asked.
"Forty five dollars," Gabriel said. Elle handed him a fifty.
"Keep the change," Elle said, putting the watch in her pocket. "Thanks so much. I figured the best birthday gift for my grandpa was to fix his watch. I just hope he hasn't discovered I've taken it yet." Elle walked to the door and hesitated in the doorway.
"Bye," Gabriel said, switching the lamp off and putting the money in his wallet.
"Bye." She left, not surprised at all that there was a car waiting for her. Inside, she knew, would be her father, who wanted to know if he knew about his power. Elle said that he did.
She watched with a heavy heart as two people entered the watch shop. They were not customers.
---
March 12
Gabriel woke up to Elle putting a towel to his forehead. He stared at her, unable to move his arms.
He couldn't remember anything except two people coming into his shop. One of them hit him over the head with something, but he knew that he hadn't passed out. He had just been on the floor, and then one of them put a needle into his spine.
He remembered that. The pain was unforgettable, but it wasn't bad enough that he would have passed out from it. The strange thing was, after that, he didn't know what else happened. It was all erased from his memory.
"Where am I?" Gabriel asked. Elle smiled down at him.
"Gabriel?" Elle asked calmly. Gabriel blinked. Who else would he be?
"It's me," Gabriel said. "Where am I?"
"Maine," Elle said, smoothing back his hair. "You should have control of your arms in a few minutes, after the medication wears off."
"Medication?" Gabriel asked. He never had to take medicine before. What was going on?
"Yes, medication," Elle said. "Don't worry, you're not hurt." She couldn't say the same for Zane, though. She liked that man, but he really shouldn't have messed with Gabriel. Or Sylar, as he had introduced himself to Zane.
"I need to get back to New York," Gabriel said, trying to get up. His arms still weren't working.
"Don't be so impatient," Elle said. "You've been gone for two weeks, another day won't kill you."
"Two weeks?" Gabriel asked. "What day is it?"
"March twelfth," Elle said. Gabriel never thought he'd miss his seventh anniversary.
"What happened to me?" Gabriel asked. He had so many questions to ask Elle.
"I'm not at liberty to say," Elle said. "It's still an on-going investigation."
"What is?" Gabriel asked. Had he killed somebody?
"Nothing that concerns you yet," Elle said. "Don't worry, Gabriel, we won't let anything happen to you." Gabriel reached out for her, but Elle grabbed a tray and he touched that instead. It melted out of Elle's hands and onto the floor.
"What just happened?" Gabriel asked. "What did you do to me?"
Elle was afraid that if he asked too many questions, she'd give too many answers. So, like her father told her to do when he was beginning to become restless, Elle injected the drug into Gabriel's arm. He was out almost instantly.
She felt bad for him. He was just a nerdy watchmaker, he didn't ask for any of this. Hell, he didn't even know what 'this' was. Elle hoped he'd forget this whole encounter once he woke up again. It certainly worked the first time.
She helped take him to a van, where he would be transported to New York. They'd make it look like a kidnapping, but in the case of a mistaken identity. They wanted to give his family - if he still had any contact with them - some reason for why he was taken. They couldn't have the truth, though.