Hello! I'm Hecate's Earring. I have nothing to do with NBC's Heroes. This is fan fiction.

Thanks to all who have read and reviewed The Constance of Midnight. That story is not abandoned. I write the same way I think, sporadically and at the pace of very cold molasses.

Death stands there in the background, but don't be afraid. Hold the watch down with one hand, take the stem in two fingers, and rotate it smoothly- Julio Cortazar from the poem, Instructions on How to Wind a Watch

Once Upon Another Time

Chapter One

Strangely enough, in all his years of opening and closing his father's shop, of greeting customers, examining, cleaning, adjusting and rebuilding their fine timepieces, no one, not one person, had ever asked him that simple yet thoroughly relevant question until now. While all those other customers hovered in Gabriel's excellent memory as oppressive as a thick smog that refused to dissipate, this man was the sunrise that could make even smog seem beautiful.

The moment the man had stepped into the shop that day on a Friday, in summer, during late afternoon, Gabriel sensed him- felt his presence deep in his bones. His ears started ringing. His vision blurred and then tunnelled until the man was all he could seem to see, not that Gabriel wanted to look elsewhere. It wasn't just the inescapable fact that Gabriel found the man to be incredibly handsome and far more attractive than any of the women he ever met or had even ever seen. No, in retrospect, the man's looks were not the main source of his considerable appeal.

True, he posessed the sort of grace of movement one generally observed only on runways or windowsills frequented by certain sleek, well-bred housecats. He also seemed to glow deeply both with outer well-being and inner serenity, such as one commonly observed nowhere in New York nor anywhere on the planet, so far as Gabriel knew. The real source of the spell the man cast on Gabriel, was Gabriel's unshakable certainty of the man's importance to Gabriel's own life. That idea both thrilled and frightened him. Try as he might to define his reaction to this man, at once so alien yet somehow strangely right, Gabriel's mind didn't possess the proper vocabulary. He simply lacked the rules by which to dissect this experience. Just trying was like grabbing hold of something as intangible as time itself. To add to the utter strangeness of the visit, this man had forgotten to bring his watch with him but had decided to stay anyway.

"I'm sorry. It's probably a stupid question," the man offered in those golden cultured tones that spoke to Gabriel of old wealth, exotic climes, a proper English education, and something more earthy and sensual that Gabriel felt himself unprepared to hear. He caught himself continuing to stare at the man for an uncomfortably long interval. Unfortunately he couldn't seem to do much about it. Finally he closed his mouth and swallowed down that flock of butterflies in danger of escaping from his chest.

"No, it's not a stupid question. It just strikes me as odd that no one has ever asked me how to wind a watch before now." His words were delivered too softly though somehow the man had heard or knew how to lip read. All the while, he couldn't tear his gaze away from the man's eyes, so dark and bottomless, yet warm with knowledge, understanding, and something else every bit as appealing that gave Gabriel the confidence to continue speaking. "To try to answer your question, it really depends on the individual timepiece. I know that's not what you wanted to hear; but it's true. Like this one, for example-" Gabriel said, pointing to a watch in a tall upright case that he hadn't kept locked during store hours since his father passed. "It's a vintage Jaeger LeCoultre, high grade Swiss made, and seventeen jewel. The face is 18 karat rose gold."

"It's absolutely beautiful."

Without thinking twice about it, Gabriel opened the case and passed it to the man being very careful not to touch him in the process. The man smiled slightly and held the watch against his slender wrist. The deep rose gold of the face surrounding the black dial looked perfectly at home next to the man's smooth bronze skin.

"One of my favorites, it's been here a long time. I'd almost hate to sell it because I think I'd miss it. It needs to be wound between 20 and 22 times after the mainspring has run out completely."

The man handed the watch back carefully, his long fingers brushing against Gabriel's hands on purpose. Gabriel was certain of it. His skin tingled under that touch. That alone would have been enough to thoroughly distract Gabriel, but then the man smiled at him, connecting with his gaze and peering with gentle amusement into his very being. "Between 20 and 22 times? Do you mean twenty one times, perhaps?"

Somehow he pulled his mind back from those dark eyes, the open expression, the whitest most perfectly straight smile Gabriel had ever seen. This man should do toothpaste billboards.

When he couldn't avoid it any longer, Gabriel placed the watch back into the case, disappointed that he had to glance away for a moment to do so then turned back to the man and said, "Not necessarily, sometimes twenty one, sometimes twenty or twenty two. Another of this same make and model would be completely different in its required rotations- or if it wasn't I'd be surprised. Anyway, most people believe that the difference is due to conditions like temperature and humidity. While those conditions do have an effect, it's far more complicated than that. Those factors can remain constant, like they do in here, but still watches will vary from one winding to the next."

"And why is that, do you think?"

"I do have my theories," Gabriel couldn't hold back the small smile that was returned immediately. "You probably aren't that interested though," he said despite the man's proximity, his obvious interest, and not just in watches.

What was happening? Was he flirting with this man? Was the man flirting with him? It was all he could do to keep his body under control, to keep his hands from trembling, to keep his voice steady, to stop himself from simply staring.

He wanted to touch him again, too. That realization was nearly overwhelming to him. He never sought to touch anyone- certainly not a customer, not anyone he had just met who he knew nothing at all about, not any of the people he knew fairly well either, for that matter. He didn't mind hugging his mother from time to time, but that was an obligation. Now Gabriel intensely desired to touch this man again, to feel the material of his sleeve under his fingertips and the warmth of the skin underneath. It could be just a quick casual touch, nothing more than that of course. Gabriel decided the idea was entirely insane especially considering the fact that Gabriel didn't think he could bear touching this man again without jumping halfway out of his own skin.

"Should a watch be wound only forward?"

"Another good question. No, you can't harm any watch with back-winding. It's actually good for some mechanisms to put a back-wind into each cycle. It serves to take stress off. The extra motion of the winding stem can help to distribute the oil inside more evenly too. Most importantly backwinding between each wind forward can steady the hand since you don't have to remove your fingers from the stem that way. A back and forth motion can make the person winding the watch more careful and aware of what they are doing. People tend to wind watches when they are tired or otherwise distracted. The less conscious of what you are doing, the more likely you are to cause harm."

For some reason, that last statement seemed to make the man more somber somehow. "So," He said slowly, "winding a watch should be like a conscious meditation?"

"That would be a very good way to think about it, yes. It helps if you wind on the same days of the week and at same time of the day, too. For some reason a regular winding schedule improves the watch's accuracy. I wind that watch on every Tuesday and Saturday. It's always the first one I wind when I come in those mornings."

"The watch cares when you wind it?"

Gabriel could't help breaking into a slow lazy smile. "I know how crazy it must sound, but delicate devices have a kind of memory for their history. Ask any serious violinist about the temperamental nature of instruments. Any deviation from proper routine can change the way a device functions. Timepieces mark time. That's what they do. It's their sole purpose for existing, really. So yes, time matters to timepieces, whether they happen to be ticking and especially if they're not."

"I suppose it makes some sort of sense. Time effects all things. You said that you let this watch wind down before rewinding it. Wouldn't that be inconvenient to someone interested in wearing it every day?"

"Sure. I'm just telling you what's ideal for this particular watch. Lots of people stick old watches in bank vaults or drawers and leave them there for years. That's pretty convenient too or people wouldn't do that so often. Of course they probably consider that caretaking when really it's neglect. Eventually they come to see me wondering why those watches aren't performing for them as they should. To stay in prime condition, any watch, well any winding movement watch, or clock for that matter, needs to be wound at least once a week. For some timepieces, it's ideal to let them run down completely before getting wound again. That doesn't mean that you can't wind them every day without causing harm. Some of these watches that have a recent history of being worn seem to function better getting wound every day. So, I do that for them. Like I say, it just depends on the individual watch. If someone ever does buy this watch, and wears it, and winds it every day, the watch will adapt to that new routine after a time."

"Are there any standard rules that apply to all watches?"

"Well, I wouldn't recommend wearing one in the shower-"

The man chuckled at this. His laughter like his voice had a deeply musical quality. "Even I am not that absent-minded."

"When it does get wet, have it cleaned immediately, even if it is a water resistant model. Past the original warranty water-resistance means nothing. Never wear a watch while you are trying to wind it, either. The angle puts far too much strain on the watch stem. Most cases of bent winding stems and snapped off crowns happen that way."

"Can a watch be over-wound?"

"Most people who service watches will tell you no, that you can't overwind any watch. I'm not saying all of them are lying and just trying to drum up extra business. I'm sure some don't know any better. The truth is that any rough or improper winding can damage a watch, most commonly the stem, mainspring, and the components in the escapement. It's not impossible to cause damage while winding to any watch, but one should be especially careful when dealing with early and antique watches and special models. Watches already in need of minor adjustments or repair might be further damaged from winding too."

"You make watchmaking sound like a dishonest profession."

"It's best to be careful with whom you deal is all. Even an honest watchmaker lacking experience, study, skill, or attention to detail, can cause or overlook problems that will become costly for the customer down the line. Just like in every other profession, there are the good and the bad, with the vast majority in between."

Gabriel noticed the man had shifted closer to him. Now there was far too little space between them for business or even casual conversation. The man smelled like fresh laundry and spices he could not name. He never remembered taking notice of someone's scent, except for the occasional person he passed on the street who was too long unwashed or too heavily perfumed. This was far too intimate, too unsettling, yet inexplicably familiar somehow though nothing like this had ever happened to Gabriel before. This man was a bad a case of deja veux. Perhaps he reminded Gabriel of some half-remembered dream?

"The watch in question, it only recently passed into my possession. How should I go about winding it for the first time?"

"Providing that it has been recently worn, well-maintained and cleaned within at least the past year, put it up to your ear. Wind slowly and count the revolutions. Counting the first time will give you a good idea of when you should get ready to stop winding the watch the next time. Though like I say, the number of rotations will vary slightly every time, no matter how perfectly consistant your revolutions. With your ear to it, you'll be able to hear the winding and hear when the mechanism clicks forward. That's when you stop. Now, with certain models you'll hear that click before you feel any resistance at all. If that's the case with your watch I'd suggest holding it to your ear every time. That's it. When it clicks, the watch is wound as far as it needs to go."

"I'm afraid I have no idea when it was last serviced, or if it ever has been for that matter."

"I think you should bring it by. I'll be glad to take a look for you. If it is in good condition or just needs cleaning, I'll do that and the first winding at no charge. If it needs repairs, I can itemize and explain them to you, and give you a free estimate."

"Most generous. It is very kind of you to make such an offer."

"No. It's no trouble."

"I could bring it by on Monday, providing that I can buy you dinner this evening? You are closing soon, aren't you? My name is Mohinder, by the way. Mohinder Suresh." The man held out his hand.

It wasn't like Gabriel didn't know that this happened. This was something some people did. They just went out on dates to dinner with complete strangers, though one only had to read a newspaper to know why such a date was a bad idea.

While his instincts told him that this man wasn't dangerous, he had no way to be certain. Even if he could trust Mohinder, Gabriel felt that things would end badly anyway. He would ruin this somehow- by not saying the right things or saying all the wrong things, or by spilling something on himself or all over Mohinder, or by doing something else too embarrassing to contemplate. Somehow he would make a fool out of himself no matter how hard he would try to do otherwise. He also felt- so unprepared. If he'd had a week to ready himself, to shower right beforehand, to carry a toothbrush and floss to the restaurant with him, to make sure his hair was neatly combed and lying perfectly flat, to pick out what to wear, to think of polite things to do and proper topics of conversation, to read a book on dating other men- no, it all would serve to make him more nervous. Gabriel didn't think he could become any more nervous without becoming physically ill. Public vomiting was the last thing he wanted to do in front of Mohinder during his first dinner date ever.

Maybe this wasn't even a date- just- something else. He wouldn't spoil everything by just assuming this was a date. People had business dinners and casual dinners and even formal dinners that weren't anywhere even close to being dates. Maybe Mohinder was new to the city or a tourist or here on business of some sort and just wanted someone to talk with while he ate. Why him though? In a city full of all imaginable types of people, why would this man choose his company? That thought alone made him somewhat suspicious of Mohinder's motives. His mother and father hadn't agreed on very much. They had agreed on one thing: strangers were never, ever to be trusted.

However, Gabriel didn't like distrusting people, not without a really good cause. Doing so made him feel like a small person. Maybe that was why he never locked the cases during business hours. Besides, it wasn't as though someone couldn't just smash a case anyway, then grab up some watches, and flee out the door. He was hardly the type to chase them down. If someone were to come armed to rob Gray and Son, he was probably slightly safer not having to rummage at gunpoint to find keys or open a safe. Gabriel liked to think his trust was rewarded. A watch had never gone unaccounted for during business hours, nor had the shop ever been burgled at night. Perhaps it was just because Gray and Son was such a cold, sober, no-nonsense presence in the neighborhood, still exactly reflecting his late father's personality.

Gabriel reached out toward Mohinder's open hand. As before, the connection made when their hands met was purely electric. Mohinder didn't shake and release as Gabriel was expecting. In fact he didn't seem in any hurry to give back Gabriel's hand, nor did Gabriel feel the need to reclaim it.

"Oh," Gabriel said finally, then after a few more seconds, "Oh! I'm Gabriel Gray. It's very nice to meet you, Mohinder."

"The pleasure is mine, Gabriel."

Gabriel swallowed reflexively, which was odd since his mouth had seemed overly dry for quite a while now. Even though he still feared that he might be making a huge mistake by not finding some polite excuse to decline Mohinder's invitation, Gabriel heard himself saying, "It will take me about an hour to finish up here. Would it be all right if I were to meet you somewhere nearby after?" When the man smiled that perfectly beautiful, perfectly warm smile at him and squeezed his hand gently, Gabriel was sure that for better or worse, his whole life had changed today.

TBC

(Thank you so much for reading. I love hearing from you. Comments of any sort are always welcome.)