Title: Mother Knows Best?

Author: stefichan

Rating: T
Fandom: Heroes
Pairing: Sylar (Gabriel)/Elle

Summary: Taken from this prompt at the 2nd Syelle Fic Fest: Alternate Universe - No powers or Elle left the company during "Villains". Gabriel and Elle have to tell Virginia that they are having a baby out of wedlock. Wackiness ensues. Bonus points if Gabriel has neglected to even mention to his mother that he's been dating anyone.

"You know, I don't feel very beautiful," Elle complained to her reflection. She tugged on the hem of her blouse and pouted.

Gabriel appeared behind her and slid his perpetually fidgeting hands over Elle's stomach. "You should," he told her, hands slipping under his girlfriend's shirt to caress the skin there. "I've never said otherwise." He buried his nose in her long, blond hair and inhaled a scent that was purely Elle. He removed Elle's hands from the end of her blouse and held her wrists at her sides. "And you're not even showing yet, I don't get why you suddenly think you're so fat."

Elle glared at Gabriel's reflection. "Well, if you ever took a science class you'd know that when women get knocked up, they turn into fatties."

Gabriel rolled his eyes and sat himself on the newly purchased Queen-sized bed of his Spartan bedroom. "First of all," he began, taking off his glasses, "pregnant women aren't fatties. They're pregnant. And second, do you need to say 'knocked up'? It sounds so… so-"

"Sinful?" Elle asked. She reveled in his offended expression. Gabriel was pretty religious (he apologized for a week after they had first had sex) and sometimes it was fun to push his Big Catholic Buttons. She turned away from the mirror and sauntered across the tiny bedroom to where Gabriel sat on their bed. With a deceptively angelic smile, Elle spread Gabriel's legs and knelt between them.

"We're going to be late, you know," Gabriel warned her. He pushed her unruly hair over her shoulders and tilted her elfin face toward his. Her adoring blue eyes pleaded with him, but that trick wouldn't work on him tonight. "Elle. Love. She'll hate it if we're late."

Elle sighed and stood straight up. She finished putting her make-up on and put her hair up in a loose bun. Her blue eyes followed Gabriel's pacing reflection. He seemed so on edge. What was the big deal, anyway? People eat dinner with their mothers all the time. Well, some people.

"I hope she'll like you," he told her.

Elle shrugged. "Whether she does or not, it changes nothing between us, right? I still left my job for you. You still want me. I'm still carrying your bastard kid." She grinned, patting her stomach.

Gabriel winced slightly at the word 'bastard'. He fought the urge to bless himself, knowing full well that Elle would tease him for it. So he was a little old-fashioned, so what? He knew Elle was trying to get to him, but it wasn't going to work. She had already tried to get him to work on using that terrible, God forsaken gift he plundered from Brian Davis' open skull. He wasn't about to let some teasing get to him. His control wouldn't slip. His faith wouldn't be shaken. Besides, she saved his life. She sort of owned him now.

Elle frowned, watching Gabriel press the buzzer for what felt like the tenth time. "Maybe she's not home," she hoped.

"She wouldn't have left after expecting us." He was sure. Mostly. "Well. Expecting me."

Elle hopped from foot to foot. Through grit teeth she shared that she had to pee.

"Again?" Gabriel asked. "You went before we left the house."

"That was like twenty minutes ago!" Elle crossed her legs tightly, then reached across Gabriel's frame and pressed the buzzer over and over. "Let us in, you hag!"

Gabriel gasped. "My mother isn't a hag, Elle."

Elle rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm going to find a bathroom. You work on getting us-"

The door opened before them and a skinny, older woman glared at Elle with eyes not quite like Gabriel's. "Gabriel, I wasn't expecting guests." She spoke to Gabriel, but remained staring at Elle.

Gabriel wrung his hands. "Mother, this is Elle. Elle, this is my mother, Virginia Gray."

Elle smiled and offered to shake Virginia's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Gr-"

Virginia folded her wiry arms across her chest and stepped back into her house. "Yes well, now that we're all acquainted, let's eat the meal I prepared that can't serve three people."

Gabriel frowned. "Mother, please-"

The older woman turned her back and waved a dismissive hand as she walked away. "Please come and sit, you've already invited yourselves over anyway. Might as well make yourselves at home." She meandered off to the kitchen.

"She hates me!" Elle whispered. "This sucks, she's going to kill us when she finds out you knocked me up."

Gabriel's fists clenched. "I didn't knock you up, now stop being such a drama queen."

"The one with the dramatic streak is your sainted mother," Elle spat. "Where's the stupid bathroom in this armpit of an apartment, anyway?"

"I grew up in this armpit," Gabriel whispered, jaw locked.

"So Elle, tell me what it is you do." Virginia not-exactly asked after reciting the longest Grace she'd ever had the pleasure to sit through.

Elle fussed with her hands "I'm actually unemployed right now. I was just let go from my job and-"

"You were fired?" Virginia immediately assumed. "Whatever for?"

Elle could see Gabriel's mother's disapproval grow as she watched the woman imagine embarrassing scenarios.

"She was laid off, actually," Gabriel rescued her. "Business was bad and they didn't have the means to keep Elle on staff." Elle gave him a tiny smile and nodded.

"Well that's too bad," Virginia commented, not meaning it at all. She buttered her dinner roll so roughly she pierced it. "What were you doing for work?"

Elle was stuck. She was so good at lying, but under the scrutiny of Gabriel's evil mother, she was unable to come up with anything. So she told the truth, kind of. "I worked in sales for a paper company."

"Sounds exciting," Virginia said dryly.

Elle shrugged. "It was, sometimes." She gave Gabriel a secretive look. "It's how I met Gabriel."

Gabriel glared at Elle, but feeling his mother's stare, softened his eyes a bit. "It's true. Elle was trying to sell me paper for the shop. I refused."

"And then I lost my job," Elle added lightly. "Sometimes we joke about how Gabriel made me lose my job. Don't we sweetie?" She petted his cheek, reveling in the disgust on Virginia's face.

Gabriel laughed a forced, uncomfortable laugh. "That's right," he hazarded a look at his mother to see her facial expression was still as stony as when she opened the front door.

"I see," Virginia stated after an awkward minute of silence. "Dessert?"

"I'd love some!" Elle blurted.

"Of course you would," Virginia responded tersely. She looked to Gabriel. "Any for you, dear?"

"Please, mother."

She smiled warmly at him. "Anything for my boy." She left the dining room with their empty dinner plates.

Once Virginia was out of earshot, Elle gave Gabriel a panicked look. She gripped the sleeve of his sweater and whispered, "She fucking hates me! I knew this was a terrible idea!"

Gabriel rubbed Elle's hand lightly. "It'll be fine. Mother's just-"

"I'm just what, dear?" Virginia asked, re-entering the room. She set three small plates of cheesecake down. Elle's was all but dropped in front of her.

Gabriel looked up at his frail mother with wide, surprised eyes. He gulped and answered carefully "Wonderful. You're wonderful, Mother."

Virginia beamed. "Such a sweet boy. Nothing at all like your sorry excuse for a father." She sat down and placed her napkin in her lap. She looked to Elle and smiled. "How's your dessert?"

A tiny blue flicker escaped Elle's fingers and the tablecloth was singed. Gabriel gave her a warning look. Elle feigned a gasp and backed out of her chair. "Oh, I was almost burned by that silly candle. Excuse me please," she left the table and bee-lined it for the bathroom.

Virginia gave Gabriel A Look. "There's something terribly wrong with that girl. I hope you don't have any long-term plans with her."

"Actually, that's part of why we're here tonight," Gabriel explained. He instantly regretted it when Virginia's eyes narrowed.

"Oh?" She asked. "You thought you'd just jump into something with a girl who has the table manners of a baboon? How long have you even known her? She doesn't even go to our church." Virginia suddenly looked horrified. "If she goes at all."

"Mother, please calm down," Gabriel pleaded. "Elle is a great girl and she's really helped me out. I'm so busy at the shop, and she keeps the apartment clean, she cooks, kind of. I'm not so lonely anymore with Elle around the house. She's the sweetest girl I've ever met and I enjoy having her in my life."

Virginia took a moment to take in everything Gabriel told her. When she finally spoke, Elle had already come back from the restroom. "She… is… living with you?" Virginia accused, more than asked.

Gabriel gripped the table with both hands. Elle gave him a panicked look and scooted closer to him. Gabriel could be scary sometimes, but his mother was a hundred times scarier. "She is living with me."

Virginia wailed dramatically. "My boy! Living in sin with this… this" She eyed Elle "This Jezebel!"

"Hey!" Elle pouted. "I don't even know what that is!"

"Don't ever call her that again, Mother," Gabriel warned. "She is an angel."

Elle wrapped her hands around Gabriel's. "You're so nice to me," she said dreamily. "You'll be such a good Daddy." She flicked her gaze to Virginia to drink in her reaction.

The older woman stared at the pair, jaw slack. "You're… you're expecting?"

Gabriel and Elle only nodded in answer.

Virginia stood up and turned her back on the couple. "My boy," she seemed to be staring up at the enormous crucifix situated over the fireplace. "My boy is going to be a father." When she turned back around, she had tears in her eyes. "Oh Gabriel this-."

Gabriel stood up to intercept whatever physical drama his mother was about to inflict. "Mother, I've been wanting to tell you. Elle and I have been trying for days to-"

Virginia moved swiftly to the other side of the table and took Gabriel's face in both her hands. "This is so wonderful! A baby!" Her gaze lowered to Elle. "And you, darling Elle!" She clutched Elle's head to her bosom and sighed with glee. "Welcome to the family. Oh, A grandchild! That snooty Sylvia MacDevitt will be so jealous!" She released Elle and wandered off to phone said snooty Sylvia.

Elle's eyes couldn't have opened any wider without them falling onto the table. This was not the reaction she was prepared for. She had flying dinner rolls and wine being tossed in people's faces in mind. This was a surprise and a half. She looked up at Gabriel, who was still standing frozen.

"Shocking, right?" Elle asked before slipping her hand into his and giving him a tiny shock. She enjoyed being literal sometimes.

The jolt pulled Gabriel out of his thoughts. "Indeed," he quietly agreed.

"Hey, you okay?" Elle stood up and fussed with the collar of his shirt.

"It never hit me until just now." He looked to Elle, worried. "We're having a baby."

Elle nodded and took one of his hands into hers, then placed it on her belly, smiling. "So glad you're on board."