Chapter Two: Goodbye Geneva, Hello Ava
April 7, 1998
Thompson looked up from his desk as Geneva knocked on the door and walked in. He beamed at her as he pointed to a chair across from his desk. "Sit down, Honey, Happy Birthday." He studied her as she walked to the chair and sat down. In the last year, she'd been trained daily in hand-to-hand combat and jujitsu, gaining ten pounds of muscle on her petite frame as a result. Her red hair was cut into a chin-length bob and pulled back away from her face with barrettes. Thompson raised his eyebrows for a moment as she sat demurely, her hands folded in her lap, her legs crossed at the ankles. His eyes traveled up her ankles to her legs, appreciating the way her skirt barely grazed her knees. "I see the etiquette lessons are doing well also. I've also heard great things from your languages teachers, great things indeed. You're becoming fluent in French, Japanese and German, so far, with your Russian getting better as well." He leaned forward on his elbows. "You're exceeding expectations, Sweetie."
"Thank you, Sir."
"So!" Thompson opened the folder on his desk. "Are you ready for your new name? As far as the world knows, Geneva Gail Grant died almost a year ago in a terrible accident on the way to an intensive psychiatric facility."
She stared at her lap for a moment, twisting her fingers nervously. "Yes Sir."
"Please, just call me Thompson, Honey." He grinned at her as he handed her the folder. "Your new legal name is Avery Justine Reese. How does that suit you? We also changed your age. You are now officially twenty years old instead of eighteen. You can call yourself A.J., Justine, Tina, Avery, Ava, Jussy, whatever floats your sweet boat."
"Thank you Sir, I mean." She stared at the folder. "Thank you, Thompson."
"You're welcome. You've more than earned it. So what do you want to be called?"
She thought for a moment. "Ava is good. I like Ava."
"That's beautiful. It suits you." Thompson's eyes traveled over her again. "You'll continue training here for another year, then we'll place you in an apartment. Where would you like to live?"
"I hear Houston's nice, or Austin. Austin's a little closer."
"I think Austin would be better, Lubbock would be even closer though, don't you think?" Thompson cocked his head to the side as the girl nodded.
"Lubbock is good. What will I do there?"
"You won't be there much, trust me. It'll mainly be a place for you to rest your head between assignments."
The girl raised her head, staring at him. "Assignments?"
"Now Honey, what do you think we've been training you for? You've been learning to hone your natural physical abilities while adding to them with your combat training, you've been learning different languages and we've also been teaching you how to control your special power and how to use them more delicately. What would you do with all of that knowledge here in Odessa, or in Texas, even?" He winked at her. "You were born for greater things, Ava, and now it's time for you to live up to your birthright, starting tonight."
"Tonight?" She stared at him, perplexed.
"You'll be accompanying me to dinner tonight. It's a four-star restaurant, so dress appropriately. There are clothes in your closet that will fit the bill, I'm sure. Tonight, you're going to become the person you were meant to be." He looked at her. "You still WANT that, right?"
"Of course!" She nodded. "Thank you for everything."
"Bennet and Claude, they've been good to you, right?"
Thompson noticed how the girl's face finally brightened at the mention of their names. "Oh, they've been wonderful!" She nodded happily. "They're both so good to me and they've been really helpful with my training and giving me pep talks."
"Good." Thompson nodded. "I'll see you at seven tonight. I'll pick you up from your room here. You may go."
"Thank you again, Mr. Thompson."
Thompson watched her as she stood to leave, his eyes lingering again over her body as she left the room.
May 7, 2007
Aaron poured out the two cups of coffee that had cooled during his interlude with his wife Alexandra upstairs and poured himself a fresh, hot cup. He dug around in the cabinets until he found his wife's travel mug and poured coffee into that for her. As a horn honked outside, he heard his wife yelp upstairs.
"SHIT! AARON?" She called down the stairs. "THAT'S MATT! CAN YOU ASK HIM TO HANG ON A SEC?"
"NO PROBLEM, BABY!" Aaron walked to the front door and waved Matt Parkman, his wife's coworker and their neighbor, into the house. He frowned as he saw Matt make a face as he turned the car's engine off, wondering for the hundredth time why Matt always seemed so ill at ease around him. He smiled pleasantly at his Matt as he climbed the steps to the front porch. "Lexie's upstairs. She's running a little late. It's my fault, actually."
Matt nodded nervously as he stared at Aaron. "I can just wait in the car, its cool."
"NO! Not at all, come on in and have some coffee, I was just pouring a cup for Lexie to take with her to work today, it's no trouble."
Matt nodded and followed Aaron into the house, looking around at the tasteful, simple decor. "I know I've said this before, but this place always looks so nice."
"Thanks!" Aaron poured coffee into another travel mug for Matt as he looked around. "I asked Lexie once who decorated, her or me. She said it was both of us, right after we moved here."
Matt smiled. "How long have the two of you been here, again?"
Aaron shrugged. "Well, technically, I only remember being here for the last five months or so, but Lexie told me we moved here about three years ago. Apparently we lived in Bossier City, Louisiana first after we got married." He smiled. "We got married a week after we both graduated from college. We were sweethearts there."
"I remember her saying something about that."
"Speaking of marriage, how's Janice? I see her walking down the road every morning, getting her exercise. When is she due?"
Matt choked for a moment on his coffee at the mention of his wife. "She's good. She's good." He coughed softly. "She's due next month."
"That's great! That's really something." Aaron glanced at the stairs leading to the second floor of the house. "I actually asked Lexie last night when WE were planning on having kids. I've been thinking about it lately." He frowned as Matt choked on his coffee again. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, sorry." Matt shrugged. "Drank it too fast, it went down the wrong pipe. So you and Alexandra are talking kids, huh? What did she say?"
Aaron rolled his eyes. "She talked about how she's not ready, some blah-blah about how I'm still recovering from my accident, and how we made a pact not to even discuss kids until after we turned thirty." He sighed. "I don't remember making that pact and I'd like to reopen that for discussion, but she was pretty adamant about no children right now. It's a shame. I'd love to be a father. I think I'd be great at it." He frowned again as Matt choked on his coffee. "Are you SURE you're okay?"
"I'm good! I'm good!" He glanced over his shoulder at the stairs. "So you're still not remembering anything about your life before the accident?"
Aaron shook his head. "Nope, nothing at all." He sighed. "I've been talking to Lexie about maybe seeing a hypnotist or someone else who could help me remember, but she said they're just bunk and we shouldn't waste our money." He stared at his coffee cup. "She's right, I know, but I just can't help wanting to know what our life was like before this." He leaned towards Matt. "Can you keep a secret?"
Matt nodded. "Sure! Totally!"
"Something's bothering her. She's so sad, I can see it in her eyes and, I'm not kidding about this, I swear to God I can hear her crying in the shower every morning. I can't help but think that maybe I've changed a lot or something since the accident and she misses the man that I used to be."
"Oh, I doubt THAT!" Matt looked at the floor as he sipped his coffee. "Maybe it's just hormonal or something."
"I don't think so. There's just this profound sadness in her eyes, even when we make love, ESPECIALLY when we make love. I know I barely know you, but you're actually one of the few people around here I DO actually know and I know this is none of your business."
"That's true. I probably don't need to hear about your sex life."
"Does she talk about me? Does she talk about US? Whenever I ask her if anything's bothering her, she clams up and says that she's fine, but I really don't think she is. Has she ever indicated to you if maybe she's unhappy here, or unhappy with ME?"
Matt glanced at the stairs again. "She's never indicated anything wrong. She talks about you quite a bit at work, but she's usually discussing how much she loves you and how happy she is that you're home."
"She does?" Aaron's face broke into a wide, relieved smile. "So whatever's making her unhappy doesn't have to do with me?"
"I wouldn't think so!" Matt grinned. "She seems pretty much head over heels with you."
"Thanks." Aaron reached out and patted Matt on the shoulder happily as he walked past him, not noticing the way the man flinched at his touch. "You're a good man, Matt."
"Coming from you, that means so much." Matt rolled his eyes and sipped his coffee, closing his eyes with relief as he heard Alexandra's footsteps on the stairs.
"Sorry Matt!" She rushed down the stairs out of breath, her hair pulled back into a bun as she quickly put on a pair of earrings. "I was running late this morning."
"I've already told him, it was totally and completely my fault." Aaron grabbed her travel mug off of the counter and handed it to her, kissing her softly as he did so. "Have a great day, Honey. Kick Dunder-Mifflin's ass in the paper sale division."
She gave him a lopsided grin as Matt quickly headed for the door. "That shouldn't be too hard, seeing as how they're fictional and all." She held up her coffee as she grabbed her purse. "Have a good day."
"You too." He touched her arm and kissed her again quickly as she headed for the door. "Don't let them work you too hard."
"I never do." She nodded as she rushed out of the door behind Matt and quickly headed to his car. She looked up as Aaron stood on the porch, sipping his coffee and waving goodbye to her. She waved back as Matt's car pulled out of the driveway.
A mile down the road, Matt glanced at her. "Can you PLEASE not sex your 'hubby' up in the mornings like that and run late? I get a serious case of the wiggins being around him."
"Oh please, it's NOT like I initiated it. I never initiate it. He's constantly pawing at me. And stop freaking out around him, he's harmless."
"Harmless?" Matt snorted. "Yeah, he's really harmless. That's why I spent three weeks in the damn hospital after tracking him and his victims all over the country. You've seen what he's done."
"And you've seen what I've done."
"I wouldn't call you harmless either."
"He doesn't remember anything." Alexandra shrugged.
"I know." Matt nodded. "When I asked him, that's what he said and that's what he thought." He made a face. "When he wasn't thinking about you and how much he just loooooves the way it feels when he's-"
"-drop it." Alexandra snarled. "I don't want to hear it."
"Oh, is someone cranky? I'd think that mind-blowingly hot sex with your pretend husband would help that mood a little."
"I really wish he'd have stayed happy with our original arrangement." Alexandra stared out of her window. "I liked the guest room just fine and I'm sick to death of him grabbing at me."
Matt smirked at her. "You DO realize who you're saying this to, right? I can read your mind. I know what you're really thinking, even if I didn't want to in this case. You like him and you like sleeping with him. You like it a lot, actually."
"What am I thinking NOW?" Alexandra's eyes snapped towards him.
Matt glanced at her, then turned back to the road. "I don't think my gun is going to fit there, no matter how much force you put behind it." He shrugged. "Hey, I'm not knocking you for having sex with him, or even liking it. You're stuck with him, you might as well find something about this whole warden gig to enjoy about it." He made a face. "Even if it does involve a lot of screaming and moaning and nearly fainting with pleasure; something I did NOT want to hear, trust me." He glanced at her again, his expression grim. "But you need to remember not to get emotionally involved with him, no matter what. I can read your mind and I think you're starting to cross the line where he's concerned."
"I know what the line is, I'm not going to cross it." She sighed. "I just wish they would go ahead and decide just WHAT I'm supposed to DO with him! They need to either let me go ahead and kill him or let him go, but this" she shook her head "I can't take much more of this. I'm sick of being Alexandra Abbott and having to play house with an amnesiac serial killer! He hasn't gotten his memory back, he's probably not going to, I say let me fake Alexandra's death already and let his ass GO!"
"Then go tell the boss-man that."
Alexandra glared at Matt. "GEE, why didn't I think of THAT?" She snorted. "I've been telling him and telling him for weeks that this is a stupid plan and this guy isn't going to remember shit! Besides, if they're so damn worried about him remembering, why didn't they just send our little Haitian friend into his hospital room to wipe him as soon as he turned up alive, huh?"
"You're preaching to the choir here, Lexie." Matt grinned. "Or Ava, or whatever you're calling yourself right now."
"My name is Ava, but for now just call me Alexandra as much as you can. That way, you won't fuck it up and call me the wrong thing around the chump formerly known as Sylar." She slumped in her seat. "I wasn't trained for this shit and I'm sick of being a fucking babysitter, literally!" She shook her head. "You know he's talking about having a BABY?" She laughed softly. "A baby. Do I look like someone's mommy to you?"
"Nope." Matt sighed as he drove, wishing he'd kept his mouth shut when he'd gotten into the car.
"Fine pair of parents we'd make, the super-powered amnesiac serial killer and the super-powered assassin. Thank GOD for the Pill."
They rode to work in silence the rest of the way until they reached Primatech Paper Company. Matt flinched as Alexandra slammed her car door hard before she stomped into the building. Sighing, he tried catch up with her as she stormed through the building, punching in access codes and swiping her I.D. card as she went deeper and deeper into the building. Finally, she approached a door, placing her hand on a panel as a light scanned her.
"Agent 475021, Reese, Avery. Identity confirmed." A computerized voice announced as a door slid open and quickly closed in front of Matt. He sighed and placed his hand on the panel as he was scanned. "Agent 457250, Parkman, Matthew. Identity confirmed." He walked into the area where The OWI was house, deep within the confines of Primatech Paper, and headed towards his desk, smiling and nodding at Mohinder Suresh and Niki Sanders as he passed them. He walked by Peter Petrelli, their newest member, who got his attention and flagged him over.
Peter glanced towards their boss's office. "What's up Ava's ass today? She looked pretty pissed and damn near took my head off when I said 'good morning' to her."
"What's ALWAYS up her ass?" Matt shook his head. "He's apparently too grabby with her and now he's talking babies."
Peter snorted. "Are we talking about who I think we're talking about? HE wants babies?"
Matt shook his head. "I have to agree with her. He hasn't shown the first sign of regaining his memory. It's time to figure out what to do next, and do it soon." He glanced over at her empty desk. "She's falling for him. She's denying it left and right, but I read her mind, Peter. She's falling for him hard."
Peter closed his eyes. "Not good." He looked over at the closed door of their boss's office. "She went in there to talk to him. Maybe he'll finally tell her that she can terminate him."
"She thinks he's harmless. She wants to let him go." Matt smirked.
Peter shook his head sadly. "I don't think that's going to happen."
Noah Bennet looked up from his desk as Ava flung it open and stomped into his office, slamming the door behind her. "Good morning, Avery. How are you today?"
"How the hell do you think I am?" She started pacing his office. "I can't stay there anymore Noah. I can't put up with him anymore." She stopped and looked at him. "Give me some good news here, Noah. You owe me."
"I know." Noah nodded. "I know you refused to return here six months ago to exterminate me when Thompson ordered you to and I know I owe you for that, but this isn't my call, Avery." He took off his glasses for a moment. "And I know how difficult it is for you, but until I get a call from higher-up, you have no choice but to stay the course."
"He started talking children last night, CHILDREN!" She slumped in a chair, rubbing her temples. "First he's all over me, now he's talking about wanting to be a daddy." She turned to Noah. "Can't you just send The Haitian in to wipe his memory and set him up somewhere else? He won't remember being Sylar, he won't remember being Aaron, you can give him a completely NEW identity. Then, I can go back to being Avery Reese, OWI's resident hired gun."
Noah looked sadly at her. "Just hold him off, okay? I'm trying to get you reassigned, it's taking time." He changed the subject. "How's the Mac-man?"
Ava grinned. "Good. He'd make his daddy Mr. Muggles very proud. Now HE'S the one I'll miss when I get reassigned. You are still willing to take him back when this is over with, right?"
Noah nodded. "Yep! I'll just tell Sandra that his previous owner had to move to an apartment that didn't allow dogs."
Ava looked up as a technician walked into the room to hand Noah paperwork. She noticed how he glanced at her, then did a double-take, his eyes widening for a moment before he covered a grin. She leaned forward, narrowing her eyes at him. "You must be one of those voyeurs that's assigned to watch the surveillance records of our house, right?" She cocked an eyebrow as he blushed and nodded. "Enjoying the show?" She smirked as he ducked his head down and quickly walked out of the room. "Pervert." She muttered under her breath.
"Easy, Avery." Noah's voice had a warning tone to it.
"How CAN I take it easy, huh, Noah? I can't take this anymore! I'm this close to accidentally giving him a heart attack or stroke just so he'll leave me alone." She rolled her eyes as Noah started to speak to her, pointing his finger at her. "I'm not going to do it, GOD! It would just mean having to take care of him more than I already am. It was annoying enough having to pretend that I was in love with him and fuss over him when I first brought him here."
"Are you finished venting?" Noah put his glasses back on and peered at her over the rims.
"Sir, yes Sir." Ava stood up slowly. "Just please bug the crap out of our new fearless leader, whoever he or she is and ask them to please shit or get off of the pot as far as Sylar is concerned, okay? I'm tired of acting like the loving wifey here."
"Will do." Noah picked up his pen. "Again. Some more." He muttered.
"I heard that." Ava grinned as she walked out of the office. She sat down at her desk and put her head in her hands. She looked up as Peter walked over to her and gave him a sheepish look. "Sorry for being so bitchy when I first came in. I've had a frustrating morning and I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"I don't blame you. Having to live with Sylar day in and day out, sleeping beside him, sleeping WITH him, having to pretend that you're lovey-dovey with him, it's got to take a toll." He leaned against her desk, watching her expression as he talked. "I don't understand why Bennet, of all people is so willing to make you stay there, especially considering everything Sylar's done to his family."
"I know." Ava sat up and started digging through her desk. "You'd think he of all people would be more than willing to step on a few toes and either let me blow that guy's mind one way or let The Haitian do it the other way." She grinned as she found a bag of potato chips hidden in the back of her desk. "YES! JalapeƱo cheddar goodness." She started to open the bag, looking up at Peter. "Want some?"
"It's ten a.m."
"And?" She opened the bag and looked in it, realizing it was completely empty. "God DAMN it!" She looked around the office. "CANDICE!"
Peter smirked as he saw Candice quickly skulk out of the office before the other woman could spot her. He turned back to Ava. "So I hear he's talking about wanting to knock you up."
Ava rolled her eyes. "DAMN that blabbermouth Parkman! What's he going to tell you next?"
Peter shrugged. "Just that Sylar was asking advice about what to do to make you happier. He knows something's up, Ave. He sees it in your eyes and he can hear you crying in the bathroom when you take a shower."
Ava looked away, frowning. "I'm not crying."
"It's frustrating, I know. It's also got to be taking a toll. You're lying in bed with a man that you know you shouldn't feel anything for, that you can't feel anything for. You know you may have to end up killing him, but he seems innocent. He can't remember who he is or the terrible things he's done, which makes him innocent, as far as he knows. He also tells you he loves you, and he probably does. It's got to be hard not to want to love him back and forget who and what he really was and what he could easily become again if he regains his memory. He treats you lovingly, he tells you he loves you, he shows you he loves you, what's wrong with wanting to love someone like that back? You're only human Ava."
Ava continued to avoid Peter's eyes. "I can't feel for him. I can't love him back. It's my job. He's a job, nothing more."
Peter sighed. "Ava, I'm reading your mind, okay? I know what's running through it because I've just repeated it to you." He leaned close to her. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to love 'Aaron', Ava but you have to ask yourself, can you still love him if he returned to being Sylar?" He looked at her, a sad but kind expression on his face as hers began to crumple. "If that happened, if the worst case scenario came true, can you put your feelings for 'Aaron' aside and destroy Sylar before he destroys you?"
"Yes." She whispered, her voice strangled as she took deep breaths to keep from crying. She finally looked into Peter's eyes, her hazel green meeting his golden brown. "If 'Aaron' went away and Sylar came back, I could kill him dead in a heartbeat, because if that ever happened, the man I've slept with and yes, have started to fall for, would be dead, another one of Sylar's victims."
Peter raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Just remember that. You're not just there to baby sit a serial killer, you're there to protect the man you want to love from being killed by himself. Remember that, and I think you'll be okay." He leaned over and quickly kissed the top of her head. "Take care, Ava."
Ava nodded as she tossed the empty potato chip bag in the trash. She looked up as Niki got her attention. "Your 'husband' is on line one, Ava."
She took a deep breath and picked up the phone, hitting the button for line one. "Good morning, Primatech Paper Sales Division, this is Alexandra Abbott, how may I help you?"
"Hey Baby!" She closed her eyes as she heard Aaron's voice on the other end. "I was thinking about chicken parmigiana for dinner, how does that sound?"
"Great." She tried to smile to get her voice to sound more cheerful. "That sounds great, Honey."
"Good. You'll be home around six, right? No stopping off at a bar tonight for happy hour with the coworkers?"
"I'll be home around six. I'll see you then."
"Okay. I love you, Lexie."
Ava closed her eyes, fighting tears. "I love you too, Aaron." She quickly hung up the phone and took a deep breath, steadying her emotions as she felt her coworkers' eyes on her. She sat up and looked around at everyone defiantly. "WHAT?" She asked with steel in her voice. Everyone quickly looked away, shuffling papers as they tried not to meet her eyes.
April 7, 1998
"Now THAT is a beautiful dress, Ava!" Thompson leered at her as she stepped out of her room, dressed in a long red dress with a plunging neckline.
Ava fiddled with the neckline, making a face. "I don't know about this. It's kind of-"
"-It's beautiful. I picked it out for you, you know." Thompson took her arm and led her out of the building. "Stop fidgeting with it." He drove them to a restaurant situated in a hotel, smiling at her and making small talk the whole way.
In the restaurant, after they'd eaten and he'd paid the check, Thompson leaned forward on his elbows. "Ready for your first assignment?"
"Here?" Ava looked around nervously. "What do I have to do?"
Thompson cocked his head at a table near theirs. "To your right, two tables over, there's a man sitting there, mid forties, portly, bald. See him?"
Ava glanced over to her right and spotted the man, nodding. "What do I do?"
Thompson smiled. "You're going to give him a massive stroke, right here, right now. Don't make him see anything, just send out one of those little psionic bullets you do so well and rupture his brain." His smile faltered as Ava gasped and shook her head, tears springing into her eyes. "Ava, listen to me" he hissed "this isn't a bad thing you're doing. This isn't like what happened at your prom. You've learned to control your power, to use it wisely. Do you trust me? DO YOU?"
Ava stared at the tablecloth. "I trust you."
"What did I tell you when we first met, Sweetie? What did I tell you about your power?"
"You said it was a gift from God." She whispered.
"That's right." He purred. "It's a gift from God. That man over there, he does very bad things to little girls. Have you ever heard of child pornography?" Ava looked up at him, her tearful eyes widening. "He's the kingpin of child porn in Texas. He's also suspected of running a prostitution ring. Guess what kind of prostitutes he uses? Little girls, Ava. Someone like that shouldn't be allowed to live, don't you think so?" Her bottom lip quivering, Ava nodded slightly. "Good girl. Kill him, Ava. Make him stop hurting little girls." He reached out, gently taking Ava's hand, his thumb massaging the inside of her wrist. "Do it for me, Honey." He smiled as Ava took a deep breath and concentrated. The man he'd pointed out to her suddenly sat up straight, his mouth filled with food. He began to gag as his nose began to pour blood from it. With a strangled cry, he suddenly slumped forward, his face buried in his plate as his dinner companion began to scream. Thompson looked at Ava, realizing she was about to start crying openly. He stood up and took her arm, ushering her out of the restaurant and into the hotel lobby. He quickly steered her towards the elevators and pushed her into one.
As the doors closed, Ava turned to him, crying. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Thompson grimaced and pulled her into his arms, shushing her. "It's okay Honey. It's always hard your first time, I know." He stroked her hair as she sobbed in his arms, his grimace turning into a grin as her sobs began to abate. He took her face in his hands, wiping tears away. "Everything's going to be okay, you'll see." He led her out of the elevator onto a floor and ushered her into a hotel room.
She looked around, confused. "Why are we here?"
Thompson shrugged. "I knew you'd be upset after what you had to do. I didn't want anyone to get suspicious, so I booked this room for you to calm down and freshen up in before we left." He stepped towards her, pulling her into his arms again. "Everything's going to be okay, Ava." He cradled her face in his hands again, kissing her cheeks first, then her lips. She struggled against him, trying to pull away as she protested. Still clutching her face in his hands, he lifted his head from hers for a moment. "Don't fight me on this. You like me. I like you. Don't fight me on this, don't ever say 'no' to me, Honey." He bent down and kissed her again, pushing her towards the bed as she stopped fighting and lay down, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks again as he loomed over her. "I've been waiting all year for you to turn eighteen." He loosened his tie as he leaned down, kissing her again as he unzipped her dress.
May 1, 2007
"You okay?"
Ava glanced over at Matt as he drove her home. She nodded and turned her attention to the window again, watching the streets roll by. "I'm fine. Thanks a lot for blabbing everything to Peter, by the way."
"He's a good guy and he's an empathetic ear, he kind of has to be, given his power. I thought if anyone would be able to reach you or help you, he would. Did he? Did he help you?"
Ava shrugged. "Until I get reassigned, no one's really going to be able to help me."
Matt glanced at her sadly, then concentrated on the drive to her house, shaking his head.
Aaron smiled as he heard Matt's car pull up. He watched from a window as Alexandra got out of the car and climbed the steps to the porch and entered the house. He beamed at her as she walked in. "Good evening, Baby!" He pulled her into a hug, kissing her cheek. "How was your day?"
"Same old, same old." She squeezed him tightly, closing her eyes as she reminded herself about her talk with Peter. It's okay to love him, just remember who he really is and what you'll have to do if HE remembers. If Sylar comes back, he'll be killing this man in your arms, the man you're falling in love with. Love 'Aaron', hate Sylar. Keep Sylar at bay, Girl. She let Aaron go, smiling at him. "How was YOUR day?"
"Great!" He wrapped an arm around her waist, smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I finished that clock today and took it down to Mabel's. I got a VERY good price on it."
Alexandra raised an eyebrow. "HOW good?"
"This good." Aaron pulled her close and began to kiss her passionately. "Good enough that I think we can let dinner wait, and possibly ruin if we have to."
"That good, huh?" Alexandra kissed him back as her hands reached for the button of his jeans. "That's very good, indeed." She looked into his eyes, smiling. "I love you, Aaron."
Aaron's eyes widened. "It's been so long since you told me that, Lexie." He kissed her. "I love you too."
April 7, 1998
Ava lay in the bed of the hotel, the sheets wrapped around her nude body as she slept, curled up in the fetal position, as far away from Thompson as she could. Thompson lay on his back, his arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling, grinning from ear to ear. He looked over at her again, sighing as he climbed out of bed and grabbed his cell phone. He walked to the bathroom and dialed the phone. "Mr. Linderman, it's Thompson. It's done. Yeah, she took care of him with a quickness, you now have one less competitor for that casino you wanted next door to the Corinthian." He nodded. "No, thank YOU Sir. She's just fine. I got her home and safely tucked back into bed before her curfew. Goodnight Sir." He hung up the phone and stared at himself in the mirror, winking at his reflection before he went back into the bedroom and climbed back into bed. Glancing at Ava, he rolled over beside her, touching her shoulder. "Roll over, I'm ready for more." He whispered.
