Author's Note: This chapter involves a very fluffifed flashback. Also Petrellis? Lots of familar faces will be showing up. Maybe Peter and Nathan will dazzle us with their persence.
CHAPTER 2: Lub Dub
"I'd promised you a heart, you'd promise to keep." – Prelude12/21, AFI
He could hear it now. The beating of a heart. The difference in the sound. One heart form another. He could hear it all now. Every little subtlety. Every murmur. Every whisper. Dale Smither's hearing had been bothersome at first, but now . . . everything was so beautiful. The rain, the air, the sound of a child cooing, a woman laughing, leaves against the tar, the wheels of the bus he sat on now. It all worked in harmony.
Then of course there was the heart. The sweet sensation that told him people lived. People survived. He looked about the bus. The people huddled together. All their hearts beating in and out of time. His was rushed with the sensation from the kill. From the rush of the symphony of life. He lived. He lived and he could hear those living. Breath, movement, beating.
He closed his eyes giving into the thought of being tired, though he didn't sleep. He didn't dream. He merely took himself into a memory. A memory with beating hearts and love.
"That was . . ." Her voice. Always Elle. She collapsed onto his chest. It was the time after he had proposed. Ruining their steaks and any thoughts they had on leaving each other. "Wonderful." Satisfaction had filled the air like a new hope. Her breath had curled against the hairs of his chest. His heavy breathes were swallowed down in a single gulp. He never thought he could feel so whole. "You should propose to me more often."
Laughter. He laughed at the thought. If it meant having such a satisfied feeling every night he'd do it. She didn't move. Only breathed. Her body heavy against him. Like a comfortable weight on his chest weighing him to her.
"I'd run out of money buying rings." He joked and she laughed. Like bells. Sweet innocence. Her hand pressed between his pecks as she attempted to shift her ear closer to his heart.
She listened closely for the beat. The rhythm. The hum. In time with the beautiful artwork above their bed. Her shoulders swayed in time with it as he eyelids fluttered closed. Her lips parted making the noise of his heart. Racing to a slow. Adrenaline was there from the furious passion they had experienced.
"You make such a beautiful sound, Gabriel." His heart curled faster as she said his name. Her blonde hair tickled him as it sprayed across his chest and down her bare pale back. "Lub, dub. Lub, dub." She mocked stroking his chest softly. His hand traced against her spin.
"Can you hear it?" He asked with a soft smile. His eyes looking down at her. She peered up fluttering her lashes. "It beats for you." She listened closer. As if she could hear her name in his heart. Elle. Elle. Love. Elle. She smiled hearing it in her mind. She shifted up slowly.
"Come here sweetheart." She cooed exposing her glorious chest to him as she laid back against the pillow. "Hear my heart." She pressed her hand against the top of her breast. Where her heart resided. He smiled leaning his ear to it. Against her warm soft skin.
He listened to the beat. Fluttery and flightful. Full of hope and satisfaction. A different beat. Faster almost, but with a steadied. But still the same sound. Lub, dub. Lub, dub. He smiled listening to the very delightful rhythm.
"Same, but different." He agreed. She stroked his hair. Getting longer which he discovered she found irresistible. He'd keep it long as long as it wasn't hippie like. "Special."
"Different heart beats." She sighed softly resting her body. "Beating for each other." Yes he could hear it. Gabriel. Gabriel. Love. Gabriel. He could hear it against her breast. In her heart. He was always in her heart.
He leaned his head off of her looking into her crystallized blue eyes. Beautiful glorious beads of hope. Her hand stroked his sweaty forehead than through his beautiful dark brown hair. She smiled like she always did when looking at him. He leaned down to kiss her. She held his face as if to keep it there.
"We're getting married." She giggled against his lips. "I'll be legally yours." She stroked her hand between his pecks. Gabriel just gave a half grin.
"You know that's not possible." He cooed. "You can't belong to anyone." She tilted her head to the side. Like Gabriel saw dog's often do. "That's why I love you. I'll always be yours Elle. You'll always hold a power over me that I'll never quite understand." She laughed softly kissing his soft lips.
"It's called love silly." She sounded as if she were speaking to a baby. "We love each other too much. You make me happier than people should be. I'm pretty sure it's illegal to be this happy." Again she stroked his pecks. "What took you so long?"
"What?" He didn't really get what she was asking. Now it was he who looked like a little dog. She wrinkled her nose at his sudden cuteness.
"For you to ask me to marry you silly." She press her hand to his chest feeling the pulsing of his beautiful heart. He just grinned. It was a silly reason.
"I was afraid." She tilted her head a bit unsure of why he would be. "I was afraid you would say no." She smiled again at his cuteness wrinkling her nose. She leaned forward to kiss his cheek.
"You're silly." She said slowly as if she were feeling the exhaustion from the wonderful unbelievably perfect sex they had. "You know now there was nothing to be scared of, right?" He nodded catching her lips as they pulled back from his cheek. Kissing her felt like kissing something that didn't exist. Unicorns and mermaids.
"It does seem silly." He admitted softly. It did. Why had he been so scared? Elle had shown him plenty of times that she wanted, adored, and loved him. No one else. She pressed her hand to his heart smiling.
"When you get excited I bet it makes a wonderful little noise." She suggested peering into his eyes. "I'd like to listen for it." She kissed him again as he planted himself over her. He'd like hear her little ticker rocket off too.
Sylar couldn't finish the memory. It got racy. He didn't want to get an erection in the middle of a bus trip to Pennsylvania. From there he'd head to New York. Candice had called him with more names. Only stating that she had more. He'd have to take her out to dinner to get them.
He thought about the lies he formed to Annie and his mother. The things he found out. When Elle had died he couldn't even fathom seeing her that way again. He had packed up all their things and put them away. He gave some to Bennet who only pleaded with him once to come back. He had denied the request and merely left. Agents had come for him, but he'd killed them all. One with an ability to see what an object had gone through.
He liked that one. Touching Elle's things and seeing her again. A vivid lovely memory. He had found a broken vibrator in her position. That memory of seeing her come and spark, pulling out before she could fry herself had kept him company on lonely nights.
He shook himself out of the daze adjusting the baseball cap on his head. The bus spotted in Cincinnati. He had a while to go. People shuffled on board as he attempted to shift his black backpack around. Hopefully no one would sit by him.
"May I have this seat?" It was a woman. Egyptian decent maybe. Her hair in a long braid. She had a piercing in her nose that shone and her attire was tan. Pants, blouse. Her skin was light brown and her lips pulled into a smile. Sylar sighed giving in. He moved the backpack to his lap. "I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you, but the seats are full." She sat down. He looked around. They were. He nodded softly than looked out the window.
She knew to be quiet. He watched her shift through her purse for a phone. She texted someone quickly before folding her hands and waiting. As if something good were to happen soon. The bus merely went forward. Sylar tried not to think much after that. His mind just focused on the ticking. In his brain and on his watch.
--
"She's not going to kill us if she finds us here is she?" Zach's voice asked for the third time that day. He was picking the lock to Eden McCain's condo. Claire was in her cheerleading uniform looking out for Eden to come home. She didn't come home until five. It was three now. She skipped practice. Wasn't worth it without Elle who the school thought had moved back to New York.
"Of course not." Claire lied through her teeth. In truth Eden was a little terrifying presence. Small, but something about her made Claire quiver. Even when Eden had come up to her two months ago saying she could bring Elle back with Claire's help. The young girl wasn't sure what her ability was, but she did have one.
"Liar." Zach pointed out as something clicked. "Got it." He declared grinning. He hadn't seen Elle in two months. Claire had explained what had happened. Everything. The gunshot. The death. The miracle blood. The confused little blonde. Eden keeping her safe. The secret. He pushed the door open.
Claire walked in first. It was dark. Elle didn't deserve to be in the dark, but that was just the living room. She motioned Zach in as he sunk in. She just pointed to the door. Elle's door. Where Elle was trapped. Kept. Claire tried to open the door. Locked? Seriously? Elle could barely exist let alone leave the condo. She motioned for Zach.
"Creeper." Zach mumbled taking the paper clip to fiddle with the lock. Claire agreed. This was awful to live like this. She watched him fiddle then he pushed the door open.
Claire was the first one inside. She nearly pushed her way in. Elle didn't deserve to be locked up like an animal. She saw the blonde curled on the bed. Naked with her hair flowing over her long curled up body. Her eyes were tightly closed as she brought her knees to her chin. Her skin a deliciously pale skin soft and smooth across her. Her eyes flicked open as her body unraveled showing her lush breasts and lady parts. She looked at Zach and Claire. She curled herself down and under a blanket.
"Elle it's okay." Claire assured the girl when she quivered looking between the two. She had panic and fear behind those beautiful eyes. "Zach's gay." Zach looked over at Claire unexpectedly. Elle peered her head from under the covers more. Her nose pointing upwards.
"Do you plan on telling the whole world?" He asked with a groan. He shift himself toward the closet. He knew Elle had to be freezing. "I told you that in confidence." Claire her hand through the air ignoring him. She slowly walked to the bed as Zach searched for something for Elle to put on under the covers. Elle positioned herself against the wall behind the bed as she curled the blanket further on the bed.
"We aren't here to hurt you." Claire assured lifting her hand. Zach came from the closet with a large black t-shirt and black boy shorts. "We just wanted to see how you were doing." Elle was believing them. She knew Claire had never hurt her and Zach couldn't either. She snatched the t-shirt and shorts from him Elle shifted to put them on under the blankets.
"Did you want something to eat?" Zach shifted in his pockets seeing now that Elle's eyes became big at the word eat. He found a snickers in his pocket. "Might be a little damaged, but-" Elle snatched it uncoiling the wrapper quickly and shoving it into her mouth. She hadn't had chocolate in . . . well a long time. He used to bring her chocolate.
"Gabriel." Elle choked against the chocolate in her mouth. She sounded like a newborn speaking for the first time. All the syllables were almost incorrect, but there.
"Yes, Gabriel." Claire clarified sitting on the bed looking as the woman licked the wrapper. Tears formed in her eyes. "You miss him don't you?" It barely passed as a question. Elle placed her nose to Claire's shoulder as if his scent would be on her.
"Gabriel." She said again softly. Zach placed himself on the bed so Elle was between him and Claire. The young girl was finding easy to understand that word was all she could say right now.
"He was devastated you know." Claire pressed her hand against Elle's shoulder blades. "He just held your hand and looked at you the whole time. Right until they said he couldn't I think." Elle's eyes fluttered. He loved her. He cared. She remembered him caring. "He packed everything you guys had and left the house." She remembered the house too. Where they cooked and loved. Made love. Played. "My dad and I don't know where he went." Elle shifted closer to Claire. She tried to struggle to find new words.
"Gabriel," Elle said again holding the girl's hand. "Find Gabriel, Claire." She couldn't. She was trapped here being used and not healing in anyway. She was getting worse. Claire saw that and a plan started developing.
"I will." Claire said bending forward to kiss Elle's forehead. "I promise."
