Author's Note: Wow, so I owe you guys a huge apology for not updating sooner. Life got in the way, and I promise I won't let that happen again. Now that Heroes has started again, I've got huge inspiration to continue writing this book so stay tuned for a lot of updates!
Thank you who supported me and reviewed…you guys are the best! :D
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Heroes except Anna.
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The first rays of sunlight were just beginning to warm Anna's face when she heard the shower running. She pulled the covers closer to her body, eyes still shut. The bed was so warm and cozy, she felt like she could just lay there forever, basking in the sunlight. Sadly, all good things come to an end as that annoying alarm clock beeped…and kept beeping until she slammed her hand down on the OFF button.
With a groan, Anna lifted her head a few inches to check the time. 7:15. She exhaled heavily as her head hit the pillow. I don't get paid enough for this… she complained to herself, reluctantly throwing the covers off her warm body.
Anna cringed as her bare toes touched the carpet, immediately reminded how crappy the motel they were staying at was. Distantly, she heard the shower shut off. With a yawn, she looked at the couch where Sylar had slept, smiling slightly at the folded blanket and tidy suitcase ready at the door.
At least one of us is neat, she mused, grabbing a towel and making her way to the bathroom door.
Anna knocked on the old wood. "Hey, Sylar, I need to get in there."
No answer.
She would have been the slightest bit concerned if she hadn't heard the sound of him brushing his teeth. Anna scowled. Asshole… she thought darkly, diminishing the fact that he could slice her skull open and eat her brains for breakfast any time he wanted. Ugh, this was going to be difficult.
Of course he would make life more difficult for her…neither of them had wanted to be partners in the first place. She supposed Samuel, wherever he was, was probably laughing at her now, hair tangled, eyes droopy, waiting for a serial killer to finish brushing his goddamn teeth.
She pounded on the door, this time a little harder. "Ok seriously Sylar, come on!"
Anna heard the sink turn off and a towel being removed from the rack. She almost growled. "If you're not out in 5 seconds…" She let the threat hang loosely in the air, knowing full well that there was nothing she could do to him that would physically cause him harm.
No response.
"1!"
Nothing.
"2!"
Still nothing...
Her threats were beginning to sound foolish. Well, she mused, no time to stop now. "3!"
Unknowingly to her, Sylar had just begun to unlock the door, rolling his eyes at her immaturity.
"4!"
The door began to open.
"5!"
Anna barreled forward, intending to break down the door, or possibly really injure her shoulder, when Sylar opened the door. Instead of rushing against hard wood, all of a sudden she collided with warm, wet flesh. Her surprise was so sudden that she dropped the towel she was holding, even when Sylar grabbed her shoulders to prevent her from falling.
Anna couldn't breathe. For the second time since meeting this man, words failed her. Her throat constricted and swallowed dryly, while her stomach did somersaults amidst the butterflies.
The man standing before her had nothing but a pair of dark pants clothing his legs, while the rest of him was exposed. His broad shoulders were lined with muscle while small dark hair trailed down his chest and flat stomach, almost inviting wary onlookers to glance to the territory beyond his jeans. His dark hair was slicked back and wet, causing small water droplets to drip from the ends and onto his shoulders. His chin was not yet shaven and as a result, he pulled off the sexy rogue look with his barely appearing beard. Anna had the strangest urge to brush her fingers against the rough hairs.
"Anna?"
That deep sexy voice…good lord. That alone cause shivers to run down her spine in all the right ways, even though her brain screamed at her to get a grip and to stop staring at his gorgeous body. But man was it hard not to. With difficulty, she pulled her gaze from his muscled torso and met his eyes.
They were filled with confusion and irritation, possibly from her earlier mission to break down the bathroom door. Those dark chocolate eyes searched hers, making her realize what she had just done. A small blush crept up her cheeks.
"I-I uh…" What had she come here to do exactly? With determination, she shook her head to clear away the most recent images of pushing him against the wall and kissing him passionately. Anna cleared her throat. "I need to use the bathroom."
Sylar's gaze was still confused, but he chuckled slightly and she had the strangest feeling he was mocking her. "It would have been much easier if you had said please."
She gave a gasp of indignation and pushed her way into the bathroom; ignoring the warmth she felt when his shoulder brushed hers. God, what am I, two? Get a grip on yourself, Anna. She scrunched up her mouth and moved to shut the door on his face when he bent down and reached for her towel that had fallen.
As Sylar handed it to her however, his gaze fell past her face. She could almost see the small smile of victory in his eyes.
"You might want to get some clothes on."
With a wave of embarrassment, she looked down at herself, noting now that she wore almost nothing. It wasn't her fault she had no other pajamas than a skimpy tang top and small black shorts. Without replying, Anna shut the door sharply.
Sylar laughed. Yeah, this girl was a handful.
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After the 'morning incident' that Anna so delicately called it, she had avoided Sylar's gaze all afternoon. They had switched positions in the car, causing her to be immensely bored and as her only source of entertainment, glanced dully at the cows that passed her gaze.
Sylar wasn't a bad driver, as far as she could tell, yet he never moved his eyes from the road. She liked to think he was still avoiding her as she was avoiding him, but Anna knew he had enjoyed her embarrassment this morning, causing her to unconsciously scoot further away from his seat.
"So…"
Sylar rolled his eyes. He had been doing that a lot lately, ever since he met this girl. "So why do you keep trying to talk to me?" he replied harshly, not moving his eyes from the road. He was still trying to expel the images of her looking rather sexy in her short pajamas and the way her hair…wait, wait…did he just say sexy?!
Anna huffed. "Because we're partners and I think partners should know something more about the other besides his criminal history."
He stayed silent. Something about this girl irked him. Was it the way her eyes flashed in annoyance whenever she didn't get what she wanted? Or the small pursue of her lips that made him want to smile?
She sighed and looked back out the window. "Ok, how about we start with an easy question."
Sylar still didn't say anything, yet the small inclination of the head told her he was listening.
Anna placed her hands on her lap. "How many abilities do you have?"
She had expected him to glance darkly in her direction, but surprisingly he just sighed. "I thought you were going to ask me my favorite color."
She furrowed her eyebrows. "But I already know that."
Sylar glanced at her for the first time, noticing the curl of her hair and the sharpness of her cheekbones. "What's my favorite color."
"Black."
He looked back at the road. "Why would you say that?"
"Easy; because that's all the only color you wear."
Surprising himself, he chuckled a little, enough to cause Anna to smile slightly. "Fair enough."
They drove for quite a while before she decided to break the silence. "Sylar?"
He sighed. "What?"
"You still haven't told me how many abilities you have."
Sylar rolled his eyes. "If I tell you, will you be quiet?"
Anna considered her options. True, she could push this man's buttons for a while…but the prospect of that cold stare wasn't what she wanted to see at the moment. So instead of whining, she nodded her head.
He took that as a yes. "I can move things with my mind, I can freeze things, I can hear a pin drop from a mile away, I can detect when someone lies…"
Anna was impressed. Of course she knew he had obtained those other abilities by prying at their brains…but still. A human lie detector is pretty impressive. "Wow."
Silence stretched on for a few seconds before she said, "Isabel only had one ability."
Sylar turned to look at her, seeing the paleness of her skin. "What was it?"
She didn't know why she was talking. She didn't know why she had even brought up Isabel or those stupid abilities. She didn't care. But somehow, she couldn't stop herself from answering.
"Empathy. She could do whatever someone else did, if she just learned to understand them." Anna laughed humorlessly, even as guilt clenched her heart. Guess you're not as strong as you think, that inner voice jeered. Anna ignored it.
By now, Sylar was listening intently to what she was saying. For some reason, he had no desire to block her out or sneer at her pain. For once in his life, he felt a weird sensation, a constricting of the chest, the hard lump in his stomach. Was that concern he was feeling?
When he didn't respond, she took it as a sign to be quiet. With a quiet sigh, she turned back towards the window glancing at the cow-filled fields and let her mind wander. What an easy life it would be to not care for anyone, or how they felt, or worry about someone dying. From that moment, she began to hate that man who sat next to her. She hated him because he was free from this guilt, this anguish, this sorrow, and while he happily went around slicing people's brains open, she knew deep in her heart that she had caused her sister to die.
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Author's Note: What do you think? Bit of a sad chapter at the end, but I promise more Anna/Sylar action is coming soon! Please review!! (And I swear this next chapter won't appear 3 months after I post this. I'm working on the next one right now! ^_^ )
