Back into the city in a split second, Peter hoofed it several blocks until he stopped to catch his breath in the square of a large office building. He hurried in and nearly accosted the front receptionist who looked at him nervously as he moved quickly up to her desk.
Peter leaned on the desk taking sharp and heavy breaths, "Hiro – Naka – Mura." He said in between breaths.

"Do you have an appointment?"
Peter shook his head and swallowed, "Tell him Peter Petrelli is here. It's very important."

She stared at him for a moment longer before dialing an extension on her phone and muttering quietly into her head set as though Peter couldn't hear every single word on both ends of the conversation.
She met his eyes again, "He will see you. Follow me." She stood and led him through the security check points deeper into the office.
After passing maze after maze of cubicles they reached a large wooden door to a corner office. The receptionist knocked lightly and opened the door.

"Peter!" said an excited voice. Hiro stood from behind his desk and walked to the door, taking Peter's hand and shaking it madly, "I thought you would be more interested in watching the election." He said, pulling him into the office with him.
"Thank you, Jackie." He bowed his receptionist out of the room. She smiled at him before closing the door.
Peter jerked around and looked at the closed door for a moment before turning back to Hiro.

"Please, take a seat my friend." Hiro said moving back behind his desk and sitting down. He eyed Peter for a moment in the silence that followed. Peter's hair was disheveled and his eyes were tired. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days.

"You look horrible." He said and looked closer.
"It's been a busy day," Peter said as he took a gander around the office and Hiro's expensive looking suit. "I didn't think you were one for all this corporate stuff." He said.
"I am not." Hiro quickly dismissed the subject of conversation and leaned onto his desk, his eyes squinting at Peter until Peter feared that they might disappear into his face.

"When have you come from?" Hiro demanded.
Peter raised his eyebrows slowly in impressed surprise, "How could you tell?"

"People have a connection with each other in their own time – a kind of dimensional thread that no one seems to notice. They may sense something is out of place, but that is all." Hiro spoke as though he were teaching a high school science class. "I knew you were not the Peter from my time almost from the point you came into this office."

"I need your help." Peter said.
Hiro sat back in his hair, his eyes focused on Peter giving him his full attention.
"Ellen and I were separated – I was pushed here by accident and I have no idea where…or when she is. She won't know who could help her no matter what time she's in."
Hiro looked at him sharply when he mentioned Ellen's name but said nothing of her, "Locating a person in time is very difficult when you don't know when in time they are exactly. It can be dangerous. I have only just begun to realize how it is done.
"She is from the past, isn't she?" he asked.

Peter avoided his eyes and squirmed a bit in his chair.
"I remember, Peter. You have told me the rest since. Don't forget, this is the future to you."

Peter felt as though his brain would explode. He hated time travel. Meddling in it was worse. In a way, Sylar had been right about him.
"You have a tie to the Ellen from your time, not the Ellen you're after. To find the one from the past will be a challenge but I will help you."
"Thanks." Peter said quietly.

"You know her the best," Hiro stood and began pacing behind his desk as he spoke, "To find a person you have to keep your thoughts on her and only her – not only her face or appearance but the being as a whole; her thoughts and emotions, the very idea of her. It should be a little easier for you given that you can read minds and have no doubt heard her thoughts."

Peter was rather taken aback at how much more improved his English had become even since his time. He wasn't as timid about making decisions either. It was quite refreshing.
Hiro took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie.
"You're coming?"
"Of course." Hiro said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "You may need my help."

Peter stood and Hiro placed a hand on his shoulder, "Let's go my friend." He said. "Remember think only of her, the Ellen you wish to find."
He closed his eyes and filled every corner of his mind with her; her eyes and smile; the scent of her hair; the sound of her voice and her thoughts in his head.
She was waking up with him on the couch; running down a corridor with him at night; her face was close to him before a kiss. Her thoughts as she died entered his mind – she hadn't thought of him at all.

Hiro squeezed his eyes shut and both men left the office in a flash leaving no trace behind.

----

The street came more into focus as they walked. Ellen blinked, the day light glittering in her eyes. She was beginning to rely more on her own strength rather than Gabriel which helped to calm his nerves a little.
But it felt good at the same time. Ellen was putting her trust in him – a man she most likely would never have taken a second glance at otherwise. He hated judging her like that but to him, she was a lovely woman and in his experience lovely women simply didn't notice him. He didn't have a choice, that's just how it had always been.
He only wished he could help her more.

They were heading to the only place Gabriel would feel at ease with her, his workshop and home.
Ellen stumbled inside, her head still pounding from Sylar's blast. Gabriel moved right with her, steadying her back on her feet. She grasped a chunk of his knitted vest for support, her stomach and head lurching, "I think I'd better sit down." She grunted.

Gabriel nodded and quickly shut the door behind them. Placing a hesitant hand along her back and the other on her arm, he steered her through the shop to a door at the back.
Ellen glanced lazily at the shop as they passed. Along the walls hung dozens of clocks of various sizes and styles. There was a little work table behind the counter at the front. She saw a magnifying lamp and small mechanical parts scattered on the table top.

Gabriel opened the door and guided her inside to an old recliner, easing her into it before he went back to shut the door. He squatted down in front of her, his face a frown of concern, "Better?" he said.
"Yes." Ellen sat back into the soft cushion, "I think I just need to be still for a while."

They both saw each other then, getting their first decent looks at one another. Gabriel's eyes moved over her face piece by piece, section by section. Her hair was falling out of the twist she had it in and the front was draping loosely around her face. Her eyes had been the first thing he noticed and they looked even brighter when she was indoors.

She noticed him watching her and smiled, a little embarrassed, "You must think I'm absolutely crazy."
Gabriel shook his head and noticed the blood still on her hands. Part of it had dried and caked onto her palms, "We should probably take care of that." He lifted her hand lightly in his own as though it were made of glass and his clumsy fingers would break it if he wasn't too careful and he pulled her gently back to her feet.

They went into the small bathroom and he sat her down on the closed toilet seat as he searched around for some disinfectant and bandages.
Ellen's eyes were on his back but she wasn't seeing him. Though he was very familiar to her she didn't feel the need to dwell on it. Her mind had gone blank from the moment that gentleman had first helped her up off the sidewalk and it had stayed that way. She had no ideas, no inklings as to how to get back home and it scared her.

He came back to her, his hands full and crouched down in front of her.
Ellen extended her hand to him without any question and he started to wash the blood and dirt off in the sink before patting it dry and putting disinfectant on it.

She winced and breathed in sharply, her hand shuddering in Gabriel's care.
"I'm sorry." Gabriel said immediately, taking his hands from her.
"It's okay." She said, her eyes wet from the stinging disinfectant.

Gabriel carefully continued, taping a bandage over the palm of her hand. He made certain it was secure but didn't release her and held her hand for several moments before either of them noticed.
"Oh, you've got blood on your shirt, Ellen." He said shyly, his thumb absently running back and forth over the palm of her hand.

Ellen looked down, there were spots of red on her shoulder and breast but she shook her head, "Don't worry about it." She looked at his kind face, handsome beneath the glasses and stiff hair style. "I've been enough trouble to you. I really should go." She got to her feet, slipping her hand from his.

Gabriel opened his mouth in protest but his voice didn't come until a second or two later. "You're no trouble." He said clumsily, "Stay right here," he said, "I'll be back." He strode out of the room.

Ellen tipped her head to one side in confusion, looking at the empty doorway. She started her attempt to find out where he'd gone and nearly ran into him again as he reappeared in front of her.
"You can put this on. It's clean at least." He handed her a white long sleeved button down with a small faded diamond pattern on it.
He was smiling helplessly at her, almost like a child who wanted so badly to help.

"You don't have to – "
"I'll make you some tea. You shouldn't be up so soon as dizzy as you were." He said as he shut the door so she could change.

Ellen smiled and concluded that she really didn't know what to make of him. He was being very sweet in an odd sort of way as though he liked and wanted the company but didn't really know what to do with her.
She took off her t-shirt and pulled on the on he gave her, slipping her arms into the sleeves one at a time. It fit a little snug around her chest and hips but it was decent enough and comfortable.

Her eyes fell onto her reflection in the mirror and she brought her hands up to fix her hair again so it wasn't falling out of place. There was no one else in the mirror but her. Peter. Somehow they had been separated from each other and heaven only knew where or when he was.
Thoughts in her mind began to worry her as she wondered if he would be able to find her or if she should try and find the Peter Petrelli in the time she currently was in.
There was also that man who was after them. She tried to think of his name, Peter had spoken it…Sylar. He frightened Ellen to no end but she believed she was safe for now and at least she wasn't alone.

Gabriel tapped lightly on the door, "Your tea is ready, Ellen." He said through the wood.
Ellen was brought out of her thoughts at the sound of his voice and opened the door. Gabriel took her arm under her elbow and walked her back to the old recliner.

He sat her down and handed her a small cup and saucer. "Don't worry, it's herbal. I don't like getting a buzz." He said and wanted to thwack himself in the head for sounding like such an undeniably fantastic dork!
But Ellen didn't seem to notice and smiled up at him, "Thank you." She said.
Ugh, he felt stupid. He couldn't seem to avoid sounding stupid when he spoke to her. Dork.

Gabriel decided to be safe and stay silent for a while as he sat in front of her on his crate turned into a makeshift coffee table. The sleeves of his shirt fell over part of her hands, the shoulder seams hitting her on her upper arms but it fit her quite well. He found himself admitting that it looked much better on her than it ever could on him.
A blush of red rose to his neck and cheeks when he heard rattling of glass from Ellen. She put the cup and saucer on the arm of the chair and folded her arms in front of her, curling her legs up underneath her as if she believed she could disappear if she made herself small enough.

"You look frightened of something…someone." Gabriel observed. "Is that why you were hurt?" he leaned forward, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Someone, yes." She said in a small voice. "But it is a little more complicated than that."

Gabriel said nothing, ready for her to explain but she shook her head at him.
"You shouldn't get involved Gabriel. You have been so generous to me and I don't even know you. I should probably leave soon."
She started picking at a thread on the cuff of her shirt.

"I could try to help you." He said sincerely.
Ellen let out a laugh and smiled at him, "You have got to be one of the kindest people I have ever met." She saw a blush in his skin as he grinned at her, "With an honest smile." She added.
A muffled tinkling bell brought them away from each other and Gabriel sighed. "It's the front door. Maybe a customer." He said and moved to the door. "I'll be back." He said, closing the door behind him.

It had to have been a good decade before he'd been in this place. The sounds of the clocks clicking at him caused hundreds of memories to erupt into his mind, one in particular came in very clear – when he had first met Ellen and had taken her back here to fix the heel on her shoe.

"I'll be back." Sylar heard from the back of the room and lifted his eyes slowly to the young man walking towards him, preparing himself for the shock.
Gabriel couldn't help but notice how incredibly dark the man looked, his entire appearance seemed shadowed even in the daylight that came in through the windows.

"May I help you with something, sir?" Gabriel said, willing himself to not be intimidated by this man.
"I am looking for a young woman, about your age." Sylar said gruffly. He didn't allow himself to have eye contact with the boy for a long period of time. "I believe she may be here."

Gabriel stiffened, and glanced back at the closed door before addressing the stranger again, "I haven't seen anyone." He said lamely.
Sylar then looked his younger self in the eyes, those innocent, weak eyes, "I believe you have." He said.

Ellen heard Gabriel's voice and another familiar voice rumbling softly in the other room. She stood and moved to the door, pressing her ear against it and listened.
"I assure you there's no one else here." Gabriel said, his voice wavering.
Sylar stood to his full height, he was tired and the damned chase would end now. "I do not want to hurt you, Gabriel." He said, "But I will if you refuse to be honest with me."

Gabriel stared at him, his brow furrowed in mild shock, "How do you know my name?" he muttered.
"You'd be surprised at what else I know about you, Gabriel Grey." Sylar moved around the counter and to the back of the room with Gabriel backing up against the door in front of him.

"Are you going to try and stop me, boy?" Sylar said.
Gabriel slid against the door until he felt the doorknob in his hand. As fast as he could he opened the door, rushed inside and slammed it shut nearly knocking Ellen over in the process.

"It's him!" she was saying, her voice far beyond panicky. "He's found me, he's here! Gabriel, you have to go, you have to get away from him…" she continued babbling as Gabriel pressed himself against the door.
Sylar could hear her voice in the other room. He placed his hand flat against the door's surface. The wood began to break and crackle as it grew hot from his touch.
Gabriel leaped away from the door and pushed Ellen to the floor with him as it was blown of his hinges in a deafening shot.

Ellen screamed as they stood and she saw Sylar's face again, smiling at her.
Sylar looked from Ellen to Gabriel, "Forgive me the lack of polite banter this time." He lifted his hand and a shot of energy blew Gabriel off his feet and into the wall. His head hung limply to one side as Sylar approached his former self, pinned to the wall.

"I'VE FORGOTTEN HOW WEAK YOU WERE." He said quietly in a gruff and inhuman voice. Gabriel's eye lids fluttered as he tried to keep his eyes open. "It is good to have a reminder of what we once were. It makes us want to improve and progress no matter what the cost. Oh no you don't – "Sylar's head snapped around and saw Ellen running through the shop to the front door. In a blink he made a telekinetic snatch at her ankle and she fell to the floor with a yelp.

He turned back to his past self and studied him for a moment longer, "There is much more in you Gabriel, but you have to forgo your sheer cowardice first."
Sylar released Gabriel who crumpled into a heap on the floor and made no move to get up. "Weak." Sylar muttered and walked back into the shop where Ellen lay pinned to the floor boards, whimpering softly.

Sylar squatted down next to her, "At long last, my dear, we have found each other again." He placed a hand on her shoulder and they vanished in time.