fifteenChapter Nine: Stalked

October 2, 2007

Bainbridge Island, Washington

Elle watched as the green SUV pulled into the garage of the large, stately, waterfront house. She whistled softly under her breath as she studied the outside of the home. "Damn, you girls fell into a honey pot, didn't you?" She smirked. "When Angela Petrelli said she gave you money, she wasn't kidding." She answered her cell phone as soon as it rang. "Hi Daddy!" She smiled. "Yeah, they're just pulled up in a huge, ass house on Bainbridge Island." She sighed. "Daddy, I'm NOT letting them know I'm following them, I'm-" She groaned. "-I already told you that I don't need a team-" She closed her eyes, nodding in resignation. "Okay. I'll back off until the team gets here." She hung up the phone, glaring at the house. "Shit." She muttered as she pulled away.

Matt's eyes widened as he walked into the kitchen from the garage, noticing the view of the Puget Sound from floor to ceiling windows that took up an entire wall of the kitchen. "Nice house." He quipped.

Miriam shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "Apparently when Angela said that Mom and Uncle Daniel had put aside money for us, she wasn't joking. We figured it was a few thousand. It was quite a bit more than that. I have a feeling most of it was Uncle Daniel's doing, money-wise. Mom worked as a biologist for a local non-profit environmental group and she made enough money to raise three girls on her own, but I don't think she made quite enough to put THAT kind of money away for us. Justine and I tried to help after we acquired Bob's power, but she said it would look too shady to have two teenaged girls constantly going from pawn shop to pawn shop, selling solid gold jewelry." She laughed. "She had a point."

"Yeah, I would have been a bit suspicious." Matt leaned against the counter, watching the way Miriam fidgeted as she talked. "Miriam-"

"-You want a beer? I want a beer." She stepped towards the refrigerator, skirting past him nervously. "Juss and Iz should be home soon. They just had to catch the next ferry. I told them that I had a surprise for Iz and-" Her hands shook as she pulled two beer bottles out of the refrigerator and tried to open them, gasping as Matt reached out to steady her hands.

"We need to talk." He whispered, his lips near her ear. Stroking her back, he continued to talk, his voice low and soothing as she trembled beside him. "I know we left things pretty up in the air six months ago, we sort of had to, and I know I just came on really strong in your office-"

"-you didn't come on too strong." Miriam closed her eyes, leaning against him. "If you hadn't kissed me, I'd have kissed you." She turned to him, opening her eyes, their faces inches apart. "It got weird, didn't it?"

Matt laughed softly. "Yeah, we let things get weird." He shook his head slowly, staring into her eyes. "I don't mind though."

"Neither do I." Miriam sighed and stepped back, regaining her composure. "But Matt, I meant what I told you that night and I meant what I said in the letter." She handed him a beer and shook her head. "I meant EVERYTHING I said in that letter. I can't let myself fall in love."

"Because you're too afraid to lose me one day." Matt nodded sadly. "I know."

"And I will. You're not immortal, not that I would wish that on you or anyone else. I don't want to watch you die one day." Miriam stared at the beer in her hands, rolling the bottle back and forth between the palms as she leaned against an island in the middle of the kitchen. "If I could let myself fall in love, it would be with you, hands down. Also, there's Izzie to consider-"

Matt set his beer down with a bang on the counter "-That's it!" He took a step towards her, holding up a hand. "You can hide behind your precious feelings all day long, but don't hide behind our sister. Izzie will be in my life whether we end up together or not and if we get together and things end badly, I'm not going to let it keep me from her and I'm not going to let YOU keep me from her! If I'm not letting the bad blood between myself and Janice keep me from my son, I certainly won't let a breakup between us keep me from Iz. Now, I've been thinking about this for six months. I've been thinking about YOU for six months. There's a little saying I think you should acquaint yourself with, 'It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all', also? There's another saying 'love hurts'-"

"-Actually that's a song by Nazare-"

"-I'm still talking." Matt glared at her.

"Okay." Miriam nodded, her eyes wide.

"You say that you're scared to be with me because you don't want to watch me grow old and die on you. Guess what? I'm in your life whether we're together or not because of Isabelle, so you're GOING to see me get older, you're going to see me get sick on occasion and you might have to watch me die one day." Miriam looked away, tears in her eyes as he continued to talk. "That's LIFE! Death and dying is a part of life whether you're immortal or not. You could die on me too, you know. You're not completely invincible. All it would take is for someone to blow your head off and that would be the end. You don't think the idea of that scares ME? We can dance around this all day long and you can think of every reason in the world for us NOT to be together." He reached out, taking her beer and setting it on the counter behind her. "But all I can think about is you. I think about that night we spent together. We swore that it was just sex but you and I BOTH know that it turned into more than that. We made love, Miriam. We did it over and over again and then we fell asleep together, in each other's arms. I felt something that night that I haven't felt in a long time and I think you felt the same way. I'm not telling you that I love you, I'm not asking you to tell me that you love me. I'm asking you to stop hiding behind excuses and I'm asking you to just think about this and see if you can give us a shot. I want you and I want to be with you. I just need to know if you want to be with me, too." He stroked her cheek. "Will you at least think about it? Will you promise me that you'll think about this while I'm gone, convincing Bob to bring you girls home?" Miriam nodded and pulled him to her, kissing him. He pressed her against the counter, his hands sliding around her bare waist before moving to her back, pulling her closer to him as they kissed passionately. Miriam moaned as his lips moved to her neck, grasping his shoulders as they leaned together against the kitchen island.

"Well, this explains why my legs just started shaking." Matt and Miriam pulled apart as Justine walked into the kitchen, setting her purse and keys on the counter. She shook her head at Matt. "Are we about to have to run again?"

Isabelle followed her sister into the house, her eyes widening as she spotted Matt. "MATT!" She shrieked as she ran to him. He laughed happily and grabbed his younger sister around the waist, picking her up and spinning her around as she giggled and hugged him fiercely.

"No one knows we're here." Miriam glanced at Justine before staring at the floor, her face turning red. "It turns out that McHenry's stepson is Matt's. Janice is his ex-wife."

"Ah, the custody thing that Assface was bitching about today." Justine nodded. "Too bad you didn't stick around for the fireworks afterwards."

"OH my God!" Miriam giggled. "I forgot to tell you about that!" She turned to Matt as he held Isabelle, her eyes suddenly widening with realization. "Wait a minute, you told me that you can convince people to do stuff, did you have anything to do with Janice catching Tom inflagrante today in the office?" As Matt set Isabelle down, shamefaced, she laughed harder. "Oh, good one! Way to get back at the ex-wife!"

"I didn't do it to get back at her for anything." Matt shrugged as Isabelle continued to cling to him, her arms wrapped around his waist as she beamed happily up at him. "I overheard him thinking about his little fun on the side and realized that she shouldn't have to put up with it. I sort of nudged both of them towards the inevitable. Better Janice find out now than later. She deserves better."

Miriam snorted. "Like hell she does. I wasn't too impressed with her when I met her and realized that she was actually married to that toad, but to realize that she passed YOU over for HIM? My opinion of her just slides even further downhill."

Matt shook his head. "Jan's a good person. She's not the bad guy in our divorce, trust me. We both screwed things up beyond repair. We were having problems long before she had the affair and I didn't help matters by taking off with Ted Sprague to help bring down The Company. That was the last straw for her and I don't blame her. I do blame her for making the divorce difficult and for giving me such a hard time with this custody bit, but I still care about her and I think she can do better than Tom. Now, she'll have that chance."

Miriam smiled at her. "You are such a Boy Scout, it's adorable."

"You're staying tonight?" Isabelle asked, smiling as she looked from Matt to Miriam and back again.

"I've got a room at the Ramada near the airport. I just thought I'd pop in for a visit and then go back there for the night."

"No way." Miriam shook her head.

"Mir, he's risking ALL of us by even being here." Justine grumbled.

"He's already here, might as well go all the way with the risk." Miriam turned to him. "Which room? Give me your key."

"202." Matt frowned as he handed her a hotel room swipe card. "Why?"

"I'm going to get your things." She turned to Justine. "This is MY house too, you know."

Justine pressed her lips together tightly for a moment. "You're SURE you weren't followed by The Company?"

"To a custody fight?" Matt snorted. "Why would they bother?"

"Because you're Izzie's brother. You'd be the best lead to finding us. I'D have followed you."

"I don't think The Company has anyone as smart as you are." Miriam smirked. "Or at least as smart as you THINK you are." She turned to Matt. "You're staying. Izzie hasn't seen you in months and she's missed you."

"Izzie's not the only one." Justine muttered.

Miriam ignored her sister as she winked at Matt. "I'll be back soon."

Justine turned to Miriam, raising an eyebrow. "How will you get there?" As Miriam laughed and walked away, flapping her arms, she sighed. "At least do it invisibly!"

"This isn't my first time doing it, DUMBASS!" Miriam shouted as she walked out of the house.

"Dammit." Justine sighed as she turned to Matt. "To hell with YOU getting us busted, she'll end up doing it first."

"I think the three of you are going to be fine." Matt stroked Isabelle's hair as he beamed at Justine.

"That's what YOU think." Justine shook her head as she handed a newspaper to Matt. "Perhaps you should bone up on Miriam's extracurricular activities and THEN tell us that we're safe here." As she passed him, she glanced at the way he continued to blush. "I would say that I was going to get the guest room set up for you, but I have a feeling you won't be sleeping there." As Matt glanced at her, blushing harder, Justine shrugged. "Guess I need to take a sleeping pill or two if I'm going to sleep through the night without too many interruptions. Oh well, it's not like I've had to worry about it for six months."

Matt smiled softly. "She hasn't-"

"-Not since you, which is a record." Justine spotted Miriam's untouched beer on the counter and grabbed it, taking a swig. "Girl hasn't gone without for a WEEK since discovering sex. I don't know how she's lasted THIS long without exploding." She raised an eyebrow at Matt. "You know, you turn any redder, your face is going to burst into flames."

"Thank you for reminding me." Matt turned to Isabelle. "We have to have a checkers rematch, right now!" He laughed softly as Isabelle turned and ran from the room. "She seems like she's doing better than Miriam let on."

"She's excited to see you." Justine finally smiled. "She hasn't been this animated in a long time."

"Well, it's good that SOMEONE in this house is happy to see me." Matt quipped.

Justine shrugged. "Hey, I didn't say that I wasn't happy to see you, I'm just worried that we're going to get found out and have to run again." She sighed and gave Matt a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. "It IS good to see you, even if we do have to haul ass afterwards."

"There is no need to run. I doubt I even register on Bob's radar." Matt grinned as Isabelle walked back into the room with a checkers set and grabbed his hand, leading him towards the living room.


Everett, Washington

Sylar ground his teeth as he drove through the small neighborhood, searching for the address he'd seen in The List as he fumed about missing Miriam Pratt at her bar. "If I can't acquire HER power tonight, I can at least work on other names that are nearby." He smiled to himself as he spotted the correct address. He pulled past the house and drove a block away, parking in a supermarket lot. He stepped out of his car and walked back towards the house, hiding in the cover of darkness, his night vision seeing everything as if it were daytime. He prowled around the house, peering in windows until he'd spotted his prey. He smiled to himself as he spotted Cynthia Madsen sitting on the couch in her living room, watching television as she ate dinner. He had noticed that she appeared to live alone, not that it had mattered, after all, he'd encountered three people in the Walker home. His eyes narrowed, remembering how he'd been unable to take Molly Walker not once, but twice. Shaking his head, he watched the woman again as she finished her small meal and carried her dishes towards the kitchen.

He slipped through the bushes quickly making his way towards the back of the house. Melting the doorknob of the back door, he walked in as Cynthia turned to see him. Before she could even scream, it was over. He shoved her against the wall with a flick of his hand, sending a knife into her throat to silence her.

Sylar smiled as he walked over to her, his mouth watering. "Let's see what you've got to offer me." He purred as he lifted his finger, slicing her head open.


Bainbridge Island, Washington

Matt looked towards the kitchen as he heard the back door open, then turned back to the coffee table, frowning as he realized that Isabelle had trapped all of his men again. "How do you DO that?" He sighed as he moved a checkers piece and nodded as she quickly jumped all of them in succession.

Justine sat in a chair, watching them with an amused expression on her face. "I have no idea how she does it, but she kicks our asses all of the time."

"Tell me about it," Matt looked up to see Miriam standing in the doorway, smiling as she lifted his suitcase. "I got everything and then went downstairs to check you out."

"How'd you do that?" Matt asked.

Miriam giggled as she morphed into Matt. "I simply went down and said that I was staying with friends instead." She morphed back into herself as Matt stared at her, wide-eyed. "Cool trick, huh?"

"Yeah, don't do that again. I'm not a good look for you." Matt grinned.

"Really? I thought I looked damn good." Miriam glanced down at the suitcase. "I'll take this up."

"I'll take it." Matt grinned as Isabelle started to giggle. "But I'll be right back down." He took the suitcase from Miriam and followed her upstairs. "So am I going to be staying in a posh guest room? You know, I turned down a very nice hotel room for this. I expect a chocolate on my pillow, turn-down service-" he followed Miriam down the hall and watched as she opened a door, leaning against the door jamb as she flipped a light switch. "-is this YOUR room?" Matt gasped as he pretended to look shocked. "Why Miss Pratt, what makes you think I'm that sort of guy?"

Miriam shrugged as she reached for the light switch. "Well, if you'd rather have the guest room-" she grinned as he grabbed her hand, stopping her from turning the lights off. "-is that a 'no' on the guest room?"

"It's a 'hell no' on the guest room." Matt stepped forward and began to kiss her as she led him into her room. As they stumbled towards the bed, they groaned as Justine yelled at them from downstairs.

"I'M WIDE AWAKE AND I'M IN A ROOM WITH OUR SISTER! WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING, CUT IT OUT!"

"I'd grind up a bottle of Ambien in her food, but I'm scared it would put me out of commission too." Miriam smirked. She stepped away from Matt and shook her head. "You can set the suitcase on the chair. I'll see you downstairs." She turned to leave as Matt walked towards the black leather chair she'd pointed out.

Matt studied the décor of the room, grinning as he noticed the black and white comforter on the bed, accented by red pillows. "Let me guess, YOU decorated?"

"What was your first clue?"

"The black leather." Matt followed her out of the room. "You have a thing for it, don't you?"

"I like how it looks on me." Miriam shrugged as she trotted down the stairs with Matt following her.

"Obviously." Matt reached out and took her hand as they returned to the living room. "Okay. Who's hungry?"

Justine looked up from her cell phone. "I'm already on it. SOMEONE made me start smelling pizza." She winked at Isabelle.

"Excellent." Matt sat on the couch with Miriam beside him. He raised an eyebrow at Isabelle, pointing to the checkerboard. "Rematch?"


Ramada Inn: Sea-Tac Washington

Elle lay stretched out on her bed, flipping channels with a bored expression until she finally turned off the television, tossing the remote aside. She sighed and grabbed her cell phone, smiling softly as she dialed it.

In Brooklyn, Mohinder answered his phone. "Hello?"

"What'cha wearing?" Elle purred.

Mohinder glanced over at Molly as she sat at a table doing her homework. "Elle, this isn't a good time." He whispered into the phone.

"Aw! C'mon! I'm stuck in a hotel room on a stupid mission and I wanna talk dirty!" Elle rolled over onto her stomach, sighing. "Can I tell you what I'M wearing?"

Mohinder sighed. "I suppose."

"Nothing. Nothing at all." She giggled. "What do you think of that?"

Mohinder frowned. "I think I should hang up the phone now, Elle. I have Molly and this isn't the right time to be talking like this." He shook his head as Molly raised her head, looking confused.

"You're no fun!" Elle hung up her phone with a snap and rolled over onto her back again. "God Seattle sucks!" She groaned as her cell phone began to ring, recognizing her father's ringtone. "Uck! What now, Daddy?" She sat up and flipped her phone open. "Yes Daddy?"

Bob pursed his lips as he paced the floor of his office. "Are you prepared to take down the Pratt sisters once the teams arrive?"

Elle frowned. "I thought you said that I had a few days to observe them first."

"I'm bumping the schedule up. I have it on good authority that Parkman has a flight leaving tomorrow morning at ten. I want you to intercept him and take him out of play, then grab Justine by the next morning."

Elle grinned. "When you say 'take him out of play' you mean-"

"-I mean knock him unconscious, make sure he's dosed so when he wakes up he can't manipulate anyone into letting him go and hand him over to one of the teams that's on the way. You are NOT to permanently harm him." Bob sighed. "Obviously the Pratts are quite fond of him. If something were to happen to him, they might not be quite as receptive to our requests, understood?"

"I can't hurt him even a little?" Elle whined.

"NOTHING PERMANENT! How many times do I have to tell you-"

"-FINE!" Elle sighed. "So he's leaving at ten. I think I know how to grab him." She smirked. "He left his rental car at the marina. I'll grab him there."

"Just make sure that no one sees you." Bob hung up the phone in his office and turned back to a report on his desk. "Roger's getting closer. I needed Justine here yesterday." He sighed and shook his head. "Dammit Rog."


Bainbridge Island, Washington

Justine followed her sisters and Matt upstairs, gulping down two pills on the way. "I hope that helps me sleep through the night." She smirked at her twin. "Try NOT to make up for the whole six months in evening."

"Just take your damn pills and shut it." Miriam said wearily. "But try not to knock me out in the process, deal?" She and Matt walked into her bedroom and smiled at each other. "Izzie's getting into her pajamas. Odds are, she's going to want to give you a good-night hug first. She does that with me and Juss. Plus, it's my night to brush her hair. Justine and I have had this ritual with her since she was a baby. We always took turns brushing her hair at night. She loves it and we love doing it."

"So I can't do this, until she's gone?" Matt leaned over and kissed Miriam on the cheek.

"It might not be a good idea, until she's in bed and going to sleep." Miriam shook her head.

"What about this?" Matt began to nuzzle her neck.

Miriam closed her eyes, biting her lip to keep from moaning. "That wouldn't be too appropriate until Iz goes to bed either." As Matt continued to nibble her neck, sliding his hands around her waist, Miriam turned in his arms and began to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She gasped as she heard a knock on the door and stepped away from him. "That would be Isabelle." She took a deep breath as Matt ran his fingers through his hair and tried to straighten his clothes, and walked to the door, letting the teenager inside. "Ready for bed?" Isabelle nodded as she walked in, dressed in pajamas and a robe. Miriam stared at Isabelle's hands. "Where's your brush?"

"I did it tonight. You can start back day after tomorrow." Isabelle grinned as she ran to Matt, hugging him tightly and kissing his cheek before turning to Miriam and doing the same quickly. "Sleep tight." She called as she ran out of the door.

Miriam shook her head. "Did she just-?"

"-She totally blew you off!" Matt laughed and shook his head as Miriam turned to him, her expression sad. "Oh, don't be upset." He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her softly. "I think she wanted us to have some time together alone."

Miriam smirked. "She's been hinting around that she wants us together ever since Maine." She shrugged. "Actually, she hasn't been hinting, she's been pretty obvious about her wishes."

Matt began to nuzzle Miriam's neck as he reached for the buttons on her pants. "Well, who are WE to deny her wishes?"


Seattle, Washington

Sylar prowled the streets, smiling as his night vision made the darkness seem as bright as daylight. Standing on the roof of a building, he opened his mouth and released his new power, he winced painfully as dogs in the neighborhood began to yelp and whine, their delicate hearing assaulted by the ultrasonic scream he'd just emitted. "Well, I don't know what I'll be using this for." He shook his head. "But I'm sure it'll come in handy eventually." He stretched and climbed off of the roof, heading for his stolen car. "But tonight, I've got to get some rest." He reached into the glove box of the car and pulled out a sheet torn from a phone book. He touched the name, address and phone number printed on the page. "M. and J. Conner. 202 Puget Cove Way, Bainbridge Island." Pulling out a map, he studied how to get to the house, grinning. "Time to start observing the Pratt girls, find out what I can to take them all down." He purred to himself as he started his car and drove towards the last ferry to Bainbridge Island for the evening.


October 3, 2007

Bainbridge Island, Washington

They lay in bed together, staring at the ceiling as they caught their breath. "That was-" Matt whispered.

"-Oh yeah." Miriam turned to him and began to kiss him, her mouth teasing his. "I'm glad you came to my bar tonight."

"You had a twisted way of showing it at first." Matt stroked her back, his fingertips gliding lightly up and down her spine. "I swear you almost slapped my face off."

"I've already apologized, repeatedly." Miriam giggled as she straddled him. "Want me to apologize again?" She grabbed his hands, entwining his fingers with hers. "Hmmmm?"

Matt closed his eyes, nodding. "Over and over again." He tugged at her arms, pulling her down to him and kissing her as she began to move on top of him. They moved together, moaning softly as Miriam began to quicken her pace, finally crying out as she trembled on top of him. With a quick move, Matt rolled over, and continued, his cries of pleasure quickly joining hers before he collapsed on top of her. "I think I accept your apology." He whispered.

"I'm not going to stop apologizing all night, whether you accept it or not." Miriam said softly. She ran her fingers through his hair as he buried his face in her neck, gulping for air. "I can't believe I went six months without this."

"Me neither." Matt shrugged. "But I've gone longer."

"Not me." Miriam shook her head.

"Justine told me." He lifted his head, raising an eyebrow at her. "She said something about you never having gone a week before you met me?"

Miriam rolled her eyes. "Sisters. They really do suck sometimes with their big fat mouths." She looked away for a moment, then turned back to Matt. "What do you want to know?"

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Whatever you did before me, that was BEFORE me. It's in the past."

"Even if I was a big, huge slut?" Miriam nodded. "Justine was right. Once I found out about sex, I didn't go a week without. I was promiscuous and I didn't care. I rarely had sex with the same guy twice, I had this philosophy: 'get some, get gone'. I was a definite fuck and run girl."

"You planning on running from me?"

"No." Miriam laughed softly. "I don't think you'd let me if I tried, but no. This? What we're doing tonight, what we did six months ago? This is so much better than random sex with a random guy that I'll never see again."

Matt started to speak. He lifted his head, his eyes wide as piercing screams cut through the dark. "Izzie?"

"Izzie." Miriam scrambled from under Matt, grabbing a robe and throwing it on before running out of the bedroom. Matt followed behind her after pulling on his boxer shorts and a tee shirt. Miriam threw open Isabelle's bedroom door and turned on a bedside light as Isabelle screamed pitifully in bed, clutching her doll to her. "Izzie? It's Mir." She sat on the side of Isabelle's bed and pulled her into her arms, her expression anguished as Isabelle clung to her and began to cry. "What was it tonight?"

Matt ran into the room, followed by a bleary-eyed Justine. "Is she okay?" He asked.

Miriam nodded as she rocked Isabelle in her arms, rubbing her sister's back reassuringly. "What did you dream about, Honey?"

"Bad man! Coming! Coming for us!" Isabelle took a deep breath as Matt sat beside her and Miriam, Justine joining him. "Wants to hurt us!"

"No one's going to hurt us, got it?" Miriam let go of Isabelle for a moment, taking her sister's face in her hands as she wiped away tears with her thumb. "If a bad man, or bad men come, we'll destroy them. You know that."

"He was at the funeral. I made him go away, but he's back." Isabelle turned to Matt and began to cry on his shoulder. "He's a very bad man!"

"Okay. It's okay. The bad man won't bother you tonight." Matt stared at Miriam sadly over Isabelle's shoulder as Justine stroked her hair. "We're all here and we're not going to let him come near you, okay?" Isabelle nodded wordlessly against Matt's shoulder as he started to rock her slowly.

Justine kissed Isabelle on the cheek. "You gonna be okay without me?" Isabelle nodded, her eyes closing. "Okay." She turned to Miriam. "I took a couple of sleeping pills. It's enough to knock me out, but not enough to put you under as well."

Miriam nodded. "I can tell. I'm a little groggy but-" At Matt's confused expression, she shrugged. "-twin connection."

Matt rocked Isabelle as she dozed off. "Okay, how does it work again? If Miriam feels-"

"-if she feels pain, I feel it too, only not as severe. If she feels-" Justine shrugged "-intense pleasure, I feel it too, only not as intense."

"If I get passed-out drunk, she feels pukey. It's how I got busted for sneaking out to a kegger when I was a teenager, actually." Miriam laughed softly. "Basically we feel the same strong sensation or emotion that the other is feeling, only muted. If I experience excruciating pain-"

"-or a screaming orgasm-" Justine smirked as Matt blushed "-then I only have slightly excruciating pain or a really nice orgasm." She blinked. "By the way, good going Tiger. I'm surprised my sister can walk."

"Thanks." Matt shook his head. "Okay, this is going to take some getting used to."

"Good luck, we've had twenty-nine years to deal with it and we're still not used to it." Justine quipped as she and Miriam exchanged a pointed look.

"So if someone drugged Miriam enough to knock her out-"

"-I'd be groggy as hell, but still fairly functional and vice versa." Justine nodded. "You got it." She laughed softly. "Sometimes, when Miriam would start drinking too much and I was beginning to feel the effects on my job, I'd give her a little warning to stop."

"Warning how?" Matt frowned.

"I'd slam my hand in a door or beat it with a hammer. Sure, I'd break every bone in my hand and want to curl up on the floor and cry, but Miriam would feel it too and get the message." Justine sighed. "I think she's out." She nodded at Isabelle.

Matt smiled softly. "I know. I'm not ready to let her go yet." He stroked her hair. "You guys have had fifteen years with her. I've only had less than two days and yet-"

"-you're already completely and totally attached?" Justine asked. Matt nodded. "She feels the same way." She yawned and stretched. "I'm going back to bed. Try not to wake me every thirty minutes with another screaming 'O'?"

"I can't promise that." Miriam winked at her twin as she left the room. Matt leaned forward and laid Isabelle on her bed. Miriam watched as he tucked the blankets around her, making sure her rag doll was in her arms before he bent down and kissed her forehead. "You're a natural at that."

"I've had practice with Molly. My father was terrorizing her and giving her nightmares because of her power. She was waking up two or three times a night, screaming." Matt shook his head.

"What happened to your father?"

"I trapped him in a nightmare of his own making." Matt stared down at Isabelle for a moment longer before finally turning off the light. "I have the same power that Maury has, I think Iz has it too, or at least some aspects of it. At first I thought I could just read minds, but I had to teach myself how to fight back in dreams after he trapped me in the same nightmare Molly was in. I ended up escaping with her and leaving him there. He's in a coma in the Hartsdale facility." He turned, noticing the concern on Miriam's face as they walked out of the room. "I don't think he's doing this to Iz, Mir."

"I don't think so either." Miriam leaned against him as they walked back to her room. "I think these are regular, run-of-the-mill nightmares. She's been through a lot in the past six months, which would be stressful enough on a regular fifteen year-old, but for her." She broke down and started to cry as Matt held her, leading her into her room. "I just wish I could help her."

"You ARE helping her." Matt crooned softly.

"No I'm not." She shook her head. "Running into her room and consoling her after the fact isn't helping, and most of the time, I'm not here to even do that at night. I'm busy in my club or-"

"-sneaking around in the dark fighting crime?"

Miriam sighed. "Dammit, Justine. She told you?" Matt nodded. "She gave me the tenth degree today in her office and told me to cut it out."

"I agree with her." As Miriam turned to stare at him, he stroked her cheek. "Like I said earlier, you're not one hundred percent invincible, Mir. I know you'd like to think that you are, but you aren't. All it would take for you to die would be to run across the wrong guy at the wrong moment and get your head blown off. " He kissed her forehead. "I like your head where it is, intact and on your shoulders."

"Fine." Miriam wiped away tears as she pulled off her robe and climbed into bed. "I promised Justine and I'm promising you, I'll cut it out."

"Thank you." Matt stretched out beside her, his hands roaming her body. "I just found you again, I don't want to lose you to a jackass with an itchy trigger finger."

Miriam moaned softly as Matt's fingers kneaded her skin. "I said I'd quit. What more do you want from me?"

"At the moment, or in general?" Matt whispered as they began to kiss.

Early the next morning, Miriam rolled over and glared angrily at the clock. "Is it six a.m. already?"

"What?" Matt snuggled beside her. "That can't be right."

"Your flight is going to leave in four hours." Miriam lay back against him, smiling as his arms wrapped around her.

"I can book a later flight." He murmured against her neck.

"I'm halfway tempted to take you up on that offer." Miriam stretched beside him.

"It's done." Matt stroked her hair, running the long strands through his fingers. "I'll wait until after ten, call Mohinder and tell him that I missed my plane. I'll book a red-eye to fly back late tonight."

"I'd like that." Miriam rolled over and kissed him. "But with Justine at work-"

"-We'll have to behave." Matt smiled at her. "We need to get to know each other away from the bedroom anyway."

"I agree." Miriam snuggled beside him. "In the mood for breakfast?"

"I suppose I could eat. I probably burned off everything I've eaten in the past week last night. Time to recharge." Matt kissed her again before he climbed out of bed. "We had a good night though, didn't we?"

Miriam propped herself up on one arm, watching as he grabbed his boxer shorts. "It was an amazing night." She stretched and climbed out of bed, slowly walking towards the bathroom as Matt watched her. "I'm going to take a shower. It's a big shower, by the way."

"Oh, I'm right behind you." Matt quickly tugged off the boxers he'd just put on as he followed her into the bathroom.

An hour later they sat in the breakfast nook with Isabelle, eating breakfast as they watched dawn break over the Puget Sound. Miriam turned as Justine strolled into the room, dressed for work, her eyes red from lack of sleep. "We tried to lay off a little and give you a break."

"Thanks." Justine sat at the table, grabbing a plate and heaping pancakes onto them. "Hey, I'm not bitching, you made breakfast." She turned to Matt. "So you're leaving?"

"I'm going to take a later flight." As Justine started to speak, he shook his head. "I've already decided. I want one more day with Miriam and I want one more evening with Isabelle and you before I have to leave for New York. Miriam and I have already agreed that we're not going to do anything to make your coworkers think you're acting out a memorable scene from 'When Harry Met Sally', we just want to spend some time together, alone."

Justine sighed and nodded as she began to eat. "Fine. Just be careful."

After Justine left with Isabelle, taking the girl to school before she drove into the city to work, Miriam and Matt grabbed hands and walked outside, towards the beach. "And just how much did you girls shell out for this house?"

"That's a rude question to ask." Miriam laughed. "Too much, probably, but I love it." She pointed to the small bow-rider that bobbed on the waves as it was tethered to the dock. "Most of the time I just take that in to the city. It's quicker than the ferry. I usually keep my SUV parked at the marina."

"Nice. That's a small cabin cruiser?"

"Basically. It has a top on it, but most of the time I like to take it out with the top down, unless the weather is extra nasty." Miriam turned to him as they stepped off of the deck onto the beach. "Hey, by the way, how's my bike?"

Matt laughed. "YOUR bike? You gave it to me."

"To hold for ME!"

"Did not! It's mine now, I'm not giving it back."

"Fine." Miriam sighed. "How's my FORMER bike!"

"It's good." Matt frowned. "What are the straps on the side for? Are they to keep you on it while you're riding?"

"Sort of." Miriam laughed. "They're to keep the bike on me when I fly."

"No shit." Matt shook his head. "You FLY with your bike."

"It's a cool way to travel." Miriam nodded. "Why? What have YOU been using the straps for?"

Matt glanced at her. "To keep myself on it." He sighed as Miriam laughed. "I'm sorry, but that's a LOT of bike!"

"it's a racing bike, it's the Ferrari of motorcycles! I bet you drive it like someone's grandpa!"

"I do not!" Matt shrugged. "I barely drive it at all, but I'm still not giving it back." He wrapped an arm around her waist. "I look cool on it."

"As soon as I can come to New York without worrying about being tagged and bagged, I'll teach you how to ride it right, not like grandpa out on a Sunday drive. Which brings me to this: I've been thinking-"

"-Should I be worried?"

"No." Miriam smiled at him. "We've really settled in here, we're making a fresh start after Mom's death which is a good thing, even if we did it because we had to go on the run. Justine's got a good job, I'm loving running my own bar and Izzie's finally getting settled in at her school."

"Okay." Matt's hand squeezed gently around Miriam's. "You want to stay here after I push Bob to drop the vendetta, don't you?"

"If Justine agrees, yeah." Miriam shrugged. "You're going to be here two weekends a month to see Matthew. This house would be a great place for you to keep him when you're here. Also, my bartender Lauren's really becoming my Girl Friday at the bar. I'm sure she wouldn't mind a raise and a promotion so I can maybe split my time between here and New York with you." Miriam smiled at him. "What do you think?"

Matt pulled her into his arms, hugging her. "I think that's one of the best ideas I've heard in a while. So you want to give us a chance?"

"No, I just screwed you repeatedly last night for shits and giggles." Miriam nodded. "I want to give us a chance."


Hartsdale, New York

Mohinder hung up his phone, shaking his head as he entered Bob's office. "You wanted to see me?"

Bob nodded. "Sit." As Mohinder sit across from him, Bob leaned back in his chair. "We found the Pratt sisters."

"Really? That's wonderful! Where are they?"

Bob sighed. "Seattle." As Mohinder's eyes widened, Bob nodded again. "Matt's with them. Elle followed him there on a hunch that he might lead us to the girls, given his romantic attachment to Miriam and his familial attachment to Isabelle. A team is on the way now to subdue Justine and return her here by tomorrow afternoon. Matt will be returning with her then." As Mohinder started to speak, Bob lifted his hand, silencing him. "I know Matt just called you with a bogus story about missing his flight. He's spending some 'extra' time with Miriam, apparently. A team will be taking him out of play by subduing him and temporarily relieving him of his powers this evening when he goes to catch his flight. Elle and I have already worked it out. It seems Mr. Parkman went ahead and reserved a flight for midnight, their time. He'll be held in Seattle at our staging area until Justine is also subdued and we'll bring them back together. By the way, don't bother calling Parkman to warn him. Your phone is being tapped and until we know we have Justine in our custody, you will be kept here until tomorrow. Maya has already been called by your lab assistant and asked her to keep Molly for the evening. She told Maya that you're having a breakthrough with a blood sample and can't be disturbed until tomorrow."

"You're going to blackmail Justine into working with you by using Matt." Mohinder gasped.

"If we have to. Threatening Matt Parkman with bodily harm AND the loss of custody not only of Molly but young Matthew as well is our last resort in coercing Justine Pratt to cooperate. She doesn't have the attachment to him that Miriam and Isabelle have, but I'm sure she's fond enough of him not to want to ruin the life of one sister's half-brother and her twin's lover just because she was obstinate. If she cooperates, you and Matt will be released and Molly will stay where she is. I still owe a life's debt to Matt for showing up here and neutralizing his father. I don't want his life destroyed unless I have no other choice."

Mohinder stood as two guards entered the office to escort him to a holding room. "You're a heartless bastard." He hissed. "No wonder so many people have such a deep hatred of you."

"You're entitled to your opinion." Bob sighed as Mohinder was led from the room.


St. Marcus School for Girls: Bainbridge Island, Washington

Sylar sat in his car a block from the school, watching as Isabelle paced slowly back and forth along the sidewalk, dressed in blue, a backpack strapped to her back. He climbed out of his car and slowly approached her, watching her as she paced in even steps, avoiding cracks on the sidewalk. I can't wait to split that pretty little head of yours open and take what's inside. He thought to himself. Kill your sisters first, leave you vulnerable and begging for your life. I'll take your power then, whatever it is. He smiled to himself as he observed her, and then frowned as she stood up straight, her brow furrowing as she began to look around, her eyes narrowing.

"GABRIEL!" Sylar turned and saw his mother stomping towards him, scissors sticking out of a bloody wound in her chest. "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT WATCHING GIRLS? WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU? DIDN'T YOU LEARN YOUR LESSON ALREADY? I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU IN YOUR SLEEP AS A BABY, SNUFFED YOU IN YOUR CRIB! WHY SHOULDN'T I HAVE DONE THAT? YOU KILLED ME DIDN'T YOU? I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU FIRST!"

Sylar backed away, falling into the bushes as Virginia Gray advanced on him, joined by a petite girl, her fire-red hair spilling down her back as she shook her head at him, speaking in a Southern twang.

"You killed me too." She told him. "I didn't do anything to you. I didn't even know who you were, but you crept up behind me and murdered me as if I was nothing. I was a human being, Mr. Gray? Why did I deserve to die?"

"Because you had a power that I NEEDED!" Sylar sobbed as he scrambled to stand, trying to run from the apparitions in front of him. "It was my biological imperative."

"I treated you like a son." Sylar gasped as he turned to find himself face-to-face with Chandra Suresh, his head still twisted gruesomely on his body. "I tried to help you, I tried to help you see your potential, but you turned it into murder. When I tried to run from you, after everything I'd done, you killed me."

"GO AWAY!" Sylar screamed as he turned and ran towards his car. "GO!" He jumped into his car, gasping for breath as he looked around, realizing that no one was there. He stared at Isabelle and gasped as he realized she was staring at him, a small smile playing on her lips. She shook her head and smirked as a green SUV pulled up and climbed inside. "You. You did that, didn't you?" He smiled as the car drove away with her inside. "Oh, I can't wait to try that." He laughed. "Good one Kid, but not good enough to scare me off forever."

As they drove away, Miriam sighed and glanced at Isabelle in the backseat. "Sorry we were late." She and Matt smiled at each other before Miriam turned back to her. "We got held up at the supermarket getting stuff for dinner tonight. I called the school, they told you I would be about ten minutes late, right?" Isabelle nodded slowly. "Were you okay? No one bothered you, did they?"

Isabelle shrugged. "No one bothers me." She said softly. "I don't let them."

"Of course not." Matt reached into the back seat and ruffled her hair affectionately. "Of course you don't."


Seattle, Washington

Matt and Miriam were silent as they drove off of the ferry and made their way to the marina. As she pulled up at his rental car, Miriam turned to him. "Take care of yourself and be careful, okay?"

Matt nodded. "You too. Stop prowling the streets at night looking for trouble."

"I will." She leaned towards him and kissed him passionately. "I'm going to miss you like crazy when you're gone."

"Same here." Matt winked at her. "But I'll only be gone a few days. I'm coming back to Seattle a week from Friday to start visitation with Matthew. Do you think you guys will mind having TWO visitors then?"

Miriam shook her head. "No, we won't mind at all." She sighed as she stared at his car, parked away from a streetlight, bathed in darkness. "I really don't want to see you leave. I don't want you to leave at all."

"I don't want to leave either, but I have to go." Matt reached out and squeezed her hand. "Maybe you should just go ahead and drive away after I walk to the car." Miriam nodded, staring at her lap as tears began to fall from her eyes. "Oh, don't." He kissed her cheek. "This isn't goodbye forever, just for a little over a week." He tilted her chin up, smiling at her. "We've gone six months, we can go a week, right?" Miriam nodded. "Smile?" Miriam tried to smile as Matt kissed her goodbye. "Nine days. You'll see me in nine days." He grabbed his suitcase and climbed out of the SUV. He turned and waved goodbye as Miriam waved back before driving away. Blinking back tears, Matt quickly made his way to the rental car and tossed the suitcase in the trunk before climbing behind the wheel, his mind a million miles away.

"Hey there, Loverboy!" Matt's eyes widened as he started to turn. Elle sat up in the backseat and grabbed his neck, jolting him unconscious before climbing out of the car. She watched as a van pulled up. "Dose him so he can't use his powers for a day and then toss him in the van. Justine will be joining him for the trip by tomorrow morning."


The Hideaway, SoDo District: Seattle, Washington

Miriam wiped her eyes and adjusted her makeup, cursing as she noticed the time before she climbed out of her SUV and entered the bar. Lauren greeted her, a lascivious smile on her face as she arrived. "How was your day?"

Miriam shrugged. "Great until I had to let him go home." She looked around at the crowded bar, grabbing a beer and swigging it. "Wednesday nights."

"Hump day. Everybody's working for the weekend." Lauren studied Miriam. "You okay?"

"I guess." She nodded. "I will be."

"So is this Parker dude going to become a permanent fixture?" As Miriam smiled softly, Lauren gasped. "Get the fuck outta here! You? The dude with the tie? Seriously? He seemed so buttoned up and proper."

"He's not once you loosen the tie." Miriam giggled. "I'm giddy."

"You're in love." Lauren nodded.

"I don't know about THAT yet, but I don't think it would be a far trip to take."

"Love looks damn good on you, Boss Lady! You've got color in your cheeks, you're walking with even MORE of a strut than usual-" Lauren leaned against the bar "-and now I can honestly say I have dibs on our mystery guy."

"Mystery guy?" Miriam stared at her.

Lauren nodded, winking at Miriam. "He came in last night all dark, hot and sexy. He was looking for the owner of the bar because he wanted to compliment you on this place's 'vibe', but I got the feeling that he'd maybe seen you before and wanted to try and pick you up or something. Honestly, how do you feel with guys constantly wanting to throw it at you?"

"Before the guy with the tie? I'd fuck 'em and run." Miriam swigged her beer.

"Bitch." Lauren glanced over her shoulder. "I'd fuck him and stay!" As Miriam turned, she nodded. "He's here again tonight. He showed up as soon as we opened the doors and has been here ever since."

"It's almost midnight." Miriam frowned.

"He's been nursing the same drink most of the evening, just watching everyone." Miriam followed Lauren's gaze to Sylar as he sat in a corner table, fiddling with a glass as he stared back at them intensely. Lauren shuddered. "I just want to do a split on his face." She turned her back to him with Miriam and leaned against the bar again. "Fucker's HOT! And did you see the way he was watching us? He KNOWS we're talking about him, I just know it."

Miriam nodded, frowning as she tried to push away the uneasy feeling she'd felt when she saw him. "Yeah, he's hot." She said absently.

"And since you're now officially spoken for, I think I'm going to wait and see if he's still here at last call and see if he wants to join the mattress Olympics at my place. I'd give him a gold medal in everything."

"Gold means he came first, Lauren."

"Shit." Lauren giggled. "Okay, he gets the silver because I'm getting the gold."

For the next hour and a half, Miriam walked around the bar, meeting and greeting her regulars, a shiver traveling up and down her spine as she realized the mystery man was continuously watching her, his eyes never leaving her as she moved. Finally, irritated, she grabbed a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses before pretending to head up to her office. Out of sight of others, she turned invisible and quickly made her way back down the stairs, skirting customers as she approached the man's table.

Sylar could hear her approaching, listening to her heartbeat as she drew nearer. He smiled, realizing her power. Invisibility. That's a very good one. He didn't jump when she appeared in the shadows behind him, setting the tequila bottle down in front of him on the table with a thud. She walked around the table, her narrowed eyes never leaving his as she sat across from him, setting the shot glasses down before opening the bottle and pouring a shot of tequila into each glass.

"You drink?" She asked, her voice full of steel.

"When asked by a beautiful woman, yes." Sylar quickly downed the shot, watching as she followed suit, their eyes still never leaving the others'.

She leaned forward quickly, glaring at him. "Bob send you?"

Sylar's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Bob who?" He watched as her eyes narrowed further, the blue in them barely visible under the heavily mascara'ed lashes. She cocked her head to the side as if she appeared to be listening to something. Finally she sat back in her chair, nodding as she began to relax.

"So what brings you to my bar?"

"Like I told your bartender, I liked the vibe. It's a great bar."

"Thank you." Miriam nodded. She poured two more shots, pushing one glass towards him. "Another?"

"Of course." As he reached for the glass, he gasped as her hand quickly shot out, grasping his wrist. He moaned as he felt an electric tingle pass between them. "What the fuck?" He pulled his hand from her.

Miriam shuddered in her chair, her eyes glazing over. "Holy shit." She gasped. "How many powers do you have?" As Sylar rubbed his wrist, she shivered and coughed, choking for a moment. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. "So many different powers, I'm registering them all at once, but there's no empathic mimicry, nothing that would show how you've-" she looked up at him, her eyes suddenly widening "-how did you get all of those powers if you're not a mimic like me?"

Sylar smiled softly as he leaned forward. "You're a mimic? You take powers from others?" He nodded. "Like Peter Petrelli. I heard he didn't feel too hot after he met me the first time. I had too many powers overwhelming him at once, apparently. I heard he was comatose for two weeks afterwards because of it." As Miriam shuddered, he nodded. "And it's affecting you, too."

"Oh my God." Miriam clutched at the table, her head reeling. "You're Sylar."

"And you're my next victim." As Miriam glared at him, he laughed, his voice deep and gravely. "Congratulations."

"I'm going to beat your ass." She gasped.

"In your condition, you can't beat a fly, Honey." Sylar stood and leaned over the table menacingly at her. "And when I'm done with you, I'm going to kill your twin Justine and make the little one watch. When I'm done with her, I'm going to kill dear Isabelle too."

Miriam quickly rallied, feeling a burst of adrenaline as she snatched up the tequila bottle and smashed it over his head. He yelped and fell to the ground as Miriam jumped over the table, tackling him and pummeling him with her fists. "You touch my family and I'll fucking KILL you!" She shrieked as her employees ran towards her. She fought as they pulled her away. "Get this piece of shit OUT of here!" She screamed.

"Come on Big Boy, you're done here." Tiny grabbed Sylar by the collar and dragged him towards the door as he moaned and whimpered, his head bleeding. With a quick shove, Sylar found himself lying in the alley, swiping angrily at the blood that poured from the gash in his head.

"Miriam?" Miriam calmed down as Lauren approached her. "What the HELL?" She touched Miriam's cheek. "Oh God, you're sick! You're burning up!"

"I'll be okay." Miriam started towards the door and turned back to Lauren, tossing her the keys to the bar. "You're in charge, probably for the next few days. You're being promoted to manager and we'll discuss your raise when I get back."

"Where are you going?" Lauren stared at the keys in her hand, then watched as Miriam stomped out of the door to the alley, slamming it behind her. "What the fuck just happened?"

Miriam started to run towards her car and gasped as she felt herself being pulled backwards. She turned her head and yelled angrily as Sylar stepped into view. "You're not going anywhere Bitch, I owe you for that shit you just pulled in there."

Miriam turned as he pulled her towards him and quickly punched him, knocking him across the alley onto his back. She stomped angrily towards him and began to punch him, throwing him against the walls of the alley. "You think you can attack ME? Bitch, please! I'm immortal, mother fucker!" Miriam swayed and tried to catch herself, suddenly collapsing on the ground.

"And yet you can't even stand and you're burning up with a fever. Did I get you hot, Baby?" Sylar cackled as he walked over to her, straddling her as she tried to fight back. "Your DNA can't handle the acquisition of all of my powers at once. It's changing, adapting and making you sick as a dog in the process. That's okay, I'll take them all back now." He lifted his finger and started to cut into Miriam's head, growling as the wound instantly healed. "I'm SICK of these fucking mimics and their healing powers!"

"And I'm sick of you trying to kill me." Miriam head butted him and kicked him off of her. She struggled to stand as he lay on the ground, laughing at her. "It's bad enough you threatened me, but my sisters? You're gonna pay for that shit, Homes. You're gonna pay with your life. You talk about killing my sisters, you even think of coming near them, I'll beat you to a pulp. I'll fucking kill you."

Sylar laughed as he rolled over. "You'll have to find me first. Let's race, shall we? Who can get to 202 Puget Cove Way on Bainbridge Island first?" As Miriam shrieked and started for him, he opened his mouth, emitting a sonic scream. He winced, yet grinned as he noticed how Miriam screamed and covered her ears, the sonic sound affecting her newly acquired super hearing. "I'll take a head start, okay?" He jumped up and ran out of the alley as Miriam trembled and sobbed, her ears throbbing, her body ravaged with a fever.

Miriam struggled to stand, swaying as the alley blurred in her vision. "Oh fuck, too many powers." She shivered, feeling hot and cold at the same time. "I haven't had a fever since I was nine." She moaned. Trembling she shook her head. "I've got to pull it together. He's going to my house. I have to stop him, I have to beat him first." She rallied, pooling all of her strength as she jumped into the air and began to quickly fly towards her house.