"Where are we actually going Gabe"

"For now, we're going to stay somewhere for the evening, then we're headed back east"

"I should give my sister my credit card number so she can get home"

"I thought she was looking for schools?"

"That's finished, she needs to get back. I need to get back one day for work"

"It'll be there for you"

"And Noah?"

"Once we're done, we'll go for him. I would actually recommend that maybe they could could out here"

"Gabriel...."

"It's nothing bad, maybe they would like a vacation?"

They arrived at a hotel and got a room for the night. She called her family to let her know she was okay. The room was nicer than she had expected for laying low and she doubted it would have been this nice had she not been with him. She took a warm shower and sat with Gabriel on the little couch in their room. He nuzzled against her neck and started to rub her back.

"I just can't stop thinking of the fact that when I'm 80, you're going to be just like this. How can that work?"

"You'll be a milf until at least 60, so we have 30 years to worry about it'

"Be serious"

"I don't want to be serious right now, you'll be the hottest one at the old age home"

"Why would I be in a retirement home Gabriel?"

"I can see you wanting to go to one after everyone starts calling me your grandson"

"You and Claire will be the only ones left"

"I can find ways around it"

"Really now'

"You'll be a stunning 70 year old woman like Helen Mirren"

"Stop, I'll have false teeth, wrinkles and be dating a 30 year old immortal..whatever the hell you are"

"False teeth...that might be advantageous for things" he smiled at her and raised his eyebrows a couple of times. She whacked his shoulder

"Is that ALL you think about? Seriously for an evolved human, you're kinda simple"

He kissed her and pulled her shirt off "When it comes to you, I sure as hell am"

"You're not going to want to do this when I have liver spots"

"That's why we have to get it all in now" he chuckled and she quickly got rid of the rest of her clothes and all of his.

"Gabriel"

"That's right baby, you'll like this...." he said in a deep raspy voice, she swears to herself that when he talks like that he legs turn to jelly.

"Is that your idea of dirty talk..." she moaned

"First I'm going to put my tongue..." then whispered some incredibly obscene things in her ear that she had never heard before.

"No, wait. Is that physically possible?"

"Shhh, don't make me use telekinesis to shut you up" He silenced her by touching her just where she loved it the most and her body arched back and she screamed. She collapsed next to him and slowly ran her hand over his chest.

"See this is going to get us into trouble"

"No, it's perfect. How else is Noah going to get his little sister?"

"It is very soon, he is very young"

"It's perfect, they can be close in age and he can look after his sister at school and make sure she is okay."

"If that doesn't happen"

He stretched out and smiled at her "then we had fun trying" and he kissed her again "we have a busy day tomorrow, good night"

Gabriel was unable to sleep, as most nights. Luckily with his regenerating ability he could go with only an hour or so of rest a night. Antonia rolled over to see him laying there and staring at the ceiling.

"Hey you, why are you still awake?" She was trying to adjust her eyes to the dark

"I hate sleeping"

"Why? Are you feeling alright?"

"Yea, I'm just thinking. I guess I get a little nervous being so vulnerable"

"You feel vulnerable when you're sleeping?"

"Yes, except when I'm with you. I feel safe with you Annie" he said very softly and pulled her close

"Do you need me to stay awake while you rest, or do you just want to check out and head to DC now?"

"I'm glad I can't die, no one would care except for you"

"People would care"

"They would celebrate"

"Don't say that, just look at it as having all of the time in the world..to do whatever you want, what you need. You can make amends. People are going to forget what you did"

"What I'm going to do" he ran his hands up and down her back and kissed her on her cheek "I am so glad I have you and Noah, I am going to be the best dad"

"Yes you are"

"If you ever left me, and met someone else just remember Noah is mine"

"I gave birth to him sweetie"

"Noah is mine" he said very firmly. "No one else will raise him but you and I"

"That is the plan Gabe. Are you sure you don't want to rest, I can stay up"

"That might be nice" he dozed off in her arms.

When they finally arrived on the east coast again it was early morning. Gabriel encouraged Antonia to go see her family and Traci soon. She wanted to hold her baby boy again as well, though she knew she was doing this so he could have a bright future, she still missed him. He was so young and growing so fast. She wanted Gabriel to bond with him but knew she would have to wait.

"I am going to see Nathan's family while I'm here, it's probably best you're not with me anyway" Gabriel smiled at Antonia and ruffled her hair a bit

"Do you know any of his family members besides Claire, Peter and Angela?"

"I don't need to, I have to talk to Claire about something"

"Talk to Claire? Why she's 17, she is a child"

"Look at you getting worried" he rubbed her shoulder lightly

"I'm worried about her, not so much you chatting up a teenager, but I am worried, she doesn't like you sweetie"

"She'll learn to"

"I doubt it"

"See now you're getting possessive and insecure Annie" he laid back on the couch of Antonia apartment in the city. They were to go their separate ways soon.

"Yes, clearly I am" Antonia said, sarcasm dripping from every word "If you want a child and not a woman, be my guest"

Gabriel was smiling through this whole exchange, he loved getting her riled up like this and teasing her. "Who is this woman you're talking about Annie?" he pulled her close to him and kissed her

"I have some interesting things in my bedroom that I could show you Sylar, things only a woman knows how to use"

"You call me that again and you'll get spanked hard and I guarantee you'll like it"

"I should call you that more often Sylar" she pulled his shirt off and ran her hands down his chest

He looked down "I'd prefer you didn't" he mumbled and carried her to her bedroom where he was sure he would be tied up or strapped into something unmentionable and at that point wasn't thinking clearly enough to care. He needed to clear his head and this was the perfect way to do it. There was still so much stress and so much worry within him and he didn't know if it was his new ability taking a toll or if it was something else, something worse.

Antonia returned to her moms house and called Traci to meet her there. They had a nice dinner with her family and she felt normal again. Hours turned into days which turned into a week and Antonia hadn't heard from Gabriel. All calls went to voice mail and eventually the number was disconnected. She was terrified something had happened to him.

Early one morning she was awoken by a knock at the door. The sun was streaming in her window. The knocking became pounding and it wouldn't let up. Antonia wrapped her blue silk robe around her. She was wearing one of Gabriel's tshirts that she had stolen long ago and it hung down to her knees.

Peter was at the door, she hadn't seen her friend in a long time and when she saw the expression on his face she realized he wasn't there for morning coffee and a chat.

"It's bad Tonia, I...." he was pale and she led him inside and got him a glass of water

"Peter, what happened?"

"My brother and my mom are fine, there was an attack at Building 26, have you put on the news yet?"

"No" She was with Traci all night working on their plan, which was to infiltrate these groups from within and was long, complicated but in the end they believed it would work.

"They were attacked, Claire, she's dead"

"How can Claire die? I thought she couldn't die Peter?"

"If she's decapitated she can't heal"

"WHAT?" Antonia felt sick to her stomach

"I can't explain what happened yet, but it was bad. I don't fully understand what happened. All I know is that Claire is dead and Sylar is too"

"No, why was he there Peter?"

"Tonia, you don't want to hear this, but he was behind all of it"

She could believe it even if she didn't want to

"How can he be dead, did someone?" she didn't want to think of anyone hurting him like that.

"No, he lost his powers, I took them"

"So he's gone and Claire is gone?"

"Yes"

"Peter I need you to leave now"

"Tonia"

"No LEAVE!" Please, I can't be of help to you right now. Go back to your family" Antonia was still surprisingly calm. She went to tell Kayla who grew to know Claire and considered her a friend.

She devoted her time to helping her sister. Never talking about Gabriel. She had a small memorial service for him but couldn't talk about him. She sometimes couldn't leave the house, but being stagnant was unbearable.

After weeks she allowed herself to dream again. In her dream she was in her apartment. She was just getting home from work and she saw Gabe on the couch, he had jeans and a white button up shirt and his hair was spiked

"Did you just get home Gabe"

"Yes" he kissed her "What do you think of Natalie. Natalie Virginia Gray"

"For what?"

"Our little girl"

She woke up startled. This couldn't have been a dream for the future. When she finally left the house she walked, walked for what seemed for hours. Numb, she was unable to cry, Kayla tried to make her deal with her grief but she couldn't. She passed places they went, smiled at happy memories of him and sat in Central Park reading a book with the sun beating down on her, and no matter how hard she tried, she was tough and did not cry.

That same day her brother Seth had a doctors appointment. He dreaded his weekly appointments with his therapists. He was fine now and talking about how he did not see multiples of himself eating tacos in Spanish Harlem is a good thing now did not feel conducive to a fulfilling life.

Just seemingly by chance while waiting for his appointment he overheard a hushed conversation between 2 doctors. He heard the name "Petrelli" and heard mentions of someone with a high amount of psychosis, delusions of grandeur then heard the name "Gray" Seth didn't want to believe it at first, but knew he had to delve more into this for his sister, if there was a chance Gabriel could be alive he had to take it.

When Antonia finally returned to her apartment it was night time. She curled up on the couch as she normally did and poured her glass of wine, which was quickly becoming a bottle nearly every night. No matter what she tried, she couldn't feel anything. Her sister brought her over food which she just picked at.

Kayla came over that night to sit with Antonia, she shared stories about Claire and their brief friendship, she had very fond memories of her and trying to make Antonia laugh. Her sister was stoic.

"You loved him so much Tonia, why can't you talk about him?'

"He's gone, and I can't think of it. He was glad he was immortal, because then he wouldn't have to face any judgment, he had so long to change and turn over a new leaf, but that was taken from him. The universe is funny" she sipped her wine and shrugged

"You can't go on like this forever, drinking your pain away....you HAVE to deal with it"

"NO! Kayla, I don't have to deal with it. How can anyone understand. If I cry I will be weak and I will NEVER STOP CRYING EVER!" She felt anger bubbling up inside of her and she was shaking she was so mad

"You're angry"

"I am angry, I am pissed off at the fact that we were hunted, that he couldn't be happy with his life that in his need to PROVE something that I don't understand, that he is dead....I don't understand, he understood, I don't and I am pissed"

"I have something for you. He never told me to give it back to you, but I thought this might be something you want one day' her sister pulled out the rose quartz and diamond ring Gabriel gave her in California. Kayla put it on the coffee table "You don't have to wear it, it is here..."

"I don't know what to do with it Kayla"

"Put it in your jewelry box. Don't do anything rash like sell it or throw it out of the window"

"I'm stupid, I thought we were going to be a family"

"You're not stupid Tonia" she rested her head on her sisters shoulder and rubbed her back "You cared about someone and sometimes we can't choose who comes into our lives or how we feel about them"

"I hate him"

"I know"

"Why did he have to leave me? Here I was worried about dying first and now he is gone. I miss him"

Kayla saw her sisters eyes starting to brim and hugged her tightly.

"What do you miss?"

"Him"

"That's a good start"

The sisters talked well into the night while Seth was trying to piece together what he had heard and exactly what happened that night at Building 26.

It wasn't often that Seth invited his mother to lunch. He was tremendously busy since he has started working again and to be honest their relationship was a bit strained. He knew his mom had ties to the Petrelli family and has known Angela for 20 years.

She arrived at the restaurant, a new American Cuisine cafe in uptown Manhattan, Seth wasn't crazy about it but knew his mother loved it and the best way to get information out of his mother was to butter her up.

"Seth, how are you feeling dear?" she sat down and starting perusing the menu

"Fine, I have rehearsal in a couple of hours but I thought it might be nice to catch up"

"Are you working with that Laura woman? The one from the musical about the movie?"

"No, I'm doing Arthur Miller"

"Of course" she chuckled at her son "Do you still talk to Lisa"

"Lisa, mom she threw herself in front of my car when I broke up with her and slashed all of my underwear, she's a bit nuts"

"I don't understand why my children cannot find sane people to date"

"Lisa was sane compared to Tonia's taste in men"

"Yes, that one is hard to explain"

"If you met Gabriel and really got to talk to him, I can see why she would like him"

"I have met Gabriel, he was interesting"

"It's scary what happened in DC, I'm glad Tonia and Kayla weren't there"

"It was horrible"

"So, do you know what happened?"

"Seth, I think I want the salmon, do you want to get wine?"

"I can't drink, I have rehearsal"

"Well you're playing a drunkard"

Seth sighed "You're changing the subject mom"

"Let it go"

"What do you know?" Seth whispered across the table "I was at the hospital, at my therapists and I heard doctors talking about Gabriel, he's alive isn't he?"

"Let it GO Seth"

"You're going to let Tonia think he is dead"

"She's better off"

"Where is he?"

His mother got up "Thank you for lunch" and started to walk out. Seth got up to follow her and grabbed her arm

"I won't let this happen, and I won't keep your secret"

"Seth, it is safer for him where he is. He tried to to destroy the Bennets and Petrelli's. Things got very bad, he tried to kill Peter. There was a lot fighting and an explosion. One of the guards hit Claire with an ax"

"Gabriel didn't try to kill Claire"

"No, he tried to save her"

"Why?"

"I don't know"

"I want to see him"

"Under one condition. You don't tell your sister"

"Fine'

Seth followed his mother to a hospital in Yonkers. It was surprisingly inviting and bright. She quietly spoke to one of the doctors and brought Seth down to the basement "He's not even in a room mom?"

"He's in a room, but we have to be careful, he's dangerous"

"He won't do anything to me"

Seth saw Gabriel sitting in a padded room in a straight jacket. He had a tube up his nose but he looked awake and alert. He was a bit beat up and could see bruises healing and red marks on his neck. Gabriel first saw Seth's mother and glared at her

"Get me the F- out of here you stupid piece of shit" he snarled at her

"That's not the way to talk to your mother in law Gabriel"

"Your daughter is going to hate you forever, she will never forgive you when she finds out that you and Angela put me here"

"It's for your own good, you can stay alive but you need help"

"You have me chained up like an animal, it's disgusting. You are disgusting"

"How can I trust you around my daughter and grandchild"

"I wouldn't hurt them, but you, I'm not so sure"

"That's enough"

"The only thing that is making me not kill you with my bare hands is your daughter. You have no control over her anymore"

"I don't control anything"

"She's mine, Noah is mine. You won't see them again"

Antonia's mother was horrified, she had never seen Gabriel like this

"My daughter belong to no one. You can't keep them from me"

"It won't be me, she'll make that decision on her own, when she sees the person you are. She's a smart woman, she'll believe me over you. When she finds out who you are"

"She'll never know, because you will never leave. I explained this to you Gabriel, it's better that you are here"

"Then of course Kayla will listen to anything Annie tells her, I can destroy you. How can you not see this?"

"I'm not scared of you" she stood her ground and didn't let him see her fear.

"You should be, I've killed a lot of people for far less" he smiled at her sadistically "Your daughters mine"

She got right up to Sylar's face and whispered "what if she doesn't believe you, what if she is disgusted by you? Are you going to kill her? Like you did Elle?' She waited for him to say yes, to give her an excuse to keep him locked up. She thought of him as a logical man but backed into a corner he failed to see the bigger picture.

"No"

"You wouldn't kill her?" she looked surprised

"No, I couldn't. You couldn't protect her from being raped when she was 17, you couldn't protect her from Megan when she tried to kill her. I'm the one who took care of that animal who attacked her. You let her get attacked by her sister...you saw it, you and your husband and you did nothing. Elle, people watched by when she was stripped naked and electrocuted when she was 13...and you call yourselves parents. I swear to you, Noah will NEVER know that life. He will never know anything but love, respect. He will never want for anything. If I have to murder you ALL to keep that from happening I will."

She looked terrified now and saw her son out of the corner of her eye. She knew they hadn't been close in a long time, but was still surprised he didn't try to help her.

Seth walked in and asked his mom to leave, she begrudgingly did and Seth slammed the sound proof door behind her.

"Gabe, I'm glad your alive"

" I don't need help Seth, I need to get out of here. I tried to stop it. I knew I was doing something wrong. When I saw those agents trying to kill Claire I realized she didn't deserve that. I don't like her but she's a kid. I tried to help, it was the last thing I remembered. I woke up here"

"Claire is dead"

"How is Annie?"

"She's not feeling much"

"She misses me. How's Noah"

"Fine"

"I can't protect them the way I want to. I don't even know if I have my abilities. Please get me out of here"

"If you didn't have your abilities, what would you do"

"I don't know yet, I just want to see her again. Will you bring her here?"

"I'll try, but she shouldn't see you like this"

"Seth, don't you understand, she can get me out of here. A lot more than you"

"She will too, but you do realize that it'll be dangerous"

"Annie can do it, she has the power to destroy everything around her, she'll get me out"

"You'll let her live with that guilt, if innocent people die?"

"They're not innocent Seth"

"I'll see what I can do"

Seth and his mother drove silently back to the city. "Seth, whatever you're thinking of doing, I know you love your sister, but don't" she said before he closed the car door behind him.

It took him a couple of days but he couldn't do it, he could not keep this secret from Antonia. The spark had left his sisters eyes and she looked so alone. He said he was going to take her to dinner out of town and she accepted. When she saw the hospital she turned to her brother "So this is dinner? It's a mental hospital, or rehab...am I drinking THAT much, we're Italian we drink wine Seth...what is this?"

He had to laugh "I need you to see someone"

"Who?"

"Come with me, you need to know something but you're not going to believe it unless you see with your own eyes"

Seth knew at this time the main receptionist would be the daughter of the head doctor and someone rather smitten with him. All he had to do was smile at her and she was putty in her hand. Antonia rolled her eyes at her brother and the receptionist led them downstairs. Seth took his sisters hand and opened the door. She saw someone sitting in a cell, he was shackled and she saw his face.

"Gabe" she ran into him and fell to her knees, stroking his face and crying. She kissed his cheek and held him close "What did they do to you baby? I need to get you out of this" He was speechless and just stared at her "I thought I lost you, now you're back. What did they do to you?"

She released him from the jacket and pulled the tube out of his nose. She saw the bruises on his body and touched them lightly "I'm going to get you home, and then you tell me what happened, do you understand? Seth, get out of the building"

"Antonia"

"Get out of the building, have the car ready. I am getting him out of here and I want to know what the HELL is going on" she was angry. She revved up a storm that caused the power to go out. She helped Gabriel walked out of the building and held on to him tightly. When she finally got away she saw the hospital in shambles and hoped no one was hurt. She had a blanket in her car and wrapped it around Gabe.

She took him back to her apartment and ran a bath for him. He had been silent the whole time and she helped him clean up. He just looked at her the whole time, not saying a word. She made him dinner and had it set up for him after he got dressed. She was horrified at the marks on him, she didn't know why he wasn't healing. Since Peter had lied about Gabriel being dead she was not certain his abilities were gone. Maybe because of the drugs, he couldn't access them.

He came out in sweats and a t shirt and sat next to her on the couch.

"You haven't said anything since you came here"

"You're beautiful and I forget to tell you that sometimes" Gabriel smiled at her

"Thanks"

"Where's Noah?"

"Kayla took him on a walk, she's going to bring him back later"

"I want to see him"

"Okay" She stroked his face and kissed him again

"I need to fix your watch"

"You should rest Gabe"

"Give me your watch Annie"

She handed it to him and he found some screw drivers to take the back off. He looked worried at first, but then smiled "I know how to fix it, so maybe my abilities aren't gone?"

"Maybe, what happened Gabe?'

He kissed her "I don't want to talk now, later" He pressed himself against her and pushed her against the wall "I want you"

"I thought you were dead"

"I'm not, I'm here." His tongue was deeply in her mouth and his hips were grinding against hers. He winced a couple of times because he was still in some physical pain. Her skin and her scent was all he needed at that moment.