A/N: See previous chapters for disclaimer. Also, sorry this took so long. It's been up for a week on 9th Wonders Forums, but I couldn't get on to update on this site! Oh, and if you like this story, I'd love to get some votes in on top fanfic of the month on 9th Wonders! Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Chapter 5- Stream of Consiousness

Peter didn't let her thoughts escape him. She was just so jittery! He'd only wanted to go see Gabe again after helping Liz out, and there she was, yet again. When she saw him, she ran away again, and Peter was determined to figure out her obsession. He'd been intrigued by her first thought, which was Interesting twist of events. Gabriel. Did she have a power?

Mine. Not his. Stop! This isn't a sugar dream! she thought, leaving Peter confused, yet interested.

No wonder she has nervousness problems, Peter almost laughed, and followed her through the endless crowds of NYC and into an apartment building- Liz's building. She went up a floor higher than Liz's and pulled out a key and let herself into her own apartment. Peter walked in, seeing as he was invisible, and found her collapsed, sobbing, on the floor.

Wonder, Wonder, wonder! How did he get good? Murderer, she screamed inside her head, I have to reverse. Go back to where I was. He stole it from me.

Peter was just plain staring at her. He never had liked stories written in stream of consciousness style. Normally, prominent thoughts were complete sentences, but this was gibberish! The girl could be no less than 19 and she was already stark raving mad!

Wasn't like this there. Now I'm crazy! I only wanted different magic! Oh this is all mine, all my fault. I'm cursed!

So she'd done something? Is that why she'd come over to Gabe's? She still saw Gabriel as Sylar- the murderer. She must have come from his world with himWhy hadn't anyone else? Peter snuck over to her purse. A credit card told him that her name was Rowan Tennyson.

The poor thing on the floor seemed so solt, so desperate. He wanted to help her, but instead, he retreated, leaving Rowan's shaking, sobbing figure on the floor. He almost immediately appeared outside Liz's apartment, which wasn't for long. He let himself in, to her shock.

"I thought you would at least have the decency to knock!" She said, shaking her head. She seemed much better today than the day before. They'd worked on their power again and she'd mastered it after only a few hours.

"Who's Rowan? Is she with us?" Peter inquired, to a smile.

"Rowan. Oh, she's a tough one. Rough childhood. Watched her mother's murder. By her father, no less. She was only eight when she was sent to live in a foster home. Mohinder found her a little after me. She has- oh, what was it now… Intuitive knowledge. That's it. All that brooding made her go crazy, apparently. I go up and talk to her sometimes. Well, actually, she babbles, I just listen. Why- what's wrong with her?" Liz replied, suddenly concerned.

"That's just the problem. I don't know… yet." Peter disappeared again and walked out. Liz looked around frantically, "Tell me what's wrong!" she shouted to thin air. Five seconds later, he hadn't responded, "Dammit. I hate it when he does that."

Mohinder opened Gabriel's door by forcing it open. When he went inside, he found Gabe in the middle of the living room floor, meditating. Mohinder's eyebrow shot up. Gabriel opened his eyes and hastily stood up.

"I- uh- it's not an ethnic pun or anything. It just helps me relax," Gabriel said quickly. Mohinder nodded, then decided to get right to the point.

"I just saw Niki. She- uh- said that you'd stopped by as well," Mohinder explained. Gabriel's face darkened.

"Yeah. I went with Peter to go see her. How- much did she tell you?" Gabriel asked, afraid of what Mohinder might know.

"I was hoping you could tell me what's the matter? I wasn't aware that you were feeling- bad."

Gabriel weighted the choices in his head. Sylar had been reduced to an eerie voice at the back of his mind, and he'd found that meditation kept him that way. Mohinder's penetrating stare made him uneasily wonder if in this universe Mohinder had a power as well. Just then, Peter appeared and stepped between them, sighing, "I think we all need to talk."

Meanwhile, Liz had dashed upstairs to see Rowan. She found the brunette teenager on her floor, crying her eyes out next to a bottle of pills. Thankfully, it was a full container with the seal still unbroken. Rowan looked at her with big, brown eyes swimming in redness. Liz immediately stooped down to help her up and give her a hug. They walked slowly over to the couches.

"Rowan, were- were you trying to kill yourself?" Liz asked. She glanced over at the bottle on the floor. Her vision zoomed in to read the label. Of course, it was an anti-depressant. Rowan, who was currently sitting next to Liz, shrugged.

"That remains to be seen," she replied shakily. She started breathing heavily and Liz gave her a hug again, "No one here sees me. Besides you, I mean."

Rowan's mind raced. She tried to talk sense, she tried and tried, but it all came out like Dr. Seuss. What had her counterpart been up to? "I'm here, I'm here. But I'm not all- there." She quoted from a movie she once saw. Perhaps they'd send her to a place that could help her. A mental hospital, hopefully. Liz just patted her back.

"I know, sweetie. You could've asked me for help. You don't need those drugs. Remember what happened to Isaac? Gabe had to make sure he'd recover- he was doing so horribly in rehab."

Rowan sighed. How could she make Liz understand that she wasn't completely crazy? She whispered loud enough for Liz to hear, "I hear the words. I have to speak them. I have to- empty my head of them…"

This time Liz looked at her eyes again. Rowan was trying to communicate something. Deep inside, the child, for that's what she truly was, was still sane. She was just hidden beneath insane thoughts and mind.

"I used to be sane. I used to. When I got here, I lost everything. My mind… my mind is buried!" Rowan cried, still not looking away from Liz's face.

So she's much worse than I ever imagined, Liz thought. Perhaps she should take her to see Gabriel, since she'd ventured over there the day before, then run away. I forgot about that! I wonder what she thought Gabriel could have helped her with.

Liz once again looked at the girl, the sane mind trapped in a madwoman's body. Is it just me, or is everyone going out of their minds these days?

In Rowan's head, her thoughts were drowned out with ticking. Ticking clocks, everlasting. She wondered briefly if this was insane Rowan's doing, or something of a greater power…

A/N: Again, if you liked it, please DO NOT hesitate to put in a vote for me on in the fanwriting section. It's Top Ten Fanfics of the month. (I know, I should be less selfish seeing as I won first last month...) But whatever. Much appreciation!!!