DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!
Noah and the Haitian stood inside the house of their intended, Amber Magna. After taking a few glances at the family pictures in the spacious living room, they went upstairs to her bedroom, where they were baffled to see no signs of a struggle or anything out of place.
"This is weird" Noah murmured to his partner, scratching his head "It almost looks like Sylar wasn't even here"
"I beg to differ" the Haitian said quietly, looking out the window at something hidden in the bushes of the front yard. Noah immediately went to the window to investigate.
"Well, well" Noah mused, his expression grim as he saw the dead body decaying near the bushes "It bears Sylar's crude signature. It looks like he was here after all. Let's check out the study across the hall"
"This might be useful" the Haitian said, picking up a book from the desk "It's her private journal"
"Good thinking"
The two men headed into the study, where Noah used his handgun to open the locked filing cabinet. When the lock gave way, he yanked open the drawers and took all the files with Amber's name on them out.
"We have what we were looking for" Noah murmured, signalling for his partner to exit with him "I will notify the people outside about the body"...
... Back in Queens, Amber paced back and forth in the television room, slowly going crazy with all the 'what-ifs' going through her mind. Sylar sat on the couch, watching her every move with curiosity.
"You're going to wear a path in my floor" he joked, motioning for her to sit next to him, patting the empty seat "Is there something wrong?"
"I'm worried, Gabri" she sighed, ceasing her pacing before sitting next to him "If those special agents are looking for me, they'll be stealing my files, no doubt, not that I have anything to hide. Thinking about that just makes me feel so violated"
"I know how you feel" he replied, remembering how they cleaned out his apartment looking for information "If Noah Bennett has been assigned to you, he won't stop until you've been acquired and brought in for questioning. And, if they decide to, they'll tag you and keep you locked in a glass cage."
"Are you speaking from experience?" Amber inquired, arching an eyebrow "You sure know a lot about these people"
"Yes" he replied, gritting his teeth "I remember the long periods of time where they pumped me full of this shit to keep me docile through a tube in my nose. I even remember Noah Bennett teasing and taunting me for getting caught"
"They sound like horrible people" Amber mused, making a disgusted face...
... Sylar sat there, debating whether or not he should tell her about the rest of his past. A part of him was gripped with fear that she would leave him upon finding out his dark hunger led him to murder innocent people. He was beginning to like this girl a lot and didn't want anything to screw it up.
He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear her say anything until she nudged him hard. He turned to look at her, arching an eyebrow.
"I was asking why these special agents apprehended you" she said, pretending to be angry "You were staring off into space"
Sylar sighed, realizing that telling her was inevitable.
"There's something I need to tell you, Amber" he said, turning to face her fully "Something about me"
She said nothing, waiting for him to elaborate.
"My main ability is the innate understanding of complex things" he explained truthfully "That's how I'm able to understand the mechanics of small watches and stuff"
"Okay" she said quietly "What else?"
"Well, there's a drawback to these powers" he said slowly, sighing "A drawback in the form of a dark insatiable appetite...the innate desire to acquire the abilities of others"
"What does this have to do with anything?" she asked before he silenced her with a finger on her lips.
"These past couple of years were a dark time for me" he replied "This dark hunger was like an addiction. I did everything I could to take whatever powers I wanted. Most of the time, my means of acquiring these powers were less than kind"
He trailed off, leaving her to mull his last words before continuing.
"Before I could get it under control" he added "I was an uncontrollable monster who made a lot of lives miserable. I've hurt a lot of people because of my addiction"
As his words sunk in, he saw the look that emerged on Amber's lovely face. Suddenly her features were hardened and her eyes looked cold. Sylar mentally kicked himself for being honest.
"Don't say any more" Amber said, standing up "I...I need to mull over what I just heard"
Before he could utter a word in protest, she went into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly closed behind her.
'Oohh, smart move' he heard his evil inner voice snicker 'You just ruined your chance at stealing her power'
'You did the right thing' he heard his conscience say 'Being honest with her is the best thing you can do to keep your humanity intact'
"Oh shut up" Sylar growled at himself, slamming his fist on the arm of the couch while he held back the urge to scream in frustration...
... Amber sat in the bedroom, trying to get everything he had told her figured out. She knew he was going to confess about killing others, but strangely enough, it changed nothing.
"He was a monster who stole other abilities" she murmured to herself "He hurt a lot of people...and yet, it doesn't bother me much"
He made people's lives a living hell. Fact.
He saved her life and protected her. Also a fact.
No matter how angry she thought she could get at him for revealing his darker side, it all melted away as she thought of how he had treated her since they first met. She knew a little about addictions and the consequences that came with them, but still couldn't find any justification to condemn him for his past sins. She also knew that people could beat addictions and it seemed like Gabri was trying to be a good person. It wasn't really a half assed attempt either.
"Should I forgive him or shall I leave and never come back?"she asked herself, hugging a pillow. She recalled everything he had done for her and how he protected her when she needed it the most. Never once was he insincere to her.
Soon, there was a knock at the bedroom door.
"Amber" she heard him call "Is everything okay? The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you...but I felt you needed to know from me first and not the rest of the world. Please forgive me, Amber. I...care about you...a lot"
It was then that she made her decision. She headed to the bedroom door and opened it to see him standing there with the saddest look on his handsome face.
She then grabbed him and kissed him...