Disclaimer: I don't own heroes, however I do own this fic, my character and the lyrics to her songs.

A/N: Chapter Four! I'll warn you that the next couple of chapters might be a little jumpy and fast in the timelines but it's just because that most of the plot I have is after a certain event and I don't want to bore you guys to death on the way there. Wow, that was totally, like, the longest run on sentence in the world. Anyways, this chap is mostly dialogue and interaction between characters. However, the next chapter should have some action. Neways, here we go!

Unnatural Fire

Chapter Four

A Few Bugs to Work Out

A week after meeting Mohinder I was fully settled in the apart above Issac's, who was fast becoming a pretty close friend of mine. Sammy was in a new home and ran about the studio as he pleased and I had a new job as a bartender in a nearby club. So needless to say, life was moving pretty fast for me.

"Nice." I said, coming up beside Issac and staring at the beginning of his newest painting. "I like the color. Flamey." He laughed and set his paintbrush down as I turned to the mirror and looked myself over quickly. "Anyways, I'm heading out." I said, glancing at the clock which read 11 at night.

"Where are you going again?"

"Red Hot." I answered, tucking my hands into my back pockets. "My band's got a gig there for the weekend."

"Not too bad." Issac replied, grinning a little.

"Ya, well, I'm trying to step up in the world." I replied just as a loud knocking announced itself. "I got it." I said, walking to the door and throwing it open, thoroughly surprised to see Mohinder standing there. "Well hello." I said, letting him in. "Pleasant surprise. What brings you to this side of the tracks so late?"

"I just got off work and wanted to talk to you about the blood sample you gave me." I nodded, remembering that Mohinder worked driving cabs, which was a bit of a step down from his previous teaching profession in India.

"I was just on my way out……. but I think I could spare a minute or two." I replied, plopping myself in a chair and pulling out a cigarette.

"Well, if you're heading out maybe I should just come back another time." He said. He's always so polite. Sometimes it actually scares me.

"Well, I would hate to see you come all the way here for nothing." I replied, pondering and glancing at the clock. "Tell you what. I have a gig tonight at Red Hot. You could give me a lift there and we'll talk on the way."

"Sounds like plan." He said, nodding as he lead me to the taxi. I could made some suggestive comment but held myself in check, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. Waving goodbye to Issac and slamming the door I turned to look at Mohinder as he situated himself.

"So, is it bad?" I asked, nervous. I was still getting used to this new power and I still wasn't sure of it's effects on my body.

"Not really." He replied, pulling away. "Just unique."

"Which is another word for bad." I said dully. He shook his head.

"It seems as if your blood is……. I don't want to say changing……" He trailed off, looking for the right word. "..adapting to the genes in a very interesting way. It seems to be somehow fusing with the blood cells."

"Fusing?"

"Yes, fusing." He affirmed. "I don't know how to put it, but I've never seen it before in anyone I've ever studied - which is only three people, mind you so it might be as big of an irregularity as I'm making it out to be."

"Is it gonna kill me?" I asked as he pulled over.

"I don't believe so." He replied, opening the door.

"Then I'm not too worried." I answered, fishing out a ten dollar bill. "Here."

"Don't worry about it." He said, waving it off. "I'm not technically working anyway." I smiled at him and gave him a hug.

"Well, thanks for the lift."

"I'm not coming inside?"

"Uh…..if you want too." I answered, suddenly feeling very dumb. "I just thought you wanted to go home and sleep."

"Well, if I went home now, I would just stare at a map anyway." I laughed and rested my hand on his shoulder as I went around back.

"No sense in making you wait in a line." I said, as I knocked on the door. "You're VIP." He chuckled as the door opened, nearly hitting me in the face. The security guard stared at me and then Mohinder. "I'm Laira Niac, I'm with Lover's Thorn. This is Mohinder - he's with me." The guard nodded and let us inside wordlessly. "Those guys creep me out." I muttered as soon as we were out of earshot. "They always look like they want to kill me or something."

"There you are!" Even exclaimed, running towards me before stopping and looking at Mohinder. "And you are…..?"

"Mohinder Suresh." He answered confidently. "I'm a friend of Laira's."

"That's cool." Even replied. "Nice accent. Anyways, Laira get your ass ready we're on in like, five minutes."

"K." I answered. "Get him a good seat will ya?" Even nodded and I ran into a dressing room, looking myself over quickly. My red hair was long and loose, reaching down my back in a series of loose curls that were completely natural. A black leather sleeveless tank was wrapped around my upper body, proudly showing my belly ring and rose tattoo that was on my right shoulder. Tight jeans with a stud belt and chains hanging off them with some bangle bracelets on my right hand. "Not too bad." I said, nodding in agreement with myself. "Not too bad at all." A pounding on my door caught my attention.

"Laira!" I could hear Dan's voice. "Move that ass!" I walked over the door and threw it open as he tossed me the mic. "Hurry!" I ran out onto the stage, reveling in the cheer. I smiled and held up the mic. The music began I was lost as always in a beautiful melody. The words came naturally, effortlessly as I rocked, and sang and let everything dissolve. This was my utopia. Everything I was and everything I wanted to be was written in these moments.

The hour passed like a moment, my eyes roaming around but always falling back on the handsome, bronzed man who looked remarkably like someone lost in some whirlwind, but completely unafraid.

Flash forward. The music dies and the cheers rise and my hands embrace the sky as I shout and Len bangs out something on the drums. I blow a couple of kisses to the crowd and take my leave, drenched in sweat, exhausted, exhilarated.

I turn to look at Mohinder and smile. He drives me home and I collapse above Issac's loft, feeling better then I had in the entire week.

Next Day.

"I wish I could have been there." Issac says as I shuffle down the stairs the next morning, a coffee in one hand, the other running threw the stray pieces of hair that found it's way out of my ponytail.

"You should have came." I answered simply, sitting down in a chair. "But then again, I know how you artists are - especially the future-painting variety. They get in the zone, and they're lost to the world."

"Pretty much." He agreed, just as Peter walked into the loft. "No, by all means, come in Peter." The younger man grinned apologetically.

"Ya sorry about that - I get kinda hyper." I laughed and shook my head as I took a hearty sip of the caffeine-enriched drink.

"So we've noticed." I said bluntly, before getting up and giving him a hug. "I'm just playing. You know I love you - you little PITA." He laughed at my short form for 'pain in the ass.'.

"Hey, good job on the gig last night. I was talking to Mohinder this morning, he said you we're amazing. Really kick ass show."

"I seriously doubt he said ass." I stated, nearly giggling at the thought. "I don't think he would know how to swear if the instructions were dancing naked in front of him wearing a tea towel….. ok, weird thought. I'm going to sit over there now." I said, pointing the chair I had previously be occupying.

"Strange girl." Peter said, looking up in time to see me flip him off. "And oh-so-ladylike."

"Ya, right." I muttered, yawning. "Bite me."

"Someone's not a morning person." Peter said, stating the painfully obvious.

"Ya, try having her live above you and you accidentally play the music too loud." Issac replied. "She almost killed me."

"Oh, it was not that bad you pussy."

"You threw a shoe at my head!"

"Boot actually." I replied, grinning. "And lucky for you, I missed. I never did like sports." I reached for my coffee and to my disappointment, discovered that it had gone sort of cold. Hey……wait a minute…. I'm fire-women…..

With that thought in mind I clasped my hand around the mug and focused on putting heat into it. It seemed like a good plan until I felt the coffee bubbling over all over my pants. "Shit!" And it was about that moment when the entire mug became overheated and shattered into a million pieces. "Fuck!" At this point I have everyone's attention and the two boys seemed to be torn between laughing and concern. Peter startled giggling……then Issac…..and finally me as I flicked my hands, trying to air dry them.

"So….uh…….Laira, how's the powers coming along?" Peter asked, not bothering to even trying to hide his amusement.

"Still have a few bugs to work out." I answered, grabbing a towel and attempting to dry myself off. Peter said something to Issac who started laughing and I walked away, muttering profanity. Leave it to me to try and actually use my powers and end up making a mess. But still, I wanted to try them out.

Going into my apartment I grabbed a towel and threw it under the sink, soaking it. Holding it over the sink I closed my eyes and let the heat flow from my hands, hoping the dry the towel. Well, I did……. sort off. Within a minute or two the towel was dry. Then it burst into flames. Growling in frustration I drop the blazing towel into the sink which hisses before it goes out.

That was it, I needed Mohinder. He was the only person who knew what was going on with me and had helped me understand what all this was. Surely he would know how I could control my power better. At this rate, I was likely to set all of New York on fire if I tried to heat a room. Stretching and hearing my bones crack I reached for my phone and speed dialed his number. He answered in two rings.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mohinder." I said cheerfully. "I have a bit of, uh, well a bit of a problem."

"Is it serious?" He asked and I shook my head even though I knew he couldn't see it.

"Well, if you count me having destroyed a mug and a towel within fifteen minutes then yes, it's serious." He laughed and it made me grin. "You see, I'm trying to learn to use my powers as an advantage but so far I've only succeeded blowing up my mug trying to heat my lukewarm coffee and set a towel on fire when I tried to dry it. I figured with you being the expert and all you might be able to give some tips on how not to be a walking fire hazard."

"Are you busy at the moment?"

"Not really." I replied, throwing the demolished towel into the trash can.

"Well then come over and see if maybe we can work something out." He didn't try to hide the amusement in his voice and I couldn't really blame him. I was the new kid on the block so to speak.

"Ok, give me five minutes to change and I'll be right over." I hang up the phone and placed it on the table, smiling to myself like a little girl.

"Ok, so I think what you need to do first is just relax." He said, forty-five minutes later as I sat at his table. "From what you told me, it seems like you just force heat out of your body in one huge surge which causes whatever your holding to overheat very quickly. Here, take this." He placed a damp cloth in my hand. "Now, try to let the heat out of your body at a slow pace - think a stream as opposed to a waterfall."

"I'm hope your not overly attached to your cloth." I warned, grinning a little. "Because I'm not making any promises that it's going to live."

"No, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." He assured and I closed my eyes, letting the heat out of my body slowly, like he had suggested. I imagined a red light going from my hands into the cloth, surrounding it like a small heater. And then I suddenly realized that it was dry and opened my eyes before I did any damage.

"Hey….. it's alive." He chuckled and I tried not to think about how much I liked to hear his throaty laughter.

"Well, I think I know what you're problem was."

"No kidding." I said, handing him the cloth back. "We have our very first survivor." I smiled and hugged him, letting his arms enfold me in a friendly embrace. Looking back now, it seemed like that this was the golden time, the calm before the storm. When I look at it that way, I can't help be a little jealous of how perfect everything seemed then. If I had known that I had only had two moths before everything that could go wrong I don't think I would have been so casual. Looking back I wished I had had more time to prepare for the whirlwind that my life was about to become. In some ways, I still blame myself.

A/N:

Well, there we go, a little foreshadowing for ya! This should be the last filler chapter for awhile at least. I can't wait to write the next chapter because it's going to be one of the major turning points in the whole story. So ya, please review and let me know what you think! Ttyl amigos!