(7) Cause. Effect. Action. Reaction.
(Lines in bold are taken from episodes "The Fifth Stage" & "The Wall", not by me.)
The blood flowed over the cement floor from the scalped head as Sylar glared down at the body. How the hell did it come to this? After everything he & Peter tried to avoid this exact situation!
The cause was their son, Noah, who was barely three years old. Through a crazy happenstance, Sylar & Peter had come together ... in more ways than one. Peter had put his entire life on hold to give birth to their son before completing his transition from female to male. They had kept the affair secret from everyone. They had even kept the fact that they had a child together a secret, disappearing into France for a short time to hide the pregnancy & birth from everyone.
By now, people knew of the child following Peter around. No one understood who the parents were. No one (other than Peter) knew exactly where Sylar had gone off to all these years.
America was suffering an internal battle ever since that cheerleader had shown off by throwing herself off the top of a Ferris Wheel, only to stand up unscathed & very much alive. The effect by now, was being felt all over the country as abilities slowly became widely known & even sought after.
Peter & Sylar had kept not only their affair but also the fact that they had a son together a secret, since keeping Noah out of Company hands was their top priority. They had retreated to a small home away from large cities & if something was ever needed, it was usually Peter who would show his face in public.
On one of the rare times he was out & about, it didn't end well. With his power still broken, Peter was unable to do much but get himself into trouble. While hiding & figuring out another course of action, he had been knocked out & taken into the walls of the building that the Company was currently using. Unfortunately, Noah had been with him at the time & now both were trapped. Peter was restrained several floors underground while the child was taken into custody by a woman working for the Company.
No one had the first clue of how dangerous it was to capture Peter or the child.
It caused Sylar to take action, after all this time of remaining hidden. He was suddenly back with a vengeance!
The first indication that something was wrong in the Company was that every single window in the main building above ground that posed as an office building, inexplicably shattered. People ducked under their desks as broken glass rained down. It took a while for the dust to settle.
"What was that?" A woman asked, peering out into the evening through the pane-less window. "There!" They pointed at a figure in the parking lot.
A man with horn-rimmed glasses came to stand beside her. "I am quite sure that's Sylar," Noah Bennet said. "A telekinetic force of his strength can easily blow out these windows & he is sticking to the shadows, just as before. What I can't understand, is why he is here."
"Aren't Sylar & Peter arch enemies?" The woman asked.
"They used to be," Noah shrugged. "But they haven't bothered with each other for a long time." He turned to the woman next to him. "Lauren, where's the boy?"
"I think Noah is still sleeping in his room."
"Noah? I'm touched," Noah Bennet said. "Now why would a child under Peter's protection be named Noah?"
"I don't know," Lauren shrugged. "You aren't the only person on the planet with the name Noah, you know."
"Of course, not," Noah Bennet smiled briefly. "But I think there's more going on than we anticipated. Why indeed would Sylar just happen to show up here after years of being off the radar?" He turned & headed down the hall towards the room where the child was sleeping. Checking in, he saw the boy still in bed & the window ... intact. "That's not good," Noah whispered so as not to wake the child. He closed the door & turned to Lauren. "Sylar left this room untouched. Means he already knows the layout of this place."
"How on Earth could he get in here undetected?" Lauren gasped.
"Back in the day, Sylar picked up Shape-shifting," said Noah. "He can look like anyone he touches, including me, unfortunately."
Lauren cast him an apprehensive look. "I did what you told me to do," she said as they headed down the main hallway. "I got a DNA test done on the boy. Results should be in, tomorrow."
"I don't think we have that time," said Noah. He handed over a folded piece of paper. "Hack into the system for the clinic with the child's DNA. I'm going to try getting to the lock down room & seal the place off."
"What if you end up facing Sylar?" Lauren asked as Noah opened the door to the stairwell. "You don't even have a gun!"
"What good would a gun do?" Noah said. "Sylar is immortal. He got that power off my own Claire-bear. Same for Peter. Sylar also moved his weak spot ever since he picked up the Shape-shifting ability. I don't know if Peter did or not since he can do that as well if he swaps that power in. Claire can never move hers since she only has Regen. I can't even hit Sylar in the base of the neck. It won't do anything since he changed it all. Our only chance is to release the bars around this building & trap him."
Lauren stared at him as Noah headed down stairs. She opened the paper to find a code for the computers & went to work on finding the results.
Noah checked down the hall before crossing to get into the lobby. The moment he opened the door, he felt something grab his body & drag him forward. The force released him & the door he had just come through banged closed without anyone physically touching it. "That's quite enough, Gabriel!" He glanced around as he called out the name. "What is it you really want?" Next moment, he was flung backwards into the far wall without anyone touching him.
Sylar came into view, his hand up, holding the telekinetic bolt against Noah Bennet's body, pressing him ever more firmly to the wall until it was hard for the older man to breathe. "Haven't changed much, have you?" Sylar taunted.
"Neither have you, it seems," Noah replied in a soft voice as he tried to get a better breath of air.
"I've changed quite a bit," Sylar closed his fist, letting the force choke Noah Bennet's throat. "Or haven't you noticed? No scalping murders for years. I've gone rather quiet, lately, haven't I?"
Noah hacked & felt the force release ever so slightly. Just enough to talk. "Wh-Where have you been?"
"Right under your nose, all this time," Sylar answered. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice when my old nemesis got up to his old tricks again?"
"Peter is not—UGH!"
"I'm not talking about Peter," Sylar interrupted, silencing Noah by squeezing his force power on the throat again. "I mean you!" He walked forward, closing the distance between himself & the one who had turned him into a monster. He dropped his hand, letting the force power go.
Noah slid down the wall to the floor. He gasped for air as Sylar's boots came into view. He looked up. "You're not wearing your glasses."
"I never do when I plan on killing someone," Sylar replied in an almost bored voice. "You're high on my hit list."
"Why haven't you killed me before now, then?" Noah snapped.
"I used to have a crush on your daughter," Sylar said. "I spared you for her sake." He leaned over Noah still on his knees on the floor. "I haven't cared about your daughter in years, though. You're no longer protected."
They glared at each other. It was unclear who hated who more but one thing was clear: Sylar was here to kill Noah Bennet at last. Sylar smiled softly at the sudden fear springing up in Noah's eyes. Death by Sylar's hand was never pretty. He never touched his victims. He used the force to scalp them & then analyzed their power if they had one while they lay dying in agony at his feet.
Noah felt himself being pushed back again & then, everything went black. He heard a gun being shot & Sylar grunted as if in pain. The force left his body & Noah discreetly rolled away before Sylar was able to grab him again. He heard two pairs of footsteps, one running away & one hurrying towards him. A flashlight was suddenly shone in his face. He blinked at it as he slowly stood up.
"I aimed for him before turning the lights off," Lauren said. "I got the results, but they have to be wrong. It's impossible!"
"After what I've seen all my life," Noah began. "Nothing is impossible. What is it?"
"The parents of the boy are those two," Lauren said. "Gabriel Gray is the father, but Peter Petrelli is the mother. How?"
"Oh, that's easy," Noah said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Peter is transgender, female to male. He must have had Noah before completing his transition."
"Ohh!" Lauren exclaimed. "I didn't know!"
"Not many do," said Noah. "He had started coming out to people a few years ago, including Claire, but then that just stopped. The bigger question is, how did Peter & Gabriel end up together? It would explain why they haven't been fighting each other, anymore."
Lauren hesitated before saying, "Is it possible Sylar raped him? Peter is vulnerable since his original power is broken."
"Hmm," Noah shrugged. "That's not really Gabriel's style. No, something else is going on. Both of them have been acting weird since the day Claire jumped off the Ferris Wheel. That's around the time Sylar not only stopped killing but also disappeared. Anyway, I know now why he is here. He has come for Peter & ... & his—Lauren! That boy is the son of Gabriel Gray!"
"Maybe we should wake Peter up," said Lauren. "He could tell us what happened."
"No, that's what Gabriel wants," said Noah. "Besides, I doubt Peter would talk." He glanced around as screaming could be heard.
"I think Sylar just killed someone!"
"Let's go," Noah hurried after the sounds.
It wasn't long before either of them entered the place of slaughter. Several people lay in pools of blood, mingling from different bodies as it spread out. All were scalped to death, the traditional signature cut of Gabriel Gray, but nothing was missing. He had simply killed them in his hunt for his son & his partner.
Sylar went straight for the room where his son was being kept first. He opened the door without touching & slipped inside. A ray of moonlight landed on the bed as Sylar looked down on the boy still asleep there. "I am so sorry I have to kill while you're alive, buddy," he whispered. "I was hoping to keep you from finding out about this." He reached over & petted some brown hair aside. Noah stirred but remained sleeping. "Come on," Sylar scooped the boy up. "Let's go get that other idiot you have for a parent. I can't believe he managed to get caught, again. Last time he got caught, he lost his original power."
Noah's reply was simply laying his head on his father's shoulder, still passed out. Sylar knew it was only a matter of time before someone screaming would wake the child up. Sylar didn't encounter anyone until he found the double elevators. One of them went down underground where those with abilities could be held & studied, or incarcerated if they were dangerous like Sylar. Peter would be down there, somewhere.
"Gabriel!"
Sylar turned around, seeing Noah Bennet advance on him. "Don't come any closer," Sylar whispered, putting a hand on his son's head. "He's sleeping."
"I'm sorry," Noah Bennet said & Sylar's lie detection ability remained oddly quiet. "I didn't know he is your son."
"Well, now you do!" Sylar seethed, not accepting the apology. "I won't let you turn him into your next bloodhound, like what you did to me."
"I was young & stupid back then," Noah Bennet said. "We don't test people with abilities any more, just the abilities themselves. That drug Mohinder created? He perfected it. There are no other people with abilities here."
"So why is Peter here then?" Sylar demanded.
"Peter was causing a ruckus," Noah Bennet answered. "He's fine. Besides, his power is broken. Doesn't the future say that will be fixed?"
"He'll be better off with his family," Sylar said, realizing why Peter was taken. He had been the only Special whose power was broken & yet everyone knew it would some day be fixed. He was here as a guinea pig to try figuring out how to fix abilities. Well, Sylar wasn't about to let that happen. He glanced behind him as the elevator to go down opened.
"Why did you name your son Noah if I am such a monster to you?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Sylar hissed. "We named our child after Peter. Noella. His dead name. Noah is born the boy Peter was always meant to be."
"How did that happen?" Noah Bennet asked, nodding ever so slightly at the sleeping child. "I thought you two hate each other?"
Sylar went to his knees & placed his son on the floor of the elevator. "You can thank Matt Parkman for that. Peter & I were trapped in a nightmare telepathic link for several hours." He stood up & pressed a button, sending his son down. "An hour out here is a year in the nightmare realms. Peter & I got sorted out literally over night. Now, I'm going to get him back & you will never touch Peter again, or our son!" Once more, he used the force to pin Noah Bennet against the wall & this time, Sylar didn't wait.
The blood flowed over the cement floor from the scalped head as Sylar glared down at the body. How the hell did it come to this? After everything he & Peter tried to avoid this exact situation! Now, he had gone & killed Noah Bennet at last.
The elevator opened again & Sylar stepped backwards into it, carefully moving over his sleeping son. As the doors closed & the thing descended again, Sylar scoffed to himself under breath. "Claire really will be mad at me, now."
Noah Gray stirred under him & stood up. "Daddy? Where are we?"
"We're going to get Peter," Sylar replied.
"Why your boots red?" Noah asked next, looking down at his father's feet.
Sylar's eyes just very slightly opened as he tried to come up with something that the child would understand. "I walked through paint," he finally said. He picked Noah up. "Look, I need you to stay on this elevator for a few minutes, ok? Uncle Peter needs a bit of help." They were using Uncle until the child was old enough to understand transgender folks. It was only a matter of time before Noah would start school & start learning about 'mothers' & ask who his mother was. Sylar pushed the button in to block the elevator from moving. "Now you stay right here. "I'll be right back, ok?"
"Ok!" Noah said, accepting a candy before sitting down on the floor.
Sylar went down the hallway, rows of old empty cells on either side. Near the end, he saw one filled with a white mist, a gas usually used to keep immortals subdued. Sylar looked in to see that Peter was strapped to the bed, knocked out by the vapors. Looking to the left, Sylar found the lever to turn off the gas flow.
The mist was sucked out with a hiss. Sylar entered as Peter opened his eyes & glanced around. "Do you know what I had to do to save your sorry ass?" Sylar teased as he leaned over to undo the straps.
"Uh! Where am I?" Peter mumbled, still groggy.
"The Company caught you & Noah," Sylar said, pulling Peter up to his feet. "We've got to get out of here. There's an eclipse coming."
"Where's Noah?"
"Both of them are by the elevator," Sylar said. "Ours is here & Bennet is up there." He shoved Peter onto the elevator next to their son. "Take the telepathy," he whispered, holding out a hand.
Peter did so. Hearing Sylar's thoughts, he picked the boy up & covered his eyes. Sylar had killed a lot tonight, including Noah Bennet whose body was waiting for them at the top. The child was not to see any of it, if possible.
/Sorry, Peter./
/It's war. Claire started it a long time ago. Forget it./
It was a good thing it was dark for the mess Sylar had made was everywhere. Peter kept Noah's face firmly inside the edge of his coat as they past places where the light was still on. Sylar had gone on ahead to clear the way until Peter could get out before dropping in beside him. Peter switched to the Flight ability & disappeared into the night sky, carrying Noah. Sylar headed straight up before dropping a fireball down onto the building, causing it it to implode & collapse. It destroyed any evidence of Sylar's killings.
Sylar headed to the small home he & Peter had next to a lake in the countryside of New Jersey, Heading inside, he found Peter in Noah's room, putting the child back into his own bed. He stood in the doorway as Peter stepped away from the bedside & backed up into Sylar's waiting arms.
Peter could feel Sylar's arms snake around his waist on either side from behind. He turned his face to nuzzle into Sylar's cheek. "That was close," he whispered.
"Too close." Sylar stepped backwards, pulling Peter along. By force, he closed Noah's door before saying, "What the hell happened?" He mumbled, leaving a trail of kisses up the side of Peter's neck while still moving them both along down the hall into the living room.
"I dunno," Peter sighed as he turned to face Sylar, catching a kiss with his lips. "I tried to check up on Claire's antics."
"Claire?" Sylar paused, pulling slightly away from Peter. "Why?"
"I was looking up any news about her on the internet," Peter said. "Got caught while doing that. I just—" Another short lip-locked moment. "—miss Claire."
"We'll get her back, someday," Sylar said, taking Peter by the hand to lead him upstairs. He opened the door to the covered balcony & stepped out onto it. Moonlight struck the black water & a loon could be heard wailing in the distance. Sylar shoved Peter onto the large chaise lounge. He put one knee next to Peter's side, leaning over to lie partially above him. Looking down at him, Sylar realized he had only ever felt this way once before, when he was with Elle. No one had ever made him feel complete again, until now. "Peter, without all your powers, there isn't much you can do."
Peter turned his face away to look at the streak of silver light on the lake while Sylar moved down onto him, sucking at his neck once more. "I know. I just wish ..."
"You're frustrated," Sylar said between kisses. He moved to Peter's lips for a moment. "I know." He knelt over Peter's hips. "Take the Regen."
"You know that thing hurts me, now," Peter said. "Ever since I had Noah."
"Yes but who knows what they did to you while you were past out," Sylar pointed out. "Take Regen for a few minutes just to clear it up. The eclipse is tomorrow."
"Alright," Peter muttered. He winced as the Regen settled into his system like a mild arthritis. His whole body would ache a little. Not much. But enough to be annoying. It had been that way ever since Noah was born.
"I wish I knew why it hurts you now," Sylar murmured. "It works just fine in you. I can see it. There is no reason it should burn you, but it does."
"Maybe it doesn't like the complete transition I did," Peter said, pushing himself up on his palms so that he could press closer to Sylar. "I used the Regen while giving birth to make it easy. Then swapped it out so I could get back to my transition right after. Maybe I shouldn't have had the hysterectomy two days later. But Regen has not agreed with me ever since then."
"That's the only thing I can think of," said Sylar, sitting back a little so that he was directly over Peter's hips. He put one hand on Peter's face before lifting a finger upwards to trace lines back & forth across Peter's forehead. "I could find out for sure. You have the Regen right now. You'll be fine. But it hurts like hell, probably worse than giving birth to Noah."
Peter laughed wryly. "Yeah, no. I'll manage, thanks."
Sylar just laughed at him as he moved his hands to Peter's shirt & began undoing it. "Just asking," he smirked as he reached the belt next & began pulling that off. He pressed a finger to Peter's face, tracing the scar. "I am the only one allowed to kill you, remember?"
"How romantic," Peter complained, pulling his face away. "Shut up & stick that finger down where it belongs."
"Feisty little medic, aren't you?" Sylar teased, roughly shoving his whole hand downward into Peter's pants, earning a sharp gasp. "Well, not that little."
Peter desperately began fumbling at Sylar's shirt. "That's the ... the implant ... for you," he panted between breaths, casting Sylar's shirt aside. He sat up to grab Sylar & pull him down, rolling them over so that Sylar was lying partly under him. He stripped Sylar completely before finishing undressing himself. Lying against Sylar's body for a few moments, Peter said, "Do you know that when we first met, you fell on top of me?"
Sylar ran a hand through Peter's hair. "No, I didn't."
"Yeah, you did," Peter said. "You were chasing me & we ended up on the roof."
"We fell," Sylar said. "I know that. I got really hurt from that since I didn't have Regen at the time."
"I broke your fall. You ended up directly across me," Peter said with a laugh.
"I don't remember that," Sylar said. "I tend not to think of that night much."
Peter passed a hand over Sylar's chest. "Right. I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it."
"Oh, I'm very curious about us lying on top of each other," Sylar insisted, pulling Peter onto him.
"Hmm, is that how it's gonna be?" Peter teased, moving to lie directly on Sylar.
"Uh huh, mmm!" Sylar sighed, spreading his legs enough to let Peter slip inside. He soon lost all sense under Peter's ministrations.
Peter slipped one hand between their bodies & used his fingertips to fondle Sylar's cock as he pressed firmly into him. Sylar arched his back as best possible being under Peter's body. Peter continued to torment Sylar's flesh as he moved inside him. He eventually found the sweet spot & watched in fascination as the once-fearsome killer was reduced to a whimpering mess.
Knowing Sylar was getting close, Peter stopped & pulled away, denying Sylar his ending. Sylar glared at him through half-closed eyes as Peter leaned over to kiss the middle of his chest before moving up to catch Sylar's lips with his own.
"Don't look at me like that, Sylar," Peter ordered. The only time Peter would use the alias now was when they were together like this. He had made good on his promise of using the name in a very different way that others had known it. "You know you'll get what you deserve."
"When anyone else calls me Sylar now, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them," Sylar grumbled. "You really have ruined everything!"
"We both know you like it," Peter snickered as he wriggled his way inside once more.
Sylar did like it. He liked it, very much! He wrapped his arms around Peter & used the force power to hold Peter on him. He moved his hips against Peter's thrusts, feeling a building again. He pulled Peter close, kissing him long & hard before lying back with a yell of sudden release.
Peter followed a moment later. He rested his head on Sylar's chest as both panted for breath. "I can only get you to yell like that when I'm nailing you in some way," Peter murmured a few moments later.
They suddenly started giggling like school girls. "What a way to kill the mood, Peter!" Sylar gasped for air.
"I rather enjoyed it," Peter replied, referring to the time they were both trying hard not to think about, when he had crucified Sylar.
"I know you did, you bastard," Sylar said. "Every last bit of it."
"Yep!" Peter rolled away, wiping his eyes.
After they had calmed down & Sylar was lying in Peter's arms, he turned serious & said in a low voice, "I know I deserved it."
"Hey," Peter entwined his fingers into Sylar's & pulled up their clasped hands. "We got through it."
Sylar lay awake long after Peter had gone to sleep. 'We got through it' echoed in his head over & over, keeping him awake. Sylar eventually pulled away & got up. He looked at the water, the moonlit path shining on one edge now instead of the middle. The loon had been silent for a while, replaced now with a hooting owl.
Quietly getting dressed, Sylar headed inside & downstairs to check on Noah still sleeping in his bed. Everyone was sleeping soundly, except Sylar who knew he would just have a nightmare if he tried sleeping right now. But the problem was, that nightmare followed him everywhere, since it was a real thing.
Nathan was dead. He had killed him & his first reaction was laughing about it. It was a forever wound on Peter's heart that Sylar now claimed to protect. There was no way out of the mess he had made. Sylar gently closed the child's door before going to the kitchen to make some midnight coffee. He put one hand on the bridge of his nose. "God! What have I done?"
Out of all the murders he had done, Nathan's was the one that was really bugging him the most. The reaction was no longer laughter, but an utter remorse over the sorrow he had caused his better half.
Sylar knew he didn't deserve any sort of grace from Peter. He was unworthy to touch the hem of Peter's jacket, let alone anything remotely more intimate. Thoughts like these kept banging around in his head as if someone was forcing him to relive the guilt.
"I didn't plan on falling in love with Peter, ok?" Sylar continued to snap at the God who had abandoned him, who he no longer believed in. "That's Matt's fault for letting us stay trapped together! I was supposed to kill Peter, or he kill me. Not this! You think I don't know that I have no business being with your perfect saint?" He seriously meant it when he called Peter perfect. The medic was perfect in every single way in Sylar's eyes now, how much more so in God's eyes?
He poured the coffee & set it on the table before wandering outside to stand on the front porch, coffee forgotten. Glaring at the starry sky, he continued his tirade. "I can't believe how Peter is so faithful to You, after what You let me do! I'd love to tell him You don't exist, but his faith is admirable, to say the least. But how can You exist when I do? No true God would allow my power to exist!"
Visions of Nathan dying in front of him refused to go away.
"Stop it!" Sylar snarled. "It's done. There is nothing anyone can do, least of all You!" He dropped into the loveseat swing next to the door.
As if on cue, his memories changed from killing Nathan to the aftermath of dealing with Peter, trapped together in the nightmare realms had been pure hell for both of them. Or was it? He closed his eyes, wishing that God of Peter's would go away & take these memories with it!
"I'm not gonna spend the rest of my life here, alone, with you," Peter had said.
"Ah," Sylar had lightly laughed in mockery. "It isn't exactly heaven for me, either!"
Sylar had tried to make things easier for both of them, even mentioning some things he only knew due to having Nathan's memories pushed into him. But the reaction to that didn't go so well. Peter had jumped on him. "Those are NATHAN's memories, not yours! You're not him. You're nothing like him!"
Sylar gave up. "So you've told me," he had muttered as he walked away. But walking away didn't get one anywhere in a nightmare. Soon enough, Sylar & Peter had to face each other again. No matter which way they turned, they were forced to be in each other's faces. It took a while, but Sylar eventually tried again to stop the endless war between himself, the serial killer, & Peter, the ever-gentle medic.
"I'm sorry," Sylar had said. "I'm sorry that I killed him. I'm sorry that I took him from you. I'm sor—"
"SORRY!" Peter had screamed in his face, shutting Sylar up. "Is NOT gonna bring my brother back!"
Sylar woke up with a start. He had dozed off on the loveseat. Looking towards the sky, he could see a line of pink & precious few faded stars. Using Nathan's ability, Sylar floated upward to find Peter still lying on the chaisse lounge, a blanket draped over him while he slept.
At rest. Calm. Unlike Sylar's current situation. It seemed lately that any time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Peter back then when Nathan had been killed. Sylar returned to the ground & went inside.
Finding the cold cup of coffee, he dumped it out. "If You were real," Sylar told the God he hated & didn't follow. "You would not have meant this to be so." He rinsed the cup. "Is this going to be my Hell? I can't die easily so You torment me with these memories? A real God would allow me to unto this damage." He put the cup away & went back outside to drop into the loveseat. Closing his eyes, all he could think of now was when Peter had blocked his powers & crucified him, demanding for Nathan.
"You give me Nathan!" Peter had demanded then. "You give him back to me body & soul!"
Sylar opened his eyes. What the hell was going on inside him? Why couldn't he just stop thinking about this? There was no ability to resurrect.
Jesus could, so everyone says.
Sylar wasn't Jesus.
Then & there, Sylar decided to ask Peter to find René, the Hatian who could block powers & remove memories. It would be temproary. The Regen Sylar had would eventually clear it up. But even a break from this current torment would be welcoming.
Next moment, Sylar's own original power told him that wasn't the way. Besides, doing so would mean telling Peter exactly what he wanted removed. It would mean bringing up Nathan, again. But Peter had eventually forgiven him for it. The process was long & difficult for Peter & took several attempts, but it had finally happened.
"Why?" Sylar had asked, sensing that Peter was on the edge between forgiveness & hate.
"'Cause you are who you are," Peter had replied. "I wish I could accept your apology, but if-if I f-forgive you? Then I'm not doing right by him."
"Nathan," Sylar had understood then that it had been Peter holding them back the whole time, trapped in the nightmare, all because Peter couldn't move on. "If you let go of your anger, you're afraid of losing him forever. You've held on to it this entire time?"
"I feel it slipping away but when I look at you," Peter had done so right then. "I see you killing him. You took my brother away from me!"
"I'm not that guy anymore Peter, you know that," Sylar said.
"I know you're not," Peter finally admitted.
Sylar glanced up to the overhang above him that made the floor of the balcony. He heard movement. Peter had woken up with the dawn. Several minutes later, Peter walked out onto the porch to find Sylar still sitting on the loveseat swing. He pulled his jacket a little closer against the cool dawn before joining Sylar.
"Where were you last night?" Peter asked in a teasing manner.
"Here," Sylar replied.
"I know that," Peter leaned against Sylar's side, putting his head on Sylar's shoulder. "Didn't sleep again, did you?"
Sylar felt the corner of his mouth twitch. Peter knew him too well. "Just thinking of Noah," he partially lied. While he had occasionally checked on Noah, the child was not the first thing on his mind. But he had made it a point to not mention Nathan's murder in front of Peter.
"I knew you'd come for us," Peter said. "But I wish Noah had never encountered such people. Hopefully he is young enough to forget."
Forget. Something Sylar desperately needed to do. "Any plans for today?" Sylar asked in an attempt to change the subject.
"We're not going anywhere until the eclipse is done," said Peter. "But after, I might go see Mom. Been a while since she has seen her grandson."
"Sure," Sylar agreed. It was fine visiting Angela for she still held some power among Specials. Peter & Noah would be safe with her. "Might be good for Noah. I was thinking about that, actually. Next time you want to go see your Mom, I should come with you into town. You call Hiro for his teleportation power all the time. I should pick it up off you after he goes away then you don't have to bother him anymore."
Peter laughed. "I always apologize for bothering him but he keeps saying 'family is everything'. You know how he is."
"Well, he's not wrong," Sylar said. "Let's just wait for this eclipse to be over."
Peter sat up & ran a hand through Sylar's hair. "Several hours with no powers at all. Weird how that works."
"According to you, it's God's way of controlling abilities," Sylar said. "According to Dr. Suresh & other scientists, it just has something to do with the mass effect of the tides."
"Doesn't God control the tides as well?" Peter remarked.
"If there is a God, then it's me he needed to control," Sylar said.
"Nah, that's my job," Peter said, running a hand up Sylar's legs. "Think I just came up with an idea to do while we are literally powerless."
"Ah," Sylar laughed. "I like how you think!"
After a long kiss, they went inside to the kitchen to get breakfast ready for Noah who had just woken up. Peter took Noah down to the lake afterwards where they played in the shallows until it was time for Noah's nap. The kid went to sleep just as the eclipse started.
Peter went to the living room. "Out like a light." He looked at Sylar who was watching him with the familiar predatory gaze he usually had before a kill. "Are you alright, Sy?" He often used the pet name when they were alone together.
"You know, you could kill me right now & there isn't a damn thing I could do about it," Sylar said.
"I could," Peter said. "But the whole point of staying hidden during this time is so that no one kills you."
"If others find out you had an opportunity to take me out but didn't, you'd really be done with the Hero thing," Sylar said.
Peter shook his head. "People think in such two-dimensional terms. They think killing you saves them. But what good does that do for you? I like my way better. Everyone wins, even you. It is in fact the whole point of the Bible."
"Doesn't that Bible condemn us both, transgender & a gay lifestyle?"
"No, there is literally nothing about transgender & those gay verses are about paedophilia," Peter said. "Got nothing to do with anything about us. We are made in God's image, man & woman. I'm a man. We are both consenting adults. Simple."
"You & your faith," Sylar mused. "It never ceases to amaze me. Just like how you ended up with me amazes me all the time. Isn't that against the rules? Can't be unevenly yoked, yet here we are."
"That's to help prevent people fighting with each other," Peter said. "It usually makes sense to stick to birds of your own feather. But there are exceptions to every rule. Hosea with Gomer is one such example. Ruth & Boaz are another."
"I suppose," Sylar shrugged.
"Honestly, I think you & I were meant for each other," Peter went on. "Like soulmates. I can't understand why we ever hated each other. I mean, even before Nathan, we just hated each other on principle. Now, I see how stupid we were."
Sylar was about to say something, but he noticed Peter seemed to waver a bit. Peter rubbed his forehead with one hand. By habit, Sylar instinctively looked him over before remembering that Intuitive Aptitude, along with everything else, was neutralized for a few hours. "Peter, you don't look too well."
"Bit of a headache," Peter said, dropping into a chair. "Funny. I feel sore all over, like I had Regen."
"Well, that was your last power you were on before this eclipse started," Sylar pointed out. "Maybe you still feel its effects."
"I really don't relish the thought of you going to my brain," Peter said. "But if this keeps up, I'm wondering if we should do it."
"I could do what I did to Claire," Sylar said. "I was able to shut off her pain receptors, but only after I had cut into her. It still hurts, initially."
"I'll think about it," Peter said. "Let's just wait for this eclipse to end & then I'll take Noah to see his Grandma."
Before the eclipse ended, Peter had ended up going to bed, feeling exhausted as if the event was draining all his energy. Sylar stayed close to him, trying to keep the mild fever under control with a cooling damp cloth. The discordant circular thoughts of Nathan's murder were driven from his mind while he fretted over Peter.
When the day brightened, Peter had fallen asleep at last & his fever was gone. Sylar's powers were back in full force & he looked Peter over while sitting by his bedside to wait for him to wake up, but once again seeing nothing wrong. It was really starting to look like he would have to go in there for a more thorough check, but the mere thought of doing that to Peter was a foreign concept to him, now.
"Hey," Peter's voice brought Sylar out of his dark thoughts.
"How are you feeling?" Sylar asked.
Peter grabbed Sylar's hand for a moment. "Well, I just took the Regen & I feel fine." He pushed himself up. "Doesn't hurt, anymore."
"Really?" Sylar moved aside so Peter could get up.
"Maybe the eclipse fixed whatever was wrong," Peter said. "Is Noah ready to go, yet?"
Sylar laughed. "He's been ready for hours. He has come in here a few times, waiting for you to wake up."
As if on cue, Noah came in. Seeing Peter up & about, he whined, "We GO now?"
"We're coming," Peter said, hurrying after the boy.
They went to the car & headed into town. Sylar left Peter & Noah alone to disappear before Hiro would show up. He returned Shape-shifted to look like some random guy & waited while Peter called Hiro. He silently watched as Hiro materialized right in front of Peter, looking more like the samurai Peter had once met. A short pony tail now held back his dark hair, streaked with a few grays. Hiro was aging. Nearly everyone was.
Hiro bowed slightly, his sword slung over his back. "You wish to see your mother, again."
"You know me too well, old friend," Peter said. "Some day I can hold on to your power permanently. Then I won't have to bother you any more."
"It is no bother," Hiro said. "Family is everything." He patted Noah's head before grabbing Peter's hand for a moment.
As Sylar watched the exchange, his own power flared up. It was demanding the Teleportation ability which would allow one to move not only from place to place in an instant but also from one point in time to another. As soon as Hiro disappeared, Sylar got up from the bench he had been sitting on & went to Peter. He would get that power. It was possible to pick things up empathically like Peter did. As he shifted back to look like himself & took Peter's hand to copy the new ability, Intuitive Aptitude told him something else.
"Peter, you still have the Regen," Sylar said.
"I do?"
Sylar turned Peter's palm upward & cut it with his own force power. Peter grunted a little at the pain. Both watched as the wound sealed over. "I understand what happened," Sylar said. "When you de-transitioned, you had to start all over from the beginning. Claire's blood put you back together how you were born. Completely. Including your original power!"
Peter stared at his healed hand. "You mean ... I'm back?"
"You're back!" Sylar smiled. Then went serious. "Great. Now I have to deal with you, again."
"Pretty sure it's the other way around," Peter said, "I guess that's why it hurt to have Regen. It was trying to finish healing me while I went through all those surgeries. Regen was guarding my original ability that had returned. The eclipse rebooted it all properly once I was fully healed."
"You know what this means, right?"
"Yep," Peter groaned. "I gotta go around & try to re-copy all my original powers now."
"I have some of them," Sylar offered. "Some people you copied from are dead now, probably my fault, so you could just get those powers off me. But for the others, maybe just use time travel to get the ones you're missing."
"I'll start doing that tomorrow," Peter said before getting down to Noah's level. "For now, let's go see Grandma."
"Yeah!" Noah exclaimed gleefully. "Daddy come now?"
Sylar & Peter exchanged looks. Sylar had never gone to visit Angela for the obvious reason of her hating him for killing Nathan. Sylar petted Noah's hair. "Not yet, buddy," he said, adding in a hurry as he saw Noah's saddened face. "Maybe some day, but I'm going to be a little busy this time." He stood back as Peter & Noah disappeared from view.
Sylar teleported home, rolled his eyes, beamed himself over back to town. "Forgot the damn car," he grumbled, sliding into the silver Audi to physically drive the thing home. It's ok. Nobody saw that. Right? Right.
After putting the Audi away, Sylar returned to the living room. "Alright, You!" He started up his tirade against Peter's God, again. "What are You telling me now?"
Sylar was grateful for some alone time. He wanted to get over this latest bout of guilt & regret before Peter came home. He looked around the large living room, the bay windows showing a fantastic view of the lake. He picked up one of Noah's toys from the floor & set it on the seat by the windows before stretching out along the bench built right into the lower sill.
A swan glided across the lake, but Sylar didn't see it. He was seeing the parlour where he had killed Nathan. He analyzed the scene, watching as Nathan had stumbled past the piano before turning around, only to have his throat sliced by unseen power. Sylar thought that over, again. Nathan had been beyond his sight for a moment as he had come in through the window. He had seen Nathan stand up by the piano but not get there.
Sylar suddenly sat up, his birth power screaming within, trying to tell him something. He had thrown Nathan inside, through the window. He had heard the crashing & had seen the aftermath of the busted piano Nathan had apparently landed on before sliding to the other side.
But that one moment, when he had been drifting down to come in through the broken window, Nathan had been out of his line of sight for a single moment.
"What are you telling me?" Sylar whispered, focusing on his power of understanding. Nathan had been beyond his line of sight for a moment. "Yes. I know. So what?" So utilize that moment. "How?"
His cell phone chimed, knocking him out of concentration. He knew it was Peter calling in, but he was still slightly annoyed at being so close to the answer before having it yanked away. "What?"
"Well, hello to you to, Mr. Grumpy," Peter said.
Sylar rolled his eyes. "Sorry. Got distracted with something. Never mind. How's Noah?"
"Fine. We're just getting back home from getting something to eat," Peter said & Sylar couldn't help but hear the annoyance in Peter's voice.
"Everything alright?" Sylar asked.
"I guess so," Peter sighed. "It's just Claire found out where our son comes from."
"What?" Sylar was suddenly very keen on this conversation. Claire was the last person they wanted to know about Noah.
"The Company had requested his DNA checked," Peter said.
"I destroyed that building," Sylar said.
"Yeah, but not the hospital all the way across the state which did the results on the computer," Peter said. "She's also pretty upset that Noah Bennet is dead. Still thinks it's an accident. Gas pipe blowing up."
"Great, this is the last thing we need!" Sylar snarled. "Does she know where we live?"
"No one does," Peter said. "Not even Mom, for her own safety. But Claire is getting out of control."
"Nathan could have reigned that girl in," Angela snidely remarked. She must have been close to Peter for Sylar heard her just fine over the phone.
"Mom!" Peter silenced her. He turned back to the phone. "Once we're finished eating, I'm bringing Noah straight home. We'll figure out what to do."
"Alright. Peter? Don't tell anyone your power is fixed besides your Mom," Sylar warned.
"Wasn't planning to," Peter replied. "See you soon."
"See you," Sylar hung up. If there ever was a time they needed Nathan, it was now & Sylar suddenly understood what to do.
Rest Calm, by Nightwish
Where were you last night? by Ankie Bagger, covered by Nightwish