Peter or Sylar

"Wake up," Alicia said, sending a small shock of electricity through Peter's hand.

His eyes opened and he jerked up right on the couch. He raised his hands, ready to attack. He looked around the room, looking back and forth from Alicia to the exit.

"That won't do you any good," Alicia said. Moving to sit on the edge of the coffee table in front of him. She stretched out her hand and placed a barrier around him.

"Who are you? What do you want?" he asked, not noticing the barrier yet. His hands still aimed at her middle.

"My name's Alicia," she narrowed her eyes, her black lashes shading them. "You don't know me?"

"No. Should, I?" Peter started to stand, his face tightened as he realized he couldn't move. "Hey! What is this? Let me go."

Alicia ran her long, pink nails through her hair. "I'm afraid I can't do that. See I came here to kill you."

Peter grunted, as his hands tightened into fists, trying to access his ability. He tried again, but still nothing happened.

"I told you that wouldn't work," she said, hatred evident in every word. "I've taken all your powers. And boy, did you have a lot. One wonders how you can stand all of them."

"So your like, The Haitian?" Peter said, still twisting to get free.

"No. I don't disable the powers. I just take them. I reach in and take them. I haven't decided what to do with yours yet." Alicia's smile widened, he was trying to distract her. She'd just play along for now. "I'd hate to just dispose of them. After all the lives that must have suffered for you to get them. Tell me, Sylar, how many people did you have to kill?"

Peter stopped struggling and looked straight into Alicia's eyes. She felt uncomfortable, as if he could see past her dark blue irises to her mind. The ceiling fan above them blew her brown curls into her face; she watched the fan blades instead of meeting his gaze.

"I'm not Sylar," Peter said, pronouncing every word slowly. He cocked an eyebrow and said, "Is that what this is about? You think I'm, Sylar?" He threw his head back and laughed.

"Don't laugh," Alicia looked back at him. "I know you're Sylar. You can't fool me."

"I hate to disappoint, but I'm not, Sylar. I'm Peter. Peter Pitrelli." A look of relief came into his face, causing a wave of anger to wash over Alicia.

"You are Sylar! You've killed hundreds in your pointless struggle for power."

"Look I don't know what's going on. But I'm not, Sylar."

Alicia whipped the gun from her pocket and shoved it onto Peter's chest, her face inches from his. "Stop lying. Just tell me the truth."

All humor drained from Pater's face. His dark eyes filled with an intense honesty. "I am not Sylar. My name is Peter Pitrelli. I've never killed anyone for their power."

Alicia pushed the gun deeper into his chest. She loathed everything about this man; the very sound of his voice was flaming her rage.

"Maybe you aren't yet… But you will be." She pulled, the gun away and leaned back onto the coffee table. She pinched the bridge of her nose, digging her nails in.

"Can't you just let me explain-"

"Shut up! I need to think… Maybe, Hiro, brought me too early. You don't have the power yet. That would explain why it was so easy to capture you."

""Hiro, brought you? Are you from the future?" he said, a flicker of understanding danced in his eyes.

"But, if you haven't changed yet," she said, ignoring his questions. "I'd be saving hundreds by just offing you right now. Before you have the chance to kill anyone, Sylar." She placed the gun back onto his chest. His pale gray t-shirt wrinkled around the barrel.

"Do I become…a Sylar in the future?" Peter looked down at the gun and Alicia wondered if he was considering agreeing with her, to stop it now.

"Maybe. I'm from another timeline. An alternate one. A man named, Hiro Nakamora, has the ability to move from one timeline to another…but not all timelines are the same."

"Hiro can do that? I thought he could only move through time and space. Not realities."

"Maybe, your Hiro can't. He wasn't born with that ability. I gave it to him."

"You gave it to him?" Peter's intense eyes made Alicia look away again.

"Yes. I can take or I can give. That's my real ability." She leaned back removing the gun again. Her mind was spinning with all the possibilities.

"Why don't you just start at the beginning. And tell me what's going on. Then maybe we can sort this out, without anyone getting hurt." Peter's tone was too calm, it infuriated her; she smashed her gun to his chest one more time.

"Every fiber of my being wants to just blow a few holes in you right now… No questions. No answers. Just revenge. But," she lowered her gun once again, "he wouldn't like that." She reached up with her free hand and lightly brushed around her collar bone; a chain laying hidden under her coat.

"So here's the deal, Peter or Sylar; or whoever you are, I'm going to use a power I barrowed from a guy in Greece. It will show me everything that you've been up to for the past few years. I'll be able to access all your memories. So you can't lie to me. It's not going to be fun on either side though. It hurts like you won't believe."

"Why didn't you just do that from the start?"

"First, you have to be awake for it to work, and second up until about three minutes ago, I had no doubts that you were. Sylar," she looked him up and down, still trying to decide.

"Now here's the game," she said, "if you are Sylar, or if I think your past shows that you will become Sylar; I'm going to put a bullet in your heart."

Peter nodded, his jaw set. "Fair enough."

"But if you're not Sylar, I'll think about giving you back your powers and not killing you. Deal?"

"What choice do I have?"

"None." Alicia tapped the gun on her hip. She leaned forward and placed her delicate, ivory hand on Peter's chest. She whispered, "one, two, and."

Both of their bodies began twitching in convulsions. They groaned through clinched jaws and gritted teeth, as pain coursed through them.

Like watching a television screen, events from Peter's life flashed before their eyes.

Alicia saw everything, Peter's first attempts at flying, his inability to control his powers, his body becoming a bomb, his time in Ireland when he lost his memory; and on and on. She saw everything, in detail. Things that Peter may have forgotten or tried to forget were not lost to her. Finally a face flashed before her eyes, a face she now knew to be the real Sylar.

"No!" she screamed, ripping her hand from Peter.

Peter landed back on the couch gasping for air. "What?" he asked, between breaths.

"Gabriel-" she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. She threw down the gun and clamped both hands to her mouth. She stared wildly at Peter, trying to make sense of her thoughts.

"Yes, Gabriel Gray…he's Sylar. Not me."

"No." Alicia whispered, "It can't be… I needed him."

Peter sat up, and seemed to realize he was free from her hold on him. He moved forward slowly and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Why did you need Gabriel Gray, Alicia?"

"Because…in my timeline-" a great sob burst from her chest. A few more sobs came and Peter waited looking deep into her eyes.

Finally she was able to speak, though her words were barely audible, "in my timeline Gabriel Gray isn't Sylar… He's a hero."