She wasn't sure how much longer they drove, though there was still some daylight left, so it couldn't have been as long as it felt. Sylar's head was still resting on her shoulder. And judging by the slackness in his arms, he was asleep.

When the van slowed, she looked out the windshield; they had reached the carnival. Sylar's head came up and his body tensed, causing a similar reaction in her.

"Alright Claire, what you need to know is that you will not speak to anyone, members of the carnival or not, without my prior approval. They don't know why you're here, and it's going to stay that way. You'll stay in Sylar's trailer and do whatever he asks for, for the duration of your stay. Alice will swing by every now and again to keep things interesting. I will contact your father and what happens next will depend largely on him. Understand?" But he didn't wait for her response, he hopped out of the van to greet several curious carnies.

"Out," Travis ordered, opening the door.

Sylar guided her out on slightly shaky legs. But that wasn't much help, considering it was the 'do what Sylar says' clause that had her worried. That and visits from Alice. A few people smiled and greeted her as Sylar steered her towards his trailer.

She had expected to be led to the dark one with black curtains. But instead, his looked normal, a soft tan color wit light blue curtains. A flick of his wrist and the lock released, opening the door.

"Inside," he muttered when she froze on the bottom step.

"What do you do if there's a tornado?" she asked, trying to ease her nerves.

"Move the carnival."

"The whole thing?"

"Yes." He shut the door behind them. "Hungry?"

Until she was locked in, alone with him, she had been. "No."

"Sit." He moved into the tiny kitchen area.

"Is that an order or request?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Whichever will convince you to have a seat."

She sighed, choosing the lone chair as opposed to the bed/couch. She listened to him putter around his spotless kitchen as he made sandwiches. "Yes."

"I figured." He padded in on bare feet, holding two plates. "Tea or water?"

"Tea," she practically whispered. Domesticated Sylar was a little hard to swallow. Was it an act? She couldn't tell; but he did seem well practiced at it. He returned with two glasses of tea, the perfect shade of brown with just enough sugar.

They ate in silence, Claire glancing at him every so often. He kept his face down so she couldn't see much of his expression.

"What are they going to do?"

"No one's shared any secret plans with me." She looked unimpressed and he laughed. "Samuel was telling the truth; his next actions will be decided after he sees Noah's reaction."

"Yeah, well, we both know my dad isn't going to stop whatever it is he's doing. So tell me what to expect."

"He may, when he hears what I've done to you."

Her mouth went dry. "What are you going to do to me?"

"It's already been done, Claire. And they expect me to do a lot more of it while I've got the chance."

"...Will you?"

"Not if I can keep her ability under control. But you will have to pretend. If they know nothing's happening, they'll find someone else to do the torture."

"Is that all they'll do? Or will there be more?"

"Depends. If you appear broken enough, it may be all. If we get you out before they lose patience with Noah.

"We?"

"Me."

Silence stretched as they stared at each other, then Sylar took her plate and left the room. Claire let out a shaky breath and looked around the small home. He returned to rifle through his dresser, pulling out several pieces of clothing.

"It's a nice place," Claire commented, trying to ease the tension.

"Thanks." He tossed a couple things at her. "Go ahead and take the first shower. Bathroom's the only place to get some privacy."

"Okay." She paused in the doorway. "Thank you, Sylar. I don't know why you're doing all of this, but I'm glad you are." She shut the door before he could respond.

Sylar waited patiently while she was in the shower. All he wanted to do was get clean and go to sleep. He couldn't deny that he was looking forward to squeezing onto the small bed beside Claire. After she fell asleep, he may even get to wrap his arm around her.

The thought of her warm body pressing into him, reminded him of that same tight body underneath him, writhing and moaning. He tried to distract himself, but even that was forgotten when she exited the bathroom wearing only his t-shirt and boxers. She had a hand wadded into the fabric, holding the loose bottoms in place.

Sylar closed his mouth and grabbed a safety pin from the dresser. He passed it to her and went directly into the bathroom. If he couldn't ignore her, he would just have to release some of that tension alone in the shower.

Claire pinned the boxers in place and let the big shirt fall to mid thigh, covering the shorts entirely. She stared longingly at the bed. At the most, it was a twin mattress. Maybe she could sleep just for a few minutes while he showered. She crawled slowly onto the bed and slid between the cool sheets; it felt so good to stretch out and relax her tired muscles. Before she realized it, sleep had claimed her.

Claire blinked in the sudden darkness. She wasn't sure what had woken her, but got a hint as the arm circling her body squeezed her tighter. The body behind her pressed in closer, leaving no doubt that it was male. She fought to control her panic, memories coming to her slowly, memories of Sylar.

Cautiously, she turned enough to see his face nuzzled in her messy hair. She took a deep breath and started to peal his arm away from her. Instead of freedom, all she achieved was a soft moan and his body pressed closer than ever.

She had o bite her lip to stifle the pleasurable noise that bubbled up her throat when Sylar's hips pushed into hers. What was wrong with her? He rubbed against her bottom again and she gasped aloud. That woke him with a groan.

"Alice," he growled.

"God." Claire fought for an even breath. The pheromone levels must have been through the roof. "I-I can't..." She shook her head desperately.

"Shh...I'll take care of you," he whispered, smoothing hands over her body.

She tried to roll over to face him, but he blocked the move with his body. Sylar slipped one hand up the front of her shirt, his other hand gripped her hips and he rubbed very deliberately against her. The soft material of their boxers didn't prevent much sensation.

Claire panted, eyes closed.

Sylar squeezed her hip, but released it abruptly, plunging his hand inside the boxers. Claire parted her legs as much as possible in the position he had trapped her in.

He pushed against her, causing an all new sensation of pleasure. Claire gripped a fistful of sheet as her body convulsed. A moan ripped from her throat and he pounded his hips into her.

As her body came down from its high, the pheromones receded, but Sylar was still grinding against her bottom. She wanted to tell him to stop, but his breathing had become rough, his thrusts erratic. And then it was too late.

She held absolutely still, afraid of his reaction, relieved he hadn't taken total advantage of her. She wasn't even aware of the tears on her cheeks as he removed his hands from her body. She listened to him grab a clean pair of shorts and head to the bathroom.

A/N: Thanks for reading, don't forget to review!