Title: Love is a Temporary Madness
Author: Pinky and the Brain/ ShenanaginsProductions
Summary: What are the circumstances surrounding Noah Gray's birth? Who is his mother? Why is he blonde? How can he exist in this new timeline? When was he conceived?
Disclaimer: We wish we owned Sylar, but we don't. He belongs to the creators of Heroes, as does the rest of the world. We think.
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Juliette O'Neil sat patiently in the waiting room of the unfamiliar hospital. The recent changes in her employment meant that she once again had to jump through hoops to see a doctor. Every time she moved to a new job, her credit went further down the drain, and she lost all the health insurance benefits that she had been working under.
But it wasn't all bad. Working for Senator Nathan Petrelli was a great job. While the Senator rushed about with his important political issues (which quite frankly, Juliette didn't understand in the slightest), all Juliette had to do was make sure he knew where he was going at what time, that he called back the important business figures that needed to speak with him, and that he always had his mid-afternoon Latte so that he didn't get cranky.
Despite the fast pace and demands of the job, for some reason Nathan allowed Juliette more flexibility than other members of his staff. He never questioned when she needed an afternoon off for an appointment, and even suggested she take a bit of paid leave after a particularly upsetting incident at the Governor's Fund Raiser. No employer had ever been so kind to her.
This special treatment made Juliette feel all the more confused about her professional relationship with the Senator. She could sense the odd stares and judgmental glances from the other people in her building growing in number everyday, and Nathan's extremely out of character behavior at the Fund Raiser had only made the whispers and office gossip increase.
As Juliette walked into the room for her EKG Test, she worried what would be found. Once again, the medications she so desperately relied on to keep her alive were not working the way that they should. She unbuttoned her blouse and laid on the sleek, hard table as the technician attached cold electrodes to her chest.
"Not even gonna buy me a drink first?" she nervously quipped as he pressed a pad to her breast.
He looked down at her with a harsh glare.
Okay. Not a joker. She thought.
"No talking during the test," he snapped once the test began.
Yeah, I KNOW, not my first time at this rodeo. She thought.
She closed her eyes and drifted back into her own thoughts.
If only she hadn't mentioned that stupid clock today, she wouldn't have been so nervous. She knew that Nathan was particularly sensitive about the clock, and it seemed to trouble him so.
Sure it was running fast, but clocks do that sometimes. She had lost count of the number of times she had walked into his office and found him completely intoxicated by the clock.
She offered to take in to be repaired, or even get it replaced, but he always refused. It was almost as though he enjoyed the fact that it was running fast. It gave him something to think about, something to figure out…
Finally, one day a few weeks ago, she had had enough and called a repairman for an on site call.
_
She caught hell from security for it.
"Ms. O'Neil? What part of 'no unauthorized personnel' do you not understand?" The same surly agent that had refused to let her pass on her first day at the office continued to torment her.
"I understand! It's just that the clock needs repairs, and I was hoping that-" She glanced over at the repairman, who was growing just as annoyed at her as with the agent.
"Lady, just bring the clock in!" the repairman snarled. "I don't have time for this."
"Well, you see, it's like this…" She fumbled with her words as she looked at the ground. "The Senator is out for the afternoon, and I just thought that getting the clock fixed would be a nice, y'know, surprise for him when he gets back."
"Surprise? For Nathan Petrelli?" The agent laughed. "Right."
"So, will you let him in?" she asked.
The agent chuckled and pulled her aside.
"Look. I don't know WHO you think you are that you can balk at security like this, but the answer is NO! The answer will always be NO. So I guess you'll just have to find some other way to surprise your boyfriend." The agent sneered at her.
"I, um. Well, about Nathan. You see, he's not-" She blushed and felt her pulse quicken at the accusation being said to her face.
Sure, she had heard the whispers and snarky comments of her colleagues when they thought she was out of earshot, accusing her of having more than just a professional relationship with the senator… but no one had ever confronted her face to face with it. She held the agent's gaze as tightly as he held her arm. He gut told her to yell at him, and tell him she would have his job for that kind of slander, but she knew that would only escalate the rumors around the office.
"Is there a problem?"
Juliette had only been so relived to hear Nathan's voice one other time. She and the agent both turned to look at him, surprised.
"Well, Agent Simmons?" he repeated. "Is there a problem?"
"Sir," the agent replied, released his grip of Juliette's arm, "Ms. O'Neil requests that I allow this clock repairman into the your section of the building, but as I have explained to her MANY times before-"
"That's enough," Nathan cut him off. Juliette stepped away from the agent and closer to Nathan. He glanced sideways at her, with an almost disapproving look in his eyes. He then turned to the repairman, pulled out his wallet, and removed a 100-dollar bill.
"Sir, I'm sorry that my staff wasted your time." He said as he handed over the cash. "Thank you for coming all the way down here, but your services will not be needed."
"Hey, no problem, buddy." The repairman quickly shoved the bill into his pants pocket and left the building.
Juliette stared down at her feet as the agent returned to his post. She didn't look up as she heard Nathan approached her. Her hair had come loose from the clip that held it back and fell in front of her face as she was wrestling herself out of the agent's grip. She hadn't moved it out of the way for fear of drawing any more attention to herself.
She didn't move. She barely breathed.
After a long silence, Nathan angled around her and up the stairs to his office. A few seconds later, Juliette raised her head and noticed the security personal sneering at her, so she averted her gaze and hurried up after her boss.
"Senator?" she meekly called as she entered the office. "I thought you where in a meeting all afternoon?"
"Canceled." Nathan replied, his hands on his hips, as if pondering what sort of punishment to dole out on an insubordinate employee. His back was to her, and for that she was glad. She didn't want to see the look in his eyes.
Here we go again. Just like the last Job, and the one before that. You got too friendly, over stepped the professional boundaries, and now you'll be in the unemployment line, AGAIN!
"Oh, well, great. I'll reschedule it for you," she tried.
"You didn't need to call a repairman," he interrupted. "The clock… it's no big deal."
"No big deal?" she replied, stunned. "I've seen you stare at that clock more than you do anything else in this office. How can it not be a big deal?"
"It's just not." Nathan turned to look at her, his expression softer and gentler than it had been downstairs. "Besides," he said as he stepped towards her. "I think I'm getting pretty close to understanding how to fix it."
"Fix the clock?" Juliette's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What, you don't think I can do it?" Nathan smiled at her teasingly.
"Oh, no it's just- not really the kind of thing I would expect from a Senator," she explained quickly.
"Just what sort of things DO you expect from a Senator?" he asked, extending his hand to her face and brushing the hair from her eyes.
She stepped back, visibly nervous.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean," Nathan began.
"No, it's fine. Just can't afford a decent haircut right now, so, that's kind of pointless," she stammered. "You know, trying to…" She touched the same strand of her hair he had just brushed away.
They both stood for a moment, barely meeting each other's eyes. Finally Juliette couldn't take it anymore and ended the silence.
"Besides, you don't have repairmen hands." She laughed, trying to end the tension.
"Repairing timepieces is a very refined art." The smile dropped from his face in an instant. "Hands have nothing to do with it. It's all in the mind."
Juliette opened her mouth, but no words came out. She had never heard Nathan speak about anything with such passion before. Sure, she'd seen him practice speeches for things he said he was passionate about, but this was different. This was… well, real.
"I had no idea you knew so much about clocks."
"Timepieces," he corrected.
"Right, Timepieces." She nodded. "I had no idea you knew so much about timepieces."
After another moment of awkward hush, Juliette turned slowly on her heel and walked out of the room, feeling a bit unsure about this new side of Nathan.
"Yeah." Nathan said to himself after she was gone. "I had no idea I had so much knowledge about timepieces, either."
_
"Ms. O'Neil?"
Juliette lurched as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was-" She began.
"We're done here," The technician quickly yanked the electrodes from her chest without a hint of gentleness. "Your doctor will be receiving the results next week some time."
"Thank you." She sat up, buttoning her shirt and wincing in pain from the marks left by the swift removal of the electrodes. She grabbed her purse and jacket and hurried out quickly.
"Jerk" she muttered under her breath.
One nice thing about being referred to a new hospital was that her apartment was only a few short blocks away. The fresh air would clear her head, and hopefully, she could get a decent night sleep with a bit of light exercise.
She arrived at her door step, and reached into her purse for her keys.
She rummaged around, beginning to feel a bit nervous.
Crap! I must have left them at the hospital. She thought as she put her bag back on her shoulder and began to hurry in the direction she had come.
A few yards into the trip, she realized she could not have possibly left her keys at the hospital; she didn't need them there. She had taken them out of her purse earlier in the day while she had been searching for her medication, and she must have forgotten them at the office.
She fumbled for her cell phone and dialed the senator's office umber.
The phone rang several times until her own voice greeted her.
"You've reached the desk of-" the voice mail picked up.
"Yeah, yeah. I know." Juliette clicked her phone shut and checked the time.
It was only four o'clock. She would be able to get back to the office via cab before closing time. Just as long as that hulking brute of a security agent would be so kind as to let her into Nathan's office to get her keys.
_
Juliette paid the cab driver and slid her security pass into the slot by the door so she could enter the building. She checked the time, but was disgusted to find that her watch still read four o'clock. Damn. Borken. She ripped it off her wrist and tossed it in her purse, hastily, and stepped in the building.
The surly doorman didn't look at her as she approached him.
"Hey, um Simmons?" She asked, as sweetly as she could
"Yes?" he relied coldly.
"I um, kinda left my keys on my desk, and so I can't go home without them and I was wondering if you could let me into the office, just for a moment."
"You know I can't leave my post." Simmons snarled.
"Well I was just hoping you could do me this tiny little favor."
She did her best to sound sweet, even though Simmons was her least favorite member of staff.
"No need. The Senator hasn't left for the evening yet." He stepped out of her way.
"Oh." Juliette looked up at the clock in the lobby. Already 6:30 and Nathan was still working? That was very unlike him.
She hurried up the stairs and put her hand on the door. The office was dark, but when she turned the handle, the door opened with ease.
She entered and squinted in the dark. Nathan must have fallen asleep on the sofa in his study, she thought. I'll have to be quite.
Juliette paused for a moment, thinking of entering the study to catch a glimpse of Nathan sleeping. She smiled to herself, then thought better of it. What a silly thing to consider.
She made her way to her desk and groped around in the dark, finding her keys right where she had set her purse down after lunch.
As she looked up, she noticed a soft glow emanating from Nathan's study. She paused and listened. She heard the noise of glass and metal softly clanging together, like someone was working on something.
She nearly tripped on the frame from the picture she had broken that afternoon, which now lay next to Nathan's study door. She peered inside, to see Nathan setting at his desk, the clock form his bookcase in front on him, the glass cover removed and several cogs and parts laid down on the desk beside it.
He really CAN fix clocks! She thought to herself.
Such a curious person Nathan was turning out to be. At times he seemed all business, a classic senator, all slick talk and carefully crafted movements. Then there were times like the night of the Governer's Ball, when he seemed an entirely different person. Volatile, angry, intimidating…
Juliette found herself staring at her boss for what felt like hours.
She had seen two opposing sides of Nathan in her short time with him. Both appealed to her in a way that they should not. Part of her enjoyed being treated like a fine lady, the way that Nathan acting as a Senator did, while the other felt a rush of exhilaration as she recalled the night he has saved her from a drunken man at the Governors ball.
He had appeared just when she needed him to save her, like a knight in shining armor, or a protective lover.
Juliette felt herself blush at the latter, then remembered the harsh words Nathan's mother has scolded him with that very night when she though Juliette couldn't hear her. The blush melted from her cheeks and her mouth turned down.
Lover? Yeah, right. Never going to happen. She reminded herself.
She continued to watch as Nathan removed and inspected each part of the clock, looking at every piece with an expression of understanding and knowledge she had never seen before. He seemed so at peace, like he had been fixing clocks his whole life. His eyebrows would wrinkle ever so slightly when he removed and examined each gear.
Juliette stepped backwards to leave the office, but once again her clumsiness got the better of her. Her foot hit the frame that was resting on the floor and fell over with a loud crash. She quickly looked back at Nathan's study to find he had also been startled by the noise, and the hand that had been holding the glass dome was covered in blood.
Without thinking, Juliette rushed in to his study.
"Are you okay?" She gasped, rushing over to him and looking, panicked, at his bleeding hand.
"I'll be fine." He strained to sound light and airy, and opened his hand. Chunks of glass from the dome were protruding from the soft flesh of his palm, as blood flowed around the wounds.
"Let me help." Juliette pulled of her glasses and set them on his desk, and turned the lamp to get a closer look at the cuts. She quickly picked out the shard of glass and took a clean handkerchief from his desk, the only cloth available. She dabbed lightly at the blood, and then wrapped it tightly around his hand.
"You'll want to apply pressure, to stop the bleeding," she commanded.
"Um, right. Yeah." Nathan stood, gazing at her, half stunned. She rifled through her purse and pulled out a first aid kit. Hey, when you had two left feet, you never know when you'd need one.
"Thank You." Nathan met her eyes when she turned back to him.
"What?" she asked. "Thanks for startling you, and breaking your clock, and making you bleed all over your desk?"
He smiled at her, and with his free hand, touched her face where her glasses usually sat.
"I've never seen you without your glasses on." He tilted his head down and stared at her, and she gazed back, unable to help herself.
"Well, I can't really see very well close up with them on," she began. "I need some new ones, but I just," She trailed off, noticing his hand was sill rested on her cheek as she spoke. She found it oddly soothing, despite the chaotic events of the past few minutes.
"You should keep them off more often." Nathan said with a small twinkle in his eye. He then realized his mistake and turned his eyes from her quickly, clearing his throat.
"Well, let's have a look at your hand," she said, hastily changing the subject. "It might need stitches."
She gently unwrapped the towel from his hand and blinked, hardly believing her own eyes.
Where just a few moments ago there had been bleeding cuts, there was… nothing! She touched the tips of his fingers to the center of his palm, thinking her eyes were playing tricks other, but the cuts had just vanished.
"What's the matter?" Nathan was watching her, not his hand.
"Your hand, it-" She stuttered a bit, and looked back and forth from his face to his palm. "It's healed!"
"What do you mean it's-" Nathan began as he lifted his hand to his own eye level. Just as she had said, the cuts that had marred his hands had simply vanished, leaving no trace. "Healed?" he finished.
Nathan looked quickly from his hand, to Juliette to the clock on his desk, its pieces now littered in chunks of blood covered glass.
"How did… I mean- what…" Juliette was more shaken now by what she was seeing now than she had been by the gruesome wounds that were there before.
"How did your hand heal?" she asked him quietly.
"I don't know." He rotated his hand to see it from all angles, holding it up to the light, as if hoping to find the wounds had just been hidden by the darkness. After a few moments, he looked at Juliette and said
"I don't know how this happened. But I know someone who will."
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A/N
Brain's Notes: Thanks to everyone who added us to your Favorite Story/Author Alert/Story Alert subscription! We really appreciate it! Thanks also to those of you who reviewed. We can't express how much it means.
I feel like I should say something about this chapter but... I don't know what to say other than we're getting closer to who we really want to see.