SYLAR & EMILY

NEW YORK CITY

"I feel like it's been forever since I've been back," Emily sighed as she pressed her nose up against the windowpane of the backseat of the taxicab. "Not that I'm back exactly," she corrected herself, "considering I've never lived in New York."

"You're going to love it here," Sylar told her. "There's just something about the city…it's like a drug."

"I don't know how I feel about that description," Emily replied. "Drugs don't convey a very flattering image, do they?"

"No," Sylar smiled. "I guess not."

"Has the company contacted you again yet?" Emily asked. She glanced at her cell phone to check the time. "It's after seven there."

Sylar shook his head. "I expect it will only be a matter of minutes now."

"What are you going to say to them?"

"I don't know. Maybe it would be better if I just didn't answer the call." Sylar thought for a minute and then changed his answer. "Actually, it would probably be best if I just ditched my phone. Who knows what sort of tracers they've put on it."

"That's probably a smart idea," Emily agreed. "The company knows no boundaries in regards to the lengths they will take to keep tabs on their employees…or their prisoners."

Sylar nodded. "Yea…we can't risk them discovering us after all we went through to get away." He tapped on the plastic divider to get the driver's attention. "Could you pull over for a moment?"

The driver nodded and pulled off the road. Sylar told Emily to wait in the car and he climbed out, moving around to the front of the car. He took his cell phone from his pocket and placed it on the pavement, directly in front of the front tire of the taxi. He then returned to the door and slid back into his seat beside Emily.

"Continue," he beckoned the driver, and he started up the car and pulled forward. Sylar listened to the slight crunch of his cell phone as the car drove over it and he smiled. "I am not going to let them find you, ever."

Emily started to smile, but then she reminded herself that she couldn't trust him, and so she just nodded and turned to watch the city scenery flit by the window.

"I secured us a loft in the village," Sylar told her. "I didn't know what you'd want, but I only got one. I know you probably have no desire to share an apartment with me, but I sort of thought it would be safer if we stayed together…"

"It's fine," Emily told him. "It better at least have two bedrooms though."

Sylar nodded. "Of course it does. I would never want to presume that you would still share a bedroom with me after everything…"

"Good," she cut him off. "Whatever you and I had together…whatever our relationship might have been before…we're not going to return to that place. Not ever."

"Fine," Sylar agreed easily. He didn't want to create an argument at that moment, even though he definitely wasn't settled on the issue.

"Here you are," the driver announced as he once again pulled the cab up to the sidewalk and parked.

"This is it?" Emily asked, looking out the window and up at the four story apartment complex.

"Yea, I know it's not much," Sylar sighed. "But it's not like I had a lot of time to prepare. I got what I could in an hour."

"Don't worry," Emily told him. "It's just fine." It wasn't a very glamorous building, or neighborhood for that matter, but it looked new and clean, which was all that mattered since they were technically in hiding.

The driver unloaded the few bags from the trunk, Sylar paid him the fare, and he drove away, leaving Sylar and Emily on the sidewalk—their luggage at their feet—staring up at their new residence. Neither seemed anxious to take the first step into the apartment. Something about being there, all of a sudden, and knowing that a new branch of life was about to begin was overwhelming. Emily didn't know how she would live in a new country, hiding from her father's evil company, with a man whom she didn't entirely trust. And Sylar wasn't sure how long he'd be able to stay hidden in New York before his past caught up to him. He knew that he would have to face his own evil truths eventually, and in doing so he would have to be completely honest with Emily. She was a part of his life, even if she wasn't ready to be romantic with him again.

Suddenly a voice echoed in Sylar's ears—a familiar voice. His abilities had become so natural to him, that sometimes he forgot that he even had them, until one of them unexpectedly kicked in, alerting him to something that he should be paying attention to. At this moment, it was the voice that his super-hearing was alerting him to.

"Ready to go in?" He urged Emily up the steps, towards the front door of the complex. He knew that he'd have to face his past eventually, but he hadn't been prepared for it to catch up to him so soon. Emily still seemed hesitant, but when Sylar picked up his own bags and one of hers, she followed him up the steps and through the open door.

Once inside, he shut the door and waited for the owner of the voice to catch up to them. He counted to five and then he saw her, rounding the corner and skipping down the sidewalk; a young man held her hand and walked quickly beside her. She passed over the exact spot that he had been standing in a moment before with Emily. If they hadn't moved, she would have discovered him. She never knew him, not really, but she would recognize him instantly after everything he had put her through.

How will I ever live here after what I've done? He wondered silently as he watched the girl. She was laughing happily; clearly she had finally found a peace that had been absent from her the last time he had seen her. How can I ever tell them how sorry I am? Why should they believe me?

"Gabriel?" Emily spoke up beside him. "Is something wrong?"

Sylar shook his head, but still stared out the window. He watched until she had disappeared around the next corner. I'm sorry that I ever tried to hurt you, Claire.

CLAIRE & JADEN

NEW YORK

"You're so going to be late for work!" Claire taunted Jaden as they ventured through the side streets of the city. For the past few days, Claire had gotten used to the new routine she and Jaden had set up. He met her at school, they would get coffee, and then she would walk him to work. They always took the side streets, the ones that were less busy than main streets, so that they would only have to maneuver through smaller crowds.

"I could always run," Jaden reminded her. "But I'm not going to be late. My shift doesn't start for another fifteen minutes."

"Yea, but the way we've been going, it will take another thirty!"

"You're the one who wanted to take the long way around," Jaden laughed. "So, if I'm late for my shift, it's going to be your fault."

"But you won't be late," she also laughed. "You just said so yourself."

"If I run…"

"Then maybe you should run."

"Then I'd have to say goodbye to you."

Claire smiled at him. "I want to run with you."

"I…" he hesitated. "I've never tried that before…" Of course in his mind, he was only thinking of Sasha. She'd be so pissed if she found out I ran with anyone other than her.

"So, try now," Claire urged.

He smiled, and since he couldn't think of a reason not to, he nodded. "Okay, we have to make sure that nobody is watching," he told her as he looked around to check. "And I have to hold you."

"Fine with me," Claire assured him with a smile. "Should I ride on your back?"

He grinned, but shook his head. "I'll just carry you, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed. She also took a look around to make sure they wouldn't be noticed by any passersby, and then she wrapped her arms around his neck and waited for him to lift her up into his arms.

"Don't be afraid. I won't drop you."

"I trust you," she told him.

Jaden kissed her cheek. "I know you do baby." That's why it's going to be so easy to get what I need out of you. "It might feel a little funny since you won't be used to it, but just keep on breathing and it will be over before you know it."

"I'm ready." Claire held on tightly, closed her eyes, and waited.

"Here we go," Jaden made sure he was holding on to her securely and then he ran. It only took him two and a half minutes to run the remaining twenty blocks that they would have had to walk to the hospital. He stopped around the corner from the main entrance, in an alley so nobody would see. "How do you feel?" He set Claire down, but kept his hands around her waist in case she was unstable.

"A little light headed," she confessed. "But surprisingly not that bad."

"Good," he took his hands away from her, but she wobbled, so he returned them.

"That was very fast…"

"I told you it would be."

"I know you said fast, but I mean that was like light speed."

"I think light speed might be a little faster than me," Jaden grinned.

"Yea, probably," Claire agreed. "Well, you're at work. I guess it's time for us to say goodbye."

"That's never something I look forward to."

"Me either," Claire sighed. "But it's always inevitable, isn't it? You're going to call me tomorrow, right?"

"Of course," Jaden promised. "You know, I still have a few minutes before my shift starts. Want to walk me in?"

"Sure," Claire agreed quickly. "I'm in no hurry." She followed him into the hospital and up to the third floor where the interns' locker room was located. "I don't think I'm supposed to go in there."

"Yea, you're not," Jaden confirmed. "So, now I guess is when that 'goodbye' comes."

"I guess so," Claire sighed and turned her chin up towards him. "Have fun."

"Thanks baby," he bent his head to reach her lips and kissed her briefly.

"See you later," she waved over her shoulder and skipped off down the stark-white hall back towards the elevators. After pressing the button, Claire couldn't help overhearing two doctors who were discussing one of their patients, only a few feet from where she stood. They clearly thought they were being discreet, but they obviously didn't realize anyone was within hearing range.

"So, the kid says it was an accident, but he won't say anything else about it." One of the doctors was saying.

Claire wasn't particularly intrigued in the conversation, but since she was waiting for the elevator, she started listening for entertainment.

"Yea, he seems pretty messed up. We've already called social services. They're going to come and try to talk to him." The other doctor responded.

"I don't know what to think," the first doctor stated. "He seems fine. Healthy and together, I mean a little freaked out, perhaps, but I can't see anything particularly wrong with him."

"Have you done a full physical?"

"Not yet. Since he's being so tight-lipped, we haven't done it completely yet. We were sort of hoping that he'd give us some more information…he won't talk to the cops or the nurses…it's weird."

"Do you even know his name?"

"Nope. Like I said, he's not saying anything more than 'it was an accident' which really doesn't help any of us much. I mean, his dad was fried! It was like he got struck by lightening or something. How does that happen accidentally? How does that even happen at all?"

"I don't know."

Both the doctors fell silent, each one studying their charts intensely.

At this point, Claire was much more curious than she had been when they started talking. The elevator arrived, but she turned away from it, pretending to be looking at a schedule posted on the wall beside the elevator, so she could continue to eavesdrop on the doctors' conversation. She didn't know why she was so curious, but she couldn't pull herself away. It felt very important for her to figure out what they were talking about.

"So, what should we do with him for now?" One of the doctors asked the other.

"Just keep him calm, I guess."

"I just wish someone could get through to him," the first doctor shrugged. "I can't imagine what he's going through seeing his dad die like that…"

Claire glanced over her shoulder down the hallway where multiple doors revealed the assortment of occupants there at the moment. She wondered if she could find the boy they were talking about, and even if she did find him, she wondered if she could do anything for him. Why am I even thinking about this? She gave herself one more second to consider what she was thinking and then marched down the hallway. Passing the open doors, she peered into each room until she discovered one whose only occupant was a teenage boy. What she hadn't counted on was recognizing him.

"Sam?"

The boy looked up as she called his name from the door. His chubby cheeks were blotchy and the skin around his eyes appeared swollen—most likely due to excessive crying.

"Hi…" Claire took a hesitant step into the room. "Do you remember me? We go to school together…I'm Claire."

He nodded slowly and shifted his short legs beneath the blanket that he had wrapped around himself. "I know…" His voice shook a little, and he was so quiet that Claire had to move further into the room just to hear him.

"Are you okay?" She didn't know what to say. She still didn't fully understand what had prompted her to seek out the boy that the doctors spoke of and now that she recognized him it was even more awkward.

His eyes shifted nervously to either side of Claire. He seemed to be scanning the hallway behind her, checking for anyone else who might be listening. Then he dropped his voice even lower and Claire had to move even closer. "It was an accident."

"Yea, I heard the doctors saying that, which is actually sort of why I came in here. I don't know why…" she also looked out into the hallway. She realized it might seem strange if a doctor walked in and found her here for no good reason. "I was curious I guess…maybe concerned…"

Sam's eyes crinkled as he stared at her. "You're different."

Claire wasn't sure what he meant by that word. "Different how?"

"Cheerleaders are usually pretty self-absorbed."

"Yea, they are," Claire agreed easily.

He smiled at her admittance; his smile made his eyes sparkle and he seemed less scared or upset. "You're not though. Not always anyway. Sometimes I think you might be, when I see you at school with all the other cheerleaders, but then when you're alone…you're different."

"I don't ever want to be like them," Claire told him. She didn't know why she felt so comfortable talking to him, but for some reason it just seemed easy.

"It's hard to be yourself sometimes," he told her. "I know what that's like."

Claire smiled. For some reason she believed him, that he really did know what it was like. Of course nobody could understand exactly how much of herself she had to hide, but still, she felt that she could relate to him on some level. "I know you don't really know me…" she moved even closer to him until she was only a couple feet from the bed. "I haven't really made much of an effort to get to know you at school, but if you need someone to talk to…or if you want someone to talk to…"

"What are you doing here?" He asked suddenly.

"I…" she hesitated. It was a quick switch of conversation and she hadn't been prepared to answer questions, only to listen if need be. If I want him to be honest with me, then I have to be honest with him. "My boyfriend's an intern here. He picked me up from school and then I walked him to work. I was on my way out when I heard the doctors talking about you." She paused. "I didn't know it was you though…"

"You're dating a doctor?"

Claire smiled. "An intern. I know what you're thinking. I've seen that look before…it's the same expression my uncle had when I told him…and my dad for that matter. But Jaden's not like old or anything. He's only twenty-one."

"And you're a junior right?"

"Right," Claire nodded. She briefly wondered why he knew her grade—she had no idea what his was.

"I'm a freshman," he told her, seeming to read her confusion.

"That would explain why we don't have any classes together."

"Yea."

"So…" Claire shifted her weight to one leg. "Are you sick or hurt?"

"No, it's nothing like that."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"To you?" The concept seemed to genuinely confuse Sam. "Really?"

"Yea, if you want. I know we're not exactly friends, but I've been told that I'm a good listener." Claire glanced back at the door. "From what the doctors said, you haven't been saying much, so I don't really understand why you're here…I mean you don't look hurt…a little maybe…" she noticed a few cuts and bruises visible on his arms and legs where the hospital gown didn't cover.

Sam shook his head. "I'm not hurt. It's my dad."

"Oh? Is he here too?"

"He's dead," Sam told her bluntly.

"I'm so sorry!" Claire felt a little bad for brining up the sore subject. "Was it recent?"

"A couple hours ago," Sam explained.

"Oh god…" Now Claire felt even worse. "Sam…"

"That's why I'm here. He died…it was an accident. I don't even know how to explain how it happened. No one can. He…he was electrocuted."

"Electrocuted?"

"Yea," Sam nodded. "I called 911, because I didn't know what else to do, and when they came, they didn't know how to explain what happened, but I was the only one there…"

"They think you did it?" Claire asked.

"I told them it was an accident, but I don't think they know what to do with me. They brought me here. I think they thought I was in shock because I wasn't really talking to anyone."

"Sam…" Claire knew she was going to regret asking, but she had to know. "Is there any way that you did do it?"

"What?" Sam's voice rose and Claire knew she had upset him.

"I know it sounds horrible, and I'm sorry for even saying it, but is there any possibility that you could have accidentally done it…"

"You think I accidentally killed my father?"

"It was just a thought…" Claire hurriedly tried to calm him down. She could see color rising up his neck and his eye were narrowing angrily. "It's just that, I've learned in my life that sometimes people are capable of things that they never knew could happen…certain abilities or powers…not always good things…"

"Abilities?" Sam repeated, but he didn't seem to be calming down at all. "Why are you accusing me of something so…so bad! I didn't kill my dad!" His eyes suddenly flashed bright white—the iris hidden entirely—and then a bolt shot of what appeared to be electricity shot from his eyes directly at Claire. The bolt tore through her shoulder; she screamed at the pain and dropped to her knees. Sam's eyes settled back to normal and he caught his breath, realizing what he had done. "Claire!" He jumped up from the hospital bed and rushed to her side. "Oh Claire…I'm so sorry…I didn't know I could…I didn't mean to…"

"Sam, it's okay," she gasped for breath. "I'm fine…"

"No, you're hurt! You're bleeding, and there's a hole in your shoulder." He helped her stand and brought her to the bed that he had been using. "I'll get a doctor."

"Sam, wait!" She stopped him before he could run into the hall and alert the nearest doctor of her injury. "I'm okay…"

"But…"

"No, you don't understand." She grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. His eyes focused on her wound, still visible through the hole in her shirt. "You just shot me with electricity from your eyes…that's not normal."

"I don't know how…"

"I know you don't, but I do." She smiled. "Remember those people with abilities that I was telling you about?" She waited for him to nod before continuing. "Well, you're one of them. And so am I." She rolled back the neckline of her sweater until her shoulder was free. "Watch." It only took another moment before her skin started knitting itself together over the quarter-sized wound that his electric bolt had created in her shoulder.

"How did you do that?"

"It's just something that I can do," she replied simply. "It's no different than what you can do…except well technically it is but you know what I mean. We're both different—special."

"I guess so," Sam smiled. "I can't control what I can do."

"You did kill your father didn't you?" Claire felt a little rude to ask, but it seemed very clear now. "Accidentally, but it was you…"

He nodded. "He just made me so angry…and then before I knew what had happened he was dead."

"Why did he make you angry?"

Sam didn't answer, but he tugged at the hospital gown, attempting to cover more skin.

"Sam, was your dad hurting you?" It made sense when Claire thought about it. If his powers were connected to his emotions, as most were, then they would undoubtedly get out of control if he were being abused. It would be his body's natural way of defending itself. "I know you must be scared. It's not easy to adjust to these abilities right away, but you have to accept that this was an accident. I've known others who had a difficult time controlling their powers in the beginning, but you'll get used to them. Most of the times they're tied to your emotions. You have to figure out how to control your emotions so you can control your power. What happened with your dad…it wasn't your fault…"

There was a knock on the door and a nurse stepped into the room. She gave Claire a slight smile and then shook her head. "Oh, umm, I'm sorry but visiting hours are over."

"Right," Claire smiled at Sam. "I'll see you at school, okay?" She started to leave then turned back, pulled a pen from her purse, and quickly scribbled on his hand. "This is my cell number if you want to talk more."

"Thank Claire," he gave her a full smile and waved as she left.