So yeah, I don't any of the Heroes characters and I'm not making any money from this--all that jazz. Basically, this is my "what if?" Gabriel/Sylar and Elle story--what if, after the Eclipse, they didn't come after Claire, but reinvented themselves like they dreamed? A very AU story, that I hope you enjoy!

I can save the world, since the night your love saved me. Maybe I can't save the world, but as long as you believe…

Our love is even stronger than God hoped it could be. Baby, all it takes is just a little faith in me, to feel like I can save the world…

I can save the world.

"Do you think it's permanent?"

"What, our powers going away or us?"

"Both, I guess."

"I don't know anymore."

"What if it is? Permanent?"

"Then you get exactly what you want."

"And what is it I want?"

He kissed her, the taste of his lips sweet, his breath hot and musky.

"A chance to reinvent ourselves. Free of powers, or parents."

Elle rested her head on his chest as a wave of terrifying excitement washed over her.

"Scary," she whispered softly.

"Yeah," Gabriel agreed, the rumble of his deep voice tickling the cheek that Elle had lain on his chest.

"And unexpected."

Elle lifted her head to gaze into his eyes, smiling. "What?" she teased. "Our powers going away, or us?"

He smiled, and Elle thought for a tantalizing moment that he might be about to kiss her again, but before he could, Elle saw the red dot on his forehead. She had only enough time to yank him violently to the side before the world exploded around them.

Elle could still hear the thunderous gunshot and the sound of shattering glass reverberating in her skull as she clutched at the elevator bars desperately, watching Bennet beat Gabriel to the ground. Her body throbbed with the desire to send a shower of electricity raining down on Bennet, to stop him, to do something—but she was trapped, helpless, powerless…she could only watch in silent, agonizing horror as Bennet plucked an X-acto knife from a nearby shelf and pulled Gabriel up roughly by his hair.

"Poor Gabriel," he said, his voice lit with vicious delight. "You always wanted to be special." He touched the blade to Gabriel's neck. "Look at you now," he taunted.

"No," Elle managed to choke out, her throat tight with unshed tears.

Bennet lowered his head so his mouth was close to Gabriel's ear.

"You're nobody," he hissed.

Elle saw a flash of fear in Gabriel's eyes, and then, with almost casual disinterest, Bennet drew the blade across Gabriel's neck.

Elle heard screaming as Gabriel collapsed, dark red spreading down his neck onto his white shirt. Then she realized that the screaming was inside her head. She wanted to scream out loud, to scream and cry and thrash against the elevator bars, because maybe if she did she would wake up and this would all be a terrible dream, but somehow she couldn't move, couldn't even breathe. She just watched, immobilized, as Bennet walked away from the pool of blood growing around Gabriel's body, a satisfied smile on his face. He paused just long enough to favor Elle with a smug look as he retrieved his gun before he walked away, the clicking of his shoes on the storeroom's floor receding slowly into the distance.

When the echo of his footsteps faded away Elle felt the strength in her legs give way and she collapsed to the elevator floor, gasping for breath. The silence of the room was pressing down on her, compressing her lungs. No matter how deep a breath she took, she couldn't seem to get any oxygen into her system. With a shaky hand she reached up, blindly fumbling for the elevator's controls. She closed her eyes as the motor kicked in and the elevator climbed the final few feet to the storeroom floor.

It took all the strength Elle had to lift the elevator grate and stumble over to Gabriel's body. As she sank to the ground next to him she felt something warm dripping down her cheek. Touching a hand to her face she was surprised to find it wet with tears. She stared dumbly at her wet fingers for a moment before she bent over to lift one of Gabriel's shoulders off the ground, flipping him onto his back.

Gabriel's eyes were open, staring lifelessly up at the ceiling, his face frozen in an expression of helpless terror.

The urge to cry overcame Elle and she collapsed onto Gabriel's unmoving chest, weeping uncontrollably. Gone. It was all gone. The dream of starting over fresh, of a life free of all the things that tormented her as she lay in bed at night before sleep came. She choked on her tears, her body racked with sobs. She was completely alone. She couldn't go back to Pinehearst, to Petrelli, not when she had allowed his son to be killed—and even if she thought that Petrelli would somehow be able to forgive her and welcome her back, she knew that she could never live that life, not now, not when everything was so empty. She had nowhere to go, no one to turn to. She was completely, utterly alone.

God, why hadn't Bennet killed her too? Had he known what killing Gabriel would do to her, known the horrifying pain and loneliness she would feel? Was this some attempt at punishment? Or had he wanted her alive to be some sort of witness to his triumph, to the fact that he had finally managed to destroy what he had created all those years ago?

What was she going to do?

She closed her eyes tighter against a resurgence of tears, pressing her face into Gabriel's chest to stifle her sobs, which sounded bitter and empty in her ears. Someone would be back here soon. If they didn't come looking for the suspicious couple leaving a trail of blood behind them, then someone would eventually come back looking for supplies. And if she was still here when they came…with a rapidly cooling corpse…she had to go, she had to get out. She knew that. But she couldn't leave Gabriel, not just yet.

Hiccupping, Elle pulled herself up from Gabriel's chest and wiped her eyes with her arm. Taking a deep breath and trying to control her trembling body, she reached out and gently closed his eyes. Then, fighting the urge to sob desperately, Elle bent down to kiss Gabriel's soft lips, one last time.

In a stupor she stumbled to her feet, clenching her teeth against the aching pain in her chest that drowned out the throbbing in her thigh. Through bleary eyes she focused on the exit sign that hung on the wall in front of her. Just get to the sign, she told herself. Worry about what's on the other side when you get there.

Before she had even made it a quarter of the way she felt a surge of energy run up her spine and gasped, sparks flying down her arms and out through her fingertips. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks as she felt her power return, coursing through her body. Too late, she thought bitterly. Just a few minutes too late.

Then, from behind her, she heard Gabriel gasp.

She turned in a daze. Gabriel was on his side, one hand pressed to his throat as he coughed thickly, his throat full of blood. Elle didn't know where she found the energy to run to Gabriel, but the next thing she knew she was at his side, holding him up as he fought for air. He clutched at her arm with white-knuckled fingers, closing his eyes as the torn skin of his neck knitted itself back together. He took a deep, shaky breath, still hanging on to her arm with a vice-like grip.

"Gabriel, God," Elle managed to cry through yet another course of tears. "You were…I thought you…I mean, you were…"

"Dead," Gabriel gasped, his voice raw. "I was dead…"

Elle threw her arms around him in a violent hug, weeping into his shoulder. Gabriel touched a shaking hand to her back comfortingly.

"It's okay, Elle," he said, clearing his throat. "It's okay. I'm okay."

"I thought you were gone forever!" Elle sobbed, clutching at his shirt with tight fists, afraid to let go because if she did she was sure he would leave her. "Our powers were gone, you couldn't heal—God, Gabriel, I didn't know what I was going to do!"

"It's all right now, Elle," Gabriel murmured soothingly, stroking her hair. "Everything's going to be all right."

All of Elle's fear and anguish suddenly transformed itself into violent, furious anger.

"ALL RIGHT?" she shouted, punching his shoulder, sparks flying off her fist. "Nothing's going to be ALL RIGHT! Don't you understand? Our powers are back! Our POWERS! We're trapped, Gabriel, just like we always were—we're trapped and there is nothing, NOTHING we can do to—"

Gabriel took her face in his hands, cutting of her outburst with a fierce, passionate kiss that knocked the breath right out of Elle's lungs.

"It is going to be all right, Elle," he said with bright eyes when their lips parted. "It is!" He kissed her again, deeply enough to send shivers down Elle's spine. "I finally understand. I can see it all now."

Elle was still hazy from the kisses, and couldn't quite think straight. "I…see what, Gabriel?"

"What I need," Gabriel answered, tracing the contour of Elle's face with a gentle finger. "I was dead, Elle. I've died before, but this time—I don't know much about religion, Elle, but I went somewhere. I can't tell you where because I really don't know, but wherever I was, I…I felt happy. Safe. At peace. I've never been so…" He shook his head. "The point is, I just realized what it is that I need to have that kind of peace and happiness in this life, what I need to keep the hunger at bay."

Elle shook her head, confused. "Gabriel, I don't understand."

"You," Gabriel said, staring into her eyes intensely. "Elle, I need you. Nothing else. What I said about reinventing ourselves, free of powers or parents, I was wrong, Elle. Our powers will always be a part of who we are. But parents—Elle, we don't need them, we don't need the company, or Pinehearst, or anyone. All we need is each other!" He took her hands and squeezed them tightly. "Elle. We can go. We can leave it all behind and go, just go. We don't need anything—except Elle, I need you. Come with me, Elle. Let's just run away. Right now. What do you say? Will you go with me?"

Elle felt a moment of terror at the idea, but then she looked into Gabriel's deep, dark eyes, staring pleadingly into her own, so hopeful…and all the fear just melted away, as if it had never existed in the first place. She ran a hand through his hair and brushed her lips against his softly.

"Yes," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears again, but this time they were tears of joy.

"Yes, Gabriel, I will go with you."