Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes or its characters.

1

His phone beeped.

Gabriel put the salad that he was mixing aside and checked his phone.

Claire needs my help, her apartment has no power. Don't wait up. Love you

His heart sank, and his eyebrows drew together in a frown.

This was the fourth time in the week Elle had to come home late, really late. Each time she would come back in the middle of the night and carefully slip into bed beside him, trying not to wake him. If he did wake and question her about it, she would say she was tired and go right to sleep.

What'd been the last time? And the times before?

Peter and Claire had a fight.

Peter needs my help with someone who has a similar ability.

Claire asked me to sleepover.

Gabriel started to wonder if Elle was doing this on purpose, and with only text messages, he could not tell if she was lying.

Something was not right. He could sense it in her shifting eyes and the subtle distance that she had put between them. There had been a wall between them he could almost touch it.

After many years of peace and content, he was starting to feel the need again.

The need to know and understand…

Gabriel looked at the dinner that he'd been preparing and ran his hand up his hair in frustration.

X X X

Elle gazed at her reflection in the mirror with dejection, her hands mechanically blow-drying her hair. When she was done she set down the blow-dryer and studied herself closely.

She still looked beautiful. She knew she did, for a 42-year-old woman. She had the same bright blue eyes, high cheekbones and pink lips. If it was any consolation, she was what young men would call a MILF.

But that was not any consolation. She looked different from 20 years ago. Time had done damage to her body. Her skin was less supple; there were lines on her face and wrinkles at the corners of her eyes; her body was not perfect anymore, she had gained a few extra pounds and her breasts weren't perky anymore.

It finally sank in that she was aging, and the terrifying part was, Gabriel wasn't.

She put on her robe and got out of the bathroom before she could dwell on her self-pity any further.

The ex-cheerleader was lying on the sofa reading a magazine. When she heard Elle walk out of the bathroom she gave Elle a disinterested glance, then turned her attention back to her Cosmo.

This was the fourth time this week. Claire was starting to get used to Elle taking refuge in her place when she did not want to be with Sylar, though she could not fathom why Elle would be avoiding Sylar. Claire grimaced. If they were so madly in love that Elle could forgive Sylar for killing both her father and her, Claire failed to see what could be such a big deal.

Claire had begrudgingly accepted that Sylar was not going to disappear from her life after all. According to Peter, when Elle'd gotten pregnant, Sylar'd gone to Matt Parkman to have his abilities removed, fearing that he would eventually hurt his girlfriend again. A series of bizarre events had ensued: Sylar got stuck in a nightmare, Peter joined him in his nightmare, Peter forgave Sylar for no reason and Sylar became one of the saviors at the carnival.

Naturally, Claire'd thrown a fit when she'd learned that Peter had forgiven Sylar in a damned dream because Sylar had repented in said dream. Claire still rolled her eyes at the absurdity of it. Anyhow, Peter and Sylar had become buddies ever since and Claire had bonded with Elle over time.

Feeling Elle's gaze on her, Claire looked up at her again. Elle had her jaw clenched and looked like she is about to zap her.

"Okay. What is your problem?" She finally put down her magazine.

Elle snapped out of her reverie and shrugged. "Nothing."

"Yeah, tell Sylar that."

Elle narrowed her eyes. "I was just thinking, Peter is going to leave you."

"Excuse me?"

"No," Elle explained, "Not because you're a bitch. I mean, you are a bitch, but that's not what I'm saying. It's just…you don't age, but Peter does."

Claire blinked. "He absorbs powers. He can regenerate."

Elle frowned. She did notice that Peter was aging slow. Really slow, but he was still aging. "Yeah, but he absorbs power one at a time. Will he be content with only regeneration? He'll always want to switch abilities to help people. Eventually he will leave you," Elle said matter-of-factly.

Claire stared at Elle. Why was she bringing this up?

Then realization hit her. "Wait…this isn't about Peter. This is about Sylar. You're scared because you're aging and he isn't."

Elle lowered her gaze and muttered, "You have no idea how jealous I'm of you."

Claire's heart clenched. She could still be with Peter for as long as Peter allowed it, but Elle didn't have a say in the matter.

Her time was running out.

Claire shook her head. "Don't be. It's the living who suffers, not the dead."

Elle bit her lip. Neither of them spoke for a while, and then Elle looked up and Claire thought she saw tears in her eyes. "I think I'm leaving him."

Claire dropped her mouth open. "What?" No…oh no. This was big. How would Sylar react? What if he went on a killing spree? Worse, what if he blew up? Shit. She had to tell Peter. Maybe they needed to move out of the country for a while.

Oh wait. She and Peter could regenerate.

A million scenarios flew through Claire's head when Elle exhaled heavily. "I don't know. I just feel like a cougar drooling over a 30-year-old hunk, okay? I'm starting to look like his mom."

Claire rolled her eyes. Now this was ridiculous. "Sylar is not 30, and—"

"Whatever—"

"—you don't look like his mom. You still look hot and you know it—"

"He doesn't want me anymore," Elle said, putting her face down on the table, her voice muffled.

Exasperated, Claire raises her voice. "You're such an idiot. Stop that nonsense—"

"I'm not kidding!" Elle replied indignantly. "He hasn't touched me in over two weeks! He lost interest, OK?"

Claire stared at her again. No way. Ever since Sylar'd overcome his hunger for powers, the only hunger that she had seen on his face was when he looked at Elle.

"May…be…he has…issues…?" Claire suggested sheepishly, though she knew that wasn't the answer. Sylar could regenerate, his body always had optimal health.

Elle took a deep breath, trying hard not to cry. "I don't want to go home. I can't stand…to be so close to him, knowing that I'm losing him."

Claire frowned. She still thought Elle was mistaken. "Don't jump to conclusions. You should at least talk to him first."

"And say what?" Elle demanded. "Beg him to stick with me until I die?" She looked Claire up and down, gesturing at her 20-something appearance. Her voice cracked. "Gosh, Claire. I'm not like you. Indestructible and young and…special. I should have known it was never going to last. Why was I so stupid?"

Claire winced at Elle's words. She had never wanted her immortality, had never asked for it, but this was probably not a good time to point that out. "Elle, You can't just leave! I mean," she made a face, "you don't just dump a serial killer like that, who knows what he'll do?"

"Ex-serial killer," Elle smiles wryly, "and that's exactly how you dump a serial killer. You don't give him a heads up."

Claire gaped at Elle. She cannot be serious. "Wh…what about Noah?"

"Of course I'll still see Noah," Elle scowls. "He lives on campus anyway. College life and new girlfriends will keep him busy enough, he can deal with mommy taking a break from home."

Claire opened her mouth, then shut it.

To her surprise, she was feeling an anger rising in her, for Sylar. While it was true that Sylar was a serial killer, a psychopath and an asshole, it was hardly his fault that Elle was aging! If Peter dared leave her because of her immortality…

Claire shook her head and stopped that thought.

She took her cellphone out and started dialing. "You have to talk to Sylar."

Elle looked at her feet and mumbled, "No, I don't."

At Claire's unresponsiveness, Elle looked up. "Who're you calling?"

"Your husband."

A bolt of electricity hit Claire. She yelped and flung her cellphone into the air involuntarily, then it landed on the floor with a thump.

"What the hell?" Claire demanded.

Elle smirked smugly.

"Hello?"

Elle widened her eyes and turned her head sharply to the source of the voice.

Claire grinned. The call'd gone through and the phone was on speaker mode. Before Elle could blast her phone, she kicked it across the floor and it skidded out of sight.

"Sylar!" Claire yelled.

"…Claire?" Gabriel answered uncertainly. That was a new one. Claire never called him.

"Elle—ugh—" A bolt of electricity hit her again, and she fell and convulsed on the floor. Damn. Elle isn't gonna play nice.

Elle walked past Claire swiftly to look for the phone, only to trip and fall on the floor hard when Claire grabbed her foot. "Oww."

Gabriel frowned. Was that Elle? "Are you guys okay?"

Claire climbed on top of Elle, struggling to pin her hands down. She gritted her teeth. "Sylar, can you get here right now?"

Elle managed to free one hand and grasped Claire's throat. Stop. Talking. There, indestructible cheerleader still needed to breathe.

"Uh, sure. I can be there in twenty."

"Dumb…ass…Te…le…port…" Claire choked, trying to pry Elle's hand off her throat.

Had they been drinking? He'd thought Claire had regenerative liver and couldn't get drunk.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "I can't teleport." And she better not get him start thinking about it.

Claire shoved Elle away with all her might, finally air rushed in her lungs. "THEN. FLY."

The long beep from the phone indicated that Gabriel had hung up.

"You bitch!" Elle threw her hands up in outrage, then she started to panic. "Oh my God he's coming."

Elle quickly turned to the door.

Claire tackled Elle again and held her on the floor. "Will you just…calm down…What are you so afraid of?"

Elle tried to kick her. "Let. Go. Of. Me…"

Claire gasped in surprise when someone lifted her off of Elle.

"For Christ's sake, Claire. Let go of Elle."

Gabriel had flown into the apartment from the open window and much to his amazement, found the two blondes wrestling on the floor. He helped Elle get on her feet. There were scratches on Elle's hands.

He looked at Claire reproachfully. "She can't regenerate, Claire. What were you guys doing?"

Absolutely exasperated, Claire pointed a finger at Elle accusingly. "She tried to crush my windpipe!"

"Because you—" Elle started, irritated.

"And I called you because Elle wants to go home," Claire interjected.

Elle gaped at Claire, enraged. "You're kicking me out?!"

"Are you saying you don't want to go home?" Claire arched an eyebrow at her annoyingly. I dare you to say it in front of Sylar.

Elle could feel Gabriel's gaze on her, watching her reactions. She glared at Claire. "Bitch."

Then she walked out of the apartment and slammed the door.

X X X

"Elle!" Gabriel caught up with Elle and grabbed her arm.

The night wind was cool, and Elle was only wearing a bathrobe. She leaned on Gabriel rigidly, rubbing her hands together to stop herself from hugging him. "Let's just go home," her tone crisp and hard.

Pondering what Claire'd said to him earlier after Elle had left, Gabriel wrapped his arm around Elle's waist and jumped, propelling both of them into the sky.