evolutionaryimperative | (no subject)

She rolled her eyes hard, moving her head with the motion and trying not to wince at his grip. It was hard and if it weren't for the fact that she welcomed it, she would have zapped him off already.

"Oh, if I had a nickel for every time a prisoner told me that," she announced sarcastically, and then raised her voice mockingly. "Don't give me my pills. Please, Elle, I won't try anything, I promise. Right. Uh huh."

She pursed her lips and looked challengingly up at him. He looked sincere. Elle knew how to look sincere too, and she always used it to her advantage, as well.

"Give me one good reason you won't break that promise."

He paused for a moment, the wheels in his head moving like a finely tuned clock. He knew that whatever he said next, it would make of break this whole thing. So he had to chose his words wisely.

He loosened his grip slightly, but his hand remained on her arm. He thought of trying to hit her emotional side and say something like "Because I like spending time with you," but that was too much, even for him. And finally, when he couldn't think of a good reason, he went to his last option.

He closed the gap between them before crushing his lips against her. It was harsh, full of tongue and teeth. He was pretty sure he had never kissed someone in such a way before, but it doesn't matter. After a moment or two he pulled away, a slight grin on his lips.

"Is that a good enough reason?"

She could practically seeing his mind working through the orbs of his eyes, but she never would have guessed his answer until it came. His lips covered hers, his mouth opened, and she froze for a few seconds, completely docile against his harsh kiss, her heart beating fast and loud and her senses exploding with the desire that had been simmering for him. And then oh--she remembered what she was supposed to do and grabbed at him, meeting his erratic hot kiss with her own.

She was beyond disappointed when he pulled away. She was ready to throw a fit. Maybe unleash on him a little for ending it so short.

But he'd asked her a question and it distracted her suitably.

She supposed, despite being too short, it was good enough (okay, really satisfying) in a general way. She tried to regain her breath, all the while trying to figure him out--could she trust him?

"Okay," she murmured, considering her options, "say I let you. How do you do it?"

She knew--opening the skull, blah blah blah, but she still didn't know how and now seemed a good time to ask.

He smirked a little. Her asking how he did it was practically permission. But he'd humor her and answer her first.

"I use my telekinesis to cut into through the skull, and then I pry it open, usually ripping the entire scalp off in the process. I have to carefully examine each brain until I find the right part, the place where I can take their power."

He talked of the process almost reverently, like he was making art instead of tearing someone's head open and manhandling their brains.

He paused for a moment, his thumb brushing against her forearm. He hadn't let go of her, not yet. He didn't dwell on that for now. "So, are you going to let me do it, or have I given away my secret for nothing?"

She was half-tempted to tell him it was for nothing, just to piss him off, but the soft touch on her probably bruised arm made her shiver with a bit of fondness, so she decided not to be that heartless.

"Where's the place?" she asked, and she was surprised her tone was so eager. She stepped forward, resting her hands on his chest. "Would you let me watch?"

Her stomach twisted uneasily. She knew it was too dangerous, but that never stopped her before.

"It varies from person to person, but it's usually somewhere near the frontal lobe," He commented, a warm sensation passing through him as she rested her hands upon his chest. It was a nice feeling, and he thought that he wouldn't mind lingering that way for a bit, but he had something he still wanted to do. And at the moment, his desire to kill Jesse overided pretty much everything else.

"I don't see why you can't watch." He replied with a shrug of his shoulders. Actually, there was something kind of exciting about the idea of having her as an audience. After all, gathering powers had always been the best experiences to him, but he's never gotten to share it with someone before.

Her breath went shallow, and she looked at him a moment longer. She really wanted to do this. He wouldn't lie to her, would he? She wanted to believe him--more than she'd ever wanted to believe anyone. And if he didn't escape, Daddy would be so proud. There were cameras in the hallway.

But that would mean she'd betrayed him, again. Given up his secret. The key to how his powers worked. He would be faithful all along, and she'd be horrible to him again. But Daddy would love her; he'd be cross with her about Jesse, but he'd get over it... Sylar was much more important.

She could destroy the tapes. Or take them. There was a chance no one would notice and if they did she'd deny she knew anything about it.

She could act sincere easily.

"You promise?" she heard herself asking, her voice small and unsure.

He watched her carefully, his stare almost intense. He had no idea what was going on through that head of hers, and right now...he wasn't sure he wanted to, in all honesty. She seemed almost...hesitant, which was anything but a good sign. And yet, despite that, he found himself giving her a rather simple answer to her question.

"I promise."

She looked down at Jesse's body. He was moving a little again--he must have lost consciousness when she dropped him. That would also be a problem--Jesse's body.

She bit her lip in thought. If she gave away Sylar's secret, she wouldn't need to deal with it at all, but if she didn't... she needed to have a good reason he was dead. She could fry him up after he was done, right away, straight through the bone--make him ashes. She could tell daddy he'd tried to force himself on her or that she went a little too far... she could clean it up. She could fry the tape too; tell her dad she'd panicked and tried to cover it up.

He'd believe it; he always expected her to screw things over.

She looked at her digital watch--she'd never had the stomach to wear a ticking one, not after what she did to him--it was almost time for his pills. She had them in her pocket, and they wore off fast. Any minute now, he'd have access to his abilities.

She flicked her eyes up to his. "Okay."

His eyes practically lit up with joy at her response. He almost wanted to kiss her again, but restrained for now. This wasn't the time to get distracted.

A few minutes passed, and suddenly, he felt the gears in his head moving quicker, and he knew his powers were working again. His smile spread out wider, feeling like himself again finally.

He knelt down next to Jesse, giving the other man a look that was anything but kind. "I would say this wasn't going to hurt, but I was always taught not to lie to people." And he held his hand up, pointing his finger at the man's forehead. His heartbeat rushed at the sound of Jesse's screams as blood dripped down his forehead, creating an almost bloody halo.

He glanced up at Elle for a moment. "Don't blame me if you can't stomach what comes next," He warned her before turning his attention back to his prey. With almost careful precision he tore open Jesse's head, exposing the brain. He set aside the scalp and dug his fingers into the gray matter. He narrowed his eyes, examining the brain carefully. It was like looking at a broken watch, he just had to figure out what made it tick.

Finally, after a few minutes or so, he found it, that special spot where Jesse's ability was located. He placed his hand over it and absorbed it into his body, shuddering in delight at the process. It was better than sex.

Well, better than any sex he had ever had anyways.

She took a small step back for a better view as his face lit up and he dropped to his knees. She'd never seen anything like the look in his eyes, the smooth proficient way he moved--with purpose and malicious intent. She watched, lips parted, as he murmured the dark threat and split open Jesse's skull, blood gushing from the wound. She heard the bastard's cries down to her bones, but she felt Sylar's desire like it was in her very veins.

She locked her eyes with his at his cautionary words, and almost choked out a laugh. When he took Jesse's skull in his hands, the mesmerizing crack it made dizzied her, but not for the reasons he suspected.

It was beautiful.

She watched his capable fingers slide over the brain matter, his hands glistening with blood, and she let out a trembling breath when he shuddered and found what he was looking for. "Wow," she breathed.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He asked hoarsely, looking up at her, dark eyes still clouded over. He wanted to test the new power out, that's what he normally did once he took one, but he didn't want to hurt her in the process. So perhaps that part would have to wait until later.

He stood to his feet, making his way back toward Elle. There was a small ticking in his head, telling him he should kill her too, take her power because it was such a good one, but he ignored it. After she had helped him. She had handed him Jesse on a silver platter, and she hadn't had to do that at all.

He reached out and grabbed one of her hands, staining it with the blood of their victim. He didn't say anything...he didn't really know what to say. He didn't want to trust her, something in his bones told him he still shouldn't. She could be setting him up again, after all.
How strange it was that he had been angry when she brought over Trevor, but delighted over this gift? But the situations were so different. There were no lies this time, no pretenses. It had been an honest exchange, and he no longer felt remorse over killing.

It was beautiful, it was. He heart thudded deafeningly in her ears as he stalked towards her, and she resisted the instinct to take a frightened step back, to flinch when his warm, wet, gifted hand took hers.

The sensible part of her screamed, told her to run or knock him out, but she didn't want to let it show that she was afraid. She wanted to prove to him she wasn't afraid, that she trusted him.

She weaved her fingers through his and held on tight, swallowing down her terror. "Yes," she answered, hardly over her breath, because if she said it any louder, she was sure her voice would break.

Despite the adrenaline coursing through her blood, she was still moonstruck by what she had just witnessed, and she looked up into his eyes, knowing without a doubt that amazement was shining there.

"You know," He spoke quietly, his wet thumb brushing against the skin of her hand. "You're the first person I've ever shared that with." He made it sound like it was something she should be happy about. Of course, to him, it was. It wasn't just anyone he would have allowed to witness his most private of work.

She was special.

He knew the smart thing would be to knock her out, run while he had the chance. She had betrayed him in the past, so why shouldn't he do the same now?

And yet he couldn't quite get himself to move.

About a minute and counting, she thought. And still he wasn't making a move to hurt her. What had he said before killing Jesse? That he was taught not to lie?At the time she'd been too distracted to understand the implications of the promise, but now she clung to it like a literal lifeline.

She nodded at his confession, breathing in short puffs of air through her mouth. "Thank you," she said reverently, and somehow gained control of her limbs again, somehow reaching up to cup his jaw, thumb skimming over the small splatter of blood on his cheek. She drew closer to him, magnetically, watching his eyes.

She wished he would kiss her, seal the moment. It wasn't until it was all over that Elle realized what this all meant--because it was something big, something she couldn't take back. Snuffing out someone's life was one thing; it was easy, non-consequential in the grand scheme of things, and she'd done it plenty.

But this... this was calling to the darkness in her like killing never could. She was looking into his eyes, and seeing the darkness there, and she wanted to drown in it, jump headfirst.

Was this what falling in love felt like? She made up her mind, right then, that she wasn't going to give this to her daddy. Not one second, not one word. It meant too much to her; he meant too much to her. This moment was hers.

He drew her in closer to him, not at all caring whether he got blood onto those pretty clothes of her or not. Little things like that were the farhest thing from his mind right now.

All that was there was him and her...and Jesse's corpse, but he had taken what was important from that, so it didn't really matter or count anymore. His head felt cloudy and his pulse was raising, something that usually calmed down after a kill. But it wasn't.

"You know," He murmured softly. "I had once promised myself that I would never fall prey to another woman after you." He smirked a little before leaning in closely, blowing against her ear before speaking.

"I guess I was right."

Which was his weird way of saying he liked her. Despite everything, despite his better judgment, she had proven her worth to him today. Maybe she wasn't such a coward after all.

And without much else thought he closed the gap between them, kissing her, softer than he had before.

She didn't fight the instinctual moan of relief that escaped her as he lips touched hers, and she held onto his shoulders, her mind swimming, electricity crackling underneath her skin, desperate for an outlet. It was softer than before, and she wasn't surprised either, her urgent response immediate and without thought. It wasn't long before she'd grabbed his hair and pressed herself against him, as close as she could get.

When it ended she was breathless, just like in those cheesy romantic movies she sneered at and secretly wished would happen to her, with maybe a bit more blood and gore. And it was happening to her, she thought giddily, a mischievous smirk sliding over her lips as she gazed up at him.

"I have to get rid of it," she said thickly, and moved away from his embrace, turning back only to take out the pills from her pocket and offer them up.

At this point, she didn't even care if he took them or not, as long as she could be with him.

"They're not going to kill you, you know," she said. "If they wanted to, you'd be dead already. Thugs like Jesse they just keep around to poke and prod. But you... I'd bet on my life they have plans for you."

Elle played dumb a lot. But contrary to her Dad's beliefs, she knew how The Company operated. She knew not killing Sylar immediately was odd. Hell, they'd sent her to look over him. It was very likely they had ulterior motives.

"You should know if you're going to play along for awhile longer."

He couldn't help but groan out in response as she grabbed his hair and pulled him closer. The electricity tickled his skin more than anything else. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as she pulled away from him.

He shook his head as she held out the pills. After using his powers again...he couldn't imagine willingly repressing them once more. He could pretend he was still taking them, but it would be a comfort to himself to know they were there.

His expression darkened as she talked about The Company's plans. "I'm not going to stick around to be their pawn, Elle. I don't care if they have plans for me, because I have no intention on sticking around long enough to find them out."

He wouldn't leave today, he had given his word, and for whatever reason, he had decided to keep it. But he was only going to stay a few more days, at the most.

"So," He continued in a matter of fact tone. "You can either come with me when I leave, or stay here. The choice is yours Elle, but I'm not going to be a prisoner for much longer."

She pocketed the pills with a shrug at his denial and stood over Jesse's corpse, snapping her attention back at his question. She blinked--once, twice--a surging emotion bubbling up in her. It took her a moment before she realized it was pure unadulterated hope.

Of course he wouldn't play the pawn, she knew. Not without a motive or an endgame. It just wasn't in his M.O., and neither was taking partners--hence her surprise at his offer.

"Really?" she blurted out, shocked. "You'd take me with you?"

Leave her daddy? The Company? The only thing she knew? Her entire miserable life, for him?

Was it even a question that she would?

"I wouldn't offer if I didn't mean it, but I can always take it back if you'd like." He commented with a cheeky grin. He was in a good mood. Things were looking up. He just had to plan how to get to that Adam person--God, the idea of that power made him practically giddy--and then he had no other reason to stay in this place.

"But you can't get in my way. We'll be on the road most of the time, it's not like we're going to settle down someplace or something. But you've proven to me that you can hold you own...and with some of the more powerful people I might come against, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have backup."

It was true, he didn't like taking partners. It was much...easier being on his own, and yet he didn't have desire to retract the offer. He couldn't quite understand it himself.

"Yes," she hissed.

She didn't care about traveling everywhere, she wanted out of this hellhole and she could (try) to stay out of the way, real easy.

She momentarily forgot about the cooling corpse and tackled Sylar, throwing her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around his waist. She pulled back and started muttering excitedly. "I don't know when Noah's coming back but his partner's this Haitian prick that turns off powers when he's around and it's a pain in the ass so if you want Adam's powers you should do it now. I'm the only agent here except for Eden right now--OH--you'd like her power, it's persuasion and it's a real fucker--if you ever use it on me I'll make you pay."

He stumbled a little in surprise as she tackled him, bringing his hands around her waist to support her, placing bloody hand prints on her clothes.A nagging part of him wondered if he was going to regret this course of action later. Probably.

"But you see," A knowing grin spread across his lips. "Once I have Adam's power, you won't be able to kill me. Sure, it'll hurt...but what was it you said before?" He paused for effect. "I'll get used to it."

He held her up for another moment or two, enjoying the closeness of her before setting back down onto the ground. "But if time's limited, I better get started now."

Elle was pretty sure the grin on her face was permanent. "As long as it hurts," she bit out playfully as he lowered her to the ground. She wasted no time in grabbing his hand and leading him out, blowing out the cameras on the way. "We'll have to stop at the security room too," she rambled out. "To destroy the tapes unless you want anyone to know how you take powers."

She had no doubt he'd probably put two and two together there on what she had been thinking before. She just hoped he wouldn't get mad.

He made his way down the hall, carefully checking for that other agent Elle had mentioned. Last thing he wanted was for them to be taken by surprise. Not when things were going so well.

"Why don't you go destroy the tapes while I take care of Adam." He paused for a moment. "Or did you want to watch me work again?"

She stopped and turned around towards him, beaming. "I wanna watch," she admitted excitedly. "Why would I want to miss out on all that fun?"

She couldn't wait to see the look on Adam's smug face. Quickly, she turned back, making the way to their destination.