fic: Maybe, Just Maybe
Title: Maybe, Just Maybe
Author: Anna (faded_facade)
Prompt: The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.
~Thomas Merton
Characters/Pairing: HRG, Sylar/Elle
Rating: PG-13
Warnings (spoilers): spoilers for certain Volume 3 episodes
Summary: Gabriel doesn't know how to celebrate Valentine's Day.
A/N: written for the 4th drabble challenge issued at sylelle_chall. So um yeah, I don't know, originally this was written before the prompt came out and then I decided to tweak it to fit the prompt, I hope the prompt comes across in the story?
Originally Posted: 2/10/2009 ( here)
The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.
~Thomas Merton
Gabriel doesn't know how to celebrate Valentine's Day. His parents weren't a good example. They were rarely affectionate with each other and sentimental statements were rarely uttered. When they were, it just seemed forced and awkward. The only thing the old watchmaker got his wife each Valentine's Day was a personalized snowglobe. She in turn would get him another watch. It was never like anything on television, with the flowers and the cards and the candy. Gabriel wasn't even sure he knew what love was.
Until he met her.
In a moment of utter desperation, he had decided the way out of his endless guilt over killing Brian Davis was to hang himself. He had already kicked away the chair he stood on to reach the noose when the petite blonde entered his life. Somehow the rope broke and she was there to help him. Like an angel. He found himself thinking about her long after she had left the store and when she showed up at his apartment door with the peach pie and a beautiful smile, he knew. He had fallen for her, hard.
"But somehow since the other day, since...since meeting you. I feel like maybe I don't have to be so special. Maybe I can just be Gabriel again."
And maybe, just maybe, she'd be the one that he'd learn how to celebrate Valentine's Day for.
---
"But you are special, Gabriel. You're special just the way you are."
Elle had inwardly cringed, knowing Noah must be laughing his ass off in the company van. But she meant every word of the statement. The afternoon had actually been a joy, glimpses of Gabriel's life interested her, he interested her...even if he was shy and nerdy. He had been so genuine in his shy affection towards her and she had found it very endearing. She wanted to leave him be, he didn't look like a killer anymore.
Unfortunately, that didn't jive with what her father and Noah Bennet expected her to do.
As Elle walks over to the van, Noah's leaning against it, staring up at the building where Gabriel's apartment is located. "Special just the way you are. I was afraid you were about to burst into song."
"I was just trying to win his trust." She retorts quickly.
"Well we're stalling out here, we need to kick it into high gear."
Gabriel's face floats in her mind and especially the earnest look he had given her when he said he thought that with her, he could be Gabriel again. "I don't think he's going to kill again. I really think we should look into someone else on this list."
"No, we're sticking with the plan. Mr Gray is a killer, we know that, the only question is will we witness the act or will he do it in a dark alley somewhere."
"But what if you're wrong, what if his suicide attempt was a wake-up call?" Elle tries again.
"You like this guy. Aw, isn't that adorable. You think he's sweet, is that it? What about this one, Trevor Zeitlan."
Elle doesn't know how to respond to Noah's claim about liking Gabriel, so she ignores it. "I'm not gonna do it."
"We need to seem him kill." Noah dismisses her refusal.
"I am not going to do it!" She wants to stomp her foot down into the pavement to show how serious she's being.
But she does do it. Sees him change into a cold killer. Sees him kill several people over the course of the year and even attempt to kill her. But then she sees him save her from herself. She sees a hint of the Gabriel she had saved and maybe, just maybe, there would be no more obstacles in the way this time for them.
---
"Not a good boy. Not exactly. Something else. Something more like you. A home. Family. I'm not afraid of doing the job I have to do." Gabriel tells Noah. Elle's little stunt earlier at the car rental agency had shown him exactly who he wanted to be. Not a merciless killer but not a good little company boy either. Morally gray.
After the day's events, he wants that family with Elle. The girl who mesmerized him so long ago. The girl he finally was able to muster the courage to kiss and make love to on that wooden floor. He wants a home and a family. They could both be who they really were, somewhere in between unrepenting sadistic sociopathic killers and the naive wholesome projections they each had put on before. And maybe, just maybe he'd learn how to properly celebrate Valentine's Day for sure this time.
Author: Anna (faded_facade)
Prompt: The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.
~Thomas Merton
Characters/Pairing: HRG, Sylar/Elle
Rating: PG-13
Warnings (spoilers): spoilers for certain Volume 3 episodes
Summary: Gabriel doesn't know how to celebrate Valentine's Day.
A/N: written for the 4th drabble challenge issued at sylelle_chall. So um yeah, I don't know, originally this was written before the prompt came out and then I decided to tweak it to fit the prompt, I hope the prompt comes across in the story?
Originally Posted: 2/10/2009 ( here)
The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.
~Thomas Merton
Gabriel doesn't know how to celebrate Valentine's Day. His parents weren't a good example. They were rarely affectionate with each other and sentimental statements were rarely uttered. When they were, it just seemed forced and awkward. The only thing the old watchmaker got his wife each Valentine's Day was a personalized snowglobe. She in turn would get him another watch. It was never like anything on television, with the flowers and the cards and the candy. Gabriel wasn't even sure he knew what love was.
Until he met her.
In a moment of utter desperation, he had decided the way out of his endless guilt over killing Brian Davis was to hang himself. He had already kicked away the chair he stood on to reach the noose when the petite blonde entered his life. Somehow the rope broke and she was there to help him. Like an angel. He found himself thinking about her long after she had left the store and when she showed up at his apartment door with the peach pie and a beautiful smile, he knew. He had fallen for her, hard.
"But somehow since the other day, since...since meeting you. I feel like maybe I don't have to be so special. Maybe I can just be Gabriel again."
And maybe, just maybe, she'd be the one that he'd learn how to celebrate Valentine's Day for.
---
"But you are special, Gabriel. You're special just the way you are."
Elle had inwardly cringed, knowing Noah must be laughing his ass off in the company van. But she meant every word of the statement. The afternoon had actually been a joy, glimpses of Gabriel's life interested her, he interested her...even if he was shy and nerdy. He had been so genuine in his shy affection towards her and she had found it very endearing. She wanted to leave him be, he didn't look like a killer anymore.
Unfortunately, that didn't jive with what her father and Noah Bennet expected her to do.
As Elle walks over to the van, Noah's leaning against it, staring up at the building where Gabriel's apartment is located. "Special just the way you are. I was afraid you were about to burst into song."
"I was just trying to win his trust." She retorts quickly.
"Well we're stalling out here, we need to kick it into high gear."
Gabriel's face floats in her mind and especially the earnest look he had given her when he said he thought that with her, he could be Gabriel again. "I don't think he's going to kill again. I really think we should look into someone else on this list."
"No, we're sticking with the plan. Mr Gray is a killer, we know that, the only question is will we witness the act or will he do it in a dark alley somewhere."
"But what if you're wrong, what if his suicide attempt was a wake-up call?" Elle tries again.
"You like this guy. Aw, isn't that adorable. You think he's sweet, is that it? What about this one, Trevor Zeitlan."
Elle doesn't know how to respond to Noah's claim about liking Gabriel, so she ignores it. "I'm not gonna do it."
"We need to seem him kill." Noah dismisses her refusal.
"I am not going to do it!" She wants to stomp her foot down into the pavement to show how serious she's being.
But she does do it. Sees him change into a cold killer. Sees him kill several people over the course of the year and even attempt to kill her. But then she sees him save her from herself. She sees a hint of the Gabriel she had saved and maybe, just maybe, there would be no more obstacles in the way this time for them.
---
"Not a good boy. Not exactly. Something else. Something more like you. A home. Family. I'm not afraid of doing the job I have to do." Gabriel tells Noah. Elle's little stunt earlier at the car rental agency had shown him exactly who he wanted to be. Not a merciless killer but not a good little company boy either. Morally gray.
After the day's events, he wants that family with Elle. The girl who mesmerized him so long ago. The girl he finally was able to muster the courage to kiss and make love to on that wooden floor. He wants a home and a family. They could both be who they really were, somewhere in between unrepenting sadistic sociopathic killers and the naive wholesome projections they each had put on before. And maybe, just maybe he'd learn how to properly celebrate Valentine's Day for sure this time.