[CT] 86.6 - New York is Invited Into Our Home
The special was supposed to air Christmas Morning, some sort of 'Waking Up with the Holidays' look into the lives of the Senator and his family. Of course family was stretching it, as Heidi didn't want the boys in it, claiming they'd already been through enough with the divorce and Nathan getting remarried so soon. Elle figured maybe she had a point, but it didn't exactly look like the sort of angle the network was going for. So, they'd improvise.
The filming crew had been there earlier in the week, in the evening hours to get the stock footage of the house all lit up. They had gotten all the angles, and even a few from the interiors looking out at the iron fencing that was now adorn with garland and small lanterns. It had been an accent that Elle chose, and she thought it suited the manor style home.
Now Elle was standing in front of the mirror, in their bedroom, glancing at Sylar in the reflection of the glass. It had gotten easier, over time, to shift into Nathan and hold it. No longer quite so painful, he'd just focus on some small element of the man's life and it truly was a shift. Elle would just miss him while he was away. He stood up moving to stand behind her, his fingers carefully hooking the clasp of a strand of six loose pearls. With her hair piled atop her head, wound up into small curls and tucked in strands of her hair, she thought, at the very least, she looked like a proper wife.
The network would return at six that morning, to begin the live portion of their story which would be intercut with the smaller pieces they'd filmed earlier in the week. Elle had spent a few hours frosting cookies, wrapping presents, and pretending to sign Christmas cards that were to go out to all of the right people. Truthfully they'd all been sent out earlier in the month, but it was meant to be some sort of joke, that like everyone else, even the Senator got Christmas cards from people that they'd forgotten to send one too. It was meant to make the voters feel like they could understand how busy the Senator had been, after all he forgot to send a card to someone too.
He hadn't forgotten anyone though, and most of what Elle was doing was just for show. Most of what they did, at all, was for show. Sylar leaned down, pressing his mouth to the curve of her shoulder. His breath was warm, and she could smell the hint of toothpaste as he exhaled onto her skin.
"Say bye for now."
Elle pursed her lips at him, her hand resting to his cheek, pressing her cheek to his head for a moment, "I'll see you soon enough. Heidi isn't bringing the boys until tomorrow anyway." It was another stab at Nathan, Elle knew it, but it didn't bother them at all. Heidi was allowed to set the schedule, and it made her feel like she had the control. Elle and Nathan would just spoil them when they were with them, and give them back to Heidi with too much caffeine and video games she said no to, despite all her warnings not to.
As he pulled away from her, Elle felt that chill to her skin where he had been, moments ago. In turn she focused on her own reflection, rather than watching the man she loved slip into the guise of another. Nathan exited the bedroom, heading downstairs to where the staff had set things out on display the evening before. Really, it did seem like it was out of a television show, or a magazine, with everything looking almost perfect.
Plates of frosted cookies, a gingerbread house that was set in the middle of the kitchen counter, all gave the idea of a family filled holiday, even though the house was empty. Nathan opened the door with a warm smile, welcoming the filming crew into his home. There were idle jokes, regarding how cold it had gotten, and even more stating that it was worse in DC. He gave them all time to warm up, set up, and then they waited for Elle to join them.
"My wife, she's just finishing getting ready, she'll be down in a minute."
They nodded, as he continued, "You filmed earlier in the week, Elle mentioned it to me this morning. Did you get all you needed?"
The crew smiled, and explained how they'd be following the two of them around the home, looking at the finalized pieces, which would then be edited in later to show the 'behind-the-scenes' part of it, which would be Elle doing some of the work. Apparently, according to one of the boom operators, it was going to be interesting to see how they'd cut back to the footage filmed earlier, and that he'd set up to record it on his TiVo. Nathan nodded, smiling as he heard Elle come down the stairs.
"Well, this should be fun. Is Nicole here yet?" Nicole was the host of the morning show, and had explained that she'd be taking the viewers on a guided tour of their home, with Elle and the Senator talking about how much work goes into putting their home together for the holidays. Elle thought it was a rip-off of the one they do for the White House, but New York City wasn't the capitol, so they did what they could.
The knock at the door came, and Nicole arrived in an outfit that complimented what the couple was wearing. Elle in a dark grey skirt, with a deep red hue on her blouse, and Nicole was wearing a hunter green skirt with a pale cream shirt. Elle went to help her with her coat, handing it off to one of their staff to go hang in a closet. Smiling, Elle helped Nicole join the rest of them in the parlor, where they'd already discussed starting. Nicole took a moment to run through how it would work, that they'd go live to them at specific times, but most of it would be handled back at the studio. The producers would playback the footage from earlier, and this was just going to be to touch base once more to show that there were real people behind it all.
The camera crew got ready, setting up lights and testing their mics, and then it was time to move into places. Elle could feel Nathan's hand resting to the small of her back, but she didn't look up at him, instead she smiled at Nicole and waited for their introduction to begin.
"The holidays are a time for families, for celebrations, and remembering the good times you've shared over the year with loved ones. This morning, we're joining Senator Nathan Petrelli and his wife Elle, as they give us a personal tour of how they've prepared for the holiday. Letting you into their home, and sharing a bit of their holiday with you."
Nicole turned to them, the lights from atop the camera extremely bright, but she remembered not to look right at them, and instead focused on Nicole. "Thank you so much for letting us be a part of this, we all know how busy the holidays can get, and taking a moment out of your busy lives for this, is something we all appreciate."
Elle nodded, "You're welcome, Nicole. It's actually been a lot of fun, plus some of your camera crew are pretty good at frosting cookies themselves, so it was nice to have a hand."
Nathan laughed, and Elle kept her smile on her features, "See, and here I thought I was going to be the one making the horrible jokes."
The tour started in the parlor, where they were all standing. The winding staircase that led upstairs to the main hall, was fully decorated. Lights were threaded between all of the spindles, and thin strands of garland wound around the banister. The hanging chandelier, above their heads, had red ribbons wound into small perfect bows all tucked away within the glass. Nathan headed up the stairs, moving to point them out, his hand brushing against the banister, letting his palm rest there for a moment, as Elle took the focus of the camera crew away just in time.
***
Her laughter echoed in the stairwell. It hit the ceiling and nearly bouncing around them. Maybe it had been one of the crueler deaths, but apparently her broken screams had been beautiful to watch. The woman had been working at the hospital, helping in the Children's Cancer ward, which was a noble cause surely, but she had an ability. At this stage of the game, sometimes it didn't matter what it was, because he just wanted to know how it worked.
Her body had been found at the bottom of the elevator shaft, bones shattered by the weight of the elevator itself. It had been all over the news, and with the holidays coming up, Elle assumed that meant the network would be calling her back about that holiday piece.
Settling on the steps, Elle felt her sides aching from the laughter, her heels slipping off her feet and clattering to the landing below. Sylar leaning against the wall just watching them, his eyes seeming to be looking elsewhere, but focused on something in particular.
"What does it look like?"
He lifted his gaze to stare at her from beneath his brows, "Like a Light Bright, or a broken kaleidoscope." His body stalked up the stairs toward her, pressing a knee to the step by her hip. His hand was cold, pressed to her calf, mapping its way up her leg, over her knee, and brushing beneath her skirt to tuck between her legs. Elle gasped at the immediate contact, and Sylar's gaze drifted from her mouth to the air, a smirk flashing onto his features, before leaning in close, "I want to see, what you sound like."
***
Elle caught his eye, it was one of the few times she didn't mind looking at him as Nathan, because she knew who he really was, still beneath it all. Nathan was just another mask he was forced to wear, but Sylar was still in there, and all of the abilities would just remind her of that. That and the cruel smirk that only Sylar could string onto Nathan's features. Elle knew what he'd found, what she'd reached up to hold fast to as she'd cried out in pleasure earlier in the month in that very spot.
"Okay, we're coming back from the footage of the you in the front room decorating the tree in six minutes, so let's head there," Nicole seemed to notice the slight distraction, but she was a professional and simply kept the show moving.
In the front room, Elle couldn't help but take in a deep breath, the fresh cut pine was mixed in with the wood burning in the fireplace. It was really the first holiday she'd had, and having it this big was always going to take her breath away. The tree itself filled their front room window. The lights strung through it, made it easy to see even from the sidewalk outside. At night, the room had a colorful glow to it, the light reflecting easily off of the white walls in the room. Beneath the tree were hundreds of presents, wrapped professionally by whoever did the shopping for them. If there was ever a picturesque vision of Christmas, Elle figured this was as close as she was going to get.
All of them stood in the room, Elle and Nathan beside the tree, his arm around her shoulders, as Nicole smiled brightly, looking up toward the top of the tree where an angel sat. Elle knew Nicole was going to avoid talking about that, since it gave off more religion than the network wanted to, even though the holiday was a religious holiday. Truthfully Elle didn't mind, since the angel itself had a personal story that didn't fit to the Senator at all.
The light on the camera flipped on and Elle smiled, standing beside her husband for that introduction shot, as Nicole began once more. She spoke of the tree, and how the viewers had just seen its journey from a tree farm in Copenhagen. The timelapse photography of the tree itself getting trimmed, and now, Nicole gestured to show the tree in all of its glory.
"Standing sixteen feet tall, it fills the room, and if you were here you'd know it was a real tree. The scent of pine is laced in the air, along with the warm smell of a wood burning fire. Elle, how much of the decorating do you and your husband do?"
Smirking, Elle moved away from Nathan to the other side of the tree, "A lot of it is done by the staff. I'm sort of a petite thing, and even on a ladder I don't think the tree would look quite as balanced if all the ornaments were on the bottom five feet of it. Still, there are smaller things that we take the time to place onto the tree ourselves." Elle's fingers brushed over a small gold ornament, that looked like origami and glancing toward Nathan as he smiled at her, glancing up at a small folded paper crane that was gold as well, his finger tapping at it slightly.
***
The folder hit the coffee table with a near thwack sound. Elle's fingers brushed against the corner of it, turning it so that she could read what was on the label. Her last name stood out, and she flipped it open, her eyes looking up at Sylar every so often.
"It's, it's my file."
"What I could find of it at least."
She had been torn between wanting to know exactly what they'd done to her, and not ever wanting to know how cruel her father was. Her hands flipped through the pages, but all it did was make her angry. Pushing it away she sank back into the couch, "I don't want it anymore."
Sylar tilted his head at her, moving toward the couch to sit beside her. He collapsed onto the cushions, reaching forward to grab a page from the file. He skimmed it, mostly because he'd read almost all of it before he handed it over to her. It wasn't as if she presumed he didn't, she just figured if he wanted her to know anything wasn't true he wouldn't told her that, instead of slapping the proof onto the table. He glanced over the contents of the page, then started to fold it into a small paper bow. Setting it on the table, his fingertip touched it, letting it turn into solid gold.
"Might as well make some use of it."
***
Glancing to Nicole she smiled, "We all have our favorite ornaments, things that make it feel more like our holiday more than anything. Plus, with the boys, it's nice to have things that are from them to hang on the tree."
Nicole went into her cue, talking about children and the holidays, cutting to the piece that was pre-recorded, something relating to the holidays and gift giving, the top ten toys, which Elle had already made sure the boys had at least a few of. With the footage rolling, the camera crew moved into the kitchen, setting up for the next live cut in.
All things considered, it was going really well. Getting up early wasn't exactly her idea of Christmas, but apparently it was what children did when they were younger. Elle would've preferred to spend the rest of the morning in bed with Sylar, eventually getting up around noon, then rest of the day spent in pajamas until it was time to open the few gifts she'd chosen for him. They moved to the kitchen, the array of cookies and treats set up on display trays and on the counter.
Nathan moved toward them, picking one up and taking a bite. Elle's hand swatted at it, making him wince away and move closer to Nicole. This action alone made Nicole smirk, "I wish we'd been filming."
He smirked, finishing the bite of cookie and returning to the counter where some of the cookies were waiting to be frosted. The cameras turned on and Elle joined her husband, a smile on her face as she watched him arrange the cookies on the plate. Most of them Elle had actually baked herself. It was the one thing she was good at baking, since all her attempts at baking pie usually didn't work out the way she planned. Nicole got word from the producer back at the studio, and they were getting ready to cut back to them.
Elle nodded, and moved over toward the counter, pressing her elbow to Nathan's side, a bit more comfortable around him, mostly because of the fact that it had been an hour with him this way, and it wasn't too difficult to see him through it all. Moving close to him, Nicole got the shot she'd wanted earlier, as Elle pointed to the odd face he was placing on the cookie. Her hand brushed to his, making his fingertips brush to the countertop.
***
"How many are you making?"
"They said a lot. I'm making a lot," Elle replied, stepping away from the counter and wiping her hands on the apron tied around her waist. In the evening, the staff went home, and Elle felt like at least having some sort of validity to their Christmas, and cookies were a start.
"You look like a housewife from the fifties."
Glancing down at herself, she smiled, "I thought it was cute." Her hand tugged the apron out a bit, the length hitting just above the hem of her skirt. The skirt itself not her usual fitted look, it had movement to it, the fabric brushing against her shins as she moved through the kitchen. Her heels clicked against the tile and the more she baked, the warmer the kitchen got, the scent of warm sugar and chocolate filling the air.
"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it."
She glanced over her shoulder at him, she smirked, watching him move toward her. His hands settled on her hips, sliding lower against her thighs, slipping beneath the apron, and gathering up the loose fabric in his fists. Elle moved back toward the counter, feeling his quiet laughter at the back of her hair, "Sorry, is my actual work, bothering whatever it is you're doing?"
His mouth pressed to her neck, matting her hair there, before he released a hold on the fabric to brush it away. It didn't take long before his hand returned to the fabric. He fisted it up quickly, until his fingertips could brush against her thighs. All the fabric gathered against her hips, his hands had moved it, letting the apron fall in between her and the counter. Exhaling she leaned back against him, trying not to let herself get too distracted. "There's cookies in the oven."
With a single glance he used his ability to flip the stove off, as his fingers brushed up higher on her thighs, finding the waistline of her panties. Fingertips pushed beyond the elastic, with ease, pressing down against her skin, his back curving to allow his touch to reach between her thighs. One heel wobbled slightly to the side, parting her legs enough for his fingers to press firmly against her. Her head bowed forward, her eyes shut slightly, both hands fitting to the edge of the counter. Sylar's mouth fit to her neck, his breath heated as he exhaled with a hum.
Elle's fingers slipped against the counter as his fingers slipped against her center, as she leaned back into him. Reaching her hand back toward him, his free hand reached for her wrist, capturing it after he noticed the frosting resting at the edge of her hand. The streak of bright blue, no doubt pressed there when her hand moved to take hold of something. Now it was being taken off her skin by his mouth, as her body settled in against him.
***
Elle glanced across at Nicole, smiling at her mention of the details she put on the ornament shaped sugar cookies, "I'd like to say that I was inspired, but honestly I think I just got a bit carried away."
Tilting her head she felt his hand at her back slip a bit lower, but not too low, before he brushed across her, pressing closer to her. It wasn't that Elle minded the contact, but there was part of her that preferred she not be aware of that reaction on a body that she didn't want to be with intimately. His fingers tightened against her hip, as Nathan smiled offering some platitude to Nicole, that Elle barely could focus on.
Her attention was drawn to the fact that her husband was on national television, turned on, and pressing against her ass, starting to draw a flush to her cheeks. Her hand reached toward his hip, smiling once more toward Nicole, as the host of the morning show tried to wrap up her live broadcast portion. They were cutting back to the live feed after the final pre-recorded portion featuring some local bakeries top cookie recipes.
"I remember you baking these cookies," Nathan breathed into Elle's ear, causing her one knee to buckle slightly. Even if the voice was different, the implied tone was all Sylar.
Exhaling a staggered breath, she tried to refocus in time for the final goodbye and holiday greeting. Nicole was already smiling as she turned to the camera, the light coming on and signaling their live feed.
"That's all from me Nicole Swaranski, at the home of Senator Petrelli, wish you, and yours, a Happy Holiday."
The camera panned over to the happy couple, the arms of Nathan wrapped around his wife, as they smiled, "Happy Holidays New York."
Taking a pause, Nicole looked at the two of them expectantly, which Elle recognized from the countless press conferences she'd been to. Leaning back, she smiled up at Nathan, leaning up to kiss him tenderly. Instead though, his mood still evident against her ass, pressed the kiss a bit deeper, and a bit harder. Clearly not something approved for national television, especially this early in the morning.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see Nicole gesturing with the kill the signal motion, which she was sure he saw as well, given that his line of sight was more toward the woman. The light turned off, and the kiss continued, until Nathan pulled back, with a smirk that was clearly Sylar on his features.
Chewing on her bottom lip, Elle turned back to face Nicole, "So, I think that went well."
Nicole was still slightly in shock from the public display that was just put out to everyone in broadcast range. Elle had a feeling that it'd be up on YouTube within a few hours, and Senator Petrelli would either have a slight rise in voter confidence, or a small fight with his publicist on Monday. Either way, they knew they could handle it.
Smirking, Elle pulled away from Nathan, heading over toward Nicole to walk her out of their home, along with her camera crew. She wished them a happy holiday as well, returning to the kitchen to find Sylar, eating one of the cookies.
"You're lucky they didn't forget anything."
"You're lucky I didn't tell them I was going to fuck you on the counter when the broadcast was over, instead of a Happy Holiday."
Lifting an eyebrow, Elle moved over toward him, taking the rest of the cookie away from his hand, hopping up onto the kitchen counter, and crossing one leg over the other, as she broke off a small piece. "Really?"
Her eyes looked up at him, a bit of innocence playing around as she lifted another small piece of cookie toward his mouth, for him to take. Leaning forward, he took the piece from her fingers, his hand brushing across her knee. Fingers hooked in beneath her knee and lifted it up, to rest at his hip as he moved to fit between her thighs.
He drew his gaze up her body, from where his hips rested to where the strand of pearls rested above her cleavage, "We should tour the house more often. All the places we've been, the things we've done..."
Pouting slightly, she leaned forward, brushing her mouth to his for a moment, then pulling back to whisper, "Or we could just keep doing it more."
"That works too."
"I thought so," Elle replied with a smirk before picking up where their kiss that morning had barely started.
[ooc: Sylar|Nathan is heroslayer, used with love and not so much permission but an understanding that I promise to be nice to him and put him back when I'm done.]
The filming crew had been there earlier in the week, in the evening hours to get the stock footage of the house all lit up. They had gotten all the angles, and even a few from the interiors looking out at the iron fencing that was now adorn with garland and small lanterns. It had been an accent that Elle chose, and she thought it suited the manor style home.
Now Elle was standing in front of the mirror, in their bedroom, glancing at Sylar in the reflection of the glass. It had gotten easier, over time, to shift into Nathan and hold it. No longer quite so painful, he'd just focus on some small element of the man's life and it truly was a shift. Elle would just miss him while he was away. He stood up moving to stand behind her, his fingers carefully hooking the clasp of a strand of six loose pearls. With her hair piled atop her head, wound up into small curls and tucked in strands of her hair, she thought, at the very least, she looked like a proper wife.
The network would return at six that morning, to begin the live portion of their story which would be intercut with the smaller pieces they'd filmed earlier in the week. Elle had spent a few hours frosting cookies, wrapping presents, and pretending to sign Christmas cards that were to go out to all of the right people. Truthfully they'd all been sent out earlier in the month, but it was meant to be some sort of joke, that like everyone else, even the Senator got Christmas cards from people that they'd forgotten to send one too. It was meant to make the voters feel like they could understand how busy the Senator had been, after all he forgot to send a card to someone too.
He hadn't forgotten anyone though, and most of what Elle was doing was just for show. Most of what they did, at all, was for show. Sylar leaned down, pressing his mouth to the curve of her shoulder. His breath was warm, and she could smell the hint of toothpaste as he exhaled onto her skin.
"Say bye for now."
Elle pursed her lips at him, her hand resting to his cheek, pressing her cheek to his head for a moment, "I'll see you soon enough. Heidi isn't bringing the boys until tomorrow anyway." It was another stab at Nathan, Elle knew it, but it didn't bother them at all. Heidi was allowed to set the schedule, and it made her feel like she had the control. Elle and Nathan would just spoil them when they were with them, and give them back to Heidi with too much caffeine and video games she said no to, despite all her warnings not to.
As he pulled away from her, Elle felt that chill to her skin where he had been, moments ago. In turn she focused on her own reflection, rather than watching the man she loved slip into the guise of another. Nathan exited the bedroom, heading downstairs to where the staff had set things out on display the evening before. Really, it did seem like it was out of a television show, or a magazine, with everything looking almost perfect.
Plates of frosted cookies, a gingerbread house that was set in the middle of the kitchen counter, all gave the idea of a family filled holiday, even though the house was empty. Nathan opened the door with a warm smile, welcoming the filming crew into his home. There were idle jokes, regarding how cold it had gotten, and even more stating that it was worse in DC. He gave them all time to warm up, set up, and then they waited for Elle to join them.
"My wife, she's just finishing getting ready, she'll be down in a minute."
They nodded, as he continued, "You filmed earlier in the week, Elle mentioned it to me this morning. Did you get all you needed?"
The crew smiled, and explained how they'd be following the two of them around the home, looking at the finalized pieces, which would then be edited in later to show the 'behind-the-scenes' part of it, which would be Elle doing some of the work. Apparently, according to one of the boom operators, it was going to be interesting to see how they'd cut back to the footage filmed earlier, and that he'd set up to record it on his TiVo. Nathan nodded, smiling as he heard Elle come down the stairs.
"Well, this should be fun. Is Nicole here yet?" Nicole was the host of the morning show, and had explained that she'd be taking the viewers on a guided tour of their home, with Elle and the Senator talking about how much work goes into putting their home together for the holidays. Elle thought it was a rip-off of the one they do for the White House, but New York City wasn't the capitol, so they did what they could.
The knock at the door came, and Nicole arrived in an outfit that complimented what the couple was wearing. Elle in a dark grey skirt, with a deep red hue on her blouse, and Nicole was wearing a hunter green skirt with a pale cream shirt. Elle went to help her with her coat, handing it off to one of their staff to go hang in a closet. Smiling, Elle helped Nicole join the rest of them in the parlor, where they'd already discussed starting. Nicole took a moment to run through how it would work, that they'd go live to them at specific times, but most of it would be handled back at the studio. The producers would playback the footage from earlier, and this was just going to be to touch base once more to show that there were real people behind it all.
The camera crew got ready, setting up lights and testing their mics, and then it was time to move into places. Elle could feel Nathan's hand resting to the small of her back, but she didn't look up at him, instead she smiled at Nicole and waited for their introduction to begin.
"The holidays are a time for families, for celebrations, and remembering the good times you've shared over the year with loved ones. This morning, we're joining Senator Nathan Petrelli and his wife Elle, as they give us a personal tour of how they've prepared for the holiday. Letting you into their home, and sharing a bit of their holiday with you."
Nicole turned to them, the lights from atop the camera extremely bright, but she remembered not to look right at them, and instead focused on Nicole. "Thank you so much for letting us be a part of this, we all know how busy the holidays can get, and taking a moment out of your busy lives for this, is something we all appreciate."
Elle nodded, "You're welcome, Nicole. It's actually been a lot of fun, plus some of your camera crew are pretty good at frosting cookies themselves, so it was nice to have a hand."
Nathan laughed, and Elle kept her smile on her features, "See, and here I thought I was going to be the one making the horrible jokes."
The tour started in the parlor, where they were all standing. The winding staircase that led upstairs to the main hall, was fully decorated. Lights were threaded between all of the spindles, and thin strands of garland wound around the banister. The hanging chandelier, above their heads, had red ribbons wound into small perfect bows all tucked away within the glass. Nathan headed up the stairs, moving to point them out, his hand brushing against the banister, letting his palm rest there for a moment, as Elle took the focus of the camera crew away just in time.
***
Her laughter echoed in the stairwell. It hit the ceiling and nearly bouncing around them. Maybe it had been one of the crueler deaths, but apparently her broken screams had been beautiful to watch. The woman had been working at the hospital, helping in the Children's Cancer ward, which was a noble cause surely, but she had an ability. At this stage of the game, sometimes it didn't matter what it was, because he just wanted to know how it worked.
Her body had been found at the bottom of the elevator shaft, bones shattered by the weight of the elevator itself. It had been all over the news, and with the holidays coming up, Elle assumed that meant the network would be calling her back about that holiday piece.
Settling on the steps, Elle felt her sides aching from the laughter, her heels slipping off her feet and clattering to the landing below. Sylar leaning against the wall just watching them, his eyes seeming to be looking elsewhere, but focused on something in particular.
"What does it look like?"
He lifted his gaze to stare at her from beneath his brows, "Like a Light Bright, or a broken kaleidoscope." His body stalked up the stairs toward her, pressing a knee to the step by her hip. His hand was cold, pressed to her calf, mapping its way up her leg, over her knee, and brushing beneath her skirt to tuck between her legs. Elle gasped at the immediate contact, and Sylar's gaze drifted from her mouth to the air, a smirk flashing onto his features, before leaning in close, "I want to see, what you sound like."
***
Elle caught his eye, it was one of the few times she didn't mind looking at him as Nathan, because she knew who he really was, still beneath it all. Nathan was just another mask he was forced to wear, but Sylar was still in there, and all of the abilities would just remind her of that. That and the cruel smirk that only Sylar could string onto Nathan's features. Elle knew what he'd found, what she'd reached up to hold fast to as she'd cried out in pleasure earlier in the month in that very spot.
"Okay, we're coming back from the footage of the you in the front room decorating the tree in six minutes, so let's head there," Nicole seemed to notice the slight distraction, but she was a professional and simply kept the show moving.
In the front room, Elle couldn't help but take in a deep breath, the fresh cut pine was mixed in with the wood burning in the fireplace. It was really the first holiday she'd had, and having it this big was always going to take her breath away. The tree itself filled their front room window. The lights strung through it, made it easy to see even from the sidewalk outside. At night, the room had a colorful glow to it, the light reflecting easily off of the white walls in the room. Beneath the tree were hundreds of presents, wrapped professionally by whoever did the shopping for them. If there was ever a picturesque vision of Christmas, Elle figured this was as close as she was going to get.
All of them stood in the room, Elle and Nathan beside the tree, his arm around her shoulders, as Nicole smiled brightly, looking up toward the top of the tree where an angel sat. Elle knew Nicole was going to avoid talking about that, since it gave off more religion than the network wanted to, even though the holiday was a religious holiday. Truthfully Elle didn't mind, since the angel itself had a personal story that didn't fit to the Senator at all.
The light on the camera flipped on and Elle smiled, standing beside her husband for that introduction shot, as Nicole began once more. She spoke of the tree, and how the viewers had just seen its journey from a tree farm in Copenhagen. The timelapse photography of the tree itself getting trimmed, and now, Nicole gestured to show the tree in all of its glory.
"Standing sixteen feet tall, it fills the room, and if you were here you'd know it was a real tree. The scent of pine is laced in the air, along with the warm smell of a wood burning fire. Elle, how much of the decorating do you and your husband do?"
Smirking, Elle moved away from Nathan to the other side of the tree, "A lot of it is done by the staff. I'm sort of a petite thing, and even on a ladder I don't think the tree would look quite as balanced if all the ornaments were on the bottom five feet of it. Still, there are smaller things that we take the time to place onto the tree ourselves." Elle's fingers brushed over a small gold ornament, that looked like origami and glancing toward Nathan as he smiled at her, glancing up at a small folded paper crane that was gold as well, his finger tapping at it slightly.
***
The folder hit the coffee table with a near thwack sound. Elle's fingers brushed against the corner of it, turning it so that she could read what was on the label. Her last name stood out, and she flipped it open, her eyes looking up at Sylar every so often.
"It's, it's my file."
"What I could find of it at least."
She had been torn between wanting to know exactly what they'd done to her, and not ever wanting to know how cruel her father was. Her hands flipped through the pages, but all it did was make her angry. Pushing it away she sank back into the couch, "I don't want it anymore."
Sylar tilted his head at her, moving toward the couch to sit beside her. He collapsed onto the cushions, reaching forward to grab a page from the file. He skimmed it, mostly because he'd read almost all of it before he handed it over to her. It wasn't as if she presumed he didn't, she just figured if he wanted her to know anything wasn't true he wouldn't told her that, instead of slapping the proof onto the table. He glanced over the contents of the page, then started to fold it into a small paper bow. Setting it on the table, his fingertip touched it, letting it turn into solid gold.
"Might as well make some use of it."
***
Glancing to Nicole she smiled, "We all have our favorite ornaments, things that make it feel more like our holiday more than anything. Plus, with the boys, it's nice to have things that are from them to hang on the tree."
Nicole went into her cue, talking about children and the holidays, cutting to the piece that was pre-recorded, something relating to the holidays and gift giving, the top ten toys, which Elle had already made sure the boys had at least a few of. With the footage rolling, the camera crew moved into the kitchen, setting up for the next live cut in.
All things considered, it was going really well. Getting up early wasn't exactly her idea of Christmas, but apparently it was what children did when they were younger. Elle would've preferred to spend the rest of the morning in bed with Sylar, eventually getting up around noon, then rest of the day spent in pajamas until it was time to open the few gifts she'd chosen for him. They moved to the kitchen, the array of cookies and treats set up on display trays and on the counter.
Nathan moved toward them, picking one up and taking a bite. Elle's hand swatted at it, making him wince away and move closer to Nicole. This action alone made Nicole smirk, "I wish we'd been filming."
He smirked, finishing the bite of cookie and returning to the counter where some of the cookies were waiting to be frosted. The cameras turned on and Elle joined her husband, a smile on her face as she watched him arrange the cookies on the plate. Most of them Elle had actually baked herself. It was the one thing she was good at baking, since all her attempts at baking pie usually didn't work out the way she planned. Nicole got word from the producer back at the studio, and they were getting ready to cut back to them.
Elle nodded, and moved over toward the counter, pressing her elbow to Nathan's side, a bit more comfortable around him, mostly because of the fact that it had been an hour with him this way, and it wasn't too difficult to see him through it all. Moving close to him, Nicole got the shot she'd wanted earlier, as Elle pointed to the odd face he was placing on the cookie. Her hand brushed to his, making his fingertips brush to the countertop.
***
"How many are you making?"
"They said a lot. I'm making a lot," Elle replied, stepping away from the counter and wiping her hands on the apron tied around her waist. In the evening, the staff went home, and Elle felt like at least having some sort of validity to their Christmas, and cookies were a start.
"You look like a housewife from the fifties."
Glancing down at herself, she smiled, "I thought it was cute." Her hand tugged the apron out a bit, the length hitting just above the hem of her skirt. The skirt itself not her usual fitted look, it had movement to it, the fabric brushing against her shins as she moved through the kitchen. Her heels clicked against the tile and the more she baked, the warmer the kitchen got, the scent of warm sugar and chocolate filling the air.
"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it."
She glanced over her shoulder at him, she smirked, watching him move toward her. His hands settled on her hips, sliding lower against her thighs, slipping beneath the apron, and gathering up the loose fabric in his fists. Elle moved back toward the counter, feeling his quiet laughter at the back of her hair, "Sorry, is my actual work, bothering whatever it is you're doing?"
His mouth pressed to her neck, matting her hair there, before he released a hold on the fabric to brush it away. It didn't take long before his hand returned to the fabric. He fisted it up quickly, until his fingertips could brush against her thighs. All the fabric gathered against her hips, his hands had moved it, letting the apron fall in between her and the counter. Exhaling she leaned back against him, trying not to let herself get too distracted. "There's cookies in the oven."
With a single glance he used his ability to flip the stove off, as his fingers brushed up higher on her thighs, finding the waistline of her panties. Fingertips pushed beyond the elastic, with ease, pressing down against her skin, his back curving to allow his touch to reach between her thighs. One heel wobbled slightly to the side, parting her legs enough for his fingers to press firmly against her. Her head bowed forward, her eyes shut slightly, both hands fitting to the edge of the counter. Sylar's mouth fit to her neck, his breath heated as he exhaled with a hum.
Elle's fingers slipped against the counter as his fingers slipped against her center, as she leaned back into him. Reaching her hand back toward him, his free hand reached for her wrist, capturing it after he noticed the frosting resting at the edge of her hand. The streak of bright blue, no doubt pressed there when her hand moved to take hold of something. Now it was being taken off her skin by his mouth, as her body settled in against him.
***
Elle glanced across at Nicole, smiling at her mention of the details she put on the ornament shaped sugar cookies, "I'd like to say that I was inspired, but honestly I think I just got a bit carried away."
Tilting her head she felt his hand at her back slip a bit lower, but not too low, before he brushed across her, pressing closer to her. It wasn't that Elle minded the contact, but there was part of her that preferred she not be aware of that reaction on a body that she didn't want to be with intimately. His fingers tightened against her hip, as Nathan smiled offering some platitude to Nicole, that Elle barely could focus on.
Her attention was drawn to the fact that her husband was on national television, turned on, and pressing against her ass, starting to draw a flush to her cheeks. Her hand reached toward his hip, smiling once more toward Nicole, as the host of the morning show tried to wrap up her live broadcast portion. They were cutting back to the live feed after the final pre-recorded portion featuring some local bakeries top cookie recipes.
"I remember you baking these cookies," Nathan breathed into Elle's ear, causing her one knee to buckle slightly. Even if the voice was different, the implied tone was all Sylar.
Exhaling a staggered breath, she tried to refocus in time for the final goodbye and holiday greeting. Nicole was already smiling as she turned to the camera, the light coming on and signaling their live feed.
"That's all from me Nicole Swaranski, at the home of Senator Petrelli, wish you, and yours, a Happy Holiday."
The camera panned over to the happy couple, the arms of Nathan wrapped around his wife, as they smiled, "Happy Holidays New York."
Taking a pause, Nicole looked at the two of them expectantly, which Elle recognized from the countless press conferences she'd been to. Leaning back, she smiled up at Nathan, leaning up to kiss him tenderly. Instead though, his mood still evident against her ass, pressed the kiss a bit deeper, and a bit harder. Clearly not something approved for national television, especially this early in the morning.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see Nicole gesturing with the kill the signal motion, which she was sure he saw as well, given that his line of sight was more toward the woman. The light turned off, and the kiss continued, until Nathan pulled back, with a smirk that was clearly Sylar on his features.
Chewing on her bottom lip, Elle turned back to face Nicole, "So, I think that went well."
Nicole was still slightly in shock from the public display that was just put out to everyone in broadcast range. Elle had a feeling that it'd be up on YouTube within a few hours, and Senator Petrelli would either have a slight rise in voter confidence, or a small fight with his publicist on Monday. Either way, they knew they could handle it.
Smirking, Elle pulled away from Nathan, heading over toward Nicole to walk her out of their home, along with her camera crew. She wished them a happy holiday as well, returning to the kitchen to find Sylar, eating one of the cookies.
"You're lucky they didn't forget anything."
"You're lucky I didn't tell them I was going to fuck you on the counter when the broadcast was over, instead of a Happy Holiday."
Lifting an eyebrow, Elle moved over toward him, taking the rest of the cookie away from his hand, hopping up onto the kitchen counter, and crossing one leg over the other, as she broke off a small piece. "Really?"
Her eyes looked up at him, a bit of innocence playing around as she lifted another small piece of cookie toward his mouth, for him to take. Leaning forward, he took the piece from her fingers, his hand brushing across her knee. Fingers hooked in beneath her knee and lifted it up, to rest at his hip as he moved to fit between her thighs.
He drew his gaze up her body, from where his hips rested to where the strand of pearls rested above her cleavage, "We should tour the house more often. All the places we've been, the things we've done..."
Pouting slightly, she leaned forward, brushing her mouth to his for a moment, then pulling back to whisper, "Or we could just keep doing it more."
"That works too."
"I thought so," Elle replied with a smirk before picking up where their kiss that morning had barely started.
[ooc: Sylar|Nathan is heroslayer, used with love and not so much permission but an understanding that I promise to be nice to him and put him back when I'm done.]