The Waitress and The Watchmaker
Title: The Waitress and The Watchmaker: A Real-Life Fairytale
Characters: Elle, Gabriel
Summary: AU- Elle follows Bennet's advice and becomes a waitress.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes, I wish I did though.
Notes: A little bit of fluff to fight the flu. A get well soon wish for lemomina and anyone else who might be feeling under the weather right now. This is unbetaed, and I wrote this in one day, so I apologize for any errors.
Elle works as a waitress in a small diner in Brooklyn, New York. It isn’t the most glamorous or rewarding job ever. And she has to wear this kitschy throwback uniform: a blue collared dress with white trim around the collar, cap-sleaves, and the just-above-the-knee hemline and a matching blue and white check apron. But it’s a job that makes her happy. Well, most of the time at least. Today, her feet are positively aching and she has been counting down the hours, minuets, and seconds until her shift is over.
Right now, Elle and the other waitresses are preparing for the dinner rush. The only customers they have are those here for the early-bird specials. Elle is working at the counter refilling all of the sugar canisters. It’s a mindless job, so it gives her time to let her thoughts wander. She thinks back to the day she first walked into this diner.
It was seven years ago today that a 23-year-old Elle walked into the diner with nothing more than the clothes on her back and announced to the first waitress she saw, a girl names Veronica, that she would be filling the vacant position advertised in the window by the “Waitress Wanted” sign. Elle had just fought with Bennet. He had thrown her jacket at her and told her to go become a waitress if she didn’t want to follow orders anymore. She was surprised that she had been stubborn enough at the time to actually go through with it. But Elle was young, foolish, and in love.
Though Veronica had chuckled, she did give Elle a chance. Not only that, but she gave the young blonde a place to stay and some old clothes to wear until she could get on her feet. The first week had been an absolute nightmare. Elle had messed up countless orders, dropped more than one handful of entrees, and shortchanged a few customers. She had been sure that Veronica was going to fire her on more than one occasion. But the dark-haired woman, who had quickly become more like an older sister than a friend, never even threatened to fire Elle, no matter how much she screwed up. Instead, she put her arm around Elle’s shoulders and told her that things would get better.
If it hadn’t been for Veronica, Elle probably wouldn’t have made it through her first few months away from the Company. Elle hadn’t lived in the ‘real world’ since she was six. All she knew was following orders. At least that skill came in handy in the service industry. But Elle had just about zero people skills. She was a sociopath through and through. However, Veronica changed all that by showing Elle something she had never experienced before: unconditional love.
And that love sure came in handy when Elle confessed everything to Gabriel. She told him all about her past life, her father, and her ability and how she had left it behind because she had fallen in love with him. But Gabriel didn’t seem to hear that last part. He just focused in on Elle’s lies and betrayal. Gabriel had ordered her out of his tiny Queen’s apartment and told her that he never wanted to see her again. Elle had cried and protested that she loved him, but he only continued to show her the door. Veronica held Elle while she cried that night, and for about a week after that. She never asked Elle what had happened with Gabriel.
By now Elle has finished refilling the sugar canisters. Her thoughts return to the present when one of her fellow waitresses calls out, “Veronica, your boyfriend’s here.” Elle glances down the counter in time to see a blonde ball of kinetic energy come tearing around the corner. She smiles and steps aside to let the young boy past.
At the other end of the long counter, Veronica bends down to catch the boy. She scoops him up in her arms and raises him up, balancing him on her hip. “Veronica!” he squeals in delight, throwing his small arms around her neck. The older woman places a light kiss on his forehead, and he replies by kissing her check with a rather loud smack.
“Hey, Noah,” Elle teases him lightly. “Where’s my hug?”
“I hug you all the time, Mommy,” he replies. “But I haven’t seen Veronica all week.” Noah adjusts his grip on her neck.
Elle hears a deep chuckle in her right ear. She turns around when she feels large, strong arms circle her tiny waist. “I’ll hug you Elle,” Gabriel says. His dark chocolate colored eyes smile down at her from beneath his nearly square glasses. “And I’ll kiss you too.”
He slowly lowers his lips to hers to give her the first kiss they’ve shared since she left for work this morning. Her arms come up to circle his neck and bring them closer. “Yuck!” Noah exclaims, still in Veronica’s arms. “Daddy, do you always have to kiss Mommy like that?”
“Yes, he does,” Elle answers for him. She walks over to Noah and gives him a big kiss on the cheek. “Alright, Noah, since you haven’t seen Veronica all week, tell her about your new school.”
Veronica moves around the counter and places Noah down on the last stool. “That’s right, you started kindergarten this week!”
Noah nods excitedly. “It’s fun. I get to color, and learn my letters, and do puzzles, and sing, and have recess outside, and at the end of the day, Daddy takes me to his shop and I get to fix watches,” he rattles off the details of his day with out pausing for breath.
“That sounds like fun,” Veronica says. She slides Noah a soda in a red plastic cup.
“Mmhmm,” Noah says before taking a big sip. “When I grow up, I’m gonna be a watchmaker just like Daddy. Today we fixed this,” he holds up a watch he has taken from his sweatshirt pocket. Elle recognizes it instantly. It is the 1917 Sylar watch that Gabriel treasures. Seven years ago, just before they met, he had finally finished restoring it.
“You gave that to him?” Elle whispers to Gabriel. She sounds nervous. “But I thought…”
Gabriel cuts her off with a kiss. “We’ll talk about it later,” he says quietly to her. Walking past her to the end of the counter, he picks Noah up off the stool. “Alright, Champ, we’ve got to get going. I’m making us baked ziti tonight.”
Noah nods. “Bye-bye Veronica!” he calls warmly.
“Bye Noah!” she replies with a wave. “Oh, Gabriel, I almost forgot,” Veronica says. She reaches under the counter and pulls out a blue box tied with string. She hands him the box. “Have a nice night,” she adds with a small wink in Elle direction.
“What’s in the box?” Elle asks as they exit the diner.
“It’s a surprise,” Gabriel explains. There is a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. The family walks down the street together. Noah is in the middle, holding on to Mommy and Daddy’s hands, chatting excitedly about school and watches.
Dinner is delicious, as always. Gabriel is an amazing cook. Elle has always been thankful for that, since she usually can’t stand to even think about making dinner after spending all day around food. All she usually has to do is set the table and keep Noah entertained while Gabriel works. Tonight, Noah cleans his plate, a first, and asks for more. Gabriel chuckles and tousles his hair. “Better save room for dessert, Buddy,” he warns in a joking tone.
“What dessert?” Noah asks, suddenly very interested. Gabriel nods toward the blue box he brought home. Noah smiles and hops down from his chair before running over to the counter. He rips open the top of the box. “Pie?” he asks.
Gabriel nods. “Peach pie.” He looks over at his lovely wife, catching her electric blue eyes.
“My favorite!” Noah exclaims. He carries the box over to the table. Elle smiles widely. This has become a very special tradition in the Gray household. Every year at this time, Gabriel gets them a peach pie to remember the special day they spent together: the day they fell in love.
When dinner and dessert are over and clean up, Gabriel, Elle and Noah play a few games of ‘Sorry!’ The young boy wins easily every time, though he doesn’t know that Mommy and Daddy let him win. When they are done, they begin to get Noah ready for bed. He protests that he isn’t even tired; he’s a big boy now and can stay up late. But when his son yawns, Gabriel takes him into the next room to change into his pajamas. After brushing his teeth, Noah demands a bedtime story from Daddy.
Gabriel is more than happy to tell his son a story. But when Noah goes to the bookshelf to find his favorite bedtime book, Daddy tells him that he has a special story for him tonight: a real-life fairytale. Noah is excited and runs to jump into bed. Gabriel tucks him under the covers and sits on the bed next to him. As he begins the story, Noah snuggles into his Daddy’s side. “Once upon a time, there was a Watchmaker from Queens,” Gabriel says.
“Just like you, Daddy!” Noah interrupts.
“Just like me,” Gabriel replies. “Now, this watchmaker had a secret: he had a special ability. But he was very confused about his abilities, and that made him sad. Then one day, a beautiful girl appeared in his watch shop. She had a secret too, she was an angel. This angel helped the watchmaker realize how important he was and made him happy again. But some very bad people had convinced her to get the watchmaker to use his special ability for evil. At first, the girl listened to their evil plans, but then something amazing happened.”
“What happened, Daddy?” Noah asks. His big brown eyes look up at Gabriel.
“The angel fell in love with the watchmaker. She realized that she couldn’t listen to what the bad people were telling her to do anymore. So the angel ran away, but she wasn’t ready to leave the watchmaker she loved, so she did the only thing she could think of: she became a waitress.”
“Just like Mommy!” Noah exclaims.
“Just like Mommy,” Gabriel echoes. He looks up from his son to find Elle standing in the doorway. She is leaning against the wall, happily watching the two men in her life. “Well, the angel waitress decided to come clean with the watchmaker and tell him about the evil plan the bad people had for him. At first, he was very angry. He told the angle to leave.”
“Oh, no!” Noah interjects. “But the angel was trying to help him, Daddy.”
“Don’t worry,” Gabriel assures him. “It didn’t take the watchmaker long to realize that the angel was trying to help. He felt bad about what he had done for a very long time. Then one day, the watchmaker realized that he loved the angel and needed her back. So, he went searching for the waitress. When he found her, he told her that he missed her, that he was sorry for sending her away, and that he was in love with her.”
“Then what happened, Daddy?” Noah asks.
“Then, the watchmaker and the waitress lived happily ever after,” Gabriel explains.
Noah scrunches up his nose. “All other stories end that way. I thought you said this was a real story.”
Gabriel chuckles. “Alright. After the watchmaker found the waitress, they began to date each other, falling even more deeply in love. Then, a year after they met, he proposed. They were sitting on his living room floor, eating peach pie, and when he asked her to marry him, she said yes. Soon after they got married, and they moved to a bigger apartment in Brooklyn. And just about a year later, the watchmaker and the angel waitress had a beautiful baby boy named Noah.”
“Just like me!” Noah squealed in excitement.
“Just like you,” Gabriel leans down to kiss the top of Noah’s head. “Alright, goodnight, Buddy.”
“Goodnight, Daddy. Goodnight, Mommy,” Noah says.
Elle walks into his room and kisses him where Gabriel just had. “Goodnight, angel.” Gabriel and Elle leave the room together. She shuts off the lights and he shuts the door behind them. Back in the living room, Elle immediately pulls her handsome husband close for a long kiss. “Did I ever tell you that it’s incredibly sexy that you are such an amazing father?” she whispers, before kissing him again.
“Only all the time,” Gabriel says with a small chuckle.
“That was a wonderful story,” Elle says. “The perfect fairytale.”
“And all of it’s true,” Gabriel tells her. He hugs Elle close to his chest. “I fell in love with you the day you brought me that amazing peach pie. I can’t believe I’ve loved you for seven years already. It still feels like yesterday.”
“Ugh, not to me,” Elle says with a laugh, shaking her head. “The time we were apart felt like an eternity. And when I was pregnant with Noah, I thought I’d be pregnant forever.”
“But you were so beautiful when you were pregnant,” Gabriel tells her. His hands travel over her flat stomach.
Elle lightly slaps him on the shoulder. “I was so fat. I had like, three chins.”
“Three beautiful chins,” Gabriel replies. He kisses her neck, trailing a line of slow kisses from one ear to the other.
Elle sighs melts into his arms. “Mmhmm, I think I’d like to hear that story again. But I think you left out a few parts. Maybe your memory needs a little bit of refreshing. A reenactment or two might solve the problem,” Elle says. She begins stepping back toward their bedroom, bring Gabriel with her.
Characters: Elle, Gabriel
Summary: AU- Elle follows Bennet's advice and becomes a waitress.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes, I wish I did though.
Notes: A little bit of fluff to fight the flu. A get well soon wish for lemomina and anyone else who might be feeling under the weather right now. This is unbetaed, and I wrote this in one day, so I apologize for any errors.
Elle works as a waitress in a small diner in Brooklyn, New York. It isn’t the most glamorous or rewarding job ever. And she has to wear this kitschy throwback uniform: a blue collared dress with white trim around the collar, cap-sleaves, and the just-above-the-knee hemline and a matching blue and white check apron. But it’s a job that makes her happy. Well, most of the time at least. Today, her feet are positively aching and she has been counting down the hours, minuets, and seconds until her shift is over.
Right now, Elle and the other waitresses are preparing for the dinner rush. The only customers they have are those here for the early-bird specials. Elle is working at the counter refilling all of the sugar canisters. It’s a mindless job, so it gives her time to let her thoughts wander. She thinks back to the day she first walked into this diner.
It was seven years ago today that a 23-year-old Elle walked into the diner with nothing more than the clothes on her back and announced to the first waitress she saw, a girl names Veronica, that she would be filling the vacant position advertised in the window by the “Waitress Wanted” sign. Elle had just fought with Bennet. He had thrown her jacket at her and told her to go become a waitress if she didn’t want to follow orders anymore. She was surprised that she had been stubborn enough at the time to actually go through with it. But Elle was young, foolish, and in love.
Though Veronica had chuckled, she did give Elle a chance. Not only that, but she gave the young blonde a place to stay and some old clothes to wear until she could get on her feet. The first week had been an absolute nightmare. Elle had messed up countless orders, dropped more than one handful of entrees, and shortchanged a few customers. She had been sure that Veronica was going to fire her on more than one occasion. But the dark-haired woman, who had quickly become more like an older sister than a friend, never even threatened to fire Elle, no matter how much she screwed up. Instead, she put her arm around Elle’s shoulders and told her that things would get better.
If it hadn’t been for Veronica, Elle probably wouldn’t have made it through her first few months away from the Company. Elle hadn’t lived in the ‘real world’ since she was six. All she knew was following orders. At least that skill came in handy in the service industry. But Elle had just about zero people skills. She was a sociopath through and through. However, Veronica changed all that by showing Elle something she had never experienced before: unconditional love.
And that love sure came in handy when Elle confessed everything to Gabriel. She told him all about her past life, her father, and her ability and how she had left it behind because she had fallen in love with him. But Gabriel didn’t seem to hear that last part. He just focused in on Elle’s lies and betrayal. Gabriel had ordered her out of his tiny Queen’s apartment and told her that he never wanted to see her again. Elle had cried and protested that she loved him, but he only continued to show her the door. Veronica held Elle while she cried that night, and for about a week after that. She never asked Elle what had happened with Gabriel.
By now Elle has finished refilling the sugar canisters. Her thoughts return to the present when one of her fellow waitresses calls out, “Veronica, your boyfriend’s here.” Elle glances down the counter in time to see a blonde ball of kinetic energy come tearing around the corner. She smiles and steps aside to let the young boy past.
At the other end of the long counter, Veronica bends down to catch the boy. She scoops him up in her arms and raises him up, balancing him on her hip. “Veronica!” he squeals in delight, throwing his small arms around her neck. The older woman places a light kiss on his forehead, and he replies by kissing her check with a rather loud smack.
“Hey, Noah,” Elle teases him lightly. “Where’s my hug?”
“I hug you all the time, Mommy,” he replies. “But I haven’t seen Veronica all week.” Noah adjusts his grip on her neck.
Elle hears a deep chuckle in her right ear. She turns around when she feels large, strong arms circle her tiny waist. “I’ll hug you Elle,” Gabriel says. His dark chocolate colored eyes smile down at her from beneath his nearly square glasses. “And I’ll kiss you too.”
He slowly lowers his lips to hers to give her the first kiss they’ve shared since she left for work this morning. Her arms come up to circle his neck and bring them closer. “Yuck!” Noah exclaims, still in Veronica’s arms. “Daddy, do you always have to kiss Mommy like that?”
“Yes, he does,” Elle answers for him. She walks over to Noah and gives him a big kiss on the cheek. “Alright, Noah, since you haven’t seen Veronica all week, tell her about your new school.”
Veronica moves around the counter and places Noah down on the last stool. “That’s right, you started kindergarten this week!”
Noah nods excitedly. “It’s fun. I get to color, and learn my letters, and do puzzles, and sing, and have recess outside, and at the end of the day, Daddy takes me to his shop and I get to fix watches,” he rattles off the details of his day with out pausing for breath.
“That sounds like fun,” Veronica says. She slides Noah a soda in a red plastic cup.
“Mmhmm,” Noah says before taking a big sip. “When I grow up, I’m gonna be a watchmaker just like Daddy. Today we fixed this,” he holds up a watch he has taken from his sweatshirt pocket. Elle recognizes it instantly. It is the 1917 Sylar watch that Gabriel treasures. Seven years ago, just before they met, he had finally finished restoring it.
“You gave that to him?” Elle whispers to Gabriel. She sounds nervous. “But I thought…”
Gabriel cuts her off with a kiss. “We’ll talk about it later,” he says quietly to her. Walking past her to the end of the counter, he picks Noah up off the stool. “Alright, Champ, we’ve got to get going. I’m making us baked ziti tonight.”
Noah nods. “Bye-bye Veronica!” he calls warmly.
“Bye Noah!” she replies with a wave. “Oh, Gabriel, I almost forgot,” Veronica says. She reaches under the counter and pulls out a blue box tied with string. She hands him the box. “Have a nice night,” she adds with a small wink in Elle direction.
“What’s in the box?” Elle asks as they exit the diner.
“It’s a surprise,” Gabriel explains. There is a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. The family walks down the street together. Noah is in the middle, holding on to Mommy and Daddy’s hands, chatting excitedly about school and watches.
Dinner is delicious, as always. Gabriel is an amazing cook. Elle has always been thankful for that, since she usually can’t stand to even think about making dinner after spending all day around food. All she usually has to do is set the table and keep Noah entertained while Gabriel works. Tonight, Noah cleans his plate, a first, and asks for more. Gabriel chuckles and tousles his hair. “Better save room for dessert, Buddy,” he warns in a joking tone.
“What dessert?” Noah asks, suddenly very interested. Gabriel nods toward the blue box he brought home. Noah smiles and hops down from his chair before running over to the counter. He rips open the top of the box. “Pie?” he asks.
Gabriel nods. “Peach pie.” He looks over at his lovely wife, catching her electric blue eyes.
“My favorite!” Noah exclaims. He carries the box over to the table. Elle smiles widely. This has become a very special tradition in the Gray household. Every year at this time, Gabriel gets them a peach pie to remember the special day they spent together: the day they fell in love.
When dinner and dessert are over and clean up, Gabriel, Elle and Noah play a few games of ‘Sorry!’ The young boy wins easily every time, though he doesn’t know that Mommy and Daddy let him win. When they are done, they begin to get Noah ready for bed. He protests that he isn’t even tired; he’s a big boy now and can stay up late. But when his son yawns, Gabriel takes him into the next room to change into his pajamas. After brushing his teeth, Noah demands a bedtime story from Daddy.
Gabriel is more than happy to tell his son a story. But when Noah goes to the bookshelf to find his favorite bedtime book, Daddy tells him that he has a special story for him tonight: a real-life fairytale. Noah is excited and runs to jump into bed. Gabriel tucks him under the covers and sits on the bed next to him. As he begins the story, Noah snuggles into his Daddy’s side. “Once upon a time, there was a Watchmaker from Queens,” Gabriel says.
“Just like you, Daddy!” Noah interrupts.
“Just like me,” Gabriel replies. “Now, this watchmaker had a secret: he had a special ability. But he was very confused about his abilities, and that made him sad. Then one day, a beautiful girl appeared in his watch shop. She had a secret too, she was an angel. This angel helped the watchmaker realize how important he was and made him happy again. But some very bad people had convinced her to get the watchmaker to use his special ability for evil. At first, the girl listened to their evil plans, but then something amazing happened.”
“What happened, Daddy?” Noah asks. His big brown eyes look up at Gabriel.
“The angel fell in love with the watchmaker. She realized that she couldn’t listen to what the bad people were telling her to do anymore. So the angel ran away, but she wasn’t ready to leave the watchmaker she loved, so she did the only thing she could think of: she became a waitress.”
“Just like Mommy!” Noah exclaims.
“Just like Mommy,” Gabriel echoes. He looks up from his son to find Elle standing in the doorway. She is leaning against the wall, happily watching the two men in her life. “Well, the angel waitress decided to come clean with the watchmaker and tell him about the evil plan the bad people had for him. At first, he was very angry. He told the angle to leave.”
“Oh, no!” Noah interjects. “But the angel was trying to help him, Daddy.”
“Don’t worry,” Gabriel assures him. “It didn’t take the watchmaker long to realize that the angel was trying to help. He felt bad about what he had done for a very long time. Then one day, the watchmaker realized that he loved the angel and needed her back. So, he went searching for the waitress. When he found her, he told her that he missed her, that he was sorry for sending her away, and that he was in love with her.”
“Then what happened, Daddy?” Noah asks.
“Then, the watchmaker and the waitress lived happily ever after,” Gabriel explains.
Noah scrunches up his nose. “All other stories end that way. I thought you said this was a real story.”
Gabriel chuckles. “Alright. After the watchmaker found the waitress, they began to date each other, falling even more deeply in love. Then, a year after they met, he proposed. They were sitting on his living room floor, eating peach pie, and when he asked her to marry him, she said yes. Soon after they got married, and they moved to a bigger apartment in Brooklyn. And just about a year later, the watchmaker and the angel waitress had a beautiful baby boy named Noah.”
“Just like me!” Noah squealed in excitement.
“Just like you,” Gabriel leans down to kiss the top of Noah’s head. “Alright, goodnight, Buddy.”
“Goodnight, Daddy. Goodnight, Mommy,” Noah says.
Elle walks into his room and kisses him where Gabriel just had. “Goodnight, angel.” Gabriel and Elle leave the room together. She shuts off the lights and he shuts the door behind them. Back in the living room, Elle immediately pulls her handsome husband close for a long kiss. “Did I ever tell you that it’s incredibly sexy that you are such an amazing father?” she whispers, before kissing him again.
“Only all the time,” Gabriel says with a small chuckle.
“That was a wonderful story,” Elle says. “The perfect fairytale.”
“And all of it’s true,” Gabriel tells her. He hugs Elle close to his chest. “I fell in love with you the day you brought me that amazing peach pie. I can’t believe I’ve loved you for seven years already. It still feels like yesterday.”
“Ugh, not to me,” Elle says with a laugh, shaking her head. “The time we were apart felt like an eternity. And when I was pregnant with Noah, I thought I’d be pregnant forever.”
“But you were so beautiful when you were pregnant,” Gabriel tells her. His hands travel over her flat stomach.
Elle lightly slaps him on the shoulder. “I was so fat. I had like, three chins.”
“Three beautiful chins,” Gabriel replies. He kisses her neck, trailing a line of slow kisses from one ear to the other.
Elle sighs melts into his arms. “Mmhmm, I think I’d like to hear that story again. But I think you left out a few parts. Maybe your memory needs a little bit of refreshing. A reenactment or two might solve the problem,” Elle says. She begins stepping back toward their bedroom, bring Gabriel with her.