Shades of Gray (Part Twenty-Two)

Mohinder, frightened by Sylar's furious stare, begins testing on Elle. She gets nervous as Mohinder takes out a syringe, and asks for Sylar's hand.

"It'll be okay, Miss Bishop. It won't hurt: I promise," Mohinder says confidently.

She nods nervously and squeezes Sylar's hand. "I'm not good with needles," she squeaks.

A couple hours later, Mohinder finishes his testing. Elle sits up and stretches her arms. "So...?" She rubs her arm and looks at the clipboard in his hand.

"I'm sorry... it's too soon to tell," he says quietly.

Elle shakes her head and frowns. "I need to know," she demands.

"In about four more weeks I'll be able to tell you whether it possesses special abilities or not," he assures.

"How come you can't tell?" Sylar snaps. "How do we know you're not lying?"

"You're just going to have to trust me. The baby isn't developed enough."

Elle stands up and grabs Sylar's hand. "Thank you anyway. We'll be back in a month." She drags him across the room and out the door. They go back to the apartment and Elle sits on the bed. Sylar stands with his back to Elle and rests his hands on the dresser.

"Gabe, it's alright. We can wait."

He shakes his head. "I'm not... upset. I'm not always upset."

She stands up and puts her hand gently on his back. "Then what's wrong?"

"I'm sort of... nervous. I'm nervous to find out." His voice gets quieter as he goes on, and his head drops. Elle wraps her arms around his chest and squeezes him.

"It's okay. I understand. I'm nervous, too."

Elle listens to his tears hit the dresser, and she spins him around. He closes his eyes and hugs her tightly. "I'm sorry..." he sighs.

She closes her eyes and rests her chin on his shoulder. "Gabe... everything is gonna be fine."

He continues crying and Elle starts rocking him gently. "I've never seen you like this," Elle says quietly.