Side by side, arms crossed over their chests in scarily similar stances, Peter and Mohinder exchanged tired glances before turning their gazes back to Melony, "Essentially, yes." Mohinder sighed, "The gene gives you special abilities, talents, or...super powers, yes."

The look on her face was something Peter couldn't really describe. A combination of humor, disbelief, fear, and sleep deprivation maybe. Oh, and anger. He couldn't forget the anger in her stormy grey eyes. Anger at Sylar, and at her little sister.

"And you think Autumn has this...gene?" Melony's eyebrow flew up.

"Actually, I believe both of you have it." Mohinder nodded, "The gene is hereditary. Chances are, one or even both of your parents had it as well. If not, your grandparents. If not them, your great-grandparents. If not them..."

The silence was broken by Melony's shriek of laughter. She clutched her stomach as she doubled over, gasping for air, "Oh my God! You people are crazy!"

Peter snickered, "Believe it or not, I'm pretty used to hearing that."

Melony stood from her chair, staring at him with wide eyes, "You mean you...?"

Silently, Peter held out his hand, curling his finger as if saying come here and a vase from across the room seemed to float towards him, and then he held it in his hand. Melony stared first at the vase in his hand, and then into his dark eyes, "Ok, so you're not crazy."

Peter's eyebrows rose in surprise. He half expected her to go into denial, call him a freak, and kick both men out of her home. "No Mel, I'm not crazy."

"So, that's your power?" Melony was pacing back and forth in front of him, her hands fidgeting as she spoke, "You can move things with your mind? Like telekinesis?"

"Actually, no. Well, yes. I mean, I absorb the powers of those I meet. That one in particular I picked up from..." He stopped suddenly, his eyes meeting hers, "Sylar."

"So he...?" Melony stopped, mouth open. She sucked in a deep breath, closer her eyes for a second, then sighed and resumed pacing. "Alright. You're a human power sponge, right? So Sylar is telekinetic..."

"And he can see the future, freeze water, melt solid objects, hear beyond human comprehension..."

"He has more than one?!"

"That's what we've been trying to tell you!" Mohinder cut in, growing agitated just as Melony was, "That's why he's so dangerous! Because he steals other peoples abilities, Ms. Levine. And he does so by killing them!"

Melony let out a startled gasp and Peter glared at Mohinder. He could've eased into that much gentler than he had, and Peter made a mental note to call him out on it later.

"So if what you're saying is true, and Autumn has this gene, has a power..." Melony choked back tears, trying to keep her voice strong, "Then Sylar is going to kill her and take it from her!?"

"If he knows about it, yes."

"But that's what I don't get." Peter spoke up, "If he knew about her power, he would've killed her in her bedroom, he wouldn't take her on vacation. And besides, we don't know for sure if either sister has the gene! Sylar showed up a random doorstep. A random woman decided to take care of him. That doesn't mean she has an ability."

"True. But we have to find out to be sure." Mohinder reached into his messenger bag and pulled out his medical kit, "Let me draw your blood, Melony. Test you for the gene. If you have it, there's a seventy-five percent chance that your sister has it as well."

Melony chewed her bottom lip nervously, staring at the needle Mohinder was ripping out of the plastic, "If I had a super power, wouldn't I know about it?"

Peter shook his head, "I had no idea I had one until last year." He stepped over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders, holding her tightly as his gaze bore into her eyes, "They can harbor deep down for a long time, lying dormant. Let Mohinder test you, and whatever it says, I'll be here. And no matter what, I won't leave...not until Sylar is stopped, and you and Autumn are both safe."

---

He was getting worse. So much worse, and there was nothing she could do about it.

After Sylar collapsed, Autumn had drug him to the bedroom he'd currently occupied--her old bedroom. Ironic, that.--and he'd slept. And slept. And slept. She tended to the stitches he'd ripped open, changed his bandages twice, and then sat with him the rest of the day. He hadn't moved, but cried out several times, from gentle whimpers to pained yells, and it broke her heart. All she could do was stroke his dark hair and whisper to try to soothe whatever pain he felt, mentally or physically she didn't know. Maybe it was both.

It didn't do much good, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to try something.

Close to dusk, she stood from his bedside and ventured outside to stretch her legs. She found herself on the back porch, ripping the plastic cover off the floral porch swing and sitting down, staring out at the lake about twenty yards away. The sun was setting directly above it, casting an eerily beautiful reflection in the water. It was truly a picturesque scene, but she couldn't fully enjoy it for worrying about Sylar.

He was dying. She knew it, and tears sprang to her eyes at the thought. What made her think she had possibly helped him? He needed doctor, a hospital. He needed...

She looked up with a startled gasp, wiping at her cheeks and eyes, "Sylar! You need to be in bed."

"I'm fine." He replied sternly. He wasn't fine, but she decided it was probably best not to fight him on it. Slowly, he stepped over and sat down beside her, leaning back with a small sigh. "Pretty view." He said softly, turning his head to look at her and frowning deeply, "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying."

"You have been."

She turned to look him the eyes, and a war waged on inside of her. Did she expose her fear for his life? Did she ask him all the questions she was dying to know the answer to, like what they were going to do, where they would go, or what they even were to each other?

"I don't know, Sylar, I just..." She sighed deeply, and decided the hell with it. "I'm scared, ok? I'm scared for you. I'm scared you'll die and I'll have to go back! I'm scared this won't give me the answers I'm looking for. I'm scared this is all in my head."

"It's not, Autumn." He said calmly, laying a hand on her shoulder, "It's not a dream."

"I know. And yet, I'm still scared of waking up." She shook her head as she leaned forward, burying her face in her hands, "And you can take this however you want, but I'm scared of losing you. You're all I have now, Sylar. I love my sister without a doubt, but I've always felt like I was such a burden to her. Such a pain in her ass. After our parents died, she wasn't a sister anymore, she was a caretaker. Then it was her job to protect me, to keep me safe, to shelter me from the worlds evils, and I hated feeling that way. Smothered by and a burden to the only family I had left. But you--you were open and honest with me from the beginning. And you're the only one--the only one--who knows about my...ability." She felt his hand on her back, rubbing slowly in a comforting circular motion, and she raised her head to look at him, "You're the only person I've ever felt a...a connection to." She frowned as she searched his eyes for any emotion, any hint as to what he was thinking about what she was telling him, "Does that make sense to you?"

"Yes." He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes and held the back of her head with his hand, "I can feel it, too."