With nothing to do, Claire slid her hands in between the couch cushions, looking for the changer. Then she heard the familiar voice.

"Hello, Claire."

Claire involuntarily snapped straight up and stiffened, bound by Sylar's mental restraints.

"Just thought I'd drop by to pay you a little visit."

He walked toward her with precision, each step more menacing than the last.

"Mm, Claire…your heart is racing." A devilish grin slid across his face. "Is that because your scared…or excited?"

Claire fought against her invisible restraints, teeth clenched, red in the face, dangling there in the middle of her living room, more familiar with this situation than she'd like to be.

"I can't help it Claire. There's just something about you. I can't quite put my finger on it though. My hunger for you…it's insatiable." His grin fell to a scowl as he paused, staring at Claire. He breathed in. "I thought…after I had your power, it would go away, but…it's only worse now… I can't stand the obsession any longer." His eyes darted down as he began to breath heavier, losing his control. "It's too much."

Claire sensed a vulnerability in Sylar she had never detected before-and this scared her more than anything. If he could tear people apart when he had it together, what would he be capable of uncontrolled?

"All I do now is think of you. You're always there, in my mind, like a parasite. I just-" He released a deep growl of frustration, making Claire flinch. Sylar's brow furrowed as his fists clenched and just when Claire thought she might have a chance to make a break for it, Sylar's eyes flashed open, staring straight into Claire's, piercing through her.

"I'm not going to suffer anymore."

Sylar's finger drew a vertical line in the air, slicing through Claire's shirt.

Claire gasped. "No!"

The two halves of her shirt fell open, revealing her belly and a pink bra.

"Oh, how sweet. Ever the innocent."

Almost instantly Sylar was next to her. She could feel his breath, hot on her cheek.

"Oh, Claire."

He lifted his hand to the bare flesh of her stomach but stopped just before he touched her. He let it linger there for a moment, hovering just above the surface as they breathed heavy. His hand started traveling upward, slowly, carefully, over her breast, past her collarbone, and then stopped, right over her throat. Claire felt Sylar's fingers tighten and he gritted his teeth. Claire let out a breathy squeak and her eyes opened wide with terror. She knew he could snap her neck in a second if he wanted to, but instead he let the moment drag on, squeezing tighter and tighter but never enough to off her. All of sudden, Sylar pulled his hand away, scratching her neck. Claire stood there, tense, motionless, as Sylar marched away, throwing a desk across the room.

"I'm supposed to be strong- powerful. I can lift objects 100 times my size without even touching them, and-" Sylar grabbed a glass from the kitchen table and walked toward Claire, holding out in front of him for her to see. "I can melt this, freeze it, shatter it, and make it explode!" His voice strained as he mutated the form of the glass. The deformed glass exploded, making Claire flinch, but the particles remained suspended in the air in front of her face, then fell to the floor like dust. Claire noticed Sylar getting more frantic, pacing back and forth. Sylar continued.

"I can heal from any injury, I can tell when your lying, hear your heartbeat from miles away." With this, he thrust his hand on Claire's chest and looked intently into her eyes. Sylar's voice quieted. "I can have any power in the world- but I can't make this go away."

Both their breaths were sharp, Sylar's from his frustration, Claire's from fear.

"Tell me, Claire, why I can't make this go away."

Claire could hear a certain desperation in his voice. Sylar's hands held her shoulders. The silent moment seemed to last forever until suddenly, Sylar pulled Claire into him and their lips hit. Before Claire could absorb what was happening, she felt herself flying across the room and then slam against the wall, breaking three ribs and fracturing her skull. She fell to the ground with a thud. As she felt the familiar anatomical resemblance, she heard the slam of a door, and when she looked up, Sylar was gone.