In the Forests of the Night - Epilogue

[brighteyedjill]

Title: In the Forests of the Night – Epilogue
Author name: brighteyed_jill
Characters: Ensemble, Peter/Nathan. Other slashiness if you squint.
Rating: PG

Summary: All was well.






Epilogue


Gabriel Gray leaned against his shovel. There were many faster ways to clear snow off the driveway, but he wanted to work up a sweat and burn off some of his depression. He’d been alone at the cabin for twenty six days. The place had seemed small with all of Hiro’s team there. Now, alone with memories of his friends and uncertainties about the future, the place seemed enormous.


His ultra-sensitive hearing caught the sound of a vehicle coming up the road. It was probably still a mile or so off, so Gabriel took his time putting the shovel away in the woodshed. Then he took up a spot on the porch with a clear view of the driveway, shimmered into invisibility, and waited as a green SUV made its way slowly up the mountain drive.


The first thing Gabriel noticed when the driver got out was the man’s garish scarf. He didn’t have to wait for the man to turn around; he knew it was Mohinder. Gabriel was tempted to stay invisible, to claim that he’d been out for a walk. He allowed himself that moment of cowardice, and then he let go of his invisibility. “Mohinder,” he called.


Mohinder turned, looking for the source of the voice. When he saw Gabriel his face lit up. He waved before trooping over the half-shoveled walk to join Gabriel on the porch. By the time they were face to face, his smile had dimmed to more modest proportions.


“Hello,” said Gabriel.


“I had a break from my duties,” Mohinder said brightly. Gabriel said nothing. “They can manufacture Cure antidote without my help now. My job’s really turned into helping people whose abilities are reemerging.” He laughed. “Matt has started calling me Professor Xavier.” Mohinder shoved his gloved hands in the pocket of his coat, shifting uncomfortably. “Like the X-men.” Still Gabriel said nothing. “Micah refers to his family by a different name, though. Fantastic something. I never really read comics.” He kicked at a clod of snow. “We’ve been very busy, but I thought I deserved a little vacation. Actually, Molly threatened to tattle to Nathan if I didn’t give myself a break.” He finally stopped, waiting.


“And you came here,” Gabriel observed.


“Yes. I thought it would be nice to see you.”


“Come inside, then.” Gabriel led the way, pushing open the front door and kicking the snow off his boots. Mohinder followed him to the kitchen. Gabriel put on the kettle to make tea. He saw Mohinder’s eye dart to the container of chai on the counter, and he winced inwardly. He shouldn’t have left it out; now Mohinder would know he’d been thinking about him.


Mohinder slid into a chair at the kitchen table, and Gabriel stood by the stove, waiting for the tea to boil. “How long are you going to stay out here?” Mohinder asked.


“Peter’s friend said I could stay as long as I want.” That was the longest sentence he’d spoken in weeks. His voice felt rusty.


“Alone?” Mohinder asked dubiously.


Gabriel shrugged.


“Come back to New York.”


At least Gabriel had been prepared for this. Peter had been dropping hints all week during his visits, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Mohinder would be the one to finally ask. “No.”


“There’s so much you could do to help. When someone gets their powers restored, they often need to find out how to use them. You were so good with Peter—.”


“I said no.”


“Why not?” To his credit, Mohinder didn’t seem overly surprised by Gabriel’s answer. Gabriel felt a strange mix of relief and disappointment: maybe Mohinder didn’t really care if he came back or not. The kettle whistled, and Gabriel let the silence stretch as he strained the tea into two mugs. He thought briefly of asking Mohinder whether he wanted milk and honey with his, but decided that would be too manipulative. He added the milk and honey the way he knew Mohinder wanted, set the mug down on the table, and returned to his spot by the stove.


“Molly asked about you, you know,” Mohinder said, taking a sip of his chai.


“Molly?” he asked skeptically.


“Yes. She was just starting to like you. Her words.” Mohinder sipped his tea, set the cup down. “We all miss you.”


“Don’t.”


“Why not? What are you doing out here that’s so damn important?”


“I can’t hurt anyone out here.”


Now it was Mohinder’s turn to glare.


“Back at the White House… I could have ruined everything. First I almost went nuclear. Then, with Alicia… I was Sylar again. That’s still in me. Don’t pretend you don’t see it.”


“I see a man with amazing abilities who is wasting them because he’s afraid.”


Gabriel went white with anger. “Out here, I’m not hurting anyone!”


“You’re not helping anyone, either!”


Gabriel flinched. Mohinder got up from his chair and cornered him by the stove. “You are capable of amazing things, Gabriel Gray. Please come back with me.”


Gabriel stared down into his tea. “I can’t say no to you,” he muttered.


When he looked up, Mohinder was smiling. “I know.”
********


Hiro juggled the awkward package under his arm as he tried to get his keys out. The skinny package started to slip, and Hiro dropped the keys to catch it. Custom framing was expensive, after all, and it wouldn’t do to break the glass. He was just contemplating freezing time when Ando flung the door open. “What exactly are you doing?” Ando asked suspiciously.


“I’m decorating the apartment,” Hiro said. It felt good to be able to speak Japanese again. With all the press conferences he’d been doing in English over the past few weeks, he’d almost forgotten what his native language sounded like.


“Decorating?” Ando repeated skeptically.


“Now that the place is officially ours, we need to put something on the walls.” Hiro explained, sliding past Ando into the apartment and eyeing the big blank walls mournfully.


Ando pointed to the large package Hiro was clutching. “Please don’t tell me you are covering the walls in Star Trek posters.”


“No.” He leaned the package against the wall, ripping off the brown paper wrapping to reveal a framed painting.


“Oh,” Ando said. “That painting.”


They both stood and admired it for a moment. The painting showed the steps of the Capitol building at dusk, and in the far distance, the slightly blackened and damaged White House. On the steps were the assembled Heroes, but the right hand corner of the painting only revealed the top of someone's dark hair and a fist raised in victory, clad in a dark sleeve. It could have be Hiro, or Gabriel, or someone else: it was hard to say. Others, further in the background, could have been obscured by the fire damage to the painting itself.


The President, Nathan, was accepting a piece of paper from several other men in suits, but their faces were obscured. Who they were wasn’t important anyway: clearly the focus of the painting was the paper. The words were mostly meaningless scribbles, the way writing often appears in comic panels. At the bottom of the paper was a blank line, and in Nathan's hand was a pen. On the stairs around him were Peter, Matt, Claire, the Haitian, and many others. Evidence of their powers was clear upon most of them: Claire's bloodstained shirt showed flawless skin underneath, Peter's hand burned with white energy, illuminating the scene, Matt and the Haitian had a knowing look in their eyes that transcended the normal. Micah and Molly held hands with fierce determination, and others were scattered amongst the onlookers. Men with suits and earpieces stood around the perimeter. The crowd was sprinkled with cops and military types, but not one cop was reaching for his gun, or even really reacting to the "terrorists" in their midst.


All in all it seemed to be a happy post-victory celebration; the overall mood of the piece was light, despite the dark tones. The people, the Heroes, even the police were smiling, and many hands were raised in a cheer. Tattooed wrists were prominently displayed, but the tattoos had a smudged quality, as if fading around the edges. Faint suggestions of other faces in curls of smoke drifted across the sky, suggesting people in other places were pleased with what was happening.


“And from that, we managed to save the world,” Ando said in wonder. “I can’t say what happened was what I was expecting when I first saw this.”


“Me neither.”


“That piece of paper,” Ando said, pointing to it in the painting. “You think it’s supposed to be your pardon, or the New Freedoms Act?”


Hiro grinned. “I’m just one man. A Presidential pardon isn’t so important. But a new law that will abolish slavery—that’s a worthy subject for one of Mister Isaac’s paintings. Of course, now that it’s happened, it all seems perfectly clear.”


“Does it? You could have predicted that that,” Ando pointed to a fading tattoo on a painted character’s hand, “Meant that Peter Petrelli would be able to take away everyone’s slave tattoos?”


“Maybe not. The important thing is that it worked,” Hiro said with a grin.


“Alai tried to explain to me why Peter did it, but he used Doctor Seuss as a metaphor. It was over my head.” Ando shrugged.


“Everyone can look at their fellow humans without fear,” Hiro said. “No one is marked as dangerous.”


“You still have your tattoo,” Ando pointed out.


Hiro looked down at the helix on his wrist. That symbol had meant many different things in his life, and now its meaning was changing again. “I was in a different time when Peter pulled his trick,” he said. “Mine’s the only one he missed.”


“If you ask him, I bet he would remove it for you.”


Hiro shook his head. “No. It’s not hurting me anymore. It only means what it used to: godsend. I don’t mind that.”


Ando smiled. “Plus, tattoos are badass.”
**********


It never ceased to amaze Peter that he was able to walk right in to the White House. He could have just teleported, of course, but that tended to upset the Secret Service agents, who were all new enough to be both a little in awe of Peter and a little defensive of their methods, so he came to visit Nathan the normal way.


The guard at the gate waved him through, and by the time he made it to the West Wing, news of his arrival had reached Claire.


“Peter!” She jumped out from behind her desk to wrap her arms around his neck, and he hugged her back.


“Hey Claire. How are you?”


“Oh, you know.” She straightened out her outfit and sat back down at her desk. “A little bored, a little jealous. Mostly busy.”


Peter inclined his head toward the Oval Office. “Is he working you too hard?”


She rolled her eyes. “Hardly. He’s too busy to give me much thought, I think.”


“Well, if it gets too terrible, you can come work for me,” Peter said with a grin.


Claire stuck her tongue out at him. “Special Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security? Please,” she said. “Dad was complaining today that you have the easy job. You just get to strike heroic poses and rescue kittens from trees and set a good example, and he has to do all the paperwork.”


Peter chuckled. “Tell Noah he’s welcome to take over my kitten-rescuing duties anytime.”


A light flashed on Claire’s desk. “There we go. He must be done with Ginsberg. Go on in.”


“Thanks Claire.”


Peter walked into the Oval Office and eased the door shut behind him. Nathan was leaning over his desk, pen scribbling furiously. “Hey,” he said without looking up.


“Hey.”


“I’m just finishing up this memo. Can you hold on a sec?”


“Yeah.” Peter was used to being brushed aside in favor of Nathan’s work; it had happened to him all his life, but this wasn’t like that. They were partners now, working together to make this save-the-world business actually last, and for the first time in his life, Peter felt like Nathan’s equal.


“There.” Nathan dropped his pen and grabbed the suit jacket off the back of his chair, shrugging into it as he walked around the desk. “I hope you’re hungry. I have no idea what the cook’s making. Heidi planned the menu.”


“I’m sure it’ll be good.”


Nathan pressed a quick kiss to Peter’s lips, a kiss that could have been brotherly. “You okay?” he asked. Peter nodded. “The boys are excited to see you.”


“Yeah.”


Nathan took Peter’s shoulders in his hands. “Don’t be nervous.”


“I’m not.”


“Peter.” Nathan gave him a gentle shake.


“Huh?”


I’m not a mind reader, and I can hear you worrying. He ducked his head so Peter had to meet his eyes.


“Sorry. It’s just…”


“Just…?” Nathan prompted. Tell me.


Peter shook his head. “When I see you with those guys. Heidi and the boys.”


“Jealous?”


“No!” No, that wasn’t quite it. He couldn’t be jealous of them. They were family. “Just…”


Nathan let him flounder for a moment before Peter heard in his mind: I think I know what you’re getting at. Out loud Nathan said, “Monty had a dream.”


Peter tensed. “A bad dream?”


“No,” Nathan said quickly. “Well, he was mad, but I promised to take him and Simon to Disney World in June and he got over it.”


Peter frowned in confusion. “Mad about what?”


“Apparently I’m going on a two week camping trip.”


“Okay,” Peter said slowly, trying to connect camping trips to the conversation they’d been having, and coming up blank.


“With his Uncle Peter,” Nathan continued.


“Yeah?”


Alone. Together.


“Oh.” Peter felt the release of tension he didn’t even know he’d been carrying. The promise of having time alone with Nathan made him as excited as a child.


Nathan pulled Peter into a hug. There will always be room for you in my life, Peter.


“I know.” Suddenly Peter was feeling a little better. “You couldn’t keep me out if you tried.”


I know. “You ready?”


Peter stole a quick kiss before pulling away and brushing his hair out of his face. “Ready,” said Peter. He opened the door for Nathan, and they left the Oval Office side by side.




End.

---

Author’s Note: If you’ve read this far, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. I don’t get paid (and I don’t get internet residuals—I need to talk to my union!), so comments make me all warm and fuzzy. Concrit welcome. Thank you to those of you who’ve been commenting all along. Your encouragement helped make this happen on schedule.

---

Oh, there’s also a shiny new soundtrack to accompany the story, and it’s right here.

---

Comments

[dragonydreams.livejournal.com]

That ending was simply perfect!

I loved how Peter removed every single slave tattoo, making everyone appear equal again. So that with Nathan's help, they could be. They can't erase the past, but they can at least work to make it better.

I also thought it was very appropriate for Gabriel/Sylar to kill Alicia. One last brutal kill, but for a good reason.

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Thanks dear! I'm glad you liked Peter's method of restoring equality: hearkening back to the Sneeches, of course. And I wanted to give Sylar a chance to be a little evil, since that's still part of who he is. Thank you for commenting so faithfully throughout the series. It was much appreciated!

[furius.livejournal.com]

I have to confess, my heart's all on the Mylar (what a horrific last killing), but this is really an exciting story to read.

I don't know what else to say. I like the characters, their interactions, there's a comic-like quality to the adventures that I think really suited the story. The villains are properly villainous and the good guys have problems and one purpose..Still, there's actually a proper battle scene for the climax!

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

I appreciate that you gave this a go, even though you're all about the Mylar. Still, our guys got some angst and subtext this chapter. I'm glad the style works for you: when it comes to climactic battle scenes, it helps to have really eeeevil villains, and of course stirring music. Thanks for commenting!

[picklesofhstory.livejournal.com]

When I first saw the plot for this story ages ago I thought "Oh! Yummy Crack!fic that I'll never admit to reading." All I was looking for was a bit of fun. Slave!Peter and such, you know how those stories generally go. They're cringe worthy, but great for filling up your kinky porn quota.

Wow was I wrong. This was so substantial I can hardly wrap my mind around it. I expected an enjoyable, novel length, "bad fic" and received honest to god genuine plot, characterizations, and the like.

Every character played a part and at no point did I think "Ugh, enough already ... let's get back to the Nathan/Peter bromance, please." That in and of itself is amazing.

I'm kind of a little speechless (yeah, all this blathering is speechless for me :P ) and my adrenaline is literally pumping from the final battle scenes.

Excellent!

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Heehee! I know, I know. When I was explaining the concept of my Big Boom fic to my writing buddies, I got looks like, "So, you're writing cliched gay BDSM porn?" I'm guilty of reading stories that might not be as good, but have some fun kinks. Slave!fic is usually just for fun and ridiculousness, but plot kept getting into my porn this time, damnit.

And shucks, I'm glad I could subvert your expectations :D I always have a special place in my heart for Nathan and Peter, but as the second season went on, I got frustrated with some other characters not getting the kind of play I wished they would, so that definitely informed some of the scenes in recent chapters. I'm glad it wasn't too distracting from the main events. And ooo, pumping adrenaline! Sometime you should try re-reading it with some of the music from the soundtrack. It's times like that when I wish Heroes could actually have large-scale battles in the show! Come on, they can afford to shoot on the White House lawn, right?

Thanks so much for commenting--it means a lot!

[notapopstar.livejournal.com]

GUH. Just, GUH. That was absolutely BRILLIANT; I couldn't imagine a more perfect ending. This whole fic has just been so amazing- the plot and characterization were so good that I think the writers should take a few lessons from you. ;]

I really wish I had some more coherent thoughts and feedback, but I am just so blown away right now. All I can really say now is that you HAVE to keep writing fic, and if you don't, I'll have to sic Sylar on you.

And like my icon says, you are totally my hero. I really, really hope you write more fic, and I can't wait to read it!

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

*blushes* Thanks so much! I think I steal enough from the Heroes writers that I'm fine with them borrowing whatever they want-- I really want Sylar and Peter to be friends so they can play cat-and-mouse games :D

And don't worry, there will be more fic about. Maybe not novel-length, fic, but fic. There's one more installment of my Sylar/Peter 5YG non-con story, plus I've got the un_love_you challenge and 199 more prompts over at mission_insane. This hiatus, if it's as long as it looks like it might be, will nevertheless be filled with fic, damnit!

[lily22.livejournal.com]

I was mostly in this for the redeemed!Sylar, but I have to say that your Ando completely won me over. Tattoos are badass indeed! :) Thanks for a wonderful journey - my Fridays are going to be so empty from now on!

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Redeemed!Sylar turned into a much larger part of this story than I could have possibly imagined, but he really mostly wrote himself, I swear. And I'm glad you liked Ando! I was sad that he had almost nothing to do this season, so I thought it was only fair he get to be funny. :D I also feel a little bit weird about not having another chapter of this story to work on. I'll be sitting around on Friday saying, "Isn't there somthing I'm supposed to be doing...?"

Loved It!

[valentineknight.livejournal.com]

This was a great story and I loved it from start to finish. If you write any more fic for this fandom I will definitely read it.

Re: Loved It!

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! I'm glad it worked for you. There will definitely be more Heroes fic. In fact, my Heroes muse has been so agressive recently that it won't let me write anything else!

[principessahope.livejournal.com]

Oh my God. This is probably one of the most amazing fics I have ever read. Even from Loves the Burning Boy.
I have to be honest, the plot was almost better than actual Heroes episodes. It had me guessing, there was a ton of action (the way you wrote this whole last chapter proves it), the characters -- everything was perfect.
And the ending! I couldn't have wanted a better ending than the one you wrote!
Okay, I'm rambling, sorry, getting to the point.
I loved this, and I'm kinda sad to see it end.
<3 :)

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! I'm glad I was able to keep you interested and entertained. To tell the truth, I think I benefited from some of the disappointments of Heroes this season, because I often found myself saying, "Hm, maybe I shouldn't do that in my fic." Heh. I'm glad the ending worked for you-- it went through a few rewrites! And I don't mind rambling :) I'm kinda sad to see this monster come to an end as well, but it's not as if I'm going to stop writing! Also, thanks for your faithful commenting--it means a lot!

[meli-64.livejournal.com]

Great! Totally awesome ending! :D

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much!

[jacksinistral.livejournal.com]

I'm delurking as a reader to say thank you, I loved this:)(I meant to do so weeks ago, when you actually made me cry as Gabriel lost everything and seemed to be dying, but I was too upset at the time, and then life kicked in) This was beautifully written, the characters motivations and quirks seemed to fit according to canon, it was engaging, and so well plotted from beginning to end. Overall, this was wonderful and again thank you!

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Hee! Thanks for delurking! I'm very glad to hear that you've been enjoying it. I went back and re-read that chapter with Gabriel the other day, and it made me so sad that I had to read a later chapter to remind myself that everything turned out okay for him. Poor Gabriel! Anyway, thanks again for commenting!

[47-trek-47.livejournal.com]

Woo! Awesome! The action actually had me on the edge of my seat, which is hard, with written stuff. Very cool. I loved the Peter and Nathan bits, of course. Them coming back together as equals finally worked very well and organically.

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Ooo, edge of seat, eh? Yes, the action just wouldn't stop, for some reason. Everyone wanted their own damn scene! I'm glad the becoming equals thing worked for you. I thought it was a good payoff after all the angst of the previous 20 chapters or so. Thanks for commenting!

[moroi-shokubai.livejournal.com]

everything was so lovely & i read it all over two days. if this was ever printed i'd buy it and read it again. ;U;
i'm downloading the soundtrack and am looking forward to it lots.

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Oh, you got to do the marathon reading and not have to wait for chapters to come out :D I hope you enjoy the soundtrack-- I think it adds a certain something, especially to the action scenes. Thanks for commenting!

[coldryuuza.livejournal.com]

omg. this ending was perfect, so hopeful. :D
oh man, i'm so incoherent w/ happyness that i can't properly write a comment, but
sqqqquuuuuuuueeeeeee!!!

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Heehee. Thanks! I've been known to end stories unhappily, but after the Heroes season finale, I couldn't bear to do so. It seems crazy to me that this long strange trip is finally over. I'm glad you liked it, though :D

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Oooo! Detailed comments are such love-- you have no idea. Actually, you probably do have some idea. Anyway!

So I'm glad it lived up to your expectations--for me half the battle in finishing this chapter was doing everything I wanted to for every character. It was a lot of loose ends to wrap up!

Yes, demons all around. Jessica, D.L. and Micah didn't get as much "screen time," so I'm glad to see you picked up on their little moment. And Gabriel-- ah jeez. I thought he deserved one more chance to flip out, what with the bloody death for Alicia. Nobody liked her anyway. Personally, I love the image of Gabriel playing mountain man hermit when Mohinder finds him: think beard and flannel shirt. Sylar would be a great lumberjack. Also--hee. Mohinder's scarf makes an appearance in Chapter Ten and the Epilogue. Because why not?

LOL Hiro is totally yatta-ing in the painting! OMG, that's canon now.

Hee-- I was worried that throwing Molly out a window might be too far, but Alicia's horrible, so I'm glad it worked for you!

Yes, Peter crying black tears is eerily close to being Maya! Actually, Maya used to have a cameo in the battle scene (she was getting shot, heh heh), but then I decided I didn't want everyone to think Peter was using her power, so I took her out. I don't feel too bad about it, either, but I do still go to the Maya place when Nathan thinks Peter's crying black tears.

As far as Nathan/Peter-- I hadn't realized my icon could work for that, but now I'm totally imagining the ocean in the background when I look at it. And sure, Nathan and Peter have to be careful now, but, as the writer's say: It's okay, they're Itallian!

I'm a little sad to see the series end, too. I feel like I hardly know what to do with myself now! It's actually kind of like seeing a child grow up. I have empty nest syndrome! Aaargh! But thank you for your faithful comments all along. You are made of win!

Fabulous fan fiction which I've added to my memories

[georgie1700.livejournal.com]

because I definitely don't want to lose such a well-crafted and well-written story which had me glued to the screen these last couple of days.

Thank you for creating. Plus sharing your amazing imagination and talent with us.

I love how you have written all the characters but especially how you have written Nathan. He just jumps off the screen for me. Also Gabriel made me see him as Gabriel and not Sylar though Sylar came out when he thought Mohinder had died.

I love how you captured the nuances of Nathan's character, for example, Nathan finding it hard to express what it is he really needs(Peter). One of my many favorite lines in the story is when Peter tells Nathan, "I know the heart of you." because Peter knows what Nathan cannot express.

Another favorite part of the story is the Peter and Gabriel interaction.

Oooh, I almost forgot to mention how much I love the "Sneetches." That made me smule because that one of my favorite stories when I was growing up.

This last chapter had everything a girl could want and more. It wassuperb and the epilogue gorgeous.

Thank you again for sharing and creating such a magnificent tale.

More delicious stories please, when you are able to create them because I will read them delightfully.

georgie1700

Re: Fabulous fan fiction which I've added to my memories

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Hee. Your comment made me smile!

I'm glad you enjoyed the story! The charactarization was always a fine line for me, because the further we got in the story, the more history the characters had that was specific to this universe and not the actual Heroes timeline, but it's nice to hear that they worked for you! Nathan is such fun to write because he always needs to be in control, but he's still so vulnerable in many ways. I like that line, too, and I think it's something Nathan really needs to hear; he sometimes doubts that he is actually a good person.

Also, this Gabriel is very different from the usual Sylar, so I really enjoyed showing a glimpse of his old self in the last chapter, since Mohinder had been a big part of what was holding him back from being Sylar. And the Gabriel and Peter interaction kind of snuck up on me. They have a lot in common, especially with what they've both been through in this particular fic, so I thought it was only right that they become friends.

And Sneeches! They are seriously the perfect metaphor for the way Peter saved the world. Doctor Seuss pops up where you least expect him!

I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter-- I feel like I did nothing but write last week in order to get it out on time, but the response has been good, so it was worth it. :D

And I will certainly continue to write Heroes fic, although with this story over, I do feel a bit as if the world has ended. Never fear, though, the fic won't end with this. Thank you so much for commenting-- it's nice to get details about what you liked (so I can do more of same in the future)!

[knightdawn.livejournal.com]

WOW!!!! I'm so sad its ending, such an amazing story and you write awesomely!!!!

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much! I'll kind of miss it, too. I'm toying with the idea of throwing in a few more interludes of things that I wanted to address in earlier chapters but never did. We'll see. If I miss the story too much it might happen. :D

[mirabehn.livejournal.com]

Ah! I've been enjoying this so very, very much. Exciting plot, beautiful characterisation, fascinating take on the whole mythos, moving emotional stooff and very hot sex (including Mylar with Mohinder on top!). I didn't want it to end. :-)

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I try to take my inspiration from what goes on in the show, and they certainly have a damn rich mythos to draw from, so I'm lucky! I'm gald you enjoyed it-- including the Mylar, which was a first for me. Thanks for commenting-- comments are love!

[madtheo.livejournal.com]

Just finished reading this epic as well as Love's the Burning Boy and I must say that they were both fantastic!! The detail in your story telling is exceptional and the characterization is spot on. I'm only glad I just caught onto this now as it would have been agonizing for me to wait for new chapters! I hope that you keep writing lengthy tales like this. The adrenaline running through your stories really kept me on the edge of my seat with wondering how they were going to be able to resolve all of their personal issues as well as save the world. Wonderful job!

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yes, I hear that reading it all in one go is the way to do it. Just ask people who've been reading as I've gone along-- I'm evil about cliffhangers. But I'm glad the story worked for you! One great thing about Heroes characters is usually their personal issues either coincide with big dramatic world events, or at least have some sort of symbolism attached. It makes for fun writing! And I have no idea what my next big fic will be. I have a few one-shots in the works, but I usually have trouble letting one-shots go-- I always want to expand on the story. Ah well. Anyway, thank you for commenting-- it makes my heart happy!

[devils-almond.livejournal.com]

I feel terrible because there is no way to properly tell you how entertaining this whole saga was for me. I really want to print all of this out and carrying it around like a book. I can't wait to read more from you!

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Aw shucks. Warning: printing out this story may cause world-wide ink and paper shortages! At least, that's what it felt like when I would print out chapters to edit on my lunch break :D But I'm glad you enjoyed it! There is more Heroes fun on the way, and I'm sure I'll dive into a new long-form fic eventually. Thanks for commenting!

[feyuca.livejournal.com]

Wow...that was well worth waiting for. :) Every chapter you've written has been simply amazing. I love the Mohinder/Gabriel moment at the end, and Nathan/Peter oddly reminded me of Brokeback Mountain. Hehe.

Well. All your characters were very well done, the plot was brilliant... Although, out of all of your awesomeness, the parts about Gabriel and his development from villain to hero were my favourites. :D It was magnificent...I don't know how much more praise I can give. XD

I LOVE YOU. That should be the answer. :) (next to 42..)

Keep writing, please! <3 You are my idol.

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

42! Thanks so much! I'm glad you've enjoyed the story. Each chapter had its own little chalenges, but they also gave me a chance to explore various aspects of different characters-- hence why I got to have room for Gabriel in addition to the Petrellicest! I keep saying this, but Gabriel was not originally meant to be as big a part of this story, but he just kept writing himself into scenes, and being all compelling and stuff. He wanted to be redeemed, man!

Anyway, thanks for commenting. I'll keep writing as long as people keep reading :D

[alwaysenduphere.livejournal.com]

Whoohoo! Its done and its amazing, of course!

Must say I've never been a Mylar fan, but you made me like 'em.

And your Peter and Nathan are made of the biggest win ever.

(I was totally gonna do the whole long, detailed comment thing. But seriously? I can't find anything to pull out and talk about, it was all so AMAZING!!!) :)

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Well thanks! I've never really gotten on the Mylar train, but it seemed to work with this particular version of Gabriel and Mohinder, so I went with it. I'm glad Peter and Nathan worked for you-- sometimes I had trouble balancing their charactarization from the show with the experiences the characters have had in this universe, but ultimately I think it worked out. Thanks for commenting!

[jen-chan13.livejournal.com]

YAY!!!!! happy happy ending! somehow in some crazy way it all worked out in the end. *baffled at life* but in a good way! ^___^

i was happy to see the subliminal mylar, and this epilogue makes me go all squishy and wish for another sequel. yay for monty's powers! and hiro and ando are so cool- they don't have any slashy subtext or anything, but they're better that way.

when you made the doctor suess reference, i at first thought they would somehow give everyone a tattoo, so when peter started working his combination magic, i got really confused. *grins* but this works too. i'm happy that hiro got to keep his, actually- the godsend reference is good. it'd be nice if the same thing could happen in real life, with symbols like the swastika, which meant happiness and unity until the nazis used it. /geekery.

and srsly, what happened with dl and jessica? how did they not both die? *SO confused*

overall: LOVE! <3 <3

[jaune-chat.livejournal.com]

They did not die because Hiro bent time to stop their deaths. Since he was in an alternate time when Peter was doing his mass tattoo-removal, that's why he kept his tattoo. Clever use of his powers to prevent poor Micah from losing his parents. Again.

By the by BrightEyed Jill, you did do a really good job on trying to finish all the separate threads of your story. And you were frugal in not following every single one to the end, which I think made for a stronger narrative. Yeah, you could have wrapped up every single thing neatly, but that would have made for an epilogue as long as the previous two chapters combined. So yay for focusing on those we had the most investment in! :-)

[violacoye.livejournal.com]

Just a brief note to tell you hw much I have enjoyed the story. Thanks

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reading!

[ebonyguitarchic.livejournal.com]

So I've spent the entire weekend reading this story and it's predecessor And while I wanted to commit may times throughout the story I forced myself to leave all thoughts till the end. So here is my opinion short and sweet: you have a beautiful talent. You're writing isn't like fanfic writer, it's more akin to the writers of Heroes and deserving of the same praise. This was probably the best series I have read. During the Writers Strike I was worried I would have to settle to ideas of fans around the world but while reading this I felt as if I was watching a spin-off. I started to see the actors faces during heart clenching scenes and at many times audibly gasped or sighed in response.

You have an extraordinary gift and I would like to thank you for sharing it.

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Well first of all, thanks! You're making me blush! I know that the "next chapter" button can be so tempting. Many is the night I've stayed up long past bedtime just to get to the end of an excellent story...

I'm glad this story reminded you of the style of the show. One of my goals in writing this was to pattern it after the show itself, complete with multiple inter-woven storylines and pesky cliffhangers. I loved the first season of Heroes, and as I started to become a little frustrated by some of the season two storylines, it only inspired me to avoid the same pitfalls with my story. So ultimately I think I benefited from the writers' woes this season! I'm glad the characters matched with your mental image of the show-- there's nothing like hearing dialogue in the actor's voice (or as you said, seeing their faces in the scenes) to make it come to life.

Thanks so much for your kind words. Comments are love!

[azicrow.livejournal.com]

I've read all of your AU volume 1 and 2 and the missing scene for the past two days and i just wanted to say it was wonderful. I'm not really a pettrellicest fan so this fic was a new experience too:)

Well done:)

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Ah, a Petrellicest newcomer, eh? I assume you came here via the Mylar porn (because what better way to draw in new readers than by Mylar?!), so thanks for giving the Petrellicest a shot. I'm glad you got to read it all in a weekend-- those who had to read over the course of six months keep telling me my cliffhangers are evil :) Thanks so much for commenting!

[(Anonymous)]

Wow. I just read this whole thing through. It took five hours. My eyes hurt, but it was worth it.

I could have hoped for just an ickle bit more Mylar, which is what I was originally looking for; but was there was beautifully written, and very believable. All the relationships, romantic or otherwise, were spot on.

I love your Heidi. I love how even the very minor characters felt important, felt like real people, felt like theemselves. Every little detail was in 3D, and that's what turns a good fic into a great fic.

I could go on for almost as long as it took me to read this, but I won't. I'm just going to go read the rest of your stuff.

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much!

I assume you came here via the Mylar interlude? In fact, as you may have noticed in Burning Boy Mylar was not originally intended to be part of this fic. But then Gabriel sort of elbowed his way in and demanded to be in love with Mohinder. Since the story was so heavily Petrellicest, I couldn't really justify having too much Mylar, but I still wanted to tell their story. So we still get Sylar/Mohinder angst, and the sex had to be in an interlude (sorry boys!).

I wanted the minor characters to still be crucial, since that's something the writers do very well on the show, so I'm glad that worked for you. I hope you enjoy the rest of my stuff :D Burning Boy was actually the first Heroes fic I posted, and it took up so much of my time that other plot bunnies fell by the wayside... but now that it's over, I'll have the time to devote to some new mischief. Thanks for reading and commenting!