Disclaimer: I have never owned Heroes or any of its associated whatevers, nor is this likely to occur any time soon.
Continuity? Eh... before Arthur came onto the scene. Call it just after Peter got all his memories back, season 2. Maybe while traveling with Adam.
At night, when he couldn't sleep, Peter Petrelli would look at the stars and think of Caitlin. He would think of her, and his memories of her would war with his memories of Simone, and he would wonder what the point of love was when all it did was hurt.
He had killed them both. He'd left Caitlin in a dead world with no hope of rescue, and it was his fault Simone was shot. He'd been invisible, and Isaac was aiming for him. Simone just got in the way, and died in Isaac's arms. Peter could still see both their faces in his nightmares.
He saw a lot of faces in his nightmares.
Both in this time and every future he'd been to, how many had been hurt because of him? Because he couldn't use his powers right, because of blocked memories, because of his own stupidity, people had gotten hurt. When he didn't think of Caitlin, Peter spent his nights remembering those people, cursing his inability to predict, to protect, to win when it really counted. Every day he failed to kill Sylar was another of Sylar's victims that he, Peter, was responsible for.
He'd always wanted to save the world, but the world suddenly seemed a lot bigger.
Or maybe he was just really, really small.
Claire. How many times had her regenerative powers been the only thing that saved her, simply because Peter wasn't enough to protect her? How many times had her regenerative powers saved him, and so many others? She was just a child, lonely and confused, but he couldn't even help her with that. He couldn't help her.
Hiro. The one who led him to Clair. The one who gave him the resolve to complete his task. He understood what it meant to save the world, even if Peter was too slow to catch on in time. Who knew where he was now?
Mohinder, who'd opened the doorway to endless possibilities. Claude, who unlocked Peter's abilities, and who gave him the means to accomplish his task. Isaac, who gave him the information he needed, even after everything he'd done. Matt, who sought nothing but answers, and helped Peter find his own. Ted, who gave Peter his greatest weapon, and greatest curse. Nikki, who tried so hard to do what was right. Noah, who did only what he had to, nothing more. Claire, who showed more courage than any girl her age should have to show. Nathan...
Nathan, whom Peter so very nearly killed. Who willingly laid his own life down to save millions. Who finally understood what it meant to do the right thing.
Nathan, he thought, you're the hero, not me. I was afraid, but you took care of me, Nathan. Just like you always do.
The stars twinkled down outside Peter's window, and he suddenly felt smaller than ever. How was he supposed to save the world? He couldn't save his own family. He couldn't even save himself.
He couldn't save the woman he loved.
At night, when he couldn't sleep, Peter Petrelli would look at the stars and think of love, war, and the identical pain that both caused.
Then he would sigh, roll over, and resign himself to yet another sleepless night.
Win? Fail? Divide by zero? Review and tell me what you think.