DISCLAIMER:

I do not own any of these character nor am I affiliated in any way with the show HEROES

Title: Fracture
By: TheMovieGrrl
Rating: R (violence)
Prompt #28: Death
Words: 1466
Fandom: Heroes
Characters: Sylar, Hiro, Niki, Peter
Pairing: Niki/Peter
Genre: Drama, AU

Note: Can't get enough? For any Niki/Peter Fans there is a LiveJournal community for them - www(dot)livejournal(dot)com/community/niki(insert underscore)peter/

Summary: Set in the future, inspired by the "idea" of what String Theory (ep 20) is supposed to be about in general. A Hero makes the ultimate sacrifice as another surrenders to destiny.

I.

Disoriented and confused, he could feel the rush of blood to the head, sitting on the floor while cradling her body. 10 minutes. It was all the time Sylar needed to get to Niki, but not enough to steal her powers.

"We can't stay here," Hiro placed his hand on Peter's shoulder.

"She knew I could heal, I would have come back…but she did it anyway." He couldn't focus; the rage was consuming him quickly, "Why?" The question repeated over and over in his mind as he stared at her lifeless body, pools of blood began congealing on the floor. The plan was for them to meet at her loft, a final attempt to do one last job.

II.

As soon as Peter entered the tenement, sounds of objects crashing, furniture dragging, and glass breaking shot through the hallway.

Rushing through the locked door, Peter was horrified to find Niki pinned against the wall; steel thick carving knives drilled through each forearm. Her bruised face was nothing compared to Sylar, who look as if he took as many punches.

"WHERE IS HE?!" Sylar's voice boomed, sending another blade at her, this time hitting its mark at her side. Letting out a scream, Niki coughed up more blood; rivulets of it streamed at the corners of her lips as she remained defiant, glaring back at him.

Responding with a sideways smile, "Is that all you got? You pathetic piece of shit!" Without so much as a blink, she thrust her left arm forward; forcing the blade to cut straight through.

"Let her go!" Peter interrupted and blasted Sylar across the room against a large oak bookcase. Dazed for a moment, Sylar wasted no time in retaliating back. With one glare, he came at Peter with twice the amount of force; throwing him amongst a pile of broken glass at the far corner.

All hell was breaking loose, and Niki took the opportunity to painfully pull out the knife at her side quickly before freeing her right arm. Immediately, she dropped to the floor. Concentrating, she focused all her remaining energy and strength to stand up. She needed to grab something large enough to nail Sylar in his tracks.

"You really know how to make an entrance, don't you?" Sylar approached Peter steadily, lining up rows of sharp knives from the kitchen, pointing them within a short distance.

"No…no…no…this isn't how it's supposed to happen," Niki panicked before Jessica finally spoke out. "DO IT." Grabbing what was left of the coffee table, she sent it slamming against the back of Sylar's head; catching him completely off guard, and buying enough time to reach Peter.

Clamping down on the pain which began to numb her side, Niki rushed to Peter. Helping him up she urged him towards the door, "Go! Just Go!"

"C'mon," he wrapped his arm around her, and made their way out when something caught Niki's attention. In her peripheral vision she saw something glimmer, the reflection against the light made it look metallic.

"No!" She whirled Peter around until she was facing him; blue eyes piercing through to him with an expression of shock. Before he could respond, she slumped to the ground.

A shadow cast over the both of them as he knelt beside her. "It's Sylar." Looking up Hiro stood there. Peter heard his thoughts the moment he stepped inside the loft.

"Perfect timing," Sylar motioned in the foreground he started at the bloody scene, smiling with perverse pleasure. The powers were going to be all his now. It was his fate. "Let's get to the good part, shall we?" Suddenly the room began to shake, the hardwood flooring began to rip at its foundation. He was literally tearing the place appear.

Swiftly, Hiro closed his eyes, concentrating on time; the slow movements of a clock raced in his thoughts. Opening his eyes, the world around him was suspended in time. He surveyed the room when he noticed the broken sliding glass door leading to the balcony.

"You wanted to fly so badly, here's your chance." He said staring at frozen figure, "I'd kill you but it's not my destiny…not anymore," Seizing him by the shoulders, Hiro threw him over the balcony before time came back in motion.

CRASH!

The floorboards fell back in place its sound echoed along with Sylar's screams as he fell swiftly. Redirecting his energy, Sylar motion himself upward and in an instant began to fly quickly through the clouds. He would nurse his wounds and come back…when Hiro couldn't get in the way.

III.

The syringe plunged deep into the back of her neck, and immediately she felt numb as exhaustion swept over her. The lost of blood was too much, but somehow she knew it was more than just her wounds.

Peter found the needle and took it out, "You're going to be okay, I promise." His voice soothed, he remained calm although he felt his nerves shot to hell. He would call on Linderman's ability, he would heal her, and everything would be fine. He needed to believe it; he didn't have a choice anymore.

"You can't…this isn't…" The beat of her heart throbbed in long, slow intervals, and she knew she didn't have much time. Without warning, she felt the salty tears flow down her face. It was over now. Raising her hand, Niki placed it against Peter's cheek, holding his gaze before slipping away.

"No…" He place his hands at the side of her face, pressing gently at her temples." Let's bring you back." He felt the surge of energy pass through him and wash over Niki.

Nothing.

"What's wrong, why isn't this happening?" He held onto her as panic hit him, he could bring her back. Linderman had shown him. This isn't how his powers are supposed to work.

"She's gone, Peter." Hiro returned to the room where Peter sat, holding her, and slightly beginning to rock. "The serum, it's what the government has been using against us. Somehow, Sylar—"

"I can't go through this again, Hiro." Peter interrupted. Niki got caught in the crossfire and now she was gone. Because of him. "Not again…not again, do you hear me?"

IV.

They hadn't been together for long, romantically at least, when DL chose to work for the government and go against the cause. The result of his betrayal floored everyone, but no one took it harder than Niki. Peter, alone, was able to reach out, enter her thoughts, and suppress the impulses Jessica held over her. In doing so, they became inseparable, and nothing could stop them as they infiltrated The Company; nothing that is, until now. He understood the ghosts of her past without having to ask; sometimes it was good, sometimes it was bad. Never, did Peter feel her abilities were a burden. It was their dangerous, beautiful gift, and she remained by his side.

He told himself it was loyalty and passion but not love that brought them together. Once, he was sure of it. Yet everything was different now.

"Call it instinct, Peter." He approached closer to him. "You knew her best. You had to know how she felt."

"I never thought she could…" his voice trailed off as he remembered the look of disdain on her face, "Last night, she said we lost the war. Her last words, Hiro, I didn't say anything…I just left her behind…" Peter paused, his voice felt hoarse and dry but his body felt numb.

Placing, a hand on his shoulder, Hiro reached in his pocket and passed him a wrinkled paper; a photocopy image of surveillance footage capturing Peter within The Company, dead on the floor with a syringe in his neck.

"What is this? What did we change now?" he looked over to Hiro; his eyes held intensity mixed with grief and anger.

"It was Niki. She gave it to me last night and…" Hiro's voice drifted off as he came to a sudden realization, "Last night. She said she was done, and nothing would be the same. She said she couldn't handle it."

"Because of this?" he crushed the paper in his hand, "This isn't me. Hiro, we changed everything." The tension in his voice rose as he clamped down on the rage swelling inside of him. "This isn't how it's supposed to end."

"Not anymore, Peter. She stopped it."

"I don't want to leave her like this…" he brushed the strands of hair from Niki's face; kissing her forehead, Peter leaned in and whispered, "I'll fix this…all of it."

"They're coming!" Hiro's urgent voice called out to Peter as a rush of footsteps echoed from behind the door. Gently placed Niki's body aside, Peter stared one last time before removing his long black jacket.

"I wish things could have been different," He placed the jacket over her body, and joined Hiro's side.

"I know, Peter. I know."