Summary: Someone suspicious is killing Nathan and someone familiar flies in to save him. My version on how Peter returns.
Basically a one-shot stretched out for four chapters
Contains pieces borrowed from the poem "Strange Victory" by Sara Teasdale
1
The entire city was ablaze.
Nathan's nightmares were starting to come true. His family, everyone he loved, knew and cared about, was falling apart piece by piece. And just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, the phantom force came after Nathan himself.
To this, to this, after my hope was lost,
To this strange victory;
Blood on his hands, blood on his face, running down his arms in twin rivers. The hooded figure standing over him let out something akin to a growl, forced laughter. His face was obscured by shadows, distorted further by the blood dripping in Nathan's eyes.
How is he doing this to me? Nathan's thoughts jumped back to his mother's brutal attack at the police station, how Officer Parkman had come to the rescue at the last minute. Oh how I could use my own hero right now.
Nathan felt himself being hauled upright, being led to the edge of the building. He couldn't force himself to look down; he was beginning to feel an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.
He felt a shove from his attacker and he was airborne, plummeting into the night. Nathan shouted. Everything was happening in slow motion. He was too disoriented to fly; the loss of blood had caused his head to start spinning back up on the roof. Nathan was powerless – there was nothing for him to do but wait for impact and pray for God to take him.
The impact came first. Nathan swore as a ghostlike force crushed into his side, pushing the air from his lunges. But the force didn't intensify – it seemed to wrap around his waist, willing Nathan to remain in the sky. That's when he noticed – they were still in the air.
The stranger's attempt failed, and, for the second time that night, Nathan spiraled toward the street below.