Title: The show must go on.

Pairings: Peter/Emma; Sylar/Claire; Noah/Lauren; Ando/Kimiko; Samuel/OC

Warnings: Strong language, violence, blood, and a few OC's.

Summary: After the last scene the screen goes black but our heroes still have stories to tell. Revelations, alliances and new threats arise, how will everyone react? Post BNW.

A/N: re-edited and re-vamped a bit. This was my summer project (sort of) hope someone enjoys it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes; if I did, I would have given the series a proper ending *_*

Italics are thoughts.

CHAPTER 1: THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Another hero, another mindless crime

Behind the curtain, in the pantomime

Hold the line, does anybody want to take it anymore

The show must go on,

Inside my heart is breaking

My make-up may be flaking

But my smile still stays on.

"The Show Must Go On", by Queen

The first thought that crossed her bewildered mind was: oh shit.

Then: that girl should be dead.

And finally: I will win an award for this.

The baffled journalist, Helen Ribb, was only a few feet from the girl; the girl who was now settling what appeared to be a rib from her torso back into place. Leaning over in amazement, she shook her head; the words left her but she had to say something, right? After all, years of study and experience in the field of journalism should be helpful in a time like this - a significant moment for all of humanity and a clearly defining moment in her career.

"Uhm… are you, like, for real?"

Should being the key word. Perfect! Now I will never get my place as co-host, she shook her head in disappointment.

The girl gave her what appeared to be a funny look laced with annoyance.

"Yes I'm real and before any of you ask, I´m one hundred percent human… Only that I heal from any injury; that's what I do…"

People surrounded the girl expectantly. She shifted her weight from one foot to another, overwhelmed. She now lacked the initial confidence with which she had given her speech just moments ago. The petite blonde also seemed to be looking for someone in the crowd. 'She is not alone,' Helen thought. There were people with her before, maybe she is part of a group or something, she thought and clicked her tongue.

"Are there are others like you, Miss Bennet?" she cocked her head; now firm in her line of thinking, Co-host, here I come.

The girl, Claire, seemed to lose all the color from her dirty face with that one question. She once again attempted to find someone in the sea of faces. I got you. Helen was inwardly grinning.

"Well… I´m, I mean-"

Before she could give a proper response, a new figure appeared in Helen's line of vision; a man with tousled hair. He grabbed the girl's shoulder and gave her a lopsided smile. Then he turned from her, all seriousness as he addressed the journalists congregated before them.

"Sorry, no more questions," he simply stated and turned to leave with the girl.

Helen wasn't going to have any of that. The other reporters started to disperse but she ran behind the pairing. "Hey, I wasn't talking to you!" She shouted and tried to grab the girl's arm. She wouldn't let anyone ruin the exclusive interview. Suddenly another man appeared before her; he was taller and lankier that guy number one. He had bigger eyebrows too, but that only added a more threatening appearance.

"Didn´t you heard? The show is over," he quipped, nonchalantly, waving his hand.

"Hey! We represent and express the will of the masses, you can´t do this!" She said fiercely, advancing on him.

"And we are expressing our desire to not talk to you, so back off." He bore a glint of something menacing in his eyes. Infuriated beyond the limits, Helen turned her head an inch, but her eyes never left the rude man.

"Frank, are you recording this?" She asked through clenched teeth; she didn't receive a verbal reply. Exasperated, she turned. "Frank! I asked you a question!" She addressed her cameraman more directly; what she saw there did nothing to help improve her mood.

"I don't know what happened…" Frank babbled. Looking down, she stared at the remaining parts of his camera lying only a few feet from where he stood.

"You threw the camera, idiot!" Helen couldn't believe her luck; here she was, facing what could be a defining moment in her career - not just only my career, this is a defining event in world history; shit! The history books will have my name in it and it will be pathetic all because of Frank - with a cameraman who can't even hold his camera. She felt like throwing a tantrum but she refrained; that would not help much. Frank continued to babble away.

"I swear-I didn't. One moment I was there recording everything, and the next the camera just flew out of my hands." He shook his head, staring wide eyed at the floor. Of course; not only is he incompetent but he is also wasted. Helen gripped the microphone still in her hand.

"Go there and pick it up, maybe we can make it work; we're losing valuable seconds here!" She yelled, taking a breath she tried to regain some sort of semblance again. She looked over her shoulder but what she found was nothing.

No super girl.

No lopsided-smile man.

Not even the rude guy.

NOTHING!

She pivoted in her place. This can't be right; they have to be here somewhere, she thought, searching everywhere. Her face fell; to her dismay, the two men and the girl were gone. "They can't just disappear into thin air?" She frantically said and turned to Frank again. "Right?"

Frank looked at her with more questions than answers in his eyes; his tired face was pulled into a deep frown. Certainly after the events of the night he seemed to be unsure of life in itself. Helen cried in frustration as she wailed, "There goes my promotion!"

Frank agreed with her statement.

Reality crashed over them like a truck.

The first to recover from the sudden change was Peter. Contrary to the others, he did have a little more experience in the motions of space travel.

With a relieved smile, he took in the little Japanese man's appearance; the same that had proved to be an invaluable asset in more than one adventure and that was currently holding his arm. Hiro wasn't slouching anymore, Peter noted. His cherubic face had lost the sickly tone that had been a source of worry not so long ago. The old Hiro was back and at his side, Ando stood proud.

"Hiro, Ando," Peter greeted them both. "You have no idea how glad I am that you two are here! That woman was a pain in the ass." There was a reason why he didn't like to attend Petrelli socials functions – journalists were not his forte. "I owe you both one, buddies."

The time traveler released his hold on Peter's arm and bowed his head. "No problem, Peter, it was my duty." He briefly smiled but his shoulders were tense, betraying his true state of mind. He turned to Sylar, who had opted to remain inconspicuous as he tried to blend into the shadows around them. "I have to ask what's he doing here?" It was clear that he wasn't going to be addressed directly by Hiro.

"It´s all right, none of you need to worry about him." Peter tried to reassure them. "He is here to help."

Ando had been silent but in the light of the situation he decided it was time to intervene.

"Peter, he is a murderer; he cannot be trusted!"

The paramedic grimaced. For him, it was easy to understand but they had not spent the last five years getting to know the man behind the monster like him. For them, Sylar continued being the bogeyman.

Before he could say something, his newest friend spoke. "I understand you all have reasons to be wary of me," his voice was soft, "I mean after all I did, who wouldn't?" Sylar seemed to be battling a war with himself as he passed an agitated hand through his dirty hair. "I know it's not much but for what little it could mean, I'm sorry," Sylar said.

He wasn't expelling an evil laugh or slicing flesh with his finger like a claw. Much to Ando's surprise, his voice held a hint of sorrow. Is he telling the truth? Ando shook his head. It can't be.

"I'm a different man now; I'm trying to correct my mistakes. If all of you could just give me a chance, I promise you will not regret it."

If Ando didn't know any better he would have said that Sylar was really begging for acceptance Could it be true? Is he doing the hero thing now? Hiro shared a glance with him before he could make a more verbal judgment on the subject and Ando nodded to let him talk.

"We have all suffered the consequences of your actions at some point," Hiro said in a grim voice. Sylar dropped his shoulders and looked down, remembering all the horrible things he had done. He knew he deserved the glares and hate but he wanted the opportunity to make amends, to do right. He didn't know what he was expecting before. The CEO of Yamagato Industries continued. "But some of us have also seen you doing good." Hiro thought about how the same man in front of him had saved Charlie in the past. Sylar casted a look at him again. "True virtue is in those who stop and recognize the flaws of their actions. I must warn you the path of a hero isn't one easy to walk; are you willing to put the needs of others before yours? To confront evil? To help doing the right thing?"

He was all gravity and stiffness as he spoke; Sylar looked astonished. He had expected yells, an outburst of utter rejection; was this man serious? Apparently so because he wasn't laughing in his face or throwing snarky comments, he just stood there waiting for a response, simple as that. Shaking off his initial stupor, he nodded with equal seriousness."Yes I am."

"Then welcome to the team." Hiro stretched out his hand for the other to shake smiling reassuringly at him.

The watchmaker took it between his own and the tiniest of upwards curvature show on his lips. The tension in the air seemed to dissipate with the gesture. This sensation was a new one, the camaraderie that rolled out from these men, otherwise strangers but not in this time; in this reality they became a team, a group united for nobles causes.

And now he was part of it; it was a feeling that he could get used to. Ando bit his lip. He wasn't so sure about this new development but he figured that if his dearest friend could give Sylar a chance, then he could do it too. Like a probation time, he thought, giving a nod to the apparently-redeemed serial killer.

"Okay, but I'll be watching you." Still, he felt the need to point that out while trying to look intimidating but not doing a very good job at it. Sylar shook his head amused.

"It´s all right, Ando; I guess I can handle that." It is a start, Sylar thought.

Peter witnessed the whole scene with a knowing smile, happy that his friend was finally getting someone's approval, a purpose, and a place to belong.

It was a brave new world for sure.

Claire was in shock.

After making what could probably be the most important decision on her life, she was now, only minutes after her dip from the Ferris wheel, witnessing one of the most surreal moments she had ever seen.

Sylar, a part of the good guys? I must have beaten my head much harder than I thought.

She felt nauseous, even with her regeneration intact.

It had all started wrong. First when that pesky reporter had begun to ask questions; very inquisitive questions. Claire blanched. She wasn't sure if she had the right to reply. After all, she had shown her ability to the world, yes, but ultimately it was her decision to do so under the circumstances she wanted. Claire didn't want to give information about other specials.

So when she saw Peter, she felt a soothing cloud of relief encircling her. Mostly because it stopped the woman from asking more questions but also because, with his crooked smile, Peter was offering her something – reassurance. He was proving her that in a sea of faces, she had people on her side. Her dad had left her alone and she was sure to mourn his sudden disappearance later but as for now, Peter had shown up; her hero. She relished in the strength that, until then, Claire had not realized she'd lost.

Of course, that feeling of security didn't last long when she saw another familiar figure approaching.

Sylar was there too.

Not only was he there, but he was also trying to separate the journalist from her side. The nausea had started just in that moment.

What the hell is he doing here?

Then the camera flew out from the hands of the cameraman with the mere movement of his finger, so much like he had always done. Hiro and Ando appeared out of nowhere, teleporting all of them to some forest, God only know where, all in the blink of an eye.

The last thing Claire heard were the cries of the journalist to her subordinate. She didn't sound happy. Of course teleportation did nothing to improve the impending nausea she was feeling. But what was the straw that broke the camel's back was definitely the exchange that happened next.

Peter saying Sylar was now on their side.

Nausea.

Sylar asking for forgiveness and an opportunity to prove he'd changed.

Double nausea.

Hiro an Ando accepting that and shaking hands with the enemy.

Triple nausea.

She felt her knees give away under the weight of her body and her vision darkened. Regeneration be dammed, she could still feel sick. Luckily Peter was still holding her by the shoulder and was able to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Claire, are you okay?" Peter asked, concern dancing in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better now." She was slowly recovering her strength; no doubt her ability was in full swing by now.

"You are pale; did you eat today?" It was endearing in some odd way. She didn't have her dad but instead received a paramedic uncle. Claire grimaced, remembering how her day had been.

Locked in a trailer with said dad on the verge of death.

Ruining Samuel's plan of doom.

Jumping from the Ferris wheel in front of a crowd.

Listening to the emo-serial-killer's apology.

Definitely no time to eat anything, she thought bitterly.

"No I didn't eat but believe me that is the last of my worries right now," she replied, glaring at the killer who was standing a few feet away from her. Sylar felt himself shrinking from the power of her gaze, so full of bitterness of unadulterated hate. He looked away, uncomfortable.

"Listen Claire," Peter said, diverting Claire's attention from his former enemy. "I know this seems very strange to you, but it has been a very stressful day for everyone here and we have yet to talk about what you did a moment ago." He used a soft voice, begging for her to understand reason.

"Peter I know that what I did wasn't right for you but you have to understand that it was something that would eventually come to the surface and I couldn´t keep living with the uncertainty of when or how." She was exasperated, raising her voice with each word. She just wanted to find some normalcy from the chaos that was her life. "But he can kill everyone here with a movement of his hand!" She felt the corners of her eyes start to prickle with tears. "I thought you already knew that," She brokenly whispered; he had murdered her father, Peter's brother.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Claire; not you or anyone else here." All eyes were shifted to the man as he spoke. "I'm a changed man," he added in a gentle voice. His eyes were fixed upon her, so intense and full of remorse. She almost longed for the black pools of murder in his eyes that she was accustomed to so she could feel that something was familiar in the middle of this weird situation. She forced herself not to look away. "Yeah sure, and how long until you decide it's boring and start throwing parts of bodies everywhere?"

Ando shuddered at the mental image.

"Claire, I promise you I will not let that happen." Peter intervened. "I will explain all in due time but right now we need to focus on other things," he uttered. Claire looked at him for a moment and then sighed, defeated.

"Whatever." Clearly annoyed she turned and started to walk toward a small clearing. She was not looking forward to the things Peter had to say about Sylar, mostly because she was afraid of the repercussions of it. Will I be forced to work alongside him now? She shuddered. Tired out of her bones, the day was starting to affect her more than it should. Hiro made to follow but Peter stopped him.

"Just… let her go; she needs time to think about everything and I need you to do me a favor."

Hiro nodded. "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Could you go back to the carnival and bring Emma? We left her in one of the tents and she is probably freaking out." Utterly embarrassed, Peter felt terrible for leaving her alone.

"Oh, Emma! I didn't know she was there too! Coming right away!"

Hiro blinked from sight. Peter then looked at Ando. The Oriental pointed behind him.

"I'm going to check on the carnies," he said and disappeared behind some trees behind them. It was then that Peter realized there were the former followers of Samuel around them. Hiro must have transported all of us to the same place, he thought. He breathed a sigh of relief; that certainly took one problem away. Turning, he lay eyes on Sylar. Lost in thought, the ex-serial killer was staring in the direction where Claire had gone.

"You know, nobody said it would be easy with everyone." Peter said, trying to lighten the mood. The reformed serial killer looked at him, a tiny smile forming on his lips.

"Well, you know me; I've always loved challenges."

And it was true, Peter had never met anyone more determined in his life; but for all the determination of his friend, Claire had equal amounts of stubbornness. Peter shuddered, thinking about the days to come. This is not going to be pretty, he thought.

His left hand was numb.

The handcuffs were cutting off circulation at the wrist level, preventing the proper passage of the precious vital fluid and certainly the position in which he was sitting - arms forcibly tied behind his back - did nothing to relieve the pressure.

The bench was cold and hard. A wet spot on the ceiling dripped to the floor relentlessness. He was getting impatient.

Samuel was playing with the tips of the crown that made his ring; it had always been his favorite.

They had ruined his plan, took his family away, and left him powerless. The family that had cost him so much work to create, to nurture and grow. The powers that had made him unique among the unique. He had fallen under the weight of his own downfall and had been thrown unceremoniously into one of the police cars; left there to wait for punishment, accidentally leaving him to witness a major turning point in history.

Good fortune had smiled on him again. Oh yes, Samuel was laughing at the irony of the entire situation. Claire, the nosy immortal who had ruined his plans, had jumped from the Ferris wheel, effectively making specials a known case. It was all he'd wanted to do too. He had laughed hysterically the entire road trip to his awaiting cell.

By the time he had stopped, they left him in this hole; he expected no less from Noah Bennet's friends. A filthy cell in a place that had known better times with a single guard; a guard who was now snoring away without restrictions from across the room. It really seems that luck is on my side, he thought with a smile full of wickedness.

"Hey you! What, a man doesn´t even deserve a glass of water?" He shouted to the guard, causing him to roll from his seat and fall crumpled to the floor.

"Where… what?" came his confused reply.

"A glass of water," Samuel replied, doing his best personification of a pitiful guy.

Luke, the guard, had been warned beforehand of the dangerous man. But just as he was, handcuffed and looking totally miserable, he couldn't deny the man some water. He was only human after all. So he got up and went to fetch a glass, coming back to the cell a minute later and carrying a glass full of water.

"Thanks, you're a good man," Samuel smiled warmly. "It's a shame you had to end this way."

Wide-eyed, Luke didn´t even had the time to process the words when the showman rose and put his hands around his neck, effectively knocking him to the ground. Luke tried to kick him, to get rid of him but the carny was strong and was collapsing his airway. He couldn't pull in enough oxygen to feed his muscles, not enough to stop him. Luke finally stopped struggling, his eyes losing its living glow.

The water spilled from the sideways and cracked glass and was now joining the small pool that had been created by the leaky roof. Samuel got up and shook his garments.

"You shouldn't have been so trustworthy," he said to Luke's now lifeless body on the floor. "After all I am a carny; we're always full of tricks."

With that said he went to the bench where he had been sitting and picked up his ring. It wasn't his favorite for no reason. He caressed the tips, which had helped him to open the handcuffs and put it back on.

"The show must go on," he said to no one in particular and resumed his escape.

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N 2: comments good or bad are welcome :)