Disclaimer: First, if you haven't read "Inside Eternity" please do so. This is a continuation of that story. Second, as always I don't own Heroes or any of the characters. Thanks for reading!
Beyond Walls
One
They walked together in silence just as they did countless times before. But this time they were surrounded by the millions of other people populating the city. The urgency of finding Emma in time pushed it aside, but now that things were calmer Peter was keenly aware of the people. There were so many… He pinched the bridge of his nose trying to keep from being overwhelmed.
Sylar noticed and guided him to a park bench. Peter couldn't help smiling. Ever since they got out the two of them could communicate without any words. Neither of them could read minds anymore yet they still knew what the other was thinking.
"What do we do now?" Sylar asked him. All that time spent trying to get out and Peter never considered the answer to that question. He was even more at a loss after what Claire did.
"I don't know." Sylar frowned at this and followed him back into the mass of people. The sheer numbers still felt oppressive, so Peter reached for a solid anchor. For some reason the loss of it made a laugh bubble out. "I lost the thimble."
"That's all right," Sylar shrugged. "I forgot the book."
"We can always get them back." Small tokens of their prison here in the real world. Peter didn't want to forget it; like Sylar said, it didn't make it any less real despite how much time they spent there.
"You would want another thimble, Peter Pan?"
"Yeah," Peter confirmed. "I think I would." He stuck his hands in his pockets and continued forward. He could feel Sylar's questioning eyes on him, but didn't know how to answer them yet. It was enough to think of what Claire's actions meant for them. The meaning of all their years together would be dealt with another day.
Finally deciding that the sheer number of people was too much, Peter steered them toward his apartment. It was empty and at the moment Peter needed that. Sylar stood awkwardly near the door as if waiting for permission to move forward. Peter gave him an encouraging smile and gestured him forward. They didn't have any chairs, but they were used to sitting on the ground. Peter got situated with Sylar settling next to him. He didn't think anything of how close they sat to each other.
Sirens and the buzz of traffic made it impossible to sit in silence. Peter grew up on these noises yet they felt unfamiliar to him. How long before he settled back into the flow of the real world?
He would start small: get some chairs in here, and food for the refrigerator. He could handle that much. Peter closed his eyes hoping his body would relax. There were too many things bombarding him to make it really work. He kept his eyes stubbornly closed until pure exhaustion took over.
He had dreams for the first time in years, but they didn't give him any answers.
