Epilogue

Three hundred years later

Hiro Nakamura re-appeared in an unfamiliar environment and looked around, disoriented for a moment. He had only just left the wedding he had watched from a hidden corner, the first stop he had made in his quest to see if Gabriel Gray could truly change, had truly changed.

At first, his last stop had startled him when he had to realise that he was a mere three years in the future from where he left the assembled Specials and Noah Bennet in Peter Petrelli's apartment. Three years in which Claire Bennet would not only forgive Gabriel Gray, but decide to marry him.

He had not spent a lot of time there, after all, his other self had been present, and he didn't want to be spotted. So he had set off, again, this time not looking for a redeemed Gabriel Gray, but latching onto something else.
That something had brought him here. Wherever and whenever this was.

He was on a sort of terrace of a house built at the slope of a forested hill, overlooking a lush space of dark green. It must have been early in the evening, the sky on the verge of turning darker.
He blinked in confusion when he saw something zip past it when he watched the sky. And then there was a slight ripple he could make out between the balcony he was on and the forest. A... sort of...

"It's a force field," his unvoiced question was answered and Hiro swivelled around, facing the man he had been looking for.

Gabriel smiled at him, the light from the inside of the house illuminating half of his face, while the other remained in the soft colours of the early night.

"Force field?" Hiro asked. "When is this?"

Gabriel looked amused. "It's been a long time since you last visited, old friend. You were at our wedding, weren't you?"

Hiro nodded, numbly. "Ah."

"Three hundred years," Gabriel said. "Give or take a little."

Hiro's eyes widened. "Three hundred?" He turned to look at the sky, again. "Anou... is that...?"

Gabriel grinned. "A shuttle. You missed one of the big spaceship launches, earlier today. It was quite the sight." At Hiro's continuously astonished expression, he added, "if you stay for a couple of hours, the Galileo docking station will come into view..."

Hiro lit up, immediately. "Station?"

"Thought you might like that..." The air of content amusement was wrapped around the man like a warm blanket. But despite the amusement, he appeared settled, calm, at peace.
"I'm curious, though," Gabriel went on. "Why did you come here?"

Hiro was instantly brought back, as he remembered what he had been looking for in this time. His face closed off. "Sylar," he said, firmly.

Gabriel tilted his head. "Sylar?" he repeated.

Hiro nodded. "I needed to make sure. I was looking for Sylar, because I wanted to know if he would reemerge."

Gabriel paused for a second, then laughed out loud. "Sylar, huh?" He snickered. "Your aim is... not bad, considering."

Hiro blinked. "Anou..."

"Don't worry," Gabriel chuckled. "Sylar is..." he looked for the right words, "was, really, a monster of his time." He turned serious. "He was horrible, truly and utterly horrible," he admitted with feel. "But he was also necessary. That I was the vessel of that... painful fire that had to burn to make way for something new will be with me forever. I... have found it in myself to accept my past, accept him." The pensive smile returned. "And you will see what came after the pain, Hiro Nakamura. In your lifetime."

Hiro didn't know what to say, so Gabriel continued.

"Sylar is also on record, today. The whole story. You can look it up, if you like..." He thought about that for a second. "It's really interesting how the society reacted to him." He slowly shook his head, as if he still couldn't believe it. "It's not like we condone murder today and just let the killers go, not at all. But there is no reason to lock away someone who is not dangerous and has even paid for what he has done." He was glad that he could stand behind that policy. Punishment and help had to go hand in hand, in his opinion. Sylar's case, however... When his story had come out, centuries had already passed, everyone knew Gabriel Gray as an important, cultural and political leader figure, and the crimes he had committed were considered repented for once the whole story was out and would have been time-barred at the time, anyway. Certainly, not everyone had agreed, there were always people who did not agree with the larger public, and it was their right to do so.
But to Gabriel's utmost surprise... "Sylar has... become a symbol. A symbol for the painful letting go of the old to reach the new." There was an undeniable light in Gabriel's eyes. "And the new will be amazing, Hiro. You just wait and see."

Hiro reluctantly nodded. "And Claire Bennet? Is she here?"

Gabriel's lip twitched. "I haven't heard the name Bennet in a long time."

"Oh!" Hiro exclaimed once he realised that it would have to be Claire Gray, now, if she took his name.

"No worries." He nodded towards the brightly lit window where one could see down about a story or two into a large living area. "She's inside."

Hiro made a few steps to the window and peeked inside. He immediately blushed furiously and turned around. "Sorry!"

Gabriel laughed. "No, I apologise. I didn't mean to embarrass you. Times are so different, and with you being Japanese..." He chuckled. "Sorry."
Claire was sitting inside on a couch, nursing a baby, and Gabriel looked fondly at the picture they made.

"You have a child?" Hiro finally asked, still standing firmly with his back to the window.

Gabriel nodded, not taking his eyes off his little family for a long moment. "He was born two days ago. He's our seventeenth, actually."

"Oh," Hiro said, turning slightly to look at Gabriel's proud expression.

Gabriel smiled at him. "The first Gray to be raised in space."

Hiro blinked. "Space?"

"You caught us pretty much in the last possible moment on this planet. We're leaving in five days, and we won't be back for at least forty to fifty years, if we want to return at all."

"You are leaving? Leaving earth?"

"We are," Gabriel confirmed calmly. "It's time. I think we are ready to start something new once more." He looked at his wife and son, again. "He's not the first Gray in space, but definitely the first one of a new era." The proud glint was back. "Two of our kids are out there, right now." His eyes flickered briefly to the night sky that was already considerably darker. "Nathaniel is a researcher, one of the best in his field, and..." he paused, his smile widening, as he realised something, "Ishi... is a commander at only thirty-three."

"Ishi?" the familiar name rolled off his tongue, leaving a taste of loving melancholy.

Gabriel nodded. "Yes. She was classified a healer before she was born, and you always spoke very highly of your mother..."

Hiro could only stare. His mother... his mother's name was now in space. That was... a good thought.

"Come inside, I'll introduce you to our son," Gabriel said to lead the way to less laden topics.

"Anou..." the embarrassed flush was back.

Gabriel chuckled. "Dinner's over," he commented, and, indeed, Claire was now modestly covered, holding the infant against her shoulder, rocking it gently.

When walking Hiro to the stairs which led down to the entrance, he added in a chatty tone, "If you stay a couple of days, Peter will be here, too. He's coming with us."

"Oh! Peter Petrelli is still alive?" That was good news. Hiro had not been certain what to expect when it came to Peter.

Gabriel's answering smile was grateful. "He... is not tired of life, yet, thankfully."

When a thought occurred to Hiro, his face fell. "Oh... but I should go back, soon."

Gabriel merely grinned. "Don't worry. You can return to every point in time you wish. They will be waiting in that living room for you." He had to laugh a bit. "Me a nervous wreck, Noah more than slightly murderous, Peter the good soul he is, and Claire... my feisty little cheerleader." He opened the door. "Don't tell her I said that."

The soft sound of a low, melodious hum reached them the moment they were inside.

"Hey, baby," Gabriel started, "guess who's here."

Claire shifted the baby. "Isn't it a bit early for Peter?" she asked and then looked up. "Oh, my God," she breathed out, once she saw who their guest was. "Hiro!"

Hiro immediately bowed, formally. "Congratulations and best wishes, Claire... Gray."

Claire smiled. "Thank you."

Gabriel joined her, seating himself on the arm of the couch she was still on. "Hiro came here because he wanted to know if Sylar would reappear..."

Claire blinked, then laughed, making the baby jerk in its half-sleep. She took him off the shoulder and laid him in the crook of her arm. "And knowing you, you had an in-depth discussion about old endings and new beginnings..." she accused Gabriel, mock-seriously.

Gabriel smirked. "You know me too well." He leaned in to kiss her lips, only peripherally aware of Hiro blushing and looking away again.

After a minute, Gabriel stood and stepped up to Hiro, announcing, "Hiro Nakamura, meet our son, Sylar Gray."

Hiro's eyes widened, as he stared at the newborn, now studying him as the miracle he was. "Sylar..." he breathed, marvelling how the sound of the name no longer held terror but sheer amazement.
Suddenly, the delighted laughter bubbled out of him and he clapped his hands, bowing again. "Welcome, Sylar Gray," he said. Sylar, who would discover a new world, a new beginning, who would see a whole new era blossom.

The baby blinked sleepily, waved a little hand in an uncoordinated movement and then greeted the momentous significance, appropriately.

Sylar yawned.

.

FIN

101021

Thanks for the ride, you guys! I really liked exploring this story with you :)
Sorry for the complete lack of action in this, but I thought we get enough of that in the series ;) And dealing with people and situations and interactions is an adventure on its own, each encounter holding its own significance.

Here's to hoping that you liked joining me, as I liked joining you :)
Please leave a little comment on your way out ;)