AN: Rewrote the story and the differences are quite jarring. Starting from the beginning is advisable.
Epilogue
"You're going to be okay?" Adrian asked. Looking at the boy. He couldn't believe this was the same boy that had been perpetually snuggling into Harry; Jacob had shot up, his skin had tanned into a golden colour and his hair was the purposefully messy that every kid his age was doing.
He looked more confident too, standing straighter and a smile almost always on his face. It was quite the change to when they'd found out that Harry had died in the Taking of Pinehearst. Then he'd perpetually looked distraught, staying in the house and keeping everyone away with a barrier of his oxygen-less space.
But eventually he'd come around, allowing Adrian in and eventually the entire compound.
Now it was this.
"You ask me that every time," he said with a grin. "It's just school."
"School was dangerous back in my day," said Adrian, he too was wearing a grin. "Those insufferable jocks."
"I thought you were a jock."
"Yeah, but I was insufferable at that age. I should leave you then," Adrian went on. "I'm still running through buying our new houses with the growing population."
"That dead place with no water?"
"Yep. It's cheap," said Adrian. "We might have to deal with the drug dealers who've made meth labs but I talked Peter into pushing out a psychic command. It'll make the entire process faster."
"Lucky us."
"Hey! Jake!" a voice said, a boy tall and weedy was shouting; there was a small pop and the boy appeared in front of them. "Hello, Adrian, Jake," said the boy.
"Nathan," Adrian returned. The two boys shared a fist bump. "Have fun at school," said Adrian. "I'll see you during winter break."
Jacob nodded before he engulfed Adrian in a hug. "Be careful out there," the boy said.
"You're not going to lose me, kid," said Adrian.
888
"Our brother's gone far," said Gabriel. The news of Nathan Petrelli as a candidate for presidency still on the news; the man was wearing a grin Peter knew well, one their father had had, he felt discomfort.
"He's always wanted this," said Peter. "I can't help but have a bad feeling."
"You should let go of my ability," said Gabriel. "What Harry did to us is fading. I can already feel the hunger fighting its way back. It's only because of Matt's telepathy that I'm able to keep it back. I can't keep getting into your mind. I don't have the finesse that Matt does."
"I can handle it," said Peter. "I'm sure. Just…there's something going on, something larger that I'm trying to figure out. It's made worse by the fact that mom won't give me her ability."
"She's hiding something, not that I'm surprised."
"She does that a lot," said Peter. He shrugged. "Maybe I'm being paranoid about all this and there's really nothing going on."
"I wouldn't go that far," said Gabriel. "There is something. I just think we should be focusing on running things than worrying about some vague threat."
Peter nodded. Things were stabilising. The world was getting to the point that it could be tested whether the existence of evolved humans could be known by the public, three towns were in the process of being created solely for evos, where abilities wouldn't be hidden and Harry hoped that when Nathan became president he would help this along. School had also been established, the second of which had just started running.
It was peace.
Harry's death at least had done that much.
888
"Hello Angela," the man said.
The woman looked up and stopped short. The man looked familiar, but she had the pervading sense she'd never met him before. Then it clicked, he was a model, but why would a model be talking to her?
"Maury," she said.
The man smiled, it was a dashing smile that would have made her weak at the knees were she younger.
"You always were a sharp one," said Maury.
"I'd heard Arthur had killed you."
"He did. Killed my body that is. But I've been working with dangerous people enough that I always make contingencies. That's why I backed you when it came down to it."
"I'm not sure I understand," said Angela.
"Mattie is amazing," said Maury. "But Arthur is vicious when it comes to his telepathy, on a brute force scale even I might have trouble fighting him off. I helped him, ensure that he could supress Arthur's telepath effectively enough that he could read no one's thoughts and he didn't even know it."
"Why?"
"Your son put it best when he said, I'm a backer. I know what's coming and I'm always looking for the best option to make sure that our universe isn't destroyed. Right now you're the best option."
"He's dead," said Angela.
"We both know he isn't. I was there. I know what he heralds."
"Death's champion," said Angela. "He doesn't even know."
"Would he have believed us if we told him?"
"No. He doesn't put much stock in prophecies."
"At any rate we need to prepare. Hiro's still in the past liable to mess it up. He's without his abilities. The entire thing is a disaster waiting to happen."
"We don't need to worry about that," said Maury. "Mendez is up here," he said tapping his head, "I use his sometimes to paint the future. It's already sorted."
"Who? The clone," she said.
Maury nodded. "He's been working as guarding of time, skirting the edges, not staying in one place too long. It's the set-up we need. I hear the fabric of space-time is coming apart."
"If that continues we'll have to think about a way of opening a portal."
"I'll back you," said Maury. "I have nothing better to do."
"Okay," said Angela. "But you stop being Maury. I don't need the baggage that comes with the name."
"Always did like Dominic. It was my father's name."
888
Peter looked at the painting. It was the answer he just knew it, but it didn't make any sense. The canvass was large with a line bisecting the middle. On one side was a picture of Harry, a massive hole in his stomach as he kneeled forward, there was a wide eyed expression to him; and on the other side was Peter, looking at a painting.
This exact moment.
A rush overcame him and he was filled with vigour; he took a paint brush and let the rush lead him. It took a few seconds before he was done and he could see what he'd drawn.
Harry was standing behind him, his entire body gone except for his head.
Peter turned around to see the man looking at the picture. Harry looked much the same except the older looking eyes and the much bigger core.
"This is it," said Harry. "This is the paradox."
"You're from the future," said Peter in realisation.
Harry nodded. "Someone changed something and I died in this point," he said. "I've done too much but time can't just take me. I'm resisting."
"You're tearing apart the fabric of space and time," said Peter.
"I know," Harry said. He sighed. "How does the future look?"
"Bad before it gets good," said Peter. "But it's a deviation. I think we might do well."
Harry sighed again. "I've wronged you Peter. I can feel the magic that binds you and I'm sorry. I don't know if my younger counterpart told you that."
"He didn't," said Peter. "But I exist. I felt it when the connection between me and Root went off balance. He could have killed me then and yet didn't. I'm grateful for that."
Harry nodded. "I don't think I can do it myself," said Harry.
Peter slashed his head and a thick line drew itself across Harry's neck. The man chocked before the life left from his eyes.