seekevolution | Quarantine

Quarantine

News had a way of spreading a little too quickly. The moment Nathan had fallen at the press conference, media began having it's field day. Mohinder paid little attention.

He arrived at Odessa fourteen hours after the incident, severely jet-lagged and with a computer pre-loaded with all of the information that the Company thought he'd need. Mohinder had been down this road before, though never with such dire circumstances. The Shanti Virus was a subject near and dear to his heart, though it was far less stressful when all he needed to cure it was a bit of blood. Even though it was his own blood, at least he felt as if he was doing something.

Knowing from experience that not everything was black and white anymore, Mohinder kept his laptop and medical kit close at hand and made his way to the quarantine line with a grim look in his redrimmed black eyes. "Mohinder Suresh," he said, forgetting his title again for just a moment. "Doctor. You need to let me through."

The National Guard service man looked wary before radioing it in through the barricade. It was tense. Mohinder's shoulder bag slipped twice and he nearly dropped his sample kit. "All right, cleared to go in. Good luck, doctor."

Mohinder nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. He'd gone from New York to India and back again in two days, bringing Molly to stay with his mother. After what Sylar did to her, again, he could not risk leaving her in anyone else's care. Not with Matt gone.

Seeing the man, however, after he'd just gone off on this quest to find his father at the expense of helping him with a child they both sort of promised to look out for, did not make Mohinder smile. If anything, it only made the lines on his face etch in more deeply. He stood in front of him, looking as tired as Mohinder felt, ill fitting clothing a bit more rumpled than usual. Never mind, of course, that Mohinder had done his fair share of leaving too on his attempts to bait the Company through lectures across the globe. "Do I have a lab yet?" Mohinder asked. No greetings. No necessities. That's what happens when you abandon people, Matt.

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"No kidding", Matt deadpanned right back, although at the mention of Molly he couldn't stop the smile. It was a very sunny one that was only subdued by the fact that he needed a really good stretch after that awkward position, and he rubbed a bit at his neck when he settled back into his seat.

Mohinder's thoughts were altogether too focused so Matt decided to ignore them and instead out of curiosity searched for the one who'd been reading the story he'd fallen asleep to, but she seemed to have stopped reading. Which was too bad.

The meal wasn't though, and Matt ate it gladly, not having realized how hungry he'd actually been. They hadn't wound up eating too much inbetween the abrupt moving and the plane taking off. A sandwich here or there or a quick bagel along with overpriced coffee hardly counted for food so actually getting to eat something cooked was a nice change of pace.

"So, like ... what's your mother like?"

It was asked after a moment inbetween bites.

Meeting the parents for the first time wasn't likely the topic that Matt had intended for them to get into but alas, Mohinder was fairly excited to speak about his mother. They'd been close, the way that Matt probably wouldn't understand with his own mother worked to the bone after his father left but Mrs. Suresh was still too religious for Mohinder's taste and while they got along well, he always felt a bit like a disappointment.

Still, she didn't begrudge him a thing and when he sent a little girl to stay with her, she'd embraced Molly.

Who knows what Molly's been saying-- The thought was laughable. She'd probably talked his mother's ear off already.

"I think you'll like her, if you can get passed all the questions she'll ask. She's...nosy."

And you have gorgeous eyes. Oh look, peanuts. He needed to check himself, badly.

It was weird - it sort of was like a version of meeting the parents. Except they weren't dating. ... well. But it was still a situation of Matt and Mohinder being a team, and raising a girl together, and there was something about that situation that seemed like it needed some kind of approval when you took the parents into consideration.

Matt's own were out of the picture, of course. And since Chandra was dead it was realy only Mohinder's mom left, but Matt could pick up on the warmth Mohinder spoke of her with and it made him smile a little, too.

"Uh oh." Nosy was such a scary word, but he was joking about it. Although that did beg the question - "Does she know about Molly and me? I mean, what we can do."

"She knew about my father's research," Mohinder said, playing with the edges of the peanuts without opening the package, just for something to do with his hands. "And my sister-- She was like you and Molly. I'm not quite sure how. My parents never brought Shanti up. I don't blame them." But he did blame himself. He came along just a little too late...but at least his anti-bodies were in place to save Molly. "I did not mention what, exactly, you both can do."

Though he had spoken at length about both Molly and Matt. So long as he kept his mother more or less in the loop, she didn't worry. One didn't rush off to the States to avenge one's father without your mother being worried!

"God, please don't read my mother's mind just in case she thinks something incredibly embarrassing about me." It'd be worse than awkward baby pictures!

Much, much worse.

"Any way, Molly knows better than to tell anyone about her ability. I doubt she shared it with my mother."

Matt snorted, surprised by the request. "Right. Can't make any promises." That would in fact be quite the potential goldmine for blackmail material, and he wasn't going to let that go so easily.

He agreed, though. "Yeah, she's smart. I was just, you know ... whether we should be hiding or not. You'd know better than us with her."

Matt would always err on the side of caution with the whole thing but he wouldn't mind Mohinder's opinion in this particular situation.

"The power is yours, Matt," Mohinder said solemnly. "She's an open minded woman, but should you choose to keep what you do to yourself, no one would blame you. On this front, you'll have to be Molly's role model."

A good one at that. I should pick up some parenting books.

The thought process led Mohinder into a discussion of a different sort for the remainder of the flight. Where was their stance on friends? Could Molly have play dates? Sleep overs? She was a friendly kid and would soon be a teenager. How did they deal with her when she hated them? Should they look into colleges yet? High schools?

Mohinder was a worrier and, perhaps, taking on a bit of the mothering role here. Despite his eyelashes and the way he dressed, he wasn't quite as feminine as he might sound during the conversation, but he could already feel himself growing gray and she'd not even been their's half a year.

Matt listened to Mohinder only so long before he held up a hand, giving him a halfway fond, halfway exasperated smile. "Hey hey hey, slow down, it's okay, I promise." He waited for Mohinder to really looks at him before he gestured vaguely towards the side. "Look, I'm slightly terrified too, but let's just ... roll with the punches on this one, okay? She's only eleven."

High school was ages away. And Matt was absolutely the kind to look over his shoulder and knew he had trust issues when it came to new people sometimes, but he also had the sense to realize that they couldn't possibly plan for a life. Besides, they'd need time to have fun with it, too.

"Let's just, I don't know, let's just talk about it. As we go." He tilted his head slightly, smile turning reassuring and slightly teasing. "Can't have a hypothesis for everything in life, Mohinder."

"Why not?" It was almost a whine, but Mohinder let Matt calm him down both because he wanted to be and because Matt was surprisingly good at it. He seemed to thrive with an ability to be soothing...and that wasn't part of his cerebral ability either. It was simply who he was.

No wonder he's so easy to care for.

Mohinder let his head fall back against the headrest, unintentionally pretty with exposure of a long neck and curls to hang in his eyes. The captain put on the seat belt sign for their descent, but Mohinder's mind was still more on the combination of Matt-and-Molly than on Molly and their reunion.

Being away from her was always so hard. And for awhile there? Mohinder didn't think he'd even see her again. At least he'd been wrong.

"I'll try my very best not to get too many gray hairs worrying about giving her away at her wedding just yet," he promised, turning his head to watch the ground race up to meet them. India, even from this distance, was a land of rich colour. He felt oddly good to be back.

"Woah, wedding?" Matt shot Mohinder a very serious look, but the light in his eyes betrayed the humor. "She's not getting married. I'm enforcing a ban on dating until she's 80."

He buckled up and when Mohinder turned away to look out the window he let his gaze linger for a second on his neck and jaw line before he leant forward to see the country as well. Definitely a land of color - it seemed a lot more saturated than anything in New York and Matt gave a low whistle as more of the buildings came into view.

"This should be fun", he noted idly, glancing at Mohinder again, feeling excited now with Molly so close and something so different even closer.

Or terrifying. He didn't doubt that Matt Parkman was a man with an open mind but India's culture was not anything like what Matt knew, not even in California. Mohinder didn't worry, exactly, but he was afraid that the sights and the smells of his country would send Matt packing for a land of cheeseburgers and less dietary restrictions based on cow meat.

The airport was bustling, as busy as New York or LAX. Mohinder grabbed Matt's arm as he exited immigration from the brief interview customs officials gave him, grinning merrily. He'd never been so glad that they'd taken everything as a carry-on. No waiting at a carousel for baggage. There was a little girl, hopefully, downstairs waiting for them.

She saw them before Mohinder saw her as they travelled down the escalator and though Mrs. Suresh called for her to stop before she could bang into other passengers, Molly would not be dissuaded.

Dressed in a cornflower blue and yellow silk sari with her hair braided in a line down her back, Molly flung herself at the two men, both of whom dropped to her level to accept a simultaneous hug from a girl that could brighten up their world in the span of a smile.

"You look beautiful," Mohinder gushed, eyes on her and her alone, though he'd transferred one hand to Matt's shoulder in the interest of space.

Yeah, it was a little scary, definitely. Matt wouldn't deny that. The most foreign thing was the language, because while he'd gotten accustomed to its sound after spending so much time around Mohinder, he still didn't know what any of it meant. And that left him helpless, in a way. He could hear thoughts but he couldn't translate them. Would commands work in English? He didn't know any other languages unless you counted being able to order two beer in Spanish.

But those were all things for later. Everything else sort of disappeared when Molly all but attacked them, and Matt immediately circled an arm around her, gathering her close to both of them and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"God, I missed you", he said and felt a little bit like crying except he was smiling so damn much. He looped his other arm around Mohinder's shoulders to hold onto the one furthest away from him because it felt like the right thing to do. Together again, all of them.

"I was watching you all the way here!" Molly told them and burrowed into them like she wanted to disappear into their hug and never come back out. Matt all but melted and kissed her hair again.

Though they were standing in everyone's way, the reunion of the three brought on far less annoyed glances or grunts as it might have back in New York. A flurry of chuckles followed instead, especially when the older woman with graying black hair far longer than Molly's in a white and red sari came towards them. Her smile matched Mohinder's, as did her eyes, and he lightly touched Molly on the head and said a single word that Mohinder was sure Matt wouldn't understand. "Ujala."

Molly drew back and beamed up at the woman. "Grandma Suresh let me use one of her wall maps all morning too. This is Matt."

Leave it to Molly to make the introductions and to fill Matt in simultaneously on what she evidently had discussed with Mohinder's mother. The woman had pushed her husband to go to New York, to complete his research after all. And though her daughter had been five when she died...she did know about what it was like to care for a girl with this sort of potential.

Mohinder stood and lifted Molly up with him. She was tall, all legs. A year from now, this would be impossible. He took what he could get, therefore.

"Matt Parkman," Mohinder confirmed. "He saved my life."

Zahra glanced over the large, white detective appraisingly. "Zarha Suresh," she replied. "Now, shall we head home? You both look like you need a shower and a shave."

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am", Matt greeted the classy looking woman. He was all politeness, having been taught to respect his elders, and mrs Suresh was someone he did want to ... well, not impress. But he'd like to be on her good side given how close he was likely to keep being to Mohinder. So he stuck his hands in his pockets (remembering the earlier warning to not touch her) and nodded at her in greeting.

When she broke eye contact he shot Mohinder a somewhat mixed look since he was not sure at all how he felt about being introduced that way, but the sight of Molly with her arms around his shoulders and leaning her head against his made Matt smile with all kinds of love and fondness and whatever he'd been meaning to say was forgotten pretty quickly.

"Uh, that sounds great, thank you", was his response to the suggestion, turning towards mrs Suresh again with a polite smile, but as soon as the moment presented itself he went up to Molly's side of Mohinder to gently tousle her hair. It's not like he could possibly help himself. I love you he thought at her, and sent a warm grin Mohinder's way when she giggled and thought it back.

Though Mohinder wanted nothing more than to be in a little world with his adopted family, his mother preferred him to drive and that did unfortunately put Mohinder away from the pair and their mental conversation. He kept glancing in the rearview mirror at them, eyebrow arching when Molly gestured or Matt laughed without either of them saying a word to each other. Strangely, though, he didn't feel left out. They could have their whispers. Molly's relationship with Matt was important to him. And he and Molly could make up for some lost time later. First, though, they had to leave the airport and head through a much more typical Indian scene: the market. Though Mohinder and his mother lived in a very rich and modern section of Madras, the market showed Matt what life for the typical Indian was like. "We'll visit tomorrow," he promised. "You might like the spice stalls."

"That's where Grandma Suresh bought me this sari!" Molly chimed in, curled against Matt's side as if she was afraid he might disappear.

Mohinder smiled at his mother who offered him one of those troubling looks he'd never cared for. It was as if she knew something. She did that from time to time, that knowing smirk. It made him nervous.

By the time they arrived at the Suresh's home, pulling up to garden walls where roses bloomed across the brick, the sun was high overhead and it was so hot that Mohinder had stripped down to his t-shirt. He helped Matt with his things and then opened the door for his mother and followed her into the house. Off came her shoes. Then Mohinder's. Molly was quick to follow and scampered off to show Matt her elephant.

"I assume you two will be sharing a bedroom?" Zahra said, wasting no time.

Mohinder looked puzzled. "If Molly is using my room, there's still two guest rooms, amma," the geneticist said. "I'm sure Matt would like to spend a little time away from me for a change."

"Mohinder, you don't need to be embarrassed! He looks a great deal like your Paul, after all."

Mohinder looked stricken immediately and pulled his mother aside, his dialect switching immediately to Hindi. "Hama ḍēṭiṅga nahīṁ kara rahē haiṁ..." We are not dating.

"Did you not discuss previous partners? That's unsafe, Mohinder-- Yes, she carried on in English. Mohinder almost squawked.

"Vaha śādī kī thī--" He was married. "Vaha kēvala mahilā'ōṁ kī ōra ākarṣita kara rahā hai--" He is only attracted to women.

Zahra's eyes scanned Matt from the near distance she stood and waltzed back towards the American. "Do you drink tea, Mr. Parkman? I'll put on a kettle. Sweet or bitter?"

Matt hadn't really intended for the lengthy mental discussion, but Molly had found it really cool and wanted to test how good they could be at it. It quickly became easier, even if there was still something unnatural about presenting his thoughts in another person's head. That, and people thought much faster than they spoke sometimes, so he mostly just listened to Molly's excited thoughts as they merged into each other.

It was extremely comforting just to be close to her and he kept an arm around her shoulders for the remainder of the ride, only occasionally staring out the windows at all the colors. It looked like a completely different kind of life from New York. It was probably something they all needed.

Once inside he obediently toed his shoes off and was caught between not quite knowing whether he was supposed to follow Molly or wait for her when he ... yeah, caught some of that discussion. He tried to pretend he hadn't heard but he didn't quite look at Mohinder when his mother approached him.

He offered an easy smile. He looked a little troubled, though. "Not really, but I'd be happy to try some. What do you recommend?"

When Zahra gave him a lingering look and then nodded and gave her answer and sort of ... drifted off towards the kitchen, Molly called out to Matt to come look already and he was happy to flee from the hall, at least for the moment. Mohinder still looked a little like he wanted to die and he wasn't sure what to do about that.

"Woah, is that the one?" he asked when he entered the room, looking the stuffed toy up and down. It really was a big one; Mohinder hadn't exaggerated. Molly beamed at him and hugged it around the neck.

Matt took a look around, though, rather curious. It was Mohinder's old room and so a lot of his personal items and taste still showed in it and he made a mental note to ask about it all later. There were quite a few elephants, something that struck him as amusing - he couldn't quite imagine Mohinder as a kid, playing with them the way Molly was now demonstrating just how floppy its ears were.

Far cuter was the addition of Molly, though. A sketchbook and some pens were scattered on the floor and her jeans and t-shirts were folded neatly on top of the desk chair.

"I think he's too big for the plane", Molly said, practically. "He'll have to come after us, unless I pick a smaller one."

Matt wasn't entirely sure when a promise had been made about keeping an elephant but it was entirely possible that she just had both him and Mohinder wrapped around her finger like that.

"Which other ones do you like?" he asked and spent the next few minutes watching her pick some out to show.

Thank God for Molly. Mohinder didn't often evoke a deity but in this case, how could he not? His mother's cross-examining had left him shaken up and his thoughts all over the place. At least, being in his native country, keeping his thoughts in a foreign language from Matt's usual English was easier than ever.

He decided to take a shower first and stood for a long, long time under the heated water. His hair soaked it up and uncurled slightly into waves, dripping water over his shoulders in rivers to match the shower head. As happy as he'd been to see Molly, he was a little disturbed by how quickly his thoughts returned to the man currently being shown renamed stuffed and porcelain toys Mohinder had collected during his formative years.

He decided to try to let it go, not to bring it up to his mother again and to pretend the conversation never happened.

By the time his shower was finished, Zahra and Matt were drinking sweetened chai tea and Molly had some ice cream. She looked like a normal girl, sitting there on the sofa, watching Matt as if she was afraid he'd leave her if she didn't. Mohinder was dressed in a loose white shirt and looser trousers, choosing to sit beside Molly than Matt.

The decision was a conscious one to keep his thoughts more jovial. He was still afraid of losing his new little family.

"I think after the market tomorrow, I'm going to the university. I'll need an extended visa and perhaps some recommendations. Would you like to come with me, Molly?"

"To see where you use to work? Yeah!"

Matt had at some point during the tea wound up telling Zahra in clearer terms what it was he could do, exactly (well, not the mind control bit). Not that she'd asked, and she'd probably figured it out given how he and Molly acted with it, but she kept looking at him in a way that made him feel like he should let her know as much. Besides, while a lot less permanent than the situation with Mohinder, he was still living under her roof for a few days. It was only fair that he tell her.

She'd seemed interested but hadn't said a whole lot about it, but well, that card was on the table and Molly had rather cheerfully chimed in that it was great for secret messages. Matt had reminded her there shouldn't be any big ones and then complimented mrs Suresh on the tea, which he absolutely wasn't used to but he did like the sweetness of it.

Your mom is a little bit scary Matt thought at Mohinder when he heard him enter, not that serious about that particular word choice but the tone held true. When he looked up he paused for a moment. Mohinder looked good, he observed - the shower made him look less tired. The white shirt probably also helped, not to mention the way Molly leaned towards him in her excited interest.

"Bleh, schools", Matt teased the two of them, smiling. "What else do people do around here?"

"Do you like the beach, Matt?" Zahra asked, unaware of the conversation between her son and the man he venomously denied he was involved with in any way and yet looked at him so affectionately. Mohinder had rarely been able to hide anything from her.

Mother's intuition aside, she'd cultivated a relationship with her son that allowed her to feel safe coming to her for anything. Even if he was nearing his mid thirties now, he was still her little boy, spending his days reading books than running around outside with the other boys. He was too smart for his own good. Just like his father in so many ways.

"Or are you interested in visiting the temple with me?"

Mohinder winced a little. "Amma--"

She hushed him immediately. "A cultural exchange, Mohinder. It's beautiful inside and your...friend...might enjoy himself."

I feel I should have warned you a little more for this, he pushed towards Matt, apologetically, and lightly stroked back Molly's braided hair over her shoulder when she complained that he was dripping on her...but hardly seemed to mind.

Even when he wet-dogged her, shaking his head vigorously. She laughed and even his mother seemed to relent.

Hey, danger's-

He trailed off though when Mohinder pulled that little stunt on Molly, all tiny water flecks and contagious smile. It all caught in the sun, too. It was a stupidly pretty scene and that's exactly how it registered to Matt who just kind of paused and took the two of them in, feeling his pulse speed up when Mohinder looked up at him in question, still smiling.

Matt blinked, then looked down with a small smile of his own before he looked up at Zahra.

Danger's my middle name, he finished the oh-so-overused movie line to Mohinder. I can handle it.

"Sure, if it's no trouble. You'll have to tell me a few things about it though so I don't feel like a fish out of water."

He'd caught that look, but immediately misinterpreted it as simply amused. A few days ago, he'd been sure Matt might like him as more than just the guy he roomed with, but that had settled down into the realisation that Matt's appreciation of him was friendly, and that was it. It didn't help that those few days of mixed signals had blossomed into something bordering the insane.

Mohinder had had terribly one sided crushes before, but never like this when the person in question was in close proximity at all times.

He looked away from Matt immediately as his mother explained the service she was planning on attending and even Molly jumped in to demonstrate proper hand techniques. "But you have to sit for a long time sometimes and your legs hurt," she added.

Both Mohinder and his mother laughed.

Though Matt and Mohinder were jetlagged, Molly was full of energy and it was decided that dinner ought to be had out once Matt had his shower. Despite Mohinder's best efforts in try and inject a bit of his ethnicity in the foods he prepared for Matt and Molly at home, he knew Matt could well have an issue with some of the food.

Molly, however, was pleased that there were always choices on the menu to eat with little pieces of bread instead of a fork or spoon and she delved in right away as the adults chatted.

Or, rather, Zahra stole all of Matt's attention, wanting to know everything about him: his ex-wife, his job situation, his future plans. Mohinder mostly apologised over and over again, mentally, for his mother's behaviour and tried not to yawn-- Or be disappointed that they'd not share a bed tonight.

Matt enjoyed the shower immensely, and felt refreshed and content as he got out of it and changed into a fresh T-shirt. India was warm and that too was a major plus in his book as it stood as a nice contrast towards the chill of New York, letting everything that had happened there seem distant enough.

He did have issues with some of the food, especially the way it was so spicy and hot compared to his macaroni-and-cheese mentality. But after some trial, error and apologies he figured out which dishes he did like and was quite happy to eat from them. Especially as it did offer some options for stalling between answers to Zahra's many, sometimes intrusive questions.

Matt answered as politely as he could and didn't mind sharing several of the details. He told her about being a cop, about having contacts with the FBI, talked a bit about the differences and similarities between Los Angeles and New York; he said he really just wanted to stick around for Molly and keep helping people through his job or otherwise; he said that he'd keep living with Mohinder and the girl for the foreseeable future.

He didn't like talking about Janice much though, and basically said that they'd been high school sweethearts who'd grown apart until she'd filed for a divorce a few months prior and that he'd prefer not to talk about her too much.

All through that, he felt a bit like he was mentally holding onto Mohinder for support. He didn't mind the questions too much since Zahra did back off when he asked her to but the steady stream of apologies from Mohinder's end made Matt feel that he wasn't being interrogated, at least, and Mohinder would get back everything between it's okay and uh, oh god.

He refrained from sending thoughts to Molly though, during dinner. Mostly because it'd likely show on her when she was thinking at him and it'd be pretty rude to not be paying attention to the one asking the questions. Particularly as he was her guest.

All in all, dinner was exhausting but not unpleasant, and when they did get back to the house Matt was trying very hard not to yawn into his hand and not quite succeeding.

"What time is it?"

It was asked with that yawn still in his voice as he toed his shoes off and glanced at his wristband. He'd forgotten to change it to local time but that did mean he could calculate how long him and Mohinder had been up, and ... well, it was no wonder he felt like he was in danger of falling asleep on the spot.

He stifled another yawn and grabbed Mohinder's shoulder, looking over at Zahra with an apologetic smile.

"Thanks for dinner. Sorry, but I'm not sure I can stay awake much longer."

Molly gave him that kind of petulant look children sometimes have and then directed it to Mohinder, as if daring him to be tired too. Although mostly playful, Matt realized that she didn't really want them to go to sleep. Just in case they had to go away again. In a child's mind, a good day remains good so long as it's there.

It wasn't incredibly late but sleeping in an airplane hadn't been conducive to a great deal of rest. At just after eight, Matt was certainly allowed to go to sleep and though Mohinder wanted to follow him, tethered at the shoulder like that, he held his hands out to Molly instead. "I'll sit with you for awhile until it's your bedtime too."

"Grandma Suresh doesn't make me go to bed at nine like you and Matt," Molly pouted and Mohinder crouched to look up at her rather than the other way around.

"And that's because you've been on vacation. But when you're with me and Matt, the rules are back in place," Mohinder insisted and glanced up at Matt to get some backup. A yawning nod would do.

"Matt didn't always make me go to bed at nine," Molly insisted, already learning to play one parent over the other and Mohinder, trying not to grin, shook his head at Matt.

"We're back on schedule now," he insisted and stood, lifting Molly with him. "Let's help Matt get settled in and you and I can talk about how it's been in Madras." Her little arms wound around his neck and Mohinder turned back to his mother to wish her a good night.

He wasn't sure he cared for that look. It was almost a: 'don't worry if one bed doesn't need to be made tomorrow' sort of look. Mohinder didn't appreciate it. He was having a hard enough time.

Following Matt into one of the guest rooms, Mohinder let Molly down, and the girl immediately climbed into his bed, claiming the space. "We should have a sleepover," she insisted, cheekily. "Matt can sleep and me and Mohinder can stay over."

Matt shared an amused look with Mohinder ... then went to lean over the girl and tickle her into submission. It was a light thing but a tried and true method as she giggled and curled up in a ball to protect her sides from Matt's fingers, squirming and telling him to stop already, with him just grinning devilishly at her and asking her if she was ready to give in. It was to reclaim the space and it worked like a charm when he eventually plopped down next to her and she shoved playfully at him, the "Maatt!" something that had become altogether typical the last few months.

He looked up at Mohinder again briefly and then settled with stroking the girl's hair when his expression grew a bit more serious.

"We'll still be here when you wake up, Molly", he promised her, having heard some of her underlying thoughts about this the entire day. She curled up towards him and Matt beckoned for Mohinder to come join them for her sake. "There are lots more things to do tomorrow but both me and Mohinder are way past our bedtime right now."

For Matt, this was especially true since he hadn't slept anywhere near as well as Mohinder after Sylar. It was now when they were all together again it wthat his mind had finally caught up with his body and wanted to shut down just as much.

He yawned and added, I'm okay with letting her stick around a while if you are Mohinder's way and it probably came out a little bit unfocused but damn if it wasn't the best parental tool in the world.

Molly still seemed troubled though. Or maybe restless? It could well be a mix since she was so excited to see them again. She was thinking about Mohinder's bruises and Matt's cut and Matt realized that they hadn't actually explained anything to her, so no wonder she was a bit unsure.

He rubbed his eyes and projected that one, too, although with even more difficulty. Should probably sit her down and explain what's been going on. Now or later?

Following Molly once Matt had given him the go-ahead, Mohinder lays as her opposite bookend, hand under the pillow to boost his head up a little. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and drift away. This place felt safe, not because they were far removed from the mess in New York, but because they were together again. If Odessa taught him anything, it was that pettiness didn't outweigh the goodness they each had. Though hardship had come to them all, there was a true enjoyment of one another's company. Mohinder found it precious enough to hold onto.

"We'll be here for a few more days and go home together. You still have school, after all. Miss Gerber isn't going to be too happy that I wasn't able to give an end date for the holiday I took you from school from as it is." Molly whined and Mohinder lifted his eyes over her head towards Matt. Perhaps he held the gaze too long and made an exaggerated yawn to cover it up. Poorly.

As Molly told them about an incident that happened two days ago, something Mohinder already knew he wouldn't remember in the morning, he listened in to Matt's desire to explain things to her.

She knows I broke my nose. And I told her you fell moving boxes. He didn't want to bring Sylar up, but Molly was a smart girl.

She would probably figure it out anyway. And if Matt was bringing it up, it meant he caught something from her thought pattern. Damn.

Are you awake enough to tell her now?

He terrorized her. Killed her parents. She needs to know that he's gone.

He thought it with a fierce protectiveness that overrode the exhaustion almost completely, something darker flickering into his eyes. It was clear that if for any reason Sylar wasn't gone, Matt would make sure. Whatever it took.

So he nodded and sat up straighter, waiting for Molly to finish her story. When she did and didn't quite get the reaction she'd expected out of either of them, she figured something was up and looked between them with an expectant yet somewhat wary expression.

Matt glanced at Mohinder but focused on Molly. He was a bit unsure on how to start.

"We need to tell you something, okay honey?" She looked a little more scared from the way he said it, but he stroked some hair behind her ear in a reassuring gesture. "Just what's been happening for a while. You know why you had to come here, right?"

Molly looked at Mohinder, clearly recalling what they'd talked about before he'd put her on the flight. "Yeah", she said, cautiously. "Because of the Boogeyman."

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