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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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."

"Because Sylar stole the medicine that cured him," Mohinder said, perhaps not sugar coating it as well as he should have. Molly turned to look at him, though her back remained firmly planted against Matt's chest. Mohinder could appreciate that. Matt was the protector. The brawn. He might like his hair stroked (speculation on Mohinder's part as Mohinder simply liked to stroke his hair) but that didn't make him any less formidable.

Mohinder thought that he ought to sit up but, alas, his head glued to the pillow and a yawn in the back of his throat, Mohinder stayed where he was. Perhaps it would give Molly the impression that he wasn't worried--

And honestly, Mohinder wasn't. Sylar had been disposed of. Peter took him somewhere that he could never hurt anyone again. Or, if not that, a place where it would take several life times to discover him again. Mohinder didn't mean to be a little morally gray in that area, but after he was gone, it wouldn't matter so much. He just wanted to protect his family.

"He found us again, back in New York," Mohinder started before Molly pulled up her knees and stared up at the cut on Matt's forehead. "It's all right. He's done. Dead for certain. We made one hundred percent sure of it this time," he promised.

The corner of his braised lips turned upwards as he reached for her.

"It's why it's safe for you to come home again. You should see our new apartment. No more Matt on the couch."

"He's really gone?" Molly asked, just to be sure, gripping Mohinder's hand. At the confirmation from both of them she was relieved but in that way that seemed so very emotional and Matt wound one of his arms tighter around her. The poor girl had seen too much of Sylar as it was. Knowing he was gone and that she was safe again made her tear up slightly, but she smiled, anyway. She had a certain degree of stubbornness and such a spark to live.

"Where's the new apartment? Can I pick colors for my room?"

Matt smiled into her hair, eyes drifting towards Mohinder's. "Hmm. You can hang up a whole lot of pictures, how's that sound?" It depended on how long they'd been planning on staying there, how much work they were going to do. "The walls are all painted white right now, how boring is that?"

Molly laughed a little and rubbed at her eyes with her knuckles. "A lot."

Nuzzling her shoulder, Matt added, "We can talk more about it later, okay?" Yawning, he added, "Or you can bother Mohinder. I need my beauty sleep. You two are already pretty enough."

Molly giggled at that, told Matt that Mohinder might not like being called pretty and proceeded to make herself comfortable. Right there. It seemed that she'd really meant it when she said sleepover. At least the bed was large enough for the three of them and Mohinder didn't mind having the girl as a buffer for now.

At least he'd get to stay with Matt again.

"It's too early to sleep," Molly complained and Mohinder had to laugh at her whining, even when she matched Matt's yawn and insisted on pulling up the blankets. It might be warm outside, but the room was chilled. She might have two warm men to provide her with body heat but she still was little.

"You're right. You need to change out of that sari or you'll be sorry," Mohinder quipped, knowing Matt and Molly would be both groan. He wasn't disappointed. "Go put on your pajamas."

"All right!" she bounced and races across the house, leaving Mohinder laying there gazing at a very sleeping American with a smile tattooed across his mouth.

"I think you were right in telling her," Mohinder replied, sitting up slowly. "I also don't think you should sleep in your jeans. I'll leave you to get changed." He slipped out of Matt's bed and stretched. No, he wasn't planning on coming back. If he fell asleep quickly enough, Molly might let him be and allow Matt to get some unmolested sleeping in for once.

"Okay, mom."

Matt teased because it felt easy and natural at this point, what with all the relief and giddy joy he felt with this makeshift little family of his. There was still something awkward in the air between him and Mohinder at times but part of it was curiosity and that's what had Matt study that stretch briefly before he got out of his jeans and socks and changed shirts again to sleep in the one he'd arrived in rather than the one that was still reasonably clean.

He was just sliding under the covers when Molly all but ran into the room again, and if Mohinder thought he might have managed to fall asleep in the few short minutes she'd needed to change, he'd find that he was wrong. She'd grabbed him by the hand and insisted he'd come pretty much right away.

Matt laughed and allowed her to curl up into a little ball next to him. "Scoot over", she ordered him, and he obeyed. "Come on, Mohinder! You can fit right ... here."

Molly had it all figured out and Matt didn't feel like arguing with her because in the end, what she really wanted was the same thing he wanted. Which was for all of them to be together and safe and happy.

"You heard her", Matt murmured, face halfway into the pillow at that point, sleepy enough to not really think about it. He likely would in the morning. Right then however he was already shutting down.

Managing only to tug on his tank top at the last minute, Mohinder gaze Matt an apologetic look as he joined the two under the covers. Molly quickly made himself comfortable and while Mohinder had been initially sleeping with his back towards Matt, Molly's insistence at holding his hand didn't allow for that.

At least his mind was centred on the girl and that made this a lot easier since his awful mental faux pas with ranging thoughts their last day at the old flat and on the airplane. Molly might not have been tired, but Matt was asleep as Mohinder's head hit the pillow and the Indian followed suit shortly after.

Early to bed meant early to rise for the little girl and she was up and out from between her two protectors the moment she smelled breakfast cooking in the kitchen. Grandma Suresh helped her to dress and did her hair for her while Mohinder moved first from Molly's left over warm spot to Matt's much more warm spot as he'd done each and every time they shared a bed.

His fingers curled lightly in the larger man's t-shirt, knees touching Matt's upper thighs as he rolled halfway at the waist so both of his own shoulders hit the bed. Mohinder really was a strange one and certainly lived up to being an octopus when he had space to spread out.

Matt slept deeply for a change. He'd been right about needing a change of scenery and it seemed like it was helping all of them, and the knowledge that they wouldn't be returning to the apartment of Bad Things helped that calm further. Molly didn't have any bad dreams and Matt knew this simply because they didn't wake him. Mohinder's mind was fairly quiet as well and his own was completely silent, or at least he'd remember it that way.

When Mohinder eventually partially curled up against him he shifted in his sleep to accomodate for that, dipping his head to seek out the other man's shoulder, nose and mouth pressed lightly against the curve between shoulder blade and neck. It was a natural progression of sleeping with someone else in that proximity and being so relaxed, really. The hand that wound up somewhere near Mohinder's ribs was probably more about the underlying protectiveness Matt frequently embodied.

And that's how Molly found them when she bounced in. She paused for a moment but definitely not a long one before she climbed up on top of their legs.

"Come on, you guys! There's breakfast!"

Waking up to having one's feet squashed wasn't the most comfortable thing but the rest of his body was somewhat blissed out and warm and he ignored the little voice for two seconds longer than he normally would have. Mohinder cracked one eye at the little girl perched above them and then glanced down at the arm crossing his midsection. He touched it lightly, feeling warm, moist breath on his skin and hated every moment that he knew would follow once Matt woke.

No more closeness. Perhaps that was for the best.

Molly climbed off of them and given that Mohinder had more room on his side, knelt at the curve of his side and leaned over them. "I saw your eyes open, Mohinder!" she called out, and poked Matt not so subtly on the cheek. "We have a lot to do today! Wake up!"

Mohinder's hand lingered against Matt's forearm, skin tones setting each other off nicely. He tried not to move otherwise and just enjoy the way this felt. "You'd think it was Christmas," he murmured. "Molly, what time is it?"

"Time. To. Wake. Up!"

Matt actually wound up borrowing even further into Mohinder's shoulder to escape the assaulting little girl. "Sshh, Molly, we're sleeping", he tried in a half-asleep voice that didn't manage to sound authoritative at all, somewhere halfway between Mohinder's skin and the pillow. He moved his hand up vaguely to blindly shield himself from her when one of her hands came down between them so she could support herself and continue her little attack.

He could practically hear the way she wrinkled her nose in protest. "No you're not!"

He sighed dramatically. "Worth a shot", he muttered moreso to himself and Mohinder rather than Molly, who had resorted to pulling on the other man's arm.

"Come oooon", she whined, and then traded that tone in for a more mature one rather suddenly. "You always tell me to get more early so there's more time to do stuff."

Matt relented with that, lifting his head to look at the girl and then offered her a tired grin. "Alright, okay, we're coming. Just give us a minute."

"I'm coming back in here if you're not up!" she promised-slash-threatened them before she ran off again. Matt shook his head and raised himself up on his arms and sort of ... accidentally looked at Mohinder, really. But he couldn't immediately look away after the fact, only now realizing how closely they'd woken up, Mohinder's hair practically in his eyes, him more or less breathing his co-parent in.

He cleared his throat with an awkward little laugh and rubbed his eyes to break the spell. "Uh, morning", was the offered greeting when he sat up straight.

"So I've been led to believe," Mohinder mutters, turning away from Matt with his eyes still closed, only to give the other man a rather unabashedly sensual view of long, bronze-skinned arms curling around his ribs and the back of a neck that really was too long but looked perfect to press tiny kisses against. He gave quite the exaggerated, huffing sigh and tried to pull the back of his shirt down without much help. "I feel like I could have used another hour."

Grousing was not going to help his cause, however, and Mohinder dragged himself awake slowly by staring at the wall between yawns. When he did manage to push himself up, it took a little bit of time to untangle himself from the sheets before he planted his feet firmly on the floor.

He looked unabashedly adorable when he finally looked at Matt from the doorway and ruffled up his curls back with one hand. "See you in a moment," he said simply enough and left.

The stubble would just have to stay and he was much too tired to bother with contacts, so he found his glasses instead. Zahra looked at him as he sat next to Molly and offered him a cup of strong coffee. "Difficult night?" she asked in that annoyingly knowing way of hers.

"Had to share a bed with a little monkey, so yes!" he replied and put a hand on Molly's shoulder when she looked ready to go back and find out what was taking Matt so long.

Had Mohinder not stopped Molly from checking up on him, she would have found Matt sitting at the edge of the bed for a moment with his head in his hands. The reason for this being that his heart had done a weird little thing when Mohinder had looked at him in that sleepy fashion before he left and Matt couldn't for the life of him ignore it. Thing was that he didn't really know how to acknowledge it, either.

So that would eat at him for the rest of the day - awesome.

But he didn't take too long and after making sure he felt at least mostly awake he put on his jeans and went into the kitchen, smiling politely in greeting at Zahra and ruffling Molly's hair when he sat down on the other side of hair, making her squirm and roll her eyes.

Mohinder was wearing glasses, the bastard. Since when did that actually matter? Oh, just this morning, probably. It made him look different, but not in a bad way. It was ... distinguished, Matt supposed. As opposed to the usual pretty. He didn't say anything to him but stole the occasional glance.

"So what's the plan for today?"

That dominated most of the talk around the table.

"Firstly, I think we could go to the markets," Mohinder said, his eyes on Molly the majority of the time. Matt was being awkward and he assumed, rightly, that it was because of him. Tonight he'd sleep in his own bed...or better yet, send the two home to New York while he finished up here. Matt needed to return to work and Molly had to go to school. It wouldn't be the first time they'd dealt with life outside of him and they always did fine.

Mohinder wasn't worried about that. He'd like to stay on here to ensure a good recommendation and perhaps be able to start teaching again. At this rate, he'd even take a high school, though a university would be best. He could teach Indian if they didn't need an evolutionary biologist or geneticist with a half decade of lab research experience under his belt. He had small thoughts of NYU in his head... A good school. A high paying one. And if he could attain tenure, Molly's future was set.

"After, you can come with me to the university where I worked or perhaps you and Matt could accompany my mother to the temple." Very no-nonsense here, folks.

He was vaguely uncomfortable with the way Matt stared at his plate, eating healthy amounts of the pancakes his mother had made (yes, Matt, they do pancakes in India!). He would have given anything to be a telepath this time around, if only to see how badly he'd chased Matt off.

"Mohinder", Molly looked at him with a tricksy little smile, "I already told you I want to see where you work!"

Matt was a little amused in turn but mostly listened to them as he ate - actually listened, not mind-listened. He caught Zahra giving him contemplating looks once or twice and that made him kind of uncomfortable given the conversation he'd overheard between her and Mohinder the day prior, and he stopped looking at Mohinder altogether as a result.

It made him want to reconsider spending time with her for the day, but he wouldn't back out on something like that and was curious enough to want to see the temple for himself. He'd just deal with any awkwardness as it came, he told himself. He was good at it. Usually.

And as everyone agreed on an approximate schedule and that they'd have lunch out and that they'd meet back at the Suresh home for dinner and socialization after their respective errands, breakfast was finished.

It was a warm day out and Molly was beyond excited to get to show them her favorite parts of the market, particularly to Matt, since it was all new to him.

While it seemed like an ideal place to focus on Molly and on his own childhood, showing Matt around the market and describing how it had changed over the years was putting entirely too much focus back on the other man.

Rows upon rows of vendors sold all sorts of things from pottery and spices to fine fabrics and gold jewelry. Fortune tellers yelled at them in broken English to get their attention and Molly flitted around trying all of the free samples. Perhaps Mohinder indulged her a little too much but he did buy her a little too much...namely anything she looked remotely interested in.

"Gold to girls in India is sacred," he explained to her, clasping a wide necklace around her neck. "It's considered an investment, a bit like a bank account." When the women at the vendor applauded how fine Molly looked, he couldn't help but grin.

He'd never thought of sharing his culture this way with someone. Molly's nod was solemn. "I'll take good care of it." And she hugged him.

Bags of tea and fresh spice joined the stock pile to bring back to New York, Matt the unfortunate bag carrying victim. It would be time for temple services soon. It probably wasn't too late for Matt to back out and hit the university instead.

Matt was enjoying watching the two of them together. They had such a cute rapport and looked genuinely happy, something he knew he likely did as well just from being around them. Molly was entranced by all the things to see and do in a way that was entirely contagious and Matt was laughing as she dragged the group along to point things out. Even moreso when she took on that particular tone children had when she explained some of the things she'd picked up from Zahra, looking to Mohinder for confirmation and agreement.

"Don't spoil her too much", Matt teased, good-naturedly. But he knew he wouldn't have treated her any differently if their roles were reversed. As it was, he too had fun with all there was to look at and taste, although there was no hiding the mild caution and skepticism that came along with having gone half a lifetime without doing many new things.

India was loud, he decided, in a completely different way from the US. Less controlled, in a way, definitely more chaos, but there was a pattern to it he knew he couldn't see just because he wasn't used to it. All in all not a bad experience. It was great not having to look over your shoulder because it meant you could actually pay real attention to the things around you.

He didn't mind being a packing mule much either. And no, he had no plans on backing out, actually, despite feeling a bit nervous about the outing. It'd probably be better to spend some time away from Mohinder anyway, cause he still hadn't sorted out what the hell was going on or what he wanted to do about it. You didn't have a good perspective if you were too involved, he'd learnt that quickly on the force, even as a street cop. Don't get personal. Everybody knew that one even if most ignored it.

Molly, Mohinder, India. Such an unlikely turn of events.

Those were the things on Matt's mind when they eventually picked a spot for lunch.

The little fried cheese balls in Matt's lunch were not too spicy or too sweet and the meal was therefore a success across the board. They went their separate ways at the university, Mohinder giving the car over to his mother to come and pick them up again after the service. Molly waved furiously to the departing car and Mohinder-- He finally felt as if he could relax. Constantly worrying about what Matt overheard was becoming a nightmare.

It also gave Mohinder a few hours to show Molly off and to get his ducks in a row for a job and, hopefully, extended work visa in New York. Several of his old students bumped into him as well. It made for a particularly lovely afternoon.

At least for Matt's sake, the service at the temple wasn't that bad either, though it was likely boring until it came time to give offerings and Zahra brought him up to the statue of Kannon, one of the deities of peace and love, to lay flowers and fruits at her feet.

It was only after the last sutra was read that she engaged Matt in anything other than pleasantries. "My son is very fond of you."

And an afternoon that Molly enjoyed as well, most likely; she was a smart, observant and curious girl who had many questions to ask and actually listened and made sure she understood the explanations. And in a place like the one where Mohinder worked there were plenty of things to look at and ask about.

On Matt's end of things, he hadn't minded the service too much. Boring in places and strange, absolutely, but an interesting experience and Mohinder's mother hadn't been anywhere near as intrusive as he'd anticipated. Not that he completely counted that one off, but he'd been fairly relaxed for the most part.

Of course, he felt a bit like jumping two feet in the air when she did drop that bomb on him. And what a bomb, too.

"I-I, uh- you think?" he managed after a second's worth of deer-in-the-headlights. He felt a bit like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It was downright bizarre.

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