seekevolution | The Storm

The Storm

"Mohinder! Mohinder! It's too much!" the little girl protested from her bedroom after one of her adoptive fathers (paper work having gone through thanks to Matt's singular talent) nearly tackled her to rub sunscreen into her fair skin. "I can't breathe! It's in my nose!"

Mohinder more or less ignored her cries, rubbing more of the white cream into the areas behind her ears. "You'll thank me when you're not a lobster tomorrow."

"But we're wasting time! Matt's already pulled up the car and packed it!" She might be young, but that didn't mean she wasn't already imagining herself like the girls on the Disney Channel with tanned skin and sun-bleached hair. It'd started with lipstick and red nail polish and a two piece bathing suit he'd given into only because he's force her to wear a little jacket when not in the water. And a hat.

"He'll wait for us," Mohinder said as he clucked his tongue, dressed in white shorts and an orange collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up, though left open with his chest bare beneath. He had on a pair of sandals too, certainly looking ready for the beach. If only Molly would cooperate!

"And if he doesn't?"

"We'll think of a proper punishment. All right, there you are, bring a change of shoes in case the car gets too cold on the drive."

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"This is so weird."

Molly quite enjoyed the messier tasks, so it worked out well, even if she looked skeptical at some of the things he suggested. Vegetables in ice? That didn't make much sense to her, but she knew Mohinder was a good cook, so she followed the instructions. Not without poking some fun at it, though.

She also made a show of threatening him with her messy fingers once she'd mixed the ingredients together but had sense enough to not actually grab any clothing. They both washed their hands again after that, though.

She was grabbing some forks to start setting the table when he asked her that, and she put the cutlery down after glancing at him. She knew what that meant. It was an issue to her even if it couldn't be helped.

"I know we have to", she said. What she wanted or what any of them wanted didn't seem to matter in the end and she was aware of this. "When will it be safe?"

Mohinder sat at the table after they'd finished putting lunch (or was it dinner?) together and gently stroked back some of Molly's hair from off her shoulder and away from her face. "In a few days. We've got medicine for the people here, for the people in the areas around the outbreaks. As it's made, it's being given out."

Well. Sold for a nominal charge to cover manufacturing and covered by all American insurance types which amounted to roughly five dollars a dose. Mohinder thought that reasonable for everyone, especially because Pinehearst could not function without capital investments.

And it wasn't as if they were making a profit on Mohinder's hard work.

Yet.

"We can't go back to New York. Or Atlanta. But there are safe places for us. You can return to school. Matt and I will find new work."

She thought that it wouldn't really be returning if it wasn't the same school, but she didn't say anything about that. Mohinder was just trying to make her feel better.

But still.

"It's unfair", she said somewhat dejectedly. And it really was, but they all knew that. She looked up at him. "Do we have to keep hiding?"

Because if there really was a place that was safe, really safe, then they shouldn't have to. Right?

It was incredibly difficult to disappoint the poor thing, but Mohinder and Matt had been drilling this into her pretty head since she arrived with them. "You have to hide your ability from anyone without one," Mohinder said, his full attention on the girl and not on the dish warming in the microwave. "Even some people with them are dangerous," he reminded her. "But there will be times when you believe a person to be trustworthy of knowing who you are and what you can do."

This felt like a virginity advocacy talk. Mohinder found it quite uncomfortable.

"When and if that time comes, it will be up to you to decide if you share yourself with them or not. No matter where we go, however, you are legally Matt's daughter. And legally mine. We don't have to worry about the Company any more, not like we did. We don't have to hide our family. But if you'd rather not discuss it with your friends at your new school, that's all right too."

"I know", she said, because she did. She paid attention, and she listened, and she understood. It had been pretty good to know that she was theirs, and they'd asked if that was okay and she'd said yeah, because even if she missed her parents a lot she knew Matt and Mohinder loved her and wanted to be with her and wanted to keep her safe. That's what parents did. She loved them too.

"And the Bogeyman is dead", she added, a not-really-question because she needed the confirmation. She watched for it in Mohinder's face. "And the Nightmare man won't wake up. So we don't have to be scared of them."

"That's right," Mohinder told her, ghostly smile on his lips. "That's exactly right. But there are bad people in the world, Molly. People that might exploit you. Your gift is powerful and in the wrong hands, it could be used to hurt someone. That's why we have to be careful about it, though Matt and I will make sure you're safe."

He tucked that ornery strand of light brown behind her ear again since it hardly seemed capable of staying put.

"We don't have to hide any more, though." And it might be difficult to. Matt was famous. Mohinder, in name at least, would be too. "But we might stay out of big cities and stay someplace a little more quiet."

She knew that, too. She smiled back at him though, feeling a bit better. People could be really bad but at least her new parents were good, even if they fought sometimes.

She was thinking along the same lines as Mohinder, too. "Because you're famous now", she said easily enough. She'd seen that on TV a lot. Famous people had to hide from the news crew if they wanted to be left alone. It was one of the reason she didn't want to be, either. "If we move to the country, can we have animals?"

"I'm not as famous as Matt is," Mohinder said glumly though... Honestly? He rather liked thinking he'd have name recognition. Isn't that what every man wanted? He wasn't exactly special, but he was smart, and he'd saved lives. There was a distinct potential of that going right to his foolish, fluffy head.

He heard the microwave ding and he stood up to fetch the bowl. Matt should be woken in a few minutes or he'd be even more screwed up in his sleep schedule.

Mohinder thought about unleashing Molly on him when the question came.

"Before I say yes or no, what sort of animals are you imagining?"

"No, but you will be." Molly was absolutely sure of this. "Unless you won't take interviews or pictures. Then people will forget."

She stood when Mohinder did and pulled the chair over to the cabinets so she could stand on it and reach for glasses, because she'd been distracted by the talking from getting them the last time around. It was from that position she shot Mohinder one of her entirely too charming smiles.

"Bunnies. They're soft. And quiet. Please?"

Bunnies. Well, bunnies were not as easy as fish. But not as difficult as dogs. Mohinder wouldn't have to have horrific flash backs to lab assignments at Cambridge with mice or rats and they lived a lot longer than hamsters or love birds. So. "Bunnies. I believe we can work something out that you could have bunnies. Everyone will need to be tested for allergies first and we'll have to ask Matt. Nicely."

Or beg him. Mohinder knew how Molly operated when it came to the older man. He was a softy, she was his little princess. And Mohinder... Well, Mohinder wasn't always the enforcer, even if he did tend to lean that way. Often.

He didn't think much about interviews or photos right now. None of that was important. He'd rather write a paper or two. Publish a book. The rest was inconsequential.

She lit up. "Okay! Should I wake him?"

Not necessarily to ask about bunnies, but because his name served as a reminder that he was still asleep. Still, maybe the prospect of bunnies had something to do with it. Less because of a bunny itself but because ... well, families had pets. And it was another little promise that they'd stay together.

She never doubted that they wanted to, but it was always nice when it was confirmed.

When Mohinder gave his agreement she finished setting the table before she went off into his and Matt's room and pounced gently on the man asleep there. There was an art to it that all children had.

"Matt, wake up! We made food!"

Matt, who in all honesty would be content to stay asleep for five more hours, nonetheless cracked open an eye to look at her smile. "Five more minutes, mom", he teased her with a yawn, and she laughed and pulled on his hand.

He got up. Of course he did, but it was in that half-asleep state that was all about stretching and scrubbing your hand across your face to wake up properly. In Matt's case, it was his first uninterrupted sleep in a month - if he had difficulty pulling himself from it, it was probably understandable. He felt so much better though and even if he still looked kind of hollowed out, it was easy to forget when he smiled.

"Hey, pasta!"

"Pasta only if you wash your hands," Mohinder said affectionately and Molly nodded.

"Better do it, he'll nag."

"Nag!" Mohinder clucked his tongue. "I do not nag. Nagging is for old women and I'm neither. And don't you say I am old, Miss Walker, because you'll be thirty one day yourself and have a whole new definition of old." There was nothing terrible being planned for the evening. All around them, the world was slowly healing itself.

After dinner and washing up, they -- the three of them, the first time they could say that in awhile -- went to the employee lounge and witnesses the new reports of the first batch of inoculations being manufactured on a larger scale intermeshed with responses and relief from the rest of the country.

Even the former Mayor of New York had something to say about the military returning to the city to help survivors out.

Mohinder just relaxed on one of the large sofas, leaning against Matt, Molly on the other man's lap. Finally. A win.

Matt laughed as he went to wash his hands. "Don't lie about your age, Suresh, it's unattractive." Not that Mohinder was much older than thirty, but still. Ribbing him was always too much fun to pass up.

Breakfast-dinner was nice, and although the three of them wouldn't function on normal hours for a while, it didn't seem to matter. It was getting dark out but the building was all lit up as people kept working and it was quite lively in the lounge.

There were cheers and some applause amid the mostly-serious atmosphere and that was really nice. People congratulating and smiling at each other - a whole room-full of them - it was more than nice.

Then again, they'd really earned it. They'd managed something really big.

Matt had his arms wrapped around Molly's stomach and his chin leaning near Mohinder's temple, thinking back at him.

You made it happen, you know.

Matt believed that. Mohinder didn't always seem to. But nodding towards that cute assistant of his, Tabitha something as she came up to them, smiling widely, Matt added, You better shake some hands, man.

Thirty-three was not a great deal older than thirty, thank you very much, and he was still stewing a little bit even as they watched television. Mohinder wondered, absently, if they could get a Disney movie on instead, this had to be boring to watch for everyone else, when Matt's thoughts struck him a bit oddly.

What good will shaking hands do? Mohinder did want the best for everyone, including himself. That had little to do with photo ops and handshaking. He wanted leave to have a bunny farm with Matt and Molly somewhere quiet where he could continue his research, write a few books...and maybe save the day a few more times.

He didn't need to be thanked. Though, he'd not argue if they decided to pay him a little better.

College was expensive. Even if Molly ended up not going and went into a trade instead, he wanted to be able to leave her something.

Matt rolled his eyes, but it was with a half-smirk, half-smile.

It's about morale. Team spirit, all that. Really did keep to yourself a lot, huh?

It was something Matt had seen and experienced with a lot of groups. High school, for one; football team on the whole; everyone at the precinct. Getting a sense of unity helped a lot when you had something to take on. It wasn't so much about being thanked as having and offering some support. Matt saw it clearly enough. He was a people person, really, only it didn't show as much these days beneath the grime of distrust and suspicion he'd accumulated lately.

Now though he took a second to briefly nuzzle Mohinder's hair with his nose.

Molly, who was watching the news with interest, paid them little mind. She knew they were in love, they were just being silly the way such people often were.

Just mingle. Trust me.

Tabitha had approached by then and was giving them a sunny smile. "You must be feeling pretty happy right now, doc! Hi, mister Parkman. Molly."

Detective Parkman, Mohinder thought to himself but smiles, not bothering to extract himself from his family. He'd done a lot of touching with Matt in the last day but as far as he was concerned, there was never enough touching happening here. He had little to say about morale, or about getting out much. Mohinder was personable, after all, but he didn't actively seek people. He wasn't actively gregarious. Terrible, that. He did so well when he let them in.

Except when he really, really did not.

Mohinder tilted his head slightly when Tabitha joined them, pulling up a chair. "Why aren't you going to California with the rest of us?" she asked, obviously a little perturbed. She didn't have any romantic aspirations with Mohinder, but he was her mentor and his father's book had changed her life. "We don't smell, do we? I'll talk to Howie about--"

Mohinder laughed. "No, of course not. You're all very important to this project. I don't want to put my family in danger, no matter how slight. I'm sure you understand. And besides, you hardly need me to oversee the production of the serum. And if you do, Arthur will know how to reach me."

She turned the chair backwards so she was resting her arms over the back of it when she sat down. She'd miss him, in a way. It was in her mind and Matt picked it up easily enough, but he looked at her a lot more mildly than he had when they'd first met.

"Ah, the big boss", she mused. "Think he'll send us off with a big speech or something? It's quite the occasion."

"Why didn't he do any speeches for TV?" Molly spoke up, genuinely curious. It struck Matt as a little odd, but it was true - he'd never seen this Arthur character, and his name had been nowhere in the news.

Maybe he worked under an assumed name?

Pinehearst seemed to have an entirely different spokesperson, at any rate.

"Perhaps he'd rather have pretty young things do his talking," Mohinder said, not finding anything suspicious. He so rarely did. It was an admirable and likely his most poignantly stupid asset. How he managed through life was impossible to guess, though before Sylar, before New York, he'd be entirely too bookish to care about the world around him.

Research, there'd only been research.

Now there was fear and love and a little girl and revenge and a deep seated exhaustion in his very bones that didn't let him think through the oddity of Arthur never really appearing anywhere, always calling people up to the seventh floor.

"Large companies have people that do the talking for them. They're much too busy and likely not the sort to be good at speaking, not even prepared statements." Which brought him back to Tabitha. "I'm not sure he'll give a speech. As much as I like to talk, neither will I. But you're brilliant, Tabitha. You are. You'll do quite a lot of good in the world."

Well you certainly fit the bill Matt thought idly at him while keeping his eyes on the TV. Because now he was watching it a little more intently after Molly's observation. And it was a good way to feign innocence.

Tabitha was flattered by the praise but still seemed a little disappointed at Mohinder for not wanting to take a more visibly active stance. She was still smiling, though. She was an upbeat one and after you'd finally managed a cure to what might've been a global outbreak with a near-complete fatality rate, you had every right to look happy.

"Thanks, doc. You too. I mean, you already have, but you know." She grinned at him and stood. "I heard there's cake in the cafeteria, you guys should come get some. Okay, not so much cake, but goodies."

Molly gave her a smile and Matt tousled Molly's hair a bit a what she was thinking. "I'll see if I can lure him", he added to Tabitha, because really, she wasn't so bad. "Thanks for the heads up."

She wasn't so bad at all, just bright eyed and bad in groups and a little awkward, just like Mohinder himself. No wonder she looked up to him. He was more than just a mentor. She hoped to be like him some day, though he did scoff at saving the world.

"The grace of being born with my blood does not mean I should be praised like that," he called after her retreating form, and she just laughed, making an eating sort of pantomime and sending a little smilie face text to his phone.

That surprised him. She had been modest when he mentioned Arthur finding him when she could do it herself through data. A rather impressive ability really. It would have complimented Molly's well.

It wasn't Matt that got Mohinder out of the lounge and into the cafeteria, it was a toothy grinning eleven year old hoping that goodies still equalled cake because it had been a long time since she'd had such a thing and oh! She wanted it!

It hadn't been a long time at all, Matt chided her, since she'd had ice cream just that morning. Molly said that that didn't count since it wasn't cake.

Matt had to concede the point.

Turned out there wasn't much cake-cake, all frosting and cream and sponge-cake the way Molly probably hoped for, but someone had taken it upon themselves to bake a chocolate cake and a pie and the ice cream that was around was also on the table along with some fruit and crackers.

And wine, for the adults. Celebratory.

It was a small party, more a glorified break area really. People were still going between work stations and whatnot, momentarily disappearing only toreappear half an hour or an hour later. There was still a lot of work to be done and to keep an eye on.

Matt kept mostly to the background. It was a huge organisation builing and so it wasn't difficult to blend in as such, but on occasion people looked at him twice either because they didn't recognise him or because they did.

Oh well, he stuck with Mohinder.

... and had the sudden thought that Mohinder both absolutely should and absolutely shouldn't be eating some of that ice cream Molly had her eye on, even if she surprised both of them by going for the crackers first.

Perhaps not ice cream, but wine? Mohinder certainly wanted the wine. He was not a drinker by nature but one by need. Relaxation seemed an important part of this celebration and tea could only do so much. He was three glasses in when he scaled the far table and a cry of the others rose up with him, and just as shakey.

"Speech!" someone called -- Tabitha, actually, putting on a male voice to the amusement of her cohorts. "Speech!" the echo came, in much the same and exaggerated way.

"All right, all right," Mohinder said, bow legged and still clutching a little plastic cup of red liquid. "When I came to this country, my first thought? It smelled. Horribly." Laughter met him. "But then I realised it was just New York and not the New Yorkers!"

He couldn't manage body boarding. Table surfing? He'd wipe out soon enough.

"But now... I have a very American family whom I love very, very much. I would have been nothing without them. Nearly was, really. Bit of a danger to myself if you'd believe that. So while the virus is named after my sister, the inoculation is named for the first girl I cured. Molly!"

"That's a drug already, doc!" someone replied.

"And what a lovely drug that is," Mohinder agreed... Matt, help a man out before he broke an arm.

"And illegal!" Matt pointed out with half a laugh. Drunk Mohinder really was a sight to behold, but not always a pretty one. Figuratively speaking. Molly was fixing him with a skeptical look while Matt was torn between exasperation and amusement, but either way he did move up to offer Mohinder a hand.

"Come on, buddy, before you turn into a danger to the food. And everyone else."

There was some more laughter, because as much as most people there knew and liked Mohinder, it was clear to everyone that he coudn't have a very high alcohol tolerance. Matt rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner to entertain them a bit further, but even as he caught Mohinder's wrist he didn't do anything to actively show that he was part of this very American family of which Mohinder spoke. Even if several people had already figured, or were at least suspecting.

Many had seen them sitting very close together. Had seen Matt nuzzle at Mohinder's hair. It hardly mattered. Heroes could be felled for many reasons, but as the drink was doing it all ready, that Mohinder might had a male companion didn't matter. As Matt helped him off the table, Mohinder leaned against his arm and nearly tripped over himself. No matter. Everyone deserved to drink after the last week...the last month. They'd all been working so very hard.

Matt would have to whisk Mohinder and their daughter away, though a woman with hair so bleached it had turned white came out of no where at the elevators. "Um. Hi," she said, clutching a crayon box and some activity books. The things she did for her boss. "Uh, my name's Daphne. I know you don't know me or anything but I use to be a nanny. If you wanted to get your friend to bed, I could watch your daughter for a little while--"

Molly knew Daphne. She'd played with her from time to time when Mohinder had to work exceedingly long hours. She'd help get them out of Atlanta. The girl even smiled at her. "She's like us, Matt," she said, and Mohinder drunkenly nodded.

"Super shp-- Wait. What's the English word for speed?" Yep. Nap time.

"Speed", Matt deadpanned with a hand to Mohinder's shoulder. Standing? Standing. Awesome. He turned more fully towards Daphne, feeling skeptical.

Daphne had a smile that was very crooked, something Matt found both a little charming and kind of unnerving. It was the kind people held over other people. But Molly was relaxed and even a little excited since super speed was really pretty cool and Daphne was probably the closest to her age in the entire facility after Tabitha.

But still, she was a stranger to Matt.

"It's okay!" Molly said like she too was a mind reader and went right over to Daphne, standing on her toes to look at what she was holding. "Do you have the one about the horses?"

It was that level of familiarity that had Matt finally relent, but he still didn't quite like it. Daphne tilted her head at him sort of expectantly and he gestured vaguely ather.

"Yeah, fine. Tell me where you're staying, I'll pick her up. Deal?"

Daphne leaned back on her feet, then sort of bounced that movement around so she was balancing more on her toes, and she gave up the floor number. "It's the rec room", she said, shrugging. "Lot smaller than this one. Can't miss it, though."

After Mohinder also conceded his okay, they were gone so quickly in a rush of wind that worried Matt even more, but he sighed and moved his hand up Mohinder's back as he went for the elevator.

"Are you always this hopeless around alcohol?" he said in a murmur. He'd had like, a half drink himself, and was only barely fuzzy around the edges.

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