This is dedicated to Faded Feathers who came up with the idea and let me run with it. It hasn't been beta'd, but I've only re-read it a million times to fix it up.
Okay so it really didn't turn out like I'd planned it but thats okay because I think it worked, kinda. Basically, I hope you enjoy and maybe feel the need to review... Feedback on what you liked and didn't like would be really appreciated.
x
"No."
The voice resonates around the room, deep and powerful, filled with such wisdom and age, but she refuses to back down.
"I'll get through, you know I will," she says, staring into the time-wearied eyes of the creator firmly. "Just you wait."
She turns on her heal then, and strides out of the huge room, her head held high and her steps confident. She will get through.
She finds her friends – Isaac Mendez and his girlfriend Simone. Her eyes fall again on the painting beside the couple. Isaac's ability still works in Heaven, and she'd quickly found that hers does too. So much for everyone being equal in Heaven, she always thought, somewhat bitterly, but, she knows, she's glad for the turn of events.
The painting is blurred, but she can see herself, standing in the familiar Brooklyn apartment, the familiar dark skinned man beside her. There's another person in the picture as well, a little girl with long golden hair and big blue eyes. Her thin arms are wrapped around Mohinder's waist, hugging him tightly as her sweet face smiles up at her.
So, she knows she's going to get back, she just doesn't know when. But she's getting sick of waiting.
"Isaac," she whines, plopping herself down on the fluffy white beanbag next to her friends, "How much longer?"
He looks up at her exasperatedly. "I don't know, Eden. I keep trying, but all I come up with is blurs." He shrugs his shoulder and nestles back down in his beanbag. "Maybe you should try cracking Jesus, he seems like the weakest link," he suggests when she sees her downcast expression.
That afternoon, when Jesus comes around to check on all of Heaven's inhabitants, she stops him. "Tell your father to let me go back down to the mortal world," she commands. He nods once, and she dismisses him to go on his way.
Later the next day, she is called to God's chambers. She walks swiftly, her head held high, even though she is filled with fear. The withered figure regards her with disdain as she enters. She knows she should be respectful to the Lord, say prayers to him, thank him for everything he's done for her, but really, she just finds him annoying and amazingly condescending.
He sighs when she reaches him and sits up straighter in his chair. He frowns when she doesn't pay her respects but says nothing.
"I don't know what to do with you." Is his opening sentence. She snorts, because it's quite obvious what he should do with her.
"Let me go back to the mortal world," she says in her persuasion voice. He sighs again at her command but doesn't make any move to follow it and she guesses her ability is powerless against the 'great one' once again.
"And why should I let you?" he asks, again. They've been through this already, and every time she answers the same way.
"To look over him. He needs protection. He needs someone to be there for him." She crosses her arms and juts out a hip, looking bored and feeling exactly that. Heaven was not all it was cracked up to be—it was just boring.
"And why can't I do that?" he enquires. She frowns at him for a moment, and then snorts at him again.
"You're not doing a very good job of it!"
He leans back into his golden throne, bringing his hand up to his chin and stroking his long beard thoughtfully. "Say I was to let you return to Earth…" he ponders, "What good would it do me?"
"There always has to be a gain for you?" she retorts angrily. "I thought you were meant to be generous!"
He smirks at her. "You're not doing very well at getting on my good side." He laughs sharply and stares down at her. She refuses to break.
"If you let me go down there, you won't have to put up with me anymore," she says, quite satisfied with her answer. He laughs good humorously and nods his head, seemingly in agreement.
"Okay," he says after awhile. "I will let you return to Earth."
She beams up at her creator. "Thank you." And this time, she's sincere. He nods and waves her off with one hand. With the other, he motions to the man beside Jesus. The man stands and advances towards her, a funny looking object in his hands.
He stands directly in front of her and lifts the object as if to give it to her, then whacks her on the top of her head instead. She lets out a squeak of surprise as her world slowly fades into black.
She wakes up to a splitting headache and no idea of where she is. She opens bleary eyes and looks around her. She smiles when she takes in the familiar surroundings of the apartment she had come to think of as a second home. Standing slowly, she almost falls over from the pain in her head, before she staggers towards the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, grabbing two aspirins and swallowing them dry, then moving back into the living room to wait.
What she doesn't notice is the lack of reflection in the bathroom mirror.
She wakes to the sound of the door opening. She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep. She stands and watches in fascination as he walks through the door, his hand resting on the little girl from the painting's back.
"You go put your bag down and then we'll make some afternoon tea, okay. How does that sound?" he asks the girls. She nods, grinning, and bounces off but not before throwing a confused look in her direction.
He turns around and walks to the kitchen. His eyes sweep past her as if he doesn't notice her standing there in the middle of the room. She frowns and walks after him.
"Mohinder," she calls. He acts as if he hasn't heard her. "Mohinder," she calls again, louder this time. "It's me." She watches in confusion as he looks around, a confused look on his face, as if he'd heard only the whisper of something.
With increasing dread, she moves forward so she's standing behind him and puts her hand on his shoulder. He doesn't flinch. She tries to pull him so he turns to face her but it's as if suddenly she's lost all her strength.
She chokes on a strangled sob and brings her hand back to cover her mouth. What has she done? She takes a last look at the man she loves, the man she came back for, then sprints for the apartment door.
On her way, she bumps into the little girl as she makes her way to the kitchen. She assumes the girl won't have noticed her but her blue eyes seem to bore directly into hers as their gazes meet. Then she shakes her cute little head and the moment is gone.
She runs.
She ends up on the street outside, bumping into all the people she can, despairing more and more as none of them notice her. Eventually, she falls to the floor, looking up at the sky, screaming, "Why? Why?" at the top of her lungs.
For once she gets no answer.
She returns much later, when the sky is dark and the bustling city asleep. During her hours away she'd considered her options and, receiving not even a murmur from the Heavens, had realized that God had indeed granted her request, although she supposed this was his idea of a sick joke.
She was here, and she could look after him and protect him, only she would gain nothing for herself. But, she supposes, she can accept this because for once in her life she's being selfless. She's giving up her happiness to ensure his safety. Nothing matters any more except protecting him and his little girl.
The tiny apartment is silent when she opens the door with the key she'd found in her coat pocket. She walks towards his room, unsure of what else to do other than watch him, when a light catches her eye. The beam is coming from the room next door, streaming out from under the door.
She opens the door and steps inside. The girl is there, sitting upright in her bed with what looks like a map in her lap. Her gaze moves from the map when she enters and she seems to stare directly at her once again.
"I've been waiting for you," the girl says. She feels her breath catch in her throat and she takes a hesitant step towards the middle of the room.
"You can see me?" she asks hesitantly. The girl closes her eyes briefly before they spring open again and stare at her again.
"In my mind, yes," the girl replies. She pats the side of her bed as speaks. "I'm Molly. What's your name?"
She moves to the side of Molly's bed and sits beside her. "Eden." Molly's eyes close as she speaks so she suspects the girl is only hearing her words in her mind. Molly's eyes open once again and she's startled a little by the clear blue that grins up at her as the girl settles down in her sheets.
Her hand reaches out hesitantly and she slowly runs her fingers through the little girl's golden hair. "Can you feel that?" she asks. Molly's smile grows wider and she nods her head, cuddling into the comforting hand.
She stays like that for hours, humming softly under her breath as she lulls the small girl to sleep. She stays even after Molly's breathing has evened out and her mouth fallen slack. Only when she grows uncomfortable in her position does she stand. She leans down to kiss Molly's forehead before leaving as quietly as possible.
She stands outside his door then, hesitating. Her hand is wrapped around the doorknob yet she cannot bring herself to twist it. The breach of privacy would be too great, and although she won't admit it, she's scared of what she'll find inside.
Instead, she drops her hand and walks into the living room. She moves to the bookshelf, searching for a book she had been reading before. It isn't there but she doesn't dwell on why not. She chooses another book instead and settles onto the couch to read.
X.x.O.x.X.x.O.x.X.x.O.x.X.x.O.x.X
That first night he dreams of her. Not entirely unusual so he doesn't think much of it. It's when the dreams start becoming more and more frequent until they are happening every night that he starts to think more of it.
He's noticed that Molly's been acting differently too; smiling more and staring off into space. He's even heard her talking to herself once. But he knows she's not going crazy and he knows he's not insane.
Molly's not talking to herself, she's talking to someone. There's someone in this house, and he's pretty sure he knows who this someone is. Because it's not just the dreams. He feels her presence all over the house, sometimes even when he's at work or just walking the streets. She's here in this house with them, for whatever reason and he feels no need to kick her out.
And sometimes, when he's curled up in his bed with Molly tucked into his side, he feels ghostly arms wrap around him and hold him, and for just a short while, he doesn't feel so alone.