Another companion to 'a choice to the left'. Wow, I wrote this in about 2 hours, does it show? This is more of a lead up to the next story but it was necessary. And now without further ado…

A Separate Lie

Matt wished that Molly and Mohinder were with him as he stared up at the semi imposing building of his former precinct. Unfortunately while they were applying for guardianship of Molly it hadn't gone through yet meaning they couldn't take her across state lines without permission from her 'guardian' at the company; who had refused them this trip. Neither of the men had been willing to leave the still traumatized girl alone for any length of time so Matt had made this trip alone. He had just been to a lawyer, not one that was part of his soon to be ex wife's office, to see about getting a divorce. This was his final stop today, much to his relief; he might have finally healed enough to be able to travel but that didn't mean that he was well, it just meant that it wouldn't kill him. To be honest it had only been about 3 months since he had been shot by a security guard at Kirby plaza, though at the time they had made them all believe they were his own bullets, and the Doctors were concerned about him traveling for at least another two months but he needed to do this as soon as possible.

It helped considerably that as far as he was concerned the pain from those wounds was greatly muted by Marie's impulsive decision to punish the people who had dropped her and her fiancé off at Kirby Plaza. When he had decided to take this trip, Mohinder had insisted that she allow him a little of his pain; just so he didn't over do it. Before that point he had just stopped when the man experiencing his pain started screaming again. Sometimes he thought he should be more disturbed at the fact that he was causing a man great pain and didn't care as much as he should, then he remembers that Moll Walker would have been killed in that explosion if their plan had worked and any guilt he felt vanished.

He took a deep breath and walked into the precinct, he was here to gather the few things that he had left here when he was suspended and to tie up loose ends, like his disciplinary hearing. As he was currently a national hero, Nathan had named him as the brave officer who took six months suspension to track a serial killer at the behest of the FBI and was shot four times for his trouble; there wasn't much his former colleagues and superiors could do to him. That didn't stop him from worrying or being glad that he was accompanied by his new partner, Audrey of all people; even if he wished it were two other certain people.

The pair, even dressed in casual clothes as they were, attracted attention as soon as they entered the building. Matt heard 'You remember the cover story right?' to which he twitched the fingers of his right hand, their agreed upon signal for yes. 'Good, because it looks like your bosses have spotted us'. The Captain and two Sergeants had indeed noticed them and were making a beeline for them, welcoming looks on their faces. Their thoughts however were anything but welcoming as they cursed Matt for making them look foolish for suspending him, even if they turned it around to seem like the three were in the loop the whole time. One had even decided that Matt obviously hadn't been trying hard enough from the start just to screw them over.

"Officer Parkman, oh forgive me it Agent Parkman now isn't" the Captain said, doesn't it figure the screw up becomes a hero and then decides to skedaddle; he couldn't have done that eight months ago? "I don't believe I've met your friend."

"This is Agent Audrey Hanson, she is my new partner. I know your busy, sir, so let's just get to hearing so I can get the rest of my stuff and be off your hands" He had hoped to move things along without making anyone any angrier, it didn't work.

How dare that… that... screw up of a traffic officer act like he can tell me what to do, now that he is FBI. Well see how you like this hotshot. "We've already held your hearing, in absentia. It was decided in light of the facts that you just are not officer material." The Captain said coolly, "We added that note to the files we sent to the FBI"

Audrey spoke up in defense of her partner, "Well, it seems like my bosses agree that his talents would be wasted in a local police station." Several officers' eyes bugged out at that, one of the Sergeants actually started to choke in rage.

They were saved from replying when a rage filled scream of "Matthew Zachery Parkman" filled the precinct.

Audrey gave a sideways look to her partner, "You know, you probably should have made having her served with divorce papers the last thing on today's list"

Just as Janice Parkman, four months pregnant and pissed, stormed into the squad room Matt managed to mutter, "Well hindsight is 20/20" to Audrey.

"Hello, Janice. I take it you got the paper work." Matt said coolly, still wishing Molly and Mohinder were here.

"Is that all you have to say to me, you monumental ass" She unconsciously projected however, you will not screw me over like this Matthew Parkman, not after all the crap I put up with while you were still a loser. I will not lose out on the rewards now that you have finally become someone.

"I'm sorry you feel that way Janice." She could tell he was referring more to her thoughts than her word and some of her anger abruptly faded, "Here I thought I was being conscientious. I knew you wouldn't want to move to New York, and our relationship has broken down. "

Matt you promised you wouldn't read my mind any more She screamed mentally. Outwardly she deflated and brought out the crocodile tears, "Is this because of the affair, I thought you were going to give me one more chance."

"Oh yes, your affair, with my partner and best friend" Several officers turned to glare at the man whose nose Matt had broken so many months ago, no matter what you felt about the officer in question there were some lines you just didn't cross. "I had forgiven you for that, I was planning on making it work for the baby at least. Then I called you from the hospital, I told you I wouldn't be back to California until I had healed. That you didn't have to worry I had a friend out there taking care of everything. I even asked you to come out to New York for a short visit, and maybe staying for the duration. Now what did you say again," Janice went a little pale remembering exactly what she had said , and wondering how he did considering the amount of painkillers he should have been on. "Oh yeah, you said that you had much more important things to do than to look after your loser of a husband after he got himself shot, that I shouldn't bother coming home since it was likely the baby wasn't even mine anyway…" Matt would have likely continued but then his cell phone rang in a very familiar tune. Everyone watching this dressing down was surprised to see Matt smile as he picked up, "Hey Molly-doll, miss me already"

He ignored Janice's angry thoughts but looked up when she shrieked, "Is that some Harlot you're leaving me for?"

He opened his mouth to take her to task but was beaten to the punch by a cool British accented voice coming from off to one side, "I would greatly appreciate if you didn't call my daughter a harlot" Matt looked over smiling as he saw them.

"Mohinder, Molly" he greeted with a smile as Molly came tearing over to him for a hug. "I thought the paper work hadn't come through yet"

"Nathan" Mohinder said as if it explained everything, it did. "It's official, were her parents."

"Yeah and Mohinder said I could decide what to call you but I wanted to make sure it was alright with you before I decided."

"He did, did he? Well did you decide?" Matt focused in on his daughter, ignoring the Audrey's curious thoughts, and Janice's furious ones.

Molly turned shy for a moment, "I decided I want to call Mohinder Appa," Matt was surprised when Mohinder's entire thought process, usually a well oiled machine, skipped two beats before stuttering back to life, "and I want to call you dad," He blinked as everything he was thinking vanished for a second and a goofy grin spread across his face. "I knew I couldn't call you both 'dad', because that would get confusing, but at the same time you both were going to be my dads, so I had Marie help me look up the Tamil word for father and it was Appa so I decided you got be Dad and Mohinder got to be Appa, that's alright, right?" She turned anxious eyes toward him, and he smiled back at her.

"That sounds perfect, doesn't it Mohinder?"

"It does indeed, Molly" Matt wondered if his grin was a wide as Mohinder's, then he wondered if he cared.

It was at that point that Matt decided that they could keep whatever he had left here, he turned to the now silent Janice, "Janice, we are getting a divorce. You and I clearly have very different visions of where we want our lives to go. If your child is mine I will of course support them and apply for visitation rights." He turned to leave with his family, Audrey following closely behind him; He turned back briefly "Oh and Janice I will be expecting the results of a pre- natal blood test to determine parentage." He smiled briefly at the flabbergasted look everyone in the room gave him, every single one of them wondering where the old good natured, even tempered door-Matt. He didn't have the energy to tell that after being shot four times in the chest, nearly exploding because of one woman's grief, spending the better part of a month surrounded by the thoughts of people in pain, then spending two months in the care of two amazing people dealing with their pettiness was beyond him right now.

Well that was it, weird huh? Just a quick note, yes it was a convenient scene, get over it. See you in the next one.