The Park

Gabriel leaned back on the bench and let the breeze play with his hair. It was hot that day and he was regretting even putting a tee shirt and jeans on. He felt even more sorry for Mohinder, who had a long sleeve button up shirt on. Sweat was dripping down his dark forehead and he was fanning himself. He heard Molly from across the park playing with some little girl. He made sure he always kept one ear one her, she had a knack for getting into trouble, and it made Mohinder a little less tense. He turned to Mohinder, threw an arm around him and scooted closer. Mohinder just laid his head on Gabriel's shoulder, and sighed in relief as Gabriel's body temperature dropped rapidly, it was like leaning on an ice cube.

"Thank you" Mohinder sighed and tried to get a little closer.

"You looked like you needed it. You had pit stains," Gabriel teased as he wrapped his arm tighter. He was rewarded with a light slap on his chest and Mohinder's chuckle reverberating his eardrums. He sighed and relaxed, and then suddenly caught a few words of someone's conversation.

"…Look at them, flaunting it in front of our children…what if they're perverts or something"

He looked around the park and noticed two overweight women staring at him and Mohinder, and gossiping about them. He shot the two of them his meanest glare and they jumped out of their skin, mostly because they were on the other side of the jungle gym with screaming children in between. They quickly turned away and started commenting on the length of that skinny blonde mother's skirt. He chuckled earning a questioning look from Mohinder.

"Some fat chicks were whispering about us so I scared them" he shrugged. Mohinder smiled up at Gabriel and Gabriel's heart fluttered.

" Thank you for coming to the park with us Gabe" Mohinder said. He was the only one who could call him Gabe, and maybe Molly, and he knew it.

"Well it's either here or in the watch shop" Gabriel shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, He really loved coming to the park with them.

Suddenly, he heard Molly scream, but it was muffled and he only barely heard it. He tensed and sat straight up, looking frantically for Molly. Mohinder took one look at Gabriel and knew what happened, and imitated Gabriel's frantic search. Gabriel saw her and her friend being dragged into a van across the park.

Gabriel leapt out of his bench and sprinted as fast as he could across the park. His chest felt tight and he could hardly breath, he didn't even think about using his powers, he was so panicked. Mohinder was right behind him, shouting at the men, who were trying to wrestle Molly into the car. Gabriel momentarily filled with pride as Molly fought them, scratching and biting wherever she could. That didn't last long, replace by fury as one of them smacked her little head. That shocked her long enough for them to toss her in with her friend and slam the door. They jumped in and started the car and Gabriel put on one last desperate attempt to reach the van, but it sped off before he could reach them.

"No!!! Molly!!" He screamed desperately. He felt like there was a hole in his heart as he watched the speeding car slowly disappear down the street.

"Gabriel, your powers" Mohinder screamed. It took Gabriel a minute to register what he meant, and he berated himself for not thinking of it. Immediately he stopped the speeding van and sent it back their way. He was careful not to hurt the girls inside, but didn't hesitate to jostle around the two men in the front seat. he stopped the van right in front of him and opened the backdoor, letting the girls out.

He watched as Molly jumped out and ran at Mohinder screaming "Daddy". As Mohinder picked her up and exchange their "I love you"s, Gabriel tore open the front door and glared down at the men. They were both unconscious, but the driver was waking up.

Eric woke up with his face in the air bag, his face felt damp. He felt something sliding around him, but before he could move he was pulled against the back of his seat. He looked around frantically, still feeling the slithering sensation. He saw a man standing there, staring at him. He was tall and thin, his tee shirt hanging off of his lanky form. His hair was cut short and was dark and wind-blown. His face was a terrifying, eyes blazing with fury, glasses askew.

Eric looked down and saw his seatbelt snaking around him, and before he could say anything, it wrapped around his neck and tightened. His air cut off and he stared at the stranger, mouthing for help. He leaned in and reached for his friend beside him and grabbed his hand. Instead of being pulled out, his friend's body rippled and collapsed into a pool on the van floor. If he could scream he would have, he was blacking out. His arms were tight against his sides He looked back at the man, and tried to choke out anything. The man just stood there as Eric slowly stopped twitching.

"Gabriel" shouted Molly

Gabriel broke out of his trance and stared at the scene in front of him. The smell coming out of the van was sickening, a mix of vomit, urine and the man he just liquefied. He remembered the look on the man's face as his friend turned into a sloppy sticky mess. Gabriel couldn't move, he was going to vomit.

"Gabriel?" shouted Molly again

He looked around at Molly's worried little face and forgot all about his guilt. He hurried over to her and hugged her little frame. She clung to his tee shirt and buried her face in his shoulder. There were tears in his eyes as he squeezed her as tightly as he could without suffocating her. He didn't care who it was; he would do it again to anyone who tried to touch her. He opened his eyes and saw Mohinder looking up at him in pure gratitude and happiness. He smiled at him and him and molly let go of each other. She smiled up at him

"I knew you would save me daddy," she said to him, and his heart soared. He was too choked up to say anything, so he opted to kissing her on the forehead and grinning.

"Well I think you've had enough excitement today, lets get you some ice-cream" Mohinder told Molly. Her face lit up and Gabriel carried molly to the ice cream parlor.