I'm Thankful For You

Inhaling deeply, he smiled. Sliding the key in the door, he called out, "That smells great!"

He barely got a foot in the door before seventy pounds of little girl flew into his arms. Swinging her up in the air, he held her up long enough for her to slap the ceiling. Giggling on the way down, she wrapped her arms around his neck. After a kiss on the cheek, she said, "You made it. You're just in time."

Stumbling into the kitchen, Matt struggled to hold onto Molly's wiggling form. Nodding at Mohinder, he placed Molly down on the floor. Stepping closer to the stove, he inhaled again. "Oh my god, I could smell this all the way out in the hall."

Smoothing out his apron, he smiled. Running a finger down a sheet of paper on the counter, Mohinder commented, "Well, you did leave excellent directions. Is this really your Mother's recipe?"

Three fingers up, Matt swore, "Scout's honor."

"Were you ever a boy scout?"

"No."

Laughing, Mohinder gave Matt a status update. "The turkey was put in at noon. It is two-twelve, now. So, it'll be done in eighteen minutes. The potatoes have been in the pot for the past thirty minutes and the carrots are being kept warm."

Picking up a roll, Matt took a big bite. "This looks good. See, you worried about nothing. My Mother's recipe came to the rescue and I'm sure it went off without a hitch."

Placing his hands on Molly's shoulders, Mohinder agreed, "I did have an excellent sous-chef."

Beaming from ear-to-ear, Molly bounced up and down. "We're having our first Thanksgiving. This is so great. I'm so excited!"

Walking around the table, Molly asked, "Is there anything else I can do? I set the table. Silverware and cloth napkins, even. I cleaned off the counters so Mohinder had room to work. I even helped peel the potatoes."

Tapping his finger on the tip of her nose, Matt said, "That's my girl. Why don't you get into your holiday dress now while Mohinder and I take care of dinner."

Nodding, she ran off. Both men followed her giggling form. When they heard her door close, Mohinder whispered, "You cut it kind of close, didn't you? I was afraid I'd have to serve dinner without you."

"I know. I know. I got here as soon as I could. When you're the rookie detective, you work holidays. It's that simple. At least I got some notice so I could make you the directions." Looking back at Molly's door, he asked, "What did you do? Rescind the no candy rule? She's bouncing off the walls."

"No. Of course, not. That's completely natural," replied Mohinder. Leaning against the counter, he continued, "By the way, I saw the attorney yesterday. He said after reviewing some case law, he thinks we have a very strong case for adoption even though we're both men and not in a committed relationship with each other. He suggested we come by the office and sign the papers on Monday."

Grabbing another roll, Matt glanced in the direction of Molly's room. "I feel uncomfortable not telling her about this. We should just tell her. I mean, at some point, she is going to have to appear in court."

Taking a step closer to Matt, Mohinder countered, "There was no point in getting her hopes up if the attorney was only going to tell us that we don't have a chance. The whole situation is better because we waited until we were sure."

Placing a hand on Mohinder's shoulder, Matt argued, "Yeah, but now we're signing papers, Mohinder. Keeping it a secret just isn't cool anymore."

"What isn't cool anymore?"

Looking to the kitchen archway, they both froze. She wore a thin, black head band. The shiny bit of plastic pulled her hair away from her face, showing off her peaches and cream complexion. Fanning out her skirt, she showed off the royal purple dress she and Matt found one day after school. White stockings and polished Mary Janes finished the ensemble. Shaking his head, Matt said quietly, "You look great."

Taking her by the hand, Mohinder twirled her around once. "You look like a lady, Molly. It's amazing. You're becoming a young woman before our very eyes."

"Yeah, Molly girl. You're going to be all grown up before we know it," said Matt, in full agreement.

While Molly blushed and hid her face in her hands, their eyes locked. Seeing an unspoken admission, he searched Mohinder's mind.

'Let's not tell her today.'

He heard the thought and agreed with a slight nod. Biting his lip, Mohinder offered a nod of his own. Taking a step back, Mohinder pulled out a chair, "For my lady."

With a haughty expression on her face, Molly sat. Her poise didn't last long. As soon as Mohinder pushed in her chair, she erupted in giggles. The happiness in the air was contagious. No one was immune so it came as no surprise when they all broke down with laughter.

Suddenly, the timer's ring broke through the din. For a moment, Matt and Mohinder stared at each other before jumping to action. They turned off ovens and stovetops. The turkey was placed on the platter. Serving dishes were filled. The rolls were passed around.

Once everything made it to the table, they sat down on either side of Molly. Almost immediately, the heaping bowls became shallow. The rolls vanished quickly after that. The turkey - so golden brown; soon found itself stripped cleaned.

Quiet filled the room. Only the sounds of joyful eating filled it. The clinking of silverware seemed to reverberate off the walls. The refilling of glasses tinkled through the air. They offered glances as they chewed, exchanging smiles as they shoveled in the next bite.

Molly was the first to come up for air. Looking back and forth from Mohinder to Matt, she remembered, "My parents loved Thanksgiving. They loved holidays in general, but something about Thanksgiving just did it for them. They had a million traditions from breaking the wishbone to competing over who got to have the first biscuit from the oven. But, I think I liked the giving thanks best. They'd sit beside me just as you are now and we'd take turns saying what we're thankful for. Why don't we do it? Here, I'll start. I'm thankful for all the food we have to eat. I'm thankful for my home and my friends at school. Mostly though, I'm thankful for my Dads."

Shocked, they sat in silence. They'd never heard her call them that before. There hadn't been a mention of it since the night of the parent-teacher conference. Looking at her, they saw the ease with which the words fell from her lips. They simply couldn't keep the tears from their eyes.

"Come on, it's your turn, Matt."

Jarred back to reality, Matt stuttered, "Uhhhh… I'm thankful for you, Molly. I'm thankful for my job and my promotion to Detective One. Umm, I think that's it. Yeah."

Gesturing to the man across the table, Matt said, "Your turn."

"I don't know what to say. It's been quite the year. I suppose, mostly, I'm thankful for you, Molly," whispered Mohinder as he looked at his plate.

Smiling, Molly jumped up and gave him a hug. Returning to her seat, Molly picked up her fork and started to eat again. The following hours were casually spent. There was football on the television. There was discussion and, of course, there was more food. Finally, the tryptophan, adrenaline and endorphins hit Molly like a ton of bricks. Carried to her room, she was left in her dress, but Mohinder gently removed her shoes.

In silence, Matt and Mohinder cleaned up. Standing side-by-side, they did the dishes. Groaning from fatigue, they picked up the living room. Finally, with everything finished, they fell back on the sofa. Ever so softly, Mohinder said, "Thank you for not telling her. I didn't want anything to ruin today."

Nodding, Matt curled his hand into a fist and punched it into Mohinder's thigh a couple of times. "You were right. Besides, I have a better idea for how to tell her."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Matthew?"

"Yes?"

"This year hasn't been easy. In fact, it has been very difficult. We had to contend with death, the company and Sylar. It was terrifying, yet it has been an incredible ride. Everyone has done their part; however, I need you to know that I see all that you do. I see how you take Molly to school everyday and bring her home every night. I see how you keep this apartment from falling into chaos on a daily basis." Turning toward the man beside him, Mohinder continued, "I want you to know that I'm thankful for you."

With sleepy eyes, Matt looked Mohinder in the eyes. Suspiciously, he examined the man's face, looking for any sign of bullshit. Finding none, he was still surprised when he heard a stray thought – 'I hope that didn't sound too gay."