You Really Want Me

On Christmas Eve, Matt had to work. In order to get Christmas day off, he traded shifts with Detective Cruz. As a result, he worked his regular eight hour shift that morning, came home for two hours and then left for the swing shift that lasted until two o'clock the next morning. Worst of all, he made three arrests and investigated four crime scenes during the latter shift alone. He ended up staying at the precinct until three in the morning doing paperwork. Finally, at three-thirty, he stumbled home.

Barely, he remembered fumbling with the front door latch. Mainly, he recalled kicking off his shoes as he entered his bedroom while he peeled off his jacket. As it dropped to the floor, he fell onto his bed. He thought of how good his pillow felt – soft against his face. Hazily, the comfort of his pillow still filled his mind as whispers invaded his foggy mind.

"Can't I wake him up now?"

"No. Keep your voice down and let Matthew sleep."

"But, it's Christmas already."

"Molly, please, be reasonable. He only got home a few hours ago."

"I know."

"Come, I'll make you breakfast."

"When can I wake him up?'

"Molly…"

"Come on, Mohinder. If I can't do it yet, at least tell me when."

"Okay. You have to wait until ten o'clock."

"What? That's over three hours from now!"

"Molly, keep your voice down and come away from that door. You'll wait until ten o'clock and that's final."

"Ahh, man."

Rubbing his face into the pillow beneath him, Matt giggled silently. As he drifted back to sleep, he quietly blessed Mohinder.

All at once, Matt knew one thing only – It didn't feel like three hours later. Next, he became acutely aware of the fact that he was under attack. Rolling onto his back, he grabbed his assailant by the waist and wriggled his fingers. An explosion of giggles preceded the head that hit him square in the bread basket. Still, he never let go. Worrying his bottom lip, he continued his assault until he heard her pant out, "Uncle."

Pulling her into a tight hug, Matt laughed, "That's what you get."

'How do you do it? You're simply amazing."

Opening his eyes for the first time, Matt looked at Mohinder. He stood in the doorway, leaning against the jamb. His arms were crossed but his eyes were smiling. He waved a hello and smiled widely when Matt said, "Good morning."

Pushing off the jamb, he crossed over to the bed. Placing his hands on Molly's shoulders, he spoke softly, "Let's leave and let Matthew get ready."

With a fake frown, Molly shot Mohinder her best puppy dog eyes.

"None of that. He's awake. Now, let the man get up."

Bringing up her hands, Molly tilted her head to the side and shrugged. Giving Matt one last hug, she said, "Merry Christmas, Matt"

"Merry Christmas, Molly," replied Matt as he watched her climb off his bed. As she reached the door, she called out, "Hurry up, Matt. There are a lot of presents to open."

They heard a fast pitter-patter of feet before Mohinder whispered, "Yes, they're all for her. That's why she's so eager."

Sitting up, Matt countered, "Oh, I don't know – There are probably a couple gifts under the tree for you, too."

"And for you, as well." Mohinder laughed, stepping closer to Matt. Tilting his head to the side, Mohinder asked, "Did you sleep in your clothes?"

Nodding, Matt threw off his blankets. Standing up, he stretched and released a growl. Lowering his arms, he scratched at his chest as he walked over to his bureau. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. After closing the drawer, he leaned against the wood for a moment before announcing, "I need a shower real bad."

"Go get one and I'll keep Molly at bay until you're done."

"Thanks, man." Matt turned around in time to see Mohinder head for the door.

"I'll brew you some coffee. It should be done by the time you come out."

Some time later, still rubbing a towel over his wet hair, Matt walked slowly out of the bathroom. As he brought the towel down to hang from his shoulders, he found Mohinder standing before him. A steaming mug in hand, Mohinder dragged the wet towel from Matt's neck as Matt lunged for the coffee.

"You are a blessing from God, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

Quickly, Mohinder returned the towel to the bathroom. Upon returning, his eyes found Molly. Her eyes were wider than he could ever remember. She sported rosy cheeks and a worried bottom lip to match the white knuckle grip with which she held the edge of her pajama top. In short, the child looked ready to burst. Matt noticed it, too. He sat down and took a sip of coffee. Enjoying it, he waited for Mohinder to join him on the sofa before he said, "Okay kiddo, have at it."

Throwing up her hands, she screamed. Spinning around, she slid two feet on her knees, her forward momentum stopped only by the pile of presents placed in front of the tree. Grabbing for the closest one, she held it up to her ear and shook it. Laughing out loud, she lowered the gift and ripped the paper off. Handful after handful, the paper fell in shreds. Pulling on curled ribbons until they snapped, she opened her first gift.

For weeks, these gifts taunted her, but no more. Being unfamiliar with Christmas, Matt and Mohinder placed gifts under the tree as they got them. They didn't bother to pretend that a jolly, fat man was coming. Gradually, the pile grew, expanded. With each new gift, she longed for this day, this moment, even more. This morning was torture – to be so close and yet so far. Now, this was her chance.

Slightly stunned by the violence associated with an otherwise cheery holiday, they could only watch. Occasionally, they chanced a glance at each other in the midst of flying bits of paper. They jumped each time she screamed. They offered nervous smiles when she raised up that pair of jeans she raved over just a couple weeks ago or the new jacket that was just going to make the other girls at school die. Just die. They mumbled "you're welcome" when she gushed, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Every so often, she paused long enough to hand one of them a present. The first one was for Mohinder and Molly held her breath as he opened it. Inside, he found a four pack set of monogrammed handkerchiefs. Holding one up, he marveled at the obviously high thread count and the detailed embroidery that formed the letter "M." Looking down at Molly, he smiled and said, "They're exquisite."

"Matt took me shopping, last week. He said you'd like them. You really like them, right?"

Looking over at Matt, Mohinder whispered, "Yes. They're wonderful."

'Just like you.'

Looking back at Mohinder, he almost missed it when Molly brought him a gift of his own. Looking down at his lap, he paused for a moment before tearing at the paper. Opening it up, he found a hand tooled leather badge case. Turning it over and over, he marveled at the stitching and the subtle scrollwork along the corners. Opening it, he shook his head. "This is too much."

"Don't you like it?" asked Molly.

Continuing to examine the leather, he answered, "No, I love it. I just mean – It must have been expensive."

"Don't worry about that."

Turning to his right, Mohinder said, "When we were at the party, I noticed that a lot of the other detectives had something similar to this. I thought that you should have one, too."

Meeting Mohinder's gaze, he smiled. Turning to Molly, Matt said, "There's a lot more gifts to go."

With a big smile, she returned to her labors. More paper was shredded. More ribbon snapped. There were even more screams of joy.

Seated on their perches, Matt and Mohinder still marveled at their gifts. Matt ran his thumb over the delicate flourishes carved into the leather. Pausing, he brought the case up to his nose and smelled. Sighing loudly, he laughed when he glanced to the left to find that Mohinder had one eyebrow raised.

Continuing to watch Mohinder, he saw how gently he held the handkerchiefs. Raising up one of the cloths, Mohinder inspected the monogram. 'This looks hand stitched.'

"It is."

"Excuse me?" replied Mohinder, again, with one brow arched.

Sheepishly, Matt blushed as he tapped a finger against his forehead. "Sorry. It just slipped in. But yeah, it's hand stitched. I noticed that the ones you've been carrying around have gotten awful thin. I saw these when Molly and I were out shopping. They reminded me of that vest you wore at the party."

Upon further inspection of the embroidery, Mohinder commented, "It does resemble the embroidery on my vest."

Again, their eyes met. Again, time froze. Again, the moment was shattered.

"Matt, here's another gift for you."

Looking down, Matt reached for the envelope. Glancing at Mohinder, he asked, "What did you do?"

"Just open it."

Opening the packet, Matt's eyes grew immediately. Pulling out two tickets, he breathed, "Two tickets to the second round of the play-offs. In Boston. How did you get your hands on these?"

"I have my ways. Before you ask, I don't like American football. Too much padding for me."

Looking at Molly, Matt said, "Y'know, either the Chargers or the Jaguars are going to be meeting them there. My money is on the Chargers. California is on its way to Boston. Sounds like you and me, Molly. What do ya say?"

"Really?"

"Oh yeah."

Screaming, she threw her arms open. Jumping at Matt, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Squeezing tightly, she chanted, "We're going to Boston."

Laughing, Mohinder reminded, "There are still some presents left under that tree."

Jumping off Matt, Molly dove under the tree once again. As presents occupied her time, Matt commented, "Mohinder, are you sure about this? These tickets had to cost – I can't even imagine – hundreds?"

Waving his concern away, Mohinder replied, "It's rude to ask how much a present costs. Besides, I'm just glad you like it. I agonized over that present."

"Well, I hope you like mine."

"What?"

"Hey Molly, hand me over that present in the dark blue wrapping. Yeah, the one with the silver bow."

As she brought it over, Matt thanked her. Taking it from her, he held it for a moment before handing it to Mohinder.

"I hope you like it."

The package was only slightly larger than a standard deck of cards. Under the exotic looking paper, Mohinder felt a hinge on one side and a small clasp on the other. Tearing the paper off cautiously, a cream colored ceramic box was revealed. Slowly, undoing the latch, he suddenly drew in a breath. Flipping open the top, Mohinder brought the box up to his nose and inhaled. Instantly, he was flooded with the floral scents and fruity aromas of his youth. With his eyes closed, he whispered, "It smells like home."

Carefully, he closed the box. He ran his thumbs over the top before looking at Matt. "Matthew, this is whole leaf orange pekoe. They grow this near where I grew up. There are these vast plantations. For miles around, the air is filled with this scent. This is… I'm speechless. How did you know?"

"I do pay attention to you. You drink tea a lot, but not always the same one. You've got a few different types of tea bags, but I noticed you had a tin in the kitchen. I couldn't read what was written on it, but I noticed that you only made it when you were stressed out. I also noticed recently that you were running out. So, I was out in Queens on a collar the other day and I saw this place across the street named Maha Nilgiris. Their sign said they sold tea. I came home and got that tin and took it to them. They recognized it and sold me some and the container. I don't know if its true but they said the ceramic box was better for the tea than the tin."

With a nod, Mohinder agreed, "It's true, but when you fly internationally, you use what won't break easily."

"Well, good. I'm glad you like it," said Matt as he smiled wide.

Opening the box again, Mohinder drew in the pleasant scent. 'Home. This is home.'

"Yes, it is."

Looking at Matt, it took a moment before Mohinder realized to what Matt was referring. Raising an eyebrow, he paused before allowing a faint smile to reach his eyes. Calmly, he closed the tea box again and whispered, "Yes, it is."

After a couple more presents, Molly opened the last one under the tree. Taking a deep breath, she started to pile up her Christmas haul when Matt told her, "Molly, wait. There's one more gift for you."

Crossing the room, Matt went to Mohinder's desk and pulled an envelope out of the top drawer. Turning around, he took a deep breath. Meeting Mohinder's eyes, he walked over to Molly. Without a word, he handed it to her before rejoining Mohinder on the sofa.

She eyed it curiously. Cautiously, she turned it end on end several times before finally opening it and pulling out the thick document inside. The first page was a notion of motion detailing the hearing scheduled on February 25, 2008 at seven-forty-five in the morning. A thick stack of papers followed. This was their motion of intent to adopt. She read it warily, flipping the pages slowly. Afterwards, she folded the papers and slid them back into the envelope.

Slowly, she looked up. In her eyes, teardrops threatened to spill. As she blinked, one escaped. Wiping it away with the back of her right hand, she asked, "You really want me?"

They both sat forward. Poised on the edge of the sofa cushion, Mohinder reached out for her. Taking her by the arm, he drew her closer. Hugging her trembling frame to him, he pulled her up on his lap. "Oh Molly, of course we want you."

Slowly, he rocked her. Gently, he cradled her against his chest. Steadily, he wraps his arms around her as she buried her face in the nape of his neck. Bit by bit, her body started to shake and each tremor broke Mohinder's heart. Looking at Matt desperately, he held her tighter still.

Almost afraid to touch her, Matt traced the freckles on her arm with his fingertips. Closing his eyes, Matt sighed, "I'm so sorry, Molly. I thought… I… It doesn't matter. I just wish I hadn't ruined your Christmas."

Pulling back from Mohinder, Molly stared at Matt. Extending her arms, she reached out for him. Still sitting on Mohinder's lap, she held Matt's hands and said, "You didn't ruin my Christmas. I just can't believe it. I've wanted this for so long. I hoped, but I never thought you guys would do it. I never thought that it would actually happen."

Looking back and forth from Matt to Mohinder and back again, she continued, "We're going to be a real family now. I'm going to have a real family again. I'm going to have real parents again. This is the best present ever."

Placing a hand on her chin, Mohinder pulled her into a kiss on the cheek. Curling her arms around his right bicep, she pressed against his lips. To the surprise of them all, they soon found themselves enveloped in Matt's strong arms. Squeezing them closer, his fingers met, weaving together. As he gave an extra squeeze, they all groaned. Loosening his hold, Matt met Molly's eyes and said, "You already feel like our daughter and now we're going to make it official."