After Everything With Sylar
"Hey honey. You ready to go yet?"
Stopping short, he held onto the doorknob to keep from stumbling. Righting himself, he quietly approached the shock still child. Beside her, he leaned down and picked up the Thomas Guide on her lap. Once he read the words 'New Orleans,' he asked, "Where is he?"
"At Micah's Grandma's house," she replied as she twisted her hands one way then the other. Closing the map book, Matt asked, "Y'know, he probably wouldn't like it if he knew you were eavesdropping on him?"
Looking down at her hands, Molly answered, "I know, but-"
"You just had to know."
Nodding, Molly waited for her punishment. Watching Matt's every movement, she followed him as he sat down on her bed. Her eyes trailed his hands as he placed the guide softly on the bed between them. Meeting his eyes, she listened.
"Powers sure are a temptation. But, as is so often the case, you're going to be defined in this life by how you react to temptation. Not just where your powers are concerned, but with everything. This power of yours is a part of you, like telepathy is a part of me, but there's a fine line between being who you are and imposing who you are. Mohinder asked us not to use our powers on him. We have to respect that even when it's tempting not to."
Cupping her cheek, he continued, "Powers are a funny thing, huh? It seems strange to be able to do the things we can do and still go out of our way not to do them. There is a reason why, though. There is. It's not fair that we can do these things and other people can't, Molly. It's not fair that we have this advantage."
Pulling her into a hug, he kissed the top of her head. "Do you understand?"
Feeling her nod against his chest, Matt smiled. They sat quietly for a while until she whispered, "Does it ever get easier?"
"Does what ever get easier?"
"Dealing with temptation."
"Never."
Later that night, the phone rang. Quick to pick it up, Matt said, "Hello?"
"Hello, Matthew. Is Molly in bed already?"
Sitting down on their sofa, Matt replied, "Yeah, she went to sleep a few minutes ago."
Disappointment filled Mohinder's voice as he asked, "Did she have a lot of fun at her birthday party?"
"Oh yeah, she and her friends had a blast. It worked out pretty well. It wasn't too busy so they basically had the run of the place."
"I'm glad to hear it. After everything with Sylar, I was afraid she wouldn't be in the mood for a party.
"She's fine. She did have a nightmare that first night after you left for New Orleans. She said she kept seeing Sylar and Maya walk into her bedroom. She told me about the black stuff that came out of her eyes."
"I had a nightmare over that, too."
"She'll be fine and so will you. I promise."
"Thank you."
A moment of silence followed.
"How is Nathan?"
"He's recovering. The doctors say he may be stable enough to be transported back to New York within the week."
"At least he has his brother with him."
"Actually no, he doesn't. Peter's disappeared. No one knows where or when he is or if he's even coming back."
"That's unfortunate. He shouldn't be alone."
"Yeah, it's the last thing he needs. I don't think I would have done as well as I did without you and Molly. Your presence was a real comfort."
Again, a moment of silence followed.
"Anyway. He's not alone, really. Heidi's with him."
"His wife?"
"Yeah."
"Are they getting back together?"
"Looks like it. Nothing is like a bullet to the chest to put things in perspective. I should know."
"Matthew…"
"So, anyway. Did you feel like you were being watched today?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact. Why?"
"She was thinking of you today."
"What?"
"I found her with her Thomas Guide opened to New Orleans, this morning."
"Really…"
"Relax; I've already talked to her about it. I just wanted you to know."
"Thank you again."
"No problem."
"I'm sorry that I missed the party."
"I bet."
"No, I really am."
"Sure, you are. That's why you left me to fend for myself with ten squealing tweens at the last minute."
"Matthew, I had to go. Nikki and Micah needed my help."
"Right."
"Was it really that bad?"
Silence was his only response.
"Well, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. I'll be back tomorrow evening. Let me buy you something to eat from that pizzeria you love so much."
"Pizza? You think that's it. You buy me some pizza and we're square. You obviously have no idea what I've been through today. I spent six hours in a Chuck E. Cheese overseeing a Hollywood glam themed birthday party. There were enough faux-feather boas at this thing to choke a goat with. Everywhere I looked, there were rhinestones and lip gloss. You sir, owe me a lot more than just pizza."
The quaver of Mohinder's laughter filled his ear. Despite himself, he started to laugh as well. Shaking his head, Matt felt the laughter bubble up from his stomach. Just as it hit the back of his throat, it stopped when he heard Mohinder ask airily, "So what did you have in mind?"
After that, the line went dead. On opposite sides, both men held their breaths. Anxiously, they waited for the other man to speak, to say something. Anything. Finally, Matt managed to say, "Pizza's fine. We'll have pizza. In fact- You know what? We're square. You don't owe me anything. Well, I got to get up early in the morning. I'll see you tomorrow night."
This time, the line went dead for real. After a couple seconds and a couple clicks, the dial tone filled Mohinder's ear. Hanging up the phone, Mohinder ran a hand through his hair as he wondered, 'Why did I say that? What was I thinking?'