You're Right

With his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, Matt marched down the street. Mohinder walked briskly beside him, working hard to keep up with him. After a couple blocks, Matt growled, "Just who did that lady think she was?"

"She thinks that she's the social worker standing between us and Molly."

"Not helping, Mohinder," said Matt, glancing to his right. "I mean I understand that she had to investigate. The court ordered as much at the hearing last month. I understand she had to inspect our apartment. I know she's only doing her job when she questions our references, but how could she ask us some of those questions?"

"She knows I'm a cop. It's right there in the damn file. How can she ask if I've taken into account how a dangerous job like mine could affect Molly? How could she ask if I've set up provisions for her in the case of my dying on the job? Doesn't she realize?" Stopping in his tracks, Matt looked at Mohinder as he continued, "You're here. You're the provision. You're going to take a lot better care of her than a bag of money."

Placing a hand on Matt's shoulder, Mohinder cocked his head to the side. "Matthew, if it makes you feel any better, I think you answered her questions very well."

Grabbing a hold of Mohinder's hand, Matt squeezed gently as he replied, "Thanks. I'm just sorry this was how you had to find out you're the beneficiary for my life insurance. I meant to tell you before, but it just seemed like I couldn't find a good time to do it. When I hired on with the NYPD, personnel handed me all these papers. They said they wanted it taken care of before I hit the street. I know I should have told you about the power of attorney, the advance directive and everything at that time."

Mohinder pulled away. Walking again, he looked down at the sidewalk. Once Matt caught up to him, Mohinder spoke. "It's fine, Matthew. Besides, I don't like to think of you dying."

Letting escape some laughter, Matt joked, "Neither do I."

Quickly, Matt realized Mohinder wasn't laughing. "Hey, don't be like that. The reason I chose you was because I knew you'd find a way to do it all. There's an old saying I live by – You can do anything that you have to do. You'd just find a way to pick Molly up from school and you'd find a way to get her back to school again the next day. You'd keep everything straight because Molly would need you to."

Still, Mohinder walked in silence. They continued this way until they could see her elementary school in the distance. He stared at the waving flag as the sounds of childhood laughter started to fill his ears. Bringing his gaze back to the sidewalk stretching out before him, he softly said, "I guess it is a possibility every parent must consider. What would I do if you went to work one day and never came home? I suppose if left in that unfortunate circumstance, I would care for Molly as best I could. I'd be strong and I'd set my own grief aside and center on assuaging her feelings of loss. I would be selfless and think only of her."

As they walked up the front steps, Mohinder stopped. Quickly, he snaked his hand out and grabbed onto Matt's arm. Once their gazes met, Mohinder explained, "I would do all this and more, but what I said earlier was not about Molly. I meant that Idon't like to think of you dying."

Matt didn't know what to say. He stood in stunned silence for several seconds before placing a hand on Mohinder's back and guiding him the rest of the way up the stairs. At the top, he held the door open for him. As Mohinder crossed in front of him, a thought slipped into Matt's mind. 'I hope he doesn't hold that against me, too.'

Frowning, he followed Mohinder inside.

The night found them safe at home. Sitting at the kitchen table, Mohinder helped Molly with her homework. Stepping around them, Matt fixed dinner. As he set out plates on the counter, he listened to the patient hum of Mohinder's voice as he explained the mistake Molly was making with her geometry homework. As he stirred the rice, Matt heard him congratulate Molly as she finally understood. As he covered the skillet again, Molly got to work, fixing her assignment.

Glancing at the timer, Matt noted that the chicken breasts would be done in ten minutes. Taking the rice off the heat, he announced, "Dinner'll be ready soon."

"I'm almost done," cried Molly.

"Finish quickly and then take your books to your room," said Mohinder as he turned to Matt and asked, "Is there anything I can do?"

With a jerk, Matt looked at Mohinder. Stuttering, he replied, "Yeah. Dish out the rice."

Uncovering the skillet, Mohinder drew in a breath and sighed, "This smells wonderful."

"Thanks. Y'know, it's really great that you're here to help her tonight. I'm not really all that good at helping her with her homework," said Matt as Molly left the table.

Shaking his head, Mohinder picked up a wooden spoon and started to dish out the rice. He left a sizably larger portion on the center plate than the other two. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Matthew. Molly does very well in school. I'm not here to help her with homework most of the time so you must at least be part of the reason why."

The dinging of the timer startled Matt. Quickly, he shut it off. Opening the oven door, he pulled out the roasting pan, placing it roughly on the stovetop as he used his knee to shut the oven door. Picking up a fork and steak knife, he sliced through the largest cut of meat, smiling at the thoroughly cooked chicken. Turning off the oven, he was surprised to find Mohinder already had a spatula in hand.

Sliding next to Matt, Mohinder slipped the spatula under the sliced breast and placed it on the center plate. Dipping into the roasting pan, he placed a smaller piece next to the first and then proceeded to dish out the remaining chicken breasts, splitting them up between the remaining plates.

Quietly, Matt watched him move. He looked at the fluid lines. He appreciated his graceful style. Finally, he couldn't resist himself. Once Mohinder finished plating the food, he took a step forward. At the same time, while placing the spatula in the roasting pan, Mohinder stepped back toward him.

In the middle, they crashed.

"I like having you here," he said, placing a hand on Mohinder's shoulder.

Meeting his eyes, Mohinder replied, "I like it, too."

"That smells good."

Jumping apart, they looked at the archway. There stood Molly, already dressed in her nightgown. Mohinder grabbed one plate and Matt reached across him and took the other two. Glancing at Mohinder, Matt asked, "Who gets what?"

Mohinder placed the plate he was holding in front of Molly. Taking the plate out of Matt's left hand, he left Matt holding the heavily loaded one. Looking down at the amount of food at his plate, Matt smiled.

"Did you manage to fix all those errors, Molly?" asked Mohinder.

"Yeah. They're all done," answered Molly as she swallowed a mouthful of food. Glancing at both of her dads, Molly asked, "So… You saw Ms. Lawson, right?"

They answered with matching nods.

Taking another bite, Molly watched them for a second before asking, "How did it go?"

With a quick look at Matt, Mohinder replied, "It went fine. I think these were the final interviews. There shouldn't be anymore."

"God, I can only hope that's true," added Matt.

"You didn't like her very much, did you?"

Reaching across the table, Matt took her hand. "It doesn't matter if I liked her or not. We did the interview and I think it went well."

"I think so, too," agreed Mohinder. "Next month, we'll go to court again. If Ms. Lawson's report is favorable – and there's no reason that it won't be; then, we will be formally appointed as your guardians. About sixty days after that, if no problems arise, the court will issue the permanent custody order and Matt and I will officially be your parents."

"There sure are a lot of 'ifs' in all that. What if something goes wrong?" muttered Molly as she picked at her food.

"Eat your dinner, Molly. Let us worry about what ifs. We're the parents. That's our job," Matt answered as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Listen to your Father. This is an adult matter and we will take care of it just as we take care of you."

"So stop worrying." Reaching across the table, Matt placed his hand on her head and messed up her hair. After her giggles and friendly smacks, he pointed at her plate and repeated, "Eat your food, Molly. Before it gets cold."

The rest of dinner passed uneventfully. She told them about what she did in school that day. They nodded at appropriate times and listened to every word. With a glance at the clock, she asked Mohinder about Indian Independence Day as it was mentioned in her history lesson that day. That question sparked an hour and a half long dissertation on India's revolution and freedom from British rule. He became quite animated as he spoke of Mahatma Gandhi, almost hitting Matt as he cleared the dishes away.

Finally, Mohinder glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's past your bedtime."

"Ahh, man. Can't I stay up a little longer? You could tell me more about Indian Independence Day."

Shaking his head, Mohinder looked over at Matt and said, "I think I've been played."

"I could've told you that half an hour ago."

Quickly, both men pointed at her bedroom and said, "Go to bed."

She managed to wail, "Ahh, man," before getting up out of her chair and leaving the room.

They watched her leave. They continued to follow her until her door softly closed. Meeting each other's eyes, they asked, "Can you believe her?"

Instantly quiet, they remained motionless. Standing beside the sink, Matt couldn't break away from Mohinder's gaze. Seated at the table, Mohinder swallowed involuntarily, his mouth suddenly dry. Silently, they stared at each other until Mohinder coughed into his tightly clinched fist and broke away. Turning back to the sink, Matt pulled the final dish from the soapy water and placed it on the dish rack. As he wiped his hands with the towel, he felt Mohinder stand and step closer to him. Although the touch never came, he could have sworn that he felt Mohinder raise a hand toward him.

Placing the towel on the counter, Matt leaned, gripping the edge. It wasn't until he felt Mohinder turn away that he, too, turned around. Leaning his back against the counter, he watched Mohinder head out of the kitchen. Closing his eyes, Matt gasped when he heard, 'I'm so tired of all this running around in circles.'

Matt drummed his fingers on the counter for a couple seconds. Pushing off, he walked quickly, coming to stand in the archway.

Mohinder was almost to his bedroom when he heard, "I'm tired to running around in circles, too."

As he met Matt's eyes, Mohinder watched him bring his hands up and assure, "It just slipped in."

Lowering his hands, Matt widened his stance. Across from him, Mohinder did the same. They stood like statues until the intensity of the moment drew them gradually toward each other. At first they swayed, shifting their weight from foot to foot until taking that first step forward.

The steps came slowly – each one small; but eventually they closed in on each other. Matt never stopped looking Mohinder straight in the eyes. He boldly held his gaze as they inched closer to each other.

For his part, Mohinder couldn't seem to shut up. In low tones, he warned, "This isn't a good idea. The adoption hearing is next month. The court already wonders about us. It doesn't need any more reasons to take Molly away. Besides, Molly needs stability. She needs to know where she stands and this does not facilitate that end."

Almost touching, they stopped moving, but Mohinder continued to whisper, "I repeat – This is not a good idea. We have a responsibility to Molly."

Leaning over slightly, Matt tilted his head to the left. Never breaking eye contact, Mohinder tilted his head up toward Matt. "She's been through so much already. What if acting upon this…whatever it is…What if it tore this family apart? How would we ever live with ourselves? No. No, it is better to stop now. Walk away."

"Mohinder," sighed Matt. "You're right."

A moment later, he dipped down to capture a kiss.

The first kiss was light as air. The dry skin of their lips barely touched. Instinctively, Matt lightly placed his hands on Mohinder's hips. Immediately, he was rewarded with Mohinder's fingertips gracing his biceps.

Matt licked his lips before the second kiss. Mohinder did the same. That kiss lingered longer, but was just as gentle. With one last pucker, they each took a step back, letting go of one another. Opening their eyes, they searched each other's faces. Quietly, the worry lines etched around their eyes conveyed a question to which neither knew the answer.

Raising his hand, Matt carefully cupped Mohinder's cheek. Matt held him for several seconds before he let his hand drop and whispered, "We should go to bed now."

Nodding, Mohinder followed him across the living room. As they parted for their separate rooms, Mohinder grabbed Matt's arm. "Matthew, I…"

Again, Matt cupped Mohinder's cheek. Looking into his eyes, Matt could see fear and uncertainty staring back at him. Tapping his cheek a couple times, Matt ordered, "Go to bed, Mohinder."