MOHINDER & MADELINE

SEATTLE

"I know you told me that you needed to focus on your research, but I can't help it…I need a distraction."

Mohinder couldn't think of a response and so instead just stared at Madeline who was standing in the doorway of the studio apartment he had leased a block away from the hospital.

Her round blue eyes gazed at him expectantly. "Well?"

"I'm sorry…" he faltered for the right words. "I'm not sure what to say."

Madeline's smile flickered briefly. "Just a hint, I don't really care what you say as long as you say something. I'm feeling a little embarrassed right now and your silence is not helping."

"Did you want something particular, Madeline?"

She blushed, "Okay, one of us is really bad at this, and I'm sort of thinking it's you."

He smiled slightly, standing to walk towards her. "You're probably right. Forgive me Madeline, sometimes I become so preoccupied with my work nothing else really sinks in."

She waited for a moment, silently, and then spoke again. "Has it sunk in yet?"

He nodded, "I think so."

"Good, so…"

"It is important for me to keep up with my research, Madeline. I apologize, but…"

"Please, Mohinder, just ignore your work for one hour! I'm going crazy with nothing to do except sitting there watching my brother get sicker and sicker. I need something to do to keep myself from going crazy." She shut the still open door of the apartment and moved towards him eagerly. "Please!"

"What is it that you want me to do for you, exactly?"

"Seriously Mohinder, if I have to walk you through it…"

He cleared his throat awkwardly, suddenly understanding what she was doing there. "Madeline, I thought you wanted to take things slow between us."

"I did…" She shrugged. "A girl's got a right to change her mind." She closed the distance between them, slipped her arms around his neck, and puckered her lips at him. "If you're interested?"

His lips turned up slowly, "I am."

"Good." She moved in until their lips connected. From then on neither of them had anything more to say.

An hour later, Mohinder had forgotten all about his need to return to his pressing research, while Madeline lay curled up quite comfortably in his arms with her head against his chest. Her breathing was steady, and for a minute he wondered if she had fallen asleep.

"Mohinder, can I ask you a question?" She spoke up suddenly, proving that she wasn't actually asleep.

"You can ask me anything." He assured her with confidence.

"Why genetics?"

"I'm sorry?"

"What got you started in genetics? And this virus specifically…" She expanded her question.

Mohinder wondered how many times he would have to tell the painful story of his sister's early death. He didn't want to bring it up; it wasn't exactly the story that would set a romantic mood, but she asked, and she expected an answer. "My sister died from the same virus that your brother has."

She lifted her head suddenly, trying to see his expression. "I'm so sorry, Mohinder."

"It's fine, it happened before I can remember." He ran his fingers through her dark hair, trying to soothe the anxiety she was feeling for him. "My father is the one who had to endure the grief. Her death drove him to into researching her genetic abnormality and he discovered that others shared her DNA defects. It became his obsession."

"So where is he now?"

"Umm, he was murdered."

"Oh God, Mohinder!" She sat up now; his eyes drifted automatically to her black lace bra. "I feel awful. Could I pick worse topics?"

His hand moved to her back and he stroked up her spin with his fingers gently. "It's fine. You didn't know." He sat up as well, pressing his chest against her back and kissing her shoulder softly. "It's not really something I choose to discuss, but I can't ignore that it happened. Following his murder and his research became my obsession. I would have had to tell you eventually if we plan on having an honest relationship."

"Relationship?" Madeline repeated, stretching her neck to give him better access.

He stopped kissing her abruptly. "I just assumed…I mean after this…"

"This? So you mean after having sex with me you automatically assume we're going to be in a relationship now?" She pulled the sheet more snuggly around her waist.

"I didn't mean to assume, I just…" He hesitated. Truth was he had assumed. It had been a while since he had been with a woman; in fact the last woman he had slept with was a woman he had dated for eight months. Having a one-night-stand wasn't exactly his ideal, especially not when he would still be seeing Madeline on a regular basis at the hospital.

"I'm just giving you a hard time Mohinder," she told him. She slid her hand over his bare chest, easing him back down onto his back. "I anticipate many…" she pressed her lips against his chest, " many…" She worked her way up to his neck. "Many more nights like this."

"That's good to hear," he responded to her kisses as she moved up to his mouth. She maneuvered her legs so she was straddling him, and leaned forward eagerly into his kisses. Before they had a chance to take it any further, his cell phone rang.

"Seriously, your cell phone is going to be a problem in this relationship." He smiled apologetically as she reached across him to retrieve his cell phone from the table beside the bed. Glancing at the ID automatically, she announced, "it's Claire."

"Of course it is," he answered the phone, trying not to sound resentful. "Hello Claire."

"Hi Dr. Suresh, I hope this isn't a bad time."

"Actually, Claire, I am sort of in the middle of something…could I call you later?"

"It's important."

"It usually is," Mohinder reminded her.

"It's about Molly…"

Mohinder sighed and regretfully motioned for Madeline to resettle beside him instead of on him. She seemed reluctant, but slipped off of him and stretched out beside him, wiggling around to get comfortable beneath the covers. "What about Molly?"

"She's not doing well."

"Claire, she hasn't been doing well for months. How is now any different?"

"I went to visit her today…I told you she was staying at Niki's right?"

"Yes you did."

"Right, well I went to visit her today and she's not doing well."

"More nightmares?"

"No, she's sick, Dr. Suresh." She clarified. "Really sick. She has a high fever and Niki told me that she's been throwing up after her nightmares…"

"The virus is coming back," Mohinder panicked. "I knew it wouldn't be gone for good. I had hoped…I wanted to believe…but…"

"Are you sure it's the virus?" Claire interrupted. "I mean, she could just be sick…"

"It's a possibility of course, but with her past I'm not sure it's likely," He told her. "Just keep checking on her and keep me updated."

"Dr. Suresh, I don't know how to take care of her." Claire told him. "I try to visit her at least every other day, but it's hard to take care of Peter and Molly and still try to have a normal life."

"A normal life?" Mohinder repeated. "Claire, you're not…" He paused. "Wait a minute, I know what this is about…Matt called me. He mentioned that you've been seeing someone."

"Matt told you?"

"He's concerned, so is Peter, and now I'm starting to…"

"Peter?" Claire gasped. "You talked to him about me too?"

"No, Matt talked to him, he told me what Peter said. Claire, do you really think dating is a good idea right now, I mean with everything that's going on?"

"Not that it's really any of your business if I want to date or not, I'm just trying to maintain a tiny fraction of a normal life. Can't you understand that?" She paused. "With everything that's going on, as you say, Jaden is the only person that makes me feel a little normal. I need him to feel sane."

"I understand how difficult life is for you right now Claire. You have been very brave and very good to take on such a large responsibility, but…" Mohinder knew Madeline was trying to decipher his conversation. "You assured me that you would be able to handle things while I am here in Seattle. I agreed because I trust you Claire. You are a very mature young woman and I believe that you are perfectly capable. Just don't let this guy get in the way of your responsibilities."

"Don't worry," Claire didn't intend to snap at him, but she couldn't help it. "I just thought you would want to know about Molly. I can take care of everything though. I promise. Don't worry." She was silent for a minute and he knew she was irritated. "I'm sorry I bothered you."

"You didn't really. You can call me anytime, Claire, you know that."

"Yea, thanks," She paused again. "I've got to go now. Bye."

"Goodbye Claire." Mohinder clicked off of the phone, tossing it onto the thick rug on the floor beside the bed.

"Everything okay?" Madeline asked instantly.

Mohinder rubbed his hand over his eyes wearily as he turned to look at the beautiful girl cuddling up to his side. He tried not to let everything else bother him, when all he wanted was to enjoy his time with Madeline, but it was impossible to ignore the phone call he had just had.

"Remember the little girl I told you about in New York?"

"Molly."

"Yes," Mohinder confirmed. "Well, she seems to be sick again. She has all the symptoms of the virus coming back."

"I thought you said you had cured her."

"I did, temporarily. I wasn't sure if it would last and I suppose now I know."

Madeline took a moment to contemplate the meaning of what Mohinder had just told her. "Then that means…" she paused. "Even if you cure my brother, it won't be permanent?"

"I can't be certain." He told her honestly. "This virus is very unusual and very rare. I can't be sure if it will have the same effect on everyone that it infects. I'm sorry I can't give you anything more solid. I want you to hope for the best, but I don't want to lie to you."

"I know," she kissed his shoulder and then his neck, making her way up to his cheek. "You're always taking care of me…of everyone actually." She covered his lips with hers, lingering for a moment before pulling away again to continue the conversation. "Who takes care of you?"

"Well…" He turned his head, giving her better access to his lips. "Are you up for the job?"

She giggled and let him take over the kissing. "I think I could manage."

Mohinder ended the rest of conversation, consuming her with his kisses and pulling her back on top of himself. He made up his mind to not let all the problems he should be thinking about bother him right now. He wanted to focus on Madeline and her alone. Everything else he would have to deal with later.

CLAIRE & PETER

NEW YORK

"No, I don't know what to do about it, that's why I'm calling you." Claire tapped her nails impatiently against the ceramic-tiled counter-top. "No, he's not listening to me at all. He's very stubborn." She leaned around the doorway, peering into the living room where Peter was sitting on the couch, drawing furiously on a sketchpad in an effort to release his frustration and keep himself awake. "Nathan, you know as well as I do that Peter doesn't like to be taken care of. I mean, he's doing fine for now, but what about when he really needs help…he won't let me near him!" She watched him rip a page from the sketchpad, crumple it into a ball, and throw it across the room. "He hasn't slept for days. He's not going to be able to hold out much longer, but he's afraid of the nightmares…I know…I told him that…Nathan, he doesn't listen to me…I'm not giving up yet…" She watched Peter start to draw on a fresh page. "Whether or not he wants to admit it, he needs me and I'm going to be here for him when he realizes that."

There was a knock on the door, which Peter didn't acknowledge.

"Nathan, I have to go. There's someone at the door…yea, I'll call you soon. Bye." She hung up the phone and hurried to the door.

"Hey," Jaden was waiting on the other side when she opened it.

"Oh! Hi…" Claire had been so busy worrying about Peter she had forgotten that Jaden was taking her out for dinner.

"Is something wrong?" Jaden picked up on her expression instantly. Taking a better look at her sweatpants and baggy T-shirt, he sighed. "You forgot about our date, didn't you?"

She glanced over her shoulder at Peter; he was still busily scribbling in his sketchbook, but she noticed him glance up briefly. "Jaden, I'm so sorry, things have been crazy…" She stepped out in the hall, pulling the door shut partly. "Peter's not doing so well, and I think I should stay here with him tonight."

"Seriously?" Jaden shook his head. "Claire, I know I told you I'd be patient, but you spend more time with your uncle than you do with your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Claire repeated the word instantly.

"Umm…yea…" Jaden quickly realized his slip. "I didn't mean that…"

"Oh?" She instinctively pulled the door shut even further; for some reason she didn't want Peter to hear this conversation. "You didn't'?"

"I mean, I might…I could…we've just never talked about it before and I don't want to rush you if you're not ready for that level of commitment."

Claire couldn't help smiling. "You're like too good to be true."

"What?"

"I did not mean to say that out loud…"

"I'm glad you did," he responded by giving her a kiss.

"So, boyfriend?" She repeated after the kiss ended.

"If you want."

She nodded, "yea I want."

"Good, then can you spare a night away from your helpless uncle to spend a night with your boyfriend?"

Claire wanted to say yes, but she could hear Peter rustling his sketchpad inside the apartment and all she could think about was how he might need her. She couldn't let him down.

"Please, just one night…one hour even!"

Claire debated briefly, but her responsible self kicked in. "I'm sorry Jaden, but not tonight." She started backing into the apartment. "Please don't hate me for this. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Jaden still didn't seem to understand or respect her decision, but he accepted it and gave her another kiss before she slipped back into the apartment and shut the door.

"So, boyfriend?" Peter put down the sketchpad the moment Claire had rejoined him inside the apartment.

"So now you listen to me? You'll eavesdrop on my private conversations, but when I'm trying to give you some advice on how to take care of yourself you act like you're deaf." She leaned against the door and crossed her arms. She wasn't really angry; she had expected him to be listening.

"Boyfriend." He repeated. "You barely know him, Claire."

"I'm sorry, but we've had this discussion before." Claire narrowed her eyes. "You are not allowed to give me any rules about my dating life." She crossed into the kitchen, pausing briefly to give him one last comment on the subject, "but yes, Jaden is my boyfriend now and I am very happy about it. I'm making some tea, do you want any?"

"No," he answered promptly. "I think I'm going to bed actually."

"Really?" She peered around the corner, trying to read his expression. He looked a little irritated, maybe even upset. "Bed?"

"Yea, you got a problem with that?"

She frowned at his tone. "Peter…"

"Sorry," he seemed to suddenly realize how sharp he had been. "I'm just tired and don't really feel like discussing your new relationship."

"Okay…" Claire still didn't understand what had ticked him off. "But bed?"

"Yes, I'm tired."

"You've been so careful about not going to sleep though. You've been up for like two days straight…I know because you've kept me up too." She had left the kitchen now, returning to the living room to speak more clearly to him.

"Which would explain why I'm so tired." He stood from the couch and headed toward the bedroom. "You've got to be tired. I didn't mean to be keeping you up too."

"I know, I'm just worried about you."

"Claire, I'm exhausted. I can't stay up for another night." He told her. "If I have a nightmare, I'll deal with it. I've got to sleep though and face this problem."

"Okay," she followed him into the bedroom. "I'm glad you're going to sleep. I've been worried about you. It's not good to just not sleep."

"Yea, I know." Peter pulled down the blankets on his bed. "Umm, goodnight."

"Yea, goodnight," Claire still lingered in the doorway, a little nervous to leave him.

"Claire, I'm a big boy. I can tuck myself in."

"Right…" She stepped backwards out of the room. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will."

She shut the door of his bedroom to give him his privacy. Tea didn't sound tempting any more. Claire made herself comfortable on the couch, but knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. The idea of Peter finally trying to sleep through the night terrified her. She remembered all her nights sitting up with Molly after one of her nightmares; she didn't want to see Peter experience the same thing. Molly was just a little girl, Claire expected her to have nightmares, but Peter was supposed to be taking care of her—he was the strong one. She hated the idea of him being caught in such a terrifying nightmare that he would need her to take care of him; it scared her.

An hour had passed; Claire had been watching the minutes slowly tick by on the wall clock across the room, which was just barely illuminated by the glow from the moon shining in through the open window. She hadn't closed her eyes yet. She had been laying quietly, listening intently for any sounds of turmoil coming from Peter's room. He'd been quiet and she hoped that meant he was sleeping peacefully. He needed his rest if he was going to try and keep control over his abilities.

In her hour of quiet contemplation, Claire had seriously debated calling her dad. She hadn't talked to him in weeks and she had never stopped missing him, or her mom, or brother. For some reason, calling them made her feel like she'd be putting them in danger. It was ridiculous of course. She had no reason to think that, not anymore, but still, she knew they were safer away from her. It was probably the same idea that Peter had when he told Claire she'd be safer without him. All she wanted was to hear their voices though and to know for herself that they were okay. She had almost convinced herself to call them, when Peter let out a startling scream from the bedroom.

"Peter!" Claire was on her feet in a second, running to the bedroom. She fumbled with the doorknob before pushing open the door to find Peter thrashing around in bed, twisted in his sheets, and still screaming loudly. "Peter, wake up!" Claire leaned over the side of the bed, wondering how best to pull him out of his nightmare.

"No! Leave her alone!" He was shouting now, but still firmly stuck in his dreams.

"Peter," Claire tentatively touched his shoulder. His whole body glistened with sweat; his hair hung in his face. "Please wake up." She hated to resort to slapping again, but it seemed to be the only thing that worked on him. "I'm so sorry…" She pulled back her hand and slapped him hard across the face.

He sat up with a start, shocked out of his dream, and responded instinctively. She didn't even have time to react before he had raised his arm and telekinetically flung Claire across the room. Letting out a startled yelp, Claire's back collided with the floor-length mirror. She and the mirror crashed to the floor—the mirror shattering around her.

"Claire!" It only took a moment for Peter to recover his senses and realize what he had done. "Oh my god…" He jumped out of bed, rushing to where she lay amongst the broken shards of glass.

"I'm okay…" Claire could feel various spots on her body where the glass had pierced through, but she didn't want to worry Peter. "I'm fine."

"I am so sorry!" He slipped his hand beneath her back to help her sit up. That's when he felt the sharp piece of glass sticking out between her shoulder blades. "Oh god…"

"It's fine," she repeated. "Just pull it out." There was a lot of pain but she knew that it would heal in a moment, once she had located and removed all the prominent pieces.

"Can you stand?" He removed the piece from her back and helped her to stand.

"Yea, I'm not broken…" she attempted a grin, but winced when she felt another piece of glass sticking out of her side. Claire gripped it and pulled it out quickly, watching the skin knit itself back together. "See, nothing to worry about."

"Claire, I am so sorry."

"Please don't apologize again, it's not your fault."

"I told you that you could get hurt around me."

"Peter, you had no idea that you would wake up from a nightmare and send me flying across the room with your mind." She wobbled over to the bed at his guidance and sat down carefully. "Look, give me a couple more seconds and I'll be as good as new. Let's talk about you and your nightmare."

"I don't want to talk about it," Peter answered quickly.

"Peter, you just threw me into a mirror, the least you could do for me is tell me about your nightmare." Claire watched as a cut on her leg healed itself.

"It was bad," he answered after a moment. "Terrifying actually."

"You said, 'leave her alone'. What did that mean?"

Peter's dark eyes shifted and she knew he was trying to think of a lie.

"Peter, tell me the truth."

"He's looking for you." Peter admitted after another few moments of silence. "In my nightmare he showed me what he would do to you if he found you."

"Peter, I'm indestructible." Claire reminded him.

"That doesn't mean you can't be hurt," Peter looked at her. "I thought he had you. It felt so real…"

"He hasn't found me. And he isn't going to hurt me. I'm fine." She reached for Peter's hand. "And even if he ever did, it wouldn't be your fault."

"If anything ever happened to you though…"

"You would be right there to protect me," she told him. "Now, you barely slept for an hour. I need you to get more rest."

"I can't go back to sleep, Claire," he argued.

"Yes you can," she released his hand and stood to straighten out the twisted sheets on the bed and to fluff the pillows. "When Molly has nightmares and doesn't want to go back to sleep, she says my being with her helps."

"What?"

"I'm going to stay with you tonight. I think it might help you sleep," she explained.

"No, Claire, really, that's not a good idea…" Peter protested automatically.

"If it works for Molly, I think it could work for you." She slipped beneath the sheets on the other side of the bed. "If I'm here with you, you'll know that he hasn't gotten me. You'll be certain that I'm safe."

Peter smiled at her generous desire to help him and to comfort him, but seeing her lying there in his bed gave him too many thoughts that he knew were wrong. "Claire…"

"Lay down," she commanded, not letting him argue anymore. He slowly settled back down in bed, carefully staying on his side, but she crossed the middle line and took his hand again. "Try to sleep, and if anything bad happens, just remember that I am right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you," he closed his eyes and felt himself quickly drifting off to sleep with her fingers soothingly stroking the palm of his hand.