In the Sun: Part 1
Characters/Pairing: Mohinder/Elle, Mylar
Rating: Light R overall
Words: 4500
Spoilers: Season 2
Summary: How would Sylar react if Mohinder genuinely started to move on?
A/N: Most Jealous!Sylar fics are about Matt or Peter. I wanted to mix it up and explore the contrast between bitchface slash!Mo and the snarky yet bashful het!Mo we've seen in Mo/Eden, Mo/Mira, and Mo/Elle scenes. This story was inspired by one of levitatethis's stories; I wish it were a whole lot better than it is, for having been inspired by something so fantastic.
It was a twenty minute ride from the ferry station on St. Barth’s to the resort. Mohinder and Elle shared a taxi with an old gentleman who coincidentally was going to the same hotel. He sat quietly behind them in the van while Elle cooed and Mohinder bitched.
“I still don’t know what we’re doing here. Who are we supposed to be looking for? Why do we need to spend a week? We’ve never been assigned to a week-long project before.” Mohinder had been kvetching all morning---during the flight, on the ferry…
Elle grabbed Mohinder’s hand desperately. He looked from it to her quizzically. “I have a confession to make,” she blurted out. “We’re not on a project. We’re on vacation.”
“What?!”
“We’ve been benched. We really fucked up that day back with Sylar.”
“That was two months ago!” Mohinder sputtered.
“Yeah, but daddy thinks we’ve both been off our game ever since. He decided we need to get away and recharge.” Elle put her arms around Mohinder’s back and started rubbing both of his shoulders. “And who better to take care of one another than us? Partners, you know…”
The old man couldn’t know it, but there had been a time when Mohinder would have given her a confused look and extricated himself immediately. However, today, he didn’t flinch at all and almost---just almost---leaned into her touch.
“He sent us to the beach? I thought we were here to look for a…” He stopped himself, and didn’t look behind him at the old man. The cab driver only spoke French, so he couldn’t understand what was being said, but there was no way Mohinder and Elle could be sure about the other passenger.
“That’s what he told me to tell you to get you to come quietly. I’m sorry. I hated having to lie to you about it. I've never had to lie to a friend before." She looked distraught but smiled at a positive thought. "I did design the vacation, though, once he said we had to go. We're going to one of the best hotels on the island.”
“Obviously,” Mohinder snarked. “People are dying, killers are on the loose, and you want to loll about on the beach. I’m turning right around and getting the first flight back to---”
He had finally gotten her on the verge of being angry. “Daddy’ll be pissed, first for leaving me stranded, and second for disobeying an order. Look, Mohinder. It was either hiding and doing nothing in New York or hiding and doing nothing somewhere fun. You said yourself that he’s…” Now it was her turn to stop herself and regroup. “That he’s probably after me. There’s no more list. Who else can he get his hands on? There’s no way for him to know we’re here. It’s the safest place. And we both know he’s after you, in some bizarre way, even though you’re not… you know. So I have to keep you safe. One of them, one of us, right?”
Mohinder slumped back into his seat, giving up. “Wonderful. You’re making me sound like the damsel in distress.”
Mohinder was really sarcastic with this girl, but underneath his prickly exterior, it seemed like it was mostly in good fun.
“And such a pretty one, at that,” she quipped.
And she could obviously give it as good as she got.
Mohinder started to complain again. “I have entirely too much to do to---”
“You wouldn’t be allowed to do it anyway. You might as well relax and have some fun. It is ok to have fun sometimes, you know.”
A few minutes later, the van pulled up at the hotel. The three of them exited the cab. Mohinder kindly helped the old man out of the taxi, holding his arm gently at the elbow.
“Merci,” the gentleman said, holding Mohinder’s hand tightly.
“De rien,” Mohinder replied as he finally extricated his appendage.
Bellhops took their luggage as they all went to reception. Elle marched forward to the desk and rang the bell.
“May I help you?” The check in-in lady had a soothing Caribbean accent.
“We’re here to check in. I made a reservation under Bishop. Seven nights.”
“Ah yes,” the woman replied after looking up the name. “A garden view junior suite. Two queen size beds.”
Mohinder cut in and angrily twirled Elle around to face him. “You made a reservation for just one room?”
“Well, yes of course, darling,” she replied sweetly. “How else are you going to protect me during the night?” she continued in a teasing whisper.
Mohinder sputtered in disbelief. “I can’t believe… even for you…” Mohinder shuddered.
Elle actually looked chastised. “There are two beds. It isn’t wholly indecent.”
Mohinder put his head in his hands for a moment and then looked back up at that inquisitive receptionist. “Are there any other rooms we can add to the reservation?” he begged.
“Unfortunately, we’re fully booked. We have a large wedding party arriving today and taking up most of the rooms,” she replied and handed Mohinder the key cards. “You’re in room 405, in the East Wing. Enjoy your stay!"
As they moved out of sight, the receptionist turned to the old man. "Yes, sir?"
"Checking in for one. Seven nights. The name is Gray," he said in English.
"Of course.” The woman looked him up in the system while he followed the young pair with his eyes. Leaning into the desk, he added, “Are there any rooms near them? I have a feeling it might be amusing to run into those two young people from time to time and watch the fireworks.”
She laughed and nodded understandingly at the sweet old man. “I’ll get you a room in the same wing.”
****************************************************************
“Are these taken?” Mohinder asked politely of the lithe and attractive Frenchman splayed beside two empty beach chairs.
“No, not at all,” came the thick accent.
Mohinder set his things on the little table between the two chairs and lay down wearily. Looking right at him, Elle very slowly removed her linen button-down shirt, and then seductively wriggled out of her tiny white shorts. Mohinder averted his eyes about halfway through the process, and focused on his magazine. Elle clicked her tongue in irritation, but made another attempt to get his attention.
“What do you think?” she asked. Mohinder looked up and she twirled around like a Ziegfeld girl.
Mohinder peered at her over the top rim of his reading glasses. “Think of what?”
Elle threw her hands up and exploded. “I don’t freaking get it! I mean, are you gay or what?”
A few people discreetly looked over at them.
“I---I beg your pardon?” Mohinder looked hopelessly confused and more than a little panicked.
“I mean, Adam always told me I was one of the prettiest girls he’d ever seen… and god knows he’s had lots of comparison. Here I come with my brand new Eres bikini and… nothing! I mean, do you just not find me attractive at all?” Elle finished with a sad huff.
Mohinder looked even more confused. “I am your bathing suit?”
Now Elle was bewildered in addition to frustrated. “What are you talking about? What does my bathing suit have to do with you?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. You’re the one who brought it up,” Mohinder continued in exasperation.
The Frenchman lightly touched Elle’s arm. “In Spanish, ‘eres’ means ‘you are’,” he informed her, in order to help facilitate Mohinder’s ability to answer Elle’s question, the answer to which interested him. Elle started to laugh.
“Oh! Hey, thanks.” Turning back to Mohinder, she continued matter-of-factly, “Eres is a high-end French lingerie company.”
“And why would I know that?” he asked irritatedly.
“But even still! I mean, the first time you met me, I was half-naked and you didn’t notice---”
Mohinder rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry, but in the space of about thirty seconds, I was told I was going to be partnered with someone known as ‘the executioner’, then informed that she was my new boss’s daughter, then watched you---” Mohinder glanced momentarily at their neighbor, who was pretending not to listen. “---break a glass in a new and interesting way. I think I can be excused for being distracted. Few men could focus on aesthetics at such a time, even for the world’s most beautiful woman.”
“Which I’m not, I guess is what you’re saying,” Elle finished with a pout.
Mohinder seemed to finally realize that he was hurting her feelings. With his best (but still awkward) effort at a sexy smile, he shyly answered, “I may have had less opportunity for comparison, but I agree with Adam.”
That was all it took for Elle to be all smiles again. “You’re an idiot, Mohinder, but when you finally get with the program, your accent makes it all better.”
Mohinder’s only response was a bashful quirk of the lips, and he quickly looked down again. A moment later, Elle leaned down and kissed him on the cheek before making a show of lying down and putting on her sunglasses. She looked over at him. “Are you going to stay in your clothes all day?”
Mohinder was indeed fully dressed, with cargo pants and two shirts on.
“Well, I don’t know. I don’t usually…” he started, but it was clear to anyone listening that he was being ridiculous.
“Usually, fine, when you’re in the city. But now you're in the Caribbean and it's ninety degrees. Or is it me? Do I make you uncomfortable?” she asked suggestively.
“Yes, as a matter of fact. You do,” he spat. “You’re always…”
“Come on. We’re at the beach,” she ordered mockingly, uninterested in hearing more criticism.
Mohinder got up, and with great self-consciousness, began removing his pants.
“Bow-chica---” Elle started.
“Shut it,” Mohinder snapped.
Despite himself, the Frenchman who had helped them with the vocabulary guffawed; he was discreetly watching, too, and with almost as much interest as Elle.
“Oh, and you were being so gentlemanly just a minute ago…” Elle chided. Mohinder just glared at her. Elle bit on a straw as Mohinder finally got down to just his navy blue bathing suit. He sat back down, but her eyes still followed him, and her jaw went slack.
“I didn’t know scientists looked like that,” she whispered, gaping at his surprisingly Adonis-like physique.
Mohinder blushed. “If you don’t stop, I’ll put my clothes back on and go to the other side of the pool.”
That silenced her.
“May I ask what you’re reading?” the Frenchman leaned forward to ask Mohinder across Elle.
Mohinder looked surprised at being addressed. “Oh. Just a travel magazine this one bought me.” He pointed at Elle and smiled indulgently. “ You can borrow it if you want. It isn’t really my thing.”
“Hey!” Elle squealed, and smacked his arm.
Mohinder looked at what was in the other man’s hands. “Oh! Is that ‘The Peak Experience’?”
The Frenchman smiled meaningfully. “Yes it is. Have you read it?”
Mohinder fell into a reverie. “No, not yet, but I’ve been meaning to. Someone I once knew… someone once quoted a part of it to me...”
The man passed the book to Mohinder with a self-satisfied grin. “I finished the last page before you two sat down. Consider it a gift.”
Mohinder gaped. “I couldn’t possibly---” he started.
“Bah, take it.” He thrust it into Mohinder’s hands. Elle quietly watched the strange transaction taking place over her legs.
“Thank you,” Mohinder said, turning the book over in his hands and looking pleased.
“I look forward to discussing it with you in a few days,” the man said. “That is, if you two are still honeymooning here by the time you finish it.”
Elle and Mohinder replied simultaneously. A joyful “We’ll still be here!” and a frantic “We aren’t honeymooners!” The unlikely non-couple looked at one another in annoyance.
The Frenchman leaned back into his chair and picked up one of his other pieces of reading material. “I see,” he said.
*********************************************************
Mohinder and Elle had been at the nightclub for two hours, but since Mohinder was too uptight to dance, they were ready to go. However, they had to stick around until the next water taxi was scheduled to take them back to their hotel. Elle took another slurp from her cocktail. “I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
The swarthy man sitting on the bar stool next to Mohinder moved as though to get up and head in the same direction. He followed Elle with his eyes, looking towards the place where the bathrooms were. It was extremely crowded. It was a bad idea, a bad time. The man sat back down and addressed Mohinder.
“She seems like a handful, that one.”
Mohinder at first narrowed his eyebrows at the man’s rude and unasked for comment, but declenched when he saw only jovial friendliness in the other man’s face. He smiled at Elle’s retreating figure. “Yes, she is. But she’s… great, underneath all the weirdness. And who am I to judge? I’m not that easy to deal with myself.” He laughed. “Do you know you’re about the third person since we arrived here who’s struck up a conversation with me about her? It’s strange. I’m starting to get paranoid that everyone’s watching us. And even more scarily, I’m starting to get used to it.”
“You strike me as the kind of person who could get used to anything,” the man replied.
Mohinder shook his head in contemplation. “You don’t know the half of it.”
The other man smiled knowingly. “I’ll bet. Anyway, I think you two probably attract a lot of attention wherever you go. Not only do you make a fascinatingly contrasting pair but… what is life like being the two best-looking people on the island?”
Mohinder looked bashfully at his feet. “Oh, I don’t know about that. Of course, she obviously is…”
When it was clear that Mohinder wasn’t going to finish the sentence, the man asked another question. “How did you two meet?”
Mohinder considered this. “She’s my boss’s daughter. We've been partnered together for the past two months.”
The stranger made a face and took another swig of beer. “And now you’re on vacation together? Awkward. Good thing nothing’s actually going on, right?”
“Right,” Mohinder replied, but didn’t sound as firm about it as the man had hoped. Mohinder’s eyes were fixed on the bathroom door and lit up when Elle finally emerged.
“Ready to go?” he asked kindly, when she came back. “Good night!” he said to the man he had been talking to.
"Thanks for a fantastic first date, Mohinder," Elle said on their way out.
*********************************************************
“Come, swim with me,” Mohinder said playfully, and tried to yank Elle out of her seat. He was wet and glistening in the afternoon sunshine, just back from a dip in the surf. He was visibly relaxed and finally starting to show a loosened-up, goofy side of himself that almost no one got to see.
Elle wrinkled her nose, for once not ogling him. “No thanks,” she said, without looking up from her magazine.
Mohinder stood over her and glowered like a spoiled boy who was suddenly realizing how much he liked attention now that he wasn’t getting any. “We've been here for two days and you haven’t gotten into the water once. I’m sick of swimming all by myself.”
“Aw, poor neglected… grown-up. You go on ahead. I’m just going to read.” Despite her mocking tone, she sounded strangely upset and uncomfortable.
Mohinder wasn’t going to back down. “Why won’t you come? You dragged me on this vacation against my will and now you won’t even do it properly. I’m not making you do laps. I just want company at the pool bar,” he complained.
The tall, pale young man with dark hair sitting behind Elle quietly got up and slid into the water.
Elle pulled down her sunglasses and looked Mohinder right in the eye. “Don’t you get it? I can’t swim.”
“That's no problem. I love teaching people how to swim,” Mohinder said, still not getting it. Suddenly he had a flash. “Or is it… oh. Is it that time of…?” he whispered, and was unable to finish the sentence.
Elle grimaced. “Oh god, no. And you? Are dense. Come on, you’re a freaking scientist whose specialty is… people like me,” she continued in a whisper. “There are things in life that don’t mix. You know, like water and…” she trailed off, nodding her head to encourage him to think.
Mohinder clapped his palm to his face and looked mortified. “What an idiot! I can’t believe I… of course. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, you should be. You’ve basically been rubbing it in my face, asking me to go swimming every five freaking minutes. Unless you want everyone else in the pool to die, which I think is something you seem to be generally against.”
Mohinder thought about this. “If you can’t swim, then why are we here? Of all the kinds of vacation...”
Elle smiled happily around them. “I don’t need the water. I like the beach. I like the sun. I like the sand. I like being in a place with lots of other people, doing something normal.” A mischievous smirk crept onto her face. “Plus I get to stare at you all wet and shirtless.”
Mohinder opened his mouth to speak, but instead turned around to hide his embarrassment. He walked to the diving board. The man who had been sitting behind them watched closely from the water as Mohinder did a simple but perfect swan dive into the deep end. When Mohinder came up for air, he found the man lingering by the staircase leading out of the pool.
“That was really impressive.” He used his regular voice this time, just to see.
“Not really, but thanks,” Mohinder laughed, trying to shake some of the water out of his ears. As the voice registered, he went rigid and really looked at the man, who smiled back innocently.
“I’ve been trying to learn for years. I’ve never been able to do it quite right.”
Mohinder looked at him as if in a daze. “I’ll coach you, if you want. Go up and give it a few tries. I’ll direct you from here.”
“Thanks, that’s very kind of you.”
Mohinder stayed at the edge of the deep end, giving the young man pointers for the next twenty minutes. After a few tries, he completed the dive as perfectly as Mohinder had.
“I think I get how it works now. You're a fantastic teacher,” he said, when he swam up to where Mohinder was bobbing and smiling. “Want to get a drink at the pool bar? It’s my treat for taking the time to help me out.”
“You don’t have to do that, but a drink would be nice.” Mohinder called out to Elle. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
“Get me a daiquiri on your way back?”
“Of course.”
Mohinder and his new friend doggie-paddled over to the pool bar and sat on two submerged barstools. The stranger ordered two beers.
“That your girlfriend?” the man asked.
Mohinder looked over at his gorgeous blonde roommate with the chic sunglasses and Ursula Andress white bikini. “No.”
“Yeah, she doesn’t really seem like your type,” the man said unexpectedly, and almost illogically, given the circumstances.
Mohinder did a double take. “I wouldn’t say that… it’s just… How would you know?” he asked rudely after trailing off. Feeling bad, he continued, “Sorry, it’s just complicated. What’s your name?”
“Gabriel,” the young man replied.
“I’m Mohinder. It’s nice to meet you.” They exchanged a wet handshake. Mohinder lost himself for a moment in the other man’s big brown eyes, but then took a sidelong glance back at Elle. He looked confused as they fell into conversation.
*********************************************************
“It’s astounding, Elle,” Mohinder mused as they were leaving their room to go to dinner later that evening. “There are so many fantastic people in this hotel and on this island. I keep striking up really pleasant conversations with strangers. It’s something I almost never do. I don’t usually connect with people very well, but here, I’m finding it surprisingly easy. We really got lucky with the clientele.”
“I think it’s because you’re finally loosening up a bit. The beach will do that to you. Speaking of which, though… your new best friend, you know, Gabriel the diving guy… Don't you think he kind of looks like…?”
“Yes,” Mohinder said stonily.
“Less gangly, though,” Elle continued. “Not quite enough eyebrow. Like a better-looking version of Sylar.”
“Oh, I don’t know…”
“I think he liked watching you dive.” Elle winked at Mohinder.
“Well, of course he did. I was teaching him how.” Mohinder retorted brusquely, but he blushed all the same.
Mr. Gray, the old gentleman with whom they shared the taxi a few days before, also exited his room. The young people gave a friendly wave, and he smiled at them.
“There are other reasons for someone to like watching you dive, just fyi.” Elle continued mischievously and discharged a tiny bolt of lightning in Mohinder's ribs as soon as the old man was ahead of them. Mohinder yelled, and looked sheepishly at Mr. Gray who turned around to investigate the noise.
“How dare you?!” he whispered savagely. But he couldn’t help himself, and ended up just laughing. As she started to babble about something else, Mohinder stared at her quietly in a way that he hadn’t seemed to let himself before.
*********************************************************
“Hello! I was worried you had left us.” Mohinder had jogged to catch up with their French acquaintance from the first day who had lent him the book Sylar had quoted on the day they met.
The man smiled warmly at Mohinder. “Ah, the Indian man who is afraid to disrobe in public. Where is the beautiful woman you are not on honeymoon with?”
“Just grabbing something she forgot from the room. She’ll be down in a minute,” Mohinder said with a laugh.
“Have you finished the book?”
“Yes, yesterday. It was fascinating. Thank you so much for lending it to me. What’s your room number? I can ask a porter to send it over to you.”
The Frenchman faltered for a moment. “522. Yes. But please don’t. I told you to consider it a gift. What did you think? Have your peak experiences made you feel very tiny or very large?”
Mohinder gaped at him. “Do you know, the person who first mentioned the book to me described it in exactly that way. It’s uncanny. Anyway, I’ve been trying to remember some of mine.”
The Frenchman smiled. He gestured to a low railing. “Let’s sit and talk until she comes.”
“I don’t think I’ve had many, but they definitely made me feel tiny, I’m sure,” Mohinder continued as he sat. “So far I’ve only thought of a few that I am certain qualify.”
“What were they?” the man asked quickly.
“I watched a man sacrifice himself for his brother, and for a lot of people. I’ve never thought it was possible to love someone that much. I think I walked around in a daze for a whole week after that, trying to make sense of it all, the enormity of the whole situation. I actually made a lot of huge decisions that week, and somehow rearranged my entire life. I found some new purposes to take the place of others that seemed… to have… died.” Mohinder trailed off.
“Only seemed?” the Frenchman probed.
“Yes, as it turned out,” Mohinder said quietly. Then he looked up, anger hardening his face. “I wish they had stayed dead.”
“Really?”
Mohinder nodded slowly.
The man pursed his lips and looked slightly upset, but repressed it and rearranged his features back into a pleasant expression. “That sounds… beautiful, about the brothers. What was the second one?” he asked.
“The first time I saved someone’s life. It’s really complicated and I won’t bore you with the details, but it turns out that I’m uniquely able to help very specific people with a very specific problem. The first time was a sick little girl, and I remember the moment I discovered that I could help her. Again, a moment in which I found a purpose.”
“Oh, are you a doctor? I thought your friend mentioned the other day that you were a scientist.”
“Yes, that's right. Good memory." Mohinder smiled. "But as I said, it’s complicated and not all that interesting.”
The Frenchman let it go. “Any others you thought of?”
Mohinder got a faraway and sad smile on his face. “Definitely. One of the biggest. But…” He looked up as if only just now remembering that the man was a perfect stranger. “It’s by far the most personal and hardest to explain.”
“Tell me whatever you feel comfortable sharing,” was the quiet and expectant reply.
Mohinder took a deep breath. “I met someone once and watched him do something rather extraordinary. The first time I had ever seen that particular sort of extraordinary thing. Actually, it was person recommended the book to me---about two minutes before he did it, in fact. I think that’s why I’m not completely sure what I think of the book. Both because of him and my own personal experience. Peak experiences don’t always lead to or stem from good things. I now have an idea of what his list of peak experiences consist of, and they’re horrific. And as for me, well, the excitement would make anyone forget to rationalize. My instincts aren’t very good… about people… I need to rationalize.”
“Maybe it wasn’t good, but it was important, wasn’t it? Experiences aren’t always so black and white.” There was a pleading quality to his voice that he tried to keep in check. Trying to draw more information out of Mohinder, the man added, “Do you think experiencing something so complicated was somehow beneficial for you in the end? Were there at least some positive or beautiful things or feelings or memories that you took away? Anything that ended up being good for you?”
Mohinder contemplated this. “I suppose so. Actually, yes, definitely. It made me stronger.” He stood up as he saw Elle coming towards them. “Here she is. We're going to get lunch. Thanks again for the book, and the chat. It was truly illuminating.”
Elle waved hello to them both and with a grin, took the arm Mohinder was offering her in a gentlemanly way. They started to walk towards the hotel café.
“By the way,” Mohinder turned around to add a parting compliment. “Your English is spectacular.”
“Thank you."
On to Part 2
Rating: Light R overall
Words: 4500
Spoilers: Season 2
Summary: How would Sylar react if Mohinder genuinely started to move on?
A/N: Most Jealous!Sylar fics are about Matt or Peter. I wanted to mix it up and explore the contrast between bitchface slash!Mo and the snarky yet bashful het!Mo we've seen in Mo/Eden, Mo/Mira, and Mo/Elle scenes. This story was inspired by one of levitatethis's stories; I wish it were a whole lot better than it is, for having been inspired by something so fantastic.
It was a twenty minute ride from the ferry station on St. Barth’s to the resort. Mohinder and Elle shared a taxi with an old gentleman who coincidentally was going to the same hotel. He sat quietly behind them in the van while Elle cooed and Mohinder bitched.
“I still don’t know what we’re doing here. Who are we supposed to be looking for? Why do we need to spend a week? We’ve never been assigned to a week-long project before.” Mohinder had been kvetching all morning---during the flight, on the ferry…
Elle grabbed Mohinder’s hand desperately. He looked from it to her quizzically. “I have a confession to make,” she blurted out. “We’re not on a project. We’re on vacation.”
“What?!”
“We’ve been benched. We really fucked up that day back with Sylar.”
“That was two months ago!” Mohinder sputtered.
“Yeah, but daddy thinks we’ve both been off our game ever since. He decided we need to get away and recharge.” Elle put her arms around Mohinder’s back and started rubbing both of his shoulders. “And who better to take care of one another than us? Partners, you know…”
The old man couldn’t know it, but there had been a time when Mohinder would have given her a confused look and extricated himself immediately. However, today, he didn’t flinch at all and almost---just almost---leaned into her touch.
“He sent us to the beach? I thought we were here to look for a…” He stopped himself, and didn’t look behind him at the old man. The cab driver only spoke French, so he couldn’t understand what was being said, but there was no way Mohinder and Elle could be sure about the other passenger.
“That’s what he told me to tell you to get you to come quietly. I’m sorry. I hated having to lie to you about it. I've never had to lie to a friend before." She looked distraught but smiled at a positive thought. "I did design the vacation, though, once he said we had to go. We're going to one of the best hotels on the island.”
“Obviously,” Mohinder snarked. “People are dying, killers are on the loose, and you want to loll about on the beach. I’m turning right around and getting the first flight back to---”
He had finally gotten her on the verge of being angry. “Daddy’ll be pissed, first for leaving me stranded, and second for disobeying an order. Look, Mohinder. It was either hiding and doing nothing in New York or hiding and doing nothing somewhere fun. You said yourself that he’s…” Now it was her turn to stop herself and regroup. “That he’s probably after me. There’s no more list. Who else can he get his hands on? There’s no way for him to know we’re here. It’s the safest place. And we both know he’s after you, in some bizarre way, even though you’re not… you know. So I have to keep you safe. One of them, one of us, right?”
Mohinder slumped back into his seat, giving up. “Wonderful. You’re making me sound like the damsel in distress.”
Mohinder was really sarcastic with this girl, but underneath his prickly exterior, it seemed like it was mostly in good fun.
“And such a pretty one, at that,” she quipped.
And she could obviously give it as good as she got.
Mohinder started to complain again. “I have entirely too much to do to---”
“You wouldn’t be allowed to do it anyway. You might as well relax and have some fun. It is ok to have fun sometimes, you know.”
A few minutes later, the van pulled up at the hotel. The three of them exited the cab. Mohinder kindly helped the old man out of the taxi, holding his arm gently at the elbow.
“Merci,” the gentleman said, holding Mohinder’s hand tightly.
“De rien,” Mohinder replied as he finally extricated his appendage.
Bellhops took their luggage as they all went to reception. Elle marched forward to the desk and rang the bell.
“May I help you?” The check in-in lady had a soothing Caribbean accent.
“We’re here to check in. I made a reservation under Bishop. Seven nights.”
“Ah yes,” the woman replied after looking up the name. “A garden view junior suite. Two queen size beds.”
Mohinder cut in and angrily twirled Elle around to face him. “You made a reservation for just one room?”
“Well, yes of course, darling,” she replied sweetly. “How else are you going to protect me during the night?” she continued in a teasing whisper.
Mohinder sputtered in disbelief. “I can’t believe… even for you…” Mohinder shuddered.
Elle actually looked chastised. “There are two beds. It isn’t wholly indecent.”
Mohinder put his head in his hands for a moment and then looked back up at that inquisitive receptionist. “Are there any other rooms we can add to the reservation?” he begged.
“Unfortunately, we’re fully booked. We have a large wedding party arriving today and taking up most of the rooms,” she replied and handed Mohinder the key cards. “You’re in room 405, in the East Wing. Enjoy your stay!"
As they moved out of sight, the receptionist turned to the old man. "Yes, sir?"
"Checking in for one. Seven nights. The name is Gray," he said in English.
"Of course.” The woman looked him up in the system while he followed the young pair with his eyes. Leaning into the desk, he added, “Are there any rooms near them? I have a feeling it might be amusing to run into those two young people from time to time and watch the fireworks.”
She laughed and nodded understandingly at the sweet old man. “I’ll get you a room in the same wing.”
****************************************************************
“Are these taken?” Mohinder asked politely of the lithe and attractive Frenchman splayed beside two empty beach chairs.
“No, not at all,” came the thick accent.
Mohinder set his things on the little table between the two chairs and lay down wearily. Looking right at him, Elle very slowly removed her linen button-down shirt, and then seductively wriggled out of her tiny white shorts. Mohinder averted his eyes about halfway through the process, and focused on his magazine. Elle clicked her tongue in irritation, but made another attempt to get his attention.
“What do you think?” she asked. Mohinder looked up and she twirled around like a Ziegfeld girl.
Mohinder peered at her over the top rim of his reading glasses. “Think of what?”
Elle threw her hands up and exploded. “I don’t freaking get it! I mean, are you gay or what?”
A few people discreetly looked over at them.
“I---I beg your pardon?” Mohinder looked hopelessly confused and more than a little panicked.
“I mean, Adam always told me I was one of the prettiest girls he’d ever seen… and god knows he’s had lots of comparison. Here I come with my brand new Eres bikini and… nothing! I mean, do you just not find me attractive at all?” Elle finished with a sad huff.
Mohinder looked even more confused. “I am your bathing suit?”
Now Elle was bewildered in addition to frustrated. “What are you talking about? What does my bathing suit have to do with you?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. You’re the one who brought it up,” Mohinder continued in exasperation.
The Frenchman lightly touched Elle’s arm. “In Spanish, ‘eres’ means ‘you are’,” he informed her, in order to help facilitate Mohinder’s ability to answer Elle’s question, the answer to which interested him. Elle started to laugh.
“Oh! Hey, thanks.” Turning back to Mohinder, she continued matter-of-factly, “Eres is a high-end French lingerie company.”
“And why would I know that?” he asked irritatedly.
“But even still! I mean, the first time you met me, I was half-naked and you didn’t notice---”
Mohinder rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry, but in the space of about thirty seconds, I was told I was going to be partnered with someone known as ‘the executioner’, then informed that she was my new boss’s daughter, then watched you---” Mohinder glanced momentarily at their neighbor, who was pretending not to listen. “---break a glass in a new and interesting way. I think I can be excused for being distracted. Few men could focus on aesthetics at such a time, even for the world’s most beautiful woman.”
“Which I’m not, I guess is what you’re saying,” Elle finished with a pout.
Mohinder seemed to finally realize that he was hurting her feelings. With his best (but still awkward) effort at a sexy smile, he shyly answered, “I may have had less opportunity for comparison, but I agree with Adam.”
That was all it took for Elle to be all smiles again. “You’re an idiot, Mohinder, but when you finally get with the program, your accent makes it all better.”
Mohinder’s only response was a bashful quirk of the lips, and he quickly looked down again. A moment later, Elle leaned down and kissed him on the cheek before making a show of lying down and putting on her sunglasses. She looked over at him. “Are you going to stay in your clothes all day?”
Mohinder was indeed fully dressed, with cargo pants and two shirts on.
“Well, I don’t know. I don’t usually…” he started, but it was clear to anyone listening that he was being ridiculous.
“Usually, fine, when you’re in the city. But now you're in the Caribbean and it's ninety degrees. Or is it me? Do I make you uncomfortable?” she asked suggestively.
“Yes, as a matter of fact. You do,” he spat. “You’re always…”
“Come on. We’re at the beach,” she ordered mockingly, uninterested in hearing more criticism.
Mohinder got up, and with great self-consciousness, began removing his pants.
“Bow-chica---” Elle started.
“Shut it,” Mohinder snapped.
Despite himself, the Frenchman who had helped them with the vocabulary guffawed; he was discreetly watching, too, and with almost as much interest as Elle.
“Oh, and you were being so gentlemanly just a minute ago…” Elle chided. Mohinder just glared at her. Elle bit on a straw as Mohinder finally got down to just his navy blue bathing suit. He sat back down, but her eyes still followed him, and her jaw went slack.
“I didn’t know scientists looked like that,” she whispered, gaping at his surprisingly Adonis-like physique.
Mohinder blushed. “If you don’t stop, I’ll put my clothes back on and go to the other side of the pool.”
That silenced her.
“May I ask what you’re reading?” the Frenchman leaned forward to ask Mohinder across Elle.
Mohinder looked surprised at being addressed. “Oh. Just a travel magazine this one bought me.” He pointed at Elle and smiled indulgently. “ You can borrow it if you want. It isn’t really my thing.”
“Hey!” Elle squealed, and smacked his arm.
Mohinder looked at what was in the other man’s hands. “Oh! Is that ‘The Peak Experience’?”
The Frenchman smiled meaningfully. “Yes it is. Have you read it?”
Mohinder fell into a reverie. “No, not yet, but I’ve been meaning to. Someone I once knew… someone once quoted a part of it to me...”
The man passed the book to Mohinder with a self-satisfied grin. “I finished the last page before you two sat down. Consider it a gift.”
Mohinder gaped. “I couldn’t possibly---” he started.
“Bah, take it.” He thrust it into Mohinder’s hands. Elle quietly watched the strange transaction taking place over her legs.
“Thank you,” Mohinder said, turning the book over in his hands and looking pleased.
“I look forward to discussing it with you in a few days,” the man said. “That is, if you two are still honeymooning here by the time you finish it.”
Elle and Mohinder replied simultaneously. A joyful “We’ll still be here!” and a frantic “We aren’t honeymooners!” The unlikely non-couple looked at one another in annoyance.
The Frenchman leaned back into his chair and picked up one of his other pieces of reading material. “I see,” he said.
*********************************************************
Mohinder and Elle had been at the nightclub for two hours, but since Mohinder was too uptight to dance, they were ready to go. However, they had to stick around until the next water taxi was scheduled to take them back to their hotel. Elle took another slurp from her cocktail. “I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
The swarthy man sitting on the bar stool next to Mohinder moved as though to get up and head in the same direction. He followed Elle with his eyes, looking towards the place where the bathrooms were. It was extremely crowded. It was a bad idea, a bad time. The man sat back down and addressed Mohinder.
“She seems like a handful, that one.”
Mohinder at first narrowed his eyebrows at the man’s rude and unasked for comment, but declenched when he saw only jovial friendliness in the other man’s face. He smiled at Elle’s retreating figure. “Yes, she is. But she’s… great, underneath all the weirdness. And who am I to judge? I’m not that easy to deal with myself.” He laughed. “Do you know you’re about the third person since we arrived here who’s struck up a conversation with me about her? It’s strange. I’m starting to get paranoid that everyone’s watching us. And even more scarily, I’m starting to get used to it.”
“You strike me as the kind of person who could get used to anything,” the man replied.
Mohinder shook his head in contemplation. “You don’t know the half of it.”
The other man smiled knowingly. “I’ll bet. Anyway, I think you two probably attract a lot of attention wherever you go. Not only do you make a fascinatingly contrasting pair but… what is life like being the two best-looking people on the island?”
Mohinder looked bashfully at his feet. “Oh, I don’t know about that. Of course, she obviously is…”
When it was clear that Mohinder wasn’t going to finish the sentence, the man asked another question. “How did you two meet?”
Mohinder considered this. “She’s my boss’s daughter. We've been partnered together for the past two months.”
The stranger made a face and took another swig of beer. “And now you’re on vacation together? Awkward. Good thing nothing’s actually going on, right?”
“Right,” Mohinder replied, but didn’t sound as firm about it as the man had hoped. Mohinder’s eyes were fixed on the bathroom door and lit up when Elle finally emerged.
“Ready to go?” he asked kindly, when she came back. “Good night!” he said to the man he had been talking to.
"Thanks for a fantastic first date, Mohinder," Elle said on their way out.
*********************************************************
“Come, swim with me,” Mohinder said playfully, and tried to yank Elle out of her seat. He was wet and glistening in the afternoon sunshine, just back from a dip in the surf. He was visibly relaxed and finally starting to show a loosened-up, goofy side of himself that almost no one got to see.
Elle wrinkled her nose, for once not ogling him. “No thanks,” she said, without looking up from her magazine.
Mohinder stood over her and glowered like a spoiled boy who was suddenly realizing how much he liked attention now that he wasn’t getting any. “We've been here for two days and you haven’t gotten into the water once. I’m sick of swimming all by myself.”
“Aw, poor neglected… grown-up. You go on ahead. I’m just going to read.” Despite her mocking tone, she sounded strangely upset and uncomfortable.
Mohinder wasn’t going to back down. “Why won’t you come? You dragged me on this vacation against my will and now you won’t even do it properly. I’m not making you do laps. I just want company at the pool bar,” he complained.
The tall, pale young man with dark hair sitting behind Elle quietly got up and slid into the water.
Elle pulled down her sunglasses and looked Mohinder right in the eye. “Don’t you get it? I can’t swim.”
“That's no problem. I love teaching people how to swim,” Mohinder said, still not getting it. Suddenly he had a flash. “Or is it… oh. Is it that time of…?” he whispered, and was unable to finish the sentence.
Elle grimaced. “Oh god, no. And you? Are dense. Come on, you’re a freaking scientist whose specialty is… people like me,” she continued in a whisper. “There are things in life that don’t mix. You know, like water and…” she trailed off, nodding her head to encourage him to think.
Mohinder clapped his palm to his face and looked mortified. “What an idiot! I can’t believe I… of course. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, you should be. You’ve basically been rubbing it in my face, asking me to go swimming every five freaking minutes. Unless you want everyone else in the pool to die, which I think is something you seem to be generally against.”
Mohinder thought about this. “If you can’t swim, then why are we here? Of all the kinds of vacation...”
Elle smiled happily around them. “I don’t need the water. I like the beach. I like the sun. I like the sand. I like being in a place with lots of other people, doing something normal.” A mischievous smirk crept onto her face. “Plus I get to stare at you all wet and shirtless.”
Mohinder opened his mouth to speak, but instead turned around to hide his embarrassment. He walked to the diving board. The man who had been sitting behind them watched closely from the water as Mohinder did a simple but perfect swan dive into the deep end. When Mohinder came up for air, he found the man lingering by the staircase leading out of the pool.
“That was really impressive.” He used his regular voice this time, just to see.
“Not really, but thanks,” Mohinder laughed, trying to shake some of the water out of his ears. As the voice registered, he went rigid and really looked at the man, who smiled back innocently.
“I’ve been trying to learn for years. I’ve never been able to do it quite right.”
Mohinder looked at him as if in a daze. “I’ll coach you, if you want. Go up and give it a few tries. I’ll direct you from here.”
“Thanks, that’s very kind of you.”
Mohinder stayed at the edge of the deep end, giving the young man pointers for the next twenty minutes. After a few tries, he completed the dive as perfectly as Mohinder had.
“I think I get how it works now. You're a fantastic teacher,” he said, when he swam up to where Mohinder was bobbing and smiling. “Want to get a drink at the pool bar? It’s my treat for taking the time to help me out.”
“You don’t have to do that, but a drink would be nice.” Mohinder called out to Elle. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
“Get me a daiquiri on your way back?”
“Of course.”
Mohinder and his new friend doggie-paddled over to the pool bar and sat on two submerged barstools. The stranger ordered two beers.
“That your girlfriend?” the man asked.
Mohinder looked over at his gorgeous blonde roommate with the chic sunglasses and Ursula Andress white bikini. “No.”
“Yeah, she doesn’t really seem like your type,” the man said unexpectedly, and almost illogically, given the circumstances.
Mohinder did a double take. “I wouldn’t say that… it’s just… How would you know?” he asked rudely after trailing off. Feeling bad, he continued, “Sorry, it’s just complicated. What’s your name?”
“Gabriel,” the young man replied.
“I’m Mohinder. It’s nice to meet you.” They exchanged a wet handshake. Mohinder lost himself for a moment in the other man’s big brown eyes, but then took a sidelong glance back at Elle. He looked confused as they fell into conversation.
*********************************************************
“It’s astounding, Elle,” Mohinder mused as they were leaving their room to go to dinner later that evening. “There are so many fantastic people in this hotel and on this island. I keep striking up really pleasant conversations with strangers. It’s something I almost never do. I don’t usually connect with people very well, but here, I’m finding it surprisingly easy. We really got lucky with the clientele.”
“I think it’s because you’re finally loosening up a bit. The beach will do that to you. Speaking of which, though… your new best friend, you know, Gabriel the diving guy… Don't you think he kind of looks like…?”
“Yes,” Mohinder said stonily.
“Less gangly, though,” Elle continued. “Not quite enough eyebrow. Like a better-looking version of Sylar.”
“Oh, I don’t know…”
“I think he liked watching you dive.” Elle winked at Mohinder.
“Well, of course he did. I was teaching him how.” Mohinder retorted brusquely, but he blushed all the same.
Mr. Gray, the old gentleman with whom they shared the taxi a few days before, also exited his room. The young people gave a friendly wave, and he smiled at them.
“There are other reasons for someone to like watching you dive, just fyi.” Elle continued mischievously and discharged a tiny bolt of lightning in Mohinder's ribs as soon as the old man was ahead of them. Mohinder yelled, and looked sheepishly at Mr. Gray who turned around to investigate the noise.
“How dare you?!” he whispered savagely. But he couldn’t help himself, and ended up just laughing. As she started to babble about something else, Mohinder stared at her quietly in a way that he hadn’t seemed to let himself before.
*********************************************************
“Hello! I was worried you had left us.” Mohinder had jogged to catch up with their French acquaintance from the first day who had lent him the book Sylar had quoted on the day they met.
The man smiled warmly at Mohinder. “Ah, the Indian man who is afraid to disrobe in public. Where is the beautiful woman you are not on honeymoon with?”
“Just grabbing something she forgot from the room. She’ll be down in a minute,” Mohinder said with a laugh.
“Have you finished the book?”
“Yes, yesterday. It was fascinating. Thank you so much for lending it to me. What’s your room number? I can ask a porter to send it over to you.”
The Frenchman faltered for a moment. “522. Yes. But please don’t. I told you to consider it a gift. What did you think? Have your peak experiences made you feel very tiny or very large?”
Mohinder gaped at him. “Do you know, the person who first mentioned the book to me described it in exactly that way. It’s uncanny. Anyway, I’ve been trying to remember some of mine.”
The Frenchman smiled. He gestured to a low railing. “Let’s sit and talk until she comes.”
“I don’t think I’ve had many, but they definitely made me feel tiny, I’m sure,” Mohinder continued as he sat. “So far I’ve only thought of a few that I am certain qualify.”
“What were they?” the man asked quickly.
“I watched a man sacrifice himself for his brother, and for a lot of people. I’ve never thought it was possible to love someone that much. I think I walked around in a daze for a whole week after that, trying to make sense of it all, the enormity of the whole situation. I actually made a lot of huge decisions that week, and somehow rearranged my entire life. I found some new purposes to take the place of others that seemed… to have… died.” Mohinder trailed off.
“Only seemed?” the Frenchman probed.
“Yes, as it turned out,” Mohinder said quietly. Then he looked up, anger hardening his face. “I wish they had stayed dead.”
“Really?”
Mohinder nodded slowly.
The man pursed his lips and looked slightly upset, but repressed it and rearranged his features back into a pleasant expression. “That sounds… beautiful, about the brothers. What was the second one?” he asked.
“The first time I saved someone’s life. It’s really complicated and I won’t bore you with the details, but it turns out that I’m uniquely able to help very specific people with a very specific problem. The first time was a sick little girl, and I remember the moment I discovered that I could help her. Again, a moment in which I found a purpose.”
“Oh, are you a doctor? I thought your friend mentioned the other day that you were a scientist.”
“Yes, that's right. Good memory." Mohinder smiled. "But as I said, it’s complicated and not all that interesting.”
The Frenchman let it go. “Any others you thought of?”
Mohinder got a faraway and sad smile on his face. “Definitely. One of the biggest. But…” He looked up as if only just now remembering that the man was a perfect stranger. “It’s by far the most personal and hardest to explain.”
“Tell me whatever you feel comfortable sharing,” was the quiet and expectant reply.
Mohinder took a deep breath. “I met someone once and watched him do something rather extraordinary. The first time I had ever seen that particular sort of extraordinary thing. Actually, it was person recommended the book to me---about two minutes before he did it, in fact. I think that’s why I’m not completely sure what I think of the book. Both because of him and my own personal experience. Peak experiences don’t always lead to or stem from good things. I now have an idea of what his list of peak experiences consist of, and they’re horrific. And as for me, well, the excitement would make anyone forget to rationalize. My instincts aren’t very good… about people… I need to rationalize.”
“Maybe it wasn’t good, but it was important, wasn’t it? Experiences aren’t always so black and white.” There was a pleading quality to his voice that he tried to keep in check. Trying to draw more information out of Mohinder, the man added, “Do you think experiencing something so complicated was somehow beneficial for you in the end? Were there at least some positive or beautiful things or feelings or memories that you took away? Anything that ended up being good for you?”
Mohinder contemplated this. “I suppose so. Actually, yes, definitely. It made me stronger.” He stood up as he saw Elle coming towards them. “Here she is. We're going to get lunch. Thanks again for the book, and the chat. It was truly illuminating.”
Elle waved hello to them both and with a grin, took the arm Mohinder was offering her in a gentlemanly way. They started to walk towards the hotel café.
“By the way,” Mohinder turned around to add a parting compliment. “Your English is spectacular.”
“Thank you."
On to Part 2