In the Sun: Part 2
Characters/Pairing: Mohinder/Elle, Mohinder/Sylar
Rating: Light R (but not yet)
Words: 3943
Spoilers: Season 2
Summary: Mohinder and Elle are still getting cozy on vacation in St. Barth's. Sylar's still there using Candice's power to spy on them and try to get between them.
A/N: I posted the first part of this way back in April, but didn't know how I felt about the rest of it (still don't). However, I just want to get this out of My Documents, so I'm posting it. It's still pretty pointless and random, but things come to a head in the next (and last) chapter. FYI, THIS is the hotel they're staying at. It's the only one that makes sense.
Part 1
Mohinder and Elle were about halfway through lunch when their elderly neighbor sat down alone at a table on the other side of the café. He smiled at the waitress, who immediately came over and handed him a menu, but he was more intent on focusing on the particular conversation he wanted to hear than listening to the daily specials. He ordered only a coffee.
“I can’t believe I haven’t gotten sick of you yet.”
“You’re so sweet,” Elle replied, actually looking hurt under the sarcasm.
Mohinder started as he realized what that had sounded like. “That came out wrong.”
“Yeah, it did. But I’m starting to get used to it,” she said.
“I know… sorry. I actually meant that as a compliment. We’re so different, which makes it even more surprising, but… I can’t think of many people I’ve spent all day with for multiple days without wanting to kill. Just you, Molly, and … wait, no, I did want to kill…” Mohinder trailed off. “Anyhow, I know I complained about coming here, but I’m starting to realize that maybe I did need a vacation. From my life. It’s wholly unnecessary, undeserved, overly lavish, and at the worst possible time but---”
“You’re welcome,” Elle finished for him. Then she became strangely hesitant. “And… you, too. This is fun,” she said.
They smiled awkwardly at one another for a second, and then poked at their food.
“If my mother knew where I was right now, on vacation, sharing a room with some girl…” Mohinder mused. “I’d get an earful.”
Elle looked at him in astonishment. “But you’re 29! You still have to answer to your mother? I’m only 24, but my dad wouldn’t care.”
Mohinder put his fork down and looked at her intently. “Can you honestly tell me your dad both knows about and is okay with us sharing a room?”
Elle sighed. “Let’s stop pretending, Mohinder. He doesn’t give a shit. About me. About you. About my precious virtue. He’d have us both killed in a minute if there was half a reason.”
“I know,” Mohinder admitted quietly.
“You do?” Elle was visibly stunned. She had obviously expected a different reaction.
Mohinder took a deep breath. “Yes, I’ve wanted to talk about it for some time, but I wasn’t sure how you would take it. And I wasn’t completely sure I could trust you until… until this week. But especially now that I know you also have reservations. I’ve been desperate for a way to get out of this situation with the company. Ever since finding out about how they actually manufactured a virus from my sister, resuscitated Sylar, had Nathan shot, the wool has fallen from my eyes. And now you admit that you have your misgivings as well. I’ve read your file---”
“You have it? That’s where it went?” Elle was breathless. “Bennet told me some awful stuff that I don’t remember. I tried looking to see if it was true, but I couldn’t find it.”
“I don’t know what he told you, but it can’t be worse than the things I’ve read. I want to get out. I need to get out of New York. Molly and Matt have gone into hiding---they didn’t even tell me where, in case Sylar tried to get it out of me---so I don’t have to worry about them. I have family money tucked away. I can do my research anywhere, under a different name, perhaps. The only person I’ve been worrying about is you. I want to help. Unless there’s someone else you could go to…?”
“Nope,” she replied sadly.
“We have awhile until we’re expected back in New York. Just think about it and we can talk about it whenever you’re ready. In the meantime, let’s get the most out of this obscenely expensive yet free vacation.”
Elle looked at him hopefully. “Wow, thanks. No one’s ever… You actually like me, don’t you?”
“I didn’t know there was any doubt,” Mohinder laughed, and then looked at her very seriously. “We’ve come a long way from that day in California, haven’t we?”
They were quiet for a long time.
When they had finished eating, Mohinder signed the bill and Elle picked up her beach bag. As they exited the café and started strolling down the garden path, Elle asked, “So, same as usual this afternoon? Should we find some chairs and lay out? Maybe by the beach instead of by the pool today? Mix it up a little?”
“Sure, that sounds fine,” Mohinder replied, and they continued down the path leading to their favorite part of the beach. A few seconds after they walked past the activities hut, he stopped short and thought for a split second. Then he grabbed Elle around the waist, scooping her alongside him as he turned around and approached the man at the hut window. He glanced over the options on the board and said, “Hi there. Do you have any horse-back riding today?”
“Yes sir, we have a trail ride leaving in about ten minutes. You can see everyone gathering to meet up at the van over there.” The man pointed farther down the beach. “I can sign you up, if you don’t mind leaving now.”
Mohinder turned to Elle. “What do you think?” he asked with a shrug.
Elle looked startled, but excited. “Yeah! I love horses. We’ll do it,” she said to the attendant.
“Excellent,” he replied. “I just need you to fill out these waivers and forms.”
“I didn’t know you rode,” Elle remarked while they did the paperwork.
Without looking up, Mohinder replied, “I’m not very experienced, but I thought it would be nice to do something together, even though you can’t join me in the water activities. I saw the poster out of the corner of my eye just now and remembered that you said you used to ride.”
Elle was astonished. “Wow, you remembered that? I told you that like a month ago.”
Having finished his form, Mohinder looked up and winked. “Well, I’m fully prepared to make a fool of myself today, for your amusement.”
“How is that different from any other day?” she joked. Mohinder gave her the evil eye.
The attendant gathered the documents together unemotionally, like a man accustomed to honeymooners. “You’re all set. Just head over there and all the equipment will be provided.”
“Thanks,” they replied, and jogged over to the van where eight other guests had already gathered.
The Frenchman, who had been walking quietly behind them, now approached the attendant. “Is there any room left on the riding trip?”
The attendant shook his head apologetically. “I’m so sorry, sir. It only accommodates ten, and I just signed up the last two. I can reserve you a spot for tomorrow, if you’d like.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.” He walked away, scowling in fury. Although he’d been terminally frustrated by the fact that Mohinder and Elle never separated long enough or conveniently enough for him to be able to target her, so far it had been fairly easy to keep tabs on them the majority of the time. This was due mostly to his understanding of Mohinder’s steady and predictable nature. This was the first time they had eluded him. What was Mohinder doing, suddenly getting all spontaneous?
Squinting in the direction Mohinder and Elle had gone, he could see that driver was already there, all the other guests were already there---there was no way to infiltrate the group. Maybe it was just as well. The trip would hardly afford him a chance to catch the girl alone. Plus, he had never liked horses. They creeped him out. And what could possibly happen between those two in just a few hours that wasn’t worth missing?
*********************************************************
The only way in which life's ironies are actually ironic is in a meta way. Meaning, they're ironic because of their utter lack of irony or surprise.
It was a sun burnt seven hours later when Sylar spotted Mohinder and Elle walking up to the outdoor bar area, both clad in matching white linen. Their hair was still wet from their requisite post-horse showers. However, for the first time, one might honestly have wondered if they had taken that shower together. They were holding hands and laughing easily. Mohinder radiated a confident and jovial demeanor that Sylar hadn’t seen since their days on the road, while she looked at the floor and wore a permanent red blush. For all her odd flirty behavior, Elle’s utter inexperience showed the second things went further than she was used to. To actually have someone treat her like this had broken her control.
Didn’t Mohinder see that? It was obvious to Sylar who only knew her through watching her for the past few days. Or did he simply not care? Then again, Mohinder had been just as accepting and supportive of Sylar’s lack of experience. Maybe Mohinder was just like that with everyone.
That was the most depressing thought of all. At any rate, this had to be stopped.
After a moment’s careful weighing of options, he stalked off to the bathroom on the east side of the pool under his French disguise. He waited for the little boy at the urinal to leave, and a couple of minutes later, Gabriel from the previous day at the diving board emerged, fully and chicly dressed. Elle, who was achieving an admittedly impressive cross-legged pose atop a barstool while wearing a skirt, saw him and waved. Mohinder turned around, and his face lit up at the approach of his new acquaintance from the day before. That, at least, was gratifying.
“Hi guys.”
“It’s great to see you again,” Mohinder said. Remembering his manners, he continued, “I don’t think you two were properly introduced yesterday. Gabriel, this is Elle. Elle, this is Gabriel.”
Elle offered him a condensation-wet hand. “Hey,” she said with a snotty tilt of the head. “Yeah, I saw you in the pool yesterday. Nice trunks.” She raised her eyebrows as her eyes dropped to the upper portion of Gabriel’s pants. Gabriel turned a bit pink, and noticed that Mohinder looked at her with more jealousy in the mix than irritation.
“What?” she asked in response to Mohinder’s glare before turning her attention back to Gabriel. “We were just saying yesterday how much you look like someone we know. It’s crazy. Anyway. So, what are you up to? I keep seeing you by yourself. Didn’t you come with a girlfriend or something?”
It was all Sylar could do not strike her, physically, even. “I’m a guest for a wedding at another hotel. It isn’t for a couple of days, but I figured I could use a vacation beforehand,” he stated coldly.
“I think that’s a very good idea,” Mohinder interjected with enthusiastic sincerity, as he tried to get things back on track.
All of this was slightly stressful for Sylar, who wasn’t used to this much casual social interaction. From what he knew of Elle, she wasn’t accustomed to it either; hence, this strange encounter that needed mediation by Mohinder, himself not the most socially graceful creature on the planet. But Elle wasn’t going to sit quietly to let the men have a chat.
“What did you need a vacation from? What’s your job?” Sylar couldn’t tell if he was perceiving everything she said as antagonistic because she didn’t know how she came off, or if she was threatened by him (hopefully), or if he was simply projecting his own antagonism. Whichever it was, he just wanted her to go away. But Mohinder was resting a hand on her shoulder while still looking at him with bright interested eyes. These were mixed messages.
“I don’t really have one. I have the ability not to have to work for my living, something I’m very appreciative of.”
“Oh!” Elle exclaimed, as she grabbed Mohinder’s hand and nodded excitedly. “Us, too. Isn’t it great?”
Now it was Mohinder’s turn to blush, and Sylar smiled inside. He had always remembered Mohinder’s drive to work, never wanting to rely on family money. He had been almost secretive about it back when they had known one another.
“But we still work,” Mohinder explained in a rush.
“Yeah, you mentioned to me yesterday that you were a geneticist. So I guess that makes Elle your…”
“Partner in crime,” she finished for him, and winked roguishly.
Mohinder laughed. “That’s an apt description, I would say. What did you do with yourself all day, Gabriel? We went for a horseback ride, which was a fantastic change.”
“Mohinder couldn’t stop his horse from eating grass,” Elle snickered.
“At least I didn’t fall off. Twice,” Mohinder countered.
“I just sat around and read,” Gabriel said, reminding both of them that he had been asked a question.
“Oh yeah, what?” Elle asked.
Sylar looked deeply into Mohinder’s eyes as he thought for a second. “A genetics book, as it so happens. But a really strange one.”
A look of ‘oh no, is this going where I think it’s going’ took over Mohinder’s features. Even Elle caught on and held Mohinder’s hand, looking at Gabriel with new and narrowed eyes. “Really? What?” they both asked.
“Some book about by this Indian guy. I guess Suresh must be a common name. A Chandra Suresh. A friend lent it to me. It’s all about this theory that people could have superpowers. Like in comic books.”
“And what did you think of that?” Mohinder asked with forced calm.
Sylar hesitated on how to play this. On the one hand, he hated what he perceived to be his disguise’s inferiority to Elle’s reality: Elle had an ability and Sylar so far had not been able to prove his increased attractiveness by being able to display his own. But then again, the disguise he had picked for experimental purposes was close enough to his regular appearance that having an ability might cause suspicion. As he glanced towards Elle, Sylar saw wariness in her blue eyes as she silently dissected him. She could be a silly girl, but suddenly the truth that she was no fool struck him forcibly. She could have known the illusionist, and might put it together.
“I’m reading it as a joke book. I mean, people who can fly and stuff? It’s ludicrous, right? But this guy tried really hard to make his case,” he finally replied. Sylar watched as Mohinder and Elle exchanged a look. He could tell Mohinder was girding up for one of his quintessential monologues or else a vaguely worded offer of help, but something about Elle’s warning hand on his hip stopped him. He took a deep breath, and Sylar could almost see the mental processes that were repressing his desire to make revelations.
“I’ve read that one,” he said simply and non-committally. “It’s very interesting. If you ever want to talk about it one day, I’m sure you’ll have no compunction about giving me call. It’s an interesting topic. I have to admit, I’m quite familiar with those theories. But let’s talk about something else. We’re on vacation.” Mohinder smiled.
*********************************************************
Sitting in his room across the hall later that evening, Sylar tuned into what was going on in Mohinder’s suite. Sylar hadn’t been inside, but from the pictures on the hotel website, he knew that it consisted of a living room, a bedroom, and a private pool. He had found that Mohinder and Elle were generally much less chatty in their room than they were when outside. In the mornings, and during their brief visits to the room in the middle of each day to shower and change, their conversations up to now had been very practical and to the point. Mohinder’s discomfort at finding himself sharing a room had been apparent when they checked in, but what was more surprising was how nervous she actually was about it. The bathroom door opened and shut a lot, and there were many calls of “Don’t look!” shouted between the rooms, on both their parts. Strange, given that they spent most of every day half-naked outside.
On their first night, they were already asleep by the time Sylar took the following water taxi back from the night club. However, on the second night, they had watched a movie together after a long and boozy dinner, but Sylar couldn’t be sure if they had been on the couch or on one or two beds. He wondered if tonight would be any different, given the annoyingly increased intimacy he had seen before Elle had finally gotten the hint and excused herself to play shuffleboard, leaving the two men to talk more about science, philosophies, New York, and India. Despite the disappointments of the day, Sylar triumphed in the feeling that he had made a lot of headway. Mohinder had looked decidedly confused and even slightly disappointed when leaving him to meet Elle for dinner, and there had been a hint of something repressed rising to the surface towards the end of their conversation.
“That guy’s really nice,” Elle was saying.
“Mmmhmm,” Mohinder mumbled as the bed creaked under what sounded like his weight.
“So, what do you say? Order room service ice cream and watch a movie? I’ll let you pick,” Elle sing-songed as she joined him on the bed.
The distraction was slowly leaving Mohinder’s voice. “That sounds nice.”
Then there were disgusting kissy noises. It was official. In a rage, Sylar closed his eyes in concentration, focusing on an object he couldn’t see, but the placement of which he could reasonably guess. There was the satisfying crash of a lamp in their room breaking, apparently without reason.
“What the hell?” Mohinder asked in a panic.
“No idea,” Elle responded. But the privileged tone of a girl to whom this sort of thing never happens crept into her voice. “I’m calling the manager. This is completely unacceptable.”
*********************************************************
“What are we doing here?” Elle asked.
The pool area was deserted except for the two of them and a young child who was mysteriously unchaperoned. It was after dinner and everyone was at the weekly late-night dance party on the beach. Sylar had spent much of the afternoon in the pool with Mohinder, but had bristled at being politely dismissed for all mealtimes. The girl remained completely clueless that ‘Gabriel’ might be in any way a rival. Infuriating.
“I’m going to teach you how to swim,” Mohinder stated. He swayed just a little bit and sat down cross-legged on the edge of the shallow side of the pool.
“How?” she asked incredulously.
“Just take your clothes off,” he ordered.
Elle’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s surprisingly forward of you, doctor.” In contrast to her confident, mocking tone, she looked around nervously. “But… are we allowed? The lifeguard isn’t around.”
“Since when have you cared about details like lifeguards? Don’t worry. I’m a good swimmer. Plus, you can’t drown in four feet of water.” Mohinder hiccupped.
“Great. Electric girl is being made to learn how to swim by a drunk scientist. This is a good idea. Right,” she said sarcastically.
“I’m not actually as drunk as I seem,” Mohinder replied with a dashing grin. “Go on. Get in.”
He untied the string on her wrap dress, and she eased it off to reveal just her underwear, which looked just like a bikini, if only slightly more see-through. She stood at the top of the pool stairs and dipped a toe in. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes, I’m going to coach you from here. Trust me.” He pulled some rubber gloves out of his pants pocket. “See?” he asked proudly.
Elle shrugged her shoulders. “How romantic,” she snarked, but looked understanding nonetheless.
The little boy on the other side of the pool watched quietly as Mohinder held Elle’s hands at the edge of the pool and taught her how to do backstroke kicks in place.
Once she had mastered that, Mohinder suggested that she try kicking across the pool.
“Can I have one of those floaty things?” she asked with fear in her voice.
Mohinder looked up. “Hello, there!” he called to the little boy. “Could you please pass me a floatation device?”
The child scowled for a second but approached Mohinder with a foam spaghetti. Even after Mohinder thanked him, he remained standing next to Mohinder, looking hatefully at Elle in the pool.
“Even I don’t need one of those. Especially in the shallow end,” he told Elle.
Mohinder shot him a questioning look. “Don’t tease her. She’s just learning.”
“She’s kind of old to be just learning, don’t you think?” The child was relentless.
Standing in the middle of the pool, Elle glared at the kid and reached out with her hand.
“Elle!” Mohinder yelled in a warning voice.
“I wasn’t going to,” she grumbled, and straddled the spaghetti in preparation to try a doggie paddle. Suddenly her hands flew to her throat. “Ow!” She started thrashing around, and her eyes widened in terror as her breath started to come out in short and increasingly infrequent gasps.
“What’s wrong?” Mohinder asked worriedly. He moved to get in, but then thought better of it. He looked around him in panic. The child just watched impassively.
Unable to answer, Elle flailed more and more violently and started to go under. Finally, Mohinder couldn’t take it anymore, and resorted to one of his characteristically brave but dumb ideas. The kid shouted “No!” as Mohinder jumped in. Even drowning Elle shook her head in terror. While Mohinder was still in midair, Elle found herself able to breathe again, but the panic didn’t wear off immediately. Mohinder dragged her back to the edge of the pool and out to dry land. After a few seconds, she started breathing again. The child walked away without a word and disappeared into the shrubbery.
“What happened?”Mohinder asked in distress as he patted her down.
“I just suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe.” Her hands were still at her throat, as if the pressure might return at any moment.
“Your head was out of the water. You weren’t drowning. It’s psychosomatic,” Mohinder explained gently. “I feel terrible for making you do something that obviously frightens you so much.”
Elle shook her head. “No, not like drowning. And I honestly wasn’t that scared. This was different. It was like someone was choking me. I could almost feel the hands around my neck. Weird.” Elle sighed. “Can we call it a night?” she asked, still shaken.
“Of course.” She put her clothes back on with trembling hands. As soon as she was ready, he put his arms around her.
“I’m sorry that happened. I shouldn’t have---”
She interrupted him. “No, it was great. Thanks for the lesson, professor. Let’s try again tomorrow. You know, you’re cute when you teach things,” she concluded with a valiant effort at a bright smile.
They walked back to their room, hand in hand.
“That kid was creepy,” Elle said.
“I don’t know. Children who are left to roam by themselves like that usually lack proper parental attention,” Mohinder posited.
Something struck Elle halfway back to the room. “I could have killed you in the water. I was definitely freaked out enough to do it unintentionally. No one’s ever done anything like that for me before. Thank you.” She got on her tiptoes and kissed him. Mohinder mumbled protestations.
“I suppose that makes us even,” he said, trying to shrug it off.
She seemed to instinctively know what he was talking about. “Nah, Sylar wasn’t going to kill you that day.”
“How do you know?” Mohinder asked.
“I could just tell.”
On to Part 3...
Rating: Light R (but not yet)
Words: 3943
Spoilers: Season 2
Summary: Mohinder and Elle are still getting cozy on vacation in St. Barth's. Sylar's still there using Candice's power to spy on them and try to get between them.
A/N: I posted the first part of this way back in April, but didn't know how I felt about the rest of it (still don't). However, I just want to get this out of My Documents, so I'm posting it. It's still pretty pointless and random, but things come to a head in the next (and last) chapter. FYI, THIS is the hotel they're staying at. It's the only one that makes sense.
Part 1
Mohinder and Elle were about halfway through lunch when their elderly neighbor sat down alone at a table on the other side of the café. He smiled at the waitress, who immediately came over and handed him a menu, but he was more intent on focusing on the particular conversation he wanted to hear than listening to the daily specials. He ordered only a coffee.
“I can’t believe I haven’t gotten sick of you yet.”
“You’re so sweet,” Elle replied, actually looking hurt under the sarcasm.
Mohinder started as he realized what that had sounded like. “That came out wrong.”
“Yeah, it did. But I’m starting to get used to it,” she said.
“I know… sorry. I actually meant that as a compliment. We’re so different, which makes it even more surprising, but… I can’t think of many people I’ve spent all day with for multiple days without wanting to kill. Just you, Molly, and … wait, no, I did want to kill…” Mohinder trailed off. “Anyhow, I know I complained about coming here, but I’m starting to realize that maybe I did need a vacation. From my life. It’s wholly unnecessary, undeserved, overly lavish, and at the worst possible time but---”
“You’re welcome,” Elle finished for him. Then she became strangely hesitant. “And… you, too. This is fun,” she said.
They smiled awkwardly at one another for a second, and then poked at their food.
“If my mother knew where I was right now, on vacation, sharing a room with some girl…” Mohinder mused. “I’d get an earful.”
Elle looked at him in astonishment. “But you’re 29! You still have to answer to your mother? I’m only 24, but my dad wouldn’t care.”
Mohinder put his fork down and looked at her intently. “Can you honestly tell me your dad both knows about and is okay with us sharing a room?”
Elle sighed. “Let’s stop pretending, Mohinder. He doesn’t give a shit. About me. About you. About my precious virtue. He’d have us both killed in a minute if there was half a reason.”
“I know,” Mohinder admitted quietly.
“You do?” Elle was visibly stunned. She had obviously expected a different reaction.
Mohinder took a deep breath. “Yes, I’ve wanted to talk about it for some time, but I wasn’t sure how you would take it. And I wasn’t completely sure I could trust you until… until this week. But especially now that I know you also have reservations. I’ve been desperate for a way to get out of this situation with the company. Ever since finding out about how they actually manufactured a virus from my sister, resuscitated Sylar, had Nathan shot, the wool has fallen from my eyes. And now you admit that you have your misgivings as well. I’ve read your file---”
“You have it? That’s where it went?” Elle was breathless. “Bennet told me some awful stuff that I don’t remember. I tried looking to see if it was true, but I couldn’t find it.”
“I don’t know what he told you, but it can’t be worse than the things I’ve read. I want to get out. I need to get out of New York. Molly and Matt have gone into hiding---they didn’t even tell me where, in case Sylar tried to get it out of me---so I don’t have to worry about them. I have family money tucked away. I can do my research anywhere, under a different name, perhaps. The only person I’ve been worrying about is you. I want to help. Unless there’s someone else you could go to…?”
“Nope,” she replied sadly.
“We have awhile until we’re expected back in New York. Just think about it and we can talk about it whenever you’re ready. In the meantime, let’s get the most out of this obscenely expensive yet free vacation.”
Elle looked at him hopefully. “Wow, thanks. No one’s ever… You actually like me, don’t you?”
“I didn’t know there was any doubt,” Mohinder laughed, and then looked at her very seriously. “We’ve come a long way from that day in California, haven’t we?”
They were quiet for a long time.
When they had finished eating, Mohinder signed the bill and Elle picked up her beach bag. As they exited the café and started strolling down the garden path, Elle asked, “So, same as usual this afternoon? Should we find some chairs and lay out? Maybe by the beach instead of by the pool today? Mix it up a little?”
“Sure, that sounds fine,” Mohinder replied, and they continued down the path leading to their favorite part of the beach. A few seconds after they walked past the activities hut, he stopped short and thought for a split second. Then he grabbed Elle around the waist, scooping her alongside him as he turned around and approached the man at the hut window. He glanced over the options on the board and said, “Hi there. Do you have any horse-back riding today?”
“Yes sir, we have a trail ride leaving in about ten minutes. You can see everyone gathering to meet up at the van over there.” The man pointed farther down the beach. “I can sign you up, if you don’t mind leaving now.”
Mohinder turned to Elle. “What do you think?” he asked with a shrug.
Elle looked startled, but excited. “Yeah! I love horses. We’ll do it,” she said to the attendant.
“Excellent,” he replied. “I just need you to fill out these waivers and forms.”
“I didn’t know you rode,” Elle remarked while they did the paperwork.
Without looking up, Mohinder replied, “I’m not very experienced, but I thought it would be nice to do something together, even though you can’t join me in the water activities. I saw the poster out of the corner of my eye just now and remembered that you said you used to ride.”
Elle was astonished. “Wow, you remembered that? I told you that like a month ago.”
Having finished his form, Mohinder looked up and winked. “Well, I’m fully prepared to make a fool of myself today, for your amusement.”
“How is that different from any other day?” she joked. Mohinder gave her the evil eye.
The attendant gathered the documents together unemotionally, like a man accustomed to honeymooners. “You’re all set. Just head over there and all the equipment will be provided.”
“Thanks,” they replied, and jogged over to the van where eight other guests had already gathered.
The Frenchman, who had been walking quietly behind them, now approached the attendant. “Is there any room left on the riding trip?”
The attendant shook his head apologetically. “I’m so sorry, sir. It only accommodates ten, and I just signed up the last two. I can reserve you a spot for tomorrow, if you’d like.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.” He walked away, scowling in fury. Although he’d been terminally frustrated by the fact that Mohinder and Elle never separated long enough or conveniently enough for him to be able to target her, so far it had been fairly easy to keep tabs on them the majority of the time. This was due mostly to his understanding of Mohinder’s steady and predictable nature. This was the first time they had eluded him. What was Mohinder doing, suddenly getting all spontaneous?
Squinting in the direction Mohinder and Elle had gone, he could see that driver was already there, all the other guests were already there---there was no way to infiltrate the group. Maybe it was just as well. The trip would hardly afford him a chance to catch the girl alone. Plus, he had never liked horses. They creeped him out. And what could possibly happen between those two in just a few hours that wasn’t worth missing?
*********************************************************
The only way in which life's ironies are actually ironic is in a meta way. Meaning, they're ironic because of their utter lack of irony or surprise.
It was a sun burnt seven hours later when Sylar spotted Mohinder and Elle walking up to the outdoor bar area, both clad in matching white linen. Their hair was still wet from their requisite post-horse showers. However, for the first time, one might honestly have wondered if they had taken that shower together. They were holding hands and laughing easily. Mohinder radiated a confident and jovial demeanor that Sylar hadn’t seen since their days on the road, while she looked at the floor and wore a permanent red blush. For all her odd flirty behavior, Elle’s utter inexperience showed the second things went further than she was used to. To actually have someone treat her like this had broken her control.
Didn’t Mohinder see that? It was obvious to Sylar who only knew her through watching her for the past few days. Or did he simply not care? Then again, Mohinder had been just as accepting and supportive of Sylar’s lack of experience. Maybe Mohinder was just like that with everyone.
That was the most depressing thought of all. At any rate, this had to be stopped.
After a moment’s careful weighing of options, he stalked off to the bathroom on the east side of the pool under his French disguise. He waited for the little boy at the urinal to leave, and a couple of minutes later, Gabriel from the previous day at the diving board emerged, fully and chicly dressed. Elle, who was achieving an admittedly impressive cross-legged pose atop a barstool while wearing a skirt, saw him and waved. Mohinder turned around, and his face lit up at the approach of his new acquaintance from the day before. That, at least, was gratifying.
“Hi guys.”
“It’s great to see you again,” Mohinder said. Remembering his manners, he continued, “I don’t think you two were properly introduced yesterday. Gabriel, this is Elle. Elle, this is Gabriel.”
Elle offered him a condensation-wet hand. “Hey,” she said with a snotty tilt of the head. “Yeah, I saw you in the pool yesterday. Nice trunks.” She raised her eyebrows as her eyes dropped to the upper portion of Gabriel’s pants. Gabriel turned a bit pink, and noticed that Mohinder looked at her with more jealousy in the mix than irritation.
“What?” she asked in response to Mohinder’s glare before turning her attention back to Gabriel. “We were just saying yesterday how much you look like someone we know. It’s crazy. Anyway. So, what are you up to? I keep seeing you by yourself. Didn’t you come with a girlfriend or something?”
It was all Sylar could do not strike her, physically, even. “I’m a guest for a wedding at another hotel. It isn’t for a couple of days, but I figured I could use a vacation beforehand,” he stated coldly.
“I think that’s a very good idea,” Mohinder interjected with enthusiastic sincerity, as he tried to get things back on track.
All of this was slightly stressful for Sylar, who wasn’t used to this much casual social interaction. From what he knew of Elle, she wasn’t accustomed to it either; hence, this strange encounter that needed mediation by Mohinder, himself not the most socially graceful creature on the planet. But Elle wasn’t going to sit quietly to let the men have a chat.
“What did you need a vacation from? What’s your job?” Sylar couldn’t tell if he was perceiving everything she said as antagonistic because she didn’t know how she came off, or if she was threatened by him (hopefully), or if he was simply projecting his own antagonism. Whichever it was, he just wanted her to go away. But Mohinder was resting a hand on her shoulder while still looking at him with bright interested eyes. These were mixed messages.
“I don’t really have one. I have the ability not to have to work for my living, something I’m very appreciative of.”
“Oh!” Elle exclaimed, as she grabbed Mohinder’s hand and nodded excitedly. “Us, too. Isn’t it great?”
Now it was Mohinder’s turn to blush, and Sylar smiled inside. He had always remembered Mohinder’s drive to work, never wanting to rely on family money. He had been almost secretive about it back when they had known one another.
“But we still work,” Mohinder explained in a rush.
“Yeah, you mentioned to me yesterday that you were a geneticist. So I guess that makes Elle your…”
“Partner in crime,” she finished for him, and winked roguishly.
Mohinder laughed. “That’s an apt description, I would say. What did you do with yourself all day, Gabriel? We went for a horseback ride, which was a fantastic change.”
“Mohinder couldn’t stop his horse from eating grass,” Elle snickered.
“At least I didn’t fall off. Twice,” Mohinder countered.
“I just sat around and read,” Gabriel said, reminding both of them that he had been asked a question.
“Oh yeah, what?” Elle asked.
Sylar looked deeply into Mohinder’s eyes as he thought for a second. “A genetics book, as it so happens. But a really strange one.”
A look of ‘oh no, is this going where I think it’s going’ took over Mohinder’s features. Even Elle caught on and held Mohinder’s hand, looking at Gabriel with new and narrowed eyes. “Really? What?” they both asked.
“Some book about by this Indian guy. I guess Suresh must be a common name. A Chandra Suresh. A friend lent it to me. It’s all about this theory that people could have superpowers. Like in comic books.”
“And what did you think of that?” Mohinder asked with forced calm.
Sylar hesitated on how to play this. On the one hand, he hated what he perceived to be his disguise’s inferiority to Elle’s reality: Elle had an ability and Sylar so far had not been able to prove his increased attractiveness by being able to display his own. But then again, the disguise he had picked for experimental purposes was close enough to his regular appearance that having an ability might cause suspicion. As he glanced towards Elle, Sylar saw wariness in her blue eyes as she silently dissected him. She could be a silly girl, but suddenly the truth that she was no fool struck him forcibly. She could have known the illusionist, and might put it together.
“I’m reading it as a joke book. I mean, people who can fly and stuff? It’s ludicrous, right? But this guy tried really hard to make his case,” he finally replied. Sylar watched as Mohinder and Elle exchanged a look. He could tell Mohinder was girding up for one of his quintessential monologues or else a vaguely worded offer of help, but something about Elle’s warning hand on his hip stopped him. He took a deep breath, and Sylar could almost see the mental processes that were repressing his desire to make revelations.
“I’ve read that one,” he said simply and non-committally. “It’s very interesting. If you ever want to talk about it one day, I’m sure you’ll have no compunction about giving me call. It’s an interesting topic. I have to admit, I’m quite familiar with those theories. But let’s talk about something else. We’re on vacation.” Mohinder smiled.
*********************************************************
Sitting in his room across the hall later that evening, Sylar tuned into what was going on in Mohinder’s suite. Sylar hadn’t been inside, but from the pictures on the hotel website, he knew that it consisted of a living room, a bedroom, and a private pool. He had found that Mohinder and Elle were generally much less chatty in their room than they were when outside. In the mornings, and during their brief visits to the room in the middle of each day to shower and change, their conversations up to now had been very practical and to the point. Mohinder’s discomfort at finding himself sharing a room had been apparent when they checked in, but what was more surprising was how nervous she actually was about it. The bathroom door opened and shut a lot, and there were many calls of “Don’t look!” shouted between the rooms, on both their parts. Strange, given that they spent most of every day half-naked outside.
On their first night, they were already asleep by the time Sylar took the following water taxi back from the night club. However, on the second night, they had watched a movie together after a long and boozy dinner, but Sylar couldn’t be sure if they had been on the couch or on one or two beds. He wondered if tonight would be any different, given the annoyingly increased intimacy he had seen before Elle had finally gotten the hint and excused herself to play shuffleboard, leaving the two men to talk more about science, philosophies, New York, and India. Despite the disappointments of the day, Sylar triumphed in the feeling that he had made a lot of headway. Mohinder had looked decidedly confused and even slightly disappointed when leaving him to meet Elle for dinner, and there had been a hint of something repressed rising to the surface towards the end of their conversation.
“That guy’s really nice,” Elle was saying.
“Mmmhmm,” Mohinder mumbled as the bed creaked under what sounded like his weight.
“So, what do you say? Order room service ice cream and watch a movie? I’ll let you pick,” Elle sing-songed as she joined him on the bed.
The distraction was slowly leaving Mohinder’s voice. “That sounds nice.”
Then there were disgusting kissy noises. It was official. In a rage, Sylar closed his eyes in concentration, focusing on an object he couldn’t see, but the placement of which he could reasonably guess. There was the satisfying crash of a lamp in their room breaking, apparently without reason.
“What the hell?” Mohinder asked in a panic.
“No idea,” Elle responded. But the privileged tone of a girl to whom this sort of thing never happens crept into her voice. “I’m calling the manager. This is completely unacceptable.”
*********************************************************
“What are we doing here?” Elle asked.
The pool area was deserted except for the two of them and a young child who was mysteriously unchaperoned. It was after dinner and everyone was at the weekly late-night dance party on the beach. Sylar had spent much of the afternoon in the pool with Mohinder, but had bristled at being politely dismissed for all mealtimes. The girl remained completely clueless that ‘Gabriel’ might be in any way a rival. Infuriating.
“I’m going to teach you how to swim,” Mohinder stated. He swayed just a little bit and sat down cross-legged on the edge of the shallow side of the pool.
“How?” she asked incredulously.
“Just take your clothes off,” he ordered.
Elle’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s surprisingly forward of you, doctor.” In contrast to her confident, mocking tone, she looked around nervously. “But… are we allowed? The lifeguard isn’t around.”
“Since when have you cared about details like lifeguards? Don’t worry. I’m a good swimmer. Plus, you can’t drown in four feet of water.” Mohinder hiccupped.
“Great. Electric girl is being made to learn how to swim by a drunk scientist. This is a good idea. Right,” she said sarcastically.
“I’m not actually as drunk as I seem,” Mohinder replied with a dashing grin. “Go on. Get in.”
He untied the string on her wrap dress, and she eased it off to reveal just her underwear, which looked just like a bikini, if only slightly more see-through. She stood at the top of the pool stairs and dipped a toe in. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes, I’m going to coach you from here. Trust me.” He pulled some rubber gloves out of his pants pocket. “See?” he asked proudly.
Elle shrugged her shoulders. “How romantic,” she snarked, but looked understanding nonetheless.
The little boy on the other side of the pool watched quietly as Mohinder held Elle’s hands at the edge of the pool and taught her how to do backstroke kicks in place.
Once she had mastered that, Mohinder suggested that she try kicking across the pool.
“Can I have one of those floaty things?” she asked with fear in her voice.
Mohinder looked up. “Hello, there!” he called to the little boy. “Could you please pass me a floatation device?”
The child scowled for a second but approached Mohinder with a foam spaghetti. Even after Mohinder thanked him, he remained standing next to Mohinder, looking hatefully at Elle in the pool.
“Even I don’t need one of those. Especially in the shallow end,” he told Elle.
Mohinder shot him a questioning look. “Don’t tease her. She’s just learning.”
“She’s kind of old to be just learning, don’t you think?” The child was relentless.
Standing in the middle of the pool, Elle glared at the kid and reached out with her hand.
“Elle!” Mohinder yelled in a warning voice.
“I wasn’t going to,” she grumbled, and straddled the spaghetti in preparation to try a doggie paddle. Suddenly her hands flew to her throat. “Ow!” She started thrashing around, and her eyes widened in terror as her breath started to come out in short and increasingly infrequent gasps.
“What’s wrong?” Mohinder asked worriedly. He moved to get in, but then thought better of it. He looked around him in panic. The child just watched impassively.
Unable to answer, Elle flailed more and more violently and started to go under. Finally, Mohinder couldn’t take it anymore, and resorted to one of his characteristically brave but dumb ideas. The kid shouted “No!” as Mohinder jumped in. Even drowning Elle shook her head in terror. While Mohinder was still in midair, Elle found herself able to breathe again, but the panic didn’t wear off immediately. Mohinder dragged her back to the edge of the pool and out to dry land. After a few seconds, she started breathing again. The child walked away without a word and disappeared into the shrubbery.
“What happened?”Mohinder asked in distress as he patted her down.
“I just suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe.” Her hands were still at her throat, as if the pressure might return at any moment.
“Your head was out of the water. You weren’t drowning. It’s psychosomatic,” Mohinder explained gently. “I feel terrible for making you do something that obviously frightens you so much.”
Elle shook her head. “No, not like drowning. And I honestly wasn’t that scared. This was different. It was like someone was choking me. I could almost feel the hands around my neck. Weird.” Elle sighed. “Can we call it a night?” she asked, still shaken.
“Of course.” She put her clothes back on with trembling hands. As soon as she was ready, he put his arms around her.
“I’m sorry that happened. I shouldn’t have---”
She interrupted him. “No, it was great. Thanks for the lesson, professor. Let’s try again tomorrow. You know, you’re cute when you teach things,” she concluded with a valiant effort at a bright smile.
They walked back to their room, hand in hand.
“That kid was creepy,” Elle said.
“I don’t know. Children who are left to roam by themselves like that usually lack proper parental attention,” Mohinder posited.
Something struck Elle halfway back to the room. “I could have killed you in the water. I was definitely freaked out enough to do it unintentionally. No one’s ever done anything like that for me before. Thank you.” She got on her tiptoes and kissed him. Mohinder mumbled protestations.
“I suppose that makes us even,” he said, trying to shrug it off.
She seemed to instinctively know what he was talking about. “Nah, Sylar wasn’t going to kill you that day.”
“How do you know?” Mohinder asked.
“I could just tell.”
On to Part 3...