Fic: The Geneticist and the Frog - Ch. 3
Title: The Geneticist and the Frog
Author: starrdust411
Fandom: Heroes
Pairing: Mohinder/Sylar
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When the Prince kissed the Frog the real story began.
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes or The Princess and the Frog.
Warnings: Humor, Language, Slash, AU
Prologue| Chapter 1| Chapter 2
Gabriel had to marvel at how incredibly rotten his luck had gotten lately. He had met the most beautiful, stunning, gorgeous man he had ever seen -- a man who had also happened to be a prince -- and here he was, stuck as a slimy -- or rather, mucusy -- little frog. Yet, after he had found a legitimate reason to kiss the utterly beautiful man, it back fired, because instead of becoming human again, the other prince had completely disappeared while he remained a frog.
He sighed, watching the last of the golden sparkles glitter in the air before winking out of existence forever. Wonderful. He was stuck as a frog with man erasing lips. That Samuel Sullivan was one crafty bastard.
A soft groan and the sound of fabric rustling suddenly caught his... well, he didn't have ears anymore, but the sound did gain his attention. Crawling over to the bureau's edge, he peered over the side and was shocked by the sight in front of him.
Two slightly confused brown eyes looked up at him, blinking away the fog that had no doubt settled over his mind. "Well, you don't look much different," the familiar voice said, confirming Gabriel's fears. "But how did you get way up there... and how did I get down here in all this..."
The rest of his words faded away as what had once been the other prince fingered the shimmering blue fabric of his clothing, noticing the tiny green hand that had plucked at it instead of long brown fingers. A strangled gasp escaped his lips as he turned towards the golden hand mirror that had no doubt fallen to the ground during the earlier confusion and had conveniently landed by his side. Gabriel watched as he froze in horror, looking at his reflection and realizing that he was no longer a man.
The prince screamed, jumping a few feet in the air and landing on the bureau next to Gabriel, who instinctively hopped back. "What happened?" the other human turned frog screamed, running his hands over sticky green flesh. "I'm green and slimy-"
"It's mucus, remember?" Gabriel put in quickly, hoping to lighten the mood, but in truth he was just as confused as the other prince. He was certain that the kiss should have broken the spell. Perhaps he should have waited for a princess instead. "It looks like kissing me turned you into-"
"A frog!" he all but screamed, his eyes blazing as he advanced on Gabriel. "You turned me into a goddamn frog!"
"What?" Gabriel yelped indignantly. How dare the man even suggest such a thing? As if he even wanted to be a frog, let alone turn someone else into one. "You think I did this?"
"I'll kill you!"
Before Gabriel could do anymore to defend himself, he suddenly found the other prince pouncing on him, wrapping his sticky hands around his throat. The impact of their two bodies colliding, slamming together, was enough to knock both of them off of the dresser. They bounced like rubber balls against the tiled surface and clear out the window.
Somehow, they managed to land back at the party -- what should have been his party -- crashing onto a drum set waiting down below to break their fall. Their twin bodies landed with a deep, rumbling thud, alerting the drummer, who had been listlessly staring off in the other direction, to their presence. The man was startled for just a moment before he gathered his wits and attempted to knock them both senseless with his drum sticks. Fortunately both princes saw it coming, hoping away and off of the drums just before they could be spotted, yet apparently they had hopped onto the back of a young girl's dress.
A high picked shriek pierced the air as the two struggled to untangle themselves from the frilly pink ruffles and towards safe ground. Yet in a crowded party filled with high class citizens (who all apparently had an irrational fear of frogs) it was nearly impossible to jump somewhere that wouldn't cause them to get into more danger.
They jumped onto the refreshment table just as Gabriel heard someone call for their dog. Under normal circumstances, the fluffy golden Pomeranian "Mr. Muggles" would be as threatening as... well, a fluffy golden Pomeranian, but now that he was a mucus covered amphibian that the mutt could easily rip apart by sinking his sharp teeth into, he felt fear crawling up his spine at the dog’s approach. He grabbed the other prince and began running away, listening as Mr. Muggles leapt onto the table with ease, chasing them across the clothed surface and knocking over punch bowls and trays of hors d'oeuvres as he continued his pursuit.
"Mr. Muggles! Wait!" the other prince cried, as they tripped over the strings of the festive, rainbow colored balloons tied to the end of the table. "It's me! Mohinder!"
The dog's yapping came to an end as he tried his best to get himself to stop. "Mohinder?" they both heard Mr. Muggles exclaim, confusion in his voice.
Hearing a dog say his name was just surprising enough to have Mohinder freeze in his tracks. Apparently one of the benefits of being a frog was the ability to communicate with other animals. Gabriel pushed that new bit of information aside as he untangled the strings of the balloons from the table. They were just light enough that the helium filled balloons could carry them. He grabbed Mohinder, who instinctively reached out for the strings and held on tight as they drifted towards the sky.
"Mr. Muggles talked," Mohinder said, shaking with awe as they hovered over the party and towards a tangle of trees. "A dog talked to me!"
Gabriel huffed, disappointed that his companion was so fixed on that small development. Did he forget that they were both still frogs? "If you're going to let every little thing upset you, then we're going to have a very long night."
-+-+-+-
The two little creatures had created quite a disturbance. The entire party was still at a standstill as several guests attempted to scrub the punch from their expensive costumes and HRG worked his hardest to get his dog to stop yapping up at the frogs floating away, tangled in the balloon strings.
Samuel frowned, pulling his mask down just enough to get a better look at the frogs. He heard them speak, he saw the way they clutched at the strings, determined to get away, and he knew right then and there that his newly acquired partner in crime had messed things up.
Glancing around the courtyard, the voodoo man's eyes eventually fell on the pretty little heiress Claire Bennet - who was still cringing and trembling from the recent frog attack -- and saw that her arms were now missing one handsome prince.
It didn't take long for him to spot the tall, regal figure scurrying away from the party and back towards the guest house where he was staying. Samuel followed him, slipping away without anyone taking notice, not that they would. He knew how to be very quiet when he needed to be.
The young man was distracted, too busy frantically staring at the now empty jar that sat on the ledge of the fire place to notice as Samuel slipped inside, shutting the door behind him. The sight was enough to make the Irish man's blood boil and he stalked towards him, ready to bash the boy's brains out for making such a mistake, but he couldn't. He still needed him.
"Loose something?" he asked once he was standing directly behind the young man.
He yelped, spinning around with wide brown eyes -- eyes that weren't the right color... he'd have to fix that -- and cowering at his presence. The young man may have had a few inches on him now, but somehow he knew how to shrink into himself to look positively meek standing next to Samuel.
"You're so quiet," the young man practically squeaked squirming away from him, but Samuel wouldn't let him get away.
"Where is he?" he snapped, not bothering to dance around the issue.
"The poor devil was gasping," he explained, taking several hesitant steps back as Samuel marched forward. "I thought... I knew we couldn't let him die, so I figured it'd be okay if I just opened the jar a little."
"Well now he's gone!" Samuel barked, the volume of his voice enough to send the young man stumbling to the floor, his eyes wide with fear. "And that little scene he caused could have ruined everything."
The young man made a scowl that somehow managed to look more like a pout. He got up quickly, smoothing down the front of his clothes with trembling hands. "Well, I'm sorry, but that's not my fault!" he said, his words lacking the confidence they should have had. He huffed, reaching down the front of his jacket and pulling out the amulet Samuel had told him to wear. "I'm sick of all this! It's creepy and wrong."
With that said, the young man pulled the brown, oval shaped charm clean off of his neck. The transformation was instant. His body shrank, his limbs and hair reshaped themselves, and within the blink of an eye, the tall, fearsome prince disappeared and was replaced by the meek little valet.
"I'm not playing this voodoo dress up game anymore!" Luke snapped. "You can wear this ghastly thing!"
Samuel's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as the valet threw the amulet to the ground. The witchdoctor dove forward, snatching the charm up before it could hit the polished wooden floor. "Idiot!" he snapped, his fingers suddenly itching to wrap themselves around the boy's pasty little neck. Yet once again, he reeled back, restraining the malice building up inside of him. The Irish witchdoctor took a deep breath, calming his nerves as he stood up straight and turned his intense eyes towards the child cowering in front of him. "Funny, thing 'bout voodoo, Luke," he began, calmly draping the amulet around his neck. He waved his hands in the air pointed as his body stayed static. "I can't conjure a thing for myself."
Luke stood there, gaping at him as understanding slowly dawned on the boy. Yet that wasn't the only reason he needed Luke. The valet knew Prince Gabriel better than anyone in New Orleans. If anyone could pull off playing the role of the visiting royal without rousing suspicion it would have to be Luke.
"I still don't understand how you talked me into this," Luke sighed, reluctantly accepting the amulet as Samuel placed in the palm of his hand.
"Because we have more in common than ya think," he told him, patting the child on the cheek. "We both know that the real power in this world ain't magic; it's money! Aren't ya tired o' workin' yerself to the bone, livin' on the margins, while those fat cats ya serve don't give ya so much as a sideways glance?"
Luke frowned, his gaze darkening and his jaw tightening at the question. It was a look he saw in his own eyes whenever he thought of HRG. HRG and his money. HRG and his lovely family. HRG who had always gotten in his way and blocked the voodoo man from accomplishing his goals. Yet Samuel wasn't going to sit back and let the man walk all over him anymore. HRG may have the entire city in the palm of his hands, but soon Samuel would take it away from him. All he had to do was make sure that Luke and Claire got married. With the valet under his thumb, he could easily have both HRG's money and the entire city all to himself.
"Well, my boy, all you have to do is keep playin' the part of your charmin', loathsome prince, and sweep the pretty miss off her feet," he said as Luke slipped the amulet back on, growing several inches before his eyes. "Then you'll have the girl, the money, and the life you always wanted. Of course, we'll split the funds sixty forty in my favor since I did all the planning."
Luke chuckled, flashing what Samuel assumed was supposed to be a very "Gabriel-esque" smile. The smile disappear as a thought suddenly crossed his mind. "Well, what about Gabriel?" he asked.
Samuel frowned. "Yer little slip up will only be a minor bump in the road. So long as we've got the prince's blood in that amulet, we'll be jus' fine."
-+-+-+-
"Voodoo!" Mohinder barked, just as thunder roared in the distance. "You're telling me you were messing around with voodoo?"
Gabriel shrugged as best as he could without letting go of the balloons. "Well, I didn't exactly think it was going to work!" the prince explained. "I mean... black magic? It's ridiculous! Besides, this isn't exactly what the spell was supposed to do."
The Indian growled, wishing that he could reach up and claw the royal's eyes out. He knew that this kiss business had been a bad idea, but never would he have imagined... A second groan welled up in his throat as he looked down at his newly transformed body. He was small, smaller than Gabriel, and a slightly darker shade of green, minus the dark spots that seemed to decorate Gabriel's thicker limbs. There wasn't really much else to say about his new body, other than that he felt incredibly off balanced and sick to his stomach at the thought of what happened. A frog! A bloody frog!
"I should have never let you talk me into this," Mohinder groaned. "Wishing on stars... That was foolish! From now on, it's nothing but hard work for me."
Gabriel gave a strangled laugh, glancing down at Mohinder curiously. "Why, uh... why would a prince need to work hard?"
Mohinder frowned briefly, before understanding suddenly dawned on him. "Oh, I'm a lot of things, but I'm definitely not a prince."
"What?" he practically squeaked. "What do you...? No wonder the kiss didn't work! You lied to me! You said you were a prince!"
"I never said that!" Mohinder shot back. "You just assumed I was."
"Well, if you're not a prince then why were you dressed like one?"
"Because it was a costume party you bloody oaf!"
The prince laughed, a deep, cackling sound that sent chills running through Mohinder's tiny body. "Oh, that's funny," Gabriel said dangerously. "That's real funny. You know what else is funny? The fact that you're not getting one cent out of me! So kiss your stupid book goodbye!'
"What?" Now it was Mohinder's turn to squeak. "You turn me into a frog and now I get nothing out of this?"
"Well you were supposed to turn me back into a human, but since you neglected to tell me that you weren't royalty, you completely failed to live up to your end of the bargain. Besides, I am completely broke!"
Mohinder felt his eyes widen, because not only was he not expecting the "rich and powerful" prince to tell him he didn't have a cent to his name, he also noticed that their balloons were now floating dangerously close to sharp, pointy tree branches. The Indian barely had time to brace himself for impact when the very loud pop pierced the air.
The two humans turned amphibians yelped, tumbling towards the ground. He suddenly found himself submerged in the goopy swamp water below, and Mohinder swore that the first thing he did after this ordeal was over would be to take a very long, scolding hot bath.
He sputtered, crawling to his feet and out of the water. "You... you told me that you were incredibly rich and powerful."
"No," Gabriel sighed. "My parents are the rich and powerful ones. They cut me off for being a... a..."
"A dandy?" Mohinder finished, startled when the prince gave him a surprised look.
"How did you know?"
The Indian sighed, rolling his eyes at the prince's question. "Probably because you asked me -- a man -- to kiss you! And you didn't exactly look conflicted about it."
Gabriel snorted, rolling his eyes. "Well, that's beside the point. The point is that I'm broke. That's why I need to marry Miss Claire Bennet."
"Claire!" Mohinder didn't bother to mask the disgust and horror that he felt at that admission. Claire was just barely sixteen and the prince -- in his human body -- looked to be around Mohinder's age. The idea of the two of them... and to blatantly announce that his intentions were less than honorable! "Are you telling me that you plan on using a teenage girl for her money?"
"Her money, my parent's money, it doesn't matter!" Gabriel snapped. "The only thing that matters is that I need to be human again and... are those logs moving?"
Mohinder spun around, facing what Gabriel's wide eyes were staring at. His blood ran cold -- well, he was currently cold blooded, but that was beside the point -- as he stared at the long brown bodies swimming towards them. "Those aren't logs," he breathed, as yellow eyes gleamed in delight at the sight of two fat frogs ready to be eaten.
The Indian looked around him, seeing with growing dread that they were now surrounded by several hungry alligators. Their mouths snapped open, ready to sink their teeth in to their tasty prey, but Mohinder and Gabriel were already hopping away by the time the alligators lunged at them.
"I call dibs on the fat one," he heard one of the alligators laugh.
The beasts thrashed around, splashing and lunging and sending the two frogs flying through the swamp. The Indian soon found himself alone underwater, having lost track of the prince in the confusion. He struggled to keep a level head, calmly swimming away from the group of animals thirsting for his blood. Mohinder soon discovered that, as a frog, he could hold his breath longer and see much clearer underwater. It was because of these newly acquired talents that he was able to spot the hollowed out log that saved his life.
He swam inside, finding that the log actually lead into a hollowed tree. He briefly prayed that whatever lived inside the tree had gone missing as he crawled through the tight space. Mohinder soon found himself in a wide, gapping space in the middle of the tree. It was empty except for a few vines growing inside and bugs that scurried away at the sight of him. He crawled over to a large hole in the side of the tree, big enough to jump in and out of, but just high enough to keep him safe from the alligators.
Peeking down below, the Indian could see that the gators were still splashing around, yet not nearly as violently as before. No doubt, they hadn't found the prince and for that, he felt slightly relieved.
"Hey," he heard a voice whisper to him. Mohinder looked down, seeing Gabriel with his back pressed flat against the trunk of the tree. He was pale (or at least Mohinder thought he looked pale, it was hard to tell since it was not only dark, but Gabriel was also green) and trembling in fear and Mohinder had to smile at the sight. "Throw me a vine."
"Gee, I would, but since I'm not a prince and all..."
"Fine!" Gabriel managed to yell quietly, twisting around just long enough to glare up at Mohinder before turning panicked eyes towards the gators. "Throw me the vine and I'll do whatever you want!"
"Then I want you to stay away from Claire."
"I can't do that!" he groused. "I need to marry her to get my money and my power back."
Mohinder sighed. It look like he was at an impasse, but he still couldn't sit by and allow someone he cared about to be miserable for the rest of her life. "Fine, you marry her, but you better take good care of her and treat her right! And you're going to help me get my book published!"
"Alright, alright!" Gabriel sighed. "I’ll do all those things, just throw me a vine!"
Unfortunately for them both, Gabriel's shouting was just loud enough to attract the attention of the alligators. Six sets of eyes turned towards them, just as Mohinder threw the vine over the side of the tree. Gabriel grabbed it and Mohinder pulled, just barely managing to get the frog prince inside the tree before an alligator head butted the base. The tree shook and a series of taunting laughs filled the air, but Mohinder knew that they were safe for the night.
-+-+-+-
When morning came, the gators were gone and the swamp didn't seem quite as intimidating. The Indian still had absolutely no idea where they were, but he wasn't going to sit around and wait for someone to come find him. As soon as it was bright enough to see, Mohinder climbed out of the tree and gathered together the materials he would need to make a raft.
Gabriel didn't stir, he barely made a sound, as Mohinder hunted for twigs, reeves, and vines. As he worked, the Indian kept sending bitter glances over at the hollowed tree, expecting to see the other man to climb out, but he never did. The sun was in the noon position, his raft was complete, and yet the prince still hadn't woken up. Mohinder couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed a rock -- which he probably would have considered a mere pebble if he were still human -- and threw it directly into the tree. From the annoyed grunt that emitted from within, the Indian knew that he had hit his mark.
"Wake up Sleeping Beauty," Mohinder shouted, making sure that Gabriel didn't drift back to sleep. "We have to get going."
"Go where?" Gabriel grumbled, appearing from within the tree and leaping out with surprising ease. The Indian had to wonder why the prince had even needed him to lend him a hand last night. "We're in the middle of the swamp!"
"Yes, but there's gotta be someone in this bayou that can help us get back to the city or break this spell," Mohinder grumbled, grabbing a long, thin stick to use to paddle.
Gabriel hopped onto the raft, leaning back with every intention to sit around and allow Mohinder to do all the work. "Fine, let's just hurry up and get out of here. I want to get back to being human as quickly as possible."
The Indian sighed, rolling his eyes as he pushed the raft off from against the river bank, paddling with more difficulty than he had expected. "You know, I wouldn't mind a little help," Mohinder announced wearily, hoping that Gabriel would take the hint.
He did, but seemed completely indifferent to the other man's pleas. "Well, if we come across another frog, I'll ask them to lend you a hand."
"You spoiled little rich boy! I should have let those gators get to you."
"Funny," Gabriel huffed dryly, sitting up to glare at Mohinder. "But I'm a prince. Princes don't work."
"No, they marry little girls for their money and go around kissing men," he grumbled. "You're the one who got us both into this mess, the least you can do is help."
"I'm helping," the prince shot. "I'm providing you with much needed motivation and the honored pleasure of my company. That's not something that most commoners are treated to, you know."
Mohinder sighed, rolling his eyes as he turned to shoot the prince a foul look. Instead the Indian stiffened in fear when he spotted a pair of large brown eyes peeking up at them from the water. Gabriel noticed his reaction and turned around to find a giant alligator slowly appearing from beneath the green swampy stream. The frog prince hopped over to his end of the raft, the two of them cowering in fear and preparing for the worst.
The gator laughed, the sound nowhere near as malicious as the alligators from the previous night. "You two are crazy," the gator chuckled. "You argue like an old married couple."
Mohinder frowned, glancing over at Gabriel and seeing the same look of confusion reflected in the other man's eyes. The gator made no move to attack or lunge and seemed completely indifferent to prospect of attacking them. Mohinder didn’t know much about alligators, but he doubted that they were much for strategies such as leading their victims into a false calm.
"Well, we're not exactly a couple," Mohinder explained awkwardly once he was certain that the gator was not planning to eat them.
"That's right," Gabriel jumped in, an air of importance to his words. "In fact, we are both humans. I am Prince Gabriel Gray of Maldonia and that's Mohinder... he's just a commoner, but still a human. If you were to kill and eat us -- or me at least -- then you'll be in a boat load trouble!"
The alligator let out a thundering laugh, rolling his eyes shut and throwing his head back from the sheer force. Mohinder huffed, shaking his head at both Gabriel's cocky speech and the alligator’s over blown reaction. Although he couldn't blame the latter, after all it was hard to believe that two frogs had just yesterday been human men.
"Are you serious?" the gator asked once he had gotten his laughter under control.
"It's true," Mohinder cut in. "His 'Majesty' got turned into a frog by a voodoo man-"
"Voodoo?" the gator cut in. The humor had evaporated and was now replaced by a look of stunned horror. "Like the Tattoo Lady?"
"The what lady?" Gabriel asked, seeing a slight gleam of hope.
"The Tattoo Lady," the alligator repeated. He shook his head, a dark look flashing in his eyes. "She's a twisted old witch that lives in the deepest darkest depths of the bayou. She uses voodoo and black magic and all kinds of creepy stuff."
"This Tattoo Lady might be able to help cure us," Mohinder mused.
"You do realized he said 'twisted old witch' when describing this woman, right?" Gabriel said pointedly.
Mohinder scoffed. "So you were okay with trusting a witchdoctor, but a spell casting 'Tattoo Lady' is too much?"
"Once bitten, twice shy," Gabriel explained simply. "You may be willing to put your life in danger, but I'm far too valuable. Besides, getting there is going to be difficult."
"Well, I could probably show you two frogs the way," the alligator suggested. The Indian turned and gave the gator a skeptical look, but he merely shrugged in indifference. "Well, I'll take you most of the way, but I'm not going anywhere near a creepy old voodoo lady."
"That's kind of you," Mohinder said, giving the creature a hesitant smile, "but, um, well... you are an alligator-"
"Yeah, but I'm on a strict diet," the gator joked, patting his round stomach humorously. "I try to avoid eating anything crazy and you frogs are definitely crazy!"
"Funny," Gabriel scoffed dryly. "What's your name anyway, gator?"
"Matt," he said, swimming up to their raft and motioning for the two frogs to jump onto his back. "And in case you were wondering, I'm an alligator who used to be an alligator."
Mohinder sighed, rolling his eyes as he hopped onto Matt's scaly back. So it seemed that a skeptical gator was going to be their guide through the bayou.
He watched as Gabriel gave the alligator a suspicious look, glancing back and forth between the swamp dweller and the raft, before reluctantly hopping on. Mohinder couldn't really blame the other man for his hesitance. Just sitting on the smooth cool scales made the Indian's stomach twist. He couldn't help wondering whether or not their guide was being truthful, if he was going to twist around and snap them in half, but Matt never did. He merely swam along, moving much faster than Mohinder's raft ever could have.
"So tell me frogs," Matt began, sarcastic humor coloring his speech, "what do you plan on doing once you're human again?"
"Well, once I marry Claire Bennet, I'll be able to go back to living my life how I want," Gabriel answered, a fond smile spreading across his slimy green face. "I'll get all of my money back and-"
"And you're going to be a good husband to her!" Mohinder cut in angrily. He had known Claire since she was five and the last thing he wanted was to just sit back and have her trapped in a loveless marriage. Yet if Gabriel didn't marry Claire, then he wouldn't be able to get his book, and in truth, Mohinder knew that even if Claire was fully aware of Gabriel's plans she would not be completely against the idea so long as she got to become a princess and travel the world helping people with her money and influence.
"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled dismissively. "I remember. Treat her right and all that. Don't worry, Claire will be able to do and date whatever or whoever she wants once we're married so long as she allows me to do the same."
Mohinder huffed, getting up and moving closer to the top of Matt's head, putting some space between himself and the prince. "Well, when I'm a human being at least I'll act like one. I'll publish my father's book and be able to go back to school and get my degree."
Despite his attempts to ignore him, Mohinder heard Gabriel laughing at his ambitions. "That sounds perfectly boring," he laughed. "God, even your dreams are dull!"
Matt laughed, causing Mohinder to slide off the top of the alligators head and back towards his neck. He still wasn't next to Gabriel, but from his seat he was able to hear both of them laughing in perfect unison at him. The Indian huffed, curling into himself and praying that this trip didn't last too long.
Chapter 4 - Gonna Take You There
Author: starrdust411
Fandom: Heroes
Pairing: Mohinder/Sylar
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When the Prince kissed the Frog the real story began.
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes or The Princess and the Frog.
Warnings: Humor, Language, Slash, AU
Prologue| Chapter 1| Chapter 2
Gabriel had to marvel at how incredibly rotten his luck had gotten lately. He had met the most beautiful, stunning, gorgeous man he had ever seen -- a man who had also happened to be a prince -- and here he was, stuck as a slimy -- or rather, mucusy -- little frog. Yet, after he had found a legitimate reason to kiss the utterly beautiful man, it back fired, because instead of becoming human again, the other prince had completely disappeared while he remained a frog.
He sighed, watching the last of the golden sparkles glitter in the air before winking out of existence forever. Wonderful. He was stuck as a frog with man erasing lips. That Samuel Sullivan was one crafty bastard.
A soft groan and the sound of fabric rustling suddenly caught his... well, he didn't have ears anymore, but the sound did gain his attention. Crawling over to the bureau's edge, he peered over the side and was shocked by the sight in front of him.
Two slightly confused brown eyes looked up at him, blinking away the fog that had no doubt settled over his mind. "Well, you don't look much different," the familiar voice said, confirming Gabriel's fears. "But how did you get way up there... and how did I get down here in all this..."
The rest of his words faded away as what had once been the other prince fingered the shimmering blue fabric of his clothing, noticing the tiny green hand that had plucked at it instead of long brown fingers. A strangled gasp escaped his lips as he turned towards the golden hand mirror that had no doubt fallen to the ground during the earlier confusion and had conveniently landed by his side. Gabriel watched as he froze in horror, looking at his reflection and realizing that he was no longer a man.
The prince screamed, jumping a few feet in the air and landing on the bureau next to Gabriel, who instinctively hopped back. "What happened?" the other human turned frog screamed, running his hands over sticky green flesh. "I'm green and slimy-"
"It's mucus, remember?" Gabriel put in quickly, hoping to lighten the mood, but in truth he was just as confused as the other prince. He was certain that the kiss should have broken the spell. Perhaps he should have waited for a princess instead. "It looks like kissing me turned you into-"
"A frog!" he all but screamed, his eyes blazing as he advanced on Gabriel. "You turned me into a goddamn frog!"
"What?" Gabriel yelped indignantly. How dare the man even suggest such a thing? As if he even wanted to be a frog, let alone turn someone else into one. "You think I did this?"
"I'll kill you!"
Before Gabriel could do anymore to defend himself, he suddenly found the other prince pouncing on him, wrapping his sticky hands around his throat. The impact of their two bodies colliding, slamming together, was enough to knock both of them off of the dresser. They bounced like rubber balls against the tiled surface and clear out the window.
Somehow, they managed to land back at the party -- what should have been his party -- crashing onto a drum set waiting down below to break their fall. Their twin bodies landed with a deep, rumbling thud, alerting the drummer, who had been listlessly staring off in the other direction, to their presence. The man was startled for just a moment before he gathered his wits and attempted to knock them both senseless with his drum sticks. Fortunately both princes saw it coming, hoping away and off of the drums just before they could be spotted, yet apparently they had hopped onto the back of a young girl's dress.
A high picked shriek pierced the air as the two struggled to untangle themselves from the frilly pink ruffles and towards safe ground. Yet in a crowded party filled with high class citizens (who all apparently had an irrational fear of frogs) it was nearly impossible to jump somewhere that wouldn't cause them to get into more danger.
They jumped onto the refreshment table just as Gabriel heard someone call for their dog. Under normal circumstances, the fluffy golden Pomeranian "Mr. Muggles" would be as threatening as... well, a fluffy golden Pomeranian, but now that he was a mucus covered amphibian that the mutt could easily rip apart by sinking his sharp teeth into, he felt fear crawling up his spine at the dog’s approach. He grabbed the other prince and began running away, listening as Mr. Muggles leapt onto the table with ease, chasing them across the clothed surface and knocking over punch bowls and trays of hors d'oeuvres as he continued his pursuit.
"Mr. Muggles! Wait!" the other prince cried, as they tripped over the strings of the festive, rainbow colored balloons tied to the end of the table. "It's me! Mohinder!"
The dog's yapping came to an end as he tried his best to get himself to stop. "Mohinder?" they both heard Mr. Muggles exclaim, confusion in his voice.
Hearing a dog say his name was just surprising enough to have Mohinder freeze in his tracks. Apparently one of the benefits of being a frog was the ability to communicate with other animals. Gabriel pushed that new bit of information aside as he untangled the strings of the balloons from the table. They were just light enough that the helium filled balloons could carry them. He grabbed Mohinder, who instinctively reached out for the strings and held on tight as they drifted towards the sky.
"Mr. Muggles talked," Mohinder said, shaking with awe as they hovered over the party and towards a tangle of trees. "A dog talked to me!"
Gabriel huffed, disappointed that his companion was so fixed on that small development. Did he forget that they were both still frogs? "If you're going to let every little thing upset you, then we're going to have a very long night."
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The two little creatures had created quite a disturbance. The entire party was still at a standstill as several guests attempted to scrub the punch from their expensive costumes and HRG worked his hardest to get his dog to stop yapping up at the frogs floating away, tangled in the balloon strings.
Samuel frowned, pulling his mask down just enough to get a better look at the frogs. He heard them speak, he saw the way they clutched at the strings, determined to get away, and he knew right then and there that his newly acquired partner in crime had messed things up.
Glancing around the courtyard, the voodoo man's eyes eventually fell on the pretty little heiress Claire Bennet - who was still cringing and trembling from the recent frog attack -- and saw that her arms were now missing one handsome prince.
It didn't take long for him to spot the tall, regal figure scurrying away from the party and back towards the guest house where he was staying. Samuel followed him, slipping away without anyone taking notice, not that they would. He knew how to be very quiet when he needed to be.
The young man was distracted, too busy frantically staring at the now empty jar that sat on the ledge of the fire place to notice as Samuel slipped inside, shutting the door behind him. The sight was enough to make the Irish man's blood boil and he stalked towards him, ready to bash the boy's brains out for making such a mistake, but he couldn't. He still needed him.
"Loose something?" he asked once he was standing directly behind the young man.
He yelped, spinning around with wide brown eyes -- eyes that weren't the right color... he'd have to fix that -- and cowering at his presence. The young man may have had a few inches on him now, but somehow he knew how to shrink into himself to look positively meek standing next to Samuel.
"You're so quiet," the young man practically squeaked squirming away from him, but Samuel wouldn't let him get away.
"Where is he?" he snapped, not bothering to dance around the issue.
"The poor devil was gasping," he explained, taking several hesitant steps back as Samuel marched forward. "I thought... I knew we couldn't let him die, so I figured it'd be okay if I just opened the jar a little."
"Well now he's gone!" Samuel barked, the volume of his voice enough to send the young man stumbling to the floor, his eyes wide with fear. "And that little scene he caused could have ruined everything."
The young man made a scowl that somehow managed to look more like a pout. He got up quickly, smoothing down the front of his clothes with trembling hands. "Well, I'm sorry, but that's not my fault!" he said, his words lacking the confidence they should have had. He huffed, reaching down the front of his jacket and pulling out the amulet Samuel had told him to wear. "I'm sick of all this! It's creepy and wrong."
With that said, the young man pulled the brown, oval shaped charm clean off of his neck. The transformation was instant. His body shrank, his limbs and hair reshaped themselves, and within the blink of an eye, the tall, fearsome prince disappeared and was replaced by the meek little valet.
"I'm not playing this voodoo dress up game anymore!" Luke snapped. "You can wear this ghastly thing!"
Samuel's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as the valet threw the amulet to the ground. The witchdoctor dove forward, snatching the charm up before it could hit the polished wooden floor. "Idiot!" he snapped, his fingers suddenly itching to wrap themselves around the boy's pasty little neck. Yet once again, he reeled back, restraining the malice building up inside of him. The Irish witchdoctor took a deep breath, calming his nerves as he stood up straight and turned his intense eyes towards the child cowering in front of him. "Funny, thing 'bout voodoo, Luke," he began, calmly draping the amulet around his neck. He waved his hands in the air pointed as his body stayed static. "I can't conjure a thing for myself."
Luke stood there, gaping at him as understanding slowly dawned on the boy. Yet that wasn't the only reason he needed Luke. The valet knew Prince Gabriel better than anyone in New Orleans. If anyone could pull off playing the role of the visiting royal without rousing suspicion it would have to be Luke.
"I still don't understand how you talked me into this," Luke sighed, reluctantly accepting the amulet as Samuel placed in the palm of his hand.
"Because we have more in common than ya think," he told him, patting the child on the cheek. "We both know that the real power in this world ain't magic; it's money! Aren't ya tired o' workin' yerself to the bone, livin' on the margins, while those fat cats ya serve don't give ya so much as a sideways glance?"
Luke frowned, his gaze darkening and his jaw tightening at the question. It was a look he saw in his own eyes whenever he thought of HRG. HRG and his money. HRG and his lovely family. HRG who had always gotten in his way and blocked the voodoo man from accomplishing his goals. Yet Samuel wasn't going to sit back and let the man walk all over him anymore. HRG may have the entire city in the palm of his hands, but soon Samuel would take it away from him. All he had to do was make sure that Luke and Claire got married. With the valet under his thumb, he could easily have both HRG's money and the entire city all to himself.
"Well, my boy, all you have to do is keep playin' the part of your charmin', loathsome prince, and sweep the pretty miss off her feet," he said as Luke slipped the amulet back on, growing several inches before his eyes. "Then you'll have the girl, the money, and the life you always wanted. Of course, we'll split the funds sixty forty in my favor since I did all the planning."
Luke chuckled, flashing what Samuel assumed was supposed to be a very "Gabriel-esque" smile. The smile disappear as a thought suddenly crossed his mind. "Well, what about Gabriel?" he asked.
Samuel frowned. "Yer little slip up will only be a minor bump in the road. So long as we've got the prince's blood in that amulet, we'll be jus' fine."
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"Voodoo!" Mohinder barked, just as thunder roared in the distance. "You're telling me you were messing around with voodoo?"
Gabriel shrugged as best as he could without letting go of the balloons. "Well, I didn't exactly think it was going to work!" the prince explained. "I mean... black magic? It's ridiculous! Besides, this isn't exactly what the spell was supposed to do."
The Indian growled, wishing that he could reach up and claw the royal's eyes out. He knew that this kiss business had been a bad idea, but never would he have imagined... A second groan welled up in his throat as he looked down at his newly transformed body. He was small, smaller than Gabriel, and a slightly darker shade of green, minus the dark spots that seemed to decorate Gabriel's thicker limbs. There wasn't really much else to say about his new body, other than that he felt incredibly off balanced and sick to his stomach at the thought of what happened. A frog! A bloody frog!
"I should have never let you talk me into this," Mohinder groaned. "Wishing on stars... That was foolish! From now on, it's nothing but hard work for me."
Gabriel gave a strangled laugh, glancing down at Mohinder curiously. "Why, uh... why would a prince need to work hard?"
Mohinder frowned briefly, before understanding suddenly dawned on him. "Oh, I'm a lot of things, but I'm definitely not a prince."
"What?" he practically squeaked. "What do you...? No wonder the kiss didn't work! You lied to me! You said you were a prince!"
"I never said that!" Mohinder shot back. "You just assumed I was."
"Well, if you're not a prince then why were you dressed like one?"
"Because it was a costume party you bloody oaf!"
The prince laughed, a deep, cackling sound that sent chills running through Mohinder's tiny body. "Oh, that's funny," Gabriel said dangerously. "That's real funny. You know what else is funny? The fact that you're not getting one cent out of me! So kiss your stupid book goodbye!'
"What?" Now it was Mohinder's turn to squeak. "You turn me into a frog and now I get nothing out of this?"
"Well you were supposed to turn me back into a human, but since you neglected to tell me that you weren't royalty, you completely failed to live up to your end of the bargain. Besides, I am completely broke!"
Mohinder felt his eyes widen, because not only was he not expecting the "rich and powerful" prince to tell him he didn't have a cent to his name, he also noticed that their balloons were now floating dangerously close to sharp, pointy tree branches. The Indian barely had time to brace himself for impact when the very loud pop pierced the air.
The two humans turned amphibians yelped, tumbling towards the ground. He suddenly found himself submerged in the goopy swamp water below, and Mohinder swore that the first thing he did after this ordeal was over would be to take a very long, scolding hot bath.
He sputtered, crawling to his feet and out of the water. "You... you told me that you were incredibly rich and powerful."
"No," Gabriel sighed. "My parents are the rich and powerful ones. They cut me off for being a... a..."
"A dandy?" Mohinder finished, startled when the prince gave him a surprised look.
"How did you know?"
The Indian sighed, rolling his eyes at the prince's question. "Probably because you asked me -- a man -- to kiss you! And you didn't exactly look conflicted about it."
Gabriel snorted, rolling his eyes. "Well, that's beside the point. The point is that I'm broke. That's why I need to marry Miss Claire Bennet."
"Claire!" Mohinder didn't bother to mask the disgust and horror that he felt at that admission. Claire was just barely sixteen and the prince -- in his human body -- looked to be around Mohinder's age. The idea of the two of them... and to blatantly announce that his intentions were less than honorable! "Are you telling me that you plan on using a teenage girl for her money?"
"Her money, my parent's money, it doesn't matter!" Gabriel snapped. "The only thing that matters is that I need to be human again and... are those logs moving?"
Mohinder spun around, facing what Gabriel's wide eyes were staring at. His blood ran cold -- well, he was currently cold blooded, but that was beside the point -- as he stared at the long brown bodies swimming towards them. "Those aren't logs," he breathed, as yellow eyes gleamed in delight at the sight of two fat frogs ready to be eaten.
The Indian looked around him, seeing with growing dread that they were now surrounded by several hungry alligators. Their mouths snapped open, ready to sink their teeth in to their tasty prey, but Mohinder and Gabriel were already hopping away by the time the alligators lunged at them.
"I call dibs on the fat one," he heard one of the alligators laugh.
The beasts thrashed around, splashing and lunging and sending the two frogs flying through the swamp. The Indian soon found himself alone underwater, having lost track of the prince in the confusion. He struggled to keep a level head, calmly swimming away from the group of animals thirsting for his blood. Mohinder soon discovered that, as a frog, he could hold his breath longer and see much clearer underwater. It was because of these newly acquired talents that he was able to spot the hollowed out log that saved his life.
He swam inside, finding that the log actually lead into a hollowed tree. He briefly prayed that whatever lived inside the tree had gone missing as he crawled through the tight space. Mohinder soon found himself in a wide, gapping space in the middle of the tree. It was empty except for a few vines growing inside and bugs that scurried away at the sight of him. He crawled over to a large hole in the side of the tree, big enough to jump in and out of, but just high enough to keep him safe from the alligators.
Peeking down below, the Indian could see that the gators were still splashing around, yet not nearly as violently as before. No doubt, they hadn't found the prince and for that, he felt slightly relieved.
"Hey," he heard a voice whisper to him. Mohinder looked down, seeing Gabriel with his back pressed flat against the trunk of the tree. He was pale (or at least Mohinder thought he looked pale, it was hard to tell since it was not only dark, but Gabriel was also green) and trembling in fear and Mohinder had to smile at the sight. "Throw me a vine."
"Gee, I would, but since I'm not a prince and all..."
"Fine!" Gabriel managed to yell quietly, twisting around just long enough to glare up at Mohinder before turning panicked eyes towards the gators. "Throw me the vine and I'll do whatever you want!"
"Then I want you to stay away from Claire."
"I can't do that!" he groused. "I need to marry her to get my money and my power back."
Mohinder sighed. It look like he was at an impasse, but he still couldn't sit by and allow someone he cared about to be miserable for the rest of her life. "Fine, you marry her, but you better take good care of her and treat her right! And you're going to help me get my book published!"
"Alright, alright!" Gabriel sighed. "I’ll do all those things, just throw me a vine!"
Unfortunately for them both, Gabriel's shouting was just loud enough to attract the attention of the alligators. Six sets of eyes turned towards them, just as Mohinder threw the vine over the side of the tree. Gabriel grabbed it and Mohinder pulled, just barely managing to get the frog prince inside the tree before an alligator head butted the base. The tree shook and a series of taunting laughs filled the air, but Mohinder knew that they were safe for the night.
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When morning came, the gators were gone and the swamp didn't seem quite as intimidating. The Indian still had absolutely no idea where they were, but he wasn't going to sit around and wait for someone to come find him. As soon as it was bright enough to see, Mohinder climbed out of the tree and gathered together the materials he would need to make a raft.
Gabriel didn't stir, he barely made a sound, as Mohinder hunted for twigs, reeves, and vines. As he worked, the Indian kept sending bitter glances over at the hollowed tree, expecting to see the other man to climb out, but he never did. The sun was in the noon position, his raft was complete, and yet the prince still hadn't woken up. Mohinder couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed a rock -- which he probably would have considered a mere pebble if he were still human -- and threw it directly into the tree. From the annoyed grunt that emitted from within, the Indian knew that he had hit his mark.
"Wake up Sleeping Beauty," Mohinder shouted, making sure that Gabriel didn't drift back to sleep. "We have to get going."
"Go where?" Gabriel grumbled, appearing from within the tree and leaping out with surprising ease. The Indian had to wonder why the prince had even needed him to lend him a hand last night. "We're in the middle of the swamp!"
"Yes, but there's gotta be someone in this bayou that can help us get back to the city or break this spell," Mohinder grumbled, grabbing a long, thin stick to use to paddle.
Gabriel hopped onto the raft, leaning back with every intention to sit around and allow Mohinder to do all the work. "Fine, let's just hurry up and get out of here. I want to get back to being human as quickly as possible."
The Indian sighed, rolling his eyes as he pushed the raft off from against the river bank, paddling with more difficulty than he had expected. "You know, I wouldn't mind a little help," Mohinder announced wearily, hoping that Gabriel would take the hint.
He did, but seemed completely indifferent to the other man's pleas. "Well, if we come across another frog, I'll ask them to lend you a hand."
"You spoiled little rich boy! I should have let those gators get to you."
"Funny," Gabriel huffed dryly, sitting up to glare at Mohinder. "But I'm a prince. Princes don't work."
"No, they marry little girls for their money and go around kissing men," he grumbled. "You're the one who got us both into this mess, the least you can do is help."
"I'm helping," the prince shot. "I'm providing you with much needed motivation and the honored pleasure of my company. That's not something that most commoners are treated to, you know."
Mohinder sighed, rolling his eyes as he turned to shoot the prince a foul look. Instead the Indian stiffened in fear when he spotted a pair of large brown eyes peeking up at them from the water. Gabriel noticed his reaction and turned around to find a giant alligator slowly appearing from beneath the green swampy stream. The frog prince hopped over to his end of the raft, the two of them cowering in fear and preparing for the worst.
The gator laughed, the sound nowhere near as malicious as the alligators from the previous night. "You two are crazy," the gator chuckled. "You argue like an old married couple."
Mohinder frowned, glancing over at Gabriel and seeing the same look of confusion reflected in the other man's eyes. The gator made no move to attack or lunge and seemed completely indifferent to prospect of attacking them. Mohinder didn’t know much about alligators, but he doubted that they were much for strategies such as leading their victims into a false calm.
"Well, we're not exactly a couple," Mohinder explained awkwardly once he was certain that the gator was not planning to eat them.
"That's right," Gabriel jumped in, an air of importance to his words. "In fact, we are both humans. I am Prince Gabriel Gray of Maldonia and that's Mohinder... he's just a commoner, but still a human. If you were to kill and eat us -- or me at least -- then you'll be in a boat load trouble!"
The alligator let out a thundering laugh, rolling his eyes shut and throwing his head back from the sheer force. Mohinder huffed, shaking his head at both Gabriel's cocky speech and the alligator’s over blown reaction. Although he couldn't blame the latter, after all it was hard to believe that two frogs had just yesterday been human men.
"Are you serious?" the gator asked once he had gotten his laughter under control.
"It's true," Mohinder cut in. "His 'Majesty' got turned into a frog by a voodoo man-"
"Voodoo?" the gator cut in. The humor had evaporated and was now replaced by a look of stunned horror. "Like the Tattoo Lady?"
"The what lady?" Gabriel asked, seeing a slight gleam of hope.
"The Tattoo Lady," the alligator repeated. He shook his head, a dark look flashing in his eyes. "She's a twisted old witch that lives in the deepest darkest depths of the bayou. She uses voodoo and black magic and all kinds of creepy stuff."
"This Tattoo Lady might be able to help cure us," Mohinder mused.
"You do realized he said 'twisted old witch' when describing this woman, right?" Gabriel said pointedly.
Mohinder scoffed. "So you were okay with trusting a witchdoctor, but a spell casting 'Tattoo Lady' is too much?"
"Once bitten, twice shy," Gabriel explained simply. "You may be willing to put your life in danger, but I'm far too valuable. Besides, getting there is going to be difficult."
"Well, I could probably show you two frogs the way," the alligator suggested. The Indian turned and gave the gator a skeptical look, but he merely shrugged in indifference. "Well, I'll take you most of the way, but I'm not going anywhere near a creepy old voodoo lady."
"That's kind of you," Mohinder said, giving the creature a hesitant smile, "but, um, well... you are an alligator-"
"Yeah, but I'm on a strict diet," the gator joked, patting his round stomach humorously. "I try to avoid eating anything crazy and you frogs are definitely crazy!"
"Funny," Gabriel scoffed dryly. "What's your name anyway, gator?"
"Matt," he said, swimming up to their raft and motioning for the two frogs to jump onto his back. "And in case you were wondering, I'm an alligator who used to be an alligator."
Mohinder sighed, rolling his eyes as he hopped onto Matt's scaly back. So it seemed that a skeptical gator was going to be their guide through the bayou.
He watched as Gabriel gave the alligator a suspicious look, glancing back and forth between the swamp dweller and the raft, before reluctantly hopping on. Mohinder couldn't really blame the other man for his hesitance. Just sitting on the smooth cool scales made the Indian's stomach twist. He couldn't help wondering whether or not their guide was being truthful, if he was going to twist around and snap them in half, but Matt never did. He merely swam along, moving much faster than Mohinder's raft ever could have.
"So tell me frogs," Matt began, sarcastic humor coloring his speech, "what do you plan on doing once you're human again?"
"Well, once I marry Claire Bennet, I'll be able to go back to living my life how I want," Gabriel answered, a fond smile spreading across his slimy green face. "I'll get all of my money back and-"
"And you're going to be a good husband to her!" Mohinder cut in angrily. He had known Claire since she was five and the last thing he wanted was to just sit back and have her trapped in a loveless marriage. Yet if Gabriel didn't marry Claire, then he wouldn't be able to get his book, and in truth, Mohinder knew that even if Claire was fully aware of Gabriel's plans she would not be completely against the idea so long as she got to become a princess and travel the world helping people with her money and influence.
"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled dismissively. "I remember. Treat her right and all that. Don't worry, Claire will be able to do and date whatever or whoever she wants once we're married so long as she allows me to do the same."
Mohinder huffed, getting up and moving closer to the top of Matt's head, putting some space between himself and the prince. "Well, when I'm a human being at least I'll act like one. I'll publish my father's book and be able to go back to school and get my degree."
Despite his attempts to ignore him, Mohinder heard Gabriel laughing at his ambitions. "That sounds perfectly boring," he laughed. "God, even your dreams are dull!"
Matt laughed, causing Mohinder to slide off the top of the alligators head and back towards his neck. He still wasn't next to Gabriel, but from his seat he was able to hear both of them laughing in perfect unison at him. The Indian huffed, curling into himself and praying that this trip didn't last too long.
Chapter 4 - Gonna Take You There