Fic: The Geneticst and the Frog - Ch. 5
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| Chapter 3| Chapter 4
It was late and the swamp had become almost completely still except for the strange quartet making their way down the bayou. Hiro led the way, flying far enough ahead so that he was safe from Gabriel's eager tongue and Matt's massive jaw, but close enough to still be visible to all three sets of eyes.
"Not too much longer now froggies," Hiro announced, his words filled with confidence. "Tattoo Lady maybe hour or two away."
"Well, we're going to have to stop," Gabriel said, sighing weakly as he held his stomach in his green hands. A faint gurgling rumble came from within him as he said, "I'm starving."
"Again?" Matt groused, twisting around to glance at Gabriel who was perched on the gator's lower back. "We already took a break!"
"Yeah, well Mohinder let our dinner get away," the prince answered, shooting Mohinder, then Hiro, a bitter look.
"Well, your Royal Highness, would you rather have Hiro for a meal or a guide?" the Indian shot back, appalled that the prince was still entertaining the idea of eating the firefly for dinner.
"If he were to just tell us where we're going, he could be both."
Mohinder huffed, rolling his eyes at Gabriel's attitude. Hiro was helping them to get to the Tattoo Lady, yet the only thing Gabriel could focus on was satisfying his hunger.
The prince had whispered his grim words, but from the nervous chuckle that erupted from Hiro, it was clear that the little fly had heard every word. "Plenty of swamp food for Eyebrow Froggy to eat," Hiro announced, flying over to a mass of nearby vegetation. "Green plant, gray squishy bulb, and big orange rock. All very yummy! Taste much better than firefly."
Mohinder chuckled softly as he studied the okra, mushrooms, and large squash that Hiro had shown them. The Indian jumped off the alligator’s back and hopped over to the marshes. "That's an excellent idea Hiro," he said, yanking a few mushrooms out of the ground. First the first time in his life, Mohinder was actually grateful for his background in the restaurant business. Although his official title was only that of a waiter, on the few days when the cook would call in sick, either Mohinder or Monica would have to spend time in the kitchen. Monica was by far the better chef, but Mohinder had become more than competent behind the stove. "I'm sure I can make us something to eat with these."
"Yes, yes!" Hiro cheered, his light flashing with relief now that he knew his life had been spared. "Mohinder is a very clever froggy."
"Fine, just make it quick," Matt grumbled.
Mohinder didn't bother to respond to his comment as he began to wonder why Matt was still with them. He was grateful for the gator's help, but Matt had said from the beginning that he wasn't going to take them the entire way. Yet, if Hiro was right and they were near the Tattoo Lady's lair, then Matt had already made good on his promise. The Indian could only assume that the alligator was lonely. He wasn't sure how gators interacted on a social level, but Matt was nothing like the alligators he and Gabriel had encountered their first night in the swamp. He supposed that their strange little group were the first friends Matt had acquired and he was more than a bit reluctant to see them go.
There was a wet slapping noise as Gabriel hopped off of Matt's back and onto the soft ground beside him. "So what do you plan on making?" the prince asked, obviously not intending to lift so much as a finger.
Mohinder huffed, grabbing a sharp, flat rock and tossing it over to the prince along with a few mushrooms. "We are making gumbo," he corrected firmly, "and you're going to help by mincing some of these mushrooms."
Gabriel merely stood there and stared at him, trying to figure out whether or not the Indian was pulling his leg. After several, agonizing seconds, it suddenly dawned on the royal that this was no joke. His quizzical stare quickly shifted to a dark scowl and for a second Mohinder thought the other man was going to kill him. "Cook? Me?" He scoffed, tossing the knife like rock back at Mohinder's feet. "I'm a prince, remember?"
"Yes, and as you said yourself, there's an entire country full of people who need you alive," the Indian shot back, throwing the rock back at him. "So if you want to eat, you'll have to work. So hop to it."
The prince frowned distastefully at Mohinder's little pun, but reluctantly went about his appointed task. The Indian allowed himself one quick smile before grabbing another rock and heading over towards one of the sizable squashes, ready to carve and gut it.
"This is because I called you 'dull,' isn't it?"
Mohinder sighed, rolling his eyes at the prince's question. "No," he returned, using a vine to climb onto the hard orange surface, "this is because everyone in our group has been pulling their own weight, while you've been determined to do nothing but sit around and make everything harder!"
Gabriel scoffed and even without turning to look at him, Mohinder could tell that the other man was most certainly not mincing. "You know, I think I've finally figured out just what your problem is."
The Indian stiffened, so caught off guard by the statement that he nearly fell head first off of the squash. "Excuse me?' he sputtered.
"You're too selfless," Gabriel finished pointedly and Mohinder couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"I would ask if you were complete insane, but given the past couple of hours-"
"You're also stubborn and you talk too much," Gabriel cut in. "But the selflessness is definitely your biggest problem."
The Indian laughed, rolling his eyes at the prince's comment. "Most people wouldn't consider caring about others a bad thing."
"It is when that's all you ever think about," the royal told him. "You don't have one goal, one ambition, one single thought in your head that's solely for yourself. You work two jobs to support your mother and you're going to school to get your father's book published. What do you ever do that's for yourself?"
He huffed, using the sharp end of the rock to puncture the squash's surprisingly hard surface, imagining that he was bashing in the prince's skull. "Well thank you for your input," Mohinder said pleasantly, "because I just figured out what your problem is."
"Oh really?" Gabriel scoffed, a challenging note to his dry, unamused tone. "And what would that be?"
"You're a lazy, self-centered, spoiled brat," he spat. Mohinder had to admit that it felt good to finally tell the prince exactly what he thought of him even if Gabriel most likely wouldn't take anything he had said to heart.
"Hey! I am not lazy," he corrected. "I act with a purpose and right now, there is no purpose for me to take action."
Mohinder turned towards the other man, not at all surprised to find that he hadn't so much as touched a single mushroom. "So you see no purpose in trying to find a way out of the swamp and turning yourself human again?"
He shrugged. "Matt's doing the swimming, Hiro's our guide, and you're keeping everyone nice and organized. What's there for me to do?"
"Anything, Gabriel!" Mohinder practically shouted, hopping off the squash so that he was standing in front of the royal. "Just because people can do something for you, doesn't mean you should let them! Do you really want to drift through life having everything handed to you? Never doing anything for yourself?"
The prince shrugged once again, but the slightly sheepish look on his face was enough to inform Mohinder that his comment had struck a chord. "Well it's not as if my servants do everything for me. Just... some minor tasks, like... feeding me, dressing me... brushing my teeth."
Mohinder groaned, rubbing at where he assumed his temples were as understanding slowly dawned on him. "I suppose that means you don't know anything about mincing vegetables, do you?" Gabriel's silence was the only answer the Indian needed. He gave a weary sigh as he grabbed the small rock from the prince's hand along with one of the larger mushrooms. "Just watch me," he instructed, placing the bulbous fungi on the root of a tree. Within the blink of an eye, the mushroom was turned into nothing more than perfectly chopped little cubes. "See? Not that hard."
He glanced over his shoulder and watched as Gabriel blinked several times in confusion, before an indignant look slowly spread across his face.
The Indian chuckled, handing the sharpened rock back to the prince as he grabbed another mushroom. He watched as Gabriel stood awkwardly in front of the untouched mushroom, fiddling with the knife in his hand. Mohinder smirked, clucked his tongue, and then stood behind the prince, grasping his right hand and guiding him through the chopping motions. He could feel Gabriel stiffen, but quickly relaxing at his touch.
"You know, I wouldn't normally allow anyone to speak to me the way you do," Gabriel muttered, the faint note of humor a clear indication that there was -- for once -- no malice to his words. "Usually I'd have them tortured or killed."
Mohinder gave a nervous laugh, although he could tell from Gabriel's harsh yet childish behavior that there was nothing but truth to his words. He stepped away from the royal, noticing for just a moment the way Gabriel's shoulders slumped as if from a sense of loss before continuing to mince. "Well, I can honestly say that there really isn't much you can do to me that was worse than your kiss."
Gabriel stiffened, throwing a playful frown over his shoulder. "Was the kiss really that bad?"
"I'm a frog, aren't I?"
The two shared a brief laugh before getting back to work.
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Everything was still, motionless, silent. It was late, deep into the blackness of night, but the sunrise was steadily creeping along from around the corner. The daylight creatures were all fast asleep, while the night dwellers started to make their way home.
The air was still. There was nothing to be heard. Yet if one happened to have been awake, if they squinted their eyes they might have seen the shapes of other worldly figures. Flat and dark, they moved across the world purposefully quiet, ghosts of the night.
The shadows made their way across the water without making so much as a ripple appear. They were hunting, searching for something, anything.
They found it in the stream. Strings and colorful, broken rubber bits, floating atop the swamp water. The smell of royal blood still clung tight, still fresh. They were on the right track.
-+-+-+-
It wasn't long after every last drop of gumbo had been devoured that Mohinder realized that a member of their quartet had gone missing. The Indian frowned, looking around frantically, unable to find any trace of Hiro or his soft glow.
"Has anybody seen Hiro?" Mohinder asked in mild alarm. He hadn't known the firefly for very long, but it didn't seem at all like him to just wander off, especially since Hiro had been so eager to help them on their quest.
Matt frowned, lifting his long flat head out of the water briefly to look around, before shrugging his scaly shoulders. "He was here just a minute ago."
Mohinder stiffened as realization slowly dawned on him. He turned towards Gabriel, who had been suspiciously quiet since their conversation. "Gabriel!" he cried, anger clear in his voice as he glared at the prince. "Did you eat Hiro?"
The prince turned to stare at him, eyes and mouth wide with outrage. He looked nearly too offended to speak, nearly. "Wha...? The fly goes missing for one second and you instantly assume that I killed him?"
"Well it wasn't too long ago that you were very openly talking about eating him for dinner."
Gabriel snorted, rolling his eyes at the Indian's comment. "That was my hunger talking," he snapped.
"Hey frogs," Matt said, cutting Mohinder off before he could throw another accusation at Gabriel. "He's over there."
Mohinder felt a mixture of relief and confusion well up inside of him as he looked towards the small group of lily pads Matt was pointing to. He could just barely make out the firefly, hovering in the air and gazing up at the sky. He frowned, not sure what the fly could be staring at so intently. He hopped over to Hiro, using the lily pads and a few hollowed logs to stay out of the cool swamp water. As he approached, small bits of conversation drifted towards him.
"... so now we head to Tattoo Lady to see if she can help undo voodoo spell," Hiro was saying, but as far as Mohinder could see, there was no one else around.
"Hiro?" he began. The firefly jumped, startled by his approach. They were right next to each other now, Hiro hovering just a few inches above him as Mohinder sat perched on a nearby lily pad, yet still he couldn't see anything. "Who are you talking to?"
Hiro gave him a slightly sheepish laugh and if the Indian didn't know any better, he would have sworn that the bug was actually blushing. "Oh, I was just talking to my friend, Charlene," he told him.
A soft splash alerted them to Gabriel's approach as he hopped and landed beside Mohinder on the pad. The steady ripples of the water indicated that Matt was not far behind. "Friend?" Gabriel said. "What friend? I don't see anyone."
Hiro frowned, a clear indication that the two were missing something that the fly thought to be quite obvious. "How can you miss her? She's glowing right above you." They looked up and still there was nothing, no fireflies, no wasps, no mosquitoes, nothing. The only thing glowing overhead was the clear night sky and a sea of stars. "That's Charlene right up there," Hiro said, pointing directly above them. "We are good friends. We talk every night. Charlene is shy, she don't speak much."
Mohinder stiffened, realization slowly dawning on him. He swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling very dry as he stared up at "Charlene," the evening star that he and Claire had wished on just the other night.
If Gabriel's soft "Oh my God" was any indication, then the prince had obviously connected the dots as well.
"Uh, Hiro," Matt began, "that's not a-"
Mohinder was quick. He grabbed the first hard object that his hand touched and threw it right between the gator's eyes. Matt flinched, frowning in confusion, but Mohinder's stern look was enough to silence him.
"Charlene, this is Matt, Mohinder, and Gabriel," Hiro said, his attention fixed on the star. Mohinder felt his stomach clench as he caught the too fond, heart sick look glowing in the firefly's wide eyes as he gazed up at the star that he had claimed as his own. "They are new friends I told you about. They very strange, but nice. Well... Matt and Mohinder are nice."
"He's insane," Gabriel whispered harshly. "We're being lead through a swamp by a mentally disturbed bug! I told you this was a bad idea."
Mohinder sighed, hopping away and motioning for Gabriel to do the same. "Just leave him alone," he whispered sadly. "Hiro's not crazy. He's just in love."
The prince frowned, staring at him in silent horror for a few heartbeats. "And that's supposed to make me feel better?"
He shook his head, giving Gabriel a bitter, disapproving scowl. "You're not exactly one to judge, your majesty. You like men don't you?"
"Yes, men! Human men! That's not the same as falling in love with a star."
"But people judged you for it, didn't they? Your parents? They cut you off because of it."
Gabriel fell silent, just like he always did whenever Mohinder had a point. He glanced back at Hiro, still engaged in a very lively discussion with Charlene, before turning to stare at Mohinder. "It's still weird," he said quietly, but there was an ounce of defeat in his words.
They were silent as Mohinder leaned over the edge of the lily pad and gazed at his reflection, taking a good look at his frog form for the first time since he had caught sight of himself in Claire's hand mirror. It was strange looking at the unfamiliar face and knowing that it belonged to him. He was smaller than Gabriel, just as he had suspected, and his eyes were set a bit further apart. Over all, there was nothing about him that looked like him, except for his eyes. He still had the same intelligent brown eyes, but it was something that could very easily be overlooked.
"So," Gabriel began slowly, his voice slightly hesitant as he inched closer to Mohinder, "you know I just realized there was something you never told me."
Mohinder frowned giving the prince a quizzical look. "What?"
He shrugged, an awkward smile pulling at his features. "Are you the type that likes stars?"
The Indian gave a short, quiet laugh, turning back to look at Hiro. "I never really put much thought into it," he admitted.
Gabriel's hand suddenly slid on to his shoulder, tender yet firm, as he stared at him in concern. "You mean you never... You've dated have you?"
Mohinder shrugged, indifferently, because it wasn't important, it never had been. Love and relationships had always been on the back burner for him, the sort of thing that his mother would worry about for him. There were far too many important things to concern himself with -- work to do, school to attend, bills to pay. "No, I suppose not," Mohinder answered truthfully.
Gabriel's eyes softened, it was the first time he had ever looked at him in such a way. It was unsettling. "So that means, I was-"
"Don't trouble yourself feeling sorry for me," Mohinder scoffed, pulling away from the royal's touch and his sad eyes. "It's not important! I'm fine."
"But you don't know who you are."
The words weren't meant to upset him, but they did and suddenly Mohinder's hands ached with the urge to punch Gabriel for saying such a thing. "I know exactly who I am. I am Mohinder Suresh -- devoted son, exceptional student, and future geneticist. You are just a prince who needs to mind his own damn business!"
As he leapt off of the lily pad and away from the other's confused stare, he told himself that his words were completely justified. Gabriel had no right to pity him or even ask him such personal questions, yet now that the question was in his head he couldn't get it out.
A sharp, strangled gasp caught his attention. He spun around just in time to see the prince being dragged away, his legs being pulled as if they were clutched in a tight, cruel hand, but there was nothing to be seen. "Gabriel!" he cried, hoping towards him without a second thought.
Somewhere behind him, Hiro let out a sharp cry and the frantic splashing of water alerted him to Matt's swift approach, but his attention was focused on Gabriel, who was being yanked away swiftly, too swiftly. The royal managed to wrap his hands around a low tree branch, stopping the invisible force, and it was only then that Mohinder that the shadowy claw gripping the prince's back limbs. His insides went cold when he noticed several other shadows creeping up on them, all of them intent on surrounding Gabriel.
A burst of light came, an explosion of golden sparkles hurled directly at the creature clutching the frog prince's legs. Gabriel was instantly released, falling into the water with floundering splash. Another explosion and then another and two more shadow monsters were disbursed, completely gone from sight.
Another figure emerged then, a tall, lean feminine outline surrounded by smoke and a soft light glowing from something she held between her fingers. The smoke slowly evaporated, disbursing and allowing Mohinder and the others to take in the form of the beautiful woman with long, golden brown hair and sad brown eyes. She carried herself with a regal importance, as the loose fabric of her clothing hung off her, exposing the many decorative shapes and patterns clinging to her skin.
"Pretty good aim, I'd say," the woman said, her voice husky with a note of humor to it. "Now, which one of you naughty creatures have been dealing with the witchdoctor?"
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The sunrise was just minutes away and the Indian could hardly contain his excitement as the Tattoo Lady carried him and Gabriel through the threshold of her small trailer. It seemed that their time as frogs would soon be coming to a close.
"Are you frogs hungry?" the Tattoo Lady offered, placing them down on a small, worn wooden table. "I was just about to get breakfast started."
"At this hour?" Gabriel muttered skeptically.
She smiled down at him. "We're earlier risers," she said simply before turning towards the door, motioning for Matt and Hiro to enter.
The gator crawled in with cautious reluctance as he squeezed his massive form through the door. Hiro was all too eager to enter since this was most likely the first time he had actually been invited into a human's home.
"No thank Miss..." Mohinder began, suddenly realizing that he didn't know the woman's proper name.
"Call me Lydia."
He nodded, offering her a polite smile. "Well, Miss Lydia, we're really grateful for your help. Matt has told us so much about you. Gabriel and I, well, you would not believe what we've had to go through just to get here."
Lydia gave a short, distracted laugh, as she shuffled through the cramped trailer, searching for something. "Actually, in my line of work I'd believe anything," she told him, crouching down underneath a cabinet and pulling out a large pot. "Excuse me just a minute."
She disappeared into the back of the trailer and for a moment, all Mohinder could hear was muffled voices. Mohinder frowned, looking around at the colorful empty bottles decorating the walls and the cluttered shelves, filled with jars of all shapes and sizes. He cringed, spotting one jar with a pair of bright blue eyes and another with a set of perfectly straight teeth. Suddenly he wasn't so sure about this Tattoo Lady, she was obviously a very questionable character, yet they weren't rich with options.
"Come on, Amanda! Rise and shine," Lydia called, reappearing at the far end of the trailer with a large jar in her hands. "We've got company."
A young girl appeared then, grumbling bitterly about the early hour as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She was a good foot shorter than Lydia and from her soft, round features she couldn't have been much older than Claire. The girl looked almost exactly like Lydia, except for the clear blue eyes, most likely something she had inherited from her father.
Amanda stopped, blinking in mild surprise as she took in the strange party that had gathered in her home. "Mom, you said we had company," the girl whined.
"We do, honey," Lydia told her, handing the girl the jar she had been cradling. "Now go cook me up a fresh batch of ink. And shake a leg."
The girl groaned, rolling her eyes as she went about her task. "Great, more clients," she mumbled, lighting the stove and placing the pot Lydia had pulled out on the back burner.
Lydia gave the girl a very motherly smile before turning her attention back to the two amphibians perched on her table. "Okay, froggies," she began, pulling up a seat in front of them. "While my daughter gets the ink ready, why don't you tell me what it is you need."
"Well that's simple," Mohinder said, eager to get down to business. "Gabriel and I need to be human again."
The Tattoo Lady frowned distastefully at his words, shaking her long locks vigorously in response. "No, that's what you want. Tell me what it is you need."
An awkward silence fell upon the group as Mohinder and Gabriel exchanged confused looks. "What we want is what we need," Gabriel said flatly. "It's all the same thing."
Lydia huffed, rolling her eyes as she stood up suddenly, the chair she had been sitting in wobbling from the abrupt movement. "It's absolutely not the same thing!" she snapped, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "Come on frogs, you need to dig a little deeper than that! Gabriel," she began, turning her attention to the very startled prince, "you've been rich your entire life, had everything at your beck and call. Now, all those riches are gone and you want them back, but did it make you happy before?"
The woman reached deep into the folds of her clothes and pulled out a hand full of gold coins. Mohinder watched in muted shock as she proceeded to dump fists full of coins at Gabriel's feet. The prince frowned, hoping away as the coins glittered and clanged against the table.
"Money is what you want, but it's not what you need," she told him as the royal grabbed one of the gold coins, studying it carefully, trying to determine whether or not it was real. "Money's cold, heartless, what you really need is... closer than you think."
Mohinder leaned over, staring at the gold piece Gabriel was gripping protectively in his hands. Something must have caught the prince's eye, because suddenly his hold loosened, his fingers went slack as the coin slipped out of his hand, clattering as it joined the rest on the table.
"And you, Mohinder," Lydia began, catching the Indian's attention, because he didn't recall ever giving the Tattoo Lady his name. "Your father was a hard worker, probably the most driven man there was. He spent most of his life focused on making your lives better, reaching for his dream. You both share that same passion, the same quest for knowledge, but your father had something that you don't, something that you need, even if you don't know it yet."
He frowned, because there was no possible way that Lydia could have known any of those things about him or his father. How could she have even known that Gabriel was a prince? "How do you know-" he began, but was quickly cut off.
"That doesn't matter right now, Mohinder," Lydia said, crouching closer to him. Her eyes were serious, determined, as she stared at him, willing the Indian to tell her what she wanted to hear. "Come on froggy. I want you to dig down deep inside yourself and tell me what you need."
His head hurt, he hadn't slept all day, and suddenly this crazy woman was asking him to give her an answer that he honestly couldn't find. "Other than a cure for this spell, I don't know," he snapped. "I don't know what it is you want me to tell you, but the fact is that I need to be human! I need to go back to the way I was so I can continue to take care of my mother and work even harder to finish university and get my father's book published."
A collective groan emitted from the group -- Matt and Hiro included -- but Mohinder couldn't really find it in himself to care.
"Uh, Mom," Amanda began, "the ink's ready, but it's kinda hot."
Lydia sighed, standing up straight and turning towards her daughter. "That's okay," she told her. "A little heat won't hurt too much. Besides, these two want to hurry up and become human again."
The woman's sarcastic, mocking tone was not lost on Mohinder, but he was feeling far too impatient to even care. His foul mood only deepened, when he felt Gabriel give his shoulder a gentle nudge. "And you said my manners need work?" he teased, although Mohinder was in absolutely no mood for it.
Amanda handed something to Lydia, a long thin stick with a sharp edge, which caused the Tattoo Lady to smile as she sat back down, adjusting her robes carefully. "Okay, handsome," she began, handing the stick over to Gabriel, who took it awkwardly. "Since you're the one who’s been cursed, I guess I need to give this to you."
The prince frowned, his confusion only increasing as Lydia turned her back towards him, the fabric of her clothes sliding off her shoulders, revealing her smooth skin. Her back was framed by tattoos depicting lush red roses and twisted green vines, yet the space between her shoulder blades remained completely blank.
"I don't get it," Gabriel said. The stick looked more like a staff in his small green hands and he struggled to get a comfortable hold on it. "What is this?"
"It's a needle," Lydia informed him, "and it's full of ink. Inject it into my back so I can show you what you need."
"Okay, I'm confused," Matt blurted out, voicing everyone's opinion. "How the heck is jamming a needle full of black goo into your back supposed to help these two become human?"
"It's simple," she chided, flashing the gator a condescending smile. Mohinder had to wonder just how Lydia was able to understand Matt. After all, Matt was an animal. Mohinder and Gabriel on the other hand, were humans who had been turned into frogs. They could speak with both humans and animals. Lydia must have some sort of special ability that allowed her to speak with and understand human and animals. "I have a talent: I can see what people need. Now what Gabriel here needs is a kiss, a kiss from a fellow royal. If he puts the ink in me, I can show him just who he needs to kiss. Now come on froggy, hop to it."
Gabriel looked at Mohinder and the Indian saw the same thought reflected in the other's brown eyes: this couldn't possibly work. Yet despite their shared doubts, Gabriel did as he was instructed, puncturing Lydia's skin with the needle and injecting the freshly brewed ink into her flesh. The ink swam around underneath her skin, twisting and expanding. He felt his jaw drop and his eyes nearly double in size as the ink settled into a face, a face that was far too familiar.
"Claire?" he practically squeaked. "But Claire's not a princess."
The prince frowned, squinting at the fresh tattoo on the woman's back. "That's Claire Bennet?" he said thoughtfully. "She looks even younger than I thought she would."
Mohinder gaped, twisting around to stare at the other man. "Are you telling me you planned on marrying her and you didn't even know what she looked like?" Gabriel merely shrugged in response, but it didn't matter as a startling thought suddenly hit him. "Wait a minute... what day is it?"
"It's Tuesday," Amanda half said half yawned from somewhere just out of sight.
"That means its Mardi Gras," Mohinder concluded. "And HRG's king of the Mardi Gras parade. So that would make Claire..."
"A princess," Lydia finished.
"Does that count?" Matt asked, scratching his head skeptically. "Because that kinda sounds like a stretch to me."
"Its close enough," Lydia assured him, before turning her attention back towards Gabriel. "Okay big boy, here's the deal; you've got to get that girl to kiss you, because once she does you'll both be turned human. But you've only got until midnight when Mardi Gras is over."
"That's a lot of pressure," Gabriel groused. "I may be a tall, dashing, handsome human, but I doubt I can talk that girl into kissing me as a frog. It took everything I had to get Mohinder to kiss me. Besides, why do I have to kiss the girl? You said royal, right? Well doesn't she have a brother or something that I could kiss?"
"I think it'll be less traumatic if it were Claire," Mohinder pointed out. "Besides, could you please stop whining? We don't have much time to get back to New Orleans before the day is over."
"He's right," Lydia said. In an instant she was fully robed and on her feet once again, ushering the group towards the door. "Come on now, there's a lot of river between here and the city and you've got a lot of swimming to do."
"There's no way I'll be able to do it all on my own," Matt interjected. "But I think I've got a better idea."
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The alligator had seen river boats before. They passed through the bayou every so often, bursting with music, drunken laughter, and the smell of exotic foods. He stayed away from them, as did most of the swamp creatures, but today he had to make an exception.
He climbed on the broad metal structure as best as he could -- which admittedly was quite difficult since alligators were not made for climbing -- with Mohinder and Gabriel clinging to his back as Hiro flew in circles just over head. When he reached the lower level -- deck, that's what Mohinder had called it, a deck -- the two frogs hopped off, helping him on board and over the railing to the best of their abilities. He landed on his stomach with a thud and the gator had to wonder how the heck he had gotten himself into this mess.
"You okay, Matt?" Mohinder whispered, concern clear in his voice even as he did his best to keep his tone low.
"Oh yeah, just fine," he lied, getting up stiffly as he tried to figure out what he was doing. Matt had told Gabriel and Mohinder that he would take them part of the way to the Tattoo Lady and he had more than made good on his promise. Yet here he was, smack dab in the middle of a river boat, surrounded by humans who were probably all armed with guns and other weapons. He was risking his life for a couple of crazy frogs that thought they were humans.
Not that they were the only ones. Hiro was convinced they were humans and Lydia seemed to play along the moment they walked through her door. But Matt didn’t put much stock in their opinion. Hiro was in love with a star and Lydia was a creepy tattoo lady with voodoo powers. They weren't exactly the most reasonable creatures.
"Let's get out of sight, quick," Matt muttered. "I don't want any of these humans to spot me."
"Perhaps we could hide you, below deck with the luggage," Mohinder suggested.
"Yes, we hide below and I will keep watch while gator and froggies rest," Hiro offered, his enthusiasm for the quest having been heightened ever since leaving Lydia's camper.
"That's a wonderful idea," Mohinder said, always careful not to shatter Hiro's delusions, no matter how inane they may seem. "And we all certainly could use some rest."
The frog looked around himself briefly, making sure that there was no one in sight, before hopping towards what he assumed was safety. Matt followed, because Mohinder's guess was as good as his, and Hiro flew ahead, determined to be the brave look out he had assigned himself to be. The group didn't get very far before Mohinder noticed that someone wasn't following his lead.
"Gabriel?" he began, his voice -- for once -- sounding more concerned than irritated as he addressed the other frog. "Are you coming?"
Gabriel hadn't been himself since he and Mohinder had made that gumbo thing. His snide, snappish remarks came less frequently, and he was suddenly more withdrawn and thoughtful, preferring to stare silently at Mohinder as opposed to actually joining in on any discussions. The other frog had never been very open or friendly, but the change in demeanor was just enough to be noticed.
"You three go on ahead," he answered, shooing them away with a dismissive hand. "I'll catch up."
Matt frowned, because that didn't seem like a smart idea. Those creepy shadows had very obviously tried to kidnap Gabriel while they were in the bayou. Something strange was going on with the frog and going off to mope on his own was a sure way to put himself in danger.
From the troubled gleam reflected in Mohinder's wide eyes Matt could tell he was thinking along the same lines, yet he didn't voice his concerns, for once. There was something wrong with him, too.
"Alright, if that's what you need," Mohinder answered quietly. "Just... don't take too long."
With that said, one frog hopped away while the other stayed behind, his dark eyes gazing at the slowly passing bayou with a thoughtful gleam.
Chapter 6 - Mohinder's Bad Dream
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| Chapter 3| Chapter 4
It was late and the swamp had become almost completely still except for the strange quartet making their way down the bayou. Hiro led the way, flying far enough ahead so that he was safe from Gabriel's eager tongue and Matt's massive jaw, but close enough to still be visible to all three sets of eyes.
"Not too much longer now froggies," Hiro announced, his words filled with confidence. "Tattoo Lady maybe hour or two away."
"Well, we're going to have to stop," Gabriel said, sighing weakly as he held his stomach in his green hands. A faint gurgling rumble came from within him as he said, "I'm starving."
"Again?" Matt groused, twisting around to glance at Gabriel who was perched on the gator's lower back. "We already took a break!"
"Yeah, well Mohinder let our dinner get away," the prince answered, shooting Mohinder, then Hiro, a bitter look.
"Well, your Royal Highness, would you rather have Hiro for a meal or a guide?" the Indian shot back, appalled that the prince was still entertaining the idea of eating the firefly for dinner.
"If he were to just tell us where we're going, he could be both."
Mohinder huffed, rolling his eyes at Gabriel's attitude. Hiro was helping them to get to the Tattoo Lady, yet the only thing Gabriel could focus on was satisfying his hunger.
The prince had whispered his grim words, but from the nervous chuckle that erupted from Hiro, it was clear that the little fly had heard every word. "Plenty of swamp food for Eyebrow Froggy to eat," Hiro announced, flying over to a mass of nearby vegetation. "Green plant, gray squishy bulb, and big orange rock. All very yummy! Taste much better than firefly."
Mohinder chuckled softly as he studied the okra, mushrooms, and large squash that Hiro had shown them. The Indian jumped off the alligator’s back and hopped over to the marshes. "That's an excellent idea Hiro," he said, yanking a few mushrooms out of the ground. First the first time in his life, Mohinder was actually grateful for his background in the restaurant business. Although his official title was only that of a waiter, on the few days when the cook would call in sick, either Mohinder or Monica would have to spend time in the kitchen. Monica was by far the better chef, but Mohinder had become more than competent behind the stove. "I'm sure I can make us something to eat with these."
"Yes, yes!" Hiro cheered, his light flashing with relief now that he knew his life had been spared. "Mohinder is a very clever froggy."
"Fine, just make it quick," Matt grumbled.
Mohinder didn't bother to respond to his comment as he began to wonder why Matt was still with them. He was grateful for the gator's help, but Matt had said from the beginning that he wasn't going to take them the entire way. Yet, if Hiro was right and they were near the Tattoo Lady's lair, then Matt had already made good on his promise. The Indian could only assume that the alligator was lonely. He wasn't sure how gators interacted on a social level, but Matt was nothing like the alligators he and Gabriel had encountered their first night in the swamp. He supposed that their strange little group were the first friends Matt had acquired and he was more than a bit reluctant to see them go.
There was a wet slapping noise as Gabriel hopped off of Matt's back and onto the soft ground beside him. "So what do you plan on making?" the prince asked, obviously not intending to lift so much as a finger.
Mohinder huffed, grabbing a sharp, flat rock and tossing it over to the prince along with a few mushrooms. "We are making gumbo," he corrected firmly, "and you're going to help by mincing some of these mushrooms."
Gabriel merely stood there and stared at him, trying to figure out whether or not the Indian was pulling his leg. After several, agonizing seconds, it suddenly dawned on the royal that this was no joke. His quizzical stare quickly shifted to a dark scowl and for a second Mohinder thought the other man was going to kill him. "Cook? Me?" He scoffed, tossing the knife like rock back at Mohinder's feet. "I'm a prince, remember?"
"Yes, and as you said yourself, there's an entire country full of people who need you alive," the Indian shot back, throwing the rock back at him. "So if you want to eat, you'll have to work. So hop to it."
The prince frowned distastefully at Mohinder's little pun, but reluctantly went about his appointed task. The Indian allowed himself one quick smile before grabbing another rock and heading over towards one of the sizable squashes, ready to carve and gut it.
"This is because I called you 'dull,' isn't it?"
Mohinder sighed, rolling his eyes at the prince's question. "No," he returned, using a vine to climb onto the hard orange surface, "this is because everyone in our group has been pulling their own weight, while you've been determined to do nothing but sit around and make everything harder!"
Gabriel scoffed and even without turning to look at him, Mohinder could tell that the other man was most certainly not mincing. "You know, I think I've finally figured out just what your problem is."
The Indian stiffened, so caught off guard by the statement that he nearly fell head first off of the squash. "Excuse me?' he sputtered.
"You're too selfless," Gabriel finished pointedly and Mohinder couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"I would ask if you were complete insane, but given the past couple of hours-"
"You're also stubborn and you talk too much," Gabriel cut in. "But the selflessness is definitely your biggest problem."
The Indian laughed, rolling his eyes at the prince's comment. "Most people wouldn't consider caring about others a bad thing."
"It is when that's all you ever think about," the royal told him. "You don't have one goal, one ambition, one single thought in your head that's solely for yourself. You work two jobs to support your mother and you're going to school to get your father's book published. What do you ever do that's for yourself?"
He huffed, using the sharp end of the rock to puncture the squash's surprisingly hard surface, imagining that he was bashing in the prince's skull. "Well thank you for your input," Mohinder said pleasantly, "because I just figured out what your problem is."
"Oh really?" Gabriel scoffed, a challenging note to his dry, unamused tone. "And what would that be?"
"You're a lazy, self-centered, spoiled brat," he spat. Mohinder had to admit that it felt good to finally tell the prince exactly what he thought of him even if Gabriel most likely wouldn't take anything he had said to heart.
"Hey! I am not lazy," he corrected. "I act with a purpose and right now, there is no purpose for me to take action."
Mohinder turned towards the other man, not at all surprised to find that he hadn't so much as touched a single mushroom. "So you see no purpose in trying to find a way out of the swamp and turning yourself human again?"
He shrugged. "Matt's doing the swimming, Hiro's our guide, and you're keeping everyone nice and organized. What's there for me to do?"
"Anything, Gabriel!" Mohinder practically shouted, hopping off the squash so that he was standing in front of the royal. "Just because people can do something for you, doesn't mean you should let them! Do you really want to drift through life having everything handed to you? Never doing anything for yourself?"
The prince shrugged once again, but the slightly sheepish look on his face was enough to inform Mohinder that his comment had struck a chord. "Well it's not as if my servants do everything for me. Just... some minor tasks, like... feeding me, dressing me... brushing my teeth."
Mohinder groaned, rubbing at where he assumed his temples were as understanding slowly dawned on him. "I suppose that means you don't know anything about mincing vegetables, do you?" Gabriel's silence was the only answer the Indian needed. He gave a weary sigh as he grabbed the small rock from the prince's hand along with one of the larger mushrooms. "Just watch me," he instructed, placing the bulbous fungi on the root of a tree. Within the blink of an eye, the mushroom was turned into nothing more than perfectly chopped little cubes. "See? Not that hard."
He glanced over his shoulder and watched as Gabriel blinked several times in confusion, before an indignant look slowly spread across his face.
The Indian chuckled, handing the sharpened rock back to the prince as he grabbed another mushroom. He watched as Gabriel stood awkwardly in front of the untouched mushroom, fiddling with the knife in his hand. Mohinder smirked, clucked his tongue, and then stood behind the prince, grasping his right hand and guiding him through the chopping motions. He could feel Gabriel stiffen, but quickly relaxing at his touch.
"You know, I wouldn't normally allow anyone to speak to me the way you do," Gabriel muttered, the faint note of humor a clear indication that there was -- for once -- no malice to his words. "Usually I'd have them tortured or killed."
Mohinder gave a nervous laugh, although he could tell from Gabriel's harsh yet childish behavior that there was nothing but truth to his words. He stepped away from the royal, noticing for just a moment the way Gabriel's shoulders slumped as if from a sense of loss before continuing to mince. "Well, I can honestly say that there really isn't much you can do to me that was worse than your kiss."
Gabriel stiffened, throwing a playful frown over his shoulder. "Was the kiss really that bad?"
"I'm a frog, aren't I?"
The two shared a brief laugh before getting back to work.
-+-+-+-
Everything was still, motionless, silent. It was late, deep into the blackness of night, but the sunrise was steadily creeping along from around the corner. The daylight creatures were all fast asleep, while the night dwellers started to make their way home.
The air was still. There was nothing to be heard. Yet if one happened to have been awake, if they squinted their eyes they might have seen the shapes of other worldly figures. Flat and dark, they moved across the world purposefully quiet, ghosts of the night.
The shadows made their way across the water without making so much as a ripple appear. They were hunting, searching for something, anything.
They found it in the stream. Strings and colorful, broken rubber bits, floating atop the swamp water. The smell of royal blood still clung tight, still fresh. They were on the right track.
-+-+-+-
It wasn't long after every last drop of gumbo had been devoured that Mohinder realized that a member of their quartet had gone missing. The Indian frowned, looking around frantically, unable to find any trace of Hiro or his soft glow.
"Has anybody seen Hiro?" Mohinder asked in mild alarm. He hadn't known the firefly for very long, but it didn't seem at all like him to just wander off, especially since Hiro had been so eager to help them on their quest.
Matt frowned, lifting his long flat head out of the water briefly to look around, before shrugging his scaly shoulders. "He was here just a minute ago."
Mohinder stiffened as realization slowly dawned on him. He turned towards Gabriel, who had been suspiciously quiet since their conversation. "Gabriel!" he cried, anger clear in his voice as he glared at the prince. "Did you eat Hiro?"
The prince turned to stare at him, eyes and mouth wide with outrage. He looked nearly too offended to speak, nearly. "Wha...? The fly goes missing for one second and you instantly assume that I killed him?"
"Well it wasn't too long ago that you were very openly talking about eating him for dinner."
Gabriel snorted, rolling his eyes at the Indian's comment. "That was my hunger talking," he snapped.
"Hey frogs," Matt said, cutting Mohinder off before he could throw another accusation at Gabriel. "He's over there."
Mohinder felt a mixture of relief and confusion well up inside of him as he looked towards the small group of lily pads Matt was pointing to. He could just barely make out the firefly, hovering in the air and gazing up at the sky. He frowned, not sure what the fly could be staring at so intently. He hopped over to Hiro, using the lily pads and a few hollowed logs to stay out of the cool swamp water. As he approached, small bits of conversation drifted towards him.
"... so now we head to Tattoo Lady to see if she can help undo voodoo spell," Hiro was saying, but as far as Mohinder could see, there was no one else around.
"Hiro?" he began. The firefly jumped, startled by his approach. They were right next to each other now, Hiro hovering just a few inches above him as Mohinder sat perched on a nearby lily pad, yet still he couldn't see anything. "Who are you talking to?"
Hiro gave him a slightly sheepish laugh and if the Indian didn't know any better, he would have sworn that the bug was actually blushing. "Oh, I was just talking to my friend, Charlene," he told him.
A soft splash alerted them to Gabriel's approach as he hopped and landed beside Mohinder on the pad. The steady ripples of the water indicated that Matt was not far behind. "Friend?" Gabriel said. "What friend? I don't see anyone."
Hiro frowned, a clear indication that the two were missing something that the fly thought to be quite obvious. "How can you miss her? She's glowing right above you." They looked up and still there was nothing, no fireflies, no wasps, no mosquitoes, nothing. The only thing glowing overhead was the clear night sky and a sea of stars. "That's Charlene right up there," Hiro said, pointing directly above them. "We are good friends. We talk every night. Charlene is shy, she don't speak much."
Mohinder stiffened, realization slowly dawning on him. He swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling very dry as he stared up at "Charlene," the evening star that he and Claire had wished on just the other night.
If Gabriel's soft "Oh my God" was any indication, then the prince had obviously connected the dots as well.
"Uh, Hiro," Matt began, "that's not a-"
Mohinder was quick. He grabbed the first hard object that his hand touched and threw it right between the gator's eyes. Matt flinched, frowning in confusion, but Mohinder's stern look was enough to silence him.
"Charlene, this is Matt, Mohinder, and Gabriel," Hiro said, his attention fixed on the star. Mohinder felt his stomach clench as he caught the too fond, heart sick look glowing in the firefly's wide eyes as he gazed up at the star that he had claimed as his own. "They are new friends I told you about. They very strange, but nice. Well... Matt and Mohinder are nice."
"He's insane," Gabriel whispered harshly. "We're being lead through a swamp by a mentally disturbed bug! I told you this was a bad idea."
Mohinder sighed, hopping away and motioning for Gabriel to do the same. "Just leave him alone," he whispered sadly. "Hiro's not crazy. He's just in love."
The prince frowned, staring at him in silent horror for a few heartbeats. "And that's supposed to make me feel better?"
He shook his head, giving Gabriel a bitter, disapproving scowl. "You're not exactly one to judge, your majesty. You like men don't you?"
"Yes, men! Human men! That's not the same as falling in love with a star."
"But people judged you for it, didn't they? Your parents? They cut you off because of it."
Gabriel fell silent, just like he always did whenever Mohinder had a point. He glanced back at Hiro, still engaged in a very lively discussion with Charlene, before turning to stare at Mohinder. "It's still weird," he said quietly, but there was an ounce of defeat in his words.
They were silent as Mohinder leaned over the edge of the lily pad and gazed at his reflection, taking a good look at his frog form for the first time since he had caught sight of himself in Claire's hand mirror. It was strange looking at the unfamiliar face and knowing that it belonged to him. He was smaller than Gabriel, just as he had suspected, and his eyes were set a bit further apart. Over all, there was nothing about him that looked like him, except for his eyes. He still had the same intelligent brown eyes, but it was something that could very easily be overlooked.
"So," Gabriel began slowly, his voice slightly hesitant as he inched closer to Mohinder, "you know I just realized there was something you never told me."
Mohinder frowned giving the prince a quizzical look. "What?"
He shrugged, an awkward smile pulling at his features. "Are you the type that likes stars?"
The Indian gave a short, quiet laugh, turning back to look at Hiro. "I never really put much thought into it," he admitted.
Gabriel's hand suddenly slid on to his shoulder, tender yet firm, as he stared at him in concern. "You mean you never... You've dated have you?"
Mohinder shrugged, indifferently, because it wasn't important, it never had been. Love and relationships had always been on the back burner for him, the sort of thing that his mother would worry about for him. There were far too many important things to concern himself with -- work to do, school to attend, bills to pay. "No, I suppose not," Mohinder answered truthfully.
Gabriel's eyes softened, it was the first time he had ever looked at him in such a way. It was unsettling. "So that means, I was-"
"Don't trouble yourself feeling sorry for me," Mohinder scoffed, pulling away from the royal's touch and his sad eyes. "It's not important! I'm fine."
"But you don't know who you are."
The words weren't meant to upset him, but they did and suddenly Mohinder's hands ached with the urge to punch Gabriel for saying such a thing. "I know exactly who I am. I am Mohinder Suresh -- devoted son, exceptional student, and future geneticist. You are just a prince who needs to mind his own damn business!"
As he leapt off of the lily pad and away from the other's confused stare, he told himself that his words were completely justified. Gabriel had no right to pity him or even ask him such personal questions, yet now that the question was in his head he couldn't get it out.
A sharp, strangled gasp caught his attention. He spun around just in time to see the prince being dragged away, his legs being pulled as if they were clutched in a tight, cruel hand, but there was nothing to be seen. "Gabriel!" he cried, hoping towards him without a second thought.
Somewhere behind him, Hiro let out a sharp cry and the frantic splashing of water alerted him to Matt's swift approach, but his attention was focused on Gabriel, who was being yanked away swiftly, too swiftly. The royal managed to wrap his hands around a low tree branch, stopping the invisible force, and it was only then that Mohinder that the shadowy claw gripping the prince's back limbs. His insides went cold when he noticed several other shadows creeping up on them, all of them intent on surrounding Gabriel.
A burst of light came, an explosion of golden sparkles hurled directly at the creature clutching the frog prince's legs. Gabriel was instantly released, falling into the water with floundering splash. Another explosion and then another and two more shadow monsters were disbursed, completely gone from sight.
Another figure emerged then, a tall, lean feminine outline surrounded by smoke and a soft light glowing from something she held between her fingers. The smoke slowly evaporated, disbursing and allowing Mohinder and the others to take in the form of the beautiful woman with long, golden brown hair and sad brown eyes. She carried herself with a regal importance, as the loose fabric of her clothing hung off her, exposing the many decorative shapes and patterns clinging to her skin.
"Pretty good aim, I'd say," the woman said, her voice husky with a note of humor to it. "Now, which one of you naughty creatures have been dealing with the witchdoctor?"
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The sunrise was just minutes away and the Indian could hardly contain his excitement as the Tattoo Lady carried him and Gabriel through the threshold of her small trailer. It seemed that their time as frogs would soon be coming to a close.
"Are you frogs hungry?" the Tattoo Lady offered, placing them down on a small, worn wooden table. "I was just about to get breakfast started."
"At this hour?" Gabriel muttered skeptically.
She smiled down at him. "We're earlier risers," she said simply before turning towards the door, motioning for Matt and Hiro to enter.
The gator crawled in with cautious reluctance as he squeezed his massive form through the door. Hiro was all too eager to enter since this was most likely the first time he had actually been invited into a human's home.
"No thank Miss..." Mohinder began, suddenly realizing that he didn't know the woman's proper name.
"Call me Lydia."
He nodded, offering her a polite smile. "Well, Miss Lydia, we're really grateful for your help. Matt has told us so much about you. Gabriel and I, well, you would not believe what we've had to go through just to get here."
Lydia gave a short, distracted laugh, as she shuffled through the cramped trailer, searching for something. "Actually, in my line of work I'd believe anything," she told him, crouching down underneath a cabinet and pulling out a large pot. "Excuse me just a minute."
She disappeared into the back of the trailer and for a moment, all Mohinder could hear was muffled voices. Mohinder frowned, looking around at the colorful empty bottles decorating the walls and the cluttered shelves, filled with jars of all shapes and sizes. He cringed, spotting one jar with a pair of bright blue eyes and another with a set of perfectly straight teeth. Suddenly he wasn't so sure about this Tattoo Lady, she was obviously a very questionable character, yet they weren't rich with options.
"Come on, Amanda! Rise and shine," Lydia called, reappearing at the far end of the trailer with a large jar in her hands. "We've got company."
A young girl appeared then, grumbling bitterly about the early hour as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She was a good foot shorter than Lydia and from her soft, round features she couldn't have been much older than Claire. The girl looked almost exactly like Lydia, except for the clear blue eyes, most likely something she had inherited from her father.
Amanda stopped, blinking in mild surprise as she took in the strange party that had gathered in her home. "Mom, you said we had company," the girl whined.
"We do, honey," Lydia told her, handing the girl the jar she had been cradling. "Now go cook me up a fresh batch of ink. And shake a leg."
The girl groaned, rolling her eyes as she went about her task. "Great, more clients," she mumbled, lighting the stove and placing the pot Lydia had pulled out on the back burner.
Lydia gave the girl a very motherly smile before turning her attention back to the two amphibians perched on her table. "Okay, froggies," she began, pulling up a seat in front of them. "While my daughter gets the ink ready, why don't you tell me what it is you need."
"Well that's simple," Mohinder said, eager to get down to business. "Gabriel and I need to be human again."
The Tattoo Lady frowned distastefully at his words, shaking her long locks vigorously in response. "No, that's what you want. Tell me what it is you need."
An awkward silence fell upon the group as Mohinder and Gabriel exchanged confused looks. "What we want is what we need," Gabriel said flatly. "It's all the same thing."
Lydia huffed, rolling her eyes as she stood up suddenly, the chair she had been sitting in wobbling from the abrupt movement. "It's absolutely not the same thing!" she snapped, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "Come on frogs, you need to dig a little deeper than that! Gabriel," she began, turning her attention to the very startled prince, "you've been rich your entire life, had everything at your beck and call. Now, all those riches are gone and you want them back, but did it make you happy before?"
The woman reached deep into the folds of her clothes and pulled out a hand full of gold coins. Mohinder watched in muted shock as she proceeded to dump fists full of coins at Gabriel's feet. The prince frowned, hoping away as the coins glittered and clanged against the table.
"Money is what you want, but it's not what you need," she told him as the royal grabbed one of the gold coins, studying it carefully, trying to determine whether or not it was real. "Money's cold, heartless, what you really need is... closer than you think."
Mohinder leaned over, staring at the gold piece Gabriel was gripping protectively in his hands. Something must have caught the prince's eye, because suddenly his hold loosened, his fingers went slack as the coin slipped out of his hand, clattering as it joined the rest on the table.
"And you, Mohinder," Lydia began, catching the Indian's attention, because he didn't recall ever giving the Tattoo Lady his name. "Your father was a hard worker, probably the most driven man there was. He spent most of his life focused on making your lives better, reaching for his dream. You both share that same passion, the same quest for knowledge, but your father had something that you don't, something that you need, even if you don't know it yet."
He frowned, because there was no possible way that Lydia could have known any of those things about him or his father. How could she have even known that Gabriel was a prince? "How do you know-" he began, but was quickly cut off.
"That doesn't matter right now, Mohinder," Lydia said, crouching closer to him. Her eyes were serious, determined, as she stared at him, willing the Indian to tell her what she wanted to hear. "Come on froggy. I want you to dig down deep inside yourself and tell me what you need."
His head hurt, he hadn't slept all day, and suddenly this crazy woman was asking him to give her an answer that he honestly couldn't find. "Other than a cure for this spell, I don't know," he snapped. "I don't know what it is you want me to tell you, but the fact is that I need to be human! I need to go back to the way I was so I can continue to take care of my mother and work even harder to finish university and get my father's book published."
A collective groan emitted from the group -- Matt and Hiro included -- but Mohinder couldn't really find it in himself to care.
"Uh, Mom," Amanda began, "the ink's ready, but it's kinda hot."
Lydia sighed, standing up straight and turning towards her daughter. "That's okay," she told her. "A little heat won't hurt too much. Besides, these two want to hurry up and become human again."
The woman's sarcastic, mocking tone was not lost on Mohinder, but he was feeling far too impatient to even care. His foul mood only deepened, when he felt Gabriel give his shoulder a gentle nudge. "And you said my manners need work?" he teased, although Mohinder was in absolutely no mood for it.
Amanda handed something to Lydia, a long thin stick with a sharp edge, which caused the Tattoo Lady to smile as she sat back down, adjusting her robes carefully. "Okay, handsome," she began, handing the stick over to Gabriel, who took it awkwardly. "Since you're the one who’s been cursed, I guess I need to give this to you."
The prince frowned, his confusion only increasing as Lydia turned her back towards him, the fabric of her clothes sliding off her shoulders, revealing her smooth skin. Her back was framed by tattoos depicting lush red roses and twisted green vines, yet the space between her shoulder blades remained completely blank.
"I don't get it," Gabriel said. The stick looked more like a staff in his small green hands and he struggled to get a comfortable hold on it. "What is this?"
"It's a needle," Lydia informed him, "and it's full of ink. Inject it into my back so I can show you what you need."
"Okay, I'm confused," Matt blurted out, voicing everyone's opinion. "How the heck is jamming a needle full of black goo into your back supposed to help these two become human?"
"It's simple," she chided, flashing the gator a condescending smile. Mohinder had to wonder just how Lydia was able to understand Matt. After all, Matt was an animal. Mohinder and Gabriel on the other hand, were humans who had been turned into frogs. They could speak with both humans and animals. Lydia must have some sort of special ability that allowed her to speak with and understand human and animals. "I have a talent: I can see what people need. Now what Gabriel here needs is a kiss, a kiss from a fellow royal. If he puts the ink in me, I can show him just who he needs to kiss. Now come on froggy, hop to it."
Gabriel looked at Mohinder and the Indian saw the same thought reflected in the other's brown eyes: this couldn't possibly work. Yet despite their shared doubts, Gabriel did as he was instructed, puncturing Lydia's skin with the needle and injecting the freshly brewed ink into her flesh. The ink swam around underneath her skin, twisting and expanding. He felt his jaw drop and his eyes nearly double in size as the ink settled into a face, a face that was far too familiar.
"Claire?" he practically squeaked. "But Claire's not a princess."
The prince frowned, squinting at the fresh tattoo on the woman's back. "That's Claire Bennet?" he said thoughtfully. "She looks even younger than I thought she would."
Mohinder gaped, twisting around to stare at the other man. "Are you telling me you planned on marrying her and you didn't even know what she looked like?" Gabriel merely shrugged in response, but it didn't matter as a startling thought suddenly hit him. "Wait a minute... what day is it?"
"It's Tuesday," Amanda half said half yawned from somewhere just out of sight.
"That means its Mardi Gras," Mohinder concluded. "And HRG's king of the Mardi Gras parade. So that would make Claire..."
"A princess," Lydia finished.
"Does that count?" Matt asked, scratching his head skeptically. "Because that kinda sounds like a stretch to me."
"Its close enough," Lydia assured him, before turning her attention back towards Gabriel. "Okay big boy, here's the deal; you've got to get that girl to kiss you, because once she does you'll both be turned human. But you've only got until midnight when Mardi Gras is over."
"That's a lot of pressure," Gabriel groused. "I may be a tall, dashing, handsome human, but I doubt I can talk that girl into kissing me as a frog. It took everything I had to get Mohinder to kiss me. Besides, why do I have to kiss the girl? You said royal, right? Well doesn't she have a brother or something that I could kiss?"
"I think it'll be less traumatic if it were Claire," Mohinder pointed out. "Besides, could you please stop whining? We don't have much time to get back to New Orleans before the day is over."
"He's right," Lydia said. In an instant she was fully robed and on her feet once again, ushering the group towards the door. "Come on now, there's a lot of river between here and the city and you've got a lot of swimming to do."
"There's no way I'll be able to do it all on my own," Matt interjected. "But I think I've got a better idea."
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The alligator had seen river boats before. They passed through the bayou every so often, bursting with music, drunken laughter, and the smell of exotic foods. He stayed away from them, as did most of the swamp creatures, but today he had to make an exception.
He climbed on the broad metal structure as best as he could -- which admittedly was quite difficult since alligators were not made for climbing -- with Mohinder and Gabriel clinging to his back as Hiro flew in circles just over head. When he reached the lower level -- deck, that's what Mohinder had called it, a deck -- the two frogs hopped off, helping him on board and over the railing to the best of their abilities. He landed on his stomach with a thud and the gator had to wonder how the heck he had gotten himself into this mess.
"You okay, Matt?" Mohinder whispered, concern clear in his voice even as he did his best to keep his tone low.
"Oh yeah, just fine," he lied, getting up stiffly as he tried to figure out what he was doing. Matt had told Gabriel and Mohinder that he would take them part of the way to the Tattoo Lady and he had more than made good on his promise. Yet here he was, smack dab in the middle of a river boat, surrounded by humans who were probably all armed with guns and other weapons. He was risking his life for a couple of crazy frogs that thought they were humans.
Not that they were the only ones. Hiro was convinced they were humans and Lydia seemed to play along the moment they walked through her door. But Matt didn’t put much stock in their opinion. Hiro was in love with a star and Lydia was a creepy tattoo lady with voodoo powers. They weren't exactly the most reasonable creatures.
"Let's get out of sight, quick," Matt muttered. "I don't want any of these humans to spot me."
"Perhaps we could hide you, below deck with the luggage," Mohinder suggested.
"Yes, we hide below and I will keep watch while gator and froggies rest," Hiro offered, his enthusiasm for the quest having been heightened ever since leaving Lydia's camper.
"That's a wonderful idea," Mohinder said, always careful not to shatter Hiro's delusions, no matter how inane they may seem. "And we all certainly could use some rest."
The frog looked around himself briefly, making sure that there was no one in sight, before hopping towards what he assumed was safety. Matt followed, because Mohinder's guess was as good as his, and Hiro flew ahead, determined to be the brave look out he had assigned himself to be. The group didn't get very far before Mohinder noticed that someone wasn't following his lead.
"Gabriel?" he began, his voice -- for once -- sounding more concerned than irritated as he addressed the other frog. "Are you coming?"
Gabriel hadn't been himself since he and Mohinder had made that gumbo thing. His snide, snappish remarks came less frequently, and he was suddenly more withdrawn and thoughtful, preferring to stare silently at Mohinder as opposed to actually joining in on any discussions. The other frog had never been very open or friendly, but the change in demeanor was just enough to be noticed.
"You three go on ahead," he answered, shooing them away with a dismissive hand. "I'll catch up."
Matt frowned, because that didn't seem like a smart idea. Those creepy shadows had very obviously tried to kidnap Gabriel while they were in the bayou. Something strange was going on with the frog and going off to mope on his own was a sure way to put himself in danger.
From the troubled gleam reflected in Mohinder's wide eyes Matt could tell he was thinking along the same lines, yet he didn't voice his concerns, for once. There was something wrong with him, too.
"Alright, if that's what you need," Mohinder answered quietly. "Just... don't take too long."
With that said, one frog hopped away while the other stayed behind, his dark eyes gazing at the slowly passing bayou with a thoughtful gleam.
Chapter 6 - Mohinder's Bad Dream