(no subject)

[wgraham]

Will wasn't sure if he'd ever felt this way before in his life. He'd felt attraction toward people before, obviously, and he'd had girlfriends, though nothing serious, but he hadn't ever been so interested in being around someone as he was about being with Molly.

When they'd made this date, three days ago, the time and space had felt appropriate. It gave them both ample opportunity to sort out their feelings, make sure that they hadn't just gotten caught up in the moment. Will was sure that wasn't the case, but it felt right, practical, to be sure.

He hadn't been able to stop thinking about Molly. Every waking moment of the last three days she'd been on his mind. He'd dreamed about her every night, and two nights ago he'd woken up in the middle of one of those dreams, so riled up by what had been in his head that all he'd had to do was press his palm over himself to finish the job. That hadn't happened to him in a very long time.

Two hours before he was meant to meet her, he'd showered, cleaned up his beard, gotten dressed. He tried to not feel anxious but he couldn't help it, pacing his apartment, checking his watch over and over. He knew it would only take ninety seconds to get to her place, and he waited as patiently as he could, finally giving up with five minutes to spare and taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

He stared at his watch on her doorstep, watching the second hand go around three times until it read exactly seven PM. Then he tugged down his jacket, took a deep breath, and knocked on her door.

Comments

[thewinterlady]

Thank god for Thea Queen and her amazing taste and frankly supernatural ability to spot clothes in thrift stores. That was the thought going round and round Molly's head as she finished getting ready for the date with Will. There was no way Molly would have picked this outfit on her own. The pants were tighter than she was used to but she loved they way they looked. She'd avoided heels though, settling for a pair of cute ballet flats. She wasn't any good in heels and the idea of towering over Will

Molly ran her fingers through her hair and tried to avoid looking at the clock. She'd been doing that for the last hour and it wasn't making the time go any quicker. In fact nothing had seemed to do that since she'd gotten home, leaving Will outside his apartment with a chaste, sweet kiss that she'd had to physically drag herself away from.

He was everywhere after Kagura. She could smell him on her clothes when she unpacked and had an embarrassing minute where she'd needed to lean on the washer for support as her knees went weak. Even her hair when she let it to wash it on the first night back had the faintest hint of his aftershave and she'd groaned, banging her head on the wall gently as she blushed, mind filled with obscene images.

On the second day she'd meditated for a while, realigning her defences as she usually did. She'd had to start over a dozen times because she found herself focusing on the feel of him in the building instead. Now that she was attuned to him, it was like he was all she could or wanted to focus on. She'd stopped meditating after she came out of her trance to find herself barefoot in her robe walking towards his apartment.

And now they were finally going to see eachother again and Molly couldn't help being excited, smiling as she smoothed down her pants. That was when she felt Will outside her door, but he hadn't knocked yet. She stood, head cocked at the door as three minutes passed, her own nerves increasing as the time passed. She was just wondering whether he was having second thoughts when he knocked. The relief punched a breath out of her and she grinned, pushing her hair off her face and folding the short jacket Thea had found for her over her arm and opened the door.

He looked amazing and she swallowed hard, all the attraction she'd felt at the lodge still very much there. "Hi." She said and met his eyes. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

[wgraham]

Molly opened the door and all of Will's plans to react like a normal person fell apart immediately. He felt instantly breathless and had to inhale suddenly, holding her eyes for as long as he could before he had to blink them away and get his bearings again. It was like looking directly at the sun and Will felt a little dizzy, overwhelmed by being so close to her again after days of doing nothing but thinking about her constantly. He could feel her energy buzzing around him, taste her aura as he had when they'd first met at Kagura, and his body felt warm with the memory of all that had transpired there.

He closed his eyes, blew out his breath, filled his lungs, and opened his eyes again, focused on her. He shook his head and smiled softly. "Hi," he managed, still feeling shaky and now a little embarrassed as well. "You look..." He trailed off, shaking his head again. "You look incredible," he finished, his eyes moving over her, from the beautiful gold waves of her hair along her slender, pale throat, down her body and the way her clothes laid upon it. She was so beautiful, even more so than Will's very clear memories had recalled.

His gaze moved back to her eyes, and he bit his tongue before he told her all the things that came to mind, how much he'd missed her, all the things he'd been thinking, how many times he'd thought about coming up here to see her, even though they'd promised they'd have three days apart. "It's so good to see you too," he allowed himself to say, knowing she could probably see all the things he wasn't saying in his eyes.

[thewinterlady]

Molly smiled when he complimented her and ducked her head a little, looking away as she felt a surge of want wash through her. He looked so good and it was hard not to reach for him, pull him through the door and forget that they had reservations. The energy that bounced between them was back again like they'd never been apart and she was glad. She'd been a little concerned that maybe they'd been influenced by the lodge - it was a weird place after all - but standing in the doorway to her apartment looking at him, she knew it was all them.

There was a heavy silence between them for a few seconds and Molly wondered about asking him in. She thought better of it immediately, knowing they'd never make it out again if they did. This thing between them...she wanted it to be built properly, based on more than just fascination and feelings.

When she looked up again, she gave him an apologetic smile and shrugged a shoulder. "I'd ask you to come in, but I think we might miss our reservation if I do." She said honestly as she grabbed her keys off the little table by the door. She stepped towards him and tugged the door closed behind her. "Shall we go?"

[wgraham]

Will smiled at Molly's reasoning when she refused to invite him in, knowing full well she was right about what she was saying. If they closed the door between them and the rest of the world again, especially after three long days apart, Will doubted they'd make it to her bedroom let alone out to dinner.

"Yes," he replied, nodding softly. When she joined him in the hall he tried to decide what gesture was appropriate, if he could give her a hug or a soft kiss without derailing the rest of the evening (he decided he couldn't when his mental image ended with him pressing Molly back against her door and getting a hand up her shirt). He thought offering his arm felt a little too formal, so he offered his hand instead, wanting (needing) to touch her in some way.

[thewinterlady]

She was grateful when he offered his hand and took it immediately, threading her fingers through his and sighing as some of the tension eased out from between them. It seemed like they were never going to be comfortable with much distance between them and Molly, for her own part, was fine with that.

"Are we walking or is it too far? I've never been there." She said, as they made their way down the stairs to the lobby.

[wgraham]

Will sighed deeply when Molly laced her fingers with his own, feeling something like relief pour through him. As a rule he didn't like physical contact, especially the sort that didn't have much of a purpose. But he found he wanted to be in contact with Molly all the time, that not touching her was uncomfortable in the way touching people usually was for him. He wasn't trying to assert any sort of ownership over her, which is what Will assumed was the general reason for hand holding in public. It made sense to him now, suddenly. It didn't matter what anyone else thought of them; he just didn't want to stop touching her.

"It's not far," Will replied to her, and it wasn't, but Will hadn't considered anything besides walking. He walked everywhere, and though it was a little chilly, it didn't really matter to him how long it took to get there, now that he had Molly by his side again. "Maybe seven blocks," he told her, once he'd calculated the distance in his head. In the lobby he paused, letting go of her hand long enough that she could pull on her jacket. "I can call a cab, though. If it's too cold."

[thewinterlady]

"No it's fine." Molly said quickly, slipping the jacket on. "I'm used to the cold. It stopped bothering me a while ago." She added and it was true. One thing about carrying Winter's Mantle and spending a lot of time in the Winter Court was that she'd gotten used to cold and ice. Besides that, she wanted the extra time just to reconnect with Will, soak in him a little bit.

She pressed her hand back into his and headed out of the building, letting him steer them, enjoying the comfortable silence for a while until a thought occurred to her.

"So I never asked. What do you do here? I know you were FBI, but do they have that kind of thing here?" She asked, curious about what he spent his days doing now.

[wgraham]

Most women, Will would wonder if she was only saying she wasn't going to be cold, would then expect him to be chivalrous and give her his jacket. It was that sort of playing that Will hated most about trying to date, the games to see whether or not he behaved the way society expected of him. But Molly wasn't like that; he could tell that she was genuine in all of her actions, with all of her words. She said cold didn't bother her because it didn't, not because she was testing him in some way.

Holding her hand again, he guided her toward the restaurant he'd chosen. He wasn't good at this part either, trying to decide what sort of thing was right for a first date. He thought, being what they were to each other already, it should be something nice, fancy and at least a little expensive. She was worth it, was his thinking, and he wanted her to know that he thought so. He wasn't trying to impress her, just treat her to what she deserved.

"I work for the police department here, actually," Will told her, and it was still a new development for him, but it seemed like his life here was full of those all the sudden. "There's another FBI profiler here, Dr. Spencer Reid. When I showed up here, I met a cop named Russell Clank. Reid's a friend of his," Will went on, and it felt kind of good to be able to talk about his career, like a normal couple might when they were getting to know each other. He also realized that he was a little excited to get to tell Russell about Molly, and Reid too. He had friends here, and now he had a girlfriend (maybe, they hadn't actually discussed terminology yet, or intention). His life was definitely shaping up to be something very different here than it had been before.

"Reid's my partner," he said. "And we're investigating..." He paused, then shook his head, because he could tell Molly this, and he knew she'd believe him. "Vampires, actually. We're investigating vampire attacks in Darrow."

[thewinterlady]

"You're chasing vampires?" Molly tried not to clench her jaw at the word but she was sure she failed.

Vampires were an every day reality for her in Chicago and sometimes in the NeverNever, but after Chichen Itza and the war with the Red Court she'd had an instinctual defensive reaction, drawing power to her in preparation to fight.

It happened now and she felt Winter start to curl around her. It only lasted for a moment before Molly got it under control, forcing it down and blowing out a breath, the air misting far more than it should as it flowed out of her.

She cleared her throat. "I didn't realise there were vampires here. I guess I shouldn't be surprised." She said and smiled a little. "There are wizards here, apparently."

[wgraham]

Will could feel something tense go through Molly at the mention of vampires, and at first he thought maybe she thought he was messing with her and didn't appreciate it. Even stranger, a moment later there was a tangible chill that settled around her, barely perceptible apart from where they touched, her fingers slotted between his. He looked at her more fully in that instant, wanting to see her face, to read her expression.

She looked angry, just for a second, fierce, and Will could tell it was tactical and not directed at him. Still, it made him uneasy, and he squeezed her hand, just to remind her where she was.

"Have you seen vampires? Outside Darrow, before you came here?" he asked her carefully, sure he knew the answer already.

[thewinterlady]

"Lots." Molly said, relaxing and squeezing Will's hand back, grateful of the firm reminder that he was here and solid and she could let the anger go. It was already gone before she'd even finished the thought and she greedily took the comfort he offered.

"Harry's half brother, Thomas, is a vampire. Chicago is an old city. It's got a lot of old world monsters there." She said, and flushed a little as she realised just how little she'd actually gotten to tell Will the other night. "I guess I have a little more explaining to do than just 'I'm a wizard'."

[wgraham]

Will smiled, holding her hand a little tighter to show her he was still there with her, that the new information hadn't swayed his feelings for her at all. He was actually a little surprised to hear she was from Chicago, assuming she was from a more mystical place, being that she was a wizard.

"Is he a vampire by birth, or was he made one later?" Will asked, because apparently he was supposed to be learning to be a vampire expert now, and it might help his and Reid's investigation to know more about different types of vampires. "Does he have to kill people to survive, or can he live on animal blood?" Then he stopped himself, feeling like he was inundating her with questions. "I'm sorry, this is still really new to me. I want to know more." He paused, then added, "though I'd rather know more about you than anything else."

[thewinterlady]

"That's okay. I'm just sorry your first taste of the supernatural is vampires." Molly couldn't help smiling at his curiosity. "How about I tell you and Reid, is it?" She asked and he nodded. "How about I come by and give you a lesson on my worlds vampires sometime? I can give you a list of some other things that kill like vampires too." She offered and pressed a little closer to his side, happy that she could share something that would help. She didn't like talking about her history with vampires, but if it helped then she absolutely would.

"As for Thomas," She said. "He's a born vampire. Vampire father, human wizard mother but his magic get eaten by his vampire side." She explained. "He doesn't drink blood though - not all vampires do. His kind live of the life force of others."

Squeezing his hand a little tighter, Molly smiled at him, laughing a little at where the conversation had ended up. "I think we might be bad at appropriate first date conversation. Thank god." She added to reassure him she didn't mind.

[wgraham]

"I don't mind," Will replied, agreeing with Molly's sentiment on the topic. "And I think that would be great, if you would be comfortable coming to give me and Reid some information about vampires from your world," he added, and while he definitely wanted to learn more, as much as he could about all sorts of vampires, a bigger part of him wanted her to come so Reid could meet her. Nearly everyone he'd met in Darrow had a girlfriend or a boyfriend, and while Will hadn't really felt much jealousy about it, he certainly felt proud that he was seeing someone now, too. And Molly was spectacular, smart and strong and beautiful; he couldn't deny how good her wanting to be with him made him feel.

"I honestly only feel bad because I'm talking about work," Will said with a soft laugh. "I just started this job last month," he told her. "But I've only been here since September."

He sighed sighed softly, just feeling so happy to be here with Molly, holding her hand and talking to her after three days away from her. They took a left, only a couple of blocks away from the restaurant now. "You said you were a governess for a while?" he asked her, wanting to shift the conversation back to her, eager to know as much about her as possible.

[thewinterlady]

The surge of pride that went through Will was flattering and Molly blushed, wallowing in the feeling a little greedily. She had to admit to feeling a little useless lately without a job so the opportunity to do something where she could use her knowledge, if not her skills, was something she was eager to do.

She smiled and nodded when he asked about her last job. "I was a nanny. I think you have to be English and wear a corset to be a governess." She joked. "I loved the job though. I've kind of spent my whole life looking after kids. Actually being a nanny wasn't such a huge step. And the Tellers only had two, not a whole pack of Jawas." She smiled, remembering the time fondly. "It was fun. Hardly like work at all, you know?"

[wgraham]

Will grinned when Molly mentioned the corset, and while he had no desire to see her torture herself by wearing something like that, it did bring his mind to recalling the bra she'd been wearing the other day, how pretty it had been and how lovely her breasts had looked in it. He wondered idly if she was wearing something black today, to match her beautiful shirt, if it was lacy or sheer or silky. But he didn't focus on the thought for long, shifting to listen to what she was saying instead.

The way she talked about the Tellers's kids, about her own siblings who she'd cared for, it was easy to tell she liked children. And Will did too, or at least the idea of having one or two of them himself some day. Of course the older he got, the clearer he could see the things that plagued his mind, the more he worried about what he'd pass on to a biological son or daughter, if they'd be cursed with the same mental issues he had. It seemed like a dangerous gamble, putting a child at risk of inheriting something like that.

"Do you want kids?" he asked her, hoping she didn't think he was jumping the gun on anything, mostly just curious where she stood with the idea.

[thewinterlady]

Molly actually had to think about it. She loved kids, as much as she protested otherwise when her brothers and sisters were misbehaving. But having her own was a whole other thing.

"Maybe. I used to want them for certain, even with the brood at home growing up. But I honestly haven't thought about it much since I found my magic. It comes with so many hazards, having and using the power. I don't know if I'd want to put that on my kid." She smiled at him and shrugged a shoulder as she went on. "Plus I've really only just started knowing who I am. I think I'd like to get to know myself a little better first. And I've recently met someone too. I want a lot of time to enjoy just being with him every way I can." She said, watching him a little hunger in her voice and gaze that she just couldn't help.

[wgraham]

Will was stricken, both by the fact that she worried about the exact same thing he did in having a child, passing on traits that could make their lives difficult, allowing someone else to struggle with the things she'd had to go through all her life, and the way she said she wanted to enjoy being with him, the warm, wonderful things that entailed. He licked his lips and felt heat spread inside him with her words, with the way she looked at him, her gaze full of desire for him.

"I worry about the same things," he told her. "I remember my childhood; I wouldn't want to make anyone go through what I did, coming to terms with the way my mind works." He figured magic like Molly's had to be even worse, the pitfalls and terrifying things that could happen, not knowing how to control it. "And I've met someone recently too," he added, his voice shaking just a bit as he crossed into the same territory she just had. "I'd like to spend as much time learning her as I can before even thinking about sharing her with anyone."

They'd stopped walking, stood facing each other on the sidewalk just a few feet from the restaurant. "This is, uh. I wasn't planning to mention this until later, but since we're on the topic," Will said, looking around them to see that they were alone here, no one around to listen in. "I haven't had sex with someone in about four years," he told her, his voice low. "And I know you, you're..." He trailed off, not wanting to say the word, but only because he didn't want to embarrass her in case anyone overheard their conversation. "But I wasn't sure about pregnancy, I don't know if it works exactly the same for you as it does for other women," he said, and then took a breath, feeling oddly flustered, probably because of the moment they were in, talking about this. "I wanted you to know, I'm prepared," he finished, hoping she understood what he meant, that he'd gone shopping and bought protection, had it in his apartment, just in case.

[thewinterlady]

There was that tiny curl of possessive energy again and Molly found it echoing back from her in turn. The idea of giving him up had seemed hard, but not impossible at Kagura when they were talking about whether they were involved with anyone else. It would have been difficult but she would have done it if she had to. Now, after three days of anticipation and constant thinking of him and imagining them together with everything it could potentially involve, Molly was pretty sure she wouldn't be as gracious about it. She was glad he was reacting the same way and it eased something inside her.

She was smiling when they stopped outside a small but exclusive looking restaurant, turning to face him as he looked around of anyone listening in. She stepped a fraction closer and listened. It was sweet that he was so careful about her, but Molly was really going to have to teach him how magic worked. And teach him about the Fae stuff too. That was a part of her now and he deserved to know what it meant.

She nodded when he finished, smiling to reassure him, stepping closer still, inside his space, hands joined between them. "It works the same for me as it does for other women, but there are maybe more factors that might influence whether I decide to do it." She said and then blushed a little. "I...might have been to see doctor Lahiri though. She says my birth control is working just fine. I guess we've both been thinking the same things, huh?" She said with a little laugh.

[wgraham]

Will felt his temperature rise as Molly moved closer, the width of their joined hands between them the only thing that separated them now. He was glad in that moment that they were on the street and not in one of their apartments, because if they were alone he would be well on his way to having her undressed by now. Not that undressing her would be a bad thing; he just wanted to do this right, and he know she wanted that too. They needed to be patient, deny themselves a few hours more so they could prove to themselves this wasn't just raw physical attraction. Will knew with almost complete certainty that it was much more than that, but being able to have dinner with her, talk to her and listen without being distracted by his desire for her, was important for both of them.

Still, knowing that she was prepared herself, it sent a warm wave of pleasure through him. But he shouldn't have been surprised; Molly was an intelligent, strong, self-sufficient woman. She wouldn't be the kind of person who left her well being one hundred percent in the hands of someone else, even if she trusted them entirely.

He smiled at her, though there was heat behind his gaze as well. "I'm glad we have been," he said, squeezing both her hands in his own. "And I'm glad we're here," he added, meaning more that they were together on a date and less the actual location in which they were standing. "Are you ready to go inside?" he asked, his eyes moving over her face, trying very hard to resist the urge to kiss her.

[thewinterlady]

"I'm glad too. And I'm absolutely ready for food." Molly said, with huff of laughter. "I haven't eaten all day." she added, knowing he understood the nerves.

She followed him inside, smiling at the doorman as they passed. Inside the restaurant smelled amazing. The place was small and intimate but a little crowded, people laughing at the bar, voices occasionally loud in the background hum of conversation from the tables. She guessed that meant it was popular at least, but she could already feel random strong emotions pressing in around her.

Molly took a small breath and shored up her mental walls. Will was still there though, bleeding through the noise like a soothing hand over hers. It was comforting and she was grateful.

The maitre'd was a sweet girl that smiled and chatted as she led them to their table. It was a small, relatively private area in one corner and Molly hoped it would quiet enough for them to talk because she really wanted to spend tonight learning all she could about Will.

[wgraham]

Will couldn't help smiling when Molly laughed, the beautiful sound of it, how it lit up her face, just his proximity to it made him feel so unusually happy. He hadn't eaten either, of course, mostly because he was notoriously bad at remembering to do it when he was distracted (and Molly was the best and most constant kind of distraction he'd experienced in a long time), but due to his own nerves as well. He really hope she enjoyed this restaurant. He'd never been here, but he'd heard someone saying good things about it, and sea food was comforting to him on a number of levels.

Will made sure to pull out Molly's chair for her, a gesture he couldn't remember having made in well over a decade. He didn't go on dates, hadn't done it in a long, long time. It feel unnatural and awkward to be doing it now, but being with Molly, who felt like coming home already, made it bearable. He wanted to do this for her, to show her that he was committed to doing this right with her.

The hostess handed them menus and explained the night's specials, but Will had a difficult time focusing on her voice, and he felt guilty about it, but he just wanted her to stop talking and leave them alone. Outwardly he was perfectly pleasant, however, and he smiled as she left them to decided on their dinner.

Will blew out a breath. "I've never been here before," he told Molly, keeping his voice a little low. "I don't really go out to eat." He didn't say it, but he had a feeling Molly had picked up already on how he felt about being in a crowd. "I hope it's okay."

[thewinterlady]

Molly smiled when he pulled the chair put for her. It was clear that he was really making an effort to do this whole thing properly and she couldn't help appreciating it, even if she didn't need it.

The menu looked a little overwhelming. Molly could count on one hand how many times she'd been to a restaurant without pictures on the menu and she'd still have three fingers to spare.

Will admitted that he didn't go out often and Molly suddenly felt a lot better. "Me either." She said. "But I love seafood so this all looks amazing."

They looked over the menu in silence for a couple of minutes before Molly realised what she was missing. She smiled down at the menu and under the table she moved her foot so that her ankle pressed against his, hoping she wasnt being inappropriate.

[wgraham]

Will was relieved to hear that Molly liked seafood. He had a particular affinity for it himself, partially because he was a fisherman and connected with the concept, but also because it was almost impossible to substitute one meat for another when it came to fish, so you always knew you were getting something authentic. He'd always found that comforting, but even more so now that he had some idea of what he'd been fed in the few months before he'd come here by Hannibal. But that was something he didn't particularly want to think about at the moment.

He was focused on the menu (and not on Hannibal's cooking), so when Molly moved to press her ankle against his it startled him slightly, though he managed to confine it to just a tightening of the muscles in his leg and not flinch outright. He relaxed immediately and even shifted his foot a fraction closer to Molly's, solidifying the contact even more. As he did, a calm came over him, so vivid that he only realized at that moment how tense he'd become without it.

"See anything that stands out for you?" he asked, curious what she might order. He was thinking of salmon himself, something a little more decadent than what he'd ever be able to catch himself.

[thewinterlady]

"Umm..." Molly looked at the menu again and found something she recognised and described it. She flushed when she realised it was a little generic, not much more than white fish in parsley sauce. "I like seafood but mostly I like the basics. Probably because I can't cook at all. I can bake - bread, pastries, sweet things like that - but everything else..." She laughed. "I burnt a egg once. A boiled egg."

Their waiter came over and asked for their drink order and Molly immediately ordered a low alcohol beer without thinking. It was her usual drink when she was out. Alcohol wasn't a wizards best friend, especially when it lowered inhibitions and control, and especially for someone with Molly's type of magic.

The waiter looked a little disgusted and Molly tried to cover her awkwardness with a smile. She really didn't know anything about fancy eating, not when she looked around the room and saw everyone was drinking wine or fancy looking cocktails. She looked at Will for a second and then shrugged, giving the waiter her food order, closing the menu and handing it off to him. She decided she was just going to deal with this for Will's sake. She didn't care what some waiter in a posh restaurant thought of her when she was spending time with the person she most wanted to in the world right now.