(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]

"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.

[wgraham]

Will couldn't help smiling again as Molly told him about her cooking experience. She had such a sweet sense of humor and he found he liked it immensely. "I mostly only ever cooked for my dogs," he told her in return. "I only ever had to worry about feeding them and myself, so they got good stuff and I just ate sandwiches all the time. Of course they'll eat practically anything, so it probably doesn't say much for my cooking skills," he added with a soft smirk.

The waiter came and Will didn't like the look of him from the start, but then he gave Molly a haughty, unimpressed look when she ordered her beer and a vindictive part of Will's brain hoped that Hannibal would come eat here and be served by this man. The amount of rudeness that peeled off him would have Hannibal planning a meal before he was done putting in his order.

When the waiter got to Will, he ordered the same beer as Molly, rather than the white wine he'd been contemplating. He liked beer just fine, and standing in solidarity with Molly and seeing the waiter recoil a second time was worth it. He ordered his dinner curtly and handed his menu over as well with a look that said he had about one more chance to earn his tip. Once they were alone again, Will took a breath, letting the ire in him burn down a fraction, looking at Molly and remembering why they were here, that all that mattered was being with her.

"So," he said, reaching out for her hand across the top of the table, soft smile on his lips. "Tell me more about yourself."

[thewinterlady]

Molly took his hand across the table and was grateful for the solidarity he'd shown with the waiter. The way he'd felt while he was doing it though...that was new. She was surprised by the sudden flare of his anger, but it ebbed just as quickly as it arrived. It was still there, but it was gradually being pushed out by the curiosity and affection Will normally gave off.

She relaxed and smiled at him, letting herself wallow a little in the way he felt, let it soothe over her slightly frazzled nerves. Three days of anticipation was about all she ever wanted to deal with and she made a mental note to tell him that later.

"Alright." Molly said, smiling and leaning forward towards him, chin resting on her hand. "I'm twenty five, I'm from Chicago, born and raised. Religious family so usual rebellion. I had a pretty spectacular Goth phase that there is very little photographic evidence of so don't ask." She added with a grin. "Ummm...I didn't go to college because training took up all my time once the Council put the Doom on Harry and me." She realised he wouldn't understand that and explained. "The Doom of Damacles. Basically parole for wizards after they break the laws of magic. It means that the death sentence they'd normally use is laid aside unless a wizard commits another infraction. Then the Grey Wardens get to carry it out without any trial. Just instant removal of head from body." She smiled softly and shrugged. "That's over now, thankfully. I don't think even the Wardens can get to me here."

[wgraham]

Just holding Molly's hand relaxed Will enough that he forgot about the waiter and some of the thoughts that had risen quickly and unbidden to his mind in regards to how to repay the man's rudeness. He watched Molly's face as she told him more about herself, tracking the movement of her eyes and how she seemed to be able to break eye contact with him easily and without making it seem like she was disinterested or distrustful. He reminded himself to ask her about that eventually, why she was so studious about not keeping them connected for too long at a time.

He wasn't very surprised to hear her age, but he hoped once she knew his she wouldn't change her mind about seeing him. There were certainly couples with more years between them than nine, but Will didn't know for certain if Molly would be okay with their age difference or not. He didn't have the chance to ask her, however, because the next thing she told him shook him a little, and he found he was holding her hand more tightly than he had been before.

"What constitutes as an infraction?" he asked her, his eyes sharp and his mind focused. He believed her that she thought she was safe here, and he knew she could take care of herself, but there was a part of him that rose up in defense at even just the idea of someone attempting to harm her.

[thewinterlady]

If the increase in pressure on her fingers hadn't told her that Will liked the idea of the Doom as much as she did, the sudden surge of protectiveness that came over the connection between her and Will would have. She could understand that. It sounded completely disgusting to outside ears.

"If I break one of the Laws again." She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and tried to explain. "There are seven laws of magic. One - you can't use magic to kill humans. Specifically human non-magic users. There are some exceptions but that's the big one. Two - a wizard can't use magic to transform others into things. Three and four pretty much always go together. You can't use magic to invade another mind and you can't bind anyone to your will." Molly swallowed thickly, the memory of her trial coming back fresh and fast as always. She carried on, muscling through the emotion to get the information out. "Five - no necromancy. That's more to do with binding the unwilling dead to do your bidding than actual resurrection. It's pretty grey because necromancers aren't inherently evil. Six - no time travel. Pretty straight forward. Too much risk of changing...well everything really. And the seventh law is that no wizard will ever open the Outer Gates and are bound to do anything in their power to assist the Gatekeeper should he ask for their help." She gave a little smile. "It's exactly as dramatic as it sounds."

The waiter brought their beers over in the pause she took for breath and Molly took it gratefully, using the glass he pointedly set down in front of her and sipped it. She waited for the snooty man to leave and then gave Will her eyes for a long moment. "I broke the third and fourth laws when I tried to help my friends. That would have been enough to have them execute me twice over, but Harry pleaded my case and saved me. It cost a lot. The Doom was for him as well as me. If i'd broken the Laws - any of them - again, we'd have both been executed immediately." She looked away from his eyes again, searching Wills face instead. "I'm still careful. I'm not sure the Laws apply here - nothing can get in or out of this place unless it wants to let it, apparently - but I won't take the risk, not with Harry's life."

[wgraham]

Will listened as Molly listed the Seven Laws of Magic, and though they all made sense (and reminded Will of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics in an odd way), he could tell where her story was going as soon as she described laws three and four. His hand on hers tightened fractionally again, though he released it again as soon as he realized he was doing it. He didn't need to tell her how unfair he thought it was, her being prosecuted for something she did completely unknowingly, and then given a life long probation with the punishment of immediate execution if it was broken. Will's general feelings on crime and justice may have started to skew recently, but even outside of that the idea of upholding the death penalty for something done without intent struck him as severely unreasonable.

But there was no reason for Will to voice his opinion. One, he was sure he'd be preaching to the choir, but two, he was sure Molly could tell how he felt about it, if not via his expression than through the thread of understanding that seemed to always connect them.

"Is it difficult to control some of your powers?" he asked her gently, not because he wanted to prod, but because he was curious how much danger she might be in of accidentally breaking one of those seven laws.

[thewinterlady]

"It can be." Molly admitted and she wasn't ashamed of the fact. "It's both easier and harder these days with the other magic I carry too." She smiled at Will and ran her thumb over his.. "I...went through a rough patch for a while. It was after a big battle with one of the vampire courts and I thought Harry was dead. Me and some of the others Harry was close with formed kind of a protective patrol around Chicago in his absence. Harry's Faerie godmother promised to look after me and she taught me a hell of a lot - some of it good, some of it not so good - and I was strong but I was beat up. I did a lot of things that were close to the bone, but what I didn't know was that everything I was doing was shaping me to become a vessel for Faerie magic. She manipulated me into a situation where I wouldn't have a choice and here I am." Molly wasn't bitter about it anymore. There wasn't any point to that, not here. All the damage had been done. Now she just had to live with it. "It's called a Mantle - that's just a fancy name for power - and it made me one of the queens of Winter Court. I am the Winter Lady." She made a face. "That means nothing here when I can't even get to the NeverNever, but it does mean I have to carry it around. It shores up my defences and makes me better with types of magic I might not normally use, but it's insidious. The more I use it actively, the stronger it gets and the more I want to use it." She shrugged. "Double edged blade."

Taking a sip of her beer, she wondered something, deciding just to ask. "How are you taking all this so well?" It wasn't surprise, it was curiosity. She didn't think he was going to run screaming but anyone would be wondering if she was insane by now.

[wgraham]

It was a lot of information and Will started to have trouble tracking it, the more words Molly used that weren't in his natural vocabulary. He filed all of it away, knowing he'd either try to make sense of it, or he'd as Molly to clarify. At the moment he was mostly interested in how it all affected her here, if it made parts of her life difficult or put her in any particular danger.

Truthfully, he was a little overwhelmed, not so much by learning about Molly's power and all the things that fed into it over the years, but by trying to figure out what it all meant. But he wasn't afraid, and none if it made him want to be with her any less. The question she was asking him was, at least in part, a gauge, to see how he was taking all this new knowledge. He took a deep breath through his nose, and gave her a look that was nearly serious aside from the hint of a smile playing around his eyes.

"Well, I figure if I marry you, I'll get to be a king," he answered, and he knew it didn't work that way and that talking about marriage with a woman after less than half of a date was completely crazy, but he hoped Molly would take it as the lighthearted joke he'd intended.

[thewinterlady]

The joke made Molly grin and blush, laughing into her drink. "Oh so you're interested in me for my magic Faerie money? I get it." She said, happy beyond words that he wasn't completely overwhelmed by the information. "I'm sorry, Will. You're going to be really disappointed when it all turns back into coal on our wedding night."

She couldn't stop smiling. Just being around Will was more than enough to do that, but knowing that he accepted her, was interested despite her strangeness...it was heady. Molly knew he wouldn't understand it all, not yet, but that was fine with her as long as he was willing to accept it as part of her. And Will was clearly okay with that if he was joking about marrying her. A warm shiver went through her as she thought that. It was way, way too soon to be thinking about things like that, Molly knew, but the idea of waking up with him every morning, going to bed with him every night, was something she wanted very much.

She twisted her fingers through his and was about to lean over to tell him what she was thinking about, when the woman at the next table cleared her throat loudly and then when Molly was looking at her whispered to her friends about inappropriate displays of affection. They all laughed and Molly turned back to Will, suddenly aware of how wrong this place was for them. Still, she would stick it out, if that's what he wanted.

She smiled and tried to shake off the snide comments. "So I've overwhelmed you with my life. Do you want a turn? Tell me about yourself, Will Graham."