Molly hadn’t had a chance to talk to Murphy about things yet. Somehow they kept missing each other. Molly wasn’t sure how that could happen when two people live in one apartment, but apparently it was possible. She’d tried getting up earlier than normal, but nope. She tried staying up late with the same results. If she didn’t know better she’d think Murphy was avoiding her.
Finally Molly decided she would spend an entire twenty four hours in the apartment, awake if need be in an effort to catch Murphy during one of her comings or goings. She’d told Harry she had something she needed to do then holed up on the couch with a stash of five hour energy drinks, some Coke, a coffee and a good book to wait. Murphy wasn't avoiding Molly or anyone else, but she had been keeping odd hours. She felt like she'd barely been home in the last few days. She wasn't getting anywhere on the case that she was investigating either, except that she kept running into the same story. Each officer that had committed 'suicide' had started acting strange a few days before their suicide, and there was no physical evidence whatsoever that pointed to anything other than suicide.
To most, it was a simple open-and-shut case regarding the police officers cracking under the pressure of their job and possibly over the loss of their other colleagues. But Murphy had been investigating weird cases long enough to know that just because it looked like a duck and sounded like a duck didn't mean it was a duck. Sometimes it was a troll, or a vampire, or something else so wild that it had no right existing outside of the pages of a good horror novel.
All the same, the leads were starting to dry up and as a result, she was forced to take a little bit of time away. Maybe a good night's sleep would give the case the time it needed for a break to turn up, or would at least give her the fresh perspective to find something she might have missed.
Or maybe she'd spend the time off talking to her new roommate, she reflected as she stopped just short of the leggy blonde currently lounging on her couch with a book.
"Hey Molly," she said with a small smile.
“There you are.” Molly lowered the book to her lap and her legs to the floor. “I haven’t seen you in days. Reconsidering having a roommate already?” There was a possibility that Murph was regretting this. A remote one, but anything was possible and Molly would always go for the worst case scenario especially when it came to herself.
Murphy blinked in surprise.
'What?" Her brow furrowed. "Molly, no. I'm not regretting that. I've just been..." she sighed heavily. "I've been freelancing for the police chief down here. Looking into the rash of suicides in his department."
She settled herself into the armchair and looked over at Molly, who seemed to be a little bit rumpled, though that was par for the course for her lately. All the same, it was a cause for concern.
"Everything all right?" she asked gently.
Molly smiled for the reassurance, but the mention of suicides within the police made her frown. She sat up a bit more to pay attention. It could be something. Could be nothing. Could just be a coincidence being that they were representations of a legal system within proximity of things that pretty much embody chaos.
She was brought out of her train of thought there by Murphy’s question and she blinked, drawing her attention back to her. “What? Oh. Yeah. Mostly.” She grimaced a little bit and hunched her shoulders. “I found out some information that may or may not mean anything when I was at the library.”
Murphy raised an eyebrow at that.
"Oh? What did you find out?" she asked.
Right now, she was ready for any new information about the supposed Hellmouth. She had a feeling that all the pieces fit together somehow-she was just missing the majority of them. Everything happening here was just too concentrated to be unrelated. Especially if it seemed to have gotten the attention of just about everyone who was clued into the supernatural.
“There was a mental hospital that was built on the location where the gates are now.” Molly opened another five hour energy drink and shot it back. She shot it back then picked up another one offering it to Murphy. “Want one? The town didn’t want the asylum built so close to town. There were protests. It got built anyway, but something happened after it had been there a while because information is missing. Cut out of the newspapers or blacked out. Just out of curiosity, where is the precinct with all the suicides located?” She held out the hummingbird fuel with a casual smile like she was talking about the weather.
Murphy accepted the energy drink with a small smile. It was apparently going to be a long night, since it sounded like Molly had some information that might just be useful.
"I've heard a little bit about the mental hospital on... Trout Run Road, right? Lots of urban legends," Murphy said. "The precinct is about two blocks over. Too close for comfort. So, what sort of information did you find that wasn't blacked out?" she asked.
Molly opened the Coke next and took a drink before she shook her head. “Not a lot. Just that the locals didn’t want it so close to town. We found more that was blacked out or missing, but there has to be something somewhere.” She took another drink then curled her legs up on the couch. “Bill said he was going to go check out the location, but I didn’t really want to go. It’s creepy there and that was where Harry and I were headed when..” she cut off as her expression went blank. That was where they were going when the vampire attacked. Remembering that made her forget she hadn’t mentioned Bill to Murphy before, nor what he was.
Bill? Was she supposed to know who Bill was? Murphy frowned and studied Molly's face.
"Who's Bill?"
She wasn't sure she liked the idea of Molly doing research with someone new. There was no guarantee that anyone in this town could be trusted, and sharing information like that... Even if it seemed to be more a lack of information than anything.
“Oh.” Molly snapped out of the memories with a blink and looked at Murphy. “Sorry. Kind of skipped that part, huh.” She looked suddenly sheepish, slouching down a bit on the couch. “He’s a..guy. I met him at the library.” Crap. She had to tell Murphy, and doubly had to tell Harry.
“He’s a vampire.” She watched Murphy closely for her reaction. Molly wasn’t sure she really wanted to be defending Bill, but after examining the library incident over and over she’d come to a few conclusions. “He seems…nice.”
Murphy almost dropped the energy drink in her hand. She stared at Molly.
"I'm sorry, he's a what now?" she asked.
After her experience with Spike, she was slowly coming to the acceptance that some vampires might have souls. It didn't make them inherently good any more than having a soul made a person inherently good, but it meant there was the potential for good there. However, Molly was even more anti-vampire than Harry had been before coming to York. With good reason, too, given her history with vampires. So the fact that Molly was... fraternizing? with a vampire was a bit of a shock.
Molly flinched and slouched down even more. “A vampire?” Her voice had gone small and uncertain, her expression matching it. She knew Murphy would be stunned by this considering their experience in Chichén Itzá and how Molly reacted around them. That attack in the woods proved Molly’s opinion more than anything.
“I know how it sounds, and he didn’t do anything to me.” She had a worried look on her face. The first thing she would assume was that the leech put the mental whammy on her. “I blasted him into a bookshelf and he didn’t so much as scowl at me. He said he could tell something bad happened to me but he said they weren’t all like that and I should give him a chance. Harry said that too. Well, not about Bill specifically but he’s got one living in his house so I thought I should try too.” She kept her eyes off of Murphy’s but it was obvious she was hoping for some approval here. “Right?”
Murphy took another sip of the energy drink, enjoying the caffeine-induced second wind. She raised an eyebrow at Molly.
"I'm not saying that it was completely reckless, but you do realize that you don't have to befriend vampires just because Harry seems to have done it?" She sighed. "Though I'm beginning to think that things aren't quite as black and white here as they were back in Chicago."
And considering there was a whole damn lot of gray back in Chicago, that was saying something.
"I met a vampire a few nights ago that had met Harry, and accidentally gotten into a soulgaze with him."
She fell silent to give that fact a chance to sink in with Molly.
Molly looked like Murphy had just told her she’d kicked her puppy and lowered her eyes. She was trying damn it! Back in Chicago when Harry was dead things had been so much easier. She knew what she had to do and did it. Now everything was getting confused.
Her head came back up however at what Murphy told her about Harry and a vampire. She stared at Murphy almost as long as the ex-cop had at her then got a bit of an outraged look on her face. “What is that his thing now? Is he just going to ‘accidentally’ soulgaze the whole town?!” First Dean, now a vampire?
"I'm pretty sure he wasn't expecting the vampire to have a soul-" she began, defending Harry before Molly's words really hit her. "Wait, what do you mean Harry's accidentally soulgazing people? Who else did he accidentally soulgaze?" Murphy asked pointedly.
There was just a slight bit of jealousy. It was silly, really. But knowing that her best friend was still keeping that part of himself back from her hurt just a little bit. Particularly when speaking with Molly, whom he'd soulgazed and now finding out that he'd accidentally soulgazed someone else.
“Dean!” Molly’s tone was a bit less than respectful for having to repeat herself. She huffed and got up from the couch to start pacing and chewing on her thumbnail. She wasn’t too thrilled about Harry soulgazing this person and that herself. He had gazed her to find out what she’d done and to see if she was too scarred up from what she’d been doing to her friends. There hadn’t been anything nice about it. “Jo’s friend. He brought me pizza that night then they came over to Harry’s to find out stuff I can’t really talk about. Dean locked eyes with Harry and,” she turned back around to look at Murphy with a shrug.
“I don’t get it, Murph.” She looked frustrated. “He knows how to avoid a soulgaze after all this time and teaching me so how much of it is really an accident? But no way am I asking him.” The fact was part of her was beginning to wonder how much that Queen Bitch of the North messed up Harry’s moral compass, and she wasn’t comfortable with those thoughts.
Murphy frowned, not liking the idea of all of the strange guys who were now in Molly's life. Not with how fragile Molly still was. She needed the chance to get her head on straight so she could protect herself from anyone who might try to take advantage. But here in York, there was Carr the werewolf, who Molly had mentioned often enough to give the distinct impression that she had a crush, and now Bill the vampire and two guys named Dean and Joe who had asked for Molly's help with something she couldn't talk about?
But that wasn't the issue here.
"Molly," she said firmly, "I don't know what happened with Dean, but I'm pretty sure that Harry wasn't expecting that vampire to have a soul. You can't fault him for that. But I think it's something worth considering-that perhaps they aren't all soulless monsters. I don't like it anymore than you do-not knowing who or what we can trust here."
Not knowing for sure if they could even trust Harry's word that the vampire living with him was an ally. Not with his new mantle as the Winter Queen's Knight. Deep down, she still clung to the idea that he was still Harry, but it was hard to entirely dismiss her doubts about the fact that being in Mab's service might have changed him.
“I’m not faulting Harry, Karrin.” Molly extended her hands in Murphy’s direction almost pleadingly before letting them drop. That confusion slammed down hard across her face before her voice lowered again. “I’m trying to do the right thing.”
She started chewing on her thumbnail again as she wandered back to the couch to sit down. “He said to try so I did. I magically bitch slapped Bill and he fanged out, but he didn’t hit me back.” She looked at her roommate, obviously trying to understand this. “He said I needed to know they weren’t all monsters, especially him and I dared him to prove it by helping me with the research I was doing. He did and was a perfect gentleman the rest of the time. Didn’t so much as look at me like I was a thing. I don’t know what to make of it which is why I’m telling you.” And there was that meek stuff again. “Before I tell Harry.”
"Aren't we all? Funny how much more difficult doing the right thing has gotten lately."
Murphy drew in a breath.
"I'm afraid I'm a little out of my league here, Molly. Since I've come to York, I've pretty much had everything I thought I knew about the supernatural turned on its head. But it's probably a good idea that you told me first all the same."
Harry was more than a little bit protective of... well, everyone he cared about. But especially when it came to his apprentice.
"What does your gut say?" she asked.
Molly chewed on that thumbnail and it was probably anybody’s guess how there was any nail left to gnaw on. She was quiet for a little while as she thought about Murphy’s question. She’d been thinking about it ever since that night trying to figure out if what she’s come up with was real or what she wanted to believe. Or was there really any difference?
She finally lowered her hand and looked at Murph. “I think he’s a nice guy.” She almost cringed in on herself saying that about a vampire. Guilt was tearing her up inside. Vampires killed any chance Harry had had at being happy by half turning Susan, setting him up for a war making him look even worse to the White Council then stealing his daughter to use her in a death ritual.
Granted Bill wasn’t Red Court. She honestly had no idea what kind of vampire he was, but she knew what he wasn’t, what he couldn’t possibly be. “Any other vampire would have ripped my head off for smacking them like I did. He was pissed, but he didn’t so much as touch me. I think he…was looking for a..friend?”
Murphy grunted.
"A friend? Huh," she said with a frown. "Who ever heard of a lonely vampire?"
She sighed and took another sip of the energy drink.
"What about Harry's bodyguard? Have you met her yet?"
She hadn't met Harry's bodyguard, but she was curious to know Molly's take on the vampire. She didn't like the idea of him sleeping in a house with her at all, but she was trying to reserve judgment until she had more information. It was damn hard too.
“Whoever heard of a wizard that won’t stay dead?” Molly countered with exceedingly dry sarcasm. That statement aside she was really glad Harry was back. Her situation was a vast improvement to running on her own trying to stay one step ahead of the Wardens, but damn if York wasn’t a mind fuck!
She shook her head with a sigh and a frown. “No. I don’t like the feel of her. I won’t even be there anywhere near sundown.” She looked back at Murphy, her brows lifting a little. “Did you meet her?”
"Harry hasn't exactly invited me over for tea," Murphy said. "I haven't even seen his new place. Haven't seen that much of him either since he brought me down here."
She didn't bother trying to hide her scowl.
"I don't like the idea of him sleeping in that house with her. He might be fierce in action, but asleep he's just as vulnerable as the rest of us."
She sighed and rubbed at her forehead.
"Of course, Harry's going to trust who he's going to trust, no matter what the rest of us might have to say or think about it. I think that if you trust this Bill, it's only right to expect the same respect from Harry. As long as you're going into it with your eyes open. Are you going to see him again?"
Molly was surprised to hear Murphy hadn’t been to Harry’s place yet. She kind of assumed she’d had. If Harry really had a best friend it was Karrin. Molly’s dad was close to Harry, but there was always one thing that was between them in the shape of Molly’s mom. The only thing standing between Karrin and Harry was…well…Harry. Even Molly could see that. She didn’t think she should say anything about it though, not to Murphy.
“I don’t know if I trust him.” She gave Murphy small bland look. “I said he seemed nice. Maybe looking for a friend.” Molly was usually careful about what she said. “I told him I’d give him a chance, and he was going to dig a little more on the info we found. If he found anything it might be able to help you with your investigation into the suicides.”
If Murphy was being honest, she'd thrown herself into her work after getting down here. A part of her wanted nothing more than to just grab a hold of Harry and not let go. He'd been gone and she'd never quite been able to find a way to be okay with that. And now that he was back, those months in which she'd tried to deal with his death were between them. And that lost moment where they'd both been grieving over things lost and had almost crossed that line was between them. And her fear of Harry not being Harry anymore now that he was shacking up with a vampire and in servitude to Mab was between them. Not to mention that she'd had time to remember that her relationships generally didn't work and that trying to go there with Harry would most likely lose her the best friend she'd ever had in the long run.
"At this point, I'll take all the help I can get. Even if it’s from an... unusual source."
Molly smiled a little and chuckled. “You used to work with Harry. How much more unusual can you get?” An impish grin tugged at her lips then she pulled her legs back up on the couch to get comfortable again. “I need to tell Harry about him before I do anything. If Bill turns out to be a backstabbing son of a bitch anyway I’ll need the boss man at my back.”
“But,” she picked up her Coke again. “If you run into a tall guy at night with this outrageous southern accent don’t shoot. That’s Bill.” She took a drink then grabbing another energy drink. Apparently someone was planning an all nighter. “Says he’s from Louisiana. If you want proof it’s him, ask him why his boots aren’t on fire for touching Yankee soil.” She smirked as if this were a clever secret. Honestly what led up to her asking him that had kind of cracked her up inside. “He’ll know you know me. And the accent’s a drawl not a twang. Appahrently theh’s ah diff-her-ence.” She drew out that last sentence in a blatantly bad imitation of Bill’s accent.
Murphy's eyebrows might have disappeared into her hairline as Molly explained something that appeared to be an in-joke. An in-joke that she had a with a vampire.
Molly was a big girl, but all the same she really didn't like the idea of her hanging out with this vampire alone. Not until there was a little more to go on as to whether or not he could be trusted.
"Maybe next time you decide to meet up with Bill for research, you could invite me along. I wouldn't mind meeting your new potential friend," she said with a half-smirk.
“Sure.” Molly shrugged a shoulder seeing nothing wrong with that idea. Granted if she knew it was Murphy trying to be protective Molly would have a lot of problem with it. She had lived on the streets of Chicago very near entrances of Undertown fighting bad guys all by herself, well okay Lea helped, but yes. Molly was a very big girl thank you with the scars to prove it. As it was, she didn’t know which was probably a good thing.
“I don’t really know how to get a hold of him but he said he’d be willing to check out the site of the mental hospital with me.” She rolled her eyes. “To make sure nothing happens to me. Like I can’t take care of myself or something.”
"Clearly he doesn't know you all that well," Murphy said.
As much as she wanted to watch out for Molly, she'd seen Harry's apprentice in action and she knew damn well that Molly could take care of herself.
"You didn't give him a way to get ahold of you, did you?" she asked with a concerned frown.
While she was willing to give Bill the Southern gentleman vampire the benefit of the doubt, she didn't want Bill to knowing where she and Molly were staying.
“Do I look entirely stupid?” Molly gave Murphy a very bland look. “Like I said. I don’t trust him. I didn’t even tell him about Harry. Just in case, y’know?” She smiled a little hoping for a little approval there. “Besides. This is your place. I’m not just going to hand out your address to anyone.” Which reminded her.
“Oh!” She sat up a bit more. “I did give your address to Carr. We’re supposed to have a bonfire slash spooky Chicago story time at his place some night and I told him to come get me when he wanted to do that.” That touch of a blush she got on her cheeks whenever she talked about Carr was back.
Murphy's frown deepened.
"Does that mean I get to meet Carr?" she asked. She still wasn't sure how much she trusted the werewolf. Especially given that she'd gotten the impression that Carr was older, and if he was of the mindset that he could take advantage of Molly because of her age or current mental state, he was going to get a boot up his ass as soon as Murphy got the chance.
"Have you mentioned Carr to Harry?" she asked out of curiosity. After all, a werewolf was somewhat par for the course, given Harry's alliance with Billy and the rest of the Alphas. All the same, she had a feeling that Harry would have as much issue with Molly's crush on the older guy as she would.
Little red flags were beginning to go off in Molly’s head and her smile hesitated, her eyes growing suspicious. “Yeaah.” Said suspicion crept into her tone of voice. “Whhyy?” Thoughts of her mom and dad were coming to mind. She was starting to get an idea of why, but she wanted to hear it. If people were starting to set themselves up as her social life Gestapo there were going to be more than issues. There was going to be life time subscriptions.
Murphy sighed.
"I don't trust anyone here Molly. I'd just feel better knowing who my friends are hanging out with." she sighed. "Not like Harry's done either of us that courtesy when it comes to his bodyguard. Not sure if he told you that she came at Kincaid's recommendation."
She didn't know if Molly suspected Kincaid as well of being the one to shoot Harry, but she had a feeling that Molly would trust his recommendation as much Murphy did currently. No matter how Harry tried to rationalize it, she would never forgive Jared for being the one to pull the trigger, or for lying by way of omission about the reason he was in Chicago at the time.
“We have to trust someone.” Molly gave Murphy possibly the most sober, most sane look she’s worn since before Harry died. There was a maturity behind her eyes that hadn’t been there before Chichén Itzá and only rarely did it come out. “We can’t accomplish anything unless we learn to trust. Someone.”
Molly scooted down the couch closer to Murphy looking her in the face but keeping her eyes right on the ex-cop’s lashes. When she was within reach she held out her hand. “I trust you. I trust Harry. And I trust Carr because he trusted me.” This next part was going to be a bit hard. “If Kincaid recommended this vampire then,” she grimaced, “she’s on the job and we trust her.” No way would Molly say why. No way would she tell Murphy she was part of the plot to help shoot Harry.