Who: Molly Carpenter and Harry Dresden What: Molly wants things back to normal When: Monday after work Where: Harry’s Warnings: None Status: Closed/completed gdoc
Molly hadn’t seen Harry since the town made them think they were a couple. They’d spoken only a few times. She decided this was ridiculous. They’d gotten past worst awkwardness in the past, they could get past this. She knew Harry wouldn’t make the first move so she took it upon herself to make this happen.
After work she got the peace offering then went to Harry’s. After a moment outside his door, Molly smirked then POUNDED on the door. “OH MY GOD YOU BASTARD OPEN THE DOOR OR I’LL KICK IT IN!”
Molly grinned as Harry’s nosy neighbors stuck their heads out to see what was going on.
***
Harry swore and opened the door, one eyebrow cocked high, wearing a robe as he stood there, leaning against the doorframe, letting the light frame him. “Yes, dear? Can I help you?”
If she was going to make this loud, he was completely fine with that. In a way, it made it less awkward.
***
Molly beamed Harry a smile as she held up the Burger King bags. “Ask not what you can do for your former student. Ask what she can do for you.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “But you can’t have this unless you let me in.”
***
“I suppose. Come on in, you.” Harry stepped aside, waved at the neighbors, and then pulled the door shut once she was in.
“Nice to see you, grasshopper. How be you?” He was feeling less awkward than he had thought he would, on seeing her, but then he had been working on things since he heard about her Barry problem, so he was preoccupied.
***
Molly tapped Harry on the nose as she bounced her way inside. Might as well give the neighbors a lot to talk about.
“I’m ok,” she said as she made for the small dining table. “Saw Thomas and didn’t lose my cool too much. I did blather, though. Felt like middle school all over again.”
***
“That’s good. Glad to hear it.” He grinned at her. “We had a… little incident at the club, when Thomas met Rogue… from the X-Men.” He wasn’t sure if her geek was strong in the comics way, but he hoped so. Otherwise, he would have to explain how very bad that had been.
“So that was my last few days.”
***
“Rogue?” No, Molly’s geek cred didn’t go anywhere near as far as Harry’s. “What or who is a Rogue?” She pulled out the burgers, fries and onion rings to arrange on the table. “And what did Thomas do?”
She said it kind of casually, but if Thomas’ Hunger was showing they may have to lock him down.
***
“She is a mutant human with the ability to absorb other people’s powers and life force. Thomas was hitting on her, doing this thing, so when she and Thomas, both obviously drunk, touched, they created a feedback loop as she absorbed his Hunger, and I had to use Air to separate them, then use everything I have thought of to counter Thomas’s powers in order to stop that from becoming a total club kill.”
***
The more Harry went on the more astonished...and worried...Molly became. The Rag Lady was looking through her eyes as she stood there in her work clothes, a cup of Diet Pepsi in her hand.
“What was he doing in a club hitting on someone, Harry?” She asked that quietly, but there was that deadly edge to her voice that had been more pronounced back in Chicago.
***
Harry shook his head. “I think… based on a glimpse I got back when I was temporarily not in my body, that it’s part of what he and Justine do, to keep being able to be together. They invite… a third in, sometimes.” He would not have told anyone but Molly this, but he trusted her.
“Thomas just didn’t realize how dangerous that could be here, I think. I’m going to have an extended talk with him and Justine sometime soon. See if I can fill them both in on some of the not-so-fictional dangers that are here in this place.”
He sighed. “He’ll be okay. The only upside was that he was without Hunger, at all, for a brief time. Another thing I have to check on, to make sure that didn’t do any damage.”
***
Molly frowned. She knew about Thomas and Justine’s...problems. It was sad, really. Molly wasn’t without sympathy. But she hoped whoever they got to participate in their shenanigans knew what they were getting into. No matter what, Thomas needed to feed.
She knew from experience that Harry wouldn’t listen to any harsh realities about it. Her frown was turned to the dinner she’d brought. “So I wonder if they have a Madison Valley baseball team.”
***
Harry was already aware and plotting countermeasures. And would be approaching Thomas and Molly soon about something even more final to do for the problem.
He snerked at her changing of the subject. “No idea. I’m way too busy these days to even try that. How’s Barry?”
***
Molly had ideas of her own. Briar had reminded her that she still had all of the street experience she needed to keep an eye on things covertly. Hell, a good veil and Thomas wouldn’t even know she was there.
Asking about Barry brought a smile back to her face, though. “Goofy. Sweet. Wonderful.” But her smile hesitated. “Completely naive about magic. He gave Constantine a vial of his blood.” She didn’t know Harry knew about that.
***
Harry grinned as he saw her smile and nodded. “Good. I’m glad you’re happy.” And he nodded again, one hand held out to her. “I know. I’m looking into how to help, how to… counter anything that might happen.”
He blew out a breath. “There are ways to deal with it.”
***
That hard look was in Molly’s eyes again, but she didn’t look at Harry. “Yeah. There are.” Rag Lady ways. Someone was messing with someone close to her, someone she loved. Someone she could never have back home. Someone was going to be in a world of pain if she had her way.
***
“You and I should sit down sometime soon and see if we can combine strengths. I also want to show you the lab, and give you this.” And he held out a single silver key that shimmered in the clear lights.
“A key to the lab, for your spellcasting ritual needs.”
***
Molly wasn’t so sure Harry would appreciate her methods in dealing with problems, but she hadn’t come here to argue. Fortunately, the key thing distracted her. She looked up at Harry, her brows raised then a small, sweet smile came to her face.
“Thanks, Harry.” She took the key almost reverently then tucked it away. “Now if only Bob would show up.”
***
“You know, right about now, I would welcome his crazy style and definitely his help. Heck, the whole damn crew would be welcome.” The Alphas, Karrin, Butters, and the Carpenter clan… all of them.
“IN the meantime, we’ll have to make do.” And his grin has teeth in it as he looks at her. “Now give me some of that food, oh mighty one.”
***
“Even Murphy?” Molly had that amused disbelief look on her face. Harry was supposedly dating someone here. Back home he and Murphy had even more tension than ever she and Harry did. If the ex-cop lady showed up things would get really weird really fast.
***
Harry chuckled. “Even Murphy. She grows on you.” Even if it would complicate his life. He missed Karrin damn it. She kicked up his game and pushed him like no one else did. He’d deal with the trouble that came with it if he had to.
“She’s worth it.”
***
Molly’s smirk melted into a smile that she hid by looking at her fries. Harry and Murphy were perfect for each other and totally should have crossed that line they’d drawn a long time ago.
“Well I’m glad my mom’s not here. Or Daniel.” She wouldn’t mind seeing her dad, though.
***
Harry nodded. “You might be right. This whole place might self-destruct if they were there.” He smield softly, then nodded.
“For now, we’ll see if we can make a dent on this odd little town. There are cookies, by the way, in the fridge.” Yes, he switched thoughts that fast.