FicWad

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." Molly sang from the living room of her apartment. Looking outside at the rainy weather of Los Angeles she shrugged and turned to go into the kitchen.
"Baby?" Rick asked from his place at the table where he was reading the newspaper.
"yea?"
"Could you grab me a beer?"
"...sure." Molly quickly opened the fridge and thrust the bottle at her husband before continuing onto their bedroom. Closing the door behind herself Molly walked over to the bed and sat down frustrated. Laying down she closed her eyes and tried to take a nap.
Twenty minutes later she was still wide awake.
"Damnit." She yelled.
"You ok?" Rick yelled back from the kitchen.
"huh?" Molly thought for a second before realizing how loud she had yelled. "Yea I'm fine." She yelled back. "I'm just frustrated beyond all belief and something is bugging me. Oh and its two weeks before Christmas and its pouring out instead of snowing. I'm great." Molly grumbled as she stomped around her room picking up Rick's laundry from work.
Molly stared as the bathroom door slammed shut in her face. Reaching out a hand she touched the door softly and reverently with the same hand that she had just used to slap the boy she wanted so despretely to hold her. Sighing in acceptance she turned and walked out of the bedroom. Grabbing her flip flops on the way downstairs Molly walked out of the Stumph residence and headed home.
"You are an idiot O'Con....Jackson. You're an idiot. You had the best thing in the world and you threw it away."
Molly walked down the street and as she reached her house she stopped fairly surprised to see Pete's car out front. Walking up the front walk she opened the door to her house and looked around.
"Mom?" She called.
"In the kitchen Molly." Molly walked past the living room and into the kitchen to see her mother and Pete sitting and drinking coffee together. A few seconds later Molly was being spun around and squeezed for all that she was worth.
"If you ever do that to me again I will kill you myself." Pete said as he placed her back on her feet.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to hang out. Let's chat." Pete grabbed Molly's hand and proceeded to drag her in the direction of the back stairs.

Once the two friends had reached Molly's attic bedroom they sat down on the futon. Pete stretched out and put his head in her lap.
"You smell like Patrick." he stated randomly after they had sat in comfortable silence for almost ten minutes.
"I WHAT?!"
"You heard me. Molly, I love you like a sister. But I'm on his side in this. Stay away from him until you figure out what the fuck is going on in your head." Pete stated firmly gazing up at her from underneath his lashes. Molly stood up abruptly causing Pete's hand to shoot out so he didn't land on his head on her floor.
"Who are you to judge me? Mr. Hey I Feel A Little Blue What Does That Pill Do. Just 'cause its a prescription doesn't mean shit ya know."
"I'm not the one who married my jailer."
"Get out. All of you so high and mighty. Get out."
"Alright. Call me when the pod person leaves." Pete got up and shaking his head walked down the stairs.
"Yea. Idiot." Sighing Molly opened the bedroom door and walked back down the hallway. Stopping in the kitchen she set the laundry basket down.
"Hey Rick?"
"Yea?"
"Would you mind starting dinner so I can go and get this laundry thrown in."
"Uhh...yea. Sure. What've we got?"
"Chicken cutlets and pasta for tonight. I just need to you put egg and bread crumbs on the chicken. I'll be back up in about ten minutes or so."
"Yea, Ok babe." Molly rolled her eyes and walked out of the apartment and headed down to the basement where the washing machine was knowing that when she got back upstairs dinner wouldn't have been started.
"Mom?" Molly asked quietly poking her head into the living room where her mother was sitting smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of coffee.
"Hey hun. Come on in. You want one?" Her mother asked holding out the pack.
"Nah...I quit. again."
"That's good to hear. Unhealthy habit."
"Yea...I've got enough of those as it is right?"
"Don't talk down about yourself Molly. I won't pretend that I was the perfect mother while you were growing up but I think I did enough that you wouldn't have turned out like this."
"Like what?"
"You've lost every ounce of class I tried to instill into you. And no I don't mean regarding money. Class has nothing to do with money. I'm not mad at you. I'm sad."
"Me too." Molly said softly. "I'm sorry Mommy." At those words Molly's voice broke and the tears started falling. Leaning over her mother gathered her in her arms and rocked her back and forth rubbing her back and softly cooing to her.
"Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra...too-ra-lo-ra-li....too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra...hush sweet darling don't you cry..." Molly drifted off to sleep one last time with her mother singing her favorite lullaby from when she was a baby to her.
"Rick, I'm back. Did you start that food?" Molly walked into the apartment and looked around. "Rick?"
"I'm in the bedroom!" She finally heard called back at her. Shrugging Molly walked into the kitchen and was surprised to actually find ready to be thrown into a frying pan chicken.
"huh? Will wonders never cease."
"Oh..Molly." Molly glanced up as Rick walked into the kitchen, "your brother called while you were downstairs. He said to call him back as soon as you get in."
"Which one?"
"The big one." He said before grabbing an apple and walking back to the bedroom.
"The big one. That's a big help." Molly mumbled as she picked up the portable phone and dialed her brother's cell phone. Three rings later Sean's normally obnoxious voice softly answered the phone.
"Sean?" Molly questioned at first wondering if she had dialed the right number.
"Hey Molly."
"What's wrong kid? You sound exhausted."
"Yea...you need to come home."
"Sean, we got into this last month. I can't afford to fly home and Dad won't pay for it. I mean if you can get Mom to send me the mon"
"Mom's dead." Sean shot into the middle of her sentence. At his word's Molly's world seemed to slow down, the glass she had been about to place in the cabinet fell from her hand and shattered against the floor.
"What?" She managed to choke out.
"Two days ago. Dad found her in the bedroom. Empty bottles all around her." Molly slowly eased herself into a kitchen chair as Sean told her exactly what had happened. Their parents had argued the night he came home from school. Dad had finally said the word "divorce" and then he left. The next morning he came home and when he went upstairs he found her. "He's a wreck Mol."
"Yea...I'd bet. How's Jamie?"
"He isn't talking to really anyone. He's just old enough to process what's going on but not totally understand it."
"Thank you Doctor Phil. Do you have my flight info?"
"Yea, I have you booked out of LAX tonight at ten, its a direct flight. You should be in O'Hare around one-ish. I'll pick you up."
"Ok....wait, what about Rick?"
"Dad said he isn't welcome. Listen Molly. I'm not in the mood for a fight."
"No...me either. Love you Sean."
"Love you too." Molly clicked the phone off and set it down on the kitchen table. Bracing her hands on the table top for a second Molly took a couple of deep breaths before it all hit. Next thing she was rushing down the hallway and vomiting into the toilet. She felt large hands pull her once again short dark hair back. Once her stomach had settled again Molly sat back and flushed.
"Are you ok?" Rick asked concerned.
"My Mom's gone."
"Where?"
"Gone. as in dead gone gone."
"Oh...." He trailed off with a tone that screamed he had no idea what to say, wife or not.
"I have to go." Molly said frantically pushing Rick away and standing up. Walking into their bedroom she grabbed a duffle bag and started throwing random clothing into it.
"Molly" Rick said, "Molly....MOLLY!" Rick finally grabbed her arms and spun her around to face him. "First you need to calm down."
"Ugh, I hate when you're right." She muttered and took a deep breath. Closing her eyes for a second she felt the duffle be removed from her hands and Rick walked her over to the bed and sat her down.
"Now. What time is our flight?"
"You're not coming. It's at 10 out of LAX."
"I'm...excuse me what?"
"Dad said you aren't welcome." Molly knew at that second that she had said the wrong thing as her face snapped around at the force of his blow. Standing up Molly began to pack again this time less frantically.
"So now you're just going to ignore me?"
"This time. Yes. In fact, if you're in my apartment when I get back from Chicago I won't be ignoring you anymore. I'll call the cops." Molly glared at Rick with a fire he hadn't ever seen from her. "Now leave."
"Whatever." He muttered and walked out. Once Molly heard the front door of the apartment close she walked into the bathroom and grabbed a bottle she hadn't used in weeks. Shaking two Xanax out into her hand she swallowed them with a glass of water and sat down on the toilet seat for a few minutes. Ten minutes later once her heart had stopped racing from the shock of the news she had recieved Molly stood up and much calmer went about finishing her packing.
An hour later Molly walked around her apartment making sure she had everything she needed. Double checking she had a suit to wear for the wake and funeral she grabbed her suitcase and garment bag and opened the front door to go downstairs to the waiting cab. Pausing in the doorway, she turned and walked back into the kitchen. Reaching over to her left hand she slipped off two rings and dropped them in Rick's ashtray. Nodding to herself she walked out of the apartment and downstairs.
Opening the backdoor of the waiting cab Molly instructed the driver, "LAX please. I have a ten o'clock flight."
"Right away miss."
"Thank you."
"So...miss if you don't mind me asking, where are you headed?"
"I don't mind. I'm actually going home."

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A/N: Title is from Believe by Hanson. (my favorite Hanson song ever probably)