She wakes up in his bed, pressed against his chest, comfortable and warm, and she wonders whether or not she deserves this or him. The light shifts through the windows, turning his hair a bright dirty blonde, warming up the room just enough. Sleepily, Molly tugs the covers up, not minding the grip he has on her or how stiff her toes are. All this time out here, and she was still running a little too cold for her liking.

All in all, the morning was still and bright. And all she had, at the moment, was Adam and herself. And right now, she couldn’t help but think about everything that’d happened recently. Second chances weren’t really her forte in life. Not with other people, and not really where it counted for her. At least… until now. Boston, strange as it was like everything else that happened in this city, seemed to be able to give them to her more and more lately. Even if some of those second chances, she’d manipulated for herself.

This, though, being here was entirely not something she’d planned on or done herself. Adam had found her (however messily) on his own, and things could have stayed as they were. They could have argued, they could have never spoken to each other at all, they could have just went on like usual and it hadn’t.

Her fingers trace the stubble on his face as she considers it, and turns over what Madelyne had left for her. She was such a meddler, sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. Molly hadn’t liked waking up to that note from her and she sure as hell hadn’t been really happy to see that email, welcoming her to the Toy Drive. She had lingered over it for days, unsure of what to do.

Yet.

She still had asked Lainey about it. She still had sincerely gone to her as if Lainey truly was the sister she wanted, and she still had dutifully shown up to get the materials, and had even gotten some of the staff at the casino involved. She’d still smiled at the man who didn’t even know she’d gotten half of herself from him.

That wasn’t even including the snippets of memory from Thanksgiving. Even now, as much as she painfully understood that she shouldn’t have done it, she savored every bit of memory she had of being in the Fenwick house, poring over photos, mingling among them, belonging. Not even the haze of missed time around them could keep that sensation from her. Madelyne didn’t even have to, and they both knew she’d done it more to make Jean uncomfortable.

It still counted. It still mattered especially now. There were only days left until December and the closer she got, the lonelier she felt. Maybe she’d understood that.

Maybe not.

Whether Madelyne understood or not, Molly had progressed because of that stupid meddler, and it felt strange to have things work out for once. It occurred to her that she should thank Madelyne some time, in a way that didn’t let her ego get too big. She couldn’t stand to let her think that this was something she could always get away with; but for once, she could show her gratitude. How, was an entirely different line of thought that she was too tired to pursue.

For now, her body was still exhausted from the night before, and Adam’s shoulder too comfortable for her to focus on. In no time, she’s fallen back asleep, resting easy for the first, and possibly last, time in weeks.