By Dany
Rated R
Summary: Sequel to "Ninjas and heroes". After her return from the Tibetan monastery, Molly and Shane have some unfinished business to attend to…
He stood in the exact same spot as he had ten and a half months ago, staring out through the panoramic window onto the tarmac where the planes were busily taxiing between the runways and the gates. The last time he was here his heart had been so heavy, his soul torn by the gut-wrenching goodbye from her. But not today. Today she was coming back.
Shane shifted from one foot to the other impatiently, watching as the boarding bridge latched on to the Delta jet that had just come to a stop at the gate. His hand came up, fingering the familiar white pendant around his neck. The day after they had sealed the Abyss of Evil over Lothor and the Wind and Thunder academies were restored, he had sought out Molly's best friend Carmen. Over lunch, he had revealed Molly's current whereabouts to her, as well as the circumstances behind it. The Earth ninja was elated, yet didn't seem surprised by the tale of Molly's elemental power feats; apparently, she had more confidence in her best friend's psychic talents than Molly herself ever had. He had handed her the keys to their Honda, but before he could take off Molly's necklace, Carmen had stopped him.
'Keep it,' she had said. 'I have a feeling that Molly would want you to wear it. Besides, it looks good on you.' He hadn't taken it off since.
His gaze now flickered to the other people that were beginning to cluster around the arrival doorway; mostly Asians – this was a flight from Tibet, after all - waiting for family and friends to depart the plane. Many of them were craning their necks, trying to catch glimpses of the approaching passengers with excited expressions on their faces, but no one in the entire room was more eager than Shane. Some of the waiting children bore small gifts: flowers, Mylar balloons with 'Welcome' printed on them; Shane had nothing. He had been so focused on getting to the airport on time that it had completely slipped his mind to get her a welcome present. He was just about to berate himself about that when he suddenly saw her.
Molly looked a bit different; her dark-blonde hair, which had been long to begin with, was now even longer, her previously short bangs had grown out, and her face and neck were tanned to a golden brown; obviously she had spent a lot of the past ten months outdoors. With a small smile he remembered several of her e-mails in which she had, with a distinct undertone of exasperation, described all the daily chores she had been given by the monks. Lots of those must have been outside of the monastery.
Shane took a step forward at the same time as Molly's head turned while she stepped through the arrival doors. They locked eyes and for a moment time seemed to stand still until she suddenly cried out, dropped her backpack and threw herself into his arms with such unadulterated joy that his knees grew weak. He hugged her back fiercely, her contagious laughter making him laugh right along with her. He spun her around once, burying his face in the side of her neck, breathing in her scent while he sent a quick, silent thank you to the spirits above for returning her safely. Long moments passed as they hugged by the side of the arrival doors, oblivious to the stream of passengers walking by.
On the way to the airport, Shane's mind had raced with all the things he wanted to tell her, but now, at the feel of her in his arms, his brain drew a blank. All he could say was, "Welcome home."
Molly drew back a little bit, beaming up at him. "And it's so good to be back."
He drank in the sight of her. She had definitely changed, but the biggest difference about her was not so much visible as it was palpable. There were a few hints, of course; she had walked through the arrival gate with a more distinct buoyancy, her head held up high, but it was in her eyes that he now saw the most profound change. The girl who had, less than a year ago, called herself a freak with alarming conviction, was gone. In her place was a young woman who had learned new things about herself that seemed to have changed the very bedrock of her mind. Those two celadon windows of her soul now looked back at him with a confidence that had not been there before. An aura of new power was surrounding her and she carried it with quiet dignity.
He was happy to see that she finally seemed to be at peace with the person she was, and, most importantly, the person she had been.
He leaned forward and kissed those lips he had been missing for the past ten months. And judging from the vehemence with which Molly kissed him back, she must have missed his as well.
Homecoming…They took a taxi back into the city, chatting the entire way. Once in Blue Bar Harbor, they found themselves a secluded spot from where they ninja-streaked the rest of the way to the Wind Academy.
Although she already knew of the restored schools from Shane's e-mails, Molly nevertheless gasped in delight at the sight of the familiar buildings and the small, scattered groups of color-coded ninja students practicing katas and elemental techniques or sparring with each other. It was a sight she had been longing to see for more than a year and it filled her with immeasurable gratitude for the man standing next to her. Mere words, however, couldn't possibly describe the feeling that swelled up inside her, so she simply beamed at him, conveying her feelings through looks. Shane seemed to understand, for he simply smiled back at her, squeezing her hand. "Come on, I'll show you to your room. Sensei has already assigned you one in the teacher's dorm. Our rooms aren't far from each other." They began walking towards the cluster of stone buildings and Shane couldn't help himself. An impish grin spread across his face. "Matter of fact, you are right under me."
Molly didn't miss a beat. "That's a good place to be."
Shane almost stopped walking, his grin turning into an abashed smirk at the not-so-subtle dual meaning of her words. He shot her a side-glance, but Molly deliberately ignored him as she steadfastly walked on, the tiny smile that lifted the corners of her mouth the only sign of her amusement.
Her room was at the end of the hall on the ground floor of the teacher's building. Stale, warm air greeted them as soon as they walked in the door. The mattress of the full-size bed as well as a small sofa in the corner were covered with cloths and the rest of the Spartan furnishings – a dark wood desk, dresser and nightstand – were all academy issued. Shane gave her an almost apologetic look. "I know it's not much, but…"
But Molly was already scanning the small, murky room, her smile never wavering. "Are you kidding? I love it! Finally, my own four walls."
She went to open the window, then dropped her bag onto the bed and took out several old-fashioned rice paper scrolls and a cloth bag tied with a leather cord.
"Gifts from Sensei Xiang for Sensei Watanabe," she explained at Shane's questioning gaze. She held up the cloth bag. "Tibetan white tea, grown right on the monastery grounds. Very rare."
"Ah," was all the non-tea-drinker in Shane had to say and Molly grinned.
"I had this stuff every day and it made me yearn for Starbucks like you wouldn't believe."
"I bet." Shane laughed softly. "We'll just have to get us some Grande Vanilla Lattes in the city first thing in the morning, then."
Molly let out a mock-ecstatic groan. "Oh god, yes!"
They smiled at each other until Shane reluctantly tore his eyes away, redirecting them to his wristwatch. "Aw man, I gotta go and change, I have a class to teach in fifteen minutes," he said ruefully and Molly nodded.
"Okay, I want to go see Sensei anyway, bring him these gifts and talk to him about the teaching position. I'm sure he would want me to start as soon as possible."
A sudden picture of her in her teacher's robes came into Shane's mind and he smiled at the mental image. "You're probably gonna find him at his meditation pagoda. It's been his favorite spot since the restoration."
"Been his favorite spot before then as well." Molly put the gifts down and took a step closer to him, her expression hopeful. "I'll see you later, then?"
Shane ran the back of his fingers down her cheek. "How about dinner? Somewhere off-site?"
"Sounds great!"
Her genuine smile warmed him more than the hot June air that came through the open window. "I'll pick you up around seven or so."
He kissed her, but it was hardly more than a peck on the lips this time, for he was acutely aware of the fact that they were alone in a closed room with a bed way too near for comfort. Anything more than this fleeting touch of their lips would definitely make him late for class. Very late.
Molly must have either sensed this or was experiencing a similar reaction, for she was just as contained as she mumbled, "All right."
He backed out of the room and Molly could still feel the psychic electricity crackling even after the door had fallen shut behind him.
TBC…