Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters all belong to J. K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit will be made from this story.
A./N.: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARAH!!!!!!!!!!!! This is all for you as a birthday present. Enjoy!!
Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures
Operation Molly Is Set In Motion
Molly stood at the stove in the new Headquarters and stirred the soup ferociously into a light froth. She was beyond frustrated with her husband and his behaviour lately. She understood that he wanted to get to know his daughter. She understood that he felt bad about the fact that Minerva had raised their daughter all alone and wanted to somehow make up for that.
But she resented it for it as well. She was jealous and wanted her husband for herself again. Feeling anger well up in her again, she stirred harder, spilling some of the soup over the stove.
She still loved him but the thought of 'sharing' him with another woman was driving her up the wall. She would NOT go down without a fight!
----
Arthur walked casually towards Minerva. Ok, the casualness was only a front but he prided himself on it. Minerva couldn't possibly guess that she still intimidated him as if he were 11 years old. Stopping next to where she sat at the desk in the library, he looked out the window, rocking slightly on his feet.
Minerva bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Arthur was obviously up to something. He had never been good at hiding his thoughts and feelings ... something he had given on to his children. She patiently waited for him to start, though.
After a while he watched her cautiously out of the corner of his eye and then gave himself a push.
"Minerva, I need to talk to you," he began, turning around to her.
Minerva sighed in relief that he had finally decided to tackle whatever was bothering him. Putting her feather down, she straightened her back and turned to him as well, looking up expectantly. Highly amused she watched Arthur squirm before her.
"Yes, Arthur, what is it?" she asked softly, radiating sincerity and calm.
"I need you to understand that I love Molly," he spoke rapidly. "You will never ..."
"Of course I won't!" interrupted Minerva loudly. "I never wanted to interfere with your marriage ... that is why I never told you about Sarah. I know you could never love me and that I could never love you like Molly does." She smiled softly at him and reached up to touch his cheek gently. "You are still the big boy you were back then but now you have to toughen up and get your girl back."
Arthur grinned boyishly at her and nodded enthusiastically. Before she could say more he brushed his lips against her cheek in a chaste, childish kiss and breezed out of the room.
----
After dinner Molly was staring into the fire in the living room silently, her breath and the crackling of the woods the only noises in the room. She wondered what he was doing upstairs, but then her thoughts were interrupted by a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head and smiled at the sight of Arthur covering her body with a warm, white wool blanket.
"I don't want you to get sick," he said, sitting down in the armchair across from her.
"Come here," she said, motioning for him to join her under the blanket.
He got up immediately, kicked off his shoes and sat down on the couch next to her. Gently he placed his arm across the back of the couch and rested it on her shoulders, ready to withdraw should she show any sign of discomfort. Instead Molly scooted over to him and placed the blanket across his lap as well.
"I don't want you to get sick," she whispered, leaning her head on his chest, her back secured by his left arm.
"Molly?" he asked tentatively, breaking a long moment of silence.
"Yes," she responded against his chest.
"I'm sorry for having hurt you. I acted like a fool. I underestimated you, letting you in a corner. I put my job first, asking you to be there every time I needed you. I understood only few weeks ago why you are so distant lately. It wasn't because of my job, it was because of Sarah. You had been scared by the possibility of losing me to her and Minerva. I made a horrible mistake to cut you out of my life. I should have consulted with you instead of building a wall between us. I'm sorry for having put you so down. I'm sorry for Minerva and our ... fling. I never thought you would find out about that, and it never entered my mind that by meeting her I was hurting you and betraying you. I'm sorry for everything, Molly. For not having been there when you needed me. I'm sorry I hadn't been the husband you needed," he said with a shaking voice.
His eyes shone with unshed tears and his arms had involuntarily tightened around her. He had poured his heart out to her and it felt right. Suddenly he became painfully aware that he should have done that a long time ago. The latest when they had found out about Sarah.
By the time he stopped speaking Molly sat up lightly to face him. All that she saw were his regrets and his pure love for her.
"I'm sorry too, Arthur. I should have talked to you, to let you know how I felt," she said, looking deeply into his eyes.
"No, Molly, you had been wonderful with me. Always," he cut her off, cupping her cheeks in his hands.
Molly leaned closer and kissed his mouth gently. Tentatively Arthur returned the kiss, never forcing her to do something she wasn't ready to.
"There is something I want you to know, Arthur. Something that I have done," she said, pulling away from his embrace and standing up.
She walked towards the fireplace, her body illuminated by the orange light of the fire. Arthur understood that she felt unable to face him and felt his heart sink into his shoes. What could she possibly tell him that's so horrible?
"A couple of months before our wedding I went to London to buy my wedding dress. And this man asked me if he could sit in the armchair next to mine. I agreed and then we started talking. He was nice and polite. He invited me to join him for dinner and I accepted. When he walked me to the train station, he tried to kiss me. I felt bad. Seconds before his mouth touched mine, I pulled away. I ran so fast that I didn't even notice that one of my heels had broken. I took the first taxi I found and I came back," she told him haltingly, looking the entire time at the fireplace, the fire burning into her lenses.
Arthur had listened to her silently, afraid she could have confessed that another man had made love to her. But when she said she ran away before he could kiss her, he breathed in relief and stoop up. He walked towards her and put his arms around her waist gently.
"Why did you run away?" he whispered in her right ear.
It wasn't the reaction she had expected from him.
"Because I realized that he wasn't you. You're the only one allowed to kiss me and you always will. I loved you with all my heart back then and I still love you just as fiercely," she responded, turning around in his embrace.
Arthur bent down slowly, enjoying the feel of her warm breath against his face, and kissed her deeply. Their hands moved up and down each other's backs, while their kiss grew more and more passionate. Molly pulled away unwillingly, her need for air too urgent to resist.
"I love you, Arthur," she whispered against his mouth.
"I love you too, Molly," he responded, hugging her tightly.
They walked back to the couch and sat down. Arthur leaned into the soft material of the couch and Molly leaned into the warmth of her husband's body.
"Arthur?" she asked softly, looking down at him.
"Mmmhh?" he responded, covering them with the blanket again and tucking it in at her hip.
"I don't want us to go back to our usual routine," she admitted quietly.
"Me neither," he agreed.
"So what do you suggest?" she asked hesitantly, not being able to come up with a solution herself.
"I want to court you, Molly, to make you fall in love with me again," he responded, caressing her cheek lovingly.
"I'm still in love with you, Arthur," she said confused.
"I know that ... well, I hoped that. I'm still in love with you, too, but I want to be sure you're ready to take me back into your life. I don't want to force you into anything you're not ready for. I want to show you that I'm changed and that I care a lot about you," he explained sincerely.
"Are you asking me to date you?" she asked, fighting the happy tears in her eyes.
"Exactly," he said, his tears mirroring hers, "I want you to let me come back into your life slowly."
"Oh, Arthur, that's so sweet," she whispered and then buried her face in the crook of his neck.
He cuddled her gently, his chin on top of her head.
"Arthur?" she called some time later.
"Uhmm?" he mumbled.
"Do you really want to court me?" she asked.
"Not only court you. I want to ravish your heart slowly and secretly," he responded mischievously.
"Secretly?" she asked puzzled.
"You'll seeā¦" he managed to say before pulling her down for another passionate kiss.
