Disclaimer: I do not own Batman and make no profit from this fiction!
Molly looked up from her weary stance on the folding chair and rubbed her eyes. She'd been at the police station for two hours already and they still weren't any closer to letting her go, from what she could tell. They seemed to see this encounter as their big chance to finally take down one of the gangs in the city and they weren't convinced she couldn't remember anything about the thugs she'd spied across the street.
"Well, Ms. Weil, can I get you anything?" a friendly and sympathetic female officer asked her, taking a seat across from her.
"A cab," she replied stiffly, then sighed. "I have school tomorrow. Can't you let me go?"
The woman shook her head and shrugged apologetically. "I'm really sorry- it's orders."
"What's the problem? I'm not guilty of anything-"
"Look, Ms. Weil. It's not unusual in cases like this for witnesses to deny seeing anything- especially living in the neighborhood, like you do. I'm sure you see our dilemma."
Molly raised an eyebrow and dropped her head into her hands again, resisting the urge to burst into tears. This was ridiculous. They thought she was withholding information?
"Lieutenant, if I had seen anything other than what I already described, I would tell you- you have my word! I may live there, but I'm a teacher. These gangs take the lives of my students every year- and the lives of my friends before that. Do you honestly think I would withhold information that could be crucial to you catching these criminals and putting them out of business? It's one of my fondest hopes! God! Are you all insane?"
The woman bristled and stood up. "Let me know if you want some coffee. I'll be right over there," she pointed, then walked away.
Molly felt hysterical laughter bubble up and closed her eyes, willing herself to stay sane. Then she sat up and back, leaning her head against the ugly green wall of the station. Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. Eleven-forty-five. If they didn't let her go soon, she was calling a lawyer. She pulled out her cell phone and checked it again. No more messages. She wondered if her gran had gotten to sleep okay. Molly usually called her after she got home from work, but tonight had been such a mess and now it was so late- besides, the woman would just worry if she got a phone call now, especially from the station. She thought back over the events of the evening: first she'd ridden with Rob's body to the hospital, where they'd insisted she get checked out. Then it was to the police station, where they'd interviewed her for forty minutes and when it was clear she knew nothing- or said she did- that was when they'd put her in this chair and made excuses about paperwork and her safety.
Not that she cared about her safety. She knew it would be dangerous for her to go back to work and her apartment- she wasn't an idiot. After all, the gang had been worried enough that Rob would be able to identify them that they'd shot him in cold blood. And by the time this blurb hit the papers everyone would know who was with him…and Molly was not exactly a little known figure in her community. But running away wouldn't solve anything, either. It would only give the gang more power over her- not to mention be disastrous for her students. She yawned and looked at the phone again. They'd let her keep it, but insisted she not call anyone. What was the point in that? She shook her head and leaned it back again, closing her eyes. Maybe she should try to sleep. It was better than sitting there and going stir crazy.
Commissioner Gordon looked up as one of his sergeants knocked on the door of his office. "What is it?"
"Hey, can't we let that poor woman go? She really doesn't know anything, boss. It was dark and she was frightened. We can't hold her here without a reason."
Gordon ran a hand through his hair, troubled. "I know that. And I don't believe she knows more than what she's said, either, but it's too dangerous to send her back. Any luck finding a safe house?"
"No- our last two were exposed within a week of setting them up. And honestly, none of us have room- besides, as officers we'd immediately be suspected of harboring her. Honestly? And we can't convince her to leave Gotham- not to mention that the gang we suspect in the shooting tonight has active branches in most of the surrounding states."
"And her information isn't valuable enough to warrant spending any money on her protection. I get it, I get it. So what we're left with is keeping her name out of the papers and hoping for the best."
"Want me to work on it?"
"Yeah. Look, I'll talk to her myself. Send her up here, alright?"
"Why are you so invested in this?"
"Why don't you stop asking questions and get moving?"
The sergeant in question nodded and left immediately, somewhat chagrinned. A few minutes later, Gordon looked up from his paperwork to see her standing in his doorway, one of his lieutenants escorting her. The woman gestured for Molly to enter and then left again, shutting the door behind her.
Molly walked forward and took a seat in front of his desk. He looked at her seriously.
"Molly, I'm very worried."
"Commissioner, I don't know anything-" she began, but stopped short when he smiled gently at her.
"That's not what concerns me. What am I going to tell James when his favorite teacher winds up dead?"
Molly paled. "I'm not going to die, Commissioner."
"You might- you could have easily been the one shot tonight. Is that what you want for your kids? For the school system?"
"You're being ridiculous," she protested.
"Am I? Everyone knows you in that neighborhood. How many people knew you and Mr. Hardy walked home together? See, even if we manage to keep this out of the papers, people will figure it out. They'll put two and two together. So tell me what I'm supposed to do with you."
"Let me go home," she replied firmly. "No, I'm serious. I love my job. I love my kids. But I won't hide in fear for my life."
"Aren't you afraid?"
"Of course I am!" she snapped. "But it doesn't change anything."
"Come on. Can't you take a vacation for a few weeks, until we get this cleared up?"
"It's going to take longer than a few weeks to bring down a gang. And in the meantime, who's teaching my classes? Huh? We don't have enough regular teachers, let alone substitutes. Some of our permanent staff don't even have Bachelor's degrees! Commissioner, you have to let me go. Or else I'm calling a lawyer."
Jim Gordon sat back in his seat, as determined and upset as the woman sitting before him. "Molly-"
"Don't Molly me, just because Barbara used to baby-sit me. I'm not a little girl anymore. I understand the way my neighborhood and street law works as well as any of your cops. Now tell me what you're going to do. I know exactly one lawyer I trust and it's past her bedtime. So make a decision, fast."
Batman rode his cycle hard and fast down the streets after leaving Molly in the safe hands of the EMTs. He knew he wouldn't have much luck tracking down the thugs tonight and Gordon's men would do a fine job collecting evidence and processing it, so he was headed out of the city and back to the mansion. He wanted to start compiling his own evidence while it was still fresh in his mind. There were a few things about the scene that didn't add up. For instance, while he'd been listening in for Molly, he'd detected what could only have been the voices of the gang members as well, only they weren't all speaking English. And unless one of the Slavic languages was being taught in the local schools, he doubted it was a coincidence that the Russian mob had also been trying to set up shop in Gotham at the same time a gang member picked up the mother tongue. Besides, focusing on work would keep him from thinking about the accusatory glare on Molly's face. He hadn't succeeded in coming to her rescue that night- he'd arrived too late for that. Too late to help, to save that young man- her coworker, or something more? Too late to save her the agony of watching someone she cared for die…
He floored it and roared into the cave minutes later, making the trip in record time. The bike skidded to a stop and he jumped off it, ripping off his cowl. He stood still for a moment and let the cool air of the cave breeze across his face, calming him. He brought a gloved hand to his head and brushed his hair away from his face. So what was he supposed to do about Molly now? He wasn't sure he could face her after failing her- not that she needed or wanted a hero, she'd made that pretty clear. She'd reminded him so much of Rachel at that moment it made his heart ache all over again. But she'd been right. What could he do for her? Nothing. If Batman wanted her respect and gratitude he'd stop the atrocities of gang war that ravaged Gotham's youth. He'd stop the system that created criminals like Joker. And Bruce? What would he have to do? She didn't want anything for herself- she cared about one thing and that was giving the children she worked with a chance at life. And tonight she'd lost one of the valuable tools she needed to do that in her friend and colleague.
Despite the current balance in his life, he suddenly felt more torn than he had in years. After the loss of Rachel he'd sworn he wouldn't let that kind of unjust terror grip such an innocent and righteous life again, yet here he was. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and tried to center himself, to focus on the sounds of the cave: the quiet, the distant flapping of a bat's wings, the light rush of water somewhere in the crevices of rock…there was a footfall behind him and he turned around.
"Alfred," he said in surprise.
"It's fortunate you've just returned. There's a phone call for you."
Bruce's eyes darted to the clock and he looked back at Alfred. "Did I forget about a party?" he asked wryly.
"No, Master Bruce. It's from Superintendent Grace of Gotham Public. He apologizes and says it's urgent, but that it's about Miss Weil and he wasn't sure who to call."
Bruce immediately moved past Alfred, shedding layers of the bat suit as he walked and stepped into the elevator. Alfred followed him, holding out shirt and pair of slacks.
"I thought you might need these, Sir."
Bruce smiled and took them, slipping them on as he hit the button to take them back up. "You think of everything."
"I try, Sir. Shall I make some coffee?"
"No, that's alright. How long has he been on hold?"
"Just a few minutes, since I heard you come in."
"I'll get it in my office."
Bruce shot out of the elevator as soon as they reached the top and took the stairs two at a time. He was in his study in a flash, picking up the receiver and schooling his socialite voice back to its calm, laid-back state.
"Superintendent! What can I do for you?" It wasn't totally unexpected to receive a call from the man- he'd been a guest at the event Sunday evening, after all, and the man had been the one to suggest Molly's name to Alfred as a guest.
Still, the man sounded a little abashed and began to apologize. "Mr. Wayne, I'm very sorry to be calling you so late, but your butler said you were still up…"
"Nonsense. What is this about?"
"It's a long story, but it's about Ms. Weil. She's at police headquarters- there was a shooting, I understand, and she was present when one of our teachers was killed. Well, I received a call from Commissioner Gordon not too long ago asking if I knew of anyone who might take her in-"
"Why? Is there something wrong with her apartment?" Bruce wondered why Gordon was so worried. Was there something he knew about the gangs that he hadn't told Batman? Had Molly been seen by the members before he showed up? Was she a witness now? Any number of things could have compelled him to take such a careful stance, but it was troubling.
"No- he just feels it's unsafe for her to live there at the moment. He's agreed to let her come back to work, thank god, but he wants her to find someplace safe to live in the meantime. Unfortunately, it won't take long for the criminals to figure out where she's living- and none of the teachers I called want to risk it. I normally wouldn't dare presume to ask you, but I'm at my wits end. We can't afford to lose any more teachers like her. Can you help?"
Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Does the commissioner know you called me?"
"Er- no- look, Mr. Wayne, I know this is so unorthodox, but you seemed to take an interest in her and you've become so supportive of our schools…I didn't know who else I could call that has the money to make this happen, frankly. And please don't hold that against me when fundraising season rolls around again."
"Don't worry about it. I'll see what I can do."
Ten minutes later, he roared out of the regular garage in style, on his way back into the city.
Molly glared at James Gordon and shook her head. "I can't believe you're pursuing this," she fumed. "Look, it's been forty minutes. Grace won't find anyone to take me in. Let me go home!"
"I can't do that, Molly. Just give him a few more minutes."
"You're being unreasonable-" she began, but was cut off when the phone rang.
Gordon answered it and listened intently for a few minutes. A strange expression crossed his face and he turned to Molly with a smug look, murmured a thank you and hung up.
"Bruce Wayne is on his way here."
Molly's jaw dropped and then she leapt out of her chair. "No! Absolutely not. There's no need for this! When have you ever gone to this much trouble for one person? That's it. I'm leaving right now and if you try to stop me, so help me, I will sue you!"
"With all due respect, Molly, you're not going anywhere. I'm sorry, but you're too important to this city."
"I'm nobody, Commissioner! I teach for peanuts and half of my students never even finish the ninth grade! Less than that go on to earn their high school diplomas- why are you all acting like I'm some sainted personality of Gotham? I've accomplished nothing. No one listens, no one wants to be part of Crazy Salome's schemes for reforming the schools- God, I had such big dreams when I was younger. I used to think, if I could get the right job, make a lot of money, I could do something, finally…I could be the one who put up the money for that new library or media center. I could turn the schools around. Did any of that ever happen? No; I couldn't get away from teaching, where no one cares who you are or what you do- I love them too much to abandon them for a better salary. For the thing that could actually give them a chance."
Gordon was quiet for a moment and watched her as she ran out of steam and collapsed back into her chair. "I never knew you felt that way, Molly."
She sighed and smiled bitterly. "Yeah, well. I keep it hidden. Now you know: I'm a fraud."
"You've got a lot more clout with the system than you think you do- and to the kids you're a guardian angel. That very thing you hate about yourself is what makes you invaluable."
"I know, Commissioner. Deep down, I understand that. But it doesn't make me feel any better right now. Pardon me if I'm a bit dark at the moment. I just saw a colleague- a good man- get gunned down and let him die."
Gordon leaned forward and stared at her, a stern look on his face. "Look at me, Molly." She glanced up from staring into a corner and smiled wearily.
"What, are you going to give me a pep talk now?"
"Listen to me. That was not your fault. If you had moved any sooner, it would have been two bodies we brought into the morgue, not one. Don't you ever blame yourself for what happened, you hear me?"
She looked away again and shrugged. "I've lived in Gotham my whole life. I've heard guns go off and explosions and been threatened at knifepoint…but I'd never seen a man die in front of my face before. It means something, you know? I've studied the humanities: Greeks and Romans and all the wars and bloodshed and philosophies on life and death and life after death…I've dealt with loss, too. When my father left us first and then mother ran off too, years later- I've had students I cared about be killed…but to see it happen? To see a man die? It really means something."
Gordon was quiet and watching her intently, but it was still a surprise to him when she lowered her head into her hands and began to cry softly. He stood up and started to move around the desk to comfort her when he saw the shadow in the doorway and Bruce Wayne stepped into view.
The man stopped short when he saw Molly and Gordon held up a hand and gestured to the door. Bruce nodded and was about to walk out when Molly looked up and saw Gordon's motion. She quickly brought her hands to her cheeks and wiped away her tears as best she could; catching a glance over her shoulder at Bruce before turning around again and pasting a smile on her face; her hands still clearing her cheeks of any evidence of weakness.
"Mr. Wayne, how nice to see you again," she said aloud, keeping her face forward as she felt in her pockets for a Kleenex. Finding one, she pressed it to her face, her nose, and was suddenly the bright eyed, serious woman everyone knew her to be once again.
Bruce raised an eyebrow at Gordon and stepped fully into the office. He would play along for now. It was no trouble to him- unless he counted his guilty conscience.
"Under strange circumstances, Molly. And I recall asking you to call me Bruce."
She gulped back the lump in her throat and blinked several times as she nodded in response. "Of course. Silly me. Bruce. Look, you don't have to do any of this- it's ridiculous. The commissioner-"
"Has insisted," Gordon filled in. "She's my son's teacher," he offered to Bruce. "And the bottom line is that even if they didn't see her, there's a good chance the perps heard Hardy talking to someone else. Besides, it will come out sooner or later that someone was present at the scene to find the body, etcetera- basically, no matter how hard we work to keep her name out of the papers this gang will probably be gunning for her sooner or later. She needs a safe place to stay."
"What about her other family?" Bruce addressed Gordon.
Molly answered his question, bringing his attention back to her. She looked as though she couldn't believe she was actually preparing to go along with Gordon's demands. "My sister is out of state at college. My grandmother is…in her home, but she's in hospice care."
"Do you want me to move her as well?" Bruce asked, as if it were they were having the most practical, natural conversation in the world.
Molly eyed him and Bruce stared back, daring her to question his motives. She broke eye contact first and Bruce felt a little bad for goading her the way he was, but was clearly still upset about things and didn't want anyone to give her special treatment. She felt she didn't deserve it. A muscle in his jaw twitched at the stupidity of it, but he didn't glance away from her. He would make her see that she was worth every penny, every effort people went through on her account…she deserved it all, the same way she felt her kids deserved her complete loyalty and attention.
Molly looked over at Gordon, her eyes asking for help and guidance. "I don't know…it seems futile at this point. I'm sorry if that sounds fatalistic, but it's the truth. And to be honest, I don't know if she'd agree to it. She's lived in that house her whole life and never once let the violence- the growing violence- chase her away. She's been lucky so far."
"Ask her anyway. I insist," Bruce replied.
"I don't even know where you're planning on moving us!"
He raised an eyebrow and finally broke his gaze to look at Gordon. "You didn't tell her?"
"Mr. Wayne, I thought it would be best coming from you, as it's your idea."
Molly looked from one man to the other, horror dawning on her face as the realization struck her.
"No…" she said slowly, still eyeing them both. "You're not-"
Bruce turned back to her. "It's about time I opened up the pent house again- campaign season is starting in earnest- and it will be easy for you to get to your school…there's a stop for the rail only a couple of blocks away. It's very safe, Molly-"
"No. Absolutely not."
"Well, it's that or the mansion and honestly, it's more isolated. It might be more difficult to penetrate the defenses out there, but I think you'll find that the pent house is preferable."
Molly gave up all pretense of making nice to either man in the room and stood up. "I'm leaving now. Thanks, Commissioner. It's been fun. You'll just have to figure out a nice way of letting James know I'm dead because if you think for one minute-"
Bruce looked over at Gordon and smiled tightly. "Could you give us a minute, Commissioner?"
James Gordon looked from Bruce Wayne, one of the most accidentally powerful men in Gotham City to Molly and back before shrugging and walking out the door. Normally he would have told a man like Wayne to take a hike, but he was doing a very decent thing- and rich men who did favors were well regarded. Well, rich men with morals. And if one ignored the fact that Wayne seemed to spend all his time cliff diving and sleeping around, he was a healthy philanthropist.
"I'll be downstairs," he spoke over his shoulder. "Checking with my men. Come down when you're ready."
"Commissioner-" Molly called after him. She watched him walk out and then picked up her satchel, preparing to follow him.
Bruce put a hand out and laid it on her arm, staying her action. "Sit down, Molly. Let's talk about this."
She flushed at the contact and glared down at his hand as if it were the snake in the garden, but she didn't shake it off, either. Instead, she sat down and forced herself to look at him. He didn't lift his hand away and stayed where he was, leaning towards her, that tight-lipped smile on his face. It was different this time, though…more genuine, softer. And his brown eyes were gazing at her as though her feelings on the matter were the most important thing she could tell him.
She looked away and cleared her throat. "I don't understand why everyone is being so ridiculous about this."
"I hardly think the question of your life is ridiculous, Molly," he replied, "but help me understand. What's so terrible about doing this?"
She looked back at him in exasperation. "Bruce, I don't know you. Why would you do all this? Why are you going to all this trouble on my account all of the sudden? We just met, we have nothing in common-"
"We might have more than you think," he interrupted. "And it's really no trouble to me. What else am I supposed to be doing? My company runs itself, my household runs itself and pretty soon even the foundation will be out of my hands. It's not like you've put me on the spot or anything. I have two homes that are open to you if you want them. And if you don't want them, that's fine, too. This has nothing to do with you or me," he said slowly. "And it's entirely your decision. Molly, I'm not asking you to marry me. We're not dating and we barely know each other as you just pointed out. Just consider this an opportunity to give the commissioner some peace of mind and try it out. If it doesn't work, you can go home and I won't stop you. What have you got to lose?"
My dignity, she longed to say. My integrity, my privacy…she could think of a dozen things to say to him, but she was so tired and the night was only going to get longer if she didn't give in soon. She protested one last time.
"That tabloids…all the gossip-"
"I'll threaten them with slander," Bruce said calmly. "Please, accept my apology and come with me."
And after staring into his eyes again, she finally nodded wearily. "Alright. Let's go. I need to stop at my apartment and get some things, if that's okay."
"Whatever you need," he responded, smiling at her once again. "What about your grandmother?"
"It's so late. She's asleep by now. I'll call her tomorrow morning, if that's alright with you." Molly glanced up at him almost shyly as they walked. She felt so strange, depending on someone else. She hadn't lived off the charity of someone else since she'd moved out of Gran's after graduating high school.
He nodded and pushed open a door for her. "You don't need to ask, Molly."
After telling Gordon she'd agreed to the plan (leaving out the portion where Bruce promised she could leave if she wanted), the two walked into the garage and found Bruce's car, where he opened the door for her and made sure she got in okay before walking around to the driver's side. He made a phone call to the mansion almost as soon as they were on the road, but Molly managed to ignore most of what he said. She could feel her eyelids dropping and the care sped along the road so smoothly it was lulling her away to sleep.
Bruce glanced over at her after hanging up with Alfred, with whom he'd called to confirm their plans. He'd spoken with his butler and friend about the possibilities before he'd left, so it was no surprise to the man when Bruce asked him to make his way to the penthouse.
"I already took the liberty of coming over, sir. I had the mansion's line connected through in case you called," Alfred had responded when told.
Now, Bruce could see how tired Molly was and was glad there would be a made bed waiting for her, though he was sure she would have slept anywhere at that point. She'd been through a lot in one evening. He turned on the radio as he drove, flipping through to a classical station. Soon, the strains of Song to the Moon filled the small cabin of the car.
Molly started and opened her eyes. "What is that?" she asked blearily.
Bruce smiled. "Rusalka. I'm sorry it woke you."
"Rusalka…" she repeated softly. Then she turned her head and looked at him. "The water demon who repays a scornful lover with death."
"You know it?"
"Yes. But I never liked that one. It seemed completely unnecessary to me. She goes to all this trouble to get his attention, he rejects her for another girl who rejects him and when he finally comes to his senses and accepts his death, she's still stuck as a killer. Forever. It was so…"
"Sad?" Bruce supplied.
She snorted. "Misogynistic. Oh, I'm sorry- do you know where I live?"
"We talked about it, yes. Don't worry. Go ahead and catch a few more minutes."
"No, I'm awake for now." She hummed the aria for a few bars and looked out the window of the car. She couldn't see the moon. As some of the Slavic syllables tripped off her tongue, she suddenly sat up straight. That was the sound she'd heard earlier- Slavic...or something else?
"What is it?" Bruce asked.
"Russian! It was Russian I heard."
Bruce stared at her like she was crazy and she shook her head. "No, I mean tonight, when I saw the gang members- some of them weren't speaking English. I was too distressed to notice what it was at the time-"
Bruce hung onto every word- he wished she knew he wasn't staring at her because he thought she'd grown two heads. It was key that she was able to come to that conclusion on her own. It meant that she could act as a witness when the time came- but it also meant that she was now in more danger. "You'd better call the police right away."
"Do I need to go back?"
"No, but here- why don't you do that right now. It's alright, use the phone in here."
She quickly punched in the number of the station and eagerly gave her news to the officer on the line. After she'd hung up, she gave Bruce a strange look.
"What?" he asked.
"None of this phases you," she said.
He looked away and carefully pulled the car up to the curb. "Do you think I can leave this parked here?"
"No. Stay with it. I'll be right back."
He gave her another smile. "You have fifteen minutes. If anything happens to you, Gordon will have my head."
She rolled her eyes and slammed the car door. Bruce watched her go, feeling some anxiety, though not for her sake- he trusted that she could handle herself for a few minutes. No, it was her remark about he behavior. It never failed to get his heart racing whenever someone said something that could be remotely tied to his double life. Not that he ever let anyone see how bothered he was. But she was different…she was smart, she knew the streets and crime. She wasn't so innocent, or naïve. Principled, idealistic- but not stupid.
He would have to find a way to help her see that Bruce Wayne could be a play-boy and aware of the politics and ways of the city at the same time. He would have to quell her curiosity somehow.
She was back in nine minutes and tossed a couple of bags in the nonexistent back seat of the sports car before climbing back in. He pulled away from the curb and took off for the high end of the city.
Neither of them said anything for the rest of the drive, which suited Bruce, but Molly could feel her nerves growing. She held tightly to her things and stayed quiet. It was easy to say to herself that she was tired, that she was in shock, that she was uncomfortable with the thought of sleeping anywhere within a hundred yards of Bruce Wayne (and was she really uncomfortable with that or was it something else); but the fact was that what had happened tonight did mean something.
It meant her life was changing. With a single gunshot, her world- the one she'd come to accept that she couldn't control, the one she'd grown used to, the one she'd eventually understood as being her destiny in life- was changing. It was gone with the last breath Robert had taken. And for whatever reason, Bruce Wayne was stepping neatly onto the path this new world had selected for her. She didn't like it- she was entering a place she'd always thought she knew everything there was to tell: a world with money and champagne and hypocrites who only cared for themselves. But Bruce was sitting next to her, a perfect stranger, really, and offering her a home and her dreams and all because of…what? Because he could and she needed him. Or the everyone else thought she needed him.
She looked over at him and studied his profile with hooded eyes. Strong, defined, youthful at first glance…but there were lines around the mouth and eyes that betrayed his experience. There was more to him than met the eye, more than his philanthropic and business smarts accounted for, she was certain…he was a man she was beginning to wonder about.
And now she would be living with him.
She suspected that life was going to keep her from her guilt and fear by getting very interesting very quickly. And she wasn't sure she minded.
AN: OMG if you're reading this, congrats on making it the whole way through the chapter! Wow, this was way too long. Anyway. How about those contrived plot points? Yeah, I'm sure they'd go to this much trouble for a school teacher that can't even ID anyone. Phbbt. But you know what? Bruce Wayne is already running around in a bat suit, so since we're working in an implausible storyline to begin with, let's go with that. :) Enjoy! (Besides, I had to get her into his home somehow- how else will they eventually fall in lurv and get it on?)
To maggie: Thanks for all the lovely compliments! I'm so glad you like it. You're my only reviewer and you're fabulous and I love you for it. Kisses!