I know I've been ignoring this fic for some time, but there was Christmas and life and stuff that always seemed to get in the way.

This chapter is the beginning of the end I guess you could say – there'll be a few flashbacks in here too and they'll be in italics just to make it easier to follow. Enjoy!

Present time

Molly sighed as she started to pull at a key in her keychain, trying to get it loose. Her hands were shaking and the key seemed to get stuck on everything it possibly could get stuck on before she finally held it in her hand. She shut her fingers around it and a tear escaped her eyes as she remembered the moment the key had first appeared on her keychain.

Molly looked at her keychain with confusion written all over her face. She held the chain up by the key that had suddenly appeared on it. "Jess, what is this?"

He looked up from the cutting-board and put the knife and the onion down on it. "That would appear to be a key" He explained with a smug smile.

She rolled her eyes. Of course she knew it was a key. "But what's it doing on my keychain?"

"Isn't that where you usually keep your keys?" He wiped his hands on a towel and leaned against the counter, still smiling.

She fumbled with the keys in her hand and looked down at them, afraid to jump at any conclusions. They had agreed to take things slow. "Yeah" She answered his rhetoric question.

She could feel him watching her as she tried to fit the pieces together.

"Is there a problem?" He asked as he stepped closer to her, a lop-sided smile tugging at his lips.

She looked up, a hesitant smile on her lips. "Where does this key go?"

"Huh" He took another step closer, wrapped one of his arms around her waist and took the keys in his free hand and examined the new key as if he never seen it before. "I don't know" He smirked and kissed her cheek. "But it looks an awful lot like the key to my apartment"

"Jess…" She started, but was interrupted when he kissed her again, on the lips this time.

When he pulled back, he cupped her face in his hands. "I know we agreed to take things slow, but why can't we take things slow while living in the same apartment?" Molly was lost for words; it seemed so unlike Jess to initiate a step like this. "And sleeping in the same bed?" He continued with a mischievous grin as he wrapped both his arms around her and pulling her closer as he let the keys drop to the ground.

She opened her mouth to say something, but he interrupted her again. "I like falling asleep next to you at night and waking up next to you in the morning. I want that – everyday"

She smiled and flung her hands around his neck and kissed him tenderly. "I want that too" She answered when their lips finally separated.

Molly sighed and placed the key on top of a letter on the hallway side table. Things were different now. She knew Jess loved her and wouldn't want to break her heart – but she didn't want him to stay because he felt he had to. She knew there was a bond between him and Rory and it had been foolish of her to think that anything would ever be stronger than that bond.

She was back. In the back of her mind Molly had always feared that she would come back. It didn't matter how much Jess tried to convince her or tell her that he was over her – the insecurities had been building up over years of watching Jess pine for Rory and they stuck with her despite all.

She wiped the tears from her cheeks and took a deep breath before she lifted her suitcase of the floor and headed for the door.

"Molly" She was halfway down the stairs when she heard a female voice call her name.

She bit her lips together and turned around, relieved to see the neighbor next door leaning her head over the railing looking down at her.

"Oh, hi Mrs. Petersen" She forced herself to smile at her and pretend as if everything was okay. It was unnecessary to make her and Jess into the gossip of the neighborhood. Her, Jess and Rory, she corrected herself. She wondered if Rory would get along with Mrs. Petersen as well as she did. She wondered if Mrs. Petersen would still drop by with cookies when she 'made too many' even with her gone.

"Hi" She smiled as well. "I was wondering if maybe you could ask Jess to–" She stopped herself when she saw the suitcase by Molly's side. "Are you going somewhere?" she furrowed her eyebrows as she examined the suitcase.

"No, I–" Molly cleared her throat. "I'm just going to visit my sister for a couple of days"

"Oh, okay" Mrs. Peterson seemed to believe that story. And why wouldn't she really? She had no reason to suspect Molly was leaving for good.

Suddenly an overwhelming need to run up the stairs and hug Mrs. Petersen goodbye overcame her, but she repressed the need. "Jess will be home later, if you wanted to talk to him" She said instead, trying hard to keep her voice steady.

"It's no worries" She laughed. "It's just the computer is acting up again and Sam tried to look at it last night, but…" She shrugged her shoulders. "…you know, he isn't really the technical type of guy"

Molly smiled. "I'm sure he'll be able to help you" With that she waved goodbye and continued down the stairs and out of the building.

It had been a good couple of years; she should focus on that instead of mourning the loss of it.

And maybe…it was a dangerous thought, but she couldn't help it…maybe he would come after her. If he did…it would be because he wanted to be with her – not because she was a consolation prize or because he couldn't be with the woman he really loved. If he came…maybe she could finally feel sure and safe about his love.

With that thought in mind, Molly headed towards her car.