Well, I'm back finally and all I can say is sorry for the wait. For the last month my life has consisted of classes, being sick, college applications, a fried laptop battery and life in general. Needless to say I am worn out. RL is a complete pain in the butt, plain and simple.

Any who, this chapter is Molly's point of view of the majority of the first two chapters and the explanation for her sudden…humanness and such. Hopefully you all like it and I just want to thank all of you for reviewing and favoriting and following, you guys are the best and I'll try to do better with posting!

Also, I cut this chapter a bit shorter than I originally planned, mostly because it was a difficult one to write on its own and I didn't want to risk delaying this any longer than I already have. Of course it doesn't affect the story line in any way so really there's nothing to worry about.

Undertow

Even though every little voice in her head told her to back away, Molly found herself frozen as the man teetered and stumbled across the maze of stones to get to her.

She knew coming this close to the shore was a risk in itself but the thought of seeing him again, especially after all these years, was too much to pass up and now that he was face to face with her she found she didn't regret the decision one bit.

He had grown considerably, both physically and mentally she could tell, since the last time he was on the shore, gangly and pale with cheekbones that had not yet been defined and a knotted mop of hair that refused to be tamed.

Her eyes followed every move he made, gut tightening in fear as his dress shoes would lose their traction and he reached out to catch himself on the damp stone only to straighten back up and continue moving towards her, eyes a forest of questions and genuine wonder. Despite her fascination with him and the longing to reach out she continued to shrink back, as if the water would offer her some sort of protection.

With each passing second he got closer until he reached the end of the rock bed and his hand once again sought her out. She had half a mind to take it until she saw the panic flare in his eyes, pant leg catching on something she couldn't see. From there it was as if time had begun to slow, agonizingly so as he tumbled toward the frigid water, the grey waves enveloping him with minimal effort as his body broke the surface.

Molly held her breath and waited for him to resurface but as the seconds ticked by and she failed to see the head of black hair or the piercing green eyes she felt her throat tighten. Sucking in a deep breath she dove, blinking against the salty water as her eyes flicked back and forth in search of him.

For the most part the water was clear enough for her to see a few feet in front of her and as she squinted and swam toward the rocks she saw him, body descending ever so slowly as his arms lay limp and his eyes stayed shut.

It struck her how it odd it was that she felt such a need to protect someone she really didn't know, someone whose face she had begun to forget, but as she got closer and her fingers wrapped around his coat and began moving toward the surface she felt her heart pounding against her ribs and every fiber if her being telling her to keep him safe.

They broke the surface with a loud gasp from her and complete silence from him, his head lolling to one side and knocking against her bony shoulder. She winced at the dead weight in her arms but managed to keep him above water as she struggled toward the shore.

Molly coughed and sputtered as each wave crashed into them and the salt burned her throat and eyes, desperately feeling for the sand of the shore beneath her fingertips. Her movements were painstakingly slow and she felt the frustration bubbling in her gut but eventually they reached the beach and she hauled him as far up as she could, collapsing beside him as her chest heaved and her muscles screamed at her to rest.

She rolled onot one side and cracked a brown eye open, watching for the rise and fall of his chest that was so faint she nearly missed it. Seeing he was alive allowed her a moment to clear her head, putting to rest the million thoughts that were swirling around and vying for her attention as the panic eased ever so slightly.

It allowed her to take the time to really look at him, every line, freckle, and scar present on his alabaster skin; the ink black curls that were plastered to his forehead, and the prominent cheekbones her eyes were instantly drawn to. She felt she could sit and watch him all day if it were allowed and the sudden thought of leaving brought on a melancholy feeling she just couldn't shake.

She knew she would be caught if she stayed, someone would come for him sooner or later and all it would take is one look at her for things to go downhill and her father would have a fit when he heard about it. She didn't want to leave him though, not while he was like this.

Molly took in a deep breath and shifted in the sand, reaching out a shaking hand and pushing back a soaked lock of hair and once she was sure he was alive and mostly alright she inched towards the water with a feeling of guilt and curiosity threatening to overtake her.

She gave him one last longing glance before diving back under the water.

…

Molly didn't stick around long enough to see what happened and part of her felt selfish.

Every fiber of her being had begged her to stay behind and watch out for him, not knowing if anyone would find his unconscious form on the soggy shore in time but she couldn't take the risk. Once she immersed herself in the salted waves once more she fled without looking back, knowing it would take only a glance for her to convince herself to stay behind.

She waited for what felt like countless eternities strung together but she could tell by the sudden appearance of the moon when she looked at the sky that it had only been a few hours. Now was one of the only times she actually favored being alone, after her dad had passed a few years before she found herself on her own, but now she was grateful there was no one to sneak away from.

Just as the moon hit its highest point in the sky she began the somewhat lengthy swim back to the beach. Much to her relief (although she couldn't swallow the disappointment that always dwelled there) there was no sign of the man she had saved; just empty beach and some disturbed sand where he had laid.

Molly sighed and tented her hands beneath her chin, staring longingly at the extravagant house situated on the hill where she could see the faint yellow glow coming from the window facing the water as a silhouette stood rigid.

"You've waited quite some time for him to return haven't you?"

The voice came out of nowhere and wrapped around her like silk, ripping a choked gasp from her throat as she spun around and locked eyes on the source. She couldn't see far, just a few feet in front of her thanks to the illuminating silver haze coming from the moon, but as she squinted she could make out a pair of chocolate eyes and a cascading waterfall of dark chestnut hair.

Molly bit her lip and glanced around but she couldn't see or hear anyone else. She looked back at the stranger, who she noticed was intoxicatingly beautiful, and cocked her head to the side in sudden interest.

"Who are you?" she asked in her soft, slightly graveled voice.

The strange woman smiled, moving closer as the hair on the back of Molly's neck stood up as their skin brushed. She sucked in a breath as the stranger settled beside her and cast her dark eyes toward the house the younger woman had been watching, smiling as if she knew an age old secret she was just dying to tell.

"You're quite the risk taker," she commented casually, completely bypassing Molly's question. "Getting close to a man the way you did is dangerous."

She flicked her eyes back to the cowering young girl behind her and nodded toward the house.

"You fancy him don't you?"

Despite the voice in her head telling her not to answer any of the woman's questions she found herself nodding as a fiery blush colored her cheeks and she cursed herself.

"And what, may I ask; motivated you to find yourself entangled with someone like him? All these fish in the sea and you set your sights on the one person you can't have. Tell me why."

Molly huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why should I answer any of your questions when you won't even tell me your name?"

She watched as the woman smiled and revealed a set of blindingly white teeth, a sound that almost resembled a humored purr escaping her.

"You're quite the feisty one aren't you? Very well, my name is Irene what I do and where I come from aren't important just yet. Now, back to you my dear."

There was a moment of hesitation but Molly found she couldn't deny the woman-Irene an answer to her question, which she answered in a shy voice that sounded nothing like her own.

"He's…misunderstood, an outcast like us. He knows how we feel and to see someone who is as lonely as you are, well it ignites something in you. He needs someone to help him see that he's not alone, that there's someone out there to love him."

"And you think that person is you?"

Molly blinked in the faint moonlight and licked a salty drop that clung to her bottom lip. "I'd like to think that, yes but there's not much I can from here."

Even though Irene had yet to utter more than a few words since Molly began talking she could see the gears turning in the beautiful strangers head and a wicked grin tugged at her cherry colored lips. She let out a soft breath and looked from Molly to the house, whose lights were now out.

"I think I may have a solution to your problem, although there is a price if you're willing to accept my help."

The words caught Molly's attention almost instantly but they were accompanied by a feeling of uncertainty that took refuge in her gut, twisting it into knots she fought to unravel. It was tempting, more than she had originally thought so, and she found herself conflicted as Irene watched her squirm under her gaze.

She had spent years pining for someone she had reminded herself countless times she could never have and now there was a mysterious woman she'd never met who seemed to know more about her than anyone at this point and needless to say Molly had no idea what she was supposed to do. Finally she looked back to Irene with wide, scared eyes.

"How would you be able to help me?"

Another wicked smile graced her lips. "You've fantasized about being like them haven't you? Walking on land and feeling the earth beneath those things they call feet?"

Molly mutely nodded as Irene continued.

"I can make that happen for you. No more fantasizing or wishing for things you've only been able to dream of, I can give you what you've always wanted and all it's going to take is a simple yes from you and a little bit of…work on my part."

"And what about the price you spoke of? I don't have anything to give you."

This time Irene chuckled and flicked a few strands of dark hair over her shoulder, her eyes almost pitying the young girl in front of her who seemed to shake with desperation.

"Silly girl I'm not asking you to pay me, all it's going to take is something you already have."

"And that would be?"

"Oh, just that pretty little voice of yours."

Molly felt herself blanch at Irene's shocking revelation and her hand instinctively made its way to her throat, feeling the panic well up until it threatened to rip her in half. She looked up with her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

"Why would you need my voice? If I can't talk to him how will he know-"

"Love, if he's really the one for you, you don't need to speak to him. He'll know it, he'll feel it the way you do. And, if you can manage a kiss in three days' time, well I may even be nice enough to let you stay that way forever. Spending the rest of your years with the one you love, no more wandering on your own in our big bad world. It's all you could ever want."

"And if I don't manage it in three days' time? Will I return to this?"

Molly gestured down at the shimmering fin that bobbed gently in the still water, wondering what it would look like if two feet happened to take its place. She looked up and saw Irene nod sadly as the words tumbled in Molly's head, unable to sort her thoughts as all the voices in her head spoke at once, commanding her to do what she felt was right as Irene interrupted in her sultry voice.

"I need an answer little one. Will it be yes or no?"

And finally, after what felt like an excruciating long moment, she looked at Irene and said.

"Yes."