"Molly. The phone's for you!" Molly looked up from the dough in her hands and nodded to Arizona, the head waitress. "It's your husband." She smiled a pearly white smile and her blonde ponytail flapped as she turned and went back out front. Molly sighed and wiped her hands on her apron. He had been calling her cell all day. She knew she had to talk to him, but talking to Owen felt like such a chore these days.

She went into the office and waved to Arizona, to hang up on her end. When it was all clear Molly sighed and sat down.

"Hello, Molly Hunt speaking." She said formally.

"Mol, it's me." His voice was tired and tense.

"Oh hi darling. Listen you've caught me at a bad time. Well a bad day actually you see…we're catering for this wedding next Thursday so I have to bake some-"

"Jackson's going to stay with us this weekend." He said, cutting her off. She choked on her breath.

"Pardon? I believe you just said…"

"Callie has agreed to let him stay with us this weekend." Owen said with a sigh. She pictured him at home, in the study, his hair all messy from running him hands through them and his pale blue eye red and tired. Molly sighed.

"What-what am I supposed to do with him? You have to work and I've got dinner at my mothers tomorrow. Cant he come a different weekend?" Molly sighed, brushing back loose strands from her ponytail.

"I've talked to the chief and he understands. And I think it would be a good idea to…" His voice faded.

"To what? Introduce your bas- your baby to my family?" Molly snapped.

"Molly." Owen sighed.

"Well what did you expect me to do? Jump for joy at the fact that your love child is moving in. I'm sorry but I'm not ready for this. No Owen, he's not meeting the family. Or staying at the house for that matter." She said with a stern, yet shaky voice. Owen was silent.

"You know what? He's MY son. So he's going to stay with ME at MY house. If you want to find somewhere else to stay this weekend that's fine by me." And then there was a click and silence. Molly stared at the phone in pure shock. He had never spoken to her that way before. How dare he speak to her that way! She slammed the phone down and slumped back in the chair. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. How dare he agree to this without talking to her? Then again it is his son not hers. But he must know how uncomfortable this whole situation makes her feel? Molly sighed and placed her elbows on the desk and rested her head in her hands.

"Molly. I'm sorry to, uh interrupt but I've got a brilliant idea for the cake." Addison, Molly's best friend and sue chef, said as she stuck her head threw the door. One look at Molly's face and she knew something was wrong. She tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and crossed her arms over her chest and stood in front of Molly's desk. "What's going on?" She asked. Molly looked at her and sighed. Then she told Addison everything that had happened and was happening.

-------

Molly pulled into her driveway at 5:30. Owen's black sun fire was parked on his side of the garage. Molly took a deep breath and opened the car door. She shut it as quietly as she could and opened the door to the mud room. She slipped off her white running shoes, which she normally wore when she worked in the kitchens. She dropped her bag on the bench and hung up her coat. She listened for sound before she left the mudroom and headed towards the front staircase.

As she started climbing the steps she heard her name being said from behind her. She froze on the steps and took a deep breath. She turned around and saw Owen in a navy blue t shirt and light jeans. His hair was messy and he looked very tired. She frowned at him, feeling a strangely familiar feeling in her heart and shook her head.

"I need to shower. I'm covered in flower." She said before turning around and heading up to their bathroom to shower. She took her time in the shower and drying her hair and then decided to straighten it. Unlike Lexie and Meredith, Molly's hair had a frustrating wave and was next to impossible to do anything with unless it was curled or flattened. She put on some make up and then walked to the closet to pick out an outfit. She took great pride in her wardrobe, for she had spent a lot of time and money on the clothes that hung in this room. She slid her hands over her hanging clothes and then spotted an outfit that would be perfect for this evening.

It was a navy blue turtle neck that looked amazing on her. It clung to every curve in her slim, toned body and made her blue eyes seem darker. She picked out a pair of dark tight jeans and a pair of black Gucci shoes. They were one of her favorite pairs of shoes. Made of snakeskin and died black, they were 4.1" heels and completed the outfit. Molly added a black beaded necklace and some perfume and then headed downstairs.

She was halfway down when the doorbell rang. She sighed brushed her hair back and answered the door. Callie smiled slightly as she opened the door. She wore dark jeans that Molly guessed were maternity pants. She wore a black jacket and black running shoes. Her black hair was in a pony tail and she was struggling with the car seat and a diaper bag.

"Here, I can take that bag for you." Molly said. Callie gave the bag to her and then stepped inside. She took in Molly's outfit and gave her just the reaction Molly had wanted. Jealousy and longing passed over her face.

"I love your shoes." She sighed.

"Oh these old things? Thanks." Molly grinned and then it dropped when she saw Jackson in the seat. He was looking right at her with the same blue eyes that Owen had. Molly bent down and looked into the car seat.

"He's a lot more awake these days." Callie said.

"He looks just like him." Molly whispered.

"Yea…" There was an awkward silence in the air as Molly studied the baby in front of her. She looked into his blue eyes and felt a new pain in her heart, something she hadn't felt before. A shadow blocked the light and she looked up to see Owen looking down at her with a hopeful expression. She immediately frowned and stood up.

"You can sit in here Callie. Want something to drink?" She said in a cool tone, passing Owen and heading towards the kitchen.

"Um…water please." Molly disappeared into the kitchen on the last syllable. She heard whispering in the hall and then heard them move into the living room. She rested her head on the fridge and took a deep breath. This was harder than she thought it would be.

-----

"I've packed a ton of diapers and sleepers in case there's an accident. There's a tin of formula with the instructions as to how much he takes, taped to the outside. There's bibs, toys, books, fresh clothes, everything." Callie said with a smile, her eyes flicking nervously from Molly to Owen.

"Thanks Cal." Molly watched as the girl flinched at her nickname. She nodded to him and then looked to Molly.

"I have the other part of the car seat in my car. I'll go and get it." She said standing and wiping her palms on her jeans.

"It's ok, Callie." Molly spoke. Callie looked at her curiously. "We bought one for our car. Just in case." Molly said with a slight smile. Her eyes flicked from Callie's curious face to Owen's shocked one.

"Ok…" Callie said somewhat hesitantly.

"You want to see it?" Molly said, trying to make it seem like she wasn't tuned into Callie's worry. Callie nodded slightly and Molly got up. Callie followed her, as did Owen carrying the baby. They opened the door leading to the garage and Molly flicked on the light. She went to her red Nissan Altima and clicked open the back door. There in the middle of the back seat was a dark blue car seat. It had a thick cushioning on the inside and a soft, yet strong head rest for the baby's head. Callie slipped into the car and inspected it. Owen gave Molly a curious look as he too peered in the car to see this car seat.

"See if he fits!" Molly said, somewhat excited. Owen slipped Jackson into the car seat and Molly sighed. Perfect fit. Callie got out of the car and smiled.

"He'll be fine here." Molly said with a reassuring smile. Callie nodded and sighed.

"Well I better go then." Callie said. She said her goodbyes to the baby and nodded to Molly and Owen. She gave her phone number again and racked her brain for anything that she had forgotten. 10 minutes later she was gone and Owen, Molly and Jackson stood at the door. As the car disappeared down the street Molly sighed and closed the door.

"When did you buy the seat?" Owen asked her.

"After work. I stopped by one of those baby stores and picked it up. I got one of those playpen things too." She said, looking at the sleeping baby in Owen's arms.

"Thanks." Owen said and Molly nodded. She sighed and turned and went into the kitchen to start making dinner.

------

Molly had left Owen alone all night. She had bought the car seat because she felt bad for giving him a hard time but she wasn't about to jump up and start helping him either. She after dinner she went into the study and started righting out what she needed for the wedding that she was catering for. She called her mother and figured out what time everyone was supposed to be over at and then she went for a long bath. She climbed into bed at 10:30 and fell asleep by 11:00.

Around 2 Jackson woke up for the third time. Owen groaned and rolled over. Molly stared at the ceiling and waited for Owen to get up. When he didn't she pinched him.

"Ouch, what was that?" he snapped.

"Here that? That's a baby crying." Owen groaned again. "After all he is YOUR SON." Molly snapped. Owen laid still for a moment and the slumped out of bed. He scratched his head as he walked from their room to the guest room down the hall. Molly turned on her side and closed her eyes. But she couldn't sleep. She listened to Owen talk to the baby calmly. She listened to his feet pace the floor and she listened to his horse sleepy voice attempt to sing a lullaby. But the baby just wouldn't stop crying. Molly sighed and quietly got up. She walked down the hall and into the room. Owen was rocking the hysterical baby.

"Why won't you go to sleep? What did I do to deserve this?" Owen said with frustration. Molly laughed and walked up to him.

"You big baby. Here!" She held out her arms and Owen passed her the baby. She grabbed the soother from the play pen and soft blue blanket. She gave the baby the soother and put the blanket between her body and his. Then she patted his bottom gently as she walked back and forth in the bedroom. In a matter of two minutes he stopped crying and was dozing off.

"You are an angel. I mean I thought so before but that is defiantly proof." Owen said as he sat on the bed. Molly laughed slightly and shook her head. She looked at him and saw the look he was giving her.

"I'm sorry." She said. He looked startled for a second and then sighed.

"No I'm sorry. I should've talked with you first. I just thought…I just thought this would be a good idea. Him meeting your family and staying here, makes it more…real to me." He said rubbing his face.

"I want…I want to be just as much apart of his life as you do, but I need a little bit more of a warning next time." Owen nodded.

"Next time I promise to give you three weeks notice."

"A month would be better." Molly joked and he smiled at her. She slipped the sleeping baby back into the playpen and covered him with a blanket. They stood looking down at the baby together.

"We can do this." He said, slipping his arm around her waist. She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed. Maybe he was right. Maybe they could do this.

-------

Molly looked anxiously at Owen, as they pulled into her mother's driveway. Meredith and Derek were already there, which meant that Lexie and Lynn where there too. He smiled at her and they parked behind Derek's truck. Molly opened the door, grabbed the basket of baked goods she had made and Owen grabbed Jackson and the diaper bag.

"Ready?" She asked him. He shook his head at her.

"You act like we're going to meet the prime minister. It's your family."

"I know." Her eyes flicked to the car seat and then she sighed. It's going to be fine. She told herself. She opened the door and walked into the warm familiar house. The yellow walls looked golden with the light and the house had a nice aroma to it.

"Hello?" She called out. She heard a bustle of noise and then her mother appeared from the living room. She smiled brightly but Molly couldn't smile back. Her mother was slowly deteriorating in front of her eyes. She had seen her mother less than two weeks ago and she looked a lot better than she looked now. It was clearly obvious that Susan was wearing a wig and her skin was pale and paper thin. She shook when she touched her daughter's face and stared into her eyes. She still had that familiar twinkle in her eyes and her laugh was the same as it had always been. Somewhere underneath this sickly outer layer was her mother.

"Hello Molly." She said kissing her lightly on the cheek. Molly felt tears in her eyes as she could feel the bones in her mother's spine.

"Oh Mom." Molly said hugging her close. She heard Susan chuckle and felt her mother sigh and pat her back.

"It's fine, Molly. Come on. No more of this." She whispered into her daughter's hair and Molly nodded and let go. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled slightly.

"Owen." Susan said with admiration. She hugged him tightly. Owen had one Susan's approval from the first day. To her, Owen could do no wrong. "And who's this?" Owen looked to Molly with surprise.

"I forgot to tell you. Sorry Mom. Callie let Jackson stay with us this weekend." Molly said with a shrug. Owen turned the car seat around and showed Susan the baby. He smiled proudly when she started to coo over him.

"He looks just like you." Susan said to Owen smiling up at him. "Come on, bring him in here." Susan walked back into the living room. Everyone was in the living room and greeted them instantly. The women cooed over the baby and then men stood back and smiled. Lexie waddled up to her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"How are you taking it?" She said as Meredith appeared at her other side.

"It's ok. I think he likes me better so it's good I guess." Molly said with a smile.

"Who Owen or the baby?" Meredith teased. She hugged her sister tightly. "I think it's good that you brought him."

"Owen says it makes him more…real." Lexie and Meredith both nodded and watched everyone surrounding the baby. "So has he told everyone yet?"

"Not yet, but it's kinda obvious I mean she's wearing the ring." Lexie said with a shake of her head. Molly chuckled and watched her baby brother look nervously at his soon to be wife.

"Hey George!" Molly called over to him and he jumped. He smiled at her and went to hug her.

"How's it going sis?" He said into her hair.

"Are you going to tell everyone yet or what?" She whispered. He frowned at her and then smiled brightly.

"We were waiting for you."

"Seriously your always the one who's late for these functions." Lexie sighed.

"You better not be late for the wedding." Meredith laughed and then stopped when she realized that George was gaping at her. "Sorry. Mom told me." She said holding up her hands. He looked at Lexie and knew that she too had known about his engagement. He sighed with frustration.

"Figures. Nothing stays a secret in this family." He rolled his eyes and turned to look at the crowd around them. Susan was in the middle of it and was telling everyone a story about when she had just had Meredith and how scared she was. They all laughed at her and each one of her children felt that familiar pain in their hearts as they looked at their mother.

"Sad, isn't it?" Thatcher spoke lowly from behind them. They all jumped and turned to look at him. He stared at his wife with a grim expression. They nodded and sighed. Tears welled up in Molly's eyes.

"There's got to be something that the doctor missed." Lexie said with frustration.

"She's defiantly sick. What doctor did you go and see?" George asked.

"A good one." Thatcher said.

"How good?" Molly asked.

"One of the best." They shook their heads with disbelief.

"Apparently he wasn't good because he gave her a clean bill of health." George snapped.

"Look at her Dad. Tell me that you don't think she's sick. She looks…awful." Lexie said with a sad expression. Thatcher looked towards Meredith and she sighed.

"Don't make a scene." Thatcher said quietly and they all turned to look at him. "Your mother has breast cancer." Molly gasped and tears sprang into Lexie's eyes.

"But…how…when…"George asked staring at his father in disbelief.

"She's been fighting it for about 6 months now. She didn't want anyone to know, so she told you she was fine. But as you can clearly see, the treatment is not working."

"There's got to be another way." Meredith said and Thatcher shook his head.

"Your mother has come to terms with her fate. Now its you who has to do the same." He said sadly. Lexie shook her head in disbelief and tears poured down Molly's face.

"What's going on over there?" Susan's voice rang out over the crowd. "You know secluding yourself from the group is not polite." She chuckled and then stopped when she saw Thatcher's expression matched Meredith's. Molly turned away and left the living room.

"What's wrong with her?" Susan asked eyeing Thatcher suspiciously.

"Hormones." He said and coughed as he passed by her. "Let me see this baby?" He said with a smile. Susan studied her remaining three children carefully. They all looked at her with grim expressions. Then Meredith coughed and smiled.

"Well George…get on with it." She said nudging him. He tore his gaze away from his mother and went to Izzy's side. She looked up at him with concern but he just shook his head.

"Ladies and gentlemen…" George started. Susan stood between Lexie and Meredith.

"He told you didn't he…" She whispered furiously. Meredith sighed and Lexie choked.

"Isabelle and I have decided…to get married." Laughter and congratulations and "it's about time" erupted around them. The couple were surrounded by laughter and happiness. Meredith, Susan and Lexie stood back a moment and watched and then Susan sighed and walked forward, completely happy for her son. Molly joined them now and wiped her face with a tissue. The three women stood back and watched their mother, afraid of life without her.