Easing In

Arthur spun around and dragged Alexander backwards by the upper arm back around the corner. An "oof" escaped Alexander as Arthur accidentally shoved him a bit too hard against the wall.

"You got Molly?" Arthur asked incredulously, hand still on his brother's chest.

Alexander narrowed his eyes at his brother in disbelief. "Arthur…we thought you were having a heart attack."

"We found out that wasn't the case hours ago."

"And I came out and told her," Alexander said, gesturing toward the waiting room.

"Why is she still here then?" Arthur questioned.

With a shrug, Alexander calmly asked, "How am I supposed to know?"

Arthur poked his head around the corner, his hand holding Alexander in place. Gran and Gramps were walking back towards them. Past his grandparents, Molly was curled up in a chair, head propped against her hand and eyes closed. Arthur pulled his head back.

"Get rid of her," Arthur commanded as he crossed his arms, finally letting go of his brother.

"What!" Alexander exclaimed, taken aback. "No."

"You're the reason she's here."

"No, Arthur, you are the reason she is here," he enunciated.

Gran and Gramps came around the corner. "Everything alright?" Gramps asked.

"Arthur's just overreacting," Alexander responded, resting the back of his head against the wall.

"Am not."

"I don't know everything that's happened between you two, but she has waited around all evening for you," Alexander said.

"That doesn't mean she wants to see me."

"If that were the case, she would have left after I told her you were okay," Alexander reasoned.

"Son, you should talk to her," Gramps said.

Arthur briefly peaked around the corner again at his sleeping wife. He sighed. "What if I said I'm not ready to talk to her?" he said with a defeated tone.

"Why is that?" Gran asked.

Arthur hesitated. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but never spoke. Finally, he blurted, "I'm just not! Okay?"

"Even though you don't talk about it, we can tell how much you miss her."

"We have really enjoyed you staying with us, but that's not where you belong and that's not where you are happiest. If you can work things out, you shouldn't keep putting it off," Gramps advised. "It's not good for either of you."

"And I can hang around and talk to her with you about what we just found out," Alexander offered.

Arthur looked as though he'd seen a Dementor. "No - no, I am not telling her," he said firmly. With that, he left his grandparents and brother behind as he rounded the corner and walked towards the waiting area.

It looked like Molly was fast asleep, though not comfortably. He could walk right past her and she would never know he had been anywhere near her. She'd wake up in a little while and find out from the Welcome Witch that he'd been discharged. That is, if his grandparents and Alexander didn't wake her. Then there would be the issue that she would not be happy with him at all if she found out he knowingly walked straight past her.

Arthur was only feet away from her now. It was time to make a decision: walk past her and potentially be in even more trouble while hurting her at the same time, or face his fear and talk to her.

He turned toward the Floos...but then he came to an abrupt halt. He couldn't do that to her. He couldn't just leave her there. He wouldn't even be able to do that if there were no repercussions.

He turned around and took a seat in the empty chair next to her. For a long moment, all he did was look at her - messy copper curls in her face, lips slightly parted, knees pulled up to her chest, her wedding ring sparkling on her finger, cloak around her clutched tightly with her other hand.

Finally, Arthur made a move. Tucking hair behind her ear, he softly said, "Molly."

She snuggled further into her cloak.

He placed a hand on the arm propping up her head. "Molly," he repeated as he gently stroked her arm.

Big, brown, beautiful eyes fluttered open.

"Arthur?" Molly whispered.

He gave her a small smile, the corners of his eyes slightly crinkled.

Molly sat up straighter. Letting go of her cloak, she reached out and caressed Arthur's smooth cheek. As she continued to inspect her husband closely, she carefully placed her feet on the ground. "You look so much better than I expected," she whispered as she looked into his electric blue eyes.

Arthur slowly removed her hand from his cheek and set it in her lap. "You didn't have to stay," he said just as quietly.

"I wanted to see for myself that you were okay." Molly held his hand in hers. Not breaking eye contact, she said, "I still care about you, Arthur…I still love you."

Arthur unintentionally let out a small scoff and looked away. For the first time in his relationship with Molly, he found that hard to believe, not just because of her behavior but because of his as well. How could she still love him after all the wrong he'd committed against her? After all the pain he caused her? How could she love and care for him after deliberately disobeying him? Or after abandoning him when he needed her most?

Molly gently lifted his chin with her forefinger, forcing him to look at her. "Arthur, it is true. I do love you," she reassured her husband. "I always will."

After Molly let go, he stared at her for several seconds before turning away again. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. As he thought more, he moved his "lucky" Knut back and forth along the gold chain of his necklace. He wanted to believe Molly more than anything, but he couldn't make himself. He literally begged her to stop seeing Conner; a week later, she was seeing him again. He admitted he couldn't get his shit together by himself; she abandoned him, and not for the first time. She forbade him from speaking to any of his children and threatened divorce if he did. How did any of that show she loved him? Okay, she may have a list against him like this as well, but, come on, he didn't mean to do the things he did.

Sensing Arthur's increasing doubt, Molly gently ran her fingers through his hair. "You're getting inside your head again," she softly warned him.

When he didn't seem to have heard her, she placed her hand on top of the one that was now holding the Knut against his lips, deep in thought. She moved his hand away from his mouth. This small motion made him drop the Knut and giver her his attention.

"Alexander said a nightmare gave you a panic attack," she stated, changing the subject. "Which one was it?" She rubbed soothing circles on his back. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Arthur answered as he sat up, then mumbled, "It's just – you know, the snake."

"What did they say about your scars?"

Arthur hesitated. He knew he should tell her. Being dishonest wouldn't help him any, but he didn't want this new information to influence any decision she may make. If she was going to forgive him and take him back, he wanted it to be because she felt she could trust him, not because she was concerned for his health. Not to mention, he still needed some time to process it himself. "Nothing to worry about," he finally said.

"What did they say?" Molly pushed.

Arthur focused on some portraits of famous witches and wizards on the wall across from them. "It's nothing, Molly, really," he assured evenly.

Molly watched him for a long moment, detecting that is was not "nothing." He must have had a good reason for not telling her, she supposed. They would both have to rebuild each other's trust. It would just take time.

"I'm glad you're okay," she said sincerely.

After fixing her hair with her fingers, Molly put her cloak back on. "Well, I'm famished. I was thinking, if you're up to it, maybe you'd like to join me for a late dinner?" she asked timidly before adding, "Not as a date or anything, just food. And to talk a bit. We may have jumped in too quickly the last couple times, wanting to go back to how things were without actually solving any problems…I don't want either of us to get hurt again."

Arthur thought for a moment. He was completely exhausted and he was afraid of getting hurt again, but it seemed like it took a lot of courage for her to ask and he didn't want her out by herself that late. Gramps also had a point; he was doing much better than the last time he'd seen her and talking seemed to be the best next step. "Okay," he whispered.

Arthur's grandparents and Alexander approached as the couple stood.

"Alexander, thank you again for getting me," Molly told her brother-in-law. "And thank you for taking care of him," she told Gran and Gramps as she ran her hand down Arthur's arm. Her cheeks grew pink before she apologized, "Gramps, I'm sorry I bit your head off at the wedding."

"No worries, Molly," Gramps assured with a smile.

"Um – We're going to get something to eat," Arthur said.

Gran gave a small, supportive smile.

They all said their good-byes. As Gramps was hugging Molly, he whispered in her ear, "He's staying with us. Make sure he gets home alright, won't you?"

The weight of which Gramps said this heightened Molly's suspicions that Arthur wasn't being completely honest with her about what the Healers said. "Of course," Molly assured with a nod.

A few minutes later, the couple sat across from each other in a booth at a wizard-owned 24-hour breakfast diner close to St. Mungo's. As they waited for their food, they both got a coffee; Arthur kept his black while Molly added sugar and creamer.

"How have you been?" Molly asked.

Arthur couldn't help thinking how much he hated the way this strained and formal conversation was becoming more normal every time they spoke. He took a sip of coffee and set the mug back down on the table. "I'm a lot better than I was," he said softly.

"Yet you haven't owled or anything."

"I'm still not the man you want," Arthur admitted. "There are still a few things I need to work on."

"But you recognize that, and you are working on it?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes."

"What about your drinking?"

Arthur made sure he was looking her in the eye when he answered, "I'm getting help for it. I've been sober almost two months now." As a sort of afterthought, he added, "You know, I'm starting to think it was mostly habit. Most of the people I meet with had a problem for years or decades. I only drank considerably for a few months."

"Arthur, you have had difficulty controlling it ever since you came of age," Molly calmly reminded him. She hated how someone always had to remind him of that fact or point out that he was drinking too much or too frequently. It always frightened her because it made her remember how close the reality which had recently come true was. She loved him nonetheless, so she was even more determined to monitor his drinking to ensure that reality did not come to pass. But, ultimately, she failed. "It's only recently become a serious problem," she continued. "And with your family's history, it only supports that. Do not start making excuses to anyone, not even yourself. And do not try to justify it. Arthur," she reached across the table and placed her hand on top of his, giving it a tight squeeze, "you can never drink again, not even if it is just a sip."

Arthur ran his other hand through his hair. "Okay," he said lowly with an imperceptible shrug. He figured he could keep off it for a while like he had in the past and everything would be fine. Until then, he would do or say what he needed to make Molly and anyone else happy.

"I want to hear you say it." Picking up on the inauthenticity of his agreement, Molly added, "This is not like the other times."

Arthur sighed. Maybe she had a point. The other times, he never had a problem stopping or cutting back. He had never been aggressive toward her or anyone else. He wouldn't still be thinking about a drink nearly two months later. Finally, he conceded, "Okay. I can never drink again."

The waiter came over then. After he refilled their coffees, a plate of waffles was placed in front of Molly while a plate containing a full English breakfast – bacon, fried mushrooms, fried tomatoes, fried eggs, buttered toast, beans, and bangers - was set in front of Arthur. It was obviously the least healthy option on the menu, but Gran was sure to put him on a healthier diet now, and Molly would too if he told her about the curse. This was a sort of "last meal" as far as unhealthy foods went, he supposed.

They ate in a comfortable silence. They were the only customers until two witches came in who they assumed were a mother and a daughter, both looking drawn and tired. This diner must have gotten a lot of anxious friends and family waiting to hear about a loved one in St. Mungo's.

Molly finished eating first. She stacked her dishes neatly at the end of the table. Arthur still had half a slice of bacon, a mushroom, and some beans left.

Arthur had been deep in thought until Molly gestured to his bacon and asked, "May I?"

"You can order something else," Arthur told her politely with a goofy grin, chuckling at how she still ended up wanting something off his plate and still timidly asking for it three decades into their marriage. It was something she had always done – when they were eleven in Hogwarts's Great Hall where there was plenty of food, when they became best friends a couple years later and he visited her over the holidays, on their first date, (he was sure she would have asked for something at their wedding reception if they hadn't ended up eloping), and hundreds of times since then...It was always only ever his plate she wanted food from, now he thought about it. Molly never asked any of her friends or any boyfriends she had before she and Arthur started dating.

Molly replied as she always had, "I don't really want much else - just a nibble."

It was never just a nibble. She always finished off whatever it was she asked for. It never bothered Arthur, though.

"Go on then," Arthur told her, knowing full well that nibble would end up being the rest of his bacon.

Arthur silently set his silverware down and watched his wife as she took little bites out of the bacon, her eyes cast downward. He knew he missed her and all her little quirks, but he never realized just how much until now.

After a while, Molly glanced up at him. "I'm sorry. You could have told me you wanted to finish it," she apologized, handing it back to him.

Gently pushing it back to her, Arthur said, "No, you have it. I don't want it."

Molly went back to taking mouse-sized bites out of the bacon. Arthur continued watching her.

"Why is it only ever my plate?" he asked suddenly.

Molly's eyes snapped up at him. "What?" she asked, puzzled.

"You never ask for food off of anyone else's plate – only mine."

"Oh." Molly pulled her head back and cocked it to the side. "I don't know," she said slowly. "I never realized I did that."

Husband and wife stayed at the diner for a long time, just chatting. Arthur asked about the kids. All the boys seemed to be doing fine, but Molly hadn't heard from Ginny. According to Charlie, though, she seemed to be okay. Molly asked how the new department was going. Arthur briefly thought about asking if she was still seeing Conner; in the end, he decided he would rather not know – as they say, ignorance is bliss, and, for now, Arthur wanted to live in ignorance.

Eventually, they found themselves sitting in the swing on Gran and Gramps's front porch, a warming charm surrounding them. Stars shone brightly overhead, the dark house making them more visible.

Molly looked over at Arthur who looked back at her. "I really enjoyed this," she sincerely said.

"Me too," Arthur breathed. He stared at her as he debated on asking a question – one whose answer could potentially hurt him. Finally, he plucked up the courage and asked, "Would you like – Would you like to go on an official date with me? Tomorrow night?"

"I think I'd like that," Molly whispered, a smile spreading across her face.

Arthur couldn't stop himself from smiling back. He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.

His happiness disappeared as quickly as it had come, though. So, Molly was willing to give him another chance it seemed like. If she was willing to do that, he ought to be completely honest with her.

"Molly," he began hesitantly, "there's something you need to know." He shifted in the swing to better face her. "I didn't tell you everything the Healers said."

"What did they say?" Molly asked apprehensively, brow furrowed.

"My heart isn't as healthy as it should be," he eased in, "and they're not sure how things will progress."

"Alexander said it wasn't a heart attack."

"It wasn't. It's...it's dark magic."

"Dark magic?"

Arthur nodded once. "From the snake. It's been attacking my heart. And it is extremely powerful and no one has encountered a curse like this for centuries. So they don't know what to expect.

"I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to forgive me and take me back just because you thought I was dying. Please don't be angry with me," Arthur pleaded. "I'm tired of you being angry with me."

"I'm not angry with you." Molly took his hand in hers. "I appreciate you being considerate enough not to use that to manipulate me. That really shows how much you've changed."

"I told you I'm better - Not great, but better."

"What else did the Healers say?"

"Not much. They don't think it's an immediate threat, so they're going to monitor it for now. They believe the recurring nightmare is linked to it, I need to be proactive, and Alexander is going to be my Healer. That's about it."

Silence soon returned. The occasional hoot of an owl or moo of a cow could be heard in the distance. Small, white snowflakes began to fall, slowly blanketing the fields. The couple sat together for a long time.

"I guess I should go," Molly said quietly as she reluctantly sat up from where she was curled up against Arthur. "Let you get some rest."

"Yeah," Arthur whispered, disappointed. He stood and held out his hand to Molly, helping her up. "You can use the Floo."

"I don't want to wake your grandparents."

"You won't."

Once inside, Arthur softly kissed Molly on top of the head as she hugged him tightly.

"Thank you for coming tonight," Arthur mumbled, having a very different view than when he had first seen her in the waiting room, as Molly grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and stepped into the fireplace. "Will you be alright by yourself tonight?" he asked, remembering how she'd told him at the diner that Ron had moved into Grimmauld Place with Harry.

"I-I think so. Will you be okay?"

"I'm not alone. I have Gran and Gramps."

Molly nodded, but did not make a move. For several minutes, she stood in the fireplace, staring at Arthur. He stared back at her.

Finally, he spoke. "I may be crossing a line, but…do you want to stay here tonight? There are plenty of extra rooms."

Molly nodded. She stepped out of the fireplace and dropped the Floo Powder back into its container on the mantelpiece.

It did not take long for Arthur to get her set up in the room across the hall from his. She closed the door after they told each other goodnight. He changed into a pair of pajama bottoms then studied his scars in the dresser mirror. They looked perfectly normal, like any other old scars, no hint of dark magic lying within them. He traced one with his finger starting a couple inches under his collar bone, diagonally crossing his chest, and to the side of his ribcage.

Arthur finally dragged himself to bed, opening the door on his way. Unable to sleep, he stared at the ceiling as he lay there. He didn't hear the door open across the hall. He sat up on his elbows and saw a shadow in the doorway when he heard a soft and timid, "Arthur? Are you awake?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think – Maybe – Can – Can I – er – sleep in here? With you?"

"Of course," Arthur whispered, "if you're sure that's what you want?" He knew Molly wanted to take things slow and ease back into their relationship; he was in full agreement with that. And while sleeping in the same bed together wasn't necessarily harmful and he was not going to make any advances, this could be a choice she would later regret.

"I am," Molly assured, stepping into the room. Arthur grabbed his wand off the nightstand and transfigured the narrow bed into a full-sized bed before moving over to give her more room.

Once Molly was under the covers, they both rolled over, backs to each other.

A minute hadn't even passed when Molly asked, "Will you hold me?"

Even more stunned than he already was, Arthur faltered before wordlessly rolling over on to his back. Molly met him there. She laid an arm on his chest and nuzzled up against him. He reached around and held her reassuringly. Just as they always had, their bodies fit together perfectly.

oOoOo

It had been so late when they went to bed it was early afternoon before they woke up. Well, before Molly woke up anyway; she couldn't even remember the last time she slept that well. Arthur, on the other hand, hadn't been able to sleep no matter how exhausted he was. He lay there, nevertheless, holding his wife close, and savoring it.

While Molly was in the shower, Arthur sent an owl into work, explaining that he wouldn't be there that day due to an emergency.

Molly used the dresser mirror in Arthur's childhood bedroom to fix her hair while Arthur took a quick shower. She noticed a neatly wrapped package on the dresser and briefly wondered who it was for.

When they went downstairs to the kitchen, Gran and Gramps were only just eating lunch. Apparently having heard movement upstairs, Gran had lunch prepared for Molly and Arthur as well. Arthur pulled Molly's chair out for her before taking a seat himself.

"What time did you get in?" Gran asked. "You know you need the rest what with –"

"Can you pass me a napkin, Dear?" Gramps interrupted abruptly even though he already had a napkin and they were well within his reach.

"It's okay, Gramps. I told her," Arthur said.

"Oh, um, when are you telling the kids?" Molly asked. "I'll be there if you want."

"I'm not telling them."

"They are your kids, Arthur. They have a right to know."

"Molly, give me some time," Arthur snapped, putting an end to that. As soon as he realized how quick-tempered his response had been, he said, "I'm sorry. That's something I'm still working on."

The house had been unusually quiet all morning. When they were still upstairs, Arthur assumed one of his grandparents had cast a silencing charm in order to avoid disturbing them, but it was quiet downstairs, too. He was almost done eating when he realized, for the first time since he moved in, there were no children running around.

"Where are the kids?" he asked his grandparents.

"Oh, we sent a couple owls when we got home last night saying that we couldn't watch them today."

"No details, of course," Gramps added.

"Why?" Arthur asked. "It wasn't that late when you left the hospital."

"We figured you would take off from work and wouldn't want to be bothered by a bunch of rambunctious children."

Arthur hummed in understanding. He was thankful his grandparents had more foresight than he did. He hadn't put any thought into that until then, realizing he was not in the mood for any of that today - Peace and quiet was what he needed.

When Molly finished eating, she said, "Thank you for lunch, but I should be getting back home."

"Oh!" Arthur exclaimed as he remembered something. "I have something for you first. Wait in the living room?" Without waiting for a response, he hopped up, ran upstairs, and grabbed Molly's birthday present off his dresser.

Molly was waiting for him as he had asked. He sat next to her on the loveseat. "Here," he said, handing her the meticulously wrapped gift.

Carefully, Molly unwrapped the paper, revealing a perfectly polished, antique jewelry box with intricate patterns carved into the dark wood.

"Arthur, this is lovely."

"That's not all - Open it."

As soon as the lid cracked open, Molly's favorite song, Sicilienne, Op. 78, began playing. Upon seeing the contents of the jewelry box, she gasped. A double-stranded Tudor necklace lay on the red velvet interior. Every fourth pearl was followed by a ruby of similar size along the strands. The centerpiece of the necklace was a large ruby surrounded by sparkling diamonds encased in a delicate framework of gold. Dangling off the impressive centerpiece were three pairs of a ruby with a pearl beneath it. Sitting in a corner of the jewelry box was a matching pair of earrings reflecting the ruby and pearl combination that hung from the necklace's centerpiece.

She was speechless.

Not only was the jewelry breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly expensive, but it was a Prewett family heirloom going back hundreds of years. It had been her most prized possession - mostly for sentimental reasons - until several years prior when she'd had to sell it to help pay for the kids' school supplies.

"Happy birthday, Mollywobbles," Arthur whispered. "Well, belated birthday."

"Arthur, how on earth…" Molly said breathlessly.

"Well, with the insanely high raise and overtime and only Ginny at school – Then I tracked down the person who bought it and persuaded her to sell it back to me – I just found the box in a shop somewhere," Arthur babbled incoherently. He took a deep breath. "When we had five kids in school and you had to sell it, I felt absolutely terrible – and have ever since. I promised myself I'd find a way to get it back for you someday."

Without warning, Molly grabbed his shirtfront and kissed him soundly on the lips. Arthur froze, eyes wide. It wasn't that he didn't like his wife kissing him again, but this was not the way to take things slow. Last time they made up, they shagged each other within an hour and then didn't speak for two months. Unlike last time, Arthur did not return the kiss.

"Molly," he said, gently removing his shirt from her hands, "neither of us wants to get hurt. I don't want to get too emotionally involved right now. I…I don't think I could take it if things didn't work out again."

"Right. I'm sorry. I lost my head for a minute," Molly confessed. "Thank you for the present. I never thought I'd see this again."

"We're still going on a date tonight?"

Molly smiled and nodded.

"I'll pick you up at six."

For the rest of the afternoon, Arthur lazed around the house. He didn't have to think too much about the date; he was going to recreate the first date he and Molly ever went on.

When Arthur told Gran and Gramps about his plans, Gramps asked, "Shouldn't you go to your meeting tonight?"

"I'll go some other time this week."

"You just had some big news dropped on you last night, and you haven't been since Thursday morning. Don't you think you ought to go?"

"Gramps, a few more hours won't hurt. Molly is giving me another chance. Right now, this is more important than some stupid meeting."

"I think they are equally important. Neglecting your sobriety could jeopardize your marriage even though that's what you're prioritizing."

"I know what I'm doing," Arthur stated firmly.

Gramps heaved a heavy sigh and left his grandson to get ready.

That night went exactly as their first date had gone, besides the fact that Arthur picked up Molly from the Burrow instead of the Gryffindor common room. After picking up Molly, who wore her necklace and earrings, Arthur apparated them to Hogsmeade. They went into a few shops before going to the restaurant. Afterwards, they took a stroll around the snow-covered, lamplit village. At the end of the night, he safely dropped her off at the Burrow, leaving without a goodnight kiss or going inside.

The night had gone much better than either of them had expected. The previous night had made it more relaxed than it would have been if Arthur had shown up out of nowhere, telling her he was ready to try again. Things had gone so well, in fact, that they agreed to go out the next night as well.

A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I absolutely loved writing it!

Please keep dropping those reviews.