Grace grabbed onto Oliver's arm, feeling momentarily that her knees were going to buckle. A few seconds passed, then relief set in. Her hunch had been right after all.

Before she knew it, Oliver was striding over to Molly and stepping in front of Chief Ward.

"What do you mean Annie and Pepper helped you?"

Molly sunk into her seat, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. "I… They…"

"The truth," the chief emphasized again.

"Annie hid me," she cried. "Then she and Pepper told me I should be found again. That maybe the Wilkins are real nice people after all. And that I should let them be my parents."

Grace was at her side now, kneeling down and stroking Molly's hair. "You mean you've been here the entire time?"

Molly nodded.

"How did we not find out before now?" Oliver questioned, mostly to the other adults in the room.

"You was busy… Busy with the baby."

Grace and Oliver's eyes met.

Molly continued with a sniffle. "Me and Annie thought maybe you'd wind up wanting me after all. Then Pepper got here. You want your own kid. Not another orphan."

"Sweetheart…" Grace said with a pause. "Please don't think we didn't adopt you because we don't love you."

Olivier joined in, albeit, uncomfortably. "We did talk about it."

"You did?"

Grace nodded. "We know how close you are to Annie, but we also know that Annie has been the one to raise you since you've been in the orphanage. She needs to be a kid now and you need to be loved by a mommy and daddy."

"But I don't understand why you can't be my mommy and daddy."

Oliver crouched down now as well. "Because we're too busy to be the parents you need. Annie will be the first to tell you that she doesn't see much of us during the day."

"But I'd have Annie to play with."

"She's busy during the day, too. With school, tennis lessons, field trips, spending time with friends..."

"I'd do all those things, too."

"Maybe," Oliver said, "but not always with Annie. Remember, she is a bit older than you."

Molly frowned.

"The Wilkins will be much more available for you," Grace said. "And you will still get to see Annie. When you can't, you'll write each other."

Even though she'd agreed to this earlier, doubt was creeping in again and Molly shook her head. "Annie's been takin' care of me since my mama and papa died. I don't want to be far away from her. Ever."

Oliver and Grace stood up, sharing another look. It was sadder this time, the last piece of the puzzle fitting together. Molly's words hung in the air. How did they not see it?

The Wilkins were on their way from their place in Connecticut. Oliver had called before Chief Ward had even arrived. Suddenly Grace found herself wanting to say never mind to all of it. They'd adopt Molly. They'd have three children.

Seeing the wheels of her mind spinning, Oliver took hold of her elbow, pulling her aside and excusing themselves from the room. "We'll just be a moment."

Chief Ward nodded. "This just about wraps it up anyway. If you don't mind, we'll ask Molly just a few more questions."

"That's fine."

/

"Don't even think about it," Oliver said the second they were out of earshot.

"How can we not?" Grace said, nearly in tears.

"I sympathize with the child, believe me, but that doesn't change our circumstances. Grace, we cannot take in Molly."

"But why not?!"

"You know why."

"There's no reason so big that we can turn a blind eye to what she just said in there. Annie helped her through the loss of her parents. Taking Annie away will be like them dying all over again."

He couldn't fight the eyeroll that came next. "I think the pregnancy hormones are going strong this morning."

"Is that going to be your excuse for every disagreement until the baby comes?" she snapped. "This isn't about our baby. This is about Molly."

"And I'm not saying it isn't!" He took a breath, trying to control his own temper. "What I am saying is that while the determination in both Molly and Annie to stay together is valid and explains these great lengths they've gone to, I also think you're taking it more to heart than what's healthy."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means Molly can't go her entire life chained to Annie. We both know that. We've both lost people we love. We've both had to move on."

"That's right, and we also faced many hardships along the way. Maybe we can spare Molly some of that pain. It's not as though we don't have the resources."

"And then what? Annie keeps playing mother hen? Look what she's been doing here the past few months. She took matters with Molly into her own hands, as though she didn't have a choice. She didn't feel she could come to us. Doesn't that concern you?"

Grace crossed her arms and looked away but didn't respond.

"Annie needs to be a kid. Just like you said. She's so grown up as it is. Too grown up. You know her better than anyone. You know she'll always put her life second so long as Molly is under the same roof. I know what that's like as well." He trailed off a moment, his voice softer when he started speaking again. "It won't do either of them good. Someday they'll be apart and they won't know how to function without the other. We agreed that we can't give the attention Molly needs. She's needier than Annie and the Wilkins are prepared to give into those needs. We simply can't."

Grace shook her head softly – not because she disagreed, but because she knew she couldn't argue the point. He was right.

Taking a step closer to him, she hung her arms loosely around his waist while resting her head on his chest. "I just can't bear to hurt her anymore."

"I know, dear."

"Maybe we can work something out with the Wilkins'? Make a schedule for the girls to visit each other when they're in Connecticut?"

"I don't see why not. They've stood by her throughout all of this."

"Even if it's just temporary. I'm sure once both of the girls have had a real chance to settle, they'll naturally adjust."

"I'm sure."

Tilting her head up to meet his eye, she then asked, "What do we do about Annie? It seems wrong to punish her."

"She needs to be held accountable."

"I know," she sighed, "but under the circumstances?"

"We'll find a punishment to fit the crime. Later, though. First, we'll get things settled with Molly, then we'll deal with Annie."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Yeah…" Annie said from the doorway, her voice soft and her face guilty.

Pulling apart, they both gave their own expression of disapproval. However, their love and relief won over as they each stretched out an arm and pulled her into their embrace.