A/N: In my long-winded author's note at the beginning of this story I forgot another clue I noticed from the Christmas episode that I think might develop into something in season 7. Here's my version of it. I can totally see this happening, and I'm all for it! Let me know in the comments if you saw it too! Please forgive a few author indulgences in this chapter. It was very, very late when I wrote this and I was definitely feeling my oats (does anyone even use that expression anymore?)

And the Heart is Brave

Chapter 6

"Molly! Molly, put down that duster!" Bill Avery shouted in annoyance, ducking and waving his arm over his head as he tried to ward off the feathery weapon of Molly Sullivan as she dusted the shelves behind his desk with vigorous flourish. Bill was sitting in his judge's office, a mountainous pile of paperwork in front of him, one hand waving Molly away and the other holding the earpiece of the telephone to his head.

"No, no!" Bill shouted, this time not to Molly but into the phone receiver standing on the desk in front of him. "I won't reschedule the case again! Tell your client to be there at 9 sharp tomorrow or I'll issue a warrant for his arrest," Bill barked, annoyed, hanging up the phone with more force than was needed. He was presiding over a case in Union City tomorrow and he wasn't about to have it postponed again for the defendant's convenience and at the expense of his.

"Molly, I said watch the duster!" Bill said, waving his hand, as the aforementioned weapon came just inches from his head.

Molly Sullivan, a comely attractive redhead (OK SHE DESERVES THAT! SO SUE ME!), hmpffed in response to Bill Avery's orders and moved over to another wall of the office, resuming her cleaning duties away from the testy temperament of Judge Avery.

As Bill began searching through the documents on his desk, flipping folders and spreading papers, growing more frustrated by the second, Molly watched him from the corner of her eye, shaking her head and giving a slight roll of her eye. "Bottom left drawer, blue file," she said to him.

"What?" Bill asked, looking up, hardly hearing her.

Molly turned fully towards him. "The folder you're looking for. Bottom left drawer, blue file," she repeated.

A bit stunned, Bill pulled open the bottom drawer to his left. He reached down and pulled out a blue file, noting the name affixed to it. "Molly, this is the exact file I was looking for! How did you know?" he asked, a bit incredulous.

"You have a court case in Union City tomorrow morning. Now what else would you be looking for?" Molly reasoned her guess about the case file folder, as if any two year old child could have figured it out.

"Um, well, thanks," Bill said gruffly (TRUE FACT: IF YOU LOOK UP THE WORD 'GRUFF' IN THE DICTIONARY THERE'S A PHOTO OF BILL AVERY THERE. FACT. OK I'LL STOP HAVING FUN NOW)

"You're welcome," Molly replied sweetly, returning to her dusting.

It was not even 10 seconds later that the phone on Bill's desk began to jingle loudly. Bill looked at it and contorted his mouth into something of a snarl. How was he supposed to get anything done with that dang nuisance interrupting him all the time?

As the phone continued to ring unanswered, Molly glanced over at Bill, noting he was making no move to answer it, his face merely frozen in a snarl as he glared at the phone. Or maybe that was just his normal expression, Molly wasn't sure. It was hard to tell with Bill Avery. (OK SO I WASN'T DONE HAVING FUN)

"Bill, aren't you going to...?" Molly trailed off the question, meeting his eyes to point from him to the phone and back, her eyes making a similar trek. Bill's only response was to let out a long suffering sigh. Tentatively, Molly approached the desk. "Bill, do you want me to...?" she asked, this time pointing between herself and the phone several times, wondering if he wanted her to answer in his stead.

"Would you?" Bill asked, his voice now softly pleading (OK I MIGHT HAVE TO REWORD THAT...DOES 'SOFTLY PLEADING' REALLY WORK FOR BILL? I PROMISE I'M DONE THIS TIME)

At Bill's agreement, Molly set down her duster and reached over to lift the phone from Bill's desk with one hand, and bring the earpiece to her ear with the other. "Judge Avery's office," she announced into the receiver. She listened a moment on the line, then said, "Yes, put them through." Another second and then Molly repeated to the transferred caller, "Judge Avery's office." She listened a moment, then replied, "Yes. Yes. No. I"m sorry, the Judge is out of the office until..." Molly swung around to look at the clock, "...until 2pm. Would you like to call back then or can I take a message?" Some more listening, then Molly suddenly set the receiver on the desk and leaned over, snapping her fingers silently. Understanding she was looking for a pencil, Bill began the hunt for one with her, through the mountainous chaos that was his desktop, before Molly suddenly pulled one out from under some papers. She began jotting down some words on a blank sheet nearby. "Yes, I got all that. I'll see the Judge gets the message. Yes. You're welcome. Good bye." Molly placed the earpiece back onto the receiver, then straightened up.

"Molly, that was wonderful," Bill said with something like awe in his voice. "But I'm right here," he said, spreading his hands wide, palms up in question that she'd told the caller he was out.

"No, you're not," Molly countered. "You're over at the cafe having your lunch," she informed him brightly. "Now off you go," she ordered, making a shooing motion with her hands. "I'll answer any calls that come in while you're gone. If it's important I'll come get you. If not, I'll take a message," she told him.

"Molly!" Bill exclaimed at how smoothly, how cleverly she had finagled him a lunchtime break. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd managed anything but a quick bite at his desk.

"No, no, go," Molly ordered again, as Bill rose, not about to miss the opportunity. "You can thank me later!" she called to Bill's back as he hustled towards the door, not quite believing his luck that he would actually get a hot meal today. Clara was doing the cooking today, since his judgeship was taking up more and more of his time, so that made it even better, that he would enjoy her cooking and not his own.

As Bill Avery left his office, the door falling closed behind him, Molly turned to look at the mountain of papers and folders on Bill's desk. Now it was her turn to snarl with distaste at the view, she even added an arched brow of disgust, before she first picked up one paper and then another and another and got to work.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

When Bill Avery returned to his office an hour later, he was met with a very different desk than the one he'd left behind. All the papers and folders were neatly organized, his weekly appointment calendar lay open (At least he thought that's what it was. He'd never used it before. He just wrote everything on scraps of paper, that apparently Molly had now transcribed onto the calendar), and there was even a small dish and glass holding all his pencils and other office supplies. Along the side, near the phone, was a row of small squares of paper...phone messages from when he was out, neatly piled and arranged by time.

"Molly, did you do all this?" Bill asked, the second time today his voice was incredulous.

Molly nodded lightly, realizing Bill was pleased, and for some reason that pleased her too. Just then, the phone rang and Molly leaned over and reached a hand towards it, pausing to look up at Bill with the question, "May I?"

"Of course," Bill replied, gesturing with his arms and hands out, as if to say 'it's all yours'.

"Judge Avery's office," Molly answered. She listened a few seconds before reaching for Bill's weekly calendar, turning it towards her and rifling a few pages ahead. "No, he can't make it that day, he has another appointment. But the day before or after look good. The 27th. Yes, that works. What time? 11?" she asked, before she grabbed a pencil and began scratching notations onto the calendar. "Yes, I'll make sure he knows. You're welcome. Good bye." Molly absently hung up the phone as she finished up her notes, not looking up from the task. "You have a meeting with the district attorney on the 27th at 11," she told him matter-of-factly, finishing her notes before straightening to look at Bill, startled when her eyes met his.

For Bill Avery had taken a step back from the desk, his arms crossed and his feet braced as he studied Molly with an intent gaze, as if seeing her for the first time. Molly grew flustered by the look. She straightened away from the desk and ran her hands down her dress. "Well, I guess I'd better be on my way," she said and turned, looking for her duster. She found it and headed to the door.

"Molly, wait!" Bill called after her, stopping her before she reached the door. Molly turned and waited until Bill came up to her. "Molly, I...," Bill scanned her face, glancing down her arm to the duster in her hand. Impulsively, he took the duster from her and tossed it over his shoulder. Molly's eyes widened in surprise and she leaned to the side to look around Bill, eyeing her duster now laying dejectedly on the floor of the office.

"What...?" she started, before Bill interrupted her.

"Molly, I need help," he said.

"What?" Molly said again.

"I need help. Here, in the office. Will you help me, Molly?" Bill asked.

"You want me to help you? Here?" Molly asked, pointing a finger to the floor, just to be sure they were talking about the right place.

"Yes. Would you prefer secretary or assistant?" he wondered at the job title, already miles ahead of Molly. "Assistant," he decided, answering his own question. "It's more descriptive. And you'll need a desk," Bill said, whirling around to eye the space.

Molly shook her head, trying to take it all in. Bill Avery wanted her to work here. In his office. As his assistant. Could it be possible? For a while now, Molly had been feeling a little lost in her life. She was a widow, one of the original coal mine widows, and her daughter Rosaleen was 17 now and attending Kingsport College out east and Molly was all alone in Hope Valley. Well, except for her friends, and even Florence had gotten a job at the switchboard and was no longer as available as she once was. It left Molly feeling at loose ends. She hadn't thought she'd possessed any particular skills to be useful to anyone in the way of a job, so she had started to clean offices, at least that was something she could do that would keep her busy. But here was Bill Avery offering her this opportunity. And what an opportunity. Bill Avery might be a bit gruff and testy, but he was a highly respected Judge, very well regarded in not only Hope Valley but far and wide. That he should think she was capable of working alongside him ignited feelings inside her of pride and self-esteem she had not felt for a very long time.

"We could put one here," Bill was saying, spreading his hand out where a desk might go. "It would get a lot of light," he noted, remarking of the spot close to the window. "Do you like light, Molly?" he asked.

It was a question laden with double meaning. For Molly had been in a bit of a dark place in her heart recently and here was a lifeline to the light. "Yes, Bill," Molly replied, swallowing hard. "I like the light," she said, answering his question and accepting the job in one sentence. "I like the light very much."