A/N I apologize for the lengthy delay, but 'real life' has a way of mucking up the best-laid plans.

Thank you, once again, to my betas - Mandy the O and Musique et Amour. Your assistance is priceless.


John sent word to Danny and Siobhan that he and Molly were going to be married in Our Lady of Good Help Catholic Church in town. Molly laughed at that. "John, sometimes I just can't believe how old-fashioned you are!" she teased him.

Undeterred, John told her they were waiting for her parents' blessing before getting married. Eventually, the O'Reilly's letter arrived in Seattle. Needless to say, they were thrilled that Molly had at last found a man to take as her husband. That they were getting married in the Church was all the O'Reillys needed to hear.


Molly and John were married, and she moved into his house though at her insistence, they began drawing up plans for their new house in town. She did not want anything ostentatious, but she wanted it to make a statement. This was not about John and Molly Albright, after all; this was about Seattle.

John fell deeper in love with his bride every day. He loved her enthusiasm and he tried to match it, although he still was not certain he would be happy living in town. He could understand Molly's view, though, and wanted to make her happy. Living in town would be a small price to pay, he decided.

They worked together for hours at a time, drawing up plans for Molly's dream house. She wanted it to be two stories, and John teased her that she wanted a traditional New England colonial house in Seattle. Knowing her own mind, she ignored his teasing and went on with her plans. They hoped to have a large but close-knit family, so Molly wanted the second floor split in half. One side would be their sons' bedroom, the other would be their daughters'. Their own bedroom would be on the first floor. A kitchen, formal dining room, and parlor completed the first floor, with a water closet just inside the back door.

John laughed out loud when Molly told him that she wanted a formal dining room. But, she was adamant. Seattle was not going to remain a little outpost, and as Seattle grew, so would John's importance in the town. Therefore, she wanted a dining room in which they could entertain the town and area business leaders.

As much as John hoped Molly's vision for Seattle would come to fruition, he secretly feared it would take decades for it to occur.

Molly spent most of her days in town with the other women. They discussed putting their gardens in, planned quilting bees, and spent hours speculating over who was courting whom and which bride would be expecting next. As excited as she was about building the new house in town, Molly admitted to herself that she was more content than she ever thought she'd be Her only source of dissatisfaction was each month when she realized, yet again, that there was not an Albright baby on the way.

Sundays were spent quietly. She and John attended Mass in the morning, then socialized with the other parishioners before returning to their home. They took many long walks, as John was eager to show Molly everything he loved about the land. She begged him to teach her to ride a horse, insisting that she ride astride. He laughed until she stormed off, then started laughing again when she reappeared, wearing a pair of his trousers.

"Molly, you can't be serious!" he started.

"I can and I am.I'm not going to risk breaking my neck because some damned fool decreed that 'ladies' ride sidesaddle," she scowled, storming past him into the barn.

"Molly, wait. Sweetheart! You're right, I'll help you. I certainly don't want you breaking your neck."

Saddling the mare and gaining her seat took Molly the remainder of the afternoon. Gritting her teeth, she assured John that she was serious about learning how to ride a horse.

"Molly! That's fine, but … you are not to try to ride alone. Don't look at me like that! I am not being autocratic nor bossy. You are a novice, and could easily get hurt. Maybe someday, once you're an accomplished horsewoman, but until then it's simply too dangerous for you to go out riding alone."

Molly's first inclination was to argue with him, but even she saw the wisdom in his words. Walking over to him, she caressed his face. "Do not worry yourself, dear Husband. I will wait until you can teach me. I will not go off on my own."

Searching her face, John felt himself relax as he realized she would not lie to him. "I will teach you, dear wife," he promised, picking her up and swinging her around. "Even if you insist on dressing like a boy instead of the beautiful woman you are!"

And so, every free moment they could spare was spent in teaching Molly to ride a horse. She never complained, although John knew her muscles were protesting at the unaccustomed exercise. Much to John's surprise and delight, Molly soon became quite a horsewoman.


Molly thought that the day the men began building the Albright's new house in town was one of the happiest days of her life. She stood as close as she could without being either underfoot or in harm's way. Day after day she watched as their house took shape. And so she was there the day her world came crashing down.

The day started like any other. There was no hint of the disaster which was going to strike. The house had been roughed in, and the crew was to shingle the roof. Unfortunately, several men were ill, whether from food poisoning, as they claimed, or from drink, as Molly suspected, did not matter. There were not enough men available to finish the roof that day, but John was determined that the house be secure before bad weather set in. He told the men who had reported for work that they were, in fact, going to shingle the roof that day. His goal was to have the entire roof done by sundown.

The crew mumbled amongst themselves. It would be impossible to get the entire roof done with the small crew healthy enough to work. Ignoring the grumbling, John went up on the roof and began the first row of shingles. The roof was steep, and an experienced crew would have known to take the necessary safety precautions. Before setting the shingles, two or thee rows of 2x4s, set about 3 feet apart, needed to be ran. The men would then brace themselves on the row of 2x4s as they shingled the roof.

Although John had shingled roofs before, he had never been part of the set-up crew. By the time he realized that they had neglected the important step of nailing in the rows of 2x4s, it was too late. Losing his footing, John slid off the roof and in front of his crew and his beloved wife, snapping his neck. He was gone in an instant.

Molly flew to her husband's side and tenderly cradled his head in her lap. Sobbing quietly, she covered his face with tears and kisses. A couple of the men came and lifted her up, then carried her away. She struggled, twisting and turning, finally screaming at them, "NO-o-o-o-o!"

John woke up to Molly's incoherent screams. "Wake up, Molly!" he said, shaking her. "It's just a dream, sweetheart, it's just a dream. You're all right," he added, folding her into his arms. He rocked her back and forth until her sobs subsided.

"Oh, John, it was so horrible! Promise me, promise me, please. Don't go on the roof!"

Confused, John agreed. Anything to keep her from the heartbreak she dreamt of.


John and Molly supervised the construction of their new house. John supervised the construction, rather; Molly supervised him. She was so upset by her nightmare that she could not bear to have him out of her sight. He humored her; hoping that as time passed, the nightmare would fade.

He was pleased to see the other houses being built around theirs. Molly was right, he mused, I need to listen to her woman's intuition more often. Although he suspected that she was behind the sudden surge in houses being built in town; a woman would not be pleased with being stuck in a house by herself all day, far from neighbors. His frown returned. If only we could have children. Then Molly wouldn't be stuck anywhere alone.

They moved into their new house just before Thanksgiving. The Albrights planned an open house for all of Seattle, and the other brides spent the week helping Molly prepare the food. Thanksgiving Day was chilly but dry, which was one more thing Molly was grateful for. The only bleak spot in Molly's life was the lack of children. Why can't we have a baby? John will be a wonderful father; I know I am a huge disappointment to him. Straightening her shoulders, she pasted a cheerful grin on her face and went to greet the first guests.


The first Thanksgiving in their new house was a huge success. Molly loved living in town; she went visiting nearly every day, but loved having the freedom to return home when she wanted to, rather than having to wait for John to come fetch her. The population of the small town was steadily increasing as most of the women who had answered John's advertisement in Boston had married and many had become mothers. Her heart aching, Molly greeted each new baby lovingly. One of these days it will be me, she reminded herself. One of these days I will discover that John and I will be starting our family.

She was determined to remain cheerful. She felt she owed John that much, at least, especially since he had built the house of her dreams for her, in town! She knew that he was not keen about living in town, but he never betrayed any unhappiness to her.


Two weeks later, Molly woke to the unsettling feeling of the earth moving beneath her. A feeling of déjà vu descended over her as she realized that John was not in bed with her. Donning her robe, she belted it securely, then lit a small lamp to light her way as she moved through the dark house.

"John?" she called out, annoyed with how feeble she sounded. "John!" she called out a little more strongly. Still, only silence answered her.

"John?" she continued to call his name, unaware of the tears that were coursing down her cheeks. "John, where are you?" Reaching the water closet – their home was one of the first in Seattle with such a thing – she was dismayed to find it empty. "John, this isn't very funny!" she finally snapped.

She made her way up the stairs to the two empty bedrooms, waiting for little Albrights to fill them. She took longer than necessary to see that both rooms were empty. Her heart was pounding and her stomach was in her throat as she descended the stairs and walked to the front door.

Opening the front door, her fear and dread mixed together, leaving a vile taste in her mouth as she walked barefoot to the street. Her footsteps faltered as something out of a nightmare--her nightmare--filled her vision. Her husband lay in the street, sprawled on his back, limbs akimbo and his head twisted at an impossible angle.

She dropped soundlessly to his side and tenderly cradled his head in her lap. For several moments, there was nothing but shock. Finally she broke. Sobbing quietly, she covered his face with tears and kisses. She did not know how long she stayed like that, but shortly after daybreak, two of their neighbors came and lifted her up, then carried her away. She struggled, twisting and turning, finally screaming at them, "NO-o-o-o-o!" At her screams, the women in town came running to see what was the matter, and the owner of one of the saloons, Miss Biddy, enfolded Molly in her arms. Standing in the middle of the road, she rocked Molly as the other woman sobbed inconsolably.

As suddenly as her hysteria started, it was over. She gratefully agreed to stay with Miss Biddy. Officially, the worst earthquake in the area did not cause any deaths; unofficially, the townspeople knew better. Molly did not know why John had left their bed in the night, she had no idea why he was on the roof precisely when the earth began to shake, and quite frankly, she did not care.

She was grateful for the numbness that saw her through the funeral and the wake. She was grateful that she slept dreamlessly in her small room over the saloon. She knew that she needed to return to their … her … home, but she was in no rush to do so. Little did she know that not only was she widowed, she was also penniless and homeless.

John Albright was a man of vision, and he saw the potential in Seattle. Unbeknownst to Molly, he invested heavily in the town, and mortgaged his land … and the buildings on it … to a group of businessmen in San Francisco. Once word of his death reached them, they descended en masse to survey their holdings. The men quickly agreed that Molly could not run the lumber operation, so they took over the company. Since she no longer had any income, she could not pay back the loans John had taken out on their home and land. They allowed her access to the houses one final time so that she could remove her personal belongings, but they refused to believe that one of the horses and saddles belonged to her. Molly didn't really argue with them. She was exhausted with the effort of getting through the day. Besides, there was no place at Miss Biddy's to stable a horse.

Molly didn't want company as she went through the house one final time, so no one was there when she find the note.

My dearest Molly, she read as tears flooded her eyes. Blinking them back furiously, she read on.

By now you undoubtedly know that my life was a lie – a sham – and, like a house of cards, it has all caved in on me.

I am so sorry, Molly. You are young, and you are free. I love you,

John

It's all my fault, she realized suddenly. I wouldn't accept him as he was – I forced him to build this house he never wanted – and I gave him nothing in return. Not even children. Tucking the note into her small bundle, she left the house dry-eyed and resolved to not look back.

Miss Biddy insisted that Molly continue to stay with her. Molly would not accept charity, so she learned to tend the bar and serve the customers.

She was a fast learner, and ordinarily, Biddy would have appreciated the extra pair of hands. Unfortunately, it soon became obvious to the two women that John's former employees were avoiding Miss Biddy's saloon. They had placed Mrs. John Albright on quite the pedestal, and were not happy with her perceived fall. It was a dual-edged sword. Their adoration of her prevented any from courting her; her circumstances forced her to work.


Molly began planning her next move. As much as she liked Biddy, and was grateful for the other woman's companionship during the long cold months since John's death, Molly knew she had no future in Seattle. She listened to the seagoing men in the saloon, and their talk of Portland piqued her interest. She did not know precisely when she would leave, but she trusted Providence would guide her.

Not that she gave much thought to God in the weeks after John died. Molly was angry at a God who could show her a new life, then just as quickly snatch that life away from her. John had so much to live for, she grieved silently, if only I had given him a child. Perhaps then, he would not have been on the roof that night. Knowing that such thoughts were foolish, Molly strove to neither think nor feel anything beyond what was required to survive each day and long lonely night.