Author's Notes: Here's chapter three, if anyone's still reading...no cliffie this time...let me know what you think. I love to hear from all of my readers. Thanks to Em for her persistence and assistance.

Jenny

Chapter Three:

"Let me know if you need something, alright?" Sara spoke gently, pulling a dark blue blanket over Molly's small frame, "I'm going to leave the closet light on for you, and I'll be right in the living room if you get scared, okay?"

"Okay." Came the uncertain reply, "Daddy lets me watch movies to sleep."

Sara nodded, panicking slightly as she tried to think of a movie she owned that would be appropriate for a small child. After going through her mental catalogue of DVDs, she was stumped. Molly would probably not be interested in documentaries, psychological thrillers, or romantic comedies, nor would they even come close to being appropriate for a child her age.

Patting Molly's leg reassuringly, Sara whispered, "I know someone who probably has a ton of movies for a little girl like you...let me give her a call and see what we can find, okay?"

"Okay." Molly replied quietly, her eyes wide as she let her eyes travel around the bedroom. Occupying the queen sized bed, she felt like she could be swallowed whole, and there were more shadows occupying the room than she had seen on any given night of her life. She closed her eyes, putting her hands over her small face. If she couldn't see the bad things, they couldn't see her either.

Pulling her hand back a bit, she eyed Sara as the brunette made her way to the hallway, the cordless phone pressed against her ear as she anxiously paced. It wasn't that she wanted to make Sara more nervous and upset than she already was, she was just scared to be in a new house, with someone she didn't even know. Even if that person was her mother. And for as long as she could remember, she had been in a set routine. Her Daddy would put on a movie, give her a cup of milk or juice, and sing her a lullaby. And Sara...she just seemed like she didn't know what she was doing at all.

Sara exhaled loudly as Catherine's answering machine picked up, and angrily pushed the button to end the call. Of all times for the blonde to be unreachable. She couldn't very well show Molly any of her videos, but who else did she know with kids?

With a sigh of relief, as her mind suddenly churned into gear, she began to dial another familiar number.

"Sanders."

"Hey Greg, it's Sara...got a minute?"

"For you? Always. What's up?"

"Long version, or short?" Sara replied, laughing nervously, "I, uh, have a kid that I haven't seen in four years, and she's refusing to go to bed without a movie. And unless kids are allowed to watch "Silence of the Lambs", I'm sort of out of luck."

"You what?"

Sara's hand shook slightly as she glanced back towards Molly, "You, uh, heard me right. I have a daughter, she's four...and she needs entertainment. Can you help me?"

She was met with silence.

"Greg, are you there?" She paused, hearing only her shaky voice and heavy breathing coming across the line, "Greg?"

She heard him let out a deep breath, followed by a slight nervous chuckle. "Damn it Greg, stop acting so surprised. Are going to help me out or what?"

"Acting? Who's acting? You have a kid? Since when?" Greg demanded, "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Sara glanced back towards Molly once more, sighing impatiently, "I'll tell you when you get here. Bring something age appropriate."

Sara hung up the phone, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, "I called a friend of mine and he's going to bring over a movie for you. Do you need anything else?"

"Milk?" Molly asked quietly, worry evident on her face. How was Sara going to take care of her if she didn't have any movies or toys? What if she didn't have any milk? What if she only had grown up food? Tears pooled in her eyes as she started to panic. She didn't want to live anywhere without her Daddy, and furthermore, without her toys. "In a sippy cup?"

Sara bit her lip, struggling to keep her own composure, "Let me go see what I can find, okay?"

Sara darted out of the room and into the kitchen, her hands trembling as she surveyed her counter for something she could manufacture into a sippy cup of sorts. Just as she was about to give up and resign herself into being the worst mother in Las Vegas, a purple sports bottle caught her eye. She popped open the top, sniffing slightly to make sure it was clean before heading to the fridge.

She opened the black door, groaning when she saw just how bare the shelves were, then pulled out a half gallon of milk, hoping beyond hope that it wasn't expired. She tilted it to the side to check for an expiration date, grimacing when the curdled milk hit the side of the container with a dull thud. The milk definitely had gone past it's life expectancy. Reaching for the phone, she dialed Greg's number again, begging him to buy milk before hanging up and going back to the open fridge door.

What could she give Molly to keep her calm and happy? Leaning in to dig through old Chinese cartons, she came across a bottle of apple juice. She smiled triumphantly, pulling it out and taking a quick whiff of the liquid. This, as opposed to the milk, seemed like it wouldn't kill the child.

She spun around, hearing a noise behind her, and lost her grip on the juice, barely catching it before it fell to the floor. In the doorway stood Molly, clad in one of Sara's old Harvard shirts, the bottom trailing along the floor, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I'm scared."

"Oh, honey, there's nothing to be scared of." Sara replied, placing the juice on the table so she could squat down in front of Molly, "What do you need?"

"You left me alone and it was dark and I heard a noise and I said your name but you didn't come and I want to go home and I want my daddy and I want my toys and I want a movie and I don't want to go to sleep." Molly rambled, her lip quivering more and more with each word.

The child dissolved into sobs, her cheeks turning red against her pale skin, her breaths coming in short bursts as she propelled herself into a full blown tantrum. Sara backed up slightly, her hand moving up and down as she tried to decide what action to take next. The child's cries pierced her ears and with each escalating wail, the older woman's nerves began to frazzle more and more. How do you calm someone you know nothing about? How do you tell a child who's just lost everything that things will be okay?

By the time Greg arrived, both were sobbing on the kitchen floor, identical down to their red noses.

"Well, there's no question that she's your daughter." Greg dead panned as he set the bag on the counter, "What's so horrible that it has two beautiful girls so upset?"

Sara motioned to the refrigerator, which remained open, and then to Molly, who had started to calm down as she realized someone else was in the apartment. Through her sobs, she managed to choke out, "I don't have a sippy cup and I made one, and I lost the lid and it's not spill proof, and I don't even know if I've ever washed it, and I don't have milk and I only have juice and Chinese from two weeks ago and I don't have anything I need to be a mom and she's crying and I don't know what to do and I don't know what I'm doing!"

Placing his hand on her head, he instructed, "Stop and breathe, I'll come back to you when you stop babbling." He turned to Molly, lifting the small girl into his arms, "Hi there, my name's Greg."

"Mine's Molly." Molly replied uncertainly, "What are you doing here?"

Greg flashed the girl a warm smile before motioning to Sara, who was still sobbing on the floor, "I heard you two needed some help getting settled. I brought a couple of movies that I'm going to let you borrow, okay? Would you like me to put one on for you?"

Molly nodded, laying her head down on Greg's shoulder as he reached for the bag, "I brought milk too, do you like milk?"

"Yes." Molly replied, her voice muffled by his shirt. "I want my sippy cup."

Greg rifled through the bag, producing a clear cup with a plastic lid, "I thought you might say that, so I brought you one. Do you like chocolate in your milk?"

Molly nodded, remaining quiet as Greg fixed her milk with his free hand. After a few moments of silence, save for Sara's quieting cries, Molly asked softly, "Are you going to be my new Daddy?"

Greg pulled back slightly from the child, shock evident in his face, "No, no...no one can replace your Daddy."

"Daddy went to live with the angels, and I got a Mommy. I don't want a new Daddy, I want my old Daddy." Molly sniffled, her eyes brimming with tears again.

Sensing that if the child broke down again, so would her mother, Greg tried to find a way to quickly diffuse the tension. Handing her the cup, he replied softly, "Well, no one can replace your Daddy...I just want to be your friend."

"You can't be my friend, you're too old." Molly laughed, her mood lifted by Greg's statement. She leaned forward, whispering in his ear, "But my Mommy needs a friend, she's crying."

Greg glanced over towards Sara, exaggerating a knowing nod for the little girl, "I know! She's a little scared, just like you are. Let's show her how to be a big girl, okay? We can take you into the bedroom, put on a movie, and before you know it, it will be morning and everything won't be quite as scary."

Molly nodded, laying her head back down with her eyes closed. By the time Greg had tucked the little girl in, Sara had managed to compose herself, and was busy wiping up spilled juice from the floor.

"Let me help." Greg whispered softly, taking the rag from Sara's unsteady hands, "Molly's asleep...I think she was out before the opening credits."

"Thank you so much." Sara replied, flopping onto one of the wooden kitchen chairs, "You're amazing with her."

Greg smiled, walking to the sink and rinsing out the rag, "I've always loved being around kids. It's one of the many things I missed out on by being an only child." He sat down across from Sara, glancing expectantly at his friend, "So, what did I miss? A daughter?"

As his words touched her ears, she dropped her head to the table, beginning to earnestly sob once more. Greg moved beside her, wrapping his arms around his distraught friend while waiting for her tears to stop. As she moved to wrap her arms around him, he instantly knew he was in for the long haul, whether he was ready or not.

TBC