Chapter Fourteen

Just a warning: at the end, it gets a little dicey. But keep reading! I promise it doesn't end sad!

And also, I know it's not very saucy, but this is the naughtiest chapter I have ever written. I usually don't go anywhere near the whole…ahem, sexual situations. But it was just too important of a moment for William to skip over it.

William followed Molly into her flat, looking around the living room. Even though he had been here many times before, it felt different now. It was somehow much more real, and he was once again struck by the difference between humanity and celestiality. How could the same thing be so different to two different beings? This was the gift He offered His creation in lieu of immortality: life. They—we, William, we—were able to see the world in a way that angels never would be able to, as though an entire immortal existence were being crammed into a measly hundred years.

"Are you all right?" asked Molly.

William jolted himself out of his musings to see Molly looking at him in concern. He quickly nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. I…It's just all so different."

"Different?" asked Molly.

"I never knew—of course I wouldn't—but as an angel, everything was…dulled, as though we were in the world but never a part of it," William explained. He lowered his head, almost in embarrassment. "I've never known what it's like to feel."

Molly stared at him for a moment before reaching forward and taking hold of William's wrist. William watched her as she brought his hand up between them, palm up. Molly stared down at it as she brought her other hand up, index finger extended. She brought her finger down and gently stroked his palm from his wrist to the tip of his index finger. It was so light and soft that his hand twitched at the sensation.

"What is it like?" Molly asked, her eyes still on his hand as she touched it. "What is it like to feel for the first time?"

William exhaled as another caress touched his palm. "Exhilarating…"

Molly looked up at him, gazing into his eyes with such intensity. She slowly reached up and grasped hold of the lapels of his coat, easing it over his shoulders. William moved his arms back slightly, letting the coat fall to the floor. Molly then moved her hands to his scarf, loosening it and dropping it to the floor as well. All this time, their eyes never left each other.

As William's jacket joined the coat and scarf and Molly's fingers ghosted over the buttons on his shirt, she stared into his eyes, the question hanging between them.

"If it's too much for you…tell me to stop…" whispered Molly.

William gave a slight shake of his head. "Never."

Her breathing starting to accelerate, Molly unfastened the topmost button of his shirt, her eyes following her progress as she continued. As for William, the strangest sensation was filling him as he watched her. It felt as though something was tickling him from the inside out, which caused his stomach to lurch slightly. He quickly determined that it was a feeling he had heard humans describe on multiple occasions: butterflies, an indication of anxiety, excitement and nervousness.

As Molly unfastened the last button and let his shirt hang open, she slowly caressed her hands across his abdomen, effectively short-circuiting his brain and sending the analytical scientist into the further recesses of his mind palace. William let out a shaky breath at the new feeling.

Molly looked up at him, love and support shining in her eyes. "How does it feel?" Her hands slowly moved up towards his chest.

William exhaled again. "Soft…tender…"

Molly's hand came to rest over his frenetically beating heart, smiling as she looked down at it. "You're really here with me…"

William reached up and brushed his hand across her cheek, bringing her face up to look at his. "Always."

Molly pushed herself forward as William descended, their lips meeting in a hungry clash. Molly pushed the shirt from his shoulders, and William brought his arms back to encircle Molly, pushing her coat to the floor. Molly then deftly toed her shoes off, and William endeavored to follow her example. Unfortunately, his foot got stuck, causing him to lose his balance. Breaking off the kiss, he reached out for something to catch himself on, the closest thing being Molly. Molly let out a surprised yelp as the two of them toppled to the floor, William on his back and Molly on top of him. Molly lifted her head and looked down at him before beginning to laugh. William joined her as she brushed the curls out of his face.

"It seems you need to work on your coordination," laughed Molly.

"It would seem so," laughed William.

Molly's laughter died down. "Let me help." She eased off of him and moved down to his feet.

William pushed himself up onto his elbows.

Molly frowned down at the mess of knots on his shoes. "Well, no wonder you got stuck." She smiled giddily up at him. "This is a mess, William."

William tilted one of his feet. "Yes, well…Greg tried to teach me, but I believe I was only half paying attention." He looked up at her. "All I could think about was getting to you."

Molly's smile grew fond and loving. She reached forward and gently tugged one of the shoes off his foot and then the other. She put the shoes aside and turned towards him on her knees. Blushing slightly, she reached up and undid her blouse, removing it and setting it aside. She moved towards him and leaned over him, their faces agonizingly close but not touching.

"Bedroom?" Molly asked.

Flustered at having an undressed Molly on top of him, William could only nod. Molly eased back and took his hands, pulling them to their feet. Keeping hold of his hands, Molly led William out of the living room and down the hallway.

William opened his eyes, finding Molly's slumbering form in front of him. She lay on her stomach, her hair trailing over her shoulder and her arm draped over his stomach. William smiled and turned slightly towards her, smoothing his hand over her back. She was so soft, so warm. The touch of her, the feel of her; she had shown him pleasures he'd never known. It was…heaven.

Molly shifted under his ministrations, her arm tightening its hold on his torso. Molly stretched a little, her face scrunching up in the most gorgeous way. Her leg shifted over his own, brushing against him.

William gasped at the sensation. Damn, that's sensitive. I need to learn to control it when in public.

Molly turned her face up as she opened her eyes, smiling at him. "Morning."

William smiled, glancing over at the darkened windows. "Mm, not really."

Molly's head lifted and turned towards the bedroom windows, where the last rays of sunlight were dying out. "Oh…" She smiled and dropped her head to his chest, giggling.

William laughed with her, running a hand over her head. "We must've slept for a long time."

"Mm-hmm," laughed Molly.

A phone began ringing from somewhere in the room, and Molly leaned over the side of the bed, fishing through her trouser pocket before pulling out her mobile. Settling back into William's side, she answered it. "Hello?"

Lying right next to him, William was able to hear the other side of the conversation.

"Oh, Molly, thank God!" a woman cried on the other line. "I've been calling you! Where are you?"

Molly winced. "Oh, Meena, I'm sorry. Something came up."

"Why didn't you call?" Meena demanded. "I've been so worried! You've been looking forward to TOM all year!"

"Meena, calm down. I know I've been wanting to go to the conference, but something better came up."

"Better than TOM?" Meena asked. "That doesn't sound like the Molly I know. What could you want to do more than TOM?"

Molly glanced up at William at Meena's unconscious insinuation, holding her hand over her mouth to stop her laughter. William had to hold back his laughs as well.

"And why haven't you been answering your phone?" Meena asked in the silence. "That's not like you either."

Molly finally fought off the giggles and removed her hand. "Well, my boyfriend and I have been quite…busy."

William's brows lifted at the term she had given him. Boyfriend?

"Boyfriend?" asked Meena. "You have a boyfriend?"

Molly looked up at William, smiling lovingly at him. "I do."

William smiled at her, pulling her closer to him.

"You're still with him, aren't you?" asked Meena coyly.

Molly blushed furiously. "Meena…"

"Enough said," said Meena. "I'm gone. Have fun." She abruptly hung up.

Molly shook her head as she dropped her phone on the bedside table. "Well, it's official. Another ten minutes, and all my friends will know about us."

William smiled as he hugged her close. "Boyfriend, huh?"

Molly smiled. "And you're not getting out of it, William…" She trailed off, frowning. "We really need to get you a last name."

"Mm, I'll get right to work on that." William pulled her down for a kiss, his hands on her back and in her hair.

Molly shifted further on top of him, breaking the kiss off. "And I'll get to work on you." She gave a coy smile as she began to kiss down his chest.

William grasped her shoulders and brought her to a stop. "No."

Molly looked up at him with a confused frown.

William swiftly pushed off the bed, causing Molly to let out a squeak of surprise, before switching their positions. He leaned over her on his hands. "Let me show you how much I love you."

Molly's smile returned as William descended, stealing her breath with a kiss.

Molly opened her eyes, smiling before turning her head towards the other side of the bed. Her smile faded when she only found rumpled blankets.

She lifted her head, looking around the room. "William?"

The room was empty. Molly threw the sheet back and stood, grabbing her robe from nearby. She stepped out of the bedroom, checking the bathroom across the hall before heading to the rest of the flat.

"William?" she called again.

There was no response. As she entered the living room, she spotted the front door open. Frowning at it, she looked down to see that William's shirt was missing. Grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around herself, she headed out into the main hallway. Gazing up and down the hall, she spotted the open stairwell door.

What is he up to? she wondered.

Molly reached the door, heading into the stairwell and looking up and down before deciding to head upwards. Reaching the next floor, she spotted the roof access door propped open. Heading up to it, she stepped out onto the roof, wrapping the blanket tighter around her in the morning chill. Squinting as her eyes adjusted to the early dawn light, she turned and saw a figure sitting on the edge of the roof, facing the sun as it broke over the horizon.

Molly smiled and walked over to him, standing next to him. William continued to stare into the dawn, having to squint more and more as it got brighter. Molly was able to easily spot the forlorn look on his face.

"I can't hear it…" he whispered.

Molly frowned in sympathy as she took a seat next to him.

"It was my favorite part of it all…" William whispered, his eyes closing as the light became too bright. He took a breath as a small smile appeared. "But now I can feel it. It almost makes up for it."

"Almost?" asked Molly.

William looked over at her. "But you more than make up for it." He smiled at her.

Molly smiled as she leaned her head against his shoulder. A moment later, she pulled back, looking down at his thin shirt and trousers; he was shaking. "Oh, my God! You're freezing!" She unfurled the blanket and curled up next to him, wrapping them both up. "Why didn't you take your coat?"

"I'm not used to feeling the cold," William responded, grasping at the blanket.

Molly wrapped her arms around him, hissing at the feel of his skin. "Oh! You're like ice. Come on." She pulled the two of them to their feet. "Let's warm you up."

"Mm, what did you have in mind?" said William, shivering.

Molly rolled her eyes. "Hold on there, Ace. We need to get you warmed up before that."

Molly ushered them back into her flat, placing him in an armchair in the living room. "Get those off. I'll start a fire." She set about fussing around in the grate, able to finally get a flame going. She turned towards him to get him up.

William had succeeded in removing the trousers, but the shirt buttons were proving too much for his numb fingers. Molly knelt in front of the chair, undoing the buttons quickly and then pulling him from the chair. She laid him down on the rug in front of the fireplace, throwing the blanket over him. She then removed her robe and got under the blanket herself, wrapping her limbs around him and pressing up against his back.

"Ooh!" Molly flinched as his cold skin met hers. "Why didn't you come in when you got cold?"

"I d-didn't want to m-miss the s-sunrise," William shivered.

"Well, take your coat next time," Molly told him.

"Oh, most d-definitely," said William adamantly. "I'm n-never going anywhere without it again."

Molly chuckled as she pulled herself closer. "Rest, love. Rest."

William held onto her arms as her warmth began to seep into him.

After warming up—and another round of passionate love-making in front of the fire—Molly deemed it necessary for the two of them to get dressed and eat.

"Oh, why?" groaned William as he held onto her in front of the fire.

"Because we have done nothing but have sex for a day and a half," Molly told him.

William frowned, worried that he hadn't gotten it right. "Do you not like it?"

"Oh, William, I love it," Molly reassured him. "It's perfect."

William smiled in relief.

"But we haven't eaten in over a day," Molly told him. "And I don't fancy doing that naked."

"Why not?" asked William. "We've spent nearly all this time naked."

"Because I need to go get a surprise for you," said Molly. "Not to mention food. I don't have much left, and if we're going to spend an extended weekend locked up in here, we're going to need food."

William's brows rose in interest. "All weekend, hmm?"

Molly smiled at him. "Only if you go take a shower while I get it all ready."

William smiled and leaned closer to give her a kiss. The two of them got to their feet, leaving the blanket on the living room floor. Molly led him to the bathroom and pulled out a clean towel.

"All right, I'll put a change of clothes in here for you," Molly told him. "I think I have some from when my cousin stayed over. I'll see you in a bit." She began to leave the room.

"Uh, Molly…" said William, turning towards her.

Molly stopped and looked at him.

"What do I do…once I'm in there?" asked William in embarrassment.

Molly frowned. "In the shower?" She stepped closer. "I thought you've been watching over humanity since…forever."

William gave her an exasperated look. "Watch over humanity, not watch them. I do have standards."

Molly gave a sigh. "Well, that's good to know." She immediately blanched, her eyes going wide. "Not that you're some kind of—I-I didn't mean to imply that—"

William cut her off with a kiss, pulling back enough for her to see his smile. "I love when you ramble."

Molly blushed as she looked over at the shower and back to him. "It's so strange telling a grown man how to bathe yourself."

William scoffed. "Oh, come now, Molly. I think everyone would agree that I'm an overgrown toddler." He smiled at her.

Molly chuckled as she nodded before moving over to the shower, opening the transparent door and gesturing to the shelves of products inside. "Use the soap to wash your skin. Then get your hair wet and clean it with the shampoo. Make you work it in so that it reaches your scalp. Then rinse it out. And make sure it's all out. Dried bits of shampoo make your hair feel all gross. Oh, and make sure to use the white bottle; it's unscented."

William frowned. "Why does it matter?"

Molly gave him a look. "Well, no man wants to walk around smelling like 'cherry blossoms.'"

William stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her and taking an appreciative whiff of her hair. "I happen to like it."

"That's only because my hair smells like it. Trust me on this, William."

William nodded, letting her go. "Very well."

Molly reached over to point at the tap. "Now, you'll want to—"

"Molly, please," said William with an affronted look on his face, "I think I can determine how to operate a tap."

Molly smiled in amusement. "Very well." She stepped towards the door and looked back at him. "Call if you need anything." She closed the door behind her and made her way to the bedroom, pulling on her robe.

She began digging through her closet for the clothes her cousin Robert left behind, listening as the water in the shower came on. She paused a moment and waited for it. William let out a yelp at the hot water, and Molly smiled in amusement.

He really should've taken my advice.

Now dressed in a pair of jeans, short-sleeve polo shirt and his black dress shoes, William stood at the doorway as Molly pulled on her coat.

"You look good," Molly told him, eyeing his attire.

"I look ridiculous," William muttered. "Why does your cousin dress like this?"

"A lot of people dress like this," Molly told him, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck. "It's only because you're used to all that." She nodded at the small pile of black clothes in the corner, waiting to be washed. "You can go back to your black suit, but it needs to be washed first. It hasn't been cleaned in thousands of years."

"May I point it out that it never needed cleaning?"

"Yeah, but now there's blood and dirt and stuff, so it's getting cleaned." Molly pushed up on her toes and kissed him. "Feel free to try out the telly or my laptop; I'm sure you'll have no problem figuring out the password. I'll be back in a few." She stepped out of the flat, heading out onto the street.

After getting the few groceries she needed and picking up the gift for William, she was heading back towards her flat, basking in the beautiful early winter day. Nothing could bother her today, or likely ever again.

So, this is what it's like to be in love.

She felt like she was walking on the clouds…or…Molly smiled as she laughed a little.

"I'm walking on sunshine…whoa!"

She began tapping her fingers on the bag of groceries as she came to a stop at the street corner two blocks from her building.

"I'm walking on sunshine…whoa!"

She glanced up at the traffic light, waiting for it to tell her to go.

"I'm walking on sunshine…whoa!"

The light changed, letting her cross, and she stepped down into the street, heading for the other side of the pavement.

"And don't it feel—"

"Look out!"

Molly spun towards the sound of squealing tires, her eyes widening at the sight of a taxi cab looming towards her.

William pressed one of the channel buttons, flipping to the next one. It amazed him what humans considered entertaining. Most of it was pointless dribble, and only one thing had captured his interest so far: some medical drama called House. The main character seemed very familiar to him, and the brainwork was intriguing.

Quickly becoming bored with the show selections, William switched the television off and glanced around, spotting Molly's laptop.

Oh, the mystery of her password. Something fun to do.

He loved that about Molly, that she knew he would find that fun, no matter how short it lasted.

A distant horn sounded, followed by brakes and tires screaming. Several cries drifted in through the window, and William turned his head towards it, feeling a great weight like a stone in his gut. He didn't know how, but somehow, he knew.

William grabbed his coat as he tore out of the flat and down the stairs, barging out of the building. Throwing his coat on haphazardly as he ran, he followed the noise down the road, where a crowd had gathered two blocks away.

No…

His feet pounded the pavement as he approached, able to see that the crowd was huddled in the middle of the street, staring down at the pavement. Several had tears in their eyes, one with a phone to his ear, and a couple bent over something in the middle of the circle of onlookers.

William's heart froze. No, no, no!

He reached the edge of the crowd, pushing through it. "Move. Move! Molly!"

People looked his way as he pushed through to the middle and came to a stop, staring down at the person lying in the street, shopping bags scattered everywhere.

Molly lay on the pavement, one leg stuck out at an awkward angle and arms sprawled out on either side. Blood had seeped into her trousers just below the knee, showing that it was an open break. A laceration split the skin of the left cheek from ear to mouth, blood slowly leaking down her jaw. A colorful bruise was already appearing on her forehead, all blue and purple. Her eyes were closed.

"Molly!" William shouted, launching himself forward.

The two people kneeling next to her wisely got up as he fell to his knees next to her, taking her hand in his own.

"Molly!" he repeated, tears filling his eyes.

Molly's eyes slowly opened and looked up at him.

"Oh, thank God!" exclaimed William, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on her head. "I thought you were…" He trailed off, unable to voice it.

Molly's response was slow—Too slow, William realized—as she smiled. "William…"

"I'm here," he told her, grasping her hand tight as he stroked the hair out of her face. "I'm right here."

"I'm cold…" came Molly's small voice.

William immediately stripped himself of his coat, throwing it over her body. "Here."

"I'm scared," she told him shakily.

"You're going to be okay," William told her, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "You're going to be—"

"I don't want to die," she said, tears in her eyes.

William's heart lurched as he recognized the symptoms. "You won't." Tears fell down his face as he fought them back. "You're going to be fine."

Molly's eyes drifted off to the side, looking over his shoulder. "Who…who is that?"

William's hands moved to either side of her face, trying to get her to look back at him. "No, no, Molly! Don't look at them! Stay with me!" He then directed his thoughts at the unseen angel. Don't you dare take her!

Something akin to wonder filled Molly's face. "Is this what it's like?"

No… William thought as he bowed his head and succumbed to the inevitable. He looked up at her, tears streaming down his face as he grasped her hand. "Yes, this is what it's like."

Molly's eyes remained fixed above his shoulder. "So bright…"

William tightened his hold on her hand, wishing he could keep her here.

Molly's eyes moved back to his, a smile on her face. "I love you."

William's tears blurred his vision of her, and he blinked to clear them. He wanted to see her in her last moments. "I love you."

Molly gently squeezed his hand for a moment before the smile faded and her gaze grew distant. Her grip eased as her chest stopped rising.

William let out a sob as he nearly collapsed on top of her, gathering her up in his arms and holding her close. The tears felt like they would never stop as he cried out her name over and over again.

No…It couldn't have ended like this.

He had given up one hell just to fall into another.

Why? WHY?

An intake of breath sounded in his ear as Molly twitched in his arms. William quickly pulled away to look at her. Molly was looking at him with a smile and a slight frown.

"Molly!" William exclaimed, pulling her back into his arms as he laughed in delight. "How…"

"He said you owed him," Molly said in his ear, her arms coming up to hug him.

William frowned and pulled back, giving her a questioning look. "What?"

"He said 'You owe me, William,'" Molly told him.

Understanding dawned in his eyes, and he smiled at her, surprise warring with gratitude. "Well…you said you wanted to meet my brother."

Surprise flickered across her face as she leaned forward, wrapping her arms about him.

William held Molly close as the ambulance pulled up nearby. "Thank you…brother mine."

I thought about ending it at William grieving over Molly (the perfect cliff-hanger), but I didn't want reviews saying I lied that it wouldn't end like the movie. And it was just too cruel.