My birthday is in a couple days and I'm being absolutely irritating about it, anyway have a chapter for my birthday. This was originally going to be before the Chelsea Confrontation and I threw it into the editing pit to maybe be used later. It's later and I decided to edit it a bit and use it because we could all use good times with nice vibes. Hope y'all enjoy! ~Shaymie

Angela

"Go, Greased Lightning, you're burning up the quarter mile!"

"Greased Lightnin', go, Greased Lightnin'!"

"I can't believe 'we'll be getting lots of tit' is a real lyric," Linh muttered, watching the unlikely trio of Ash, Bridget, and Luke dance around the cramped living room. Somehow they ended up letting Bridget choose the movie. Angela snorted. She couldn't believe Luke of all guys knew Grease. She knew that Bridget was a theater kid and that Ash had been an ensemble member in a production of the show, but she hadn't expected her boyfriend to join in the singalong. Molly and Chase watched from the kitchen as they cleaned the counters off and put the dirty dishes in the sink. They were making homemade pizzas and the counters had been a mess of dough and flour. Maya was sitting at the dining table dejectedly since Chase refused to let her help.

"Luke actually makes a decent Kenickie." Angela stuck her tongue out at Luke, who was doing his best to copy the choreography that Ash and Bridget were doing. Unfortunately for him, they were doing the more complicated choreo from the televised version of Grease instead of just copying what was on the TV. Because of course they were. Show-offs. Compared to Ash the trained dancer and Bridget the performer, Luke looked more like a toddler stumbling along. It was still pretty cute, though.

"I can't believe Freckles talked me into coming here," Chase sighed, glancing over at Molly. She smiled up at him and tucked a bit of hair behind her ear, staining her cheek with flour. He rolled his eyes and brushed it away. She froze as his hand touched her cheek, her head tilting slightly and causing some hair to fall out of her bun. Angela noticed the telltale beginnings of a blush forming on her sister's cheeks. Molly quickly scurried off to start washing the dishes. She hated having a sink full of dishes, claiming that the sight of more than just a couple plates in the sink would drive her crazy.

"You're the one that can't say no to her." Luke had apparently given up on trying to keep up with Ash and Bridget and joined Angela and Linh on the couch. He pulled Angela into his lap and looked at Chase with a teasing smirk. "And you're always cooking things for Molls that aren't even on the bar's menu. You're whipped, dude."

"We're just friends, Luke," Molly spoke up, her soft voice barely audible over the rushing water and the sound of the movie playing.

"Not everyone is like you and falls in love with the first pretty girl that talks to them," Chase said with a roll of his eyes. Molly fumbled with whatever she was washing and dropped it into the sink with a loud clang, soapy water splashing up into her face. She spluttered and grabbed the roll of paper towels, tearing off a few to dry her face. Chase chuckled as he looked down at her, offering no help this time. Her cheeks were noticeably pink, though she tried to hide them with her hair.

Bridget plopped down on the ground in front of Linh after the dancing was over, while Ash joined Maya at the dining table. Probably to keep a closer eye on Molly and Chase. Was it jealousy or just over-protectiveness? He said he was over Molly and things have stayed platonic between them, but Angela's caught glimpses of a sort of...longing expression on Ash's face sometimes. Well, at least he's leaving them alone and instead striking up a conversation with Maya, who's still pouty and sulky.

Really, it's for the best she doesn't get involved.

Angela snuggled up to Luke with a content sigh. He was the one who had suggested this, a night to just hang out and relax since their day at the festival had been ruined. Molly invited Candace to come over too, but she wasn't really a fan of big gatherings like this and preferred the quiet afternoon tea she would have with Molly occasionally. Angela isn't really sure what magic Molly had to talk to get Maya unpunished so she could join their movie night, but it really was hard for anyone to say no to Molly, even strict old ladies like Yolanda.

"...not clumsy, horizontally challenged," Molly was saying with a pout on her face. Her hands were on her hips as she looked up at Chase, the dishes in front of her forgotten. Their mother's book of recipes was poking out of her apron's pocket. Angela had almost forgotten they'd lent it to Chase and was surprised Molly had asked him to bring it. It seemed to her like Molly never wanted to see it again. It looked to be perfectly intact, not that Angela thought Chase would have done anything to ruin it. He seemed like the type to treat cookbooks like holy scripture.

None of them had ever tried making anything from the recipe book. Kasey was always too busy to cook and Angela still struggled to make basic things. The breakfasts and dinners she'd make paled in comparison to Molly's, but they had agreed to share kitchen duties. Thankfully Molly was too nice to say anything about the fact that Angela's a 25-and-a-half year old woman who could barely cook.

"I'm working on a surprise for you," Luke whispered in her ear, his breath rustling her hair and tickling her neck. He sounded positively giddy and it was infectious. She could hear the smile in his voice. "Well, I guess it's for you and Molls."

"Not really much of a surprise if you tell me about it," she teased, though he'd caught her interest.

A surprise for her and Molly? She raised an eyebrow, wondering what he could have possibly gotten for both of them. There's not really anything she thinks she wants. There's a lot that she needs, but she's working on that. She's going to ask Owen to take her into the mine soon. Apparently there's good money in mining and she could knock out two birds with one stone and get the material she needed to get the house expanded. She could save money if she got what she needed herself instead of paying him to do it for her.

She learned how to swing an axe so surely swinging a hammer isn't that different. Owen gifted her a hammer when she moved here but she told him she'd moved here to be a farmer, not a miner, and promptly put it away in the shed and hasn't touched it since. But hey, back in the city she did some things online in addition to her job for some extra cash. Maybe she should start that up again, but she's not really sure how Luke would feel about her selling pictures of herself for some strangers to most likely jerk off to.

And when and where would she even take them?

It had been nice sharing a room with Molly at first, but as the work piled up, her tiny bed started feeling cramped and uncomfortable. She probably could have grinned and beared it if Luke didn't spend the night so often, forcing them to crowd onto the bed. Twin beds were designed for children and short people like Molly, not two adults over 5'7. Angela wouldn't complain about Luke sleeping over if she didn't constantly wake up with back pain. But she also wouldn't give it up for anything in the world. She got to sleep chest to chest with him, snuggled in his strong arms...

"What's on your mind?" Luke asked lowly. His voice was a quiet murmur in her ear as he settled his hands on her hips. She shivered at his touch. Ever since she had the realization that what she'd been craving wasn't sex, but just physical touch, the feeling of Luke's hands on her drove her crazy in the best way. He knew that she was scared to ask him for it herself so he just touched her whenever he saw fit. It wasn't that different from how he'd been before but something about it felt different.

"Nothing much," she whispered back, shifting so she could brush some hair from his face. He didn't seem convinced that it was nothing if the look on his face was anything to go by. The sight made her smile. It still warmed her heart that someone who wasn't a family member, who wasn't obligated to care about her, actually worried about her. There was of course Muffy and Reina, but they're so close that they were practically family anyway. "Really babe, I'm fine. I was just thinking about what I'm going to do tomorrow."

She didn't have to work with the carpenters tomorrow. A shipment of some furniture Kasey was sending over is supposed to arrive and Luke and Bo are taking a half day to set it up. Dale was working on a pair of beds for the twins that Kasey ordered. How did he have enough money to afford all this? She knew he still had some money saved from when the construction company paid them off in exchange for not suing them over their father's death—like with Chelsea, he didn't want to take the money but they had no choice—but surely he wasn't spending it all to move here. The house was cheap. She knew that much from experience. But the cost to fix it up was... a lot. Surely out of Kasey's budget.

And he's going to be living on a teacher's salary.

"I was hopin' you'd hang out with me and Bo tomorrow. Take it easy for a day." Angela sighed as Luke held her closer and whispered in her ear. It felt a bit odd having such a quiet, intimate conversation right now but it wasn't like anyone's really paying attention. Bridget and Linh were engrossed in the movie, while Maya asked Ash questions about himself and Molly and Chase washed the dishes. "You don't have to work so hard, Ange."

"There's just so much to do..." Her voice started to trail off when Luke kissed her neck gently.

"Doesn't mean you have to do it all at once. You'll burn yourself out like that."

She frowned. When did Luke start being a voice of reason? He was right. She could already feel the burnout setting in. If she distracted herself, she could forget about how sore every part of her body was. She used to work at a call center, sitting down at a desk eight hours a day. She'd go to the gym back in the city but it wasn't exactly the same thing as breaking her back working on a farm. The work was satisfying and way better than her old job. There were no creeps on the other side of a telephone making disgusting comments at the sound of her voice. But she had certainly underestimated how hard the work would be.

Or maybe she's overestimating how strong she is.

"I just don't want you to hurt yourself." Luke's voice was a quiet murmur in her ear, his hands rubbing her tension away. She sighed. Something about the tone in his voice made her cave and agree to spend the day with him tomorrow. Besides, she could update Kasey on how the house was looking and find out if there was anything else special he needed done.

Molly and Chase joined everyone else in the living room when they finished with the dishes. Molly sat on the floor with Bridget, while Chase took a look at the empty spot on the couch between Luke and Linh and instead chose to sit in the mismatched armchair. Hater. Ash and Maya seemed content to just stay at the dining room table. He was showing her something on his phone that had her pretty excited, her big blue eyes bright as he scrolled through what Angela assumed was a collection of pictures

The rest of the night practically flew by. The pizza was delicious, but that's no surprise. Her mother's recipe combined with Molly and Chase in the kitchen meant that it was bound to taste incredible. But Angela noticed something strange. Molly had practically gone silent after everybody ate. She's never been great at hiding her emotions and it's clear something was bothering her. Chase seemed to notice something was up with her, too.

Luke left shortly after everyone else, but promised to be back in the morning in time for breakfast. It was Molly's turn to cook and he loved her cooking. Molly liked cooking for someone new and asked Luke for a list of his favorite foods so she could make them for him. Speaking of Molly... She's been pretty distant these past couple of hours. She had gone through her nighttime routine and was already in bed. Angela took her time washing her face and dried it off with a towel. She caught sight of her reflection and stopped to look at it.

Luke said that she was beautiful and that he'd love any part of her she didn't like. She ran a hand over her face, lightly tracing the bridge of her nose and the curve of her upper lip. She's never really liked her nose. It's been a bit crooked ever since she got hit in the face with a baseball. And it wasn't cute like Molly's little upturned button nose. Neither were her lips, the upper one being just a little bit bigger than the bottom.

Angela crinkled her nose at her reflection. She was more tan nowadays thanks to the time she's been spending outside, and her nose and cheeks were dotted with freckles. Not to the level of Molly, but they were there and Luke loved them. He spent a lot of time staring at them or kissing them. She almost wished they were a permanent feature of hers but she hadn't been blessed with them like Molly and Kasey. They'd be gone come fall.

She eyed the places where her ears were pierced. Mikhail didn't like when she wore anything more than basic studs so she stopped wearing all her piercings. Eventually she sold them all. What was the point in having them if she couldn't wear them? But she showed Luke pictures of her when she had her piercings and he seemed to like them. He'd probably like anything she wore.

Maybe she could pick up some cheap earrings from Mira just to try out wearing them again. She'd have to hope Julius isn't in the shop when she goes. He just loves to give out advice when nobody asks for it. So what if her hair is greasy and has split ends? She's not trying to impress anybody. She had considered asking him to help cut her hair, but knowing him he would probably give her something she didn't even ask for and say it was for the better. Molly might be up to help. She used to cut Kasey's hair sometimes, and she did a good job with Ash's.

Angela let out a breath and tossed the towel into the hamper. Alright. Time to see what's bothering Molly. No way she's just letting this sit and fester until it turned into something far worse that set Molly back in her recovery. They haven't even talked about Chelsea and all the things she'd said to Molly. The boat her father rented was still docked so she's still in town, but she hasn't come to the bar at all since the festival. Angela would see Mark walking around town sometimes but he always turned away when he saw her. At least he was taking her warning to stay away seriously. Surprising, considering how she'd broken down in front of him.

Even more surprising was Molly being the one to initiate conversation when Angela entered the bedroom, asking to talk Molly was already dressed for bed in one of Kasey's old shirts. She's been wearing them more than her own pajamas lately. She accepted the news of the twins fairly easily. Angela wasn't sure how she wasn't mad or confused or needed more time to take it all in.

"Sure. What's up?" She sat down on her bed, frowning slightly at the thought of sleeping alone for the first time in days. She's gotten used to falling asleep in Luke's strong arms, hearing his heartbeat under her ear, but it was only natural for him to go home eventually. He didn't live here, and his bed was definitely more comfortable than her pathetic one. Hopefully he can stay over more often once she saves up for the house expansion. They'd have more space to cuddle.

"...Is it okay if we talk about Mom?" Molly asked shyly, tugging at a bit of damp hair. She had a very extensive skin and hair care routine and would leave some sweet-smelling cream in her hair to help with... something. Angela couldn't keep up with all the fancy products her sister used and what they did. It had surprised her when they moved here, seeing how much effort Molly put into making sure she looked nice. She thought her sister's beauty was effortless.

Angela forced herself to focus before her mind got too off-track. Molly wanted to talk about their mother... She normally avoided talking about her. They never really brought her up anyway since it drudged up bad memories for Dad. He had never really gotten out of the mourning phase. Never dated anyone after his wife's death, either, because he was too scared of messing it up. He said it was fine because his kids were all he needed but he had to have been lonely.

Hopefully Kasey doesn't end up like that...

"What do you want to talk about?" Angela asked, watching curiously as Molly hesitated, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. This was something new for Molly. She normally tried to keep everything close to her chest, but it never really worked because she wore her heart so heavily on her sleeve. She was easy to see through but hard to get to open up. Hopefully that will start to change.

"I wanted to be a daughter she could be proud of. I molded so much of myself after her because I'd just sit and watch all those home videos Dad recorded of her and she seemed so perfect. And he always said I was so much like her... I wanted to be her so bad and it hurt when I found out that I just hurt her. She wanted to love me but she couldn't even hold me and sometimes I think it's my fault that she—"

"Don't you fucking dare finish that sentence, Molly Rose." Angela couldn't believe what she was hearing. What happened was nobody's fault. Not their father's, not their mother's, and definitely not hers. Sometimes shitty things just happen to good people and nothing can be done about it. "Molly, you can't do that to yourself. You keep taking the blame for things that aren't your fault."

"But she would have been okay if she..."

"'If she hadn't gotten pregnant with you?' That's what you were about to say, isn't it?" Moly nodded hesitantly, her eyes full of tears. Angela got up and joined her on the bed. She took her sister into her arms and felt her heart crumble when Molly wrapped her arms around her and buried her face in the crook of her neck. She was trying her best to cry quietly but Angela could still hear her tearful breathing and soft sniffles. "Molly, you didn't do a thing. You didn't ask to be born. Mom already had issues after losing Kevin. I don't remember much but I remember how sad she was. It was probably inevitable."

It pained her to think of that. She didn't know how bad her mother's depression really was. She'd just been a kid, a really young one, and she used to be selfish until her father talked some sense into her. She didn't care about anybody but herself. When her mother was suffering, she'd escape outside to play with her friends. She never stopped worrying about her petty childish problems long enough to notice how withdrawn Amber had gotten in those last couple months. Looking back on it now, she can tell that her mother was trying.

She tried so hard, but there'd been days that were so bad she couldn't even get out of bed. Days when she wouldn't even eat, and that affected her milk supply and then she hated herself for not being able to feed Molly. Kasey tried his best to make their mother smile but it wasn't enough. She's not sure if anything would have been enough. Nothing could mend their mother's broken heart.

"But I made it worse, didn't I? I took her from you. And then I tried so hard to be like her so you and Kasey wouldn't have to miss her and I s-screwed it up..." Molly's sniffles turned to raw, heart wrenching sobs. How long has she been holding this in? There's no way this was just a sudden thing. This seemed like it was months, maybe even nearing a year's worth of pain. Angela should have done more after Molly's initial breakdown when she found Amber's diary, but she's always avoided the painful, emotional stuff. Always left it to Kasey, expecting him to handle the things she couldn't.

But he's just one man, and now knowing everything he's had to handle, she felt terrible about putting so much pressure on him. He had every right to snap at her for bailing on them night after night when their father died. He tried so hard to hold the pieces of their family together and she never even apologized for basically abandoning them when they needed her most, when they should have stuck together.

"You didn't do anything," she whispered, rubbing Molly's back soothingly. "You didn't take her from us, Molly. It's not your fault. None of that is your fault. You don't need to be like her, either. You just need to be yourself. Nobody is expecting to be like Mom. We don't want a replacement mother. We just want you, and I'm so proud of you, Molly. You're so strong."

"'m not strong," Molly mumbled into Angela's neck, the response barely audible through her tears. "You're the strong one, Angie. I'm just small and weak."

"You are not weak, Molly. You're the furthest thing from it." Molly didn't seem the slightest bit convinced, so Angela continued, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear. "Did you know that the doctors thought that you'd be too sickly to do much of anything? But you proved them wrong. You proved them so, so wrong. You are so much stronger than me. You don't try to run away whenever things get bad. Life has thrown so much shit at you and you just get back up every time."

Somehow that only made Molly cry harder. Angela kissed her forehead and continued to rub circles on her back. She didn't know what else to say. Comfort wasn't exactly her strong suit, but she could at least be there for her sister. She hasn't been doing much of that lately. She didn't know what to say to Molly when she was freaking out over Chelsea, and then afterwards when Molly was in the clinic, Angela didn't want to say anything to upset her.

"I-If I'm so strong, then why do you keep trying to protect me?" Molly's voice was wobbly, her hands gripping the back of Angela's shirt tightly. "Why do you keep trying to do everything for me? You treat me like a little kid all the time. You and Kasey didn't even want me to keep baking after everything that happened."

"We're older siblings, Molls. It's our job to worry." Angela shifted and pulled Molly onto her lap, like she used to do when they were kids. She was surprised by her sister's weight on her lap. Molly was... heavier than she expected. Not back-breakingly heavy or anything like that, but still heavier than she'd been before. "You're right, though. I look at you and I still keep seeing this cute little girl instead of the beautiful young woman you've become, and I'm so sorry. I've been so scared of seeing you hurt again that I don't let you do anything for yourself."

They didn't say anything after that, the only sound in the room being Molly's slowly dissipating sobs. Angela patted her back gently and rested her head against the wall, letting her eyes close. She felt emotionally drained, and she knew this wasn't the end of it. They'd have to talk about this with Kasey. Maybe Molly could also talk to her therapist about this if she hasn't already.

"...Would it be mean of me to say I'm glad Luke couldn't stay tonight? I know he makes you happy, but I missed spending time with just you." Molly's voice was somehow still really quiet despite her face being so close to Angela's ear. She sighed, and Angela could feel the flutter of wet lashes against her skin as Molly's eyes closed. Seconds later she was asleep. Angela brushed away the tears from her sister's face with a gentle thumb. She felt tears of her own springing up.

She knew she should have talked to Molly about the things Chelsea said to her sooner. What that bitch said about their mother... It took everything Luke and Owen had to keep her from getting involved. Molly's had those doubts before, when she found their mother's diary. It had taken so long to get her to calm down after that. They should have talked more then, but Molly wanted to pretend it had never happened and Kasey was too worried about setting her off again.

And of course Angela was too self-absorbed to do anything about it before now.

She repeated the apology and rested her chin on top of Molly's head. Her hair was still damp but that was the least of Angela's worries right now. She didn't realize it before Molly said it, but she hasn't really been spending much time with Molly, just the two of them. They work together on the farm in the morning and then go their own separate ways. Angela went off to work on Kasey's house (which was honestly nearly done with the exception of the furniture) and Molly stayed home to spend time with the animals.

The rest of their days went like that. They didn't spend much time together in the afternoon either, which was surprising for such a small town. Angela had been so sure that they'd see each other all the time because there wasn't really anything to do here. And then she started dating Luke and spending all her time with him. All of it, because she was greedy and wanted to feel his love damn near all the time, like it would disappear if they weren't together. She's sure she'll get over the pain Mikhail caused her eventually and won't need Luke's constant reassurance.

She noticed that something had fallen to the floor and reached down to pick it up, careful not to disturb Molly too much. She looked down to make sure her sister was still asleep and smiled sadly at the sight of Molly's cheek squished against her chest. Sometimes it would take Molly ages to fall asleep but it seemed like she's been having an easier time sleeping since they moved here. Well, for the most part at least. There were those nights early on when Molly would leave to get some fresh air because she couldn't sleep.

Angela looked at the item in her hand. It was Molly's journal, a simple brown thing with sunflowers etched on the cover. Kasey had bought it for her birthday a few years ago but she never really used it. She had a whole collection of notebooks and fancy pens she never used. Lately she's taken to writing in her journal before bed. She said she was still trying to work through her emotions and promised to try and talk to her therapist about them more so they weren't wasting money on therapy.

It wasn't a waste. Angela would gladly pay the price of it a hundred times over if it helped Molly, and she knew Kasey felt the same.

"Don' go," Molly whispered when she leaned over to place the notebook on the bedside table. Angela frowned and looked down at her sister. She was still out like a light. Most of the time her sleep-talk was cute, but sometimes it was kinda scary. The two of them once managed to have a full conversation before Angela realized Molly was still asleep, and she didn't remember a thing about it when she woke up in the morning.

There's no way she can turn down a request like that. Angela sighed and flicked the lamp off. At least Molly had turned the light off so she didn't have to get up. She held Molly close and pulled a blanket over the two of them with a sigh. Looks like she doesn't have to sleep alone tonight after all.