"And I suppose that you think you're going with Mom to New York?!"

Aaron frowned as he stepped into the house after a long day at work. Things had seemed to be going well on the current case the team was on, but there had been a long lunch meeting that had pushed back all the work he had had to complete before heading home. And now he was walking into an argument between Molly and Georgia, which was the last thing he wanted and Erin needed. After he had reluctantly agreed to go along with Doctor Heth's idea of wait and see, he had been doing everything in his power to make certain that Erin was kept as calm as possible, so that everything would go as smoothly as possible for the wedding.

Stepping into the kitchen, he hung his briefcase on the hook, somehow knowing that he wasn't about to get any work done that evening, and then stepped out of his shoes before joining the young women in the kitchen. Georgia was glaring at Molly, an expression Aaron had never seen on her face before, and he frowned at the both of them as he entered Georgia's line of vision. Clearing his throat, he got both their attention, and Georgia's face lost all color as she stared at him. Molly, though, seemed to still be spoiling for a fight, as she immediately shoved her hands onto her hips as she glared at him.

"I didn't start the argument this time, Georgia did."

He pressed his lips together and counted to ten before he answered, knowing that he didn't want to escalate the matter. "Where is your mother and Jack?" he asked carefully, knowing that it was probably the safest question that he could ask in that moment.

"Momma and Jessica took Jack to get supper for everyone. Molly mentioned that she wanted Chinese food, and that set off a craving in Momma, and Jack didn't want to stay behind." He watched Georgia allow her body to relax as she moved to the table and took a seat on top of it. Molly rolled her eyes a little as she boosted herself up onto the counter and stared at him. A lot of the hostility in her gaze had gone, though she still kept a mulish look on her face as she stared at him.

"I can't help that Mom and I like the same sort of food. And before you say it, Aaron, I know that Chinese food has a lot of sodium in it, and that it's not good for the baby. I didn't mean to set off a craving in her. That won't affect the baby too much, will it?"

This concern was a new development for him, though he supposed that Molly could have been spending a lot of time with Erin when he wasn't around, which would explain the concern. "No, your mother's blood pressure has been doing really great, all things considered, and an occasional treat won't set her back. After all, we're at twenty-seven weeks, so there's just three months to go. Now, would you care to tell me why the two of you were fighting?"

Both women looked away from him sheepishly and he knew that it was most likely a petty argument. Finally, Molly let out a loud sigh of a breath and looked to him once more. "I want to go to New York with Mom. Georgia's here all the time, she gets to spend days and days with her, since she doesn't really have a job, and doesn't know anyone here to spend time with. I have responsibilities that go along with my studies, and a job, and paying rent with my roommates. I just, I know that I was a brat, but I don't deal well with change, and I still miss my daddy."

This was the most open and vulnerable she had been with him, ever, and he looked at Georgia, giving a small jerk of his head. She nodded before getting off the table and leaving the room, which left him alone with Molly. Drawing in a quiet breath, he took a seat at the table and watched Erin's daughter carefully. There was a brief hesitancy in her before Molly slipped off the counter and came over to the table, taking a seat across from him. As he continued to study her face, he began to see the traces of Erin in her that hadn't been noticeable before, because he hadn't truly been looking for them. "I wish that I could feel the same way about my father, but he was a cruel man, and I had to protect my little brother from his wrath. You are so lucky that both of your parents love you so dearly."

Molly nodded and gave him a quick smile before reaching across the table and curling her hand around his. This was another first, and he knew that he had to allow her to take each step, because he didn't want to spook her or ruin this moment. "And Jack is lucky that you love him so much, and that Mom sees him as one of us. I, I nearly fucked it all up, didn't I?"

"No, I don't think that you did, Molly. Your mother has a very large heart, something I didn't get to see until I was allowed to see behind the mask she wears at work. She loves so deeply, and there is nothing you could do that would ever cause her to love you less."

The young woman nodded again as she started to cry a little harder. "Mister Rossi isn't Georgia's dad, is he?"

Aaron felt the blood drain from his face as he stared at Molly, wondering where she was going with this line of thought. "I don't think that I'm at liberty to discuss anything about that…"

Molly's hand tightened painfully around his, again reminding him of Erin, and he drew in a sharp breath. "Mom won't talk to me about this, I just have this feeling that it's a taboo subject. Tell me something, anything, to help me understand better."

"Take a walk with me?" She nodded and they got to their feet and headed for the front door. As they started for the sidewalk, he watched Erin and Jessica pull into the drive, and he gave them a small wave as he continued to walk with Molly. "We'll have to make this a bit brief, since your mother is home, and they'll want to eat soon, but we have a little time. Why do you think that Dave isn't Georgia's father?"

"He has black hair and dark eyes. Those are both dominant traits to inherit, and since Georgia has red hair, which is even more rare, the likelihood that he passed on those genes to Georgia is infinitesimal. And there's nothing of him in her. What happened in Wyoming? Why would Mom lie about infidelity?"

Aaron took a deep breath as he thought about her questions. There was no easy way to answer them and not reveal some truths that Erin wanted to hold close to her heart. "First, let me say that I know you're an adult, and I appreciate the fact that we've been able to have this conversation as adults. Now I can see why your mother loves you so, and I hope that we can continue to build this rapport between us. But I have the feeling that my answers to your questions are not going to please you, and might set everything back."

"I just want answers."

"I know, Molls, but those answers are not mine to share, not entirely. I know that you could probably pester your mom until you got your answers, but I would hope that you would wait to do that until after Vanessa is here." She frowned up at him, and Aaron shrugged a little. "I know, that's months away. But what I can tell you about Georgia is that her birth was the only good thing to come out of Wyoming, and your mother hated having to give her up at birth. I know that you love your dad so much, so you don't want to hear about this, but because of what happened in Wyoming, he couldn't raise another man's child. It's hard to do that, it's hard to find love in your heart when you think you've been told the truth about things that happened."

Molly stopped him by grabbing hold of his arm and stepping in front of him, looking up into his eyes for the truth that he wasn't saying. "Was Mom raped? Like me?" she whispered fiercely, and suddenly a good number of puzzle pieces fell into place for him with regard to Molly's behaviour. "Aaron?"

He nodded, knowing that this fragile moment would make or break their relationship, and he had to do something to ensure that Molly would trust him. "Your mom didn't want you kids to know, to have Georgia know. What happened to her all those years ago was brutal, and she doesn't talk about it. I won't talk about it more than what we've said on this walk. I hope that you can still trust me with your secrets, like you did just now."

She tried to smile, only for her mouth to release a choked sob as she threw herself forward into his arms. Tenderly, Aaron closed his arms around Erin's youngest daughter, taking care not to hold on too tightly, as he didn't want to spook her. "I've been so ashamed of what happened to me, because we were drinking, and I wasn't thinking straight, and it felt like I deserved it for being so stupid. Mommy told me never to be stupid with alcohol, and I didn't listen, and I was punished for that."

"Oh, Molly, no, that's not how it works. You were raped, and it was not a punishment for getting drunk. You were just taken advantage of by someone who thought they had more power over you." Another sob tore from her lips as she clung ever tighter to him, and he wondered how they would get back to the house while she was so distraught. Then he felt a familiar hand on his arm, and he glanced over to see that Erin had joined them, a sad look on her face. "Hey, honey."

"Hey. The baby is getting hungry, so I thought I'd come get you both. Is everything okay?" "I think that it will be, with time, but you're going to need to have a long talk with Molly tonight, after we eat. I'll entertain Georgia and Jack so that you can do so, and take the sofa so Molly can spend the night."

"I can't let you do that!" the girl wailed, and Aaron stroked her hair lightly before allowing Erin to pull her daughter away from him and hold her close as they began to walk home. "Aaron?"

"I can handle the sofa for one night, Molly. This is more important, believe me. And sometimes a mom needs to hold her baby close, before the next baby of the family comes around." Molly nodded as she gave him a tremulous smile, and Aaron knew that everything would be all right between them all from this point forward.