Time passed.

They watched Adventure Time and smoked weed and ate everything on the coffee table. Molly was somewhat responsive, but she didn't really seem to fully come out of her distant state. Though at a certain point he became convinced that it was because she was getting so damned stoned. She smoked several bowls and then several more. Bea and Claire came back. Ann came downstairs at one point to try and see if maybe Molly might want to try something on, but it was obvious that she still wasn't in any state for that.

Trent and Mae didn't leave the couch for the rest of the day and the night except to go to the bathroom. Bea, Claire, and Ann came and went, helping a lot, mostly by clearing away trash and replacing consumed food and drink with more. Usually they'd hang out on either side of the couch and watch for awhile.

At some point, Trent realized Molly was asleep.

"You think she's out for the night?" Mae murmured, noticing the same thing.

"Probably," Trent replied, looking at her closely. She was laying on her back, head turned slightly to one side, on a pillow now, mouth hanging open a little. She'd gotten down to a sports bra and a pair of panties. "Molly?"

Nothing. He shook her a little. Still nothing, she was out.

"Man, she's comatose," Mae muttered.

"Probably for the best," Trent replied. He sighed softly. "Mae, now that we have a chance to talk...what are we going to do about Gregg and Angus?"

She sighed softly. "I dunno. I gotta go with them, I just have to...could you stay? With her?"

"Yes, I can stay with her, but she might need both of us," Trent said.

Mae frowned. "Well, if that comes down to it...Gregg and Angus will understand." She yawned. "Fuck, I'm actually really tired...what time is it?"

"Around eleven," he replied.

"Shit, eleven and I'm tired. Lame."

"We should probably go to sleep, I'm tired, too," he said.

"Yeah. I guess we just get settled."

"Mae?"

"Yeah?"

"You did really good today."

"Did I?" she asked after a moment, looking at Molly. "I just talked on the phone for a few hours and got stoned and-"

"No, Mae. You did good. Like, you handled everything with Molly very well. You were on point. You were just so calm and kind and patient, and for hours. I'm really impressed, and proud of you. This is the shit that matters, Mae. I don't care that you don't work a traditional job, I don't care that you aren't rich, I don't care that you don't have a license. I care that you step up when it really matters, and try your best, and you did. You really did. This is important, okay? This truly was important, and will be. Another person needed you, and you were there for them."

"You're right," she murmured, still looking at Molly. "People are important. Friends are important. I wasn't a good friend for a long time to my friends. Some of it wasn't my fault, but some of it was." She smiled fondly, then slowly lost it, her eyes gradually coming back over to Trent. "Is this weird? I don't think it is, really, but I know I'm weird. We're friends, but she's into me...I dunno. I just want to be sure."

"It's not weird," Trent replied.

"But you think something is off," Mae said suddenly.

He sighed. "It's annoying when you do that."

"I'm sorry, but tell me," she replied.

"Okay, I was worried you'd take offense to the fact that she called me out of everyone," he replied.

"Oh, no, I don't. I know that was a whole thing when you had the panic attack and called Bea, but I'm over it now and honestly, it isn't the same. I understand why people would want to call you for help. You are amazing. I very strongly understand the desire to ask you for help."

"Okay, cool. I just wanted to be sure, but I didn't want to bring it up because it's been a really taxing day for everyone," he said.

"I understand." She yawned again. "We should sleep."

"We should sleep," he agreed. They shared a kiss over Molly's sleeping form and then got settled. "I love you, Mae."

"I love you too, Trent," she murmured.

Trent closed his eyes and hoped sleep wouldn't take long to find him.

It didn't, mercifully.

When Trent opened his eyes, it was morning.

Golden sunshine streamed in through the windows and his first thought was 'damn, I missed the rain'. His second thought was that he should check on Molly. His third was realizing that he was actually spooning her and it was the back of her head he was seeing, though that probably should've been obvious more quickly. He still felt a little stoned. As he began to carefully untangle himself from her, Molly came awake.

She inhaled deeply and began to stretch, then froze, then slowly looked around. She twisted around and looked at him, then down at herself, then around the room. Her eyes came back to him.

"Did we fuck?" she asked.

"No, Molly, we did not fuck," he replied.

"Oh. That's what I thought but...where the fuck am I?" she murmured.

"You're in my living room."

"Oh...yeah. Yeah. Okay." She slowly sat up and looked around. "But how did I...oh...oh. Right. My fucking apartment burned down and you...wow. Shit."

"Are you okay?" Trent asked.

"Um...let me piss first," she replied.

He nodded and pulled the blanket back. She got up, staggered a little, then headed for the bathroom. He heard the door open and close, a long pause, the toilet flush, the sink turn on and then off, and then she was coming back. She got back into bed between them under the blankets. Mae was still out.

"Okay," Molly said, looking at him, "I think I should-"

Her face suddenly screwed up and she began to cry. Intensely. She all but threw herself into Trent's arms as she began sobbing. Mae came awake as he hugged her, looking around, confused, then relaxed as she looked at them. Without a word, she got up against Molly's back slowly, gently, and hugged her from behind.

They stayed like that for a long time.

Longer than any of the other times he'd done this.

Molly cried, and then kept crying, and then cried some more after that. At one point he heard movement from the stairs and glanced over and saw Bea. She was looking at them, worried. He gave his head a little shake. She nodded and headed back upstairs. After a bit, Ann came down and they had the same exchange.

At some point, Molly's tears ran out, but she didn't let go of Trent for a good five minutes after that. Finally, she pulled back and Mae made room.

"Oh...oh man. I...oh man I'm so embarrassed. That's so gross," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I got snot and spit and tears all fucking over your bare chest man…"

"It's fine, Molly," he replied. "How are you?"

"Um...better," she said. "But I need a shower, and so do you now. Will you two come up and shower with me?"

"Yes, Molly," Mae said.

They all got up and headed upstairs. In a moment, they were all naked and within a hot shower together. Molly insisted Trent have the shower first, and so he used it to clean up. For a few moments, no one said anything.

Finally, Molly spoke. "So...I remember yesterday...sort of," she said. "Um. Why don't you give me a rundown of events? I feel like scrambled eggs."

Trent nodded and did as she asked, telling her everything as clearly and concisely as he could. She nodded slowly, listening carefully. Honestly, he was relieved. She seemed a lot closer to herself after all that.

"Goddamn," she muttered when he'd finished. "You guys...you seriously came and got me. You actually rescued me. I...don't even know what to say. Thank you just seems so shallow…"

"It's okay, Molly," Mae replied. "This is more important than thank you."

"That sounded philosophical," Molly murmured. "I guess I'll accept it...so now what?"

"Well, that's something we need to discuss with you," Trent replied. "Mae has a responsibility she has to tend to that will take her out of the city for about two days...are you going to be okay with that?"

"Because," Mae said before she could answer, "if you really need me to stay, I can and will."

"What's the responsibility?" Molly asked uncertainly.

"Gregg and Angus are moving out to Bright Harbor today and I wanted to drive out there with them and help."

"Oh, God. Now I feel like an asshole," Molly muttered.

"You aren't, Molly. This isn't your fault. At all. In any capacity. You are blameless," Trent said firmly.

"Yeah," Mae agreed, nodding vigorously. "It's totally cool either way, Molly. Gregg and Angus already know about what's happening, so they will understand."

Molly looked like she was seriously mulling over it. Finally, she looked to Trent. "Will you be here with me?"

"Yes," he replied. At this point, both of them going seemed out of the question.

"Then that's fine, I can deal with that. I'll miss you...will you text with me? Call me tonight?" she asked.

"Yes, Molly, of course," Mae replied.

"Okay. That's fine." She fell silent, slowly looking down at her feet. She looked like she was getting lost again, just a little. "So what comes next, then?"

"Well, I'm imagining that you're going to want to just crash here and chill for awhile. We can definitely hang out, do stuff, but I do have some stuff I need to do," Trent replied.

"That's totally cool. God, I do not know the protocol for this. I've never...felt like this before. I feel broken, like something has just gone really wrong, and I'm just kinda...floating? I feel lost. I have no clue what to do."

"You probably need to talk to the people in your life who you care about, even a little, to let them know you're okay," Trent said. "Also, your work."

She sighed. "Yeah, I definitely should. I texted my roommates and my parents while we were on the way back here...I think. I guess I should check my phone...ew, I need to brush my teeth."

"We got you some supplies, your own toothbrush, stuff like that. And when you're feeling up to it, we can go clothes shopping," Trent said.

"Oh...I barely have any money…" she said, her features falling.

"It's fine, we'll cover it," Trent said.

"Oh, no, no no, come on, you don't have to-"

"Molly...you lost your home," Mae said, taking her hand. "You lost everything. Let us take care of you, okay?"

She looked like she was wrestling with that, but finally she just nodded. The doorbell rang.

"Crap," Mae muttered, taking the water, "I gotta deal with that. Gotta be Gregg and Angus."

"Can you wait to leave until I'm done?" Molly asked.

"Yes, Molly," Mae replied as she hastily cleaned herself off, "I won't leave without seeing you again, I promise."

"Thank you...I'm sorry for being so needy…"

"It's fine, Molly. You aren't being needy, you are in need, okay? It's fine. I'm here for you, we all are," Mae said firmly.

"...okay," she murmured.

Mae finished cleaning up, gave Molly a hug, then got out and started drying off. Trent took the shower once more to finish cleaning up as well, then gave it back to Molly. A moment later, Mae was dry and then out the door.

"I don't even know what to think right now," she said after a bit.

"I know. You're in shock right now, Molly," Trent replied. "Not as bad as yesterday, but you're going to be kind of fucked up for a little while. The important thing is that you are safe, okay? You are in a place where people who care about you will take care of you and make sure you're fine."

"How long...can I stay here?"

"As long as you need."

She looked at him for a long moment, her expression twisting, and suddenly she hugged him. He hugged her back. He had been worried that she might be uncomfortable, being wet and naked around him, as he wasn't quite sure where they were, but she wasn't hesitating at all.

"You're way too nice. Way, way, way too nice," she murmured.

"I'm your friend," he replied.

"All of my friends in Durkillesburg wouldn't do this for me," she muttered, "and they're within ten minutes' driving distance. And I wouldn't trust them, anyway. I kinda realize that now. Out of everyone I could have called, I called you, Trent...is that weird?"

"I don't think so," he replied.

"Is Mae mad about that?" she asked suddenly. "She's the one who I was sorta...well, thinking about dating, more than anyone else, but I called you…"

"No, she isn't mad. And I actually specifically asked her last night about this exact thing, because I was worried about it too, but she said she has a deep understanding of why you would want to call me for help. She seems to think I'm responsible and capable."

"You are," Molly replied, staring up at him. "You are, Trent. You fucking are. You saved my ass. You drove six fucking hours to pick me up. MVP, dude. That alone is more than most people have done for me in my life, even my parents. You are a fucking hero in my book."

"Well, try not to get too hung up on it," Trent replied. "I'm more concerned that you feel better...we should probably get out. I want to see Gregg and Angus, too."

"Right, yeah," she said, fully releasing him and stepping back. "Sorry. Just, uh...you know, go do your thing. I'll be down in a bit."

"Okay. Ann should have some clothes for you to borrow, so after you're done in here, go into our bedroom and talk to her."

"All right, thanks," she murmured.

He nodded and got out of the shower. Drying quickly, he headed out and closed the door behind him. Walking to the bedroom, he found Ann waiting for him.

"Hey, how is she?" she asked.

"A lot better," he replied as he began dressing quickly. "Will you set her out a full set of clothes?"

"Yeah, definitely," Ann replied.

"That's Gregg and Angus downstairs, right?"

"Yep."

"Okay, cool. Molly says she'll be fine if Mae's gone for a bit, so she can go with them."

"That's good. That's really good. This is important to Mae."

Trent nodded and finished dressing. He thanked Ann and kissed her and then hurried downstairs, where he found everyone standing around in the living room talking. The mood was somber.

"Hey," Trent said as he came in, "everything good?"

"Yeah," Gregg replied awkwardly. "Just...jeez man, Molly. That's horrible."

"How's she doing?" Angus asked.

"Better, but still shaky. I imagine there's more bad feelings to come," Trent replied.

"Yeah. Man, she lost, like, everything…"

"Doesn't she have a car?" Bea asked suddenly.

"Um...yeah. Shit. Should've thought of that," Trent replied. He sighed and shook his head. "Whatever, we'll get it sorted later. For now, uh...it's been great, guys. I'm glad I got to be your friend, I'm glad you are realizing your dreams, and I'm sorry I can't go with you to help like we originally planned."

"Right back at you, thank you, I'm happy about that too, and don't even sweat it, dude," Gregg replied.

"What he said," Angus agreed.

"Well...awesome," Trent replied. He frowned. "Sorry if I'm kind of socially off my game, this whole thing yesterday was...distracting."

"Totally cool," Gregg replied. "Also! Before I forget, you should totally get a Nintendo Switch if you can. We're gonna get one now that we have, like, actual money, and we can play Mario Kart over the internet!"

"Yes, I will absolutely throw money at making this happen," Mae replied immediately.

Another moment of silence fell and no one seemed to know what to say.

"This feels weird," Mae said finally. "Like...you guys are leaving Possum Springs, probably forever. It feels like...I don't know, we should have more things to say?"

"I mean I feel like we've said a ton over the past two weeks," Angus replied.

"Yeah, that's what all the hanging out was about," Gregg agreed.

"I guess so...I guess some things are just going to feel weird. Um. Should we go?"

"I'm okay with that," Angus replied. "Got the truck rented and packed up and everything."

"I'm cool with going. Trent? Need anything? Want anything?" Bea asked.

"I'm good," he replied.

"I should get Molly and Ann, in case they want to say anything," Mae said and hurried off upstairs.

"If anything does come up and you need backup, legit do call me," Bea said.

"Yeah, man, honestly I feel like we've got this handled," Gregg said. "What you've got going on here is like way harder to deal with."

"Seems that way," Trent murmured.

A few more minutes passed and finally Mae came back downstairs with the others. Ann said goodbye and Molly did as well, though much more awkwardly. Gregg and Angus shared their condolences, Mae had a few more quick, quiet, seemingly encouraging words with Molly, and then, just like that, the house emptied out.

Gregg and Angus got into their moving truck and Bea and Mae got into Bea's car and then they were gone, driving out of Possum Springs.

"So, uh...now what?" Molly murmured.

"What would you like to do?" Trent replied. "We're basically free for the rest of the day." He paused. "Well, that's not completely true. I have a couple of conversations to have. But beyond that, freedom."

"Um...can we go for a walk?" Molly asked after a moment.

"Yeah, sure," he replied.

"And…" She looked uncertainly at Ann. "Can it be...I mean...can I just walk with Trent? I don't have a problem with you at all, Ann, and I actually want to hang out with you later, it's just...right now…"

"Molly," Ann said with a benevolent smile.

"Yeah?" she asked hesitantly.

"It's fine. Let me tell you something, a core memory I now have of Trent. When we were first getting together, I told him about how I have to go to do my drug meetings. I went through rehab for oxy addiction and now I go to meetings to help stay off the oxy. Trent asked if I wanted him to go, and I told him no, but I felt bad about it. I started to explain, but he just told me 'it's okay, Ann, no is enough', and that was really, really good. Explanations are good and welcomed, but you have to do what makes sense to you. I'm not offended."

"...thank you," Molly said, sounding tired. "I really, really appreciate that. I'm so used to fighting. So much fighting. I'm so tired of it. Uh...I should make those phone calls, though."

"Okay, how about you stay here and do that? And I go talk with Candy?"

Ann raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna talk with Candy?"

Trent sighed. "I mean literally talk with her. I'm not gonna...well, just talking."

"Wait…" Molly murmured. "I know I'm pretty fucked up right now, but...are you guys saying Trent fucked Mae's mom?"

"Keep it under your hat, but yes. I have fucked Mae's mom. Several times," Trent replied.

"...what's she like in bed?"

"Wild. Molly she is wild in bed. She is a demon in bed. She's crazy," he said, then hesitated. "Probably should pull back on that…"

"Man, that's so hot...do you think she'd fuck me?" Molly asked.

"Yes, actually. She's bisexual and quite into you. She was actually hoping to get you and me into a threesome...shouldn't have mentioned that," he muttered. "Forget I said that."

"Wait, why?" Molly asked.

"You're vulnerable right now and I'm not even approaching anything resembling hitting on you."

"Oh...thank you. That's...yeah, probably for the best. I'm still confused about, uh, how I feel about...you and me. And everything is so fucked up right now...I probably shouldn't do sex stuff for a day or two at least."

"Probably," Ann agreed.

"Make your calls, I'll go talk with Candy," he said.

"Okay."