The Ghost and Molly McGee

Chasing Closure

Fanfiction Summary: Taking place after "The End," what starts with a revelation about the father of Molly's best friend Libby spirals into an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experience. One filled with laughs, adventures, hard times, reality checks, and closure.

Chapter 1: Opening Book

Original Release Date: November 25, 2024

Disclaimer: The Ghost and Molly McGee does not belong to me. The show is property of Disney and was created by Bob Roth and Bill Motz.

It was just another ordinary day in Brighton. Shining sun, chirping birds, rustling young children playing outside, and the sweet, beautiful sensation of the two words most kids looked forward to all year long: Summer Vacation. That's right, summer had finally come around for Brighton, which meant for its fellow kids receiving an education, there was no more need to attend pedestrian, inadequate classrooms filled with teachers who were either uninterested or underqualified to pass on knowledge and wisdom in an 8-hour, multi-class curriculum. Most likely, all of the lessons learned during the year would be forgotten within a week.

Molly McGee, herself one of the newer Brighton residents, was one of those kids now free from the endless shackles of school. Her summer days could consist of essentially whatever she wanted them to have. The world was her oyster. But today, on this, her first day of vacation, she chose to spend it at one of her favorite places in the whole town: the Book Marks the Spot bookstore, owned and operated by Leah Stein-Torres, mother of Molly's very best friend Libby. It didn't matter to her if the store was packed or if she was the only person in there. She wasn't going to hesitate to support her best friend and her mother. She didn't even mind helping out with some of the grunt work such as organizing and stacking the books, sweeping up the office, even tending to some of the customers that stepped into their little home away from home.

And of course, Molly, the little do-gooder of Brighton, had to be taken out of her little role with a forced breather, courtesy of Leah and her own mother, Sharon. "Lunch time, Moll!" The girl, naturally, looked away from the patron she was attending to and noticed her mother bringing her a freshly made sandwich.

"Eat up, hon. And that's an order." Leah joked with her, coupled with a loving hair ruffle.

"Okay, okay, I'm going..." The young girl plainly rolled her eyes at the adults relieving her of her duties. "You don't have to tell me twice."

"You're right, it's more like three or four times."

"Heyyyy..."

Nevertheless, she found herself a quiet corner of the book store to sit calmly and eat her lunch. Slow downs & break times? They were never Molly's strong suit. She was also on "go" mode until she collapsed from exhaustion, a habit that, needless to say, friends and loved ones have had a hard time breaking her out of. But that never stopped her from trying to lend a hand. One of those friends that tried to help her turn off? Her very best friend, Libby, who just so happened to run into the store at the exact moment Molly was taking a bite out of her lunch. "MOLLY!" Her disregard for her own stamina in the face of reaching her bestie was admirable. She dashed as quickly as she could and took the seat right next to her, flyer in hand. "The Great Turtle Exhibit! It's finally in town!" Libby shrieked delightfully. "You ready?!"

Molly had promised her she'd accompany her to the opening of the brand new Brighton exhibit dedicated to her favorite comfort animal: the turtle. "Gasp! That is today!"

"And you're going, sweetie!" Leah yelled out in the distance. "After you finish your lunch. Your mom and I will handle things here."

"Okay, okay! I'm going!" She answered back lovingly. She took some more bites out of her sandwich, carefully walking the tightrope of eating fast and chewing her food properly. She hesitated briefly as she reached to her side to grab the book sitting next to her - something Libby caught on to - and prepared to leave with her bestie. "I'll meet you back at home, Mom!" She shouted while grabbing Libby's hand with her free one and racing out of the store. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her & Libby's mom proudly waving them off. Out of the corner of Libby's eyes, the girl managed to get an ever-so-slight glimpse at the cover of the book Molly was holding. She couldn't entirely make it out, but she could have sworn she had seen that cover before. She could've sworn she could recognize the little bit of cover art she could see.

"Libby?" But Molly's soft spoken voice broke Libby out of her weird trance. "You with me, Libs?"

"Oh! Oh, uh, s-sure!" She sheepishly responded, keeping up in pace with Molly but visibly with her head somewhere else. "Sure, let's keep going!" It wasn't quite passing the sniff test, but Molly decided Libby's love of turtles was more important at the moment and put it off to the side.

The turtle exhibit itself was nothing all that special, just a gigantic aquarium-like environment with turtles scattered everywhere and being tended to by the expert staff. It wasn't quite wowing Molly out of her shoes, but supporting her bestie was an endeavor she was always happy to partake in. She could easily put on a happy face and get herself invested in whatever was drawing Libby's eye. Today, it was the turtles, including one that was almost the size of Libby. The giant turtle had stolen Libby's heart, as well as the hearts of all others that passed by it.

Along the way, however, she turned too quickly and tripped on herself, accidentally losing her grip on the book she brought with her. It flew almost halfway across the room, right around to where Libby was standing at that moment. A panicked Molly made a mad dash to retrieve the book, only to have it end up right by Libby's feet. The girl, not missing a beat when it came to her bestie, picked up the book and prepared to hand it back to her, only now discovering exactly what Molly had been reading. Without hesitation, she recognized the title.

Chasing Miracles

An unfortunate title that had been burned into her brain for all of the wrong reasons. Not that Molly was aware of any of it; after her heartbreaking trip to visit her father, Libby opted not to disclose any of the painful details from her tragic visit with her father. The one that ended with him informing her he was leaving her & her mother in the wind yet again, only this time for a trilogy of ego-boosting novels. The thrill of writing - or perhaps, the thrill of avoiding responsibility - stole Libby's father away from her, a scar that was taking its sweet time in healing. But none of that was Molly's problem. Libby made the decision to keep it all in, so what right would she have to be upset at her best friend for indulging?

She picked the book up and prepared to hand it back to Molly, who dashed over in a huff. "Here Molly, you dropped this."

Molly sheepishly reclaimed the book. "Thanks." An awkward moment of silence passed before the conversation resumed. "Couldn't resist diving into a book written by my bestie's dad! Who knows what kind of fancy, grown-up words a guy like him can fit into this thick, hard cut of book..." One of Molly's main weaknesses was an inability to keep up a conversation when she was obviously trying to B.S. her way through it, something that Libby got much better at picking up. Eventually Molly was going to have to cut to the chase. There was no easy way to rip that Band-Aid off. "You know, Libby, I just remembered. You...never told me how your visit with your dad went."

It was true. Libby never said a word. In fact, it hadn't occurred to Molly until recently to even broach the subject. She decided it was only her business if Libby wanted to make it her business. She was not about to step on anyone's toes here. And poor Libby. She couldn't bring herself to get mad at Molly for asking, even if she wanted to. "I...don't really want to talk about it yet."

Not exactly music to Molly's ears. But if she's learned anything, it's that she cannot and should not force an issue. It would only make whatever wound Libby carried around grow larger. "Okay, you know what? You know what? That's fine, that's totally A-OK. You know what? Forget I even said anything, this didn't happen." She quickly tried to pivot the conversation back to something that would cheer Libby up. "Look! The giant turtle's back around!" She forcibly tried to point Libby's attention to said turtle. Libby was no fool, and she could see right through the façade. But seeing as Molly recognized her unwillingness to talk about the subject once told she was in a bad headspace, she let it go and returned her attention to the turtles.

While her attention was focused on the turtles, Molly returned her attention to the book. She had yet to crack it open. Her eyes had yet to gloss over anything that wasn't the cover. She had made a pact with herself that she would read this book no matter what. Her curiosity over how Libby acquired her writing talents was going to win out. But it would be done in the safety of her own home, away from Libby's somber eyes.

Following a lovely visit to the exhibit, Molly & Libby found themselves wandering to the park. A nice shady tree was open for them to take leisure under. The sky was brimming with a rainbow backdrop with faint clouds passing by. While Molly found it easy to let herself get lost in the beauty of the clouds, Libby found it much more challenging to do so. Her energy and focus was shifted towards the outer world; the park was filled to the brim with families. The ones that drew her attention the most were the father-daughter groupings. Despite Molly's best efforts to not tread that ground on this day, Libby found it nigh impossible to block it out of her head, moreso after laying her eyes on the book that her own father selfishly abandoned her to pursue writing.

She really didn't want to talk about it. It wasn't something worth involving Molly. There was nothing she could really do besides provide comfort, and she was uncertain that was even something she wanted right now. She couldn't put it out of her mind. She couldn't stop the disappointing from crawling back in. She couldn't ask Molly not to read the book. At least not without an explanation. Conversely, Molly was unwilling to poke the bear again of her own accord. If Libby wanted to talk about it, she would listen. But she would have to broach it herself.

"L-Look, Libby!" Molly said quickly, pointing to the sky. "That cloud looks like one of your turtles!" The tortoises always perked Libby up, regardless of the circumstances. "Look at it with the cracked shell and the lil' head poking out of its hole..." Molly was trying her hardest to keep her friend's mind off of the negativity that was so eager to climb back in. Libby admired the effort, and she secretly felt guilty that she unconsciously pushed her friend to navigate the situation this way. These emotions made themselves quite evident in the process; Libby zoned out of reality momentarily and when she came back to, she found herself staring with her somber face right into Molly's eyes. "Hey." Molly was determined to be as patient with her best friend as possible. No matter how much it was hurting, it was Libby's problem to share, not Molly's to force out.

"Uh oh, did I space out again?" Libby asked quietly, to which Molly replied with a silent nod and a soft smile on her face. Libby, in response, groaned about as loudly as one does when they're suffering from indigestion. "Shoot."

Molly scooted over to be closer to her best friend and gave her a hug. "It's okay, Libby..." Libby didn't hesitate to return the hug. Molly's hugs were always the best. It looked like Libby was running out of options. One way or another, she was going to have to deal with this, and who better to serve as a shoulder than the very person that's put her shoulder out there for her time and time again? Finally, Libby found in herself the strength to bring to the surface the feelings bottled up for who knows how long.

"Do you know how long my dad was away writing his stupid book?" The tone of Libby's voice immediately turned to one Molly was unfamiliar with: Anger. Her eyebrows burrowed, pointing downward; a hint of fury pointedly in her pupils. At the risk of not instigating further, Molly declined to respond. "Six years! SIX! He missed me getting my first pet turtle! He missed the very first book I wrote for myself! He missed He missed my bat mitzvah, Molly! He's missed so much! And he didn't care! He didn't care about hearing any of the things I waited years to do with him!" Molly had no response to any of this. It was Libby's time to vent. "All my life I wanted to be a writer just like him! To go adventuring into the world! Write my experiences! Turn them into a beloved novel that can be adored by generation after generation!" She somberly looked over slightly at her best friend. Her's and Molly's eyes told the whole story. "I thought having those experiences...would let him come home and be the dad that I wanted. The dad that my mom wanted him to be."

Molly remained silent. Deep in the creveces of her mind, she tried and tried some more to forge the picture of a man that had the dishonor of baring the name "Libby's Dad." It couldn't come to her no matter how hard she tried. While she was still deep in thought, she noticed Libby stirring around in her pockets. She pulled out a photo - a very personal photo - one of her and her father from years prior.

"This is the last photo I took with him before he left." The photo itself was Libby grinning ear to ear; in her hands she held a few crumpled up pieces of paper. Just adjacent to her was her dad, visibly not looking at the camera; rather, he was on his phone taking a call. The fated call happened to be the one that set off his six-year journey to writing his self-described magnum opus. Molly found herself particularly offended that Libby's dad couldn't even be bothered to pay attention for a photo. "He was literally taking the call that signed him to that book deal. He didn't even wait. Next morning? He had his suitcase packed up and up & left. Told us he would write to us when he was done."

Molly's eyes shot right open. She instantly thought back to that day in the bookstore. The care package Libby received, the letter... "Wait a second. Are you saying that letter you got from him that day was the first time he reached out to you in six years!? He...He never tried to get in touch once before then?"

"He said he needed total concentration for his precious "Great American Novel," and I guess he felt "shooting the breeze" with me or Mom was something he thought would take away from that." Oh how Molly's heart shattered repeatedly with each declaration that Libby's father was so far from the inspirational role model she had built up inside her head. "On the bright side..." She picked up the book off the ground and stared at the cover. "I guess this means this has to be one heck of a read. I wouldn't know. I...haven't read it myself. I really don't want to right now."

"I could read it for you and give it the old Molly Honesty touch." Molly offered. "To be totally honest, I was...kinda looking forward to reading it. I-If my best friend can write one of my favorite stories ever - Turtle Riders of Knell - then I can only assume this is where she got her talents from." She warmly smiled at her best friend and hugged her again. "At least you inherited his writing talents and not his neglectfulness."

Molly was always great at lifting others up, and this time was no exception. Libby felt the immense pride of being her best friend swell up in her body. "Thanks, Molly." She gently handed Molly the book. "A-And look, please just...be honest about it. I can handle it if it's good. Heck, with how much attention he gave it...I'd be amazed if it was anything less than one of the best books you've ever read."

Meanwhile, later that night, deep into the wee hours, in the comfort of her own bed, Molly found herself finishing up the book of Libby's father. She came to a conclusion that left her perplexed and stumped.

"Holy cheese, this is one of the worst books I've ever read!" She whisper-shouted into the void before aggressively closing the book. She grunted and tossed it off the bed, where it landed on...Darryl. Who was sleeping in a sleeping bag next to the bed.

"Ow!" Came the squeak of a nosie from him upon the book landing on his sleeping bag.

"Sorry, Darryl." Molly said instinctively before the lights went off in her head and she realized what had just happened. "...Darryl?" She peered over the side of the bed to find her brother rubbing his head on the spot the book landed on.

"...Hey Mol." He said calmly without missing a beat, as if the book smacking him didn't even happen.

"...What...are you doing here?"

Darryl shrugged. "Keeping you company."

Molly playfully scoffed. "I don't need that, Darryl. I have Scra-" She stopped herself, the lights once more going off and making her return to reality. Scratch, her beloved ghost friend for life, was gone. Returned to the living as a portly middle-aged man named Todd Mortensen, and off galavanting the world with his first best friend, Adia. "...Oh...right..." And every time Molly had convinced herself that it didn't bother her anymore, something popped its head up to make her realize that it still did. She tried desperately to not let her guard down around her folks. But they knew better.

"I miss him too, Mol. It's just...not the same without his chaotic energy."

"It's way too quiet around the house now." Molly somberly noted.

"And throwings books at my head isn't gonna bring him back." He rubbed his head again before laying his eyes on the book itself. "What are you even reading anyway?"

Molly exited the bed and sat down next to her dear brother. "Oh, it's a book written by Libby's Dad. Chasing Miracles."

"Wait, so this is where she gets it from?" Darryl knew Libby had a love for writing. But any knowledge about family life in relation to that was non-existant. Nevertheless, Darryl's question earned him a scoff from Molly.

"As if. There's not a single speck of talent anywhere in that book."

Darryl himself opened the book to give it his own analysis. Not even a few pages in, and already he found himself agreeing with Molly's assessment. "Is it wrong that I expected better than a middle schooler quality of writing?"

"It's so dumbed down and smarmy. Oh, and guess who gets exactly zero mentions in all three hundred pages of that book?"

Darryl loudly gasped. "No!" Then covered his mouth in the faint hope of not waking their parents. "Seriously?" She confirmed his question with a silent nod. Isn't this supposed to be like some sort of tell-all book?"

His question was met with a mocking laugh from his sister. "Yeah, I guess he only wants to tell-all about the parts he actually cares about."

For his part, Darryl was appalled. He knew how close Libby and Molly were, and he figured it was hurting Molly just as much as it was Libby. "Man...that blows chunks." He carefully closed the book. "I don't think I want to read this anymore."

"If you want the cliffnotes version, I got ya covered."

"I just don't get it. Libby's got such a great voice. I was gonna go back to the bookstore in the morning to rent out Turtle Riders of Knell again. Me and June were gonna bring it to our reading club."

"Yeah, she's amazing." Molly responded before giving her brother a rather smug look. "June, huh?" Darrly knew exactly what she was implying.

"Shaddup." That was not a denial. He closed the book and gave it back to Molly. "Does she know?"

"About the book?" She sighed and studied the cover. "No, she...refuses to read it."

"Understandable."

"I told her I'd give it an honest review." Molly sighed again. "I think it's, like, actually terrible, but if I just rag on it and bash it, she might think I'm doing it just to protect her feelings."

"Because she knows you, Mol, and she knows what a bulldog you are when it comes to your friends. Nothing wrong with that."

Darryl's completely unprompted praise of her overprotective nature was just the spark she needed. "Thanks. Ugh, I wish this made it easier though. I have no idea what to do."

"W.W.S.D." Darryl started before taking a moment to let Molly raise her eyebrow. "What Would Scratch Do?" It was a new question that Darryl had adopted for himself in the wake of Scratch's departure. Invoking his character and keeping his spirit alive, no pun intended. It was meant to make decision-making easier in some scenarios, at least in theory. "...Night, Mol." But now it was on them to actually put it into practice.

'What would Scratch do?' Molly thought to herself. She studied the cover once more, memories of Libby's viseral disappointment flooding her head. What would I do? Filled to the brim with resolve, she grabbed a nearby pad of paper & pen, and she started scribbling things down. Thoughts & feelings running rampart in her head. All in the name of hopefully making sense of it all at some point. She wasn't going to save the world. But maybe she could save her friend's feelings. Before she got too deep into her feelings, she looked over at Darryl once more just as he was about to settle back into his sleeping bag. "Darryl, you...really don't have to stay here."

He turned his head to her, smiled, and said with no hesitation, "I know." and then he went to sleep.

A calm, serene energy suddenly surrounded Mthe girl. Her resolve strengthened and her emotions in check, she returned to scribbling on her notepad.

End of Chapter 1!

It's good to finally be back! I still want to return to my Star vs ongoing series at some point. But this show, like Star, blew me away and I have been obsessed with it ever since. And now this idea for a post-finale story popped into my head and I just had to write it down. I hope you guys enjoy it and I hope I can pick up momentum going into 2025. Stay safe out there, friends.

And remember to please read, review, & share! :)