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Caleb knows there are tears streaming down his face, but at this moment, he doesn't connect that to the fact that he must be crying.
…
He gets closer to Molly, but he can't feel his legs moving, he just seems to be there.
…
He sees his own bandaged hands, his own freckled fingertips touch Molly's cheeks as they drain of color, leaving them ashen, making the peacock tattoo on the one side standing out even more, but he doesn't register that he reached out.
…
He hears screaming, but he doesn't realize that it's his own voice.
…
Nott pulled Caleb away from Molly's body. Her hands were shaking, but she knew they had to get moving if they wanted to have any hope of bringing him back again. “C-Caleb, we have to go,” she sobbed, pulling on his hand. “We have to move him, b-bury him for now, maybe, and we have to go, we have to get to Jester, find the right magic. Caleb, we can get him back, but we have to go!”
Beau stood nearby, numb and staring into the distance, tears streaming down her face. This is my fault, she thought.
“Beau! Beau please, you have to help, we have to hide him so he stays… safe until we can come back. Beau this isn't your fault, but we do need your help!” Nott reached for Beau's hand, still keeping her other in Caleb's, stretching as far as she could to reach between both of them. When she couldn't reach, Caleb's hand slipped from hers, and she fell to the ground between them, tears streaming down her face.
Keg stood awkwardly at Beau's side, knowing this wasn't Beau's fault, but it might have been hers.
Caleb sobbed out a breath, rubbing his hand over his face and smearing tears into the grime and blood. “Nott is right,” he whispered. He cleared his throat, standing and keeping his eyes averted from Molly. “We have to go. For Jester to help… spells like that, from what I have researched, they have time limits. I don’t even know if Jester is powerful enough. I-I… We have to go.” He reached into one of his pockets, pulling out a clay cat’s paw, worrying it in his hands. “I need help, I cannot… I cannot do this alone.” He and Nott set about taking Molly’s colorfully embroidered coat from his shoulders, Beau hovering behind, rubbing her sweating palms on her cloak, pacing back and forth. “Beau, can you… I don’t want him to wake up in the d-dirt. If he comes back before we can get to him, he… he can’t wake up that way, do we have something to wrap him in, something t-to cover him, that is… nice, that looks intentional, so he’ll know w-we, he’ll know we cared.”
Beau looked up, her eyes focusing on Caleb. “Yeah, yeah, we uh, we have… Keg, we need the tapestry, the dragon tapestry,” she spun fast, towering over Keg, feeling slightly manic now that she had a task to keep her mind occupied. “His stupid Platinum Dragon tapestry.” She moved to the horse where Keg had draped Molly’s tapestry, pulling it down and unfurling it as she walked back to Caleb and Nott.
“Danke, Beau. W-we can leave a note, also. Just in case.” Caleb grasped at the clay paw again, setting it on the earth and muttering to himself. A large paw surged up from the ground and began to dig. Nott reached up and held his hand. He sighed, looking down at her and nodding. They could do this. They could get the others, and find a way to get him back.
He closed his eyes, remembering all the little moments he’d shared with Molly since their first kiss under the fireworks in Hupperdook.
Caleb wakes up slowly, no feeling of urgency coursing through him like it normally does. He’s slept wonderfully. He opens his eyes, and Molly is smiling at him, much like the morning after the warlock incident, but this morning, Caleb actually reaches out to push a curl off his forehead, because he’s allowed to now. Molly laughs, scooting closer to kiss Caleb on his freckled nose.
Caleb took a deep breath.
Molly is riding ahead a ways, and when Caleb laughs freely at a joke Nott makes at Beau’s expense, he turns back and smiles warmly at him. Caleb blushes, looks down for only a second before he meets Molly’s eyes again and grins.
Another breath.
Molly holds Caleb’s hand in his as they walk, talks about nothing and nonsense, tells him stories of his travels with the carnival that may or may not be true. Caleb stops abruptly, pulls Molly flush against him and kisses his laughing mouth.
Caleb took one final deep breath, opening his eyes to see Keg and Beau wrapping Molly’s body in the tapestry and lowering him into the hastily dug grave. He lifted Molly’ coat, burying his face in it for a moment. Ich bin bald zurück, he promised silently before picking up a large stick, piercing the ground at the top of the grave and draping Molly’s coat on it.
…
Caleb hardly paid attention to the passage of time. Beau had pressed Molly's necklace into his hands, for safekeeping and for keeping him safe until they could get back, “Can't lose both of you,” he thought she mumbled. He noted the firbolg woman who joined them, that she was searching for her family, who had also been taken, but he could hardly focus on her. As the group travelled, he could only repeat to himself, We’ll get him back, we’ll get him back. We will find a way, we will get him back.
He slept, but only just. When his and Nott’s watch came up, he woke reaching for Molly. The motion echoed in his mind, so similar to the times he’d woken reaching for him before he knew Molly’s feelings, before they had taken to falling asleep wrapped around each other. He hadn’t had enough time. They should’ve had more time. He wiped a tear from his eye before it could fall, and followed Nott out of the tent, throwing on his coat as he walked.
“Caleb?” Nott said, quietly.
Caleb sat next to her by the fire and leaned against her side.
“Caleb... I'm so sorry. I know, I-I know this must be hard, harder for you than the rest of us. You and M-Molly have been so happy the last couple of weeks since Hupperdook, and I have been so proud of you, the way you're opening up and allowing yourself to be that happy,” she whispered in a rush, starting to sniffle a bit. “I just… I know it was so hard for you to get there, to be able to let yourself have that, and now, now it's all just dashed, and I'm so sorry, Caleb ,” Nott started crying in earnest, looking down at her hands. “It's my fault, it was my plan, I ruined this for you, a-and I'm just so sorry, I promise we'll find a way to get him back, Caleb, I promise, I'll do anything, I-”
Caleb wrapped her in his arms, crying now, too. “Nott, this isn't your fault, it wasn't only your plan, we all underestimated what was going to happen, M-Molly stepped up for Beau, for all of us, he… he just didn't realize, how bad it was going to be. This isn't your fault, it isn't anyone's fault but that man, Lorenzo he did this, and he will pay for it .” He rocked as he spoke, soothing them both, “W-we will get our friends back, we will make him pay for what he has done, and we will find a way to get M-Mollymauk back.” He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Nott, or himself, or maybe the stars above them.
…
Caleb, for someone with a supposedly perfect memory, didn't hardly remember anything from the journey. His mind just kept flashing back to Molly, eyes open, staring into nothing, skin ashen as he bled out before Caleb could even reach him, hold him in those last moment before he was just... gone.
The nightmares had returned, but now instead of his parents and his past, they were just repeating Molly's death over and over, and he had woken screaming more times than he could count.
Nott and Beau always came to get him when they heard him scream in the night. They would drag him out of bed and sandwich him between them if they were on watch, or climb into his bedroll with him if not, and make him think back to happy moments with Molly, happy moments he would get back soon, they promised, over and over until they all fell asleep again.
Molly whispers quietly, tentatively questioning if Caleb is cold, quickly backtracking when Caleb remains quiet for longer than he expects. As nerves enter his lilting voice, Caleb realizes there is honestly nothing more he wants than to scoot back to let Molly keep him warm. So he does, stopping just shy of actually touching Molly, worried he might overstep, even though Molly is the one who asked. Before he can really overthink it any more than he already has, Molly swings his arm over Caleb’s waist, pulling them flush together, and Caleb can’t help but feel warmer, hiding his soft, hopeful smile by turning his head further away. Molly asks if holding him this way is alright, knowing how anxious Caleb is, and Caleb feels his heart stutter in his chest, quietly assuring Molly that he doesn’t mind at all.
He hears Molly’s breath even out, his body relaxes against Caleb’s, and Caleb moves his arm, curling it back to wrap his hand around Molly’s, and slots their fingers together for a moment. He memorizes the feeling before he sighs and releases Molly’s hand, flexing his fingers in the darkness. He lets the contented swish of Molly’s tail lull him to sleep.
They travelled as fast as they could, and, after two days, finally reached Shady Creek Run and got rooms at a brothel Keg said would be safe from anyone involved with the Iron Shepherds.
…
When the group woke early the next day, they set out in search of Ophelia Mardun, the reason they had been headed here in the first place.
The whole group was surprised when, though he'd been mostly silent since burying Molly, Caleb took charge with Ophelia and dominated the conversation. As it turned out, their job had been to take out the Iron Shepherds all along, as they'd been giving Ophelia trouble with her shipments to and from The Gentleman. She couldn't help them directly, as the hit couldn't be connected to her or her family in any way. She didn't seem too impressed that they'd already faced off against them and failed, and she wasn't particularly sympathetic when she heard of their kidnapped friends, or Molly's death. Caleb was barely holding it together, but at the last second, he remembered to ask about any magic shops in town, and she told them there was an odd wizard that ran a little hole in the wall shop at the edge of town. Caleb nodded, and finally the small, broken group left.
As they were led out the back passage, away from the Mardun estate, Caleb seemed the epitome of calm and collected, and no one but Nott could sense the panic welling up in his chest. Nonetheless, no one seemed surprised when he curled down onto the ground, knees to his chest, the second they were out of sight.
Nott and Beau held each of his hands, Nott coaching him through calming his breath and Beau standing stoic next to him, Keg and Nila keeping an eye out for passersby with their backs to the trio.
Nott made soft shushing noises as Caleb sobbed out a breath. “You did so good in there, Caleb, so good. She wasn't that much help, but you did it anyway, and I'm so proud. M-Molly would be proud, too.”
“He is. He knows, he has to, the purple fucker always knew everything,” Beau muttered.
Caleb thought back to how Molly had known exactly how to get him to calm down from a panic attack, that night he'd come to help him out of a nightmare.
Molly pulls Caleb's hand to rest over his heart. Caleb's lip trembles as he looks at their hands. He can feel the slightly fast, insistent thump of Mollymauk's heart beneath his fingertips, the warmth of his skin where his purple hand holds his pale, freckled one. He can feel his chest rise and fall beneath his partially unlaced top as he breaths. Their eyes meet and Caleb's breath starts to even out as he instinctively matches his breath to Molly's.
Caleb slowly calmed down, his breathing returned to normal and his heartbeat slowed and evened out, no longer pounding in his head. “Alright, okay, I am good, I can… I can keep going, let's go,” he rambled, Beau pulling him to his feet and releasing his hand. Nott held on a while longer, not letting go until she was entirely sure Caleb had stopped shaking.
…
Caleb's eyes closed, and Frumpkin's opened, the owl form swooping down and scoping out the Iron Shepherds’ keep. He relayed what he could see quietly to the group, and when he could glean no further information, Frumpkin flew back out, took Nila in mouse form in his talons, and flew her safely in. Slowly they figured out the layout of the compound and made a plan.
As the evening grew dark, they travelled to the graveyard Ophelia had told them about and found the odd, tall, and pink haired cleric. Caleb couldn't help but think Molly would like him, they'd get along, I think . Molly got along with a great many different types of people, many of then even more odd that Mr. Clay. There was something very comforting about the colorful man, who, as he served them tea, seemed completely at ease with the grieving strangers. He gave Caleb an understanding look, singling him out amongst the others, patting his shoulder as he passed. Caleb found himself relaxing in small increments, letting hope seep into his bones with the warmth of the strange tea he drank.
Regretfully, Caduceus didn't have the kind of magic required to help them bring Molly back, but he was completely willing to help them rescue the others, and help Jester when the time came.
As they walked through the cursed woods, steeling themselves for the coming mission, Caduceus caught up with Caleb, who was walking ahead, wanting to get there as soon as possible, the time limit the spells he knew of looming in his mind.
“Mr. Caleb, can I ask you something?” The firbolg leaned down a bit to speak quietly so only Caleb could hear him.
“Ah, ja, sure, Mr. Clay, what is it?"
“You are hurting, maybe more than the others. This friend, the one you lost, he was special to you?”
“Oh. Yes, he was… M-Mollymauk is very special. To all of us, certainly, but, ja, yes, t-to me in particular,” Caleb blushed, still unused to openly expressing his feelings. “We, ah, we had only just started, we th-thought there would be more… time, there should have been more time .” Caleb's hands started to shake.
They're looking up at the stars and Caleb tells Molly how he feels the only way he can right now, and inexplicably, Molly understands him perfectly. He takes Caleb's hand in his and hold it to his chest. He gestures up to the sky, to the constellation above them, and whispers, “There's plenty of time.”
“Mr. Caleb?” Caduceus’ voice crashed through his memory and pulled him back into the moment. “I'm sure you'll still have time, if it's meant to be. We'll have to wait and find out.”
Caleb took a deep breath, letting it out and focusing on the warm hope he'd buried in his chest. They'd still have time. The plan would go off without a hitch and they'd get Molly back.
…
The plan didn't go out completely without a hitch, but it definitely could have been worse.
The group got over the wall of the compound with relative ease, and fought their way into the compound, finding Nila's family, and their old ally Shakäste. After Nila escaped with her family, Shakäste had helped them fight two of the Iron Shepherds, Protto and Ruzza, and free other prisoners from the keep after the two Shepherds ran further into the depths of the compound.
Now, bloodied and tired, they had killed Protto and Ruzza and were facing off against Lorenzo himself, who’d just gone invisible. Bastard , Caleb thought as he spit blood on the floor, sending a bolt of fire off to where Lorenzo had disappeared, hitting the wall as he missed.
Keg pointed out an odd shifting in the corner, hopping off the table she’d been standing on and getting closer, shrinking back again as Lorenzo reappeared, towering over her.
Many things happened at once, Beau sending two of her throwing stars to sink into Lorenzo’s shoulders, as Nott levelled a shot that whizzed past his waist, and a wave of cold swept over Caduceus, Beau, Keg, and Shakäste, which made Keg and Caduceus start shaking violently, but took Beau and Shakäste down. They fell to the ground, their fingers paling and lips starting to turn a sickly bluish-purple.
Caleb’s eyes widened, taking in the sight of the frozen corpses of Ruzza and Protto, and the thug they hadn’t caught the name of. Lorenzo chuckled darkly, and Caleb snapped his eyes back to the demonic man.
Lorenzo looked down at Keg, smiling evilly, “Don’t worry, you’re all next.”
As he stepped back from Keg, no doubt to prepare another devastating attack, Keg found an opportunity to swipe her hammer at his knees.
Caduceus bent low, bringing the color and life back to Shakäste and healing Beau, rousing her from unconsciousness. Nott shot off two bolts, missing with the first, but successfully hitting Lorenzo below the collarbone with the second, a spray of blood spurting from the impact as she turned and scuttled off again. Beau struggled to her feet, moving quicker than seemed humanly possible to the man, landing a solid punch on his chin, sending him reeling, his eyes rolling back and he rocked on his heels as she hit him several more times in rapid succession before she turned to scream, “ Fuck him up! ”
Caleb sent out another fire bolt immediately from his spot hiding on the stairs, followed by Keg hitting the stunned Lorenzo hard with her hammer, then missing with her axe. Lorenzo shuddered, focusing in on them all again with a menacing glare. Caduceus tipped a healing potion down his own throat, then Shakäste’s, who sat up, sending a healing spell over everyone he could see. Nott’s bolt whizzed across the room, connecting solidly with Lorenzo’s chest. Caleb realized the man was starting to look truly wounded, like they had a chance to actually defeat him this time. Beau spun, pushing her hand flat against Nott’s bolts that were sticking into his chest, pushing them deeper, nearly flush with his armor.
Keg swung her axe, but Lorenzo, even as injured as he was, caught the handle in one hand, staring her down, grinning as she tried again, swinging her hammer this time, but he just raised his other hand to hold her back. She tried once more, pulling the axe from his hand, swinging back and arcing it toward him again, finally connecting with his shoulder with a wet squelch and a groan from Lorenzo.
Caleb took a deep breath, steadying his hand with a renewed confidence, and shot another bolt of fire through his finger, soaring at Lorenzo, spiraling to hit him solidly in the back of the head. Caleb sucked in a breath as Keg backed up with stuttering steps, as Lorenzo’s eyes burned in his head. He began to rise in flight, Beau and Keg trying in vain to land extra shots as he tried to escape, but then he sunk to the ground again, falling to his knees and screaming as the fire took over his body, his body scattering into ash at the bottom of the stairs in front of Caleb.
Caleb let out a shuddering gasp, his hand shaking and flying to his mouth as the ash fluttered to the ground, leaving nearly no trace of the man who’d ruthlessly killed Mollymauk. Caleb stayed put at the top of the stairs, trying to keep breathing normally as he stared down at the what remained of Lorenzo. He vaguely registered Keg sinking to her knees and crying with relief, and saw Beau rush to the cages at the other end of the room. Nott ran over to help with the lock and they pulled an old woman from the cage, and finally Jester, and Fjord. Caleb sighed and moved carefully down the stairs and around the spot their enemy had fallen. Nott had her arms wrapped tightly around Jester’s neck in a hug, and Shakäste and Caduceus were talking quietly to some of the prisoners they’d freed, comforting and reassuring them before leading them quickly out of the compound, planning to house them and treat their injuries back at Cad's place in the wood before sending them back to their families. Beau wrenched open the last cage finding Yasha there, unconscious.
The Mighty Nein was reunited, in part at least, and they escaped as quickly and quietly as they could, ready to enact the next step of their plan.
…
They found the weird little magic shop, hidden in an alley at the edge of Shady Creek Run. Jester held Caleb's hand as he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with cold morning air and hope, and the group filed into the dinky shop.
A musty smell met them inside, as they took in the shop piled wall to wall with magical trinkets, and what Caleb thought might just be junk mixed in. His heart beat fast as he worried, seeing this, that the shop might not have any helpful spell scrolls. Jester squeezed his hand tight in hers before making her way into the shop.
They all split up to look through the wares, but Caleb found himself walking right up to the counter. The fastest way to get this done would be to talk to the shopkeep, if they even knew what they had in stock. He reached the counter and leaned over it, looking behind to see if anyone was hiding back there, then looked around what he could see of the shop, scratching his stubble and searching for them. Then he heard a throat clear behind him, and spun to see a tall, willowy, gray skinned half elven woman looking at him with an amused spark in her eye.
“Ah, um, hallo ,” he sputtered out. “I-I, we are looking for a spell scroll, something powerful.”
“Well, straight to the point, then, I like that,” she smirked. “What kind of powerful are you looking for, dear?”
He furrowed his brow at the easy endearment falling from her lips, so like Molly that it hurt for a moment. “Ah, my, um, my… our friend has been lost, and we need something to bring him back. He has been de- ...W-we buried him a little over four days ago. We need a suitable spell, bitte . Please.”
She frowned and looked him up and down for a moment, raising an eyebrow, “Spells like that are expensive, I don't know that you would be able to afford it, unfortunately.”
Caleb blinked at her a few times. People usually weren't so blunt about his appearance, except his friends.
“We're all chipping in,” Beau interjected, appearing at his side, her elbows on the counter and her head cocked to the side as if to challenge the woman.
Caleb turned and felt like he might cry again, as all his friends stood behind him with their money pouches out, ready to pay whatever it took to get Molly back. He smiled fondly at them and reached out to ruffle Nott's hair before turning back to the shopkeep.
“As I was saying…”
…
They threw open the door of the magic shop, scroll tucked into one of Caleb's many pockets for safety, and stepped out into the sudden downpour.
“Shit, it's gonna be really hard to travel in this,” Beau grumbled, pulling her cloak closer around her frame.
“What if we don't get there in time?” Nott was wringing her hands, and reached up to pull her hood tighter around her head to keep out as much water as she could.
“We will. We have to,” Caleb said. “It was only a two day journey here, even if it takes three to get back because of the storm, we will arrive in plenty of time.” He looked to Yasha, who stood stone still and quiet as she tilted her head up, letting the rain pelt her face. “We still have time. The spell allows for ten days. We have time.” Yasha looked down at him and gave a small nod, and walked towards the cart without a word.
Travelling through the storm as fast as they could still took three nights, stopping only to rest the horses and sleep minimally. Caleb and Yasha took watches together, sitting silently, both determined to reach Mollymauk as quickly as they could. When they finally got to the grave, it was the middle of the night, and they were exhausted, but the rain had started to let up. Yasha leapt from her horse before they even stopped, running the rest of the way through the light mist of rain to grab Molly’s coat from where it still hung. Fjord pulled the cart to a stop and the whole group gathered around Yasha.
…
“Nothing's happening, what's wrong?” Beau grumbled, standing close to Yasha in the cold.
“The spell takes an hour, Beau, I’m working as fast as I can! ” Jester cried, holding the scroll out in front of her and working carefully. “We have to... He has to, um, want to come back, it says?”
“What does that even mean , he has to want to come back, of course he wants to come back!” Nott screeched, tired and stressed from the long trip back. She looked to Caleb, eyebrows knit together with concern.
Caleb felt a sudden weight in his chest. What if Molly didn’t want to come back? What if he was tired of all of this? What if… what if Caleb wasn’t enough to make him want to stay?
“We can all just ask him to come back!” Jester’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Yeah, yeah, yeah , that could work, we can tell him all the reasons he needs to come back to us, and then we’ll have him back and it’ll basically be like he was never gone, basically!”
“I-I… I will go first, Jester. It is a very good idea, thank you.” Yasha stepped forward, kneeling down to where Molly’s body lay, still partially wrapped in the Bahamut tapestry, his head propped up on Caleb’s rolled up coat. “M-Molly... “ She cleared her throat, putting her hand on Molly’s covered chest. “Oh, Molly, I… I was going to leave the carnival the night you came. Um, but then you looked at me, you still weren’t talking, obviously, but y-you looked at me, and put your hand on my arm. You hadn’t really let any of us touch you, even to look over your injuries, but you grabbed my arm, and leaned your head against my shoulder. And you followed me everywhere from then on. And, I need you to know… Even if you don’t come back, I… you’ll follow me still. But I wish you would… come back, Molly. Come back to us. Please, Molly.” She sighed and looked up, looking for someone to go next. Nott stepped forward, wringing her hands before placing one on Yasha’s shoulder.
“Hey, uh, hey, Molly. I’m not sure what to say so that you’ll come back. I think…” She looked up at Caleb, swallowing hard, and leaned down, whispering the rest so only Molly could hear, if he was hearing any of them at all. Caleb blinked down at her, confused. She looked back up at him, her eyes flashing. “It's gonna be okay, Caleb. I promised you it would be okay, and it will, I swear.”
“Um, uh… so, Mol’, look.” Fjord spoke next. “I'm not real good at words, but, you really need to come back, because, ah, well, y’ make us better, I mean, look how hard everyone worked to get us out of that place, and back to you. So… we need you back, Molly. I-I don't know what else to say,” he grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck and turning away. “Beau?”
“Oh, man, come on, dude. Shit, uh. I don't…” Beau ran a hand over her face. “Look, we… we don't even really like each other, do we?” She gave a watery laugh. “But that's a lie, you know? We call each other names, and give each other shit, but, like, it's just… it's our thing , you know? Of course I like you, you jerk, so… so come back, okay? Just come back, dammit, Molly, you have to come back.”
Jester kept up with her spell work, unable to contribute. She looked at Caleb, who had kept his face impassive so far, and raised her eyebrows, nodding toward Molly. Caleb looked away, shifting where he stood, and closed his eyes.
“Come on, Caleb, look!” Molly laughs as he pulls Caleb through the woods by the hand. Caleb laughs along with him, and his eyes light up with the moonlight. They reach a clearing, and Caleb gasps.
“Molly, how did you find this?” Caleb walks to the stream and bends down to dip his fingers in the cold, clear water, and turns quickly to surprise Molly by splashing the water in his face. Molly sputters, droplets glistening from his hair, his horns, and his nose, and his eyes go wide. Caleb steps back, worried he crossed a line somehow. But Molly breaks into a grin, stepping into Caleb's space and pulling him by his hips into a kiss. The cool water in contrast to the heat of Molly's skin makes Caleb hiss into the kiss, and he wants nothing more than for this moment to last forever.
He never wants to let Molly go.
He realizes with a rush that he loves Molly. That he's fallen hard, and fast, and he pulls back with tears springing to his eyes.
“W-what's wrong?” Molly runs a thumb under Caleb's eye and looks at him with such concern on his face that Caleb can't help but love him more.
Caleb shakes his head, brushing a hair from where it has flopped over Molly's horn. “I-It's nothing, Molly, this place is just beautiful, and so are you.”
Caleb opened his eyes and let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and he crouched down in the mud across from Yasha by Molly's head. “Molly, I… it would be unfair of me to ask you to come back, t-to come back for me , but… gods, I want to. Nein , i-if you are done here, if you do not want to go through life again, the pain, the hard work, the fighting, everything we do so often, I would understand. I would, I promise you that. I just, I want you to know, I never told you this, but… nein, nein, I will not tell you like this, it is not fair to either of us. But… there is more to life that isn't pain, it can still be hard work, but together, perhaps… Molly there is more than fighting and enemies. I know you know this. I know. But, I hope it is enough for you to come back. I- We want you back, Molly, we are asking for you . Not whatever other asshole was here before you, or whoever might try to come back in your place, it is you we want. It is you that I want… only you, Mollymauk Tealeaf.” He paused, and finally, tears started streaming down his face. " Verdammt! Komm zurück zu mir. Bitte, ” he whispered.
…
Everyone was silent, waiting. It felt like it had been much longer than an hour. The whole group seemed to be holding their collective breath, aside from Jester, who couldn't stop working on the spell. They had pulled back the tapestry so that Yasha and Caleb could each hold one of Molly's hands, in a bizarre parallel to the warlock incident all those weeks ago.
All at once, it seemed, they saw Molly’s wounds close, leaving only his old scars. His chest swelled, lungs taking in air and releasing it. His fingers flexed around Caleb's, causing Caleb to look up, hope shining in his eyes.
Molly's eyes opened, and he sat up abruptly, pulling back his arms and legs from the circle of people hovering over him. Caleb's eyebrows knit together, worried they hadn't brought back Molly after all.
And then Molly's eyes met his.
“Caleb,” he whispered, hoarse, and surged forward to wrap his arms around his neck. Caleb moved automatically to hold Molly close and tears pricked at the corners of his eyes before spilling over. Both of them sobbed happily as everyone converged into a group hug, everyone crying and laughing and happy it had worked. Caleb peppered kisses over Molly's face, knocking his head against Nott's, who had wormed her way close to the center of the hug, squished in between Yasha and Beau next to Caleb. She smiled and kissed Caleb's forehead, squeezing his arm.
“I told you it would all turn out alright!” she whispered. Caleb laughed with joy, shaking his head. He reached out and ruffled her hair awkwardly, before turning back to Molly and holding him tight to his chest.
He never wanted to let Molly go again.