Title: Friends Don't Let Friends... Author: Mercury32 Distribution: Just let me know. Disclaimer: Don't own em. Notes: Inspired by 17/9/01 Raw. Terri and Raven killed Moppy, while The Hurricane approaches Molly to be his sidekick. I had to write something and my Raven muse refused to be left out. Friends Don't Let Friends... "Oh my god that was fun tonight!" Terri giggles like a teenage girl who just got home from her first date. I laugh at her excitement. "It was. Shouldn't kick a dog while he's down, but I've owed him one for long time now." "What is it with you guys never forgetting stuff like that?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. I shrug. "Beats me. And speaking of never forgetting stuff, can you get a lift with someone else? I gotta see a man about a dog." "Raven honey, don't." Terri warns me. I look at her innocently. "What?" "You are probably the last person Molly wants to see right now." She tells me, shaking her head. "Why don't you just let the poor girl be?" "Can't do that Terri." I grin at her charmingly. "What do you care anyways? Jealous?" "Jealous? Me?" She starts laughing. "Not likely. It's just that friends don't let friends make idiots of themselves over ex girlfriends." "I'll catch you later ok?" "You're an idiot!" She calls after me. I shake my head. She doesn't understand. Nobody does. Hell, half the time I don't understand myself, so how can I expect anyone else too? I light a cigarette and lean against the wall, waiting. I don't have to wait long. The door opens and she slips out of it, head down, bag over her shoulder. My heart goes out to her. "Molly -" "Not now Raven." She doesn't look up, just keeps walking. I put out my cigarette and sigh. "Molly - how are you getting back to the hotel?" "I was hoping to get a lift with my cousins." She answers sadly. "But considering your standing here, I'm guessing they've already left." "C'mon, I'll give you a lift." I pat her on the shoulder. "Friends don't friends be stranded." "Oh is that what you are Raven? My friend?" Molly asks stopping, planting her hands on her hips and looking at me suspiciously. I give her a pained expression. "Why else would I be here?" "To gloat?" "Fine. Walk back to the hotel then. See if I care." I shrug. The problem with that statement is I *do* care and she knows it. Luckily it works in my favour. Her defences drop and she sighs. "I'm sorry. Is that offer of a lift still open?" "For you, Miss Molly? Always." I put my arm around her shoulder as we walk over to my car. She leans into me, much the way she used to. I open her car door for her. "Here you go m'lady." "I suppose you do that for Terri as well?" She rolls her eyes. I wait till I get behind the wheel before replying. "Hell no. Terri's no lady." Molly look at me and flashes me a small smile. Encouraged, I keep talking. "I saw what happened with the Hurricane and Spike. Wanna talk about it?" "With *you*? Not likely." She laughs. Her voice softens. "I'm sorry Raven. But talking to you about my problems with Spike? It's just too surreal." I know her too damned well. It's not that Molly doesn't want to talk to me about it, it's that she's not entirely certain what's happening. I pull the car over, turn the ignition off and turn to face her. "Moll, what we had was fairly intense. It was hot, it was wild, it was deep, it was incredibly spiritual. It was what we needed, when we needed it the most. Our relationship always had a self destruct timer on it and I think deep down we both knew that." "You hurt me badly Raven." She replies, staring straight ahead. "But I'm not so niave to believe that I didn't hurt you too." "But we picked up the pieces, we got over it. We managed to remain friends. That's why I waited for you tonight, to make sure you were all right, to see if you needed a friendly shoulder to cry on." I tell her, wanting to reach out and hold her close. We sit in silence for a long moment. I can see the tears glistening in her eyes and it takes all my self control not to wipe them away. I can tell she's gathering her thoughts, that despite everything she does still trust me and wants to confide in me. "I loved you very much." She says finally. "I'm still not completely over it, I don't know if I ever will be. I care about Spike a lot, but I don't love him. I think he knows this and he's insecure about it. The things that I like about Spike so much are the things that are exactly opposite to you. Maybe it's because I'm trying to escape, I don't know." She pauses and I don't say a word. She's not telling me anything I haven't already figured out for myself, but I doubt that she's telling me, more that she's admitting it to herself for the first time. "I don't know why Hurricane approached me for this 'sidekick' thing. I think he's gone nuts, seriously." "For what it's worth, I think you'd look damned cute in a cape." I tease lightly. Or an all leather outfit like Batgirl. Whoa, concentrate. Molly grins at me sadly. "You're biased, but thank you anyways. Anyways, where you would've pushed the matter, wanting answers, Spike wasn't concerned. He just shrugged it off." "After the match?" I can guess what's coming. If I had been in Little Spike Dudley's shoes, I would've questioned Molly about the sidekick thing, then after the match, taken some time out to calm down or not worried about it. Accidents happen right? Therefore, Spike freaked out and picked a fight about it. "He wasn't happy. I don't think he thought I'd done it deliberately, but I know he wasn't certain it was an accident. He.. well he said some fairly nasty stuff." Molly hesitates. I bite the inside of my cheek. "What did he say Moll?" "Just some stuff about me and you and our relationship and looking for a substitute superhero." "Substitute superhero?" I'm more than a little confused. She looks at me from under those long eyelashes, then looks away again. "I don't want to talk about it. I was upset and angry and I told him that I am who I am and I can't change that, if he didn't like it, then to leave. So he left." "I'm sorry." I genuinely am. No matter what's passed between us, I'm always going to feel so protective of this woman. Anyone who hurts her is going to have the face me. "Is there anything I can do?" "Take me back to the hotel." She requests softly. "I just.. I want to see what happens next." "Your wish is my command." I turn the car back on and head towards the hotel. "You know that if you ever need anything I'm here for you right? Friends don't let friends suffer alone." "I know." "I mean it Little Miss Molly." I say it in a quiet voice, but in a tone of voice that she knows means I'm deadly serious. She nods in acknowledgment of the sincerity of the offer, but still doesn't speak as we arrive at the hotel. Walking into the lobby, she turns to me again. "Thank you for tonight Raven. I appreciate your offer and it really means a lot to me that you were there for me tonight." "I just hope I was some help." I reply honestly. "Got a hug? For old times sake." Rolling her eyes, she hugs me briefly, then draws away. "That's the best your gonna get out of me." "That had better be all." A new voice joins in. Molly sighs irritably and steps away. "Don't start this crap again Spike. I'll talk to you later Raven." "Later Miss Molly." I touch my index and middle fingers to my forehead in a salute as she storms off. Spike glares at me. "Whatever your playing at, just don't." "I wasn't the one who left her stranded at the arena kid." I remind him. "Trust.. very important in a relationship or else you've got nothing. Now me, personally, I would trust Molly with my life and I'm fairly sure she'd trust me with hers. Now get over this inferiority trip and go apologise to what is undoubtably the best thing that's ever happened to you." "Why are you getting involved?" He asks suspiciously. I shrug. "Molly's my friend. And friends don't let friends make giant mistakes." The little blonde guy looks at me steadily for a moment before turning to follow Molly. He's so deep in thought that he almost runs into the Hurricane, now without his cape. They look at each other for a long minute, then Spike pushes roughly past him. Hurricane looks at him and shakes his head before heading over. "Hey." "Hey yourself." I reply as he raises a questioning eyebrow at me. I grin smugly. "This is far too easy." "Your kidding me? Already?" He looks surprised. I shrug. "Things seem to be on the rocks. Shouldn't take much more." "Just for the record - I really don't think this is a smart thing and I'm only a part of it because my girlfriend owes you a favour. Oh yeah and the cash." "Token protest acknowledged." I pull out my wallet and pull out some notes. "There you go. Give Lita a hug for me will you?" "Sure thing." Hurricane walks back towards the elevators. As he's waiting for one to arrive, he turns back to me and asks "I thought you two were over a long time ago." "We were." "Then why are you doing this?" He looks honestly confused. I can't help but grin. "Cause Molly's my friend. And friend's don't let friends make huge fucking mistakes." "Oh please. The only person who's likely to benefit out of this is you. Molly didn't make a mistake with Spike, you just can't get over her and don't want to see her with anyone else." Smart kid this Hurricane is. Very perceptive. He's not wrong. I loved - love Molly with everything I had. No way am I just going sit back and watch that little pipsqueak make her happy, that's why I'm paying the Hurricane to break them up. 09/22/2001