"Molly! Get the door!"

"I can't get the door and finish translating the scribbles you call notes, Dave," grumbled Molly as she threw her pen down onto her desk. Taking a deep breath before she reached the door, she put on a fake smile and readied the well-practiced greeting as she turned the doorknob. "Welcome to Winter Investigations, where we help the helpless! How can I –"

Then she realized who was standing there and stepped out of the office, hissing, "Harry, this is Chicago. What the hell are you doing in the city?" Then she looked him up and down without looking any closer at his face and added, "And jeez, boss, you look like crap."

"Molly," he said in a low voice and she went still. There was that slight growl in his voice, the one that appeared when he was controlling his temper to avoid everything around him exploding. Even after so long she still remembered that tone and when she flicked her eyes up to his, she knew she was right.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Maggie," answered Harry and he looked away down the hall before drawing in a shuddering breath. "She's turning eighteen tomorrow and the Queen's revoking her protection."

Molly sucked in air at that, knowing full well what that meant without even having to ask why Mab had been protecting Maggie. It would have been one of Harry's stipulations to keep his daughter out of the hands of enemies via fear of the Winter Queen's wrath. Obviously Mab thought eighteen was the age that Maggie could defend herself at.

"Harry…you can't fight against Winter."

He flashed his teeth in a mockery of smile at that and said, "I can if I have the Queen's permission."

It took a moment for the words to hit and they rolled around Molly's head for a moment before she really realized what he was saying. When she did, her blood began to race at the dozens of implications. Winter against Winter. Knight against Fae. Knight against Lady if Maeve got into the mix.

And knowing of the Winter Lady's penchant for taunting Harry, it was damn well guaranteed she'd be there.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked. It didn't matter what it was, didn't matter that it would be fighting Fae or that she barely knew Maggie. The man who'd saved her life was asking her for help.

She couldn't deny Harry that.

"Just be ready when someone calls," answered Harry. "I'm not sure who'll be going after her or when but I know they will eventually." His shoulders then sagged with relief, some of the tension draining from his face, and he murmured, "And thanks, Molls. I don't like pulling you into this but if things go bad, you're the only one that could get Maggie away safely."

Molly nodded slowly then said, "If it comes to that."

"If it comes to that," he repeated. Then Harry straightened and said, "Murph'll probably be the one to call you when things go down. After that –"

He stopped talking as her name was shouted from within the office then said, "I'll let you get back to work. Seems like your boss isn't the friendly type."

Molly laughed at that and reached out to lightly punch his shoulder. "I seem to have the habit of picking bosses like that," she joked, laughing again when he looked offended.

"I'm friendly!"

She scoffed and Harry looked hurt before he chuckled, shaking his head. Then he smiled – a real, honest if tired smile – and stepped forward to grab her in a short one-armed hug. "Thanks again, Molls."

"Bah," she said as she squeezed him around the waist before he pulled away, "you knew I wouldn't say

'no'." When he flinched, Molly reached up to grab his chin and forced him to look at her. "I wouldn't say 'no' because you're my friend, Harry. Even the Winter Knight gets to have friends."

He smiled at that, starting to say something but was cut off by another shout from inside. Molly growled and released him, turning around to yell, "Give me a minute, Dave!"

When she turned back, Harry was gone.

Staring at the spot he had been in, Molly quietly debated her sanity in helping him then ignored the question. Again, Harry had saved her life and had taught her what exactly it meant to have magic. She owed him.

Now she just had to convince Dave that she needed a few days off.