FOUR WEEKS LATER

END OF AUGUST, 2025

"Molly, you look fabulous," Caroline exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "And the baby! Oh, you're so lucky you've got one of those perfect round bumps," she added, touching Molly's stomach. The older woman moved to hug Andrew next. "You both look amazing. The hiatus is agreeing with you, I see," she remarked, looking up at him.

"Ehm, yeah. For the most part. Its been nice to really focus on preparing for the baby and all of that," he told her.

"We had one of those 3D ultrasounds done, you know the ones where you can see the face," Molly said, opening her clutch. "Its insane how detailed it is."

She showed Caroline the photo from the scan the day beforehand. The orange-tinted image showed an up-close image of the baby's face, tiny cheeks and all. Caroline exclaimed again as she looked at it.

"Oh, it has Andy's nose!" she laughed.

"I've already written the apology letter for it," Andy joked. "Fortunately, it seems like everything else is all Molly." He put an arm around Molly's bare shoulders and pulled her closer to his side.

"Are you guys still waiting until birth to find out the gender?" Caroline asked.

Molly nodded. "Its so hard to wait, but I want to be surprised."

"How far along are you, again?" the other woman asked.

"Twenty-eight weeks," Molly replied, rubbing her stomach.

"I just can't believe you're having a baby, Andy," Caroline smiled, patting his arm. "You'll always be that teenager in the talent show to me." The string quartet on the stage began another song and Caroline shifted her focus. "I've got to mingle. I'll see you later in the evening," she said, handing the photo back. "When Oscar arrives, come find me, alright?" she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

The ballroom at the Westin in Dublin was decorated elegantly, with round tables surrounding a dance floor and a raised stage on one end of the room. A string quartet currently occupied the stage as mood lighting softened the Georgian features of the room. The high ceiling featured decorated molded plaster and the crystal chandeliers reflected the light beautifully.

The room was filled with people circulating and chatting with one another. Everyone was wearing black tie suits and elegant evening gowns, carrying glasses of champagne that were being passed around by waitstaff in tuxedos.

"There you two are - holy shit, Mol. You look incredible," Oscar said, coming up to them through the crowd.

She'd gone with another form-fitting dress, enjoying the way it accentuated her curves. It was a black chiffon off-the-shoulder number she'd picked up from a small boutique in Grafton Street two weeks prior. It fluttered behind her and made her feel very feminine. She'd secured her hair up in a sleek bun, showing off her bare back where the neckline dipped down toward the middle of her spine. Andrew had asked how she kept the dress on when he saw her in their hotel suite earlier in the afternoon. She told him he'd find out later that evening.

For his part, Andrew was looking dashing and styling as well. He had on his standard black tie tuxedo with a crisp white button-down shirt and freshly-shone black dress shoes. He'd left his hair loose, but went through the effort of brushing it to make it look more controlled. He was performing an acoustic set later that evening with Alex as part of the fundraiser event, so she assumed that meant he'd lose the suit jacket at some point.

Oscar kissed Molly on the cheek and hugged her before looking Andrew up and down. "Going for the scholarly look this evening, are we?" he asked, gesturing to Andrew's black-rimmed glasses.

"I ran out of contacts," he explained.

"You look good, regardless," Oscar answered, grabbing a glass of champagne from a passing waiter's tray.

"Caroline's looking for you," Molly told him.

Oscar took a long sip from his glass. "Probably to show me off to all the other donors and shame them for not giving more," he sighed dramatically.

Molly had seen his donation when it came through the office officially last week. If she didn't know Oscar, she'd have shat herself in disbelief. His donation alone was enough to cover the entire organization's operating costs for a whole year on top of providing enough money to expand the charity and open a second office.

"She went that way," Molly told him, pointing to the other side of the room.

"Right. Guess I'd better go see what's up," he replied. "You really do look incredible, Molly."

They watched as he made his way through the crowd expertly.

"Have you seen Alex?" Andrew asked her. "He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago." He checked his watch, shrugging the sleeve of his jacket up.

"No, but I need to make the rounds. Will you be okay on your own?" she asked him.

He nodded and watched her walk away. His phone vibrated in his jacket and he reached inside to grab it. Alex's name reflected back at him.

"Alex, hey," he greeted his friend. "Where are you?"

"I'm in my room upstairs changing," Alex said, his voice slightly muffled. "I know I'm late. Sorry, man."

"Its fine," Andrew answered. "If you're hungry, you'd better get down here fast. I think we're getting ready to eat soon."

"Yeah. I'll be right there," Alex said before the line disconnected.

Andrew tugged at the bowtie at the base of his neck. His tuxedo fit him perfectly but felt foreign on his skin. Even on stage, he never wore anything this formal. He'd worn it to a wedding here or there, but not frequently. He so badly wanted to grab another glass of champagne - or get something stronger from the bar - but he knew he'd have to perform after dinner and he didn't want to get too sloppy.

After you're done, he told himself.

They were staying at the Westin that night, so he didn't have to drive them home. He'd booked a suite for them because he knew Molly would be exhausted and he wanted to drink without forcing her to drive them home at two in the morning. Twenty minutes passed before Alex found him.

"Thank fuck," he muttered, greeting his friend with a hug.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked, adjusting his own tie.

"Nothing. Just glad for some company is all," Andrew said.

Alex smiled and took a glass from a passing waiter. "They really went all-out, didn't they?" he asked, taking in the splendor of the room. "I think I saw three-quarters of Westlife back there, talking to Gary Barlow."

"Things have gone really well for them lately, I suppose. I don't know," Andrew replied, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"How can you not know?" Alex chuckled. "Your wife works for them."

"She only goes in once a week or something," Andrew explained. "And she really only focuses on the legal side of things. I don't honestly know what she does there," he chuckled.

The string quartet stopped playing and an older woman Andrew didn't recognize stepped up to the microphone. The room turned to focus on her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the tenth annual fundraiser for the Irish Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Children," she announced. She paused for applause. "If you all could take your seats, dinner will be served."

"We'd better find our seats," he told his friend.

Five minutes later, they were sat at a table near the stage with Saoirse Ronan and Colin Farrell. Molly was between him and Colin - much to her delight - and Alex sat to his left next to Saoirse. Saoirse's husband sat on her other side and Oscar joined them on Colin's other side. A younger couple filled out the table.

"So this is your wife?" Colin asked Andrew as the wait staff placed the first course in front of them. Andrew nodded and smiled. "How did you two meet?"

"I actually studied at Trinity for a semester," Molly explained. "I stayed on for the summer and Andrew showed me around."

Colin grinned knowingly. "I can see why he'd want to." Andrew blushed slightly but kept his hand on her knee under the table. "What were you studying at Trinity?"

"Oh - uh, Law. International Law, to be specific," she answered, picking up her fork.

"You're a lawyer?" he asked.

"Molly is an attorney in California and a solicitor here," Andrew offered proudly.

"Well, I don't think I'm still current with the California Bar," she replied. "But I am definite a solicitor in Ireland."

"So is that what you do for the organization?" Colin asked.

"Now it is, yes," she explained. "But when I started Caroline brought me on to check to ensure all the donations were being handled and that the legal side of things was up to date."

"Did that change?" he asked. "Sorry for all the questions," he added with an apologetic chuckle. "I just don't meet many solicitors outside the courtroom."

"It did change," she allowed, smiling back. "I've actually been working with a couple of other solicitors to write a few policy change suggestions to implement within the Childcare Act."

This was the first Andrew had heard of the change to Molly's role, but he didn't say anything for fear of looking like he barely knew his wife at all in front of strangers. He listened quietly whilst everyone spoke. Oscar was deep in conversation with the couple next to him whilst Alex and Saoirse were discussing a project she was working on with her husband.

Over the next hour, they were presented with two more courses and conversation shifted from Molly's involvement with the charity to Andrew's hiatus from performing to Saoirse's recent Academy Award win, and finally to a new project Alex was working on with a group of British musicians.

"Andy, we'd better get ready," Alex said, standing.

Andrew glanced at his watch. "Shit, yeah," he said, pushing away from the table. "Love, we need to get warmed up," he said, standing.

Molly looked over her shoulder. "Yeah. Have fun," she said as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Twenty minutes later, Andrew was standing on stage with his guitar in hand whilst Alex sat at the grand piano, a few stage lights illuminating them. He gazed out at the crowd. Caroline stood next to them, microphone in hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you're enjoying the fabulous meal catered in by Green Thumb Catering," she started. A round of applause filled the room. "They've done a fabulous job and we're really grateful to them for lending their time and talent to our organization at several events over this past year, as well as providing all of the meals for our School Lunch Initiative for schools all across the Dublin area." Another round of applause filled the room. "With your generous donations, we hope to partner with other local catering services in other urban centers across the country to provide disadvantaged school children with a healthy school lunch each and every school day."

Andrew spotted Molly looking up at him from the audience and smiled at her. Oscar had taken his spot next to her.

"Now, I doubt the man standing next to me needs an introduction. He's been a supporter of the ISPCC's for many years now, and my client for just as long," Caroline said. Andrew put an arm around her shoulders and smiled, his other hand holding on to the neck of the guitar. "He's truly a wonderful ally for our charity and we're very lucky to have him here tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce Hozier."

He could almost hear Molly's cheering above the crowd's. He approached the microphone and adjusted it before speaking. "Thanks so much, Caroline. Its really my pleasure to be here in support of the amazing work you guys do. ISPCC and Childline are essential for many, many children living in difficult home situations. Tonight, I'm accompanied by the wonderful Alex Ryan on piano," he said, gesturing to Alex. "And we're going to play a few songs for you."

The lights changed and he strummed a quick chord to check his tuning before easing into the acoustic version of Shrike. He caught Molly's eye in the audience and smiled softly. All eyes were on him and he spotted a couple phones recording him. It didn't feel as weird as he thought it would, being in front of an audience again. The music still came just like it had before. The lyrics flowed off his tongue just as easily. When the song ended, the room filled with applause and he smiled in relief.

"Thank you so much," he said. "I wanted to take an opportunity to recognize several wonderful people in charge of this lovely organization. Right here in the front row, we have Tom Hughes, the Head of Finance and Donations." He paused for applause. "Next are the directors, Mr. Liam O'Donnell and the lovely Sarah Walker. Jamie Richardson is the daily manager." He'd done his head in the night beforehand trying to memorize the list of people that Molly had provided. "You've already met Caroline Downey, the president of the organization." More applause. "And last, but certainly not least in my eyes, my beautiful wife Molly Stanley, the Head of Legal and Policy Change." Molly blushed and looked away when he winked at her. "We all thank you for the work you do and all the effort you put into making tonight such a beautiful event."

He joined the audience in a round of applause before starting Someone New. It had been a long time since he'd last played it and rehearsing it with Alex brought back many memories from his first tour. Of all the things that had occurred on that tour, the one memory that stood out the most was doing a small impromptu performance of Work Song after recording the video in a church in L.A.  It was peaceful and quiet and a fantastic pause in the chaos of that time in his life. They'd done a small show as a thank you to the crew and he could still remember the total silence from the crew as his voice echoed off the walls.

When he finished, he caught sight of Molly getting up and moving through the crowd. He looked at Oscar, who gave him a reassuring shake of the head.

"This next song is one I wrote with the mother-and-baby-home controversy in mind," Andrew said, clearing his throat. "At the time I wrote it, I was sort of knee-deep in learning about that part of our country's history and just really, really touched by the plight of those women and children." He adjusted his guitar on his shoulder. "When I released it, I set all royalties to benefit the ISPCC and I am thrilled to see that it continues to help those who need it most, even several years on. This is Bessborough and Tuam."

Bessborough and Tuam was an easy song to write, though it was about a hard subject. It shot to the top of the international charts and brought a lot of attention to the mother-and-baby-home part of Irish history. Conservatives had heavily criticized him for bringing such negative attention on the country - not that Andrew actually cared. To his delight, the bulk of the response was one of gratitude that he'd focused on the subject and that it sort of forced the Irish government to truly address it in a meaningful way.

It was a slow acoustic piece along the same line as Shrike, but had a lot more lilting piano and guitar riffs. It hit him differently now, though. Thinking of Molly being forced into that position and losing their child like that...it changed the song for him. But it fit for the evening. When the song was over, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. He looked up from his guitar and saw Molly back again. She had that look on her face and felt his cheeks go red.

"I'm going to leave you with a beautiful classic that I'm sure we've all heard over the years," he said. "Its been an absolute pleasure and I thank you all so much."

As the applause died down, he began an acapella version of Parting Glass. It had become one of his favorite ways to end his concerts since Molly had come back into his life. She'd told him once that she loved hearing him sing alone, and ever since he'd ended every show with an acapella song. He loved the way it wrapped up the show and sent the audience away feeling like they'd been given the biggest, deepest hug.

When he finished, he got a standing ovation. He gestured to Alex and applauded him as well before taking his guitar off and followed him off the stage after one last wave to the audience. Caroline took his place and continued to talk about the organization and what good all the donations received that evening would do.

Molly stood up and walked through the ballroom, keeping her eyes on his as he made his way around the perimeter of the room. He had the distinct feeling of being stalked like prey and he felt a small electrical current go through his body.

"I need some air," he told Alex. "I'll be back in a second."

"Should I take your guitar?" his friend asked.

Andrew nodded and handed it over. When he found a door out to a terrace, he took it, a gust of cool early Autumn night air hitting his flushed skin. The door opened behind him and Molly walked outside, crossing her arms over her chest. He turned to face her, leaning back against a concrete railing and sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Oh my god! Its Hozier!" she joked, closing the distance slowly. He laughed. "Can I have your autograph and a photo?" she added in a tone he'd heard so often from fans.

"Okay, but I get something in return, right?" he asked, playing along with her. He saw her shiver and he quickly slid his jacket off and put it around her shoulders.

"What could you possibly want from me?" she asked, feigning innocence and widening her dark brown eyes.

He pulled her closer by the edges of the jacket. "Can I show you?" he asked, lowering his voice.

Molly nodded, looking up at him. He kissed her softly, bringing one hand to the side of her neck. He felt his body melt slightly as she tugged on his bottom lip, but then he remembered their run-in with the garda last month. He eased away from her, not wanting to cause a scene with so many other people on the other side of the wall.

"How much later do you need to stay?" he asked, caressing her cheek.

"Probably at least another two or three hours," she sighed. "Caroline's doing a whole speech about the other benefits of the donations. There's a DJ coming up soon and dancing. You should stay, too. Add to the celebrity factor and all that."

"Well I wasn't going to leave before you did," he smiled. "I'd look like a jackass, wouldn't I?"

She sighed. "C'mon," she took his hand. "Let's go back in and mingle. This'll probably be the last chance we have before this one arrives. At the very least, the last time before I'm as big as a house."

He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. "You're beautiful," he whispered.

"Yeah, yeah. You have to say shit like that," she waved him off. "C'mon. I don't want to leave Oscar in there by himself for too long."

Andrew so badly wanted to abandon the whole night and take Molly back to their room. Even if they didn't have sex, he just wanted to be close to her. The crowd at the event was slightly suffocating and he could feel many of them looking at him like an animal at the zoo. The Celebrity Factor was right. He knew Caroline had invited several famous people to increase the gravity of the event. They were meant to draw attention and increase donations from those who hadn't been invited.

But they were also present to allow those who had scored invites to feel like they'd been included in a sort of exclusive group. The "I got to sit with Hozier at dinner" group, or what-have-you. There would be photos and conversations inside. And he'd be his usual charming and patient self whilst he listened to their praise and took photos with them.

For the next two hours, he circulated the room, greeting guests and listening to them. The photographer roaming the crowd took so many candid photos of him that he eventually felt like he was being stalked by the man. The DJ spun house music and crowd favorites, but most people didn't dance. When Molly finally said they could go, he nearly jumped for joy. His social battery was so low that all he really wanted was a shower and peace and quiet.

After getting back upstairs, he helped Molly out of her dress first and let her get cleaned up. While she was showering, he undressed, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders. He dashed through the shower himself when she was finished.

"We don't have any girl names picked out?" Molly said suddenly, looking up from her phone.

"Huh?" he asked, not looking over at her. He continued massaging her feet.

"Girl names. We didn't pick any yet," she repeated, jostling her foot in his direction.

Finally he looked over at her. "What about Freya?" he suggested.

"Didn't you tour with a girl named Freya?" she asked.

He shifted on the bed and moved to sit next to her again at the head of the bed. "Yeah. And?"

"Well, would you have that association every time you said the name?" Molly asked.

"No," he chuckled. "I just like the name."

"Fine. Add it to the list," she replied, stroking her bare stomach.

He brought his hand on top of hers. "You were amazing tonight."

"Me?" she scoffed. "I didn't perform on stage for the first time since announcing my hiatus."

He smiled and sighed. "It did feel good to be back up there. Even if it was just a couple acoustic songs." At her raised eyebrow he backtracked. "Honey, I meant it when I said I was going to stay home for a bit. Don't worry."

"There were a lot of phones out," she yawned. "Your fans will be happy."

"Good for them," he answered with a yawn of his own.

"I mean it though. You were amazing," he sighed, looking over at her. "I had no idea your role had changed. You didn't tell me."

"Its more work. I thought you'd be upset that I was essentially doing the same amount of work as when I'd been working in Legal Aid," she replied guiltily.

"Molly, you could have told me," he sighed again. "I want you to do work you believe in, that inspires you and brings you joy."

"I know. But I thought you'd be upset because I was working more," she answered.

"I mean, of course I wish you'd relax a bit more, but that ship sailed a long time ago," he replied. "I know better than to expect anything less than constant work from you," he added with a chuckle.

Molly sniffled and felt her throat tighten. "I know it would be better for the baby, but I just couldn't say no," she said.

"Honey," he said. "Why are you crying?"

"I - I don't...I don't know!" she wailed suddenly, swiping furiously at tears on her face. "I'm like a fucking hormone casserole right now!"

"Jesus," he laughed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! Just stop talking to me! Talk about something else- literally anything else!" she sobbed. "I'll be fine!"

He didn't know whether to comfort her or ignore her. "I was going to wait until later, but I think now's a good time. You know how we never got to go on a honeymoon after getting married?" he asked. "I was thinking maybe we could go on one last trip before the baby comes. The books called it a - a babymoon or something?"

Molly looked at him in confusion.

"Anyway, I booked us a week away in that house we stayed in on the Aran Islands," he said. "I thought it might be a fun place to go." Now she was crying for a different reason. His idea had shot him in the foot. "Darling, I didn't mean to -"

"How is it that you're always so perfect?" she sobbed loudly. "And I'm just a workaholic bitch who won't even take a break for her baby?!"

"Honey, that's not what I meant! I don't think you're a workaholic...or a bitch," he said, trying to soothe her. "I just wanted to have one last trip, with just the two of us. Before the baby and everything changes."

She sniffled. "That sounds like a good idea."

He nodded emphatically, seeing her tears start to subside. "We can do whatever you want. I've already arranged it with Caroline and Jamie, so you'll have the time off. You don't have to do anything but pack a bag."

"What about Clementine?" she asked, wiping her eyes with a tissue. 

"I was thinking you could see if Oscar could watch her?" he suggested. "God knows the man spends enough time at our house as it is. May as well make himself useful."

"We'll need to talk to the doctor to make sure its safe for me to travel," Molly insisted, her voice leveling out.

"I already did. She says you're grand," Andrew answered. "Why don't we just go to bed, hmm?"

Molly didn't protest. She allowed him to help her lay down, building a barrier of pillows around her and tucking her in. She was asleep before Andrew even finished brushing his teeth.

R/HOZIERFANS

U/FROMEDEN1990 POSTED: So Andy was at a charity event for ISPCC last night. He and Molly were there. Alex, too. I guess He performed with Alex. 

U/HOZIERSSHOES91 POSTED: It makes sense he'd be there. Molly's now the Head of Legal & Policy Change according to their website. Seems as though she's gotten a bigger role. That photo of her and Andy on Caroline's IG was really gorgeous. Pregnancy looks good on her. 

U/PIEDPYPER415 POSTED: I still can't believe he's essentially on a hiatus for the foreseeable future. I had hoped he'd get another album out, you know?

U/SILICAGEL007 POSTED: I'm happy we saw him last night. It was good to see he's been keeping well. He's done four albums, lads. The man deserves a break. Especially for something as important as a baby. 

U/HOZIERSSHOES91 POSTED: Oscar posted a video on his IG from last night. Its basically him showing Molly, but you can hear Andy in the background and at the end, you can see him. The way she looks at him is just...its so sweet.

U/SILICAGEL007 POSTED: I'm glad Andy has Molly. They seem like a really good match and I love that she's a solicitor. I also love her friendship with Oscar Llewelyn. I can't believe he moved to Ireland, though.

U/HOZIERSSHOES91 POSTED: When you're worth as much money as he is, you can move houses every day for the rest of your life. From the looks of his IG page, it seems like he's been attending a lot of charity events lately. He's certainly generous.