Alec is walking in and out of the closet with three different shirts clutched in his hand. He doesn't know what to wear. He doesn't usually go to holiday parties, or parties in general. Mary's come upstairs to get a book because Ember wants her to read her something from her book of fairy tales. There's always a part of the day reserved for fairy tales and cookies, it's Ember's favorite thing about being home.

Mary's quite perplexed when she sees what Alec is doing. He never puts that much effort into what he's wearing unless he's going to a party. Something that he hasn't done since the first year of their marriage. It takes her a moment to realize that it's New Year's Eve, of course there's a party—hundreds of them, even.

A soft smile claims her lips as she sees the sweaters lined up on the bed. "The gray one really brings out your eyes and it's a nice contrast to your smile."

Alec freezes and looks up at Mary with confusion in his eyes. He doesn't remember ever wearing the gray sweater around her.

"I bought it for you for your birthday a little after Ember was born. You used to wear it all the time."

The happiness has drained from her eyes considerably. He doesn't remember at all. "Where are you going? I thought you were staying in tonight."

She's asked softly in hopes that he catches on that she's disappointed. A few nights ago, he told her that he was staying in with her and Ember for the night. Just the three of them and no mistress at all. Mary was hoping he meant it this time and that they could be a family again for just one night. Apparently, that was too much to hope for.

Alec doesn't seem to catch on. His blue eyes meet her gray ones without any hint of interest or emotion, "Work party."

Mary's surge of hope resurfaces and there's a spark of happiness igniting in her eyes as he walks the other two sweaters back into the closet. "Could I come? It's been a while since we've done anything and I miss you, Alec."

Alec pauses as he's hanging up the second sweater, thinking of a reason to give her that will make her change her mind. "You don't really want to. It's going to be incredibly boring and you won't like it at all."

It's a weak excuse and that's all it takes for the glimmer of hope and happiness to vanish like it was part of a mirage. It's probably not a work party at all and that he's telling her not to come because, wherever he's going, he's going there with Caroline.

She should have known that he wouldn't keep his word and stay in with her and Ember tonight. Caroline will always come first to him for reasons that she wishes she didn't know. Mary feels stupid for thinking that he would stay this time and for thinking that maybe, just maybe, he'd like to take her with him to a New Year's Eve party.

Mary frowns and runs her fingertips over the gray sweater that's found its way into her hands. Her voice is softer than she thinks it's ever been before as Alec takes the sweater from her hands. "Will you at least apologize to Ember before you leave? She was so excited to finally get to spend some time with you."

For a moment, she thinks she can see a tiny speck of remorse behind his eyes, but it's gone as soon as she blinks. Her heart sinks as she thinks of Ember downstairs, just waiting for her father to come down and, at the very least, sit on the couch and talk to her.

Alec sighs as he pulls the sweater over his head and ruffles his hair, "Alright."

Mary's at the door with one foot in the hallway before she turns around to make sure that he understands what she meant when she said apologize. "Just-don't make promises that you can't keep. She's five years old Alec, you can't keep doing this to her."

She doesn't have anything else to say to him. There aren't enough words to capture how disappointed she is, even as he stands at the door and tells her goodbye for the first time in months. Ember's upset because she wanted to talk to him and at least play a game with everyone, not just her mommy. She's been waiting on a day like this for months and she was so eager to spend time with her father. Alec doesn't even seem to care that he keeps breaking her fragile little heart.

Ember pouts for a good five minutes before Mary can't take it anymore. "Emmy, do you want to play dress up with mommy?"

The very mention of playing dress up has her perking up within seconds and she practically jumps in her spot on the couch. "Yes!"

Ember is getting a little too big to be carried, but Mary doesn't want to give that up just yet. She picks her daughter up and carries her upstairs and into the master bedroom. Ember's giggling and chirping about what kind of dress she wants to wear until Mary sets her down in front of the closet and tells her to pick out whatever she thinks will look good for both of them.

She's off like a bolt of lightning, excitedly looking at all the clothes that her mommy has in the closet and running back and forth every time a different article of clothing catches her eye. There are so many colors!

Mary sits on the bed and watches her with a smile. She thinks that it's not entirely a bad thing that Alec went out because she gets to spend time with her daughter and pretend that she's a kid again as she tries to keep her happy.

Ember finally decides on two dresses and calls Mary in to help her get them. She can't reach the hanger and she doesn't want to ruin her mommy's nice clothes. She's picked out a dark blue dress with cut off sleeves and cute lace patterns for herself, and an even shorter black dress with lace around the shoulders and sleeves, a low-cut neckline, and scattered sparkles for Mary.

The blue dress that is short on Mary is far too big on Ember, but it's beautiful nonetheless and she's picked out a stunning dress for Mary. She's surprised that her daughter picked such a sexy dress for her, but she doesn't mention it. Ember probably knew that she wanted to feel good and she picked something that she doesn't usually wear on purpose. She's a smart little girl and Mary loves that about her daughter, even though it means she knows a lot more about her and Alec's relationship than she wants her to.

Once they're dressed, Mary asks, "Would you like me to do your makeup, Princess Ember?"

Ember blushes and smiles widely. She's always wanted to be a princess. "Yes please, Mommy!"

Mary lifts her up again and makes her giggle as she carries her into the bathroom and sets her down on the counter. Ember swings her feet wildly and hums to a song as Mary gets out all the makeup she thinks they need to match their outfits and look a little more presentable.

Before she gets started, Mary remembers something that will make Ember's night and she almost runs out of the room before she explains, "I've got something for you before we make you even prettier! I'll be right back!"

Ember's confused, but her mommy's excitement wears off on her and she waits quite impatiently as Mary searches through some boxes in the closet as quickly as she can. After about a minute, she finds what she's looking for and rushes back into the bathroom to make sure Ember hasn't gotten into anything and made a mess or fallen off the counter and hurt herself.

Thankfully, she's still sitting in the same spot and swinging her legs happily.

Mary smiles as she holds her hands behind her back. "Are you ready for your surprise?"

Ember grin nearly encompasses half of her face as she nods quickly. Mary pulls the tiara from behind her back and Ember lights up like fireworks against a pitch-black sky.

She's held on to this little gem since senior prom because she knew that one day she'd have a little girl to share it with. Ember is beyond thrilled.

"A princess needs her crown, don't you think?"

Carefully, she sets the glittering crown atop Ember's slightly frizzy blonde hair. It's not exactly a perfect fit because it's made for a teenager, but it fits enough to stay on her head and make her a thousand times happier than she already was.

Ember feels like a real princess and she hugs her mommy as tight as she can. She's forgotten all about her daddy and how he didn't stay like he said he would. In only ten minutes, her mother has lifted her mood far above cloud nine.

"You're the bestest mommy in the whole world!"

It isn't the first time that she's said this, but it means so much to Mary. She's doing something right and her entire world isn't falling apart before her eyes. Mary hugs Ember a little longer than usual, "And you're the bestest daughter in the whole world!"

They spend about an hour on their makeup and another five minutes taking photographs. Mary hasn't liked to take photographs recently because she knows that everyone can see that her smile doesn't reach her eyes, but tonight she feels different because she is happy. She's happy because she's realized that she doesn't need a man to make her happy: all she needs is her bubbly daughter and she'll be alright.

Somehow, they end up in the kitchen cooking mac and cheese and making a mess that wasn't even necessary, all because they couldn't find the pot that they needed. They leave the excess mess in the kitchen. They wanted to continue having fun and cleaning is definitely not fun.

Now they're sitting on the couch, eating mac and cheese while trying to decide which movie to watch. There are a thousand titles that Mary wants to watch, but she only brings up Disney movies because tonight is about Ember. She doesn't want to bore her by watching war movies and romantic comedies that she won't entirely understand.

"What about...Hercules?"

Ember shakes her head. She's tired of watching Hercules even though she loves it. They've run through about ten titles now and Mary has a sudden stroke of genius.

"Are you willing to watch a Disney movie that you've never seen before?"

She waits patiently as Ember shifts a little and her brows furrow. She's sure that she's watched all the Disney movies at least twice. What she doesn't know is that her mother has a stash of all the older Disney films in the back of the entertainment center that she only uses when Ember gets bored watching all the new movies.

"But mommy, I've watched all of them?"

She's unsure of her statement when she sees her mother's smile and the sparkle in her eyes. Mary shakes her head, "Not all of them, there are some older ones that you haven't seen. You haven't watched my favorite Disney movie yet."

Ember's excited, she loves to watch new things and she loves Disney movies even more. Her bright blue eyes are slightly wide and exceedingly curious as she waits for her mommy to continue.

"Would you like to watch my favorite Disney movie?"

Ember nods enthusiastically and Mary kisses her cheek. "If you don't like it we can pick another one, I promise."

Mary's looking for the DVD when Ember asks, "What's it called, mommy?"

She smiles as she holds the DVD up triumphantly. "Tarzan!"

Ember's never heard of Tarzan before and she's tremendously excited to get to watch her mommy's favorite movie. She knows that it's something special that only a few people know about, and she's thrilled that she finally gets to watch it. Ember tries her hardest not to ask questions as it starts because she sees how happy her Mommy is. But she can't keep quiet for long because of all the animals and the weird things that the boy is doing.

Mary answers her without hesitation or any sign of impatience. She's happy to share her favorite movie with her daughter, and she wants her to understand what's going on instead of being confused the entire time.

They're at the part where Tarzan first meets Jane, and Mary finds herself comparing him to Harry. He's got the same green pigment in his eyes and the same long hair and bright smile even though he's just an animation and Elliot's a real person. And Harry's only got a dimple in his right cheek.

Mary starts thinking about the way that he looks at her when she talks and how he listens to every word she says, even if she's sobbing and the words are completely incoherent. She's only gotten to know him in the last few weeks—mostly over text messages sent late at night—but he's already made such an impact on her. She's really hoping that he'll stick around, even if she only keeps him as a friend.

Her phone starts to ring near the end of the movie. She apologizes to Ember as she leaves the couch and heads to the ledge near the kitchen, so she can still see everything as she talks. Harry's name is flashing on her screen and she smiles softly as she accepts his call.

"Hello, Harry."

She can practically hear his smile through the phone. "Hi, Mary. Are you busy?"

Mary smiles as she looks over to her daughter and the movie playing on the television. "A little bit. I'm watching a move with my little girl. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's alright! I called to ask you a question. But first, what movie are you watching?"

Mary bites her lip and shifts on her feet. She normally doesn't tell people her favorite movie. It's a part of her that she reserves for people that touch her heart and only a few people know that it's her favorite. But she likes Harry and she wants to tell him despite their strange relationship.

"Tarzan. It's my favorite Disney movie and Ember's never seen it. I keep a bunch of the older movies in the back so she can watch them when she gets bored watching all the newer ones a million times over."

Harry hums. "Really!? I love Tarzan! You know, I've been told that he and I look alike."

Mary nearly giggles. She knows that no one has told him that, even though that's exactly what she's been thinking since the movie started. "You do share quite the resemblance. So, what were you going to ask me, Mr. Tarzan?"

Harry bites his lip and tries not to smile so wide. They're only friends and he's asking as a friend. Nothing more. Just friends. "Well, technically it's two questions. Number one: Are you busy tonight?"

"Not really, it's just Ember and I and she's never going to make it to midnight with how much energy she spends just about every second of the day. What's the second question?"

There are swarms of fireflies slowly awakening and warming her skin and stomach as she waits for his second question. Mary knows that he isn't going to ask her on a real date or anything. She's married and he respects that, but there's a part of her that wishes that he would. She wants to be the type of person that seeks revenge on their spouse for cheating. She wants to know how it feels to be the one that's hurting and not the one being hurt. But she can't do that. No matter how much she wants to be someone else, she can't. It's not who she is.

"Well, I was invited to a party and I won't know anyone there other than the person who invited me. I'm allowed to bring a plus one, or two, and I was hoping you'd like to come? A few other people are bringing their kids and there's someone who's going to keep an eye on them, so you can bring Ember if you'd like. That is, if you want to come."

Harry feels like the end of what he's just said sounds like some sort of sexual innuendo and he quickly adds, "To the party, of course."

Mary glances at Ember whose eyes are still wide and fixated on the weird boy on the television screen. "I'd really like to, but I don't know if Ember will want to. Can I talk to her for a moment and then get back to you?"

"Of course!"

She smiles as she heads back into the living room with her phone practically attached to her ear. "I'll text you the verdict in a little bit. Talk to you soon!"

"I'll be here! Talk to you soon, Mary."

Fortunately, the credits just started rolling and Mary doesn't have to stop the movie. She sits next to Ember on the couch and smiles. "So, is this a new favorite?"

Ember nods happily, "Yes! I like it a lot!"

"That's great! I have a question for you." Mary makes sure that she has Ember's attention before she decides that it's safe to ask the question. "Mr. Styles invited us to a party. Would you like to go and show off your crown?"

Ember's eyes widen at the prospect of getting to wear her outfit out of the house. She wants to go because she feels super pretty, but she's a little hesitant. She knows that grown-up parties have a lot of people and she doesn't want to end up losing her mommy in the crowd. Mary's never lost Ember before, but that worry is always in the back of each of their minds regardless of their track record.

"Can you stay with me?"

Mary thinks about it for a moment. It shouldn't be hard to stay with her and still enjoy the party and Harry's company. Ember's come to plenty of parties with her and she's never been a nuisance, even when she was a baby.

"Yes, I most certainly can. So, do you want to go? Or do you want to stay home and watch some more movies?"

Ember thinks that they watch movies all the time and it's getting a little boring. But she knows that there are some movies that she hasn't seen yet and she's tempted to stay home and watch them. She looks up and sees the new spark in her mommy's eyes and she knows for certain that she wants to go. If her mommy wants to go, she'll go too.

"I want to go!"

Mary radiates warm energy as she shuts the television off. "Would you like to wear one of your dresses so you can move around? Or do you want me to just pin that one?"

She's wearing one of her shorter dresses so the length isn't as long as it could be. It will be relatively easy for Mary to pin up the bottom along with the baggy part on the top if Ember decides she'd like to wear what she's already wearing. And it doesn't hurt that she's adorable.

"This one, please!"

Mary texts Harry that they'll join him at the party and leads Ember back upstairs to pin the dress so it fits her a little better and gives her room to run around without the heightened risk of falling and hurting herself.

She's picking out a nice pair of reasonably comfortable heels to wear when he texts her back.

Harry: Great! I'll send you the address soon! Party starts in half an hour, can't wait to see you! : )

Ember's practically bouncing around the room. She's realized that parties have sweets and sugary drinks. On the other hand, Mary's trying not to act like a teenager going to prom. She's married and nothing is going to happen between her and Harry...even if she's had a few moments where she's fantasized about being with him.

Harry texts her the address about a minute later and it doesn't take them very long to get into the car. Ember practically drags her out of the house. The drive takes about twenty minutes due to heavy traffic, and the place isn't as packed as Mary had originally thought it would be. She's relieved because it means that she can keep a better eye on Ember.

It's not very hard to find the group of children Harry mentioned. They seem to have taken up the empty dining room with games and an assortment of chairs. Ember instantly changes her mind about staying by her mother's side when she sees that a few kids from her class are over there and playing Twister.

Ember looks up at her mother with hopeful blue eyes. Mary laughs softly because she already knows what's happened. She changes her mind on a dime after she sees kids her age having fun and Mary's grown accustomed to her tendencies.

"You can go play. Come find me if you need anything, okay?"

Ember nods quickly before dropping Mary's hand and running over to the other kids with a bright smile. Mary's a little caught up in watching Ember interact with the other kids and she doesn't notice that Harry has walked over and is standing beside her.

"I'm glad you came. It's a lot more...boring than I thought it would be when I got the invitation."

Mary nearly has a heart attack before she laughs at herself and Harry's attempt to tell her that he thought it would be much more upbeat than just a small number of adults and their children.

She's already smiling. Somehow, he's managed to bring the edges of her lips up a little higher than usual. "Me too. Look at how happy she is."

Harry glances in Ember's her direction and nods. He looks back at Mary with a smile that nearly matches the bright lights clinging to the houses outside. "Look how happy you are. It's nice to see you smile."

Mary's cheeks blossom with soft pink instantly and she looks to the painting on the wall. "You say that as if I never smile." She dares to turn her eyes and glance at him to see his reaction.

Harry shakes his head and looks down at his ordinary black shoes briefly before meeting her eyes. "Not like that."

They're staring into each other's eyes and neither one wants to look away. Their heartache is complementary and it's obvious that there's something between them. They both know that they shouldn't be doing this. Harry is the first to shatter eye contact and the secure silence by clearing his throat.

"Can I get you a drink? There's all sorts of wine, beer, and sodas. Or I can grab you some water, if you'd like?"

Mary wears a sly smile, hiding her teeth behind her painted red lips. "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

Harry laughs and raises his hands in defense, "I did offer soda or water."

Mary grins. "I'd like some wine, please. But I'll come with you to browse the selections and so I know where everything is."

Harry leads her into the open kitchen littered with food and drinks. "And to make sure that I don't roofie you. I get it, everyone's gotta be careful at these kinds of parties."

She hasn't laughed this much with anyone else since...well, since he'd asked her to join him for dinner about a month ago. Everything feels incredibly normal and natural with him and she finds herself wondering why she let her life get to a point where she is alone in her marriage, and she's forgotten what it's felt like to be happy with someone other than her daughter.

Harry's rambling on about how he likes this brand of red wine better than the other because the taste is richer and so is the consistency, but Mary isn't really listening. She's watching the way that his lips move with each syllable and she's wondering what they would feel like against hers. It's been so long since she's had any physical attention and her mind is getting carried away.

He asks her which wine she'd like after he's finished explaining which ones he thinks are the best. Mary feels bad because she has no idea what he's said. She's been caught up with the idea of kissing him the entire time that they've been in the kitchen.

Mary's cheeks are quick to fire up and she knows Harry notices. She's glad that he doesn't mention it as he holds up a bottle of Ménage et Trois with a bright smile.

"If you think that's the best, then I'll certainly have some. But, for future reference, my favorite is White Zinfandel."

Harry grins as he fills a glass for her and another for himself. "White Zinfandel? Got it. Well, not now obviously. But now I know for next time."

As soon as he hands her the glass, Mary pours half of the dark liquid down her throatwith the hope that she'll forget about how much of a dick Alec is just for tonight. She doesn't want to jump into bed with anyone or anything, she just wants to let go for a night and enjoy herself. It's New Year's Eve and that's what normal adults do.

Harry laughs and follows suit because, damn, this party is boring and what could it hurt? Everyone gets a little drunk on New Year's Eve and he hasn't been plastered in a long time.

They end up talking for a bit about what they've been up to. It's hard to type so much on a cell phone. At night, they talk about such random things. Partly because Harry knows that she's upset and he tries to cheer her up the best that he can, and partly because she likes to avoid discussing her marriage.

He starts making jokes after the second glass of wine. Mary's laughing so hard that her sides hurt and there are tears in her eyes. Halfway through the third glass, Ember runs over. A song she likes is playing and she wants to dance with her mommy.

Mary trusts Harry to watch her glass as she follows Ember to a less crowded area and busts out dance moves that she hasn't used since she was a teenager. Harry watches them with a massive grin. Mary is such a good mother and she has such a wonderful smile when she's not faking it to keep playing the part of a happy wife.

Harry wants to dance with them, but he's a little drunk and he's got to watch the wine to make sure that nothing happens to it. He promised Mary that he would. After about ten minutes of dancing, Ember decides that she's tired and heads back into the other room to play with the other children while Mary joins Harry by the island in the kitchen.

Mary's beautiful and he can't keep his mouth shut. The wine has long since gone to his head and he ends up saying something that he meant to say only to himself.

"Your husband hasn't told you this tonight because he wasn't around to see you, but you look so beautiful, Mary. He's a damn lucky man and he doesn't even know it."

Mary's a little drunk herself and the fire in her cheeks is incredibly noticeable now. "It sounds incredibly stupid, but I was hoping you'd say something like that tonight. You're so lovely and I still don't know how it's even possible that you're always so kind."

Harry's looking down at his hands. He shouldn't have said that and he shouldn't say what he's about to say. She's married and he knows that she won't break her vows no matter how many times her husband breaks them. Harry's not really minding his conscious and says it anyway.

"So are you. Lovely, I mean. So very lovely."

They don't talk much after that. They know what's happening and they know it should stop before it goes any further. Another glass of wine changes their minds and they're chatting away like birds in the early hours of the morning. Three more glasses disappear and they've lost track of time. It's nearly midnight and whoever is performing on the New Year's show on the television is singing a slow song.

Harry asks Mary to dance, he can see the tears in her eyes and he wants them to go away. The song being sung happens to be the song she and Alec danced to at their wedding. It brings back so many memories that she's tucked away in hopes that someday the man she married would be hers again.

Mary accepts Harry's offer. She wants him to hold her, wants him to mend the pieces of her heart that are falling apart all over again. And that's exactly what he does as they dance slowly in place, her arms around his neck and his hands on her waist.

Halfway through the song, Mary's got her head on his shoulder and her eyes closed. Harry's arms are enough to hold the crumbling pieces of her heart together and warm the ice that Alec has introduced to her heart. No one else is dancing. Mary doesn't mind. She needs this and it doesn't matter who sees. They aren't doing anything wrong, they're just dancing.

Mary's thinking about how wonderful he is and it makes her sad to think that someone else will get him because she's already taken. But it's nice to think that at least he'll treat someone like royalty and give them parts of his golden heart. Everyone deserves to be loved like that.

Her mind doesn't want to keep to itself. She's incredibly drunk and she's speaking before she even realizes it. "You're going to make someone so happy some day with that golden heart of yours."

Harry hums. He likes making people happy, but he doesn't exactly agree with her. He's got this feeling that she's his girl and he'll get her someday, even if he has to wait until he's seventy-two.

"I already make you happy."

Mary's too drunk to fully comprehend what he's said, but he continues anyway. His filter has been obliterated and his heart is speaking for him. "You're the one that I think about all day and when I fall asleep. You're the one I want, Mary. And I know that you're taken right now, but I hope that someday I can give you the happiness and the love that you deserve. Alec doesn't know what he's taking for granted."

Mary doesn't bother to think before she replies. She knows that Alec is going to push her limit soon and that she'll lend her heart to Harry. It might take a while, but she's almost positive that she'll end up with him somewhere down the line. She feels it in her chest and in the fireworks that explode under her skin any time he's near. Alec should be the one that makes her feel that way, but he's poured water over the fire and the embers are hardly warm anymore.

"I hope so too."

The song ends and the countdown begins. Mary pulls back slightly, so she can look at Harry. She's surprised when he leans in and their lips are seconds away from meeting. She doesn't make any move to push him away.

Mary's eyes flutter shut and her breath catches in her throat. "Are you going to kiss me?"

Their noses graze against one another. Mary can smell the alcohol on his breath as he exhales with a subtle shake of his head. "Not like I want to."

She's not entirely sure what that means. The clock is nearing zero and she needs to know the answer before it does.

"What does that mean?"

Harry smiles and she can practically feel the gentle stretch of his lips against her skin. "I'm going to kiss your cheek instead. We're both drunk and I know that you won't like me in the morning."

Harry knows that she'll still like him in the morning and she knows it too, but she wants this because she wants to be loved. She wants to feel like she's wanted, and she knows that he'll give that to her.

Mary leans in a little closer and there's almost no space between them. "What if I want you to?"

He pulls away, quickly widening the space between them, and opens his eyes. Mary does the same. She really thought he was going to kiss her. There's a lot of sadness behind his light emerald irises, but he has to do the right thing. Even while drunk, he knows that she doesn't want to break her vows. He shouldn't kiss her, no matter how much he longs to.

"You'll regret it in the morning because it will make you feel like him. I won't do that to you. I just can't."

Mary knows that he's right. A heavy sigh escapes her lips and she really wishes that she was different. She wishes that she had the strength to divorce Alec and take custody of Ember and be with a man that genuinely cares about the two of them. She wishes that she'll let him kiss her anyway because it will teach Alec to cheat on her and make him feel bad for once. But she can't. That just isn't who she is no matter how badly she wishes that she's different.

She's not really paying attention anymore. She's caught up in her conflicting thoughts and completely misses the rest of the countdown. Everyone breaks out in cheers and glasses clink, but she's far more wrapped up with the feeling of soft, warm lips on her cheek and how she wishes that they were on her lips instead.

Harry wears a velvet smile as he leans in to speak softly in her ear, "Happy New Year, Mary."