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“I-I love you.
I love you.
Molly?
Molly please!”
Molly was interrupted from her reverie by the pounding on the door. She sighed heavily and stopped stirring her tea which she had been doing for quite a while. The door was pounded on again and Molly stood angrily and stomped to the front door, pulling it open.
“You’ve got some nerve showing your face here, Sher-“ Molly stopped suddenly. It wasn’t Sherlock at the door, it was an extremely worried looking John Watson.
“Is Sherlock here?” John asked breathlessly foregoing normal pleasantries.
“No.” Molly answered shortly. “And he’s not particularly welcome either” she elaborated hotly.
“He hasn’t been here, at all?” John pushed. Molly shook her head before realising that she hadn’t let John in and stepping back so he could do so.
“I think even he knows he would be pushing his luck this time”. Molly grated. “I had half of Scotland Yard in my house most of last night because of his games”. John’s eyebrows rose.
“You don’t know what happened? That git. He told me he would come here and explain.” He gestured to Molly’s sofa. “Do you mind if I sit down? Only I’ve had about two hours sleep before Mycroft woke me up to say Sherlock’s disappeared again and what I’m going to tell you will take some time.....”
......................................
It was about an hour later when John’s phone went off. Molly wasn’t really listening to his conversation on the phone, she was still trying to process what John had told her. It certainly clarified what happened yesterday, the phone call between her and Sherlock. Her heart ached for him and she wondered what was going through his head and hoping that wherever he was he was safe. She knew Sherlock better than he realised, that he was so much more than the image he projected and that was why she loved him. He let her see more of the real him than he did even to John.
John put the phone down.
“That was Greg. He thinks they’ve found him. The specialists who are excavating the well for the remains of Victor Trevor say that they keep seeing someone amongst the ruins of Musgrave. Matches Sherlock’s description but every time they think they’ve cornered him, he disappears. I’ll have to go back down there.” John sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked ruefully at Molly. “When we drove away from there, I promised myself I would never step foot in that place again.”
“I’ll go.” Molly surprised both herself and John but instantly knew it was the right decision. “You’re exhausted John and you should be with Rosie. Also I think....” Molly trailed off and John looked at her keenly.
“You knew, didn’t you? How he feels about you?” John let out a small huff. Molly hesitated and then nodded. “Why am I always the last to know?”
“He’s never said anything to me” Molly was quick to point out. “And I don’t think he’ll ever act on it but yes I guessed how he felt about me when he came back from the dead. But he’s Sherlock Holmes so nothing is ever simple” Molly shrugged her shoulders, blinking away a few tears. “Yesterday and that phone call..... I was having a bad day and when he asked me to say ‘I love you’, it was like he was laughing at me and I wanted to hurt him like he was hurting me.”
John took her into his arms and hugged her as Molly let a few tears fall. Then she pulled away from him.
“He needs me, I’d better go. Please don’t tell him I cried all over you, sometimes it’s just hard knowing that what you want most in the world is just not quite in your reach.” John nodded at her and said goodbye. Molly grabbed her bag and coat then picked up her phone to call Greg Lestrade.
.............................
She found him eventually in the ruins. He was on the first floor which was open to the elements, sat on an old wooden crate. Molly wondered if this was his childhood room. She cautiously made her way over to him, worried that she would either scare him or fall through the floor. She half expected him to make a sarcastic comment, he must realise that she was there by now as she made enough noise but Sherlock stayed silent, his elbows on his knees and head in his hands.
Molly reached out and gently touched his shoulder.
“Sherlock?” She whispered.
He turned and pulled her to him and she sank next to him on the crate as he hid his face in the crook of her neck, his wail of grief muffled to the rest of the world by her hair but it resounded in Molly’s ear and she held him tighter, oh so tightly.
“It’s ok, my love, let it out my darling” she soothed him as he cried, rocking him gently.
........................
It was starting to grow dark and get cold when they made their way back down. They got in the car that was waiting for them and made their way back to Molly’s flat. To outward appearances Sherlock was his normal self, cool, calm and composed but as they sat at opposite sides of the car, each looking out of their separate windows, Sherlock held Molly’s hand tightly in his own.
Sherlock had made it into her flat, although he went white as a sheet as he saw Molly’s kitchen and Molly quickly hustled him into the bathroom. He’d had a bath and Molly had raided her fridge and found enough ingredients to make some omelettes, they’d eaten in her lounge and now they were sat quietly. Sherlock was dozing on the sofa and Molly was sat in her chair reading her book.
“So my secret’s out” Molly jumped at the sound of Sherlock’s voice. He sounded croaky and Molly just hoped that it was due to underuse and not that he had caught a chill.
“What secret?” Molly glanced at him when he didn’t answer. Sherlock looked quite shy, there was a red tinge to his cheeks which Molly found quite endearing.
“My feelings for you” Sherlock was playing with his fingers nervously.
“Oh that!” Molly exclaimed, a mischievous smile on her face which Sherlock completely missed as he was staring intently at his hands. “Well that wasn’t really a secret, was it?”
Sherlock’s head shot up and he glared at her. “Wasn’t it?”
“John didn’t have a clue but Mary did, we talked about it once after I split with Tom. She thought I should just snog you to death. Mrs Hudson thought we would be wonderful together and I think Greg had his suspicions. I think the biggest secret is what you intend to do about Mr Holmes?”
Molly’s teasing tone grew serious. “If you don’t want to do anything Sherlock, it will be ok. I’ll still be your friend and I will always be there for you, but please if you think you’ll be keeping me safe or for some other noble and stupid reason, just remember you’re not the only one you’re sacrificing, it’s my life too and I love you and I want to be with you and .....”
Molly was close to tears and Sherlock quickly got up off the sofa, picking her up off the chair to sit on it himself with Molly sat on his lap. He smoothed her hair off her face and tenderly stroked her cheek.
“Molly?” He growled huskily. Molly looked at him. “I think you should snog me to death”. They stared at one another and then he grinned and Molly laughed. “Please” he whispered. “Will you kiss me?”
So Molly did.