Author's Note: Once again, if you want to know which lyrics go to each portion, check the fic out on ao3. thank you.
Molly was looking through the various photo albums spread out on the counter when her husband of twenty years appeared with his arms wrapped around her from behind.
"How are the bees?" she asked.
"Performing brilliantly," Sherlock replied. He leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek and settled his head on her shoulder. "What's all this about?"
"Just reminiscing," Molly answered, running her dainty fingers over the photos of them taken during Rosie's christening. They were so young then. Greg, who had snapped the photos, told them they bickered like they were married. At that time, they never thought they would've wed only months later after the Sherrinford incident opened up the new path for them.
"Mm, you look so beautiful in your wedding dress," he murmured against her neck where his lips were now trailing across. "And you're still so gorgeous." The wedding photos were among Molly's favourites. There were photos of their dear friends and family, all celebrating their love. It was during their first dance that Molly had told him she was pregnant.
"You were so thrilled about becoming a father," Molly remembered.
"It was the best wedding gift I could've asked for," he told her.
There were newspaper clippings of when Molly herself ended up in the limelight when the press found out about their relationship. It had died down a bit after the wedding until her belly began to swell quite noticeably with their unborn daughter. That started a whole slew of gossip. Some had said it was just a publicity gimmick but most were in full support. The meaner remarks never affected Molly, as she and Sherlock knew the truth of their love and that's all that mattered.
"Remember this?" she smiled. It was a photo of their first Halloween with their daughter, Charlotte. Molly had thought it would be funny to put the deerstalker on her head. In the photo, Charlotte was seated in Sherlock's lap who was actually laughing about the fact the hat kept covering half of her face. Her frustration grew quickly, just as short tempered as her father. She was quite the feisty little girl and still was as a grown woman now.
"Don't forget about that Christmas," Sherlock chuckled. The photo was of the two of them snogging beneath the mistletoe in 221B. Well, one of the many hanging plants. At the time, their children, Charlotte and Victor, were ten and eight years old. Unlike most kids, they didn't get grossed out by their parents showing affection. So, they hung mistletoe in every possible place they could that December to give their parents a Christmas gift of their own. Molly and Sherlock had definitely played with their children's plan like a game, teasing and prodding at each other playfully.
"That was a fun time," Molly agreed. On that Christmas night that year, they were at Sherlock's parents' home and making snow angels together as a family. The children saw a shooting star for the first time. Molly had told them to make a wish, in which Charlotte had voiced hers.
"Mummy, I wish for a love like yours and daddy's one day."
It was to that, Victor agreed. It still warmed the hearts of the now elderly Sherlock and Molly.
There had been a time that they were called crazy by their friends who only said it with affection and laughter. It was only after two months of being together that Sherlock had proposed to her and they were married four months after that. It had been a whirlwind romance once those three little words were uttered and confirmed by both parties. They were happy together and that still rang true for them.
The most tragic parts of their relationship earlier on weren't so hard to look back on now. The first being when Molly had helped him fake his death to save their friends. Sure, she knew that he didn't actually kill himself, but while he was away for those two years, Molly had worried constantly and missed him greatly. Though she was introduced to Tom only mere months after the fall, she knew that no one could ever replace the love of her life.
Speaking of Tom, the next tragic event was the day she and Sherlock had fun together solving crimes after his return. The subtle glances and smirks, the silly faces and jokes; those moments warmed her heart. He had even asked her out for chips. And those sweet, sincere words he spoke to her in the stairwell nearly broke her for the awful timing. She was engaged. He looked heartbroken. Molly swore he was aiming for her lips as he leaned down but changed his mind last minute to press his lips to her lower cheek, near the corner of her mouth. It was a bittersweet goodbye. The wistfulness that enveloped them of what could have been was there to haunt their minds forever.
"May I have this dance, Molly Holmes?" he asked, back in the present.
"Why, I'd love to my sweet husband," she replied with a smile.
"We built quite the life together, haven't we?" Sherlock told her in question. His onyx curls were only peppered with grey whilst Molly's was a shining silvery colour.
"We really did," Molly agreed, burying her face in the crook of his neck as they danced, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
"Mum, dad, we're here with Uncle John and Rosie," Charlotte called out. Along with her, Victor, John and Rosie all smiled at the sight before them. It was sweet to see Sherlock and Molly dancing. They parted but still stayed close together as they went to greet their family.
"Oh, I've missed you, sweetie," Molly told Charlotte with a hug. "And you too, our little troublemaker." She hugged Victor who was laughing at the old nickname he received when a chemistry class experiment went wrong. He and Rosie had been in a relationship for two years now which caused a bit of a row between John and Sherlock at first. This was all because John had been alarmed when Rosie seemed to have fallen for the spitting image of his best friend. So, naturally, Sherlock felt insulted when John had voiced his opinions but it didn't take long for him to let it go and apologize for his behaviour. Mary was his voice of reason even after all these years. Rosie was his only daughter after all and only child at that.
"Happy anniversary," Victor cheered. It was, indeed, the twenty year anniversary of their parents' marriage.
"Let's hope for another twenty years, right Uncle Sherlock?" Rosie grinned. She looked exactly like Mary and held the same wisdom her mother had. Rosie Watson was an old soul. John believes a part of Mary's own soul lives on in their daughter.
"Mary would be so proud of the both of you," John told them.
"Thank you, John," Sherlock nodded in appreciation.
"Is that?" Victor sniffed the air.
"It is," Charlotte beamed.
"Ginger nuts!" they exclaimed in unison.
"You two are your father's children, there is no doubt," Molly laughed.
"Brother mine," Mycroft announced his presence.
"I take it you only came for the cake," Sherlock smirked.
"Only partially," he admitted. "I mainly came to ask your wife how she handled you for twenty years."
"It's good to see you too, Mycroft," Molly smiled.
The family ate and enjoyed the anniversary cake in the backyard garden. They spent the late afternoon reminiscing about all of the crazy, epic moments in their lives together. It was well into the evening when the fire pit was all aglow. The laughter and revelry of the momentous occasion was another that would not be forgotten. A camera was passed around as everyone took photos of each other and themselves, documenting the little moments of the night.
"I love you so much," Sherlock whispered in Molly's ear as they watched their grown children run around with water guns. It was as if no time had passed at all.