A/N: A short piece inspired by the last few moments of the novel The Remains of the Day. Just a head's up.
You Can Always Have Me
"It's nice to meet you again after all these years," Molly says.
"It's nice to see you again, too. It's been a long while." Sherlock replies, looking ahead. They are walking side by side on the way to the railway station.
"I heard about your sister. Is she okay?"
"She is."
She looks at him curiously. "Are you?"
"I am," he says seriously.
She nods. "I'm sorry that I left," she says. "I regretted it as soon as I did. I should have been there for you after all you've been through. I was just so angry and so sick of everything going wrong that I thought that I needed to leave. I was too stubborn to go back."
"It's okay," he says, still looking ahead. "I understand."
Molly looks down at the pavement and smiles. "You know, I always had this fantasy that you will come after me. I had this picture in my mind of you begging me to come back. But then, weeks, months and years came and you never did. Then one day, a co-worker I've been seeing for a while asked me to marry him. It was at that moment that I'd begun to love him like I loved you." Molly looks ahead. "Still, sometimes I wonder what it would have been if I had stayed. I'm sorry. I know this is silly – "
"No, you're not being silly, Molly." He says, earnestly. "I think every person has thought of what their lives might have been if their decisions were a bit different."
Molly nods. They stop walking. "This is where I leave," Molly says.
Sherlock looks at her intently. "I guess so."
"Look, Sherlock. I don't work at St. Bart's anymore, but if there's anything that you need, anything at all, you can still have me. You can always have me."
"I know," he says.
She smiles. She turns to head for the train as he watches her leave.