The Anomaly

There could be a second part to this. My only note for this is that it came to me suddenly after reading the synopsis for the Sign of Three. How my brain made this leap, I haven't the slightest clue. Read on. Let me know if you'd like to see what happened during the break (you'll understand at the end.)

much love,

day

Molly had been enjoying herself twirling around the ballroom floor with her boyfriend Tom who was almost as much of a horrid dancer as her but it made her laugh. The whole affair of weddings was something she was starting to get used to. That's where she and her partner were introduced ala Sherlock who was under cover for another case entirely, though he hadn't told Tom who he was at the time. It would have been hard for anyone who didn't know him to tell.

His disguise was amazing and it had startled Molly for a bit before she caught on to what he had been trying to do. She had been utterly bored by the idea of waiting for something exciting to happen (exciting as in a sudden need to rush from her chair and possibly break a heel as she got the signal to get out of there or if there was some sort of explosion to arise out of thin air), though she sat firmly sometimes taking to talking to a few people who came by to introduce themselves to her. Her own cover was as a single socialite who had been invited to this affair by one of the major players.

It had been just her luck that Sherlock hadn't had any access to anyone else at his disposal but she didn't mind. She got to drink fancy wine - the good stuff as she called it and eat delicious food that she didn't get to eat much of because of her schedule at Bart's not because she couldn't afford it. This was the good bit about her, she supposed - the part that people found almost refreshing yet stale at the same time. She didn't necessarily care for the finer things that she had found herself surrounded with at this point in time but she would indulge if the opportunity arose. Any man would be lucky, she supposed but this was not the way she thought of herself. It was just a small insight that Sherlock had muttered in a moment of agony when she seemed absolutely stricken with uncertainty and self-pity.

It had been almost comforting in a way. Sherlock could almost pull it off. Regardless he had bowed to her in the black and white attire he was wearing and asked for her hand, "Miss Kinsey, I would like to introduce you to Thomas Godwin. He's an associate of mine who has been admiring you from a distance. Thought I would give him the push he needed to come ask you for a dance."

Molly stared between the two men trying to decipher why exactly Sherlock decided to do this and if it was a genuine gesture. It seemed it was by the look on his face. She smiled kindly at Thomas and took his outstretched hand. "Hello." She beamed at him and he grinned at her shyily before asking her to dance. She obliged, shooting a confused gaze with Sherlock before traveling to the dance floor with him.

It latter came to her attention through Tom, whose name was actually Tom - the last name wasn't real but he had given the consulting detective that much of real information, that he knew Sherlock from a matter that happened a few years ago and he had been working with him on the case. Sherlock had mentioned Molly to him briefly during this case as well. It wasn't until Sherlock was talking to him did he realize that Tom's attention was elsewhere. He had been staring at her.

Sherlock being who he was even while in the middle of a case decided to toss away his discomfort with shoving a man into her field of vision and practically dragged him over to Molly and everything else followed later. It was to her understanding that he found Tom to be rather trustworthy. He had to be for him to be allowed to work with him not the once.

It was at the wedding reception of Mary and John Watson that Sherlock truly showed his feeling on the matter however. In the middle of the dance floor where Molly and Tom had been dancing he approached them with as much confidence as ever, though Molly could see how shaky he looked after speaking from his heart about John and his wife to the entire room.

Tom stopped dancing eyeing Sherlock. "You already there, Holmes?"

Sherlock gave him a cutting gaze before his eyes settled on Molly for a brief moment. His eyes traveling between the firm hold that the couple shared. It was still quite fascinating to him to see her happy in this way. "Yes, Thomas I am quite well. Would you mind if I cut in and had a dance with Miss Hooper?" He paused a moment, "Molly."

Tom didn't look as surprised as one would think. It had been common knowledge that Sherlock still held Molly in some sort of position that no one truly could interpret clearly. However, he didn't see the harm in this suggestion.

"I do think I am getting a bit dizzy, so I will allow it." He chuckled letting go of his girlfriend slightly. Sherlock lips tilted slightly, he was joking with him. He nodded at Tom as he pecked Molly on the mouth before leaving the two alone. Detective and Pathologist were together again, alone. This wasn't such a common occurence as of late.

Sherlock was quick to slip into the role of her dancing partner, sliding his arm around her waist and taking up one of her hands. Molly sidled into the correct position as she peered up at him with a critical gaze. "You lied to Tom." She told him quietly as they begun to sway as a quiet song begun to be played by the orchestra that had been asked to play for the reception. "You're not okay."

"I'm fine, Molly." He told her, shutting his eyes for a brief second. He really disliked when she just spoke her mind like that. It was disarming to him.

He felt her sigh. "You can fool most people but you know you can't fool me."

"I wonder why that is?" He chuckled drily.

"Too many years between us." She commented. He opened his eyes, staring at her. The comment sounded like something his older brother would say. He spun them around in the opposite direction of where he was supposed to taking Molly off guard as he peered past her at the government official who was sitting next to his PA and not so secret wife Anthea (at least not to him). He was eating cake. "Yes, I suppose. What do you see, Molly?" He turned back to her.

His eyes told her a story. One that she had long since tried to leave behind her. He was still so fragile after everything that had happened. He liked to pretend not to be broken after his resurrection but she had seen him at his worst. "You're afraid of what's going to happen after John comes back from his honeymoon."

"Anyone could see that. What else?" He commented.

"When you came up to Tom and I, you had this perculiar look in your eyes like you were trying to figure something else. Something is bothering you."

"Yes?"

"I don't know what it is." She told him, biting into her cheek.

"Do you love him?" He asked, and Molly stood there still for a minute. She would have never thought he would ever ask her something like that but she did nodded a little. "I think so. I know." She corrected seeing a smile flicker in his eyes. "I enjoy his company. I enjoy yours too, just in case you were doubting where we stood. I don't see you much anymore outside of the lab except when you ask me to join you on cases. Anyways, he's lovely to me and it's what I've wanted from someone. I couldn't ask for more if I tried."

Sherlock seemed to take that information into his mind for a minute. "Good. You deserve to be happy, Molly."

Molly watched him in fascination. She could never pretend to understand what went on in his head but she did know something and she was good at catching on to his train of thought sometimes. "I am happy, you're a part of that happiness as well. I don't think you fully understand that. Perhaps, you never well."

"You're right." He confessed quietly. "Try to explain it to me anyways."

"I know for a better part of the time that you were out of sight and out of mind of any of the people that you care about - John, Mrs. Hudson, Lestrade, Mycroft that you felt like I was the only person who was still the same but I changed too. I was a mess when you were gone, keeping your secret. Still partly keeping all the things that I know that you endured and all the things I've helped you fix it… hurt me Sherlock." She broke off feeling a sob fill her lungs. She swallowed, looking down at his chest as she fought to get the rest of it out. "I only started to feel content when you came back when I knew I wouldn't have to do it anymore. I could move past it."

Molly would have probably continued if it wasn't for the pressure of Sherlock's hand coming up to press her closer to him and she wound her hands around his shoulder as he embraced her closely. "I understand. I am truly sorry for any pain I have caused you, again." He paused. "I feel elated knowing that you found some solace in my return. You were wrong about one thing, I could see you too on the nights when you were sleeping."

Molly held onto him tighter knowing exactly what he was referring to. She cried a lot into the night on those days when she had imagined he had already gone. She had cried in her sleep often and she had never thought he checked on her at all. She was there for him when he required it but she had never thought…she couldn't have ever thought he was capable of that.

"Thank you…Molly." He had already thanked her for what she had done for him but now there was more clarity on the subject. He felt a small twinge in his heart when he brought her over to Tom latter. The boy was smiling fondly at Molly even when she was wiping her eyes after she had cried on the dance floor with him.

"Sorry for bringing your…fiancee back to you with tears. We had a chat, it was needed."

"Fiancee?" Molly gasped looking from Sherlock to Tom. Sherlock looked amused while Tom shook his head, not looking entirely upset that Sherlock had deduced his plans.

"Perhaps." Was all Tom said.

A few days later, Molly came to Baker Street with a ring on her finger. She kept twirling it. She looked both happy and on edge. "Do you think it'll last?"

It was Molly surprisingly enough that asked. She was crying again. He couldn't understand why. It wasn't like she wasn't happy. She was thrilled for the most part but he could tell that there was a part of her that was undecided about her future…without him. He couldn't leave her if he tried, there were too many entanglements. Many they never spoke of.

"I can't pretend to know how marriage works but perhaps. If you want it to."

Molly leaned into his arm her face pressed into his arm. He slid one hand through her hair trying to calm her as she fell into his lap slightly. He gripped her hand with is other as he heard her whisper. "You know that I still love you, don't you?"

Sherlock didn't answer her but they both knew that he did.

He answered a beat later. "I love you, too." He patted her hair and looked down at her. She looked beautiful, even when she was crying. He didn't know what would happen but he felt okay admitting the truth to her now. It was an odd time to do so but it didn't bother him and it didn't seem to rattle her much.

She had known, even if he hadn't said it up until this point. Molly knew many things about him, sometimes before he did.

They never discussed this admission not even when the engagement broke off. It was a mutual agreement. Tom and Molly would have made it work, Sherlock felt but he didn't say that either. The two would remain staples in each other's lives, this was also something he expected. The one thing he was unsure of was what else would happen with him and Molly Hooper for this had always been the anomaly he never got right. But whatever happened, he would try to let it be. He had to, right?