This fic begins with "The Final Problem" and describes what happens afterward between Sherlock and Molly. Hope you enjoy!

Molly Hooper was going to die if Sherlock didn't act. He couldn't tell her why, and she was utterly oblivious to the invisible danger before her.

"Molly, please," said Sherlock, "Without asking why, just say these words." His face contorted with urgency as he watched her on the screen in front of him. Molly smiled thoughtfully.

"What words?" she asked.

"I love you." he answered matter-of-factly.

Molly's face plummeted instantly as she took the phone from her ear. She couldn't believe this. The nerve he possessed after breaking her heart. She was cut like a knife every time he walked in the room, believing he could never feel, never care for her.

"Leave me alone."

Sherlock's eyes flashed with panic.

"Molly, no please, no, don't hang up! Do not hang up!" he shouted, with a hand outstretched towards her in warning, although she could not see him.

Eurus' eerily chilling, solemn, yet light voice crackled over the prison intercom.

"Calmly, Sherlock, or I will finish her right now."

Sherlock's dry throat twisted itself into knots. He shivered at the thought of Molly lying on a morgue slab, her eyes glazed over as a sheet was pulled across her corpse. The countdown timer ticked ever closer to zero.

1:09…1:08…1:07…

"Why are you doing this to me? Why are you making fun of me?" asked Molly, her words laced with hurt. The humiliation she had suffered at Christmas years ago came back fresh, like a reopened wound.

"Please, I swear, you just have to listen to me," said Sherlock, as gently as he could in spite of his rising panic. "Molly, this is for a case. It's…it's a sort of experiment."

"I'm not an experiment, Sherlock," said Molly, in her quiet, strong manner. Sherlock instantly regretted his words.

"No, I know you're not an experiment. You're my friend. We're friends, Molly. Please," he asked sincerely, shutting his eyes as he did so. "Just…say those words for me."

Molly held back a sob with a bravery all her own, while her misty eyes gave her away.

"Please don't do this. Just…just…don't do it." She attempted to guard herself, creating a paltry defense against Sherlock's willful spite, believing full well that when it came, it would crush her.

Sherlock glanced up at the ceiling and forced himself to smile, despite her inability to see him. "This is very important. I can't say why, but I promise you it is."

"I can't say that. I can't…I can't say that to you," she said, painfully avoiding the reason.

"Of course you can. Why can't you?" Sherlock mustered another smile. He fought to restrain the betraying sound of distress in his voice.

"You know why."

"No, I don't know why." Sherlock raced his brilliant mind in search of answers. He was only met with fear and despair in failing to discover them. He bit his lip impatiently. Curse his mind!

Molly sniffed and wiped the back of her trembling hand across her nose. Sherlock's eyes darted to the timer as Jim Moriarty's voice taunted him with its harsh insanity.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tick-tick-tock, tick,"

Sherlock ran an anxious hand through his distraught curls, screwing up his eyes. "Please, just say it," he said, blinking rapidly.

"I can't. Not to you."

"Why?"

"Because…" Molly's voice broke as she averted her eyes. "Because it's true," she whispered faintly. "Because…it's…," she took a shuddering breath as tears spilled down her tender face. "…it's…true, Sherlock."

He stared at her wide-eyed, with his thin lips parted in shock.

"It's always been true." she wept, unable to hold herself back from crying.

Sherlock straightened. Whether or not this impossible statement was true was of no import. He simply had to save her from Eurus.

"Well, if it's true, just say it anyway."

Molly laughed in disbelief.

"You bastard." she said, shaking her head as she stifled a sob.

"Say it anyway." he continued firmly.

"You say it," countered Molly. Sherlock took a step backward. "Go on, you say it first," she repeated.

Sherlock blinked, frowned, thought, and wrestled confusion in a moment.

"What?" he asked.

"Say it," said Molly bluntly. Her expression softened. "Say it like you mean it."

Eurus' sallow face flashed across the screen.

"Final thirty seconds," she dictated. The clock spiraled ever downward.

31…30…29…

Sherlock faced the screen, his sparkling green eyes closed in trepidation. Taking a marked breath, he summoned the courage to say the words.

"I…I…" he hesitated.

Molly shut her eyes against a flood of salty tears and brought a free hand near her face. She placed it upon her other hand as if to strengthen herself. Sherlock had lowered his head. In an instant, he raised it up to the screen where Molly was.

"I love you," he said softly. "I…love you."

Molly blinked away tears as she took the phone away from her face, looking at its screen. She appeared to be moments from hanging up, causing Sherlock to step closer to the screen.

"Molly, please," he said, fighting back terror as eternity eclipsed these short, critical moments.

00.13…00.12…00.11…

She gazed off into the distance, rubbed a hand over her mouth, and breathed in. Molly spoke gently, with the phone next to her mouth.

"I love you."

Relief flooded into Sherlock's tense frame as the countdown beeped a cancel alert.

00.02.76.

He sighed heavily and buried his head in both hands, mentally and emotionally drained from the heart-stopping turmoil he had narrowly staved off. The camera displayed Molly placing her phone face down as her two hands unconsciously met her mouth. Sherlock addressed Eurus through a prison security camera.

"I won. I saved Molly Hooper."

Eurus snorted.

"Saved her? From what? Oh, do be sensible. There were no explosives in her little house. Why would I be so clumsy? You didn't win. You lost,"

Sherlock frowned perplexedly as Eurus continued.

"Look what you did to her. Look what you did to yourself. All those complicated little emotions. I lost count. Emotional context, Sherlock. It destroys you every time."

Sherlock cast his eyes to the coffin in realization.

"What have I done," he muttered breathlessly, horrified at himself. His emotions evolved from bewilderment to confusion to inexpressible grief. Then to rage. Boundless rage. He struck the coffin sitting beside him with splintering force as it snapped and shattered under the burden of his frustration. Molly deserved the best. And he had been foolish enough to buy Eurus' games at her expense. His deep cries of grief rang out in desperation.

"You mindless fool!" shouted Sherlock.

Lightning flashed. Thunder roared above the prison fortress. And Molly Hooper was crying.

Sorry for all the feels! *shakes fists at Moffat* This was an extremely emotional Sherlolly episode and I had to do it justice. Anyway, this is 1 of the 10 chapters I have planned, and I aim to publish a new one each week. What do you think happens next? Comment below and read on. :D

–Yours Truly, silvannight