He took her in his arms and smiled down at her, gently tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear before brushing his thumb against her lips.

'Molly,' he whispered in his deep baritone voice that caused goosebumps to form all over her skin. His eyes began to close as he moved forward and she felt her eyes flutter shut, awaiting the kiss from the man she loved. Sherlock Holmes.

Molly awoke with a start. Breathing heavily, she looked at her surroundings before realising that she was in her bedroom. It had been a dream again. The same dream she had been having since the day Sherlock Holmes had come back into her life after two years of absence. Looking down to her left, she saw Tom lying in bed beside her, still sound asleep. As she watched him sleep, she inadvertently reached forward and stroked her fingers through his hair. As she did this, she couldn't help but think of what it would be like if her dream had been reality and what it would be like to run her fingers through Sherlock's dark thick locks.

'Molly?' Tom's tired voice brought her out of her trance and she ceased her actions, 'What are you doing? It's the middle of the night?'

'Shh my love, sleep...,' Molly whispered softly, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He nodded before his eyes fluttered closed again and he fell back into a deep slumber. After his breathing evened out, Molly sighed and got out of bed, pulling on her dressing gown and making her way into Tom's living room knowing that there was no way she could go back to sleep now. Guilt wrenched through her body as she thought about the dream. Dream Sherlock saying her name alone just made her heart flutter in comparison to the way Tom said it. 'Why does love have to be so complicated?,' she whispered to herself, twisting her engagement ring around her ring finger. She hadn't even acknowledged the single tear rolling down her porcelain skinned cheek. Though she loved Tom, there was no love on earth that even came close to what she felt for Sherlock Holmes... even if it was unrequited. It would be unfair of her to keep Tom from loving someone else who could love him more than what she could. That's when she knew that she had to end it.

The doors flew open the morgue and without having even look up from her work, Molly knew that Sherlock had arrived in the vicinity. Swallowing, she looked up and smiled.

'Good morning Sherlock,' she smiled before seeing John enter the room behind his detective friend, 'And good morning John. How are you today?'

'I'm fine thank you Molly,' John grinned.

'I don't think I've seen you since before you came back from your honeymoon with Mary,' Molly laughed, trying to ignore that fact that Sherlock had completely blanked her, 'Did you have a good time?'

'Oh do be quiet Molly, we have more important things to discuss than John's honeymoon! John and I are here for the toxicology report on Albert Groves.' Sherlock said, rolling his eyes. John looked at Molly with a sympathetic look as the smile was wiped off her face. John saw the hurt flash across her face before she nodded and walked into her office to find Groves' file.

'Sherlock... why do you talk to her like that?' John asked, approaching his friend.

'How do you mean? I talk to Molly as I mean to. She was asking irritating questions that had no relevance to what we are here for.' Sherlock shrugged.

John looked towards Molly's office to see if there was any danger of her walking in on their conversation before continuing, 'Sherlock... Molly is one of the kindest women I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. She would do anything for you; she's lied for you, she helped you fake your death, she lets you use her lab, she pulls extra shifts just to get pathology work done for you. She does things she doesn't have to do yet you bully her, put her down and speak to her like utter tosh!'

'I don't ask her to.' Sherlock retorted.

'You don't have to ask her, all you have to do is say thank you and be a little more appreciative!'

'I am appreciative of her John! But she went and got herself engaged anyway!' Sherlock cried before slamming his mouth shut. He didn't have to deduce that his words were the reason there was now a look of shock on John's face.

'Sherlock... do you have feelings for Molly ' a smile started to creep across John's lips as he spoke. Sherlock paused before clearing his throat and deciding to try and throw John off of his case. If his enemies were to discover the importance of Molly to him... and if something were to happen to her, he could never forgive himself.

'As I have once said before John, sentiment is what is found on the losing side. I will not deny that Molly means a lot to me and I do... appreciate her and what she endeavours to help me with. However, I do not wish to progress the paradigm of our relationship. She has found herself a fiancé now, therefore there is no logic in even letting her dwell on an impossible idea that once plagued her thoughts. An idea that will not and never will happen. Molly and her idiot, bumbling buffoon for a fiancé are basically made for each other and I am happy that she has found someone else because it finally takes her annoying attention away from me. The only thing that differs from them is that she doesn't have the intellectual capacity and personality of a parsnip. So, let me tell you this so you can understand it crystal clear John... I do not love Molly, I never will love Molly and I don't intend to start any time soon!'

Both men jumped when a small cough of someone clearing their throat could be heard. They both looked towards Molly's office door to see her standing there holding a file. John felt a gut wrenching pang of guilt in his stomach as he watched Molly blink back tears as she stood there, obviously trying not to cry.

'Here is the um... the toxicology report on Al-Albert Groves. He was poisoned with um potassium chloride. Perhaps maybe a er a home made lethal injection? Whatever. I don't care. Just um, just do what you need to do and go... I need to get back to work,' she said quietly, trying to keep her voice calm and stable before almost running out of the morgue.

'Nice, Sherlock, nice...' John sighed, slapping his forehead.

'Well I didn't know she was standing there did I?'

'You're Sherlock Holmes.. of course you should know!' John cried, 'Never mind that, I'm going to go find Molly and you are going to apologise to her.'

Molly ran through the corridors of St Barts hospital. She hated unrequited love and she never thought she would fall victim to it. She hated that she loved him when she already had a man who adored her and wanted to marry her. In fact, she hated everything about Sherlock Holmes. She had been crazy to even think about leaving Tom for Sherlock. What on earth had she been thinking? She was running blind as the tears that welled in her eyes obscured her vision. She didn't know where she was headed, the only thing she knew was she needed to get away from him. She didn't stop running until she realised that she had reached the entrance of the hospital and was now out on the busy streets of London. 'Stupid Molly, stupid,' she mumbled to herself, wiping her eyes.

'Molly!' she heard a voice call out from behind her. Turning around, she saw John running up to her before stopping to catch his breath, 'Wow, you are much faster than I anticipated,' he added with a slight chuckle, quietening when he realised that he was the only one laughing. Sighing, he took a sniffling Molly's hand away from her trembling mouth, 'Molly... '

'No!' Molly wrenched her hand away from John's, 'why does he do it? Why does he reduce me to this? This mess of a person that I hate?' she cried, 'I have a fiancé, it's him who I should love, not Sherlock! Not a man who says with full confidence he could never love me. I mean I was crazy to even hold out a shred of hope that he might return my feelings... I even contemplated the idea of leaving Tom this morning because it wasn't fair of me to stay with him whilst I loved Sherlock.' Molly placed her hand over her mouth and tried to calm her breathing whilst John took a step closer to her and pulled her into a hug.

'Let it out Molls,' he whispered as he hugged her.

'I wish I didn't love him, I wish I could just wish it away and dislike him like every other normal person seems to.' She mumbled, a tear rolling down her cheek, 'I don't want to feel like this anymore. Ever since he came back from disabling Moriarty's criminal network, I've let myself dream about him, fantasize about what it would be like to be with him... and then he's cruel and I just let myself cave in and cry... well I tell you what John Watson... no more. Not again. Sherlock Holmes will never ever break me again. After today, I will never shed a tear for Sherlock Holmes again.' John said nothing, he just continued to stroke her shoulders and hold her against his chest. In truth, he didn't know what to say to Molly. There was nothing he could say to justify his best friend's behaviour without telling Molly that he was sure that Sherlock did have feelings for her but just didn't know it himself yet. Therefore, the logical sense was for him to remain silent. After a few minutes, Molly took a deep breath and pulled away, wiping away any remaining tears, smiled and opened her mouth to speak before the shrill tone of John's phone rang.

'Sorry Molly, just one second,' he said, pulling the phone out of his pocket and looking at the caller ID.

'It's Sherlock isn't it,' Molly whispered.

'I won't answer it,' he said moving to hang up the call but Molly shook her head.

'No, he's your friend... take it... please... I insist.'

John smiled with admiration at her selflessness. 'Sherlock... what can I do for you?' he asked as he answered the phone, 'No. Look Sherlock, I don't care about the toxicology report. Damn the case! And damn you! Now if you'll excuse me Sherlock, I'm going back to Molly,' he paused as Sherlock spoke and looked at Molly, who was chewing her finger and they shared a look before John continued, 'Yes she's here. Well unless you're going to apologise no. Don't get shirty with me Sherlock, you made this mess... you clean it up!' John hung up, 'Damn it... I honestly wish the iPhone was never invented sometimes Molly,' he sighed, 'you just don't get the same satisfaction of hanging up on someone nowadays. It's times like this I wish they'd bring the flip phone back into fashion!'

Molly smiled, 'Thank you John, I'm sorry that I pulled you away from your work. Sherlock just makes me so...I dunno crazy I guess,' she said, letting a little chuckle out.

'Well at least you're smiling,' John said, a grin playing on his lips.

'Yeah I guess.'

'Look, I know Sherlock is an irritating sod who just drives people up the wall and I know he can be very insensitive to you,' John paused before making up his mind on what he was about to say next. He had to word it carefully so that he didn't give her a false sense of hope, 'but I think he does care for you in his own Sherlocky way.'

'What?'

'Sherlock will be Sherlock Molly, I can't really say much else about that but what I do know is that you mean something to him. You're one of the most important people in his life and whilst he may not show it to you or to others, as his best friend... I can tell. Eventually he will realise how much you mean to him and it will be his loss because every minute he spends avoiding his feelings for you is a minute that he is going to end up wishing he still had with you.'

'John, I really wish you hadn't said that,' Molly sighed, 'If that's what you think, fine but you and I both heard him say that Tom and I were made for each other and that my focus was finally taken away from him. Or that he would never love me... I think if it's best if I just try and forget Sherlock, distance myself and get over him...cold turkey style.' Molly said softly, 'as I said earlier, Sherlock Holmes will never ever break me again.'

So first chapter of my first Sherlock fic! Let me know what you think guys... would be much appreciated! xxx