Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of these wonderful and beautiful. However, I do claim that they are perfect for writing fun and wonderful stories.
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Contrary to what most believed, Sherlock Holmes did notice women.
However, it should also be noted, that he did not notice them in the same way that other men and women would notice each other.
Sherlock simply categorized them into files based on their appearance and the markers of their profession, hobbies, and secrets. He would keep the information for a period of time because it had become most apparent to him that you could never be too certain what was going to be important and not. Most of the time, the information was irrelevant so he simply forgot about it. The space in his mind palace was too precious to be holding nonsense.
The same thing happened when he met Irene Adler. There would be some who would speculate that she had managed to bewitch the solitary detective, and Sherlock believe that himself for a while. She was a mystery that refused to be categorized neatly. There were too many unknown variables and too many secrets. She challenged him in a way that no one else had ever done before.
And so, since there was no way else to think of her, she became 'the Woman'. All the information about her person was tucked away into a file in one of the corners of his mind palace.
So, when Sherlock was running away from the men who were chasing him in Italy, he was aware there was the 21% chance that he was going to die. He had heard the old adage that states 'you see your life flash before your eyes' but had dismissed it as foolish.
Yet, the details of his previous life were suddenly springing to his mind. He expected memories of cases with John, tea with Mrs. Hudson, even playing as a child. But that was not what he got. All he could think of was one person.
Molly Hooper
Somehow it turned out that she was the one he remembered.
The sheer number of details that came to his mind at such great speed had momentarily shocked him and almost caused him to take a wrong turn in his efforts to evade the henchmen chasing him. It seemed almost as though his mind had remembered things about Molly that went unaware by his conscious thoughts.
He remembered how she would look when she was staring intently into a microscope or at a cadaver. He saw her fixing her name badge so that the access key was easier to use. He knew how she smelled [apricot because of her shampoo]. How loud she would laugh when she was in her flat by herself. How she would smile to herself as if remembering a funny story only she remembered.
When Sherlock finally had a moment to stop after he had successfully managed to lose the idiots following him, he considered Molly. She was different from all the others. While even "the Woman' was detached and segmented in his thoughts, Molly was a whole entity.
The puzzle to explain this phenomenon occupied Sherlock's thoughts until he made it back to the room he was using for the past month.
It appeared to Sherlock that Molly was the exception to every other woman (okay, person) he had ever met.
Molly was the only one that he could really see. As a whole person, a friend, a scientist, and a woman.
Author's Note: There were many ways I thought about taking this chapter, but I think I am the happiest with this. The next chapter will be from Molly's POV. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked (or didn't).
Best Wishes, Ally XOX