Sherlock drops his coat down on the ground, and walks towards his room. He looks around, and then- in a fit of rage- grabs a chair and throws it. He pushes over his desk, and rips the sheets off the bed. He storms out of the room, and walks into the sitting room. He grabs the gun and starts shooting at the wall.

BANG

BANG

BANG BANG

BANG BANG BANG

BANG

He suddenly gets tackled to the ground from the side.

"Get off!" He shouts, but he's on his stomach, so he can't see the attacker. He struggles and turns on his back, but he finds his wrists pinned to the ground.

"Calm down!"

He blinks out tears he didn't realize he possessed, and Karolyn becomes clear.

"Karolyn?" He says.

"You can't go shooting walls every time you get pissed off, Sherlock! One of these days Mrs. Hudson is gonna make you be the wall." She says.

"What're you doing here?" He asks in shock.

"John said you were watching us." She replies, and he sighs. "You walked away. I... I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why did you tackle me?" He asks.

"So you didn't turn that gun on yourself, Sherlock!" She says. "I've never seen you act that way, I got scared. I didn't know what you'd do."

Sherlock just stares at her.

"You didn't do anything to yourself, did you?" She asks.

He shakes his head, and she lets out a sigh of relief. "I'm gonna let you up now, okay?"

He nods.

She lets his wrists go, and gets up. She holds a hand out to him, and he grabs it and lets her help him to his feet. They just look at each other.

"Why did you come here?" Sherlock asks.

"I wanted to talk to you." She replies. "John said you looked upset."

"I thought you were angry with me."

"I'm fuming, but I'm not gonna stop caring about you."

He just looks at her, and sits in his chair. She sits across from him on the couch.

"I'm sorry for everything, Karolyn." He says.

"I know you are." She says. "I also know that you said those things because you had to. I've known pretty much the whole time."

"Then, why-"

"I'm not mad at you Sherlock." She says. "At first, I was. But about 2 days in, I came to my senses."

"So why didn't you come back?" Sherlock asks.

She sighs.

"Because I was mad. Not at you, but at myself." She replies.

"What?" He asks.

"I was mad at myself because I felt like those things you said are true. I still feel like it. But I got angry at myself because I made you think that, because I let you see it. I was mad because I don't want you to have any reason to think badly of me, and I felt like I had already given you plenty of reasons. I'm mad at myself because I feel pathetic." She says. "I stayed away because I didn't want to make it worse."

Sherlock stares at her as she looks down. That's why she stayed away? Because she thought she made him think badly of her? That she would make him hate her?

"I didn't know you felt that way." He says, and she just nods, still looking down. He gets up, and sits down next to her on the couch. "Karolyn, I've never thought ill of you."

She looks at him, surprised.

"I never will." He says. "Ever."

She stares at him.

"But... All the crap I've put you through; my panic attacks, my depression. How could you not think shit of me?" She says.

"Because those things don't define who you are, Karolyn." He says. "You have panic attacks. You're depressed. So what? That doesn't change who you are. And you are a creative, smart, beautiful person who isn't afraid to take off for an adventure."

She stares at him, shocked. He's never been like this to her before. Not to this extent.

"Sherlock-"

"At the pool, you said you wanted me to care. You said you wanted me to be your family." He says, and she looks down.

"Yeah, well-"

"I do care, Karolyn." He says, and she looks at him with a shocked look. "I care about you, Karolyn. I care a lot. I care that you've been through a lot. I care that you were forced to grow up earlier than you should have. I care that your childhood was a nightmare. I care that you have panic attacks. I care that you're so sad, and I hate that I can't do anything. I care that you want to be part of a family, Karolyn. I care about you."

She just stares. He shifts a little uncomfortably, but looks her dead in the eye.

"I love you, Karolyn, and we are a family." He says. She immediately wraps her arms around his neck and hugs him. He hugs her tightly as she sobs into his shoulder.

"I love you too, Sherlock." She says through tears, and he smiles.

"Sherlock, no!"

"What?!"

"You're doing it wrong!"

"I am not!"

"You're messing it up!"

"Calm down!"

"NEVER TELL A PERSON WITH OCD TO CALM DOWN SHERLOCK BECAUSE MY OCD IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON AND I DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER OCD KAROLYN AND OCD KAROLYN IS SCARY SO DONT TELL ME TO CALM DOWN SHERLOCK OR I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO STOP OCD KAROLYN WHEN SHE TRIES TO CLAW YOUR EYES OUT NOW GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!"

"Uh..."

Karolyn looks at John, who's standing in the doorway, as Sherlock dies of laughter behind her.

"Oh, hey John!" She says, and he sees that her and Sherlock are both covered in flour.

"Hey..." He says, slightly confused. "What's going on in here?"

She grins and points to the waffle iron.

"We're making waffles!" She says proudly, and then her grin disappears when she looks at the iron. She facepalms. "Sherlock."

"Yeah?" He says, breathing again.

"We never plugged it in." She says, and she plugs it in.

"Ha!" She says. And then she sees John staring at the flour all over... everything. "Ah... Yes. The flour... Uh... Sherlock and I got into a bit of a flour war..."

"I won." Sherlock says, and she slaps his arm.

"You did not win, you liar!" She says, and he walks away laughing. She looks at John. "So... yeah."

"He's acting like a different person." John says when Sherlock is in the bathroom, presumably taking a shower.

Karolyn grins.

"Yeah." She says. "We had talk after I came here yesterday."

"Really?" John says. "What happened?"

"Well, he loves me, for one." She replies, and John grins. "And two... I dunno. I guess saying that kinda got rid of the crap and stuff, and we've been having fun and acting like children all day."

"Good." John says with a grin. "He could use some fun."

She smiles.

"Sherlock!" She calls.

"Yeah?" He calls back.

"I'm gonna flour John real quick, okay?" She calls, and John's grin disappears.

"Alright, have fun!" He calls back. And she immediately grabs the flour bag, grabs a fistful and throws it in John's face. John yelps. "Did you do it?" Sherlock calls.

"Yeah!" She calls back chuckling.

"You should run now!" Sherlock calls back. She sees the look on John's face.

"I agree!" She shouts, and she runs in the other direction. John chases after her, and she squeals. She runs through the kitchen, through the sitting room, and dives over the couch.

"Sherlock, come help me!" John calls. Sherlock comes running out of the bathroom, and he helps John chase Karolyn back through through the kitchen.

"NO SHERLOCK HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME?!" She screeches. John trips her, and she hits the ground. John immediately attacks her with tickles, and she screams. "NO JOHN DONT!"

She melts into a puddle of laughter, and Sherlock joins John.

"SHERHERHERHERLOCK NOHOHOO FUCK!" She screams.

"What's going on up there?!" Mrs. Hudson exclaims from downstairs.

"MRS. HUHUHUDSON HEHEHEHELP!"

Mrs. Hudson comes up the stairs, and sees Sherlock and John mercilessly tickling Karloyn.

"Boys, that's enough! Let the girl breathe!" She says. They sigh, but stop tickling her. Karolyn takes in deep breaths.

"Oh my god Mrs. Hudson I love you." She pants out, and Sherlock and John laugh.