Great response to the first 2 parts. Thanks guys! heres part 3
I didn't hear much from Sherlock for the next three years. On birthdays and Christmas I would get a text saying something like
'best wishes -SH'
That was most of my contact. Sometimes I got curious though. Mycroft had left me a number to call him if I needed. All I had to do was say
"Molly Hooper" and the voice on the other end would hurry off and soon be replaced by the cold tones of Mycroft Holmes. My calls were rare but sometimes I couldn't help it. I asked how he was doing, how he had gotten settled in...in whatever country he was in. I had agreed to not ask questions about where exactly he was.
Mycroft would give me short, terse answers. But he never turned me away. Again I suppose this was my reward for helping Sherlock. My curiosity was tolerated.
And that was it for a long time. I wish I could say in that time I found myself a nice man but that isn't my life.
I visited John sometimes.
It took awhile but I could see he was healing. Maybe healing wasn't the right word. Every time I saw him I could see the change. He was slow to smile and quicker to frown, there were more worry lines on his face and he was thinner. He was living some kind of life again. I knew he was back to working at a hospital. He had moved away from London and he was now living in Cardiff.
But sometimes John came back to London to visit Mrs. Hudson, Detective Inspector Lestrade joined them on occasion. I was a fewe times. 221B hadn't been sold. It was left as it was until John was ready to sort through it. It was awkward. I felt horrible sitting there with them knowing what i did. John said almost nothing so Mrs. Hudson carried most of the conversation. When DI Lestrade was there he helped with that.
Other than our meeting life was uneventful. Slowly the papers moved on from Sherlock. Occasionally a story popped up where one stagehand swore that after seeing Richard Brooks' resume and being in several of those shows he had no memory of such a man. Little things like that would pop up and fade away. People Sherlock had saved were treated like victims now. Victims of Sherlock Holmes. Some bought into it and others refused the press saying they believed in him.
I tried not to follow it obsessively. But i kept an eye on things. The papers never mentioned John. I think Mycroft was involved in that.
And so time passed slowly and sadly. Sherlock would have called it dull. I called it empty. life was a little emptier without his drama. I missed him swooping in and throwing everything on its head. the morgue was certainly quieter without him. And that was that.
After two years and several months had passed though things changed a little.
I was just sitting at home on my computer doing my taxes when my phone beeped in the kitchen. I went to get it. It was a text from Sherlock. I leaned against the counter as I opened it. It just said:
'How is he? -SH'
Again I didn't have to ask who. I had seen him a few weeks earlier for tea at Mrs. Hudson's, he was ok. As ok as he could be.
But again me and my never ending curiosity. I asked him
'Why not ask Mycroft?' I waited several minutes for a reply. When it came I clicked the text open to see
'My brother and I don't really do emotions. You and John do.' That left me speechless for a moment. Before I could even begin to text my response my phone beeped again.
'So how is he?' I almost smiled.
'He's coping. He's sadder than he was before but he's managing as best he can. He misses you a lot.'
Then there was no response for several hours. When my phone beeped again I was watching some telly. It was another text from Sherlock which said
"You may be hearing from my brother about our conversation. My apologies -SH'
Moments later the phone rang and I picked it up after the first ring.
"Ms. Hooper might I recommend you consult with me before you answer my brother so frankly." The words were icy and all business. I would never understand the Holmes brothers.
"He just wanted to know how John was doing and apparently you weren't very forthcoming." I told him. Sherlock had once given me a vague explanation of who Mycroft was and what he did for a living. It sounded quite shady. I wondered in passing if I would find snipers outside my door waiting to arrest me. The thought passed when Mycroft continued,
"The reason for this whole exercise is to keep him safe, and hidden. Now he's been getting antsy. It makes him reckless. Your conversation has not helped." He spoke slowly emphasizing his words. I sighed and leaned back in my arm chair staring at the ceiling.
I really didn't know what to do with these people.
"Then why don't you fix it so he can come back" I emphasized my words too and the whole statement surprised both of us I think. I'm not usually forthcoming, or anything bordering on rude. I think Sherlock would have approved of my words though so I didn't apologize.
Mycroft didn't speak for a long time. Finally the nervousness came back and I asked quietly.
"I'm not going to get in trouble for this am I?" A sigh filtered through the speaker.
"No, you will not get in 'trouble.' Good day, Ms. Hooper." And with that he hung up leaving me to stare at my cell bewildered.
Another few months passed and then I got another text from Sherlock. I was in the morgue when the phone beeped.
'I need you to ask Mycroft if he has done something to my phone or John's
-SH' Molly stared at it puzzled and then sighed.
'Why don't you ask him'
'I won't speak to him' I sighed again.
'Why/how could he have done something to your phone or John's?'
'Don't know how but I stopped receiving texts from John' I raised my eyebrows at the screen. Did something very important happen and I missed it?
'What texts?' a few minutes later my phone beeped a lot and could see the forwarded texts from John. Some were three years old. Some were from a couple months ago.
2 years, 7 months and 3 days ago
-'Please come back'
2 years, 6 months and 29 days ago
-'stop being dead'
2 years, 6 months and 20 days ago
-'Lestrade had a murder he couldn't solve the other day.'
2 years, 6 months and 19 days ago
-'The killer got away. Please come back'
2 years, 6 months and 17 days ago
-'My hands been shaking again'
2 years, 5 months and 3 days ago
-'I hate you'
2 years, 5 months and 1 day ago
-'I'm sorry'
2 years, 4 months and 28 days ago
-'Why did you lie to me?'
2 years, 3 months and 14 days ago
-'I still believe you'
The messages went on but Molly had to stop. This was too personal. So she texted Sherlock back
'How long since he last messaged you?'
'4 months' I was nodding at my phone like he was right there in the room with me as I dialed Mycroft's number.
Ring ring, ring ring
"Hello?"
"Molly Hooper trying to re—" the voice at the other end cut her off
"One moment" and footsteps raced away. Barely a minute later(record time for Mycroft) he answered
"I've been expecting this call Ms. Hooper" the elder Holmes sounded tired today.
"Sherlock wants to know if you have something to do with him not receiving any texts from John for the past four months," I told him. It's much easier to be straightforward when it's for someone else. My answer was a sigh. I was so familiar with Mycroft's sighing at this point I was wondering if I should start to label each one.
"No I haven't done anything and he didn't listen when I tried to tell him. I suppose John is realizing it is a lost cause now." I bit my lip. Mycroft could be just as harsh as his brother. No wonder Sherlock didn't want to speak to him.
"And I suppose I will need you to remind him…" he trailed off and muttered under his breath,
"I would have preferred this not being public knowledge but since he has forced you to be our go between…" Another sigh
"Tell him that he can't come back until we have found Moran. It's not safe for him yet. And just because Lestrade has forgiven him or believes him, I don't care which, doesn't mean the rest of the police will be so kind." As he spoke I wrote on a notepad
Haven't found Moran
Lestrade vs. angry police I'm sure Sherlock would have laughed if he had seen but this seemed important and I didn't want to leave anything out.
"Ok I'll tell him" I said
"Good day Ms. Hooper" he said and then he hung up. I typed out my response qas quick as I could, mind you I had to proofread first. Once I sent a text to my friend saying her soup looked good when I meant her hair! She didn't let me forget it for a week!
So I told Sherlock what Mycroft said. There was no response for an hour but finally my phone chirped as I was packing up to go. I almost fell over in my haste to grab it.
The text simply said
'Thank you Molly. -SH'
And that was the last I heard from anybody for months. Barring my birthday when I got another 'Best wishes -SH'
Then one day about 3 months later, on a Sunday I think, I got a text as I was heading out to see a friend. It said.
'Back in 221B. Get John. -SH'
And I had to smile a little. I definitely agreed with him. It had been long enough.
Time to come home
Keeping this going because I enjoy finding all the favs and reviews in my email^_^
Last part and possibly epilogue coming soon
