A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Life was being, well, life. I do hope this is worth it for all of you.

Chapter 3: All I Ask of You

Long months passed and Molly Hooper did not hear from the Shade but for a note left on her desk which read, 'There is little more that I could teach you now. I hereby release you from my tutelage.'There was no signature, only the letter S and a blue wax seal bearing an ox's skull. It warmed and broke her heart at the same time. She wanted to see him and properly tell him how grateful she was for everything that he'd done for her, but she was being kept quite busy by the patron of Hudson Hall, who liked to take her out (whether she accepted his invitations or not) at least twice a week if not every night.

James Moriarty was charming and funny and Molly honestly liked those things about him, but every now and again, she would catch the reflection of candlelight in his eyes and she would see the abyss of emptiness that lay beneath his flirtatious mask. Those moments chilled her and reminded her not to drop her guard. By all appearances, the Shade was not with her any longer and so it was up to her to find a way to break free of Moriarty's grasp. She had to be vigilant, lest she find herself being swept away to some garish manor in the country, never to be heard from again. John was very supportive of her, but half his free time had begun to be taken up by the pretty blonde flutist named Mary who had recently joined the group. Molly didn't judge him for it. He deserved a little happiness and Mary was certainly a wonderful young woman. Mrs. Hudson seemed to have some idea of what was going on between the patron and the violinist and she would try to find excuses for Molly not to go with him. Molly was immensely thankful for this, but the effort proved largely ineffective. Moriarty still found it easy to pull her into his clutches. She was losing her appetite from eating (or rather picking at) overpriced delicacies every other night and she could feel both her body and her will slowly weakening. On the eve of the orchestra's next grand performance, Lord Moriarty sprung her with something she had not entirely expected.

They were standing on a balcony alone when it happened. Molly had been brought to some aristocratic party and had gone out to get some air, to escape the suffocating lights and maybe be free of her suitor for at least a few minutes in the comfort of the night. He followed her, much to her displeasure, but she didn't look at him when he came to stand beside her. She refused to give him the satisfaction of the impression she'd learnt to care for him. He grabbed her left hand and slid a ring of white gold and rubies onto her finger.

"Marry me." It wasn't a question. It was a command. Caught off guard, Molly looked at him now in surprise. His dark eyes were as dead as ever in staring back at her. Her steadfast resolve brought her quickly back into focus after her moment of shock and allowed her to formulate a response.

"You honour me with your request, my lord, but you must give me some time to think on it," she answered calmly, resisting the urge to nervously smooth the skirt of her gown, and Moriarty grinned devilishly.

"Of course, my dear. Take as much time you like to decide what is best for you." There was a threat veiled in that statement, Molly was sure, but she didn't so much as flinch. Instead, she smiled sweetly and returned to the party. Right then, she wanted to be somewhere where other people could see her. She wanted the protection of a crowd. Moriarty had the power to do anything he liked to her if they were alone.

Molly debated with herself what to do about the ring. She wanted to take it off, seeing as she hated the man who'd given it to her and she didn't want to see her name printed in gossip columns, but where would she put it? Moriarty would surely be extremely cross with her if she lost it. Of course, he probably wouldn't be happy if she took it off either, but he could hardly expect her to wear it when she had not accepted his proposal. Throwing caution to wind, Molly slid the jeweled thing from her hand and tucked it in her bosom as the heroine of a story she'd read had once done. There had been no mention in the story of the uncomfortable part, but Molly didn't much care. She enjoyed the excitement of doing something not entirely proper to thwart her menacing suitor. She giggled to herself when she recalled that the story which had inspired her had been in the compilation of sensational literature the Shade had given her. Some of those stories were a bit too vulgar and unconventional to have been sold in any respectable shop. He must have gone to great lengths to get the book for her. That thought made it feel as if her heart was breaking all over again. It took everything she had to stifle the sob that wanted to burst from her throat. Oh God, how she missed her Angel of Shadow.

The Shade didn't like spending so much time away from Molly Hooper, but it was necessary and she was perfectly capable of handling herself, as she'd proven time and again. He was helping her in a different way now, having come to fully understand James Moriarty's intentions towards her. Whenever he could, the Shade caused trouble for Hudson Hall's patron that would give Molly a night of freedom. Occasionally, he employed Mrs. Hudson to do his work, which she was all too happy to do, but Moriarty was a slippery fiend who did not easily part with his toy.

The Shade's greatest fear was realized when he saw a distressed Molly secret away an engagement ring in her desk drawer. He watched her for many hours that night, even going so far as to stand over her bed as she slept her troubles away. Now he was forced to admit to himself that the other reason he had kept away from his former pupil these past few months was that he was afraid of what he felt for her. He was setting himself up for unimaginable pain, for if he failed and Molly was taken from him, he didn't think he would be able to bear it. Nevertheless, his affection for her had not waned with their separation. If anything, it had grown stronger. It was clear now that he would not be able to spare himself. He had spent a great deal of time trying to resist these feelings. He'd even tried to completely forget her, but it was all for naught. Everything that was her coated his mind like a thin film of dust that tasted of sweet sophistication. She was an immutable omnipresence in his mind palace and he no longer had the power to deny it to himself. His ability to remain silent to her about it was another matter.

"While my heart still beats, you will remain free," the Shade whispered to Molly as he brushed wayward locks of hair from her face. She was so very beautiful, inside and out. He could see that now. "Molly Hooper..." His gloved hand lingered on the the brunette's pale cheek, but she didn't wake. He stopped and reprimanded himself for displaying such unnecessary sentimentality and silently swept out of the room. There was work to be done and it would do neither of them any good for him to stand there, entertaining frivolous urges.

Mr. Anderson seemed particularly full of himself tonight as he walked out onto the stage, puffing his chest out proudly and smiling at the audience as if they adored him. Molly didn't make eye contact with him as he took his place beside her, not wanting to give him any reason to fuss.

The concert began well enough. Anderson managed to sound rather decent, although there was a bit too much flourish to his style. Lestrade looked surprisingly more relaxed than Molly had seen him in a long time. When she glanced up at Box 2, a familiar silhouette was there and she smiled for knowing that the Shade had not abandoned her. She imagined he was not at all pleased that the managers maintained Anderson as concertmaster, but she had no doubt that he was quietly plotting a new way to get what he wanted. It was still strange to think that he was no longer her teacher. However far she would go as a violinist was completely her doing now and she found that she was alright with that. It was nice not needing anyone to show her the way anymore. She felt truly grown up. That thought made her sit up even straighter in her chair and play with even more vigor. She could sense Lord Moriarty's eyes on her from Box 5, but she did not let it sully the moment. Just as that concert months ago had been her night of glory, this was her night of pride.

The first piece ended with the beautiful ring of the final notes and the audience clapped delightedly. Lestrade was readying the score of the second piece when two gunshots rang out. Startled, Molly and many others immediately looked about and saw Mr. Van Coon fall from Box 1, his front stained with red. The hall erupted into chaos. People screamed and scrambled to leave. In her gut, Molly knew this had something to do with her, so she wasted no time in fleeing the stage. She hadn't really thought of where she would go since everything was happening so quickly, but she needed to escape, to hide, and her legs carried her through the dark building and burned as she dashed up a tight spiral staircase, two steps at a time, until she came to a place no one would bother to look for her: the roof.

The moment she came out into the open, a long arm snaked around her waist and pulled her to a tall, darkly clad body. As soon as a scream of terror escaped her throat, it died in a black leather hand which had been clamped over her mouth. She struggled in adrenaline fueled fear until she looked up and saw that it was the Shade. He removed his hand from her mouth and cradled her neck. After getting over the shock of it being him, she angrily tried to push him away, but his hold on her had not wavered in its firmness. She changed tactics and slapped him hard across the face, which succeeded in freeing her waist as he touched his jaw tenderly. Despite the look of utter astonishment on his features, his other hand was still able grab her arm tightly enough to prevent her from slipping away from him.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Molly hissed, attempting desperately to free herself from the Shade's grasp. He gathered both her hands in his own, trying to still her without further frightening her.

"Molly, stop being irrational for a moment and think," he told her sternly, though it was the fragility she saw in his blue eyes that truly made her halt. "I had to make sure you wouldn't call attention to yourself when you saw me. Forgive me." That was the first time Molly had ever heard the Shade apologize for anything and it made her gut tighten with unease because it meant that what was happening was more serious than anything else they'd faced before.

"Where have you been?" Molly's voice wavered slightly with the question, but she maintained her glare.

"I've been tirelessly working to make things harder for your pursuer," the Shade replied with more irritation than he had intended.

"You've done a marvelous job of it," Molly shot back with a bitter laugh. She realized now that she was angry at him for cutting her off. She'd felt so alone these past few months that it was difficult not to be.

"Moriarty would have had a ring on your finger weeks ago if I hadn't-"

"And you couldn't even be bothered to leave me a single letter, why exactly?" This caused the Shade to freeze and stare down at Molly, unable to respond for a long moment.

"Molly...I'm sorry." Another apology. What had happened to him? Why had he changed like this? The young woman's anger ebbed away and large flakes of fluffy snow began to fall from the dark sky. "I'm here now. You're safe." She closed her eyes for a moment, relishing the feeling of his hands cradling her face.

"Why did he kill Mr. Van Coon?" she asked softly.

"He didn't. Someone in Box 5 with him did. He's going to blame the murder on me in the hopes that it will turn everyone against me, especially you. He knows I want you to be concertmistress and he will use it as my justification."

"I'd never believe such a thing. I trust you." This statement brought an affectionate smile to the Shade's face which seemed to have an underlying anguish to it.

"Moriarty doesn't know that."

"What do we do?"

"I'm not yet sure. I need more information. But I will find a way to free you of him. I may not be your teacher any longer, but you still matter to me more than anyone," the Shade confessed. Molly felt her breath hitch in her throat. She had had no idea that she meant so much to him. Their faces were close enough now that their misting breath collided and she could see the beautiful detail in his eyes. "You permeate every corner of my mind, whether I will it or not." His voice was low and heavy as he spoke and he was looking at her in a way he never had before. It sent a shiver down her spine that for once in her life was out of pleasure rather than fear.

"Do you love me?" The question took the Shade off guard and he floundered for a minute, obviously trying to comprehend and respond to what Molly had just asked him. She smiled at him sympathetically and rested her hands on his chest. This was enough to spur him into closing the distance between them and crashing his lips against hers. He'd clearly never done this before, but what he lacked in experience he made up for in fervor. He kissed her with the hunger of a man starved for affection and it was utterly intoxicating. The sweet taste he left in her mouth when he pulled back had her yearning for seconds, so she took what she wanted and showed him how much she returned his feelings. Both of their chests heaved with the effort of regaining their breath once their mouths parted again. Molly had never felt so fulfilled in all her life.

"You know I do," the Shade finally said in answer to her question. He took off his black cloak and lay it about her shoulders, shielding her from the chilling wind. Even with the heat of their kissing, her concert gown was not nearly thick enough to protect her against the cold. She grinned dreamily back at him, almost completely forgetting how frightened she had felt only a few minutes ago. She wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head in the crook of his neck, and he held her as he did in her dreams. This was the happiest moment of her life and it had the decency to last a good several minutes. Their persons became dusted with snow and Molly reached up to brush the cold white fluff from the Shade's dark curls. He let out a deep chuckle and took her hand in his own. "Come. You must hide until we can be sure Moriarty does not also have designs on you this night. The rooftop is hardly the best place."

The Shade guided Molly back inside, through dark passages she had not known about, let alone seen. Most people feared the darkness, but it had always been a shroud of comfort for her, so much so that she'd fallen in love with a man who represented the very shadows. She knew exactly where it was that he was taking her. He'd led her there once before in rescuing her from the threat of James Moriarty. The place had hardly changed since she'd last been there, with the exception of the bedroom.

"It occurred to me that there would be other times you would need to sleep here, so I took it upon myself to make the necessary accommodations," the masked man explained when Molly caught sight of the new wardrobe in the corner which contained a number of very beautiful garments, including nightgowns. There was something awfully intimate about the fact that he had selected all of these things for her, but it didn't bother her, especially knowing that he didn't think of it that way.

"Thank you, my Angel of Shadow." Molly planted a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth. She could see that there was something else he wanted to say, but was having difficulty saying it, so she rested a hand supportively on his shoulder. "What is it?"

"You have the right to know your lover's face," he told her and now she understood that he was simply nervous. She stepped back from him to give him space and he slowly reached up to carefully remove the black mask that obscured the upper half of his countenance. He was even more handsome than she had expected him to be. For a moment, she wondered if he really was some supernatural being.

"Why do you wear it?" the young woman asked, tracing her fingers over his prominent cheekbones.

"I cannot risk having my face recognized. A helpful side effect is that it's much easier for people to think me a ghost. It makes my features less human and more mysterious." Molly saw the logic in that and didn't press for further details. He had done this to display his trust in her and would give only as much information as he dared. That was totally fine with her. She watched in fascination as he slipped off his gloves, which had always seemed to be an extension of his mask, and gestured to her hair. "May I?"

"Of course." With this, he carefully took the pins from her hair and let it fall down past her shoulders. His long, spindly fingers combed reverently through her brown locks, all the while his gaze never leaving hers.

"Understand, Molly Hooper, that I know little of feelings. I have always divorced myself from them or else locked them away in notes of music. Before you, companionship was something reserved for others, as was romantic attachment. I have no qualities to make me worthy of closeness and no desires of the flesh to make me seek worthiness, so I truly became an outsider, a specter haunting Hudson Hall. But then you came with your loyalty and your brilliance and piece by piece I was forced to become more than a whisper in the dark. I don't know how to be what you want, Molly, but I can no longer stop myself from aspiring to it," the Shade explained quietly.

"I understand. I have since the moment you kissed me."

"I expected nothing less from you." Once more, the Shade captured Molly's lips with his own, but this time it was defined by slow and steady movements. There was no fire, only sweetness.

A/N: Well, that was a slightly steamy chapter. For those of you who haven't read my profile: No, there will be no smut in this fic. Sorry. Moving on. I'm already working on the next chapter and I've sort of got everything planned out for the rest of the fic. It looks like there's going to be two or three more chapters of ever increasing dramaticness. I will try to get them to you as soon as I can. In the meantime, thank you so much for reading. ~T.Z.