Author's note : Well, here's chapter number three! It's a nice long one and I hope you like it :) Thanks to all of you who reviewed and have followed this story. I really appreciate you and I love you all :)
Listen to : Curl up and Die by Relient K.
Disclaimer : Sherlock completely belongs to Sir ACD, Moffat and Gatiss. Benedict Cumberbatch is mine though ;) I wish...

She crumpled to the floor in a heap, her cheek stinging like hell. His eyes were fixed on her but he made no attempt to help her to her feet. The syringe lay forgotten somewhere in the corner. Molly kept her eyes fixed on his shoes, trying hard not to meet his eyes. It was difficult, considering the fiery intensity of his gaze.
Finally he knelt down so that his face was at the same level as hers. His long fingers brushed her chin as he lifted her face so that he could look into her eyes. She felt the familiar jolt of electricity that shot through her whenever he was too close. His breath came out in ragged bursts. His expression for once was very much readable to her. Worry, streaked with sympathy, and so many other emotions swimming in his eyes that she had no name for.

She gazed sadly into his aquamarine blue eyes. He was the reason she had just tried to take her own life and yet, she couldn't bring herself to hate him. The simple reason being that she had loved him, almost worshipped him ever since their first meeting. She would easily take the blame on herself than ever believe that it was his fault. Ever

.
'Why Molly?', he murmured in his deep voice that made her heart speed up to a million miles an hour. But for this once, he was not Sherlock Holmes, the only consulting detective and the most brilliant man in the world. He was just Sherlock, another human being, another friend who was just trying to help her.

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Sherlock, meanwhile was at a loss of what to do. Molly was looking at him but her eyes were like bottomless tunnels. The bright brown eyes which once shone with liveliness and indefinite admiration were now just...empty. When she didn't reply, he let his hand slide to her cold, pale cheek . She still gave no reaction. Even her cheeks didn't flush and neither did her pupils dilate. He was growing more and more frustrated by the second. Wasn't she out of the trance yet? Yes, she was or else she would still be looking for the syringe .

Finally, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard, almost yelling in her face, 'Dammit Molly, just tell me! Why Molly, Why? What were you thinking? Look at me and answer me! This silence is unbearable! Speak to me, say something!'

His touch did it. It broke the dam that held back the flood of tears threatning to spill out. Now they broke free, running down her eyes in twin rivers. She couldn't hold herself back any longer and threw her arms around the worried detective's neck , sobbing earnestly into his shoulder. He stiffened involuntarily at her touch but she showed no signs of loosening her grip as she continued to cry, gasping out some incorrigible words of which he managed to catch a few.

'Julia...your results...my cupboard.. forgot to lock... told Mike..found out about your research...scolded me...angry...unprofessional...fired me' At this point she broke into fresh tears, unable to say anyhting.

So he was right then. Julia was responsible for Molly getting fired. A surge of anger shot through him at the thought of someone trying to deliberately sabotage the harmless, vulnerable girl in his arms.

She was still trying to say something in between her choked sobs...'Stuart...angry... blamed me...broke up...no more...because I ...you...' she broke off again, unable to say anyhting more but he had heard enough. Her boyfriend had broken up with her because he thought she was too besotted with Sherlock. So damn stupid of him. And this had been the one guy he thought was desrving enough to have a girl like Molly in his life. Apparently not.

Molly was still in his arms and he couldn't think of anything to say to her to calm her down so he just stroked her hair. For what seemed like a long long time, they just stayed like that. Him, with one hand at the small of her back and the other absent-mindedly tangling itself in her long auburn hair . Her, with her arms still around his neck breathing heavily and eventually calming down enough to realise the position she was in.

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She untangled herself reluctantly from his embrace, her cheeks flaming red and her eyes downcast. Every pore in her body screamed in protest at the withdrawal of his warmth. He looked at her once more and smiled when he saw her coloured cheeks. Good, that meant she was back to normal.

'Do me a favour Molly,' he said in that velvety voice of his that made her feel dizzy, 'next time before doing something so stupid, think about me would I do without you? '. She nodded before realising how that sounded. It seemed to have struck him too because he hastily added ' and John too, and Lestrade, and your family'.

' Yes... You're right.. I don't know what I was thinking', she muttered distracted by his earlier comment and wondering if it meant what she thought it did.

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Did he actually say that? What on earth was he thinking, giving her hopes like that? He knew Molly, he knew that something like that wouldn't escape her. After all, she had loved him for the past so many years and had hoped and hoped in vain to evoke at least some sort of a response from him. His words had been involuntary and now they alarmed him as much as they puzzled her.

He decided that the best way to avoid the question was to get the hell out of her flat and thinking about it later. So he turned to her.

'I'd better get going now. I've texted John, Mary will be here don't worry I haven't told them anything.' he reassured her.

'You're leaving?', she said, a hint of sadness and confusion to her voice.

'Yes, I must go before Mrs. Hudson unleashes her wrath on poor John. Oh look Mary's here already'.
He gave a curt nod to the nurse who was John's girlfriend and also happened to be Molly's best friend.

'About your job, don't worry at all. Mike will call you today in the evening to take back his words and welcome you back to Bart's' he said as he stood in the doorway.

'W..What? But how?', she spluttered and he sighed. Simple girl.

'You'll see', he said before winking at her and stepping out into the street.

He held out his hand for a cab and gave him the address to Baker street. Once in the cab, he pulled out his iphone. He dialled a number and waited for the person at the opposite end to pick up the phone. Finally, the person responded.
'Hello, Mycroft', he spoke.

Author's note : Well, I came home in the middle of the week and so here is the third chapter. I hope you liked it especially the Sherolly bits. :) So since I favoured you with an update earlier than expected, it's your turn to do so with a nice review :) C'mon that button is just waiting to be pressed...
Love you all :)
Aditi xoxoxoxo