Hey, so this ended up taking a little longer to post than expected so apologies for that. Also, thank you to all those who gave sympathies for my cat. It's strange being without her after so long.
Anyway, glad you're all enjoying the fic so let's move it along.
Chapter 3
It was the following day when Sherlock made his way into Barts, buzzing with a kind of nervous energy that he normally only felt during the culmination of a case. He'd waited until the end of Molly's working day and by the time he got to the lab she had less than an hour of work left.
She greeted him surprisingly well given how they had left things when he'd last been in and she asked him about the case and how it had gone and after a few moments of chatting the awkwardness between them seemed to have gone and Sherlock felt as comfortable with her as he always had. She did seem more beautiful to him somehow. Her face was glowing; her eyes warmer, her smile making his stomach flip over. She didn't seem any different, not in any logical, physical way…she was wearing her normal clothes, the same minimal make up, hair in a ponytail; so all he could think was that maybe he was appreciating her a bit more.
He settled in to his tests and Molly got on with finishing her paperwork and about ten minutes before she was due to finish work, just as she was gathering up her folders to put away, he looked up and smiled at her.
'Molly, do you fancy going getting a coffee?'
She dropped a couple of her files and bent down to pick them up and when she stood back up he couldn't help but notice that she looked irritated. 'Fine, but you'll have to wait until I've finished putting these away.' Then she stalked out of the lab.
He felt slightly confused by her tone. He had hoped that him asking her out would have made her a little happier but what did he know of romantic love or romantic gestures. Instead, he stood and packed away his test then he put his jacket and coat on and waited for her.
Just as he was checking his watch and wondering where she was she came back in still wearing her lab coat and carrying a cup of coffee. When she saw him waiting with his coat on she made a gesture of frustration. 'Don't tell me, you have to go because you have a case. Brilliant, I knew I shouldn't have bothered making this.' With that she banged the cup down on the side, slopping a little of the black coffee onto the counter.
Sherlock closed his eyes for a second as he realised what had happened then he reached out to catch her arm stopping her from leaving. 'No, wait, you misunderstood me. I meant Molly, would you like to go out for coffee with me.'
He saw her frown slightly and he knew that she was wondering what exactly he meant when he asked her that and he knew he had to spell it out. He cleared his throat and tried not to sound too nervous even though he suddenly found that he was. 'A date Molly. Would you like to come and have coffee with me…or a drink, wine maybe?'
She tilted her head to one side as though she was trying to figure something out but then she nodded. 'OK, give me a couple of minutes to get ready…why don't you meet me at Browns? I'll have a latte.'
He smiled and nodded and then left. At least meeting her there meant he had time for a cigarette which he was now in desperate need of.
Ten minutes later and Sherlock was crunching on a mint which he was hoping would mask the scent of the cigarette…it was a trick that didn't work on himself but he seemed to have a better sense of smell than most people. Molly was sat opposite him using her spoon to play with the foam on the top of her coffee and he found that he couldn't think of a single thing to say. Thankfully Molly broke the silence.
'So, Sherlock what is this? And don't say it's a date because I know it isn't.'
'Why can't it be a date?'
'Because, Sherlock, you don't do dates. Is this still all to do with my..' she lowered her voice and glanced into an embarrassed way around the coffee shop, '…piercing?'
He took a deep breath and shook his head. 'No…well yes…I mean maybe. I will admit that curiosity over your piercing did start all this but I think it was just the tipping point…the final straw. It made me realise that maybe I have feelings for you, feelings that I'd like to explore.'
She took a sip of her drink and she seemed thoughtful and he knew…he just knew that she didn't quite believe him and he didn't blame her. Slowly, as though testing him she placed her hand over his where it lay on the coffee table. It was probably one of the most physical things they'd done bar the two cheek kisses that he'd given her over the years. He couldn't deny the jolt of electricity which seemed to rush through his body at her touch.
He lifted his hand and then twined his fingers through hers and he heard her quick intake of breath and when he looked at her she was staring at their hands with a slight blush on her cheeks.
'Are you serious about this Sherlock? You're not just playing with me? I mean you have to see this from my point of view, the last time we spoke I said that you couldn't see my piercing unless you wanted to have sex with me and now this…how do I know it isn't some weird game? Some twisted way of getting your own way.'
'It's not.'
Molly looked to still be struggling with this whole concept and Sherlock couldn't blame her…he was struggling with it himself; it was the opposite of anything he ever thought he would do or be. But sitting there, holding Molly's hand, just felt right.
'Just…just promise me that you won't do anything that you don't really, honestly want to do.'
He responded by doing something that he had wanted to do for the last five minutes. He brought their linked hands up to his face and turned them so Molly's inner wrist was exposed then, watching her the whole time, he pressed his lips against her pulse. He could feel it fluttering as he kissed it, her heart rate increasing. Her eyes were wide and she was biting on her lower lip as she watched him and he felt his own desire for her low in his belly.
As he drew away she let out a shaky breath and half smiled at him and he felt a strange sensation in his chest…a physical reaction that he couldn't quite place and that he was sure he had never felt before.
She was about to say something when she glanced at the clock and her face changed to one of shock. 'Oh God, is that the time? I have to go, I'm going out tonight.'
It took him less than three seconds for his eyes to rake over her looking for clues as a jealousy washed over him. He didn't think it was a date. If it had been she would have showered at Barts or left early to give herself more time to get ready. But maybe he'd subverted that, distracting her enough that she'd forgotten. His throat felt half choked as he spoke.
'A date?'
He knew that he was more invested in her answer than he ever had been before and it puzzled him a little.
She was already standing and gathering her things as she answered and he stood up as well. If Molly was leaving there was no point in him remaining.
'What? Oh…no, just meeting my friend Meena. We're off to the cinema tonight and then grabbing some food.'
He nodded and tried to look nonchalant as he followed her out.
As they reached the pavement she turned and gave him a shy smile. 'Well, umm, this was nice. Will you be in tomorrow?'
Her voice seemed to hold more hope in it than normal and he found himself smiling and nodding in return. 'Yes, definitely. Until tomorrow then Molly Hooper. Enjoy your evening.'
She was about to turn away from him but he put one hand on her waist and then slowly bent his head to hers. Just as they had been when he'd kissed her wrist her eyes were wide and watching his every move until the split second before his lips met hers. It wasn't much more than that, a press of lips on lips but she seemed almost dizzy as he pulled away and he knew his own reaction wasn't much better. Once again he was lost for words so he just turned on his heels and held his hand up for a cab, grateful when one stopped almost immediately.
He climbed in and gave his address and when he looked out of the window Molly was still stood where he had left her and it was only as the cab drew away that she finally turned and walked away.
He sat back and closed his eyes as he tried to calm his emotions and order his thoughts; his mind was alive with images of Molly now and it wasn't just her piercing that he was fixating on; it was her hair, her eyes, her smile, the way her lips moved as she spoke, the feel of her skin against his own, and most of all the feel of her lips on his. It was an avalanche of feelings and desires such that he had never experienced before and for the first time in his life he started to comprehend to overwhelming nature of love.
MHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMH
Meanwhile Molly barely remembered the journey back to her flat and getting ready for her night out with Meena. She couldn't have recited a single line from the film and she was only pulled from her reverie once they were sat down in a restaurant of Meena's choice after the film was finished.
'OK, do you want to tell me exactly what's going on with you because I swear you've barely said a dozen words to me all night.'
Molly looked up from the glass of water that she'd been staring into. 'What? Oh, sorry.'
'So what is it? Or should I say who?'
Molly gave a sort of half laugh and Meena raised one eyebrow.
'You're right. It's a who. It's just, well, I kind of went on a date before we met. Just coffee, that's all.'
Meena grinned widely. 'Oh really. Well I take it you must really like this guy if he's got you this flustered after one….hang on…it's him isn't it?'
Molly tried to look unsuspicious as she innocently asked, 'who?'
'Him. Sherlock Holmes, the guy you've been pining after for the last five years plus. Of all the men I've seen you with he's the only one who gets you this flustered. So what changed?'
Molly shrugged. 'I don't know, that's just the problem. Why would he change?'
She paused and took a sip of her drink. 'I'm being an idiot aren't I? He's just manipulating me…he must be. He's never shown me any romantic interest in all that time so why would he start now?'
Meena shook her head. 'I don't know honey. Maybe he's realised what an idiot he's been and he's finally seen how gorgeous and amazing you are.'
Molly let out a big sigh and sat back in her chair. 'I wish I could believe that, I really do…but I don't. I think maybe I have to call his bluff and find out whether any of it is true or not.'
Hope you liked Sherlock's initial failure at asking Molly out. Served him right after turning her down the way he did all those years back. And what do you think Molly will do to call his bluff?
