A.N. I know I said I was going to do this chapter in Sherlock's POV but I just felt it isn't time for that yet. I'd say the majority of this story will be Molly POV.

MOLLY'S POV

When Molly awoke the next morning she heard Toby running about Mrs. Hudson's feet as she carried tea to the coffee table. It surprised her to look over and see Sherlock was sleeping heavily on the couch. She always took him as an early riser. She got up and stretched her limbs before walking upstairs to pick out fresh clothes.

Once she had done so, she vanished into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Before all this craziness had occurred, Molly had fully intended on spending her day off today sipping tea and re-reading one of her favorite books. Whether Sherlock liked it or not, she was going to continue with her plans.

Stepping out of the shower, Molly wrapped a towel around herself and unfogged the mirror to look at her reflection. She really had come such a long way in just a few short years. She was no longer the mousey, rambling Molly Hooper who would let anyone use her as a door mat. No. Now she was Molly Hooper, the sweet women who was surprisingly strong.

She began weaving a brush through her long locks. After doing so, she began to put her hair in a tight side braid. As she watched her pale, short fingers lace through the sopping strands, she couldn't help but be reminded of one of the hardest days of her life.

FLASHBACK

It was the day of Sherlock's "funeral" and Molly Hooper felt on edge. She'd broken down and bought a new dress for the occasion (seeing as how the only black dress she owned was from the Christmas party). She pulled it on over her head and let the fabric slide down her long figure. It really was a beautiful dress. She wished she would have had a better reason to wear it than to mourn the "death" of her friend. She looked in her mirror to decide what to do with her hair. She shrugged internally and decided that a simple side braid would do. As she began to braid she saw a familiar face enter in behind her.

"Now, Molly," Sherlock began, "you have to make this believable."

She rolled her eyes. "I know, Sherlock. You sound like a broken record."

"Maybe you should put on some eye-makeup. It will make your pouts more effective."

"I'm not going to put on any heavy make-up, Sherlock. It's a funeral."

"Come now, my death has left you broken-hearted! Show some emotion, woman!"

She whipped around to face him. "Me show emotion?! That's rich coming from you!"

"I have emotions, Molly!" he snapped.

She went quiet and looked at their feet for a while before looking at him. "So it wasn't an act?"

"What wasn't an act?" he asked as he met her gaze.

"What you said at Bart's...I count...I matter...you trust me. You honestly do value me?"

His eyes widened but he never left her gaze. "Every word I said to you was the truth. I had never felt more vulnerable in my life. I do trust you. You matter. If it came down to your life over mine, I would choose you without hesitation."

When she came back to her flat that night, Sherlock was gone. She wouldn't see him again for two years. The events of that morning played in her mind during the service. It broke her heart to see everyone she held dear in so much pain. She had no family of her own. These people were all she had: Mrs. Hudson, John, and Lestrade. She even felt oddly comfortable with Mycroft, who had hugged her and whispered, "We'll be in touch, Dr. Hooper," in her ear before releasing her.

She felt a ping of sadness in her chest when she realized he was gone. She was going to be alone again and for God only knows how long. She shrugged off her coat and flung it on the sofa. She followed suit, sprawling on the cushions, holding her hands over her face. After laying there a while, she decided she had better get some sleep. When she entered her room she noticed there was a folded sheet of paper on her pillow.

It read:

Thank you for everything, Molly.

SH

FLASHBACK OVER

Retrieving her book from her room, Molly padded downstairs to sit in John's chair. An awake Sherlock was sipping tea and staring at Toby intently. 'No doubt thinking about what experiments he could do with him' Molly thought. She giggled slightly breaking Sherlock's concentration.

"What, may I ask, is so funny?" he raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"You. Just give up. I'm not going to allow you to experiment on Toby."

He made an annoyed noise and crossed his arms, which made her laugh again.

"Don't be a child, Sherlock."

She shook her head and opened her book. A small, white piece of paper flew out and landed next to Sherlock's feet. After Molly remembered what she had been using as a book mark, she began to feel nervous as he picked it up and studied it.

"You kept it." he stated. Face unreadable.

"I did." she replied.

He extended his arm out to reach her the paper. Molly could have sworn his finger tips lingered on her hand as she accepted it from him. He looked into her eyes, making her feel naked under his gaze. She looked down at the paper in her hand and ran her thumb over the bottom where Sherlock had signed, "SH" years ago. They stayed in silence for what felt like an eternity when she heard rushing toward the front entrance. A very frantic looking Mrs. Hudson clutched her chest and breathed heavily. In her hands was a white envelope.

"Molly, dear...post for you."

Molly's felt her heart rate begin to pick up. She lifted herself off the chair and went to meet Mrs. Hudson. She took Mrs. Hudson's hand and led her to the couch to calm down before taking the envelope from her. Sure enough, scribbled on the front was 'Molly'. She opened it quickly and took in the message:

'Dear Molly,

I told you I would keep in contact! How naughty of you not to give me a head's up on your changing of address. It's okay, though. I love the idea of my two favorite toys being together under one roof. I'm sure moving you to Baker Street was Sherlock's great plan to keep you safe just in case I get bored with our game. Ha! I'm right, aren't I? I know him too well.

Don't worry, my dear. For now you're quite safe. I still have so much great fun planned. I once told Sherlock I would burn out his heart...and you have the most heart of anyone in his heart. It's going to devastate him when I get my hands on you, Molly.

XOXO

Jim'