Sweet-Sweet-Escape on tumblr asked: Molly sees Sherlock outside Barts handing money to a man who in turn gives him something that he slips into his pocket. Molly storms over to halt the assumed drug deal and to give the man and Sherlock a piece of her mind. Thanks Lil, can't wait to see what happens! Rating? Sky's the limit!

Well Sweets, you got me started and this is where I went... Good Lord, I hope it's what you wanted. This one's rated T for Molly's foul mouth (don't get her worked up... she'd gets cursey.) Sherlock is OCC in this one... quite a bit actually. (I make no apologizes ; )

The lovely and talented MrsMCrieff beta'd and Brit-picked this as there is a lot of British-ness goin' on.

Warnings: Talk of drugs and rehab.

I own nothing. Enjoy. ~Lil~

-A Little Inspiration-

Molly stepped out of the hospital and checked her messages before turning to walk down the pavement towards the Tube. She was expecting, well hoping, for a message or a text from Ted her date from last night. There hadn't exactly been fireworks, but she was staying positive. She was about two blocks from Barts when she spotted Sherlock Holmes, himself, the great git.

He'd been avoiding her since his overdose, four months prior and she couldn't say that she was surprised. Greg had been by, and so had John to 'gather' information about the bodies that had come in. Evidently he was still working with the Met. That actually gave Molly some measure of comfort, made things seem normal in the face of his utter fuckery. The fact that he was keeping away from Barts spoke volumes about how much he didn't want to face her wrath.

She was about to turn and walk the other direction when a tramp walked up to Sherlock and they started speaking to each other. After a few seconds the detective took some money out and handed it to him. The man then passed something small and white to Sherlock who immediately shoved the item into his pocket, without looking at it.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Molly said out loud. "That stupid son of a bitch." She marched toward the pair, who were still in deep conversation.

"Sherlock Holmes!" she bellowed as she approached.

He and his companion looked at her with wide eyes.

"Go, just go," Sherlock quickly instructed the homeless man.

But Molly grabbed the man by his elbow. "No! You'll stay right where you are." Oddly, the man complied. Since he didn't attempt to break free, she turned her attention back to Sherlock. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He smiled. Completely fake. She knew that smile all too well. "Ah, Molly. Don't you look..." His eyes scanned her face as the fake smile fell away. "...incredibly angry."

"You're damn right I'm angry. You're caught! Red-handed, actually red-handed! I can't believe this. John said you were doing so well. I knew less than a month in rehab wasn't enough! Do you ever think of anyone but yourself?" Her grip on the stranger tightened.

"You're hurtin' me miss..."

She looked at him. "Oh shut up!"

"Molly, I assure you..."

"Oh let me guess, it's not what it looks like? Oh for Christ's sake, Sherlock, I just saw the whole thing!" She stepped closer pulling the man with her. "I know you think the rest of us are a bunch of morons, but I can observe too!"

"Mr. 'Olmes?" the tramp whined.

"Molly, let Billy go. I'm afraid you're scaring him."

"Yeah, and hurtin' me!"

"I'll let him go when you hand me what's in your pocket, Sherlock. I can't believe after..."

"Miss, I didn't give 'im no drugs."

"Sure you didn't!" Molly snapped.

"No really, I didn't. I'm his sober sponsor. I'd never help Mr. 'Olmes get drugs," Billy explained.

Molly dropped her hand. "What?" Then she suddenly recognized him. "You're the boy from the lab- that day..."

"Yes ma'am." He nodded his head as he rubbed his elbow. "You got some angry friends, Shezza."

"You were high too."

"Clean for a year." He beamed.

She looked at Sherlock. He was biting his lip and avoiding her eyes. "His sponsor? Like..."

"I just check in on 'im. See if he's doin' okay. That sorta thing."

"B-but I saw him hand you money."

"Well, I'm part of his network, ain't I? Run errands and such." He cut his eyes to Sherlock then back to Molly. "Keep a watch on, ah,... important people." Another beat passed. "Also I'm his protégé."

"No you're not," Sherlock said with a roll of his eyes.

Molly watched the exchange, carefully. "What did you hand to him then?" Even though she was starting to believe the man she still needed proof.

No one spoke. It seemed that she'd found the limit of what Billy was willing to share. Turning to Sherlock she asked, "What's in your pocket?"

He looked at Billy. "I'll see you later."

The man, seemingly happy to be dismissed, turned and nearly sprinted away.

"Molly..."

"No. After everything, I won't believe you until you show me what he gave you."

He turned to leave, but she followed. "What are you hiding, Sherlock? I swear to God I'll call John. I'll call... I'll call your brother!"

Sherlock stopped so abruptly that Molly nearly crashed into his back. He stood still for a moment then turned to her. "I... it's not..." He took a deep breath puffing his cheeks out in the process. If she wasn't still so upset, she would have thought that he looked adorable (okay, maybe she thought it anyway.) He looked around the busy street then finally back to her. "It's... personal. Is that enough?"

Molly shook her head. "Of course it's not enough, you great ponce. You nearly died four months ago! And now you're acting all..." She stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. It was, well, it was peculiar. He to managed to look both vulnerable and mischievous (or was that guilty?) at the same time. There was something more though, if she didn't know better she'd call it heartbreak, "Sherlock, what the hell's going on?"

Avoiding her eyes he said, "I, ah, it really is personal. Just a thing that Billy... does." He flicked his eyes to her for a split second. "Let me just say that I am sorry... for everything. And it was nice to see you again. Though I wish it was under better circumstances."

He turned to go and she had decided to let him. He seemed so lost for a moment. But he turned back and looked at her intensely, then smiled. It was sad, but warm. She suddenly remembered the day they'd solved crimes together, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Molly, may I ask you for something?" He spoke quietly and deliberately.

She nodded.

He licked his lips and fiddled nervously with his coat sleeve. "Um, can I have a... hug?"

Oh dear God, she thought, as worry bloomed once again. "Why? Sherlock, what's going on?"

He just shook his head. "Nothing's going on, per se. It's just..." He took a deep breath. "It's just that this is actually quite hard." He laughed.

She stepped closer. "Oh, Sherlock... I can't imagine. But you've got so many people who care about you. You'll beat this. I know you will."

Staring into her eyes he said, "No Molly. I wasn't talking about that."

"What are you talking about then?"

He stared a moment longer then said, "What about that hug?"

As she closed the distance she decided to throw caution to the wind and put her arms inside his coat holding him through his suit jacket. She felt Sherlock's arms wrap tightly around her and his head lower until it rested on top of hers. He was mumbling against her hair, but she couldn't make out what he was saying and didn't have the heart to ask.

Finally he pulled back and immediately looked away. "Well, I'd better be..." He turned back and smiled at her. "You... Molly Hooper, you take care of yourself." Then he walked away.

She watched him for a moment before she realised that she was crying. "What the hell was that?" she said to no one in particular.

"Miss?"

She turned around to see Billy once again. "Oh, hello. You're still here?"

"Yeah, I'm always here."

"What?"

"He'll kill me... or worse," he said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry?"

He looked down at the pavement then back at Molly. "I'm your... shadow, Dr. 'Ooper."

"My..."

"I follow you. Make sure you're safe. Then report back to 'Olmes, tell 'im what you're doin'- how you're doin'. If you've had a... date," he explained.

"Why...?"

He smiled. "Well, I'm no expert, miss. But I have my theories."

"But... I don't..."

"The way I see it, Mr. 'Olmes is a complicated man and he probably don't think he's good enough for you 'specially not now."

She was sobbing by this point. "But... this doesn't make any s-sense."

"Yeah," He laughed. "He doesn't much, does he? He's headin' home right now, you know. Been a rough couple of days for 'im, see. And I'm sorta worried. It'd be a be doin' me a big favor if you could go check on 'im for me."

Sherlock managed to make it to Baker Street before the joy of the hug turn into something else altogether. As he barged through the door, completely ignoring Mrs. Hudson's queries as to his well-being, his mind was overrun with the myriad of reasons why he shouldn't have hugged Molly Hooper. What the hell was I thinking?

'That was the opposite of keeping your distance, Holmes,' he heard a voice echo in his head. The voice, sounded like Molly's only slightly masculine.

He ripped off his Belstaff, tossing it onto the settee, then started pacing.

This was a just a bad day. He tried to cut himself some slack, he'd been doing quite well with the controlled dosage of Molly he allowed himself. Molly wasn't coke, she wasn't heroin, so he couldn't quite go cold turkey. He'd decided to ween off of her gradually. Letting Billy feed him information seemed to keep the cravings at bay. But today... first finding out how well her date had gone, then getting caught with his informant and the hug... "Damnit!" he cursed as he continued to pace. He jerked up his sleeve, considering adding another patch. No, no- I promised John I'd only use one at a time.

Suddenly he remembered Billy's note and pulled it out hoping for a distraction. "What? Damnit Billy!"

"What's on the paper, Sherlock?"

Looking up, he found Molly Hooper standing in his doorway. How did I forget to close the door? he wondered. "Um, it doesn't matter. It's..." he looked back down at the paper.

She slowly crossed the room. "May I see it? Please?"

He very reluctantly gave up the slip of paper then turned away to face the mantel.

"Why does this have my name on it?" he heard from behind him.

"Because Billy Wiggins has impeccable timing," he answered as he crossed over to his desk and opened a drawer. Molly appeared next to him a moment later. He pulled out a couple dozen scraps of paper, tossed them on the desktop then left her to go through them.

He watched her through the corner of his eye as she read Billy's notes. She eventually sat down as she continued her study, giggling occasionally. When she laughed enthusiastically knew exactly which one she was reading. She sniffled a couple of times as well. Molly, so sentimental.

"Really? A bible verse?" she asked as she finished turning her attention to him.

"Yes, well he's not always original," he said as he sat down in his chair.

"Inspirational quotes, reasons to stay clean, plans for your future and a dirty limerick? You've got quite a sponsor there, Sherlock."

"Perhaps I've ask too much of him," he said not making eye contact.

"How'd that happen, by the way? Billy I mean."

He sighed. "You should've seen the idiot they assigned me. Made Anderson look like Stephen Hawking."

Molly laughed. That was the second time since she'd entered his flat. He really wasn't sure how more he could take.

"So I deduced him and sent him on his way. Then realised..." He paused. "That they were right. I did need someone who had been through this... thing. I asked Billy and you know the rest," he said, his head down, eyes directed at the floor.

She got up and walked over to him and then knelt down at his feet, forcing him to look at her. "Why did he give you one with my name on it?"

Control the dosage. "You'll have to ask him."

"I'm asking you."

He tried to look away, he really did. But it had been months since he'd really studied her. God how he missed it. She looked tired and sad, but there was something else in Molly Hooper's eyes. It was something he hadn't felt in a very long time. It was something he rarely ever felt in fact. It was terrifyingly beautiful. It was hope.

"I've kept my distance, Molly."

"But you had Billy follow me. Sends a girl mixed messages," she said with a smile.

"Please don't smile at me like that."

She took both of his hands in hers. "Sherlock, I know you're still healing, but you're not alone and you don't have to keep your distance."

"I do."

"Why?"

"Because, Molly," He reached up and cupped her face with one hand. "I've abused you, your trust, your friendship. Because we both know that I don't deserve you. No matter how much I want you. And the more I'm around you, the more I... want." As his thumb traveled over her cheekbone he felt her shudder and watched as she flushed. It made his chest ache to know that he'd never get the chance to find the end of that blush. His hand returned to his lap.

Her eyes filled with tears as she laughed. "Oh, you silly man." She pulled him down by his lapels and he suddenly found himself being kissed by Molly Hooper.

The dosage was too high, and he knew it.

She broke the kiss before it got too intense... thank God.

"Sherlock Holmes, what you deserve is happiness. Whether it's with me or with someone else or with no one at all. Whatever makes you happy, so long as it's not drugs," she added, attempting to look stern. "But if you don't forgive yourself you'll never get past this and move on to the next step." She moved her hands to his face. "I forgive you and I love you. I always will. What you choose to do with that love has always been completely in your hands." She kissed his cheek then stood up. "I'm not a drug, Sherlock, I'm your friend. But I could be so much more."

As she turned to leave he stood up. "Molly..." he whispered not wanting her to go.

She turned right back around..

"I really thought it was for the best."

"You always think you know more than everyone else." Taking his hand in her she said, "Sometimes being wrong can be a good thing."

He couldn't help smiling at that. "I'm still me, you know. I'll never be..."

"Shhh! I know you. I see you, remember? How about we take this one day at a time, yeah?"

He nodded. "One day at a time? They said that in rehab. It was something I didn't delete, for some reason."

She reached up and brushed his hair off of his forehead. "Starting now?" she asked.

"Right now," he answered, then he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Yeah, in my head Billy Wiggins ships these two so bloody hard... lol. Thank so much for reading. I'd love to hear from you. ~Lil~