Burning Hearts

chapter seven

Molly wasn't sure what she was expecting when she walked through the front door, but what she was greeted with was not it. Sherlock had told her that he would cook dinner, or at least have something waiting for her when she returned from Barts.

She didn't at all think that that would mean Henry on the couch with a pizza box on his lap. "Hi mumma!"

Narrowing her eyes, the first words out of her mouth were "Henry, where's your father?"

"He had a break in the case so said that we could have whatever I wanted for dinner as long as I left him alone to think." Henry grinned, then burped and rubbed his stomach "My tummy hurts mum"

"How much pizza did you eat?" Molly asked, moving into the kitchen to pour him a glass of water.

"All of this" he gestured to the box. Half the pizza was gone.

Molly tutted but knew better the to get angry at Henry for eating so terribly. It was not his fault after all. Sherlock had brought the pizza and then left his supervised to eat it. She then repeated "Where's your dad?"

"In the lab" Henry replied.

The spare room had been turn into a makeshift lab Sherlock shortly after he moved in. It had been a necessity to give Sherlock his own space for his experiments, especially those that got a bit dangerous. The room was a Henry free zone, unless the youngster was in there with his fathers supervision. That didn't happen very often.

Molly knocked on the door gently and entered the lab. She couldn't be that upset at him if what Henry had said was true and a break had been made in the case. Molly was looking forward to the day that the case was broken, being greeted everyday at work by a victim of the slasher was to her idea of fun. Seeing what the strain of this case was doing to the man she loved was not fun either.

Sherlock had his back to the door, facing a large pinboard. He was mumbling to himself, over and over. "Sherlock?"

Sherlock jumped, evidently not having heard her come into the room he then turned to her and pointed at the pin board. "A pattern"

Molly looked at the collection of cuttings and pictures, maps and files that he had pinned with real order onto the board. She couldn't see any patterns in the work, but then again, she was not Sherlock Holmes. Whilst smart, her brain would never work the same way as his.

"I'm sorry Sherlock" Molly muttered, gesturing at the board before them. Sherlock shot her an exasperated glance. She hated it when he would look at her like that.

"The link between the victims" Sherlock explained carefully, trying to keep his tone under control. "Rebecca Elizabeth draper. RED. Featherington, dressed as pop culture character MAGENTA. The hippie at the AQUArium! The staged suicide of a NAVY lieutenant! Colours Molly, they are all linked by colours"

Molly stared at the board in front of her, because she knew that if she was to look at Sherlock, her face would betray her. It all seemed very far reaching. a link of colours between victims. The theory seemed very coincidental.

"There is no such thing as coincidence" Sherlock snapped, reading her mind. "There isn't Molly, this is the connection between the women!"

She continued to stare at the board before her. She knew that she should trust Sherlock. She knew that he was hardly ever wrong, but there was something about all this that seemed half hatched. A plan formed by a desperate man. "So..."

"I know, it doesn't tell us who is next, but its something" Sherlock turned his full attention back to the board.

"Or" Molly whispered to herself "it's nothing"

Sherlock rounded on her, and Molly recoiled. He had a dangerous look in his eyes. And Molly knew that she had crossed a line.

But Sherlock looked hurt more than angry "You don't believe me?"

"You have to admit it is a stretch" Molly began, then scrubbed her handover her face. "Ignore me Sherlock, I am just tired" it was true, after he had left there had been a four car pile up on the motorway that had seen four bodies brought to her lab. She had done four back to back autopsies, five coroner reports, a court meeting to discuss evidence on a previous case, met with Greg about the latest slasher victim and the back up of filing. It had been a busy day and she was exhausted.

"No, Molly, if you have something g to say, then say it" Sherlock challenged. "You think I am Wrong?"

"I think you are getting desparate" Molly admitted softly. "I think that it is a coincidence, a fluke"

"No such thing" Sherlock snapped. "Get out"

Molly sighed. She guess she deserved that. She was dating Sherlock Holmes, the worlds only consulting man child. And she did just insult his work. It was a low blow, but she didn't want him getting carried away on a theory with such little evidence. It would kill him and his credibility as a detective if he was wrong.

"Of all the things I've ever thought of you Molly, I never thought you would be a liar"

Molly paused, hand on the doorknob, and turned back to the stubborn man she loved. "Pardon?"

"Everything you said to me today at Barts, about me being the smartest... Why did you lie?"

"I didn't" Molly responded. "You are the smartest man in London, if not the world Sherlock, which is why I also shocked that you're not seeing how ridiculous this all looks from the outside"

"Rediculous? You think my work is ridiculous" Sherlock muttered "I am helping people!"

"Maybe there is another theory!"

"Really, what is it then, Doctor Hooper!" Sherlock spat. "Because I have been working on this for days, and this is the first thing that I have come up with! What's the alternative, Doctor Hooper, what does your tiny little brain think is a less coincidental explanation of all this. Enlighten me, I am all ears."

Molly swallowed. The most insulting part of that whole rant had been the way he had spat her name. Doctor Hooper. Sherlock had a way of making her feel as though her medical degree, everything she had worked towards in her life was nothing. Discouraged by the feeling and on the verge of tears, Molly merely said "When was the last time you slept Sherlock"

"Don't change the subject" Sherlock roared, and this time Molly did back up, hitting the door behind her. That dangerous look was back in the consulting detectives eyes. That burn in his gaze ignited something in her, and Molly knew she was not going to let him get away without a a fight.

0o0

Henry hit the mute button the the television when he heard screaming from his dad's lab. His father's raised voice had sounded, and then a few seconds later, he heard his mother. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but it was loud and seemed scary.

His parents never fought. Not really. They had disagreements and silly little arguements, but they always ended within an hour with his dad apologising and kissing his mum until they raced each other to the bedroom. He had only ever heard his parents raise their voice at each other once, and that time his dad had had to sleep on the couch for two whole weeks.

His mummy and daddy loved each other a lot. But right now, they didn't sound like they did.

Henry stood and moved to the hallway that lead to the lab. He was going to go and make them stop fighting. To tell them that they were being silly. That they loved each other and that dad should just apologise for whatever he said and then they should go to bed.

Two things happened at once. The fighting in the lab hit a crashing crescendo, and a phone in the kitchen, his mothers phone, began ringing.

Sensing it was not the time to interrupt his arguing parents, Henry went to his mothers ringing phone and picked it up. The picture on the caller ID showed that it was his uncle John calling. Henry hit the green accept button quickly.

"Hi uncle John" Henry said into the phone.

"Henry!" John seemed shocked, but continued "Hey buddy, where's you parents?"

"In the other room screaming at each other" Henry said sadly, looking over his shoulder to the spare room. "Really loud uncle John!"

John sighed into the phone before muttering a swear word. "They're fighting? What about?"

"I don't know" Henry admitted, he still couldn't hear the particulars of the arguement that was taking place. "Why'd you call uncle John?"

"Aunt Mary is about to have the baby" the voice on the other end of the line grinned. Henry smiled a little himself. "She needs your mother here"

Henry looked at the door to his dads lab. There was no screaming coming from the room anymore, but there was no other sound either. "I'll tell them"

John then added "tell your dad I need him here too. For support. I'm organising Ali to come watch you"

Henry grinned. Ali was coming to stay with him for the night. That was the best news. "I'll tell them uncle John"

And with that he hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and made his way to the door of the spare room.

0o0

Sherlock was seething with anger. There Molly stood, the woman who was suppose to love him unconditionally, telling him that she did not believe in him.

Molly was seething with anger. There Sherlock stood, the man who was suppose to be one of the smartest of his age, angry that she did not believe some far out interpretation of the facts.

It was a stalemate that seemed to have no end.

A knock at the door interrupted their staring competition.

"Go away!" Sherlock bellowed.

"Sherlock!" Molly said, outraged. "It's probably Henry!"

Sherlock turned his back on his girlfriend, opting to move things around the desk in front of him while she walked to the door and opened it a crack. She was right, Henry was on the other side of the door, staring up at her with weary eyes.

"Uncle John just called" Henry started, looking past his mum to where his dad stood. He wanted to know what they had fought about. "Aunt Mary is having the baby."

Molly looked over his shoulder at Sherlock. The consulting detective had turned, taking in the information.

"He asked that you both to get to the hospital as soon as possible because he is not sure he can do this without you"

Molly nodded and left the lab without further instruction. She was Mary's birthing partner so it was important that she get to the hospital as quickly as possible. Sherlock stood in the doorway and watched as she pulled on her coat.

"Ali will be here soon" Molly announced. Getting Ali to babysit Henry was part of the official birthing plan so that both she and Sherlock could get straight to the hospital. "You wait here with Henry. I am going ahead."

Without so much as a goodbye, Molly left the house, shutting the door with a little more force then was necessary.

Sherlock sighed and stormed out of the lab, gently pushing Henry from where he had been blocking the path. When Sherlock made his way towards the living room, Henry followed behind him. Forever his father's shadow, when Sherlock sat, Henry sat too.

Fingers steepled in front of his face, Henry interrupted his fathers thoughts.

"What did you do this time?"

"What makes you..." He began angrily, then calmed. Henry had not intended malice. "What makes you this it was my fault"

Henry shrugged "It usually is"

There was silence between the two Holmes men for a few minutes before Henry asked in a tiny, scared voice "Are you and mum going to get a divorce?"

"Henry, we're not married..."

"I know" Henry dismissed. "But like, break up I guess. Are you and mum going to break up?"

Sherlock puled his son into his lap, holding him against his chest and tucking him under his chin. He wrapped his arms around the small boys body and clung to him for dear life.

They pair were still locked in their embrace 20 minutes later when Ali arrived.

A\N: hi all. My brother let me use hiss wireless so I thought I would update earlier then eXpected. Does anyone out there update from an iPad? What's the best way to do so because copying and pasting is driving me nuts!

P.S: I am on a massive teen!lock Mystrade kick sat the moment (I really do ship anything!) and was wondering if anyone had any recs?