a/n: sorry i was so late with this chapter! I had a serious case of writer's block, but I got through it. I hope you all like the new chapter! I am going to try my best to upload a new chapter by Wednesday, because I have already started writing Chapter 8.
Thanks for all the amazing reviews! I really appreciate your comments and for those who asked on PM, yes I am trying to put some real facts about Benedict and myself into the story.
I love you all, and enjoy this chapter!
Salma xx


I woke up the next morning feeling strangely somewhat calmer. I felt safe sleeping next to Benedict. He was like my knight in shining armour. I turned around to look face Benedict, noticing that he had his arms tightly wrapped around my waist. He's even more beautiful when he'a asleep. he looks like an angel. I took some time to examine his complexion. He had beautifully carved cheekbones, a somewhat pointy nose, and his chin had little stubble on it. I kissed his face, and licked a small part of his stubble. Benedict let out a slight "mmm" in pleasure before his eyes flicked open, showing a beautiful combination of blue and green.

"Good morning." Benedict said smiling tiredly.

"Good morning." I said in response. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes I did. Better than ever actually." Benedict said giving me a kiss on my forehead. "And you?"

"I slept very nicely." I said smiling.

"I had fun last night." Benedict said, bringing me closer to his bare body. He was warm. He enclosed me in his arms, holding me tight.

"I did too. I never thought it would be that good. And the BAFTAs? Wow. It's always been my dream to go. I still can't believe it. Thank you so much." I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"You learn something new everyday. And you are very welcome. I had a lot of fun, and people really seemed to accept you." He grasped my cheek, caressing it. "I really appreciate what you do for me last night. Hearing me out? It was really nice of you. Did you really mean all those things you said?"

"Yes I did, I still do, and I always will. I'm sure it was pretty awkward when the "I love you" thing came out. You didn't have to say it back." I said looking down at my hands.

"It wasn't. Not one bit. I never really understood the feelings I had for you until yesterday. I never really was "in love" with someone before. I didn't know how it felt. But when I was with you, I never wanted you to leave. You said the nicest things to me, and it's greatly amuses me to know that you feel this way about me, even though you barely know me. You made me feel complete when we were at the BAFTAs yesterday. That's how I knew that it was love I was feeling." Benedict said kissing my cheek.

"Really?" I said, trying to hide the tears in my eyes, but it was to no avail when a tear escaped my eye.

"Yes. I love you, Salma." Benedict said smiling, wiping away the tears that fell from my eyes. He loves me. I never thought this day would come. Sometimes it would hit me that I was never going to meet him, or kiss him, let alone hear him say those 3 beautiful words. But here I am now, in his arms, as he wiped away the uncontrollable tears of joy that fell from my eyes.

"I love you, too. I have for a very long time. I feel like I'm dreaming a dream I never want to wake up from. If you told me that I would be hear, in your arms, 2 years ago, I would have called you crazy." I said laughing.

"Is that so?" Benedict asked with a great big smile on his face, pulling me closer.

"Oh yeah. Sometimes I would get this really sad feeling because my mind understood for a moment that I was never going to meet you, kiss you, hold you, or even breathe the same air as you. I actually had a lot of things planned for the day I was going to meet you, but it was just my dirty imagination acting up at the weirdest times." I said laughing as I remembered those sad times where I would cry for 2 hours because I was just a measly fan, just like the thousands of other girls who would vow to do anything to meet their idol.

"Dirty imagination you say?" Benedict said with a low voice. "I like the sound of that."

"Do you now? I just might let it roam free again." I said pushing Benedict flat onto the bed as I climbed onto him.

"I really like the sound of that." Benedict said sitting up while I was still on him.

"I'm sure you do. Do you mind if I take a quick shower?" I asked giving Benedict a swift kiss on his soft, tender lips.

"Not at all. I'll get breakfast started." Benedict said picking me up and setting me down on the bed as he stood up, beautifully naked. I took a moment to stare at the man in front of me. Wow. Is it even legal to be this beautiful? He put on his trousers and turned to look at me. "Enjoying the view?" Benedict said putting his hands on his hips.

"Maybe." I said, feeling a blush creep onto my cheeks. "Ah, ah, ah. I like you naked. Come shower with me. I just might let my imagination take over." I said, winking as I turned to go to the bathroom.

"I'll be right there!" I heard Benedict say behind me.

I turned on the water, and stepped into the relaxing hot water. Just thinking about these past couple of days makes me want to jump up and down. I never thought any of this would actually happen. I remember when I would dream to just breathe the same air as Benedict, and now look at me. I had sex with him, and he told me loved me. I never thought I could have this many feelings for someone. He made me feel happy, like it was only us two on Earth. But then again, this beautiful, carefree man is so fragile and broken. Like he's lost in this world. I didn't even notice I started to cry. It didn't make any sense. He's an amazing actor, and a really nice man, from what I know. Why do people hate him so? I remember reading the article where Benedict spoke about when he was called a "horse faced arsenamed twot" and it pained me to see his expression. He doesn't deserve all this cruelty. I just noticed I was crying. Benedict's hands around my waist interrupted my thoughts.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Benedict asked, kissing away my tears.

"Nothing." I said turning around to hug Benedict. I couldn't control my crying. I remember how it felt to be bullied and called names your whole life. It happened to me, and I don't want him to feel the way I felt.

"Shhhh... it's okay. Talk to me, baby. It's okay, I'm here." Benedict said, soothingly caressing my back, calming me down.

"I understand what it feels like to have people hate you, and look at you in disgust. I was bullied my whole life, and I don't want you to feel the way I felt. You're a beautiful man, a great actor, and you shouldn't let anyone tell you otherwise." I said sobbing into his rock hard chest, hugging him tighter.

"It's okay. You shouldn't have to cry for me. I'll be okay." Benedict said kissing my hair. "Turn around, let me wash you, then we can have a nice breakfast together. Okay?" Benedict asked sweetly. I nodded and I turned around to face the wall. Benedict grabbed a body wash that smelled of heavenly roses, and squirted it on a wash cloth. He gently scrubbed my back, massaging it at the same time. He scrubbed away the sadness that covered me, and gently washed my hair. When he finished, he gave me a soft kiss, and offered me a towel. I felt bad that he washed me, so I decided to return the favour.

"Can I wash you?" I asked shyly.

"Would you?" Benedict asked sweetly. I nodded and I went back into the shower. I grabbed the body wash and the washcloth and he turned around, giving me access to his back. I started from his neck down, slowing massaging his back, like he did to me. I left soft kisses on the places I cleaned. I arrived to his arms, and I saw something I wish I didn't. Little scars around his wrist, some more new than others. A gasp escaped my mouth, and Benedict's eyes darted to mine.

"Do you-" I couldn't even finish my sentence before I started crying. "Why would you do this to yourself?"

"I-I-I" Benedict was at a loss of words. I can't believe it.

"Ben, I-I don't know what to say. Why?" I asked him holding his head in my hands.

"I'm sorry. I-It helped me get through it all. I never wanted you to find out." Benedict said with tears welling up in his eyes.

"Please, please don't do this anymore." I whispered, bringing him into a hug again, holding him tight. He nodded in my arms. "Promise me won't. Please, Benedict."

"Okay, I promise." He whispered. I let go of him, and I looked at him.

"Such a beautiful man. A beautiful and strong man, who's all mine." I said giving him a small smile. "Come. Let's get dressed and have some breakfast." I said holding out my hand to him. He smiled and took it, and we got out of the shower together, hand in hand.

I put on my bra and shirt, when I noticed I didn't have any underwear.

"Benedict, this may sound weird, but may I borrow some underwear? I hate the feeling of wearing dirty underwear." I asked shyly, looking down at my hands.

"Of course you can. That's not weird at all. That's actually really hot." Benedict said winking, and I felt a sweet feeling down there. I walked to what looked like an underwear drawer, luckily it was. I picked a pair of grey Calvin Kleins and I put it on, alongside with my jeans. Benedict finished before me, and he came before and started braiding my hair.

"You look nice in a braid." Benedict said kissing my neck when he finished.

"Thank you." I said with a breathy voice. I turned around to face Benedict. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes. I'll be fine. Things have been going well for me. I've gotten some good roles, I met a beautiful girl who I cherish and adore, everything is good. I promise." Benedict said smiling. I smiled at the compliment. "Thank you for being there for me yesterday and today. They just run away or make fun of me." Benedict said looking deep into my eyes.

"Well, you're in luck, because I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." I told Benedict smiling. Benedict smiled in return, and he took my hand and lead me to the kitchen.


After breakfast, Benedict and I were laying down on the couch together watching Supernatural.

"Let's go for a walk. It's a beautiful day outside." Benedict said.

"Sure, but can we walk over to my house first? I'd like to change into something a bit less formal." I said looking down at the black dress Benedict peeled off me last night.

"Anything for you." Benedict said. We got up and we went put on our shoes and went outside. I look at his garage as we walked out, and I saw a bike.

"You like to ride bikes?" I asked sweetly.

"Yeah. I love to. Why? Would you like to go bike riding instead?" Benedict asked stooping before the garage door. I nodded with a big smile on my face. "But I only have one bike." Benedict said spooking a bit worried.

"It's okay. I have one at home. Take your bike with you, and ill get mine after I change." I said nicely. Benedict smiled and grabbed his bike as I walked through the door, meeting him outside.

When we arrived at my apartment building, I opened the door to find Tom and Lily snuggling in the couch again.

"Hey guys, I'm home. Benedict's here too." I said walking through the door.

"Hey salma! So, how was the date?" lily asked in front of everyone.

"A big surprise. The BAFTAs? Wow it was amazing. I met Martin and Amanda, Lara Pulver, Ben Whishaw, Andrew Scott, and more. Everyone was so nicmeans approving of me. I had a lot of fun." I said, smiling as I looked at Benedict.

"Oh that's nice. Congrats on the awards, Benny." Tom said getting up, giving us both a hug.

"Thanks. Guys, Salma and I are going bike riding, you guys want to come?" Benedict asked politely.

"No, thanks. I'm pretty sore and tired. You guys go ahead. Another time." Lily said smiling.

"Okay, well, Im going to change really quickly. I'll be right back." I walked into my room and I ran to my closet. I already knew what I was going to wear, a floral dress with a jean jacket and black flats. Elegant, yet a bit sporty. I put on my clothes, and I went back out to the living area to find Benedict and Tom laughing together. Benedict looks so happy. Seeing him smile made me smile.

"Hey, what's so funny?" I asked walking over to Lily.

"Oh Tom just told showed us his Chris Hemsworth impression." Lily said laughing.

"Oooh, yeah I've seen that. Spot on impression. By the way, great job on the Coriolanus performance. You were amazing." I said smiling.

"Thank you. It went really well, I'm really proud of it." Tom said smiling.

"Anyway, Salma are you ready?" Benedict asked looking at me.

"Yeah. Are you guys sure you don't want to come?" I asked standing.

"No, you guys go ahead." Lily said.

"Okay, see you later guys." I said opening the door for Benedict and I.


There's nothing better than bike riding in the park on a beautiful sunny day in London. Sunny days is London is rare, so it's good to soak up some sun when the sun is out. Benedict and I went around the park, and we decided to get a hot dog and take a little break.

"It's a beautiful day today." I said smiling.

"Yeah it is, this is fun. I like being with you." Benedict said putting his arm around me.

"I like to see you smile. You have a beautiful smile." I said looking up at him.

"Thank you, but a lot of people think my smile is scary." Benedict said.

"It's not. It's beautiful. Your smile could light of the darkest hole in hell." I said, hugging him. "Stop saying these things about yourself."

"How am I supposed to do that if all I hear is bad things about me?" Benedict said, raising his voice in anger.

"It's not all bad! I'll prove it to you. Let's go to my house, I know a way to prove to you that people do love you." I said taking Benedict's hand. We took our bikes and rode back to my house. When we arrived Lily and Tom were in Lily's room, doing god knows what, so Benedict and I put on bikes near the door and we went into my room. I opened up my computer and I logged onto twitter.

"Wow. An account dedicated to Sherlock Holmes. He should feel honored." Benedict said sitting beside me.

"This isn't the only one. Look." I said typing up Benedict's name into the search bar. When the search results came up, Benedict's face light up. "See?" I started typing out a tweet saying "RT if you love Benedict Cumberbatch just the way he is, and you won't change a thing about him." and I pressed tweet. I went into my mentions, and there was immediately 14 retweets. I scrolled through my interactions and everyone was sending me nice things about my relationship.

"People seem to be really accepting of us, huh." Benedict said smiling, hugging me from behind.

"Yeah. This fandom is actually a lot of calmer and accepting than you might think." I said smiling.

"I can see that." Benedict said. "Give me this, I have an idea." Benedict said taking the computer from me. He went and he posted a tweet saying "Hi everyone, this is Benedict and Salma. We really want to thank you for your acceptance of our relationship. It's heartwarming and sweet. We love you all, and we are going to try our best to keep in touch with you all. xx" and opened up the camera so we can take a picture. He hugged me from behind again and gave me a kiss on the cheek for the picture. He attached it to the tweet and pressed "tweet". I laughed when I saw the immediate reaction from all my twitter friends.

"According to everyone on twitter, i'm a lucky girl." I said smiling. "I told you, people love you and care about you, and they want you to be happy."

"Yeah, I see that. Looks right you were right." Benedict said smiling.

"Pff, I'm always right." I said laughing. Benedict leaned in and gave me a soft kiss. It was sweet and gentle, and it made me melt in his arms. I started to kiss back, making it more passionate until I heard Lily and Tom laughing outside my room. We ignored them and continued. Benedict laid me down onto the bed and deepened the kiss. All of a sudden, Lily bursts into the room.

"Oh, sorry guys. Um, Salma, can I talk you to outside?" Lily asked. I walked outside with her and she showed me her phone. There was a picture of Benedict and his ex girlfriend Olivia.

The headline read: "Are you college sweethearts back together? Star Trek Baddie Benedict Cumberbatch seen kissing Olivia Poulet at the BAFTAs while with new girlfriend!"