It wasn't until after John and Mary had left, that Molly woke up. Sherlock was still in his seat by her bed, his hand around hers but his mind was far away in his mind palace, working on the Moriarty problem. With a light squeeze of his hand, Molly brought him back to the present, smiling as his eyes readjusted on her.

"You look better." He commented.

"I feel better." Molly nodded "What about you? They did test to make sure you weren't poisoned as well, didn't they?"

"They did a blood test. There were slight traces, but nothing to worry about they said. You on the other hand, got a potentially deadly dose. I should call the doctors back now you're awake, they wanted to some tests to make sure there was no permanent damage." He started to get up, but Molly stilled him with a hand.

"Wait, Sherlock. Can I just have a minute to wake up properly first?" Molly smiled at him.

"Of course." Sherlock sat back down, looking a little awkward. His hands twisted as he looked down at them instead of her. He glanced up at her and took a big breath before looking at his hands again. "Listen, Molly, I was… I was very worried about you when you were under the effects of the poison. And I… I…" his mouth struggled to form the words, until he looked up at her. Then he cracked into a wide smile and chuckled. "I'm sorry, I just can't do it. It's far too cliché."

Molly giggled and shook her head affectionately. "I love you too."

Sherlock nodded, squeezing her hand and reaching up to stroke her face. Before he got there though, he was interrupted by his text tone, and pulled his hand back to retrieve his phone.

"What is it?" Molly asked, seeing him frown as he studied it.

"Mycroft, forwarding me the pictures of the card I had the Hazmat team take." Sherlock told her, not taking his eyes off the phone as he scrolled through pictures. The envelope and the card itself were unremarkable, a standard congratulations card from a newsagent or card shop. The message inside though made his breath catch.

Dearest Molly. Congratulations on securing Sherlock Holmes' heart. May your love burn on forever. Jimxxx.

"What does it say? I mean… not… I know what it says but… it means something doesn't it? What does it mean?" Molly asked, tilting her head to better look at his face.

"It's..." Sherlock took a deep breath and looked up at her. "It's a reminder of a promise he once made to 'burn the heart out of me.' And recognising that you now have that heart." He shuffled closer, laying a hand on her cheek, staring intently into her fearful eyes. "Molly, I know I let you down this time, but I promise I will not let him hurt you again. I'll do whatever it takes." His mind went back to his discussion with John and Mary. Out of Molly's sight he typed a new message for his brother on his phone.

Need you to do some digging for me. Need information of Moriarty's family, anyone still alive and potentially import to him. – SH

"You didn't fail me. You couldn't have seen this coming." Molly reassured him. "I know you'll keep me safe."

Sherlock couldn't meet her eye as he nodded. "I'd better go get the doctor… get those tests done and see about when we can get you home." He stood and this time Molly didn't stop him, watching him go sadly.

He came back with the doctor and stood aside, trying his best to be good as the doctor took Molly through some simple tests to check for any lasting damage. The tests were nearly over when Sherlock got a text back, his phone buzzing in his pocket rather than making a noise as he had silenced it. He discreetly looked at it while Molly was otherwise occupied.

I have people on it, but will bring it over personally. I do hope you're not planning what I suspect you are. – MH

Sherlock slipped the phone back into his pocket, his face perfectly blank.


AN: Sorry, a bit short I know, but just a few bits I felt needed to be covered before moving on to the exciting stuff :p Thanks again to all my readers, I can't believe how many follows and favorites this has had so far. And comments just make my day :)