Epilogue: Six Months Later

It hadn't been easy, finding their way back to one another, but neither Molly nor Sherlock were the type to back down from a challenge. And oh what a challenge it had been; harsh words had been exchanged, accusations and counter-accusations flung down, but in the end, they'd each been able to acknowledge the missteps that had led them to the brink of ruination - and to find forgiveness with one another.

Molly smiled to herself as she felt Sherlock slip back into bed, carefully tucking himself around her and holding her close. "You weren't supposed to wake up," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss against the back of her neck. "You were supposed to keep sleeping and not even know I'd been gone, so you could recover from our trip here."

"Hard to miss the comm chime, even if you did have it muted," she replied with a sleepy stretch. Rolling onto her back, she gazed over at him. "Does this means you'll be rushing back to Earth for a case?" She couldn't help the pang of sadness in her voice as she asked the question; they'd only just arrived on Vulcan and were supposed to stay a week.

He shook his head. "Solved it over the comm," he replied with that cocky grin she knew and loved - when she wasn't itching to slap it off his face, of course. "Barely worth getting out of bed for, but I owed Lestrade a favor. At least that's out of the way now." His smile this time was a slow uncurling of the lips, heavy with promise. "So we can get back to our sex holiday without further interruptions."

She giggled, then giggled even harder at the mock-scowl he graced her with. "Sorry, but honestly, Sherlock - sex holiday? Why can't you just call it a second honeymoon like anyone else?"

"Because there is neither honey nor a moon involved," he pointed out - logically, of course. "Vulcan has neither bees nor moons and I am really not interested in talking about it anymore." He pulled her close and kissed her, tugging her body so that she sprawled over his naked form.

"Well, if you're sure you don't need more sleep…"

"Sleep is boring," he said dismissively as he cupped her breasts. "I've had more than enough sleep, but not nearly enough this." He moved his hands and replaced them with his mouth, suckling and teasing her while she moaned and dug her fingers into the pillow above his head.

They'd made love only once since Molly had saved his life and temporarily lost his trust in her, and that had been an urgent, angry session against the door to their flat. The half-Betazoid marriage counselor they'd been seeing had recommended taking it slowly, not trying to force their former intimacy back into existence but rather, allowing it to blossom naturally over time. Their late arrival after their commercial shuttle flight had developed engine difficulties had left them both far too knackered to do more than strip down and fall into bed after checking into the Vulcan version of a hotel...but now it was morning and they'd gotten enough sleep and were both naked and Sherlock was kissing her and ohhh, bliss, moving down her body with a definite destination in mind.

As soon as she felt his lips and tongue on her sex Molly shuddered and gave a soundless cry of pleasure; it had been far, far too long since he'd pleasured her this way, and her orgasm was embarrassingly quick in coming. Sherlock didn't seem to mind, judging by the smug grin he gave her before diving back down again, barely giving her time to recover.

After he'd turned her into a boneless, moaning mess with his mouth, he hiked himself onto his knees so that he knelt over her, lips and tongue on her breasts while his clever, talented fingers pressed deep inside her. She reached between his legs and grasped his erection, sliding her hands up and down until he groaned and nipped at her, then blindly moved his head up to trade a series of sloppy, urgent kisses with her. She released him with one hand, pressing against his back until he lowered himself over her; as soon as he pulled his fingers free, she guided him inside her, holding tightly to him with her legs and arms as he began moving against her.

One of the things that had kept them from making love had been their mutual worries about Khan: would his spectre rise between them as it had during their first time, when Sherlock had still be furious and deliberately fucked her in a similar position? Was he still worried (not that he'd even come close to admitting that, ever) that she might be comparing the two of them?

As they moved together Sherlock kissed her, sliding his lips over to her ear and nipping sharply on the lobe. "Stop thinking so loudly," he growled. "I'm not going to ever let that bastard come between us again, physically or emotionally, and neither should you." He gave a hard thrust of his hips, leaving Molly gasping with desire. "Are you thinking about him? Are you making comparisons?"

He didn't sound worried; far from it, he asked the questions with a certain arrogance, and the glint in his eyes told her that he already knew the answer before she even opened her mouth.

"No," she said anyway, confirming it for both of them. "Never."

And with that response they gave themselves over entirely to their mutual passion, soon crying out their mutual completion. As they lay together afterwards, tangled in one another's arms, Molly was more than contented. "I love you," she said as Sherlock dropped soft kisses on her forehead.

"Mm, yes, me too, I love you too," he replied sleepily, cuddling her closer so that the top of her head rested beneath his chin. His breathing started to even out, and Molly tugged the covers up a bit higher, closing her eyes with a contented sigh.

Their love had been tested, but now they knew they could survive anything life threw at them, and come out all the stronger for it. Khan and the actions he'd forced her into were finally relegated to the past, where they belonged, never to be referred to again.


A/N: So we reach the end. I hope everyone enjoyed the ride and the ending. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing!