It should have been like waking from a dream. Only months before, he would have felt that way. Now, it was like being pulled into a nightmare. He fingered where the ring should have been on his hand. There wasn't even a tan line where it had been. There was no sign any of it had ever happened. He knew there wouldn't be, but he kept walking through the flat searching. There must be one of Ian's toys, Sophie's child sized violin, and a lipstick tube Molly left lying. Anything. He needed some small piece of that life to hang on to or he was going to lose his mind.

"Why do people have to lose something to know how important it is?" He moaned, but of course no answer came. Molly and the children weren't there, never would be there. He sat there, not moving until well after sunrise. He looked at his phone, and saw it was only the morning after he'd met Craig. By now Molly was- actually he didn't know when her flight was. She was probably at the airport by now. He didn't know if he could catch her there or not. Even if he could, what would it change? She was engaged, soon to be married. He couldn't just expect her to call it off and stay with him.

And yet- he couldn't just let her walk out of his life. He had to try, or at least talk to her. He dialed her number, but it went straight to voicemail. He didn't even know when her flight was, or if she was leaving from Heathrow, Gatewick, or one of the smaller airports. Still there were ways to find out quickly. He realized just how desperate he was as he dialed Mycroft.

"Brother? I expect you must need help of some kind to willingly call me?" Mycroft said as he answered. Sherlock swallowed his pride.

"I need you to find out what flight Molly Hooper is taking to America."

There was a pause before Mycroft responded.

"You know better than to give into sentiment, brother. Are you sure of this?"

"I know what I'm doing, and believe me this is one time I don't care what hurt giving into sentiment brings." He already knew what pain it would be to not give into it. A few long seconds later, Mycroft spoke again.

"She's leaving on a flight to New York from Heathrow airport in an hour."

Sherlock hung up without answering, already throwing on his coat and running to catch a cab. The whole way he kept trying her number, and having someone page her. He was unable to get through. Of all days for that to happen! Molly would have already dropped off her luggage, and would likely be going through security by the time he got there, if not before. And why did there have to be so much traffic today? It was a miracle the cabbie didn't throw him out the way he kept complaining about needing to get there faster. When they arrived, Sherlock bolted from the door, catching the hem of his coat and snagging it slightly.

"Hey! You have to pay for your ride you know!" the cabbie shouted after him.

Sherlock took just enough time to throw some money at him. It would be more than enough for the fare. "I've never had good experiences with cabbies anyway!"

Racing through the airport, he spotted Molly just about to go through airport security. He couldn't have crossed without a ticket. He'd made it just in time. She couldn't hear him, so there was no choice but to shout.

"Molly Hooper!"

She turned to look at him, and started to walk over.

"Sherlock? What are you doing here? I told you I'd make all the arrangements at Bart's."

He shook his head. "This has nothing to do with that. Molly, I'm asking you to not get on that plane. Don't marry Tom." What could he say? If he told her he loved her, he doubted she'd believe him. "If you do, you're going to wake up next to him some morning and realize the only reason you ever even looked at him was because he has a passing resemblance to me. I know you're not in love with him. You've been lying to yourself. And when you look at me, I know you're still in love with me."

"Don't. Just don't. I'm marrying Tom. All my things are already on the plane."

"It's not too late to have them taken off." He took a breath. "Molly, I don't want you to leave."

She wasn't believing that.

"I'm not Janine, Sherlock. You don't have to lie and pretend. What do you really need?" She'd still help him, even put off her flight for him. Her tone confirmed her offer of help

"The same thing I needed the first time you asked me that. You." He was talking rapidly now. "Not for a case. Just you being here. I know, I've never shown you just how much you mean to me, Molly. But if you give me the chance now, I'll make it up to you."

The way she stood told him she wasn't sure whether to stay or go, but then she took a step away.

"I'm getting married to Tom, Sherlock. He has to take a later flight, but I'm meeting him in America. We're good together. Is this because you wonder what might have been?" Her voice shook a little. "I've thought of that too, but you know you'd never want a married life. We'll always be friends. We can keep in touch, but you know we'd never be happy together. Not really."

If she only knew. She turned her back on him, but he made one last effort.

"Molly I don't want you to go because I love you."

There, he'd said it. And she'd turned back around. She was listening.

"I do, Molly. I do love you. I want you with me. I told you once you deserve to be happy, and you do. Maybe you'd be happier in America, or with a different man, but not with Tom. Please. Don't marry him just because he looks like me. He isn't what you're looking for. You never were able to judge men very well."

She came closer and took his hand.

"So what does it say about me that I'm still in love with you?"

His breath came a bit short. She still loved him.

"Probably that you're insane, but if that's true we'll be all the better together. You know you can't marry him if you still love me."

She nodded. "I know." She still held his hand. "So, I'd better let him know the engagement is off."

"Maybe-" Sherlock ventured. He'd never thought he'd be proposing. Even still loving him, why would she agree after how he'd treated her? He fingered the string where his coat had been frayed.

Wait- that string that was so important to the Molly in that other world. Sophie had said her father hadn't had time to get a real ring. Maybe that other world wasn't lost to him. Maybe Molly would still agree to be his wife. He tore the string off, wrapping it around and tying it to form a ring. Molly's eyes widened, and he knew she knew what he was thinking.

"I don't know if I'm supposed to get down on one knee or wait a certain amount of time, but when have I ever done anything the way I'm supposed to? Just- now I've admitted I love you and you love me, and we've known each other long enough so do you think we could-" He was stopped by her kissing him, happy tears on her face.

"Is that a yes then?"

"Make a deduction," she told him, laughing happily as they kissed repeatedly. He'd woken from a dream, thrown briefly into a nightmare, but now the dream was here again. Molly Hooper was staying, and as soon as he could arrange it, she'd be Molly Holmes.

AN: I'm so sorry for taking so long. I want to thank all of you who stuck with it. I hope you enjoyed it.