Hey, I'm back again with another instalment. Hope your summer is going as well as mine and I hope you're all enjoying the pictures of Benedict coming out of the London Comic-con. I so wish I was there, he looks to be on top form and very handsome.

Chapter 11

Molly sighed as she listened to Sherlock telling John that he didn't want a relationship with her. She'd already known it but hearing the words still stung. And it wasn't helping that she was still struggling not only with the breast-feeding but also with her hormones which still had her lusting after Sherlock on a daily basis. A few days later she'd blushingly mentioned it to the midwife during one of her visits, when Sherlock was thankfully out, and the motherly, middle-aged woman had just laughed.

'Oh my dear you aren't the first new mum to mention that to me. Some women have actually begged to be signed out of hospital early so they can get back home and have sex with their partners or husbands. We recommend six weeks but that's normally if there are any complications or even just to take the pressure off some women, so they don't have to worry about sex on top of everything else. But if you feel happy then go for it.'

Molly gave her a weak smile and nodded not really wanting to mention that it wasn't really an option given her non-existent relationship with Sherlock.

As for the breast feeding Molly was gutted that she had had to stop in the end. Her nipples had become so painful and cracked and none of the creams or guards had helped, plus little Matty just never seemed to get enough milk and always needed a bottle after. Sherlock had found her crying one day in his front room whilst Matty was sleeping and she had to admit that whilst he hadn't really understood her distress he had just told her to look at it logically rather than emotionally. Matthew needed food first and foremost, and both of them needed sleep and her trying to breastfeed was affecting them both adversely. She knew he was right and she was grateful that he was there supporting her but she still felt as though she'd failed. Once she moved to bottles though it all felt so much easier and Molly felt as though she could start to reclaim her body for herself rather than just as a milking machine.

It wasn't the only supportive thing he did. There had been numerous occasions where Matty had woken in the night for a feed or a change and just as Molly had been blearily starting to wake up to see to him she had heard Sherlock's feet on the stairs. He'd creep into her room using the light bleeding up the stairs from the front room and sneak Matty away. He was often awake until well into the middle of the night and conversely would sleep in some days until almost lunchtime so it seemed to suit them both for him to cover some of the night work and her to do the mornings.

There had been one night however where she had woken at about three in the morning to hear violin music playing downstairs. She could see that Matty was gone and she couldn't help but be curious. She pulled on her dressing gown and snuck her way down the stairs and peered around the doorframe to see Sherlock in his pyjamas and dressing gown wearing John's old baby carrier on his front. Matty was fast asleep against his chest as Sherlock played. The sight was so serene and beautiful that for a moment Molly thought she might actually cry, a lump forming in her throat at her son and the man she loved so much, his father, bonding so perfectly.

She should have known better than to try to sneak up on Sherlock though because he just turned to her and smiled as he carried on playing. She could have listened to him all night but Matty started to stir and grizzle and she'd ended up feeding him whilst Sherlock had made his way to bed. There had been a moment though as she'd been helping him pull Matty from the carrier that their hands had touched and their eyes had met and she could have sworn that there was something in his gaze that she hadn't seen before…love, desire? Her eyes had fallen to his lips and she saw his tongue sweep over them and she'd started to lean into him, wanting to kiss him so much…but then Matty had started crying in earnest and the moment was lost. When Molly looked back on it she felt a little ridiculous. She had obviously misread the signals but she blamed her hormones again, they were all over the place and her frustration and horniness were obviously colouring her judgement.

She hadn't planned on mentioning it to anyone else but she had figured without Mrs Hudson. Sherlock's landlady had been more of a mum to Molly that her own mother who had paid her and the baby a fleeting visit before flying off for a cruise around the Caribbean with her new boyfriend, a man that their family had known for years and that Molly couldn't stand.

So she was grateful for the older woman's help and counsel. Whilst she'd never had children herself Martha had still picked up a lot of experience along the way from helping friends and family and Molly quite often popped down to her flat for a cup of tea and a biscuit, especially when Sherlock was busy meeting clients with John.

It was one such day when the two men were working on a case with Lestrade. Molly had taken Matty down in his carry cot so he could sleep whilst the two women chatted. It had been a particularly bad day for Molly, she knew that Sherlock had caught her daydreaming about him when he'd come out of the bathroom wrapped in nothing but a towel slung low on his hips. She'd been so distracted that she'd carried on pouring milk into her coffee long after it had been filled and he'd actually had to point it out so she didn't cover the work surface in the kitchen. She then been so flustered she'd knocked the cup over and she was still clearing it up as he came out of his bedroom tucking his skin tight shirt into his equally skin tight trousers and the look he'd given her along with a smirk told her he knew exactly what she was thinking. He hadn't of course; he'd probably imagined her thinking of something Jane Austen inspired when in reality her head was filled with images more suited to a Fifty Shades adaptation. She wanted to shag that man to the ends of the earth and back again. She'd had to close her eyes and take a deep breath before fleeing downstairs with Matty.

Mrs Hudson had obviously known something was up as soon as she opened the door but she waited until the baby was settled and the cups of tea were ready before quizzing Molly about it.

'So, come on what did that boy do this morning? You looked ever so flustered when you arrived.'

Molly gave a dry chuckle. 'Oh don't blame him, it wasn't his fault. It's me, it's all me. Maybe I should just go home; I've probably been here too long as it is.'

'Now why ever would you want to do that? Has Sherlock said he doesn't want you here? I mean you're settled, Matty's settled.'

'No, it's nothing like that. I…I just don't think I can live with him any longer. It's too hard.'

The older woman looked at her for a moment and then smiled and nodded her head. 'You're wanting to have sex with him aren't you?'

Molly almost dropped her cup. She should have been used to her directness and insightfulness by now but she still wasn't. 'Mrs Hudson!'

'Now don't you Mrs Hudson me young lady. I've been around more blocks than you've had hot dinners and I've seen this before. My sister was rampant when she had her first, her poor husband didn't know what had hit him. It's the flood of hormones from the pregnancy, the birth…some women go off sex all together and others can get enough and it's obvious you're in the latter group…..so, just tell him.'

Molly laughed out loud this time. 'Don't be daft, he'd run a mile if I asked him for sex, you know he would.'

Martha shrugged. 'I'm not so sure about that. After all, he slept with you once before why not again? And he's not so immune to sex and the human need for it as you might think. I do his washing remember.' She tapped her nose and Molly wrinkled hers up in disgust at what was being implied.

'Still, I can't just ask him…it's too embarrassing and I know he'd just say no.'

'So, don't ask him.'

Molly's eyes widened. 'What exactly are you suggesting?'

'I'm saying seduce him. Do what women have been doing for a millennia; cook his favourite meal, ply him with alcohol and make sure you're wearing something that will get his motor running…umm…I know, have a shower and put on his dressing gown. Me wearing my husband's shirts and dressing gowns always used to get him in the mood and I'll bet you anything Sherlock is the same. He's more human that he knows and he's still just a man.'

Molly frowned and bit her lip as Mrs Hudson poured them both more tea from the pot.

'I don't know, it all sounds too risky.'

'What have you got to lose? If it works then everyone is happy, you more than most and if it doesn't then you can move back to your flat as planned…though I for one would be sorry to see you both go. I tell you what I could look after Matty for you this evening so you have some time alone together. What do you say?'

Molly wanted to go and hide under a rock somewhere and just ignore the problem but somehow Mrs Hudson persuaded her to give it a go and she spent the rest of the day wondering exactly what she was letting herself in for. In the end she just promised herself that she wouldn't try anything if it didn't seem to be working she wasn't going to outright humiliate herself but maybe a small amount of seduction wouldn't hurt. Anyway, she was so damned horny it was worth a try and the small chance of it actually working made it worth the effort.

Our Molly is going on the offensive, any ideas how Sherlock's going to react. I can promise smut and angst in equal measure coming up very soon.

And for those wondering I was surprised how soon I wanted sex myself post pregnancy, though not in the hospital but my cousin was one of those wanting to sign herself out :).