Hey you guys, I hope that you're all having a fantastic week wherever you are in the world and that you're still staying safe.

So in the last chapter things had fallen apart between our erstwhile lovers…will Mary be able to piece them back together with one of her schemes?

Apologies if I haven't been able to reply to your review…I do try but sometimes life gets in the way and I figure you'd rather I concentrate on writing and posting instead.

Chapter 25

Mary sat rocking Matthew back and forth as Molly told her everything...well almost everything that had happened the night before...she glossed over just how good the sex and the shower had been.

'He proposed...wow, I didn't see that coming.'

Molly sighed. 'Yes, but it wasn't the right kind of proposal.'

Mary nodded. 'No, I get that. But still...it's more than I expected. Well done Mycroft.'

Molly looked at her friend feeling angry and confused. 'There's no well done here Mary, we've been stupid...I've been stupid. I let myself do the one thing I shouldn't...I had hope. He was never going to love me; it was all just sex...nothing more.'

Mary shook her head. 'Oh no, that's where you are wrong. He's completely in love with you, I see that now...he just hasn't let himself give in to it but you moving out is perfect. It won't be long before the penny drops. I give him two weeks...any longer and we'll just have to give him a nudge. Listen, try not to spend too much time with him. If he sees Matthew make sure you're busy doing something else. Let him miss you. I'll get John to tell me how he's coping and we can keep in touch.'

Molly felt a wave of despair wash over her. 'Please Mary, stop doing this. It's not right.'

Her friend leant forward, careful not to jostle Matthew too much as she took hold of Molly's arm. 'Trust me Molly, don't give up now.'

'Shouldn't I want a guy who knows absolutely how he feels about me...not be chasing one who may or may not have feelings?'

'Believe me, when Sherlock finally gives in he will fall and fall hard. You will be in no doubt about how he feels. It was never going to be straightforward though because Sherlock isn't a straightforward kind of guy...and that's why you love him, so suck it up Hooper.'

Molly laughed at this. She had to admit that Mary was making her feel better about this whole situation. And to be honest, it couldn't get any worse. Maybe avoiding Sherlock would be a good thing...she needed some separation from him.

It wasn't easy though, Sherlock was round at her flat the next day to see how Matthew was settling in. She left the two of them alone with the excuse that she needed to pop to the shops to get some food. The next time she needed to sort out some laundry.

She dropped Matthew off at Baker St the following week when she went into Barts for a 'Keep in Touch' day that HR had set up for her and she even left him with Sherlock overnight for the first time the weekend after.

Mary was giving her regular reports from John but as far as Molly could deduce he didn't seem to be suffering that much...but that was where she was wrong.

SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH

Sherlock was putting on a brave face but a couple of weeks after Molly and Matthew had left he felt as if he was falling apart. He'd initially tried to put his feelings down to being separated from his son but the more he had spent time with him the more it was becoming obvious that that wasn't the case and the hole that had opened up inside of him was still there and getting worse.

There were whole evenings where he sat in his chair with his knees up and his arms wrapped around his legs as he endeavoured to physically hold himself together. It was a pain he could only liken to that which he felt in the first few days of rehab from drug use. This time he tried to tell himself that it was a reaction to the loss of sex...maybe he'd developed a new addiction. He even went so far as to consider engaging a prostitute but aside from his moral objections the thought just filled him with revulsion. It wasn't sex that he was missing, it wasn't Matthew, it was Molly...his Molly.

He ached to see her...to spend time with her but every time he tried to engineer for them to be together she seemed to slip through his fingers. Her excuses were flimsy at most but it was obvious that whilst she didn't stop him from seeing his son she was avoiding him.

Still he didn't act; he tried to carry on telling himself that he was better off alone...that she was better off without him. She deserved a good man and he wasn't that. She deserved someone who could love her properly not someone who barely even knew what love was.

Each day he forced himself to get up, to get showered, to get dressed and to be Sherlock Holmes but each day it was getting harder and harder.

It was only going to be a matter of time before the facade broke...he knew it...he just didn't know what to do about it.

'Are you alright?'

Sherlock looked up to find John sat in front of him in the chair opposite his own.

He frowned and looked around.

'What time is it?'

John glanced at his watch. 'It's ten am. How long have you been sat like that? Weren't you wearing those clothes yesterday?'

It was only as Sherlock relaxed his grip on his arms and legs that he realised how stiff he was...had he been sat like that all night...he couldn't quite remember.

'Listen Sherlock, something's been bothering you for the last couple of weeks, I know it has so don't even bother trying to tell me it hasn't. I'm your best friend, maybe I could help, but you need to tell me what's wrong.'

Sherlock took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Maybe John was right...he wasn't getting anywhere by himself and maybe his lightening rod could help him see more clearly.

'I...I haven't felt myself since Molly and Matthew left. I put it down to missing my son but the feeling…it's still there even when I'm with him.'

John flattened his lips together. 'OK, so it's Molly that you're missing then?'

Sherlock huffed. 'Yes but I don't know why. I thought maybe it was sex I was missing but I don't want to have sex with anyone else...so it's not that. Plus, she's avoiding me. Every time I go round to see her and Matthew she leaves us alone together.'

'So, what does that tell you?'

Sherlock banged the arms of his chair. 'That's just it John, I don't know.'

His friend tilted his head to one side and took his time before he answered.

'Bollocks!'

At that Sherlock looked up in shock and his friend continued.

'You're a bloody genius Sherlock, as you never fail to remind me, and even though you miss things this is too obvious to miss or to misunderstand. I think, and I'm sure you know, that you've developed feelings for her. It wouldn't be that surprising given how much time you've spent together and how intimate you've been.'

'Well then, how do I get rid of them?'

John let out a wry chuckle. 'I'm not sure you can.'

'How do I know how serious this is? I mean maybe they will go if I give it enough time.'

The older man shrugged. 'Maybe. I suppose you could get an idea for how it's progressing. Are you feeling better or worse the longer you're apart?'

'Worse...definitely worse.'

'Well then, I think you're done for. I rather suspect Sherlock that you're in love with Molly Hooper and denying it is only going to make you feel worse. Come on, from what I heard you were prepared to marry her, so why would being in love be that much of a problem?'

Sherlock could feel himself wincing each time his friend said the word "love". He'd always assumed it wasn't something he was capable of...he'd prided himself on it. He told John as much but then had to listen as he friend laughed at him.

John leant forward and put a hand on his friend's knee. 'Listen, Sherlock, do yourself a favour and get used to the idea. And do it sooner rather than later, Molly isn't going to wait for you forever...I'm fact between you and me I know that she's had interest from another person. Could you live with yourself if she ended up with someone else?'

Sherlock swallowed heavily as he felt a physical stab of pain through his gut. He tried to picture Molly with another man but his mind seemed to shy away from the image.

It felt like a moment later when he heard John saying his name.

'Sherlock...Listen, you're obviously not in the mood today and I've got a locum job I can pick up so I'll leave you to it. I'll catch up with you after the weekend. Just...just give what I said some thought...OK?'

Sherlock nodded his head and as John left the room he brought his knees back up to his chest hugged them close...keeping his body from falling apart.

SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH

Sherlock hadn't been out or solved any cases since John had left a couple of days earlier and he felt as though his life was spiralling out of control. On top of that he was aching to see his son and to that end he messaged Molly to see if he could have him for the weekend. The trouble was when her reply came through it didn't help much.

Hi Sherlock, actually you having Matthew on Friday would be perfect. I have a date and was in need of someone to look after him. I'll drop him around about 6.30pm if that's OK. Molly x

He felt his lips pull back from his teeth in a kind of grimace as he read the text and in a fit of anger he launched his phone across the room. His brain felt as if there were ants crawling over it as his mind cycled through images of Molly with Tom, Molly with Moriarty, Molly's face as she came, calling his name. For the first time he started to really acknowledge his feelings for her. Jealousy tasted like bile in the back of his throat and he knew he needed to do something...to say something...he just wasn't sure what or how.

To make matters worse he finally got a case worth leaving his flat for the day before Molly was due around and it took up most of his waking hours as he desperately worked to solve it before she arrived.

They finally managed to arrest the murderer at six o'clock and Sherlock ran out of Scotland Yard hailing a cab even as his phone pinged with an incoming message.

Hi Sherlock, I had to drop Matthew off early in the end. He's with Mrs Hudson so you can collect him from her when you get home. I'll message tomorrow and we can see when's best for me to pick him up. You can always have him until Sunday if you want. Molly x

Sherlock's mouth set in a hard line and he swore under his breath. He saw the cab drivers eyes flick up to the rear view mirror to watch him momentarily but luckily for him he didn't say anything; Sherlock was in no mood for small talk.

As they pulled up to Baker St he paid and made his way through the house and into Mrs Hudson's living room where he found her getting ready for a night out whilst Matthew slept in his car seat.

'Oh good you're here. I was a bit worried I was going to be late for my date.'

'Wouldn't matter if you were, this one isn't worthy of your time.'

His landlady chuckled. 'Oh get on with you, you always say that.'

As he picked his son up he raised his eyebrows at her and smirked. 'And I'm always right.'

He leant into his son and kissed his cheek and smiled. 'Hey baby, daddy's here now so you don't have to listen to anymore witterings from Mrs H.'

He felt her lightly punch his arm and he bent and kissed her on the cheek as well. 'Thank you for minding him, I'd wish you luck for tonight but you won't need it. You'll have him eating out of your hand soon enough, then you'll get bored, and this time next month you'll have moved on to someone new.'

He could still hear her chuckling as he carried Matthew upstairs chatting as they went.

'She's not the only person going on a date tonight. Your naughty mummy is doing the same...god knows who with.'

He felt that hole inside him opening up again and as he walked his son up and down the front room he found that whilst his son soon nodded back off to sleep he himself just couldn't settle.

'Dammit, why am I letting her do this?' He felt his son jolt back awake on hearing his angry tone and he kissed the top of his head and rocked him as he walked. 'I should have realised...I should have told her how I felt. Is it too late? It's not too late...it can't be too late.'

He hurried back downstairs to collect his son's car seat from Mrs Hudson's flat before she left. His mind was made up. He needed to get to Molly before she went on this date. In fact he had fully decided that he never wanted her to date anyone but him ever again!

Hooray, so it seems that the penny has finally dropped. He fought it…maybe for too long…will Molly have moved on? Sorry, that was probably a stupid question to ask. What should he do and what should she say?