In the past weeks, Sherlock's track record with cases has surged through the roof and he has achieved international fame again, except this time he was very much alive to witness it. Molly can more quickly and more accurately do her autopsies, helping Scotland Yard's influx of homicides.
Molly received news that Mike Stamford did in fact have cancer, but they caught it extremely early, and he is on a good road to be able to beat it. She was thrilled to tell Sherlock that she had done something so great that she never would have been able to do before if she hadn't become a wolf.
He grins and praises her softly as he embraces her in his arms later that evening. "See? I told you that there were some good benefits of being a werewolf. There's a lot of bad things too, but we have amazing gifts that we can help people with."
She smiles softly and breathes in his scent, and it instantly calms her nerves over the looming full moon. The knowledge of the fact that she will have the solely most painful experience of her lifetime tonight has made her crazy with fear all day. Of course, she is professional enough to put it aside and not let on to anybody that anything is too different or "off" about her.
Sherlock strokes her hair. "It's perfectly alright to be afraid, you know. I can feel your nerves and they only add onto my own. You're pretty scared, aren't you?"
"Yeah...I mean...I didn't ever think that these types of things exist, and then I find out that they do and that you were turned into one, and then I was turned into one, and now I have to figure out all these powers and the fact that I'm going to physically change form tonight in the most excruciating way and so...yes, I'm absolutely terrified, Sherlock. I used to think that possibly childbirth would be the most painful thing I could ever have the fortune to experience, but no. You're saying this is absolutely worse and not only that, but that nobody can know, and we have to just do it in the middle of the woods and be terrified and I-I...I don't know if I can handle this. I can hardly wrap my head around it still." Her brown eyes flash a golden yellow color as her emotions overwhelm her.
Stroking a thumb over her cheek, he looks into her eyes and his eyes glow his electric blue, smiling softly. "You're not alone, you have me with you. I've been through it. No, I won't lie to you...you feel like you'd rather die than go through it all. It hurts like nothing ever will again or has before. But again, I will be there for you. I will probably transition a lot faster than you because I have before, but I'll be there. I won't leave you, not for a second. I promise. I'll see you through it. In human form and in wolf form. I love you. We are a bonded pair now, and you're my soulmate. I would've laughed before if anyone had said something so cliché, but I have been forced into a life where they biologically and emotionally exist. You are that for me, always. For the rest of our lives. So I will never abandon you. I couldn't even if I tried."
Her eyes tear up and she pulls him down for a kiss. He eagerly kisses back, sweeping her off of her feet with his strong arms. Molly giggles lightly and runs her fingers through his soft curls. "My strong wolf."
Sherlock smirks and nuzzles her cheek. "My sweet wolf."
"Almost", Molly blushes, still nervous.
"I wish I could do it for you, spare you all that pain and suffering...I really do. It will kill me to see you like that...but when it's over, it will be so much easier the next time. It still hurts a lot, but it's quick after the first turning. What we need to do is have a good, hearty meal and I'll bring a big ice water canteen. Believe me, you'll need it. Both to drink and to pour over you. Your skin will feel like you are on fire, and not in a sexy way."
Molly nods and takes a deep breath. "Right. I'm going to start dinner then. Take my mind off of it. How does beef stew sound?"
"It sounds delicious. Also, you are lucky it's going to be a chilly night. I wasn't so lucky. It was so hot, on top of feeling as if my skin was on flames."
"Ohh, poor baby", she grins, and then it fades. "I wish I would have known...I wish you didn't have to have been alone. It makes me sad to think of..."
Sherlock hugs her from behind and buries his nose into her neck, breathing her in. "Mmm, I wish you were too, but it's okay. We have each other now, hm?"
Her head leans on his affectionately in agreement, and they stay like that for a bit until Molly begins preparing their dinner.
They were in for another rough night.
Sherlock and Molly walk hand in hand through the park around 11:30pm, as expected, there is nobody around as they enter the adjoining woods. Molly squeezes his hand just a bit tighter, the fear and anticipation making her very nerves tremble within her body. The full moon shines brightly on them and she shudders a bit, the veins in her neck where he had previously bit her all those weeks ago glowing a soft red beneath her skin.
He swallows and kisses her hand, continuing to walk further into the woods where nobody would ever come across them if a lone wanderer had decided to take a late-night stroll. Sherlock stops after some time and chooses a large trunked, study pine tree to sit under. He places her snacks and water near their legs. Molly is already sweating and trying to fan herself.
Scooting over, he pulls a small washcloth out of his pocket and puts some water on it, wiping her forehead. She bushes and looks over at him. "I-I already feel funny."
"I know...I'm so sorry, Moll."
Molly takes his hand and squeezes it. "I wanted to be with you. I told you to, you should have no guilt in this, got it?"
He sighs and kisses her hand. "I'm still the one who turned you, so it does make me feel guilty, but I know that we are going to have a fantastic life despite this and alongside this and everything will be okay ultimately. Because I have you."
Her eyes look into his as she smiles gently. "That I'll always be grateful for." She gasps and her smile quickly fades as her face contorts into an expression of pain and she groans and pants hard. "Oh God, it burns!"
"I know, I know, I'm so sorry..."
About fifteen minutes go by and both of them are panting hard, their skin on fire and their eyes aglow. In another ten minutes, Sherlock screams out in pain as his canine teeth elongate and sharpen, his fingers and nails do the same, and then all his bones begin to snap and reshape one by one as the pain reduces him onto his hands and knees. Within the minute, he stands before Molly's agony-wracked body as the big, fluffy, black wolf that she had seen the first time, his electric blue eyes glowing. This time she can spot the softness and concern in them.
Sherlock whimpers softly and lays down next to her, softly nudging her arm. Molly cries out in pain and grips at his fur, trying her best to ground herself through the searing pain in her skin, muscles, and bones. Sobbing hard, she buries her face into his fur for a moment before having to pull back. She's so unbearably hot and sweaty that she strips her clothes off and it's still not enough.
Molly grabs her water bottle and pours much of the ice water over her skin, which is already red with heat. Without anything else to do, she sits back down and hugs her knees, unable to stop sobbing as the torment on her body continues on, never ceasing, only getting more unbearable.
Screaming in anguish, sweat drips from her body, and tears trickle down her face. Molly pants hard, but she only gets a few seconds to breathe before the pain comes in another horrific wave. The crying and yelling continue for a couple of hours, the misery only getting worse and worse until her entire body is convulsing a bit in distress.
Soon she's yet again writhing in agony on the ground. Her skin had made itself devoid of the redness and is now sickly pale as she trembles in the fetal position. Sherlock whimpers and lies next to her, not daring to touch her, as he knows that pulse of one small touch can be horrific.
Another moment goes by, and Molly finally lets out a sharp gasp and a scream of terrifying vigor as she feels her body shift. The pop of her joints and the crunch of her lower body reforming is as scary to Sherlock's wolf hearing as it was to himself when he heard himself changing.
Every bone in her body breaks one by one slowly and excruciatingly over the course of the next half hour, eliciting even more gut-wrenching wails from her than she had given out earlier. She gasps and falls onto her broken wrists as her hands turn into gigantic paws, her entire body completing the transformation as she wolfs out, thick snow-white fur covering her new form and honey-golden eyes shining brightly as the sun would. Sherlock trots over and nuzzles her affectionately, and she returns, doing the same. A few small whimpers still comes from her as she adjusts to the feeling of being on four legs.
A moment passes and Molly hears his voice in the confines of her now canine skull.
{God she's gorgeous, even as a wolf. Wow...that's my Molly.}
Circling around him, she howls softly and nudges his side. Wondering if telepathy is one of their shared powers as a bonded pair of wolves, she concentrates and thinks about what she wants to say to him.
{You were right about that being the worst, but thank you for staying with me. For loving me. Thank you for being with me, Sherlock. I think that no matter how difficult this can be, I'll enjoy sharing this with you.}
Sherlock nudges her snout and motions to the woods, beginning to trot. Following him. They pick up speed until both are going faster than lightning around the trees, wind whipping through their fur, and Molly feeling more alive than she ever has in her entire life up to that moment.