Molly walked slowly through Regent's Park. It's fountains and bridges and gardens made it seem like a fairy land. She could get lost here and never feel lonely. It was her place of comfort. She tried not to think about the reason she felt the pull to visit the park. It still hurt too much. She was trying to distract herself but her thoughts kept turning to Sherlock. The single kiss they had shared had put flame in her soul. She knew exactly what would have happened if John had't interupted. It wasn't the dark and brooding image he projected that did it. It was the soft side of him that was reserved for her. When he looked at her, she knew she was being seen.

She paused to watch children feeding the waterfoul. Their happy hands threw bread and then clapped in delite. How innocent they were. Molly dropped a hand to her belly and sighed. There would be no children in her forseeable future. She had chosen a career path that didn't leave time for socializing and even less time for children. She walked the long route around the outer circle of the park. The leaves were just beginning to turn to their fall foliage and the ground was sprinkled with oranges and yellows. She breathed in the autumn air and let it out again with a sigh. There was life beyond Sherlock Holmes. Whatever she was feeling wouldn't last forever, no matter how much she wanted it to.

Her phone gave her a chirp and she reached into her purse without thinking.

Monday 8:00 am

Molly Hooper the only thing I want to win is your heart. -SH

Monday 8:01 am

I'm sorry for all the hurt I've caused you. -SH

Monday 8:03 am

You're the one person that matters most to me. You make it bearable. -SH

Monday 8:05 am

Make what bearable? -Molls

Monday 8:06 am

My life. -SH

Molly's fingers went numb and she almost lost her phone. This wasn't something that one friend would say to another. It was something lovers and poets would say, not Sherlock Holmes. It was such a departure from his character - it was almost as if someone else were writing the words. Maybe John was making her the butt of some cruel joke. That wouldn't be like him. Sherlock could be using her in some way. He was very good at that. She just couldn't see how.

She had stopped walking as she read the texts. A yellow cab pulled up to the curb and the door opened.

"Excuse me miss. Are you Molly Hooper? I'm Harris. Mr. Holmes asked me to pick you up."

Molly glanced down at her phone. She had to make a decision and she had to do it now. Could she forgive Sherlock for being a complete idiot or was she going to let him go? The back door was open and the cab was idling at the curb. She was running out of time. Harris wouldn't wait forever. Should she go all in one last time? What did she really have left to lose?