Time seems to stand still and speed by all at once as Sherlock realizes he has given himself over to Molly. He knew it was the right thing to do. Hell, Molly was an incredible, strong, kind, and /good/ person. Vampire or no, she would never purposely attack anyone. This was the right choice. The only plausible choice. Plus he couldn't just lose her know the moment they had finally come together, realizing that they could be something, realizing that their love shouldn't be ignored or put by the wayside anymore. It is a bit daunting, knowing in his heart that her own is no longer beating.

He has a particularly hard time making sense of that aspect, out of everything he knows now, that's what haunts him. Reason being that to Sherlock, Molly was always all heart, even despite how incredibly intelligent she is. If anyone had asked him to give out symbols for the people he knew, Molly's would have been a heart without any hesitation. It hurts his own to think about the stillness of it now, as it defined everything he thought about her. However, his mind knows that your heart actually has nothing to do with your emotions or personality. He smiles as he looks around the special room he has created for her in his mind palace. It's so warm and comforting. Everything Molly. A safe haven; a bolt hole within his messy mind.

Suddenly he sees flashes of red and an alarm as his mind goes into an "alert mode" and he realizes that he has been drifting there for some time. Pulling himself out of it, he feels very weak. His vision is blurry and his breathing is labored.

"M-Mo...Moll.." he murmurs weakly, realizing that she is still drinking from him quite needily. Unfortunately, if she doesn't stop soon there won't be much of him left to help her later. "Molly...Molly...I-I think that's enough now...M-Moll..." His body slouches back against the wall as his legs wobble and slowly give.

Molly forcefully removes herself from his neck, her eyes ablaze with sensation and her mouth stained with his blood, a bit trickling down the sides and where her fangs lay. "Oh God...Sherlock...I-..."

Sherlock sags to the floor and groans a bit, his head groggy and a feeling of dizziness washing over him. Molly speeds into her kitchen and quickly wipes off her face once her fangs disappear, then returns to him with a warm washcloth, holding it to the bite. "Sherlock...Sherlock I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry...I-I don't know why I didn't stop, I wanted to stop...I-I was so hungry..."

He places a hand on her knee and lifts his head to look at her. If he thought she was beautiful before, now she is absolutely radiant. Her pale skin is perfect, no wrinkles or marks; the small chicken pox scar from her childhood is gone. Her honey-brown eyes are sparkling and full of vividness. Her beautiful auburn hair which was so thin and brittle mere moments ago is now thick and shiny as ever. She looks a lot more like an angel than anything undead. Blinking a few times, he moves his hand on top of her cooler one. "I understand. And you did stop, you stopped when you realized I needed you to. I don't imagine many vampires have that kind of restraint, Molly. You have nothing to be sorry for. I hope it was enough for now, even though I doubt it was. So I'm sorry."

Molly shakes her head and sits next to him on the ground, cuddling close but gently wiping the bite mark of excess blood. "That's ridiculous you've nothing to be sorry for, you just saved my ass, so to speak."

Sherlock smiles softly, knowing she is trying her best to be tough and make light of this, however in pure Molly fashion, he knows the sadness over the literal loss of her life is still hurting her inside. Ignoring the fact that her skin is cold, he pulls her close and holds her. She tears up and curls up in his arms. "Molly...you don't have to pretend with me. I thought we were done pretending. You can tell me anything. I know you're still grieving, and this is a huge change."

Tears fall down her face slowly. "You would think that I'd enjoy this...every single sense heightened to nearly the maximum, super speed, and hearing and strength. I'll never feel cold again because I am cold. I'll have to drink cups and cups of coffee just to warm myself enough for my skin to feel normal to other people. I could make people do my bidding, or forget anything I want them to forget. It's too much. I didn't want it. I didn't want to be...this. I was just too scared to..." she trails off.

Sherlock cups her face gently. "You were scared to die for good. I know. But you have this second chance. I know you aren't all the same. I know there are things you'll have to learn and things that will be so much harder to control than the trivial stuff of being human. But this world would not be as good as it is without you in it. You make my life tolerable. I told you I am a selfish man, and it's true. I need you here with me. I need you Molly. Because what you are, it doesn't really matter. I know you, and I know how incredible you are and how much more incredible you can be once you control this. I will help you. I owe you so much more than you could ever know."

"I'm not the woman you came to terms with loving anymore though...", her eyes are filled with tears. "I'm a nightmare now. I'm a danger."

"Molly, you are absolutely the same woman I came to love. I have lived through many a nightmare and I can tell you with a hundred percent certainty that you are not one of them. Also, when the hell have I ever run from danger? It's exciting."

Molly chuckles slightly at that, wrapping her arms as carefully as she can around his middle. "How are you feeling...?"

"Weak, but I'll be alright. What about you?"

"I'm fine for the moment...I'm scared of hurting you."

"Molly. You didn't hurt me, and honestly I am in awe of your restraint. I think that due to your nature, you'll have an easier time of this than anyone else. Not easy, but you certainly are not vicious or violent. You have amazing control and you're new. I think you can do this, and still have your life."

Molly sniffles and rests her head on his chest, the strong thumping of his heart comforting her, and not enticing her to feed the way it had before. She gently caresses over it with her cool fingers, making him shudder slightly. "Sherlock, treasure your life...it's gone before you know it."

Sherlock scoffs sadly. "I've heard that phrase before. John thought it was Irene that I was in love with, but it was you. He said that being in a relationship would complete me as a human being. That I was foolish because the woman I loved is out there, alive, and she likes me. That I hadn't the faintest damn idea how lucky I was. He said that it's gone before you know it. He was speaking out of grief for Mary, but he was right. It is gone before I know it. But in a way, I am luckier than any other man on Earth because I'll never go through the grief of losing you again, Molly. You never have to die, ever. You can literally live forever until the world implodes in on itself. In a way, it'll never be gone before I know it, because I can't lose you. Not now and not ever."

Molly cries softly. "But I am gone, I am. My life is over, I'm a creepy shell with no soul. I'm evil."

Sherlock's eyes well with tears at her words. "Don't you dare say that, that is not true. It may not be beating, but Molly Hooper, by God you have the biggest, most working heart in the entire world. You are the absolute furthest thing from evil, do you hear me?" He cups her face and brings it close to his. "You. are. not. evil. You never will be. You are too good, and too kind."

Molly's lip trembles as she looks at him with fear and sadness. "I-I'm scared of myself. I don't..I can't do this...I wanted to die. Why did you make me feed, I wanted to die like a person. I wanted to die with my soul. I can't die like this, if I do, I'll burst into flames and disappear. I-I won't make it..."

Sherlock sniffs and strokes her cheeks. "Yes, you will. Molly, you will. If anyone deserves that it's you, if heaven even exists. And if it does and you of all people aren't let in, it's not a place you'd want to be anyway. You are still good. I know you have a soul, even if your heart isn't beating. Because I know you. If you didn't have a soul, you'd be vicious, murderous, you'd be a monster. But you aren't and you won't be because you're too good. I love you, Molly. I love you, and I mourn with you. But you're still here and I'm so glad that you are." He leans in and places a soft kiss to her lips as tears fall down her face.

"I can't be a vampire and be good...even on TV if they start out good, they always snap. Even the likeable ones. I can't go to church or I'll burn...I'm inherently evil no matter how kind I am."

"Says who?"

"Says...the world."

"This isn't TV, Molly. I think if anyone can pull off being a sweet and kind and loveable vampire, it's you. As for feeding, I told you that I'm here for you. You will learn as you go. You'll learn control, though I think your specific gift is high resistance, since you didn't instinctively bleed me dry like most new vampires would, because they have no control. You'll learn how much you can drink, how to keep your temperature up to look and feel pretty much human, how to control your strength, because you nearly broke my arms earlier", he chuckles lightly. "The point is, you learn quickly, I've always known that about you. I don't think this is any different. It'll be hard at first, I won't lie to you. Seeing all that blood at work...it's going to be a really hard challenge day in and day out for a while. But I know you can do it."

Molly leans her forehead on his. "I miss feeling already..."

"Feeling what?"

"Feeling warm or cold...I used to wrap myself in so many blankets. Remember you used to tease me because I was always cold, but worked in a morgue?" She smiles sadly.

Sherlock looks a bit sad but scoots closer, gently cupping her face again with his warm hands. "You can feel this, right? The warmth from my hands?"

Molly tears up and nods slowly. "Yes..."

"What about this?", he murmurs softly and places his lips on hers, tilting her head just a bit as their lips move together. Her eyes flutter softly, and she strokes his cheek as well, their tongues gently brushing. They both moan softly and pull away.

"Y-yes...of course."

He smiles softly and holds her hands. "You're already warming up a bit from the blood. Plus, I can handle chilly, Molls."

"I didn't mean to hurt you earlier...your arms, I mean. I-I don't know how to control it. The one thing I've had over my life was control, and now I don't and it's the worst thing about this."

"We can practice. Maybe I can fill up some water balloons and I'll just toss them at you. You'll learn as you go. Same with speed. I'll throw something and you can try to get there. Not quite sure how to test your mind control thing though. Research didn't say much about it except that you have to gaze deep into someone's eyes and make a suggestion to them."

Molly sighs and rubs her face out of habit, then gasps. "I just realized that I don't need contacts or glasses anymore. I have perfect vision."

"You have perfect everything. Hair, nails, vision, skin."

Molly looks down again. "I can't see it...I have no reflection; I have no real soul. Maybe me being nice was just my personality."

"Which is believed to be an outward extension of a soul. You really can't see your reflection?"

"I-I don't think so...it was wonky when I was in between human and vampire, I think it's probably gone now, like me."

"Stop talking like that, alright? I'll take a video of you. You can see yourself in those, right?"

She nods slowly. "I can't imagine making a video of myself every time I want to put on makeup or earrings. That's such an inconvenience."

"I'm sorry, love."

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry about that."

"No...what did you say...after that."

Sherlock blushes. "Er...yeah, sorry. Uh, I guess it slipped. I'm not usually big on pet names."

Molly smiles genuinely, temporarily forgetting about her situation and Sherlock grins. "You're smiling."

"I can't help it, I never imagined...that."

"Me neither. See what you do to me, Molly Hooper? I want to be the man you already thought I could be. I want this, us."

Her smile fades and she looks down. "Sherlock..."

"We don't have to worry about the age thing for years. I'm already two years older than you, and even another few wouldn't make me look /that/ much older so that you're noticeable. We have years, Molly."

Molly looks at him hesitantly. "I don't know..." She gets up and paces.

"What do you mean, you don't know? Molly we have been working toward this for as long as I can remember. We can finally be together."

"But not really. Because I'm this now. This is not our happy ending, Sherlock Holmes. This...this isn't the way I wanted it to be." Her voice cracks with emotion and she turns away. "None of this is."

Sherlock gets up slowly and wraps his arms around her middle. "I know that. I know you're upset. I know you wanted a normal life...a family", he says softly, and her eyes fill with tears.

"We could always adopt children, or we could find a surrogate...if and when the time comes for us to decide that."

Molly turns to him, her jaw slack. "Sherlock, I don't even know if I want to be with you, and you're talking about kids? Our potential kids?"

"Molly..."

"No, Sherlock. I don't...I don't know if I can date you for five or six years just to leave you. I don't think I could make myself leave you, or my home", she sniffs. "It'll only be harder to move on if I date you. Once I'm with you, there's no way I could let you go. But I'll need to because you'll age, and I won't. I can't have that happy ending. We can't be that old couple sitting on rockers on their porch talking about their grandchildren. I can't ever be that", she cries. "I love you, but I'm stuck like this forever, and you're not. You can have that with someone else."

"I don't want someone else. I want you. Hell...if we can't be that old couple talking about our grandchildren, we can be that middle-aged couple who talks about cadavers and..and the way bankers pin their ties too tight for no reason."

Molly giggles a bit through her sob. "For how long though...like I said. You'll age."

"Unless I don't."

"Sherlock!"

"What?"

Molly shakes her head. "I'm not even entertaining that."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because...because I can't! I could never take your life away from you. Never."

"What if I wanted you to, to be with you forever? I wouldn't be able to be your blood bag anymore, but maybe we could figure out something else. Molly, you're the one that said London couldn't function without me around."

"I-I meant during your normal lifetime."

"Who'll you have after all our friends die, hm?"

She sniffs. "Sherlock, I'm not talking about this."

Sherlock turns her around and holds her shoulders. "Look at me. Three years, ok? Give me three years, and yourself the chance to learn control. In three years, I want you to turn me. I want to be y your side as long as we decide to be here."

A tear falls and she runs her fingers through his curls. "Three years..."

"Promise me."

"What? No I-I can't promise. I can't..."

"Molly, please. I mean it. Please, I want to be with you."

She sighs and swallows hard. "Three years, and we'll talk about this again. That's all I can promise."

"Fine. I'll convince you during this time then. But for now, I can learn too by helping you learn control. I'm just going to go bandage my neck."

"You don't need to..."

"Hm?"

"Vampire blood has healing properties because it has the venom within it, but a tiny bit isn't enough to turn you, only heal the area of a wound, because it technically keeps me immortal. Basically immortality is just constant healing, so you never grow old." Molly goes into her kitchen and grabs a small knife, slicing her palm. Surprisingly, it doesn't hurt much. As blood comes to the surface, she holds her palm over the bite, then removes it. His bite wound heals slowly until it's gone, as well as Molly's hand. Sherlock watches her palm in awe.

He kisses her deeply as she gasps a bit, melting into the kiss and snaking her arms very cautiously around his shoulders, kissing back. They snog heatedly for a moment before Sherlock needs air and they pull back panting softly.

"Three years", he murmurs.

Molly brushes her lips against his hesitantly. "Three years..."