Chapter 13
Sherlock couldn't tell how long he sat there still, staring at the chessboard after Molly winked at him and with a jaunty smile moved towards the bathroom. His thoughts had begun to fluctuate with the water running into the shower as background, then her light footsteps and her humming under her breath as she chose some nightwear from his garment.
The words written on Molly's skin were true. He had given in to his feelings for her, because she, asking him to say I love you first, had turned the tables on. For the first time since they met Molly had put herself first, before him.
Sherlock thought this was probably why he never realized the true depth of his feelings for her. In their friendship he had always been the focal point. Molly was always there for him, whenever he needed her, and placed his feelings and needs above hers.
Sherlock naturally had assumed this unsaid right over Molly, so he didn't understand how much he had come to truly rely on her, how much he had depended on her…until Eurus convinced him that he was about to lose her for good.
But it was time for him to open his heart to her. Sherlock now understood that loving, or rather romantically loving, another person didn't weaken or hinder his mental processes.
And even if thinking about Molly, worrying about her, threatened to distract him, it was Molly herself who set him back on track. As it had happened in the previous hours when she had scolded him for not closing the Sterling case before going to her.
Instinctively Sherlock got up and headed for his bedroom. He would wake her up and talk to her. But as he crossed the threshold of the door Molly had left wide open, his footsteps stopped. She slept soundly laying on her right side, one arm under the pillow and the other one resting on it.
The light from the street lamp partially illuminated her face whose features were totally relaxed. Her hair lay scattered on the pillow beside her, her lips slightly parted and occasionally curled into a faint smile. Sherlock found himself considering that she was the third woman sleeping in his bed. Irene and Janine, each for different reasons, had slept there before her. Of the tree, however, Molly was the only one Sherlock had a desire to share that bed with.
"Sherlock?" he was shaken by her voice and looked down at her, who had her eyes closed, "Mm?" he murmured, "What time is it?" she asked hugging the pillow better, "Five am" whispered Sherlock, "Okay. Stop thinking, I feel the cracking of your brain's cogs. Come to bed and get some rest".
He remained motionless for a few seconds then took off his dressing gown and, fully dressed, slipped under the blankets, occupying the other side of the bed. Sherlock lay on his back with his arms folded under his head and kept safe distance from her. He stood in the dark looking at the ceiling long enough for his heartbeat to return to normal rhythms and for Molly's breathing back to sleep mode.
"Sherlock!" he felt a soft pat on his shoulder, "Sherlock!" this time he felt his arm held in a firm grasp. Startled, he opened his eyes and realized he was lying on his right side holding Molly's waist with his other arm. He looked up at Mrs Hudson who is trying to wake him up, "Sherlock! Lestrade just called me because you don't answer your phone. He'll be here in half an hour. He has news on the case. You better take a shower".
Sherlock ran a hand over his face wearily, glancing at Molly to see if they had woken her up, "I'm coming, Mrs Hudson" he said in a barely audible voice and reluctantly stood up, "Your clean clothes are ready in the bathroom" she said before tiptoeing out of his room.
When Molly opened her eyes, a faint ray of sunlight came through the window. For a moment she struggled to recognize the room she was in, but the periodic table of chemical elements hanging on the wall right in front of her instantly refreshed her memory.
She vaguely remembered telling Sherlock to join her in bed to rest, but he wasn't there so she figured she had a dream. Definitely real instead were her clothes neatly folded on the chair next to the closet with her underwear on top of them.
Molly threw the blankets aside and barefoot reached the chair to take her knickers and put them on, because although Sherlock's black shirt covered her up to mid-thighs, she felt more comfortable wearing at least one undergarment.
In small steps she walked down the hallway running a hand through her hair to tidy them up, arriving in the kitchen where Sherlock were dealing with the coffee machine, "Would you make me some coffee, too?" she asked when she was behind him, "Morning, Molly" he replied not at all surprised turning his head slightly to smile at her, "Good morning to you" she smiled stretching like a cat as she leaned her bum against the cabinet, not realizing how beautiful and sexy she looked to Sherlock's eyes.
"How did you sleep?" he asked handing her a cup of steaming coffee, "Like a log" she replied blowing on the black liquid and observing him through her lashes. Sherlock wore his usual blue fitted trousers with an aubergine shirt and the blue dressing gown. He had recently showered as his hair wasn't perfectly dry and the scent of his aftershave tickled her sense of smell.
Sherlock's gaze lingered for a few seconds on Molly's face, and then went down on the buttons of the shirt and lingered on her bare legs. If only Lestrade hadn't been in the main room waiting for Sherlock to bring him coffee!
"Sherlock! Who are you talking to?" and there he was, peeking into the kitchen, "Oh, Molly! It's you!" and he gaped at her noticing she was half dressed, "Oh, God!" she giggled in an embarrassed way pulling down the bottom of the shirt. Sherlock stepped between her and Lestrade trying to hide Molly's body from the cop's sight, just as Mrs Hudson walked in the second kitchen door with an apple tart in her hands.
"Sherlock's shirt looks good on you, honey" the landlady said as she placed the dessert on the table, "Definitely" approved Lestrade. "Oh! Sherlock offered me…uh, I didn't have a change" Molly stammered from behind Sherlock's back, "It's okay, dear. We're all adults here" at Mrs Hudson comment she covered her face with one hand, "Well, I…we…uh, we didn't…" she mumbled senselessly.
Mrs Hudson laughed shortly "Oh sweetheart! I know you two didn't!", she waved her hand in the air "The walls of these old houses are pretty thin…I would have heard you" the old woman explained making Molly blush even more. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you I am leaving in an hour because like every Boxing Day I go to visit my sister. I'll be back tomorrow evening. If you want, I left you something to eat for lunch" and having said this, she went back downstairs.
Sherlock closed the sliding door of the kitchen in Lestrade's face and turned to Molly, "Take your time to breakfast. I'll get rid of the busybody DI and then we'll talk", she nodded and looked up to meet his eyes "Hurry up, then" she whispered taking a knife to cut the tart.
After breakfast, as Sherlock was still talking with Lestrade about sounding the little lake near Villa Fleur-de-lis to retrieve the murder's weapon, Molly took the opportunity to go to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. When she returned to the kitchen she heard a female voice in the main room with Sherlock, and thinking that Mrs Hudson had come up to say hello before leaving, Molly threw open the sliding door and stepped inside to find herself in front of Mrs Holmes' attentive blue eyes.
Molly internally prayed for the floor to open and swallow her. Sherlock was lightning fast in approaching her and gave her his dressing gown to cover herself, "I'm sorry" she lip-read him, "Your flat this morning is a continual coming and going. Only John and Rosie are missing from the roll call" she whispered very softly fastening the dressing gown's belt.
Mrs Holmes cleared her throat rather heavily, "Guys, I'm always here" she said clasping her hands in front of her, "Don't bother yourself, Molly dear! Mrs Hudson told me you two just slept and didn't make…", Sherlock's mom cleared her throat "But you should". Molly looked up at him who, blushing, exclaimed "Mum, please!".
The woman looked at them both with her piercing blue eyes, then turned to her son "Are you in love with her?" she asked curtly, "Mum!" Sherlock warned her rolling his eyes. A smile escaped Molly as she saw his reaction in front of his mother, "I take it for a yes" said Mrs Holmes hastily and then turned to her, "And you, my dear, are you in love with my son?". She couldn't believe she was standing in front of Sherlock's mother, half-dressed, and talking to her about her feelings for him!
"Mrs Holmes" began to say Molly swallowing embarrassed, "Oh, my darling! I know very well he is an unbearable arrogant" the woman interrupted with a short laugh, "I also know you have always been by Sherlock's side" she took Molly's hands in hers, "And you never abandoned him" Mrs Holmes stopped to look her in the eyes, "So yes, I think you really love him".
Mrs Holmes squeezed her hands tightly "Listen, you two" she said to both of them, "It's hard to find love nowadays. Finding someone who loves you anyway. And above all that keeps on loving you, even seeing your worst. The part of you that scares you the most" she took a quick and knowing look at her son, "So please" she gave them both a kind smile "Have a long chat or whatever else you need to understand that you truly love each other" Mrs Holmes said with a wink.
They looked at each other, both blushing. Mrs Holmes, taking Molly by surprise, hold her tenderly "Thank you dear, for always taking care of him" she said and Molly's eyes watered moved by her gesture. The woman get a grip of herself saying she had to join her husband and Mrs Hudson who were waiting for her downstairs in the cab. Before leaving she told them she would like them both to attend New Year's Day lunch at the Holmes house.
Sherlock quickly locked the front door as Molly did the same with the door to the kitchen. He walked over to her and watched her take off the dressing gown and lean it against the back of a chair. Molly reached out to him and he stood in front of her with his bum resting on the table so that he was at her eyes level.
"You meant it?" she asked without having to specify what she was referring to. Sherlock glued his eyes to hers swallowing hard and nodding, "I mean it now and I will mean it tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and the day after…endlessly" he raised his right hand cupping her jaw and brushing her lower lip with his thumb.
Sherlock smiled to see the blush spread over her cheeks, as Molly smiled to see his pulse increase from the pulsing point on his neck. She unbuttoned her shirt slowly following Sherlock's eyes following her fingers. Never with any other man had Molly felt bold enough to undress first and in broad daylight. She didn't know how to explain it to herself but she felt in her whole being, Sherlock's love for her. Strong, overwhelming and passionate but also tender, sweet and protective.
She felt his breath itched as she slid the garment off her shoulders, down her arms and then to the ground, remaining naked in front of him except for her knickers. Sherlock drank her in and then fixed his gaze on her tattoo, "It's beautiful" and before he had a chance to think, he gently slid his thumb on it, looking up at Molly whose eyes were watching him intently.
He just smiled at her and brought his lips to it at first simply brushing it, then placing a wet, open-mouthed kiss on it, and then sucking and nibbling. Molly threw her head back moaning loudly "I deduce you like it" she panted tugging his hair, "I love it" he answered staring up at her. "We need to talk" he said placing his hands on her buttocks and flushing her body to his, "We are already talking" her lips were against his, light and teasing, and their kiss became more demanding.
