"Oh come on Sherlock, you can help me make a few phone calls. It's a lot easier than sending card invites, unless you'd personally want to write and mail them all."

Sherlock grumbles a "fine" and unplugs his mobile from the charger.

Molly smiles and pats his arm. You call John and Mycroft. I'll call Mrs. H and Greg. Deal? It shouldn't take too long. Just remind them that it's at my house okay?"

Sighing softly, he nods. "Alright. But do I /have/ to call Mycroft? He never shows up anyway and he's absolutely despicable to handle."

Molly giggles and looks up at him from the sofa. "Sherlock, he's your brother. You have to invite him even if he declines. It's the polite thing to do."

"Mollyyyy", he whines.

"Sherlock, call! Get it over with."

"Ughhh okayyy."

Molly smirks softly and grabs her mobile, dialing Mrs. Hudson's number. After a few rings, she picks up cheerily.

"Oh, Molly dear, hello!"

"Hello Martha! How are you?"

"Oh, I've been running around all day in the café, but it's good for me you know, old ladies must keep moving. Once we stop, we probably won't get going again!", she laughs.

Molly grins softly at her crazy style of humor. "Well I'm glad you're still as vivacious as ever. Hey, I wanted to invite you to the annual Christmas Eve party! Unfortunately for you, Sherlock and I decided to hold it at my home this year. It's a lot roomier, and doesn't require a deep clean with bleach", she snorts.

Mrs. Hudson giggles. "I can save the extra pair of latex gloves I got then! I would love to come, dear. What time should I arrive, and what should I bring?"

"We'd like people to show up around 5pm. We have plenty of treats, but anything you'd like to bring is fine."

"That sounds lovely, Molly. I'll be there. And may I say, I am so happy for you and Sherlock. I am just...oh...I'm so thrilled that he's come to his senses. You are too good to him, and he's a very lucky bloke."

Molly blushes and smiles. "Thank you, Martha. I appreciate that very much. Can't wait to see you on Christmas Eve."

"You as well, dear. You have a nice day now."

"You too, goodbye Martha." Molly hangs up and chuckles softly. She enjoys the landlady's bubbly personality.

"Oh for God's sake, will you just come!?"

"Why would I purposely subject myself to hours of exhausting small talk with people who are innately more stupid than me, on a holiday that I loathe for its false sense of supposed cheeriness?"

"Mycroft!"

"Sherlock. Send my regards to your little squad, but I will /politely/ decline. You may be privy to the emotional significance of the season as of late, but not all of us can be weak as you, brother mine."

Sherlock grits his teeth. "I wasn't exactly the one hurling up their breakfast when they couldn't take the horrific reality of the Sherrinford problem that they themselves caused, now, was I, /blud/?"

Mycroft sneers. "Legwork isn't my area, I use my brain, not my adrenaline."

"No, you don't because you'd rather sit in your stupid bloody office with elderly men who couldn't give a damn about you, and drink whiskey alone until you tire. But you know what, /brother mine/? You'll be doing that for the rest of your life, and one day you'll realize that being alone really is your specialty, because not a soul in the world cares a fucking ounce about you, you prick."

Mycroft is silent for a while. "Ahh…So…when's the big day, then?"

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me. I'm assuming there was a reason in particular that you wanted me to show up this year, and I am assuming it has to do with a certain pathologist, does it not?"

"That has nothing to do with…with..."

"You've gone even softer than I thought possible, though I should have seen it coming. You always were the slow one. Your happy announcement comes with a date, no doubt. So when is it?"

"Look, why bother asking, you wouldn't care to show up anyway."

"Well you should know that I must, seeing if my presence isn't noticed by Mummy, we will have bigger problems on our hands than that of your nuptials."

Sherlock grimaces and sets his jaw. "I don't need you there anyway. You'd probably ruin the day. Have fun dying alone and miserable, Mycroft." Sherlock hangs up and let's out a breath, unable to help the anger coursing through his veins. The gall of his brother, having no cares in the world. He supposes that this was the way people used to feel when they saw him, and for a moment feels guilty. Sitting on Molly's bed softly, he rubs his face, feeling confused again, and loathing that the only one who can make him feel awful for being happy and feeling ordinary for once is Mycroft.

"Yeah, you and Sherlock have been really busy lately, it must be nice to finally take a little holiday for yourself, Greg."

"Yeah, it's great, it's great, Molly. Y'know, it's not always the easiest thing to deal with my ex-wife, but when I get to have my children for a few days, never mind a whole week, it makes it worth it because I miss them so much. I'm always afraid that she makes me out to be a bad person, or a bad father because I have a demanding job. But I love my kids more than life, and every chance I get I make sure to tell them that."

"I'm sure you're a wonderful father. We would love for you to bring the kids! Rosie will be here, and I'm sure she'd like a few other kids to play with."

"Really? I'd love to come if you really don't mind. Sophie is sixteen now, I'm not sure how much fun she'll have but she's a good kid. Sienna is nine, and Dylan is five, so they could probably keep Rosie occupied for a while."

"No, we would love for all of you to come. It would be lovely to meet your kids. You talk about them a lot, and I think it's good for them to know how hard you work. I'm sure Sherlock could concoct many stories to tell them. Hopefully at a more PG level though", she giggles.

Greg laughs softly, "Yeah, let's hope. Maybe he could hold Sophie's attention long enough for her to put her phone down for five minutes. If he could do that, he'd be an angel. And that is something I thought I would never say!"

"Awww, he can be. Luckily, I'm the only one who sees that side of him most times, but I'm certainly not complaining."

He scoffs playfully. "Oi, I've heard enough, Moll. I don't need any detail. I'll see you in a couple days!"

Molly cackles gently. "See you then. Bye, Greg", she hangs up.

"Sherlock, how do I honestly know it will be nice this year?"

"This year? What do you mean this year? Isn't is always nice?"

John scoffs. "You are kidding, right? Which year exactly? The one where you humiliated Molly, the ones where you didn't show up because you were dead, the one you were so high you were in hospital, or the one you were hot on the trail of a brutal killer and got stabbed, too close to an artery for comfort, and showed up late to your own party gushing blood?"

Sherlock cringed a bit, remembering last year. "Right…okay, I get your point. But I have Molly this year, I promised I wouldn't take a case until after the holiday and I /swear/ I will be on my best behavior. Please will you come? It's at her house anyway."

"Sherlock, you're damn lucky Rosie was too young to realize what was going on last year, but she's older now and she's a lot more aware. No antics?"

"No antics. I promise, Rosie will be just fine, and I think I heard Molly say that Lestrade was bringing his kids, so she will get to play with them too."

John sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright. Alright we'll come. But if /anything/ goes wrong, Sherlock…"

"It won't. You have my word John. In fact I think you will be quite pleased this year."

"Alright, well…fine. I'll see you then. I'm sure Rosie will be thrilled to see you both."

"I'll be happy to see you both as well."

"Bye, Sherlock."

"Goodbye", he hangs up and strolls out of the room to see Molly making dinner. It smells amazing.

Molly glances over and smiles. "Finally done chatting "Mr. I Hate Calling People"?"

Sherlock rolls his eyes and kisses her cheek. "You know how Mycroft is. Wouldn't be Christmas unless we had a blow-out argument. So no, he's not attending."

"Well hey, at least you tried. You extended the olive branch, so you're the better person for it, hm? Don't fuss about it." She strokes his cheek, seeing his face full of anxiety. "Sherlock?"

"Hm?"

"You are happy, right? With everything, with me? You're not having regrets, are you?"

He looks into her eyes and cups her face, kissing her lovingly before pulling away. "Yes, you make me very happy, Molly Hooper. I have no regrets at all about you."

"Good. Then that's all that matters. Nobody else's opinion really matter except ours. I love you."

"I love you too. By the way, dinner smells incredible."

Molly grins. "Chicken casserole."

"The one you made before I left for Serbia?", he questions softly.

Molly quirks an eyebrow. "Yeah…you remember that?"

Sherlock nods. "Of course I do. You took care of me at a low point in my life and made sure I had a full meal before leaving. You made an impact on me Molly. You always did. Plus, who else would have helped me detox when I was really, really at my lowest? You hated my guts when that happened, yet you still saved me. In a way, you're my hero. Also, I've come to realize that you're my family now. It feels nice."

Molly turns deep red and smiles shyly. "Sherlock…"

"Plus, that casserole is delicious."

She giggles and wraps her arms around him. He holds her gently and kisses her head. "I love you so much. I never thought it possible to love someone, never mind loving them with your entire being, inside and out. You changed me for the best, Molly. I can't wait for the rest of my life with you."

Molly tears up and looks up at him. "Oh Sherlock, that's so sweet. I can't either. It'll certainly be an adventure, and I'm so ready for the ride. Also, I love that we're family, and I agree, it feels so very nice."

Sherlock grins and pecks her lips as the oven dings. "I'm definitely ready for this new chapter. But first, dinner", he smirks.

Molly crinkles her nose adorably and grins. "Yesss, I've gotten Sherlock Holmes to grow an appetite. That may be one of my best achievements yet!"

He laughs deeply and peppers her in kisses. "I'll set the table."

"Ooh win number two, this night keeps getting better!"

"Mmh and it'll get even better once we eat. More energy, more stamina, if you know what I mean", he winks.

Molly blushes and smirks softly. "Oooh, yes please, Mr. Holmes. Then by all means, let's eat."