As you know last time I posted I'd had my holiday cancelled. Well, in a bid to make the most of our time off we've been swimming in the sea, I've visited Arthur Conan Doyle's grave (I hadn't realised it was ten miles from where I live). I've spent the day in London visiting the Tower of London, cruising down the Thames and generally enjoying our capital. And next week I have a couple of nights booked in the Isle of Wight...this might have even been better than the holiday we booked.

And to top it off you guys have been so on board with this fic and sending me lovely reviews and comments; thank you for that. Shall we see how Molly takes Sherlock's revelation?

Chapter 2

Molly knew her mouth was gold fishing as she absent-mindedly took the coffee that he'd offered her.

He casually sipped on his own drink and went and sat in his normal chair and she heard him sigh.

'You have questions, though I'm not sure what's so surprising about what I've said, so ask them.'

She turned and made her way to the chair that she always thought of as being John's even though he'd moved out months ago.

'How we both feel about each other?'

He narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded his head. 'Yes, we both declared our feelings last year. I'm assuming yours haven't changed and I know mine haven't.'

'Declared our feelings? You mean that telephone call? You never told me that you actually meant what you said though.'

'I never said that I didn't.'

'Jesus, Sherlock, I need more than that. You can't give me nothing for over five years and then declare your feelings in some weird, forced, phone call and expect me to actually believe them.'

She saw him frown a little and move uncomfortably in his chair. 'Yes...well...' he shrugged and sipped his coffee as though looking for a distraction.

She took a deep breath and tried to organise her thoughts into some kind of coherence but it was hard.

'So, just to be clear, you are telling me that...that you love me?'

At this he seemed more relaxed as he nodded his head and Molly felt even more confused.

'But...but you never said anything...you never did anything...why?'

He shrugged. 'Not really my area of expertise Molly. I assumed you would progress our relationship if you wanted to. But being thrown together is different...isn't it? Plus the sex would be an interesting distraction if I can't follow my cases as I normally would.'

At that last comment Molly's eyes widened and she almost choked on her coffee.

'I'm not a distraction Sherlock. You can't just move me in and expect sex on demand.'

He grimaced and shook his head. 'No, I know you're not. That's not what I said...is it? I just meant...oh why is social interaction always so damn difficult...no wonder I've avoided relationships.'

Molly sagged back into the chair and looked at him thoughtfully.

'Let me get this completely right. You're saying you like me...maybe even love me...and you would like us to start a relationship that may or may not lead to sex. Am I reading this correctly?'

He smiled at her and she felt her heart flip over in her chest. 'Yes, Molly, you're reading this perfectly.'

'And you've felt like this for a while but not done anything?'

He nodded. 'I kept meaning to but the moment never seemed right and I was worried that I would cock it up somehow...as it seems I almost did now.'

Molly placed her empty cup on the side and stood. 'OK then, I suppose that all makes some kind of sense...especially where you're concerned. But I think I'll use John's old room for now. I...I don't think we should rush things.'

Sherlock stood as she spoke but before she could move towards her bags he caught her hand.

'That's fine I suppose, irritating but fine. Maybe we could umm...' for the first time words seemed to fail him and Molly realised that he was nervous and it gave her some confidence that he meant what he'd been saying. She took a step closer to him.

'Maybe we could...what?'

His eyes flicked to hers and away again but before he could speak she moved to him without even thinking. It was just an instinctive thing. She raised herself up onto her toes and looped one hand around his neck and she pressed her lips against his.

Even as she did it she felt herself panic...wondering what his reaction might be. Words were one thing but actually acting on them might feel totally different to him.

She needn't have worried. She felt him smile slightly before opening his mouth to hers as his hand went to the small of her back and he brought her closer to him.

Molly finally felt herself relax a little as she gave into the kiss, letting her long-standing passion for him wash over her.

His kiss was perfect. She felt it in every fibre of her being. From the point where his hand pressed against her lower back through to her breasts pressed against his chest and then his hand cradling her face as he tilted her head, deepening the kiss in a way that had her moaning into his mouth.

She hadn't expected the chemistry between them to be like this. It was almost electric. She could feel her body responding to him, readying itself to receive him and it shocked her. Her body might be ready but her mind wasn't...not yet.

With that thought she pulled away...her face still inches from his as their eyes searched each other.

It was Sherlock who recovered himself first as he let Molly catch her balance before he stepped back.

'That...that was more than I expected it to be.'

She smiled shyly at how affected he already seemed to be but she needed to think. She needed to process everything that had happened. It was still less than two hours ago that she had been pottering about in her flat contemplating what to have for dinner and now here she was moving into Baker St and possibly entering into a relationship with the man she'd been in love with for over five years.

'I should...umm...'

She waved a hand at her bags and he stepped forward.

'Of course...let me help you.'

He picked them up and she followed him upstairs almost tripping as Toby shot passed them in a bid to not be left behind in the strange room. As she stepped into the room at the top he twined himself around her ankles until she picked him up.

A quick glance around the unfamiliar space had her smiling happily. It was light and airy with a bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers as well as a comfy chair and footstool. There was also an en suite toilet and sink though no shower or bath. She presumed she'd need to use the one downstairs.

Sherlock dumped the bags on the bed and turned to face her, raising an eyebrow and smirking. 'Are you sure you want to be up here?'

She rolled her eyes at his persistence but smiled and nodded. 'Yes, for now at least. I just...I just need to get my head around the idea.'

'OK then. Well, I'll be downstairs if you need anything.'

As he walked past her he bent his head to hers and gave her a quick kiss on her mouth and as he left the room she found herself pressing her fingers against her lips as she watched him leave.

She made her way to the edge of the bed and sat down, letting Toby down onto the floor, then she smiled and took another look around.

'What do you think of our new home then Toby? Just for now at least...and what did you think of what Sherlock said?'

Toby nuzzled her leg and started to purr and she nodded her head in agreement. 'I know...I can't quite believe it either.'

She busied herself with the unpacking and when that was done she went and looked out of the window which overlooked Baker St and she marvelled at just how quiet it already seemed. Whilst this lockdown was only just being announced officially, people had already been working from home and not going out to bars and restaurants as much. Molly had a sudden pang of sadness...this was really happening...it wasn't just an interesting news article anymore. She wondered what she'd miss the most and decided it was going out for drinks and shopping with her friends; just having the freedom to move about as she pleased.

As she stood there, leaning against the side of the window she finally let her mind move to what Sherlock had told her. That he had feelings for her and that he'd expected her to instigate things after everything that had happened last year...idiot. She suspected it was more that he'd been afraid of how he felt and it was only when faced with this quarantine that he'd been forced to confront them.

She wrapped her arms around herself and grinned, seeing her reflection slightly in the window panes...it had her smiling even more in response. Sherlock loved her...he wanted to be with her...sex and everything. She bit her lip and wondered how long she should make him wait. She always prided herself at not jumping into bed with a guy too soon but God...this was Sherlock! How long would she even be able to wait given how much she already wanted to be with him?

She decided not to think about it too much. She should just enjoy taking things slowly...they had plenty of time.

As she opened the door to go downstairs she could hear violin music and she hoped it was Sherlock playing and not just the radio. She got her wish when she went into the front room to find him by the window, instrument tucked under his chin as his fingers flew over the strings. She'd only heard him playing a couple of times but both times she had been mesmerised and today was no different.

He smiled when he saw her but didn't stop playing, instead he turned to face her as she tentatively sat in John's chair...not wanting to break his concentration.

He played for another ten minutes or so. Some of the music she recognised but she suspected some was his own composition but all of it was enticingly beautiful...just like the man playing it. He was dressed in black trousers, a sinfully tight white shirt topped with an indigo dressing gown.

When he'd finished he put down the instrument and asked her how she'd settled in upstairs.

'Oh...yes it's fine.'

'Hungry?'

She nodded her head and then frowned as he sat in his chair and waved a hand towards the kitchen. 'There's plenty of food...I fancy some soup.'

At this she huffed and sat back in the chair. 'Me too...but I'm not Mrs Hudson or John and I won't be your live in slave. Do you want to make it or shall we do it together?'

In response she saw his mouth twitch into a smile. 'Are you sure you don't want to be my slave? I could shackle you and everything...I'm sure I've got handcuffs round here somewhere...if Mrs Hudson hasn't stolen them again.'

'Sherlock Holmes, I'm shocked...are you flirting with me?'

He chuckled. 'I think maybe I am Doctor Hooper. Shall we cook together?'

He stood and she followed him through into the kitchen. As he opened the cupboard she peered over his shoulder to see what she might be living on for the next few weeks. It wasn't an encouraging sight.

'God, who picked that motley selection of cans?'

When she saw Sherlock looking slightly shifty she started to laugh. 'I can see I might have to take over the food shopping at least. I'm not entirely sure what I can do with tins of corned beef and sweetcorn. At least there is soup and beans as well. Please tell me you have some bread to dip in it at least.'

At that he smiled and indicated towards the bread bin sitting on the side and she opened it to find a fresh, bloomer loaf. She found a knife and as he decanted the soup into a pan she cut off a couple of chunks of bread and added some cheese that she found in the fridge. A fridge that was for once clear of any body parts. When she asked Sherlock just grumpily muttered, 'Mrs Hudson insisted.'

As the soup warmed he leant back against the kitchen cupboards and Molly couldn't help the way her eyes travelled down his body.

'Hungry Molly?'

The playful tone in his voice told her that she had been caught and she knew she was blushing as she looked back up at his face to find him smiling at her.

He held out his hand and she tentatively put hers in his and let him pull her to him. Even though they had kissed earlier she still felt nervous. It was still all so unexpected and new.

Slowly he bent his head to hers until their lips met once more.

I hope you like how she handled it. How long do you think she's going to be able to hold out? And more than that how long should she hold out? Let me know xx