A.N: Hey Sherlolly fans!

This chapter was quite a challenge as I wanted to stay true to Sherlock even in the most unfamiliar situation. I reread it about 20 times. Please let me know what you think. I tried to reply to every review if I missed you I am sorry. Thanks to Georgia my fantastic beta.

I still don't own Sherlock.

Steffy2106

Chapter 15:

Molly was just getting out of the shower when she heard a knock on the door.

"Room service," said a strongly accented voice.

"I didn't order anything." Molly replied, removing the towel from around her hair.

"I beg to differ, Madame. This order has your name on it."

Molly opened the door wide to find Sherlock standing in front of her with a bag of takeaway from her favourite Italian restaurant.

"You know you shouldn't open the door like that," he replied with a tentative smile. "It might be someone you don't want to see."

"Yes. You're the perfect example."

Sherlock's smile fell. "I'm sorry, you know, about everything…sincerely."

Molly sighed, feeling the deep pain in her chest. "You don't need to be sorry. What happened, happened and there's no need to burden yourself with some silly guilt, what happened had nothing to do with you."

"I know, I just need five minutes and I brought you food." He said raising the bag in front of her face, "It's from Luigi's."

Molly stomach gurgled loudly. She narrowed her eyes with suspicion. "What is it?"

"Their homemade lasagna." He sighed, extended the bag towards her. "Just give me five minutes, Molly and then if you still want me to go, I will. I promise."

Molly rolled her eyes and grabbed the bag. "Five minutes, Sherlock." She sat at the small table and opened the lasagna box as Sherlock started to pace back and forth in front of her.

"So..." Molly said with her mouth full as Sherlock kept pacing.

"I'm not a good man Molly, I'm selfish, I'm egotistical, abrasive and some people say I'm hard to get along with."

Molly raised her eyebrows; that was probably the understatement of the century.

"But the thing is, I never cared, it never mattered because in the end I love the person I am. What people think doesn't matter - most people aren't half as good as I am so why should I care what they want, you know?"

"I'm not sure I know where you're going with this, Sherlock, but you're walking a fine line. Insult me once and you're out of this room, lasagna or no lasagna."

"I'm not trying to insult you, Molly, quite the contrary!" He said, throwing up his hands with exasperation. "I'm not good at that, you know, so please be indulgent."

Molly stopped eating. The only thing she knew that Sherlock admitted to being bad at was feeling and expressing those feelings. A herd of wild butterflies appeared in her stomach.

Sherlock looked at her for a second; saw she was waiting and resumed his pacing. "Anyway, as I was saying, I've always considered myself to be better than anyone else so criticisms have never affected me. But I realized quite recently that there is one person that makes me want to be better, one person I wanted to make proud and this person is you, Molly," he said, turning to meet her eyes.

Molly's breath caught in her throat.

Sherlock gave her a half smile. "Of course John also plays an immense part in the man I am trying to become but you and him… it's different. That night we kissed, you made me react in ways that John never did and maybe that's a good thing because otherwise we would be having a completely different conversation."

Molly knew he was trying to joke and she should have laughed but her heart was hammering so hard in her chest she had to concentrate on actually breathing. Inhale Molly, exhale Molly. She had to keep telling herself.

"I thought I didn't want you to leave because you are quite a good pathologist, maybe the best I've worked with, and I have to admit that your brain is probably a big reason why I had a little interest before this all started. I convinced myself that I disliked Tom and was irritated with you leaving because you were taking away my pathologist, but that wasn't the issue. You're a good pathologist, yes, but you're not irreplaceable. I could train another one of your colleague to be just as good."

Even with her emotions all over the place Molly rolled her eyes. Leave it to Sherlock to insult you in the middle of a compliment.

"I went to your house today with the mission to apologize for whatever I said last night but then I read the letter you wrote and I realized that my fear and anger was not as Tom trying to take my pathologist, but at him trying to take my Molly away. I'm not good with words or feelings, I don't have the heart of a poet but Molly… I am quite fond of you."

"You're quite fond of me?" She asked, voiced so high pitched she was embarrassed.

Sherlock smiled and stopped his pacing. "Come on, Molly, I think we both know that. I was just mistaken in the nature of my fondness for you. Don't get me wrong - I still believe feelings are a mistake, I still think that all matters of the heart are only good at causing chaos and are nothing but a weakness but the thing is, right at this moment I don't care. It doesn't matter and no matter how hard I tried to fight all of this nonsense it still snuck up on me. I guess I'm flawed because I always so strongly believed that sentiments were a chemical defect found on the losing side. I grew up believing that feeling would make me slower, not as...efficient, but when I told John, I realized at the ball that I'm better when I am with you, sharper, more focus and I didn't know why but now I know. As irrational as it seems you are calming me Molly, you are the positive effects of heroin without the destructive counterpart… or maybe those feelings I boast for you are the destructive counterpart, the death of the pure cold reason I hold above everything. Maybe my judgement is clouded. You said to me that I could never love you as much as Tom did. Well I want to believe this isn't true, I want you to give me a chance to try. I know I am a ridiculous man Molly, I know feelings, and romance and everything you are longing for is very foreign to me. I know I will mess up over and over again and hurt you even if I have no desire to do so. But if you were brave enough and willing to... Just give me a chance to try and be a better man. "

Molly cleared her throat loudly, knowing it would be thick with emotion. "Well, for someone who isn't good with feelings I have to say you did that pretty well. "

Sherlock sat at the foot of her bed with a smile. "I did reverse on my way here."

"So you want to have a relationship with me?"

Sherlock nodded. "I know I'm not what you view as the perfect mate. I did endure some romantic comedies with Mary - I know what you're expecting and I'm not sure I will ever be able to meet those absurdly high standards even if I wanted to, but yes, I want to experiment and explore what I am already feeling. If I have to get down, I'd rather go thoroughly."

"Spoken like a real scientist."

"So what do you say, Molly Hooper? "

"I love you, Sherlock." Molly stood and went to sit beside him on the bed. "You know why I left Tom?"

"Because I asked you to?"

Molly laughed but shook her head. "No Sherlock, I know you'd like to think you have eerie convincing skills but you don't, I just let you get your way. No." Molly looked down at her hand. "I left him not because of anything you said. I never expected you to be at my door tonight and tell me all these things. No, I left him because you were right. I could never love him the way I love you and it was not fair on him or on me. I tried, Lord know I tried but I realized last night that if it was you asking me to follow you, I would have done it, no question asked, no second thought and come what may." She let out a little humourless laugh. "You're like an inhibitor for stupid and reckless decisions and every time I get burnt but I would do it again. So yes Sherlock, yes I want to give it a try."

"And I will try not to make you regret it."

Molly laughed, looking up to meet Sherlock's eyes. "I know you will do your best."

Sherlock smiled and leaned in to give her a chaste kiss on the lips. He then licked his bottom lip. "You taste like garlic."

"Oh!" Molly brought her hand up on her lips, mortified. "I-m sorry... the lasagna I need to-" She started to stand when Sherlock grabbed her hand and forced her to sit again.

"I love garlic." Sherlock said playfully, leaning in again to kiss her more deeply this time.

When they finally separated Molly sighed. "I have to give it to you Sherlock Holmes, you are a very good kisser."

"It's mostly due to the woman I am kissing."

"My, my, Sherlock, are you actually being humble?"

"I'm trying."

"Do you…want to stay?" She asked, blushing.

"Very tempting offer but I have to decline."

"Oh… yeah… sorry." She said, mortified.

"Don't apologize, Molly, I am more than tempted believe me, but I want to do it right." Sherlock stood up from his spot on the bed and turned toward her "I want to take you out on a proper date tomorrow night."

Molly smiled brightly. "Okay where?"

"Chez Jacques."

"But..."

"Isn't it of your liking? We can go somewhere else."

"No, no Chez Jacques is great, fantastic even. I never even been there but you don't need to impress me or anything Sherlock. This kind of expense is quite unnecessary really. A dinner with you at the corner fish and chips will be just as lovely."

Sherlock gave her an indulgent smile, bringing his hand up and gently brushing her cheek with the back of his hand.

This simple gesture took Molly's breath away. She had no idea that Sherlock was even capable of anything tender.

"You know getting a table at Jacques is close to impossible unless you know someone."

Sherlock scoffed. "Please give me more credit. I want a table and I'll have a table. It will probably cost me Christmas at my parents." He grinned. "Mycroft is just sadistic that way."

It was Molly's turn to cup Sherlock's cheek. He leaned into her touch with a sigh that seemed to be a sigh of satisfaction.

He turned his head slightly and kissed her palm. "So Chez Jacques? 7pm?"

"Yes. I'll meet you there."

Sherlock leaned down and gave her another slow kiss. "See you tomorrow, Molly." He turned around with a smile after exiting the room. "I like it." He said touching his lips. "I like these sensations. It's much better than I thought; I can see why people enjoy being fools."

Molly shook her head. "And wait a little Sherlock Holmes, it's about to get even better."

"I will hold you to that."

"I'm counting on it." She replied as flirtatiously as she could, hoping she didn't look completely deranged.

Sherlock winked, making her heart almost explode in her chest. She loved her usual Sherlock but the version she had since he came to her room would most likely be the death of her.

She closed the door and leaned against it, not able to wipe the huge smile from her face

MSMSMSMSMMSMSSMSMSMSMSMSM

Sherlock had never been nervous about anything before, but right now picking his clothes for his dinner with Molly he felt like a fool.

He picked his purple shirt, knowing it was her favorite and ruffled his hair just the way she liked it.

He growled when trying to pick a jacket.

"Oh for heaven's sake! It's just Molly." He said aloud, grabbing the first jacket he saw and walking out of the door.

Mycroft made good to his promise and the table Sherlock had was one of the best in the restaurant. It was almost worth the Christmas with the parents.

Sherlock looked at the menu for a while before looking at his watch. Molly was more than 10 minutes late and it was really out of character.

He frowned, reaching for his phone. Had she changed her mind? Did she realize that dating him was completely insane? He couldn't blame her.

Sherlock looked down and saw an envelope on his plate. He frowned, looking around. He paled seeing the seal at the back of the envelope. It was the same as the one Molly had drawn for him.

Meet us in an hour or she is dead. Don't worry if you can't wake the men upon the floor, for they do not wake up anymore.