Molly:

When I entered my flat I stopped right at the door, and mentally checked if the stuff in my shopping bags was enough for two. Sherlock hadn't appeared at my doorstep for almost two months but seeing his coat hung by the door, I knew I would have company for dinner. Thank god the menu was pasta and sauce, instead of sushi rolls I almost planned to make.

"Just keep off the parmesan will you? The sauce tastes horrible with it."

Oh, spot on deduction of the meal followed always with some suggestion. "Or you could just eat somewhere else. How's that for an idea?"

He smirked, the git. But I hadn't seen him for ages, and say what I like, think what I like, I adored the man. And was very glad he was here, even if he treated my place like a free B&B. We had our dinner in silence, he on his mobile and me reading my book. I was debating having an ice-cream or not when suddenly Sherlock spoke, his casual tone belying his underlying interest.

"You really liked him didn't you?"

I smiled. I had been waiting for this questioning for some time now.

"Yes. Yes I did."

"After a long time?"

"Yes."

"Didn't you want to stay back?"

"Well, Venice has its charms. But Florence beckoned. And though I liked the man, Sherlock, I wasn't exactly planning on spending my life with him. Good call, in retrospect."

His lips slightly lifted upwards.

"It was a little crush but it felt good. It was a reminder that there yet is hope."

That was what I had felt when I had met Piero. The thrill on having a good looking stranger return your smile, that shiver of excitement running down your spine. It all was just for a day but damn! it had felt good.

"So you finally noticed someone else."

My heart skipped a beat when he said those words. It wasn't what he said but more the way he said it. His face showed no emotions, his voice was calm and yet…I had known him for a long time now and I could read the words between those lines.

So you finally noticed someone else… though I am still here.

"It was bound to happen someday Sherlock."…yes, even with you still here.

I turned to face him, our eyes locking. I felt sad for Piero, felt sad for a life lost but I was also grateful. Those three days, when I hadn't even thought of Sherlock, had been a revelation that I could move on…maybe I had already started. Maybe there yet was hope for a 'happily ever after' for me, who knows!

I smiled a relieved smile, sure that he was reading me exactly the way he always did. It would be different yet the same. I was the same person and yet, he could finally get off the hook.


Sherlock:

For some reason, I immediately thought of Mary and our last conversation of a few ago. That morning when she had offered me a different brew than normal, an expensive Colombian coffee. It had been wonderful but it felt…wrong.

I looked at Molly; she felt relief and a certain excitement. She now felt she could finally envisage a normal future for her.

And I felt oddly bereft at the mere possibility of her future being different than what I had plotted or surmised.

I like certain patterns, certain schedules. I have always been very organised in a way (I can almost hear John guffawing and Mrs Hudson snorting at this.) Things work out well when they are planned. When they happen as they are supposed to.

Sitting with her, facing her open and smiling face, I felt confused. This was what I had always wanted, for Molly to move on so we could work even better. Whatever those pesky feelings, they always interfered (ref to the case titled 'A Scandal in Belgravia' for how feelings can mess things up). An intelligent man learns from other's mistakes and I was intelligent enough not to follow the mistake that the Woman made.

And yet.

It was a miasma of feelings and emotions that felt suffocating. I had to get out and get some clarity, so that's exactly what I did.

And her kind but worried smile as I left didn't help a bit.

I could almost feel the nervous energy flowing through me now. Walking about the city I loved and called home, I had hoped to shed some of it in the hope that my mind would eventually calm down. London has always had that effect on me.

But today it seemed the more I walked, the more I seemed to absorb the life London gave out. It looked like the city was winding down, shutting down while I was getting more active. My brain, instead of slowing down as it always did when I roamed about the streets, seemed to hit into higher gear. All I needed was some quiet. And there were easy means of achieving that, hiding in the dark shadows and nooks all around me, always present, always beckoning. With huge effort and deep breaths, I managed to turn my back to each call.

Absolutely spent and too tired to go anywhere, I decided to go home.

And I think I was as surprised as anyone to realise that I was now stood outside her door. I must've rung the bell, as I could hear her unlatch the door. One eye shut while squinting through the other, her hair a mess that hung limply on that horrendous green t-shirt, Molly in her sleep addled state looked confused to find me at her door.

"For God's sake Sherlock, its almost 3 o'clock," she mumbled before turning and allowing me to enter.


Molly:

I opened the door and let him in. All I wanted was to crash back in bed and sleep my weird-dreams addled sleep. But something made me turn and look at him. He stood by the door, a look of thorough confusion on his face.

"I had decided to go home. But…here I am."

"It's ok, you can stay the night" I whispered, stumbling back towards my bed.

"It's quiet."

His wondrous tone made me turn around again.

"It's 3AM, of course it's quiet."

"Not for me."

I was fully awake by now, a frown on my face. I must've looked hideous but he looked fascinated, as if some understanding had dawned upon him.

"I think I know why Piero spent his last days with you Molly."

"Huh?" I managed to mumble. I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear the cobwebs off my sleepy brain. "What?"

"You saw him, pain and all, yet you made him feel human."

He had a small smile on his face as he approached me slowly. It was disconcerting, to be gazed at like that… by him.

"I roamed the city looking for quiet and look where I finally found it. Always. With you."

I was sure by now he could hear my heart beating rapidly. He stood close, gazing at me with something akin to fascination.

I could not form a word even if I tried, my mouth feeling dry.

"John says home is where the heart is. I'm not even sure I know what that means. But I understand silence, I value calm."

He paused, staring at me for so long without saying a word I thought he was lost in his mind palace. Until he breathed out softly.

"It's you. You make it go all quiet."

He cupped my face, his eyes weaving a story in mine.

"You, Molly Hooper…you keep me sane and together and I am fragile without you."

His touch, his voice…those words. They were all that anchored me as my vision blurred, my deeply hidden wishes and hopes finally breaking their confines. It was almost like a dream, maybe it was a dream. But I fully intended to enjoy it as long as I could.


Sherlock:

The next day started as usual. I was up and dressed before her. And as always when I stayed over, she had set the coffee machine the previous night.

It tasted wonderful.