Author Note: Thanks to everyone who is following and posted reviews. If you haven't already, please R&R.
Sorry again about any grammar issues... but commas as I mentioned before are not my friend.
Disclaimer: Please know that I don't own these characters. The world of Sherlock Holmes belongs to Moffat, Gatiss, BBC and, of course, Sir A. C. Doyle.
Lestrade was able to work his magic and get cleaners in from the yard to clean up all the fingerprint dustings, police tape, and change the locks for Molly so she could home within a few days. She ended up being a little sad about leaving John and Sherlock but she was glad to go back to the creature comforts of home – her warm bed, her favorite mug, and of course, her cuddle bunny, Toby.
As she left, she gave Sherlock a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. He stood arrow straight, obviously unused to this type of open affection. She leaned up and whispered in his ear, 'Thank you…thank you for answering the phone and finding me.' She grasped his hand and squeezed 'Thank you for being my knight in shining armor.' She let him go and he stared at her intensely for a moment and then turned and sat in his chair, strumming his Strand.
Next, she gave John an equally big hug, which lingered longer than hers with Sherlock. She kissed his cheek, ran her hands down his arms and pulled his hands into hers. She stepped back not letting go of her grip and looked into his eyes. 'Thank you, John. I truthfully don't think I would have made it through this without you.'
He smiled and squeezed her hands, 'You're welcome. I'm glad we were able to be there for you. And, please remember, anything you need… anything at all… day or night – just call. Me or Sherlock…We'll come – all you have to do is ask.'
She felt like Dorothy at the end of the Wizard of Oz saying goodbye to the Scarecrow and the Tin Man.
'Okay,.. Goodbye, Scarecrow. I think I'll miss you most of all.' She said in a cracking voice. She smiled up to him and leaned in again for a hug. John chuckled at the reference and she said 'Thank you.' one last time, dropping his hands.
She grabbed her duffle bag ad followed Lesstrade, who had offered to give her a ride home, down the seventeen steps…remembering her climb up them less than a week ago. She shook her head trying to loosen the memory. She wanted to start fresh and think positive. She turned at the landing and waved back up to John as she exited 221B Baker. Home…There's no place like home according to that Dorothy and she was ready.
ooOOooOOoo
John closed the door to the flat. He stood there for a second, pushing away any worries for Molly out of his mind, and turned on his heel (his military training peeking out a bit) and walked to his chair.
'You should pursue her, John.' Sherlock said without even looking up from what he was working on.
'What?!' John sputtered.
'You should ask Molly out.' Sherlock said almost flippantly 'You two have bonded over this situation and it is so obviously clear that she likes you.'
'What are you talking about? She likes me? What makes you think that?'
'John, it was so obvious I am not even going to justify that with a response.'
'Sherlock, we both know she's been in love with you. She has been for as long as I've known her. Hell, she barely knew my name before a week ago…she has been so focused on you. Plus, I'm not going to steal your girl. It's obvious to me you are the one with feelings here and I'm too good of a friend to tread on those no matter the amount of transference the girl is feeling.'
'My girl? Really, John? This isn't the 1940's.'
hmph..
"She's not mine. And… transference – the Nightingale effect in reverse. You really think that's what this is? Feelings change, even I know that and it is obvious hers have.'
'Of all the people to be talking about feelings with' John thought. He bristled as he sat in his chair, but he stayed there for a moment thinking about Molly…the way she smiled at him…how comfortable she was around him… maybe something had changed and he just didn't notice.
'You know, John. We have established that relationships, specifically with women, are not my area of expertise, but I think when you 'snuggle' with someone on the couch, it means something.'
Pink crept up John's neck as he thought back to the night before.
The Wizard of Oz had come on the telly and so they decided to watch it. John and Molly has sat on the couch and Sherlock in his chair. Sherlock hadn't lasted long yelling 'WRONG' within the first 10 minutes. He instantly received a glare from Molly and a raised eyebrow from John so he got up to work on an experiment in the other room.
John and Molly continued to watch the rest of the movie together and as soon as the flying monkeys were dispatched after Dorothy by the wicked witch, Molly hid her face behind John's shoulder.
'This is the scary part.' she said…a shiver running down her spine. 'Tell me when it's done.'
John had reached around and put his arm around her shoulder as soon as the scene was over and whispered 'Okay' with a little bit of a smirk.
Molly moved forward and rested her head on his shoulder with one hand tucked under her leg and the other holding his hand at her shoulder. They watched the rest of the movie like that. John hadn't really registered it as cuddling…he had just offering her some comfort and it was so comfortable to sit with her like that but as he looked back on it now it totally was.
He sighed. Maybe this had went somewhere unexpected but it was likely just infatuation as he said before based on transference. He had had patients who had fell him before when working through a long term issue, but as soon as they were out of the hospital they were fine. That's what would happen here with Molly. Now that she was home and not around John 24/7, she wouldn't think about him like that anymore. He would go back to the friend zone and Sherlock would come back front and center. Right? Right… but the question was, was that where he wanted to be. Her smile…her big eyes ... her heart so open…her ... well, her everything... made him think about her in a different way now that he looked back. She wasn't Molly from the Morgue any longer…She was just Molly to him now, with whom he had shared a laugh, a cry, a cuddle and a bed.
He saw Sherlock turn and raise his eyebrow at him…obviously still expecting a response, but John just shrugged, picked up his newspaper and sighed.
ooOOooOOoo
Her regularly meticulous flat was in complete disarray. Molly had been home for a few days now and had not left the apartment at all. Lestrade had at least helped her get situated when he dropped her off and had planted men downstairs to help her feel safe. But the favors had run out and she had just said goodbye to the last officer not twenty minutes ago. She cursed herself for not having had one of them go to the shop with her while they were here as she headed into the kitchen and found herself completely out of cat food, milk and other bare essentials.
She sighed. She was tired of spending the days trembling in her bed with the light always on and a knife on her bedside table. She was ready to take her life back. She straightened her shoulders and put together a list of supplies she needed, grabbed her purse and keys, and headed out the door. The door lock jammed as she tried to lock it but after a few tries she was able to get it to finally work.
She went down the stairs and hesitated at the door…her hand on the knob. She had been outside since the attack and she had done fine, but she had always had someone with her.
'I am not weak. I CAN do this. It is broad daylight out…no one will hurt you in broad daylight.' she told herself. She turned the knob and went out into the sun. She went down the stairs and up the walk. 'I am fine… fine.'
Luckily, there was a Tesco not even three blocks away, so she was able to get there quickly. She filled her basket up with everything on her list and even bought a couple of special things for a girl's night in to celebrate her first outing alone. She smiled at herself and her accomplishment as she walked out the door and headed home with her arms laden with her prizes.
As she walking home, there suddenly was a noise behind her and someone yelled 'Watch Out!' She whipped around and stepped towards a lamp pole as someone ran by her and into traffic. Thirty seconds later, a cop ran past her with a gun out stretched, yelling 'Stop!'
She stood there a moment and started to tremble. They were gone in an instant but she couldn't move. Soon her bags grew heavy and she looked around. Her heart pounded in her chest. She dropped her bags and she sagged to a crouch. She started to hyperventilate and drew the interest of a passerby.
'Are you okay?' the woman said as she crouched next to Molly placing her hand on her shoulder. Molly winced away from her touch and tears started to fall down her cheeks. 'Honey..are you okay?'
Molly shook her head no and closed her eyes. 'I just need a minute… I think I am going to have a panic attack.'
'Okay… It's going to be okay. I'll stay here with you. Should I call someone for you or call an ambulance?'
'No…No. That's okay.' Molly winced at the idea of two ambulance rides in the matter of a week.
Instead, she took a couple of deep breaths and tried gain her focus back. She did a visualization exercise she learned once in a psychology class. She pictured herself in a canoe. Right now, the waters were rough and the canoe kept hitting the edges of the river. But she steadied her breath and visualized herself gaining control of her canoe again and paddling it down the center of the river. The tears dried and she could feel her body relax as she took deep breaths in, continuing to see the river ahead of her as it started to steady. She opened her eyes after a couple more deep breaths and looked up to the woman. 'I think I'll be okay now.' She said as she rose to her feet.
'Are you sure?' the woman's hand back on her shoulder.
'Yes…I'll be okay... I'm fine. It's only a couple of blocks.'
'You know what ... it will make me feel better if you let me walk you there. If it's only a couple of blocks then it's on my way anyway.'
Molly agreed to let the woman walk her home and soon learned her name was Mary and she worked at a local school. She deposited Molly on her stoop and waved goodbye. Molly couldn't believe someone was so nice. She would have to send her flowers for helping her she thought as she turned and opened the door to step inside.
She walked up the steps to her door and turned the key but it wouldn't open. She tried again and again but it was stuck. Finally, after what seemed like a million tries and combinations of wiggles of the knob and pushing of the door, the tumbler turned but Molly had gotten so worked up about it, she turned the key too hard that final time and broke it in the lock.
'Damn… just my luck.'
She went inside and put all the perishables away before calling her landlord. Of course, he couldn't come right away…it would have to wait until tomorrow. Molly sighed. She looked at the door and decided to put a chair under the knob until tomorrow. She didn't want to have bother anyone else about it and she couldn't do it on her own so that would have to do...It would be fine. she told herself
By the time it was all said it done, it was almost 7:00. She made a quick dinner of a bowl of popcorn, two scoops of ice cream and a large glass of red wine and planted herself in front of the TV for her girl's night in. She popped in her favorite romantic comedy and tried to will herself to forgetting about the day. 'Tomorrow will be a better day…' she thought to herself 'It had to be...'