Chapter 10

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Authors note: Here's chapter 10. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Hope you like this chapter. Warning - sickeningly soppy fluff.

"So, I'm going to go straight to bed," John stated, as they entered the living room of 221b, "Hope you're okay, Molly."

"I'm fine. Thanks, John. For everything, I mean." She said kindly for the fourth time that night. She had thanked everyone individually, overwhelmed by the amount of people who had contributed to rescuing her.

John nodded and left for his bedroom, leaving Molly and Sherlock alone. The detective turned to her with a smile, though it didn't touch his eyes.

"Tea?" He offered uncharacteristically.

"Please."

The pathologist sat down on the sofa, needing time to contemplate over the nights events. Jim had been taken away, and the (thankfully fake) Semtex had been pulled from the back of her dress. Her burns had been treated, though her arms were still extremely sore. Sherlock's words danced through her mind.

"You can even try to kill me, but the second you touch a hair on Molly Hooper's head is the second that you, your Westwood suits and your heart of coal with cease to exist."

She remembered Jim's statement, insisting that Sherlock was falling for her – a statement she didn't believe at the time. But then Sherlock had saved her, punched a psychopath for her and offered her his home for the night, causing her to become quite unclear on the subject.

Sherlock returned from the kitchen, two steaming mugs in his hand. He handed one to Molly and sat beside her on the sofa. Silence lingering in the air, Sherlock avoided eye contact with the pathologist, though she frequently stole a glance at his tensed form. After a few minutes of awkwardness, the detective set down his tea on the coffee table and, staring at the opposite wall, spoke in a quiet voice.

"Molly, you cannot even begin to understand how sorry I am for what has happened to you tonight. It was all my fault, and I take complete responsibility for the damage it has caused."

"This wasn't your fault, Sherlock. You weren't to know that Moriarty was planning this. You can't know everything," She joked.

"And that frustrates me enormously."

"Why are still so angry? I'm alive, I'm safe, you still have access to the morgue and you don't have to feel guilty," She queried.

Sherlock froze and spun round on the couch, beholding Molly's eyes.

"You think I rescued you for access to the morgue?" He demanded, completely stunned.

She didn't answer.

"Molly, the morgue means nothing to me – everything means nothing to me- if you're in danger," He declared, standing up and pacing round the room, "Yes, you're alive. Yes, you're hopefully safe; but that doesn't change the fact that he hurt you! He caused you physical pain and it's taking all I have not to find him and kill him with my own bear hands."

He finally turned to look at her, and seeing her startled expression, he took a deep breath.

"Molly," He tried to explain in a calmer voice, "I'm obviously not good with feelings. I'm terrible at recognising them, and especially at facing them. In recent days, I've been contemplating how I've treated you in the past. I…regret the words I've said to you, since they've lead you to believe I don't like you, when it's quite the opposite. Lately I've noticed how much I want you around me, and how I feel when you are. But then the events of tonight happened, and it opened my eyes to how strong my feelings truly are."

The detective paused, his heart rate increasing with nerves as he tried to say the words he'd never said before.

"Molly, I…"

The pathologist placed her own mug on the coffee table and stood. Advancing towards Sherlock, she cupped his cheeks in both of her hands and gazed into his eyes.

"I love you too, you silly man," She whispered, and pressed her lips against his.

A/N - So, I don't know whether to finish this story in a few chapters or carry it on, writing about Sherlock and Molly as they become a couple. There will be a lot of Sherlolly fluff if I do ;) Please let me know what you think I should do, thanks :)