Sherlock grabbed the man's wrist, twisting it sideways as the gun slipped from his grasp.
"Bugger," Molly's voice echoed from a distance as she fumbled with the slide.
"Don't shoot!" Sherlock shouted, wrestling with Novikov's arms as he kicked away the gun. "You've got terrible aim."
"You think I've ever used one of these before?" Molly shouted back, hitting it with the palm of her hand as she appeared from the shadows.
"Obviously not," Sherlock said, attempting to pin Novikov to the wall. "You were an inch away from my head." Novikov shoved Sherlock forward, reeling back his fist as he slammed Sherlock into the opposite wall.
"Forget it," Molly muttered, taking a step forward and turning her body sideways. She pulled back her arm, hurling the gun forward in a perfect arc. Novikov let out a cry as the metal hit his ear, knocking him to the floor. Sherlock breathed heavily, looking dumbfounded as he glanced from his downed opponent to Molly.
"Perhaps I was wrong about your aim." He glanced back at Novikov, raising an eyebrow. "Square in the temple."
"Softball at the Uni," she said, shaking out her arm as she approached the body. She looked down at Novikov's bloodied face, biting her lip. "Is…is he…"
"Dead? I thought you were the mortician." He paused, watching as Molly's eyes welled up slightly. He kneeled down, pressing his finger against Novikov's wrist. "Yes…he's dead."
"I figured as much." She took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly as she wiped her face.
"But he was responsible for seven murders…if not more," Sherlock said quickly, glancing at Molly's face. She leaned against the wall, brown eyes glistening.
"I know."
"It was in my defense. And yours. Lestrade won't ask twice about what happened."
"I know."
"You're being highly illogical," Sherlock said, shaking his head as he stood across from her.
"Have you ever killed a man, Sherlock?" She said, her voice barely a whisper as she met his gaze. "I see people like this every day, and I always think about how horribly twisted and evil the killer must be. Now…" she paused, tears rolling down her cheek. "Now I'm one of them."
"You're not a killer, Molly. You saved my life," Sherlock said, lifting his arm and patting her shoulder awkwardly. "You did what was necessary."
"Funny how what's necessary always seems to…" Molly trailed off, sighing deeply as she wiped her face with the back of her hand.
"Doing what's necessary is exactly what the name implies," Sherlock said quietly. "It's not easy, it's not satisfying. More often than not it's painful and cruel." He paused, looking up at Molly. "You...you're..."
"I'm what?" Molly stared back at Sherlock, trying to steady her breath. Sherlock held her gaze, biting his lip after a moment.
"Brave," he said quietly, touching her arm as he led her back towards the corridor's entrance. "Very brave."