This last chapter got so long I had to cut it in half. So here is the first of the last two chapters of When in Bruges. x

remember I own none of these characters though I really whish I did. x

enjoy

Chapter Five: One bad thing leads to a good. part 1

In the morning Molly found herself in the arms of the man she had condemned to a beating. She looked at him through sleep filled eyes. His bare chest covered in bruises the rest of him covered by the bed sheet. She looked closely at him and the marks he bore, the large purple-black spots of colour the size of fist that coved him and the even larger and far darker shapes of shoes prints where he had been kick repeatedly. She could feel her eyes welling up like they had done the night before.

"It's not as bad as it looks." Rumbled a low voice and Molly lifted her head to look in its direction. "You should have seen the other guy." Sherlock kept his eyes closed best to smile even though the pain of it showed clearly on his face.

"Sherlock I…"

"Don't."

Molly looked down from his face again. The ice she treated on was the thinnest yet and she felt that at it would give at any moment. One wrong word, one stressed point and she would fall through. What was she meant to say? The silence was killing her until finally she whispered. "What am I meant to do?" Molly heard him make a sound like a snort of amusement. "I know I have to go straight back to London. I know I'm going to have to hope he hasn't done anything to…" she broke off not knowing how to finish the sentence.

"Molly I know what you're really thinking. I saw it in your actions last night. The look of regret in your eyes. The un-surety of where you stood after my 'encounter' with Tom. And the careless attitude you took towards yourself at that moment. You had mild concussion and yet you still came. What did you think you were going to be able to do?" this last bit had a sting of reasoning to it. What was she thinking of? It wasn't like she was going to be able to stop him in her condition.

"Why are you still holding me Sherlock? You should be pushing me away?"

"Molly what did I tell you the night before we came over here?"

"That isn't an answer to this Sherlock. You have been beaten up because of me and my stupidity of thinking I could get away with sleeping around with you and staying with him."

"Our fault. Our stupidity. There are two of us." Holmes' cold reason brought the tears from her eyes. 'This man is too good for me.' And Molly told him that, his only response was to agree. Trying to set her at ease a little.

…

John and Mary, Greg, Janine, Mrs Hudson and most of the other guests where already up dressed and having breakfast when Tom came down stairs. Sherlock had been right Tom did look far worse than him, and as it turns out the only reason Sherlock was the one that ended up on the floor was because of sheer exhortation finally been able to literarily kick Tom out of the door. The entrance and exit was right opposite the meal area in this particular Hotel which would have been awkward for Tom if he gave a shit what these people thought of him at this moment.

"John?" Mary nudged her husband who at this moment was digging into his pile of waffles.

"What?" He looked up at her worried face. "Mary what's…?" She interrupted him as she nodded towards the battered and bruised figure of Tom that was walking adjacent to them. "Oh…?" He put down his knife and fork gently. John saw Greg do the same, it would seem that the penny had dropped for him as well. The two men looked at each other. "Shit!" exclaimed John under his breath. Holmes' friends were up and out of their seat before anyone could say a word.

…

Sherlock stood slowly from where he had been sitting on the edge of Molly's bed. They had gone up to her room so she could also get changed, he had refused to let her go alone just in case he was still there. "Time to face the music then?"

"I don't think they will start judging us so soon Molly. After all just look at us, we're not exactly up to much." He winked at her with his less badly damaged eye when she gave out a little giggle. Sherlock walked over to where she stood. "Things are going to be okay Molly."

"How do you know?" She mumbled into his dark green shirt listening to his heartbeat just to make sure he was still there.

"Because I'm a know it all arse-hole remember." He chuckled. "Come on if we don't go now they'll think something's going on between us." It was amazing how he found a way to make light of such a miserable situation.

….

"What room did you say it was?" asked John again as he and Greg ran up the main stair case. He and Mary hadn't been staying here, but they had come to meet everyone else here for breakfast. Which the Hotel manager didn't seem to care about at all.

"37 it's just down the way from me."

"What the hell has he done this time!" panted John. "I swear to god if he isn't dead I'll kill him!"

"Now we all know that isn't true." Came a voice from the stairs above.

"SHERLOCK." growled Greg and John at the same time. They then saw Molly, her face at both sides was turning a multiple of different shades of purples and blues.

"What the hell happened?"

"We've just seen Tom leave. He looks worse than you two put together. I expected Sherlock to look the same but you as well Molly?" John questioned say her name a little loader at the end to bring her worried eyes away from Sherlock's.

"He…uh…we…" she looked at Holmes for help what could they say?

"The truth?" he whispered waiting for her to nod. Which she did with a blush. Even in this state his pathologist couldn't hold back the teenage blush that swept across her checks and neck. "It would seem…" Sherlock started as they walked down the rest of the stair to face their friends. "It would seem that Tom found out about our little liaison amoureuse and here we are now."

"Liaison what? Speck English Sherlock."

"Love affair." Stated Greg taking away Sherlock's thunder. The three looked at him. "What? I speak French."

"Since when?" Asked Holmes who was a little annoyed that he didn't know.

"Well we're in Bruges. I couldn't find one for Flemish so…"

…

"What is taking them so long?"

"I don't know?"

"Maybe I should…"

"No dearie. They won't be much longer I'm sure." Mrs Hudson reached out and wrapped her hand around Mary's wrist. Giving her a reassuring look. 'What have you done now Sherlock? And at John's wedding too.'

…..

When the group finally did come down they had earned a gasp from the whole room. "It's not that bad." Sighed Sherlock who was clearly bored of all the attention. (Not like him at all.)

"Bloody hell what happened?" Mary had run over to them as soon as she had seen the state they were in.

"It's a very long story Mary and though I'm sure you would all love to hear it. I don't think this is the time or the place." Sherlock kissed her on the cheek and winked at her. He knew John would tell her as soon as they were alone. Molly had smiled at Mary and fallowed suit

"Mary trust me when you find out, think of it this way, John will have missed out certain details that both us…" he pointed his finger at himself then John then himself again. "…and Molly whished Sherlock had missed out." And he too went to sit and finish his breakfast, which the owner of where they were staying said he would bring him a fresh one because of what happened. 'Wouldn't get that in London.'

"That's that done." Molly sighed as she put her coffee cup down. "Just the rest to worry about."

"Not exactly." Replied Sherlock calmly trying not to smirk.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh Molly come come did you really think after seeing you like that I would just fall asleep?"

"But you did? You were out cold well before me." Then it hit her and she sighed. "You're a very good actor."

"Years of practice."

"Sorry what?"

'John lost as always.' Smirked Sherlock as he look across the table to Molly who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"How many favours does your brother owe you exactly?"

"A considerable amount to be sure."