Molly tapped her fingers repeatedly against her knee. Tom would be at her doorstep any second now. God only could know what he wanted from her. She glanced at the clock.

2:30

Any second now.

Even expecting it, she jumped slightly when she heard the knock on her door. She rose up to answer it.

Another knock.

"I'm coming!" She called out. She rubbed one hand across her face and sighed. She did not want to be dealing with Tom right now.

She laid her hand on the door knob. She stared at her visitor and blinked several times.

"Molly," the man started, "I know it's late, I'm sorry-"

"Sherlock!" She interrupted, "Just what on earth do you think you're doing here?"

He stared down at her with his nose crinkled, "At what point did I become an unwelcome visitor at your flat?"

Molly's eyes widened when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. She glanced up at Sherlock, hoping to communicate her thoughts to him with just a look.

"Oh, no," he sighed. Apparently he could read her mind, after all. "May I ask just why Tom has come to visit you? Or have you changed your mind already about...this?"

Molly tried to smile, "No. I have not changed my mind, Mr. Holmes," he cringed. She giggled, "He's just...choosing a bad time to be difficult."

She poked her head out the doorway, then pulled Sherlock in by his coat and shut the door behind him.

"I estimate we have thirty seconds until he quits loitering, and decides to knock on the door," Sherlock stated assuredly.

"What do you want to do for thirty seconds?" Molly grinned, running a slender finger across the exposed portion of his chest where he had left his shirt unbuttoned. He skipped the scarf tonight.

Sherlock's face turned serious, "Actually, I would like to take this moment to confirm an old hypothesis of mine. May I?"

"I suppose you could try," She replied.

Sherlock sucked in a breath, "Tom left you because of me, didn't he?"

Molly's eyes turned glassy, and she exhaled a shaky breath, "Yes. Yes he did. I thought I implied that"

"Must have slipped my mind. That's been happening lately."

Sherlock's brows knit together, and he placed an awkwardly reassuring hand against her arm.

Knock, Knock.

Molly sighed, and directed Sherlock away from the doorway.

She opened the door, "Hello, Tom."

"Molly, I-" He stopped short when he saw Sherlock standing behind her, "What is he doing here?"

Molly looked back and forth between the men, "Why shouldn't he be here. It's my flat, isn't it?"

"But it's two-thirty in the morning!"

"So?" She answered, "You're also here at two-thirty in the morning." She could almost feel Sherlock smiling behind her.

"Yes, well..."

"Won't you come in?" She asked with a polite smile.

He stepped through the doorway, all the while deliberately avoiding Sherlock's gaze.

He pulled Molly to the side by her arm, "I was hoping to speak to you alone."

She glanced over her shoulder. Sherlock left the room without a word. Molly made her way to the sofa and motioned for Tom to sit opposite her.

"Alright, " She started, "Just what made you come and see me at two-thirty in the morning?" She restrained herself from yawning.

"W-well..." He stammered, "I know I asked you once. You said you didn't know. But Molly," he reached between them and took her unyielding hands in his, "Couldn't you ever see your way to giving me another chance?"

Molly looked down at the floor and pulled her hands away. "I know this is important to you, but why did you need to ask me this again at this hour? Could it not have just waited until the morning?"

"That's the thing," He started enthusiastically, rising from his seat, "I'm moving. To America."

Molly snapped her head back, "America? Why?"

"I was offered a job. I want to see the world. Learn new things," Molly almost snickered at his dramatics.

Not that Sherlock is any less dramatic, she chided herself.

"What does this have to do with me?" She asked.

He turned his head inquiringly, "Isn't it obvious? I want you to come with me. We can start over; or, better yet, pick up where we left things off before."

Molly stared at her hands clasped together in her lap. She wished desparately that Sherlock had not left the room.

Here was the man she once loved with all of her heart. In the other room was the man she had always loved with all of her heart. One she knew could be warm, cheerful, and caring. The other, she knew was hurtful, perverse, and rude.

But in the other room, was the man that had come to her that night wanting nothing more than her forgiveness.

In this room there was a man wanting her forgiveness.

What else was she supposed to do?

"Tom, I-" She cleared her throat, "I appreciate the offer, but I can't."

He swallowed, "Why not?"

She stood and looked him in the eye, "You know perfectly well why not. In fact, you've always known why not."

"It's him, isn't it?"

"Yes, Tom. It is."

He pressed his lips together and shook his head. His fists balled up.

Tom walked over to her door, "I suppose I should be going now. I've got a busy day tomorrow."

Molly walked over to him and smiled softly, "I hope you'll be happy."

He looked at her one last time before exiting.

"Molly Hooper," she jumped when she heard the voice, "I'll have you know that I heard every single word of that conversation."

She blushed deeply, "Oh, well, I-"

He smiled.

Sherlock walked over to her desk and picked up the list she had been writing. He did his routine nose crinkle, and she could tell he was not impressed by her choices.

"I know they're silly, but I-"

"Actually," he cut her off, "There is one I think that we can get started on right now."

"Oh?" She questioned, "Which one might that be?"

He placed the paper back down and answered casually, "The third one."

She let out a nervous laugh, "Oh. That one."

He crossed the room over to where she stood by the door and took her hand, leading her to the center of the room.

"It's rather small, but I suppose it will have to suffice."

He laid one hand on her mid-section, and held her hand gingerly with the other.

He leaned into her, "I know there's no music, but just pretend," he purred softly into her ear.

"I don't know how to do this," she murmured.

"Just follow my lead," he said, glancing down at their feet.

Occasionally, he offered her advice as to where her next step should be, but he soon found that she was an excellent learner without his having to show her every move. Molly soon began to softly hum.

"Music," she announced.

"Yes," he answered.

Moving in a circle, he pulled her tighter against his body, and buried his face into her soft hair.

"I'm sorry, Molly," he said, between gentle kisses on the soft parts of her neck. "I am sorry for everything I did to you."

"I told you once," she replied, barely able to breathe, "You'll have to prove it to me."

"I shall certainly endeavor to."

Well, that was a long break between chapters. I actually had a lot of fun writing this one. Please review! Also, if you haven't read it yet, I have another Sherlolly story that I am currently writing. Check it out; you can find it on my profile. :)