Chapter 17

They say your life is never the same anymore once you are a parent, and it is true. From the day her daughter was born, a brand new life had started for Molly. It was a bit exhausting to take care of her by herself, but she was doing well. Audrey was a very alert baby, generally happy and looking at you with her big blue eyes.

They would usually spend Sundays afternoons at Mycroft's apartment on Pall Mall. It was amazing to see how his niece had turned him into a doting uncle. Her grandmother was equally fond of the little girl, and had offered her a teddy bear which had once belonged to Sherlock.

Molly was also spending a lot of time with John. Whenever he could, he would drop by her apartment on his way back from work. He loved playing with Audrey and his funny faces made her laugh a great deal. He was also really good at putting her to sleep, which was not always easy. Then, he would often stay to have dinner with Molly.

One night, after a few glasses of wine, the usual goodbye kiss on the cheek was followed by another one, on the lips, more lingering. It could have been an awkward moment, but it felt natural to both of them. They stopped it there, by an unspoken mutual consent, but Molly kept finding herself smiling all of the next day.

The following Saturday, John convinced Molly to let Mrs Hudson babysit and took her on a proper date. He came to pick her up with flowers. She couldn't remember the last time a man had done that for her.

She had always been attracted to men with some kind of venomous charm. They kept treating her badly, and she thought she could make them change, which of course never happened. But John Watson was very different: genuinely good, respectful, even romantic. The kind she would usually find nice, but boring.

Expect he was not - there was something more about him. He had fought in Afghanistan and chased criminals around London. Just enough danger to raise her interest. When he took her hand later on that night, she instantly felt safe. She knew he would try his best to protect her whatever happened, and she unexpectedly found this very attractive.

So she forgot about her not-on-a-first-date resolution, and they spent the night together.

She was not disappointed. She remembered Sherlock once telling her that the fair sex was John's department, and she started to understand why. Not that Sherlock had been bad; quite the contrary - but he was rather… self-centered. John was assertive, as she liked, but also gentle and attentive. He definitely knew how to please a woman.

They moved in together one month later, which didn't change much since he was already spending most of his time at her flat. It had been a long time since he had lived with a woman but he enjoyed domestic life. Molly was making him a happy man, and he loved Audrey as if she was his own daughter. He liked to find them waiting for him at night, and the walks in the park with the stroller on the week ends. He had to confess, he still missed Sherlock, like a persistent, low-level ache, and occasionally he still yearned to hear that the Game was On, but Molly and Audrey had put the sparkle back in his life.

Six months later, after a romantic dinner at Alfredo's, John proposed. And Molly said yes.

That night, however, Molly couldn't find sleep. She hadn't hesitated at the restaurant, but now she was asking herself a million questions. What it the right decision? What she being honest with John? He had a good heart, he loved her and would be a great father for Audrey. What more could she possibly ask for? Passion? The kind of passion she had felt for Sherlock? Sherlock had stolen her heart the moment he stepped into the lab. He had played with her like a cat with a mouse. But even if he was gone, she was unable to forget him. How could she, when she saw him every time she was looking at her child?

With John, it had been different. The first time, she didn't even remember his name. It hadn't been love at first sight, but maybe it was something stronger? Life had brought them together, and she knew she could trust him. She looked at the man who was sleeping peacefully next to her, and decided that for once in her life she would give a chance to the good guy.

^/^

John would have preferred a simple ceremony, but he knew Molly's sentimental streak, so he indulged her wish for her fairy tale wedding. He even gave in to her wish for him to wear his military uniform. She thought he looked utterly dashing in it.

Neither of them had large families, but all their friends were there, along with some of Molly's colleagues and John's war buddies. Audrey was too young to be a bridesmaid, but Molly had found her a really pretty dress. She had started calling John "Daddy" a few weeks before.

The party took place at a luxurious London hotel, which had been generously booked by Mycroft. Everybody had good fun, even if Harry, of course, managed to embarrass her brother with her drinking. And Molly swore she saw Mycroft and Anthea slow dancing together.

By midnight, the newlyweds said goodbye to their guests. They were leaving the following day on their honeymoon to Mauritius, while Audrey would stay with Elizabeth. Her grandmother was delighted to have her for a whole week, even if she expected daily anxious phone calls from her mum.

Molly and John entered the suite where they were about to spend their wedding night. There were plenty of presents waiting for them, as well as a beautiful lily bouquet. While John was taking off his jacket, Molly couldn't help contemplating the packets, like a little girl on Christmas morning.

"Just to let you know, you'll be the one writing all the thank you cards", said John with a grin.

"Oh don't worry, I'll just leave you the space to sign them."

"Who sent the flowers?"

"I don't know… there is no name on it. Maybe the card got lost? But they are beautiful."

John put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "No as much so as my beautiful wife", he murmured. "Now, what do you think of giving the four-poster bed a try?"

THE END

^/^

So this is the end of this fic… but not the end of the story. As you can imagine, somebody will soon make a comeback!

This was my first real writing experience. Thank you all for you great feedback, it really means a lot. And again, a special thank to Eyebrows 2 who helped me a lot with beta reading.

I hope the sequel won't be too long to come, I'm already working on it. Even if I already have a good idea of what will happen (at least for the beginning), I would love to hear your suggestions. And don't worry, even I like to take my inspiration from the canon, Molly is not Mary ;-)

See you soon !