I'm so sorry! You guys left me so many awesome reviews, and I wanted to finish by Halloween, but this silly real life thing kept getting in the way. Real life seriously needs a pause button that I can press whenever I need extra writing time! Someone please get on that...

"Bravo Mr. Holmes, Bravo..." Drake said stepping out of the shadows. "Even though I am a little disappointed that it took you so long."

"Where's the girl, Drake" Sherlock asked, unimpressed by Drake's show.

"If only you had read my book, I wanted you to find it. To connect the dots, to discover this room. But you were so distracted..." standing behind Molly, he brushed her hair over her shoulder, and traced her neck with his fingers, sending a shiver down her spine.

"But then it was just that distraction that lead you here after all. I should thank you..." he whispered, his lips brushing against Molly's ear.

"You see, the villain wasn't after the girl, she was just a casualty, to lure the clever detective into his lair, and it worked oh so well," with that he stepped away from Molly, who immediately joined Sherlock in his corner of the room.

"You're killing Shovel..." Sherlock said, putting the pieces together.

"Spade," Molly corrected him, to which the detective responded with an annoyed glance.

"Sorry," she apologized letting him go on.

"It's his last case, this is why this book is such a big deal, and why its success is so important. And nothing can insure that success like the intrigue of a real life mystery surrounding it. Do you really have that little faith in your own work?"

"Very good Mr. Holmes." Drake replied, ignoring Sherlock's last remark. "I can already see the headlines, the girl was a nice touch, but what will really get the sales going is that the great Sherlock Holmes disappeared from my party. I'm sorry that you got caught in the middle of this Miss Hooper , but..."

"The police are already on their way," Sherlock interrupted him.

"Great, they can get their copies signed. Talking of, I should really get back to my party it's almost midnight. Oh and don't bother calling for help, these walls are very thick..." With that Drake took a step back and before Sherlock could react an iron gate came down from the ceiling, dividing the room in two, capturing Sherlock and Molly in Drake's torture chamber.

xoxo

"...maybe, he'll tell Lestrade that we're still here..."

"Yes Molly, the murderer will tell the Police that he locked the only person who can prove that he did it in his basement, where he also likes to keep his victims."

"Victim," Molly corrected him.

"I was referring to the future..."

"Please don't say that, we're gonna get out of here. Lestrade will..."

"Shut up!" Sherlock snapped at her.

"I'm sorry, I just, I..." she went on, unable to hold back the tears that had built up. Scared, humiliated, tense – that summed up how she had been feeling ever since that gate had come down, and Sherlock's harsh words weren't exactly helping.

"It's all my fault," she explained sobbing. "If it wasn't for me, you would have never found..."

"Don't..." Sherlock rolled his eyes, the last thing he needed was a crying woman to console.

"I should have listened to you..."

"Molly," he put his hands on her shoulders, holding her firmly. "You heard him, it was a set up, I'd be in here with or without you." he explained, and Molly nodded looking up at him, with red eyes.

"Still..." she started again, "If I had waited for Lestrade I could have told him, and..."

"But you didn't, because you were too eager to impress me," Sherlock interrupted her, a knowing smile curving his lips.

"I...I just wanted you to..." she tried to explain but...

"Oh For god's sake," with that the Detective pulled her in for a kiss. The suddenness of it should have made it rough, but it wasn't. It was soft, sweet, and gentle, it was the opposite of the one they had shared in the bedroom.

"...notice," she stammered as they broke apart, wondering if this was really happening or if Drake had already knocked her out.

"I do," Sherlock replied, bringing his right hand up to her face, to brush his thumb over her cheek to wipe away the tears. "I notice, but sometimes I forget that not everyone has my deductive skills, I thought inviting you to join me on this case would suffice, and..."

"So you weren't just using me?"

"You, Molly Hooper, are a valuable asset to my work, and to myself. Now, do I have to kiss you again or can we move on, and figure out a way to get out of here?"

xoxo

"I can assure you that I haven't seen your friends within the last half hour, they must have left. I'm not surprised, they seemed eager to get home, he couldn't keep his hands off her."

"Are you sure you sure you're thinking of the right person? Sherlock Holmes, tall, dark hair, irritatingly clever?" Lestrade asked as he followed Drake through the crowd, the Detective Inspector had arrived shortly after receiving Sherlock's text, and immediately knew that something wasn't quite right when neither Sherlock or Molly could be found.

"Unless I've been fooled by an impersonator it was him, but you'll have to excuse me now. I have guests to entertain. You are of course welcome to stay Inspector. I'll make sure you get a signed copy of my book."

"Looking forward to it," Lestrade replied as Drake disappeared in the crowd.

xoxo

"I don't suppose that Spade fellow, ever found himself in a situation like this?" Sherlock asked, not even awaiting a response before he pulled her in for another kiss. Of course Molly had requested further prove, and one kiss had turned into two, and two into three, and three had lead to, well...

"Sherlock,..." Molly stopped him, trying to catch her breath. "Maybe we..."

"No," Sherlock cut her off. "Kissing - if exciting - releases adrenalin, helps me focus, there has..." he stopped mid sentence, staring at something behind Molly.

...So one more chapter to go until the belated Halloween fun is over. And yes those are real scientific facts ;)

Love Laura