A/N - Well here it is! I wont blab on for too long. Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing, it makes me very happy :]

Echo

Chapter Five

Bare Bravery

Molly and Sherlock arrived back at the flat around five o'clock in the evening. Molly was emotionally and physically exhausted from the long walk and dreading her shift that evening in the morgue. It was silly really; she knew that due to the circumstances she could take time off without any fuss, but she didn't feel comfortable going on leave to mourn when Sherlock wasn't really dead. But perhaps it would help to make it more believable, she would have to discuss it with Sherlock.

Her colleagues had been lovely, sending her text messages, emails and some even ringing her to make sure she was alright. It was slightly disconcerting however, to know that her fellow workers knew about her infatuation with the 'Consulting Detective'. Molly had thought that she had kept it a secret. Perhaps she was a little more transparent than she had believed.

Sherlock had spent the entire walk home thinking about his revelation in the cemetery - he had done what he prided himself in being able to do best; eliminated the impossible and left the thing which however improbable must be the truth. He had finally come to a conclusion as he watched Molly remove his coat - he had given it to her shortly after they began the long walk home. He had to admit, she looked pretty good in it - the coat obviously didn't fit her properly but it seemed to accentuate her femininity.

He had never truly looked at Molly Hooper, not properly. Today Sherlock would finally see her, all of her.

Steeling his resolve Sherlock strode with purpose toward Molly, eyes seeking hers. Molly's heart began to race as Sherlock's pale blue eyes locked with hers. "What are you doing?" Her voice was barely above a whisper as Sherlock stopped in front of her, eyes staring, face blank but not unpleasant. Her brow furrowed as Sherlock retrieved her phone from his back pocket - he must have taken it from her bag back at the cemetery. Molly would have been furious had it been anyone else, but she knew Sherlock; he meant no harm, he just didn't abide by the social rules which restricted others. If he wanted something, he took it.

"I'm picking up where we left off," his deep voice sent shivers down her spine as his fingers drifted quickly over the keypad on her phone. "and this time we wont be interrupted." He twisted his wrist to show her the message on the screen which read; 'I can't make it into work just yet, I need to take some time off'. The message was addressed to her boss. Before Molly could protest, his finger hit the send button. With a slight sigh, she shook her head as a smile played around the corners of her mouth - it was just like Sherlock to do something like that. She would have preferred the message to be a little more polite, but it was gone now, she couldn't do anything.

Her mind quickly snapped back to the meaning behind his words; being selfish, two people who are as bad as one another. Sherlock did not beat around the bush and he certainly didn't play games. He was being serious.

"What if I don't want to be selfish, Sherlock?" Molly's voice did not hold the strength she had hoped for. His close proximity was messing with her head, his eyes hypnotising her as his breath fanned lightly over her face. She was intimated and frightened, she knew exactly what he wanted from her. Even though she had dreamt of this day, Molly wasn't exactly ready. Sherlock was tall, dark and handsome - Molly was short, curvy and ordinary. But she wanted him, there was no use denying that, even if her mouth decided to betray her.

"We both know that's a lie, Molly." Sherlock smirked down at her; she was practically drunk, her body language begging him for more, yet she was denying it. Why? Because she was afraid. Sherlock did not see this as a good enough reason to decline his offer. "You want this. I'm going to give it to you, Molly. It would be much easier if you stop trying to refuse."

Without a word Molly closed her eyes and took in a steadying breath before whispering, "okay."

"Say it. Tell me what you want." Sherlock's tone may have been gentle but the authority behind his words did not disappear. He was the one in control, as always.

Molly slowly opened her eyes, staring straight into his icy blue orbs she complied. "I want to be selfish. I want you." As if to show that she truly meant what she was saying, Molly lifted herself up onto the tips of her toes to gently press her lips against Sherlock's. For the first time since they met she did not feel afraid or unsettled by the 'Great Sherlock Holmes', she felt closer to an equal. Which quite frankly didn't make a lick of sense, as kissing him was surely the most intimate moment that they had ever shared. Perhaps this was her turning point, the day she would no longer be afraid.

To say that Sherlock was surprised would have been an understatement. He was rather proud in fact; the shy pathologist was finally taking what she wanted, without thinking of the consequences. Quite beautiful. But Sherlock thought it wise to make certain that she knew the rules first.

Gently pushing her shoulders back, he broke the kiss before it went too far. Trailing his thumb across her plump lower lip he whispered, "this is a one time thing, Molly. It wont happen again, do you understand?"

With a chuckle Molly grabbed his hand and lead him towards her bedroom. "Shut up, Sherlock." Pushing the door open she gave him a sweet smile before trailing her hands up his chest slowly. "I know what this is. I'll take it."

Sherlock stared down at her, his eyebrows creasing slightly; this woman really would do anything for him. He studied her face for a moment, memorizing the trusting and almost pleading look in her eyes. She was so pure - too pure for him. Perhaps it was merely a mixture of stupidity and greed, but Sherlock didn't care what her reasons were; she was willing to comply - that was all he needed to know.

Knowing that he would need to make the first move, Sherlock slipped his arms around her waist as he swooped in for another kiss. It had been quite a long time since Sherlock had been intimate with a woman - it had been an experiment, a quick fumble when his hormones ruled his head, to see if sex was all it was hyped up to be; it was nothing special or intimate, quite honestly the girl had annoyed him with her irritating babbling. Molly was different, she allowed him to take command easily and without disruption.

Molly was quickly becoming intoxicated as he deepened the kiss and exploring her mouth curiously. His skilled fingers soon found the zipper of her dress, she could feel him smirking as he tugged it down at a painfully slow speed. Molly had to remind herself to be patient; after all this was only a one time thing.

Pushing coherent thoughts from her mind, Molly allowed her body to relax further as she pressed herself against the hard planes of Sherlock's chest. Her small hands resting on his upper arms as he broke the kiss once more, his chest rising as he took in a steadying breath before placing a delicate kiss to her forehead. "I want to see you," his words were barely even registering with her as he smoothed his hand's down Molly's arms and took a step back, "stand still."

Giving a slight nod, Molly watched as Sherlock circled her slowly, his eyes darting quickly across her. Reaching out slowly, Sherlock eased the straps of her dress off, allowing the black fabric to pool around her feet. Molly's arms instinctively went to cover herself before Sherlock's strong hands encircled her wrists firmly. "No, Molly. I want to see you." Her dark, brown eyes found his curious face as he glanced from her black, lace covered breasts to her lips. "Well, do you always wear such expensive lingerie? I assume not as I have already taken the liberty of looking through your underwear drawer. So then, this must have been for the funeral - for my funeral." He gave her a raised eyebrow as he deduced her. He couldn't help but find her fascinating.

Molly didn't see the need to defend herself or say anything at all, so she stood there, face heating up with embarrassment while Sherlock continued to look her over. She felt like a case to him. Perhaps this was his idea of fun - who was she kidding; it was his kind of fun. She watched with curiosity as Sherlock's face screwed up slightly, his finger tapping his chin before he finally broke out into a triumphant smile. His hand dashed out quickly to pull the elastic band from her hair, allowing the bro
wn curls to cascade freely down her back. "Perfect. Get on the bed." With that said Sherlock turned his back and began to remove his jacket.

With wide unblinking eyes, Molly shuffled back a few steps before she felt the hard wood against her bare legs and sat down. This was actually happening. Taking in a few deep breaths, Molly glanced up in time to see Sherlock turn around, his eyes fixed onto hers once more as he hung his jacket on the back of Molly's door. She couldn't stop the slight smirk; heaven forbid his jacket got creased on the floor. As if reading her mind, Sherlock smiled back as he began to unbutton his shirt, effectively drawing the attention back to the task at hand. Molly's heart began to pound yet again as Sherlock closed the distance in a few strides, his body dipping as he picked her up only to pull her further up the bed.

"Thank you, Molly." She barely registered his softly spoken words before his lips crashed into hers, their pace unrelenting as Sherlock pressed himself into Molly's soft form. Molly released a loud sigh as his mouth finally left hers to trail hot kisses down her neck. Her hands quickly sought out the buttons of his shirt as his ghosted over her soft flesh. The shirt soon joined her dress upon the floor, revealing his sculpted chest and causing Molly to become slightly incoherent as she tried to catch her breath. Smirking down at her, Sherlock sat up, tugging his belt free and unfastening his trousers. He released a sigh as the constricting fabric was loosened.

Molly's shy nature vanished as she too sat up, her hands working the clasp of her bra until it popped off. Sherlock looked directly into her eyes, his eyebrows once again creased as he tried to see the once painfully shy woman he had known. His eyes remained trained on hers as he pushed her back against the bed, his hands smoothing down her shoulders gently as he claimed her lips, the palms of his hands soon gliding over her breasts slowly. Molly allowed her eyes to drift closed as she savoured the feel of his warm hands exploring her. Stroking her fingers down his back, she hooked her thumbs into the hem of his trousers, easing them down slowly as she arched her back to apply more pressure to her chest.

Sherlock released a low chuckle as he felt Molly struggling to take off his trousers, batting her hands away, he pushed them off quickly. Their underwear soon joined the the rest of their discarded clothing on the floor, leaving them both to wonder who would make the final move, who would take the last step.

Sherlock - getting slightly impatient with the childish nerves of Molly - heaved a sigh as he placed himself above her, giving her a calculating look before pushing ahead slowly; not wanting to frighten her too much. He didn't know why, but Sherlock needed this. The tension and stress was getting too much for him and without a case, this seemed like the best option - or so he kept telling himself. Molly's eyes instinctively snapped shut as she felt the mixture of slight pain and pleasure as he so abruptly invaded her.

Sherlock had denied himself the pleasure of a woman long ago, so the soft feel of Molly was almost enough to push him over the edge instantly. Gritting his teeth, Sherlock ducked his head into Molly's hair, taking in steadying breaths as he felt her do the same. Molly moved her hips slowly, trying to encourage him to move - she was still nervous but afraid that Sherlock was going to back out before it had even begun. A smile broke across her face as she felt him comply, moving slowly to begin with, but speeding up slightly, head still nestled in her hair as his hands fisted the pillow beneath her head.

Sighing loudly, Molly felt brave as she wasn't being watched by his intense, blue gaze. She remembered her fantasies about the Consulting Detective and decided to take advantage. Lifting her arms slowly, she ran her fingers tentatively through his dark curls, revelling in the feel of his silky hair beneath her finger tips. Arching her back slowly, Molly dragged her finger nails lightly down the hard planes of his back, moaning when she felt him speed up, his hips colliding with hers almost painfully.

Breathing in deeply, Molly turned her head slowly to kiss Sherlock's cheek. Sherlock tried to concentrate as Molly dug her finger nails into his flesh, her hips jerking to meet his - he didn't know how much longer he could hold on, she wasn't making it any easier. She began whispering his name, her eyes closed as she shifted below him, hands grasping his shoulders as she fell ever deeper into the feel of Sherlock. Her whispered words soon became moans, which evolved into screams of pleasure. Hands turning to fists as she got closer to the edge. She had no idea that Sherlock was watching her, mesmerised by her facial expressions and how she had become so lost in the feeling. He wished that he could feel that way, that he could become engrossed in another human being so completely.

His pace did not slow as he watched the brunette toss her head, looking down he noticed her toes curl under, legs clamping around him; she was almost there. With a smirk, Sherlock grasped Molly's hair tightly, pulling her mouth to his as he sped up, swallowing her screams of ecstasy. The way her body clamped around Sherlock caused him to join her moments later, his kiss becoming bruising as his body tensed. The kisses became softer as their hearts slowed and breathing became regular. Collapsing beside Molly, he barely noticed as the tiny woman curled her body into his, both falling asleep almost instantly.