A/N: I was feeling inspired so here's another update!

Molly moved in at last. Or rather started to move in. They began in shifts, bringing small amounts of things over, clothes, books, dishes. As for furniture, she replaced a few items with her own things like the table, but they kept the two familiar chairs, adding another one to the mix for her.

"You have your own proper place here now," Sherlock said with a smile as he helped push the vintage armchair into place next to his own.

It was a bit strange, seeing 221B transformed under Molly's hand. No pink pillows or doilies thankfully. But a second dresser in his bedroom. And Molly's better dishes in the cabinets. Her shampoo in the shower, toothbrush on the sink. Her preferred foods in the fridge.

However, Alex's favorite addition to the flat was Molly's cat Toby, who she brought over on one of her last trips.

"He's been grumpy all week," Molly said with a sigh. "He definitely knows we're moving."

"So we get the cat while he's angry and likely to destroy things?"

Molly sighed. "I figured the earliest I brought him over here, the sooner he'd adjust."

Sherlock glanced at the yellow eyes staring at him. Toby's tail swished as Molly set him down, his eyes never leaving the consulting detective.

"I'm sure he'll get used to it really soon," Molly promised. "And I'll be by again tonight. I just need to go finish a few things in the lab."

She leaned in to peck his lips. Sherlock offered a small smile as she pulled away. All things considered, he'd grown somewhat used to the physical affection.

There were footsteps on the stairs before Alex bolted into the room. He paused on seeing Molly, chirping a hello before fixing his gaze on Toby.

"A cat!" he gasped.

"Alex, this is Toby," Molly said with a smile. "Now you two can finally say you've met!"

Alex was instantly down on the floor petting Toby. The cat initially seemed a bit prickly, but soon had warmed to the attention and began to purr.

"He's a sweetheart," Molly promised. "I'm sure you two will get along just perfectly."

Alex gave her a smile before scooping Toby up, carefully balancing him with his cast. The cat didn't seem to mind.

"Come on, Toby, I'll show you my room!" he said, heading towards the stairs with the cat still in his arms.

Molly turned back to Sherlock with a warm smile. "Well, one person will be very happy at least."

Sherlock gave an eye roll before turning to go back to his experiment in the kitchen, though really it was hard now that Molly had removed all of chemicals and any tools she deemed unsafe. She'd promised him help at Bart's if there was anything important he needed to do, but she insisted they maintain a "safe environment" for Alex. Whatever that meant.

"Well, I'll see you later tonight," Molly said, coming over to kiss his cheek. "Do you er… well… want me to… wear that thing you sent me?"

Sherlock frowned. "What thing? To what are you referring exactly?"

"Oh," Molly glanced around before looking back at him sincerely. "The…er…gift you sent me. I got it this morning. It's lovely of course and I thought you might like me to wear it…but if you'd rather…it's no trouble really."

"Gift? What gift? I didn't send you a gift," Sherlock snapped.

Molly's smile faltered. "But…it was on my doorstep this morning. It had your name on it. 'Dearest Molly, Love Sherlock.' I thought it was sweet….er… I…you…didn't send it?"

"The last gift I gave you were those chocolates Mrs. Hudson gave me to take you," he paused realizing what he'd said. "I mean—"

"I suspected, it's alright," Molly said. "But you didn't bring that this morning? It did seem a bit off for you, but I just kind of hoped—well never mind."

"What was it?" Sherlock asked.

Molly blushed slightly. "Er…lingerie."

"Underwear," Sherlock said softly. "Oh that's good. Clever."

"Underwear?" Molly said, looking confused. "But what does that mean?"

"It means, our old friend Jim knows you're with me now," Sherlock said with a sigh. "Bring that by this evening…not wearing it if you don't mind. I want to look it over just to be safe."

Molly nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry I just assumed…"

"No. It's alright," Sherlock said with a sigh. "We can talk about it later. Don't you worry. Now get off to work. I have a lot to do."

She nodded and headed to the door, still sending an anxious glance back his way. Just in time, of course, Alex appeared on the steps, still carrying and cooing over Toby.

"Bye Molly!" he called.

She offered a half smile and waved at him. Alex picked up one of Toby's paws to wave back. The cat didn't look particularly pleased by the action, but thankfully didn't bite or scratch at the boy in retaliation.

"Why's Molly look upset?" Alex asked once they heard the front door close.

"Hmm? Does she? Oh well, probably just a bit worried now that Moriarty is aware of our relationship."

Alex turned to stare at him. "Did he do something bad again?"

"He just sent her a little….present…regardless I'll make sure Molly's safe from any further contact from him. I imagine he finds this all rather amusing after dating her several years back."

Alex's eyebrows furrowed, suddenly cocking his head.

"Wait…dating?"

"Yes, dating. Are your ears not working properly?" Sherlock shot a look at the boy, though he was unable to avoid smiling at the comment.

"So Molly and Moriarty…dated…?" Alex said, still staring at Sherlock in disbelief, shifting Toby in his arms.

"Yep," Sherlock said, popping the p at the end. "It was prior to knowing he was a psychopath, of course. Though I did advise Molly from the moment I met him that he was no good for her. Though that had to do with other things…"

Alex looked confused for just a moment but then just shook his head and looked at Toby.

"Dating's weird, Toby," Alex said.

"Yes, indeed," Sherlock agreed with a sigh. "Though I suppose there's something sort of nice about it in a way. Come on, let's go get something for dinner. Molly will be back later this evening."

Alex reluctantly set Toby down and the cat scurried off to hide under the sofa.

"Bye Toby, we'll be back in a bit," Alex promised.

Mrs. Hudson greeted them on the way back in, though she looked very concerned as Sherlock came in, a broom and dustpan in her hand.

"Oh Sherlock, the mess you've made!" she said, waving the broom at him. "Honestly, how hard would it have been to clean up after yourself?"

"I don't know what you mean, Mrs. Hudson," Sherlock said. "I didn't leave any mess when I went out. Or not that I recall."

"The kitchen, Sherlock! Oh broken glass and all sorts of things all over the floor!"

Sherlock frowned before bolting up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He heard Mrs. Hudson telling Alex not to run due to his arm, but Sherlock ignored that as he was soon faced with a display of the kitchen, his experiments that had been on the counters smashed on the floor instead. He cocked his head and examined closer.

Options flashed through his mind. Mrs. Hudson's failed cleaning? Alex making a mess? But at last he had to settle on one. Intruder.

"Stay here," he ordered Alex and Mrs. Hudson.

"Where are you going, Sherlock?" Mrs. Hudson said. "Aren't you going to help me clean this mess up?"

"Shut up Mrs. Hudson! And I need my gun," he shouted over his shoulder, heading towards his room.

"Oh Sherlock," Mrs. Hudson said.

He walked through the door, only to find Toby sitting on his bed.

The cat meowed before jumping off of the furniture. Sherlock quickly glanced around, already noting scratches on the bedframe, the lamp knocked off of the nightstand, and most disturbingly, a darker patch on the bedspread, that could only be urine judging from the smell.

"Sherlock?"

He turned to see Alex in the doorway.

"It was the blasted cat, there's no danger," Sherlock said. He shot a glare towards Toby, only to have the cat hiss at him. Sherlock made a hissing noise back, causing Toby's ears to flatten before he jumped off the bed, darting through Sherlock's legs and back down the hallway.

"Toby!" Alex cried. "No, come back, it's okay!"

He went running off after the cat. Sherlock didn't bother stopping him. He sighed and walked over to pull the bedspread and sheets off. Ridiculous cat. What Molly saw in keeping such an animal was beyond him.

"Sherlock?"

He turned to see Mrs. Hudson, wringing her hands.

"There's a cat!"

He let out a long sigh and reached up to rub his temple. "Of course, Mrs. Hudson. It's Molly's. I thought she'd mentioned it to you."

"Oh, yes I think she did. Agreed to pay a little more in rent to keep him too, the dear. Is he always this terrible though?"

"I believe Molly indicated he's merely…upset…about moving," Sherlock said.

"Oh I hope so," Mrs. Hudson said, shaking her head. "I thought you were bad enough to clean up after. At least you don't do things like—that…" she pointed to the pile of blankets now on the floor. "Now, why don't you let me wash those up while you put fresh ones on."

Sherlock sighed but did decide to obey her instructions. At least he didn't have to clean the cat's mess up. Little devil.

By the time Molly had returned from her late shift, he and Mrs. Hudson had cleaned most everything. Alex in the meantime had tried to keep Toby out of trouble by taking him up to his bedroom where they could spend time together. Sherlock came upstairs later to find Alex spread out on his bed doing his school reading with Toby curled up next to him. He left the two of them there, shooting one last glare at the cat that gave him an equally disgruntled look.

Molly gave her apologies, of course, before presenting him with the underwear in a box with red wrapping paper. He examined the tag, noting the handwriting that was distinctly different from his own. Written on a distinct card, thick paper. Red ink. The undergarments themselves were fairly basic, but he'd have to search out a little more information on the manufacturer, see if there was a clue Moriarty had hidden there. He wouldn't be surprised if the consulting criminal provided further taunts in the next few weeks. He'd have to be on the lookout.

In the meantime, he merely let himself relax a little as Molly began to kiss him, promising she'd do her best to settle Toby back into place, hoping he'd soon behave himself. He didn't really mind her words that seemed unlikely to be true. He just allowed her physical attention to continue, surprised by how much he was enjoying himself.

By the time the social worker arrived for their scheduled appointment, most of Molly's things were moved in. She'd picked Alex up that afternoon and was ready and waiting, just pulling a batch of biscuits out of the oven.

"What on earth are those?" Sherlock asked when she handed him one.

"Just try it. You like sweet things."

"I'm trying to think. I don't need food," he muttered, even as he lifted a corner to his mouth and nibbled at it. It was surprisingly good so he settled on eating the rest.

"There, that wasn't so hard was it? Now, do help me and set those on the table."

"Where did you learn to make these?" Sherlock asked.

"Old family recipe. My mother collected a few of them, and I took those once my father passed on, not that he needed them really. Sorry, rambling again. I'm just a bit nervous."

"You needn't be. The social worker will like you just fine," he promised, almost sure of it. There didn't seem to be any way this could go wrong.

Mrs. Hudson peeked in to tell them they had a visitor. Molly shooed him out of the kitchen, sending him to the door to welcome the social worker in, taking her coat (as Molly had ordered him to do) and asking her to have a seat on the sofa.

"We're so glad you could make it today," Sherlock said. "My fiancée is most excited to meet you."

Molly appeared with a tray of tea and biscuits. She smiled and set it in front of the woman on the coffee table. Sherlock watched the social worker's eyes light up as Molly poured her tea and set a biscuit to the side of the plate.

She and Sherlock both pulled up chairs, though Molly did go to the stairs to call up to Alex. In the meantime the social worker took the time to glance around the impeccably clean flat.

Alex turned up dressed in a button up shirt and tie. Molly had insisted, even though Sherlock thought it was absolutely ridiculous. He came over and greeted the social worker before moving to take a seat in the chair Sherlock had pulled up.

"Well, it seems things have been going well," the woman said before sipping at her tea. "The place looks much improved. So miss…"

"Hooper," Molly answered. "Molly Hooper."

"And it's doctor not miss," Sherlock corrected. Molly gave him a slight smile. He was well aware she most often didn't correct people on that issue.

"Oh, my. What do you do, Mis—er—Dr. Hooper?" the social worker asked, setting her tea down to scribble a note in her journal.

"I'm a histopathologist," Molly said. On seeing the woman's blank look she added, "I work in the morgue at St. Bart's as sort of a forensic scientist, helping the police, doing postmortems…all that."

"Lovely, must be a good salary."

"It's quite nice," Molly agreed.

The social worker turned to Alex. "And how do you like Dr. Hooper, Alexander? Is she doing an acceptable job helping Mr. Holmes?"

"Yes," Alex said with a smile. "Molly is wonderful. She's been helping take me to school and things, cooking for both of us. Oh and she took me to the zoo with Sherlock a few weeks ago. She's brilliant! Plus Toby is my new best friend."

"Toby? Do you already have a child?" the social worker asked, turning an eye to Molly even as she lifted a biscuit to her mouth.

"In a manner of speaking," Molly said with a laugh. "Toby's my cat. He's moved in with us as well."

"Oh another one for you to take care of," the social worker said, but she was smiling. "So which of these boys is the biggest troublemaker of the lot?"

Molly had to giggle. "I'm not really sure I could decide," she said, glancing over to see Sherlock and Alex both trying to look nonchalant.

"And has the chemical issue been dealt with?" the social worker asked, glancing down at her notepad again.

"Yes. I've told Sherlock he can do non-dangerous experiments here, but anything involving chemicals, fire, knives, or anything of the like can be done at my lab with my supervision," Molly said.

"That sounds quite reasonable," the woman said with a nod. "Well, if I might look around?"

Molly rose and led her around the remaining parts of the flat, showing her around the still sparkling kitchen after her and Mrs. Hudson's latest cleaning job. Sherlock stayed seated with Alex who kept glancing anxiously towards the kitchen.

"It will be fine," Sherlock finally said. "They're not going to take you away."

"I hope not," Alex whispered.

Of course, Toby had to come investigate since Molly was in the kitchen, probably hoping she might feed him something. However, rather than looking at all concerned, the social worker knelt down to pet him, complimenting Molly on having such a fine pet. Toby behaved himself nicely. It was probably good in some ways. After all, based on the light hairs on her nylons, Sherlock had to suspect she had a cat as well.

After a long while of continuing to examine and ask questions, the social worker shut her notebook and smiled.

"I think everything checks out, unless there are any further emergency situations, you should be in the clear to begin filling out paperwork, Mr. Holmes. It's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Hooper."

"You too," Molly said.

The woman paused at the door. "Oh, would it be too much trouble to ask for a few of those biscuits. They're simply delicious."

Molly quickly went over and snatched a few more, sliding them into the woman's hand.

"You have a wonderful day," she said.

Sherlock rolled his eyes. Molly bid the woman good day and then they were shutting the door, alone at last.

"We did it!" Molly cried, throwing herself at Sherlock. "We did it, Sherlock! We have Alex!"

"Well, after filling out papers and going through—"

She shut him up with a quick kiss to his mouth. Alex made a noise of disgust to the side.

"Well, as exciting as all this is, Toby and I are going to our room so we don't have to watch you two snog," he muttered.

"Alex, one moment," Sherlock said.

The boy paused and came back over. Sherlock hesitated only a moment before reaching out to give Alex a half hug, mostly out of fear of the cat in his arms, still staring at Sherlock with hatred. He had a good feeling Toby was trying to fall into the running as his new archnemesis.

"Love you, Sherlock," Alex said. "You too, Molly."

"I love you as well, Alex," Molly said, coming over to give him and Toby both a hug. "I think we'll all be quite happy."

Alex headed towards the stairs, and Sherlock turned back to his fiancée. Well, as he sat down with her to discuss how they wanted to proceed with selling Molly's flat and finalizing the move, Sherlock couldn't deny Molly's thought. Perhaps it was possible they could be quite happy.

A/N: Thanks to BelieverofManyThings and Denethorian for the reviews!

There is apparently some debate about Molly's profession (even though on fanfiction I've pretty much exclusively seen her referred to as pathologist). I think the main problem is that she never is referred to as Dr. Hooper so that has caused some speculation on her being a lab technician instead. Though some have also speculated she's a surgeon. Anyhow, I went traditional on that. If you want to PM me I'll send you a cool Tumblr link exploring her possible careers, but it's a pain putting links in stories.

Anyhow, loving all the feedback! Please keep it coming, it inspires me to write more!