Molly's mind was in a whirl. He hadn't gone. They hadn't sent him away. He was still in the UK. But at the same time, how on earth was Moriarty back? He was dead. She knew he was dead. So how on earth was he back? She knew that Sherlock had been alive all along - she'd been part of the team that had kept him alive after all. But not Moriarty. And was Sherlock going to be free, or was he going to be kept somewhere, perhaps in a safe house until all of this was solved, before they really did send him away. Would she get to see him again? She sat down, closed her eyes and put her head in her hands to help stop the pounding that had just started across her whole head.
Sherlock's mind was in a whirl. His usually so controlled thought process was all over the place. He had not prepared himself for this change of plan. His next few days, even weeks were mapped out in his head. He knew where he was going, and the outline of the task ahead. This change was not what was expected. How could Moriarty be alive? He had seen him kill himself. He had even spent 2 years undoing Moriarty's network. So how was he back? Where was he going? Back to 221b? To a safe house? If it was a safe house, would he get to see Molly? Would they send him away again once the Moriarty case was solved? He sat down, closed his eyes and put his head in his hands to help stop the pounding that had just started across his whole head.
The car drove the same route it had taken on the way to the airport with one noteable exception. As it passed St Barts, it didn't stop. Sherlock smiled to himself. He guessed by now that Molly probably knew what had happened. John would almost certainly have texted her straight away to tell her. She'd have seen it all on her computer screen anyway.
"I text Miss Hooper on your behalf to tell her what had happened" Mycroft mentioned in passing as they drove past St Barts "I thought she might want to know."
Sherlock didn't reply. He just smiled to himself. For all Mycroft's claims that emotion was a human failing, he wasn't doing a lot to prove it. He allowed his mind to wander for a moment, to think about Molly. To think about them together. To remember last night. To remember the feeling of holding her close.
His mind snapped back into the present. Mycroft was passing his phone to Sherlock. Sherlock read the email that was on the screen. It was a memo from MI5, confirming the source of the video of Moriarty had been in central London, but there was no current confirmation of a sighting of Moriarty himself.
"The decision has been taken to return you to 221B for the time being. We had considered a safe house, but if Moriarty is indeed back, then it is likely that he will have done his homework on where we would take you anyway. He has not stated his intent to us and so there is no reason to not return you back to your own home. You will remain under house arrest until a more formal course of action is planned. However, we will allow you to leave the flat as you feel you need, accompanied by a person of our choosing. We have received full security clearance on a certain John Watson, so if you need to go out, John can be your escort for the time being. Under the terms of your arrest, you must check in to either myself, Lestrade or one of the local police stations twice a day and report your whereabouts and what you are doing. Is that understood, Sherlock."
Sherlock nodded, his mind already wandering to how he was going to track down what was going on. He had taken out Moriarty's network piece by piece. How could they have reformed?
Mrs Hudson was waiting on the steps of 221B. They watched as Mycroft spoke to the police officer positioned on the front door step, and then as he drove away. She hugged Sherlock and then smiled. "I think you might want to get upstairs."
Sherlock instantly knew what would be waiting for him upstairs. He ran up the stair case two at a time, desperate to get to the top. He flung open the front door of the flat, and there she stood, looking just as he had left her less than 2 hours previously but without her lab coat.
She looked at Sherlock and burst out crying. She ran into his arms and buried her head in his chest. They held each other so tightly and after a few moments, Sherlock bent his head down to meet Molly's as they kissed. Molly's tears rolled down her cheeks. She thought he had gone for ever. She thought she had lost him. She had prepared herself for the pain of loss, only for it to turn back into the pleasure of holding him.
Through the tears, Molly looked up at him "I have to ask, do you still mean it? Do you still want to marry me now you're not going to be immediately sent away"
"Of course I do. There is nothing I want more. I'd marry you today if I could." Sherlock paused. He was so close to adding the words 'lets just do it' but he stopped himself.
Molly took Sherlock's hand and led him to his bedroom. They locked the door, and moved closer together. Within a moment, Molly was unbuttoning Sherlock's shirt, and he was pulling her top over her head. Their lips were locked together in a passionate embrace, their naked top halves pressed firmly together, feeling each other's body warmth, something they thought they would not be able to do again.
Molly's hands wandered down to Sherlock's trousers and she was slipping her hand in, unbuttoning them as they heard voices in the flat. It was Mycroft and Lestrade calling out for Sherlock. Molly and Sherlock giggled to each other, glad they had locked the door. They heard Mrs Hudson's quickly footsteps follow them up
"I was trying to tell you, but you didn't listen. Molly is here."
Lestrade and Mycroft's voices fell silent, when they realised what Mrs Hudson had said. Sherlock and Molly heard Mycrofts voice first
"Sherlock, open your bedroom door. I don't care what you and Miss Hooper are doing in there, I need to talk to you." Molly and Sherlock dissolved into a heap of giggles when Sherlock's response was to pull Molly's trousers down and put his hand inside her pants.
"Mycroft, for goodness sake, they've only just got each other back. Give them 5 minutes space" Lestrade said raising his voice so Sherlock and Molly could hear through the door. "Lets go and grab a coffee next door and we can talk. Sherlock can join us in a bit" The footsteps came closer to Sherlock's door. "Sherlock, we'll be back in about an hour."
It was obvious from the following lowered voices followed by the very loud "Honestly" from Mycroft, that it had taken some persuasion to get Mycroft to agree.
Mrs Hudson came to Sherlock's bedroom door and whispered "I've bought you two some time, but do me a favour and don't be long so you don't upset them too much." She hurried back down stairs.
Sherlock returned his focus to Molly, his eyes gazing into hers. She looked deeply back into his. They were now both completely naked, lying together on Sherlock's bed. Sherlock rolled over to be on top of Molly, their love making that of a couple who have just declared their love to each other, but who had thought that a long, possibly permanent period of separation lay between them. It was desperate, strong and passionate.
As they lay together exhausted afterwards, Molly snuggled into Sherlock's shoulder and they lay holding each other, feeling the warmth from each other.
"I don't want to lose you again" Molly finally admitted after a period of long silence. "I'm not sure how I would cope with it again."
Sherlock stayed silent for a while before responding "I feel the same. I don't know what lies ahead over the next few months but I am pretty sure that I'll be staying around. Its going to be a dangerous, tough time. I'm sure Moriarty will have done this properly. You need to be prepared to be put in danger Molly. I don't want you to get hurt but I am not prepared to leave you to keep you safe. I can't do that again. I want you to be by my side, as my wife in due course, and we will face this together, with John and Mary. Are you prepared for that, Molly?"
Molly rolled over and looked straight into his eyes. "Sherlock, I would follow you to the end of the earth. Of course I am prepared for it. I love you with all my heart, and I know you love me." She smiled at him "After all, back when you were critically ill in hospital, when you were hooked up to all the monitors,your pulse said it all".
Thank you so much for reading my version of Sherlock and Molly's story. I do have some plans for a sequel. Please let me know if you'd like me to write it or if you've enjoyed the story by leaving a review. Thank you x