I am so sorry for the delay of this update. I was feeling a bit unsure about it. I need to thank everyone who has favorited/followed/reviewed. It means the world to me.
The incomparable MizJoely beta read this and has been incredibly supportive. No warnings this time.
I own nothing. Enjoy. ~Lil~
Molly had been asleep for a while when her aching wrist woke her up. She'd gone to bed alone leaving Sherlock and John to discuss the situation. Mary had done the same. She groaned and rolled over to turn on the bed-side light in search of the medication John had left her.
Suddenly Sherlock's hand was on her arm. "Here, take this. You didn't take any before you went to bed."
There was just enough light in the room to make him out. She blindly took the pill and the bottle of water from him, trusting that he could see her, even if she couldn't see him yet. "I know it's just a sprain, but..." She swallowed the pill and took a drink of water. "It really hurts. I think I was sleeping on it." She tried to focus on Sherlock as much as she could in the dark room. "You okay?" she asked as she settled back in bed.
Sherlock was still sitting up, facing her. "You're all in danger. Mycroft hasn't found our brother, not even a trace." He huffed. "I actually don't know what do, Molly."
He sounded so defeated. She knew that talking to her about his brother, and most likely going through the whole mess again with John, must have been draining. It broke her heart to see him like this. "You'll figure it out, Sherlock."
"That's just it... I don't know..."
There was a long pause, and Molly wished she could better see his face. He could be so expressive when he wasn't trying to shield himself.
"Why do I feel like I'm sixteen again?" he asked.
Oh God, Molly thought. He's actually scared. "Sherlock, it's okay to be..." She knew she had to choose her words carefully. "...worried. But..."
"I could send you away," he interrupted. "You could go stay with my parents, wherever Mycroft's put them."
"Yeah, good luck with that." She forced a laugh.
"John wasn't agreeable to that solution either." After another long pause he spoke again, "He's not like Jim, this isn't a game, Molly. It's his twisted revenge. This will end badly."
She still couldn't make out his face clearly, but she didn't need to anymore. She knew what he was feeling. She'd seen it when he'd told her about his brother and she could practically feel it now. He was absolutely terrified. And almost nothing scared Sherlock Holmes. This was something quite different.
She reached up and tugged his head closer to hers. "Hey, you can't protect us all the time. But you're Sherlock bloody Holmes. You've got Mycroft and the British government. You've got John and Mary. Even pregnant- especially pregnant- I wouldn't mess with her. And you know what? You've got me. I'm the only person who every successfully killed you. I'd say that makes me pretty fucking amazing."
Molly had barely finished her sentence before Sherlock's lips were upon hers. How he'd gone from sitting nearly upright, to pressing her into the mattress so quickly, she didn't quite know, but at that moment it was unimportant. His tongue invaded her mouth again and again as he rucked up her shirt, searching for skin. He kissed across her jaw then sucked onto the skin of her neck.
She had to stop him. She wasn't about to have sex with Mary and John Watson sleeping just over their heads. "Sh-Sherlock...
"Hmmm?"
"We, ahhh, oh God. We have to stop," she finally managed.
"Why?" he whispered next to her ear, then reattached himself to her neck.
"Because John and M-M-Mary," she said in a giggle because he was tickling her ribs. She wasn't stupid, he was trying his damnedest to divert her attention. How the man could go from worried over his brother's possible threat to playfully horny in a split second was beyond her. But she still had to put a stop to it, and he was still sucking on her neck. "They'll hear us." She pushed on his chest.
He leaned up. "How many times do you think I've had to hear John and his conquests right above my head?
"Considering how many times you kept me company on my overnight shifts, I'd say not that many. You talk about him like he was some kind of slut!" She laughed.
He grumbled, but finally got the message and moved to one side, resting his head on her chest. Then he sighed. "I won't let him hurt you, Molly."
She carded her fingers through his hair. "I know you won't, Sherlock."
The next day Molly and Mary sat and watched as Sherlock and John argued like an old married couple about John going to work. It amused the women to no end.
"I have an actual job, you drama queen," John barked as he put on his shoes.
"I'm aware, Doctor," Sherlock argued. "But don't you see that..."
John stood up and put his hands on Sherlock's shoulders, causing the detective to raise an eyebrow. "I'm going. I will allow one of Mycroft's agents to drive me. But I have patients and a mortgage and a baby that will be here any day. Do you understand that babies need things like nappies and clothes and a place to sleep?"
Sherlock shrugged out of John's hold. "I've heard the rumors." He pulled out his phone as he walked into the kitchen.
John turned to Mary and Molly giving them an exasperated look. He grabbed his keys and wallet then put on his coat, clearly intent on making a quick get get-away.
Just then Sherlock came rushing back into the room. "You have a call." He shoved his mobile in John's face."
The doctor sighed and took the device. "Hullo?" he said as he walked away.
"What'd you do?" Molly asked.
"I tattled," Sherlock answered with a satisfied look on his face.
"To who?" Mary asked.
"Greg," he said innocently.
The women stared at him in awe.
"What? He's his friend and a police detective, surely..."
"No, Sherlock. I think I speak for both myself and Molly when I say we're shocked that you actually got his name right."
Sherlock rolled his eyes and started to speak when John tapped him on the shoulder.
"Sorry mate. Didn't work." He handed him back his mobile.
"What'd you mean? He said..."
"Yeah, he lied," John said with a smile. He walked over to his wife and kissed her soundly then he turned to Molly. "We're okay?"
"Of course we are." She kissed his cheek.
"Mary Watson, I'm shocked that you're allowing him to just leave," Sherlock interjected.
All three people looked at Sherlock as if he'd lost his mind. "If you think I somehow run my husband's life..."
"Fine!" Sherlock said then he stormed to his room slamming the door.
Molly sighed and got up. "I'll talk to him."
There was no answer when she knocked on the door, though she hadn't expected one, so she went right in.
"Not now Molly," Sherlock barked at her from the window on the other side of the room.
"Sherlock, all of Mycroft's agents have been double and triple checked since..."
"I know!" he snapped. He ran his hands through his hair. "It's this waiting, Molly. I feel so... so... useless." He paced across the room. "He's a needle in a damn haystack. I can't just go looking for him." He turned to face her. "I know almost nothing about him. Frankly I knew more about Moriarty. I didn't keep tabs on Ford. I've done my best to forget about him. And apparently he's kept a close eye on me. Not a difficult thing to do since I've become a public figure." He sighed and resumed his pacing.
"Do you think he's waiting for something?" she asked. She'd done this in the past, in the lab, thrown out questions to try to get Sherlock talking. In this case she wanted him to keep him talking.
"Unfortunately, yes. That's exactly what I'm afraid of. I may not know my brother very well, but I do know brilliant psychopaths. And the birth of my best friend's first child would make for the perfect moment to do... whatever he's planning." He walked away from her, facing his wardrobe.
"Okay, see you don't need to know Ford, just his type. We'll plan for every contingency." She stood up and crossed the room. When she reached Sherlock she took a deep breath before putting her arms around his waist and resting her head on his back.
After a moment she felt Sherlock's hands settle on top of hers, his fingers intertwining their way between her much smaller ones. "Thank you, Molly," he said quietly.
And that's exactly what they did. Sherlock and Mycroft planned, trying to anticipate their brother's next move. As they did they kept John, Mary and Molly as informed as possible. The two couples went about their lives as normally as they could. John went to work, every day. Molly went back to work as well a couple of days later, always accompanied by an agent, sometimes by Sherlock himself. Mary and Mrs. Hudson stayed at Baker Street if there wasn't something more pressing to drag them away, like baby shopping or a date in Mrs. H's case.
Everyone tried to behave as if this threat wasn't looming over their heads. Sherlock took cases, at least a few. Molly could see that his heart wasn't really in it, though. He was distracted and nervous.
Mycroft and his team continued to search for Sherrinford, but they found nothing. Sherlock told Molly that he knew from personal experience that one man could easily stay hidden if he wished.
Sherlock felt like Ford was close, like he was waiting around the next corner every time Sherlock walked out of the flat to go to Barts with Molly or to leave for a case. He could practically feel his brother's eyes on him. He never shared his feeling with his friends or even Mycroft. He just kept his ever sharp eye focused on the crowds around him, searching.
He hoped he was wrong. He very nearly prayed.
But he wasn't wrong.
Sherrinford smiled as he watched his little brother walk down the pavement. Sherlock's head perked up at movement in his peripheral vision. Ford, though he went by Alex these days, if only to himself, looked to see what had caught Sherlock's attention. Yes, one of his homeless people. Funny, he thought. Sherlock does love his little collection of tramps. But no, Alex had decided to strike closer to Sherlock. He wanted to hurt him again like he'd hurt him before. That had felt so good. He'd seen the pain in his brother's face when he realised his precious Redbeard was gone. Alex's smile widened at the memory.
Almost time, little brother.
Thanks for reading. Your reviews would be greatly appreciated, just a few more chapters to go. ~Lil~