Chapter 5

Thanks for all the responses to the previous chapter. I was a bit nervous about how it would be taken. It is odd the way the characters go in a different direction from the one I intended for them. Having said that I did want them to have sex I just thought they would have found somewhere a bit more discreet.

So, on to the aftermath. Normal disclaimers apply.

Molly had been on an emotional roller coaster over the last few weeks since the wedding.

She'd finally made her way back into the wedding venue stopping in the ladies toilets to try to reassemble her outfit and hair. Thankfully the dance floor was dark and most people, including Tom, were well on their way to being all out drunk so nobody questioned either where she had been or her appearance.

She cried off from the celebrations early making her way alone up to the hotel room she and Tom had booked.

She quickly stripped out of the dress and set the shower to scalding. She needed to feel clean again. If she were to have looked at herself clinically she would have realised that she was in a state of shock, emotionally as well as physically. She ended up curled up in the bed still shaking from the experience.

The mortification from the event was starting to wear off now it seemed that they had got away with it and not been seen. What she was left with now was confusion as to what had happened. One minute they had been fighting, literally in her case when she had slapped him, the next she was engaged in the best sex of her life. Sherlock had been forceful, dominant and had just taken from her what he wanted and she was a bit ashamed to admit she had loved every minute of it.

It was a world away from the gentle sex she had with Tom. Oh God, poor Tom, what was she going to tell him? She knew she needed to tell him and quickly but when she heard him putting the key card in the door she rolled over and pretended to be fast asleep.

In the end it had been two days later when she'd finally had the break up conversation with him in her small flat. It had been awful, he'd been devastated. She hadn't been brave enough to tell him about 'sleeping' with Sherlock, instead she let him know that her feelings had changed since Sherlock had come back. He'd known about her crush but when Sherlock had been dead it had never seemed an issue, he was starting to understand that it was now.

He'd begged her to given them another chance. In the end she had agreed to have a break, to go away to her mother's house and think through her future. He promised not to bother her but asked her to think about whether she was prepared to walk away from everything they had planned, marriage, kids, normality. It sounded so sensible that she had agreed, knew she needed to think about all of this particularly in light of what Sherlock had said to her the night of the wedding.

And so she'd taken two weeks off work and gone away.

It had been good going back home, talking to her mum about mundane things and remembering her dad, thinking about what he would have thought of it all. She tried to imagine him meeting Tom and Sherlock, tried to think about what he would have advised. Tom had everything going for him but her heart lay with Sherlock who was promising nothing. If anything he had told her they would never get married, never have kids, he probably wouldn't even be her boyfriend. But likewise she couldn't stay with Tom when she felt so strongly about someone else.

In the end that was what she told Tom when she met with him to return his ring. She was genuinely sorry to have hurt him and when she left him she went home and cried. She cried for the life she was giving up by making this choice, grieving for the children she would never have.

It took her another two or three weeks before she felt ready to see Sherlock and explore what they might have.

He hadn't been to the morgue, thankfully. John had been on his honeymoon with Mary so it had all been fairly quiet.

She decided, finally, after much prevarication to go round at see him at Baker Street. It would be better to talk there rather than waiting for him to appear at work.

She waited til she had a day off and then, bristling with nervous excitement she treated herself to a taxi to take her there.

When she arrived Mrs Hudson let her in, chatting happily about the wedding and John and Mary, 'you go on up dear, I'm sure he's awake, I've heard movement.' She smiled at Molly as she shoo'ed her up the stairs.

Molly was feeling very nervous by now. She tried to calm her breathing as she went up the stairs, berating herself. This was a man she had had amazing sex with twice, she'd lived with him at her flat and in the cottage for almost three months...but it's still Sherlock Holmes and he's still an unknown quantity said her traitorous brain.

In the end she knocked on the door of the flat before pushing it open and calling his name.

At first she though the flat was empty but then she heard sounds coming from his bedroom. She made her way further into the flat until she could see the door to his room. She was just about to say his name again when she heard a woman's voice coming from the bedroom, 'hi Sherly is that you, you're back sooner than expected.'

The door opened and there, wrapped in one of Sherlock's dressing gowns was the bridesmaid from John's wedding.

Molly's stomach dropped, she felt a bit dizzy and had to put her hand out to the wall to steady herself.

'Oh hi, sorry I thought you were Sherlock, he popped out a short while ago but it's never quite clear when he'll be back. Can I help you at all or pass on a message? I'm Janine by the way, you seem familiar, were you at the wedding?'

'I..yes..I was. Molly...erm..Molly Hooper. I work at the morgue at St. Barts.'

'Oh God, all those disgusting body parts that Sherly used to have. I made him get rid of those and promise to never bring more home. I've never had a boyfriend with such weird habits before, but I suppose that's what makes him unique, wouldn't you agree?' She laughed as she bustled around the kitchen. 'Do you want a cuppa? You can wait for him if you want?'

'I..no..I just wanted to check he..err..he hadn't borrowed any equipment,' said Molly lamely. She just wanted to get out of there, but curiosity got the better of her. 'You were Mary's bridesmaid weren't you? Is that how you met Sherlock?'

'Yes, to be honest with you I tried to crack on to him at the wedding but he didn't seem interested at all. Must admit I thought he was gay, but then we bumped into each other, a few weeks ago, outside where I work, he took me for coffee and we just clicked. He's so sweet isn't he? Sure you don't want a drink?'

Sweet was a word Molly had never heard in association with Sherlock! She felt confused and a little bit sick, 'no, thank you, I'd better get to work, thanks again...bye.' She turned and fled. She could hear Janine calling after her that she'd let Sherlock know she'd called round.

Molly felt as though she couldn't breath, it felt as thought the walls were closing in on her. She stumbled down the stairs and finally made it to the door.

As she flung it open gulping in the fresh air she saw Sherlock walking towards her from a taxi. His head was down looking at a box in his hand that he was transferring to his inside jacket pocket.

Molly recognised that box, it was the box that held his grandmothers engagement ring.

I know , I know, I'm so sorry. That's where the season went so that's where I have to go.

So poor Molly, she finally picks Sherlock only to find him surprisingly unavailable. I tried hard not to dislike Janine in the series but was gutted for Molly. Have also heard that Janine might make a return in Season 4, hope she doesnt start treading on Mollys toes in the series. Molly is the only true love interest for Sherlock (once he's had his fun with John) in my humble opinion.

Let me know what you think.