Sherlock rather likes Molly Hooper.

Molly opened the door to her flat and walked inside, closing the door and then, she put Sherlock down on the ground. "Here we are. Home sweet home."

Once out of her arms, Sherlock took a look around, taking in the nice sized apartment. He concluded that she must have a well-paying job for rooms like these. What kind of career does she have, he pondered.

"He's definitely not like Toby," said Mary, her lips turned up in a smile as she placed her bags of purchases for Sherlock on the coffee table.

"No, he has a bit of human like qualities." Molly shook her head in amazement. "It's intriguing. I wish I could read his mind and see what he's thinking."

"Like Doctor Doolittle, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Something tells me that you'll figure him out soon enough." Mary's eyes glanced at the collar around the cat's neck. "How about that name, though?"

"Right. Sherlock." When Molly said his name, Sherlock's ears perked up and he left the kitchen, walking back into the living room and stopped at his owner's feet. He meowed softly, secretly wishing that they could communicate and understand each other, but until he became a human again, this would have to do.

The brunette smiled as he rubbed against her leg.

"You have such an odd name for a cat, but I like it. Somehow...it fits you."

There was a mobile chime from Mary's phone and she picked it up, reading a text that John had sent her. After reading it, she laughed and shook her head. "I'd better go. Rosie's getting fussy and she doesn't want her daddy."

Molly smirked. "Aw, and John's feeling down?"

"From how brief his text was, I'd say he is. For the first few months, Rosie hardly ever wanted me around. It was all about John and he actually was the one who fed and changed her for the most part. Now, she's switched on us and he's a bit jealous."

"I'm glad I got a cat instead. They're so much easier to manage." Molly said with a smirk.

"That's what you think. You and Sherlock may have had a connection when you first saw each other, but he's going to drive you crazy before this week is over. Mark my words."

Molly tsked and picked Sherlock up, rubbing between his ears, her touch comforting. "Rubbish. I think we'll get along wonderfully, won't we, Sherlock?"

He meowed his agreement and looked at her with as much affection as he could muster. Then he curiously looked at Mary, who reached forward to scratch under his chin. Sherlock marveled at the woman's shocking resemblance to his old friend Dr. John Watson's wife when he knew them in the 1800s.

Not only that, but this Mary had a husband named John, too? Was this a part of the magic spell Janine had placed on him? Something was very odd about this entire situation. Could Molly Hooper be surrounded by people who were descendants of Sherlock's old friends who also happened to share the same names? Only time would tell.

Shortly afterwards, Mary said her goodbyes and left the flat.

"Well," Molly said smiling down at Sherlock. "Tilda said you actually like baths, so shall we get you cleaned up?"

Yes, please! Was Sherlock's reply, but as usual, it came out in a meow of affirmation.

The brunette carried her new pet to the bedroom and Sherlock spied a cat bed in the corner of her room and he smiled.

Good. He'd rather sleep in here than be alone. Sherlock used to think that being alone was a good thing, but after a few lives later, he had very much changed his tune. Companionship was not something he took lightly anymore, and even though there was always an initial dislike of the the idea that he was someone's pet, Sherlock decided that belonging to Molly Hooper wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

Sherlock enjoyed taking baths, but he loved the one he'd just been given by Molly because of how gentle she was with him. She had callouses on her fingers, no doubt from the kind of work she did, but her touch had been so warm that he enjoyed it more than any bath he'd ever experienced.

While Molly had been preparing the water, Sherlock had a feeling that she worked in a hospital, judging by the faint smell of chemicals on her clothes. It gave him a sense of glee that his owner was not a simpleton or an ordinary person by any means - although, shortly after seeing her in the pet shop, he already knew she was special. Molly Hooper had a mind that Sherlock would definitely love to pick when he got his human body back.

After his fur coat was clean and dry, both Sherlock and Molly made their way to the kitchen. Sherlock felt his stomach growl a little and his eyes widened in happiness when Molly took out the two medium sized bowls that she bought for him and placed them on the floor. She filled one with water and he immediately went over to drink out of it.

Molly opened a can of tuna and emptied the contents into Sherlock's food bowl, then dumped the can into the bin. "It's funny that you have human-like tastes, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. After all, you like baths and goodness knows what else. You're an unusual cat, Sherlock, but you're still really cute." She winked at him and Sherlock felt a warmth grow in his chest.

How strange that a woman tells him in his cat form that he's cute and he feels pride about it. In Sherlock's previous lives, he'd been complimented by the fair sex often enough, but with Molly, it was different. Once again, he sensed that odd tug in his heart when she smirked at him, like he was familiar with that facial expression.

Could Molly have been in his life when he was Sherlock Holmes, the consulting detective in the 1800s and he overlooked her somehow? If so, he was a bigger idiot than he thought to not recognize such a lovely woman. This Molly, his Molly was a kind soul. Her sweet spirit was truly endearing to his presence of mind.

And the more time Sherlock spent with her, the more he found himself believing with all of his heart that Molly was the one for him.