'Molly!' He sighed. 'Please answer this question honestly and shortly. Are you pregnant?' His question was followed by a long silence at the other end of the line.

'No, Sherlock, I am not, and I am sure.'

After a short pause Molly heard Sherlock's reaction. 'I thought so. We'll talk later.'

Molly really didn't know if she should laugh or cry at his words when he ended the call. He couldn't be more neutral.

Anthea entered the kitchen and poured a mug of tea for herself. 'So?'

Molly flopped down on the chair and sighed burying her face into her palms with her elbows on the table.

As Sherlock ended the call he lowered the phone slowly and looked up at Mycroft with one raised eyebrow. From the corner of his eye he saw John shaking his head disapprovingly but he didn't care.

'Mycroft, is there...'

The elder Holmes lifted his eyes at his brother with a stunned expression. His face became paler; horror took its place in his eyes as Sherlock continued.

'...any possibility that Anthea is pregnant?'

A minute had passed filled with heavy silence when Mycroft finally whispered his answer, 'Yes.'

'Sorry, what did you say?' Sherlock stepped closer eyeing his brother, an ironic smile dancing on the corner of his lips.

'Sherlock,' John warned his friend, standing tensed and uncomfortably. 'This is really not the time for...'

But Mycroft took a deep breath before he repeated his answer. 'Yes, there is,' he said louder this time. He sat sunk in himself while he nervously combed his hair back.

Sherlock pursed his lips and resisted the urge to throw at his brother such nice things as he had gotten from him after the night he had left Molly's flat. He was examining Mycroft for a bit longer than sassily span the phone in the air. 'I'll need this for a while. Till then, I suggest you to digest the news, dear brother.' With that he whirled out of the living room and shut his bedroom's door behind him.

'So-oo? If I am not mistaken congratulations are in order.' John stood still looking at Mycroft with raised eyebrows and pursed lips.

'Oh, shut up, John!' Mycroft grimaced rolling his eyes.

...

As Molly and Anthea were sitting in the kitchen the phone rang again. The taller woman picked it up eagerly but instead of speaking she handed the device to her companion and left the room with a frown. Molly saw the disappointment on her face as she lifted the phone.

'Hallo?'

'Hello Molly.' Even though she knew it was him, her heart started to beat faster hearing Sherlock's voice again.

'Hello. How are you?'

'I'm fine, I'm fine.' He sounded distracted. 'Listen, Molly. The thing we were talking about previously...'

'It's fine, Sherlock. This really is not the right time.'

'No, is it?' Molly heard him taking a huge gulp from his cigarette. 'Molly.' He gulped searching for the right words. 'If we both end up alive...then you have to know that...nothing has changed since...'

'Oh, thank you, I mean...I mean for telling me this. I uhm...'Molly was uncertain about to say out loud how she felt but took a deep breath and sputtered it, 'I love you.'

After a short silence he sighed. 'I know, Molly, I know.' Molly smiled weakly and hummed at his answer. 'This is keeping me alive constantly.'

This was all Molly needed to hear. Her smile widened. 'I hope so.' Her voice darkened as she spoke further, 'Sherlock, how did he do it? He was dead.'

'Apparently as dead as I was,' Sherlock murmured.

Molly stayed silent and just was listening to him breathing. She closed her eyes and imagined him being beside her.

'Listen, Molly. Things turned as we have to cut things short to end this sick game of Moriarty as soon as possible. I have a plan, it's not without danger, but I will do everything in my power to protect you. Broadly speaking...'

'Okay.' Molly hove immediately.

'I haven't ...even unfolded my plan.' Sherlock said slowly with a little confusion.

'I trust you, Sherlock. I trust you with my life,' she explained seriously. Silence followed her words. 'Sherlock? What's the plan?'

'Ah, yes, the plan.' His voice was husky and he sounded like he had just returned from deep thoughts. 'I'm going to use you as bait. He is searching for you. I will leave him crumbs to find you and when he does I will be there along with Mycroft's men and just before he could strike we catch him.'

'Oh, yes, this sounds logical. But what if he knows it's a trap?' asked Molly.

'He won't. We will be very careful.'

'All right.' Molly hesitated before she asked, 'Sherlock, what happened that this is so urgent all of a sudden?'

'Moriarty had left us a message. He wrote he would get our girls and the little one.'

'Oh, but I'm not...oh. Oooh.' Sherlock heard the recognition and the surprise in her voice.

'Well, yes.' He cleared his throat.

'Oh, okay then. Just...just let me know what I have to do.' Molly took a deep breath and pulled together all her strength and bravery. She was scared to death of the thought that the madman could lay a hand on her but she knew that if she ever wanted a life at least slightly close to normal then she had to do this.

'I'll call you soon from my own phone. It's probably bugged, so...'

'No world about the bait thing.'

'Exactly.' Sherlock sighed. 'We'll talk later.'

'Sherlock!' He almost ended the call when he heard her.

'Yes?'

'Do you think that... that after this you... I mean, you won't have to leave, will you?'

Sherlock was silent for so long that Molly thought he had put down the phone, but when he finally talked his voice was quiet and low. 'We have to deal with this first, don't we?'

'Yes, we do.' Molly agreed weakly.

'Let's talk later.'

'Okay.' Molly nodded to herself and felt tears rolling down her cheeks as she swallowed back a sob.

Sherlock pulled the phone away from his ear sinking deep into his thoughts. His plan was risky, he knew but he didn't have any other option. The consulting criminal was as good as him, if not better, if he wanted to be honest to himself. So he had to play out a card Moriarty would never think he would play out. Molly Hooper.

...

Mycroft and John were sitting silently in the living room when Sherlock entered.

'We have to end this as soon as possible.' Mycroft rose from the couch as he saw his brother.

'I agree.' Sherlock nodded.

'I'll have all my agents to search for him, every policeman, every soldier in the country,' Mycroft declared, trying to look calm, decidedly reaching out for his phone towards Sherlock who quickly pulled back the device to his chest with his chin up.

'No.' He shook his head. 'I've never thought that I would ever say this but you are too...involved. You've already made a horrible mistake when you sent Anthea away with Molly to protect her.' Sherlock glared severely at the other. 'I will say what we are going to do.'

The staring contest between the brothers ended when Mycroft dropped his hand and sighed in surrender.

Hi Dearests,

Sorry for the long wait again. My crazy days are still not over apparently. Thanks for all your kind words and interest in this story. I still love to write it, I hope it will be able to stay interesting for you through the next chapters. I plan to write 2 or 3 more chapters till the end. So thanks for everything. A question: Which is better? To read shorter chapters more frequently or longer ones occasionally? Be well till next time. Hopefully sooner.

Lanceletta