Hi guys, this is my first attempt at a Sherlock fic, any comments are greatly appreciated :)
Sorry for the delay with this chapter - Let's move it along!
Chapter Nine
The silence was suffocating. Molly fiddled with her own fingers absentmindedly until Sherlock's eyes narrowed to them, and she forced herself to stop. Gulping a little, she refused to allow him to intimidate her, she straightened her back and stuck out her chin, swiftly making her way over to him. His mouth twitched a little and Molly was unsure if it was through shock or amusement,
"It's okay you know." She said airily, portraying a semblance of calm and aloofness that she most certainly was not feeling. He quirked a suspicious eyebrow at her,
"What is?" Sherlock drawled, his deep voice making Molly's organs squeeze inside her stomach and chest, nausea washing over her.
"That you didn't know." She replied confidently. More silence. Though he had never been one for talking needlessly, he was being unnecessarily difficult to converse with. She smirked. "Actually, I guess you didn't know quite a few things. In honesty I'm shocked."
"Perhaps I did know."
"Oh really? Which bit?" He was piercing her with a deathly glare now, and surprisingly Molly found she felt no need to cower. His stoic muteness was more amusing than she had thought it would be. She could have almost mistaken him for being flustered into silence. "So, what surprised you more?" She took a step towards him, could have easily reached out to touch him if she desired, though found she quite liked to make him squirm a little.
'This must have been how he felt all those times…Making fun of my feelings and taking advantage of my nature…' It was an oddly disturbing thought. She pondered the level of gratification a simple sentence could give her. No wonder he liked to make his own opinions known if this sense of relief is what it entailed afterwards. And yet, his lack of response was disheartening. She wanted him to fight back, try to outsmart her.
"Perhaps it was your lack of belief that I would ever be able to end a relationship because…Well…After all, who else would possibly want me?" He flinched at her statement and visibly recoiled. Molly knitted her eyebrows together in confusion at him and he turned his head to look towards to ajar door,
"What a ridiculous thing to say." He snorted, refusing to look at her. She wet her drying lips and moved into his line of sight, forcing him to acknowledge her presence.
"No? Then perhaps that someone like Tom could possibly orchestrate having two women on the go at once?"
"He was an idiot."
"I am aware. But that also makes me-"
"You didn't deserve that." Sherlock cut her off, taking her by surprise and a rush of sickness swept through her stomach once again at his words. He was now looking directly into her eyes with an intensity that caused colour to rise into her usually pale cheeks. She gave a small cough to clear her throat and averted her eyes.
"Molly," She flicked her eyes back up to meet his, "I am truly sorry that that happened to you. You deserve so much better."
She gulped a little, he seemed just as uncomfortable as she did now. His words appeared to have shocked even himself and left them both wondering what to say next.
"Yes…Well…Perhaps not that then…" She gave herself an internal shake, preparing to continue her tirade, "Maybe-" She paused as Sherlock took hold of both of her hands suddenly, turning them over in his own and staring intently. She drew a rather ragged breath inwards and looked up at his face through her lashes, waiting for him to speak.
Molly's heart was hammering in her chest, and it took every ounce of her willpower to stop herself from trembling. His hands were unnaturally big in comparison to her own and the warmth they held was searing into her skin. It suddenly occurred to her that this was possibly the closest that they had ever been aside from the two times that her had placed a kiss upon her cheek. And both of those instances had almost ended in her passing out. This continued contact was smothering her senses.
His eyes narrowed and he suddenly slid his palms up her arms to her bare shoulders and ran them over the muscles of her shoulder blades, pinching a little and causing her to develop gooseflesh, something she was sure would not go unnoticed by him. It was becoming harder to concentrate on not melting into the floor as the moments ticked by. She was acutely aware of every little movement he made, whereas Sherlock seemed to be deep in thought and contemplation to pay her much heed.
"Find what you're looking for?" She managed to muster, drawing him to look at her suddenly, as if he had just realised exactly what he was doing. He released her instantly.
"You haven't played for a long time." It was not a question. He was stating the answer to his own personal enquiry. "You can't tell by sight alone. But the signs are there if you-" He looked her up and down and stood back from her suddenly. "If you know where to look." He added, sounding reluctant and drew his hands behind his back.
"Yes, well. I guess there's never really been any reason for you to properly look at me has there?" She asked quietly, a meekness filling her voice that she had not anticipated. "Twenty years if you must know."
"You have not lost any of your talent during that time," He shifted his weight from one foot to the other looking thoroughly unsure of himself. It was a refreshing notion for Molly, knowing that there was semblance of something human inside of him, something just as fragile as everyone else around him. She had seen it fleetingly in Mycroft when he spoke of his family and thought that, perhaps, the Holmes brothers were not quite as aloof and detached from others as they wished to portray.
"A compliment, Mr Holmes?" She quirked an eyebrow at him as his own knitted together, "What an honour and a rarity." She began to move past him and back towards the door, feeling the need to escape arising again,
"Molly!" His hand shot out and took hold of her upper arm, gripping it tightly and causing her to stop suddenly. She looked at him quizzically and then from his hand and back to his face, feeling his hand tighten for a fraction of a second before sliding down his arm and taking hold of her wrist fleetingly before releasing her entirely and returning his hands behind his back. "You…You play good." He gave her a short, sharp nod and then practically fled from the room.
~x~x~x~
It hadn't been far past midnight when Molly returned to her room, the remainder of the evening spent chatting fervently with Wills over their missing fifth of a decade, making pleasantries with John and the others, and stealing frequent glances at Sherlock who seemed to be avoiding her gaze. Upon returning to her hotel room, she lay awake most of the night and into the early hours, her head filled with revisiting her interactions with the younger Holmes sibling and the curious situation she had since found herself in. He was acting as though they were strangers, and, for a reason unknown even to herself, she had regarded him as a mere annoyance of a man, much like Sherlock had been when they first met. She had wanted to challenge him, have fun, and relax a little, bury the hatched perhaps, and it appeared that he was less than enthusiastic about entertaining the notion. It puzzled her. He had always previously been enthralled by a mystery, by the thrill of the chase, the need to be superior. He had backed down. He had complimented her with a sincerity that she had not been expecting. Molly had expected him to slip back into his old ways, just how he had been when they first met, now that she was gone, and John was concentrating on raising Rosie.
Even the next morning as she sat alone in the restaurant, buttering herself a slice of toast and sipping on a white tea she had yet to fully process the evening events. As Molly waited patiently for Professor Gordon, she decided that she intended to pay Mrs Hudson a visit that day, and had hoped John would be distracting Sherlock, so that she need not have made idle small talk and embarrass herself in the presence of his aloof nature. Her mobile rang and she pulled it from her pocket, an unknown number flashing on the screen. Curiously, she flicked the answer button a put it to her ear,
"Hello?"
"Mags?"
"Wills? How did you get my number?"
"Don't sound so upset, will you?" His deep rumbling laugh echoed back at her and she relaxed into her chair, taking another sip of her tea.
"Don't be baft!" She smiled to herself, a sense of calm prickling her skin at the sound of his voice, "What can I do you for?"
"Well, I arranged to meet Doctor Watson at noon at Paddington Street Gardens, he's apparently taking his young daughter there this afternoon and wanted to discuss a few things. You mentioned being involved with the family – So I wondered if you would like to accompany me?"
Molly sat forward in her seat pondering his request. She was trying to keep her distance from possible interactions with Sherlock, but Wills had made no mention of him. And she was desperate to see Rosie. Her face split with a wide smile,
"I'd love to!"
"Great, I'll pop by the hotel at eleven and we can walk there together?"
"Sounds good – See you at eleven." They hung up and she rammed another slice of toast in her mouth and took another gulp of tea, scalding her lips a little, caring even less. The joy bubbling inside of her at the thought of seeing Rosie again meant that she was unable to pull the grin from her features.
~x~x~x~
"And when you tricked me into chucking yeast in that bucket of water, foam everywhere!" Molly laughed as she walked with Wills through the streets of London towards Paddington Street, content in their reminiscing,
"Hydrogen Peroxide, Mags, you never did pay attention!" He chuckled back at her, giving her a dazzling smile before sidestepping out of the way of an oncoming businessman. Molly had to admit that a change of clothing did wonders for him. He looked the exact same now as the last time she had seen him when they had first parted ways all those years ago, laid back in his casual sweatshirt and jogging bottoms, not a care in the world. He looked peaceful and light – hearted, just how she remembered him. Molly frowned a little, unpleasantness prickling her skin as she quashed back uncomfortable memories. That was not a period in her life she was particularly fond of recalling, the ending of their friendship had been particularly difficult and most likely the reason for Professor Gordon's apprehension at their meeting the previous evening. Molly could not blame him, the shock of seeing Wills after so long had completely overtaken her.
Yet now, as she watched him stroll alongside her, waiting for her to respond, she felt queasy. Gulping, she forced out a toothy grin, "Well, I was far more preoccupied with the fact Professor Crooks was screaming at me down the hallway and I looked like a character from Sesame Street!"
"Mr Men books at the very most," He replied casually, seemingly not having picked up on her momentary uneasy. Instinctively she shoved him by the arm. Although he was obviously not at all bothered by this, he at least had the decency to look wounded and emotionally distraught by her actions. "Never changed, have you? Always so violent!"
"Next time, I'll smack you." She replied playfully as they turned into the Garden, strolling a little way inside and passing by an oversized chess set. "Don't even think about it," She warned as he slowed down, grabbing his sleeve and dragging him after her.
"Maaaaags!" He whined, and Molly rolled her eyes. He was relentless when it came to chess and she had found quickly that playing against him had little merit, she never even stood a chance of winning.
Ushering him down the path they came upon a small and simple fountain, one whose waters trickled slowly and soundlessly into the pool below and brought a sense of tranquillity to their surroundings.
"AUNTIE MOLLY!" A shriek broke through the quiet afternoon air and a substantial object collided with her bottom half almost sending her tumbling into the shallow waters.
"Wow, Cooper was right, you really are an ankle biter!" She laughed, looking down at her goddaughter only to be greeted by a glowing face, closed eyes and a mouth with less teeth than she had been expecting. Bending down she scooper her into her arms with slightly more effort than Molly had prepared for but perched the girl onto her hip regardless. "Missed you, kiddo," She smiled brightly, pulling her in close and rotating on the spot back and forth a little, tears swimming in her eyes and her heart soaring higher than it had done in years.
"I can't believe it! You came to see me!" Her voice was muffled as she held onto Molly tightly, burying herself into her shoulder,
"I bet you don't remember the last time you saw me, do you?" Molly asked softly, the memory a little painful for her. It had been so long ago and the weight of the guilt she carried was crippling. Her smell had changed, the feel of her skin was different, and she had grown so much taller in Molly's absence. But she had always been on the end of the phone, not missed a single step of Rosie's development and through her, had cemented her relationship with John in to one that Molly valued above all else. They were family to her.
"Rosamund, what have I told you about running off?" John's voice floated over them, and Molly looked up to see him striding towards them, looking slightly out of breath as well as incredibly exasperated. Molly felt a little resistance and allowed Rosie to slide to the ground, hanging her head as she took hold of her father's hand,
"Sorry Daddy…" She replied meekly, chancing a look up at him and blinking several times. He gave her a stern look but said no more on the matter, clearing his throat and addressing the two adults present instead,
"Molly," He extended his free arm to her, and she embraced him, Rosie joining in to create a three – way hug, before moving back and extending his had to Wills, "Doctor Scott."
"Doctor Watson, pleasure to see you again," He took hold of John's hand and gave it a shake, nodding his head simultaneously, "And of course, a pleasure to meet you, little lady," He stooped to Rosie's hight, offering his hand to her, and then kissing the back of it once she took it causing her to giggle to herself,
"Lady…Did you hear Daddy? I'm a lady!"
"And a nightmare…" John mumbled to himself, and Molly smirked at him whilst Rosie only looked puzzled,
"What?" She questioned, tugging at his arm,
"Pardon." John reminded her,
"What did you do?"
"No. You should say pardon, instead of 'what'. It's polite."
"Oh…Pardon did you do Daddy?"
"What?
"Pardon Daddy."
"Stop it."
Molly couldn't help but laugh. Clearly John struggled keeping Rosie in line and this was undoubtedly not the first time he had argues this issue with her.
'Mary would have known how to handle it…' She thought wistfully, a sense of sadness befalling her. She thought of her long since deceased friend and how the pain of losing her had been overwhelming - Remembering her since that day only brought on bouts of nausea and fits of hysteria once all the doors were closed and she was left alone with only the darkness for company. The good memories always undoubtedly gave way to the painful reminder that they would never speak or laugh again, or go dancing in a nightclub determined to find Molly the man of her dreams, nor complain about John, Sherlock and Greg over a cup of tea or even a glass of wine or three.
"Well, why don't we," Molly plastered a smile onto her face and took Rosie by the hand, "Go do something whilst the boys have their chat?" Her face lit instantly, and she turned to John, want glistening in her eyes as she silently pleaded with him. John gave a small smile and offered Molly a grateful look,
"Go on then, just hold on to Aunti Molly and-"
"Thanks Daddy!" She shot off back down the path she had come from, taking Molly by surprise. She gave a sudden start and began to follow her at a rapid pace, quite surprised by the young child's ability to cover a large distance in a very small amount of time. She just heard John shouting at them as they disappeared behind a row of shrubs,
"No running off!"
Japan's Arc Angel x