Mr Holmes and Miss Hooper - a Sherlolly Story

Chapter 31

(Okay so, I'll confess I'm nervous about posting these next few chapters - a lot of this story is content I've never really written before so I hope I've done okay!
A little bit of a trigger warning for this chapter and the next few upcoming - this part of the story involves violence against a woman so if that's not something you're comfortable with please just do what's best for yourself, your health and happiness is most important to me! Look after yourselves :)
All that being said, here we go!)
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A few weeks passed and before they all knew it, it was the summer holidays. Loo had completed all of her exams and Molly had thrown her a little surprise of her own for that. They had taken her out to see a matinee show of SIX The Musical (which, surprisingly, Sherlock actually enjoyed), before heading for a fancy restaurant in Central London. Loo had almost screamed when they walked in and found the table full of balloons and presents. Rosie Watson had wobblingly run over to her in excitement and Mary and John had congratulated her in turn. She had blushed a bit when she noticed Sherlock's parents on the other side of the table but that disappeared when the couple were both on their feet and taking her in their arms as though she was one of their own. After that, they all fell into a kind of familial routine. Every Friday, they would eat with the Watsons. This would alternate between them eating as a six in either house and occasionally, the four adults would go out and Loo would look after Rosie. Every other Sunday, Sherlock, Molly and Loo would drive to Musgrave Hall and eat with Violet and Siger. Sometimes Mycroft was there and as it turns out, Loo and Mycroft have a very similar sense of humour.

Molly had had to get used to Sherlock taking more and more cases, but she could handle it. She knew he needed to keep that big, brilliant brain occupied and she was happy to just be waiting for him when he got home. One thing she did know was that she was thankful to the gracious Mrs Hudson for letting Sherlock keep 221B. She thought he was kidding about shooting bullets into the walls - he wasn't. The case he was on now seemed like a serious one. Greg had personally come over to their house to ask for his input. Molly had loved having him over, and she'd invited him in for a cuppa and a catch-up. Loo had watched from the stairs and laughed as Molly chatted with Greg and Sherlock stood in the corner shooting him daggers. They both knew she wasn't wrong about Greg fancying Molly. Loo had quite literally had to slap her hand over her mouth to silence herself as Sherlock's nostrils had flared as he watched Greg make Molly laugh and her place her hand on his knee. After their 'quaint little catch up', as Sherlock had called it with much sarcasm in his tone, the men had up and left. Molly had handed Sherlock his bag as he walked out the door. He had planted a loving, lingering kiss to her lips before telling her he loved her and saying he'd be back soon.

It had been ten days now. The longest one yet. Molly and Loo filled their days with sisterly activities and the usual cooking and cleaning. They would go on walks with Mary and Rosie and they visited the cinema and went shopping in the city centre, but neither Hooper could deny that the house felt strangely empty without Sherlock's presence. He was larger than life, after all. That's why Molly had been so excited when she had received a strangely cryptic text that morning.

Burner phone. Meet at 221B. 16:00. - SH

She had wondered at the lack of kisses, and the need for a burner phone as neither had happened before. Usually, when he texted her while he was away his tone was cheerful. He always signed off with kisses and made sure to send her a goodnight text whenever he could. She had asked him once how he kept their conversations so casual and nice with so much going on in his head, he had answered that speaking to her grounded him. He said that she reminded him there was still good in the world while he was out there hunting down the very worst of it. There really were no words to describe how much she loved him.