Another Day

by Michelle

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Another morning, another new day in the city. As he opened his eyes, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. After rising from bed, he walked to the bathroom. He washed his face and paused to stare at himself in the mirror, drops of water dripping from his face.
You can do this. It’s your best friend’s wedding and you will be there for him. Nothing is going to change, you will just have someone else to work on your cases with.

Sherlock tried to persuade himself, but he felt he was failing. He was terrified of the thought of John Watson not being by his side all the time, to solve puzzles, to chase criminals, to be his friend, the best friend he’d ever had. The only friend he’d had since childhood…

Nevertheless, he made it through the morning, even through tea with Mrs Hudson reassuring him that everything would change indeed from now on. When the time came, he walked to the wardrobe in his bedroom. The fancy suit was hanging neatly on the wardrobe door, and Sherlock sighed when he glanced at it.

Off to battle…

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About ten hours later, he was playing the waltz for John and Mary Watson on his violin at the wedding reception. He watched the happy couple dance to it with ease. Their faces were lit up with joy and excitement, all troubles of the past and the drama of the day left behind, looking ahead to the bright future.
Will there be a place for me still? Sherlock thought while mastering the strings to his own tune.

He finished playing, made his wow to John and Mary and then accidentally revealed to them his deduction, that they are very probably about to become parents soon. He felt a sudden warmth around his heart, and though he was happy for them, looking at them, he was overcome with a feeling of sadness too. John’s look at him, when he stopped laughing of excitement and embracing Sherlock, told him that John saw his worry. To stop the embarrassment, Sherlock said quickly with a smile.

“Go on, dance.” He looked warmly at Mary and then at John.

As he watched them join the others moving to the rhythm on the dance floor, he looked around. He saw Janine dancing, she smiled at him. Sherlock smiled back and was about to walk towards her but noticed, she was dancing with some guy in glasses he did not know.

He looked around again and suddenly felt very out of place. Very alone… Sherlock walked slowly out of the reception room and left the party. When he stepped out in the pleasant late spring evening, he started walking immediately, putting his coat on the go and buttoning it tightly as if the coat could give him a hug. His face was reflecting a subdued, almost painful expression. As the cheerful music in the reception room continued to resound into the night, Sherlock Holmes was walking into a new life.

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Sherlock didn’t know where he was going, but he didn’t want to return to Baker Street yet. Mrs. Hudson was still at the party and he was dreading the lonely feel of the empty rooms. All his life, he was used to being alone, it suited his work pattern, his focus and priorities. And then came John Watson and changed everything, changed him.

He was walking along a quiet street for about ten minutes, when he got a feeling, that someone was following him. Sherlock stopped but didn’t turn around. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, breathed in and listened. When he opened his eyes, he spoke calmly.
“Spying can be dangerous, Doctor Hooper.”

He turned around and saw Molly, clutching her handbag, and her little yellow flowery hat, sitting like a crown on the top of her head. She seemed a bit nervous as if expecting Sherlock to shower her with rude complaints and send her home asking her to leave him alone. He saw exactly how she felt and though he wished to be alone, he also longed for company.
Smile, that’s more appropriate.

Molly relaxed visibly and smiled back at him.
“I… I’m sorry, Sherlock, I just saw you leaving and you looked… sad. I just had to…. well…”
She hated herself for stuttering again in front of him, but she just couldn’t bring herself to tell him straight away, that she was worried about him.

Sherlock looked down shaking his head and smiled again.
“You can always see me… “ He looked up at her again and said. “I will be all right, I promise.”
Molly didn’t seem completely convinced but still, she managed to say.
“I’m glad to hear it, if you really think so…”

They were looking at each other for a moment, then she said “Good night then,” turned slowly around and started walking away, when she heard the familiar velvet baritone speak softly.
“Please… stay…”

Molly turned to look at him and saw a tear running down his face. She hesitated for a moment, then walked firmly to Sherlock and gave him a strong hug.

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A few minutes went by when Sherlock got hold of himself again, took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh. The puffed air moved the flowers and feathers on Molly’s head and lightly tickled his nose.
“You should really re-consider the choice of your head apparel next time, Molly,” he said with amusement.

Molly pulled back from him sharply but then saw Sherlock trying to conceal a smile and relaxed. She exhaled, shook her head and smiled before looking at him again.
"I know, it looks ridiculous, I feel like a bird, I was trying on different things but I’m just hopeless at these things, Mrs Hudson said it looked nice with the dress and---”

Molly stopped the usual quick flow of her words when she saw that his steel blue ever observing eyes were smiling at her. The usual Sherlock would probably get annoyed at her talking nonstop, but this Sherlock suddenly felt an unusual warmth at the familiar way of her stream of consciousness.

Suddenly, looking very focused, he reached for the hat and released it gently from her hair. He pulled the pin holding her hair tied up and the long dark strands fell down to her shoulders, lining her face in a simple but lovely way as always, giving it a much softer look and letting her chocolate brown eyes stand out. Sherlock couldn’t help but think to himself, that in her own very unique way, she was beautiful. He tilted his head a little and smiled with unusual tenderness reaching his eyes when seeing the final version of his experiment.

“There, that’s my Molly Hooper.”

Molly’s heartbeat fastened at his soft words and she was surprised by his unusual warmth toward her. It only happened once, when Sherlock returned from the ‘dead’ and invited her to spend a day with him helping him solve cases as a thank-you for her help in faking his death. He was looking at her in the same gentle way. She could still feel the soft touch of his lips on her cheek before they parted.

She didn’t know what to think, Sherlock had never been so tentative and warm-hearted to her like on that day but she couldn’t forget about it. No matter how hard Tom tried, he would never be like Sherlock. No one would ever be like Sherlock…

Molly scolded herself for behaving like a teenager again. She swallowed and took a deep breath before speaking. 
“Would you like to… walk a bit?” she asked with a slightly shaky voice.
At least this time, it wasn’t her infatuation with Sherlock that made her shiver, the night was getting a bit chilly.
“I….” Sherlock was observing her, thinking of Tom probably looking for her somewhere among the guests, but then he surprised himself when he heard his deep voice saying, “I would like that.”

Molly smiled hesitantly and took a first step while intuitively embracing her arms to keep herself warmer. Suddenly, Sherlock held her by her arm to stop her. She looked at him confused, but then she noticed he was taking off his coat. Molly couldn’t have been more shocked when he put the coat around her shoulders. He did it again, he melted her heart when she was trying so hard not to fall for him even more…

“I read there’s a shortage of pathologists, we don’t want to lose you on hypothermia,” he spoke, pretending to be serious, but his eyes were smiling, and he raised his eyebrows for a moment as if challenging her for a reply. Molly jumped on his joke wagon.

“Of course not, who would be secretly supplying you with body parts, right?”
It was her turn now to raise the eyebrows and a mischievous smile was playing on her thin lips

Sherlock chuckled, offered his arm to her and lead the way as they walked together into the night.
It suddenly seemed to him that the day might not end that bad at all.

 

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