#sherlollymonthly

[sherlollyappreciationweek]

April 2020 Monthly Prompt

“You have me completely in your handcuffs.”

This prompt was inspired by the Round Robin / Mad Lib panel at Sherlollicon (the panel was run by @mizjoely and @sherlolly) Take this quote and do with that you will :D

You have until April 30th to fill this prompt. Post your prompt fills (any kind of fan creation - absolutely ANY creation) whenever you have completed them throughout the month, no need to wait. Please use the tag: ‘ sherlollymonthly ‘ so that way I can find it. Also, feel free to submit it to the blog if you feel more comfortable doing that. Other information on monthly prompts can be found here. There is also a collection on AO3 now! Any other questions, send me a message!

[sherlollyandspoilers]

A Pet Name

February 2020 Monthly Prompt - Nick Names

So, I actually wrote this a long time ago and had completely forgotten about it until I was doing the prompt for this month and knew that I needed to repost it

Molly: Hey hon? Sherlock: Oh, we are at the pet names stage then? Molly: ...I guess. It's more of a term of endearment...would you like a pet name? Sherlock: If you would like to give me one. Molly: Okay!...What should it be? Sherlock: I have one request. Molly: Yes? Sherlock: Don't call me Sherl. Molly: Sherl? That's awful! Why would I call you that? Sherlock: ......Nevermind.

[elennemigo]

“You do count“ He left her just that simple message, and the next thing she knew about Sherlock Holmes was that he had thrown himself off the roof of St Bart’s. She never believed he was dead, not because she was in denial, like eveyone said… but she knew. That’s why when two years later he showed at her flat, she wasn’t surprise. She was hurt though, deeply, madly. - You do count, he said again. - I spent the last two years wondering if that was ever true.

June 2019 Monthly Prompt: Angsty Reichenbach AU 💔

[writingwife-83]

Sherlolly Model AU

I saw @elennemigo’s awesome gif/pic set this morning to go with @sherlollyappreciationweek’s model AU prompt...and it gave me a little push to fill the prompt as well hehe.

“Ok, a little closer please, Sherlock,” the photographer instructed. “Stand just behind her, nearly touching, and keep your eyes on her profile.”

He complied and a few flashes went off, followed by words of praise from behind the camera.

“Molly, can you turn a bit now? Look up at him, just over your shoulder. That’s it, just like that!”

More flashes as the desired shots were captured.

“Just a moment, let me check what we’ve got so far.”

Sherlock and Molly both relaxed their stance as the photographer left the camera to glance at the laptop screen, taking advantage of any moment they weren’t being meticulously directed.

“You’re not used to working with other models, are you?” Molly asked after taking a quick swig of water nearby the brick building they were posing at.

Sherlock eyed her almost suspiciously for a second. “I prefer not to actually. Alone is how I do my best work.”

She shrugged. “Maybe you’re just afraid.”

He frowned. “Pardon?”

She met his gaze, notably unfazed by his defensive tone. “Afraid of how good you’d be with someone else...and then not being able to do without them.”

Sherlock realized his jaw was hanging open just as the photographer called them back to their position. This was definitely the most challenging photo shoot he’d ever done. Easily the furthest from his comfort zone. Strange that despite that, every inch of him was practically jumping to step in front of the camera with her once again.

“Ok now, Sherlock, I want you to take your leather jacket off and put it around Molly’s shoulders. And Molly, you lean gently back against the wall and look up at him.”

Sherlock did as he was told, draping the luxurious garment around her, gripping the lapels to keep it in place as she was swimming in the thing. All the while, there were those brown eyes holding his, beckoning him downward.

“I’ve loved your work for years, but I don’t think I’ve ever been as impressed as I am today,” Molly whispered, between flashes.

He was only in a white tee shirt now, but Sherlock suddenly felt like he was sweating.

“You don’t-“ He cleared a hitch in his throat. “You don’t know me.”

She answered only by smiling demurely up at him through her lashes.

“Perfect, Molly!” the photographer called out. “Sherlock, place one hand against the wall and reach up with your other and graze her jawline, just lightly with your thumb.”

Sherlock gulped, doing as he was commanded and grazing the soft skin near her chin.

“Maybe not. But I’d, um...like to know you,” Molly added.

“Lean your head down now, Sherlock, forehead touching hers! Nose to nose!”

He barely had to be told because that next move felt as natural as taking his next breath. And speaking of breath, he suddenly felt hers, warm and inviting against his lips.

“I was wondering, maybe some coffee after the shoot?” she suggested.

The jolt of surprise he felt at her suggestion wasn’t because it was an unusual occurrence, a woman coming onto him. But it wasn’t ever like this. This felt far less physical and a lot more...personal. The feeling unnerved him, but in an unexpectedly pleasant sort of way.

“I don’t think so,” he murmured in reply before thinking.

There was naturally a bit of hurt in her eyes as he backed his face away a little and looked down at her. But his answer was really only because coffee was just...not nearly enough. What he needed with this obviously extraordinary woman was time, and lots of it. He wanted to have a leisurely walk to the little fish shop he knew, sit with her to eat and talk, walk some more, and then hopefully get to be this close to her once again, all without an annoying audience. Besides, he’d had his fill of coffee, usually living on the stuff while he was working a shoot. He’d be desperate for a hearty meal once he was done, and surely she could say the same.

The photographer announced that it was time for a wardrobe and location change. Apparently they’d finish up the day’s shoot by the water. Heaven help him, he thought, if they put Molly in a bathing suit. Yes, dinner was definitely the way to go. As Molly slipped his jacket off her shoulders and handed it back to him, he gave her a little smile.

“I have a better idea. Fancy some chips?”

[darnedchild]

The Mayfair Murders

I’m here for a two for one prompt fill today, Poppets. 

MHAW Summer 2019 Day 3 - Historical Fiction (fiction set in any time period other than the 2000s and later) / Future Fic (fiction set at any point after “The Final Problem”)  (Posting this on Day 7 as a catch up fic because time management is not a skill I have right now.) @mollyappreciationweek

SAW August Prompt – Revisiting/remixing “The Mayfair Murderer” as the Sherlolly Monthly August prompt. TMM was originally posted on 2/14/2017 on Ao3.  @sherlollyappreciationweek

Once again we are playing fast and loose with historical accuracy here because I’m on a deadline and I know that if I open up Google I’m going to get lost in a wiki-spiral and it will be tomorrow and I’ll be a fountain of information on horse drawn carriages and the London sewer system but I won’t have a fic.  And yes, I am speaking from experience.

Utterly unbeta’d because deadlines and all that.

 The Mayfair Murders

“Mayfair Murderer strikes again. Brute continues to stalk streets,” Watson huffed.

Sherlock heard the newsprint crinkle as his friend continued to read aloud from The Morning Post. “Local authorities were forced to release their only suspect from custody after a second victim was discovered in the pre-dawn hours.”

“Much to Inspector Samuels annoyance, I’m sure.”  Sherlock opened his eyes to acknowledge Watson for the first time since the pair had entered the carriage in front of Scotland Yard.  “If he had spent as much time speaking to his prisoner as he did preening for the press, he wouldn’t look the fool now.”

“Yes, well, I think the fact that he’d insisted on holding an innocent man in a cell for the last week should be more of a concern,” Watson snapped.

“Would it make you feel any better to know Mr Richards is far from an innocent man?  He regularly collects on gambling and protection debts owed to a small criminal syndicate, and is guilty of several unsolved assault cases in the Mayfair area.”

Watson lowered the paper just enough to peer over the top.  “How do you know that?”

Sherlock smirked in response and turned his attention to the passing streets visible through the carriage window.

Before long they drew to a halt in front of St Bartholomew’s.  He waited for Watson to pay the cab driver, anxious to view the body currently housed in the morgue below the hospital.

And after that there was a visit to Mike Stamford’s office to look forward to.

���ڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

“Are you going to tell me why we’re here?  Why you endeavoured to procure an invitation for us to join the family for dinner when you could have easily finished your discussion this morning?  We both know you didn’t have a pressing engagement to attend to as you’d claimed,” Watson pressed the moment they’d been left alone in Stamford’s sitting room so his man could announce their arrival.  

Sherlock paused his patrolling around the perimeter of room long enough to glance at Watson.  “As I told you before, I have long wished to cultivate a relationship with a contact inside the hospital.  Consider the resources I would have access to once you re-establish your friendship with Doctor Stamford.”

“And that’s the sole reason?”

Sherlock turned away and continued his inspection of the family photographs displayed on the walls.  He stopped in front of one that included Ms Hooper, and it must have been taken relatively recently as she was not wearing her mourning dress.  “Of course. What other reason could I have?”

“I couldn’t possibly imagine.”

He didn’t like Watson’s tone.  Fortunately, he was saved from having to endure any more of Watson’s pestering by the arrival of Stamford and his wife. Sherlock made sure to remain on his best behaviour—which consisted of biting his tongue on more than one occasion and leaving Watson to answer any questions that were sent their way—while they waited for Stamford’s daughters and niece to join them.

The girls were both old enough to be accepting suitors, and clearly considered their father’s visitors to be potential matrimonial prospects.  Sherlock dismissed them from his mind almost immediately.  It was the young woman who entered the room with her cousins that held his attention.  

Ms Hooper was . . . lovely.

She met his eyes briefly, then looked down to her feet when her cheeks began to flush with the slightest hint of pink.

“If you’re ready, Mr Holmes?”

Stamford’s voice drew him out of his momentary distraction and he realized he had become the centre of attention. He glanced at Watson, who subtly jerked his head toward the door.  “Yes, of course.”

Watson stepped forward and offered his arm to Mrs Stamford.  “If you’d allow me the honour?”  She tittered, clearly taken in by the infamous Watson charm.  The sisters immediately latched on to him, one on either side, and he had no choice but to escort them to the dining room.  That left Ms Hooper with her uncle, who leaned down to whisper something that made her laugh softly.

The meal was less tedious than he had anticipated due to Stamford’s unexpected wit and Mrs Stamford’s amused tolerance for Sherlock’s frank description of one of his more interesting cases.  Thankfully the sisters had been raptly listening to Watson’s far more sanitized and heroic version of the same events.  

Ms Hooper made sure to divide her attention amongst everyone at the table, but he was pleased to note that the majority of her awareness seemed to be centred upon him.  He found her questions and observations to be delightfully insightful, and once again he wondered how she’d managed to become so familiar with certain topics that were frowned upon in polite society.  Judging by Stamford’s proud expression, Sherlock deduced that her uncle readily encouraged her chosen fields of interest.  The depth of her knowledge of human anatomy alone made him suspect her studies were begun long before she’d come under Stamford’s care.

Before they left that evening, Sherlock managed to draw her aside and far enough away from her curious cousins to avoid being overheard.  “Ms Hooper, if I may have a moment of your time?”

“Of course, Mr Holmes.”  She smoothed the front of her dress down her waist and shifted her weight from foot to foot.  Obvious signs of nervousness.  

Interesting.

“I was wondering . . . Will you be attending the ball at Wickham?”

“I-I believe so.”  She stared up at him with wide brown eyes that threatened to derail his thoughts.

He swallowed and tried to regroup. “So will I.”

She waited a moment, as if expecting him to continue speaking.  When nothing further issued from his mouth, she tilted her head in confusion.  “Well, I suppose that means we’ll see each other there?”

Sherlock could see Watson watching him from across the room.  The absolute last thing he wanted to do was have a witness as he stumbled his way through the next few moments, but Watson only grinned when Sherlock glared in his direction.

“Or not.”

He snapped his attention back to Ms Hooper.  “Pardon?”

She gestured toward his disgruntled expression.  “You seem displeased at the thought.”

“No!  Far from it.”  Sherlock took a deep breath.  “I would like the chance to continue our discussion from last night, about the Mayfair murderer.  I am very interested in the rest of your thoughts on the matter.”

Ms Hooper blinked, then her lips pursed in such a way that he suspected she was trying to supress a wide smile.  “Shall we meet in the garden again?”

He knew he was fighting a similar urge. “Perhaps this time we might share a dance first?”

“I believe that can be arranged, Mr Holmes.”

“I look forward to it, Ms Hooper.”

[chiefdoctor]

For the June Sherlolly Monthly Prompt:

Reichenbach AU

Molly is not involved with helping Sherlock fake his suicide.  He leaves Molly a private message telling her, “you do count”.  Now here he is, arriving on her doorstep to tell her that he’s not dead.

[cam-the-clam]

After being a rabid consumer for months, I now offer my humble contribution to The Greatest Ship on Earth TM. A WWII-era Sherlolly melodrama. 

Written in response to @sherlollyappreciationweek‘s June 2019 prompt, but really only if you read the prompt in the broadest possible sense. It’s a Reichenbach story, except Molly isn’t in on it. The end. 

Summary:

She isn’t an ignorant woman. She knows what this war could mean, exactly all the ways it could rip her family and her life apart. War needs soldiers, and if it doesn’t have enough, it always knows how to find more. They don’t talk about it. She knows he doesn’t want to, and she doesn’t think she can. A part of her thinks, hopes, that Mycroft wouldn’t let it happen. He has the power to keep her husband home and safe, but she knows Sherlock would never let him use it. So she hopes and prays, and they don’t talk about it, and the war looms closer.

[sherlollyappreciationweek]

February 2020 Monthly Prompt

Nicknames prompts. This prompt was inspired by an ask that @writingwife-83 received. @love-yellow-door had suggested calling it the Don’t Call Me Baby challenge! I also have to thank @smarthily for pointing out the conversation and suggesting that I make it a prompt!

Do Sherlock and Molly have nicknames for each other? Do they use terms of endearment? How do they respond when the other uses “that name”, the name that means more than just the name? Do they use nick names or terms of endearment when they are cross with the other? 

You have until February 29th to fill this prompt. Post your prompt fills (any kind of fan creation - this might even be a good one for meta or headcanons) whenever you have completed them throughout the month, no need to wait. Please use the tag: ‘ sherlollymonthly ‘ so that way I can find it. Also, feel free to submit it to the blog if you feel more comfortable doing that. Other information on monthly prompts can be found here. There is also a collection on AO3 now! Any other questions, send me a message!

[elennemigo]

JB is the best portrait photographer and he loves working with Sherlock Holmes, the most in-demand male model, althougt sometimes he’s not the nicest guy in the room. 

This time he wanted to pair Sherlock with Molly Hooper, the brightest and loveliest new face, for the next big photoshoot.

Sherlock was reluctant to work with a “rookie” but by the end of the day, he knew he owed JB big time!

May 2019 Monthly Prompt: Sherlolly Modeling AU 📸

[sherlollyappreciationweek]

June 2019 Monthly Prompt

Angsty Reichenbach AU – Molly is not involved with helping Sherlock fake his suicide. He leaves Molly a private message telling her, “you do count”. Now, here he is, arriving on her doorstep to tell her that he’s not dead.

[this lovely prompt set is by @mollyhooopers - thank you so much for volunteering your work as a prompt!!!]

You have until June 30th to fill this prompt. Post your prompt fills (any kind of fan creation - absolutely ANY creation) whenever you have completed them throughout the month, no need to wait. Please use the tag: ‘ sherlollymonthly ‘ so that way I can find it. Also, feel free to submit it to the blog if you feel more comfortable doing that. Other information on monthly prompts can be found here. There is also a collection on AO3 now! Any other questions, send me a message!

[sherlollyappreciationweek]

July 2019 Monthly Prompt

Sherlock is having flash backs…but of what he is unsure. Images of himself as different, as someone else…as something else flash through his mind. He cannot reconcile the life that he lives with the life that he feels like he should be living. Primal urges keep springing up in the pit of his belly and he has to shove them down, move on, solve the next case. Two different pasts fight for control of his memories, making it impossible to know which to believe. After months of turmoil and personal destruction Sherlock comes to Molly knowing only one thing for certain - she is the only one he can trust.

**do not feel like you have to make Sherlock Khan - those were just the pictures that I used...please use / make him whatever you prefer**

You have until July 31st to fill this prompt. Post your prompt fills (any kind of fan creation - absolutely ANY creation) whenever you have completed them throughout the month, no need to wait. Please use the tag: ‘ sherlollymonthly ‘ so that way I can find it. Also, feel free to submit it to the blog if you feel more comfortable doing that. Other information on monthly prompts can be found here. There is also a collection on AO3 now! Any other questions, send me a message!

[writingwife-83]

Always, Always

Ok so this is my response to the @sherlollyappreciationweek June prompt for an AU where Molly was not involved in Sherlock faking his death. I’m posting the first section here but you can read the rest on AO3 because it got kinda long. Enjoy the angst...I sure did. :))

“Oh I don’t know,” Sherlock replied with a little flip of his matted hair. “It’s starting to grow on me.”

“Yes, I imagine plenty of things are,” Mycroft muttered.

Soon after, Sherlock cleared his throat. “Well?”

Mycroft frowned. “Well what?”

“The dossiers. I’ll need them now.”

Mycroft shifted a little nervously.

“Perhaps once we’ve got back to London-“

“I prefer them now,” Sherlock insisted.

With a sigh of hesitance, Mycroft got up to rummage around in his bag above their seats, finally producing a stack of files which he set in his brother’s lap.

“Dear God,” Sherlock almost instantly commented, opening John’s file. “This is what happens when I’m away? Pff, that’ll have to go, I’m not being seen with him like that.”

A few more moments passed as he flipped through the rest of John’s file, and then moved on to the others. He got to the end of the last one and frowned, flipping through the pile one more time before looking across at his brother again.

“One is missing.”

Mycroft’s brow lifted. “Sorry?”

Sherlock rolled his eyes. “Don’t play the idiot, it’s a stretch, even for you. Now where is the fourth file?”

They held eye contact for a breath while Mycroft clearly weighed his options. But finally, he gave in once again, standing to fish out one more file which he reluctantly handed over.

Sherlock whipped it open, his eyes darting up and down, paging through what the file contained. A few minutes of silence passed by as he thoroughly absorbed the contents. Then he closed it, setting it atop the other three in his lap, and smiled at his brother.

“Well, fortunate I had a look before takeoff. It seems we’ll be needing to make a brief stop in...Zurich.”

Mycroft’s eyes went wide. “Sherlock, I took the trouble to fetch you due to a matter of national security! This is no time for games!”

“Exactly,” he replied calmly, leaning back in the luxurious seat. “I’ll need all hands on deck, won’t I?”

Mycroft clenched his jaw in frustration, then decided to try for a different tactic to change Sherlock’s stubborn mind.

“Besides, you’re an absolute mess . I imagine a wash up would be an order before this sort of... personal call.”

Sherlock straightened up with a slight wince of his cracked ribs, glancing down at his ragged clothes, mass of unkempt hair, and lack of general hygiene. Then he smirked at his brother.

“Actually, that won’t be necessary. I think I’ll wash up when I get there.”

Read on AO3

[darnedchild]

I’ve Always Trusted You

My response to @sherlollyappreciationweek‘s July prompt - Sherlock’s Other Life AU

Sherlock is having flash backs…but of what he is unsure. Images of himself as different, as someone else…as something else flash through his mind. He cannot reconcile the life that he lives with the life that he feels like he should be living. Primal urges keep springing up in the pit of his belly and he has to shove them down, move on, solve the next case. Two different pasts fight for control of his memories, making it impossible to know which to believe. After months of turmoil and personal destruction Sherlock comes to Molly knowing only one thing for certain - she is the only one he can trust.

A/N : While I’ve never watched “Sliding Doors”, I have read the IMDB plot summary and that’s practically the same thing, right?  This fic is very, very, very loosely based on that plot summary (very).  I’m also pulling dialogue directly from rewatching certain scenes of “The Reichenbach Fall” and transcripts compiled by Ariane DeVere (arianedevere on dreamwidth).  Not beta’d because I literally finished it two minutes ago and I’ve got another fic to work on by tomorrow.

I’ve Always Trusted You

“You’re a bit like my dad.  He’s dead.”

Sherlock barely restrained his annoyance at Molly’s continued interruptions.  He didn’t bother looking up from the microscope as he rebuffed her.  “Molly, please do not feel the need to make conversation. It’s not really your area.”

“When he was dying, he was always cheerful.  He was lovely, except when he thought no one could see. I saw him once.  He looked sad.”

Either she hadn’t picked up on his mood or she deliberately chose to ignore the unsubtle hint to drop it.  He issued another warning.  “Molly.”

“You look sad . . . when you think he can’t see you.”

He immediately knew who she was referring to.  Sherlock’s gaze found John, confirming the other man wasn’t paying attention to them.  He turned to look at Molly, unwillingly drawn into the discussion. 

“Are you okay?”

Sherlock wanted to scoff.  What sort of inane question was that?  Before he could say anything to remind her—yet again—that they had work to do, she was speaking once more.

“And don’t just say you are, because I know what that means. Looking sad when you think no one can see you.”

His fingers flexed on the microscope knobs as he supressed the urge to immediately deny it.  Yet she wasn’t wrong.  As much as he would have preferred not to care about the outcome of Moriarty’s newest little game, this time he was very aware of just how much he could lose.  

Of who he would lose.

Lestrade.  Mrs Hudson. John.  Even Molly.

Molly who was still intently watching him as if she could read his thoughts in every twitch of his lips and shift of his eyes.  

Perhaps she could.

“You can see me.”

“I don’t count.”  For the first time since he’d turned to her, she broke eye contact.  

How could she say something like that?  How could she even think it?  

“What I’m trying to say is that if there’s anything I can do, anything you need, anything at all . . . you can have me.”  She almost recoiled as her wording registered.  “No, I just mean, I mean, if there’s anything you need . . .”  Molly shook her head.  “It’s fine.”

He couldn’t even fathom what she might be offering.  They were already in the lab working together, so it wasn’t her assistance on the case.  She already gave him access to the bodies and equipment necessary for his experiments and research.  He couldn’t remember the last time she’d truly denied him anything, so what more could she possibly expect he would ask for?  “Wha-wha-what could I need from you?”

“Nothing.”  She shrugged as she turned back toward him, already beginning to look as if she regretted saying anything at all.  “I dunno. You could probably say thank you, actually.”

Something had happened.  Something important.  Yet he couldn’t quite put his finger on what.  He felt completely out of his depth, that much he recognized.  Almost as if he wasn’t quite sure why he was doing it, he did as she’d suggested. “Thank you.”

Molly quickly passed behind him, hurrying toward the door and away from whatever it was that had been gathering weight between them.  “I’m just gonna go and get some crisps.  Do you want anything?”  

She didn’t even give him a chance to respond.  “It’s okay.  I know you don’t.”

He didn’t actually.  He abhorred wasting time eating when he could be working on a case, but the stiff set of her shoulders and her closed off expression made him start to say that perhaps he would like something.  

She cut him off with a stiff “I know you don’t,” and left the lab before he could protest.  

Sherlock watched the door swing shut with unfocused eyes as he picked the last few minutes apart in his mind.  Why had he wanted to placate her?  Was it because she had seen him?  He couldn’t remember the last time someone had truly done that; Mycroft obviously did not count because he was . . . Mycroft.

“Sherlock.”  John’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Hmm?”  Sherlock briefly looked toward his friend before returning his attention to the closed door.  He pushed his stool back and stood.

“This envelope that was in her trunk.”  John held the crime scene photo up so Sherlock could see it if he were looking, but he wasn’t.  He was already moving across the room toward the exit.  “Sherlock?” John tried to attract his attention once more.

“In a moment.  There’s something I need to do first.”  Sherlock pushed his way out the door, ignoring John’s sputtered questions.

The corridor was empty but Molly had said she wanted crisps so he hurried in the direction of the closest set of vending machines.  As he’d hoped, she was still standing in front of the machines sorting through the small pile of coins in her hand.

“Molly,” he called softly, trying not to startle her.

Her fingers closed around the coins before she slowly looked in his direction with an obviously forced smile.  “Did you figure it out?”  

“No, not yet.”  He cautiously moved closer, unsure of his welcome.  “Molly, I wanted to say thank you.”  Unlike before, there was no hesitation in his voice.  

She turned to face him fully, puzzled by his sudden change in attitude.  “For what?”

He shook his head.  “I’m not sure, honestly.  Anything. Everything, probably.  I just-I just wanted to make sure you knew that I appreciated what you said.  What-what you offered.”

After a moment, she offered him a soft smile.  “You’re welcome.”

“Sherlock.  Sherlock, we’re here.”  John’s sharp tone cut through the memory like a blade, and Sherlock’s eyes snapped open.

No, that’s wrong.  Not a memory.

He took in the sight and sounds of a busy street as the cab pulled up in front of New Scotland Yard.  Whatever that had been, the false images that had invaded his thoughts when he should have been preparing for their upcoming meeting with Lestrade, were pushed aside as they exited the cab.

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

Sherlock stared out the window, not really paying any attention to the view as his mind raced with all the new data he’d accumulated over the last few hours.

John was right, it made no sense.  Why would the little girl, Claudette, scream when she saw him?  

Lestrade’s voice echoed in his head.  “Something about Sherlock reminds her of the kidnapper.”

That was important.  Why was it important?

Several lights flickered on in the building across the street. The letters I O U were painted on three of the windows.  Before he could do more than draw in a sharp breath the lights were off again.  He knew it would be no use to mention what he’d seen to the others in the room.  By the time someone was sent across the street to check the message would have been removed.  

He vaguely registered that John and Lestrade had left the room. Standing there was doing him no good, he’d think better in the familiar space of Baker Street.  

Donovan’s words stopped him just outside the conference room door.  “Brilliant work you did, finding those kids from just a footprint.  It’s really amazing.”

Molly was standing with Lestrade, their heads nearly pressed together as Molly pointed at something printed on the papers Lestrade held in his hand.  John was near the other two, impatiently waiting.  As was Anderson.

“Thank you,” Sherlock remembered to respond to Donovan.  Why was Molly there?  

“Unbelievable.”  Donovan’s tone wasn’t complementary at all.  Almost suspicious.  And she looked rather smug, as if she knew something that he didn’t.

Molly’s head snapped up.  “Not really.  I mean, anybody here could have done it.”

Donovan and Sherlock both stared at her.  He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of irritation at the implied insult to his deductive skills.

“Obviously Sherlock did it faster; but from what I’ve heard, someone in forensics would have eventually discovered the bottle of linseed oil and most likely put two and two together and found the footprints.  Unless they were too busy wasting their time canoodling and gossiping around the water cooler to spend time at the crime scene or in the lab, of course.”  Molly’s gaze landed on Philip and then pointedly slid toward Donovan.

“What just a minute-“ Philip began.

Molly plucked the papers from Lestrade’s hands.  “As I was discussing with Inspector Lestrade—Greg.” She looked at the older man and lowered her eyes.  Sherlock noted her cheeks flushed slightly.  He didn’t like that.  Not one bit.

“As I was explaining, the official report won’t be ready for another day or two but the preliminary results Sherlock brought with him earlier document what tests were used on the samples.  I was there during the testing, my name is right here on the form, authorizing the use of the equipment.”  She wagged the paper in Anderson’s direction until he took it.

“Once the samples were broken down, well, it’s just a matter of having the right resources to put it all together.  Right?”  She looked at Lestrade again.  “You said you had people out looking.  I’m sure they would have narrowed it down eventually.  Sherlock just had access to better, faster resources.”

Molly turned to Donovan again.  “So, there you go.  Brilliant and quick, yes.  But not so unbelievable.”  She took a deep breath and smiled at them all.  “Well, I’ve got to get back to Barts, if you don’t need anything else, Greg?”

“No.  I’m good. Thanks for coming by, Molly.”  He reached out and snatched the papers back from Anderson.  “I’ll give you a call tomorrow to check on the final report, yeah?”

“Sounds good.”  Molly nodded at the others.  “Philip. Sgt Donovan.  John.  Sherlock.” Then she pointed toward the left. “That way?”

Greg shook his head.  “You know what, I’ll show you out.  You two coming?”

John followed along but Sherlock took a moment to glance back at Donovan.  Her earlier smug expression had wilted considerably, but he still felt bit of unease.  

Somehow John managed to wait until they were in the street to grin at him.  “So, anybody could do it, huh?  That must have stung.”  

“How many times have I told you lot that you don’t observe the obvious?  She only said the same thing I’ve been telling you for ages.”  Sherlock refused to admit his ego might have been the slightest bit piqued.  

“Still, it was rather nice to know that Molly’s got your back. I’m not sure what Sally was getting up to, but I didn’t like it.”  John raised his hand to hail a nearby cab.

“Yes.  To both counts.”  Sherlock reached for the cab door the moment it pulled up to the kerb.  “This is my cab.  You get the next one.”

The city lights passed by as the taxi made its way down the street, almost hypnotic.  Sherlock blinked several times and realized they must have been traveling for nearly ten minutes already.  He had to have been lost thought.  

That’s not what happened.  Molly wasn’t there.  Just Donovan and her insinuations.  Focus, Sherlock.  Why does this keep happening?

He pinched the bridge of his nose and scrunched his eyes shut as tightly as possible.  He heard the sound of the small telly on the back of the driver’s seat click on.  That was absolutely the last thing he needed right now.

“Can you turn this off, please?”

The telly remained on and he asked again, louder this time.

The image on the screen changed and Jim Moriarty was grinning at him.

“Hullo.  Are you ready for story?  This is the story of Sir Boast-A-Lot.”

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

“Can he do that?” John asked in disbelief.  “Completely change his identity?  Make you a criminal?”

Sherlock paced up and down the street.  “He’s got my whole life story.  That’s what you do when you sell a big lie; you wrap it up in the truth to make it more palatable.”

John nodded as he began to flip through the pages in the folder he’d taken from Kitty Riley.  “Your word against his.”

“He’s been sowing doubt into people’s minds for the last twenty-four hours.  There’s only one thing he needs to do to complete his game, and that’s to-“ Sherlock froze on the spot.

Suddenly, it clicked.  Everything that the last few months had been leading up to, from the moment Moriarty broke into the Tower and left his message—GET SHERLOCK—it was finally coming to an end.

“Sherlock?”

Numerous options ran through his mind.  

John wouldn’t be able of any use.  He was loyal enough, but he wouldn’t be able to see the bigger picture. If anything, he’d be a distraction. A liability.

He’d already spoken to Mycroft on the matter, although neither one had predicted quite how far Moriarty would take things.  He’d have to contact his brother soon enough, but not yet.

He could go it alone.  It was what he’d always done before.

But there was another option this time, wasn’t there?

Wasn’t that what those not-memories had been trying to tell him?

He made a split-second decision.  “Something I need to do.”

“What?”  Ever eager to join into the fray, John asked, “Can I help?”

“No.  On my own.”

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

“You’re wrong, you know.”  Even without looking, he knew he’d startled her.  An unexpected voice coming from the darkness.  He didn’t blame her for being jumpy.  “You do count.  You’ve always counted and I’ve always trusted you.”

It was true.  It might have taken those waking dreams, or whatever they were, to make him recognize it. But it had always been true.

He finally looked toward her, almost afraid of what he would see. “But you were right.  I’m not okay.”

[sherlollyappreciationweek]

May 2019 Monthly Prompt

Sherlolly Modeling AU

Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper are rising stars in their modeling agency. While Sherlock’s photo shoots are among the highest rated, he is known to be a pain in the ass to work with. Despite his irritating personality, Sherlock happens to exude power and is amazing to photograph. Since starting at the agency Molly has quickly become every photographer’s new favorite model to shoot as she is practically a ray of sunshine in personality and looks. Now, Sherlock has been paired with Molly and he is completely out of his element, his powerful facade crumbling.

(prompt by @sherlollyandspoilers)

You have until May 31st to fill this prompt. Post your prompt fills (any kind of fan creation - absolutely ANY creation) whenever you have completed them throughout the month, no need to wait. Please use the tag: ‘ sherlollymonthly ‘ so that way I can find it. Also, feel free to submit it to the blog if you feel more comfortable doing that. Other information on monthly prompts can be found here. Any other questions, send me a message!

[sherlollyandspoilers]

May 2019 Monthly Prompt -  Sherlolly Modeling AU

After their initial photo shoot together, Sherlock couldn’t get Molly out of his head. He thought about her constantly and the distraction was showing through in his poor work. Photographers who had been ecstatic about getting the chance to work with the great Sherlock Holmes were underwhelmed and disappointed. He was sure that if he just avoided her at work things would get better, his mind would clear, and he could get back in his element but he saw her everywhere. By some lucky break, three months after their shoot he was paired with Molly again.

“I’ve noticed you’ve been having a hard time lately.” She had wondered into his dressing room and slid up on the counter, her knee brushing his.

“Unfortunately,” he mumbled, gripping his hands together in his lap.

“I hope you’re feeling better today.” She leaned forward, a small smile on her lips. “I’ve been having some really great shoots...maybe some of my luck with rub off on you.” He lunged forward out of his seat, his lips capturing hers. He gripped her tight as he explored her mouth and nibbled on her lips. He moaned with satisfaction as her hands found their way into his curls, tugging gently.

“Maybe,” he breathed heavily, his nose sliding along hers. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.” She smiled brightly before giving him a light kiss.

Sherlock stepped back and helped her off the counter, a satisfied look on both of their faces. He knew that he would continue to see Molly Hooper everywhere, but now he looked forward to the inspiration she would provide.

And provide it she did. 

[sherlollyappreciationweek]

August 2019 Monthly Prompt

Thank you @darnedchild for offering up your fic as a prompt this month! You are amazing - peeps, go follow!!

You have until August 31st to fill this prompt. Post your prompt fills (any kind of fan creation - absolutely ANY creation) whenever you have completed them throughout the month, no need to wait. As this is a fic, please feel free to write a follow up fic, create a GIF set to go along with, a remix fic, or even make an edit inspired by the fic...whatever comes to you!

Please use the tag: ‘ sherlollymonthly ‘ so that way I can find it. Also, feel free to submit it to the blog if you feel more comfortable doing that. Other information on monthly prompts can be found here. There is also a collection on AO3 now! Any other questions, send me a message!

(I am on vacation until the 10th of August, so please don’t worry if you see I haven’t reblogged your prompt fill - I will get to it when I get home!)