I know this shouldn't be a lonely time, but there were Christmases when I didn't wonder how you are tonight, cause there were Christmases when you were mine.

-Christmases When You Were Mine by Taylor Swift

Molly was beside herself. How things ended up like this, she couldn't even remember. She and her best friend, Sherlock Holmes, had broken up two months ago and she couldn't get herself in the Christmas mood. The pair of them had grown up together and had been friends even before they started school together. At the age of sixteen, they had both realized there was more between them than just friendship. They were together up until they graduated uni and Molly went off to med school in London.

They would spend every Christmas together; their families getting together for the holiday every year. But since Molly's mother passed away during childbirth and her father passed during her second year of uni, she had no one this year. That wasn't fair, she told herself. Meena had invited her to spend Christmas with her. Her friend had begun hanging the mistletoe but quickly retreated, realizing that it may hurt Molly to see it. She and Sherlock would always make up every excuse to be beneath it so they could snog constantly. It was a playful game the two of them played together.

Sherlock kept berating himself for his stupidity. He had been a coward two months ago, ending his relationship with Molly. At the time, his pride refused to let him admit it, but it was only because he was scared. They had been getting more serious with each passing year and he had thought about proposing several times before, but his fear of mucking everything up kept him from doing what his heart wanted. Instead, he told her goodbye, hoping she'd find someone more deserving than him. What a fool he was—still is.

His mum had been worrying over him, as he would hardly talk to anyone at the moment. She knew things had ended, much to her dismay, and tried to cheer him up with baking his favourite ginger nut biscuits. Nothing seemed to work, not even his sister's suggestion of helping him with an experiment. Mycroft wasn't much help, still insisting on teasing his little brother. Sherlock needed to speak with his father.

"Sherlock, are you alright, son?" Mr. Holmes asked with concern.

"Do you think I'm a good man?" Sherlock questioned. "Was I ever good enough for Molly?"

"Well, I believe you've always been more than good enough for her," his father told him. "Is this why you two aren't together anymore?"

"I wanted to propose but fear kept me from it and I did the opposite," Sherlock confessed.

"Edward Hooper thought you were everything his daughter needed. He told me that himself before his cancer spread. Sherlock, has Molly ever given you a reason to believe you weren't deserving of her?" he inquired. A shake of the head, and Mr. Holmes had his answer. "Then why on earth do you think you don't?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Sherlock replied. "I suppose I just fear that if we were to be married, I may not be able to keep her happy. What if I fail at being her husband?"

"You know, it's exactly that fear that will more than likely keep you from failing her," Mr. Holmes told him. "Why don't you give her a ring?"

"Are you referring to a phone call or an engagement ring?" Sherlock chuckled.

"Both," his father answered.

Molly sipped on her eggnog whilst staring out the window and watching the snow fall over the streets of London. After an hour or so of getting lost in her thoughts, her decision had been made. Molly boarded a train last minute and as she sat down, she nearly jumped when her cellphone rang, a name she never thought she'd see again displayed on her screen.

"Sherlock?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"Molly, thank God," he sighed in relief. "I'm sorry; I've made a huge mistake. I was being such a coward and never gave you a chance to convince me otherwise."

"Sherlock, darling, slow down," Molly told him. "Breathe." When he sounded calm enough, she spoke again. "A chance to convince you of what?"

"That I was being stupid," he sighed.

"You are not stupid, Sherlock; far from it," she replied. "Afraid and unsure, yes, but never stupid."

"It's not too late?" he asked.

"No, of course it's not," Molly smiled. They talked throughout her entire train ride and that's when their real Christmas began.

"I'm coming to get you," he told her.

"Come to the window," she responded happily. He did as he was told and his entire face lit up when he saw her standing in the snow, looking up at him. It took no time at all for him to rush to the front door and meet her outside, enveloping her in his embrace. Sherlock lifted her feet off the ground and spun her around with joy, eliciting the most beautiful laugh from her.

"I'm so happy to see you," he whispered. "Christmas hasn't been the same without you. Nothing has been the same without you." He felt her lips press against his neck and heard the sweet words she murmured in his ear afterward.

"I love you, my William," she spoke softly. Sherlock didn't hesitate a second longer before fervently kissing her and sighed when her fingers wound themselves in his curls. Everything was right in their world again.

"Merry Christmas, Molly Hooper," he smiled.

"Merry Christmas, my love," she said in return.

"Hey you arse, get inside and propose to my future sister-in-law already," Eurus Holmes shouted from the door. Laughter was heard within the house and Sherlock took Molly's hand to lead her inside, only slightly annoyed that his surprise was now ruined.