Disclaimer: I own nothing. Boo-hoo right? If I did, Sherlock/Molly would be canon. Like hardcore canon.

Pairing: Sherlock/Molly, (past)Molly/OC, John/Mary

Summary: Three years after the Fall and everything is back to normal. Until it isn't. Molly Hooper's past decides to rear its ugly head and she's going to need all the help she can get to stop the man who wants her dead.

Authors Note at the bottom along with shoutouts! Love you all. You're amazing. I apologize for any mistakes! This is it buds, end of the road. I'm weeping. Seriously.

Free Falling into the Unknown

Chapter 7

She's in and out of consciousness. She can hear yelling and orders are being thrown around and she wishes she could say something…anything. But she can't. She can vaguely hear her name being called and someone telling her to hold on and everything is going to be all right.

She's not entirely sure that's true. Her body hurts and she feels so weak.

Everything is blurry to her. She feels like her ears are plugged, she can barely make out any noise.

She feels someone grasp her hand and long fingers intertwine with hers. "I need you to be strong Molly." The deep baritone voice sends shivers down her spine. She blinks and all she can see are a pair of bright blue eyes. "I need you to come back. Promise me." He says the last two words quietly, as if almost ashamed to be saying them.

Sherlock, she thinks, I promise. I promise.

Then his hand is ripped from hers and she's wheeled into another room and all she can hear is yelling and orders and the sudden shrill beep of a monitor before everything turns black again.

When Molly wakes up, her throat is dry, as if she's swallowed a dozen cotton balls. The lights hurt her head and her body is coming alive with pain.

Oh. She's in pain. Why is she here again?

O'Doyle. She killed O'Doyle and he did his best to kill her. But he didn't.

Which explains the pain. She's alive. And oh God, she'll take the pain. She'll take everything because she's alive.

She looks to her left and sees Nate on the edge of his chair staring at her. He brings a cup of water and lets her drink from the straw. "Hey Sleeping Beauty." He teases her quietly.

She smiles and grimaces. "Hi." She croaks. "You guys came."

"Always."

"I knew you would."

"You kicked ass without us." He moves from his chair and takes the empty spot on her bed. "Do me a favor? Never do that me again."

She lets out a laugh and then quickly regrets it. She looks around the hospital room and recognizes it as Bart's. She frowns and Nate nods. "They patched you up in Belfast." He explains "and as soon as you were cleared, Mycroft had you brought back to Bart's because Sherlock was having a hissy fit. Which, by the way, I have to ask, what is it exactly that Mycroft Holmes does?"

She shrugs and the pain radiates from her shoulder. "What are my injuries?"

"Two stab wounds, missed everything vital. Dislocated shoulder, broken wrist, you have two fractured ribs, various scars along your body and somehow you cut your wrists. I assume it was from where you used a scalpel to try and cut through the ropes. You lost a lot of blood, Molly. You died on us twice."

"How long ago?"

"Four days."

She's been asleep for four days. She tries to suck in a deep breath and almost cries from the pain. Good God, she's going to be feeling this for a while. But she can't find it in her to care because she's alive. She glances around the room, spotting the flowers and teddy bears and cards but not the person she's looking for.

Nate grabs her hand; she turns her head to look at him. "Today was the first day he left your side. Something about a case that Detective Inspector Lestrade needs help with. He bitched the entire way out though."

So, he was here. He probably feels guilty. Yes, that's it. He feels guilty about what happened to her. That's all. She imagined him pleading with her to be strong. It was because of the drugs she imagined him holding her hand. She would cry if she knew she wouldn't further damage herself.

"Molly." Nate says, his voice snapping her out of her daze. "When he found out that O'Doyle had you…he beat the shit out of me. He threatened to kill me. When he saw you…Molly, I was there, I saw his face. I saw how twisted up and fucking miserable he was. He wouldn't let anyone but the best doctors touch you and we nearly had to pry him off of you. He's…a weird one, I mean you sure know how to pick them, but…he's genuine, I guess is the word I'm looking for. Don't doubt yourself and don't doubt him."

"You're giving your permission?" Molly knows that Nate hates Sherlock. Absolutely loathes him actually.

He smiles sadly. "Guess I couldn't keep you forever. He'll be able to protect you. He'll probably still make you cry and we'll never get along, I mean, the Holidays will be a nightmare and you bet that Glenn isn't going to make it any easier on him, but yeah…if letting you go means that you're with someone you love. It's a small price to pay."

"I love you." Molly tells him. And she does, oh God she does. He was her first everything. His place is cemented in her heart, his place is always and forever with her.

He kisses her cheek and leans his forehead against hers. "You love him just a little bit more. And as much as I don't want to say it and I will vehemently deny it if anyone asks, he's an okay guy when he's not being a complete and fucking douche bag."

Molly knew that this day would come. She isn't surprised by how much it bloody hurts. "Nate-"

"I'm going off the grid."

Déjà vu much? "How much off the grid?"

"Pretty off. Glenn and I got our orders last night. We're on next flight out. We won't…we won't be able to see you for a while but I'll try to contact you, okay? Be careful and make sure not to exert yourself." He kisses her softly on the lips one last time and stands up. He grabs his bag from the side of her bed and slings it over his shoulder. "I love you Molly Hooper."

"Nate." She calls out softly as he makes his way to the door. He pauses and looks back at her and suddenly she doesn't know what to say. So, she says the only thing she knows to say. "Always and forever."

He smiles so brightly and Molly is taken back to every single memory the two of them have ever shared. "Surpassing even eternity."

And then he's gone.

She doesn't remember falling asleep but when she wakes up it's dark out and the hospital is quiet. The moon illuminates the room and she lets out a sigh. Nate's gone. There is a hole in her chest that she's only experienced twice. Once when her mother died and once when her father died.

She looks to her side and she's shocked to see two bright blue eyes staring back her. She jumps, just a little bit. "Sherlock." She hisses. "Jesus, you scared me."

"I apologize. That was not my intention." He says quietly.

"How was the case?" At his quizzical glance, she explains, "Nate told me."

He rolls his eyes. "Barely a six." There's a pause and he opens and closes his mouth. For once, he seems to be at a loss for words. She would giggle if she had the energy. "How…are…you?" He sounds so awkward asking after her health.

"I'm getting there." She's silent and then she shakes her head. "At the hospital…you held my hand. I felt you. I saw you."

"I apolo-"

"Don't." She cuts him off. "Please don't apologize. I couldn't…I couldn't take it if you did. I liked it, you know. You. Holding my hand. It…felt…right."

He doesn't say anything but Molly knows that with Sherlock, actions always speak louder. Which is why she lets a few tears slip when he gently picks up her hand and threads his long fingers through hers. He's staring intently at their clasped hands, cataloguing every shape and bone and the way she fits. She fits. She, Molly Hooper, fits.

"You died on me, Molly." He says quietly, his head bowed and against their clasped hands, as if he's confessing something.

And he is. Not in the normal way but he's Sherlock Holmes and she's Molly Hooper and he's not normal and neither is she. But she knows what he's saying, what he's trying to say.

(Things will never be easy with them. He'll say hurtful things and she'll cry. She'll probably snap a few times and he'll pout. He'll continue to ask for body parts and she'll always say yes to him (she won't ever hesitate) and she'll run her fingers through his hair because despite what he says, he likes physical intimacy. He'll keep her company in the morgue when she's all cleared to work and she'll worry about him when he's on cases. She won't doubt him when the Woman makes her reappearance, because she knows that she's the one he comes back to. He won't get jealous every time Nate crawls through the window because he knows that Nate was the center of her world for so long and Molly is the epitome of sentiment.)

She knows she's in for a long and bumpy road ahead of her but looking at their clasped hands, she won't regret a single moment.

"So," she says, "where's John?"

He snorts. "Shagging that nurse he was chatting up a week ago. She's ready, by the way, to be in a relationship."

"Did you at least get her name?" She teases.

He rolls his eyes. "Mary something-or-other. I can't be bothered to care."

He leans back in his chair and tells Molly about the barely a six case he was on and how big of an idiot Anderson truly can be and Molly nestles back into her pillow and listens to the sound of his voice until she falls asleep.

(When she wakes up the next morning to the blinding sunlight, Sherlock is still there. His head is tilted back and he's snoring ever so lightly. Their hands are still clasped.)

I…think…I'm going to cry. Seriously. I'm going to cry. You know, I almost never posted this story up. I was so hesitant for so many reasons but I decided to take the plunge and I'm glad I did. You guys are amazing. This whole entire fandom is so amazing. Your words of unwavering support in this story mean so much to me. I love every single one of you. I really truly do. Also, I know. This is fluffy. But I figured after torturing these schmucks for so long, I may as well give them a bit of fluffiness. Because you know, they're my OTP that aren't even a pairing. God. I feel so strongly about the two of them. Who's with me?!

This being said. Yes. I do plan on writing more Sherlock/Molly. In fact, I've been hit by the smut bug (God, that sounds dirty.) I don't know how good it's going to be because it'll be the first time I write smut but Molly and Sherlock are sort of begging for it (God, that sounds even dirtier.) It won't have anything to do with this story though. The door is closing on this one. It makes me sad but words cannot describe how much I've had writing this and reading your guys' reviews.

Speaking of reviews, HUGE SHOUTOUT TO MY AWESOME REVIEWERS WHO I ABSOULTELY ADORE: magicstrikes, MorbidbyDefault, Rocking the Redhead, varjaks, CreamCrop, personofnoconcern3000, Nocturnias, Zora Arian, Meg-the-cat and coloradoandcolorado1. If I missed anyone, I apologize greatly! HUGE THANKS to everyone who has subscribed/alerted/read/favorited, you guys are awesome and make me so happy.

Honestly, thank you all so much!

Thanks again and much love!