#sherlollyweek22

[writingwife-83]

Sherlolly Appreciation Week 2022, Day 2: “Well, we all do silly things.”

@sherlollyappreciationweek

I asked for an AU with no context, and Lexie picked NASA…so that’s where we landed for today’s theme. 😂 disclaimer- I know literally nothing about NASA and did come serious winging it here lol. 🙈

A Silly Thing

Molly hurried down the hall, the pressures of the day catching up to her quickly, despite the fact that she’d only been there for a couple hours. The next mission was only a few days away, so they were all swamped.

She had to admit she wasn’t paying very close attention, so it shouldn’t have come as such a shock when she rounded a corner and collided right into a very familiar chest.

“Oh God! I’m so sorry!” Molly blubbered, picking up the phone on the ground and handing it back to Sherlock Holmes.

“It’s fine, Molly,” he replied evenly, sticking his phone in his pocket.

She knew her cheeks were fiery red as she smiled sheepishly up at him.

“So…big day coming up,” she said, the words sounding awkward and hollow when she spoke them aloud.

It was a big day, though. The man would literally be shot into space on a rocket for months. She was always a bit nervous for a launch, but this would certainly be worse. It wouldn’t be easy to watch the man she’d fallen in love with come face to face with death in dozens of different ways, protected only by man-made systems that did not have a history of being a hundred percent reliable. Normally she’d be able to stay objective about all of it, just looking at it from a scientific and mathematical point of view. This time would feel different.

They’d been working together for quite a while now, and more closely in recent months. They were in different departments of course; he being an actual astronaut and she in mission control. But it didn’t seem to matter. They’d developed a sort of…friendship? She wasn’t always sure exactly what they were. Sometimes he was aloof, even rude. But other times he seemed so very attentive. And then there was that one time in the locker room. She tried to tell herself it was all in her head, but for just a moment, as they’d said goodnight, she could have sworn he looked like he was going to kiss her.

“Yes, big day,” he agreed. “I’m as prepared as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”

“You’ll do just fine. And I’ll be there the whole time of course. Well, not there exactly.” She laughed awkwardly. “You already know where I’ll be.”

His lips lifted in a half smile. “Yes, I think I know where to find you.”

“So, are you someone who likes to follow some special ritual or something before a mission?”

“You think that just because I’m being rocketed into space that I’m going to insist on adhering to some ridiculous superstition in the hopes that it’ll magically ensure my safety?” he asked with a little huff.

Molly shrugged, laughing a little. “Well, we all do silly things.”

“Perhaps some do, but I most certainly do not,” he sniffed. “I much prefer not to leave my safety to some stupid game of chance.”

“Mm, very smart.” Molly gave him a smile and started to step past him. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Tomorrow.”

She walked on, forcing herself not to look back and already thinking about the long months ahead where she would deeply miss getting to see him in person. She already couldn’t wait until he came home.

~~~~~

Sherlock turned, glancing back at her as she continued on her way, a small smile on his lips. He briefly touched one of the little pockets on his jacket, feeling the photograph he kept there- the photograph of the mission control team, which he’d folded especially to keep her in the center.

No, he was not one to care about superstitions or rituals before a mission. He didn’t believe in those kinds of things. But what he did believe in was having someone he trusted watching over him back on the ground while he hovered above the earth. And nothing in the world could have convinced him that keeping her next to his heart wouldn’t protect him in some way. At the very least, it reminded him that he had someone he wanted to come home to.

Perhaps when he returned from his mission, he’d finally tell her.

Also on AO3

#sherlolly #sherlollyweek22 #saw22 #nasa AU

[writingwife-83]

Sherlolly Appreciation Week 2022, Day 4: “What was today about?”

@sherlollyappreciationweek

A wedding date AU was another suggestion by Lexie for todays theme. Enjoy the fluff! ❤️

An Excuse

Molly applauded as Janine and her husband walked through the crowd, waving goodbye and saying thank you. She really was a stunning bride. It was nice to see her so happy and settled, even if Molly never did know her very well.

The crowd began to disperse once the happy couple took their leave, but the band continued to play some soft music. That was when Molly felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Oh, there you are!” Molly laughed. “I thought I’d lost you in the chaos of them leaving.”

“I didn’t exactly bother to shove my way to the front,” Sherlock replied. “Wedding festivities and traditions were never really my area.”

“I know. In fact, for a wedding that you were just obligated to attend, I’m kind of impressed with how long you’ve wanted to stay and participate.”

“Speaking of…” He gestured to the dance floor. “Care for one more dance before we call it a night?”

She grinned. “Sure.”

Sherlock led her onto the dance floor, as he’d done a number of other times that night. This time though, Molly could swear he was holding her a little closer and tighter, and swaying a bit slower. She leaned into him, enjoying if not understanding what was happening.

She’d been genuinely surprised when Sherlock had told her a few weeks ago that he needed a plus one for Janine’s wedding in the country. He said it would be strange to show up alone, seeing as they were exes…sort of. Molly had her hesitation, but she also hadn’t been out and dressed up in an age, so she said yes. The weekend had been a whirlwind, in the best sort of way. And now, being here with him, she had started to realize that there might be more going on.

“Sherlock?” Molly whispered against his dress shirt.

“Mm?”

“What was today about?”

She felt him pause for a moment before he finally answered softly.

“An excuse.”

Molly lifted her head and looked up at him inquiringly. “For what?”

Sherlock sighed, his voice unsteady when he spoke again. “For finally telling you the truth. Because I was too much of a coward to simply…ask you out.”

Molly quirked a brow. “As in…on a date?”

He nodded, his lips twisting together. “I should have been more honest.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that I’ve had a wonderful time this weekend.”

“Have you?”

“Mmhm. And I know now, so that’s really all that matters.” She leaned in again and rested her cheek against his beating heart. “Oh and besides, I already suspected as much.”

She felt him chuckle lightly. “Am I that obvious?”

“A bit.” She smirked to herself. “But it also didn’t hurt that Janine told me tonight in the loo that you asked if you could bring a plus one.”

“Oh for God’s sake,” Sherlock groaned. “I should have known that she of all people couldn’t be trusted to remain discreet! It may have taken me years to finally get to this point, but the least everyone could do is to let me do things in my own time and just- mmph!”

Molly couldn’t help interrupting him. More specifically, she lifted to her toes and yanked him down to meet her lips in a kiss that was barely suitable for the dance floor. She, quite frankly, didn’t much care how they’d gotten to exactly where they were at that moment. She was just bloody glad to finally be there.

And she very much intended to make the most of it.

Also on AO3

#sherlolly #sherlollyweek22 #wedding date AU #dancing

[writingwife-83]

Sherlolly Appreciation Week 2022, Day 6: “I’m stressed, you’re dying.”

@sherlollyappreciationweek

Well this one gutted me, guys. 😆 😭 This is some definite angst, so be warned. I also really love how it came out though. It hurts, but it’s heartwarming! 💔❤️‍🩹

You’re Dying

“Frank, would you please just sit and wait! I said sit!” Molly loudly begged the jumpy lab after the kibble had spilled all over the kitchen floor when he’d knocked it out of her hand as she attempted to fill his bowl.

The dog finally did as he was told with an accompanying little whine as Molly grabbed the broom and pan and started to clean up. She tried to breathe deep and ignore the incessant lump in her throat and weight on her chest that wouldn’t go away lately.

As she was dumping the kibble in the trash and scooping out some more, her husband came through the cottage door.

“Hello,” Sherlock greeted, hanging up his coat and hat. “Lovely evening. I went by the shop on my walk and picked up some of that fresh bread you like.”

“Thanks,” Molly replied quietly, turning away and starting to wash the vegetables she’d set in the sink.

“I spoke to John today. I told him we could come up to London this weekend.”

She turned half around. “What? No, we were supposed to have a quiet weekend, because the children are coming the following week.”

Sherlock shrugged. “Precisely. So we’re free this weekend.”

“That’s not the point, Sherlock!” Molly shot back, aggressively continuing her washing. “The point was to have a quiet weekend.”

“But you enjoy going back to Baker Street from time to time,” he said, coming a little closer.

“I never said I didn’t.” She sighed heavily. “I just- I don’t like a sudden change like this, and without consulting me. I mean, do I have a say in anything around here anymore?!”

He hesitated for a moment. “Molly…you seem stressed.”

She whirled around, tears escaping almost before she yelled her reply. “I’m stressed, you’re dying!”

Her vision blurred in an instant, and she leaned back against the counter, crumpling to the kitchen floor as she covered her face.

It had been a couple weeks since they’d gotten the official news from the doctors. Molly had walked out of the office with Sherlock that day, feeling like she was in the middle of a bad dream, like she was watching the scene from outside her own body. And then he’d been so bloody calm. He said they should, “keep living life normally” and that “this doesn’t need to change anything.” And she’d tried to do as he wished since then, she really had. But clearly, she’d hit a wall.

“Molly, Molly,” Sherlock whispered, joining her on the floor and wrapping his arms around her. “Please, please don’t cry. This is exactly what I didn’t want.”

“How else am I supposed to be?” she hiccuped.

“But we still have time, we do. It could even be another year.”

“An entire lifetime wouldn’t have been enough! How the hell is a year supposed to make me feel better?!”

“I know,” Sherlock soothed. She could feel his lips against her hair. “I know.”

They sat there, huddled together in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.

“We don’t have to go to London this weekend.”

“No, it’s alright,” she sniffled.

“I mean it. We should stay in and have a quiet weekend if that’s what you need. We’ll visit John after the children come next week.” He paused. “And I’m sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing ignoring all of this and simply carrying on. I thought that might make it easier on you.”

Molly clung to him a little tighter. “Silly man,” she said through more tears. “I’m the one you go to when you’re dying. This shouldn’t be any different.”

He kissed her temple, and it nearly killed her right then and there when she heard his voice shake in reply.

“And will you save me this time as well?”

She nodded against his chest. “Always.”

Also on AO3

#sherlolly #sherlollyweek22 #retirement au #married #ANGST #but also heartwarming feels :)

[writingwife-83]

Hi, sherlollians! I’m making just one more post for @sherlollyappreciationweek because I wanted to share the link to the collection I made for all one shots I wrote over this past week. If you missed some and want to catch up, here’s you go! 👇

Always a fun time to celebrate these two 💞

#sherlolly #sherlollyweek22 #wifey’s saw 22 collection

[writingwife-83]

Sherlolly Appreciation Week 2022, Day 7: “Please don’t do this.”

I’m so pleased that I managed a fic for each day of this week! Thanks to all who have been reading! And as always, thanks to @sherlollyappreciationweek for organizing!! 🥳 For the final day, we have a Georgian era/Farming AU. I’m adding a read more since this one is a bit longer than the others this week.

Please Don’t

Wiping her brow, Molly gazed out at the horizon, wondering where the hours in the day had gone. It seemed like there were never enough lately. She was still hopeful though. If she was able to get this crop planted on schedule and all went well, perhaps she’d be able to set everything right.

“Visitor coming, Miss,” Mr Anderson called out, gesturing to the edge of the farm at the approaching steed and its rider.

“Dear God,” Molly muttered as her stomach did a flip.

It was Sherlock Holmes.

Her father had long been a tenant farmer on the Holmes family land, and they’d made a good life for themselves here. But her father had become careless with investments over the past year, and he’d landed himself in debt. After her father had died the previous month, the burden of his debt had fallen on Molly. Nothing had been said by the Holmes family yet, but her greatest fear was losing the farm. She’d never be able to pay back what her father owed without the little profit this farm could offer her. Mrs Holmes had come to call soon after her father’s death, but seeing Mr Sherlock Holmes approaching gave her a terrible sense of foreboding.

She turned back to Mr Anderson. “Keep working. I’ll speak to Mr Holmes.”

Molly straightened her skirt and fidgeted with some of the strands of hair that were coming loose as she walked over to meet him at the edge of the field. He was, of course, a sight to behold, tall and stately as he dismounted his horse. There were times in his presence that she felt small as a mouse.

“Good day to you, Mr Holmes,” she greeted with a small curtsy. “What brings you here this afternoon?”

“Miss Hooper,” he replied, removing his hat. “There is an important matter I’d like to discuss with you.”

“I see,” she replied quietly, suddenly feeling as if the ground were moving beneath her.

“It has come to my attention that, due to the state of your father’s finances upon his tragic death, you were left with a considerable amount of debt. Because of this, I found myself faced with a very serious decision-“

“Please don’t do this,” Molly interrupted, and Sherlock reared his head back in apparent surprise.

“Pardon me?”

“Please, just…don’t do it, Mr Holmes. I beg you.” She took a step forward, peering up at him in desperation. “I understand I am in debt at the moment, and that the farm is at risk. But I swear to you, I can set it all right.”

“Miss Hooper-“

“This year’s harvest will be a good one for the wheat and barley, I know it. I can pay off the debts and still make a profit. I ain’t afraid of hard work, and I’ve been able to keep some of my father’s hired hands. Please give me this season to prove to you that I can turn it all around. Please, Sir, allow me to stay and keep-”

“Miss Hooper, your father’s debts have been paid!”

Molly froze, her jaw hanging slack in the midst of her speech. She blinked, shaking her head.

“Mr Holmes, I…how is that possible?”

“Well, you see, the matter came to my attention because one of your father’s debtors was hoping to seize the farm as payment. He assured me he would be a far better asset to the estate.” The slightest hint of a smile tugged at his lips. “I disagreed.”

Sherlock clasped his hands behind his back, pacing a bit and then looking out over the hills and out to the ocean. “I paid the man with interest and told him I would not tolerate the matter being mentioned again. That is, after I convinced him to share with me who else your late father owed money to. And then I tracked them down and paid them as well.”

Swallowing thickly, Molly hesitated, unsure whether to trust her voice. “Sir, I hardly know what to say. Thank you seems…not enough. I do hope that you’ll allow me to repay you for-“

“Absolutely not!” He straightened his shoulders. “I consider this payment to your father…for the years of kindness he bestowed upon me.”

Molly smiled, remembering those times. When she was growing up, Sherlock Holmes would often run away from Musgrave Hall, and her father would find him wandering in the fields. There were whispers about why little Sherlock ran away so often; whispers of a mad sister and the horrors that the whole family had to live through until the day she was finally taken to an asylum. Molly remembered many times when her father brought home the boy with dark curly hair. They would eat meals together and play together until her father would insist it was time to take him back home. As they both grew older, she still saw him from time to time, as he and her father formed an unlikely attachment. Her father was quite the naturalist at heart, and Sherlock was fascinated by the very same things. And as time went on, Molly also found herself fascinated by him.

“This is still a great kindness, Sir,” she insisted.

He regarded her intensely for a moment. “I am of the opinion that you deserve it.”

Blushing, Molly tucked some more unruly strands away which were blowing in the wind.

Sherlock cleared his throat, turning his gaze to the field again. “You are planting today?”

“Yes, Sir. I hope to finish this whole section by sunset.”

“Well then.” After a breath, Sherlock suddenly unbuttoned his jacked, rolling his shoulders to shrug the garment off. He laid it over his horse’s saddle. “The more hands, the quicker the work.”

Molly’s jaw hung slack for the second time in a matter of minutes, and she had to remember herself. “B-but, Sir, it don’t seem right for you to-“

“And when have I ever cared for such things, Miss Hooper?” He began rolling his sleeves up and walking into the field, leaving her with no choice but to follow. “Besides, I’m mad with boredom in that giant house! You’d be doing me a great service.”

Her lips lifted in a grin. “Then, I’m that glad to do it.”

It occurred to Molly as they walked into the field together, that this was some wild sort of dream from which she might wake at any moment. But by chance, if it wasn’t a dream, she decided it must be one of the best days of her simple little life.

Coincidentally, Sherlock Holmes was thinking the very same thing.

Also on AO3

#sherlolly #sherlollyweek22 #Georgian AU #farming AU #it’s been fun this week! #think I’ll have a bit of a writing rest now lol