AN: Warning for sadness and obvious character death. Um, it's basically Ghost, Sherlock style. This is NOT part of my life story one or my family detective one. I promise that one will be happily ever after, and I'll put up a few one shorts that show Sherlock's family life. Will my life story one be happy? Depends on what happens in the series. Should also say this one I'm starting here and now starts before Sherlock and John met. And now on with this new story!

Nobody who knew him would have said Sherlock Holmes was the type who would fall in love. He scoffed at love as a weakness, something to be found on the losing side. Oh it was a great thing for figuring out someone's motivation for a crime. He wouldn't be above exploiting it himself. He'd known Molly Hooper was in love with him. Complimenting her hair or makeup was a sure way to get into the morgue after hours or to have access to files he shouldn't. He took advantage of her feelings for him shamelessly, but somewhere along the line that changed.

No matter how observant he was, he couldn't have said just when he'd fallen in love with her too. Maybe it was the first time she'd called him out on his cruel behavior. Maybe it was when she'd stopped trying to flirt with him and he somehow missed it. In the end, it didn't really matter when he'd fallen in love with her. The important thing was that he had. Slowly, he'd started treating her kindly. One day Mrs. Hudson hid his skull and he decided to ask Molly along with him on a case. It was just as a sounding board for his thoughts, but she'd been an enormous help. Her questions redirected his thinking, and the case was solved much faster than he would have solved it alone.

He'd ended up taking her for fish and chips after. He hadn't eaten since before the case started, and was hungrier than he'd admit. As they spoke that evening, he had to admit he enjoyed her company After that night, they started spending more time together. He was the happiest he'd ever been. Love hadn't made his life worse. It was so much better.

There was only one small problem. He could never quite say the words "I love you." When Molly said them to him, he would nod, answer "Yes" and give her a warm smile. Molly knew what he meant, but she still wished he'd say it. When she asked him about it he stiffened slightly. He wasn't sure himself why the words were so hard.

"I tell you I love you, Molly."

"No you don't. You say yes and smile."

"You know what I mean by it."

Yes, she did. That was really all that mattered. She had always loved him, he finally loved her, and they were happy.

Having a girlfriend changed nothing in Sherlock's work. He still took cases. The latest one involved the bank where his old school mate, Sebastian Wilkes, worked. Somehow, there was far too much money in the accounts. If there had been too little, it would have meant identity theft or bank fraud. Too much made Sherlock think of money laundering. He wasn't sure who was doing it, but he knew how to stop it. All he had to do was change a few codes. From there, it would be easy to find out who was guilty. He had just finished and was entering the codes on his phone when he felt someone walk up behind him. He turned and saw Sebastian

"Sorry about all this, buddy. Can't believe they got you involved for a few math errors. These things happen. Hardly worth your time." He stared at Sherlock's phone. "What are you doing?"

"Solving a case." Sebastian looked a little too uneasy.

"So, I heard you're going out with Molly Hooper?" Sherlock didn't answer. "As in actual dates? Two people going out and having fun together?"

The detective didn't like this line of questioning. Sebastian wasn't the type to appreciate a woman, especially one like Molly. Sherlock remembered when he and Sebastian had been in uni together. He'd deduced far more than he wanted about Sebastian's- study sessions.

"You know crime scenes don't count," the banker continued. "Taking her anywhere tonight?"

"I thought I was solving a case at the moment, not discussing Molly and I."

"That's hardly fair," Sebastian prompted. "The rest of us normal people can't know everything about someone just by looking."

"Not that it matters," Sherlock said sharply. "But I'm taking her to a play she's been wanting to see and then we're having dinner at Angelo's. Normal enough for you?" He shoved the piece of paper in his wallet, and put the wallet back in his coat pocket. Sure there was nothing else to find at the bank, he left.

The evening went well. Both he and Molly enjoyed the play. Angelo did all he could to make the dinner more romantic. It was a beautiful night, too. Sherlock wasn't interested in stars, but he could appreciate how Molly looked under them. It had been a gradual process, but he'd learned to put his arm around her. He did so.

"I love you," she told him. He gave that nod and smile no one but Molly would have understood.

"Yes."

She smiled back, leaning slightly into him. Suddenly he tensed. He held her tighter, and walked faster.

"Sherlock what's wrong?"

"We're being followed. Stick close to me. Don't be afr-" Before he could finish, a masked man stepped out in front of them. He aimed a gun as Sherlock shifted in front of Molly.

"Give me your wallet and nobody has to get hurt."

"Sherlock, just give it to him," Molly pleaded. She knew Sherlock could hold his own in a fight, but he wasn't bulletproof. Sherlock might have tried something any other time, but it wasn't worth risking Molly. Sherlock tossed his wallet, hoping to grab Molly and run while the thief went for it. Instead, the gun was aimed more directly.

"And your phones!" The detective might have given in, but the gun was aimed strait at Molly. Sherlock rushed him, and Molly called the police for help.

The two men struggled, and Sherlock nearly had the gun away from the mugger when it went off. Molly screamed, and the thief started running. Sherlock ran after him, but stopped after a short distance. He had to get back to Molly. She'd screamed, but he was sure the gun had never been aimed at her. Still, he couldn't leave her alone now.

He turned to see her on the ground holding something, sobbing. She was shaking, and had dropped her phone. It was too dark to make out what she was holding.

"Sherlock, please no! This isn't happening. You're not leaving me like this! I love you!"

What was she talking about? No one was hurt, but she was acting like someone was dead. Then Sherlock walked closer and saw. Molly was holding someone who had a bullet hole through the chest. The eyes stared into space, not seeing. The bullet had hit in a way that would have killed someone before they even knew they were dying. The face that was so empty of life was Sherlock's own!