A/N: I'm still working through my feelings from TFP and today's focus is that of the aftermath of Molly and Sherlock's phone call. Also, I wanted to play around a bit with a line that had troubled me in the episode. I guess I wanted to comfort myself a little haha. If you've come to read it, thank you so much. :) xx

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CONTAINS

SERIES

4

SPOILERS

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Words

It had been a week since the phone call. Molly had not been surprised at the silence after what had been an odd game of tug-of-war; a fight to see who could hold on to their veneer of protection just a little bit longer. Sherlock was not one to expose the contents of his heart, whatever those contents were, but neither was Molly. Sometimes, things were much better left unsaid, and Molly was a firm believer of that.

So when her phone buzzed again on her kitchen countertop, Molly peered quizzically at it, wondering why it looked oddly like it was Mycroft calling. No number appeared, save for a mysterious dash. Molly sighed. It definitely was Mycroft. It had been years since she had seen something like that on her phone.

Her hands were a little damp, for she had been drying her teacup when the call came. With her driest finger, she carefully tapped on the screen, accepting the call on speaker mode.

"Hello? Is this— Molly Hooper?" came a voice Molly did not recognise.

Molly paused, caught between ending the call or saying something in response.

"My name—" This time the caller paused, as though unsure or nervous, even.

For some reason, Molly decided that she had better put her teacup down. She had the strange suspicion the call was going to make her drop it. Having been involved in so many of Sherlock's cases had heightened Molly's sensitivities when things seemed amiss. Something certainly was amiss right now.

"My name," the caller continued at last, "is Eurus."

The name did not register, and a small frown etched itself on Molly's face. She tapped the speaker phone icon off and brought the device to her ears so that she could focus on the oddly soothing voice of this stranger.

"This is Molly," she replied at last. "I don't know who you are, Eurus."
"It is nice to talk to you at last," Eurus said, "I have— There are so many things, I have to say to you."
"Could you start by telling me who you are?" asked Molly.
"I am someone— who has hurt you, Molly Hooper," Eurus answered. "I was a little mad and angry at the time, and so I hurt you."
"I don't know who you are…how could you possibly hurt me?" Molly responded with a puzzled laugh.
"To be honest, I am still mad, but I am no longer angry," Eurus continued, "And I should like to make amends."

Suddenly, the doorbell to Molly's flat rung, causing the pathologist to quite nearly jump out of her skin.

"Ah, I hear it. Amends." said Eurus.
"Is this…some sort of game?" asked Molly as she edged warily to her door.
"Oh, no, Molly. Please, do not worry. The games are over. This— is recompense."

The doorbell rang again and this time, Molly heard a voice asking if anybody was home and announcing that he had a delivery. With a sharp inhale, Molly opened the door and saw a uniformed man standing there with a friendly smile on his face and a large envelope in his hands. She signed for it, he tipped his bright orange cap and turned to leave. Molly returned to her sitting room and sat herself on the sofa, studying the thick brown envelope.

"Aren't you going to open it?" came Eurus' voice, startling Molly.
"Is it from you?" asked Molly.
"Yes, in a way," answered Eurus, "I sent it on behalf of someone. Except he doesn't know it yet."
"Who's he?" questioned Molly, still keeping a wary eye on the envelope.
"My brother," answered Eurus. There seemed to be a smile embedded in her voice.
"Your brother?"
"Oh, forgive me," said Eurus with a soft laugh, "I hadn't introduced myself properly…"
"Frankly, you haven't at all—"
"My name," Eurus interjected, "is Eurus Holmes."

Holmes. The word echoed in Molly's mind as she tried to place this third Holmes' name with that of the only other two Holmes she knew.

"I don't understand," Molly remarked quietly.
"Who I am isn't important…for the moment," said Eurus, "But please, for the sake of a specific Holmes whom you do know, do please open the envelope."

Perhaps this was all Mycroft again. Some strange, elaborate scheme that he had concocted for Sherlock into which she had now become thrown. It was frustrating, but given his track record, Molly had always found it easy to trust Mycroft. So with a small leap of faith, she began tearing the envelope open.

"Play it, Molly," said Eurus.

Out of the envelope slipped a single slim DVD case with disc inside of it. The disc was plain black and had no label nor anything written on it.

"All right," said Molly, popping the disc into her laptop that was on the coffee table.

The moment Molly clicked on that small triangular play icon, the icon that signified the start of whatever contents the DVD contained, what ensued felt like a hurricane had torn through Molly's ribcage.

In the eight minutes and eleven seconds, Molly had heard the same voice of the woman she was currently on the phone with, and had seen everything that had taken place during that one particular phone call from a week before. She saw the stark cold room, no different from a morgue, that contained the three men; she saw the solitary coffin and watched the deductions made about it; and finally, Molly saw herself on a screen in the room that very afternoon she crushed lemon into her tea just moments before having a private truth squeezed out of her.

"Who are you?" Molly whispered fiercely, "And why would you do that to Sherlock?"
"I told you," Eurus answered, her voice softening, "I was angry."
"Did Sherlock hurt you?" asked Molly, "That you would do this to him?"

Eurus laughed softly in reply, infuriating Molly, but Molly knew to keep her cool. She waited patiently for the voice to explain itself; the voice which taunted the man she loved and in so doing destroyed everything and everyone.

"He was right about you," Eurus began, "When he comes to visit me, and he brings his violin, he plays for me. Then we play together. And then he talks to me. I didn't talk at all at first, but now I do. And when we do, we often talk about you."

Molly tried to steady her breathing that had accelerated from anger, shutting her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose. There were pieces of this story missing and it made it difficult for Molly to follow exactly what Eurus was saying, but she persevered in her silence, waiting for more from Eurus.

"He said you never talk about yourself," continued Eurus, "That you never count yourself as anything. And you've just proven it, Molly. In spite of all that you'd just seen, my little game targetted at my brother that inadvertently targetted you, all you seem angry about is the fact that he was wounded."

Molly reopened her eyes as her mind now struggled to keep up with the deluge of information for which she had no frame of context.

"How is this recompense?" whispered Molly, her jaw clenched.
"Did you think they were real, Molly?" Eurus whispered back.
"What were?"
"My brother's words. To you."

Molly turned her attention to the frozen scene on her laptop from where the video had stopped. Sherlock was collapsed on the ground with his back to the wall surrounded by what was left of the coffin - her coffin.

"Does it matter?" asked Molly to Eurus,
"It does now," said Eurus, "It matters to me. I told you, I want to make amends."
"How is this— showing me all of this, making amends?" Molly exclaimed.

There was a pause on the other side of the phone. Molly waited but all she could hear was Eurus let out a sigh.

"Because I know my brother. And I know he wouldn't have the slightest as to how to tell you that they were real," explained Eurus. "So I decided to show it to you myself."
"I told you," Molly said softly, "It doesn't matter if—"
"And I'm telling you," interrupted Eurus, "That each of those three words was true. And meant entirely for you."

A silence fell between them as Molly searched herself for a response.

"We were never going to say them anyway," said Molly, at last, "So what does it matter, if they were true?"
"Because words are only the beginning, Molly," answered Eurus, "Once you say them, everything changes. Everything."

Molly kept her gaze on her laptop, focusing on the broken coffin, and then on the broken man sitting amongst its wreckage.

"You couldn't say it because it was true," Eurus began gently, "But my brother, who would rather break every rule in his own book than see you in a coffin, said it because it was true."

These words of Eurus needed no frame of context, for Molly had seen it now.

"So, Molly, once you've calmed down and your thoughts have settled, you'll need to do something for me. You're not the only one I owe recompense to." said Eurus. Again, a smile could be heard through her voice.

"And what's that?" Molly replied, clicking the little 'x' atop the video that closed its window.
"My brother, Sherlock, would very much like if you'd return his call. Please."

Molly laughed. She had not heard from him since that one call. What was there to return?

"What call?" asked Molly, shaking her head incredulously.
"Oh, the one he's making now, and leaving a message to because, as you and I both know, your phone's currently engaged." Eurus answered casually, "Do get back to him, won't you?"

Before Molly could answer, there was a click and the line went dead. Eurus definitely was a Holmes sibling. She most certainly ended calls like the brothers did. The thought made Molly shake her head in disbelief as she chuckled softly to herself.

Do get back to him, won't you?

Her mobile phone was warm in her hands after having been talking to Eurus for such a long time. Molly tossed it lightly from one palm to another, contemplating everything that had just transpired. She found herself automatically dialling to check for voice messages, and Eurus had not lied. The message had come in literally minutes ago. When the message ended, Molly sat very still as she quietly processed what he had said. It took a while but she eventually came to a decision. With her phone now firmly in both hands, Molly began to type.

You know where to find me. — MH

END