A/N: A big thank you to my readers for insisting that this story wasn't done. I hope you like how it turned out.

When school was finally done for the day, Sherlock went back to the classroom where he'd left Molly but she was already gone. He double-backed and found her at her locker.

Unfortunately, Moriarty had found her first. As Sherlock approached them, he could hear they were discussing calculus. Jim had the charm turned up to eleven and Molly kept giggling.

Sherlock felt his heart sink into the basement. I thought her giggles were just for me.

"I'm an expert on infinitesimals," Jim was saying when Sherlock came up to them.

"Yes, he's really familiar with things that are just too small to measure," Sherlock drawled.

Molly giggled again while Jim shot him a death glare. Sherlock ignored him.

"Ready to go, Molly?" he asked, smiling.

"Molly," Jim said, charming again, "I was wondering if you'd like to see a movie?"

"I really shouldn't," she said, smiling at him gently. "It's a school night. But I know someone who'd love to go to the movies with you."

Jim raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Sebastian." She nodded at where Moran was stuffing textbooks into his messenger bag a few feet away.

To Sherlock, it looked like the track star was deliberately ignoring them.

Jim turned to look then turned back to Molly, his eyes wide. "Sebastian? He's not … he doesn't … we're just friends."

Molly smiled sympathetically. "Was that your decision or his?"

"He had a crush on me when we were sophomores, but it went away."

"Nope," Sebastian said from behind Jim. He added when Jim turned around, "I just stopped mentioning it." His cheeks reddened. "I'd … like to go to the movies with you, Jim."

Sherlock said, a little confused, "Are you into boys too, Moriarty? I thought it was just other people's girlfriends."

"Jim's into anyone who's into him," the all-too-familiar voice of his ex-girlfriend said as she came over. Irene was dressed, as always, like she just walked off a Vogue cover shoot.

Sherlock realized his preferences had changed a lot since he'd met Irene, to the point where he now definitely preferred adorable-girl-next-door Molly.

Jim ignored Irene. "I'm always open to all possibilities," he told Sherlock. Jim turned back to Sebastian. "You're the only person who gets me, I don't want to ruin that."

"We won't let it," Sebastian promised. He held out his hand.

After a moment's hesitation, Jim took it. As they started to walk to the front doors, Sebastian turned and flashed a grateful grin at Molly. She grinned back.

"Well, that's my good deed for the day," Molly said happily.

Irene smirked at her. "So, you're Sherlock's little friend."

"Irene," Sherlock said, a clear warning in his tone.

"Down, boy," she said, grinning. "I was just going to invite her to the Sherlock's Exes club. Of course, there's only me right now, but I'm sure Molly will be eligible soon enough."

The anger Sherlock felt at Irene's words was magnified when he saw how uncomfortable Molly looked. "That's enough, Irene. If I'm lucky enough to be Molly's boyfriend, there's no way I'd be stupid enough to lose her."

"You lost me," Irene pointed out. "What does that make you?"

"A bloody genius," Sherlock muttered. He turned to Molly, saying gently, "Are you ready to go, Molly?"

She nodded, clutching her bookbag and purse. Sherlock gently took the bookbag from her and put it on his free shoulder then wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders as they walked away.

Molly was quiet the entire walk to the hearse and that worried Sherlock. As soon as both of them were in the car, he turned to her.

"Molly, I-"

"Did you mean it?" she asked quietly, her eyes even bigger than usual.

"Mean what?" he asked carefully.

"That you'd be lucky to have me, and you'd have to be stupid to lose me."

He smiled softly. "Every word."

She smiled back at him shyly. "Was there something you wanted to ask me?"

"Molly … could I be your boyfriend?"

She grinned at him happily. "I'd like that very much."

Sherlock grinned back at her then reached across to take her hand and softly kiss her knuckles, reveling in her happy blush.

They were just down the street from her building when Molly said suddenly, "Oh God, turn around…"

"What's wrong?" Sherlock asked, immediately concerned but he did as she asked.

"My ex is sitting on the steps."

"It's been a day for exes," Sherlock muttered. "Text your dad, tell him your ex is there and I'm taking you to my house."

"Your house?" she echoed, surprised. "I don't think my dad will like that."

"Your dad knows me and my family, it'll be fine." He smiled a bit. "It's not like I'm going to have you in my room with the door closed."

Molly blushed prettily. "What about your parents?" she asked as she sent a text to her father.

Sherlock smiled a bit. "I was going to introduce you to them at some point anyway. No time like the present."

Introducing Molly to his parents as "my girlfriend" was easier than Sherlock thought. Predictably, his mother gushed over Molly and his father just looked proud. Eurus was the smuggest he'd ever seen her.

Mrs. Holmes insisted on everyone having tea in the solarium. It was a lovely day outside, made even lovelier when Molly let him hold her hand as they sipped their tea. Eventually, his parents left the room. Eurus stayed, claiming she was the chaperone.

Sherlock ignored her. "Molly, I … um … was going to ask you if I could still drive you to and from school."

Molly grinned at him, amused. "Of course, Sherlock. I was going to ask if you hadn't said anything by the time you dropped me off."

He grinned back. "Good." His grin faded. "Did you and your ex have a bad break-up?"

Molly sighed quietly as she stared down at her tea. "Tom's a jerk. He was so possessive and jealous, and really rather dense. When my mum died, he wasn't supportive at all. He just told me to grow up. That's when I dumped him."

"I'll never be like that," Sherlock promised softly.

She looked up at him and smiled softly. "I know, Sherlock, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

Sherlock grinned at her from ear to ear.

"Six years, two months, and five days," Eurus said as she typed into her mobile.

Both of them turned to her, confused. "Until what?" Sherlock asked cautiously.

Eurus grinned. "It's the length of time I'm picking for my just-created wedding pool."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow, desperately hiding the fact that inside, he was doing cartwheels. "You think Molly and I will be married then?"

"Absolutely!" Her phone chirped and she read the incoming text. "John is guessing five years and a week." Another incoming text. "Mary says four years flat."

Sherlock was almost scared to see Molly's reaction, but his burning curiosity won out. He turned to see her smiling at him knowingly.

"Seven years from last Wednesday," she said.

"The day we met," Sherlock explained to a confused Eurus.

"What about you, Sherlock?" Eurus asked, grinning.

"Oh, I think Molly is spot on," he said, smirking.

And so it was.