Disclaimer: Sherlock and Batman do not belong to me. Oh the fun things I could I do with them if I did though.

Summary: Molly Hooper has successfully hidden knowing Bruce Wayne from Sherlock for a long time. Thanks to a very humiliating Christmas party, getting completely blitzed and a phone call, this will all change.

End of the road and if you didn't hate me before…you'll probably hate me now. LOL. I love all of you. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone. AN and shout outs down at the bottom! Also this is what happens when I listen to Ed Sheeran on loop. He and Florence and the Machine are, I believe, my Sherlolly inspiration.

When it all Begins

Chapter 5

"Are you sure you've got everything?" Molly asks him, walking side by side into the busy Heathrow Airport.

"Yes, mother." Bruce teases.

She shoves him. "Don't be rotten. I just want to make sure that you have everything you need."

"I've got everything, I promise."

They're silent as he electronically checks-in and then he turns to her. "Do you really have to go?" She asks him quietly. She doesn't want him to go. She wants him to stay with her. She wants him to be safe and she knows that Gotham isn't the safest city, especially with his extra-curricular nightly activities of trying to rid Gotham of its horrors.

"Gotham needs me." He tells her just as quietly.

"I need you." She tells him. And she does. Oh God, she really does. He's her strength. He's her anchor. He's everything she ever wishes she could be and she's selfish enough to admit that she doesn't want him to go.

"Sherlock would disagree with you." Ah, yes. Sherlock. He's kept to his promise so far about not being as rude as he used to be (this speaks multitudes to her but she won't let herself analyze it, she won't). He slips up, of course. Not that Molly holds it against him. She laughs at it more than anything. She doesn't declare her undying love (even though it really is bloody obvious) and he doesn't truly treat her any differently than before, but…there will be times that she'll catch him staring at her, eyes taking her in and then he'll give her a little half smile (a little bit confused and a little bit like he's in pain) and she understands that he has absolutely no idea where to go from here.

Not that he really wants to go any further.

And Molly finds that she's coming to terms with it. She's happy with Sherlock in her life. She doesn't care how, just that he's there and he is. He always is.

"Sherlock knows that you're my number one. Well, you and uncle Alfie." Uncle Alfie who stared at her blankly (via Skype, they never should have taught him that, he's been video-conferencing with her at the most oddest hours) and then told her that he's still grabbing his shotgun as soon as he comes to London, when she told him what transpired between them.

"You do realize that he's going to lecture me about letting him within one hundred meters of you. You know that, right?"

"Oh, I'm fully looking forward to the reenactment when you call me."

"You're a cruel woman, Molly Hooper."

"You love me." She sighs and then looks at him with tears pooling in her eyes and a wobbly smile. "You'll be safe…won't you?" She can tell that he's becoming uneasy about this Joker killer and Molly can't help but worry about him. She can't help but worry about all of them. "Promise me you'll be safe."

"As safe as I can be." He drops his duffle bag and gathers her in his arms. He kisses the top of her head and she leans closer, placing her ear over his heartbeat. "Hey, Molly?"

"Mhmm?"

"Have you given up on me yet?"

"Never." She replies, her voice croaking with emotion. "You're stuck with me."

She watches him go through the Custom line and she watches him as he turns and waves at her. She watches him until she doesn't see him anymore and then she turns, with a heavy heart, to go to work.

"He's gone then." Sherlock doesn't pose this as a question. He never poses anything as a question.

Molly takes a deep breath, smiles at John and nods. "Yes. I just came from the airport."

"Which is why you're late and you've been crying, although the reason escapes me, he's going to America, he's not dead." She can hear the unfortunately that is unsaid.

"Thank you for stating the obvious." Molly mumbles.

"Is he ever planning on coming back?" John asks conversationally. He's shifting his feet, which means he's nervous about asking this. Molly hides a smile.

"John has a crush." Sherlock says aloud.

"I do not!" John sputters. "I mean, it's fine, that's completely fine, but I don't! He's…Bruce Wayne."

Molly giggles and pats John's shoulder. "Don't worry John, I won't tell Sarah. Besides, you're right. He's Bruce. He has that effect on people."

"Not on me." Sherlock tells them. "In fact-"

Molly sighs and rubs her temple. She's too tired to hear him go off on his rants, especially when it's about Bruce and not-at-all nice (Bruce and Sherlock are so similar and both of them would be aghast if she ever actually told that to them). "Sherlock, don't. Just…don't. Stop."

And the most astonishing thing happens…he stops.

(Oh, she's so telling Bruce about this.)

A month later, she kills Sherlock Holmes. But not really.

Jim-Moriarty-is back and he's hell-bent on destroying everything Sherlock holds close to him.

(For once, she's grateful for his indifferent behavior towards her because this-his indifference-saves her life. She doesn't bring herself to think about what would happen if Jim-Moriarty-realized that she does indeed count to Sherlock.)

He stays with her for a couple of weeks, while he gathers information on Moriarty's network.

(He sometimes looks like he wants to say more to her, but he doesn't. She knows that sometimes he hovers behind her when she's in the kitchen, hesitation rolling off his body awkwardly. Instead, he doesn't say anything and they both pretend that sometimes, these little moments don't happen. It's easier on both of them that way.)

She takes Bruce's phone calls (he's so tired. So weary all the time. She's worried about Bruce. Uncle Alfie is worried about Bruce. Everyone is worried about everything) in her bedroom, away from Sherlock.

"I heard what happened to Sherlock." Bruce says quietly to her, his voice heavy. "Molly…I'm so sorry."

She wants to tell him that he's not dead. That he's on her laptop in her living room and complaining about everything, but she can't, because she promised Sherlock she wouldn't tell anyone. And Molly Hooper keeps her promises.

"I'll be fine." She tells him and unsurprisingly, tears are streaming down her cheeks. She's lying to him. She's lying to Bruce, after everything they've been through and she feels like scum of the earth. They once promised each other that they would never lie to one another.

She's the first one to break this promise.

(She's more than a little heartbroken when she wakes up one morning to find Sherlock gone. Not leaving a trace that he lived with her. She's angry and upset and she gets angrier and more upset when she feels relief.)

It takes Sherlock six months to destroy Moriarty's network. John punches him and then proceeds to hug him until both of them can't breathe.

As per, Sherlock and Mycroft's promise, Molly is not implemented in the elaborate hoax.

She calls Bruce that night anyways. He already knows. Because for as much as she keeps up-to-date with Gotham, Bruce does the same with London. "So, he's really not dead."

"Nope." She says, a smile on her face. "Bruce, are you…disappointed?"

He doesn't hesitate. "Yes. And you had no idea that he was…faking it?"

"None at all." She lies.

He doesn't say anything but then he sighs. "Sure. Okay. Let's go with that. I'm not angry." He adds on. "Trust me, I have no reason to judge."

She changes the subject. "How are you?" She's read the news on the Joker. She knows that he's just getting started on unleashing a different type of hell on Gotham. On Batman. On Bruce. She can't help but worry. She can't help but want to get on the next flight to Gotham and stand next to Bruce and her uncle. But she doesn't. Bruce wouldn't let her.

He tells her everything. It's what they do. They confess and they don't bother on asking for forgiveness. It's already given.

It's always given.

She meets John and Sherlock in the hallway on her way to the morgue. She has her clipboard in her hand, studying it, as she gets ready for the day.

"I need to see Paul DeRossa's body." Sherlock tells her.

John rolls his eyes. "He means to say please."

Molly shakes her head and opens the morgue doors. "Just a moment." There's a body bag already on the slab, waiting for her. She places her clipboard on the tray and makes her way to the bag. She leans forward and sees John and Sherlock edge closer. She's unzipping the bag when she stops.

She stops breathing. Her blood runs cold.

"Molly?" John asks worriedly. "Molly, what is it?"

"Was this here before?" She asks them, her eyes wide. "Was this here-anywhere-at the scene?"

"No." Sherlock says it slowly and his eyes examine her. They pick her apart and for one crazy moment, she thinks they look worried for her. She shakes that thought away.

Her brain can't process anything. She doesn't hear what John is saying. She doesn't hear what Sherlock is saying. She doesn't see the furious look on Sherlock's face when she sways and grips the edge of the slab. And suddenly, she can't see Sherlock anymore, but she recognizes his scent as he comes to stand next to her, his presence safe and protective.

Molly doesn't really see anything, except for the Joker playing card, lying atop a dead man's chest. The Joker on the card is smiling at her. Taunting her. He leaves Joker playing cards at his scenes, Bruce once told her. (Molly doesn't know if his scene is the dead man or her.)

(This is the beginning of the end. Molly can just feel it.)

BOOM. Open-ended, right? I think I'm cruel. I know I'm cruel. I just…couldn't resist. Will I do a follow up? Maybe. Maybe not. If I do…it won't be anytime soon. But maybe one day, I'll come back to this and finish it off, without making you guys want to rage and throw stuff at me, LOL. But as of right now, this is the ending…which if you can believe it, it was that last part that started this entire thing for me. Because really? Bruce Wayne and Molly…that shit came out of nowhere. And it was all fluffly for a while but we all know that once you're with Bruce Wayne…ain't nothing fluffly `bout that. Hahaha. Also, I changed the timeline from after the fall to six months because I kind of wanted a lead-up to the Joker because we all know that he'd take his time and kill a bunch of people before unveiling himself. Or at least, I think so. The timelines may not work out...but can we pretend that they do? I apologize if I offend anyone with horrible inaccuracies.

It does sadden me, because the overwhelming response to this story has been…well, overwhelming. Never, in one hundred million years, did I think this story would be so well received. You guys are the light of my life. Seriously, I love you all. It makes me tingle every time I see a review/favorite/subscriber…seriously. It's just…amazing. You're all so amazing beyond words and your constant support means the world to me.

This of course leads to a HUGE ASS FREAKING THANK YOU TO MY REVIEWERS:katdemon1895, CreamCrop, starryeyedgeek, crooney83, IvPayne, magicstrikes, Candygirl999, Rocking the Redhead, Lily is Wholocked, musicchica10, hihiyas, varjaks, , hipkarma, Zora Arian, Potix, Toys R Us NOT, thefadingdaysofMay, Mrs. Dizzy, Sherloky, Diana and Guests. I apologize if I missed anyone! I love you all the same! Also HUGE ASS THANK YOU to everyone who has read/favorited/alerted/subscribed. AWESOME. ALL OF YOU.

Also, because all Nolanites need to stick together (seriously, what is it about Nolan and Sherlock that just seems so right? We need to start a petition because this in real life? EPIC), I've got to give major props to my girl actressen who is tackling on an Inception/Sherlock fic, The Somnambulists, that is far exceeding anything I could ever do. It's awesome and you should all check it out. Fuck…Nolan! You're taking over Sherlolly. So awesome. But seriously, it's awesome and I squeal because it's got Sherlolly, Arthur/Ari and John being stuck in the middle of it all. EPIC.

I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU.

Thanks again and much love!