The Helping Hand

AU Teenlock Molly drops by Mrs. Hudson's farm to help and she meets a beautiful stallion and even more intriguing older boy. One – shot.

I had the idea for this for a long time. I think I remembered it again after watching War Horse the other week and only got to it today after some thinking. I hope you all like it. I think it's pretty nice. Please let me know what you think. Much love, Day

There had been another reason as to why Molly had found herself on the quaint farm that belonged to the Hudson family. Her mother had sent her over to join the older woman for a glass of lemonade and possibly to help her with a project she was working on in her home since she could not leave her father alone when he was feeling so ill. It was nothing too hard.

Her focus had been stolen as she was walking up the long gravel of the road that led up to the main house of the farm. Her own home had been merely fifteen minutes away from where she was was living with both her parents. There was a black stallion standing just behind the fence that led all the way around. It was cast off on it's own. There were a few more mares around it but this was the only one that was by itself.

It was the most beautiful creature she had seen before. She had a basket in her hand at the time that she decide to walk up to the horse. It's eyes stayed focused on where she was, it never strayed to something more important. Molly thought that was fascinating along with the fact that it didn't flinch away from her touch when she reached up and swept her hand across it's head and along it's back as far as she could reach.

It neighed in appreciation and Molly smiled at it, shortly before being nearly startled as a voice suddenly was just by her. She turned slightly and saw a boy who was taller than her by at least a foot or two. He too wore a black that she felt rather suited him, despite how cold his eyes seemed to look as she nervously stepped back from the stallion and gave him a smile. "Hello." She greeted him, picking back up her fallen basket a second later.

"It's a beautiful horse."

"Yes, he is. What are you doing here?" She was reminded of how much deeper his voice sounded than any other boy she had ever encountered. There were only a few as she kept to herself more lately with her father's illness.

"Molly, dear." Mrs. Hudson called her causing Molly to turn and look up towards the house which wasn't all that far away anymore. Molly slowly backed away without much of an answer to the older boy's question. He was obviously curious for a brief moment about her before he went back to the horse and began to talk to it and get it ready for a small walk if not for a ride. There was no saddle nearby. That was the last thing Molly though of it or him as she headed up to the older woman who smiled at her and welcomed her with a hug.

She enjoyed the visit she had for an hour and a half. Both ladies enjoying the homemade pastries that Molly had brought with her and the lemonade on the porch as they discussed the project that dealt more so with a function that was supposed to happen in a week or so in town. Molly was asked to help Mrs. Hudson with that.

It wasn't until Molly was leaving did she see the strange boy who seemed to be rather attached to the black stallion. "Oh, Sherlock come here a moment won't you?" She called to the tall boy who seemed to just be finishing up with whatever it was he had been doing in the stables to the far right. He stiffened up at the sight of her before clambering over to them with both hands behind him.

He glanced at her briefly before turning to the older woman. He didn't say anything but listened intently as the woman asked if she would escort Molly to her house as he was the only one around and she wouldn't want anything to happen during the fifteen minutes he took her to get home on foot.

Molly expected him to object, she herself wanted to. She didn't know him well but the notion that Mrs. Hudson would let someone she didn't trust on her land to deal with her animals and then offer their services to a young girl didn't seem right. The woman had always been so kind to her.

He gave one jerky nod before he tracked back to the side of the stable to get something, she guessed. "Sherlock has been helping me for a little while now thanks to his older brother. He thought the boy needed a bit of experience in manual labor. He's done pretty well so far. He's taken a great liking to Hawkins - that was the black stallion you were eyeing when you arrived. Not many people seem to care for him. He's such a beautiful horse though. Have you ever thought of riding, before?"

"Oh no." Molly shook her head fervently. "We don't have any at home so I don't know how that would be of much use for me."

"Riding is always a peaceful activity if you have the time for it." She gave her another smile before bidding her a goodbye as Sherlock came back around with a coat hanging around his lanky shoulders. The material seemed to stretch around his shoulders and Molly had to stop herself from thinking much of that. Her mom told her that it wasn't nice to stare for too long.

Molly thanked her for the lemonade and promised to come back around as soon as she could. Sherlock only gave her a short touch on the shoulder before turning and beginning to walk down the gravel road and out. Her didn't ask her to follow or which way she needed to go. She thought it'd be a bit weird if he knew already.

Molly rushed to catch up with his long strides and settled into a weird pace as she had to keep up with him. He seemed to notice after a minute that he may need to slow down and he did by a small fraction. Other than that he didn't seem to pay her any mind. She tried not to take too much offense to that, maybe he just didn't like to converse with people.

"My house is -." She started but was abruptly interrupted as his arm came around her and he pulled her around the corner as they began walking directly in the opposite direction than she needed to go. "Um, Sherlock." She said trying to gain his attention. His hand that was holding onto her shoulder was firmly staying there and it didn't seem that he cared for her trying to tell him that they were going the wrong way. He just kept on going.

It was only a few minutes later that they arrived at her doorstep did he say anything at all. "I know this area better than I know any place at all. Going to the left would have made the trip eight minutes longer than necessary." He had turned away as to leave her there. His job was technically done here but Molly wanted to talk to him longer. He was strangely fascinating just like Hawkins had been upon first glance.

"Wait." She told her as he began walking away. She nearly tripped over the steps as she reached for his arm which was in front of him and clearly out of her reach. He swung around quickly and grabbed her by the wrist in a way to catch her. It was weird, she noted as she reflexively placed her hand out to catch herself. He yanked her up with an arched eyebrow.

"Thank you." She told him quietly. He had let her wrist go but was still standing there much to her surprise. He had been ready to leave her at her doorstep without another word.

When a silence fell over them the taller of the two frowned causing his forehead to crease. "You said wait, that would only mean that you meant to say something."

"Oh, yes. How did you know where I lived?"

His face shifted into a blank expression as if he wasn't sure why she was asking such a question. Was she supposed to know the answer to that question? She wasn't sure. "I live a couple streets down. I've seen you walk this way before from the high school. You always keep your head down so I wouldn't expect you to notice that we walk the same route to and from school for the most part."

Molly had a feeling she wasn't supposed to hear that last bit or maybe she was. She wasn't sure. He was the one who uttered it like an idiot. What baffled her more was the fact that she didn't know they went to the same school. He did look older so maybe that's why.

"Yes, I do. You're right. Mom says I'll end up running into a pole one of these days." She giggled.

A half smile flitted onto his lips but the way he looked on at her gave her the impression that it wasn't all that genuine. "She is probably correct in her deduction."

"Deduction." Molly repeated as if the term was a new one for her. It was. She had never heard of that before. She was a reader but that was not one that ever came up before.

"Yes, well was that all?" He half turned as he asked, expecting that he already knew that that was all or half hoping, possibly.

"Yes...no...wait." He had begun to take a step away from her when she reached out for his hand. He stiffened again at her touch and she was quick to do what she thought would be well recieved before letting him go. "Thank you, again. Here, I'd like you to have this."

Sherlock looked down at the young girl who had seemed to step a few feet back after placing a wrapped package in his hand. He then looked down at it and bit back any sort of outer expression. She had given him a treat of sorts. It was one of whatever thing she had in the basket the first time they had seen each other at the farm.

"Thanks." He mumbled with a nod as he watched her go inside this time without saying much to him. He found that was a bit odd. She had almost reached his talking limit but she had been reading his reactions most of the time. He saw that after the first few moments around her. He had observed her before but not as close.

He looked back at the wrapped treat and placed in in his pocket as he turned away. He knew she was still standing by the door so he spoke the words out loud as he began walking away. "Good night, Molly."

Molly just smiled before retreating back into the living room area where she knew her mom would be waiting. "Who was that with you?"

"Oh, he's just someone who helped me today while I was at Mrs. Hudson's. He walked me home." She told her as she sat down on the sofa next to her. "Hey mom, what do you think of me getting riding lessons...there was this beautiful stallion at the farm."

fin.