A/N: My humblest apologies, but I got sick before I finished this last chapter. This one was also inspired by Elementary (specifically S2E8 "Blood Is Thicker") where I got the idea for the single-stick equipment :) Hope it's worth the wait, thank you so much for coming along for the ride and all your kind comments! x

Epilogue

"Oof."

Molly landed with an audible thud on her back in the living room at 221B. Absently she removed her mask/helmet as she attempted to both regain her bearings and catch her breath.

"You know, most men take their girlfriends out to a nice restaurant," John commented from nearby, "instead of attacking them with a stick."

"Molly is not my girlfriend, she is my intimate companion," Sherlock corrected him absent-mindedly, coming to kneel next to Molly's prone form. "And I would be remiss if I didn't make sure that she could defend herself," he continued, cradling her face in his hands as he assessed whether she was injured.

With his face obscured by his own mask-cum-helmet, Molly couldn't see his concerned frown but she could sense it. "Are you hurt?" he asked finally, ceasing his examination and absently stroking her cheek with his thumb.

Molly smiled and, picking up her stick, deftly smashed the egg perched on the top of his headgear. "Direct hit," she crowed, "I win."

In the background she could hear John start to laugh as Sherlock removed his mask, frowning down at her.

"That doesn't count," he said stiffly, "I was distracted."

"I thought you should never let your guard down," she replied sweetly, propping herself up on her elbows and raising an eyebrow.

Sherlock's frown deepened into a scowl, "You cheated."

Molly bit back a smirk, "You're not a very gracious loser."

Sherlock's eyes narrowed and for a brief moment she worried that she really had angered him, until she caught the hint of mischief lurking in the back of his eyes.

"At least when I win it's by fair play," he retorted, placing a hand on either side of her waist as he loomed over her.

This time Molly didn't hold back her smirk, "Always such a gentleman."

"I wouldn't say that," Sherlock replied with a smirk of his own as he leaned in and kissed her.

They broke apart as John loudly cleared his throat, "I'm still here you know," he reminded them, looking a little bemused.

Sherlock shot him an annoyed look as he stood up.

"Don't you have a date with Mary?" Sherlock asked meaningfully as helped Molly to her feet.

John checked his watch, "Not for another couple of hours."

Sherlock pursed his lips as John made no motion to leave, "We don't require a referee or a chaperone," he said pointedly after a moment.

John blinked as he caught Sherlock's meaning and got to his feet, "Right, I'll just…ah…right," he mumbled before retreating to his room.

"That wasn't very nice," Molly said as Sherlock turned back to face her.

Sherlock raised an eyebrow, "I didn't think you'd want an audience."

"For what? We're just practicing single-stick," she said innocently, twirling the stick in her hand.

She was so busy concentrating on her twirling that she didn't even see Sherlock move, she squealed in surprise as she found herself thrown over his shoulder.

"I thought I told you to never let your guard down," Sherlock teased as he shifted his hold on her so that he could sit his chair with Molly perched on his knee.

Molly crossed her arms in mock annoyance and pulled a face at him, making Sherlock chuckle. Her lips twitched as she relented and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I thought you weren't going to sneak up on me anymore," she commented after a moment as Sherlock wrapped his arms around her.

"Only on special occasions," Sherlock replied, tightening his hold on her slightly. "You make a very tempting target," he added, kissing her temple.

Sherlock had just enough time to notice her enigmatic smile before he was hit squarely in the face with a cushion.

Molly dissolved into giggles, clearly very pleased with herself for catching him unawares.

"Sorry," she apologised through her giggles, "but you make a very tempting target," she added with mock solemnity, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Sherlock didn't say anything as he was still a little dazed from the attack and more than a little mesmerised by the woman in his arms.

Her giggles subsided completely as she caught the look in his eye, "Sherlock?"

Still gazing at her intently, Sherlock closed the distance between them and kissed her soundly.

He rested his forehead against hers as they broke apart, "Very tempting," he said quietly.