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She could tell with her acute hearing that everyone in the flat was asleep. Even now, even after all this time, there were still times where she could not go back to the sleeping patterns of normal humans and sleep at night and be awake during the day. Her body fought her every inch of the way some days and she often wondered why. Jacob wasn’t sure, as most vampires happily slept during daylight hours, even those who had rings, but she and Sherlock just had to be different, she supposed.
She’d pay the consequences in the morning for this, she knew, but she needed to move, needed to get out of bed and just do something. Tonight was one of those nights that the lack of either of their heartbeats was getting to her, she supposed, and the silence was more deafening than normal.
She got out of bed and looked around for something to wear. She’d only gone to bed in a pair of knickers that evening, as global warming was wreaking havoc on the weather and even her cold skin was dealing with the rise in temperature around them. She was thankful she didn’t sweat any more or else it probably would have been much worse. As it was, London was not used to this type of heat, and she knew every window in the flat was open except theirs, which left the room, for them at least, at a comfortable warmth. No need for more than the bare minimum of clothing for the moment. None at all when they felt frisky. But as she wanted to go out into the sitting room, she needed a bit more.
Finally, she got a hold of the shirt Sherlock had worn. It wasn’t her favourite one, the “purple shirt of sex,” but it was a nice steel blue one made of a fabric blend that felt cool against her skin. She got out of bed and had just slipped the shirt on over her shoulders when she heard Sherlock sit up, and so she turned to look at him. “That is an inviting sight,” he said.
She smiled and pulled the shirt closed, covering her breasts more than the shirt did. “Is it? I hadn’t guessed.”
He raised himself up on his elbows and she came back onto the bed, letting the shirt flap open so he could see more of her. She straddled him and watched as he ran a finger along the left edge of the shirt, running it over her breast and then down her waist to the edge of her knickers, where he ran his finger along the lace edging. “Very inviting.”
“Mmmm,” she said, leaning down and letting her mouth hover over his. “As much as I would like to oblige, I need to move. The silence is just too much tonight.”
“We could make our own noise,” he said.
She leaned in and kissed him softly. Oh, they could. They could make beautiful music together, rivaling any concerto he could ever play on his violin, but that wasn’t what she needed right now. She needed some reminder of the human race, and while sex was good, there would be no warmth between them, no racing hearts, no need to catch their breath. It would be wonderful, but it wasn’t what she needed.
He moved his head to indicate he wanted to end the kiss, and she felt just a little hurt at that. Moreso when he gently moved her off of him, getting out of bed and moving to the chest at the foot of the bed. She stayed on the bed on her knees, watching, as he pulled out a teddy bear, and then a smile came to her face. “A heartbeat bear,” she said.
“You mentioned it once,” he said. “I haven’t used it much, but it you need it...”
She nodded, and he came back to their bed, slipping under the sheet as she did the same on the other side. She curled up next to him, setting her head on his chest as he fiddled with the bear, and after a moment the sound of a heartbeat could clearly be heard in the room. He handed her the bear then, and she held onto it by placing it on his chest and draping her arm across the bear and him. “Thank you,” she said.
He nodded, using a hand to smooth her hair back. “It seems strange that we can go from near seduction to this,” he said.
“Then maybe that means we’ll be alright, in the long run. Together, I mean,” she said. “I mean, I...you know I didn’t...” She took a deep breath. “I didn’t want this life for you, Sherlock. But at least we aren’t alone.”
“I’m thankful for that,” he said, tilting his head to press a kiss in her hair. “And I will remind you anytime you feel at fault, or any time Moriarty goads you that this is what I asked for, when it came time to choose between dying or being turned and being with you. My choice, Molly. Remember that it was my choice.”
“I will,” she said, tightening her hold on the bear and Sherlock and snuggling closer against his side. She wasn’t sure when or if she would ever fully accept everything, but moments like this made her feel that at least if she had him by her side, the future, however long it lasted for them, would be better as long as they were together. At least then, she could endure the immortality that was forced upon her.