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He had to have lost what was left of his logical mind to want to ask her to move in with him.
It had been nearly four weeks since Holmes and Irene had arrived from New York and Irene had had the twins, since they settled into Baker Street at the insistence of him and his brother. He loved his first cousins once removed, which quite surprised him, but little Tobias and Joan woke up at all hours and cried constantly and he was getting very little sleep and the sooner Holmes and Irene settled on a home of their own the better. He might murder his cousin before much longer because he would much rather have his girlfriend living there if he had to share his home with anyone.
John was at Donovan’s for the most part, the lucky bastard. He, at least, was getting some rest. But Molly was unfortunately stuck taking a string of graveyard shifts thanks to a staffing shortage at Barts, which meant he was stuck at Baker Street at night with his cousin and Irene and their children. He would have rather had her with him but he wouldn’t put her through not being able to get a full night of sleep on the rare day she had a day shift. But he wished she was there, now that they had worked their issues out.
They had not yet become intimate, which made this seem even more ludicrous, because he knew that there would be no reason for her to want to share a home with him, let alone a bed, if they weren’t intimate. He had thought they might be, but for some reason the timing had always seemed off. And now, with her harried work schedule and his full house, it just seemed there wouldn’t be a chance before he got up the nerve to ask.
If he could figure out the words, that was.
He had somehow managed a moment of peace and quiet. Holmes and Irene had taken the twins and gone with John to meet Lestrade at Heathrow to pick up Joan, who was finally arriving in London to begin settling in after wrapping things up in New York for Holmes and Irene. She had done a video conference with the hiring staff at Barts and was going to start the position as a pathologist in a week, giving her enough time to settle into Lestrade’s flat with him. He was taking advantage of the rare moment of peace to go over what he wanted to say to Molly.
He walked around the sitting room of the flat, his dressing gown flapping behind him, running words over in his head first. He thought he had a good grasp on the words he wanted to use for what he wanted to ask. He motioned with his hands as he paced. “We have been together for some time now, and I know that while there are obviously things about our relationship that are…” He shook his head and ran a hand over his face. “No, no, not good. Perhaps I should say tell her that I know we haven’t been intimate yet, that she might think it’s strange, but I had hoped that she might consider living with me when my cousin and his fiancée move into a home of their own.” He stopped for a moment and then tilted his head back and then shut his eyes. “All right. So I just need to ask. Basically go ‘Molly, will you move in with me?’”
“Well, I suppose I could, once the flat is a bit more empty,” Molly said in an amused tone.
He turned towards the sound of her voice and looked at her with wide eyes, only to see she wasn’t alone. There was a large crowd of people behind her: his cousin, Irene, Lestrade, Joan, John and even Donovan. “Wonderful,” he murmured. “I assume you heard the entire conversation I was having with myself?”
“I was amused,” Donovan said with a smirk. “But, I mean, I knew you and Molly hadn’t shagged already.”
“Oh yes,” Irene said. “We’ve known all about that. But I think it’s rather sweet that you want her to stay here.”
“If I had known you had other reasons for wanting us to hurry and leave, cousin, we would have looked harder,” Holmes said. “As it stands, we’re in final negotiations for a townhouse now. We need to furnish it, but we should be out of your hair within a few weeks, hopefully.”
“Oh, so I have to give my boyfriend back to his best mate soon?” Donovan said with a fake pout.
“You don’t have to give me back,” John pointed out.
Sherlock frowned. “So are you suggesting my cousin and Irene move out, Molly move in and you move out?” he asked.
John shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. But I like staying with Sally overnight. I don’t see my staying here all the time.”
“See, this is why I’m glad we have no ties to this flat,” Joan said, turning to Lestrade. “I don’t have to worry about crying babies or apartment swapping or any of that. All I have to worry about is which bedroom I’m going to sleep in most nights.”
“Is that still up for discussion?” Lestrade asked with a grin.
Joan nodded. “Yes, it’s still up for discussion.”
“Good,” he said. Then he turned to Sherlock. “Look, we just came by to let you know I was going to treat everyone to dinner at haz St. Paul, since Joan said she wanted to try a Mediterranean place and that one is by Bart’s. Joan asked if Molly wanted to come and I picked her up and then Mrs. Hudson offered to watch Tobias and baby Joan and we figured we’d ask you to come along too. But if you’re busy…”
“No, that sounds fine,” Sherlock said. “I’ll go get ready.”
“You know, why don’t all of you go on ahead?” Molly suggested. “I can wait here with Sherlock and we can meet you there. I know how to get there.”
“Are you sure?” Sally asked. “We can wait.”
Molly nodded. “It’s all right,” she said.
Holmes studied her and gave her a knowing look. “I think it’s best if we gave the two of them some privacy,” he said. “I think they have some arrangements to work out.”
Molly gave him a grateful smile in return. “Thank you, Sherlock,” she said. He gave her a grin and then reached over for Irene’s hand, leading her back downstairs, followed shortly by Sally and John, and then Lestrade and Joan. After a moment she moved over to Sherlock and played with the collar of his dressing gown. “So you really want me to stay here?”
He nodded, moving his hands to her waist. “I was trying to find the best way to ask. I know our relationship isn’t typical, but it is special to me. And…I’ve missed you lately.”
“I’ve missed you too,” she said. “I hate the graveyard shift. Having only two pathologists on staff means twelve hours shifts, and with Dr. Lenman having an elderly parent and needing to be available during the day while we have these shifts…”
“Well, Joan is here now, and in a week she’ll be on staff and you can go back to your normal schedule and I can have my time with you again,” he said.
“And I would be more than willing to give you all of my evenings,” she said, stepping closer to him. “Even before your cousin and Irene leave. I’m a very heavy sleeper, you’ll find out. I doubt the twins will wake me up.”
“Lucky you,” he said, sliding his hands to the small of her back.
She slid her hands up so she could wrap her arms around his neck. “I think, before you change your clothing for dinner, you should take a shower. And I think you should postpone your shower until you’ve worked up a bit of a sweat since we have the flat to ourselves.”
“Do you?” he murmured.
She leaned in and kissed him, a leisurely kiss that he returned without pressure, keeping it soft and lingering. When she finally pulled away she rested her forehead against his. “I do,” she said.
“Then I propose we adjourn to my bedroom before there are any further interruptions,” he said before kissing her again, and then he pulled her against him as the kiss got more heated and began leading the way to his bedroom, keeping her as close as he could. He had the feeling things might change more drastically than he had anticipated for all of them but somehow he had the feeling it would only be for the better.