It hadn't been that long since you'd walked out of 221B Bakers Street, and you'd been staying with one of your work colleagues since then.

They'd been so lovely to you by letting you stay with them because you didn't really have anywhere else – considering you'd lived with Sherlock for the past three years.

Only John knew where you were staying and you had only told him because he was non-stop ringing you.

Sherlock had taken a more silent approach.

He'd sent a text to you each of the days you'd been away but he knew you better than you knew yourself, and that meant you didn't want to be bombarded with messages.

On the seventh day of you being away from Sherlock, you had a day off from work but your friend had gone out so you were on your own.

A knock on the front door caused you to get up from the sofa, you figured it was the postman considering your friend had mentioned that they were having something delivered.

When you opened the door however it was most definitely not the postman.

"Sherlock?"

He looked completely defeated as he stood at your door.

"How did you find me here?"

He sighed, absentmindedly scratching at his arm. "Can I just come in?"

You mimicked his earlier sigh but stood to the side so he could walk past you.

He took a seat on the sofa in the living room, looking very uncomfortable as he did so.

"How did you find me here Sherlock?"

"John told me."

You ran a hand through your hair. "I didn't want you to have to come here."

"And wait for you to come home like I have done for the past week?"

"I said my peace to you before I left."

"But you didn't see my side Y/N."

You scoffed. "Tell me then Sherlock."

"John has been hurt because of what we do, so has Molly and she is barely connected to us," he sounded emotional for once as he spoke. "Yes, we have been together for five years, but all it takes is another psychopath to find out about you and use it against me."

"You've told me this before."

"What about when we take the next step in this relationship?"

"Next step?"

He got up and moved closer to you, seeming nervous which was rare for him.

"What do you mean by a next step?"

"I want to marry you, and I want for us to be together but I can't have that with you if you don't want that."

Even though you were still struggling with yourself, you couldn't help but smile.

"If you don't want the next step, or don't want to move back in, then tell me because you've not replied to any of my messages and you decided to tell John where you were instead of me."

You didn't quite realise how much you leaving would have affected Sherlock – yes you loved him, and he loved you even if he didn't say it very often, but you felt as if you leaving had been a long time coming.

Sherlock was watching you careful as if trying to anticipate your next move but he had never had much luck with doing that with you.

You breathed out after a moment of thinking. "As for me marrying you, that's something I've wanted throughout our relationship," you told him. "But I can't marry you if you're still going to refuse to involve me in your work especially when I can help you."

He stayed silent, as if realising that you had more to say.

"I knew when we got serious that there was a risk associated being with you. And that's something I do deal with every day, but if you can't deal with that risk and if you can't agree to let me help you then we've got more work to do."

Sherlock held his hand out to you and waited for you to place yours in his.

When you did, he smiled lightly.

"When you love someone, you let them into your life and we do need to work on us – well I need to work on everything."

You stood up, smiling down at him. "Can I go home now?"

He stood up beside you before pulling you into a gentle kiss, and you felt all of his pent-up emotions over the past week as he kissed you.

"And I promise not to kill John for telling you where I was staying."

~*~

Written by Hannah.