This will be a five chapter fic, it's my first fan fic posted on another popular site two weeks ago, I've since written a few more stories (one is in progress) and I will bring them across too. I'll publish one chapter of this each day till complete.. Please let me know if you like it, any advice will be happily accepted!

Chapter one

The phone call

The sun was shining, a rare sunny cloud free day in London Town. Molly was stuck doing paperwork for another 3 hours, after which the sun was sure to be gone.

Leaning back she stretched out her legs under her desk and closed her eyes, losing herself in her imagination. Molly pictured a tree lined path, she placed herself, Sherlock, and Ruby Watson on the path walking together. Ruby between them, hands entwined in one each of theirs. On every third step they would lift her up and swing her into the air, each time they did so they were rewarded with a delighted giggle and Sherlock and Molly's eyes would meet across the top of her head.

"Aunt Molly!" For a moment Molly was startled by the intensity of her imagination. She could hear Ruby so clearly, she briefly wondered if she could work a kiss into this scenario.. Just to see how far she could push her imagination of course - for science. She was absolutely not still pining after Sherlock, they were friends now and he treated her like an equal, well, as equal as Sherlock was capable of treating anyone. Molly worried her bottom lip between her teeth, this was dangerous territory, she had worked so hard to be normal around Sherlock, thoughts like this could only lead to trouble. If she went back to blushing and stammering around him again it could spoil everything they now had. No, she firmly pushed the thought aside, no imaginary kiss, no matter how perfect could be worth that risk.

"Aunt Mooolllllyyyyy!" At this Molly was finally yanked out of her reverie, startled she looked up to see Ruby Watson barrelling down the corridor toward her.

Blonde curls swinging to and fro, blue eyes wide and shining, pink gingham pinafore swaying with each step, a heavenly little cherub. Sherlock swept along behind her, in stark relief, razor sharp cheekbones, eyes glinting, Belstaff billowing, the very image of a fallen angel.

"Hi Ruby, Sherlock, what are you two doing here?" Molly asked, standing quickly, nervously smoothing down her clothes and smiling down affectionately at the little girl.

She desperately hoped Sherlock couldn't deduce that she had just been imagining, well fantasising, about a trip to the park with him. She cleared her throat then looked up cautiously, at Sherlock, carefully keeping her face neutral and assuring herself that she didn't actually imagine a kiss after all.

Sherlock smirked at her knowingly and she flushed, he knew. Of course he knew, he always knows.

"I'm on school holidays and Uncle Sherlock is taking me to the park but he had to stop here first to finish a case, so I can come and sit with you for a little bit!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly.

"Well, I am a lucky lady, indeed." Molly said sitting back down, grinning at Ruby and avoiding eye contact with Sherlock.

"I need to take a look at Mrs Jacobs" Sherlock clarified, inclining his head in the direction of the morgue.

Ruby swung into the seat opposite Molly and stated casually, "Mrs Jacobs is dead."

Molly nodded, and glancing up at Sherlock said "Go ahead Sherlock, Terry is in there, he'll wheel her, uh..." Molly's eyes darted in Ruby's direction, it's one thing for Ruby to know there are dead bodies in the morgue, it's quite another for her to imagine them in drawers like flatware. Clearing her throat she tried again, "Terry will help you with that Sherlock, and we'll just be in here, won't we Ruby?"

Swinging her legs and twirling a finger around a golden strand of her hair, Ruby leaned forward attempting a wink, telling Molly, "We can have time for a proper girl talk."

"Indeed," noted Sherlock, looking amused as he turned on his heel striding toward the lift for the morgue.

"So Ruby, girl talk, hmmm?"

Ruby leaned forward excitedly and resting her palms face down on the table said "Yes, Aunt Molly, girl talk, that means we talk about boys you think are nice," she breathed the last word out giggling.

"Are there any boys at school that you think are nice, Ruby?" Molly asked in a conspiratorial tone.

Ruby started spinning on her chair and said in a sing-song voice "I know who you think is nice Aunt Molly".

"Oh, you do, do you?" Molly asked her, smiling in spite of herself.

"Yes," Ruby stated firmly nodding her head, "You think Uncle Sherlock is nice, you look at him a lot," Ruby looked coyly at Molly through her eyelashes.

"Mm-hmm, well I do look at him Ruby, because he's my friend,"Molly told her, smiling indulgently.

Ruby frowned slightly, "No, you don't look at him like a friend, Aunt Molly. You look at him when you think he's not looking, and, you look at him like mummy and daddy look at each other." Ruby finished. Pleased with her statement she started spinning her chair around, curls flying out, mouth an 'o' of delight.

Molly watched Ruby remembering when life was simple enough for a spin on a chair to bring such joy, when the world seemed to make sense. She missed being a child... No, that wasn't it, was it? She wanted to have a child, to experience all that innocence and joy, but through her child's eyes. Molly sighed and berated herself, there's no point in getting upset, you've advanced your career in a male dominated profession, not to mention you have wonderful friends, she ignored the voice in her head asking sadly, What about love?

Ruby stopped spinning and directed her gaze back at Molly, cocking to the side she said, "Aunt Molly, don't be sad, when you're not looking at him, he looks at you too." Ruby nods her head emphatically, "Mummy thinks it's funny, Daddy says he's an idiot," she giggles a little at that last.

"Uncle Sherlock looks at everything Ruby, he's a.."

"Yes, yes, he's a consulting detective, I know", Ruby interrupted, "But he doesn't need to investigate you. He knows you. My mummy says he loves you because..."

The phone sprang to life, ringing out shrilly. Relieved Molly interrupted Ruby asking, "could you get me a cup of water from the kitchen please Ruby?" Molly leaned forward narrowing her eyes in an assessing glance, "I'm very thirsty but I have to take this call," she gestured to the phone. "Can you manage that, or are you too little?"

Ruby stood up, drawing herself up to her full -almost- four feet glory, her chin high and proud. Peering down her little button nose at Molly she informed her in a glacial tone "I am nearly five years old, Aunt Molly, I am NOT little."

Suppressing a smile, Molly told her "Well, that's settled then, the staff lounge is the fourth door down on the right". Molly paused with her hand on the phone and asked,"Do you know your left and right Ruby?"

Ruby's only response to this was a withering glare. She swept through the door in an imitation of Sherlock, pulling it off remarkably well in spite of the pink confection she was currently sporting.

Grinning and shaking her head slightly, Molly picked up the phone answering "Molly Hooper, speaking.." Pausing for a moment she continued "Yes, thank you for getting back to me."

Ruby was about half way down the corridor counting carefully when she spotted an open door, on the left, rather than the right, there was a man inside talking on the phone. Boring, Ruby decided continuing past, she stopped abruptly when she heard the man say Molly.

Ruby knew it was rude to eavesdrop, and she also knew she was not allowed to do it, but she decided that this was not eavesdropping, this was detecting, like Uncle Sherlock. Kneeling down she pretended to fix her shoe lace.

"Molly? Yeah, she'll be there, although she's still hung up on that arrogant git in the silly hat," he paused, listening. "Yeah mate, exactly, he's never going to use it, might as well let someone else have a turn if you know what I mean.." Snickering he continued, "We've got the farewell drinks down the pub on Friday night for Dr. Gupta, so I'm thinking if I get a few drinks in her... She'll probably be happy for the attention. Might be a bit of fun, she's a scrummy little thing, quite a little dish hiding under those bloody wooly jumpers.. Wouldn't mind a taste of that if you know what I mean.." He trailed off laughing harshly.

Ruby gasped, eyes widening she turned to run back to Molly's office. Molly looked up as she was hanging up the phone to see Ruby almost sliding through her door in her haste to get back into the office. "There's a man in that room Aunt Molly, the room on the left, three doors down." Ruby told Molly shakily, panting and puffing.

"A man in the room on the left? Oh, that's just Daniel, he's a junior pathologist, nothing to worry about Ruby." Molly assured her. "Did you get a fright? Oh, you poor lamb, come here." She spun her chair around and patted her legs invitingly. Ruby made her way around the desk and climbed into Molly's lap, wrapping her arms around Molly's neck. Molly's arms slid around Ruby's waist and she gently swayed from side to side. Ruby sighed in contentment, and Molly followed suit, kissing the top of her head and singing 'London Bridge' softly to her.