A/N: So this developed after watching "The Empty Hearse" in quick succession to a rewatching of "The Runaway Bride"

AU for "The Empty Hearse" where Molly is a part-time Companion with the Tenth Doctor and Donna.

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the BBC and the title is Shakespeare's.

The Doctor looked up as his other Companion entered the TARDIS. Molly looked like something was on her mind, but was quiet as usual.

"Molly!" He greeted, jumping to his feet and running to pull her into a quick hug.

Donna offered a friendly wave from the jump seat, but didn't stand. "How'd it go?"

Molly shrugged. "Well, Sherlock was Sherlock. He hasn't changed much in the two years he's been gone."

"Was he decent?" The Doctor asked, concerned. He knew Molly had an enormous crush on the Consulting Detective, and that Sherlock's lack of acknowledgement hurt her. It was something he hated to watch; Molly was like a little sister to him, and he had seen that she was far more brave than anybody gave her credit for.

Molly smiled as if she was trying not to laugh. "Well, he was Sherlock."

"And?" The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

Molly held up her left hand. "He spotted this."

"Yeah, the bio-damp," the Doctor said. "Good you didn't take it off, you still need to wear it for—" he stopped suddenly, noting the expression on her face. "What?"

"He thought it was an engagement ring," Molly giggled.

Donna doubled over laughing. "He did what?"

The Doctor smirked. "And what did you tell him?"

"Nothing," Molly'a grin was now growing dangerously more mischievous. "We're going to have some fun with this."

"Excuse me?"

Molly strolled over to the TARDIS console casually, setting her bag down under it. "The gang is getting together at Baker Street, and I told them I was bringing my fiancé."

"Why'd you do that?" The Doctor asked.

The penny dropped when she turned around with a glow of amusement in her eyes, and when Donna started laughing again.

"No," he started backing away now. "Absolutely not!"

"Just for this evening!" Molly assured him, her old self-consciousness showing. "Then we can go back to sailing through the stars?"

"Come on!" Donna, seeing that her friend needed back-up, stood and slapped her space-man on the shoulder playfully. "I'm not passing up the chance to troll Sherlock Holmes!"

Seeing that Molly had her hopes up and Donna would not be swayed, the Doctor dragged his hands over his face and groaned.

If the Doctor hadn't been an experienced Time Lord, Sherlock's glare would have unnerved him. As it was, he'd risked his neck saving the planet twenty times more than the Consulting Detective had had birthdays, so he held his head high. This body was a whole inch taller than Sherlock, and the Doctor took advantage of it. Sherlock didn't offer his hand to shake, so the Doctor just waved hello.

"This is Doctor John Smith," Molly introduced them, "and his sister, Lauren."

Donna beamed, but didn't trust herself not to laugh at the detective sizing up her Doctor. Instead she popped another jelly baby in her mouth from the bag the Doctor had given her for her last birthday.

"Oh great, now we've got two of them!" Lestrade laughed as John Watson shook the Doctor's hand.

"Dr. John Watson," John smiled and explained for their guest.

The Doctor laughed, "Just call me Doctor, then— I don't want to take your name, do I?"

"And this is Mary," John put a hand on the blonde's shoulder, "my fiancée."

The Doctor's face lit up. "Oh, congratulations!"

"Thank you," Mary grinned, shaking his hand. "You two as well!"

"Thanks," Molly held back a giggle. She moved on, "And this is Greg, the Detective Inspector."

"Hallo!" The Doctor shook his hand as cheerfully as ever.

Sherlock remained silent, occasionally shooting looks at the Doctor, which were answered with innocent smiles.

"So, now that we're meeting the guy," Lestrade said, "Why don't you tell us where you've been the past few months?"

Sherlock raised an eyebrow, and, though he still said nothing, John leaned over and explained that Molly had been leaving London off and on for the past two years, and had only just got back a few weeks before Sherlock had.

Molly smiled. "Oh, you know, traveling. Seeing the world. You only live once, yeah?"

Sherlock noted the Doctor's smirk, and added a snort of his own. "I beg to differ."

"Well, you're you," Molly's laugh made his heart leap.

Sherlock leaned forward in his chair, resting his chin on his folded hands. "Though I would be very interested to know to what locations you've been. I'm sure you've had some fascinating experiences abroad." His tone was friendly, but his eyes were silently accusing Molly's "fiancé."

"You have no idea," Donna put in.

"Well, we've been to..." Molly searched her mind for a story she could tell that wouldn't sound insane.

"Cardiff," the Doctor suggested.

Lestrade scoffed. "That's hardly abroad!"

"Utah," Molly amended. "And New York City."

The Doctor frowned, deep in thought. "You know, every time I've been to America it's either been New York or Utah. We're gonna have to remedy that."

"Rome," Donna said.

"Well, technically Pompeii," the Doctor corrected, "And that was before Molly joined us."

"Pompeii?" John asked, "As in, like," he mimed a volcano eruption.

Sherlock was growing bored. "And did anything remotely interesting happen?"

"Interesting for you is a murder," John shook his head.

"Well, everything's interesting if you've seen enough," the Doctor said.

Sherlock snorted. "Then obviously I haven't seen enough."

"Seeing and looking are two very different things," The Doctor put a hand on Molly's shoulder. "I can assure you I've seen more that you and I have yet to meet somebody who's not important."

Sherlock looked the Doctor over again, but made no reply.

"But you must have stories," Lestrade pressed.

Donna laughed. "Oh yeah," she punched the Doctor's arm, "Trouble's goin' to chase this one to his grave!"

Sherlock straightened, brows furrowing. "What kind of trouble?"

"Oh, you know," the Doctor said, massaging his arm where Donna hit him. "Nothing... Nothing serious."

Sherlock must have caught the disbelieving look that was Molly's response to that assessment, because suddenly he had scooped her up in his arms and was holding her as far away from the Doctor as possible. "First of all, I know you're not her fiancé because you do not have a matching ring."

The Doctor, eyes still wide, held up his left hand and examined it. "Oops."

"Second," Sherlock barely paused for a breath, "there is no way she is your sister, she shares no resemblance to you whatsoever."

Donna and the Doctor glanced at eachother.

"Thirdly, she's not your fiancée, she's mine."

Molly wasnt sure if there was an actual silence or if brain had simply stopped processing sounds.

"When were you planning on telling us this?" John asked calmly.

"When were you planning in telling me this?!" Molly demanded.

Sherlock blushed bright red and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like two years ago.

Lestrade burst out laughing, then attempted to control it when Sherlock turned his embarrassed glare upon him.

The Doctor grinned like an idiot. "Good on you, Molly."

Then the attention trend back to him and Donna.

"But if you're not her fiancé," John frowned, "who are you?"

"Ah," the Doctor stopped smiling. "Well, that's another story for another time..." He grabbed Donna's hand, nodded a farewell to Molly, as ran.

Molly could hear them as they ran down the flight of stairs.

"Wait, I left my jelly babies!"

"Sacrifices must be made."

"Bye Molly!" Donna shouted just before the heard the door slam.

Nobody moved for at least a minute before Molly spoke up. "Um, Sherlock?"

"Yes, Molly?"

"You can let go of me now."

A/N: Was that even remotely entertaining? Review and tell me what you think!