E – Experiment

John hadn't been in contact with Sherlock for several days, nearly a week in fact. This wasn't exactly a bad thing; it was just a bit … odd. Oh hell, everything with Sherlock was odd! It wasn't normal … nope, that description didn't work either. Damn. It just didn't feel right. There, that was the best explanation he could come up with!

Usually Sherlock was constantly berating him with texts to aid him with cases, more than once Sherlock had interrupted a rather intimate moment between him and Mary! That was more so his own fault though, he should have silenced his bloody mobile.

Clearing his throat he let himself into 221B and made his way up the stairs. A female's laughter brought him to a standstill; a very familiar female. Sherlock's deep rumbling laugh (a sound John did not hear often) closely followed the lighter lilt. And was that the sound of a kiss?

John shook his head, trying to clear his confused rambling thoughts. He considered turning back around and exiting the building, thinking that perhaps he was intruding upon something he did not want to see. But then he realized that Sherlock had probably heard him on the stairs and was almost certainly wondering why he hadn't come in yet. Or perhaps he wasn't … if he was as pre-occupied as it sounded. Clearing his throat again he willed himself up the rest of the stairs and pushed open the door to the flat. The smell of something burning entered his nostrils.

"Uhh … Sherlock?" John called out cautiously.

"In the kitchen John!" Sherlock answered.

As John moved towards the kitchen he could hear Sherlock giving what sounded like instructions. What he walked in on was not entirely what he expected.

Sherlock was sat at his table, his microscope off to the side and two Bunsen burners lit with beakers bubbling above the flame. This wasn't what John found so shocking though (he was quite used to sights like this), no, it was the fact that Molly, Molly Hooper, was sat upon Sherlock's lap; wearing a pair of safety goggles and a pair of his pyjamas. Sherlock was also in pyjamas and one of his dressing gowns.

John stood in the doorway of the kitchen his eyes wide and his mouth agape. Sherlock gave him a weary look, then proceeded to turn down the flame on one of the Bunsen burners, his other arm crossing over Molly's abdomen to hold her more firmly. She looked at John with a wide smile upon her face.

"Hello John, popped by for a visit?" she said. "Sorry I'm not more properly dressed, Sherlock insisted on starting on this experiment straight away."

John found himself clearing his throat again, blinking rapidly. "How –" His voice caught. "How long has this been going on? Are you two –" He coughed slightly. "Are you two shagging?"

Her cheeks flushed a deep, cherry red. Sherlock only rolled his eyes and slowly added a liquid to the beaker that he had just removed from the flame.

"Honestly John …" Sherlock drawled. "If you would just observe a bit more you would have known that Molly and I have been in a relationship for the past five months. We are not just 'shagging' we are together, and engaged."

John spluttered. "Five months? Engaged?" He threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Yes. Isn't that what I just said?" Sherlock sounded annoyed.

Molly was tending to the other beaker and he was watching her closely. Out of all of the strange sights that John had been witness to throughout his life; this was by far the strangest. And yet, it wasn't really so strange at all. Yes, he was not good at observing, he more often than not simply saw what was there and didn't look any deeper. But truth be told he had always wondered, deep down, if there was something going on between Sherlock and Molly. He'd always quickly dismissed this thought though, thinking that it was absolutely ridiculous. He knew how Molly felt about Sherlock, but he never had any inkling how Sherlock felt about Molly. Now it seemed to him that the feelings were mutual.

Instead of a look of shock, John now had a wide smile upon his face. "Well, if this doesn't beat all. I suppose congratulations are in order? Even if they are five months late?"

Molly blushed again. "Thanks John. Sorry you weren't told sooner, but Sherlock insisted. He wanted to see how long we could keep it from you. I told him that was cruel." She gave Sherlock a stern sideways glance.

He shrugged. "Five months was about the length of time I expected. I was considering going for six, but ahh well."

It was John's turn to roll his eyes. "Thanks Sherlock. Thanks a lot. Does anyone else know?"

Molly's blush grew deeper. "Uhm … yeah, everyone sort of does. You were the last to be told."

John threw his hands up again. "Everyone knows? Even Mary?"

Molly mutely nodded her head.

"How the hell did Sherlock convince you to go through with this?" he asked.

At the sight of Molly's ever-deepening blush John covered his face with his hands.

"Don't answer that. Don't tell me. I don't want to know." His voice ebbed out between his fingers.

She giggled slightly. "Sorry John."

He dropped his hands away, rubbing at his eyes before doing so. "It's all right, really. At least I know now. You better treat her right Sherlock, remember I was a soldier!" He pointed at his friend, giving him a firm glare.

Sherlock gave a derisive snort, but John could see by the look in his eyes that he had every intention of doing just that.

"I suppose I'll ahh … leave you two to your … experiment," John stammered out. "Congratulations again … you both should come by for dinner sometime. Properly celebrate and all."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow. "Properly celebrate? Molly and I have already properly celebrated! Several times in fa-!" His sentence got cut off by her clamping her hand over his mouth.

"We'd love to John, thank you!" she said.

John nodded, then quickly scurried from the kitchen and back down the stairs, just as a delighted squeal from Molly reached his ears. He felt his cheeks blush crimson, the thought of Sherlock doing all of that … was a bit bizarre. Wonders would surely never cease! Perhaps hell had at last froze over! As he hurried down Baker Street he pulled out his mobile and quickly dialed Mary's number.

"MARY WATSON HOW DARE YOU NOT TELL ME MY BEST FRIEND IS ENGAGED!"

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Don't ask me why, I just decided to end it there :-P