I watched as my brilliant flatmate completely tore poor Molly Hooper to pieces. It was Christmas for crying out loud. We all told him to give it a rest but no. He had to prove he was cleverer than god. And then the other shoe dropped.

She didn't have a boyfriend. The present was for Sherlock.

"You always say the most horrid things. Always." She looked as though she was going to cry and I wanted to hit him.

But never bet on Sherlock doing the predictable thing.

"I'm sorry." I looked up in shock. I couldn't have- no. Sherlock would never. But he did. He just apologized. To Molly. But nooo… he didn't stop there either.

He kissed her on the cheek and said, "Merry Christmas, Molly Hooper." And then Irene just had to intrude in our lives just then.

A low moan broke out. "That- that wasn't me!" Molly squeaked.

"No, it was me."

"What?" Greg exclaimed.

"It's my phone." Sherlock explained as he pulled it out of his pocket.

I watched as opened the present from the mantel and then followed him when he drifted away from the party to his room.

I listened to his conversation with Mycroft and asked, "You okay?"

He said he was fine and then slammed the door in my face. I went back to the party.

"Sorry about that. It's a case we're working on for Mycroft and it's got him wound up."

"Ah," Greg nodded. "That would do it, yeah. Working for his brother on case and having trouble with it…. He must be going out of his mind."

I watched Molly and I could tell she was still shaken up by the whole thing. The kiss, the nasty deduction, the kiss, the apology, the kiss. You could see it play out on her face with one she thinking about at the moment.

Suddenly there was this pitiful mewing. Molly jumped. She dug into her purse and pulled out her phone.

"Hey?"

"Not really. Yeah. Alright." She pressed a button on her phone and looked up at us. "Sorry about that. I'm on call tonight at the morgue and a body's just come in."

"It's dead body, surely it'll keep." Greg said.

"Yeah, but would you want to wait until after Christmas to learn your wife was dead?"

Greg looked crestfallen. "No. No, you're right. Sorry."

"Here, Molly. I'll walk you out." I offered. She smiled at me and nodded. As we reached the bottom of the stairs, I turned to her.

"Look sorry about tonight, Molly. I'll make sure he gets your present. It's this case. It really is. It's got him all twisted up inside."

"It's- it's fine. It really is."

"No. No, it's not. Let me make it up to you, alright?"

"You don't have to, John. It's all fine." Molly blushed.

"No. Let me. As your friend. Okay?" When she nodded I said, "Great. Day after Christmas, you and I will go out for scones and coffee, alright? I text you."

Molly nodded again. And I dashed upstairs to see Sherlock come out his room. He quickly put on his coat and scarf and dashed out without a word.

Just then my phone went off.

"Hello?"

"Hello, John."

I rolled my eyes. "I should have known you were the reason for Sherlock's departure."

"Yes, well. I need you do something for me."

"I'm not spying on your brother. How often do I have to make that clear?"

"It's nothing like that. Well, it's almost nothing like that."

"Excuse me?"

"I believe to night will be a 'danger' night. I need you to find all the drugs and cigarettes you can and get rid of them."

"Done. Call me when he's on his way home."

I walked up and turned to Greg. "You may not want to be here for this."

Greg just nodded. "Take care of him John." he said as he gathered up his things and left.

"Well, Mrs. Hudson we need to search the flat." She nodded.

That night my girlfriend broke up with me. For god's sake. He's my friend. A friend that just had the one girl he has ever shown interested in beyond getting what he wanted out of them, killed. A friend that might turn to drugs or worse. Why couldn't she understand? Yes, he's a little high maintenance but than really aren't all friendships a bit like that?

Sherlock spent the time in a right royal tit. I was grateful for the cup of coffee I was going to be having with Molly.

When I showed up at the cafe, she was waiting for me.

"Who was she John?" Molly asked as soon as I sat down.

I sighed. "I honestly can't tell you. For several reasons. One, this is Sherlock, I have no idea who she was to him. And two, Mycroft would kill me. National secrecy act apparently."

Molly's eyebrows shot up. "You get cases like that?"

"This is second one honestly. The other was back in March." And when I get my hands on that slimy bugger that used Molly, strapped explosives to my chest and tried to shoot Sherlock, I will wrap my hands around that neck of his and squeeze the life out of him.

"Wow. It must be so exciting." Silence fell as we ate our scones and drank our coffee.

"So… Jeanette? She was cute." Molly said, trying to restart the conversation.

"And thinks I'm gay. Lovely girl but apparently thinks I'm banging my flatmate."

"Sherlock? Does he even think like that?"

"Swinging for the other team you mean? No idea. I don't think he does sexual period."

"Oh." Molly sighed.

"Look Molly. I know that you tend to go for the highly intelligent dark haired types, but really you have to stop trailing Sherlock around, find someone new."

"Right, we all know how that turned out. Jim turned out to be gay." Molly sighed fitfully.

"Uh… yeah. That's all he was…" I really didn't want to tell her that Jim strapped explosives to my chest and pointed guns at me and Sherlock's heads all in the name of fun.

"It's really no use John. I've resigned myself to a lonely life."

"Oh don't know, that dress you wore on Christmas eve certainly drew attention. Hell, even Greg, who's married was stunned."

"Sherlock wasn't."

"Yeah well, we just discussed that though didn't we? Sherlock is a different kettle of fish. You can't keep comparing blokes to him. One it's not fair to you and it's not fair to the other guys. Take me for example. I'm a fairly good-looking chap, who's a decorated soldier and brilliant doctor. I'm a crack shot, athletic and charming. But put me next to Sherlock and what happens? I'm damn near invisible."

"No, no you're not."

"Molly, come on, would you date me if Sherlock gave you the time of day?"

Molly blushed. "Yes, I would actually. Sherlock is an ass first and foremost. I don't understand how you can live with him some days."

"It's not easy. Explosions, foul smelling experiments, shooting the wall when he's bored, manic to nth degree, body parts in the oddest places, though I suppose I have you to thank for that last bit."

"Well, just the unclaimed bodies really. Those with families and loved ones, I won't let him take apart. It's not fair to them to let Sherlock experiment on them."

"Well, that's good then."

Beheaded body in the Themes. Lestrade clueless. Come quickly. Or Anderson will be the next body in the river. - SH

"Shit! Sorry Molly. Sherlock calls."

Molly just nodded. I paid for their scones and coffee. I took a chance and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'll make it up to you I promise. Dinner next Saturday, I know a great place that just opened up. I'll pick you at 7pm yeah?"

"Sure," Molly muttered a blush creeping up to her cheeks.

Of course in the mean time, I had a lovely meeting with Irene, who apparently wasn't dead and patched up Mrs. Hudson who had been beaten by the Americans that attacked Irene's flat. I'm not sure I want to know what Sherlock did to the man to be honest. But remind me to never get on Sherlock's bad side. Ever.

I put on my best shirt and jumper and went and grabbed my coat.

"Another date? When will you give up?" Sherlock droned from his place on the couch.

"It's not a date. I'm just meeting Molly for dinner."

Sherlock leaped off the couch and was standing inches from me.

"John Watson, I swear to god, if you break her heart, they will never find the body." I blinked up at him.

"Okay… not a date… but okay."

"Tell me that after you get home." He said as he made his way back to the couch.

The dinner was lovely, and conversation even better. I walked her up to her flat. We stood there for a moment and then I leaned in and kissed her goodnight.

"Thanks for a lovely evening, John." Molly beamed at me.

"I'm not sure what my schedule is going to be like, having Sherlock for a flatmate and all but I'd love to do this again."

"Well, I'll tell you what, text me when you're free and we'll do something. No matter how short notice it is. And if you have to leave because of Sherlock that's okay too."

I kissed her again. "What's the catch?" I asked.

"You have to tell me the stories before you put them up on your blog." Molly laughed.

"Deal." With one final kiss, I made my way home.

I walked into 221B and made my way to the living room. I leaned against the doorframe and looked in at Sherlock who looked like he hadn't moved the whole night.

"Two things, Sherlock. One, I know you were following us."

"Of course I was John. I won't do it every time but I am going to make sure you treat well."

I nodded. "Right. And the second thing-"

"How did I know it was going to end up being a date?"

"Yeah."

"Two things, John. One, the way you dressed was a little too nice for just taking a friend to dinner. You shaved and put on a nice aftershave. You put on the nicest things you own that would still be considered casual. You were also nervous, clenching and unclenching your left hand. And of course you took my threat seriously."

Of course. Damn him. "And the other?"

"Molly was gushing about her date with some of her co-workers. So if she thought it was a date and you were nervous for the evening of course it was going to be a date."

"Molly was gushing about me?" I was even more shocked than before.

"Well… she didn't give out names. She said that he was a nice doctor who had asked her out last week. Now you had taken her out for coffee last week, so it could be you and then you confirmed it when you said you were taking Molly out. It's also why I threatened you. She thought it was something special and you didn't. I had to make sure you knew what you were in for."

I couldn't help the next word that came out of my mouth. "Brilliant."

"Yes, well. Since girls break up with you, I wouldn't be surprised if she breaks your heart instead."

"Actually, she's different than the other girls I've dated. More like Sarah really. She's smart, pretty and she's okay with me running around with a mad man."

Sherlock laughed.

"And she's alright with you dropping everything and running after said mad man?" Sherlock asked.

"As long as I tell her the stories first. So you aren't going to scare this one off then?"

"Can't. She knows me almost as well as you do."

I laughed.

"Well that's true, ain't it?" I smiled at my flatmate. "Tea?"

"Yes, please.