Hello everyone! It's my first time writing a fanfiction based on BBC's Sherlock and to be honest – I'm super excited ^^ I'll be focusing on Molly, but of course there will be also other characters – the best part of it: This story is connected with "The Final Problem" written by Elusive_Soul ^^
Anyway! I hope you'll enjoy this story, please leave a review, so I'd know if you liked it :) I'd really appreciate it.
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Greg had always found her a little ridiculous and naïve, but mostly pitiful. He wasn't the only one who felt uncomfortable just from looking at her behavior around Sherlock. Her world seemed to revolve around the consulting detective even after how he had treated her on that memorable Christmas party.
Lestrade had been shocked by the sudden change in her look and only a fool would have thought that she had done it only for herself. Clearly the only thing Molly Hooper had in mind while putting on that stunning dress was Sherlock. She looked amazing and so different that if Gregory had met her on the street, he wouldn't have recognized her. Being humiliated in front all of them, after putting so much effort, must have been disastrous and it made even him dismiss the thought of his own wife sleeping with a P.E. teacher. Well, of course that matter had to be resolved too, but at that time, looking at the woman's pained expression, Gregory had found himself quite content with his own life. After all, he could have been Sherlock's emotional punching bag, just like Molly.
Now, when he saw her again by Sherlock's side as John's replacement he felt pity again. Molly was supposed to be in love with some other man, but if Greg was to be completely honest, it didn't look like it was working really well. Still, he found himself wondering, what kind of guy could become Sherlock's substitution in Molly's heart.
"Molls. What are you doing here?" The question came from Victoria's mouth before he could ask it himself, but the answer made him raise his eyebrows. Maybe Sherlock didn't consider him to be brilliant, or even smart, but Greg couldn't even think about someone dumber that Holmes when it came to human feelings.
"Oh, hi! It appears I'm… Um… You know, solving cases with Sherlock." When Molly blushed slightly, clenching her fingers harder on the notepad she was carrying, Lestrade almost questioned her intelligence, but decided to keep quiet. It wasn't his business and he preferred to stay away from people's personal problems, as he had enough of his own.
Examining the crime scene was always a weird experience with Sherlock around, but Gregory quickly realized that his co-worker started to be as interested in the consulting detective as much he thought she would be. Sherlock and Victoria were similar to some extent and Lestrade was sure their cooperation could bring desired results. His gaze shifted from the two of them back to Hooper who was looking at Holmes a little lost, when he decided to sniff the body.
"You're onto something, aren't you?" she asked, when Sherlock ignored her and waited patiently for his answer.
"Mm, maybe," Sherlock replied, but the following words made Greg blink and frown. "Shut up, John." Seemed like he was now really losing it, but Lestrade wasn't surprised by Watson's refusal to work for him again. When the doctor's name came from the consulting detective's mouth for the third time, he really wished to quickly leave the crime scene and visit some good bar. Coming back to the office was out of question, Donovan was too annoying for her own good and her nasty mood was getting even to him.
Molly stood next to the body and looked at it briefly before sounding somehow anxious.
"Male, forty to fifty," she stated. "Oh, sorry, did you want to…" Sherlock took an abrupt step back, but his face stayed distorted in a grimace and Gregory's eyes locked with Molly's for a few seconds, before she focused on the dead man before her again.
"Er, no, please. Be my guest," he said, allowing her to examine the body again.
"Doesn't make sense," Molly said, and he immediately asked for an explanation. She was a doctor after all, even if she only dealt with corpses, besides she was probably the nicest person in the room at that moment and Gregory as always found her easy to talk to. Especially when Sherlock seemed not to notice the tension that filled the place because of him acting like a lunatic. Well, more than always.
Getting the explanations on the corpse and the fakeness of the crime from Sherlock and Victoria was interesting, especially taking into consideration the fact, that Radcliffe still hadn't got insulted by Sherlock, which was something that even Lestrade didn't expect. When Sherlock left them with Molly following closely, Victoria finally looked at him and Greg waited for her opinion.
"He's nowhere near as rude as I expected," she giggled and he almost couldn't believe in what he was hearing.
"Just give him a chance, Victoria. You're not stupid, so that means he'll probably tolerate you. It doesn't change much, though. He'll still make your life considerably harder," he said, as he patted her arm and moved towards the entrance.
He almost forgot, how it was, working with famous Sherlock Holmes. How weird and annoying he could be and how degrading his behavior could sometimes be for other people, who were also experts after all.
Lestrade stopped abruptly as he watched Sherlock and Molly parting, but even though the detective had already left, she stood still, watching his back with unreadable expression and Gregory decided against saying anything or coming closer to her. He waited for her to go away and when she finally did, he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before following in her steps. Maybe Greg wasn't the perfect person to talk about relationships as his marriage ended as a failure, but even he could honestly say that Molly Hooper still had feelings for Sherlock Holmes and somehow, he now pitied the man whom she decided to date. Women were cruel and merciless, Greg knew it, but it had never crossed his mind that someone like Molly would use another person to get over her own, one-sided feelings.
Molly wasn't really sure how to explain the reason why she agreed to work with Sherlock for a while. Maybe it was only because of the attachment she felt towards him, or maybe she was starting to act like a lovesick fool once again. When she walked into her house, the guilt was eating her from the inside.
Tom welcomed her with a kiss and smiled widely, when she hugged him, hiding her face in his chest. She was ashamed of herself and the mere possibility of him noticing it, scared her. He was such a good man and she was still so hesitant. Two years without Sherlock allowed her to move on, she was sure that she was happy. She even got engaged! So why was she allowing him to play with her feelings? She felt so stupid…
Molly hadn't missed the looks Radcliffe and Lestrade had given her. Maybe they too, considered her foolish? She wouldn't be surprised, after all, miss Hooper knew more than well that she shouldn't have been there with Sherlock.
"How was your day, baby?" Tom suddenly asked, and she took a step back, smiling lightly.
"Weird. Only one skeleton to examine, but still, it was… interesting," Molly answered, clearing her throat afterwards.
"I got out of work earlier and made dinner. I thought you'd like to eat something. It's late." She followed her fiancé to the kitchen and forced herself to stay calm. She hid her shaking hands behind her back, before she stopped next to him in front of the stove.
"Spaghetti. Great, thank you, I will get the plates," she said, only to make herself occupied with something. Anything would do, so she could forget about all these hurtful thoughts she was having.
"Are you alright, baby? You look distressed?" Molly hated moments when Tom could actually use his brain. He started to act exceptionally perceptive, definitely more than usual and today it made her even more uneasy.
"Yes, I'm fine, I'm just tired. It was a long day." And hopefully she wouldn't have another one like that.
