Molly and the Doctor go to a Christmas party.

Molly scuffed her boot in the fresh snow. "You can't spend Christmas alone. It isn't right."

"Nine hundred years worth of Christmases, Molly Hooper," the Doctor said, smiling. "I'm bound to spend some of them alone."

"Right, well not this one." She reached out and took his hand, surprised (as always) by its warmth. "I'm going to a bit of a party. You could come." Tucking her hair behind her ear, she added softly, "You could be my date. If you wanted."

The Doctor put his hands in his coat pockets and let out a long breath. "Well," he said, tipping his head from side to side. "All right. I never could resist a party."

They dressed inside the TARDIS. Molly helped the Doctor with his bow tie, and the Doctor did up Molly's zip. They stood together in the mirror, observing their handiwork. "What do you think?" Molly asked, tugging at the clingy fabric of her dress.

"Stunning," the Doctor said, smiling warmly. He had such a flirty smile, the Doctor. It always made her blush all over.

The walk to Sherlock and John's flat was short; the Doctor parked the TARDIS just around the corner. He still gave her his coat, though, and she huddled inside it. "I should warn you about Sherlock Holmes," she said as they reached the door. God, she would give anything just to be sure Sherlock wouldn't embarrass her tonight.

"Is he an alien?" the Doctor asked, sounding mildly curious.

Molly laughed. "No."

"A robot?"

"Don't think so," Molly said contemplatively. "Although he's certainly been accused more than once. No, I wanted to warn you that...he's smart. Brilliant, really. And..." She searched for the right word. "A bit...mean."

The Doctor cocked his eyebrow. "Mean?"

"Well, yes. But I still like him. I used to fancy him, even, before I met you. Oh!" She flushed pink and pressed her palms to her cheeks. "That came out wrong."

A cheeky wink and a rock back on his heels were the Doctor's only responses to that. He took Molly's arm in his and nodded towards the door. "Shall we?"

They didn't enter the party together, though. The Doctor was distracted by the basement flat, giddy as a schoolboy and scanning everything he could with the sonic screwdriver. That left Molly on her own as she went upstairs, very conscious of the bright lipstick and men's coat she was wearing. She took a steeling breath outside and then walked awkwardly into the flat. "Hello, everyone," she called. It seemed like she was interrupting something, so she added, "Sorry. Hello."

She slipped off her coat, embarrassed and also a little gratified at the looks John and Greg gave her, and they chatted a little. Throughout the conversation, Molly kept one ear trained towards the steps, listening for the Doctor. So it took her a moment to register what Sherlock was saying.

"Sorry, what?"

"New boyfriend," Sherlock said smugly. "You're seeing him this very night."

"Take a day off," John groaned.

Sherlock opened his mouth, no doubt to spew more horrifying deductions, but the Doctor chose that very moment to pop into the room, his trainers squeaking on the hardwood floor. "Hullo!" he beamed, looking at everyone in turn. "And happy Christmas to you all."

John's brow furrowed. "Is he-"

"The Doctor," Molly said quickly.

"Oh," John said interestedly. "Doctor who?"

"Just 'the Doctor'," he said, adjusting his specs solemnly. He leaned to Molly and whispered in her ear: "By the way, not to alarm you, but that mold downstairs is definitely not from Earth. I did a quick scan-"

"You're Molly's new boyfriend?" Sherlock asked, clearly in disbelief. He looked the Doctor over, his mouth pursed. "No. No, you're not. So who are you?"

"The Doctor," he said, in the sort of tone one used when something was devastatingly obvious. "And Molly's my companion. We were just popping through, actually, sort of a stopover on the way to the...um...basement."

"The basement?" Mrs. Hudson looked from Sherlock to the Doctor and then back again. "Why in heavens-"

"Love to stay and chat," the Doctor said hurriedly, grabbing Molly and bundling her into his coat, "but we really must be off. Bye!" He pulled her towards the steps and looked back at her as he jogged down them, clapping his hands gleefully. "Alien mold in the basement! I couldn't ask for a better Christmas!"