Molly was already late for her lunch date. She walked fast along the corridors of St Barth's, heading to the entrance, putting on her coat in the same time. She was adjusting it when she pushed the door to get out and was stopped by two men.
« - Molly ! the false cheerful voice of Sherlock Holmes said.
- Oh Hello, Molly answered as they walked to her. I'm just going out.
- No you're not, the detective spit out on the tone of the conversation, turning Molly in the opposite direction.
- I've got a lunch date ! Molly defended weakly.
- Cancel it. You're having lunch with me.
- What ? »
Sherlock put out two little bags of crisps off his pockets and shacked it while he and John headed to the lab.
« - Need your help, Sherlock said putting the bags back inside his pockets. It's one of your boyfriend we're tracking down. He's been a bit naughty… »
Molly stopped as John asked :
« - It's Moriarty !
- Of course it's Moriarty, Sherlock answered back.
- Uh, cut Molly unsure of herself. Jim wasn't actually even my boyfriend. We went out three times. I ended it. »
Sherlock smiled and told her what Jim Moriarty had done during all this time and that she should end up any attempt at relationships in the future « for the sake of our Lord » as he said. Molly just dropped her mouth and saw the two men coming in le lab, leaving her with interrogation dots above the head. She finally sighed and thought bitterly « Lunch date : 0, Sherlock's insults : 1 ».
Molly was required for the analysis Sherlock wanted to do. John wasn't taking part as chemical experiments were not his domain. He was examining evidences from crimes scenes that Molly has brought to him.
« - I need that analysis ! » the voice of Sherlock woke Molly up and she speeded up to get it ready at once.
« - Alkaline, she said after her pH paper turned to blue.
- Thank you, John, Sherlock answered while looking attentively in his microscope.
- Molly ! corrected the young pathologist while containing a certain irritation.
- Yes… » answered absently Sherlock more to his experimentation than to her.
Molly lifted her eyes up, swallowing her anger back against the detective, knowing he was too used to John's presence to notice her. The young woman shook her head and kept on with papers which might help them. She was regularly giving John new datas to analyse. When she was back at Sherlock's side to sort the papers, she heard him muttering something while looking concentratively at his microscope.
« - Glycerol molecule…, he said more intelligibly. What are you ? » he sighed while looking at his notes.
Molly was now on the computer, trying to sort out the datas Sherlock was discovering from his analysis, but she could not help staring discreetly at him. Something in his muttering was making her wonder things.
« - What did you mean « I O U » ? she said looking at her screen, apparently avoiding eyes contact.
John walked in front of them, with some papers Molly gave him ten minutes before. Sherlock lifted his eyes from his microscope to see him walking. The young pathologist noticed it and turned to Sherlock as John was going in another table where he wasn't able to hear them.
« - You said « I O U »…, repeated Molly in a low voice as Sherlock was back to his experiments. Are you muttering while you're working ?
- Nothing, cut the detective. Mental note. »
Molly nodded and understood the quick answer as a sign she wasn't worth any explanations, as ever. She was just a tool to solve a crime, but never the one who understood, the one with who they shared things. The way Sherlock was looking…it made her think about someone she loved.
« - You're a bit like my dad, she finally said, turning to seek his stare focused on the microscope. He's dead. No ! Sorry…, she rectified, knowing talking about dead people wasn't a good way to introduce things.
- Molly, he said in an absent voice, please don't feel the need to make conversation, it's really not your area. »
Molly bowed her head and looked at the ceiling to search for the good words and ignored the detective's remark :
« - When he was…dying, she said seeking her words, he was always cheerful, he was lovely…except when he thought no one could see… »
She paused to look at Sherlock, still looking in the microscope, concentrated on his work.
« - I saw him once, she continued while observing his reactions. He looked…sad.
- Molly ? warned Sherlock visibly bothered but not giving a single stare.
- You look sad, she said looking at John, when you think he can't see you. » and she looked back at him to see him lifting his eyes to look at John working.
Sherlock suddenly paid more attention to what Molly was saying. As far as he could think about it, she was reading him like an open book. He turned his head to look at Molly, almost in shock.
« - You okay ? she asked suddenly. And don't just say you are because I know what it means looking sad when you think no one can see you. »
Sherlock listen to her carefully. Somehow she was reaching one of the string of his apparently cold heart. He paused then, not completely understanding what she was saying.
« - You can see me, he said understanding finally.
- I don't count. » answered Molly with a shy smile.
Sherlock looked again almost in shock in front of what she was saying. Did she thought it was normal to think such a thing after everything she has done for them, for him ?
« - What is I'm trying to say is…, continued Molly, if there's anything I can do, anything you need, anything at all, you can have me ! No…, she corrected herself with a slight embarrassed smile, I just mean…I mean, if there's anything you need…it's fine. »
She turned away from Sherlock's deducing stare and he blinked a few times, before he stuttered :
« - Wh..wh..what can I need…from you ? »
Molly sighed, as disappointed by her own words.
« - I dunno, nothing, she said turning to stare at the detective. You'd say probably « thank you » actually… » she said in a stronger voice.
Sherlock was actually having no clue why he had to do this but with brows furrowed he answered with a certain difficulty :
« - Thank…you… »
Sherlock was disturbed. That woman made him excused for being rude as he never does and now she makes him saying…thanks ?
« - Hum, I'm just gonna go and get some crisps, the young pathologist said suddenly in a lighter tone. Do you want anything ? It's okay, I know you don't.
- Well actually, answered Sherlock still shocked by her words, may be I…
- I know you don't. » cut Molly before leaving the two men alone in the laboratory.
Sherlock slightly smiled when she walked off, his mind wondering.