Standard disclaimer stands. I don't own anything.

If you see any grammar or spelling mistakes please let me know and I'll correct them. English is my 3rd language and sometimes words look correct to me even though they aren't.

Yellow. That's the color of the dress she picked and Molly Hooper cursed herself a hundred times in the past hours for that. It was a lovely dress, and she liked the floral pattern very much, but it was almost the same yellow as the walls of the reception hall and Molly felt herself, once more, fading into background.

The fact she was alone certainly didn't help.

"Where is that fellow of yours? I expected him to be with you today?" Mrs. Hudson asked, leaning towards Molly. Greg Lestrade, who was seated between two women, was obviously curious about Tom's absence as well because he turned all his attention towards the young pathologist too.

"Tom couldn't get a day off today. They are getting new art this whole week for the gallery where he works and he needed to be present." She explained calmly and with a smile on her face. They didn't need to know how much his absence saddened her. This was the first wedding she attended since she met Tom and she hoped that now that they were engaged she would finally attend with a date. But alas no such luck.

As usual, Molly Hooper attended alone.

"Such a pity. Weddings are lovely events. And Mary and John look so happy together, don't they?" the older woman said looking at the main table, "I remember when I was so young and beautiful."

"You are still beautiful." Molly commented with a wide smile, the first honest one the whole day, "You have that 'proud mother' glow around you."

"I do love both boys like they are my own. And now there is Mary as well. Oh, I couldn't be happier."

Molly wished she could say the same.

She ignored the look Greg was sending her way and forced herself to smile. She perfected that smile over the years. By now it could fool everyone, including the world's only consulting detective. After all, how many times did he remained clueless as to how much his words hurt her? Molly honestly couldn't come up with an answer for that question.

She glanced out the window at her left and quietly sighed. It was such a lovely day and she wished it wouldn't be completely rude to come up with an excuse and leave the wedding reception right this moment. She could never do that to John and Mary.

Molly turned her attention to the happy couple and giggled as they looked around to see if anyone is watching and then kissed. They were like a pair of teenagers sneaking off to spend some time together and not responsible grownups. That was probably why they got along so great with Sherlock.

She ended up shaking her head to remove that thought from her mind. It didn't help. No matter what she did the consulting detective was always there, waiting patiently at the sidelines to invade her thoughts, sometimes at the most inappropriate times.

The man in question was just walking between the tables towards the main table and Molly couldn't help but look at him as he passed them. He was always dressed smartly. But there was something special about his suit today that made him look even more handsome. And it was obvious to Molly she wasn't the only one who noticed him.

She saw the looks the maid of honor was giving him. She even overheard something she said to Sherlock an hour ago right before the photographer took their picture. For some reason the woman mentioned sex.

"Still worried about the speech?" Greg leaned towards Molly and made her snap out of her thoughts. Something she was very grateful for, but she'll probably never admit to anyone, not even herself.

"I'm worried he'll get nervous and start deducing people. What if someone here did something illegal or having an affair. Can you imagine him saying something about that in front of so many people?"

"Don't have to." he said shrugging, "Remember the Christmas party at Baker Street? When he informed me my wife was having an affair?"

Molly shivered. She remembered that disaster of an evening all too well.

"Oh, hush you two." Mrs. Hudson waiver her hand at the two of them, "It's going to be just fine. Sherlock is taking this very seriously, in fact I saw him dancing waltz just this morning. He was rehearsing to make sure everything is perfect. He even taught John the steps." She paused for a second, "Although I probably shouldn't have mentioned that."

"Sherlock knows how to dance? Sherlock Holmes? The man who has absolutely no social skills?" the detective inspector was surprised and it showed all over his face. Molly had to giggle at the fact his mouth was wide open and he was looking at everyone's favorite landlady like she had two heads.

"He has social skills. He just… don't use them sometimes." She said shrugging.

"More like: never. I was minutes away from arresting a gang of very successful thieves when he made me believe he was in danger so I left everything to Donovan and rushed to Baker Street. And there I found him sitting at his laptop and calmly asking me if I knew any funny stories about John. I had a helicopter flying over the street as a backup."

The two women looked at him strangely. Mrs. Hudson was first to speak, "I don't think that had anything to do with his refusal to use social skills. I think that was because you were afraid for him."

"Pardon?"

Molly sighed, "He was dead, or at least everyone thought he was. It's normal that you were worried about him. Worried that this time he would really get killed."

Before Greg Lestrade could say anything to deny all that a plate was lowered in front of him. So he ignored their words, deciding not to think about whether they were true, and focused on the delicious meal in front of him.

It was some time later, after the plates were removed that the event Molly worried about the most was announced. The best man's speech. Sherlock had repeated the same phrase so many times she couldn't help but think about Kronk and his explanation about poison for Kuzco. Probably not the best thing to do cause she almost started to snicker. Luckily Molly managed to contain herself.

And then, somehow Sherlock's speech ended up making her sniff and she, among several other people at the reception, ended up wiping her eyes. She tried to tell herself it was because the consulting detective finally admitted he had a friend, and pointed out John's best characteristics in the progress. But a part of her, the little part she desperately tried to ignore, knew it was also because he just told the maid of honor she was beautiful. Or at east he hinted that he knew she was beautiful.

It was enough for a sick feeling develop in Molly Hooper's stomach. And that was also when the guilt showed up. She had Tom now, she shouldn't feel what she was feeling when a man, that wasn't her fiancé, called a woman, that wasn't her, beautiful. Not at all. But she did. And she intentionally refused to give those feelings a name, despite knowing very well what she was feeling.

After all she felt it before, that Christmas years ago, when Sherlock identified a dead woman by not her face.

And then things started to get silly. Sherlock was talking about their case, the case of a guardsman who was stabbed in a locked shower. And then he asked for ideas as to how it happened. And who better to ask then a man that works in New Scotland Yard.

Greg's face showed how annoyed he was with Sherlock for putting him in the spotlight. Especially when his theory caused everyone to snicker. And when he looked at Molly and saw her smiling too and grinned in her direction. That should have been a warning for her to stop but it was a warning she ignored. A mistake on her part.

"We have a pathologist here. So maybe Molly could help you out with that." The detective inspector said after everyone stopped snickering and before Sherlock managed to say anything else.

Instantly Sherlock looked at her, and with him everyone else, "Molly?"

She shrugged, not used to the attention of so many people, "Apparition?"

"A ghost? Really Molly, you're a scientist." Sherlock commented.

"Actually, I meant something else." but before she managed to say what she meant a child's voice yelled, "An evil wizard did it!"

Molly looked at the young curly haired boy and he smiled in her direction which caused her to smile back at him. At least someone understood what she meant. Sherlock blinked a few times, like he was considering that answer, before frowning and continuing his speech. But Greg wouldn't let him get away from it so fast.

"So who was it and how was it done?"

After few seconds of silence Sherlock answered, "I don't know, it was a case I didn't managed to solve. Doesn't happen often. Anyway…"

Hours later Greg Lestrade got the answer to that question when Sherlock handcuffed the photographer and revealed how and why the guardsman was stabbed. And as it turned out John's former commanding officer who was the true target and the guardsman was just a test subject. The major would have bled to death and no one would have been any wiser.

But he made a mistake of trying to kill a man in the presence of Sherlock Holmes. And now he would go to jail.

It all happened just before the main event. The first dance of the bride and the groom.

Those closest to the couple weren't surprised at all when the best man, who was also the best friend, went on the small stage and picked a violin. Molly knew she supposed to watch the happy couple dance but all she could focus on was Sherlock Holmes.

A three piece suit looked amazing on him and he even wore a tie, something Molly never seen on him before. But John was his best friend and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for the retired army doctor. The events from two years ago were proof of that.

The composition only lasted several minutes but Molly could listen to it for hours. It was beautiful, calm and touching. And personal. She wasn't an expert in classical music but she was quite certain the melody wasn't from any of the famous composers. And unless she was proven wrong she was willing to believe Sherlock himself has written it specifically for John and Mary.

Everyone clasped when John dipped Mary at the very end and kissed her tenderly. It was a perfect ending of a perfect dance and another proof of the love and devotion of the newly wedded couple.

Molly glanced at Sherlock and saw him looking at her direction and smiling before he picked the boutonniere from the notes stand and threw it towards her. But it didn't land in her hands. Molly's eyes widened as the lovely maid of honor in purple smiled at Sherlock and he nodded at her with a wide smile still on his face.

At this moment Molly Hooper was happy she was fading in the background in her dress that matched the walls. She didn't want anyone to notice the absence of a smile from her face and she really didn't believe she could manage to put one there no matter how hard she may try.

When the DJ started to play the faster music the guests moved from the sidelines to the dance floor where the happy couple was standing with the best man. Jeanine, the maid of honor, started to walk towards them before Molly even managed to consider it and before she was aware of what was happening Sherlock was dancing with the woman in purple dress.

Both Mary and John were laughing, although the look on John's face also showed he was a bit surprised his friend even knew how to dance to music that wasn't considered a waltz. Sherlock merely smiled and winked at the man.

Molly moved close to the wall towards the entrance. Her cardigan was at the back of the chair and her purse on the table. She didn't believe she would need those items so early but it was obvious to the young woman she really didn't have any reasons staying at the reception any longer.

She was there for the most important part. She witnessed the two people that loved each other get married. Everything else wasn't all that important.

The air outside was chilly and Molly crossed her hands in front of herself. She briefly wondered if the coldness she felt was real or merely a reflection of how she felt inside but decided it didn't really matter.

The music was still rather loud so she turned towards the reception hall and saw the guests dancing through the tall windows. She couldn't see Sherlock, not that it mattered. Not that she mattered.

She shook her head and turned away, leaving into the night.

Let me know what you think while I'm working on the 2nd chapter.