Well, given that Christmas is fast approaching I had better get a shuffle on with posting my Christmas fic. It's not as long this year but I hope you all enjoy it.

For those of you reading on AO3 you have an extra bonus, artwork by the endlessly talented Rebka18. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank her for all her lovely Sherlolly drawings and especially those for this story; I hope you'll agree that they are brilliant and perfect.

Anyway, to all my readers have yourselves a Merry Christmas!

Chapter 1

Molly looked over at Sherlock not for the first time that day. He was alternating between checking his sample through the microscope and making jottings in his notepad; his hair curling deliciously over his dark blue shirt.

She bit her lip and wondered if now was the right time...but then she figured if not now, when? It was Christmas Eve and she was running out of time.

She took a deep breath and then reached into her bag for the present before standing and quietly making her way over to him. Needless to say he didn't alter his position as she came nearer but she knew that he was aware of her presence.

Without looking up he spoke. 'What is it Molly? You seem strangely nervous and it's distracting me.'

She slid the long, slim package onto the desk next to him.

'Merry Christmas Sherlock.'

He sat upright and silently looked at the gift for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. 'No ribbon or bow this year?'

Molly looked down at the present which although neatly wrapped was quite bereft of any gaudy additions. This was the first time that she'd offered him a gift since 'that' Christmas and she had been careful to not add anything that would give him a reason to deduce or insult her.

'No...no, I thought it wise not to.'

He glanced at her and smiled briefly. 'Thank you.' He fell silent and she started to turn away adding, 'well, I hope you have a good day.'

Had she seen his face at that exact moment she would have seen that he was obviously deliberating over something and finally he nodded his head slightly.

'Molly...'

She turned back. 'Yes?'

'I'm aware that you haven't got any plans for tomorrow...would you care to come to Baker St? Mrs Hudson is threatening to cook a full Christmas dinner. You could come over mid-afternoon, about three?'

'Oh...I...' She felt more than a little bewildered by the offer, she certainly hadn't expected it or given the gift in anticipation of it. She hadn't even been aware that he had made plans to celebrate Christmas...but he was right; since her mother had died early that year it meant she had no one to share her day with and the idea of being alone had been bothering her. So, for that reason her answer came easily. 'Yes, OK. That would be great. Do you need me to bring anything?'

'Maybe alcohol? I always need something to get me through the tedium of the day.'

She chuckled and promised to bring some as she made her way back to her dwindling pile of paperwork.

It was only when she was sat at home later that evening enjoying watching the ever changing lights on her Christmas tree with a glass of wine in her hand that the reality of the situation set in and she started to feel a little excited. She was spending Christmas Day with Sherlock. She wondered who else was going, she should have asked but she had been so surprised that she'd not even thought about it. Mrs Hudson and the Watsons seemed a given and maybe even Sherlock's brother...possibly Greg, she knew he was single again following his divorce. It seemed to be a gathering of Christmas waifs and strays but it suited Molly, she wasn't going to be alone and that was the main thing.

It still took her an hour to decide what to wear though. She didn't want to dress up too much, it wasn't a party but she wanted to look good and feel comfortable whilst staying safely under Sherlock's insult radar. She knew she was more than capable of standing up to him nowadays but there was no point goading him. In the end she decided on a figure hugging jumper dress in a soft, purple wool. It seemed a safe bet, suiting her slim figure but not exposing too much flesh or looking tarty. Once she'd decided on that she spent the rest of her evening sipping more mulled wine and watching the normal reruns on telly of comedy specials from years gone by, laughing at Only Fools and Horses, Ab Fab and other shows from her youth.

The next morning she woke bright and early; stretching out in her bed, glad to not be in a rush as she wished Toby a happy Christmas. A few hours, brunch and a long, hot, bubble bath later and Molly had finished curling her hair and was adding a pair of dainty earrings. She could feel the excitement of the day growing inside her as she watched the service from Westminster Abbey on the TV followed by a slightly out of tune sing-a-long to Christmas hits on the radio. She had always loved this time of year and whilst this one had a slightly maudlin edge to it she was determined to enjoy it as much as she could. She would raise a silent glass to her parents before the day ended but she knew they wouldn't want her to dwell on their loss too much.

She set off walking to Baker St with plenty of time to spare; there was no point ordering a taxi, at least not for the walk there in daylight. The cabbies out today would be charging a fortune and she'd rather save her money for the journey back when hopefully she'd be a bit tipsy and a lot less inclined to the exercise.

Everywhere was so quiet, it was very unlike London. Most people had already left the city, if that was their intention, and there were few cars on the road or people on the streets. She had to be careful in parts as the pavements were covered in a thin layer of snow from the night before and unlike normal days they hadn't been gritted or had the snow walked off by hundreds of commuters.

She held her scarf closer to her neck and smiled as she watched her breath plume out into the cold air as she hummed Christmas carols to herself. It was colder than it had been recently and the heavy sky threatened the city with more snow to come, the odd flake starting to drift down here and there.

In all the walk took about twenty minutes and she was glad when she finally turned into Baker St. She wondered who might have arrived already and worried about whether she should have brought more than two bottles of wine and a box of chocolates. It would have been difficult to bring more on foot though and she hadn't really had time to buy or plan anything more.

Finally she made it to the front door, breathing a sigh of relief that she hadn't slipped on the ice and embarrassed herself. She knocked and waited but it was a good minute before she heard the door being unbolted.

It opened to the sight of Sherlock stood there in nothing but a blue towel which seemed to have been hastily wrapped around his waist. His hair was wet and water was dripping down his torso, arms and legs, it was as though he had literally stepped out of the shower to answer the door. What little part of Molly's mind that was still working knew she should be looking at his face but her eyes seemed to be struggling to get past his wet, naked chest.

'Oh you're here, come on in.'

Molly was jolted back to reality by his voice and she blushed as she stepped inside, trying to regroup her emotions. 'Sorry, am I early?'

He didn't linger in the hallway and she followed him as he sprinted lightly up the stairs, one hand holding the towel and his naked feet barely making a sound on the carpeted steps.

'No, not particularly. We did say three didn't we?'

'Um yes I just...well...'

He turned as he entered his flat taking a step or two backwards as he looked at her curiously. 'Just, well... what?'

Molly bit her lip and waved a mittened hand in his direction. 'Well, you're not dressed.'

'No, I couldn't see the point of getting ready too early, isn't Christmas supposed to be a time when we relax and enjoy ourselves? I just forgot that Mrs Hudson always watches the Queen's Speech at three and won't answer the door for love nor money.'

'Oh.' Molly wished she could find something more to say but seeing Sherlock like this was seriously short-circuiting her brain. It was sometimes difficult talking to him when he was dressed but this...

'Good, I see you brought some wine. Drink?' He deftly plucked her bag from her hand moving dangerously close to her as he did.

Molly nodded as she started to remove her coat, scarf and mittens. She couldn't help but glance over in Sherlock's direction as he moved into the kitchen; she couldn't get enough of seeing him all wet and naked. She had to admit that she'd never seen him looking quite so sexy. If she'd thought he looked gorgeous in his tight suits it was nothing compared to the image he'd presented her with now.

He was pulling a couple of wine glasses out of a cupboard as she moved to join him, opening up the carrier bag that he'd put on the kitchen table so she could take out the bottles of wine.

'I take it I'm the first.'

Sherlock glanced round looking confused, 'the first what?'

Molly smiled nervously. 'The first guest. I'm assuming John and Mary are coming along with Mrs Hudson but who else will be here?'

'What made you think there were other guests?'

He leant forward and plucked up one of the bottles before deftly uncorking it and Molly knew she was gaping at him as she tried to take it the fact that it appeared to be a much smaller gathering than she'd realised.

'Oh, so just the three of us then?'

Sherlock let out a slight snort. 'Molly are you purposefully trying to confuse me today? Three of us? Who's the third?'

Now Molly was completely at sea. He couldn't possibly have just invited her...could he? 'M...Mrs Hudson. You said she was cooking.'

'She is. Downstairs, for her sister and her family but she's bringing enough up for the two of us.'

His final phrase seemed to hang in the air ominously and when he passed her her glass of wine she found herself taking a bigger gulp than she had intended to.

Sherlock picked up his glass and walked over to where Molly stood, leaning against the edge of the kitchen table. He stopped as he came level with her and Molly suddenly realised how near he was; too close, too tall, his gaze too piercing, his face too close. Every nerve in her body seemed to ignite at once and she felt as though she were burning up as she looked up at him.

She could see every pore on his smooth, freshly shaven face. She was aware of just how good he smelt and how gorgeous he looked and the temptation to touch him almost overwhelmed her. He was all naked skin and damp hair and she could feel herself getting aroused and she prayed that he couldn't tell, that he couldn't read her body and the signs it was giving off.

'I take it us being alone isn't a problem?'

From anyone else that question would have been a come on but from Sherlock it just confused her.

'I...err..no, no of course not.'

'Good. Well make yourself at home. I suppose I had better go and get dressed.'

Molly was so tempted to tell him not to bother on her account that she had to bite her tongue. They were in a good place; friends even and she didn't want to damage that by making him feel awkward and aware of her feelings for him, even though she knew he knew of them. He had always been aware of them.

She couldn't help but watch though as he made his way through to the bedroom; trying to memorise the sight of his back, all broad shoulders leading down to a slim waist, marred by small scars which made her heart clench at the thought of people hurting him. She knew that he often put himself in danger but seeing the evidence brought it into even sharper relief.

As he closed his bedroom door she let out a breath that she hadn't realised she had been holding onto and she had to close her eyes momentarily as she gathered her thoughts and tried to bring her errant body under control.

It was only when she reopened them that she realised his door wasn't completely shut, a small gap remained, just a couple of inches wide. For a moment she was captivated by the partial sight of the full length of his body unhindered by his towel. The curve of his backside beautifully on show as he started to dry himself.

It took everything she had to turn away feeling the blush spreading over her face at the tempting idea of being a peeping Tom. She made a show of noisily moving into the front room until she couldn't see the open doorway any longer. It would be a long time before she forgot that sight though and she felt a frisson of guilt at the idea of ogling him in such a sexual, objectifying way. Then she giggled at the sheer unexpected delight of it whispering to herself. 'Molly Hooper, you are a bad girl, very bad.'

She turned to face the windows and took another draft of her wine which almost emptied the glass. She needed to slow down before she got too tipsy, she had no idea how long the food would be and it had been a few hours since her light brunch of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. Drinking on an empty stomach was never good for her.

The snow was falling thick and fast now and Molly frowned to herself wondering just how long it might go on for. She didn't want to end up stranded here overnight, then she had to ignore the wicked voice in her head that told her staying over might be just what she wanted.

'God, what's wrong with me today?'

'Nothing as far as I can see, what am I missing?'

Molly spun round at his interjection in her conversation with herself.

'Um..nothing I hope. Have you seen the weather?'

Sherlock rolled his eyes and turned away, retrieving his glass and the wine bottle. 'Molly, I hope we can manage more interesting conversation than the weather.'

She smiled as he came over to top up her glass before following him over to the settee where he sat half turned towards her, his arm casually resting on the back as he sipped his own drink. He was dressed in a plain white shirt and black trousers but there was nothing ordinary about him. The clothes fit him perfectly with the buttons of the shirt straining in that way that Molly always loved.

She took a deep breath. 'What do you want to talk about then?'

I hope you like the set-up, please let me know. I'll be back Thursday with the next chapter :), until then take care my lovelies xxx