"Where are you off to then?"

Sherlock stopped with one foot out the door. A slight lifting of his shoulders revealed his tension. "Out. New case."

"Oh. Alright then… Then I won't expect you home anytime soon?"

Sherlock took a breath and did his best to put on a neutral expression before turning towards the woman who was questioning him. Despite his efforts, his eyes were still narrowed and there was a distinct chill in his voice when he inquired, "We're not really going to do this, are we? Molly, the terms of our arrangement were very clear. Living in each other's pockets like some lovesick fools was not one of those terms. I'll like as not be gone for a few days." The statement came out more clipped than he had intended and he prepared himself for the wounded look which would soon appear on Molly's face. He hated that look. It was one of only three things which could cause him to feel a twinge of guilt.

Molly beamed. "Fantastic then, I'll have the place to myself for a bit."

Sherlock's head snapped up and his mouth opened in a small moue of surprise. Scanning her face and body language, he quickly deduced that Molly truly was happy and a bit relieved by his imminent absence. He found that he was not pleased at this discovery. "So eager to see me leave, Molly? Why would that be? What have you planned?"

"Nothing special. I'll putter about the flat for a bit. Wear my pjs without having to endure your commentary. Have a friend or two over. You know, just the usual sorts of things." Molly shrugged and with a small laugh explained, "You forget I've lived alone for most of my adult life. It's been a crazy couple of weeks between the wedding and my getting settled in here. You're not the only one adjusting to the changes, Sherlock. "

An unusually awkward pause seemed to last for hours. At least that was how it seemed to Sherlock. "Right then. I'll be off. I'll just…" he cleared his throat in an uncharacteristic moment of uncertainty, "I'll just text you before heading home. I wouldn't want to interrupt anything." In his mind, he heard Mycroft's voice, "Really Sherlock, you sound almost petulant." Ignoring the unwanted observation, Sherlock whirled and strode out the door, being very careful to avoid slamming it. He didn't want to give Molly the wrong impression after all.


Striding along the London streets, Sherlock functioned on auto-pilot. Eyes unseeing of what was in front of him, he still possessed the uncanny ability to weave and dodge through the gaping tourists, businessman on their way home from work and the nanny's sheparding kids from the park. His mind was focused on puzzling out the mystery of Molly. Not that he was adverse to the changes in her. After all, he'd never have suggested their unconventional arrangement if she'd remained the besotted admirer from years ago. No, she'd changed during the years of his absence. The essential Molly was the same but she'd grown more confident. More independent. Yet, tonight she'd been even more different. Sherlock catalogued the details he'd noticed: new shade of lipstick, jumper that was correct size instead of three sizes too large, and a spark of anticipation in her eyes.

Sherlock's sudden stop caused several other pedestrians to swerve to avoid a collision.

"Hey, mate, watch yourself. You nearly caused me to drop my chips," a teenager shouted at him before continuing on his way.

Sherlock didn't even hear him so absorbed was he by the conclusion he'd just reached. Molly Hooper, his wife, was going to have an affair.


"Don't be ludicrous, John. You sound like Mycroft. Of course, I'm not jealous. I'm concerned. Isn't that how a husband is supposed to behave?" Sherlock inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Well yes, Sherlock, but since when have you ever reacted in the normal way?"

"Her taste in men has not been the best and Moriarty is back. Until we find Moriarty, Molly is a likely target."

John finished pouring himself a drink and sat across from his friend. A look of dawning horror filled his features. "Sherlock, tell me that is not the reason why you married her."

"That would be a poor reason for marriage and not at all logical, " Sherlock scoffed. "Rather a drastic move to avert a temporary problem and I assure you that Moriarty will be a temporary problem."

John's mouthed dropped open and he shook his head from side to side with a sense of wonder. Slowly, a slight grin appeared.

"What?" Sherlock demanded. "Why are you wearing that silly expression?"

"Drastic, huh? Drastic? This from the man who entered into a love affair and got engaged to break into an office. Nah… that wasn't over the top at all."

The two men's eyes met and each began to chuckle. After a bit, they stopped laughing and the conversation again turned serious.

"Sherlock, we never talked about it, but you do know that you really crossed the line with Janine? You can't go around utilizing innocent people like that."

Sherlock waved his hand dismissively. "Janine ended up profiting in the end." Sherlock closed his eyes and shuddered as he thought of the result of her lurid tales of his prowess. "Meanwhile, her tabloid interviews have resulted in a bevy of rabid fans. Some of the personal items they send make even Mrs. Hudson blush. I've been more than adequately penalized for my actions. Besides, I even let Janine keep the ring."

"You really don't get it, do you, Sherlock? I understand that you don't always play by the same rules as the rest of us, but entering into romantic relationships as an investigative tool really is not on. What if she'd gotten pregnant? Even you wouldn't abandon a child."

Bristling, Sherlock replied, 'I'm not certain I appreciate that 'even you', John. Besides, your point is irrelevant. That was never going to happen."

"Mary and I didn't plan for a child and yet it happened. You should know enough about biology to understand that sex sometimes result in pregnancy."

"Sex? When did sex come into the conversation?"

"Janine and you? Boyfriend and girlfriend? Her staying the night and wearing your shirt? Sound familiar?" John's questions trailed off as Sherlock appeared more and more confused. "Sherlock, uh… you and Janine never… never were physically intimate?" The pitch of John's voice rose proportionally with his level of embarrassment at this topic. He was surprised to see Sherlock looking at him with an expression of indignation.

"Of course not, John, I do have professional standards you know. I'm a high functioning sociopath, not a gigolo."

Completely flummoxed on how to process this new piece of information, John merely shook his head in a bemused manner. Deciding to get the conversation back on track, he observed, "Don't think I didn't notice you never answered my original question. If you didn't marry Molly to protect her from Moriarty, why did you marry her?"

Sherlock felt completely discomfited by the question. He did not wish to have this discussion. A silence descended between the two friends. It stretched on for a few minutes. Knowing Sherlock's tricks, John decided to wait him out. Various emotions flitted across Sherlock's face before settling into something resembling a mixture of distaste and vulnerability.

"Companionship. I needed companionship," he softly admitted.

"Companionship?" John repeated stupidly.

"I don't wish to become Mycroft. Indeed, I find that I have grown accustomed to regular human interaction, as annoying as it may be." Sherlock hadn't a clue as to how helpless he sounded.

"You married for companionship?" There was a note of incredulity in John's voice. "Well, I suppose that's one reason for it."

"Yup," Sherlock replied in precise tone that popped the p sound.

John had seen Sherlock use this method before to discourage further questions. But John wasn't having it. This was too important to drop. "Sherlock, is Molly aware that you and Janine never engaged in…?" Rather than explicitly state the issue, John waved his hands a bit. This heart to heart chat was not what he'd intended for this evening, but if he didn't get to the bottom of this Mary would never forgive him.

Shrugging one elegant shoulder, Sherlock dismissively replied, "I don't know. The subject never came up. Why should it?"

"No reason. No reason at all, Sherlock. Just do me a favor and make sure it doesn't." John ran a hand over his face in exasperation and covered his mouth as if to prevent himself from blurting something further out. It seemed that Sherlock Holmes was not so very clever after all.


A/N: I had intended for this to be a relatively short story, but it seems to have taken on a life of its own. After a long drought, Sherlock has brought about the return of my writing muse.

I imagine this story will be several chapters long and filled with humor, angst, romance and mystery. Expect some old faces to arrive on the scene. I hope you decide to take the journey with me.