Higher 4

Day 55. 11am.

To describe the air in the lab as tense would be an understatement. It was thick and somehow charged and completely uncomfortable to be in. All that was missing was the spark to ignite it.

If Sherlock Holmes was a decent man he'd offer to assist Molly Hooper. If he was a good one, he would do it cheerfully. But he wasn't a good man. And rarely a decent one. He frowned and tried to think of the solution to this conundrum.

For her part Molly wasn't even concerned with her lab partner. Her plate was full tying up ends before her hellish weekend was going to begin. She gave no notice to Sherlock's staring off and it gave him an opportunity to observe her and weigh his decisions and their consequences in relative privacy.

Act or ignore. Accept or refuse. Remain the same, or change.

When John had learned that he had asked Molly to work on solving crimes together as a thank you for her help in faking his death and keeping the secret for years, his friend and let him know how bad that was and insisted in Sherlock buying her a ridiculous bouquet of flowers ( which Molly rolled her eyes over and blamed John) and him writing her a thank you note. His mind traveled back to the conversation he and Molly had shared on the day they had shared together. She had told him how glad she'd been, how it had been her pleasure to help him. But when he'd brought her the flowers with his brief note she had smiled so brightly tears welled up in her eyes. He didn't know how she managed it but Molly Hooper, Pathologist Registrar looked stunning when she cried and smiled together like that . The note had been simple, direct and no where near as personal as the conversation they had shared in person where he's told her that she had been the one to matter most... But he had said how he trusted her to do the impossible when it had been needed, and if there where ever a time she needed him he would be there.

Even a fool would be able to deduce that Molly was unhappy. Her engagement failed, her heart broken by him and his behavior with the drug relapse to get Magnussen attention case. Then there where his two near death experiences. Not to mention Janine's public slandering and sensationalized if his (so called) sex life. Well all combined he really want proud of himself either. So much of her pain had been from him.

Through it all had been Molly. The rock. Molly who had slapped him to remind him of who was important. Molly who had refused to let Sherlock get bored in the hospital. And the quiet woman who didn't insult him with questions about his so called engagement and had offered him this lab position. Yet another image of her from a bright white room telling him how to survive the bullet that had ripped him apart. Molly the Hooper: savior of Sherlock Holmes.

And now, he saw a way to thank her. Too right wrongs as best he could. It was his turn to do the impossible for her.

With a deep breath for courage he stood and walked to the desktop she was working at.

"Molly"

She stilled at the sound of her name, but didn't look at him. He wondered if she was as aware of the thickness of the air as he had painfully been.

" Bagel?"

Her eyebrows drew up in surprise and a thoroughly confused look came over her face she smiled a tiny half smile at him. Sherlock turned and brought the paper bag he had purchased in the canteen. Then settled down at the stool before him. Molly continued her silent processing as he laid the snack out before her. They both sat down and after Sherlock started eating his right away, Molly just looked at hers then up to him.

" I refuse to play your games Sherlock. I'm not giving you anything to take with you today. I mean it."

"It's a bagel Molly. You haven't eaten since that disgrace of a dinner last night. Eat. "

Unconvinced, she took it from him. And they settled down at a cleared station. They started to eat and suddenly Molly spoke. He steeled himself for the conversation.

"Do you think it is possible for normal people to have arch enemies?" She glanced at him hesitantly.

There had been no part of Sherlock that was anticipating her to say that however. It knocked him completely off guard. He knew his expression was reflecting his shock and uncertainty, but all he could manage was a bewildered, "What?"

She took a tiny gulp of air. "Arch enemies. People who you are just constantly pushing you into competition with them, that you don't even like. They are always trying to make themselves look better than you. Be better than you. Always, always pointing out your flaws, and looking flawless in comparison "

Honestly he was trying to follow her, but he was getting lost as to why this was what she wanted to talk about in spite of her other looming issues. "Well..."

" Obviously, Jim - I mean." She stutters and glanced down. "Moriarty. Well, he'd be considered yours right? You naturally would have one. But what about normal people? Do we get to have them too?" Molly was embarrassed, painfully unsure of herself. It's been months since this side of her had appeared. The day she explained about meat dagger. The day he told her he hoped shed be very happy...

Molly pressed on clearly wanting this explained. While she spoke, she began tearing apart her bagel.

"Jillian is my cousin. My clever, lovely, cousin who I can not stand for even two minutes. In our school age years she was beautiful, popular, athletic and the complete opposite of everything I've ever been. What ever I excelled at, Jillian was there out shining me. In Uni, after I declared medicine, so did she. I concentrated in Pathology, she choose Oncology. Now she's employed at a research lab, and from hearing her talk you'd think she is just this close to curing cancer while I'm here in the dungeon playing morbidly with dead things and detectives."

She was gesturing more and more animatedly. But stilled when she mentioned her work with New Scotland Yard and himself and he saw the flush of anger deepen into darker blush. After a timid bite of a piece bagel. She continued.

" I had thought there was nothing left for her to compete with me over, but I was wrong. A week after Tom and I announced our engagement,a save the date arrived from Jillian's mother. Showing off the small island that Jillian now drags with her from her left hand. A gift from the Honorable Judge Richard P Houser the third. " she continued eating another bite and then pressed on yet again.

"Of course family obligations had to be made and I found myself pressed into a conversation with my Aunt Ruth, Jillian and various other family pains. When Aunt Ruth spoke of how she and my mother used to dream about how close Jillian and I would be and how we would be in each others weddings it somehow needed with a rather tipsy me agreeing and inviting Jillian to become a bridesmaid. She extended the courtesy back and here I am. No longer having a wedding, and committed to not only attend but be involved in this wedding of someone I don't know and someone I can't stand to be around. Add to that her demands that I show up with a date since my 'abandonment from Tom' and I'm ready to run for the hills."

Abandonment from Tom? For Gods sake. What kind of idiots did Molly's family contain. After all, Molly ended her relationship with that idiot. Hadn't she?

"What time do you need to be picked up?"

Molly's large brown eyes rounded and stared at him like he had just turned lilac in front of her.

"What are you talking about Sherlock?" She barely said it was so quiet.

Clearing his throat he told her " I'm accompanying you of course."

"No!"

"Molly, you are in need of an escort to this wedding. I am painfully free, so I shall accompany you. There it's settled. Now what time?"

Her eyes turned more pointed as she stared at him. " I did not ask you to come Sherlock."

"You were told to bring a date correct?"

"Yes, but that in no way means im taking you. I have not asked you, nor do I plan to Sherlock. Have you gone daft!" Molly had stood up and was leaning heavily on the desk. He was fairly certain that she was fighting the urge to run.

"But you do need a date I'm prepared to take you. What objections could you possibly have?"

"Ha! What objections!? Sherlock, are you mad? What makes you think that I am so desperate to accept your pity date. I am capable of finding a friend to attend with me, or deal with a cross Jillian if I can't. "

A dangerous look had overtaken her. Was she about to slap him again like he had the day he'd even dragged in here for a drug test? He had deserved it then, but now for offering to take her to a social event she was becoming feral. It made no sense at all.

" I am not coming out of pity Molly. I -"

"You are not coming at all Sherlock Holmes. I will find a friend to join me or not.I will deal with my family how I see fit. " She turned to put her trash in the container and strode back to her desk.

" You don't want me to come with you? Why?" He demanded while studying her closely.

" Why would you want to come?" She retorted.

"I never said I wanted to go-" she laughed dryly. "And I never said I wanted you to come." Sherlock stood and crossed the table.

"I thought, given all the help you've been to me in the past that I could do this for you. " She turned and returned over to him " I never asked you to do anything in exchange for my help. You do not owe me. As for accompanying me, to a wedding, to a FAMILY wedding you would not like it. Not for a moment. God knows the only reason you handled John's so well is because of course you discovered a murder plot, and once that had come to a finish, along with your other business of the evening you left. What would you have done without those distractions then? And to want to come with me, where I would be the only person you know to an event you'll detest... Why would you volunteer? What is in it for you?"

The chance to see you be happy, he thought.

"Are we friends Molly?" Was his Answer. Their eyes locked but he saw her brown orbs briefly flicker down to his lips before locking immediately back to his.

She swallowed and spoke lowly. "Yes. I … I suppose we are. "

"We'll then, as friends would allow me assist you and escort you to your arch enemies blessed event?" Their gaze remained locked but he could tell that she had made her decision slowly she began to nod. A triumphant smile lit Sherlock's face.

"So Molly, I'll ask again. What time should I pick you up?"