First time John Watson got some real look inside Sherlock/Molly/Mycroft history was paradoxically at time when Sherlock was preoccupied by their complicated relationship the least for the first time they knew each other. It was thanks to the mysterious Irene Adler, a dominatrix, who kept Sherlock's attention for surprisingly long time.

It was Christmas John wasn't likely to forget anytime soon. Since "Jim from IT" fiasco, Sherlock and Molly were tiptoeing around each other. Separately, they told John why - Sherlock was mad at himself because he let Moriarty slip between his fingers and Molly was feeling guilty for leading Moriarty so close to Sherlock. John offered them same advice - talk to each other, but he could just as well talk to the walls.

After Sherlock deduced his sister-in-law almost to tears (what was it with this man and his fixation on idea that Molly had to be unfaithful to her husband?!) he surprised everyone (maybe even himself) by honest apology. Too bad it was interrupted by really poorly timed text message. After Sherlock disappeared into his room, John couldn't help himself and asked:

"I don't understand. He's so nasty to you. Why are you putting up with him?" Molly gave him a sad smile.

"He's my family," she answered, simple and honest. Then of course she added:

"And I was promised his brain after he dies." John more heard than saw Jeanette cough on her wine. Needed to say, no one else in the room was even slightly shaken by that statement and it once again reminded John how much his life changed over the last year. Fingers in the pantry and talks about human brains were doing nothing for him anymore. By now, he would be more concerned if there were no human parts in their freezer.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the phone.

"Sorry, I have to take this," apologized Molly and retreated with her phone to the kitchen, where she answered in the muffled voice. It wasn't a long conversation and when she came back to the main room, she wore an apologetic smile on her face.

"I'm so sorry, but I have to go. I'm on call duty tonight." Greg promptly jumped up and started helping her into the coat he just minutes ago took from her. Mrs. Hudson sat down her glass of brandy (never empty, that glass, noticed John amusedly) and surprisingly easily stood up from her chair.

"You have to go to work, dear? I cannot imagine there would be that much work to do tonight!" On that, Molly snorted.

"Are you kidding, Mrs. Hudson? It's Christmas, busiest time of the year. Lots of depressed people, lost of suicides. Am I right, Greg?" John chuckled at her absolutely insensitive comment. Jeanette beside him gasped. Right. New normal, but just for him.

"Hear, hear. Do you want me to take you there?" asked Greg and was already reaching for his own coat, but Molly stopped him.

"No need for police, thanks. Mycroft is sending me a car." Right on the clue, there was a beep from Molly's phone, probably signaling that the car arrived. Greg shrugged, gave her a kiss on the cheek and sat back to the chair, obviously happy he doesn't have to go out. Molly looked around.

"Well, Merry Christmas, everyone. Jeanette, it was nice to meet you." John's girlfriend (of the hour, added voice which sounded annoyingly like his flatmate, in his head) uneasily reciprocated the wishes.

"Ehm... you as well, Molly." Then, with one last wave, Molly was gone.

Not long after the pathologist left, Sherlock emerged from his room. Without a word he dressed up and left the flat. John was watching him through the window until he disappeared behind the corner.

"You think it has something to do with Molly being called to work?" asked John. Greg correctly assumed that the question was targeted primary at him. He waited until John was seated back in his chair (leaving Jeanette in the too loving company of Mrs. Hudson) and then answered.

"Possibly. I'm pretty sure it was Mycroft calling her, though, not hospital."

"Yeah?"

"Yes... every time there is some high profile case, Molly is the one on it. In case you didn't notice, Holmes brothers have some serious trust issues and Molly is very trusted by both of them." John chuckled. He couldn't argue with that.

"Well, she is Mycroft's wife..." he shook his head. Greg gave him a questioning look. John chuckled again.

"Sorry, even more than year after, it just sounds weird." Well, not that Molly was married, in John's modest opinion, she was every man's dream. What baffled him was the fact she was married to Mycroft Holmes. Of course, John didn't know Mycroft that well, meeting him only a handful of times, but he just couldn't imagine the older Holmes brother being someone's husband. But, what he knew. Maybe in private, Mycroft was completely different person. Maybe he liked to take a dog out for a walk and eat homemade biscuits while watching evening news on telly with his wife sitting by his side, both of them wearing fluffy slippers and matching robes.

When his mind procured this mental picture, John had to take extra large sip from his glass.

Greg probably guessed what was going on in his friend's mind. He gave John, pat on the back and said:

"I hear you, man... and you even don't know the whole story." That peaked John's interest.

"And you do?" Greg smirked.

"Well... part of it." John expected him to continue, but the detective said nothing. So John refilled his glass and prompted him.

"Well? Come on, do I have to beg you?" Greg laughed, settled himself more comfortably in the chair and then finally started.

"Okay, here comes: Molly and Sherlock met at university."

"What?"

"They were working together on some project back there."

"About what?"

"I have no idea. I actually don't even know what was Sherlock studying. But, I know they become friends." Molly's words from the past echoed in Johns head and he found himself repeating them out loud.

"Sherlock doesn't do friends." Greg shrugged his shoulders.

"He did back then. True, he was probably high most of the time, but fact is, he and Molly were close." He paused for a minute and John was once again reminded how little he actually knew about Sherlock's past. By know, he pieced together bits and pieces so he had some idea about what was Sherlock up to in his early years. Drugs were probably just a tip of the iceberg.

John snapped out of his thoughts and asked Greg to tell him more.

"What happened?" Lestrade sighed.

"Mycroft happened."

"Huh?"

"He came visit his little brother one spring weekend and six months later was married to Molly Hooper." This time, John actually choked on the wine he just had in his mouth.

"What?! You're joking," he said disbelievingly. Greg sighed.

"I wish."

"How did Sherlock... take it?"

"Like he takes everything. He closed himself to everyone... except Molly." John's eyes almost fell out of its sockets at this.

"Really? I would expect him to start sulking and accusing her for betraying him for his brother or something like that." Detective chuckled.

"Oh, he did all that, of course. They had a huge fight over the triple homicide." That sounded so absurd and so them, that John had to laugh.

"Romantic." Greg grinned and nodded.

"Yep. He was snippy and cruel, she was patient and understanding, which made him even more annoyed... but Molly had the last word, if I remember correctly."

"She always does." There was as much admiration as envy in that statement. To this day, John wasn't sure he won a single argument with his friend. Sometimes, he thought he did, only to realize later that in fact he didn't. Sherlock was good at confusing people even when he wasn't there.

"Molly didn't let him chase her away. She was with him the whole time Sherlock was getting off the drugs. Mycroft as well, of course, but I always had a feeling that Molly had much bigger impact on the git than his own brother." That statement caught John's attention.

"Did Sherlock and Molly... you know... were ever a thing?" he almost wished for Greg to say yes, but silver-haired policeman shook his head.

"No idea. Really. I didn't know him that well back then. I met him on one drug bust in some junkie house. He deduced my former partner to tears. And on our way to station deduced me and I was... impressed. I offered him that I would take him with me on cases, if he put himself together, but the moment Mycroft bailed him out, I haven't heard of him for another eight months. Then he showed up like we spoke together just yesterday and that he's there to take me up on my offer. He wasn't clean, far from it, but by then, he had Molly with him and, well... she convinced me to give him a chance, promised she will keep him in check. And she did. She even managed to get him back in the school. And that's when Mycroft butted in." Greg frowned, probably remembering his first meeting with older Holmes brother. John let him for a few seconds and then incited him to continue.

"What did he do?" Greg refilled his glass again.

"As I said... I really don't know what happened, what made Molly marry Mycroft. But whatever it was, Sherlock didn't take it very kindly." He sounded actually little sorry for their friend. But not sorry enough not to add:

"No surprise there." He chuckled, but continued immediately.

"One day, Molly just showed up with a ring on her finger. They had that fight and after that, I didn't saw Sherlock for almost a year."

"He went back to drugs?" That seemed like a thing young angry Sherlock would do, but Greg replied otherwise.

"He went to rehab." John gaped.

"Really?" Lestrade nodded and leaned closer to John, like he was telling a secret.

"I have no idea how she managed that. Or maybe he went in spite of her, just to prove her he could... what I know. But he did get off the sauce. And as far as I know, he's been clean since then." Greg leaned back and in normal way added:

"You helped a lot, too." John blinked, surprised.

"Me?"

"Yeah... you keep him company. As much as he's claiming otherwise, Sherlock is not really that good at being alone." That was actually quite a praise, on which John didn't know how to react, so he just shrugged.

"Well, he needs an audience for his deductions." Greg laughed.

"Yep... that too," he said and then stood up, saying that he should probably go, since the party was kind of downer anyway. He let Mrs. Hudson pack him some food and sweets (because they all knew that Sherlock was right and him coming back to his wife for Christmas was not happening), snagged a bottle of wine from the kitchen (John had no idea where those expensive bottles came from, but since it wasn't from his pocket, he really didn't cared that much) and bid them all good night and Very Merry Christmas.

Shortly after that, John received a call from a big brother himself and the rest of the night was filled by going through the whole flat and looking for Sherlock's hidden stashes. And by his break-up with Jeanette. Well, he probably should see that one coming.

When Sherlock returned, he just said they better not messed up his socks index and then he swiftly disappeared in is room, shutting door after him. John stayed up, listening and waiting for any indication Sherlock could be in trouble there. But not a peep was heard and when John went check on him around midnight, he found Sherlock still dressed and standing by the window, his hands under his chin in his typical thinking position. His friend didn't say a word, so John just took a quick look around the room. When he didn't found anything suspicious, he retreated, not closing the door all the way.

He poured himself another glass of scotch (seriously, where were they getting this stuff, this bottle was twenty years old!) and sat down in his chair, pondering over all that happened this night, from Irene Adler to Greg's story about Molly and Sherlock. And especially by that was John stunned.

Was this it? Was that the reason for the animosity between the two brothers? Did Mycroft actually snatched Molly from Sherlock? If he did, that whole "petty feud" was getting pretty huge proportions. And Sherlock's disdain for emotions was getting a new meaning as well.

John sighed. Well, at the beginning he told himself he won't get tangled in their mess, but it seemed it was too late. Now he needed to find out what was going on between them. Or get a new girlfriend. Whatever keeps him busy.