Set after the previous chapters events, but definitely not the same day.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. They belong to ACD & BBC Sherlock. The story is my own.


It was still a bit cold out, despite the weather reports of warmer weather. John tugged his coat closer together, blowing into his gloved hands in hopes of warming them. He was regretting not stopping by his house. But Mary had texted him saying her appointment was cancelled and that he didn't need to swing by to stay with Rosie while she was out, as initially planned. Instead, he could continue on with the case with Sherlock. Though, John wished he had gotten that text sooner rather than later, being so close to home already. But had turned around to head to Bart's.

He found himself walking along the sidewalk. Sherlock would already be checking labs for the case and awaiting the body for autopsy that should be dropped off around 4:30 as Lestrade informed them.

Pulling out his phone, it was only 4:10. So, John wasn't going to be that behind. Putting his phone back into his pocket and rounding the corner, it was a surprise to nearly bump into Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock fumbled a bit, both hands full. One hand gripped a cup of coffee a bit more, some of the contents spilling over, the other hand holding firmly onto his phone as he continued to text.

"Oh. John." Masking his features. John seemed to have arrived sooner than expected. "The body arrived early. Lestrade's upstairs now."

As they strolled along, Sherlock put his phone away, passing the coffee to the other hand and wiping away the drops of liquid on the soiled glove. Not stopping his speech, Sherlock continued "If we hurry, we should be able to catch the culprit before 5:00 today. Scotland yard had a bet that I couldn't finish this case in two hours. Turns out its been giving Gavin quite a bit of trouble for the past week."

John looked to the cup. A cup of coffee wouldn't normally be of that much interest. But the fact that Sherlock Holmes had a cup of coffee on hand was a bit of disbelief. Sherlock never stopped for coffee. And if he did, it was always someone else who fetched it for him.

Looking to the scribbled black ink on the side of the cup, "peppermint white mocha" John read aloud. If Sherlock heard him, he didn't acknowledge it. Not exactly the type of coffee Sherlock drank.

But it wasn't so much the coffee that John questioned. It was the cup. The cup itself was a simple white paper cup. However, the sleeve of the cup, from what John could see was a bright purple knitted coffee cozy. Even more surprising is that it appeared to have tentacles splaying about the bottom brim of the sleeve. John guessed it could only be in the design of an animal, its face obstructed by the hand now holding it. John looked up to Sherlock questioningly.

"I actually finished in one hour, but Anderson bet 200 that I would finish in one, so, might as well delay and push it to two hours. There's nothing better to do at the moment. Nothing but boring twitter cases."

No response from John, Sherlock looked to him, seeing what was troubling John. "It's coffee." His tone of disbelief that John didn't already understand that it was only coffee.

Swinging the doors of Bart's wide open, Sherlock made his way inside.

John ran in, catching up with Sherlock's quick strides. "Yes. I know. But whats with the sleeve?"

As if he didn't already notice, Sherlock went along anyway, and looked to the sleeve. "Oh. Look at that. Cafe must have put that there so as to not burn yourself from the hot contents." Sarcasm evident. "We should hurry John. We're nearly hitting the two hour mark."

Nearing the door to Molly's lab, John's phone rang. Incoming call from Mary, a picture of Mary & Rosie lighting up his screen.

"Ah, just a second."

Sherlock obviously ignoring John continued walking, going through the lab door, walking up to Lestrade and Molly in the middle of the lab.

"Hey Mary."

The lab doors swung a bit and John could hear Lestrade's voice going in and out. Looking away, he focused on Mary's words.

"Dr. Levinson just called. He needs to head out early on an emergency, they need you to fill in for the rest of her appointments today."

Glancing inside the lab John could see Molly, now holding the purple-octopus-cozied coffee, smiling brightly to Lestrade as Sherlock tinkered with the microscope at the lab bench.

John would chalk it up to coincidence. Sherlock with odd cups, which seemed to end up being for Molly. He had heard Sherlock & Mycroft make remarks about "coincidence", rarely was the universe so lazy. Maybe Sherlock was just being nice. But rarely did "Sherlock" & "nice" end up in the same sentence.

"Alright sounds good. I'll head there now." John remarked, "See you and Rosie later then."

Hanging up the phone and pushing the doors open, John could hear Lestrade talking but wasn't quite focused on his words.

"Oi! Isn't it your annivers…" But Lestrade barely got the words out before Molly sputtered a mouthful of the sweet mocha across Lestrade's face. Sherlock's body froze at Lestrade's words.

Circumstantial. That's what it was. The day Sherlock brings Molly coffee, John arrives early. John's baby was proving difficult to predict some of John's habits nowadays. And the moment John decides to join the case and walk through the door, Lestrade recalls something and decides to let the whole room know.

"S-s-sorry!" Molly's face now red, obviously surprised by her own actions. Truth be told, Molly saw John walk through the door, just as she realized what Lestrade was reminding them of.

"Did I miss something?" John asked, standing in the doorway, foot in the door, a questioning smile on his face. He was only there to tell them he had to leave.

Instead, he was met with Lestrade standing still, eyes closed and face covered with droplets of coffee, and perhaps whipped cream across his unshaven face. The case obviously taking a toll on him since he had worked on it for the past few week. Having finally relented in involving Sherlock only today.

Molly's face still red, eyes wide. "Oh… I'm so sorry, the coffee was bit hotter than I anticipated." Quickly covering the incident.

John still stood in the doorway. The room awkwardly silent. "Well.. I need to be heading off… Sherlock?"

Sherlock having finally stood up from his seat, trekking over to where Lestrade & Molly stood, looked to him.

"You've got the case covered then? Done?"

"Ah yes. Solved." Sherlock handed over two paper towels. One to Lestrade and another to Molly.

"Give our love to Mary." Molly remarked from behind her napkin, dabbing her face.

"Okay.. I'll see you guys later then." John looked to each of them, Molly & Lestrade both in a bit of shock. Sherlock looking to his phone.

"Okay then." Walking backwards until he was back into the hall, the door swinging shut. Perplexed, John wasn't quite sure what he had missed. But when he looked back through the window of the door, he could see Sherlock smacking Lestrade up the back of his head. Molly trying to suppress a giggle.