Tea and Theft

The first week they fell into a pattern. Molly would get up, find Sherlock already awake and staring at the ceiling, give him his medication and change his dressings before getting ready for work. Sherlock would spend the day deep in thought, occasionally interrupted by Molly's cat, which was apparently named Toby, and who had apparently decided he was safe to approach and a comfortable place to sit. When Molly got home she would all but drag Sherlock into the kitchen, where she would chatter away about her day with little encouragement while preparing food for them both against Sherlock's wishes. Sometimes he protested, just to get a reaction. Sometimes he contributed advice when she talked about a particularly puzzling body, but without seeing it he couldn't make a full deduction. Once he suggested going back in with her to look, but Molly would have none of it. Sherlock was too disappointed in not being allowed to go to enjoy her bossiness over the point.

Saturday started the same, with the exception that Molly was going out to do the shopping rather than going to work. At first Sherlock didn't even notice the difference, until he heard her return after only a few hours and start banging around putting things away, before turning on the TV, and presumably settling down to watch. Suddenly Sherlock had had enough.

"BORED" he shouted

"Come watch TV with me then" Molly called back.

"I don't want to watch telly" Sherlock spat bitterly.

Molly sighed and got up, coming to stand in the doorway to his room. "What do you want then?"

"I need to start gathering Intel on Moriarty's network, try and break it down so I don't have to spend the rest of my life hiding in this flat. I already have a couple of ideas for where to start, but I'm going to need my laptop" he said pointedly, turning to look at Molly expectantly.

"Okay, where is it? Baker Street?" She asked obediently.

"Obviously"

"I can't just break in and grab it, Sherlock" She protested

"Of course not." Sherlock replied "You're going to visit John and Mrs Hudson, offer your sympathies, find out how they're coping and all that. If my laptop happens to slip into your bag while you're there, then all the better" he smiled with a wink.

Molly nodded, looking a bit sad "It's not going to be easy lying to them" She said quietly.

Sherlock's impassive face softened in sympathy. "You'll be lying to keep them safe Molly. You shouldn't feel guilty when you're acting in their best interests."

Molly met his eyes and nodded, quickly leaving to get ready. She tried to fix his words in her mind, but already knew they were fruitless. They clearly weren't working for him

Half an hour later, Molly was standing outside the familiar door of 221b Baker Street, halfway hoping that nobody would be in. Mrs Hudson quickly came to the door though, cautiously opening it and peering out. She relaxed when she saw Molly, opening the door wider with a sad smile.

"Hello Molly dear. How can I help you? I'm afraid none of the boys are here, well of course you'll know about Sherlock won't you." She trailed off, looking away with a sad look that wrenched Molly's heart.

"Yes I know" Molly said softly "I was just coming to see how you and John were coping."

"Oh you're such a kind girl. Come in, I'll pop the kettle on." Mrs Hudson smiled at her, pottering away into her flat. Molly's eyes travelled up to the flat above it, before following her.

Mrs. Hudson was filling up an old fashioned kettle, the type that goes on the stove, when Molly got there. "You sit down Mrs Hudson, I'll do that" Molly offered

"Oh thank you for the offer dear, but it's fine. It's nice to have someone to make tea for again" She said, putting the kettle on the stove and starting to pull out cups and saucers.

Molly sat at the table "So where is John then? Earlier when you said… I thought he'd just popped out"

"Oh I wish," Mrs Hudson replied with a sigh, "He couldn't bear it, staying up there on his own, with all Sherlock's stuff still lying about, untouched. I offered him the other flat, but he and Sherlock had memories there too. Something to do with a case, I never did find out what. He's moved in with his dear sister, Harriett, for a while. He says he doesn't know how long, or if he'll even be back at all."

"Well that's understandable" Molly said, feeling bad for being glad he wasn't about. She had been dreading seeing him and was glad to put it off. "And how are you coping Mrs Hudson?"

"Coping" Mrs Hudson nodded sadly "It's so quiet now. He used to drive me crazy sometimes, with all the noise and the mess. But y'know I kind of miss it now. I suppose that's what it's like when you have kids and they grow up and move out. Only sort of… condensed." She turned away, pulling the whistling kettle off the stove and pouring the tea. Her voice was slightly shaky from tears when she spoke again "Those boys were the closest I had to kids of my own. Sherlock mostly, he was such a big kid. The tantrums he's have when he could find nothing to do. And the way his face lit up when he had a crime to solve. Not the nicest of things to get excited about, but it did make him so happy, it was almost infectious." She sighed, placing down the cups in front of her and Molly and sitting, resting her face in her palm, leaning on the table. "He was so full of life. Didn't care what anyone thought of him. That's why it was so surprising. It's horrible what the papers are saying about him, saying he's a fraud, when he most certainly was not! I can't believe he let it get to him though. It's just so unlike him."

Molly nodded, taking a long slurp from her tea to avoid answering. It's for her own good Molly reminded herself. Mrs Hudson shook her head, as if trying to clear it and focused on Molly again.

"And how are you coping with it all, dear?" She asked "I know you were very taken with him."

Molly nodded "I'm… I'm okay. It was hard, having to deal with his broken body" She said, drawing from the one bit she could be honest about "But I work in a morgue, so I'm kind of acclimatised to it. It's always harder when it's someone you know though. Someone you… loved"

Mrs Hudson nodded and put a comforting hand on Molly's arm. It was more than Molly could take, being comforted for a lie, so she quickly drained her tea and stood up.

"Thanks for the tea Mrs Hudson, it was nice. And it's been nice talking. Do you mind if I just use the toilet before I go?"

"Of course not dear, it's just under the stairs" Mrs Hudson replied, looking a little disappointed at how quickly their visit had come to an end.

Molly nodded and all but ran out the room. Rather than going into the toilet though, she crept up the stairs to Sherlock's old flat, being careful of the creaky step. She slipped inside and quickly located the laptop and power supply, putting them in her messenger bag and disguising the shape with her coat and umbrella, before slipping back out. Her eyes widened when she saw Mrs Hudson waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her.

"You know if you wanted a keepsake you only had to ask dear, you didn't have to pretend to be going to the toilet" Mrs Hudson said, with a small smile to let Molly know it was okay.

"Th..Thanks Mrs Hudson." Molly stuttered, letting her breath go and coming down the stairs "It's silly, but I just needed… something"

"I know. I have one of his scarves" She whispered as Molly passed her. They both smiled sadly, and Molly laughed nervously again, before giving Mrs Hudson a kiss on the cheek on the way out.

"Thanks again for the tea"

"Anytime dear, don't be a stranger"

"How were they?" Sherlock called from his room the second she got in.

"John doesn't live there anymore-" Molly began, kicking off her shoes and shrugging out of her coat.

"Did Mrs Hudson say where he is now? Is he at Harry's?"

"Yes" Molly hung up her bag and retrieved the laptop from it.

"Well that's not going to end well. And how is Mrs Hudson?" He was sitting at the desk when she walked in, obviously ready to use the laptop. "Oh good girl, you got it."

"I think she's lonely" Molly answered his first question, setting the laptop and cable in front of him. He raised his eyebrows and scooted his chair back. Obediently Molly picked up the plug and crawled under to plug it in "She caught me coming down from your flat by the way; she knew I'd taken something but didn't ask what. She assumed it was a keepsake and let me off."

"Good old Mrs Hudson" Sherlock grinned. Molly popped back up from under the desk and he kissed her cheek "Thank you Molly" he said warmly, before putting on his game face and turning to the laptop. Molly blushed furiously, opening and closing her mouth as if struggling to find something to say, then gave up, realising his attention was no longer on her, and probably wouldn't be for some time. Still pink cheeked she got up and left him to it.

AN: I know it's not really theft as he asked her to get it for him, but it made for an exciting title ;)