'Okay, only one more to go and I am done for the day...' Molly mumbled under her breath as she trashed her used latex marigolds and sprung on a new pair. She snatched the clipboard balanced on the edge of a slab, and looked it over.

Her eyes widened at the name that appeared at the very end of her autopsy list.

'Oh, shit.'

She jumped at the sudden sound of someone entering the morgue behind her.

"Hello, Hooper. Almost finished?" It was Irvin Marcus, a fellow pathologist. He was chewing on an apple.

"Um, yes. I was just looking at the last name on my list. Tara Gunning?"

Marcus strode over next to Molly, and wedged the apple in between his teeth. He took the clipboard from her hands and observed the list for himself.

He bit down on the apple, and chewed. "Indeed, you're right. Why? was she anyone important?"

"I heard about her on the news a few weeks ago. She was missing."

"Well, someone obviously found her." he stole a glimpse of her when he knew she wasn't looking. She was so cute with her big doe eyes, and little button nose. It was too bad that she was still hung up on someone. "Why don't we take a look?" He suggested.

"Yeah, okay." she said,decidedly, snatching her clipboard back. She nudged him with her elbow, looking pointedly at him. "Throw that apple away, yeah? No food near the bodies."

Together, they lifted the white veil partway off the body.

"Someone found her, and beat the living crap out of her." she murmured, as her eyes traveled across each bump, bruise, and cut on the body. "Poor thing."

"Look at the rope burn on her neck." Molly snapped her head up at Irvin, alert at the word 'burn'.

"Pardon?"

" I said, check out the rope burn on her neck. She's got a big purple bruise around her neck "

"You think she was beaten up, and then strangled to death..."

"It's best to find out. If we went on assumptions we wouldn't well have a job now, would we?" Dr. Marcus spun away from the table enthusiastically, and started walking backwards in the direction of the door. "Text me when you're done. I'll give you a lift home."

She was left alone in morgue, again, She pulled out her voice recorder and began the procedure.

"Dr. Molly Hooper doing an autopsy on Tara Gunning." Using her measuring tape, she measured the woman's height. "1.65 meters, approximately around 130 pounds."

"Foot size: 8 and a half..."

Molly swung open the door on the passenger's side. "You were right; Beaten up, and asphyxiated."

she plopped herself on the passenger's seat, next to Irvin. "Any signs that she put up a fight?" He asked, half focused on fixing his mirrors.

"Oh yeah, she put up a hell of a fight. Some of her bruises were fading, and some were fresh. So I think it's safe to assume that whoever did this had held her captive and beat the poor woman up, everyday."

She frowned, until little lines appeared on her forehead. " Th- the weird thing is that usually with these kind of scenarios...non-consensual things tend to happen; but there was no trace that anything like that ever occurred. So what I'm thinking is revenge."

Marcus lolled his head back, and let out a hearty laugh. "Hooper, we're pathologists, not detectives."

She angled herself in her seat so that she was facing him. "Yes, yes, I know, but don't you think it's a bit suspicious?This young mother who's had no history of violence in her record, disappearing into thin air, and then suddenly-" She stopped on the account of her own words; as if realization was slowly sinking in.

"Hooper," he breathed out, with an amused smile playing on his lips; "We see many suspicious deaths in our line of work. This one doesn't really stick out from the others. Scotland Yard will figure it out, soon enough."

Molly shook her head, and sat back down with a pout. "You're right. Yeah, you're right. It's just that

haven't had a good proper sleep in a long while, and it's making me all 'panicky' and weird..."

"It's fine, Hoops. Straight to your flat, then?"

"Yeah," she conceded, " Take me home."

He parked at the curb next to her building. " Um. Hey, Molly, before you go..."

His hand gripped the back of her seat. "... I wanted to ask you something."

She turned to him, staring at him expectantly, "Yeah, what is it?"

"It's about that bloke you had a thing with. I don't remember what his name was, but I heard things went bad between you two, and y'know, if you ever want to talk or, do something..."

Her gaze darkened, and she carefully chose her words. " ...Do what, exactly?"

She knew about the rumours that were going around the hospital about her 'erratic' behaviour. It was none of their god damn business what she did off hours, and they could sod off for all she cared. Here, she thought Irvin was one of the more respectable, nicer lads that didn't listen to the staff''s rubbish, and yet here he was, about to put a move on her. "Have a shag? I suppose that's what you were thinking." she spat out her words with utter distaste.

"You know, I may be a little sad and vulnerable right now, but don't for one second think that means that I'm going to spread my legs open, inviting everyone for a ride!" She snarled at him, infuriated that he would actually think so low of her.

Marcus moved back in his seat, with his hands up in a way to show that he meant no harm. "Whoa, whoa, whoa-Molly. I wasn't- I didn't mean that... I was just suggesting going out to a pub for a pint; nothing like what you were thinking."

She could feel the heat in her face radiate. The amount of times she managed to make herself look like a fool, could only mean that it was a godforsaken curse.

"Fuck. I am so, so sorry, Irvin. I really am. This is really bloody embarrassing. I just- I assumed that you meant 'that', because of what everyone has been saying about me..."

His once warm and friendly demeanour completely vanished, and was replaced with a cold one. "Yeah, whatever. You can get out now."

She felt bloody awful.

Swallowing down hard, she opened the door and stepped out onto the curb. When she turned around to thank him for the ride and to apologize a few dozen more times, he pressed a button that automatically rolled up the window and closed her off to him.

Molly stood there for an awkward moment, not sure what to do exactly, and turned around, tilting her head upwards while sighing into her palm.

Well, isn't this just lovely?

Walking to the front of her building, muttering curses to herself, she fumbled for her keys in the front pocket of her bag when something sparkly on the pavement caught her eye.

It was a ring . Nothing entirely special or grand. Just a simple, one-studded ring. 'The stud's probably fake.', she thought to herself.

Although, It was very pretty.

She picked it up and pocketed it. Molly turned around to see if maybe Irvin was still parked at the curb, when she saw that he wasn't, she could feel the goosebumps rise on her arms. She had the uneasy feeling that someone was watching her.

'Don't be weird, Molly.'

'You've been acting weird all day,'

'-stop it.'

Nervously glancing around, she finally found her keys and hurried into the building.

She unlocked the door to her flat and pushed it wide open. Once inside, she dropped everything and slid down against the door. She sat there for a few minutes,meditating into her hands. She ended up fucking things over, again. Having Irvin in mind, she mulled over the things she had said to him. It was bad. It was so bad, that she wouldn't be surprised if he decided to never speak to her again. He probably thought she was a freak.

With frustration boiling over her, she thrust the keys that were gripped in her palm across the room, scaring her ginger tabby who was innocently padding along the living room.

After collecting herself, she stood up and walked over to the refrigerator, extracting leftover chocolate cake, lime, and ice from the freezer. She placed them on the table so that she could crouch down and grab her Vodka and Tonic from the bottom cabinet.

The perfect remedy to her crisis, whatever that was.