AN: just had my husband read this and point out me switching between 6 months in the last chapter. Oops. So sorry about that, I'll try and do a better job of checking from now on.

"So who else knows you're alive?" John broke the silence. The worst of the shock had passed, calmed by the presence of the man now sitting beside him. Sherlock looked up from the nothing he was staring into as he thought.

"No-one. Just you and Molly." He answered, slightly distracted as his eyes reassessed Johns condition.

"Not even Mycroft?"

Sherlock snorted "Brother dearest? I avoided asking his help even before he sold me out to Moriarty, yet alone after. He deserves to mourn me."

"Fair enough" John agreed. He had asked more out of amazement that Sherlock had managed to stay out of Mycroft's sight than any feelings of sympathy toward the man.

They both looked around as the door to the roof opened, relieved to see it was only Molly, struggling to open the door handle and keep a hold of the two bottles of water in her hand. John looked eagerly at the bottles, feeling ridiculously thirsty after his shock.

"Sorry it took so long, there was a queue at the vending machines. Here you go John" She babbled, hurrying over and handing the bottles to John. He gratefully took them, chugging the first down quickly then opening the next.

"Wow, you really are thirsty. Oh and here, I bought you this too, you'll need vitamin b, this is the best I could do." Molly said, pulling a snack bar from her pocket and handing it to John. "And also, I just wanted to say, I am so sorry for lying to you about Sherlock. I-"

"Don't be" Sherlock cut her off

"It's okay, I understand" John said over him.

"Okay" Molly nodded. She looked up at the coat around John's shoulders with a concerned look before turning to Sherlock "You wore the coat? I thought it was too dangerous, what if someone recognised you?"

"Nobody saw me, I took back alleys all the way here, came in the back door and put all the hospital cameras I had to walk past on a loop until I was clear. I bought the coat for John's benefit, I didn't want him to see me out of the corner of his eye, think I was someone else and jump before I could reach him. " Sherlock explained.

"Yeah thanks it helped, what with the new haircut and all." John said absentmindedly, looking from Sherlock to Molly. The Sherlock he knew before would have simply said 'don't try to think, Molly' or something equally rude. Obviously living with her had done him some good John was pleased to see. "So what now then? Are you coming back for good now?" He had to ask.

"No, still too early for that yet. It's still not safe for you. Shouldn't be too much longer though." Sherlock assured.

"You have a plan, right?" John asked

"Of course. I haven't exactly been idle these 9 months, even if I haven't been able to get out much." Sherlock said, getting up and stretching his legs "I've been refining my computer hacking skills, gathering all the info I can about Moriarty's network. I'm hoping to get a fix on Moriarty himself, but so far it's proved difficult, he's moving around too much. But give me another couple of months and I should have enough information to take down 90% of Moriarty's network and have substantial proof of his existence. Of course I'll have to hand the information over to the police to apprehend the criminals, which will probably take us down to more like 80% but that's still more than enough to keep Moriarty busy and open the way for my return."

"Wow, yeah, that should do it" John agreed with a laugh, before sobering slightly "but what about me? I just go back to… what I was doing before, when I thought you were dead?"

"I'm afraid so, you need to act like you never saw me today, any change in your behaviour and the people watching you will get suspicious."

"I don't know if I can. I mean… jeez I was a mess. A proper mess. The drinking…. And it wasn't just me I was messing up, it was Harry too. I can't keep doing that to her." John confessed.

"Hmm" Sherlock mused "There might be another way. If something else was to inspire your reformation perhaps. A new religion maybe?"

John just snorted in response.

"Some kind of therapy?"

"Yeah tried that, look where it got me"

"Alright then, a new girlfriend then. You never seemed to be lacking in those"

"Yeah that was before, I haven't had a new girlfriend since you scared the last one off." John pointed out "And besides, who would want to date me if I'm still pretending acting like a depressed, jobless drunk?"

"Maybe if that person was only pretending to date you" Sherlock said with a sly smile

"Who? Oh!" John said, following Sherlock's gaze to Molly.

"Me?!" Molly squeaked, seeing both eyes on her. She blushed furiously and stuttered, uncertain of how to respond to such a proposal.

"It's a perfect cover" Sherlock assured "If anyone asks it was Molly who stopped you killing yourself. She talked you down and you started to feel a spark, something that wasn't there before and decided to see where it went. But obviously you knew you'd have to clean up your act for a serious relationship and she agreed to help you.-"

"But I haven't agreed to anything yet!" Molly spluttered.

"Oh come now Molly, it's no big deal, you're only pretending to date him. What price is that to potentially save his life?" Sherlock cajoled.

Molly knew she was being manipulated by the light-hearted tone of voice, but despite that what he said was true. "Okay. I suppose that would be okay." She agreed.

"Excellent"