AN: Hi everyone. A massive thank you to all the followers and reviews I have been receiving, it means a lot to me to have your support. I think my husband may be getting sick of me checking every 10 minutes and going "oo another follower, yay a review!" lol. Maybe I'll even get round to doing shoutouts some day soon.


Lunch with a Friend.

"This isn't what I had in mind when I agreed to go meet with John for you," Molly said, watching Sherlock setting up a small hidden camera on her coat, fiddling with the position and then checking the footage on screen. "Why can't I just tell you about it when I get back?"

"Would you let Stamford do an autopsy for you?" Sherlock asked without looking up from his work.

"Of course not, I mean he's a good Doctor, but he hasn't got the specific training for… oh. I see"

"It's nothing personal Molly, but I'd rather see and hear everything myself. The exact words he uses, the exact way he says them, it's all very telling and would likely be lost in a retelling" Sherlock explained. He stopped fiddling with the camera "That should do it, it's not perfect, but it's better than nothing."

"Do I have to wear this all day?" Molly asked "I don't think I'd feel comfortable with it on at work."

"You can take it off, but don't turn it off, I don't want the connection to be reset again. Just put it in your bag and clip it back in the same place when you're ready. Oh and buzz me on the house phone when it's time, I don't need to waste time staring at the contents of your handbag, I've already deduced them and it's nothing interesting. " Sherlock instructed.

And so when lunchtime arrived, Molly went to the bathroom, fixed on the camera as well as fixing her hair and makeup, and phoned home before leaving to meet John.

She arrived at the small café just before John, choosing a seat near the window, where she could see him approaching as Sherlock had asked. He wasn't far behind her though, in fact she was surprised she hadn't seen him coming down the street. When he got in she smiled and got up, giving him a slightly awkward hug as they exchanged hellos. They took their seats and Molly took a menu, frowning when John didn't.

"Aren't you having anything?" She asked, concerned. He did look a little thinner than last she'd seen him.

"Oh, yeah." John said, turning his head to look at the menu still in the menu holder. His brows came together, and he seemed to look through it, before turning back to Molly "I'll just have whatever you have."

"Right." Molly looked up to the waitress who had been hanging back, giving them time to make up their minds. "Two all day brunches please Jenny, and a coke each"

"Trying to fatten me up?" John laughed, as the waitress nodded and scuttled off to get their drinks. Or at least his mouth laughed, his eyes told different story.

"You look like you could use it. You've lost weight." Molly said with concern.

"I hadn't noticed" John said, looking away to see if the waitress had their drinks yet.

"Are you okay?" Molly couldn't help asking "You look tired." And that was an understatement.

"Yeah I'm fine" John quickly answered "Just, work and stuff, you know."

Molly nodded, though she didn't believe him at all. Their drinks arrived, and Molly took a sip before replying. "Yeah. You still working at that little clinic?"

"Yep. That's the one. I've took on more hours there actually, now I'm not busy with… other things."

"That's good. Isn't it a bit awkward with that girl you used to date there?" Molly asked curiously.

"Sarah. No, no it's not awkward at all." John replied.

"Oh that's good. It's good that you can both be professional and put things like that behind you."

"Well I wouldn't say that. We just don't talk to each other if we can avoid it." John clarified, with a genuine smile. Molly couldn't help but laugh slightly with him. The waitress put down their food between them, and Molly tucked in.

"So, what about you?" John asked, pushing his food around on his plate a bit, but not eating "How's business down at the morgue?"

"Oh, you know, same old. Except not having your visits of course" Molly told him, referring to his visits with Sherlock of course, but not wanting to say the name. She wasn't sure John was ready. She suspected she had already said too much, as John bowed his head. He pushed his food around a bit longer before taking a small bite. His brows were furrowed, as if deep in thought.

"Why didn't you come to the funeral, Molly?" John suddenly asked, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

Molly was taken aback by his directness, but fortunately she had a readymade answer. "I work in a morgue, John. I spend all day with the dead. I don't need to go to funerals to say goodbye."

"That… makes sense. So it's not because... you know, what the papers are saying." John said awkwardly, looking down and taking another bite of food to cover his awkwardness.

"Oh, no of course not! I know - knew Sherlock too well to believe that. And I knew Jim too, remember. I know what a good actor he was, but not this Richard Brook character. And Sherlock didn't need to hire an actor, I saw him work first hand, I know he was a real genius!" Molly said vehemently, hoping to cheer John up.

"Good. Thank you, I needed to hear that." John nodded, looking at her again. He grimaced "You know, Sherlock's last request was that I tell everyone he was a fake. But I won't do it. I don't believe him, and I can't lie about him, so I won't do it. Not sure if that makes me a good friend or a bad one."

"Definitely a good one" Molly reassured him. She hadn't known Sherlock had said that, and it confused her slightly, but she filed it under 'ask him later'. "I'm not sure why he said that, but I'm sure he didn't really want you to."

"You're right. It was probably part of Moriarty's big game. I almost wish Moriarty hadn't killed himself. I wish I could get some answers out of him. And I wish… I wish I could have had the chance to kill that animal myself." John admitted bitterly.

Molly bit her lip. She and Sherlock hadn't thought about what to tell him about Moriarty. Would it be safe to tell him? Would it be safe not to, after all, if Moriarty was still alive he might go after John himself.

"What is it Molly?" John asked urgently, noticing her inner turmoil.

"Moriarty. He went missing. His body… it disappeared from the morgue on that first night." Molly told him in a hushed tone.

"You mean the body was stolen?" John asked, in the same secretive tone, leaning in closer to her in his excitement.

"I… I don't know. There was no sign of a break in, security camera's didn't get anything."

"But he was definitely dead, you had done the autopsy?" John asked in an urgent whisper.

Molly shook her head. "I… I didn't get the time; I had a lot on my plate that day. But I don't see how he could not be."

John sat back, his jaw slack and his eyes staring straight through her as he absorbed this information. "Could he have faked it?" he muttered to himself "He was smart, as smart as Sherlock. If anyone could figure out how to fake a death like that it… oh"

John's eyes went wide with a new realisation. Molly could see it in his eyes and the smile daring to tug at the corners of his lips; he had realised Sherlock could have faked his death. And it broke her heart that she would have to put a stop to it. It just wasn't safe for him to know yet. She couldn't force the lie out of her mouth though, and settled for a shake of her head, and putting her hand on his reassuringly.

John got the message, and she saw the hope instantly die from his eyes. They weren't empty like before though, there was something else there. A different hope, a darker one, burning in his eyes. Molly didn't like the look of it, but knew it was too late now.

Suddenly John got up, leaving his food only half eaten.

"Thank you Molly, it's been nice catching up." He said, giving her a small sad smile before walking away, leaving enough money on the table to cover both their meals.

Molly sat, with a cold feeling from how their conversation had turned. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, even after gulping down the rest of her drink. She couldn't finish her meal, though she'd eaten far more than John, so she left it, adding a small tip on top of the money John had left, and returned to the hospital.

In the bathroom she unclipped the camera and put it back in her bag. After checking there was no-one about to overhear she phoned her house phone. Sherlock picked up after only a couple of rings.

"Did you get all that? Was it okay?" She quickly asked.

"Yes I got it" Sherlock's voice replied.

"Was it okay that I told him about Moriarty? I didn't know if I should."

"Yes. That was fine" He answered stiffly. The way he said 'that' told her there was something else though.

"What? What is it? What did I do wrong?" Molly asked nervously.

Sherlock sighed angrily "All my careful planning down the drain in one kind gesture." He muttered.

Molly gasped. "I'm sorry Sherlock, I didn't mean to mess anything up" She begged "What was it, what did I do?"

"I'll talk to you back at the flat" he told her curtly, hanging up the phone.

Molly dropped her phone back into her bag with shaking hands, gulping at the lump in her throat. She took a couple of big breaths, trying to calm the panic, then stepped out, back to the safety of her morgue, where she could hopefully distract herself enough to keep her sane until it was time to go home and face the music.