Molly stomped around the lab, her feet slapped the concrete with an uncharacteristic aggressiveness. She was trying to process the samples found at the restaurant the night before, but her mind was cluttered with thoughts of Sherlock. The smooth angle of his cheek as she cupped it in her palm, the giddy feeling that shot though her body when their noses touched, his hair, his eyes, the way he smelled and the taste of his breath against her lips. She was starting to feel light headed just thinking about it. Focus she told herself as she slammed a beaker down onto the balance a little too firmly. Molly knew the lab inside and out and she could run the required drug tests with ease. Unfortunately, that left her alone with her thoughts.

She wondered if Sherlock put product in his hair? She couldn't imagine the detective getting out of the shower and running mouse through his dark curls. The mental image was enough to make her giggle. Getting out of the shower on the other hand, was a very different story. She could imagine that very well. His mop of curls hanging loosely around his face, water dripping from the ends of his hair down his nose. His tongue moving gently to catch the drops that pool on his upper lip. The rest failing off his chin and hitting his torso like tiny caresses, softly tracing the hard lines of his figure all the way down his body to…

"Morning!" John said with a smile as he walked into the lab. Molly jumped, her fantasy fading as her cheeks flushed with colour. She babbled a few incoherent sounds, trying to collect her thoughts and finally responding with, "John". A long pause followed where she moved several beakers around the lab bench aimlessly. Realizing she was only making the situation worse, she froze, looked up at John and said, "hi," with more force than intended. John didn't dwell on her awkwardness and proceeded to fill the silence with his own.

"So… Molly… How is the case going?" he started.

"You should probably ask Sherlock," she answered quickly. John chuckled,

"He said I should ask you".

"He did?"

"Well, yes, I did just say that…" John replied before he really though about his words. Molly flushed a deeper shade of red.

"Right yes sorry or course," she stammered. John chided himself, he was spending too much time with Sherlock.

"Sorry not what I mean't," he apologized. Molly looked at him from under her eyelashes.

"The case is fine. Yesterday was fine. It's really very"

"Fine?" John finished. Molly laughed, relaxing ever so slightly.

"So is that why you're here?" Molly asked.

"No. Yes. Actually…" John glanced around the room briefly. "I forgot my keys" he continued slowly. "They're here… somewhere". Molly nodded, confused but thinking too much about the night before to care very much about John's keys.

"This is going to sound crazy" she started suddenly. "But I think, Sherlock might have almost kissed me." John raised his eyebrows, but his face showed little other emotion.

"You might not be as crazy as you think," he said, a smirk taking over his features and breaking the cool facade. "Maybe you should give him another chance". Molly stared at him, not really sure what to say. John laughed to himself thinking back to a similar conversation he had just had.

"Sherlock you're not crazy," he said for the thousandth time. Sherlock of course was ignoring him, pacing around the flat like a machine.

"Of course I'm not crazy, John we both know that out of the two of us I'm much more sane. I choose rationality, you choose stupid things like marriage and babies and sentiment," he spat. John would have said something to defend himself had Sherlock not been downright manic. Sherlock's pacing accelerated and he became more aggressive, turning sharply on his heels each time he reached the end of the room. John watched his best friends eyes blaze a vibrant shade of ice blue and grey. He was always amazing to watch when he was like this, his eyes like a window into his mind— one John had only begun to be able to glance into. The particular shade of his eyes that day complimented the soft blue of his button down shirt. Mary had picked it and it suited him very well. Very good fit, and very tight…

Sherlock suddenly sat down, pulling John from his thoughts.

"I'm not crazy," Sherlock said more to himself than to John. "Sentiment is useless. So what is this feeling? I hate it, it's eating up all the space in my mind".

"Here's a crazy idea," John began carefully. "Maybe, you should just ask her out." Sherlock glared at him.

"She's never going to take me seriously and no."

"What if I talk to her?" John offered. Sherlock paused for a moment.

"Great sounds good you should probably go right now, also I hid your keys in the lab in case you needed some motivation. Bye now." Before John could even begin to form an answer Sherlock was swept away in a current of his own self interest and a moment later John heard the bedroom door slam. He could try and make a fuss but he knew it was hopeless. John sighed as he walked outside and called a cab so he could make the trip to St. Bart's.

"So you should probably get your keys?" Molly said, interrupting John's thoughts and bringing him back to the current situation.

"Very true," he replied carefully. Molly watched as John circled around the lab, slowly eyeing various corners of the room. He nonchalantly opened drawers and cupboards, peering inside before closing them once again.

"Do you know where they are?" Molly asked.

"Oh yes," John answered dryly. He got down on his stomach and checked the floor, standing up with a tight nod. "Excuse me," he said with what sounded to Molly like a hint of frustration. Before she could ask, John had climbed onto the lab bench and was pulling the grate off the ceiling vent. He tugged on it with controlled aggression. It jerked out of place with a groan. A clink was heard as his keys hit the floor. He pushed the grate back into place, jumped off the counter top and left the lab with a terse, "best be going now".


Sorry I've taken so long to update. I'm going to finish the fic before the new year, expect about 2 more chapters. As always feedback is highly appreciated. xoxo