Thank you for all the responses on the last chapter; I'm so glad you're all enjoying it so much. I hope I don't let any of you down with the rest.

I completely forgot to mention on Wednesday about Ben's opening night as Hamlet so I just want to remedy that and say how happy I am to see such good reports coming out. Sounds like he slayed it and I can't wait to see the NT live in October. Any of you guys planning to see it live? If you are let me know either in review or on tumblr, same name as here. Would love to know what you think of it.

Chapter 10

The next day started peacefully enough. Molly was up and was just in the process of getting dressed when there was what she could only describe as a roar from Sherlock's room. She jumped at the sound and hurriedly finished buttoning her skirt up. She was just reaching for her top when he burst into her room, hair still dripping wet and dressed only in a towel which was slung around his waist.

She squeaked at the intrusion and clutched the top to her bra covered chest.

'Someone has taken my coat, my Belstaff! It was in the wardrobe yesterday but now it's gone. We need to organise a search party...now Molly. For god's sake why are you half dressed?' He frowned as he seemed to notice her for the first time.

'Maybe because you burst into my bedroom before I'd finished dressing.' In her anger she dragged the top over her head giving Sherlock a full view of her bra. The sight almost...almost distracted him from his distress over the loss of his coat but not quite.

Once she'd pulled hair out of her shirt and felt a bit more normal she took a deep breath and turned to him. 'Right, tell me again, what's happened?'

He stalked back into his room with Molly trailing behind him, gesturing towards the open wardrobe, 'my Belstaff. It was hung at the back; I know it was there when I dressed yesterday. I also know the room appeared undisturbed yesterday when we got back from the film but I didn't actually open the wardrobe, just threw my clothes onto the chair. Then, when I came to get dressed today I noticed it's gone. Gone, Molly! Someone has purposefully stolen it.'

Molly put her hand on his arm in a bid to calm him down, 'it's alright, we'll find it. Just...just get dressed and we can see if we can get some help to look for it. You need to...' She almost said get a grip, but stopped herself at the last moment, she wasn't sure quite how he'd take that. He seemed unnaturally upset, but she knew how attached to that coat he was. To Sherlock she knew it was a symbol of him being back in England, reclaiming who he was after the years of anonymity and disguise as he hunted down Moriarty's people. 'Concentrate. You need to concentrate, see if there are any clues which show where they might have taken it.'

MHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMH

A few hours later Molly was sat with a sullen, maudlin Sherlock in the lab. They had roped in anyone they could find and had done a thorough search of the college but to no avail. Sherlock's coat was nowhere to be found.

Molly had made the mistake of suggesting that maybe he could get a new one but the look he gave her said more than words ever could.

Instead once he'd realised that it wasn't going to be found he'd thrown himself into looking into the college computer systems and trying to see how easy it would be to hack into the staff and students private drives.

After an hour of silence Molly decided to leave him to it and instead went to catch up with her friend. She had hardly seen her the day before and was feeling a little guilty at neglecting her so soon after she'd suffered the abuse of her room.

She tracked her down in the library in the end. Mandy admitted that she didn't yet feel comfortable in her own rooms so she'd brought her work down there instead. 'I could do with a break though Molls, why don't we go find a pub and just get drunk? I need some fun, what do you say?' She tried to smile but Molly could see she was still struggling.

'Yeah, come on. We can drown our sorrows.'

They linked arms as they made their way out of the college and down the street, heading for the nearest pub rather than the nicest.

'So what sorrows do you have to drown Molly?'

Molly sighed and looked at her friend, remembering what Sherlock had told her about her sexuality and why she might have been keeping it a secret from her, 'unrequited love, that's my sorrow. It's not easy, is it, seeing the person you love and knowing that they'll never feel the same way about you. I wish it didn't happen, but it does.'

She saw her friends gaze falter slightly and knew in that moment that Sherlock had been right, that this was one occasion when he hadn't missed something.

'Why did you never say anything Mandy?' She asked sadly as she turned to face her friend.

Mandy opened her mouth as if to protest but then her shoulders sagged slightly and she looked off to the side as though she couldn't bear to look directly at her, 'I don't know Molls, it just seemed easier. I knew you would never feel the same way, you're not gay, and I didn't want it to affect our friendship.'

Molly pulled her in for a hug, 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wish I could love you in that way, I really do, but you have to know this will never get in the way of us being friends. I love you too much for that.'

They stood hugging for a moment longer before they carried on to the pub. After ordering two large wines they went and sat in the quiet yard at the back of the pub. It wasn't quite a garden but was at least softened by the addition of various pots filled with flowers.

They sat across from each other holding hands and Mandy finally told Molly all the bits about herself that she'd kept hidden for so many years.

'I wish you could have confided in me. It must have been so hard realising you were gay without having friends you could talk to. I wish you'd felt able to talk to me.'

'How could I Molly? You were the one person I couldn't tell. I knew you wouldn't judge but I worried that if you knew you'd pull away, trying to protect my feelings by not being near me. You know you would have.'

Molly had to acknowledge that that would have been a real possibility, after all she had the same concerns herself over Sherlock, worrying that he would pull back from their friendship if he really realised how much she loved him.

She gave a sad, mock laugh, 'how ironic hey, that we should both be stuck in relationships with feelings that are unreturned.'

Mandy squeezed Molly's hand, 'are you absolutely sure Sherlock doesn't have feelings for you?'

Molly nodded, 'yes, absolutely. And even if he did I don't think he'd ever act on them. He's got it in his head that feelings are just a distraction or that he would risk hurting people if he acted on them. I don't think he'll ever feel differently and if he did it certainly wouldn't be me he'd want.'

Mandy shook her head slowly, 'maybe you're right about him not acting on his feelings but I think he has them and I think he has them for you. You don't see the way he looks at you sometimes...it's...oh I don't know...sad, like he wants to do something but he can't. I know that look Molly, I've worn it. Just, don't give up on him, not yet.'

Molly smiled politely but didn't really believe what Mandy had said. Instead she lightened the mood by describing how he'd come into her room that morning half naked.

'He was only wearing a towel! I swear to god Mandy I almost came there and then at the sight of him. A towel! He has no idea how good he looks or what he does to me.'

Mandy laughed, 'you should have accidentally tripped and ripped it off him.' Molly laughed so suddenly at this she nearly spat out her wine and just like that their friendship was back to normal. They spent the evening laughing and drinking, sharing war stories over previous failed relationships and giggling over their top five celebs they'd take to a desert island if they could and what they'd do to them when they got them there; there wasn't a trace of professional pathologist or dignified English professor in them by the time they left.

It was after midnight when they finally made their way back to the college. As they got closer Mandy mock shushed Molly. She tried to whisper but was so drunk it came out louder, 'we can't go in the main entrance, it's locked. Arthur will kill us if we get him up at this time. Come on, there's a way in over one of the walls at the back, I've seen the students do it before now, though I'm normally on the other side telling them off.'

They giggled their way down the side of the college until they came to the wall around the small kitchen garden at the back of the college. Mandy gave Molly a leg up til she was able to get a foothold on a stone that was sticking out slightly. On the other side a tree gave them something to help them get back down. Molly vaguely wondered how many thousands of students had come back in that way after lights out. Nowadays there were fewer penalties for staying out after hours but in times gone by this would have been a lifeline for a student late back.

They giggled and shushed their way back to their rooms giving each other one last hug before they said their good nights.

Molly knew she was a lot more drunk than she should be as she staggered her way along her corridor. When she got to her room she fished about in her bag looking for her key but couldn't seem to find it. It didn't help that she dropped her bag a couple of times. It was after the second time that Sherlock's door opened and he stood there leaning against the doorframe watching her.

'Having trouble Molly?'

She sat back on her heels and squinted at him as she looked up, trying to figure out which of the two was the real Sherlock.

'No, no mmm fine. Jusht can't find my key s'all.'

He huffed and pushed himself away from the frame and came and knelt beside her as he picked up the items that had dropped out of her bag. He seemed so close all of a sudden and Molly couldn't help but stare at him.

He turned to face her and was about to say something when she just simply leant forward and kissed him. He was so taken aback that for a moment he didn't react. He knew she was drunk and that this was totally the wrong time to do this but just for a moment he ignored it and for the first time in years he gave into his desires.

His hand came up and held the back of her head, helping to keep her steady. His mouth opened to hers and he could taste the wine. It was that that brought him back to his senses and he gently disentangled himself from her. 'I...erm...I'm sorry Molly. This isn't right, you're...'

Molly gulped down a sob, grabbing the lost key out of his grasp, 'it's OK, Sherlock. You don't have to say it. It won't happen again.'

She pushed herself up and off the floor and opened her door before almost falling through it. Sherlock was still crouching on the floor wondering what to say when she slammed the door shut behind her.

Quietly he said to himself, 'but you don't understand Molly, I wanted to kiss you, I did.'

Poor Sherlock, bad timing and mis-communication; the lifeblood of a slow burn Sherlolly. Any others that I've missed?