It's so very odd this current situation isn't it. I'm sat here in my lovely home, on a perfect, warm spring day listening to the birds singing. It's hard to square that with the fact that we're going through one of the worst pandemics since the Spanish flu...sometimes it all seems so far away and unreal. I suppose I should hope that for each of us it stays that way...far away and not affecting us.

Shall we lose ourselves in a little Sherlolly. Mary's back :)

Chapter 4

'What?'

Molly had never seen Mary look so surprised but to give her her due she valiantly pulled it together in record time.

'You and Sherlock? You're together?' Mary looked puzzled as though she was thinking back over recent meetings and trying to see the signs and Molly knew she ought to come clean.

'No, not together. At least not romantically.' She couldn't help the slight tinge of sadness that accompanied the last line.

'We got talking, here actually, at Rosie's christening. I was saying I wanted kids but not without a father in the picture and Sherlock commented that he had been thinking recently about having children but didn't want a relationship and..well...one thing led to another and we've decided to have a child together and raise it together even though we aren't together romantically.'

Mary's eyes narrowed. 'OK and how exactly are you having this baby? IVF?'

Molly looked down at her glass, playing with the rim of it and she knew she was blushing.

'Umm...'

'Hmm...I didn't think so. Molly Hooper, are you planning on having sex with Sherlock?'

There was a split second pause before Mary gasped making Molly look up. 'Oh my God have you already had sex with him?'

She quickly held her hand up. 'No, no, not yet. I mean yes that's the plan but we haven't...you know...yet.'

Mary sat for a moment and then broke into laughter. 'Oh this is brilliant. Don't tell me...it has all been his idea. Am I right?'

Molly felt a little confused but she nodded. 'Umm...yes. I...he had his reasons for wanting a natural conception.'

'I'll bet he did. Oh this is perfect.'

Molly frowned slightly. 'Why? I don't get what you're so excited about.'

'You don't? No, you probably don't see it. I'm telling you right now Molly that that man is in love with you he just doesn't know it yet. Oh I bet it all sounded very logical and convincing in his mind but he won't be able to give you up once he's started. I take it you don't have an issue with that.'

Molly rolled her eyes. 'Don't be daft, this is Sherlock that we're talking about. I believe him absolutely when he says he doesn't want a relationship. I mean, he's never shown any interest in me before...or anyone for that matter...well, except maybe that Irene woman a few years back.'

Molly blushed at the memory of what she had seen on that woman's website page. She'd often wondered to herself if that was the kind of woman Sherlock actually went for rather than someone plain and ordinary like herself.

Mary shrugged and took another drink of her wine. 'I've long been saying to John that if Sherlock gets with anyone it will be you. I've seen how he looks at you and how he responds to you. You know he thinks you're pretty much the only person who truly sees him. And let's not forget that when you tell him off he listens...I remember how he reacted at the christening when you told him to put his phone away and John told me you were the first person he'd ever seen Sherlock honestly apologise to.'

Molly shook her head slowly. 'No...no, I mean we're friends but that's all.'

'Is it though?' Mary said this in such an arch way that Molly looked over. 'What?'

Mary continued. 'So, what exactly have you two been doing to prepare yourselves for having sex? I'm assuming you aren't just going from nothing to jumping into bed. I'm sure Sherlock will have suggested some preparation.'

Molly must have blushed or given some sign away because her friend pounced immediately pointing her finger at her. 'Ha, I knew it. So come on...spill.'

'We just...umm...well, we had to see if there was a spark there.'

'Of course you did.' Mary's voice was so ladened with sarcasm that even Molly laughed.

She held her glass out as Mary poured them both some more wine; it was definitely helping Molly to relax into the conversation more.

'So, the other night we may have made out a bit.'

'And? How was it? I hope he's a good kisser at least.'

Molly couldn't keep the smile off her face. 'Yes he's a good kisser...one of the best. Oh God Mary, am I making a huge mistake? I mean, I love this man...you know I do. Am I just setting myself up for heartbreak? I'm trying to be logical and tell myself it's for a baby and nothing else but I can't stop thinking about him and all we've done so far is make out like teenagers. Can I actually have sex with him and not get burned when he walks away...and I'm still convinced he will...not from the baby of course but from me.'

Mary gave it some thought. 'Well you know what I think. I still reckon once he's started sleeping with you he won't want to stop but if I'm wrong at least you'll know what it's like to have sex with him. I know they say it's better to have loved and lost that never to have loved at all...maybe the same is true of sex with Sherlock.'

She grinned and the two of them started to giggle.

'Just...well, just be open to the idea of this being more long term...don't put barriers in his way that's all I'm saying.'

SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH

The conversation between John and Sherlock was shorter but no less weird.

It took place on the train as they were travelling back from the case in Norwich. Once he'd filed away the last of the case details into his mind palace Sherlock had been thinking about Molly and he realised he probably needed to share their decision with his best friend now rather than waiting until Molly was pregnant. Knowing John if he waited that would be deemed to be a bad thing.

He cleared his throat and decided to just plunge right in. 'So, John. I just wanted to let you know that I've decided to have a child with Molly.'

The way John's eyebrows shot up to the top of his forehead was almost laughable but Sherlock ploughed on before his friend could interrupt.

'We've discussed it, of course, neither of us wants a relationship but we do want a child so this is the ideal solution.'

John took a deep breath and placed his hands on the Formica table between them. 'This? This is the ideal solution?'

Sherlock nodded. 'Yes.'

'And Molly's happy with this? You've actually spoken to her not just imagined that you did?'

Sherlock huffed. 'Yes John I've actually spoken to her.'

John narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. 'OK then.'

Sherlock couldn't help but be a bit suspicious at his friend taking this news quite so calmly. They were silent for a couple of minutes but Sherlock couldn't bear it.

'We are both grown adults you know...we can make these decisions if we want.'

'Never said you couldn't.'

'Molly will be a good mother...she'll make up for my shortfalls.'

'I agree.'

'We're going to have sex...to conceive the baby that is.'

'Really...ok then. About bloody time.'

'What does that mean?'

'It means Sherlock, that it's about time you let yourself have a relationship and I think Molly will be good for you.'

Sherlock grimaced. 'It isn't a relationship.'

'If you say so.'

'I do.'

'Good.'

Sherlock wasn't sure if he was angry or relieved that at that moment the train pulled into Kings Cross station and the conversation came to an end. He wasn't quite sure how or why but he somehow felt he had lost an argument but he didn't quite know what the argument had been about.

He contemplated going round to Molly's flat but it was late. John was heading straight home to see Mary and so Sherlock made his way back to Baker St still feeling disgruntled by his friend's reaction.

MHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMH

The following day Molly was working in the lab when John and Sherlock arrived to carry out some test on an apparently quick case that Lestrade had just passed over to them. Sherlock greeted Molly as he normally did but she couldn't help noticing that John seemed to be watching their interactions more closely than he normally would. She assumed that Mary must have told him about her and Sherlock planning to have a baby together and she felt a little shy around him wondering what he must be thinking.

She carried on with her paperwork whilst they worked and it was only when John left the lab around mid-afternoon to find some food that Sherlock interrupted her.

'Molly, come over here?'

He had been sat looking at something with his microscope so she assumed he wanted her to double check some of his findings...that was quite a common occurrence and she didn't mind.

'Hey, what are you looking at?'

Sherlock looked confused for a split second but then waved his hand dismissively at the microscope. 'Oh that? That's not important. I just thought that as John has left the room we could continue with what we were engaged in the other night.'

He turned slightly on his stool and took hold of her hand pulling her between his thighs.

Molly was a little shocked. 'We can't get up to anything here, I'm at work.'

'And? Who cares, there's no one else here. Kiss me.'

She shook her head lightly at him being so bossy but she found that she couldn't resist taking him up on the offer.

Her lips brushed against his tentatively at first but as he pulled her closer his mouth opened up to hers and she just let herself enjoy the moment. She had been right with what she'd said to Mary, he really was an excellent kisser. He didn't hold back at all, there was no uncertainty or reluctance. He kissed her as though they were the only two people in the universe and it was intoxicating. The fact that she was at work or that anyone could walk in just seemed unimportant in that moment with his mouth on hers.

His hands moved under her lab coat and down her back until they were on her backside pulling her against him and she swore she could feel him getting hard. Knowing that kissing her was turning him on triggered her own arousal and she couldn't help but thread her hands into his hair, tugging lightly and hearing him groan in response. She could get used to this and it worried her. She pulled away a little and she saw him pout in disgruntlement.

'So why do we need to be kissing now?'

Sherlock rolled his eyes. 'Because foreplay now will make sex in a couple of days easier. If you are aroused and sexually frustrated you'll be more eager to have sex with me when the time comes.'

Molly wasn't sure that she would ever need foreplay to get aroused around Sherlock but she didn't want him to stop so she just nodded her head in agreement.

His lips had moved to her neck and as she felt him kiss his way down her throat she had to bite her lip to try to suppress a moan. This really did feel altogether too good.

'Maybe you should come round to Baker St tonight...we'll have more privacy there.'

'You think we need more of this then?' Mary's predictions about Sherlock were still fresh in her mind and when he was touching her like this she could almost believe that he did have feelings for her...she needed to be careful...to try to protect her heart.

'Probably not but I'll have nothing to occupy my brain once these tests are finished and I'm finding all this quite engaging. It makes sense to find out more about each other's sexual likes and dislikes so we can at least make conceiving a child as enjoyable as possible.'

Before she could discuss it further the door swung open and John returned already complaining about the lack of choice in the hospital canteen. His diatribe swiftly stopped when he saw Molly stepping away from Sherlock's obvious embrace looking embarrassed.

'Oh sorry, am I interrupting? I can...umm...go...'

As Sherlock answered that yes he was interrupting Molly shook her head and started to make her way back to her desk. 'No of course not we were just ahh...discussing something but I'd better get on; I need to get these files to Mike before I can finish.' With that she gathered up her files and left the room.

What do you think? Do they need the practise and foreplay? Or is Sherlock already kidding himself. Hope you liked Mary and John's reactions to the news. Anyway, Happy Easter, hope you still get lots of Easter eggs xx