"Molly!"

The name was shouted as the door to the building was flung open. "Molly, where are you? Come quick! There's a case, Molly! And it's a
Murder! It's finally, finally occurred!"
Boomed the detective and he went tearing through each room looking for the maid.

From the kitchen, Molly came running to the door, hands rubbing eagerly into the white apron she wore. "A body?"

"Not A body. No, no, nothing so mundane as that." He strode over to her eyes bright and swirling colors as the sea as he gripped her shoulders preparing her to stay calm even as excitement buzzed through him, radiating its way over to her. "Not one body Molly. There are four bodies."

"Four!" She nearly sang, watching as the man strode back over to the walls and shifted out of his top hat and morning jacket, hanging them on the hook on the wall. Grinning like the cat that had eaten the canary all the while with a look that seemed to telegraph a silent, 'I know!'

"Oh dear not two of you now." Came the voice of Aunt Martha, coming forward to greet her tenant, "it's unseemly being excited about some poor, unfortunate, creatures demise."

"Four such creatures though, my dear lady. Four!" He bent and embraced the older woman's cheek in his exuberance. "Such a thing why it's almost better than anything on the planet better even than-"

"Better than Christmas?" Molly supplied, looking excited as a child. "I do so love Christmas, after all."

"Yes!" Holmes cocked a grin at her, "just so!"

Molly grinned a bit foolishly at the tall man as he smiled down at her. Holmes seemed them to turn toward the door as it opened once more allowing Doctor Watson to enter in looking just as glum as his associate was gleeful. Seeing the others gathered before him he hastily attempted to rearrange his expression before greeting them. "Ah. Good morning. And what is the reason you are all gathered in the vestibule today?"

"Death of course, Watson. And a good heaping of it." Holmes chirped, either avoiding or uncaring of the dark shadow that once more crossed his friends face. He finished tying off his scarf before going on. "You coming along?"

"Right. Yes, of course," he sighed out wearily. "Been a while since we've had the pleasure of seeing you so gleeful. We'll be off directly, no doubt."

"Yes. So go take care of whatever it is that your about to tell me and let us be off, my good man."

"Ah..." Watson looked about warily and set his medical valise by the table. "Yes of course."

"Good." Holmes reached in his back pocket and pulled out a pad of paper and scribbled out an address, tore away the paper and handed it to Molly. "I trust you will find the address with no issues."

"Yes sir." She nodded.

"Very good." Holmes turned away half a turn before spinning back to it. "Have you money for the fare?"

"I have a few coins set aside-" in truth all she had was the few meager pennies she'd come with, it wouldn't be her preference to part with them, but to help on a case- her thoughts were interrupted by Holmes."Not nearly enough, no doubt." He reached into his pocket to retrieve his billfold and pulled a ten pound note out. "Keep this to for your travel expenditures as needs must. And do let me know when you become low on funds. It would not do to have you walking about alone in some of the locations our work takes us."

"Yes sir," she said quietly taking the paper into her hand, holding the note and wondering what it must be like to be able to so easily give away such an amount with out thought. Why it totaled up to nearly half of her annual wages and he'd parted from it without so much as qualm! While she'd never thought him a man of limited means she never assumed he had such wealth at his disposal.

"It won't go as far as you'd think. Especially when you insist the cabbies wait on you. Which you will be doing; Understand?" His eyes tightened and he smiled at her clearly pleased with himself, "come now! It's obvious what you are thinking. Your thoughts are virtually transparent. It's no more than what is required. A business expense, if you will." He justified.

"Does that mean you are going to be paying my fares too these days, eh Holmes?" Doctor Watson queried with a small amount of amusement.

"What? No, of course not, Watson. Why in Heaven's name would I give you an allowance? You are already making a profit off of our adventures with your dalliance in writhing about me now are you not?" Holmes grimaced. "Do hurry or I shall be forced to leave without you. No doubt countless idiots are trampling over the footprints I'll need to investigate. Let's be off." Sherlock ranted as he walked to the door. "I'll secure a cab but do not delay Watson. The game is afoot!"

And with that he was gone, leaving behind Watson shifting coats and an excited housemaid, Mrs Hudson having returned to the kitchen to her tea. Molly, even in her excitement could see the Doctor was moving rather slower than normal and felt the need to enquire. "Doctor Watson, did you need anything before you go?"

He smiled wearily again. "No thank you, Holmes would have my head in a basket if I delayed him."

"But... it's just... are you quite all right?" She was unable to keep from asking.

Doctor Watson stopped and looked at her. "I'm fine Molly," he assured. "It's just that this case will not be my first deaths of the day. I lost a new mother and her son to a fever and left behind a sick grieving father and husband."

"That's never easy." Was all Molly could get out. Indeed she'd seen the scenario played out many times before when she'd worked with her father.

"No. No, it does not." Donning his hat he nodded in farewell. "Till we see you then."

"Till then." Molly called, turning away to
Go change before she too left. But then the door opened again.

"Actually Molly, now that I'm thinking on it, when you come could you bring a sandwich? Maybe one or two of those ginger nut biscuits you made?"

With a grin Molly answered, "I'll see what I can scrounge up for you, sir."

"Excellent! Thank you, my dear!" and then he was gone. And with it came the perfect excuse for Molly joining the crime scene.

"Aunt Martha?" Molly called, "do you have a basket that I may borrow?"

"Of course, but what need have you for a basket at a murder?"

"Why to pack a picnic of course!" Molly laughed at the absurdity of the notion, while her Aunt . "Oh now that's sure to get people talking!"