Chapter 6 Watching Molly

Sherlock squeezed his eyes. John fetched them a coffee and Sherlock took Molly's seat.

"That didn't go well" John stated. "We only know that she knew that we would be drugged and that it probably wouldn't work, but she's not going to tell."

Sherlock thought about the conversation. She still liked him but she had said that he didn't appreciate her. 'They did and she deserved it'. Who were they and why did she deserved it. What did she do to deserve it.

"That Jack was not alone. There was another person or more persons with him."

"How do you know"

"Because she said 'They appreciate me. I deserve it and they show it'. You're right John, she won't tell us anything. Remember the fact that she kept her mouth shut after my faked death for two years."

"Then how will we get answers?"

"I guess, we won't." After a while he said: "did you notice she has a scar in her neck? It wasn't there yesterday. The scar is at least a few months old."

"That's not possible. You can't get a scar in a day time looking a few months old." John looked confused.

"Mmm, intriguing isn't it?"

John looked at Sherlock. He saw the determination in his face. He wouldn't give up. Although Mycroft and Molly wouldn't tell anything, he knew Sherlock had his ways.

They finished their coffee and Sherlock took his phone. He started texting to his homeless network. He guessed that somebody must have seen something.

They walked back to the lab and it seemed that Molly's mood had changed for the better. Of course, it made sense. The pressure was gone. She had been 'interrogated' and she had been standing up to it. Molly had won this battle.

He looked at her and when she looked at him, he gave her a genuine smile. Her face lightened and she smiled in return. Not the shy smile she always gave him, but a genuine one. But Sherlock noticed the secret faintly shining through it. He walked back to his experiment and hoped that his network would give him some clues.

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A few months had already past and Sherlock hadn't find any answers. He was more often at St. Barts experimenting on something, when Lestrade didn't had a case, watching Molly vigilantly. Molly had changed. She didn't bring him coffee anymore and the genuine smile she had given him after their 'interrogation', she now gave to every man. Why would she do that. If he was her 'friend' then those smiles were only for him. Maybe for John and Greg too because they were her friends as well. But not for every man. They didn't deserve her smile. And then her demeanour. Molly had turned from a caterpillar into a butterfly. Her cocoon of shyness and self-effacing completely gone. A new Molly was born. Full of self-confidence, as if the world was hers. If he was honest, he was intrigued by this new Molly. The goldfish part he always saw in her had been a disguise and he hadn't even noticed it (there was always something). He had ordered his homeless network to spy on Molly to see if she would date, especially a man named Jack (he wouldn't confess that to John). He knew for sure that Jack was responsible for her change. She had said that 'they' appreciated her and that she deserved it. But what was it that she had done. He couldn't figure it out. And then appreciation. She wanted to be appreciated. If he started to appreciate her (how would he do that) would she give in? No. She wouldn't. She could keep her secrets.

John who had noticed Sherlock's focus on Molly was pleased that Sherlock spend so much time at the lab. Most of his experiments took place there, which meant that there were less body parts in the fridge. On the one hand he hoped that Sherlock wouldn't find out soon what happened so the fridge staid 'empty', on the other hand he still was mad that 'they' had drugged them and would like to wipe the floor with them. The evenings were more quieter this way. Mostly Sherlock was sitting in his chair, his hands steepled under his chin, or he was playing the violin. The few experiments on the kitchen table were a laugh. Sometimes Sherlock walked over and checked something but after a while he walked away and forgot the whole thing. It was so not Sherlock! But if he was honest to himself, he had to admit that he became worried about his friend. Sherlock seemed quite fixed on Molly. He really hoped that for his sake, he would find something or skip the whole shebang. If he would go on like this, Sherlock might verbally 'attack' Molly and then maybe their friendship would end.

Then a Saturday evening Sherlock received a text. After reading he immediately stood up and ran to the door, grabbing his coat. Mary visited a friend that weekend so John was with Sherlock. John hadn't a clue where Sherlock was heading but he followed him immediately, thinking that it was a case. Of course it was, but not the case he expected. In the taxi he asked where they were heading and Sherlock confessed that someone from his network had texted him that Molly had left her house in a hurry and was heading to St. Barts.

When they arrived they saw a black van near the entrance of the morgue. On the van was written 'Torchwood'. When they entered they stopped near the window which separated the hallway from the morgue chamber. Inside the chamber they saw Molly and 5 other people, 3 men and 2 women, standing over a body who was lying on the table. They were very occupied with the body that they didn't notice John and Sherlock standing on the other side of the window. Sherlock and John stepped away from the window and stood next to it so that when the other people would look up, they wouldn't see them immediately. The five took a body bag and put the body inside. Two men carried the body out of the morgue, the women followed. The last man said goodbye to Molly and Molly hugged him. He walked out of the morgue, looked up and saw John and Sherlock standing there. Then he smiled at them and gave them a wink. They both looked shocked. Was that man flirting?

And suddenly, as if the clouds which had blocked the sun, were blown away, the memory started to come back. This was the man who walked into the morgue, asked about Molly. This was the man who came that afternoon, drank their tea and had drugged them and Mrs. Hudson. He still wore the same outfit, the grey-blue RAF greatcoat and the belt holster. And yes. This man definitively was flirting. Molly had introduced him and told him to stop it because John was married and Sherlock was not interested at all. This man was a soldier, just as the other man. The Doctor. Dangerous. Extremely dangerous.

Sherlock decided to talk to Molly now. They saw Molly mess with the papers as if the body never have been there. They never would have guessed that Molly would do such a thing but they were witnesses. Sherlock thought 'how often had she done this. What was wrong with the body. Experiment? Torchwood. Secret organization? Definitively. Molly was involved. No, that was not it. She cooperated, she didn't work with them.' Then Sherlock remembered what his first conclusion was. 'She knew this captain because she was introduced to him by the Doctor. The files were beyond Mycroft. So very, very, secret.'

Then he walked into the room, John followed him.

"Good evening Molly". His baritone voice sounded loud now in the empty morgue. "Hello Molly" John said.

Molly startled.

"I never had expected that you mess with papers and dead bodies." His demeanour was friendly.

John looked curious.

Then she smiled. "I know, but sometimes you don't have a choice." She looked at them and said: "you both have your memory back haven't you."

"Yes, we do".

"And what did you deduce?" She asked curious.

"That both men are soldiers. They have seen many wars and have killed, They are dangerous. This whole thing is very secret and you are beaming with delight when you see them. Jack you know because the Doctor introduced you to him. And though the Doctor looks young, he is old." (the moment he said it, he knew instantly that this conclusion was right, how impossible it seemed). "Can we meet this Doctor?" He thought if he could figure out what kind of organization, he would have a clue what had been wrong with the body that they took and what Molly had done to... Then he remembered the t-shirt. 'Defender of the earth'. She saved the world. How! Molly. He wanted to know about Molly. He stared at her.

Molly nodded her head. "Your deductions are correct, but give me a good reason why you want to meet the Doctor?" Molly asked in an authorative tone.

"Because that man is extremely dangerous and in this case I would like to know the friends of my friends." He gave her a genuine smile, but his demeanour was cautious.

She knew instantly he referred to Jim, the mastermind criminal. He had warned her to dump him. She hadn't even a clue why she fell for him in the first place. Probably because he acted friendly and the fact that he was smart. But either way, because of Jim, Sherlock had to fake his death and had to stay 'dead' for two years, without his family and friends. Sherlock had never held it against her. Then his remark. 'He said friends.' He really did consider her to be his friend? She had noticed that the last couple of months he watched her with a predatory stare like she was a prey, but it seemed that more had happened.

She looked into his eyes. She knew he was a good actor, especially when he wanted to know something. But she saw concern and kindness. A cheeky grin appeared on her face. Her eyes started to sparkle and it was obviously that she was up to something. Then she confessed: "I haven't signed any contract."

He instantly knew what she meant and his eyes sparkled with delight.

She took out her phone and dialled a number. After a few seconds she said: "Could you drop in for a cup of tea? I have two friends here who really would like to meet you. It seems they are worried, especially after meeting Jack and his friends. Maybe an adventure?" For a few seconds there was silence. Sherlock assumed that the man was giving his answer. Then Molly put her phone back in her pocket and looked at them. "He'll come."

Sherlock's beamed with excitement. Finally. Answers. "When?"

"Anytime now."

"He's in the neighbourhood?"

"No, not really, but he'd just finished 'something', thus he has time." Then she giggled as if she was telling an inside joke.

Sherlock heard her remark. Molly had searched for the word 'something' as if not quite knowing how to describe the thing that the Doctor was doing.

"If he's not in the neighbourhood, how can he be here anytime now."

"Extraordinary isn't it? Wait and see" she said with a grin.

Before Sherlock could ask more, they heard a woosh, woosh. Right in front of their eyes something started to fade in and out and became slowly visible. Both John and Sherlock blinked, not quite believing their eyes. But there it was. A blue police phone box parked in Molly's morgue.

"It's a magic trick. It has to be a magic trick" Sherlock stated and thought back about the parcel the man had pulled out of his coat and had given to Molly. That also had been a magic trick. It never could have fitted in the man's pockets. To be honest, Sherlock and John both looked quite shocked. Molly smiled.

As if this wasn't the worst, the door opened and a man stepped out the box and walked over to Molly, hugging her. Then he walked over to both men, smiling happily. He saw the shocked faces. He knew especially for Sherlock it would be hard. The man was one of logic and he and his box weren't. John on the other hand would believe it would all be a dream and would in due course put in his fantasy section in his brain. He grinned. Were they in for a treat!

"Are you ready for an adventure?" A big grin on his face. Then he turned around and went back into the box, yelling: "Allons-y". Molly immediately dropped her coat and ran after him. At the door she turned around and said to the baffled men: "come on guys, don't let me wait."