Notes: SORRY for the delay I got ill and university started again last week and ugh I just had no time to write. ._.

One thing I wanted to mention as well: I now use the German variant of quotation marks since Open Office ALWAYS changed the english ones back to the German version and I tried to alter my settings to english but it didn't work so don't get confused by this „".

WARNING: Molly is becoming a part of big events. This chapter contains indication and short depiction of child abuse!

Molly almost fell out of her bed when her alarm clock went off. She then spent a while searching for her favourite clothes and was happy they weren't in the washer (as usually when she felt like wearing them). Taking a quick look at herself in the mirror she decided not to put up any makeup.

Toby was already waiting for her in the kitchen. Ruffling the cat's fur she listened to the teardrops dripping down on the roof, quietly tapping at the window. She feeded Toby and made herself a coffee and ate some cornflakes even though she wasn't hungry at all.

When she felt Toby rubbing his head against her ankles, she smiled down to him. I love you, too. she said with a giggle. He answered with a satisfied purr.

About an hour later Molly was seated in a club chair, her best friend Valerie towering behind her, running her fingers through Molly's long hair and muttering things Molly couldn't (and honestly didn't even want to) catch. Valerie's hair salon basically stood for everything the young pathologist wasn't fond of: particular decoration matching the gaudy wallpaper, though without giving the whole salon a chintzy look, probably more mirrors and illumination than in the whole baroque chateau Versailles, and ineffable dear furnishings. Valerie's appearance, especially the bold short haircut and the intensive red colour of the hair-ends was totally corresponding to the whole atmosphere created in there.

Val and Molly knew each other for quite a long time now - to be exact they knew each other since their first day in school. They got into a conversation because they carried the same schoolbag. Since that day Valerie had changed a lot, Molly just a little. However this luckily never had any effect on their friendship.

Valerie looked at her in the mirror she sat opposite to. "You know, Mols, the last time I saw you was ages ago", she stressed the word ages, let out a frustrated sigh and pointed at Mollys hair. "And that is the result. What am I supposed to do with your hair? And when exactly was the last time you've seen the interior of a beauty salon?" Molly felt offended (she did definetly not look that bad, even though she had to admit her hair was stressed and lifeless) - but blameable as well. It was true, she hadn't seen Valerie in a while nor had she made any effort to change that soon. And moreover - the reason she was here today... was selfish as well, she was here all for herself, not for visiting Val. Not for having a nice chat. She shrank a bit. This was not how she had imagined this day to start off.

The young woman felt her cheeks blush and knowing Valerie would see it by looking at her reflection made it even worse. Molly suddenly wished she had went to another beauty salon only to avoid the upcoming conversation. She was such a lousy friend. Was to call herself Val's best friend overexaggerated? Val was her best friend. Simply because she didn't have any other persons which she would dare to call her friends. But Valerie surely knew abundant enough people that could replace Molly in less than a second.

This day wasn't running properly...

Turning around to face Val she read something written in her face which at first totally perplexed her – why would she look so pleased when she should be furious about Molly's poor social skills and her presviously mentioned unreliability as a friend?- until she understood. Valerie thoroughly enjoyed this. How come? Molly would find out soon enough.

It only took Valerie about an hour to cut Molly's split ends and add some light brown highlights to her hair so it looked a bit more glossy and neater than before. Molly was very thankful that Val wasn't resentful at all, even though she kept her in suspense on why she was full of go. Val moved her hands to underline everything she said and couldn't keep them still for a second. Despite the broad hint Molly first noticed the ring when Val was almost finished with her masterpiece, as she called it herself. Before Molly could even open her mouth to say something, Valerie affirmed what she was about to ask her.

„Yeah, we're engaged."

Molly complimented on the wonderfully beautiful ring, joked on Val's luck with men (she swallowed her own solitude – she would not ruin her best friend's great day and grieve over her own problems), and happily agreed on being Val's chief bridesmaid at their wedding. She straightened herself automatically as if someone's just delegated the responsibility for world peace on her small shoulders. She knew she would do the best she could for Valerie. And her friend knew as well. For a while they were chatting like two school girls again, girls who weren't afraid of the future and didn't care for liability at all. Val told her everything in detail. How unexpected his proposal was. And so romantic. And how she would have invited Molly for tea today, since she wanted to tell her about it – however this wasn't necessary anymore. Molly tried not to redden again.

Val and Tony. Molly didn't know him well... she practically didn't know him at all. She's met him once: A nice, gentleman, a bit nuts, just as Valerie herself. They were a perfect couple, she'd noticed right from the beginning. But Molly never accompanied them whenever they invited her for dinner or a trip. She had nobody to bring along and being the awkward third wheel was no option either. So she spent her evenings alone with Toby and a bowl of ice cream instead. Molly knew she would be a stranger at the wedding... between all the family members and other friends and acquaintances ... but she couldn't refuse Val's request to be the bridesmaid since she was feeling quilty on the one hand and on the other it meant a lot to her. Usually people never entrusted Molly with such things, she simply wasn't good at presenting herself to a bigger group of people. And communicating with strangers was the worst of all. But when it came to Val, all that didn't matter to her. It was all about being a good friend.

She would be at two weddings in such a short period. She'd need two beautiful – and therefore doubtlessly unaffordable dresses.

After they'd bid goodbye Molly, deeply absorbed in thought, almost mechanically headed to a boutique on the other side of the street. She knew the offered attire was very expensive but since this was (or was supposed to be) her special day and Molly was generally very moneysaving, she decided she could once spent her money on something nice. And why not laying out her saved money for gorgeous gowns?

When Molly entered, the assistant only gave her a quick, almost annoyed look – yet when the pathologist asked her for advise she immediately rushed into the stock and came back laden with a dozen dresses and a waterfall of words drazzled from her painted lips. Molly fell in love at first glance with a bright yellow dress with a light flower print.

The assistant held it out before Molly to check whether it would suit her and nodded approvingly.

„Yeah that one'd please your legs." she told her. Molly didn't quite know if that was meant to be a compliment. „Wait a second I think we've also had some accessories for this one." And with that she hurried back to the stock.

Molly tried it on. When she turned around to check her appearance in the mirror she had to suppress a scream of surprise. The look was jaw-dropping. Right in that moment the assistant came back - only to rearrange Molly's hair style with a huge yellow topknot. But Molly didn't say a word – she could decide against this kind of accessories later if she didn't like it. To her amazement, she loved it so much that she even kept it on when trying on the other dresses. In the end, none of them were a quarter as good as the yellow gown. So her choice for the outfit to wear at the first – therefore John's - wedding was clear. Now she only needed a dress worth a chief bridesmaid. She asked the young woman if they had any for such occasions instock. She affirmed and lead Molly to another room at the back of the store.

When they heard the store doorbell ring Molly was left alone with a „I think you know best what you are looking for, excuse me for a minute.". Molly glanced over the partly ostentatious toggery. There was not a single dress came into question. None of them were qualified for a chief bridesmaid.

The one on the left with the long train? She could and most definetly would trip over it any second.

That one with the risqué neckline? Too flashy.

Molly shook her head as if fending off bothersome thoughts. When she headed back to the main store she slowed her paces since the voices that reached her ears seemed a bit too loud for a regular consultation. The sharp tone in their voices made it clear that they were arguing. She tried to inconspicuously announce her coming by making some noise when she deliberately bumped into some cartons. (To cough slightly would have looked as if she had been listening for quite a while so she rather made a fool of herself by acting this way.) The shop assistant and the other person – a rather good looking young woman – eyed her as if she was a pathetic little creature that got lost somehow.

„Let's hope you didn't break something." said the saleswoman and went to check if everything was okay, while the other woman snorted despicably but with a sovereign smile playing upon her lips that made Molly blush, even though she knew she'd done this on purpose. If only she had a bit more courage to stand up for herself and her own actions in awkward situations. But she kept her mouth shut, avoided to look the two beautiful women in the eyes again, payed for the dress and the topknot she was still wearing and rushed out of the shop without looking back.

When it got dark outside Molly made herself some hot chocolate and cuddled with Toby. The day had been disastrous after her short shopping tour. Lestrade had called her to tell her she was desperately needed, they had found the dead bodies of twins that were missing since last week and they had to find out more about their death as another child was reported missing today and there could be a similarity between these cases.

Molly was shocked about the condition of the children's corpses. She'd seen bad things during her time in St. Bart's but this outsripped everything she could have imagined. When recording all the visible physical wounds – some superficial, some very large – she really had to fight against the urge to throw up. Both kids – the boy and the girl – had been abused physically. She could find bruises, burns (probably cigarette burns), broken ribs and evidence of acid in their mouths and throats. The kids had been forced to swallow an acidic liquid and died while in pain.

Molly did her best and recorded every detail that could be helpful, submitted her report to the next person responsible and locked herself away in her so she could let out her grief and the tears that she'd been fighting to hold back. There was no need to do so any longer. The young pathologist always followed her own set rules. First of all: Never get emotionally involved. But these were only children, not more than 12 years old. They would have had their whole lifetime ahead and in only a short week someone took their existence. Relentlessly anger slashed itself a way to Molly's mind.

If she would get hold of someone like that, someone who did such things – such a... such a...

Molly couldn't even put in words what she thought of that person. He or she wasn't only a murderer or torturer. It was a sicko, a perv, a slaughterer. And if they'd find him – if Sherlock found him – he would let him feel the same pain those children went through... that she was sure of.

Toby purring in her lap brought her thoughts back to the present but she couldn't forget the dead eyes, peering accusingly in the distance. The occurrences of the day collapsed on Molly and she fell asleep on the couch, the still steaming mug forgotten on the coffee table, holding Toby close and slipping from one nightmare to another.

Additional Note : Mycroft will appear in the next chapter and I promise it won't take me that long again to publish it! :)

Thank you for patiently sticking with me.

Also thanks a lot for the kind reviews - they're highly appreciated. (: