The day of the party finally arrived and Mary and John were cleaning the flat and decorating with fairy lights while Sherlock watched sullenly from his chair.
"Is all of this really necessary?" he grumbled, "Mrs Hudson has already made me move my experiments so that she can use the kitchen table for food." He turned his nose up in annoyance at the latter word.
"For the hundredth time, yes it is and it would be over much sooner if you would help instead of complaining." John looked over at the detective who stared at him blankly, got up and walked swiftly to his bedroom.
John sighed as Mary simply rolled her eyes and continued putting up the good luck banner.
Molly approached Baker Street wearing her favourite dress and brand new heels that she could barely walk in.
Not that he'll notice, her mind mocked her.
Composing herself, she reached up to knock on the door, mentally preparing for her last evening in the company of her favourite consulting detective.
Sherlock did not emerge from his room until he heard the knock at the door and subsequent footsteps down the stairs to answer it. Moving into the hallway, he heard John invite Molly in and inform her that they would not in fact be going out. As they climbed the stairs, Sherlock could hear Molly's heels on the wooden floor.
She's made an effort, he smiled to himself.
John and Molly reached the top and walked into the living room where she was greeted by Mrs Hudson, Mary and Lestrade shouting "Surprise!"
"Oh, this is so lovely, thank you!" She smiled at them all gratefully, but couldn't help notice the lack of a certain someone's presence.
She set her bag down and removed her coat as John went to the kitchen to grab her a drink.
Wow, she has made an effort, Sherlock observed her before moving closer into view.
"Ah Sherlock, there you are, just in time," John spotted his friend lingering in the shadows.
Molly turned on hearing his name and smiled shyly at the detective who was now staring intently at her.
"Molly, you look…"
She took a deep breath, waiting for the insult.
"Very nice," he finished.
The entire room looked at him in astonished silence.
"Thank you Sherlock," Molly quietly managed before accepting a drink from a very confused looking John Watson.
The evening went pleasantly with everyone chatting freely and enjoying each other's company. Sherlock was the quietest, speaking only occasionally when someone would ask him a question about a case. He was content in simply observing his friends, one more so than the others.
Molly could feel his eyes on her but for once did not feel scrutinised by him. She looked up and caught his gaze, holding it for a few seconds before smiling and turning back to concentrate on the story Lestrade was now telling. He knew she wasn't really listening, her mind was elsewhere, much like his own.
The conversation soon turned to Molly leaving which caught Sherlock's attention.
"So have you found somewhere to live yet?" Mary was asking the pathologist.
"I have an aunt who lives in Bristol so I'm going to stay with her for a while until I find somewhere more permanent," she explained.
"Oh that's handy," Mary replied.
Sherlock could feel himself getting worked up as he stared at the small woman now telling the group how excited she was to start her new job.
"It's bittersweet though," she continued, "leaving you all behind."
She flashed a glance at Sherlock which did not go unnoticed by the detective, his anger leaving him in an instant.
He suddenly felt very hot and was aware of his pulse increasing.
Feeling overwhelmed, he rose from his chair, uttering a quick "excuse me" before practically running from the room.
The awkward silence that followed was only brief as John started up the conversation again, drawing attention away from his friend's departure.
The evening began to draw to a close as Lestrade and Mrs Hudson made their excuses about having to be up early in the morning, each of them wishing Molly luck in her new adventure and promising to keep in touch.
When Mary got up to take the empty glasses to the kitchen, John leaned over to Molly and asked if she wouldn't mind checking on Sherlock.
"Me?" her eyes widened.
"Yes, I think he'd be more comfortable saying goodbye to you on his own, if you know what I mean."
The realisation of what John was saying caused a pang in Molly's heart.
This is it, she thought, time to say goodbye to the love of my life.
She nodded at John and took a deep breath before standing up and walking slowly towards Sherlock's bedroom.