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Chapter Text

“Oi! Molly! Got time to talk?”

Molly whipped around, shifting hold of the umbrella over her head as she heard John Watson’s voice over the sound of the falling rain in the student commons. She couldn’t quite tell where he was at first, not with the students trying to rush for cover as the freezing cold rain pelted against them, but after a moment she saw a black umbrella bob it’s way towards her and recognized one of John’s red jumpers underneath his heavy coat. All the medical students at Camford seemed to favour red jumpers, or at least the male medical students did. She herself wore any colour but red, to be quite honest, because most of the men in the department were prats. Thankfully, John was not. If he was, she was sure her roommate wouldn’t have given him the time of day...or access to her knickers. She flashed him a smile and nodded. “Of course. I was just heading to Jameson’s to grab a bite.”

“Oh, sounds perfect. Anything to get out of this grey and gloomy weather,” he said, giving her a grin as well. His grin did not seem as warm. Well, perhaps it wasn’t that. It was warm, but he just seemed...tired. Worn out. Perhaps his studies were wearing on him? He was a year ahead of her, after all; his studies were much more rigorous than hers. They began to walk together, staying in step and balancing their umbrellas at a nearly identical level to keep more rain off each other. “Have you seen Sherlock lately?”

She felt the apples of her cheeks warm just slightly at the mention of his name and cursed herself for that. Oh, it was foolish to fancy him. He saw her as a friend, that was all. And really, he was a good friend, he was, even if he was a bit preoccupied with his biochemistry studies at times. They had the most fascinating conversations about a variety of topics, even some not suited to their studies, and he had the most beautiful brain.

Not to mention beautiful face, beautiful eyes, beautiful hair, beautiful body...oh, what she wouldn’t give to snog him at least once. But that wasn’t here or there.

She shook her head. “No. He said something about a professor having it out for him, last we spoke. Having to suck it up and play nice?”

John winced. “The professor’s been making his class do group projects all term. Goes against the way most professors work here at Camford University, I know, but Sherlock muddled through until two projects ago when he blew up at his teammates and but that intellect of his to use deducing the bloody hell out of them. Now no one in the class will work with him, and the professor is penalizing him for it, saying he has no tact and he needs it in ‘the real world.’” John scoffed. “Point is, his grades are suffering and he needs to pass this class, and he managed to get another professor to intervene and say that if he could complete an ambitious project on his own he could pass the class with no more group work, barring whatever his grade on his final exam is. And he’s stuck.”

“Oh dear,” Molly said.

“Yeah. So I think he needs a distraction. And you’re good at getting him out of his rut. His eyes light up when you’re around and he gets interested in things that aren’t his studies. He actually gives a damn about more than molecules and organisms and all the minutiae he has to cram into his head for class. He even smiles sometimes when you aren’t looking.”

Molly stopped in her tracks and looked at John. “What?” she asked, shocked.

“You make him human, Molly,” John said after he backed up the few steps he’d taken without her. “Sherlock...he has a habit of going into what Mary calls ‘machine mode’ sometimes. It’s not a bad thing, it can be useful, but it can be bad when he stays in it too long. But his parents and his brother, they really screwed him up. He goes in that mode too long sometimes because they put such high expectations on him. So when you come around, you bring this...I don’t know. This light, this breath of fresh air into his life that I don’t think he’s ever had. You allow him to relax and not have to be perfect. He can just be Sherlock, not the Great Sherlock Holmes.”

She hadn’t really thought of things that way. She had simply thought she was being a good friend; she hadn’t realized she was quite so important to him. “Let me think on it a day or two, all right? I mean, we can brainstorm a bit while we eat, but we should come up with something truly special to let that wonderful brain of his work on something that’s fun but isn’t uni related at all. I think that’d be the best way to bring him out of his funk.”

John nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.” They started to walk again, easily moving in step again. He looked over at her again, his grin more teasing this time. “Wonderful brain, eh?”

“Oh, shut it,” she said, her blush coming back and being more pronounced. Oh, when would she learn not to stick her foot in it? But really, she had been paid quite a high compliment, to learn she was so important to Sherlock. Now she just hoped she could lift him out of this funk and do what a proper friend would do, and be there for him when he needed her.

Chapter Text

Even after warm food and coffee at Jameson’s had gotten the chill out of them Molly and John couldn’t come up with any solid ideas of what to do to pull Sherlock out of his rut. Molly had dashed off to her last class of the day, mulling the problem over some more when her mind wandered during the lecture, but even then she couldn’t think of anything. Whatever it was it had to be stimulating enough to capture his attention but not boring. If it was boring it would defeat the entire purpose of getting him away from his books and studies and this project he was stuck on.

To be quite honest, if John was worried about him, it must be a more serious problem than usual. Sure, he and Mary would tease Sherlock from time to time about all the studying he did, but it was gentle teasing, the kind done among friends. They always managed to pull him out with them at least once a week, with her in tow, for a night of normalcy. It was good for him, and good for her, too. But come to think of it, it had been a while since she had seen him. Whatever this project was that he was working on, it must be something big. If she was going to come up with a distraction, perhaps she could also offer to help. Fair was fair, after all. But first, she should come up with the distraction so she at least had an idea of how much help she would owe Sherlock in the long run by getting an idea of how much time she would be pulling him away from his project.

When her class was over the rain had stopped, and she took her time strolling back to her apartment near campus. She’d just moved into off-campus housing this year, after spending an extra year on campus due to the death of her father. She had almost taken an entire year off, to be quite honest, but he had wanted her to continue her education. It had been her dying wish. But she couldn’t handle her studies and a job so the school had made an exception and let her spend her junior year in a dormitory with another junior who would have been homeless should housing have not been allotted, Mary Morstan. The two hit it off immediately and this year they decided to move into off-campus housing since Mary had a steady job now and the inheritance Molly had received had been settled. It was a nice place, better than a simple flat, and allowed them to live together without being right on top of each other, which was fantastic since Mary and John were especially serious about each other now. She was fairly sure before they graduated there would be word of an engagement.

She let herself in and heard a bubbly pop song on the radio and saw Mary dancing around the kitchen, making dinner. “Enough for both of us?” she asked.

“Oh, definitely,” Mary said with a nod. “Soup for a gloomy day, and homemade bread is in the oven. I thought I’d invite John and Sherlock to come by and partake as well. John said he would see after some time at the library but Sherlock said he was busy so if John comes I’ll send some back with him and tell him to force-feed it to Sherlock.”

Molly set her bag down on the chair and then took her coat off. “He must be concentrating quite hard on this project.”

Mary set her wooden spoon on the stove top and put her hands to the side of her eyes. “1000% laser-like focus,” she said before moving her hands and shaking her head. “He needs to take a bloody break. It’s not healthy.”

“Yeah, John asked me to help come up with a distraction,” Molly said.

“Oh he did, did he?” Mary said, giving her a sly grin. “Wonder why that would be?”

“Shut it,” Molly said, blushing.

“There are worse men to fancy, you know,” Mary said, picking her spoon up and stirring the soup again. “I mean, Sherlock actually acknowledges your existence in a pleasant way, unlike every other person that isn’t John or I, and even then he prefers you.” She watched Molly come into the kitchen and lean against the worktop next to her. “He just doesn’t know how to articulate it. But it’s obvious he fancies you.”

“I wish he would tell me,” she said. “Or better yet, act on it.”

“He’s a man of thought, not action,” Mary said. “One day something will inspire his passion, and then he’ll be an unstoppable force.”

Molly raised an eyebrow. “Oh, no, it’s not obvious you’re an English literature major.”

Mary chuckled. “Always did have a way with words, just like the Bard.” Then her eyes widened. “Maybe you could mine his works for an idea. I mean, the man is a genius.”

“Yeah, but Sherlock is a man of science.”

“Well, maybe he needs passion, and Shakespeare is full of passion,” Mary said, pointing at her with the spoon.

Molly thought for a moment. “Maybe...a scavenger hunt? With clues in Shakespearean English?”

Mary got a wide smile on her face. “Oh, that would be brilliant! And we could end up at Lestrade’s pub for a pint and good food and...I don’t know. An actual treat. You know he’d be willing to help.”

“Do you really think he’d go for it, though?” Molly asked.

“Well, if we use Shakespearean English to frame the clues but make the clues something he has to think about, he would,” Mary said. “He enjoys puzzles. And the Bard has a way with words.” Mary waved the spoon around. “We will come up with an absolutely brilliant scavenger hunt, I promise. You, me, John and Sherlock. The hints will be brilliant and we will have an absolute blast. You will see.”

Molly grinned at her friend’s enthusiasm. This could be quite a bit of fun, she thought to herself. Hopefully Sherlock would think so too.

Chapter Text

She was at the apartment the next day, getting ready for class when she heard a knock at the door. She’d pulled out Mary’s copies of Shakespeare’s works and been mulling over ideas of what to use for clues. She was starting to think maybe writing new things in Shakespearean English was a better idea, as she couldn’t find anything she wanted, but she’d stayed up half the night and was a bit sleep deprived now and had, in turn, overslept. She didn’t really have time to humour anyone at the door but she answered it anyway and was surprised to see Sherlock there. “Oh! Sherlock. What brings you here?”

“I thought I could get some more of the soup Mary sent over last night,” he said.

Molly nodded. “Of course.” She wasn’t really the type to blow off a class but really, Sherlock looked an absolute mess. She wondered if the soup he’d had the night before had been the first thing he’d eaten in ages, and also wondered exactly how much sleep he was getting. If he wanted a bowl of soup she’d give it to him here, with some of the bread and maybe a big glass of milk to boot. And coffee too, should he ask for it. And she’d send some back, too; when Mary made soup and bread, she usually made enough to feed an army. “Come on in. I’ll heat up a bowl.”

“Don’t you have class?” he asked, shrugging out of his signature Belstaff coat once he was through the door.

She shrugged as she made her way towards the kitchen. “I can skip it just this once. I overslept anyway and didn’t do all the reading I needed to. I was preoccupied with...something else.”

He glanced around and saw the space in the bookshelves where Mary’s books usually were. “Mary has a reading in her voice class?”

Molly nodded. “Yeah,” she said, which wasn’t that much of a lie. Mary constantly had readings in her voice class. “Shakespeare.”

Sherlock nodded and then headed into the kitchen to watch Molly work. She began pulling things out that she needed: the soup from the refrigerator, the bread from the bread box, a clean pot from the cupboard. If she was going to heat up the soup she’d make enough for them both and enjoy a little time with Sherlock. It really had been ages since she had seen him. “’In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility: but when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the action of the tiger,” he said.

She smiled. “I didn’t know you enjoyed Shakespeare,” she said.

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me,” he replied. “Even after all this time.”

“Well, I’m quite willing to learn,” she replied, looking him in the eyes.

He nodded, moving closer to her. “Molly--” he began, but the apartment door opened and he stepped back as Mary and John entered.

“Molly?” Mary called out, and then she entered the kitchen area and her eyes widened. “Oh. Hello, Sherlock.”

“Mary,” Sherlock said with a nod.

Mary gave Molly an “I am so sorry” look and then went into the kitchen, ostensibly to look for something near Molly. “Lestrade said he’d like to talk to you tonight about plans. He’s interested in helping and has a few ideas. I was going to suggest the three of us go as a pub night but I see you might have other plans?”

“No plans,” Molly said with a sigh. “Meet at Lestrade’s at six?”

“Done.” Mary grabbed a granola bar from her stash in the cupboard and then went back to John, making a swooshing motion with her hands towards Sherlock and Molly. “Carry on, you two.” And with that, they left.”

“Some sort of surprise, I take it?” Sherlock asked, leaning back against the worktop and crossing his arms.

“You could say that,” Molly replied.

“I’m not worth it,” he said.

Molly set the spoon she’d been holding down with more force than necessary. “You take that back right now. You are worth it, Sherlock. You are. And you damn well better act surprised when we surprise you because we did it because we care.” She paused. “Or we’re going to do it because we care. We’re still planning it.”

She watched the tiniest of smiles creep onto his face at that, and after a moment he came over and kissed her cheek. She stared at him in shock for a moment, absently reaching up where his lips had touched her skin, and then looked at him. “Thank you, Molly. That means a great deal to me.” He nodded towards the soup. “You will be dining with me?”

She nodded. “Um...yes. If you want me to.”

“I do,” he said.

She smiled then and turned away to tend to the soup, happier than she had been in a long time. “Okay,” she said.

Chapter Text

“He knows there’s a surprise,” Molly said hours later, sitting at the bar of Lestrade's pub between John and Mary, looking up at Lestrade. “He just doesn’t know what it is.”

“I would normally be peeved about the secret being spilled but Sherlock had a smile on his face when he got back,” John said. “So he must be pleased.”

“Yes, well, now we just have to make sure it’s a good surprise,” Mary said. “He’ll be expecting something extra special since Molly was involved.”

Molly blushed but she saw Lestrade grin as he went back to cleaning glasses. “Well, your Shakespeare scavenger hunt is a good idea,” he replied. “I think it’s just different enough for Sherlock to appreciate, and something that should definitely take his mind off his studies for a bit.” He set one glass down and picked up another one to begin cleaning. “Maybe have a bit of a prize at each stop.”

“Like what?” Molly asked.

“Maybe a trinket or some food or something,” Lestrade said, tilting his head. “Then hide the clues well and make sure you find them with him and lead him to the next stop.”

“I don’t think we all need to go on this scavenger hunt,” John said, a grin widening on his face. “Have Molly take him and we can be waiting here with something like...I don’t know. His favourite cake or something.”

“I’ll keep it in the back until they show up,” Lestrade said.

“That works!” Mary said. “And we can have a meal and a few pints and just relax.”

Molly tilted her head back and forth, thinking. It all sounded very good, but she had the niggling feeling they were forgetting something. Still, there was nothing that could go too wrong with the plan and she was happy to be able to have a reason to spend time with Sherlock. “I think it sounds like a good idea,” she said finally.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll work on the clues, Molly, you can find the little prizes or help me make something, and John, you’re in charge of getting the cake,” Mary said. “I think this will be amazing. Sherlock will never forget it.”

“As long as it cheers him up,” Molly said. “I mean, if it doesn’t that defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?”

John nodded and reached over to pat Molly’s hand on the bar. “It will, I’m pretty sure. Plus there’s the excuse to spend time alone with you. I think he’ll find that a good enough reason to go.”

Molly blushed again and shook her head. It was rather blatant that John and Mary wanted them to date, but aside from a pleasant lunch today and a kiss on the cheek, she had no idea if Sherlock actually wanted to spend time with just her. For all she knew, he’d hate this surprise entirely.

Hate her.

And she didn’t want that.

After a moment John and Mary got up to drift towards the booth they usually had in the back of the pub. Molly knew she was more than welcome to join them but she felt nervous now. She got her messenger bag off the ground and put it on her shoulder.

“It’ll be a good thing, you know,” Lestrade said as she slid off the stool.

“How do you know?” she asked, pausing to look at him.

“I used to be a bit like Sherlock when I was in uni. I just didn’t have friends like you. I know if someone had done something like this for me, just to cheer me up, I’d have been quite pleased.” He winked at her. “No matter what, it’ll work out. You’ll see.”

“I hope so,” she said, giving him a small smile. She moved away from the bar and gave him a wave before leaving the pub and heading back to her flat. It was a rather nice night tonight, but it made her think of other things. What if it rained? What if the things she picked out were too childish, or too tacky? What if they couldn’t understand the clues? There were so many things that could go wrong, even though it was a lovely thought.

She heard some snickering behind her and felt herself tense up before she picked up speed towards her flat. She didn’t need to look to know who it was; James wasn’t allowed in Lestrade’s pub for causing too many problems, and he made his space at the pub two buildings down. He was always outside when the weather was nice, looking at the people who walked by and trying to figure out who to fleece next.

“Hooper!” she heard him call out, and she kept walking as though she hadn’t heard him. She had made it about four feet when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and out of instinct she turned, balling her hand into a fist, and hauled off and punched the person grabbing her. She’d expected to hit James.

Instead, her fist landed squarely on Sherlock’s chest.

“Oh!” she cried out, her eyes wide. She immediately unclenched her first and put her hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry! I heard James and--”

“You need practice,” Sherlock said.

“What I need is upper body strength,” she replied, dropping her hand and giving him a wry smile. She looked back and saw James smirking at her. “Oh, I wish he’d just leave town for good.”

“You’re one of many, but while there are people who are fools around, he’ll always have victims,” Sherlock said. “I was going to Lestrade’s for a bite to eat since you and Mary weren’t home but you didn’t even notice walking past me.”

“Lost in my thoughts,” Molly replied. “I can fix you something at the flat? For being a protector?”

“Thank you,” he said. “Anything to save a bit of money.”

“Oh?” she asked, beginning to walk again and having him stay in step.

“My parents threatened to cut me off if I didn’t pass this term,” he said, making a face. “They don’t like the fact I’m not solely focused on my studies.”

“But the point of university is also to...experience life!” Molly said, aghast. “How can they expect you to only focus on your studies and nothing else? That’s just an abysmally boring way to go through uni.”

“Yes, well, you don’t have a genius for a mother,” he said with a sigh. “Her children not being at the same level fills her with shame.”

“Unbelievable,” she said, shaking her head. “Well, tonight you can forget about studies. I’m sure once they realize I won’t be joining them John and Mary will go off and do heaven knows what at your dorm and you can stay at the flat and...I don’t know. Watch films with me or something.”

“It sounds better than dealing with this project anymore,” Sherlock said.

“Good,” she replied. She gave him a smile. “Let’s have a good evening and forget that mess for a bit, alright?” Sherlock nodded and then she lapsed into silence. So perhaps she’d help him forget this whole mess a little earlier. That didn’t mean they still couldn’t do the scavenger hunt.

But at least she might know ahead of time whether he really wanted to spend time alone in her company. That was something, at least.

Chapter Text

Molly was right in that Mary and John didn’t come to the flat that night, and she and Sherlock stayed up for hours watching films on the telly after she made him something to eat. They talked for a bit but Sherlock seemed content to just sit near her and enjoy her company. This made her feel as though things would be good if the plan did work out and she and Sherlock had to go through the scavenger hunt alone together.

When she woke up the next morning Sherlock wasn’t on the sofa anymore, and so she tidied up and made herself breakfast and waited for Mary to come back, studying up on what she had missed the day before with notes a classmate had dropped off before she’d gone to the pub. Mary came in about an hour later, a smile on her face. “I see you’re up,” she said to Molly.

“Studying,” she said with a returning smile. “Nice evening?”

She nodded. “Well, yes, it was,” she said. “Especially since you kept a certain roommate occupied all evening.”

“Not all evening,” Molly said. “We just watched some films and he fell asleep on the sofa.”

“I’m teasing,” Mary said, going over and squeezing Molly’s shoulders. “But it was nice to spend an entire evening uninterrupted with John.” She paused. “I was wondering, though. Would it be alright if he...spent more time here?”

“You want him to move in with us,” Molly said, tilting her head.

“Well, sort of. Not just him,” she said. “I mean, obviously I’ll share a room with John but we were thinking Sherlock could take the other bedroom.”

Molly was surprised at that. “What happens if we don’t...” She made a gesture with her hand, not really sure what to say.

“Do you know what’s going on with his parents?” Mary asked.

“We didn’t really talk about it much, other than they were threatening to cut him off if he didn’t do well this term,” Molly said, watching Mary move away and go to the coffee she had made.

“His mother is being asked to take a professorship here next year,” Mary said. “And he’s not happy about it. That’s why she’s pushing him so hard. She wants his grades and his life to be exactly what she wants by the time she gets here.” She poured herself some coffee. “John and I were talking about our living situation at the pub, and then when we saw the letter he’d gotten...we thought it might be good to have him live with us, too. All of us, I mean. Not necessarily at this apartment, but perhaps a house? More room for all of us, and all.”

Molly nodded, looking around the apartment. Truth be told, she liked living in this apartment. It was a nice little place, and she would miss it. “I suppose,” she said quietly.

“Well, we can talk about it later, after the scavenger hunt,” Mary said. Maybe bring it up that evening, see what he thinks.” She checked her watch them and her eyes went wide. “Oh, bloody hell! I’m going to be late for class.”

“Go, get ready and I’ll get you something to eat on the way,” Molly said, getting off her seat to go into the kitchen.

“You’re a doll,” Mary said, giving her a quick squeeze before she went towards her bedroom. Molly put some toast in the toaster and looked around the apartment again. This had become home in the short time she was here. Not necessarily because she shared it with Mary, though that helped, but this was a place where she felt comfortable, at peace. She understood having a rough home life; after her father had gotten sick when she was thirteen her home life was rough the rest of the time she lived there. She and her mother had both been grieving in their own way, knowing he would never get better and having to reconcile with the eventual loss. She had pulled away, rebelled, but she knew her father and mother still loved her. Still, her childhood home didn’t feel the same now that he was gone, and this place...this had made her feel normal again for the first time in ages. Even though the idea of having more space was pleasant, she didn’t really want to give this place up.

When Mary was ready for class Molly had toast with marmalade for her as well as a cup of coffee in a travel mug, a banana and a bag of granola to snack on until she could get some real food. She took it with a smile and swept out of the apartment to go to class. Molly tried to go back to her studies but it was hard, with the idea of change looming around the corner. Change was good, it was, but in this case...was it really?

That, she didn’t know.

Chapter Text

That evening Mary, Molly and John met up to work on the scavenger hunt. They decided to do it that weekend since Sherlock already knew something was being planned, and Molly began to pick out things to hide at each location. There wasn’t going to be anything extravagant, but just little things that might make Sherlock smile. She rather did like his smile, and the more she thought about it the more she realized she rather liked the idea of going on the hunt with just him and getting to see it at every location...hopefully.

They kept it all well hidden at Mary and Molly’s place until Friday evening when John distracted Sherlock and Mary and Molly went out to hide everything. Molly was actually rather astounded at the clues Mary had come up with and the locations she had picked. It would be a nice, long day with them and the hunt and it seemed to be going according to plan.

Until Saturday morning came around. Molly was sleeping, or trying to, but she was aware of the buzzing sound of conversation out in the sitting room and eventually it got her out of bed. She went out to find John and Mary there. “What’s going on?” Molly asked before yawning.

“Our little hunt isn’t so little,” John said glumly. “Someone found one of the clues and word went around the campus. Now everyone is looking for all the trinkets and treats.”

Molly’s eyes widened. Oh, they should have expected this, they really should have. “Is anything left?” Molly asked, coming out and flopping onto the sofa next to them.

“I have no idea,” John said. “Depends on how good the clues are or if everyone just rips through the campus looking for anything and everything that’s out of place.”

Mary looked as though she was nibbling on her bottom lip, and then after a moment she sat up straighter and slapped a knee each of John and Molly’s. “Well, then we have to press on, see what’s still salvageable. And that means getting Sherlock and going on a hunt.”

“There’s no real point, is there?” Molly asked.

“We’ll make it work,” Mary said, steel in her voice. “Besides, there is still cake and a meal and Lestrade’s. Even if the prizes aren’t at each place, the clues will lead him there eventually.” She got up off the sofa and then moved in front of Molly, pulling her up. “He’ll have a good time or I’m not Mary Elizabeth Watson.”

Molly shook her head and headed towards her bedroom, changing into denim trousers and a green shirt and pulling a jumper over it. She put on comfortable trainers and then pulled her hair up into a ponytail to keep it off her face. She looked...well, not cute, but comfortable. She supposed that was good enough for the day. When she was done she went out to find Mary pressing two cups of coffee in traveler’s mugs in her hand. “Red one is yours, the black one is Sherlock’s,” she said.

“Don’t I get breakfast?” Molly asked.

“Have to hurry,” Mary said, moving her hands to push Molly to the door.

“I need my coat, at least,” Molly said, turning and handing her back the coffees. “And my handbag.”

“I suppose,” Mary said.

Molly went to put her coat on, then get her handbag and then came back for the coffees. Mary made a shooing motion and Molly turned, shaking her head and adjusting her hold on the coffees to get out of the apartment. She sipped on her coffee as she made her way to John and Sherlock’s room, enjoying the warmth going down her throat. It was much cooler than it had been in days past, and she wished she’d thought to wear gloves.

By the time she got to where Sherlock and John lived she could see it was almost bloody useless to do the hunt. Everyone on campus seemed to be out and about, looking, it seemed. She shook her head as she went into the building and made her way to Sherlock and John’s room, knocking on the door when she got there. “Enter,” Sherlock said.

“I come bearing coffee and distractions,” she said, entering the room and stopping as she saw Sherlock in trousers and bare feet and no shirt. “Umm...I can go back out.”

“I thought it was something else,” he said, ignoring her stare and the flush on her cheeks. “I need a book for the damnable project and it’s been checked out, and I was being allowed to borrow it for the day.”

“Oh,” she said, her heart sinking a bit. Well, this hadn’t been planned on. Apparently today was not the day to distract him. He pulled a grey shirt out of what she knew was John’s drawer, sniffed it, and then put it on. “Well, I suppose I can give you your coffee and leave you be.”

“The scavenger hunt I can’t stop hearing everyone talk about in the halls,” Sherlock said, moving closer to her. “Your surprise?”

“It’s all ruined now,” she said with a sigh as she nodded. “People found the clues and the treats and it’s just...all not how it was planned.”

“Let’s see what’s left,” Sherlock said, taking a coffee from her and sipping it. He’d chosen her cup, though, and made a face before handing it back and taking the other one. “And if there isn’t anything...you can tell me what I was supposed to get.”

“But it’s not the same,” she said.

“Supposedly it’s the thought that counts,” he said, giving her a small smile. “We can pick up the book on the way and I can ask for another day to use it, and then you can lead me to whatever grand conclusion all of you had come up with.”

She smiled at him and then nodded. “Alright. If you’re sure.”

“I am,” he said. “So let’s go.”

“Umm...” she said, nodding down to his feet. “You might want to put shoes on first.”

He huffed a small laugh and then nodded. “I suppose that would be best,” he replied, seeming to be more relaxed. She didn’t know how to take all this. The surprise was ruined, he knew that ahead of time, and he still wanted to go out and look at things? That was peculiar. But she supposed it was as good a way as any to spend the day.

Chapter Text

They had managed to find one of the surprises still in its place, astonishingly: a coiled up scarf. She knew Sherlock was rather fond of them, and she had seen a lovely soft grey one when she was looking at things and made sure it was hidden at one of the harder to decipher clues. Sherlock had put it on immediately, wearing it with a sense of pride. She had to admit, of everything she had gotten, she was glad that was there most of all.

After two hours of looking they had hit almost all of the places; they weren’t using clues to find each hiding spot, as Molly knew where they all were, and it was much easier to just run through them in a circuit instead of crisscrossing the area where they were hidden. Sherlock suggested they adjourn somewhere for breakfast and as Molly realized the coffee wasn’t enough to get her through the rest of the day, she agreed.

He had suggested a place off the campus which she knew cost a bit of money to eat at, which surprised her. Wasn’t he worried about saving money? That was why he’d eaten with her earlier in the week and why Mary was suggesting all of them share a place. But he had suggested it and it would be rude to bring up the cost. She’d just cover her own meal.

They were walking close to Lestrade’s pub when a sudden “Oi!” shot out into the air. Molly bristled at the sound of James’s voice, and within moments he was standing in front of them, the suit he wore to appear like he had more money and more class than he had looking as though he’d had a tussle in it. That was...unusual. James usually looked impeccable. “You bloody bastard!” he said to Sherlock.

Sherlock appeared quite calm. “You should have known better than to bet against me, James,” he said with a shrug.

“You stole all my money,” he said, bearing down on them while his right-hand man, Sebastian, came close on the side.

“No, that is not what I did,” Sherlock said, and she could see he was trying not to roll his eyes. “You kept wagering you could beat me at billiards. After the first game, you should have known better.”

“You cheat,” James said.

“Using math and science to kick your sorry arse is not cheating,” Sherlock said, sounding annoyed. “You’re just stupid enough to not know when you’re beaten.”

Molly felt herself being pushed aside as Sebastian came over to grab Sherlock and James pulled back to take a swing. But Sebastian wasn’t fast enough and as Molly landed on her arse Sherlock moved Sebastian in to take the hit. It glanced off his jaw and James’s eyes widened. “You bastard,” Sebastian said.

“Did neither of you learn last night?” Sherlock said, dodging the fist coming towards him. James reached out for his arm and in a flash, Sherlock was out of his grip and this time James was in direct line of the hit. Sebastian hit harder so James went down like a light, and one punch later from Sherlock Sebastian joined him. Sherlock turned to the crowd of their companions and glared. “Are you all that daft?” After a moment, they looked away and he turned and moved around the unconscious bullies to get to Molly, offering her a hand up. “Are you alright?”

“I...yes,” she said with a nod. She stood up and wiped herself off in case she was dirty, and then looked at Sherlock in surprise. “What was that all about?”

“James attempted to sucker me into a game of billiards when I went to his favourite pub. As I thought it might be nice to have money on hand in case I was in your company again soon, I fleeced the fleecer. He did not take it well.” Sherlock shrugged. “Idiots never learn.”

“He’s not someone you want as an enemy,” she said as they began to walk away.

“I can handle him,” he said, and after a moment he reached over for her hand. She was surprised, but he felt warmer than she was. “Your hands were cold when I helped you up. I can keep at least one of them warm.”

“Thank you,” she said, giving him a smile. She hoped there was more to it than that, but for right now, it was enough. Maybe he did fancy her. Maybe not. But this...this was nice, and she’d enjoy it while she had it.

Chapter Text

Breakfast was rather enjoyable. Molly had only eaten at the restaurant once or twice, and never really splurged, but Sherlock said to order whatever she wanted. She had a full English and ate almost everything, sharing a few pieces of her food with Sherlock, who had eggs and pancakes and a side of bacon and sausage. He seemed to be rather amused, or possibly impressed, that she cleaned the plate almost entirely clean as well as polished off his second serving of pancakes in exchange for some more of her food.

Normally, on what few dates she had been on, there had been noises from the blokes she had a meal with that she had ordered too much or ate more than a girl usually would, so it was nice to go out with someone who encouraged her to eat, even if this wasn’t really a date. It was such a nice surprise, though. She’d always felt rather comfortable with Sherlock in a setting with Mary and John nearby, so it was nice to see that comfort stayed even when it was just them.

When they were done they got more coffee to go and decided to finish the scavenger hunt before getting his book to borrow. There were no more prizes to be found, and some rather grumpy people complaining about it, but as it hadn’t been intended for the uni at large she paid little attention to the complaining she heard. She simply walked hand in hand with Sherlock, looking at each location and finding nothing there.

They were still walking hand in hand when he stopped and nodded down the path they were walking on towards the student union. “That’s who I need to borrow the book from,” he said, and Molly looked ahead to see a young woman she didn’t recognize. “I’m honestly surprised Donovan is letting me borrow it, all things considered. We don’t get on well.”

“Oh?” she asked as they began walking again.

“I may have made an observation about her and the teaching assistant for the class, Anderson,” she said. “And it was overheard by others.”

She nodded. “Probably not good.”

“No, not really,” he said. “I’m slowly starting to learn from my mistakes, though. You’ve helped with that.”

“I have?” she said, surprised.

“Well, you mostly, but I suppose John and Mary, too. I’m trying to emulate how you act. Become...better.” He looked over at her. “It’s obvious much of the time I never had friends, isn’t it?”

“I suppose,” she said. “But not with me. I mean, you’re...nice to me.”

“Because I--” he started.

“Holmes!” Donovan called out, having spotted them. She moved towards them, digging a book out of her handbag as she walked. “Bloody hell, I forgot about the book. Got caught up in a scavenger hunt. Found a neat little prize.”

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it,” Sherlock said before Molly said anything. He took the book from her when she got close enough. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, well...you were right about Phillip. The bastard had another girl he was seeing on the side,” she said. “So I owe you.” Then she looked over at Molly and then back at Sherlock, grinning. “Got yourself a girlfriend, did you?”

“I suppose,” he said. “Donovan, this is Molly.”

“I’m actually Sally, not that he’ll call me that,” Sally said, stretching out her hand to Molly. Molly let go of Sherlock’s hand and shook it. “You two should join us over at Lestrade’s. I heard that’s where this hunt was supposed to lead.”

“Perhaps we will,” Sherlock said. He held up the book before taking Molly’s hand again in his other hand. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Donovan.”

“You too, Holmes,” she said, waving before she went back to her friends.

Sherlock looked over at Molly, who had a confused expression on her face. “Molly?”

“I...” she started. “Have we been on a date? Today?”

“I had thought that was the point of the hunt,” he said quietly, as though he was hurt, before letting go of her hand. “Since it didn’t go according to plan, I thought I’d make the best of it. I’m sorry if I--”

He was cut off by Molly moving closer to him, pressing her lips against his. He was surprised for a moment, but then reached out to pull her close and deepen the kiss. She didn’t care that the borrowed book was digging into her side, because really, she was on a date with Sherlock and he had more or less called her his girlfriend and if nothing else about the whole damn day went according to plan she didn’t care because Sherlock bloody Holmes fancied her.

When he pulled away to look at her, there was a grin on his face. He didn’t let her go, simply adjusting the position of the book, and looked down at her. “So you don’t mind?” he asked.

“Nope,” she said, smiling brightly up at him.

“Good,” he said before kissing her again. There was still more to do scavenger hunt wise, but at the moment it could wait because kissing him was glorious and she really didn’t want him to stop. Ever. She rather hoped he wouldn’t.

That would make the day perfect.

Chapter Text

They finished what would have been the hunt and then went back to his room, ostensibly to study but in actuality to have a bit more privacy while they alternated between talking and kissing. Eventually, though, they both knew they would have to leave and head to Lestrade’s to finish out the day. Mary and John were waiting, after all, and it wouldn’t be fair to leave them all alone.

When they got close to the pub, however, there was a rather angry crowd around it. Sherlock took very little heed of the muttered oaths and expletives as he pushed forward with Molly, getting to the door and peering in. It looked as though the place was locked and empty. “I thought you said they’d be here?” he asked, turning to Molly.

“They’re supposed to be,” she said. After a moment she pulled him away from the crowd and then ducked around the building with him, heading to the back. There was no one there, which surprised her, and she knocked on the exit in the back. “Greg?” she called out. “It’s Molly. I have Sherlock.”

The door opened after a moment and Lestrade came to the doorway with a look of relief on his face. “I swear they’re about to riot.”

“You didn’t have to close the pub for us,” Sherlock said as he and Molly went inside.

“I was open and then everyone came in demanding the last prize. I almost had a few fist fights before I kicked everyone out and closed up for the day,” he said. “Mary and John are in the back. I didn’t want them being out in the middle of it.”

“This was not what I had wanted to happen at all,” Molly said, shaking her head. “The whole hunt was a disaster.”

“The final prize is cake and a meal and company for the evening, is it not?” Sherlock asked.

Both Molly and Lestrade nodded. “Yeah,” Lestrade said.

“Let everyone in,” Sherlock said.

“Why?” Lestrade said, his voice confused.

Sherlock reached into his pocket for his wallet and pulled it out. Molly had known he won money, but she had no idea how much until Sherlock began pulling out a wad of hundred pound notes. “Would this be enough to cover free drinks for the evening?”

Lestrade nodded again, his eyes wide. “How did you…?”

“I can be a billiard shark if I need to be, and James Moriarty is an idiot who doesn’t know when to quit.”

Lestrade grinned. “Well if that money is the arsehole’s, I’ll gladly take it off your hands.” He took the bills Sherlock handed him. “One drink each?”

“And one item off the menu,” Sherlock said. “If it’s not enough I’ll work out a way to make up the difference.”

“Trust me, this is more than I make in a usual night,” Lestrade said. “This will be enough.” Lestrade walked away, leaving the two of them to go find Mary and John.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” Molly said.

“Well, I’m in a rather good mood,” he said, reaching over for her. She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I think it’s worth it for a good surprise.”

She laughed and leaned in to kiss him softly, doing so for only a few minutes before clapping was heard. “Finally,” Mary said, a smile on her face.

“Bad timing,” John said.

“Nonsense. I have impeccable timing,” she scoffed.

“John’s right,” Sherlock said. “But it doesn’t matter. There’s more time for that in the future.” He gave Molly a look that made her very eager for more time alone with Sherlock. “There’s cake, I heard?”

Mary nodded. “Everyone else can have the free drinks and food you paid for, but the cake is ours,” she said. She nodded over to John and then smiled. “And we have news anyway.”

John lifted up Mary’s hand and Molly smiled at the small diamond ring on it. “I may have feared for our lives and decided what the hell, I’d ask.”

“So would it be alright if you two didn’t move in with us?” Mary asked.

“Oh, I think I can find someone to take over your room in the flat,” Molly said, looking back over at Sherlock. “If that’s not too fast.”

“I suppose I could have a far worse roommate,” he said, his eyes sparkling a bit. “Especially considering I’ve decided to hell with what my mother and father want. My life is my life and I’ll live it any way I damn well please.”

“Then we really should celebrate,” John said. “Cake, anyone?”

“Gladly,” Molly said, looking over at her friends with a smile as she lowered her arms, smiling even more brightly when Sherlock took one of her hands in his again. Nothing had gone according to plan, it was true, but the day had somehow turned out even more spectacularly than she ever could have hoped for.