For John Watson

[howdull]

[Sherlock is still finding pieces of the melted laptop in the carpet.

It had actually been quite an ingenious booby trap to be devised by a fourteen year old boy with only household chemicals to work with but, as Sherlock surmised, rather overkill to keep his mother from finding his extensive porn collection. Not one of their more illustrious cases, but it had been quite entertaining to watch both the boy and mother's faces as he revealed that he did know the how and why. He lost interest after the mother started shouting and John started shouting and the whole thing turned tedious.

He rather thinks John won't actually be doing a full write-up of this one on his blog.

It's been two days since their last case and he's beginning to get more than a little antsy. Lestrade has sent him nothing, just a boring hit and run that he refused to even leave the flat for, and nobody interesting has appeared through the blog. Said blog he is currently scrolling through on John's laptop, having borrowed it again.

He did ask, it's not his fault John hadn't been in the room at the time.]

Bored, John.

[He doesn't even know if his flatmate is even in, but that's hardly a necessity for him to actually speak to John. Frustrated, he throws the laptop across the room to hit the wall, where it summarily breaks. Which is where he can be found whenever John appears, sulking amidst pieces of laptop, both from the melted one of their last case and John's poor broken one.]

Comments

[jumpthegun]

I don't think he will be. She's been sitting with us the past few hours and he hasn't turned up. I'll, uh... let Lestrade know not to send flowers just yet, too. I'm sure it'll ruin Sergeant Donovan's morning. Anderson's, too.

[They can joke about Sherlock nearly dying now because he's not still dying. Laughing is better than the crying from last night, certainly.]

I'll be back in a bit.

[He offers the other man another smile before turning to head out and off to the cafeteria. He stops by the nurse's station to let them know he's fetching Sherlock's parents, just so they're not duplicating effort. Then it's away, searching for Molly. With as early as it is, John imagine there won't be too maybe people there. The painkillers from earlier have worn off, so he's moving rather stiffly when he arrives and casts about for the familiar brunette and Sherlock's parents.]

Sherlock sent me to fetch you back, Mr. and Mrs. Holmes. He's feeling up to talking now.

[gallowshumour]

[Molly feels so awkward as she drinks coffee with Mr. and Mrs. Holmes. They're so... nice, and so normal, and they don't insult her even once. But she can't find it in herself to enjoy the conversation or get information about Sherlock in his younger days, because all she can think about is if her boyfriend really was in on this.

Surely not.

But if he was, if Jim is the one that's been helping to hurt John and Sherlock, then isn't she complicit? Is it somehow her fault? She barely even notices when John appears and Mr. and Mrs. Holmes thank him to hurry back to the ward and their two sons, just staring down into her coffee as if she might either shout at it or cry any moment.]

[jumpthegun]

[Time to return a favor now that he's not in a worse state.

John sits down next to Molly and places a hand over hers for a moment to draw her attention.]

Hey. I'm sorry about how that went back there. We've got it so Sherlock's at least staying for an hour of observation. I'll be watching him once we're out, as well.

[He'll lead with that and then get to Jim.]

[gallowshumour]

[She jolts when his hand comes over hers, flushing with the awkwardness of it. She tries to offer a smile, it's good that Sherlock is going to be okay, but it still comes out a bit watery.]

Who's going to be watching you?

[This is why she needs to stop and think before she speaks.]

I mean, um, sorry, it's not my business.

[jumpthegun]

We'll keep an eye on each other. And we have your number. [He quirks his lips at her, trying to play it off as a joke.]

Talking of, I was hoping to actually get Jim's number, if you have it. I know what Sherlock was saying in there sounded mad. I'd rather mark him off the list quickly, y'know? How did you two even meet?

[gallowshumour]

You mean because he's right.

[Molly can't help the slight bitterness in her tone, staring into her cup of coffee.]

Because he's always right about things like this, and of course the only guy to be interested is a criminal murderer. I mean-- oh sod it, that's exactly what I mean.

[jumpthegun]

Molly, that's not... I'd be interest if I weren't... [He trails off, awkwardly. This isn't exactly the best time to be flirting with anyone.]

You're a good person, Molly. Even if Sherlock's right--and that's a big 'if,'--that says nothing about you and everything about Jim. You'll find someone who's right for you--who appreciates you like you should be. I'm happy to help on that front.

[gallowshumour]

[Two bright spots of colour flame her cheeks, but she must have understood. John didn't just register some interest, he's trying to be kind. It's more than Sherlock would be, he'd probably just tut in impatience that she hadn't handed over Jim's number yet. It's a small kindness, but she appreciates it.]

Oh.

[She ducks her head and rummages through her bag.]

Forget it, it's fine. I'm-- It's fine, really. I'll get you his phone number and then you can go back to-- right.

[jumpthegun]

[Why did this have to get so awkward. A part of John would like to just take the number and flee, but the Holmeses probably aren't going to look on him with terribly much gratitude for his presence. Not to mention, he'd promised Sherlock to try to get more information. It will be easier being interrogated by John than the consulting detective.]

It's not fine. Molly, hey. You won't let me get away with that. Just because Sherlock's not interested, that doesn't mean other blokes don't want you. You're just... when you're focused a lot on one person, even if you're not actually dating them, it makes it hard to see where there's room for another relationship. [A pause. Which is probably why he just broke up with Sarah a few days ago. John could sigh at himself. He'll fix that relationship later. Much later.] I'm seeing someone else right now. Sort of. We're on a break. If that weren't the case, though, honestly... getting to know you just the little bit I have? You're amazing. You're clever, you're beautiful. But when I look at you, your eyes are turned toward Sherlock. I wasn't even sure you knew my name for a while there.

[gallowshumour]

[Even if he is just being kind, it's pretty much the nicest that anyone's been to her in a while and she can't help the smile that she directs down at her coffee cup.]

Thanks.

[He's a nice man, good, from the little she's come to know of him too. It makes her a bit ashamed that he's right when he says she didn't even know his name, it's so humiliating that everyone can see just who she's infatuated with. She can't help it. He's a brilliant man, he has a gift to help the world with; but, more than that, she knows there's good underneath the sometimes callous exterior.]

You won't tell him, will you?

[She's not stupid, she knows that he already knows, but it's less painful to delude herself into thinking that he's just oblivious rather than so disinterested that he doesn't even consider her worth acknowledging most of the time.]

[jumpthegun]

[Unlike Sherlock, John isn't about to shatter the delusion. And he knows full well what it's like to get caught up in the brilliance of Sherlock's light, even when there isn't any sort of physical attraction there. The man burns brighter than anyone John's ever known, and he and Molly are both moths in their own way.]

'Course I won't. Wouldn't do to go outting my fellow officer and partner in crime. Our secret.

[He offers her a tired smile with a finger pressed to his lips.]

I do want to give him some time with his parents, though, if you wouldn't mind suffering my company a little while longer. What can you tell me about Jim?

[gallowshumour]

[She gives a tired smile right back. There's still hurt in her eyes, she's alone again now and Sherlock is never going to look at her. Not even as a friend, she's just lucky he bothers to remember her name. But at least John is trying to be nice, and that's a big deal considering what he's been through recently.

His sister has died, he's got burns, and all of this is because of something her boyfriend might have been involved with. The least she can do is find the strength to help. Her shoulders square just a bit.]

He works in IT at Barts; you know, helping out when the systems go down. I met him a couple of months ago at a retirement party for one of the nurses, he was-- I mean, I don't know much about him other than that. I have his phone number, but I never went to his place and we only ever really talked about work, and... and Sherlock.

[jumpthegun]

[Now, that's interesting.]

What about Sherlock?

[gallowshumour]

It wasn't really anything personal.

[She can't help but sound a bit defensive there, she didn't mean for any of this to happen.]

We just talked about work, and he mentioned that I must not get a lot of conversation because all of my coworkers are dead, and I said not quite and-- well, Sherlock's interesting, you know? I didn't tell him anything about your cases.

[jumpthegun]

[John holds up a hand briefly.]

I don't think you did anything wrong, Molly. I'm just trying to understand what he might know. If it wasn't about our cases, and it wasn't personal, what did you tell him about Sherlock? What did he want to know?

[gallowshumour]

I told him about the sort of experiments he did in the morgue, and that he was a detective, but not any specifics. I told him how smart he was, and how he's not like anyone else at all.

[There's the hint of her feelings as she finishes, but she's not too embarrassed. Of all people, John will understand. Not romantically, but she's seen him be unable to shut up about Sherlock too.]

[jumpthegun]

[He nods, pondering how that might have helped Jim, if he is the Alphabet woman's accomplice. John doesn't even bother to comment on the feelings. He's seen Molly with Sherlock.]

Did Jim ask you any really personal questions that you can think of? Maybe not directly about Sherlock, but things that might be tied to him?

[gallowshumour]

Um... he was interested in your websites, both of you when I told him that his-- that you wrote one too.

[She had actually just said that Sherlock's 'assistant' wrote a blog too.]

But nothing else personal, really. Do you-- you think he's right, don't you? But why would he do something like this?

[jumpthegun]

[There's something that sinks in his stomach. His blog and Sherlock's website. There aren't too many entries on his side, but there are enough to give someone an idea of him and of Sherlock. And who the people he knows and cares about are.]

I don't know. Sherlock didn't seem to recognize him at the funeral. [But Sherlock had been delirious.] I'd never met Caroline Matthews, though. Maybe one of Sherlock's cases managed to get someone he cares about hurt or collared by the police?

[gallowshumour]

[It's a good enough theory, Sherlock has angered a lot of people and not all of them have been the criminals themselves. But it feels an extra level of perverse to have been dating someone who was only using her to get to Sherlock.

She suddenly straightens, a stricken look on her face.]

He's coming here today, before work. He said he wanted to make sure I was okay after what happened to Sherlock at the funeral.

[jumpthegun]

Okay. That's okay. Did you tell him what room Sherlock's in? We can just head back. Sherlock can figure out how he wants to talk to him, right? It'll be fine.

[He doesn't think it will actually be fine, and John's pulse is thrumming once more. What if that man is-- No. He is. Sherlock can't be wrong about that. And if he's back there with Sherlock right now... it makes the doctor's skin crawl to think of it, but he'll put up a front of calm for Molly to keep her at ease. If John's a little quick to stand, though, that's just him feeling better about the broken ribs and burns, not a sign that he's paying less mind to the pain now the adrenaline's kicked in again.]

[gallowshumour]

No, I don't think he knows what room Sherlock is in, he said he'd meet me in the lobby.

[But she falls into step beside John anyway, not fooled into thinking he doesn't want to check and make sure.]

Besides, his family are all in with him, right? I wonder if they could tell us where William comes from.

[It's not that she's really interested, just grasping for things to say to fill the awkward silence of walking the hospital corridors.]

[jumpthegun]

[And if Molly's not in the lobby, the natural next step is to ask for the room number where she'd be. John's footsteps quicken. Nothing's going to happen here. Mycroft won't let anything happen to Sherlock while he's in the same room with him. Surely. And his parents will be keeping a hawk-eyed watch, especially on a stranger in their midst.]

Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure it's fine with them there. [Which means his heart is pounding out danger for no reason. Telling it that doesn't seem to have much effect, though.]

Might just be a mix-up with the name. Or maybe it's his secret first name. [Wouldn't that be a laugh? William Sherlock Holmes. What child would willfully go by Sherlock over Willi- Sherlock. Of course Sherlock would. John's a little too wired now to make polite conversation, so he moves along as fast as he can in silence after that, just throwing Molly a tight smile. They make it back to Sherlock's hospital room and John raps on the door to announce their presence before turning the handle and taking a look in, half-expecting to see Jim throttling Sherlock there on the bed.]

[howdull]

[Molly keeps pace even though it means almost jogging, getting more and more anxious by the moment. If Jim really is involved with this Caroline Matthews, and if he hurts Sherlock, it will be partially her fault. She might never forgive herself from that, so she can hardly argue with John wanting to get to the room as fast as possible.

But there's no Jim in there.

Only Sherlock, looking slightly desperate, and his family. The look of relief on his face when he sees John is like the sun coming out from behind a cloud, nothing to do with who it is and everything to do with this being salvation from his family.]

John!

[Thank the God he doesn't believe in at all.]

Come in, thank you. Mycroft, you can go and fetch my clothes now, that must be an hour. Mummy, Father, thank you for coming but I'm sure you want to get off before the traffic gets too bad. Don't let me stop you. Goodbye.

[jumpthegun]

Hardly.

[Mycroft replies waspishly.]

It has been forty-five minutes, Sherlock.

[John flashes the elder Holmeses a smile as he moves over to the bed with Molly.]

I think maybe we probably should get going. [He clears his throat and casts a significant look at Sherlock.] There's someone we were planning to meet who may be arriving soon.