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“I don’t understand the point of staying home for a date,” Sherlock said from the sofa as John walked into the sitting room. He’d thought it would be hard to deal with his other business with Sherlock and Molly staying in but they had kept the film surprisingly loud and he knew his conversations with his associates in trying to figure out what Moriarty was up to had gone unnoticed. He didn’t much care for the silence coming from that quarter. He knew the slippery bastard was up to something, and seeing as how he’d used Molly as a pawn once and Molly was now dating Sherlock, he wasn’t about to let her get used again. Criminal or not, he did have something of a heart left and people he cared for, and two of them were on the sofa, bickering about the merits of a date night in.
“Well, it’s pouring down rain and there are tremendous gusts of wind, and I’m not in the mood to get soaked any more than I did coming here,” she said. Then she realised John was standing there and gave him a smile. “John! You should come join us.”
“I don’t want to intrude,” he said, shaking his head.
“Nonsense. This isn’t a real date,” Sherlock said. “Molly’s simply watching films at too high a volume where there are explosions and gunfire and--” He’d had his head in her lap and she began running her fingers through his curls and he shut his eyes and began humming in contentment.
“You were saying?” Molly said smugly, looking down at Sherlock. “Come on, John. You pick the next film; this one is almost over.”
John nodded and sat down in his chair. The furniture had been rearranged so everything was pointing at telly and there was popcorn that was being ignored. John gestured to it and Molly nodded while not removing her fingers from Sherlock’s hair, and he picked it up.
He wasn’t entirely sure if it was best to join them, best to integrate himself more in their lives. Really, being Dr. Watson was a great cover, one he’d built for years and years, but there was so much that could go wrong, so much he could lose now. Moriarty had to know how important Sherlock was to him, and if he was paying any attention to Sherlock at all he’d know how important Molly was to Sherlock. And to be frank, Molly was important to him, too. He was forming more attachments to the two of them, and others like Mrs. Hudson and Greg, every day.
Maybe it would be a good idea to fake an accident and scrap this cover.
But then he saw how happy Molly and Sherlock were and he knew his “death” would devastate them, especially Sherlock. He couldn’t do that to them. Not after seeing them like this. He’d find some other way.
---
Eventually, the rain and wind lessened and Molly started yawning so the evening came to an end. John covertly watched Sherlock and Molly share a discrete goodnight kiss after she put on her coat and then Sherlock walked her to her car. When he came back in, there was a bit of a bounce in his step, and John reckoned he’d gotten another kiss before she left.
“You really fancy her, don’t you?” John asked, beginning to clean up after the three of them. Takeaway had been ordered at some point, and the bowl of popcorn had been knocked over when a tickle fight commenced between Molly and Sherlock because Sherlock wouldn’t stop talking about how certain scenes in one of the movies weren’t scientifically possible. The sitting room was quite the mess and John was determined to make it less so before Mrs. Hudson saw it.
Sherlock nodded, beginning to pick up empty takeaway containers. “I do. I know my brother says caring is not an advantage but with Molly, I feel at peace. There is something about her that feels like...” He grappled for the best word to describe the feelings he was feeling. “Home, I suppose.” He started to carry things towards the rubbish bin. “Have you ever felt that?”
“Not really,” John said, shaking his head. “I’ve never been that lucky, I guess.” He began to try and gather up the popcorn that hadn’t been ground into the floor. “Are you worried about your enemies?”
“You mean Moriarty?” Sherlock asked. John lifted his head up and nodded. “Not as much, not after he didn’t show up to the pool, but yes, I do still worry. There could be others who mean to do harm as well. One never knows.”
“Yes,” John said with a nod. “But you know I’ll always try to help protect you, right?”
“I know,” Sherlock replied. The two sank into silence for a time as they cleaned, and when they were nearly done Sherlock spoke again. “Thank you for joining us tonight. I know it might not have been what you wanted, being the third wheel on a date, but it was enjoyable, all of us spending time together.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” John said with a grin. He looked around. “Why don’t you head off and get some rest? Maybe we’ll get lucky and get a case tomorrow. Then you’ll have an excuse to go see Molly for a bit.”
“It is nice to talk shop with her,” he said with a smile. “Goodnight, John.”
“Night, Sherlock,” John said. When Sherlock had left, John finished cleaning and then went to his room, making sure his phone was secure and sending a message to his associates: Find Moriarty NOW. Keep eyes on him. Keep me up to date. After that, he closed the secure part of his phone and set it on his nightstand. Putting more pressure on his underlings was a start, but the fact that Sherlock still worried would gnaw at him until he knew exactly what Moriarty was up to.