Hello! You have made it to the fourth chapter of the story! Just a tiny bit of an update though. I do apologize.

Thank you to all of those who followed the story and added it to their favorites!

Have fun x

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CHAPTER 04: W.O.E. (What On Earth?)

…...

The clock's ticking resounded throughout Sherlock's flat. John was staring hardly at the wooden coat hanger that held onto his wool, russet coat. He knew that Sherlock was still talking but he could not seem to comprehend any of it.

"John, did you hear me?" Sherlock asked.

Silence.

"John?"

"Sherlock," John started. "You just said that Molly's date showed up after Mary and I left, right?"

"That is correct. Although I fail to see the point of him going when he already said that he would not go. He could have just avoided appearing at all and he could have just avoided making quite an unpunctual appearance," Sherlock stated.

John gave him a wry smile in reply and silence overcame the flat once more.

….

Molly was experiencing the same type of hard stare that John gave the coat hanger. Mary was staring at her with such concentration that she could no longer discern whether she should be flattered or be uncomfortable. Molly sipped on her tea, quickly following it up with a biscuit in order to avoid any questions that Mary could ask her. Truth be told, she was also not quite sure as to what happened a few nights ago.

Molly studied her not-so punctual date right infront of her. His slicked back hair was raven black in color and his mustache was quite prominent. Although he was pale, he had a certain charm- though it was a dangerous kind, Molly thought. He had an air about him which seemed deadly even though he was smiling at her stories constantly. Deep inside, she was actually scared and uncomfortable.

"Molly?" he asked.

"Y-yes?" she stammered on.

"Are you quite sure that you're alright? Would you like to have a rain check instead?" he said, looking concerned.

"Umm… N-no, tonight's alright although I am rather curious as to what led to your appearance tonight."

"Oh?" he smiled broadly. The smile made her flinch since it suddenly reminded her of Moriarty. His slicked back hair and mustache was already close enough but she quickly stomped all the thoughts out since Sherlock had already told her that Moriarty was already gone. So, who was this man exactly?

"Well, I mean, Mary told me you were in surgery or something of that sort and you couldn't make it tonight."

"The surgery was… short but successful, to say the least. The patient made it, don't worry," Ben replied, his smile faltering a bit.

"Oh, that's great! Good job, I guess."

John's other half seemed to be intrigued as to the real identity of the man who claimed to be her friend's date. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to come up with different scenarios as to how it could have played out. Mary knew that she was no Sherlock but she could cook up some mean theories… and well, pasta.

"So, how did he look like?" Mary started.

Molly was bracing herself for the question since she didn't want to offend Mary in any way. She didn't want to reference Mary's set-up date to Moriarty but that was the only thought that came to mind as the both of them talked that night. She took one last sip from her cup and heaved a sigh.

"Now Mary, please don't take this the wrong way but… Ben seemed dangerous, actually," she started, eyeing her friend cautiously. To her surprise, Mary's eyes appeared to be glistening with delight.

"And he also very much reminded me of Jim. He had the whole slicked back hair, mustache and Italian suit combination going on. It was a bit too much actually," she said finally.

"Okay, Molly. Thank you for being honest with me," Mary replied, smiling. She was feeling euphoric since her plan to bring Sherlock and Molly together was seemingly more plausible now. She didn't know who the imposter was but she was thankful for his appearance. She was now one step closer to her plans.

Mary was smiling happily as she asked for the check from the wait staff. She eyed Molly curiously as she currently seemed to be in an internal battle.

"That's it. What's wrong?" Mary said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… Like I said, Ben did seem to be quite dangerous but… there's something about him. I'm not quite sure what it is but well, I said yes to a second date with him."

"I'm sorry... but did you just say that you were going on a second date? With the lad that you said was dangerous?" Molly asked incredulously.

Molly kept quiet, her eyes observing her friend's facial expression. Several expressions passed, one of disbelief, then shock and finally, stoniness. She was confused as to why Mary had these expressions, instead of happiness and delight, which she was aiming for. Before Molly could add anything else, the wait staff finally gave Mary the check. The both of them were silent as she rummaged her bag for the cash and for her phone. She gave the wait staff a small smile as she handed over the check. The wait staff gave them both a polite bow before leaving them to themselves once again.

The silence was quite unbearable for Molly since she was very much used to Mary's chatter. Now that she was quiet, she was racking her brain on topics which they could talk about.

"Umm, Mary…" she started.

"I apologize, Molly. I… I'm happy for you. Just keep me updated okay? I need to meet John in a bit so I'm afraid I have to go." Mary said, standing up.

"O-oh! Okay, I understand. I'll let you know what happens on the second date," she replied, giving her a small smile.

Mary nodded her head in reply and gave her a hug before proceeding to the door.

…

As soon as she left Molly, Mary quickly dialed in John's number. She waited for a few rings before he picked up.

"Hello, John? We have a problem," she said nervously.

"Hello, love. Yes, I know. Sherlock told me something strange… I thought that there was no Ben Winchester?" he replied over the line.

"That's the whole point! There is no Ben. So who on earth is the imposter?"

"Hmm… Do you think we ought to tell Sherlock now? I think he'd help us and well, I am quite curious as to who this guy is," Mary said, observing her surroundings.

She knew there was something off since she could feel that somebody was watching her. To her surprise, a man with black, slicked back and a mustache was staring at her from across the street. This gave her goosebumps. The man looked exactly like Moriarty from her point of view and if she wasn't mistaken, this was the imposter! Molly certainly described him well. She could feel danger emanating from him- even though he was across the street.

"John, I think we'd better tell Sherlock. I just saw the man staring right at me from across the street," she added.

Suddenly, a deep voice replied.

"There is no need for that, Mary. I am already quite up to date with what has been happening… thanks to John right here. Come on over, we have a lot to discuss."

Mary sighed in relief.

'Thank god for Sherlock,' she thought.