My first foray into Sherlock fanfiction. Reviews are greatly appreciated. English is not my native language, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes you will find.

Enjoy!

First time John Watson saw Molly Hooper was in Bart's laboratory. He was still recovering from Mr. Holmes' deductions of himself. He was staring at the tall, dark-haired man standing behind the working table, mouth agape, when the doors behind John's back opened and small woman entered.

"Ah, Molly! Coffee!" exclaimed Holmes, taking steaming cup from the woman's hands without saying a word of thanks. John raised his eyebrows on this obvious rudeness, but the woman didn't even blink. Holmes took a sip of his coffee, frowned a little and then turned to this Molly, looking a little bit surprised she was still there.

"What happened to lipstick?" he asked. John blinked confusedly. Molly just shrugged.

"It wasn't working for me."

"Really? I thought it was a big improvement. Your mouth's to small now." Now John would actually gasp in shock on the man insolence if the woman being insulted didn't just rolled her eyes and smirked sarcastically.

"Charming," she said and then slipped her right hand into the pocket of her lab coat and handed Holmes a homemade sandwich. Man before her eyed the item dubiously.

"What is it?" he asked suspiciously, like he was expecting that the filling of the bread would be made of some explosive. The woman - Molly - chuckled.

"I thought you were above stating obvious. It's a chicken sandwich." Her hand didn't waver in the least as she was waiting for Holmes to take the meal. He didn't. Instead, he pouted like little child.

"I didn't want a sandwich."

"And yet you got one. Isn't it wonderful?" Molly said in cheerful voice, obviously mocking the man. John casted one quick look to Mike, trying to find a clue if he should leave. These two were obviously on the bring of having a little domestic and John as sure as hell didn't want to be any part of it. But Mike was writing something to the papers he brought with him, seemingly not paying attention at all to the scene before him. John uneasily turned back to watch Mr. Holmes and Dr. Molly.

Their stances didn't change a bit. Molly was calmly staying there with the knowing smile on her lips (certainly not too small, what was that git thinking?) and Holmes was watching her with frustrated expression in his face. Neither of them said a word, they were just staring at each other. At the end, it was Holmes who broke as a first and in angry voice he barked on the woman before him:

"What?! Don't you have a work to do?" Molly's smile widened as she shook her head.

"Not right now, I'm on my lunch break."

"Then go eat lunch!"

"I will. When I will see you've eaten yours." She nodded towards the sandwich still clasped in her outstretched arm. Holmes gave it dirty look. He obviously considered his options for a short while, but at the end, he snatched the sandwich from Molly's hand and threw it on the table, murmuring something about eating it later. Molly didn't move.

"Are you going to stand here and watch me to eat it?" asked Holmes incredulously when the young woman didn't vacated the room as he probably expected. Molly shrugged her shoulders again.

"If I must..." It was probably her unperturbed tone what was Holmes' undoing. With actual growl he took the sandwich in his right hand, teared the foil off it and with angry: "Fine!" ate the whole thing in three, four large bites.

"Happy now?" he asked afterwards, when he was able to swallow, whipping crumbs from the corners of his mouth, his eyes storming. He was rewarded by the most angelic smile John ever seen.

"Absolutely." Finally satisfied, Molly turned on her heel and headed to the door.

"Dictator," murmured Holmes darkly to her turned back. She smirked and when she was passing John, she winked at him cheekily and whispered at the address of the taller man:

"Man-child."

It was what made John accept Holmes' proposal to go and see the flat together. Not the reasonable rent or convenient location near the city center. But the prospect of seeing that remarkable young woman again. John had fair share of relationships (long and short; some very short) in his life - he was well known for his lady conquests, but for the first time in his life, he believed he had a serious crush on someone.

Trying to get out of Sherlock (he offered the first name basis practically immediately) anything regarding his relationship with the Molly from Bart's was nearly impossible. John didn't want to step into something and there certainly was something between the two of them, but devil knew what. When he asked Mike, after Sherlock hurriedly left the lab in the hunt of his riding crop (he tried not to think about that much), all he got was deep laughter from his old friend. Not very satisfactory.

He managed to maneuver the topic of the conversation they were having over the diner (and stakeout) to the desired destination, but he was sorely disappointed by results.

"Girlfriends, boyfriends..." he was describing what normal people had in their normal lives. Sherlock just smirked, his eyes never leaving the street behind the window of the restaurant they were sitting at.

"Yes, well, as I was saying... Dull." John sighed and decided to press harder. Neatly wrapped as a joke, he said:

"Don't let your girlfriend hear that." It finally got other's man attention. Sherlock blinked confusedly and asked:

"Who?" John happily offered an explanation:

"Your girlfriend... the woman from the hospital?" Realization dawned into Sherlock's eyes when he finally understood who is John talking about.

"Molly? She's not my girlfriend." He paused there and then almost reluctantly added:

"That's... not really my area." Now it was John's turn to came with a big epiphany.

"Hm... OH! Right," he murmured. Sherlock was again staring out of the window intently, obviously not listening. Still, John carefully asked:

"Do you have a... boyfriend? Which is fine, by the way." Sherlock looked at him with unreadable expression in his face.

"I know it's fine," he said. And nothing more. John was starting to get more and more uncomfortable, his eyes flickering to that blasted candle between them. Talk about weird. With almost desperate smile he asked/stated:

"So you've got a boyfriend then."

"No."

What followed was even more weird and uncomfortable than the whole previous conversation. Thankfully, things were settled to their rights (at least John hoped they were) and shortly after forgotten in the name of crazy chase of the cab and its absolutely irrelevant passenger. John vowed to himself never again ask Sherlock Holmes about his sexual preferences (he would ask Mrs. Hudson in years to come, but never again Sherlock) and to find out about Molly from Bart's dating ability from someone else. Anyone else, in fact.

What John didn't account for, was that Molly may be in fact already spoken for, even through Sherlock wasn't the one who kept her company at nights, so to speak. From the person that did, however, was John truly... baffled. At first, anyway.

He and Sherlock were just leaving the crime scene, consulting detective giggling like a girl, John himself barely keeping it together. Adrenaline high. He was feeling like his old self again. Bubble cracked when he saw the man who kidnapped him earlier that day staying behind the police tape, obviously waiting for them.

Sherlock didn't waste any time and started arguing with the man. It was actually highly amusing argument, if John would say so. That's it, until the topic turned into very uncomfortable waters - for everyone (except for the man's PA, who was glued to her Blackberry and wasn't paying them any attention whatsoever).

"This petty feud between us is simply childish. People will suffer. And you know how it always upset Mummy," said Sherlock's arch-enemy, his face not revealing any actual concern, only his voice. Sherlock on the other hand, was already quite railed up, his own face showing everything.

"I upset her? Me? It wasn't me that upset her, Mycroft," he spitted angrily. John would be really concerned for him, if the words previously said by the other man didn't catch up with him at last.

"No. No, wait... Mummy? Who's Mummy?" Without looking at him, Sherlock composed himself together enough to answer:

"Mother. Our mother," he smirked quite unhappily and added:

"This is my brother, Mycroft. Putting on weight again?"

"He's your brother?!" John exclaimed incredulously, but he was totally and utterly ignored, for the quarrel between two... brothers continued.

"Loosing it in fact," replied Mycroft. Sherlock narrowed his eyes menacingly.

"Me and Molly think putting on," he declared arrogantly.

"Leave her out of it," sneered Mycroft and for the first time that evening, John could see some real emotion flash across the man's hard features. Anger? Jealousy? Who knew. John certainly not, but what he was keen to know, was Molly's real connection to these two lunatics.

"Molly? From the Bart's? What does she have to do with anything?" he asked, turning to Sherlock for answer.

"Everything."

"Is she your... sister?" He really, really wanted Sherlock to say yes, but all his new friend said was:

"In-law."

"Oh..." Well, that was it. Cute and sassy Dr. Molly was married to the British government (as Sherlock described his dear brother). Definitely not available for casual date with retired army doctor. And if the looks two brothers were exchanging were any indication, there was even bigger story hidden somewhere in their obvious animosity. But like a hell he would like to get involved in that.

And Mycroft's secretary didn't even remember they met earlier that day. Just his luck. John was frowning the whole way home. Maybe he was loosing his touch?