"Sherlock, are you goddamned insane?!" Molly threw up her arms for extra effect. Spilling the beans to Mary definitely seemed like a bad idea. No, beyond that. "Not only is it a horrible idea, she'd get mad at me because it would seem like I knew the entire time that you were pretending, yet still remained your partner-in-crime. No, I refuse."

"Are you still angry that I bailed out on the doughnuts earlier today?"

"It has nothing to do with that." Molly scowled. "If you want Mary to know so badly, just tell her yourself."

"That won't work. I'm not doing this for Mary's benefit, the exact opposite, actually." Sherlock stuffed his hands into his trenchcoat pocket.

They had already been standing out on the sidewalk in near-freezing temperature for five minute, which is not suggested for anyone, and Molly was anxious to return to her cozy (and more importantly, heated) flat, so she was on edge throughout this whole conversation.

Not to mention, Sherlock was still holding that box of doughnuts like it held a large stash of gold, which slightly annoyed her. Why was he being so intent on those doughnuts? They contrasted dramatically with his usual image of a stoic, always-serious consulting detective. They made him seem so much more childish, which was somewhat compelling. But no! Someone who shows up at her flat out of the blue, drags her outside in the cold for a talk, and proposes an illogical, crazy plan should not be found compelling.

Yet he still remained that way, which confused Molly greatly. Was it only a month ago that Sherlock performed that humiliating social experiment on her and she swore to stay distant from him? Well that certainly turned out to be a bust.

"Why do you want me to do this?" Molly was very reluctant to show any interest in his plan, but curiosity won out in the end.

"It's very simple, really. Think of this as a game," Sherlock explained.

"I thought games are suppose to be fun." Molly muttered, just below the audible range, and Sherlock continued on.

"Even better, a game of chess." He made an imaginary square, the chessboard, with his fingers. "Except in this game, I start out with an advantage, like an extra knight, because I knew that the Huntington's test was false and made the first move by messing with her wiring. However, that game would be very boring indeed. Where would be the fun if I know, right off the bat, that I can claim victory?"

"There would still be fun in gloating after you've officially won. Do that instead and leave me out of it, please."

"Oh, Molly, haven't you heard of the phrase that it's not the destination that matters but the journey itself? This situation is very much like that. I wouldn't find any satisfaction in besting Mary at this, because I hold all the cards here while she becomes merely a victim. But, if you inform her about the my actions so far, we would be on almost equal footings. It's almost as if I'm giving her an extra knight myself, to make things even."

Molly remained silent for a while, contemplating the concept. "Do you think about everything like it's a game? Because real life isn't like a game at all. People could actually get hurt from this, you know."

Sherlock looked confused, "Hurt? There is nothing physically damaging throughout all my doings."

"Emotional damage is still damage."

"I think you might be forgetting the fact that she was the one who had the oh-so-brilliant idea of having you deceive me about the test results. And here you are grilling me about the emotional damage I might inflict upon people? Not to heap all the credit on her, but this whole thing was mainly due to her decisions." Sherlock's face remained flat, but his tone betrayed his annoyance. I think I do reserve the right to make some game-changing decisions. I don't understand why you're being so difficult about this. It's not even anything bad. I think Mary would enjoy being told what's going on."

This was turning into an argument, which Molly greatly dislikes, so she put forth an ultimatum to avoid any further quarreling. "Fine, fine, but promise that if I tell her, then you have to leave me out of all this, from now on."

"I cannot speak with one hundred percent certainty, but I will do all that I can to avoid involving you with any more schemes of fine."

"Good enough."

"What took you so long? What did he want?" Mary was lying on the couch, covered with a blanket and reading a book.

Molly shrugged and pretended to be genuinely surprised at Sherlock's unexpected visit. With the box of doughnuts that he insisted she take, something about him not liking doughnuts anyway, she said, "He said he just wanted to give me this because he owed me a favor." Now was not the right time. It's probably better to wait until Mary's more calmed down. But then again, wouldn't it be best to tell her when she is annoyed? That way, she would reach the limit of annoyance and wouldn't be any more annoyed. While, if she were calm, then revealing the facts might make her reach the annoyance level as well.

Then there was also the issue that Molly wanted to get this whole thing over with, and delaying might just make her more anxious. Sometimes, it's more effective to just throw yourself into the situation rather than thinking too much about it. Sherlock might disagree with that thought, but he's not present to tell her otherwise.

"Hey, Mary, how long do you think it'll take for them to fix the wirings at your flat? You know, just to gauge how long you'll be staying and make preparations for groceries and other things."

She turned a page in her book and looked up, "The landlord said a two or three days but didn't specify beyond that. He said he will call me when it's all done."

"That's not too bad."

"Yeah, thanks for letting me stay, anyway. Greatly appreciated." Mary smiled. "And Harold." The spider sat in its glass aquarium right beside Molly's bookshelf.

"Oh, no problem, anytime."

Oh, how to start a confession? "I lied a bit earlier, well, sort of. Sherlock did say that he was here to give me the food, but he acted slightly suspicious, I thought." Molly lowered her voice in pitch to darken the mood and make the bluff more believable. "He kept glancing behind me after I opened the door. Even when we both went out onto the sidewalk, he looked like he was pleased and preoccupied with something."

"What are you suggesting?" Mary closed her book lightly, intrigued.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't have proof or anything, so this is merely a theory, but what if he were the one who messed with your wirings? Didn't your landlord mention something about how the circuit thing that happened wasn't normal and that it never occurred before?"

There was a moment of silence as Mary entertained the idea. She shifted and now sat in a position that was not unlike the famous statue, The Thinker. "I can see him doing it and I wouldn't be surprised, but why? Maybe if we did more investigations... You know what? We should go investigate my flat, like they do in detective films. If this were actually his doing..." There was a glint of something malicious in her eyes.

Part of Molly was surprised that Mary took the bait so willingly. Usually, her friend was more perceptive and better at reading people than this. She was probably blinded by her dislike for Sherlock and zeroed in on that. However, Molly still had to be careful and proceed with caution. This could all go wrong with one mistake in wording or otherwise.

"I mean, Sherlock could simply be acting weird because he's a weird person, as usual. Maybe it's just my imagination." Molly read somewhere that being the Devil's advocate could strengthen someone's belief more when they're still a bit unsure and skeptical.

"That could be very well what it is, but I have a feeling he's at least partly to blame for this." Mary frowned in concentration. "I'll have to think on this... No, in fact, we should go investigate right now. My flat. What if the perpetrator left behind a vital clue?!" She clenched her fists.

"Now?"

"If we go any later, they might realize they messed up or left something and go back for it. We might miss our chance."

"H-how about in twenty minutes? I really need to take a hot shower and eat something. I haven't had lunch, and it's pretty late already." Molly scratched her head. She was looking for some time to contact Sherlock about the most recent developments and make necessary arrangements to convince Mary.

"Yes, hurry, go. I'll have some time to reflect and think about where the criminal could have messed up." Mary nodded.

After flashing a small smile, Molly quickly gathered a change of clothes, carried them into the bathroom, and turned on the hot water. As the entire room steamed up rapidly, she drew out her cellphone from the pockets of her sweatshirt and dialed. The sound of the water would hopefully muffle the conversation.

Sherlock picked up almost immediately. "Hello? Have you spilled the beans?"

"Yes, well, sort of. I made her suspicious that you might have had something to do with the incident, but she's not entirely convinced yet. She wants to go and investigate her flat for possible clues."

"And I'm guessing that you want me to go back and plant some false clues to make it appear that I did, in fact, mess with her wirings?" Molly could almost swear that he was smiling over the phone. "I must applaud you. Skilled manipulation."

"Don't make it so very obvious, but not something that I wouldn't find."

"Don't you worry, I've got a plan."

"You always have a plan. Just don't let it be something crazy this time. Oh, and you have around, let's see, eighteen minutes? And I don't want to hear anything more about this 'chess game' after I get this incident over with. Good luck."

"I won't need it, but it's a nice thought, all the same."

A/N: Woohoo, series three confirmed for New Year's day! Now let's just hope series four won't take half as long as three did to come out.

Thanks to all for reading and reviewing!