Mr Holmes and Miss Hooper - a Sherlolly Story

Chapter 6

Monday morning rolled by and Molly watched Loo leap from the car and bound towards Amanda, Martin and Ben before driving around the building and parking in the staff car park. She clambered out and grabbed her lunch from the back seat along with some books she'd marked for her third-period class. She couldn't even try to pretend she wasn't excited about lunch with Sherlock. She was ecstatic.

After Friday night, she felt as though things had shifted between them, at least on her part. She hadn't stopped thinking about being with him that night. She felt as though they were closer to lovers than friends and, frankly, she wanted to see where this change could take them. Sherlock was pretty much the only thing on her mind all morning, thankfully the classes that she had were all independent studies for the exams so Molly's mind was free to wander. But she had Loo's class the period before lunch and she had to try to act as natural as she could. Loo had this uncanny knack of knowing when Molly's mind was elsewhere. The bell went for the end of class and Molly dismissed 11A with a smile.

"See you later, Miss Hooper."

"Goodbye, Amanda. Good luck with your project in Mr Holmes' class this afternoon."

"Thanks."

"Amanda! I'll catch up." Amanda smiled at the sisters and Loo sauntered up to Molly's desk. "So ..."

"Yes?"

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing. Why would you ask?"

"Oh come on, Molls! You've not been your usual focused self all weekend! And this morning I watched you make your own lunch, you haven't made your own lunches since you used to make Dad's-" Louise cut herself off, realising what she had said, "sorry, Molls. You just seem .. off. And I'd be a pretty rubbish sister if I didn't notice these things."

Molly got up from her chair and walked around the desk, Loo watched her carefully before she was enveloped in a hug which she gladly returned.

"Loo-Loo, I'm fine. I'm not falling into a state of psychosis where I feel like making dad's lunches will bring him back." The siblings chuckled together in their hug. Loo rolled her eyes at Molly's still slightly morbid humour. Molly pulled away and kept her hands on her sister's shoulders, "I made my own lunch because I'm eating somewhere else today, with a ... friend."

She shouldn't have hesitated. Loo's eyebrows shot up and her eyes blew wide.

"Friend, huh? Are you sure? Who is it? Please tell me it's not Mr Stamford!"

"No! No, it's not." Molly laughed and then sighed. This was it, the truth had to come out. "It's- it's Mr Holmes."

"Oh my God! Molls! I thought you were just friends! He's like-" she lowered her now shouting voice and whispered "he's like the hottest teacher in the school! Good for you!" She playfully smacked Molly's arm. "I told you I like him. Molls, this is amazing! He's great and so smart. You're like perfect for each other, oh my-"

"Loo! Breathe." Her sister's babbling finished and she took a few deep breaths. "It's nothing like that, it's just lunch. He always disappears off somewhere and he told me on Friday night he'd show me where."

Molly blushed scarlet.

"Friday night! What happened Friday night? Damn it, I knew you were in too good of a mood on Saturday to have been binge-watching Netflix alone the night before."

"Oi!" Loo giggled and kissed her sister on the cheek. Molly smiled. "Hmm, that's what I thought."

"So, what happened Friday?"

"We both had no plans so decided to do something together. He came to ours because his flat had had some kind of experiment mishap-"

"Why does that not surprise me?" They both laughed.

"And we got fish and chips and put on a crime documentary ..."

Molly trailed off, not wanting to finish the story.

"And?"

Molly rolled her eyes, if there was one thing she could say about her little sister, it's that she was definitely persistent. Molly took a deep breath,

"And then I may or may not have fallen asleep on the sofa with his arm around me. And then I woke up against his chest with the worst crick in my neck and then I kicked him out the back door just before you got home." The words rushed out of her and Molly bit her lip at the end, waiting for her sister's reaction. Molly was loath to admit it, but she loved having girl talk and gossiping with Loo. It was part of that sisterly bond she would forever hold dear.

"Molly Hooper! Why didn't you tell me this sooner? More importantly, why did you kick the poor man out?"

Louise literally facepalmed before the two stared at each other for a few seconds and then burst into a fit of giggles,

"Yeah I know, I should have told you but-"

Loo noticed her sister's flushed cheeks and placed a finger to her lips,

"But you like him, you really like him. That's why you asked what I thought of him!" Molly averted her gaze, "oh Molls, I think he's great. Really I do. And I think you'd suit each other well. I mean one more scientist in the house won't hurt, right?"

"Thanks, Loo. You really are an amazing young girl." Molly tucked a stray curl behind Louise's ear.

"And I have you to thank for that."

The older pulled the younger sibling into a lingering hug. Yes, they both wished their situation could have happened differently, but neither would change what they have now.

The moment was interrupted by the classroom door creeping open.

"Oh, err, sorry to interrupt. I just didn't know if you were still coming, Molls, I'll just-"

"No, it's fine, Sherlock. Come in, Loo's got to get off anyway." Sherlock hadn't noticed the look Louise had shot at Molly at the use of that little nickname.

"Yeah, I gotta dash. I'll see you later." She kissed Molly on the cheek one more time and rushed out the door, eager to catch up with Amanda and give her sister and Mr Tall, Dark and Handsome some alone time.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Look, Sherlock, about the other day, I really am sor-"

"Molly," he moved to her and put a hand on her arm, "I've already told you, it's fine, I enjoyed it. The part where you kicked me out added an extra bit of excitement." He smiled at Molly's small chuckle, "Now come on, let's go."

He moved to the door and opened it for her, she grabbed the plastic box with her lunch in it and walked with him out of a rarely used door in the right-hand wing of the west block. Molly had never used it and, as far she knew, it was used only for transporting science equipment that was too heavy to be carried down the stairs in the main block, or too big to get through the main doors.

"Where exactly are you taking me, Mr Holmes?" She giggled.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He smirked down at her as he led the way.