I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 148 : Children's issues

After having had pretty much a rough time trying to put the kitten to  sleep in a present box and getting it into the car without any  incident, Mycroft, Greg and their son and daughter were finally settled  in the black Jaguar, on their way to Molly's Hackney flat.

The  young woman had been planing that lunch for more than a month, wanting  everything to be perfect. It was her 35th birthday and as year were  passing by, she had started to understand that no one was to organise  her a surprise party, so she had decided to organise it herself. After  all, you are never as happier than when you do it yourself. She wasn't  offended actually, she knew how busy her friends were and was already  very happy just to have them join her but a little voice in her head had  been bothering her for the last week, trying to make her feel sad.

She pushed that though away and straighten up the cutlery beside one of the plate of the table. She  let her eye wonder on her CD collection and finally chose one by Nina  Simone. As she was to load it in the reader, she heard the door bell  ring. She left the item on the table and made her way through the  corridor to reveal a smiling Doctor Watson behind the door. He was  holding flowers and apparently a brand-new shirt, two attentions that  mad the young woman blush slightly.

"Come in, come in." she invited him as soon as he had given her the flowers.

The  man did as he was commanded and joined the living room, taking a seat  in the beige sofa. Hooper went looking for a vase in the kitchen before  coming back to the main room, displaying the flowers on one of the  window still, admiring the result.

"Sherlock gives you his best wishes, but he was really busy and couldn't make it in person." John apologized for his flatmate.

"He didn't fancy spending the afternoon with people is more like it, isn't it." the post-mortem chuckled, a little more nervously than she would have wished.

"Yes." the man admitted. "I was just trying to make him look less of an ass hole."

"No offence taken, don't worry." Molly smiled. "May I offer you something to drink ?"

"Do  you have anything resembling white wine ? I'd kill for some since  Sherlock can't help but use every single bottle I by for one of his  deadly experiment." the doctor sighed, amused.

"I must have some of that somewhere yes." the woman winked before disappearing in the kitchen once more.

She  was still in the kitchen when the entrance door opened once again,  quickly revealing to Watson the presence of Josh, Molly's kinda  long-lasting boyfriend. The young man was carrying two big shopping bags  and nodded toward the invitee before joining the kitchen too, probably  carrying most of their lunch inside those bag.

They were quick to  return to the living room, Molly carrying two glasses of white wine,  offering one to John, and Josh with a glass of what looked like orange  soda but which probably wasn't according to the fact it was served into a  wine glass.

"Spritz." he answered the unasked question. "An Italian cocktail."

"Oh. Didn't know about that." the doctor admired.

"It's a trend apparently now ..." Molly smiled, slightly teasing her partner. "I suppose Josh could make one for you later if you fancy becoming a hipster ..."

The  man's protest was cut short by a door bell ring announcing the arrival  of another invitee, which revealed to be two actually, in the person of  Sally and her boyfriend Scott. Both were offered a drink and, listening  to Nina Simone, the five of them started talking, mostly about their  work although they all had agreed at the beginning to let that subject  out of the conversation.