It's been quite a while, but yes I am still alive and kicking lol. Been enjoying some non fandom writing these days, which I'd sadly gotten away from for too long. Nothing but love for Sherlock and Molly, but I don't want to get stuck in a rut of never writing original fiction again. Gotta have some variety! :D

I wanted to share this little ficlet/preview which was originally posted on tumblr. At the time I said I was thinking of doing more with this AU idea of Molly being in the role of Detective Inspector, which Fangirlhani kindly reminded me of recently. So I agreed to give it a go. :) I haven't written anything new for it yet, but I'm planning to add another part or two to this AU, so follow along if you'd like to see more. ;)

Molly tapped her foot nervously in the police car after yet another failed lead. The stress was definitely getting to her. Too much pressure, and most of it she was putting on herself. She jumped as her mobile buzzed on the console.

YOU DO REALIZE YOU'RE MISSING EVERYTHING OF IMPORTANCE. –SH

Molly sighed and set her phone in her lap. She bit her nail and continued tapping her foot. A minute later, Sally Donovan got in the car.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Sally said, clearly noticing her partner's demeanor. "We'll figure it out, we always do."

"Right, yeah, of course," Molly shot back in forced confidence.

Sally frowned a second later as she noticed the text on Molly's mobile screen. "Tell me you're not gonna answer him."

Molly tilted her head and grimaced in embarrassment, making Sally roll her eyes. "I don't know what else to do! I've hit a dead end and apparently he knows something. Wouldn't it be stupid of me to ignore him?"

"You're good at your job!" Sally stated firmly. "But he comes on the scene and does everything he can to make us all look like a bunch of children who are playing at police work, including you! That's far from fair and you know it." She shook her head as they both saw another text come in.

THIS WOULD MOVE A BIT QUICKER IF YOU'D TEXT ME BACK…YOU OBVIOUSLY WANT TO. –SH

Molly gave Sally an apologetic smile. "I have to see what he thinks. I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't follow all possible leads!"

"It's not just about that, Molly." Sally gave her the pointed look of not only a colleague, but also a friend. "He's a distraction…and you know exactly what I mean."

The DI's face flushed instantly and she pressed her lips together. But then she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders as she looked back at Sally. "I'm answering him. It's the right thing to do. So far he hasn't been wrong, and I'm willing to bet this time will be no different." She dropped her voice a little. "I need him."

"Yeah, I bet you so," Sally muttered with a sardonic laugh as Molly began typing a reply.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW? –MH

ALMOST EVERYTHING…EVERYTHING IF YOU BRING ME TO THE CRIME SCENE. –SH

FINE. MEET ME THERE IN 10. –MH

MAKE IT 15. PERHAPS STOP AND GET SOME COFFEE FIRST. –SH

Her lips lifted in a blossoming smile. Aw, is he telling me to take care of myself? What a surprisingly thoughtful-

BLACK, TWO SUGARS FOR ME. PLEASE AND THANK YOU. –SH

Molly clenched her teeth. "I'll kill him."

Thanks for reading! ;D