Molly Hooper, keeper of secrets.

This morning, I started fearing for Molly Hooper.

I've been fearing for a lot of the folk in BBC Sherlock in the last month, as dark rumors circulate about the coming fourth season. Mary Morstan Watson seems to be a marked woman, as her apparent death goes back to the originals, and the dangerous past of Sherlock's Mary just raises the odds of something dire either headed toward her or resulting from her.

Molly seems very nearly sheltered next to Mary, despite the fact she also seems the most vulnerable person in Sherlock's circle. But I wasn't too worried about her until I started considering her place in all of this. Molly Hooper is the biggest addition to this new Canon of Holmes. Anderson and Donovan are just new names for old Scotland Yard extras, despite their more developed characters. Molly is something special. The one who seems to love Sherlock most of all. (Yes, yes, Johnlockers, John, but I'm going Sherlolly on this . . .)

We know from the start of Molly's crush on Sherlock. And when she starts dating someone else, Sherlock immediately deduces that her new boyfriend is gay and she just can't see it. When she starts dating a second time, that new someone else is disturbingly Sherlock-like in appearance. So a.) She is attracted to Sherlock, and b.) Sherlock thinks she likes gay guys.

Now, consider what we see in Sherlock's mind palace in that lengthy "Abominable Bride" fantasy. In the Victorian world of Sherlock's mind, Molly Hooper must pretend to be a man to get what she wants in life. On the surface, that would be her job, but as a metaphor in Sherlock's head? Might mental Molly be pretending to be a man to attract a man who knows he only likes other men?

And we've always known who Molly wants to attract.

Molly is Sherlock's non-family secret keeper, a role she took on when he faked his own death. And if more of Sherlock's secrets are going to come out in season four, perhaps we'll see another secret that Molly has been keeping for him come out as well. And if all of Sherlock's secrets come out?

Well, maybe there's no need for a secret-keeper any more. And that bodes nothing good for dear Molly.

This pre-season Sherlock pondering is just a worrisome thing.