Hello! :D This is my first Sherlock fanfiction, so I do apologise for any mistakes or if I have made the characters OOC in any way. I wrote this for a friend, so it's not the greatest, but I might turn it into a multi-fic if it gets good feedback! Thank you, and enjoy ;)
Molly Hooper was not afraid of him.
Even if she should and even if that's what everyone thought, that wasn't how it truly was. Even if he had her so complicatedly wrapped around his finger that the possibility of ever becoming free from the tangled mess of lies – the spider's web of lies – was almost nonexistent. If you asked her, she would tell you what she wished would happen.
"We only went out three times. I broke up with him. I've forgotten."
As much as she tried to believe the lies that she told, the faintest trace of him was left in her mind, in her apartment, everywhere. She couldn't free herself from the web. And who'd have thought that spiders were able to catch mice?
Not even that good-looking consulting detective could see through her. She pondered about that every now and then. Maybe he didn't understand love. But then again, it wasn't really love at all. It was a sick mockery of love. It was the only love Molly Hooper believed she was destined for.
Sherlock was a liar.
Jim didn't exist.
Well, at least her Jim didn't.
But the worst part was when she found out who he really was. A criminal. A murderer. The thought made her stomach twist and turn yet she still didn't want to let go of what they had. It was the first time in a long, long time that she didn't feel worthless or...unimportant.
Soon she realized that was the only thing she ever was. To Sherlock, to Moriarty. When Sherlock had warned her about the sweet and slightly awkward Jim from I.T. To be the criminal mastermind Jim Moriarty she quickly grabbed her phone and dialed in his number as fast as she could.
Brrrring, brrrring.
The ringing sound cut through the usual cold, dead silence of the morgue. Molly was chewing on her hair, fidgeting with her jumper, anything to distract her thoughts as she waited for Jim from I.T to pick up his phone. She just hoped Moriarty wouldn't pick up.
But no one did, and poor little Molly was left with tears forming in her eyes. They were nervous tears. No, they were fearful tears. She couldn't tell, and frankly, she didn't want to tell. With a shaky breath she had gathering her things to head home and hope for the best.
A few days later, Molly received a call from a number she didn't recognize. With no clue who it might be, she answered while fixing her toast. It was that greying detective, the one she didn't know much about but knew he was somehow connected with Sherlock. He introduced himself as Greg and quickly apologised for calling Molly.
"Normally I would have you come over to the Scotland Yard building, but we just don't have the time for that right now. I understand he was lying to you the entire time?"
A lump formed in her throat at the thought and she murmured a, "Yes." It had been almost a week and she was just starting to forget, but soon all of the memories came flooding back in a rush. She was still learning to be immune to them. Immune to him.
"Okay, yes, sorry, sorry." Gosh, this detective was just so polite. That at least brightened her mood slightly. Not by much, but enough to do some justice. "Alright. I think that'll be all...no, sorry, not quite." Molly bit her lip nervously. Just one question and she was already sick of them. "Jim Moriarty is a dangerous man, a man much different than you know." No, I know. "I could watch over you for a bit. Well, the detectives. Not just me. Just to make sure he doesn't come back for you. To...well, kill you."
A sudden realization dawned upon her. Moriarty would do that. No, he could do that. She gave a shaky breath at the thought of the offer. Why wasn't she agreeing? Why wasn't she being so thankful for Greg to offer?
Molly was still trapped in the web.
So with that she calmed down quickly, slumping down into the chair at the little table in her kitchen, and finally replied. "No, I...I'll be fine. I'm – I'm not important..." she trailed off. That wasn't supposed to come out, but the thought that Moriarty won't even acknowledge her existence passed through her mind and she blurted it out. Now she felt like fool asking for pity. In truth, the last thing she wanted was pity.
So now the phone call was finished, and all she was left with was burnt toast, an attention craving cat, and the lingering thought of the spider.
Her spider.
It was a cold, winter night just like all of the others in the past few weeks. This time, Molly had work off the next day due to the holidays approaching soon, so she curled up with her plump cat, Toby. She planned on having a Glee marathon, just like she always did on the nights where her lonesome was absolutely unbearable. By now, it seemed like one of the few things that could make her smile.
Jim from I.T loved watching Glee with her. It was one of the things they did on their second date, and Jim had been utterly pleased with the American TV show with a little too much drama and overuse of songs from the '80s. They would sing along together sometimes, but now Molly was alone, and she knew Toby can't sing.
Moriarty probably doesn't even actually like Glee.
Why, why oh, why does everything have to lead to him?! She buried her face in a nearby pillow, letting the frustration out with that simple method. With a sigh she brought her attention back to the telly. It was the part where Sue dresses up like Madonna and sings "Vogue" with Kurt and Mercedes. Molly couldn't help but smile; that was one of her favorite parts of season 1. Jim from I.T also loved that part, but she forced herself to forget that a while back. Actually, she forced herself to forget about a lot of him, just so the hurt wouldn't be so bad anymore.
The sound of her doorbell interrupted her show. She wasn't expecting anyone, so, with a sigh she paused the telly and stood up, heading towards the door. Maybe it was the christmas gifts she ordered for Sherlock and John finally arriving! With a lightened spirit she opened the door.
And there stood evil itself. The spider that had trapped her in his web. The spider she almost freed herself from.
"Are you here to kill me?"
The question was not laced with fear, as the spider had expected. Yes, it was quiet, but it was strong; stronger than he ever believed it could be before.
Molly was not afraid. Surprised, yes, but that didn't mean she had to cower in fear. She really meant her question, and honestly, if he were to say yes, she wouldn't care. This had to happen sometime.
The two stood there in silence, both waiting for the reply. Moriarty was pondering it. Maybe he should kill her, just because her reaction to seeing his dark, deep eyes and slicked back hair was something completely different than he wanted.
The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
But then again, he didn't want to hurt his little mouse at all. Even if her body language suggested that she had escaped the web, but her eyes betrayed her. They were full of sadness, loneliness, and, most interesting of all, wanting.
"No."
And then a single tear fell from Molly's eye, but her expression did not change. His mouse had grown stronger while he was away, as he could tell.
Molly was not used to this Jim. He was classy, refined, and deadly. And somehow she was attracted to all of that, even if she missed Jim from I.T.
Their expressions matched. So did their eyes.
Who'd have thought a mouse and a spider could be so similar?
Moriarty suddenly stepped forward without warning, grasping his mouse by the cheeks as he kissed her. He kissed her with all of the empty longing that he had for her, all of the love he still had for her. He kissed her with a passion he didn't know he possessed. Molly was taken by surprise by the kiss, never thinking once that her spider loved her back.
Maybe he's lying.
Her eyes flew open at the thought, and she quickly pulled away. Not again. She wouldn't do this again. The tears were welling up in her eyes as Moriarty looked at her questioningly. He knew this might happen.
"Don't. Don't. Don't." Every 'don't' meant something. Something that was unspoken, but both of them understood it nonetheless.
"Molls..." the spider breathed, reusing the old nickname Jim from I.T gave her. He stroked her hair comfortingly, hoping to calm her down. She didn't back away, but avoided his eye contact. "I won't hurt you, never again. You can be my queen. You are my queen. How can I get you to trust me?"
His voice was soft and gentle, much like his touch as he stroked her hair. He didn't sound like Jim from I.T. Was this what Moriarty sounded like? No, Sherlock described him as insane, his pitch rising and dropping like a roller-coaster. The man in front of her sounded like...well, he sounded like Jim. Not Jim from I.T, not Moriarty. This was the real man.
So she choked out a sob and hugged him, burying her face into the corner of his expensive jacket. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. The only thing he wanted right at this moment was her trust.
"Shh, shh. It's going to be okay. I promise."
With one last sniff she looked up at him with her doe-like eyes that were red and puffy from all of the crying. He gently stroked her hair again and let a smile grace his lips. This time, it was a real smile, and the mouse knew it. He took a quick glance behind her and managed to see that she was watching Glee again.
Truthfully, Molly had gotten him hooked when he was Jim from I.T.
He wouldn't tell anyone that.
"Glee, huh? Why don't I come in and watch it with you? We can pop some popcorn and curl up on the couch, if you want," he suggested.
Molly gave a small nod, and soon Jim waltzed in their like he owned the place. The mouse quickly followed in suit as he shrugged of his expensive (and now tear-stained) coat off, draping it over a chair.
"Jim," Molly, murmured, staring at his shirt.
"Hmm?" He turned around to face her, and she uncomfortably looked away.
"B-blood."
And soon he was apologising over and over again about that, realizing that he had forgotten about the blood left on his shirt. It wasn't his blood, obviously, but his little mouse didn't need to know that. He asked if he could have a change of clothes, despite the fact that he was in a woman's flat and the likelihood of her having men's clothes was slim. Even so, she went into the other room and came back with an oversized t-shirt; apparently used as her lazy day shirt. He thanked her, and went to the bathroom to change, just to be a gentleman.
While he was gone Molly had started popping the popcorn while chewing on her lip nervously. As soon as she had seen the blood on his shirt she remembered that he was the most wanted criminal in London. And he was going to watch Glee of all things with her!
She needed to forget. Just for that night. So when Jim walked out of the bathroom with a baggy t-shirt that said, 'I 3 FINN', she easily forgot. To keep herself from laughing at him, she covered her mouth. Jim wasn't as pleased.
But he did it for her. He kept his cool for her. And he had to admit, it was pretty funny.
"Well, at least this appropriate for watching Glee, right?"
This night was sure to be a good one. Besides, that had broken the tension between them and Molly soon forgot that she was a crying mess just a few minutes earlier.
The popcorn was finally finished popping as they settled on the couch. It was somewhat awkward for the two when they were as far apart from each other as possible; the popcorn creating the border between them. But soon the popcorn was gone and the bowl was on the floor as the mouse was leaning on the spider, laughing at the show and singing along.
But episode by episode Molly grew even more tired as she closed her eyes in drowsiness. Jim had noticed, but he didn't move. He turned the telly down and kissed the top of her head.
"I love you," he whispered, surprised at himself. But quickly he understood, and he let out a sigh and closed his eyes, hoping to drift off to sleep.
"I love you too," the supposedly asleep Molly murmured back, staying in the same position as smile made its way to her lips. Jim didn't realize she was still awake, but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe things could be different now.
Someday, he will make them king and queen.
But for now, they were just the little mouse and the not-really-scary spider.
Who'd have thought a mouse and a spider could love each other?