That's not a typo folks...
Okay, couple of things... this is my first Soulmates AU... and it scared the shit out of me. I couldn't have done it without MrsMCrieff, my Beta, my Brit picker, my friend. She held my hand and told me it wasn't a crazy idea (although I do realise it's a bit out there...HA.) I love the idea of Soulmates, and MizJoely's lovely Soulmates AUs inspired this, so I blame (I mean) gift this to her. Hope you enjoy it. It's a few chapters long.
Also, everyone is a bit o/c. I took advantage of the AU aspect... This takes place before ASiP. There is no John. Sorry John lovers (I love him too!)
"...of all the... minor position my arse... pompous, self-riotous, egoistical..." Mike Stamford continued to mutter to himself as he made his way to the morgue. He was on his way to see the newest member of the St. Bart's pathology department, Dr. Molly Hooper. The very least he could do was warn her about this man, who was evidently on his way to the hospital. If was anything like the stuck up piece of work he had just spoke to on the phone, she was in for a hell of a day. "I don't get paid enough for this." He mumbled as he opened the door.
The petite brunette looked up from the cadaver she was working on to see her rather flustered boss rushing through the door. "Oh, hi Mike. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, well actually I just had a very frustrating conversation with a high ranking government official. I never want to do that again." He said sitting down and catching his breath.
"Is everything okay, is something going on?" She asked as she removed her gloves and started washing her hands.
"No, nothing's wrong, per se. I've been informed that we are to allow this government official's little brother unfettered access to the lab, and slightly more restrictive access to the morgue. It's the most unprofessional thing I've ever heard of in my entire career." He huffed. "I was in the process of telling him that very thing and that he could be the bloody Prime Minister for all I cared, I wasn't letting some unauthorized person into MY lab and MY morgue, when a very bored looking young woman showed up at my office door carrying enough paperwork to get this brother of his into Buckingham Palace."
Molly got him a cup of water, "Dear God Mike that was the longest sentence I've ever heard. Calm down, I've never seen you so upset. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever actually seen you upset before."
He looked up the kind young woman, suddenly very worried about this upcoming meeting. "I'm sorry Molly. I should have calmed myself down before coming in here. Anyway, Mr. Holmes the senior, said his brother can be difficult, demeaning and insensitive. And let me tell you after having just spent the last ten minutes on the phone with this Mycroft Holmes, I believe it."
Molly rung her hands, "Why are you telling me all of this Mike?"
"Oh yes, right. I completely forgot. This Holmes, is on his way to take a look at that John Doe we got in yesterday, the homeless man. Thinks it may be someone he knows."
"Alright, I'll get him ready." She said, Mike started to get up, still slightly red faced. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Don't worry about me Molly, I'll be fine. Listen, when he comes in, whatever he says- whatever he does, ignore him. His brother said engaging him only makes him worse."
Molly furrowed her brow as Mike left the lab. Molly busied herself prepping the body for viewing. She frankly wasn't in the mood for some over-privileged, arsehole to come messing about her morgue. She had only been there for five months but she already felt quite protective of the pristine white room and sterile slabs. Not to mention she didn't like seeing Mike so upset, she really liked the older man, he was a mentor to her and she respected him.
She sighed and continued her work. Of course she had been in a foul mood all day, the cause; another bad fix-up. Another attempt at finding her soulmate. The latest was Byron the barrister. Urgh! What an idiot. And of course noting happened when they shook hands. No even a tingle. It's not as if Molly was desperate, she was very happy with her job and her life. But her mother and her friends wouldn't shut up. 'You do actually have to try, dear.' Her mother had said, 'I dated loads of men before your father.' As if finding out her mother was some sort of trollop was a comforting idea. 'My foot didn't start to tingle until our third date, but when I felt it, oh... just you wait.' Her mum had said with a far too telling twinkle in her eye.
It wasn't always a tingle. For some people, the sudden appearance of their soulmate's name on the bottom of their left foot was an intense burning, for others it was a light tickle. The feeling could range anywhere in between. The words usually formed within a few day of the first skin to skin contact, but it could take as long as a month, sometimes even a little longer. Her mother, ever the romantic, said it took time for the souls to weave together. Molly thought the whole thing was bollocks. She was a scientist for God's sake. Even being raised by loving parents who clearly adored each other and had instilled her with the proper beliefs, Molly still had her doubts. Nevertheless, it seemed no one was going to get off of her back until she found her elusive other half.
She hadn't always felt this way. As a small child and teen she remembered feeling hopeful and even anxious about meeting the person who would wear her name on their foot for the rest of their life. Uni changed all of that. That's when Molly fell in love. His name was Alex, and Molly just knew from the first time she saw him that his name would appear on her foot one day. After a couple of months of surreptitious admiration, she finally got the nerve to talk to the dashing young man. He was tall, with light blond hair and beautiful brown eyes. He wore horn rimmed glasses, he was completely awkward, always seemed to be on the verge of tripping over his own feet. He was perfect.
He seemed absolutely shocked when she walked up to him and asked him to join her for coffee, but accepted nonetheless. They chatted and laughed and had a wonderful time. He was a Photography student, came from a large family, he was allergic to shellfish and hated anything citrus. He like hiking and had a deep love of silent films. She was smitten.
At the end of the date Molly placed a soft kiss on his cheek. She wanted their first contact to be a kiss, what a lovely story to tell their kids. They saw each other almost every day and Molly waited for the tingle.
Molly wasn't a prude by any stretch of the imagination. She did however believe in soulmates, and the Fates and destiny... basically everything she had been taught growing up. A month into their relationship, she and Alex had sex. It wasn't perfect, though she had no frame of reference, but it got better after the first couple of times. That first night as she lay in his arms he told her he couldn't wait for her name to appear on his foot. She just knew it was going to happen at any moment, so giving herself to him was no great sacrifice. Besides, they were in love, that's what people do.
Two weeks later Alex sat her down and explained that he had collided with a young woman outside the cafeteria, ran right into her knocking them both down. Evidently when he took her hand to help her stand up their left feet simultaneously erupted in pain.
Molly was crushed. Stupid Fates had completely strung her along, made her fall in love with the wrong person. She decided it was pointless and cruel to go about life getting ones hopes up only to have to wait to see if your bloody foot started to itch. She concentrated on her studies and left soulmates to her friends. That was until about a year ago when apparently everyone in her life decided she needed to be bullied into finding Mr. Right.
Byron the barrister was just another in a long line of failed first dates. Fates help her if her foot had started tingling after her date with him, she would've cut the damn thing off.
Molly was pulled from her thoughts by Mike coming back into the lab, looking only slightly better than before.
"Here we are Mr. Holmes, our morgue." Mike said trying to keep his cool.
"Right, let's see the body then." He finally noticed Molly, his eyes raked over her... twice. She furrowed her brow.
"Dr. Hooper's going to take care of that for you. She's..."
He interrupted Mike. "She's new, been here four no five months." He was looking at Mike now, "You like her though, taking her under you wing so to speak. Very protective of her, like a little sister. Of course, because of the sister that died. Right."
Mike realised how close he was standing to Molly at that moment and looked at her with utter shock.
The man turned his gaze back to the petite woman, "Only child, cat lover, you live alone. Single... Looking though. Yes, desperately so. Hmm, well besides that fact you seem competent enough, young for this position. Must have pushed yourself though school. Ambitious... or compensating? Favor the latter. Right, the body?" He finished removing his scarf and turned to the body on the slab still covered with a sheet.
"Stop!" Molly yelled.
He turned.
"Mr. Holmes, I believe..."
"Sherlock."
"What?"
He rolled his eyes, "My name is Sherlock, not Mr. Holmes."
"What the hell kind of name is Sherlock?"
He rolled his eyes again, "It's Old English, there are actually two possible meanings, either fair haired or short haired."
Molly's eyes flashed up to his mass of curly dark brown locks. "Of which you are neither."
"To be fair, I was born blond. May I see the body? I do have other things to do today." He said turning away again.
"No, you owe Dr. Stamford an apology."
He slowly turned around, "What on earth for?"
"For what you said about his sister. Which by the way, how could you have possibly have known?"
Sherlock closed his eyes and shook his head. "I didn't know, I deduced. Just like I deduced everything about you."
"Impossible!" She shouted.
"Not impossible actually. Let's see shall we? Bad date last night? You went to dinner of course, boring. It was a set up, an accountant or no... a barrister I believe, and you hated him. You are terrified his name will show up on your foot. Don't worry, generally soulmates have some attraction to each other." He had inched closer during his deduction. He crossed his arms over his puffed out chest and raised an eyebrow. "Now, tell me I'm wrong."
Molly fumed for a moment deciding whether or not to storm out of the room, finally she decided she wasn't being run out of her morgue by this pompous arse. "Fine. You're right." She spit out. "But that doesn't make you any less of..." She stopped herself. She didn't want to cause problems for Mike.
"What, can't say it? So tightly wound.." He moved closer, "People like you are so easily read; it might just be best if you shut yourself in your tiny little apartment with your ginger cat and your science fiction novels and not interact with the general public least you be taken advantage of. Though perhaps you should have let the barrister have a go at you, might have made you a bit more agreeable today."
She didn't even think twice before bringing her tiny hand across his face with all the force she could muster. They both looked shocked.
Mike, who had never seen the kind young woman raise her voice, looked as if he might faint.
Suddenly both Molly and Sherlock screamed, falling to the floor, each grasping their left foot. After the initial shock of pain, they realised what it meant.
"No!" Molly whispered.
Sherlock simply shook his head, "Of course." He said to himself.
Molly ripped her shoe and sock off her foot. "Ah ha! It says William!"
Sherlock narrowed his eyes, "I dearly hope it's the shock of it all causing your stupidity. William is my first name!"
Molly sighed then started putting her sock and shoe back on.
"You're soulmates." Mike said.
Both Sherlock and Molly graced him with the same look and said, "Obviously." At the same time.
Sherlock jumped to his feet and offered Molly a hand, which she refused. She got up and turned to Mike, "Can you assist Mr. Holmes with the identification? I'm not feeling well. Do you mind if I take a half day today?"
"S-sure, of course Molly. W-whatever you need." Mike stammered.
Molly stormed out of the room.
Yep! It's their feet! I like feet. I went to school to be a nail tech, didn't finish because my father died (long and boring story there.) But I still give pedicures... I like feet (not in some weird way!) I like making them look good! I may be a little obsessed with Ben's though... they are huge!
Let me know what you think! More to come! Thanks for reading!
Lil
