She started this morning like she did every other morning. Got up, washed her face, brushed her teeth, got dressed and ate breakfast. She noted the low
amount of cereal left in the box and made a mental note to go to the shop after work to buy more. Most people would forget something as trivial as buying
more cereal after a long day of work, but not her. Not Emma. With an IQ of 189 and an eidetic memory, Emma never forgot anything. Top of her class at
Uni and currently working on her 3rd doctorate in pathology at St. Barts Hospital, she was excited by all the new information that she was learning but
knew she would quickly become bored and move on to a new academic endeavor. She got up and washed her cereal bowl, placing it and the spoon that
she was using back in their proper places before grabbing her coat and work bag and shuffling out the door. Pulling on her coat and walking out into the
bitter London cold, she quickly started the walk to St. Barts. She was currently working in the morgue under the supervision of one of the head
pathologists at St. Barts, Molly Hooper. Emma really did like Molly a lot. Though she was mousy, wore the most HORRIFIC cardigans and would stutter
when she was a bit overwhelmed, Emma did grow quite fond of her mentor. She had been working with Molly for about 2 weeks now and had adapted to
St. Barts rather quickly (with no surprise to herself, but much surprise to her mentor) and was now attempting her own autopsies (under the supervision of
Dr. Hooper of course). Emma strode into the morgue, hung up her coat and moved into the lab to put down her bag. She always arrived a bit early to start
the coffee maker for herself and Dr. Hooper. The drink had just finished brewing when she heard Molly enter the morgue.
"Good morning Dr. Hooper" Emma said politely, handing Molly a mug filled with far too much cream and sugar for her liking (she preferred her coffee black
with two sugars, but who's to judge).
"Good morning Dr. Reynolds! Get here ok? It's frightfully cold out today…Even for London!" Molly smiled brightly before taking a sip of the hot coffee.
Emma nodded before picking up the stack of files that Molly had carried in with her. She flipped open the first file and read over all the information inside.
"We have a lot of work on our plate today Emma, I hope you are ready!" Molly beamed at her prodigy. She had been so excited when she heard that she
was going to be mentoring a new graduate student! Especially when she heard that she was top of her class and already had two doctorates. Though at
first, Molly was a bit intimidated by Emma.
Molly walked out of her office, practically bouncing off the walls from excitement to meet her new grad student. She turned when she heard footsteps enter
the morgue and practically froze on the spot.
'Oh no…' she thought 'this is probably one of those creepy morgue-loving people…' She looked at the strange girl for a second before swallowing hard. She
had black straight hair that was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, she was wearing a black, low cut tee-shirt and very ripped black jeans with a belt that
looked like a seatbelt, she had rings all over her fingers and about a million bracelets covering her wrists. She also had two lip rings, a nose ring and
earrings all up both her ears. Molly looked at her with wide eyes until the girl noticed that she was staring at her.
"Hello! You must be Dr. Hooper! I'm Emma, your new grad student" She beamed at Molly. "I notice that you are a bit uncomfortable with the way that I
present myself, but I assure you I am not one of those creepy morgue-loving people" She practically quoted what Molly was thinking. Molly felt herself
blush as Emma studied her. It reminded her of another person that she knew. But after scanning Molly for a brief second, Emma smiled at her expectantly.
"Right..um…yes…hello Emma" Molly stuttered and looked at her shoes, feeling very embarrassed that she thought those things about her new student.
"Should we get started?" Emma asked quietly, not wanting to scare Molly again. Molly looked up and smiled at the girl.
"Of course!" Molly grabbed her lab coat and handed one to Emma. She shook her hand and they began their work.
They were just beginning their 3rd autopsy of the day, Emma working the scalpel and Molly watching expectantly when Molly's phone began to ring. Molly
jumped and put her hand over her heart while Emma did not flinch one inch but raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you going to answer that Dr. Hooper?" she asked politely, eyes never leaving her work.
"Oh yes….um…yes of course" Molly shuffled over to her purse and pulled out her phone. She saw the familiar number and smiled when she put her phone
to her ear. "Hello John!" Molly practically beamed into the phone. She had become very fond of the army doctor over the years.
"Alright, Molly?" John asked. They exchanged pleasantries and then John explained why he was calling. "Lestrade has gotten us a case and Sherlock needs
to use the lab" Molly sighed, but a smile flickered on her lips. She hadn't seen the Consulting Detective since before Emma came aboard...Emma….Oh god.
"John. What about Emma?" Molly chewed on her bottom lip waiting for his answer.
"Yes that's why I called. I wanted you to get that poor grad student ready for Sherlock. I don't want her to cry like that lab assistant did the last time we
visited." John stated. Molly told him she would and hung up the phone. She walked back over to see that Emma was performing the autopsy perfectly on
Mrs. Handle.
"Emma, dear, I need to talk to you for a second" Emma put down her instruments and looked at Molly curiously. "Ok I know that this is going to sound a
bit strange, but just hear me out ok?" Emma nodded and pulled up a stool, sitting down lightly on it. Emma observed Molly before she began to talk. She
was very tense, probably from the uncomfortable news she was about to expel. Her upper lip twitched and her eyes kept looking towards the door,
suggesting that someone or something was coming for a visit and it was unpleasant. Though through all the uncomfortableness, Emma could see a hint of
excitement and…(lust maybe) in the mousy pathologist's eyes. Final conclusion: A person of whom Molly had feelings for was coming to visit the morgue
and Molly was nervous about said person meeting herself. This person might be judgmental or something else but for some reason Molly wants to protect
Emma from him or her. Emma composed her face into a look of innocence as Molly began, though she already knew what Molly was going to say.
"Sometimes the morgue works with a Consulting Detective …"
"Consulting Detective is not a real job" Emma cut in, looking a bit bored
"Yes, I know…he made it up himself" at this, Emma rolled her eyes and it made Molly smile a bit. She wished that she could be that nonchalant when
talking about Sherlock. "Anyway he is coming in to look at some bodies and use the lab so we might be a bit distracted. And don't let him get to you ok?
Sometimes Sherlock says things that he doesn't mean because he is showing off. Oh and that's his name, Sherlock Holmes" Molly said, making sure that
Emma knew not to take what Sherlock says to heart.
"Don't fret Dr. Hooper. I never take anything that anyone says to heart. And if this Sherlock character thinks that he is going to get in the way of us and
our work, he has another thing coming to him" Emma answered, her voice sounding a bit bored, but she smiled at Molly when she saw her nervously
wringing her hands. "Molly. Please. I promise I will be ok" Emma stated, looking Molly right in the eye. That was the first time Emma had ever called Molly
by her first name, even though Molly insisted Emma's whole first week that she should call her Molly instead of Dr. Hooper. Emma then explained how that
would be unprofessional and promptly went back to the slide she was looking at through the microscope. Emma got up from her stool, took some of the
samples she had procured from the body and went to go look at them under the microscope. Molly smiled at her and went into her office to begin on some
paperwork.
About 25 minutes later she heard the doors burst open and saw the signature black coat billow through the morgue. Molly sighed and stepped out of her
office.
"Hello..um…hi Sherlock" Molly stuttered, cursing internally at herself, but plastered on a smile when Sherlock began scanning her. John smiled at her and
gave her a quick hug.
"Where is she?" His baritone voice implored. He looked at her expectantly before she pointed to the lab. Sherlock strode in, followed by herself and John.
Emma had not even looked up as Sherlock's eyes bore into her body. Molly felt John freeze by her side. "She's a bit different, isn't she?" John whispered.
"Yes, but different is the new sexy, isn't it Dr. Watson?" Emma stated, not looking away from her work but lifting an eyebrow. John stuttered next to her
and Molly watched as his face turned a bright crimson. Molly saw a smile flit across Sherlock's lips, but it quickly disappeared as he was about to open his
mouth. Emma looked right up at him, green eyes boring into his blue ones.
"Ohh..so you must be the great Sherlock Holmes? The one and only Consulting Detective and resident asshole of 221b Baker Street?" Emma got up and
extended her hand for him to shake. Sherlock just stared at her. "Sorry did I cut off your train of thought? You were about to deduce me right? Tell me all
about my deepest darkest secrets? That's kind of predictable, isn't it Mr. Holmes? I was thinking it would be a little bit more fun if I deduced you." Emma
began circling Sherlock, her eyes scanning him up and down. "Grew up rich, father left early and mother was quite cold. But that's why you lashed out so
much, right Mr. Holmes? For her attention? You craved it. You still wear the scarf she bought you three years ago for Christmas, why Mr. Holmes? She's
not around to approve. Or maybe you wear it to spite your older brother. Though your mother was cold, she favored you over her eldest son and you never
want him to forget that. She does favor, though, his accomplishments in his field that you were never able to reach with yours. That being said, you are
exceptionally brilliant, unlike your brother who is, in one word, ordinary. I have to give you credit Mr. Holmes you are one of the greatest minds I think I've
ever seen, though I believe your IQ is not quite, well, mine. But that mind can be the death of you, can't it? That's why you turned to drugs, to quiet down
your mind, just for a little while. I can understand that. And the smoking too" Emma rolled up the sleeve of her lab coat to reveal two nicotine patches "But
the drugs were becoming dangerous, the more you took, the less of a high it gave you and you were becoming bored. Things get bad when you get bored,
don't they Mr. Holmes? So you began working cases and they have been keeping you occupied for now. But how much longer can they last? Now, on to
John and Molly. You and John became roommates a few years back. He is a very good doctor, but that's not why you keep him around. That's the frailty of
genius, isn't it Mr. Holmes? It needs an audience. And Mr. Watson has one of the biggest hearts I've ever come in contact with" She stopped her rant to
face John, whose mouth was hanging open, his eyes wide. "I would love to have a chat with you some time Dr. Watson, your character fascinates me" She
turned back towards Sherlock and began to circle him again. "and that is foreign to you. You love people who are kind. And last but not least we come to
Dr. Hooper. Sweet, mousy, lonely Molly is the perfect target for your manipulation. Give her one compliment and she is tripping over herself to get you
exactly what you want. Though I don't quite blame her, those cheek bones, that Cupid's bow and that beautifully sculpted ass of yours would have me
bending to your every whim if I cared. But Molly cares. Molly cares a lot. More than you, Mr. Holmes will ever care to realize. That being said. She is my
mentor. She is helping me get to where I need to go and if you do ANYTHING to hurt her again, anything at all, I know the exact place on your body to
touch to paralyze you from your waist down. Though that would be such a shame because most men wearing as expensive clothes as yourself feel the
need to overcompensate for the lack of… significance down there. But I have a feeling sir…" Emma leaned into Sherlock, her lips almost brushing his ear
"That you don't have to." Emma leaned back and sat down on her stool again, eye back to the microscope. "Take what you need and go, Dr. Hooper and I
have work to do." And with that, Emma began working again. John's mouth was still gaping open at the girl currently writing notes on the yellow notepad
she had in her hands. Molly looked at Sherlock and saw his eye twitching and his hands in fists, turning his knuckles white. He strode over to John, told him
what to take from the lab and was about to exit before he turned back towards Emma.
"What is your…"
"189. Pretty impressive, huh" She cut him off and smiled on of the most genuine smiles Molly had ever seen at him. Sherlock raised an eyebrow and
stalked off. Though before he turned, Molly thought she saw a smirk grace his face.