M – Mind Palace


Molly entered the flat of 221B, her hands grasping bags from Tesco. If Sherlock insisted on her staying the night, then he was going to have to have some actual edible food around! She found him stretched out on the sofa, eyes closed and fingers steepled; he was in full Mind Palace mode.

Shaking her head she proceeded into the kitchen and put away the food she had bought, making certain that the body parts were kept well away in their own corner in the fridge. Once finished she went and sat herself down in John's chair, wondering how long Sherlock would be locked away from her. She watched him for a few moments before picking up her novel and snuggling down into the cushions.

Minutes passes as she read, the only sounds were the faint ones coming from outside, down below. If she didn't know him better, she could have sworn that Sherlock was asleep. Suddenly the sound of his voice pulled her from the depths of her book. Her eyes flitted up, landing on him. He hadn't moved and his eyes were still closed. But he was talking.

"Of course Molly, the signs are all there! Look at the state of his nails! Even the ridges of his knuckles are caked with it."

She raised her eyebrows in wonder. He wasn't talking to her, but to his Mind Palace version of her. She existed in his Mind Palace? She had never known this, never once actually considered it.

Sherlock continued to have the one-sided conversation, making her wish that she could hear what the Mind Palace version of herself was saying to him. With a sudden satisfied exhalation of air he opened his eyes and sat up.

"Solved it!" he announced gleefully to her.

"Did you now?" she asked.

He jumped to his feet, a flurry of dressing gown and pyjama bottoms. Had the man never bothered to get properly dressed? She set down her novel and watched him walk into the kitchen. He noted that she had gone shopping. Of course he went straight for the package of chocolate biscuits.

"Those are for after dinner Sherlock!" she called out.

She swore she could hear him grumbling. He returned empty-handed and threw himself back down on the sofa; sporting a full-blown pout. She struggled to suppress a smile. Ridiculous man-child!

"Sherlock … were you just having a conversation with me, in your Mind Palace?" she asked slowly.

His eyes snapped onto hers. "I was talking out loud?"

She no longer withered beneath his gaze. "Yeah, you do that sometimes. This was a first though, never heard you talking to me before. Usually you're arguing with John."

He let out a loud sniff, his eyes moving to gaze at the ceiling.

"What was I wearing?" she asked.

His eyes moved back to hers before he started to mumble. She was positive she heard the words "lab coat".

"I'm wearing my lab coat am I? Anything else, or just that?" She couldn't help but smile slightly, teasingly.

"Your cherry jumper," he replied.

Her smile grew wider. "I thought you said that it was ridiculous?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "It is, for anyone but you."

She got up from the chair and walked over to him. "Am I often in your Mind Palace?"

He looked up at her, before reaching out and grabbing her hand, tugging her down to him. She complied, stretching out beside him.

"Of course you are, you occupy a whole room," he stated.

She laughed softly. "Do I? I had no idea."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, slipping his arm underneath her so that his hand could rest on her lower back. One of her small hands was splayed out on his chest.

"Molly Hooper, you are the Queen of my Mind Palace," he told her. "You helped me survive a bullet wound. You kept me alive. You guided me home."

She clutched at his t-shirt, balling it into her fist. "I didn't know."

"Well … now you do."

Silence fell for several minutes. The faint hum of Mrs. Hudson's television was barely audible.

"Sherlock?" Molly murmured.

"Mmm?"

"You know how you delete things …?"

He nuzzled her ear with the tip of his nose. "I've never deleted a single thing you have said or done."

"Oh. That's slightly frightening. They can't all be good. Most are probably horribly embarrassing."

"Nope." His mouth popped on the p. "Not a single one. I love them all. My Mind Palace Queen."

She giggled into his chest.

"I especially enjoy returning to the ones where I've made you scream in ecstasy," he purred into her ear.

She smacked his chest slightly. "You are such a dirty man!"

He twisted his body so that they were facing each other, side by side before he said, "It's all your fault, you have such a delectable and distracting body!"

She let out a squeal as he pulled her underneath him before kissing her deeply, shifting their bodies so that they molded together.

He momentarily became unfocused. "Hmmm ... we haven't had sex on the sofa yet; this will be a new one to file away."

Her hands were around his neck, playing with his curls at his nape. "Sherlock. Shut up and kiss me."

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Mind Palace Molly isn't quite so demanding."

"That's because she is a figment of your imagination and doesn't have any needs."

He raised an eyebrow. "Ohhh … and what needs are these?"

"I'm quite certain you can find the answer to that in your Mind Palace!" she stated, hooking a leg over his hip, her ankle digging slightly into the curve of his arse.

He let out a deep chuckle before leaning down to kiss her again.


.

.

.

Reviews make me smile! :D