He appears in the mirror behind her, drops from the shower still scattered across his broad shoulders, reflecting the lamplight. He leans in to nose at her neck. "I will miss you," he breathes. "Couldn't you manage to get away every now and then to be with me?"
"Once I'm on the radar of the elder Holmes? You know the plan, Sebastian," she dismisses, sliding another pin into her hair. Her voice is already growing cold, creating the distance she will need for this stratagem. "I'll need to be around for the return." She tilts her head, observing her reflection. It will do.
"I know," he affirms. The tenderness is gone from his eyes now – when they lock on hers in the mirror, they are dancing with a vindictive flame. "Burn him. Burn the heart out of him, and then come back to me."
She spins, abruptly, and kisses him. It is desperate and heated, and over too soon. Her face hardens as she turns away. "For Jim," she says, and her voice does not tremble.
Then Mary Morstan steps into her shoes and out of the room, heels clicking on the hardwood of the stairs, out the door and down the front walk. She is on her way to a date with one John Watson. She does not look back.
-0-
Author's Notes: Oh god, this is officially the crackiest thing I've ever written - strictly because I had a sudden and dire need to temporarily commandeer and sail a ship christened "MorMorMor."
Not Brit-picked. Reviews and criticisms always welcomed. Thanks for reading!