Sherlock walked into the morgue expecting to take down Molly's new student, get all the lab time he wanted and get praised for being so clever by John.
He strode into the lab only to have his breath caught in his throat. He's never seen anything like her. Pale, like him, but she glowed in a way that he didn't.
Thin, but her curves were still evident through her skin tight black dress and patterned tights. He could see tattoos that littered her skin that was not
covered by clothing. Her fingers and wrists were covered with very gaudy jewelry that should have gotten in her way but didn't. Her dyed black hair was
pulled into a messy bun, her bangs falling into her eyes as she peered into the microscope. Her plump, full lips were covered with the most sinful shade of
red, while her eyes were covered with a charcoal black. The green of her irises really contrasted with the black of her makeup. He also noticed the rings
that resided on her lips and the stud in her nose. She ran her tongue over the spider bites, rolling the rings over her lip in a way that made Sherlock
question how unethical it would be to take Molly's grad student and snog her senseless. She had many earrings in her ear, 6 to be exact, in her other ear
there was a giant silver octopus earring that occupied 6 spots with its tentacles (the other two didn't attach to her ear). She looked up and pushed her far-
too-big glasses up further on the bridge of her nose. He could smell her perfume from his spot, lavender with a hint of vanilla. She was about 25, which
was very impressive considering she was working on her third doctorate. She had troubles with her father, causing her rebellious attitude (dyed hair,
various tattoos, dark makeup, scandalous clothing and many piercings), not many friends though she is a people person, and she had a certain…sense of
everything going on around her. Just like he did. He was brought out of his haze when he heard John whisper something about the girl.
"She's a bit different, isn't she?" John whispered.
"Yes, but different is the new sexy, isn't it Dr. Watson?" This comment caught Sherlock off guard. This one was quick. She was different…delightfully
different. She was going to be his next puzzle. He was about to begin his deduction of her when she cut him off, called him an asshole, and began to
deduce himself. And to Sherlock's amazement, she got every single thing right. She's brilliant, annoying, overly confident and the most interesting creature
Sherlock had ever crossed paths with. And, damn her, had an IQ 5 points higher than his own.
That night, Sherlock sat on the couch, hands steepled beneath his chin, constructing Dr. Reynolds' room in his mind palace. John got back from grocery
shopping to find Sherlock in the same position he was in when he left.
"What are you thinking about Sherlock?" John inquired. He didn't actually expect Sherlock to answer, he just wanted Sherlock to know he was there if he
needed to talk.
"Dr. Reynolds" Sherlock replied curtly. John looked at him surprised.
"What about her? She's a bit odd, but I like her. She's brilliant just like you. I've never seen anyone deduce like you…and yet she did! About you no less. Is
it true that you wear that scarf to smite Mycroft?" John went to the stove to put the kettle on
"Just tea for me, thanks" Sherlock continued to catalog everything he observed about Emma. Her smell, her breath against his ear, the way her tongue
stud clinked against her teeth when she talked. He wondered how it would feel trailing down his stomach towards his… A mug plopped down in front of his
seat as John continued to talk about her
"…truly brilliant…did you know that she's working on her third doctorate? She's only 25!" John exclaimed, settling back into his chair before picking up a
newspaper.
"Yes, quite" Sherlock sat on the couch trying to figure this woman out all night with no avail. The next morning, Sherlock announced that he needed more
materials from the lab and ran out of the apartment, not even giving John a chance to argue. John grabbed his own coat and hurriedly followed Sherlock
out of the apartment.
When they arrived at the morgue, they found Molly and Emma at work over a body. Molly had on her classic red and white cardigan adorned with cherries
and beige slacks while Emma wore a loose fitting Nirvana tank top, very ripped skin-tight black jeans, and black boots. Molly had her hair in a classic
ponytail and Emma had managed to pull hers into a messy bow. Both women were too engrossed in their work to hear the two men who had walked in.
"Back so soon Mr. Holmes?" Emma looked up and beamed at John "Hello Dr. Watson, so nice to see you again" and with that, Emma dove back into cutting
up the current cadaver they were working on. Molly pulled off her gloves and greeted John and looked over to see Sherlock staring at Emma.
"Is…is there...um….anything you needed Sherlock?" Molly enquired quietly. She didn't quite like the way Sherlock was staring.
"Would you two mind giving Dr. Reynolds and I some privacy for a moment?" Sherlock looked at Molly and gave her his most winning smile. She blushed
and shuffled out of the room, dragging John with her.
"I don't think this is very appropriate, Mr. Holmes" Emma stated, removing her gloves and peeling off the nicotine patches adorning her skin. Underneath
the patches was another tattoo. Sherlock wondered how many there were in total. "What is it that you wanted?" Emma leaned against the counter and
lifted one eyebrow at him.
"Yesterday you never gave me a chance to welcome you to St. Barts" Sherlock looked her straight in the eye, though his strong voice wavered slightly.
"Hmm…" Emma brushed past Sherlock, her fingers lightly brushing his arm "Now why, Mr. Holmes, would you want us to be alone when you told me that?"
She reached into her pocket and retrieved a pack of cigarettes. Shedding her lab coat she crooked a finger towards him to signal him to follow her, and to
the surprise of the doctor and pathologist watching through the window, he did. Once they got outside, Emma removed a cigarette from the pack and
handed it to Sherlock. He had been doing so well, but one couldn't hurt. She threw him the lighter after she lit up. He watched as she sucked on the stick,
blowing out smoke rings after a minute. He shook his head and lit his own cigarette.
"Dr. Hooper and Dr. Watson were watching us, so I figured we should move" she explained, blowing out more smoke. Her red lipstick staining the end of
her cigarette.
"I figured as much." Sherlock took a drag and revealed in the flood of tobacco in his system.
"You never answered my question, Mr. Holmes" Emma took another drag, blowing more smoke rings
"I can't seem to figure you out, Dr. Reynolds. That is something that I am not used to and I very much abhor the situation." He looked in her direction and
he was surprised to find that she was smiling.
"It's fun to have some mystery in life. Anyway I'm not the one that you should be trying to figure out" Emma said, snuffing out her cigarette.
"Oh? And who, in your opinion, should I be trying to figure out?" He asked sharply, snuffing out his own cigarette.
"Why, Dr. Hooper of course. If you don't see the way that she looks at you, then I'm personally taking the title of genius away from you" Emma swung her
hips as she walked back into St. Barts.
"Dr. Hooper is no challenge to me. I know everything I need to know about her. The deductions have ended, but with you, there is an endless amount of
information that I don't know" The words spilled out of Sherlock's mouth as he followed her
"What is her favorite flavor of ice cream?" Emma spun quickly to face him and poked him square in the chest with her finger
"Irrelevant" Sherlock shot back. Emma smirked up at him (He was quite a bit taller than her)
"Nothing is irrelevant, Mr. Holmes. That's what you are missing." Emma adjusted the lapels on Sherlock's coat "I'll be gone in a few months. Don't waste
your time with me. Molly is the real mystery you should be solving. I see the way you look at her when you think no one is looking." She spun around,
walking back towards the morgue. She was just about to disappear from his sight when she shouted "And if I hear that you hurt her in any way, I will
personally make sure you won't be able to procreate!" She smiled brightly at him and blew him a kiss, walking out of sight.