Disclaimer: I own nothing! I claim nothing! I'm just borrowing the characters for my own pleasure and the pleasure of whoever reads this!


Chapter Four

Decisions Made

Everyone was speechless. The implication of his words was clear. There was no need for Molly to find accommodations of her own because he had someplace in mind already.

Molly was wide-eyed and wary. Even trapped as she had been, she knew that there was almost no way anyone could make such a guarantee on the spot like that. A shiver ran down her spine.

John recognized the look in his eyes, the look that said something - usually a case - had snagged Sherlock's interest and he wasn't going to let the opportunity go.

"Sherlock, a word, now." He said forcefully, grabbing the alpha's arm and tugging him several steps away before he continued, glaring up at the taller man's raised eyebrow. "What the hell are you thinking? That - That bloody offer - is insane."

Sherlock continued to smirk as he replied. "I haven't the slightest clue what you mean. It's a perfectly logical choice."

John shook his head. "No, it's not. You can't treat her like a piece of evidence to be locked away in your flat until you're done with her. She's a real person, who has just had a horrible experience, and you can't do that to her. How is moving a traumatized, unbonded, omega into your flat even slightly a logical choice?" he demanded the last question.

He rolled his eyes. "I am obviously not treating her like evidence, John. And it is a logical choice. Look at the facts, though since you have once again failed to observe, it seems I must explain them."

John grit his teeth together at the insult, but seeing that it was Sherlock, he just nodded and crossed his arms in front of his chest, waiting for his supposedly logical explanation.

"She's involved in the case, so it would be advantageous to have her close should she recall important information. As you seem so worried about her 'traumatized state' I would also like to remind you that I have dealt with several of the stages of it myself, since you yourself were once the victim of night-terrors and post traumatic stress disorder. I am not so cruel and heartless that I would leave her to suffer alone, just as I didn't let you."

"Also, she has been drugged over a long period of time - the chances of her going into withdrawal are high, and I've also had experience with that, and therefore can recognize the signs and severity more than some common place imbecile. Since you moved out of 221B with Ms. Morstan, there is now an extra room for her to use, so it's not as if I'm requiring her to sleep on the floor or some nonsense. Lestrade also knows my contact information, so it will be easier to find her should she be in a familiar area."

"More than all of that though, this place has all the markings of a small piece of a much larger operation. She's unique, based on the conditions she was kept in. No other omega had a chain around his or her neck, just one of the oddities about her condition. They may choose to recollect her if the chance to do so is presented, which it certainly would be if she was left to her own devices."

Finally, he shut up long enough for John to get a word in. The only thing was that there was nothing in his explanation that could be argued against. He knew it, and Sherlock knew he knew it, the cocky prick.

"She's still an unbonded omega, and you're an unbonded alpha. That's not the best of situations, Sherlock."

He rolled his eyes. "Really John? I've dealt with omegas before during cases. You've been witness to it today as well, even those who practically sprang at me in heat. I am more than capable of ignoring her presentation. I don't do omegas, or mates. You know I'm right, quit drawing at straws."

"It's still her choice." John said, his jaw stiffening stubbornly. "You can't force her if she doesn't want to."

Sherlock smirked. "I think you'll find she's already made up her mind."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

When John pulled Sherlock away for their talk - Which to Molly looked more like the alpha was about to get a reaming from the beta - it left her with Lestrade. Awkward didn't begin to cover how she felt with the intense silence that followed. Again, it felt like everyone was watching them.

She didn't know what to think about the offer. It was all happening so fast. Not an hour ago, she'd still been trapped, waiting for the next injection, the next pain. She gripped her elbow self-consciously, feeling the grooves of the injection sights under her finger tips. It only served to remind her how broken she was.

She looked up at Lestrade, who met her gaze with an almost apologetic shrug. This time, she was able to hold his gaze for a few moments before she had to look slightly lower. At least it was something, she decided.

She cleared her throat slightly. "What should I do?" She asked softly, her gaze flicking to the other two for a moment before she returned it to him.

Lestrade seemed to actually contemplate her question before he replied. "He's an ass." There wasn't a hint of remorse for the words. "He's an arrogant, bossy prick. He drives me up the wall with his antics. We butt heads as often as we work together, and he has a blatant disregard for personal space." Finally, he took a breath, and the harshness his gaze had taken on while he'd been listing Sherlock's traits faded. His lips twisted into the barest hint of an amused smile. "But despite that, he's a great man. Off the record, he's the best chance any of us have got to shut this kind of place down permanently. He's offering you help in his own way. I'm not going to tell you what to do, seeing as you've spent the better part of two years being bossed around. Chances are, you already know what to do anyway."

Molly nodded hesitantly as she took in everything the alpha had said. From the short period she'd already communicated with Sherlock, it was easy to see that Lestrade hadn't over exaggerated in the slightest. he was crass, tactless, bossy, and had a dominating presence that was unique and nearly impossible to ignore.

But Sherlock was a chance for her to help herself. His dominating personality made her want to fight, and keep fighting until there was nothing left to fight for. And there was always something to fight for.

She felt without looking when Sherlock and John returned, pausing just behind her. This time, she didn't jump as he spoke.

"John has informed me that I have to ask if you'll be accepting my offer rather than simply assuming you will because I told you to." He stated. Though he'd claimed to be asking, it obviously wasn't any sort of question.

John let out an exasperated sigh.

Molly felt a bit sorry for the beta, but it didn't change her answer.

She turned to face him, and nodded. "Yes." Her eyes lingered just below his as she spoke. She couldn't quite bring herself to meet is eyes, even for an instant. She could meet John's, and Lestrade's, but him. . . she just couldn't. She could not look into his eyes and allow herself to be overwhelmed by the overflowing dominance within. In any case, she didn't have to look into them to see the cocky smirk he wore at being right.

It gave her something to begin to fight for, and as she stood there, bare in almost every sense of the word, she felt the stirrings of something inside her that had been forced to lay dormant.

And she loved it.


Chapter 4 :3 (I dunno why, but I like that emocon. :3 it looks mischievousto me XD)

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And thanks to my wonderful Beta, Cumberburch, for putting up with me and all my errors that would overwise be in the story XD

Until Next Time! :*