Chapter Nine: Desires
A/N: Just so you know, it's midnight where we are right now, and we have school tomorrow. But we've stayed up to finish this chapter, so you better appreciate it! We hope it's worth it, and you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it. A lot certainly happens, that's for sure!
Disclaimer: We're way too tired to come up with anything witty to say here, so, yeah, we don't own anything, ok.
"Well look who it is," Moriarty called out as he spun round from the whiteboard to greet Leah, who had just entered his classroom.
"Hey," she said as she took a seat on the edge of his desk.
"So, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Moriarty asked, flashing his trademark grin.
"Do I need a reason to see you?" she asked coyly, looking up at him through her batting eyelashes.
"No not at all my love. It's just I was wondering whether your visit had anything to do with that nasty Sherlock who came to see us. Because you know, you mustn't listen to anything he's got to say. He's an old friend of mine from university. We like to tease each other, it's quite sweet actually. Anyway, he came in to do that talk and thought he'd pay me a visit on his way in, for old time's sake. I haven't seen him in years, but he hasn't changed a bit; he's still the same old card that he was before. It was a real blast from the past, actually. Anyway, what did he say to you, sweetheart? Nothing too horrible I hope; he can get a little carried away sometimes," Moriarty asked.
"Not much, he just deduced that I was a genius, and he was going on about how he had worked it out before you arrived," Leah lied.
"Ah, I see. Showing off like usual then. That's the thing with our Sherlock; he's always got to be the centre of attention." Moriarty shook his head and widened his eyes.
Leah hummed in agreement. "I actually came to see you to see if you want to meet up this afternoon. I've got just the place for us to go."
"But we're going out tonight, I'm taking you out to dinner remember," Moriarty reminded her.
"I know, but I can't wait that long, I need you right now," Leah said as she bit her lip.
"Ah now, come on, don't do this to me. You know I can't, not here. I could lose my job."
"Exactly, it's all about the risk, that's what makes it all the more exciting, don't you think?" Leah said, uncrossing her legs and leaning in towards him.
"Well as much as the prospect of ravishing you in some pokey cupboard delights me, I think it would perhaps be better if we waited until tonight," Moriarty dismissed.
"I disagree; I want you now, not later. So, it's now or never," Leah said, pouting.
"Oh really, is that how you're going to play it, you tease, you," Moriarty played along, shaking his head.
"Meet me in the councillor's office at the end of lunchtime. She's not in this afternoon, I've checked. So it'll be free, and it would be such a shame for us to miss an opportunity to make the most of an empty room."
"Well, seeing as you are so persuasive, and not to mention so impossible to resist, how could I possibly decline?" Moriarty relented.
"Good," Leah smiled, triumphant. "I'll see you later then."
She turned to leave the room, but before she shut the door behind her, she called out: "Oh, and sir,"
"Yes, Leah."
"Wear your lab coat," she told him with a wink.
"Oh, Miss, there you are, I need to talk to you," Leah approached the school councillor, who was hurrying down the corridor.
"Look, Leah, I can't talk right now, I'm on my way out for my lunch break," the councillor told her dismissively as she continued to walk on past.
"No I didn't mean right now; I was just hoping I could I maybe book an appointment with you for later on today, perhaps during last lesson as I've got a free period," Leah suggested.
"Uh, yeah sure," the councillor confirmed non-committedly, glancing at her watch as she did so. "Just come to my office at the beginning of last lesson then."
"Ok, thanks so much," Leah said.
The councillor nodded and then proceeded to stride out of the school before she was stopped once more by Leah, who called out: "Wait, miss!"
"What is it Leah? I'm in a hurry here, you know," the councillor sighed.
"Thank you, for everything. I appreciate all that you have done for me," Leah gushed as she caught up with the woman and leaned in to hug her, much to the councillor's surprise. The woman stood there awkwardly, arms stiffly at her sides, until Leah eventually broke away from the embrace.
"Right, um, ok, well that's no problem. I'll see you this afternoon, then," the councillor said before eventually managing to leave the school.
Leah watched her until the exit door had swung shut behind her. It was only then that she turned and walked in the direction of the councillor's office. She snuck in and placed the house keys, which she had extracted from the woman's bag, on the desk. It was just a precaution really, but Leah wasn't willing to let her plans fall apart as a result of a middle-aged woman's overbearing sex drive.
"Sherlock, do you want a cup of tea?" John called out over the loud sound of Sherlock's violin, but received no reply. He walked into the lounge and repeated himself, only to find that he was deliberately ignoring him.
"Sherlock!" John shouted, in an attempt to catch his attention, however he simply turned to face the window and continued playing his violin. John sighed and muttered: 'depressed again' to himself before returning to the kitchen.
"Hi!" Molly chimed, as she entered the flat. "I hope you don't mind, Mrs Hudson let me in," she explained as John greeted her. "I brought cupcakes! They're strawberry-flavoured. Neither of you are you are allergic to strawberry though, are you? I mean...if you are, don't worry…don't feel forced into eating them…I mean I wouldn't want you to make you ill or anything. Perhaps you just don't like strawberry, in which case; again…don't feel pressured into eating them. Maybe I should have gone with lemon…do you prefer lemon?"
"No, strawberry is perfect; I'm definitely not allergic to it," John said, chuckling at Molly's typically adorable behaviour.
"Oh good! It's just the only reason I ask is, well…it's because I once had this boyfriend actually…and I thought it might be fun to...you know, to experiment a bit more in the, er, bedroom, so…I bought these strawberry-flavoured condoms…but when we used one, it actually turned out that he was allergic to strawberries, and it gave him this horrible, sort of…rash. It was terrible really, he ended up dumping me not long after as a matter of fact. It was a shame as he was actually quite…" Molly rambled on, before Sherlock finally interrupted her.
"SHUT UP!" he suddenly boomed.
John gawped, surprised by the abrupt outburst. Molly merely dropped her head and whispered: "Right, yes, I'm so…sorry, Sherlock. I don't even know why I came…I just thought you might want cheering up…what with…what with John's foot. But it was a stu...such a stupid idea, I'll leave now."
"No, Molly! Stay, I haven't tried one of your cupcakes yet. Why don't we have one now? They look delicious. Ignore Sherlock; he's just upset because for once in his life he's being outdone by someone younger and prettier than himself."
"Don't be inappropriate John," Sherlock murmured.
"You're the one that pointed it out in the middle of an assembly!" John retaliated.
"Am…am I miss something here?" Molly interjected.
"As always, yes," Sherlock replied curtly.
"Oh do shut up Sherlock! Don't worry about him Molly, let's go and have a cup of tea and a cupcake, Sherlock doesn't deserve one," John reassured her as he led the way into the kitchen.
John filled Molly in on the Leah situation over the tea and cupcakes. As always, Molly listened carefully, taking it all in.
"Is that why Sherlock seems so…angry at the moment?" she asked.
"Yes, I think so. I am a bit worried about him actually, he does seem particularly vacant," John explained.
"Doesn't he always though?" Molly questioned.
"Yes, but it's different this time," John began in a hushed tone, "I think he's genuinely concerned by the whole thing. Moriarty knew exactly what he was doing when he chose Leah; it's really pushing Sherlock's buttons, what with her being intelligent just like him, and so young. I think it has brought back memories of his own his own childhood; I gather he was somewhat misunderstood. He sees a lot of himself in her; they are very similar in many ways, apart from the fact that she's obviously so much more vulnerable. As much as he'd hate to admit it, I think he really cares for her, and that scares him more than anything."
"Poor Sherlock," Molly said sympathetically, as she gripped her mug of tea.
"I think it would be a good idea for you to maybe talk to him actually," John suggested.
"What me? What would I say? He wouldn't listen to me," Molly said, cringing at the prospect of having to discuss this with Sherlock.
"I think he would listen to you Molly, in all honesty."
"No, don't be ridiculous John; he thinks I'm an idiot!"
"He thinks a lot more highly of you than you realise, Molly. Besides I met with Mycroft earlier today and he also seems to think he might pay more attention if it came from you," John admitted.
"Oh really, he said that? Well I suppose I could speak to him if you both really want me to, but I can't promise it will make things any better. It will probably make things worse knowing me."
"You underestimate yourself Molly, and you certainly underestimate what Sherlock thinks of you," John said reassuringly.
Molly nodded, and slowly walked into the lounge where Sherlock still stood playing his violin.
"Well I hope this has been a better date than yesterday, I am really sorry about that," Lestrade said apologetically.
"It has been nice, but it's a shame we can't finish off what we started last night," Carol said cheekily.
"We could always not go back to work this afternoon?" Lestrade suggested flirtatiously.
"I like that idea, it sounds naughty. We could go back to mine before the kids get home from school," Carol offered.
"Ok then. If you insist, I'll get the bill now," Lestrade said, and began eagerly scanning the room in search of their waiter.
Molly cleared her throat loudly. Sherlock ignored her. So she cleared her throat again, this time a little more loudly. He ignored her again.
"Sherlock! Put that violin down and talk to me," Molly exclaimed, frustrated that he was deliberately blanking her.
Sherlock withdrew his bow from the violin strings instantly, surprised by Molly's sudden fiery outburst.
"I don't want to talk," Sherlock replied sulkily.
"In all honesty, I don't really want to talk to you either, but John wants us to, and as he is such a good friend to both of us, I think the least we can do is humour him," Molly told him authoritatively She had no idea where her new-found confidence had come from; perhaps it was because this was the first time she'd seen Sherlock truly exposed, or perhaps it was just something in the cupcakes. Either way, she was just going with it and making the most of it while it lasted.
"John, of course, why must he always feel the need to talk?" Sherlock sighed in exasperation.
"Because he cares about you that's why, and as a matter of fact, so do I," Molly revealed, and instantly regretted doing so as soon as the words left her mouth.
"I know," Sherlock merely stated. "But you shouldn't; not caring is much more effective, trust me."
"And you'd know, wouldn't you Sherlock?" Molly pushed him.
"Yes, as I've explained many times, caring is not an advantage, ever," Sherlock told her, not noticing the edge of sarcasm to her tone.
"Except that doesn't always stop you from doing so does it?" Molly quipped.
"I beg your pardon," Sherlock said in disbelief.
"I know that you care. You care about John, and Lestrade, and Mrs Hudson, otherwise you wouldn't have done what you did that day of the fall. Surely you must know that I know that. I was there the day that you came to me to ask for help in order to save them. So don't stand there and lie to my face, Sherlock. I know you care, maybe not about the victims of crimes, or even about me, but you do care about some people, and I know you care about this Leah girl. You can deny it until your blue in the face but you do. I can see that from the way it's so obviously affected you."
"You're wrong!" Sherlock protested.
"No I'm not, Sherlock. You can see how similar she is to you, and for some reason that terrifies you," Molly argued.
"No, you're wrong about me not caring about you. I do care. I do believe it is a disadvantage, but you're right; that isn't always enough to stop me. If it had just been you that Moriarty had a hit-man on, I would have still done exactly the same thing."
"Don't…don't say things like that. Don't say things that you don't mean," Molly said quietly.
"I mean it Molly, I do care. If I didn't care about you, would I tell you the reason why I'm so worried about Leah is that I really hate to think that there is another me out there? That I don't wish it upon anyone to share my personality? That I'm terrified that she's going to grow up to be heartless and cold like me?" he told her, his voice failing him towards the end of his revelation; he was not used to opening up like this, with anyone.
Molly was taken aback. "But why, you're brilliant!"
"Yes, maybe, but I'm not liked am I, not really. I mean look at you, you're positively terrified of me most of the time. And if people aren't intimidated by me, they're jealous."
"But John…" Molly started.
"John puts up with me, but for how long? Soon enough he'll find a wife and abandon me to go and a have a family, and then I'll be alone again."
"You'll never be alone, Sherlock, not while I'm around," Molly whispered as she took a step closer to him.
"You don't mean that," Sherlock dismissed her claim.
"Yes, I do," Molly said.
"You'll do the same as John. You will go off, get married and forget all about me, which is really the best thing you could do," Sherlock said.
"I could never forget you, Sherlock. You're a good man, really, I know, which is why you use your brilliance to solve crimes, instead of use it to do what Moriarty does. And deep down I know that you're not heartless, otherwise why would you sympathise with Leah?"
Sherlock did not answer; he merely stared intently into her eyes. His gaze was so intense that Molly felt as though he was looking straight through her and into her thoughts. She felt bare, naked almost. She desperately wanted to break the stare, to look away, but there was something stopping her, something that she couldn't name. It was that same indescribable force that caused her to lean in towards Sherlock. The motion was involuntary; she hadn't even realised that she'd done it until she saw Sherlock's lips lining up with hers.
Lestrade strode briskly back to where his car was parked, leaving Carol trailing behind almost unable to keep up with his fast pace. He quickly jumped into the driver's seat and started the engine, impatient to get to Carol's house.
"You seem keen," Carol giggled as she slid into the passenger seat.
"Well I am looking forward to picking up where we left off from," Lestrade agreed, almost jumping a red light in his haste.
"The children won't be home until three, so we have a few hours to ourselves," Carol said seductively. On hearing this Lestrade stopped abruptly, opened his door and placed his sirens onto his rooftop and switched it on, causing them to sound loudly and the lights to flash. He hurriedly got back into the car, and sped away from the side of the road. Traffic began to move out of his way, as he sped through the streets of London and arrived at Carol's house in record time.
"I hope you're not that fast when we finally get into the bedroom!" Carol joked.
Lestrade laughed loudly but then silenced suddenly and stated: "No." He abruptly switched off the engine and stepped of the car.
Carol fumbled around eagerly in her bag, as she began walking up the drive towards her front door. She paused as she realised her house keys were missing, before turning to face Lestrade. "Oh my God Greg, I think I must have left my keys at work. I don't believe this!"
"You're joking, right?" Lestrade asked.
"No, they must still be on my desk in the office," she said, shaking her head.
"Well, we could just, you know, do it here?" Lestrade suggested sheepishly.
"What, you mean in the car?"
"Well, yes. The seats go back,"
"Don't be ridiculous Greg; I'm not some sort of cheap hooker!"
"No, no of course not," Lestrade quickly said.
"We'll just have to drive back and get them," Carol replied, turning to go back to the car.
"Ok, that's no problem," Lestrade agreed, trying desperately to hide his disappointment.
Leah led across the councillor's desk, waiting for Moriarty to arrive. She undid the top button of her shirt, deciding to leave the rest for him to undo himself. On hearing a quiet knock at the door she called: "Come in!" and smiled as he entered the office, and took in her seductive pose.
As he began walking towards her, she sat up to perch on the edge of the desk, and reached forward to pull on the collar of Moriarty's lab coat to bring him closer to her.
He grinned. "Well, well, we are eager, aren't we?"
Leah didn't answer; instead she began kissing him furiously. She took his hand and placed it on her thigh as she ran her fingers through his hair. She then broke away from the kiss suddenly and ordered: "Rip off my shirt!"
"What?" Moriarty exclaimed.
"Do as I say, and rip it off," Leah repeated.
"So, I see you can be quite dominant when you want to be to be then, not at all like the little mouse persona that you give off in class," Moriarty noted.
"You get to boss me around all the time in my lessons, so now is my chance to have you do as I say. So I won't ask you again. Rip. Off. My. Shirt," she told him, enunciating each word of her order separately.
"Well, if you insist, Miss Conrad," Moriarty surrendered as he tugged at the material of her shirt roughly so that buttons popped off and scattered across the floor. He then moved his attention to below her waist. He started to pull her tights, gliding them slowly from her legs. He then moved his hands across her bare skin, working his way up, before Leah suddenly shouted: "Wait!"
"What is it?" Moriarty asked.
"Maybe we shouldn't," Leah said, glancing nervously at the clock in the corner of the room.
"What do you mean? You were the one who insisted we do this! So don't tell me stop just when I'm getting into it," Moriarty cried furiously.
"But…" Leah began.
"But nothing! Now, just shut up and let me fuck you, and stop being such a little a pricktease!" he shouted at her.
She squirmed as his hold on her became much tighter, and the look in his eyes turned from tender longing to just plain hungry lust.
Lestrade pulled up outside the school where Carol worked, and turned off the engine.
"I'll just wait for you here then," Lestrade said.
"You could always come with me, I was thinking we could maybe start things off in the office," Carol suggested, leaning in towards him as she said it.
"Oh well, yes, if you think its ok."
"Oh yes, it's fine, I would just be doing paperwork this afternoon, so no-one will be there. It's all about the risk anyway, isn't it?" she reassured him.
"Oh well, if you're sure it's fine," Lestrade agreed, already beginning to get out of the car.
They began making their way into the school, and were on their way up the stairs when Carol suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" Lestrade questioned, worried.
"I've just remembered I was supposed to see a student this afternoon. It's fine though, I can easily get rid of her, she's just an attention seeking girl. She doesn't really need my help," Carol explained as she continued up the stairs.
A look of relief spread across Lestrade's face. The pair approached her office and Carol smiled at him cheekily before opening the door.
"Stop it, get off…" Leah wailed.
Then there was silence.
"Oh My God! Get off of her!" Lestrade screamed at Moriarty before pulling him away from her himself.
Carol stood in the doorway, her hands clasped across her mouth. She was trembling as she stuttered: "Leah, I'm so…sorry, you were right…oh my…I'm just so sorry!"
"Ok," Moriarty said, throwing his hands up in the air. "There seems to have been some sort of misunderstanding, here."
"Oh really, well try and understand this," Lestrade spat out before throwing a punch at the side of Moriarty's face, causing him to stumble backwards and fall to the floor.
Lestrade shook the pain away from his right fist before reaching for his phone to call, first his team back at the station, and then Sherlock.
Sherlock gently brushed the side of Molly's face, as she closed her eyes and parted her lips.
"Sherlock, it's Lestra…" John announced as he entered the room, only to walk in on the unexpected scene between the pair.
Sherlock drew away from Molly immediately and briskly walked over to John and swiped the phone from his hands.
"Lestrade!" Sherlock called down the receiver.
John looked to Molly, questioningly, but she avoided his gaze, turning to look out of the window instead.
"Get down to the school, now," Lestrade ordered. Sherlock did not respond; but ended the call immediately.
"Come on John, we're going back to the school," Sherlock summoned his assistant.
"Oh, right, ok. Well, looks like I'm off then, so goodbye Molly," John said, squeezing her shoulder.
"Oh, ok, well…I'd better be going then too," she said as she scurried around, gathering her things before making a speedy exit from the flat.
Molly decided to walk home; her face was still burning from her encounter with Sherlock and she was fighting to hold back her tears, she felt like she could do with the fresh air. She kept going over and over what happened for the whole journey. She couldn't help feeling so angry towards Lestrade; perhaps if he hadn't of called then he might of actually… 'No don't be so ridiculous, Molly' she told herself 'he never would have gone through with it; it was a moment of madness. He soon would have realised and pulled away anyway.' She knew that, but of course she couldn't help hoping that she was wrong.
A/N: There you have it, we told you a lot happened! So, the school councillor is Lestrade's girlfriend. A cyber high-five to anyone who figured that out! And there was finally some Sherlolly, as promised. We've nearly reached the end with this fic, but there should be one more chapter at least, where all the loose ends are tied up. But for now, goodnight!
