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Chapter Ten

To Protect and Defend

The cab ride was quiet. It wasn't a heavy silence though. Sherlock was thinking, looking out of the window, and Molly was contemplating on what she could tell the Detective Inspector, Lestrade. She remembered more now about the day she was taken, and there would be questions in more detail regarding her captivity. She wasn't looking forward to this at all.

The cab stopped in front of Scotland Yard and after a short exchange of currency they exited together.

Sherlock walked purposefully, clearly at ease approaching the police station. Molly, in contrast, trailed a few steps behind. She knew instinctively that most of the law enforcement would be alphas, men and women made to rule, govern, and protect, and she didn't want to be someplace with so many of them at once.

She paused just a step inside the building. The door clicked shut behind her and, with Sherlock several steps ahead of her,she felt several eyes land on her.

She felt the panic rising as the scent of so many strange alphas assaulted her. There were a few betas, but no omegas, no one she could connect with to make her feel safe. She felt her throat beginning to constrict with fear.

Her eyes darted from one face to the next. There were so many people staring at her now.

She took a stumbling step back, bumping into the door. The door handle dug into her back painfully.

You're so pathetic, Molly. How can you even hope to return to a semblance of normalcy if you can't even handle this? You don't deserve help anyway. You let it happen. It's your fault, you disgusting wh-

Molly was saved from the cruel words of her inner demons by a hand placed on her shoulder, shaking her gently.

She opened her eyes - when had she closed them? - and gazed forward into Sherlock's. He was kneeling in front of her. When had her knees given out on her? Molly felt her eyes begin to water. She brought her hand up to wipe her tears away, but they just kept coming.

"S-sorry. I'm f-fine." She stammered, clenching her fists tightly when he saw her hands trembling.

Sherlock had a look of pure dubiousness at her words.

"Molly, nothing will happen to you here. You are safe. I won't let anything happen. Do you trust me?" He spoke softly but surely, in a way that made his words sink past her anxiety. In a way that made her feel that the words were for her and her alone.

She swallowed and nodded. Another sniffle, another swipe of her hand to wipe away the tears. They stopped this time, through her eyes were still watery.

Sherlock stood and offered her his hand. She took it after a moment's hesitation, and he lifted her up to her feet as well.

Her legs felt weak, and the word pathetic rang through her mind once more. She cast her eyes to the ground, a small whine caught in her throat.

Sherlock lifted her gaze back up. "You're wrong." He didn't have to elaborate, nor did she need to ask how he could possibly know what she was thinking. It just felt... natural.

She blinked, and managed a small smile as she nodded.

"Are you ready to talk with Lestrade now?"

Another nod.

This time, he returned her smile. "Good."

He turned from her, though his hand still firmly held hers, an anchor to sanity.

He looked towards the alpha in question. "Lestrade, is the office ready?"

Lestrade nodded, a dumbfounded look on his face, and led the way. Sherlock led her as he followed the other alpha.

Molly was once again aware that so many people had seen her panic attack. Over a dozen people had been witness to it all, the whole scene, and she felt her cheeks heat up with shame. It wasn't their fault she was so weak.

Sherlock didn't turn around to face her, but somehow he knew. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and Molly's eyes were drawn to his back.

He was such an oddity, one moment complete and utter terrifying dominance, the next protective and... safe. In her mind, at least. It scared her, how much she found herself relying on this stranger, no matter how familiar he seemed.

Surely he would have said something by now if he had known her though.

Sherlock guided her to the available seat across from Lestrade in his office before he finally let go of her hand. He didn't go far, gripping the back of her seat as he hovered behind her.

Lestrade rounded the desk to sit in his own seat, though he gave Sherlock a skeptical look.

After a moment, he sighed. "Sherlock, you know you can't be in here when I speak with Miss Hooper. It's against protocol."

Immediately, Molly could feel Sherlock stiffen, his hackles rising. "You didn't give a damn about protocol when you let me take her home, knowing she should have gone to a health facility. Try again, Lestrade."

Lestrade all but scowled at the other alpha. "You are currently affecting a police investigation by tampering with a witness. Get out before I have to arrest you." He got to his feet as he spoke, clear posturing. This was Lestrade's domain, not Sherlock's, and clearly the alpha wasn't willing to back down this time.

Sherlock's eyes narrowed, his grip on the seat tightening, and he used his height to his advantage, standing tall. "I've had over a week to 'tamper' with the witness had I wanted to. I'm not -"

A gentle hand placed over his stopped him mid-growl. He looked down at Molly as she nibbled her lips nervously.

"I'll be fine. Please, I don't want you to get into trouble," she said softly. In truth, she didn't want him to go, but... she didn't want him to hear what she had to say about her experience, or whatever else Lestrade might ask. She knew how broken she was. She didn't want him to see it anymore than he already had.

Sherlock seemed to deliberate for a moment before he nodded. "All right, Molly." He was oddly restrained as he spoke, and he left without another word or care for the bemused expression on Lestrade's face.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Lestrade whistled low and softly. "I've never seen him act like that before. Usually, he just tells people to piss off. Even omegas," he explained briefly. After a moment, he let out a sigh and leaned forward on the desk, his hands folded together on top of it. Clearly, it was time for the difficult part.

Lestrade pulled out a recorder, and set it on the desk. "Do you mind? Easier than writing things down."

Molly nodded her consent, sitting up a bit straighter as she prepared herself for it. She didn't want to do this, but she knew she had to, if the police had any hope of finding more of the people involved.

Lestrade started the recorder, gave the day, time, and interview information before he addressed her. "Well Miss Hooper, let's go through this a step at a time. Do you remember anything new about your abduction?"

Molly looked down at her lap and nodded. "Yes. I remember some. I was walking home, like I told you. I remember... I was coming home from work. Saint Batholomew's. I took the tube to the flat complex I used to live at. It was just another ordinary day... I was fetching my keys from my purse to get into my flat when the man came up behind me."

"Can you describe him in any way?"

Molly nodded. "Yes. I saw him a lot... while I was there." She swallowed. "He was one of... the clients who used me." She thought she was going to be sick.

Lestrade had a disgusted look on his face, though he tried to hide it.

Molly continued, pushing past it. "He's tall. Muscular. Light brown hair. He has a tattoo of a cross on his bicep."

Lestrade nodded. They had a guy matching that description in one of the holding cells.

He cleared his throat after a small moment of pause. "Tell me what you can of your captivity. You can go into as much or as little detail as you like. Say what makes you comfortable, and I'll ask questions to fill in any blanks that need to be answered."

Molly had to steel herself for a few moments. She was thankful for Lestrade's patience in her.

"I remember the first day. I woke up in the room you found me in. A man came in. I was still groggy from the drug the man used to knock me unconscious. He took my arm and injected me with a drug... I don't know what the compounds were, but it caused me to go into heat within an hour, despite already being on suppressants." Molly paused, a shiver going down her spine as she recalled the events that followed her going into heat.

Alphas lined up to break her spirit, making her beg for it even as she was repulsed by each of them.

"I was..." No, she couldn't will it past her lips. Not right now. She swallowed. "They tried their hardest to... 'put me in my place,' as they called it. It didn't really work all that well."

Nor did the beatings or the injections or drugs. Bastards.

Molly swallowed. "I tried to escape that night, even though I was still in heat. It was a stupid idea. I could barely walk, let alone run. They got me before I even got outside." Another swallow, another pause as she forced the more gruesome thoughts back before continuing. "One of them carried me over his shoulder back to that small room you found me in, and a short while later the collar and leash was put on me. It didn't come off until..." She felt her throat constricting painfully. It hurt to breathe.

"Until Sherlock got that damned thing off of you," Lestrade finished for her. His jaw was set in a hard line as she nodded, unable to give a verbal confirmation.

"That's enough for now," he said, abruptly turning off the recorder. They sat in silence for a moment, Lestrade giving her the time she needed to calm down. Wordlessly, he held out a box of tissues. She took a few, and wiped her eyes and blew her nose. A few sniffles followed, but she smiled gratefully.

Lestrade sighed, steeling himself before he spoke. "I just have one more request, if you're up to it."

Whoops.

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Betaed by the lovely Liathwen. Thank you my darling!

Until Next Time! :*