Disclaimer: I only own Nora.

There is a character briefly in this chapter based off a rude, offensive person I've had the displeasure of meeting. I apologize now for any offense this character may cause.

October: One Year Ago

"Iced latte, no sweetener!"

Nora placed the cup on the counter and watched a brunette woman grab it, thank her, and walk away. Nora successfully made it through another busy morning at the coffee shop. With her last cup of the rush sold, Nora gave a sigh just as an attractive man with dark hair, sunglasses, and a tailored suit caught her eye. He'd been sitting in a booth facing her for quite some time. Every now and then he'd look at her, then slowly look away. This time, when he caught her eye again, he took off his sunglasses and placed them in his pocket. His eyes made him even more attractive as he pointed at her and curled his index finger twice.

"Nora, you really ought to go over there," said Grayson. "He's been looking at you the whole shift."

She gaped at her manager, "Why would I go over there? He hasn't ordered a thing, he keeps staring, I have every right to tell him to piss off."

"Easy Clover," he laughed, "just go see what he wants. He probably just wants to order a cuppa but is odd about coming to the counter."

Nora rolled her eyes. She hated it when Grayson called her 'Clover' or 'lassie'. The often used the names in conjunction with rude, often unoriginal, comments about everything from her heritage to her accent and dialect being more Irish than British at times. 'You don't sound like you're born in Sussex, lassie', 'You like potatoes, don't you, Clover?', 'At your grandmothers, was there a bog near the yard?'. There were days when she longed to be hit by a car just so she wouldn't have to work there and endure the harassment. Just one time she wanted a superior to hear the way Grayson spoke to her outside of the inspections and evaluations.

"Grayson, I'm going to take my break now. I'll bring him some coffee."

Nora made a cup of hazelnut coffee with cream and four sugars, before making her way to the table where the mysterious man sat drumming his fingers. As she approached the booth, she realized that talking to a possibly dangerous stranger was better than receiving racist insults.

"Hello, sir!" Nora greeted. "I brought you some coffee."

The man gave a toothy grin and accepted the coffee. "Thank you, Nora McNally."

She watched him take a sip. Her name tag only had her first name. Nora folded her arms, "How do you know my—"

"Mm! Excellent cup of coffee!"

"How do you know my name?"

"I know lots of things about you, pet. Please have a seat. I want to offer you something most people would die for."

"Don't call me, pet," said Nora, as she slid in across from him. "You don't own me."

"Oh, pet." He chuckled, "Nora, you're a very bright girl. I've heard so many things about you. Particularly concerning things you did back home in Dublin." He casually sipped his coffee, then tsked. "Such a naughty little girl."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Jim Moriarty and I can fix it for you, Nora." He leaned forward and whispered, "I can make everything go away if you want."

She stared at him. "How do you know about Dublin?"

"Pet, there are too many ears here. This is something we need to discuss privately. My car is waiting outside. We should continue the conversation there."

"I'm mid-shift," explained Nora. "We just met. I'm not about to leave. How can I trust you?"

"You already do, Nora. I can see it in your eyes. Niceties aside, you would not have brought me coffee and sat here if you didn't trust me."

Nora nodded. If he could clear her name and knew about what she did, she would trust him enough to ride in his car. After all, the only thing she had to lose was her job with Grayson. If Moriarty tried anything, she did have StoppaRed in her purse and could fight back enough to get away.

"Let's get in the car and talk this over," Moriarty suggested. "Don't worry about your job. You and I both know won't be needing it by the end of our conversation."

Moriarty got to his feet and Nora followed.

"Just give me one moment," she said. "I'll be right out."

He watched her take off her apron as he took the last few sips of his coffee. Nora ran back behind the counter, grabbed her purse, and threw her apron at Grayson.

"What are you doing?" He spat. "Your shift isn't over, Clover!"

Nora exited the counter and walked towards Moriarty, "Your car is outside?"

Moriarty smiled and held out his hand, "Let's go pet, we have a lot to talk about."

Nora took his hand. The two headed towards the door as Grayson uttered something particularly offensive. As the few customers looked up in shock at the manager's comment, Nora turned back and yelled, "Go fuck yourself."

"He often talks to you that way, doesn't he?" Moriarty led Nora to the running black car.

Nora wiped a stray tear, "Unfortunately."

"Even better then that I offer you this chance." He opened the door to the car. Nora went to get in, but stopped immediately when his fingers brushed against her cheek."He's not worth your tears, Nora."

She swallowed the lump in her throat, nodding as she wiped away the ones rolling down her cheeks.

"As you said, he can go fuck himself."

Nora gave a small smile and entered the car. Moriarty followed, then shut the door as the car drove off. The two of them sat across from each other in silence. After a few moments, Moriarty leaned forward and spoke up.

"You asked me how I know about your record. I'm a consulting criminal. I do things for people for a small fee. I fix things for people. I've known about you for a while, Nora. You caught my interest. If you hadn't already guessed, Ireland is my home as well. I keep tabs on goings on and I have some clients there. I have to say that your name was quite the buzz in the criminal underground. A plain girl, raised by her grandparents, trying to get a higher university degree, ends up with blood on her hands.I know the whole story. I know that you were very unhappy with the dean and his policies and his unfair biases towards dishonest students. How you decided that you would even the playing field by gathering a group of students who, like yourself, had unfair grades. You were so desperate. You tried to talk to the board but they were quite unresponsive weren't they. So while you dictated several threats to your group, they typed them up on their own computers while you set your targets on the Board."

"Stop." Nora bit her lip. "S-Stop it."

"I know that while your group went rogue and attacked the dean, you were too busy blackmailing every member of the Board to attend. From your pitiful dorm room, you managed to threaten each person. If they didn't sack the dean, they would be killed. An empty threat of course. You had no way of killing them, but you made quite a convincing argument. Personalized messages scrolling across the television. Talks of knowing where they go regularly. Brilliant stuff. Brilliant stuff.

"Of course, there would be only person you would kill. The Chairwoman of the Board, a really heartless woman with no family. Just a cat. She was such an easy target. You didn't even bother threatening her. Once the threats had reached the Board members, and you went straight to her house and killed her. You did it cleanly, I will admit. Is it really a poisoning if it's an allergic reaction? To the police, you appeared to have had a simple cuppa with her, a peace offering. How were you to know that she was allergic to the cinnamon in the tea? After all, they had their work cut out for them trying to get to the bottom of the threats against the Board members and the dean, as well as the attack on him. At least you called the police and played the part of distraught student well. The video footage of you crying was very convincing. You looked scared out of your mind. Where those real tears? They looked quite real. You couldn't handle the mess you made, could you?"

"I said, stop it."

"So convenient that the computer you used was overtaken by a virus after the incident. Such a clever girl. You got very lucky. The fact that your group went against your orders really saved you, you know. If they had done what you asked, you wouldn't have had a diversion. You would be in jail. You are very lucky."

"I know that," Nora spat.

"'Student Watches Chairwoman Die', isn't that what the papers read? Rumors circled that you orchestrated everything. You were questioned, weren't you? They thought you were mad when they learned the reason for your threats. You got off on temporary insanity when it came to the dean. They never pinned you to the Chairwoman. But they knew it was you. Somehow they knew. But they let you go. You could never set foot in Dublin again. You can't even fly into Ireland without someone knowing about it. Anyone that can pull off something like that at a school and get away with it, has my attention. I want to fix it for you, Nora. I truly do. I also want to help myself in the process. A little tit for tat, I can be quite selfish."

"How much? How much do you want so I can finally go back there?"

"I normally charge hundreds of thousands of pounds for a job your size. But for you, Nora, you're different. You're not ordinary. Well, actually you are, you are quite ordinary, but that mind of yours." Moriarty grinned. "So extraordinary when it wants to be. I don't want money from you. Like I said, you have brilliance that I'd want to use from time to time. I just need you to do something simple for me in return."

"And what's that?" asked Nora.

"Be your gorgeous, clever self."

Her eyebrows rose, "Excuse me?"

"I want you to be my pet." Moriarty sat back against the seat. "I clear your record, you will live with me. I assure you my home in London is quite exquisite. My home in Ireland is too. I'm thinking of getting one in Belgium."

"James, we just met. You know everything about my past, and I little about you, and you want me to live with you?"

"Jim, and of course. I'm offering you a new life. We both know you'll never get a chance like this again. I know you find me attractive, so that's not the issue. What's holding you back, pet?"

Her face flushed. Jim Moriarty was quite attractive. She would even call him sexy. He was definitely her type physically, and he was showing signs of being mentally her type. She thought back to him wiping her tears. He also had a knight-in-shining armor quality to him as well. However, she wasn't sure of just hopping into his home. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Oh, I know what it is!" Moriarty laughed to himself. "Silly, Jim. I haven't told you financials. How does a weekly allowance of 8,000£ sound to you?"

Nora placed her hand on her chest, "8...8...8,000£! Are you serious?"

"Just so."

"So, you will just give me 8,000£ a week?"

"Yes, pet. I want you to live with me. I will give you an allowance. I'll have a card made for you. Though, by the looks of you, I know you might not use it all each week. You look very simple. Not to worry, if your taste for finer things expands to match mine, your allowance will grow."

Nora couldn't believe it. A nice home, money she couldn't imagine what it would be like to have, and living with a nice-looking man who can clear her record. She made a face, "What's the catch?"

"All I ask is that you will be ordinary, extraordinary while keeping my interest, and be my pet," explained Moriarty. "If I ask you to do something, I want you to do it. For instance, if you agreed, I'd want a cup of coffee just the way you made it for me earlier. You'd do other household things, maintain yourself and the home. I do bore easily so it may take some work on your part for a month or so, but I believe you are bright enough to get the hang of it."

She grew quiet. Her qualms were starting to fade. Living as Moriarty's pet didn't sound too hard. Being ordinary sounded easy, all she would have to do is be herself. Nora figured could also be extraordinary and keep his attention, especially if he gave her money. She really wasn't in a place to say no. On top of having a clear record, she needed the money and a home. Her flat mate's boyfriend moved in and she was kicked out to make room. Moriarty sounded like a great idea, and she was running out of reasons to decline.

"So," began Nora, "when I live with you, are we...together? Or—"

"Together. We will have a relationship."

"So boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Moriarty shook his head, "I don't do labels, pet. They're so boring and ordinary. But I assure you I will be faithful to you. I expect you to do the same. You will be my pet, after all. We will share the same bed. I do have one question, kind of embarrassing, do you top or bottom and do you have anything I should be aware of?"

"Bottom and, if you mean STI's, no."

Moriarty grinned, "Excellent, then we should get along nicely. I can be quite dominant."

Nora looked down at her hands. "So-So we will be ha-having sex regularly?"

"Yes. Oh! You're nervous, aren't you?"

"Just a bit."

"I'm sorry, I was very forward with that. Silly old Jim. Always so forward. Ugh! I'm sorry, Nora." Moriarty frowned. "Do you forgive me?"

"Yes, Jim. I just figured sex was part of the catch, in exchange for these lovely things you'll give me."

"I don't want it to be that way, Nora. I don't want sex to be an obligation. I want the relationship to feel natural. I will give you physical and emotional attention. I will also give you anything your heart desires. You and I will be together and, like any other couple, you will benefit from the things I have. Of course, I want us to actually care about each other. We both need companionship. I know it will be hard as we just met, but I think we can really get on."

"So, can we kiss?" Nora blurted.

Moriarty blinked a few times. "I'm sorry?"

"It's just that I can be a very physical being. I prefer my kisses and sex to be more than satisfactory."

"I see."

"If I'm going to live with you and we're going to do this relationship thing, I want to at least get the awkward first kiss out of the way. I also think we should shag too while we're at it. New partners, everything is so weird. You said you wanted it to be natural, I can't think of a better way to do this."

Moriarty smirked, "I underestimated you, pet. I think you and I will get on quite well."

"Do you agree?"

"I do. If we're going to spend time together, we do need to make sure we're physically compatible."

Nora sat up straight and smoothed her hair. "Great. Let's get this over with."

"That's the spirit."

"You know what I mean. Prolonging it is just going to make it more awkward."

Nora ungracefully shifted to his side of the car, and plopped beside him as the car turned a corner. Once she straightened herself, Moriarty leaned forward, closing the gap between them. Their noses bumped and both chuckled as their lips hovered. Moriarty glanced down at the space between them and Nora tilted her head to the right. Their eyes closed as their lips met. They started out slowly, but soon both Nora and Moriarty parted their lips and escalated the kiss. Moriarty tilted her chin upward and Nora moved closer. She hadn't been kissed this nicely in a while. Jim Moriarty was an excellent kisser, and she only hoped that he felt the same about her. He tasted sweet and bitter and made her heart beat as if she'd had too much caffeine. The kiss felt right. Moriarty's hand touched the small of her back and the two separated for a moment.

"Was that more than satisfactory?" Moriarty asked.

"Yes," Nora breathed.

"Excellent. Do you want more?"

"Oh God, yes."

Nora stared at the ceiling of Moriarty's bedroom. The car took them to his flat while they spent their time necking in the backseat. When the driver (Sebastian, she later learned) dropped them off, she and Moriarty immediately went inside. For two people who just met, they certainly had a hard time making it to the bedroom. Shoes first, then shirts as they entered the living room. It started with her bent indecently over the arm of the couch, her pants pooled around her ankles while his fingers eagerly explored her. They moved to the stairs where Moriarty's pants hit the floor and Nora teased him until he begged. Neither gave the other the satisfaction of coming. Her bra fell somewhere in the hallway along with his boxers. By the time they reached the bedroom, both Moriarty and Nora desperately wanted to get off. Once on the bed, Moriarty tore her panties and took her as she cried out in relief.

"Are you satisfied, pet?" Moriarty kissed her shoulder.

To say she was satisfied was more of an understatement. Her voice felt hoarse and her body was sore. She never knew that she could come more than once. Honestly, she never had until now. Most men she bedded before could barely make her come. There was no need to fake with Jim Moriarty. He was the right amount of gentle and rough, and she found the spankings exciting. If this is what their relationship was going to be like sexually, she would be in heaven. Nora rolled into her side and faced Moriarty who drew patterns on her skin.

"That was amazing," she sighed. "Fuck, that felt great."

He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, "I'm pleased that I could please you. You were very impressive. I assure you, that if you become my pet, we will do that and more next time."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, pet. I have quite an appetite and you are already on your way to becoming quite extraordinary." Moriarty grinned, "Now that we've kissed and oh so much more, do you accept the position of being my pet?"

"I-I have one condition."

"Do tell."

"I will not do anything for you exactly like or similar to what I did in Dublin again. I can't."

Moriarty thought on this for a moment, then replied, "It's a possibility you won't have to. So I'll ask again, Nora McNally, do you accept the position of being my pet?"

Nora studied his features. He was very attractive, amazing in bed, and he was a gentleman in and out of the bedroom. He was also very wealthy. He had everything she needed and wanted. She was desperate right now, and with him, she would be well kept and without worry. However, he was a criminal and chances were he killed people often. She knew that being with him was dangerous, would be dangerous, and would likely end very badly. She had every reason to say no.

"Yes." Nora touched his cheek. "Yes. A thousand times. Jim Moriarty, I will be your pet."

Please review. I figured it was time I told you what she actually did. Whenever I hear "Latch", I think of Nora and Moriarty, so I felt this title was fitting.