Hello all. I edited Ch 11 a bit, so reading this one might not make as much sense without a reread? I would really like some reviews. :/
Nothing to be Embarrassed About
Chapter Twelve
A slow clap began—coming from outside the doorway. Jim stepped inside the morgue and grinned at her. "Ooohhhhh, Molly, you got some fire in you, don't you?"
Molly jumped when she heard that clap. She looked up, swallowing hard, a look of confusion plastered on her face. "How long have you been standing there?" Her heart raced. He had said he wouldn't kill her—that Sebastian would. Maybe she wasn't going to die? Not just because of a text? After all, he seemed—he seemed pleased at being called a madman. "You're not mad?"
Jim shuffled his feet awkwardly and looked up at her, his head tilted down, giving him an appearance of bashfullness. "Oh not long. A couple minutes after Sherlock walked out of the room; he didn't even notice me. Am I really that unnoticeable, Molly?"
Molly looked up at him. He'd been there for the entire thing. The entire damn thing. Before she knew what she was doing, she swatted his shoulder. It was a girly hit—no power in it at all. "That was mean. You were there the entire time..." She shook her head, sighing. "He was preoccupied with his hands..."
Blinking in slight shock at her audacity, Jim tipped her chin up and trailed his eyes along her body. "You're looking well, Molly."
She blushed when he lifted her chin. Molly wasn't dressed special; she was her normal, thin self, though she'd managed to get back to sleeping and eating somewhat normally. "Thank you..." she said after a moment, watching his eyes trail along her body.
"You're wearing lipstick, I see. Never really saw you with it on before... What inspired this?" He ran his thumb over her bottom lip and smeared it onto her cheek.
"I...I just felt like wearing it..." She wasn't sure why she had. Her heart raced as he ran his thumb over her lip, smearing the lipstick. "You've ruined it..."
"That's what I do, pet." Licking the side of her face opposite of the lipstick smear, he tapped her nose lightly before walking away. "Keep in touch, Molly Hooper. I ever so love your companyyyy..."
"You ruin things?" She shivered as he licked her cheek, watching him turn away. "Am I still your pet, if you're trying to make me... different?"
"Just so, Molls."
"That doesn't make any sense." She rubbed at the lipstick smear on her cheek, the color lightening and moving to her fingers. She'd need to visit the loo to fix it entirely.
Calling out to her before he completely disappeared from her view, Jim made sure to say: "Tell Sherlock I said 'hi.' I'm sure he's missing me terribly."
Molly didn't know what to make of that. Tell Sherlock that Jim said "hi?" But she was supposed to be keeping Jim's cover under wraps... She huffed, spinning on her heel to go to the lavatory to fix her face. She touched it up, this time leaving the lipstick off in case Jim decided to come back. Finishing her work for the day, Molly went home. Keep in touch? What was she supposed to talk to a criminal about? The weather? She finally texted him later. It took her several tries to come up with the right words. It wasn't the best, but it would work. [So...you love my company? -Molly]
Ohh, I don't know if I'd say /that/...~JM
You did say it. -Molly
Did you lie? -Molly
Mm. Would you like to know?~JM
I...I would. You're the one who told me to keep in touch. It's not like I know what to talk to you about. -Molly
Tell me about your day. How many bodies came in. All of your /deepest/ secrets. Pillow talk, love ;)~JM
My day was boring until you showed up. There were 3 bodies, I got through two of them. None of them were very exciting.-Molly
The first was an accidental poisoning. He'd taken medicines that interacted with each other poorly. The second was verifying a heart attack.-Molly
The third looks like it's a verification of a stroke so far. I don't have any deep, dark secrets, Jim...and there's no pillows involved right now. -Molly
You take everything so /literal/, Molly.~JM
The poisoning. Are you /absolutely/ sure it was "accidental"?~JM
I suppose it could have been purposeful if someone knew he was on the medication and had managed to convince him to eat cheese, knowing it would cause a reaction, but there don't appear to be any defensive wounds indicating he was forced to eat the cheese, and I don't think he would have willingly eaten it.-Molly
Accidentally is the only thing that remains. Someone with that medication checks their food often and carefully. Oh god...it wouldn't have been accidental if it was someone he knew...-Molly
God, Molly, I wasn't /serious/. Not every body you deal with is going to have to do with murder. Stop overreacting~JM
[I can't ever tell when you're serious. Particularly when it's over text. Why do you have to...never mind. Just, never mind. -Molly] She leaned back in her chair, tossing her phone onto the couch opposite her with a sigh. [Why do I have to do /what/?~JM] Molly glared at her phone as it vibrated. Maybe she just wouldn't answer the text this time. She stood, walking to her kitchen, for lack of something better to do. She made herself some tea, and considered dinner, though she wasn't hungry.
Quit pouting~JM
You're making me regret choosing you~JM
[So /stop/~JM] Her phone vibrated again, again, and again. Huffing and growling as she walked into the living room, Molly picked it up and read the four texts that were there now.
I'm not pouting. -Molly
You are /so/.~JM
You're even more passive-aggressive when you pout. It's disgusting.~JM
She frowned at her phone. Her stomach rumbled, yet she laid down on the couch, her tea forgotten. [How do you know that I'm pouting, if I was? -Molly]
When you pout, you put everyone else's needs before your own. You did it /all/ the time when we were dating.~JM
Molly shifted on the couch, looking at the phone. She frowned again, confused. [I thought that people were supposed to do that. To be nice. -Molly]
Why do you think we only did things and went places /I/ wanted to go? It's because you're weak~JM
It has /nothing/ to do with being nice~JM
It has to do with your /lack/ of power~JM
I'm not weak. I wanted to go there too. -Molly
Because although you would /never/ admit it, you were /always/ bitter about me being in control of everything~JM
Because you /never/ are~JM
But you let it slide by, because I was "nice"~JM
Which we both know I'm /not/. Manipulation is just something I'm heavily skilled in~JM
Not to toot my own horn or anything ;)~JM
She took a couple small breaths as she looked at the phone. She swallowed hard. A large part of her cringed at the thought of him in control , but a part of her, a part that she kept squashed down as far as she could was entranced by it. [Because you're never one to toot your own horn. -Molly] She blinked, having sent the text too quickly to properly think it over. Realizing her mistake, she swore quietly, something she rarely did. "Shite." [I...I didn't mean that. -Molly]
Of course not. That would be quite rude~JM
But we both know you do~JM
You can pretend to fool yourself, Molly, but /never/ try it with me~JM
What happens if I do? Try to fool you? -Molly
Try it and find out~JM
Molly relaxed a little bit; she'd been so worried that he'd show up, angry at her for snapping at him. That was the second time she'd done it in less than a day. She looked at the text, curious. She was very curious by nature and dealing with Jim as much as she was right now was bringing it out. Try to fool Jim... What could she even try to fool him with?
There are two rules, Molly. Very simple rules~JM
Follow my lead and try not to get killed in the process~JM
She looked at her phone again as it vibrated. Rules. Of course there were rules.
And the second? -Molly
Those /are/ the rules.~JM
Oh. -Molly
[It's your job to figure out what will and won't get you killed, whether it happens by my hand, Sebastian's, or bystanders~JM] Molly smiled to herself. Not fooling Jim wasn't even part of the rules. She felt strangely excited to try and plan something so sneaky out.
Bystanders wouldn't kill me. I'm nice. Remember? -Molly
Ah, Molly, you think everyone plays by the Game you do.~JM
You'd be surprised to find out how many people don't and how many of these people will soon be your... acquaintances.~JM
Not everyone. You don't. -Molly
Quite right you are~JM
She smiled; her stomach growled again, and she frowned at it, shushing it silently with her hand, rubbing it. Toby jumped up and purred next to her, sitting on her stomach.
Acquaintances? -Molly
You're with me, my dear. We're a happy little couple: you, Sebastian, and I~JM
Eventually you have to meet our friends~JM
Three isn't a couple. -Molly
Mm. Well, aren't you one for /semantics/~JM
The idea of meeting Jim's... friends made her a bit nervous. She sat up, frowning at the text. What was she even doing? Why was she doing this? She should just stop talking to him and go back to her normal life. Tell Lestrade or someone that she wanted to be in protective custody.
Just think: through me, you'll know more about Sherlock's life than you ever dreamed.~JM
You might even possibly rank as important to him. Granted, he won't /know/ it's /you/, but that's the irony of the situation, love~JM
She looked at her phone again, frowning. She wasn't sure she wanted to know more about Sherlock's life anymore—not if it meant this. Putting her phone down, she walked away from it for a moment. She needed to think.
[Don't ignore me for too long, pet. I get a wee bit antsy~JM]
