Thank you all so much! I just thought I'd let you know that last month this story got over 1,100 Visitors! That's huge for me. So thank you, each and every one of you! Here's the next chapter, so enjoy and please review!
Special thanks to Lemony Prescott for beta-reading!
Chapter XXV
Sherlock walked through the door of 221b as dusk set in. As he entered into the familiar flat he noticed something strange. It's unusually dark, even for Ariel. He thought. There were candles that flickered as the little gust of air that entered with Sherlock swept over the room.
The flat was unusually tidy, and lit with candlelight. Sherlocks eyes scanned the flat until he found the woman responsible for this. His eyes narrowed on Ariel, who was peacefully curled up on the sofa with a glass of red wine in her hand.
"What is all this?" He asked, rather annoyed.
"I thought you could use some relaxation." Ariel replied sweetly. She stood up and walked over to the kitchen table. She pulled out a chair and Sherlock sat, reluctant and silent. Ariel disappeared into the kitchen, only to return moments later with two large plates pilled high with food.
She placed one in front of Sherlock and put the other in front of her chair. She sat down and smiled at Sherlock as she poured him a glass of wine.
"I made your favourite." Ariel said, hoping he would keep up a conversation.
"It looks... edible" Sherlock said flatly. Ariel rolled her eyes, although Sherlock didn't notice. Sherlock watched Ariel pick up her fork and start eating. He noticed she was carefully avoiding his gaze, but she looked almost smug.
"You know I don't eat when I'm on a case." Sherlock said coolly. Ariel smiled up at him.
"Couldn't you make one exception? Just for me?" Ariel asked, her eyes pleading more then her words. Sherlock grabbed his fork and gingerly took a bite of the food Ariel had prepared.
To his surprise, it tasted delicious. He took another fork full, savouring it a bit as he tasted the different flavours, textures, and he enjoyed it. Ariel caught him and smiled.
"Do you like it? She asked innocently, honestly hoping he did. Sherlock read her face for a moment before replying.
"Yes, it's very good." He said, a faint smile twisting his lips. Ariel beamed like she had just been told she was the prettiest girl at the ball. Sherlock and Ariel ate in silence, each one occasionally studying the other. After a few minutes of silence, Ariel broke it.
"John's coming home. In four days." She said, stabbing lightly at her food and avoiding eye contact. Sherlock looked at her, wondering why she would say that.
"That's good. I assume he is tired if dealing with Harry." Sherlock said nonchalantly.
"Yeah, he said he was." Ariel said. Sherlock noticed that all of a sudden she was shy, almost embarrassed. Something was wrong.
"When he comes back, I'll be moving back into my old flat. That is, if Mr. Holden still has it for me." She said. Now she was just playing whit he food. What is going on? Sherlock asked himself, unable to tell what was bothering her. That unnerved him, not knowing.
"I'm sure he will." Sherlock said slowly. "And if not, 221c is always available. Mrs. Hudson hasn't been able to find a tenant for it in ages."
Sherlock noticed Ariel's eyes light up, just the slightest bit, at him offering a place to stay.
"And what about us?" Ariel asked finally, putting down her fork. Ah, so this is where this was going. Sherlock thought.
"Like I said before, I appreciate your skill and I find that I rather enjoy your company. As long as you wish, you are welcome to work cases with me." Sherlock said, not entirely sure of the words coming out of his mouth. They didn't sound like him, but he knew that was how he felt.
Though Ariel was clearly pleased with this answer, her eyes looked vaguely disappointed and she seemed as if she had more to ask, but she didn't say a word about it.
"Thank you, Sherlock. I really appreciate it." She said, a genuine smile painting her lips. Something inside Sherlock twitched at that smile. He had a sudden curiosity as to how he could make her smile like that again. He'd have to do an experiment on it later.
"More wine?" He asked, grabbing the bottle and holding it just over the rim of her glass.
"Yes please." She said, picking up her fork again to finnish off her dinner. Sherlock poured the red liquid into her glass, twisting his wrist and flourishing the bottle as he finished pouring.
"Bit of a show off tonight, aren't we?" Ariel asked, her sapphire eyes sparkling with an open playfulness Sherlock hadn't seen before. He wondered how much of herself she was willing to reveal to him that night, but he knew full well that it would hardly be a one-sided reveal.
"Hardly." Sherlock scoffed in reply, digging back into his dinner. They finished their meal in peace. As soon as they had finished, Ariel collected the plates and placed them in the sink, ready for washing. She started in on them, Sherlock sitting relaxed in his chair watching her.
"John's return bothers you. Why?" Sherlock asked, sipping back a mouthful of wine. Ariel focused on washing the dishes as she replied.
"I rather enjoy living here. I guess I'm just disappointed I'm a fill in." She chuckled, not really meaning the last bit.
"You most certainly aren't a fill in. If its all the same to you, I rather enjoyed your presence. The flat has never been so well maintained." Sherlock said, a hint of humour flavouring his last comment. Ariel smiled, the same smile she had earlier. Humour, then. Sherlock thought, making a mental note in his mind palace.
Ariel finished the dishes and made her way into the living room, wine glass in hand and Sherlock in tow. She sat herself down on the sofa, causally curling her feet up beside her. Sherlock turned his chair to face her before sitting down.
"What is tonight really about?" Sherlock asked once they were settled. Ariel sighed and looked out the window before answering.
"I realized today that I don't really know you. And I want to know you, Sherlock, I really do." Ariel said in all earnestness.
"No, you really don't." Sherlock said, a deep chuckle punctuating his sentence.
"Can I at least decide that for myself?" She asked, a faint, pleading smile on her lips. Sherlock studied her for a moment, trying to deduce her motives. But as always, he only found what she wanted him to see. Her walls were amazing, constructed carefully so as to not let anything she didn't want slip. But Sherlock could sense something behind those walls, something he desperately wanted to know. He sighed heavily.
"Fine. But you must deduce it for yourself." He said, grinning at her displeased face.
"If that's the way you want it." Ariel replied, sipping her wine and studying Sherlock. He carefully sipped his own glass, having full confidence in his barriers. They sat their, staring at one another for what seemed like hours, but in reality was maybe ten minutes.
Sherlock was beginning to wonder if Ariel could stand up to the challenge when she broke the silence.
"Interesting..." She said in a low, pleased tone. Sherlock cocked an eyebrow at her.
"What did you find?" He asked, calm and cool.
"No, no. You don't share and I don't share. That's how you wanted it, yes?" She asked, toying with her glass and clearly trying to get Sherlock to snap. He grinned at her, knowing her game.
"That would seem to be the rules." He said. Sherlock noticed Ariel's empty glass, so he jumped up and darted into the kitchen for the wine.
"More wine?" He asked as he re entered the room holding a full bottle.
"Yes, thank you." She replied pleasantly, still obviously a bit smug. As Sherlock pour them another glass of wine, he noticed Ariel staring at him with a silly little grin on her face.
"Wipe that stupid grin off your face." Sherlock demanded as he sat down beside her on the sofa. Ariel leaned in closer to him as her smile grew larger.
"Make me." She said playfully. Sherlock just looked at her, studying her and wondering what he should do next. Ariel knew she had stumped him momentarily, so she continued.
"Did you know, Sherlock Holmes, that you could never get rid of me?" She said slyly.
"I could if I wanted to." He retorted.
"Oh no, you couldn't. Do you know why?" Ariel was having fun playing with him. "Because I am a mystery you will never be able to solve. I will never be dull to you. And if you were to get rid of me, you would beg me to come back, because without me, your life would be... Boring." As she finished, she lent back with a completely satisfied grin on her face.
Sherlock thought about it. Even though he would never admit it, he agreed with her. If she were to leave, his life would be just a little bit more boring. He contemplated life without Ariel as he stared at her. Her beautiful blonde hair shimmered in the candle light, her red lips glistening... Sherlock shook his head. Could this really be happening? Surely not, not to him. But what if it was? Could the great Sherlock Holmes really be falling in love? Sherlock dismissed this thought and went back to the mystery of how to deal with Ariel's smugness at knowing she was so important to him.
Ariel sighed, although her eyes retained their playful gleam. She almost could see the thoughts running through Sherlock's head.
Why can't he just tell me how he feels? She thought. Or maybe he didn't like her at all, and everything she thought she saw wasn't there. Maybe it was just her imagination. She stared at him, desperate to catch just the faintest glimmer of his affections.
His cool blue eyes stared back at her and for the longest moment they held each others gaze. They were both deep in thought and neither broke the ever increasing silence.
Finally Sherlock gave.
"You're right." He said with a bit of a sigh. Shocked, Ariel exclaimed,
"What?!"
"You are right, Ms. Hunt. You are a source of intrigue in my sometimes dull life." Sherlock explained. Ariel couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she forced herself to respond.
"For the last time Sherlock, call me Ariel." She said in all seriousness.
"I apologize, Ariel." Sherlock replied with a large grin. Ariel smiled back. That was one of the first times he had ever called her Ariel, although she was sure he knew her name. Her heart fluttered when he used it, his deep baritone voice wrapping around the sounds of her name and making it sound like the best thing on Earth. Sherlock saw her barriers drop, just for a second, and he saw just how pleased she was. His grin grew even larger.
"Sherlock..." she asked slowly, a grin creeping over her face as she leaned forward again, invading his personal space just a bit. Sherlock watched her eyes flicker downwards, briefly studying something before returning to his eyes.
The angle of her head had made it so she was looking up at Sherlock through her dark eyelashes. He never thought she had looked so beautiful as she did at this moment, lit by candle light. The last tendrils of sunlight had long since disappeared. The darkness outside the windows was diffused only by street lights and passing cars. Sherlock felt out of place all of a sudden. He didn't know what to do. Ariel smiled playfully at him again.
"Don't worry Sherlock. I won't bite." She said, slipping on a mask of innocence. Sherlock didn't know if he could trust that look. But Ariel was determined to make him believe her, as she wound her arm around Sherlock, drawing him closer. This was much more intimate then his encounter with The Woman. Sherlock was almost enjoying himself at the close touch of her. Ariel smirked again and kissed Sherlock on the lips.
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