I cannot thank you enough if you've been waiting for an update. Not long after starting this chapter, I broke up with my ex and shortly after that, my laptop broke. I finally got myself a new one today and uploading this chapter is one of the first things I've done on it.

I hope you've all had an amazing Christmas / Happy Holidays and that your New Year will be just as good. What are your plans?

I'm sorry for any mistakes I've made and missed. I only own Emily. Please do leave a review, even if it's just a smiley face.

Hope you're all safe and well.

October had hastily followed September and whilst the boys were out solving crimes, Emily was making the most of having the flat to herself and soaking in a bath that was practically overflowing with bubbles. Though she could relax that Sherlock wasn't about to fly into the room, she still felt it necessary to lock the doors. She'd also taken the precaution of taking two chairs into the room with her and placing them under the door handles. Just to be safe.

As always, she had quickly grown bored and within the span of five minutes already felt the urge to get back out and dressed again to enjoy watching telly without Sherlock talking over it. But she had plenty of time for that. The boys would be out for hours.

Just as she had decided to give it a few more minutes at least, there was a creaking on the stairs. She was surprised she had even heard it but reasoned that with no one else home (Mrs Hudson was visiting next door) it was quiet enough to hear it no matter how faint it was. Or maybe she was just imagining things?

Another creak. She definitely wasn't imagining it. Obviously not someone who should have been in the building since every time a creak sounded there was a pause as if the person creating the noise was waiting to see if she had heard.

"Brilliant. We're potentially being robbed and I'm in the sodding bath." She mumbled to herself, slowly rising out of the warm water and reaching for her towel. Maybe if she was fast enough she could move into the kitchen and grab a knife as a weapon.

She listened carefully at the door to the hallway for sounds of anyone in the kitchen but grew concerned to hear the sounds of the TV. So their potential thief was either playing games or was enjoying themselves before doing their job.

Towel firmly closed around her, she moved a chair from the door and, so slowly it was a little frustrating, opened it hoping not to make any noise as she moved.

She padded into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, taking no notice of the water that dripped off her skin and onto the floor.

"You shouldn't be playing with knives, you know." A voice in the doorway behind her made her jump and the knife almost slipped from her grasp. Almost. "Those things are so dangerous, what on earth were you thinking?"

"Oh, I dunno, that maybe we were being burgled?" She seethed.

"Don't be so silly Emmy." Jim rolled his eyes as if she was being ridiculous. "I like what you're wearing. Did you wear it just for me?" He teased, a smirk lifting the corner of his mouth as he eyed her up and down.

"I was in the bath, I couldn't very well come out naked could I?"

"Why don't you get back in it then? I can join you if you like?" Where had this side of Jim come from?

"What are you doing here?" She angrily shoved the knife back into its place and grabbed hold of the top of her towel, just to make sure it wasn't about to pool at her feet.

"Well, I've come to visit you, my little elephant. Obviously. I did say I'd be seeing you soon didn't I?"

"Oh, yes. How could I forget? When you almost blew us all up."

"Ah, ah. Sherlock was the one that almost blew us all up. I feel that's a very important detail don't you?" His head tilted to the side, his gaze hadn't left her once.

"Only after you almost blew us all up."

He scoffed. "Oh please, you didn't actually think I'd kill you did you?"

"That's sort of the impression I got, yes."

"Always so dramatic." He rolled his eyes.

"Funny. I always thought that was you."

"You're getting cold." There was no denying that. She was huddled into herself, on the verge of freezing, with goosebumps on her skin. "Why don't you go and get yourself dressed, then we can watch something together? Like we used to. I'm sure some channel still plays some kids show you used to watch. Or you could get one of your movies? Did you like your presents?"

"Where's Seb?"

He huffed and took a step closer to her. "Don't be boring Emmy, am I not enough for you?"

"Where's Mum?"

"Do you even care? I mean, really...really care?"

"What do you want?"

He took another step closer and raised his hands up as if in surrender. "I just want to spend some time with you."

"Why do I not believe that for a second?" She couldn't move away when he took another step towards her. If he reached out to her now, he would be able to touch her.

"Well, alright I want to have a look around."

"Another look around." She stated, growing a tiny bit bored.

"Whatever do you mean?" He started to undo his coat.

"I mean, you've clearly been here before since you left me a present on my bed on my birthday."

He smiled to himself. "Oh, yes that."

"How many times have you been in here?"

He took the coat from his shoulders and let it slip down his arms, the smirk back on his features as he offered the item to her. "Now wouldn't that be telling." She eyed the clothing that he was holding out to her, wondering if it was another bomb jacket. He rolled his eyes again and opened it out for her so she could see it was just a coat and to help her put it on. "It's not going to bite you. I can't make any promises though. Do hurry dear, or you'll catch a cold. We both know how much you hate having a cold."

Emily remembered the colds she had suffered as a child. The week of a sore throat before the cold itself actually came through. The nosebleeds she had to endure when she sneezed too hard or too many times. The only bit of joy she got from them was that she got to be off school for a few days so she wouldn't sneeze over the other children as she was sometimes prone to do with her brother.

She snatched the coat from his hands and when it was clear he wasn't going to turn around (she felt it was more to irritate her than actually try and get a peek at anything) she turned so her back was towards him. Carefully, and most awkwardly so the towel wouldn't drop, she slipped the coat up her arms and onto her shoulders. It was still warm from his own body and instantly Emily felt cosy. She still kept her arms around herself, holding the towel against her.

"Isn't that better?"

It was her turn to roll her eyes. She wanted to know when he was leaving so she could go and get dressed properly without getting paranoid about what he was doing in her flat but she supposed that the fact she was currently wearing his coat meant he was staying for more than a couple of minutes.

"What do you want?" She repeated.

"Why have you been ignoring my texts, hmm?" He started to move around the kitchen, opening cupboards and drawers to inspect their insides. "That's very rude you know." He spun on his heels and stormed back into the living room, clearly expecting her to follow and when she finally set foot in the next room he had helped himself to Sherlock's chair.

"Ruder than intruding someone's home and helping themselves to the television and the furniture?" She flopped down in John's chair, tucking her feet up underneath her to keep them warm.

"Weeeeell..." His stare became intense and Emily found herself trying not to shrink under it. "You wouldn't answer my messages so I had to find some way to communicate with you."

"And what about Seb? Where's he?"

"Oh," He waved a flippant hand as if to wave her brothers name away. "Somewhere. Everywhere. Nowhere."

Emily could feel a headache coming on." "You could just say he doesn't want to see me. I'd take less offence."

"It's not that he doesn't want to see you. It's just that it's...it's not the right tiiime."

"It's not the right time to see my own brother? Ok, so where's mum?"

"Not telling." He smiled devilishly at her.

"Have you...Is she...?" The blonde found she could not finish her sentence, too afraid of the answer.

"I haven't killed her if that's what you're trying to ask me." He rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. "That would be so utterly tedious. It's much more fun to keep you on your toes."

"Has someone else?" He shook his head with an over dramatic pout. "I suppose that's as much you'll tell me about her?" Now he nodded enthusiastically. It was something at least.

The two continued to stare at one another. While Emily focused on his dark gaze, Jim's eyes flicked over her face as if he was taking every detail of her in. She realized this was the closest they had been since the pool and really they hadn't had much chance to look at each other closely then. So really, the last time he had been this close to her without the threat of dying was when she had been a child.

"It's not a good idea you know."

She blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The house." He answered cryptically.

There was really only one house he could be talking about. "What about the house?"

"Whatever it is you're thinking of doing with it. You just can't do it."

"I wasn't thinking of doing anything with it." She lied.

"I still know when you're lying Emmy." She rolled her eyes and slumped back in the chair. "The only thing you can realistically do with it, is live in it. And we both know you won't live there by yourself. You might have been able to before living here, but you're used to it now...used to... people." He scoffed at the word.

"If I found some documents I could sell it." But even to her, her voice sounded uncertain, her words, ridiculous.

"Do you know what documents you would need? Do you even know who owns it now?" He asked her, head tilted to the side. "No, no, no, my sweet girl, don't bother answering, because I already know the answer. Why haven't you offered me a drink of something?"

"Usually offering a drink of something is a sign of being hospitable, you weren't even invited in."

"You can't sell it Emily." She looked away from his tie (plain black though definitely expensive) "You just can't. We both know what would happen if you did."

"I just need a bit of extra - "

"Why do you think I sent you that cheque?"

"I just need a bit of extra - honest - money and then I can leave my job and not have to panic about getting a new one." She had thought of this idea whilst in the shower, washing Roid's touch off her skin, but had yet to go back to the house to try and begin to think of anything concrete. The idea had been just that. An idea. One that she had no thoughts on how to make into a proper, useful, plan.

"What's so bad about this job?"

"What?" She hadn't expected him to go down this route of questioning.

"You need a new job, or, to at least leave this one. What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing." She answered too quickly.

"I know when you're lyyyying." He sing-songed. "Is it that you still have to see Sherlock sometimes? You've had enough of him here and you can't escape him at work?" She couldn't tell if he was teasing or not.

"No." She mumbled.

"Hmm, what else could it be?" He tapped his finger against his chin in thought. "If the job were so boring then you'd have left a long time ago - OH!" He gasped and his mouth turned into the shape of an 'O'. It was almost comical. "There's someone there who you aren't keen on. Can't say I blame you, honestly, I only worked there the shortest amount of time possible, and I wasn't keen on anyone."

"Really, no one?"

"Well, obviously you, but you didn't even notice I was working there. Even almost bumped into you a few times and still...nothing." He suddenly sat forwards, rested his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. "But there was someone at school you weren't keen on and you persevered through that, didn't you." He wiggled his eyebrows at her knowingly before his face turned expressionless. "Has someone touched you?" She didn't think it was possible, but his body became even tenser, his gaze more severe. "Who touched you?"

"No one - "

"My sweet girl. Darling girl. I've already told you twicccce. I know when you're lying. Who has touched you?" His eyes suddenly sparkled with knowledge as if he had been told the secrets of the universe. "It's that boss of yours isn't it? He seemed very keen on you when he was taking me for a tour. Didn't stop talking about you after he'd almost wiped your blouse away. So tell me. What's he done? Emily shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, not to mention the thought of Roid talking about her. "So my source is correct." Jim continued.

"Your source?"

"Hmm...?"

"What do you mean, your source?" A sudden thought popped into her head. "Do you have someone at St Bart's watching me?"

"That's very big headed of you to assume they're watching you, young lady."

"Well, are they?"

"Obviously." Before the pool and all the bombs, Emily was confident in saying that she had missed Jim very much. Clearly she had forgotten just how irritating he could be. "You've missed me, haven't you?" It was as if he could read her mind and it took everything in her not to look startled at the question.

"What if I have?" She shrugged nonchalantly and tucked her hands into the coat pockets.

He grinned at her. A wolfish grin that she'd always connected to trouble. "I knew it."

"Did you miss me?" She asked, feeling a blush rise on her cheeks. She suddenly found the bookshelf to her left very interesting.

She jumped when a finger moved her chin back to face him. She had been so focused on the books she hadn't noticed him stand and move towards her chair. "Look at me." He allowed his finger to trail up her face and move some hair out of the way, tucking it behind her ear. "We have a lot of catching up to do, you and I." He murmured softly. "But, alas, we have no time for that now."

"Are you leaving?" Emily couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness at the thought. Though it was mixed in with relief that she could go and finish her bath. Though the water would have gone cold by now. Perhaps a shower would be better.

"You know how it is; places to be, people to meet. Very boring."

She stood and began to take the coat off. "You'll be wanting this back then."

A warm hand on top of hers halted her movements. "Keep it for now. I can always come back another time." He winked at her and before Emily could do anything to stop him, he was descending the stairs. "See you soon, Little Elephant." He called up to her, the front door closing after a few seconds.

She hastily moved to the window and watched him cross the road, turning to blow her an over dramatic kiss before disappearing round the corner.

What the hell did he mean about the house? Surely he wasn't serious? But she had known Jim a long time and even after so long apart she knew for a fact he was being very serious.

She caught sight of a taxi pulling up outside and instantly knew it was her flatmates without having to check.

Ascending the stairs three at a time, she threw the coat in her room before running back down them again. By some miracle the boys had stopped in the hallway to argue and she managed to make it back to the bathroom (doors locked and chairs against them) and pulled the plug on her water, jumping back in for a shower to wash and warm up properly.

"Alright in there Em?" John greeted, sounding as if he wasn't in the best mood.

"I'm alright thanks. How are you?" She called back.

"I don't think there's enough time for that answer." She smirked, but it fell with his next question. "Do you know why the floors wet?"

Shit.

"Yeah...I came out for a drink, I didn't think you'd be home this early so I figured I'd clean up when I'd finished. Didn't want to waste the hot water. Sorry." As excuses went, Emily felt that one wasn't all that bad.

"It's OK, I've done it now."

"Thank you." She had to hope that Sherlock wouldn't look to deeply into it and deduce what had actually happened.

It was only a short while later that she was back in her bedroom, getting dried properly and dressed that she really took notice of the coat again. It had landed haphazardly on her bed and if she hadn't been so desperate to get up to her room to hide it, she would have no doubt forgotten all about it for god knows how long.

It was only when she was folding it up to hide it away under her bed that it fully clicked in her mind that this was his coat. He had left his coat with her yet it felt surprisingly light. She checked the pockets - inside and out - and the only thing she found was a note. Her mind flashed back to Irene Adler's expensive place and the woman wearing the Consulting Detective's coat. Jim relinquishing his coat to her felt strangely similar.

She shook her head of the thought that Jim knew exactly what had occurred in that house and turned her focus back to the note in her hand. She unfolded it and read the words 'Don't sell it. I know your secrets. - Jim' written in messy handwriting.

Emily listened for any tell tale signs that she had been followed upstairs. Hearing none, she crouched down on the floor and reached under the bed, shoving things aside in order to get what she was searching for.

She had managed to hide the shoe box away right at the back, tucked away into the corner behind the one that contained everything she had saved about Carl Powers.

Folding Jim's note back up and making it even smaller she hastily added it to the second shoe box, barely even glancing at the other things hidden inside, before pushing it back to where she had found it along with everything else. She sincerely hoped Sherlock would not be bored anytime soon and fancy a rummage around in her room, or if he were to try and take a look under her bed, be so put off with the mess she had created underneath he would be out off immediately.

Not thinking about the box and it's contents had clearly worked so far. Surely pushing it out of reach under her bed and to the back of her mind would work for...well, if Emily had anything to say about it, the rest of her life. She could only hope.

She neatly folded up the coat she had been graced with and tucked it away under her bed too. Next time he came over (and she had no doubt there would be many more times he was over) she would give it back to him.

Though if she happened to be home alone between now and whenever Jim did come back, perhaps she would wear it around the flat.

Take care of yourself.

Much Love.

FB