AN: ACD owns stuff.
Chapter 9
I waited patiently for Holmes to step out of the bathroom. Questions swirled in my mind; normally, I hated confrontations, but this one was unavoidable.
The bathroom door opened moments after the water stopped running. Holmes stepped out, seemingly oblivious to the glare I shot in his direction. ¡§Watson, could you call the front desk for another set of towels?¡¨
¡§I thought we were partners.¡¨
Holmes turned to face me, his eyes focusing first on the wrinkled note in my hand, and finally resting on my furious expression. ¡§We are.¡¨
I shook my head. ¡§No. You couldn¡¦t even tell me you were investigating my ex-husband.¡¨
¡§You knowing would have compromised the investigation,¡¨ he answered stiffly.
¡§That¡¦s bullshit, Holmes,¡¨ I shot back, jumping to my feet.
He walked up to me until he was mere inches away. ¡§Then tell me this. Do you believe me when I say that without out a doubt, James Moriarty is the leader of the biggest criminal ring in Los Angeles?¡¨
¡§He couldn¡¦t be. James¡K he¡¦s a good guy. You don¡¦t know him!¡¨ I protested.
Holmes¡¦ face was triumphant. ¡§You see? I was right.¡¨
I shook my head furiously, refusing to believe what I was hearing. ¡§No. Not James. He was always good to me. It was me who messed it up!¡¨
¡§You still love him.¡¨ It was a statement not a question.
¡§We¡¦ve been divorced a year already. I hardly think¡K¡¨ my voice trailed off. It was then I noticed that Holmes was not only shirtless, but clad solely in a white towel wrapped around his waist, water still dripping his hair. Gulp. I quickly cast my eyes to the floor.
¡§Did you not agree to a date with him? Did you not call him and tell him we were leaving? In doing so, did you not already compromise the investigation?¡¨ Holmes accused.
I took a step back. Holmes was getting too close for comfort.
¡§Love is an emotion, and emotions are distractions in the search for truth. Case in point: your love for him blinds you to all his faults. Even when all evidence shows otherwise,¡¨ he lectured, stepping closer, unaware of my discomfort.
I lashed out. ¡§What evidence, Holmes? All I have to go on is what you tell me. Why should I believe you?¡¨
¡§Are we not partners?¡¨
My voice dropped to a whisper. ¡§I thought we were. But this doesn¡¦t work if there¡¦s no trust.¡¨
¡§Sometimes I don¡¦t trust you, Watson. Right now is one of those times. But you must concede that you don¡¦t trust me either. If you did, we wouldn¡¦t be having this discussion.¡¨ He paused, before adding condescendingly, ¡§Besides, I¡¦m always right. You should know me well enough not to question my judgment.¡¨
I was disgusted: disgusted at Holmes¡¦ boundless ego, disgusted at the way I could not stop my eyes from roaming across Holmes¡¦ body. ¡§And the same goes for you.¡¨
He scoffed. ¡§Watson, you may be halfway decent with dead people, but when it comes to the living, you have the worst judgment I¡¦ve ever seen. Your taste in men is not something to be proud of. Dr. Austin Reingold, serial killer? Professor James Moriarty, godfather of crime?¡¨
¡§Jake Holmes, arrogant bastard of a detective?¡¨ Did I just say that out loud? I quickly looked away, my cheeks burning a deep crimson. Shit.
Holmes froze for a moment before replying in the iciest tone I had ever heard. ¡§You think that¡¦s supposed to be a positive thing? That I¡¦m supposed to be comforted by the existence of your¡¨ -he grappled for the right word- ¡§concern for me?¡¨
I felt two inches tall.
He pressed on, exploiting his advantage. ¡§All you¡¦ve ever done is screw over those who matter most to you. I don¡¦t particularly have a desire to be your next victim. Do I need to remind you of the list? Your parents, Dr. Reingold¡K¡¨
¡§Stop it!¡¨ I screamed, tearing up. ¡§Don¡¦t you think I go through this every time I look in a mirror? Every single day, Holmes. You cannot possibly understand how deep my self-loathing goes.¡¨
His resolute expression fell for a fleeting moment. ¡§I understand more than you know, Watson.¡¨
¡§Then tell me,¡¨ I challenged.
Those seemed to be the magic words, as Holmes immediately clammed up.
¡§You see? You can¡¦t even give me an opportunity to prove myself, because you can¡¦t stand to be wrong,¡¨ I scoffed. ¡§And you¡¦re wrong about me, Holmes.¡¨
¡§I was wrong to trust you, Dr. Watson, not about you,¡¨ Holmes stated formally.
That bastard. I replied in as steady as a voice as I could muster, ¡§I have never, in the last three months, given you reason to doubt me. I thought we were friends.¡¨
Holmes made no effort to answer me. I knew that I had won- but inside, I felt strangely empty.
¡§Fine,¡¨ I hissed. ¡§I¡¦m leaving. Call me if you change your mind.¡¨ I grabbed my bag and stomped out. Only when the door had closed behind me did I allow myself the luxury of tears.
AN: And so ends the longest argument in the world¡K augh, I think I really need to get a beta, as my writing is getting yech-ier (you see, that isn¡¦t even a word) by the moment. This has got to be the worst chapter yet (I¡¦m sorry to all of those who think I¡¦ve made Holmes too cruel, and yes, Watson is one screwed up gal; if I had my way, you all would really despise her). Thanks again to my readers- and please let me know if this story is getting too hokey. It¡¦s starting to rate a 10 on the how-corny-angsty-you-can-get-o-meter, which is not what I¡¦m trying for.