The Royal Opera House

Beth felt unusual and uncomfortable in her new dress. It was beautiful, stunning in fact, but she just didn't feel right in it. It was a pure white dress, lacy on the chest and it cascaded down towards the ground like a plummeting waterfall that spread freely as it crashed into the swirling water at the bottom. The back was bare, revealing her soft skin. The way it fell on her made her feel conscious, and she stood awkwardly on the street waiting for the taxi, the cold biting at her pale skin. The wind danced around her, raising the hairs on her arms onto end. She clutched onto her silver bag tight, her hands turned white as snow. The taxi pulled up in front of her and she hopped in, told the driver her destination and he drove off.

She watched as the illuminating city lights blurred into a smear, and she gazed up at the towering buildings that made her feel so small. She had never took note on how grand London actually was, when she was younger she thought it as nothing more than her playground. She rarely visited central London but when she did, she took advantage of the fact that she lived near it and did not respect the fact that people could only dream to visit such a magnificent place.

Her mind then led to Moriarty. She had never actually met him before, she had only stared at him in the court, but now she was to come face to face with him at a ball. It wasn't really what she would have called a usual situation. But then she knew that was the consequences of being involved with Sherlock Holmes. More from her new life was yet to be revealed.

The taxi came to a halt. Outside, prongs of people dressed in elegant dresses and tuxedos strolled across the red carpeted floor and through the glass double doors that was held open by a waiter. Beth, with much uncertainty, stepped out the car and walked over to the glass doors, the waiter handed her a glass of bubbling champagne. The smell whirled up and entered her nose. She was no champagne expert but she knew that it was very expensive just by the rich, sweet smell. One sip and she was sucked into the luxurious drink like into a black hole, the delicious taste welcomed her. Her face relaxed and she took another sip.

A large masculine hand softly rested on the bare skin of her back, sending a shiver down her spine. Her eyes enlarged by the sudden ghost like touch upon her skin. Goosebumps rose on her body. A softened deep voice then spoke, inches away from her ear.

"Gout de Diamants' Taste of Diamonds, one of the most expensive champagnes you could ever drink. Made from 100% grand cru grapes," She froze and without taking his hand away, Moriarty moved around to stand in front of her, his hand now on her waist.

"Moriarty, nice to meet you Miss Mcneill," he leaned in and gave her a small peck on her rosy pink blushing cheeks. She didn't move an inch, the warmth of his sweet breath upon her skin made her feel light headed and her mind clouded. The musky odour of cologne seeped from his skin and misted the air around her.

"Take note on everything he says, it may be a clue," A voice from the small ear piece spoke. She had almost forgot that Sherlock was listening in on everything that was being said. She had almost forgot the objective of this mission. Already this man had an affect on her, and he merely introduced himself. But it was the way he confidently placed his hand in a place that would be a symbol of friendship - or more- and the way he kissed her cheek. She knew he wasn't normal. No normal man would do that. Or would they? She couldn't remember what normal was anymore.

"So Moriarty, what is your profession?" She began with small talk, nothing like starting small then going big. But even if it was small talk, she was a little unsure what to ask. She had not been one for small talk. Or in fact, talking to strangers was a definite no. Yet there she was, talking to a criminal that she had only just met and that for all she knew, may or may not kill her. But she enjoyed this sense of danger. She liked the adrenaline.

"I'm a specialist, a Consulting Criminal. If you have a problem, I will help to bring justice," his soft irish accent was thick with confidence, as though he was proud of his job and that no one can stop him. Smug. Beth wanted to feel disgusted over what he had said, but there was a little spark in her mind that prevented that. A little spark as if she liked his confidence that emitted from him. He led Beth into a part of the building where the ceiling was just an archway of glass that revealed the sparkling night sky. A champagne bar stood in the middle of the hall, and many people were at the bar preparing glasses of champagne which the waiters then took to hand out. Upon the balconies, people sat at table and chairs, discussing business or pleasure, laughter boomed from their lungs. A band played classical music. A violin, cello, and other instruments played to fill in the silent background noise amongst the buzzing conversations.

"And what about you? What is your profession?"

"I am an IT specialist,"

"Interesting," They walked over to the champagne bar and Moriarty casually leant against the bar's surface. He raised two fingers to the barman who nodded in response. His raven black eyes wandered over to Beth, looked down her body and back up again, a smirk crept up on his face.

"You are looking beautiful Miss Mcneill, the dress really suits your figure,"

Beth was speechless, the compliment took her by surprise as she did not usually get many compliments from people. However, as she looked around, she noticed most eyes wandered down her body from both males and females. It made her feel almost good about herself, yet, uncomfortable by the many eyes that were planted on her. Her skin flustered, her cheeks now pink as a rose. To hide her nervousness while standing awkwardly beside Moriarty, she took a few more sips of her champagne. Her taste buds tingled by the sweet taste of the bubbly drink. Her stomach swirled as the warm sensation took over her body.

A smirk was implanted on Moriarty's lips, smug at the fact that he could make this beautiful, self conscious woman feel flustered over one little compliment. The musicians began to play a song he knew all too well. A song that he used to listen to a lot when he was younger and that he used to dance to with his mother. Gently, he took her hand and pulled her over towards the area where people began to waltz.

"Lets dance, shall we?"

She was about to decline the chance to dance, but was soon in Moriarty's arms. His hand rested on the curve of her waist, slightly pulling her closer. She could feel his breath on her face as he looked deeply into her eyes. His aroma of the musky cologne that she could not quite recognise engulfed the air between them making it harder to concentrate. Each step they took was in sync, she let him lead her along the floor as they wove in and out of the other couples. The moment seemed perfect until a very bored and annoyed voice cleared the silence.

"There is no time to waste, find out how he hacked into the servers now!" Sherlock sighed, and with that, Beth internally shook herself to concentrate on the real aim of why she was here. She cleared her throat slightly and looked away from the raven like eyes that penetrated her concentration.

"So... it was pretty amazing how you caused chaos in 3 places and yet you were only in one," She hinted, but in return, got a smug smirk that she had seem one too many times from him. She urged herself on by internally kicking herself to carry on with the questions.

"How the hell did you do it? Obviously you didn't do it yourself... unless you did... I don't know," A little chuckle escape Moriarty's full lips. With a more rougher pull, he pulled her closer so that their chests met and that his lips were mere inches from hers. Her beating heart almost stopped by the close proximity that they shared. She could feel and taste his sweet breath, she breathed it in and it was like a drug as she became light headed from it's sweetness. He moved slowly so that his lips were to her ear where there was no ear piece.

"I am full of surprises, Miss Mcneill. I'm sure you will find out how I did it soon enough," Beth watched as he backed away and put his hands in his pockets. He made his way out of the grand building, leaving Beth, with her heart beating fast like a drum, with shaken knees and a red complexion that failed to fade.