The morning that Sherlock and Irene were supposed to fly to New York, Molly woke at an ungodly hour to the sound of her mobile ringing.
"Hello?" she answered sleepily, not even bothering to see who the caller was.
"Thank goodness I caught you," Irene croaked.
Molly sat up, concerned. "Irene? You sound horrible."
"I swear I've got Martian death flu."
Molly rolled her eyes at Irene's hyperbole. "It can't be that bad."
"Oh yes it can. I'm not going. You're taking my place."
"What?!"
"I've already rebooked the flights under your name and I'm relieving you of your other duties for the next fortnight. Think of it as a working holiday."
"Irene…"
"Before I forget, I may have booked only one room in each hotel."
Molly stared at her mobile then brought it back to her face. "You really were trying to seduce Sherlock, weren't you?"
"Guilty. I'm sure you two can work something out. I'll resume my advances when you get back."
Hope springs eternal. "Irene…"
"You can thank me later." She hung up.
Molly stared at her phone again then glanced at the alarm clock. The flight leaves in a few hours! "Shit!" She scrambled out of bed then started packing.
Oh thank God, Sherlock thought as he saw his editor walking towards him, a large airport coffee in hand. He'd been waiting for Irene at their gate when he got a text from her.
Sorry, deathly ill. I'm sending a replacement. Irene
Being scared to death the replacement was Anderson, he internally jumped for joy when he saw Molly. He clamped down on that feeling when he realized he'd have to spend the next fortnight in close proximity of the woman he was madly in love with but refused to admit.
Bloody hell…
"Hi, Sherlock," Molly said, her spirits almost cheerful. "Surprise."
"Erm, yes, it is." He smiled a bit. "Do you think Irene is truly ill?"
She smiled back. "You know she was planning on seducing you during this trip. She wouldn't give up that chance for anything less than the Plague, which she apparently has."
Sherlock rolled his eyes. "How many times must I tell her I'm not interested?"
"At least one more, I'd wager."
"Right." He offered her the seat next to the one he'd been sitting in and they both sat down. "I hope Irene's scheme didn't upset any plans you had."
Molly shrugged. "You know me – no life outside of work."
Sherlock smiled a bit. "Perhaps we can change that while we're in the States."
Molly's conscience nagged her to tell Sherlock about the single hotel room the entire flight to New York but she just couldn't do it. He's not going to like it one bit and I don't want him blaming me.
Just as she thought, he went stock still when the woman at the front desk told them the reservation was for one room. When he got over his shock enough to ask if they could get a second room, she told him they were completely full.
Molly took a deep breath then said gently, "It's alright, Sherlock. We'll manage."
He looked at her dubiously then finally nodded.
When they were left alone in their suite, Molly let out a sigh of relief when she looked through the open door to the bedroom. A king bed, thank God. I can do this.
She could feel the heat coming off Sherlock's body as he stood behind her. "At least Irene has some sense."
Molly suppressed a shiver. "I … was just thinking the same thing."
"Is that so, Molly?" he murmured in her ear.
She swallowed hard, the sound of his voice reverberating through her. "Actually … I was thinking about a nap."
Sherlock chuckled, hopefully not over her bad attempt at lying. "It's the jet lag. Don't make it too long or you'll never sleep tonight."
"Um, right." Despite every fiber of her being telling her not to, she turned to look at him. He is so gorgeous, it's just unfair.
He grinned at her, making himself even more gorgeous. "I was going to explore the New York Public Library."
She nodded. "Have fun."
His grin widened. "You too." He winked at her.
Molly could feel her cheeks reddening. "Um, thanks." Oh God, he thinks I'm going to touch myself while he's gone. A voice that sounded a lot like Irene added, Considering how good he looks, sounds, smells … that's not a bad idea.
Escaping to the en suite was her best option. Thankfully, she still had enough presence of mind to grab the turquoise blue satin and lace cami and matching shorts set she'd brought to sleep in. Not that Sherlock's going to notice. He never notices anything I wear.
That thought was enough to settle her hormones. A quick change then she was in bed, the lights off and the curtains drawn tightly closed against the early afternoon sunlight. Molly was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
When she woke a couple of hours later, she realized she wasn't alone.