Even more cheeky...just saying. :)
"You must've had a night falling asleep in the chair," Mrs. Hudson said, her voice interrupting Sherlock's dream in which Ms. Prentice had been–
His eyes snapped open. Chair. Flat. Mrs. Hudson. How the hell could he be in his flat, sleeping in his chair? He'd been at that building with her and they'd been…well, he'd been…even the memory of that look in her eyes was more than he could handle.
"Mrs. Hudson," he insisted, standing up. His landlady glanced at him, startled by the insistence in his voice. "When did I get in last night?"
Ms. Prentice was shorter than him and she would've made noise struggling up the stairs, especially seeing as how he was unconscious. The more he thought about it the more he couldn't figure out exactly how she managed it on her own.
"I'm not sure. You must have been quiet as a mouse not to wake me," the woman replied.
How had she managed it? She'd given him some form of tranquilizer and then brought him home. She didn't want to leave him in an abandoned building on his own. He smiled, that thought coupled with the gift she'd given him making him realize that she felt something for him. Although he'd seen that last night when he…he pushed that thought away because even thinking about that drove him to madness.
There was something else he realized upon standing. The weight was off in his coat. Something was in his pocket that hadn't been there before. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a handheld device. Similar to a mobile, but different. There was a small sliver button at the top. He clicked it and a touch screen appeared asking for an access code. He grinned. Seven digit sequence. This would take a while.
He sat back down. Mrs. Hudson sat his tea on the side table, but he paid little attention to it, his mind already working to crack the code and discover what secrets she'd left for him.
Rose stepped out of the shower and dressed in her clothes, not one of the disguises since she'd be spending most of her day in her flat. That posh event was tonight and until then she didn't have much to do, well, except think about what almost happened last night and how much she'd wanted it to happen.
That had been dangerous and…thrilling. Yes, definitely thrilling. That smoldering look in his eyes that told her exactly what he wanted to do and she'd wanted to do it too. She shoved the thoughts aside, the memories before she had to take another shower. This one cold.
She planned on dropping off another clue tonight after the party, but as dangerous and complicated as things were becoming between her and Sherlock maybe this should be the last night. End it before things went too far because last night was too close. If she hadn't given him that sedative he would've kissed her, more than kissed her. Bollock! She was thinking about it again.
Sherlock finally managed to crack the code. Five hours and twenty-nine minutes. Complex, but not meant to distract him. She was either out of town or staying in for the day. At that moment the door opened and Mycroft stepped into his flat.
Sherlock stood up, sliding the device into his pocket to keep it away from his brother's prying eyes. He walked over to the window and picked up his bow, seeming to inspect it.
"To what do I owe the displeasure?" he asked.
"PrimeTech," Mycroft said. "Have you made any progress?"
Sherlock used his bow to point at some papers on the table. Papers that held the evidence that the company was farming out their developments. The cover-up done so well not even Mycroft would be able to see through it.
"You were right, of course," Sherlock dismissed. "They were hiding the fact that they were using someone they wanted to keep off the books."
Mycroft read through the papers. His eyes widening for a moment.
"I see."
"At least they had the foresight to keep him off the books."
"Yes, well…" His brother trailed off.
Sherlock could tell it wasn't what Mycroft expected, but that his brother also believed the lie. Good. As he watched Mycroft's gaze fell on the puzzle box on the other side of Sherlock's laptop. Curious and then interested. He caught the way his brother's muscles shifted, but Sherlock hurried over and picked it up before Mycroft could touch it. His brother gave him a surprised, quizzical glance.
"It was a…gift," he revealed.
More surprise and then interest. Sherlock walked over and sat the puzzle box on the window sill. As far away from his brother as he could manage without actually leaving the room.
"From?"
"Someone."
More interest.
The last thing Sherlock wanted was for Mycroft to find out about her. He intended to keep his brother as far away from her as possible.
"And does this someone have a name?" Mycroft asked.
"Yes, but I'm not about to tell you…" he trailed off, almost having revealed that the person in question was a woman. "Don't you have some party tonight? I wouldn't want to keep you."
"Yes. Right. Well…" Mycroft held the paper. "I'll make sure to speak with Mr. Lindquest at the party tonight."
"He'll be there?" Sherlock asked, unable to keep his interested in check.
Would that mean she would be there? The dress! That's why she was shopping for an evening gown. For the party. Of course!
"Yes. Why?" Mycroft paused, having heard the change in Sherlock's voice.
"No reason," he dismissed, picking up his violin and beginning to play.
A few minutes later he heard the door close. She would be at that party, which meant he would be at that party. That would definitely throw her off her game and then he would catch her.
Rose dressed for the party and gazed at herself in the mirror, reminded of her encounter with Sherlock in the changing room. The way he touched her. She closed her eyes and drew in a breath, pushing those thoughts from her mind. She had to maintain control. She would be seeing him again after the party. She wasn't foolish enough to think he wouldn't find a way past her cameras.
She hadn't decided if this would be their last meeting. She knew it should be. For her to maintain her disguise, to keep her friends safe. Still, it was hard because as much as she told herself it was just a game she knew she had feelings for him and her feelings had always run deep.
She forced those thoughts aside as she sat down to do her hair, pinning it up to complete the disguise. Posh socialite.
Sherlock stepped through the door, purposely thirty minutes late. He didn't want to catch her arriving. He wanted to wait until she was settled, mingling, occupied. His eyes roved around the room, but it didn't take him long to spot her. On Mr. Lindquest's arm, but that was for show.
There were couples dancing between them. He walked around the room, never taking his eyes from her, a plan already in place. He needed to throw her off her game and then get her alone. Tonight he would capture her.
Rose laughed at the jokes, even if they weren't funny. God this was boring. It wasn't like one of the parties her mum threw. Posh, but fun. This was a lot of mingling. A lot of talking to stiff posh blokes, people who might invest in Trevor's company.
She liked Trevor, he was good friend, though she knew he wanted to be more, but she didn't see him like that. She hoped he'd want to go soon, especially since he wasn't one for dancing. That would at least pass the time.
"Care to dance?" a familiar voice asked.
Sherlock watched her eyes battle shock and surprise when she looked up. For a moment he thought she might try to flee, but she surprised him by smiling.
"I'd love to," she replied taking the arm he offered. "Won't be too long." She called to Trevor as Sherlock led her out on the dance floor.
How the hell did he find her? It was a coincidence, had to be, though she knew better. Somehow he found out she'd be there. The only way for her to get away was to play along. As long as there were people around he wouldn't try anything…would he?
He took her hand, wrapping the other around her waist and pulled her close, surprising her. She grinned and they began to move around the dance floor.
"You're very good," she commented, which was true. He was a better dancer than most of the blokes she'd danced with, but she wasn't just talking about the dancing.
"You're not bad yourself," he replied, smiling.
She was graceful, but he expected that. Having her this close was…difficult. He barely held his control in place as they moved over the floor. He focused on her eyes to keep them from roving over the top of her dress, her neck, her lips.
"Is this your plan then? To sweep me off my feet?" she asked, pulling out a cheeky grin.
He pulled her closer so their faces were inches from each other. She couldn't stop her surprise from surfacing. His eyes locked with hers.
"Oh, I plan on doing much more than that," he replied, sending a shiver down her spine.
She had to get out of there before she lost control, before she gave into temptation. Her eyes traveled to his lips. RUN. Her mind mentally slapped her and she pushed away from him, turning and hurrying across the room.
Sherlock allowed her to flee. She was running exactly where he wanted her. He made his way across the room, seeming casual when in fact his strides were calculated, intent on his destination.
Rose reached for her coat, pulling it off the rack. She had to hurry. Get the hell out of there before –
"Leaving so soon?" Sherlock asked.
Bollocks! He was standing behind her. She could feel his eyes on her. That thought sent a wave of heat through her body. She turned around intent on finding some way out of this, but he had other plans. He reached for her before she could react. One arm wrapping around her waist and in the next moment he had her against the wall. She gasped.
"I'm afraid I can't let you get away this time," he continued, his voice dropping an octave, sending a shiver through her body.
He couldn't let her slip away again. He would have her if it was the last thing he did. He could feel the heat from her body mirroring the desire he felt. She wanted this as much as he did and he wasn't going to let her deny that.
"Is that so?" she asked, her own voice coming out husky.
RUN. Her mind screamed. She knew this was the end. If she didn't get away at that moment everything would change. The game would be over, but she could no sooner stop this than she could take her eyes from his.
With reflexes faster than she would've believed possible he took her wrists and held them against the wall above her head. Before she could wonder what he planned he smiled.
"Wouldn't want to wake up in my chair again," he explained, his voice having gone a bit lower.
She grinned, bit cheeky at his actions.
"With all the running around you've been doing I thought you would enjoy a bit of sleep."
He took in every inch of skin her dress revealed for emphasis. It was all he could do not to take her right there. From the look in her eyes he knew she was thinking the same thing.
"Sleep is the furthest thing from my mind, at the moment."
At that moment the tip of her tongue poked out and he could no longer hold back his desire. He captured her lips with his own. Stardust. The word exploded inside his mind and with it his lost memories. The restaurant. Her credit card. Finding her at his flat. His suspicions. Her revelations. Rose Tyler. Her name. The most extraordinary woman he'd ever met. Not from this universe. Traveler. She was more than he could've dreamed possible.
Rose's mind exploded. Oh god. She was lost, had lost, but in that moment she didn't care because this…this was what she had been longing for since their first kiss. Him. This extraordinary man. The soft hungry caress of his lips.
He released her wrists, cupping the back of her neck as he deepened their kiss, wrapping his other arm around her waist, pulling her against him. He pulled her hair lose, wanting to touch every inch of her.
She wove her hand into his hair, her other hand finding its way to the open front of his shirt, grazing his exposed skin. He was soft and sweet and dangerous and she knew she couldn't stop even if she wanted to. He responded to her touch by lifting her from the floor and pressing her firmly against the wall, his body pressing into hers.
Her fingers grazing his chest sent his mind into a whirl of madness, madness that could only be cured by the cause. She was about to find out what all that teasing had done to him. The sound of a throat being cleared invaded his thoughts, but he ignored it. Claiming his prize for capturing her was far more important than anything else.
Rose heard the man clear his throat. Her eyes opened and she saw him. Standing mere feet from them. Bollocks! Sherlock was choosing to ignore the invasion, but she knew that's because he didn't know who was standing in the room with them. She placed her hands on his chest in an effort to make him understand.
He felt her change. Something was wrong. As much as he wanted to continue what they were engaged in he needed to find out what had put this sudden change in her. He ended their kiss and helped her back to the floor before turning his attention to…Mycroft. Brilliant.
Standard Disclaimer.
Thank you to all my brilliant readers!
Reviews are always welcome. :)