I'm back! Yay! Thank you again for your support! I didn't manage to respond to many reviews so I'm really sorry but I really really do appreciate them. (I think I may say that on every chapter but it's true). Hope you like the next bit!
The little light that had managed to sneak it's way into the room through the cracks in the curtains was beginning to fade, night time taking away the day and leaving Molly to wonder how many sunsets she would have to live through stuck in that house.
Moriarty had still not returned and during the hours that he had been gone, Molly had been sat on the floor of the living room, barely moving and trying desperately not to look at anything that surrounded her. Even though this was now someone else's house with someone else's stuff in it, she still couldn't let her gaze linger on anything for too long as it hurt too much.
The only thing that she occasionally looked at, just to make sure that she could still see it was the gun that was still pointing at her, the owner of it sat opposite her on the sofa, looking utterly bored.
When Molly had first seen her, it took her a few moments to believe that this was who Moriarty had sent to keep watch on her. The first thing she noticed was how slim the woman was, it didn't seem like it would take too much to over-power her but, with Molly not being the strongest person in the world and also not being the one with the gun, she thought she had better not risk it.
Then she noticed just how devastatingly beautiful she was. Her hair was dark and delicately clipped on top of her head. Molly could just about make out the red colour that sat on her lips and nails, standing out against the black colour of her dress and coat. As Molly took in more of her appearance, she instantly began to feel inadequate and there was also something about the woman's stare that made her begin to realise why Moriarty might have chosen her. This was a woman Molly wouldn't want to cross.
They had sat in silence mostly since she had arrived, occasionally the woman got up and walked around, looking at the objects around the room wordlessly, but now Molly could see the woman's patience starting to wear thin. She had sat on the sofa again, her foot was tapping out a quick rhythm on the floor, and she was looking at the gun in her hand, twirling it in her fingers, a little bit too expertly for Molly's liking. She dared to look up at the woman's face and caught her eye for the first time. The woman smiled, almost flirtatiously, her eyes glistening in the dim light and she sat forward as she looked at Molly, who couldn't look away again.
"I think some light wouldn't hurt. I'd quite like to see your face properly." The woman said, her voice low and seductive and Molly wondered if she was like this with everyone she met. She stood slowly and walked over to a nearby lamp, flicking it on with her finger and Molly blinked, her eyes adjusting to the sudden wash of colour. When she finally got used to it, she squinted up at the woman and her self-esteem dropped further as she realised just how pretty she was. There was also something familiar about her that she couldn't quite place.
"Hmm." The woman looked at her inquisitively. "So. You're Molly Hooper." The woman said, crossing her arms and studying her carefully. From the tone of her voice, Molly felt as if she was being tested.
"Yes I am." She replied. "Can I ask who you are?" She added timidly, suddenly feeling rather silly that she was sat on the floor.
"Oh, there's plenty of time for that later." The woman replied. "Let's just say that we have a mutual friend." The woman turned and walked away from her, giving time for Molly to quickly stand up and dust down her trousers. Her wondering about the woman and the sudden change in atmosphere made Molly momentarily forget where they were but as she looked up and her eyes took in the room properly for the first time, she began to feel dizzy. She quickly moved her hand backwards to lean on the wall for support. Flashes of memories were being projected onto her vision and she shut her eyes tightly and shook her head, trying to get rid of them. This house was not good for her. She needed to get out.
"Are you alright?" The woman asked and Molly couldn't tell from her tone or expression if she was genuinely interested or just asking because she felt she had to.
"Fine." Molly replied quietly before inhaling deeply and straightening herself again. She would just have to focus on the new things in the room. The things that wouldn't make her remember.
"You don't seem it." The woman replied and Molly laughed once.
"You're very caring for a woman who is keeping me prisoner whilst pointing a gun at me." She said and the woman looked down at the weapon in her hand before shrugging.
"Let's just say that I owe Moriarty a favour and this is him cashing in." She replied, her tone bitter and Molly frowned in confusion.
"You owe him a favour and he's used that by asking you to keep watch on me?" She asked sarcastically and the woman sighed before making her way back across the room over to the sofa.
"I know. I knew that he would come to find me eventually but I had hoped that when he did that it would be for something a little more..." She looked Molly up and down. "Interesting." She finished and Molly pressed her lips together, feeling both annoyed but still intimidated by the stranger standing in front of her. She decided to keep her talking, preferring that to the awkward silence from before.
"So our 'mutual friend' is Sherlock I'm guessing." Molly prompted and the woman let another smile creep onto her face, a glint in her eye that made Molly wonder even more who she could be.
"He's one of a kind, Sherlock Holmes." The woman replied, her voice low. "But you know that otherwise you wouldn't be here." She stepped even closer to Molly who was beginning to feel uncomfortable again at the lack of space between them. At least it wasn't Moriarty this time.
"Who are you to him?" Molly asked, a little more defensively than she had planned. The woman raised an eyebrow playfully. "The same thing I am to most men, and some women too." She answered, dropping her eyes and lifting them again to look at Molly. "Temptation." She whispered before moving away and walking around the room again, her eyes tracing the walls and décor. Molly swallowed, feeling smaller and smaller each second she spent in the same room as the woman who seemed to know Sherlock more than Molly could ever imagine to.
"So what is this place to you? It seems a very strange place for Moriarty to bring you." The woman said, her voice louder. Molly looked at the floor, the memories that she had wanted to suppress pushing back to the forefront of her mind.
"It's my old house. It's where I grew up as a kid." She answered quietly and the woman frowned.
"Oh. Well that doesn't sound horrible enough for him." She replied and Molly shook her head.
"No, this is definitely horrible enough. This is the worst place that he could have brought me." Molly answered and sighed as the woman looked at her inquisitively, pressing her to elaborate. "I had a wonderful upbringing. My parents were lovely and I was an only child but I didn't mind, it meant I had them all to myself." Pictures of her mother and father's face suddenly sprang to her, making a small smile touch at her lips. "I have so many happy memories in this house but that just makes it even more painful to be here." Molly stopped for a moment and pulled at the jumper she was wearing, playing with a stray piece of cotton absent-mindedly as she let herself speak about a time of her life she usually tried to forget.
"My Dad died when I was just finishing college. We knew he was ill but he always tried to put on a brave face to make us feel better. Most of the time, we believed him, probably because we wanted to or because we didn't want him to think that we were sad, so when it actually happened, when he died, it felt really sudden." Molly felt her chest tighten painfully as she relived her memories. She couldn't believe that she was saying all of this to a complete stranger. "It hit my Mum hard. Really hard. We lived here just the two of us for a while but it was never the same. We were never as close without Dad and I wonder sometimes if it's because I reminded her of him. People used to say that I looked just like him. Either way, whatever the reason, something made it become too much for her so when I moved to University, she told me that she was also moving. To France." Molly's voice had become quiet, almost a whisper as she spoke to the woman who was still listening to her silently.
"I talk to her occasionally and go over to visit her every couple of years but we both find it hard now. It hasn't been the same since Dad..." Molly tailed off, knowing that if she continued, she would lose her control. She had already opened up to a woman she had never met before, she didn't want to break down in front of her too. Molly cleared her throat and shook her head before raising it to look at the woman who was now standing next to the wall and leaning on it with her shoulder, her arms folded as she took Molly in with her piercing gaze.
"I'll give Moriarty credit. He has done his research." She replied, no hint of sympathy in her voice and Molly laughed once without humour.
"He said he wanted to punish me for helping Sherlock and he's doing a pretty good job so far. Just being in this room makes me feel...empty." Molly responded before realising that the woman was here on Moriarty's watch too. She had said something about owing him. Maybe they were in the same boat. "Is Moriarty trying to punish you too?" She asked, realising how stupid the question sounded even before the woman laughed in response.
"By sticking me in a house with you? As much as I'm bored out of my mind, it wouldn't be much of a punishment. No, this is all part of something bigger. I know that he has something else planned for me. I just agreed to watch you to keep myself alive a little longer." She replied in a carefree tone but Molly saw a small change in her expression that told her the woman was more scared than she was letting on. Molly was about to try and say something comforting, something that could maybe break down the woman's defences. She didn't seem like an evil person, if Molly could get her on her side then she had a way out but before she could, the door swung open suddenly, banging off the wall as it hit it hard. Moriarty strode into the room and the two women turned to look at him, one terrified and the other looking quite amused.
"Well you know how to make an entrance." The woman said with a smile but Moriarty's face showed no hint of amusement. Instead, his eyes were dangerous as they looked at the woman and Molly felt worried for her as he walked up to her.
"Enjoying your little chat are we? Well that's nice. Why don't I pop the kettle on and break out the digestives?" He said, his voice high and dripping with sarcasm before he instantly closed the gap between himself and the woman, his face now inches from hers. "That's not what you're here for!" He yelled suddenly, his voice bouncing around the room and Molly's hand shot to her chest in surprise. "Now, please, " Moriarty stopped shutting his eyes before opening them again and sighing. "and pay attention to this because if you don't do what I say again, I will cut your eyes out. Please just go and do what I told you to do." Moriarty said, he accented the 't' on 'cut' just enough that it created a small pause, his voice so calm as he threatened her that Molly felt a shiver go down her back. She looked at the woman, expecting her to be terrified but she was smiling.
"Well aren't you a bit sexy when you get all mad." She replied and Molly felt her mouth drop open in surprise. Moriarty raised an eyebrow and put his hands in his pockets.
"I know. That's the look I'm going for." He shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and if Molly hadn't had been so scared, she probably would have laughed. "Now. On your way." He prompted, waving his arms towards the door and she took a step closer to him, letting her eyes stare into his black ones, creating a tension that Molly was sure she could have cut with a knife. Moriarty looked straight back at her, before he let his eyes drop to her feet and slowly run back up towards her face, wearing a smile that made Molly's stomach turn. She watched with baited breath as he lent even closer to the woman, not daring to move as she also seemed to be doing. "Well go on then." Moriarty whispered and the woman walked slowly around him and towards the door.
"I can see why he likes you." Moriarty called, stopped the woman just as she reached the door. "And for that reason, I'm going to enjoy having you in the game." He turned to face her, a deadly glint in his eye. "Irene Adler."
Yeah. I did it. She's back. Hey, if the guys can make a comeback then so can the woman. :P I was incredibly unsure about posting this though, I've been toying with the idea for ages and she probably is one of the hardest character to write but I hope it works! Let me know please! :D Also, I'm close to 150 follows now! Let's do it people! WOO!
