When I woke up next, I assumed it was morning and I discovered that i was not alone in bed, but neither was it full of its usual occupants. My hand rested on cool sheets, and that combined with the heat at my back led me to believe that John must have gotten up early to go to work while Sherlock remained in bed with me. I could feel his surprisingly strong arm around me, and it always surprised me that he was so strong. He was lean, but it was all toned muscle, with very little fat.

When I moved a little, so did Sherlock at my back, and he pressed a soft kiss to the back of my head. Feeling lazy and cuddly this morning, I kept my eyes closed and squirmed around until I had rolled over and nuzzled my way back into Sherlock's warm embrace. I had never really cuddled with him this way, and I found it rather nice.

A soft, deep chuckle came from Sherlock as he adjusted his arm to better accommodate the new position, resting his head on mine. "Good morning, Sofia. I'm glad to see you're feeling better than last night." He spoke quietly, not seeming to want to break whatever spell had settled over us.

"Mmm-hmm. Morning." My words were a bit slurred form sleep but i didn't want to face the day just yet, instead I nuzzled against the warm skin of Sherlock's neck sleepily and watched the goosebumps rise.

Making a soft, indecipherable noise in his throat, Sherlock slowly started to pull away from me, feeling uncertain in the face of such intimacy. As he started to move away, he speaks softly in a reassuring tone. "Rest more if you need it, Sofia. I just wanted to make sure you didn't wake up alone." He speaks quietly as he slips away, reaching out to brush my hair away from my face carefully before tucking the covers in around me a little and grabbing his clothes to go toward the door.

"Alright.."I mumbled reluctantly, letting Sherlock get away, burying my face in the pillow for a few minutes, though it might have been longer if I drifted off to sleep. Finally coming to some sort of consciousness, I groaned into the pillow, reluctantly sitting up to rub the sleep out of my eyes. I really need to get used to getting up earlier, setting an alarm or something. Sighing, I drag myself up and get clothes slowly before I stumbled out into the hallway, still groggy as I opened the door to the bathroom.

And what I found there, besides heat and steam from the shower, was Sherlock, hair wet, just finishing pulling his trousers up, and he turned to look at me with surprise on his face as he finishes buttoning them in an unconscious gesture. Still, he's completely shirtless, droplets of water still clinging to him from the steam, giving his pale skin a sheen to it.

Jaw dropping, I can't help but stare for a few moments, one hand on the handle to the door, the other clutching my clothes to me. "Oh.. I.." Stuttering through my nervousness, I finally manage to blurt out. "You should really lock the door. I am so sorry." Before I pull the door closed behind me and rush back to the bedroom, shutting the door and locking it before returning to the bed to hide under the covers in mortification.

"Sofia!" Sherlock calls from the bathroom, yanking the door back open, walking down the hall to try and open the bedroom door, finding it locked. "Sofia, it's quite alright. I should have locked the door." He says, knocking on the door lightly. "Sofia?" He asks, then he sighs a little. "Alright. Come out when you're ready." he says, sounding a little reluctant and confused.

I am mortified, I know that I was a little bit sleepy, but that was no excuse for me to stumble into the bathroom, when the door was closed, without knocking first. And I can't help the thoughts that circle around in my head, that despite what he sounds like from the other side of the door, he might be upset. Maybe I was getting too comfortable too soon. Things were going well, maybe to well. Maybe this really was a mistake, deciding to stay here. I sniffle a little as I pull one of the pillows close to myself, trying to stifle my tears, but everything has built up. Apparently I am a little more emotional than I thought I was before, because the tears start again.

~oOo~

Confused, Sherlock steps out to the living room, after pulling on his shirt, and he considers for a few moments before he picks up his phone. He's at a loss to know what to do, so he decides to text John, thinking that maybe he will know.

Sophia has locked herself in the bedroom. I don't understand. -SH

The response is almost immediate, and Sherlock glances down at his phone as he leans against the mantle.

What happened? -JW

She walked into the bathroom while I was changing. I was shirtless. -SH

She's probably embarrassed. Only shirtless? -JW

Yes. Only shirtless. Just put my trousers on. If she's embarrassed, why did she lock herself in the bedroom? -SH

It's fine. It was probably a shock. She's still fragile, remember. Be patient. Let her know you're not mad. -JW

Alright. Still an odd reaction. - SH

Remember how she acted yesterday? I still don't think, deep down, she believes we won't throw her out. She's insecure. Be gentle with her. -JW

That is not my strong suit. I'll try. -SH

Finishing texting, Sherlock puts his phone into his pocket before he walks to the bedroom door. "Sophia." He says as he puts his hand against the wood. "I'm not angry or upset, Sophia. You startled me, but it's not as if I was naked." He says with a small snort. "Please come out. I'm not good with these things, but I can't help if you lock yourself away." He says with frustration as he looks at the door.

I hear his voice through the door, but I'm afraid. I know Sherlock isn't good with emotion, and I am a blubbering mess right now. But still, I slowly get up, wiping my eyes for a few moments and staring at the door before I go over and unlock it. I know I'm acting childish, but I can't seem to help myself. Finding some tissues, I blow my nose and wipe my eyes as I sit on the edge of the bed.

After hearing the lock click, Sherlock slowly opens the door and he steps inside, looking around until he sees me. He hesitates for a moment before he walks over and sits down on the bed next to me. "You surprised me." He says thoughtfully, reaching up and brushing some of my hair behind my ear, letting the strand filter through his fingers, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger almost curiously.

"I'm sorry.. I was sleepy, I wasn't thinking.." I admit, glancing at his hand for a moment before I look back down at my lap, fingers twisting together. I have no idea where to go from here. And in a deeper, secret part of myself, I do admit that it was a somewhat pleasant sight, but I can't think of anything more serious than what we're involved with right now.

Sherlock brushes my hair behind my shoulder lightly so he can see my face before he hesitates, and lightly puts his hand on my back. "It's alright. As John said, this is new for all of us. We will have to take time to sort things out. You don't need to be embarrassed. I was decent. I am not used to having you here." He points out as he watches me, considering and then rubbing my back a little, hesitating before he lifts his hand to run his fingertips through my hair where it rests down my back. "You should shower and dress, you'll feel better. And John will be quite cross if I don't make sure you eat something." he says before he stands abruptly, glancing around his room.

"Thank you." I say as I reach up to grasp Sherlock's hand for a moment, then take a deep breath, retrieving my clothes from where I dropped them, and scurrying into the bathroom, ensuring that the door is locked before I turn on the shower. He's right, I will feel better after a shower.

There are so many things that are confusing to me, thoughts and feelings that are sometimes contrary. I feel safe with John and Sherlock, that much is true. But why do I feel safe with them? Is it just because they rescued me? Are any of my feelings true, or is it just because they rescued me? It was good, to be in a little bubble until now, everything being a bit perfect and wonderful. But now it seems that my mind has caught up in its recovery. I am in the real world, and the truth is that I've only known these two for two days. And it's possible that what I feel may not be true.

So deep in my thoughts am I that I end up scrubbing one of my arms raw, wincing a little as I look down at the scratches I unintentionally caused along my arm, and I notice that most of my skin along both arms is raw. Abandoning the washcloth, I rinse myself off and then set about washing my hair, before turning the hot water up a little and just letting it fall on my back, the temperature hot enough to burn just slightly.

Turning off the water finally, I dry, dress myself and put my hair in a towel turban, zoning out a little when I brush my teeth, finally deciding that removing my enamel would be bad and cleaning things up, leaving the bathroom finally and shivering as the cooler air of the flat hits me. My hair is still up, but I walk to the window and look out, rubbing one hand over my opposite arm to try and keep the goosebumps at bay.

"It's going to be a cool day. Rainy." Sherlock says from where he was in the kitchen. With grace and stealth, the detective gets up and the next thing I know, I can feel the heat radiating off his body from where he stands behind me. "Odd.." He mumbles, his fingers brushing the back of my neck as he picks up a strand of hair that did not make it into my turban. Twirling it around his finger for a moment, he then presses it between the nail of his thumb and his forefinger, flattening the strand. "Your hair has is very multi-faceted. It appears more red in some lights than others." he says in a thoughtful tone.

His appearance behind me raises goosebumps again and I rub my arm for a moment. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I ask, not able to tell if that's something he likes about my hair or not. Still, I am reluctant to move away, finding it interesting to get a new insight into the enigmatic Sherlock, when he does things like this.

Withdrawing his hand, Sherlock moves away. "You should eat something, after you dry your hair." he crouches down by the fireplace, spreading out some of the ashes before he starts to put some blocks of wood into it, standing and looking around for a few moments before he finds the lighter he was looking for, taking a stick from a holder beside the fireplace. Lighting the wood, he uses it to light the fireplace before he stands and places the lighter on the mantle.

Turning to watch the detective do something so mundane makes me smile just a little, but then I nod, returning to the bathroom to brush out my hair and hang up the towel before I return to the kitchen, silently making myself some tea.

"I have to go out for a bit. I'd like you to stay here until I or John get back. You're still weak, you don't need to push yourself. Rest, clean if you must since you seem to be obsessed with pulling your weight. But stay in the flat." Sherlock says imperiously, watching me for a moment before he goes and gets his jacket, putting it and the scarf on before he returns to the kitchen, placing a hand on my lower back as a sort of warning before he leans over and kisses my temple.

I frown, wondering what happened that they suddenly seem to want to keep me in the flat. But then again, they did say that they hadn't caught everyone who was involved in the trafficking ring, so perhaps it is best for me to stay in the flat unless I have some company. "Alright." I mumble, blushing at the kiss and then watching the detective leave just in time for my breakfast to be ready. I have no idea what I am going to do. Finding an empty notebook and pen, I sit down for breakfast and start to write down anything and everything that I can remember. Perhaps I will think of something new. Either way it will allow me to focus on something.

I was looking through some of my writing the other day, stuff that I wrote a little of and intend to finish later, stuff I've posted and stuff I haven't, and I remembered this story! It's been on hiatus for over a year, and I decided to read through it and see if I could get into it at all. And I have, a bit. Sorry if my writing style is suddenly so different but like I said, it's been a while since I wrote this, though I still want to give it a whirl and see if I can't do something with this story. For the few reviews I've gotten, thank you! And to anyone who is following this (I know it's a small bunch), thank you for reading!

Reviews/Comments welcome!