A Gift and A Curse

Chapter 11

Jane didn't move. She didn't dare breathe. She couldn't just risk it all…could she? There was just so many problems…this was a human life they were dealing with, an actual human life.

But he did take a chance once, a long time ago. And they had all suffered the consequences for it.

As if he could hear her thoughts, Sherlock pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it with an unusual gentleness.

"You have to trust me." He said as his lips brushed against her knuckles.

"Of course I trust you."

"Then why are you still unsure?" He lifted his head and looked her in the eyes.

"There's just –"

"-So much to think about. To change, yes. I know. But we can do this. You and I. You won't go through this alone, you realise this, you don't –"

Jane cupped her hands around his face and kissed him forcefully on the lips to shut him up. It did the trick. Between breathes, Sherlock spoke.

"Come back…to…Baker…Baker Street…with…me?" He grabbed onto Jane's shoulders and pulled her back, panting slightly. He looked adorably flustered. Those blue eyes were also almost completely black. "You should know that saying no isn't an option."

Jane chuckled gently and kissed his cheek lightly. "If you think you're ever going near my…womanhood…again you've got another thing coming, my love."

Sherlock rolled his eyes dramatically. "I meant in a general sense but," He grinned devilishly. "If you were willing to-"

"Not a chance in hell. I told you, I'm turning celibate."

Sherlock snorted. "Yes, and I believe that as much as I believe eating carrots makes you see in the dark and that a God exists."

Jane grinned. "Your mother actually tried that, didn't she? I bet it worked. I can just see you stuffing your face with carrots –"

"It didn't work actually. And for the record I stayed well away from bread crusts." He huffed indignantly.

"Well it worked." Jane said sarcastically as she ran her fingers through his curls. "You know what the first thing that is going to happen when we get back?" She smiled playfully.

"What?" Sherlock said a little too eagerly.

Jane rose on her tip toes and whispered in Sherlock's ear; "You're having a shower."

Jane winked as Sherlock glowered childishly at her. After a few seconds his frown disappeared to a much more reserved expression.

"You are coming back with me?"

Jane swallowed hard. "Yeah…yeah, I think I am."

A small grin started to spread across Sherlock's face but it was his eyes that made Jane feel a swell in her heart. For the first time in a long while, they twinkled with joy.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Shall we?" Sherlock motioned towards the door but Jane grabbed his arm. "Uh, hold on a second. What are we going to tell Mycroft?"

"I very much doubt he's still here." Sherlock reassured her, prying his arm gently away from her iron grip.

"Then how to we get home? I don't have any money for a taxi, do you?"

Sherlock answered Jane by taking all of six seconds to reply. "Let's hope that Mycroft left the car outside."

Jane relaxed back in her chair, finally comfortable with her surroundings and herself. She could hear the shower running upstairs and contemplated joining her detective but the steaming cup of tea in her hands and David Tennant grinning at her from behind his 'brainy specs' was just too good to resist.

A sudden chill came over her and she pulled her knees up to her chest and threw a blanket over her. She pulled the tea cup to her lips and drank it slowly.

Sometime between David Tennant losing his shoe and proving to Martha that time travel was real, she vaguely registered the shower switching off and the sound of feet padding down the stairs. And then they entered the room.

The detective flopped into the chair opposite her, wearing only a towel around his waist and staring at her intently. Jane ignored him.

'No.' She thought. 'No, I won't let him win this one.'

She kept her attention fixed on David Tennant, the devilish, handsome, charming – her eyes briefly glanced at the man opposite her just as a bead of water trickled down his neck and down his chest.

'Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God.'

She knew he saw. He knew she knew he saw. She could feel his smile. Smugness radiated from him. Moments later there came a low rumble of laughter from the chair and a smile spread across Jane's face.

Jane tore her gaze away from the television and glared at him, a smile still on her face.

"Stop it. You bad, bad man. I'm supposed to be angry at you!"

He shrugged. "I'll apologise properly later." Sherlock stretched slowly, proudly showing his ribs sticking out from his chest. And suddenly; "Why Mycroft?"

"Pardon?" Jane asked, confused by the abruptness of his question.

"Why did you go to Mycroft? You could've gone to your own brother so why pick mine?"

"Because," She sighed, internally wondering to herself why had she actually gone to Mycroft? "Because…I knew he could help me. You go to him when you need help."

"Reluctantly." Sherlock said.

"Oh and you think I was eager do you?" She snapped, rage burning inside of her again.

Sherlock considered what she said for a moment. Jane turned her head back to the television, trying to quell the anger inside her. She saw from the corner of her eyes that Sherlock stood up. He crossed the room gracefully and kissed the side of her head. In her ear he whispered;

"No, I don't think you were eager. I think you were scared and I did nothing to stop that. I apologised unreservedly for the upset I've caused you."

Jane turned her head towards him. She kissed him softly on the lips, it was chaste but it meant more than a thousandspoken words. It was their peace treaty.

Author's Note: I just wanted to say thank you for all your support and nice comments. :) And that this isn't the final chapter. I've got some more ideas in my weird yet wonderful little mind ;) Thank you xxx