A/N: Hello! I meant to upload this earlier, but filming got in the way. Oh what a hard life it is?! :) Enjoy the chapter! Please leave a review or PM?
Come and say hello to Percy on Facebook www. facebook persephoneholmes (just remove the spaces)
This chapter is dedicated to the very lovely AelisIdun for her wonderful reviews and PMs!
Chapter 45 – Snow Day
After the whole Moran incident, he now has more than a bruised ego and broken nose from Angie, because Jim might've lost his temper a bit, well a lot. Moran won't be causing too much trouble for a little while. After all of that had begun to calm down and I knew Angie was alright to be back at Baker Street on her own I decided to broach the topic of Adelena with Jim.
Basically it didn't go well. It involved shouting, crying and door slamming. It may have caused me to run away to Brecon for a few days. I got snowed in, so I was stuck there for a week and a half. Jim came and rescued me, as he always does. We talked, like grown up this time, and I realised I really had nothing to worry about. I was being jealous and crazy. Jim had no feelings for her what so ever.
That may be the case but something was making my Jedi powers tingle. I just couldn't pin point what.
The snow fell heavily over London and instead of doing anything remotely productive Jim and I decided to do what any sane person would do and stay in bed. I made us hot chocolate and we snuggled under the duvet. It was such a nice morning; eventually we did get up and get dressed, the snow never letting up. It transformed London's dirty and busy streets to serene scenes of crystalised beauty.
We were sat in the living room next to the roaring fire watching the news; it was mainly filled with stories of Britain's snowy exploits. I declared we make snowmen; this idea became a competition and ended in a snowball fight. Angie's voice distracted me.
"Hey, is everything alright?" Angie asked, sounding worried.
"Yeah...duck!" I cried. I saved Angie, but got a snowball in the back of the head. I turned back to Jim. "I was distracted, that's not fair!" Jim just laughed at me, so I poked my tongue out at him.
"I can come back if you two want to get back to this..." Angie trialed off, she looked between Jim and I. We were both covered in snow.
"It's fine...Let's get inside and warm up." I dismissed and walked back into the kitchen. I took off my wet coat, scarf, gloves and boots and left them by the back door. I smiled fondly at Jim, who was determined to finish his snowman.
"Looks like this snow day is turning out a lot better than everyone expected." Smiled Angie. Now I hate to use a cliché, but she was glowing.
"I can see. Who was he?" I asked with a smirk.
"What?" Blushed Angie, avoiding my gaze.
"Please Ang, I know exactly what you've been up to. So, who is he?" I asked frankly. How she thought I wouldn't know was beyond me. Besides the fact I can read all the tell tale signs, she's been my best friend since I was five.
"Well, if you're so clever, why can't you figure out who it is?" Smirked Angie, she was still blushing.
"I was trying to be somewhat polite, but if you insist." I retorted.
"Go right ahead. I bet you won't guess it." She invited. Challenge accepted. I studied her for a brief moment.
"You knew them already, otherwise it wouldn't have happened. It isn't Moran, you wouldn't go near him again and you don't look ashamed. You're happy. You blush every time it's mentioned, so you like him, a lot, evident by the fact that you're pupils have dilated. He's taller than you, not hard difficult to deduce, you are quite short. You got a taxi, you didn't walk, and so you went to his place not Baker Street, too far for you to walk. So it's someone you don't want John seeing..." I smirked, realising that Sherlock was obviously coming through London. "How is my brother? Did you see Mycroft's terribly drab decor, or didn't pay attention to your surroundings?" I replied dryly, but grinning.
"Alright, so it was a bit obvious." Smiled Angie. She looked so happy.
"Just a bit, but I'll forgive you." I laughed. "So other than a romantic night in with Sherlock, is he alright?" I asked. I hadn't heard from my brother for a while, not since I had wished him happy birthday.
"Yeah, he's fine. I guess this was just a stop before going somewhere else, but he got snowed in, and actually had the decency to call me." Angie replied, a blush staining her cheeks again. She was so cute.
"He must be so frustrated. I might pop round and see him later. It's been so quiet without him." I smile. I missed Sherlock.
"Yeah." Nodded Angie in agreement, her voice sounding somewhat wistful.
"So what brings you over?" I asked.
"Your texts." Prompted Angie. I suddenly remembered.
"Oh yeah, sorry. I've actually had some time off; the brain is getting a bit slow. I got a little worried when you didn't reply, I wanted to know if you fancied coming over for dinner?! I may even join you tonight!"
"Uh, yeah, that's fine. Sounds good." Angie smiled, but there was hesitancy in her expression. She wanted time with Sherlock before he disappeared again.
"Get Sherlock to come over too?" I asked. I could get Jim to behave for one small dinner.
"Yeah, I will." Smiled Angie. She looked a bit nervous, but that was probably the prospect of Jim and Sherlock in the same room.
"Fancy a snowball fight?" I offered. I hoped she would get a thrill out of throwing snow at Jim.
"I don't know...I'm kind of paranoid about Sherlock disappearing on me again." Angie admitted. I nodded, my suspicions had been right.
"Go get him, I'll make sure Jim is on his best behaviour. He won't disappear on you yet, I think he's starting to realise how much he cares for you." I said gently.
"Maybe." Smiled Angie, another blush staining her cheeks.
"Go get him, I'll get dinner started." I urged.
"I'll be back later." Angie grinned at me and left to collect Sherlock. I smiled. I was so happy for them. They were good for each other, Angie mellowed Sherlock, got him feeling and Sherlock kept Angie fighting kept her strong.
I opened the fridge and started at its contents. My stomach gurgled at me. I was quite hungry; playing in the snow had helped me work up an appetite. I stood pondering what we should have for dinner; I really fancied comfort food, warm and filling. I decided upon lasagna and pulled out the necessary ingredients. I was chopping some onions and tomatoes when I felt two strong arms snake round my waist. I smiled as I felt Jim kiss my shoulder.
"Angie gone so soon?" He asked.
"She'll be back. Can you be extremely nice and well behaved tonight?" I asked sweetly.
"I could be, why?" Jim questioned suspiciously.
"Sherlock's back for a little while, I'd like to spend some time with him. I invited him and Angie, over for dinner." I explained.
"Just this once, as you asked so nicely." He smiled. I put down the knife and turned to in his arms to face him.
"Thank you." I said with a smile and kissed him. Our kiss deepened and I giggled as I felt Jim's cool hand slide under my jumper, the shock made me wriggle away from the cold.
"I might behave more often if this the thanks I get." Jim smirked. I just smiled knowingly and got back to cooking.
Before long I heard the front door open and close, Angie knew to just use her key and let herself in. I was really excited to see my brother.
"Sherlock! Hello!" I squealed and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Yes, hello, Percy." Sherlock answered, giving me a reluctant and swift hug in return. He looked more than a little uncomfortable. I gave him the once over and it dawned on me why my brother and Angie looked so happy. Finally, it took them long enough.
"I'm allowed to hug my brother. You look...well." I smirked knowingly. Sherlock rolled his eyes at me and then gave me the same knowing look.
"I could say the same for you. I assume you just got back home yesterday." He deduced. I just smiled at him, I really wasn't embarrassed.
"Evening all." Jim welcomed warmly.
"Hi." Smiled Angie. Sherlock just nodded stiffly. Jim looked at me and I just smiled at him. It was going to be a long night. Angie muttered something to Sherlock and he seemed to respond positively.
"Come on then, lets not stand here all night. I'm sure you've both worked up an appetite I know I have." I giggled.
"Fine. I'll do my best." Sighed Sherlock; looking at Angie pleadingly she just smiled at him lovingly. They really did make a lovely couple.
"Thank you. Smells good, Percy." Angie praised.
"Thanks, its just lasagne, but I did bake a cake, it's cooling now." I waved off.
"You've been defeated by snow then Sherlock?" I smirked.
"So were you Percy. You got stuck in Wales for a week." Jim said. I shot him a look.
"Shh you, you couldn't get me home." I countered and kissed his cheek I was only teasing him.
"It's just weather, I don't understand what the problem is." Frowned Sherlock.
"No problem, I was trying to make conversation." I said.
"Well, I'm glad it happened." Angie smiled dreamily. She was so cute.
"I love the snow, it's fun. Ang you can help us decide which snowman is better." I asked as I mixed up the salad.
"Uh oh. Are you dragging me into a competition?" She asked warily.
"Maybe, it's fine, the loser has to the washing up." I replied, it wasn't anything sinister, just snowmen.
"Okay. Fair warning, Jim, if her snowman has anything at all to do with Doctor Who, she automatically wins." Grinned Angie.
"Understood...you are so doing the washing up." Jim smirked at me. I poked my tongue out at him.
"I am not! At least mine has limbs!" I defended. I pulled the lasagne out of the oven and started cutting into four.
"Sherlock, do you want any food?" I asked; I wouldn't force him to eat. After a particularly sharp nudge from Angie he was broken from his thoughts.
"Uh, fine, yes...Thank you." He answered. He sounded far away, still lost in thought. I felt sympathy for him, I knew being around Jim was hard for him, but he was my husband and part of my life.
"You're cooking counts a bribery, that's an unfair advantage." Jim pouted. He shot Angie a grin, and she half returned it.
"If I had let you cook, we'd all get food poisoning or the kitchen would have exploded. It's not bribery, its common sense. Sherlock relax will you, we've had this discussion already." I said as I put the plates on the table.
"It's not that bad, is it?!" Asked Jim as he sat down.
"Yes dear it is." I nodded and patted his shoulder. I sat next to Jim and opposite Sherlock.
"So do you two lovebirds have any plans?" I asked, giving them another knowing look.
"You're gonna keep going on about that, aren't you?" Asked Angie.
"Lovebirds?" Asked Sherlock quizzically, he made a face at the word.
"Yes, because I can. Also I've put with it from Russ, Mycroft, you and other friends." I defended. It was annoying, I was fed of being the youngest out my friends and family, it meant being patronised regularly.
"Lovebirds." I nodded at Sherlock.
"If you don't like Russ calling you two lovebirds, don't call us that." Snapped Angie, sounding just like her mother.
"Sorry Ang." I apologised. Jim looked slightly stunned.
"I didn't think you used clichés like that, Percy." Sherlock asked with a slight sneer.
"Occasionally when the muse descends. Does it offend you?" I countered. Before Sherlock could reply, Jim cut in and probably stopped an argument.
"Angie, you'll have to show me how you get Percy to apologise like that." He enquired, giving me a lopsided grin. I rolled my eyes at him.
"It's one of Angie's many superpowers, she can't tell you." I said seriously. Angie just smiled in response.
"That's very sneaky. Fine, you can have you secrets." Huffed Jim.
"Exactly. Thanks Ang." I smiled.
"I honestly don't know how I do it, so I don't have an answer, so...you're welcome?" She explained. She'd always been able to get me to behave, no one else had. I smiled at her.
"It was worth a try." Jim sighed.
"Am I really that difficult?! Actually, don't answer that." I said quickly. Jim just laughed and even Sherlock chuckled.
We finished our food in a relaxed silence. I was surprised by how amicable the atmosphere was, but Angie was slowly getting used to Jim. Jim was actually behaving and Sherlock was being quiet, it did make for an enjoyable evening. Once our food had settled I stood up and collected the plates.
"Right, anyone for cake? Tea, coffee? Sherlock are you still with us?" I asked.
"Yes. Just coffee, black, two sugars." He replied, but with a look from Angie he did add: "Please."
"Just a little cake, please. I think I ate too much lasagne." Smiled Angie.
"I'll give you hand." Said Jim, standing and clearing away the salad bowl and glasses. "Okay. Thanks love."
"Is it me or is Sherlock being strange?" Jim asked me quietly.
"Uh, yeah. I think it's being round you. It might be something else, but I'm not sure." I replied honestly.
"Right, okay. What does he think I'll do in our kitchen?" Jim asked. I agreed with him, what was he going to do in our kitchen or house? We did have a no work rule in the house, well except paper work.
"I don't know, but you two do have a history. Just let it be." I urged. I glanced at Sherlock and Angie, also having a hushed conversation.
"Fine. I promised you I'd behave." He said.
"I know; I'm not doubting you." I smiled and kissed his cheek.
"Right, small piece of cake for you Ang. Here's your coffee Sherlock." I said as I placed their food on the table.
"Thanks." Smiled Angie.
"Thank you." Nodded Sherlock. He looked more put out than before. A slightly awkward silence fell over us. Jim's phone rang, making me jump.
"I better get that." He said. I watched him leave the kitchen before turning back to Sherlock and Angie.
"He's working too hard at the moment. Although saying that, Mycroft seems to keep me busy lately." I said darkly.
"Hmm. You'd think he'd be able to use other people for his 'work' besides his family." Sherlock sneered, but concern flittered across his eyes.
"Apparently I'm useful. I'm just glad he's out the country for a few days; it's giving me some time at home." I sighed and I felt my shoulders sag. I was so tired and worn out. Before anyone could say anything, Jim stormed back into the kitchen.
"This had better be good news. You interrupt my evening for that? Pathetic." He said darkly, his voice cold. He paused and whoever was speaking to him obviously said something stupid, he visibly got angrier. "What do mean you've not got the documents?! You said you would have them a week ago. Don't forget Miss Adler, you came to me asking for help. You have a debt to pay. You are quickly becoming useless. You're head would look nice mounted on my wall. " Jim snapped and hung up. He was breathing heavily. I stood up and walked over to him.
"Jim, you okay?" I asked gently. I kept all my body language quiet and gentle, he needed to calm down. I noticed Angie pale and Sherlock grab her hand in comfort. I'm glad they kept quiet.
"That useless woman! Is it so hard to do one tiny little job?" Seethed Jim.
"She's not that bright, she loses every game." I said simply.
"Months of work and she has failed the easiest task. I should have disposed of her before." He spat, his body tense. He was livid.
"Jim, love, look at me. Calm down. Miss Adler has finished being useful, leave her to sort herself out, she won't last long and then she'll be a distant memory. We'll sort this." I said to him. I kept eye contact with him, getting him to focus on me.
"If I take what protection she has away, she will disappear. I can sort it." He replied, still tense, but he was starting to regain control.
"Exactly. She's finished. You're plans will be fine. I'll help you with anything you need." I gently cupped his face with my hand. I could see the man reappearing through his anger.
"We'll talk about it later. Thank you." He said quietly. He pulled my close to him, so our foreheads were touching. I leaned up and kissed Jim.
"Anytime. Go sort out what ever needs doing; I'll find you later on." I smiled, kissing him one more and walking him to the kitchen door. As I heard his study door close, I sighed.
"I really hate Irene Adler." I spat angrily. That stupid woman just caused problems. She wasn't fun or amusing, she was just self centered and problematic.
"Can we please not...talk about her?" Asked Angie timidly.
"Hmm...Sorry." I replied distantly. I slumped back into one of chairs.
"You handled that surprisingly well." Sherlock said.
"Practice, lots of practice." I said. I was worried about Jim. He hadn't been that angry in a while, that Woman must've really been useless.
"Told you she could handle him." Smirked Angie.
"Did you really doubt that I couldn't handle him?" I asked incredulously. "Sherlock we've been together for eight years, I know what his mood swings are like." I said simply.
"I suppose I should listen to you two more often." He conceded.
"We do make an awesome team, don't we Ang?!" I said.
"Yep!" She grinned.
"Sorry you had to witness that, I was hoping we might have a quiet few days." I apologised. I did feel bad that they had to see that.
"You don't have to apologise." Angie said, taking my hand reassuringly.
"You're too kind Angie." I smiled at her.
"Yeah, well, anyway...so I heard about you breaking into my flat, Persephone." Angie said seriously. I looked at Sherlock.
"Full name...ouch. Thanks Sherlock." I winced.
"Well, she wouldn't have believed me if I'd just told her I was already taken care of with clothes, etc." He smirked.
"No but you didn't have to tell her how I procured you're clothes." I retorted.
"You could have just asked, seeing as I found out that you've been helping Sherlock anyway." She sighed.
"At the time you didn't know." I said sheepishly.
"Yeah, but I found out pretty soon after anyway. Would have saved you time." She chastised, sounding a little hurt.
"Perhaps. The locks on 221b are way too easy to pick. Please change them." I smiled guiltily.
"I will. And from now on, since I know, just ask. John isn't as deep a sleeper as me." She smiled, letting me know I wasn't in any real trouble.
"He didn't hear me, I'm very quiet. I will ask you though." I grinned.
"Thank you." Angie said. She still looked a little stern.
"Anytime. I am sorry I broke in." I apologised. Angie's face softened.
"It's fine. You had a good reason." I nodded.
"How much money do you need Sherlock?" I asked, changing the subject. Seeing as Angie now knew, it was easier to just be upfront about it all.
"Another installment of £20,000 should be good." He said casually. Angie nearly choking on her tea was quite amusing.
"It's amazing how you can just throw that much money around as if it's nothing. Of course, that's coming from a small town girl, so..." She said taken a back.
"Okay. That's easy enough, I'll see if we have that much in the safe, if not, I'll go to the bank in the morning." I said to Sherlock. "You get used to it." I smiled at Angie.
"I grew up around that much money, so it's not really that big a deal to me." Sherlock said nonchalantly. I still didn't quite believe how much money Jim and I had. It made me nervous, but eventually you get used to it.
"I didn't until I met Jim, then I inherited a wealthy family, it becomes the norm to easily." I sighed.
"Well, I don't understand why you need help with money, Sherlock, if you can afford to put 5000 in my bank account every two weeks." Grumbled Angie.
"Every two weeks, you told me once a month Sherlock." I said shocked. £10,000 a month was very generous. Sherlock must be feeling particularly guilty about being away.
"That's from my trust fund and savings account, it's in a bank. With this...'business', it's more beneficial to use cash. Besides, Percy is literally asking for ways to give away her money." He smirked at me.
"I am." I nodded. I, we, didn't need the money. It just sat in the bank gathering interest. The house was bought outright, so we had no mortgage. Our cars were bought and paid for, so it was just the running costs and bills regarding the house. There was George our sometimes chauffeur, Moran and a few minions on the payroll, but we didn't need to spend much.
"I changed my mind." Sherlock said coolly. I wasn't really listening.
"About what?" I asked.
"About every two weeks versus every month. Your brain is getting slow." Sherlock informed me.
"Be nice. Your response was a bit of a delayed reaction." Angie scolded.
"Right. It is and also I can't actually read your mind. I do my best. If you can persuade Mycroft to stop working me so hard, then I'll be a bit sharper." I said callously.
"I'll see what I can do." He said. We looked at each other; he looked as though he was searching for something.
"Thanks." I nodded.
"It's nice to see you two finally getting along." Angie smiled.
"We do get along. Romania was good for us." I smiled.
"Are you two ever going to tell me what happened there?" Angie huffed.
"Eventually…Well, no." I answered.
"You don't want to know." Sherlock dismissed, but only piqued Angie's interest further. I was slightly offended he thought it was so terrible, but I didn't know what had happened after I left.
"Oh come off it, you had fun. I'll admit some of it was incredibly weird though." I smirked thinking of our pretending to be married.
"It was interesting." He conceded.
"Do you two enjoy teasing me like this?" Angie frowned.
"It wasn't intentional…" Sherlock trialed off quietly.
"A little bit. Sorry, I'll stop." I laughed.
"Now I know how John feels, the last to know everything." Angie groaned.
"No Jim gets left in the dark if I'm feeling mean. I should probably go and check on him. I'll see if we have the money you need too. I'll be back in a minute." I said with a smile, excusing myself.
"Okay." Smiled Angie.
I knocked on the study door, but he wasn't in there, I could feel panic starting to set in. I went over to the safe, entered the combination and saw the pile of cash. I pulled out what we needed and put into an envelope. I would go to the bank and refill the safe tomorrow. I left a note on the desk for Jim, so he knew. Perhaps he'd gone to bed already or was reading in the library. I would search him out once Angie and Sherlock had left. I went back into the kitchen and handed Sherlock the envelope.
"Here you go, I cleared out the safe, so it's a little more than you asked for." I could hear the exhaustion on my voice. I flopped down into the chair I'd just left. "Thank you." Nodded Sherlock. I nodded back.
"Are you okay, Percy?" Angie asked looking concerned.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." I sighed.
"Hey, we promised no more secrets, remember?" Angie said gently.
"I know, sorry, bad habit. I'm really worried about Jim. He's still really wound up. I can't work out what he's planning that's irritated him so much. Mycroft sent me an e-mail for things he wants doing by the time he gets back…." I listed. I just wanted it all to stop and go away so I could live my life with my husband and friends and just be normal for five minutes.
"He never gives you a break, does he?" Asked Angie angrily whilst rolling her eyes.
"Not really. I sold my soul when I was too young to understand." I replied sardonically.
"Have you ever thought about using the Homeless Network to help you with these little 'tasks' Mycroft forces on you?" Asked Sherlock. He sounded irritated too.
"They do. Little tasks aren't the problem; it's the big ones." I sighed. If I could talk about the work I was required to do then it wouldn't be such a problem. I was making a difference, keeping people safe; maybe I was just being whiney. At least I had a job.
"Certain ones are able to be trusted to help with those." Offered Sherlock.
"I'll ask Agnes." I said quietly.
I continued chatting with Angie and Sherlock for a little while longer, but it was getting late and I needed to talk to Jim, make sure he was okay. Angie hugged me and told me to call her of I needed to talk and Sherlock just nodded, but I knew if I needed him he'd be there to help.
I scoured the house, I even went out to the shed in the garden and I couldn't find Jim. As everyone said when he or she entered the house, it was huge. I finally decided he'd gone out and would be home when he was ready when I noticed the footprint in the carpet. The walked up the carpeted stairs to the attic and saw Jim sat on the dusty floor against an old trunk. He looked stressed. I left the door open for some light and quietly padded towards my husband.
"You're getting awfully good at hiding my love, what made you come up here?" I asked gently. He wasn't at his most stable when stressed. I knew he'd never hurt me, but he might one day hurt himself or do something overtly dangerous. Jim just shrugged in reply. I knelt in front of him.
"I don't know. Just felt like a good place." He sighed. I nodded and sat next to him.
"Find anything interesting?! We've never stored this place out; it's the one place you leave in a mess." I chuckled. Jim's obsessive tidiness was quite strange, compared to the dusty chaos that was the attic.
"Not really. Just fuming." He said coolly. His anger was bubbling under the surface; I wanted to make it go away. We'd been having such a perfect day.
"That stupid woman has really upset you hasn't she?!" I asked. Just thinking of Irene Adler made my inner she-devil emerge. I loathed her. There was just something about her that made me want to push her into a volcano. Jim sighed, the aggravation still apparent in his body language. His muscles were tense and twitchy.
"I thought it would be fun at first, with Sherlock being so captivated by her. That didn't last long. Now she's just become troublesome." He paused, his expressing twisting into a dark laugh. "She thinks she can do whatever she wants, that she's the one in charge. Which is so very foolish." He spat, the laughter morphing back to anger.
"Yes well we both know she's not as bright as she makes out, she thought she could have you." I snarled exasperatedly. I sighed, reining back my emotions. I looked at Jim with a smile. "How wrong she was. I still need to get my revenge for that, I've not forgiven her attempt at seducing you." I said darkly. I rarely wanted revenge; I would just move and accept someone's incompetence. Jim smirked at me and kissed my cheek.
"Well, feel free to. You won't have that much time to get revenge on her." He said.
"Oh, so are you going to kill her or are you going to get someone else to do it?! This seems more personal than usual. I'll kill her if you want." I asked. Like revenge, I rarely wanted to kill people. Now this may seem like a contradiction in terms when you look at my job or my husband, but I've only ever taken the slightest enjoyment from killing one person, the man who hurt Angie. Every target I've had to deal with via work has left a mark on me, a scar, both externally and internally.
"Hmm, I'm not sure..." He pondered. For a criminal mastermind he wasn't that fond of bodies. Jim looked worriedly at me. "Percy, I don't want you having any more blood on your hands; even if you do have every right to kill her." I nodded at him and smiled. To anyone else, it would sound crazy to casually talk about murder, but our lives were far from simple.
"Okay, whatever you want to do darling, it's your business. I'll still be waiting for you when you come home." I smiled. "I might just play an annoying prank on her, do you think we could hack into her website and mess it up, taint her reputation with her clients?! Oh I'm starting to get like you, its kind of fun." I giggled with a smile. I wanted to lighten the mood. It seemed to be working Jim seemed more relaxed.
"Now that is a brilliant idea. Ruin her life before she loses it. She's misbehaved enough, it won't get her what she wants this time." He smiled.
"I think I'm a bad influence on you. Are you really alright, you scared me earlier; you've been working a lot recently, more than normal. I don't want you to burn out." I asked. I was worried about him, and I had been worried about him for days.
"Nonsense, I won't burn out. I should be asking you that, with Mycroft bothering you so much." He answered.
"You need a lot more sleep than I do and you're getting really stressed, as your wife I am allowed to worry. If I need to be home more, which I want to be, you know we can talk about all this; I'll help you where you'll let me." I told him honestly. If Jim needed me home, then home he would have me. My loyalties were with my heart, not my job.
"Of course I'm getting stressed more. I haven't actually been working more than usual, but Mycroft's been keeping you busy, and it's not working out. I understand if you want to work, but I get the feeling you're only doing it to please Mycroft." He said seriously. I understood his worry. To an extent its how I felt too, but I didn't know how to make the work stop, how to get myself out of the situation I was in.
"I decided to go back to work because I was sulking. I didn't intend for it to take over like this. I don't know, Mycroft is Mycroft, he can be a bit demanding. Are you getting stressed because you're worrying about me?" I replied. I took Jim's hand in mine and rested my head on his shoulder. I automatically rested his head atop of mine. I smiled at the thought of us being cuddled up on the dusty floor of our attic talking about life, for us it was so normal.
"I'm always worried about you. More so when Mycroft's involved. You are allowed to say no to him, you know." He said quietly, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. Jim knew I had trouble saying 'No' to my family.
"Just like a client can say no to you?" I asked. Jim turned and looked at me with understanding. "It's complicated and it always will be. I think he's getting his own back for my extended time off. He's been particularly moody of late, did you by chance go and speak to him?!" I asked.
"Why would you ask that?" Jim smirked quickly. He must have known I'd work it out. His smirk faded; perhaps he thought I'd be upset.
"I know you and I know Mycroft, he rarely gets this quiet and moody, plus I've had some time to spend with you without interruptions. Did you threaten the government so we could spend time together?! You are such a romantic." I smiled. It was extreme, but done out of love.
"Anything for you, love." He grinned. I leaned up and kissed him.
"I am a very lucky woman to married to a man like you." I smiled. I stood up and brushed of my jeans and held out a hand. "Come on, it's really dusty up here and it's late, you need to sleep and relax, tomorrow you can take over world." Whenever he got angry like this he would get really tired and he actually did need quite a lot of sleep.
"I suppose so..." He chuckled. He still looked hesitant to leave his attic of solitude.
"I might even join you if you come to bed now..." I prompted. Jim looked up at me with a grin. He took my hand and stood up.
"Alright, alright, you've convinced me." He smiled.
"Good." I kept his hand in mine as we made our way back downstairs to our bedroom. We both changed into pyjamas and crawled into bed. I wrapped my arms round Jim so his head rested on my chest.
"Also we're clearing the attic out sometime soon, it's filled with junk, your junk. Do even know what half of it is?!" I asked. Trying to keep the mood light. Jim just shrugged. I frowned; worried he would withdraw into himself.
"I'll sort it out then and I'll jut throw anything out that doesn't appear useful?!" I asked playfully, I was hoping it might incite a reaction. I was wrong.
"Sounds good. If it got put up here, it's probably useless anyway." He replied noncommittally.
"There I was hoping you might have hidden secrets up there. Oh well. A girl can dream." I smiled. He looked up at me. I could see the worries and stress creeping back into his mind, flitting across his dark brown eyes. "Stop worrying love, just relax; we'll sort it all out in the morning." I said gently and kissed his forehead.
"I know. Thank you." Jim sighed tiredly.
"It's what I'm here for." I said quietly. I turned the light out and gently ran my fingers through Jim's hair. The next few days would be tense until Jim had decided what he wanted to do about the whole Irene Adler situation and sorted out the mess she'd created.