Chapter 11: Can't Fight the Moonlight
"Got your coat?" Emma yelled from Sherlock's living room.
"Yes." Sherlock came out from the bedroom. "This better be a good movie – it is cold out."
"Well I will certainly like it – you do not like anything." She teased as they walked out of the apartment building.
"Ha." Sherlock laughed dryly. He bundled down into his coat and pressed himself against Emmaline's side as they walked.
For being August, it was certainly cold out. They walked at a brisk pace to the cinema and rushed inside. Sherlock's teeth were chattering and Emma's cheeks had turned pink from the cold. Emma took her hands out of her pockets and put them on Sherlock's face, warming him. He followed her example and placed the backs of his hands on her cheeks.
She exhaled, happy. His hands were quickly warming her cold face.
"I'll get tickets, you get snacks?" She double-checked.
"That's how we always do it." He confirmed before walking away to the snack counter.
Emma smiled and pulled out her wallet, approaching the ticket counter.
"Two for Coyote Ugly please."
The girl behind the glass smiled. "You and your boyfriend are so cute! My boyfriend would never go see a chick flick with me."
"I watched Star Trek with him so he kind of owes me." Emma explained with a giggle, handing over the money.
"I could watch whatever my guy wanted and he still wouldn't see it with me. You're lucky!" The young woman gushed.
"Thanks." Emma blushed as she was handed her tickets.
On her way over to the snack counter, her mind raged. What was that? Sherlock is a friend! Yeah, but there was no reason to embarrass that girl by proving her wrong. That would be a Sherlock thing to do.
"Ready?" He tilted the popcorn box in her direction so she could grab some.
Emma grabbed a handful. "Yeah; theatre three."
She popped the snack in her mouth and chewed as they entered the screen room and found seats in the back. They got comfortable as the movie began.
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"That was so good!" Emmaline enthused as Sherlock held the door to Nonni's open for her.
"You've been saying that for ten minutes." He reminded her.
"Well it was!" They got in line together. "I mean, how awesome that they would dance on top of the bar! And the pretending to take a sip of beer? That is genius right there sir, pure genius."
"Genius? There was not anything 'genius' about it."
"I don't mean in your genius way Sherlock."
They grabbed their coffees and worked their way through the café to their usual spot on the couch. They both sat down with a huff, allowing the warm cups to spread their heat to their fingers.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you I had a date last Friday." Emma took a sip of her coffee.
"How was it?" Sherlock took a sip of his own coffee and sucked in his breath as the hot liquid hit the back of his throat.
"It was alright; towards the end of the night he got a bit too handsy."
"Does he know you do not like close physical contact?"
As he said it, Sherlock became hyperaware of her body pressed against his and his arm draped around her shoulders. Interesting. I will have to write this down in the notebook. His documented chronicles of her reactions to close male contact had mostly involved himself as the subject but he had recorded her few reactions to Lestrade. The whole debacle from the last crime scene she had attended had also gone into the notebook.
"He figured it out when I smacked him."
Sherlock chuckled at the thought of Emmaline hitting someone. Emmaline turned her head at the happy sound.
"You don't laugh very often." She pointed out.
"I don't often feel the need to." He said gently.
His piercing gaze caused Emmaline to stare, lost, into his blue-green eyes, before she found herself and turned her head forward, blushing. Sherlock noticed the slight color that flushed her cheeks. He did not know why her cheeks were pink and thought that maybe she was cold again. He brought his hand over to touch her cheek, but no, it was warm.
"I guess the coffees working too well." She tried to cover, with a small giggle.
Sherlock shrugged and did not think anything more of it. He drained the last of his coffee and put the empty cup on the small end table next to the couch.
"I won't be here for a few weeks in September." Sherlock proclaimed out of nowhere.
"What, why? Where are you going?" Emmaline reached over him to put her cup down. She gave him her full attention.
"I will be going to Florida to help with a case there. Lestrade recommended me."
"What is the case?" Emma crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap, listening intently. It had to be important if Sherlock had to go to America to help.
"It's a case of domestic abuse. Simple really. The man could be hanged with enough evidence. However, the wife does not want to testify. Her testimony is the prosecution's main advantage in the case. Without her, they are worried they will not be able to convict him. I am supposed to be going down to try and find evidence they might have missed."
"Do you think you will find anything?"
"No." Sherlock huffed. "But it might be worth it to ensure the man's hanging to plant some evidence."
"You would really do that?" Emmaline asked, taken aback.
Sherlock shrugged. "It depends."
Emmaline sat there, stunned into silence. She had never heard Sherlock talk about tampering with evidence. To him it was all about the clean cut facts of the case. However, she thought, if it was her she would do the same. Her father had abused her mother and she knew what it did. It made you afraid.
Emmaline guessed that possibly Sherlock was so impassioned about it because maybe, just maybe, his father had hit his mother too. He had already admitted that his father had been a drinker.
She grabbed his hand and helped him off the couch. "Come on, let's go back to your place, and play a game."
"What game?"
"Oh I want the chance to beat you at least twice more at Monopoly before you leave."
"That is a game of chance!" Sherlock protested.
"Exactly! So I have a better chance of winning than you do."
She laughed at Sherlock's expression. "Come on. The sooner we get home, the sooner we can play. And I'll cook you dinner."
"Can you make shepherd's pie this time?" Sherlock requested, again sidling close to Emmaline to keep warm.
"I can try but no guarantees it will be good."
"Everything you make is good."
"You know, for someone who forgets to eat regularly, you do enjoy food."
"I never said I did not like it. I just forget to partake in its deliciousness."
"Spending too much time alone can do that to someone I guess."
"I suppose it never helped that Mycroft was always stealing food off my plate."
Emmaline snorted in laughter. Sherlock smiled; he was glad that he could make her laugh.
"Come on, I have to feed you." Emmaline looped her arm through Sherlock's and they hurried down the cold street back to Montagu Street.
There will always be a reason why you meet people. Either you need them to change your life or you are the one that will change theirs.
A/N: It is the end of August so our characters have known each other for about four months now. I would like to thank all the lovely reviewers; I enjoy reading your comments! Please leave more for me to love and read over and over!