Chapter 14 - Kindness

"I am really happy you could open up to Mary. She has a kind soul and would never judge you.", John said after they sat into the backseat of the taxi. Katrina smiled and turned her head to him. Her milky blue eyes looked right through him and John felt some goosebumps on his arms. Her eyes always reminded him of the time they've spent together in war, how she saved him and gave her eyesight for him. There were times he questioned his feelings for her, and wondered if they might make a good couple. Still he was happy how everything turned out and they didn't. It probably was for the better.

"Did you also tell her how you found out about Sherlock and me?", Katrina grinned and gave his arm a squeeze.

—-

Katrina felt the warm beams of the early sunlight on her face when she woke uo. She rubbed her eyes and immediately felt a warm naked body behind her. So it was true. She got intimate with Sherlock the night before and his arm was wrapped around her, not letting her go. For a moment she wondered if she should stand up to get dressed, but she remained in bed, when she heard footsteps outside the door.

"Sherlock?", John knocked on the door, "Sherlock, are you okay?"

Katrina gasped, wanted to shift out of Sherlock's arms and hide somewhere, but it was already too late. The door opened and apparently John walked in. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat.

"I- I am so sorry, I didn't know, I mean, I didn't want to… Uhm, I'll wait outside then.", he stumbled.

"Oh, come on, as if you've never seen me naked before, John…", Sherlock mumbled behind her, yawning.

"It's not, Sherlock, you, and, Katrina, I mean…"

"Yeah, just wait outside then…", Sherlock answered and waited for John to leave the room again.

"I am so sorry, I'll get going.", Katrina whispered, jumping out of bed to grab her clothes, which were all spread on the floor.

"Don't you want to move in with us? You could even take Tara.", did he just really say that?

"What?"

"I mean, like this you wouldn't need to go from place to place all the time.", he added, also getting out of bed and grabbing a pair of pants.

"I really don't know, Sherlock. Tara needs her safety. She has her grandparents over at my place and knows the way to school. She needs stability!", she mumbled, deep in her thoughts about what happened the day before and what he said right now.

"Oh come on, she will also find the way to school from here and can easily commute to her grandparents whenever she wants to!", he said, standing now right in front of her.

"I… let me think about it, okay?", Katrina said.

"Was this just a one time thing for you?", she was shocked about his question, thinking that he might have had such a thought.

"What? Sherlock! I wouldn't just use you, no. But, I mean, what can we say about this last night? Was it right, was it wrong?", she felt her heart beating fast, scared of what he might say to her next.

"Why would it be wrong?", there was something in his voice that seemed a bit hurt by her words.

"Sherlock, I am a disabled woman. It's already a wonder that I don't prevent you from working. I don't want to keep you from anything!", she said. She held her shirt in her hands, staring towards the floor. All of a sudden she felt sad and alone. Suddenly she felt Sherlock's warm hand on her shoulder, slowly stroking the wound from the bullet she took in just underneath it, while the other one stroked her back, caressing the scars of the lashes she got while being captured. She had to hold her tears back when she felt his soft hand and his loving strokes on the places she experienced so much aggression at.

"Why would you ever think that you prevent me from working? You're the best addition for my cases, you are clever and kind and so beautiful."

A tear suddenly rushed down her cheeks and soon after Sherlock swiped it away with his thumb.

"Let me think about it, okay?", she whispered.

"Okay."

—-

"And soon after you moved in, together with Tara and Ciri.", John laughed while helping Katrina upstairs. Tara was already home and stayed with Mrs Hudson for the evening, playing some tabletop games with her. She rushed to greet John with a hug and petted Ciri on her head.

"Mom, can I sleep at my grandparent's place for the weekend? They want to visit the zoo with me. They have a new baby elephant there!", she yelled out, accompanying them upstairs.

"Sure you can! But you have to tell me everything about the little elephant afterwards, okay?", she asked, smiling. She was grateful to everybody who helped make her life a bit easier, especially right now during her pregnancy. She was looking forward to a weekend for herself.

"Stay with us for a while, will you?", she asked John, sitting down on the sofa, patting it to ask him to sit next to her. He couldn't and didn't want to refuse, so he stayed. They watched Tara rushing into her room - she already now wanted to prepare all the things she wanted to take to her grandparent's place.

"Kate?", John asked suddenly, sending shivers across her spine. It was usually only Sherlock who called her by that name and she hadn't heard it for a while already.

She looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

"I really hope this question doesn't appear to be impolite. Please let me know if I am going too far by asking that. But… how come you actually fell pregnant?"

Katrina took a sharp breath, her heart was beating faster.

"Let me tell you…"

—-

Baskerville - what a calm and lovely place it was and how much Katrina enjoyed being there. London was nice and she loved it there, but there was something in her that just wanted to stay here. For at least some days, maybe weeks, it was nice to know that she wouldn't have to worry about crashing into someone on one of those busy streets within the city. Also Ciri seemed to love it. She let her jump into any pond they found on the way, not worrying about any hound that was said to live there.

It brought a smile to her face when the owners of the small inn they stayed at considered Sherlock and John to be a couple. She didn't mind at all. She slept in a separate room, Sherlock and John shared a room, but they spent the evenings mostly in front of the fireplace in the inn, where they enjoyed some beer or even a glass of whiskey.

At all those times, when Sherlock seemed so focused on the case in Baskerville, she didn't think that he would just lay an eye on her. And it seemed like this for the first four days. She did her job, working together with Sherlock and John on the case. Her hands were stroking on the ground inside the forest, where the hound was considered to hide, trying to find any particles of fur or traces of claws on her fingers.

It was on this very night when they thought to be attacked by the said hound, that she and Sherlock got closer again. As everyone screamed in horror and fear, there was nothing she could do but hide somewhere underneath a bush, it was impossible to find her way in an unknown place inside the forest. But just a few moments later, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and soft locks tickling her nose.

"Don't worry, I am here with you. I won't leave you behind.", it was Sherlock. She didn't know what to answer, being too scared of the current situation.

"Take my hand and just run with me."

And before she could change her mind, he pulled her up and they started running, she just followed his lead. She thanked herself for letting Ciri stay in her room, the thought of having her in this dangerous situation almost brought her to tears.

After what seemed like an eternity, they stopped running, but she still felt soft ground underneath her feet.

"I am sorry. I didn't really give you much of my attention the last few days.", Sherlock suddenly gasped, while he tried to get back his breath.

"Don't worry. This is quite the case, isn't it?", Katrine laughed and held her hand on his shoulder, also catching her breath. And before she could react, she felt his lips on hers and they started to kiss first soft and lovingly, soon getting more firm and strong.

"Stay with me tonight.", Katrina whispered into his ear, her hands around his neck and softly stroking his curly hair. He smiled and nodded and started to kiss her again.

They closed the door behind them, moving towards the bed, starting to undress each other. She felt his warm hands on her breast, while she opened his trousers, already feeling his arousal ready for her.

"Wait… Did you bring condoms?", she asked, suddenly realising that she forgot her own.

"Oh bloody hell!", he answered, his firm grasp, now on her hips, became softer, but still stroking her.

"I mean… You could still pull out, right?", Katrina smiled, pulled him towards her again and they soon after fell onto the bed.

"Ooh…", he closed his eyes, his mouth softly opened for his moan, when he gently slid into her, starting to move slowly, listening to her reaction.

"Unh…", he loved this kind of answer from her, from his Kate, this beautiful woman underneath him, who so often already was on him. But now he wanted to pleasure her and find out with his own thrust, what she liked and what not. And her soft moans slowly got stronger, more vocal, her grip on his back slipped down onto his buttocks, where she grabbed his cheeks, pressing his hips more towards her, asking him to thrust even deeper and stronger into her. And there it suddenly was - she screamed out in pleasure, as her inside pulsated, her lips slides from his to his neck, softly biting him. And in the same moment a wave of pleasure hit him, he knew it would happen any moment.

"Kate, I.. I am… ooh!", he moaned, but she still hold his cheeks, still gasping underneath him, not letting him get off her in time.

"Oooohhh… no….", he screamed, but Katrina laughed underneath him. They remained laying on each other, stroking each other softly.

"I am so sorry. I failed.", he said after some moments, sliding out of her, placing his hand underneath her to catch any liquid which was flowing out of her.

"Come on. This one time won't do anything. Tomorrow I am buying some for us!"

And just like that, they fell asleep, arm in arm, not thinking anymore about what happened.