The Porcelain Doll

Whatever He Wants And More

For a moment the tutor was shocked, staring upon the driver as if he was beginning to wonder what sort of reality he was living in. Was this all a dream, where such large sums of money were thrown around without much reasoning at all? Was he actually seated next to a man who could write a check for five thousand dollars and not overdraft on his bank account? And that money, that ridiculous sum...that was going to his school? John caught a breath, one which whistled through his teeth and forced its way audibly down his throat. It came as more of a gasp than anything, as if he was beginning to choke on all of the dust particles that were swirling up from underneath the carriages in front of them. As realization began to settle in, as Sherlock's focus shifted back towards the road when he realized John's most amusing reaction had faded away, well that was when John remembered his manners. It was a gift with no rival, the most generous token of good faith that John had ever born witness to. And here he was, having been so caught up with the initial shock that he hadn't even thanked the man. John's most immediate impulse was to meet Sherlock's impressive gift with a most impressive show of gratitude, though John's manners had never bene fully displayed within a moving automobile. He may not have been thinking when he went to grasp Sherlock's hands, trying to hold them within his own to fully declare his sincerest thanks. John was able to wrench one hand off of the wheel, and yet Sherlock gave a yelp of disapproval as he cemented his other firmly upon the steering wheel, as if to try to remind John that he was in charge of their lives so long as he was in the driver's seat. John flushed with embarrassment, though he figured this single hand he had managed to capture was enough to get the job done. John cupped that delicate hand between his own, recognizing the soft touch of the fingers as if he had been honored to hold them before.
"I don't know what to say." John admitted at last. "Sir you are...well you are magnificent."
"You really think so?" Sherlock chuckled, casting another sideways look towards his most obsequious servant. Another sigh was heaved from Irene's direction, as if the woman was sick and tired of seeing her husband get praised. It was as if she hated Sherlock's show of kindness, as if the five thousand dollars would have been better suited in purchasing clothes or jewelry rather than school supplies and heating systems.
"I really do. I never knew that a man so rich and powerful could also possess such generosity." John muttered, trembling Sherlock's hand back and forth between his fingers as if he was trying to touch it at every angle possible, trying to feel each and every divot in the palm and fold in the knuckles. It was strange how familiar Sherlock's hand felt, it was strange to feel this hand and realize there was a time where he must have held it before. John's immediate memories denied the fact, and yet he still couldn't help but notice Sherlock's skin possessed a certain softness that could not be so easily forgotten.
"My father was rich and powerful, Mr. Watson I am merely just trying to put our family name back in the good light. And never has there been a more fitting cause." Sherlock assured.
"You care about the education systems?" John presumed.
"No." Sherlock admitted with a sigh, to which John recoiled in some surprise.
"No?" he clarified blankly.
"I care about you. I care about healing the wounds that still trouble you, and repairing the damage I might have caused." Sherlock explained.
"Oh don't be so poetic!" Irene snarled on the other side of this conversation, now perfectly blocked from the conversation due to John's unintentional positioning. Somehow he had managed to turn his back to the woman, having shifted in his seat so as to allow Sherlock to bask in every radiant fiber of his gratitude.
"Jealous, are you?" Sherlock taunted, though he shook his hand from John's grasp and held the steering wheel more securely within his grip. John cleared his throat a bit uncomfortably, shuffling back into his seat and trying to focus on the road rather than the marital issues which had erupted out of nowhere.
"Not jealous, disgusted. To flirt with the tutor while your children are riding in the backseat?" Irene scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest with a pout.
"Not flirting, darling. Expressing gratitude." Sherlock snarled.
"Well you've never expressed gratitude in such a way to me." Irene pointed out.
"That's because you've never earned it." Sherlock insisted, waving his finger through the air as if to further drive his point across.
"If you've never been so impressed why did you choose to marry me?" Irene wondered.
"I never chose to marry you, Irene. I was forced to marry, and I chose you. And yet for that I am still waiting for my thanks!" Sherlock growled. John dropped his head down once again, trying to hide in the seat even though he was very obviously protruding. Certainly he couldn't get out of the line of fire in this moving vehicle, not unless he wanted to suddenly crawl over the seat and huddle in with Elizabeth and Theo. The sheer aggression of the couple's words was burning across his face, leaving the poor tutor to wince with every snap and attack that was shared between the two. Was he really such a cause of marital strife? And what validity did any of their accusations hold, especially the one about flirting?
"You won't get any thanks for that." Irene grumbled, turning her head away and focusing on the thinly occupied sidewalks, trying to stare down the passerby for at least a fleeting sensation of power. Sherlock huffed, shaking his head and falling silent for the rest of the ride. John, following in his boss's lead, also held his tongue for the rest of the trip. He had always been living in something of a reverse situation, imagining that Sherlock was the more terrifying of the Holmes couple. Now his perspective had been flipped, realizing now that a single step upon Irene's toes may very well set fire to the woman and anyone who dared oppose her.