His Favorite Melody

Loose Lips and A Sunken Ship

Sherlock and Melody entered the flat in good spirits, but he tensed as soon as they entered the living area.

"Love?" Melody inquired.

"Something's wrong." He answered quietly. He looked around, scanning for clues. Everything seemed normal, except ... the window. He walked over to find that it was slightly open. The glass in front of the catch had been discreetly broken. Someone had gotten in.

Melody's eyes followed him, and her heart raced a bit. She watched intently as he walked quickly to his bedroom and threw open the door. A look of distaste crossed his face almost imperceivably fast. Irene Adler was fast asleep in his bed. She looked tousled but overall unharmed. Melody looked over to see John walk in, toss his coat to the side, and grab a beer from the fridge.

"Where's Sherlock?" He asked, giving her a quick hug hello.

She simply pointed to the bedroom.

"We have a client." The man in question announced.

"What, in your bedroom?" John asked as he approached, followed closely by a mildly confused Melody. They joined Sherlock in the doorway to see who it was.

"Oh." John said at the same time Melody sighed out a frustrated "Bollocks.".

"You two go in there. Make some tea or something. I'll deal with this." Melody said tightly.

"Are you sure?" John asked.

"Best not to argue with her on this one, John. Let's go." Sherlock said, kissing her temple as he walked away.

Melody waited until they were in the kitchen, then slammed the bedroom door. "Oi! Get up, Adler. I've just washed these sheets two days ago, and now I've got to wash them again."

Irene woke up with a start and looked up in mild shock at Melody. "You could always join me, you know. We could make them especially dirty." She said after finally regaining her composure.

"Absolutely not. Now my mother and I work hard to keep this flat clean, so you're going to take a shower because I've no idea where you've been, and then you're going to come explain to us why the hell we've just found you in this bed." Melody informed her before opening the door. "I'll lay out your towel and a robe. You have fifteen minutes, or I'll call someone who will be a lot less kind than I am."

Melody shut the door back behind her and took a deep, steadying breath. After laying out the things she promised, she made her way to the living area, where Sherlock sat on his chair, watching her every move. She sat on the sofa and stared silently at the skull on the fireplace.

"Tea should be done soon." John said, breaking the tension.

"Thank you." She said, not looking at him.

"Melody..." Sherlock said cautiously.

"Don't worry, I'm not upset. With you, anyway. I'm livid she had the nerve to show up here after months of peace and happiness. To sleep in your bed."

"Our bed." He corrected.

She finally looked up at him with a small smile and nod. "Our bed."

"We'll deal with this like we always do, and then we'll have some semblance of peace again." John assured her, bringing in a hot cuppa for her.

"After this, we need a holiday." She sighed, taking the mug with a grateful nod.

"Agreed." John sighed, sitting in front of his laptop. Sherlock moved over to sit in a chair beside the sofa, close to Mel, but still giving her a bit of room if she needed it.