Queen of the Mind Palace // Sherlolly ✔️

Chapter 7

Sherlock stood next to Sawyer, who stood on the top of the stairs leading up to 221B Baker Street.  Her chin was tilted up and her eyes closed, the snow dappling her hair and clinging to her eyelashes.

"What are you doing?"  Sherlock asked.  Sawyer didn't look at him, just letting her breath rise in white plumes, like smoke rising from smokestacks.

"What are you doing," she asked.  Sherlock looked at her, letting his eyes rake across her face.

"I'm saving your life."  Sawyer let out a snort.  She opened her eyes and looked at Sherlock.  Her eyes had turned icy.

"You're a high functioning sociopath.  Why would you want to save my life?"  Sherlock tore from her suddenly frosty gaze, instead watching his breath spill out of his mouth, white in the raw air. 

"Who knows."  They fell into silence, watching the snowflakes fall from the sky. 

"Why are you out here?"  Sherlock eventually asked. 

"Because when I get cold, I can go back inside."  Sherlock raised an eyebrow.

"You're freezing yourself for the sake of freezing yourself," he let out an abrupt laugh.

"Something like that."

"Genius."

Sawyer's gaze flicked to Sherlock sharply, narrowed.  "I'm not a genius."

"Yes you are." 

"What," Sawyer hissed, "like you?"  Sherlock met her gaze, a small grin turning up the corner of his mouth.

"Something like that."

Sawyer rolled her eyes and shook her head, "who says I want to be anything like you," she seethed.  Her fists balled up.  Sherlock held her gaze, his facial features hardening. 

He leaned down, the tip of his nose barely grazing Sawyer's hair, and whispered in her ear, "you do."

Sawyer froze, staring at the sidewalk with eyes blazing with fury.  Sherlock let out a small scoff and turned to go back inside. 

Before he stepped inside his gaze flicked past his shoulder, "you're more like me than you can ever imagine."  Sherlock stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"Where's Sawyer," Gael asked, immediately running up to Sherlock and tugging on his pant leg.  Sherlock looked up, seeing Molly resting the phone down and look at him.  Her eyes asked the same question. 

Sherlock shrugged Gael off and made his way to his room, "she's just... cooling off."  Molly raised her eyebrows, turning her gaze to Gael as the young boy ran up to the window and pressed his face on it, watching Sawyer outside intently.  Molly looked at Sherlock expectantly, obviously waiting for him to explain.

"Did you order Chinese?"  He asked her instead.

"Yes but-"

"Good.  Call me when it comes."

"Sherlock-"

Sherlock walked into his room, closing the door behind him.  He heard Molly sigh from the kitchen. He laid on his bed, which had been neatly made by Molly, and folded his hands under his nose, sinking into his mind palace.

•

Sherlock had lost track of time when he heard a knock on the door.  He opened one eye, seeing Molly walk in.  She had her coat on and her scarf was wrapped around her neck.

"Uh, Sherlock.  Your Chinese is here and I have to get off to work.  I'm already behind and-"

Sherlock's face scrunched up in disapproval, "going already?"

"It's 9:00, Sherlock.  I'm already late-"

"-as you mentioned before-"

"And I have to go."  Molly's face was creased in annoyance.  Sherlock let out a dramatic sigh before closing his eyes again.

"Fine.  Text me if Lestrade has any updates on the pollen."

"Oh.  Ok-"

"Bye."

Molly sighed, "bye, Sherlock."  She said and walked away from the door, shutting it behind her. 

"Thank you, Molly," Sherlock whispered to no one in particular.

~~~

Molly sighed as she stood behind the closed door, trying everything in her power to keep her blood from boiling.  Gael sat at the kitchen table unsuccessfully trying not to get wonton soup on his shirt.  Molly made her way over to the young boy and gave him a soft smile.

"See you soon, Gael," she said with a grin, ruffling the young boy's hair.

"Are you leaving?"  Gael asked.  Molly held down a chuckle when Gael's face was contorted in distraught. 

"I'll be back later," she explained, bending down eye level with the messy haired boy, "for now just take care of your sister for me."  Gael was suddenly beaming.

"I can take care of Sawyer!"  He cried joyously, pride shining in his eyes.

"I know you can," Molly replied, grinning as she once again ruffled the boy's hair.  She opened the door and left the apartment, though stopping short when she came face to face with Sawyer, who still stood outside.

"Sawyer!"  Molly exclaimed, "are you going inside?"  Sawyer's face fell into annoyance and she turned back around, her back to Molly.

"No."

Molly gulped, "well, you should.  You could get a cold."

"Colds are gotten not by being outside, but from being inside where so much the germs are everywhere from so many people being inside and therefor much easier to carry.  They're called colds because they were named by stupid people who only noticed people got them in the winter," Sawyer said. 

"Oh," Molly stuttered, at a loss for words, "ok."  Molly slowly crept past Sawyer, "just don't freeze to death," she remarked.  Sawyer only looked down at the sidewalk, her cheeks and nose red. 

Molly began to walk down the stairs though she was stopped short when Sawyer spoke up, "thank you.  Molly," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Molly looked back at her, "for what?"

"For everything.  For Gael.  For me.  I," she paused, letting out a shaky breath, "I like it here."  Molly had to strain to hear the words.  "Don't tell Sherlock I said that."  She smiled softly at Sawyer, who still wasn't meeting Molly's gaze.

"Go inside, Sawyer," she said softly.  Molly reached out and rested her hand on Sawyer's arm, the young girl flinched but didn't shy away.  "Your skin is like ice."  Sawyer didn't say anything but nodded, turning around and making her way back inside.  When Sawyer had closed the door, Molly stood, still staring the door.  She really was like Sherlock.  Stubborn, arrogant, a bit of a jerk.

But a genius.  As absolute genius.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I know I know, short chapter again.  I'll make the next one longer, I promise.  Maybe.  Hopefully.  We'll see how this works out.  But keep reading thank you!

PS- is it just me or does anyone else imagine Sawyer with an American accent...?