Dancing with the Devil (part one)

Chapter 34: I Look Better Than You

The job was quite simple. Sherlock Holmes was to be taken by one of those fancy royal guards to an airport hanger where this special occasion would take place. It was also explained to Astrid that the text that Jim had sent was to non other than Mycroft Holmes, and, of course, he had managed to find a way out of the sticky situation... again.

Their was a plane that was rigged with explosives and was to, of course, explode, killing hundreds of passengers. Like the other job, Astrid wasn't necessarily needed, however, it did mean that she had top Intel on what was going on, It was like reading lines from a script. Not three hours after the deadly text was sent, Irene Adler was contacted to inform her that there was a new member to add to the plan. And of course she was delighted.

It was getting late and the sun was beginning to set, Astrid and Jim were in his office as Jim was explaining, for what was probably the fourth time, everything that was going to happen. Jim glanced out the window and saw that it was getting dark, he looked at his watch.

"Shit." he sighed in reaction, and took Astrid by the wrist and dragged her out into the hall, "we've got an hour before you should meet Irene at Heathrow."

"And we're going where?" she asked as she manged to pry her wrist from Jim's grasp.

"Adler will be wearing one of her fancy dresses, so you need to look just as good as her, if not better." he said as they approached Astrid's room.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if your actually gay," she said as he opened the door to let her in.

"I don't fit into any stereotypes, dear ," he stated before Astrid gave him a peck on the lips and almost floated into the room. Jim shut the door behind her but was instantly stopped by Astrid putting her foot in the doorway and frowning.

"Where are you going?" she smirked

"Are we not doing decency today?" he raised his eyebrows.

"I need your input."

"Really?"

"Yes." and before anything else could be said, Jim was dragged into her room, "come on gay Jim help me out."

They spent the next half an hour with Astrid going in and out of her large closet looking for clothes that would best suit the occasion. She had come out wearing sparkles, bangles, bow ties and lace, none of them giving off any look they were going for. Just before it seemed as though all hope was lost, Jim got a text, he saw it and as he read it he practically sprinted the short distance to the closet where Astrid was looking along the wall of the closet for anything else.

"Irene says," he began and Astrid looked at him hopefully, "something black."

"Well that narrows it down," she sighed a sigh of relief and then, as if an idea came to her head, she leapt up, "Oh! Got it!"

"What?"

"Bugger off." she cursed pushing him out the closet before getting to work. After a few minutes she re-emerged wearing a tight black dress with ruched long sleeves that fell over her shoulders comfortably. She stepped out with a pair of black ankle strapped heels that were about three inches high swung over her shoulder. She smiled derisively at Jim before walking up to where he was leaning against the wall.

"Well, that's half an hour of my life that I can never get back." he stated as Astrid took a black leather coat from the much smaller wardrobe to her left and put it on. They proceeded to leave the room and walk to the front door where Sebastian Moran was stood waiting for her.

"Send the boys my love." Jim smirked playfully and gave her a peck on the lips before saying good bye and letting her go out into the cold fresh air with Seb. With this she and Seb maid their way out to the usual dark car waiting for them.

"Just the two of us?" Astrid tilted her head.

"Yes." he said as he politely opened the door to let her in the back seat. Astrid smiled but got into the front causing Seb to smirk a little before shutting the door and walking round to the other side.