Recipe For Disaster

13: Carl Powers and Jim Moriarty

Sherlock looked through the microscope to find out what was in these trainers. Melody knew what but she couldn't tell.

"I'm going to go get some coffee. Any of you want one?" She asked. "Black two sugars," Sherlock replied without looking up. "A please could be nice," she muttered on her way out. Although she didn't see it, a hint of a smile displayed on Sherlock's face.

*John:
John noticed the smile on his friend's face and immediately he knew something was up. He walked up to Sherlock who now took his eye off the telescope. "Yes?" Sherlock asked. Now it was John's turn for a hint of a smile. "You like her. Melody, I mean," he had said.

Sherlock looked dumbstruck, "Yes, I like her as an acquaintance. So what?" John snorted, "Not like that, you bloody idiot. In the other way!" Sherlock blankly stared at John, no expression whatsoever. He took in a breath and said, "Why would I like someone that way, John? I've told you sentiment is a weakness and you assume I would have it on her?" John rolled his eyes, of course Sherlock would say that. "Yeah, but she's not normal, Sherlock," he complained.

"And you think I would not know that?" Sherlock asked. He returned to looking through the microscope and John returned to doing whatever he was doing. So much for small talk.

* Melody:

Melody didn't know where the coffee room was. She just said that to break the tension....and to get coffee. She was in the I.T department with no idea how she wound up here. She saw a man talking with a woman and she cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, do you know where the coffee room is?" The man turned around, it was James. The look on Melody's face must have been horrifying, because James looked at her in worry. He said in a London accent, "Are you okay, love?" He slipped her a note. Scribbled on it, it said:
DONT SAY A WORD. XX

The woman James was talking to gave her a polite smile and said, "Two doors on your right." She had brown hair put into a ponytail. She stuck her hand out, "I'm Molly and this is Jim."

A smirk came across Melody's face as she heard the name "Jim". She always knew it was a nickname for him, but James suited him better. "Melody, and yes I know who Jim is." She shook Molly's hand. James, no, Jim frowned. Molly's smile faltered, "Really? How?" Melody punched Jim's arm, hard. "He and I went to uni together. Didn't we Jim?"

Jim rubbed his arm, "We sure did, Mellie." Melody's blood ran cold. She hated it when he called her Mellie. She used to love the nickname back then, but not anymore. Jim turned back to Molly, "Can I speak to Mellie for a second?" Molly shrugged, "I don't care." Jim pecked her on the cheek, "Thanks doll." And grabbed Melody by the arm.

He took her to an empty room, the coffee room and shut the door rather loudly. "So...Mellie," he said, his Irish drawl back. This wasn't Jim she was seeing, this was James. Melody would have been scared, but instead she keeled over, laughing. James pursed his lips, "What?" "Doll? Jim? Love? James, you're acting is just so funny!" Melody laughed.

James put a finger to her lips and hissed, "Not a word to your friends." Melody nodded and returned to making coffee. Before James walked out the door, he asked her, "Oh can you make me one too? Thanks, doll."

*
Melody returned to the room with her friends in it with two coffees. Black for her and black with two sugars for Sherlock. Instead of walking up to her to get it, she left it by his side. "Thank you," he mumbled not looking up. "You know it's funny," Melody said, a smile creeping along her face. Sherlock looked up, "What is?" Melody knew this was her chance to help out with the case to get back at James. She took a breath and said, "You take your coffee the same as my friend."

"What's the name?" Sherlock asked. Her smile turned into a beam and she got a questioning look from Sherlock. "Carl," She said. And that's when Molly entered the room.

"Is everything going on okay?" She asked. That's when James, no Jim walked through the door. Molly looked at him in surprise, "Jim!" Jim looked a bit embarrassed, looking nothing like the psychopathic killer that blew up Melody's apartment and destroyed her family years back. "Shall I go?" He asked, Irish accent, nowhere to be heard of.

"No! Here come meet my friends Sherlock and.....ummm," Molly was trying to remember John's name. John corrected her, "John Watson." Jim walked over to Sherlock, clapping his hands, "So you must be Sherlock Holmes. Molly's told me all about you." Melody took a sip of her coffee. Sherlock looked at Jim and muttered, "Gay."

Melody spit out her coffee, the coffee hitting Sherlock in the face. She took a napkin and wiped her face, "Sorry. It was....er.....hot." Molly's smile faltered, "Sorry what?" "Uh...nothing," the coffee soaked Sherlock said, "I mean hey." Jim nodded, shooting daggers at Melody, who was trying ever so hard to hold back her laughter.

"Hey," he said accidentally knocking down a Petri dish. He bent over and picked it up, slipping his phone number under it, "I'm so sorry!" He looked around, "Well, I better be off. See you at the Fox around 8ish?" He asked Molly. She nodded. He walked over and put his arm around her back and called to Sherlock who was looking back through the microscope, "It was nice to meet you!"

John cleared his throat, "Nice to meet you too." Jim looked at John, no doubt observing him. And then he left. Molly walked up to Sherlock, "What do you mean gay?" Melody returned to sipping her coffee, obviously not paying attention. Then Molly walked out in a huff.

Sherlock turned to Melody, "Maybe you could get some napkins to clean me up?" She realized she had forgotten about spitting on Sherlock. Melody took a look at him. Half of his curly black hair was soaked and half of his jacket was drenched. She looked into his blue green eyes and said, "Nah." John chuckled under his breath.

*

Sherlock handed John a shoe. John stared at him, "What do you want me to do with it?" Sherlock motioned toward the shoe, "Go on, do what I do." John laughed and shook his head, putting the trainer down, "No. I'm not going to stand there and let you humiliate me." "I need an outside eye, a second opinion. It useful to me," he told John. John looked at Melody, "Then why not use her?"

Sherlock also looked at Melody who was innocently drinking her coffee as if she didn't spit on him five minutes before. "She can't help with the case." John nodded and started deducting slowly of what he saw. After he was done, John put the shoe down and asked how did he do.

Sherlock nodded, "Very good, John. Although you missed almost everything of importance." John handed the shoe to Sherlock, saying, "Then you do it." Sherlock took the shoe and fired off deductions rapidly.

As he was getting to the Sussex part, he turned to Melody, who was smiling. Then, as if a sudden realization hit him like lightning and thunder, he realized who this was. Sherlock stopped deducting and put the shoe down. "Carl Powers." John walked forward, not hearing what Sherlock said, "Excuse me?"

"Carl Powers, John. It's where I began," Sherlock murmured. He turned to Melody, who was smirking and drinking her coffee. She took a sip and said, "So did I."