Fight for Me

Chapter 52

"Keep an eye out for me, will you?" Lydia asked as she removed a few pins from her wig. Sherlock nodded and stood in front of her, obscuring her from anyone passing by.

After bending the pins and removing the rubber tip of one of them, she went to work, carefully pressing up on the pins inside the lock. She got to the first seized pin when Sherlock muttered, "there's a guard coming this way, I don't think we have time to run."

Lydia jumped up from her knees and glanced over at the security guard walking their way, his focus more on his mobile than his actual patrolling. But she knew they wouldn't be able to hide from him in time, so Lydia quickly ordered Sherlock, "kiss me."

His eyes widened, "I don't see how that will-"

With the guard almost upon them, Lydia quickly cut him off by pressing her lips against his, pulling him close to her and pressing herself against the wall. She moaned into the kiss, guiding Sherlock's hands down her body while he stood stiffly, his brain no longer functioning as it became clouded by the feeling of her lips on his. Lydia wanted nothing more than to enjoy the kiss, knowing that it was the only one she would ever share with the detective, but she tried not to let her mind wander to how the taste of champagne lingered on Sherlock's lips or how his hands felt resting heavily on her hips.

Needing to take a moment to breathe, Lydia pulled away with a small laugh, "darling, we're almost at the rooms, can't you wait one minute?"

She glanced over at the guard, who had passed them thinking that they were just another couple coming upstairs for some privacy, watching him as he rounded the corner, purposefully avoiding looking at the two. As soon as she was sure that he was gone, Lydia released Sherlock and went back to the lock of Stinton's office door, leaving Sherlock standing there in shock.

Smiling as the lock finally clicked open, Lydia twisted the door knob, pushing open the door and turning back to Sherlock, who was still unresponsive. Now a little concerned that she had done the something terribly wrong, Lydia grabbed Sherlock's arm and ushered him inside the dark office, closing the door behind them in order to avoid suspicion.

"Are you alright, Sherlock?" She asked in a hushed voice as soon as they were safe inside the office. "I'm sorry I kissed you, but it seemed the easiest way to avoid suspicion. The guard probably assumed that we were just a couple heading to one of the private rooms. Besides, I've learned that public displays of affection often make bystanders avert their gaze. But I should have made sure that you were comfortable with the plan before kissing you and I apologise. If it makes you feel better, it was just an act, it didn't mean anything."

Lydia nearly cringed as the words fell from her lips, a reminder to herself as much as it was an assurance for Sherlock. But neither party would confess how much it hurt to know that the only kiss they shared had meant nothing to the other. It was a means of survival, it didn't matter how their pulses quickened, how their senses went into overdrive, the rush excitement flooding through them. It meant nothing if it was all one sided and that's what Lydia's words had confirmed it was.

"I'm fine," Sherlock snapped, wrenching his arm out of Lydia's comforting touch. "Let's just get the information and get out of here, Stinton might need to get up here to deal with your transgression."

Finding his indifference more painful than his shock, Lydia nodded and bit her lip as she tried to fight back her emotions. She had a job to do, she could deal with them later. Right now, she needed to focus.

Sherlock easily broke into Stinton's computer and accessed the records that he had on the Rose Foundation. Had the situation been different and the tension not as thick, Lydia probably would have smiled as she scanned the incriminating records, knowing that this would make it incredibly easy to take down the Foundation. And although they lacked the reach to take down Moriarty's entire network, Lydia could find herself content in focusing on taking it apart bit by bit.

After downloading everything onto the memory stick, Lydia concealed it once again in the lipstick and stuffed it into her purse, giving Sherlock a nod. They left the office and hurried down the private staircase, meeting John at the base.

"Did you get it?" He asked immediately, blissfully unaware of the thick tension between Lydia and Sherlock.

Sherlock merely gave a nod and stalked off, trusting the other two to follow him. Lydia sighed and muttered, "so much for pretending to be his date, guess the act is over now that we've got the intel."

"Everything go alright for the two of you up there? He seems a bit agitated," John inquired wondering if something serious had occurred.

Lydia just shrugged, "it was nothing we couldn't handle. He's probably just sick of acting like he actually cares about me."

John frowned, "what do you mean? Lydia, Sherlock does care about you. It may not be in the conventional way, but it's still clear that he does. I mean, he's been willing to try to accommodate to your needs and comfort you after sending you into dangerous situations."

"Yes, well now he doesn't have to do that anymore. He was just acting this entire time, trying to get me to trust him and agree to help him take down the Rose Foundation. He has my cooperation so now he doesn't have to go out of his way anymore."

With that, they reached the entrance of the mansion and followed Sherlock into the cool night air, John understanding that the conversation was over. He could hear a twinge of hurt in Lydia's voice, but he knew that she would not believe that Sherlock actually cared about her. Not until Sherlock would quit being stubborn and finally admit his feelings. Though he supposed Lydia wasn't being much better, but she was probably afraid of being rejected considering Sherlock had such difficulty expressing his emotions.

The ride back to the flat was tense and if John hadn't realised that something had happened between Sherlock and Lydia before that moment, he certainly would have noticed in the silent cab. He had been seated in the middle, which was something he was noticing only happening when either Sherlock was upset with Lydia or vice versa.

"Alright, when we get back to the flat, no one is allowed to go inside until we sort out this argument, understood?" John burst out as they neared Baker Street.

Sherlock's jaw clenched while Lydia's face melted into an emotionless mask, neither willing to admit that anything had happened. John sighed and tried again, "and we aren't leaving this cab until I get a verbal response. Honestly, you two are acting like grade schoolers. I expected that of you, Sherlock, but not you, Lydia."

Lydia narrowed her eyes but refused to pull their icy gaze away from the window, "Sherlock and I are not fighting and I do not know what gave you that impression."

"What gave me that- oh for god's sake! What the hell happened in there?" John demanded, nearing the edge of his patience.

Fortunately for the two of them, it was at that moment that Sherlock's phone went off, saving them from having to answer John's question. As he listened to the other end of the line, Sherlock's face seemed to turn even colder, his fingers tightening around his mobile, knuckles turning white.

"We will be there in five minutes," Sherlock spoke, pulling the mobile away and hanging up, purposefully avoiding looking at either John or Lydia. He informed the cabbie that they had a new destination in mind then leaned back in his seat, staring straight forward with his fingers steepled beneath his chin.

"Are you going to tell us what that was all about?" John finally asked when he realised that Sherlock was not going to explain without any prompting.

"Case," Sherlock snapped. "Now shut up and let me think."

"A case? Is it really so pressing that we cannot go back to the flat and change?"

"Yes it is." With this, Sherlock was willing to spare John a glare in hopes that it would shut him up. However, his gaze lingered momentarily on Lydia, the icy stare softening slightly before he quickly averted his gaze.

Noticing how Sherlock's eyes had wandered briefly to the actress, John wanted to encourage him to fix whatever had happened between them. However, at the realisation that anything he would say to Sherlock would no doubt be picked up by Lydia as well, John refrained from trying to aid their relationship anymore than he already had tried.

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(A/N): First (and maybe last) SherlockxLydia kiss! I hope you all enjoyed it! Also, what do you think the call was about? Sherlock seemed a bit distressed