More Than Amour (Ch. 11)

John had decided to arrive an hour early and Mrs. Hudson gladly let him in. However, when he had stepped into the flat, it was completely void of any presence. He wondered if Jane had already moved in, so he turned around and headed up the stairs.

The bedroom was small as he remembered it and he couldn't fight the urge to snoop. Oddly enough, there were no covers on the mattress, just sheets. The desk had some personal documents inside, but he chose to close the drawer and carry on, not having the time to look into the man's medical and mental history.

There was a single picture frame on the bedside table with an old looking origami frog in front of it. The picture showed a woman with curly blonde hair, smiling with a young girl with similar features, beside them was the consultant in a previous life, the only problem was that most of his face was scratched out. This made John empathize with the man, understanding the feeling all too well.

He turned away and headed to the dresser, the middle containing folded trousers. Then he opened the top drawer only to find it filled with nothing but bright colourful socks, ranging in all sorts of patterns and designs. John then saw something that stood out as strange, or more so what he didn't see. He opened the bottom drawer, folded pyjamas.

Where is this bloke's pants?

There was seemingly no laptop in sight either, but the former irked John to no end. He shut the drawer with a bit of force, standing up to check the closet next. Most of Patrick's clothes were hung up in here, but something far more intriguing caught the doctor's eye. There was a medium sized white box on the floor, shoved to the very back of the closet. All too curious, he kneeled down and retrieved it, noticing it was rather heavy. When he opened the lid, he discovered a ton of neatly arranged papers and photos inside.

Red. There was red in every single photograph. John didn't realise the magnitude of it all when Jane had told them his story, but when he saw the little girl, he knew they were dealing with a cunning and merciless monster. The countless smiley faces only added to the bone chilling fear.

John was startled when he heard the faint sound of car doors being slammed shut. He rushed to put everything back as it were, slid the box back in the closet, and rushed out the room, speeding down the stairs and into the flat just as he heard the front door being unlocked. He made it to his chair when strong footfalls bounded up the stairs, Sherlock's. The said detective rushed into the kitchen, dropping multiple shopping bags onto the already crowded table and shut himself into the bathroom.

"I told him to go before we left."

John turned his head to see Molly walk into the flat, a single bag of her own in hand. Jane followed shortly after, carrying multiple shopping bags as Sherlock, placing them on the floor by the table. The end of Molly's hair was styled in large curls, some even draping over her eye.

"Wow...Your hair looks great," the doctor stated.

Molly smiled, setting her bag on the coffee table.

"Oh, thanks...Sorry about all of this. It must feel awkward."

"A bit, yeah...Have you ever been to a nightclub?"

"A few times with friends, but who has that kind of time anymore," Molly giggled, "What about you, Patrick?"

"They were only for crime scenes."

The blond took a seat on the couch, taking his coat off. John kept looking at the mess in the kitchen, still confused beyond measure.

"Yeah okay, just what is it Sherlock's planning here? What's with all the shopping bags?"

Sherlock then emerged from the bathroom, gently drying his hands with a washcloth.

"Isn't it obvious, John?"

"Frankly, Sherlock, no. Not all of us are as keen as-"

The moment John turned his head towards the kitchen once more, he was speechless, the annoyed look on his face vanishing as his jaw slackened. He muttered a word without thinking.

"Eyelashes."

"What?"

"Your eyelashes...They're long."

"Yes. I would expect they should be. Extensions, John. Do keep up."

Sherlock's eyelashes weren't the only things that appeared longer. His hair was styled like a professional model, the top being straightened to give the lengthy appearance while the ends of the right side curled up in a swoop, his bangs covering most of his right eye. The eyelashes themselves gave the detective a very modest look, not too over the top but just enough to make his radiant eyes pop, some even on the bottom lid. His eyebrows were also different, cleaner and slightly arched.

John then noticed the man's fingernails and pierced ears, finally realising what Sherlock was up to.

...Dear God...

Sherlock smiled.

"Glad you're finally onboard. Come along then, Molly."

Sherlock spun around, grabbing the bags on the table and heading to his room. Molly did her best to mask her blush as she picked up the bags from the floor, following Sherlock to his room.

The two blonds were left in silence, occasionally hearing the rustling of bags and muffled conversation in the closed room. Jane had laid himself on the couch, resting his eyes with his hands clasped together on his stomach.

"........I'm sorry....about your wife and daughter..."

Jane didn't move a muscle.

"...You've been through my closet, haven't you?....I'll take that as a yes."

John exhaled.

"Sorry. I put everything back, I swear....Why do you have that box though? Aren't you just a consultant? I'm pretty sure that's illegal in some way."

"I made a replica for the CBI, they won't be missing it. Besides, it's more useful in my care."

"CBI? Never mind. You don't have to explain."

There was another short pause.

"I read your blog."

"Really? How is it?"

"Eh. The one with the dog was interesting. I find the comments far more entertaining though...You should post another one up soon."

"I take it you didn't enjoy The Chameleon Spider?"

Jane opened his eyes.

"Ah...Now that one was rather strange...Perhaps there'll even be a part two."

"Part two?"

"Oh, nothing...Just a gut feeling."

About an hour later, Molly stepped out of the room.

"I did all I could. Now it's your turn, Patrick."

The blond lifted his head, a questioning tone in his voice.

"What could I do?"

"Well, I certainly can't help him get dressed, unless you really don't want to?"

Jane immediately got up.

"No. No. I've got this...I'm not really one to share."

Jane stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. The place was a mess, bags thrown onto the wooden floor, make-up and skin care products piled on the bed. Sherlock was in front of his dresser, looking into the round mirror as he put on alexandrite silver drop earrings. He noticed Jane's reflection and smiled.

The detective then turned around and Jane was frozen in his tracks. Sherlock's eyes were decorated in eyeliner and mascara. However, the eyeshadow was by far the most breathtaking, deep purple fading to soft black and pink with white at the inner edges, and glitter that sparkled green in the light. Sherlock's eyes weren't the only parts showing colour. Incredibly light pink blush was blended just below his cheekbones and lipstick the same colour as his nails made his lips look like luscious silk.

An innocent smile grew on Jane's face as he approached the brunet.

"Do excuse my forwardness ma'am, I already have an amazing boyfriend, but I cannot deny that your beauty is quite striking."

Sherlock's cheeks filled with blood underneath the make-up.

"Oh my. I certainly wouldn't want to come between you two."

The detective's voice had rose dramatically, sounding slightly high-pitched and rather chipper.

"What is your name, if I may ask?"

"...Cassandra...Cassandra Blythe."

"Very nice to meet you, Cassandra."

Jane took Sherlock's hand and kissed it. There was a simple yet elegant alexandrite ring on his left middle finger. His neck was also adorned with silver and matching jewels, jewels that sparkled brilliantly in the dim light of the room.

"My...You're such a gentleman....Your boyfriend wouldn't mind helping a lady into her dress, would he?"

"Oh...I'm more than willing to take the heat from him if he doesn't."

The both of them smiled and Sherlock began to remove his grey button up shirt.