Born in Black and White

Chapter 23

John had stopped by after Kairi was fed and rested to drop off some clothes for her return to Baker Street. She was incredibly grateful since Sherlock informed her that the only clothing available to her was the robe she arrived in. She was happy to finish the sign out process in a pair of her most comfortable sweatpants and an oversized sweater. She got carted home by Sherlock at her side, a protective arm around her waist. She still felt very weak, all of her muscles had that sort of feeling you get after the most strenuous exercise you've ever done. All she wanted to do was get home and get some sleep.

The ride back to Baker Street wasn't very lengthy, but Kairi found herself desperately wishing it would end. The hustle and bustle of life around her seemed to fry her senses and she felt as if she would short-circuit her brain again from sensory overload. At some point she closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of her seat. She tried to breathe in slowly and evenly, tuning out the general hysterics of the world around her. Sherlock was sitting close to her now and she relished in his presence. His warmth at her side was comforting on so many levels. It was not just that the warmth was actually comforting, it being so damn cold all the time, but the fact that he had deliberately sat closer to her so they were touching. It made her smile to think that it was no happy accident. Sherlock was a decidedly deliberate person.

When they reached Baker Street, Sherlock helped Kairi out of the cab, a protecting arm encircling her once again as they climbed the meager steps to the front door. They walked in and shut the door and Kairi was almost ecstatic to see that it was quiet and presumably empty. She glanced at Sherlock who nodded to her as they walked to her flat and she gave a quiet thanks to the universe that Sherlock was actually quite intuitive when he wanted to be. He had ensured her homecoming would be quiet - at least for the moment.

They entered Kairi's home and Kairi's heart dropped a bit when she wasn't met with her own private welcome home party.

"I thought it was best for you to get some more rest. When you awake we can retrieve him." Sherlock added as he removed his large coat and hung it on the back of her chair.

"Sure." She pouted slightly, but understood. "Thank you."

They stood in silence and Kairi stared around her home trying to figure out what had happened to her that caused her seizure. She knew it was something psychologically big, since all of her tests came back clean. She wracked her brain for a moment until she felt a hand on her lower back. She turned and saw Sherlock Holmes looking very seriously at her.

"Rest first. We will find out what happened later." He murmured quietly.

Kairi smiled up at him weakly, "Alright, alright." She waved her hands in weak defeat and then continued into her room. She began to undress and she heard the tiniest change in breath in the detective behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Sherlock standing in her doorway, facing the other direction. "Oh, so now you get shy?" She laughed as she pulled off her clothing.

"I would assume you'd want some privacy to rest." He said as levelly as he could muster.

Kairi smiled at his back and walked over to him and placed a hand on his back. He turned ever so slightly to glance at her over his shoulder and she could see the intensity in his eyes as he looked over her in her tank top and underwear. "You have assumed incorrectly." She said back to him in her best impersonation.

She pushed his shoulder slightly to turn him towards her and began to slowly unbutton his suit jacket. His breathing was even as she slid it off of his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He didn't move, he only watched her, her hair draping over her shoulders and laying across the tops of her breasts, and her skin looked like the color was increasing exponentially. Her eyes would glance up at him, under heavy lashes and he could see the depth of her feelings behind them. It took his breath away to see such raw emotion and have it directed at him. Kairi was not one to shield herself, at least not with him. His exhale was a little more ragged when her tiny fingers began to pick at the buttons on his shirt. The first three were undone and she leaned in slowly and kissed his chest gently, her tongue just barely sneaking out to meet his skin. Sherlock inhaled tightly and then his hands grabbed her hips, his fingers digging into the skin there, meeting the scrap of lace that lined the top of her underwear and he held her at a slight distance.