Beauty and the High-Functioning Sociopath {#PFCC2k16}

Murder Mayhem

"Okay, what's going on?" Alex asked. The doorbell rang again. 

"Excuse me." The butler said. "Stay here and get aquainted with one another."

"But I already know them!" Alex said. It was too late. The butler had already gone to the door. Alex turned to Molly. "Why are you here?"

"I got an invatation." Molly said. "Did you guys get an invitation too?"

"Yeah." Alex nodded. "Greg?"

"Me too." Greg said.

"Sherlock, I told you something bad was going to happen!" Alex said.

"Calm down." Sherlock said.

The butler came back into the den with John and Mary. They all gaped at one another. Alex was close to having a panic attack now. While they were waiting for the other guests to arrive, wine was served. Alex declined, but Sherlock took some.

"It isn't poisoned." He said. "I know for sure."

"I don't drink. You know that." Alex said. 

"You would like it." Molly said, taking a sip from her glass.

"It is pretty good." Lestrade agreed.

"Good means poison! Poison means dead friends!" Alex said.

"It isn't poisoned." Sherlock repeated. "But it is rather good."

Alex huffed and sat down. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to be at home, wrestling her dog on the floor or cuddled up on the couch with her husband and daughter watching a Disney movie. Or at least having a girls night with Mary and Molly. She didn't enjoy being cooped up in a mansion where she had the sense that something was going to happen. Something bad. The door opened again and the butler walked Sally and Anderson in. They were served some wine. Alex looked and felt utterly miserable. Molly sat down next to her on the couch.

"You don't look very happy." She said.

"I'm not." Alex said. "I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen." 

"I don't think anything bad is gonna happen." Molly said.

Molly and Alex talked while the butler showed some more people in. They weren't people Alex or Sherlock knew this time, but one of the girls seemed nice enough. She talked to Alex and Molly for awhile. Finally, the butler announced that dinner was served. They all went into the kitchen. Alex was seated between Sherlock and Molly. The people she and Sherlock knew were on one side of the table and the people who they didn't know were on the other side of the table. The chair at the head of the table was empty.

"Will our host be joining us?" John asked.

"He will be here in a few minutes." The butler said.

Alex wouldn't eat a single thing. Sherlock rolled his eyes and tried to get her to eat something. She wouldn't listen, worrying that she would get poisoned. 

"I'm not buying you McDonald's on the way home." He warned.

"I'll get something at the flat." Alex shrugged.

"The only things we have in the fridge are body parts." Sherlock said, smirking.

"Then I'll buy a pizza with my own money." Alex shrugged. She looked up and tilted her head. She looked at the butler. "Why isn't the chandelier over the center of the table? I mean, that's usually where it is."

"I don't really know." The butler said.

Alex shrugged and went back to pushing food around her plate like a child refusing to eat vegtibles. Sherlock was getting frustrated with her. Nothing seemed to be wrong at the moment. He put a spoonful of soup in his mouth and swallowed it. It tasted very good.