Sherlock was most perturbed.
He spent most of his morning when not with Kairi, down at Scotland Yard interviewing the family and friends of the murder victim. Judging by the victim's file, these were the people who had the most likely reason to murder Daniel Barnes. He also went through the dead officer's arrest list and narrowed down suspects to only a few recently released criminals. He had interviewed them as well and it lead to nothing. Sherlock felt as if his mind were reeling.
The evidence was going nowhere and it was absolutely infuriating. People either had absolute alibis for the time of death or no evidence to indicate they had been the person to stab and maim and dismember the victim. Sherlock was irate at this point. The case was at a standstill and he had done everything in his investigative power to uncover any sliver of evidence that would indicate the contrary.
He had wasted his morning gabbing with useless individuals who had no importance to the case and it drove him mad. He was vibrating as he paced through the halls of Scotland Yard, shushing out the din around him and focusing on what he knew.
From his most recent bout of interviews and re-examination of the evidence he came to the conclusion that the victim was somehow incapacitated while being tied and staked to render him immobile. However, Molly's testing had revealed no known anesthetic or drug in his system. The body was clean of all trace evidence, not even a fiber, not a drop of spittle, nothing. It was driving Sherlock into delirium. The absolute efficiency and perfection that the recently dubbed Sandman had demonstrated was something that fascinated him. He re-watched the video in his mind, seeing Daniel Barnes struggle and gurgle against his captor's exercise in depravity, the murderer's hands moving fluidly, without hesitation. The movements were practiced, exact, and almost beautiful in their implementation. Sherlock had the realization that he must have done this before, he must have experience in surgery, but he was exhausting the idea of it being a medical professional. Any person with a relation to the victim who also had medical expertise were not on his list of suspects. To be honest, he had no list of suspects. The idea of someone new, of someone random and interesting tickled him in his own dark way.
There was something nagging at the back of his mind that was plaguing him, blocking him from seeing the full picture. The murderer was intelligent, crafty, able to disassemble a body with ease while also being able to manipulate a computer on a very similar plane of expertise to Kairi.
It bothered him most that he was being taunted and toyed with and left with almost nothing to grasp at. In the case of serial killers, which Sherlock had no doubt the Sandman would become, they always slipped up somehow, but it was usually not until they began to grow bored with their victims. The Sandman was only just starting.
On the other hand, Sherlock was giddy with the prospect of a new and exciting killer that was actually a challenge. He detested the boring domestics or the passion driven slaughters, because of money and greed. He wanted to be challenged again, he wanted to be surprised. The Sandman was proving to be most surprising, but Sherlock still felt a hint of distaste and disappointment. The explosion and the video still nagged him. There was something odd about the fact that The Sandman was trying to reach out to him and John.
He still wanted to believe it was Moran, toying with them, but Kairi had been correct in her assessment, Moran did not fit the evidence presented. The Sandman seemed to be pleased with the killing, reveling in the blood and gore. He wanted the challenge, he wanted to beat Sherlock just like everyone else failed to do. Moran, however, did everything for Kairi. This thought burned him to the core, but he focused his attentions back on The Sandman. Moran had been thankfully absent since the incident with the stuffed dog. Sherlock hoped he would stay that way.
"Oi!" Sherlock was brought out of his thoughts by Lestrade who was standing at the door of his office shouting and waving at him, "Get in here, now! You need to see this." Lestrade growled, seeming upset.
Sherlock rose an eyebrow, he didn't think that he had insulted anyone enough today to deserve a pitiful tongue lashing by Lestrade, but he went anyway. The facts of the case were dulling in his mind, feeling empty and without purpose. It was most unfortunate to have to wait for The Sandman to strike again, though, Sherlock knew that The Sandman would and Sherlock would be the one to outsmart him.
Kairi sighed deeply, stretching out as usual after a very productive night with Sherlock. The light shining into her room was late morning sunshine and she was almost ashamed to admit that her and Sherlock had gone to bed rather early yesterday and ended up staying in bed the whole night through, preoccupied with each other or sleeping.
She glanced to her side to find the consulting detective replaced by her favorite pet. His head was resting on the pillow and his eyes shot open and Kairi giggled at him as his tail began thumping against her bed. She screeched slightly when he rolled quickly over to her to lick at her face which she tried to hide in her own pillow. He nudged and poked her with his nose, licking at her arms and ears and whining at her.
"Ok! Ok!" She screeched and Appa relented, practically rolling himself off of the bed with a clatter and Kairi laughed at him as he ran around the bed to attack her side. "Alright! I'm getting up! We will go for a walk." He seemed elated by that, so he ran off to bolt around the house for a minute while Kairi stood up slowly and stretched her sore limbs, thoughts of being partially incinerated miles and miles away. She ran her fingers through her hair, a bit disgusted by just how knotted it had become during the night. Sherlock had seemed to be insatiable and it was the first time Kairi had ever had so much sex in such a short period of time. If she was being honest with herself, it was the first time she ever had sex more than one time in twenty-four hours.
She giggled girlishly at the thought, how her and Sherlock seemed to get along with one another. She had suffered through previous relationships, enjoying the idea of companionship, but always feeling very let down by her eventual lack of interest in her partners. She wasn't big into dating in the first place, being consumed by school or work or both at one point or another, but she had met some nice men who she felt attracted to. In the end it fizzled, much like most relationships did, but she had a penchant for becoming disinterested in their contact, physical or emotional. It had always felt so exhausting trying to relate to people who had no concept of hardship. She didn't hate them for it - not always anyways - but it was hard to be interested in mundane things that normal people tended to obsess over. She cared for work. She cared for her dog. She cared about learning. She didn't care much for most television. She absolutely abhorred common gossip, celebrity or not. She enjoyed her books and the few shows she watched which not many people seemed wholly interested in. No one could understand why such a small and seemingly innocent looking blonde could be so enthralled by such darkly themed media.
Perhaps that's what her eventual attraction to Sherlock stemmed from. He was so very different and interesting than any other men she had met. His brilliance was fascinating and he really could be quite funny when he wanted to, but mostly when he wasn't trying. She always learned something being around him and when he became larger than life and overwhelming, she found comfort in Molly the Coroner, Lestrade the Cop, and John the Soldier. They were exactly the type of people who Kairi needed to be around. Funny and happy and interesting, but they all had a depth to them that Kairi found comforting. She didn't feel embarrassed about her past or her wounds around them. They all carried theirs with pride and they inspired her to do the same.
Her attention was caught by something on her night stand and she reached out, picking up. It was an envelope made of very high quality card stock. She felt her breath hitch in her throat as she turned it over, but she instantly exhaled, relaxing completely, noticing the horribly messy scrawl of her favorite detective. She pulled the envelope open and pulled out a folded piece of paper, opening it to reveal a flattened flower and she smiled, sliding it gently into her hand and inspecting it. Kairi knew absolutely nothing about flowers, but the shape of it indicated that it was some sort of orchid. It was white and pink and had a golden yellow hue to its tips. She bent over and took a whiff, smiling at the gentle fragrance. She chuckled lightly and then looked at the paper where Sherlock had written her something.
This is my attempt at sentiment. John said that women like flowers even though it seems a silly notion. This is a very, very rare Ghost Orchid. I have killed it for you. Mycroft would probably be furious if he found out, as it came from his personal garden.
Kairi let out a very loud laugh at that and she knelt down, pulling out a box from underneath her bed that contained some of her old photos that she couldn't bear to put around her home. She found a photo book, the kind with sticky sleeves that would help preserve photos and she took out the page and laid the flower inside of the sleeve to keep it flattened and protected. She slipped the letter on the opposite side, vowing to herself to keep Sherlock's little moments of sentiment perfectly for herself. That was one thing she hoped for from him and she greatly appreciated his effort in demonstrating his affection.
She placed the sleeve inside the drawer of her small table and went to go get herself dressed and ready for a walk with Appa. She had a few hours to kill before she would need to report to Mycroft. She would breach the interesting case that had developed, hoping that he wouldn't mind her assistance to his brother. She wanted to help her friends capture whoever was doing this. Thoughts of Sebastian Moran bubbled to the surface, fear gripping her chest slightly and she tried to calm her breathing, using techniques that Dr. Sherman had provided. She would deal with Sebastian Moran when it was time to deal with him, otherwise, she kept it locked away inside her mind. She had found it amusing when she realized that Sherlock had developed his mind palace based on Dr. Sherman's methodology.
She got dressed quickly, trying to keep the smile off of her lips thinking about the flower so graciously kidnapped and murdered for her. A snort escaped her, thinking that this was exactly the type of sentiment she wanted from Sherlock. He was no normal man and she was no normal woman. She didn't wish for anything to be different.
She plugged in her headphones and leashed Appa to her, preparing for a brisk walk to Regents Park, maybe she'd let Appa run around in the dog park. He needed some exercise and she was still working on rebuilding her health after her two-week stint as a recluse. Eating was still difficult, but at least her smoking habit had decreased slightly and she wasn't guzzling whiskey by the bottle each day.
She locked her flat and went to exit Baker Street with very loud music thumping into her ears, effectively hushing out the rest of the world. As she opened the door and looked forward she was absolutely appalled by the scene in front of her.
Someone reached up and yanked out her head phones as bright lights flashed all around her, accompanied by shouting, faceless voices all screaming at her at the same time.
"Are you and Sherlock Holmes in a relationship?"
"Do you live in Baker Street with him?"
"Are you two shagging?"
"How long have you been shagging?"
"What's your name?"
"How did you meet?"
Kairi's mouth dropped open staring at a huge throng of reporters flashing their cameras and she could do nothing else but flap her mouth open and shut as they flashed pictures of her standing in a pair of sweatpants and an off the shoulder sweatshirt from her old college back in the states. The questions did not relent despite Appa barking ferociously to keep the throng of photographers and reporters at bay.
"What does Dr. Watson think of Sherlock's change in sexuality?"
"Do you guys share!?"
"How big is his-?"
Kairi gasped, ready to lunge at someone and that's when she felt someone's hand grasp the back of her shirt and yank her backwards, back into Baker Street. She turned to see Mycroft hiding behind the door as he slammed it shut and the reporters' shouts began to lull.
"Good morning Ms. Aria." He stated, not sounding the least bit pleased.
Kairi was still staring at him, her mouth flapping open and shut in utter humiliation.
"It seems we need to have a discussion. Join us in Baker Street for tea." Mycroft turned and began walking up the stairs to 221B. Kairi silently followed, shaking like a leaf as she placed deliberate steps on the stairs to keep herself from tumbling down. She reached over and unclipped Appa and he trotted up the stairs happily, following Mycroft into Sherlock's flat.
When she finally reached the top level, she shuffled into 221B, still absolutely flabbergasted. She looked up and saw John sitting in his chair, an amused grin that he was desperately trying to hold back as he shook his head at the floor. Mycroft was standing in front of the mantle, glaring at a newspaper. Appa was curled around the feet of her now official boyfriend who sat in his chair, eyes closed, silently fuming, with fingers steepled beneath his nose.
"What in God's name is happening?" Kairi finally spat out.
John let out a quiet bit of laughter and Kairi shot him a glare but was shocked out of her fit of anger as Mycroft snapped the paper in his hands and then walked it over to Kairi and held it out for her to see.
She gasped, covering her mouth in horror as she looked at the front page and she read aloud, her voice cracking with repugnance, "Boffin Sherlock Holmes and his new Buxom Bird!?" The large, front page photo was from the day before, when they walked with Appa to the Internet Cafe. It was a rare shot, Kairi looking down at her feet, smiling wide, but the most appalling thing was that Sherlock was looking down at her, a wide and loving smile on his face, seeming like he was adoring her. She looked up at Mycroft who seemed to be stewing with disappointment and then she looked to John who was trying to hold back laughter, "Quit laughing John!" Kairi screeched and he began to chuckle behind his hand, "Those reporters out there were asking if you and I shared him!" She shouted at him and he stopped chuckling in an instant, disgust written on his features. "Jesus, that picture wasn't anything! We were walking to the Internet cafe for the case!" Her eyes scanned the rest of the document, insinuations, guesses to her identity, and scathing remarks about her average body and looks. She felt her stomach drop and twist in on itself and her heart began beating furiously in her chest. "Oh dear god..." She shook her head and looked to Sherlock whose eyes were now open and staring at her, displeasure obvious on his features. "Oh Sherlock, I'm so sorry." She felt tears brimming in her eyes. She felt like an idiot, knowing well that Sherlock had no desire to make their relationship public, especially not to the general populace. "I don't know how this happened."
He stood slowly and walked over to her, stiff and stoic as he stood in front of her. Kairi dropped her head, feeling ashamed, feeling guilty and sad. The fear of losing Sherlock was sharp in her gut. She didn't want to disrupt his life, she didn't want to cause difficulty and now it seemed that's all that she ever did, get herself into trouble and pull people down with her.
She felt his hand rest underneath her chin and lift her face. She wanted to resist, but he nudged her with more force until her eyes met his steely blue ones. She bit her lip in nervousness and prepared herself for a scathing dismissal.
Sherlock smiled and it shocked her. His features were soft and kind as he looked down at her, the corner of his mouth lifting as he looked at her with clear eyes, "I don't believe this changes our arrangement."
Kairi gulped back her surprise, "You aren't upset with me?"
Sherlock shook his head, "No, not with you. With those depraved imbeciles? Of course. They've effectively put you in danger by publicizing your relationship with me and I will not rest until all of them have been repaid in full for their stupidity." He leaned forward and placed a full kiss on her lips. Kairi let herself get lost in the feeling of his lips against hers and his tongue gently lapping at her bottom lip until someone cleared their throat behind them.
"This is an unfortunate development Sherlock." Mycroft said with utmost distaste. Kairi pulled away from Sherlock and spared a glance at her boss who simply nodded at her, "I mean no disrespect Kairi, you have been -," He paused, choosing his words carefully, "Beneficial to my brother's temperament, however, the press does love to hate, brother mine. You two will need to be careful or make a statement."
Sherlock rolled his eyes as he turned away from Kairi to approach his brother in stiff disdain, "I do not have the slightest desire to let the public know of my private life. I rather enjoy their feeble attempts to understand me, their tiny minds do make such drastic leaps for alluring calumny. This will fade to the wayside just as everything else does. The general populace has the most abhorrent attention span, don't you agree?"
Mycroft nodded, "However, dear brother, you must realize that they will not stop until they've unearthed much of Kairi's past." He took this moment to glance at Kairi who was still standing, staring in disbelief at Mycroft. Sherlock took a moment to look behind him and notice the fear written on her features. He had no desire for her to be showcased the to the entire nation at an attempt to vilify him.
"Damn." Sherlock growled. He turned sharply and walked around Kairi who was still standing in shock, gripping the newsprint like a lifeline. He grabbed his jacket and threw it onto his shoulders with a flourish, "John, come along. I can't be seen without my precious bachelor." He smirked and John cursed at Sherlock as he followed.
Sherlock stomped down the stairs, tying his scarf in his deliberate manner and popping up his collar. He stopped at the door when John put a hand to it. "What will you do?" John asked and Sherlock sighed.
He glared at John, "I will tell them the truth." John opened his mouth to protest but Sherlock stopped him, "I will tell them the relevant truth." John sighed in relief as Sherlock threw open the doors to Baker Street to be met with shouts and flashing lights. He put up a hand and the reporters went silent as he glared at each and every one of them. They all desired to get juicy tid-bits on Sherlock Holmes, but they also knew what he could do to someone who slandered his name. None of them ever dared to mention Kitty Riley in public anymore.
"It has come to my attention that there have been assumptions to my personal life." Sherlock began with his most dangerous tone, "My work is my personal life, myonly devotion. The woman I am pictured with is assisting on a case and that is all you need to know of her and her involvement. If you have further questions about the case you may direct yourselves to Detective Inspector Lestrade at Scotland Yard. There is nothing more that needs to be said." He growled and the press had the decency to look a little scared. One reporter went to open his mouth and Sherlock shot him a glare that shut him up, "Good day." He nodded and him and John turned on their heels and went back into Baker Street with Sherlock fuming. He was happy to see the press had learned their lesson in tangling with him, at least for now.
When he got back up to Baker Street, Kairi was sitting in his chair, slouching and looking exhausted already. She was sipping on some tea that Mycroft had prepared for her. Sherlock lifted his eyebrows at Mycroft who gave him a withering look. Sherlock only smirked as he walked into the kitchen to grab some for himself. He noticed it was Mycroft's preferred blend, one that he hated on principle, but he knew it to be of great quality. He found it amusing that Kairi enjoyed Mycroft's tea and that Mycroft had actually made her some.
He felt his phone begin to vibrate and he pulled it out, staring at the screen and seeing a name that made his blood run cold. He silenced the phone and shoved it back in his pocket, ignoring the dread that curled within his gut. He grabbed a cup and saucer and began to pour his tea until he heard something in the other room that made him blanche.
Mycroft picked up his phone, "Yes." He stated simply and glanced down at Kairi only for a moment.
She looked back up at him nervously, wondering if she'd be tanked for this debacle. He gave her a small, pained smile and continued his conversation ignoring her.
"Yes of course." He replied into the receiver.
Kairi watched as Sherlock came from the kitchen, gripping his tea cup as he glared at his brother.
"Well that may be difficult, but I'm sure we can arrange something." Mycroft smiled evilly at his brother and Sherlock scowled at him. "Yes of course." He paused now, looking slightly uncomfortable, "Yes, erm, its reciprocated." He said quietly and then hung up.
"Who was it?" Sherlock was breathing heavily, anger obvious in his words and features. Kairi felt her heart beating furiously. What could have happened to make things so dramatically fucked up? Sherlock looked furious and Mycroft looked mischievous. If Mycroft deigned to show any emotion, it was always something to be wary about.
"I just received the most interesting phone call." Mycroft smiled and then turned to Kairi with a wide grin on his lips, "Good news Kairi."
Kairi looked up at him, terror threatening all of her features, "Yes?"
Mycroft glanced back at Sherlock, a wry smile on his lips, "You've been invited to Christmas."
Kairi's eyes widened, "What's Christmas? Is it code for exile? Am I supposed to go back to the states? Are you going to throw me in a trunk with a black hood and kill me?"
Mycroft let out a chuckle at that as Sherlock groaned, "No dear," He smiled again at his brother, "Mummy is so very interested in meeting Sherlock's only girlfriend."
"What?" Kairi murmured, her heart in her throat, threatening to burst out of her mouth. "I'm sorry, mummy?"
Sherlock kicked at John's chair which caused John to flinch violently as he snickered. "Damn you!" Sherlock shouted at Mycroft.
"Mummy?" Kairi repeated, looking at Sherlock this time as he paced, going between glaring at his brother and ruffling his hands through his unruly hair.
"Yes, mummy," Sherlock snarled, "Our mother and presumably, father as well."
Kairi's eyes widened, "Oh." She gulped back her tension, "We only just decided that we were going to be -," She paused, receiving a glare from Sherlock, "And they already want to meet me?"
Mycroft let out a titter, "Oh yes. Its most amusing to see such a development in Sherlock's life. Mummy will be most pleased that our dear Sherlock has developed sentiment for a woman." He couldn't hold back his smiles now and it was starting to scare Kairi just how much Mycroft enjoyed seeing his brother suffer, "Though I'm sure mummy would have been pleased if Sherlock did in fact, bring home Dr. Watson."
"Oi! I'm not gay!" John let out in a frustrated growl and Kairi couldn't help but laugh, trying to keep her horror at bay. The woman who raised Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes and helped them become the most infamous and brilliant men of their time wanted to meet her. There was no way she was good enough for Sherlock Holmes, no way his mother would approve. Perhaps that's why he was so dismayed.
She sighed, trying to keep her anxiety from creeping into her tone, "Well, I guess if we've got Christmas with your family, its customary for us to spend Thanksgiving with mine." Sherlock looked at her, his eyes wide with what looked like fear, "What? I've already promised to visit them. You may as well come." She grumbled as his face fell in disappointment. "You have to admit my sister is much more tolerable than your brother." She winked at Mycroft, who for the first time in his life, let out a genuine bark of laughter at his brother's expense.