His Favorite Melody

Dinner Time

"I need to make a phone call. John, Sherlock, you both need to eat soon. Adler...just stay there and keep your hands and everything else to your bloody self." Melody said as she stood up and pulled her mobile from her pocket.

Sherlock grabbed her hand, and she looked back at him. His expression was rather even, but she could tell he was thinking about a million things at once. She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss, squeezed his hand, and then walked down the stairs as she pressed a few buttons.

"Melody, what has he done?" Mycroft's voice sounded utterly defeated.

"He was showing off. By the time I realized, it was too late. Mycroft, I'm so sorry." She apologized.

"A car will be there in thirty seconds."

"Understood."

XxxxxxX

When Melody arrived at the air strip, her stomach was in knots. Mycroft stood outside of a plane, waiting tensely for her. As she exited the car, they made eye contact. She was silent as she approached him, and the silence lingered as they stared at each other for a moment.

"I should have seen it sooner. I should have stopped him from saying anything." Melody said, ashamed of herself.

"Miss Hudson, this is in no way your fault. Regardless of what your involvement in this case has been, I am first and foremost responsible for the events that have unfolded. I put the two of you in her line of sight, and I can not forgive myself for that." Mycroft assured her.

"I honestly think he would have found a way to this eventually. If my theory is correct, then someone else would have gotten us wrapped up in all of this anyway."

"Your theory?"

"There's been something tugging at my mind for some time now, and I fear that it's only going to become more prominent in the coming days. Moriarty called me a princess. Like some sort of...fairytale. If that's the case, what if he's the villain? Villains have minions. And Irene Adler is, well, to be frank, one hell of a minion."

"You may be closer on this one than you think. Dearest Melody, I wish I could keep you away from all of this, but I fear that you may have been unwittingly dragged into the epicenter of it."

"As long as I have you and my Baker Street boys, I know that I'm well taken care of. I just hope we can get out of this without too many battle scars left on us. Physically and mentally."

"I hope the same. Now that we're here, however, I need to explain to you exactly what Sherlock deciphered so you can understand just how deep we are in trouble."

XxxxxxX

Melody sat in Mycroft's office, now dressed in a smart trouser and blazer, her leg bouncing a million kilometers a second. After her rattling discussions with Mycroft, he sent her to his place to get ready for an official meeting to get the situation settled.

Her mobile buzzed, alerting her that she had received a text. Mycroft was letting her know they had arrived. She steeled her nerves and stood in the center of the room, waiting for everyone to enter. As they did, she took in all of their expressions. Mycroft seemed defeated and apologetic as he looked at her. Sherlock looked relieved to see her and somewhat irritated that they were there at all. Finally, Irene trailed in, looking smug and self-satisfied. She threw a wink at Melody, causing the woman to tense up but not react otherwise.

Sherlock walked over to Melody and pressed a swift kiss to her cheek. He sat in a chair, and Melody sat on the arm ot it with her hand playing with the curls at the base of his skull. He placed one hand comfortably on her thigh.