For Joan

[theodorelasso]

Continued from here.

(warnings: sexytimes. also, panic attacks, brutal violence, attempted murder, discussion of suicide and actual murder... )

Comments

[formersurgeon]

"Doesn't mean it's not true," she says with a smile, licking her fingers as well. She does sincerely prefer Ted's cooking, but this stuff is pretty good. She can see how he could add to the mix and make it incredible. "Mmm. How many of these should we make?"

[theodorelasso]

"I think I could gobble down two or three more of these, easy, so keep 'em coming," he answers, spreading jam on the second one. "Or I could take over, if you like."

[formersurgeon]

"I've got it," she says, pouring another ladle of the batter into the pan. "You can sit down if you like." It would probably be good to get him off that cast, and she'd like to take care of him a little.

[theodorelasso]

"Thanks," he says gratefully, giving her a one-armed hug and a kiss on the top of the head. Then he carefully limps back over to the bed, sitting down on top of the covers with a tired grunt, before digging into the second pancake.

[formersurgeon]

She leans into that hug, smiling at the kiss. Then she continues cooking the pancakes. Since the pancakes are thin they cook up quickly, so it's not long before she comes over with two plates with three pancakes each. She hands one to Ted and sits with the other.

[theodorelasso]

"Dinner in bed, what a luxury," he comments with a smile, accepting the plate and stacking it on top of his other now empty plate. "Oh, do we have something to drink? Sorry, should've asked before you sat down."

[formersurgeon]

"It's okay," she says, leaning in to kiss his cheek before getting up, carrying her plate with her. "I think we have milk and some cans of juice. Do you have a preference?"

[theodorelasso]

"Oh I'm good with either, but milk gives me the toots, so I think it's your preference we should be worried about," Ted quips with a smile.

[formersurgeon]

She laughs a little at that cute, folksy way to convey that bit of information. "Canned orange juice it is," she says, grabbing a couple and returning to the bed. "No apple juice, unfortunately," she says, handing him a can.

[theodorelasso]

He considers making a 'orange yous glad' joke, but decides against it.

"Don't think I've had either in a can before," he answers, opening it and taking a sip. Tastes the same but the experience is a little different. He sets it down then starts digging into the pancakes.

"You know, this place ain't so bad, but it could really benefit from some sort of home entertainment," he comments, looking around the boring mostly empty room.

[formersurgeon]

"It could," she agrees after taking a sip of her orange juice. "I think the argument was that it was important to use as little electricity as possible. This room doesn't exist in any official capacity, and the electricity is being taken from nearby sources. The fridge and the stove are necessities, but a TV is not."

[theodorelasso]

"Alright, but, you know, analog options. Board games. Deck of cards. Maybe some books or something," he suggests. They're sort of limited to 'spin the bottle' or 'never have I ever'. And he assumes there's no alcohol, so those wouldn't even be that fun.

[formersurgeon]

"I'll pass on the suggestion to Sherlock," she says with a smile. "You're right, though, there should be something. This particular safehouse is usually used for short term stays." She bumps his shoulder gently with hers. "I think we can keep ourselves occupied. We could tell each other stories. Or play 'two truths and a lie.'"

[theodorelasso]

"Ooh, yes, 'two truths and a lie' is great," Ted answers excitedly, as he shifts around to face her, crossing his legs. "You got one ready, wanna go first?"

[formersurgeon]

Joan hums as she chews her mouthful of pancake, thinking. "Okay," she says after swallowing. "When I was a kid I was obsessed with the mafia. I helped my dad write a book based on Sherlock and me. And I dated Sherlock's brother."

[theodorelasso]

Ted gets increasingly intrigued throughout the statements. "Hoo boy, okay," he says, frowning thoughtfully. "You did say your father is a writer, so I'm gonna assume that one is true, unless it's a misdirection."

He clicks his tongue thoughtfully. "The first one is hard, because little girls are mysterious and powerful, and you absolutely could have, but I think it's a misdirection, since this is your third career. But the last one sounds like a 'crazy but true' situation. So I'm gonna go with the first one."

[formersurgeon]

Joan smiles. "The mafia was like a soap opera when I was a kid. I had friends who swore they had relatives in the mob. This was before the big crackdown in the late 80s. It actually helped me with a case later on when we had to identify a body that turned out to be the son of one of the dons." She tilts her head. "Want to try again?"

[theodorelasso]

"Oh, woow," Ted answers, delighted. He doesn't mind getting it wrong as long as he gets fun stories like that! "Alright, in that case, I'm gonna go with the last one."

[formersurgeon]

Joan's smile deepens, but there's the slightest hint of sadness in it.

"His name is Mycroft. He's Sherlock's older brother. We met the first time Sherlock and I came London, and hit it off. We had what I think both of us assumed was a one night stand, that turned into more when he came to New York."

[theodorelasso]

Ted raises his eyebrows. What kind of name is Mycroft? Exactly the kind of name the brother of someone named Sherlock would have, he supposes.

"Alright, let's circle back to that - so your dad, total misdirection?" he asks curiously.

[formersurgeon]

"Well. My dad did write a book based on Sherlock and me. But I didn't help him. In fact, he didn't tell me about it at all. I found out when Captain Gregson asked if I had read my dad's latest book."

Joan had been furious with her father over that.

[theodorelasso]

"Yikes," Ted agrees. He'd be a bit miffed if his mom wrote a book about him without asking. That seems highly unlikely, of course. Although Ted is probably more used to being in the spotlight than Joan is. He's gotten the impression the intentionally avoid it.

"So, what happened next? Did you guys make up?"

[formersurgeon]

Joan is a fairly private person, and Sherlock is intensely so, so having their lives out there like that, however veiled, rankled them both.

"We did. We talked about it, and he told me he had done it to feel closer to me. I'm actually going to be helping him with the sequel. With Sherlock's permission, I might add."

[theodorelasso]

Aww. Well, as far as motivations go, that's at least pretty sweet, even if the method was foolish.

"Oh! So it was a trick question," Ted says. "If you'd asked me in like, a year, it would've been true! Can I demand a mistrial or something?" he asks, chuckling.

[formersurgeon]

"Aren't trick questions and technicalities part of the fun?" she asks, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Come on, your turn. What do you got for me?"