sherlolly, greek mythology AU - your choice about which gods they would be!
I definitely answered these prompts out of order….obviously, since I think this is the last one you sent. :P Hope that you enjoy! It sort of got away from me…So the story is Orpheus and Eurydice inspired. It’s also partially an arranged marriage (Victorian era) AU as well. There’s lots of stuff going on. :P
And just in case anyone is curious, yes, you should be picturing Hades as Jim Moriarty.
Molly looked up at the Lord of the Underworld.“What?” He was known for playing games and he’d taken a certain liking to hersince she’d been down here.
“He’s come for you. His mother was a Muse…hisbrother is the consort of the Goddess of Wisdom.” Hades waved his handnonchalantly. “He’s been granted certain…privileges. So he’s come down herewith his violin and played his sad little song and made a plea to get youback.”
“But why?” she asked, confused. She’d knownSherlock Holmes for six months and been married to him for three of those,before her untimely death. She could count the number of warm conversationsshe’d had with him on one hand during that time. When she died, she wasn’t even sure if her husband would mourn or if he would be relieved.
“He said that he’s going mad without you. Heneeds you. It was all really quite sweet. Even brought a tear to my eye,” Hadessaid, pouting slightly. He then held out his hand to Molly. She hesitated and asly grin appeared on his face. “Unless you don’t want to go with him. You couldalways stay down here with me…we could have some fun, Mrs. Holmes.”
Molly shook her head and reached up to take theGod’s hand. “If my husband has traveled to the Underworld to retrieve me, itwould be rude of me to send him away.”
Hades’ smile was sharp and dangerous, settingher on edge. “Shame. I’ll just have to wait for you to return to me again.”With that, he turned and started making his way through the labyrinth oftunnels that made up the Underworld. Molly followed behind, having to almostjog to keep up with him. He was hardly any taller than she was, but he seemedto glide along the stones with an ease that she didn’t possess. Probablybecause she was just a mere mortal.
She wasn’t sure how long they were travelingfor when suddenly, Hades stopped and turned to her with a sly grin. “I forgotto mention one thing. He can’t see you until you get back up to the surface. Ifhe turns around and sees you, you’ll be sent back down here for good. You can’tgive away your presence at all – he’s just going to have to trust that you’refollowing him. Can’t make a sound. Understand, darling?”
Molly shrugged. “Shouldn’t be too hard. It’snot like he paid much attention to my presence while I was alive anyway.” Sheslapped a hand over her mouth. Her tongue had loosened down here in theUnderworld. She’d have to rein it in again if she reentered the world of theliving. When she reentered the world of the living.
Hades smirked at her before holding a finger upto his lips. “Quiet as a mouse now, Mrs. Holmes. Can’t let your husband knowyou’re behind him. He’s just in the next room.”
Molly nodded and watched as Hades entered theroom. She took a deep breath and then quickly bent down to remove her slippers,figuring that her footfalls would be quieter if she was barefoot. Then sheentered.
Sherlock’s back was to her, as she hadexpected. But instead of the put together man that she had married, there was anear stranger before her. His hair, so often slicked back, was in its naturallycurly state. She’d only been privy to the sight once, the morning after they’dconsummated their marriage. They hadn’t shared a bed since then. His usuallyproud posture was slumped and he just seemed…defeated. His violin dangleddangerously from his hand and she feared that he would drop it – his mosttreasured possession and it seemed as if he couldn’t care less about it. Hadher death done this to him? Or were there forces at work here that she wasn’taware of?
Hades spoke up, now standing in front of Sherlock. “AlrightMr. Holmes. I have summoned your wife. Whether or not she follows is herchoice. The rules are simple: she doesn’t let you know if she’s following youand you don’t look back to check. Do we have an agreement?”
Sherlock just nodded. Molly felt moved to reachout and touch him but knew it was against the recently restated rules. Shecouldn’t. She clenched her fists and stood her ground.
Slowly, her husband started to move forward. Molly lethim take a few steps before she started to follow him. The path seemed flat,but she knew that they were ascending. The air started to feel lighter as theykept walking.
Suddenly Sherlock broke the silence of their journey.“Molly,” he said softly and Molly had to shove her fist in her mouth to stifleher gasp at the sound of his voice. It was just as beautiful as she remembered.“I know you can’t say anything. If you’re even following me…I don’t know whyyou would be, since I never gave you any reason to while we were acquainted.But I hope you are.”
Molly bit her tongue until she could feel thesharp tang of blood fill her mouth. They continued on.
Just a few moments later, Sherlock raised hisviolin to his chin and started to play the most beautiful song she’d everheard. It started out light and playful and then grew into a lush, romanticmelody. It took on a mournful tone just as Molly noticed that she could see thelight of the mortal world in front of them. They had almost made it.
The mournful melody continued and grew frenziedas they walked closer to the surface. Just as Sherlock reached the surface, themelody turned rich and romantic once more and Molly ran up the last few feet ofthe path, breathing a sigh of relief as she felt living grass beneath her toesand felt the sunshine on her face for the first time in….actually she didn’tknow how long she had been dead for.
Sherlock bent down and laid his violin down inthe meadow, sighing heavily.
“Sherlock,” she breathed, reaching out to herhusband. He stood up and spun around and Molly’s eyes widened. In addition tothe curly hair, he’d clearly not shaved in days and had bags under his eyes. Helooked thinner than she remembered too. “Oh my sweet husband,” she whispered,her fingers tentatively brushing against his waistcoat.
“Molly,” he muttered, before falling to hisknees. He drew her close and buried his face in her stomach. She could feel histears wetting the material of her dress. “Oh my darling, forgive me. Forgiveme,” he begged.
She ran her fingers through his hair, gently tuggingon the curls there so that he was looking up at her. But Sherlock wouldn’tcomply. He held her tighter, until it was difficult to breathe. “Sherlock,please, look at me. You can now.” He shook his head, his face still pressedtightly to her stomach.
Molly tried a different approach. “The song youplayed while we were walking was beautiful. I’ve never heard it before…did youcompose it?”
That finally got him to look up at her. “Foryou, Molly. I thought of you with every note.”
Molly’s knees weakened and shecollapsed beside her husband. “What?”
Sherlock scooted forward, his big handscovering her cheeks. His aversion to looking at her was gone now and he seemedto drink her in like a starving man. “It was for you. I’ve been composing it sinceyou died…I haven’t played anything else.” He lurched forward and she felt himpress his forehead against hers. “Oh Molly. My Molly, my wife, will you forgiveme? Say you will, please,” he begged her again.
“For what, Sherlock?” she asked, bewildered.
“If I had done my duty…if I had been a goodhusband, I would have been with you that day. You wouldn’t have been struck bythat hansom cab…you wouldn’t have died. I wouldn’t have lost you.”
She smiled softly at him, stroking her thumbsagainst his cheeks, wiping away his tears. His eyes had closed again. “Ohdarling. There’s nothing to forgive…you went to the Underworld to get me back.I think that you have more than done your duty, husband.”
His eyes opened again and for a moment,Molly felt like she couldn’t breathe under his scrutiny. “I love you, Molly.I behaved abhorrently; I should have let you know every day that we weremarried how I had come to care for you. But it scared me and I thought it waseasier to keep you at arm’s length. But when you died…I went mad. I couldn’t…”His voice broke and he shook his head, his curls bouncing wildly. “Don’t everleave me again. Please Molly.”
She nodded and leaned forward, brushing herlips against his in a chaste kiss. Leaning back, her thumb tracing over hislips lovingly. “You love me? Truly?”
He chuckled. “More than life itself, it wouldseem.” He leaned forward this time, capturing her lips in a kiss that was muchless chaste than the one that she had instigated.
