Title: Lead Us Not
Fandom: Sherlock BBC
Rating: G
Length: 492 words
Summary: Jim Moriarty has seen something he likes.

Sebastian Moran suspected something was on Jim Moriarty’s mind when they walked down the same Parisian street for the third time in one day.  Had it been a street which was on the direct route between their small and discrete hotel and the main tourist areas he would have understood, but to his mind it took them off the quickest route.  It would have made sense if it had been one of the seedier streets where they were expecting to meet a contact, but this was a perfectly respectable street in, as far as Seb could tell, a perfectly respectable quarter.

He had thought about raising the question with Jim that evening but following a rather drunken evening in which Jim had won unsurprisingly well at roulette, it hadn’t seemed to Seb to be quite appropriate.

In fact, he had decided to forget all about the street, until the following morning Jim led them once more along the same route, paused once more outside the same small shop and then said, “I shouldn’t,” and resumed walking.

“What shouldn’t you do, Boss?” Seb asked.

“I don’t really need any more candlesticks,” Jim replied.  Which seemed a strange thing to say.

Seb thought and said, “True, you’ve got the candelabra for your dining table and the four candlesticks in your posh room.”

“Drawing room, Seb,” Jim said with a sigh.  “It’s my drawing room.”

“Yeah, there.  It’s not as if the power goes off very often, so that we need candles.  And you can’t get those fancy ones with the funny smells into normal candlesticks.”

“You’re right,” Jim agreed.  He stopped walking and added, “But they are Louis XIV and…  Maybe I’ll just take another quick look.”

They turned round and retraced their route, Jim walking briskly past the shop, taking a very quick look in the window, but one which Seb knew would mean he had memorised every detail.  To be safe, Seb, walking along the other side of the street took a couple of photos, both to capture the item in question and also the relevant surrounds.

“How often do I give into temptation?” Jim asked.

Seb rapidly considered the question.  He had a feeling the correct answer wasn’t going to be, ‘all the time’, so he risked saying, “Not often, Boss, not often.”

“And yet…”

“Well, your birthday is coming up,” Seb said diplomatically.  Which was true.  He hadn’t specified in how many months.  At least it was before Christmas, otherwise he’d have had to say Christmas was coming up, but that seemed a bit far-fetched in April.

“Very true.  In which case I think I shall get myself an early birthday present.  I suggest we return at 2 o’clock to do our little bit of shopping.”

“Two, Boss?  It might be a little busy then.”

“In the morning, Sebby, in the morning.”

“That’s all right then,” Seb nodded.  “We can manage it then; we should have the shop to ourselves.”