A Study In Living With Sherlock Holmes 4/22
Title: A Study Of Living With Sherlock Holmes
Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock, John, or anyone else in the BBCSherlock Universe.
Genre: General, Friendship, Angst, Drama
Rating: Several chapters will have some angst, ptsd, references to drug use and alcoholism, murder, crime, violence, language, and sexuality.
Characters: John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, with appearances of DI Lestrade, Mrs Hudson, Mike Stamford, Molly Hooper and others.
Summary: John Watson moves into 221B Baker Street after the events of 'A Study In Pink'. He had no idea what he would be in for, living with an eccentric genius like Sherlock Holmes, but if the first twenty four hours are anything to go by, then he knows he's in for a ride
Chapter Four Word Count: 2,018
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Date: February 1st, Day 2
Location: Therapy
Time: 1:30 pm
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"What has changed in your life John?"
John looks at Ella, his therapist and so many different thoughts pop up into his head.
I moved in with a man that calls himself a high functioning sociopath.
Although now that he's had time to think about that claim, John's not sure if that is true.
I moved in with a man that seems to be able to see everything, and see right through people in a matter of seconds.
John wonders how Sherlock developed that skill. That ability.
I shot a man to protect someone I only knew for a day. And I don't feel upset about it.
John remembers the conversation with Sherlock, after the man got himself away from Lestrade.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes of course."
"Well you have just killed a man."
"Yes... that's true... but he wasn't a very nice man."
"No... no, he wasn't really, was he?
"No, frankly, a bloody awful cabbie."
John clears his throat, pushing down the urge to giggle again as the image of that conversation plays out. Be inappropriate to laugh now. It was inappropriate to laugh then..
Far too much has happened to tell her.
"I'm not sure where to begin with that," He finally decides to say, sounding a bit bewildered to his own ears.
She smiles. "First, how about your leg?"
"Hmm?"
"You walked without a problem, and with the cane. What happened?"
"Mind over matter," John says, not sure how to explain it to Ella. He thought about mentioning Sherlock and what happened since he met him, but the moment he sat down, he wasn't so sure about that now.
"You're evading, John."
True. "It's a bit complicated."
"All right. Anything else?"
"I moved out of the bedsit. Moved in with someone yesterday."
"Good. A veteran like yourself?"
"No, no. He was not in the military. A former school friend, Mike Stamford, introduced me to him. He was at St Barts..." That reminds John to find out what Sherlock does there. He's not a doctor... and yet he somehow has access to a lab there. Maybe he got his degree in medical research?
So many questions....
"He's a bit eccentric," John blurts out despite himself, "but it's good. I don't mind. He's different from anyone else I have ever known."
"Different can be good. So some definite change then?"
"Definite change."
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Location: 221B Baker Street
Time: 4:21 pm
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"Doctor Watson."
John looks up from his laptop to see Mrs Hudson coming into the flat with a couple bags from Tesco.
"John please," he reminds her again. She just smiles.
"Sherlock not in?"
John shakes his head. "I saw him briefly around nine this morning though."
"All right then. Anyways, I'll put these away. I ended up buying some food from Tesco's for the both of you. I doubt there's a scrap of food in here. Sherlock only seems to eat takeaway, and that's when he does eat," she sound so exasperated there.
John grins and watches her go into the kitchen. Despite her protest of "I'm your landlady, not your housekeeper," it looks like the woman can't help herself.
"But there needs to be food in here now, with you here."
"I'll do some food shopping in a bit Mrs Hudson, but thank you." John's stomach starts to growl then.
"Still such a mess," he hears her murmur. "It's always the brilliant ones mind you, they seem to love clutter."
John looks around the flat again. The cow skull on the wall with the headphones... the butterfly display, the several boxes with papers and such in it, bookcases filled with books.. he'll have to bring his books down as there seems to be some room for his. It'll give him some more space in the bedroom.
"Oh hello Detective Inspector," he hears Mrs Hudson greet, and John turns around in his chair to see the gray haired Detective in the doorway. The man gives Mrs Hudson a brief smile, and then focuses on John.
"Doctor Watson.. correct?"
John nods.
"Ah good. So I missed Sherlock have I?"
"He hasn't been in since around nine."
"Probably off somewhere, irritating someone," the Detective mutters.
"Can I help you with anything?" John asks politely. "Or do you have another case that you need Sherlock's help with?"
"Oh thank god, no, no case." The DI reaches inside his coat pocket, as he comes further inside, and hands John a piece of paper. When he gets a good look at it, he sees it's a cheque for £300. And he sees Sherlock's name as the recipient.
"I suppose I should add your name on here as well, as he brought you in on it," the DI muses. "Maybe with you, it won't get sent back to us or tossed out."
John frowns. "I thought he wasn't paid for his consulting."
"Who told you that?"
"Sgt Donovan."
"You know why he does this? He doesn't get paid or anything..."
"Ah well, he doesn't do it for the money, correct. But we still have to pay him," DI Lestrade says, sounding a bit grumpy. "He normally just sends it back to us or never cashes it."
"Ah, well I can hold onto it, but you don't have to make it out to me, just keep Sherlock's name on it."
"Nonsense. You might as well, he brought you along, you were involved, you helped," Lestrade insists as John's name is also. John tries to protest, but he's cut off once more. "Trust me, you helped, Sherlock that is. Take it."
John gives up the protest, knowing it's useless now. "All right."
The DI exhales. "Good. So you are moving in?"
"Moved in yesterday."
"Ah, good. Glad I didn't cost him a flatmate then. You seem sensible enough, he needs a little sensibility in his life. Anyways, I'm off. Good to see you again Doctor Watson."
John chuckles at the sensible part, but then frowns. He twists in his chair again "What do you mean you're glad you didn't cost him a flatmate?"
The DI stops at the stairs and turns around. "Oh, I suppose most people who turn and run if they witnessed the police doing a drugs bust in the flat of someone they might be moving in with. A bit extreme I know, but as I said to him that night, I knew he'd find the case and not let me know."
"You can't just break into my flat."
"And you can't withhold evidence. And I didn't break in to your flat."
"Well what do you call this then?"
"It's a drugs bust."
John remembers that quite clearly. He also remembers feeling disappointed, as the rest of the conversation revealed that Sherlock apparently did do some recreational drugs at some point even with his vehement "I am clean!" protest.
John doesn't doubt the clean part. He's a doctor. He's seen plenty of people high while in Afghanistan. What it can do to a body and mind. While Sherlock is quite skinny, he's clean.
"Sorry about that by the way."
"Hmm, oh yes, no worries. Well um, will I have to worry about any more drugs busts?"
The DI smiles. "Only if he withholds evidence from us."
Right. Looks like that's something John is going to have to keep an eye on.. that is if Sherlock brings him onto any more cases. The one with Jennifer Wilson may have been a one off.
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Location: 221B Baker St
Time: 10 pm
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"You can cash it."
"Maybe split it? I shouldn't take all of it."
Sherlock doesn't look up from the book he's reading on the couch. "Not interested. Lestrade put your name on it, I can endorse it so you can cash it for your account. But I don't need any of it."
John blinks. "I don't feel---"
"It doesn't matter, John," Sherlock says sharply. "I don't do this to be paid. I do it for the challenge. Of course the idiots at the Yard don't seem to understand it."
"You won't take credit publicly for helping, nor you will take credit financially?" John tries to wrap his head around this. Sherlock came back to the flat about ten minutes ago, and pretty much flat out refused to have any part in the cheque.
"I'm not interested in credit. I'm interested in cases, interesting and challenging ones, that keep me from being bored, and in my experiments and research. Oh that reminds me, need to see if the brother was arrested or not." Sherlock sets the book down and takes out his mobile.
"Brother?"
"A prior case I was working on before the taxi case. Remember? You let me use your mobile to send a text."
"Here, use mine."
"Oh...thank you."
Just a simple thing... that quickly turned into an adventure.
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Location: 221B Baker St
Date: February 3rd, Day 3
Time: 1:15 pm
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"Wait.. what?"
"What?"
John shakes his head. "What do you mean you don't know who the Prime Minister is?"
Sherlock's attention doesn't move from his laptop. "I don't know."
"How?"
"Not important."
John shakes his head. "How is that not important? He runs the country."
"Dull."
"Dull?"
"Exactly. Not important to know."
"Yet you have three books on the subject of superstitions."
"That was research. Needed to know about superstitions. I had to buy the books because the internet was not giving me the proper data."
"A case I imagine?"
"Yes, the one I had solved when we met."
"Care to tell me about it? Something to do with a green ladder right?" John asks, as he recalls the text he read that Sherlock sent when he got back to the bedsit.
Sherlock pauses in his typing and glances over. "You want to know?"
"Yes."
"I have it on the website." He offers.
"But I'm not on my laptop, and you are here. Might as well tell me."
Sherlock looks a bit surprised, and John wonders if anyone has ever asked him to tell him about his cases.
"All right." Sherlock pushes his laptop away. "Pay attention now."
As Sherlock launches into the case, John settles in his seat, paying attention and listening closely.
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Location: 221B Baker Street
Time: 5 pm
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"Why do people post anonymously?"
John glances up from the pan on the stove. After hearing about a couple other cases that Sherlock had, hunger finally got to him. He found some fish, with some help from a good Mrs Hudson, got some lemon and lime and seasonings. Since Sherlock insisted he take the money, he can go to Tesco's to buy some things.
He has a distinct feeling though once he does, that's going to be his job here for now on.
"What?"
"My website," Sherlock sounds annoyed. "Someone posted a couple anonymous messages and some ridiculous hidden message."
"Solved it yet?"
"Not interested. Dull. Boring. I created a new page for the website and put it up there. Anyone else can decipher it if they want."
"Hey Sherlock, you're not allergic to anything are you?"
"What, oh, nothing I'm aware of. Stupid Anonymous...He's been posting here for a while. One day we will meet... Lame. If I have to have a web stalker, can't it be someone with imagination?"
"Not everyone can be you, Sherlock," John murmurs as he turns the fish over.
"Pity."
"You would be out of a job then."
"Oh.. well then, I suppose it's good then, even if I do have to deal with a world with idiots."
"The sacrifices one has to make."
John smiles as he heard Sherlock laugh at that.
NEXT CHAPTER
Author's Note: I did some research, and consultants do get paid... so I did a rough guess on how much Sherlock would get paid, and figured that with how he is, he'd ignore the check, toss it, or send it back. And also checked to make sure two names can be put on the check.
Also, the dialogue in italics are from the episode of "A Study In Pink" , and the hidden message and Anonymous from Sherlock's website The Science Of Deduction.