This is my second Sherlock fanfic story, I do not own any of the characters but Arabella is a character of my own creation. Enjoy!
All seemed to be incredibly quiet for a Monday morning in London. While people had already gone off to work and were leading their normal lives at the start of the week, there was one man who was not among them. In a flat on Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes stared out the window at the street below. Being the world's only consulting detective he should be experimenting, or dealing with some new case. But there was nothing, nothing which would pique his interest at this point and it irritated him to no end. Ever since his return after his 'suicide' things were different. It took ages to rebuild his image and to regain the trust of those around him, especially his flat mate John Watson, who had been absolutely furious with him for disappearing for three years after supposedly jumping off the roof of St. Bart's to his death. But it had been to save lives. Thankfully they were on more amiable terms now.
While Sherlock stared out the window, John sat in his chair scanning through the newspaper looking for anything which might catch the interest of his bored flat mate who was almost borderline desperate for a case. When Sherlock became bored he could be rather...unpredictable. Shooting a gun at the wall for example, becoming more irritable than ever, there was no telling what he might do. He was very eccentric, his mind thought differently than others and it made people think he was weird, even earning him the nickname 'Freak'.
"Nothing?" he asked.
John shook his head. "I'm afraid not, the only thing which seems to be all over the news and the Web is that upcoming set of shows featuring that young singer, Blair Ravenna."
Sherlock rolled his eyes and groaned. "Oh please, how is that newsworthy?"
"Well she's a young singer with a very talented voice, almost operatic despite the fact that she's technically a rock star, she's very beautiful, and this is her first time touring outside of the United States. London is the final stop, so of course her fans would be excited."
Holmes walked over to his friend and looked down at the article about the singer and the image of her. Blair wore all black like a Goth, her eyes were adorned with heavy black eye makeup, her lips painted with garnet red, her dark auburn hair was long and the lower section of it ( a good six inches) was dyed a bright reddish coral color. How was that considered attractive?
Groaning again Sherlock walked back to the window. "How does that sort of look attract anybody?"
John shook his head. "I doubt she looks like that off stage. It's likely just a look for when she performs. Lots of artists do that."
"If you can even call them that," Sherlock replied with an irritated tone. "None of what these so-called 'artists' do is Art. It's just people who can't sing, wear ridiculous outfits and play their 'music' so loud and badly. Now Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, those are true artists."
John sighed, it seemed that Sherlock was becoming a time bomb and it was just moments before he would snap and do something reckless unless a solution to his boredom was found.
"You're entitled to your opinion, Sherlock. But it doesn't change the situation, you don't have a case right now. Nothing is going on. Why don't you try composing something on your violin and be productive instead of staring out the window all day?"
Sherlock then noticed a young lady who was walking down the sidewalk and headed toward the door to their flat. Most likely a client. Watching her he noticed that she appeared nervous by the way she looked around before ringing the doorbell. Oh yes, definitely a client. This could get interesting.
"Looks like I won't have to," Sherlock said after the doorbell had rung. "Would you be so kind as to answer it John? I need to change."
Sherlock had been lounging in his pajamas and blue robe that morning, hardly the attire to wear in the presence of a lady and client. As Sherlock went toward his bedroom, John quickly rushed downstairs to answer the door before the land lady Mrs. Hudson would have to rush to get it.
Opening the door John found a very lovely looking young lady. She had long red hair, her eyes were concealed behind a pair of sunglasses, her lips were full and had a light shade of pink lipstick. She wore black heels, a white skirt with a black scroll pattern all over it, and a black jacket. Her left hand was concealed beneath black leather gloves and it clutched the strap of her bag which was on her shoulder.
"Hello," John greeted. "Can I help you?"
"Doctor Watson, is it not?" she asked politely.
He nodded. "Yes, that is me."
"If it would not trouble you, I was hoping to speak with you and your colleague Sherlock Holmes about a very urgent matter."
John nodded. "Yes, of course come right in," he said holding the door open for her.
The woman entered before removing her sunglasses, revealing her golden amber eyes, and her gloves before slipping them into her bag. She followed him up the stairs into the flat. Sherlock had not yet emerged from his bedroom. Noting how warm it was in the flat compared to the outside, the woman removed her jacket revealing the black blouse she wore beneath it. John took her jacket and hung it for her, like a gentleman.
"Sherlock will be joining us momentarily, can I get you anything?" John asked.
She shook her head. "No, thank you, Doctor Watson."
He smiled a very charming smile. "Please, just call me John."
Soon the sound of footsteps came down the hallway toward the room where John and the young lady were standing. Sherlock was now dressed and prepared to meet with the client.
"Ah, Sherlock," John said. "We have a client."
"Yes I can see that," he responded as he glanced at the young lady before him, a few deductions running through his brilliant mind.
She turned to him. "Mister Holmes, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said holding out her hand.
Sherlock took her delicate hand in his own, politely shaking it. "And you, Miss..."
"Belle. My name is Belle," she simply stated.
Just a first name, Sherlock found this interesting. He gestured toward the chair in front of his own for her to sit and discuss the case she had brought to them. Belle sat down and crossed her legs at the ankle and kept very good posture, like a truly well mannered young lady. It had been a long time since Sherlock had seen such a well mannered woman. He and John both sat down.
"So Belle, you have something you wish to discuss with myself and John. You seem quite nervous so it must be something very important."
Belle swallowed a bit, a little upset that it was apparently obvious that she was nervous. "Yes, it is."
"Then do explain everything clearly to us and don't be boring," he told her.
John sent his friend a look when he said that. Even Belle's eyebrows drew a bit closer in confusion when he said that. Clearing her throat she prepared her thoughts and hoped she could convey them clearly.
"Well, the reason I have come here today is because I fear that my life is in danger. For the past five years now, I have been working in a profession which has been...for the most part enjoyable, however as of late I have been thinking of changing my career. I have been considering this, more so now because things have become...terrifying. I have been sent disturbing threats, ones which have been telling me that if I dare to leave, then something very bad will happen. The first time it happened, I didn't think too much of it, but then they became more frequent and I fear that they will only get worse. I now feel trapped and I don't have any idea who is behind these awful threats or what they are capable of."
"So you hope that we can figure out who it is," John stated.
She nodded. "Yes."
Sherlock leaned forward a little. "In that case, then I want you to start at the beginning and provide all the facts, Miss Stevens."
John looked at Sherlock with a confused look on his face. Belle's eyes widened a bit and her porcelain toned skin seemed to pale just slightly.
"How...how did you..." she began.
Sherlock smirked slightly. "I know a wig when I see one. And you weren't quite careful enough to mask your true identity, Arabella Stevens, or should I say Blair Ravenna."
As I mentioned, this is my second Sherlock fanfiction. I'm hoping this one will be as enjoyable as my first one. As of now I have a very good idea of how this story will go overall, but I am also open to ideas to help develop the plot. Any feedback is really appreciated! Thanks for reading!