Disclaimer: I'm only gonna do this once. Nothing belongs to me except my OC Charlotte, and Layton

Hi all! This is my first Sherlock/OC fic, I've been wanting to do this for a while now! Title is from the song 'Sewn' by The Feeling. Enjoy :)

"Here you go." The waitress placed a creamy hot chocolate on the table and Charlotte smiled her thanks as the waitress departed. Charlotte checked her watch before looking around the café she was in. A short queue was waiting at the counter, couples and friends were laughing and chatting, and mothers were trying to control their young children. She checked her watch again and another minute had passed. Another minute that her cousin was late.
"C'mon cuz, where are you?" she whispered under her breath. Just then, Molly Hooper pushed open the door and pushed through the queue, apologising to people she accidently shoved. When she got through the line, she paused and looked around the coffee shop. Charlotte immediately stood up from her chair when she saw her cousin, and called out her name and waved. Molly turned at the sound of her name and waved back before heading towards the table. Charlotte manoeuvred around the table and brought her cousin into a hug.

"Molly, hi! We haven't seen each other in ages!" She said over the pathologist's shoulder.
"Oof! Oh- Hello Lottie." Molly smiled as Charlotte let her go. The girls took their seats across from each other. Her cousin looked just the same as she did when they had last seen each other last year. Blonde, wavy hair that was parted at the side and reached the middle of her upper arm. Brown eyes that would dart around the place, taking in the surroundings and noticing things others wouldn't.
"Do you want a drink?" Charlotte asked.
"I think I'll get a coffee." She needed it with the work she had today.
"It's on me." Charlotte said as she got a waitress' attention.
"Oh, you really don't have to-" Molly insisted but her cousin giggled.
"Seriously it's fine, milk and one sugar yeah?" Molly nodded. She was surprised her cousin remembered how she liked her coffee, but that was Charlotte she supposed. Always curious about everything and retaining as much as she could in her head so knew at least a little bit of everything. Molly was reminded of Sherlock then. Charlotte was almost the same, observing and gathering facts about things from a glance. But where Sherlock didn't care much for others' emotions and opinions about his deductions, Charlotte did, and so she kept quiet about her observations and placed a smirk on her face if she knew something she shouldn't. Molly was taken out of her thoughts when her coffee was delivered.

"So… what're you doing here in London?" she asked before taking a sip of her drink.
"Well, y'know how I've been writing and stuff, trying to anyway," she said with a frown, "but I've lost my muses, so I thought I'd move here to London, to find my inspiration." She announced.
"You're moving here? That's great!" Molly grinned.
"I know! Well, it would be if I could find a place." Charlotte frowned again.
"Oh… I would offer my place but its only one bedroom and-" Molly stuttered.
"I know, I know, don't worry. But can I ask you for a favour?" the blonde said waving a hand.
"Lottie, you know you can."
"Cheers. Could you keep an eye and hear out for any places for rent? Even someone looking for a flat share? It would help a great deal."
"Of course, yeah. I'll see if there's anything at work."
"Thanks again, cuz." Charlotte sighed with relief. "So, how's work as a pathologist?"

Molly answered and talked about how her work was quite interesting because she sort of helped the police with murder investigations and detective work. She also went on to talk about Sherlock Holmes and how good he was at what he did and his rather odd methods of work.
"This Holmes guy sounds exciting; you'll have to introduce us one day." Charlotte said when her cousin had finished.
"Oh, I don't know…he's not one for socialising, really."
"Really?" Lottie repeated, "Sounds like you know him pretty well." She said with a smirk before taking a swallow of her hot chocolate. Molly's cheeks went red as she mumbled and stuttered.
"Oh, uh… no it's not like that… I just think he's… he's…" Charlotte raised her eyebrows at her cousin's usual shy and almost nervous nature.
"Don't worry, cuz, you secret's safe with me." She swore, "You know, you should try and do something."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, ask him to coffee sometime. I know you said he isn't sociable, but it's worth the try, surely? Oh! And I remember reading somewhere that if you keep your make-up simple but wear a brighter shade of lippy, it draws attention to your lips." She advised with a wink.
"Oh, err- thanks, I'll bear that in mind. But enough of me, what about you? How've you been?"
"I've been good… writing, as you know, but to no avail. I'm trying to write children's crime stories but… meh." Charlotte said simply. Molly nodded and checked her watch.
"Is that the time? I'd best be off." She said apologetically, finishing off her coffee. Charlotte agreed and left money for the drinks on the table before walking out the door with Molly onto the relatively quiet street.

"Here," Lottie said, digging through her handbag for something before coming up with a lipstick. "for that Sherlock guy."
"Thanks," Molly smiled, "So what are you going to do now?" her cousin looked around before answering,
"Probably take the dog for a walk round Hyde Park, seems a nice day for it."
"Dog? I didn't know you had a dog."
"Oh yeah!" Charlotte exclaimed and spun around to untie a leash from a bike bay, "Molly, meet Layton. Layton, meet Molly." Molly looked at the German Shepherd that stood next to her cousin, tail wagging happily. The dog had lively brown eyes, a bushy tail, and a reddish-brown and black coat.
"Oh… hello!" she said awkwardly, gingerly petting his head. "I'm, uh, more of a cat person, to be honest…"
"That's fine. I remember when we were little; you used to beg my parents and yours to get you a little tabby kitten." Charlotte giggled at the memory of a young Molly stropping off when they denied her. "Well, I don't want to keep you any longer, so I'll see you soon yeah?"
"Yeah, we should do this again sometime, on my day off perhaps when I don't have to rush off." Molly agreed.
"Definitely. Oh, and don't forget about my flat hunt." The blonde reminded,
"Don't worry, I won't."
"Okay, thanks again cuz."
"No problem, Lottie." The two cousins hugged and went in opposite directions down the street, one to St. Bart's and the other to Hyde Park.

Molly waited patiently for the coffee machine to fill up the cup. She had taken her cousin's advice and put on the lipstick, she'd even been as brave as to have asked Sherlock out to coffee but he took another meaning from her suggestion and now here she was, filling up his cup for him. She caught her reflection in the machine and saw the colour of her lips. Charlotte had been right since Sherlock had noticed, but now Molly didn't think it was worth the effort so she swiped up a napkin and took off her lipstick. The coffee had stopped spurting out of the machine so she proceeded to stir in two sugars, just as he had asked, and carry it carefully back to the lab upstairs. Charlotte had asked Molly to keep an eye or hear out for a place to stay, but so far not so good. She hadn't heard anything from her friends since they were already cooped up with partners or not looking for a place or flat share, besides them, Molly only saw the corpses at work. Molly pushed open the door to the lab and made her way to Sherlock. Mike Stamford and a man she didn't know where also in the lab.

"Ah, Molly, Coffee, thank you." He said politely in greeting. What was going on? He's not usually this polite, but Molly smiled nonetheless. "What happened to the lipstick?"
"It wasn't working for me."
"Really? I thought it was a big improvement; your mouth's too… small now." He said as he took the coffee and walked to the other end of the lab, taking a sip. Aaand he's back, Molly thought.
"Okay." She said simply at loss for words. She was about to leave the room when Stamford stopped her.
"Miss Hooper? You don't happen to have any spare body parts do you? It's for a lesson I've got planned." He said quietly, as not to interrupt Sherlock's and the other man's conversation.
"I might do, I think that one of the bodies signed up for organ and body donation, so he's all yours" she whispered back.
"Cheers."
She nodded and was about leave when she got stopped again by the sound of Sherlock's voice.

"Potential flatmates should know the worse about each other."
Molly turned around, Sherlock was looking for a flatmate?
"Have you- You told him about me?" The man asked Stamford.
"Not a word."
"Then who said anything about flatmates?" he asked, shifting from one foot to the other, hand gripping his cane.
"I did. Told Mike this morning I must be a difficult man to find a flatmate for, now here he is just after lunch with an old friend, clearly you're just home from military service in Afghanistan. It wasn't a difficult leap." Sherlock explained while putting his gloves and scarf on.
"How did you know about Afghanistan?"
"I've got my own nice little place in central London. We ought to be able to afford it, if we manage to get a third person in."
"Third person?" Molly blurted before she could think.
"Yes. Why?" Sherlock sounded bored.
"Oh, it's just that my cousin is looking for a place too." She said hopefully.
"What are they like?" he asked, eyes glued to his phone screen.
"I think you'll be able to put up with them," she answered, "They're into crime and mysteries like you." She added hoping it could convince him.
"Fine. We'll meet their tomorrow evening at 7 o'clock. Sorry, must dash, I've left my riding crop in the mortuary." He said as he passed the man. "Oh and Molly, inform your cousin of the good news."
"Is that it?"
"Is that what?" Sherlock replied,
"We've only just met and we're gonna go look at a flat."
"Problem?" The man smiled at Stamford, as if he couldn't believe what Sherlock was saying, before replying.
"We don't know a thing about each other. I don't know where we're meeting, I don't even know your name."

"I know you're an army doctor and you've been invalided home from Afghanistan, I know you've got a brother who's worried about you but you won't go to him for help because you don't approve of him, possibly because he's an alcoholic, more likely because he recently walked out on his wife and I know that your therapist thinks your limp is psychosomatic. Quite correct, I'm afraid. That's enough to be going on with don't you think?" Sherlock said all in one breath. Molly thought that she was going slightly weak at the knees so moved out the way of the door to let Sherlock pass. He opened the door but stuck his head back around the corner. "The name's Sherlock Holmes, and the address is 221b Baker Street." He winked and clicked his tongue before saying "Afternoon," to Stamford and leaving the room completely. The man looked towards Stanford and he simply said,
"Yep, he's always like that." The man looked back toward the door shifting on his cane before looking at Molly.
"Sorry, John Watson." He said, holding out his hand,
"Molly Hooper," she replied,
"So your cousin…" he said leading off the sentence,
"Oh, she's really nice. Her name's Charlotte Walker and she's a children's author." Molly said, nodding her head for effect,
"Not like Mr Holmes, then?" he said jokingly,
"Oh, not at all." She said with a smile, "Oh, but she does, sort of, have dog…" Molly cringed slightly, hoping she hadn't ruined her cousin's chance of finding a place.
"That's no problem, I don't mind dogs." He said, as if sensing her nervousness and reassuring her. "What breed is it?"
"A German Shepherd, but he's lovely." She insisted, " I must dash,"
"Of course. Nice meeting you," John said with a smile.
"You too," she said before leaving the room.

Molly was sitting curled up on her sofa, phone in hand and chewing her lip. She finally just hit dial. Charlotte answered on the third ring.
"Hello?"
"Lottie, hi,"
"Oh hey, Molly,"
"Listen, I've got some news,"
"…Yes?"
"I was in the lab with Sherlock and-"
"Did he notice the lippy? Are you two going on a date?" Charlotte interrupted with a gasp,
"What? No. No, you asked me to keep a look out for flat shares, and well… I've found one!"
"You did what? Oh my god, thank you! You're the best, you know that?"
"Oh, well…" Molly said, being modest,
"So who are they, the person I'm moving in with?"
"One's an army doctor, John Watson, he seems very nice. Cute, almost… he's quite short, about your height."
"Sounds like a nice bloke. The other person?"
"Another man," Molly paused before continuing, "His name's Sherlock Holmes…"
"The Sherlock Holmes?"
"…Yes,"
"The guy that you said solves all those crimes?"
"Yeah."
"The same Sherlock that you fancy?"
"…Yup,"
"Well, that should be fun." Molly could hear the excitement in her cousin's voice
"I'm sure it will be."

"Did you hear that Layton?" Charlotte collapsed into her armchair, and the dog happily came over to her, winding through the dozen boxes that held what little she had. He rested his head on her lap and she scratched at his favourite spot behind his ears. "We've got a new home!" She smiled and wished the butterflies in her stomach away. She was excited to get out of this place that she knew was holding her down, not giving her inspiration to write. She sighed as she looked at the mostly packed boxes around her. They were small in size but still managed to hold most of her things. She didn't own a lot since she wasn't making the usual amount of money from writing. Mainly photos and sentimental items were packed, Layton's things and her clothes would go in a suitcase, the rest of her things in the boxes, and her furniture would have to be dismantled and transported to Baker Street.

Molly had texted her the time and address to meet, and Charlotte was glad that she had almost a whole day tomorrow to finish packing and say goodbye to boring. Hopefully she would be right, and being in a different area would help her with her writing. She looked towards a box to her left that held her typewriter. She had a laptop, but she preferred writing her stories with the typewriter. The tapping of the keys and ringing of the bell when the page was done helped her focus, and there was something about words written with a typewriter that just made it look… better.

Living with Sherlock Holmes could also be a source of inspiration for Charlotte, an extra incentive for her writing. At their catch-up session, Molly had told her all the wonderful things he does and his art of deduction, but were there any bad points? Charlotte reached for her laptop and Layton whined when his face was replaced by it. She logged in as Layton laid his soft, furry belly on her bare feet and rested his head between his forelegs.
"Thanks, mate," she said, "you're always so warm." Charlotte added as she wiggled her toes under Layton. She opened up the Internet and typed 'Sherlock Holmes' in the search engine. It's best to know your potential flat mate before you move in together, right?

End of chapter one! If you check out my polyvore ( .com) you can see Charlotte's Outfit and Layton! Check out my tumblr, lady-mordred-whochester-holmes, you can ask any questions about any of my fanfics :) Chapter two will be up soon, I promise

~Sophia